Lesson video

Hi, everyone.

How are you doing today? Welcome to our next lesson in the Robbins journey unit.

This lesson has a special grammar focus.

So I hope that you're sitting somewhere comfortably and feeling confident.

Let's get started.

In this lesson, you'll need an exercise book or some paper, a pencil or something to write with, and you'll need your brain.

If you haven't got everything you need, pause the video, go and collect it and I'll see you when you're ready.

We'll do a writing warm up.

Then we will explore 'As' complex sentences.

Then we will explore relative clause complex sentences.

Let's see, what's our writing warm up is.

It's all about identifying phrases and clauses.

Let's say these words, phrase, clause.

Can you remember the difference? Give you a clue.

It's something to do with verbs.

One of them has got verbs in them, and one of them hasn't.

Let's see.

So phrase is a group of words that does not contain a verb.

So that means a clause must be a group of words that does contain a verb.

Should we remind ourselves of our word class clause the verb? I'll do it.

And then we'll do it together.

A verb is a doing or a being word.

If you do it or you are, then the word is a verb.

Are we together? One, two, three.

A verb is a doing or a being word? If you do it or you are, then the word is a verb.

Good job.

So here's an example of a phrase above the tempestuous sea.

Your turn to say it, and here is an example of a clause.

The wind howled above the tempestuous sea.

Your turn to say it.

Good job.

Can you see the difference? So there's a verb in the clause.

What's the verb in the clause? Point to it.

Tell me, howled.

Well done.

The wind howled above the tempestuous sea.

I can almost hear that in my ears as I read that sentence.

So your turn to identify the phrases and clauses.

There's the reminder of what's the phrases.

There's the reminder of what the clause is.

And you've got some groups of words on the screen.

Let's see what they are.

The dark stormy sky beating his wings as fast as he could heart thumped inside his chest.

The crashing waves battled against the strong wind.

Pause the video now and write down whether each group of words is a phrase or a clause.

Pause the video and play it.

When you're ready.

Let's check.

Can you see a little words that are in the purple rectangle, those are the phrases.

Did you get them, in the dark stormy sky? There is no verb in that.

The crashing waves.

There's no verb in that either, just objectives and nouns, and let's look at the other ones.

Also there are the clauses beating his wings as fast as he could heart thumped inside his chest.

He battled against a strong wind, but really good picture in my mind of the poor little robin flying as quickly as he could in trying his hardest in that strong wind.

So do you know why their clauses? Did you see the verbs? Tell me the verb in heart thumped inside his chest.

Tell me, thumped.

okay.

Tell me the verb in beating his wings as fast as he could.

Tell me.

Okay.

And what about battled against the strong wind? Tell me.

Lets check.

Thumped, beating, and battled.

well done.

So we are going to investigate 'As' complex sentences all complex sentences have to have a subordinate clause and a main clause.

Let's say those words, subordinate clause, main clause.

Well done.

So a subordinate clause has a verb because we know that all clauses have to have verbs, but the subordinate clause does not make sense on its own.

So the main clause has a verb and does make sense on its own.

Let's look at an example of a sentence with both clauses in them.

As bright lightning, flashed, perilously, torrential rain poured down.

So the bit in pink is the subordinate clause, and the bit in purple is the main clause.

What are the verbs in that sentence? Tell me the first one.

Yep.

Flashed and tell me the second one.

Yeah.

Poured.

We are writing 'As' complex sentences.

They're sometimes called adverbial complex sentences.

So in that example, the 'As' clause is the subordinate clause.

I've started off with an 'As' clause, as bright lightning flashed perilously torrential rain poured down.

So I've started with my subordinate clause and I finished with my main clause.

True or false? The subordinate clause always has to be at the beginning.

In that example, it is isn't it.

I can see that it's in pink, the subordinate clause that's the beginning.

Does it always have to be at the beginning? Show me with your thumb if you think it's true or false, show me.

Let's check.

