a letter or group of letters added to the end of a word to change its meaning

the base word from which other words are formed often by adding prefixes or suffixes

Spelling words with the suffixes -er and -est

English

In this unit, pupils learn the spelling and grammar conventions used with the suffixes -ly, -ful and -less.  In 'Prefixes, Homonyms and Homophones', pupils learn spelling and grammar conventions used with prefixes meaning 'not' and the spelling of homophones and homonyms.

In ‘Capital letters and numerals’, pupils learnt the spelling and grammar conventions used with common suffixes: -ed and -ing. In this unit, pupils build on this knowledge, learning the spelling and grammar conventions used with the suffixes -ly, -ful and -less.

More suffixes and silent letters

Select all the words containing the suffix '-er'.

Match the words to the suffix they contain.

What word class is the word in bold in the following sentence: 'Ben felt **braver** when my friend arrived.'

What happens when the suffix -est is added to a word such as 'long' or 'quick'?

What happens when the suffix -er is added to a root word ending in 'e', such as 'nice' or 'wise'?

Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'We arrived one **minnit** late.'

Select the adjective from the following sentence: 'The tall trees swayed.'

Match the word to the suffix it contains.

Remove the 'y', replace it with 'i' and add -less.

What rule is used when 'fear' becomes 'fearless'?

What rule is used when 'play' becomes 'playful'?

Match the words to the rules that apply when adding the suffix -y.

Starter Quiz