New
New
Year 3

Spelling words with the suffixes "-ful" and "-less"

I can change the meaning of a word by adding the suffix -ful or -less.

New
New
Year 3

Spelling words with the suffixes "-ful" and "-less"

I can change the meaning of a word by adding the suffix -ful or -less.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. -ful and -less are suffixes that can be used to change the meaning of a root word.
  2. Some root words can use the suffixes -ful and -less.
  3. The -less and -ful suffixes start with a consonant, so the root word usually doesn’t change when the suffix is added.
  4. If the root word has more than one syllable and ends in a consonant +y, then ‘y’ is replaced by ‘i’ before the suffix.
  5. How to spell the curriculum words: reign and island.

Common misconception

All root words can take both suffixes -ful and -less.

Show a variety of words with suffixes -ful and -less. Choose ones familiar to the pupils and put into sentences to demonstrate the meaning.

Keywords

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

  • Adjective - describes a noun

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

  • Noun - a naming word for a person, place or thing

Show the children's actual misconceptions when giving feedback on spelling tasks and talk through the process of how to recognise what is correct based on the rules taught.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Loading...

6 Questions

Q1.
What word class is the word in bold in this sentence? Chen was very careful that day.
noun
Correct answer: adjective
adverb
Q2.
Match the word to the suffix it contains.
Correct Answer:quickly,-ly

-ly

Correct Answer:careful,-ful

-ful

Correct Answer:greenest,-est

-est

Correct Answer:played,-ed

-ed

Q3.
What rule is used when 'horrible' becomes 'horribly' when adding the suffix -ly?
Just add -ly.
Correct answer: Remove the ‘e’, add -ly.
Remove the ‘y’, add -ily.
Add -ally.
Q4.
What rule is used when 'greedy' becomes 'greedily' when adding the suffix -ly?
Just add -ly.
Remove the ‘e’, add -ly.
Correct answer: Remove the ‘y’, add -ily.
Add -ally.
Q5.
What rule is used when 'sad' becomes 'sadly' when adding the suffix -ly?
Correct answer: Just add -ly.
Remove the ‘e’, add -ly.
Remove the ‘y’, add -ily.
Add -ally.
Q6.
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the sentence. The number after seven is ate.
Correct Answer: eight

6 Questions

Q1.
Identify all the words containing the suffix -ful.
Correct answer: careful
fully
Correct answer: beautiful
fuller
Q2.
Identify all the words containing the suffix -less.
lesson
Correct answer: careless
less
Correct answer: merciless
Q3.
What word class is the word 'painful' in this sentence? I had a painful cut on my arm.
verb
noun
Correct answer: adjective
adverb
Q4.
Match the words to the rules that apply when the suffix -less or -ful is added.
Correct Answer:play - playful,Just add -ful.

Just add -ful.

Correct Answer:beauty - beautiful,Remove the ‘y’, then add -iful.

Remove the ‘y’, then add -iful.

Correct Answer:care - careless,Just add -less.

Just add -less.

Correct Answer:mercy - merciless,Remove the ‘y’, then add -iless.

Remove the ‘y’, then add -iless.

Q5.
Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the sentence. Queen Elizabeth had a very long rain.
rein
riegn
Correct answer: reign
regn
Q6.
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the sentence. Across the waves they could see a beautiful illand.
Correct Answer: island

Additional material

Download additional material
We're sorry, but preview is not currently available. Download to see additional material.