Spelling Patterns — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. The flashlight helped us see on a dark night.
Night follows the -ight spelling pattern, just like flashlight, light, and sight.
2. Our teacher gave us a short presentation about volcanoes. (-tion word)
Presentation uses the -tion spelling pattern, where -tion makes the /shun/ sound.
3. The enormous mountain was covered in snow and ice. (-ous word)
Enormous uses the -ous suffix, meaning 'full of' or 'having the quality of.' It means very large.
4. She was tying her shoes before the race started. (double consonant + -ing)
Tying comes from the word tie. When adding -ing to tie, you change the ie to y and add -ing.
5. The opposite of kind is unkind. (prefix un-)
The prefix un- means 'not.' Adding un- to kind makes unkind, meaning not kind.
6. He hoped the ball as far as he could. (hope → silent e rule + -ed)
When a word ends in silent e, you drop the e before adding -ed. Hope becomes hoped.
7. A person who fights battles is sometimes called a knight. (-ight pattern)
Knight follows the -ight spelling pattern with a silent k at the beginning.
8. The construction of the new library was exciting for the whole town. (-tion word)
Construction uses the -tion spelling pattern, where -tion makes the /shun/ sound.
9. Be careful! That old bridge looks dangerous. (-ous word)
Dangerous uses the -ous suffix, meaning 'full of danger' or 'having the quality of danger.'
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
run + -ing
→ running
making
make + -ing
→ making
sitting
hope + -ful
→ hopeful
hopeful
sit + -ing
→ sitting
running
Run doubles the consonant to make running. Make drops the silent e to make making. Hope keeps the e and adds -ful to make hopeful. Sit doubles the consonant to make sitting.