7th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 13 of 13
Spelling: Prefixes and Patterns
-cede or -ceed, double letters and plurals
What your child practices
Children practice US spelling: -cede, -ceed and -sede, prefixes and suffixes that create double letters, -able and -ible, irregular plurals and commonly misspelled words.
Alabama Course of Study content standard: 7.18 · spelling correctly with prefix, suffix and plural rules
How we explain it
Children can open this short lesson before they practice.
- Only one word ends in -sede (supersede), three in -ceed (exceed, proceed, succeed). The rest end in -cede (precede).
- Adding a prefix never drops a letter: un + necessary = unnecessary.
- Learn double letters in tricky words: accommodate (two c’s, two m’s), recommend (one c, two m’s).
Example: Add un- to “necessary.” Which spelling is correct? Keep every letter of both parts. un + necessary gives two n’s. Answer: unnecessary
Spelling: Prefixes and Patterns in Alabama
In the Alabama Course of Study, this is unit 13 of 13 in 7th grade English Language Arts, after Framing the Message.
Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
Which word is spelled correctly?
- leasure
- leisur
- leisure
- liesure
leisure
Hint: Lei-sure: e before i.
Question 2
Which word is spelled correctly?
- independent
- indipendent
- independant
- independint
independent
Hint: Ends in -ent.
Question 3
Which word is spelled correctly?
- achive
- achieve
- acheive
- acheve
achieve
Hint: i before e: ach-ie-ve.
Question 4
Add -ness to “stubborn.” Which spelling is correct?
- stubbornes
- stubbornness
- stuborness
- stubborness
stubbornness
Hint: Stubborn + ness keeps both n's.
Question 5
Which word is spelled correctly?
- occurrence
- ocurrence
- occurrance
- occurence
occurrence
Hint: Two c's, two r's, and -ence.
Question 6
Which word is spelled correctly?
- maintenence
- maintenance
- maintainence
- maintainance
maintenance
Hint: Maintain changes to mainten-ance.