English Language Arts and Reading.2.3.C

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The student is expected to

identify the meaning of and use words with affixes un-, re-, -ly, -er, and -est (comparative and superlative), and -ion/tion/sion; and

vocabulary strand teks talk image

Knowledge and Skills Statement

Developing and sustaining foundational language skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking--vocabulary. The student uses newly acquired vocabulary expressively.

Use a quick assessment to determine if students understand what certain affixes mean and know how to determine what the right affix is for a given sentence.

Examples:

Identifying Affixes and Base Words:

  • What is the base word in mislead? (lead)
  • What is the prefix in the word rewind? (re)
  • What is the suffix in the word friendly? (ly)
  • What is the base word in education? (educate)

Understanding the Meaning of Affixes:

  • What does the word misheard mean? (to hear incorrectly)
  • What does the word unhelpful mean? (not helpful)
  • What does the word painter mean? (the one who paints)

Using Affixes Correctly:

  • I will ___take the picture if anyone's eyes were closed. (Options - re, un, mis)
  • The girl spoke too softly, so her grandpa ___heard her. (Options - re, un, mis)
  • You did not do your homework correctly, so you will have to ___do it. (Options - re, un, mis)
An affix is a word element that occurs before (prefix) or after (suffix) a base word or root to modify its meaning (e.g., the prefix un- and the suffix -able in unbelievable). Recognizing affixes and understanding the specific changes they bring to a base word can help students decode and process unfamiliar words as well as manipulate and construct words of their own.
Comparative affixes form words that end with an -er.
Superlative affixes form words that end with an -est.