Transcript

Literacy Guidelines

A Writing Guide for Key Stage 3

This booklet is designed to remind you of the basic

rules of grammar, punctuation and spelling. It also

offers advice about the different types of writing

you do in school.

Contents

Rules and Reminders page/s

General Rules of Writing in School 1

How to Set Out Your Work 2

Checking Your Writing in Class 3

The Key Terms of Language 4 - 11

Sentences 12 - 15

Capital Letters 16 - 17

Paragraphs 18 - 19

Punctuation 20 - 21

Writing Direct Speech 22

Common Errors 23 - 30

Writing Skills Used in School page/s

Planning and Organising 31

Explaining 32

Describing 33 - 34

Discussing 35

Reflecting and Evaluating 36

Analysing 37

Comparing 38

Writing Styles 39 - 50

Spelling 51 - 55

Reading Skills 56

Speaking and Listening in class 57

Your writing in school should be formal and polite. This means that you

must write in a style that is as accurate and correct as you can make it.

You must always remember that in school you are mainly writing for an

adult audience, so choose your words wisely.

In formal writing, you should not use apostrophes to shorten words,

such as don’t, isn’t, it’s and you’re.

Your writing should not sound like speech. Words that are commonly

used in casual speech, such as gonna, gotten, cos, ain’t and innit, have no

place in the classroom.

Slang terms, such as cool, sick, wicked and lol, should also be avoided

when writing in school. Occasionally, a task may require you to use

slang for a particular audience or purpose but informal language should

otherwise be avoided.

Sentences should not begin with connectives (joining words) such as

but, because, or and and.

Of course, there will be many occasions when teachers encourage you

to write imaginatively - do not hold back! Just remember that the

most imaginative stories are written in a style that is formal, accurate

and polite.

WRITING IN SCHOOL

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In many subjects, the date must be written on the right hand side of

the page at the start of every new piece of work.

The title of the work must be written in the middle of the page.

If the title is too long to fit neatly alongside the date, write it on

the next line. Both the title and the date must be underlined.

Some subjects may also require you to write either Classwork or

Homework at the start of the work or in the margin.

You may sometimes be required to set out a piece of writing using

sub-headings. These must be written next to the margin and they

must be underlined.

Note: these rules do not apply in Art, where you will use a sketchbook.

HOW TO SET OUT YOUR WORK

Tables, maps and diagrams

In subjects such as Science, Maths and Geography you are required to

draw graphs, charts, tables, maps and diagrams to present information,

data and results. There are important things to remember when

presenting information in this way.

Use a sharp pencil and a ruler to draw straight lines and to

underline headings and sub-headings.

Draw in pencil but write in tables and label maps and diagrams

neatly using a pen.

Use colour where appropriate - a little colour can make maps and

diagrams clearer.

You will need:

eraser pencil sharpener

pencil compass

coloured pencils

ruler

pen

protractor

highlighter pens

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CHECKING YOUR WRITING IN CLASS

Making corrections

You must check your writing for mistakes before your teacher sees it.

Make sure that each sentence makes sense and that you have used

punctuation correctly. Add missed paragraph breaks using a double

slash (//) and check spellings using a dictionary.

How to use a dictionary to help your spelling

Dictionaries are available in all subject areas for you to use at any

time when you are doing written work.

You should use a dictionary to check spellings that you are unsure

of when you have finished your writing.

Question

“How do I look up a word if I can’t spell it?”

Answer

Firstly, think about the sounds that make up the word.

What sound does the word start with?

Which letter or group of letters could make that sound?

This should direct you to the correct ‘letter’ section of

the dictionary (it is in alphabetical order).

What sound comes next in the word?

This will help you to search through the list of words

in that section until you find the word you need to spell.

With a little ‘trial and error’ you will find the correct word.

If you are still struggling, ask for help.

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THE KEY TERMS OF LANGUAGE

Language Term and Function Examples

Noun - the name of something

Common nouns are the names given

to general people, places or things,

e.g. boy, student, school, book.

Proper nouns are the names of

specific people, places or things,

including titles e.g. Kate, Baldock,

Liverpool F.C., Star Wars. Proper

nouns begin with capital letters.

Abstract nouns are the names of

feelings, qualities or ideas that you

cannot see, touch or hear,

e.g. love, bravery, dedication,

honesty, happiness, beauty.

(Nouns that you can see, touch or

hear are called concrete nouns.)

cup

decision

cheeseburger

job

Queen Elizabeth I

person

happiness

Mr Happy

courage

London

Pronoun - used in place of a noun

Pronouns are used to avoid

repetition and to make your writing

flow smoothly.

I, you, he, she, it, we, they, me,

my, his, him, her, their, them, us,

our, this, that, herself, himself

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THE KEY TERMS OF LANGUAGE

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Language Term and Function Examples

Noun phrase - a descriptive name

A noun phrase is a group of words

which presents a more descriptive

version of a noun.

Noun phrases can be made by

adding words to nouns to develop

their meaning or be more specific,

e.g. ‘the sandy beach’, ‘my favourite

dress’, ‘a puzzling thought’.

Use noun phrases to be more

expressive in descriptive writing.

the skilful midfielder

my birthday cake

acid rain

some of my friends

the Year 7 disco

old oak tree

Modifier - changes meaning

To modify a word means to change

or develop its meaning, often by

adding more specific detail.

Nouns are often modified

by adjectives.

Verbs are often modified

by adverbs.

‘the happy teacher’ - happy

(adjective) modifies teacher

(noun)

‘the pupil thought creatively’ -

creatively (adverb) modifies

thought (verb)

‘she arrives tomorrow’ - tomorrow

(adverb) modifies arrives (verb).

THE KEY TERMS OF LANGUAGE

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Language Term and Function Examples

Adjective - a describing word

An adjective describes a noun

or a pronoun.

Adjectives describe qualities or

characteristics such as texture,

size and colour.

They are used to give a more

detailed picture of the thing being

described.

good, jolly, fast, bright, big,

smart, incredible, beautiful,

vicious, pretty, clever, pink,

smooth, rocky, delicate, vast

The talented artist used

intricate brushwork.

When heated, the

chemicals in the

beaker became very

hot and turned blue.

Verb - a ‘doing’ word

Verbs express:

physical actions - to smile, to write

mental actions - to think, to guess

states of being - to be, to exist

Verbs can be in the present tense

or the past tense.

jump, jumping, jumped, have, had,

do, done, eat, excited, scared,

smile, smiled, smiling, wrote,

writing, dream, dreamt

(‘To be’ = am, are, was, were, is)

The athlete sprinted to the finish.

She considered the problem.

The experiment was a success.

