Grammar Puzzles & Games Kids Can't Resist

Grammar
Puzzles & Games

Kids Can’t Resist!
40 Super-Cool Crosswords, Codes, Mazes & More
Grammar Puzzles & Games Kids Can't Resist! © Karen Kellaher, Scholastic Teaching Resources
That Teach the Essential Rules of Grammar

by Karen Kellaher
S C H O L A S T I C
PROFESSIONALBOOKS
New York * Toronto * London * Auckland * Sydney
Mexico City * New Delhi * Hong Kong

Dedication
To Colin
for all your love and support
And special thanks to Mr. Ed Miller,

who made grammar fun for me
Scholastic Inc. grants teachers permission to photocopy the activity sheets from this book for classroom use. No other part
of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without written permission of the publisher. For permission,
write to Scholastic Inc., 555 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.
Edited by Sylvia Charlesworth

Cover design by Jaime Lucero
Cover illustration by Mike Moran
Interior design by Grafica, Inc.
Interior illustration by Mike Moran
ISBN: 0-439-07756-7
Copyright © 2000 by Karen Kellaher.

All rights reserved.
Printed in the U.S.A.
Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Word Search Puzzles

Noun Hunt (common nouns) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Find the Verb (predicate of sentence). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Verbs Help Out (helping verbs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Good, Better, Best (comparing adjectives) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Noun Substitutes (pronouns) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Contraction Action (contractions) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
For Short (abbreviations) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Snail (“Wraparound”) Puzzles

Single Minded (singular and plural nouns) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
In the Past (past tense verbs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Pick a Preposition (prepositions) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Create a Word (compound words) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Which One (Won) Is It? (homonyms) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Do They Agree? (subject/verb agreement) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Crossword Puzzles
Make It Two! (plural nouns). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Invisible Nouns (abstract nouns) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Where’s the Action? (action verbs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Pronoun Magic (pronouns) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Awesome Adverbs (adverbs). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
It’s Only Proper (proper adjectives) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Subject Search (subject of sentence) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Contents
Partner Stories
Food Fight! (common nouns) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
The Strangest Field Trip Ever (proper nouns) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Alien Adventure (present and past tense verbs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
I See the Future! (future tense verbs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Say It With Adjectives (adjectives) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
A Parts-of-Speech Circus (parts of speech review) . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Crack-the-Code Stories
A Pet Adventure (adverbs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Prepositions Show Position (prepositions) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
A Conjunction’s Function (conjunctions) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Hew, Wow! (interjections). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
To Be or Not To Be (the verb “to be”) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Riddle Bubble Tests

A Capital Idea (using capital letters) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Whose Is It? (possessive nouns). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
The Genuine Articles (a, an, and the) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Using Contractions (contractions) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Be Agreeable (subject/verb agreement) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Is It a Sentence? (sentences and fragments) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Be a Comma Cop! (comma placement). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Sentence Enders (punctuation) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Quotation Location (quotation marks) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Introduction
T
here is something about games and puzzles that
motivates even the most reluctant learner. We see
this clearly when we look at our own habits: As
adults, few of us would jump at the chance to take a test
on world history, literature, science, or geography.
However, we rush to answer questions in these subject
areas when they’re part of a trivia board game, TV quiz
show, or Sunday newspaper crossword puzzle. Why? I
believe it’s because the idea of a game or puzzle lends an

exciting context to learning, and we achieve a real sense of
accomplishment when we get the answers right.
Children are no exception. When subject matter is
part of a game or puzzle, students are more motivated to learn, to remember, and to apply the
material. That’s the thinking behind Grammar Puzzles & Games Kids Can’t Resist!
Why Use Grammar Games?

At Scholastic we recognize that grammar is not the easiest topic to teach. Too often, grammar
seems like a collection of rules that must be memorized. Students have a hard time seeing its
relevance to real life. And teachers sometimes have a difficult time changing students from the
comfortable—but incorrect—grammar habits which the kids are used to using. It is our hope
that Grammar Puzzles & Games Kids Can’t Resist! will make the teaching of grammar a little bit
easier and a lot more fun. You’ll find crossword puzzles, word searches, code games, partner
stories, and more. These are entertaining activities that children already love to do, so consider
your battle half won!
Some of the special features of this book include:
• Grammar “fast facts” with every activity. These reminders review the specific grammar
concept the children need for each activity—right there on the reproducible. For example,
when students are working with helping verbs, they’ll find a list of helping verbs right there
on the page. When they are working with proper nouns, they’ll find a helpful reminder to
always use a capital letter. That means your students will not have to look elsewhere for
pertinent information.
• Opportunities for both independent and collaborative lear ning. Some of the activities—
such as crosswords and word searches—are designed for students to complete individually.
Others—such as the partner stories—are meant to be tackled in pairs or teams.
5
• Special attention to typical pr oblem areas. As veteran teachers know, some grammar
rules are more troublesome than others. For example, many children have a hard time
forming contractions, forming the past tense of irregular verbs, and choosing the
homonym that makes sense in a sentence. This book addresses these tough topics clearly
and decisively.
How to Use the Book

You may use the reproducible activities in any order.

