RIC-20234 Primary Grammar and Word Study Year 3 – Parts of Speech

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Primary grammar and word study (Book D) 

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Primary grammar and 

word study – Book D 

Foreword 

Primary grammar and word study is a series of seven books designed 

to introduce students to parts of speech, ways to understand and choose 

words, punctuation and figures of speech. 

Titles in this series: 

• Primary grammar and word study Book A (Ages 5– 6) 

• Primary grammar and word study Book B (Ages 6–7) 

• Primary grammar and word study Book C (Ages 7–8) 

• Primary grammar and word study Book D (Ages 8–9) 

• Primary grammar and word study Book E (Ages 9 –10) 

• Primary grammar and word study Book F (Ages 10–11) 

• Primary grammar and word study Book G (Ages 11–12) 

Teaches notes ................................................iv – v 

English curriculum links ....................................... v 

Literacy character explanation ...................... vi – vii 

Checklists.................................................... viii – xi 

Parts of speech .............................................. 2–33 

Nouns .............................................................. 2–5 

Verbs .............................................................. 6–11 

Adjectives..................................................... 12–17 

Adverbs ........................................................ 18–21 

Pronouns ...................................................... 22–25 

Conjunctions ................................................ 26–27 

Determiners ................................................. 28–31 

Prepositions ................................................. 32–33 

Understanding and choosing words ........... 34–57 

Words that are similar ...............................34–41 

Homographs ............................................ 34–35 

Homophones ............................................ 36–37 

Word groups ............................................ 38–41 

Words that change .....................................42–49 

Plurals ...................................................... 42–45 

Prefixes .................................................... 46–47 

Suffixes .................................................... 48–49 

Contents 

Words and their meanings ........................50–57 

Synonyms ................................................ 50–51 

Antonyms ................................................. 52–53 

Confused words .........................................54–57 

Punctuation .................................................. 58–71 

Full stops, question marks and 

exclamation marks ....................................... 58–59 

Capital letters ............................................... 60–61 



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Commas ....................................................... 62–65 

Apostrophes ................................................. 66–69 

Quotation marks ........................................... 70–71 

Figures of speech ......................................... 72–83 

Alliteration .................................................... 72–73 

Anagrams and palindromes .......................... 74–75 

Similes ......................................................... 76–77 

Metaphors .................................................... 78–79 

Onomatopoeia .............................................. 80–81 

Personification .............................................. 82–83 

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Primary grammar and word study

Parts of speech checklist 

Name of student Nouns Verbs Adjectives Adverbs Pronouns Conjunctions Determiners Prepositions 



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Primary grammar and word study viii 

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Parts of speech 

Nouns 

Focus 

Common and proper nouns 

Definitions 

• Nouns are words used to name people, places, 

things, feelings and ideas. 

• Common nouns name general, rather than specific, 

people, places, ideas and things. 

Example: The words in bold in the following 

sentence are nouns (in this context): 

The boy started walking towards the building, 

but stopped when he saw the black cat cross his 

path. 

• Proper nouns are words used to name very specific 

people, places or things and begin with capital 

letters. 

Example: 

William started walking towards Viddle’s 

Bookshop, but stopped when Toffee, the black 

cat, crossed Station Street right in front of him. 

Explanation 

• The word ‘noun’ comes from the Latin ‘nomen’, 

which means ‘name’. Nouns are often called 

naming words. 

• While most nouns can be categorised as either 

common or proper nouns, there are two further 

main categories of nouns—collective; e.g. herd, and 

abstract; e.g. fear. 

• Some words used as nouns can also be verbs or 

adjectives, depending on the context in which they 

are used. 

Example: 

We water (verb) our garden at night to conserve 

water (noun). 

• Common nouns are not capitalised unless they begin 

a sentence or start a title. Some words that would 

appear to need capitalisation, such as the names of 

the seasons (winter, summer, spring and autumn), 

are no longer capitalised because, through long 

usage, they have come to be considered common 

nouns. Cardinal directions (north, south, east and 

west); words for relatives (mum, aunty)—unless 

used as part of the name, such as Aunty Maude; and 

names of subject areas (maths, science) are also no 

longer considered proper nouns. 

• Names of games or activities are common nouns. 

Example: 

swimming, running, football 

• Trade names are usually capitalised; e.g. Apple . 

Worksheet information 

• Explain the worksheet task to the students. They 

work individually to identify and sort the nouns in the 

newspaper headlines, adding some of their own to 

the table. 

• The four nouns in the second headline can be 

arranged in the grid so that they can be read both 

horizontally and vertically. 

Ideas for further practice 

• Students listen to and follow the lyrics of a song, 

then write the nouns and proper nouns they hear. 

• Using a list of common and proper nouns, students 

choose one to act out in a game of charades. 

• Students create a team presentation that will explain 

to the rest of the class the differences between 

common and proper nouns. 

• Students practise sorting proper and common nouns 

in an interactive online activity at 

. 



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Answers 

2. Proper nouns: Fluffy the Dragon, Cinderella, 

Princess, Hapland, Three Blind Mice. 

Common nouns: disaster, police, sheep, 

resuscitation, newt, idea, gate, king, slipper, finger, 

shoes 

3. idea, newt, king, gate k i n g 

i d e a 

n e w t 

g a t e 

Primary grammar and word study 2 


Common and proper nouns 

Proper nouns are words that start with capital letters to name 

particular people, places or things. 

Common nouns name general things, people, places, feelings 

and ideas. 

1. Read these fairytale newspaper headlines. 

2. Write the proper nouns and common nouns from each headline under the correct 

heading in the table below. Add some other nouns to the table that you think 

might be included in the rest of the articles. 

Proper nouns 

Common nouns 



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3. There are four four-letter nouns in the second newspaper report. Write them 

below, then try to fit them into this square puzzle. 

Each word must go both across and down. 

• 

• 

• 

• 

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Primary grammar and word study 

k


Nouns 

Focus 

Collective and abstract nouns 

Definitions 

• Collective nouns are words used to name groups of 

people, animals and things. 

Example: 

crowd, pack, class, bunch 

• Abstract nouns are words used to name ideas, 

feelings, events or qualities that can not be seen, 

heard, smelled, tasted or touched. 

Example: 

generosity, joy, enlightenment, honesty 

Explanation 

• A collective noun represents a single group made up 

of more than one person or a thing; e.g. a committee, 

team, or family can not consist of one member, at 

least two people must compose the unit. They can 

be considered singular or plural. When referring to 

the collective group, singular tends to be used when 

all members of the collective noun are doing the 

same thing at the same time. 

Example: 

The team is flying to Melbourne for the finals. 

However, when referring to the individual members 

of the team acting, the plural can be used. 

Example: 

The team are reconsidering their futures. 

• ‘Terms of venery’ are collective nouns for types of 

game and other wild animals, such as a murder of 

crows and a parliament of rooks. 

• Abstract nouns can be either count (meeting, 

experience) or non-count nouns (love, charity). 


• If students have not been previously introduced to 

abstract nouns, it will be necessary to introduce 

the concept before starting this worksheet. Perhaps 

give them a list for a ‘treasure hunt’, such as ‘book, 

pencil, paper, happiness, youth’. Students go on the 

hunt and will finish having been unable to find the 

abstract nouns on their list. Explain to them that an 

abstract noun is not something that we can touch, 

hear, smell or see. It is usually a thought, idea, event, 

concept, emotion or feeling. 

• Some further examples include: advice, afterthought, 

anger, beauty, business, confidence, enjoyment, 

freedom, friendship, fun, happiness, health, 

help, history, honesty, importance, information, 

intelligence, justice, knowledge, law, love, luck, 

opportunity, patience, peace, pride, progress, 

responsibility, sleep, time, traffic, travel, trouble, 

truth, violence, vocabulary and wealth. 