THE KEY TERMS OF LANGUAGE

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Language Term and Function Examples

Adverb - used to describe

Adverbs are used to add more

detail to a verb or adjective

by indicating:

how

where

when

frequency - how often / much

They may be considered to

describe the way in which

something is done or the time

in which it happens.

Adverbial - an adverb or phrase

An adverbial is a word or phrase

that describes details such as

time, place and effect.

Adverbials are often separated

by commas.

They can be used to link ideas in

long pieces of writing, such as

essays and science experiments.

place

In the distance,...

From the outside,...

time

We waited as long as we could.

Moments later,...

The bus leaves in five minutes.

effect

Amazingly,...

As a result,...

Interestingly,...

how

quickly, well, really, happily, quite

The goalkeeper played very well.

where

here, there, nearby, everywhere

He looked up and ran back.

when

later, now, early, yesterday, soon

She answered immediately.

frequency

usually, often, sometimes, rarely

They never forget their P.E. kit.

THE KEY TERMS OF LANGUAGE

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Language Term and Function Examples

Preposition - ‘how nouns fit in’

A preposition is used with a noun to

show how the noun relates to

something else in the sentence.

Prepositions show direction and

location - where nouns are in

relation to other things,

and time - when things happen.

Prepositions are also used

with pronouns:

She laughed at him.

It is a box for biscuits.

- ‘for’ shows the relationship between biscuits and box

We met after the party.

- ‘after’ shows the relationship between party and met

Prepositions: above, about, across, against,

along, among, around, at, before, behind, below, beneath, beside,

between, beyond, by, down, during, except, for, from, in, inside, into, like, near, of, off, on, since, to,

toward, through, under, until, up, upon, with, within

Determiner - ‘introduces a noun’

A determiner identifies a noun as a

specific thing or a general thing.

Some examples of determiners are:

articles (e.g. the, a or an)

demonstratives (e.g. this, those)

possessives (e.g. my, your)

quantifiers (e.g. some, every).

the final design

a good result

that day

these reasons

their parents

my best performance

some people

every word

THE KEY TERMS OF LANGUAGE

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Language Term and Function Examples

Modal verbs - ‘you must learn this’

Modal verbs are used to show that

something is thought to be certain,

probable or possible.

They also express

ability and obligation.

The main modal verbs are:

will, would, can, could, may, might,

shall, should, must and ought.

They might not think so but

they will love it!

I would like some dessert, please.

They could see the sea.

You may feel a bit silly.

Year 7 can do well in their exams.

You must do your homework.

Active voice / Passive voice

In the active voice, the

subject of a sentence is the

person or thing that performs

the action of the verb.

In the passive voice the action

happens to the subject

of the sentence.

This style is sometimes used in

Science and Technology.

It can sound more formal, focusing

on the process and not the person.

Active voice sentences

The boy kicked the ball.

The school arranged a trip.

The pupils passed their exams.

Passive voice sentences

The ball was kicked by the boy.

A trip was arranged by the school.

The exams were passed by pupils.

Chemicals were mixed together.

The plastic is heated then fed

into a mould.

THE KEY TERMS OF LANGUAGE

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Language Term and Function Examples

Cohesion - ‘flow’

Your writing will sound

sophisticated if it flows together

and has ‘cohesion’.

This is when the writing has a

logical structure and makes sense

without being slowed by repetition.

Cohesive devices are words and

phrases that are used to create

the effect of cohesion.

Examples of cohesive devices:

pronouns which refer back to

earlier nouns, e.g. ‘they’

adverbials and adverbs, which

explain when, where or how

things are done. These lead

the reader through a long

description or explanation

connectives, which help to

develop full explanations and give

structure to the writing

A text has cohesion if it is clear

how its parts fit together to

present an overall meaning.

Cohesive devices help to do this.

In the example below, there are

repeated references to the same

thing, and the links between

different parts, such as time,

place and cause, are clear.

A visit has been arranged for

Year 6, to the Mountain Peaks

Field Study Centre, leaving

school at 9.30am. This is an

overnight visit. The centre has

beautiful grounds and a nature

trail. During the afternoon, the

children will follow the trail.

They are advised to wear boots

as it can get muddy.

After breakfast on the

second day, the children will

visit a national park, where they

will have the opportunity to

take photographs. The children

are expected to arrive back at

school at 5.30pm.

THE KEY TERMS OF LANGUAGE

Here are some examples of these words in sentences.

proper noun verb noun

Katie loves animals.

pronoun connective pronoun verb adjective noun

She and I felt great happiness.

pronoun adverb verb preposition noun adverb

I always walk to school enthusiastically.

noun phrase modal verb verb proper noun noun preposition

Year 7 pupils should support Liverpool F. C. pride. with

article noun verb preposition article adjective noun

A squirrel scurried across the wet grass.

article adjective noun verb preposition article noun

An interesting thing happened on the bus.

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adverbial pronoun modal verb verb quantifier noun

After lunch, we will have another lesson.

pronoun verb preposition verb adverbial

We intend to start in half an hour.

pronoun modal verb verb noun phrase adverbial

You may wear summer uniform next week.

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Make your writing interesting and lively by using a variety of

sentences. Use short sentences to present points and ideas in a

more punchy, direct way. Longer sentences should be used to

explain or describe things in more detail.

Different types of sentence:

1. Simple sentence

A simple sentence contains a subject (the person or thing

involved in the action) and a verb (action word). Many simple

sentences also contain an object (the person or thing receiving

the action).

A simple sentence expresses a complete thought.

The cat sat on the mat.

2. Complex sentence

A complex sentence contains more detail.

i. Add extra information between two commas:

The cat, which was feeling tired, sat on the mat.

ii. Add detail at the beginning or end, using a comma:

Feeling tired, the cat sat on the mat.

The cat sat on the mat, feeling tired.

SENTENCES

iii. Add detail starting with a subordinating connective:

The cat sat on the mat because he was tired.

The extra detail added in a complex sentence is called a

subordinate clause. Subordinate clauses do not make sense on

their own.

3. Compound sentence

A compound sentence is two simple sentences joined by a

coordinating connective: and, but, so, or, for, yet, nor.

For example, these two simple sentences can be joined:

The cat sat on the mat. It purred as it drifted off to sleep.

The cat sat on the mat and purred as it drifted off to sleep.

Developing descriptive sentences

Add detail to a sentence using adjectives and adverbs.

The lazy cat, which was feeling tired, sat on the warm, fluffy

mat and purred quietly as it drifted off to sleep.

Be more creative by changing the word order and vocabulary.

Feeling very sleepy, the lazy cat slumped gently onto the warm,

fluffy mat and purred quietly as it drifted into a deep slumber.

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Connectives are important words because they join sentences or

parts of sentences together. Connectives help you to add detail

to sentences.

There are two types of connectives:

1. A coordinating connective joins parts of a sentence that

are equally important.

