Nifty Thrifty Fifty

Front 1

composer

Back 1

A composer is a person who composes something. Many other words, such as writer, reporter, and teacher, are made up of root words with the suffix er (meaning a person or thing that does something). When er is added to a word that already has an e, the original e is dropped.

Front 2

discovery

Back 2

A discovery is something you discover. The Prefix dis often changes a word to an opposite form. To cover something can mean to hide it. When you discover it, it is no longer hidden. Discovery is the root word cover with the added prefix dis and suffix y. Ther are no spelling changes.

Front 3

encouragement

Back 3

When you encourage someone, you give them encouragement. Many other words, such as argue/argument and replace/replacement, follow this same pattern. The root of the word for encourage is courage. So, encouragement is made up of the prefix en, the root word courage and the suffix ment. There are no spelling changes.

Front 4

hopeless

Back 4

Students should easily see the root word hope and the suffix less. Other similar worsd are painless and homeless. There are no spelling changes

Front 5

impossible

Back 5

This is the root word possible with the perfix im .In many words,including impatient and immature the prefix im changes the word to anopposite.

Front 6

musician

Back 6

A musician is a person who makes music.A beautician helps make you beautiful and a magician makes magic.Musician has the root word music with the suffix ian,which sometimes indictas the person who deso something.There are no spelling changes,but the pronunciation changes.Have students say the word music and musician,magic and magician and noctice how the pronunciation change.

Front 7

richest

Back 7

Students should recognize the root word rich with the suffix est,meaning "the most".

Front 8

unfriendly

Back 8

Students should notice that the prefix un often changes a word to it's opposite meaning as in unnnecessary and unhappy.The suffix ly changes friend to friendly.