Root Words & Inflections
Identify frequently occurring root words and their inflectional forms (e.g., look/looks/looked/looking), using affixes as clues to word meaning and understanding how suffixes create nouns and adjectives
Suggested ages 6–9
Learning journey
Your child is learning how words are built and connected — discovering how root words change with different endings (like look/looks/looked) and learning to define words by describing what category they belong to and their key features.
Evidence of understanding
- Identify 'play' as the root in 'played', 'playing', 'player'
- Explain that '-ful' in 'careful' means 'full of care'
- Use '-ness' and '-er' to form nouns from root words: 'sad → sadness', 'teach → teacher'
Assessment prompt
When Root Words & Inflections sees words like "play," "plays," "played," and "playing," do they understand they all come from the same root word and can they use each form correctly?
Standards alignment
L.1.4b
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects · 1
L.1.4c
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects · 1
L.3.4b
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects · 3
Formation of nouns
The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document · Key Stage 1
Formation of adjectives
The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document · Key Stage 1
Suffixes in adjectives and adverbs
The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document · Key Stage 1