Year 4 English · Writing stories · Summary
Year 4 English Writing stories: summary and key words
Part of the Year 4 English writing stories chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Chapter summary
| Skill | Method |
|---|---|
| Plot | The sequence of events: opening, build-up, problem, resolution and ending. |
| Setting | Where and when the story happens. Give a place and a time. |
| Characters | Who is in the story, with a detail that shows what they are like and what they want. |
| Tension | The worry or suspense that builds with small signs of danger, short sentences, precise verbs and a delayed answer. |
| Paragraph | A group of sentences about one idea, one time or one place. Start a new one when the idea, time, place or speaker changes. |
| Fronted adverbial | A word or phrase at the start that tells when, where or how. Put a comma after it. |
| Expanded noun phrase | A noun with adjectives or a prepositional phrase that gives more detail, such as the old wooden barge. |
| Direct speech | The exact spoken words, in inverted commas, with the end mark inside them. |
| Cohesion | Connecting words and pronouns that link sentences, so that the reader can follow them. |
| Editing | Improving a draft: checking spelling, punctuation, tense, pronouns and repeated words, then reading it aloud. |
Can you…?
- I can plan a story with a setting, characters and a plot made of five parts
- I can build tension with small signs of danger, short sentences and precise verbs
- I can group related ideas into paragraphs, each with a topic sentence
- I can start sentences with fronted adverbials, and put a comma after them
- I can write an expanded noun phrase that gives the reader more detail
- I can punctuate direct speech, including a split speech with a reporting clause
- I can use pronouns and connecting words so that my sentences link together
- I can edit a draft, checking pronouns, punctuation and repeated words
- I can read my story aloud, and change any sentence that does not read well
Key terms
- plot
- the sequence of events in a story, in five parts: opening, build-up, problem, resolution and ending
- setting
- where and when a story takes place
- character
- a person or animal in a story, who has a personality and wants something
- tension
- the worry or suspense a reader feels while waiting to find out what happens
- build-up
- the part of the plot that raises the tension before the problem
- problem
- the difficulty that the characters must face in a story
- resolution
- the part of the plot where the problem is solved
- paragraph
- a group of sentences about one idea, one time or one place
- topic sentence
- the sentence that tells the reader what a paragraph is about
- fronted adverbial
- a word or phrase at the start of a sentence that tells when, where or how; a comma follows it
- clause
- a group of words with a verb, which can be part of a sentence
- subordinate clause
- a clause that starts with a word such as because, although or when, and cannot stand alone
- expanded noun phrase
- a noun with extra words that describe it, such as adjectives or a prepositional phrase
- prepositional phrase
- a phrase that starts with a preposition, such as on, over or through, and says where
- direct speech
- the exact words a person says, shown in inverted commas
- reporting clause
- the words that say who is speaking, such as said Ella
- cohesion
- the way sentences and paragraphs link together so that the reader can follow them
- pronoun
- a word such as he, she, it or they that stands in for a noun
- connecting word
- a word such as afterwards or meanwhile that shows the link between events
- draft
- a first version of a piece of writing, which is improved later
- editing
- improving a draft by checking its spelling, punctuation, tense, pronouns and repeated words
- proof-read
- to read a finished piece carefully for mistakes
- intonation
- the rise and fall of the voice, which helps the reader hear the meaning when reading aloud