English for kids

Roots, prefixes and suffixes

An English word can consist of 3 parts - the root, the prefix and the suffix.

• The root is the basic meaning for example house and fair
• The prefix are letters you add IN FRONT of the root word that gives it another meaning for example UNfair
• The suffix are letters you add AT THE BACK of the root word that will give it another meaning for example houseHOLD

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There are different prefixes and suffixes that we can use.

• Some prefixes:  in-  anti-  im-  dis-  pre-  de-  non-  un- mis-  il-

Fit one of these prefixes to the following words to make a new word:

clockwise  behave  fix  legal  code  fiction  able  possible  healthy  visible

• Some suffixes:  -al  -ous  -able

Fit one of the suffixes to the following word to make a new word - you have to check your spelling

adventure  comfort  accident  nature danger  fashion  fame  misery  value  central

• Choose any 5 new words you have made from each group and use it in your own sentences.

Types of sentences

Simple sentences

This is a sentence that can stand on its own.  It only has ONE verb (doing word) and a subject for example I eat my sandwich.

• The subject of a sentence is the person or thing that does the work, the verb is what they are doing.  I=subject, eat=verb

Re-write the sentences and underline the subject and circle the verb:

1. The bird flew over the roof of the house.
2. The ball landed in a tree.
3. The little boy dropped his ice-cream.

Complex sentences

This type of sentence has an independent clause (a sentence that can stand alone) and one or more dependent clauses (this is the part of the sentence that gives us more information and it is usually the part that comes after words such as because, since and after)

For example - John went straight to bed, after he visited his friend.  (John went to bed=independent clause, he visited his friend=dependent clause)

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Enrichment work:

• Watch the video.
• Listen carefully and see if you can find some words in the story that has prefixes or suffixes.
• Write down 5 sentences from the video and determine what type of sentence it is

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