This Primary 6 vocabulary list preserves the original Henry Park SA2 2019 word set while turning it into an annotated tutor guide for PSLE English. Parents searching for Yishun English tuition, a Primary 6 English tutor, PSLE vocabulary practice, comprehension vocabulary or idioms usually need more than a bare list. Pupils need to know what a word means, how it behaves in a sentence, which words commonly sit beside it and when it would sound natural in writing.
The original 21 words and ten idioms are all retained below. Nothing has been reduced. The teaching layer around them is stronger: meaning, word family, collocation, context, sentence use and retrieval. This reflects the way vocabulary actually supports PSLE English—through language use and comprehension, writing, listening and oral communication rather than through isolated memorisation alone.
For the current PSLE English framework, SEAB assesses the appropriate use of vocabulary and grammar in context and expects pupils to understand written and spoken texts at literal, inferential and evaluative levels. Vocabulary learning therefore works best when pupils repeatedly meet words in meaningful contexts and can retrieve them later without a definition sitting beside them.
Tutor Method: Six Questions for Every New Word
- What does the word mean in simple English?
- What part of speech is it here?
- What words commonly appear with it?
- What related word forms exist?
- What sentence would make the meaning obvious?
- Can the pupil still explain and use it two days later?
The Original 21 Words with Tutor Notes
1. ambition
Meaning: a strong desire to achieve something. Word family: ambitious, ambitiously. Collocations: lifelong ambition, fulfil an ambition, burning ambition. Use: His ambition was to design aircraft.
2. glanced
Meaning: looked briefly. Base form: glance. Collocations: glanced at, glanced around, glanced over. Use: She glanced at the notice before hurrying away.
3. astronomer
Meaning: a scientist who studies objects and events in space. Word family: astronomy, astronomical. Use: The astronomer compared photographs of the distant galaxy.
4. tycoon
Meaning: a powerful and wealthy businessperson. Collocation: business tycoon, media tycoon. Use: The technology tycoon invested in a new research centre.
5. full-length
Meaning: complete in length or showing the whole body. Collocations: full-length film, full-length mirror, full-length portrait.
6. original
Meaning: new and not copied, or the first form of something. Word family: originality, originally. Use: Her original solution surprised the judges.
7. pronouncing
Meaning: saying the sounds of a word aloud. Word family: pronounce, pronunciation. Use: He checked the dictionary before pronouncing the unfamiliar name.
8. embedded
Meaning: fixed firmly within something, physically or figuratively. Use: A tiny shell was embedded in the rock. The lesson was deeply embedded in her memory.
9. sneaky
Meaning: secretive or dishonest in behaviour. Use: Taking the last biscuit and hiding the packet was a sneaky move.
10. policy
Meaning: a rule, principle or planned course of action. Collocations: school policy, government policy, company policy. Use: The library changed its borrowing policy.
11. illustration
Meaning: a picture or example used to explain an idea. Word family: illustrate, illustrator. Use: The diagram was a useful illustration of the process.
12. prospect
Meaning: a possibility or likely future event. Collocations: exciting prospect, job prospect, prospect of success. Use: The prospect of travelling alone made him nervous.
13. scoffer
Meaning: a person who mocks or dismisses something scornfully. Word family: scoff, scoffed. Use: Even the loudest scoffer became quiet after the experiment succeeded.
14. tune
Meaning: a melody; as a verb, to adjust something so that it works or sounds correctly. Use: She hummed a familiar tune while he tuned the guitar.
15. appointment
Meaning: an arranged meeting at a particular time, or the act of assigning someone to a role. Use: The doctor’s appointment was moved to Monday.
16. cheque
Meaning: a written instruction to a bank to pay money from an account. Language note: cheque is the British spelling used in Singapore English.
17. mocked
Meaning: made fun of someone or something. Word family: mock, mocking, mockery. Use: The pupils apologised after they realised they had mocked him unfairly.
18. obvious
Meaning: easy to notice or understand. Word family: obviously. Use: It was obvious from the dark clouds that rain was approaching.
19. convenient
Meaning: suitable, useful or easy for a particular purpose. Word family: convenience, conveniently. Use: The new pick-up point was more convenient for families.
20. editor
Meaning: a person who prepares material for publication. Word family: edit, editing, editorial. Use: The editor asked the writer to clarify the ending.
21. full-time
Meaning: for the usual full number of working or study hours. Contrast: part-time. Use: She became a full-time researcher after graduation.
The Original Ten Idioms, Preserved
- blessing in disguise — something that appears unfortunate at first but later leads to a good result.
- a dime a dozen — very common and not unusual.
- birds of a feather flock together — similar people often spend time together.
- bite the bullet — face something difficult bravely.
- break a leg — an informal expression wishing someone good luck before a performance.
- hit the sack — go to bed.
- no pain, no gain — improvement often requires effort.
- so far, so good — things have gone well up to the present point.
- rain on someone’s parade — spoil someone’s enjoyment or enthusiasm.
- head in the clouds — be dreamy or unrealistic about practical matters.
Tutor Drill 1: Meaning Without the Definition
Cover the definitions and ask the pupil to explain five random words in ordinary language. If the explanation contains the target word itself, try again. This exposes whether the meaning is truly understood.
Tutor Drill 2: Collocation
Ask pupils to complete natural combinations: fulfil an ___; business ___; school ___; exciting ___; full-time ___. Collocations help vocabulary sound natural in writing.
Tutor Drill 3: Context Choice
Give two meanings for a word such as original, prospect or tune and ask which meaning fits a sentence. This trains the habit of reading context rather than grabbing the first memorised definition.
Tutor Drill 4: Word Families
Move from original to originality, from pronouncing to pronunciation, from editor to edit and editing. Word families expand usable vocabulary without forcing pupils to learn every item as an isolated unit.
Tutor Drill 5: Delayed Retrieval
Return to the list after two days, one week and several weeks. Retrieval after delay is a better test of learning than immediate repetition.
How the List Supports PSLE Comprehension
When a word is unfamiliar, pupils should inspect definition clues, contrasts, examples, surrounding tone, word class and cause-and-effect relationships. Vocabulary questions reward contextual reasoning, not merely dictionary recall.
How the List Supports PSLE Writing
Use new words only when they improve precision. Glanced is more precise than looked when the action is brief. Mocked is more precise than said something bad. Ambition can express a long-term goal cleanly. Strong vocabulary is accurate vocabulary.
What Progress Looks Like
- the pupil explains meanings without copying definitions;
- context clues are used more accurately;
- word families become easier to recognise;
- writing uses more precise vocabulary;
- idioms are used sparingly and naturally;
- words remain retrievable after a delay.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should pupils learn every possible meaning of a word?
No. Begin with the common meanings and teach pupils to use context to decide which sense applies.
Should idioms be inserted into every composition?
No. Use an idiom only when it sounds natural and adds meaning.
Why revisit an old 2019 vocabulary set?
Because the learning job remains useful. The words provide a finite set for practising meaning, context, word family, collocation and delayed retrieval.
Keep the List, Upgrade the Learning
The historical word list remains unchanged. The improvement is in what pupils now do with it: explain, connect, apply, retrieve and use the vocabulary accurately.
Yishun Tutor Vocabulary Lists Pri 6 Henry Park SA2 2019
This is a legacy learning resource, not confirmation of a current Yishun class, timetable, tutor assignment, fee or vacancy. For present-day tuition-service decisions, use the Yishun Tuition Centre Hub and confirm current arrangements separately.
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