Punctuation and
grammar28th September 2017
What is grammar?
‘Studying how language works – grammar – should help young writers to say what
they want to say as effectively as they can.’
‘When we read texts we read like a reader…When we write, we write like a
writer, but also need to imagine the reader of our writing.’
This isn’t and shouldn’t be about a SPAG test. It has to be about improving
children’s writing.
Where to start?
So much crossover…
To build/develop sentences we need to have an awareness of a number of
different areas.
Integral to all of this is our use/development of word classes.
Word classes
Sentences are built and developed through use of word groups.
How many different types of word class do we know?
8 major word classes in the English language
Noun, verb, adjective, adverb, pronoun, preposition, conjunction,
determiner
First 4 are KS1 objectives.
Verbs
What are verbs?
What are the most common verbs in the English language?
An action or a state of being – miss verbs such as was, is, am (to be)
Verbs are integral - without a verb you do not have a sentence.
Tense
What types of tense do we know?
Tense
What types of tense do we know?
Where does the following sentence
belong?
The Tear Thief listened.
Present Past
Simple
Progressive
Perfect
Perfect
Progressive
Tense
What types of tense do we know?
Create the table on a sheet of
paper.
Where does the following sentence
belong?
The Tear Thief listened.
Present Past
Simple The Tear Thief
listens.
The Tear Thief
listened.
Progressive
Perfect
Perfect
Progressive
Tense
What types of tense do we know?
Create the table on a sheet of
paper.
Where does the following sentence
belong?
The Tear Thief listened.
Present Past
Simple The Tear Thief
listens.
The Tear Thief
listened.
Progressive The Tear Thief is
listening.
The Tear Thief
was listening.
Perfect
Perfect
Progressive
Tense
What types of tense do we know?
Create the table on a sheet of
paper.
Where does the following sentence
belong?
The Tear Thief listened.
Present Past
Simple The Tear Thief
listens.
The Tear Thief
listened.
Progressive The Tear Thief is
listening.
The Tear Thief
was listening.
Perfect The Tear Thief has
listened.
The Tear Thief
had listened.
Perfect
Progressive
Tense
What types of tense do we know?
Create the table on a sheet of
paper.
Where does the following sentence
belong?
The Tear Thief listened.
Present Past
Simple The Tear Thief
listens.
The Tear Thief
listened.
Progressive The Tear Thief is
listening.
The Tear Thief
was listening.
Perfect The Tear Thief has
listened.
The Tear Thief
had listened.
Perfect
Progressive
The Tear Thief has
been listening.
The Tear Thief
had been
listening.
Noun phrases - activity
A noun phrase (or any phrase) does not contain a verb.
Select an object
Name it – common/proper noun.
Add an adjective and a determiner e.g. The old shoe
Add a preposition phrase e.g. under the stairs
Add two adjectives joined by ‘and’ e.g. battered and torn
Add a relative clause (which, who, that, whom)
Experiment with variations and select your favourite.
Finish your sentence by adding a verb.
Battered and torn, the old shoe, under the stairs…sat undiscovered.
Adverbs/Adverbials
When she saw the girl quietly crying in the street, the Tear Thief
stopped. There was always room in the sack for more tears.
She reached out her hand.
Adverbs of time, place and manner (when, where, how)
How did the Tear Thief reach out her hand?
When did she?
Does it have to be one word?
With care, she slowly reached out her hand.
Activity
Look at the images.
Write a simple (single) clause sentence to describe what is happening.
Now add a word or phrase to describe: how, when, where, how often.
Create a mix of adverbs/adverbials within the sentence.
How many can you include?
You’re the writer, decide when to stop!
Examples
The Thief touched the child’s face.
The Thief, with care, touched the child’s face.
After the tears fell, the Tear Thief gently touched the child’s face.
In the reflection of the puddle, the Thief touched the child’s face, every day, as the tears fell.
Every night, after the tears fell, the Thief would quietly enter the room without making a
sound, and gently collect the little droplets of water.
Children can colour code as an activity, to see if their adverbs fall into the same category.
Explain everything activity
Do the sentences below include adverbs/adverbials? Be prepared to explain
your answer.
The little girl squealed loudly when she saw the Tear Thief.
The Tear Thief’s reflection could be seen faintly in the puddle.
In wonder, the child stared at the moon.
Fronted adverbials – varying openings
The Tear Thief watched.
Begin the sentence in the following ways:
An adverb/adverbial: how;
An adverb/adverbial: time;
An adverbial: where;
An adverbial: how often.
Which is your favourite – why?
Sentences…
What is a sentence?
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/sentence
A sentence needs to have a clause…so what is one?
Contains a subject and a verb
Clauses
Endurance sailed on the sea towards
Antarctica.
Clauses
Endurance sailed on the sea towards
Antarctica.
Endurance sailed.
Multiclause sentences
Sentences containing more than one clause.
Can be a mix of main, subordinate and relative.
Main clause makes sense on its own – therefore every sentence needs one.
Subordinate clause does not make sense on its own – needs a subordinating
conjunction.
Relative clause – gives extra information, often about a noun – need a relative
pronoun.
Subordinate clauses
Write a single clause sentence based on the picture.
Add a subordinating conjunction.
Decide whether it sounds better at the start, middle or end of the sentence.
Add any punctuation needed – commas.
Always needed if subordinate clause first; personal choice if not.
Subordinate clauses
The men climbed.
The men climbed as the moonlight shone from
above.
As the moonlight shone from above, the men
climbed.
Relative clauses
Modifies the noun and is introduced by a relative pronoun.
Who, whom, whose, which, that
Identify the nouns in a sentence and add extra information to them.
As the moonlight shone from above, the men climbed.
Relative clauses
Modifies the noun and is introduced by a relative pronoun.
Who, whom, whose, which, that
Identify the nouns in a sentence and add extra information to them.
As the moonlight shone from above, the men climbed.
As the moonlight, which was particularly bright that evening, shone from
above, the men climbed.
As the moonlight shone from above, the men, who were tired and weary,
continued to climb.
Comma splice
The tiny boat rocked on the ocean, the wind was as strong as it had ever been.
Commas are used to mark phrases and clauses.
Two main clause cannot be joined with a comma.
Must have either:
Full stop
Conjunction
Semi colon
Colon
Even if children do not put a comma, it is still incorrect.
Build a sentence activity
Add stimulus – picture
Write a single clause sentence.
Add a subordinate conjunction.
Decide on whether it goes at the start or end.
Add a relative clause.
The dark clouds, that were heavy with rain, swirled
violently, while the tiny boat rocked on the ocean.
Build a sentence activity
Add stimulus – picture
Write a single clause sentence.
Add a subordinate conjunction.
Decide on whether it goes at the start or end.
Add a relative clause.
The dark clouds, that were heavy with rain, swirled
violently, while the tiny boat rocked on the ocean.