RIC-20238 Primary Grammar and Word Study Year 4 – Parts of Speech

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Primary grammar and word study (Book E) 

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Primary grammar and 

word study – Book E 

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) 

Teachers notes .............................................. iv – v 

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 .................................................. 46–45 

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

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

Contents 

Words and their meanings ........................50–53 

Synonyms and antonyms...................... 50–51 

Word origins ......................................... 52–53 

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

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

Full stops, question marks and 

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

Idioms .......................................................... 76–77 

Similes ......................................................... 78–79 

Metaphors .................................................... 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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Nouns 

Focus 

Common, collective and proper nouns 

Definitions 

• Nouns are words used to name people, places, 

things, feelings or ideas. 

• Common nouns name general, rather than 

particular, people, places and things. 

The words in bold in the following sentence are 

nouns (in this context); 

Example: 

The woman reading a book in the park had 

sunglasses on to protect her eyes from the bright 

sunlight. 

• Proper nouns are used to name specific people, 

places or things. They begin with capital letters. 

Example: 

Susie Miles sat in Albert Park, wearing her new 

sunglasses and reading the latest book by Mike 

Smith. 

• Collective nouns are used to name groups of 

objects, people, animals, inanimate things, or 

concepts. 

Example: 

family, herd, flock, group, team, class 

Explanation 

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

which means ‘name’. Nouns are often called 

‘naming words’. 

• Proper nouns are capitalised. Common and 

collective nouns are not capitalised unless they 

begin a sentence or start a title. Some nouns that 

would appear to need capitalisation, such as the 

names of seasons (winter, spring, autumn, summer) 

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, uncle)—unless used 

as part of the name, such as Uncle Fred, and names 

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

considered proper nouns. 

• Names of games are common nouns; e.g. football. 

• Trade names are capitalised. 

• Each collective noun is a single thing made up of 

more than one person or thing. A committee, team, 

or family requires at least two people to compose 

the unit. So while a collective noun refers to a 

number of things, it often specifically refers to the 

single group and so is usually (but not always) 

singular. 

Example: 

‘The pack of wolves was running’ not ‘The pack of 

wolves were running’) 

• Some words used as nouns can also be verbs or 

adjectives, depending on the context in which they 

are used. 

Example: 

‘John decided to ring (verb) the shop about Suzie’s 

damaged ring (noun).’ 

Worksheet information 

• Give each student a copy of the worksheet and 

discuss common, proper and collective nouns. 

Teachers can choose either to explain the worksheet 

to the students and allow them to complete it on 

their own, or read through the text first then allow 

students to reread individually, filling in the spaces. 

• After completing the cloze, students write two 

other collective nouns. They then, on the back of 

the worksheet (or on a separate sheet of paper if 

preferred), write a follow-up report using common 

and proper nouns they identified in the story. 

Ideas for further practice 

• Students can do an online sort of collective nouns 

(focus on animal groups) at . 

• Play games where the teacher calls out an animal 

or object, students try to guess what the collective 

nouns for a group of those items or animals is. 



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Answers 

1. chain, colony, mob, herd, choir, crowd, panel 

2. (a) school, shoal (b) flock, drove, herd, mob 

3. Common nouns: pandemonium, morning, zoo, 

ants, kangaroos, enclosure, walls, stampede, gate, 

animals, tents, concert, school, directions, director, 

week 

Proper nouns: Mr Stan Chuggins, City Zoo, Jemma 

Win, Channel Eight News 

Collective nouns: herd, furniture, cutlery, crowd, 

police 

4. Teacher check 

Primary grammar and word study 2 


Nouns 

Nouns are words used to name people, places and things. 

Different kinds of nouns can be used to give information. 

Example: Jake and Mia went to the oval to watch the football team train. 

Proper nouns give us the 

specific names of people, 

places and things; 

e.g. Jake, Mia. 

1. Read the news report. Write the collective nouns in the correct space. 

‘A bizarre of events led to pandemonium this morning at the zoo. It seems 

a 

agitated 

of ants swarmed over the kangaroos in their enclosure. Two of the 

somehow jumped over the walls into a herd of zebras. The whole 

of zebras panicked and, in the stampede that followed, charged though a 

gate. Together, the freed animals bolted straight into the tents set up for the concert by the local 

school 

The 

, sending furniture, food and cutlery flying. 

that had gathered to see the concert scattered in all directions. 

By the time the police arrived, the animals had been recaptured and Mr Stan Chuggins, the director 

of City Zoo, was attempting to calm the frightened crowd. Luckily, no-one was injured. 

A 

choir 

crowd 

this happening again. 

A common noun is the name 

for general people, places 

and things; 

e.g. oval. 

mob 

colony 

of experts will meet next week to discuss what needs to be done to prevent 

This is Jemma Win reporting for Channel Eight News.’ 

herd 

A collective noun is the 

name of a group of people, 

places or things; 

e.g. team. 

chain 

panel 



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2. Write a suitable collective noun for these animals. 

(a) fish 

(b) sheep 

3. Underline 10 common nouns, circle 4 proper nouns and highlight 3 collective nouns in the 

report. 

4. Write a follow-up news story on the back of this sheet using nouns from the report, adding 

some of your own. Present this news report to the class. 

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Nouns 

Focus 

Gender, neuter and common nouns 

Definitions 

• Nouns are words used to name people, places, 

things, feelings or ideas. 

• Masculine nouns are nouns used to describe 

something male as opposed to feminine or neuter. 

Example: 

prince, husband, gentleman, boy, stag, gander, ram 

and uncle 

• Feminine nouns are nouns used to describe 

something female, as opposed to masculine or 

neuter. 

Example: 

lady, aunt, wife, girl, queen, ewe and cow 

• Common nouns can be used for both males and 

females. 

Example: 

cousin, teenager, teacher, doctor, cook, student, 

parent, friend, relation, leader 

• Neuter nouns name things without animal life 

(inanimate objects), which are neither male nor 

female. 

Example: 

box, book, chair, joy, broom, table 

Explanation 

• In language, gender is the classification of nouns 

according to sex. There are four genders in English; 

feminine (representing females), masculine 

(representing males), common (for use with either 

males or females) and neuter (for inanimate objects). 

• Unlike most European languages, where the majority 

of nouns are either masculine or feminine, in English 

most nouns are either neuter or common. Many 

gender nouns for people that were traditionally 

masculine or feminine are now replaced by common 

nouns, such as ‘flight attendant’ instead of ‘air 

hostess’, ‘firefighter’ instead of ‘fireman’. Many 

abstract nouns are neuter. 

• With animals, there is usually one common term 

(such as sheep, horse or pig) for the type of animal 

and separate names for the male (e.g. ram, stallion, 

hog) and the female (e.g. ewe, mare, sow). 


• Read part of a newspaper or magazine article about 

a royal family to the students, making sure words 

such as ‘prince’, ‘queen’ or ‘duke’ are mentioned. 

Ask if, for example, the prince is a boy or girl. How 

do we know? Students may suggest that if it was 

a girl she would be called a princess. Use this 

to introduce masculine and feminine nouns. Ask 

students to suggest other words they know that 

refer to males or females specifically. Ask ‘What 

about a teacher? How do we know if a teacher we 

read about is male or female?’ Use this to discuss 

common nouns; those that refer to both males and 

females. Similarly, introduce neuter nouns. 

• Read the explanation and newspaper article with the 

students. Discuss the feminine nouns and how they 

specifically refer to female jobs, animals, relatives 

and roles. Also discuss some of the feelings that the 

people involved in the story may have experienced 

(such as fear, fright, gratitude, happiness). Students 

then rewrite the article, substituting the feminine 

nouns for common or masculine nouns. They will 

also need to change some possessive determiners; 

e.g. ‘her’. They complete the rest of the sheet by 

classifying each noun according to its gender. 


