MissOdell2016

Vocabulary quiz 1

Name:

Grammar lesson 1: NounsGrammar lesson 2: Adjectives Grammar lesson 3: VerbsGrammar lesson 4: TenseGrammar lesson 5: Subject-verb agreementGrammar lesson 6: Prepositions

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Listen carefully to the key vocabulary being read out. See if you can correctly spell the key vocabulary below.

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Total out of 15:

Vocabulary I still need to practise:

MissOdell2016

Grammar lesson 1: What is a noun? What are the three main types of noun?

A noun is a naming word. A noun is a word for a person, place or thing. Everything we can see or talk about is represented by a word that names it.

The surest way to identify nouns is by the ways they can be used after determiners such as ‘the’ and ‘a/an.’

Proper, common and abstract nouns

There are three main types of noun:

Proper nouns name a particular place, person, time or event and begin with a capital letter.

Common nouns are general words for kinds of people, animals, places or things.

Abstract nouns refer to things that cannot be sensed.

On your desk are a series of cards with nouns on them. Your task is to organise them by deciding which nouns are examples of proper nouns, which nouns are examples of common nouns and which nouns are examples of abstract nouns. Copy the nouns into the appropriate columns.

Proper nouns Common nouns Abstract nouns

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Let’s see how these nouns feature in this lesson’s key text: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. As I am reading this text to you, use your three colours to identify the three types of noun within this passage. Create a key below:

Proper noun

Common noun

Abstract noun

Going up that river was like travelling back to the earliest beginnings of the world, when vegetation rioted on the earth and the big trees were kings. An empty stream, a great silence, an impenetrable forest. The air was warm, thick, heavy, sluggish. There was no joy in the brilliance of the sunshine. The long stretches of the river ran on, deserted into the gloom of overshadowed distances. On silvery sandbanks, hippos and alligators sunned themselves side by side. The broadening waters flowed through a mob of wooded islands; you lost your way on that river as you would in a desert, till you thought yourself bewitched and cut off for ever from everything you had once known. There were moments when one’s past came back to one, as it will sometimes; but it came in the shape of an unrestful and noisy dream, remembered with wonder in the midst of this strange world of plants, and water, and silence. And this stillness of life did not in the least resemble a peace.

On we went into the silence, along empty stretches, round the still bends, between the high walls of our winding way, the heavy beat of the stern-wheel echoing in hollow claps. Trees, trees, millions of trees, massive, immense, running up high; and at their foot, hugging the bank against the stream, crept the little steamboat, like a sluggish beetle crawling on the floor of a lofty building. It made you feel very small, very lost.

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We penetrated deeper and deeper into the heart of darkness. It was very quiet there. At night, sometimes the roll of drums behind the curtain of trees would run up the river and remain, as if hovering in the air high above our heads, till the first break of day. Whether it meant war, peace, or prayer we could not tell. We were wanderers on prehistoric earth, on an earth that seemed like an unknown planet.

Common nouns are general words for places and things. However, they are useful in helping a reader to build up a picture of a scene as they tell us what can be seen.

Use the common nouns from the description above to sketch a brief design of the scene being described. Remember to label your design with the common nouns that have helped you to picture the scene.

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Nouns have been chosen and used beautifully in this piece of writing to help convey images to the reader. Let’s have a think about four of the phrases the writer has constructed and how he has really thought about his noun choices to convey particular images to the reader.

1. What two nouns are used in the phrase below?

The big trees were kings

Noun 1: ____________________________________________________________

Noun 2: ____________________________________________________________

2. ‘Kings’ is an example of what type of noun? The writer has chosen the noun ‘kings’ cleverly here to convey an image to you, the reader of the trees. What is your impression of the trees as a result of Conrad’s noun choice?

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3. What two nouns are used in the phrase below?

Crept the little steamboat, like a sluggish beetle

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4. ‘Beetle’ is an example of what type of noun? Conrad has chosen the noun ‘beetle’ carefully here to help you form an impression of the boat. What impression of the boat is formed through this noun choice?

