KS2 English textbook

Chapter 7: Formal and informal English and the subjunctive

Strand Grammar
Level Year 6
Practice 98 questions with step-by-step solutions

National Curriculum for England, Key Stage 2 English, Year 6. Content: Recognise the differences between formal and informal English: vocabulary, contractions, slang and ellipsis (Y5-6 grammar), Choose vocabulary and structures for formal speech and writing (Y5-6 grammar), Use the subjunctive in formal English, e.g. if I were you; it is essential that he attend (Y5-6 grammar), Use the grammatical terminology of this book, including subjunctive, formal, informal and register (Y5-6 grammar).

Open Year 6 chapter

By the end of this chapter you will be able to

Name the features of informal English, such as contractions, slang and ellipsis
Rewrite an informal sentence in formal English
Use were in if I were you, and the base form after it is essential that
Name the grammatical terms of the Year 6 book, and use them correctly

You should already know

Standard English verb forms, such as was and were (Year 4 grammar)
Contractions and apostrophes (Year 4 grammar)

Where this leads

Semi-colons, colons, dashes, bullet points and hyphens (Chapter 8 of this book)

Lessons in this chapter

Read the whole chapter on one page (good for printing).

Practise with real exam questions

The DfE publishes every past KS2 test, with mark schemes, for free.

KS2 English past papers