Year 6 - English
Using hyphens to join prefixes to root words
Letter strings, etymology and curriculum words
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils review and learn a wide range of Year 6 spellings, including letter strings, words with the suffixes -ant, -ance, -ent, -ence, -able and -ible, silent letters, French and Greek origin words, curriculum words and words that use the hyphen in two ways.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to identify when to use a hyphen to join a prefix to a root word.
Key Notes
- A hyphen can be used to join a prefix to a root word but there are no set rules.
- Hyphens are more commonly used to prevent two vowels appearing next to each other e.g. re-enter and co-ordinate.
- Hyphens are often used with the prefixes ex- and self- e.g. ex-president and self-care.
- Hyphens can join a prefix to a root word to avoid ambiguity in meaning e.g. re-cover or recover.
- How to spell the curriculum words: interrupt and exaggerate.
Vocabulary To Learn
- prefix: a letter or group of letters added to the start of a root word to change its meaning
- root word: the base word from which other words are formed often by adding prefixes or suffixes
- hyphen: a punctuation mark that can join a prefix to a base word to avoid spelling or meaning ambiguity
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Pupils may start using hyphens for all prefixes.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
A hyphen can be used to join a prefix to a root word but there are no set rules. Hyphens are more commonly used to prevent two vowels appearing next to each other e.g. re-enter and co-ordinate.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'prefix'
a letter or group of letters added to the start of a root word to change its meaning.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Pupils may start using hyphens for all prefixes. Correction: Emphasise that not all prefixes require a hyphen - some prefixes use them more frequently, but others rarely do.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Recognising the different sounds made by the letter strings 'ough' and 'au' Study Guide
- Recognising the different sounds made by the letter strings "ou", "ear" and "ice" Study Guide
- Spelling key curriculum words Study Guide
- Spelling words from the Y5/6 curriculum list Study Guide
- Spelling words with French etymology Study Guide
- Spelling words with Greek and Latin etymology Study Guide
- Spelling words with the -able suffix Study Guide
- Spelling words with the -ible suffix Study Guide
- Spelling words with the 'ee' sound spelt 'ei' Study Guide
- Spelling words with the 'ee' sound spelt 'ie' Study Guide
- Spelling words with the silent letters 'b', 'k', 'g', 'w' and 't' Study Guide
- Spelling words with the silent letters 'h', 'p', 'n', 'l' and 's' Study Guide
- Spelling words with the suffixes -ant and -ance Study Guide
- Spelling words with the suffixes -ent and -ence Study Guide
- Using hyphens to create adjectives Study Guide
Browse all guides in the Year 6 English guide library.