Download Build your skills: Spelling – Part 1 Spelling: working on how words

Build your skills: Spelling – Part 1
Spelling: working on how words are structured
This task has two parts.
Part 1
In this part you can brush up your skills and find out about prefixes and suffixes.
Part 2
In the second part you can try out these skills on test-type questions and check your
answers.
Developing your skills
In this task you can:
•
•
find information to help you develop your understanding of how some
words are built up from root words, prefixes (letters at the beginning
of a word) and suffixes (letters at the end)
Ww/L1.1,
Rw/L1.3
increase your awareness of the structure of words, which will help to
improve your spelling.
Thinking about your spelling
How confident are you when you check spellings in your own writing?
1
•
Do you use different methods to help remember spellings?
•
Do you break words up into parts to make them easier to spell?
•
Do you know what prefixes, suffixes and root words are?
•
Do you know how they can help your spelling and understanding of
words at work?
Literacy at Level 1
Build your skills: Spelling – Part 1
A number of questions within the Level 1 Literacy national tests ask you to find spelling
errors. The question below is an example where an understanding of prefixes can help
you spot the right answer. Try this example.
The word ‘dissappered’ on line 15 is incorrectly spelled. The correct spelling is:
A
dissappeared
B
disappeared
C
disappered
D
dissapeared
The correct answer is B. There is a root word, appear, a prefix, dis-, and a suffix, -ed.
For examples and tips on the correct spelling of words using prefixes and suffixes, read
on.
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Literacy at Level 1
Build your skills: Spelling – Part 1
Understanding how words are made up: root words, prefixes and
suffixes
Some longer words are made up from shorter root words by adding beginnings (prefixes)
and/or endings (suffixes).
Prefix
Root word
Suffix
dis
appear
ing
Developing your knowledge of prefixes, suffixes and root words is one way to develop
your everyday spelling skills. It can also improve your ability to work out the meaning of
words.
Activity 1
Match the words to the correct definitions below:
1
a group of letters added to the end of a
word to give a new meaning
Suffix
2
the main part of a word before a prefix or
suffix is added
Root word
3
a group of letters added to the beginning
of a word to give a new meaning
A
Prefix
B
C
Every prefix has a meaning. Here are a few examples:
3
Prefix
Meaning
Example
mis-
wrong, badly
mistreat
pre-
before in time, in front of
prepaid
un-
not
unhurt
im-
not
impolite
re-
again
reassure
ante-
before
antenatal
under-
below, beneath
underweight
Literacy at Level 1
Build your skills: Spelling – Part 1
By adding a suffix you can make a new word from the root word and change its use in a
sentence. Here are some examples.
*
Suffix
Root word
New word
-able
comfort
comfortable
-fully
care
carefully
-ness
happy
happiness*
-ment
manage
management
-age
use
usage**
-ful
help
helpful
-ing
lift
lifting
When you add a suffix to a word that ends in a consonant followed by a ‘y’, change the
‘y’ to an ‘i’.
(Be careful, there are exceptions. If you are adding the suffix '-ing' to a word ending in
'y', keep the 'y'. For example, marry + -ing = marrying.)
** When you add a suffix that starts with a vowel to a word ending in ‘e’, drop the ‘e’.
Have a look at www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/words/spelling for a guide to these rules.
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Literacy at Level 1
Build your skills: Spelling – Part 1
Activity 2
One root word can become many new, longer words by adding prefixes and suffixes. In
this exercise, see how many new words you can come up with by adding either prefixes,
suffixes or both to the root word ‘use’.
Prefix
Root word
Suffix
un-
-able
dis-
-ing
ante-
use
-ful
re-
-age
mis-
-ly
under-
-less
New word
E.g. un-us-able
Word meaning
Something that cannot be used
Did you notice that if the word ‘use’ is linked with a suffix beginning with a
vowel (a, e, i, o or u), as in ‘unusable’, it dropped the ‘e’? If it linked with a
word beginning with a consonant it kept the ‘e’, e.g. ‘useful’.
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Literacy at Level 1
Build your skills: Spelling – Part 1
Using root words, prefixes and suffixes in your work
Written records are very important in many jobs. For instance, if you work in a care setting,
records give an up-to-date picture of the service user to other staff.
Knowing about prefixes, suffixes and root words can help you to spell and communicate
with others accurately. When you add a prefix to a root word, the spelling of both usually
stays the same, e.g. dis- + appear = disappear. Applying this practice can help overcome
common spelling mistakes, such as ‘dissappear’.
Adding suffixes presents more of a challenge. Following simple rules such as those
starred above can help avoid other common mistakes, e.g. care + -ing = caring. Here the
‘e’ has been dropped because -ing starts with a vowel. Think about words in your own
work setting where this will apply.
Activity 3
In the notes below, prefixes and suffixes have been added to six root words. Highlight
as many of them as you can.
‘I arrived at Mrs Brown’s house at half past seven. She was still in bed.
Mrs Brown had had an uncomfortable night and was tired. I reassured her
and gave her some tea and toast. Some of her worries began to
disappear when her daughter came at half past eight. She was very
helpful in getting Mrs Brown to keep her appointment with the doctor.’
For further information and practice using prefixes and suffixes, you can use these
links.
BBC Skillswise: This web site has useful fact sheets, quizzes and worksheets:
www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/words/spelling.
Key Skills Trainer: Communication/Writing/Spellings will give you practice in using the
beginnings and endings: www.keyskills4u.net.
TV 411: This is an American web site with information on suffixes and prefixes (‘Suffixes’
and ‘Prefixes Say Plenty’) with quizzes and tips to help your understanding:
www.tv411.org/vocabulary.
Now print out Part 2 and try out your skills.
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Literacy at Level 1
Build your skills: Spelling – Part 1
Teacher resources
Embedded Learning Materials – Social Care: Module 3 Communication for Care Planning
gives wider information on accuracy of care-plan-writing and record-keeping:
rwp.qia.oxi.net/learning_material/duplicates/Sc_module3.doc.
Move On Carefully: Module 3 for more spelling tips in a care context. Access the materials
from the free resources section of the Move On web site: www.move-on.org.uk.
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Literacy at Level 1