KS3

Skills
Builder
Miss Woolerton and Mrs Mmurdo
Archbishop Holgate’s School
KS3 Skills Builder booklet
Year 8 Literacy Skills Builder

Name:

Year:

English Teacher:
 Autumn term 1and

Week 1: Determiner

What is a determiner article and when do I use one?

Rules:
Determiners : many of the most frequent English words – the, a,
my, this, some. They are used with nouns and they limit (ie
determine) the reference of the noun in some way.
You wilsually find the determiner at the beginning of a noun phrase
eg the big dog.
ALL ARTICLES are also determiners.
There are three articles — a, an, the. The is called the definite
article because it usually goes in front of a specific or previously
mentioned noun; a and an are called indefinite articles because
they are used to refer to something in a less specific manner.

1
 Task

Read each of the following noun phrases. If they are not correct,
write them again. Make sure that the noun agrees with the
determiner:

1. a green bag ___________________________________

2. some big table ___________________________________

3. a beautiful pictures ___________________________________

4. ten long dress ___________________________________

5. the new black trousers ___________________________________

6. an uncooked egg ___________________________________

7. a annoying person ___________________________________

8. some nice people ___________________________________

9. some fresh sandwich ___________________________________

10. a good programmes ___________________________________

11. an interesting journeys ___________________________________

12. a few young mans ___________________________________

2
13. lot of big problems ___________________________________

14. the left-hand side ___________________________________

15. a old suitcases ___________________________________

Merit Challenge!

Find an example of a determiner article in your reading book and

write it down here:

Look through your exercise book. Have you used any determiners?
Highlight an example and get your partner to check it.

Review learning

Record the rules for using determiner articles in the box below. You
can bullet point them. No cheating!

3
 Progress

How confident are you with determiners?

A little Could do
Not
more Pretty it with my
confident Confident
practice confident eyes
at all
needed closed!

Week 2:

What is a demonstrative and when do I use one?

Rules:
The demonstratives this, that, these, those ,show where an
object or person is in relation to the speaker.

This (singular) and these (plural) refer to an object or person near

the speaker. That (singular) and those (plural) refer to an object or
person further away. It can be a physical closeness or distance as
in:
 Who owns that house? (distant)
 Is this John's house? (near)
Or it can be a psychological distance as in:
 That's nothing to do with me.. (distant)

4
 This is a nice surprise! (near)
2. Position
 Before the noun.
 Before the word 'one'.
 Before an adjective + noun.
 Alone when the noun is 'understood'.

Task

Highlight the demonstrative in the following sentences. Next to it,

write down whether it is singular or plural.
 This tastes good.
 Have you seen this?
 These are bad times.
 Do you like these?
 That is beautiful.
 Look at that!
 Those were the days!
 Can you see those?
 This is heavier than that.
 These are bigger than those.
Circle the demonstrative adjectives in each sentence.
( 1 ) That bus ride is too bumpy for me to do my homework on.
( 2 ) Is my term paper somewhere in that stack of papers?
( 3 ) I think those kids are watching us.
( 4 ) I think that battery is dead.
( 5 ) We need to wash all of those dishes before we watch any
television.
( 6 ) What do you see in those clouds?
( 7 ) Any of those computers should be good enough for what you
need.
( 8 ) We ate dinner at this restaurant last year.

5
 Merit Challenge!

Find three examples of demonstratives in your reading book or your

exercise book. Why have they been used? Are there any times when
you have forgotten to use a demonstrative in your exercise book?

Review learning

Record the rules for using demonstratives in the box below. No

cheating!

Progress

How confident are you with demonstratives?

6
A little Could do
Not
more Pretty it with my
confident Confident
practice confident eyes
at all
needed closed!
 Week 3:

What types of possessive words are there and when do I use them?
Rules:
Possessive pronouns
We use possessive pronouns to refer to a specific person/people or
thing/things (the "antecedent") belonging to a person/people (and
sometimes belonging to an animal/animals or thing/things).

We use possessive adjectives to show who owns or "possesses"

something. The possessive adjectives are:
 my, your, his, her, its, our, their, whose

7
 number person gender possess example
ive sentence
adjectiv
e

singular 1st male/female my This is my

book.

2nd male/female your I like your

hair.

3rd male his His name is

"John".

female her Her name is

"Mary".

neuter its The dog is

licking its
paw.

plural 1st male/female our We have sold

our house.

2nd male/female your Your

children are
lovely.

3rd male/female/ their The students

neuter thanked
their
teacher.

singular/ 1st/2nd/ male/female (not whose Whose

plural 3rd neuter) phone did
you use?

Replace
Task the personal pronouns with possessive adjectives
1 o Where are (you) ______ friends now?

