English National Curriculum Map
Grammar, Punctuation and
Spelling
Key Stages 1, 2 and 3
Grammar and punctuation – Year 1
|
Year 1: Detail of content to be introduced (statutory requirement) |
Rollama game links |
|
|
Word |
Regular plural noun suffixes –s or –es [for example, dog, dogs; wish, wishes], including the effects of these suffixes on the meaning of the noun |
|
|
Suffixes
that can be added to
verbs where no
change is needed in the spelling of root words (e.g.
helping,
helped, helper) |
||
|
How the prefix un– changes the meaning of verbs and adjectives
[negation, for example,
unkind, or
undoing:
untie the boat]
|
||
|
Sentence |
How words can combine to make sentences |
|
|
Joining words and
joining
clauses using
and |
||
|
Text |
Sequencing sentences to form short narratives |
Coming soon |
|
Punctuation |
Separation of words with spaces |
|
|
Introduction to capital letters, full stops, question marks and
exclamation marks to demarcate
sentences |
||
|
Capital letters for names and for the personal
pronoun I |
||
|
Terminology for pupils |
letter, capital letter, word, singular, plural, sentence,
punctuation, full stop, question mark, exclamation mark
|
|
Grammar and punctuation – Year 2
|
Year 2: Detail of content to be introduced (statutory
requirement)
|
|||
|
Word
|
Formation of
nouns using
suffixes such as –ness, –er and by
compounding [for example,
whiteboard,
superman] |
||
|
Formation of
adjectives using
suffixes such as
–ful,
–less
|
|||
|
Use of the
suffixes
–er,
–est in
adjectives and the
use of –ly in
Standard English to turn adjectives into
adverbs |
|||
|
Sentence
|
Subordination
(using when,
if, that,
because)
and
co-ordination (using
or,
and,
but) |
||
|
Expanded noun
phrases for
description and specification [for example,
the blue butterfly,
plain flour, the man in the moon] |
|||
|
How the grammatical patterns in a sentence indicate its
function as a
statement, question, exclamation or command |
|||
|
Text
|
Correct choice and consistent use of
present tense and
past
tense throughout
writing |
||
|
Use of the
progressive form
of verbs in the
present and
past
tense to mark
actions in progress [for example,
she is drumming,
he was
shouting] |
|||
|
Punctuation
|
Use of capital letters, full stops, question marks and
exclamation marks to demarcate
sentences |
||
|
Commas to separate items in a list |
|||
|
Apostrophes
to mark where letters are missing in spelling and to mark
singular possession in nouns [for example,
the girl’s name]
|
|||
|
Terminology for pupils
|
noun, noun phrase, statement, question, exclamation, command
compound, suffix,
adjective, adverb, verb tense (past, present) apostrophe, comma
|
||
Grammar and punctuation – Year 3
|
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 |
Coming soon |
|
Headings and sub-headings to aid presentation |
Coming soon |
|
|
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, |
|
Grammar and punctuation – Year 4
|
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 |
Coming soon |
|
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 |
|
Grammar and punctuation – Year 5
|
Year 5: Detail of content to be introduced (statutory
requirement) |
||
|
Word |
Converting nouns or adjectives into verbs using suffixes [for example, –ate; –ise; –ify] |
|
|
Verb
prefixes [for
example, dis–,
de–, mis–,
over– and re–] |
||
|
Sentence |
Relative clauses beginning with who, which, where, when, whose, that, or an omitted relative pronoun |
|
|
Indicating degrees of possibility using
adverbs [for
example, perhaps,
surely] or modal
verbs [for example,
might,
should, will,
must] |
Coming soon |
|
|
Text |
Devices to build cohesion within a paragraph [for example, then, after that, this, firstly] |
Coming soon |
|
Linking ideas across paragraphs using
adverbials of time
[for example, later],
place [for example,
nearby] and number
[for example,
secondly] or tense
choices [for example, he
had seen her before]
|
Coming soon |
|
|
Punctuation |
Brackets, dashes or commas to indicate parenthesis Use of commas to clarify meaning or avoid ambiguity |
|
|
Terminology for pupils |
modal verb, relative pronoun, relative clause, parenthesis,
bracket, dash, cohesion, ambiguity |
|
Grammar and punctuation – Year 6
|
Year 6: Detail of content to be introduced (statutory requirement) |
|
|
|
Word |
