Year 1 English: Words for talking about writing
Part of the Year 1 English questions and exclamations chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page · Download worksheet (PDF) · Answers (PDF)
Words for talking about writing
Writing has special words, so we can talk about it. Here are some of the most useful ones.
A letter is one of the 26 letters of the alphabet. A word is a group of letters with a space before and after it. A sentence is a group of words that tells a whole idea.
Punctuation is the marks we write to help the reader, such as the full stop (.), the question mark (?) and the exclamation mark (!).
A singular word is about one thing, like dog. A plural word is about more than one thing, like dogs.
Key ideas
- A letter is one of the 26 letters of the alphabet.
- A word is a group of letters with a space before and after it.
- A sentence is a group of words that tells a whole idea.
- Singular means one. Plural means more than one.
Key words. Singular means one. Plural means more than one.
Method. Count how many there are. One is singular. More than one is plural.
- Count the pictures. Touch each one once.One dog
- Decide: one, or more than one? One thing is singular. More than one is plural.one = singular, more than one = plural
- Write the answer. singular
Check. Say it with the right number: one dog. ✓
Watch out. Look at how many there are, not at the size of the picture.
Key words. Singular means one. Plural means more than one.
Method. Plural means more than one. Change the word so it means more than one.
- Start with the word for one. Singular means one.one box
- Make it mean more than one. Add the ending that makes more than one.box → boxes
- Write the plural. boxes
Check. Say it out loud: one box, two boxes. ✓
Watch out. Check the ending. Most words add -s. Words ending in x, ch, sh or s add -es, like boxes.
Method. Think about what each one is: a word, or a mark.
- Look at the three choices. Two of them are words.?, cat, red
- Find the mark. A question mark is punctuation, not a word.? is a mark
- Write the answer. Cat and red are words, so they are not punctuation.?
Check. The question mark helps the reader. Cat and red are words. ✓
Watch out. Punctuation marks are not words, so do not count them when you count the words.
Watch out
Watch out: dog and dogs are both words, but they mean different things. Dog is singular, one dog. Dogs is plural, more than one dog. Punctuation marks are not words, so do not count them.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Talk about how writing works. Look at a page from a book together, and ask your child to point to a letter, a word, a sentence and a full stop. Say the names together, as a game.
Exercise 7E Words about writing
Key words. A word is a group of letters that we say together, like cat.
Method. Touch each word once. The end mark is not a word.
- Read the sentence slowly. Listen for the spaces between the words.Can you help me?
- Touch each word as you say it. Each word has a space before it and after it.Can · you · help · me
- 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 question mark or the exclamation mark as a word.
Key words. A letter is one of the 26 letters of the alphabet.
Method. Say each letter, one at a time, and count them.
- Say the letters one at a time. Touch each letter once.c, a, t
- Count the letters. Each letter counts as one.3 letters
- Write the answer. 3
Check. Count again from the end: 3 letters. ✓
Watch out. A letter is one of the 26 letters of the alphabet. Count letters, not sounds.
Method. Think about one cat and more than one cat.
- Look at the two words. One is about one cat. The other is about more than one.cat and cats
- Decide which one is about one. Singular means one.cat = one
- Write the answer. cat
Check. Say it out loud: one cat. ✓
Watch out. The plural ends in -s, so cats is more than one.
Key words. Singular means one. Plural means more than one.
Method. Plural means more than one. Change the word so it means more than one.
- Start with the word for one. Singular means one.one cup
- Make it mean more than one. Add the ending that makes more than one.cup → cups
- Write the plural. cups
Check. Say it out loud: one cup, two cups. ✓
Watch out. Check the ending. Most words add -s. Words ending in x, ch, sh or s add -es, like boxes.
Method. Find the word that means more than one tree.
- Look at the two words. Only one of them is about more than one tree.tree and trees
- Decide which one is plural. Plural means more than one, and trees ends in -s.trees = more than one
- Write the answer. trees
Check. Say it out loud: one tree, two trees. ✓
Watch out. Plural words often end in -s, but not every word does.
Method. Think about which mark asks and which mark shows a strong feeling.
- Look at the two marks. A question mark asks. An exclamation mark shows a strong feeling.? and !
- Match the mark to its job. The mark that shows a strong feeling is the exclamation mark.! shows a strong feeling
- Write the answer. exclamation mark (!)
Check. Read the job again: strong feeling, so ! is the mark. ✓
Watch out. Do not mix up the question mark and the exclamation mark.
Key words. A full stop (.) ends a sentence that tells something.
Method. Look at the mark, then say its name.
- Look at the mark. It is a small sign at the end of a sentence..
- Find its name. Each punctuation mark has its own name.. = full stop
- Write the name. full stop
Check. Say the name out loud: full stop. ✓
Watch out. Punctuation marks are not words. They help the reader.
Key words. A question mark (?) ends a sentence that asks something.
Method. Look at the mark, then say its name.
- Look at the mark. It is a small sign at the end of a sentence.?
- Find its name. Each punctuation mark has its own name.? = question mark
- Write the name. question mark
Check. Say the name out loud: question mark. ✓
Watch out. Punctuation marks are not words. They help the reader.
Key words. An exclamation mark (!) ends a sentence that shows a strong feeling.
Method. Look at the mark, then say its name.
- Look at the mark. It is a small sign at the end of a sentence.!
- Find its name. Each punctuation mark has its own name.! = exclamation mark
- Write the name. exclamation mark
Check. Say the name out loud: exclamation mark. ✓
Watch out. Punctuation marks are not words. They help the reader.
Method. Count the things in the picture. One thing is singular. More than one is plural.
- Count the cats. Touch each one once.one, two
- Decide: one or more than one? Two is more than one.two cats = more than one
- Write the answer. plural
Check. Say it out loud: two cats. ✓
Watch out. Look at how many there are, not at the colour.
Method. Find the first word and the name in the sentence.
- Read the sentence. The first word of a sentence has a capital letter.Where is Ali?
- Find the first capital. The first word of the sentence is Where.W for Where
- Find the name. A name of a person has a capital letter too.A for Ali
Check. Read it with the two capitals: Where is Ali? ✓
Watch out. Names always have a capital letter, even in the middle of a sentence.
Key words. A question mark (?) ends a sentence that asks something.
Method. Look at the end of each sentence. Ask what each one does.
- Read both sentences. Look at the end of each one.A: Where is the park? B: Where is the park.
- Decide what the right one does. It asks us something, so it ends with a question mark.It is asking something.
- Pick the sentence with the right end mark. The other one has the wrong end mark for what it does.A: Where is the park?
Check. Read both out loud. It sounds like a question. ✓
Watch out. Look at the end of the sentence, and ask what it does.
Method. Check the end mark. Ask what the sentence does.
- Read the sentence. Sam is asking someone to help.Can you help me
- Decide what it does. It asks, so it needs a question mark.It is asking.
- Write the fixed sentence. Change the full stop to a question mark.The full stop is wrong. It should be a question mark: Can you help me?
Check. Read it aloud. It sounds like a question. ✓
Watch out. Check the end mark every time you finish a sentence.
Method. Think about where a sentence begins.
- Look at the first word. The first word of a sentence starts with a capital.Can
- Check the rest of the words. Only the first word needs a capital, unless it is a name or a day.you, help, me are small
- Write the answer. Can is the first word of the sentence.
Check. Read it aloud. Can starts the sentence. ✓
Watch out. Capital letters are for the start of a sentence, and for names, places and days.