Year 6 English: The ending -cious after a root word ending in -ce
Part of the Year 6 English spelling -cious, -tious, -cial and -tial chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
The ending -cious after a root word ending in -ce
Many adjectives end in -cious. The sound at the end of these words is spelt -cious when the root word ends in -ce. To spell the new word, look at the root word, drop the e, then add -ious.
For example, grace ends in -ce. Drop the e, and add -ious: gracious.
Root words ending in -ce
| Noun (root word) | Drop the e and add -ious | Adjective |
|---|---|---|
| grace | gracious | gracious |
| space | spacious | spacious |
| malice | malicious | malicious |
| vice | vicious | vicious |
Key ideas
- A root word that ends in -ce takes the ending -cious.
- Drop the e from the root word, then add -ious.
- The adjective keeps the meaning of the root word, but it describes a person, a place or a thing.
Method. Look at the end of the root word, then choose the ending.
- Find the root word. Space is the noun, and it ends in -ce.space
- Drop the e and add -ious. The e goes, and -ious takes its place.spac + ious
- Check the word. Spacious describes a place that has a lot of room.spacious
- Write the answer. spacious
Check. space + ious = spacious. ✓
Method. The root word ends in -ce, so the ending is -cious.
- Find the root word. Malice ends in -ce.malice
- Drop the e and add -ious. Drop the e, leaving malic, then add ious.malic + ious
- Check the word. Malicious describes a person who wishes to hurt others.malicious
- Write the answer. malicious
Check. malice + ious = malicious. ✓
Method. Choose the spelling that follows the root-word rule.
- Find the root word. Grace is the root word, and it ends in -ce.grace
- Apply the rule. Drop the e and add -cious, so the spelling has the c and the i.grac + ious
- Compare the spellings. Gracous leaves out the i, so it is wrong.gracious
- Write the answer. gracious
Check. The correct spelling keeps the i: gracious. ✓
Watch out. The c and the i stay together in -cious. Do not leave out the i.
Watch out
Watch out: the root word does not always look like the new word. Look at the root word first, then add the ending. A word ending in -ce that does not come from a root word, such as delicious, is learned on its own (section 1.5).
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask your child to find the root word of each adjective in this section, then to say the new word aloud while looking at the spelling, not listening to the sound.
Exercise 1A Practice: -cious after a root word ending in -ce
Method. Look at the end of the root word, then choose the ending.
- Find the root word. grace is the noun. The adjective will end differently.grace
- Look at the last letters. A root word ending in -ce takes the ending -cious: drop the e, then add -ious.grace ends in -ce: drop the e (grac), then add -ious: gracious
- Write the answer. gracious
Check. grace becomes gracious. ✓
Watch out. Use -cious after -ce and -tious after -tion. Do not write -cous or -shus.
Method. Look at the end of the root word, then choose the ending.
- Find the root word. space is the noun. The adjective will end differently.space
- Look at the last letters. A root word ending in -ce takes the ending -cious: drop the e, then add -ious.space ends in -ce: drop the e (spac), then add -ious: spacious
- Write the answer. spacious
Check. space becomes spacious. ✓
Watch out. Use -cious after -ce and -tious after -tion. Do not write -cous or -shus.
Method. Look at the end of the root word, then choose the ending.
- Find the root word. malice is the noun. The adjective will end differently.malice
- Look at the last letters. A root word ending in -ce takes the ending -cious: drop the e, then add -ious.malice ends in -ce: drop the e (malic), then add -ious: malicious
- Write the answer. malicious
Check. malice becomes malicious. ✓
Watch out. Use -cious after -ce and -tious after -tion. Do not write -cous or -shus.
Method. Look at the end of the root word, then choose the ending.
- Find the root word. vice is the noun. The adjective will end differently.vice
- Look at the last letters. A root word ending in -ce takes the ending -cious: drop the e, then add -ious.vice ends in -ce: drop the e (vic), then add -ious: vicious
- Write the answer. vicious
Check. vice becomes vicious. ✓
Watch out. Use -cious after -ce and -tious after -tion. Do not write -cous or -shus.
