grammar for writing: teaching narrative · linking grammar and writing one way to create a strong...

Grammar for Writing:

Teaching Narrative

Debra Myhill

All art is achieved through the exercise

of a craft, and every craft has its

rudiments that must be taught.

Fairfax and Moat (1998

INTRODUCTION

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Aims of the Day

Revising and extending knowledge of verb phrases;

Focusing on using grammar to develop settings and character in

narrative writing;

Emphasising the importance of verbalising the grammar-writing link

Developing confidence in planning with grammar in mind;

Communicating this project to your colleagues.

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REFLECTION ON GAP TASK AND

LEAD PLANNING

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Linking Grammar and Writing

One way to create a strong visual description of a narrative scene is to use

precisely-chosen prepositional phrases.

One way to create suspense in a narrative is to put the subject after the verb.

One way to create character, and show not tell, is to choose verbs carefully to

make the reader infer.

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GRAMMAR SUBJECT

KNOWLEDGE: VERBS

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Verbs: Reprise

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think

believe

suggest

mumble

leap

crunch

exclaim dive

These are all infinitives – the base form of the verb.

Verbs: Reprise

With your chosen infinitive form of the verb, can you write:

The present tense;

The past tense;

The present progressive;

The past progressive;

The present perfect;

The past perfect;

A verb phrase using a modal verb;

The present participle;

The past participle.

Use ‘she’ as your pronoun for each one eg She walks

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Verbs: Reprise

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FORM SUGGEST THINK MUMBLE

The present tense suggests thinks mumbles

The past tense suggested thought mumbled

The present progressive is suggesting is thinking is mumbling

The past progressive was suggesting was thinking was mumbling

The present perfect has suggested has thought has mumbled

The past perfect had suggested had thought had mumbled

A verb phrase using a modal verb could suggest might think would mumble

The present participle suggesting thinking mumbling

The past participle suggested thought mumbled

Finite Verbs Knowing the difference between finite and non finite verbs is helpful, especially

for teachers, as it helps with understanding clauses and what makes a

complete (regular sentence).

The finite verb is the verb which shows past or present tense

This is often a single verb

eg I dance; I danced

In a verb phrase, the finite verb is always the first one in the phrase

eg I was dancing; I am dancing; I could have danced; I had been dancing

Notice that the present participle, which always ends with –ing is never finite

The past participle is also never finite, but in many verbs it is the same as

the past tense form which makes it tricky

eg I danced (past tense); I had danced (past participle)

Now you see why knowing about a verb phrase is very important!

A complete (regular) sentence must have finite verb.

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Verbs: Finite Verbs

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Where are the finite verbs in this list of verbs and verb phrases?

Verbs: Finite Verbs

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The finite verbs in this list of verbs and verb phrases.

Verbs: Finite and non-Finite

The boy stood to one side. He looked nervous. He knew very well he wasn’t up

there to be presented with a prize. He was watching the Headmistress with an

exceedingly wary eye and he kept edging farther and farther away from her

with little shuffles of his feet, rather as a rat might edge away from a terrier that

is watching it from across the room. His plump flabby face had turned grey with

fearful apprehension. His stockings hung about his ankles.

‘This clot’ boomed the Headmistress, pointing the riding-crop at him like a

rapier, ‘this blackhead, this foul carbuncle, this poisonous pustule that you see

before you is none other than a disgusting criminal, a denizen of the

underworld, a member of the Mafia!’

Matilda – Roald Dahl

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Can you find the finite verbs in this extract?













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Writing Time Think of a piece of footwear: high heeled sparkly shoes; leather boots; school

shoes; fluorescent orange trainers; ballet shoes … and who might wear them.

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Freewrite for 5 minutes about the

character who might wear these shoes.

Let your pen take your imagination for a

walk.

