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Lesson 124

-ness

The suffix -NESS means state of, or the way something is

The Y to I spelling rule from Lesson 110 applies when adding -NESS to words that end in Y: happy → happiness, messy → messiness. The suffix -NESS generally changes an adjective into a noun. The concepts of nouns and adjectives should be addressed separately, as needed.

Today's plan

about 15 min
  1. Step 1Warm up our ears (blend & segment)2 min
  2. Steps 2 & 3Look & Say / Listen & Spell4 min
  3. Step 4Blending drill3 min
  4. Step 5New concept + read/spell6 min
Step 1

Warm Up Our Ears

Say the sounds; students blend them into a word. Then say a word; students break it apart.

Blend it (teacher says sounds → you say word)

/d/ · /ar/ · /k/ · /n/ · /ĕ/ · /s/darkness
/f/ · /i/ · /t/ · /n/ · /ĕ/ · /s/fitness
/s/ · /ă/ · /d/ · /n/ · /ĕ/ · /s/sadness

Break it (I say word → you say sounds)

Steps 2 & 3

Flashcard Drills

Full-screen cards for the class. Tap a card to check the answer, or press Hear the words to hear the example words read aloud.

Step 4

Blending Drill

Change one part at a time and read the new word.

Step 5

New Concept

Today we learn a new suffix, -NESS, which means state of, or the way something is.

Highlighted words are the ones to show and practice reading — tap one to hear it.

Suffixes are added to the end of a word to change the word's meaning. Today we will learn a new suffix: -NESS. -NESS is usually pronounced /nəs/ with the E making a schwa sound as in . -NESS means state of or the way something is. -NESS is usually added to adjectives to make them nouns. Kindness means the state of being kind.

-ness

When adding -NESS to words that end in Y, we follow the Y to I rule: happy → happiness, messy → messiness.