How English Works · Core Guide 33 of 36
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Read the subject as well as the sentence
Choose a reading route, or follow the complete guide in order. Each chapter keeps the explanation connected to examples and use.
ROUTE 1 · CHAPTERS 1–4
Subject purpose, terms, command words and representations.
ROUTE 2 · CHAPTERS 5–8
Quantities, conditions, observations and mechanisms.
ROUTE 3 · CHAPTERS 9–12
Read humanities and literature
Sources, interpretations, comparisons and explanations.
ROUTE 4 · CHAPTERS 13–16
Paragraphs, diagrams, questions and subject-specific review.
ROUTE 5 · CHAPTERS 17–20
Compare, practise and transfer
Worked answers and a practical learning route.
Full chapter index · Practice and answers · The whole English map
Maya could read every word in a mathematics question and still reverse the comparison. In science, she remembered the observation but could not explain the mechanism. Her difficulty was not one undifferentiated “English problem”. Each subject asked her to recover a particular kind of relationship.
English across school subjects connects vocabulary and grammar with the knowledge, representations and reasoning of that subject. Clear expression helps reveal what a learner understands; subject understanding also makes the expression possible. This guide offers original miniature tasks, not an examination syllabus or a universal marking template.
It follows Speaking and Listening. Use the examples to locate a specific difficulty, then ask the subject teacher how the actual task should be interpreted. The aim is to make learning easier to inspect and repair, rather than turn every lesson into a generic English exercise.
Full Chapter Index
Open a group to choose a chapter. The teaching chapters themselves remain expanded.
Recognise the language task · Chapters 1–4
Read mathematics and science · Chapters 5–8
Read humanities and literature · Chapters 9–12
Build and check an answer · Chapters 13–16
Compare, practise and transfer · Chapters 17–20
CHAPTER 1 OF 20 · Recognise the language task
1. Ask what the subject is trying to establish
A mathematical explanation may establish why a result follows under stated conditions. A historical explanation may weigh several causes using records. A literary interpretation may connect wording and form with a possible effect. These tasks share language, but their standards of support differ.
Start by asking what would count as a satisfactory answer here. Does the reader need a calculation, a mechanism, a supported interpretation or a comparison?
This question prevents a common mismatch: producing fluent sentences that never do the requested intellectual work. Attractive wording cannot replace the relationship the task asks the learner to show.
CHAPTER 2 OF 20 · Recognise the language task
2. Learn the subject meaning of familiar words
“Mean” in a statistics task can name a particular average. “Product” in multiplication names a result. Familiar everyday meanings may therefore lead a reader in the wrong direction.
Record the term with a short definition and an example from the current topic. Include a contrasting example when two meanings are easily confused. Saying only “I know this word” hides whether the relevant sense is available.
When a term remains uncertain, check the course material or ask the teacher. A dictionary may offer several legitimate senses; the subject and local sentence determine which one is useful.
CHAPTER 3 OF 20 · Recognise the language task
3. Read command words in the actual task
Words such as “describe”, “explain” and “evaluate” signal different work, but their precise expectations depend on the subject, question and assessment guidance.
In an invented science task, “describe the change” might ask for the observed pattern, while “explain the change” asks for a reason involving the relevant process. A literary explanation may instead connect a detail with an interpretation.
Do not memorise one universal answer length for a command word. Read the object of the instruction: explain what, using which information, at what level? Clarify the task before expanding the answer.
CHAPTER 4 OF 20 · Recognise the language task
4. Connect prose with other representations
School texts combine language with equations, diagrams, maps and tables. A sentence may tell you which quantity to use; a graph may show the pattern that the sentence asks you to discuss.
Move between representations deliberately. Point to the relevant axis, label, unit or part of the diagram when restating the sentence. A diagram is not decoration when it carries an essential relationship.
If the prose and representation appear inconsistent, check the labels and conditions before assuming one is wrong. A learner might be comparing different times, units or groups without noticing the change.
CHAPTER 5 OF 20 · Read mathematics and science
5. Preserve the direction of a mathematical comparison
“A ribbon is three centimetres longer than another ribbon” specifies which ribbon has the larger length. Recognising “three” and “longer” is insufficient if the two objects are reversed.
In an original example, the shorter ribbon is 8 cm long. The longer ribbon is therefore 11 cm, because its length is 8 cm plus 3 cm.
