INTRODUCTION TO THE MAGICAL LITTLE WORDS AUGMENTATIVE AND DIMINUTIVE

The Relevance of the Theme

Magic of Words! When we speak or write, it's as if we had a box of colored pencils to draw the world with words. The use of augmentatives and diminutives is like choosing thicker or thinner pencils to give size and shape to our verbal drawings. These suffixes transform the basic meaning of words and make everything more expressive. If a ball is already fun, imagine a big ball! And if a little mouse is already small, then a tiny mouse, no doubt! It is essential that we understand these word tricks to paint more colorful and detailed stories!

Contextualization

In the immense rainbow of the Portuguese language, each color represents an important part. Words not only have colors but also sizes! We are exploring the incredible world of suffixes - little words that we attach to the end of other words to give new meanings. And within this adventure, we discover the suffixes -ão (to increase) and -inho/-zinho (to shrink). This is situated in the study of morphology, the part of grammar that teaches us about the structure and formation of words. By learning these suffixes, we become more creative with our speech and writing, and this is a valuable part of our journey through the 2nd year of Elementary School. Let's embark on this adventure where each word transforms and gains new life!

THEORETICAL DEVELOPMENT

Components

• Suffixes: are pieces added to the end of words to change their meaning. They can show size, emotion, or decrease and increase something.
• Original Word: is the word without any added suffix. It is the base where we will attach our magical suffixes -ão and -inho/-zinho.
• Augmentative -ão: is the thickest pencil in the box. It takes the original word and makes it big, strong, or important. If it's a house, it becomes a mansion!
• Diminutive -inho/-zinho: are the thinnest pencils. They make the word seem small, cute, or less important. A cat can turn into a kitten.

Key Terms

• Morphology: is an area of grammar that studies how words are formed and structured, including suffixes.
• Degree Inflection: is when we increase or decrease the size of a word using suffixes.

Examples and Cases

• Word Ball:
  • Ball (original word): used to describe the object we use to play.
  • Big Ball (augmentative): describes a very large ball, or a very lively soccer match.
  • Little Ball (diminutive): describes a small ball, something delicate or for a calmer play.
• Word Book:
  • Book (original word): a set of pages with texts or images to read.
  • Big Book (augmentative): a particularly large or very important book.
  • Little Book (diminutive): a small book, perhaps for children or quick reading.
• Word Flower:
  • Flower (original word): the colorful part of a plant, full of beauty.
  • Big Flower (augmentative): a very large or special flower, like the one that stands out in an arrangement.
  • Little Flower (diminutive): a small and delicate flower, which can be used to decorate something smaller.

DETAILED SUMMARY

Relevant Points

• The magic of suffixes: They are like brushes that change the size of words.
  • Augmentative Suffixes (-ão): Transform common objects into giants.
  • Diminutive Suffixes (-inho/-zinho): Reduce things, making them small or cute.
• Degree Inflection: We increase or decrease words to show size differences or express feelings.
• Creation of New Words: We combine suffixes with original words and create new words with new meanings.
• Expressiveness in Communication: We use augmentatives and diminutives to make our speech and writing more lively and exciting.

Conclusions

• Augmentatives and diminutives are not just about size: They also express emotion and importance.
• Adding -ão or -inho/-zinho changes the word: But we can still recognize the original word within it.
• Practice makes perfect: The more we play with these suffixes, the better we get at using them to express exactly what we want.

Exercises

1. Creative Listing: Write five words and turn them into augmentative and diminutive forms.
   • Example: Dog - Big Dog - Little Dog.
2. Word Detective: Read a paragraph from a children's book and underline all words in the augmentative or diminutive form.
3. Invent a Story: Create a short story using at least three words in the augmentative and three in the diminutive.