Year 1 English: Words and spaces
Part of the Year 1 English making sentences chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page · Download worksheet (PDF) · Answers (PDF)
Words and spaces
A word is a group of letters that we say together, like cat or dog. We leave a small space between words, so we can see where one word stops and the next one starts.
Words join together to make a sentence. Say this sentence out loud, and touch each word as you say it: The cat sat.
Key ideas
- A word is a group of letters that we say together.
- Leave a space between each word.
- A sentence is a group of words.
- A full stop is a mark, not a word, so do not count it.
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.
- Read the sentence slowly. Listen for the gaps between the words.The dog ran.
- Touch each word as you say it. Each word has a space before it and a space after it.The · dog · ran.
- Count the words. The number you counted is the number of words.3 words
Check. Count again from the last word back to the first. You get 3 again. ✓
Watch out. Do not count the full stop as a word. It is a dot, not a word.
Method. Find where each word stops and the next one starts. Then leave a space in each gap.
- Look at the joined letters. Some words are stuck together. Say the sentence slowly.Iamhappy.
- Find where each word stops. Each word is one group of letters that we say together.I / am / happy.
- Write the sentence with spaces. Leave one space between each word.I am happy.
Check. The answer has 3 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 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.
- Read the sentence slowly. Listen for the gaps between the words.Sam can jump high.
- Touch each word as you say it. Each word has a space before it and a space after it.Sam · can · jump · high.
- 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.
Watch out
Watch out: letters stuck together look like one long word. Thecatsat. is one long word, not three. Leave a space between each word so that each word can be read on its own.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Read a sentence from a book together. Ask your child to touch each word as they say it, then ask: “How many words?” On paper, practise writing a short sentence with a finger-width space between each word.
Exercise 6A Counting words and putting in spaces
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.
- Read the sentence slowly. Listen for the gaps between the words.Tom can run.
- Touch each word as you say it. Each word has a space before it and a space after it.Tom · can · run.
- Count the words. The number you counted is the number of words.3 words
Check. Count again from the last word back to the first. You get 3 again. ✓
Watch out. Do not count the full stop as a word. It is a dot, not a word.
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.
- Read the sentence slowly. Listen for the gaps between the words.I like cats.
- Touch each word as you say it. Each word has a space before it and a space after it.I · like · cats.
- Count the words. The number you counted is the number of words.3 words
Check. Count again from the last word back to the first. You get 3 again. ✓
Watch out. Do not count the full stop as a word. It is a dot, not a word.
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.
- Read the sentence slowly. Listen for the gaps between the words.Mum has a red hat.
- Touch each word as you say it. Each word has a space before it and a space after it.Mum · has · a · red · hat.
- 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.
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.
- Read the sentence slowly. Listen for the gaps between the words.We play in the park.
- Touch each word as you say it. Each word has a space before it and a space after it.We · play · in · the · park.
- 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.
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.
- Read the sentence slowly. Listen for the gaps between the words.Fish swim.
- Touch each word as you say it. Each word has a space before it and a space after it.Fish · swim.
- Count the words. The number you counted is the number of words.2 words
Check. Count again from the last word back to the first. You get 2 again. ✓
Watch out. Do not count the full stop as a word. It is a dot, not a word.
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.
- Read the sentence slowly. Listen for the gaps between the words.Dogs bark.
- Touch each word as you say it. Each word has a space before it and a space after it.Dogs · bark.
- Count the words. The number you counted is the number of words.2 words
Check. Count again from the last word back to the first. You get 2 again. ✓
Watch out. Do not count the full stop as a word. It is a dot, not a word.
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.
- Read the sentence slowly. Listen for the gaps between the words.The bus is red.
- Touch each word as you say it. Each word has a space before it and a space after it.The · bus · is · red.
- 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.
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.
- Read the sentence slowly. Listen for the gaps between the words.Yusuf has a kite and a ball.
- Touch each word as you say it. Each word has a space before it and a space after it.Yusuf · has · a · kite · and · a · ball.
- Count the words. The number you counted is the number of words.7 words
Check. Count again from the last word back to the first. You get 7 again. ✓
Watch out. Do not count the full stop as a word. It is a dot, not a word.
Method. Find where each word stops and the next one starts. Then leave a space in each gap.
- Look at the joined letters. Some words are stuck together. Say the sentence slowly.Thebigdogran.
- Find where each word stops. Each word is one group of letters that we say together.The / big / dog / ran.
- Write the sentence with spaces. Leave one space between each word.The big dog ran.
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.
Method. Find where each word stops and the next one starts. Then leave a space in each gap.
- Look at the joined letters. Some words are stuck together. Say the sentence slowly.Iwentout.
- Find where each word stops. Each word is one group of letters that we say together.I / went / out.
- Write the sentence with spaces. Leave one space between each word.I went out.
Check. The answer has 3 words, the same as the joined letters. ✓
Watch out. Leave a small space between words. Check that no two words are still stuck together.
Method. Find where each word stops and the next one starts. Then leave a space in each gap.
- Look at the joined letters. Some words are stuck together. Say the sentence slowly.Mydogisbig.
- Find where each word stops. Each word is one group of letters that we say together.My / dog / is / big.
- 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.
Method. Look at the letters with no spaces. Then count the words the way they should be written.
- Look for spaces. There are no spaces between the letters.Thecatsat
- Count the words. Letters with no spaces make one long word, not three.1 long word
- Put the spaces in. Written properly, it has three words.The cat sat. has 3 words.
Check. Put a finger between each word: The / cat / sat. Three words, once the spaces are in. ✓
Watch out. Three words need two spaces between them, so that each word is separate.