---
title: English - Lower key stage 2 – years 3 and 4
subjects:
    - English
year_levels:
    - Year 3
    - year-4
official_source_url: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-primary-curriculum
official_published_at: 11 September 2013
official_updated_at: 6 May 2015
---

# English - Lower key stage 2 – years 3 and 4 {#english-lower-key-stage-2-years-3-and-4}

By the beginning of year 3, pupils should be able to read books written at an age-appropriate interest level. They should be able to read them accurately and at a speed that is sufficient for them to focus on understanding what they read rather than on decoding individual words. They should be able to decode most new words outside their spoken vocabulary, making a good approximation to the word’s pronunciation. As their decoding skills become increasingly secure, teaching should be directed more towards developing their vocabulary and the breadth and depth of their reading, making sure that they become independent, fluent and enthusiastic readers who read widely and frequently. They should be developing their understanding and enjoyment of stories, poetry, plays and non-fiction, and learning to read silently. They should also be developing their knowledge and skills in reading non-fiction about a wide range of subjects. They should be learning to justify their views about what they have read: with support at the start of year 3 and increasingly independently by the end of year 4.

Pupils should be able to write down their ideas with a reasonable degree of accuracy and with good sentence punctuation. Teachers should therefore be consolidating pupils’ writing skills, their vocabulary, their grasp of sentence structure and their knowledge of linguistic terminology. Teaching them to develop as writers involves teaching them to enhance the effectiveness of what they write as well as increasing their competence. Teachers should make sure that pupils build on what they have learnt, particularly in terms of the range of their writing and the more varied grammar, vocabulary and narrative structures from which they can draw to express their ideas. Pupils should be beginning to understand how writing can be different from speech. Joined handwriting should be the norm; pupils should be able to use it fast enough to keep pace with what they want to say.

Pupils’ spelling of common words should be correct, including common exception words and other words that they have learnt (see [English Appendix 1](#english-appendix-1-spelling)). Pupils should spell words as accurately as possible using their phonic knowledge and other knowledge of spelling, such as morphology and etymology.

Most pupils will not need further direct teaching of word reading skills: they are able to decode unfamiliar words accurately, and need very few repeated experiences of this before the word is stored in such a way that they can read it without overt sound-blending. They should demonstrate understanding of figurative language, distinguish shades of meaning among related words and use age-appropriate, academic vocabulary.

As in key stage 1, however, pupils who are still struggling to decode need to be taught to do this urgently through a rigorous and systematic phonics programme so that they catch up rapidly with their peers. If they cannot decode independently and fluently, they will find it increasingly difficult to understand what they read and to write down what they want to say. As far as possible, however, these pupils should follow the year 3 and 4 programme of study in terms of listening to new books, hearing and learning new vocabulary and grammatical structures, and discussing these.

Specific requirements for pupils to discuss what they are learning and to develop their wider skills in spoken language form part of this programme of study. In years 3 and 4, pupils should become more familiar with and confident in using language in a greater variety of situations, for a variety of audiences and purposes, including through drama, formal presentations and debate.

## Years 3 and 4 programme of study {#years-3-and-4-programme-of-study}

### Reading – word reading {#reading-word-reading}

#### Statutory requirements {#statutory-requirements}

Pupils should be taught to: apply their growing knowledge of root words, prefixes and suffixes (etymology and morphology) as listed in [English Appendix 1](#english-appendix-1-spelling), both to read aloud and to understand the meaning of new words they meet read further exception words, noting the unusual correspondences between spelling and sound, and where these occur in the word.

#### Notes and guidance (non-statutory) {#notes-and-guidance-non-statutory}

At this stage, teaching comprehension should be taking precedence over teaching word reading directly. Any focus on word reading should support the development of vocabulary. When pupils are taught to read longer words, they should be supported to test out different pronunciations. They will attempt to match what they decode to words they may have already heard but may not have seen in print \[for example, in reading ‘technical*’*, the pronunciation /tɛtʃnɪkəl/ (‘tetchnical’) might not sound familiar, but /tɛknɪkəl/ (‘teknical’) should\].