Here are some suggestions for making the most of
them:
1. Use each reproducible as an immediate follow-up
to a grammar lesson to assess what students
have learned. Because the activities include very
simple instructions and grammar rule
reminders, you can easily assign the activities as
homework. I can assure you that your students
won’t mind digging into these assignments!
2. Use the reproducibles as part of a Grammar Learning Center where the focus changes
each week. For example, while you are teaching about nouns, you may want to copy all
of the activities that focus on nouns and store the activities in a designated spot in the
classroom. Send students to the Grammar Learning Center when they finish work early,
when you are working with small groups, or any other time individual students are look-
ing for something to do. Invite students to make colorful posters of important grammar
rules and use them to decorate your Learning Center.
3. Consider having students check their own work. (Use the answer key on page 58 to post
the answers on the board.) Then work with each student to highlight and focus on any
problem areas.
4. After students have completed the puzzles for a given grammar topic, invite them to cre-
ate their own puzzles for classmates to work on. Younger students will enjoy making
word search puzzles and simple crosswords on graph paper. Older students may want to
try crafting their own riddle bubble tests and partner stories. (In either case, take a peek
at the student-made activities before students exchange them. This will help avoid frus-
tration in the event that a student-created puzzle is incorrect or incomplete.)
6
For
Shor
Match
t
About the Puzzle Formats: E X A T E
N B N D O
N G E I M
I A
hunt each ab
W E
P U
L E D J R
C T V I S
for ea
M Q
T R
I O
br
ch fu eviation
ll wo
E V
to
rd in the full
the wo wo
rd se rd it stand
arch
puzz s for. Th
le. en
SK IL
L: Co
mmon
Abbr
eviat
ions
P H O R A
A Special Note to Teachers S Q K O T

Y H
A S T L B
N E E A U
I C
R N
M I
L C I F E
V K S R A
N
L E
I R
H O I P Q
A T J A T
S D
R
S P L U N
E
Y B R H O
A D S E A
G T
D P
O
F O N E
D C P O
T
B R R
Y F E H E
R I
U
G S
S T
A X A L I F A Z U T
F O J E S FAST
D J D A V R N T M K L
A N E I A C E FACT
U A N U E
An ab
Each of the puzzles in this book includes easy-to-follow directions. ABBR

EVIA
TIO
R Y M
R W A B S
Q B
E R
I B
C
B shor
word
abbr
brev
or ph
eviat
ions
iat
tened ion is a
vers
rase
ion of
. Som
a
N ods, e
but ot use
1. peri-
hers
The puzzles are broken down as follows:

Dr. do no
2. t.
Mr. FULL
3. WO
St. RD
4.
TV ____
5. _
____ a.
Jan. _ Octo
6. b. ber uns
PA ____ Aven ral No
7. _ d Plu
____ c. ue lar an
Ave. _ Doct Singu
8. d. or IL L:
Sat. ____
_ Satu SK
9.
FACT
__ e. rday
Oct. ___ mile
10.
FAST
s pe
Word Searches
____ f. r ho
mph _ te ur me
11. g.
levisi beco
U.S. ____ on d -s to
uns ad -es. Other
12. _ Calif
ed
orni
____ h. a Some no add
Mind
CA _ Mist en
i. er . Others ely wh
____ plural mplet others
_ Stre ge co d still
Single
____ j. , and et s chan ral, an
_ sentence Unite noun me plu
each k.
____ Then d St
y beco all!
Students hunt for their answers in a letter grid. Answers may go ed in _ lin e. Pe ates the ge at
tersy
t letnn
underlin on the l. e lasJa lvani t chan
ral noun the noun d. Th nu
sw er. a do no
plu
at the m of
for zzle gri
pu ne xt an ary
Look gular in the of the
the sin lar noun first letter 15
write gu rs.
the sin will be the und corne
write er aro
e answ will go
across, down, or on the diagonal. of on