8
 o Here is a postcard from (I) ______ friend Dees.

o She lives in England now with (she) ______ family.

o (He) ______ wife works in Tilburg.

o (He) ______ company builds websites.

o Joanie is (John and Nancy) ______ daughter.

o Our names are Kathy and Robin. This is (Kathy and Robin)
______ mother.

o Jeremy and Valerie are (Tim and Carey) ______ parents.

o Tony is (Mary) ______ grandson.

o My name is Annie. This is (Annie) ______ father.

o (Alex) ______ name is Alex.

o Peggy and Martin are (Kelly) ______ children.

o Your name is Greg. They are (Grey) ______ parents.

Task
2

9
 Write the possessive pronoun that should be used in each
sentence.

Merit Challenge!
In your book, find 3 examples of possessive pronouns and adjectives
and highlight them. Now look for a possessive in your reading book.
What rules does it follo

Review learning

10
 Record the rules for using possessives in the box below. No
cheating!

Progress

How confident are you with possessives?

A little Could do
Not
more Pretty it with my
confident Confident
practice confident eyes
at all
needed closed!

Week 4- Quantifier

What is a quantifier and when should I use one?

Rules:

11
 We use quantifiers when we want to give someone information
about the number of something: how much or how many.

Sometimes we use a quantifier in the place of a determiner:

Most children start school at the age of five.

We ate some bread and butter.
We saw lots of birds.

Task
Write the correct quantifier on the line.

12
 Merit challenge

13
 Find an example of a quantifier in your reading book and write it
down here:

Look through your exercise book. Have you used any quantifiers?
Highlight an example and get your partner to check it.

Review learning

Record the rules for using quantifiers in the box below. No cheating!

Progress

How confident are you with quantifiers?

A little Could do
Not
more Pretty it with my
confident Confident
practice confident eyes
at all
needed closed!

Week 5-

14
 What are modifiers and when do I use them?
Rules:

A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause which functions as an

adjective or an adverb to describe a word or make its meaning more
specific.

Modifiers As Adjectives

When a modifier is an adjective, it modifies a noun or a pronoun. (In

these examples, the modifiers are shaded, and the words being
modified are bold).

 Lee caught a small mackerel.

(Here, the adjective small modifies the noun mackerel.)

 Lee caught a small mackerel.

(Don't forget that articles (i.e., the, an, and a) are adjectives too.
Here, a modifies the noun mackerel as does small.)

 Lee caught another one.

(Here, the adjective another modifies the pronoun one.)
Modifiers As Adverbs

When a modifier is an adverb, it modifies a verb, an adjective, or

another adverb. For example:

 Lee accidentally caught a small whelk.

(Here, the adverb accidentally modifies the verb caught.)

 Lee caught an incredibly small mackerel.

(Here, the adverb incredibly modifies the adjective small.)

 Lee supposedly accidentally caught a small whelk.

(Here, the adverb supposedly modifies the adverb accidentally.)

A misplaced modifier makes the meaning of a sentence ambiguous

or wrong.
Examples of Misplaced Modifiers
15
 Here are some examples of misplaced modifiers (shaded):

 Andrew told us after the holiday that he intends to stop drinking.

(In this example, it is not clear whether Andrew made this
statement after the holiday or whether he intends to stop drinking
after the holiday.)

 Running quickly improves your health.

(In this example, it is not clear if running modifies running or
improves.)

Task 1

Revise the following sentences to correct misplaced or dangling

modifiers.

1. The tall boy led the parade with red hair.

2. My brother just listens to one radio station.

3. After dancing solo on stage, the audience applauded Anna's

performance.

4. While taking a nap, the volcano erupted.

5. The new student will take the corner seat wearing the muscle
shirt.

6. Hoping the weather would improve, the corn was planted during
the heat wave.

7. Unfortunately, I can only take three students to the concert.

8. Totally destroyed by the tornado, he had to rebuild his barn.

9. While standing in line, the thunder could be heard.

10. Kathy donated a television to the Youth Center that she no

longer used.
16
 Merit challenge
1) Find an example of where a modifier has been used in your
reading book. Write it here:

2) Find an example of where a misplaced modifier has been used

in your exercise book. Write it here:

Look through your exercise book. Have you used any modifiers?
Highlight an example and get your partner to check it.

Review learning

Record the rules for using a modifier in the box below. No cheating!

Progress

How confident are you with modifiers?

A little Could do
Not
more Pretty it with my
confident Confident
practice confident eyes
at all
needed closed!
17
 Spring term 1and 2

Week 1 –Homonym

What is a homonym and when would I use one?

