Download Sentence structures

Sentence structures
Rationale
This game teaches students to recognise and implicitly understand the grammatical structures of:
• questions
• statements
• commands
• exclamations
• sentences with question tags
• sentences that express facts and opinions
• sentences that involve direct or indirect speech.
As students work through the levels of this game they are introduced to sentences of increasing grammatical
complexity from simple, single clause sentences to compound and complex sentences.
How to play
In this game, students need to put a sentence together by putting its parts in the correct order.
If they get enough sentences correct, the alien gets a dunking.
Grammar Rules! Interactive Games © Tanya Gibb/Macmillan Education Australia. ISBN 978 1 4202 9138 4
1
Objectives
As they progress through the levels students will develop the following understandings:
•
Questions usually begin with question words.
who what where when how why is do did can will whose
•
Some sentences are constructed as statements with question tags. These types of sentences rely on
vocal patterns in spoken language to determine whether they are questions or polite commands.
You are coming, aren’t you?
Shut the door, will you.
•
Commands usually begin with verbs.
Stop that!
Finish your work.
•
Commands can be expressed as requests.
Please stop that.
Will you please stop doing that.
•
Adverbs add meaning to verbs. Adverbs can sometimes be used at the beginning of a command to
focus attention on how the verb is carried out.
Carefully mix the eggs and flour.
Gently simmer the soup.
•
Exclamations express emotions such as fear or surprise.
That’s lovely!
Thank you so much!
•
Direct speech is expressed inside speech marks.
•
Punctuation markers clarify meaning in sentences.
Teaching/Learning
Punctuation has been included in all the sentences. Make sure students know that, along with meaning and
the fact that the sentences must make sense, the punctuation provides clues to help students sequence the
sentence elements correctly.
Use the sentence examples to explicitly teach aspects of sentences during regular classroom activities.
Make the following aspects of grammar explicit for students:
•
The structure and function of noun groups
the tiny little kitten
•
Proper nouns start with capital letters. Proper nouns can trick students in some game sentences if they
presume that a proper noun must start the sentence because of its capital letter.
•
Articles
the, an, a
Grammar Rules! Interactive Games © Tanya Gibb/Macmillan Education Australia. ISBN 978 1 4202 9138 4
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•
Verb groups
like to play, hopes to read, wants to have
•
Subject, verb and object; or subject and predicate
•
The function of conjunctions to connect ideas across sentences
•
How pronouns refer to nouns
•
How adverbs and phrases tell where, when and how
•
The structure and function of prepositional phrases
in the garden
•
Ways to express direct and indirect speech
•
Compound sentences
I will get the car and [I will] meet you there.
Note: ‘I will’ is implied but not stated in words.
•
The functions of punctuation markers. The punctuation markers are provided for each sentence in the
game. Paying attention to the punctuation markers will assist students in correctly sequencing the
elements in each sentence.
A note about Standard English
This game will help students develop an innate and automatic understanding of the grammatical patterns
appropriate in English usage. Learning to recognise the natural flow of the grammatical elements in Standard
English is especially important to students who are learning English as a second language. These students
usually adapt the grammar of their home languages into their English usage and create sentences that can
be considered technically correct but may sometimes sound awkward to speakers of English as a first
language. For example, ‘The book is in the library’ is preferable to ‘In the library is a book’. Both sentences
contain the same elements ‘the book’ (noun group) ‘is’ (verb group) ‘in the library’ (prepositional phrase) but
the most appropriate sentence order is subject (the book) verb, object. So, in English, we say ‘The book is in
the library.’
Grammar Rules! Interactive Games © Tanya Gibb/Macmillan Education Australia. ISBN 978 1 4202 9138 4
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Vocabulary enrichment
Rationale
This game reinforces specific grammatical terms such as noun, adjective and verb. It supports students’
developing understanding of how language works at the word level through activities with rhyme,
contractions, etymology, prefixes and suffixes. It provides opportunities for students to engage with the
richness of the English language.
How to play
In this game, students need to find the matching pairs of words.
When they make all the cards disappear, the robot will dance.
