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Year 5

Creating adjectives using the suffixes -ful and -less

I can spell adjectives using the suffixes -ful and -less.

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New
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Year 5

Creating adjectives using the suffixes -ful and -less

I can spell adjectives using the suffixes -ful and -less.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The suffixes -less and -ful create adjectives.
  2. The suffix -ful means ‘full of’ or ‘having qualities of’ and the suffix -less means ‘without’ or ‘lacking’.
  3. The suffixes start with a consonant. This means the root word usually doesn’t change when the suffix is added.
  4. If the root word ends in a consonant +y, then the ‘y’ is replaced by ‘i’ before the suffix.
  5. How to spell the curriculum words: awkward, bruise, regular and therefore.

Keywords

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

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

  • Adjective - describes a noun

Common misconception

Pupils may think the suffix is spelt with a double 'l' like the word 'full'.

Explicitly point out the difference between the spelling of 'full' and the suffix 'ful'.


To help you plan your year 5 english lesson on: Creating adjectives using the suffixes -ful and -less, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Model applying unfamiliar words in simple sentences to expose pupils to the meaning. They may be unfamiliar with words such as 'merciless', 'penniless' and 'thankless'.
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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

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

-ly

Correct Answer:careful,-ful
tick

-ful

Correct Answer:thankless,-less
tick

-less

Correct Answer:greenest,-est
tick

-est

Correct Answer:admiration,-tion
tick

-tion

Q3.
Match the word to the word class. The suffixes will help you.
Correct Answer:famous,adjective
tick

adjective

Correct Answer:education,noun
tick

noun

Correct Answer:flatten,verb
tick

verb

Q4.
What word class is the word in bold in this sentence. A global citizen cares about making the world a better place.
noun
verb
Correct answer: adjective
Q5.
What word class is the word in bold in this sentence. The personal message helped me to feel at ease.
noun
verb
Correct answer: adjective
Q6.
What happens to the root word 'history' when the suffix -ic is added?
Correct answer: The ‘y’ is removed before the suffix -ic is added.
The ‘e’ is removed before the suffix -ic is added.
Just add the suffix -ic.

6 Questions

Q1.
Identify all the words containing the suffix -ful.
Correct answer: helpful
fully
Correct answer: merciful
fullest
Q2.
Identify all the words containing the suffix -less.
lesson
Correct answer: speechless
Correct answer: merciless
less
class
Q3.
What word class is the word 'stressful' in this sentence? I had a stressful time at the concert.
verb
noun
Correct answer: adjective
adverb
Q4.
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the sentence. They are byootifull flowers.
Correct Answer: beautiful
Q5.
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the sentence. The mersyles villain locked them in the dungeon.
Correct Answer: merciless
Q6.
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the sentence. That was a suxsesfull attempt to solve the problem.
Correct Answer: successful

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