• Give each student a copy of the worksheet and read 

the explanation and examples of abstract nouns. 

Students select two to write and draw a symbol for. 

This will reinforce the concept that an abstract noun 

can not be seen or touched; they may find it hard to 

decide upon an image. 

• For Question 2, students write an abstract noun for 

each concrete noun. 

• To complete the worksheet, students rearrange the 

boxes, without changing the order of the letters 

inside the boxes, to find the collective noun for the 

person, place or thing. 


• After reading aloud to the students, or shared 

reading, ask students to list some of the names 

of any feelings, events, ideas or thoughts the 

characters in the story may have had or felt. 

• Students paint an abstract noun, using the colours 

they feel best represent it. Different paintings of 

the same noun can be presented as simply the way 

different people see it, with each representation 

having equal value. 

• Students investigate and create abstract artworks. 



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Answers 

1.–2. Teacher check 

3. (a) a host of angels 

(b) an orchestra of musicians 

(c) a string of ponies 

(d) a quiver of arrows 

(e) a gaggle of geese 



Collective and abstract nouns 

Abstract nouns are words that name things we can not touch, 

smell, see, taste or hear. They are often the names of feelings, 

events and ideas. 

John’s friendship with the alien brought new information, technology and 

knowledge to the people of Earth. In return, the alien had, for the first time, 

experienced humour and happiness. It was John’s belief that their friendship 

would create peace between the two planets. 

1. Write any two abstract nouns from the paragraph above and draw a symbol to 

represent each. 

2. For each of the concrete nouns below, write an abstract noun (idea or feeling) to 

show what each means to you or what feelings it gives you; 

e.g. My teacher’s smile means approval to me. 

(a) 

A puppy dog means 

(b) A good joke means 

(c) 

A shiny trophy means 

(d) A million dollars means 

Collective nouns are words that name groups of people, places 

and things. For example, ‘team’ is the collective noun for a group 

of people doing something (usually playing a game) together. 



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3. Rearrange the boxes with pairs of letters to find the collective nouns. 

Don’t change the order of the letters inside the boxes. 

(a) a 

(b) an 

st ho of angels 

ch or ra est 

of musicians 

(c) a 

(d) a 

ng ri st 

er qu iv 

of ponies 

of arrows 

(e) a 

le ga gg of geese 




Verbs 

Focus 

Finite verbs, the verbs ‘to be’ and ‘to have’ 

Definition 

• Verbs are words which show actions or states of 

being or having. 

Example: 

The strong wind blew rubbish all over the 

playground. (action) 

Sarah is the best player in the soccer team. 

(being) 

We have a new teacher for music. (having) 

Explanation 

• Verbs must have someone ‘doing’ the action. This is 

the subject of the sentence. 

In the examples above, the actions are done by ‘The 

strong wind’, ‘Sarah’ and ‘We’. 

• The verbs to be and to have have many forms 

which change with the subject and the tense—see 

the chart below. 

The verb ‘to be’ 

The verb ‘to have’ 

Person Pronoun Present Past Present Past 

First I am was have had 

Second you are were have had 

third he/she/it is was has had 

First we are were have had 

Second you are were have had 

Third they are were have had 

• Every sentence must contain a verb. 

• Some verbs have more than one part. 

Example: 

‘is exhausted’, ‘is harmless’, ‘can kill’ 

• Verbs can be finite or non-finite. Finite verbs change 

in form to match their subject or to indicate tense. 

Example: 

go, goes, went 

Non-finite verbs do not change. They include: 

– present participles – e.g. parking 

– past participles – e.g. parked 

– infinitives – e.g. to park 


• Discuss any unfamiliar words with the students, then 

allow them to read the text independently unless 

assistance is required. 

• Explain the definition of a verb and the words which 

indicate being or having. The students complete 

Question 1. 

• Questions 2 to 4 require students to select their own 

action verbs and use are (verb of being) and have 

(verb of having) to write their own short reports 

about snakes. 

• Students need to be aware that some verbs use is, 

are, will, can etc. to form part of a more complex 

verb. 


• Once the short snake report is completed, a student 

can be selected to read his/hers to the class as a 

short oral presentation. 

• Students select sentences from their snake report 

which contain are or have and rewrite them using 

different action verbs or from a personal point of 

view, imagining themselves as a snake. 

• Students view the movements of a mongoose or a 

snake on DVD or a science program and attempt to 

recreate these in dance movements or actions. 



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Answers 

1. (a) Teacher check 

(b) being verbs include are, are found, is; 

having verbs include have 

(c) hunt, live, dig, kill, dodge, strikes, tires, seize, 

crush, eat 




Verbs 

A verb is a word which shows actions, or states of being or having. 

Being verbs include am, is, are, was and were. 

Having verbs include has, had and have. 

1. (a) Read the report below. 

Mongooses are carnivorous mammals. Usually, they are found in South Asia and 

Africa. Mongooses hunt small animals, eggs and, sometimes, fruit for food. They 

live in rocky crevices and holes and often dig burrows. They have long bodies 

with rough, shaggy hair, pointed noses and long, bushy tails. Some mongooses 

kill snakes, including cobras. They quickly dodge the snake each time it strikes 

until the snake tires. Mongooses then seize the snake’s head in their jaws, crush 

its skull and eat it. The dead snake’s venom is harmless to the mongoose. 

(b) Choose two different coloured pencils or markers. Use one to identify all the ‘being’ 

verbs and the other to identify all the ‘having’ verbs. 

(c) Write all the verbs which show action in the box below. 

2. Write a list of about 10 action verbs to use in a text about snakes. 

3. Complete the table. 



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Snakes are … 

Snakes have … 

4. Use the action verbs in Question 2 and the information above to write a short 

report about snakes on a separate sheet of paper. 




Verbs 

Focus 

Command verbs (imperatives) 

Definition 

• Command verbs are used to order, command or 

instruct. 

Example: 

Button your jacket because it’s cold outside today. 

Set the table for tea, please. 

Finish doing your homework and then you can 

watch television. 

Explanation 

• Verbs can describe actions (‘doing’ words) and must 

have someone doing the action. (Refer to pages 6 

and 7.) 

• Command verbs are commonly used when writing 

procedures and are often the first word in the 

sentence. 

• Command verbs do not have a stated subject 

(anyone or anything doing the action). It is 

understood that the person doing the action is ‘you’. 


• Non-sudsy soap powders are usually high-efficiency 

powders used in front-loading washing machines. 

• It is not expected that the procedure will actually be 

carried out. 

• Students can read the definition and the procedure 

independently with minimal assistance. 

• Explain the definition if necessary and give other 

examples to the students. Ask the students to supply 

examples as well. 

• The students can complete Questions 1 and 2 

independently. 

• Question 3 should be completed in pairs. 


• Read the instructions and rules of a board game to 

see whether command verbs have been used. 

• Students copy a favourite recipe to contribute to a 

class cookbook. 

The command verbs could be highlighted. 

• Play games such as ‘May I?’ where students are 

given instructions for actions or movements. For 

example, ‘Jane, take three steps forward’. 

Answers 

1. (b) Mix, Add, Stir, Add, Refrigerate 

2. (a) Hold (b) Step, slide 

(c) Brush, tie (d) Hand 

(e) Put 

3. Teacher check 



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Command verbs 

Command verbs are verbs used to order, command or give 

instructions. They can usually be found at the beginning of a 

sentence in a procedure. 

1. (a) Read the procedure. 

Ingredients and equipment 

• 250 mL smooth peanut butter 

• 125 mL non-sudsy soap powder 

• 30 mL red food colouring 

Fake blood 

• 1 L white corn syrup 

• about 15 drops blue food colouring 

• bowl, spoon, airtight container 

Method 

1. Mix peanut butter with small amount of corn syrup in bowl to make a 

runny mixture. 

