Unit 80: More Suffixes
Can-do Statement: I can identify and use the suffixes
-able and -less to change the meaning of base words and form adjectives.
1. Target Vocabulary (Từ vựng mục tiêu)
washable
[adjective]
có thể giặt được
Definition: Able to be washed without being damaged.
Example: This cotton jacket is washable in cold water.
erasable
[adjective]
có thể xóa được
Definition: Able to be removed or rubbed out.
Example: Please use an erasable pen for the crossword puzzle.
movable
[adjective]
có thể di chuyển được
Definition: Able to be moved from one place to another.
Example: The heavy desk is movable because it has wheels.
likeable
[adjective]
dễ mến, đáng yêu
Definition: Easy to like; pleasant and friendly.
Example: Our new neighbor is a very likeable person.
foldable
[adjective]
có thể gấp lại được
Definition: Able to be folded into a flatter or smaller shape.
Example: A foldable umbrella is easy to carry in your bag.
hopeless
[adjective]
vô vọng
Definition: Without hope; feeling that a situation will not improve.
Example: Without a map, finding the way back felt hopeless.
fearless
[adjective]
không sợ hãi, dũng cảm
Definition: Without fear; very brave.
Example: The firefighter was fearless when entering the burning building.
senseless
[adjective]
vô nghĩa, vô lý
Definition: Not having any meaning or purpose.
Example: It was a senseless argument about a small toy.
friendless
[adjective]
không có bạn bè, cô độc
Definition: Without any friends.
Example: The new student felt friendless on his first day at school.
careless
[adjective]
bất cẩn, cẩu thả
Definition: Not taking enough care; not paying attention.
Example: A careless error led to the wrong answer on the math test.
2. Grammar Focus (Trọng tâm Ngữ pháp)
The Suffix -able
The suffix ‘-able’ is added to verbs or nouns to form adjectives that mean “can be done” or “having the quality of”.
Structure: Base Word + -able
| Base Word | Suffix | Adjective formed | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| recycle (v) | -able | recyclable | Is this plastic bottle recyclable? |
| comfort (n/v) | -able | comfortable | The new sofa is very comfortable. |
| read (v) | -able | readable | Her handwriting is clearly readable. |
The Suffix -less
The suffix ‘-less’ is added to nouns to form adjectives that mean “without” or “lacking” the thing described.
Structure: Base Word + -less
| Base Word | Suffix | Adjective formed | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| cloud (n) | -less | cloudless | The night sky was clear and cloudless. |
| reck (v/n – care) | -less | reckless | Be careful not to be too reckless on your bike. |
| self (n) | -less | selfless | The movie star remained humble and selfless. |
Spelling Note: If a base word ends in ‘-e’, the ‘-e’ is sometimes dropped before ‘-able’ (e.g., move → movable, like → likeable/likable), but remains intact before ‘-less’ (e.g., homeless).
3. Practice Exercises (Bài tập thực hành)
Exercise 1: Vocabulary Matching
Match the word to its meaning
- 1. washable — ______ A. Easy to like; pleasant and friendly.
- 2. hopeless — ______ B. Without fear; very brave.
- 3. fearless — ______ C. Able to be washed without being damaged.
- 4. likeable — ______ D. Without any friends.
- 5. friendless — ______ E. Not having any meaning or purpose.
- 6. senseless — ______ F. Without hope; feeling a situation won’t improve.
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
- 1. C – washable means able to be washed without damage.(washable nghĩa là có thể giặt được mà không bị hỏng.)
- 2. F – hopeless means without hope.(hopeless nghĩa là vô vọng, không có hy vọng.)
- 3. B – fearless means without fear or very brave.(fearless nghĩa là dũng cảm, không sợ hãi.)
- 4. A – likeable means easy to like or pleasant.(likeable nghĩa là dễ mến, dễ thương.)
- 5. D – friendless means without any friends.(friendless nghĩa là cô độc, không có bạn bè.)
- 6. E – senseless means without meaning or purpose.(senseless nghĩa là vô nghĩa, không có mục đích.)
Exercise 2: Gap Fill (Word Bank)
Fill in the blank with the correct word
erasable movable foldable careless fearless hopeless
- 1. Please buy a umbrella so it fits perfectly in my small backpack.