• Students could act out a follow up article in small 

groups; 

For example: The hero being awarded a medal for 

bravery. 

• Students could create common nouns to replace the 

separate masculine and feminine nouns; e.g. invent 

a common noun for both a king and queen, an aunt 

and uncle. 



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Answers 

1. (a) Answers will vary; teacher check 

(b) Six of the following: night, play, role, 

production, audience, cable, props, company, 

bravery. 

2. bull: M, aunt: F, manager: C, bride: F, duke: M, 

giant: M, child: C, happiness: N, parent: C, bike: N. 



Nouns with a gender 

Some nouns name male or female people and animals. These are called 

gender nouns. The nouns for males are called masculine nouns (e.g. son, 

king), and those for females are called feminine nouns (e.g. girl, aunt). 

Some nouns can be used to name both males and females. These are 

called common gender nouns (e.g. baby, teacher, cousin, doctor, student, 

astronaut). 

The nouns that name things that are neither male nor female are called 

neuter nouns (e.g. chair, pen, sad). 

In the following article, the feminine nouns are in bold. 

Local 

Chloe Repus, a waitress and the niece 

of a local landlady, came to the rescue at 

the opening night of the play, ‘The Witches 

of WA’. Chloe moved to Harvey three years 

ago with her two young daughters. 

The budding actress played the role of 

the Fairy Queen in the local production. 

dubbed ‘The Heroine of Harvey. 

As the audience watched last night, the cable 

lifting Kiara Pord, playing the flying Witch 

of WA, snapped. Chloe quickly pushed some 

stage props, two fluffy ewes, under the falling 

mother of four, cushioning her fall. The theatre 

company praised Chloe’s bravery, calling her 

‘The Heroine of Harvey!’ 

1. (a) Rewrite the article, changing the feminine nouns to masculine or common nouns. There are 

some other words you will also need to change. 



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(b) Circle six neuter nouns in the text. 

2. In the box provided next to those words, write N for neuter, C for common, M for masculine or F 

for Feminine. 

bull aunt manager bride duke 

giant child happiness parent bike 




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 salty breeze filled the sails of the yacht floating 

on the waves. (action) 

My brother is the type of person who worries about 

everything. (being) 

Our beagle has really sharp teeth which it uses to 

eat everything. (having) 

Explanation 

• Verbs must have someone or something ‘doing’ the 

action. This is the subject of the sentence. 

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

salty breeze’, ‘ My brother’ and ‘Our beagle’. 

• Every sentence must contain a verb. 

• Some verbs have more than one part. 

Example: 

‘is harmless’, ‘was looking’ and ‘will nestle’. 

• 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. 

• Explain the definition of a verb and the words which 

indicate ‘being’ or ‘having’. The students complete 

Questions 1 and 2 independently. 

• The verbs ‘was’ and ‘were’ are commonly confused. 

The verbs ‘was’ is used when talking about one 

person or thing (singular) and the verb ‘were’ is 

usually plural and is used for more than one person 

or thing. 

Note: The second person singular always uses the 

plural form of the verb. 

Example: 

You were a lucky boy. 


• As a class, write a list of interesting verbs to be used 

in writing activities. These may be a list of verbs to 

replace commonly used words such as ‘said’ and 

‘went’ or verbs which give better descriptions of 

an action, such as ‘campaigned’, ‘meandered’ and 

‘grovelled’ etc. 

• Write poems such as pattern poems or syllable 

poems using verbs instead of adjectives to describe 

what people and things do. 

• Play charades using verbs written on cards and ask 

the class audience to guess the verb. 

Answers 

1. (a) Teacher check 



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(b) (i) are/is 

(ii) is/surrounds 

(iii) pounded 

(iv) is waiting/to see/will nestle 


3. (a) were (b) was (c) were (d) were 



Verbs 

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

1. (a) Read the poem below then underline all the verbs. 

In a grave so wet and dark, a ship is waiting still 

Pounded by cold and constant currents — just another enemy kill. 

Sailors stay forever young in their watery tomb below 

Never to see a sunny sky or feel salty breezes blow. 

Mystery surrounds the loss of another wartime vessel. 

Headstones are bare. No flowers among the grass will nestle. 

(b) Write one word from the poem for each. 

(i) 

(ii) 

a verb of ‘being’ 

a verb ending with ‘s’ 

(iii) a verb ending with ‘ed’ 

(iv) a verb with two parts 

2. Complete each sentence by adding verbs of your own. 

(a) The torpedo 

the vessel. 

the warship and there was little hope of 

(b) The sailors tried to the ship by the 

lifeboats. 

(c) No graves were 

to . 

(d) The family and friends of all the dead sailors 

always 

for the lost sailors as there were no survivors 

them as young men and women. 

for them but will 

Verbs of having include ‘had’, ‘has’ and ‘have’. Verb of being include ‘are’, ‘is’, ‘were’, 

‘was’ and ‘am’. 

3. Write the correct verb of ‘being’. 



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(a) We 

(b) He 

(c) Keziah forgot that we 

(d) You 

late for school today because of the rain. (was/were) 

well behaved for Grandma. (was/were) 

going to a party. (was/were) 

my best friend. (was/were) 




Verbs 

Focus 

Command verbs (imperatives) 

Definition 

Command verbs are used to order, command or 

instruct. 

Example: 

Button up your jacket because its cold outside. 

Set the table please but use the clean placemats. 

Finish doing your homework, then you can watch 

television! 

Explanation 

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

have someone or something ‘doing’ the action. 

• 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’. 


• This procedure contains command verbs which 

are within sentences as well as at the beginning of 

sentences. 

• It is not expected that students will actually cook the 

recipe given. 

• Allow the students to read the procedure 

independently, offering assistance if required. 

• Read the definition together and discuss. Give 

examples of other command verbs and ask students 

to offer suggestions. Students may like to repeat 

commands or orders they are given by their parents 

at home. 

• When finding command verbs to write in the box for 

Question 1, students need to be aware that some 

are not at the beginning of the sentences. 

• Students can write their own suggestions for 

command verbs to complete Question 2, although 

some suggestions have been offered in the answers. 


• Ask students to select a piece of favourite music 

and write instructions for a simple dance routine or 

actions using command verbs. 

• Using a book from the class or school library, 

students find the page with the most command 

verbs. 

• Play games with the students which involve 

commands or orders. Some suggestions include 

‘Simon says’ or ‘Red rover cross over!’ 

Answers 

1. (a) Teacher check 

(b) Collect, Preheat, Spray (3), Place (2) Fold, Cut, 

Repeat, Cook, Combine, 

Season, Spoon, Top, serve 

2. Teacher check. Suggestions include: 

(a) set, tidy/clean 

(b) Wiggle, clap 

(c) Draw/Sketch, highlight/create. 



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Command verbs 

1. (a) Read the recipe. 

FETTA AND SPINACH FILO CASES 

• 8 sheets of filo pastry 

• cooking spray 

• drinking glass or round cookie cutter • 250 g frozen spinach, thawed and 

drained 

• 1 / 2 

cup (120 g) light sour cream • 100 g fetta, crumbled 

• 2 green onions/shallots, thinly sliced • 1 crushed garlic clove 

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice 

• 3 drops Tabasco ® sauce 

• sprigs of dill 

Collect ingredients and equipment. 

Preheat oven to 200 ºC or 180 ºC (fan-forced oven). 

