NCFE Level 1

Certificate in
Essential English
in Everyday Life
(610/0675/0)

Unit 04: Introduction to Knowledge and

application of punctuation, grammar and
spelling (D/650/1943)

Learner Workbook

Name
Tutor

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 Learning outcomes

LO1: Be able to use punctuation in complex sentences correctly

Assessment criteria
1.1 Explain the purpose of basic punctuation
1.2 Use basic punctuation correctly to clarify meaning

LO2: Be able to use grammatical knowledge when constructing complex sentences

Assessment criteria
2.1 Use correct grammar, including:
• subject-verb agreement
• consistent use of different tenses
• definite and indefinite articles

LO3: Be able to spell words used most often in work, studies, and daily life

Assessment criteria
3.1 Use awareness of the relationship between sounds and syllables to help spell
correctly
3.2 Identify common homonyms
3.3 Use common prefixes
3.4 Use straightforward plural endings

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 Learning outcomes

LO1: Be able to use punctuation in complex sentences correctly

Capital letters

Capital letters are also known as upper case letters, and there are three main reasons for
using them:

1. To start a sentence
2. For the word ‘I’ when a person is talking about themselves
3. If the word is a proper noun

Proper nouns
A proper noun is a specific name for a particular person, place, or thing.

Names of people
Chris Hemsworth
Zendaya

Names of places: streets, cities and countries

Rose Cottage
Baker Street
London
England

Specific things
The Empire State Building
The British Museum

Titles of books, songs, programmes and films

Jurassic World
Stranger Things

Names of days, months and special festivals

Monday
January
Diwali

Note – the four seasons: winter, spring, summer and autumn, don’t have capital letters.

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 Key Learning points
There are three main reasons for using capital letters:

1. To start a sentence
2. For the word ‘I’
3. If the word is a proper noun (a specific name for a person, place or thing)

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 Activity 1 - AC1.1 and AC1.2

Complete the following questions.

In your own words, explain the reasons for using upper case or capital letters.

1.The capital letter in English is used in words that start a sentence, regardless of
the part of speech to which the word belongs.
2.All proper names are also always written with a capital letter
3.Titles, positions and their abbreviations are written with a capital letter.
4. The names of nationalities and languages are also written with a capital letter.

Circle the words that need a capital letter.

breakfast eiffel tower

poland summer

school i

spiderman easter

manchester building

college april

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End-of-sentence punctuation

There are three end-of-sentence punctuation marks: a full stop, a question mark and an
exclamation mark. The most commonly used is the full stop.

Most sentences are statements, and all statements end in a full stop.

We use a question mark for any sentence that asks a direct question. Words which may
start a sentence asking a question include who, what, when, where, how and why.

Who let the dogs out?

What are we doing at the weekend?
When are we going on holiday?
Where is the supermarket?
How many times have you asked me that?
Why don’t we eat more vegetables?

Some questions start with a helping word such as do or can.

Examples
Do you think they are at home?
Can she start work at 11 am?

Some sentences end with a question. We call these tag questions.

Examples
Sunita is a kind person, isn’t she?
You have a brother, haven’t you?
She lives in Leeds, doesn’t she?

Exclamation marks tend to be used in informal texts. They are used to show emotions
such as anger, surprise or joy.

Examples
Be quiet!
I don’t believe it!
That’s fantastic!

They are also used to show or indicate humour.

You don’t have to be mad to work here, but it helps!

In persuasive texts, writers use exclamation marks to highlight a point or feature of a

product.

Our computers are all half price!

Buy now, pay next year!

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 Key Learning points
Most sentences are statements, and all statements end in a full stop.
Use a question mark for a sentence that asks a direct question (who, what, when,
where, how and why) and also a sentence that ends with a question (a tag question).
Use an exclamation mark to show strong emotion: anger, shock or joy, and, in
informal texts, to show humour or to highlight a point.

