This is your English Language Booklet.

You will use it to help you develop

the skills you need to improve your Literacy.

Each exercise contains an explanation of a grammar point and a task to

check that you have understood what has been explained. You should
neatly write all of your answers in the booklet.

If you do not understand one of the exercises, you must let your teacher
know so that it can be explained in more detail.

This booklet will help you with a number of skills. In particular, you will
be looking at developing the skills found in the following Experiences
and Outcomes:

Reading Through developing my knowledge of context clues,

punctuation, grammar and layout, I can read with increasing
fluency, understanding and expression.
Eng 3-12
Writing As appropriate to my purpose and type of text, I can
punctuate and structure different types of sentences with
sufficient accuracy, and arrange these to make meaning
clear, showing straightforward relationships between
paragraphs.
Lit 3-22a
Throughout the writing process, I can review and edit my
writing to ensure that it meets its purpose and
communicates meaning at first reading.
Lit 3-23a
You will often be asked to peer or self assess the tasks in this booklet.
This will help you to understand how to improve your work.

In order to do this you should use the following code:

Use the tick sign if the answer is correct.

Use the cross sign if the answer is incorrect.

Use the plus sign if part of the answer is correct.

There is a space at the bottom of the page for you to put your mark.

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 Nouns

A noun is a Naming word. It is a word for a person, place or thing.

Common nouns are used for general

persons places things

girl house desk
boy church chair
teacher school pen
doctor library cup

proper nouns are used for particular

persons places things

Mr Brown Glasgow days
James Seres Road months
Lisa Italy titles

You can spot proper nouns easily as they must always begin with
capital letters.

You know that nouns are naming words. As well as common nouns and
proper nouns, there are also:

collective nouns abstract nouns

The name for a special group The name for something we
of people or animals: cannot see, hear or touch,
such as feelings or ideas:
- audience of people:
- herd of cattle - love - hatred
- flock of sheep - truth - happiness

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 Task 1

Underline the common nouns and circle the proper nouns in the
following sentences:

1. Lucy had been studying for her Higher German exam since last
Tuesday.

2. The Showcase was showing the film, ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’,

last month.

3. David tidied his room by making the bed, washing the windows
and by scrubbing the carpet.

5. Jennifer needed to go into town to buy some new clothes,

including a coat, a party dress and a cardigan. She also needed to
pick up some groceries from Safeway, and if she had time, some
tickets for the concert at the SECC.

Task 2

Write down what type of noun each of the following words is:

boy John troop

_________ _________ _________
evil station class
_________ _________ _________
sadness crowd imagination
_________ _________ _________
team hope courage
_________ _________ _________
chair needle swarm
_________ _________ _________
Tenerife group bunch
_________ _________ _________
September computer table
_________ _________ _________
Regiment ambition Jane
_________ _________ _________

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 Verbs

A verb is a doing word:

Example Action
He walked to the shops. Walking
She felt excited. Feeling
They laughed at the show. Laughing

Task 3
Underline the verb in each sentence:

1. The cat fought with the dog.

2. William writes stories.
3. The boy cried when he lost the race.
4. Jane rode her bike to school.
5. Roses grew in the park.

Some sentences also contain a verb phrase. This is a main verb plus a
helping verb.

E.g. I have talked to him. She is listening to music.

Task 4
Underline the verbs in the sentences below. Remember to look for verb
phrases.

1. John ate all the cakes and the crisps.

2. Have you seen my handbag?

3. I read the magazine then I watched TV.

4. You have really grown since I last saw you.

5. We are moving at the end of the month.

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 Verbs

Agreement of the verb with its subject

A singular (when there is one) subject must be followed by a singular
verb.
A plural (more than one) subject is followed by a plural verb.

E.g. The height of the walls was increased. (Singular)

The walls of the city were destroyed. (Plural)

Task 5
Complete the sentences with the correct answer.

