These worksheets, covering the suffixes -er and -est, are an excellent way for children in Year 1 to revise and practise these spelling patterns.
The worksheets include 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 three sections:
- Tips
This explains that ‘er’ and ‘est’ help us compare things, using the example ‘fresh/fresher/freshest’, before asking children to do the same by adding these suffixes to other words
- Check
Tick the suffix words which are spelt correctly, then add the suffix words given into each sentence
- Use
Write a sentence to describe each of the images, using the words ‘older’, ‘richest’, ‘quicker’ and ‘brightest’
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