Grammar Rules! Interactive Games © Tanya Gibb/Macmillan Education Australia. ISBN 978 1 4202 9138 4
4
Objectives
As students work through the levels of the game they will consolidate understanding of the following
concepts:
Level 1
• antonyms, synonyms, singular and plural nouns, adjectives, contractions and rhyme
Level 2
• common nouns, singular and plural nouns, gender nouns, compound words, verbs, synonyms,
antonyms, onomatopoeia (animal nouns and their noises) and contractions
Level 3
• antonyms, prefixes (un- and dis-), base words and suffixes, contractions, rhyme, synonyms, common
nouns, collective nouns, adjectives and homophones
Level 4
• antonyms, adverbs, prefixes (dis-, un-, in-, il- and mis-), irregular verb forms, nouns, singular and plural
nouns, base words and suffixes, comparative and superlative adjectives, classifying adjectives and
homophones
Level 5
• antonyms, prefixes (mis-, dis- and un-), regular and irregular verb forms, abstract nouns, collective
nouns and common nouns, homophones and synonyms
Level 6
• proper and common nouns, words that go together (collocation), antonyms, prefixes (un-, in-, il-, dis- and
ir-), base (root) words, adjectives, adverbs, synonyms and words from other languages (etymology).
Teaching/Learning
Use the text examples in this game to support additional classroom activities to make the following aspects
of grammar and language explicit for students, as appropriate:
Adjectives tell more about a noun. They can describe nouns (fluffy duckling).
Adjectives compare using comparative forms (happier), superlative forms (happiest) and irregular forms
(good, better, best). Nouns can be used as adjectives when they classify another noun (traffic light).
Adverbs add meaning to verbs in this game by telling how (quietly, loudly).
Note: Adverbs can also add meaning to adjectives (very pretty) and other adverbs (really quietly).
Antonyms are words with opposite meanings (happy—sad). Some antonyms are formed using prefixes
(real—unreal).
Base words are sometimes also called word roots. Word roots are words in their simplest forms. Prefixes
and suffixes are added to word roots to form new words. Many words have shared roots or origins. Microbe,
biology and antibiotic share the root ‘bios’, which means ‘life’.
Collocation is a term used for words that are likely to be used together (weigh anchor, on the phone).
Developing automaticity with these sorts of word combinations is especially important for students who are
learning English as a second language.
Grammar Rules! Interactive Games © Tanya Gibb/Macmillan Education Australia. ISBN 978 1 4202 9138 4
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Compound words are formed when two words are joined (playground).
Contractions are formed when words are joined together and letters are left out. Apostrophes are used to
mark the place of the missing letters (is not—isn’t).
Etymology is the study of the origins or history of words. Words change or evolve over time. Words are
continually adapted into English from other languages (baklava, ballet, aeronautical). Create posters and lists
for classroom display that show word origins such as Greek and Latin, or words from students’ home
languages.
Homophones are words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings (flour—flower).
In this game students match the homophone pairs.
Nouns name people, places and things. Common nouns label everyday things (bus, dog). Proper nouns
label people’s names and the names of particular places (Italy, John). Nouns can be abstract (peace) or
concrete (chair). Collective nouns are names for groups of things (herd).
Some nouns tell gender (boy—girl). Ensure that students only use gendered nouns if gender is relevant in
the context of language use. For example, they should use terms such as firefighter, flight attendant and
police officer to label males and females in these occupations rather than identifying the gender of the
worker.
Nouns can be singular when there is only one of something or plural when there is more than one of
something. A noun can be made plural by adding -s or -es (apple—apples, peach—peaches) or changing
the spelling in another way (person—people). Nouns ending in -y usually change -y to -i, to add -es (baby—
babies). Some nouns don’t change at all from singular to plural (fish—fish).
Onomatopoeia words sound like the thing they represent (hiss, crackle, snap). Make onomatopoeia word
lists for students to use in their own writing. Point out some onomatopoeia words in literature. Have students
create visual representations of onomatopoeia in the form of concrete poems. For example, the words
‘crunch, munch and chomp’ drawn in the shape of an apple.
Prefixes are word elements that are added to the front of a word root to form a new word (un—unreal).
Prefixes used in this game are: dis-, un-, in-, il-, mis-, un-, in-, il-, dis- and ir-.
Rhyme is when the ends of words sound the same (rock—sock).
Suffixes are word elements that are added to the end of a root or base word to form a new word (six—
sixteen).
Synonyms are words with similar meanings (huge—enormous). Teach students how to use a thesaurus so
that they can enhance their own spoken and written communication.