Method. Test each choice against the sentence or the text.
- Read what the question asks for. Decide what the sentence or the text needs.
- Test the choice. Space ends in -ce, so the adjective is spacious: drop the e and add -cious.spacious fits
- Reject the other choices. spatious has the wrong ending for this word.spatious do not fit
- Write the answer. spacious
Check. The choice fits the sentence or the text. ✓
Watch out. Look at the root word, or at the letter before the ending.
Method. Test each choice against the sentence or the text.
- Read what the question asks for. Decide what the sentence or the text needs.
- Test the choice. Grace ends in -ce, so the ending keeps both the c and the i: -cious.gracious fits
- Reject the other choices. gracous has the wrong ending for this word.gracous do not fit
- Write the answer. gracious
Check. The choice fits the sentence or the text. ✓
Watch out. Look at the root word, or at the letter before the ending.
Method. Use the meaning to find the adjective, then check the root word.
- Use the meaning. The meaning is kind, polite and generous.kind, polite and generous
- Check the root word. Grace ends in -ce, so the adjective is gracious.grace + ious
- Write the answer. gracious
Check. gracious comes from grace and has the meaning given. ✓
Method. Find the adjective that fits the sentence, then check its spelling.
- Find the missing word. A hostess who welcomes guests kindly is gracious.gracious
- Check the spelling. Grace ends in -ce, so the adjective is spelt gracious.grace + ious
- Write the answer. gracious
Check. The sentence now makes sense with gracious. ✓
Method. Find the word with the wrong spelling, and write the correct adjective from space.
- Find the word that is wrong. Spatious does not come from space by the root-word rule.spatious
- Write the correct adjective. Space ends in -ce, so drop the e and add -cious.spacious
- Write the answer. The spacious hall was full of dancers.
Check. The hall had a lot of room, so spacious is the right word. ✓
Method. Use the root-word rule, not a guess.
- Find the root word. Vice is the noun, and it ends in -ce.vice
- Apply the rule. Drop the e and add -cious: vic + ious.vicious
- Write the answer. Ruby is wrong, because vice ends in -ce, so the ending is -cious and the adjective is vicious.
Check. vice + ious = vicious. ✓
Method. Check the root word of each adjective.
- Check gracious, spacious and malicious. Grace, space and malice all end in -ce.grace, space, malice
- Check ambitious. The root word is ambition, which ends in -tion, so it takes -tious.ambition
- Write the answer. ambitious
Check. Only ambitious follows the -tion rule instead. ✓
Method. Drop the e, then add -cious.
- Find the root word. Vice is the root word, and it ends in -ce.vice
- Drop the e and add -cious. Vice loses its e and gains -cious.vic + ious
- Write the answer. vicious
Check. vice + ious = vicious. ✓
Method. Think about the root word first.
- Find the root word. Malice is the root word, and it ends in -ce.malice
- Link it to the spelling. Dropping the e and adding -cious gives malicious.malicious
- Write the answer. Malice ends in -ce, so drop the e and add -cious, giving malicious.
Check. malice + ious = malicious. ✓
Method. Use the adjective in a sentence that describes a room.
- Choose the adjective. Spacious describes a room with a lot of room.spacious
- Write the sentence. Add a second clause that shows what the room holds.The bedroom was spacious
- Write the answer. The bedroom was spacious, with room for a desk, a bed and a bookcase.
Check. The sentence uses spacious correctly. ✓
Method. Use malicious to describe something that is meant to hurt.
- Choose a subject. A rumour can be malicious.The malicious rumour
- Finish the sentence. Add a verb and an ending that makes sense.spread quickly around the school
- Write the answer. The malicious rumour spread quickly around the school.
Check. The sentence uses malicious with the right spelling. ✓
Method. Say what the root word does and what the ending does.
- Say what the root word ends in. Grace ends in -ce.ends in -ce
- Say what the ending becomes. Drop the e, then add -cious.-cious
- Write the answer. A root word ending in -ce takes the ending -cious
Check. The rule is the same for grace, space, malice and vice. ✓