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KS2 Assessment Framework

Working at the Expected Standard - The pupil can:

write effectively for a range of purposes and audiences, selecting language

that shows good awareness of the reader (e.g. the use of the first person in

a diary; direct address in instructions and persuasive writing)

in narratives, describe settings, characters and atmosphere

integrate dialogue in narratives to convey character and advance the action

select vocabulary and grammatical structures that reflect what the writing

requires, doing this mostly appropriately (e.g. using contracted forms in

dialogues in narrative; using passive verbs to affect how information is

presented; using modal verbs to suggest degrees of possibility)

use a range of devices to build cohesion (e.g. conjunctions, adverbials of

time and place, pronouns, synonyms) within and across paragraphs

use verb tenses consistently and correctly throughout their writing

use the range of punctuation taught at key stage 2 mostly correctly (e.g.

inverted commas and other punctuation to indicate direct speech) 18

ESTABLISHING A SETTING IN

NARRATIVE

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A kangaroo

sits in the hot

sun in the

evening.

Rewrite this as a short

narrative paragraph about a

particular kangaroo, conveying

a sense of place and climate.

Setting in Narrative


Far inland, where ocean is a dim

memory, the sun floats on the waves of

another bake-earth day. In the long

shadows, a big red kangaroo licks his

forearms and lets the early evening

breeze wash over him.

Adverbials positioned at the front of

the sentence foreground a sense of

location and time.








Nouns and noun phrases provide

specific detail and evoke a sense of

heat and dryness.








Action verbs extend the metaphor of

desert as ocean.


Verbalising the grammar-writing link

The writer uses adverbials at the start of

the sentence to foreground and locate

the place where the kangaroo lives.

The writer uses nouns and noun

phrases to evoke the sense of heat and

dryness.

The writer uses action verbs to extend

the metaphor of desert as ocean.

What grammatical choices have you made in your description?

Metalinguistic thinking

Detail in Setting for Inference

Beyond the alley they came to a warren of grimy streets, where old women

stood in the doorways, wearing sacks for aprons, and men in carpet slippers

sat on the steps. Dogs nosed among crumpled paper in the gutter; a rusty

bicycle wheel lay on the cobbles. A group of boys at the corner talked to a girl

whose hair was rolled in brightly coloured plastic curlers.

Elidor – Alan Garner

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What do you infer from this description of the setting?

What language choices are creating that inference?








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Long (expanded) noun phrases with lots of additional detail after the verb








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Long (expanded) noun phrases with lots of additional detail after the verb

Prepositional phrases to show details about the place

These help us infer this is not a rich area, but that it is a community.

Establishing Mood and Atmosphere

The island looked perhaps two or three miles in length, no more. It was shaped

a bit like an elongated peanut, but longer at one end than another. There was

a long swathe of brilliant white beach on both sides of the island, and at the far

end another hill, the slopes steeper and thickly wooded, but not so high as

mine. With the exception of these twin peaks the entire island seemed to be

covered with forest. So far as I could see there was no sign of any human life. ..

I sat down in the shadow of a great rock. The gibbons set up a renewed

chorus of howling and hooting in the forest, and a flock of raucous birds

clattered up out of the canopy of the trees below us and flew off across the

island to settle in the trees on the hillside opposite.

Kensuke’s Kingdom – Michael Morpurgo

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Establishing Mood and Atmosphere

The island looked perhaps two or three miles in length, no more. It was

shaped a bit like an elongated peanut, but longer at one end than another.

There was a long swathe of brilliant white beach on both sides of the island,

and at the far end another hill, the slopes steeper and thickly wooded, but not

so high as mine. With the exception of these twin peaks/ the entire island

seemed to be covered with forest. So far as I could see there was no sign of

any human life... I sat down in the shadow of a great rock. The gibbons set up

a renewed chorus of howling and hooting in the forest, and a flock of raucous

birds clattered up out of the canopy of the trees below us and flew off across

the island to settle in the trees on the hillside opposite.


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Setting in KS1

Once there was a lighthouse keeper called Mr Grinling. At night time he lived

in a small white cottage perched high on the cliffs. In the day time he rowed

out to his lighthouse on the rocks to clean and polish the light.

The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch

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Expanded noun phrases provide visual detail of the setting.