Homonyms are words that sound the same, and are sometimes
spelled the same, but have different meanings. For example:
 Aunt - Ant
 Ate - Eight

18
  Berry - Bury
 Be - Bee
 Beat - Beet
 Brake - Break
 Buy - By - Bye
 Close - Clothes

Task 1

Select the correct homonym and write it on the line

Once upon a time __________ (their/there) was a beautiful princess.
She lived with her Uncle and __________ (Auntie/Ante). She spent
___________ (ours/hours) every day brushing her long _________
(fair/fare), curly ________ (hair/hare). Her favourite moment was
when she let it flop down lightly on her ________ (bear/bare) neck.

Most days the princess liked ______ (to/too) go for long walks in the
near by ________ (wood/would).
One day she was walking, and the sky was a wonderful ________
(blue/blew) colour. She stopped to admire the pretty view. The
_______ (sun/son) was positively gleaming like a jewel. She didn’t
notice the approach of a hunched figure with a cloak, carrying a
basket of ___________ (flours/flowers). The figure stopped about
__________ (ate/eight) feet from the princess and watched her
carefully.
She turned around, and couldn’t believe the _____________ (sight/site)
before her.
“What do you want with me?” she asked worriedly.
The figure merely ________(made/maid) a grumbling sound in
_________ (they’re/their) throat.
The princess didn’t want to get ________ (to/too) ___________
(clothes/close) because she had often been warned by her Uncle
that she shouldn’t talk to any ________ (mail/male) on her own.
Being uncommonly ___________ (board/bored), the Princess decided
to risk her life in discovering the identity of her strange companion.

19
 She whipped the cloak __________ (of/off) with a flourish and
gasped.
Standing before her was a massive __________ (mail/male)
___________ (bare/bear).
The princess screamed all the way home.

Merit challenge

20
 1) Find an example of a homonym in your reading book. Write it
here:

Look through your exercise book. Have you used any homonyms,
correctly or incorrectly? Highlight an example and get your partner
to check it.

Review learning

Record the rules for using a homonym in the box below.

Progress

How confident are you with homonyms?

A little Could do
Not
more Pretty it with my
confident Confident
practice confident eyes
at all
needed closed!

Week 2-
21 homophones
What is a homophone and how is it different to a homonym?
Rules:
Homophones are a type of homonym that also sound alike and
have different meanings, but have different spellings. A
homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word
but differs in meaning. The words may be spelled the same, such as
rose (flower) and rose (past tense of "rise"), or differently, such as
carat, caret, and carrot, or to, two and too.

Task 1 Homophones: two, to and too.

1. There were __________ trains standing in the station.

2. I usually go ________ the swimming pool on Saturdays.

3. The question was _______________ hard for me.

4. My best subject is Geography but I'm quite good at English ___________.

5. Maisie tries ________ train my dog at least four times a week.

6. The music was far ___________ loud for Joe's parents.

7. “Today you will need _______ use your calculators” said the teacher.

8. Jack's ambition is ____________ become an actor.

9. _______________ heads are better than one!

10. "I'd like a cookie please," said Emma. "Me _______ !" shouted Mick.
11. I wouldn't bother ____________ much about what to wear at the party.
There, their and they’re.

22
 Merit challenge
1) Find an example of a homophone in your reading book. Write it
here:

2) Find an example of a homophone in your exercise book. Write it

here:

23
Look through your exercise book. Have you used any homophones?
Highlight an example and get your partner to check it.

Review learning

Record the rules for using a homophone in the box below.

Progress

How confident are you with homophones?

A little Could do
Not
more Pretty it with my
confident Confident
practice confident eyes
at all
needed closed!

Week 3- fronting

What is fronting in grammar?

24
 The most common word order in a sentence is to have a subject,
followed by a verb plus an object. For example:
I bought a new camera
Sometimes, particularly in speaking, when we want to focus on
something important, we bring it to the front of the clause. This is
called ‘fronting’:
I bought a new camera. And a very expensive camera it was.
(Most common word order: It was a very expensive camera.)

Carefully, he removed the lid.

He removed the lid carefully.
(fronted so as to focus on
(most common word order)
carefully)

All of a sudden, it started to

It started to snow all of a
snow.
sudden.
(fronted so as to focus on all of a
(most common word order)
sudden)

Fronting is common with:

Adverbials (place and movement)

On the table stood a vase of flowers
(A vase of flowers stood on the table)

There is / there are

Next to the window was a bookcase
(There was a bookcase next to the window)

Participles
Gone were the designer sunglasses
(The designer sunglasses were gone)

25
 Task
Re-write the following sentences to make them more emphatic by
fronting or using inversion. For example, number 1 could be: ‘Into
the sky burst the rocket’.

26
 Merit challenge
1) Find an example of fronting in your reading book. Write it here:

Review learning

Record the rules for fronting in the box below.

Progress

How confident are you with fronting?

A little Could do
Not
more Pretty it with my
confident Confident
practice confident eyes
at all
needed closed!

27
 Week 4 and 5-preposition

What is a preposition phrase and when would I use it?

