Objectives:

Students will understand the function of suffixes and how they alter the meaning of base words.
Students will recognize and utilize the suffixes -able, -ible, -less, and -ous to construct words.
Students will practice reading and writing words with these suffixes in their spelling list.

Materials:
Whiteboard
Visual aids (examples of words with -able, -ible, -less, and -ous suffixes)
Spelling word list:

  • lovable
  • famous
  • thoughtless
  • various
  • endless
  • reliable
  • nervous
  • spotless
  • flexible
  • washable
  • helpless
  • terrible
  • valuable
  • dangerous
  • powerless

Introduction (5 minutes):

Define suffixes as sets of letters added to the end of base words to change their meaning.
Explain that today’s focus is on the suffixes -able, -ible, -less, and -ous and their impact on base words.

Theocratic Connections:

Understanding word structures and suffixes can aid in understanding the meaning of words encountered in Bible texts.

Activity 1 – Suffixes: -able, -ible, (7 minutes):

Present examples of base words and their corresponding words with -able, -ible, -less, and -ous suffixes on the whiteboard. Practice pronouncing and identifying the suffixes.

The suffixes -able and -ible both mean “able to”. For example, the word audible means able to be heard. The word washable means able to be washed.
Mention that there is one important rule to remember: When we’re adding -able or -ible to a base word that ends with the letter e, we get rid of the letter e before we add -able or -ible. (e.g. If we want to add -able to the word “Love”, we erase the letter e and then we can add -able and make the word: lovable.)
Explain that since the suffixes -able and -ible have the same meaning, we have to learn the rule for knowing which one to use.
We can figure out if the word should end with -able or -ible two ways:
The first way is by looking for vowels in the base word. The suffix -ible doesn’t usually come after a vowel. So base words like the word agree cannot not end with -ible because they end with vowels. If a base word ends with a vowel, add -able to it.
The second way is by checking to see if the base word is a complete word. Many words that end with -ible have base words that are not complete words. If you remove the suffix -ible from the word incredible, you have the incomplete base word incred. Incred is not a real word that can be used by itself.

Activity 2 – Suffixes: -less, -ous, (7 minutes):

The suffix -less means “without”.  (e.g. The word spotless means without spots.)

Mention that there is one important rule to remember when you add -less to base words:
If the base word ends with the letter y, change the y into an i before you add -less. (e.g. if you want to add -less to the word “penny, erase the letter y. Replace it with the letter i, then add -less to make the word: penniless)

The suffix -ous means “full of”. When we add -ous to a base word, we turn into an adjective that we can use to describe something.  (e.g. The word dangerous means full of danger.)

Mention that there are two important rules to remember when you add -ous to base words:
The first rule is the e rule. If the base word ends with the letter e, get rid of the e before you add -ous.  (e.g. if you add -ous to the word “adventure”…  Erase the letter e and then you can add -ous and make the word: adventurous.)
The second rule is the y rule. If the base word ends with a consonant plus the letter y, change the y into an i before you add -ous. (e.g. If you want to add -ous to the word “victory”, erase the letter y and turn it into an i before you add -ous. Then you can make the word: victorious.)
However, if the base word ends with a vowel plus the letter y, you don’t change the y before you add -ous.  (e.g. The word joy turns into the word: joyous.)

Activity 3 – Application of Suffixes (9 minutes):

Present sentences with words containing -able, -ible, -less, and -ous suffixes. Practice constructing sentences using words with these suffixes, focusing on their altered meanings.

Conclusion (2 minutes):

Summarize key points: Suffixes are added to base words to change their meanings. Today, we focused on the suffixes -able, -ible, -less, and -ous, learning how they alter words to express ability, absence, or fullness. Encourage students to practice reading and writing words with these suffixes to reinforce their understanding.

Assessment:

Informally assess students through participation in suffix identification activities, their ability to form words with suffixes, and their comprehension of the meanings conveyed by words with suffixes.