Creating Settings

Verbalising the grammar-writing link:

Using expanded noun phrases can provide visual detail about the setting;

Expanding noun phrases with prepositional phrases can provide detail about

the setting;

Choosing your noun phrases and prepositional phrases carefully can make

your reader infer about the kind of place that your setting is;

Choosing your noun phrases and prepositional phrases carefully can create

a particular mood or atmosphere in your setting.

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CREATING CHARACTERS IN

NARRATIVE

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Creating Characters in Narrative

Show not tell: reveal your character through showing what they are like, not

just telling the reader;

Use specific, concrete detail to describe characters to make your readers

believe in them - generic not specific: this man not any man;

Create strong visual descriptions which allow your reader to see the

character in their own mind’s eye;

Reveal inner reflections so your readers know what your characters are

thinking and feeling;

Think about how you name your characters;

Use dialogue to suggest character.

Show, not Tell: make your reader infer

Show not tell: Dahl doesn’t tell us that Mr Wormwood is a nasty

little man, he tells us he is ‘ratty-looking’ and so shows us he is a

nasty little man. We have to work this out for ourselves (or infer

this).

When we write, sometimes we do tell our readers about

characters, but good writers also make the reader infer what the

character is like.

‘Mr Wormwood was a small ratty-looking man whose front teeth

stuck out underneath a thin ratty moustache’.

Use Verbs to Show not Tell

When she marched – Miss Trunchbull never walked, she always marched like

a Stormtrooper with long strides and arms aswinging –when she marched

along a corridor you could actually hear her snorting as she went, and if a

group of children happened to be in her path, she ploughed through them like a

tank, bouncing off her to left and right.


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What do the verb choices here make us infer about Miss Trunchbull?

When she marched – Miss Trunchbull never walked, she always marched like

a Stormtrooper with long strides and arms aswinging –when she marched

along a corridor you could actually hear her snorting as she went, and if a

group of children happened to be in her path, she ploughed through them like a

tank, bouncing off her to left and right.


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What do the verb choices here make us infer about Miss Trunchbull?

What is the effect of choosing the verb ‘happened’ to describe the children?

Use Verbs to Show not Tell

Give Specific, Concrete Details

(about a pigeon)

I felt its small heart racing underneath my finger

And the push and power of its wings.

Its head was whiter than a splash of milk. Its eye blazed fire.

“Name him he’s yours”, the old man said.

I didn’t have to think. “Re del cielo!” I replied

“King of the sky!”

Make your characters believable by giving specific,

concrete details.

Noun phrases provide the concrete detail here: this is not any pigeon, but it is

this pigeon.

He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape because of

all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose. The only thing Harry

liked about his appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead which

was shaped like a bolt of lightning.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K.Rowling


What concrete details about Harry Potter are given here to help us

understand this character and believe in him?

What grammatical choices does J.K Rowling use to achieve this?

He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape because of

all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose. The only thing Harry

liked about his appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead which

was shaped like a bolt of lightning.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K.Rowling


Long extended noun phrases provide the concrete detail.

Writing Time

Re-read your freewriting about a character who wears the shoes you

chose.

Now visualise him or her – what do they look like? What are they

wearing? How do they feel? Imagine you are filming your character

from every angle.

Now write one paragraph describing your character: thinking about how

you can show not tell to make your reader infer, and about how you

select specific concrete details to make your character specific and

believable.

Create Strong Visual Images

He has terrible tusks, and terrible claws, and terrible teeth in his terrible

jaws.

He has knobbly knees, and turned-out toes, and a poisonous wart at the

end of his nose.

His eyes are orange, his tongue is black; he has purple prickles all over his

back.


He has terrible tusks, and terrible claws, and terrible teeth in his terrible

jaws.

He has knobbly knees, and turned-out toes, and a poisonous wart at the

end of his nose.

His eyes are orange, his tongue is black; he has purple prickles all over his

back.

Noun phrases to convey a strong visual image


He was diminutive, no taller than me, and as old a man as I had ever seen. He

wore nothing but a pair of tattered breeches bunched at the waist, and there

was a large knife in his belt. He was thin, too. In places – under his arms,

round his neck and his midriff – his copper brown skin lay in folds about him,

almost as if he’d shrunk inside it. What little hair he had on his head and his

chin was long and wispy and white.

