Suffixes - their importance in spelling
If you can handle suffixes then you're well on the wayto becoming a capable speller.
A suffix is simply an ending that's added to a base word
to form a new word.
Let's look at some examples:
| Base word | Suffix | New Word |
| interest | -ing | interesting |
| noise | -y | noisy |
| breath | -less | breathless |
| popular | -ity | popularity |
| drop | -let | droplet |
| A key thing to know about a suffix is whether it starts with a consonant or a vowel. Here are some suffixes you'll meet quite often: |
| Consonant Suffixes |
Examples | Vowel Suffixes |
Examples |
| -ful | hopeful, plentiful | -er, -or | farmer, collector |
| -less | useless, tasteless | -en | mistaken, hidden |
| -ly | bravely, frankly | -ish | foolish, thinnish |
| -ment | movement, agreement | -ation | limitation, reservation |
| -ness | darkness, happiness | -ing | firing, sitting |
| Did you notice that sometimes the base word changes when you add a suffix? For example, fire becomes firing (dropping the e) and sit becomes sitting (doubling the letter t) Work your way through all the Suffix pages to see how these patterns work. Click here for the next suffix lesson |
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Roger Smith
Knowing
how to
deal with
suffixes
is a
key
spelling
skill