The dog chased the ball and barked.

I have chips for dinner but only on a Friday.

2. A subordinating connective joins parts of a sentence and

also shows the relationship between those parts.

The sky darkened as night fell.

The boy shivered because he was cold.

CONNECTIVES

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Subordinating connectives

because before after as although if while

unless since though when however until

Coordinating connectives

and but or so for yet nor

The examples below show how you can make your writing more

interesting by changing the way you start sentences.

This is a useful skill when writing to describe, argue, report or explain.

DESCRIPTIVE SENTENCES

Start with a

time

Before, during, earlier, later, since, meanwhile,

whenever, already, until.

Since the start of the

project, we have

discovered some

surprising results.

Start with an

adverb

Adverb: describes a verb - how something

is done.

Cautiously looking out

for traffic, the

children crossed the

road.

Start with

verb + ing

Verb: ‘action’ or ‘doing’

word.

Seeing that the

goalkeeper was out of

position, Charlie shot

from long distance.

Start with

verb + ed

Verb: ‘action’ or ‘doing’

word.

Exhausted from our

climb, we slept soundly

in our tents.

Start with a

place

On, inside, outside, throughout, near,

beyond, among, below, beneath, towards.

Throughout Europe,

people felt the impact

of the Great War .

Start with a

reservation

Although, even if,

whereas, despite, if.

Although opinions vary,

I must agree that

school uniform is

important.

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Proper nouns always start with a capital letter - the names of

specific people, places, characters, things and organisations:

CAPITAL LETTERS

Capital letters are used to begin sentences and for

the pronoun ‘I’.

E.g. This is how I write accurately.

People

E.g. Gemma William Mo Farrah Mum / Dad *

* Mum and Dad have capitals when they are used as names, e.g.

Where are my socks, Mum? When used generally, the words do

not have capitals, e.g. I played football with my dad.

Groups of People

E.g. British Army Conservative Party Girl Guides

Characters in Books and Films

E.g. Hermione Hamlet Snow White Katniss Everdeen

Places

E.g. Baldock England Europe Trafalgar Square

Nationalities, Religions and their Believers

E.g. English American Christianity Jewish Hindus

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Schools, Clubs, Companies, Charities, Brands

E.g. The Knights Templar School Liverpool Football Club

Tesco British Gas Google Oxfam Coca Cola

Days, Months, Religious Days (but not seasons!)

E.g. Sunday Tuesday May August Christmas Easter

Capital letters are also used to begin key words in titles:

E.g. Romeo and Juliet The Wind in the Willows

* The first word in a title always begins with a capital letter.

You should use capital letters in this way when writing titles and

headings in your school work.

E.g. The Formation of Glaciers How to Bake a Cake

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Formal Roles and Titles

E.g. Prime Minister Queen Elizabeth Duchess of Cambridge

Use capitals to begin formal roles or titles that refer to specific

people - these are proper nouns.

E.g. The Headmaster taught us about the Queen of England.

Capital letters are not required when writing about roles or titles

in general terms - these are common nouns.

E.g. Today we learned about kings and queens.

Paragraphs break up your writing so that it is easy to read. They

can be viewed as stepping stones, leading your reader through

your writing. Each step should make a clear point and the steps

should flow together to create a clear path from beginning to

end.

To indicate a new paragraph, start a new line and leave a small

space between the margin and your writing. This is known as

indenting. When typing, you should either leave a line between

your paragraphs or indent.

You must start a new paragraph to show a change of focus in your

writing:

a new point, subject or idea

a change in time

Glaciers once covered large areas of the Earth and shaped the

landscape around them. The legacy of ancient glaciers lives on,

for example in areas such as the Lake District.

There are three processes by which glaciation affects the

landscape: erosion, transportation, and deposition...

‘...I don’ like cats, they make me sneeze. I’ll get yer an owl. All the kids want

owls, they’re dead useful, carry yer post an’ everythin’.’

Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had

been dark and full of rustling and flickering, jewel-bright eyes. Harry now

carried a large cage which held a beautiful snowy owl...

PARAGRAPHS

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a change of place

a new speaker

...she remembered the card tucked into her diary. Thank Heaven the thief

had not removed that! She hailed a cab, and gave the driver the address.

Burton Street was a shabby little place in the neighbourhood of

the British Museum. The door of number 45 was open; a painted sign pro-

claimed that W. and F. Garland conducted their business there...

‘It’s on’y a mouse, George.’

‘A mouse? A live mouse?’

‘Uh-uh. Jus’ a dead mouse, George. I didn’ kill it. Honest! I found it.’

‘Give it here!’ said George.

Planning in Paragraphs

Plan each writing task as a sequence of

paragraphs - a clear line of stepping stones.

When planning, make a note of your ideas and

then organise them into paragraph groups.

Your opening paragraph should introduce your main idea in an

interesting but direct way. Your final paragraph should leave

your reader with the feeling that you have covered all the points

and ideas that you wanted to make.

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Full stops show the ends of sentences.

Commas show pauses in sentences and separate

items in a list.

I like to eat apples, bananas, pears and grapes.

PUNCTUATION

Exclamation marks indicate strong feelings.

That is amazing!

Question marks indicate questions.

Did you enjoy the show?

Colons introduce lists.

You will need: a sleeping bag, clean socks and a packed lunch.

Use them also before an explanation or example.

When Harry discovers that he is a wizard, he feels

excited and confused: ‘Questions exploded inside Har-

ry’s head like fireworks...’.

Semi colons show a pause between two parts of a long sentence; they

could be separated by a full stop but the semi colon shows that they

are closely linked.

The sun warmed the grass. It was a hot day.

The sun warmed the grass; it was a hot day.

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Apostrophes have two functions:

1. to shorten words in informal language and speech

(known as contractions)

Apostrophes replace missing letters.

E.g. is not isn’t they are they’re

it is it’s will not won’t

2. to show possession - when something belongs to somebody

The apostrophe points at the owner.

E.g. the boy’s book Mary’s house

Mrs Jones’s dog James’s bag

When something belongs to more than one person, the

apostrophe follows the plural word.

E.g. the children’s toys the girls’ money

the pupils’ essays the men’s toilet

Common errors:

Plural words do not require apostrophes.

Do not write: book’s; coffee’s; day’s etc.

Verbs ending in ‘s’ do not require apostrophes.

Do not write: see’s; need’s; buy’s etc.

PUNCTUATION - APOSTROPHES

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WRITING DIRECT SPEECH

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Use speech marks around direct speech.

Use punctuation before the closing speech marks.

e.g. “Good morning.” or “Good morning,” said the teacher.

If the punctuation does not belong to the speech, it goes outside

the speech marks.

e.g. Did you hear him say, “I’ll be back soon”?

