Teaching Strategies, Tactics, and Methods

What is a Mixture?

A mixture is a physical mixture of two or more substances that aren’t chemically joined. For example, water and salt are separate substances that, once mixed, create a blend – seawater.

Mixtures are the product of the combination of compounds and elements without chemical change so that each substance retains its original properties and remains its substance.

Because of this, mixtures can be separated into components, becoming individual substances without a chemical reaction. It can be done using specific methods like filtration and distillation.

What are Examples of Mixtures?

Defined as two or more items that are combined physically but not chemically, examples of mixtures include:

• Cement (sand, water, gravel)
• Smoke and fog (smog)
• A box of toys
• Sand and water
• Seawater (salt and water)

Mixtures can either be heterogeneous, meaning the mixture’s components can be easily separated or homogeneous, meaning the composition is uniform throughout the mixture.

Let’s take the example of iron filings and sulfur powder.

When mixed, the iron filings can still be extracted with a magnet.

It is because the chemical properties of the mixture have not been changed.

However, if we heat the iron filings and sulfur powder, the iron filings cannot be extracted with a magnet.

Instead, a new solid metal substance is formed.

It is because the atoms have been rearranged and bonded together.

So, in this case, a chemical change has occurred, not a mixture of physical elements.

What are the Features of a Mixture?

Mixtures are physical blends of different components, not chemicals. It means their atoms have not been rearranged, and a mixture’s elements retain their identity and properties.

They differ from compounds, which are combinations in which the atoms are altered, meaning they cannot be separated.

What’s The Difference Between Mixtures and Compounds?

Mixtures have different properties from compounds:

• The amount of each substance within a mix can vary, whereas, with a compound, there is a definite composition, meaning the amount of each element within it cannot be changed.
• Different substances aren’t chemically joined in a mixture, so they maintain their properties. Instead, other elements are chemically bound in compounds, and their properties change to become new compounds.
• While the substances in a mixture can be easily separated, only chemical reactions can separate a compound into its elements.

Examples of Compounds

• Water
• Magnesium Oxide
• Carbon Dioxide
• Sodium Chloride

How can Mixtures be Separated?

There are many ways to separate mixtures of two or more different materials, but here’s a short list of some of the most common methods that KS2 pupils will learn about before leaving primary school. You can even try some of them at home!

• Evaporation (Simple Distillation). This method best separates a mixture of a liquid (usually water) and a soluble solid dissolved in said liquid. By boiling the solution, the water will evaporate off, leaving behind the soluble solid that had been dissolved.
• Evaporation and Condensation (Complex Distillation). This method is similar to Simple Distillation but a little more complicated. If you want to keep the liquid and solid materials from a mixture once separated, you can capture and chill the water vapor as it comes off a solution. As the water vapor is cooled, it becomes water again so that you can save both parts of the former mixture. It usually needs a specific tool called a condenser, so this one might not work at home!
• Magnetism. This method works best with a large number of solid metal objects. By passing a magnet over a mixture of metal items, you can separate the magnetic items as they’re attracted to the magnet!
• Filtering. This method works for separating insoluble solids from liquids, such as a mixture of sandy water. By pouring the mixture through filter paper, the fluid will pass through, but the solid will remain behind, unable to pass through the paper.
• Sieving. This method works best for separating solids of different sizes. It is because the smaller objects will pass easily through the holes in the sieve, whereas more extensive materials will be left behind.
• Decanting. This method works on mixtures of two liquids, oil, and water. First, pour the mixture into a container, and wait for the liquids to settle. As they do, they should form two separate layers, and you can then carefully drain off the top layer to separate the liquids.

How can information texts be used?

Information texts can be written on various topics, from natural features and locations to historical figures and events. We encounter them in our everyday lives whenever we read something that provides us with information.

Information texts help us to learn more about the world around us. While fiction texts let us explore our imaginations, non-fiction information texts expand our knowledge of our world.

Examples of Information Texts

Information texts come in lots of different formats. Here are a few examples:

• biographies
• non-chronological reports;
• essays
• newspapers;
• magazines;
• textbooks;
• instruction manuals;
• recipes.

Features of an Information Text

1. Main title – This sums up the topic.
2. Headings and sub-headings – These are used to introduce the content of different paragraphs to help the reader navigate the text.
3. Paragraphs – These are the central bodies of text that include the topic information.
4. Bullet-pointed lists – Ordering critical information in a list is an excellent way of telling the reader what they need to know about the subject.
5. Photographs and illustrations – Information texts include images to make the information easier to understand. These can be realistic photos or annotated diagrams.
6. Captions- Captions are used to describe included photographs and illustrations.

Planning and Writing Information Texts

Before writing an information text, it’s important to research relevant and accurate information on your topic.

When researching, picking out the essential information is a vital skill that strengthens information texts. In addition, data from various sources and websites will result in a more accurate and reliable end product.

Children can use mind maps, spider diagrams, and bulleted lists to note the most relevant information.

Breaking down paragraphs this way makes them easier to digest, and the lists and diagrams created can be included in the final text to help other readers.

Once all the required information has been gathered, it’s a good idea to draft a rough version of any information text. It is an excellent place to make mistakes and decide how you want it to be structured.

Re-drafting ensures that all information is correct and that appropriate vocabulary and grammar have been used. Then, using the rough draft as a guide, children can write up a neat final version of their text that’s of the highest standard.

What are Clauses?

It is helpful to take things back to basics and look at what we mean by the term clause to understand subordinate clauses and how to define them.

Clauses are the building blocks of sentences. A clause is a group of words that contain a subject (a noun or pronoun) and a verb (a doing word).

What is a subordinate clause for kids?