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5. Now look at the two phrases below. What impression of the setting is created by Conrad’s choice of nouns ‘mob’ and ‘curtain’?

The broadening waters flowed through a mob of wooded islandsThe curtain of trees

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6. To what extent do you think Conrad’s noun choices have helped the reader to create an image of the setting in their mind?

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So common nouns can identify what can be seen within a scene and can also help a reader to form an impression of a scene. However, abstract nouns can set the mood or help to establish a tone. Look at the abstract nouns Conrad has used in this extract below.

Joy darkness gloomPeace silence

What can we deduce about the narrator’s feelings as he/she is travelling down-stream?___________________________________________________________________

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Look at the picture below. Thought shower around the outside proper, common and abstract nouns you could use to help you describe this scene.

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Now using your chosen nouns, construct a short description of the scene. You, as narrator, are making your way across the desert. As you are writing, think about

What can be seen in the scene What impression you want to create of parts of the scene The tone / mood presented through the narrator’s voice

Use the Heart of Darkness extract to help you as a model text.

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Highlight your choice of nouns using a key to easily identify which nouns are proper, common or abstract.

Proper

Common

Abstract

Which noun choice do you think is the most effective and why? How does it help the reader to picture the scene?

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Vocabulary quiz 2

Listen carefully to the key vocabulary being read out. See if you can correctly spell the key vocabulary below.

1. ______________________________________________________________

2. ______________________________________________________________

3. ______________________________________________________________

4. ______________________________________________________________

5. ______________________________________________________________

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Total out of 15:

Vocabulary I still need to practise:

MissOdell2016

Grammar lesson 2: What are adjectives?

Adjectives describe nouns. There are two main types of adjectives: opinion adjectives and fact adjectives. Opinion adjectives always come first followed by fact adjectives. When there are two or more fact adjectives in a sentence, they usually go in the following order:

Size – weight – shape – colour – material

Below is an extract taken from Bill Bryson’s ‘Notes from a Small Island.’ In this extract, Bill Bryson is describing his arrival at a hotel. Read through the description with a partner and highlight the adjectives that have been used.

The Churchill was sumptuous and well-lit and appeared ready to receive visitors. Through a window I could see people in suits in a bar, looking elegant and suave, like characters from a Noel Coward play. I hesitated in the shadows, feeling like a street urchin. I was socially and sartorially ill-suited for such an establishment and anyway it was clearly beyond my meagre budget. Only the previous day, I had handed over an exceptionally plump wad of colourful francs to a beady-eyed Picardy hotelier in payment for one night in a lumpy bed and a plate of mysterious chasseur containing the bones of assorted small animals, much of which had to be secreted away in a large napkin in order not to appear impolite, and had determined thenceforth to be more cautious with expenditures. So I turned reluctantly from the Churchill’s beckoning warmth and trudged off into darkness.

Adjectives, like nouns, are chosen carefully to create impressions in the reader’s mind. We are now going to zoom in on the adjectives that have been used here and consider the inferences we can make about the hotel and the experiences of the traveller.

Look at the questions tagged to the extract on the next page and then answer the questions in the spaces provided.

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The Churchill was sumptuous and well-lit and appeared ready to receive visitors. Through a window I could see people in suits in a bar, looking elegant and suave, like characters from a Noel Coward play. I hesitated in the shadows, feeling like a street urchin. I was socially and sartorially ill-suited for such an establishment and anyway it was clearly beyond my meagre budget. Only the previous day, I had handed over an exceptionally plump wad of colourful francs to a beady-eyed Picardy hotelier in payment for one night in a lumpy bed and a plate of mysterious chasseur containing the bones of assorted small animals, much of which had to be secreted away in a large napkin in order not to appear impolite, and had determined thenceforth to be more cautious with expenditures. So I turned reluctantly from the Churchill’s beckoning warmth and trudged off into darkness.

