Grammar

Developing a solid grasp of grammar gives children the tools to express their ideas clearly, accurately, and creatively. Year 6 grammar assessments test both technical terminology and practical application, so having a shared understanding of key linguistic concepts makes practicing together much more effective. The papers below offer straightforward opportunities to review essential grammar rules, refine punctuation habits, and build test-day confidence.

The Helpful SATS paper examples are at the bottom of this page however, here are some helpful definitions as well to help everyone understand the challenges of the grammar paper.

Here are ten core grammar concepts commonly tested in Year 6, complete with child-friendly definitions and example test questions:

1. Modal Verbs

Definition: Verbs that show how certain, possible, or necessary an action is (e.g., can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would).
Test Example:Question: Circle the modal verb in the sentence below.
Sentence: We should arrive at the park before it starts raining.

2. Relative Clauses

Definition: A clause that gives extra detail about a noun, starting with a relative pronoun like who, which, where, when, or whose.
Test Example:Question: Underline the relative clause in the sentence below.
Sentence: The dog, which had muddy paws, ran across the clean rug.

3. Subordinating Conjunctions

Definition: Words used to join a main clause to a subordinate clause (a clause that relies on the main clause to make complete sense), such as because, although, since, while, until, or if.
Test Example:Question: Tick the sentence that contains a subordinating conjunction.
A) I wanted to play outside, but it started to pour with rain.
B) We stayed indoors because the weather was poor.

4. Passive Voice

Definition: A sentence structure where the focus is on the object receiving the action, rather than the person or thing performing it.
Test Example:Question: Rewrite the active sentence below in the passive voice.
Active: The chef baked a delicious cake.
Passive: A delicious cake was baked by the chef.

5. Expanded Noun Phrases

Definition: A phrase built around a single noun, modified by adjectives or prepositional phrases to add extra detail or description.
Test Example:Question: Which sentence contains an expanded noun phrase?
A) The cat slept on the mat.
B) The sleek black cat with bright green eyes slept on the mat.

6. Fronted Adverbials

Definition: Words or phrases placed at the beginning of a sentence to describe when, where, or how the main action happened (always followed by a comma).
Test Example:Question: Insert a comma after the fronted adverbial in the sentence below.
Sentence: Without making a sound, the cat crept into the kitchen.

7. Subject and Object

Definition: The subject is the person or thing doing the action; the object is the person or thing receiving or affected by the action.
Test Example:Question: Identify the subject and the object in the sentence below.
Sentence: The gardener watered the plants.
Subject: The gardener | Object: The plants

8. Determiners

Definition: Words placed before a noun to introduce it or state how many/which ones there are (e.g., a, an, the, three, these, every, my).
Test Example:Question: Circle all three determiners in the sentence below.
Sentence: The boy lost his shoe in a deep puddle.

9. Subjunctive Mood

Definition: A formal verb form used to express hypothetical situations, wishes, demands, or conditions that are not currently real (often using were instead of was).
Test Example:Question: Which sentence uses the subjunctive mood correctly?
A) If I was you, I would study for the test.
B) If I were you, I would study for the test.

10. Co-ordinating Conjunctions

Definition: Words used to connect two independent main clauses that carry equal weight in a sentence (remember the acronym FANBOYS: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So).
Test Example:Question: Circle the co-ordinating conjunction in the sentence below.Sentence: The team played brilliantly, yet they missed out on the trophy.

The following links contain examples of Grammar papers.

Grammar paper 1
Grammar paper 2
Grammar paper 3
Grammar paper 4
Grammar paper 5
Grammar paper 6

The following powerpoints focus on specific grammatical areas:

Adverbs

Collective nouns

Colons and semicolons

Compound Sentences

Dashes and hyphens

Direct and indirect speech

Homonyms

Homophones

Improving writing – punctuation