Primary 5-6 Chinese | Sentence Expansion and Rewriting Guide | Three Questions, Four Transforms, Three Checks

2026-11-09

Tutor lesson-prep guides · Primary Chinese

Expansion is not padding. A child turns “the dog runs” into “the dog happily runs about”, and the sentence gets longer while saying less, because none of the added words answers a question.

Objectives — Students can: (1) expand a 8-character sentence past 24 characters using three questions, when, what kind, and how, with every added word answering one; (2) perform four transformations: active to passive, statement to rhetorical question, direct to reported speech, and joining or splitting sentences; (3) run three checks after rewriting: meaning unchanged, word count met, punctuation updated.

01 Prerequisites (3-minute check)

If any of these fails, fix it before the lesson starts.

Skill	Quick check	Pass mark
Sentence parts	Name the doer and the action	Points out who does what
Basic punctuation	Jobs of comma, full stop, question mark	Ends a sentence correctly
Parts of speech	Difference between adjective and adverb	Can give examples

02 Lesson flow (60 minutes)

Time	Stage	Tutor does	Student does
0-6 min	Count comparison	8 characters against 24: which reads better	Give a reason, not a number
6-20 min	Three questions	When, what kind, how	Add one phrase per question
20-32 min	Four transforms	Passive, rhetorical, reported speech, joining	One sentence each
32-44 min	Three checks	Meaning, count, punctuation	Sign off each check
44-54 min	Timed rewrite	Three sentences in ten minutes	Finish inside the limit
54-60 min	Exit check	Three questions collected and marked	Work independently

03 Teaching script (read it out)

Scene 1: Three questions: every added word must come from somewhere

The rule of expansion: for every word you add, you must be able to name the question it answers. The three questions are when, what kind, and how.
The base sentence is 8 characters: the dog runs. The expanded version is 24: at dusk, the soaking wet dog limped across the road. That is 16 added characters, and each answers one question: at dusk (when), soaking wet (what kind), limped (how).
The counter-example: the dog happily ran about. Happily answers how, but ran about only repeats the verb and adds no information.
So the test is simple: point at every added word and ask which question it answers. If none, cut it.

Students do: circle each added phrase in their expanded sentence and label it when, what kind, or how.

Scene 2: Four transformations, one hard rule each

1. Active to passive: the doer and the receiver swap places, the verb stays. I closed the door becomes the door was closed by me. Hard rule: in the active sentence the subject is the doer; in the passive it is the thing affected.
2. Statement to rhetorical question: a final particle is required (could it be that … ?, is it not … ?). Hard rule: the answer is the opposite of the surface form, and forgetting that is how students answer backwards.
3. Direct to reported speech: quotation marks and the colon go, pronouns shift. He said, I will come tomorrow becomes he said he would come the next day. Hard rule: time words and pronouns move together.
4. Joining and splitting: joining needs a shared element; splitting needs a sensible break point. Hard rule: joining may not drop an event.
Each transformation is taught with its rule attached, never as a pattern to copy.

Students do: put one sentence through all four transformations and name the rule used each time.

Scene 3: Three checks after rewriting: meaning, count, punctuation

The commonest rewrite error is a sentence that reads better and means something else. Hence three checks:
1. Meaning: read the rewrite, paraphrase the original in your own words, then compare.
2. Count: if the task asks for 24 characters, count them; 8 plus 16 is exactly 24.
3. Punctuation: adding reported speech adds quotation marks, a rhetorical question needs a question mark, and a joined sentence turns the middle full stop into a comma.
Students sign off the three checks themselves; the tutor does not do it for them.

Students do: write meaning ok, 24 characters ok, punctuation ok in the margin before handing in.

04 Question types and worked steps

Type	Example	Steps	Answer
Expansion	Expand a short sentence to a set length	Every added word answers one of three questions	No question, no word
Active and passive	Turn the active sentence passive	Swap doer and receiver	Verb unchanged
Rhetorical question	Turn a statement into a rhetorical question	Add the particle; answer is opposite	A missing particle means the tone fails
Join or split	Two sentences into one, or one into two	Shared element, or a sensible break	Never drop an event

Sanity check (teach this): Sanity check: expansion runs from 8 to 24 characters, 16 added, and each added word must answer one of three questions; active and passive always differ in subject and always share the verb; a rhetorical question always takes the opposite answer, which is the only test of correctness; all three rewrite checks are needed or a prettier sentence quietly changes meaning; repeating a verb is not expansion.

05 Independent practice (3 questions)

Question	Answer	What to watch
Expand	8 characters up to 24	Every addition labelled
Passive	Two sentences swapped	Verb unchanged, subject swapped
Rhetorical	Two statements converted	Particle present, answer reversed
Three checks	Check a partner’s rewrite	All three with a verdict

06 Common mistakes and what to say

Mistake	Student writes	Say this
Expanding by adding events	The dog runs becomes the dog runs after a cat	You added an event. Expansion adds information, not new action.
Missing particle in the question	Could it be that he will come. With a full stop	A rhetorical question ends with the particle and a question mark. Read it: is it a question?
Passive with the doer in front	The door closed me	Who closed the door? The doer goes at the end. Say it again.
Pronouns left unshifted	He said I would come tomorrow	Whose I is that inside the quotes? Reported speech shifts the pronoun and the time word together.

07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)

Primary Chinese chapter index — All chapters by level
Teaching guide index — Same structure, other subjects
Redo this chapter — Questions 1 to 4 again, with the three-check result written out

08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)

Question	Answer	Decision
How many expansion questions	Three: when, what kind, how	“Add adjectives” means act one again
Who is the subject of an active sentence	The doer	“The thing affected” means act two again
What are the three rewrite checks	Meaning, word count, punctuation	Two means act three again

09 Tutor FAQ

Is a longer expansion always better?

No. The length is set by the task, and 8 to 24 characters is the working range. Going over usually means an event was invented, which loses marks.

Why do students answer rhetorical questions backwards?

Because the surface form and the meaning are opposite. Make them write the answer out, then compare it with the surface form.

Must joined sentences use a connective?

Usually, but not always. Forcing because or therefore invents a causal link that is not there, which is the commonest joining error.

Find a tutor — free Tutor Registration →

A TutorZone lesson-prep guide. Written by the TutorZone team; questions and lesson flow are original and are not taken from any school or publisher material.