Verbs are words for doing (run, skipped), being and having (are, have), thinking and feeling (considered,
loved) and saying (whispered). Verbs can be regular or irregular. Verbs that form the past tense by adding
the suffix -ed are called regular verbs (climbed). Irregular verbs form the past tense in other ways (ran—run,
weep—wept, fly—flew).
Grammar Rules! Interactive Games © Tanya Gibb/Macmillan Education Australia. ISBN 978 1 4202 9138 4
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Figurative and expressive language
Rationale
This game is designed to develop students’ appreciation of figurative language including poetic devices such
as metaphor, simile, onomatopoeia and alliteration. The game exposes students to the richness of English
vocabulary and develops their understanding of how words work, literally and metaphorically. The use of
common and colloquial expressions in English as well as slang, proverbs, idiom and etymology supports
students’ creative use of language in broader contexts and for broader purposes. The levels of the game
build in complexity of language and vocabulary.
How to play
In this game, students might have to fit a word into a sentence, or match a word to another word.
Each time they get a set of questions correct, they get a piece of a key. When they have the whole key, they
can open the treasure chest.
Grammar Rules! Interactive Games © Tanya Gibb/Macmillan Education Australia. ISBN 978 1 4202 9138 4
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Objectives
As students work through the levels of the game they will consolidate understanding of the following
concepts:
Level 1
• rhyme, alliteration, onomatopoeia, simile
Level 2
• simile, word chains, onomatopoeia, rhyme, nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives
Level 3
• alliteration, onomatopoeia, prepositions, simile, word chains, chronological order, adjectives, rhyme
Level 4
• onomatopoeia, adverbs, commands, simile, word chains, alliteration, rhyme, homophones, nouns,
prepositions, adverbs, word meanings, slang, anagrams
Level 5
• simile, metaphor, personification, assonance, idiom, prepositions, proverbs, etymology, anagrams,
portmanteau words
Level 6
• metaphor, idiom, proverbs, etymology, simile, personification, portmanteau words.
Teaching/Learning
Use the text examples in this game and further classroom activities to make the following aspects of
grammar and language explicit for students, as appropriate for your class:
Alliteration is when sounds are repeated at the beginning of words (Six sizzling sausages spluttered in the
pan). Students can create tongue twisters and search for examples of alliteration in poetry and other forms of
literature to examine how alliteration enhances the language used.
Adverbs add meaning to verbs in this game (ran swiftly). Point out to students that adverbs in commands tell
how the command should be carried out (walk quickly, walk slowly, briskly stir).
Adjectives presented in this game are describers (used to add meaning to nouns: hairy spider) or classifiers
(used to classify a noun: football match).
Anagrams are words created by changing the order of the letters in another word (read—dear).
Assonance is when vowel sounds are repeated across a number of words. Assonance is used to enhance
the ways words sound in literature and especially poetry (How now brown cow).
Chronological order means time order. It is useful for students to recognise the ways words work to
sequence events in time. This is especially important in texts such as recounts and narratives.
Etymology is the study of the origins or history of words. Words change or evolve over time. Words are
continually adapted into English from other languages (baklava, ballet, aeronautical). Create posters and lists
for classroom display that show word origins such as Greek and Latin, or words from students’ home
languages.
Grammar Rules! Interactive Games © Tanya Gibb/Macmillan Education Australia. ISBN 978 1 4202 9138 4
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Homophones are words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings (flour—flower).
In this game students need to choose which homophone fits into the meaning of the sentences.
Idiom is a saying or expression that has a meaning to language users that is not the literal meaning (raining
cats and dogs). Idiomatic expressions can be difficult for second language users to understand.
Metaphor is when something is said to be something else. (The trees are guardians for the property.)
Metaphor is a common form of figurative language used in literature.
Nouns name people, places and things. In this game students link common nouns with verbs at Level 2
only.
Onomatopoeia is used to describe words that sound like the thing they represent (hiss, crackle, snap).
Personification means giving human qualities to non-human things (The mud sucked my toes).
Portmanteau words are made by combining two other words (motor and pedal—moped, news and
broadcast—newscast). Explore portmanteau words in poetry such as the poem ‘Jabberwocky’ by Lewis
Carroll (galloping and triumph—galumphing).
