Build a Word Family: Word Formation with Prefixes and Suffixes

About This Resource

A complete Grade 8 ESL vocabulary pack on word formation: how suffixes change a word's part of speech (decide → decision, happy → happiness, danger → dangerous, quick → quickly, modern → modernize) and how negative prefixes such as un-, in-, im-, ir- and il- change meaning. Students build word families, choose the right form for a gap, use spelling rules and complete an exam-style text. Includes slides, a lesson plan, worksheet, quiz, homework, flashcards, a rubric and answer keys.

Overview

Students learn how English builds many words from one root. Suffixes usually change the part of speech: -tion, -ment, -ness and -ity make nouns; -ful, -ous, -able, -ive and -al make adjectives; -ize and -en make verbs; and -ly makes adverbs. Negative prefixes such as un-, in-, im-, ir- and il- change the meaning without changing the part of speech. Students complete word-family tables, use clues in a sentence to decide which part of speech is needed, learn common spelling changes (happy → happiness, decide → decision) and complete a gapped text in the style of international English exams.

Resource Details

Subject: ESL
Topic: Word Formation: Prefixes and Suffixes
Category: Vocabulary
File Type: PDF
File Size: 369.6 KB
Published: 09 Nov 2026
Downloads: 0

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Grade 8 ESL (ages 13–14), B1 50 minutes Vocabulary building grammar (parts of speech) spelling reading exam skills

Learning Objectives

Identify the part of speech needed in a sentence.
Use common suffixes to form nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs.
Use negative prefixes and spelling rules to form words correctly.

How to Use This Resource

Start with the slides: show the word family act, action, active, actively, actor and ask what each word does in a sentence.
Teach the suffixes and prefixes with the slides and flashcards, then do worksheet activities 1 and 2 together.
Students complete activities 3 to 6, then use the quiz and send the homework page home.

Classroom Activity Ideas

Word family race: teams get a root word and two minutes to write as many related words as they can.
Suffix sort: students sort word cards by the part of speech the suffix creates.
Gap detective: students explain which clue in a sentence (an article, an adjective, a verb) tells them the part of speech needed.

Differentiation

Support: give a suffix reference card showing which part of speech each suffix makes. Challenge: students find words with two changes (care → careless → carelessness) and explain each step.

Assessment

Use the worksheet and quiz to check parts of speech, suffixes, prefixes and spelling. Use the rubric to assess the homework word-family poster and sentences.

Teacher Tips

Teach students to look around the gap: after a, the or an adjective, a noun is usually needed; before a noun, an adjective; after a verb, often an adverb. This one strategy helps with most word formation tasks.

What's Included

11-page printable PDF lesson pack: teacher lesson plan with timings, materials and differentiation
Key vocabulary list (8 words with meanings and examples)
Student worksheet (6 activities)
Quiz / assessment (3 parts)
Homework practice page
Printable flashcards: 8 A5 picture cards (separate PDF)
Assessment rubric (4 levels)
Lesson slides (editable PowerPoint)
Editable Word version of all student pages
Complete answer key (also as a separate PDF)

Additional Files

Lesson Slides (PPTX)
Editable Student Pages and Lesson Plan (DOCX)
A5 Flashcards (PDF)
Answer Key (PDF)

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