Year 6 English: Hyphens to avoid ambiguity, and in compound adjectives
Part of the Year 6 English semi-colons, colons, dashes, bullet points and hyphens chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Hyphens to avoid ambiguity, and in compound adjectives
A hyphen (-) joins words to show what goes with what. It can stop a misreading: re-sign means to sign again, but resign means to leave a job. A hyphen also joins words in compound adjectives, such as well-known or second-hand.
Hyphens that change the meaning
| With a hyphen | Meaning | Without | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| re-sign | to sign again | resign | to leave a job |
| re-cover | to cover again | recover | to get better |
Key ideas
- A hyphen can show that words belong together, and stop a misreading.
- Compound adjectives before a noun often use a hyphen, such as a well-known author.
- Numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine use a hyphen.
Method. Look at the hyphen and the word.
- Find the hyphen. The hyphen separates re and cover.re-cover
- Read the meaning. re- means again, so re-cover means to cover again.cover again
- Check the other word. Recover, without the hyphen, means to get better.to cover again
- Write the answer. to cover again
Check. re- means again. ✓
Method. Check which word means to leave a job.
- Think about the meaning. To leave a job is resign.leave a job
- Check re-sign. re-sign means to sign again, so it is not the answer.re-sign
- Choose the word. Resign, with no hyphen, means to leave a job.resign
- Write the answer. resign
Check. resign means to leave a job. ✓
Method. Join the words with a hyphen to make one adjective.
- Find the words. Second and hand together describe a used object.second hand
- Join them with a hyphen. The hyphen joins them into one adjective.second-hand
- Write the answer. second-hand
Check. second-hand is a compound adjective. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: a hyphen can change the meaning. Check which word you mean before you write re-sign or resign.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask your child to write re-sign and resign on paper, and to say the meaning of each one aloud.
Exercise 8E Practice: hyphens
Method. Think about the meaning, and check whether the hyphen is needed.
- Think about the meaning. The meaning is: a shark that eats people.a shark that eats people
- Check the hyphen. The hyphen shows that the parts belong together, and it stops a misreading.man-eating
- Write the answer. man-eating
Check. man-eating has the meaning given. ✓
Watch out. Hyphens help the reader see what goes with what.
Method. Think about the meaning, and check whether the hyphen is needed.
- Think about the meaning. The meaning is: famous, and known by many people.famous, and known by many people
- Check the hyphen. The hyphen shows that the parts belong together, and it stops a misreading.well-known
- Write the answer. well-known
Check. well-known has the meaning given. ✓
Watch out. Hyphens help the reader see what goes with what.
Method. Think about the meaning, and check whether the hyphen is needed.
- Think about the meaning. The meaning is: not new, used by someone else.not new, used by someone else
- Check the hyphen. The hyphen shows that the parts belong together, and it stops a misreading.second-hand
- Write the answer. second-hand
Check. second-hand has the meaning given. ✓
Watch out. Hyphens help the reader see what goes with what.
Method. Think about the meaning, and check whether the hyphen is needed.
- Think about the meaning. The meaning is: the number 21.the number 21
- Check the hyphen. The hyphen shows that the parts belong together, and it stops a misreading.twenty-one
- Write the answer. twenty-one
Check. twenty-one has the meaning given. ✓
Watch out. Hyphens help the reader see what goes with what.
Method. Test each choice against the sentence or the text.
- Read what the question asks for. Decide what the sentence or the text needs.
- Test the choice. re- means again, so re-cover means to cover again.re-cover fits
- Reject the other choices. Recover, with no hyphen, means to get better.recover do not fit
- Write the answer. re-cover
Check. The choice fits the sentence or the text. ✓
Method. Test each choice against the sentence or the text.
- Read what the question asks for. Decide what the sentence or the text needs.
- Test the choice. Recover means to get better after an illness.recover fits
- Reject the other choices. Re-cover means to cover again, which does not fit.re-cover do not fit
- Write the answer. recover
Check. The choice fits the sentence or the text. ✓
Method. Test each choice against the sentence or the text.
- Read what the question asks for. Decide what the sentence or the text needs.
- Test the choice. Resign means to leave a job.resign fits
- Reject the other choices. Re-sign means to sign again, which is a different meaning.re-sign do not fit
- Write the answer. resign
Check. The choice fits the sentence or the text. ✓
Method. Join the two words with a hyphen.
- Find the words. Well and known together describe someone famous.well known
- Join them with a hyphen. The hyphen joins them into one adjective.well-known
- Write the answer. well-known
Check. well-known is a compound adjective. ✓
Method. Compare the two words.
- Look at re-sign. Re-sign means to sign again.sign again
- Look at resign. Resign means to leave a job.leave a job
- Write the answer. It shows the meaning is sign again, not resign, which means to leave a job.
Check. The hyphen avoids a misreading. ✓
Method. Add a hyphen to each compound adjective.
- Find the first compound. Second hand describes books, so it needs a hyphen.second-hand
- Find the second compound. Well known describes the owner, so it needs a hyphen.well-known
- Write the answer. The shop sells second-hand books, and the owner is well-known.
Check. Both compound adjectives have a hyphen. ✓
Method. Use the word with its meaning, to cover again.
- Choose the subject. The old sofa is the subject.The old sofa
- Use re-cover. re-cover means to cover again, so the sentence is clear.a re-cover in new fabric
- Write the answer. The old sofa needs a re-cover in new fabric
Check. re-cover is used clearly. ✓
Method. Use the hyphenated adjective before a noun.
- Choose the noun. Author is the noun.author
- Add the adjective. Well-known describes the author.The well-known author
- Write the answer. The well-known author signed copies of her new book.
Check. well-known is used before a noun. ✓
Method. Look at the hyphen and what it joins.
- Look at the hyphen. The hyphen joins man and eating.man-eating
- Check the meaning. Together they describe the shark as one adjective.one adjective
- Write the answer. It shows that man-eating is one adjective, describing the shark
Check. The hyphen joins the adjective. ✓