1. The absence of the boys _______________ reported. (was, were)

2. The boys of the school _____________ taught swimming. (is, are)

3. The majority of the noise ______________made by the boys.

(was, were)

4. In general his answers ____________ correct. (is, are)

5. Most of his money ______________ been lost. (has, have)

6. The bikes in the shop _____________ very expensive. (is, are)

7. Most of the neighbours ____________ friendly. (was, were)

8. Almost all of the girls ____________ nice. (was, were)

9. John _________ learning to swim. (is, are)

10.Most of his plans ________________ failed. (has, have)

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 The Present Tense

The present tense is the one that we use to say what is happening at this
moment. A verb changes in form depending on which “person” you are
describing.

Examples: I eat you eat (singular) he/she/it eats

we eat you eat (plural) they eat

If we want to show that the action is going on for some time, we use are
and add ing to the verb.
E.g. They are eating dinner (and have been for half an hour).

Task 6

Change the following sentences into the present tense. You should give
both possible versions.

Example
I ran uphill. I run uphill I am running uphill.

1. I walked to the I ____________ to the I _____ ___________

shops. shops. to the shops.

2. I ate chocolate. I _____________ I ____ ____________

chocolate. chocolate.

3. Lisa went to Lisa __________ to Lisa _____ _________

Brownies. Brownies. to Brownies.

4. Stuart painted Stuart __________ Stuart ____ ________

pictures. pictures. pictures.

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 The Future Tense

The future tense is the one we use to say what is going to happen in the
future and has not happened yet. To do this we usually use “will” or
“shall”.
E.g. I learn  I will learn.

If we want to show it will happen over a long period of time it should be

I am staying  I will be staying.

Task 7
Complete the following sentences in the future tense.

I am learning German. I will be learning German.

1. I am learning I ____ ____ __________ French.

French.
2. I watch I ______ __________ ‘Neighbours’.
‘Neighbours’.
3. We arrived on Lisa ______ ___________ on Monday.
Monday.
4. Sharon is studying Sharon _____ _____ ___________ tonight.
tonight.
5. Tracey read that Tracey _______ _________ that book.
book.
6. They swam for one They _______ _________ for one hour.
hour.
7. They ran 4 miles on They _____ ________ 4 miles on Monday.
Monday.
8. John did his John ______ ______ his homework after
homework after school.
school.
9. Sarah worked hard Sarah _____ ________ hard on Thursday.
on Thursday.
10. We left on We _____ _________ on Saturday.
Saturday.

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 The Past Tense

The past tense is the tense we use to say what has happened before and
is no longer happening.

Most ‘weak’ verbs add ‘ed’ to form the past tense.

E.g. walk = walked call = called

‘Strong’ verbs change when they are put into the past tense.
Examples:
eat = ate is = was drink = drank
have = had sing = sang cry = cried

Task 8
Change the following sentences into the past tense.

1. I swim. I ______________.
2. She cries at sad films. She ___________ at sad films.
3. John likes going on the roller John __________ going on the
coaster. roller coaster.
4. We watch T.V. in the afternoons. We ___________ T.V in the
afternoons.
5. They run to the swing park. They ________ to the swing park.
6. They eat their food quickly. They ________ their food quickly.
7. Sam goes jogging in the park Sam _________ in the park
regularly. regularly.
8. Joe is kicking a can. Joe _____________ a can.
9. Lisa is reading a comic. Lisa _______ a comic.
10. The children clap after the The children __________ after the
team score. team score.

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 Active and Passive

Verbs can be used in two different ways. We call these active and
passive ‘voices.’

The Active Voice

Stuart pushed the trolley.
In this sentence, Stuart (the subject) is doing the action of pushing.

The Passive Voice

The trolley was pushed by Stuart.
Here, the trolley (subject) was having the action done to it.

The ‘active’ voice is stronger and more direct than the ‘passive’ voice.
The ‘active’ is normally shorter and easier but we use the ‘passive’ to
give a different emphasis.