### Reading – comprehension {#reading-comprehension}

#### Statutory requirements {#statutory-requirements-2}

Pupils should be taught to:
- develop positive attitudes to reading and understanding of what they read by:
    - listening to and discussing a wide range of fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction and reference books or textbooks
    - reading books that are structured in different ways and reading for a range of purposes
    - using dictionaries to check the meaning of words that they have read
    - increasing their familiarity with a wide range of books, including fairy stories, myths and legends, and retelling some of these orally 
    - identifying themes and conventions in a wide range of books
    - preparing poems and play scripts to read aloud and to perform, showing understanding through intonation, tone, volume and action 
    - discussing words and phrases that capture the reader’s interest and imagination
    - recognising some different forms of poetry \[for example, free verse, narrative poetry\]
- understand what they read, in books they can read independently, by: 
    - checking that the text makes sense to them, discussing their understanding and explaining the meaning of words in context
    - asking questions to improve their understanding of a text
    - drawing inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidence
    - predicting what might happen from details stated and implied 
    - identifying main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph and summarising these
    - identifying how language, structure, and presentation contribute to meaning
- retrieve and record information from non-fiction
- participate in discussion about both books that are read to them and those they can read for themselves, taking turns and listening to what others say.

#### Notes and guidance (non-statutory) {#notes-and-guidance-non-statutory-2}

The focus should continue to be on pupils’ comprehension as a primary element in reading. The knowledge and skills that pupils need in order to comprehend are very similar at different ages. This is why the programmes of study for comprehension in years 3 and 4 and years 5 and 6 are similar: the complexity of the writing increases the level of challenge. 

Pupils should be taught to recognise themes in what they read, such as the triumph of good over evil or the use of magical devices in fairy stories and folk tales.

They should also learn the conventions of different types of writing (for example, the greeting in letters, a diary written in the first person or the use of presentational devices such as numbering and headings in instructions).

Pupils should be taught to use the skills they have learnt earlier and continue to apply these skills to read for different reasons, including for pleasure, or to find out information and the meaning of new words.

Pupils should continue to have opportunities to listen frequently to stories, poems, non-fiction and other writing, including whole books and not just extracts, so that they build on what was taught previously. In this way, they also meet books and authors that they might not choose themselves. Pupils should also have opportunities to exercise choice in selecting books and be taught how to do so, with teachers making use of any library services and expertise to support this.

Reading, re-reading, and rehearsing poems and plays for presentation and performance give pupils opportunities to discuss language, including vocabulary, extending their interest in the meaning and origin of words. Pupils should be encouraged to use drama approaches to understand how to perform plays and poems to support their understanding of the meaning. These activities also provide them with an incentive to find out what expression is required, so feeding into comprehension.

In using non-fiction, pupils should know what information they need to look for before they begin and be clear about the task. They should be shown how to use contents pages and indexes to locate information.

Pupils should have guidance about the kinds of explanations and questions that are expected from them. They should help to develop, agree on, and evaluate rules for effective discussion. The expectation should be that all pupils take part.

### Writing – transcription {#writing-transcription}

#### Statutory requirements {#statutory-requirements-3}

**Spelling (see [English Appendix 1](#english-appendix-1-spelling))**
Pupils should be taught to:
- use further prefixes and suffixes and understand how to add them (English Appendix 1)
- spell further homophones
- spell words that are often misspelt (English Appendix 1)
- place the possessive apostrophe accurately in words with regular plurals \[for example, girls’, boys’\] and in words with irregular plurals \[for example, children’s\]
- use the first two or three letters of a word to check its spelling in a dictionary
- write from memory simple sentences, dictated by the teacher, that include words and punctuation taught so far.

#### Notes and guidance (non-statutory) {#notes-and-guidance-non-statutory-3}

Pupils should learn to spell new words correctly and have plenty of practice in spelling them.

As in years 1 and 2, pupils should continue to be supported in understanding and applying the concepts of word structure (see [English Appendix 2](#english-appendix-2-vocabulary-grammar-and-punctuation)).

Pupils need sufficient knowledge of spelling in order to use dictionaries efficiently.

#### Statutory requirements {#statutory-requirements-4}

**Handwriting**
Pupils should be taught to:
- use the diagonal and horizontal strokes that are needed to join letters and understand which letters, when adjacent to one another, are best left unjoined
- increase the legibility, consistency and quality of their handwriting \[for example, by ensuring that the downstrokes of letters are parallel and equidistant; that lines of writing are spaced sufficiently so that the ascenders and descenders of letters do not touch\].

