Year 3

English Practice Questions

Introduction for teachers and parents

In this book there are single-page exercises covering most of the English grammar, punctuation and
spelling work that children will meet in year 3.

On each page there is a short introduction with examples and key points followed by a set of
questions for children to answer.

Some quite challenging questions have been included for the more able children. These are flagged
using symbols such as “ouch!”, “here we go” and “oh no!”

At the end of each page, children are invited to answer a self-assessment question.

Using this book

The exercises in this book are not intended to be used in the initial teaching of new topics.

However, they can be used as:

• Homework activities - to consolidate work done in class.

• End of topic class activities - to give children an opportunity to check their understanding of
a particular topic.

• Assessment tasks - allowing teachers to establish whether or not children are secure in their
understanding of a topic.

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1
 Contents

Grammar
Nouns 4

Adjectives 5

Verbs 6

Using ‘have’ or ‘has’ with verbs 7

Verbs ending with -ing 8

Using verbs to talk about the future 9

Common mistakes with verbs 10

Adverbs 11

Noun phrases 12

Clauses 13

Sentences 14

Expanded noun phrases 15

Pronouns 16

Possessive pronouns 17

Prepositions 18

Conjunctions 19

Determiners 20

Using a or an 21

Adverbials 22

2
Punctuation
Starting and ending sentences 23

Commas in lists 24

Commas after fronted adverbials 25

Apostrophes to show where letters are missing 26

Apostrophes to show who something belongs to (possession) 27

Common mistakes with apostrophes 28

Inverted commas to show that someone is speaking 29

Using paragraphs 30

Proof-reading your work 31

Spelling
Doubling letters before adding a suffix 32
More about adding suffixes 33
The suffix -ly 34
Words ending in -sure and -ture 35
Word endings that sound like -shen or -shun 36
Prefixes 37
The prefixes in- il- ir- and im- 38
Different ways of writing sounds 39
Homophones 40

Are you
ready for
this?
3
 Grammar

A Nouns
We use nouns to give names to people, places and things.
Proper nouns start with capital letters and they can be:
• Names of people (Joe, Amy)
• Place names (Spain, London)
• Days and months (Monday, July)
Common nouns such as child, town and mouse are not names of any particular
person, place or thing.

1 Circle the nouns below:

fish running blue London Joe heavy quickly

2 Underline all the nouns in these sentences:

The crazy monkey ate a banana.
Zoe went to Scotland.
Fish are designed to swim in water.

3 Can you write this sentence correctly, putting capital letters where they are needed?
A boy called zac came to our school in march.

A y d Zc  o r l n Mh.

4 Try to think of your own examples:

Three proper nouns are: My F At

Three common nouns are: t  t

5 Nouns like toy and book are called countable nouns because we can count toys and books.
Nouns like beauty and water are called non-countable nouns. Can you think of two more
non-countable nouns?
OK!
k y

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

4
B Adjectives
Adjectives describe nouns. They give us a bit more information about the noun,
such as the colour, size or shape.
Examples: The blue pencil.
An enormous elephant.
She had a rectangular garden.

1 Circle the adjectives below:

Emma quickly brown fast Friday large long

2 Underline all the adjectives in these sentences:

The little bird made a loud noise.
Lots of slimy slugs were eating the tasty leaves.
Your new blue t-shirt has a big hole in it.

3 Think of some good adjectives to complete each of these sentences.

A y bee settled in the y flower.

The w car had four y wheels.

Unfortunately, the l wizard had lost his  wand.

4 Look at this sentence: Zoe has a lazy cat.

Here
we go!
Which word is an adjective? ay
Explain how you know: T d ay   e n t  t.
It  a g d.

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

5
C Verbs
Verbs usually tell us what someone or something is doing.
Example: They run home every day.
Verbs can have different forms (spellings) such as: run, runs, ran, running.

1 Can you underline the verbs in this list of words?

cheese walking sit fish blue quickly sing jump

2 Look at these sentences. Sometimes we write run and sometimes we write runs.
Sally runs home every day.
We run home every day.
Can you circle the correct verb in these sentences?
Trees grow / grows very tall.
The cat jump / jumps over the wall.

3 The tense of a verb tells us when something happened.

Example: Jake eats his lunch. (present tense)
Jake ate his lunch. (past tense)
Can you fill in the gaps below?

present tense past tense

I swim. I m .

Birds g at dawn. Birds sang at dawn.

My dad keeps bees. My dad t bees.

4 Can you change this sentence so it is all in the past tense?

Wow!
We ate our food, drink our water and go to sleep.

We  r d, k r r d t o p.

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

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 D Using ‘have’ or ‘has’ with verbs
We use ‘have’ or ‘has’ with a verb to show that something has just happened. This is
called the present perfect form of a verb.
Examples: She has eaten her lunch.
We have arrived.