2. What inferences can we make about the hotel ‘The Churchill’ from the adjectives ‘sumptuous’ and ‘well=lit?

1. What inferences can we make about the people who stay at the hotel as a result of the adjective choices of ‘elegant’ and ‘suave’?

3. What does the adjective ‘ill-suited’ tell us about how the narrator is feeling?

4. What does the adjective ‘meagre’ mean? What does this adjective tell us about Bryson’s travels?

6. What inferences can we make about the Picardy hotelier based upon the use of the adjective ‘beady-eyed’?

5. How do you, as a reader, respond to the adjective ‘lumpy’ to describe the bed?

7. What inferences can you make about the food if it described as ‘mysterious’?

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Answers to the questions:

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We have now thought very carefully about how a writer’s adjective choices can help to form an impression of a place. Look at the picture below – thought shower as many adjectives as you can think of. Your intention as a writer is to convey to your reader that this hotel is a place of warmth and is very welcoming.

Now choose a minimum of five adjectives to upgrade.

Upgrade your choices by using a thesaurus to find even more descriptive synonyms.

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Use your adjectives to construct a descriptive piece of writing about this hotel. Remember, your intention as a writer is to make your reader feel as though this hotel is both warm and welcoming.

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Adjective choice 1 and reason: __________________________________________

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Adjective choice 2 and reason: __________________________________________

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Now reflect upon your writing. Which two adjectives do you think most effectively help to create an impression of the hotel that is both warm and welcoming?

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Comparative and superlative adjectives

Another two types of adjective are comparative adjectives and superlative adjectives.

A comparative adjective compare two nouns. If the adjective has one syllable, then in most cases you need to add –er. E.g. ‘slow’ to ‘slower’ in the sentence: ‘The bus is slower than the broomstick.’ However, if the adjective has two syllables or more, the word more or the word less should be placed in front of it. E.g. ‘colourful’ to ‘more colourful’ in the sentence ‘The potion was more colourful than the other potions.

A superlative adjective compare more than two nouns. If the adjective has one syllable, you usually add ‘-est’. If it has two syllables or more, the word most or the word least should usually be placed in front of it. E.g. ‘slow’ to ‘slowest’ as in the sentence ‘This method of transport is the slowest’ and ‘colourful’ to ‘most colourful’ in the sentence ‘The potion is the most colourful of all of them.

Look at the table below and the adjectives on the left hand side. Can you construct the comparative and superlative form for each adjective? The first one has been done for you.

Comparative SuperlativeWarm

elegant

Big

Empty

Great

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Thick

Heavy

Long

Gloomy

Noisy

Extension:Using the picture below of a landscape, construct one sentence that contains a comparative adjective and one sentence that contains a superlative adjective.

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Vocabulary quiz 3

Listen carefully to the key vocabulary being read out. See if you can correctly spell the key vocabulary below.

1. ______________________________________________________________

2. ______________________________________________________________

3. ______________________________________________________________

4. ______________________________________________________________

5. ______________________________________________________________

6. ______________________________________________________________

7. ______________________________________________________________

8. _________________________________________________________

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11. _________________________________________________________

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Total out of 15:

Vocabulary I still need to practise:

Grammar lesson 3: What are verbs?A verb is sometimes known as a ‘doing’ word because many verbs name an action that someone or something does.

Look at the four images below all taken from The Perfect Storm. In it the fishermen are making one last journey in attempt to catch some fish. However, they get caught in a storm upon their return home.

Dramatic verbs are really great for enhancing the tension of a journey. Working in pairs, how many dramatic verbs can you come up with to describe the actions below and increase the tension for a potential reader?

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Our list of dramatic verbs…

Challenge: Upgrade a minimum of three of your dramatic verb choices below:

Upgrade 1: _________________________________________________________

Upgrade 2: _________________________________________________________

Upgrade 3: _________________________________________________________

Now let’s read a descriptive account of a ‘Storm at Sea’ by Claire Francis and see how our dramatic verb choices match up. As we are reading this extract, highlight the verbs you think are particularly dramatic and help to create a sense of tension for the reader.

