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Key Stage 3 English · Grammar and vocabulary

KS3 Standard English and register: a guide for parents

In Years 7 to 9, pupils learn that language changes with the situation, and that Standard English is one variety among several rather than the only correct one. They are taught to recognise how spoken and written language differ, to move between formal and informal registers, to use Standard English confidently when the occasion calls for it, and to talk about all of this using precise terms.

Standard English and register, explained

Standard English is the variety of English used in formal writing, in education, in news reports and in public life across England. It is defined by its grammar and vocabulary, not by accent. Someone can speak Standard English with a Yorkshire, Cornish or Scouse accent and still be speaking it. Other varieties, such as regional dialects, have their own legitimate grammar. In some areas “we was”, “them books” or “I done it” are everyday speech. In English lessons these are usually described as non-Standard rather than wrong, and the curriculum asks pupils to know and understand the differences.

The curriculum also asks pupils to use Standard English confidently in their own writing and speech. In practice this means pupils learn when it is expected, in essays, formal letters, presentations and interviews, and how to produce it without strain. Typical points include agreement of subject and verb (“we were”, not “we was”), the correct form of the past tense (“I did it”, not “I done it”), avoiding double negatives (“I don’t have any”, not “I don’t have none”) and using “those” or “these” rather than “them” before a noun.

Register is the level of formality chosen to suit audience, purpose and setting. A message to a friend, an email to a teacher and a letter to a company need different vocabulary, sentence length and tone. Formal registers tend to use fuller sentences, no slang or abbreviations, careful vocabulary and often the passive voice. Informal registers allow contractions, short sentences and slang. Pupils also compare spoken and written language. Speech includes pauses, repetition, fillers such as “you know” and false starts, while writing is planned, edited and more tightly organised.

Alongside this comes the vocabulary for talking about language and literature. The curriculum asks for “precise and confident” use of linguistic and literary terminology. Pupils are taught terms such as formal, colloquial, dialect, slang, tone, connotation, simile and metaphor, and are expected to use them to explain how a text or speaker creates its effects, rather than just naming them. Teachers draw on the non-statutory glossary that accompanies the national curriculum for English for the range of terms.

Words your child will hear

Standard English
The variety of English used in formal writing and public life, defined by grammar and vocabulary, not accent.
Dialect
A variety of a language with its own words and grammar, usually linked to a region or community.
Register
The level of formality of language, chosen to fit the audience, purpose and situation.
Colloquial
Informal and conversational, like everyday speech.
Slang
Very informal words and phrases, often used by a particular group and changing quickly over time.
Tone
The attitude a speaker or writer shows towards a subject or reader, such as polite, angry or humorous.
Accent
The way a person pronounces words. It is separate from dialect and from Standard English.

What the National Curriculum says

In Key Stage 3, pupils should be taught to:

  • Know and understand the differences between spoken and written language, including differences associated with formal and informal registers, and between Standard English and other varieties of English
  • Use Standard English confidently in their own writing and speech
  • Discuss reading, writing and spoken language with precise and confident use of linguistic and literary terminology

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

A worked example: changing register

A pupil messages a friend: “Me and Sam was gonna come to the club but we never had no lift, so we didn’t bother.” Rewrite it as part of a formal email to the club leader, and explain what changed.

  1. Find the features of informal, non-Standard language. “Me and Sam was” has a plural subject with a singular verb. “Gonna” is a spoken contraction. “We never had no lift” has a double negative, and “never” is used for a single occasion. “Didn’t bother” is casual and tells the reader nothing about why.
  2. Fix the grammar. “Me and Sam was” becomes “Sam and I were”: “I” is the Standard form for the subject of a sentence, the plural subject takes “were”, and putting the other person first is the usual courtesy. “We never had no lift” becomes “we did not have a lift”, which removes the double negative.
  3. Raise the register. Replace “gonna” with “planned to”, replace “didn’t bother” with a polite apology, and add a greeting and a line saying what will happen next. Use “I am” rather than “I’m” if a more formal feel is wanted.
  4. Check the tone. The email should sound respectful and clear without being stiff. Read it aloud to check it sounds natural for a teenager writing to an adult.

“Dear Mr Patel, Sam and I had planned to attend the club on Thursday, but we were unable to arrange transport. I apologise for the short notice. We hope to join the next session.” The grammar now follows Standard English, the vocabulary is more formal and the content is clearer. The informal version suited a friend, and neither version is better in itself: each fits its audience.

Common mistakes and how to help

Standard English means a particular accent

People often link “talking properly” with sounding a certain way, but Standard English is about grammar and vocabulary and can be spoken in any accent.

What helps: Explain the difference between accent and dialect with a familiar example. Reassure your child that keeping their accent is fine, while the written and formal spoken forms follow Standard English.

Informal or dialect language is lazy or wrong

Children are corrected at school and may conclude that the way their family speaks is bad. Linguists and teachers describe it as different, with its own consistent rules.

What helps: Talk about code-switching: most people speak differently with friends, family and at work, and moving between them is a skill. It is not about one way being better.

Formal writing means long words and long sentences

Pupils who are asked to “make it more formal” often add complicated vocabulary and end up unclear or pompous.

What helps: Formal means precise and appropriate. Remove slang, contractions and chatty phrases, keep sentences clear, and check each word is one the pupil would be comfortable explaining.

Writing should look like speech, or speech like writing

Pupils tend to carry the habits of one into the other, such as “um, like, basically” in a formal presentation, or chatty, unplanned sentences in an essay. Each mode has its own features.

What helps: Ask for a short talk and then the same content written down, and compare. Notice what had to be added, removed and reordered in each.

How to help at home

  • Talk about different ways of speaking. Ask your child how they talk to friends, grandparents and teachers, and what changes. Naming the differences makes register something they can control.
  • Role-play the phone call. Practise a call to a doctor’s surgery, a shop or an interview-style conversation. Playing both sides helps a teenager hear how formal language sounds.
  • Change a message. Take a real text or social message and rewrite it for a different reader, such as a head of year. Then do the reverse: turn a formal sentence into a message to a friend.
  • Look at the way others speak. Compare a news report, a sports interview and an everyday family conversation. Spotting differences in vocabulary, tone and sentence shape builds the terminology without a worksheet.

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