Suffixes: -er, -or, and -est

​📘 “Suffix Power: -er, -or, and -est!”

What they mean • How they change words

What Is a Suffix?

A suffix is a word part added to the end of a word.

Adding a suffix can:
✔ change the word’s meaning
✔ tell you who does something
✔ compare things

Examples:
teach → teacher
drive → driver
big → biggest

The Suffix -er = person who

-er can mean “a person who does something.”

Examples:

• teach → teacher (a person who teaches)

• run → runner (a person who runs)

• bake → baker (a person who bakes)

The Suffix -or = person who

-or also means “a person who does something.”
It is spelled differently but means the same as -er.

Examples:

• act → actor

• invent → inventor

• sail → sailor

The Suffix -er = comparing two

-er can also mean “more” when comparing two things.

Examples:

• tall → taller

• fast → faster

• warm → warmer

The Suffix -est = comparing three or more

-est means “the most” when comparing three or more things.

Examples:

• tall → tallest

• fast → fastest

• cold → coldest

Sort the Words

Sort each word into the correct column:

-er (person)	-or (person)	-er (compare)	-est (compare)
teacher	actor	faster	fastest
baker	inventor	taller	tallest
runner	sailor	warmer	warmest

Match

Match the Word to Its Meaning

• a person who paints

• comparing two

• comparing three or more

• a person who sails

painter

smaller

strongest

sailor

• painter

• smaller

• strongest

• sailor

Multiple Choice

What does the suffix -er mean in “teacher”?

• more

• the most

• a person who teaches

• someone who reads

Multiple Choice

What does -er mean in “smaller”?

• a person

• the most

• comparing two

• a place

Multiple Choice

What does -est mean in “strongest”?

• a person who is strong

• the most strong

• past tense

• the middle

Multiple Choice

Which word means “a person who acts”?

• actest

• acter

• acting

• actor

Multiple Choice

Which sentence uses -er to compare two things?

• The runner is the fastest.

• The baker made bread.

• My dog is older than your dog.

• She is an inventor.

Multiple Choice

Which word should end in -est?

• bigg__ (meaning the most big)

• paint__ (a person who paints)

• runn__ (a person who runs)

• fast__ (comparing two)

Multiple Choice

Which word means “a person who sails”?

• sailest

• sailor

• saily

• sailed

Multiple Choice

Which word compares three or more things?

• colder

• coldest

• color

• colderer

Multiple Choice

Read the sentence:

Lilah is the fastest swimmer on the team.
What does fastest mean?

• more fast than one person

• the most fast of everyone

• someone who swims

• a type of stroke

Multiple Choice

Which word means “more bright”?

• brightor

• brightest

• brighterest

• brighter