1 Can you fill in the gaps in this table?

Happened last week (past tense) Just happened (‘have’ or ‘has’ form)

Sarah ate the pie Sarah  n the pie

I cycled to school I e d to school

I d my homework I have finished my homework

2 Now change these sentences from the past tense to the present perfect tense.

Past tense Present perfect tense

The elephant ran away T t  n y

I drew a picture I e n a e
Jake borrowed a pencil J  d a l

3 Try changing these from the present tense to the present perfect tense.

Present tense Present perfect tense

Dave arrives at school De  d t l

Zoe finishes her drink Ze  d r k
I wash my hands I e d y 

4 Can you explain in your own words when you would use the ‘have’ or ‘has’ form of a verb?

If I e y t  g, I d   ‘e’ m. I e
OK!
d n  TV.

I know different ways of using verbs to talk about the past. I’m confident I’m nearly there

7
 E Verbs ending with -ing
Verbs ending with -ing can be used to show that something is still happening or was
still happening at the time.

Example: She is running. This is in the present tense.

He was walking. This is in the past tense.

1 Complete these sentences using the present tense.

They e climbing up the wall.

I m singing a song.

The fish e swimming in the sea.

2 Add ‘ing’ to the verbs in the box to complete these:

play stand jump

BUS Mike was g football with his sister.

STOP
The frog was g into the pond.

We were g at the bus stop.

3 Can you fill in the gaps in this passage? Use any of these words:

run runs running ran

Zoe was g when she fell over. She is g again today. When

she  she feels great. Jack can n too. He is with Zoe today.

He also n yesterday.

4 Can you spell the ‘ing’ form of these verbs? Use a dictionary to check your answers.
OK!
walk walking wave g continue ug
sleep g leave g disappear g
grow g take g notice g

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

8
F Using verbs to talk about the future
In English, verbs don’t have a future tense. We can talk about the future in several ways.
For example: She arrives tomorrow. They may arrive tomorrow.
He will arrive tomorrow. It is going to arrive tomorrow.
In these examples the verb arrive is in the present tense.

1 Complete these sentences using the present tense of the verb ‘to visit.’

I may t my friend next Saturday.

I will t my friend next Saturday.

I am going o t my friend next Saturday.

2 These sentences about the future have some mistakes. Can you write them again without the
mistakes?

Next Saturday I played hockey. I will remembered to wear my new boots. My team is going
to won if we were lucky!

Net Sy, I y y. I l r o r y w . My

m l n f e e y.

Great!

3 This short passage is about the future. Can you change it to the past tense?

“Next week, we go on holiday. I will swim every day and I will enjoy the
sunshine. It is going to be a great holiday.”

“Last week e t n y. I m y y d I d 
. It  a t y.”

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

9
G Common mistakes with verbs
Verbs have different forms. Look at the present tense of the verb ‘to be’:
I am you are she is
We need to choose the correct form of each verb. This depends on who or what we are
talking about.

1 Can you write these sentences correctly by changing the verbs? (Use the present tense.)

She catch the ball. She t  l.

He are crazy. He  ay.
They is very late. Ty e y .
The dog eat bones. T g  .

2 We also need to use the correct form of the past tense. Can you write these correctly?

I done the washing up. I d  g p.

Sally have carried the bag. Sy  d  g.
I have wrote a story. I e n a y.
We was enjoying ourselves. We e g .

Here
we go!
3 It is also important to avoid mixing up the verb tenses. Look at this piece
of writing. Can you write it in the past tense?

When my great grandad is young, he will be a soldier in World War 2. He drives a tank and
he went to France. He told my grandad how scary it will be in those days.

Wn y t d  g,   a r n Wd Wr 2. He

e a k d  t o F. He d y d w y t 
n  .

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

10
H Adverbs
Adverbs usually tell us information about how, when, where or how much. They can be
used with verbs, adjectives or other adverbs.
Examples: He shouted loudly. The game was really exciting. She ran very quickly.

1 Can you circle an adverb in each of these sentences?

Charlie secretly ate the chocolate.
Zoe sang loudly when the music started.
Rabbits immediately run away when they see you.

2 Adverbs can be used to change the meaning of other adverbs. Can you underline the
adverbs in these sentences? (There are two adverbs in each one.)
They walked up the stairs very quietly.
A snail moves extremely slowly.

3 Adverbs can also be used with adjectives. Can you circle the adverbs in this sentence?
The film we watched was quite dull, but the day out was fairly good.

4 Can you find the adverbs in this word search?

t o m o r r o w i
p d j s k l r w g
greedily easily
q r y l i s a e r
quite loudly
v e x o z w n t e
tomorrow really
e y a w l t q o e
gently very
r e a l l y r d d
slowly y y z a y s t t a i
(mystery adverb!)
Let’s f l o u d l y y l
go!
q u i t e h g j y

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

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I Noun phrases
A phrase is a small group of words that go together. Look at this sentence:
Lots of rabbits played in the field.
Lots of rabbits is a group of words acting like a noun. This is called a noun phrase.

