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Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar
Copyright 2016 Online Teaching Resources Ltd
www.teacher-of-English.com
Grammar and
Punctuation
DOs and DON’Ts
Quick Tips for Year 6
Research shows that grammar and punctuation are best
taught through meaningful units of work which have the
relevant objectives embedded within them and plenty of
opportunities to apply new learning*.
However, since the introduction of the grammar,
punctuation and spelling test in 2013, it has been found
that many children lose marks not due to a lack of
knowledge about the more challenging domains of the
test, but because of simple errors and omissions.
This resource contains tips and advice to ensure that
Year 6 children approach the standard assessment test in
grammar and punctuation with an awareness of possible
pitfalls, and a conscious knowledge of how to avoid them.
* Take a look at the complete units of work available to download at
Key Stage 2 test – distribution of questions in the 2016 sample test
50
Questions
13
3
6
8
14
5
1
26%
6%
12%
16%
28%
10%
2%
Over half of the questions will focus on grammatical terms/ word
classes and punctuation – the basics!
These are needed anyway in the teaching of writing to either:
•improve writing, or to
•discuss writing
BUT – beware! Some of the more challenging areas
(previously Level 6) will appear within this domain.
In the test, do what you are asked to do. If a question is multiple
choice and you are asked to tick one box – TICK ONE BOX!
DON’T do this. Even if you leave the correct answer blank and cross
out the boxes on the wrong answers, you will not be awarded the
mark as you have not positively identified the correct one.
The word unambiguous means that you have made it very
clear that you know which the right answer is.
In the test, do what you are asked to do. If a question is multiple
choice and you are asked to tick one box – TICK ONE BOX!
You will still be awarded a mark if you write the correct words on the
lines, BUT if you write them with capital letters you will lose the mark.
Stick to ticking the correct box and you won’t go wrong!
Objectives for capital letters
Y1
Form capital letters
Begin to punctuate sentences using a capital letter and a full stop,
question mark or exclamation mark
Use a capital letter for names of people, places,
the days of the week, and the personal pronoun ‘I’
Y2
Use capital letters, full stops, question marks and exclamation marks to
demarcate sentences
Write capital letters and digits of the correct size, orientation and
relationship to one another and to lower case letters
Notice that these objectives are for Year 1 and Year 2!
It is really important that you don’t make mistakes with
capital letters in Year 6.
DON’T do this!
The personal
pronoun I is always
a capital and this
one was written for
you. Don’t change it
to a lower case i.
Capital letters
Capital letters are used at the start of
sentences and for proper nouns.
On the first Sunday in May every
year, George liked to climb Mount
Everest but I preferred to sail the
River Danube.
Capital letters
Capital letters are used for all proper nouns and must start
every sentence.
They must be clear and unambiguous, especially the ones
which look the same when they are a capital and a lower
case letter:
cC f F mM oO pP sS uU vV wW xX zZ
A capital letter must be the same size as any ascender in
the word. You must write write capital letters of the
correct size, orientation and relationship to one another
and to lower case letters.
Objectives for adjectives and noun phrases
Y2
Form adjectives using suffixes such as –ful, –less, e.g.
helpful, beautiful, thoughtful, breathless, careless, fearless.
Y2
Use suffixes –er, –est in adjectives, e.g.
brighter, smoother, younger, smallest, happiest, cleverest
Y4
Identify and use noun phrases expanded by the addition of
modifying adjectives, nouns and preposition phrases
e.g. the dog expanded to: the large, vicious dog with
slavering jaws)
Key Stage 2 sample - 2016
DON’T circle anything else!
Key Stage 2 sample 2016
The children played on the swings when they went to school.
when they went to school the children played on the swings.
Subordinate
clauses don’t make
sense on their own
but do contain a
verb.
Objectives for final punctuation
Y1
Begin to punctuate sentences using a capital letter and a full
stop, question mark or exclamation mark.
Y2
Use capital letters, full stops, question marks and
exclamation marks to demarcate sentences.
Y6
Understand the difference between structures typical of
informal speech and structures appropriate for formal
speech and writing (for example, the use of question tags:
He’s your friend, isn’t he?).
