Language Development: Brown’s Stages (1973)

Stage Age (m) MLU Morphology Pronouns Other Features

I 12-26 1.0-2.0 Words are generally I, it Children in early Stage I may use single words. In
monomorphemic, uses free later Stage I, two-word sentences appear, showing
morphemes only a variety of semantic relationships, and some SVO
structures may appear.
Single word negatives are used in early Stage I,
with negative at start or end of sentence by late
Stage I
Basic questions using intonation, what (doing) and
where (going) questions
First use of “and” to join nouns may occur in Late
Stage I

II 27-30 2.0-2.5 Present progressive -ing My, me, SVC sentences using copula appear
in/on mine, you Negatives begin to be used within the sentence
Plural -s Wider range of questions used
Inversion of copula verbs within questions begins

III 31-34 2.5-3.0 Irregular past tense Your, yours, Auxiliary verb forms appear
Possessive -s he, she, we Subject-verb inversion in questions
Uncontractible copula Auxiliary verbs and do support begin in questions
Emergence of but, or, so, if

IV 35-40 3.0-3.75 Articles a/the They, them, Use of the auxiliary in negatives
Regular past tense -ed us, her, hers, Inversion of auxiliary and subject in questions
Third person singular present - his Double auxiliary use
s Use of “and” to join clauses (compound
sentences)
 Emergence of “because” at start of sentence
Beginning to use object noun phrase complements
with verbs such as think, show

V 41-46 3.75-4.5 Third person irregular: does, Its, our, ours, Complex sentences with subordinating
has their, theirs, conjunctions e.g. “because”
Uncontractible auxiliary him, her, Indirect objects
Contractible copula myself, Relative clauses
Contractible auxiliary yourself Tag Questions
Use of “if” to join clauses

V+ 47m + 4.5+ Herself, Negative forms no one, none, nobody appear

himself, itself, Expanded why questions and negative questions
ourselves, are used
themselves,
yourselves