Grammar, usage, and punctuation (grade 4) · lesson

Pronouns, adverbs, and adjective order

💡 Who and which connect ideas, adverbs tell how, and adjectives line up in a set order.

Relative pronouns connect a describing part to a noun. Use who for people: the man who sings. Use which for things: the hat which blew away. Use that for either.

An adverb tells how, when, or where. Many end in -ly: she spoke softly.

When you use more than one adjective, put them in order. Size comes before color, and color comes before what it is made of: a big blue cotton shirt.

🧠 Let's work it out

Sentence: The dog barked loudly.

Ask: which word tells how the dog barked? Loudly. That is the adverb.
Now order these: wool, small, red.
Size first, then color, then material.
A small red wool hat.

What do you think comes next?

relative pronoun: who, which, or that, used to connect ideas
adverb: a word that tells how, when, or where

Verb forms

💡 Use is plus -ing for something going on right now, and helping verbs like must or can to show need or ability.

A progressive verb shows an action that keeps going. Right now, she is reading. Yesterday, she was reading.

Modal verbs help another verb. Can shows you are able. May shows it might happen. Must shows you have to.

Time words like right now and yesterday tell you which form to use.

🧠 Let's work it out

Sentence: Birds ___ fly, but penguins cannot.

Ask: is it something they are able to do, might do, or have to do?
It is about being able.
Use can.

What do you think comes next?

progressive: a verb form that shows ongoing action
modal: a helping verb like can, may, or must

Words that sound the same

💡 Homophones sound alike but are spelled differently and mean different things.

Their shows something belongs to them. There tells a place. They're is short for they are.

Its shows belonging. It's is short for it is. Two is a number. Too means also or very. To goes before a place or a verb.

Test it. Read the sentence with they are or it is in place of the word. If that sounds right, use the short form with the apostrophe.

🧠 Let's work it out

Sentence: ___ going to the lake today.

Ask: does they are fit?
They are going to the lake today. Yes.
So use the short form with the apostrophe: they're.

What do you think comes next?

homophone: a word that sounds like another word but has a different spelling and meaning

Fragments, run-ons, and joining words

💡 A complete sentence is one full thought, and two thoughts need a comma and a joining word or a period.

A fragment is missing part of a thought. Because it was late is a fragment. Because what? It needs more.

A run-on jams two sentences together with no mark. I ran home I ate lunch is a run-on.

To fix it, use a period. Or use a comma and a joining word like and, but, or so: I ran home, and I ate lunch.

🧠 Let's work it out

Check: The game was over, but we stayed to talk.

Ask: are there two full thoughts? Yes.
Is there a comma before the joining word but? Yes.
So it is correct.
Now check: When the movie ended.
When the movie ended, what?
It is not finished, so it is a fragment.

What do you think comes next?

fragment: a part of a sentence, not a full thought
run-on: two sentences joined without the right marks
conjunction: a joining word like and, but, or so

Punctuating quotations

💡 The comma or end mark goes inside the closing quotation marks.

Quotation marks go around the exact words someone says.

When the speaker comes first, put a comma after said: Ella said, "I'm ready." The period goes inside the marks.

When the quote comes first, end it with a comma inside the marks: "I'm ready," Ella said. A question mark also goes inside if the quote asks something.

🧠 Let's work it out

Check: Ben asked, "Can I come"?

Ask: is Ben's quote a question? Yes.
So the question mark is part of what he said.
It goes inside: Ben asked, "Can I come?"

What do you think comes next?

quotation marks: marks around the exact words someone says