These PDF worksheets, covering the ‘-ous’ suffix, are an excellent way for children in Y3 and Y4 to revise and practise these spelling patterns.
The worksheets include five different activities in which children look at spelling patterns, identify misspelt words and apply their spellings in context. They can be used within lessons, as an assessment or as a homework task.
This primary resource is divided into five sections:
- Tips
This explains the various rules for adding the ‘-ous’ suffix, and asks children to add their own examples
- Check
Circle the words that are spelt correctly, and add the words given into the correct sentences
- Use
Write a sentence to describe each of the images, using the words ‘glamorous’ and ‘courteous’
- Change
Read each sentence and change the underlined word or phrase for a new word that ends in the suffix ‘-ous’
- Apply
Write a story about the image provided, and try to include as many of the ‘-ous’ words provided as you can
What is a suffix?
Suffixes are letters, or groups of letters, that are added to the end of words to make a new word or change the meaning of word.
Suffix examples
- -ing: eating, running, saying
- -ed: planned, walked, burned
- -er: teacher, trainer, farmer
- -est: highest, fastest, biggest
- -ier: mightier, zanier, funnier
- -ity: activity, equality, civility
- -less: useless, sleeveless, witless
- -ness: happiness, fitness, silliness
National Curriculum English programme of study links
- add prefixes and suffixes: using the spelling rule for adding –s or –es as the plural marker for nouns and the third person singular marker for verbs, using the prefix un–, and using –ing, –ed, –er and –est where no change is needed in the spelling of root words [for example, helping, helped, helper, eating, quicker, quickest]
- read words containing common suffixes
- add suffixes to spell longer words, including –ment, –ness, –ful, –less, –ly
- apply their growing knowledge of root words, prefixes and suffixes (etymology and morphology) as listed in English Appendix 1, both to read aloud and to understand the meaning of new words they meet
- use further prefixes and suffixes and understand how to add them
- apply their growing knowledge of root words, prefixes and suffixes (morphology and etymology), as listed in English Appendix 1, both to read aloud and to understand the meaning of new words that they meet.
- use further prefixes and suffixes and understand the guidance for adding them