Spray four 12-hole mini muffin pans lightly with cooking spray. 

Spray one sheet of filo pastry lightly with cooking spray. 

Place another sheet on top. Fold in half. Spray again. 

Cut into 6.5 cm rounds using glass or cookie cutter. 

Place rounds carefully into muffin pans. Repeat with remaining pastry. 

Cook for 5 minutes until brown and crisp. 

Combine remaining ingredients, except dill, in a bowl. Season to taste. Place in 

refrigerator for 1 hour. Spoon mixture into pastry cases. 

Top with dill and serve. 

Command verbs are verbs used to order, command or give instructions. 

They are commonly used at the beginning of sentences in a procedure. 

(b) Find 17 command verbs in the recipe and write them in the box. 

Write the number of times each occurs if it is repeated. 



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2. Complete each sentence using command verbs. 

(a) Please 

your room until tea’s ready. 

(b) Step, two, three, four! 

(c) 

your hands. 

charcoal to 

the table and then you can 

your hips and 

a simple outline in the middle and then use 

light and dark sections to give depth. 




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

a compound verb. 

Example: 

They are looking around because they will need a place 

to stay. 

Explanation 

• There are three basic verb tenses—present, past and 

future. These tenses are often formed using an auxiliary or 

helping verb such as, ‘is’, ‘can’, ‘had’ and ‘will’. 

Example: 

Sam’s dad now sells insurance and he is enjoying his job 

very much. (present tense) 

The seed pushed its tiny shoots through the soil because 

we had watered it every day. (past tense) 

We will be working in groups on a new homework 

assignment soon. (future tense) 

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

tense verbs end in s or es. 

• In the sentences above, is, had and will are auxiliary 

verbs, with is used as part of a present tense verb, had 

used as part of the past tense and will and be 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. 

Example: 

‘Jamal can usually deal (present tense) cards well but 

yesterday he dealt the cards (past tense) in a very clumsy 

way.’ 

Other irregular verbs include be/was/were; begin/began; 

do/did; grow/grew; get/got; drink/drank; choose/chose and 

make/made. 

A more detailed list can be found by searching the Internet. 


• Read the explanation with the students and discuss. Give 

some examples if necessary. Revise verbs and ensure 

that students realise that some verbs have two or more 

parts. The students can then complete Question 1. Check 

the answers before proceeding to ensure that students 

understand the different tenses. 

• Students will need three different coloured pencils—one 

to circle each verb tense to complete Question 2. Read the 

text with the students and emphasise the verbs, especially 

those which have two, three or four parts and also ‘That’s’ 

which is really ‘That is’ and contains the present tense verb 

‘is’. 

• Question 3 is an exercise to highlight how many verbs 

are irregular. They do not need small words to help them 

change tense or the addition of -s, -es or -ed. 


• Ask the students to rewrite the text using only simple verbs 

to replace those with more than one part, if possible (for 

example, ‘will have to do’) and read the text to see how it 

sounds. 

• Create a series of tongue twisters by trying to quickly say 

past, present and future tenses of the same regular or 

irregular verb. 

Example: 

drove, drive, will drive; chose, choose, will choose; fall, fell, 

will fall; swam, swim, will swim; patted, pats, will pat etc. 

• Hold a competition to see who can find or write the verb 

with the most parts. 



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Answers 

1. (a) present (b) future (c) past (d) present 

(e) present (f) future (g) past (h) past 

2. Present tense – do, is, are doing, are, are saving, is, 

work, want, is taking, am finishing 

Past tense – arrived, were excited, was interested, have 

finished 

Future tense – will work, will be, will have to do, will look, 

will post 

3. Answers will include: 

(a) dealt,have/had dealt 

(b) stole, had/have stolen 

(c) become/becomes, is/are becoming 

(d) understand/understands, is/are understanding 

(e) froze, have/had frozen 

(f) hid, had/have hidden 

(g) sleep/sleeps, is/are sleeping 

(h) write/writes, is/are writing 



Verb tense 

Verb tense can tell about what happened in the past, what is 

happening in the present or what will happen in the future. 

Many verbs have more than one part; for example, words such 

as are, is and will can be used to complete the verb. 

1. Write the words ‘past’, ‘present’ or ‘future’ to 

show the tense of each verb. 

(a) are playing (b) will be visiting 

(c) finished (d) whistles 

(e) is singing (f) will come 

(g) ran (h) hopped 

2. Read the text below. All the verbs are in bold. Some have more than one part. Choose three 

different coloured pencils to circle the present, past and future tense verbs. 

Dear Mark, 

After a long tiring trip, we arrived at the conservation park. We were excited about 

seeing all the animals and I was interested in the work the zoologists do with 

endangered native species. 

The park is small, even though they are doing an important job there. And the animals 

are really cute! We heard about the breeding program and how the efforts of different 

groups are saving the animals’ native habitat. 

I definitely will work with animals when I have finished school. Maybe I will be a vet 

or a zoologist. Unfortunately, I will have to do lots of study for that kind of job. That’s 

okay! Sometimes you must work hard for what you want. 

Today, Mum is taking us to the shops. B-o-r-i-n-g! Still, I will look for some cool stuff 

with animals on it! 

I am finishing this letter and we will post it in town. 

Geoff 

3. Write the missing tense of each irregular verb. 



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Present Past Present Past 

(a) deal (b) steal 

(c) became (d) understood 

(e) freeze (f) hide 

(g) slept (h) wrote 

Be 

careful! 

Irregular verbs 

don’t change tense 

like other verbs! 




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’) 

That shark is dangerous. (describes the noun, 

‘shark’) Note: The adjective does not always come 

before the noun. 

He is helpful. (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 and their purpose with the 

students. 

Use the pattern poem in Activity 1 to help students 

to identify how several adjectives can describe the 

same noun. Students then create their own pattern 

poem in Activity 2. Their noun could be an animal, 

vehicle, place, mythical character etc. This activity 

could be done in pairs. Share completed poems. 

• In Activity 3, students are required to carefully 

consider the most appropriate adjective to complete 

the sentences. They could lightly pencil in some 

choices before making a final decision. An adjective 

may first appear to be a suitable one to choose, but 

students may find by reading the next sentence that 

it is more suitable in this place. 

Example: 

‘dangerous’ may seem to be a good choice to use 

in front of ‘lioness’ in 3 (a), but it is probably better 

in front of ‘object’ in 3 (d). 

Students can only use each adjective once. This 

activity is intended to reinforce the importance of 

choosing suitable adjectives to make written and 

spoken language more interesting and to give the 

reader/listener a clearer picture. 


• In pairs, students write a sentence that includes 

three nouns, leaving a space for each adjective. 

On a separate sheet of paper, they write what they 

consider could be the answers. They give their 

sentences to another pair and record that pair’s 

answers on their sheet. Continue with other pairs 

and then discuss results. 

• 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. (Refer to the 

Definition above.) 

Answers 

1. The words, chocolate, dark, runny and 

delicious should be underlined. 


3. Teacher check. Answers include: 

(a) hungry, long, dry 

(b) warm, cottage, delightful 

(c) narrow, winding, steep 

(d) elastic, dangerous, sensitive 

(e) juicy, large, orange, clean, white 



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Adjectives – 1 

Adjectives are words that describe nouns or pronouns. They help make 

writing more interesting and clearer. 

1. Read the pattern poem below. It uses adjectives to describe the 

noun ‘sauce’. Underline them. 

Sauce 

Chocolate sauce 

Dark, chocolate sauce 

Runny, dark, chocolate sauce 

Delicious, runny, dark, chocolate sauce 

2. Write your own pattern poem, adding an adjective on each line. 

Illustrate your poem in the space to the right. 