A subordinate clause is a clause that can’t stand alone as a complete sentence. Instead, it’s linked to the main clause using a subordinating conjunction. It doesn’t express a complete thought and requires additional information when read independently.

You might also be wondering, well, what is a dependent clause? A dependent clause is the same as a subordinate clause. They’re just two different names for the same thing.

For example, in the sentence ‘I played out until it went dark,’ the phrase ‘until it went dark’ is the subordinate clause because it requires additional information to make sense. Subordinate clauses contain a subject noun and a verb.

When a sentence contains a subclause, we call it a complex or multi-clause sentence. You can remember some of the most valuable conjunctions using the acronym ‘I SAW A WABUB.’

• I – if
• S – since
• A – as
• W – when
• A – although
• W – while
• A – After
• B – before
• U – until
• B – because

What is a subordinate clause’s function?

Subordinate clauses can act as adverbs, adjectives, or nouns (which we will explore in more detail below). They complement a sentence’s main clause, adding to the overall unit of meaning. Subordinate clauses can also help establish the time sequence, causality, or a specific example of the idea.

Whether you use the term subordinate or dependent to describe this type of clause, the clause’s function remains the same: it provides additional information to support the main event of the sentence.

Examples of subordinate clauses in a sentence

Subordinate clauses can be found at the start, the middle, and the end of a sentence.

• While the rooster crowed loudly, the chicken laid eggs.
• The chicken, who was busy laying eggs, sat happily.
• The chicken laid eggs while the rooster crowed loudly.

In the first and third examples, ‘while the rooster crowed loudly’ is the subordinate clause. In the second, ‘who was busy laying eggs’ is the subordinate.

You may also notice that when your subordinate clause is in the middle of a sentence, it’s separated by commas. It is because this type of subordinate clause is embedded in the sentence.

Here are some more dependent clause examples:

• As the girl stood at the top of the hill, she sighed wistfully.
• She sighed wistfully as she looked over the mountain.
• The girl, who was looking over the hill, sighed wistfully.
• While he was waiting, he decided to read his book.
• He decided to read his book while he was staying.
• The boy, while he was waiting, decided to read his book.
• As he wagged his tail happily, the dog trotted down the road.
• The dog trotted down the road and wagged his tail happily.
• The dog, who was wagging his tail, trotted down the road.
• Although no one ever entered it, the house had stood there for years.
• The house had stood there for years, although no one ever entered.
• The house, which no one ever entered, had stood there for years.

Subordinate clauses for kids

Teaching children about subordinate clauses is an excellent way of improving their reading and writing skills. A solid understanding of how subordinate clauses work enables children to read more complex texts and add extra detail to their writing.

Vowel

Vowels are one of the two groups of letters in the English alphabet. The other group is consonants. There are five vowel letters: ‘a, ‘e,’ ‘i’, ‘o’, and ‘u.’ Vowels are very common in English and can be found in almost every word and syllable.

What are vowels in English?

Vowels are letters that are used in almost every word in the English language. Even when a comment isn’t spelled with a vowel, it almost always includes a vowel sound. Take the word ‘rhythm,’ for example. Even though the written word doesn’t have any vowel letters, we pronounce the ‘y’ like an /i/ or /u/, such as ‘ri-thm’ or ‘ri-thum.’

Vowel letters are one of the two types of letters in the English alphabet. The other type is called consonants; they make up most of our language’s letters. Whether a letter is classified as a vowel or consonant depends on how we articulate its sound.

Fun facts:

• Usually, words are made up of both vowels and consonants. However, the word Iouea (a genus of sea sponges) is the exception. This word contains all five vowels and no other letters.
• The words abstemious (the act of moderately indulging in food and drink) and facetious (finding humor in a serious situation) contain all five vowels in order.

What are the 5 vowel letters?

As we mentioned, there are 5 different vowel letters in the English language. These are ‘a’, ‘e’, ‘i’, ‘o’, and ‘u’. Sometimes, ‘y’ and ‘w’ can be considered vowels. We’ll explain a bit more about that later!

And what’s more, the sounds that the vowels make often fall into two main groups: short vowel sounds and long vowel sounds. We can see these differences in how they are pronounced in particular words. See these examples:

• Words that contain short vowels include bat, cat, bed, leg, but, bug, bog, hip, pop, and sip.
• Words that contain long vowels include haze, he, she, hope, human, cute and equal.

As you might have guessed from these examples, the way to tell if a vowel sound is long or short is whether it sounds the same as the name of its letter!

What are some examples of words that contain more than one vowel?

Let’s take a look at a few examples of words that contain one or more vowels:

Apple

In this simple example, we can see that it contains the vowels a and e. Note that when we pronounce the word ‘apple,’ we tend to stress the a in the first syllable but not the ‘e’ at the end of the second syllable. This unstressed ‘e’ is an example of vowel reduction.

Let’s take a look at another example:

Rain

In this word, two vowel letters are situated next to each other. The two vowels have formed a vowel digraph and together make one sound, which is the long ‘a’ sound in this case. Sometimes, we can say, ‘the first vowel does the talking,’ which means that, together, the letters make the long vowel sound of the first letter. However, this isn’t always the case. For example, in the word ‘noise,’ the ‘o’ and ‘i’ together make the /oi/ vowel sound.

Why are ‘w’ and ‘y’ sometimes considered vowels?

Earlier on, we mentioned that ‘w’ and ‘y’ are sometimes considered to be vowel letters. But how come?

That’s because both ‘w’ and ‘y’ are what we call semi-vowels. These are letters that are sometimes vowels but sometimes aren’t. It all depends on the situation. Let’s look at some examples to help us make sense of this.

