Download Verb Suffixes - mrkotyklanguagearts

STUDENT LESSON SUMMARY
LESSON
6
COPYMASTER
Verb Suffixes
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
suffix: a group of letters added to the end of a word to make a word with a
different meaning
verb suffixes: suffixes added to base words or roots to form verbs
verb: a word that denotes an action, an occurrence, or a state of being
base word: a word that by itself is a word
root: a word part that contains the core meaning of a word
Vocabulary 6
HERE’S HOW
Step 1: Recognize words formed by adding the suffixes -ate, -en, -ify, and
-ize to base words. These suffixes create verbs that refer to causing or making
Copyright © McDougal Littell/Houghton Mifflin Company.
something happen.
Suffix
Meaning
Examples
-ate
to become or produce
captivate, motivate
-en
to become, to cause to
have
weaken, brighten
-ify
to make
justify, clarify
-ize
to cause to be, to make
generalize, visualize
Step 2: Use verb suffixes to help you determine the meaning of unfamiliar
words. When you read or hear an unfamiliar word with a verb suffix, take the word
apart. Identify the base word and suffix.
• Think of other words with the same verb suffix. Ask yourself: What do these
words mean? What might the suffix mean?
• Use what you know about the base word and the suffix to guess what the word
means.
• Compare your guess with the dictionary definition.
Note: The spelling of a base word may change when you add a suffix.
EXAMPLE
motive + -ate = motivate
red + -en = redden
Standards Lesson Files
Book 4: Vocabulary and Spelling
Grade 6
53