A preposition is a word that joins a noun to the rest of a
sentence.
It explains where the noun is.
The bag was on the table.
The girl walked under the scaffolding.
It sat among the bushes.
The sentences would not work without the prepositions.
Common prepositions
about beneath into throughout
above beside near to
across between of toward
against by on under
among except onto up
at for out upon
behind from over with
below in through without

Prepositional phrases that begin sentences are usually followed by

commas. However, short prepositional phrases need not be.
Original sentence:

28
 A fat yellow cat lay sleeping on the narrow sill.
How would it read if it started with the preposition?
On the narrow sill, a fat yellow cat lay sleeping.

Task

Spot and underline the prepositions

* The cat sat under the bush as it was raining.
* The girl walked slowly across the playground.
* Helen put the book on the table.
* The postman posted the letter through the letterbox.
* James was hiding behind the sofa.

Add a prepositional phrase to the end of these sentences to show

where the events happened.

a) The boy climbed over the fence

b) The man was standing

c) The girl jumped

d) The dog ran

Add a prepositional phrase that tells us when each of these events

happened.

29
 a) Sally went for a run before she went to work

b) James knocked on his friend’s door

c) It began to rain

d) We went to the cinema

Merit challenge
1) Find an example of a prepositional phrase in your reading book.
Write it here:

Look through your exercise book. Have you used any prepositions or
prepositional phrases? Highlight an example and get your partner to
check it.

Review learning

Record the rules for prepositional phrases here.

Progress

30
How confident are you with prepositional phrases?

A little Could do
Not
more Pretty it with my
confident Confident
practice confident eyes
at all
needed closed!

Summer term 1and 2

Week 1-Past tense

What is the past tense, and when would I write in past tense?
The simple past tense:
We use this tense to talk about events or situations that are finished.
Normally we use a time reference.
We also use the Past Simple tense in English to talk about long-
lasting events or situations in the past;
"When I was a child, I lived in the countryside."
WAS, WERE, THERE WAS, THERE WERE, WENT
“Last weekend, I went to the Leisure Centre for a swim very early
in the morning. There were six people in the swimming pool, so it
was not too bad. And they were all guys! There was nobody in the
ladies’ dressing room! After swimming, I went for breakfast with my
friends. It was cold outside but we were indoors, so it was all
right.”

31
 Irregular past tense verbs

There are some verbs that don’t follow a regular pattern; you simply
have to learn these.

Task 1

Complete each sentence with the past tense of the irregular verb in
brackets.

1. Ethan [ slept late that morning. (sleep)

2. Ria [ got her new book yesterday. (get)
3. Harry [ kept me waiting for an hour. (keep)
4. Mary [ thought about her topic for the report before the class last
week. (think)
5. My cat just [ sat there while the mouse escaped. (sit)
6. I had [ paid too much for the CD at the mall. (pay)
7. Akira [ won the art prize last year. (win)
8. Jessica [ brought success to our track team last season. (bring)
9. I [ caught this cold last week. (catch)
10. Mary had [ begun the homework before I arrived. (begin)
11. The horse never [ lost a race until yesterday. (lose)
12. Duwana had [ sung in the choir before. (sing)
13. We had [ left before the buses arrived. (leave)

14. Mr. Hasan [ taught that class last year. (teach)

15. My front tire had [ sprung a leak. (spring)
16. Cal [ felt bad about the test. (feel)
17. Susan’s dog [ sought a sunny nook in which to sleep. (seek)
18. They have always [ got or gotten new books for their birthdays.
(get)
19. The cat [ crept up on me before he pounced playfully. (creep)
20. They [ said they thought the snow was too good to be true. (say)
21. My little brother had [ drunk all the orange juice. (drink)
22. The door bell [ rang sharply against the quiet. (ring)
23. Sheila [ swam across the lake last year. (swim)
24. Shawn had [ bought one last week. (buy)
25. I [ laid the book down somewhere and lost it completely. (lay)
26. Yesterday Tama [ began her science project. (begin)

32
 27. Two of the art students have [ made the set for this play.
(make)
28. He had [ lent his jacket to another member of the team. (lend)
29. Wendy had down before the music began. (sit)

Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the verb in any
aspect of the past tense.
Eric and Ilsa are brother and sister. They (grow) _______ (1) up
together in the city that used to be known as West Berlin, in the
former West Germany. Eric (move) _______ _______ (2) to the United
States decades ago, before the eastern and
western parts of both Berlin and Germany were reunited in 1990.
Ilsa and her family (visit) ___________ (3) Eric and his family last year.
llsa's
Family (fly) ____________ (4) from Berlin to Detroit for the visit.
Although the children (never, meet) _______ _______ _______ (5)
before, except through e-mail, the families (have) __________ (6) a
great time together.
Every day for a week, the adults and the children (play)_______
_______(7), talking, and eating together. One day, they (cook) _______
(8) some German recipes that (be) _______ ________(9) in the family
for generations. For years, Ilsa (save)
_______ _______ _______ (10) them and treasuring them in a box their
mother (give)
_______ _______(11) her just before she (die)_______ (12). One of their
mother's favorites (be) _______ ________(13) a dessert called Apple
Kuchen.
One night after everyone else (already, go) _______ _______
________(14) to bed, Eric and Ilsa (quietly, sit) _______ _______
________(15) and talking.
"What have you (miss) ____________ (16) most about Berlin?" Ilsa
wanted to know.
Eric (pause) __________ (17), then answered, "Mostly, I miss living in
a city with such wonderful landmarks. The kids and I (look) _______
_______ _______(18) at some books about Berlin and Germany for a
33
 while before you and your family (arrive) __________(19). We
(discuss) _______ _______ (20) the Brandenburg Gate when
Franz interrupted to ask why its image (use) _______ _______ _______
(21) as a design on some of the coins back when Germany had
converted its money to euros."
"What (do) _______ (22) you tell him?" Ilsa asked.
"I (say) _________ (23) that I (not, be)_______ _______(24) sure,"
answered Eric, “but that I (think) _______(25) it was because the gate
(become) _______ _______(26) a symbol for Germany, like the Statue
of Liberty had emerged as a symbol for the United States."

34
 Merit challenge
1) Find an example of a past tense verb in your reading book.
Write it here:

Look through your exercise book. Have you used any past tense
verbs? Highlight an example and get your partner to check it.

Review learning

Record the rules for using the past tense in the box below.

Progress

How confident are you with the past tense?

A little Could do
Not
more Pretty it with my
confident Confident
practice confident eyes
at all
needed closed!

35
 Week 2-present tense

What is the present tense and when would I use it in my writing?

Rules:
The present tenses in English are used:

 to talk about the present

 to talk about the future
 to talk about the past when we are telling a story in spoken English
or when we are summarising a book, film, play etc.

There are four present tense forms in English:

Present simple: I work

Present continuous: I am working

Present perfect: I have worked

Present perfect continuous: I have been working

36
 Task 1

This student was asked to write about her morning using the present
tense. Which verbs seem out of place?

At 7.30 exactly, I leap out of bed and stagger over to my alarm

clock. It’s the loudest alarm clock in the world. I walked downstairs
and am greeted by my mum. She is always there fussing over me in
the morning. She said I am going to be late, that I can’t get up on
time, and that she doesn’t know what to do with me. I have the
same thing for breakfast every day. I ate a banana with toast, and
washed it down with tea. My brother eventually makes an
appearance. He’s incredibly lazy, and was really grumpy in the

Task 2

Book blurbs are written in the present tense.

This one has been switched to the past. Can
you switch it back? The verbs in green are the

 On a wild and stormy night Molly ran away from her

grandparents’ house. Her dad [ ] sent her to live
there until he Sorts Things Out at home. In the
howling darkness, Molly saw a desperate figure
running for his life from a terrifying midnight hunt.
He had come to help her. But why? And who was

37
 Merit challenge
1) Find an example of a present tense verb in your reading book.
Write it here:

Look through your exercise book. Have you used any present tense
verbs? Highlight an example and get your partner to check it.

Review learning

Record the rules for using the present tense in the box below.

Progress

How confident are you with the present tense?

A little Could do
Not
38 more Pretty it with my
confident Confident
practice confident eyes
at all
needed closed!
 Week 3-future tense

What is the future tense and when would I use it?

Rules:
Now, future tense is where the author writes about the future.
The author will probably write about the future in terms of ideas,
plans, and probability of outcomes.
I will / he will / she will
I intend to / he intends to / she intends to.
"Nothing will work unless you do."
(Maya Angelou)
"I'll be back."
(Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Terminator)

Task 1

Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the verb

Example: Governor Taylor (sign) is going to sign the new law.

Example: Stan (share) is going to share a room with Tim next year.
1) Mrs. Garrison (teach) _______ ________ ______ ________ the class
next year.
2) The soldiers (march) _______ ________ _______ _______ for three
hours.

39
 3) The sorority sisters (paint) _______ ________ ______ ________ the
house blue on Saturday.
4) Mom and I (rake) _______ ________ _______ _______ the yard
tomorrow.
5) I (ski) _______ ________ _______ _______ in Colorado this winter.
6) Eduardo (marry) _______ ________ _______ ________ Carmen in June.
7) The baseball team (travel) _______ ________ _______ ________ to
Florida for the playoffs.