The difference between vocabulary typical of informal speech and vocabulary appropriate for formal speech and writing [for example, find out – discover; ask for – request; go in – enter] How words are related by meaning as synonyms and antonyms [for example, big, large, little]. |
|
|
Sentence |
Use of the passive to affect the presentation of information in a sentence [for example, I broke the window in the greenhouse versus The window in the greenhouse was broken (by me)]. |
|
|
The difference between structures typical of informal speech
and structures appropriate for formal speech and writing [for
example, the use of question tags:
He’s your friend,
isn’t he?, or the use of
subjunctive forms
such as
If I were
or
Were they to come
in some very formal writing and speech] |
||
|
Text |
Linking ideas across paragraphs using a wider range of cohesive devices: repetition of a word or phrase, grammatical connections [for example, the use of adverbials such as on the other hand, in contrast, or as a consequence], and ellipsis |
Coming soon |
|
Layout devices [for example, headings, sub-headings, columns,
bullets, or tables, to structure text] |
Coming soon |
|
|
Punctuation |
Use of the semi-colon, colon and dash to mark the boundary between independent clauses [for example, It’s raining; I’m fed up] |
|
|
Use of the colon to introduce a list and use of semi-colons
within lists |
||
|
Punctuation of bullet points to list information |
Coming soon |
|
|
How hyphens can be used to avoid ambiguity [for example,
man eating shark versus
man-eating shark, or
recover versus
re-cover]
|
||
|
Terminology for pupils |
subject, object, active, passive, synonym, antonym, ellipsis,
hyphen, colon, semi-colon, bullet points |
|
Grammar and Punctuation - Years 7-9
Years 7-9 -
Key Stage 3
|
|
|
Pupils should be taught to consolidate and build on their
knowledge of grammar and vocabulary through:
extending and applying the grammatical knowledge of key stage 1
and 2 programmes of study to analyse more challenging texts |
Consolidate as above |
|
studying the effectiveness and impact of the grammatical
features of the texts they read |
n/a |
|
drawing on new vocabulary and grammatical constructions from
their reading and listening, and using these consciously in
their writing and speech to achieve particular effects |
n/a |
|
knowing and understanding the differences between spoken and
written language, including differences associated with formal
and informal registers, and between Standard English and other
varieties of English |
Consolidate as above |
|
using Standard English confidently in their own writing and
speech English |
Consolidate as above |
|
discussing reading, writing and spoken language with precise
and confident use of linguistic and literary terminology. |
Consolidate as above |
Spelling - Year 1
|
|
Statutory requirements |
Rules and guidance |
Example words |
Game links |
|
|
|
The sounds /f/, /l/, /s/, /z/ and /k/ spelt ff, ll, ss, zz and ck
|
The /f/, /l/, /s/, /z/ and /k/ sounds are usually spelt as ff, ll, ss, zz and ck if they come straight after a single vowel letter in short words. Exceptions: if, pal, us, bus, yes. |
off, well, miss, buzz, back |
||
|
|
The /ŋ/ sound spelt n before k |
bank, think, honk, sunk |
|||
|
|
Division of words into syllables
|
Each syllable is like a ‘beat’ in the spoken word. Words of more than one syllable often have an unstressed syllable in which the vowel sound is unclear. |
pocket, rabbit, carrot, thunder, sunset |
Link
(level 1) |
|
|
|
-tch
|
The /tʃ/ sound is usually spelt as tch if it comes
straight after a single vowel letter. Exceptions: rich,
which, much, such |
catch, fetch, kitchen, notch, hutch
|
||
|
|
The /v/ sound at the end of words
|
English words hardly ever end with the letter v, so if a word ends with a /v/ sound, the letter e
usually needs to be added after the ‘v’. |
have, live, give
|
||
|
|
Adding s and es to words (plural of nouns and the third person
singular of verbs)
|
If the ending sounds like /s/ or /z/, it is spelt as –s. If the ending sounds like /ɪz/ and forms an extra syllable or ‘beat’ in the word, it is spelt as –es.
|
cats, dogs, spends, rocks, thanks, catches
|
||
|
Adding the endings –ing, –ed and –er to verbs where no change is needed to the root word
|
–ing and –er always add an extra syllable to the word and –ed sometimes does.
