Basic Grammar and Usage – Students show understanding of basic sentence patterns, phrases and clauses, word forms, verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, and pronoun-antecedent agreement.

Skills and Concepts

RIT Scores between 161 and 170

Use Basic Sentence Patterns

• Format: Short sentences, 4-6 words, using very basic vocabulary
• Format: Statements, questions, and commands
• Recognize a complete sentence
• Arrange words in order to form a complete sentences

Use Noun Forms

• Recognize the regular plural form of a noun (add s)
• Recognize simple irregular plural nouns
• Recognize that a noun is to be used as a direct object

Use/Distinguish Verb Tenses

• Recognize the correct use of past tense verbs (add –ed)
• Recognize the correct use of past progressive (was __ing)
• Recognize the correct use of common irregular past tense verbs

Use Irregular Verb Forms

• Determine the correct common irregular verb form to use in a short, simple sentence

Use Subject-Verb Agreement

Recognize the correct use of subjects or verbs in the following cases:

• Third person singular or plural subject - present participle
• Second person singular subject - present participle to use as first word in a question
• Subject-verb agreement in a short simple sentence

Use Adjective Forms

• Recognize the correct use of comparative adjectives -er and -est

Use Pronoun Forms

• Use objective pronouns correctly: me, us, them
• Use nominative pronouns correctly: he, she, or they
• Use possessive pronouns correctly: her
• Understand that pronouns take the place of nouns
• Identify the pronoun used to take the place of a singular “thing”

Spelling

· Recognize common words that have been misspelled, either by sight or by applying basic rules of phonics

New Vocabulary: underlined, missing word, more than one, complete sentence, Standard English, pronoun, correct

RIT Scores between 171 and 180

Use Basic Sentence Patterns

• Format: Short sentences, 2–10 words, basic vocabulary
• Format: Statements, questions, and commands
• Select words to form a complete sentence
• Recognize a complete sentence
• Recognize words that do not form a complete sentence
• Recognize a complete question
• Recognize word order that makes sense (syntax)

Use Types of Phrases

• Format: Short, simple sentences with basic vocabulary
• Recognize phrases that tell “where” or “when”
• Recognize the correct use and meaning of a prepositional phrase containing “under”
• Understand the meaning of a phrase telling “when”

Use Noun Forms

• Recognize the regular plural form of a noun
• Recognize simple irregular plural nouns
• Recognize regular plural nouns needing –es ending
• Recognize the correct use of a singular possessive noun
• Identify a noun

Use/Distinguish Verb Tenses

• Format: Short simple sentences, basic vocabulary
• Recognize the correct use of present tense verbs (will ____)
• Recognize the correct use of common irregular past tense verbs
• Recognize past tense verbs used correctly in sentences
• Recognize the correct use of present progressive verbs (is __ing)
• Determine the correct verb form to use in a sentence
• Distinguish which sentence tells past tense
• Recognize the correct use of a past tense helping or auxiliary verb
• Identify the correct irregular past tense form of a verb

Use Irregular Verb Forms

• Format: Single word verbs only in this RIT range
• Determine the correct verb form to use in a sentence (range of difficulty from come/came to catch/caught)
• Determine the correct verb forms to use in a compound or complex sentence

Use Subject-Verb Agreement

Recognize the correct use of subjects or verbs in the following cases:

• Third person subject - linking verb
• Singular subject - verb phrase
• Third person plural and second person singular - correct present participle to use as the first word in a question

Use Adjective Forms

• Use comparative –er correctly
• Use superlative –est correctly
• In a short, simple sentence, use an adjective that tells “what kind”
• Use comparatives “good, better, best” correctly

Use Adverb Forms

• Use adverbs telling “how”
• Use comparative adverbs telling “how” correctly

Use Pronoun Forms

• Use objective pronouns correctly: us, him, her, them

· Identify the pronoun used to take the place of a compound or singular subject

• Recognize correct and incorrect use of demonstrative pronouns “them” and “those”
• Use nominative pronouns correctly: he, she, we
• Use indefinite pronouns correctly: correctly
• Use the pronoun “I” correctly in a compound subject
• Use objective pronouns correctly in compound direct objects: “___ and us”
• Use possessive pronouns correctly: hers, his
• Understand the meaning of possessive pronouns used in a sentence

Use Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

· Recognize that “___ and I” = “we”

· Use the correct pronoun to match the number and gender of the subject: he, they, him

· Identify the noun in one sentence replaced by a pronoun in another

Use Negative Forms Correctly

· Recognize the correct use of negative phrase “doesn’t have”

Spelling

· Format: Short, one- or two- syllable words, frequently used words

· Recognize common words that have been misspelled, either by sight or by applying basic rules of phonics

