Every word in a sentence does a job. Knowing the eight parts of speech lets you build sentences that are clear and correct.
🏷️ Naming and replacing words
A noun names a person, place, thing or idea (teacher, park, freedom). A pronoun takes a noun’s place (she, they, it, we). A verb shows action or a state of being (run, is, seemed).
The dog chased the ball across the yard.
nouns: dog, ball, yard → 3
verb: chased
Maria and I went home. → We went home.
(“Maria and I” is replaced by the pronoun “we”)
🖼️ See it
A word’s part of speech depends on how it is used in the sentence.
🎨 Describing and connecting words
An adjective describes a noun (tall, red). An adverb describes a verb, adjective or another adverb and often ends in -ly (quickly, very). A preposition shows position or direction (in, onto, near). A conjunction joins words or clauses (and, but, because). An interjection shows feeling (Wow!).
The tall, friendly teacher wore a red coat.
adjectives (ignoring “the, a”): tall, friendly, red → 3
She ran quickly to the park. “quickly” tells how she ran → adverb
The cat jumped from the table onto the sofa near the window.
prepositions: from, onto, near → 3
The same word can be different parts of speech. “Light” is a noun in turn on the light and an adjective in a light bag. Look at its job in the sentence.
✏️ Quick check · 1 of 7
Adverb
In the sentence “She ran quickly to the park,” which word is an adverb?
It answers “how?”.
✏️ Quick check · 2 of 7
Abstract noun
Which word is an abstract noun?
You cannot touch it.
✏️ Quick check · 3 of 7
Pronoun
Which pronoun can replace “Maria and I” in “Maria and I went home”?
The speaker is included.
✍️ Type your answer · 4 of 7
The dog chased the ball across the yard.
How many nouns are in the sentence?
Enter an exact answer, without rounding.
Count the naming words.
✍️ Type your answer · 5 of 7
The tall, friendly teacher wore a red coat. (Ignore “the” and “a”.)
How many adjectives are there?
Enter an exact answer, without rounding.
They describe nouns.
✍️ Type your answer · 6 of 7
We opened the box, found a key and smiled.
How many verbs are in the sentence?
Enter an exact answer, without rounding.
Look for the actions.
✍️ Type your answer · 7 of 7
The cat jumped from the table onto the sofa near the window.
How many prepositions are there?
Enter an exact answer, without rounding.
They show position or direction.
📝 Lesson quiz · 5 questions
0 / 5
Re-read the lesson, then give it another go.
Question 1 of 5
Which word is a conjunction?
Question 2 of 5
Which word is an interjection?
Question 3 of 5
A verb is a word that shows:
Question 4 of 5
In “The loud bell rang,” which word is an adjective?
Question 5 of 5
Which sentence uses a pronoun?
Lesson 2 · Grammar
✏️ Sentences & Punctuation
Punctuation tells the reader where to pause, stop and emphasise. Complete sentences and the right marks make writing easy to follow.
📝 Complete sentences
A sentence has a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought. It begins with a capital letter and ends with a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark. A fragment is missing a subject, a verb or a complete thought. A run-on joins sentences without proper punctuation.
Fragment: Running down the hill.
Sentence: She was running down the hill.
Run-on: It rained we stayed inside.
Fixed: It rained, so we stayed inside.
It rained. We stayed inside.
“It rained. We stayed in, and we played cards! Did you win?” → 3 sentences
🖼️ See it
Every sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with one of the three end marks.
🔣 Commas, apostrophes and more
Use a comma in a list and before a conjunction that joins two full sentences. An apostrophe shows possession (Tom’s bike) or a missing letter in a contraction (don’t). It’s means “it is”; its shows ownership. A semicolon can join two closely related sentences.
List: We bought apples, pears, and plums.
Its / it’s: The dog wagged its tail. It’s a happy dog.
Possession: the girls’ coats (more than one girl)
Semicolon: I was tired; I went to bed early.
Test it/its by saying “it is”. If that works, use it’s.
✏️ Quick check · 1 of 7
Fragment
Which of these is a sentence fragment?
Who is running?
✏️ Quick check · 2 of 7
Its or it’s
Choose the correct sentence.
Try “it is”.
✏️ Quick check · 3 of 7
Run-on
Which fixes the run-on “It rained we stayed inside”?
Add a comma and a joining word.
✍️ Type your answer · 4 of 7
Read: “It rained. We stayed in, and we played cards! Did you win?”
How many sentences are there?
Enter an exact answer, without rounding.
Count the end marks.
✍️ Type your answer · 5 of 7
In “We bought apples, pears, and plums,” commas separate the items.