Prepositions are words that show the relationship between nouns and pronouns, and other words,
especially in phrases (at the beach). Particular prepositions collocate with other words (to boast about).
Proverbs are sayings that have a moral or message of advice (Many hands make light work).
Rhyme is when the ends of words sound the same (rock—sock).
Simile is when something is referred to as being like something else. The words ‘like’ or ‘as’ are used to
make the comparison (she’s as fast as lightning, grandpa looks like a walrus).
Slang is informal language, especially used between friends and family members, or groups of people in
casual social situations where there is a shared understanding of the word meanings (scram, split, scoot).
Teach students to understand the concept of ‘audience’ for their speaking and writing, so that they know
when slang is acceptable and when they need to use more formal language, according to audience, purpose
and situation (context).
Verbs are words for doing (run, skipped), being and having (are, have), thinking and feeling (considered,
loved) and saying (commented). Verbs are linked with common nouns in Level 2 of this game.
Word chains are words that link a particular content strand in a text. They are important meaning words
sometimes called lexical chains. There can be a number of word chains in any text (shoes, socks, knotted
laces, muddy soles).
Grammar Rules! Interactive Games © Tanya Gibb/Macmillan Education Australia. ISBN 978 1 4202 9138 4
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Nouns
Rationale
This game develops students’ ability to automatically recognise nouns and differentiate nouns from other
kinds of words (adjectives, adverbs, verbs, pronouns and prepositions).
Reading difficulty of the words increases through the levels of the game as the nouns become more abstract.
Lower levels use only concrete common nouns and some of the proper nouns that students are expected to
recognise, such as days of the week and months of the year. Abstract common nouns are introduced at
higher levels.
The game also increases in difficulty in that, at levels 1 and 2, there are three nouns for every non-noun.
At levels 3 to 6 there is a ratio of one noun for every non-noun. This increases the challenge for students
working at these higher levels.
How to play
In this game, students must build a bridge to get a friend across a pond before the time runs out. As planks
float to the surface of the pond, students click on the ones that have nouns on them. These planks become
the bridge. Students will lose a plank if they click on a word that isn't a noun.
Grammar Rules! Interactive Games © Tanya Gibb/Macmillan Education Australia. ISBN 978 1 4202 9138 4
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Objectives
As they work through the levels of this game students will consolidate their recognition of nouns and the
difference between nouns and adjectives, adverbs, verbs, pronouns and prepositions, as follows:
Level 1
• Common concrete nouns and some proper nouns (days of the week and months of the year). Students
will differentiate between the nouns and commonly occurring verbs.
Level 2
• Concrete nouns, some abstract nouns and some proper nouns (days of the week, months of the year,
some country names). Students will differentiate between the nouns and adjectives.
Level 3
• Common and some proper nouns for country names. Students will differentiate between nouns, verbs
and contractions.
Level 4
• Common nouns, some abstract nouns. Students will differentiate between nouns and adverbs and
adjectives including comparative and superlative adjectives (hard—harder—hardest).
Level 5
• Common and abstract nouns. Students will differentiate between nouns, adjectives, pronouns and
prepositions.
Level 6
• Abstract nouns as well as nouns for people and occupations, and collective nouns. Students will
differentiate between the nouns, adjectives, adverbs (ending in -ly) and some verbs.
Teaching/Learning
Use the words in this game to expand students’ vocabulary as well as develop students’ understanding of
different kinds of words and their functions in texts, as follows:
Adjectives tell more about a noun. This game uses describing adjectives (cowardly, disastrous), as well as
adjectives in their comparative and superlative forms (lazy, lazier, laziest).
Adverbs add meaning or modify the meaning of verbs, adjectives and other adverbs in this game. Adverbs
tell where (above, below, here), ask questions (where is . . .), show certainty or obligation (probably will,
definitely won’t).
Adverbs can also add meaning to adjectives (very pretty) and other adverbs (really quietly). The object of this
game is to recognise nouns so students do not need to identify the adverbs. For the purposes of this game,
students just need to be aware that these other types of words exist and that they have varying functions in
texts.
Contractions are formed when two words are joined together and letters are left out. Apostrophes are used
to mark the place of the missing letters (is not—isn’t).
Pronouns are included at level 5 to make students aware of these kinds of words.
