Year 4

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 4.

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 130 RETFORD DN22 9YP

Tel: 01427 884450 Fax: 01427 884455 www.dactylpublishing.com

1
 Contents

Grammar
Nouns 4
Adjectives 5
Verbs 6
Using ‘have’ or ‘has’ with verbs 7
Verbs ending with -ing 8
Using verbs to talk about the future 9
Common mistakes with verbs 10
Adverbs 11
Expanded noun phrases 12
Clauses 13
Sentences 14
Pronouns 15
Possessive pronouns 16
Prepositions 17
Conjunctions 18
Determiners 19
Adverbials 20
Some more grammar questions 21 - 22

2
Punctuation
Punctuation revision exercises 23 - 24
Starting and ending sentences 25
Commas in lists 26
Commas after fronted adverbials 27
Apostrophes to show where letters are missing 28
Apostrophes to show who something belongs to (possession) 29
Common mistakes with apostrophes 30
Inverted commas 31
Using paragraphs 32

Spelling
Doubling letters before adding a suffix 33
More about adding suffixes 34
The suffix -ous 35
Similar sounding suffixes 36
Prefixes 37
Homophones 38
Some more questions about spelling 39
Checking my own spelling 40

Are you
ready for
this?

3
 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).

1 Tick the noun in each of these lists.

riding large China ✓

horse ✓ brown under
my packet ✓ always

2 Underline all the nouns in these sentences.

My cat likes to chase birds.
George is a great swimmer.
I have sandwiches on Thursdays.

3 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.

4 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?

hmcra March
Let’s
try!
6 Can you circle the non-countable nouns in this list?
coin book water fun tree luck anger

I know what common nouns and proper nouns are. I’m confident I’m nearly there

4
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

1 Can you unscramble these adjectives?

clabk black ynti tiny udorn round

2 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.

3 Complete these sentences using your own adjectives.

The tiny house had a massive door.

When I am older I would like a fast car.

I have a pair of green training shoes.

4 Think of your own favourite adjective: scrumptious

Put your adjective in your own sentence.

On Saturday we baked some scrumptious cakes.

Here
we go!
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.

I know what adjectives are and I can use them. I’m confident I’m nearly there

5
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

1 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

2 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.

3 Fill in the gaps to change the tense of the verbs. The first is done for you.

present tense past tense

We run home. We ran home.

My mum keeps hens. My mum kept hens.

We are baking the cake. We have baked the cake.

Jake throws the javelin. Jake threw the javelin.

4 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
Oh
no!
5 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.

I know what verbs are and some facts about them. I’m confident I’m nearly there

6
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.

1 Complete this table to show when things happened.

last week just now

I arrived at the airport. I have arrived at the airport.

I ate the biscuits. We have eaten the biscuits.

I finished my homework. I have finished my homework.

2 Write these sentences again using the present perfect form of each verb.
She ate her last sandwich. She has eaten her last sandwich.
We set off for spain. We have set off for Spain.

3 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.

4 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.

Bring
it on!
5 Jake is fifteen. Which one of these is true? Tick your answer.

Jake will become 10 years old ✓ Jake became 10 years old

Jake has just become 10 years old Jake becomes 10 years old

I can use the present perfect form of a verb to

I’m confident I’m nearly there
show that something has just happened.

7
 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.)

1 Complete these sentences to show what is hapenning now.

The sun is shining. We are sitting down.

I am looking at my book.

2 Complete these sentences to show what was hapenning at 6 o’clock yesterday.

Jake was swimming in a gala. I was playing a game.

We were eating our tea.

3 Use any of these words to fill in the gaps in this passage.

rode ride riding

Mai was riding her bike when it started to rain. She rode home

as fast as she could. Mai likes to ride in the woods. She is riding
again right now.

4 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.

5 Can you spell the -ing form of these verbs? Use a dictionary to check your answers.

OK!
learn learning breathe breathing decide deciding
notice noticing describe describing imagine imagining
appear appearing continue continuing

I can use verbs ending with -ing in the present and past tenses. I’m confident I’m nearly there

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 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.

1 Complete these sentences using different forms of the verb ‘to eat’.

I will eat my lunch later.

We will be eating our lunches at noon.

They are going to eat after the film finishes.

2 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.

3 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
Easy!
arrive at 11pm. The pool will be closed!