- 2. Don’t worry about making mistakes; this sketch is done with an pencil.
- 3. The heavy blackboard is because it stands on sturdy rollers.
- 4. She made a mistake by leaving her passport on the ticket counter.
- 5. The climbers felt when the heavy blizzard completely covered their tracks.
- 6. A warrior stepped forward to protect the village from the dragon.
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
- 1. foldable – An umbrella that fits in a small backpack needs to be able to fold.(Một chiếc ô vừa vặn với ba lô nhỏ cần phải có khả năng gấp lại được.)
- 2. erasable – Pencil marks that allow making mistakes without worry must be erasable.(Các nét chì cho phép phạm lỗi mà không cần lo lắng phải là loại có thể xóa được.)
- 3. movable – Standing on rollers makes a heavy object easy to move from place to place.(Đứng trên các con lăn giúp một vật nặng dễ dàng di chuyển từ nơi này sang nơi khác.)
- 4. careless – Leaving a passport behind on a counter is an act showing a lack of attention.(Để quên hộ chiếu trên quầy vé là một hành động thể hiện sự bất cẩn.)
- 5. hopeless – Losing tracks in a severe blizzard causes people to feel empty of hope.(Mất dấu vết trong một trận bão tuyết lớn khiến mọi người cảm thấy vô vọng.)
- 6. fearless – Stepping forward bravely to face a dangerous threat requires someone without fear.(Dũng cảm bước lên đối mặt với mối đe dọa nguy hiểm đòi hỏi một người không biết sợ hãi.)
Exercise 3: Multiple Choice Selection
Choose the best option to complete the sentence
- 1. The school counselor works hard to ensure no isolated child feels completely _______ in class.
- 2. Getting into an intense argument over who dropped a single coin is totally _______.
- 3. This silk shirt cannot go into the laundry machine; it is not _______ in hot water.
- 4. Everyone enjoys working alongside Kevin because he is an incredibly _______ and warm teammate.
- 5. The office partitions are entirely _______, allowing us to change the layout whenever we want.
- 6. Spelling errors on the certificates are not acceptable because the ink is permanently set and not _______.
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
- 1. B (friendless) – An isolated child lacking peer connections would feel friendless.(Một đứa trẻ bị cô lập thiếu kết nối bạn bè sẽ cảm thấy không có bạn bè.)
- 2. A (senseless) – An argument over a single coin has no meaningful purpose, making it senseless.(Tranh cãi về một đồng xu đơn lẻ không mang lại giá trị hay ý nghĩa gì, nên nó vô lý/vô nghĩa.)
- 3. C (washable) – If something cannot go into a machine or handle hot water, it isn’t fully washable.(Nếu cái gì đó không thể cho vào máy giặt hoặc nước nóng, nó không thể giặt được.)
- 4. D (likeable) – A warm and pleasant teammate is described as easy to like or likeable.(Một người đồng đội ấm áp và dễ chịu được mô tả là người rất dễ mến.)
- 5. A (movable) – Partitions that allow changing the room layout must be movable.(Các vách ngăn văn phòng cho phép thay đổi bố cục phòng phải là loại có thể di chuyển được.)
- 6. B (erasable) – Permanent ink cannot be rubbed out, so it is not erasable.(Mực vĩnh viễn không thể xóa hoặc tẩy đi, vì vậy nó không thể xóa được.)
Exercise 4: True or False Statements
Write T (True) or F (False) based on linguistic usage
- 1. If a piece of furniture is called movable, it means it is fixed permanently to the floor. ( _____ )
- 2. A careless driver is someone who pays absolute attention to road traffic rules. ( _____ )
- 3. The word hopeless implies that a positive outcome is highly anticipated. ( _____ )
- 4. When we say a table is foldable, it means it can be collapsed into a compact shape to save space. ( _____ )
- 5. A fearless individual is typically someone who runs away immediately from any minor obstacle. ( _____ )
- 6. Adding the suffix -less turns a base word into an adjective meaning ‘lacking’ or ‘without’. ( _____ )
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
- 1. F (False) – Movable means it *can* be moved, not fixed.(Movable có nghĩa là có thể di chuyển, chứ không phải cố định.)
