Year 4 English Practice Questions

Transcription

1 Year English Practice Questions Introduction for teachers and parents In this book there are single-page exercises covering most of the English grammar, punctuation and spelling work that children will meet in year. On each page there is a short introduction with examples and key points followed by a set of questions for children to answer. Some quite challenging questions have been included for the more able children. These are flagged using symbols such as ouch!, here we go and oh no! At the end of each page, children are invited to answer a self-assessment question. Using this book The exercises in this book are not intended to be used in the initial teaching of new topics. However, they can be used as: Homework activities - to consolidate work done in class. End of topic class activities - to give children the opportunity to check their understanding of a particular topic. Assessment tasks - allowing teachers to establish whether or not children are secure in their understanding of a topic. Dactyl Publishing PO Box 0 RETFORD DN 9YP Tel: Fax:

2 Contents Grammar Nouns Adjectives Verbs Using have or has with verbs Verbs ending with -ing Using verbs to talk about the future Common mistakes with verbs Adverbs Expanded noun phrases Clauses Sentences Pronouns Possessive pronouns Prepositions Conjunctions Determiners Adverbials Some more grammar questions

3 Punctuation Punctuation revision exercises Starting and ending sentences Commas in lists Commas after fronted adverbials Apostrophes to show where letters are missing Apostrophes to show who something belongs to (possession) Common mistakes with apostrophes Inverted commas Using paragraphs Spelling Doubling letters before adding a suffix More about adding suffixes The suffix -ous Similar sounding suffixes Prefixes Homophones Some more questions about spelling Checking my own spelling Are you ready for this?

4 Grammar A Nouns Remember - nouns give names to people, places and things. Proper nouns start with capital letters. They include: Names of people (Bill, Sarah) Names of places (France, Manchester) Days and months (Wednesday, August) All the others are common nouns (book, tree, car). Tick the noun in each of these lists. riding horse my large brown packet China under always Underline all the nouns in these sentences. My cat likes to chase birds. George is a great swimmer. I have sandwiches on Thursdays. Write this sentence again and put capital letters where they are needed. the winter is zoe s favourite season, especially december. The winter is Zoe s favourite season, especially December. Write your own sentence containing a proper noun (underline it). My grandad s name is Geoff. 5 Can you rearrange these letters to spell a proper noun? h m c r a March 6 Can you circle the non-countable nouns in this list? coin book water fun tree luck anger Let s try! I know what common nouns and proper nouns are.

5 B Adjectives Adjectives tell us about nouns. For example they can tell us about the colour, size or shape of a noun. the green door a massive ship a square house Can you unscramble these adjectives? black tiny round c l a b k y n t i u d o r n Underline the adjectives in these sentences. The slippery snake disappeared into the long grass. John bought a tasty pizza. Your old black t-shirt has a hole in it. Complete these sentences using your own adjectives. tiny The house had a door. When I am older I would like a I have a pair of green massive fast training car. shoes. Think of your own favourite adjective: Put your adjective in your own sentence. scrumptious On Saturday we baked some scrumptious cakes. 5 Write this sentence again with the adjectives in a better order. Grandma had a red woolly new hat. Grandma had a new red woolly hat. Here we go! I know what adjectives are and I can use them. 5

6 C Verbs Verbs tell us what something or someone is doing. Example: The bear ate the honey Remember - verbs have different forms (spellings). The bear eats honey and I eat honey The bear was eating the honey The bear had eaten the honey Can you find two verbs hiding in this chain of letters? Underline them. f o b l a t r r u n n i n g o l t r a s a n g u m Circle the correct form of the verb in these sentences. We ran / runned very fast. They singed / sang out of tune. We had ate / eated / eaten all our sandwiches. Fill in the gaps to change the tense of the verbs. The first is done for you. present tense We run home. My mum keeps hens. We are baking the cake. Jake throws the javelin. past tense We ran home. My mum We have kept baked Jake threw the javelin. hens. the cake. 5 In each list there is one wrong verb form. Can you circle the wrong ones? gave give gived given giving gives singing sing sang singed sings sung teach taught teaches teaching teached Write this sentence again but change it to the past tense. We cross the bridge and find a great tree to climb. We crossed the bridge and found a great tree to climb. Oh no! I know what verbs are and some facts about them. 6

