Year 1 English · Key Stage 1 · Vocabulary, grammar and punctuation – English Appendix 2
Year 1 grammar: plurals, verb endings and the prefix un-
Year 1 grammar includes a first look at how the shape of a word can change its meaning. Children learn to add -s or -es to nouns to make them plural, to add endings such as -ing, -ed and -er to verbs when the spelling of the root word does not change, and to use the prefix un- to change the meaning of some verbs and adjectives. They also learn the terms letter, capital letter, word, singular and plural.
Plurals, verb endings and un-, explained
A noun that names one thing is singular, and one that names more than one thing is plural. In Year 1 children meet the regular way of making a plural: add -s. One dog becomes two dogs, one book becomes three books. For words that end in a hissing or buzzing sound, such as wish, box, church and brush, adding -s alone would be hard to say, so we add -es to give wishes, boxes, churches and brushes. Children learn that the ending changes the meaning of the noun, from one to more than one, and that the plural is usually spotted by the extra -s or the extra syllable you can hear.
A suffix is a group of letters added to the end of a word. Year 1 children look at three that can be added to verbs without changing the spelling of the root word: -ing, -ed and -er. Help becomes helping, helped and helper. Walk becomes walking, walked and walker. The root word keeps its shape and the ending changes how the word works: -ing for something happening now or continuing, -ed for something that has already happened, and -er for a person or thing that does the action. Words that need a spelling change, such as hop to hopping, are taught later.
A prefix is a group of letters added to the beginning of a word. Year 1 introduces un-. When it goes in front of an adjective it usually means “not”: kind becomes unkind, happy becomes unhappy, well becomes unwell. When it goes in front of a verb it usually means “undo” or “reverse”: tie becomes untie, lock becomes unlock, pack becomes unpack. The root word stays the same, and the prefix does not change its spelling, which makes it a very reliable way to build new words.
The grammar appendix of the curriculum shows when ideas are first introduced, and these are first introductions, not skills children must master within a year. Children are not expected to know every exception, or the full set of rules for spelling endings. They meet the ideas through reading, word play and their own writing, and they are encouraged to notice them in books. They also learn the words letter, capital letter, word, singular and plural, so that teachers can ask, “Is this word singular or plural?” and children can answer.
Words your child will hear
- Singular
- Means one. A cat is singular.
- Plural
- Means more than one. Cats is plural.
- Suffix
- A group of letters added to the end of a word, such as -s, -es, -ing, -ed or -er.
- Prefix
- A group of letters added to the start of a word, such as un- in unhappy.
- Root word
- The basic word before an ending or beginning is added, such as help in helping.
- Capital letter
- The large form of a letter, such as D for d. Used at the start of a sentence and for names.
- Word
- A unit of language with a meaning, such as dog, run or happy.
- Letter
- One of the 26 symbols in the alphabet. Words are built from letters.
What the National Curriculum says
The programme of study for Year 1 says:
- Pupils should be taught regular plural noun suffixes –s or –es, including the effects of these suffixes on the meaning of the noun
- Pupils should be taught suffixes that can be added to verbs where no change is needed in the spelling of root words
- Pupils should be taught how the prefix un– changes the meaning of verbs and adjectives
- Pupils should be taught to recognise and use the grammatical terminology: letter, capital letter, word, singular, plural
Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Try it: changing words with endings and beginnings
Make the plural of dog, fox and brush. Then add -ing, -ed and -er to help, and un- to tie and kind.
- Plural of dog. Dog is singular, one animal. We say “dogs” with a z-like sound at the end, and write it by adding -s. One dog, two dogs.
- Plural of fox and brush. Say “foxs”: it is hard to say, and we hear an extra beat in “foxes”. Words ending in x and sh need -es to be pronounceable. One fox, two foxes. One brush, two brushes.
- Endings on help. The root word “help” does not change. Add -ing: helping (happening now). Add -ed: helped (already happened), which sounds like “helpt”. Add -er: helper (a person who helps).
- Prefix on tie. Add un- to the front of the verb: untie. It means to undo what tie does, and the root word is unchanged.
- Prefix on kind. Add un- to the front of the adjective: unkind. It means not kind. Again, nothing inside the word changes.
The new words are dogs, foxes and brushes; helping, helped and helper; untie and unkind. Each new word keeps its root word exactly as it was and changes its meaning in a predictable way.
Common mistakes and how to help
Spelling -ed endings by sound, such as jumpt or playd
The ending -ed is pronounced three ways: a ‘t’ sound in jumped, a ‘d’ sound in played, and an ‘id’ sound in wanted. Children who spell by sound hear ‘t’ or ‘d’ and write that.
What helps: Say the word, then show it with the -ed written on the end: “jump… jumped.” Collect -ed words together and notice that the ending is always spelled -ed, however it sounds.
Writing plurals like foxs or churchs
Children correctly learn that you add -s for a plural, and apply it to all words. They may also not notice the extra syllable in the plural until they are asked to listen for it.
What helps: Say the word with -s and ask if it is easy to say. Then say it with -es and listen for the extra beat. Sorting plurals into those that just add -s and those that add -es, with its extra ‘iz’ beat, helps.
Using un- on any word, or thinking it always means ‘not’
Having learned that un- changes a word, children try it everywhere, writing “unsad” or “unfast”. They also do not realise that with a verb like tie it means undo, not ‘not tie’.
What helps: Talk about what the new word means: “Untie means to undo the tie.” Collect real un- words together from stories and reading, and say that some words just don’t take it.
Thinking every word that starts with ‘un’ has the prefix, or that every word ending in -s is plural
Words such as under, uncle and uniform start with the same letters but un- is not a prefix in them. Likewise bus and grass end in s but are singular, and verbs such as “runs” end in -s without being plurals at all.
What helps: Check whether taking the letters off leaves a real word that links to the meaning. Under and uncle do not. For -s, ask whether it means one thing or more than one.
How to help at home
- One and many. Around the house, point to things and say “one sock, two socks” or “one box, two boxes”. Ask your child to say whether a word is singular or plural, and listen for the extra sound in words like boxes and brushes.
- Word-ending sort. Write some words on slips of paper, such as jump, play, walk, help and paint. Make the endings on separate slips (-ing, -ed, -er) and ask your child to build each word, then read it aloud. Notice how -ed sounds different but is spelled the same.
- The undo game. Ask your child to do something and undo it: tie your shoe and untie it, zip the coat and unzip it, pack a bag and unpack it. Say the verbs and their un- partners as you go, so the meaning of the prefix is built from real actions.
- Find it in a book. While reading together, look for words that end in -s, -es, -ing, -ed or -er, and words that start with un-. Spot the root word and say what the ending does. A few per story is enough.
- Silly or real? Make up some words together, such as “unhat” or “unsandwich”, then say whether they are real and what they might mean. It is a light-hearted way of seeing that the prefix un- changes meaning, and that not every word takes it.
Related topics
Leads on to
More on vocabulary, grammar and punctuation – English Appendix 2
- Year 1: How words make sentences
- Year 1: Spaces and sentence punctuation
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