McDougal Littell: Spelling SkillBuilders Grade 7 Lesson 6

Name _______________________________________

Lesson 6 Compound words and contractions

proof + read = proofread blue + eyed = blue-eyed

fire + proof = fireproof one + half = one-half

time + table = timetable ninety + four = ninety-four

life + time = lifetime self + addressed = self-addressed

night + time = nighttime great + aunt = great-aunt

some + one = someone does + not = doesn't

any + time = anytime it + is = it's

mean + while = meanwhile there + is = there's

every + where = everywhere here + is = here's

when + ever = whenever would + have = would've

1.	In the first column, are any changes made when the two smaller words are joined? __________ Why does nighttime have two t's? _____________________________________________________________________

2.	In the second column, what punctuation is added to join the first five pairs of words? __________ Does the spelling of either word change when a pair is joined? __________

3.	In the second column, what punctuation is added to join the second five pairs of words? __________ What do the apostrophes in the joined words replace? _____________________________________________________________________

Lesson Generalization Complete words may be combined to form other words in several different ways.

When two words are simply connected, with no change in either word, the word formed is called a compound word.

Words joined by a hyphen are another kind of compound word.

When an apostrophe is used to show that one or more letters have been omitted, the word is called a contraction.