Example: The grass (grow) will be growing faster in the

summertime.
Example: At noon, the children (eat) are going to be eating lunch.
Example: Martha (plant) will be planting flowers while Katie is
planting vegetables.
Example: Robert (receive) is going to be receiving the package
when it arrives.
1) The class (listen) _______ _____ ________ closely during the review
for the test.
2) Matthew (shave) _____ _______ _____ _____ ________ while Valerie is
dressing.
3) I (cut) _______ _____ ________ these boards while you study the
building plans.

4) If we lift weights, our muscles (get) _____ _______ _____ _____

________ stronger.
5) The mayor (greet) _____ _______ _____ _____ ________Senator Arnold
when the senator exits his plane.
6) When our company arrives, we (serve) _______ _____ ________ a
delicious meal.
7) The sergeant (train) _______ _____ ________ the new recruits for the
next month.
8) The children (laugh) _______ _____ _________ while the clown is
riding his tricycle.
9) Before rehearsals begin, the director (cast) _____ _______ _____
_____ ________ actors for parts in the play.
10) If you don’t watch them, the puppies (wander) _______ _____
________ into the street.

40
 Merit challenge
1) Find an example of a future tense verb in your reading book.
Write it here:

Look through your exercise book. Have you used any future tense
verbs? Highlight an example and get your partner to check it.

41
 Review learning

Record the rules for using the future tense in the box below.

Progress

How confident are you with the future tense?

A little Could do
Not
more Pretty it with my
confident Confident
practice confident eyes
at all
needed closed!

Week 4-

What is a participle and how/when do I use them in English?

Participles are added to verbs in the present or past tenses. In the
present participle, parts of the verb to be is used with the infinitive
verb;

42
 -ing is added to the infinitive. In the past participle, parts of the
verb to have is used with the infinitive verb; -ed is added to the
infinitive.

A participle is a word formed from a verb which can be used as an

adjective.

The two types of participles are the present participle (ending ing)
and the past participle (usually ending -ed, -d, -t, -en, or -n).

Here are some participles being used as adjectives:

The The Past The Present

Verb Participle Participle

To rise the risen sun the rising sun

To boil the boiled the boiling water

water

To the broken the breaking

break news news

To cook the cooked the cooking ham

ham

Participle Phrases
It is really common to see participles in participle phrases. A
participle phrase also acts like an adjective. In the examples below,
the participle phrases are shaded and the participles are in bold:

 The man carrying the bricks is my father.

(The participle phrase carrying the bricks describes the the man.)

 She showed us a plate of scones crammed with cream.

(The participle phrase crammed with cream describes the scones.)

 Whistling the same tune as always, Ted touched the front of his
cap with his forefinger as she dismounted.
43
 (The participle phrase Whistling the same tune as always
describes Ted.)

 Stunned by the blow, Mike quickly gathered his senses and

searched frantically for the pepper spray.
(The participle phrase Stunned by the blow describes Mike.)

Task 1
Rewrite the sentences replacing the italic part with a present
participle.
1. She was talking to her friend and forgot everything around her.
→
2. Since we watch the news every day we know what's going on in the
world.
→
3. They are vegetarians and don't eat meat.
→
4. The dog wagged its tail and bit the postman.
→
5. While she was tidying up her room she found some old photos.
→
6. He was a good boy and helped his mother in the kitchen.
→
7. As they didn't have enough money they spent their holidays at
home last year.
→
8. The man was sitting in the cafe. He was reading a paper.?
→
9. Since I didn't feel well I didn't go to the cinema.
→
10. She walked home and met an old friend.
→

44
 The verbs in italics are sometimes followed by a participle.
Complete the sentences using the Present Participle.

1. I smelled something (burn) in the house.

2. She did not see the car (come) closer.
3. Do you notice Tom (talk) to Amelie?
4. We heard the boys (knock) at the door.
5. We listened to the mother (sing) her child to sleep.
6. She could feel herself (blush) .
7. I found my two cats (sit) on the table.
8. She jealously watched her boyfriend (flirt) with another girl

45
 Merit challenge
1) Find an example of a participle in your reading book. Write it
here:

Look through your exercise book. Have you used any participles?
Highlight an example and get your partner to check it.

Review learning

Record the rules for using participles in the box below.

Progress

How confident are you with the past and present participles?

A little Could do
Not
more Pretty it with my
confident Confident
practice confident eyes
at all
needed closed!

46
 Week 5-perfect

What is the perfect in English?

Rules:
The perfect tenses are built from the verb ‘to have’.
Think of the tenses like a timeline (Let’s conjugate the verb ‘to ask’)
X_________________________X________________________X
PAST PRESENT FUTURE
(had, ed) (have, ed) (will have, ed)
We use the Present Perfect to say that an action happened at an
unspecified time before now. The exact time is not important. You
CANNOT use the Present Perfect with specific time expressions such
as: yesterday, one year ago, last week, when I was a child, when I
lived in Japan, at that moment, that day, one day, etc. We CAN use
the Present Perfect with unspecific expressions such as: ever, never,
once, many times, several times, before, so far, already, yet, etc.
Examples:
 I have seen that movie twenty times.