Tricky questions
Sometimes a question follows a statement. This is called a
question tag and it is used in conversation, in informal
writing, and in dialogue. It can also be used when using a
rhetorical question that doesn’t expect an answer, for
example, when addressing the reader directly.
They are not proper questions, but are used to keep a
conversation going.
The giraffe ate all the leaves, didn’t it?
We expect the reply to be ‘Yes’.
The statement is positive so the tag is negative. If
the statement is negative, the tag must be positive:
The giraffe didn’t eat all the leaves, did it?
We expect the reply to be ‘No’.
The question mark is always written immediately
after the last word and on the same line.
Question marks may come in different shapes and sizes, but
when writing in English, they are always the same way round
and always sit on the line immediately after the last word.
?
?
?
?
?
It’s easy to tell that it is final
punctuation because it comes
with a built in ‘full stop’.
Write your
question mark
clearly and
carefully
The names
of on the
compass points line.
only
have capital letters
when they are used
as names
?
Exclamation marks don’t have the same variety
as question marks, but they always sit
on the line immediately after the last word.
!
!
!
!
It’s easy to tell that it is final
punctuation because it comes
with a built in ‘full stop’.
Write your
exclamation mark
clearly and
carefully
The names
of on the
compass points line.
only
have capital letters
when they are used
as names
!
Key Stage 2 actual 2015
Write a suitable question to fit the answer below.
Remember to use correct punctuation.
Question
How old is he?
Answer
He is ten years old.
Not acceptable:
how old is Tom?
No initial capital letter
How old is tom?
No capital letter for proper noun
How old is Tom
No question mark for final punctuation
Objectives for commas
Y2
Use commas to separate items in a list.
Y4
Use a comma after the reporting clause in direct speech,
e.g. The troll said, “Who goes there?”
Use commas after fronted adverbials.
Y5
Use commas to indicate parenthesis.
Use commas to clarify meaning or avoid ambiguity.
Commas
Commas are used for different purposes in sentences but
are always written immediately after the preceding word
and on the same line.
It is important to make sure that commas are formed
correctly so that it is clear what they are and to ensure
that they can’t be mistaken for anything else.
,
The comma should take the shape of a
filled-in curved number 9. The round part
should sit on the line with the tail falling below
it, like descender letters.
All commas should be written in the same
way, and all face the same way.
Look at these examples of commas in a list. Only the first
one is acceptable. Why do you think the others are not?
Correct shape, correctly orientated, on the line and consistent.
Incorrect shape, inconsistent orientation.
Incorrect shape, not on the line, look like forward slashes.
Incorrect shape, inconsistent orientation, not on the line,
look like brackets.
Key Stage 2 actual 2015
Write out the words from the boxes to make one sentence.
You can use the boxes in any order.
Remember to punctuate your answer correctly.
went to Spain
who is in my class
over the summer
Ben Green
Ben Green, who is in my class, went to Spain over the summer.
Ben Green, who is in my class, went to Spain over the Summer.
Ben Green, who is in my class, went to Spain over the summer
Ben Green who is in my class, went to Spain over the summer.
DO make capital letters clear and unambiguous
DON’T forget the full stop at the end.
Snakes, which are poisonous, should be avoided.
Non defining
ALL snakes are
poisonous (not true).
Snakes which are poisonous should be avoided.
Defining
Only those snakes which
are poisonous should be
avoided.
My brother, who is a police officer, lives in Manchester.
Non defining
I have one brother.
He is a police officer.
He lives in Manchester.
My brother who is a police officer lives in Manchester.
Defining
I have more than one
brother.
I am talking specifically
about the one who is a
police officer.
The pupils, who passed the test, had a party.
Non defining
All the pupils passed the
test.
All the pupils had a party.
The pupils who passed the test had a party.
Defining
Not all the pupils passed
the test.
Only the pupils who passed
the test had a party.
The others didn’t.