, 

, , 

, , , 

3. Choose from the words that can be used as adjectives in the box below to complete the 

sentences. Use each adjective only once. (Choose the best one, by asking questions such as 

‘What kind?’ before the noun.) 

winding white sensitive narrow steep delightful 

orange warm dry hungry juicy cottage 

large dangerous elastic clean long 

(a) The lioness carefully stalked her prey through the , 

(b) The 

grass. 

garden was filled with a 

sunshine caused the rosebuds to bloom and the 

scent. 

(c) We drove slowly along the , track which led to the bottom of 

the 

mountain. 

(d) An band can be a object if it is aimed at or flicked at a 

part of the body. 

(A noun as the title) 



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(e) The mango dripped causing , 

stains on my , shirt. 




Adjectives 

Focus 

Common and proper adjectives 

Definitions 

• An adjective is a describing word. It adds meaning 

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

Example: 

He’s wearing a cotton shirt. (describes the noun, 

‘shirt’) 

That crocodile is enormous! (describes the noun, 

‘crocodile’) Note: The adjective does not always 

come before the noun. 

They are beautiful! (describes the pronoun, ‘they’) 

• Proper adjectives are those made from proper 

nouns. 

Example: 

Chinese pottery 

Proper adjectives are usually spelled with initial 

capital letters. They are also called ‘adjectives of 

origin’. 

Explanation 

The use of suitable adjectives can make written or 

spoken language more interesting. It also gives the 

reader or listener a clearer understanding. 


• Discuss adjectives and the information and 

examples given at the top of page 15. Ask students 

for further examples of common and proper 

adjectives. 

• Students individually or as a group identify the 

adjectives and the nouns/pronouns they describe in 

the text in Activity 1. Guide them to ask questions 

such as ‘What kind?’ in front of the noun or pronoun 

to help identification. 

• Compare students’ answers after completing Activity 

2 and discuss their choices. Ask ‘Did that adjective 

give the reader/listener a clearer picture?’. Point out 

that it is common to use more than one adjective to 

describe something. 

• Compare students’ answers to Activity 3, discussing 

how clear and interesting they made their 

paragraph/sentences. 


• Write a paragraph about an object using as many 

adjectives as possible to describe it. 

• Brainstorm to list various types of adjectives and 

display on charts. 

Example: 

Those that describe colours (blue), shapes (round), 

age (youthful), material (sandy), origin (Greek), size 

(tiny) or quality (kind). 

Answers 

1. Adjectives are in bold and nouns and pronouns 

underlined. 

You must visit the popular local markets located 

near the scenic harbour. They are amazing. 

Browse through stalls displaying leather 

handbags; silk scarves; silver trinkets; wooden 

products; attractive scented candles; and 

handmade Chinese pottery. All this with buskers 

playing instruments such the Irish harp. AND, 

don’t forget the food. Choose from crisp organic 

vegetables; mouth-watering German sausages 

with sauerkraut in a freshly-baked roll; spicy 

Indian samosas or delicious stuffed potatoes. 

2. – 3. Teacher check 



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Adjectives – 2 

Adjectives are words used to describe nouns or pronouns making 

writing clearer and more interesting; 

e.g. The old, bent, gnarled tree swayed in the strong breeze. 

Proper adjectives are used to describe where a person or object comes 

from. They are made from proper nouns and have a capital letter; 

e.g. The Japanese rose is beautiful. 

1. Read the extract taken from a tourist brochure describing the local market. Highlight the 

adjectives and underline the nouns and pronouns they describe. 

You must visit the popular local markets located near the scenic harbour. They are amazing! 

Browse through stalls displaying leather handbags; silk scarves; silver trinkets; wooden 

products; attractive scented candles; and handmade Chinese pottery. All this with buskers 

playing instruments such the Irish harp. AND, don’t forget the food. Choose from crisp organic 

vegetables; mouth-watering German sausages with sauerkraut in a 

freshly-baked roll; spicy Indian samosas or delicious 

stuffed potatoes. 

2. Choose two or three adjectives to describe these nouns. Share your choices with the class. 

(a) a 

(b) a 

(c) a 

(d) a 

(e) a 

cockroach 

volcano 

ice-cream 

pirate 

motorcycle 



Display Copy 

3. Write one paragraph or three to four separate sentences, using as many of these words as you 

can as adjectives. 

bright loud new Italian tasty hot 

fast thirsty cheesy spicy green red 

Indian shiny hungry large 




Adjectives 

Focus 

Comparative and superlative adjectives 

Definitions 

• Comparative adjectives are used to compare two 

things, usually by adding the suffix ‘er’. 

Example: 

wide, wider 

• Superlative adjectives are used to compare more 

than two things usually by adding the suffix ‘est’. 

Example: 

high, highest 

Explanation 

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

‘most’ is usually added before the adjective. 

Example: 

wonderful, more wonderful, most wonderful 

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

‘y’, ‘er’ or ‘est’ is usually used. 

Example: 

grumpy, grumpier, grumpiest 

• Some comparative and superlative objectives are 

irregular. 

Example: 

bad, worse, worst 

good, better, best 


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

with the students how we can add ‘er’ or ‘est’ 

to adjectives to compare things. Use qualities of 

common objects or students in the classroom 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 (e.g. the 

longest hair). 

• Students read the paragraph in Activity 1, 

highlighting the comparative and superlative 

adjectives. Discuss those that use ‘er’ and ‘est’ and 

those that use ‘more’ and ‘most’. 

• To complete Activity 2, students need to identify 

when to add ‘er’ ,‘est’, ‘more’ or ‘most’ to an 

adjective. Sometimes the best way is to say the 

choices out loud and hear what sounds correct. 

Dictionaries could also be used. Remind students 

they may need to change the ‘y’ to ‘i’ in some words 

before adding ‘er’ or ‘est’. The last example, (e), 

provides an irregular form of comparison—good, 

better, best (not good, gooder, goodest!). 

• Activity 3 provides practice in using the correct 

comparative or superlative form of adjectives in 

context. Compare answers. 


• In pairs, students prepare short oral or written 

reports of facts that compare animals or places 

etc., using the correct comparative and superlative 

adjectives. 

• Identify other irregular forms of comparative and 

superlative adjectives other than 2 (e). 

These include many/more/most; bad/worse/worst 

and little/less/least. Students could use these words 

in spoken or written sentences they make up in 

pairs or groups. 

Answers 

1. Many people believe that lions are bigger 

than tigers, but tigers, in fact, are the largest 

cat species in the world. Their colourings and 

markings are also the most vivid of all cat 

species. Tigers that live in cold climates are larger 

than those that live in warmer climates. They 

are also paler in colour and have longer, thicker 

fur. Only about 6000 tigers survive in the wild 

today, making them one of the most endangered 

species. 



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2. (a) thirsty, thirstier, thirstiest 

(b) ferocious, more ferocious, most ferocious 

(c) itch, itchier, itchiest 

(d) terrible, more terrible, most terrible 

(e) good, better, best 

3. Antarctica is the fifth largest continent. It is also 

the coldest and has the lowest temperature ever 

recorded: –89 ºC. Although it is covered by ice, 

it hardly rains and is the driest place on Earth. 

Many people consider Antarctica to be the most 

beautiful place on our planet. 



Comparing things 

When we compare two things we change the adjective, usually by adding er. 

Example: ‘This giraffe is tall but that one is taller.’ 

When we compare three or more things we change the adjective usually by adding est; 

For example: ‘This giraffe is tall but that giraffe over there is the tallest of all.’ 