Task 9
Change the following ‘active’ sentences into ‘passive’ sentences.

1. Lisa drank the juice.

The juice was _____________________________________________.

2. The cleaner waters the plants every week.

The plants are ____________________________________________.

3. We walk the dog every day.

The dog is _______________________________________________.

4. John collects Nadine from school.

Nadine is ________________________________________________.

5. The boy hid the watch.

The watch was ___________________________________________.

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 Adverbs

Adverbs are words that tell us more about verbs and other words.

There are different types of adverbs:

Adverbs Adverbs Adverbs

of manner of time of place
manner

Tell us how something is

done. You can often spot Tell us Tell us where
these as they end in ‘ly’. when

Examples: Examples: Examples:

The train arrives slowly. I posted the letter yesterday. Let’s meet here.
The girls skipped happily I’ll get it later. Put it over there.

Task 10
Choose one of the adverbs to fill in the blanks in the sentences. Only use
each word once.

slowly loudly quickly angrily brightly

1. I want you to shout ________________.

2. The sun shone _______________ when we were on holiday.

3. The baby crawled ______________ across the floor.

4. He glared ______________ at the boy.

5. The girl ran ______________ across the road.

Task 11
Change the following adjectives into adverbs.

1. calm = ____________ 2. quiet = _______________

3. sad = _____________ 4. frosty = ______________

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 Pronouns

A pronoun is a word used to refer to a person or thing without giving a

name. This is used instead of a noun.

Examples:
it she he them us myself

Task 12
Choose a pronoun from the list below and complete the following
sentences. Only use each pronoun once.

yourself she I you some

him us it himself any

1. Do ________ want to go to the cinema?

2. Our aunt gave ________ some sweets.

3. That is John’s book. It belongs to _________.

4. I made ten pounds. Did you make ____________?

5. Look after __________ when you are away.

6. This is Gillian’s picture that _________ painted.

7. _____ am going to the disco on Saturday.

8. Alan brushed his teeth and dressed _____________.

9. I’m having soup. Do you want ____________?

10.I can’t find the book. I’m sure I left ________ here.

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 Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns are used to refer to the nouns or pronouns which

have already been used earlier in the sentence. They are useful for
joining two sentences together.

E.g. This is a girl. Her mother is a clothes designer.

becomes

There is a girl whose mother is a clothes designer.

Relative Pronouns Use

Who/whom Used for people.
Whose Used mainly for people but can also refer to things.
Which Used for things and animals.
That Used to replace ‘which’. It refers to things and
people.

Task 13

Complete the sentences below by filling in the blanks with an

appropriate relative pronoun.

1. I went swimming with Jackie _____________ lives next door to

me.

2. This is the top __________ I bought for the party.

3. I lost the ring ___________ my gran gave to me.

4. That is the girl __________ sister got married.

5. I finished the cake __________ my mum baked yesterday.

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 Adjectives

An adjective is a word used to tell us more about a noun or pronoun.

E.g. She had sparkling green eyes

adjectives noun

Task 14

Underline the adjectives in the following sentences.

1. The hungry lion killed its prey.

2. The little boy held his mother’s hand when crossing the busy road.
3. The children believed the house was haunted.
4. John had brown, messy hair that fell over his eyes.
5. The house was massive!

Writers use adjectives to make their writing more interesting.

Adjectives can also add atmosphere.
E.g. ‘The screeching, icy wind howled through the bare, jagged tree branches of the
dark, desolate forest.’

The writer could have written simply ‘The wind blew through the
branches of the forest.’ However, here, the adjectives, screeching, icy,
bare, jagged, tree, dark and desolate help to create a bleak atmosphere.

Task 15
Write descriptive sentences using adjectives for the following scenes:

1. The ________ ____________ house looked haunted.

2. The ________ sun shone down on to the ________ ____________

beach.