Some
1
answ
ers
2
3
10
14
13
7
Snails
4
11 __
______
12 ______
______ __
______
5
______ __
______ ______
______
6
m. ______ _____
syste ______
In these puzzles, the answers wrap around in the shape of a snail.

lar ___ __
r so ______
nine
pla nets Mak
in ou
ee t. ___ ______
______
__
Th ere are s lined e It
the str
yw here!
___
_________
______
_____
1.
2. Ca
rs an
d tru W
ck
my horitus
find of ea backplu
e ke
e the
ys
ya
an
rd s. Two!
roa d.
oo d.
___
___ ______
______
______
_____
can’t ch sin ral es of the borh ______
The last letter of one answer is the first letter of the next.
ve neigh food. _____
3. I me s ha
no un gu lar
th sid is ke ___ ___
ny ho pr on on
th bo in th ma ______
hills them
4. Ma ovch
dit ideesd. e lin e the help ______ __
______ SK IL L:
Theenover s to 1
ere arewrite a bik lea2ve ______ __ Plural
5. Th th
intothride e plura ls in th3eir ______ ______ Noun
ye ar. ___
fun e crosemicals l. hool ___ s
6. It’s puzzleve ch swor five feet tal is sc ______ ______
__
nts ha grid.t unde dr ps th ______
ld tri _____
7. Pla is jus ree fie ______
ac iela on th oo m. . ___ ______
ne dr rm __
8. Gr s go be ? e sto ______ ______
ss ha in my giving by th 4
Ou r cla in a jar
5 Th anks me less _________
9.
penn
ies ms at left ho
___
I save ily eat ya ren were
.
10
your
fam child
and
Crosswords
9 Does men,
6
11. n, wo kels.
Fifty
me
10 l8 of nic 7
12. et ful
pock e sk
y.
ve a ed th
13 . I ha s fill
11 t light 16
Brigh
14.
FAST
These crosswords are designed simply with elementary students in 17 15
14
12
13
Som
beco
add
FACT
e no
uns
me plu add -s to
-es.
ral. Ot
16 Othe hers
chan r noun
ge
when completel s
mind. All of the clues and answers relate to grammar. There are no not ch
th
al, an ey becom
d sti
ange
y
ll othe e plur-
at all
rs do
ACR !
O SS
“filler” words.
3.
one
bana
5.
one na;
8. pres man
one iden y
9. subj t; m ____
ect; any ____
one man ____ ____
11. itch; y ____ ____ DOW tives
one man ____ __ N Adjec
14. disk y ____
____ ____ 1. IL L:
one ; man ____ __ onSK
e pl
17. tom y ____ ____ 2. ant;
ato; ____ __ one man
one man ____ ____ waitr
telev y ____ ____ 4. y
ision __ one ess;
FACT
; man ____ ____ foot m ____
____ ____ 6. ; man any ____
FAST
y ____ __ one ____ ____
____ ____ 7. de er; m y ____
____
Partner Stories
____ __ one ____ __
____ any words __
h ____ 10. note
; es are
____ ____
t Wit
____ __
__
12.
one jectivmany nouns or____
Adild
ch ____
ibe ____ ____
Say Iectives!
; mscr
13.
one
cook t de
thaie; any examp __le:
____
____
____
one mun s. For e, ____
__
__
15. pe pro
rson no an __
blu
y ppy, ______ ______
slo __
anyl,
Adj
one ; mtifu ____
16. key; beau ____ ____
one man ____ __
yken. ____ ____
Pairs of students work together to complete a story using specific

mou ____
se; bro ____
____
man ____
this y ____ ____
er on 22 __
partn will be the ____ ____
____
with a er ____ __
Work . One partn er partner ____
____
activity e oth
Th __
Giver. Giver.
Clue the Word the Wo
rd
parts of speech. When they’re done, they have a hilariously funny will be
1. Th
e Clu
for a
word
Giver Fill in all
.
blank reading the
asks
e Giver to fill in ea
the bla
nks
story.
ch
the ______e
______
____
ng th
stude
nt
e lat
est
befor
e reads ______ adjectiv weari
e Giver oon,
a ___ was
e Clu dent
story to share with the class. These activities can be used over and 2. Th t loud. aftern e stu .
ring all. Th shirt s I’ll
story
ou
___ _ sp etb ___ ____ “I gues
___ sk ___ s.
______ g ba ______e
od
playin the wo tead,
___ ______ ctive _ was ___ ______ adjectiv ced into . Ins
___ adje ___ very un ht
One ______ s, a it bo in sig
______name pant but where
______noun/first ____ sket, s no
d ___ ______ the ba t it wa th a
name ______ toward all bu ttle wi
over with new, exciting results each time. ___ e ll etb bo

