Helpful Tips for English!
Poppin’ Punctuation
Punctuation is very important. It shows where your sentences begin and end and
tells the reader how they should be read.
Super Sentences
To make your writing interesting, you will need to use a range of sentence
structures including simple, compound and complex. These superheroes will guide
you through forming these different types of sentences
and more!
Super Simple
A simple sentence is one idea; it makes senses by itself.
Super Simple stopped the evil villain from
launching the rocket.
Miss Compound
A compound sentence has at least two simple sentences
joined by a connective.
Dr Evil was ready to press the button, but
Miss Compound was determined to stop him!
Mighty Complex
A complex sentence is a simple sentence extended by a
clause which doesn’t make sense by itself. There are
different types of subordinating clauses which are shown in
the table below.
Name of clause
Embedded
clause
Adverbial
phrase
Subordinating
clause
Description of the clause
This is put within a simple sentence
and adds extra information to the
noun.
The adverbial phrase adds when,
where, why or how to the simple
sentence.
The subordinating clause needs the
main clause (simple sentence) to
make sense.
An example
Mighty Complex, who was
dressed in red, flew to the
rescue.
In the laboratory, Dr Evil
made his plans to rule the
world!
Mighty Complex lives in
Wyberton which is in
Lincolnshire.
Writer’s Toolkit
Use these cards to help you make your writing more interesting and exciting for
the reader. They will explain the meaning of the language feature and also give
you examples of how to use them.
Dressed in his bright red
superhero costume, Dash
sprinted across the land.
Adjectives
Use adjectives to
describe a character
or thing.
----------------------Writer’s tip:
His terrible teeth
were like sharp knives
pointing to the sky.
Choose your adjectives
carefully! Don’t use
more than one or two
at a time!
The haunting moon
disappeared behind its
delicate cloak of mist.
Proper Nouns
Use proper nouns in
your writing to be
specific about the
name of a person,
animal or place.
----------------------Writer’s tip:
Always use a capital
letter at the start of a
name.
Energetically, Dash
sprinted across the land
like a supersonic jet.
Staring angrily, Shere
Khan’s teeth were sharp
knives pointing to the sky.
Hovering, the moon is a
spaceship peering
patiently down on Earth.
Verbs
From afar, the volcano
peered down on Dash as
he sprinted along.
Use verbs to
describe the actions
of a character or
thing.
-----------------------
The tiger stared into
the distance as he
waited for his prey.
Writer’s tip:
Try using a
thesaurus/synonym
circles to find really
powerful verbs.
The moon glistened in
the night sky.
Adverbs
Use adverbs in your
writing to describe
the verbs.
----------------------Writer’s tip:
Try using an adverb at
the beginning of a
sentence – it gets the
sentence off to a great
start! An adverb usually
ends in –ly!
Energetically, Dash
sprinted across the land
like a supersonic jet.
verb
adverb
Staring angrily, his
teeth were sharp knives
pointing to the sky.
Hovering, the moon is a
spaceship peering
patiently down on Earth.
Dash sprinted
spectacularly across the
land like a space-rocket.
Alliteration
Use alliteration to
help the sounds of
words link the
sentence together
----------------------Writer’s tip:
Use alliteration
carefully – too often
and it can lose it’s
effect!
His terrible teeth
were like towers
pointing to the sky.
Peering patiently, the
moon hovered above
the planet.
Connectives
Use connectives to
order your ideas or
join two ideas
together.
-----------------------
First Dash ran to the
ship!
The tiger stared into
the distance, but he
could see no one!
Writer’s tip:
Vary the placement of
your connectives to
vary the structure of
your writing.
The moon glistened in
the night sky
meanwhile people in
the village slept.
Similes
Use a simile in your
writing to compare
one thing with
another.
-----------------------
Dash sprinted across
the land as fast as a
supersonic jet.
His teeth were like
sharp knives pointing
to the sky.
Writer’s tip:
A simile includes the
phrase ’like a…’ or ‘as
a…’
Hovering like a
spaceship, the moon
peered down on Earth.
Metaphors
Use a metaphor in
your writing to say
one thing is another.
-----------------------
Writer’s tip:
A metaphor often includes
the phrase ‘is a…’ or ‘was
a…’
Make sure the metaphor
fits with the description,
e.g. a spaceship may also
hover over Earth!
Dash was a supersonic
jet sprinting across the
land
His teeth were sharp
knives pointing to the
sky.
Hovering, the moon is
a spaceship peering
down on Earth.
Personification
Use personification
to give a non-human
subject, e.g. the
moon, human
characteristics.
-----------------------
From afar, the volcano
looked down on Dash as
he raced along.
