Second Grade English: Suffixes (-ful, -less, -ly, -er, -est, -able)

While prefixes attach to the front of a word, another powerful group of word parts attaches directly to the end. These word endings are called suffixes. Suffixes are magical tools because they do two things simultaneously: they modify the core meaning of a base word, and they frequently change the word's grammatical part of speech, such as transforming an action verb into an adjective or an adjective into an adverb. In this chapter, you will master six essential second grade suffixes: -ful, -less, -ly, -er, -est, and -able.

The Function of a Suffix

A suffix is a letter or group of letters added to the end of a base word that creates a new word with a specialized meaning and function.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
|                    THE SUFFIX ATTACHMENT FORMULA                |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                 |
|      [ BASE WORD ]   +      [ SUFFIX ]      =   [ NEW WORD ]    |
|                                                                 |
|       care (noun)    +       -ful (suffix)  =     careful       |
|                                               (full of care!)   |
|                                                                 |
|       care (noun)    +       -less (suffix) =     careless      |
|                                               (without care!)   |
|                                                                 |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+

Opposing Suffix Twins: -ful and -less

Notice how the suffixes -ful and -less act as direct opposites. The suffix -ful means "full of," while the suffix -less means "without." If you are hopeful, your heart is full of hope. If a situation seems hopeless, it is without hope. If someone is fearful, they are full of fear; if someone is fearless, they act without fear!

Master Suffix Directory

Let us explore each of our six target suffixes in complete detail.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
|                     MASTER SUFFIX DIRECTORY                     |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
|  Suffix | Core Meaning        | Part of Speech Shift | Examples |
+---------+---------------------+----------------------+----------+
|  -ful   | full of; having     | Noun -> Adjective    | helpful, |
|         |                     |                      | cheerful |
|  -less  | without; lacking    | Noun -> Adjective    | painless,|
|         |                     |                      | toothless|
|  -ly    | in a certain manner | Adjective -> Adverb  | quickly, |
|         | or characteristic of|                      | softly   |
|  -er    | a person who does;  | Verb -> Noun or      | teacher, |
|         | more than (compare) | Adjective comparison | faster   |
|  -est   | the most (compare 3)| Adjective superlative| fastest, |
|         |                     |                      | brightest|
|  -able  | able to be; capable | Verb -> Adjective    | washable,|
|         | of being            |                      | lovable  |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+

The Suffix -ly: How Things Happen

The suffix -ly turns descriptive words into adverbs that explain how an action is performed. If a kitten walks in a soft manner, it walks softly. If a runner sprints in a quick manner, she sprints quickly. If a bird sings in a sweet manner, it sings sweetly.

The Dual Roles of -er: People vs. Comparisons

The suffix -er has two entirely distinct jobs in English: First, it names a person or tool that performs an action. A person who teaches is a teacher. A person who farms is a farmer. A machine that mixes is a mixer. Second, it compares two things. If one tree is tall and another has greater height, the second tree is taller.

The Suffix -est: The Ultimate Champion

While -er compares two items, the suffix -est compares three or more items to crown the absolute highest degree. Among three mountain peaks, the one with the greatest height is the tallest. Among all stars in the night sky, the one with the greatest light is the brightest.

The Suffix -able: Possibility and Ability

The suffix -able means "able to be." If a jacket is washable, it is able to be washed in a machine without damage. If a puzzle is solvable, it is able to be solved. If a story is believable, you are able to believe it.

Basic Spelling Rules When Adding Suffixes

When adding suffixes that begin with a vowel (like -er, -est, or -able), keep these two spelling rules in mind: Drop the silent E: If a base word ends in silent 'e', drop the 'e' before adding a vowel suffix (love + -able = lovable; wide + -est = widest). Double the final consonant: If a short vowel word ends in CVC, double the final consonant before adding a vowel suffix (big + -er = bigger; hot + -est = hottest).

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Add either -ful or -less to complete each word to match the definition: without a home; full of joy; without a clue; full of peace.

Exercise 2: Write two sentences comparing three animals using the suffixes -er and -est with the base word "fast."

Exercise Solutions

Solution to Exercise 1: Without a home is homeless (suffix -less). Full of joy is joyful (suffix -ful). Without a clue is clueless (suffix -less). Full of peace is peaceful (suffix -ful).

Solution to Exercise 2: A student could write: The horse is faster than the sheep. However, the cheetah is the fastest animal on the savanna.