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Primary English · Year 5Chapter 1 · Suffixes: -cious, -tial, -ant, -able and -ation
Year 5 English · Suffixes: -cious, -tial, -ant, -able and -ation · Lesson 1.2

Year 5 English: Words ending -cial and -tial

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

1.2

Words ending -cial and -tial

Year 5
Spell words ending -tial and -cial (SP-Y5b)
Story. The head teacher asks Noah to write an official letter about the school trip. He looks at the word official and wonders why it does not end in -tial, like partial. He decides to check the root words before he writes.

Key pattern

Many words ending -cial come from a root word that ends in ce: office becomes official, commerce becomes commercial, finance becomes financial.

Many words ending -tial come from a root word that ends in t or nt: part becomes partial, confident becomes confidential, potent becomes potential.

Key ideas

  • For -cial, the root word usually ends in ce, and the e is dropped: office, official.
  • For -tial, the root word usually ends in t or nt: part, partial; confident, confidential.
  • Look at the root word first, then decide.
  • If you are not sure, check a dictionary.
Worked example 1.2.1
Write the adjective made from office.

Method. The root word ends in ce, so the ending is -cial.

  1. Find the root word. Office ends in ce.
    office
  2. Drop the e and add -ial. The ending is -cial because the root ends in ce.
    offic + ial
  3. Write the answer.
    official

Check. Official uses -cial. ✓

Worked example 1.2.2
Write the adjective made from part.

Method. The root word ends in t, so the ending is -tial.

  1. Find the root word. Part ends in t.
    part
  2. Add -ial. The t stays, and the ending is -tial.
    part + ial
  3. Write the answer.
    partial

Check. Partial uses -tial. ✓

Worked example 1.2.3
Which word is spelt correctly: financial or financtial?

Method. The root word finance ends in ce, so the ending is -cial.

  1. Find the root word. Financial comes from finance.
    finance
  2. Choose the ending. The root ends in ce, so the ending is -cial.
    financ + ial
  3. Write the answer.
    financial

Check. Finance ends in ce, so financial is correct. ✓

Exercise 1B  Practice: -cial and -tial

1
FWrite the adjective made from commerce.
2
FWrite the adjective made from finance.
3
FWrite the adjective made from office.
4
FWrite the adjective made from part.
5
FWrite the adjective made from potent.
6
FWrite the adjective made from resident.
7
FWrite the adjective made from confident.
8
FWhich word is spelt correctly: official or offical?
9
PSCorrect the spelling: commertial should be spelt how?
10
PSSam says the word initial ends in -cial. Is he right? Explain your answer.
11
RWrite one word ending in -cial and one ending in -tial. Say the root word for each.

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