Objectives for spelling words with prefixes and suffixes
Y1
Add prefixes and suffixes, e.g. –s or –es to show plurals
Know how the prefix un– changes the meaning of verbs and adjectives
[for example, unkind, or undoing: untie the boat]
Y2
Form nouns using suffixes such as –ness, –er and by compounding [for
example, whiteboard, superman]
Form adjectives using suffixes such as –ful, –less
Use suffixes –er, –est in adjectives and use –ly in Standard English to
turn adjectives into adverbs
Y3
Form nouns using a range of prefixes, such as super–, anti–, auto–
Y3/4
Apply knowledge of root words, prefixes and suffixes (etymology and
morphology) as listed in Appendix 1, both to read aloud and to
understand the meaning of new words they meet
Y5
Convert nouns or adjectives into verbs using suffixes (e.g. –ate; –ise; –ify)
Use Verb prefixes (e.g. dis–, de–, mis–, over– and re–)
un
kind
ness
re
act
ing
The word television is made up of the prefix tele and the root
word vision.
Explain how the prefix and the root word give television its
meaning.
tele means
vision means
far off or distant
able to see
The word submarine is made up of the prefix sub and the root
word marine.
Explain how the prefix and the root word give submarine its
meaning.
sub means
marine means
under or below
to do with the sea
DO make sure you use a complete
prefix before the root word.
DON’T just add a letter – it MUST be
a prefix.
DO draw one clear neat line
between boxes that point
exactly at the chosen box.
DON’T draw complicated
lines or miss the box
completely.
Objectives for verbs
Y2
• Re-read to check that their writing makes sense
and that verbs to indicate time are used
correctly and consistently, including verbs in
the continuous form.
• Use the progressive form of verbs in the present
and past tense to mark actions in progress [for
example, she is drumming, he was shouting].
Progressive Verbs
Verbs are words that tell the reader what is
happening in a sentence.
They are action or being words.
The verb is at the heart of a clause and can be
written in different tenses.
Progressive tenses show an action
which is ongoing at the time, either
now or in the past.
Mr Davis is rummaging around until he finds the
padlock. (present progressive)
Mr Davis was rummaging around until he found
the padlock. (past progressive)
From Framed by Frank Cottrell Boyce
Present Progressive Verb information
The present progressive form of the verb tells you that an
event is happening right now and is ongoing.
I am eating my lunch.
It can also be a statement to say what is not happening:
I am not watching television.
It can also be a question:
Are you sitting comfortably?
Notice that in each case, an auxiliary verb (am, am not, are)
have been used.
Identify the past progressive
Aladdin was polishing his lamp when the Genie suddenly
appeared.
Hansel and Gretel were walking in the forest when they
discovered a house made of gingerbread.
While the seven little men were working in the diamond mine,
Snow White was cooking their supper.
Mary was walking to school and her lamb was following her.
While Humpty was sitting on the wall, Miss Muffet was eating
curds and whey.
What was Goldilocks doing whilst the bears
were out of the house?
Bo Peep was waiting patiently for her sheep when she
spotted them returning home.
Identify the past progressive
Aladdin was polishing his lamp when the Genie suddenly
appeared.
Hansel and Gretel were walking in the forest when they
discovered a house made of gingerbread.
While the seven little men were working in the diamond mine,
Snow White was cooking their supper.
Mary was walking to school and her lamb was following her.
While Humpty was sitting on the wall, Miss Muffet was eating
curds and whey.
What was Goldilocks doing whilst the bears
were out of the house?
Bo Peep was waiting patiently for her sheep when she
spotted them returning home.
Modal verbs
A modal verb is a type of auxiliary verb that is used to
indicate possibility, power, allowability, duty and advice.
Examples of modal verbs are:
He
He
He
He
He
He
He
He
He
He
will go.
shall go.
must go.
should go.
could go.
would go.
might go.
may go.
can go.
ought to go.
He
He
He
He
He
He
He
He
He
He
won’t go.
shan’t go.
mustn’t go.
shouldn’t go.
couldn’t go.
would go.
might not go.
may not go.
can’t go.
ought not to go.
Y 5/6
Explore, collect and use modal verbs to indicate degrees
of possibility e.g. might, could, shall, will, must.
DO place one tick in
each row.
DON’T place more
than one tick in each
row.