The words more or most are used before some adjectives to compare things. 

Example: ‘delightful, more delightful, most delightful’. 

1. Read the paragraph below about tigers. Highlight the adjectives that are used to compare. 

Many people believe that lions are bigger 

than tigers, but tigers, in fact, are the largest 

cat species in the world. Their colourings and 

markings are also the most vivid of all cat 

species. Tigers that live in cold climates are 

larger than those that live in warmer climates. 

They are also paler in colour and have longer, 

thicker fur. Only about 6000 tigers survive in 

the wild today, making them one of the most 

endangered species. 

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

(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

(d) 

(e) 

thirsty 

terrible 

good 

more ferocious 

3. Rewrite this paragraph, with the adjectives in bold print in the correct form. 

itchiest 



Display Copy 

Antarctica is the fifth most large continent. It is also the colder and has the lowerest temperature 

ever recorded: –89 ºC. Although it is covered by ice, it hardly rains and is the most dry place on Earth. 

Many people consider Antarctica to be the beautifullest place on our planet. 




Adverbs 

Focus 

Common adverbs of manner, time and place 

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: 

Yesterday (time) we were upset because the 

beautiful forest was tragically (manner) destroyed 

by a fire caused by lightning striking nearby (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. 

• Students should be reminded that adding adverbs 

will make their speaking and writing more 

informative, precise and interesting. 


• After students have read the text, discuss whether 

they think it was more likely to have been presented 

in written or spoken form. Identify it as an exposition 

seeking to persuade others to a particular point of 

view and discuss other features of expository text. 

• Discuss why some words in the text are in bold. 

Remind students that words telling about something 

someone does or an occurrence are called verbs 

(see pages 6–11) and that these words are all verbs. 

Explain that because adverbs can tell how, when or 

where something happens, we need to identify the 

verbs before trying to find the adverbs. Note: Some 

are compound verbs. 

• Model the process of identifying the adverbs by 

asking how, when and where of the verb. 

Example: 

When will I be speaking?—Tonight. 

So ‘tonight’ is the adverb. The second verb identified 

is ‘believe’. ‘Strongly’ is the adverb because it tells 

how I believe. Some students will need to have the 

process modelled numerous times before they are 

able to complete Question 1 independently. 

• In Question 2 the students will need to locate each 

adverb, then the verb it modifies. They can then try 

to think of other suitable verbs. 

Example: 

jump here, look here, stay or move here 

• The purpose of Question 3 is to demonstrate the 

function of adverbs. 


• Brainstorm to list on the board adverbs to describe 

how someone could, for example, run, catch or 

throw. Then consider the more difficult task of 

finding one word to describe when and where this 

action could occur. 

• Students work in small groups. Each group selects 

an action to mime and all the members each mime 

that action in a different way. Other students need 

to try to identify the action and how each group 

member is doing it. For example: The action could be 

digging. One person could be digging fast, another 

carelessly, another sadly and the other smoothly. 

Answers 

1. (a) The following adverbs should be underlined: 

tonight, strongly, urgently, genuinely, 

Everywhere, rapidly, dangerously, tragically, 

dramatically, now, here, sadly 

(b) Manner: strongly, urgently, genuinely, rapidly, 

dangerously, tragically, dramatically, sadly 



Display Copy 

Time: tonight, now 

Place: Everywhere, here 

2. (a) here–sit (plus teacher check) 

(b) dangerously–is affecting (plus teacher check) 

(c) sadly–watch (plus teacher check) 

(d) now–must act (plus teacher check) 




Adverbs – 1 

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

1. (a) Underline the adverbs in the text. There is one for each highlighted verb. 

Ladies and gentlemen, 

I will be speaking tonight about what I strongly believe are some of the 

environmental issues we all urgently need to consider if we genuinely wish to make 

a significant difference to the future of our planet. 

Everywhere we look there is evidence of how rapidly change is occurring. Pollution is 

dangerously affecting the air we breathe, whole species of the world’s fauna and flora 

are tragically disappearing and our climate is changing dramatically. 

But we must act now, we can’t sit here and sadly watch it happen. 

(b) Write each adverb in the chart showing if it tells how, when or where something occurred. 

2. Write the verb used in the text with these adverbs and add other suitable verbs that each of the 

words could also be used to describe. 

(a) here 

(b) dangerously 

(c) sadly 

(d) now 

Adverbs of manner 

(how) 

3. Add only adverbs of manner, time or place to these sentences to make them more informative. 

(You may add more than one adverb to each sentence.) 

(a) We waited for the train. 

Adverbs of manner 

(how) 

Adverbs of time 

(when) 

Adverbs of place 

(where) 



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(b) He dropped the ball. 




Adverbs 

Focus 

Common adverbs of time, place, manner, frequency and 

interrogative adverbs 

Definitions 

• An adverb is a word that adds information, usually to 

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

(place) or how often something happens. 

Example: 

Yesterday (time) the diver confidently (manner) tied 

his boat to a mooring because he usually (frequency) 

saw many beautiful fish there (place). 

• An interrogative adverb asks questions about how, 

when, where or why something happens. The words, 

how, when, where and why are interrogative adverbs. 

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. 

• Students should be reminded that adding adverbs 

will make their writing more informative, precise and 

interesting. 

• Adverbs have been classified on the worksheet as those 

that add information about manner, time, place and, 

frequency. 

Example: 

usually and seldom. 

Adverbs of extent is another category that could also 

be discussed with students. 

Example: 

quite and almost. 

These adverbs can be used by themselves; 

Example: 

he nearly drowned. 

They are often used with other adverbs; 

Example: 

He swam quite confidently. 

We are almost there. 

• 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 the acronym, 

scuba (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus) 

and encourage students to share information about this 

popular recreational activity and profession. 

• Read the text and identify some of the verbs and 

adverbs. Remind students of the close link between 

verbs and adverbs by asking how, when or where 

questions about the verb and demonstrating how doing 

this will help to identify adverbs. 

• Explain that adverbs give more information about 

verbs and how their speaking and writing will be more 

interesting and informative when they use appropriate 

adverbs. 

• Question 1 provides an opportunity for students to locate 

specific adverbs and identify the verbs they modify. They 

are then required to identify what the adverb tells about 

the verb. 

• Adverbs of frequency tell how often something occurs 

and are commonly used. In Question 2, students 

consider these adverbs and select those they think are 

most appropriate to use in each sentence. 

• Some teachers may choose to introduce the term 

interrogative adverb to describe the question words 

used in Question 3 and to explain that these words are 

themselves special adverbs which ask questions about 

how, when, where or why something occurs. 


• Students work in small groups to write a how, when, 

where and why question about something that happens 

in a game or activity to give to another group to answer. 

Example: 

Taking a mark in football, winning a swimming race. 



Display Copy 

Answers 

1. (a) anywhere, swim, where the divers could swim 

(b) later, developed, when scientists developed air 

tanks 

(c) safely, inhale, how divers were able to inhale 

compressed air 

(d) powerfully, moving, how divers could move 

(e) usually, attached, how often they had fins 

attached to their feet. 


3. (a) How (b) Where (c) When (d) Why 



Adverbs - 2 

Words telling how, when, where or how often things happen are called 

adverbs. 

Scuba diving 

Underwater diving is not new. Thousands of years ago, the first divers were free divers who simply 

held their breath as they briefly dived below in search of their food. 

Later, scientists developed air tanks connected to air hoses and regulators to control the flow of air. 

Divers were then able to safely inhale compressed air and spend more time underwater. Wearing 

masks and wetsuits, they could swim anywhere, moving powerfully through the water, usually with 

fins attached to their feet. 

