To wish yr5 English homework wasn't as stressful?

[jelliebelly]

Dd just started back in yr5 and we are already arguing over homework because I appear to have lost the ability to think straight - which word in the following extract is an adjective? "Swear words stamp around and shout". Dd thinks it's about and I think it's stamp - help!!

It's "swear" I think - because it is describing the "words".

I’d guess swear as it describes. I think stamp is a verb.

Cross-post. I do agree though, primary school English seems to be ridiculously hard. I’m dreading secondary school.

Actually stamping and shouting are both verbs aren't they (doing words as we were taught back in the day!). Maybe there isn't an adjective and we are supposed to think of one. Aargh

Isn't an adjective a "describing word"?

Swear adjective
words noun
stamp verb
around adverb
and conjunction
shout verb

Stamp is definitely a verb as it’s an action. An adjective is a describing word, so your DD is correct, you are wrong.

Adjective describes a noun. Adverb (amongst some other functions) describes a verb, so 'around' is an adverb.

Swear is the adjective. It’s describing the words.

It’s swear.

Swear =adjective
Words = noun

The word swear is describing what the words are.

Stamp and shout are verbs (doing words).

I think
swear - adjective (describing swear) Swear could have been replaced by big or red or long which is a clue
words -noun (subject of the sentence)
stamp - verb (saying what the words are doing)
around - not sure, but sounds like a preposition - describing where they are stamping, but happy if someone tells me it is an adverb describing how they are stamping (around as opposed to firmly)
and - conjunction (?)
shout - verb again

The answer is swear as it describes the words

Adjectives describe nouns, OP. In this case 'swear' is the adjective describing the noun 'words'.

Thankyou all so much - I hate homework!

Strictly speaking there are no nouns in that sentence. “Swear” functions like an adjective, but it’s form is a noun (as in, e.g. college student): so strictly it’s a noun modifier or adjectival noun. That seems hard for year 5! Badly chosen example by the teacher, in my view!

swear is the adjective

words = noun
swear = adjective
stamp, shout = verbs
around = preposition

adjectives always describe a noun.

so - what sort of words stamp around?
swear words, or angry words, or dark words, or horrible words etc

"Around" in this case is an adverb. It would be a preposition if the swear words were stamping around something else.

I do think that this sort of stuff should be taught more often in schools.
I'm a French teacher and it's difficult to teach a language to students who can barely grasp English grammar.

whoops, sorry you are right around is an adverb.

adverb = how are they doing the verb?
so how are they stamping, they are stamping around, they are stamping angrily, they are stamping quickly

it really isn't hard.

From and early age they are taught what a noun and a verb is, and then add in more as they go along.

And please avoid saying 'a verb is a doing word' because it doesn't help.

you end up with kids saying 'reading' is a verb, when it isn't always.

Instead we should say, the verb is to read. I read, you read, he reads, we read.
and of course the most common 2 verbs are not active words at all.

to be:
I am, you are, he/she/it is
to have
I have, you have, he/she it has

and so on.

Every other country manages to teach their children basic grammar, don't understand why it is such an issue for Brits.

Monger Don't worry, it is being taught 'more often' now. Absolute shedloads in primary (hence the y5 homework). And not just the basics like is this an adjective or an adverb. 'Fronted adverbials', coordinating or subordinating conjunctions, etc.

Fine imo for the pupils who are solid on their basic literacy, but my DD (first year of the new SATs) spent ages being taught grammar she couldn't grasp, when she would have been better off learning to actually use basic punctuation and improve her spelling.

She has sadly spent 2 years at secondary learning next to no French, because it appears to be beyond her. (This is not us being anti-MFL btw, her elder sister did 2 MFL GCSEs).