New
New
Year 5

Turning adjectives into nouns using the suffixes -ity and -ness

I can spell words using the suffixes -ity and -ness.

New
New
Year 5

Turning adjectives into nouns using the suffixes -ity and -ness

I can spell words using the suffixes -ity and -ness.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The suffixes -ity and -ness turns adjectives into abstract nouns.
  2. When a word ends in a consonant, just add the suffix -ity; when it ends in ‘e’, remove the ‘e’, then add -ity.
  3. There are other patterns and irregular words, like ‘ability’ and ‘simplicity’.
  4. For most words, just add the suffix -ness; when a word ends in ‘y’, replace the ‘y’ with ‘i’, then add the suffix -ness.
  5. How to spell the curriculum words: business and opportunity.

Common misconception

Pupils think that all nouns are a person, place or thing that you can touch.

Show a range of different nouns, including common and abstract nouns. Show that they can be described with an adjective.

Keywords

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

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

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

  • Abstract noun - a type of noun that names an idea or quality that cannot be seen

To help identify word class, put the word into a sentence. This makes it easier to recognise the word's function in the sentence and then determine the word class. Use simple sentences to avoid cognitive overload.
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).

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the words to their root words.
Correct Answer:fearful,fear

fear

Correct Answer:happiness,happy

happy

Correct Answer:enjoyment,enjoy

enjoy

Q2.
Select the nouns.
Correct answer: cat
walked
Correct answer: bed
ran
Correct answer: food
Q3.
Match the word to the suffix it contains.
Correct Answer:punishment,-ment

-ment

Correct Answer:happiness,-ness

-ness

Correct Answer:luxurious,-ous

-ous

Correct Answer:sweeter,-er

-er

Q4.
Select the adjective from the following sentence: 'The happy child skipped home.'
Correct answer: happy
child
skipped
home
Q5.
Select the adjective from the following sentence: 'The cold ice stung my skin.'
the
Correct answer: cold
ice
stung
skin
Q6.
Match the word to the suffix it contains.
Correct Answer:concentration,-tion

-tion

Correct Answer:laziness,-ness

-ness

Correct Answer:equality,-ity

-ity

6 Questions

Q1.
The words 'happiness', 'curiosity' and 'simplicity' are what type of noun?
common noun
proper noun
Correct answer: abstract noun
Q2.
Match the root word to the noun formed with the suffix -ity or -ness.
Correct Answer:active,activity

activity

Correct Answer:generous,generosity

generosity

Correct Answer:electric,electricity

electricity

Correct Answer:kind,kindness

kindness

Correct Answer:lazy,laziness

laziness

Q3.
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'I love virtual reyalytee.'
Correct Answer: reality
Q4.
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'I was put off by their hostillitee.'
Correct Answer: hostility
Q5.
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'Your jenrositee is overwhelming.'
Correct Answer: generosity
Q6.
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'Please check the stubillitee of the equipment before I climb on it.'
Correct Answer: stability

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