The past tense of some verbs may sound as if it ends in /ɪd/ (extra syllable), /d/ or /t/ (no extra syllable), but all
these endings are spelt –ed. |
hunting, hunted, hunter, buzzing, buzzed, buzzer, jumping, jumped, jumper
|
|
||
|
Adding –er and –est to adjectives where no change is needed to the root word |
As with verbs (see above), if the adjective ends in two consonant letters (the same or different), the ending is simply added on. |
grander, grandest, fresher, freshest, quicker, quickest |
|||
|
Words ending –y (/i:/ or /ɪ/) |
|
very, happy, funny, party, family
|
|||
|
New consonant spellings ph and wh
|
The /f/ sound is not usually spelt as ph in short everyday words (e.g. fat, fill, fun).
|
dolphin, alphabet, phonics, elephant when, where, which, wheel, while
|
|||
|
Using k for the /k/ sound
|
The /k/ sound is spelt as k rather than as c before e, i and y.
|
Kent, sketch, kit, skin, frisky
|
|||
|
Adding the prefix –un
|
The prefix un– is added to the beginning of a word without any change to the spelling of the root word.
|
unhappy, undo, unload, unfair, unlock
|
|||
|
Compound words
|
Compound words are two words joined together. Each part of the longer word is spelt as it would be if it were on its own. |
football, playground, farmyard, bedroom, blackberry
|
|||
|
Common exception words
|
Pupils’ attention should be drawn to the grapheme- phoneme correspondences that do and do not fit in with what has been taught so far. |
the, a, do, to, today, of, said, says, are, were, was, is, his, has, I, you, your, they, be, he, me, she, we, no, go, so, by, my, here, there, where, love, come, some, one, once, ask, friend, school, put, push, pull, full, house, our |
Link
(Level 1) |
||
Spelling - Year 2
|
|
Statutory requirements |
Rules and guidance |
Example words |
Game links |
|
|
|
The /dʒ/ sound spelt as ge and dge at the end of words, and sometimes spelt as g elsewhere in words before e, i and y
|
The letter j is never used for the /dʒ/ sound at the end of English words.
At the end of a word, the /dʒ/ sound is spelt –dge
straight after the /æ/, /ɛ/, /ɪ/, /ɒ/, /ʌ/ and /ʊ/ sounds (sometimes called ‘short’ vowels).
After all other sounds, whether vowels or consonants, the
/dʒ/ sound is spelt as –ge
at the end of a word.
In other positions in words, the /dʒ/ sound is often (but not always) spelt as g before e, i, and
y. The /dʒ/ sound is always spelt as j before a, o and u. |
badge, edge, bridge, dodge, fudge age, huge, change, charge, bulge, village
gem, giant, magic, giraffe, energy jacket, jar, jog, join, adjust
|
||
|
|
The /s/ sound spelt c before e, i and y |
|
race, ice, cell, city, fancy
|
||
|
|
The /n/ sound spelt kn and (less often) gn at the beginning of
words |
The ‘k’ and ‘g’ at the beginning of these words was sounded
hundreds of years ago. |
knock, know, knee, gnat, gnaw |
||
|
|
The /r/ sound spelt wr at the beginning of words |
This spelling probably also reflects an old pronunciation. |
write, written, wrote, wrong, wrap |
||
|
|
The /l/ or /əl/ sound spelt –le at the end of words |
The –le
spelling is the most common spelling for this sound at the end
of words. |
table, apple, bottle, little, middle |
||
|
The /l/ or /əl/ sound spelt –el at the end of words |
The –el spelling is much less common than –le. The –el spelling is used after m, n, r, s, v, w and more often than not after s. |
camel, tunnel, squirrel, travel, towel, tinsel
|
|||
|
The /l/ or /əl/ sound spelt –al at the end of words |
Not many nouns end in –al, but many adjectives do.
