Comprehension | Year 1 | Grasp English

💡Understand

Comprehension means understanding a story, not just reading the words. We can find answers that are written down, and we can also guess (this is called 'inferring') things the story doesn't say directly.

“Tom's coat was wet, and his hair was dripping.”

The story never says 'it was raining' — but from the clues (wet coat, dripping hair) we can guess it! That's called making an inference.

🔍Spot it

Can you find the answer, or do you need to guess (infer) it?

Question 1

"Ben has a red bike." What colour is Ben's bike?

💡 The colour red is written right there in the sentence.

Question 2

"Amy put on her hat, scarf and gloves before going outside." What season might it be?

💡 The story never says 'winter', but hats, scarves and gloves are clues that help us guess.

Question 3

"The dog's name was Rex." What was the dog's name?

💡 The name Rex is written right there in the sentence.

🧠Think about it

If a story says "Leo's tummy rumbled loudly," what can we guess about Leo, even though the story doesn't say it directly?

✍️Try it

Read the sentence, then answer.

Mia jumped up and down, clapping her hands and smiling.

Question 1

How is Mia probably feeling?

💡 Think about what jumping, clapping and smiling usually mean.

📝Practise

Answer each question about the sentence.

Question 1

"The cat had a white tail." What colour was the cat's tail?

Question 2

"Sam wiped his eyes and sniffed." How is Sam probably feeling?

Question 3

"First, Zoe woke up. Then she ate breakfast." What happened first?

Question 4

In one word, what do we call it when we guess something a story doesn't say directly?

💡 It's the special word used in the Understand section above.

Question 5

"The children put on their swimming costumes and grabbed their towels." Where are they probably going?

Question 6

"Ali fed the fish, then walked the dog, then went to bed." What did Ali do last?

🎯Apply

Read the passage, then answer the questions below.

It was Ella's birthday. She opened a big present and found a shiny red bike. Ella's eyes went wide and she gave her mum a huge hug.

Question 1

What colour was the bike?

💡 It's written directly in the story.

Question 2

How did Ella probably feel about the present?

💡 Think about wide eyes and a big hug — what do those usually mean?

Question 3

What day was it in the story? (one word)

💡 It's the very first thing the story tells us.

🏆Challenge

Can you think of your own clue sentence that would help someone guess a character is scared, without using the word 'scared'?

🔄Review

A quick mastery check — 3 questions.

Question 1

"The ball was orange." What colour was the ball?

Question 2

"Jack's tummy rumbled and he looked at the clock." What does Jack probably want?

Question 3

Making an inference means...