1. WJEC Unit 2
SPAG revision
Learning Outcomes
• To revise sentence types and punctuation
in preparation for Unit 2 (the writing paper)

2. Simple, compound and complex sentences
• Simple: It was raining.
• A simple sentence makes sense on its own and usually gives one
piece of information (it doesn’t have to be a short sentence).
Compound: It was raining so I took my umbrella.
A compound sentence has two clauses (two parts of the sentence) joined
by a connective (so, and, but, or).
Complex: As it was raining, I took my umbrella.
I took my umbrella as it was raining.
A complex sentence has a main clause (the bit that makes sense on its
own) and a subordinate clause that adds information (this doesn’t make
sense on its own).

3. Read the following extract. For each of the 10
sentences, identify whether it is a simple, compound or
a complex sentence.
• The weather was awful. It had rained cats and
dogs all day and I was bored out of my brains.
Wanting to find something to do, I flicked through
the local newspaper. The only things that were
happening were car boot sales and the odd garden
fete. Great! Then I spotted it. Between the
‘household sale’ items and the ‘houses to let’, I
found the cutest little pet wanting a home. I was
sure I’d be the best person to look after him as I
had lots of time to take care of him properly. So, I
rang the number. Now I have my very own pet
tarantula and he’s adorable.

4. Sentence variation and effect
• Remember, a sentence can be just one
word. Bang!
• When would a short, simple sentence be
effective?
• You also need to remember to vary the
ways you begin your sentences.

6. ‘ing’ words
• When you begin a sentence with an ‘ing’
word, you need a comma after the first
phrase (clause).
• Walking to the park, I saw a clown.
• Hearing the sound of birds, he felt
relaxed.
• Taking her hand in his, John led her to
the dance-floor.

7. ‘ly’ words
• When you begin your sentence with an ‘ly’
word, the comma usually comes
immediately after this word.
• Slowly, the man walked down the street.
• Happily, she accepted the invitation.
• Steadily, she began to improve.

8. Sentences beginning with ‘as’, ‘if’,
‘when’, etc
• When you begin a sentence with ‘as’ (time words), you need a comma
after the first clause/phrase.
• As I walked down the street, I saw a clown.
• As he approached me, I was scared.
• As she was only small, she was not allowed on the ride.
• If I were you, I would leave it alone.
• When I was young, I liked rock and roll.
In each of these sentences the clauses can be
switched around. If you did that, you would not need
a comma.

9. Add commas to the following
paragraph…
• When I was young I wanted to be an actress. Prancing around
the house I would pretend that I was on the West End stage.
Slowly I learned that it would be a lot harder to break into than
I had first thought. With lots of hard work I made steady
progress. Firstly through taking on smaller roles until eventually
I was given my big break. As I look back now I am so proud of
what I have achieved. If you want to achieve your goals you
need to see yourself reaching them and just go for it!
Hint: there are 7 missing commas

10. What other types of punctuation
can you use?
• Full stops
• Commas
• Apostrophes
• Semi-colons
• Colons
• Dash
• Speech marks
• Parenthesis

11. Colons and Semi-colons
Why do you think I used a colon in the first sentence
and a semi-colon in the second?
• It was a beautiful day and the weather was just perfect: sunny with a slight
breeze.
• It was a beautiful day; the weather was just perfect.
The clause after the colon
explains or amplifies what’s
before the colon.
The clause after the
colon DOES NOT have
to make sense on its
own.
This semi colon is between two main
clauses (they make sense on their own)
that are strongly related.
Notice how the semi-
colon can replace
connectives – and,
but, so … in a
compound sentence.

12. ;

13. Why is a semi-colon used?
• To separate two clauses of a sentence when they are closely
related
• To separate items in a list when the items are long phrases and
to use a comma might lead to ambiguity

14. Elephants live in hot countries. They cool off by bathing.
Elephants live in hot countries; they cool off by bathing.

15. Technology at Nobel School is a real success. The equipment is
top quality.
Technology at Nobel School is a real success; the equipment is
top quality.

16. :

17. • Similar to a semi-colon, but the words
that come after a colon do not need to
make sense on their own.
• They add information to the sentence
before the colon.
• E.g The weather was beautiful: boiling
hot.
• The door slammed shut: bang!
:

18. Simple things to include that
will get you higher grades...
• A range of sentence
structures. Also vary the
way that you start your
sentences.
• One word sentences.
• One sentence paragraphs.
• A range of punctuation.
• Using language techniques.
• Punctuation for effect.
• Spelling .
• Use a thesaurus to extend
your vocabulary.
• Make sure that your
writing flows well.
• Make sure that your
writing has flair for an A*!