Morpheme Monday: al

Quick review – morphemes are the smallest units of meaning that form words. Today we are looking at the suffix “-al.” The suffix “-al” often turns a noun into an adjective, describing something as related to or connected with the base word.

The Suffix: al

"al" comes at the end (or in the middle) of many English words. I often remind my students that it is an /l/ spelling we use when we can peel it off the word and are left with a real, related word.

• Accidental: from accident. An accident happens unexpectedly, and something accidental is unintended or unplanned.

• Tropical: from tropic. The tropics are regions near the equator; tropical describes things connected to that region (climate, plants, storms).

• Behavioural: from behaviour. Something behavioural relates to patterns of behaviour.

• Horizontal: from horizon. The horizon is where the sky meets the land or water; horizontal means flat or level, like the horizon.

• Local: from locus (Latin for “place”). Local means belonging to or associated with a particular place.

• Minimal: from minimum. The minimum is the least amount; minimal means very small or the least possible.

• Musical: from music. Something musical relates to music, such as a musical instrument or a musical performance.

• Physical: from physic or physics. Physical can mean connected to the body, or relating to the natural sciences.

  
  

Improving Spelling & Understanding with “-al”

Reading automaticity

When we see the pattern <al> at the end of a word, it is usually pronounced /l/ or /əl/ (not “aaa-l”). Recognizing it as a common suffix helps us read these words more smoothly.

Spelling

Teaching the suffix <al> helps learners avoid confusing it with <el> or <le>. The <al> ending is a consistent and reliable spelling for adjectives derived from nouns (like accident → accidental). Of course, there are exceptions (person → personal, but person → personnel is different!). Still, showing students how <al> attaches to base words builds both spelling confidence and vocabulary knowledge.

Learn Something New

Sometimes when we add -al, the base word changes a little in how we pronounce it. A good example is nature → natural. You might expect to say “nay-chur-al,” but in English the vowel in <-ture> reduces, and the sounds compress into “natch-rul.”

This shows students that while spelling holds the history of the word (nature is still inside natural), the pronunciation can shift once the suffix is added. It’s a neat reminder that suffixes don’t just change meaning—they can also change how we say a word.

Practice with “-al”

Here are some activities you can try with students:

1. Peel it off

Look at each word and “peel off” the suffix <al>. What base word do you see?

• cultural → ______

• historical → ______

• magical → ______

• personal → ______

• fictional → ______

  
  

2. Add it on

Take the base word and add the suffix <al> to form an adjective.

• accident → ______

• logic → ______

• nation → ______

• region → ______

• tribe → ______

3. Tricky Look-Alikes

Not every word that ends in <-al> has a base word you can easily peel off. Some words inherited <-al> from Latin, so the connection to a base isn’t obvious, but they still behave like adjectives. These are great for noticing patterns and pronunciation shifts:

• use → usual: The base use becomes usual (“habitual, common”). Notice how the pronunciation changes — it’s not use-al but yoo-zhoo-əl.

• annu → annual: From the Latin annus (“year”). Annual means “yearly.” The double <n> and the compressed vowel sounds make the base less obvious.

• total → total: Here, <-al> is already part of the word. It’s not a suffix we peel off, but it still forms an adjective meaning “complete or whole.”

• final → final: Like total, <-al> isn’t added—it’s inherited—but the word follows the same adjective pattern, meaning “at the end.”

  
  

Some of these are just “look-alike” words and not really an -al suffix, but seeing them alongside clear suffix examples helps students notice patterns, even when spelling or pronunciation shifts. Some <-al> words are obvious suffixes, and some are baked into the word’s history. We don't need kids to be linguists, they just need to know that when they here /l/ at the end of a word, "-al" is one of the more common spelling choices.