Detailed Explanation of Words with -less 📝
In Year 6 English, learning about words with the suffix -less helps you understand how to change the meaning of root words. The suffix -less means “without” or “not having” something. When you add -less to the end of a word, it creates a new word that describes the absence of what the original word meant.
How the suffix -less changes meaning ➕
The suffix -less turns a noun or sometimes an adjective into another adjective that shows a lack of that thing. For example:
- Hope means having the feeling that something good will happen.
- Hopeless means having no hope or feeling like something good won’t happen.
Examples of words with -less 📚
Here are some common examples:
- Fear → Fearless (without fear, brave)
- Home → Homeless (without a home)
- Care → Careless (not careful)
- End → Endless (without an end, never finishing)
- Help → Helpless (not able to get help or not able to help)
Tips for using words with -less 💡
- Remember that words with -less describe the absence of something important in the root word.
- These words are often adjectives, so they describe nouns. For example: “a careless mistake” describes a mistake made without care.
- When reading, if you see a word with -less, try to think of the root word first and then add the idea of “without” to understand the new meaning.
- Try creating your own sentences using -less words, like: “The night was endless,” or “She felt hopeless after losing the game.”
Understanding how to use the suffix -less helps you build your vocabulary and make your writing more interesting by showing when something is missing or absent. Keep practising by spotting -less words in your reading and trying them out in your own writing! 🌟
20 Examination-Style Questions with Answers on Words with -less 📋
1. What does the suffix -less mean in a word? 🤔
Answer: It means “without” or “not having.”
2. Write the meaning of the word hopeless. 📝
Answer: Without hope or no hope.
3. Which word means “without fear”? 🦁
a) Fearful
b) Fearless
c) Fearlessness
Answer: b) Fearless
4. Fill in the blank: A person who is careless might make ___ mistakes. ❓
Answer: many
5. Turn the word help into a word that means “without help.” 🤝
Answer: Helpless
6. What does the word endless mean? ⏳
Answer: Without an end or infinite.
7. Choose the correct meaning of the word meaningless:
a) Full of meaning
b) Without meaning
c) Difficult to understand
Answer: b) Without meaning
8. Which word means “without value”? 💰
a) Valueless
b) Valuable
c) Valuableless
Answer: a) Valueless
9. Use the word fearless in a sentence. 🗣️
Answer: The firefighter was fearless when entering the burning building.
10. Change the word care into a word that means “without care.” 🛑
Answer: Careless
11. What is the opposite of hopeless? 🔄
Answer: Hopeful
12. Fill in the blank: The night seemed ___ because there was no moon. 🌙
Answer: endless
13. Which word means “without reason”? ❓
a) Reasonless
b) Senseless
c) Sensible
Answer: b) Senseless
14. The suffix -less changes nouns or verbs into what kind of words? 📚
Answer: Adjectives
15. Write the word with -less that means “without light.” 💡
Answer: Lightless or sometimes the word dark is used, but “lightless” fits the rule.
16. What does the word useless mean? 🛠️
Answer: Without use or not useful.
17. True or False: The suffix -less always means “full of.” ✔️❌
Answer: False
18. Which word means “without rest”? 😴
a) Restless
b) Restful
c) Rested
Answer: a) Restless
19. Fill in the blank: After the holiday, the suitcase was ___ of clothes. 🎒
Answer: less
(Note: “less” here is not a suffix word but the comparative form, included for understanding difference.)
20. Write a sentence using the word meaningless. ✍️
Answer: The argument was meaningless because no one agreed.