1. Find each adverb in the text, write the verb it refers to and what it tells about the verb. 

2. Adverbs of frequency tell how often something happens. Choose an adverb from the box to 

complete each sentence. 

never often always rarely sometimes usually 

perhaps likely regularly generally frequently occasionally 

(a) You should check your diving equipment . 

(b) It is safer to 

(c) 

(d) I 

(e) We 

(f) 

Adverb Verb What it tells 

(a) anywhere 

(b) later 

(c) safely 

(d) powerfully 

(e) usually 

dive with a partner. 

we shouldn’t dive because the water is rough. 

wear fins when I dive. 

see a huge shark. 

I feel quite scared. 

3. Some adverbs ask questions about verbs. Underline the adverb in each sentence. 

(a) How did they move? 

(c) When did they develop air tanks? 



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(b) Where did they dive? 

(d) Why can they breathe? 




Pronouns 

Focus 

Personal, indefinite and interrogative pronouns 

Definitions 

• A pronoun is a word substituted for a noun. 

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

thing. 

Example: 

he, she, it, they 

• An indefinite pronoun refers to an unspecified 

person or thing. 

Example: 

Someone took the cakes. 

• Interrogative pronouns ask questions that give a 

noun or pronoun response. 

Example: 

Who stole the cake? 

Explanation 

• The use of pronouns prevents constant repetition of 

a noun. 

• It is important for students to know the correct 

pronouns to use in the context of a particular 

sentence so that their grammar, in speech and in 

writing, is accurate. 

• The table at the top of the next column shows which 

personal pronoun to use: 

– When the person the pronoun refers to is the 

subject or object: 

Example: 

I (subject) told her (object) my secret. 

We (subject) asked them (object) to visit. 

– To emphasise the subject of the verb. 

Example: 

We picked the grapes ourselves (emphatic 

pronoun). 

– To emphasise the object of the verb when it is 

the same person as the subject. 

Example: 

– I enjoyed myself (reflexive pronoun). 

To indicate possession: 

Example: 

The dog is ours. 

• The 12 indefinite pronouns are shown in the table 

below. Some refer to people and others to things. 

• These are the five interrogative pronouns which give 

a noun or pronoun response. 


• The questions give students the opportunity to revise 

and demonstrate their knowledge and understanding 

of pronouns. 

• In Questions 1 and 2, read through the whole of 

each text before placing the correct pronouns. 

• In Question 3, students should read both parts of 

each question. They will discover that for a who 

question the answer is a subjective pronoun. For a 

whose question, the answer is an objective pronoun. 


• Students create their own tables of pronouns 

and write rules for use in their own words with 

examples. 

• Design a bingo type game with cards containing six 

sentences from which pronouns have been removed. 

Each student is given a number of small cards on 

which a pronoun has been written. The caller calls 

out a pronoun. If the students have that card, it is 

placed in position on their bingo card. 

Answers 

PERSONAL PRONOUNS 

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 

INDEFINITE PRONOUNS 

somebody anybody nobody everybody 

someone anyone no-one everyone 

something anything nothing everything 

INTERROGATIVE PRONOUNS 

what which who whom whose 



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1. (a) themselves (b) They (c) They (d) everyone (e) it 

2. (a) he (b) hers (c) it (d) she (e) himself (f) who 

(g) Everyone (h) He (i) himself 

3. (a) his (b) We (c) theirs (d) mine (e) She (f) You 



Pronouns 

A pronoun is a word used instead of a noun. 

There are a number of different pronouns that must be used in the right way 

to make a sentence correct. 

1. Read the text below. The mistakes have been highlighted. 

The students were talking excitedly among 

ourselves as they climbed into the bus. He 

had all been chosen to represent the school 

at the carnival. You knew no-one at school 

would be hoping that the team would do 

better this year than us had done last year 

when it had come last. 

Write the correct pronoun to replace each of these. 

(a) ourselves 

(c) You 

(e) us 

2. Choose the correct pronouns to fill the gaps. 

(b) He 

(d) no-one 

He it himself he hers she who Everyone himself 

James returned the money to Catherine because 

(b) 

. He said he was sorry for having taken 

(d) 

accepted his apology. He was very pleased with 

(e) 

for being brave enough to own up, but 

(g) 

would know he was a thief. 

(a) 

knew it was 

(c) 

and 



Display Copy 

(f) 

would trust him now? 

(h) 

was sad, but he knew he 

only had 

(i) 

to blame. 

3. Choose a pronoun to answer the questions. One of each pair is done for you. 

(a) Who owns the ball? He does. Whose is the ball? It’s . 

(b) Who owns the dog? do. Whose is the dog? It’s ours. 

(c) Who owns the cat? They do. Whose is the cat? It’s . 

(d) Who owns the rat? I do. Whose is the rat? It’s . 

(e) Who owns the doll? does. Whose is the doll? It’s hers. 

(f) Who owns the cup? do. Whose is the cup? It’s yours. 




Pronouns 

Focus 

Relative pronouns who, which, that and whose 

Definition 

• A relative pronoun comes before the relative clause 

that describes the noun or pronoun to which it 

refers. 

Example: 

The author who wrote adventure stories was very 

popular. 

Who comes before the relative clause, wrote 

adventure stories which describes the author (the 

noun to which it refers). 

Explanation 

• It is important for students to know the correct 

relative pronouns to use in the context of any 

sentence so that their grammar, in both speech and 

writing is accurate. 

• The words who, which, that and whose are only 

relative pronouns within the context of a particular 

sentence. 

Example: 

The man who cycled to work was very fit. (relative 

pronoun). 

Who is that man? (interrogative pronoun). 

• In these activities, who, that, which and whose all 

refer to the subject of the verb. When referring to the 

object of the verb, that, which and whose remain 

the same but who is changed to whom. 

• The table shows which relative pronouns to use. 

Relative pronoun Refers to ... 

who 

Person only 

that/which Things only 

whose 

Possession – person or thing 

Example: 

The man who climbed a hill was very fit. 

Dogs that chew things are not very smart. 

My flowers, which bloomed today, are lovely. 

The house whose roof collapsed will be 

demolished. 

The girl whose ankle was swollen had to rest. 

Note: The choice of that or which is intuitive. The 

general rule for students at this stage is to try that first 

but if it doesn’t sound right, use which. 


• It is not necessary to refer to these pronouns as 

‘relative’. It is sufficient that the students know their 

function and learn how to recognise and use them 

within the context of a sentence. 

• Explain that a clause is a part of a sentence that 

includes a verb and its subject; 

Example: 

The painters worked very hard, because they 

wanted to leave early. 

A relative clause relates to the noun or pronoun 

joined to it by the relative pronoun 

Example: 

The cat that sat on the mat. 

(The clause in this example is, sat on the mat.) 

• Before completing the worksheet, work through 

a number of simple examples to ensure that the 

students understand when each relative pronoun 

should be used. 

• In Questions 1 (c) and (d) the preferred answer 

is that, and in (f) the preferred answer is which. 

However, as the students are taught that either can 

be correct, which is acceptable for (c) and (d) and 

that for (f). 


• In pairs, student take turns to make up sentences, 

deliberately using the wrong relative pronoun. 

For example, The man that drove a sports car 

always drove slowly. 

Partners have to explain why the pronoun is 

incorrect and say which one should have been used. 

• Photocopy and laminate a number of short cloze 

passages which require students to choose the 

correct relative pronoun. Set them as regular tasks. 

• Students look through a page in a book to find an 

example of a relative pronoun. Choose students 

to read out their sentences. Write each one on the 

board and discuss its different parts relating to the 

relative pronoun. 



