Year 6 · SPaG · Summer: After the test: cohesion
Year 6 ellipsis worksheet and PowerPoint
To use an ellipsis to show a pause, to build suspense, to show a speaker trailing off, or to show that words are missing from a quotation.
The ellipsis
An ellipsis is three dots (...). It shows that something is missing or unfinished. Use it sparingly.
| trailing off | I wonder what is behind the door... |
|---|---|
| suspense | The door creaked open... and there stood a figure. |
| a pause | Well... I suppose so. |
| missing words | “the team was brilliant... and every member deserved a medal” |
Examples
- I thought you were going to...
- She waited and waited... then a shadow fell across the floor.
Key words
- ellipsis
- three dots that show something is missing or unfinished
- suspense
- an excited, anxious feeling of waiting
- trail off
- stop without finishing
- omission
- something left out
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: Write the opening of a mystery story. Use an ellipsis at least three times: once to build suspense, once for a speaker who trails off, and once to show a pause.
Pupil target: I can use an ellipsis.
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 ellipsis PowerPoint.
Where this lesson fits
This is lesson 69 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
- Avoiding repetition
- Using cohesive devices
- Layout and organisation of texts
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