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Year 5

Spelling words with the prefixes ad- and al- and hyphens

I can spell a range of words with the prefixes ad-, al-, af- and a-.

New
New
Year 5

Spelling words with the prefixes ad- and al- and hyphens

I can spell a range of words with the prefixes ad-, al-, af- and a-.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. A prefix is a letter or group of letters at the start of a word which changes its meaning.
  2. The prefixes ad- and af- mean ‘towards’.
  3. The prefix al- means ‘all’ and a- means ‘in the state of’.
  4. A hyphen can join a prefix to a base word to avoid ambiguity in meaning or spelling.
  5. How to spell the curriculum words: experience, extreme and increase.

Keywords

  • 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 hyphen can join a prefix to a base word to avoid ambiguity in meaning or spelling

Common misconception

Pupils may think that for every word with a prefix the meaning of the prefix will be very literal.

Show a range of words with the focus prefixes in. Whilst with some words the meaning of the prefix may be clear, with others it is not. Explain this is linked to the complex way that language develops over time.

Pupils can go on a prefix hunt. Give a page of text, and ask children to idenitfy all the words with prefixes in them. Can they remember the meaning of the prefixes? Is the meaning of the prefix clear in the meaning of the word (sometimes it isn't).
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Select the prefixes.
abc
Correct answer: anti-
first
-ly
Correct answer: il-
Q2.
What does the prefix co- usually mean? Example words are 'coordinate' or 'copilot'.
Correct answer: with
before
against
Q3.
What does the word 'recover' mean?
Correct answer: to return to a normal state of health or strength after illness or setback
to get back something that was lost or misplaced
to find or learn something again
Q4.
Match the words to their meanings.
Correct Answer:almost,nearly, very close

nearly, very close

Correct Answer:altogether,completely, in total

completely, in total

Correct Answer:alone,by oneself, without others

by oneself, without others

Q5.
Match the words to their meanings.
Correct Answer:aboard,on board, onto a ship, train or other vehicle

on board, onto a ship, train or other vehicle

Correct Answer:ex-wife,a former (past) wife

a former (past) wife

Correct Answer:self-belief,belief in yourself

belief in yourself

Q6.
Correct the spelling of the word in bold. Please riwind the film.
Correct Answer: rewind

6 Questions

Q1.
Match the prefixes to the root words.
Correct Answer:non-,negotiable

negotiable

Correct Answer:self-,centred

centred

Correct Answer:ex-,girlfriend

girlfriend

Correct Answer:pre-,exisiting

exisiting

Q2.
Match the prefix to its meaning.
Correct Answer:a-,in the state of

in the state of

Correct Answer:al-,all

all

Correct Answer:ad-,towards

towards

Q3.
Select the correct spelling of the word.
allso
Correct answer: also
alsow
Q4.
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the sentence. I allredy have that football card.
Correct Answer: already
Q5.
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the sentence. Allthow I arrived late, the film had not begun.
Correct Answer: Although, although
Q6.
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the sentence. He was a very kind and afible man.
Correct Answer: affable

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