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 Activity 2 - AC1.1 and AC1.2

Complete the following questions.

In your own words, explain the reasons for using each of the following punctuation
marks.

Full stops- Complete the offer

Question marks-Helps to highlight the interrogative sentence and indicate the need
for an answer.

Exclamation marks- To express amazement, strong feeling, excitement and the like.

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Add the correct end-of-sentence punctuation to the following sentences.

1. Is he going to remember his homework, do you think?

2. Sit there and don’t move!

3. Why are you looking at me that way?

4. The new apprentice didn't know how she was going to get all her work done before 5
pm.

5. I’m uncertain what to do ?

6. That's fantastic news!

7. Can I have a bun without sesame please?

The following text needs full stops adding to mark the complete sentences, and
capital letters to mark the beginning of a sentence. Add the missing punctuation.

We are hoping to go to the festival this weekend, so I need to make a list of what
we need . A tent and sleeping bags are obviously essential since it often gets very
muddy. We ought to take our wellies too any food that we take needs to be light to
carry since we have a long walk from the car to the campsite.

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Commas

A comma marks a slight break between different parts of a sentence and, when used
properly, can make the meaning of a sentence clearer. At Level 1, there are two main uses
of commas that you need to know:

1. to separate items in a list.

2. to mark off parts of a sentence and make the sentence clearer to understand

Separating items in a list

Example
Don’t forget the passports, the tickets, the travel guide and the money.

You usually don’t need a comma before the final item in the list. However, it’s not wrong to
add a final comma and, in some cases, it can improve the understanding of the sentence.

Example
We have a range of juices: grapefruit, orange, blackberry and apple juice.

It’s not clear from this sentence whether blackberry juice and apple juice are separate, or
whether they are one mixed juice. Adding the final comma makes it clear.

We have a range of juices: grapefruit, orange, blackberry, and apple juice.

Marking off parts of a sentence

Commas are used in complex sentences to separate a dependent clause from the main
sentence. A dependent clause starts with a linking word and has a verb and a subject but
is incomplete on its own.

Examples
If we set off soon,
Since we’re here,
Although you have a point,

A complex sentence is a complete sentence with one or more additional clauses.

Example
After we’d finished breakfast, we began the climb up the mountain.

In this example, the main sentence is ‘we began the climb up the mountain’ and the
introductory clause is marked off with the comma.

It’s usually the clause before the main sentence that is separated by the comma. If we
flipped the sentence around, a comma wouldn’t be necessary.

We began the climb up the mountain after we’d finished breakfast.

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The key reason for using the comma is to help understanding and the flow of the
sentence.

If the clause appears in the middle of the sentence and is not essential to the
understanding of the sentence, it is usually separated by a pair of commas.

Example
Greg, who has two kids, works nights.

The main sentence is ‘Greg works nights’. The fact that he has two kids is nonessential
information. If the clause is removed, the meaning of the sentence isn’t affected.

Greg works nights.

If the clause in the middle of the sentence is essential to the overall meaning, we wouldn’t
separate it with commas.

Example
Can all passengers who have young children board the plane first.

In this example the clause ‘who have young children’ is essential to the meaning of the
sentence. If we took it away, the sentence wouldn’t make sense.

Can all passengers board the plane first.

Finally - don’t separate two complete sentences with a comma.

We’re going to the Pride march on Saturday, would you like to join us?

Always use the correct end-of-sentence punctuation.

We’re going to the Pride march on Saturday. Would you like to join us? ✓

Key Learning points

Commas have two main uses:
to separate items in a list
to separate parts (clauses) of a complex sentence

Don’t separate two complete sentences with a comma. Use the correct end-of-
sentence punctuation.

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 Activity 3 - AC1.1 and AC1.2

Complete the following questions.

In your own words, explain the main purpose/s for using a comma.

The comma is needed to separate the meaning in the sentence for a convenient
concept

Add the missing commas to the following sentences.