#### Notes and guidance (non-statutory) {#notes-and-guidance-non-statutory-4}

Pupils should be using joined handwriting throughout their independent writing. Handwriting should continue to be taught, with the aim of increasing the fluency with which pupils are able to write down what they want to say. This, in turn, will support their composition and spelling.

### Writing – composition {#writing-composition}

#### Statutory requirements {#statutory-requirements-5}

Pupils should be taught to:
- plan their writing by:
    - discussing writing similar to that which they are planning to write in order to understand and learn from its structure, vocabulary and grammar
    - discussing and recording ideas
- draft and write by:
    - composing and rehearsing sentences orally (including dialogue), progressively building a varied and rich vocabulary and an increasing range of sentence structures ([English Appendix 2](#english-appendix-2-vocabulary-grammar-and-punctuation))
    - organising paragraphs around a theme
    - in narratives, creating settings, characters and plot
    - in non-narrative material, using simple organisational devices \[for example, headings and sub-headings\]
- evaluate and edit by:
    - assessing the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing and suggesting improvements
    - proposing changes to grammar and vocabulary to improve consistency, including the accurate use of pronouns in sentences
- proof-read for spelling and punctuation errors
- read aloud their own writing, to a group or the whole class, using appropriate intonation and controlling the tone and volume so that the meaning is clear.

#### Notes and guidance (non-statutory) {#notes-and-guidance-non-statutory-5}

Pupils should continue to have opportunities to write for a range of real purposes and audiences as part of their work across the curriculum. These purposes and audiences should underpin the decisions about the form the writing should take, such as a narrative, an explanation or a description.

Pupils should understand, through being shown these, the skills and processes that are essential for writing: that is, thinking aloud to explore and collect ideas, drafting, and re-reading to check their meaning is clear, including doing so as the writing develops.

Pupils should be taught to monitor whether their own writing makes sense in the same way that they monitor their reading, checking at different levels.

### Writing – vocabulary, grammar and punctuation {#writing-vocabulary-grammar-and-punctuation}

#### Statutory requirements {#statutory-requirements-6}

Pupils should be taught to:
- develop their understanding of the concepts set out in [English Appendix 2](#english-appendix-2-vocabulary-grammar-and-punctuation) by:
    - extending the range of sentences with more than one clause by using a wider range of conjunctions, including when, if, because, although 
    - using the present perfect form of verbs in contrast to the past tense
    - choosing nouns or pronouns appropriately for clarity and cohesion and to avoid repetition
    - using conjunctions, adverbs and prepositions to express time and cause
    - using fronted adverbials
    - learning the grammar for years 3 and 4 in English Appendix 2 
- indicate grammatical and other features by:
    - using commas after fronted adverbials
    - indicating possession by using the possessive apostrophe with plural nouns
    - using and punctuating direct speech
- use and understand the grammatical terminology in English Appendix 2 accurately and appropriately when discussing their writing and reading.

#### Notes and guidance (non-statutory) {#notes-and-guidance-non-statutory-6}

Grammar should be taught explicitly: pupils should be taught the terminology and concepts set out in English Appendix 2, and be able to apply them correctly to examples of real language, such as their own writing or books that they have read.

At this stage, pupils should start to learn about some of the differences between Standard English and non-Standard English and begin to apply what they have learnt \[for example, in writing dialogue for characters\].

## English Appendix 1: Spelling {#english-appendix-1-spelling}

Most people read words more accurately than they spell them. The younger pupils are, the truer this is.

By the end of year 1, pupils should be able to read a large number of different words containing the GPCs that they have learnt, whether or not they have seen these words before. Spelling, however, is a very different matter. Once pupils have learnt more than one way of spelling particular sounds, choosing the right letter or letters depends on their either having made a conscious effort to learn the words or having absorbed them less consciously through their reading. Younger pupils have not had enough time to learn or absorb the accurate spelling of all the words that they may want to write.

This appendix provides examples of words embodying each pattern which is taught. Many of the words listed as ‘example words’ for years 1 and 2, including almost all those listed as ‘exception words’, are used frequently in pupils’ writing, and therefore it is worth pupils learning the correct spelling. The ‘exception words’ contain GPCs which have not yet been taught as widely applicable, but this may be because they are applicable in very few age-appropriate words rather than because they are rare in English words in general.