It's false.

It doesn't have to be.

It can be at the end of the sentence.

So have a look at these two examples.

As bright lightning flashed, perilously, torrential rain poured down.

We could write it.

As torrential rain poured down as bright lightening flashed perilously.

So I start with my subordinate clause in the first one, finished with my main clause in the first one, but started with my main clause in the second one and finished with my subordinate clause in the second one.

Here is a sentence I'd like you to finish by saying it's out loud.

When the main clause is at the beginning, you don't need a, something.

Have a really good look at that first sentence.

Have a good look at that second sentence.

Remember the second sentence has got the main clause at the beginning.

Should we say the full sentence together? Have you had a really good look? Think about the punctuation.

Is there anything you can see in the first sentence that you can't in the second one? Let's say the full sentence together.

When the main clause is at the beginning, you don't need a comma.

Yeah.

Look in the first one.

I've got my comma to separate my clauses, but in the second one, I don't need a comma there to separate my clauses.

So when the main clause is at the beginning, you don't need a comma.

So it's your turn now to write these sentences with a main clause at the beginning.

Okay.

I've got three sentences on the screen.

Number one, as furious thunder roared, the fishing boat was being violently tossed upon the stormy sea.

Number two, as the audacious robin flew right into the heart of the storm, bolts of lightning zig zagged across the night sky and number three, as torrential rain lashed down, the howling wind grew stronger.

So can you see, they all start off with an 'As' clause, the subordinate clauses at the beginning.

Okay.

Some of his sentences I've coloured the clauses in some of them I haven't.

So it's your turn to pause the video and write your three sentences with the main clause at the beginning, you don't have to change any words.

You just have to swap the clauses around and remember, will you need a comma? Yes or no? You won't need a comma.

Will you? So pause the video, write the three sentences and play the video when you're ready.

Let's check.

Let's look at this first one.

Okay.

So that's what it was originally the first sentence.

This is what it should say if we start with the main clause, the fishing boat was being violently tossed upon the stormy sea as furious thunder roared.

You know its quite a good sentence for really giving my reader an accurate picture in their mind of what's happening out on the sea.

Before I show you the next one, can you read it aloud to me for number two, read it aloud to me.

Should we see, bolts of lightning Zig zagged across the night sky as the audacious robin flew into the hearts of the storm? Well done.

Look at that one and let's check number three.

So instead of, as torrential rain lashed down comma the howling wind grew stronger.

It could be, the howling wind grew stronger as torrential rain lashed down.

Great job.

Let's have a look at some more sentences, and I want you to tell me what's wrong with them.

I'm going to read it.

Listen really carefully and follow along as I'm reading.

Furious thunder roared overhead comma as the brave robin flapped his wings with all his strength.

Okay.

Got some good word choices there.

A good picture in my mind of what's happening, but what's wrong with it? Really, really good look.

Is there some punctuation that's there that shouldn't be point to the punctuation that's there that shouldn't be Well done.

So it shouldn't have a comma.

Should it? This is what it should look like.

Furious thunder roared overhead as the brave robin flapped his wings with all his strength.

So I don't need a comma when my main clause is at the beginning.

What's wrong with this sentence? Strong winds as lightning flashed up above.

Can't see a comma there that was good.

Cause I know that I've got to start with my main clause.

Okay.

Strong winds as lightning flashed up above, you say one, two, three.

Can you hear any words missing? Yeah.

Strong winds, strong winds what? There's a word missing? Isn't there, strong winds what? What could the word be? Let's think what did the strong winds do? Strong winds blew strong winds blew as lightning flashed up above.

So I'd forgotten my verb in that main clause.

We're going to move on to explore relative clauses now.

So this is just a recap and a lesson that we did previously, where we looked at using relative clauses at the end of a sentence.

And we talked about using relative clauses to get extra detail to the reader, to help them get a really good picture in their mind of what was happening.

