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English Vocabulary for Primary 6

Primary 6 English Vocabulary: Word Forms, Spelling and Collocations

This companion page focuses on a different layer of vocabulary knowledge: how words behave. A learner may know a rough definition and still misuse a word because the word class, spelling, collocation or grammatical pattern is wrong.

The 35-word bank comes from an older eduKate comprehension resource. For the main meanings-and-examples page, use Primary 6 Vocabulary Words.

Word Form Families

Base / target word Related form Example
active activity / actively She participates actively in class discussions.
astute astutely / astuteness He astutely noticed that the figures did not match.
severe severely / severity The storm severely damaged several roofs.
practical practically / practicality The hall was practically empty.
familiar familiarity / familiarise Familiarise yourself with the instructions before starting.
swift swiftly / swiftness The medic responded swiftly.
forlorn forlornly The child looked forlornly at the departing bus.

Spelling and Form Alerts

Common Collocations

Word Natural collocations Usage note
astute astute observation; astute judgement; astute decision usually concerns perceptive thinking
dazed dazed expression; dazed and confused; look dazed often follows shock, injury or surprise
perked up perked up immediately; ears perked up; mood perked up signals a change towards alertness or cheerfulness
transfixed transfixed by; stood transfixed often followed by the cause of intense attention
reprimanded reprimanded for; formally reprimanded normally gives the reason with for
indelible indelible mark; indelible impression; indelible memory often figurative
swerved swerved to avoid; swerved sharply; swerved into describes sudden directional change
gleaming gleaming surface; gleaming trophy; gleaming eyes connects to reflected light or figurative brightness

Polysemy: One Word, More Than One Meaning

Figure is especially useful because it changes meaning with context:

Practically also has more than one common use:

Grammar and Precision Check

  1. Complete: The coach reprimanded him ______ arriving late. Answer: for.
  2. Choose the natural form: “She moved swift / swiftly across the corridor.” Answer: swiftly.
  3. Correct: “The accident occured yesterday.” Answer: occurred.
  4. Choose the noun: “He applied for a driving licence / license.” Answer in Singapore/British English: licence.
  5. Complete naturally: “The audience was transfixed ______ the performance.” Answer: by.

How to Study Word Behaviour

For each new word, record five things: meaning, word class, one related form, one natural collocation, and one original sentence. Then retrieve the word from a clue a few days later. This prevents a vocabulary notebook from becoming a collection of definitions that cannot be used.

Related: semantic groups and retrieval · worksheet practice · Vocabulary Lists hub.

Historical 2019 Word Bank and Media

figure, forlornly, active, astute, dazed, chores, caregiver, perked up, transfixed, stylish, perched, reprimanded, severe, practically, disciplinarian, retired, inseparable, jeered, snorted, conversation, coincidence, occurred, discovered, incident, thrilled, roared, swerved, indelible, forbidden, licence, interrupted, familiar, swiftly, gleaming and speechless.

Primary 6 English comprehension archiveeduKate tuition archive

Explore the connected learning guides

Choose the question that brought you here. Open one useful guide, try a small task, and stop when you have what you need.

Take one question further

The same learning habit can travel across subjects, while each subject keeps its own methods. These routes help you notice a difficulty, understand one part of it, and return to something you can do.

A word is familiar, but using it is difficult.

Move from recognising a word to retrieving it in a new context. Understand vocabulary plateaus.

Try it without the guide: Choose one word you already know. Close the guide and use it in a new sentence. Explain why it fits; try another context tomorrow.

A piece of writing has ideas, but the reader loses the thread.

Make the order of events and the links between sentences clear. Explore composition writing.

Try it without the guide: Choose one short paragraph. Read the relevant explanation, close it, and revise the paragraph. Ask someone to tell you what happened and why.

The Mathematics seems familiar, but marks still disappear.

Find the first point where the working stops being reliable. Find Secondary 4 A-Math mark leakage.

Try it without the guide: For a Secondary 4 A-Math question you have attempted, locate the first uncertain line. Repair that step, then try a comparable question without the worked answer.

A Science fact is remembered, but the explanation is incomplete.

Connect the evidence to a scientific idea and the resulting change. Follow the Primary Science learning route.

Try it without the guide: Choose a familiar Primary Science example. Explain the evidence, the idea and the result without notes. Then change one condition and explain your prediction.

Two accounts of the world seem to disagree.

Check the question, source, date and evidence before combining claims. Explore the World Knowledge research library.

Try it without the guide: Take one claim. Find the source best placed to support it, note its date, and state what remains uncertain. Return to your original question.

There is plenty of help, but independence is hard to see.

Check what the learner can understand and do after support is removed. Understand how education works.

Try it without the guide: Choose one small task the child has practised. Agree on a calm, brief attempt without prompts. Use what happens to choose one next step, then stop.

For the structure behind these connections, read the eduKateSingapore runtime manifest and the eduKate ecosystem boot contract. The reader map describes public navigation; those manifests preserve the wider ownership and return rules.

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