7 D Using have or has with verbs We use have or has with a verb to show that something has just happened. This is called the present perfect form of a verb. Examples: She has eaten her lunch. We have arrived. Complete this table to show when things happened. last week I arrived at the airport. I ate the biscuits. I finished my homework. I just now have arrived We have eaten the biscuits. at the airport. I have finished my homework. Write these sentences again using the present perfect form of each verb. She ate her last sandwich. We set off for spain. She has eaten her last sandwich. We have set off for Spain. Write these sentences again and try to improve them. I arrived home from school and have done my homework. I arrived home from school and did my homework. The cat has eaten its food and goes outside. The cat has eaten its food and gone outside. Write your own sentence and include the have or has form of a verb. I have eaten my tea and now I m doing my homework. 5 Jake is fifteen. Which one of these is true? Tick your answer. Bring it on! Jake will become 0 years old Jake has just become 0 years old Jake became 0 years old Jake becomes 0 years old I can use the present perfect form of a verb to show that something has just happened. 7

8 E Verbs ending with -ing Verbs ending with -ing can be used to show that something is still happening. Example: She is dancing. (Present progressive form of the verb.) They can also be used to show that something was still happening at the time. Example: He was watching TV. (Past progressive form.) Complete these sentences to show what is hapenning now. The sun I am is shining. We looking at my book. are sitting down. Complete these sentences to show what was hapenning at 6 o clock yesterday. Jake We was were swimming in a gala. I eating our tea. was playing a game. Use any of these words to fill in the gaps in this passage. riding Mai was her bike when it started to rain. She home as fast as she could. Mai likes to again right now. rode ride riding ride in the woods. She is rode riding Write a sentence about what you were doing at 8am this morning. Use a verb ending in -ing. At 8am this morning I was riding my bike to school. OK! 5 Can you spell the -ing form of these verbs? Use a dictionary to check your answers. learn notice appear learning noticing appearing breathe describe continue breathing describing continuing decide imagine deciding imagining I can use verbs ending with -ing in the present and past tenses. 8

9 F Using verbs to talk about the future In English, verbs don t really have a future tense. However, there are many ways to talk about the future. Examples: They will arrive tomorrow. It is going to arrive next week. We will be arriving at about 6pm. You will notice that the verbs are in the present tense. Complete these sentences using different forms of the verb to eat. I will We will be eat They are going to eating my lunch later. eat our lunches at noon. after the film finishes. These sentences are supposed to be about the future. Can you write them again without the mistakes? Next Sunday I went to the cinema. Hopefully, I got some popcorn and the film is really good. Next Sunday I am going to the cinema. Hopefully, I will get some popcorn and the film will be really good. Easy! Write a few sentences about what you are hoping to do during your next school holiday. Next summer, I am going on holiday with my family. We will be going on a plane and flying to Spain. I hope the weather will be warm and sunny because I want to spend lots of time in the pool. On the first day, we will arrive at pm. The pool will be closed! I can use verbs to talk about the future. 9

10 G Common mistakes with verbs It is important to use the correct form of each verb. I done the shopping. I did the shopping. Write these short sentences correctly in the past tense (change the verbs only). The dog eaten the bone. I gone home at 6pm. Jake have lost his watch. The dog ate the bone. I went home at 6pm. Jake has lost his watch. Write these correctly in the present tense (change the verbs only). We is never going there again. I always arrives early. They has paint on their hands. We are never going there again. I always arrive early. They have paint on their hands. Can you find the mistakes in these sentences? Write them again correctly. Jack and Jill goes to tennis practice on Saturdays. Jack and Jill go to tennis practice on Saturdays. Mum and Dad has shown me how to bake. Mum and Dad have shown me how to bake. OK! Try not to mix up verb tenses in your speaking and writing. Can you write this short passage correctly in the past tense? When Grandma is born, she is the eighth child in the family. Her father was a soldier in World War, and Grandma doesn t see him before her second birthday. When Grandma was born, she was the eighth child in the family. Her father was a soldier in World War, and Grandma didn t see him before her second birthday. I can choose the correct form of a verb to use in my writing. 0

11 H Adverbs Adverbs tell us how, where, when, why or how much. Example: They ran quickly. Adverbs are used with: Verbs - We walked slowly Adjectives - The game was really exciting Other adverbs - We spoke very quietly Clauses - Luckily, it didn t rain Can you underline the adverbs in these sentences? Zoe quickly entered the room. The dog was always barking. The music was too loud. Choose your own adverbs to go with the adjectives in these sentences. (You re not allowed to use very ) quite extremely My exam was difficult. The smell was unpleasant. Write these adverbs in the gaps below. fortunately very eventually accidentally When the teacher arrived, Jack quickly told the truth. accidentally eventually very Fortunately He had broken a window., it was only a small one. Which of these words can be used as adverbs? Tick the correct answers. today yesterday tomorrow too exciting really those it because very friend quickly 5 Explain how you know that the word soon in this sentence is an adverb. When he went to bed, Dad soon started snoring. The word soon is letting us know when Dad started snoring. Ouch! I know what adverbs are.