(he, they, she)
Grammar Rules! Interactive Games © Tanya Gibb/Macmillan Education Australia. ISBN 978 1 4202 9138 4
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Prepositions are words that show the relationship between nouns and pronouns, and other words,
especially in phrases (at the beach).
Nouns name people, places and things.
Common nouns label everyday things (bus, table).
Proper nouns label particular people, places and things (Anne, Malaysia, September)
Concrete nouns name things that can be seen or touched (bird, nose).
Abstract nouns name things that cannot be seen or touched (hatred, guilt).
Collective nouns refer to groups or collections of things (tribe, flock).
Verbs are words for doing (run, skipped), being and having (are, have), thinking and feeling (considered,
loved) and saying (commented).
Verbs indicate tense. They provide a time frame for events in a text. Verb forms tell whether events have
occurred in the past, are currently taking place, take place in a continuous way or they will take place at
some time in the future (hid, was hiding, hides, is hidden, will hide). Auxiliary verbs or helping verbs are used
to show tense or number (she is hiding, they are hiding).
Grammar Rules! Interactive Games © Tanya Gibb/Macmillan Education Australia. ISBN 978 1 4202 9138 4
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Adjectives
Rationale
This game has been designed to develop students’ understanding of the functions of different kinds of
adjectives and how adjectives and determiners assist people to communicate their own meanings more
precisely. This game particularly focuses on adjectives within the noun group. From level 4 determiners are
also included.
How to play
In this game, students need to ring the bell at the top of the strength tester.
To do this, they need to answer ten questions correctly by choosing the sentence that has the correct
adjective or determiner.
The game can be played by one or two players.
Grammar Rules! Interactive Games © Tanya Gibb/Macmillan Education Australia. ISBN 978 1 4202 9138 4
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Objectives
As they progress through the levels, students will develop the following understandings:
Level 1
• Adjectives tell number and describe taste, colour, size, texture or other qualities.
Level 2
• Adjectives tell number, classify and describe taste, colour, size and texture, or other qualities.
Level 3
• Adjectives tell number, describe (taste, colour, texture, size or other qualities) and classify.
Level 4
• As well as the understandings developed at Level 3 students will also learn adjectives can be used to
compare (softer, hardest), and need to be used in an appropriate sequence. Words in a noun groups can
point out, ask questions and show possession or ownership. These kinds of words can be referred to as
determiners.
Levels 5 and 6
• Adjectives can describe (colour, texture, taste, size, feeling or other quality) and tell number. Nouns can
be used as adjectives when they classify another noun. Comparative and superlative adjectives allow
comparison. Determiners can point out, ask questions and show ownership as part of a noun group.
Adjectives and determiners need to be used in a correct sequence in the noun group. Noun groups can
include adjectival phrases.
Teaching/Learning
Use the sentence examples in this game to teach students how adjectives function in texts to qualify nouns.
Adjectives enable speakers and writers to build up detailed and precise information about nouns.
Teach students that adjectives function to:
•
Describe colour (red), shape (round), size (huge), texture (smooth), taste (salty), feeling (happy, sad)
and other qualities (annoying, greedy, hungry).
•
Tell cardinal number (four) and ordinal number (second). Adjectives also tell indefinite numbers (some
fruit, a few trees, many homes) (quantifiers).
Nouns can be used as adjectives when they classify another noun (traffic light) (classifiers).
•
Compare in degrees (soft, softer, softest).
Adjectives can be part of a noun group in the form of an adjectival phrase (the girl with the red shoes).
Grammar Rules! Interactive Games © Tanya Gibb/Macmillan Education Australia. ISBN 978 1 4202 9138 4
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Teach students that determiners function to:
•
Point out (this, that) (demonstrative adjectives).
•
Ask a question (which, what) (interrogative adjectives).
•
Show ownership (his, her) (possessive adjectives).
Adjectives and determiners should be sequenced in particular order in a noun group. For example, pointing
out or asking a question, then numbering, then describing, then classifying:
These
Which
two
two
red
red
ballet
ballet
slippers
slippers?
•
The classifier always stands directly in front of the noun.
•
Describing adjectives also have a correct sequence:
A
brown duckling trailed after its mother.
A fluffy
brown duckling . . .
A tiny fluffy
brown duckling . . .