Objectives for main and subordinate clauses
Y1
Use joining words and joining clauses using and
Y2
Use subordination (using when, if, that, because) and
co-ordination (using or, and, but)
Y3/4
Extend the range of sentences with more than one clause
by using a wider range of conjunctions, e.g.
when, if, because, although
Y5/6
Use relative clauses beginning with who, which, where,
when, whose, that or with an implied (i.e. omitted) relative
pronoun.
Examples of an implied (i.e. omitted) relative pronoun.
That's the book which I am thinking about reading.
It's something that I’d rather not think about.
The bus which we were supposed to catch was late.
She’s the girl that I was telling you about.
Nothing that she does surprises me anymore.
DO tick one box.
DON’T tick more than one.
Objectives for adverbs and adverbials
Y2
Use of –ly to turn adjectives into adverbs
Y3/4
Use conjunctions, adverbs and prepositions to express time and
cause
Use fronted adverbials
Y5
Link ideas across paragraphs using adverbials of time (e.g. later),
place (e.g. nearby) and number (e.g. secondly)
Y6
Link ideas across paragraphs using a wider range of cohesive
devices, e.g. the use of adverbials such as on the other hand, in
contrast, or as a consequence)
Adverbials
Adverbials add more information to verbs and sentences.
They tell the reader: How? In what way? When?
Where? To what extent? With what?
Look at the bones of a paragraph to
describe the action in this
illustration.
He crouched
He heard footsteps
Black Jack strode into the room
Black Jack raised his right hand
In it was the necklace
Illustration © Stella Perrett 2011
Adverbials
Adverbials add more information to verbs and sentences.
They tell the reader: How? In what way? When?
Where? To what extent? With what?
Highlight the adverbials in the following
passage which describes what is
happening in the picture.
Without moving a muscle, he crouched on the steps
behind an open door. Before he could find a better
place to hide, he heard heavy footsteps
approaching. Black Jack himself strode boldly into
the room, his lilac neckerchief tied around his neck
and his tarry pigtail hanging down beneath his red
bandanna. His black beard and staring eyes made
Jim gape in horror. Black Jack raised his right hand
in triumph. In it was the diamond necklace,
glittering like a star in the lamplight.
Illustration © Stella Perrett 2011
Objectives for apostrophes
Y1
Read words with contractions, e.g. I’m, I’ll, we’ll, and
understand that the apostrophe represents the omitted
letter(s).
Y2
Use apostrophes to mark where letters are missing in
spelling and to mark singular possession in nouns.
Y4
Use apostrophes to indicate singular and plural
possession (e.g. the girl’s name, the girls’ names).
Place the apostrophe in words with regular plurals (e.g.
girls’, boys’) and in words with irregular plurals (e.g.
children’s).
Apostrophes
Apostrophes have two different uses in sentences but are
always written just above the writing, slightly higher than
the ascenders (tall letters) and between the letters, not
above them.
It is important to make sure that apostrophes are formed
correctly so that it is clear what they are and to ensure
that they can’t be mistaken for anything else.
’
The apostrophe should take the shape of a
filled-in curved number 9, just like a comma.
All apostrophes should be written in the same
way, and all face the same way. They must be
placed between the letters.
Look at these examples of apostrophes. Only the first
one is acceptable. Why do you think the others are not?
Correct shape, correctly orientated, correctly placed and consistent.
Between the correct letters, but positioned
too low and look like forward slashes.
Correct shape, correct orientation, but not placed correctly.
Apostrophes
Use an apostrophe to show letters are
missing, never to show a plural.
Which letters
are missing?
The apostrophe replaces the letter or letters.
Make sure you put it in the right place.
Words in full
Letter taken out
do not
can not
could not
would not
o
no
o
o
Shortened
version
don’t
can’t
couldn’t
wouldn’t
Objectives for conjunctions
Y1
Join words and clauses using and
Y2
Use subordination (using when, if, that, because) and
co-ordination (using or, and, but)
Y3/4
Extend the range of sentences with more than one
clause by using a wider range of conjunctions, e.g.
when, if, because, although
Y3/4
Express time, place and cause using conjunctions e.g.
when, before, after, while, so, because
Conjunction Information
Conjunctions are words which join other
words, or which link phrases
and clauses in sentences.