1. I have worked on my capital letters, full stops questions, marks exclamation

marks and commas.

2. The house Sunil grew up in which was next to the post office was demolished
last week.

3. If we leave now, we should make the train.

4. Because they were young and healthy, they barely noticed the ten-mile walk
back.

5. They would like tomato, lettuce ,cucumber, gherkins and sweetcorn please.

6. My friend Nikita ,who has a new puppy ,has moved in next-door.

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Apostrophes

An apostrophe has one main use that you need to know about at Level 1 and that is to
show a missing letter or letters in a contracted word. Contracted words or contractions
are two words joined to make one with an apostrophe to indicate the missing letter or
letters.

Examples
you are becomes you’re
do not becomes don’t
could have becomes could’ve
will not becomes won’t

You must add an apostrophe otherwise it could lead to confusion. For example, we will
contracts to we’ll, but if we leave out the apostrophe it spells well, meaning fit and healthy.
So, you can see the apostrophe is essential to avoid confusion.

We often use contractions when we speak and when we write everyday informal texts to
people we know.

Think of five contracted words you use often and write them below. Remember your
apostrophe.

isn't, hasn't, hadn't, didn't, wouldn't, can't, she's, there's, he's, it's, Mary's, Jim's,
Germany's, who's, I’m

Key Learning points

Apostrophes are used to show a missing letter or letters in contracted words.
The apostrophe is essential to avoid confusion.
We use contracted words or contractions when we speak an in informal texts.

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 Activity 4 - AC1.1 and AC1.2

Complete the following questions.

In your own words, explain the main purpose for using an apostrophe.

The most common way to use an apostrophe in English is in abbreviations that combine a
noun or pronoun and a verb. Remember that the apostrophe often replaces the beech that
was omitted. In this case, it takes the place of this letter.

Add the missing apostrophes to the contracted words in these sentences. Some
sentences have more than one contracted word.

1. According to the map, we should’ve turned left back there.

2. Well be back around ten, if thats okay?

3. Don't tell me; let me guess.

4. If you’re coming with us, you need to let your step-mum know.

5. They’re asking if we’ve been here before.

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 Learning outcomes

LO2: Be able to use grammatical knowledge when constructing complex sentences

Verb tense

In the texts you write, it’s important to use a consistent tense; it improves the flow of your
writing and helps the reader understand what you’re saying.

There are three basic tenses in English.

The present – showing the action is taking place now.

The past - showing that the action has already taken place.
The future – showing that the action is yet to happen.

Each tense can be written in its simple form.

Examples

Rich walks to college. Present simple

Iman cycled to college. Past simple

Most past tense verbs have an _ed ending, but watch out for irregular verbs that don’t end
in _ed.

Example
Sophie drove to college and Daisy ran. Past simple

The future tense is formed using the verbs will or shall and the base verb form. The base
form is the root word without its verb ending. As a general rule, only use shall when using
the pronouns I or we.

Mario will walk to college. I shall walk with him. Future simple

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 Activity 5 – AC2.1

Complete the following questions.

The following sentences contain verbs that have been written in the wrong tense.
Change them to the correct tense. Write your corrections above the incorrect verb.

1. Today seems like a good day to be outdside.

2. At the moment, I am in a much better mood.

3. We went on holiday to Greece last week.

4. In two weeks’ time, I will be on a plane to Portugal.

5. The doctor told me yesterday that I am in perfect health

6. In the future, this building site will be an apartment block.

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Along with the simple verb forms, we also have the continuous and the perfect which are
formed using helping verbs along with the main verb. The helping verbs that you need to
know are be (is, am, are, was, were) and have (has, had).

The continuous is formed using the verb be in its various forms and the main verb with an
_ing ending.

Examples

Marsha is learning to be an engineer. Present continuous

Omar was training to be a hairstylist. Past continuous

Jayne will be studying to be a chef. Future continuous

The perfect is formed using the helping verb have and the _ed verb ending. But watch out
for irregular verbs that don’t take the _ed ending.