•
Students need to learn not to confuse adjective question words with verbs that ask questions:
What time is it? (‘What’ is a determiner before the noun ‘time’)
Is the time 6pm? (‘Is’ is a being and having verb—also called a relating verb)
•
Some adjectives can be turned into nouns (hungry—hunger).
A note about definite and indefinite articles
Definite and indefinite articles (a, an, the) are also part of the noun group. These are commonly referred to
as determiners in the noun group because they help define the noun exactly. They are included in the
sentences but not taught in this game. Teachers may wish to point them out to students and explain their
functions and use.
Grammar Rules! Interactive Games © Tanya Gibb/Macmillan Education Australia. ISBN 978 1 4202 9138 4
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Verbs
Rationale
This game is designed to focus students’ attention on verbs and their role in sentences to indicate being and
having, and doing (including action verbs as well as thinking, feeling and saying verbs). It reinforces
students’ understanding that verbs can be individual words or groups of words (verb group).
Levels of the game increase in grammatical complexity. Higher levels provide examples of more complex
verb groups and sentences with higher levels of reading difficulty.
How to play
In this game, students try to get to the beach for a fun holiday. To keep the van moving, they must complete
each sentence by typing in the correct verb or verb group. If they get enough sentences correct, they reach
their destination.
Grammar Rules! Interactive Games © Tanya Gibb/Macmillan Education Australia. ISBN 978 1 4202 9138 4
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Objectives
As they progress through the levels students will develop the following understandings:
•
Verbs indicate being (are, is), having (have, has) and doing (action verbs: jump; thinking and feeling
verbs: wondered, hated; saying verbs: said, asked).
•
Verbs are single words (ran, skipped) or verb groups (is running, wanted to run, should have run).
•
Verb forms change according to number (she is, they are, a dog barks, dogs bark).
•
Verb forms change to indicate tense. Tense gives a time frame for the being, having and doing (swim,
swam, swum).
•
Helper verbs or auxiliary verbs help to indicate tense (I am running now, I did run this morning, I have
run today, I will run tomorrow).
•
Helper verbs or auxiliary verbs change according to singular or plural nouns or pronouns (he is running,
they are running).
•
Verbs are used in theme position in commands. That is, they come first in the sentence (Brush your
teeth), or second in the sentence after an adverb (Carefully brush your teeth) or second in the sentence
after a vocative (Daniel, brush your teeth).
•
Every sentence requires at least one verb. In exclamations such as ‘Out!’ the verb is implied or
understood when it is not stated in words (Get out!)
Teaching/Learning
Use regular classroom activities to build on students’ understanding of verbs and their function in text.
You could also use the sentence examples in the game to explicitly teach students the following:
•
Active voice is when the subject of the verb is doing the action. The subject is often called the agent or
doer (The cat caught a mouse). Active voice is more commonly used than passive voice.
•
Passive voice is when the subject of the verb has the action done to it. It is sometimes referred to as the
‘done to’ (The mouse was caught, The mouse was caught by a cat). Passive voice shifts the focus of the
sentence off the ‘doer’ onto the ‘done to’. Passive voice is often used in explanations and reports, and
other forms of academic texts so that the writing appears more objective.
•
Modal auxiliaries in the verb group are used to express certainty or obligation (should run, must run,
might run, probably won’t run, can’t run, definitely won’t run). Teach students how to use modal
auxiliaries and modal adverbs to present opinions in debates and discussions (I really think . . ., I totally
disagree . . ., People should definitely. . .).
•
The simplest sentence is a single clause. Clauses join together to make compound and complex
sentences which can include more than one verb.
•
Ensure that students understand how time and number are represented in the verb group. Explain the
relevance of verb tense for particular text types. For example, recounts require past tense.
Grammar Rules! Interactive Games © Tanya Gibb/Macmillan Education Australia. ISBN 978 1 4202 9138 4
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A note about ellipsis
Every clause requires a verb. If a verb is missing in spoken language it is because it is implied or understood
in the context of the situation. For example, ‘Why?’ in a particular spoken language situation could mean,
‘Why did you do that?’ or ‘Why should I do what you want?’ and so on. Words that are implied but not directly
stated are called an ellipsis. Sometimes three dot points are used to indicate ellipsis (. . .) in written
language.