I can use verbs to talk about the future. I’m confident I’m nearly there

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 G Common mistakes with verbs
It is important to use the correct form of each verb.
I done the shopping. ✗
I did the shopping. ✓

1 Write these short sentences correctly in the past tense (change the verbs only).

The dog eaten the bone. The dog ate the bone.
I gone home at 6pm. I went home at 6pm.
Jake have lost his watch. Jake has lost his watch.

2 Write these correctly in the present tense (change the verbs only).

We is never going there again. We are never going there again.

I always arrives early. I always arrive early.
They has paint on their hands. They have paint on their hands.

3 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.

4 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 2, and Grandma doesn’t see him before her second birthday.

When Grandma was born, she was the eighth child in the family. Her father
OK!
was a soldier in World War 2, and Grandma didn’t see him before her
second birthday.

I can choose the correct form of a verb to use in my writing. I’m confident I’m nearly there

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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

1 Can you underline the adverbs in these sentences?

Zoe quickly entered the room. The dog was always barking. The music was too loud.

2 Choose your own adverbs to go with the adjectives in these sentences.

(You’re not allowed to use ‘very’)

My exam was quite difficult. The smell was extremely unpleasant.

3 Write these adverbs in the gaps below.

fortunately very eventually accidentally

When the teacher eventually arrived, Jack very quickly told the truth.

He had accidentally broken a window. Fortunately , it was only a small one.

4 Which of these words can be used as adverbs? Tick the correct answers.

today ✓ exciting because

yesterday ✓ really ✓ very ✓
tomorrow ✓ those friend
too ✓ it quickly ✓
Ouch!
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.

I know what adverbs are. I’m confident I’m nearly there

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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.

1 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.

2 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.

3 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.

4 Look at the picture and finish the sentence with a great expanded noun phrase.

In the picture there is a desperately sad little rabbit with no

carrots.

5 Use your imagination to complete this table. Here

we go!

noun expanded noun phrase

car a red sports car with a 5-litre engine

spider a hairy black spider with only seven legs

brother my annoying brother who won’t stop talking

I understand what expanded noun phrases are. I’m confident I’m nearly there

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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)

1 Which of these are subordinate clauses?

✓ when I get home ✓ unless you leave now

it is too hot ✓ where I’d like to live

✓ even if we get lost Jake is my brother

2 Can you think of some good words to connect these clauses?

They had a great day out because the sun shone all day.

We won’t win on Saturday if we don’t practise.

She waited in the hall while I looked for the keys.

3 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, I will be very annoyed with you.
Because it is Saturday, we don’t need to go to school.

Phew!
4 Look at the picture and write your own sentence about it. Make sure your
sentence has a main clause and a subordinate clause.

I need to clean the wall because someone has splashed

green paint on it.

I know what main and subordinate clauses are. I’m confident I’m nearly there

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 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!

1 Which sentence uses a question mark correctly? Tick one.

I bought a new pair of shoes on Friday? I want to buy some new shoes?

Did you buy new shoes on Friday? ✓

2 Which of these are sentences? Tick the boxes.

✓ The dog has escaped. The children and their parents

When it’s time to leave, ✓ Stop looking at me!

✓ Is it time to go home? before it gets dark.

3 Join these main clauses to make sentences by adding a joining word.

Jack and Jill went up the hill, but Jack fell down.

Let’s go indoors and let’s eat the cake.

4 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?

Now try to think of a sentence with a main clause and a subordinate clause.

OK!
When the clouds hide the sun, it feels quite cold.

I understand what sentences are. I’m confident I’m nearly there

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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.

1 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.

2 Circle the two words in this list that are not pronouns.
I me she he the it they this we

3 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.

4 Add pronouns in the spaces below to complete the writing.

The frogs are jumping in and out of the pond. They seem to like jumping.

Their pond is great. It is perfect for them .

Yeah!
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.

I know how to use pronouns. I’m confident I’m nearly there

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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.

1 Can you unscramble the letters to complete this list of possessive pronouns?

nmei mine sruyo yours

rhse hers sih his
rhesit theirs usro ours

2 Add a possessive pronoun in each space below.

“I really like your bike” said Zara. “I wish it was mine .” Lou looked surprised.

“ Yours is not that bad,” she replied. Secretly, Lou did think his
was the best.