Display Copy 

Answers 

1. (a) who (b) who (c) that/which 

(d) that/which (e) who (f) which 

(g) whose (h) whose 

2. (a) who (b) that (c) which 

(d) whose (e) whose 



Who, which, that and whose 

Who, which, that and whose are words that can connect a noun to a 

group of words that describe it. This group of words (with a verb) is 

called a clause. 

The boy who sits next to me. – who is always used for people 

The robot that was on sale. – that or which can be used for things 

The student whose bag was stolen. – whose is used for people and things. 

The thief who stole the jewels that were stored in the royal palace was 

captured on Monday. Police were led to the man, whose identity cannot be 

released, by a tracking device which was hidden inside the jewels. 

1. Choose the correct pronoun to fit into each sentence. 

(a) The slave 

(b) Here are the gladiators 

(c) Temples 

(d) Roads 

(e) The Romans 

ago. 

worked well was trusted by his master. 

will entertain us today. 

were built in honour of the gods were very grand. 

were built by the Romans were very straight. 

built Hadrian’s wall lived almost two thousand years 

(f) The Colosseum, 

is in the centre of the city of Rome, was the largest 

amphitheatre to be built during the time of the Roman Empire. 

(g) The horse 

(h) The Roman soldiers, 

battles. 

2. Circle the correct pronoun and finish each sentence. 

(a) The vet that/who 

leg was hurt in battle now walks with a limp. 

training was very tough, were very successful in 



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(b) The river who/that 

(c) The books who/which 

(d) The pilot whose/which 

(e) The building whose/who 




Conjunctions 

Focus 

Conjunctions 

Definition 

Conjunctions are joining words which can be used to 

connect words, phrases, clauses or sentences. 

Example: 

Salt and pepper 

running fast and breathing rapidly 

It’s a fast car but difficult to control. 

Since I have no money, I can’t go to the circus. 

Explanation 

• Using conjunctions enables a writer to build and 

combine ideas and avoid needless repetition. 

Conjunctions can join: 

- 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.’ 

• Conjunctions can be placed between two clauses or 

at the beginning of a sentence. The position of the 

conjunction helps the reader to know which part of 

the sentence is the focus. 

Example: 

‘If you climb on top of the monkey bars, you will 

fall.’ (Focus is on the cause) 

‘You will fall if you climb on top of the monkey 

bars.’ (Focus is on the consequence) 


• Students use a red pen to make edits through the 

text in Question 1 (a). Remind students that words 

can be deleted to avoid needless repetition. Words 

can also be rearranged. Students cross off the 

conjunctions used from the list. Try to use as many 

different conjunctions as possible. If students use a 

new conjunction, they can write it on the board for 

others to see and use. 

• Once Question 1 (b) is completed, students can 

share their improved text with the class. Make 

comparisons between the conjunctions used and the 

placement of conjunctions in the shared texts. 


• Write sentences which begin with conjunctions, such 

as ‘while’, ‘although’, ‘since’, ‘unless’ etc. 

• Extend a simple sentence such as ‘The cat sat on 

the mat’ by following it with a conjunction (such 

as ‘and’, ‘so’, ‘while’, ‘as’) and then a clause. For 

example, ‘The cat sat on the mat so his owners 

wouldn’t forget to feed him.’,‘The cat sat on the mat 

as it was warm from the sun.’ 

Answers 

1. (b) Teacher check. Suggested answer: 

Last night, I was snuggled up in bed when 

I heard a strange noise. At first, I thought it 

was coming from my wardrobe, but it could 

have been from the toy box. I was scared 

because I didn’t know what was making the 

noise. I crept out of bed, tiptoed over to the 

wardrobe, then slowly opened the door. First 

I gasped then I screamed out for Dad, who 

ran in to my room and turned on the light. 

Eventually, we both laughed. 

2. (a) Although it was raining, I didn’t get wet. 

(b) Unless I start studying today, I will fail the 

test. 



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(c) Whereas you are tall, he is short; or 

Whereas he is short, you are tall. 



Conjunctions 

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

clauses or sentences. 

1. (a) Read the text. 

Last night, I was snuggled up in bed. I heard a strange 

noise. I thought it was coming from my wardrobe. It 

could have been from the toy box. I was scared. I didn’t 

know what was making the noise. I tiptoed over to the 

wardrobe. I slowly opened the door. I gasped. I screamed 

out for Dad. Dad ran in to my room. He turned on the 

light. We both laughed. 

(b) Rewrite the text to make it more interesting by adding conjunctions. Use the list to help you 

or add your own. You can also delete and rearrange words. 

Conjunctions can be placed in the middle or at the beginning of two 

joined sentences or clauses. 

Example: All heads turned as the new student walked in to the classroom. 

As the new student walked in to the classroom, all heads turned. 

2. Rearrange these sentences so the conjunction is at the beginning. 

(a) I didn’t get wet, although it was raining. 

who 

since 

or 

before 

and 

then 

when 

At first 

until 

for 

next while 

although 

but 

because 

eventually 



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Don’t forget the 

comma between the 

two parts! 

(b) I will fail unless I start studying for the test today. 

(c) He is short whereas you are tall. 




Determiners 

Focus 

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

Possessives: my, your, his, her, its, our, their 

Demonstratives: this, that (singular), these, 

those (plural) 

Definitions 

• A determiner is a word usually used before a noun 

that determines how definite it is. For example, Our 

homework was placed on that table with these books 

because the teacher wanted us to take a book home 

each night. 

• Articles is a subclass of determiners. An article 

precedes a noun and identifies how definite (specific) or 

indefinite (non-specific) that noun is. 

Example: 

a child (meaning any child), the child (meaning a 

particular child) 

• A possessive determiner is a word which identifies 

who something belongs to. 

Example: 

Mary sold her book at the fete. 

• 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 as 

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, one-of-akind 

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) or an umbrella (meaning any 

umbrella) 

• Articles can indicate a significant difference in meaning. 

Example: 

a house (any house) and 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 usually precedes 

a noun that begins with a vowel sound. 

Example: 

an elephant, an ice-cream, an umbrella, an hour 

• 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 in 

singular or plural. Refer to the table below to see which 

possessive determiners are used in each situation. 

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 

• 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. 


• Question 1 provides the opportunity to study each word 

and its function when used in conjunction with a noun. 

By exploring the function of particular words, students 

will be able to more readily use the correct words in 

their own writing. They are then required to use the 

words in context. Clues have been given as to the role 

of the missing word; however, students must deduce 

from the context which word is required to complete the 

sentence. 

• Question 2 allows students to practise writing sentences 

using specific determiners as given. Some students may 

find this challenging. It might be helpful to ask students 

for example sentences, before they work independently 

to create their own sentences. 


• Use newspaper articles to search for examples of 

sentences which use the determiners dealt with on this 

page. 

Answers 

1. (a) who: my, her, its, their, his, our, your 

close/far away: that, those, these, this 

general or specific: a, an, the 

(b) (i) this 

(iii) a; the 


(ii) a; your; his 

(iv) those, that 


www.ricpublications.com.au R.I.C. Publications ® 

Singular 

Plural 



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Let’s be more precise – 1 

Some words can be used before a noun to give the reader or listener more precise information. 

These words are called determiners. The words in the box below are some examples: 

that my a her those its their 

his these our an this the your 

1. (a) Sort the determiners above into the table below. 

(b) Use the words above to complete these sentences. 

(i) ‘Is (distance) seat here taken?’ asked Linus. 

(ii) ‘John, I am happy you want to bake 

cake. Just remember it is 

mess, not mine’, stated 

(iii) Suddenly 

at 

(general/specific) 

(who) responsibility to clean up the 

(who) mum. 