|
metal, pedal, capital, hospital, animal |
|||
|
Words ending –il |
There are not many of these words. |
pencil, fossil, nostril |
|||
|
The /aɪ/ sound spelt –y at the end of words |
This is by far the most common spelling for this sound at the end of words. |
cry, fly, dry, try, reply, July |
|||
|
Adding –es to nouns and verbs ending in –y |
The y is changed to i before –es is added. |
flies, tries, replies, copies, babies, carries |
|||
|
Adding –ed, –ing, –er and –est to a root word ending in –y with a consonant before it |
The y is changed to i before –ed, –er and –est are added, but not before – ing as this would result in ii. The only ordinary words with ii are skiing and taxiing. |
copied, copier, happier, happiest, cried, replied ...but copying, crying, replying |
|||
|
Adding the endings – ing, –ed, –er, –est and –y to words ending in –e with a consonant before it |
The –e
at the end of the root word is dropped before –ing, –ed, –er,
|
hiking, hiked, hiker, nicer, nicest, shiny
|
|||
|
Adding –ing, –ed, –er, –est and –y to words of one syllable ending in a single consonant letter after a single vowel letter |
The last consonant letter of the root word is doubled to keep the /æ/, /ɛ/, /ɪ/, /ɒ/ and /ʌ/ sound (i.e. to keep the vowel ‘short’). Exception: The letter ‘x’ is never doubled: mixing, mixed, boxer, sixes. |
patting, patted, humming, hummed, dropping, dropped, sadder, saddest, fatter, fattest, runner, runny |
|
||
|
The /ɔ:/ sound spelt a before l and ll |
The /ɔ:/ sound (‘or’) is usually spelt as a before l and ll. |
all, ball, call, walk, talk, always |
|||
|
The /ʌ/ sound spelt o |
|
other, mother, brother, nothing, Monday |
|||
|
The /i:/ sound spelt –ey |
The plural of these words is formed by the addition of –s (donkeys, monkeys, etc.). |
key, donkey, monkey, chimney, valley |
|||
|
The /ɒ/ sound spelt a after w and qu |
a is the most common spelling for the /ɒ/ (‘hot’) sound after w and qu. |
want, watch, wander, quantity, squash |
|||
|
The /ɜ:/ sound spelt or after w |
There are not many of these words.
|
word, work, worm, world, worth |
|||
|
The /ɔ:/ sound spelt ar after w
|
There are not many of these words.
|
war, warm, towards
|
|||
|
The /ʒ/ sound spelt s
|
|
television, treasure, usual
|
|||
|
The suffixes –ment, –ness, –ful , –less and –ly |
If a suffix starts with a consonant letter, it is added
straight on to most root words without any change to the last
letter of those words.
Exceptions: |
enjoyment, sadness, careful, playful, hopeless, plainness (plain + ness), badly
merriment, happiness, plentiful, penniless, happily |
|||
|
Contractions
|
In contractions, the apostrophe shows where a letter or letters would be if the words were written in full (e.g. can’t – cannot). It’s means it is (e.g. It’s raining) or sometimes it has (e.g. It’s been raining), but it’s is never used for the possessive. |
can’t, didn’t, hasn’t, couldn’t, it’s, I’ll
|
|||
|
The possessive apostrophe (singular nouns) |
|
Megan’s, Ravi’s, the girl’s, the child’s, the man’s
|
|||
|
Words ending in –tion
|
|
station, fiction, motion, national, section
|
|
||
|
Homophones and near-homophones
|
It is important to know the difference in meaning between homophones.
|
there/their/they’re, here/hear, quite/quiet, see/sea, bare/bear, one/won, sun/son, to/too/two, be/bee, blue/blew, night/knight |
(all Level 1) |
||
|
Common exception words
|
Some words are exceptions in some accents but not in others – e.g. past, last, fast, path and bath are not exceptions in accents where the a in these words is pronounced /æ/, as in cat. Great, break and steak are the only common words where the /eɪ/ sound is spelt ea. |
door, floor, poor, because, find, kind, mind, behind, child,
children*, wild, climb, most, only, both, old, cold, gold, hold,
told, every, everybody, even, great, break, steak, pretty,
beautiful, after, fast, last, past, father, class, grass, pass,
plant, path, bath, hour, move, prove, improve, sure, sugar, eye,
could, should, would, who, whole, any, many, clothes, busy,
people, water, again, half, money, Mr, Mrs, parents, Christmas |
Link
(Level 2) |
||
Spelling – Years 3 and 4
|
|
Statutory requirements |
Rules and guidance |
Example words |
Game links |
|
|
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 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 as ou
|
These words should be learnt as needed.
|
young, touch, double, trouble, country
|
Link
(Level 2) |
|
|
More prefixes |
Most prefixes are added to the beginning of root words without
any changes in spelling, but see in–
below.
