Primary 6 Vocabulary: 32 Words from Raffles Girls SA2 2019
This page preserves a historical vocabulary bank associated with a Raffles Girls Primary SA2 2019 English resource and upgrades it into a passage-specific learning guide. It is an eduKate teaching resource, not an official MOE or SEAB prescribed vocabulary list.
RFE: help a learner understand the vocabulary needed to reconstruct the passage accurately, then carry those words into new reading and writing contexts without forcing “advanced” language where it does not fit.
32-Word Passage Glossary
| Word | Class | Meaning | Usage note |
|---|---|---|---|
| quiver | verb/noun | to shake slightly and rapidly; a slight trembling movement | quiver with fear/excitement |
| plains | plural noun | large areas of mostly flat land | geographical term |
| antelope | noun | a hoofed mammal found mainly in Africa and parts of Asia | animal noun |
| crept | verb | moved slowly and quietly, often to avoid notice | past tense of creep |
| might | noun/modal verb | great power or strength; or a modal expressing possibility | meaning depends on context |
| laced | verb/adjective form | mixed or threaded with something | may be literal or figurative |
| potent | adjective | powerful or having a strong effect | a potent substance/argument |
| substance | noun | a particular kind of material; also the essential meaning of something | polysemous |
| bout | noun | a short period of illness or activity; also a contest | a bout of fever/coughing |
| midday | noun | the middle of the day, around noon | time noun |
| startled | adjective/verb form | suddenly surprised or alarmed | startled by a noise |
| achievement | noun | something accomplished successfully through effort or ability | an achievement, not simply an event |
| behaviour | noun | the way a person or animal acts | behaviour is standard Singapore/British spelling; behavior is US spelling |
| modesty | noun | the quality of not boasting excessively about oneself | character-quality noun |
| heaved | verb | lifted or pulled with great effort; also moved strongly up and down | heaved the load; chest heaved |
| indifferently | adverb | without much interest, concern or enthusiasm | tone-bearing adverb |
| insult | noun/verb | a disrespectful remark or action; to speak or act disrespectfully toward someone | noun and verb |
| subjected | verb | caused someone to experience something, usually unpleasant | subjected someone to treatment |
| treatment | noun | the way someone or something is dealt with; also medical care in another context | context determines sense |
| forefathers | plural noun | people from earlier generations, especially ancestors or predecessors | historical register; ancestors is often more neutral |
| heritage | noun | traditions, history, culture or property inherited from earlier generations | cultural/historical term |
| superiority | noun | the state or belief of being better, higher or greater than another | can describe ability or social attitude depending on context |
| tolerated | verb | allowed or endured something disliked without stopping it | tolerated the behaviour |
| tradition | noun | a belief, custom or practice passed through generations | not identical to heritage |
| equality | noun | the state of having equal status, rights, value or opportunity in the relevant context | abstract noun |
| distributed | verb | shared, spread or handed out among people or places | distributed fairly/equally |
| fairly | adverb | in a just or reasonable way; also can mean “quite” in another sense | polysemous |
| selfishness | noun | excessive concern for one’s own advantage without enough regard for others | character-quality noun |
| intolerable | adjective | so unpleasant or unacceptable that it cannot reasonably be endured | stronger than merely annoying |
| trait | noun | a distinguishing quality or characteristic | personality/biological contexts differ |
| frowned | verb | drew the eyebrows together, often showing displeasure, worry or concentration | emotion must be inferred from context |
| machete | noun | a broad, heavy cutting blade used as a tool in some agricultural and outdoor settings | object noun; understand from passage context |
Semantic Contrasts
- heritage / tradition: heritage is the wider inheritance from the past; a tradition is a particular custom or practice passed on.
- modesty / indifference: modesty is restraint about one’s own importance; indifference is lack of interest or concern.
- tolerated / accepted: tolerating something may mean enduring it despite dislike; accepting can imply fuller agreement or willingness.
- startled / frightened: startled describes a sudden reaction to surprise; frightened describes fear more broadly.
- fairly / equally: fair treatment is not always identical treatment; the correct meaning depends on the context.
Word Families
- achieve → achievement
- behave → behaviour
- modest → modesty
- superior → superiority
- equal → equality
- selfish → selfishness
- tolerate → tolerated → intolerable
- distribute → distributed → distribution
Collocation and Pattern Check
- a bout of illness
- startled by a noise
- subjected someone to something
- proud of one’s heritage
- distributed among the group
- tolerated by others
- a trait of character
Retrieval Practice
- A custom or practice passed through generations: ________.
- The wider cultural or historical inheritance received from earlier generations: ________.
- Suddenly surprised or alarmed: ________.
- A distinguishing quality or characteristic: ________.
- Shared or handed out among people: ________.
- So unacceptable or unpleasant that it cannot reasonably be endured: ________.
Answers: tradition; heritage; startled; trait; distributed; intolerable.
Passage Reconstruction Questions
Use the vocabulary to reconstruct meaning rather than memorising definitions in isolation:
- What changes in your mental picture if a character crept rather than simply walked?
- What does indifferently reveal about attitude?
- How might heritage, tradition and equality interact in a passage about community values?
- Why is intolerable a much stronger judgement than unpleasant?
- What evidence would you need before deciding why a character frowned?
Idioms and Fixed Expressions from the Historical Lesson
| Expression | Meaning | Precision note |
|---|---|---|
| fit as a fiddle | very healthy and physically fit | informal idiom |
| don’t count your chickens before they hatch | do not assume success before it is certain | proverb |
| hit the nail on the head | describe or identify something exactly | idiom |
| ignorance is bliss | sometimes not knowing something can prevent worry | proverbial expression; often ironic |
| slow and steady wins the race | consistent effort can outperform haste | proverb |
| a bolt from the blue | a sudden and completely unexpected event | idiom |
| rain on someone’s parade | spoil someone’s pleasure or enthusiasm | informal idiom |
| take it with a grain/pinch of salt | treat a claim with some scepticism | pinch of salt is common in British English; grain of salt is common in American English |
| the whole nine yards | everything possible or the full extent | informal, strongly idiomatic |
| cut the mustard | meet the required standard | informal idiom |
| every dog has its day | everyone may eventually have a period of success or opportunity | proverbial idiom |
| pull someone’s leg | tease or joke with someone by making them believe something untrue | informal idiom |
| jump on the bandwagon | join a popular activity or opinion because it is becoming successful | often mildly critical |
| make hay while the sun shines | use a favourable opportunity while it lasts | proverb |
| let someone off the hook | release someone from responsibility, difficulty or blame | informal idiom |
| call it a day | stop working on something for now | common informal idiom |
| make fish of one and fowl of the other | treat two people or groups inconsistently or unfairly | older expression; useful mainly for recognition unless the context suits its register |
Do Not Force Idioms
An idiom is useful only when its conventional meaning and register fit. A direct sentence is better than a colourful expression that distorts the situation.
Transfer Task
Choose four vocabulary words and one expression. Write a short paragraph on a new topic. Then annotate each choice with:
- meaning;
- word class or expression type;
- why the context fits;
- what nearby word or phrase would change the meaning.
Evidence of Mastery
The learner should eventually be able to explain, contrast, retrieve and reuse the vocabulary without the original passage in front of them. That is stronger evidence than recognising the word in the old list.
For the wider public collection, use the eduKate Vocabulary Lists hub.
Historical Raffles Girls Primary Source Media
