Year 1 English Making Sentences: check-up and quiz

Key words. A word is a group of letters that we say together, like cat.

Method. Touch each word once, with a space between each one. A full stop is not a word.

1. Read the sentence slowly. Listen for the gaps between the words.
   The big dog ran home.
2. Touch each word as you say it. Each word has a space before it and a space after it.
   The · big · dog · ran · home.
3. Count the words. The number you counted is the number of words.
   5 words

Check. Count again from the last word back to the first. You get 5 again. ✓

Watch out. Do not count the full stop as a word. It is a dot, not a word.

Method. A sentence makes sense on its own and tells a whole idea.

1. Read it aloud. Does it make sense on its own?
   On the mat.
2. Find who or what, and what happened. It tells us where, but not who did something.
3. Decide. It does not tell a whole idea, so it is not a sentence.
   No

Check. Read it again to yourself. It does not make sense on its own. ✓

Watch out. A group of words can look long and still not be a sentence.

Key words. A capital letter is the big letter, like T. A small letter is the little letter, like t.

Method. The first word of a sentence starts with a capital letter.

1. Look at the first letter. It is a small letter, so it needs changing.
   the bus is big.
2. Make it a capital letter. A capital letter is the big letter.
   t → T
3. Write the sentence again. Keep the other words the same.
   The bus is big.

Check. Only the first letter changed. The other words stayed the same. ✓

Watch out. Change the first letter only. Do not change the other words.

Method. A sentence that tells something ends with a full stop.

1. Read the sentence to the end. Listen for where it finishes.
   Ali has a dog
2. Put a full stop after the last word. The full stop shows the sentence has finished.
   Ali has a dog.
3. Write the sentence with its full stop. Now the sentence is complete.
   Ali has a dog.

Check. Read it aloud and stop at the dot. ✓

Watch out. The full stop goes after the last word, at the end of the sentence. Not in the middle.

Key words. A place is somewhere like a town or a city. A day is Monday, Tuesday and so on.

Method. Names, places, days of the week and the word I always need a capital letter. The first word of a sentence needs one too.

1. Read the sentence. Look for names, places, days and the word I.
   mia went to leeds on sunday.
2. Find the words that need a capital letter. Each of these starts with a capital letter.
   Mia, Leeds, Sunday
3. Write the sentence again. Change only the letters that need a capital.
   Mia went to Leeds on Sunday.

Check. Read it aloud. Every name, place and day starts with a capital letter. ✓

Watch out. Do not give capital letters to ordinary words. Only names, places, days and I need one in the middle of a sentence.

Method. Keep the first sentence. Then join the second idea to it with the word and.

1. Read both sentences. Look for the words that are the same.
   Sam has a ball.   Sam has a bat.
2. Join the two ideas with and. Write the repeated words only once.
   Sam has a ball and a bat.
3. Write one sentence with one full stop. Only the end of the joined sentence needs a full stop.
   Sam has a ball and a bat.

Check. Read it aloud. It still tells both ideas. ✓

Watch out. Use one full stop at the end. Do not put a full stop in the middle.

Method. Find where each word stops and the next one starts. Then leave a space in each gap.

1. Look at the joined letters. Some words are stuck together. Say the sentence slowly.
   Iwenttoschool.
2. Find where each word stops. Each word is one group of letters that we say together.
   I / went / to / school.
3. Write the sentence with spaces. Leave one space between each word.
   I went to school.

Check. The answer has 4 words, the same as the joined letters. ✓

Watch out. Leave a small space between words. Check that no two words are still stuck together.

Key words. A place is somewhere like a town or a city. A day is Monday, Tuesday and so on.

Method. Names, places, days of the week and the word I always need a capital letter. The first word of a sentence needs one too.

1. Read the sentence. Look for names, places, days and the word I.
   i saw jack in bristol.
2. Find the words that need a capital letter. Each of these starts with a capital letter.
   I, Jack, Bristol
3. Write the sentence again. Change only the letters that need a capital.
   I saw Jack in Bristol.

Check. Read it aloud. Every name, place and day starts with a capital letter. ✓

Watch out. Do not give capital letters to ordinary words. Only names, places, days and I need one in the middle of a sentence.

Method. Days of the week are names. Names of days need a capital letter.

1. Read the word. Tuesday is the name of a day of the week.
   Tuesday
2. Think about names. Names of days start with a capital letter, like names of people.
   Tuesday = a name of a day
3. Write the answer.
   Days of the week are names, so they start with a capital letter.

Check. Write it with a capital: Tuesday. ✓

Watch out. The word Tuesday always starts with a capital letter, even in the middle of a sentence.

Key words. A word is a group of letters that we say together, like cat.

Method. Touch each word once, with a space between each one. A full stop is not a word.