1 Can you underline the noun phrases below?

Tom was reading a book about dragons.
They have bought an expensive new car.
The freshly baked bread looked very good.

2 Noun phrases have nouns in them. Can you circle the nouns in these noun phrases?
the brightly coloured balloon
lots of wriggling worms
an extremely bright light

3 Try to replace the pronouns in these sentences with an interesting noun phrase. The first is
done for you.

They ran along the river bank.

The crazily quacking ducks ran along the river bank.

It had been in the fridge for a week.

T l g k d n n   r a k.
She finally decided to buy it.

T g l y d o y t.

4 Can you make up noun phrases using these nouns?

Wow!
noun noun phrase

fish T y d h

bucket A t h o 
t-shirt T t-t n  r

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

12
J Clauses verb

A clause is a group of words including a subject and verb. Example: We eat apples
Main clauses make sense when they are on their own. subject
Example: She was eating a cheese sandwich.
Subordinate clauses need to be with a main clause to make sense.
Example: We left the table when we had finished eating.
(main clause) (subordinate clause)

1 Which of these are main clauses? Tick the boxes.

✓ the red chair is my favourite because I am tired

a patch of long green grass ✓ dogs like eating bones

where I used to live ✓ I can’t wait to go on holiday

2 Can you join these main and subordinate clauses by using suitable connecting words?

Fred was very happy  he found his missing glasses.

We enjoyed our holiday h it wasn’t sunny all the time.

3 Try to make up some main clauses using the words given.

words main clause

cat chasing mouse My t  g a .

elephants long trunks E e y g .
my favourite snack C e y  k.

4 Now try to add your own subordinate clauses to these main clauses. Ouch!

Charlie ran into the garden   r  g m.

We were waiting at the bus stop n t y d o n.

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

13
K Sentences
A sentence is a group of words that makes complete sense. Sentences contain a verb,
start with capital letters, and end with full stops, question marks or exclamation marks.
Example: The shop opens at 9 o’clock.
Sentences can be used to: ask questions: Can you tell me what time it is please?
give orders: Come here at once!
exclaim: You are cycling too fast!

1 Which of these are sentences? Tick the boxes.

✓ I have my own bicycle. The rabbit and the dog

✓ The roof is leaking! ham and cheese.

If you eat the biscuit, ✓ Stop watching the TV!

2 Sentences can have two or more main clauses. Can you finish these sentences by adding a
joining word?

Jack danced with Jill, d Sara danced with Tom.

Being a chef is great, t cooking is very hard work.

3 Some sentences have main clauses and subordinate clauses. Can you underline the
subordinate clauses below?
Zoe returned to school as soon as she felt well enough.
Although the rain stopped, the children stayed indoors.

Phew!
4 Challenge time! Can you write a sentence with two main clauses?

My d  a  t y m  a r.

Now try writing your own sentence with a main clause and a subordinate clause.

I d    I d n d o g.

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

14
L Expanded noun phrases
Noun phrases can be made bigger (expanded) to help describe something better.
Example: Lots of fish could be expanded to lots of brightly coloured fish
with big green eyes.

1 Can you underline the noun phrases below?

He was eating a very tasty tuna sandwich.
She gave her Mum a wonderful present wrapped in sparkly paper.
The playful kitten with stripes like a tiger sat on my knee.

2 Tick the noun phrases below.

✓ the sandy beach covered in shells ✓ a red racing car with yellow stripes

a fish jumped out of the water the cat came and sat on my knee

3 Write an expanded noun phrase to finish this sentence about the frog in the picture.

I soon realised that it was a l n g h a y

d k.

Yes!
4 Can you think of your own expanded noun phrase to finish this sentence?

My favourite snack is a t t of  d n d .

I can use expanded noun phrases to describe things in detail. I’m confident I’m nearly there

15
M Pronouns
Pronouns are used to replace nouns in sentences.
For example, look at the sentence: Jane went to school.
We can replace the noun Jane with the pronoun she and the sentence becomes:
She went to school.

1 Can you write these sentences again and replace the underlined words with pronouns?
Zane walked to school and Zane was late.

Z d o l d   .

Liz and Zoe cycled to school but Liz and Zoe were late.

Liz d Ze d o l t y e .

My pet dog found a ball and brought the ball to me.

My t g d a l d t t o .

2 Our writing is better if we use pronouns instead of just repeating nouns. Can you improve
this writing?
Humira woke up at 7 o’clock. Humira got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast. At
8 o’clock Humira set off on her journey to school.

