Cambridge Primary Checkpoint 0844 · Topic 4 of 10

Vocabulary and word meanings

Prefixes, suffixes, synonyms, antonyms and figurative language such as similes, metaphors and personification.

📌 Key points

A prefix goes at the start of a word and changes its meaning: un + happy = unhappy (not happy).
Useful prefixes: un-, dis-, im- (not), mis- (wrongly), re- (again), pre- (before), sub- (under).
A suffix goes at the end: -ful (full of), -less (without); -ness and -ment make nouns; -ly often makes adverbs.
Synonyms have similar meanings (big, large, huge). Antonyms have opposite meanings (hot, cold).
A simile compares using “like” or “as”: as brave as a lion.
A metaphor says something is something else: the classroom was a zoo.
Personification gives human actions to things: the wind whispered.
Alliteration repeats the first sound: slippery, slimy snake. Onomatopoeia words sound like their meaning: buzz, crash.
Use the context (the words around it) to work out the meaning of an unknown word.

Read: 'The ancient castle had stood on the hill for nearly a thousand years.'
What does 'ancient' mean? How do you know?

Look for clues in the context: the castle had stood there for 'nearly a thousand years'.
Something that has lasted a thousand years is very old.
Check by swapping: 'The very old castle had stood on the hill…' still makes sense.
Answer: 'ancient' means very old; the clue is 'nearly a thousand years'.

💡 Test tip

To check a word meaning, put your answer in place of the word in the sentence. If it still makes sense, you are probably right.

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