Every card in Writing composition, Year 7: more practice
The whole deck, in order — so you can read it through before your child ever sees it.
- Which of these is the best topic sentence for a paragraph about school lunches: 'Yum.', 'Lunch is at twelve o'clock.' or 'School lunches have become much healthier in recent years.'?
'School lunches have become much healthier in recent years.'
HintLook for the sentence that makes a point the rest of the paragraph could go on to prove.
WhyA good topic sentence states an idea big enough to develop with detail. The first is a reaction and the second is a bare fact, so neither gives the paragraph anything to explain.
- In a spider diagram plan, what do you write in the circle at the centre?
The title or main topic
HintEverything else branches off it.
WhyThe legs of the spider carry the separate ideas or paragraphs. Writing the topic in the middle keeps every branch tied to the question.
- Which is the stronger story opening: 'One day I went to the shop.' or 'The shop bell rang, though nobody had touched the door.'?
'The shop bell rang, though nobody had touched the door.'
HintWhich one makes you want to know what happens next?
WhyThe second opening starts with something strange and leaves a question in the air. The first is a flat start that tells the reader nothing worth wondering about.
- A story opens: 'Why had nobody told me the lighthouse was empty?' Is this opening strategy a question, a weather description or a line of dialogue?
A question
HintLook at the punctuation mark that ends the line.
WhyOpening on a question puts the reader straight into the narrator's puzzle. The reader keeps going to find the answer.
- Which description is more specific: 'The kitchen smelled nice.' or 'The kitchen smelled of burnt toast and warm cinnamon.'?
'The kitchen smelled of burnt toast and warm cinnamon.'
HintWhich one lets you picture exactly what is in the room?
WhyNaming real things gives the reader something to imagine. A vague word like nice could mean almost anything.
- In a formal letter, should you use contractions such as 'don't' and 'can't'?
No — write the words in full ('do not', 'cannot')
HintThink about how a stranger expects to be addressed.
WhyFormal writing avoids chatty shortcuts. In a letter to a friend, contractions are fine because they sound like speech.
- You are writing to the local council to ask for a zebra crossing outside your school. Where should you say what you are asking for?
In the first paragraph
HintThe reader is busy and has never heard of you.
WhyA formal letter states its purpose straight away, then gives reasons in the paragraphs that follow. The reader should never have to hunt for the request.
- A story says: 'Three days later, we reached the coast.' Why might the writer choose to tell this rather than show it?
It moves past unimportant time quickly
HintWould the reader want three whole days of detail?
WhyShowing takes space, so it belongs on the moments that matter. Quick telling keeps the pace up through the parts that do not.
- Which is punctuated correctly: '"I'm tired," said Sam.' or '"I'm tired." said Sam.'?
'"I'm tired," said Sam.'
HintThe sentence carries on after the speech, so look at what comes before the closing speech mark.
WhyWhen a speech tag follows, the spoken words end with a comma (or a ? or !) inside the speech marks. A full stop would end the sentence too early.
- Which slip would a spell-checker miss: typing 'teh' for 'the', or typing 'their' where you meant 'there'?
'their' for 'there'
HintAsk whether the wrong version is still a real word.
WhyA spell-checker only flags letter strings that are not words. 'Their' is a real word, so only a careful read-through will catch it.
1★ KS3-ENLA-WRI-0070
2★ KS3-ENLA-WRI-0071
3★ KS3-ENLA-WRI-0072
4★ KS3-ENLA-WRI-0073
5★ KS3-ENLA-WRI-0074
6★ KS3-ENLA-WRI-0075
7★ KS3-ENLA-WRI-0076
8★ KS3-ENLA-WRI-0077
9★ KS3-ENLA-WRI-0078
10★ KS3-ENLA-WRI-0079
Keep what you learn
Here, nothing is saved. In your child’s own sky every card is scheduled — it comes back just before they’d forget it — and the professor who wrote it is one tap away.