English Home Language - Term 4 - Week 3

Grammar is the system of a language that governs how words are combined to create meaningful sentences. Punctuation marks, such as commas, periods, and question marks, help clarify the meaning of sentences. Proper grammar and punctuation are essential for effective communication. In this lesson, we will explore common grammatical errors and practice correcting them, as well as using punctuation correctly to enhance our writing.

Consider the sentence: 'He go to the store yesterday.' This sentence contains a grammatical error. The correct form should be 'He went to the store yesterday.' The verb 'go' should be in the past tense to match the time indicator 'yesterday.' Let's look at another example: 'She don't like apples.' The correct form is 'She doesn't like apples.' Here, 'do not' is contracted incorrectly. These examples illustrate the importance of verb forms in maintaining grammatical accuracy.

Now, let's work together on punctuating sentences correctly. I will read a sentence aloud: 'What time is it do you know.' As a class, let's identify where the punctuation is missing. The correct sentence should be: 'What time is it? Do you know?' Notice how the question mark clarifies that the first part is a question. Let's try another one: 'I like to read books they are interesting.' How can we punctuate this? The correct version is: 'I like to read books; they are interesting.' Here, a semicolon is used to connect two related independent clauses.

For your independent practice, you will receive a short paragraph that contains several grammatical and punctuation errors. Your task is to read the paragraph carefully, identify the errors, and rewrite the paragraph correctly. Pay attention to verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, and punctuation marks. After you finish, we will share our corrected paragraphs in small groups and discuss the changes we made.

• She go to school every day.
• She goes to school every day.
• She gone to school every day.

Answer: She goes to school every day.

The correct form uses the present tense 'goes' to match the subject 'She.'

• Period
• Comma
• Question mark

Answer: Question mark

A question mark is used to indicate that a sentence is a question.

Answer: I enjoy reading; I find it relaxing.

A semicolon is used to connect two related independent clauses.

• They are
• Don't
• She will

Answer: Don't

Don't is a contraction of 'do not.'

Answer: The correct form is 'He doesn't like broccoli.'

The contraction 'don't' should be 'doesn't' to agree with the subject 'He.'

• To end a sentence
• To separate items in a list
• To indicate a question

Answer: To separate items in a list

Commas are used to separate items in a series or list within a sentence.

Answer: The dog barks loudly.

The verb 'bark' should be in the present tense 'barks' to agree with the subject 'The dog.'

• Lets eat, Grandma!
• Lets eat Grandma!
• Let's eat Grandma!