- 2. F (False) – A careless driver lacks care and fails to pay close attention.(Một tài xế bất cẩn là người thiếu sự cẩn trọng và không chú ý.)
- 3. F (False) – Hopeless means without hope; a negative condition with no expected improvement.(Hopeless nghĩa là vô vọng; một tình trạng tiêu cực không mong đợi tiến triển tốt.)
- 4. T (True) – Foldable specifically means capable of being collapsed or folded smaller.(Foldable cụ thể có nghĩa là có thể thu nhỏ hoặc gấp gọn lại.)
- 5. F (False) – A fearless person is exceptionally brave and does not flee from danger.(Một người fearless rất dũng cảm và không trốn chạy hiểm nguy.)
- 6. T (True) – The fundamental rule of the suffix -less is that it expresses ‘without’ something.(Quy tắc cơ bản của hậu tố -less là nó diễn tả sự thiếu vắng/không có cái gì.)
Exercise 5: Sentence Reordering
Rearrange the words to form a grammatically correct sentence
-
1. because / wheels / movable / heavy / desk / has / is / the / it .
→ -
2. careless / test / a / to / errors / math / wrong / led / answers .
→ -
3. burning / brave / firefighter / the / into / fearless / stepped / building .
→ -
4. crossword / use / erasable / puzzle / please / an / pen / for / the .
→ -
5. umbrella / foldable / carry / is / easy / your / to / bag / in .
→ -
6. felt / school / new / student / the / friendless / first / day / on / his .
→
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
- 1. The heavy desk is movable because it has wheels.(Cái bàn nặng này có thể di chuyển được vì nó có bánh xe.)
- 2. Careless errors led to wrong answers on the math test.(Những lỗi bất cẩn đã dẫn đến câu trả lời sai trong bài kiểm tra toán.)
- 3. The fearless firefighter stepped brave into the burning building. (Alternatively: The brave firefighter was fearless when entering the burning building. based on target vocabulary example, but using the exact words provided: The fearless firefighter stepped into the burning building. – Note: if ‘brave’ was an extra word, let’s look at standard order: The brave firefighter was fearless…)(Người lính cứu hỏa dũng cảm không hề sợ hãi khi bước vào ngôi nhà đang cháy.)
- 4. Please use an erasable pen for the crossword puzzle.(Vui lòng sử dụng bút có thể xóa được để làm trò chơi ô chữ.)
- 5. A foldable umbrella is easy to carry in your bag.(Một chiếc ô gấp lại được thì dễ dàng mang theo trong túi của bạn.)
- 6. The new student felt friendless on his first day at school.(Học sinh mới cảm thấy cô độc không bạn bè trong ngày đầu tiên đến trường.)
Exercise 6: Grammar Selection (-able vs -less)
Complete the sentence by turning the base word into the correct adjective form
- 1. The night sky looked completely gorgeous and (cloud) .
- 2. We must ensure this plastic sorting container is fully (recycle) .
- 3. He performed a (self) act by donating all his savings to the children’s hospital.
- 4. Sitting by the fire on this soft cushions makes me feel incredibly (comfort) .
- 5. Riding a motorbike at extreme speeds through heavy rain is totally (reck) .
- 6. The font was so large and crisp that the fine print was perfectly (read) .
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
- 1. cloudless – Meaning a sky completely without clouds.(Nghĩa là một bầu trời hoàn toàn không có mây.)
- 2. recyclable – Meaning capable of being recycled.(Nghĩa là có khả năng tái chế được.)
- 3. selfless – Meaning without thought of self; acting entirely for others.(Nghĩa là không nghĩ cho bản thân; hành động hoàn toàn vì người khác.)
- 4. comfortable – Meaning giving comfort or full of physical ease.(Nghĩa là mang lại sự thoải mái hoặc dễ chịu về thể chất.)
- 5. reckless – Meaning showing a total lack of caution or care; dangerous.(Nghĩa là thể hiện sự hoàn toàn thiếu thận trọng; nguy hiểm.)
- 6. readable – Meaning clear enough to be read easily.(Nghĩa là đủ rõ ràng để có thể đọc được một cách dễ dàng.)
