Spelling - Eliminating 'e'
Goals
To learn and practise the spelling rules associated with base words ending in 'e' when endings (suffixes) are added.
Lesson plan
The lesson is divided into a series of activities where students group words according to whether they drop or keep the final 'e' of the base word when a suffix is added. For each set of examples, students are asked to identify and make predictions about the patterns for this area of spelling.
Activity 1
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Spelling - Eliminating 'e': Activity 1
Spelling - Eliminating 'e': Activity 2
Spelling - Eliminating 'e': Activity 3
Spelling - Eliminating 'e': Activity 4
Sort the examples into two groups
Answers
- KEEP 'E' GROUP: notice + -able → noticeable, manage + -able → manageable, change + -able → changeable, service + -able → serviceable, advantage + -ous → advantageous, courage + -ous → courageous
Do these examples fit the patterns identified in Activities 1 and 2?
- No. The suffix starts in a vowel but we keep the e at the end of the base word.
Why do these examples behave differently? Do you notice any pattern?
- Each base word ends in a -ge or -ce. Each suffix starts with o or a.
- We need to keep the -e at the end to mark the correct pronunciation of the g or c.
- The e marks a ‘soft g’ pronunciation, as in gem , instead of a ‘hard g’ as in go.
- The e marks a ‘soft c’ pronunciation, as in centre , instead of a ‘hard c’ as in cat.