Examples

Jamal has gone to the gym, and I have begun my 10k run. Present perfect

She had played football all afternoon. Past perfect

Ethan will have started his tennis match. Future perfect

Key learning points

There are three tenses in English: the present, past and future.
Each tense has a simple form with one main verb apart from the future that is
formed with will or shall and the base form of the verb.
The continuous is formed using the verb be and the main verb with an _ing
ending.
The perfect is formed using the verb have and the _ed verb ending usually, but
watch out for irregular verbs that don’t take the _ed ending.

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 Activity 6 – AC2.1

Complete the following questions.

Add the missing present continuous verbs (be + _ing ending) to complete each
sentence. The base form of the main verb to use is shown in brackets.

1. Sarah is running 15 miles for charity. (run)

2. Imran and Jake are planning a trip to Bolivia. (plan)

3. I m speaking at a conference about climate change. (speak)

Add the missing past perfect verbs (had + _ed ending) to complete each sentence.
The base form of the main verb to use is shown in brackets. Watch out for any
irregular verbs.

4. She had began her new course in bricklaying. (begin)

5. The old mill had started to look run down. (start)

6. They had enjoyed the swimming lesson. (enjoy)

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Subject-verb agreement

In written English, a subject and verb must always agree. A singular subject needs a
singular verb and a plural subject needs a plural verb. Whereas most plural nouns end in
‘s’, most plural verbs don’t. And the opposite is true. Most singular nouns don’t end in ‘s’,
whereas most singular, present tense verbs do.

Example
The mechanic works on the car.
The mechanics work on the car.

However, if the subject of your sentence is a pronoun, for example, I or you, it’s a little
different.

Singular Plural
First person I we

Second person you you

Third person he, she, it they

Third person pronouns behave like nouns. Singular pronouns – he, she and it - take
singular verbs, and the plural pronoun ‘they’ takes a plural verb. If an individual
identifies with the pronoun ‘they’, it still takes a plural verb.

However, all first and second person pronouns – I, you and we - take plural verbs.

Examples
I walk to Lisa’s house. We walk back together. First person
You walk with us. Second person

Two singular nouns or pronouns joined by ‘and’ create a plural subject and need a plural
verb.

Example
Marc and Diana work as apprentices.

Don’t lose sight of the subject if it’s separated from the verb.

Example
Terry, along with the new apprentice, is working on the exhaust.

Terry is the subject despite the apprentice being tagged in with the phrase ‘along with’. If
we remove the additional information in the commas, it becomes clearer.

Terry is working on the exhaust.

Nouns like scissors, glasses, trousers and pliers are regarded as plural and therefore
require plural verbs unless they are referred to as a pair which is singular.

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Examples
Where are my pliers?
There is a pair of pliers on the workbench.

News sounds plural but is always treated as a singular subject.

The news was bad.

Other singular nouns to be aware of are the following:

either and neither

everyone and everybody
someone and nobody
each and no-one

They are always singular.

For collective nouns such as family, team and audience, it’s okay to treat them as either
singular or plural. It depends on whether you want to think of the noun as a single body or
a collective group of people.

Example
My family hates it if I sing at home.

But if you refer to the members of your team or family, it’s always plural.

The members of my family hate it if I sing at home.

Key learning points

A singular subject needs a singular verb, and a plural subject needs a plural verb.
The pronouns I and you take plural verbs.
Two singular nouns or pronouns joined by ‘and’ create a plural subject and need
a plural verb.
Don’t lose sight of the subject if it’s separated from the verb in a long complex
sentence.
Either, everyone, someone, nobody, each and no-one are all singular subjects.

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 Activity 7 – AC2.1

Complete the following questions.

Each of the sentences has a verb that doesn’t agree with its subject. Find the
incorrect verb and write your correction above it.