The word-lists for years 3 and 4 and years 5 and 6 are statutory. The lists are a mixture of words pupils frequently use in their writing and those which they often misspell. Some of the listed words may be thought of as quite challenging, but the 100 words in each list can easily be taught within the four years of key stage 2 alongside other words that teachers consider appropriate.

The rules and guidance are intended to support the teaching of spelling. Phonic knowledge should continue to underpin spelling after key stage 1; teachers should still draw pupils’ attention to GPCs that do and do not fit in with what has been taught so far. Increasingly, however, pupils also need to understand the role of morphology and etymology. Although particular GPCs in root words simply have to be learnt, teachers can help pupils to understand relationships between meaning and spelling where these are relevant. For example, understanding the relationship between *medical* and *medicine* may help pupils to spell the /s/ sound in *medicine* with the letter ‘c’. Pupils can also be helped to spell words with prefixes and suffixes correctly if they understand some general principles for adding them. Teachers should be familiar with what pupils have been taught about spelling in earlier years, such as which rules pupils have been taught for adding prefixes and suffixes.

**In this spelling appendix, the left-hand column is statutory; the middle and right-hand columns are non-statutory guidance.**

The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is used to represent sounds (phonemes). A table showing the IPA is provided in this document.

### Spelling – work for years 3 and 4 {#spelling-work-for-years-3-and-4}

#### Revision of work from years 1 and 2 {#revision-of-work-from-years-1-and-2}

Pay special attention to the rules for adding suffixes.

