Reception English and phonics Common tricky words: check-up and practice test questions
Part of the Reception English and phonics common tricky words chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Exercise 8Z Check-up
Method. A tricky word does not follow the sounds, so learn how it looks.
- Look at the whole word. Learn the shape of the word.the
- Say the word. Say it the same way each time.the
- Find it again. Compare each word in the list with the word you are looking for.the is the word.
Check. Read the word again. It is the. ✓
Watch out. Tricky words cannot be sounded out in the usual way, so look at the whole word.
Method. Read the whole sentence first. Then find the tricky word that fits the gap.
- Read the sentence. Read it all the way to the gap.I can see ___ cat.
- Find the tricky word. Read the word on sight, from the whole word.the
- Read the full sentence. Check that the sentence reads correctly.I can see the cat.
Check. Read the sentence again: I can see the cat. ✓
Watch out. Tricky words are learned by their look.
Method. Read the whole sentence first. Then find the tricky word that fits the gap.
- Read the sentence. Read it all the way to the gap.Look at ___ dog.
- Find the tricky word. Read the word on sight, from the whole word.my
- Read the full sentence. Check that the sentence reads correctly.Look at my dog.
Check. Read the sentence again: Look at my dog. ✓
Watch out. Tricky words are learned by their look.
Method. Look at the whole word, then count the letters.
- Look at the word. Read the whole word.they
- Count the letters. Count each letter once.t, h, e, y
- Write the answer. 4 letters.
Check. Count again: t, h, e, y. There are 4. ✓
Watch out. Count letters, not sounds.
Method. A tricky word does not follow the sounds, so learn how it looks.
- Look at the whole word. Learn the shape of the word.go
- Say the word. Say it the same way each time.go
- Find it again. Compare each word in the list with the word you are looking for.go is the word.
Check. Read the word again. It is go. ✓
Watch out. Tricky words cannot be sounded out in the usual way, so look at the whole word.
Method. Read the whole sentence first. Then find the tricky word that fits the gap.
- Read the sentence. Read it all the way to the gap.We ___ going into the pond.
- Find the tricky word. Read the word on sight, from the whole word.are
- Read the full sentence. Check that the sentence reads correctly.We are going into the pond.
Check. Read the sentence again: We are going into the pond. ✓
Watch out. Tricky words are learned by their look.
Method. Say the word, sound by sound. Then write one letter, or one group of letters, in each box.
- Say the name of the picture. A grown-up says the word slowly.to
- Say each sound in order. Each sound is written as one box.t - o
- Write the letters in order. The letters go in the same order as the sounds.t-o
Check. Read the letters back: t-o. They spell to. ✓
Watch out. Write the sounds from left to right, and leave no box out.
Method. Think about the meaning of the word for belonging to her.
- Think about the meaning. The word that means belonging to her is her.belonging to her
- Check the other words. my, you and they are different.my, you, they
- Write the answer. her
Check. her is the word for belonging to her. ✓
Watch out. Read the word on sight.
Method. Read the sentence, then write the tricky words in order.
- Read the sentence. Read each word in order.They - go - into - my - house
- Find the tricky words. They, go, into and my are tricky words.They, go, into, my
- Write the answer. They, go, into, my
Check. Four tricky words in order. ✓
Watch out. Check each word against the list.
Method. Think about the sounds of was.
- Say the letters. w - a - s would not give the right word.w - a - s
- Think about the look. The whole word must be learned by its look.learn the look
- Give your answer. Use the words look and sound.Accept any answer that says the sounds do not match the word, so the look of the whole word must be learned.
Check. Tricky words are learned by their look. ✓
Watch out. Look at the whole word.
Total 17 marks. Allow about 17 minutes.
Exercise 8X Practice test questions
Method. A tricky word does not follow the sounds, so learn how it looks.
- Look at the whole word. Learn the shape of the word.you
- Say the word. Say it the same way each time.you
- Find it again. Compare each word in the list with the word you are looking for.you is the word.
Check. Read the word again. It is you. ✓
Watch out. Tricky words cannot be sounded out in the usual way, so look at the whole word.
Method. Read the whole sentence first. Then find the tricky word that fits the gap.
- Read the sentence. Read it all the way to the gap.Can ___ run fast?
- Find the tricky word. Read the word on sight, from the whole word.you
- Read the full sentence. Check that the sentence reads correctly.Can you run fast?
Check. Read the sentence again: Can you run fast? ✓
Watch out. Tricky words are learned by their look.
Method. Look at the whole word, then count the letters.
- Look at the word. Read the whole word.into
- Count the letters. Count each letter once.i, n, t, o
- Write the answer. 4 letters.
Check. Count again: i, n, t, o. There are 4. ✓
Watch out. Count the letters in the word.
Method. Say the word, sound by sound. Then write one letter, or one group of letters, in each box.
- Say the name of the picture. A grown-up says the word slowly.me
- Say each sound in order. Each sound is written as one box.m - e
- Write the letters in order. The letters go in the same order as the sounds.m-e
Check. Read the letters back: m-e. They spell me. ✓
Watch out. Write the sounds from left to right, and leave no box out.
Method. Read the whole sentence first. Then find the tricky word that fits the gap.
- Read the sentence. Read it all the way to the gap.Please ___ quiet.
- Find the tricky word. Read the word on sight, from the whole word.be
- Read the full sentence. Check that the sentence reads correctly.Please be quiet.
Check. Read the sentence again: Please be quiet. ✓
Watch out. Tricky words are learned by their look.
Method. Read the sentence, then find the tricky words in it.
- Read the sentence. Read each word in order.She - went - to - the - shop
- Find the tricky words. She, to and the are tricky words. went is not.She, to, the
- Write the answer. She, to, the
Check. The tricky words are She, to and the. ✓
Watch out. Check each word against the list.
Method. Think about the meaning of belonging to me.
- Think about the meaning. The word for belonging to me is my.belonging to me
- Check the spelling. my has two letters: m and y.m - y
- Write the answer. my
Check. my is the word for belonging to me. ✓
Watch out. Read the word on sight.
Method. Look at the word that Ravi wrote, then write the right tricky word.
- Look at thay. The letters are not the right tricky word.thay
- Look at the right word. they is spelled t - h - e - y.t - h - e - y
- Write the answer. they
Check. they is spelled t-h-e-y. ✓
Watch out. Learn the look of the whole word.
Method. Write a short sentence with two tricky words in it.
- Think of a short sentence. Use two tricky words from this chapter.I can see the dog.
- Check the tricky words. I and the are tricky words.I, the
- Write the answer. Accept any sentence with two tricky words from this chapter in it, such as I can see the dog.
Check. Two tricky words are in the sentence. ✓
Watch out. Read the sentence back to check it.
Method. Think about each word.
- Look at all. Its sounds do not follow the usual pattern.all
- Look at are and be. They are also learned by their look.are, be
- Give your answer. Say whether Sam is right.Accept any answer that says yes: these words do not follow the usual sounds, so their look is learned.
Check. These are tricky words, learned by sight. ✓
Watch out. Learn the look of each tricky word.