___ adjectiv
the ba bask ____
n: ___ rew t the ______ _ genie
fashio nt th to ge ______e
stude nt ran ______
The ______ adjectiv ______
stude , ___ ______
The ____ e. adjectiv
e
ase it.” ______ a tre ______
to ch ______ e neath ed a
have ______ adjectiv proppe
d be t popp on his
a ___ . Ou watch
was ____
lid iously ____
there ___ ttle caut ___ ke it
______ the bo outfit
!
______e
___ So ma
______ e
ened ____ one.
______ adjectiv ______ adjectiv e for
nt op ______ e ___ ve tim
stude ______e at th ly ha
The ______ adjectiv nced
he gla e. I on ______
___
ge ___ bottl
stran nie as this ______
ng a the ge out of ______adjective thought
Crack-the-Code Cloze Games

we ari sa id me ___
lly!” let a ___ dent
“Fina one To be e stu
e some st wi
sh? y, th
t tim e be Finall
abou be th toys?
. “It’s uld ____ me
wrist
at wo ___ sh ca
t. Wh ______ the wi
py.” ough ______ctive that,
snap nt th ______ adje t like _
stude lly ___ d jus ______
The me rea rs. An ______
ve so nie. finge
Students complete a short story by filling in the missing part of su pe
of th
rstar?
e pe
To ha
rfect
wish
tever,
an d told
To B
” said
the ge
the ge
nie as
he sn appe
______ e
d his
______
______
, ___
______
______ adjectiv _________ adjective
______
______ e
______ adjectiv the for
__ da
y in
est.
Not toe or
“Wha a ___ at
came got th
nt be r for
stude neve
speech. Then they use their answers to decode a secret message!

The , and
true.
______
___ ______
nou n
______
Be? 33
SK ILL
: The
Verb “To
Be”
This sto
ry
some of is missing FAST FA
its verbs!
the bla
with ver
nks in
the
Fill in
The ver
CT
bs from story b “to be”
is the
below. the box most freq
All uently
are form of the verbs verb in used
s of the the Eng
“to be.
” When verb guage. lish lan-
finishe you are Eight diff
d, put words erent
Riddle Bubble Tests

bered lett the num are par
- t of the
rect ord ers in the cor verb “to
be.”
er and -
secret get
message. the
Students fill in the bubble next to the sentence that uses correct is
Ladies
am
are
was
and Gen
tlemen, were
It __ be
grammar. Then students use their lettered answers to unravel the thrille
__
__ a
1
d to __
2
__ qui
poor,
__ nam
te an
unknow
honor
ed the
to sta
Invent
nd bef
ore you
or of the
this eve
ning and
being
been
Today, n invent Year. accept

I __ or wit Bel ieve it this awa
__ a h plenty or not rd. I am
punch line to an amusing riddle. These riddle tests are not only
Line. 3 big suc , just
If it __ cess, of ide a few yea
all tha as but
__ nks to no mo rs ago
basem 4 __ my fam ney to I __
ent wor __ not make
kshop. for this ous Tw them
amazin o-In-On happen
As I acc g device, e Den .
ept my tal Flo
I might ss and
award, still be Fishin
dre icles
my par I’d like g
ents and to tha L: Artaming awa
fun; they’re also great practice for state and national standardized “Thank
that I
s for __
have
never
my fifth
__
__
__
__
-grade
__
7
science
__ the
nk som
teache
re for
e special
r, Mrs
me
people
. C. A.
in my
Labrat
SK IL
life. The
. To all
thr
y __
__
5
__
y in my
__ !” And ee of 6
icles:
Now use 8 __ hap to all them,
the num pier or of you I say,
tests (students get into the habit of filling in the circle next to the
more in the
e Arthe
bered lett proud audien
ers to than ce, I say
__ __ decode I am ton
enuin
2 __ the me ight.
ssage:
The G, An, and T