Kensuke’s Kingdom – Michael Morpurgo.

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What language choices help you see this character? How would you paint him?


He was diminutive, no taller than me, and as old a man as I had ever seen. He

wore nothing but a pair of tattered breeches bunched at the waist, and there

was a large knife in his belt. He was thin, too. In places – under his arms,

round his neck and his midriff – his copper brown skin lay in folds about him,

almost as if he’d shrunk inside it. What little hair he had on his head and his

chin was long and wispy and white.

Kensuke’s Kingdom – Michael Morpurgo.

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Expanded noun phrases with elaborating detail of his appearance.

Noun phrases which refer to parts of his body so we see the whole man.

Freestanding adjectives which add to the visual images.

Reveal Character’s Inner Reflections

Charlie is taking me by the hand, leading me because he knows I don’t

want to go. I’ve never worn a collar before and it’s choking me. My boots

are strange and heavy on my feet. My heart is heavy too, because I

dread what I am going to. Charlie has told me often how terrible this

school-place is: about Mr Munnings and his raging tempers and the long

whipping cane he hangs on the wall above his desk. I don’t want to go

with Charlie. I don’t want to go to school.

Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo

How does this character feel?

How does Michael Morpurgo convey this?










First person voice shows his thinking: first person pronouns and

determiners emphasise the ‘I’ of this piece.










The use of negative verbs and adjectives convey his sense of fear and

reluctance.

This is reinforced by repetition.


Grandma Poss looked miserable.

‘Don’t worry Grandma,’ said Hush ‘I don’t mind.’

But in her heart of hearts she did.


The island looked perhaps two or three miles in length, no more. It was shaped

a bit like an elongated peanut, but longer at one end than another. There was

a long swathe of brilliant white beach on both sides of the island, and at the far

end another hill, the slopes steeper and thickly wooded, but not so high as

mine. With the exception of these twin peaks the entire island seemed to be

covered with forest. So far as I could see there was no sign of any human life.

Even then, as I stood there, that first morning, filled with apprehension at the

terrifying implications of my dreadful situation, I remember thinking how

wonderful it was, a green jewel of an island framed in white, the sea all about it

a silken shimmering blue.


49

Adding a reflection in the midst of other description such as describing a

character or setting.

A tip from the author, Philip Reeve

Getting the names right is half the battle – you can do a lot of worldbuilding

simply by deciding what people and places are called. In my Mortal Engines

books I went for slightly whimsical, Dickensian-sounding names. When I

started writing the story which became Railhead I tried to make sure the

names sounded different. I called my central characters Zen and Nova

because those were the sorts of names I remember from futuristic stories

and TV shows that were around when I was a child – they’re sci-fi names. I

knew that in German-speaking cities there are often railway lines called the

U-bahn and the S-bahn. My interstellar empire would be linked by the K-

bahn, whose trains would go through K-gates and flash across a dimension

called K-space to reach their far destinations.

Proper Nouns for characterisation

Writing Time

Re-read your draft paragraph of your character description.

Think about your description and what you wanted to make your reader

think or feel or know about your character.

Look at the descriptive detail in your prepositional phrases and noun

phrases: show not tell; visual images; concrete detail; inner reflection;

naming

Make at least one language/grammatical change which you think improves

your description and achieves what you want it to achieve (your authorial

intention)

Now explain to your partner the change you made and why.

PURPOSEFUL PLANNING

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Skellig – Making Connections

Read the opening chapter of Skellig.

What links between a grammar choice and a narrative effect can you see in

this opening?

Write down a sentence which communicates this link clearly to children.

You might find this model helpful:

One way to create a strong visual description of a narrative scene is to use

precisely-chosen prepositional phrases.

53

Skellig – Making Connections

The use of pronouns to create a sense of mystery/curiosity: I found him in

the garage on a Sunday afternoon.

The use of Proper Nouns to name characters and prompt inference: Doctor

Death.