And we have this sentence, didn't we? The robin hopped out of the old rickety hut, which was in the middle of nowhere.

So that relative clause was used to give information about the robin or the hut.

One, two, three, the hut.

Good job.

So here is another example.

The robin flew into the storm, which was growing more dangerous by the second.

So sentences that have relative clauses are a type of complex sentence because they have a what kind of clause and what kind of clause, a main clause and a subordinate clause.

And the relative clause is a type of subordinate clause.

Have a look at these two sentences, I'll read them aloud.

The robin flew into the storm, which was growing more dangerous by the second.

The kind fishermen looked after the robin, who had been badly injured in the storm.

Think about the things that are the same and think about the things that are different in those sentences.

Like you to pause the video and just have a really good look and come up with some things that's are the same, and simple things that's are different.

Pause the video and play when you're ready.

Let's check.

Let's start off with the things that are the same.

Did you get anything that's the same? Point to something that's the same in both sentences.

Okay.

I can see a comma in both sentences before my relative clause, before their bit in pink.

So the next thing this is saying is that the relative clause is at the end of the sentence.

What's about things that are different.

Can you see something that's different? How have I started my relative clause? So, and the first one, it starts with which, and in the second one, it starts with who.

So I need to use which if my relative clause gives more detail about a thing, and I use who, when it gives more detail about a character.

Okay.

And which, and who are examples of relative pronouns, relative pronoun.

Well done.

I like you in a second to pause the video and complete these sentences.

The bird heard loud thunder, which something, something, something.

So that relative clause is about the thunder.

So we need to use which, because thunder is a thing and the next sentence you need to complete.

Luckily the injured robin was picked up by the kind fishermen who, so that relative clause needs to be about the wrapping all the fishermen.

It's about the fishermen.

Isn't it.

So pause the video and complete your sentences.

Should we see what I wrote.

The bird had loud thunder come up, which roared in the sky.

Can you tell me your relative clause one, two, three.

Well done.

This is what I wrote for the second one.

Luckily the injured robin was picked up by the kind fisherman who carefully wrapped him in a warm blanket.

What a really nice thing to do by the fishermen? What was your relative clause for this sentence? Tell me.

Well done.

Have a look at these two sentences.

And we will think about the things that are the same and the things that are different.

The robin flew into the storm, which was growing more dangerous by the second.

Ready for the next one? The waves which crashed against the fishing boats grew taller and taller with every second.

Pause the video and think about the things that are the same.

Have I got the same relative pronoun? Have I got any of the same punctuation or is that different? And think about the things that are different as well.

Pause the video and play it when you've had a really close look at those sentences.

So the things that are the same, we've got a relative clause in both sentences.

Okay.

We've got a main clause in both sentences, so it must be a complex sentence.

What does my relative clause start with in both sentences? It starts with the word which, well done.

Okay.

So few things that are the same, what's about the things that are different.

Look at where that relative clause is look where that relative clause is.

So the relative clause is in a different place.

So I've finished my sentence with my relative clause for the first one.

And in the second sentence, the relative clause is near to the beginning.

Okay.

What else is different? How many commas are in the first sentence? Show me in fingers? just one.

How many commas are in the second sentence? Show me in fingers? Two.

You all got to complete these sentences? A huge wave crashed into the robin who and the robin who was swept on board a nearby fishing boat.

Pause the video and complete those sentences.

This is my one, a huge wave crushed into the robin comma who was swept on board a nearby fishing boat.

Can you read me your sentence for the first one? Well done.

This is what I wrote for the second one.

The robin who was hit by an immense wave was swept, on board a nearby fishing boat.

Can you read aloud your second sentence? Well done.

Really great work today, did a great job in the writing warmup.

We explored 'As' complex sentences and we had a really good focus on exploring relative clauses in complex sentences.

That's the end of today's lesson really well done.

I hope that you have a really great rest of your day and I'm really looking forward to seeing you again for our next lesson very soon.

Bye.