The teeth stood to
attention as he waited
patiently for his prey.
Dancing slowly with
the clouds, the moon
hovered over the Earth.
Writer’s tip:
Use human actions
(verbs) to help you.
Prepositions
Use prepositions to
show the
relationship of one
object to another.
-----------------------
Dash sprinted over the
land like a supersonic
jet.
Shere Khan stood in
front of the forest.
Writer’s tip:
Use prepositions
to clarify where
objects or people are
in your sentences.
Above the land, the
moon rested peacefully
in the sky.
Pronouns
Use pronouns to
replace proper nouns
in sentences.
----------------------Pronouns:
I, you, he, she,
we, you, they,
him, her, his,
us, our, your, they,
them, their, mine.
Dash sprinted in order
to get back on his ship.
“I will find you!” roared
the tiger as they ran
away.
Due to the moon
shining, he could see
his way through the
streets.
Text Type Tips!
Before you begin writing, use these cards to help you remember the features of
the genre.
Report Features
Types of reports
*Describes what things are like (or were like)
* Use the present tense
magazine article
(except historical reports)
tourist guide book
* Include ‘general’ nouns
catalogue
encyclopaedia
(not particular people, animals, things)
entry topic-based
* Use third person
project
* Include factual descriptions
* Use technical words and phrases
* They are often formal and use impersonal language
Information leaflet
Recount Features
Types of recounts
* Use the past tense
* Use named people, places and things
* Use the first or third person
* Include time connectives
* Use powerful verbs
* Include quotations
Letter
biography
diary
write up of a trip
or event
newspaper article
Persuasion Features
Types of
persuasion
*Retells events in time order
Makes a case for a particular point of view
• Use the present tense
travel brochure
• Logical connectives (however, because,
book blurb
as a result of, consequently)
poster or flier
• Connectives showing the move from one point
letters
to another (first of all, then, secondly, next, finally)
pamphlet from
pressure group
• Use emotive language
catalogue
(strong adjectives that create emotions)
• Include rhetorical question – Are we expected to…?
• Turn opinion into truth – The fact is… The real truth is…
•
advertisement
•
Instructional Writing Features
Types of
instructions
•
Tell you how to do or make something in time order
• Use simple clear language
• Include imperative (bossy) verbs – put, press
• Usually use the second person
• Include necessary detail only
• Use numbers and/or time connectives
• Include diagrams to help the reader
Types of
Technical manual
posters or signs
ir recipe
science experiment
instructions on
packaging
DIY book
Explanation Text Features
explanations
* Explains how or why something happens
* Use the present tense
entry
parts of a non(except historical explanations)
fiction book
* Include causal language e.g. If…then,
technical manual
this causes… because of…
write-up of a
* Use sequential connectives
science experiment
e.g. firstly, following this, finally
* Formal language e.g. ‘place’ rather than ‘put’
* Use technical vocabulary that links to the subject that the explanation is
about.
Encyclopaedia
Story Writing Features
Types of stories
Fairy tales
myths and legends
* Include a beginning; build up, problem,
resolution and ending
*Describe the setting
and the characters
*Use short sentences to build up the
tension of the problem
*Include speech between characters
*Use exciting language
(adverbs, similes, personification)
stories set in the
future
stories with
flashbacks
stories from
different cultures
stories with
historical settings
Top Tips!
Spelling is easy once you know how. Use these tips to help you.
1. If the sound is ay, use ei: neighbour, weigh.
In most other words, use ie: believe, relieve.
2. When the prefixes dis, mis, or over are added
to a word, the spelling of the original word
remains the same:
dissatisfy, misspell, overreach.
3. When the suffixes – ness or –ly are added to word, the spelling of the word
remains the same: meanness, finally.
4. If a word ends in y, change the y to i before adding the suffix: heaviness,
readiness.
5. When a word ends in e, drop the final e before a suffix beginning with a
vowel: caring, writing.
When the word does not end in e, simply add the suffix: studying.
Keep the final e before a suffix beginning with a consonant: careful, careless.
There are some exceptions: argument, abridgement, acknowledgment.
6. Double the final consonant when adding a suffix to words of one syllable
ending with a consonant: clap/ clapped,
shop/ shopped.
7. Double the final consonant when the accent falls on the last syllable of a word
ending with a consonant: control/
controlling.
8. Supersede, exceed, proceed, and succeed. All other words end in – cede.
9. To form plurals: If the word ends with a consonant plus y, change the y to i
and add es: baby/ babies, city/ cities.
10. When words ending in double l are used as prefixes or suffixes, drop and l:
all/almost, full/skillful.