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3rd grade · English Language Arts · Unit 6 of 13

Prefixes & Suffixes

Word parts that change meaning

What your child practices

Learning what prefixes (un-, re-, pre-, dis-) and suffixes (-ful, -less, -er, -ly) mean, finding base words and using new words in sentences.

Arizona Academic Standards learning standard: 3.RF.3; 3.L.4 · using prefixes and suffixes to read and understand words

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. A prefix goes at the start of a word: un- and dis- mean not, re- means again, pre- means before.
  2. A suffix goes at the end: -ful means full of, -less means without, -er means one who.
  3. Cover the prefix and suffix to find the base word.

Example: What is the base word in “carefully”? Take off the suffix -ly: careful. Take off the suffix -ful: care. Answer: care

Prefixes & Suffixes in Arizona

In the Arizona Academic Standards, this is unit 6 of 13 in 3rd grade English Language Arts, after Spelling Patterns and before Word Pairs.

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.

Source: Arizona Department of Education

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    What does the suffix “-ful” mean in “thankful”?

    • a person who
    • full of
    • without

  2. Question 2

    What does “dishonest” mean?

    dishonest

    • not honest
    • very honest
    • honest again

  3. Question 3

    What does “teacher” mean?

    teacher

    • does not teach
    • a person who teaches
    • teaches again

  4. Question 4

    What is the base word in “disagreed”?

    disagreed

    • agreed
    • agree
    • disagree

  5. Question 5

    Which suffix can mean “a person who”?

    • -er
    • -less
    • -ful

  6. Question 6

    What does “painter” mean?

    painter

    • a person who paints
    • paints again
    • without paint

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