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6.4 Year 6: using hyphens to avoid ambiguity

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This resource is part of our grammar curriculum
Real Grammar
  • Covers every objective for years 1-6
  • Five-step sequence ensures deep understanding
  • Includes asssessment and revision tools

This Real Grammar KS2 resources pack provides everything that you need to learn how hyphens are used to create compound adjectives, with some prefixes, and to avoid ambiguity. Teaching slides, worksheets, games and an opportunity to apply the new learning in a writing task are all included to explore the use of hyphens and avoid ambiguity with pupils in Year 6, or to revisit this area of learning.

What are hyphens?

A hyphen is a punctuation mark that is used to join two or more words or a prefix to a word.

  • great-aunt
  • co-operate
  • deep-blue

When are hyphens used?

Compound adjectives

A hyphen can be used to join two adjectives before a noun.

  • We watched the dolphins swim in the deep-blue sea.
  • My brother has many high-tech gadgets.
  • The cold-hearted witch planned her revenge.

With prefixes

A hyphen can be used to join some prefixes to words. This is usually when the root word begins with the same letter as the end of the prefix. The hyphen helps the reader to read the word accurately.

  • co-operate
  • re-enter

They are also used regularly with some prefixes, such as self- or ex-.

  • ex-wife
  • self-assess

They are also used with prefixes to help make meaning clear. The word may have different meanings with and without the hyphen.

  • resign (to voluntarily leave a job)
  • re-sign (to sign something again)

What does ‘ambiguity’ mean?

Ambiguity means that something could be open to more than one interpretation. It could be ambiguous.

How do hyphens avoid ambiguity?

The hyphens help make the meaning clear to the reader and avoid confusion, including when some prefixes are used. Some examples are listed below.

  • man eating shark (a man eating a shark)
  • man-eating shark (a shark that eats men)
  • recover (to return to health)
  • re-cover (to put a new cover on something)
  • long running race (a running race which is long)
  • long-running race (a race that has been happening for many years)

What is included in this resource pack?

This pack is divided into five parts:

TEACH

This section includes PowerPoint teaching slides and teaching notes with an optional script to introduce hyphens to avoid ambiguity. It can also be used to revisit this aspect of grammar with pupils.

PRACTISE

An independent activity for pupils to practise using what they have been taught, allowing teachers to assess understanding.

REVISIT

A series of short, 10-minute activities that can be used following the TEACH session to revisit and rehearse what has been taught. These may be short writing tasks, grammar games or editing/proofreading activities.

APPLY

A short writing task where pupils can use the grammar skills taught in context to produce independent writing.

REVISE

Five SATs style test questions, including cloze activities and multiple choice quiz questions, based on the grammar that has been taught.

Teachers can choose which section of the resource pack to use according to their pupils’ needs and could use the activities over a series of lessons or weeks

Teacher notes are provided to show how these quality resources could be used with pupils.

How is this resource differentiated?

The PRACTISE and REVISE sections include three activities differentiated for three levels of ability:

  • Worksheet 1 for pupils who may need support. Questions will have a lower cognitive domain (what is being asked of pupils) and/or vocabulary used may be simplified where possible.
  • Worksheet 2 for pupils working at age related expectations.
  • Worksheet 3 for pupils who may need an additional challenge and may be working at a greater depth in this area. Questions will have a higher cognitive domain with more challenging vocabulary.

SUPPORT and CHALLENGE ideas are also included in the teacher notes of each section where relevant, with ideas of how to support pupils working towards the expected standard or at greater depth in this area.

What pupil-facing resources are included?

  • TEACH

    PPT slides; model text ‘People watching’

  • PRACTISE

    Practise 1, Practise 2 and Practise 3 worksheets

  • REVISIT

    Game 1, game 2, hyphenated word mats

  • APPLY

    Planning sheet, writing sheet

  • REVISE

    PPT slides; Revise 1, Revise 2 and Revise 3 worksheets

Answer sheets for all worksheets are provided, where appropriate.


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