12 I Expanded noun phrases Look at this sentence: The teacher was talking. We can use an expanded noun phrase to give lots more information about the teacher. Example: The strict PE teacher with curly hair was talking. Can you underline the noun phrases in these sentences? Jake was eating a plate of chips. She has an old rusty bicycle. The freshly caught fish tasted delicious. Noun phrases have nouns in them. Can you underline the nouns in the noun phrases? An enormous cake. A balloon that is brightly coloured. Thousands of tiny red spiders. Replace the pronouns below with your own expanded noun phrases. It ran down the road. The cow that had escaped ran down the road. They swam out to sea. The family of wild dolphins swam out to sea. Look at the picture and finish the sentence with a great expanded noun phrase. In the picture there is a carrots. desperately sad little rabbit with no 5 Use your imagination to complete this table. noun expanded noun phrase Here we go! car spider brother a red sports car with a 5-litre engine a hairy black spider with only seven legs my annoying brother who won t stop talking I understand what expanded noun phrases are.

13 J Clauses Remember - a clause is a group of words including a subject and a verb. Example: I ride horses (subject) (verb) This is a main clause because it makes sense on its own. Subordinate clauses need to be with a main clause to make sense. Example: We put on our coats because it was raining. (main clause) (subordinate clause) Which of these are subordinate clauses? when I get home it is too hot even if we get lost unless you leave now where I d like to live Jake is my brother Can you think of some good words to connect these clauses? They had a great day out We won t win on Saturday She waited in the hall because if while the sun shone all day. we don t practise. I looked for the keys. Sometimes the subordinate clause comes before the main clause. Can you add some main clauses to finish these sentences? If you take the last biscuit, Because it is Saturday, I will be very annoyed with you. we don t need to go to school. Look at the picture and write your own sentence about it. Make sure your sentence has a main clause and a subordinate clause. Phew! I need to clean the wall because someone has splashed green paint on it. I know what main and subordinate clauses are.

14 K Sentences Sentences start with a capital letter and end with a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark. They contain a verb and they make sense on their own. Example: The baker makes great cakes! Which sentence uses a question mark correctly? Tick one. I bought a new pair of shoes on Friday? Did you buy new shoes on Friday? I want to buy some new shoes? Which of these are sentences? Tick the boxes. The dog has escaped. The children and their parents When it s time to leave, Is it time to go home? Stop looking at me! before it gets dark. Join these main clauses to make sentences by adding a joining word. Jack and Jill went up the hill, Let s go indoors and but let s eat the cake. Jack fell down. Sentences can have a main clause and a subordinate clause. Underline the main clauses below. Zoe started playing football again as soon as her leg felt better. Although it s summer, the weather is very poor. 5 Try to write your own sentence with two main clauses. Do you want fish and chips or would you like a salad? OK! Now try to think of a sentence with a main clause and a subordinate clause. When the clouds hide the sun, it feels quite cold. I understand what sentences are.

15 L Pronouns Pronouns are used to replace nouns in sentences. Example: Zac went on holiday He went on holiday (noun) (pronoun) We use pronouns to avoid repeating nouns and to make writing flow better. Write these sentences and replace the underlined words with pronouns. The twins cycled to school but the twins were late. The twins cycled to school but they were late. My dog found a bone and brought the bone to me. My dog found a bone and brought it to me. Circle the two words in this list that are not pronouns. I me she he the it they this we Can you improve this writing by replacing some nouns with pronouns? The kittens found a ball of wool. The kittens chased the ball of wool around the kitchen. Tom, their owner, tried to stop the kittens, but Tom was too slow. The kittens found a ball of wool. They chased it around the kitchen. Tom, their owner, tried to stop them but he was too slow. Add pronouns in the spaces below to complete the writing. The frogs are jumping in and out of the pond. It They them Their pond is great. is perfect for. seem to like jumping. 5 In your own words, can you explain what a pronoun is? A pronoun is a word that you can use instead of a noun. Yeah! I know how to use pronouns. 5

16 M Possessive pronouns Pronouns such as mine are posessive pronouns. They are used to show who something belongs to. Example: The ripped pencil case is mine. Can you unscramble the letters to complete this list of possessive pronouns? n m e i r h s e r h e s i t mine hers theirs s r u y o s i h u s r o yours his ours Add a possessive pronoun in each space below. I really like your bike said Zara. I wish it was. Lou looked surprised. Yours mine is not that bad, she replied. Secretly, Lou did think his was the best. This piece of writing has three mistakes in it. Can you write it out with no mistakes? My book has some pages missing. Your is in better condition than me. I wish my wasn t damaged. My book has some pages missing. Yours is in better condition than mine. I wish mine wasn t damaged. Sam thinks that the word they is a possessive pronoun. In your own words, try to explain why this is wrong. They is a pronoun like in they went home. Theirs is a possessive pronoun like in the house is theirs. OK! I know what possessive pronouns are and how to use them. 6

