Websink Prep UKKS2 EnglishYear 5 chaptersEnglish textbooksReceptionYear 1Year 2Year 3Year 4Year 5Year 6Year 7Year 8Year 9Browse allPast papersFind a tutorBecome a tutor
Primary English · Year 5Chapter 1 · Suffixes: -cious, -tial, -ant, -able and -ation
Year 5 English · Suffixes: -cious, -tial, -ant, -able and -ation · Lesson 1.4

Year 5 English: Words ending -able, -ably, -ible and -ibly

Part of the Year 5 English suffixes: -cious, -tial, -ant, -able and -ation chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page

1.4

Words ending -able, -ably, -ible and -ibly

Year 5
Spell words ending -able, -ably, -ible and -ibly (SP-Y5d)
Story. Jade is writing a list of things for the class trip. She wants to write that the bus is comfortable, that the path is manageable and that the view will be visible from the top. She checks each ending carefully.

Key pattern

With a root word that ends in a silent e, usually drop the e before -able: adore becomes adorable.

Keep the e after a soft c or g, so the sound stays soft: notice becomes noticeable; manage becomes manageable.

Many words ending -ible have a root that is not a whole word: vis in visible, poss in possible.

For adverbs, -able becomes -ably and -ible becomes -ibly: comfortable becomes comfortably; possible becomes possibly.

Key ideas

  • Drop the silent e before -able: adore, adorable.
  • Keep the e after soft c or g: notice, noticeable; manage, manageable.
  • Use -ible for many root words that are not whole words: visible, possible.
  • Change -able to -ably and -ible to -ibly for adverbs.
Worked example 1.4.1
Write the adjective made from adore.

Method. The root word ends in a silent e before a vowel suffix, so drop the e.

  1. Find the silent e. Adore ends in a silent e.
    adore
  2. Drop the e and add -able. The e is dropped before -able.
    ador + able
  3. Write the answer.
    adorable

Check. Adorable has -able and no e in the middle. ✓

Worked example 1.4.2
Write the adjective made from notice, with the e kept.

Method. Keep the e after a soft c, so the ending is -eable in the word.

  1. Find the soft c. Notice ends in ce, which keeps the c soft.
    notice
  2. Keep the e and add -able. The e is kept so that the c stays soft.
    notice + able
  3. Write the answer.
    noticeable

Check. Noticeable keeps the e. ✓

Worked example 1.4.3
Write the adverb made from possible.

Method. An adjective ending -ible becomes an adverb ending -ibly.

  1. Find the adjective. Possible is an adjective ending -ible.
    possible
  2. Change -ible to -ibly. Remove the e and add -ly.
    possibl + y
  3. Write the answer.
    possibly

Check. Possibly is the adverb. ✓

Exercise 1D  Practice: -able, -ably, -ible and -ibly

1
FWrite the adjective made from enjoy.
2
FWrite the adjective made from adore.
3
FWrite the adjective made from notice.
4
FWrite the adjective made from manage.
5
FWrite the adjective made from vis, the root of visit and visual, with the ending -ible.
6
FWrite the adjective made from poss, with the ending -ible.
7
FWrite the adverb made from reliable.
8
FWrite the adverb made from sensible.
9
FWhich word is spelt correctly: comfortably or comfortabley?
10
PSElla wrote possibley in her list. Correct it.
11
PSBen says that manageable should drop the e, like adorable. Is he right? Explain.
12
RWrite one adjective ending -able and one ending -ible. Say which rule you used for each.

Websink Prep UK is an independent site. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR, WJEC, Eduqas, CCEA, SQA, GL Assessment, CEM or the Department for Education. All exam board names and trademarks belong to their owners. Past papers are linked from the exam boards' own websites and are not hosted here.

About Websink Prep UK · Find a tutor · Privacy · Terms · Cookie settings