2. Add soap and food colourings. 

3. Stir well. 

4. Add more corn syrup until of desired consistency. 

5. Refrigerate any unused ‘blood’ in an airtight container. 

(b) Write the five command verbs used in the procedure. 

2. Use the command verbs below to complete the sentences. 

(a) 

Hand Step Hold slide Put Brush tie 



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tightly to the string of the kite! 

(b) to the left and to the right. That’s the 

next part of the dance. 

(c) your hair and it back with a band. 

(d) 

(e) 

your homework in now, please! 

the bottles in the recycling bin. 

3. Think of something that requires simple instructions to explain to a friend; 

for example, how to shade a picture, fanfold a sheet of paper, sketch a face, 

work out fractions or address an envelope. Ask your friend to write down your 

oral instructions, then, together, highlight the command verbs. 




Verbs 

Focus 

Past, present and future tense (including irregular) 

verbs; auxiliary verbs 

Definitions 

• Verb tense shows whether the action of the verb 

occurs in the present, the past or the future. 

• Auxiliary verbs are small verbs, often a form of the 

verb ‘to have’ or ‘to be’, that combine with another 

verb to form a compound verb. 

Example: 

We are driving slowly and I know we will be late. 

Explanation 

• There are three basic verb tenses—present, past 

and future. Future and past tense often form a 

compound verb using an auxiliary or helping verb. 

• Most verbs in the past tense end in ed. Most present 

tense verbs end in s or es. 

Example: 

Claire dances but Tim does taekwondo. David is 

driving a go-kart. (present tense) 

Daniel stacked the books in the bookcase. He 

has worked hard. (past tense) 

Merrilyn will start gym classes next week. (future 

tense) 

• In the sentences above, ‘is’, ‘has’ and ‘will’ are 

auxiliary verbs, with ‘is’ used as part of a present 

tense verb, ‘has’ used as part of the past tense and 

‘will’ forming part of a future tense verb. 

• Most verb tense forms are regular (they have ed, 

es or add auxiliary verbs such as ‘is’ and ‘will’ to 

make the correct tense) but many are irregular. For 

example: ‘We usually buy our lunch on Mondays’ 

(present tense) becomes ‘I bought my lunch 

yesterday’ (past tense). Other examples include be/ 

was/were; begin/began; do/did; grow/grew; get/got; 

choose/chose; make/made. 

A more detailed list can be found by accessing the 

Internet. 


• Read the text and the explanation with the students 

and discuss. Revise verbs and ensure the students 

realise that some verbs have two or more parts such 

as ‘are fighting’, ‘will make sure’. 

• Discuss the verbs and decide which tell about 

things that are happening now (present tense), 

which things have already happened (past tense) 

and which things will happen in the future (future 

tense). Students can select from these to complete 

Question 2. 

• Students should realise that words such as ‘are’ and 

‘is’ relate to the present, words such as ‘would’ and 

‘will’ relate to future tense and words such as ‘have’ 

and ‘were’ relate to past tense. This may help them 

to complete Question 3. 

• All the verbs in Question 4 are irregular verbs. 

Students will need to spell and write completely new 

words to complete the table and can add one of their 

own choosing. 


• Compile a list of simple present tense words ending 

in s or es and past tense words ending in ed for use 

in writing activities. 

• Display auxiliary words such as ‘are’, ‘is’, ‘were’, 

was’, ‘am’ etc. on ‘helping hand’ shapes. 

Answers 


2. Answers will vary but should include words from 

the list. 

(a) present tense – feel, see, are fighting, are 

caught, have, to live, to eat, am 

(b) past tense – have seen, helped, put up, gave, 

was 

(c) future tense – will make sure, will settle, will 

be 



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3. (a) were fighting/fought 

(b) will help 

(c) are settling/settle 


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4. 

Present 

tense 

Past 

tense 

Present 

tense 

Past tense 

catch caught see saw 

eat ate fight fought 

give gave keep kept 

make made Teacher check Teacher check

Past, present and future verbs 

1. Read the text. 

I feel very sad when I see news programs about countries where different 

groups of people are fighting each other. Many children are caught in the 

middle. Many families have nowhere to live and little to eat. 

I have seen how aid workers helped put up tents for refugees. They also 

gave them food but life was still hard for these families because of wars. 

When I am ‘king of the world’, I will make sure that people will settle 

disagreements as peacefully as possible and that innocent people will be 

safe. 

A verb is a word which shows actions, or states of being or 

having. Verb tenses can tell about the past, the present and 

the future. Many verbs have more than one part. 

2. Write two examples of each verb tense from the text. The verbs are shown in 

bold print. 

(a) present tense 

(b) past tense 

(c) future tense 

3. Change each verb to the new tense shown in brackets. 

(a) are fighting (past) 

(b) have helped (future) 

(c) will settle (present) 



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4. These verbs don’t change tense in the same way. Complete the table, adding one 

verb of your own. 

Present tense Past tense Present tense Past tense 

caught 

see 

eat 

fight 

give 

kept 

make 




Adjectives 

Focus 

Common adjectives 

Definition 

• An adjective is a describing word. It adds meaning 

to or changes the meaning of a noun or a pronoun. 

Example: 

I’m wearing leather shoes. (describes the noun, 

‘shoes’) 

The fog is thick. (describes the noun, ‘fog’) Note: 

The adjective does not always come before the 

noun. 

She is careless. (describes the pronoun, ‘she’) 

Explanation 

• The use of suitable adjectives not only makes 

written or spoken language more interesting, it gives 

the reader or listener a clearer understanding. 


• Discuss adjectives with the students. Ask them to 

think of suitable adjectives to describe classroom 

objects or class members. Encourage them to use 

the adjective in context in a sentence. 

Example: 

Tanya has straight hair. 

The blackboard ruler is long. 

• Discuss the explanation at the top of the worksheet 

and the information and hint in Activity 1 about 

identifying adjectives. 

• Students read the paragraph, identifying the 

adjectives and highlighting them. Point out that not 

all nouns will have a word that describes them. 

• After completing the activity, discuss how the choice 

of adjectives helped students to imagine what a 

dragonfly looked like and learn about some aspects 

of its nature. 

• Students then use adjectives to answer the 

questions in Activity 2. 

• Students are required to think carefully about their 

choice of adjectives to complete Activity 3. 


• Identify the adjectives used to describe characters 

in books. Some of these adjectives may be found in 

a phrase and not necessarily in front of a noun. They 

may also be describing a pronoun. 

• Use the paragraph about the dragonfly to brainstorm 

a list of suitable adjectives to describe an animal 

being studied in science. 

Answers 

1. Adjectives are in bold print. 

A dragonfly is a flying insect. It gets its scary 

name because it looks like a tiny dragon. However, 

a dragonfly is a gentle creature and does not bite 

or sting people. It can have a blue, red or green 

body and white, yellow or black markings. A 

dragonfly has compound eyes, large wings, and 

strong jaws and sharp teeth for crunching up 

other insects. It is most likely to be found near 

damp places. 

2. (a) flying 

(b) scary 

(c) blue, red, green 

(d) white, yellow, black 

(e) strong, sharp 

(f) damp 



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3. (a) (i) long (ii) warm 

(iii) local (iv) icy 

(v) lazy (vi) chilly 

(b) (i) lazy, long, local 

(ii) chilly/icy, chilly/icy, warm 



Adjectives – 1 

Adjectives are describing words. 

They help make writing more interesting and clearer. 

1. Read the paragraph about the dragonfly. Some of the nouns are 

in bold print. Highlight the adjectives that describe these nouns. 

(Hint: Ask ‘What kind of?’ in front of the noun.) 

A dragonfly is a flying insect. It gets its scary name because it looks like a 

tiny dragon. However, a dragonfly is a gentle creature and does not bite or 

sting people. It can have a blue, red or green body and white, yellow or black 

markings. A dragonfly has compound eyes, large wings, and strong jaws 

and sharp teeth for crunching up other insects. It is most likely to be found near 

damp places. 