1. Marcus and Idris are joining me on the picnic.

2. Your scissors was on the table when I last saw them- ?

3. Nobody seem to know what is going on.

4. No-one, not even Shama or Lewis, knows how to get there.

5. The park, which had great scenery and facilities, were closed until further notice.

6. Each member of the team was exhausted by the game.

7. I run five miles every day before breakfast.

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Articles

The words a and an are known as indefinite articles, and the word the is the definite
article.

An is used with nouns beginning with a vowel sound. It’s the sound the noun makes not
just the first letter the noun begins with.

Examples
She has an MA in physics.
The baby has been asleep for an hour.

The article a is used with singular nouns beginning with a consonant sound. Again, it’s the
sound the noun makes not just the first letter it begins with.

Examples
Do you have a user account?
Paris is a European city.

The is used with plural nouns or singular nouns where there is only one.

Examples
The Tower of London
The Eiffel Tower

However, we don’t use the with cities, towns and most countries with a few exceptions:

the Netherlands
the United States
the United Kingdom.

The can also be used when referring to musical instruments or to a system or service.

Examples
Amy is learning to play the banjo.
Dave has joined the army.
I heard it on the news.

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 Key learning points

The articles are a, an and the.

An is used with singular nouns beginning with a vowel sound.
A is used with singular nouns beginning with a consonant sound.
The is used with plural nouns, singular proper nouns where there is only one, and
when referring to a system or service.

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 Activity 8 – AC2.1

Complete the following questions.

Circle the correct article to complete each sentence.

1. Would you prefer the orange or the apple?

2. Do you have a user licence?

3. Joanne has joined the police. She has got a uniform and new boots.

4. Marvin once stood as an MP in the North East.

5. I would describe myself as an honest person.

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Complex sentences

We looked at how to punctuate complex sentences earlier in the workbook. As a reminder,

a complex sentence is a complete sentence with one or more dependent clauses,
sometimes called subordinate clauses.

A dependent clause adds more information to the overall sentence. It has a subject and a
verb but doesn’t form a complete sentence on its own and relies on the main sentence for
its meaning. A dependent clause begins with a conjunction or linking word.

Linking word examples

although which
unless that
after who
because where
when

Now you’ve learnt more verb tense and subject verb agreement, you’re going to have a go
at writing your own complex sentences. First, have a think about what you want to write
about, maybe your job, your course, a hobby or your family.

Try writing a complex sentence that begins with a dependent clause. Often, we separate
an introductory dependent clause with a comma.

Example
Because we left late, we missed the start of the gig.

Have a go yourself. Be consistent in your verb tense and make sure your subject and verb
agree.

My example-
Because I feel a sleep late , I missed classes in the college in the morning

________________________________________________________________________

Now write a complex sentence that begins with the main sentence. Often, we don’t need a
comma when the dependent clause follows the main sentence.

Example
I usually eat at 8 o’clock after I’ve had a run.

Your turn.

My example- I usually eat cereal with milk for breakfast

________________________________________________________________________

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Now let’s look at a complex sentence with a dependent clause in the middle. The
dependent clause can provide additional information which isn’t essential to the
understanding of the sentence.

Example
Sam and Paula, who are both apprentices, are going on holiday.

If you remove this clause, the meaning of the sentence isn’t affected. All that’s happened is
that we’ve lost a bit of extra information about Sam and Paula:

Sam and Paula are going on holiday.

As this information is nonessential, and can be removed, we separate it from the main
sentence with commas.

Alternatively, the clause may be essential to the understanding of the sentence.

Example
People who eat plenty of fruit and vegetables are likely to be healthy.

If we take the clause out of the sentence, the sentence no longer makes sense.

People are likely to be healthy.

Because the dependent clause contains essential information, we don’t put commas
around it.

Your turn. Write a sentence with a dependent clause in the middle. It can be essential or
not essential to the understanding of the sentence. The best conjunctions or linking words
to start your clause with are: who, which, that or where.