· Recognize words misspelled when endings added: double final consonant, add -ed; drop e, add –ing

New Vocabulary: noun, past tense, wrong, word order

RIT Scores between 181 and 190

Use Basic Sentence Patterns

• Format: Sentence length is about 10 words, with some more difficult vocabulary
• Format: Statements, questions, and commands
• Recognize word order specific to a question
• Identify/recognize complete sentences with adverb phrases or nouns of direct address at beginning (comma in sentence)

• Select words in two places to form a complete sentence
• Identify a group of words as an incomplete sentence
• Identify sentences containing more than one idea
• Identify the subject and predicate of a sentence
• Identify a group of words that do not form a complete sentence – requiring very careful reading
• Recognize word order necessary to form a complete sentence

Use Types of Phrases

• Short sentences, simple paragraph
• Understand the meaning of a phrase telling “where”

Use Noun Forms

• Recognize a regular plural noun used in a sentence
• Recognize an irregular plural noun used in a sentence
• Recognize the irregular plural form of a noun
• Recognize the correct plural spelling of a noun ending in “y”

Use/Distinguish Verb Tenses

• Format: Sentences become more complex, with more difficult vocabulary
• Identify the correct past tense form of common irregular verbs
• Recognize or determine the correct use of common irregular past tense verbs
• Recognize or determine the correct use of past tense helping or auxiliary verbs
• Determine the correct use of a verb phrase
• Recognize the correct use of gerunds
• Recognize the correct use of regular past tense verbs
• Determine the correct verb tense to use in a sentence
• Recognize or determine the correct use of future tense verbs and verb phrases
• Identify which word is a verb
• Recognize a sentence that tells past action or events

Use Irregular Verb Forms

• Determine which verb to use in a sentence
• Determine which verb phrase to use in a sentence
• Determine which verb to use in a sentence that has an auxiliary verb
• Identify the past tense of an irregular verb

Use Subject-Verb Agreement

Recognize the correct use of subjects or verbs in the following cases:

• Singular or plural subject - verb phrase
• Compound subject or third person plural subject - linking verb or present participle
• Third person singular subject - auxiliary verb
• Third person singular or plural subject – main verb
• First person plural subject – main verb

Use Adjective Forms

• Use comparative adjectives (-er, -est) correctly
• Use comparatives “good, better, best” correctly
• Identify a word describing a noun in a sentence
• Recognize the correct use of comparative adjectives
• Use superlative adjectives correctly

Use Adverb Forms

• Understand that adverbs can tell “where, when, or how”;

Identify adverbs that tell “where”

• Use –ly adverbs correctly

Use Pronoun Forms

· Identify the pronoun used to take the place of “___ and me”

· Use possessive pronouns correctly: their

· Use reflexive pronouns correctly: myself, themselves

· Identity pronouns used to replace singular or plural “things”: it, them

· Use objective pronouns correctly: her, him

· Recognize the correct and incorrect use of “I” in a compound subject (“___ and I”)

· Use nominative pronouns correctly by matching gender

· Use indefinite pronouns correctly: everyone

· Identify pronouns used to replace singular or plural nouns: her, they

Use Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

· Use the correct pronoun in a sentence to match number, gender, thing in a previous sentence: it, her, they, he, his, himself

· Identify the noun in one sentence referred to by a nominative or possessive noun in another

Use Negative Forms Correctly

· Recognize the correct use of only one negative in a sentence: can’t – anybody; doesn’t – any; have never had any

Spelling

· Format: One- or two-syllable words, with some of three-syllables at upper RIT range

· Recognize misspelled common compound words

· Recognize words misspelled when endings added: double final consonant, add -ing; drop e, add –ing

· Recognize the correct spelling of root words with suffixes added: -ous, -y, -less, -ing, -ed

· Distinguish the correct spelling of a word from incorrect versions

· Identify two words misspelled in one sentence

· Recognize the correct spelling of a plural noun: change “y” to “i” and add “-es”

· Recognize a sentence in which all words are correctly spelled (up to 8 words)

· Recognize an incorrectly used homograph in a sentence

New Vocabulary: subject, predicate, incomplete sentence, run-on sentence, phrase, verb, plural, question, paragraph, singular, action word, verb phrase, clause

RIT Scores between 191 and 200

Use Basic Sentence Patterns

• Format: Sentences in this RIT range often begin with prepositional or adverb phrases
• Recognize sentences that are complete and not complete
• Complete sentences with the correct phrase
• Recognize complete sentences containing only a noun and a verb
• Identify a simple sentence
• Identify the correct word order to form a sentence
• Identify the subject of a sentence
• Identify a group of words as an incomplete sentence
• Identify two sentences with different word order but the same meaning
• Turn a clause into a complete sentence
• Recognize where to divide a sentence between the subject and the predicate
• Identify a complete sentence where the predicate is written first