The movements of the boat were severe. She would rush at a wave, leap off the top, and then crash down on to the other side, give a quick roll or flip, then rush at another. Sometimes she found nothing but air as she leapt off a crest and there would be a ghastly moment of silence before a terrible juddering crash as the bows hit water again. At times like this it was easy to imagine that the mast had broken or the hull split in two, for it seemed impossible that any boat could take such a beating. Water was

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streaming over her decks and her motion was as wild as a washing machine’s. Like a dirty dishcloth I was spun rinsed, and tumbled about until I should have been whiter than white. I tried wedging myself in my bunk but nearly got thrown out, so I tied myself in and lay there in a state of mental paralysis, allowing no thoughts to enter my mind. I heard a banging and crashing sound above the racket of the gale as the boat jerked and gyrated but was too tired to go and investigate. Even if I had known that the loo had broken loose I wouldn’t have minded much. But then another noise came to my bleary attention and this one could not be ignored. Something was hitting against the hull and even before I looked I knew what I would be. I had tied a sail down along the deck and, sure enough, the weight of water had pulled it free so that most of it was trailing in the sea. Five minutes later I had the sail below and another boot full of water.

Identify the three verbs you think are the most dramatic in the space below, explaining why you think those verbs are particularly effective in creating tension for the reader.

Dramatic verb choice 1: _______________________________________________

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Dramatic verb choice 2: _______________________________________________

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Dramatic verb choice 3: _______________________________________________

MissOdell2016

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You are now going to use one of your choices to write a response to the following question:

How has Claire Francis used dramatic verbs in her account to increase the tension for the reader?

Before you write your response, have a look at a response I constructed.

Claire Francis has used dramatic verbs in her account. This is evident when she writes ‘She would rush at a wave, leap off the top, and then crash down on the other side’ to describe the movements of the boat. The dramatic verb ‘rush’ implies that the actions are quick and suggests that the boat was fearless in approaching the waves as supported by the use of the verb ‘leap’. However, the verb ‘crash’ suggests a somewhat violent end to riding the waves and an action that isn’t as controlled increasing the tension for the reader as they wonder whether the boat will be able to steady itself again.

In this response I have

Stated that Claire Francis has used dramatic verbs Copied out an example from the text using quotation marks Explained what the reader learns from the example from the text Focused in on the dramatic verbs she has used and begun to explore the

effect of those verbs, especially in how they might help to increase tension

In your pairs, can you identify where I have used the P (point), E (evidence), E (explanation), FE (focused exploration), E (effect) structure in my response?

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Now it is your turn. In pairs, construct a PEE/FEE paragraph exploring how Claire Francis has used dramatic verbs to increase the tension for the reader.

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Read the start of the next paragraph of ‘Storm at Sea’ by Claire Francis below:

If life was bleak then, it was bleaker three hours later. I allowed myself to become excited at the sight of a clear sky ahead and, quite certain the wind would drop, waited expectantly. The sun came out, the clouds disappeared, and then, to my dismay, the wind blew as strongly as ever, if not stronger.

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Using your dramatic verb choices from the picture activity (and further creations if you so wish), continue this paragraph on. Highlight your verb choices after you have completed your writing.

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The three verbs I have crafted to create the most tension are ______________________________________________________________________________________________I think these are effective verb choices because ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Vocabulary quiz 4

Listen carefully to the key vocabulary being read out. See if you can correctly spell the key vocabulary below.

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6. ______________________________________________________________

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7. ______________________________________________________________

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Total out of 15:

Vocabulary I still need to practise:

Grammar lesson 4: What are tenses?

What is tense?

