Build your skills: Spelling Part 1

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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? 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? 1 Literacy at Level 1

2 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 B C D dissappeared disappeared disappered 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. 2 Literacy at Level 1

3 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: A B C Prefix Suffix Root word 1 a group of letters added to the end of a word to give a new meaning 2 the main part of a word before a prefix or suffix is added 3 a group of letters added to the beginning of a word to give a new meaning Every prefix has a meaning. Here are a few examples: 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 3 Literacy at Level 1

4 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 for a guide to these rules. 4 Literacy at Level 1

5 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 undisanteremisunder- use -able -ing -ful -age -ly -less New word Word meaning E.g. un-us-able 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. 5 Literacy at Level 1

6 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: Key Skills Trainer: Communication/Writing/Spellings will give you practice in using the beginnings and endings: 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: Now print out Part 2 and try out your skills. 6 Literacy at Level 1

7 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: 7 Literacy at Level 1