Grammar

Grammar forms the foundation of clear and effective writing. In the 11+ exam, children may be expected to recognise correct grammar and apply it confidently in their own work. This section breaks down the essential grammar topics they need to know, from building well-formed sentences to choosing the right tense, using articles correctly, and understanding how words work together in a sentence.

Parent Tip: Why Learn These Grammar Terms?

You might be thinking: Do children really need to know what a complex sentence is? The truth is, lots of adults write well without using grammar terms at all.

But for the 11+ exam, understanding these terms gives your child a real advantage.

• It helps them vary their sentences, which is something examiners look for in writing tasks.
• It gives them tools to spot and fix mistakes, which is important in multiple choice questions and writing tasks.
• It can boost their confidence when writing and editing their own work.

The goal isn’t just to name grammar rules. It’s to help your child write clearly, fluently and with purpose.

1- Every Sentence Needs a Subject and a Verb

The Subject
The subject is who or what the sentence is about. It’s the person or thing doing the action. It might be I, you, the dog, a teacher, the rain – anything at all.

The Verb
The verb tells us what is happening or what state something is in. For example: run, jump, is, was, crashed, panicked.

Together, the subject and verb form the backbone of a sentence. Without them, the sentence simply doesn’t work.

The table above shows how common verbs change depending on the subject and tense. Take the verb to be, for example, in the present tense:

• I am
• He/she/it is
• You/we/they are

If you’re using the past tense, the forms change again:

• I/he/she/it was
• You/we/they were

Your child will need to recognise these patterns and use them correctly in both grammar and writing tasks.

3- The correct tense must be used

Tenses help us show when something happens – in the past, the present or the future.

• Past tense = the action already happened
• Present tense = the action is happening now
• Future tense = the action hasn’t happened yet

Regular Verbs

Most verbs are regular. That means they follow the usual pattern of adding -ed for the past tense (or just -d if the verb already ends in e).

Wish → Wished

Play → Played

Walk → Walked

Love → Loved

Bake → Baked

Irregular Verbs

Some verbs don’t follow the usual rules. These are called irregular verbs, and they often change completely in the past tense.

Here are some common examples:

I do → I did

I have → I had

I see → I saw

I go → I went

In every case, your child needs to match the subject with the right verb in the right tense. It’s one of the key skills they’ll be tested on in the 11+ exam.

4- Use Pronouns Appropriately

We’ve learnt that nouns are the names of people, places, objects or ideas e.g. teacher, dog, Milton Keynes, happiness.

Pronouns like he, she, it, they, his, her, and their replace nouns so you don’t have to repeat them over and over.

Let’s look at a typical sentence a child might write:

Jamie picked up Jamie’s bag. Jamie walked to Jamie’s bike and put Jamie’s bag in the basket.

That’s technically correct, but it sounds awkward and unnatural.

Let’s improve it by adding pronouns:

Jamie picked up his bag. He walked to his bike and put it in the basket.

See the difference? Pronouns make the writing smoother and easier to read.

Watch out for confusion

If there’s more than one noun in the sentence, be careful. The pronoun must clearly refer to the right person, place, thing or idea.

Let’s take a look at an example of this…

Tom waved at Harry as he got on the bus. ← Who got on the bus?

As Harry got on the bus, Tom waved at him. ← Now it’s clear.

Pronouns are great for improving flow, but always check: Will the reader know exactly who or what I mean?

5- Use Adjectives and Adverbs

Adjectives describe nouns and tell us what something is like.

Encouraging your child to use both adjectives and adverbs will help them add detail, variety and precision to their writing.

• The noisy children
• A sharp pencil
• An excited dog

Adverbs can…

• Add detail to verbs
• Describe adjectives
• Describe other adverbs
• Change whole sentences

They help us understand how, when, where, how often, or to what extent something happens.

Examples:

• He ran quickly. (how)
• She spoke softly. (how)
• They arrived early. (when)
• The film was very exciting. (modifies an adjective)
• She finished the race quite easily. (modifies another adverb)
• Luckily, we caught the train. (modifies the whole sentence)

Adverbs often (but not always) end in –ly.

6- Use Prepositions correctly

Prepositions are short words that show the link between things. They are usually to do with place, time or direction.

They tell us where something is, when something happens, or how things are connected.