#### New work for years 3 and 4 {#new-work-for-years-3-and-4}

| Statutory requirements |Rules and guidance (non-statutory) | Example words (non-statutory) |
| :---- | :---- | :---- |
| Adding suffixes beginning with vowel letters to words of more than one syllable |If the last syllable of a word is stressed and ends with one consonant letter which has just one vowel letter before it, the final consonant letter is doubled before any ending beginning with a vowel letter is added. The consonant letter is not doubled if the syllable is unstressed. | forgetting, forgotten, beginning, beginner, prefer, preferred<br><br><br><br>gardening, gardener, limiting, limited, limitation |
| The /ɪ/ sound spelt y elsewhere than at the end of words |These words should be learnt as needed. | myth, gym, Egypt, pyramid, mystery |
| The /ʌ/ sound spelt ou |These words should be learnt as needed. | young, touch, double, trouble, country |
| More prefixes | Most prefixes are added to the beginning of root words without any changes in spelling, but see **in–** below. <br><br><br><br> Like **un–**, the prefixes **dis–** and **mis–** have negative meanings. | **dis–**: disappoint, disagree, disobey **mis–**: misbehave, mislead, misspell (mis \+ spell) <br><br><br><br> The prefix **in–** can mean both ‘not’ and ‘in’/‘into’. In the words given here it means ‘not’. | **in–**: inactive, incorrect |
| | Before a root word starting with **l**, **in–** becomes **il**. | illegal, illegible
 |Before a root word starting with **m** or **p**, **in–** becomes **im–**. | immature, immortal, impossible, impatient, imperfect
 |Before a root word starting with **r**, **in–** becomes **ir–**. | irregular, irrelevant, irresponsible
 |**re–** means ‘again’ or ‘back’. | **re–**: redo, refresh, return, reappear, redecorate
 |**sub–** means ‘under’. | **sub–**: subdivide, subheading, submarine, submerge
 |**inter–** means ‘between’ or ‘among’. | **inter–**: interact, intercity, international, interrelated (inter \+ related)
 |**super–** means ‘above’. | **super–**: supermarket, superman, superstar
 |**anti–** means ‘against’. | **anti–**: antiseptic, anti-clockwise, antisocial
 |**auto–** means ‘self’ or ‘own’. | **auto–**: autobiography, autograph
The suffix –ation |The suffix **–ation** is added to verbs to form nouns. The rules already learnt still apply. | information, adoration, sensation, preparation, admiration
The suffix –ly |The suffix **–ly** is added to an adjective to form an adverb. The rules already learnt still apply. The suffix **–ly** starts with a consonant letter, so it is added straight on to most root words. | sadly, completely, usually (usual \+ ly), finally (final \+ ly), comically (comical \+ ly)
 |**Exceptions**: (1) If the root word ends in –y with a consonant letter before it, the **y** is changed to **i**, but only if the root word has more than one syllable. |  happily, angrily
 |(2) If the root word ends with **–le**, the **–le** is changed to **–ly**. | gently, simply, humbly, nobly
 |(3) If the root word ends with **–ic**, <br>**–ally** is added rather than just **–ly**, except in the word *publicly*. | basically, frantically, dramatically
 |(4) The words *truly*, *duly*, *wholly.* | 
Words with endings sounding like /ʒə/ or /tʃə/ |The ending sounding like **/**ʒə**/** is always spelt –**sure**. The ending sounding like **/**tʃə**/** is often spelt **–ture**, but check that the word is not a root word ending in **(t)ch** with an **er** ending – e.g. *teacher, catcher, richer, stretcher.* | measure, treasure, pleasure, enclosure creature, furniture, picture, nature, adventure
Endings which sound like /ʒən/ |If the ending sounds like **/**ʒən**/**, it is spelt as **–sion**. | division, invasion, confusion, decision, collision, television
The suffix –ous |Sometimes the root word is obvious and the usual rules apply for adding suffixes beginning with vowel letters. Sometimes there is no obvious root word. **–our** is changed to **–or** before **–ous** is added. A final ‘e’ of the root word must be kept if the /dʒ/ sound of ‘g’ is to be kept. If there is an /i:/ sound before the <br>**–ous** ending, it is usually spelt as **i**, but a few words have **e**. | poisonous, dangerous, mountainous, famous, various tremendous, enormous, jealous humorous, glamorous, vigorous courageous, outrageous<br> serious, obvious, curious<br>hideous, spontaneous, courteous
Endings which sound like /ʃən/, spelt –tion, –sion, –ssion, –cian |Strictly speaking, the suffixes are **–ion** and **–ian**. Clues about whether to put **t**, **s**, **ss** or **c** before these suffixes often come from the last letter or letters of the root word. **–tion** is the most common spelling. It is used if the root word ends in **t** or **te**. **–ssion** is used if the root word ends in **ss** or –**mit**.<br> **–sion** is used if the root word ends in **d** or **se**.<br>**Exceptions**: *attend – attention*, *intend – intention.* **–cian** is used if the root word ends in **c** or **cs**. | <br><br><br><br> invention, injection, action, hesitation, completion expression, discussion, confession, permission, admission expansion, extension, comprehension, tension<br> musician, electrician, magician, politician, mathematician
Words with the /k/ sound spelt ch (Greek in origin) | | scheme, chorus, chemist, echo, character
Words with the /ʃ/ sound spelt ch (mostly French in origin) | | chef, chalet, machine, brochure
Words ending with the /g/ sound spelt –gue and the /k/ sound spelt –que (French in origin) | | league, tongue, antique, unique
Words with the /s/ sound spelt sc (Latin in origin) |In the Latin words from which these words come, the Romans probably pronounced the **c** and the **k** as two sounds rather than one – /s/ /k/. | science, scene, discipline, fascinate, crescent
Words with the /eɪ/ sound spelt ei, eigh, or ey | | vein, weigh, eight, neighbour, they, obey
Possessive apostrophe with plural words |The apostrophe is placed after the plural form of the word; **–s** is not added if the plural already ends in <br>**–s**, but *is* added if the plural does not end in **–s** (i.e. is an irregular plural – e.g. *children’s*). | girls’, boys’, babies’, children’s, men’s, mice’s (**Note:** singular proper nouns ending in an *s* use the ’s suffix e.g. Cyprus’s population)
Homophones and near-homophones | | accept/except, affect/effect, ball/bawl, berry/bury, brake/break, fair/fare, grate/great, groan/grown, here/hear, heel/heal/he’ll, knot/not, mail/male, main/mane, meat/meet, medal/meddle, missed/mist, peace/piece, plain/plane, rain/rein/reign, scene/seen, weather/whether, whose/who’s

### Word list – years 3 and 4 {#word-list-years-3-and-4}

accident(ally), actual(ly), address, answer, appear, arrive, believe, bicycle, breath, breathe, build, busy/business, calendar, caught, centre, century, certain, circle, complete, consider, continue, decide, describe, different, difficult, disappear, early, earth, eight/eighth, enough, exercise, experience, experiment, extreme, famous, favourite, February, forward(s), fruit, grammar, group, guard, guide, heard, heart, height, history, imagine, increase, important, interest, island, knowledge, learn, length, library, material, medicine, mention, minute, natural, naughty, notice, occasion(ally), often, opposite, ordinary, particular, peculiar, perhaps, popular, position, possess(ion), possible, potatoes, pressure, probably, promise, purpose, quarter, question, recent, regular, reign, remember, sentence, separate, special, straight, strange, strength, suppose, surprise, therefore, though/although, thought, through, various, weight, woman/women