17 N Prepositions Prepositions often tell us where something is or when something happened. Example: The cat is under the table. She brushed her teeth before breakfast. Can you find these prepositions in the wordsearch? r l p x t z p n o s e c i e o n w a c t s e e d c b e b t u behind around after between beyond above near without since r a e n n b f b d v o e e o l l d h q v b s i f g v d n u o z x d y w u r i n g y o n d a o h t i w below over during d q l r b e t t e f r a e v v x o h j k Look at the picture and add your own prepositions to these sentences. The bird sneakily flew on through the window. It perched the edge of the fish tank which was in the table. The fish the tank hid a shell. on under Prepositions can be made up of more than one word e.g. instead of. Can you underline the prepositions below? The chimney was on top of the house. Our shed is next to the wall. There was a cow in front of the car. Look at this sentence: The sports car with a powerful engine. We can do this! With a powerful engine is called a prepositional phrase. Adding phrases like this helps to describe things better. Use prepositions to add your own phrases to these sentences. I saw a squirrel It was a brightly coloured bird I put it on the shelf behind a tree. with a very long beak. behind the door in the garage. I know how to use prepositions. 7

18 O Conjunctions The coordinating conjunctions and, but, or, nor and so connect words, phrases and main clauses together. For example: You and me The red bus or the green van I prefer chips but you prefer carrot sticks Subordinating conjunctions join subordinate clauses to main clauses. Example: He didn t have his homework because the dog ate it! Unscramble the letters to find six subordinating conjunctions. h l w f e t l t g a h o e i r a u h s s b n e e l f o u e r e a u s c e b while after although unless before because Add coordinating conjunctions to complete these sentences. Jack and Would you like a biscuit I would like to go Jill went up the hill. but or I can t. a cream cake? Use your own subordinating conjunctions to finish these sentences. I think I ll wear a coat After We waited outside it is very cold. they finish their lunches, they can have ice creams. while as they set up the room. 5 Add your own subordinate clauses to finish these sentences: We went home early They sat in the waiting room Add your own main clauses to finish this sentence. After the movie finished because it was too cold. until the train arrived., we went out for a pizza. Wow! I can use conjunctions. 8

19 P? Determiners Determiners go infront of nouns. They show us which noun we are talking about. Example: my book your book their books Did you know that numbers are determiners? Can you underline the determiners in these sentences? Our dog is crazy. She buries her bones and forgets where they are. She does it every day! Use these determiners to fill in the gaps below. their this five the many five They sailed for days in boat. day it rained was really many their bad. They have sailed times before, but they didn t enjoy trip. The this Unscramble these words to find some determiners. v e y r e m o s e y r o u every some your t o b h y m n a h t t a both many that Them is not a determiner. Can you write these sentences correctly? Can I have one of them sweets? Look at them ducks over there! Can I have one of those sweets? Look at those ducks over there! 5 Write a sentence showing how to use the word them correctly. These are my pets and I hope you like them. Phew! 6 Use your own words to explain why the word them is not a determiner. Them is a pronoun not a determiner. It replaces a noun in a sentence. I know what determiners are and I can use them. 9

20 Q Adverbials Remember - adverbials are groups of words that are used like adverbs. (Adverbs are adverbials too!) They tell us how, where, when, why or how much. Example: We need to leave in five minutes. Fronted adverbials go at the start of sentences. Example: In five minutes, we need to leave. Underline the adverbials in these sentences. The day after tomorrow, I m going on holiday. They jumped into the river without thinking. We finished our work as quickly as possible. Before we go home, we need to finish this. Can you think of your own fronted adverbials to start these sentences? Without stopping to look, When it saw the dog s teeth, his brother opened the door. the cat ran away. Look at the picture and write two sentences about it. Start each sentence with a fronted adverbial (and add a comma!) Before you can go into space, you need a rocket. When I m older, I want to be an astronaut. Put a tick next to the sentences where the comma is used correctly. In London there are, millions of people. Before you leave, help yourself to a biscuit. Let s pick up some apples, before it gets too dark. In three weeks, it will be the end of another school year. Easy peasy! I know what adverbials and fronted adverbials are. 0

21 RI Some more grammar questions Tick the sentence that could end with an exclamation mark. Is it time to go home The leaves fell from the trees in Autumn How are you feeling Stop dropping food on the carpet Draw lines to match each sentence to its missing determiner. I like An a She thought she saw rabbit with big ears orange makes a good snack the shooting stars an a the Choose your own adverbs to finish these sentences. She ate her lunch. Luckily quickly, we made it here in time. Replace the underlined words below with the correct pronoun. When Tom saw the tiger, Tom stood perfectly still. he The twins ate the cheese and the twins felt sick. they 5 Can you write this sentence correctly? I been on holiday with my family. I have been on holiday with my family. 6 Circle all the prepositions in this sentence. They walked through the hall and hid behind the door. I can answer some questions about grammar.

