B. Foundations of Language · Listening, Speaking and Word Power

Suffixes for Grade 6: People, Places, Actions and Shifting Sounds

B2.1 B2.2About 45 minutes

Learning goals

I can read and explain the suffixes -ist, -ian, -ize, -ary, -ory, -ial, -ical, -ious, -eous and -cy.
I can tell what job (part of speech) a suffix gives a word.
I can read word families where the stress or a sound shifts, like PHOtograph, phoTOGraphy, photoGRAPHic.
I can recognize the base in families where the spelling changes, like decide and decision.

Words to know

suffix
A morpheme added after a base that changes its meaning or its job in a sentence.

part of speech
A word's job in a sentence: noun, verb, adjective or adverb.

stress
The syllable you say with the most force, like PHO in PHOtograph.

word family
Words that share the same base, like nation, national, nationality.

Remember from earlier grades

You already know many suffixes: -ful, -less, -ness, -ment, -ly (early grades), -tion, -ous, -ive, -al, -ity, -en, -ward (Grade 4), and -ance/-ence, -ant/-ent, -ic, -ify, -ship, -hood, -dom (Grade 5). In Grade 5 you also noticed that sounds can change in a family, like sign and signal. Grade 6 adds new suffixes and looks closely at how stress and spelling shift.

Let's start with a puzzle

What do a scientist, a cyclist and an artist have in common?

They're all people, and they all end in -ist, which means a person who does or studies something. A scientist studies science, a cyclist rides a bicycle, and an artist makes art. One suffix, three jobs!

Suffix	Meaning	Makes a...	Examples
-ist	a person who does, makes or studies	noun	scientist, cyclist, artist, environmentalist
-ian	a person skilled in, or from	noun	musician, librarian, electrician, Canadian
-ize	to make, to become	verb	organize, memorize, modernize, apologize
-ary, -ory	a place for; related to	noun or adjective	library, sanctuary, observatory, laboratory; imaginary
-ial, -ical	related to	adjective	financial, official; historical, musical, electrical
-ious, -eous	full of, having	adjective	ambitious, spacious; courteous, gaseous
-cy	state or quality of	noun	privacy, accuracy, fluency, urgency

The suffix often tells you a word's job: -ist and -ian name people, -ize makes verbs, -ical and -ious make adjectives.

Canadian spelling: -ize

In Canada, most words with this suffix are spelled -ize: organize, realize, recognize. (British spelling often uses -ise.) But a few words are always spelled -ise in Canada too, because the ise isn't the suffix: advertise, exercise, surprise, supervise, compromise. If you're not sure, check a Canadian dictionary.

Stress shifts

When you add a suffix, the stressed syllable (the strong beat) sometimes moves. Say these aloud and listen:

PHO·to·graph → pho·TOG·ra·pher → pho·to·GRAPH·ic
e·CON·o·my → ec·o·NOM·ic
ME·tal → me·TAL·lic
HIS·to·ry → his·TOR·i·cal

The spelling of the base stays the same, even when the sound changes. That's why knowing the base helps you read and spell the whole family.

The same base, photograph, with the stress on the first syllable (PHOtograph), the second (phoTOGrapher) and the third (photoGRAPHic).

Spelling changes in a family

Sometimes the base changes a little when a suffix joins. If you know one word, you can usually figure out the others:

decide → decision
explain → explanation (the i drops)
receive → reception
pronounce → pronunciation (the o drops)
curious → curiosity (the u drops)
generous → generosity
clear → clarity

The meaning stays connected. Clarity is the quality of being clear.

Worked example

Let's read a word with two new suffixes

Our class visited the observatory to look at Jupiter through a huge telescope.

Base: observe (to watch carefully). The final e drops.
Suffix: -ory (a place for).
Word sum: observ(e) + at + ory → observatory.
Meaning: a place for observing, especially the sky.
Context check: telescope, Jupiter. It fits!

observatory = a building for watching the sky and space.

Worked example

Let's change a word's job

Start with history. Make a person, an adjective and an adverb.

Person: history + -ian → historian (a person who studies history). The y changes.
Adjective: history + -ical → historical (related to history): a historical site.
Adverb: historical + -ly → historically.
Listen for stress: HIS·to·ry, his·TOR·i·an, his·TOR·i·cal. The base spelling histor stays the same.

historian (noun, person), historical (adjective), historically (adverb).

One base, three new jobs. The suffix tells you the word's job, and the stressed syllable (in capitals) shifts as suffixes are added.

Suffix = job clue

When you meet a new word, look at its ending. -ist, -ian → a person. -ize → an action (verb). -ious, -ical → a describing word. -cy → a state or quality (noun).

Just for fun

What do you call a person who spends all weekend organizing their sock drawer? An organizer... or maybe a sock-ologist! (Only one of those is a real word. Can you tell which?)

Hands-on activity

Family word web

You need: a large sheet of paper and markers or pencils.

Write one base in the centre: try nation, music, electric or organ.
Build as many family words as you can with suffixes (and prefixes): nation → national, nationality, international, nationalize.
For each word, label its job: N (noun), V (verb), Adj or Adv.
Say each word aloud and underline the stressed syllable. Does it move?
Use three of your words in sentences and read them to a family member.

What to look for: real words with the base spelled the same, correct part-of-speech labels, and noticing when stress moves (NA·tion and NA·tion·al keep the stress on the first syllable, but it moves in na·tion·AL·i·ty; e·LEC·tric becomes e·lec·TRIC·i·ty).

Your turn

What does -ist mean? Give two examples.

Add a suffix to make a person: music, library.

What job does -ize give a word? Read memorize.

Is exercise spelled with -ize or -ise in Canada?

Say aloud and find the stressed syllable: economy, economic.

What is the noun form of decide? Of explain?

What does privacy mean? Which suffix does it have?

More practice: warm-up

Which suffix means full of: -ious or -ist?

Make an adjective: music + al.

What is a library?

Is Canadian a person, a place or an action?

Write the noun form of accurate using -cy.

More practice: on your own

Read environmentalist. Split it and explain.

What is an electrician? Why does the c sound like /sh/?

Explain why curious and curiosity are in the same family even though the spelling changes.

Change organ into a verb, then a noun naming an action.

Read: The cabin was spacious enough for eight people. What does it mean?

Challenge

Build four words from the base science, each with a different job or meaning. Label them.

Explain why knowing sign helps you spell signature, and why knowing muscle helps you spell muscular. What do these show about English spelling?

Say these and tell where the stress falls: politics, political, politician. Then explain how the suffix affects the stress.

Check your understanding

Quiz

A cyclist is...

Which suffix usually makes a verb?

What is an observatory?

Which word is spelled correctly in Canada?

Which word is the noun form of explain?

In photographer, which syllable is stressed?

What does -cy mean in accuracy?

For parents and teachers

Big idea (B2.1, B2.2): Grade 6 students use their knowledge of suffixes to read and spell complex words and to understand how suffixes change a word's job and sometimes its pronunciation.

How to help at home:

When you hear a job title (electrician, pharmacist, librarian), ask your child to name the suffix and the base.
Say word families aloud and clap the stressed syllable: PHOtograph, phoTOGrapher.
Keep a Canadian dictionary handy for -ize/-ise questions.

Common difficulties:

Misspelling family words (explaination, pronounciation). Practise these as pairs.
Thinking a sound change means a different base. Point out that the spelling usually stays.