Year 3 and 4 Gorgeous Grammar - Holy Family Catholic Primary

GORGEOUS GRAMMAR
FOR YEARS 3 & 4
And
PERFECT
PUNCTUATION
FULL STOPS
& Capital letters
You pick up a book. You open the
book. You start to read the book.
You like the story. But there are
no capital letters and there are no
full stops. You don’t know where
one sentence ends and the next
sentence begins.
How do you feel?
Frustrated!
Disappointed!
Annoyed!
What do you do?
You put the book back on the shelf and you look for another.
You want a book with capital letters and full stops because it
makes reading easier and more enjoyable.
It’s the same with your writing. If you don’t use capital letters
and full stops, nobody will want to read your writing – no
matter how good it is.
So we are going to learn how to use full stops and capital
letters so that other people can enjoy our writing.
1 END STOPS
There are three ways to bring a sentence to
an end. These are the full stop, the
question mark, and the exclamation
mark. In America, they call them end
stops.
1 Complete each of these sentences
with . ? or !
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Excuse me, do you know what time it is
Stop or I'll open fire
I enjoy learning English
Get down from that tree
What did he tell you
Come here at once
We have P.E. twice a week
What terrible weather
Did you make that mess Clear it up now
The train will depart in ten minutes from Platform 3
Please practise saying the word EX-CLAM-A-TION.
Eggs – clam – A – shun!
2 For each of these pictures make up three sentences – one with
a full stop, one with a question mark, and one with an
exclamation mark. The first one is done for you.
That is a lovely, little tiger.
What’s the name of the tiger?
Don’t let it out of the garden!
2 CAPITAL LETTERS and END STOPS
You must begin each new sentence with a capital letter
and complete each sentence with an end
stop. This is the Number One rule in
punctuation!
1. Begin each sentence with a capital
letter and complete the sentence with
a full stop, question mark, or exclamation mark.
henry wanted to be an inventor
he invented a pair of wings from seagull feathers
then he climbed a high tree in his garden
his mum ran into the garden
what are you doing, Henry
I’m going to fly
don’t jump
don’t jump
henry did listen
he jumped
his wings fell off
henry was lucky because he landed headfirst in the garden pond
the frogs were very frightened but henry was fine until his dad got
home
Of course we also had to start Henry’s name with a capital H.
We always start personal names with a capital letter, don’t we?
2* Answer these questions.
Remember to use a capital letter
for the names of people and places.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
What is the name of your school?
What street or road is your school in?
What is your headteacher called?
What is your class teacher’s name?
What’s your first name?
What’s your surname?
What’s your friend’s first name and surname?
What’s the name of your favourite book?
What’s your favourite movie called?
What country would you really like to visit?
3.* Write 50 words exactly about the picture.
You get a point every time you use a capital letter, a full stop,
a question mark or an exclamation mark correctly.
A NOUN is the name we give to a thing, e.g. dog, cat, table,
chair. We can usually point to the thing if we can see it.
This kind of noun is called a COMMON NOUN.
We use a capital letter if the NOUN is a person or a place or
a particular thing, e.g. Harry, London, Mr. Jones, WJS.
This kind of noun is called a PROPER NOUN.
1. Name only the common nouns in these sentences.
Be careful not to name any proper nouns.
a) On Sunday I enjoy a boiled egg and toast.
b) Both Elliot and Max scored two goals each.
c) Kate bought a lovely pink blouse at Primark.
d) A seagull at Cornwallis Circle grabbed my burger.
e) WJS is situated near the library in Oxford Street.
f) Cats, in my opinion, make better pets than dogs.
2. Name only the proper nouns in the sentences above.
Be careful not to name any common nouns.
Organise a game of I-SPY
To find the common nouns.
Boys against Girls!
Organise a game of HANGMAN
To find the PROPER nouns.
Boys against Girls!
Remember! A proper noun must be the personal name of a
place, person, movie, book, etc. You’re out if you try to use a
common noun.
The quiz - write the answers to these questions.
1. What is the capital city of Scotland?
2. What language do they speak in France?
3. Where does the Prime Minister live in London?
4. What team won the World Cup in 2014?
5. What is your best friend’s first name?
THE TERRIBLE TALE OF PIRATE ________________
Complete the story of Pirate ____________ by adding
common and proper nouns. You may work
with a partner. Then read your version of the
story to the class.