The letter ‘y’ is considered a semi-vowel when it’s placed at the end or middle of a word or syllable or that word has no other vowels. For example:

• early
• candy
• backyard
• gym

The argument for classifying ‘y’ as a consonant (which most do) is based on this: When ‘y’ is a vowel, it’s just an ‘I’ or an /ee/ sound. These examples show how each ‘y’ sounds similar to the ‘i’ long vowel sound.

‘W’ can be considered a vowel when used in certain English words with a Welsh origin. These include ‘cwm,’ to refer to a steep-walled semicircular basin in a mountain, and ‘cwtch,’ which means a hug.

Why do we have vowels?

But with all this talk of vowel letters, we haven’t thought much about why we have them in the first place! But in fact, vowels play an essential role in our language.

Vowels and consonants are both speech sounds. Speech sounds existed in speech before letters were used to record the sounds in writing. Because the English language is partly based on the Roman language, which only had the five vowel letters ‘ a, ‘e,’ ‘i’, ‘o’, and ‘u,’ over time, we have combined vowels and consonants or pairs of consonants to make digraphs or trigraphs to represent all of the sounds.

To this day, vowels are essential as they form the basis for many of the words in the English language. So it is because vowels are necessary for creating syllables and therefore being able to articulate different sounds and words. It is why, even though they’re the smaller of the two-letter groups, you’d be hard-pressed to find a word that doesn’t have any.

And for this reason, vowels are also the starting place for teaching children how to read and write. Once children have mastered vowels, they’ll be able to recognize patterns in words and read and write with greater ease.

When do children learn about vowels?

Children begin to learn the alphabet during the early years/foundation stages in school and may start to identify the letters ‘a’, ‘e,’ ‘i’, ‘o’, and ‘u’ as vowels as they progress through KS1.

As children learn to read and write, they will come across CVC words (words that follow the pattern of consonant sound, vowel sound, consonant sound) and CCVC words (words that follow the pattern of consonant sound, consonant sound, vowel sound, consonant sound). In addition, as they progress through the phonic phases or levels, children will begin to learn vowel digraphs, such as ‘oo,’ ‘ie,’ ‘ai,’ and ‘ea.’

Vowel digraphs are the combinations of vowels, vowels, and consonants that make one sound. The sounds they make are different from the sound each letter makes on its own. For example:

• The ‘o’ in ‘hot’ makes a different sound to the digraph ‘oo’ in ‘book’ and a different sound to the digraph ‘oo’ in ‘boot.’

Vowel digraphs are also important when learning about homophones – words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings. For example, ‘heal’ and ‘heel’ both contain the vowel sound /ee/ but use the graphemes ‘ea’ and ‘ee,’ respectively. Children typically begin learning about homophones in year 2.

What is the Timeline of World Religions?

There are approximately 4,300 religions practiced around the world today. A timeline of world religions aims to present those religions chronologically from oldest to newest.

Religious or Spiritual inclinations and practices date back to prehistoric times, before the invention of writing by the ancient Sumerians in around 3500 to 3000 BCE (Before Common Era). Archaeological finds indicate that prehistoric humans practiced spirituality, but much of the evidence is continually debated today – there are a lot of competing theories!

However, due to the invention of writing and the documentation of sacred texts, modern historians have been able to put an approximate date to the beginning of the top 6 major religions of today. We can put them in chronological order, creating a brief timeline of world religions.

2300 BCE to 1500 BCE – Hinduism

There is some debate over the exact starting point of Hinduism, as many of their original scriptures and traditions are not dated. However, scholars estimate that Hinduism was founded in Pakistan between 2300 BCE and 1500 BCE, making this belief system the oldest religion still practiced today.

It is estimated that 900 million people worldwide follow Hinduism, making it the third most popular religion on our timeline of world religions.

The primary sacred texts of Hinduism are called Vedas, a collection of hymns and prayers containing revelations from ancient saints:

• The Rig Veda
• The Samaveda
• Yajurveda
• Arthavadeda

Hindus believe these texts are sacred truths and transcend all the time. They also worship many gods and goddesses but think that there is one supreme God responsible for the creation of the world and present in all living things, Brahma.

Worship of the Gods, or puja, takes place in a temple called a Mandir. Hindus can go to the Mandir any time, any day, and worship at home. Many Hindus have shrines in their homes dedicated to one or a number of the gods and routinely offer them gifts of flowers and oils.

600 BCE to 500 BCE – Judaism

Judaism began in the Middle East some 4000 years ago, but much like Hinduism, there has been much debate over the actual founding period. Finally, in the 1800s, biblical scholars settled that what we now recognize as the Jewish faith or Judaism, was formed in the 5th century BCE.

Judaism was arguably the first monotheistic religion to surface in our history, meaning they were the first to worship and recognize one God at the center of all things.

It is estimated that around 14 million Jewish people live by their faith and values today. Their religion is not just a belief system but a way of life, law, culture, and tradition.

The Jewish sacred text is called Tanakh. It’s compiled of the same Bible books as the Old Testament but arranged slightly differently. The first five books of the Tanakh are called The Torah, which outlines Jewish law.

It is important to note that, throughout history, Judaism and the Jewish peoples have been subject to persecution and attempts of outright annihilation for their beliefs. The most recent was the infamous Nazi Holocaust, which killed 6 million Jews.

After the destruction of their two temples in Jerusalem, Jewish communities came together in local Synagogues to worship their god. As a result, there are 454 synagogues in the UK today.

