This week the focus will be on analysing grammar errors.
Click here for a copy of the student’s paper.
The following table outlines the types of errors made by the student and the suggested teaching focus.
| ERROR | TEACHING STRATEGY |
| Use of commas in phrases (35) | Remove the section of text enclosed in commas and see if the sentence still makes sense. |
| Verb agreement (38) | Identify the subject and verb and then check the verb related to the subject. Remove all other information and see if the sentence makes sense (They wears…). Identify all the verbs and makes sure they are all the same tense. If checking for past tense, say “Yesterday……” If checking for future tense, say ‘Tomorrow…..” Check each verb separately. |
| Use of commas in lists (40) | Commas go after each item except the item before the conjunction. |
| Correct use of apostrophes in contractions (41, 47) | Say the word as two separate words and see if the sentence makes sense (My whole school is…). The apostrophe indicates the location of the missing letters. |
| Identifying complete sentences (42) | Read each sentence in isolation and see if it makes sense (As soon as Dad gets home from work). Read the sentence out loud and see if you naturally pause during the sentence. Put a full stop at this location and then read each new sentence separately to see if they each make sense in isolation. Where would it make sense to put a full stop? Put in the full stop and then read each new sentence separately to see if they each make sense in isolation. |
| Correct usage of a/an (44) | A/an are indefinite articles (referring to a single generally item rather than a specific item). Use ‘an’ in front of words beginning with a vowel sound (an apple, an honest man, a European). |
| Parts of speech (52, 53, 56) | Adjectives add information to nouns. Identify all the nouns, then see if there is a word providing further information about any of the nouns. Adverbs add information to verbs. Note: It has the word ‘verb’ inside. Identify all the verbs, then see if there is a word providing further information about any of the verbs. |
| Reported speech | Reported speech is when one person explains what another person said. If it is indirect speech, it is not indicated using speech marks and it usually focuses on the content of what was said rather than being a direct quote. Direct speech quotes the person’s words exactly. Often reported speech includes an indication of who spoke originally and to whom they spoke (Joe told us…). |
| Clarity (43) | Identify the subject and the action of the subject. Make sure the action is clearly attributable to the subject. |
| Main clauses (51) | Main clauses contain a subject and a verb and would make sense if isolated from the remainder of the sentence. Read each clause separately to see if it makes sense in isolation. |
The Cracking the ABC Code Editing books explicitly and systematically teach grammar and language conventions using a range of genres.