3 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.

OK!

4 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’.

I know what possessive pronouns are and how to use them. I’m confident I’m nearly there

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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.

r x p s i n c e c b
1 Can you find these prepositions in the
l t n e e w t e b t
wordsearch?
p z o c o a s d e u
r b o l b v z u y o
behind between near
a f e d s d x r o h

around beyond without e b e h i n d i n t

n d o q f u y n d i
after above since n v l v g o w g a w
d l b t e r e v o j
below over during q r e t f a x h k
v

2 Look at the picture and add your own prepositions to these sentences.

The bird sneakily flew through the window. It perched

on the edge of the fish tank which was on

the table. The fish in the tank hid under a shell.

3 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.

We can
4 Look at this sentence: The sports car with a powerful engine. 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 behind a tree.

It was a brightly coloured bird with a very long beak.
I put it on the shelf behind the door in the garage.

I know how to use prepositions. I’m confident I’m nearly there

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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!

1 Unscramble the letters to find six subordinating conjunctions.

f e t la ss b ec
while unless
l t g l e o
h w h o n f a se after before
e i r a uh e u e r u b
although because

2 Add coordinating conjunctions to complete these sentences.

Jack and Jill went up the hill.

Would you like a biscuit or a cream cake?

I would like to go but I can’t.

3 Use your own subordinating conjunctions to finish these sentences.

I think I’ll wear a coat as it is very cold.

After they finish their lunches, they can have ice creams.

We waited outside while they set up the room.

4 Add your own subordinate clauses to finish these sentences:

We went home early because it was too cold.

They sat in the waiting room until the train arrived.
Wow!
5 Add your own main clauses to finish this sentence.

After the movie finished , we went out for a pizza.

I can use conjunctions. I’m confident I’m nearly there

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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?

1 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!

2 Use these determiners to fill in the gaps below.

their this five the many

They sailed for five days in their boat. The day it rained was really

bad. They have sailed many times before, but they didn’t enjoy this trip.

3 Unscramble these words to find some determiners.

veyre every tobh both

mose some ymna many
yrou your htta that

4 Them is not a determiner. Can you write these sentences correctly?

Can I have one of them sweets? Can I have one of those sweets?
Look at them ducks over there! 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. I’m confident I’m nearly there

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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.

1 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.

2 Can you think of your own fronted adverbials to start these sentences?

Without stopping to look, his brother opened the door.

When it saw the dog’s teeth, the cat ran away.

3 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.

4 Put a tick next to the sentences where the comma is used correctly.
Easy
peasy!
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.

I know what adverbials and fronted adverbials are. I’m confident I’m nearly there

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RI Some more grammar questions

1 Tick the sentence that could end with an exclamation mark.

Is it time to go home How are you feeling

The leaves fell from the trees in Autumn ✓ Stop dropping food on the carpet

2 Draw lines to match each sentence to its missing determiner.

I like a rabbit with big ears an

An orange makes a good snack a

the the
She thought she saw shooting stars

3 Choose your own adverbs to finish these sentences.

She ate her lunch quickly .

Luckily , we made it here in time.

4 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. I’m confident I’m nearly there

21
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.

10 Use a possessive pronoun to finish this sentence.

All these books are yours .

11 Circle two adjectives in this sentence.

My sister has a green bike with very small wheels.

12 Look at this sentence and tick one box below.

The giant oak tree is probably 300 years old.

The underlined words are: a fronted adverbial

a main clause
Here
we go! ✓ a noun phrase

a subordinate clause

I can answer some questions about grammar. I’m confident I’m nearly there

22
 Punctuation

AI Punctuation revision exercises

1 Circle the word below that has an apostrophe to show possession.

“It’s getting late. Let’s go back to Jane’s house.”

2 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

3 Add the best punctuation marks to the ends of these sentences.

At what time will the bus leave ? BUS

STOP
Stop making such a mess !
The children were all reading quietly .

4 Write this sentence again with the correct punctuation (you will need to add 1 capital letter,
3 or 4 commas and 1 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. I’m confident I’m nearly there

23
 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,W wednesdays,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.

10 Explain in your own words the reasons why you would start new paragraphs in your writing.

I would start a new paragraph every time a new person starts to speak.
Yes!
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. I’m confident I’m nearly there

24
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 (!).