Their holy day of rest is called Shabbat, which begins on Friday evenings and ends on Saturday evenings. Shabbat is a time for the Jewish community to take a break from tiring labor and remember the biblical story in which their god worked hard for six days creating the world and took a rest on the seventh day. They commonly begin Shabbat with the lighting of candles and recital of blessings.

600 BCE to 400 BCE – Buddhism

Buddhism was founded in India by a spiritual teacher known as “the Buddha” somewhere between the fifth and fourth century BCE, more than 2,500 years ago. His teachings formed the basis of the Buddhist faith’s philosophies, practices, and traditions.

Buddhism, similarly to Hinduism, teaches the importance of reincarnation, the cycle of death, and the soul’s rebirth. They believe this cycle will end only through transcending the self and its wants, meditation, and following Buddhist practice to cleanse the soul.

In Tibetan Buddhism, a leading monk called the Dalai Lama is believed to be the reincarnation of the original Lama as he agreed to be continuously born again after death to help humanity. There have been 14 Dalai Lamas up to the present day.

1st Century CE – Christianity

Christianity developed from Judaism, and its founding marks the 1st Century of the Common Era. Christianity is formed around the life, death, and teachings of a man named Jesus Christ and his 12 disciples.

There are approximately 2 billion followers of Christianity, the world’s most widely practiced organized religion. The spread of Christianity from its origins to the rest of the planet is considered the most successful religious movement in history.

Similar to Judaism, Christianity is a monotheistic religion. They believe there is one all-powerful God in three forms:

• The Father
• The Son
• The Holy Spirit

The Son, Jesus Christ, is said to be sent from God to save humanity from our sins (bad choices and actions) and bring us closer to God. Christians believe our relationship with God was restored through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

The sacred text of Christianity is called The Bible, which is split into the Old and New. The Old Testament is divided into five books and is believed by Christians and Jews to be the sacred word of God. The New Testament focuses on the life, death, and teachings of Jesus.

The Christian calendar has several Saint days and celebrations, the most important of them being Christmas (the birth of Jesus) and Easter (the death and resurrection of Jesus). For Christians, these two events are a time for communities and families to celebrate with each other, give to others and remember Jesus’ sacrifice to save humanity.

Places of Christian worship are familiar in England; they are called Churches. Typically, Christians will gather every Sunday to sing hymns, pray and listen to passages of the Bible read by the local priest.

7th Century CE – Islam

Regarding following, Islam is the second largest religion on our timeline of world religions. Followers of Islam are called Muslims, and there are 1.8 billion practicing Muslims worldwide.

Islam was founded in Mecca, modern-day Saudi Arabia, in the 7th Century, built on the revelations and messages of a prophet named Muhammad. Muslims are also monotheistic and believe God sent Muhammad to spread the teachings of their faith to humanity. An angel visited him while he meditated in a cave and was chosen to spread the sacred word of Allah (God).

The most sacred text in the Islamic faith is called the Koran (Qur’an/Quran). The Koran is written in first person, as if Allah himself wrote it, and is believed to have been written by scribes of Muhammed as Muhammed never learned to read or write.

Muslims hold five basic principles in the Islamic faith essential to their practice and way of life. They are called the Five Pillars.

16th Century CE – Sikhism

Last but not least in our timeline of world religions is Sikhism.

Around 500 years ago, the Sikh faith was founded in Punjab, South Asia, by a man called Guru Nanak. At the time, Hinduism and Islam were the predominant faiths in Asia. Then, guru (meaning teacher) Nanak began preaching something completely new.

There are 25 million Sikhs today, and they believe in one God under whom everyone is equal.

Nine other Gurus followed Nanak and developed faith alongside him. Together, they taught their communities that God resides over them to guide and protect them and emphasized that it is essential to living a good life – the way of doing so is through your actions. The five basic principles of this belief are:

• Keep God in your mind and heart every day
• To live an honest existence and work hard
• To treat everyone equally
• To be generous to those who are less fortunate
• To live to serve others

The holy book of Sikhism is called the Guru Granth Sahib. It comprises a collection of teachings from the ten original Gurus of Sikhism and Sikh, Hindu, and Muslim saints. This book is held so sacred in the Sikh faith that it is stored on a pedestal in Sikh places of worship, and followers remove their shoes before stepping near it.

The Sikh place of worship is the Gurdwara, a gateway to the Guru. It is where the Guru Granth Sahib is kept. In the UK, Sikhs go to the Gurdwara on Sundays to worship, listen to scripture, and chant prayers together as a community.

At the end of Sunday service, the community shares a meal called a Langar, where everyone is welcome.

Character Traits

Character traits are a combination of the different qualities that define a character, such as thoughts, feelings, personality, and the choices they make. In short, these character traits make them who they are.

What are character traits?

Character traits describe a character’s qualities. It’s those aspects of their personalities and their choices that make them who they are. They’re how you would describe a character to someone else.

Think of the heroes and villains in your favorite novels. What character traits do they share?

Character Traits Examples

Positive Character Traits Examples

• loyal
• generous
• kind
• sincere
• persistent
• open-minded
• brave
• quiet
• fair
• selfless
• optimistic

Negative Character Traits Examples

• dishonest
• disloyal
• mean
• jealous
• cruel
• greedy
• impatient
• petty
• selfish
• unforgiving

What are character traits in stories?

Not only do character traits help to describe the character, but they also help to drive the story forward.

The main character’s personal qualities are essential to the story. If the main character is timid and stays inside all the time, there wouldn’t be much of a story! It is why the main characters are often outgoing or adventurous. Indeed, familiar character archetypes are the fearless hero and their loyal friend. These traits help to drive the plot forwards and into something interesting.

Character traits are a great way to show personal growth throughout the story. In the beginning, the character might have their head in the clouds. However, by the end, they may have learned to be more realistic. Can you and your pupils think of any stories where this has been the case?

