1.3.5
Suffixes: '-ly'
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Suffixes - 'ly'
Suffixes are letters or words placed at the end of words which change their meaning. When we add '-ly' to adjectives, they become adverbs, which are words that describe verbs. Let's look at some examples of words ending in 'ly'...
Suffixes - 'ly'
You have already learnt that adding '-ly' to the end of adjectives turns them into adverbs. But there are some exceptions you need to know about. Let's look at these exceptions...

Exception 1 - 'y' ending
- If the root word ends in a ‘y’, this is changed to an ‘i’.
- Happily (happy).
- Angrily (angry).

Exception 2 - 'le' ending
- If the root word ends ‘le’, it is changed to ‘ly’.
- Gently (gentle).
- Simply (simple).

Exception 3 - 'ic' ending
- If the root word ends ‘ic’, then ‘ally’ is added instead of ‘ly’.
- Dramatically (dramatic).
- Frantically (frantic).
1Reading
1.1Root Words
1.2Prefixes
1.3Suffixes
2Writing
2.1Composition
2.2Conjunctions
2.3Present Perfect Tense
2.5Fronted Adverbials
2.7Homophones
2.8Spelling Rules
2.9Using Apostrophes
2.10Using a Dictionary
Jump to other topics
1Reading
1.1Root Words
1.2Prefixes
1.3Suffixes
2Writing
2.1Composition
2.2Conjunctions
2.3Present Perfect Tense
2.5Fronted Adverbials
2.7Homophones
2.8Spelling Rules
2.9Using Apostrophes
2.10Using a Dictionary
Practice questions on Suffixes: '-ly'
Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.
- 1What are __adverbs__?Multiple choice
- 2What do we add to the end of adjectives to make adverbs?Multiple choice
- 3Which of these are adverbs?True / false
- 4
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