Use a comma before speech marks in a sentence.

e.g. James said, “Let’s play football.”

Use a capital letter to start speech unless the speech is

continued in the same sentence.

e.g. The teacher said, “Good morning.”

“Hello,” said the teacher, “how are you?”

a lot / as well / thank you

These are written as two words - they should not be written alot,

aswell or thankyou.

its / it’s

its meaning ‘belonging to it’ has no apostrophe (this breaks

the apostrophe rule)

e.g. The dog chased its ball.

it’s with an apostrophe means ‘it is’ (it helps to always read it

to yourself that way)

e.g. It’s a lovely day.

Use it is in your writing in school unless there is a reason to use

the informal version - it’s.

bought / brought

buy in the past tense is bought (‘b’ sounds)

e.g. I am going to buy some sweets. I bought some sweets.

bring in the past tense is brought (‘br’ sounds)

e.g. You may bring sweets. I brought some jelly beans.

COMMON ERRORS TO AVOID

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COMMON ERRORS TO AVOID

there / their / they’re

there = a place (like ‘where’ and ‘here’)

their = relates or belongs to ‘them’

they’re = a shortened version of ‘they are’ (used in speech)

your / you’re

your = belonging to you

you’re = ‘you are’ abbreviated (in informal language/speech)

wear / where / were

you wear clothes

where refers to a place (it has ‘here’ in it - like ‘there’!)

were = ‘are’ in the past tense.

Many people use ‘could of’ - this is incorrect.

This is because ‘could of’ is often mistaken for ‘could have’ as it

sounds like ‘could’ve’.

The same mistake is made with ‘should have’ - people incorrectly

use ‘should of’.

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Two, too or to?

The word two refers to the number 2.

The word too should be used to mean:

too much:

= Your hair is too long.

= That is too expensive.

in addition or as well:

= I’d like that one too, please.

= We laughed and the teacher chuckled too.

These meanings relate to something extra, so always remember

the extra ‘o’.

On all other occasions, you should use the word to.

COMMON ERRORS TO AVOID

Tenses

Most writing in school is in the past tense

I walked to school smiling, it was a sunny day.

You may wish to use the present tense

I am walking to school smiling, it is a sunny day.

Stick to one or the other!

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advise / advice

advise = verb (an action / something you do)

advice = noun (a thing)

e.g. I advise you to follow my advice.

The same is true of practise / practice.

Practise = verb (something you do)

Practice = noun (a thing)

e.g. ‘I practise my skills at football practice.’

Practice is often used incorrectly

- ‘I need to practice my skills’ is wrong!

‘I need to practise my skills’ is correct - use ‘s’ as it is a verb -

something you do.

affect / effect

affect = verb (an action)

The loud music affected my concentration.

effect = noun (a thing)

The effect of the loud music was disturbing.

COMMON ERRORS TO AVOID

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Who, Which or That

Use who when writing about people.

Joe is the boy who ate the chocolates. The man who sold the chocolates is called Bob.

Use which when writing about animals or things.

The chocolates, which were delicious, had soft centres. Joe bought the chocolates, which had soft centres.

It is acceptable to use the word that to refer to people or

things though it is often better to use who or which.

Joe gave Sarah some of the chocolates that he had bought. Joe gave Sarah some of the chocolates which he had bought.

Do not use ampersands / ‘and’ signs - ‘&’

Ampersands are used in a variety of situations:

business names, e.g. Johnson & Johnson

film titles, e.g. Fast & Furious, Batman & Robin

in specific names for things, e.g. R & B (music)

You must not use ampersands in the place of the word ‘and’ in

your writing in school unless you are making rough notes.

COMMON ERRORS TO AVOID

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Who’s and Whose

Who’s is a shortened version of ‘who is’. It should only be used in

informal language and speech.

Whose refers to belonging, e.g. Whose chocolates are these?

COMMON ERRORS TO AVOID

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lose / loose

‘You might lose a shoe if your lace is loose.’

Lots of people write ‘loose’ when they mean ‘lose’ - take care!

whether / weather

‘Whether or not we go depends on the weather.’

lie / lay

Do not use lay when you should use lie.

To lie means to recline or rest in a flat position.

E.g. I need to lie down on my bed.

To lay means to place something down - the past tense is laid.

E.g. Lay the mat by the door. The hen laid an egg.

I am going to lay down.

I am laying on my bed.

I am going to have a ‘lay in’.

I am going to lie down.

I am lying on my bed.

I am going to have a ‘lie in’.

Try hard to avoid these common errors but

don’t be afraid to make mistakes (we all do).

When you need help...

ask a teacher!

Fewer and Less

Use few and fewer to describe things you can count individually.

Use less to describe things that cannot be counted.

E.g. Australia scored fewer runs than England in the first

innings and so have less chance of winning the match.

To develop a healthy lifestyle the children promised to do

more exercise and eat less chocolate.

There are fewer students in school today.

This rule is followed correctly in this extract from a review of

the McLaren P1 sports car:

COMMON ERRORS TO AVOID

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‘... the body is made from just five

panels, which means less glue and

fewer bolts are needed to hold it

all together.’

When talking, avoid double negatives

I haven’t done nothing.

It ain’t no good.

It doesn’t make no sense.

I don’t want to go nowhere.

I can’t see nothing.

I haven’t done anything.

It is no good.

It doesn’t make sense.

It makes no sense.

I don’t want to go anywhere.

I can see nothing.

I can’t see anything.

COMMON ERRORS TO AVOID WHEN SPEAKING

Choose the correct verb form

Look what I done.

We was going to...

Look what I did.

We were going to...

I was going to...

Do not use slang in a formal situation (such as in class)

30

When you write a long piece of writing such as a report, a

description or an essay, you must plan your ideas first.

This means:

gathering ideas to write about

developing detail to make your writing interesting

organising your thoughts into an effective order or sequence to

make them easy to follow.

When you plan, focus on the important features of your writing task.

What do you know about the subject or topic? How can you

develop your ideas by linking them to other points?

Do you have to write in a particular style or remember to use any

subject specific words?

PLANNING & ORGANISING

The most popular ways to plan are:

Spider diagram List of bullet points

Organising and sequencing

Number your points and ideas to organise your writing into a logical

sequence or flow.

Use time connectives such as:

Firstly Next Then After that

Meanwhile Eventually Later Finally

31

A successful explanation allows the reader to understand an issue, pro-

cess or idea. Writing to explain means stating clearly:

why or how something happened

why or how you felt a particular way

A clear explanation requires lots of detail. Try to sound like you are

knowledgeable and ‘in charge’ - use technical or subject specific

language where appropriate but make sure that meanings are clear.

EXPLAINING

Useful words to explain why and how:

...because... ...as... ...so... Consequently,...

Therefore... Since... Due to... As a result...

Useful phrases:

This happened because... I felt a little happier after...

As a result of this... This was due to... For example...

What this meant was... As a consequence of this...

In addition to... This is shown by... Firstly... / Finally...

E.g. In History, you may be required to explain the causes of the

First World War.

E.g. In Science, you may be asked to explain the process of

photosynthesis.

E.g. In English, you may be asked to explain how a writer’s use of

language creates a particular effect.

32

We experience the world through our senses, so to describe something

well you must put into words everything that your senses experience in

that situation - what you see, hear, smell, touch or taste.

When you write to describe, you must focus on the important features

of the thing you are describing. Personal description should also

include comments about your feelings and emotions.

Tips:

1. Use language (describing words) to be specific.

For example, consider the different meanings created by the following

adjectives that describe the temperature:

By choosing different words, you can create different effects. You

must always try to choose words that allow your reader to imagine

exactly what you are aiming to describe.

DESCRIBING

warm stifling

balmy scorching

toasty blistering

E.g. In Geography, you may be required to describe the appearance

of and conditions within a rainforest.

E.g. In Science, you may be asked to describe what happens in a

chemical reaction.

E.g. In History, you may be asked to describe what life was like in

19th Century Britain.

33

2. Be more creative by using images to describe things.

Similes

A simile is an image that is used to describe something by comparing it

to something else using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’.

This is useful in descriptive writing because it allows you to focus on an

important feature of the thing you are describing.

For example:

If you want to describe the night sky focusing on how

beautiful it looks to you, you might say that the moon and

stars sparkle like diamonds.

It wouldn’t actually be true but the image chosen would help the reader

to see what you want them to see.

Metaphors

A metaphor is an image that describes something as something else.

The image chosen focuses the reader on a particular feature of the

thing being described.

For example:

If you want to make it clear that you have a

busy evening of exhausting school work ahead,

you might say that you face a mountain of

homework.

It wouldn’t actually be true, you would be using an image to express how

much you have to do. The ‘mountain’ metaphor would also suggest how

you feel at facing so much work!

DESCRIBING

34

The aim of a discussion is to help your reader to understand different

points of view by exploring all sides of a subject or issue.

A discussion should give a balanced view, weighing up positives and neg-

atives or considering different opinions in a fair and equal way.

The points you make in a discussion should be considered thoroughly

and explained clearly. Where possible you should expand your points by

linking them to other ideas which develop your point of view.

Although a discussion may include your personal opinions, it should be

written in a formal style.

DISCUSSING

E.g. In PSHCEE, you may be required to explore the different views

people have about how to cope with bullying.

E.g. In R.E., you may be asked to discuss different religious beliefs.

E.g. In History, you may be asked to discuss the positive and neg-

ative impact of the Industrial Revolution.

Useful words and phrases to present a discussion:

On the one hand... On the other hand...

It could be said that... However, it could also be said that...

One point of view is that... Alternatively...

There is some evidence that... Equally, evidence suggests that...

Some people feel strongly that... Despite this...

Whereas many people believe... Others believe that...

It could be argued that... Research shows...

35

To reflect on and evaluate something means to think carefully about its

effectiveness before picking out constructive points about its positive

and negative features.

The purpose of writing to reflect and evaluate is to help you to learn

from a particular process or experience.

Through reflection, you should be able to make sense of what you did

and why, and perhaps help yourself to do it better next time.

REFLECTING & EVALUATING

E.g. In D&T, you might reflect on a practical project by thinking

about the process you have been through to create a product.

You could then evaluate the process by considering its strengths

and weaknesses before thinking about what you would do

differently next time.

E.g. In Science, you might reflect on an experiment you have

performed and evaluate what you learned from it.

E.g. In P.E. or Drama, you might reflect on your performance and

evaluate what you can improve and how.

When reflecting you should consider questions such as:

what were the important steps necessary for the success of the

project, process or performance?

what actually happened at each stage?

what skills were you required to demonstrate?

When evaluating you should consider questions such as:

how successful was each stage in the process or performance?

what skills did you demonstrate successfully and what do you

need to improve?

36

Writing to analyse means that, like a detective, you must

examine something closely and explain in detail what you

discover.

When you write to analyse you must show that

your understanding of something is clear.

Your writing must include lots of references to the details of

what you are analysing. When analysing a text, you should

include quotations (words and phrases from the text) to

support the points you are making about it.

ANALYSING

E.g. In English, you may be required to analyse an author’s

presentation of a particular character.

To do this well, you would have to think about how the author

has used language to describe the character. When writing

about this, you should include quotations from the text and

examine what the words and images tell the reader.

E.g. In Science, you may be required to analyse a set of data

produced by a research project or experiment. When writing

about this, you should comment on specific details from the data

and explain what they show.

When writing to analyse:

spend time gathering evidence.

investigate the evidence by considering what it shows.

come up with a list of key points.

explain what you have found and use evidence to support each

point.

37

In many subjects you will be required to analyse more than one thing

and then compare them. Your teachers will help you to examine the

specific features of each thing before asking you to compare them

with each other.

COMPARING

E.g. In Music, you might compare two pieces of music.

E.g. In Art, you might compare paintings by different artists.

E.g. In P.E., you might compare the body positions and techniques of

athletes.

E.g. In Technology, you might compare two designs when planning a

project.

Useful words and phrases when comparing:

38

Whereas...

By contrast,

Compared to...

However,

On the other hand,

Similarly,

Although...

In the same way...

In addition,

Equally,

In comparison with...

This is shown by...

Alternatively,

Contrastingly,

Specifically,

In particular,

As a whole,

In conclusion,

When comparing, try to describe things in as

much detail as possible and use technical

terms from the subject where appropriate.

Writing in the First Person, Second Person and Third Person

An important feature of the writing you do around the school is wheth-

er it is written in the first person, second person or the third person.

In all subjects, most tasks require you to write in the third person, but

it is important to know the differences between them.

Writing in the first person means writing about yourself, in your

own voice or in role, using the pronouns ‘I’, ’me’, ‘we’, ’us’ etc.

You would use the first person when writing letters, diaries and

reports or recounts about things you have done.

Writing in the second person means using the pronouns ‘you’ and

‘your’, as the writing is addressed directly to the reader.

You would use the second person when writing information texts

such as instruction leaflets or guide books, advertisements and

blogs.

Writing in the third person means writing about other people,

using the pronouns ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘they’, ‘them’ etc.

You would use the third person when writing about other people

such as historical figures or characters in books.

WRITING STYLES ACROSS THE SCHOOL

39

As you experience different subjects, you will find that you are

required to write in slightly different styles.

The following pages offer general advice about the most common types

of writing that you do in school, such as answering questions to show

your understanding.

It is important to learn the specific writing requirements of each

subject. You may be required to know how to spell important words in a

subject, or how to set out your writing in a particular way.

WRITING IN ROLE

In some subjects you may be required to write in role, which means

writing in the first person (‘I...’) but not as yourself.

Your aim when writing in role is to show how well you understand a

person or character by writing in their voice to explain their thoughts,

feelings and actions. You must show that you can empathise with the

person, which means that you imagine what it is like to be them to show

your understanding of their feelings in a particular situation.

Examples of writing in role are: diary entries, letters, speeches and

eye-witness accounts. When writing in role, keep general comments to

a minimum and think about the important issues faced by the person or

character. Examples of tasks set in school are:

Consider:

how they are influenced by the time and place in which they live

their relationships with others

their personal ambitions

their position in society (person)

their role in the book or play (character)

how their thoughts and feelings may be mixed or changeable.

in History you might show your knowledge by writing in the role

of an important historical figure, or perhaps a young person

living at a particular time.

in Drama you might write in the role of a character in a play to

investigate their feelings.

in French, German or Spanish you might write in the role and

language of a person from another country.

40

In class, you answer questions to show your understanding. When you

write your answers, they must be clear and to the point.

When you write answers to questions in class, you are generally

required to write full sentences. It is a common mistake for students

to write incomplete sentences when answering questions, often by

starting answers with ‘Because’.

To avoid this, it is a good idea to use the wording of the question to

build a full answer. For example:

ANSWERING QUESTIONS

History

Question: Where did the Great Fire of London start?

Answer: The Great Fire of London started in a bakery in Pudding Lane. Common mistake: In a bakery in Pudding Lane. (The detail is correct here but the answer is written in an incomplete

sentence.)

Science

Question: What is the name of the liquid rock that flows from a volcano?

Answer: The liquid rock that flows from a volcano is called lava. Common mistake: It is called lava. (This is an incomplete sentence that does not make a complete point.)

Geography

Question: Why do rivers flood?

Answer: Rivers flood for reasons such as heavy rainfall, melting snow and the shape of the surrounding landscape. Common mistake: Because of heavy rainfall, melting snow and the shape of the surrounding landscape. (This incomplete sentence does not make sense.)

41

Writing a summary means reducing a longer text or discussion to its

most important points. This is a useful skill both in class and when you

study at home.

In class, you will be expected to be able to summarise ideas that you

have discussed in groups . You may also be required to write a summary

of information you are studying from a text book or the Internet,

focusing on the important details.

At home, you will be required to complete research tasks to develop

your learning. As in school, it is not expected that you simply ‘cut and

paste’ information you find in books or on the Internet. This would not

be a learning experience! Rather, you must read the information you

find carefully to select the most important details, which you should

then write out in your own words.

Writing summaries is also a very useful way to revise - this means

preparing for exams by studying the important points about what you

have learned.

SUMMARY AND RESEARCH

Writing a summary

Read your source material several times and work out what

the writer wishes to convey to the reader. Jot down the key

points as a brief plan.

Write about each point in your own words to show that you

have thought carefully about what you have read and that you

understand it. Try not to use too many exact words and

phrases from the original text.

Group similar points and ideas together into paragraphs.

Write in a style that is direct and to the point. Stick to key

points; avoid using unnecessary descriptive language such as

adjectives and adverbs.

42

You may be required to write in the style of a

newspaper or magazine article in various subjects

to show your understanding of things that you have

studied.

Newspaper and magazine articles present information and ideas about a

topic by focusing on the following important questions:

Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?

WRITING A NEWSPAPER OR MAGAZINE

Features of newspaper and magazine articles

Headlines are used to catch the reader's attention - they may use

language features such as rhyme, alliteration and puns.

The first paragraph presents the main point of the story by

describing who was involved and what happened.

The following paragraphs add detail - where, when, why and how.

The paragraphs in these articles are generally short and punchy,

giving information in a clear and concise way.

There are references to what people said, either using direct

speech (the actual words spoken - use speech marks) or reported

speech (a summary of what was said - no speech marks).

These articles are written in the past tense because they refer to

events and ideas which have already taken place.

You may be required to present your article in the style of a

newspaper or magazine, using headlines, subheadings, pictures and

even columns of text.

43

WRITING A FORMAL LETTER

Writing a formal letter

These are the conventions or ‘rules’ regarding the layout of a formal

letter.

The Knights Templar School

Park Street

Baldock

Hertfordshire

SG7 6DZ

Mars Chocolate UK Ltd

Dundee Road

Slough

SL1 4JX

1st September 2014

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to apply for work experience at Mars Chocolate UK. I

am currently studying for A levels in Business, Economics and Maths,

and I plan to apply for Business degree courses at university.

It is my ambition to work for a successful business so I would very

much appreciate the chance to experience all aspects of what makes

Mars Chocolate UK a market leader.

Yours faithfully,

Alice Smith

Your address should go on the

top right hand side of the page.

The address you are

writing to goes here.

Use ‘Sir or Madam’

if you do not know

the name of the

person.

Date

The opening

paragraph

should explain

your reason for

writing. Write in a style

that is formal

and polite.

When typing, leave a space to sign

your letter. Type or write your

name neatly beneath your signature.

Use ‘Yours faithfully’ if you have not

addressed the person by name. If you

have used a name, write ‘Yours sincerely’.

In our modern world of instant messaging and text language, there is

still a place for formal letter writing skills. There are many occasions

when you may be required to write a formal letter, such as applying for

a job or arranging work experience.

As you get older, you may need to write a formal letter to a bank or

a business to request information or even make a complaint!

It is therefore important to learn some general rules.

44

WRITING IN SCIENCE

Writing up experiments in Science

When you write up an experiment or research project

in Science you are required to write in different ways

in order to describe, explain and reflect on the pro-

cess. The writing you do in Science depends on the

type of work you are doing but it generally in-

cludes comments in the following areas.

Aim / Prediction

In the ‘aim’ you present the reason for the experiment.

You must describe clearly what you want to test, prove, learn or

discover? Often, an experiment starts with a question that you hope

to be able to answer in the conclusion after you have analysed the

results.

Method

The ‘method’ should describe exactly what happens in the experiment.

It is a bit like a recipe, as it describes each step of the experiment

and includes specific details about what it involves.

Results

When you have observed or measured the results you must present

them in an appropriate way, such as on a table or a chart.

Conclusion

Conclusions may be drawn from the pattern of your results or directly

from what you have measured or observed during the experiment.

45

To help your writing in Science, you will be given writing frames

featuring important spellings and common phrases.

You will also be reminded of the rules of scientific writing such as

always including details about where you found any scientific

information that you refer to in your work, such as particular books or

web pages (quote your sources).

