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Primary English · Year 3Chapter 2 · Prefixes and suffixes
Year 3 English · Prefixes and suffixes · Lesson 2.4

Year 3 English: Suffixes -ly and -ous

Part of the Year 3 English prefixes and suffixes chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page

2.4

Suffixes -ly and -ous

Year 3
Add the suffix -ly to make adverbs from adjectives, with the rules already learnt, Add the suffix -ous, including y changed to i, and the -ious ending
Story. The children hurry to the park before the rain starts. Ali walks carefully over the wet bridge. Mia runs quickly to the swings, and she hopes that the dog is not dangerous.

A suffix is a group of letters that we add to the end of a root word. A suffix changes the word, and sometimes its job in the sentence.

The suffix -ly turns an adjective into an adverb. An adjective describes a thing, as in quick. An adverb tells us how something is done, as in quickly.

The suffix -ous means full of, as in dangerous, which is full of danger. The endings -ious, as in anxious and curious, follow the same pattern.

Root wordChangeNew word
happychange the y to i, add lyhappily
truedrop the e, add lytruly
dangerdrop the er, add ousdangerous
mysterychange the y to i, add ousmysterious
Three changes to the root word before -ly or -ous.

Key ideas

  • Add -ly to an adjective to make an adverb: quick becomes quickly.
  • Drop the e before -ly: true becomes truly; simple becomes simply.
  • Change the y to i before -ly or -ous: happy becomes happily; mystery becomes mysterious.
  • Marvellous has two l letters in UK English.
  • Humour changes our to or before ous: humorous.
  • Courage keeps its e before ous, so the g says the j sound: courageous.
Worked example 2.4.1
Write the word that means: in a way that shows you are glad.

Method. Match the meaning to the word, then check its spelling.

  1. Read the meaning. Think about what the clue describes.
    in a way that shows you are glad
  2. Find the word that matches. Think of the one word with this meaning.
    happily
  3. Check the spelling. Happy ends in y: change the y to i, then add ly.
    Tricky part: ily
  4. Write the answer.
    happily

Check. Read happily and check each letter against the word. ✓

Watch out. Happy ends in y: change the y to i, then add ly.

Worked example 2.4.2
Write the missing word: Running on the wet floor is  .

Method. Think what the sentence means, then choose the word that fits the gap and its spelling.

  1. Read the sentence with the gap. Think what the sentence means.
    Running on the wet floor is ___.
  2. Find the word that fits the meaning. likely to cause harm or injury
    dangerous
  3. Put the word in the gap. Read the sentence again. It makes sense.
    Running on the wet floor is dangerous.
  4. Write the answer.
    dangerous

Check. Read the whole sentence with dangerous in it. ✓

Watch out. Danger ends in er: drop the er, then add ous.

Worked example 2.4.3
Write the missing letters: nerv 

Method. Say the whole word, then fill the box with the tricky letters.

  1. Say the whole word. Read every letter in order.
    nervous
  2. Look at the empty box. The box stands for 3 letter(s) in a row.
    3 missing letter(s)
  3. Write the missing letters. Nerve ends in e: drop the e, then add ous.
    ous

Check. Put ous back in the box and read nervous. ✓

Watch out. Nerve ends in e: drop the e, then add ous.

Watch out

Watch out: happyly and dangerus are wrong. Happy changes its y to i before ly, and dangerous has an o before us.

Exam tip

Grown-up tip. Say the root word, then the new word, and ask: what did you change at the end? Make a card for each rule: drop the e, change the y, double the l.

Exercise 2D  Practice: -ly and -ous

1
FWrite the word that means each clue.
(a)Write the word that means: at a fast speed.
(b)Write the word that means: in a soft and careful way.
(c)Write the word that means: worried or afraid about something that may happen.
(d)Write the word that means: wanting to find out about things.
2
FWrite the missing word in each sentence.
(a)Write the missing word: You can   add water and stir.
(b)Write the missing word: The jar was   of sweets.
(c)Write the missing word: It went dark   when the clouds came in.
(d)Write the missing word: Please carry the cup  .
3
FWrite the missing letters.
(a)Write the missing letters: happ 
(b)Write the missing letters: danger 
(c)Write the missing letters: nerv 
4
PSWrite each word correctly.
(a)Ali writes enormus. Write it correctly.
(b)Mia writes mysterous. Write it correctly.
(c)Sam writes marvelous. Write it correctly.
(d)Ben writes jelous. Write it correctly.
(e)Ella writes couragous. Write it correctly.
(f)Ravi writes humourous. Write it correctly.
5
RAli says that happily is spelled happyly, because happy plus ly makes happyly. Is he right? Explain.
6
RWhich word ends in -ious: nervous, anxious or jealous?
7
PSWrite one sentence with curious, and one with dangerous. Check each spelling.
8
PSSort these words into two lists: quickly, truly, curious, nervous, dangerous. Put the -ly words in one list and the -ous or -ious words in the other.
9
FWrite the missing word: We had a   day at the beach.
10
RBen says that marvellous has one l, because it is marvel plus ous. Is he right? Explain.

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