Which language milestone is typical for a 4-year-old?

• A. Speaks in complete sentences, tells stories, uses complex sentences, recognizes some colors and numbers, speech generally intelligible.
• B. Speaks in short phrases only.
• C. Cannot be understood by strangers.
• D. Reads at grade level.

Answer: (A)

This question is about language development milestones in early childhood, focusing on what expressive language looks like around age 4. At this age, children typically speak in complete sentences and tell relatively coherent stories. They begin to use more complex sentence structures with joining words and tense, and they can name some colors and numbers. Importantly, their speech is usually intelligible to unfamiliar listeners. That combination—longer, more complex speech, storytelling ability, basic concept naming, and clear intelligibility—fits best with a 4-year-old.

The other descriptions reflect earlier stages. Speaking only in short phrases is more typical of younger preschoolers, being difficult to understand by strangers suggests a younger child, and reading at grade level isn’t expected until school age.