Hyphens and ellipsis | English | Quizalize & Oak National Academy

Starter quiz

Match the groups of words with the ways the apostrophe has been used.
- for contraction
  
  ⇔
  
  It's a long way! ✓
- for singular possession
  
  ⇔
  
  We took Alex's mum shopping. ✓
- for plural possession
  
  ⇔
  
  The boys' shoes were covered in mud. ✓
Which sentence is missing an apostrophe for contraction?
- The polar bear rubbed its head against the bars.
- Its a difficult situation, but we need to do more. ✓
- The laptop wasn't working so I removed its battery.
Which sentence should contain an apostrophe for singular possession?
- We took turns playing with the basketball.
- Sams dad offered us a lift to the match. ✓
- Bikes are getting very expensive.
Which sentence correctly uses the apostrophe for singular possession for the idea 'the suggestions belonging to the girl'?
- The girls' suggestions were excellent.
- The girl's suggestions were excellent. ✓
- The girls suggestions were excellent.
Which sentence correctly uses the apostrophe for singular possession for the idea 'the suggestions belonging to Lucas'?
- We ignored Luca's suggestions.
- We ignored Luca's suggestions.
- We ignored Lucas' suggestions. ✓
Which sentence correctly uses the apostrophe for plural possession for the idea 'the suggestions belonging to the boys'?
- I was impressed by the boys' suggestions. ✓
- I was impressed by the boys's suggestions.
- I was impressed by the boy's suggestions.

Which of these are true for hyphens?
- They have spaces on either side.
- We use them to join words or parts of words. ✓
- We can use them to create compound adjectives. ✓
- We can use them to add prefixes to words. ✓
Which of the following numbers are punctuated correctly?
- forty ✓
- forty five
- one hundred and forty-seven ✓
- forty two thousand, three hundred and fifty-one
Which of these phrases requires a hyphen to create a compound adjective?
- a short sharp shock
- a bitter sweet moment ✓
- a fast flowing river ✓
- a long narrow path
Which of these sentences makes clear that the shark is capable of eating the man?
- The man eating shark approached the shore.
- As I surfed on the waves, I kept an eye peeled for the man eating shark.
- The lifeguard scanned the area, searching for any sign of a man-eating shark. ✓
Match the prefixes with hyphens to the root words that they could be joined to.
- pre-
  
  ⇔
  
  existing ✓
- self-
  
  ⇔
  
  conscious ✓
- non-
  
  ⇔
  
  fiction ✓
- co-
  
  ⇔
  
  owner ✓
What are two ways we can use ellipsis in our writing?
- at the end of a paragraph to invite the reader to read on ✓
- to join a prefix to a root word
- to join two words to make a compound adjective
- to build tension by adding a pause before the end of a sentence ✓

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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.

Pupils may start using hyphens for all prefixes.

Emphasise that not all prefixes require a hyphen - some prefixes frequently use them, but others rarely do.

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