Restate the relationship before calculating: identify the reference quantity and what changes relative to it. The English sentence and the arithmetic should tell the same story. A correct operation applied to the wrong relationship still gives the wrong answer.
CHAPTER 6 OF 20 · Read mathematics and science
6. Carry mathematical conditions into the conclusion
An expression or method can depend on a condition. “For positive whole numbers” restricts the objects under discussion; “when the denominator is non-zero” protects whether a division is defined.
Treat such wording as part of the mathematical meaning. If you shorten the explanation, preserve the restriction rather than turn a limited result into a claim about every possible input.
Practise by asking whether the argument still works when a stated condition changes. This checks understanding of the boundary. It also helps distinguish a remembered procedure from an explanation of when that procedure is applicable.
CHAPTER 7 OF 20 · Read mathematics and science
7. Separate a scientific observation from its explanation
“The water level fell” reports an observed change in an invented classroom example. An explanation needs a relevant process and enough context to connect that process with the change.
The observation alone does not establish every detail of the cause. A learner should use the supplied conditions and subject knowledge, rather than attach any familiar scientific word to the sentence.
Write the observation first, then identify the mechanism being proposed. This separation makes a gap visible: perhaps the observation is understood, but the mechanism is not. More descriptive adjectives will not repair missing scientific reasoning.
CHAPTER 8 OF 20 · Read mathematics and science
8. Keep the scientific chain intelligible
An explanation often needs a sequence: a changed condition affects a process, which contributes to an observed result. Each step should connect to the next.
“It happens because science” supplies no mechanism. A longer answer can be equally empty if its technical terms are arranged without a recoverable relationship.
Ask the teacher which conceptual link is required, then express that link accurately. Use “because”, “therefore” and “as a result” only when the connection is justified. A connector labels a relationship; it does not create evidence or make an incorrect mechanism correct.
CHAPTER 9 OF 20 · Read humanities and literature
9. Read historical sources as situated records
An invented letter might say that its writer found a new timetable inconvenient. That supports a claim about the writer’s expressed view. It does not show that every resident held the same opinion.
Notice authorship, purpose, date and what the source was positioned to observe. These questions help determine the record’s reach without dismissing it merely because it has a perspective.
Historical writing should distinguish the source’s statement from the learner’s interpretation. For the wider record-handling route, revisit Sources, Attribution and Verification.
CHAPTER 10 OF 20 · Read humanities and literature
10. Support literary interpretation with the text
In an invented sentence, “She folded the letter twice before answering” may invite an interpretation about hesitation. The action provides a detail to discuss, but several explanations could remain possible.
A useful response names the detail, explains the proposed connection and acknowledges relevant alternatives. It should not convert one gesture into a complete psychological diagnosis of the character.
Revisit Reading Literature for the fuller route. In literature, attention to language and form matters alongside events. A plot summary alone may miss the question’s focus.
CHAPTER 11 OF 20 · Read humanities and literature
11. Compare using a shared dimension
“The first account is long; the second account was written in winter” places different features beside each other. It does not yet make a focused comparison.
Choose a relevant dimension: both accounts’ explanations, both sources’ perspectives or both texts’ treatment of the same event. Then state a meaningful similarity or difference on that dimension.
The dimension should serve the task. Comparing font size will not answer a question about the strength of evidence. Good comparative language makes the relationship visible and preserves qualifications when the materials are only partly comparable.
CHAPTER 12 OF 20 · Read humanities and literature
12. Explain rather than display a list of facts
A collection of accurate facts can still leave the main relationship unstated. If asked why an arrangement changed, naming the old room, new room and date does not necessarily explain the reason.
Select the facts needed for the claim, then connect them. Remove unrelated information that distracts from the explanation, while keeping limits that affect its accuracy.
Use Explanation when the difficulty is building that connection. Then return to the subject task to check whether the chosen explanation is also conceptually correct.
CHAPTER 13 OF 20 · Build and check an answer
13. Give each paragraph a specific job
A paragraph might introduce a claim, develop a mechanism or compare two pieces of evidence. Decide its job before adding more sentences.
Place the relevant detail beside the explanation of its significance. If the reader must search several paragraphs to discover why an example was included, the answer may need reorganising.
Paragraph structure helps readers inspect reasoning, but no single paragraph formula fits every task. A short calculation explanation may need only a few lines; a complex historical argument needs room for evidence and qualifications. Match the structure to the work.
CHAPTER 14 OF 20 · Build and check an answer
14. Name units, labels and reference points
“The value increases” is difficult to assess without knowing which value, over what interval and in which units. A graph-based answer should make its reference clear.