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

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 Learning outcomes

LO3: Be able to spell words used most often in work, studies, and daily life

Syllables

A syllable is a part of a word that contains a single vowel sound and that is pronounced in
one beat or one unit of sound. A word might have one, two or more syllables.

Take a look at the table below and say each word to yourself. Tap on the table as you say
the words, counting out the syllables.

One syllable Two syllables Three syllables Four syllables

book sentence syllable independent

goal invest essential relationship
lunch intense beautiful conversation
best complex dependent interesting

Understanding how many syllables a word has by tapping them out as beats or units of
sound helps you with your spelling.

Take the word ‘interesting’. It has four syllables but in conversation, we may pronounce it
as if it has three - ‘intresting’. But seeing the word spelt correctly and tapping out the
syllables helps us remember the spelling.

Here are some more common spelling mistakes that occur when we write how we speak.
These are all three syllable words which we often say as if they were two syllable words.
Say each word to yourself, tapping out the syllables.

How we say the word (2 syllables) Correct spelling (3 syllables)

diffrent different
desprate desperate
histry history

In each case, the word is spelt incorrectly because of a missing vowel sound and sounding
that vowel out will help you remember the correct spelling.
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 Key Learning points
Apostrophes are used to show a missing letter or letters in contracted words.
The apostrophe is essential to avoid confusion.
We use contracted words or contractions when we speak an in informal texts.

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 Activity 9 – AC3.1

Read and say each of the words below to yourself, tapping out the syllables.
Then write each word under the correct header according to how many
syllables it has.

separate natural category

environment favourite water

inferno

Two syllables Three syllables Four syllables

Water Natural Environment

Separate Category
Inferno Favourite

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Homonyms

Homonyms are two or more words that sound the same or have the same spelling but
have different meanings.

For example, the word book can be used as a noun meaning a thing you read.

Even though it was noisy, Jake read his book.

It can also be used as a verb meaning to reserve or buy something.

You should book early because it’s going to sell out.

The word bear can mean the animal, a noun, but it can also be used as a verb meaning
‘carry a weight’ or ‘to tolerate something’.

Example
I can’t bear this!

Spelt differently but with the same pronunciation is the word bare, meaning naked or
basic.

Example
All we need are the bare essentials.

The word right has two different meanings:

right – opposite of left

right – meaning correct

Sounding the same but with a different meaning you also have:

write – add words to a page

Used less frequently, there’s also:

rite – meaning a religious ceremony

The words that sound the same but are spelt differently and have different meanings
are the easiest to mix up.

Example
break – to have a rest
brake – to stop your car

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Other homonyms you need to know include common contracted words or contractions.
These words are easy to mix up.

their – meaning belonging to them

there – as in ‘look over there.’
they’re – meaning they are

its – meaning belonging to it

it’s – meaning it is or it has

your – meaning belonging to you

you’re – meaning you are

whose – meaning ‘Who does this belong to?’

who’s – meaning who is or who has

Key Learning points

Homonyms are words with the same spelling but different meanings, e.g. book
(noun) and book (verb), or words that sound the same but have different meanings,
e.g. they’re, there and their.
The words that sound the same but are spelt differently are the easiest to mix up, so
watch out for those.

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 Activity 10 – AC3.2

Identify the homonyms in the sentences below.

There is one homonym in each sentence that has a ‘partner’ word with the
same spelling but a different meaning. Find it and circle.

1. Turn right at the traffic lights.

2. It was something she couldn’t bear thinking about.

3. The pig pen was twice as long as it was wide.

Each of these sentences has a homonym with a ‘partner’ word that sounds the
same but is spelt differently and has a different meaning. Find it and circle, and
then write its ‘partner’ word on the line by the sentence.

