BUILDING VOCABULARY

continued from No. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

How to Learn New Words

Strategies for Building Vocabulary

UNIT 7

Learn about the Suffix -less

 Another suffix that pops up a lot is -less. -Less means “without.”

Example
Fearless means “without fear.”
Everyone cheered when the fearless skier made her jump.

Activity 1. All the words in the Word Box end with the suffix -less. First study the words. Next read each paragraph. Then finish each story with a word from the Word Box.

1. Lisa is often mean to people. That’s why she doesn’t have any friends to play with. Lisa is ______________.

2. Ray rides his bike in the middle of the road. He doesn’t take care to look both ways before crossing streets. Someday Ray may be sorry for his ___________ ways.

3. Tabby’s kittens are so tiny. They must be washed and fed by their mother. They can’t do anything without help from Tabby. Until they get bigger, Tabby’s kittens are ______________________.

4. After the fire, the Smith family had no home to live in. They were ______________________.

5. Brenda got a puppy for her birthday. She couldn’t think of a name for the puppy. So the puppy went __________.

6. At one time trains made a lot of noise. Many changes were made. Now trains are almost ___________.

7. The movie was very long. Brent felt it would never end. He thought the movie seemed ___________________.

8. Fred never says thank you. His thoughts are never of anyone’s feelings, either. Fred is a ______________boy.

Answers: 1. friendless; 2. careless; 3. helpless; 4. homeless; 5. nameless; 6. noiseless; 7. endless; 8. thoughtless

endless ______________________
thoughtless ______________________
noiseless ______________________
careless ______________________
friendless ______________________
helpless ______________________
nameless _____________________
homeless _____________________

Answers: endless – without end; thoughtless – without thought; noiseless – without noise; careless – without care; friendless – without friends; helpless – without help; nameless – without a name; homeless – without a home

Learn about the Suffix -ness

The last suffix that pops out of my Word Box is -ness. -Ness means “the state or act of being.”

Example
Kindness means “the act of being kind.” After the party the children thanked Mrs. Gomez for her kindness.

Activity 2. In each sentence that follows there is a word with the suffix -ness. Read the sentences. Next read the three choices of words below each sentence. Then underline the correct meaning of the boldfaced word in each sentence.

1. The movie house suddenly went from bright lights to darkness.

nighttime        no lights         daytime

2. The suddenness of the snowstorm caused a traffic jam.

warning        surprise        quick happening

3. Mother was surprised by the neatness of Jane’s bedroom.

order        strength        wonder

4. After the ball game Nancy felt a weakness in her pitching arm.

pain        lack of strength        danger

5. The sweetness of the candy made everyone ask for another piece.

good taste        good time        good day

Answers: 1. no lights; 2. quick happening; 3. order; 4. lack of strength; 5. good taste

Activity 3. Write a meaning for each word below. Remember -ness means “the state or act of being.”

1. slowness __________________________
2. closeness __________________________
3. shortness __________________________
4. happiness* __________________________
5. ugliness* __________________________
6. loneliness* ________________________

*In words ending with y, change the у to/before adding -ness.

Answers: 1. state of being slow; 2. state of being close; 3. state of being short; 4. state of being happy; 5. state of being ugly; 6. state of being lonely

Crossword Puzzle

Activity 4. Look at the words in the Word Box. They are words you have learned with the suffixes -less and -ness.
Read the word meanings beside the crossword puzzle. Then choose a word from the Word Box that goes with each meaning. Write the word in the puzzle. Be sure to follow the numbers across and down. The letters in the puzzle will help you.

Answers:

Across: 2. friendless; 5. thoughtless; 9. careless; 10. noiseless; 11. nameless; 12. suddenness
Down: 1. endless; 3. sweetness; 4; darkness; 6. homeless; 7. helpless; 8. weakness; 10. neatness

Test Show All You Know About Suffixes

1. Write a word that matches each meaning below. One is done for you.

1. a person who dances dancer
2. a person who builds _________
3. a person who paints _________
4. a person who teaches _________
5. a person who trains _________
6. a person who drives _________

2. Write a meaning for each word below.

1. wonderful __________________________
2. cheerful __________________________
3. harmful __________________________
4. careful __________________________
5. colorful __________________________

3. Finish each sentence with a word ending with the suffix -less.

1. If a puppy has no home, it is __________________.
2. If a road is so long it seems like it will never end, the road is __________________________.
3. If a boy doesn’t care how he writes his papers, he is __________________________.
4. If a man can’t do anything without help, he is __________________________________.
5. If a girl doesn’t have any friends, she is ____________________________________.
6. If your goldfish don’t have names, they are __________________________________.

4. Write a word that matches each meaning. The first one is done for you.

Answers:

1. 2. builder; 3. painter; 4. teacher; 5. trainer; 6. driver. 
2. 1. filled with wonder; 2 filled with cheer; 3. filled with harm; 4. filled with care; 5. filled with color 
3. 1. homeless; 2. endless; 3. careless; 4. helpless; 5. friendless; 6. nameless
4. 2. slowness; 3. happiness; 4. neatness; 5. loneliness; 6. weakness; 7. sweetness

Compiled by Erin Bouma

to be continued