Use the labels given in the material and check whether a quantity is absolute, a rate or a proportion. These are different relationships even when their numbers look similar.
When writing an answer, point precisely enough that another reader can recover the same part of the representation. This is a language task and a subject task together. Clear reference does not replace correct interpretation, but it makes interpretation inspectable.
CHAPTER 15 OF 20 · Build and check an answer
15. Ask a question that locates the gap
“I do not understand this” can start a conversation. A more focused question makes help easier: “I understand the observed change, but why does this process produce it?”
Show what you already know and the step where the connection breaks. In mathematics, point to the relationship you translated into an equation; in literature, point to the detail you cannot connect with your interpretation.
The question should invite explanation, rather than merely ask someone to supply the final sentence. A recoverable reasoning step can then be practised in another example.
CHAPTER 16 OF 20 · Build and check an answer
16. Review subject meaning before polishing expression
First check whether the answer addresses the task and uses correct concepts. Next inspect evidence, conditions and reference. Finally refine sentence clarity and spelling.
A polished answer can remain wrong if its scientific mechanism or mathematical comparison is reversed. Conversely, a sound idea expressed unclearly deserves a language repair that preserves the idea.
Ask for feedback on the earliest unresolved relationship. “Use better vocabulary” is too broad when the difficulty concerns a missing causal step. Targeted feedback helps a learner understand what to change and why the change improves the answer.
CHAPTER 17 OF 20 · Compare, practise and transfer
17. Compare the language work across subjects
| Original task | Relationship to recover | Useful first check |
|---|---|---|
| Find the longer ribbon’s length. | Reference quantity plus difference | Which object is longer? |
| Explain an observed change. | Relevant mechanism under supplied conditions | What connects cause and result? |
| Assess a letter’s evidence. | A situated statement with limited scope | Whose view does it record? |
| Interpret a character’s action. | Textual detail and supported possibility | What supports this reading? |
| Compare two accounts. | Shared dimension and meaningful difference | Are the same features compared? |
The examples illustrate different reasoning jobs. They are not universal marking instructions, and actual subject tasks may combine several jobs.
CHAPTER 18 OF 20 · Compare, practise and transfer
18. Work through a small correction
Invented task: “The shorter ribbon is 8 cm long. The other ribbon is 3 cm longer. Explain how you find the other ribbon’s length.”
Weak answer: “Three is the difference, so subtract it from eight.” The calculation would produce the length of a ribbon shorter than 8 cm, which conflicts with the question.
Repaired answer: “The other ribbon is longer than the 8 cm ribbon. Add the 3 cm difference to 8 cm, giving 11 cm.” The repair restores the direction of comparison before performing the calculation. Clearer English reveals a corrected mathematical relationship.
CHAPTER 19 OF 20 · Compare, practise and transfer
19. Practice and explained answers
Task 1. Does a familiar everyday word always keep the same meaning in a subject? Answer. No. For example, “product” has a specific mathematical sense. Check the term in its subject context.
Task 2. Does one letter establish every resident’s view? Answer. No. It directly records a particular writer’s statement; a wider claim needs further support.
Task 3. What is missing from a list of observations offered as an explanation? Answer. The supported connection or mechanism that accounts for the relevant change.
Task 4. Must “explain” always produce the same number of sentences? Answer. No. The subject, task and applicable guidance determine the expected work.
Task 5. Why is adding 3 cm appropriate in the ribbon example? Answer. The unknown ribbon is 3 cm longer than the known 8 cm ribbon. The operation preserves that stated relationship.
CHAPTER 20 OF 20 · Compare, practise and transfer
20. Transfer carefully to the next subject
Carry useful general habits: clarify the task, preserve reference, inspect evidence and check whether the answer makes sense. Then learn how the new subject establishes and communicates its knowledge.
A skill transfers through adaptation. A literary interpretation and a mathematical proof both need support, but their support is not interchangeable. Look for the common habit and the subject-specific requirement together.
The next guide, English at Work and in Public Life, follows these language habits beyond school: coordinating actions, preserving records and making public information understandable. Return to the whole English map whenever you need a different entrance.
Reference Notes
The Education Endowment Foundation’s Improving Literacy in Secondary Schools explains disciplinary literacy as involving general and subject-specific language practices. The tasks and examples here are original; they do not reproduce a national assessment specification or promise examination outcomes.