Year 6 - English
Hyphens and ellipsis
Punctuation
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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 a range of previously taught punctuation, including speech punctuation for three different types of speech sentence and apostrophes for contraction and singular and plural possession. They are also introduced to hyphens, colons, semi-colons and bullet points.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to use the hyphen for different reasons and you can use ellipsis.
Key Notes
- A hyphen is a piece of punctuation with more than one purpose.
- A hyphen can join two words to make a compound adjective.
- A hyphen can join a prefix to a base word to avoid spelling or meaning ambiguity.
- An ellipsis can be used to invite the reader to read on or to increase tension.
Vocabulary To Learn
- hyphen: a punctuation mark that can join two words to make one compound adjective
- compound adjective: an adjective formed of two hyphenated words
- hyphen: a punctuation mark that can join a prefix to a base word to avoid spelling or meaning ambiguity
- ellipsis: a punctuation mark that can invite the reader to read on or to increase tension
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 is a piece of punctuation with more than one purpose. A hyphen can join two words to make a compound adjective.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'hyphen'
a punctuation mark that can join two words to make one compound adjective.
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 frequently use them, but others rarely do.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 6 English guide library.