Year 6 · SPaG · Summer: After the test: cohesion
Year 6 avoiding repetition worksheet and PowerPoint
To avoid repetition by using pronouns and other words, while keeping the meaning clear.
Less repetition
Repeating the same noun in every sentence makes writing dull. Use a pronoun instead (he, she, it, they, him, her, them), or a different noun phrase. But make sure the reader can tell who or what the pronoun means.
| pronouns | Tom picked up the ball. He kicked it over the fence. |
|---|---|
| a different noun phrase | the dog → the animal |
| watch out | two girls in a sentence: she may be unclear |
| first mention | name the noun first, then use the pronoun |
Examples
- Mia has a dog. Mia walks the dog. → Mia has a dog. She walks it.
Key words
- repetition
- using the same word again and again
- pronoun
- takes the place of a noun
- refer back
- to point to something already mentioned
- ambiguous
- unclear, with two possible meanings
What is on the worksheet
Every sheet for this lesson has a short teaching box and 12 questions that get gradually harder: 8 fluency questions, then 4 reasoning questions that ask pupils to explain or choose. A writing challenge follows. The questions use the same styles as the key stage 2 grammar and punctuation test (circle, underline, tick, fill the gap, add punctuation, rewrite, explain). They are written for this website, not copied from past papers.
All the answers are on the last page of the same editable Word file. New questions are made every time, so you can print a different sheet for every group or for homework. The same sheet code always gives the same sheet.
Writing challenge: Look through a piece of your own writing. Find a repeated noun and replace it with a pronoun or another phrase. Check that the meaning is still clear.
Pupil target: I can avoid repeating nouns.
The PowerPoint
A 20-slide lesson deck for the same lesson: a starter that revisits earlier learning, key words, an I do and a You do question on each slide with a countdown timer, answers that appear one click at a time, and a challenge. Download the avoiding repetition PowerPoint.
Where this lesson fits
This is lesson 67 of 72 in the Year 6 SPaG scheme, in the Summer term, block “After the test: cohesion”. It is taught after the SATs grammar test in May, as a writing skill the test does not ask.
Other lessons in this block
- Recognising cohesion: linking ideas
- Paragraphs in fiction
- Paragraphs in non-fiction
- Ordering sentences within a paragraph
- Linking paragraphs in a text
- Using cohesive devices
- Ellipsis
- Layout and organisation of texts
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