Pirate ________ was born in
_________. He became a pirate when
he was only a ten-year-old _________. He
sailed on many ships – his most famous
ship was called the _____________. He
fought in many battles. He had many
adventures. He loved the life. Unfortunately he
was not always lucky.
Pirate ___________ had his left
_________ blown off by a canon ball during a battle off the coast of
__________ , so he was sometimes called ________
_________.
Pirate ____________ had his right ________ chopped off during a
sword fight at a pub called the ___________ in ___________. That is why
he had a hook for a __________.
Of course you will be wondering why Pirate Pete wears an eye-patch
over his left _________. Did he lose his ___________ in a sea-battle or a
sword-fight? No, he did not. This is what happened.
One day ___________ got a terrible itch in his left ________. For a
moment he forgot about his hook and tried to scratch the itch with his
fingers.
Ouch!
At least he still had his parrot called ________________!
Adjectives
are words that we use
to describe people,
places, things.
Adjectives are
‘describing words’.
Adjectives describe
things/nouns.
Think of adjectives
for these:
1. Speed test!
With a partner, can you put the adjectives
in the sentences where they belong?
a) I’m not going to wear that juicy shirt.
b) The floorboards in this house are very cute.
c) These cupcakes are handsome.
d) The kitten is creaky and cheerful.
e) Tatty children don’t learn very much.
f) What a delicious child you are!
g) My puppy loves chewing on a tatty bone.
h) It’s better to be miserable than lazy.
2*.
Complete these sentences by thinking of an exciting
adjective for each blank space.
a) I can’t eat this burger. It’s ___________ and ___________!
b) The _________ baby is really _________ and __________.
c) I felt so ________ when I made such a _________ mistake.
d) The kids in this class are __________ and ___________.
e) Look, Toto! I can see the __________, ___________ road.
ADVERBS are words we use to describe other words.
For the moment we are going to see how they tell us
more about VERBS.
Think of it this way:
An ADJECTIVE ADDS something to a NOUN.
An ADVERB ADDS something to a VERB.
1a. INTERVIEW YOUR PARTNER by asking these questions.
Your partner’s answer must be chosen from these adverbs!










How did you answer the teacher’s question?
How did you eat the last chunk of chocolate cake?
How did you walk home alone last night?
How do you usually do your homework?
How did that idiot drive along the motorway?
How did mum rock the new baby?
How did you step on the headteacher’s toes?
How did the prince and princess live ever after?
How did your team play in the match?
How did you answer your partner’s questions?
1b. NOW YOUR PARTNER WILL ASK YOU QUESTIONS.
Your answer must be chosen from these adverbs!










How did you eat your dinner last night?
How did that big dog bark at you?
How did the class sing the carols at Christmas?
How do you usually do your homework?
How do you think I eat my Coco Pops?
How did the earthquake shake the city?
How did he/she ask you for date?
How did the chicken cross the road?
How did the children sit through Assembly?
How did Sherlock Holmes examine the body?
2* Write six
sentences.
In each sentence,
use one of the adverbs
below.
fast
cheekily
badly
politely
ferociously
well
3. Listen carefully and you can learn
how to play Adverb Bingo!
B
I
N
G
O
neatly
slowly
merrily
politely
badly
nervously
carefully
easily
cheerfully
well
fast
ferociously
hastily
busily
beautifully
gently
sadly
quietly
calmly
quickly
A VERB is the post important
word in any sentence. The verb is
the doing word, the action word.
The verb tells us what happens,
what is happening, what will happen,
what has happened, what happened,
and so on. In your writing, try to
use verbs that really bring your
sentences to life.
1. Pick out the verbs in these sentences.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
(h)
(i)
The black cat sat on the white mat.
Go and sit on the naughty stool right now.
The children are playing hide-and-seek in the garden.
Richard is on holiday with his family in Spain.
The teacher has finished telling the story.
Who knows the answer to this question?
Those flowers are very beautiful.
I will finish my tea and then I’ll do my homework.
Mr. and Mrs. Twit were glued to the floor.
Remember!
When you are saying what the verb is, you must give any of the
extra bits that are joined to the verb. You can see examples in
the sentences above.
2.
Every verb has three parts.
Most verbs had –ed and –ed to the root.
Many of them change the root.
