A suffix is a string of letters that go at the end of a root word, changing or adding to its meaning. Children learn suffixes and how to use them to help them improve their spelling and understand of nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Here are some examples of suffixes that kids learn at different grade levels:
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Year 1: Children learn about suffixes that are added without changing the root word, such as -ing, -ed, -er, -est, -ful, and -ly.
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Year 2: Children learn that to add some suffixes, they have to change the root word. For example, pat has to have another t added before the suffix -ed can be added. Copy has to have the y removed before -ied is added.
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Year 3 and 4: Children continue to learn that some suffixes change the root word, for example, happy becomes happily, and gentle becomes gently. They also learn more complex suffixes such as -ation, -ly, and -ous.
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Year 5: Children learn more advanced suffixes such as -ology, -graph, and -port. For example, ology means study, graph means to write, and port means carry.
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Year 6: Children learn about suffixes such as -ing and -ed. Sometimes a letter has to be added before a suffix can be added.
Teaching children words with suffixes means that they are broadening their vocabulary by learning new words and their meanings, which they can then incorporate into their writing. It also means that they are learning the spellings of new words.
