Prs 7
Prs 7
Prs 7
4) Phonics- Explanation
Take the sentence- Bill predicted that the results of the latest democratic election would
leave the losing candidate suffering with hypertension.
There are several words that we can derive “clues” through context. For example, we
could guess that whatever the losing candidate is suffering from is not good. But the root word
“hyper” means “high or excessive” and a moderately versed reader could see the word “tense”
inserted in the middle. Or, they might look at the suffix- “-sion” and recognize that this suffix
often accompanies a profession or a state of being. Likewise, the root word “demo” means
people, as in “demo/cracy,” meaning rule by the people,” and “demo/graphics” would give you a
picture of how people are physically spread out over a given location. In a final example, look at
the word predicted; “pre” meaning before and “dict” meaning to speak as in the word diction.
Thus, prediction is a word or words spoken about the future. In each of these cases, knowing
just part of the word or knowing the root of a similar word might help you guess at the meaning
of the whole word.
English is a language that is derived from mainly German, Latin and Greek, as well as,
some other languages. Because of this, one of the greatest tools any reader, beginner or
advanced, can have is to master and memorize a large amount of these root words.
Prefixes- Prefixes help to form longer words, but are not words in themselves. Prefixes
only come at the beginning of words and usually have one distinct meaning.
cede, ceed, cess to go, to yield succeed, proceed, precede, recede, secession, exceed,
succession
dis, dys, dif away, not, dismiss, differ, disallow, disperse, dissuade, disconnect,
negative dysfunction, disproportion, disrespect, distemper,
distaste, disarray, dyslexia
duc, duct to lead, pull produce, abduct, product, transducer, viaduct, aqueduct,
induct, deduct, reduce, induce
tract to drag, draw attract, tractor, traction, extract, retract, protract, detract,
subtract, contract, intractable
What is a suffix?
A suffix is a word ending. It is a group of letters you can add to the end of a root word*
e.g. walking, helpful *A root word stands on its own as a word, but you can make new words
from it by adding beginnings (prefixes) and endings (suffixes). For example, 'comfort' is a root
word. By adding the prefix 'dis' and the suffix 'able' you can make new words such as
'discomfort' and 'comfortable'.
1] For most short (one syllable) words that end in a single consonant (anything but 'a', 'e', 'i', 'o',
'u') you need to double the last letter when you add a suffix:
e.g. run + ing = running
Adding suffixes to words can change or add to their meaning, but most importantly they show
how a word will be used in a sentence and what part of speech (e.g. noun, verb, adjective) the
word belongs to.
e.g. If you want to use the root word 'talk' in the following sentence:
I was (talk) to Samina.
You need to add the suffix 'ing' so that the word 'talk' makes better sense grammatically:
"I was talking to Samina".
There are various suffixes we use. Probably the most common are 'ed' and 'ing'.
Here are some other suffixes and examples.
Usually when you add a suffix to a root word the spelling of both stays the same:
e.g. care + ful = careful
But there are several important groups of words where the spelling of the root word changes
when you add a suffix.
If the word ends with more than one consonant, you don't double the last letter:
e.g. pump + ed = pumped
sing + ing = singing
2] For most longer (more than one syllable) words that end in 'l' you need to double the 'l' when
you add the suffix:
e.g. travel + ing = travelling
cancel + ed = cancelled
3] For most longer (more than one syllable) words that have the stress on the last syllable when
you say them AND end in a single consonant (anything but 'a', 'e', 'i', 'o', 'u') you need to double
the last letter:
e.g. begin + er = beginner
prefer + ing = preferring
If the word has more than one syllable and ends in a single consonant, but the stress isn't on the
last syllable, then you don't need to double the last letter before adding a suffix:
e.g. offer + ing = offering
benefit + ed = benefited
4] If you have a word ending in a consonant and a suffix starting in a consonant, you don't need
to double the last letter of the word:
e.g. enrol + ment = enrolment
commit + ment = commitment
Suffix Example Suffix Example
When you add the suffix 'ing', the 'e' is dropped to make the word, liking:
like + ing = liking.
Exceptions to the rule. If a word ends in 'ce', or 'ge', keep the 'e' if you add a suffix beginning
with either an 'a', or an 'o'. (This is done to keep the 'c' or 'g' sounding soft.)
NB: All these rules also apply to words which have a prefix before the root word.
For example if you add the suffix 'ness' to the root word 'unhappy' you would still change the 'y'
to 'i': un + happy + ness = unhappiness
Adding a suffix to a word can change the job that word does.
There are several forms of the 'shun' sound which are all suffixes that can change root words
from nouns to verbs, or give you important clues about what the word is doing.
1] Adding '-tion'
Adding 'tion' to a root word can change the word from a verb (action word) to a noun (name of
person, place or thing):
e.g. inject (verb) + tion = injection (noun)
instruct (verb) + tion = instruction (noun)
From verbs to nouns...
Sometimes the spelling changes slightly between the verb and the noun. The important thing is
that you can see that the verb and noun are related in meaning.
e.g. relax (verb) + tion = relaxation (noun)
describe (verb) + tion = description (noun)
Phonics is a method of teaching reading using the sounds of words. Phonics is usually helpful to
beginners, who are just learning English and are unfamiliar with common spellings of sounds,
but not as helpful to intermediate or advanced learners. This is because phonics does not help in
decoding the meaning of a word. Just because you know how a written word sounds when
spoken, does not mean that you understand the meaning of that word. However, phonics may be
helpful to ESL (English as a Second Language) learners, who are working on their pronunciation
of written English. Because phonics is often for more advanced learners, this packet will not go
into depth, but those wishing to learn more can find information at:
1) www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/control_page/front2.html -
2) www.tampareads.com/phonics/phonicsindex.htm -
3) www.starfall.com/ -
Helpful Study Quiz
bene good
chrono
bio
geo
audi, audio
sign
duct to lead
log or logos
ante antecedent