Ha  p t 7 o’k. S t d d t  r
t. At 8 o’k,  t of n r y o l.

3 Pronouns in a sentence can refer back to nouns in an earlier sentence. Can you add
pronouns in the spaces below?
Let’s do
The baby lambs are jumping in the field. Ty enjoy jumping and playing. this!

The field is a great place to play. It is very grassy. The sheep love their

field. It is a brilliant place for m to live.

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

16
N Possessive pronouns
Pronouns like mine, yours, hers, his, ours and theirs are possessive pronouns.
They show who owns something.
Example: I like my reading book but Joe doesn’t like his.

1 Add the correct possessive pronouns to this piece of writing.

Jake didn’t want to share his sweets. He said, “These are  and you can’t have any!”

Susie wanted one of  because she didn’t have any. She replied, “Mum said the

sweets are for both of us – they are not just  ”.

2 Can you write these sentences correctly?

Don’t touch that! It’s mine bicycle, not your!

Dn’t h t! It’ y , t !

I lost mine tennis match but my friends all won hers.

I t y  h t y  l n .

3 Put a circle around all the pronouns in this list. Then put a P next to all the pronouns that
are possessive.

she his P your the day going they

theirs P an long it very mine P today up

Let’s
go!
4 If yours is bigger than hers and theirs is bigger than hers, and bigger than
yours, whose is the smallest?

Answer: 

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

17
O Prepositions
Prepositions often tell us where something is or when something happened.
Examples: The message is in the bottle
They get back from France on Thursday

1 Here are some prepositions: below, above, behind, in front of.

Look at the picture and use them to fill in the gaps below.

The picture is e the chair, and w

the lamp. Felix the cat is hiding d the chair. He has

left his toy mouse n t of the chair.

2 Prepositions can be single words (on, from, under) but they can be made up of two or three
words (in front of, instead of). Can you underline the prepositions in these sentences?
The children walked underneath the bridge.
We visited the castle by the sea.
The house is next to the sea.
I need to wear a coat on top of my jumper.
She slept during the day.

Wow!

3 Can you finish these sentences using at least one preposition in each?

Next Saturday, I l  y  t of  d.

I like to go o  a n S.

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

18
P Conjunctions
Coordinating conjunctions such as and, but, or, nor and so connect words, phrases or
main clauses together in a sentence.
Examples: Jack and Jill
The jam tart or the cream cake
I caught the bus, but you caught the train.
We use subordinating conjunctions like although and because to join main clauses
to subordinate clauses. Subordinate clauses often tell us why or when something
happened.
Example: They couldn’t get to school because the snow was too deep.

1 Complete these sentences using coordinating conjunctions to join the main clauses.

I ran to catch the bus, t I missed it.

You can stay at home, r you can go out.

It was quite late, o we decided to stay in and watch TV.

2 Now try choosing a conjunction from the box to join these main and subordinate clauses.

before after until while unless because although

I think I’ll stay inside  it is warm in here.

They will eat their lunches r they have washed their hands.

3 We can use conjunctions to say when or why something happened. Use the
conjunctions in the box to finish the sentences below.

before because while

She ate the cake  she was hungry.

W you were on holiday we looked after your cat.

We had no one to talk to e you got here.

4 Make this sentence longer by adding a clause starting with although. OK!

I enjoyed my day out h t d l y.

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

19
Q Determiners
Determiners go in front of nouns. They show which noun we are talking about.
For example, my bike, your bike.
These are determiners: the, a, an - the picture was amazing
this, that - that book is fantastic
some, every - some noisy people arrived
my, your - my name is Sam
Determiners have to go before adjectives in sentences.
Example: We say ‘my green book’ not ‘green my book.’

1 Can you underline the determiners in these sentences?

This book is my favourite. The part I liked best was the ending. Some
books are better than others.

2 Use these determiners to fill in the gaps below. (his this some many)

Jack poured  water into  bucket. He owns y

buckets, but  bucket is his favourite.

3 Can you circle the correct determiners in these sentences?

This / These apples look very tasty. I think I’ll choose that / those one. A / An apple can
be refreshing.

4 Sometimes wrong words are used as determiners. Can you write these sentences out correctly?

I would like one of them cakes. I d   of  .
Look at them cats over there. Lk t   r e.

5 Write a sentence or two to describe the picture and try to use two determiners. Underline them.

T  e t . Ty d o y n Go!

r n.

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

20
R Using a or an
We use a with nouns that begin with a consonant sound.
Example: He has a bicycle.
We use an with nouns that begin with a vowel sound.
Example: We saw an eagle at the zoo.

1 Can you put a or an in the gaps to make these sentences correct?

We have a great teacher.

When I’m older I want to be n actor.

Have a happy birthday.

2 Sometimes words start with a vowel, but they sound like they start with a consonant. We use a
with these.
Example: a euro (It sounds like ‘a yuro’) Now try these by adding a or an.

