Writing - Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation

Teach children to write multi-clause sentences using co-ordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, so) and subordinating conjunctions (when, if, because, that, although, while, after, before, until). Model combining short sentences into multi-clause sentences during shared writing. Teach children to vary their sentence structure — not every sentence needs to be multi-clause. Practise converting simple sentences into compound or complex sentences and vice versa. Use sentence-combining activities with sets of short sentences.

Children may overuse multi-clause sentences, creating sprawling constructions that lose clarity. They may default to one conjunction (usually 'and' or 'because') without varying their repertoire. Some children write multi-clause sentences without proper punctuation, particularly missing commas after fronted subordinate clauses.

Grammar/punctuation concept — rule-based with objectively assessable outcomes.

Teach the present perfect tense as a way of expressing something that started in the past and continues to the present, or something completed at an unspecified time in the past. Contrast with the simple past: 'He went to town' (simple past — finished action) vs 'He has gone to town' (present perfect — he is still there). Use the formula: has/have + past participle. Practise converting between simple past and present perfect. Address irregular past participles (gone, seen, taken, written) alongside regular ones (walked, played).

Children commonly use the simple past where the present perfect is needed (e.g., 'I already did it' instead of 'I have already done it'). They may confuse the present perfect with the simple past because both refer to past events. Some children use 'has went' or 'have went' instead of 'has gone' or 'have gone', reflecting non-standard dialect influence.

Grammar/punctuation concept — rule-based with objectively assessable outcomes.

Teach that pronouns replace nouns to avoid repetition and create cohesion in writing. Model the problem of not using pronouns: 'Sarah went to the shop. Sarah bought some bread. Sarah walked home.' Then show how pronouns improve the text: 'Sarah went to the shop. She bought some bread. She walked home.' Teach children to choose pronouns carefully so the reader always knows who or what is being referred to. Introduce possessive pronouns (his, her, their, its) alongside personal pronouns.

Children often use pronouns ambiguously, making it unclear which noun the pronoun refers to (e.g., 'Tom and Jack went out. He fell over.' — who fell?). They may over-use names instead of pronouns, creating repetitive writing. Some children use the wrong pronoun form ('him went' instead of 'he went').

Grammar/punctuation concept — rule-based with objectively assessable outcomes.

Teach conjunctions (when, before, after, while, because, so), adverbs (then, next, soon, therefore) and prepositions (before, after, during, in, because of) as tools for expressing time, cause and effect. Show how these words link events and ideas: 'The road was icy. She slipped.' → 'Because the road was icy, she slipped.' / 'She slipped because the road was icy.' Practise using different connectives to express the same relationship. Create a classroom display of time and cause connectives for reference during writing.

Children may use 'because' as their only causal connective, not varying their language. They may confuse temporal and causal connectives (e.g., using 'when' where 'because' is needed). Some children start sentences with connectives but do not complete the grammatical structure (e.g., 'Because the rain.' as a complete sentence).

Grammar/punctuation concept — rule-based with objectively assessable outcomes.

Introduce fronted adverbials in Year 3 as a sentence-opening device that adds variety and detail. Teach that a fronted adverbial is a word or phrase at the start of a sentence that tells the reader when, where or how something happened, followed by a comma: 'Slowly, the door creaked open.' 'After lunch, we went outside.' 'In the dark forest, a wolf waited.' Model adding fronted adverbials to plain sentences in shared writing. Practise through sentence-level activities before applying in extended writing.

Children may forget the comma after a fronted adverbial. They may overuse fronted adverbials, starting every sentence with one, which becomes repetitive. Some children confuse fronted adverbials with conjunctions and create sentence fragments. Others use only time adverbials ('First,... Then,... Next,...') rather than varying with place and manner.

Grammar/punctuation concept — rule-based with objectively assessable outcomes.

Teach direct speech punctuation using the conventions: inverted commas (speech marks) around the spoken words, a new speaker on a new line, a comma or other punctuation before the closing speech mark, and a reporting clause (he said, she asked). Model with examples from class texts. Begin with simple reporting structures ('Hello,' said Tom.) before introducing variations (Tom said, 'Hello.' / 'Hello,' said Tom, 'how are you?'). Use drama to generate dialogue that children then write up with correct punctuation.

Children often forget to open or close speech marks, particularly when a sentence of dialogue is long. They may not place the comma before the closing speech mark. Some children do not start a new line for each new speaker, making dialogue difficult to follow. Others punctuate reported speech as if it were direct speech.

Grammar/punctuation concept — rule-based with objectively assessable outcomes.

Teach how prefixes can be used to create nouns from other word classes: super- (superhero), anti- (antiseptic), auto- (autobiography). Demonstrate the pattern: identify the root word, add the prefix, note how the meaning changes. Connect to vocabulary development by exploring how these prefixes create words with specific meanings. Use word-building activities where children combine prefixes with root words to create and define new nouns. Link to reading comprehension — understanding these prefixes helps children decode unfamiliar vocabulary.

