Writing the second half of a setting description in 'Sherlock Holmes' | English

Starter quiz

Which of the following are complex sentences?
- Gas lamps flicker while gangs of ruffians skulk. ✓
- Gas lamps flicker in the darkness.
- Ruffians skulk in the darkness, waiting for their next victim. ✓
- Ruffians wait for their next victim.
Which sentences start with a fronted adverbial?
- On one street, there is havoc. ✓
- There is havoc everywhere.
- In the air, the stench of human waste is suffocating. ✓
- The stench of human waste hangs in the air.
What features can be seen in the following sentence? 'On each corner, gas lamps flicker as ruffians wait in the shadows.'
- non-finite (-ing) subordinate clause
- fronted adverbial of place ✓
- historical context ✓
- adverbial subordinate clause ✓
What features can be seen in the following sentence? 'Below, the river snakes, winding through the vast metropolis.'
- non-finite (-ing) subordinate clause ✓
- adverbial subordinate clause
- preposition phrase ✓
- fronted adverbial of place ✓
What type of complex sentence has been used to combine the following two ideas? 'On one side, dilapidated slums sit, overflowing with misery.'
- a relative complex sentence
- an adverbial complex sentence
- a non-finite complex sentence ✓
Which sentences contain a preposition phrase?
- The river glides through the city. ✓
- Imposing buildings tower over serene streets. ✓
- Impenetrable smog hangs over the city. ✓
- Imposing buildings line serene streets.

What language feature is seen in the following sentence? 'As the gas lamp flickers, a light escapes from the house.'
- complex sentence ✓
- fronted adverbial of place
- semi-colon
- rhetorical question
Which of these is a purpose of a semi-colon?
- It joins a main clause and a subordinate clause.
- It joins two linked sentences. ✓
- It separates a fronted adverbial from the rest of a sentence.
After which word could the semi-colon be placed in the following sentence? 'The room is full of antiques on an ornate desk sits a pile of books.'
- full
- desk
- antiques ✓
- pile
Which of these sentences could be joined by a semi-colon?
- Watson sits by the fire in a plush armchair. ✓
- The nauseating stench of human waste rises from the sewer.
- The river winds through the chaotic city.
- Holmes places his violin on a table and takes a seat. ✓
What features are seen in the following sentence? 'Inside, Holmes sits with a sigh; by the fire, Watson takes a sip of his drink.'
- fronted adverbials of place ✓
- semi-colon ✓
- historical context
- complex sentence
Which of these passages could include a semi-colon?
- On the wall a clock was ticking the scent of the fire filled the room. ✓
- On the wall a clock was ticking loudly.
- On the wall there was an antique clock that was ticking quietly.

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Writing is most successful when structure, content and vocabulary is planned.
Oral rehearsal is an important step in the writing process.
Fronted adverbials of place, prepositions and precise vocabulary paint the picture for a reader.
Complex sentences can be used to show the connections between ideas.
We can connect linked sentences using a semi-colon.

Pupils may struggle to convert notes into complete sentences.

Provide lots of time for oral rehearsal at each stage of the lesson and ensure children have access to vocabulary and plans used earlier in the unit.

Fronted adverbial of place - a sentence starter that tells the reader where something is or happens
Preposition - word or words that tell the reader where a noun is
Complex sentence - a sentence composed of a main clause and any subordinate clause
Semi-colon - a piece of punctuation that can join two closely-related main clauses