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Semi-colons, colons and hyphens

Year 6 · Upper Key Stage 2 · E6-G-COLON, E6-G-HYPHEN — Semi-colons, colons and dashes between clauses; hyphens to avoid ambiguity

Draft — awaiting teacher review

Builds on: Brackets, dashes and commas for extra information (Year 5)

I

Concept Anchor

A semi-colon joins two clauses that could each be a sentence. A colon comes after a full clause to introduce a list or explanation. A hyphen joins words that work together, so the meaning is clear.

Worked example

It was raining we stayed inside.

  1. 1.'It was raining' could be a sentence.
  2. 2.'we stayed inside' could be a sentence.
  3. 3.They are linked, so use a semi-colon.
  4. 4.It was raining; we stayed inside.
II

Guided Check

Add a colon: You will need three things a pencil, a ruler and a rubber.

    III

    Independent Diagnostic Practice

    Q1Year 6E6-G-COLON — Semi-colon between clauses·Fluency·●○○Draft — awaiting teacher review

    Which sentence uses a semi-colon correctly?

    Q2Year 6E6-G-COLON — Colon before a list·Reasoning·●●○Draft — awaiting teacher review

    Which sentence uses a colon correctly?

    Q3Year 6E6-G-HYPHEN — Hyphens to avoid ambiguity·Problem Solving·●●●Draft — awaiting teacher review

    Which phrase clearly means a shark that eats people?