Tense (noun): a verb-based method used to indicate the time, and sometimes the continuation or completeness, of an action or state in relation to the time of speaking. (https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/tense-what.htm)

How many tenses are there in the English Language?There are two tenses in English – past and present.

Present simple (e.g. I work, I play, I study)We use the present simple for

Permanent states, repeated actions and daily routines (I go on holiday every six weeks)

Scheduled actions (The plane to Italy leaves at 9am.)

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Likes and dislikes (He likes travelling). General truths or laws of nature (The sun rises every morning over Sydney

Harbour Bridge)

Now construct four sentences using the present simple tense.

1. To describe something you do every time you go on holiday.

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2. To describe a trip that is scheduled.

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3. To describe a like or a dislike about travelling or making a journey.______________________________________________________________

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4. To describe a general truth or law of nature about travelling or making a journey.

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Present continuous (e.g. I am working, I am playing, I am studying)We use the present continuous for

Actions happening now, at the moment of speaking (I am writing a postcard)

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Temporary actions (I am searching for my passport at the moment) Actions that we have already arranged to do in the near future, especially

when the time and place have been decided. (We are going to France tomorrow morning).

Now construct three sentences using the present simple tense.

1. Imagine you are on a beach. Write a sentence using the present continuous to describe an action happening now.

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2. Imagine you are at the Eiffel Tower. Write a sentence using the present continuous to describe a temporary action – something you are doing at this point in time.

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3. Imagine you are going on holiday. Write a sentence containing the present continuous that describes an action that has already been arranged to do in the near future in preparation for this holiday.______________________________________________________________

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Look at the following sentences and decide whether the present simple or present continuous has been used:

Present simple

Present continuous

form.

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The plane is flying to America.

The tourist walks the streets of Ancient Greece.

Lola is sunning herself on the beach.

Jamie swims in the sea.

The climber hikes up the mountain.

They are buying souvenirs.

Now re-write the sentences into the alternative form. So, for example ‘The plane is flying to America’ is written using the present continuous. To write it using the present simple, we would need to adjust the verb. The new sentence would read: ‘The plane flies to America’.

1. The tourist walks the streets of Ancient Greece.

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2. Lola is sunning herself on the beach.

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3. Jamie swims in the sea.

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4. The climber hikes up the mountain.

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5. They are buying souvenirs.

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Past simple We use the past simple for

Actions which happened or finished at a definite time or stated time in the past (We left the house at 7.30am this morning)

Actions which happened repeatedly in the past but don’t happen anymore. (I often played football when I was younger).

Actions which happened immediately one after the other in the past. (First I showered, then I brushed my teeth and then I got dressed)

Now construct three sentences, that are travel related, using the past simple tense.

1. To describe an action which happened or finished at a definite time or stated time in the past.

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2. To describe an action which happened repeatedly in the past but doesn’t happen anymore.

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3. To describe an action which happened immediately one after the other in the past.

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Past continuousWe use the past continuous for

An action which was in progress at a stated time in the past. We do not know when the action started or finished. (At 8 o’clock last night I was doing by homework)

A past action which was in progress when another action interrupted it. The past continuous is used for the action in progress and the past simple for the action which interrupted it. (I was writing my essay when my friend phoned me)

Two or more actions which were happening at the same time in the past. (My mum was reading the newspaper while my dad was watching the television)

Now construct three sentences using the past continuous tense that are travel related.

4. To describe an action which was in progress at a stated time in the past. We do not know when the action started or finished.

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5. To describe a past action which was in progress when another action interrupted it. The past continuous is used for the action in progress and the past simple for the action which interrupted it.

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6. To describe two or more actions which were happening at the same time in the past.

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Now look at the following sentences and underline the correct form (past simple or past continuous) of the verb.

1. The plane flew / was flying to America at 9 o’clock this morning.

2. The tourist walked / was walking the streets of Ancient Greece

3. Lola often sunned / was sunning herself on the beach.

4. Jane swam / was swimming in the sea.

5. The climber hiked / was hiking up the mountain this morning.

6. They bought / were buying souvenirs.

What helped you to identify the correct verb choice?