2. Use adjectives to answer the questions about the dragonfly. 

(a) What type of insect is it? 

(b) What kind of name does it have? 

(c) What colours can its body have? 

(d) What colour markings can it have? 

(e) Describe its jaws and its teeth. 

(f) What kind of places can it be found? 

3. (a) Unjumble the words below. The first letter is in bold print. 

(i) olng 



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(ii) rmaw 

(iii) llcao 

(v) zlay 

(iv) yic 

(vi) hilycl 

(b) The words above can be used as adjectives. Use them to fill in the missing words 

in these sentences. 

(i) Our 

dog is getting too fat and needs to be 

taken on walks in the park. 

(ii) The 

wind was coming off the 

mountain and made us huddle around the 

fire. 




Adjectives 

Focus 

Common adjectives 

Definition 

• An adjective is a describing word. It adds meaning 

to or changes the meaning of a noun or a pronoun. 

Example: 

I’m holding a green umbrella. (describes the 

noun, ‘umbrella’) 

The sun is bright. (describes the noun, ‘sun’) 

Note: the adjective does not always come before 

the noun. 

He is worried. (describes the pronoun, ‘he’) 

Explanation 

• The use of suitable adjectives not only makes 

written or spoken language more interesting, it gives 

the reader or listener a clearer understanding. 


• Discuss adjectives. Ask students to think of suitable 

words to describe classroom objects or class 

members. Encourage them to use the adjective in 

context in a sentence. 

Example: 

Leon has brown eyes. 

The outdoor mat is dusty. 

• Discuss the explanation at the top of the worksheet. 

Explain how to ask questions such as ‘What kind?’ 

in front of the noun to help guess the adjectives in 

the crossword. The nouns come after the adjectives, 

except in 10 Across and 8 Down. 

2. 


• In pairs, students brainstorm to list words that can 

be used as adjectives. Make up clues similar to page 

15. Use grid paper to construct a crossword frame. 

When complete, swap crosswords with another pair 

of students. 

• Write a paragraph about an object, using as many 

adjectives as possible to describe it. 

Answers 

1. 

B 

C L U M S Y 

O S T 

4. 

L H B L A C K 

6. 7. 

3. 

O Y U L P 

U S L O 

R A I N Y S L 

F T I 

8. 9. 

U M T H I R S T Y 

10. 11. 

L A R G E N A E 

12. 



Display Copy 

S L E E P I N G 

S W G 

Y 

E 

5. 



Adjectives – 2 

Adjectives are describing words. They help make writing 

more interesting and clearer for the reader. 

The answers to the clues 

for the crossword puzzle 

are words that can be 

used as adjectives. Use 

the crossword to help you 

work out the answers. 

Across 

2. The boy tripped over his shoelaces. 

4. We often see crows feeding on the riverbank. 

6. As it was a day, we stayed indoors. 

9. The dog lapped up the water greedily. 

10. The truck was too to fit in the garage. 

12. The baby was woken by the door banging. 

Down 

1. A fox has a tail. 

2. 

1. 

4. 

6. 7. 

3. 

8. 9. 

10. 11. 

12. 



Display Copy 

5. 

2. A peacock has feathers. 

3. The giraffe easily reached the topmost branch. 

4. The ants hurried into their nest. 

5. The child held the door open for the old lady. 

7. We all jumped when we heard the noise. 

8. Our bedroom was so we spent two hours tidying it. 

11. shoes often cause blisters. 




Comparatives and superlatives 

Focus 

Comparative and superlative adjectives 

Definitions 

• Comparative adjectives are words used to 

compare two things, usually by adding the suffix er. 

Example: 

tall, taller 

• Superlative adjectives are words used to compare 

more than two things, usually by adding the suffix 

est. 

Example: 

brave, bravest 

Explanation 

• If the adjective has two or more syllables, ‘more’ or 

‘most’ is usually added before the adjective. 

Example: 

terrible, more terrible, most terrible 

• But if the adjective of two or more syllables ends in 

‘y’, er or est is usually used. 

Example: 

ugly, uglier, ugliest 

• Some comparative and superlative adjectives are 

irregular. 

Example: 

bad, worse, worst 

good, better, best 


• Use the information at the top of page 17 to discuss 

with the students how ‘er’ and ‘est’ are added 

to adjectives to compare things. Use qualities of 

common objects in the classroom or students to 

practise the concept; e.g. identify three students—a 

student with long hair, a student with longer hair and 

a student with the longest hair. 

Note how ‘the’ is often used before the superlative 

form (the longest hair). 

• Students complete the paragraph in Activity 1, 

changing the adjectives when necessary by adding 

‘er’ or ‘est’. Remind them to change the ‘y’ to ‘i’ 

before adding ‘er’ or ‘est’. 

• Use the information above Activity 2 to discuss how 

‘more’ and ‘most’ are also used before adjectives 

when comparing. To complete Activity 2, students 

need to identify when to add ‘er’ ,‘est’, ‘more’ or 

‘most’ to an adjective. Remind them again to change 

the ‘y’ to ‘i’ before adding ‘er’ or ‘est’. 

• Activity 3 provides practice in using the correct 

comparative or superlative form of adjectives. 

Compare answers. 


• Students compile two lists of comparative and 

superlative adjectives—one where ‘er’ and ‘est’ is 

added and the other where ‘more’ and ‘most’ are 

used. They could work in small groups and make 

decisions about which words use either form by 

putting the words in sentences and saying them 

aloud. This is often a good way to decide. Expect a 

few giggles when someone says something like ‘My 

sandwich is deliciouser than yours!’ 

• The activity above will probably help students to 

identify irregular forms of the comparative and 

superlative. These include ‘good/better/best’, ‘many/ 

more/most’; ‘bad/worse/worst’ and ‘little/less/least’. 

Students could use these words in spoken or written 

sentences or paragraphs in pairs or groups. 



Display Copy 

Answers 

1. wavy, cheeky, wavier, cheekier, waviest, cheekiest 

2. (a) tidy, tidier, tidiest 

(b) famous, more famous, most famous 

(c) narrow, narrower, narrowest 

(d) horrible, more horrible, most horrible 

(e) wonderful, more wonderful, most wonderful 




Comparing things 

When we compare two people or things we change the adjective, 

usually by adding er; for example: ‘This tree is tall but that tree is taller’. 

When we compare three or more people or things we change the 

adjective, usually by adding est; for example: ‘This tree is tall but 

that tree is taller. The tree over there is the tallest’. 

1. Use the adjectives below to complete the paragraph. You will have 

to change the words by adding er or est to them. 

wavy 

I have three brothers. Dylan has 

grin. Blair has 

grin. Nicholas has the 

grin. 

cheeky 

hair and a 

hair than Dylan and a 

Instead of adding er or est to an adjective when we compare 

things, we use more or most before some adjectives; 

e.g. beautiful, more beautiful, most beautiful. 

hair of all three and the 

2. Finish the table below, changing the adjectives by adding er, est, more or most. 

(a) 

3. Use each adjective in a sentence. 

(a) stronger 

tidy 

(b) more famous 

(c) 

(d) 

(e) 

horrible 

narrowest 



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most wonderful 

(b) funniest 

(c) most beautiful 




Adverbs 

Focus 

Common adverbs of manner and time 

Definition 

• An adverb is a word that adds information, usually 

to a verb and can tell how (manner), when (time) or 

where (place) something happens. 

Example: 

Today (time), the boys rudely (manner) 

interrupted the concert by running upstairs 

(place). 

Note: Adverbs can modify (add information to) any 

words that are not nouns or pronouns. (These are 

modified by adjectives.) 

Explanation 

• Adverbs can clarify meaning by telling more about 

the action, allowing for greater precision and adding 

interest to writing. 