Regular verbs
Irregular verbs
With a partner, complete the table below. Then check your answers
with your teacher. Some of them have already been done.
play
eat
jump
buy
open
swim
run
played
ate
bought
swam
stayed
drive
reply
played
eaten
drove
replied
run
stayed
drunk
replied
Now practise making sentences using all three parts of the verb.
My mum brings me to school at 8.30 every morning.
But she brought me to school at 8.45 yesterday morning.
She has brought me to school every day this term.
3. IRREGULAR VERB BINGO!
Choose 5 of the verbs on the bingo
card. Make sure you know all three
parts. When the teacher calls out
one of your verbs, you get to strike
it out IF you can give all three parts
correctly. When you have no verbs
left, call out Bingo!
4a. The verb is the most important word
in any sentence. Try to use vivid verbs
instead of the obvious ones.
Your teacher may award points for
the most exciting suggestions.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
The hairy giant ................. both elves in single gulp.
Ben .................. under the bushes to look for his gerbil.
“Romeo, I’m madly in love with you,” .................. Juliet.
Grace ................ towards the finishing line and won the race.
You’re a naughty boy. When your Dad gets home,
he is going to ....................... you!
The eagle .................... through the clouds into the blue sky.
4b. Now write 5 sentences using each of these vivid verbs.
1. yelled
2. crooned
3. snoozes
4. adores
5. wobbled
SENTENCES
Nobody has to teach us to speak in sentences. We learn to do this
by listening to other people when we are very young. But we can
write more interesting sentences by using simple sentences,
compound sentences and complex sentences. Don’t worry. It’s
not difficult. We use them all the time without even thinking about
them when we are speaking. So let’s learn to use them in our
writing, too.
A Simple sentence has one verb
and the information after the
verb.
 The cat sat on the mat.
 Leo took the penalty for his team.
 We are going to have a BBQ in the
garden.
 Dorothy has finished all her homework.
 The movie will begin in ten minutes.
 After school, the girls played tennis together.
 The children trooped quietly into assembly.
We can join two more simple sentences together to
make a compound sentence.
We use connectives to join the simple sentences together.
 The cat sat on the mat while it licked its fur.
 It has started to rain so we’d better take shelter.
 The dog grabbed the bone and (he) ran off with it.
 The pudding was nice but I couldn’t eat all of it.
 Tommy doesn’t learn much for he hardly ever listens.
 Mum looked everywhere for her brooch, yet she couldn’t
find it.
1. Use these connectives to practise making
compound sentences of your own.
These are called coordinating conjunctions, but don’t
worry about big names until you are much older!
COMPLEX SENTENCES
 The cat sat on the mat while it licked its fur.
 Although it was raining we continued to play the match.
 Please ask me if you don’t understand the question.
 Because Amy was ill she didn’t come to school on
Tuesday.
 Romeo fell in love with Juliet as soon as he saw her at
the ball.
To make a complex sentence, we take a simple sentence and we
add information by using these connectives:
while, because, although, where, until, if, though, when, since,
so that, before, after, as, whenever, as soon as, even though.
Practise by completing these sentences:
 I’ll wait for you here until you……………………………..
 As soon as I’ve finished, I’ll……………………………….
 Don’t drink the tea if……………………………………....
 Since Theo had enough money, he ………………………..
 I won’t punish you even though …………………………..
 Because you’re so lovely …………………………………..
 You fix the door while I’m ………………………………..
 Whenever Albert is hungry………………………………..
These are called subordinating conjunctions, but don’t
worry about big names until you are much older!
Read the story. Then say whether the sentences in red are
simple - compound - complex
Because little Tommy was so naughty, his dad sent him to
bed early. Tommy felt thirsty, so he shouted downstairs to
his dad.
“Dad! Dad! I’m very thirsty. Can you bring me a drink of
water?”
Tommy’s dad shouted up the stairs. “No, you were
naughty. You can’t have any water. Go to sleep.”
Tommy waited until five minutes had passed.
“Dad! Dad! I’m really very thirsty. Can you bring me a glass
of milk?”
“Be quiet!” shouted Dad. “I’m having my tea and
watching the match on TV.”
Five more minutes passed.
“Dad! Dad! I’m dying of thirst. Can you bring me a Coke?”
“I told you ‘No!’ If you call once more, I’m going to come
upstairs and spank you.”
Five more minutes passed.
“Dad! Dad! When you come upstairs to spank me, can
you please bring me my Coca
Cola?”