How many commas are used?
Enter an exact answer, without rounding.
Count them.
✍️ Type your answer · 6 of 7
How many words are in this sentence: “The small brown dog barked loudly.”
Count the words.
Enter an exact answer, without rounding.
Count each word.
✍️ Type your answer · 7 of 7
“I can’t find my coat, and it’s not in the hall.”
How many apostrophes does the sentence contain?
Enter an exact answer, without rounding.
Look at the contractions.
📝 Lesson quiz · 5 questions
0 / 5
Re-read the lesson, then give it another go.
Question 1 of 5
A sentence must always have:
Question 2 of 5
Which punctuation mark ends a question?
Question 3 of 5
“The boys’ bikes” means the bikes belong to:
Question 4 of 5
Which sentence is correct?
Question 5 of 5
A semicolon can be used to:
Lesson 3 · Words
🧩 Vocabulary: Prefixes, Suffixes & Roots
Many English words are built from smaller parts. Knowing those parts helps you work out new words on your own.
🔧 Prefixes and suffixes
A prefix goes at the start and changes the meaning (un- not, re- again, pre- before, mis- wrongly). A suffix goes at the end and often changes the part of speech (-ful full of, -less without, -able can be, -ness state of).
un + happy + ness = unhappiness (3 parts)
re + write = rewrite (write again)
hope + less = hopeless (without hope)
mis + spell = misspell (spell wrongly)
🖼️ See it
Prefixes go before the root and suffixes after it. Knowing the parts lets you work out new words.
🌱 Roots and context clues
A root carries the core meaning. Bio means life, graph means write, port means carry, aqua means water. When you meet an unknown word, use context clues: the words and sentences around it.
biography = bio (life) + graph (write) → the written story of a life
transport = trans (across) + port (carry)
syllables: un · be · liev · a · ble → 5
“The arid desert had almost no water.” → arid means very dry
Break long words into parts. Read the prefix, the root and the suffix one at a time.
✏️ Quick check · 1 of 7
Prefix meaning
What does the prefix “re-” mean in “rewrite”?
Think of replay.
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Suffix meaning
What does the suffix “-less” mean in “hopeless”?
The opposite of -ful.
✏️ Quick check · 3 of 7
Context clue
“The arid desert had almost no water, and no plants grew.” What does “arid” most likely mean?
Use the clue words.
✏️ Quick check · 4 of 7
Root meaning
The root “graph” means:
Think of paragraph.
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How many parts (prefix + base word + suffix) does “unhappiness” have? un + happy + ness
Count the parts.
Enter an exact answer, without rounding.
Prefix, base, suffix.
✍️ Type your answer · 6 of 7
Count the syllables in “unbelievable” (un-be-liev-a-ble).
How many syllables?
Enter an exact answer, without rounding.
Clap the beats.
✍️ Type your answer · 7 of 7
Count the syllables in “biography” (bi-og-ra-phy).
How many syllables?
Enter an exact answer, without rounding.
Clap the beats.
📝 Lesson quiz · 5 questions
0 / 5
Re-read the lesson, then give it another go.
Question 1 of 5
Which word means “to spell wrongly”?
Question 2 of 5
The suffix “-able” means:
Question 3 of 5
The root “port” means:
Question 4 of 5
A prefix is added to the:
Question 5 of 5
A synonym for “enormous” is:
Lesson 4 · Reading
🔍 Reading Comprehension
Good readers look for the main idea, notice details, and use clues in the text to figure out what is not said directly.
🎯 Main idea and details
The main idea is what a text is mostly about. Supporting details are facts, examples or reasons that back it up. A summary includes the main idea and key details in your own, shorter words.
Text: “Bees are important. They carry pollen from flower to flower so plants can make seeds, and many of our foods depend on them.”
main idea: Bees are important.
details: carry pollen; plants make seeds; foods depend on them
🖼️ See it
Good readers stop to check they understand, then retell the main idea in a sentence or two.
🕵️ Inference and evidence
An inference is a conclusion based on clues in the text plus what you already know. Always point to the text evidence that supports it.
“Sam looked at the clock again, tapped his foot, and sighed loudly.”
inference: Sam is impatient or bored
evidence: looked at the clock, tapped his foot, sighed
Fact: Mount Everest is 8849 m high.
Opinion: Mount Everest is the most beautiful mountain.
Facts can be checked; opinions are beliefs. Words like best, worst and should often signal an opinion.
✏️ Quick check · 1 of 7
Main idea
“Bees carry pollen from flower to flower so plants can make seeds. Many foods we eat depend on them.” What is the main idea?
What do all the sentences support?