• Discuss the things some family members can 

do really well and how sometimes other family 

members do not have the same talents. Introduce 

the concept and discuss ways in which some 

members of a family can be opposites; for example, 

in height, hair colour, personality, likes, dislikes, 

interests and habits. 

• Read the text then discuss why some words are 

in bold. Remind students that words telling about 

something someone does or things that happen are 

called verbs (see pages 6–11) and that these words 

are all verbs. 

• Some students may need assistance to understand 

the meaning of some of the adverbs used in the 

text. They should be encouraged to use contextual 

information. 

• Identify ‘sang’ (the first two verbs in bold) and 

discuss the words that tell how Dave and Dad sang. 

These are adverbs and should be underlined. 

• Identify the adverbs that tell how each boy played 

and underline them. 

• Students complete Question 1 by identifying and 

underlining the adverbs that describe each of the 

verbs in bold in the text . 

• Revise adjectives (see pages 12–17) before students 

change the adjectives to adverbs in Question 2. 

• As many of the adverbs are quite long and may not 

be easy for some students to spell, encourage them 

to copy the words carefully from the text. 

• Explain that adverbs can not only tell how something 

happened, but they can also tell about when and 

where, it happened. 

• In Question 3, students will need to identify the 

adverb telling when the verb happened, then change 

it and rewrite the sentence so it has the opposite 

meaning. 


• Students work in pairs to mime one action 

completed in opposite ways. Other students should 

identify what they are both doing and how they 

are individually doing it; for example, ‘You are both 

brushing your hair, but one is brushing slowly and the 

other is brushing quickly’. 

• Demonstrate the function of adverbs by writing a 

simple sentence on the board. 

Example: 

The boys walked. 

Ask the question how and add different adverbs of 

manner after ‘walked’. Then ask when they walked 

and add possible answers at the beginning of the 

sentence. Individual students then take turns at 

compiling a sentence from the possibilities listed on 

the board. 

Example: 

Recently, the boys walked sadly. 



Display Copy 

Answers 

1. The following adverbs should be underlined: 

beautifully, woefully, enthusiastically, reluctantly, 

swiftly, easily, slowly, awkwardly, neatly, carelessly, 

patiently, perfectly, quickly, messily 

2. (b) woefully (c) enthusiastically (d) carelessly 

(e) patiently (f) messily 

3. Answers may include: 

(a) earlier later 

(b) After Before 

(c) always never 



Adverbs – 1 

Words telling how, when or where things happen are called 

adverbs. 

1. (a) Read about the two opposite people. 

My dad and his brother, Dave, are very different. When they were young, 

Dave played the piano and sang beautifully, while Dad sang woefully. 

Dad enjoyed sport and played enthusiastically, but Dave hated sport and 

played reluctantly. Unlike Dad, who could run swiftly and kick and catch 

balls easily, he ran slowly and kicked and caught balls awkwardly. In 

class, Dad wrote neatly, but Dave wrote carelessly and his work was 

untidy. However, Dave loved art. He worked patiently and could draw and 

paint perfectly, while Dad worked quickly and painted messily. How more 

opposite could two boys be? 

(b) The words in bold are verbs. Underline the adverbs telling how each of these things 

was done. 

2. Change the highlighted adjectives into adverbs telling how something 

happened. The first one has been done as an example. 

(a) Dave was a beautiful singer. He sang . 

(b) Dad was a woeful singer. He sang . 

(c) Dad was an enthusiastic sportsman. He played sport . 

(d) Dave was a careless writer. He wrote . 

(e) Dave was a patient worker. He worked . 

(f) Dad was a messy painter. He painted . 

3. Rewrite each sentence by changing the adverb so it now tells the opposite of 

when each thing happened. 

(a) Dave arrived at school earlier. 

beautifully 



Display Copy 

(b) After Dave sang he played the piano. 

(c) Dave always enjoyed sport. 




Adverbs 

Focus 

Common adverbs of place and interrogative adverbs 

Definitions 

• An adverb is a word that adds information, usually 

to a verb and can tell how (manner), when or where 

something happens. 

Example: 

Earlier (time), the ranger had sternly (manner) 

warned the campers not to swim there (place). 

• An interrogative adverb asks questions about how, 

when, where or why something happens. 

Note: Adverbs can modify any words that are 

not nouns or pronouns. (These are modified by 

adjectives.) 

Explanation 

• Adverbs can clarify meaning by telling more about 

the action, allowing for greater precision and adding 

interest to writing. 

• On the worksheet, common adverbs have been 

classified as those that add information about 

manner, time or place, but there are other 

categories such as: adverbs of frequency; 

e.g. usually and seldom and adverbs of extent; 

e.g. quite and almost. These other categories could 

also be discussed with students. 

• Although adverbs often answer the questions how, 

when and where about the verb, the actual words 

how, when, where and why are themselves 

adverbs. They are known as interrogative adverbs. 


• Introduce the worksheet by discussing occasions 

when students, family members or friends have 

had to search for something, and ask students to 

describe how the people involved were feeling and 

behaving at the time. Did they try to blame each 

other for whatever was missing? 

• Remind students that identifying adverbs is made 

easier by first finding the verbs. 

• Read the text. The students should then locate and 

circle all the verbs. (See pages 6–11 to revise verbs.) 

• Model asking the ‘where’ question after each verb. 

For example, ‘Does the text tell where the sneaker 

has disappeared? (No) ‘Does the text tell where I’ve 

searched?’ (Yes, so here is the adverb and should be 

underlined.) Students should complete Question 1. 

• Explain that if the answers for Question 2 are located 

in the text, they should be used; but if not, students 

will need to use their imagination and make up 

some appropriate adverbs. For example, ‘How 

would Mum have checked?’ (carefully? crossly? 

impatiently?) 

• Before students complete Question 4, they will 

need to understand that all the words in the box are 

adverbs. Some teachers may choose to introduce 

the term interrogative adverb and to explain 

that these question words are themselves special 

adverbs. Encourage students to choose the adverbs 

wisely as some words will fit in more than one space 

and each word should only be used once. 


• Students work in small groups to highlight verbs on 

a newspaper or magazine page then list any adverbs 

used in the text to modify them. 

Answers 

1. The following adverbs of place should be 

underlined: here, there, upstairs, down, inside, 

outside, near, far, everywhere, off 



Display Copy 

2. (a) Teacher check (b) Teacher check 

(c) inside/outside 

3. Answers should indicate that they searched 

because they couldn’t find the sneaker. 

4. (a) How, quickly (b) Where, everywhere 

(c) When, today (d) Why 



Adverbs – 2 

Words telling how, when or where things happen are called adverbs. 

1. Underline the adverbs of place that tell where things happened. 

My sneaker has disappeared. 

I’ve searched here and I’ve searched there. 

I’ve looked upstairs and I’ve looked down. 

Mum’s checked inside, then checked outside. 

Even Dad searched near and he searched far. 

We’ve just looked everywhere. 

But I know it can’t be my fault, 

as it must have sneaked off by itself! 

2. Add one adverb to answer each question. 

(a) ‘How do you think Mum checked inside and out?’ 

‘Mum could have checked .’ 

(b) ‘When do you think Dad could have searched near and far?’ 

‘ Dad searched near and far.’ 

(c) ‘Where did Mum check?’ 

‘Mum checked .’ 

3. Complete the sentence to answer the question. 

‘Why did they search?’ 



Display Copy 

‘They searched because .’ 

4. Choose the best adverbs from the box below to complete the sentences. 

(a) ‘ fast can you run?’ 

‘I can run .’ 

(b) ‘ are you looking for it?’ 

‘I’m looking .’ 

(c) ‘ did you lose it?’ 

‘I lost it .’ 

