Unit 4 — Grammar and Language Skills

Welcome back!

Clear writing depends on more than good ideas.

Writers must also understand how language works.

Grammar helps us organize words into sentences that are accurate, clear, and easy to understand.

Today you will strengthen the language skills that support every kind of writing.

Parts of Speech Review

Every sentence is built from different kinds of words.

Review these important parts of speech:

• nouns name people, places, things, or ideas
• pronouns replace nouns
• verbs show actions or states of being
• adjectives describe nouns
• adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs
• prepositions show relationships between words
• conjunctions connect words or groups of words
• interjections express strong feelings

Knowing the job each word performs makes writing more precise.

Complete Sentences

A complete sentence expresses a complete thought.

Every complete sentence has:

• a subject
• a predicate

Example:

The young fox explored the forest.

Subject:

The young fox

Predicate:

explored the forest

Avoid sentence fragments that leave readers wondering what is missing.

Simple and Compound Sentences

A simple sentence contains one complete thought.

Example:

The birds sang.

A compound sentence joins two complete thoughts.

Example:

The birds sang, and the sun began to rise.

Using different sentence types makes writing more interesting.

Choosing Precise Words

Strong writers choose words carefully.

Instead of writing:

"The dog went."

You might write:

• The dog raced.
• The dog wandered.
• The dog sprinted.
• The dog tiptoed.

Precise words help readers picture what is happening.

Punctuation Review

Correct punctuation makes writing easier to read.

Remember to use:

• periods
• question marks
• exclamation points
• commas
• quotation marks
• apostrophes
• colons (when appropriate)

Punctuation guides readers through your ideas.

Capitalization

Use capital letters correctly.

Capitalize:

• the first word in a sentence
• names of people
• cities
• states
• countries
• languages
• months
• days of the week
• holidays
• titles when used with names

Correct capitalization improves readability.

Proofreading

Before finishing your work, read it carefully.

Check for:

• spelling mistakes
• grammar errors
• missing punctuation
• repeated words
• unclear sentences

Reading your writing aloud often helps you find mistakes.

Activity

Write one paragraph describing your favorite outdoor place.

Then review it carefully.

Check:

• complete sentences
• correct punctuation
• capitalization
• varied word choice
• correct spelling

Revise anything that can be improved.

Practice

Answer these questions.

What are the two main parts of every complete sentence?

How is a compound sentence different from a simple sentence?

Why are precise words helpful?

Why is punctuation important?

Name five situations that require capitalization.

What is proofreading?

Review

Today you learned:

• grammar strengthens communication
• sentences require both subjects and predicates
• different sentence types improve writing
• precise words create clearer descriptions
• punctuation and capitalization improve readability
• proofreading helps eliminate mistakes

Strong grammar allows writers to communicate ideas accurately and confidently.

Looking Ahead

Next we begin Grade 4 mathematics by learning how to work confidently with larger numbers using place value, estimation, and multi-digit calculations.