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Inference
“Sam looked at the clock again, tapped his foot, and sighed loudly.” What can you infer?
What do these actions show?
✏️ Quick check · 3 of 7
Fact or opinion
Which sentence is an opinion?
Can it be checked?
✏️ Quick check · 4 of 7
Summary
A good summary should be:
Short and in your words.
✍️ Type your answer · 5 of 7
“Sam looked at the clock again, tapped his foot, and sighed loudly.”
How many pieces of evidence for impatience are listed?
Enter an exact answer, without rounding.
Count the actions.
✍️ Type your answer · 6 of 7
Read: “It was Monday. On Tuesday we left. We came back on Friday.” Count the days from Tuesday to Friday, including both.
How many days is that?
Enter an exact answer, without rounding.
List them.
✍️ Type your answer · 7 of 7
A passage has 5 paragraphs. The main idea is stated in paragraph 1 and each other paragraph gives one supporting detail.
How many supporting detail paragraphs are there?
Enter an exact answer, without rounding.
Subtract the intro.
📝 Lesson quiz · 5 questions
0 / 5
Re-read the lesson, then give it another go.
Question 1 of 5
An inference is:
Question 2 of 5
Text evidence means:
Question 3 of 5
The topic sentence of a paragraph usually states the:
Question 4 of 5
The author’s purpose might be to:
Question 5 of 5
Skimming a text means:
Lesson 5 · Writing
📖 Narrative Writing
A good story has a clear shape, interesting characters and sensory detail. Dialogue and the order of events bring it to life.
🏔️ Plot structure
Most stories follow five stages: exposition (setting and characters), rising action (problems build), climax (the turning point), falling action and resolution (how it ends). The conflict is the main problem the character must face.
1 exposition
2 rising action
3 climax
4 falling action
5 resolution
The climax is stage 3 of 5, the high point.
🖼️ See it
Most stories build tension step by step to a climax, then settle into a resolution. Plan these four parts before you write.
💬 Show, don’t tell
Show feelings through action, senses and dialogue instead of just naming them. Dialogue needs quotation marks around the spoken words, and a new paragraph for each new speaker.
Tell: Tom was scared.
Show: Tom’s hands shook, and his voice cracked as he whispered, “Don’t move.”
“Run,” said Tom, “now!” → 4 quotation marks
Point of view: first person (I) or third person (he/she)
Use all five senses in your descriptions: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch.
✏️ Quick check · 1 of 7
Climax
The climax of a story is:
The high point.
✏️ Quick check · 2 of 7
Show vs tell
Which sentence shows rather than tells?
Look for the action.
✏️ Quick check · 3 of 7
Point of view
A story told with “I” and “my” uses:
I = first.
✍️ Type your answer · 4 of 7
How many stages are in the plot structure (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution)?
Give the number.
Enter an exact answer, without rounding.
Count them.
✍️ Type your answer · 5 of 7
Which stage number is the climax in that list?
Give its position.
Enter an exact answer, without rounding.
It is in the middle.
✍️ Type your answer · 6 of 7
“Run,” said Tom, “now!”
How many quotation marks are in the sentence?
Enter an exact answer, without rounding.
Count each mark.
✍️ Type your answer · 7 of 7
A story has 3 characters who each speak once in dialogue and a new paragraph starts each time someone speaks.
How many new paragraphs does the dialogue need?
Enter an exact answer, without rounding.
One per speaker turn.
📝 Lesson quiz · 5 questions
0 / 5
Re-read the lesson, then give it another go.
Question 1 of 5
Where does a story usually introduce its setting and characters?
Question 2 of 5
The main problem in a story is the:
Question 3 of 5
A narrator is:
Question 4 of 5
Sensory details appeal to:
Question 5 of 5
Which is the best opening for a story?
Lesson 6 · Literature
🎭 Figurative Language & Poetry
Writers use figures of speech to make readers see, hear and feel. Poetry packs these devices into rhythm, sound and short lines.
✨ Figures of speech
A simile compares using like or as. A metaphor says one thing is another. Personification gives human qualities to things. Hyperbole is deliberate exaggeration. Onomatopoeia is a word that sounds like its meaning. Alliteration repeats starting sounds.
simile: as brave as a lion
metaphor: The classroom was a zoo.
personification: The wind whispered through the trees.
hyperbole: I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.
onomatopoeia: buzz, crash, sizzle
alliteration: Peter Piper picked a peck
🖼️ See it
Figurative language says one thing to mean another, so readers see an idea in a fresh way.