HOW TO USE
COMMAS
There are different ways we use
commas. Here is a simple rule that
covers all the different ways.
We use a comma to make it easier for our reader to
understand what we are writing about. In other words, we use
a comma so that our reader doesn’t get confused. Let’s look at
some of the ways we use commas.
1. We use commas to separate the items in a list, except
for the last two items where we use and.
Try it with your teacher.
a) On my shopping list I wrote eggs milk bread apples and
oranges.
b) Suzie has a cat a dog two gerbils three hamsters and a parrot.
c) The headteacher wants to see Gabe Max Henry and Jonty.
d) At the zoo we saw lions tigers monkeys elephants and penguins.
e) Liverpool Arsenal Chelsea and Everton will play in the semifinals.
2. We can use commas to separate extra information in a
sentence. This is really useful if we are writing a long sentence.
In this case commas are working like brackets.
Try it with your teacher.
a) My dog a black and white terrier is called Buster.
b) My cat who likes to sit on the window sill is called Roxy.
c) Eva one of the brightest girls in the class got 10 out of 10 in
the spelling test.
d) Edinburgh which is the capital city of Scotland has wonderful
castle.
e) The winner was Archie a pupil from Whitstable Junior
School.
3.
We can use commas to separate compound sentences
if it makes them easier to read. Try it with your teacher.
a) I fed the hamsters but I forgot to feed the gerbils.
b) Romeo met Juliet and they fell in love right away.
c) The Smiths might go to Spain or they might go to France.
d) You do the kitchen while I’m doing the bathroom.
e) The bicycle was very cheap so Amy bought it.
Remember!
The comma goes before the connective.
TWO NEW KINDS OF
NOUNS
Today we are going to learn but two new kinds of nouns.
First let’s remind ourselves about common nouns and proper
nouns.
A NOUN is the name we give to a thing, e.g. dog, cat, table,
chair. We can usually point to the thing if we can see it.
This kind of noun is called a COMMON NOUN.
1. What are the common nouns for things in the picture?
We use a capital letter if the NOUN is a person or a place or
a particular thing, e.g. Harry, London, Mr. Jones, WJS.
This kind of noun is called a PROPER NOUN.
2. What are the proper nouns for these characters?
On the next pages we are going to find out
about two new kinds of nouns!
COLLECTIVE NOUNS
A collective noun is a noun referring to a group or collection
of people, creatures or things, e.g. a crowd of people, a flock of
sheep, a bunch of bananas
Some collective nouns can be pretty weird and wonderful.
Here are some examples.
Don’t worry!
You don’t have to memorise any of these, but you do have to
identify a collective noun when it is used in a sentence.
1. Pick out the collective nouns in these sentences.
Ignore the common nouns and the proper nouns.
1. Dad bought a bunch of grapes and a bunch of bananas.
2. Peter joined the pirate crew when he was 11 years old.
3. Our team won 3-1 on Saturday morning.
4. There is a flock of sheep and a herd of cows in that field.
5. Elliot has joined the choir at Canterbury Cathedral.
6. A mob of kangaroos chased us across the park.
7. Look at my album of postcards from the seaside.
8. Has anyone got a pack of cards I can borrow, please?
9. The orchard is full of apple trees and pear trees.
10. An army of soldier ants marched across the garden path.
2. What are the collective nouns for these creatures?
ABSTRACT NOUNS
An abstract noun is the name of a thing we
cannot feel or see or hear or touch or smell.
“I’ve got an idea.”
You know I’ve got ‘something’ but it’s not a thing you can feel or
see or hear or touch or smell. You can’t get to know the thing
through your five senses. That’s why we call them abstract
nouns. You use lots of them without thinking about them. Now
we are going to learn to recognise an abstract noun when we see
one.
1. Here are five abstract nouns.
Can you fit each one in the correct blank space?
rhythm - courage - success - cleverness - sorrow
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
In the battle the soldier showed great …………… .
I was full of …………… when I heard the sad news.
You worked hard, and you deserve your …………… .
I love the ………….. of the drums in that song.
“O, the …………… of me!” cried Peter Pan.
2. Pick out the abstract nouns in these sentences.
Ignore any other kinds of nouns.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Oscar’s birthday present was a big surprise to him.
The lady showed kindness to the beggar man in the street.
Childhood should be the best part of everyone’s life.
Why did you do that? I’ve never seen such stupidity before.
