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Year 3 - English

Rich vocabulary associated with small or thin words

Character: small, confident and shy words

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils learn a wider range of vocabulary to support writing about characters, including ambitious vocabulary for small, confident and shy words that can be applied to descriptive writing passages.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to use the words 'dainty, 'diminutive' and 'minuscule' effectively in multiple contexts.

Key Notes

  • Dainty is an adjective which means small, delicate and pretty.
  • Diminutive is an adjective which means unusally small.
  • Miniscule is an adjective which means tiny or microsocpic.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • noun: a naming word for people, places or things
  • adjective: a word that describes a noun
  • synonym: a word that has the same or similar meaning to another word
  • word pair: words that often appear together

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Diminutive and minuscule can often be used interchangeably, but not always.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.

Dainty is an adjective which means small, delicate and pretty. Diminutive is an adjective which means unusally small.

2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'noun'

a naming word for people, places or things.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: Diminutive and minuscule can often be used interchangeably, but not always. Correction: Use the word pairs to help pupils see and hear the words in nuanced contexts. i.e. 'minuscule amount' works but not 'diminutive amount'.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 3 English guide library.