That number is a one. My sister can ride a unicycle.

I wish I could see a unicorn. For breakfast I prefer n egg.

3 There are some words that start with a consonant but they sound like they start with a vowel.
We use an with these. Example: an honest man (sounds like an onist man) Now try these:

I only have n hour.

Let’s
We stayed in a hotel. give it
a go!
The king wished he had n heir.

I know when to use a and an. I’m confident I’m nearly there

21
 S Adverbials
Adverbials are groups of words used like an adverb. Adverbials often tell us how, when
or why something happened. (Adverbs are adverbials too!)
Example: The ship sails in ten minutes.
They are called fronted adverbials if they are at the front of a sentence.
Example: In ten minutes, the ship sails.

1 Underline the adverbials in these sentences.

They arrived last night. The doctor came as quickly as possible.
We ate ice creams during the interval. She crossed the road without looking.

2 We can start sentences with fronted adverbials. Can you underline the fronted
adverbials below?
On the way home, we stopped for petrol.
After four years at school, she learned to swim.
Without saying a word, he left the room.

3 Can you make up some adverbials to finish these sentences?

She ran to school t g .

B   n   , Mum turned off the TV.

He climbed the ladder  y   d.

4 Look at this picture and write a sentence about it. Use a fronted
adverbial to start your sentence.
Phew!
B  n  o ag,  t o
p t g  .

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

22
 Punctuation
A Starting and ending sentences
Sentences start with a capital letter and end with a full stop. However, questions end
with a question mark (?). Sentences that show emotions such as anger, surprise and
pleasure end with an exclamation mark (!).

1 Write these sentences with the correct punctuation.

a) when I get home, I will have my tea

Wn I t , I l e y a.

b) where did I put my pencil

We d I t y l?

c) for the last time, will you be quiet

Fr  t , l u  ut!

2 Add the punctuation mark you would use to end each of these sentences:

Help, I’m stuck ! Lunch is being served .

Which way did she go ? Wow, that was fast !
You are crazy ! This is my favourite book .
Who asked you to do that ? Is this the last one ?

3 Can you write your own question about a fish?

Wt  a h?

OK!
4 In your own words, can you explain when you would use an exclamation mark?

If a   g , I t n en k t  d.

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

23
B Commas in lists
We use commas between words or phrases in a list.
Example: My favourite colours are red, blue, orange and green.
(We usually put and or or between the last two words instead of a comma.)

1 Can you put the commas in these sentences?

John had sausages ,bacon ,tomatoes ,eggs and toast for breakfast.
I’m going on holiday to Spain ,France and Italy.
Mum asked me to wash the dishes ,feed the cat ,empty the bin and go to bed.

2 Write your own sentence using all these phrases.

mixed the ingredients switched on the oven looked at the recipe baked the cake

I d t  , d n  n, ixd   d d
 .

3 Can you write a list of three things or more to complete this sentence?

On Saturday mornings I like to d n d,  y g t d h TV.

4 Write this short passage again and add the correct punctuation marks.
Phew!
my friend jake has two cats a dog called fred three mice and a canary his
house is like a zoo

My d J  o , a g d Fd,   d a y. H
   a o!
(4 capital letters, 2 commas, 1 full stop and 1 exclamation mark)

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

24
C Commas after fronted adverbials
Remember: Adverbials are words or groups of words used like an adverb. They often
tell us how, when or why something happened.
Example: Before you go, say goodbye.
Adverbials at the beginning (front) of sentences are called fronted adverbials, and we
put a comma after them.

1 Add commas to these sentences.

a) When it was 4 o’clock ,the grandfather clock chimed four times.
b) If I decide to go ,I’ll take my own sandwiches.

2 We don’t normally use commas when the adverbials are at the end of sentences.
Example: I read a book when I had finished my lunch.
Only one of these sentences needs a comma. Add a comma in the right place.
Because we were lost ,we bought a map.
We bought a map because we were lost.

3 Write your own sentences using these fronted adverbials.

a) As it was only 6 pm, e d o o t r a  .

b) After cycling for 2 hours,   g o l d.

4 Now try to write two sentences of your own. Use a fronted adverbial Let’s
in one of them and put an adverbial at the end of the other. go!

a) Wn u e  , u t a  l .

b) I l e u a  f u e  a ut.

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

25
D Apostrophes to show where letters are missing
We use apostrophes to show where letters have been left out of words to shorten them.
Example: We will we’ll
You are you’re

1 Can you match the words on the top row to their shortened versions on the bottom row?
Draw arrows to connect them.

does not it is we would do not did not

didn’t don’t doesn’t it’s we’d

2 Write these sentences again and shorten the underlined words.

a) My Mum should have arrived by now.

