Midnight Trench Reading Passage
Deep-Sea Expedition Log #44
Journey to the Midnight Trench
Name:
Date: Score:
Focus Skill Multisyllabic Words with Inflectional Endings: -s • -es • -ed • -ing
Word Count: 335 words
Captain Maya adjusted her instruments as the deep-sea research submarine, The Nautilus IV, descended through the chilly Pacific waters. Outside the thick acrylic viewing hatches, sunlight was fading rapidly. Her team of marine biologists was investigating uncharted undersea trenches where boiling hydrothermal vents release mineral-rich gases into the ocean floor.
"Depth meter indicates three thousand meters," announced Dr. Chen, monitoring glowing dials on his dashboard. He pressed switches that activated powerful exterior spotlights. Suddenly, beam after beam illuminated jagged volcanic ridges. Strange, ghostly creatures were swimming past the windows. Translucent jellyfish with glowing tentacles were pulsating rhythmically, while armored red crabs were scuttling across underwater boulder patches.
"Look at those hydrothermal chimneys!" whispered Maya, pointing toward towering mineral structures. Superheated water erupted from tiny crevices, creating swirling black plumes. Despite crushing water pressures and freezing temperatures, thriving communities of giant tube worms were flourishing along the rocky surfaces. Scientists previously believed nothing survived in these extreme sunless reaches, but these resilient organisms were generating energy using sulfur compounds instead of sunlight.
Dr. Chen operated robotic arms, carefully collecting geological samples and capturing high-definition video recordings. Suddenly, a massive shadow glided overhead. An enigmatic gulper eel unhinged its enormous jaw, swallowing tiny bioluminescent fishes in single gulps. The crew watched silently, documenting every second of this rare encounter. As warning alarms chimed, signaling low battery reserves, Maya steered the vessel toward the surface, thrilled by the astonishing discoveries her team had witnessed.
Active Reading Detective Mission
Scan the passage and locate two multisyllabic words for each ending. Write the complete word and circle its base word:
-ed (Past Action)
-ing (Ongoing Action)
-es (Plural / Present)
-s (Plural Noun / Verb)
Unit 3 • Structural Analysis: Inflectional Endings Page 1 of 2
Word Study & Comprehension
Mastering Multisyllabic Endings
4th Grade Reading Standards
1
Base Word & Suffix Breakdown
Deconstruct each multisyllabic word from the story. Identify the base word, the inflectional ending, and whether any spelling change occurred (e.g., drop silent -e, double consonant, or none).
| Story Word |
Base Word |
Ending |
Spelling Rule Applied |
| investigating |
investigate |
-ing |
Dropped final silent -e |
| illuminated |
|
|
|
| swimming |
|
|
|
| crevices |
|
|
|
| flourishing |
|
|
|
2
Inflectional Rule Analysis
Why does the author add -es instead of just -s to create the plural forms of words like trenches, hatches, and switches?
A. Because these base words have more than two syllables.
B. Because words ending in ch, sh, s, or x need -es to add a syllable.
C. Because they describe actions occurring deep underwater.
D. Because their final vowel is long instead of short.
3
Text-Dependent Comprehension
A. According to paragraph 3, how are organisms generating energy in the sunless reaches of the trench? Write in a complete sentence:
B. Re-read the final paragraph. List two specific actions the scientists were performing before the warning alarms chimed:
C. Morphology Challenge: Choose one base word from the box below. Write a complete sentence using that word with both an -ed and an -ing form:
Options: descend • pulsate • document • indicate
Midnight Trench Expedition • Student Comprehension & Morphology Sheet Page 2 of 2