Children may not realise that the prefix changes the meaning systematically (e.g., 'anti-' always means 'against'). They may confuse word-class changes from prefixes with those from suffixes. Some children add prefixes to words where they do not apply, creating non-existent words.

Grammar/punctuation concept — rule-based with objectively assessable outcomes.

Teach the rule for choosing between the indefinite articles 'a' and 'an': use 'a' before a consonant sound and 'an' before a vowel sound. Emphasise that the rule is about sound, not spelling: 'an hour' (silent h), 'a uniform' (y sound), 'an umbrella' (vowel sound). Provide practice exercises where children choose the correct article for given words. Connect to speaking — most children already use 'a' and 'an' correctly in speech and can transfer this knowledge to writing by saying the phrase aloud.

Children may apply the rule based on the letter rather than the sound, writing 'an uniform' or 'a hour'. They may not realise that words beginning with 'h' can take either article depending on pronunciation. Some children omit articles entirely, particularly children whose home language does not use articles.

Grammar/punctuation concept — rule-based with objectively assessable outcomes.

Teach word families as groups of words that share a common root word (e.g., solve, solution, dissolve, resolver, insoluble). Show how the root carries a consistent meaning across all words in the family. Use word family trees or webs as visual displays. When encountering unfamiliar words in reading, prompt children to identify whether the word belongs to a family they already know. Connect word families to spelling — knowing one word in a family often helps spell others.

Children may group words that look similar but are not actually related (e.g., 'play' and 'player' are related, but 'play' and 'place' are not). They may confuse word families with rhyming families. Some children understand word families in isolation but do not apply this knowledge as a reading or spelling strategy.

Grammar/punctuation concept — rule-based with objectively assessable outcomes.

Teach paragraphing as an organisational tool for grouping related material. In non-fiction, model how each paragraph focuses on one aspect of the topic, with a topic sentence that introduces the main idea. In fiction, teach the TIPTOP rule for starting new paragraphs: Time change, Introduce a new character, Place change, Topic change, Opposite (change of focus). Provide texts for children to divide into paragraphs, discussing the reasons for each break. Model paragraph structure explicitly during shared writing.

Children may understand that paragraphs exist but not know when to start a new one. They may create very uneven paragraphs — one or two very long paragraphs and several very short ones. Some children insert paragraph breaks mechanically (e.g., every five sentences) rather than according to content.

Grammar/punctuation concept — rule-based with objectively assessable outcomes.

Teach headings and subheadings as organisational tools that help readers navigate non-fiction texts. Model how to write clear, informative headings that tell the reader what a section is about. Analyse model texts: cover up the headings and ask children to predict what each section will contain based on the heading. In shared writing, compose texts where children suggest appropriate headings and subheadings. Teach the difference between headings (main topics) and subheadings (subtopics within a section).

Children may write vague or unhelpful headings (e.g., 'Stuff' or 'Part 2' instead of 'How Volcanoes Erupt'). They may not understand the hierarchical relationship between headings and subheadings. Some children add headings after writing rather than using them to plan and organise content.

Grammar/punctuation concept — rule-based with objectively assessable outcomes.

Teach the Year 3 grammatical terminology from Appendix 2: preposition, conjunction, word family, prefix, clause, subordinate clause, direct speech, consonant, consonant letter, vowel, vowel letter, inverted commas (speech marks). Teach each term in context, using it when discussing reading and writing. Display definitions with examples. Practise identifying these features in texts. Test understanding through activities like 'find the preposition in this sentence' or 'underline the subordinate clause'.

Children may learn the definitions of grammatical terms without being able to identify examples in context. They may confuse prepositions with conjunctions when both can express similar meanings (e.g., 'before the match' vs 'before the match started'). Some children know the terms but cannot explain their function in a sentence.

Grammar/punctuation concept — rule-based with objectively assessable outcomes.

Continue developing awareness of Standard English, focusing on subject-verb agreement and common non-standard forms. Address the specific verb forms that differ in many dialects: 'we were' not 'we was'; 'I did' not 'I done'; 'she saw' not 'she seen'; 'they went' not 'they gone'. Approach sensitively, validating dialect as appropriate in informal spoken contexts while teaching that Standard English is expected in writing and formal speech. Use editing activities where children identify and correct non-standard verb forms in written text.

Children may feel that their dialect is being criticised when Standard English is taught, requiring a sensitive approach that values linguistic diversity. They may apply Standard English forms inconsistently, particularly in verbs that are common in non-standard dialect (e.g., 'done' for 'did'). Some children can identify non-standard forms in others' writing but not in their own.

Grammar/punctuation concept — rule-based with objectively assessable outcomes.