(d) ‘ do you think that?’ 

quickly 

everywhere 

how 

when 

today 

where 

why 

Don’t forget to use 

a capital letter if 

the word begins a 

sentence! 




Pronouns 

Focus 


Personal pronouns: emphatic, reflexive 

Definitions 

• A pronoun is a word substituted for a noun. 

• A personal pronoun is used in place of a person or 

thing. 

• An emphatic personal pronoun emphasises the 

subject of the verb. 

Example: 

They (subject) play football themselves. 

• A reflexive personal pronoun is the object of the 

verb. 

Example: 

He hid himself (object) very well. 

Explanation 

• The use of pronouns prevents constant repetition of 

a noun, making the text more manageable and fluid. 

• It is important for students to know the correct 

pronouns to use in the context of any sentence so 

their grammar, in speech and in writing, is accurate. 

• The following table shows which personal pronoun 

to use: 

– when the person the pronoun refers to is the 

subject or object 

Example: 

He (subject) is old. The man noticed us. (object) 

– to emphasise the subject of the verb 

Example: 

We built the bonfire ourselves. (emphatic pronoun) 

– when the object of the verb is the same person as 

the subject 

Example: 

He dried himself. (reflexive pronoun) 

– to indicate possession. 

Example: 

This book is yours. 

Person Subjective Objective 

Emphatic/ 

Reflexive 

Possessive 

First singular I me myself mine 

Second you you yourself yours 

Third (male) he him himself his 

Third (female) she her herself hers 

Third (neuter) it it itself its 

First plural we us ourselves ours 

Second you you yourselves yours 

Third they them themselves theirs 

• Before beginning the activity, revise the role of 

personal pronouns. For example, change the nouns 

in the sentence ‘Mr McGregor returned the ball to the 

girls because the ball was the girls’, to become: ‘He 

returned it to them because it was theirs’. 

He is the subject of the verb, it and them are 

objects of the verb and theirs refers to ownership of 

it by them. 

• Emphasise to students that each missing word in 

the first text is an emphatic pronoun; e.g. yourself, 

ourselves. 

• Activity 1 (b) reinforces the match between each 

form of emphatic pronoun and the subject of the 

verb. 

• In Activity 2, students are required to demonstrate 

their understanding between the emphatic and 

reflexive personal pronouns and the noun or pronoun 

it refers to. 


• With the students, develop a short play script in 

which emphatic-reflexive personal pronouns are 

overused so as to emphasise their use. 

• Play a circle game in which students take turns to 

deliver a sentence containing an emphatic-reflexive 

personal pronoun. The rest of the circle determine 

whether the correct one has been used. 

Answers 



Display Copy 

1. (a) myself, yourself, ourselves, himself, yourself, 

themselves 

(b) 

I have dressed myself. 

You can help yourself. 

We are going to enjoy ourselves. 

He (Thomas) hurt himself. 

you must get yourself. 

They can’t clean themselves. 

2. (a) himself, yourself, yourself, myself 

(b) James, you, you, I 



Myself, yourself 

A pronoun replaces a noun. 

1. (a) Read through the text, adding the missing pronouns. 

‘Look, Mum! I have dressed 

room with his T-shirt on back-to-front. 

!’ shouted Ben as he walked into the 

Mum hid a smile and said, ‘Now you can help 

breakfast’. She then added, ‘We are going to enjoy 

park today’. 

‘I’ll see Thomas!’ cried Ben excitedly. ‘He hurt 

when he fell off the swing.’ 

‘That’s right’, said Mum. ‘Now you must get 

brush your teeth. They can’t clean 

, can they!’ 

to some 

at the 

last time 

ready. Go 

(b) Find these verbs in the text and complete the table by adding the correct pronouns 

before and after each one. The first one is done for you. 

I have dressed myself. 

can help 

are going to enjoy 

hurt 



Display Copy 

must get 

can’t clean 

2. (a) Circle the ‘-self’ pronouns. 

(b) Underline the noun or pronoun it is about. 

James wanted to bake the cake himself. It was to be a surprise for his Dad. 

But after a while, Mum came into the kitchen. 

‘Well, you have managed to cover yourself with flour from head to toe. I think you 

had better go and clean yourself up before Dad comes home.’ 

‘I couldn’t make it myself, Mum’, said James sadly. ‘Will you help me try again?’ 




Pronouns 

Focus 

Indefinite pronouns 

Definitions 

• A pronoun is a word substituted for a noun. 

• An indefinite pronoun refers to an unspecified 

person or thing. 

Example: 

Someone broke the vase. 

Explanation 

• The use of pronouns prevents constant repetition of 

a noun, making the text more manageable and fluid. 

• It is important for students to know the correct 

pronouns to use in the context of any sentence so 

their grammar, in speech and in writing, is accurate. 

• Within a sentence, a pronoun performs the same 

role as a noun. 

Example: 

I want you to enjoy yourselves. 

• There are 12 indefinite pronouns, formed by 

combining each of the words: some, any, no and 

every with each of the words: body, one and thing. 

somebody, someone, something, anybody, anyone, 

anything, nobody, no-one, nothing, everybody, 

everyone, everything 

Note: Indefinite pronouns ending in -body or -one 

refer to people. Those ending in -thing refer to 

things. 


• On the board, write the seven words from the 

boxes and find the 12 compound words (indefinite 

pronouns) as a class/group before distributing the 

worksheets. 

• Explain that the words, some, any, no, and every 

always take the third person singular of a verb. 

To help students remember this, explain that even 

though some words from the first box may imply 

‘more than one’, all those in the second box are 

singular. The indefinite pronouns are singular and 

related verbs, other pronouns and determiners must 

also be singular. 

• Students can check their choices by substituting the 

subjective pronoun he, she or it, for the indefinite 

pronoun; e.g. 2(a) He (nobody) likes to work… 


• Write each of the 12 pronouns on small pieces of 

card. Students choose a card and say a sentence 

containing that word. Verbs and other pronouns 

relating to the indefinite pronouns must be correct. 

• Draw two display charts for the indefinite pronouns 

that relate to: 

– people (ending in -one and -body) 

– things (ending in -thing). 

Add the correct subjective, objective, possessive and 

emphatic-reflexive pronouns that apply to each. 

Example: 

– people: he, she (subj.); him, her (obj.); his 

hers (poss.); himself, herself (em. re.) 

– things: it (subj.); it (obj.); its (poss.); 

itself (em. re.) 

• Prepare text containing deliberate errors in pronoun– 

verb agreement for students to proofread and edit. 

Answers 

1. somebody, someone, something 

anybody, anyone, anything 

nobody, no-one, nothing 

everybody, everyone, everything 



Display Copy 

2. (a) likes (b) needs (c) looks 

(d) wants (e) enjoys 

3. (a) his/her (b) it (c) its 

(d) himself/herself 

(e) his/her, is 



Somebody, anybody … 

A pronoun replaces a noun. 

1. Write all the pronouns you can make by using one word from each of 

the boxes. e.g. somebody. 

some any no every body one thing 

The above pronouns are always singular and need a 

singular verb. 

2. Use the correct verb (in brackets) to complete the sentence. 

(a) Nobody to work in the garden in the heat. (like/likes) 

(b) Everything in the garden attention. (need/needs) 

(c) Nothing worse than a neglected garden. (look/looks) 

(d) Someone to hear your beautiful voice. (want/wants) 



Display Copy 

(e) Everyone listening to music. (enjoy/enjoys) 

3. Choose the correct words to match the singular pronoun in each sentence. 

(a) Everyone who visits the mountains in winter will need to pack 

(their, his/her, its) warmest clothes. 

(b) Anything that grows in the garden will suffer if 

is not watered. 

(c) Can nothing be done to improve 

(they, he/she, it) 

(their, his/her, its) flavour? 

(d) Anybody who visits the beach should cover 

(themselves, himself/herself, itself) with sunscreen. 

