C Curriculum Explorer
English·Grammar & Punctuation·procedural

Expressing Time, Place and Cause

Use conjunctions (when, before, after, while, so, because), adverbs (then, next, soon, therefore) and prepositions (before, after, during, in, because of) to express time, place and cause within and across sentences

Suggested ages 7–8

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Learning journey

Your child is learning more sophisticated grammar — using irregular verbs and plurals correctly, punctuating speech, choosing the right pronouns and conjunctions, and understanding when to use different verb tenses.

Evidence of understanding

  • Use time conjunctions to connect clauses (e.g., 'We went inside because it was raining', 'After the bell rang, we lined up')
  • Use adverbs of time and cause within sentences (e.g., 'First, she opened the door. Then, she stepped outside. Therefore, she got wet.')
  • Use prepositions of time and cause in phrases (e.g., 'during the lesson', 'before lunch', 'because of the rain')

Assessment prompt

When Expressing Time, Place and Cause writes a story, do they use time words like "after", "while", or "soon" to show the order things happened — rather than starting every sentence with "then"?

Standards alignment

Eng.App2.Y3.Sent.1GB · uk-nc-2013

Expressing time, place and cause

The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document · Key Stage 2

Eng_LKS2_Write_VGP_4GB · uk-nc-2013

Use conjunctions, adverbs and prepositions

The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document · Key Stage 2