6 __ __
3
4 __ __
1
7 __ __
7 !
A next
8
5
correct answer). Look

ch set
at ea ce that us
tence
es
ished
in the
circle
s. Fill a, an, and of
of sen the words the letter
, use end.
are fin dle at the
the
s
39
senten
to the . When you ve the rid
rly
prope swers to sol
an
your
.
pack
back
FACT
ck .
in my ckpa
ella my ba
FAST a, an, and
.
umbr pack
Enjoy! 1.
n I alw rry
n
n
n
n A.
n B.
n C.
n D.
n
n
ays
I alw
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E. My
carry
ays
ays
ca
ays
birthd
a um
carry
carry
ay
thday
brell
is an
is a
br
last
last
a in
ella
an um brella in
an a
um
day
day
t day
in my
my
of Ma
of Ma
of Ma
y.
y.
back
y.
back
May.
pack
.
noun
rds
The wo come befor
the oft
s.
en
Use the . For
ecific
noun
of a sp This is the
examp
le:
Us
e
in fro
nt
e a an
d
n F.G. MyMy birthdayayisis the last day

bir las of
want.
n
-
2.
bike I n-spe
of no
n H. My birthd
n e. an in
fro nt
Use a
in
n
n
coun
try in
Europ
in Eu
rope. cific no
uns.
noun
s tha
t
is a nt of ants
untry
n I.J. France isisancountry in Euin Europe.
ance e. on
n
Fr co rop fro cons
with
3.
n K. France the coun
n try lun ch. start
in fro nt of
n L. France is
for with
and an
n
apple .
d an lunch t start
n
n ed sa
ndwi
ch an
ndwi
ch an
d a ap
ple for lunch.
an ap
ple for ch.
noun
s tha
ls. Fo
r exa
mple:
e
rcus
pack
a sa and for lun vowe ve a bik
n M.N. MaMarcus papackckeded a sandndwiwichch and a apple
n I’d rat
her ha
tomob
ile.
4.
n O. Marcus packed an sa
n than
an au
n P. Marcus
n
n e into an
on ros into a the
sky.
sk y.
ballo
n Q.R. MyMy balloononrosrose into skthey. sky.
e
n
5.
n S. My ballo on rose into
n
n T. My ballo
n hway
.
n
n
go t
t tire
the fla e on the
on hig hway.
hig
hway
.
r car t tir the hig
n U.V. OuOur car gogottaanflaflat tirone ona highway.
6.
n W. Our car got flat tire
n
n X. Our car
n
n 4 4
7
SKILL: Common Nouns
Noun Hunt
FAST FACT
Read the clues to name the nouns in each list. Then find the nouns in A noun is a person,
the word search puzzle.
place, or thing. For
example: sister, park,
B S H E A C K G T R B A insect.
A C L O U D A F E E M S
P H D G N B I D A S O G
P O F O T N T A C T T M
L 0 H A C H A F H A H E
E L O B T E B M E U E G
S L M G Q H L W R R R B
T E E N A G E R T A P U
O I A K L K Y R V N C Z
R B I C Y C L E A T I R
E M R B C S I N G E R S
B A I R P O R T M J Z N
PEOPLE
1. An adult who teaches in a classroom ________________________
2. Your parents (two words) ________________________
and ________________________
3. A person between the ages of 13 and 19 ________________________
4. A person who sings ________________________
5. Your mother’s sister is your ________________________
PLACES
6. A place where you buy things ________________________
7. A place where you go to learn ________________________
8. A place where you go to eat ________________________
9. The place where you live ________________________
10. A place where planes take off and land ________________________
THINGS
11. A vehicle with two wheels ________________________
12. Something you use to carry groceries ________________________
13. A fruit that’s often red and is used to make pies and juice ________________________
14. Something you use at dinner time that comes with chairs ________________________
15. Something fluffy that floats in the sky ________________________
9
SKILL: Simple Predicate of a Sentence
Find the Verb

Read each sentence and underline the verb. Then find
each verb in the word search puzzle.
B P H D M A K H A S C I
L A E C A U G H T A O L
M I S B D G I C E L I N
E N S N E S A O F O H V
P T U T Z G V S L V S R
I E B R E O I A H E I E
Y D J W O N U N M S R P
B R O K E M S G S T B C
R F S H A R E D B I H T FAST FACT
L E R V I S I T S D E R Some verbs, like runs
C W A O Q J A O G E Y H and thinks, describe
X H R D E A B L E W O E action. Other verbs, like
is and was, describe a
state of being.
1. The play begins at six o’clock.
2. Lucas visits his grandmother at least once a week.
3. The snake caught its prey under a boulder.
4. I read an exciting novel last week.