·
Like un–, the prefixes dis–
and mis–
have negative meanings.
·
The prefix in–
can mean both ‘not’ and ‘in’/‘into’. In the words given here it
means ‘not’.
·
Before a root word starting with l,
·
Before a root word starting with m
or p, in–
becomes im–.
·
Before a root word starting with r, in–
becomes ir–.
·
re–
means ‘again’ or ‘back’.
·
sub–
means ‘under’.
·
inter–
means ‘between’ or ‘among’.
·
super–
means ‘above’.
·
anti–
means ‘against’.
·
auto–
means ‘self’ or ‘own’. |
·
dis–: disappoint, disagree, disobey
·
mis–: misbehave, mislead, misspell (mis + spell)
·
in–: inactive, incorrect
·
immature, immortal, impossible, impatient, imperfect
·
irregular, irrelevant, irresponsible
·
re–: redo, refresh, return, reappear, redecorate
·
sub–: subdivide, subheading, submarine, submerge
·
inter–: interact, intercity, international, interrelated (inter +
related)
·
super–: supermarket, superman, superstar
·
anti–: antiseptic, anti- clockwise, antisocial
·
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
|
Link
(Level 2) |
|
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.
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.
(2) If the root word ends with –le, the –le
is changed to –ly.
(3) If the root word ends with –ic, –ally
is added rather than just –ly, except in the word publicly.
(4) The words truly, duly, wholly.
|
sadly, completely, usually (usual + ly), finally (final + ly), comically (comical + ly) happily, angrily gently, simply, humbly, nobly basically, frantically, dramatically
|
Link
(Levels 1 and 2)
|
|
|
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 |
Link
(Level 2) |
|
|
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. |
poisonous, dangerous, mountainous, famous, various tremendous, enormous, jealous humorous, glamorous, vigorous courageous, outrageous
serious, obvious, curious |
|
|
|
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.
–sion
is used if the root word ends in d
or se. –cian is used if the root word ends in c or cs. |
invention, injection, action, hesitation, completion expression, discussion, confession, permission, admission expansion, extension, comprehension, tension 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 |
Link
(Level 1) |
|
|
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 –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 |
(Level 2)
|
|
Spelling – Years 5 and 6
|
|
Statutory requirements |
Rules and guidance |
Example words |
Game links |
|
|
Endings which sound like /ʃəs/ spelt –cious or –tious |
Not many common words end like this.
If the root word ends in –ce, the /ʃ/ sound is usually spelt as c
– e.g. vice – vicious, grace – gracious, space – spacious, malice – malicious.
Exception: anxious. |
vicious, precious, conscious, delicious, malicious, suspicious ambitious, cautious, fictitious, infectious, nutritious |
|
|
|
Endings which sound like /ʃəl/ |
–cial is common after a vowel letter and –tial after a consonant letter, but there are some exceptions. Exceptions: initial, financial, commercial, provincial (the spelling of the last three is clearly related to finance, commerce and province). |
official, special, artificial, partial, confidential, essential |
|
|
|
Words ending in –ant, –ance/–ancy, –ent, –ence/–ency |
Use –ant and –ance/–ancy if there is a related word with a /æ/ or /eɪ/ sound in the right position; –ation endings are often a clue. Use –ent and –ence/–ency after soft c (/s/ sound), soft g (/dʒ/ sound) and qu, or if there is a related word with a clear /ɛ/ sound in the right position. There are many words, however, where the above guidance does not help. These words just have to be learnt.
|
observant, observance, (observation), expectant (expectation), hesitant, hesitancy (hesitation), tolerant, tolerance (toleration), substance (substantial) innocent, innocence, decent, decency, frequent, frequency, confident, confidence (confidential) assistant, assistance, obedient, obedience, independent, independence |
|
|
|
Words ending in –able and –ible Words ending in –ably and –ibly
|
The –able/–ably
endings are far more common than the –ible/–ibly
endings.
As with –ant
and –ance/–ancy, the – able
ending is used if there is a related word ending in –ation.
If the –able
ending is added to a word ending in –ce
or –ge, the e
after the c
or g
must be kept as those letters would otherwise have their ‘hard’
sounds (as in cap
and gap) before the a
of the –able
ending.
