Years 3 and 4 English · Key Stage 2 · Writing – vocabulary, grammar and punctuation

Years 3 and 4 conjunctions, present perfect and fronted adverbials

In Years 3 and 4 children’s sentences grow longer and more varied. They use a wider range of conjunctions such as when, if, because and although, learn the present perfect form of verbs and how it differs from the simple past, choose nouns and pronouns to keep their writing clear without repeating themselves, and express time and cause with conjunctions, adverbs and prepositions. They also meet fronted adverbials.

Conjunctions, present perfect, fronted adverbials, explained

A conjunction joins two parts of a sentence. By Year 2 children use and, but and or, and have met a few joining words such as when, if and because. In Years 3 and 4 they use a wider range, including when, if, because and although, and use them confidently to build sentences with more than one clause. A clause is a group of words with a verb. In “We stayed inside because it was raining”, the part beginning “because” cannot stand alone, so it is a subordinate clause attached to the main clause. Teachers say the sentence has two clauses, and children learn that the subordinate clause can come first or second.

Conjunctions are one of three kinds of word used to express time and cause. The others are adverbs and prepositions. Time words include when, before, after and while (conjunctions), then, next and soon (adverbs), and before, after and during (prepositions). Cause words include because and so (conjunctions), therefore (an adverb) and because of (a preposition). Some words can do two jobs. In “before lunch”, before is a preposition followed by a noun phrase. In “before we had lunch”, it is a conjunction followed by a clause.

The present perfect is a verb form made from has or have plus the past participle: she has finished, we have eaten. Children learn to contrast it with the simple past. “She finished her book on Tuesday” is about a finished time, so it uses the simple past. “She has finished her book” links the past to now, and the time does not matter, so it uses the present perfect. Children also practise Standard English forms such as “I have seen” rather than “I have saw”.

Pronouns replace nouns so a sentence does not repeat itself, but clear writing depends on children choosing the right one for the sentence. “The boys met the girls. They waved.” leaves the reader unsure who waved, which is why children are taught to choose nouns or pronouns for clarity as well as for cohesion. In Year 4 they also meet determiners, such as the, a, my and some, and possessive pronouns, such as mine and ours.

A fronted adverbial is a word or phrase at the start of a sentence that tells the reader when, where or how something happens: “Before breakfast, I fed the cat”, “Under the bridge, a troll was sleeping”, “Carefully, she opened the box”. Moving the adverbial to the front is a way of varying the pattern of a sentence. Children are taught the grammar terms in the Years 3 and 4 section of the curriculum, and teachers aim to teach them through real writing and reading rather than as labels in isolation.

Words your child will hear

Conjunction: A word that joins parts of a sentence, such as because, although, when and if.
Subordinate clause: A clause that depends on the main clause and cannot stand alone as a sentence, such as because it was raining.
Preposition: A word that shows how things are related in time or place, such as before, during or under.
Present perfect: A verb form made with has or have plus the past participle, as in we have finished.
Pronoun: A word used instead of a noun, such as he, she, it, they or we.
Adverbial: A word or phrase that tells you when, where or how something happens.
Fronted adverbial: An adverbial placed at the start of a sentence, such as “After lunch,”.

What the National Curriculum says

In Years 3 and 4, pupils should be taught to:

Develop their understanding of the concepts set out in English appendix 2 by extending the range of sentences with more than one clause by using a wider range of conjunctions, including when, if, because, although
Develop their understanding of English appendix 2 concepts by using the present perfect form of verbs in contrast to the past tense
Develop their understanding of English appendix 2 concepts by choosing nouns or pronouns appropriately for clarity and cohesion and to avoid repetition
Develop their understanding of English appendix 2 concepts by using conjunctions, adverbs and prepositions to express time and cause
Develop their understanding of English appendix 2 concepts by using fronted adverbials
Develop their understanding of English appendix 2 concepts by learning the grammar for years 3 and 4 in English appendix 2

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

A worked example

Join these into one well-built sentence: “We stayed inside. It was raining. We wanted to play football.”

Work out how the ideas are connected. It was raining is the reason we stayed inside, so that is cause. Wanting to play football goes against staying inside, so that is contrast.
Join the cause with because: “We stayed inside because it was raining.”
Add the contrast with although. A clause beginning with although can go at the front: “Although we wanted to play football, we stayed inside because it was raining.”
Check the pronouns. “We” is used throughout and is clear. Nothing needs changing.
Compare the verb forms. The sentence describes something that is over, so it stays in the simple past. If we were speaking while it is still raining, the present perfect would link the past to now: “We have stayed inside all morning because it has been raining.”

“Although we wanted to play football, we stayed inside because it was raining.” The clause starting with although comes first, so it is followed by a comma.

Common mistakes and how to help

Believing you can never start a sentence with “because” or “although”

Children are sometimes told this rule in earlier years. The real problem is a clause left on its own: “Because it was raining.” is incomplete.

What helps: Explain that the opening is fine as long as the main clause follows: “Because it was raining, we stayed inside.” Read both aloud and ask whether the reader is left waiting.

Chaining ideas with “and” or “and then”

These are the first joining words children learn, and they are how people tell stories out loud.

What helps: Ask what the real link between two ideas is: cause, time or contrast. Then swap in because, when or although and notice how the meaning becomes sharper.

Mixing up the present perfect and the past: “I have seen him yesterday”

Both describe past events, and in everyday speech the two get mixed. Forms such as “I have saw” and “I seen” are also common in everyday speech in some areas, but they are not Standard English.

What helps: If a finished time is mentioned (yesterday, last week), use the simple past: “I saw him yesterday.” With have or has, the second verb is the past participle: seen, eaten, gone.

Thinking a fronted adverbial must be one word ending in -ly

Examples such as “Suddenly,” and “Quietly,” are so common in class that children think they are the only kind.

What helps: Ask when, where or how, and try a phrase: “Later that day,”, “In the dark corner,”, “With great care,”. Look for different kinds in the books you read.

How to help at home

Finish the sentence. Say the start of a sentence and let your child finish it using a particular word: “I would like to stay up late because…”, “I like swimming although…”, “If it snows tomorrow…”. Then swap, and let your child set one for you.
Have you ever? Ask questions that call for the present perfect: “What have you read this week?”, “Where has our cat gone?” Notice the answers: “I have finished my book.” Then ask about a finished time (“What did you read on Tuesday?”) and listen for the change in verb.
Spot the fronted adverbials. While reading a story together, look for sentences that begin by telling you when, where or how. Count how many you find on one page, and make up two of your own about your day.
Who is “he”? Read a short paragraph from a book and point at each he, she, it or they. Can your child say which noun each one replaces? Try rewriting one sentence in which it is unclear.

Builds on

Year 2: Punctuation and types of sentence
Year 2: Noun phrases, tenses and joining words

Leads on to

Years 5 and 6: Formal language, passive and perfect forms
Years 5 and 6: Noun phrases, modal verbs, relative clauses
Years 5 and 6: Semicolons, colons, hyphens and brackets