Vocabulary Strategy: Suffixes
Grade 7 ELA: Master how to break down words and unlock the power of the suffixes -able and -ible!
Learn: Suffixes -able & -ible
A suffix is a word part that appears at the end of a root or base word to form a new word. You can use your knowledge of suffixes to figure out word meanings.
"The human mind is incredibly adaptable."
Note that adaptable is made up of the base word adapt and the suffix -able.
The suffixes -able and -ible mean "capable of or worthy of." Therefore, adaptable means "capable of change."
Example Bank: Words in Context
Changeable
- The autumn weather in our city is highly changeable, going from sunny to freezing in hours.
- Because his moods were so changeable, it was hard to know if he would be happy or angry.
- The schedule is still changeable if you need to move your appointment to a different day.
- Water is a changeable substance that can freeze into solid ice or boil into steam.
Regrettable
- It is highly regrettable that the outdoor concert was canceled at the last minute.
- She made a regrettable mistake when she accidentally deleted her entire history essay.
- The soccer team's loss was regrettable, but they played their absolute best until the end.
- Saying those mean words to his brother was a regrettable decision he quickly apologized for.
Adaptable
- Coyotes are highly adaptable animals that can survive in both forests and busy cities.
- To be successful in a new school, students must be adaptable to different teachers' rules.
- The human mind is incredibly adaptable when faced with challenging new environments.
- Because the soup recipe is very adaptable, you can easily swap the chicken for tofu.
Predictable
- The movie's plot was so predictable that I guessed the ending within the first ten minutes.
- Our dog has a very predictable routine of barking at the mail carrier every single morning.
- While the results of the science experiment were predictable, we still needed to record the data.
- She appreciated having a predictable schedule so she could easily plan her weekend activities.
Knowledge Check: Underline & Define
Practice and Apply
Working independently, read each of the following scenarios. Then, write a small paragraph in your notebook responding to the situation using the required vocabulary word. Each thoughtful paragraph earns you 1 Participation Mark (3 marks total).The Situation:
The weather forecast is constantly shifting between rain, sun, and heavy winds this week.
Your Mission:
Write a small paragraph describing how difficult it is to plan an outdoor trip.
The Situation:
You completely forgot about your best friend's birthday and missed the party.
Your Mission:
Write a small paragraph describing your feelings about making such a big mistake.
The Situation:
A new student just moved to your school from a completely different country.
Your Mission:
Write a small paragraph describing their impressive ability to get used to the new routines quickly.