22 7 Can you turn this sentence into a question? They are enjoying their sandwiches. Are they enjoying their sandwiches? 8 Underline the subordinate clauses in these sentences. Before I go to school, I like to take my dog for a walk. We have three TVs because we can t agree about what to watch. 9 Can you circle the conjunction in each sentence? I enjoy swimming although it is hard work. I like orange juice, but I don t like apple juice. Because it is raining, I m staying indoors. 0 Use a possessive pronoun to finish this sentence. yours All these books are. Circle two adjectives in this sentence. My sister has a green bike with very small wheels. Look at this sentence and tick one box below. The giant oak tree is probably 00 years old. The underlined words are: Here we go! a fronted adverbial a main clause a noun phrase a subordinate clause I can answer some questions about grammar.

23 Punctuation AI Punctuation revision exercises Circle the word below that has an apostrophe to show possession. It s getting late. Let s go back to Jane s house. Replace the underlined words with shortened words (words with apostrophes). We are going out tonight, and I would like you to come with us. We re I d Add the best punctuation marks to the ends of these sentences. At what time will the bus leave Stop making such a mess The children were all reading quietly!?. BUS STOP Write this sentence again with the correct punctuation (you will need to add capital letter, or commas and full stop). the pencil case contains a rubber three pens a ruler five pencils and a pencil sharpener The pencil case contains a rubber, three pens, a ruler, five pencils and a pencil sharpener. 5 Swap this sentence around so that it has a fronted adverbial. We didn t buy any popcorn when we went to the cinema. When we went to the cinema, we didn t buy any popcorn. 6 Write your own sentence containing an apostrophe to show possession. The dog s toy has been chewed to pieces! I can answer some questions about punctuation.

24 7 Write this sentence again with no mistakes. Hint: there are two mistakes. You re book is covered in jam, and your going to be in trouble! Your book is covered in jam, and you re going to be in trouble. 8 Tick the sentence with the correct punctuation (tick one). Jake said, we re not happy about this! Jake said, We re not happy about this! Jake said, We re not happy about this! Jake said We re not happy about this! 9 This piece of writing has some commas, full stops, capital letters and apostrophes missing. Can you add them using a coloured pen or pencil? Cchestnut shared a stable with two other ponies. On Ttuesdays, Wwednesdays, Ffridays and Ssundays, it was Sals job to look after them. Her parents looked after them on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Its your job! Sal s mother would always say. 0 Explain in your own words the reasons why you would start new paragraphs in your writing. Yes! I would start a new paragraph every time a new person starts to speak. Also, I would start one if I start to talk about something different, or the time I am writing about changes. I can answer some questions about punctuation.

25 B Starting and ending sentences Sentences start with a capital letter and end with a full stop. However, questions end with a question mark (?). Sentences that show emotions such as anger, surprise and pleasure end with an exclamation mark (!). Tick the sentences that could end with an exclamation mark. What a mess we re in How silly you are What time is it You can t be serious Don t slam the door The shower is freezing Add the punctuation mark you would use at the end of these sentences. Can I sit here? What a ridiculous thing to say! The sheep were sheltering from the wind. Lunch will be at.0pm today. Write your own example of a sentence ending with a full stop. The train left the station fifteen minutes late. Write your own question about the moon. How many humans have walked on the moon? 5 Write your own sentence ending with an exclamation mark. Stop wasting time and get in the car! 6 Copy this sentence and use correct punctuation marks. the child ran through the door yelling, Come quickly the rabbit has escaped? The child ran through the door yelling, Come quickly! The rabbit has escaped! OK! I know what punctuation to use at the start and end of sentences. 5

