Adding prefixes and suffixes for 11 plus English

Before you add an ending, look at how the root ends. An e, and an ending that starts with a vowel? Drop the e: hope, hoping. One short vowel, then one consonant? Double it: hop, hopping. A consonant, then y? Y becomes i: happy, happiness. Ful has one l. And a prefix never changes the root: mis plus spell, misspell. Un plus necessary, unnecessary. Look at the root before you add.

Make, plus ing: an e, and a vowel ending, so drop the e. Making. Swim: one short i, one m, so double it. Swimming. Beauty, plus ful: a consonant then y, so y becomes i. Beautiful.

The trap is forgetting how the root changes. Hop plus ing, with one p, gives you hoping, a different word. The frog was hoping across the pond means it was wishing, not jumping. The double letter keeps the vowel short.

• 5.1Tricky words to learnLearn it in parts, and give it a trick
• 5.2HomophonesExpand it, then check the meaning
• 5.4Silent lettersLearn the pairs, and find a word that says it
• 5.5Hidden vowels and double lettersSay it in a spelling voice
• 5.6ie or ei, and other rules that bendRule first, then the words that bend it

Every 11 plus English topic