Have no fear! Your teacher’s here!
3*. Write five sentences of your own.
In each sentence use one of these abstract nouns.
fun - truth - pride - friendship - joy
4. Here are 20 nouns.
How quickly can you pop each noun into the correct column?
fear - team - Justin - desk - Paris - idea - shoe
swarm - lamp - hope - luck - Suzie - flock - dog
Harry - joy - bunch - radio - Scotland - herd
common
proper
collective
abstract
THE APOSTROPHE 1
Using the apostrophe
for contractions
An apostrophe looks just like a comma, but instead
of being written on the line, it’s written higher up.
Some people call the apostrophe the ‘upstairs
comma’ which isn’t a bad way to think about it. There are two
ways we use the apostrophe.
Let’s start with the one called the contraction – that’s
when we use it to show that two words have been joined together.
The apostrophe shows where the missing letters are.
1. Use an apostrophe to make a contraction
of the high-lighted words.
1. Please do not sit on that chair. It is broken.
2. Because it is such a nice day, let us walk to school.
3. Leo does not really understand the question.
4. We will catch the bus if there is one at the station.
5. You had better run if you do not want to be late.
2.
Remove the apostrophe
and the contraction
from the high-lighted words.
1. You should’ve caught the train.
2. The children aren’t in the classroom.
3. Sam’s still in bed.
4. That’s not right. In fact, it’s wrong.
5. You’d better run, or you’ll be late.
3* Copy out this little conversation.
Use contractions for the high-lighted words.
You may change the names of the people
in the story to people in your class!
Miss Smith: Joe, you have not given me your homework.
Why is it not on my desk?
Joe:
I did not have time to finish it, Miss. I will finish
it tonight, and I will bring it tomorrow.
Miss Smith: That is what you always say, Joe. If you do not
bring your homework, I will have to punish you.
Joe:
But, Miss, would you punish me for something
I have not done?
Miss Smith: Of course, not. That would not be fair.
Joe:
Well, you cannot punish me then.
Miss Smith: Why not?
Joe:
Because my homework is something
I have not done!
THE APOSTROPHE 2
Using the apostrophe
To show belonging
We use an apostrophe – an upstairs comma
– to show that something belongs to
someone or to something. We have to be
careful where we put the apostrophe. Talk
about these examples with your teacher.
Do these books belong to that boy?
Yes, they are that boy’s books.
Do these books belong to those boys?
Yes, they are those boys’ books.
Do those toys belong to that girl?
Yes, they are that girl’s toys.
Do those toys belong to those girls?
Yes, they are those girls’ toys?
How many boys?
How many boys?
How many girls?
How many girls?
RULE
The apostrophe comes before the
s if there is only one
owner.
The apostrophe comes after the
s if there is more than
one owner.
1.
Read each sentence carefully.
Does the apostrophe go before or after the s ?
a) Don’t pull the kittens tail.
b) It’s wrong to steal birds eggs.
c) This birds wing is broken.
d) There’s space for two boys bicycles here.
e) That farmers tractor needs to be repaired.
f) Both cars windscreens got smashed.
g) Go round the class and bring me all the pupils pens.
h) I think that’s Sams sister over there.
i) Here comes Evas little brother.
RULE
When the word is plural, the apostrophe goes before the s .
2.
Read each sentence carefully.
Then add the missing apostrophe.
a) Here are the mens jackets.
b) She cut off the mices tails with a carving knife.
c) The womens new dresses are lovely.
d) The gentlemens room is over there.
e) We filled the bags with sheeps wool.
f) The geeses honking kept me awake all night.
g) Where are the childrens parents?
The ‘belonging’ apostrophe is also called the ‘possessive’ apostrophe but
you don’t need this till you’re much older.
3*
Write out these sentences. Put in the missing apostrophes.
a) Our cars bumper got dented.
b) The kittens mother keeps them all clean.
c) Mices whiskers are very tickly.
d) Is this a girls school or a boys school?
e) Where’s Daniels jumper?
f) Dad destroyed the wasps nest.
g) The childrens minibus is here.
h) This books last page is missing.
i) Please show me the ladies room.
j) Jamess nan is waiting for him in
the playground.
Lots of people who should
know better stick in an
apostrophe every time they
hear the letter s at the end
of a word. Wrong! You can
see examples of this all over
your local High Street. Please
help
us
stamp
out
Apostrophe Abuse!
mmm