Grammar Rules! Interactive Games © Tanya Gibb/Macmillan Education Australia. ISBN 978 1 4202 9138 4
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Parts of speech
Rationale
This game is designed to develop students’ ability to automatically recognise the following parts of speech:
nouns, adverbs, adjectives and verbs. Automatic recognition of these parts of speech is useful for students
when they need to discuss their own written and spoken language. The game also provides opportunities for
students to expand their vocabularies. Vocabulary enrichment is also of benefit to students’ own written and
spoken language. The vocabulary presented in the game becomes increasingly more challenging at each
level, representing a higher level of reading, comprehension and spelling difficulty.
How to play
In this game, students must pop as many balloons with the correct type of word written on them as they can.
They must try to pop them before the time runs out.
Grammar Rules! Interactive Games © Tanya Gibb/Macmillan Education Australia. ISBN 978 1 4202 9138 4
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Objectives
As they work through the levels of this game, students will consolidate their recognition of different parts of
speech as follows:
Level 1
• Concrete common nouns plus a few proper nouns for the days of the week and people’s names,
describing adjectives and verbs.
Level 2
• Concrete common nouns plus proper nouns for days of the week, describing adjectives and verbs.
Level 3
• Concrete common nouns plus abstract nouns for the seasons (spring, summer, autumn, winter),
describing adjectives and verbs.
Level 4
• Concrete nouns plus a small number of abstract nouns (colony, community, immigration, habitat),
describing adjectives and verbs.
Level 5
• Mostly concrete nouns but some abstract nouns (conservation, contamination, gravity), adverbs that tell
how (haphazardly, happily, harshly) and verbs.
Level 6
• Mostly abstract nouns (citizen, civilian, inhabitant), adverbs that tell how (discreetly, annually, anxiously)
and verbs.
Teaching/Learning
The words in this game were chosen so that they could be unambiguously labelled as adjective, adverb,
noun or verb. Point out to students that usually it is important to see or hear a word in the context of its use to
determine its function in a text. For example, the word ‘teaching’ can be a verb or an adjective.
Ms Markham is teaching us today. (verb)
The teaching staff will attend the meeting on Monday. (adjective)
Make sure students understand the functions of adjectives, adverbs, nouns and verbs, as follows:
Adjectives tell more about a noun. This game uses describing adjectives (cowardly, disastrous, vermilion,
grotesque, inquisitive).
Adverbs used in this game at levels 5 and 6, modify verbs and tell ‘how’ (deceptively, diligently,
disgracefully, viciously, vigorously).
Nouns name people, places and things. Concrete common nouns name things that can be seen or touched
(bird, nose). Abstract common nouns name things that cannot be seen or touched (hatred, guilt). A small
number of proper nouns are used at levels 1 and 2. Proper nouns have capital letters.
Verbs are words for doing (run, skipped), being and having (are, have), thinking and feeling (considered,
loved) and saying (commented).
Grammar Rules! Interactive Games © Tanya Gibb/Macmillan Education Australia. ISBN 978 1 4202 9138 4
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Verbs indicate tense. They provide a time frame for events in a text and their forms tell whether events have
occurred in the past, are currently taking place or take place continuously, or will take place at some time in
the future. Verbs also change to show number (he runs, they run).
Auxiliary verbs or helping verbs are used to show tense (hid, hiding, hides, is hidden, will hide) and number
(she is hiding, they are hiding).
Students need to be able to read and understand the meaning of the vocabulary presented in the game so
that they can select the correct answers. This game provides opportunities to expand students’ vocabulary.
You can also:
•
Expose students to rich vocabulary in literature and factual texts.
•
Encourage students to use dictionaries and thesauruses to explore word meanings and find new words
to use in their own texts.
•
Have students work in groups to create lists of words for particular parts of speech. Have them quiz
other groups to identify their words as adjectives, nouns, verbs or adverbs.
•
Play word games such as adjective or noun ‘find-a-words’, which students can devise for classmates to
solve.
•
Engage students in drama activities which encourage them to expand their vocabularies. Use activities
such as improvisation (where groups of students are given random nouns, adjectives, adverbs and/or
verbs and must act out a scene without rehearsal or script to illustrate the meaning of the words), or
sculptures (where students work in groups to create body sculptures to represent given words such as
the abstract noun ‘harmony’).