26 C Commas in lists We use commas between words or phrases in a list. Example: We have early lunch on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. We usually put and or or between the last two things in the list. You can use a comma too if it makes your writing clear. Tick the sentence that has commas in the correct places. They had, egg, bacon, tomatoes and beans for breakfast. They had egg, bacon, tomatoes and beans, for breakfast. They had egg, bacon, tomatoes and beans for breakfast. Add commas to this sentence., My favourite fruits are apples pears bananas plums and oranges.,, We also use commas between short phrases, e.g. Mum asked me to tidy my room, close the curtains, empty the bin, and feed the cat. Write your own sentence using all these phrases: got on the plane arrived at the airport took off fastened our seatbelts We arrived at the airport, got on the plane, fastened our seatbelts, and took off. Write a list of three or more things to finish this list. During the summer holidays, I like to on holiday, and go to bed late. go for bike rides, meet up with my friends, go 5 Write this sentence again and add the correct punctuation marks. I go to swimming lessons on mondays football on wednesdays guitar practice on fridays and football again on saturdays ( or commas, capital letters and full stop) I go to swimming lessons on Mondays, football on Wednesdays, guitar practice on Fridays, and football again on Saturdays. Great! I can use commas to separate words/phrases in a list. 6

27 D Commas after fronted adverbials Remember: Adverbials are words or groups of words used like an adverb. They often tell us how, when or why something happened. Example: Before you go, say goodbye. Adverbials at the beginning (front) of sentences are called fronted adverbials, and we put a comma after them. Tick the sentences that have commas in the correct places. When it was 6 o clock he caught, the train. Every day, I eat an apple with my lunch. When it was 6 o clock, he caught the train. Every day I eat, an apple with my lunch. These sentences start with fronted adverbials. Can you finish them? When you go to the cinema, In the winter, we need to wear coats. you must have popcorn. We don t usually use commas when adverbials are at the end of sentences. Example: I watched TV when I had finished my lunch. One of these sentences needs a comma. Can you add the comma in the right place? Because it had been snowing we couldn t cycle home. We couldn t cycle home because it had been snowing., OK! Write three sentences to finish this short story. Use at least one fronted adverbial. Last summer, the twins went to stay with their grandparents. In the cupboard under the stairs, they found a very unusual wooden box. Without thinking about what could be inside, they opened it. What a surprise they got. In ten seconds, they had made a discovery that would change their lives. I can use commas after fronted adverbials. 7

28 E Apostrophes to show where letters are missing We use apostrophes to show where letters have been left out of words. Example: I will We have I ll We ve Can you make these shorter by taking out letters? a) does not c) they will doesn t they ll b) did not d) we would didn t we d Won t is quite unusual. Do you know what it is short for? Won t is short for will not Shortened words can have more than one meaning. Look at these examples and fill in the gaps. We d like to know the answer. We d is short for We d waited for two hours. We d is short for They d already finished their work. They d is short for They d really like to see this. They d is short for we would we had they had they would Watch out for these common mistakes. Fill in the correct answers. Should ve means Would ve means should have would have not should of! not would of! 5 This piece of writing has four apostrophes missing. Can you add them? ' ' ' ' They dont want to go because theyve been before. Theyll not be happy until theyre allowed to stay at home. Wow! 6 In your own words explain the difference between the words your and you re. Your is a determiner as in your bike. You re is short for you are as in you re late. I can shorten words using apostrophes. 8

29 ' ' ' ' F Apostrophes to show who something belongs to (possession) The bike belongs to one girl the girl s bike Here we add s The bikes belong to the girls (plural) the girls bikes Here we add after the s The bikes belong to the children (plural) the children s bikes With these plural nouns that don t end in s, we add s Add an apostrophe to the underlined words to make them correct. a) A sharks teeth are sharp. c) The brothers faces look the same. e) Our womens football team is top of the league. b) Humaras bike is broken. ' d) The childrens books were on the floor. Complete this table. the king a dog the men Mr Smith the elephants crown kennel boots clothes trunks the king s crown a dog s kennel the men s boots Mr Smith s clothes the elephants trunks Write two sentences and use two words with apostrophes to show possession. The cat s bowl is empty. The rabbits bowls are empty too. Can you complete these sentences (the first is done)? Ask your teacher to check these for you. OK! The car belonging to Mrs Atkin is The car belonging to Mrs Jones is The car belonging to Mr Dickens is Mrs Atkin s Mrs Jones s Mr Dickens s With names like Jones and Dickens, there is more than one possible answer! car. car. car. I can use apostrophes to show possession. 9

30 G Common mistakes with apostrophes Some words that have been made shorter using apostrophes sound like other words. Example: You re sounds like your They re sounds like their Be careful not to mix these words up! Write your or you re in these sentences to make them correct. Is this your If you don t hurry up, your book. you re going to be late. you re Bring lunch if coming with us. Write your own sentence with the word its in it. The bird is in its nest. Now write a sentence containing the word it s. It s a shame that we can t go to the cinema. Can you write this sentence again with no mistakes? Its a great book, but I don t know who s it is. It s a great book, but I don t know whose it is. 5 Add the words they re, their and there in the correct spaces below. there their they re Over is where they keep bikes, which going to ride home later. In your own words, can you explain the difference between they re and their? Hint: try and use the word determiner in your answer. Their is a determiner as in their house. They re is short for they are. Bring it on! I can avoid making mistakes with apostrophes. 0