(e) Anyone who leaves 

(is, are) wasting water. 

(their, his/her, its) taps running 




Conjunctions 

Focus 

Conjunctions 

Definition 

• Conjunctions are joining words which can be used 

to connect words, phrases, clauses or sentences. 

Example: 

black and white 

a fast car but difficult to control 

The man carried an umbrella because he thought 

it might rain. 

Explanation 

• Using conjunctions enables a writer to build and 

combine ideas and avoid needless repetition. 

• Conjunctions can join: 

– one word with another, such as: cold and wet 

– one adjective with another, such as: The girl was 

hot and tired. 

– one sentence with another, such as: It was raining 

so I took an umbrella. 


• It is not necessary to include the subject twice when 

joining clauses or sentences. For example, joining 

‘I went to the shop’ and ‘I bought some fruit’ becomes: 

‘I went to the shop and bought some fruit’. Notice the 

second ‘I’ has been omitted. Students practise this in 

Question 2. 


• Create a ‘conjunctions’ poster for your classroom to 

help students write interesting sentences. 

• Students reread their most recent piece of creative 

writing text and rewrite it, adding conjunctions to 

join shorter sentences and to make them more 

interesting. 

Answers 

1. (b) 

To begin, you need to decide on a good location. 

The ocean is full of fish but a boat is usually 

required to get to them. A river is simpler because 

you can sit on the bank; although, you will have to 

wait for the fish to come to you. 

To fish, you will need a rod, fishing line, the correct 

bait, perhaps some worms or frozen fish, and 

some sinkers and hooks. When you feel a tug on 

the line, yank the rod, but not too hard or the fish 

might get away. You will also need a bucket to 

store your catch and, most of all, lots of luck! 

2. (a) The drink was hot and sweet. 

(b) The lion looked fierce and proud. 

(c) Chloe and Tim love playing cricket. 

3. (a) Mum and Dad were having a party because it 

was their anniversary. 

(b) Reece missed the school bus so he had to call 

his dad. 

(c) Wash your hands before you sit down to eat. 

(d) The old man was wearing a winter coat 

although it was hot day. 

(e) I was not allowed to open the present until it 

was my birthday. 



Display Copy 



Conjunctions 

A conjunction is a joining word which can be used to join words, 

groups of words or sentences. 

1. (a) Read the text about how to catch a fish. 

To begin, you need to decide on a good location. The ocean is full of fish but 

a boat is usually required to get to them. A river is simpler because you can 

sit on the bank; although, you will have to wait for the 

fish to come to you. 

To fish, you will need a rod, fishing line, the correct 

bait, perhaps some worms or frozen fish, and some 

sinkers and hooks. When you feel a tug on the line, 

yank the rod, but not too hard or the fish might get 

away. You will also need a bucket to store your catch 

and, most of all, lots of luck! 

(b) Find the 11 conjunctions in the text and circle them. 

2. Try using the conjunction ‘and’ to join two short sentences. 

For example: The pizza was hot. The pizza was delicious. 

(a) The drink was hot. 

(b) The lion looked fierce. 

(c) Chloe loves playing cricket. 

The pizza was hot and delicious. 

The drink was sweet. 

The lion looked proud. 



Display Copy 

Tim loves playing cricket. 

3. Choose from the following conjunctions to join these sentences. 

before because until so although 

(a) Mum and Dad were having a party 

(b) Reece missed the school bus 

it was their anniversary. 

he had to call his dad. 

(c) Wash your hands 

you sit down to eat. 

(d) The old man was wearing a winter coat 

(e) I was not allowed to open the present 

it was a hot day. 

it was my birthday. 




Determiners 

Focus 

Articles: the (definite) and a/an (indefinite) 

Demonstratives: this, that (singular) and these, 

those (plural) 

Definitions 

• A determiner is a word usually used before a noun 

that determines how definite it is. 

Example: 

Our homework was placed on that table with 

some books because the teacher wanted us to 

take a book home each night. 

• An article is a type of determiner that precedes 

a noun and identifies how definite (specific) or 

indefinite (nonspecific) that noun is. 

Example: 

a book (meaning any book) 

the book (meaning a particular book) 

• A demonstrative determiner signals whether the 

associated noun is near (this, these) the writer or 

speaker, or far away (that, those) from the writer or 

speaker. 

Note: In traditional grammar, some words used as 

what are now called determiners in functional 

grammar, are referred to as adjectives, e.g. first, 

seven, or possessive pronouns; e.g. my, your. 

Explanation 

• Determiners are useful for making information more 

precise for the reader or listener. 

• The definite article the is used to refer to a particular 

thing or things and when referring to specific, oneof-a-kind 

things. 

Example: 

the Nile River 

the book (meaning a particular book) 

• Indefinite articles such as a and an are used to refer 

to any thing. The noun following an indefinite article 

is nonspecific. 

Example: 

a boat (meaning any boat) 

an umbrella (meaning any umbrella) 

• Articles can indicate a significant difference in 

meaning. 

Example: 

a house (any house) 

the house (a particular house) 

• The indefinite article a precedes a noun that begins 

with a consonant sound. 

Example: 

a yacht, a boat, a dog, a unicycle 

• The indefinite article an precedes a noun that begins 

with a vowel sound. 

Example: 

an apple, an ice-cream, an umbrella, an hour 

• Demonstratives generally indicate the proximity of 

the noun to the writer or speaker. This (singular) and 

these (plural) suggest the noun/nouns are close by, 

while that (singular) and those (plural) suggest the 

noun/nouns are far away or out of reach. 


• For the first activity, a short text has been provided 

to show students how articles are used in real-life 

text. The relevant nouns are in bold print to make 

it easier for students to identify the words which 

require an article. 

• The second activity provides students with specific 

rules and examples and then provides opportunity 

for them to practise what they have learnt. Before 

students write their own sentences, they could share 

ideas with the class. 



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• Students select a piece of text from their favourite 

book, magazine or newspaper article and use a 

pencil to lightly underline the ‘articles’ and related 

nouns. 

• Students work in four teams to write sentences 

using one of these words: ‘this’, ‘these’, ‘that’ and 

‘those’. Set the timer for five minutes and the group 

with the greatest number of correct sentences wins. 

Answers 

1. (a) an (b) a (c) the (d) the 

(e) a (f) a (g) an 




Determiners – 1 

Determiners such as a, an and the tell us more about a noun. 

The words a and an tell us that the thing is general. 

The tells us that it is a particular thing. 

1. Use the words a, an and the to complete the text. 

Mum and I were busy planning my birthday party. I decided I wanted 

ice-cream cake and Mum decided we could have 

party. I would make and deliver 

organise 

(b) 

spooky-themed 

(c) 

invitations and Mum would 

(d) 

spooky decorations. We decided that I could dress up as 

(e) 

ghost and she would be 

in on the act and dress up as 

(g) 

old, bony skeleton! 

(f) 

goblin. Dad wanted to get 

2. Read the rules and examples. Then write a sentence using each word. 

The words this, these, that and those tell us whether the thing 

or person is near or far away. 

(a) Use this with singular nouns near you. 

This cake is delicious. 

(b) Use these with plural nouns near you. 

These biscuits are tasty. 



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(a) 

(c) Use that with singular nouns far from 

you. 

Is that boy your brother? 

(d) Use those with plural nouns far from 

you. 

Those boys are by the swings. 




Determiners 

Focus 

Determiners: Possessives – my, your, his, her, its, our, 

their 

Distributives – all, both, half, either, neither, 

each, every 

Definitions 

• A determiner is a word usually used before a noun 

that determines how definite it is. 

Example: 

Our homework was placed on that table with 

some books because the teacher wanted us to 

take a book home each night. 

• A possessive determiner is a word which identifies 

who something belongs to. 

Example: 

Callum lost his shoes. 

• A distributive is a type of determiner which tells 

how something is shared or divided. 

