Suffixes (age 7+)
Spell words using productive suffixes (-ation, -ly, -ous) and less common sound-spelling correspondences (/ɪ/ as y, /ʌ/ as ou, endings sounding like /ʒə/, /tʃə/, /ʒən/, /ʃən/) introduced in the Year 3-4 programme
What a learner can do afterwards
- Spell words with suffixes -ation (e.g., information, sensation), -ly (e.g., sadly, gently, happily), and -ous (e.g., famous, enormous, various)
- Spell words with less common vowel patterns: /ɪ/ as y (e.g., myth, gym), /ʌ/ as ou (e.g., young, touch, double)
- Spell words with endings /ʒə/ as -sure (e.g., measure, treasure), /tʃə/ as -ture (e.g., creature, furniture), /ʒən/ as -sion (e.g., division, television)
The lesson
You already know a suffix is added to the end of a word. Three suffixes turn up everywhere: -ation, like in information, -ly, like in sadly, and -ous, like in famous. Spelling them means remembering the pattern, since some tricky letters can surprise you too.
Mia is a famous swimmer. She trains happily every morning at the gym. Famous ends in -ous, happily ends in -ly, and gym uses y to make the short i sound.
Measure, creature, and division all end with a sound like 'zhuh' or 'shun', but they use different spellings: -sure, -ture, and -sion. There is no trick here, just learn each word by sight.
Suffixes like -ation, -ly, and -ous follow patterns, and letters such as y and ou can make surprising sounds, so spell by the pattern, not just by ear.
Watch it
Where it sits
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.