5. Rebecca painted a picture of a beautiful sunset.
6. My cat is three years old.
7. Our school basketball team just won the state championship.
8. Megan loves pizza with pepperoni.
9. The two brothers shared a seat on the school bus.
10. We sang the national anthem at school today.
11. A rabbit made its nest in our front yard.
12. During the storm, winds blew at speeds of 50 miles per hour.
13. Jared listens to many kinds of music.
14. Anne broke her arm last winter.
15. That film has terrific special effects.
10
SKILL: Helping Verbs
Verbs Help Out

Read each sentence and locate the helping verb. When you are
finished, find your answers in the word search puzzle.
A F M I G H T E B P A R E
D O I H B M C L D I O E G
C L Q W E R E R S J S U A
S E O N E T A K H C D I D FAST FACT
H A D T N P V B O S F W T
Helping verbs help the main verb

D U T G Q O M N U U R H E describe the action. There are 23
A B N J W Y W A L I M A S helping verbs. They are:
V A I D C H A R D L Q S E am could have should
C M K T F K S N L G C O S are did is was
L R S X A M U H D I D N T be do may were
P U A O S B V U N P Z B I been does might will
M S I H A V E J E R A H I being had must would
B W T O E D S V P T Y O F can has shall
HELPING VERB
1. Our neighbors were playing loud music last night. __________________
2. You should say thank you to Uncle Roy for the gift. __________________
3. I can see the park from my bedroom window. __________________
4. My train is leaving in ten minutes. __________________
5. I am planning to join the swim team. __________________
6. I knew that you owned a dog, but I did not know that you owned a fish. __________________
7. Yes, I do like to work with clay. __________________
8. I have started my homework. __________________
9. My cousins are visiting for the weekend. __________________
10. Julia has written a poem for class. __________________
11. I was walking to school when I saw an injured bird. __________________
12. I might win the contest. __________________
13. Tina had just fallen asleep when the telephone rang. __________________
11
SKILL: Comparing Adjectives
Good, Better, Best

Read each sentence. On the line, write the positive, compar-
ative, or superlative form of the missing adjective. Then find
each of your answers in the word search puzzle.
A H S D Y B R O C U P E
L M C M N E L O U D E R
H B E O A K C G T N D I
A D A L N R J M E A B S
R T R F A S T E R C P A
D A L O V H E K F O N Z
E A I A E T Y I D L E H
R I E O C L O S E S T B
P S R T A L L E S T E D
U B A Y R C O L D E S T FAST FACT
A positive adjective lets
you describe one or
1. Nora was fast, but Caitlyn was ____________________. more things: A puppy is
(comparative of fast )
2. Snowball is ____________________ than the other kittens nice; puppies are nice.
(comparative of cute )
in the litter. A comparative adjective
3. Kevin is _____________________. lets you compare two or
(positive of smart )
4. January is the _____________________ month of the year. more things: Barbara is
(superlative of cold ) nicer than Gerard;
5. I filled the _____________________ glass I could find with water.
(superlative of tall ) Gerard is nicer than all
6. Someone must have turned up the volume, because the
the other boys in our
music suddenly got _____________________.
(comparative of loud ) class.
7. The _____________________ clouds were a sign that the storm A superlative adjective
(positive of dark)
was on its way. lets you describe only
8. Today’s math assignment is _____________________ than one thing: Mount
(comparative of hard )
yesterday’s. Everest is the tallest
9. David has an _____________________ bedtime than I do. mountain in the world;
(comparative of early)
10. Tina is my _____________________ friend. Remo is the friendliest
(superlative of close)
person in school.
12
SKILL: Personal and Possessive Pronouns
Noun Substitutes
Read each sentence and fill in each blank with a pronoun from the lists.
When you are finished, find your answers in the word search puzzle.
A O U R S M C L B H E D A
I B H C N P S A H X I T D
O M R E D T G F M E N H G FAST FACT
E L Y A I K C O W B L E I Pronouns take the place of nouns Here are some:
J Q H O S I R E Q J G M L
I it him who
H E D S H E V C A S R K O
you we her what
K U T E G W T N I T S E R he me us
R X S P R C H B E H L M U she they them
D F M I A F E M K E T S Z
B H E R E Y I D F Y H I M Pronouns can be possessive, just like nouns:
P H M A L U R A Q S Z R M her/hers mine their/theirs
T R U J O T B R E C P E T his my whose
N U F Y I G C M Y D A H Q its our/ours your/yours
1. “ _________________ am happy to meet you,” I said.