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Summarise what you have learnt about the present simple and present continuous and the past simple and the past continuous in today’s lesson.

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Look at the following extract taken from ‘Journey to Jo’burg’ by Beverley Naidoo.

It was rush-hour when they got on the train to Soweto and the children clung on

tightly to Grace. There was no sitting space and it felt as if all their breath was

being squeezed out of them. Grown-up bodies pressed in from above and all

around them. Some people laughed, some people swore and others kept silent, as

the train shook and lurched on its way.

At each station the crowd heaved towards the carriage door, people urgently

pushing their way through. Naledi and Tiro tried to press backwards to stay close to

Grace.

But in a sudden surge at one of the stations, they found themselves being carried forward hurling out on to the platform. Desperately they tried to reach back to the

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open door, but passengers were still coming out, although the train was already beginning to move on. Naledi was just able to see Grace wedged inside. She was trying to get out, but the train was on its way! Naledi and Tiro looked at each other in dismay. What now?

1. Can you identify examples of the following within the extract above?

Present simplePresent continuousPast simple Past continuous

2. In the following sentence both the past simple and the past continuous are used. Can you identify the two verbs?

Past simplePast continuous

3. Continue the extract on. Once you have written a further paragraph, identify where you have used different tenses. Explain why those tenses have been used.

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Why have you used the variety of tenses?

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Vocabulary quiz 5

Listen carefully to the key vocabulary being read out. See if you can correctly spell the key vocabulary below.

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9. ______________________________________________________________

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Total out of 15:

Vocabulary I still need to practise:

Grammar lesson 5: Subject-verb agreement

Today we are going to work with the following extract taken from Amundsen’s diary entries about his excursion to the South Pole in 1911.

Amundsen’s arrival at the South Pole (1911)At three in the afternoon a simultaneous “Halt!” rang out from the drivers … The goal was reached, the journey ended. I cannot say — though I know it would sound much more effective — that the object of my life was attained. That would be romancing rather too bare-facedly. I had better be honest and admit straight out that I have never known any man to be placed in such a diametrically opposite position to the goal of his desires as I was at that moment. The regions around the North Pole — well, yes, the North Pole itself — had attracted me from childhood, and here I was at the South Pole. Can anything more topsy-turvy be imagined?

After we had halted we collected and congratulated each other … After this we proceeded to the greatest and most solemn act of the whole journey — the planting of our flag. Pride and affection shone in the five pairs of eyes that gazed upon the flag, as it unfurled itself

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with a sharp crack, and waved over the Pole. I had determined that the act of planting it — the historic event — should be equally divided among us all. It was not for one man to do this; it was for all who had staked their lives in the struggle, and held together through thick and thin. This was the only way in which I could show my gratitude to my comrades in this desolate spot. I could see that they understood and accepted it in the spirit in which it was offered. Five weather-beaten, frost-bitten fists they were that grasped the pole, raised the waving flag in the air, and planted it as the first at the geographical South Pole. “Thus we plant thee, beloved flag, at the South Pole” That moment will certainly be remembered by all of us who stood there.

A complete sentence contains a subject and a verb. We have already explored verbs but a subject is the person or the thing completing the action. So, for example, in the sentence

‘We proceeded to the greatest and most solemn act of the whole journey’,

‘We’ is the subject and ‘proceeded’ is the verb.

Look at the following sentences, taken from the extract above. Can you identify the subject and the verb for each?

1. The goal was reached.

Subject: ___________________________________________________________

Verb: ______________________________________________________________

2. The journey ended.

Subject: ___________________________________________________________

Verb: ______________________________________________________________

3. …we congratulated each other…

Subject: ___________________________________________________________

Verb: ______________________________________________________________

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Sentences will often contain more than one subject and more than one verb. Look at the following sentences taken from the extract and identify the subjects and verbs from within the sentence.

