Le Rocquier School Quick Explainers Beta

English

Tick the topics and the support you need, then start. In each topic: read the idea, watch the video, then try the questions. The answers stay hidden until you click Show answers.

1 Word classesNouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs 2:50

Every word in a sentence has a job. The job is called its word class.

  • Noun: a person, place, thing or idea. Test: can you put a or the in front?
  • Verb: a doing or being word (ate, run, is, was).
  • Adjective: describes a noun. Test: does it fit in "the ___ dog"?
  • Adverb: describes a verb: how, when or where. Lots end in -ly.

One word can do different jobs: "I fish" (verb) and "a fish" (noun).

Look at what the word does in the sentence.

Have a go

What word class is the underlined word?

  1. The cat slept.
  2. The cat slept.
  3. The fluffy cat slept.
  4. The cat slept peacefully.
  5. We fish every Sunday.
  6. Find the noun, verb, adjective and adverb: "The tired boy walked slowly."
Show answersHide answers
  1. Noun
  2. Verb
  3. Adjective
  4. Adverb
  5. Verb (it is something we do)
  6. Noun: boy. Verb: walked. Adjective: tired. Adverb: slowly.
2 Building sentencesStart simple, then join, then add detail 2:50

A sentence needs a who and a verb, and it must make sense: "The dog barked."

"Barked loudly." is not a sentence. Who barked?

  • Join two sentences with and, but or so.
  • Add a reason or time with because, when, although, if, after.
  • If the extra part comes first, add a comma: "Because it was raining, we stayed inside."
  • Add detail: adjectives, adverbs, where or who.

Start simple. Then join. Then add detail.

Have a go

  1. Is "Ran across the road." a sentence? Why?
  2. Join with so: "I was hungry. I made a sandwich."
  3. Join with but: "I like football. My brother likes rugby."
  4. Finish the sentence: "We went to the park because…"
  5. Swap the parts round and add a comma: "I wear a coat when it is cold."
  6. Add detail to "The cat sat." Use an adjective, an adverb and a where.
Show answersHide answers
  1. No. It has a verb (ran) but no who. Who ran?
  2. I was hungry, so I made a sandwich.
  3. I like football, but my brother likes rugby.
  4. Many answers. Example: "We went to the park because it was sunny."
  5. When it is cold, I wear a coat.
  6. Many answers. Example: "The fat ginger cat sat lazily on the warm wall."
3 PunctuationFull stops, commas, apostrophes and speech marks 3:10

Punctuation changes what a sentence means. "Let's eat Grandma!" vs "Let's eat, Grandma!"

  • Start with a capital letter. End with . ? or !
  • Commas separate items in a list. Use and before the last one.
  • Apostrophe job 1: missing letters. do not → don't
  • Apostrophe job 2: belonging. the dog's bone
  • Speech marks go round the exact words someone says. The ! or ? goes inside.

Little marks, big jobs.

Have a go

  1. Add the right capital letter and end mark: "what time is it"
  2. Add commas: "I bought eggs milk bread and cheese."
  3. Shorten with an apostrophe: do not, I will, it is
  4. Use an apostrophe: the hat that belongs to the girl
  5. Add speech marks: Mia said I love pizza!
  6. Fix this sentence: "on monday sam and i went to leeds"
Show answersHide answers
  1. What time is it?
  2. I bought eggs, milk, bread and cheese.
  3. don't, I'll, it's
  4. the girl's hat
  5. Mia said, "I love pizza!"
  6. On Monday, Sam and I went to Leeds. (Days, names, places and "I" need capitals.)
4 Homophonesthere / their / they're, to / too / two, your / you're 2:57

Homophones sound the same but mean different things. The spelling tells the reader which one you mean.

  • there: a place (it has here inside it).
  • their: belongs to them (it has an i, and I own things).
  • they're: they are.
  • two: the number 2 (twins, twice).
  • too: too much, or also (it has an extra o).
  • to: everything else: go to school.
  • your: belongs to you. you're: you are.

Say it the long way. If "they are" or "you are" makes sense, use the apostrophe.

Have a go

Fill each gap with the right word.

  1. going to be late. (there / their / they're)
  2. I left my bag over . (there / their / they're)
  3. The children put on coats. (there / their / they're)
  4. I have sisters. (to / too / two)
  5. This tea is hot. (to / too / two)
  6. We walked the shop. (to / too / two)
  7. Is this pen? (your / you're)
  8. my best friend. (your / you're)
Show answersHide answers
  1. They're (they are going to be late)
  2. there (a place)
  3. their (the coats belong to them)
  4. two (the number)
  5. too (too much)
  6. to
  7. your (belongs to you)
  8. You're (you are my best friend)
5 Spelling: prefixes and suffixesBuild long words from smaller parts 3:11

Long words are built from parts: un + happi + ness.

  • The root is the main word (happy).
  • A prefix goes at the front. un- = not, re- = again. Just add it: mis + spell = misspell.
  • A suffix goes at the end. -ful = full of, -less = without.

Three suffix rules:

  1. Drop the e if the suffix starts with a vowel: hope + ing = hoping
  2. Change y to i after a consonant: happy + ness = happiness (but keep the y before -ing: carrying)
  3. Double the last letter after a short vowel: run + ing = running

Break it into parts. Then check the rules.

Have a go

  1. Split into prefix + root + suffix: unhelpful
  2. Add the prefix: un + tidy, re + write, mis + spell
  3. Drop the e: hope + ing, make + ing. And: care + ful (careful: does the e go?)
  4. Change y to i: happy + ness, carry + ed. And: carry + ing
  5. Double the letter: swim + ing, stop + ed, hot + est
  6. Make three words from the root kind.
Show answersHide answers
  1. un + help + ful
  2. untidy, rewrite, misspell
  3. hoping, making. careful keeps the e, because -ful starts with a consonant.
  4. happiness, carried. carrying keeps the y before -ing.
  5. swimming, stopped, hottest
  6. Examples: unkind, kindness, kindly, unkindness, kinder
6 PEEL paragraphsPoint, Evidence, Explain, Link 2:42

A paragraph is a group of sentences about one idea. PEEL is a recipe for building one.

  • P – Point: answer the question. The writer shows…
  • E – Evidence: a short quote. For example, "…"
  • E – Explain: zoom in on words. The word "…" suggests…
  • L – Link: back to the question. This shows…

The most common mistake is the quote dump: dropping in a quote and never explaining it.

Explain is the most important part. Always explain your quote.

Have a go

Read the extract, then answer the questions.

The wind howled around the empty house. Windows rattled, and the old door creaked open on its own.

Question: How does the writer make the house seem scary?

  1. What do the letters P, E, E, L stand for?
  2. Put these sentences in PEEL order:
    A. This shows the house is a frightening place where something strange could happen.
    B. The writer shows that the house is scary.
    C. The word "howled" suggests the wind sounds like a wild animal, which makes the reader feel uneasy.
    D. For example, "The wind howled around the empty house."
  3. "The house is scary. For example, 'the old door creaked open on its own.'" Which part is missing?
  4. Write an Explain sentence about the word "creaked".
Show answersHide answers
  1. Point, Evidence, Explain, Link
  2. B, D, C, A
  3. Explain (and Link). It is a quote dump: the quote is never explained.
  4. Many answers. Example: "The word 'creaked' suggests the door is old and slow, and makes the reader wonder who or what opened it."