Use Types of Phrases

• Understand the meaning of a phrase telling “why”
• Recognize phrases telling “how” or “where”

Use Noun Forms

• Identify which is the noun in a sentence
• Recognize the irregular plural form of a noun
• Recognize the correct use of a singular possessive noun
• Recognize the correct plural form of a noun used in a sentence
• Identify which is not a correct irregular plural noun
• Identify a word as a noun
• Recognize a noun that is not plural
• Recognize plural nouns needing the –es ending

Use/Distinguish Verb Tenses

• Recognize that sentences can tell past, present or future actions
• Identify a sentence that tells past action
• Identify a sentence that tells future action
• Recognize or determine the correct use of irregular past tense verbs
• Recognize or determine the correct use of regular past tense verbs
• Determine the correct verb to use in a sentence with auxiliary verbs
• Identify common irregular past tense forms of verbs
• Recognize more difficult irregular verb forms
• Tell the meaning of “past tense of a verb”
• Determine the correct verb to use to tell future actions

Use Irregular Verb Forms

• Identify the past tense of a verb
• Determine which verb to use in a question that has an auxiliary verb at the beginning of the sentence

Use Subject-Verb Agreement

Recognize the correct use of subjects or verbs in the following cases:

• Compound subject – linking verb
• Compound subject – verb phrase
• Third person singular subject – main verb
• Plural subject – auxiliary verb or verb phrase

Use Adjective Forms

• Use comparatives “bad, worse, worst” correctly
• Use comparatives “more, most” correctly
• Use comparative adjectives (-er, -est) correctly
• Recognize correctly and incorrectly used comparative forms
• Use adjectives telling “what kind”

Use Adverb Forms

• Use adverbs telling “when” correctly
• Use comparative adverbs telling “when”

Use Pronoun Forms

· Use possessive pronouns correctly: their, theirs, his, hers, its

· Recognize the correct and incorrect use of she/her as subject or object

· Recognize the correct and incorrect use of “I” in a compound subject or in a list

· Identify the pronoun used to take the place of names in the objective case: them

· Use reflexive pronouns correctly: themselves

· Recognize the correct use of “whom” (With whom are you…?)

Use Negative Forms Correctly

· Recognize the correct use of only one negative in a sentence: isn’t any; has no; doesn’t have; haven’t any

Spelling

· Format: Many longer words: three and four syllables

· Format: Less frequently used words

· Distinguish the correct spelling of a word from incorrect versions

· Recognize correct application of basic spelling rules:

§ Change “y” to “i” and add ending

§ Change “f” to “v” and add –es

§ Drop final “e” and add –ing, -ed, or –ous

· Recognize the correct spelling of “ui” words

· Recognize the correct spelling of “ie” or “ei” words

· Recognize common words that have been misspelled, either by sight or by applying basic rules of phonics

· Recognize correct and incorrect spellings of root words with affixes: un-, -ly, a-, dis-, -able, im-, mis-, -ful, -ness

· Recognize the correct spelling and use of the contraction “it’s”

· Recognize the correct spelling/pronunciation of words ending in –th or –the

· Recognize the correct spelling and use of homographs

New Vocabulary: simple sentence, comparative forms, suffix

RIT Scores between 201 and 210

Use Basic Sentence Patterns

• Sentences have more complex syntax and phrasing, more difficult vocabulary
• Recognize complete and incomplete sentences (first time this term appears)
• Identify compound sentences
• Identify sentence patterns (some articles and possessive pronouns used in short, simple sentences): noun–verb, noun-verb-noun
• Change the word order and keep the same meaning
• Add a phrase to form a complete sentence
• Recognize a group of words as an incomplete sentence or a question
• Name the two main parts of a sentence
• Verbalize what sentence part is needed to form a complete sentence: subject, object, adjective, or subordinate clause

Use Types of Phrases

• Vocabulary: prepositional phrase
• Identify a prepositional phrase
• Recognize a phrase telling “which”

Use Types of Clauses

• Understand the intended meaning of a particular clause

Use Noun Forms

• Recognize the correct plural form of a noun
• Understand the meaning of a singular possessive noun
• Recognize the correct irregular plural form of a noun
• Identify which word is not a plural noun
• Recognize the correct use of a plural noun in a sentence
• Distinguish possessive nouns from contractions
• Recognize a collective noun as being singular, distinguishing it from plural nouns