Co-ordinating conjunctions are used when
each part of the sentence is equally
important and makes sense by itself.
Subordinating conjunctions are used to
join a subordinate clause to a main clause.
The subordinate clause relies on
information in the main clause.
Coordinating Conjunctions
for
and
nor
but
or
yet
so
FANBOYS or ASBO (for the most common ones)!
Subordinating Conjunctions
after
although
as
as if
as long as
as though
because
before
even if
even though
if
if only
in order that
now that
once
rather than
since
so that
than
that
though
till
unless
until
when
whenever
where
whereas
wherever
while
Objectives for subject/ object
Y5/6
Ensure correct subject and verb agreement
when using singular and plural, distinguishing
between the language of speech and writing and
choosing the appropriate register
Subject and object
determiner
verb
The dog barked at the postman.
subject
object
An object is normally a noun, pronoun or noun
phrase that comes straight after the verb, and
shows what the verb is acting upon.
Objectives for dialogue punctuation
Y3
Introduction to inverted commas to punctuate direct
speech.
Y4
Use of inverted commas and other punctuation to indicate
direct speech e.g. a comma after the reporting clause; end
punctuation within inverted commas (e.g. The conductor
shouted, “Sit down!”).
Y5/6
Integrate dialogue to convey character and advance
the action
Dialogue punctuation
Inverted commas are used to:
• show speech in writing
“Who are you?” cried Aladdin.
“I am the Genie of the Lamp,”
said the genie. “Your wish is my
command.”
“”
Dialogue
Dialogue is used in narratives and reports
in order to tell the reader who is saying what.
It is also known as direct speech.
All punctuation must be inside the inverted commas
(also known as speech marks):
Inverted commas come in sets of two and are
placed before the first word spoken, and after
the last word spoken.
The first spoken word always starts with a
capital letter.
Other sentence punctuation in enclosed within
the inverted commas.
If the reporting clause comes first, it must be
followed by a comma.
Inverted commas
Inverted commas are used to show speech within writing.
They are placed at the same height as an apostrophe ’
which is slightly higher than the ascenders (tall letters).
It is important to make sure that inverted commas are
formed correctly so that it is clear what they are and to
ensure that they can’t be mistaken for anything else.
The inverted commas before the spoken words should
take the shape of two filled-in curved number 6s and
should face to the right. The inverted commas after the
words being spoken should face to the left and take the
shape of two filled in curved number 9s.
Insert the inverted commas and other
punctuation in the right places.
I can show you the world, Jasmine said Aladdin.
I’m not sure. I am afraid of what my father
would say she said.
Tell me princess, when did you last let your heart
decide he asked.
Will you show me the splendid, shimmering sights she
murmured.
Aladdin whispered in her ear I will show you a whole
new world of unbelievable sights as we soar and tumble
through an endless diamond sky
I want to see this dazzling place she said how will we do
this?
I will take you wonder by wonder replied Aladdin on a
magic carpet ride!
Insert the inverted commas and other
punctuation in the right places.
“I can show you the world, Jasmine,” said Aladdin.
“I’m not sure. I am afraid of what my father
would say,” she said.
“Tell me princess, when did you last let your heart
decide?” he asked.
“Will you show me the splendid, shimmering sights?” she
murmured.
Aladdin whispered in her ear, “I will show you a whole
new world of unbelievable sights as we soar and tumble
through an endless diamond sky.”
“I want to see this dazzling place,” she said. “How will
we do this?”
“I will take you wonder by wonder,” replied Aladdin, “on a
magic carpet ride!”
Objectives for prepositions
Y2
Use expanded noun phrases for description and
specification e.g. the man in the moon
Y3/4
Use conjunctions, adverbs and prepositions to express
time and cause, (e.g. before, after, during, in, because of )
Y3/4
Use noun phrases expanded by preposition phrases (e.g.
the zebra expanded to: the baby zebra in the paddock with
its mother).
Prepositions
A preposition is a word that tells the reader
position, direction, like above, below, at, over, in,
with. It is usually followed by a noun phrase.
The job a preposition does can be either
adjectival or adverbial.
