English · Stage 4
Building Words
Writing — add a part to a root word, and watch the join: just add, drop the e, or double the letter
✦ English📘 Stage 4 · S4⏱ ~10 min🧒 Ages 8–9★ Free to start
I can spell words with prefixes and suffixes.
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Kavi Builds a Word
"A word can grow!" said Kavi. "Add a little part to the front and the meaning flips — un + happy → unhappy. Add a part to the end and the word gets a new job — jump + ing → jumping. But watch the join! Sometimes you just add it, sometimes you drop the e (hope → hoping), and sometimes you double the last letter (run → running)."
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What your child will learn
1Add a part, then watch the joinA prefix joins to the FRONT of a root and changes the meaning. A suffix joins to the END and gives the word a new job. Most of the time you just add the part — but before -ing or -ed, two small spelling rules can change the join.
2Drop the e, or double the letter?Both joins happen before -ing. Read each card and say the word aloud.
3How does each root join with -ing?
4Spot the built wordsTap each line to hear it. Look for a root with a part added — and notice the join.
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A peek inside
Join hope + ing. How do we spell it?
hope ends in a silent e → drop the e → hop + ing → hoping
Try this at home: Join: jump + ing
Ready to play and learn?
Start the free interactive lesson, or print the handout for screen-free play.
Part of English · Stage 4 · S4 on KAVI Academy — a secular, whole-child learning platform for ages 5–12.