📜 How poems are built
Poems are written in lines grouped into stanzas. Rhyme scheme labels end sounds with letters (ABAB). Imagery uses the senses. A haiku has 3 lines of 5, 7 and 5 syllables.
haiku: 5 + 7 + 5 = 17 syllables, 3 lines
A 12-line poem in 4-line stanzas (quatrains) has 12 / 4 = 3 stanzas
rhyme scheme roses / red
violets / blue → A B A B patterns
free verse: no regular rhyme or metre
Read poems aloud. Rhythm and sound are half the meaning.
✏️ Quick check · 1 of 7
Simile
Which sentence contains a simile?
Look for like or as.
✏️ Quick check · 2 of 7
Metaphor
“The classroom was a zoo.” This is a:
No like or as.
✏️ Quick check · 3 of 7
Personification
“The wind whispered through the trees.” This is:
Human action for a thing.
✏️ Quick check · 4 of 7
Hyperbole
“I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.” is an example of:
Big exaggeration.
✍️ Type your answer · 5 of 7
A haiku has lines of 5, 7 and 5 syllables.
How many syllables does it have in total?
Enter an exact answer, without rounding.
Add them.
✍️ Type your answer · 6 of 7
A haiku has how many lines?
Give the number.
Enter an exact answer, without rounding.
Count the pattern.
✍️ Type your answer · 7 of 7
A 12-line poem is written in quatrains (4 lines each).
How many stanzas does it have?
Enter an exact answer, without rounding.
Divide.
📝 Lesson quiz · 5 questions
0 / 5
Re-read the lesson, then give it another go.
Question 1 of 5
Which word is an example of onomatopoeia?
Question 2 of 5
Alliteration is the repetition of:
Question 3 of 5
A stanza is:
Question 4 of 5
Imagery is language that:
Question 5 of 5
In the rhyme scheme ABAB, the first and third lines:
Lesson 7 · Speaking and listening
🎤 Speaking & Listening
A great talk is not about being loud. It is about being clear, knowing your audience and really listening to others.
🗣️ Giving a talk
Plan a clear opening, a few main points and a strong ending. Use your voice well: vary its pace, volume and tone. Look at your audience and use short notes, not a full script.
Opening: "Have you ever wondered where your rubbish goes?"
Point 1: what happens at the tip
Point 2: what we can recycle
Ending: "Next time, think before you bin it."
👂 Active listening
Active listening means showing that you are paying attention and thinking about what is said. In a discussion, build on what others say and disagree politely.
"Building on what Lina said..."
"I see your point, but..."
"Could you explain what you meant by...?"
Try it now: talk for one minute on your favourite hobby to someone at home, then ask them what they remember.
✏️ Quick check · 1 of 6
Pace
Slowing down at an important point helps because:
Give them time.
✏️ Quick check · 2 of 6
Notes
The best notes for a talk are:
Keep eye contact.
✏️ Quick check · 3 of 6
Opening
Which is the strongest opening?
Grab attention.
✏️ Quick check · 4 of 6
Listening
Active listening includes:
Show you care.
✏️ Quick check · 5 of 6
Disagreeing
Which is the best way to disagree?
Be polite, give a reason.
✏️ Quick check · 6 of 6
Audience
A talk to young children should use:
Who is listening?
📝 Lesson quiz · 5 questions
0 / 5
Re-read the lesson, then give it another go.
Question 1 of 5
Tone of voice shows:
Question 2 of 5
Eye contact helps to:
Question 3 of 5
"Building on what Sam said" shows that you:
Question 4 of 5
A strong ending should:
Question 5 of 5
Practising aloud helps you to:
Final Challenge
🏆 14-Question Challenge Quiz
Questions from every topic in this course. Pick an answer for each one, then hit Check My Answers.
0 / 14
💪 Keep practicing — go back through the lessons and retake the quiz!
Q1 · Parts of Speech
The word “very” in “very tall” is an:
Q2 · Parts of Speech
Which sentence uses a pronoun?
Q3 · Sentences & Punctuation
The contraction of “do not” is:
Q4 · Sentences & Punctuation
A semicolon can be used to:
Q5 · Vocabulary: Prefixes, Suffixes & Roots
Which prefix means “not”?
Q6 · Vocabulary: Prefixes, Suffixes & Roots
A synonym for “enormous” is:
Q7 · Reading Comprehension
Which word signals an opinion?
Q8 · Reading Comprehension
Skimming a text means:
Q9 · Narrative Writing
The resolution is where the story:
Q10 · Narrative Writing
Which is the best opening for a story?
Q11 · Figurative Language & Poetry
“As busy as a bee” is a:
Q12 · Figurative Language & Poetry
In the rhyme scheme ABAB, the first and third lines: