1

2012

“Making your Language Grow” Booklet

Year 6

Ceci Bonardi - Mónica Kuriger

Grammar

Definite and Indefinite Articles

Professions

The indefinite article a (or an) indicates any one of the things for which the noun stands.

a girl, a car, a computer, a hawk, a pencil, a tent, an architect, an apple

The is called the definite article because it refers to a particular person or thing in the sentence. It is

used when the thing or person we are talking about has already been mentioned.

The woman walks.

The girls play.

The dog runs.

Use the when you refer to a particular thing, which you want to distinguish from similar things.

The book which I am reading is interesting.

The garden is near the house.

The houses of Cairo are high.

The cotton of Egypt is of good quality.

When to Omit the Definite Article

1) When speaking of anything used in a general sense,

Water is necessary to plants.

Cotton is exported from South Carolina

2) Omit the when a noun is used in a general sense in the plural.

Ships are built at the harbor.

Clothes are needed in cold climates.

Professions

a doctor - a teacher – a plumber – a dentist – a contractor – a lawyer – a graphic designer

an engineer – an accountant – an optician – an artist – an actor

Practice http://www.welcometoenglishandfun.com/grammar/pdf/aanorthe.pdf

Say vs. Tell

Say and tell have similar meanings. They both mean to communicate verbally with someone. But we often use them

differently.

The simple way to think of say and tell is:

You say something

You say something to somebody

You tell someone something

You say something You tell someone something

Ram said that he was tired. Ram told Jane that he was tired.

Anthony says you have a new job. Anthony tells me you have a new job.

Tara said: "I love you." Tara told John that she loved him.

Practice http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/confusing_words/say_tell.htm

Prepositions

Prepositions of Place

at in on

POINT ENCLOSED SPACE SURFACE

at the corner in the garden on the wall

at the bus stop in London on the ceiling

at the door in France on the door

at the top of the page in a box on the cover

at the end of the road in my pocket on the floor

at the entrance in my wallet on the carpet

at the crossroads in a building on the menu

at the entrance in a car on a page

Notice the use of the prepositions of place at, in and on in these standard expressions

at in on

at home in a car on a bus

at work in a taxi on a train

at school in a helicopter on a plane

at university in a boat on a ship

at college in a lift (elevator) on a bicycle, on a motorbike

at the top in the newspaper on a horse, on an elephant

at the bottom in the sky on the radio, on television

at the side in a row on the left, on the right

at reception in Oxford Street on the way

Prepositions of Time

at in on

PRECISE TIME MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES and LONG PERIODS DAYS and DATES

at 3 o'clock in May on Sunday

at 10.30am in summer on Tuesdays

at noon in the summer on 6 March

at dinnertime in 1990 on 25 Dec. 2010

at bedtime in the 1990s on Christmas Day

at sunrise in the next century on Independence Day

Notice the use of the preposition of time at in the following standard expressions:

Expression Example

at night The stars shine at night.

at the weekend I don't usually work at the

weekend.

at Christmas/Easter I stay with my family at

Christmas.

at the same time We finished the test at the

same time.

at present He's not home at present. Try

later.

Notice the use of the prepositions of time in and on in these common expressions:

in on

in the morning on Tuesday morning

in the mornings on Saturday mornings

in the afternoon(s) on Sunday afternoons

in the evening(s) on Monday evening

Practice http://www.englishpage.com/prepositions/prepositions.html

Simple Present – Simple Past

Present Simple Actions done

regularly

I always study English on Tuesday.

Simple Past

Used to show a

completed action

I studied English last Saturday.

Tense auxiliary structure negative interrogative

Simple Present Do - does Do/does + infinitive I don’t like chocolate Does he like to watch

football?

Simple Past Did Did + infinitive I didn’t go to school

yesterday

Did you watch the match

last night?

“Do” is both an auxiliary and main verb

Simple Present

I, we, you, they

I do my homework in the evenings. I don't do my homework in the evenings.*

he, she, it

He does his homework in the evenings. He doesn't do his homework in the evenings.*

*Note: Here we use do in the negative sentence as an auxiliary and as a main verb.

Simple Past

I did my homework in the evenings. I didn't do my homework in the evenings.**

**Note: Here we use did in the negative sentence as an auxiliary and do as a main verb.

Practice http://www.saberingles.com.ar/curso/lesson15/06.html

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/simplepresent.html

Words often Confused

Were – where

The kids were in the garden a moment ago.