Many traits can also be both strengths and weaknesses, which helps to make the story more interesting. In the case of the main character, they may be brave and heroic, always looking to save the day. While it’s easy to see this as a strength (helping people is a great thing to do!), it can also be a weakness.

A character that is too brave and heroic might end up getting themselves into some trouble! For example, if they try to save someone and end up getting hurt themselves or making the situation worse.

Character traits like being shy and quiet are often seen as a weakness in the character, but they can also be a strength. These characters are great at spying and learning the villain’s well-guarded secrets. They can also support other characters, such as listening to them when they need someone to hear them.

A character with well-written traits should feel like someone you might meet.

What is the point of flaws in a character?

It’s tempting to want your protagonist to be perfect, but their flaws are some of the essential character traits they have. Complex and fallible characters are infinitely more interesting than two-dimensional characters that are blindly heroic and only ever do the right thing. These characters aren’t realistic, whereas characters with flaws reflect real life and ourselves much more.

As well as simply being more engaging, flaws are crucial for helping move the plot on and driving the story. As explained above, defects such as being overly brave or always having your head in the clouds can create fascinating plot points and land characters in sticky situations, providing engaging material for the reader. In addition, flaws are necessary for character growth, which helps to propel a story forward.

In classical tragedies, the protagonist always has a fatal flaw. It is a primary flaw that causes many issues the narrative deals with or prevents them from moving past problems. Hubris is the most famous example of a fatal flaw, a classical term for unending pride and arrogance. If a character is very conceited and arrogant, they won’t admit their mistakes and cannot learn and grow.

How are character traits shown?

When you read a story or watch a TV show or film, you learn character traits through dialogue and action and how the characters are described. Their traits inform how they talk and act, especially around other people.

From these things, we can infer their personality and what they think and feel.

Adverbs of time change or add meaning to a sentence by telling us when, for how long, and how often a particular action happened. They have a standard position in a sentence, depending on what the adverb tells us.

What are examples of Adverbs of Time?

Adverbs of time tell us when an action has happened, but also for how long and how often. Therefore, adverbs of time are invariable. Read examples of adverbs of time in these sentences.

• Goldilocks went to the Bears’ house yesterday.
• I’m going to tidy my room tomorrow.
• I often eat vegetarian food.
• He never drinks milk.
• You must always fasten your seat belt.

How are Adverbs of Time Used?

Different adverbs of time are used to tell when, for how long, and how often something happened. Adverbs of time are most commonly used to say to us when something happened.

1. When:

Adverbs that tell us when something happened are placed at the end of the sentence. For example, we have highlighted the time adverbials in these sentences in pink to help you and your students identify how they are used :

• I went to the park yesterday.
• I finished all my homework last night.
• I’m going to see my friend tomorrow.

In these examples, the time adverbials are placed at the end of the sentences. When adverbs of time are placed at the end of a sentence, they’re in a neutral position. They can be placed in different parts of the sentence to give a different emphasis. The time element is emphasized when the adverb is placed at the start of the sentence.

• Now, I’m going to walk my dog. (The adverb of time is at the beginning of the sentence, emphasizing that the action is happening now.)
• I’m going to walk my dog now. (The adverb is at the end, in a neutral position).
• I’m now going to walk my dog. (The adverb is in a neutral position in the middle of the sentence. It is because the adverb is usually perceived as more formal).

Read our list of adverbs of time you can use in your writing; here are examples of adverbs that tell us when:

• Today
• Tonight
• Next week
• Next month
• Last week
• Last month
• Last night
• Then.

2. How long – time:

Another way adverbs of time can be used to mark the passing of time or set a time limit to an activity or action. Adverbs that tell us how long something happened are usually placed at the end of the sentence. For example:

• I read my book all afternoon.
• I stayed at my friend’s house for a night.
• I went on holiday to the seaside for two weeks.
• My sister has been doing ballet since she was seven.

These can also be called adverbial phrases since they contain more than one word. The word ‘for’ is always followed by an expression of duration, whereas ‘since’ is always followed by an expression of a point in time. Read our list of examples of how adverbs of time can be used this way.

‘For’ examples

• I have been baking for half an hour.
• My family and I once lived in New Zealand for a few years.
• I was only gone for a few moments.

‘Since’ examples

• I have loved reading since I was five years old.
• I have been part of the tennis club since 2010.
• I haven’t been to my school since the summer holidays started.

3. Frequency:

Adverbs of time can also tell us how often something happens. These types of adverbs of time tell us how often something happened. They determine the frequency of the action being described, which is why they’re also called adverbs of frequency.

There are two types of adverbs of frequency: those of definite frequency and those of indefinite frequency. The position of an adverb in a sentence can tell you whether it’s of definite or indefinite frequency.

Adverbs of indefinite frequency include words such as always, usually, never, often, very often, rarely, sometimes, seldom, occasionally, once in a while, repeatedly, typically, generally, and hardly ever.

Adverbs of indefinite frequency are placed in the middle of the sentence. Where it’s placed depends on the sentence itself. There are three different parts of a sentence where it can be placed. Read these examples of adverbs of time to tell frequency.

Between the subject and the main verb (unless the verb is ‘to be’):

• I always eat five fruit and vegetables a day.
• I often go to my grandparents’ house for dinner.
• My brother never tidies his bedroom.

After the ‘to be form’ when it’s the main verb in the sentence:

• My mum is rarely late.
• My dad is sometimes home early from work.
• My sister is usually out with her friends.

Between a ‘helping’ verb and the main verb. It is always authentic, even when the main verb is a verb form of ‘to be.’