#### Notes and guidance (non-statutory) {#notes-and-guidance-non-statutory-7}

Teachers should continue to emphasise to pupils the relationships between sounds and letters, even when the relationships are unusual. Once root words are learnt in this way, longer words can be spelt correctly, if the rules and guidance for adding prefixes and suffixes are also known.
**Examples:** *business*: once busy is learnt, with due attention to the unusual spelling of the /i/ sound as ‘u’, business can then be spelt as **busy** **\+** **ness**, with the **y** of **busy** changed to **i** according to the rule. *disappear*: the root word *appear* contains sounds which can be spelt in more than one way so it needs to be learnt, but the prefix **dis–** is then simply added to **appear**. Understanding the relationships between words can also help with spelling. Examples: *bicycle* is *cycle* (from the Greek for *wheel*) with **bi–** (meaning ‘two’) before it. *medicine* is related to *medical* so the /s/ sound is spelt as **c**. *opposite* is related to *oppose*, so the schwa sound in *opposite* is spelt as **o**.

### International Phonetic Alphabet (non-statutory) {#international-phonetic-alphabet-non-statutory}

The table below shows each symbol of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and provides examples of the associated grapheme(s). The table is not a comprehensive alphabetic code chart; it is intended simply as guidance for teachers in understanding the IPA symbols used in the spelling appendix ([English Appendix 1](#english-appendix-1-spelling)). The pronunciations in the table are, by convention, based on Received Pronunciation and could be significantly different in other accents.

| Consonants |  |  |  | Vowels |  |  |
| ----- | ----- | :---- | :---- | ----- | :---- | ----- |
| /b/  |  | **b**ad |  | /ɑː/  | f**a**ther, **ar**m |  |
| /d/  |  | **d**og |  | /ɒ/  | h**o**t |  |
| /ð/  |  | **th**is |  | /æ/  | c**a**t |  |
| /dʒ/  |  | **g**em, **j**ug |  | /aɪ/  | m**i**nd, f**i**n**e**, p**ie,** h**igh** |  |
| /f/  |  | i**f**, pu**ff**, **ph**oto |  | /aʊ/  | **ou**t, c**ow** |  |
| /ɡ/  |  | **g**um |  | /ɛ/  | h**e**n, h**ea**d |  |
| /h/  |  | **h**ow |  | /eɪ/  | s**ay**, c**a**m**e**, b**ai**t |  |
| /j/  |  | **y**es |  | /ɛə/  | **air** |  |
| /k/  |  | **c**at, che**ck**, **k**ey, s**ch**ool |  | /əʊ/  | c**o**ld, b**oa**t, c**o**n**e**, bl**ow** |  |
| /l/  |  | **l**eg, hi**ll** |  | /ɪ/  | h**i**t |  |
| /m/  |  | **m**an |  | /ɪə/  | b**eer** |  |
| /n/  |  | ma**n** |  | /iː/  | sh**e**, b**ea**d, s**ee**, sch**e**m**e**, ch**ie**f |  |
| /ŋ/  |  | si**ng** |  | /ɔː/  | l**au**nch, r**aw**, b**or**n |  |
| /θ/  |  | bo**th** |  | /ɔɪ/  | c**oi**n, b**oy** |  |
| /p/  |  | **p**et |  | /ʊ/  | b**oo**k  |  |
| /r/  |  | **r**ed |  | /ʊə/  | t**our** |  |
| /s/  |  | **s**it, mi**ss**, **c**ell |  | /uː/  | r**oo**m, y**ou**, bl**ue**, br**u**t**e** |  |
| /ʃ/  |  | **sh**e, **ch**ef |  | /ʌ/  | c**u**p |  |
| /t/  |  | **t**ea |  | /ɜː/  | f**er**n, t**ur**n, g**ir**l |  |
| /tʃ/  |  | **ch**eck |  | /ə/ | farm**er** |  |
| /v/  |  | **v**et |  |  |  |  |
| /w/ |  | **w**et, **wh**en |  |  |  |  |
| /z/ |  | **z**ip, hen**s**, bu**zz** |  |  |  |  |
| /ʒ/ |  | plea**s**ure |  |  |  |  |
| **English Appendix 2: Vocabulary, grammar and punctuation** |  |  |  |  |  |  |