Do you know where they are now?

The boxes were in the garage yesterday.

Where do you think I should put the boxes now?

Live – leave

I live in a comfortable apartment in the centre of the city.

I will never leave this place.

My friends live in a quiet and solitary place.

Leave the place as soon as you can!

Their – there

My friends are living in Canada at the moment, but their parents are still in USA.

They live in a beautiful place by the sea. Would you like to spend your life there?

Those are my new neighbours. Their house is the most beautiful of the area.

Who wouldn’t like to live there?

Practice Make sentences using the frequently confused words

Whose - Who’s

These words sound the same, but how do you know which one to use?

The easiest way is to remember that ‘who’s’ is a contraction – it is short for ‘who is’ or ‘who has’.

‘Whose’ is used when something belongs to someone.

If ‘who is’ or ‘who has’ doesn’t fit in the sentence, then the word ‘whose’ will probably be used.

Complete these sentences inserting the correct word.

1. ______ coming to the party?

2. ______ coat is this?

3. ______ gone to the library?

4. The woman, ______ son won a year’s supply of chocolate, was not happy as she was a health freak!

5. I’d like to know ______ going to pay for the dinner?

6. As the night drew in we were all wondering ______ going to go out and get the take away?

7. The teacher asked, “______ done their homework?”

8. Sitting on the train, I noticed a suitcase. I didn’t know ______ it was, so I left it there.

9. Jed exclaimed, “I found ten pounds on the floor, ______ is it?

10. ______ the Prime Minister at the moment?

11. “This is ridiculous, ______ got the remote control now?” moaned dad.

12. The identical twins liked to play tricks on people. “______ who?” was often cried by those around them!

Your - you’re

1. ___________ going to be very late for school.

2. ___________ shoes are really cool. ___________ going to make everyone jealous.

3. Do what ___________ told!

4. ___________ spelling has really improved.

Two - to - too

1. In the last World Cup, he scored ___________ goals.

2. He had ___________ go ___________ see the headteacher.

3. She watched ___________ much television.

4. She was ___________ angry ___________ say anything.

5. It rained every day for ___________ weeks.

Parts of Speech

Basic Rules

Nouns: names people, places, things, events, and ideas. They can be common or proper, concrete or

abstract.

Pronouns: takes the place of a noun (person, place, thing, event, or idea)

Adjectives: words that describe or limit nouns and pronouns.

Verbs: words that show action, thought or feelings, or state of being.

Adverbs: words that modify verbs or that intensify verbs, other adverbs, or adjectives.

Prepositions: words that act like adjectives to describe nouns or pronouns, and adverbs that modify verbs

or verb phrases.

Conjunctions: words that connect words or phrases in a sentence.

Interjections: words that bring excitement into a sentence

Adjectives describe nouns, telling us more about them.

Instead of___________________ use ___________________

good dirty big small nice Thin old young short

acceptable smudgy colossal tiny pretty skinny ancient childlike brief

satisfactory fluffy giant petite good looking twiggy oldish tender clipped

smashing greasy gigantic miniature fashionable bony aged youngish short- run

good enough filthy massive little attractive underweight gray-

haired

youthful abbreviated

neat dusty mammoth teensy-

weensy

pleasant fat gray-

headed

junior squab

keen damaged large teeny-

weeny

decent chubby aging little stumpy

beneficial mucky

immense

huge

great

elflike gracious Plump antique small pint-size

Practice http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/english/PC_noun2.htm

http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/causeeffectfactopinion/factopinion1_WBNNQ.pdf

Using adverbs

Adverbs are words that modify:

a verb (He drove slowly. — How did he drive?)

an adjective (He drove a very fast car. — How fast was his car?)

another adverb (She moved quite slowly down the aisle. — How slowly did she move?)

Adverbs often tell when, where, why or under what conditions something happens or happened. Adverbs frequently

end in -ly; however; many words and phrases not ending in -ly serve an adverbial function and an ly ending is not a

guarantee that a word is an adverb. The words lovely, lonely, motherly, friendly, neighbourly, for instance, are

adjectives. That lovely woman lives in a friendly neighbourhood.

Adverbs can modify adjectives, but an adjective cannot modify an adverb. Thus we would say that "the students

showed a really wonderful attitude" and that "the students showed a wonderfully casual attitude.

Like adjectives, adverbs can have comparative and superlative forms to show degree.

Walk faster if you want to keep up with me.

We often use more and most, less and least to show degree with adverbs:

With sneakers on, she could move more quickly among the patients.

The flowers were the most beautifully arranged creations I've ever seen.

She worked less confidently after her accident.

That was the least skilfully done performance I've seen in years.

One of the hallmarks of adverbs is their ability to move around in a sentence. Adverbs of manner are particularly flexible in this regard.

Solemnly the minister addressed her congregation.

The minister solemnly addressed her congregation.

The minister addressed her congregation solemnly.

The following adverbs of frequency appear in various points in these sentences:

Before the main verb: I never get up before nine o'clock.

Between the auxiliary verb and the main verb: I have rarely written to my brother without a good reason.

Before the verb used to: I always used to see him at his summer home.

Adverbs of manner Adverbs of place Adverbs of time Adverbs of purpose Adverbs of

frequency

quickly here

Recently To ......... Every day/

morning/

afternoon

slowly there Now often

carefully behind Then sometimes

patiently above Yesterday usually

happily Tomorrow never

enthusiastically The next day always

The following week

These adverbs are put

behind the direct

object (or behind the

verb if there's no

direct object)

Like adverbs of

manner, these

adverbs are put

behind the direct

object or the verb.

Adverbs of time are

usually put at the end

of the sentence.

Example: She shops

in several stores to

get the best buys

She drives her boat

slowly to avoid

hitting the rocks.

They are put

directly before

the main verb. If

'be' is the main

verb and there is

no auxiliary verb,

adverbs of

frequency are put

behind 'be'. Is

there an auxiliary

verb, however,

adverbs of

frequency are put

before 'be'.

THE ROYAL ORDER OF ADVERBS

Verb Manner Place Frequency Time Purpose

Beth swims enthusiastically in the pool every morning before dawn to keep in shape.

Dad walks impatiently into town every afternoon before supper to get a newspaper.

Tashonda naps in her room every morning before lunch.

Clauses – Main and Subordinate

A clause is a group of words that contains a verb (and usually other components too). A clause may form part of a

sentence or it may be a complete sentence in itself. For example:

He was eating a bacon sandwich.

[clause]

She had a long career but she is remembered mainly for one early work.

[clause] [clause]

Main Clause: Every sentence contains at least one main clause. A main clause may form part of a compound

sentence or a complex sentence, but it also makes sense on its own, as in the example:

He was eating a bacon sandwich.

[main clause]

Compound Sentences: are made up of two or more main clauses linked by a conjunction such as and, but, or so,

as in the following examples:

I love sport and I’m captain of the local football

team.

[main clause] [conjunction] [main clause]

She was born in Spain but her mother is Polish.

[main clause] [conjunction] [main clause]

Subordinate Clause: A subordinate clause depends on a main clause for its meaning. Together with a main clause,

a subordinate clause forms part of a complex sentence. Here are two examples of sentences containing

subordinate clauses:

After we had had lunch, we went back to work.

[subordinate clause] [main clause]

I first saw her in Paris, where I lived in the early nineties.

[main clause] [subordinate clause]

There is one type of subordinate clause that can cause problems, known as relative clause.

Relative Clause: a relative clause is one connected to a main clause by a word such as:

which – that – whom – whose – when – who

I first saw her in Paris, where I lived in the early nineties.

[main clause] [relative clause]

She wants to be with Thomas, who is best suited to take care of her.

[main clause] [relative clause]

I was wearing the dress that I bought to wear to Jo's party.

[main clause] [relative clause]

Using Relative Clauses

Have you ever wondered about when to use that and when to use which or who in this type of sentence? In fact,

for much of the time that is interchangeable with either of these words. For example:

√ You’re the only person who has ever listened to me.

√ You’re the only person that has ever listened to me.

√ It’s a film that should be seen by everyone.

√ It’s a film which should be seen by everyone.

When referring to something, rather than someone, that tends to be the usual choice in everyday writing and

conversation in British English. However, there is one main case when you should not use that to introduce a

relative clause. This is related to the fact that there are two types of relative clause: a restrictive relative

clause and a non-restrictive relative clause.

Practice - Spotting different clauses

Underline either the main or the subordinate clauses of each of these sentences.

1. Tom, who played rugby twice a week, was athletic.

Underline the subordinate clause.

2. Magicians perform tricks which appear impossible.

Underline the main clause.

3. Watching scary films, shown late at night, is foolish.

Underline the subordinate clause.

4. Kelly enjoys listening to her iPod which is pink.

Underline the main clause.

5. The corridor, on the left, leads down to the dungeons.

Underline the subordinate clause.

6. The dog barked at the burglar who was stealing the diamonds.

Underline the main clause.

7. Pets, properly cared for, act obediently.

Underline the subordinate clause.

Writing

Writing paragraphs

A paragraph is a group of sentences that form a unit. It is the unity of ideas. In a paragraph, you must include a

controlling idea. All the information in your paragraph should have a relationship to this controlling idea. Choose

information that helps to support your controlling idea.

Parts of a paragraph

1. Topic sentence

o First sentence in a paragraph

o Introduces the main idea

o Gives the reader a clear sense of the content

2. Supporting details o Information after the topic sentence

o Gives details to develop the main idea of the paragraph

(facts, examples, etc)

3. Concluding sentence o Last sentence of a paragraph

o Round up of the main idea in different words

Example: Mexico is a wonderful place to visit.

Here, the topic is Mexico, and the controlling idea is that it is a wonderful place to visit. Supporting details in the

rest of the paragraph should tell us why Mexico is such a great place to visit.

Topic sentence

In a paragraph, generally the first sentence is the topic sentence. There is strict connection between the main

idea and the topic sentence. The topic sentence is shaped by the controlling idea. The controlling idea is the focus

and is placed generally at the beginning of the paragraph.

Supporting sentences

The supporting sentences are the developing part which improves major ideas. While writing supporting sentences,

the controlling idea must be fully explained, discussed and exemplified.

Concluding sentence

Generally, a concluding sentence is a restatement of the topic sentence. It gives the same information as the topic

sentence but it is expressed in a different way. While writing a concluding sentence, we can use adverbs such as

“all in all, consequently, in conclusion, in short, in summary”.

Example:

My special treasure is a picture of my mother on her fifteenth birthday. This picture is always in my house

when I was growing up. Years later when I got married and moved to Montreal, my mother gave it to me so that I

would always remember her. Now, it sits on my table next to my bed. I look at it and, imagine my mother’s life on

that day. I think she was excited because her eyes are shining with happiness. Her smile is shy as if she were

thinking about a secret. She is standing next to rose bush, and the roses are taller than she is. She is wearing a

beautiful white lace dress and black shoes. Her hair is long and curly. She looks lovely in this peaceful place, and I

feel calm when I gaze into her eyes at the end of my busy day. This picture of my mother is my most valuable

possession

Antecedent

An antecedent is the word(s) to which a pronoun refers. Do not use a pronoun without mentioning its antecedent first.

Examples:

Practice http://www.rhymerocker.com/antecedent-and-prounouns-quiz.html

Punctuation Marks

The Comma

The comma is a punctuation mark (,) which is used to indicate the separation of elements within the grammatical

structure of a sentence.

The Semicolon

The Semicolon is a punctuation mark (;) which is used to connect independent clauses indicating a closer

relationship between the clauses than a period, or full stop, does

The Colon

The colon is a punctuation mark (:) which is used to direct attention to matter (such as a list, an explanation, a

quotation, or amplification) that follows.

The Period or Full Stop

The period, or full stop, is a punctuation mark (.) which is used to mark the end of a sentence.

The Interrogation or Question Mark

The interrogation or question mark is a punctuation mark (?) which is used at the end of a sentence to indicate a

direct question.

The Exclamation Mark

The exclamation mark is a punctuation mark (!) which is used especially after an interjection or exclamation to

indicate forceful utterance or strong feeling.

The Dash

The dash is a punctuation mark (-) which is used especially to indicate a break in the thought or structure of a

sentence.

Let’s play a game http://www.funenglishgames.com/grammargames/punctuation.html

And do some exercises http://www.homeschooling-ideas.com/punctuation-worksheets.html

Rubric

Paper 1 Writing Non-Fiction Purpose and Audience

Text Structure

Sentence Structure

Punctuation

Spelling

Paper 2 Writing Fiction Content

Audience

Text structure

Sentence structure

Punctuation

Vocabulary

Spelling

Audience: There should be a clear viewpoint with a clear and consistent relationship between the writer and the

reader.

Text Structure: The paragraphs should be well-crafted. Dialogues should be laid out correctly.

Sentence structure: Use some compound and complex sentences as well as a range of connectives.

Punctuation: Sentences should be demarcated accurately, including appropriate speech punctuation.

Vocabulary: Use words effectively to create strong image. Use similes and metaphors.

Spelling: The spelling should be accurate,