31 H Inverted Commas Inverted commas are used to show when someone is speaking. Example: Jon asked, What time is it? comma capital letter punctuation mark inside the inverted commas Can you complete these sentences about how to use inverted commas? We start each new bit of speech with a use a ends comma with a punctuation mark to introduce speech. capital inside letter. Speech always the inverted commas. We Add commas and full stops to finish these sentences.,.,. She said This is a tasty sandwich He thought I d like to go to the moon one day Circle the four mistakes in this sentence and then write it out correctly. there is a spider on the wall Said the child? There is a spider on the wall, said the child. Add the missing punctuation marks to these sentences. Where is my coat? asked Sara. They shouted, We re over here! Tired! 5 Look at the picture and turn it into two sentences with the correct punctuation. Hi Tom, have you seen my pencil? No, sorry. Katie walked up to Tom and pencil? No, sorry, he replied. asked, Hi Tom, have you seen my I understand how to use inverted commas.

32 I Using paragraphs Paragraphs are used to organise our writing. We use a new paragraph when: The topic changes. A new person starts speaking. The time or place we are writing about changes. Look at this passage and write the symbol // in all the places where you would start a new paragraph. One break time, Miss Foster was drinking coffee from her favourite mug. She had brought the mug back from a holiday in Australia, and it was very precious to her. It s my favourite / / / possession, she told the children. What s so special about it? asked George. Well, for a start, it was hand painted, Miss Foster explained. Many years later, after Miss Foster had retired, the mug was even more precious. Now it reminded her of all the wonderful children she had met during her many years of teaching. OK! Explain why you would start the nd paragraph. George starts speaking after Miss Foster finished speaking. Explain why you would start the rd paragraph. Miss Foster speaks again after George. Explain why you would start the th paragraph. The time has changed to many years later. I understand how to use paragraphs.

33 A Spelling Doubling letters before adding a suffix To add -ed -ing or -er, we follow these rules: Important - some words don t follow these rules. If the word ends with a vowel and a consonant clap clapping If the word ends with two consonants burn burning If the word ends with two vowels and a consonant keep keeping (we double the last letter) (we don t double the last letter) (we don t double the last letter) Add -ing and any other letters you need to these words. ping ping ping ping shop stop clap slap Now try adding -ed to these. ed ed burn turn start guard ed ed Add the suffix -er to these words. Remember that the letter x is never doubled. er ner er er box run farm mix Try completing these tables with some longer words (more than one syllable). word suffix new word word suffix new word forbid ing forbidding suffer er sufferer begin ing beginning differ ing differing Now check all your answers using a dictionary. Wow! 5 Use a dictionary to find out how to add suffixes to these words ending in el. travelling travel + ing cancel + ing cancelling I know when to double letters before adding suffixes.

34 BI More about adding suffixes When adding suffixes that begin with a vowel to words ending in e, the e at the end of the word is dropped. e.g. cycle + ing cycling This is not true with words ending in two vowels. e.g. see + ing seeing Suffixes starting with consonants (-ment -ness -ful) are usually added without any changes to the root words. Try adding the following suffixes to their root words. tickle + ing tickling giggle + ing giggling care + ing caring care + ful careful hope + ing hoping hope + ful hopeful Add the following suffixes to their root words. inform + ation information confirm + ation confirmation admire + ation admiration sense + ation sensation Complete these tables. root word suffix new word root word suffix new word enjoy -ment enjoyment sad -ness sadness play -ful playful doubt -ful doubtful hope -less hopeless clue -less clueless Some words are exceptions to the rules. Try these: OK! be + ing being argue + ment argument happy + ness happiness plenty + ful plentiful Use a dictionary to check your answers. I understand when to drop an e before adding a suffix and how to add -ment -ness and -ful.

