Word Building
Suffixes
A suffix is a small part added to the end of a word to make a new word.
1 Observe
Look at the end of each word. What has been added to the word you know?
- Helpful Ready to help; useful.
- Careless Not taking enough care.
- Happiness The feeling of being happy.
- Slowly In a slow way.
2 Discover
Each word has a small part at the end: -ful, -less, -ness, -ly. These are suffixes. -ful means 'full of' and -less means 'without'. So helpful and helpless mean very different things!
In the Gerund course: Unit 24 Vocabulary in Context
3 Apply
The backwaters near Alappuzha looked ____ at sunset.
The ____ of the lamps at the village fair lit up the whole street.
Sana spoke ____ to the new student on his first day in Pune.
4 Create
Write one sentence using a word that ends in '-ful' and one that ends in '-less'.
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Example: Meera is careful with her paints, because careless spills can stain the floor.
5 Explore
Open the suffix cards. Find a suffix that turns a word into a noun.