My Mm d’e d y w.

b) The cat would not eat its food.

T t n’t t  d.

c) We have had a great time.

W’e d a t .

3 Can you add four apostrophes to this short paragraph to make it correct?
Jake doesnt want to play tonight. Hes got a bad cold. His Mums going to take his
temperature because he cant stop shivering.

Keep
calm!
4 Can you finish this sentence using two shortened words that have apostrophes?

Fergus the frog n’t   d   n’t b t y.

I can shorten words using apostrophes. I’m confident I’m nearly there

26
 E Apostrophes to show who something belongs to (possession)
The bike belongs to one girl the girl’s bike
Here we add ’s
The bikes belong to the girls (plural) the girls’ bikes
Here we add ’ after the s
The bikes belong to the children (plural) the children’s bikes
With these plural nouns that don’t end in s, we add ’s

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

a) A c a t  s claws are sharp.
b) The t w i n s  faces were almost identical.
c) J a s o n  s shoes were ruined.

2 Now try these:

a) The m e n s coats all fell on the floor.
b) It was the p e o p l e  s decision.
c) The e l e p h a n t s  trunks.

3 Complete this table to show what belongs to who.

the chef table the chef’s table

the children bicycles  n’ 

the donkey tail  y’ l
  tails the donkeys’ tails

the babies cots  ’ 

 y cot the baby’s cot

4 Can you write a great sentence using at least two words with an apostrophe to show possession?
Oh
no!
Jk’   ag, t  ’  e n r.

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

27
F Common mistakes with apostrophes
Some words that have been made shorter using apostrophes sound like other words.
Example: You’re sounds like your
They’re sounds like their
Be careful not to mix these words up!

1 Write its or it’s in these sentences to make them correct.

It’ a good idea to have breakfast.

The book has lost  cover.

It’ turned warm today.

2 Your and you’re can also be mixed up. Can you put the correct word into these sentences?

Yr mum has long hair.

Yu’e always telling me what to do.

Yu’e is short for you are.

Yr is a possessive pronoun.

3 Can you write a sentence with the word who’s in it?

Wo’ g n  w?

Now write a sentence with the word whose in it.

W l  ?

Complete this:

Wo’ is short for who is or who has.

4 Can you explain the difference between the words they’re and their? Wow!

Ty’e  t r ‘y e’. Tr  a r.

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

28
 G Inverted commas to show that someone is speaking

some important rules example

Each new bit of speech starts with a capital letter. “Oh no!” he said.

If the sentence finishes after the speech, use a full stop, She asked, “Are you
question mark or exclamation mark at the end. coming?”

If the sentence carries on after the speech, use a comma, “I’m OK today,” said Zoe.
question mark or exclamation mark at the end. “Are you OK?” asked Tom.

1 Add the inverted commas to these sentences:

a) “ My brother is older than me,” said Andy.
b) Her mother asked, “ What time is it please? ”

2 Add commas and inverted commas to these sentences.

a) “ Hello everyone,” said Jake.
b) The boy said ,“ I’m sorry for breaking the glass.”

3 Write this sentence again with all the correct punctuation marks.
It is time to pack your things away the teacher announced

“It   o k r  y,”  r d.

4 Look at the picture and turn it into two sentences with all the
Hello Josh,
correct punctuation. are you OK?

Yes! Zoe walked in and said , “Ho Jh, e u OK?” Yes I’m fine
thank you
Zoe.
“Y, I’m  k u Ze,” d Jh.

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

29
H Using paragraphs
Paragraphs are used to organise our writing. We use a new paragraph when:
• The topic changes.
• A new person starts speaking.
• The time or place we are writing about changes.

1 Look at this piece of writing and write the symbol // in all the places where you would start
a new paragraph.

It was exremely cold on the beach, but Jake and Milly desparately wanted to go swimming

in the sea. In a moment of madness they ran into the crashing waves with all their clothes

/
and shoes on! “I can’t feel my toes!” shouted Jake. “I can’t feel anything,” Milly replied./
Back at the house, their parents were busy preparing lunch. “I hope the children are having

/
fun on the beach,” said Dad. “They’ll be fine as long as they stay out of the sea,”

replied Mum. Here

we go!

Explain why you would start the 2nd paragraph.

I d t  2d h  a w n  g.

Explain why you would start the 3rd paragraph.

I d t  3d h    .

Explain why you would start the 4th paragraph.

I d t  4h h  Mm   w r.

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

30
 I Proof-reading your work
It is very important for you to check your writing to make sure you have used the correct
punctuation marks.

1 The start of this story has some commas, full stops and capital letters missing.
Can you add them in using a coloured pen or pencil? Also, put a // mark where
you think any new paragraphs should start.

