Let’s work through this step by step.
The task is to break each word into its
base word and
suffix, then decide if the suffix makes an
“s” sound or a
“z” sound at the end of the word.
First, let’s understand what a base word and suffix are:
- The
base word is the main part of the word that can stand alone.
- The
suffix is a small piece added to the end (in this case, usually “s” or “es”) to make it plural.
Now, about the sounds:
- If the base word ends in a
voiceless sound (like p, t, k, f, s, sh, ch), adding “s” makes an
“s” sound (like “hats” → /s/).
- If the base word ends in a
voiced sound (like b, d, g, v, z, m, n, l, r, or any vowel), adding “s” makes a
“z” sound (like “beds” → /z/).
Let’s go one by one:
1.
hats
- Base word: hat
- Suffix: s
- “hat” ends in /t/ (voiceless) → so “s” sounds like /s/
→ Sound:
s
2.
paths
- Base word: path
- Suffix: s
- “path” ends in /θ/ (voiceless) → so “s” sounds like /s/
→ Sound:
s
3.
pins
- Base word: pin
- Suffix: s
- “pin” ends in /n/ (voiced) → so “s” sounds like /z/
→ Sound:
z
4.
beds
- Base word: bed
- Suffix: s
- “bed” ends in /d/ (voiced) → so “s” sounds like /z/
→ Sound:
z
5.
packs
- Base word: pack
- Suffix: s
- “pack” ends in /k/ (voiceless) → so “s” sounds like /s/
→ Sound:
s
6.
chairs
- Base word: chair
- Suffix: s
- “chair” ends in /r/ (voiced) → so “s” sounds like /z/
→ Sound:
z
All checks done. Now we fill in the table accordingly.
Final Answer:
| Verb | Base Word | Suffix | Sound |
|------|-----------|--------|-------|
| hats | hat | s | s |
| paths| path | s | s |
| pins | pin | s | z |
| beds | bed | s | z |
| packs| pack | s | s |
| chairs| chair | s | z |
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of suffix s worksheet.