2. Ryan has a doctor’s appointment after school, so _________________ will miss practice.
3. She baked the cake for so long, _________________ was as hard as a rock!
4. Frank and Erin said _________________ would be back in one hour.
5. I just saw a man run down the street. Did you see _______________?
6. The fourth graders invited _________________ to their holiday party, so we will invite them to
_________________.
7. Mary, do _________________ walk to school or ride the bus?
8. Elizabeth hopes _________________ will get the lead in the school play.
9. Our family is very busy, but _________________ always try to eat dinner together.
10. I reminded Derek that _________________ owes me a dollar.
11. When I saw Aunt Sue get off the train, I hugged _________________ and offered to carry her bags.
12. The children were misbehaving, so Mrs. Nelson asked _________________ to quiet down.
13. I know that’s _________________ lunch because it has my name on it.
14. A kitten must stay with _________________ mother for several weeks.
15. The twins invited all of _________________ friends to the birthday party.
13
SKILL: Contractions
Contraction Action
Read each sentence, paying special attention to the contraction.
On the line, write the word that completes each contraction.
Then find each of your answers in the word search puzzle.
A N E A R E H B M I S
H F X I J O E A G D R
K A U N L A C N V U A
D Q D T E S F I T E Q
A H B N O T G E I T U FAST FACT
C I N W Z E R A S L I A contraction is formed
O S E F V G U J G I P by putting two words
L I Y A T V E H A G W together and leaving out
G N H M F S W I L L E some letters. An apos-
P A E U C O N B D P D trophe takes the place
U M C H S K E A I R O of the missing letters.
1. I couldn’t make it to the dance recital on Wednesday.

couldn’t = could + _____________________
2. Peter should’ve called if he were going to be late.
should’ve = should + _____________________
3. I’m the oldest child in my family.
I’m = I + _____________________
4. Maura was tired because she’d been working in the garden all day.
she’d = she + _____________________
5. Edward says he’ll be over in ten minutes.
he’ll = he + _____________________
6. You’re my best friend.
You’re = You + _____________________
7. He’s afraid of spiders.
He’s = He + _____________________
8. ‘Twas the night before Christmas.
‘Twas = _____________________ + was
9. Let’s go out to dinner tonight.
Let’s = Let + _____________________
14
SKILL: Common Abbreviations
For Short
Match each abbreviation to the full word it stands for. Then
hunt for each full word in the word search puzzle.
W E M Q N I A D J R T R E V
P U A T E L E V I S I O N E
E X N D O C T O R A F O P O
N B E I M P H J A T D C G S
N G K O T A T R L U N T S T
S Q M I L E S P E R H O U R
Y H I F E S D Y B D P B R E
L C S R A I R S E A O E H E FAST FACT
V K T L B A D G T Y F R I T An abbreviation is a
A S E A U N I P Q A Z U K L shortened version of a
N E R N H O F J E S T M C E word or phrase. Some
I C A L I F O R N I A E R B abbreviations use peri-
ods, but others do not.
A X D A V E N U E M A B S C
D J A N U A R Y R W Q B I B
ABBREVIATION FULL WORD
1. Dr. _____ a. October

2. Mr. _____ b. Avenue
3. St. _____ c. Doctor
4. TV _____ d. Saturday
5. Jan. _____ e. miles per hour
6. PA _____ f. television
7. Ave. _____ g. California
8. Sat. _____ h. Mister
9. Oct. _____ i. Street
10. mph _____ j. United States
11. U.S. _____ k. Pennsylvania
12. CA _____ l. January
15
SKILL: Singular and Plural Nouns
Single Minded FAST FACT

Some nouns add -s to become
Look at the plural noun underlined in each sentence, and
plural. Others add -es. Other
write the singular form of the noun on the line. Then
write the singular noun in the puzzle grid. The last letter nouns change completely when
of one answer will be the first letter of the next answer. they become plural, and still others
Some answers will go around corners. do not change at all!
1 2
8 9
7 13 14 10 3
12 11 4
6 5
1. There are nine planets in our solar system. ____________________

2. Cars and trucks lined the street. ____________________
3. I can’t find my house keys anywhere! ____________________
4. Many homes have back yards. ____________________
5. There are ditches on both sides of the road. ____________________
6. It’s fun to ride a bike over the hills in this neighborhood. ____________________
7. Plants have chemicals in their leaves to help them make food. ____________________
8. Graciela is just under five feet tall. ____________________
9. Our class has gone on three field trips this school year. ____________________
10. I save pennies in a jar in my bedroom. ____________________
11. Does your family eat yams at Thanksgiving? ____________________
12. Fifty men, women, and children were left homeless by the storm. ____________________
13. I have a pocket full of nickels. ____________________
14. Bright lights filled the sky. ____________________
16
SKILL: Verbs/Past Tense
In the Past
Rewrite each sentence in the past tense. Then write each past-tense
verb in the snail puzzle. The last letter of one answer will be the first
letter of the next answer. Some answers will go around corners.
1 2
10 8
6 11
FAST FACT
The past tense is used to describe something that hap-
9 pened before now. Many verbs form the past tense by
adding -ed or -d. But other verbs form the past tense
5 4
in unusual ways and should be memorized.
1. I sleep in a bed.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
2. She turns the key.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
3. We decide what to eat for lunch.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Stephan draws a picture.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
5. I win the spelling bee!
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
6. Rachel nods her head in agreement.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
7. They drive to school every day.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
8. The nurse examines the patient.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
9. Everyone dances to that song.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
10. I dare you to watch the scary movie.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
11. We do the dishes.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
17
SKILL: Prepositions
Pick a Preposition
Read each sentence below, and choose a preposition
from the box to fill in the blank. Then write the prepo-
sitions in the snail puzzle. In the puzzle, the last letter
of one answer is the first letter of the next answer.
Some answers will go around corners.
1 2
6
9 10
5
FAST FACT
Prepositions usually tell where something is, where
3 something is going, or when something is
happening. Some common prepositions are:
8 7
4 about after with

