Year 3 English: Instructions: imperative verbs, numbered steps and bullet points
Part of the Year 3 English writing non-fiction chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Instructions: imperative verbs, numbered steps and bullet points
An instruction tells the reader how to do something. Instructions use imperative verbs. An imperative verb is a command. It is the first word of the step, and it does not need a subject: Put the cup on the table. Do not write You put the cup on the table.
Use numbered steps for actions that must happen in order. Use bullet points, short items in a list, for the things that are needed, where the order does not matter.
How to grow a bean seed (instructions)
How to grow a bean seed
What you need
- a clear plastic cup
- a sheet of damp cotton wool
- a dried bean seed
- a sunny windowsill
What to do
- Put a sheet of damp cotton wool into the cup.
- Push the bean seed between the cotton wool and the side of the cup.
- Place the cup on a sunny windowsill.
- Water the cotton wool each day, so that it stays damp.
- Watch the bean for a week, and draw what you see.
| Part | What it does | An example from the box |
|---|---|---|
| Imperative verb | starts each step and gives a command | Place the cup on a sunny windowsill. |
| Numbered steps | show the order of the actions | steps 1 to 5 under What to do |
| Bullet points | list the things needed | a clear plastic cup |
Key ideas
- An instruction tells the reader how to do something.
- An imperative verb is a command, such as Put, Push, Water or Watch.
- Do not put You before an instruction: write Water the plant, not You water the plant.
- Use numbered steps when the order matters.
- Use bullet points to list the things needed.
Method. Find step 3 in the numbered list, then look at its first word.
- Find the key words in the question. These words tell us where to look: imperative verb.imperative verb
- Find the words in the text that answer it. The text says:Place the cup on a sunny windowsill.
- Write the answer. Place
Check. Place starts step 3 and is a command. ✓
Watch out. The command word is the first word of the step, not a noun.
Method. Remove the words that name the reader, and start with the verb.
- Find the words to remove. You should is not needed in an instruction.You should
- Put the verb first. An instruction starts with the imperative verb, water.Water the cotton wool each day.
- Write the answer. Water the cotton wool each day.
Check. The instruction starts with the command Water. ✓
Method. Think about what must happen first.
- Find the first step. The cotton wool must go in the cup before the seed is pushed in.Put the cotton wool in the cup
- Find the last step. Watching the bean for a week comes last, after it is planted.Watch the bean for a week
- Write the answer. Put the cotton wool in the cup. Push the seed in. Watch the bean for a week.
Check. The cotton wool, then the seed, then watching. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: do not start a step with You or with I. Start with the command word, such as Put or Stir, and leave out the subject.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask your child to write a three-step set of instructions for making a sandwich, using a numbered list. Then ask them to read it back and check that each step starts with a command word.
Exercise 11C Practice: instructions
Method. Look at the first word of the instruction.
- Look at the first word. The first word is a command, so it is the imperative verb.Water
- Check it is a command. Water tells the reader to do something.a command
- Write the answer. Water
Check. Water is the command word. ✓
Method. The imperative verb is the first word of the instruction.
- Find the first word. The instruction starts with Ask.Ask
- Check it is a command. Ask tells the reader to do something.a command
- Write the answer. Ask
Check. Ask starts the instruction. ✓
Method. Look at what the sentence asks the reader to do.
- Look at the first word. Put is a command.Put
- Decide. A sentence that gives a command is an instruction.an instruction
- Write the answer. an instruction
Check. Put is a command, so it is an instruction. ✓
Method. Think about the first word of each step in BEAN.
- Look at the steps. Each step starts with Put, Push, Place, Water or Watch.Put; Push; Place
- Name the word class. These are all verbs, and they are commands.a verb
- Write the answer. a verb
Check. Every command starts with a verb. ✓
Watch out. Also accept: an imperative verb, or a command word.
Method. Remove You must and start with the verb.
- Remove the subject. You must is not needed in an instruction.You must
- Start with the verb. Close is the command word.Close the lid.
- Write the answer. Close the lid.
Check. The instruction starts with Close. ✓
Method. Remove You should and start with the verb.
- Remove the subject. You should is not needed in an instruction.You should
- Start with the verb. Stir is the command word.Stir the soup.
- Write the answer. Stir the soup.
Check. The instruction starts with Stir. ✓
Method. Write each thing needed as a short item.
- Choose three things. Each item is one thing needed for the sandwich.bread; butter; cheese
- Write them as short items. Bullet points are short, so each one is only a few words.short items
- Write the answer. Accept any three items, for example: two slices of bread; butter; a slice of cheese.
Check. Three short items, one for each thing. ✓
Method. Think about what must happen first when making a sandwich.
- Find the first step. You need the bread before you can spread the butter.Take two slices of bread
- Find the last step. The slices are put together at the end.Put the slices together
- Write the answer. Take two slices of bread. Spread the butter. Put the slices together.
Check. Bread, then butter, then putting together. ✓
Method. Start with the command word Dig, then say where and what.
- Start with the command. Dig is the imperative verb.Dig
- Finish the step. Say where the hole goes, so the step is clear.a small hole in the soil
- Write the answer. Accept any step that starts with Dig, for example: Dig a small hole in the soil.
Check. The step starts with a command. ✓
Method. A bullet point is a short item in a list of things.
- Look at A and C. Put the cup on the table and Then water it are steps, so they are not items in a list.steps
- Look at B. A cup of water is a short item, so it is a bullet point.a short item
- Write the answer. B: a cup of water
Check. Only B is a short item in a list. ✓
Method. Think about how a reader uses instructions while doing the task.
- Think about the reader. The reader looks away, does one thing, then looks back.does one thing, then looks back
- Think about the numbers. Numbered steps show the order, so the reader finds their place quickly.finds their place
- Write the answer. Accept any: the reader can follow the order one step at a time, and can find the place again quickly.
Check. Numbers help the reader follow the order. ✓