3rd grade · English Language Arts · Unit 6 of 15
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.
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) teks student expectation: 3.2(A); 3.3(C) · using prefixes and suffixes to read and understand words
How we explain it
Children can open this short lesson before they practice.
- A prefix goes at the start of a word: un- and dis- mean not, re- means again, pre- means before.
- A suffix goes at the end: -ful means full of, -less means without, -er means one who.
- 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 Texas
In the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), this is unit 6 of 15 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.
- 3rd grade guide for Texas parents
- Printable 3rd grade English Language Arts sheet
- Texas report cards explained
Source: Texas Education Agency (TEA)
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
What does the suffix “-less” mean in “spotless”?
- again
- without
- full of
without
Hint: A spotless shirt has no spots: it is without spots.
Question 2
What does “prepay” mean?
prepay
- not pay
- pay again
- pay before
pay before
Hint: The prefix pre- means before. So “prepay” means “pay before.”
Question 3
Which word means “heat before”?
- preheat
- heater
- reheat
preheat
Hint: Look at the word parts. The prefix pre- means before. So “preheat” means “heat before.”
Question 4
Which word means “heat again”?
- heater
- preheat
- reheat
reheat
Hint: Look at the word parts. The prefix re- means again. So “reheat” means “heat again.”
Question 5
What does the prefix “dis-” mean in “dislike”?
- before
- again
- not
not
Hint: If you dislike something, you do not like it.
Question 6
What does “builder” mean?
builder
- builds again
- does not build
- a person who builds
a person who builds
Hint: The suffix -er can mean a person who does something. So “builder” means “a person who builds.”