1 Tick the sentences that could end with an exclamation mark.

✓ What a mess we’re in What time is it

✓ How silly you are ✓ You can’t be serious

✓ Don’t slam the door ✓ The shower is freezing

2 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 1.30pm today .

3 Write your own example of a sentence ending with a full stop.

The train left the station fifteen minutes late.

4 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!

OK!
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!”

I know what punctuation to use at the start and end of sentences. I’m confident I’m nearly there

25
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.

1 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.

2 Add commas to this sentence.

My favourite fruits are apples ,pears ,bananas ,plums and oranges.

3 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.

4 Write a list of three or more things to finish this list.

During the summer holidays, I like to go for bike rides, meet up with my friends, go
on holiday, and go to bed late.

Great!
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 (2 or 3 commas, 4 capital letters and 1 full stop)

I go to swimming lessons on Mondays, football on Wednesdays, guitar

practice on Fridays, and football again on Saturdays.

I can use commas to separate words/phrases in a list. I’m confident I’m nearly there

26
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.

1 Tick the sentences that have commas in the correct places.

When it was 6 o’clock he caught, the train. ✓ When it was 6 o’clock, he caught the train.

✓ Every day, I eat an apple with my lunch. Every day I eat, an apple with my lunch.

2 These sentences start with fronted adverbials. Can you finish them?

When you go to the cinema, you must have popcorn.

In the winter, we need to wear coats.

3 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.

4 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

OK!
surprise they got. In ten seconds, they had made a discovery that would
change their lives.

I can use commas after fronted adverbials. I’m confident I’m nearly there

27
E Apostrophes to show where letters are missing
We use apostrophes to show where letters have been left out of words.
Example: I will I’ll
We have We’ve

1 Can you make these shorter by taking out letters?

a) does not doesn’t b) did not didn’t

c) they will they’ll d) we would we’d

2 Won’t is quite unusual. Do you know what it is short for?

Won’t is short for will not

3 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 would

We’d waited for two hours. We’d is short for we had
They’d already finished their work. They’d is short for they had
They’d really like to see this. They’d is short for they would

4 Watch out for these common mistakes. Fill in the correct answers.

Should’ve means should have not should of!

Would’ve means would have 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. I’m confident I’m nearly there

28
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

1 Add an apostrophe to the underlined words to make them correct.

a) A sharks' teeth are sharp. b) Humaras' bike is broken.
c) The brothers ' faces look the same. d) The childrens' books were on the floor.
e) Our womens' football team is top of the league.

2 Complete this table.

the king crown the king’s crown

a dog kennel a dog’s kennel
the men boots the men’s boots
Mr Smith clothes Mr Smith’s clothes
the elephants trunks the elephants’ trunks

3 Write two sentences and use two words with apostrophes to show possession.

The cat’s bowl is empty.

The rabbits’ bowls are empty too.

4 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 Mrs Atkin’s car.

The car belonging to Mrs Jones is Mrs Jones’s car.
The car belonging to Mr Dickens is Mr Dickens’s car.
With names like Jones and Dickens, there is more than one possible answer!

I can use apostrophes to show possession. I’m confident I’m nearly there

29
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!

1 Write your or you’re in these sentences to make them correct.

Is this your book.

If you don’t hurry up, you’re going to be late.

Bring your lunch if you’re coming with us.

2 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.

3 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.

4 Add the words they’re, their and there in the correct spaces below.

Over there is where they keep their bikes, which they’re

going to ride home later.
Bring
it on!
5 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’.

I can avoid making mistakes with apostrophes. I’m confident I’m nearly there

30
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

1 Can you complete these sentences about how to use inverted commas?

We start each new bit of speech with a capital letter. Speech always

ends with a punctuation mark inside the inverted commas. We

use a comma to introduce speech.

2 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 .”

3 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.

4 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
Katie walked up to Tom and asked, “Hi Tom, have you seen my
pencil?

No,
pencil?”
sorry.
“No, sorry,” he replied.

I understand how to use inverted commas. I’m confident I’m nearly there

31
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.

1 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 2nd paragraph.

George starts speaking after Miss Foster finished speaking.

Explain why you would start the 3rd paragraph.

Miss Foster speaks again after George.

Explain why you would start the 4th paragraph.

The time has changed to many years later.

