Name
Lesson 58
Other Suffixes
Skills Review
• A suffix is one or more letters added to the end of a word that change the meaning of the word and
usually its part of speech.
• -TION: This combination has the sound /shun/. It always comes at the end of a word and is its own
syllable (e.g., station; attention).
• -SION: This combination has the sound /shun/ and /zhun/. It says /shun/ when an s, n, or l come right
before the -sion (e.g., permission). It says /zhun/ when a vowel or Murmur Diphthong comes right
before the -sion (e.g., lesion; excursion).
• Whenever the vowel i comes right before -tion and -sion, the sound of i will be short.
• -TIAL: This suffix has the sound /shul/ (e.g., partial).
• -US and -OUS: Both endings have the sound /us/. Words ending in -us are nouns, and words ending
in -ous are adjectives (e.g., campus, famous).
• -IST and -EST: Words ending in -ist are usually nouns, and words ending in -est are usually
adjectives (e.g., dentist; slowest).
DECODING
To mark words with -tion and -sion endings, place an x under the two vowels, and join the three or
four letters together with an arc.
e
e
abrasion
election
X
X
X
X X
X
To prove words that have -ous endings, place an x under and between the two vowels, and draw an
arc under all three letters.
enormous X
X
X
To prove words that have -us, -ist, or -est endings, just underline the ending.
circus
dentist
longest
A. Mark and prove these words.
adoption
caption
detention
ex p l o s i o n
fiction
isolation
vacation
reflection
famous
artist
cactus
shortest
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Lesson 58
Name
Other Suffixes
READING
Read this letter.
Notice the words
with Other
Suffixes.
Dear Fred,
It is hard to describe the
destruction that resulted from the
explosion at the mine. The injured men
were moved to a safe location. Emotions
ran high. I was so nervous. The doctor
said an amputation might be necessary.
We were all joyous when that was not
the case. The doctor did a fabulous job.
Ted ‘s leg is all stitched up, cast, and in
traction. We have permission to visit him
anytime. The other men suffered only
minor abrasions. The community has
given tremendous help. Perhaps our little
mine will now be famous! I’ll write
more later.
Sincerely,
Dan
APPLICATION ACTIVITIES
A. Answer the questions about the reading above.
1. What caused all the destruction at the mine? __________________
2. What did Dan say “ran high”? ______________________________
3. What did the doctor say might be necessary for Ted’s leg?
______________________________________________________
4. The other men suffered only what? __________________________
5. What did Dan think their little mine might be now? ______________
______________________________________________________
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Name
Lesson 58
Other Suffixes
B. Write the words below in the correct column. If the word ending -tion or -sion sounds like /shun/, write
it in the “/shun/” column. If the -sion sounds like /zhun/, write it in the “/zhun/” column.
illusion
fiction
submersion
emotion
mission
vision
condition
confusion
/shun/
/zhun/
illusion
C. Circle the words that are nouns. Underline the words that are adjectives. (Remember that words
ending in -us are nouns, and words ending in -ous are adjectives.)
bonus
enormous
joyous
surplus
artist
shortest
weakest
orthodontist
fungus
tallest
obvious
cyclist
circus
dentist
fattest
famous
D. Choose the correct ending for each word. Use the context as clues. (Remember that a noun names a
person, place, thing, or idea and an adjective describes a noun.)
1. He is the tall_____
est man I’ve ever seen. (est/ist)
2. He is a very fam_____ athlete. (ous/us)
3. Have you been to the dent_____ to get your teeth cleaned?
(est/ist)
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Lesson 58
Name
Other Suffixes
4. It makes me nerv_____ to have someone work on my
teeth! (ous/us)
5. M
y brother wants to become a biolog_____, so he is
studying biology in college right now. (est/ist)
6. He said the college camp_____ is very big. (ous/us)
7. A
fter she paid her bills, she had a surpl_____ of $500 at the
end of the month. (ous/us)
8. She is the smart_____ person I know when it comes to
finances. (est/ist)
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