Language and Grammar: Express Needs and Wants

Act It Out Work with a group, and imagine you are the characters in “The Secret Water.” Use your own words to act out the story events and to tell what the characters need and want. Use precise, or exact, nouns.

I want to get a bucket of water from the river.

Writing and Grammar: Write About a Situation

Study the Models When you write about a situation, like the need for water, choose nouns that let readers picture exactly what you are saying. Be sure to spell plural nouns correctly.

Not Ok

The sun beats down on the plants in the fieldes. The farmers worry because there is no rain. Ladys watch the flowers in their gardens turn brown. Pets just lie in the shade. It is even too hot for childrens to play.

The writer spells some plural nouns incorrectly. The reader is confused: “These words look wrong.”

Ok

The water pipe on our street is broken. It is hard for all the families. At my house, dirty glasses and plates sit by the kitchen sink. The stack must be two feet high! Dirty socks fill the laundry basket. We can’t even take baths.

The writer spells plural nouns correctly. The nouns also add details. The reader thinks: “I can really picture the writer’s house.”

Revise It Look back at the NOT OK passage. Work with a partner to revise it. Change plants, flowers, and pets to precise nouns. Fix the incorrect plural forms.

Illustration of a pen icon WRITE ON YOUR OWN Imagine a time when you did not have enough water. Use nouns that will help your reader picture what you are saying. Pay attention to the spelling of plural forms.

    Spelling Rules

  • 1. To make most nouns plural, just add -s.

    • street + -s = streets

  • 2. If the noun ends in s, z, sh, ch, or x, add -es.

    • dish + -es = dishes

  • 3. If the noun ends in y after the consonant, change the y to i and add -es.

    • Illustration of a strikethrough mark through letter y: a slanted line going from left to right

  • 4. Some nouns, such as woman (women), have special plural forms.