 I think I have met him once before.

 There have been many earthquakes in California.

 People have traveled to the Moon.

 People have not traveled to Mars.

 Have you read the book yet?

 Nobody has ever climbed that mountain.

47
 Task 1

Using the words in parentheses, complete the text below with the
appropriate tenses

1. It is already 9:30 PM and I (wait) here for over an hour.

If John does not get here in the next five minutes, I am going to
leave.

2. I was really angry at John yesterday. By the time he finally

arrived, I (wait) for over an hour. I almost left without him.

3. Did you hear that Ben was fired last month? He (work) for
that import company for more than ten years and he (work)
in almost every department. Nobody knew the company
like he did.

4. I (see) many pictures of the pyramids before I went to

Egypt. Pictures of the monuments are very misleading. The
pyramids are actually quite small.

5. Sarah (climb) the Matterhorn, (sail) around the

world, and (go) on safari in Kenya. She is such an
adventurous person.

6. Sarah (climb) the Matterhorn, (sail) around the

world and (go) on safari in Kenya by the time she turned

48
 twenty-five. She (experience) more by that age than
most people do in their entire lives.

7. When Melanie came into the office yesterday, her eyes were red
and watery. I think she (cry)

Merit challenge
1) Find an example of an example of the perfect in your reading
book. Write it here:

Look through your exercise book. Have you used any perfect tense
forms? Highlight an example and get your partner to check it.

Review learning

Record the rules for using the perfect in the box below.

49
 Progress

How confident are you with the perfect tense?

A little Could do
Not
more Pretty it with my
confident Confident
practice confident eyes
at all
needed closed!

Week 6-register

What do we mean by ‘register’ in English? When is it important to

consider register?
Rules:
Register often refers to the degree of formality of language, but in a
more general sense it means the language used by a group of
people who share similar work or interests, such as doctors or
lawyers. Register is the term used to indicate degrees of formality in
language. Register can be arranged into a spectrum from formal to
informal.

The way we speak changes depending on a great many things.

You wouldn’t talk to your parents the same way you would talk to
your siblings. You wouldn’t speak to your head teacher the same
way as you would talk to your mates. You change the way you
speak, often without knowing it, but now it’s time to study that
phenomenon…

50
 Example
For formal and informal register; 'Would you mind passing the
salt?' is appropriate for a formal situation with strangers, whereas
'Pass me the salt' would be used for a situation where friends are
talking, or possibly when being rude.

 Standard English – informal, neutral, formal and very formal.

Standard English (SE) is the term used for vocab and grammar
constructions considered to be ‘correct’ English, there is still a
spectrum within this register.

 Colloquialism – a loose term meaning ‘language as it is spoken’.

This could be applied to some kinds of slang or to the most
informal language accepted as SE.

 Non-Standard (regional) dialect – words considered not to be

‘good’ or ‘correct’ SE. These words are usually region specific but
do vary between person to person (Idiolects).

 Slang – a broad term for different use of language not considered

to be ‘proper’ SE but may be fairly widespread.

 Vulgarism – language which falls short of taboo and not usually

used in ‘polite’ society.

 Taboo Language – words that are generally considered to be

deeply offensive and unacceptable – swearing! There is also an
undefined spectrum within this register.

Task 1

Pair each of the following sentences with their intended audience.

51
 Task 2

Read the different situations below and choose which of the

three options would be most suited, circle your choice and
write a sentence saying why underneath.
i) You are in court as a witness in a case. One of the
barristers is asking you to point out a woman in the
courtroom. What is the most appropriate answer?

a) “It was her. I saw her do it, honest.”

b) “I'm certain it was her.”
c) “I'm certain it was the lady over there.”

ii) You are at an interview for a job you really want. You are
asked why you want the job. What is the most appropriate
answer?

a) “Don't know.”
b) “I'd love to work for you. I think it would be enjoyable and
rewarding.”
c) “I reckon it'll be ok. If I go for it, I'd be good at the job.”

iii) You are on a building site and a bricklayer shouts over to

you to pass him a trowel. What is the most appropriate
answer?

a) “Here you go, mate.”

52
 b) “Take this, my friend.”
c) “Is this the one you require?”

iv) In class, a teacher asks you a question, but you don't

know the answer.

a) “I don't know.”
b) “How am I supposed to know?”
c) “I'm not sure. Could you explain, please?”

53
 Merit challenge
1) Find an example of an example of where the writer has used an
informal register in your reading book. Write it here:

Look through your exercise book. Have you used any formal
register? Highlight an example and get your partner to check it.

Review learning

Record the rules for using the appropriate register in the box below.