Use of first person voice to communicate how the character feels/inner

reflection: I couldn’t have been more wrong; I didn't want anything to do with

him.

The use of expanded noun phrases to describe the setting (the garage): a

demolition site; a rubbish dump; one of those ancient warehouses they keep

pulling down at the wharf.

The use of short verbless sentence to convey the character’s isolation and

loneliness: Just me.

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LEAD Planning Template PRINCIPLE IN THE CLASSROOM

LINKS

Make a link between the

grammar being introduced

and how it works in the writing

being taught

How the use of pronouns can to create a sense of

mystery/curiosity:

I found him in the garage on a Sunday afternoon

EXAMPLES

Explain the grammar through

showing examples, not

lengthy explanations

Give out cards with a variety of nouns and pronouns

which could be substituted for I and him and invite pairs to

play with different versions.

AUTHENTIC TEXTS

Use authentic texts as

models to link writers to the

broader community of writers

Skellig by David Almond

DISCUSSION

Build in high-quality

discussion about grammar

and its effects

Show the first sentence of the novel: discuss Almond’s

choice compared with some of the alternative choices.

Discuss how not naming any characters creates a sense

of mystery – who are they? What will happen? 55

PLENARY

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LEAD Principles PRINCIPLE EXPLANATION RATIONALE

LINKS Make a link between the


and how it works in the

writing being taught

To establish a purposeful learning

reason for addressing grammar, and

connect grammar with meaning and

rhetorical effect

EXAMPLES Explain the grammar through

showing examples, not

lengthy explanations

To avoid writing lessons becoming

mini-grammar lessons, and to allow

access to the structure even if the

grammar concept is not fully

understood

AUTHENTIC

TEXTS



broader community of writers

To integrate reading and writing and

show how ‘real’ writers make language

choices

DISCUSSION Build in high-quality


and its effects

To promote deep metalinguistic

learning about why a particular choice

works, and to develop independence

rather than compliance 57

LEAD Principles PRINCIPLE EXPLANATION CLASSROOM EXAMPLE

LINKS Make a link between the


and how it works in the

writing being taught

Analysing how prepositional phrases

are used to establish the setting in

one scene in Charlotte’s Web by

E.B.White.

EXAMPLES Explain the grammar

through showing examples,

not lengthy explanations

Displaying the relevant paragraph

with all the prepositional phrases

highlighted in colour.

AUTHENTIC

TEXTS



broader community of

writers

Using Charlotte’s Web by E.B.White.

as the model text and understanding

White’s choices.

DISCUSSION Build in high-quality


and its effects

Discussing the effect of the

prepositional phrases; the visual

detail they provide about the setting.

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Gap Task 1. Revise and use the grammar knowledge we have addressed: nouns and

noun phrases; prepositional phrases; and verbs and verb phrases. Think

about where you still feel ‘wobbly’ about grammar knowledge

2. Plan and teach at least five episodes, preferably in the context of narrative

settings and characterisation, where you use the LEAD principles to draw

young writers’ attention to the link between a grammar choice and its effect

in writing, in . Keep a record of each of these episodes using the LEAD

Planning Template.

3. Focus particularly this time on verbalising the grammar-writing link, sharing

this with children, and helping them understand the effect.

4. Bring the completed planning templates to the next CPD Day (in March) to

use in discussion.

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Further Resources

Resources for Teachers:

http://socialsciences.exeter.ac.uk/education/research/centres/centreforresear

chinwriting/grammar-teacher-resources/

Cybergrammar: www.cybergrammar.com

No Nonsense Grammar: Babcock LDP Literacy Team, Raintree (2016)

https://babcock-education.co.uk/ldp/grammarandpunctuation

https://babcock-education.co.uk/ldp/textsthatteach

Essential Primary Grammar

http://www.mheducation.co.uk/essential-primary-grammar

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http://socialsciences.exeter.ac.uk/education/research/centres/centreforresearchinwriting/grammar-teacher-resources/






http://www.cybergrammar.com/

http://www.raintree.co.uk/product/9781474720328












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