## English Appendix 2: Vocabulary, grammar and punctuation {#english-appendix-2-vocabulary-grammar-and-punctuation}

The grammar of our first language is learnt naturally and implicitly through interactions with other speakers and from reading. Explicit knowledge of grammar is, however, very important, as it gives us more conscious control and choice in our language. Building this knowledge is best achieved through a focus on grammar within the teaching of reading, writing and speaking. Once pupils are familiar with a grammatical concept \[for example ‘modal verb’\], they should be encouraged to apply and explore this concept in the grammar of their own speech and writing and to note where it is used by others. Young pupils, in particular, use more complex language in speech than in writing, and teachers should build on this, aiming for a smooth transition to sophisticated writing.

The table below focuses on Standard English and should be read in conjunction with the programmes of study as it sets out the statutory requirements. The table shows when concepts should be introduced first, not necessarily when they should be completely understood. It is very important, therefore, that the content in earlier years be revisited in subsequent years to consolidate knowledge and build on pupils’ understanding. Teachers should also go beyond the content set out here if they feel it is appropriate.

The grammatical terms that pupils should learn are labelled as 'terminology for pupils'. They should learn to recognise and use the terminology through discussion and practice. All terms in **bold** should be understood with the meanings set out in the [Glossary](/english/glossary).

## Vocabulary, grammar and punctuation {#vocabulary-grammar-and-punctuation}

### Year 3: Detail of content to be introduced (statutory requirement)  {#year-3-detail-of-content-to-be-introduced-statutory-requirement}

**Word**
Formation of **nouns** using a range of **prefixes** \[for example *super–*, *anti–*, *auto–*\] Use of the **forms** *a* or *an* according to whether the next **word** begins with a **consonant** or a **vowel** \[for example, *a rock*, *an open box*\] **Word families** based on common **words**, showing how words are related in form and meaning \[for example, *solve, solution, solver, dissolve, insoluble*\]

**Sentence**
Expressing time, place and cause using **conjunctions** \[for example, *when*, *before*, *after*, *while*, *so*, *because*\], **adverbs** \[for example, *then*, *next*, *soon*, *therefore*\], or **prepositions** \[for example, *before*, *after*, *during*, *in*, *because of*\]

**Text**
Introduction to paragraphs as a way to group related material Headings and sub-headings to aid presentation Use of the **present** **perfect** form of **verbs** instead of the simple past \[for example, *He has gone out to play* contrasted with *He went out to play*\]

**Punctuation**
Introduction to inverted commas to **punctuate** direct speech

**Terminology for pupils**
preposition, conjunction word family, prefix clause, subordinate clause direct speech consonant, consonant letter vowel, vowel letter inverted commas (or ‘speech marks’)


### Year 4: Detail of content to be introduced (statutory requirement) {#year-4-detail-of-content-to-be-introduced-statutory-requirement}

**Word**
The grammatical difference between **plural** and **possessive** *–s* Standard English forms for **verb** **inflections** instead of local spoken forms \[for example, *we were* instead of *we was*, or *I did* instead of *I done*\]

**Sentence**
Noun phrases expanded by the addition of modifying adjectives, nouns and preposition phrases (e.g. *the teacher* expanded to: *the strict maths teacher with curly hair*) **Fronted** **adverbials** \[for example, *Later that day*, *I heard the bad news.*\]

**Text**
Use of paragraphs to organise ideas around a theme Appropriate choice of **pronoun** or **noun** within and across **sentences** to aid **cohesion** and avoid repetition

**Punctuation**
Use of inverted commas and other **punctuation** to indicate direct speech \[for example, a comma after the reporting clause; end punctuation within inverted commas: *The conductor shouted, “Sit down\!”*\] **Apostrophes** to mark **plural** possession \[for example, *the girl’s name*, *the girls’ names*\] Use of commas after **fronted** **adverbials**

**Terminology for pupils**
determiner
pronoun, possessive pronoun
adverbial