Unit 1 · Pre-A1 / A1
Letters And Words
The Alphabet: A–Z
Every time you read a book, see a sign, or write your name, you use letters. Letters are the small shapes that make up all the words in English. The English alphabet is the complete set of letters arranged in a special order. Learning the alphabet is the first step to reading and writing in English.
Student-Friendly Definition: The alphabet is all 26 letters of English arranged in a special order from A to Z.
Capital and Small Letters
Look carefully at any book. You will see two kinds of letters. Some letters are big, and some are small. The big letters are called capital letters (or uppercase letters). The small letters are called small letters (or lowercase letters). Both kinds are important, and each has its special job in writing.
Student-Friendly Definition: Capital letters are big letters used at the start of sentences and for names. Small letters are the regular-size letters used for most writing.
Vowels and Consonants
The 26 letters of the alphabet are not all the same. Some letters make open sounds that come out freely from your mouth. Other letters make sounds that are stopped or shaped by your lips, teeth, or tongue. Understanding this difference helps you read and spell words correctly.
Student-Friendly Definition: Vowels are the five letters A, E, I, O, U that make open sounds. Consonants are all the other letters that make sounds with help from the lips, teeth, or tongue.
Letters → Words → Sentences
When you look at a page in a book, you see many small marks. These marks are letters. But letters alone do not mean very much. When letters join together, they make words. And when words join together, they make sentences. Understanding this progression is like understanding how a house is built: bricks make walls, and walls make rooms.
Student-Friendly Definition: Letters join together to make words. Words join together to make sentences. Sentences are complete thoughts.
Recognising Words
When you read, your eyes see groups of letters. But not every group of letters is a word. Some groups of letters make real words like "cat" or "run." Other groups like "xpr" mean nothing. Learning to recognise real words is one of the most important reading skills you will ever learn.
Student-Friendly Definition: Recognising words means seeing a group of letters and knowing it is a real word with meaning.
Word Spacing
Look at this:
Student-Friendly Definition: Word spacing means leaving a small empty gap between each word when you write.
Basic Spelling Patterns
When you write a word, you must put the letters in the correct order. This is called spelling. English spelling can be tricky because some sounds can be written in different ways. But many words follow simple patterns. Learning these patterns helps you spell many words correctly.
Student-Friendly Definition: Spelling patterns are the common ways letters are arranged to make sounds in words.
Practise Letters And Words in a game — 8 friendly questions are ready.