Happy #morphememonday everyone!

I hope everyone is staying well and taking care.

This week the prefix we are featuring has two different meanings and can trace its origins back to Old English, Latin and Greek!


Origin: Latin/Old English
Definition: in, on, to
Examples: aback, asleep, astride, afloat, afar
                    <a> + <board> -> aboard
                    <a> + <woke> -> awoke
                    <a> + <like> -> alike
                    <a> + <drift> -> adrift
                    <a> + <loud> -> aloud

                                                         OR
Origin: Greek
Definition: not
Examples: anarchy, adamant, amoral, anonymity, analgesic
                    <a> + <byss> -> abyss
                    <a> + <lex> + <ia> -> Alexis
                    <a> + <nem> + <ic> -> anemic
                    <a> + <stat> + <ic> -> static
                    <a> + <prax> + <ia> -> apraxia

  • This prefix should be taught over three days, the first day you should focus on the Latin/Old English definition, the next day work on the Greek definition and on the last day, review the two meanings of this morpheme and then provide the students with a list of words they can sort into two columns based on the meaning of the prefix

  • As you can see by the words used in the examples, this suffix is fairly common in the English language. This is a prefix that should be explicitly taught to students because it is one they will come across on a regular basis.

  • Once someone knows what this suffix means, it can help them when they come across a word they are not sure of.


Origin: Latin
Definition: bear, carry, yield
Examples: aquifer, inference, offer, odoriferous, fertilizer
                    <cir> + <cum> + <fer> + <ence> -> circumference
                    <tele> + <con> + <fer> + <ence> -> teleconference
                    <con> + <i> + <fer> + <ous> -> coniferous
                    <dif> + <fer> + <ent> + <ial> -> differential
                    <trans> + <fer> + <able> -> transferable

  • This common root should be explicitly taught to students in the upper elementary grades. There are several words in the English language that contain this root. This will all help students discover meanings of words they have not come across before when they are reading.


Origin: Old English
Definition: superlative degree
Examples: farthest, youngest, flattest, bitterest, sharpest
                    <smooth> + <est> -> smoothest
                    <tall> + <est> -> tallest
                    <weak> + <est> -> weakest
                    <cloud> + <y> + <est> -> cloudiest
                    <long> + <est> -> longest

  • This is a common suffix that is easy to teach children in the primary years

  • This suffix is considered a superlative suffix

  • This suffix changes a word into an adjective

  • I like teaching this suffix with the suffix <er> because then you can have students compare things with each other. For example, what is cold, colder, and coldest.

  • Appropriate spelling rules associated with adding a suffix should be taught at the same time as this suffix

    *The 1 -1 – 1 Spelling Rule: When adding a suffix starting with a vowel onto a single syllable word that has one vowel making a short vowel sound and one consonant, double the final consonant before adding the suffix. ex: <fat> + <est> -> fattest

    *Drop the Silent e Rule: When the last syllable in a word has a silent e at the end (ex: pure) drop the ‘e’ before adding a suffix beginning with a vowel. ex: <pure> + <est> -> purest

    *Change the y to i Rule: When the word ends in the letter y, you must look to see what the letter before it is. If it is a vowel (ex: enjoy, stay), keep the y. If it is a consonant (ex: cloudy, muddy), change the y to i and add <ed>. So <cloudy> + <est> -> cloudiest and <muddy> + <est> -> muddiest

    Remember to tell your students that almost all of these rules for adding suffixes have exceptions but it is fairly safe to follow them most of the time.

Be sure to check out the more graphics for these morphemes on our Facebook, InstagramPinterest, and Twitter pages.

If there is anything we can do or post to help you learn more about the importance of morphological awareness (or any other topic for that matter) please send an email to blog@garfortheducation.com

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