Grammar Rules! Interactive Games © Tanya Gibb/Macmillan Education Australia. ISBN 978 1 4202 9138 4
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Punctuation
Rationale
This game is designed to develop students’ competence in using punctuation markers. Knowledge of the
functions of punctuation markers is an important aspect of communication and in making meaning. In this
game students learn to use punctuation markers for statements, questions, commands, exclamations and
direct speech. Students will also learn to use apostrophes for contractions, apostrophes for possession and
capital letters for the start of sentences and for proper nouns.
How to play
Students must try to feed Hamish the hungry monkey. To give him bananas, they need to punctuate
sentences correctly. Every piece of punctuation they get correct earns a banana.
Grammar Rules! Interactive Games © Tanya Gibb/Macmillan Education Australia. ISBN 978 1 4202 9138 4
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Objectives
As students progress through the levels they will develop an understanding of the important role of the
following punctuation markers:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
capital letters
full stops
question marks
exclamation marks
speech marks
commas
apostrophes for possession
apostrophes for contractions.
Teaching/Learning
Teach students the role of punctuation markers to enhance meaning and clarify communication.
For example:
•
Sentences begin with a capital letter (The house is for sale.).
•
Questions usually begin with question words such as who, what, where, when, how, why, is, did, can,
will and whose. They end with a question mark (What is the time?).
•
Statements of fact or opinion end with a full stop (Dolphins are mammals. I love dolphins.).
•
Sentences said with strong emotion are exclamations. They end with an exclamation mark (“I love it!”
exclaimed Sophia.).
•
Interjections often end with an exclamation mark (Yuck! Yikes!).
•
Commands usually begin with verbs and can end in full stops or exclamation marks (Stop doing that,
please. Stop that!).
•
Proper nouns require capital letters (Heidi, Monday, Moscow, Brazil).
•
Direct speech is the actual speech someone says. It is written inside speech marks (“No!” shouted
Sachin.)
•
Commas function to separate phrases, words in lists and direct speech from the verb and speaker (You
will shut the door, won’t you? Buy eggs, cheese, cream, bread and milk. “Hello,” said Barney.).
•
Apostrophes are required for contractions (isn’t).
•
Apostrophes show possession (Bob’s desk is the tidiest.).
•
Indirect speech is speech that is not directly quoted. It does not require speech marks. (Ivan said that he
has finished his project.).
Grammar Rules! Interactive Games © Tanya Gibb/Macmillan Education Australia. ISBN 978 1 4202 9138 4
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A note about other punctuation markers
Colons, semicolons, dashes and brackets are not taught in this game.
Colons and semicolons are possibly the most difficult of the punctuation markers for students to learn how to
use correctly. Their use is often ambiguous and open to interpretation or the personal preference of writers.
This game requires definite answers so any punctuation markers that were open to ambiguity could not be
included.
You can teach colons, semicolons, dashes and brackets as appropriate for the needs of your students, as
follows:
Colons are used to:
• introduce a list (Please bring: sleeping bag, rain coat, warm clothes and a hat.)
• introduce bullet points
• introduce the speech of actors in a play script.
Semicolons:
• indicate a greater pause than a comma but not as complete a pause as a full stop
• can replace conjunctions (The dog was smart; she was ready to learn; she was eager to please her
owner.)
• can be used to separate items in a sentence (Firefighters fight fires; attend to other dangerous
situations; and rescue people in difficulty)
• can be used to separate items in a long or complex sentence especially when commas have already
been used (Attending the conference were school principals Jeremy Nash and Penny Woo; teachers
Nora and Peter Singh; as well as school counsellor, Indira Holmes.).
Brackets are used:
• around extra information in a sentence (I’ve brought bread rolls (from the bakery) and some fresh fruit.)
• around asides from the writer or narrator (My sister (what a champion) came first in the race.)
• to enclose stage directions in play script (Fred: (moves to stand centre stage) I am the guilty one.)
Note: When a whole sentence is included in brackets the full stop is also included inside the brackets.
Dashes:
• indicate a pause or break in a sentence
• can be used instead of brackets to indicate an aside
• can be used instead of a colon (Please bring – sleeping bag, rain coat, warm clothes and a hat.)
• can make a statement more dramatic (Gemma chose – me!).
Grammar Rules! Interactive Games © Tanya Gibb/Macmillan Education Australia. ISBN 978 1 4202 9138 4
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