WRITING IN SCIENCE

46

Writing a Method

A method explains exactly how an experiment

is carried out. It should therefore present a

clear sequence of the steps required.

You must write in a voice that is formal and

impersonal, stating precisely what happens at each stage. It is not

appropriate to write about yourself and what you did personally - do

not use ‘I’ or ‘we’ in your writing.

To write a method follow the advice below:

Write in the present tense (see present tense verbs below), as if

writing a list of instructions or a recipe.

Use lots of imperative verbs (’action’ words that tell you to do

something). These are particularly useful for starting sentences:

Take... Put... Pour... Tip... Heat... Stir... Observe...

Use precise language. You must explain exactly how something

was done. Avoid using general statements such as ‘We added some liquid and heated the mixture for a while.’

Use specific language. When writing about measurements you

must refer to the units involved (these may be abbreviated, e.g.

centimetres - cm, millilitres - ml).

Use scientific language and technical terms where appropriate.

The Science department will provide you with lists of key words

and phrases to use in your writing.

Depending on the investigation you are carrying out you may be

required to include an apparatus diagram, safety precautions or

write about variables. These can generally be written or laid out

in a similar way every time so you should listen to your science

teacher as to the best way to do these sections.

Writing up Results

Your results are a description of what you observed during the

experiment. To gather results you must make a note of all relevant

changes and measurements that you observe during an experiment.

You must then formally present the information you have gathered.

If you are presenting your results in writing, your description of your

observations must be specific and detailed. Always include specific

measurements and the units in which they were measured, e.g. cm, ml.

As they are your results, you may also use the first person to write in a

personal style, e.g. ‘We found that...’.

If the data you have collected is in the form of numbers, you may be

required to draw a table, chart or graph to record the results.

You must always choose the right sort of graph that shows the

information you wish to present in the best way, such as a bar chart, a

histogram or a pie chart. Your teacher will give you specific advice

about how to do this, but there are some general guidelines below.

WRITING IN SCIENCE

47

How to Draw a Graph

1. Draw a horizontal (x) axis and a

vertical (y) axis. Create a scale on

each axis by writing the units

(numbers or categories) that you

wish to present along the appropriate

line.

2. Label each axis with the information that is being presented, e.g.

miles per hour, number of students, height above sea level. Where

necessary, add units to each axis label, e.g. mph, metres.

4. Plot the data that you wish to show on the graph.

5. Add a title to the graph and underline it.

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Apple Banana Orange Strawberry Pear

Nu

mb

er

of

stu

de

nts

Fruit

Students' Favourite Fruity

x

WRITING IN SCIENCE

48

Writing a Conclusion

Writing a conclusion is the proper way to tell people the meaning of

your results. The points you make in your conclusion must always be

based on evidence found in the results of your experiment.

Unlike the method, it is appropriate to comment on your personal

thoughts in your conclusion using the first person, e.g. ‘Having observed these results, I conclude that...’.

To write a conclusion, follow the advice below:

1.

Describe

your

results

Look carefully over your

graph, table of results or

written observations.

What patterns do you

notice in the results?

Do you notice anything

extreme or unexpected?

Use adjectives that

compare (they often end

‘...er’ or ‘...est’).

E.g. longer, shorter, heavier, greater, hotter, brightest, fastest, slowest. E.g. The brighter the light, the faster the plant photosynthesis.

2.

Explain

your

results

Refer to scientific

knowledge and use

scientific language to

explain your ideas about how

and why you got your

results.

Use phrases such as:

As I predicted... This is because... The reason for this is...

3.

Make a

concluding

comment

Answer the question that

you asked in the ‘Aim’ of the

experiment.

Was your prediction

correct?

Use phrases such as:

To conclude… I conclude that… Overall my experiment shows that… This means that…

49

WRITING IN A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE

Writing in French, German and Spanish

Learning a new language will help you to gain a better understanding of

your own.

Many of the strategies you use to help you to understand and write a

text in English will also help you to do so in a foreign language. Getting

to grips with the grammatical terms (noun, adjective, adverb, etc.) will

be especially helpful along your language learning journey.

There are three areas we consider carefully when marking written

work: communication (content/ideas), quality of language (the range/

variety of vocabulary and structure) and accuracy.

When you write in a foreign language, it is important to ask yourself

the following questions:

1. Communication

Have I included everything?

If there is a checklist, use this to make sure you have covered the

criteria. If not, have a look at a similar text in your textbook. This will

give you ideas.

2. Quality of language

Have I used a variety of...?

A - Adjectives

V - Vocabulary

O - Opinions and justifications

C - Connectives

A - Adverbs

D - Descriptions

O - Original ideas

And finally, remember:

We learn from the mistakes we make. Always look back at marked

work, do your corrections and think about how you can make your next

piece of writing even better.

If you can do this, your writing skills will go from strength to strength!

WRITING IN A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE

3. Accuracy of language

Is my spelling accurate?

Make sure you have the end of unit summary of your

text book open as you write. Check as you go and copy

carefully. Don’t rush! When you have finished, go back

and check through again.

Look out for tricky words and concentrate on these.

Think about the sound and spelling patterns you have

learned in class. Don’t forget accents and symbols,

these are important, too!

Have I used the dictionary properly?

Usually, the language you need will be on the end of unit summary pag-

es. Occasionally, you will need to look up the odd word.

Rule number one: don’t use Google translate! It is rarely correct and

your teacher will spot it a mile off!

Rule number two: think about what kind of word you want to look up.

If you want the word for ‘book’, are you looking for the noun ‘the

book’ (‘le livre’, in French) or the verb ‘to book’ (a hotel, for instance)

‘réserver’. If it is the verb, remember that it will be in its infinitive

form (to ...) in the dictionary and you will need to change it to match

the person you are writing about.

50

To improve your spelling:

1. Learn the words that you commonly spell incorrectly.

2. Refer to subject specific spellings on displays and in text books.

3. Learn some helpful spelling rules and read widely.

SPELLING

Common mistakes

because - ‘big elephants can’t always use small exits’

beginning - double ‘n’ in the middle

business - there is a ‘bus in’ this word

could; would; should - ‘o u lucky duck’ = ‘ould’

definitely - contains the word ‘finite’

desert = place / dessert = pudding (double helpings of ‘s’ for dessert)

does - not ‘dose’

embarrassed / embarrassing - double ‘r’ and double ‘s’

excited / exciting - has ‘exc’

necessary - ‘never eat cakes eat salad sandwiches and remain young’

queue - ’u’ and ‘e’ queue patiently.

responsible - ‘ible’ not ‘able’

rhythm - ‘rhythm has your two hips moving’

sentence - contains ‘ten’

separate - contains ‘a rat’

surprise - has an ‘r’ - ‘surprise’

thought; bought; fought - ‘o u great hairy twit’ = ‘ought’

Eric hated small exits!

