The note
How schools teach it now
Schools use the grammar terms tested in the Year 6 SPaG test: clause, subordinate clause, relative clause, fronted adverbial, modal verb, expanded noun phrase, active and passive. Children learn Standard English for writing: 'we were', not 'we was'; 'I did it', not 'I done it'.
5-minute kitchen-table activity
At tea or on a car journey, say a sentence with a deliberate slip, like 'We was late' or 'I seen it'. Your child spots it and gives the Standard English version. Take turns. Keep it light: everyday speech varies, but exam answers use Standard English.
Worked example
Which word completes the sentence? Yesterday we ___ a fox in the garden. (see, seen, saw, seeing)
- Find the time clue: 'Yesterday' means the past.
- 'seen' needs a helper verb (have seen, had seen), and there isn't one here.
- So the simple past, 'saw', is right.
Answer: saw
Common mistakes to watch for
- Using 'seen' or 'done' without 'have' or 'had' (I seen it).
- Writing 'we was' or 'they was' because it sounds normal in speech.
- Choosing what sounds familiar instead of checking the time clue.
Encouragement
- Try saying
- “Lots of people say it that way. Let's find the exam way.”
- Rather than
- “That's just bad English.”