Prefixes and Suffixes — Building Bigger Words

Memory Verse "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus." — Colossians 3:17 (NIV)

Learning Objective

Students will learn common prefixes (un-, re-, pre-) and suffixes (-ful, -less, -ly, -er) to build and understand new words.

Lesson Content

A prefix is a small word part added to the beginning of a word that changes its meaning. The prefix 'un-' means not. So 'unhappy' means not happy, and 'unkind' means not kind.

The prefix 're-' means again. 'Redo' means do again. 'Reread' means read again. The prefix 'pre-' means before. 'Preview' means to view before.

A suffix is a small word part added to the end of a word. The suffix '-ful' means full of. 'Thankful' means full of thanks. 'Joyful' means full of joy.

The suffix '-less' means without. 'Fearless' means without fear. The suffix '-ly' turns a word into a describing word for actions. 'Quickly' means in a quick way. The suffix '-er' means one who does something. A 'helper' is one who helps.

Hands-On Activity

Create a word-building machine! Start with base words (kind, help, joy, do, play, care) and add different prefixes and suffixes. Write each new word and its meaning.

Discussion Questions

  • How does adding 'un-' to 'kind' change the meaning?
  • Can you think of words that describe God using suffixes like '-ful'?
  • Why is it helpful to know what prefixes and suffixes mean?
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