Root + suffix = a science word
English recycles roots. Choose a root, then a suffix: the foundry welds them and tells you the word class (the job the word does) and the meaning. (Aprende las palabras en familia, no sueltas.)
1 · Choose a root
2 · Choose a suffix
The suffix toolbox — which ending does which job
invention, treatment, resistance, activity
researcher, inventor, biologist, technician
chemical, atomic, creative, famous, useless
carefully, genetically
modernize, simplify, activate
biology, genetics, physics (y ojo: -ics lleva verbo en singular)
One root, five jobs
The family of the root you chose above. The orange cell is the one the spelling note under the grid is about. A dash means the manual’s table has no common member for that job. (Familia de palabras: misma raíz, distinto trabajo.)
What changes when the suffix arrives
Changing the meaning from the front
Tap a prefix to see what it does. (El prefijo cambia el significado; el sufijo cambia la clase de palabra.)
First decide the job, then choose the ending
Read the sentence and the gap. Which class of word does the gap need? Decide before you touch a suffix — that is how the exam question is solved. (Primero la clase de palabra, después el sufijo.)
Five places where careful students still fall
The five the manual marks
- scientifical → scientificEl adjetivo termina en -ic, no en -ical, en esta familia.
- scientifics say… → scientists say…La persona es scientist (-ist); scientific es adjetivo y no se pluraliza.
- a big discover → a great discoverydiscover es verbo; el sustantivo es discovery.
- benefical → beneficialNo se pierde la sílaba -fi-.
- The genetics are complex. → Genetics is complex.Los sustantivos en -ics son singulares y no llevan artículo aquí.
👩🏫 For the teacher — how this page maps to the manual
- Explore puts Structure 2 on screen: the foundry welds the root and the suffix of the manual’s family table, the live family card is that same table, and the spelling card is the “Spelling watch”. The prefix dial is the prefix toolbox; the traps card is the exception box; the mistakes card is the pitfall box.
- Build is productive: Assemble = choose the word class and the piece (suffix, or prefix + suffix) for exercise B and the homework sentences; Transform = type the form, with a model answer.
- Drill merges the checks into one graded engine (★ suffix jobs & negative prefixes · ★★ word form in context, -ics, economic/economical · ★★★ prefix + suffix together, -bly adverbs) with score, streak and best result.
- Every selector is tap to choose — no dragging, so it works on a phone. Works offline. Reading/writing only — no audio.
Build the word
Read the sentence, choose the class the gap needs and the piece you add to the root. The foundry builds the word and states the rule — guess before you check.
Drill — one flow, three levels
★ suffix jobs & negative prefixes · ★★ the right form in context · ★★★ prefix + suffix together. Keep your streak alive. (Misma escalera que tu Cuaderno de tareas.)