EnglishGrade 6ages 11–12
🔗 and but so
Hebrew often uses one attached letter to add, contrast, and show a result, so a child learning English has to relearn that these three jobs each get their own separate word: and, but, and so.
Try this lesson freeNo card needed. The first lesson is free.
Download on the App StoreWhat your child learns
- and adds: I sit and I drink.
- but contrasts: I am tired but I run.
- so shows a result: I am tired so I sit.
- In Hebrew one attached letter carries adding, contrast and result alike. English gives each its own word.
The mistake most kids make here
Using but to add, or so instead of but.
Try one question
We sit and also drink. Which word?
Also
- but
- and
- so
Answer
and — That's it. and — simply adding a second thing.
How Maya teaches it
Your child tells Maya what they did in class. She teaches this topic at her desk, asks questions with tappable answers, and when the answer is wrong she explains why that answer was tempting instead of saying “try again”. She remembers what did not land and comes back to it.
Your child has it when they can: Say a sentence with and, one with but, one with so.
How to help at home
And simply adds one thing to another: 'I sit and I drink.' Nothing changes direction — it's just two things happening together.
But shows a contrast, something unexpected: 'I am tired but I run.' The second half goes against what you'd expect from the first.
So shows a result, something caused by the first part: 'I am tired so I sit.' The second half happens because of the first.
Practice building three sentences about the same situation, one with each word, so your child feels how the meaning shifts each time.
Questions parents ask
- Why does my child mix up and, but, and so?
- In Hebrew, one attached letter often covers all three meanings — adding, contrasting, and showing a result — so English's three separate words each need to be learned as its own specific job.
- What's the simplest way to explain the difference?
- And just adds. But shows something unexpected. So shows a result caused by the first part. Thinking about which job the sentence needs helps pick the right word.
- Can you give a quick example of all three with the same idea?
- 'I am tired and I sit' (adding), 'I am tired but I run' (contrast), 'I am tired so I sit' (result) — same starting point, three different endings depending on the word.
- How does Maya teach this?
- Maya gives a real sentence pair and asks the child to choose the linking word that matches the relationship between the two ideas, so the distinction gets practiced with real meaning, not just memorized.
No card needed. The first lesson is free.
Download on the App StoreMore English lessons
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Sources: English Curriculum 2020 for elementary school – Israeli Ministry of Education