Year 6 English Cohesion, editing and reading your own writing aloud: check-up and practice test questions

Method. Ask what the adverbial tells the reader: when, where or how many.

1. Ask the question. Later that afternoon tells the reader when.
   Later that afternoon
2. Name the kind. It is an adverbial of time.
   time
3. Write the answer.
   time

Check. The adverbial is a time adverbial. ✓

Watch out. A fronted adverbial at the start of a sentence is followed by a comma.

Method. Choose a connecting word that shows when the events happen.

1. Find the time order. Afterwards shows the order of events.
   Sam went to the market.
2. Add the connecting word. Afterwards shows the next event, and the new sentence starts with a small letter.
   Afterwards, he bought some apples.
3. Write the answer.
   Afterwards, he bought some apples.

Check. The connecting word shows the time order. ✓

Watch out. A connecting word at the start of a sentence is followed by a comma, and the next word is a small letter.

Method. Test each choice against the sentence or the text.

1. Read what the question asks for. Decide what the sentence or the text needs.
2. Test the choice. They refers to Sam and Ali, who are more than one person.
   They fits
3. Reject the other choices. It cannot refer to two people.
   It do not fit
4. Write the answer.
   They

Check. The choice fits the sentence or the text. ✓

Method. Find each error, then correct it in the sentence.

1. Find the error. The error is a problem with agreement of the verb.
   The children was playing in the garden.
2. Correct it. The corrected sentence reads correctly.
   The children were playing in the garden.
3. Write the answer.
   The children were playing in the garden.

Check. The sentence now follows the rules. ✓

Watch out. Read the corrected sentence aloud in your head, and check that it sounds right.

Method. Check the letters one at a time, using the rule or a dictionary.

1. Find the error. seperate has a letter in the wrong place or a letter missing.
   seperate
2. Write the correct spelling. The correct spelling is separate.
   separate
3. Write the answer.
   separate

Check. separate is the correct spelling. ✓

Watch out. Proofread for spelling last, after the meaning is right.

Method. Think about what names a section.

1. Think about the device. A short title for a section is a heading.
   title
2. Name it. The device is a heading.
   heading
3. Write the answer.
   heading

Check. A heading names a section. ✓

Method. Test each choice against the sentence or the text.

1. Read what the question asks for. Decide what the sentence or the text needs.
2. Test the choice. Both verbs are past tense.
   She climbed the hill and then she sat down. fits
3. Reject the other choices. Climbs is present, but sat is past.
   She climbs the hill and then she sat down. do not fit
4. Write the answer.
   She climbed the hill and then she sat down.

Check. The choice fits the sentence or the text. ✓

Method. Think about the reader.

1. Think about the reader. The reader must know who or what is meant.
   who or what
2. Think about the text. Unclear pronouns confuse the reader.
   confuse
3. Write the answer.
   So that the reader knows who or what the pronoun means.

Check. A clear reference helps the reader. ✓

Method. Think about how the reader sees the text.

1. Think about the reader. The reader needs to see the words clearly.
   see the words
2. Write the answer.
   Even spacing between words, consistent size, or joined letters at the baseline.

Check. The feature helps legibility. ✓

Method. Check the letters, with ei after c.

1. Find the word. Recieve has ie, but after c the e comes first.
   recieve
2. Correct it. Receive is correct.
   receive
3. Write the answer.
   I will receive the parcel.

Check. receive is correct. ✓

Method. Choose the adverbial that tells when.

1. Find the kind. Later tells when, so it is time.
   when
2. Check the other choice. In the corner tells where, not when.
   where
3. Write the answer.
   Later

Check. Later is an adverbial of time. ✓

Method. Replace each repeated noun with a clear pronoun.

1. Find the nouns. Ella and the shell are repeated.
   Ella, shell
2. Replace them. She refers to Ella, and it refers to the shell.
   She put it in her pocket.
3. Write the answer.
   She put it in her pocket.

Check. She and it are clear. ✓

Method. Make both verbs past tense.

1. Find the present verb. Walk is in the present.
   walk
2. Change it. Walk becomes walked, to match played.
   walked
3. Write the answer.
   We walked to the park, and then we played football.

Check. Both verbs are past. ✓

Method. Find each word, and check its letters.

1. Find the first mistake. Definately has an a instead of an i.
   definitely
2. Find the second mistake. Seperate has an e instead of an a.
   separate
3. Write the answer.
   The definitely separate team had a good day.

Check. Both spellings are corrected. ✓

Method. Think about which device shows a list.

1. Find the list. A list of items is set out one per line.
   one per line
2. Name the device. Bullet points set out a list.
   bullet points
3. Write the answer.
   bullet points

Check. Bullet points set out a list. ✓

Method. Think about what the reader needs.

1. Think about the reader. The reader must know who or what is meant.
   who or what
2. Think about confusion. An unclear pronoun confuses the reader.
   confuses
3. Write the answer.
   The reader must know which noun the pronoun refers to.

Check. A clear reference helps. ✓

Method. Match the plural subject with a plural verb.

1. Find the subject. The children is plural.
   children
2. Match the verb. A plural subject takes were.
   were
3. Write the answer.
   The children were playing in the garden.

Check. The verb agrees. ✓

Method. Look for a word that orders items.

1. Find the list word. Secondly orders items in a list.
   secondly
2. Check the other word. Yesterday shows time, not order.
   yesterday
3. Write the answer.
   secondly

Check. Secondly orders items. ✓

Method. Think about what you hear.

1. Think about the sense. You hear a sentence that does not make sense.
   sense
2. Think about the sound. You hear an awkward sentence.
   awkward
3. Write the answer.
   It checks whether each sentence makes sense and sounds right to a listener.

Check. Reading aloud checks sense and sound. ✓