Using suffixes to show tenses | Language Arts for Grade 12 PDF Download

Understanding Suffixes

• Definition of a Suffix: A suffix is a letter or a group of letters that is added to the end of a word to change its meaning.
• Transformation of Nouns into Verbs: Adding the suffix -ing to a noun can transform it into a verb. For instance:
  • Example: garden -ing → gardening
• Formation of Past Tense: By adding the suffix -ed to a verb, we can create the past tense form of that verb. For example:
  • Example: jump -ed → jumped

Past Tense

• Definition: The past tense is used to describe actions that have already occurred.
• Formation: Most past tense verbs end in -ed.
  • Example: I walked to the shop.
• Exceptions: Some past tenses have irregular forms and do not follow the -ed rule.
  • Example: She swam three lengths in the swimming pool. (Not 'swimmed')
  • Example: I bent down to pick up a penny. (Not 'bended')

Present Tense

• The present tense is used when something is happening now or happens regularly.
• Verbs in the present tense can end in -ing and are accompanied by 'am', 'is' or 'are'.
• For instance:
  • I am walking to the shop.

  • They are going to see their friends.

Spelling rules when forming tenses

There are some spelling rules to think about when you add the suffixes -ing and -ed to verbs.

• For words ending in two consonants, just add the suffix to the root word.
  For example:
  • walk -ed → walked
  • walk -ing → walking
• For words that end in a short vowel sound followed by a consonant, you need to double the last letter then add the suffix.
  For example:
  • mop -ed → mopped
  • mop -ing → mopping
• For words ending in a consonant followed by an ’e’, you need to drop the ‘e’ before you add the suffix.
  For example:
  • love -ed → loved
  • love -ing → loving
• For words that end in a consonant and a ‘y’, change the ‘y’ to an ‘i’ and then add the suffix.
  For example:
  • cry -ed → cried
• For -ing, you keep the original ‘y’ in the root so that you don’t end up with a double ‘i’.
  For example:
  • cry -ing → crying