Suffixes (age 9+)
Spell words with Latin and French suffix patterns: endings sounding like /ʃəs/ spelt -cious or -tious (e.g., precious, cautious), /ʃəl/ spelt -cial or -tial (e.g., official, essential), and words ending in -ant/-ance/-ancy vs -ent/-ence/-ency (e.g., observant/observance, confident/confidence)
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Practise the bounded task in Suffixes (age 9+); see exact limits before inferring broader coverage.
Practise the bounded task in Suffixes (age 9+); see exact limits before inferring broader coverage.
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Check understanding
- Apply the pattern that -cious follows a vowel (spacious, gracious) while -tious follows a consonant (cautious, ambitious), noting common exceptions like anxious
- Choose between -cial (usually after a vowel: special, official) and -tial (usually after a consonant: essential, partial) when spelling words with the /ʃəl/ ending
- Select -ant/-ance or -ent/-ence by checking whether the root ends in a hard c or g sound (-ant: significant) or a soft c or g sound (-ent: innocent), and by applying word-family strategies
“Can your child spell words with tricky endings like "-cious," "-tious," or "-cial" — for example, "precious," "cautious," or "official" — without making mistakes?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Procedural
- Subject
- English
- Domain
- Spelling & Word Study
- Age range
- Ages 9–10
Standards