Year 6 · SPaG · Spring: Formal and informal writing
Year 6 standard English worksheet and PowerPoint
To recognise Standard English and to correct non-standard forms such as double negatives, I done it and them books.
Standard English
Standard English is the form of English used in schools, in the news and in formal writing. Many people speak a dialect at home, which is just as valid, but in formal writing we use Standard English.
| double negatives | I don’t have any money. (not no money) |
|---|---|
| verb forms | I did it / I have done it. We saw it / We have seen it. |
| pronouns | Those books. My friend and I went. Between you and me. |
| avoid | ain’t, should of, more faster, he don’t |
Examples
- I done my homework. → I did my homework.
- Them books are mine. → Those books are mine.
Key words
- Standard English
- the form of English used in formal writing
- dialect
- the way people speak in a certain area
- double negative
- two negative words in one clause
- agreement
- the verb matches the subject
What is on the worksheet
Every sheet for this lesson has a short teaching box and 12 questions that get gradually harder: 8 fluency questions, then 4 reasoning questions that ask pupils to explain or choose. A writing challenge follows. The questions use the same styles as the key stage 2 grammar and punctuation test (circle, underline, tick, fill the gap, add punctuation, rewrite, explain). They are written for this website, not copied from past papers.
All the answers are on the last page of the same editable Word file. New questions are made every time, so you can print a different sheet for every group or for homework. The same sheet code always gives the same sheet.
Writing challenge: Collect five non-standard phrases you hear around you. Write each one in Standard English and explain what you changed.
Pupil target: I can write in Standard English.
The PowerPoint
A 20-slide lesson deck for the same lesson: a starter that revisits earlier learning, key words, an I do and a You do question on each slide with a countdown timer, answers that appear one click at a time, and a challenge. Download the standard English PowerPoint.
Where this lesson fits
This is lesson 47 of 72 in the Year 6 SPaG scheme, in the Spring term, block “Formal and informal writing”. It is taught before the SATs grammar test in May.
Other lessons in this block
- Formal and informal writing
- The subjunctive in formal writing
- Question tags
- Formal vocabulary
- Writing in a formal style
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