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Word Study · Suffixes
Suffixes -er, -or and -ist: Words for People Who Do Things
Build words like teacher, actor and artist. Learn when to add -er, -or or -ist, how to spell baker and runner, and why corner and butter are not person words.
The idea
A teacher teaches. A runner runs. An artist makes art. Each of these words names a person by what they do, and each one is built the same way: a base word plus a suffix. A suffix is a word part added to the end of a base word. The suffixes -er, -or and -ist can all mean a person who does something.
The suffix -er is the most common. Often you just add it: teach becomes teacher, farm becomes farmer, help becomes helper. The spelling rules from the -ed and -ing lesson still work. If the base word ends in a silent e, drop the e before adding -er: bake becomes baker, write becomes writer. If the base word has one short vowel and ends in one consonant, double the consonant: run becomes runner, swim becomes swimmer, shop becomes shopper.
Some person words end in -or instead: actor, sailor, visitor, inventor. They sound almost the same as -er words, so you cannot always hear the difference. There is no rule that works every time. Many -or words come from older Latin words and often end in t before the -or, but painter and writer end in t-e-r, so this is only a hint. Learn the common -or words, and check a dictionary when you are not sure.
The suffix -ist names a person who does, studies or plays something: artist, cyclist, pianist, scientist. Watch the spelling here too. Cycle drops its e to make cyclist, piano drops its o to make pianist, and science changes to scient- before -ist. Dentist, a person who cares for teeth, uses the same ending.
Two warnings. First, -er does not always name a person. An eraser erases and a printer prints, so here -er names a thing that does a job. In the comparing lesson, -er meant more, as in bigger and colder. Second, some words just happen to end in e-r. Try the test: take off -er and ask whether the meaning still fits. A teacher is someone who teaches, so -er is a suffix. A corner is not someone who corns, and butter is not someone who butts, so in those words the -er is just part of the word.
Word bank
teacher
noun · TEE-cherteach + -er; a person who teaches
Example: Our teacher read us a chapter after recess.
farmer
noun · FAR-merfarm + -er; a person who works on a farm
Example: The farmer drove the tractor across the field.
helper
noun · HEL-perhelp + -er; a person who helps
Example: Today I am the gym helper, so I carry the pylons.
baker
noun · BAY-kerbake + -er; drop the silent e, then add -er; a person who bakes bread and cakes
Example: The baker opens the shop at six in the morning.
writer
noun · RY-terwrite + -er; drop the silent e, then add -er; a person who writes
Example: My favourite writer lives in Nova Scotia.
runner
noun · RUN-errun + -er; double the n after a short vowel, then add -er; a person who runs
Example: The last runner in the relay crossed the line.
swimmer
noun · SWIM-erswim + -er; double the m after a short vowel; a person who swims
Example: She is the fastest swimmer on her team.
shopper
noun · SHOP-ershop + -er; double the p after a short vowel; a person who shops
Example: The store was full of shoppers on Saturday.
sailor
noun · SAY-lorsail + -or; a person who sails a boat or works on a ship
Example: The sailor tied the boat to the dock.
actor
noun · AK-toract + -or; a person who acts in plays, movies or shows
Example: The actor practised her lines for the school play.
visitor
noun · VIZ-ih-torvisit + -or; a person who comes to see a place or a person
Example: Every visitor signs in at the school office.
inventor
noun · in-VEN-torinvent + -or; a person who makes something new for the first time
Example: An inventor tests an idea many times before it works.
artist
noun · AR-tistart + -ist; a person who makes art
Example: The artist painted a mural on the library wall.
cyclist
noun · SY-klistcycle + -ist; drop the e; a person who rides a bicycle
Example: The cyclist stopped at the red light.
pianist
noun · pee-AN-istpiano + -ist; drop the o; a person who plays the piano
Example: The pianist played at our winter concert.
scientist
noun · SY-un-tistfrom science; the spelling changes to scient- before -ist; a person who studies the natural world
Example: The scientist measured how fast the ice melted.
dentist
noun · DEN-tist-ist ending; a person whose job is caring for teeth
Example: I visit the dentist twice a year.
eraser
noun · ee-RAY-sererase + -er; drop the e; here -er means a thing that does a job, not a person
Example: Use your eraser gently so the paper does not rip.
corner
noun · KOR-nerNOT a person word: corner is not 'someone who corns'; the -er is just part of the word
Example: Put your boots in the corner by the door.
butter
noun · BUT-erNOT a person word: butter is not 'someone who butts'; the -er is just part of the word
Example: Spread a little butter on the toast.
Worked examples
Example 1 · Just add -er
Make a word for a person who builds.
- The base word is build.
- Build does not end in a silent e, and it ends in two consonants (l and d), so nothing changes.
- Add -er to the end.
builder
Example 2 · Drop the e
Make a word for a person who dances.
- The base word is dance. It ends in a silent e.
- Drop the e: danc.
- Add -er. Do not write danceer with two e's.
dancer
Example 3 · Double the consonant
Make a word for a person who jogs.
- Jog has one short vowel (o) and ends in one consonant (g).
- Double the last consonant: jogg.