(general/specific) strange black and white cat jumped up 

(general/specific) window and scared the living daylights out of Taj! 

(iv) I am afraid (distance) boys over there will break (distance) 

big window on the side of Mr Tan’s house. 

2. Use each group of three words in a sentence of your own. 

(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

These words tell us who the 

noun belongs to. 

that 

her 

an 

a 

its 

this 

the 

your 

those 

These words tell us if the 

noun(s) is/are close or far 

away. 

These words tell us whether 

the noun is general or 

Publicationsspecific. 

©R.I.C. 


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Determiners 

Focus 

Determiners: 

Distributives: either, neither, each, every 

Interrogatives: which, what, whose 

Definitions 

• A determiner is a word usually used before a noun 

that determines how definite it is. 

Example: 

Her dog was tied to that pole with a chain each 

time she went into the shop. 

• A distributive is a type of determiner which tells 

how something is distributed, shared or divided. 

Example: 

I think every person is special. 

• An interrogative is a type of determiner used before 

nouns to form a question. 

Example: 

Whose book is that? 

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. 

• Distributive determiners are usually used before 

the noun. 

• Each and every have similar meanings and it’s often 

possible to use either of them. 

Each often but not always means everyone 

separately or one by one and can be used for one of 

two things. 

It can be followed by ‘of’ and can be used in front of 

a verb. 

Every can mean each and sometimes all. 

Every cannot be used for two things or after ‘of’. 

It can be used to say ‘how often’ 

• Either and neither refer to one or none of two 

things. 

• Verbs used after each, every, either and neither are 

singular as are any related possessive determiners. 

Example: 

Each of the boys eats his dinner. 

Every person has worn his or her hat. 

Either sports car appeals to its drivers. 

Neither woman wants to drive her 

car. 

• ‘Which’, ‘what’ and ‘whose’ are also known as 

‘question words’. These words are placed before 

the noun they relate to and are used to elicit more 

precise information about that noun. 


• Discuss Question 1 with students and explain that 

some of these distributives have similar meanings. 

• Discuss question type words and point out that in 

these sentences the interrogatives are used directly 

before the noun they relate to. After discussing this 

aspect, students can then use the interrogatives in 

their own sentences. 


• Search newspaper or magazines and highlight the 

words, each, every, either and neither. Circle the 

verbs and decide if they are singular or plural. 



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Answers 

1. (a) every (b) each 

(c) Neither (d) either 

2. (a) Neither: not either; (b) either: one of the two; (c) 

each: every, of two or more considered individually 

or one by one; (d) every: each, referring one by one 

to all members of a group (e) each; referring one 

by one to each individual in the pair (f) neither: not 

either 

3. (a) Whose (b) Which (c) What (d) Which 

Teacher check student sentences. Ensure the 

interrogative is before the noun. 



Let’s be more precise – 2 

The words each, every, either and neither can tell how a noun is shared or divided. 

These words can be used to describe: 

• All the members of a group (every) 

• One member of a group (each) 

• One member of a group of two (either) 

• Not one member of a group of two (neither) 

1. Read the sentences and underline the determiner in each. 

(a) Every boy in our class played football on Friday. 

(b) I think each boy played his best game. 

(c) Neither team dominated the game. 

(d) We knew it would be either a draw or a very close victory. 

2. Choose the best word to complete each sentence. 

(a) 

boy swam his fastest time. (Either/Neither) 

(b) Mum knew that 

icy drink would be refreshing on such a hot day. 

(either/neither) 

(c) The principal gave 

of the students a merit certificate. 

(every/each) 

(d) I think 

boy in the team should play for at least one quarter. 

(every/each) 

(e) They both sang well so the judges gave 

(f) It was so cold and windy that 

(either/neither) 

girl a prize. (every/each) 

boy wanted to go swimming. 



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3. Underline the word in each sentence that makes it a question. Then use that word to write a 

question of your own. 

(a) ‘Whose schoolbag has been left on the floor?’ asked the teacher. 

(b) ‘Which piece of fruit would you like for morning tea?’ called Mum. 

(c) ‘What day of the week do you practise swimming?’ enquired Jamie. 

(d) ‘Which book would you like to read?’ questioned his friend. 




Prepositions 

Focus 

Prepositions of time, place and direction 

Definition 

• Prepositions are words used to show the 

relationship between nouns and/or pronouns in the 

same sentence. 

Example: 

The player ran across the field with the football 

tucked tightly under his arm. 

Explanation 

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

(meaning ‘before’ or ‘in front of’) and the word 

‘position’. As such, prepositions are words that are 

‘positioned in front’ of nouns or other words that 

functions as nouns (such as pronouns, verbal nouns 

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 to 

work 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 multiple 

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, 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 girl (subject), though tall, was still shorter than 

(preposition) her younger brother’ (object). (The 

prepositional phrase is underlined.) 

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

• A former rule was that prepositions 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 detail. 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. 

Example: 

in ‘Mia decided to stay inside’, ‘inside’ has no 

object, and so is an adverb. 


• Write some simple sentences with prepositions 

on the board, such as ‘The train came through the 

tunnel.’ , ‘The papers are in the top drawer.’, ‘Peter 

will leave at midday.’. Ask students to identify the 

nouns. Then ask another student to find the word 

that makes a connection between the two nouns 

(the preposition). Discuss how prepositions connect 

the nouns in sentences, and are usually followed by 

nouns or pronouns. 

• Give each student a copy of the worksheet. Students 

having difficulty identifying prepositions may first 

wish to highlight the nouns in the sentence, then 

look at the words before them to help identify 

prepositions. 


• Students could make crosswords or word-sleuths 

for each other using prepositions. 

• There are a number of online quizzes for 

prepositions. Type ‘preposition quiz online’ into your 

search engine to find suitable ones for your class. 



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Answers 

1. Prepositions: to, on, at, for, in, under, into, with, at, 

in, near 


3. (a) Prepositions include: in, on, to, into, onto, 

opposite. 

(b) Other words include: iron, into, 

inert, iris, inspire, nipper, nose, noose, noise, 

orient, option, pipe, priest, pronto, pointer, 

poor, potion, prone, pities, poison, poisoner, 

prison, pipe, portion, porpoise, protein, 

person, pier, poise, pine, ports, ponies, rinse, 

ripen, riot, ripe, rise, sprite, spire, sniper, spirit, 

spin, soot, spine, sore, strip, soon, snoop, stir, 

spoon, sooner, senior, site, sport, tenor, torso, 

tire, tripe. 



Prepositions 

Prepositions are words that can show the connection between nouns in 

sentences. They usually come before nouns or pronouns, not before verbs. 

Prepositions can show … 

• where something happens 

• when something happens 

• where something is going 

1. Underline the prepositions in the invitation. 

Jesse lives in Colby, near the town centre. 

I brush my teeth at night just before bed. 

Finn went over the river by bus. 

Hi Jenna 

Please come to my house on Sunday at 9.30 am for brunch! We’ll have the 

brunch in the garden, under the big umbrella. If it looks like it might rain, we’ll 

go into the games room instead. You can bring a friend with you if you like. I 

live at 27 Hempley Street in Mirandow. My house is near the church. 

I hope you can make it! 

From Annabel 

2. Write four new sentences using some of the prepositions you found. 



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3. (a) Find words that can be used as prepositions in the word ‘preposition’ (any length) using the 

letters in any order. 

preposition 

(b) Find any other words of four letters or more.

RIC-20238 Primary Grammar and Word Study Year 4 – Parts of Speech

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