Question

name: _______________________ date: _______________________

learning goal:
i can add the suffixes -ful, -less, and -able to base words to make new words.

part 1 - match the suffix to its meaning

suffix	meaning
-less	b. full of something
-able	c. can be done

part 2 - build a new word
help -> _______________
care -> _______________
use -> _______________
fear -> _______________
read -> _______________
hope -> _______________

part 3 - choose the correct word

1. the puppy was so (playful / playless).
2. my water bottle is (reusable / reuseless).
3. after the storm, the sky was (cloudful / cloudless).
4. she is a very (helpful / helpless) classmate.
5. this math problem is (solvable / solutionable).
6. the broken toy was (useless / useful).

part 4 - write your own sentence
choose one suffix word from above and write your own sentence.

word: _________________________

sentence: _____________________________________________________

Explanation:

Part 1 - Match the Suffix to Its Meaning

• The suffix “-ful” typically means “full of something”, so it matches B.
• The suffix “-less” means “without something”, so it matches A.
• The suffix “-able” means “can be done”, so it matches C.

• For “help”, adding “-ful” gives “helpful” (meaning full of help) or adding “-less” gives “helpless” (meaning without help); here we can use “helpful” (or “helpless” depending on context, but “helpful” is more common for this base word in a positive sense).
• For “care”, adding “-ful” gives “careful” (full of care) or “-less” gives “careless” (without care); “careful” is a common form.
• For “use”, adding “-able” gives “usable” (can be used) or “-less” gives “useless” (without use); “usable” is a common form.
• For “fear”, adding “-less” gives “fearless” (without fear).
• For “read”, adding “-able” gives “readable” (can be read).
• For “hope”, adding “-ful” gives “hopeful” (full of hope) or “-less” gives “hopeless” (without hope); “hopeful” is a common form.

1. A puppy is usually full of play, so “playful” (which uses the “-ful” suffix meaning full of play) is correct, not “playless” (which would mean without play, not typical for a puppy).
2. A water bottle that is reusable can be used again, so “reusable” (with “-able” meaning can be done - in this case, can be reused) is correct; “reuseless” is not a standard word.
3. After a storm, the sky is often without clouds, so “cloudless” (with “-less” meaning without clouds) is correct; “cloudful” is not a standard word.
4. A helpful classmate is one who is full of help, so “helpful” (with “-ful”) is correct; “helpless” would mean the classmate can't help, which is not the intended meaning here.
5. A math problem that is solvable can be solved, so “solvable” (with “-able” meaning can be done - solved) is correct; “solutionable” is not a standard word.
6. A broken toy is without use, so “useless” (with “-less” meaning without use) is correct; “useful” would mean it has use, which a broken toy typically does not.

Answer:

• -ful: B. Full of something
• -less: A. Without something
• -able: C. Can be done

Part 2 - Build a New Word