- Add -er. With only one g, the o would look long, as if the word were said JOH-ger.
jogger
Example 4 · -er or -or?
Is a person who directs a play a directer or a director?
- Say the word: both spellings would sound almost the same.
- Think of other -or words that end in t: actor, inventor, visitor. Direct also ends in t, which is a hint.
- Check a dictionary to be sure: the correct spelling is director.
director
Example 5 · Is it really a suffix?
Is -er a suffix in farmer? In corner?
- Take off -er and look at what is left: farm and corn.
- Does the meaning fit? A farmer is someone who farms. Yes.
- A corner is not someone who corns, so in corner the -er is just part of the word.
farmer: yes, a suffix · corner: no, not a suffix
Common mistakes
Why this fails: Drop the silent e before adding -er: baker, writer. The e of -er does the job.
Why this fails: After one short vowel and one final consonant, double the consonant: runner, swimmer, shopper. Without the double letter, the vowel looks long.
Why this fails: Write and bake have long vowels and end in a silent e, so drop the e and do not double: writer, baker.
Why this fails: Some common person words use -or: actor, visitor, sailor. Learn them, and check a dictionary when you are unsure.
Why this fails: Use the take-it-off test. Teacher → teach (a suffix). Corner → corn, butter → butt (not suffixes). And eraser is a thing, not a person.
Foundation
Foundation practice
Add the suffix and spell the person word.
1. Someone who paints is a ___.
2. Someone who dances is a ___.
3. Someone who jogs is a ___.
4. Which is the correct spelling for a person who visits?
- visiter
- visitor
- visitur
- visitar
5. Which word names a person who plays the guitar?
- guitarer
- guitaror
- guitarst
- guitarist
Practice
Practice practice
Use the spelling rules, spot the false friends and fix mistakes.
6. Someone who shops is a ___.
- shopper
- shoper
- shopor
- shoppor
7. Which word is NOT a person who does something?
- baker
- corner
- singer
- helper
8. Fix the spelling: "The bakor and the runer helped the sciencist."
9. Someone who studies science is a ___.
- sciencist
- sciencer
- scientist
- scientor
10. What does a cyclist do?
11. An eraser is not a person. What does -er mean in eraser?
- a person who erases
- more, as in bigger
- a thing that does the job: it erases
- a place where you erase
Think
Think practice
Explain the rules and use them on new words.
12. How can you tell that the -er in butter is not a suffix?
13. Which group of words all follow the double-the-consonant rule?
- baker, writer, dancer
- teacher, farmer, helper
- actor, sailor, visitor
- runner, swimmer, jogger
14. Why does run become runner with two n's, but write becomes writer with only one t?
15. Write the person word for each base word: farm, act, art, write.
Answer key
- 1. painter
Paint does not end in a silent e and ends in two consonants (n and t), so just add -er. - 2. dancer
Dance ends in a silent e. Drop the e, then add -er. - 3. jogger
Jog has one short vowel and ends in one consonant, so double the g before adding -er. - 4. visitor
Visitor is one of the common person words that use -or. Visiter is the most believable mistake because -er is more common, but it is not the standard spelling; -ur and -ar are not person-word suffixes here. - 5. guitarist
A person who plays an instrument often takes -ist, like pianist. Guitarer and guitaror use the wrong suffix, and guitarst leaves out the i in -ist. - 6. shopper
Shop has one short vowel and one final consonant, so double the p and add -er. Shoper forgets to double, and shopor and shoppor use -or, which this word does not take. - 7. corner
Take off -er: a baker bakes, a singer sings and a helper helps, so those are person words. A corner is not someone who corns, so its -er is not a suffix. - 8. The baker and the runner helped the scientist.
Baker uses -er after dropping the e of bake. Runner doubles the n. Scientist changes science to scient- before -ist. - 9. scientist
Science changes to scient- before -ist, so the word is scientist. Sciencist keeps the c, which is the most common mistake; sciencer and scientor use the wrong suffix. - 10. A cyclist rides a bicycle.
Cyclist is cycle + -ist (with the e dropped). Cycle means ride a bicycle, so a cyclist is a person who rides one. - 11. a thing that does the job: it erases
An eraser is an object, so -er here names a thing that does a job, like a printer or a toaster. It is not a person, and it is not the -er that means more, as in bigger or colder. It is not a place either. - 12. Take off -er and see if the meaning fits. Butter would mean someone who butts, which is not what butter means, so the -er is just part of the word.
The take-it-off test works for any -er word: teacher → someone who teaches (suffix); butter, corner, under → no person, so no suffix. - 13. runner, swimmer, jogger
Run, swim and jog each have one short vowel and one final consonant, so the consonant doubles. Baker, writer and dancer drop the e, teacher, farmer and helper just add -er, and actor, sailor and visitor use -or. - 14. Run has a short vowel and ends in one consonant, so the n doubles. Write has a long vowel and ends in a silent e, so you drop the e and do not double the t.
The double letter keeps the short vowel sound (RUN-er). Writer keeps its long i sound because only one consonant comes before -er, just like in baker. - 15. farmer, actor, artist, writer
Farm just adds -er; act is one of the common -or words; art takes -ist; write drops its e before -er.