M
miss Ffoster’s favourite mug had the word UNBREAKABLE printed on the underside. O one

day, the children in her class began asking questions about it . The discussion started an

argument about whether or not anything can be truly unbreakable. “I bet my mum could

, said Lilly. “she

break it” /
S breaks lots of mugs at home.” “The thing is,” explained Miss
Foster, “I don’t want to find out because I never want to break it”. / Later, when it was
story time, Miss Foster decided to tell the class the story about Ccharlie and his unbreakable

watch. O upon a time Charlie got a new watch for his birthday. It was shock resistant ,
“once

water proof, and totally unbreakable. Charlie was the type of person who doubted

everything, so he decided to find out if he could break it. Ffirst he dropped it from an
upstairs window on to the concrete path below. Iit didn’t break.

2 Now, in your own words, try to write an ending to this story. Write it and then proof-read
it to check all your punctuation.

Tn  w t t a l. Sl, t n’t k. Fy,  t t h
 d’ r, d t d t o y . C  ey
t   w h  .
Ouch! “So,” d M Fr, “  e t h g o e g!”

I can proof-read my writing to check my punctuation. I’m confident I’m nearly there

31
 Spelling

A Doubling letters before adding a suffix

To add -ed -ing or -er, we follow these rules:
Important - some words don’t follow these rules.
If the word ends with a vowel and a consonant
clap clapping (we double the last letter)
If the word ends with two consonants
burn burning (we don’t double the last letter)
If the word ends with two vowels and a consonant
keep keeping (we don’t double the last letter)

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

stop g slam g trap g drop g

2 Try adding -ed to these words.

stop d drop d turn d burn d

3 Add the suffix -er to these words.

run r box r sing r mix r

4 Look at question 3 . Which letter is never doubled? x

Tricky!
5 Complete these tables and watch out for two words that don’t follow the rules!

word suffix new word word suffix new word

understand ing g hover ing g

suffer ed d stand ing g
read er r ruin ed ud
Now check all your answers using a dictionary.

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

32
BI More about adding suffixes
When adding suffixes that begin with a vowel to words ending in e, the e at the end of the
word is dropped before adding the suffix. e.g. cycle + ing cycling
This is not true with words ending in two vowels. e.g. see + ing seeing
Suffixes starting with consonants (-ment -ness -ful) are usually added without any
changes to the root words.

1 Add the suffix -ing to these words.

dare g care g

stare g hope g

2 Now try adding -ing to these words.

agree g flee g

3 Can you add the suffix -ful to these words?

hope l care l

forget l doubt l

4 Write these sentences again without any spelling mistakes.

They felt saddness when they knew what had happenned

Ty t  n y w t d d.

We enjoy bikeing to town on Saturdays

We y g o n n S.

5 Not all words follow the rules. Try to add these suffixes.

silly + ness  happy + ness 

Now check all your answers using a dictionary. Wow!

I understand when to drop an e before adding a suffix

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

33
CI The suffix -ly
-ly is added straight on to most root words sad + ly sadly It turns adjectives into adverbs.
There are some exceptions to this rule that you will discover in questions 2, 3 and 4 below.

1 Can you add the suffix -ly to these adjectives to make adverbs?

Adjective Adverb Adjective Adverb Adjective Adverb

final y usual y bad y

2 To add -ly to root words ending in y we generally change the y to an i. Try adding
-ly to these words.
angry + ly y day + ly y
sly + ly y busy + ly y
happy + ly y shy + ly y
Some words with one syllable are exceptions - did you spot two of them? Hint: Both begin with ‘s’.

3 Do you know how to add the suffix -ly to words ending in le? Try these:

gentle + ly y simple + ly y

Complete this: To add the suffix -ly to words ending in le, we change  to ly.

4 Try adding the suffix -ly to these words:

basic + ly y frantic + ly y

Now complete this: To add -ly to words ending in ic we add y instead of -ly.

5 Turn these adjectives into adverbs.

OK!
famous (adjective) y (adverb)

dramatic (adjective) y (adverb)

Write a sentence for one of these adverbs to show its correct meaning.

I can add the suffix -ly. I’m confident I’m nearly there

34
DI Words ending in -sure and -ture
Words ending in -sure sound similar to words ending in -ture.
Examples: measure, picture

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

trea e na e

crea e mix e
mea e adven e

2 The ending -cher can also sound similar to -ture and -sure. The words underlined have the
wrong ending - can you write them correctly?

My teature r is Mr Brown. He doesn’t like people putting their feet on

the furnicher e . Being in his class is quite an advensure e .

He doesn’t have a very kind natcher e . His dream is to win the lottery

and be riture r .

