Shakespeare’s made-up words – years 5-6

Learning Focus: Identify the origin of words. Invent own word and apply meaning and usage to them.

How many of the following words did Shakespeare make up himself?

accommodation

advertising

aerial

bedroom

bottled it

bump

buzzer

dawn

downstairs

educate

excitement

eyesore

fashionable

freezing

hobnob

invitation

kissing

ladybird

puking

revolting

schoolboy

scuffle

silliness

squabble

upstairs

well-behaved

zany

You’ll be amazed to know that they all were. Which ones did you think were modern words?

Now try to make up a word or two yourself then use them in sentences to show their meaning – you never know, one day they may be commonly used and you’ll get the credit for inventing them!

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