• I have often gone on holiday in the summer.
• She can always wait until we get home.
• My mum will usually pick me up from school.
• They have occasionally been helpful.

Indefinite-frequency adverbs can go at the beginning or end of the sentence; the strength of the adverb differs depending on the position. Using the stronger position puts more emphasis on the adverb.

Strong Position	Weak Position
I go to the cinema frequently.	I frequently go to the cinema.
Usually, I eat cereal for breakfast.	I usually eat cereal for breakfast.
I go for runs regularly.	I regularly go for runs.
Often, I bake cookies with my grandma.	I often bake cookies with my grandma.
My parents treat us to a takeaway occasionally.	My parents occasionally treat us to a takeaway.
Sometimes, I ride my bike into town.	I sometimes ride my bike into town.

 

Other adverbs of time tell us the exact number of times that something happens or has happened. These are adverbs of definite frequency. Most often, these are placed at the beginning or end of the sentence.

The most common adverbs of definite frequency are hourly, daily, monthly, and yearly. But you can also use it once a week, every week, or every other week. In each of these, ‘week’ can be replaced with hour, day, month, year, or even minute and second.

There are also adverbs of definite frequency which give us an exact time for which something happened, e.g., four times a week, once every month, twice a year, etc.

Here are some examples:

• I go to the gym twice a week.
• We go on day trips monthly.
• I’ve been to London three times.
• Once a month, I go on a trip to the museum.

4. Possibility – Yet/ Still:

‘Yet’ is an adverb of time that tells us something hasn’t happened but is expected to happen. It’s used at the end of a sentence, when forming a question, or after ‘not’ in a statement.

• ‘Have you finished your homework yet?’ ‘Not yet.’

‘Still’ shows that something is continuing to happen and hasn’t stopped. So it’s placed before the main verb and after auxiliary verbs. For the main verb ‘to be,’ ‘still’ is set after it rather than before. So ‘Still’ goes before the main verb in question.

• I’m still waiting for that new bookstore to open.
• She still hasn’t called me.
• Are you still going to the party?
• Do you still like cheesecake?
• I’m still learning.

5. Multiple uses: Using more than one adverb of time in a sentence:

It’s possible to use more than one adverb of time in one sentence. For example:

• I still go to the gym twice a week.
• I always read my book before I go to bed.
• I stayed in Norfolk for two months last year.
• They volunteered for a few hours every week a few years ago.Top of Form

Is ‘quickly’ an adverb for time?

‘Quick’ is an adjective, and the adverb form is ‘quickly.’ So you can use it as an adverb of time with phrases such as ‘as quickly as possible.

She ran to the shop as quickly as possible.

An adverb of time that tells us when something happened. In this case, it tells us that it happened immediately.

How do you identify an adverb in a sentence?

An adverb is a word that describes a verb, an adjective, or even a whole sentence. Adverbs often end in -ly, but some look the same as their adjective forms.

Foot and feet are Units of Measurement. They allow us to measure the length of a particular object or person. In addition, they can help us measure the distance from one area to another.

While foot denotes a single unit of measurement, ‘feet’ is its plural alternative. In this sense, the difference between foot and feet in Maths depends on how significant the distance or length you measure is.

For example, you might say;

• “The baguette was one foot long,” as it’s relatively small compared to other lengths and distances.
• “The tree was 20 feet high”.
• “The children were sitting 7 feet away from the teacher”.

In Maths, understanding the difference between foot and feet is essential to know how far something is or its size. In addition, by applying the unit to several different objects or distances, we can also make objective comparisons.

For example, we can understand why one tree looks bigger than another: because it has a greater height! For example, tree A may be 20 feet high, whereas Tree B is only 15 feet tall. Or we could understand why one distance took longer to walk towards than another: it is further away from us.

One exception to the rule:

However, the difference between foot and feet can be confusing when certain plurals still use ‘foot’ when spoken aloud. A good example is a person’s height. We still might say, “The policeman was 6 foot tall,” or “I am 5 foot and 7 inches”. However, grammatically, it is correct to use ‘feet’ when writing this word or to abbreviate it to ‘ft.’

The Imperial System of Measurement:

It’s also worth mentioning that foot and feet derive from the Imperial system. It was a form of measurement that the British Parliament first initiated in 1824. Known as the Weights and Measurements Act, this dispersed across the British Empire in 1826 and was used in the United Kingdom to countries like Australia, New Zealand, and India.

Other units of measurement from the Imperial System are:

• Pints (pt) and Gallons (gal) measure capacity. For example, ‘the man drank a pint of larger.
• Pounds (lbs), Stones (st), and Ounces (oz) are used to measure weight. So, for example, you could say, ‘he weighed 9 stone and 7 pounds, or ‘the chef used 4 ounces of butter when making the cake’.
• Along with foot and feet, we often use miles (mi) and inches (in) to describe and measure a distance. For example, ‘the journey was 10 miles long, or ‘my finger is 6 inches.

Alongside the Imperial system of measurement, there is also the Metric system. It is used more commonly than Imperial all over the world. When discussing units of measure, it’s essential to understand that both methods still exist. Sometimes, you might describe how heavy something is, and the person you’re talking to won’t know as they grew up with different measurement systems. Or you might follow a recipe with other unfamiliar measurement methods.

You might have to convert the units into their equivalent when this happens. But, by learning this, you’ll always be able to understand how long or heavy something is, regardless of its units.

Passive Voice

The passive voice is where the subject is the recipient of the actions described by a verb. It is the opposite of the active voice, in which the subject is the one who performs the verb. A sentence written in the passive voice is called a passive sentence.