1. After we had halted we collected and congratulated each other

Subject/s: __________________________________________________________

Verb/s: ____________________________________________________________

2. Pride and affection shone in the five pairs of eyes that gazed upon the flag, as it unfurled itself with a sharp crack, and waved over the Pole.

Subject/s: __________________________________________________________

Verb/s: ____________________________________________________________

3. Five weather-beaten, frost-bitten fists they were that grasped the pole, raised the waving flag in the air, and planted it as the first at the geographical South Pole.

Subject/s: __________________________________________________________

Verb/s: ____________________________________________________________

Extension

Now construct three of your own sentences identifying the subject and the verb within each sentence.

1. ______________________________________________________________

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2. ______________________________________________________________

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3. ______________________________________________________________

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It is important that there is agreement between the subject and the verb. For example, Amundsen might say:

‘We reached the South Pole’ – this shows agreement between the subject and the verb.

However, ‘We reaches the South Pole’ – does not show agreement between the subject and the verb.

Look at the following sentences.

1) Identify the subject and the verb in each sentence.2) Which sentences show subject-verb agreement and which don’t? Identify by

ticking the appropriate box.3) Correct those sentences you don’t feel have subject-verb agreement.

Shows agreement

Doesn’t show

agreement

Corrections

There were a festivity in the tent that evening.

Subject:Verb:

We contented ourselves with a little piece of seal meat each.

Subject:Verb:

Outside we heard the flag

Subject:Verb:

It tasting well and did us good.

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Subject:Verb:

Outside we heard the flag flapped in the breeze.

Subject:Verb:

Conversation was lively in the tent that evening.

Subject:Verb:

Our thoughts sending messages home of what we had done.

Subject:Verb:

Re-write these sentences, changing either the form of the subject or the form of the verb, so that they agree.

1. Amundsen lighting the fire.

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2. The men dreams of reaching the South Pole.

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3. Amundsen are leading the team on their trek.

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4. The groups is happy that they reach the South Pole.______________________________________________________________

5. The flag was raising over the South Pole.

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1. What is the subject of a sentence?

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2. What is the verb of a sentence?

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3. Read the short extract below which has been taken from ‘Travels with a Donkey’ by Robert Louis Stevenson:

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As I thus lay, between content and longing, a faint noise stole towards me through the pines. I thought, at first, it was the crowing of cocks or the barking of dogs at some very distant farm; but steadily and gradually it took articulate shape in my ears, until I became aware that a passenger was going by upon the high-road in the valley, and singing loudly as he went. There was more of good-will than grace in his performance; but he trolled with ample lungs; and the sound of his voice took hold upon the hillside and set the air shaking in the leafy glens. I have heard people passing by night in sleeping cities; some of them sang; one, I remember, played loudly on the bagpipes. I have heard the rattle of a cart or carriage spring up suddenly after hours of stillness, and pass, for some minutes, within the range of my hearing as I lay abed. There is a romance about all who are abroad in the black hours, and with something of a thrill we try to guess their business. But here the romance was double: first, this glad passenger, lighted internally with wine, who sent up his voice in music through the night; and then I, on the other hand, buckled into my sack, and smoking alone in the pine-woods between four and five thousand feet towards the stars.

4. Identify the subject/s and the verb/s in each of the clauses / sentences below:

a. As I thus lay, between content and longing, a faint noise stole towards me through the pines.

Subject: ______________________________________________________

Verb: _________________________________________________________

b. I thought, at first, it was the crowing of cocks or the barking of dogs at some very distant farm…

Subject: ______________________________________________________

Verb: _________________________________________________________

c. The sound of his voice took hold upon the hillside and set the air shaking in the leafy glens.

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Subject: ______________________________________________________

Verb: _________________________________________________________

d. I have heard people passing by night in sleeping cities…

Subject: ______________________________________________________

Verb: _________________________________________________________

e. I, on the other hand, buckled into my sack…

Subject: ______________________________________________________

Verb: _________________________________________________________

Look at the following sentences.

