English focus — proofreading, punctuation & meaning
Rebuilt from Ashton’s May mock (English 53%). One connected thread: name the word types, use them to catch errors in apostrophes, spelling and punctuation, then carry that precision into vocabulary and comprehension.
Word types & parts of speech
Run it
- Quick-fire the word types — fast and low-stakes, this is retrieval.
- Then the common/proper sort. Stress that a word’s “job” depends on the sentence.
Name the word type
Read the word aloud, then pick its type.
Common or proper noun?
A proper noun names one specific person, place, day or month — and takes a capital letter.
- In the mock, “grant” (a financial donation) is a common noun — it isn’t proper just because it sounds formal. Capital letters are the test, not importance.
- Same word, different jobs: “She will grant his wish” (verb) vs “He won a research grant” (noun). Always ask what the word is doing in this sentence.
Apostrophes for ownership
The rules
Add apostrophe + s, even if the name ends in s.
The apostrophe goes after the s.
If the plural doesn’t end in s, treat it like a singular.
its = belonging to it. it’s = it is. No apostrophe for ownership here!
Choose the correct possessive
its or it’s?
Read the sentence and choose the word that fills the gap.
- The quick test: swap in “it is.” If it still makes sense, it’s it’s. If not, it’s its.
- Get him to say who owns what out loud before placing the apostrophe — one owner, or many?
Spelling & spot-the-error
Add the suffix — which spelling?
Spot the mistake (or N for none)
Tap the part of the sentence with the error. If everything is correct, tap N — no mistake.
- The “N” discipline is the lesson of Q8 — he flagged an error that wasn’t there. Praise a confident, correct N.
- Method: read the whole sentence first, then check each part for spelling and punctuation before deciding.
Brain break
Five minutes off-screen: stretch, water, a quick stand-up. If he fancies a word game, play “spot the apostrophe” on any packaging within reach — is it ownership, or short for “is”?
Homophones
Choose the right spelling
- For each pair, anchor one meaning to a picture: bare = nothing on it; bear = the animal.
- their / there / they’re: their owns, there is a place, they’re = they are.
Commas & punctuation
Comma — needed or not?
The □ marks where a comma might go. Decide whether it belongs.
Join two ideas
Pick a conjunction to join the ideas. Then flip the clause to the front — and watch the comma appear. The subordinate clause shows in violet.
- The rule that fixes Q14: a comma follows a fronted phrase (“After lunch, …”), but you don’t drop one in just because there’s an adverb like “loudly.”
- Read it aloud — a natural pause at the start of a sentence often signals a comma; a mid-sentence adverb usually doesn’t.
Vocabulary & synonyms
Best synonym in context
Read the sentence, then choose the word closest in meaning to the highlighted one.
Word-part toolkit
When a word is unfamiliar, break it up — a part you know often gives the meaning away.
- Always read the synonym back into the sentence to check it fits — “awe-inspiring” → “astonishing” works; “tiny” clearly doesn’t.
- If he’s unsure, eliminate the obvious wrong ones first, then choose between what’s left.
ComprehensionFlex · swappable
The Lighthouse
The lighthouse had not shone for thirty years, but Maya climbed its spiral stairs anyway. Each step groaned beneath her, and the salt air grew colder as she rose. At the top, the great lamp sat silent under a sheet of dust, like a sleeping eye.
Maya wiped the glass with her sleeve and peered out. Below, the village looked tiny and unfamiliar, its rooftops scattered like dropped dominoes. She had always thought the lighthouse was useless — a relic from her grandfather’s time.
Yet standing here, with the whole coast laid out before her, she understood why he had loved it. It was not the light that mattered, she realised, but the view it gave you of everything you thought you already knew.
- Make him point to the words in the passage that justify each answer — evidence, not memory.
- Questions 2 and 3 reuse today’s synonym and word-type skills, so name the link out loud.
Wrap-up & take-home
Run it
- Say the thread: word types → apostrophes & punctuation → spelling & homophones → meaning (vocabulary & comprehension).
- Ask him for one example of each from today.
- Agree the take-home — all screen or spoken.
Quick confidence check
Tap a light for each — handy to compare next week.
- Proofread one real thing — a menu, a sign, a text — and find one spelling or punctuation slip.
- Spot two apostrophes “in the wild” and say whether each shows ownership or “is.”
- One “best synonym” at dinner: someone says a plain word, he offers a stronger one.