Grammar for Effect
CONCEPTUALAnalyse the effectiveness and impact of grammatical features in texts read — understanding how authors make deliberate grammatical choices (sentence length, passive voice, fronted adverbials, listing) to create specific effects on the reader
Mastery Evidence
- Explain how an author's use of short, simple sentences creates tension or urgency in a passage
- Analyse why an author uses a list of three (tricolon) in a persuasive text and evaluate its impact
- Identify a grammatical choice in a text (e.g., present tense for immediacy) and explain the effect on the reader
Assessment Prompt
“When [child] reads a piece of writing they admire, can they point to specific grammatical choices the author made — like very short sentences for tension, or a list of three for rhythm — and explain why those choices work?”
Curriculum Standards3 alignments
RL.6.5Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical SubjectsAnalyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot.
RL.7.5Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical SubjectsAnalyze how a drama’s or poem’s form or structure (e.g., soliloquy, sonnet) contributes to its meaning.
KS3-ENG-GV-1bThe national curriculum in Englandstudying the effectiveness and impact of the grammatical features of the texts they read
Prerequisites3
- Text Features & PresentationhardAges 7—10
- Verb Voice and MoodsoftAges 12—14
- Types of SentenceshardAges 11—14
Show full prerequisite tree
- Text Features & Presentation hard
Analysing grammatical impact extends KS2 identifying how language choices contribute to meaning
- Expressive and Sensory Language hard
Identifying language contribution requires literary language understanding
- Listening to Texts Read Aloud hard
Recognising literary language requires listening comprehension of stories/poetry
- How Many in Total? soft
Sorting and categorising objects uses the same counting/cardinality skills from maths
- One-to-one counting hard
Cardinality principle builds on one-to-one correspondence — you must count correctly to know the last number tells 'how many'
- Non-Fiction Text Features soft
Non-fiction structures knowledge supports analysing text presentation
- Main Topic of Informational Texts hard
Non-fiction structures build on Y1 informational text main topic
- Verb Voice and Mood soft
Analysing authorial grammatical choices is enriched by understanding active/passive voice and verb moods as tools authors use deliberately
- Writing Process Vocabulary hard
Proof-reading and revising requires 'draft', 'edit', 'revise', and 'proofread' as named steps in the writing process
- Checking Your Own Work soft
Re-reading own writing to check it makes sense is the writing-domain form of the universal self-checking habit
- Feeling of not understanding soft
Noticing when your own writing doesn't make sense requires the universal comprehension-monitoring habit applied to one's own text
- Asking for Help hard
Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
- Rote counting to 100 soft
Sequencing events in narrative writing draws on the ordinal/sequential thinking developed through counting
- Writing Process Vocabulary hard
Writing simple narratives requires 'narrative', 'sequence', 'beginning', 'middle', 'ending' as shared vocabulary
- Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
- Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
- Feeling of not understanding soft
Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
- Writing Process Vocabulary hard
Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
- Writing Process Vocabulary soft
Re-reading and responding to feedback is more effective when pupils know terms like 'revise', 'edit', and 'meaning'
- Reviewing Own Writing soft
Re-reading your own writing to check it makes sense and has the intended effect is the practical application of the writing self-evaluation habit
- Author's word choices hard
Evaluating whether your own writing creates an intended effect requires first understanding how authors' choices create effects on readers — reading like a writer before writing like a reader
- Connecting New & Old Ideas soft
Recognising how authorial choices create effects requires connecting your reading experience to existing knowledge of how language and texts work
- Thinking Before Starting hard
Making connections between new and old ideas requires the habit of activating prior knowledge first
- Persisting When It's Hard hard
Activating prior knowledge requires the foundational habit of persistent engagement with new material
- Monitoring Comprehension hard
Recognising authorial effects requires reading for meaning rather than just decoding — you can only notice the effect of a word choice if you are genuinely engaging with meaning
- Feeling of not understanding soft
Noticing the decoding/understanding gap is the English-specific form of the universal comprehension-monitoring habit
- Asking for Help hard
Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
- Reading for Meaning hard
Noticing the gap between decoding and understanding requires first having the foundational idea that reading means making meaning
- Feeling of not understanding soft
Understanding that reading means making meaning is the English-domain grounding of the universal habit of noticing when you don't understand