1) Identify the subject and the verb in each sentence.2) Which sentences show subject-verb agreement and which don’t? Identify by

ticking the appropriate box.3) Correct those sentences you don’t feel have subject-verb agreement.

Shows agreement

Doesn’t show

agreement

Corrections

I lighting my lantern.

Subject:Verb:

I break up some bread.

Subject:Verb:

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I filled my can at the water-tap.

Subject:Verb:

I strolled here and there.

Subject:Verb:

I were hungry.

Subject:Verb:

Vocabulary quiz 6

Listen carefully to the key vocabulary being read out. See if you can correctly spell the key vocabulary below.

1. ______________________________________________________________

2. ______________________________________________________________

3. ______________________________________________________________

4. ______________________________________________________________

5. ______________________________________________________________

6. ______________________________________________________________

7. ______________________________________________________________

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8. ______________________________________________________________

9. ______________________________________________________________

10. _________________________________________________________

11. _________________________________________________________

12. _________________________________________________________

13. _________________________________________________________

14. _________________________________________________________

15. _________________________________________________________

Total out of 15:

Vocabulary I still need to practise:

Grammar lesson 6: What are prepositions? How do they aid a writer?A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between nouns or pronouns. They can show position according to place or time.

She lay in front of the beach.The hotel was next to the restaurant.

Before the holiday, she desperately needed to buy new sunglasses.The tourist attraction was open from 9 to 5.

Prepositions of place After, among, at, behind, between, in, in front of, next to, beside, by, on, over, above, under, below

Prepositions of time at, in, on, before, during, after, from…to, past, til, until, by, since, for, ago

Now look at the following passage taken from ‘Lord of the Flies’ by William Golding.

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The shore was fledged with palm trees. These stood or leaned or reclined against the light and their green feathers were a hundred feet up in the air. The ground beneath them was a bank covered with coarse grass, torn everywhere by the upheavals of fallen trees, scattered with decaying coconuts and palm saplings. Behind this was the darkness of the forest proper and the open space of the scar. Ralph stood, one hand against a grey trunk, and screwed up his eyes against the shimmering water. Out there, perhaps a mile away, the white surf flinked on a coral reef, and beyond that the open sea was dark blue. Within the irregular arc of coral the lagoon was still as a mountain lake, - blue of all shades and shadowy green and purple. The beach between the palm terrace and the water was a thin-bow stave, endless apparently, for to Ralph’s left the perspectives of palm and beach and water drew to a point at infinity; and always, almost invisible, was the heat.

Now go back through the passage, highlighting any prepositions that you come across.Using the prepositions and the wonderful description from Golding, could you construct a visual representation of the island below?

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How helpful has Golding’s use of prepositions been in supporting you, as a reader, to visualise the island?

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Now look at the following image. Label this image with nouns to identify what can be seen.

Challenge: Build in adjectives to begin creating a level of description.

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Now add in prepositions to indicate where the different parts of the holiday resort are.Use the details you have identified and your preposition choices to construct a short description of the holiday resort you have been at for the past week. REMEMBER, the key is that you are trying to help your reader visualise the resort without having seen it.___________________________________________________________________

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Highlight your preposition choices.

During your next grammar lesson, you will be tested on your knowledge of the key grammar components we have looked at already.

You will need to revise the following:

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Nouns What are nouns?What are the three types of noun?

Verbs What are verbs?Adjectives? What are adjectives?

What are the different type of adjectives?What is the difference between a comparative and a superlative adjective?

Tense What is tense?What is the present simple and when is it used?What is the present continuous and when is it used?What is the past simple and when is it used?What is the past continuous and when is it used?

Subject-verb agreement What is a subject?What is subject-verb agreement?What are the common errors with regard to subject-verb agreement?

Prepositions What are prepositions?