3.3 Explicitly Teach the Suffix '-s'

The suffix '-s' is the most common suffix in our language, and it has two jobs. First, when you add it to the end of a base word, it can make nouns plural, as in frogs. Secondly, it can indicate subject-verb agreement in the present tense, as in hops.

The suffix '-s' is an inflectional suffix, which means it does not change the part of speech of the word. For example, the word frog is a noun, and when we add '-s' to make frogs, it remains a noun.

The suffix '-s' can make the sounds /s/ or /z/ — depending on the sound that comes just before it. 

Although /s/ is unvoiced and /z/ is voiced, the phonemes /s/ and /z/ are referred to as sound cousins or consonant pairs because we articulate the sounds in the same place in our mouth. (To make them, your lips are wide and slightly apart. The teeth stay together and the tongue is encaged behind them. They are continuous sounds.)

Being able to hear and produce /s/ and /z/ is the phonemic awareness skill necessary for learning the sound-letter correspondence for the suffix ‘-s’. See our interactive sound cards to review the features and characteristics of the /s/ sound and the /z/ sound. 

Say,

Today we're going to learn something new: our very first suffix!

A suffix is a word part that we add to the end of a base word, and it has its own meaning.

Write the word cat on the board.

Say,

When I see the word cat, I picture one fluffy orange cat sitting on the rug. What happens if I add an 's' to this word? What does it say now? [cats]

Right. Is there still only one cat? [No!] 

Now I can picture two fluffy orange cats sitting on the rug together.

When we added the suffix '-s' to the word cat, we changed the meaning. We made it more than one cat. So this 's' isn't just a letter. It's doing a job. It's a suffix, and it changes the meaning of the word!

Point to the word cats and have students read the word together one more time. 

Say,

What sound is the suffix '-s' making at the end of this word? Let's tap the sounds: /k/, /ă/, /t/, /s/. What is the sound for the suffix '-s'? /s/

Now write the word dog on the board. Have students read the word and hold up one finger to show how many dogs this word represents.

Now add the suffix '-s' to the word dog.

Say,

What is this word? [dogs]

What does adding the suffix '-s' do to the word? [Made it more than one.]

Have students read the word dogs again.

Say,

What sound is the suffix '-s' making in this word? Let's tap the sounds: /d/, /ŏ/, /g/, /z/. What is the sound for the suffix '-s'? [/z/]

Yes! So if I have to spell the word dogs, even though I hear the /z/ sound, I know that I have to make the word more than one. So I add the suffix '-s'. I can't add the letter 'z', because 'z' is not a suffix, and it does not have any meaning. 

So we saw in the word cats that the suffix '-s' said /s/ and in dogs it said /z/. The suffix '-s' can make two different sounds!

Next, display your suffix '-s' flash card and say,

Students repeat,

The suffix '-s' can say /s/ or /z/. It makes a word plural.

Write the word desk on the board. Have students read the word. [desk]

Now add the suffix '-s' to the word. Ask students to read the new word. [desks]

Write on the board: The kids are sitting at their desks. 

Have students read the sentence aloud together.

[The kids are sitting at their desks.]

Say,

The suffix '-s' that is added to desk tells me that there is more than one desk.

Write the following words on the board one at a time and have students read them aloud chorally: mug, cup, pin, and bed. 

Then add the suffix '-s' to each word and have students read the new words. Discuss how the meaning of the word changed when you added the suffix. 

Try the lesson! This explicit teaching example aligns with the Reading Universe printable lesson plan for the suffix '-s' (opens in new window). You'll find dictation practice in the lesson plan and an explanation of how this works in Dictating Words with Suffixes.