- Asking for Help hard
Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
- Understanding Why soft
Evaluating whether your writing works requires asking 'why does this passage succeed or fail?' — the elaborative-interrogation habit applied to your own text
- Teaching It Back hard
Asking 'why does this work?' requires first being able to explain what you know — interrogation builds on explanation
- Explaining Mathematical Reasoning soft
The universal self-explanation habit (LtL 7-8) builds on the maths-specific practice of explaining reasoning when prompted (MT 6-7)
- Showing Your Working hard
Age 6-7 explaining with diagrams/logic builds on age 5-6 showing and telling with objects
- Numbers up to 10 into pairs soft
Explaining part-part-whole decompositions exercises showing and telling
- Number bonds to 9 soft
Explaining how to find number bonds to 10 exercises showing thinking with objects
- Listening and responding soft
Explaining mathematical reasoning orally requires basic listening and responding skills
- What the equals sign means soft
Determining whether equations are true/false exercises evaluating and justifying
- Reading +, −, and = symbols hard
Deep understanding of = requires already being able to read and write number sentences
- Addition as combining or putting together two hard
Understanding commutativity of addition requires understanding addition
- Thinking Before Starting hard
Explaining in your own words requires connecting new learning to existing knowledge already held in mind
- Persisting When It's Hard hard
Activating prior knowledge requires the foundational habit of persistent engagement with new material
- Alternative Spellings for Sounds soft
Knowledge of spelling alternatives needed to proofread spelling
- Segmenting words into sounds hard
Must be able to encode CVC words before learning alternative spellings
- Phonics Vocabulary hard
Segmenting words into phonemes and spelling CVC words requires knowing 'phoneme', 'segment', and 'CVC' as defined terms
- Phonics Vocabulary hard
Alternative grapheme choices for phonemes requires knowing 'grapheme', 'phoneme', 'homophone', and 'GPC'
- Alternative Spellings for Known Sounds soft
Knowledge of alternative GPCs for reading supports choosing correct spellings
- Grammar Terms: Nouns, Verbs and Tense soft
Progressive forms concept extends from earlier verb knowledge
- Defining Words soft
Defining words by attributes supports choosing descriptive adjectives for noun phrases
- How Many in Total? soft
Sorting and categorising objects uses the same counting/cardinality skills from maths
- One-to-one counting hard
Cardinality principle builds on one-to-one correspondence — you must count correctly to know the last number tells 'how many'
- Phonics Vocabulary hard
Segmenting words into phonemes and spelling CVC words requires knowing 'phoneme', 'segment', and 'CVC' as defined terms
- Spelling Contracted Forms soft
Understanding apostrophe in contractions helps understand its use in possession
- Phonics Vocabulary hard
Segmenting words into phonemes and spelling CVC words requires knowing 'phoneme', 'segment', and 'CVC' as defined terms
- Four Types of Sentences soft
Must understand sentence types to use terms statement/question/exclamation/command
- Subordinate clauses hard
Subjunctive forms build on understanding of subordination and clause structure
- Joining Words with 'And' hard
Must be able to join with 'and' before learning subordination and other co-ordinating conjunctions
- Types of Sentences hard
Analysing grammar as a writer's tool requires understanding sentence variety
- Phrases & Clauses hard
Choosing sentence types requires understanding how phrases and clauses function
- Expanded noun phrases hard
Expanded NPs with preposition phrases build on Y2 expanded NPs with adjectives
- Defining Words soft
Defining words by attributes supports choosing descriptive adjectives for noun phrases
- How Many in Total? soft
Sorting and categorising objects uses the same counting/cardinality skills from maths
- One-to-one counting hard
Cardinality principle builds on one-to-one correspondence — you must count correctly to know the last number tells 'how many'
- Relative Clauses hard
Phrase/clause analysis extends KS2 relative clauses with relative pronouns/adverbs
- Pronouns for clarity soft
Relative pronouns (who, which, that) overlap with pronoun knowledge; pronoun cohesion supports understanding pronoun reference in relative clauses
- Subordinate clauses hard
Relative clauses extend subordination; learners must understand how subordinate clauses work before embedding relative clauses
- Joining Words with 'And' hard
Must be able to join with 'and' before learning subordination and other co-ordinating conjunctions
- Pronouns for clarity soft
Relative pronouns (who, which, that) overlap with pronoun knowledge; pronoun cohesion supports understanding pronoun reference in relative clauses
- Subordinate clauses hard
Relative clauses extend subordination; learners must understand how subordinate clauses work before embedding relative clauses
- Joining Words with 'And' hard
Must be able to join with 'and' before learning subordination and other co-ordinating conjunctions
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