Every word has a job

A word class tells you the job a word does in a sentence. The same word can even change class depending on how it is used. Here are the eight you need at KS3:

• Noun — a person, place, thing or idea: teacher, London, courage.
• Verb — an action or a state of being: sprint, think, was.
• Adjective — describes a noun: a rusty gate.
• Adverb — describes a verb, often ending -ly: she sang softly.
• Pronoun — replaces a noun: they, him, it.
• Preposition — shows position or time: before lunch, on the roof.
• Conjunction — joins words or clauses: and, but, because.
• Determiner — comes before a noun to pin it down: the, a, some, my.

Name the word class

Nouns and verbs do the heavy lifting

A sentence needs a subject (usually a noun or pronoun) and a verb. Nouns come in useful types:

• Common noun — a general thing: city, river.
• Proper noun — a specific name, always capitalised: Sheffield, Amara.
• Abstract noun — an idea you cannot touch: freedom, fear.

Verbs can be action verbs (leap, whisper) or state verbs (be, seem, know). Swapping a dull verb for a sharp one is one of the fastest ways to improve writing:

Tip: to test whether a word is a noun, try putting the or a in front of it. To test for a verb, try changing the tense (run → ran).

Match the word to its class

Tap a word on the left, then tap its class on the right.

Simple, compound and complex

A clause is a group of words with its own verb. Sentences are built from clauses:

• Simple — one main clause: The storm arrived.
• Compound — two main clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, so): The storm arrived and the lights went out.
• Complex — a main clause plus a subordinate clause (using because, although, when, if): Although the storm arrived, we stayed calm.

Why it matters: short simple sentences build tension. Longer complex sentences let you pack in detail. Mixing lengths keeps writing lively.

Which type of sentence?

Classify the sentence

Read each sentence and tap whether it is simple, compound or complex.

The apostrophe has two jobs

Common mistake — its vs it's: it's only ever means it is or it has. its (no apostrophe) means belonging to it. Test: if you can swap in "it is", use the apostrophe. The cat licked its paw.

Which is punctuated correctly?

Commas — and the comma splice

Commas separate items in a list, mark off extra information, and follow an opening subordinate clause:

• Lists: We packed apples, cheese, bread and water.
• Extra information: My brother, who is twelve, plays chess.
• After an opener: Because it was late, we left.

The comma splice (a very common error): you cannot join two complete sentences with only a comma.
❌ It was raining, we stayed inside.
✅ Fix it with a full stop, a conjunction, or a semicolon: It was raining, so we stayed inside.

Colons and semicolons

These two are the marks that lift writing from KS3 to top-band:

• Colon (:) introduces a list or an explanation. The part before it must be a full clause: She had one goal: to win.
• Semicolon (;) links two closely related complete sentences: The rain stopped; the sun broke through.

Colon or semicolon?

Punctuating speech

Speech marks (also called inverted commas) go around the exact words spoken. The rules:

• Open speech marks before the words, close them after.
• Punctuation goes inside the closing speech marks.
• Start a new line for each new speaker.

Watch out: the comma or question mark belongs inside the speech marks, and you need a comma before the speech begins when the sentence opens with the speaker.

Standard English vs dialect & slang

Standard English is the form used in formal writing, exams and the news. It is not "better" than dialect — dialect and slang are perfect with friends — but you must be able to switch into Standard English when the situation calls for it.

there / their / they're: there = a place; their = belonging to them; they're = they are. They're putting their bags over there.

Correct the sentence

Keep tense and agreement steady

Tense tells us when something happens: past, present or future. Keep it consistent unless you mean to shift time.

Subject–verb agreement: a singular subject takes a singular verb; a plural subject takes a plural verb.

Prefixes, suffixes & word families

You can unlock new words by breaking them into parts. A prefix goes on the front; a suffix goes on the end; the root is the core meaning.

• Prefixes: un- (not), re- (again), pre- (before), sub- (under), mis- (wrongly).
• Suffixes: -ful (full of), -less (without), -ness (a state), -tion (an action or result).
• Word family: help → helper, helpful, unhelpful, helplessly.

Etymology basics: many roots come from Latin and Greek. port (Latin: carry) gives transport, portable, export. Knowing the root helps you decode words you've never met.

What does the prefix add?

Choices create effect

Grammar is not just about being "correct" — writers choose structures to shape how a reader feels.

• Short sentence after long ones = impact: The house was silent. Then it moved.
• Precise verbs & adjectives paint a clearer picture than vague ones.
• Fronting an adverbial shifts emphasis: Slowly, the door opened.
• Repetition of a conjunction can build a breathless rhythm: and up, and over, and down.

Why choose a short sentence?

Spot the word class

The toolkit to remember

You've covered the whole KS3 "Grammar and vocabulary" strand. Press Finish to see your score.