The –able
ending is usually but not always used if a complete root word
can be heard before it, even if there is no related word ending
in –ation.
The first five examples opposite are obvious; in reliable, the complete word rely
is heard, but the y
changes to i
in accordance with the rule. The –ible ending is common if a complete root word can’t be heard before it but it also sometimes occurs when a complete word can be heard (e.g. sensible). |
adorable/adorably (adoration), applicable/applicably (application), considerable/considerably (consideration), tolerable/tolerably (toleration) changeable, noticeable, forcible, legible dependable, comfortable, understandable, reasonable, enjoyable, reliable possible/possibly, horrible/horribly, terrible/terribly, visible/visibly, incredible/incredibly, sensible/sensibly
|
|
|
|
Adding suffixes beginning with vowel letters to words ending in –fer
|
The r is doubled if the –fer is still stressed when the ending is added. The r is not doubled if the –fer is no longer stressed.
|
referring, referred, referral, preferring, preferred, transferring, transferred reference, referee, preference, transference |
|
|
Use of the hyphen
|
Hyphens can be used to join a prefix to a root word, especially if the prefix ends in a vowel letter and the root word also begins with one. |
co-ordinate, re-enter, co-operate, co-own
|
||
|
Words with the /i:/ sound spelt ei after c
|
The ‘i before e except after c’ rule applies to words where the sound spelt by ei is /i:/. Exceptions: protein, caffeine, seize (and either and neither if pronounced with an initial /i:/ sound). |
deceive, conceive, receive, perceive, ceiling |
||
|
Words containing the letter-string ough
|
ough is one of the trickiest spellings in English – it can be used to spell a number of different sounds.
|
ought, bought, thought, nought, brought, fought
rough, tough, enough cough thorough, borough plough, bough |
||
|
Words with ‘silent’ letters (i.e. letters whose presence cannot be predicted from the pronunciation of the word) |
Some letters which are no longer sounded used to be sounded hundreds of years ago: e.g. in knight, there was a /k/ sound before the /n/, and the gh used to represent the sound that ‘ch’ now represents in the Scottish word loch. |
doubt, island, lamb, solemn, thistle, knight |
||
|
Homophones and other words that are often confused
|
In the pairs of words opposite, nouns end –ce
and verbs end –se. Advice
and advise
provide a useful clue as the word advise
(verb) is pronounced with a /z/ sound – which could not be
spelt c.
More examples:
aisle: a gangway between seats (in a church, train, plane).
aloud: out loud. allowed: permitted.
affect: usually a verb (e.g. The weather may affect our plans).
altar: a table-like piece of furniture in a church.
ascent: the act of ascending (going up). assent: to
agree/agreement (verb and noun).
bridal: to do with a bride at a wedding. bridle: reins etc. for
controlling a horse.
cereal: made from grain (e.g. breakfast cereal).
compliment: to make nice remarks about someone (verb) or the
remark that is made (noun).
descent: the act of descending (going down).
desert: as a noun – a barren place (stress on first syllable);
as a verb – to abandon (stress on second syllable) dessert:
(stress on second syllable) a sweet course after the main course
of a meal.
draft: noun – a first attempt at writing something; verb – to
make the first attempt; also, to draw in someone (e.g. to draft in extra help)
draught: a current of air.
|
advice/advise device/devise licence/license practice/practise
prophecy/prophesy
farther: further father: a male parent
guessed: past tense of the verb guess
heard: past tense of the verb
hear
herd: a group of animals
led: past tense of the verb
lead
lead: present tense of that verb, or else the metal which is
very heavy (as heavy as lead)
morning: before noon mourning: grieving for someone who has
died
past: noun or adjective referring to a previous time (e.g. In the past) or preposition or adverb showing place (e.g. he walked past me)
passed: past tense of the verb ‘pass’ (e.g. I passed him in the road)
precede: go in front of or before
principal: adjective – most important (e.g. principal ballerina) noun – important person (e.g. principal of a college)
principle: basic truth or belief
profit: money that is made in selling things
stationary: not moving stationery: paper, envelopes etc.
steal: take something that does not belong to you steel: metal
wary: cautious weary: tired
who’s: contraction of who is
or who has |
(Levels 2 and 3)
|
|
|
Years 5 and 6 NC word list |
|
|||