“Rev. Rat went to the aquarium after breakfast and
murdered Mr Badger behind the shark tank with a fish
hook.”
“No. I think Miss Mamba, working together with Miss
Cobra, killed him inside the terrace café just before lunch.
They strangled him with a feather boa.”
“Never. It was Professor Bear. He was walking towards
the chimpanzee house in time for tea when he shot Mr
Badger between the ears with his revolver.”
Prepositions
A preposition is a word that tells the reader
position, direction, like above, below, at, over, in,
with. It is usually followed by a noun phrase.
The job a preposition does can be either
adjectival or adverbial.
“Rev. Rat went to the aquarium after breakfast and
murdered Mr Badger behind the shark tank with a fish
hook.”
“No. I think Miss Mamba, working together with Miss
Cobra, killed him inside the terrace café just before lunch.
They strangled him with a feather boa.”
“Never. It was Professor Bear. He was walking towards
the chimpanzee house in time for tea when he shot Mr
Badger between the ears with his revolver.”
Grammar for Writing Unit 42
Spot the prepositions
“Now this is what you do in the obstacle race, children.
Are you listening carefully? First you run towards the
bath of jelly, then you jump into it, wade across it and
climb out of the bath at the other side.
Then you run to the string of sausages, and skip over
them twenty seven times. Next you climb up the twenty
foot pole, ride carefully along the tightrope on a unicycle,
and abseil down the rope at the other end.
After that you balance the bowl of tomato soup on top
of your head, climb over the live alligator, and creep
under the baby elephant, between its back legs.
Then all you have to do is run backwards to
the finishing line, carrying me.”
Grammar for Writing Unit 42
Spot the prepositions
“Now this is what you do in the obstacle race, children.
Are you listening carefully? First you run towards the
bath of jelly, then you jump into it, wade across it and
climb out of the bath at the other side.
Then you run to the string of sausages, and skip over
them twenty seven times. Next you climb up the twenty
foot pole, ride carefully along the tightrope on a unicycle,
and abseil down the rope at the other end.
After that you balance the bowl of tomato soup on top
of your head, climb over the live alligator, and creep
under the baby elephant, between its back legs.
Then all you have to do is run backwards to
the finishing line, carrying me.”
Grammar for Writing Unit 42
say which noun it is…
articles
are the most common:
a, an and the
the
a
an
missing mini
fantastic Jaguar 4.2
insurance
company
representative
pronouns, adjectives, quantifiers,
possessives
our
two
her
his
every
sufficient
each
their
crime-free town
men in suits
enthusiasm
workshop
game of penalties
evidence
special cake
yellow and blue menus
Active and passive
In an active sentence, the subject is doing
something to the object, but in a passive
sentence, the subject is having something
done to them:
Goldilocks broke into the house.
The house was broken into by Goldilocks.
OR – don’t reveal the agent:
The house was broken into.
Usually used for reports, but also
used in mystery writing to conceal
facts from the reader.
Objectives for active and passive
Y6
Use the passive voice to affect the presentation of
information in a sentence (e.g. I broke the window in the
greenhouse versus The window in the greenhouse was
broken [by me]).
The passive avoids the culprit!
Objectives for the subjunctive
Y5/6
Pupils should be taught to:
develop their understanding of the concepts set out in
Appendix 2 by recognising vocabulary and structures that
are appropriate for formal speech and writing, including
subjunctive forms.
The Subjunctive Mood
The Subjunctive is a wishful mood that tells you of an intention for
the future which is doubtful. It is often used with an ‘if’ clause:
• If Cinderella were to go to the ball, she would dance until
midnight.
• If The King’s horses and men were to arrive in time, Humpty
would survive.
The subjunctive is usually only used in formal writing, and indicates
that the possibilities being suggested are doubtful. It uses a plural
‘were’ when in less formal writing the singular ‘was’ would be used.
• If I were you, I wouldn’t eat any more sausages.
• If Dad were to eat more healthily, he would be fitter.
Pupils should be taught to develop their understanding of
vocabulary, grammar and punctuation concepts by:
•recognising vocabulary and structures that are
appropriate for formal writing, including subjunctive
forms.