4. As he was in a hurry, Hamil rode into town rather than walked. ____________

5. Kim and Julia have a three-year-old son called Zak. sun

6. ‘You’re not going to Sheffield,’ she insisted. ____________

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Prefixes

Prefixes are a small group of letters that go before a root or base word to make a new
word with a different meaning. Most of the most common prefixes have an opposite or
negative meaning.

un dis il im in ir

All these prefixes when added to a root word, create a new word with an opposite
meaning.

Examples
important unimportant
appear disappear
legal illegal
polite impolite
capable incapable
responsible irresponsible

Use the il prefix with words that start with l, and the ir prefix with words that start with r.

logical illogical
regular irregular

The prefixes im and in are probably the easiest to mix up as they sound alike. As a
general rule, always use the im prefix with words that start with m or p.

possible impossible
practical immobile

Another very common prefix is re which means again.

Examples
build rebuild
turn return

Understanding the meanings of prefixes helps you decode and spell more difficult words.

The prefix bi means two or twice so when you see it in a word like biannual, and you
know that annual means yearly, you can work out that biannual must mean twice a year.

The prefix pre means before, and post means after, which helps you work out that the
word precaution means being cautious beforehand, and that postpone means to delay till
later.

Think about the words you use most often at work, in your studies and in your daily
life. These might be specialist words to do with your work or a particular hobby.
How many of these words have prefixes?
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Key Learning points

When added to a root word, most prefixes give the word a negative or opposite
meaning.

Use the il prefix with words that start with l, and the ir prefix with words that start with
r.

Use the im prefix with words that start with m or p.

Understanding the meanings of prefixes helps you decode and spell more difficult
words.

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 Activity 11 – AC3.3

From the options given, add the correct prefix to complete the word in each
sentence.

il im in ir dis

1. The person who pushed in front of Gemma was very IMPOLITE ______polite.

2. The beautiful Ming vase he dropped on the floor was IRRESISTIBLE

______replaceable.

3. The team were at a DISADVANTAGE ______advantage when their star player

was sent off.

4. What you are saying is ILLOGICAL ______logical; it doesn’t make sense.

5. Unfortunately, his answer to the maths question was INCORRECT ______correct.

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Plurals

To show a word is plural (more than one) we usually add an s to the end of the word, but if
the word already ends in s, we add es.

Example
glass becomes glasses

We also add es to the end of the word, if it ends in ch, sh or x.

Examples
branch becomes branches
brush becomes brushes
box becomes boxes

We add es to most words that end in o, apart from musical terms.

Examples
superhero becomes superheroes
But piano becomes pianos

If a word ends in a vowel and a y - like monkey - we just add and s to make it plural.
However, if the word ends in a consonant and a y, we drop the y and add ies to make it
plural.

Examples
one monkey but lots of monkeys
one cherry but a tin of cherries

If a word ends in f or fe, to make it plural we usually drop the f or fe and add ves.

Examples
wolf becomes wolves
knife becomes knives

We don't do this with every word that ends in f or fe. There are some words where we
simply add s to make them plural.

Here are the more common ones:

one giraffe but two giraffes

one roof but three roofs
one belief but many beliefs

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 Key Learning points
To show a word is plural we usually add an s to the end, but if a word ends in s, we
add es. We also add es to words that end in ch, sh or x.
If a word ends in a consonant and a y, drop the y and add ies to the word.
If a word ends in f or fe, usually drop the f or fe and add ves. But sometimes with
some words (roofs) just add s.
If you can’t remember these rules, learn the plural endings of the words you use most
often.

Activity 12 – AC3.4

Each sentence has a word which needs changing to its correct plural form.
Find the incorrect word and write your correction above it.

1. It is important to respect different people’s beliefs.

2. Tim bought a couple of loafes from the shops.

3. In an effort to eat more healthily, Aafia had a handful of berries with her morning cereal.

4. They saw a large troop of monkeys at the zoo.

5. Several flies were buzzing annoyingly around the picnic area.

6. Chop two large tomatoes and add to the sauce.

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