1. Read the sentence slowly. Listen for the gaps between the words.
   Dad made a cake.
2. Touch each word as you say it. Each word has a space before it and a space after it.
   Dad · made · a · cake.
3. Count the words. The number you counted is the number of words.
   4 words

Check. Count again from the last word back to the first. You get 4 again. ✓

Watch out. Do not count the full stop as a word. It is a dot, not a word.

Method. Read both groups of words. Pick the one that makes sense on its own.

1. Read both groups aloud. Listen to which one sounds finished.
   The cat hid under the table.   or   Under the table
2. Check for who or what, and what happened. A sentence tells a whole idea.
   The cat hid under the table. tells a whole idea.
3. Write the answer. The other group does not tell a whole idea.
   The cat hid under the table.

Check. The other group is only a list of words, not a whole idea. ✓

Watch out. Long is not the same as a sentence. Check that the words make sense together.

Key words. A capital letter is the big letter, like T. A small letter is the little letter, like t.

Method. The first word of a sentence starts with a capital letter.

1. Look at the first letter. It is a small letter, so it needs changing.
   the cow is big.
2. Make it a capital letter. A capital letter is the big letter.
   t → T
3. Write the sentence again. Keep the other words the same.
   The cow is big.

Check. Only the first letter changed. The other words stayed the same. ✓

Watch out. Change the first letter only. Do not change the other words.

Method. A sentence that tells something ends with a full stop.

1. Read the sentence to the end. Listen for where it finishes.
   Leo can swim
2. Put a full stop after the last word. The full stop shows the sentence has finished.
   Leo can swim.
3. Write the sentence with its full stop. Now the sentence is complete.
   Leo can swim.

Check. Read it aloud and stop at the dot. ✓

Watch out. The full stop goes after the last word, at the end of the sentence. Not in the middle.

Key words. A place is somewhere like a town or a city. A day is Monday, Tuesday and so on.

Method. Names, places, days of the week and the word I always need a capital letter. The first word of a sentence needs one too.

1. Read the sentence. Look for names, places, days and the word I.
   noah lives in cardiff.
2. Find the words that need a capital letter. Each of these starts with a capital letter.
   Noah, Cardiff
3. Write the sentence again. Change only the letters that need a capital.
   Noah lives in Cardiff.

Check. Read it aloud. Every name, place and day starts with a capital letter. ✓

Watch out. Do not give capital letters to ordinary words. Only names, places, days and I need one in the middle of a sentence.

Method. Keep the first sentence. Then join the second idea to it with the word and.

1. Read both sentences. Look for the words that are the same.
   Ruby has a kite.   Ruby has a ball.
2. Join the two ideas with and. Write the repeated words only once.
   Ruby has a kite and a ball.
3. Write one sentence with one full stop. Only the end of the joined sentence needs a full stop.
   Ruby has a kite and a ball.

Check. Read it aloud. It still tells both ideas. ✓

Watch out. Use one full stop at the end. Do not put a full stop in the middle.

Method. Find where each word stops and the next one starts. Then leave a space in each gap.

1. Look at the joined letters. Some words are stuck together. Say the sentence slowly.
   Mydogisbig.
2. Find where each word stops. Each word is one group of letters that we say together.
   My / dog / is / big.
3. Write the sentence with spaces. Leave one space between each word.
   My dog is big.

Check. The answer has 4 words, the same as the joined letters. ✓

Watch out. Leave a small space between words. Check that no two words are still stuck together.

Key words. A place is somewhere like a town or a city. A day is Monday, Tuesday and so on.

Method. Names, places, days of the week and the word I always need a capital letter. The first word of a sentence needs one too.

1. Read the sentence. Look for names, places, days and the word I.
   i went on monday to the park.
2. Find the words that need a capital letter. Each of these starts with a capital letter.
   I, Monday
3. Write the sentence again. Change only the letters that need a capital.
   I went on Monday to the park.

Check. Read it aloud. Every name, place and day starts with a capital letter. ✓

Watch out. Do not give capital letters to ordinary words. Only names, places, days and I need one in the middle of a sentence.

Method. Think about the first letter, and the full stop at the end.

1. Look at the first letter. It is small, so it needs a capital.
   we
2. Make the first letter a capital. Write the capital W.
   W
3. Add a full stop at the end. The sentence tells something, so it needs a full stop.
   We like to play.

Check. Read it aloud. It starts with a capital and stops with a dot. ✓

Watch out. Check both the start and the end of the sentence.

Method. Think about what a name is.

1. Read the sentence. Sam is a name of a person.
   Sam can run.
2. Think about names. Names of people always start with a capital letter.
   Sam = a name
3. Write the answer.
   Sam is a name, so it starts with a capital letter.

Check. Read it aloud: Sam can run. ✓

Watch out. Names of people start with a capital letter, even when they are not the first word.