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Primary English · Year 4Chapter 2 · The statutory word list and the dictionary
Year 4 English · The statutory word list and the dictionary · Lesson 2.3

Year 4 English: The statutory word list: famous to important

Part of the Year 4 English the statutory word list and the dictionary chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page

2.3

The statutory word list: famous to important

Year 4
Spell the words on the statutory list from famous to important, with their meanings, Spell the words with a capital letter, such as February, and the words that end in -ous, -ant and -ture
Story. The class is writing a poster about its favourite things. Ella writes about the famous explorers they read about in history. Sam writes about February, which is the shortest month of the year.

This section covers the next group of words on the statutory list. The list is in alphabetical order, so these words start with f, g, h and i.

February is the name of a month, so it starts with a capital letter. It is also a word with a tricky first r.

Some words have an ending that you must learn: famous ends in -ous, important ends in -ant, and history ends in y. The endings are the key part to check.

WordTricky partWhy it is tricky
famous-ous at the endIt is not -us
Februarythe first rThe first r is often missed
grammarmm in the middleDouble m, then -ar
heardear in the middleHerd is a different word
important-ant at the endIt is not -ent
Tricky parts from this section, with the reason each one catches people out.

Key ideas

  • February is a month, and it starts with a capital letter.
  • Famous ends in -ous. Important ends in -ant. History ends in y.
  • Heard is the past tense of hear. Herd is a group of animals, and it is spelt differently.
  • Fruit, group and guide each have a tricky pair of letters in the middle.
Worked example 2.3.1
Write the word that means: having great value, or needed a lot.

Method. Match the meaning to the word on the list, then check its spelling.

  1. Read the meaning. Think about what the clue describes.
    having great value, or needed a lot
  2. Find the word that matches. Think of the one word on the list with this meaning.
    important
  3. Check the tricky part. The word ends in -ant, not -ent.
    Tricky part: ant
  4. Write the answer.
    important

Check. Read important and check each letter against the word. ✓

Watch out. The word ends in -ant, not -ent.

Worked example 2.3.2
Write the missing word: We   the bell ring at nine o'clock.

Method. Think what the sentence means, then choose the word that fits the gap and its spelling.

  1. Read the sentence with the gap. Think what the sentence means.
    We ___ the bell ring at nine o'clock.
  2. Find the word that fits the meaning. took in a sound with your ears; the past tense of hear
    heard
  3. Put the word in the gap. Read the sentence again. It makes sense.
    We heard the bell ring at nine o'clock.
  4. Write the answer.
    heard

Check. Read the whole sentence with heard in it. ✓

Watch out. Ear is in the middle. Herd is a group of animals, which is a different word.

Worked example 2.3.3
Write the missing letters: Feb ary

Method. Read the whole word, then fill the box with the tricky letters.

  1. Say the whole word, and look at each letter. Read every letter in order.
    February
  2. Look at the empty box. The box stands for 2 letter(s) in a row.
    2 missing letter(s)
  3. Write the missing letters. It has a capital letter. The first r is often missed: Feb-ru-ary.
    ru

Check. Put ru back in the box and read February. ✓

Watch out. It has a capital letter. The first r is often missed: Feb-ru-ary.

Watch out

Watch out: heard and herd sound the same, but they are spelt differently and mean different things. Read the whole sentence before you choose.

Exam tip

Grown-up tip. Ask your child to write the names of the months in a line, and to point to the capital letter at the start of each. Then ask which word in this section is a month.

Exercise 2C  Practice: famous to important

1
FWrite the word that matches each meaning.
(a)Write the word that means: known by many people.
(b)Write the word that means: the one that you like best.
(c)Write the word that means: the second month of the year, after January.
(d)Write the word that means: ahead, or towards the front.
2
FWrite the missing word in each sentence.
(a)Write the missing word: I had a bowl of   with my yoghurt.
(b)Write the missing word: We learn about   in English lessons.
(c)Write the missing word: Our   sat together at the table.
(d)Write the missing word: The   stood at the gate of the castle.
3
FWrite the missing letters.
(a)Write the missing letters: g de
(b)Write the missing letters: h d
(c)Write the missing letters: h t
(d)Write the missing letters: h ht
4
PSWrite each word correctly.
(a)Ali writes histery. Write it correctly.
(b)Mia writes imagin. Write it correctly.
(c)Sam writes incease. Write it correctly.
(d)Ben writes importent. Write it correctly.
5
RAli says that February starts with a small letter, because it is only a month. Is he right? Explain.
6
RWhich word has the letters ou that say the oo sound, as in soup: group, guard or guide?
7
RMia writes I herd the bell at nine o'clock. Write the sentence correctly.
8
PSWrite one sentence with the word history, spelt correctly.
9
RWhich word ends in -ant: important, forward or famous?
10
FWrite the missing letters in imagine, and say how the word ends.

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