New
New
Year 6
Colons: first function
I can use the colon to introduce a list or a question.
New
New
Year 6
Colons: first function
I can use the colon to introduce a list or a question.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- A colon is a piece of punctuation with more than one purpose.
- A colon is always placed after a main clause.
- A colon can introduce a list or a question.
- A colon can help to improve text cohesion.
Keywords
Colon - a piece of punctuation placed after a main clause that can introduce a list or a question
Main clause - a group of words that contains a verb and makes complete sense
Text cohesion - how a text flows to maintain the interest of the reader and achieve text purpose
Common misconception
Pupils may not place a main clause before the colon.
Emphasise that for questions and lists, we always have a main clause before the colon; for questions, we also have one after the colon.
Encourage pupils to use colons to combine complex and compound sentences in question form as a way of improving text cohesion. The use of the colon allows us to connect sentences and remove interruptions to the flow of the text.
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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Starter quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
What can we use hyphens for?
to show a space between words
Q2.
Which numbers are punctuated correctly?
one hundred and seventy two
Q3.
Which of these phrases requires a hyphen to create a compound adjective?
a deep dark cave
a tall beautiful tree
Q4.
Which of these sentences uses the word 'recover' to mean 'get back to normal'?
I don't think I'll re-cover this wall with paint - I prefer the bare bricks.
Please re-cover the food in the fridge after you have eaten some.
Q5.
Match the prefixes with hyphens to the root words that they could be joined to.
active
centred
verbal
author
Q6.
Which of these sentences use ellipsis correctly?
There it was, the... hidden treasure!
Exit quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
Which of the following could be used to introduce a list?
There were many people at the party, including:
Q2.
Match the main clauses to the lists that could follow the colon.
mince pies, a turkey, potatoes, rice and double cream.
Spain, Portugal and Switzerland.
a book, a hair tie, a cricket bat and a watch.
Q3.
Which of these sentences is correctly punctuated?
There were three competition winners, including: Alex, Jun and Sofia.
There were three competition winners: Alex, Jun, and Sofia.
Q4.
Which of these could come before a question introduced by the colon?
We all had a question running through our minds about:
One question that occurred to me was:
Q5.
Which of these sentences is the correct version?
As we stepped in, my heart was racing: Were we alone in the house?
As we stepped in, my heart was racing I wondered: were we alone in the house
Q6.
Which of the following are possible uses for a colon?
to come after a list of nouns