Use/Distinguish Verb Tenses

• Identify sentences that tell past, present, or future
• Understand the tense and meaning of verbs, replace with similar verbs of the same tense and meaning
• Determine the correct verb tense to use in a sentence
• Determine the correct verb form to use in a sentence: irregular verbs, verbs used with auxiliary verbs
• Identify present tense verbs
• Determine the correct verb phrase to use in a sentence

Use Irregular Verb Forms

• Format: Difficulty of vocabulary increases in this RIT range
• Determine which verb to use in sentences with or without auxiliary verbs

Use Subject-Verb Agreement

Recognize the correct use of subjects or verbs in the following cases:

• Singular subject – linking verb
• Singular subject – main verb
• Plural subject – linking verb
• Plural subject – auxiliary verb

Use Adjective Forms

• Use comparatives “less, least” correctly
• Understand the meaning of comparative adjectives
• Identify adjectives used in a sentence
• Recognize correctly and incorrectly used comparative forms

Use Adverb Forms

• Understand that adverbs can tell “where, when, or how”;

Identify adverbs that tell “when”

• Use comparative adverbs correctly
• Understand the meaning of comparative adverbs

Use Pronoun Forms

· Format: Difficulty of vocabulary and sentence length and complexity increase at this level

· Recognize the correct and incorrect use of nominative, objective, possessive, and demonstrative pronouns

· Use objective pronouns correctly in a complex sentence: Everyone except ___…

· Recognize correct and incorrect use of “their, they’re, and there”

· Identify the noun replaced by a pronoun

· Use reflexive pronouns correctly: themselves

Use Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

· Replace more than one noun with the correct pronouns, matching gender and type of pronoun: nominative, objective, and possessive

· Use the correct pronoun in one sentence to match the number and gender in another: them

Use Negative Forms Correctly

· Recognize the correct use of only one negative in a sentence: no more than; hasn’t any

· Recognize that two negatives in a sentence is not Standard English

· Use “n’t” contractions correctly

Spelling

· Format: Generally more difficult, commonly misspelled words

· Recognize correctly and incorrectly applied basic spelling rules when adding endings or affixes

· Recognize when to double final consonant before adding ending

· Distinguish the correct spelling of a word from incorrect versions

· Identify which word is or is not spelled correctly

New Vocabulary: fragment, compound sentence, prepositional phrase, present tense, adjective, nonstandard English, linking verb, adverb, possessive, dependent clause

RIT Scores between 211 and 220

Use Basic Sentence Patterns

• Identify sentence patterns (sentences with articles, simple adjectives): noun-verb, noun-verb-noun, noun-verb-verb
• Identify the subject of a sentence
• Identify a sentence as simple or compound
• Complete sentences correctly with words or phrases
• Recognize complete complex sentences
• Recognize sentences with clear meaning and correct form
• Identify sentence fragments
• Name the part of the sentence needed to complete a sentence: adjective to complete the linking verb

Use Types of Phrases

• Recognize what part of the sentence a prepositional phrase modifies
• Recognize a prepositional phrase used as an adjective
• Recognize the meaning of a verb phrase

Use Types of Clauses

• Identify the main clause in a sentence

Use Noun Forms

• Recognize which is not a correct irregular plural noun
• Identify a plural possessive noun
• Distinguish plural nouns from singular collective nouns, nouns that end in ‘s’, and possessive nouns
• Identify a noun that is an idea or a feeling, not just a person, place, or thing

Use/Distinguish Verb Tenses

• Determine the correct verb form to use in a sentence
• Identify the verb form not used correctly in a sentence
• Recognize verbs that have the same form for both present and past tense
• Understand that there are names for various parts of speech; identify which word in a sentence is the verb
• Understand that sentences tell past, present, or future; identify which sentence tells past
• Understand the meaning of a complex verb phrase

Use Irregular Verb Forms

• Identify the verb form not correctly used in a sentence
• Determine which verb to use in a sentence in which the auxiliary verb is separated from the main verb
• Identify troublesome irregular verbs (lie/lay, sit/set, etc.)
• Determine which verb form is correctly used in a complex sentence

Use Subject-Verb Agreement

Recognize the correct use of subjects or verbs in the following cases:

• First person singular subject – main verb
• Identify a singular subject by recognizing form of the verb in the predicate

Use Adjective Forms

• Recognize that adjectives are words that describe things
• Use comparatives “-y, -ier, -iest” correctly
• Understand that there are names for various parts of speech; identify which word in a sentence is the adjective
• Understand the use of the adjective-forming suffix “-al” when added to nouns ending in “–tion” (inspiration, inspirational)
• Understand that comparative –er means to compare two things
• Understand the correct use of “good” as an adjective, not an adverb