51

To learn spelling strategies it is helpful to know that:

vowels are the letters A (a), E (e), I (i), O (o), U (u).

a consonant is any letter that is not a vowel.

HELPFUL SPELLING RULES

‘-full’ endings drop the second ‘l’

careful useful wonderful faithful skilful powerful mouthful spoonful

‘-fully’ endings use double ‘l’

carefully usefully skilfully powerfully

thoughtfully faithfully blissfully boastfully

Notice the sounds that build up words - long words are often

made up of smaller words put together:

e.g. downstairs = down / stairs.

Also: inside = in/side; handwriting = hand/writing;

careless = care/less; inform = in/form;

understand = under/stand.

Look for sound patterns in the words you find difficult, such as

‘business’ = ‘bus - in - ess’ and ‘sentence’ = ‘sen - ten - ce’.

52

HELPFUL SPELLING RULES

Drop ‘e’ before ‘ing’

save - saving taste - tasting

believe - believing chase - chasing

slice - slicing argue - arguing

calculate - calculating respire - respiring

53

‘i’ before ‘e’ except after ‘c’

‘i’ before ‘e’

piece believe chief thief priest

achieve friend fried

Exceptions to this rule include:

eight weight height weird seize

except after ‘c’

receive ceiling conceive deceitful deceive perceive

Exceptions to this rule include:

ancient science conscience species sufficient

HELPFUL SPELLING RULES

Use a double consonant after a short vowel sound

In words of more than one syllable, you often need to double the

consonant after a short vowel (that’s the ‘a’ in dad; ‘e’ in beg; ‘i’ in

dig; ‘o’ in hop; ‘u’ in pup).

daddy begging hopping puppy digging

beginning happening suddenly settled

Making words plural (more than one)

For most nouns (things), add ‘s’ to make them plural.

toy - toys message - messages book - books pie - pies

For words ending with a vowel + y, just add ‘s’.

day - days monkey - monkeys boy - boys guy - guys

For words ending with a consonant + y, the ‘y’ becomes ‘ies’.

baby - babies fly - flies celebrity - celebrities

For words ending with ‘s’, ‘ch’, ‘sh’, ‘x’, add ‘es’.

bus - buses lunch - lunches

bush - bushes box - boxes

54

HELPFUL SPELLING RULES

More plurals

For words ending in ‘o’, add either ‘s’ or ‘es’.

(There are not many of these, so just learn the most common.)

‘s’ endings

radio - radios ratio - ratios flamingo - flamingos

zoo - zoos photo - photos shampoo - shampoos

‘es’ endings

potato - potatoes volcano - volcanoes

hero - heroes tomato - tomatoes

For words ending in ‘f’ or ‘fe’, add ‘ves’.

‘f’ endings

shelf - shelves thief - thieves loaf - loaves

‘fe’ endings

life - lives knife - knives wife - wives

Exceptions to this rule: roofs, chiefs, beliefs, chefs, cliffs.

55

In school, you will often demonstrate your reading skills through

writing tasks. These tasks test your understanding in different ways.

1. Find details to answer questions - information retrieval

This means being able to find (or retrieve) specific details in texts to

answer questions.

2. Come to your own conclusions - inference

This means being able to work out your own ideas and opinions about

something you have read based on details that you find in the text.

In all subjects you are required to work with texts by reading them

several times to understand what they say or analyse how they have

been written. These tasks require different types of reading called

close reading, skim reading and scanning.

Close reading means reading something thoroughly at a steady pace

so that the meaning is clear.

Skim reading means reading quickly to follow the main ideas of a

text without focusing on specific details. It is also used to

understand the structure of a text - how it begins and ends etc.

Scanning means searching for key words or specific details in a

text. In most cases, you scan a text when you know what you are

looking for and are concentrating on finding a particular answer.

To be a good reader, you must be able to concentrate. This takes

practice. To help with this, we expect you to read widely at home.

As well as story books, you should read non-fiction texts such as

newspapers, magazines, biographies, diaries, information books and

online texts.

READING SKILLS

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Speaking and listening are important elements of learning in school.

To speak confidently in lots of different subjects, you need to be able

to adapt the way you speak to different situations.

Show that you are a good listener by concentrating on what is being

said by others and respond appropriately when it is your turn to speak.

The most common speaking and listening tasks are:

SPEAKING AND LISTENING IN CLASS

Presentation

This usually involves giving a short speech on your own or in a group.

You may have to report back about something that you have discussed

or speak formally about a topic that you have prepared in advance.

When presenting, be clear and concise. Use positive body language

such as eye contact and smiling to keep your audience interested.

Discussion

When discussing or debating a topic in class, always try to join in by

making points of your own and commenting constructively and politely

on the comments of others.

In group discussions:

make your own opinions clear

let others present their ideas without interruption

try to draw other people into the conversation

ask open and probing questions to understand the views of others

Role-play

Role-play tasks help you to analyse and understand different people,

situations and points of view. In these tasks, you work in a group to act

out imaginary situations by playing the roles of other people. You do

not speak as yourself; you must think and speak as your character.

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PERSONAL SPELLING LIST

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ENGLISH SKILLS CHECKLIST

The Key Terms of Language (pages 6 - 7)

I can use adjectives, adverbs and adverbials appropriately.

sign

Sentences (pages 12, 13 & 15); Paragraphs (pages 18 - 19)

I can vary my use of sentences and paragraphs for effect.

Punctuation (pages 20 - 21)

I can use a range of punctuation correctly.

Writing Direct Speech (page 22)

I can punctate direct speech accurately.

Correcting Common Errors (pages 23 - 30)

I have made efforts to correct my common errors.

Planning and organising a piece of writing (page 31)

I have developed ideas by planning my writing.

Spelling (pages 51 - 55)

I have made corrections and learned tricky words.

Literacy across the school

I have shown evidence of English skills in other subjects.

To show that you can use the English skills explained in this booklet correctly,

find examples of the following in the work you have completed in class.

Your teacher will tick and sign each skill when you have gathered enough

evidence in your exercise book to show that you can use it confidently.

If you are unsure of how to use a particular skill, read over the relevant

section in the booklet and talk to your teacher.

Complete the tick sheet to get a reward!

Do you have these skills? Show your teacher.

“If you want to be a writer you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” - Stephen King (author)

The advice contained within this booklet will help you to develop your writing skills but there is a much more fun way to improve - READ! Reading lots of different texts - stories, magazines, newspapers, websites - helps you to develop your own writing voice. It also helps your spelling and punctuation! Did you know that we have a fantastic selection of books at the school Library? You will find that the librarians are very helpful. You may also be inspired to read by the KTS English ‘Best Books’ List - check it out!


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