A collection of resources (a poster, a set of flashcards, and a card sort activity) for students on the different types of humour, along with some common methods that writers and comedians employ to make the audience laugh. Each category is explained with: a descriptor and word class (i.e. noun or adjective) an illustrative symbol a definition a real example of it being used and the name of the author These resources are particularly useful for GCSE and A-level students of English Literature and English Language, many of whom struggle to explain how and why a passage of a text is humorous. Please note, there are one or two examples that might seem slightly risqué depending on the maturity and sensitivity of your students. I have provided the original PowerPoint files in case you would like to adapt them for your own needs. PRINTING TIPS The A6 flashcards should be printed on A4 double-sided, flipped on the short edge, while the card sort should be printed A4 single-sided. You will need a guillotine to cut them down to A6 size. Ideally, the poster should be printed on A2 paper; however, if you can only print it onto A3, you can use the PDF version in Adobe Acrobat. Follow these steps in the “Print” dialogue box: Either: Shrink the poster down to A3 by selecting “Page Scaling: Fit to Printable Area”. Check the Page Size and Page Orientation (under “Properties”) to make sure it’s set to A3 and Portrait. (NOTE: This is the preferable option if you’re handing the sheet out to students, but the text size will be very small as a result.) Or: Print it across two A3 pages by selecting “Page Scaling: Tile large pages”. Set the Tile Scale to 95%. Check the Page Size and Page Orientation (under “Properties”) to make sure it’s set to A3 and Landscape. The previewed image of the page should now be spread across two landscape A3 pages. (NOTE: This is the preferable option if you are putting it up as a poster on the wall, but you will need to pin or staple it carefully to ensure that the symbols overlap in the right places).

A single-page guide for students on how to make sure their quotations fit into their sentences in a way that is clear and fluent. The resource is broken into 7 levels of skill: each one focuses on the same quotation from Shakespeare’s Macbeth (“I have no spur / to prick the sides of my intent, but only / vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself”) and provides explanations and examples of how to add or remove things from the sentence until they end up with top-tier writing. In addition, there is a guide on the right side with SMART targets for students looking to improve their work. As a result, the resource can be used to get students to self-assess or peer-assess their use of quotations and provide effective feedback.

A collection of words and phrases that will help students to achieve greater coherence when writing paragraphs. Each connective comes with an example of how to use it, along with grammatical information on its form (i.e. word class/ part of speech) and function (i.e. whether it’s an adverbial or if it begins a clause). There is also additional guidance on the difference between ‘movable’ connectives (adverbials such as furthermore) and ‘immovable’ connectives (such as although). The connectives are divided into the following categories: addition: to add information to a previous point comparison: to introduce a point that is similar to the previous one contrast: to introduce a point that is mostly different from the previous point despite one or two similarities concession: to make a counter-argument refutation: to continue with your main argument after making a counter-argument restatement: to make an argument clearer by phrasing it in a different way exemplification: to make an argument clearer by providing an example summary: to simplify information down to the main details frequency: to show how often something happens causality: to imply cause and effect between two pieces of information sequence: to structure information in a sequence

This poster provides symbols and explanations for each of the seven capital sins and the corresponding virtues that became an intrinsic part of how people practice Catholicism during the papacy of Pope Gregory I. They are also known as the seven deadly sins and heavenly virtues, though the latter term is often used to demarcatge a slightly different set of characteristics.

A one-page infographic explaining the different aspects of morphology, including: free and bound morphemes affixes (i.e. prefixes and suffixes) clitics derivational morphology inflectional morphology Each category and subtype is accompanied by a symbol to help students memorize the different aspects of morphology. For further grammar resources for studying A-level English Language or Linguistics, please visit my shop on TES.

This A3 guide provides a comprehensive guide to all the variations on the sonnet form, explaining the difference between the Italian (Petrarchan), English (Shakespearean/Spenserian) and American forms. Each variation is illustrated with an annotated example, broken down in terms of metre, structure and rhyme scheme, with colour-coding and symbols used to make it more accessible for students. The lower half of the page also includes a corresponding set of rules that students can use to analyse other sonnets or construct their own. In addition, the guide also includes basic information on the following things: stressed and unstressed syllables iambic pentameter common themes voltas octaves, sestets, quatrains, tercets and couplets envelope rhyme (ABBA) alternating rhyme (ABAB) For resources that go into greater depth on aspects such as rhyme and metre, please see my shop on TES.

An A4 help sheet with key quotations for Macbeth. The quotes are organized by: by character, in columns by act, with colour-coding (or shading in the grayscale version) by theme, with symbols used to represent the different ideas A symbol key is provided at the bottom, listing the themes from the play. I have provided the resource as a fully adaptable PowerPoint file in case you would like to change out some of the quotations provided for your class. There are three different version provided – one in rainbow colours for students who struggle with organization, one in grayscale for departments on a budget, and one in shades of blood red in case you’re looking for a striking display poster to have in your classroom (don’t forget to scale up the page size for this!).

A simple diagram that uses a timeline to explain the relationship between the three tenses in English (past, present and future) and their four aspects (perfect, perfect progressive, simple and progressive). This resource is accessible to students of all ages, but it will be particularly useful for A-level English Language, teaching English as a foreign language, and helping with KS3/4 creative writing.

A colour-coded version of the pulmonic consonants chart for the International Phonetic Alphabet, designed to help students who might struggle to memorize the different categories.

A simple diagram to explain the different levels that Michael Halliday uses in the 1961 version of his rank scale of language theory, going from morphemes (the smallest unit of meaning) to sentences (the largest unit of meaning). The scale is illustrated with highlighted examples from the opening sentence of Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.