1. The basics of sentences
Think about the job that a word is doing in the sentence.
2. Prepositions
• Prepositions are usually placed before the noun or pronoun. Their job
is to show the position of something or someone:
above the palace / below the sea.
• They can also show the direction of something:
We went towards the shop
• They can also show time or even cause:
Before their lunch, the children were with their friends.
before after during because of
3. Using Prepositions
• Common prepositions include:
above against behind below beside between in inside into near off
on onto into outside over through under up
• Prepositions are useful when describing a setting:
• He stepped into the shop. On the ceiling hung several clocks. Against
the counter stood an old umbrella. In the corner, there were two jars
of sweets. Tucked between a bookcase was a stuffed owl.
4. Nouns and Capital letters
• Nouns name things.
• Common nouns are everyday nouns like dog or cat.
• Proper nouns are particular people, places, months and days.
• They must have a capital letter:
James went to London on a Friday in July.
5. Nouns - Plurals and Apostrophes
• Nouns can be single or plural = Girl Girls
• Single means there is one - dog
• Plural means there are more than one – two dogs
• Apostrophe for omission – I can’t work! Can’t = cannot = can not
• Apostrophe for possession = The girl’s handbag = the handbag belonging to
the girl.
• Apostrophe for a plural = The girls’ handbags = the handbags that belong to
lots of girls.
6. Determiners
• Determiners pinpoint who or what the sentence is about:
That cat sat on this mat.
• They can also determine how much or many:
Few humans can eat six shredded wheat.
• Determiners determine – they are words that pinpoint.
That boy pinched those apples from these trees.
• Some determiners are possessive:
my your his her its our their
7. Using Determiners
• Common determiners:
This that those these some many any no either neither each every
many much few little both all ten twenty which what whose
• Determiners are a bit like a special sort of adjective.
• They help you tell the reader exactly what you are talking about:
That dragon ate her burger.
8. Pronouns
• Pronouns stand instead of nouns.
Boris is eating Boris’s donut.
Boris is eating his donut.
He is eating it.
I, we, you, he, she, it, they, this, these, that, those who, which, that, as,
each, all, everyone, one, both, any, such, somebody, who, which, what,
myself, herself, mine, yours, his, hers, ...
9. Possessive Pronouns
• Some pronouns are possessive.
• They show you that something belongs to someone – they own or
possess it.
• Possessive pronouns answer the question, ‘Whose is it?’
• mine yours his hers ours its theirs
The dog belongs to Jo.
The dog is hers.
10. Using Pronouns
• Pronouns are useful because you can avoid repeating nouns.
• Make sure the reader still knows what you are talking about.
• Jo grabbed the burger and Jo ate the burger. After Jo had eaten the
burger, Jo went outside…
• Jo grabbed the burger and ate it. After she had eaten it, she went
outside…
