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      Rich vocabulary associated with small or thin words

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can use the words 'dainty, 'diminutive' and 'minuscule' effectively in multiple contexts.

      Key learning points

      1. Dainty is an adjective which means small, delicate and pretty.
      2. Diminutive is an adjective which means unusally small.
      3. Miniscule is an adjective which means tiny or microsocpic.

      Keywords

      • Noun - a naming word for people, places or things

      • Adjective - a word that describes a noun

      • Synonym - a word that has the same or similar meaning to another word

      • Word pair - words that often appear together

      Common misconception

      Diminutive and minuscule can often be used interchangeably, but not always.

      Use the word pairs to help pupils see and hear the words in nuanced contexts. i.e. 'minuscule amount' works but not 'diminutive amount'.

      Teacher tip

      Supplement the slides with more images to help embed learning. For example, it would be nice for children to see an image of a 'dainty' sandwich in comparison to a large baguette.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      What is an adjective?

      a naming word for people, places or things
      Correct answer: a word that describes a noun
      a being or doing word

      Q2.
      What is a noun?

      Correct answer: a naming word for people, places or things
      a word that describes a noun
      a being or doing word

      Q3.
      What is a synonym?

      Correct answer: a word that has the same or similar meaning to another word
      words that often appear together
      a being or a doing word

      Q4.
      Which word is a synonym of 'small' in this sentence. 'Did you see that tiny spider crawl across the wooden floor?'

      see
      Correct answer: tiny
      wooden
      crawl
      floor

      Q5.
      Which words are adjectives in this sentence? 'Did you see that tiny spider crawl across the wooden floor?'

      spider, floor
      see, crawl
      Correct answer: tiny, wooden

      Q6.
      Which words are nouns in this sentence? 'Did you see that tiny spider crawl across the wooden floor?'

      Correct answer: spider, floor
      see, crawl
      tiny, wooden

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      What adjective does this image represent?

      An image in a quiz
      shrivelled
      Correct answer: minuscule
      squat

      Q2.
      What adjective does this image represent?

      An image in a quiz
      Correct answer: dainty
      robust
      minuscule

      Q3.
      Match the word with the correct definition.

      Correct Answer:dainty,small, delicate and pretty

      small, delicate and pretty

      Correct Answer:diminutive,unusually small

      unusually small

      Correct Answer:minuscule,tiny or microscopic

      tiny or microscopic

      Q4.
      Match the word pairs that make sense.

      Correct Answer:dainty,lace

      lace

      Correct Answer:diminutive,stature

      stature

      Correct Answer:minuscule,particle

      particle

      Q5.
      Select the missing word to complete the sentence. 'She placed her __________ fingers over the harp strings and lightly strummed to create mesmerising music.'

      Correct answer: dainty
      minuscule
      diminutive

      Q6.
      Select the missing word to complete the sentence. 'Grit had only a __________ amount of glitter left in his craft supplies, just enough to add a touch of sparkle to his handmade birthday card.'

      dainty
      Correct answer: minuscule
      diminutive
      Q1 © Copyright Mrs Wordsmith 2023 Q2 © Copyright Mrs Wordsmith 2023

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