Progress

How confident are you with register?

A little Could do
Not
more Pretty it with my
confident Confident
practice confident eyes
at all
needed closed!

54
 Bright Sparks Extension tasks
What is an auxiliary verb and when would I use one?
Helping verbs or auxiliary verbs such as will, shall, may,
might, can, could, must, ought to, should, would, used to, need are
used in conjunction with main verbs to express shades of time and
mood. The combination of helping verbs with main verbs creates
what are called verb phrases or verb strings. In the following
sentence, "will have been" are helping or auxiliary verbs and
"studying" is the main verb; the whole verb string is underlined:
 As of next August, I will have been studying chemistry for
ten years.

Be Do Have

am does has
is do have
are did had
was having
were
being
been

Modal Auxiliary Verbs – can, could, do, may, might, ought, used
to.
Examples: Can I take your dog, Toto, for a walk to the park?
Susana could sing as well as dance.
Do you know the Eight Parts of Speech, my dear?
May I have the pleasure of dancing with you?
I might go to the party with Hannah.
Michael ought to look for another job in the hospital.
I used to design pencil sharpeners before I became famous

55
 Task 1

Underline the complete verb in each sentence. Circle the helping

verb (auxiliary verb).
1. Jason will play video games tomorrow.
2. The surgeon has operated many times before.
3. My little sister is singing like a rock star.
4. Scott can kick better than anyone on the team.
5. The beautiful sailboat was built in 1985.
6. Sarah is walking her puppy in the park.
7. Jake and his dad are using the computer.
8. Mom will bake special cookies for the party.
9. Tim had given his mother some flowers.
10. The very small girl can ski all by herself.

Identifying the Complete Verb. Underline the main verb and the
auxiliary
verb(s) in the following sentences. Do not include any modifiers.
1. When are you going on your canoe trip?
2. Mr. Costello is constantly giving us directions.
3. Jim should have pitched his tent sooner.
4. Joe could have been badly injured.
5. The new paints are constantly being improved.
6. We will be electing class officers tomorrow.
7. The snowfall had not quite ended at six this morning.
8. I shall certainly miss you next week.
9. Mrs. Barnes has always given generously to charity.
10. The price of most food is rising again.
11. How many books have you read this year?
12. I have already seen that TV program.

56
 13. The old man does not walk to town any more.
14. Nancy and Mark have been given major parts in the school play.
15. Your good deed will never be forgotten.
16. Ms. Smith has definitely agreed to our suggestions.

17. The new club officers will have been chosen by tomorrow
evening.
18. You could have gone to the party without me.
19. Mr. Davis has never neglected his work before.
20. Our team could have played in the state tournament.

57
 Finite and non-finite verbs

What is a finite verb and when would I use one?

Rules:
A Finite verb is one that can be used with a subject to make a
tense.
I walked to school yesterday. We watched the cricket match
together.
The finite forms of the verb are those which signal contrasts of
number, tense, person and mood.

Show a contrast in tense:

She works in London. She worked in London.

Show a contrast in number and person:

He works. They work. I am. You are.

Allow the expression of facts, possibilities wishes, and other

contrasts of mood:

He asked that the car be moved. It was moved.

A finite verb is a word like break, work, broke, sing, write etc.
Finite verbs change their form according to the number and person
of the subject. For instance, when the subject is a singular noun, the
finite verb break changes its form into breaks. Finite verbs are also
governed by the tenses. For instance, when the sentence is in the
simple past tense, the finite verb break changes its form into broke.

58
 Similarly, work changes into worked and sing changes into sang in
the past tense.
Non-finite verbs do not change their form according to the number
and person of the subject. Examples are gerunds, participles and
infinitives.
I like reading.
He likes reading

Here the verb like is finite because it changes its form according to
the number and person of the subject. The gerund reading is non-
finite because it does not change its form according to the number
and person of the subject.
There are three non-finite forms of the verb:
The -ing participle: I’m going. They’re going. He was going. Going
home, I/ we/they felt concerned.

The -ed participle:

I’ve asked. He was asked. They were asked. Asked to come home
early, I/you/we arrived at 3.

The base from used as an infinitive: They might see. I’ll see. He
wants to see.

Task 1

Add a finite verb to the subordinate clause in each sentence:

When the bus _____________, the children all rushed off.
The horses were grazing happily until the motorbike ______________
past their field.
When Thomas __________________ the news, he did not believe it.
Find out the finite and non-finite verbs in the sentences
given below:
1. He gave me a chair to sit.
2. It was a sight to see.
3. I want to buy some clothes.
4. Barking dogs seldom bite.
5. He is about to leave.

59
 6. It is time to start.
7. He was wearing a torn shirt.
8. He had his shoes polished.
9. They got the roof repaired.
10. Finding the door open I went inside.

60