I understand how to use paragraphs. I’m confident I’m nearly there

32
 Spelling

A 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 (we double the last letter)
If the word ends with two consonants
burn burning (we don’t double the last letter)
If the word ends with two vowels and a consonant
keep keeping (we don’t double the last letter)

1 Add -ing and any other letters you need to these words.

shop ping stop ping clap ping slap ping

2 Now try adding -ed to these.

burn ed turn ed start ed guard ed

3 Add the suffix -er to these words. Remember that the letter x is never doubled.

box er run ner farm er mix er

4 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.

travel + ing travelling cancel + ing cancelling

I know when to double letters before adding suffixes. I’m confident I’m nearly there

33
 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.

1 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

2 Add the following suffixes to their root words.

inform + ation information confirm + ation confirmation

admire + ation admiration sense + ation sensation

3 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

4 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

I’m confident I’m nearly there
and how to add -ment -ness and -ful.

34
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.

1 Add -ous to these words.

poison + ous poisonous

danger + ous dangerous
fame + ous famous

2 Use a dictionary to find out what happens to these words ending in our when the
suffix -ous is added.

humour + ous humorous

vigour + ous vigorous

3 Complete this sentence:

With words ending our we change our to or before adding the suffix -ous.

4 Now try adding -ous to these words.

courage + ous courageous

outrage + ous 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. I’m confident I’m nearly there

35
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.

1 Add -sure , -ture or -cher to complete these words.

trea sure mea sure

tea cher adven ture
crea ture tempera ture

2 Can you complete these sentences?

The doctor will give you an inj ection .

Look at the expr ession on his face!

My dad is an electr ician .

We had an exten sion on our house.

3 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 station feature leisure

submission nation nature insure

4 Challenge! Find as many words as you can that end with -cian. You need more than five
to be a genius!
Wow!

politician technician magician

electrician beautician optician

I know when to use -ture -sure -sion -cian and -tion. I’m confident I’m nearly there

36
EI Prefixes
We add prefixes to the beginnings of root words to make new words.
Example: super + star superstar
(prefix) (root word) (new word)
Prefixes give us a clue about what words mean. For example, re- means again, so
rewrite means ‘write again’.

1 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

2 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 obey dis believe dis appoint

mis behave mis spell dis appear

3 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

4 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.
OK!

irregular Irregular means not regular.

I know how a prefix can change the meaning of a word. I’m confident I’m nearly there

37
FI Homophones
Homophones are words that sound the same. They have different spellings and meanings.

1 Write the correct homophones into each of these sentences.

ball bawl grate great
Please pass the ball . I’m having a great time.
The baby started to bawl . Anyone can grate cheese.

knot not meddle medal

Tie the knot tight! I won a silver medal .
That’s not my coat. Don’t meddle with my things!
main mane steel steal
The horse has a black mane . They tried to steal my bike.
Fish is the main course. The spoon is made of steel .

No!
2 Write your own short sentences to show what these homophones mean.

a) your Your coat is black.

you’re You’re going to miss me when I’ve gone.

b) whose Whose biscuits are these?

who’s Who’s put my pencil down the sink?

c) accept I can’t accept your gift.

except Everyone except me has a packed lunch.

d) their Their house is at the end of the road.

there The one I want is over there.
they’re They’re not going to get home on time.

I know some common homophones. I’m confident I’m nearly there

38
GI Some more questions about spelling

1 Tick these words if they are spelt correctly or write them again with the correct spelling.

shef chef tongue ✓ machine ✓

sience science cresent crescent cemist chemist

2 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.

3 Draw lines to match each word with a correct suffix.

comfort ish

harm able

self ful

4 Write your own sentences to show what these homophones mean.

heel The heel has broken off my shoe.

heal I hope my sore toe is going to heal soon.
he’ll He’ll never make friends by being rude.

5 Write out these sentences again with no spelling mistakes.

Easy
a) The Prime Minister is a politicion peasy!

The Prime Minister is a politician.

b) TV stars are very glamourous

TV stars are very glamorous.

I can answer questions about spelling. I’m confident I’m nearly there

39
 HI Checking my own spelling
When you do a piece of writing, always check the spelling of any words you’re not sure
about.

1 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

2 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.

OK
Let’s hope the people swimming in the sea had a good sense of humour too!
go!

I can check my own spelling. I’m confident I’m nearly there

40