Use Adverb Forms

• Format: Longer sentences, more difficult vocabulary
• Recognize correct and incorrect use of adverbs, including comparative adverb forms
• Recognize correct and incorrect comparative adverb forms for words ending in –ly

Use Pronoun Forms

· Understand that there are names for various parts of speech; identify which word in a sentence is the pronoun

· Understand the meaning of a pronoun: “all of us” = “we”

· Use nominative case pronouns correctly

· Recognize the correct and incorrect use of “I” in a compound subject or in a list

· Recognize the correct and incorrect use of reflexive, nominative, possessive, and objective pronouns

· Recognize the correct and incorrect use of reflexive pronouns: themselves, itself, herself, ourselves

· Use nominative pronouns correctly in compound subjects

· Use indefinite pronouns in a phrase correctly: “___ of the people were…” (few, each, one, either)

Use Negative Forms Correctly

· Recognize the correct use of negatives “hardly” and “scarcely”

Spelling

· Troublesome spelling patterns:

§ -ance/-ence

§ ei/ie

§ -ary/-ery

§ plural form of words ending in “o”

New Vocabulary: modifies, main clause, plural possessive, irregular verb, simple sentence, compound sentence, complex sentence, compound-complex sentence

RIT Scores between 221 and 230

Use Basic Sentence Patterns

• Identify sentence patterns (sentences containing adjectives and helping verbs): noun-verb, noun-verb-noun, noun-linking verb-noun
• Identify the predicate of a sentence
• Identify the part needed to complete a sentence: subject, object, or adjective to complete the linking verb
• Verbalize that a predicate contains a verb

Use Types of Phrases

• Recognize a simple noun phrase
• Recognize and identify a prepositional phrase containing ‘in’, ‘toward’, ‘with’, ‘around’, ‘into’

Use Types of Clauses

• Identify a dependent clause

Use Noun Forms

• Understand the meaning of a plural possessive noun
• Recognize the correct irregular plural form of nouns not commonly used (Latin roots like data-datum; open compounds like lady in waiting)
• Distinguish irregular plurals from words that are not plural
• Distinguish a possessive noun from a plural noun or a noun used as a contraction with ‘s for “is”
• Recognize the correct possessive form of a word

Use/Distinguish Verb Tenses

• Recognize sentences in which the subject of the sentence is the “doer” of the action
• Determine the correct verb forms to use in a compound or complex sentence

Use Irregular Verb Forms

• Determine which verb to use in a sentence with or without an auxiliary verb

• Determine the correct verb forms or verb phrases to use in compound or complex sentences
• Identify correct form of less commonly used irregular verbs

Use Subject-Verb Agreement

Recognize the correct use of subjects or verbs in the following cases:

• Complex subject (“one of the __s”, “all of the __s”) – linking verb
• “There” – linking verb – plural noun
• Indefinite pronoun – linking verb

Use Adjective Forms

• Recognize correctly and incorrectly used comparative forms, use tricky context clues to determine correct use

Use Pronoun Forms

· Use nominative pronouns correctly as the first word in a compound subject

· Use indefinite pronouns correctly: “___ of the girls is …” (many, some, either, several)

· Distinguish “that” used as a pronoun from “that” used as an adjective

· Recognize the correct and incorrect use of “who, who’s, and whose”

· Recognize the correct and incorrect use of nominative and objective case pronouns in complex sentences

· Use nominative pronouns followed by a noun correctly: We boys will…

Use Negative Forms Correctly

· Recognize the correct and incorrect use of negatives “hardly” and “scarcely”

· Recognize the correct use of only one negative in a sentence: haven’t anything

Spelling

· Tricky, troublesome words

· Distinguish which homograph is not correctly spelled/used

New Vocabulary: noun phrase, dependent clause, possessive noun, conjunction

RIT Scores between 231 and 240

Use Basic Sentence Patterns

• Identify a complex sentence

Use Types of Phrases

• Recognize and identify a prepositional phrase containing ‘within’
• Recognize adverb and adjective phrases

Use Noun Forms

• Recognize the correct plural spelling of a noun ending in “y” when just an ‘s’ is added
• Recognize the correct plural forms of irregular and not frequently used plurals

Use Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

• Recognize clear or unclear pronouns-antecedents

Use Negative Forms Correctly

· Recognize the correct and incorrect use of negatives “hardly” and “barely”

· Recognize the correct use of only one negative in a sentence with complex phrasing: has nothing; aren’t any; hasn’t he ever; isn’t any; scarcely had we

New Vocabulary: adverb phrase, adjective phrase, pronoun’s antecedent