3. The ____________ wind blew against the _________ hut.

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 Forms of Adjectives
There are three forms of adjectives that you can use to describe a noun
or pronoun.

Forms Add Example 1 Example 2

Ordinary Lynne is young. The card is
special.
Comparative ‘er’ or Lynne is younger than This card is
‘more’ Paula. more special.
Superlative ‘est’ or Susan is the youngest in This one is the
‘most’ the class. most special.

Be careful, though, as not all adjectives follow the pattern above.

Task 16
Insert the correct form of the adjective using the word in the bracket.

1. Colin had the __________ test mark in the class. (bad)

2. Lynne is a __________ girl. (pretty)

3. Christine is ______________ than Claire. (old)

4. Liam is the _____________ boy of three. (small)

5. This CD is ____________________ than that one. (expensive)

6. Colin was ____________ than Amy. (tall)

7. That boulder was the ____________ one they had lifted. (heavy)

8. Those flowers are the ______________ I have seen. (bright)

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 Conjunctions

Conjunctions are words used to join words or clauses. You should use
them in your own writing to lengthen you sentences and add variety.

Note: A clause is a group of words which acts as a single unit and is built
around a verb.

E.g. He lives in America.

Verb

Task 17

Use one of the conjunctions in the list below to join two of the sentences
together. Write the completed sentence below. Only use each
conjunction once. The first one has been done for you.

then but if until because

1. Susan got up at ten. A. You water the flowers.

2. John drinks coffee. B. She went to bed.

3. I will clean the car. C. This programme is over.

4. I won’t go to bed. D. She was on holiday.

5. Stacy brushed her teeth. E. He doesn’t drink tea.

1. Susan got up at ten because she was on holiday._________________

2. _________________________________________________________

3. _________________________________________________________

4. _________________________________________________________

5. _________________________________________________________

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 Prepositions

Prepositions are the words used to show what one person or thing has
to do with another person or thing.

Examples:
Over Under Between On

Task 18

Choose a preposition from the list and complete the following

sentences. Use each preposition only once.

on before over into

past up near under

1. Put the lid ________________ the potato pot please.

2. Your jacket is in the cupboard _____________ the stairs.

3. Her house is the first one _______________ the sweet shop.

4. The boy climbed _____________ the fence to escape.

5. I’ll drop you off ________________ your house.

6. We will need to get _________________ at 8 o’clock tomorrow

morning.

7. Put your toys back ___________ the toy box!

8. Brush your teeth ______________ you go to bed.

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 Sentence Types

Sentences finish with different punctuation marks depending on the

sentence type.
A STATEMENT ends with a full stop. E.g. We’ve got the best bargains.
A QUESTION ends with a question mark. E.g. Have you booked a
holiday?
An IMPERATIVE statement (command) ends with a full stop. E.g. Send
for our brochure today.
An EXCLAMATION ends with an exclamation mark. E.g. What a bargain!

Task 19
Complete the following sentences by adding the correct punctuation
mark and stating what type of sentence it is.

Sentence Punctuation Sentence Type

E.g. Did you buy any chocolate today ? Question
1. We went for a walk yesterday

2. Are you busy tomorrow evening

3. You can’t wear that

4. Can you afford to miss this

opportunity

5. Where are you going on holiday

this year

6. It was amazing

7. Go to the shops now

8. I will be twenty on my birthday

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 Alphabetical Order

When you are asked to put words into alphabetical order, you begin by
looking at the first letter of each word. The word that begins with the
letter nearest the beginning of the alphabet comes first.

If two or more words begin with the same letter then you should look at
the next letter in each word and apply the same rules.
E.g. carrot  clay crayon

Task 20
Put the following lists of words into alphabetical order.

1. Chair Desk Computer Folder Book

2. Monkey Dog Cat Mouse Horse

3. House Caravan Bungalow Flat

4. Canada Japan France Australia Iceland

5. Where When Why Who What

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