Example: 

I think every person is special. 

Note: In traditional grammar, some words used as 

what are now called determiners in functional 

grammar are referred to as adjectives; e.g. first, 

seven, or as possessive pronouns; e.g. my, your. 

Explanation 

• Determiners are useful for making information more 

precise for the reader or listener. 

• Possessive determiners are always used before the 

noun to say who the noun belongs to. They can be 

used in first, second or third person form as well as 

singular or plural. Refer to the table below to see 

which possessive determiners are used in each 

situation. 

Singular 

Plural 

Person Determiner Pronouns 

1st my I, me, mine 

2nd your you, yours 

his he, him, his 

3rd her she, her, hers 

its it, its 

1st our we, us, ours 

2nd your you, yours 

3rd their they, them, theirs 

Note: Possessive proper nouns are determiners. 

Example: 

Breigh’s homework 

• The distributive determiner is always used before 

the noun. It is also common to add ‘of’ after the 

distributive in some situations. 

Example: 

Each of my siblings is unique. 


• For Activity 1, read the explanation text and discuss 

how these words are used. Students may need 

clarification between pronouns and possessive 

determiners as used in the text. Read the text and 

underline the pronouns used. Point out words such 

as its, which are being used both in the pronoun 

form and the possessive determiner form. It would 

be great if students observed that in its pronoun 

form, it can sit on its own, whereas when being 

used in its possessive determiner form, it must 

come before the noun. 

• In Activity 2 the nouns have been italicised in bold 

print to help students identify the distributives in the 

sentences. Read each sentence and ask students 

if they are able to identify the word which tells 

how something is shared, distributed or divided. 

Underline the word. Some students may have great 

difficulty identifying these and may need direct 

guidance. 



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• Select a piece of text and highlight the pronouns 

in one colour and the possessive determiners in a 

different colour. 

• Students write their own sentences using the 

distributive determiners. 

Answers 

1. his, its, his, his, his, its, her 

2. Across: 3. Neither 4. each 

Down: 1. every 2. either 




Determiners – 2 

A determiner tells us more about a noun. 

The words my, your, his, her, its, our and their are determiners 

that tell who the noun belongs to. 

1. Select the correct word to complete the text. 

John loves his her pet crab. Its name is Milo. John often lets Milo out of its our 

tank to explore while it is being cleaned. Milo always seems to go missing and this time 

was no different. John’s mum was cross with him when he lost his 

John searched the entire house from top to bottom. He finally found his 

your crab again. 

her pet 

crab hiding under his my sister’s bed. He was worried their its shell would be 

crushed by all their 

her dolls. 

2. The words you need to complete this crossword can be found hidden in each 

sentence. The words you are looking for tell how the highlighted nouns are 

shared or divided. 

Across 

3. Neither John nor his parents 

like it when Milo goes missing. 

4. John’s mum got cross each 

time Milo was lost. 

Down 

1. John looked in every room for his 

lost crab. 

2. It was John’s job to clean the tank 

on either Saturday or Sunday. 

3. 



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2. 

1. 

3. Select two determiners from Activity 1 and two 

words from the crossword in Activity 2. Use them 

to write four separate sentences, or combine 

them to write two sentences. 

4. 




Prepositions 

Focus 

Prepositions: movement, direction, time and place 

Definition 

• Prepositions are words used to show the relationship 

between nouns and/or pronouns in the same sentence. 

Example: 

The steam engine powered through the dark tunnel. 

Explanation 

• The word ‘preposition’ combines the prefix ‘pre’ (meaning 

‘before’ or ‘in front of’) and the word ‘position’. This 

indicates the nature of prepositions, as words that are 

‘positioned in front’ of nouns or other words that function 

as nouns (such as pronouns or noun phrases). 

• Prepositions indicate a connection between things 

mentioned in a sentence, such as between a person and 

where she/he is going. 

Example: 

Jill moved towards the table. 

Prepositions can refer to manner (he came by bus), time 

(school starts at 9 am), place (he left his shoes at the park), 

position (the cat lay under the table) and direction (it ran 

between the buildings). 

Some prepositions are formed by combining words, such 

as the phrases in front of, on top of and prior to. 

• Prepositions are often used to introduce phrases that 

add more information to the noun or verb and are called 

prepositional phrases. These phrases start with a 

preposition and end with a noun or noun equivalent, called 

the ‘object’ of the preposition. Words that modify the object 

are part of the phrase. 

Example: 

The little girl (subject) was shorter than (preposition) 

her younger brother (object). (The prepositional 

phrase is underlined.) 

• As a rule, prepositions do not come before verbs. 

• A former rule with prepositions was that they should never 

end a sentence. This rule no longer applies. For example, 

It is commonly accepted as correct to say ‘Have you found 

the shoes you were looking for?’ rather than the Old English, 

‘Have you found the shoes for which you were looking?’ 

• Prepositions add meaning and information. They also help 

to distinguish between the object and the subject in a 

sentence. Commonly used prepositions include: 

about, above, across, after, against, around, at, before, 

behind, beneath, beside, between, beyond, by, for, from, 

in, inside, near, off, on, out, over, through, to, toward, 

under, until, upon and with 

Bear in mind that these words are not always prepositions; 

sometimes they function as conjunctions or adverbs. 

For example, in the sentence ‘Mia decided to stay inside’, 

‘inside’ has no object and so is an adverb. 


• Although prepositions can refer to things other than 

position, the focus at this level remains on position and 

location. As an introduction, perhaps place a number of 

students in front of the class and discuss their positions 

in relation to each other; e.g. Sarah is between Jacob and 

Mara, Poppy is in front of Ben and behind Kiera. Focus on 

the prepositions linking two nouns. 

• Give each student a copy of the worksheet and read 

the introductory text. Ask the students to identify some 

prepositions. Students then complete Question 1 by circling 

the prepositions. They can draw a scene for the front of 

the postcard based on the description. To complete the 

worksheet, students write a description of a place they 

have been to on holiday, using as many prepositions as 

they can. 




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• Give students an outline of a house. Instruct them to draw 

something in, on, above, below, next to etc. the house. 

Students share and describe their pictures with others in 

the class. 

• Students can choose one preposition and a specified 

person or animal and draw an illustration showing both. 

These can be compiled as a class book. 

Answers 

1. Prepositions: at, up, between, with, On, behind, near, to, 

of, Below, down, with 




Prepositions 

Prepositions are words that can show the connection between 

things in sentences. They are usually short words in front of 

nouns or pronouns; for example: ‘That day, during practice, the 

basketball rolled towards the door, out of the gym and down 

the hill, finally stopping among rocks under a tree’. 

1. Circle the prepositions. The nouns and pronouns connected with them have been 

highlighted. 

Hi Ruby! 

It’s awesome here at the Alpine Hotel. It’s 

halfway up a mountain, between a river 

and the ski slopes. The mountains are 

sprinkled with tall pine trees and snow. 

On the mountain, behind the hotel, is a 

forest. It’s beautiful, but I haven’t been 

near it … it looks dark and scary! I’d 

like to catch the cable car to the top of the 

mountain. Below the hotel, down the hill 

a bit, is a little town with a cafe that sells 

the best hot chocolate. 

See you soon, Annabel xxoo 

2. Use the description to draw the scene on the front of the postcard. 

Greetings from 

the Alpine Hotel! 

‘Number One’ 

• 

New Zealand 

• South 

• Holiday destination 

(Queenstown) 

Island 

• 

75 c 

Barky, the rescue dog: 2008 (Queenstown) 

Ms Ruby McLean 

24 Gosford Place 

Scarborough WA 

AUSTRALIA 

6019 



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3. On the back of this sheet, write a description of a place you have been to on 

holiday, using as many prepositions as you can.

RIC-20234 Primary Grammar and Word Study Year 3 – Parts of Speech

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