KS2 SATs 2018 — English GPS Paper 2: Spelling

The idea

Homophones are words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings. You cannot choose between them by listening. You must read the meaning of the sentence. Their means belonging to them: their coats, their house. There points to a place or a position: over there, there it is. They're is a shortened form of they are, with an apostrophe for the missing letter: they're ready means they are ready.

Another useful set is to, too and two. To often points towards something or begins a verb, as in go to school. Too means also, or more than enough, as in me too and too hot. Two is the number 2. Other common pairs include hear and here, see and sea, and right and write.

When you meet a homophone, test each meaning in the sentence. For a shortened word such as they're, expand it to they are. If the longer form fits, the spelling with the apostrophe is the one you need.

Worked example

Choose their, there or they're for each gap: ___ going to leave ___ coats over ___.

1. The first gap needs they are, shortened to they're.
2. The coats belong to them, so the second gap needs their.
3. The third gap points to a place, so it needs there.

Answer: They're going to leave their coats over there.

Watch out

• Using they're when you mean belonging: they're always means they are.
• Choosing a homophone by sound instead of by the meaning of the sentence.
• Writing too when you mean the number two.