3 Your challenge now is to find four words ending in -sure and four words ending in -ture that
are not on this page. We’ve
got this!
e e
e e
e e
e e

I know how to spell some words ending in -sure and -ture. I’m confident I’m nearly there

35
EI Word endings that sound like -shen or -shun (depending on the way you speak)
This sound can be made with several word endings.
For example, we can use the ending -tion for root words ending in t or te
act action invent invention complete completion

1 Can you complete these sentences using words ending in -tion?

The doctor gave him an inj n

A mad scientist thought of a crazy inv n
In the river there is a problem with poll n

2 For root words ending in -ss or -mit we use the ending -ssion.
Example: discuss discussion. Complete this to show more examples.

root word word ending with the -shen sound

express en
permit n
admit n

3 We often find the -cian ending on words that describe the jobs that people do.
Example: electrician. The root words usually end in c or cs.
Can you think of some more words ending -cian?

n MP n n

4 The ending -sion also sounds like ‘shun’. This ending is used when the root word ends in d or se.

Oh
expand expansion tense tension wow!
Can you unscramble these letters to find another example?

nixenetso en

I know different ways of spelling words ending in the shen sound. I’m confident I’m nearly there

36
FI Prefixes
We add prefixes to the beginnings of root words to make new words.
sub + heading subheading
(prefix) (root word) (new word)

1 The prefix sub- means under. A subheading is under a main heading.

Can you complete this table of prefixes?

prefix root word new word what the prefix means

sub- marine submarine under

anti- clockwise  against (opposite to)

e-  rewrite n

inter- city y n
r- market t above (extra large)

o- t autopilot self

2 dis- and mis- are prefixes with negative meanings. Can you add dis- or mis- to these words to
make new ones?

 lead  appoint  spell  agree

 obey  like  appear  inform

Phew!
I’m tired!
3 Can you solve this puzzle?
Unscramble the letters to make a word that means not likely.

lluienky y

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

37
GI The prefixes in- il- ir- and im-
The prefix in- usually means ‘not’ (in- + correct incorrect (not correct)).

The prefix in- sometimes changes to il-, ir- or im- depending on the first letter of the root word.

prefix root word new word

il- legal illegal We use il- with root words starting with l

ir- regular irregular We use ir- with root words starting with r

im- possible impossible We use im- with root words starting

im- mature immature with m or p

1 Can you add in- il- ir- or im- to these words?

secure e relevant t

patient t capable 
mobile 

2 Can you link the correct prefix to each word using arrows?

il- ir- im- in-

active probable logical resistable

3 Can you unscramble these letters to make words starting with in- il- im- or ir-?

n a v i l d i (means ‘not valid’) d

e m i a t p i n t (means ‘not patient’) t

4 Write two sentences and use a word starting with in- il- im- or ir- in Wow!
each sentence.

T n  ! It d   l!

I know how to use prefixes in- il- ir- and im-. I’m confident I’m nearly there

38
HI Different ways of writing sounds
The k sound in kick can be written ch as in echo
The sh sound in ship can be written ch as in chef
The g sound in gum can be written gue as in league
The s sound in sit can be written sc as in science
The ay sound in say can be written ei as in weigh
The ay sound in say can be written eigh as in eight
The ay sound in say can be written ey as in they

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

mashine  leag 

✓ chorus ✓ tongue

cresent t ✓ eight

cemist t shalet t

2 Can you spot four spelling mistakes in this writing? Write the correct spellings below the
passage.
I went to the banque to get some money. There was a plack on the wall saying that the
building was 100 years old. It was fasinating. The building had a lot of caracter.

k  g r

Let’s
try!
3 Challenge time!
Can you find 3 words with the s sound written sc? (not words from this page!)

d  t

Can you find 3 words ending in -gue? (not words from this page!)

  

I know there are different ways of representing some sounds. I’m confident I’m nearly there

39
 I Homophones
Homophones are words that sound the same. They have different spellings and meanings.

1 Write the correct homophones into each of these sentences.

here hear bare bear
Please bring it e to me. It’s easier to climb with e feet.
Can you r the music? A r chased me!

bury berry break brake

Where did Bluebeard y the treasure? If you drop it you will k it.
That’s a juicy y ! She used her  to slow down.

meet meat peace piece

Vegetarians don’t eat t . Can I have a  of cake?
I’m pleased to t you. He likes to have  and quiet.

plain plane weather whether

The  landed on the runway. It’s funny r .
Please explain using n English. I don’t know r to go out.

whose who’s missed mist

W coat is this? I kicked the ball but d the goal.
Wo’ knocking on the door? The t made my coat damp.

affect effect accept except

The bad weather won’t t me. Will you t this gift?
Sugar has a bad t on teeth. Everyone was there et me!

fare fair grown groan

I forgot my bus e ! My feet have n bigger.
Wow! You always win - it’s not r ! He made a loud n .

their there they’re heel heal he’ll

Look over e ! H’l never make it to the top.
They have r own sandwiches. I trod on it with my l .
Now y’e having fun. The wound is starting to l .

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

40