35 CI The suffix -ous Sometimes the suffix -ous is added straight on to a root word and sometimes it isn t. The questions on this page will remind you of some of the rules for adding -ous. Add -ous to these words. poison + ous danger + ous fame + ous poisonous dangerous famous Use a dictionary to find out what happens to these words ending in our when the suffix -ous is added. humour + ous vigour + ous humorous vigorous Complete this sentence: our With words ending our we change to before adding the suffix -ous. or Now try adding -ous to these words. courage + ous outrage + ous courageous outrageous No problem! 5 Some words are quite tricky and you will need to watch out for them. Write this sentence again with no spelling mistakes. It was a disasterous end to the day because she was covered in monsterous insect bites! It was a disastrous end to the day because she was covered in monstrous insect bites. I can add the suffix -ous. 5

36 DI Similar sounding suffixes The word endings -ture and -sure sound similar. Example: treasure, picture The endings -sion, -cian and -tion also sound similar. Example: expansion, action, politician This page will help you to learn some tricky spellings. Add -sure, -ture or -cher to complete these words. trea sure mea sure tea cher adven ture crea ture tempera ture Can you complete these sentences? The doctor will give you an inj. Look at the expr My dad is an electr. We had an exten ession ician sion ection on his face! on our house. Try to find two words with each ending below. You re not allowed to use words that are on this page! -ssion -tion -ture -sure permission submission station nation feature nature leisure insure Wow! Challenge! Find as many words as you can that end with -cian. You need more than five to be a genius! politician electrician technician beautician magician optician I know when to use -ture -sure -sion -cian and -tion. 6

37 EI Prefixes We add prefixes to the beginnings of root words to make new words. Example: super (prefix) + star (root word) superstar (new word) Prefixes give us a clue about what words mean. For example, re- means again, so rewrite means write again. Can you complete this table to work out what some words mean? prefix what the prefix means word what the word means sub- under subheading under the main heading inter- between intercity between cities super- very big superstar very big star We need to be careful not to mix up the prefixes dis- and mis-. Add dis- or mis- to these root words to make new words. dis mis obey behave dis mis believe spell dis dis appoint appear Can you add in- il- ir- or im- to these words? ir relevant in correct im mortal im patient im mature in active il legal ir regular OK! In your own words, try to explain what these words mean. Hint: the prefixes should give you a clue! anticlockwise Anticlockwise means opposite to clockwise. irregular Irregular means not regular. I know how a prefix can change the meaning of a word. 7

38 FI Homophones Homophones are words that sound the same. They have different spellings and meanings. Write the correct homophones into each of these sentences. ball bawl ball bawl Please pass the. The baby started to. grate great I m having a Anyone can great grate time. cheese. knot Tie the That s not knot not tight! my coat. meddle I won a silver. Don t medal medal meddle with my things! main mane The horse has a black. Fish is the main mane course. steel steal They tried to steal my bike. steel The spoon is made of. Write your own short sentences to show what these homophones mean. No! a) b) c) d) your you re whose who s accept except their there they re Your coat is black. You re going to miss me when I ve gone. Whose biscuits are these? Who s put my pencil down the sink? I can t accept your gift. Everyone except me has a packed lunch. Their house is at the end of the road. The one I want is over there. They re not going to get home on time. I know some common homophones. 8

39 GI Some more questions about spelling Tick these words if they are spelt correctly or write them again with the correct spelling. shef sience chef tongue machine science cresent crescent cemist chemist Look at the prefix in the underlined word in this sentence: The fish is uncooked. Now complete this: This means that the fish is not cooked. Draw lines to match each word with a correct suffix. comfort harm self ish able ful Write your own sentences to show what these homophones mean. heel heal he ll The heel has broken off my shoe. I hope my sore toe is going to heal soon. He ll never make friends by being rude. 5 Write out these sentences again with no spelling mistakes. a) The Prime Minister is a politicion The Prime Minister is a politician. b) TV stars are very glamourous TV stars are very glamorous. Easy peasy! I can answer questions about spelling. 9

40 HI Checking my own spelling When you do a piece of writing, always check the spelling of any words you re not sure about. Circle the three spelling mistakes in this paragraph and write the correct spellings in the boxes below. One day last August, Jake and Annie went for a picknic on the beach with their family. It was a warm sunny day, and the sky was blue. Occassionally, white fluffy clouds would pass in front of the sun, and it would feel a little cooler. As she relaxed in the sunshine, Annie stared at the clouds. She began to spot some interesting shapes. Look! she shouted, making the others jump. That one looks like a frog! Your crazy! remarked Jake. Correct spellings: picnic occasionally you re OK go! Write another paragraph to continue this story and then use a dictionary to check your spellings. Annie couldn t stop thinking about the patterns in the clouds. Five minutes later, she shouted out again. Look at that rat! she exclaimed! Be quiet! said her Mum. People will think you ve seen a real rat on the beach! Annie started to laugh. She hadn t thought about the possibility of other people listening in. Her mum saw the funny side too. A few minutes later, pointing to the sky, she said, I can see a shark! in a very loud voice. Let s hope the people swimming in the sea had a good sense of humour too! I can check my own spelling. 0