Examples:

• The ball is under the chair. (place)
• We’ll go after dinner. (time)
• She walked towards the gate. (direction)

Prepositions like in, on, next to, before and behind often come up in 11+ grammar questions.

Helping your child get used to how they sound in a sentence will make it easier for them to spot the correct one to use in multiple-choice tasks.

7- Build Clear, Well-Structured Sentences

In some versions of the 11+ exam, your child will be expected to write sentences that are accurate, clear and varied. That means knowing how to structure different types of sentences (simple, compound and complex).

Let’s take a closer look at each one.

Simple Sentences

A simple sentence has just one main idea. It includes a subject and a verb, and it makes complete sense on its own.

Compound Sentences

A compound sentence joins two simple ideas using a linking word (conjunction) like and, but or because.

Both parts of the sentence could stand alone, but they’re connected to show a relationship between them.

Using compound sentences helps children add detail and flow to their writing, which makes it more engaging and improves their marks.

Complex Sentences

Complex sentences contain at least one full idea (the main clause) and at least one extra part that relies on the main part (the dependent clause). These sentences usually begin with words like because, although, even though, if, when or where. Commas are used to split up the different clauses.

Example:

• Even though I was tired, I still went to the party.
• Even though I was tired → dependent clause (doesn’t make sense on its own)
• I still went to the party → main clause (a full sentence)

Sentence Length: Keep It Snappy

Long, muddled sentences can quickly become confusing. It’s much better to break long, complicated ideas into shorter sentences to help the reader follow along.

• Don’t do this – The man walked and then jogged and then got tired and then had a nap.
• Do this instead –  The man walked and then jogged. He was tired, so he had a nap.

Shorter, clearer sentences are easier to read. They also make it easier to spot mistakes. Encourage your child to balance longer and shorter sentences, linking ideas together whilst remaining clear.

5- Use Articles Correctly

‘The’ – for specific or known things

We use ‘the’ when we’re talking about something specific, or when both the speaker and listener know what’s being referred to.

Examples:

Please pass me the glass of water.  → You mean a particular glass – one that’s already been mentioned or is easy to identify.

I’d love to go to the moon. → There are many moons in space, but we all know which one the moon is.

I’m going to see the doctor this afternoon. You’re not saying which doctor, but the idea of seeing ‘the doctor’ is something familiar.

So remember: ‘The’ = specific or already known

‘A’ and ‘An’ – for general things

We use ‘a’ or ‘an’ when we’re writing about things generally instead of a particular or known thing.

Examples:

Can I have a glass of water? → Any glass is fine.

She wants to buy an umbrella. → Any umbrella, not a specific one.

I saw a dog in the park. → This could be any dog. The writer is writing generally rather than writing about a known or named dog.

When to use ‘a’ and when to use ‘an’

Here’s the simple rule:

• Use ‘an’ before a word that starts with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u).
• Use ‘a’ before a word that starts with a consonant sound.

Examples of ‘an’:

• An apple
• An elephant
• An hour ← We don’t say the ‘h’ in hour, so it sounds like ‘our’

Examples of ‘a’:

• A banana
• A hat
• A unicorn ← Sounds like you-nicorn, starting with a ‘y’ sound

It’s all about how the start of the word sounds, not just how it’s spelt.

6- Use Conjunctions to Link Ideas Together

Conjunctions act like glue. They hold writing together by connecting ideas clearly and smoothly.

Good use of conjunctions makes writing more detailed, more logical, and much easier for the reader to follow.

What Can Conjunctions Do?

Conjunctions can:

• Link similar ideas together
• Show contrast or differences
• Add explanations or reasons
• Sequence events clearly
• Help ideas build or develop

Here are some of the most useful conjunctions for the 11+:

7- Use Modal Verbs

Modal verbs are special verbs that come before the main verb in a sentence. They help the main verb by adding extra meaning.

We use them to show:

• Likelihood – how likely something is (might, could, will)
• Necessity – whether something has to happen (must, should, have to)
• Ability – if something can be done or not (can, could)

Modal verbs allow your child to express possibility, obligation, or permission. Using them helps make writing more precise and thoughtful.

Strong grammar helps your child write clearly and confidently. The 11+ tests both grammar and writing, so knowing these key rules can really boost their marks.