What is a passive sentence?

A passive sentence is a sentence that is written in the passive voice, which is where the person or object that receives an action is placed after the actual action itself. It makes it different from the active voice, where the person or thing that acts is placed before the verb which describes the action.

We typically use the passive voice to emphasize the action rather than the subject.

What are some passive sentences examples?

If you’re still wondering, “what is a passive sentence?” then don’t worry! The active and passive voices are complex concepts to make sense of at first, and pupils may find it tricky to tell one from the other.

It’s a lot easier to get the hang of passive sentences with examples to help you, which is why we’ve put together this handy chart. In it, you’ll find a few helpful passive sentence examples. You’ll also see the same sentences written using the active voice on the left side so that you can compare the two.

Active Voice	Passive Voice
Albert ate six sausages at dinner.	At dinner, six sausages were eaten by Albert.
Mother read my story in a single day.	My story was read to my mother in a single day.
Millions of tourists visit Barcelona each year.	Barcelona is visited by millions of tourists each year.
The music conductor will give you the notes.	The notes will be given to you by the music conductor.

We can tell that the passive sentence examples on the right are written in the passive voice because the noun or subject is placed in a secondary position to the verb. However, when the same sentence is written in the active voice, the subject comes before the verb, and the sentence takes on a firmer, more natural tone.

When do we use the Passive Voice?

Now that you’ve read our definition of the passive voice and looked at a few passive sentence examples, you probably have a pretty good grasp of it. But first, you might wonder how and when we write in the passive voice.

The active voice and passive voice can have vastly different impacts on your reader. For example, people tend to use the active voice rather than the passive voice when writing about a subject acting. An example of this would be ‘the dog loves to fetch.

However, you might be more likely to use passive sentences when formally presenting your work or ideas. Let’s take a look at some of these different uses, along with a few passive sentences examples to help us understand them:

Proper uses of the passive voice:

Here are three widespread uses of the passive voice:

1) To report a crime or incident with an unknown offender:

Jessica’s phone was stolen on the train.

The jewelry shop was ransacked on Monday night.

The man’s computer was hacked.

One of the main reasons these crimes are so severe is that the offender is unknown. In addition, using a passive sentence helps emphasize the actual action of the crimes, i.e., theft, instead of the perpetrator.

2) In a scientific context:

The scientists worked hard in the lab all day.

The subject of the study was placed in an observation room.

The scientist was given an award for his work in the field.

As you can see from these passive sentence examples, the action of the sentences is much more important than the subjects, so passive voice is required.

3) To emphasize action over the person carrying out the action

The band was inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame.

The teacher was given a pile of homework to mark over the weekend.

The girl was selected to take part in a considerable swimming competition.

In these passive sentence examples, the person acting can be dismissed as irrelevant, and including them would be a distraction. You must use your best judgment to decide whether the subject of a sentence is more or less important than the action being carried out.

Everyday uses of the passive voice:

Now that we’ve explored how we might use the passive voice in a more formal context let’s explore how it can also be used in informal ways to make writing a bit more interesting.

Using the passive voice as a stylistic choice to shift around the emphasis in your writing is a fun, creative, and sophisticated way to spice up your work.

Here are some examples of creative uses of the passive voice:

1) To avoid blame

One creative use of the passive voice is to avoid getting blamed the blame onto someone else. In this case, the subject will not directly implicate someone else but merely make sure to appear innocent.

For example:

“Mistakes were made.”

2) To direct the reader’s attention to certain things

As we know, the passive voice focuses primarily on the action than on the person or thing carrying it out. It allows us to divert the reader’s attention to what was done rather than who did it, effectively creating a sense of surprise or mystery in a piece of writing.

Misusing the Passive Voice:

Now that we’re no longer in the dark about what a passive sentence is and we’ve looked at a few passive sentences examples, let’s look at some of the ways they can be misused:

1) Misidentifying passive voice:

Sometimes, what may appear to be a passive sentence isn’t passive at all. For example:

The teacher was pleased when she saw the students’ test scores.

While, at first glance, this sentence appears to use the passive voice, it doesn’t. In this sentence, ‘pleased’ is used as an adjective, and ‘was’ is used as a linking verb.

2) When passive voice is misused:

The passive voice can be super effective when we know what it is and how a passive sentence should be used. However, it can be tricky to get right. Passive voice misuse or unnecessary overuse of passive sentences can make your writing look clunky, awkward, and hard to read.

If you spot passive voice misuse in your writing, don’t panic, as it’s pretty simple to fix. For the most part, passive voice misuse can be fixed by changing a passive voice sentence into an active one.

There are three easy steps you must take to make this change:

1. Identify the person or thing that is acting being described by the verb in the sentence. It will then become the subject of your new active voice sentence.
2. Take the ‘be’ verb out of your sentence and turn the past participle into a correctly conjugated verb. This new verb must agree with your unique subject.
3. Identify the subject of the old passive voice sentence and turn it into a direct object.

When will children learn about the passive voice?

Pupils will likely encounter active and passive voices and active and passive verbs when they reach key stage 2. According to the national curriculum, pupils in year six will be able to ‘use the passive to affect the presentation of information in a sentence.

Noun Phrase

A noun phrase is a group of words made up of a noun and words to describe that noun. Below, we’ll learn more about noun phrases, explore noun phrase examples, look at expanded noun phrases, and discuss how to teach children about them and why we use them.

What is a noun phrase?

A noun phrase is a small group of words containing a noun and modifying words for that noun. The term acts like the subject or object of the sentence.

As a reminder, a noun is a person, place, thing, or idea. Therefore, the noun phrase will contain a noun and words that describe or modify the noun.

