3 mistakes learners make with word classes, each one named and explained.
A word's class is the job it is doing in this sentence, not a label it carries around.
Asked which word is a conjunction, quickly or happy or ran is chosen.
The words that carry the meaning are the ones the eye lands on, and the small joining words are read straight past.
Question. I wanted to go swimming, but it was raining.
A common answer. swimming
The answer. but
Why. But is the word doing the joining, even though it carries none of the meaning.
A conjunction joins. Cover it and the sentence falls into two pieces.
In 'she spoke very quietly', quietly is called an adjective.
Both are describing words, and adjective is the describing word most people can name.
Question. She spoke very quietly.
A common answer. quietly is an adjective
The answer. quietly is an adverb
Why. It is describing how she spoke, and spoke is a verb.
Ask what the word is describing. A thing means adjective; an action means adverb.
The trick was so astonish, where astonishing is needed.
The family carries the meaning, so any member of it sounds nearly right.
Question. The trick was so blank that the audience gasped: astonish, astonishing or astonishment?
A common answer. Astonishment
The answer. Astonishing
Why. After so the sentence needs a describing word. Astonishing is the adjective; astonishment is the noun and astonish is the verb.
Work out what job the gap does in the sentence, then pick the family member built for that job.
WAJD spots these patterns in your child's answers and names the one behind their wrong answers, instead of just marking them wrong.