Simple modifiers, like a number or an article, turn the group of words into a noun phrase.

What is a phrase?

Before getting deeper into noun phrases, we must understand what an expression is, so here’s a quick refresher.

A phrase is a group of words that form a part of a sentence. For example: “in the night” or “within the bustling crowd.”

You can add to phrases to create a complete sentence, but a phrase alone doesn’t constitute a sentence.

There are several common phrases used in the English language. They include verb phrases, adjective phrases, prepositional phrases, absolute phrases, adverb phrases, and noun phrases.

We’ll focus on the last type of phrase in the text below. Keep reading to find out more about noun phrases, including noun phrase examples!

Noun Phrase Examples

Examples of simple noun phrases include:

• the house
• my gray dog
• the teacher
• the clever child

You might have noticed that these aren’t complete sentences. Instead, noun phrases are part of longer sentences, such as:

• The house was brand-new.
• I love my gray dog.
• The teacher cheered on the clever child.

Each sentence includes a noun and words that modify them. Sentences can also have more than one noun phrase, and noun phrases can even be embedded in other noun phrases.

You might also extend the noun phrase. It is prevalent, and children might not even realize that they use this daily. More on this is below.

What are expanded noun phrases?

You may occasionally hear the term expanded noun phrase. An expanded noun phrase tells you more about the noun found in a simple noun phrase.

To spot an expanded noun phrase, look for the following:

• an article
• an adjective or adjectives
• a noun

Let’s explore how to turn a simple noun phrase into an expanded noun phrase using the following example:

I swam in the sea.

In the sentence above, the noun phrase is “the sea.” To turn it into an expanded noun phrase, we can include an adjective to modify the noun “sea.” For example:

I swam in the salty sea.

Now we have an expanded noun phrase, “the salty sea.” The article is “the,” the adjective is “salty,” and the noun is “sea.”

You can also put the expansion after the noun. In addition to adjectives, you can add other pieces of information that are still part of the noun phrase. For example:

The haunted house with big, broken windows was terrifying.

In the example above, the adjective “haunted” describes the house, and the expansion “with big, broken windows” modifies the noun “house.” Therefore, both are included in the expanded noun phrase.

Using Adjectives, Participles, and More to Modify the Noun

We’ve looked at how to extend a noun phrase. Now, look at the example sentences below and consider which part of the sentence is the noun phrase.

That new pink bike is mine.

“that new pink bike” is the noun phrase in this sentence. “Bike” is the noun, and the other words describe the bike.

The bakery on the corner sells lots of pastries.

In this sentence, there are two noun phrases. The first is “the bakery on the corner.” The “bakery” is the main noun in this phrase, and “on the corner”  describes the bakery.

The following noun phrase is “lots of pastries.” The noun of the phrase is “pastries,” and “lots of” describes the noun.

The silly dog that keeps chasing his tail belongs to my friend.

In this sentence, the adjective clause “that keeps chasing his tail” is the noun phrase modifier for “the silly dog.” The modifier follows the noun in this example. Together they make the noun phrase.

The brave man ventured through the dark and cold forest.

The noun phrases in this sentence are “the brave man” and “the dark and cold forest.” The adjectives “dark and cold” describe the noun “forest,” and “brave” describes the “man.”

The kind girl put seeds outside for the birds visiting the backyard.

In this sentence, the adjective “kind” describes the “girl,” and the participle “visiting the backyard” modifies the noun “birds.”

Why is it important to learn about expanded noun phrases?

Learning about expanded noun phrases opens up creative possibilities in children’s writing. Adding extra information to nouns makes writing more attractive and paints vivid pictures in the reader’s mind.

Expanded noun phrases draw on and encourage imagination, placing the reader and writer in the scene. It is a valuable skill that will benefit children throughout their lives. Whether they’re writing essays, stories, or job applications, they’re more likely to make a lasting impression if they capture their reader’s imagination.

Noun Phrase Functions and the Pronoun Test

As mentioned previously, the function of a noun phrase is much like that of a noun. The noun phrase acts as a complement, a subject, or an object in a sentence.

Grammar Reminder:

A complement describes the subject or object of a sentence.

The subject of a sentence is the noun (person, place, thing, or idea) that is doing something or being something in the sentence.

The object of a sentence is the noun on the receiving end of the verb.

Since the noun phrase acts as a noun, one way to quickly test if it is indeed a noun phrase is to replace it with a pronoun.

A pronoun is a word that can be used in place of a noun. Let’s look at a few examples of noun phrases being turned into pronouns:

Noun Phrase	Noun Phrase Replaced with Pronoun
The dog was hungry.	He was hungry.

The sentence’s simple noun phrase or subject is “the dog.” The noun phrase can be replaced with the pronoun “he.”

Let’s look at another example:

Noun Phrase	Noun Phrase Replaced with Pronoun
The haunted house with big broken windows was terrifying.	It was terrifying.

The noun phrase in this sentence is “the haunted house with big, broken windows.” Therefore, we replace the noun phrase with the pronoun “it.”

Here’s yet another example:

Noun Phrase	Noun Phrase Replaced with Pronoun
I ate the delicious chocolate cake.	I ate it.

The object of the sentence, and therefore the noun phrase, is “the delicious chocolate cake.” Replace the word with a pronoun, and we get the following sentence: “I ate it.”

Finally, let’s look at a sentence with two noun phrases turned into pronouns.

Noun Phrase	Noun Phrase Replaced with Pronoun
The tall girl is a good dancer.	She is one.

“The tall girl” is the subject, and “a good dancer” is the subject complement. Both are noun phrases. If we replace the words with pronouns, the new sentence reads: “She is one.