near throughout to
below because despite
without beside instead
in over on
except toward onto
1. South America is located _________________________ the Equator.

2. You cannot bake a cake _________________________ flour.
3. The sprinter ran _________________________ the finish line.
4. We played outside for a while _________________________ the cold weather.
5. I like all vegetables _________________________ for lima beans.
6. Basketball is popular _________________________ the entire United States.
7. Hannah sent a thank-you note _________________________ her grandmother.
8. Will you help me load the heavy box _________________________ the truck?
9. Anthony lives _________________________ North Birchfield Avenue.
10. The twins live _________________________ the school, so they do not ride the schoolbus.
18
SKILL: Compound Words
Create-a-Word
Read each clue below and figure out the compound word that is
being described. Then write the compound words in the snail puzzle.
The last letter of one answer will be the first letter of the next
answer. Some answers go around corners.
1 2
5 6
9
11
FAST FACT
A compound word is a
8 10
word that is made up of
7
two or more smaller
words. For example:
4 3 notebook, newspaper,
thunderstorm.
CLUES
1. A mark your foot leaves in snow or mud. ________________________
2. These fall from your eyes when you are sad. ________________________
3. At night we have moonlight; in the day we have ________________________
4. A natural disaster that makes the ground shake. ________________________
5. The skin that closes over your eye. ________________________
6. You turn this to open a door. ________________________
7. A sport played with a bat and ball. ________________________
8. All the years that a person lives. ________________________
9. The hard covering around an egg. ________________________
10. A house that warns ships of danger. ________________________
11. A piece of jewelry you wear on your ear. ________________________
19
SKILL: Homonyms
Which One
(Won) Is It?
Read each of the sentences below, and underline the
homonym that makes sense in each one. Then write the
correct homonyms in the snail puzzle. The last letter of
one answer will be the first letter of the next answer.
Some answers will go around corners.
1 2 3
9 4
13 10
8 14
FAST FACT
Homonyms are words
that sound alike but
12 11 5
have different spellings
7 6
and meanings. For
example: peace/piece
and bare/bear.
1. My (aunt, ant) is coming to visit for a few weeks.

2. Jack likes to play soccer (to, too, two).
3. We will eat lunch in about (one, won) hour.
4. Rosa’s brother is (ate, eight) years old.
5. Nigel (threw, through) the ball to first base.
6. Room 16 is having a spelling test next (weak, week).
7. I don’t (know, no) where I left my backpack.
8. How much does your puppy (way, weigh)?
9. The frightened campers (herd, heard) a noise in the forest.
10. The (dear, deer) drank from the cool stream.
11. The principal’s office is the third door on the (right, write).
12. (There, They’re, Their) favorite movie is showing tonight at 8 p.m.
13. The audience filled 100 (rose, rows) of seats.
14. Lori’s arm was (sore, soar) after her softball game.
20
SKILL: Subject/Verb Agreement
Do They Agree?
Read each of the sentences below, and underline the
verb that agrees with the subject. Then write the correct
verbs in the snail puzzle. The last letter of one answer
will be the first letter of the next answer. Some answers
will go around corners.
1 2 3
8 9
13
7 14 10
12 11
6 5
1. Bears (has, have) a powerful sense of smell.

FAST FACT
2. We (eat, eats) out about twice a month. If the subject of a sen-
3. He always (try, tries) to do his homework before dinner. tence is singular, the
4. On the island, the sun (shine, shines) almost every day. verb must also be sin-
5. The recipe (says, say) to cook the muffins for 25 minutes. gular. If the subject is
6. They (swim, swims) in the lake every afternoon. plural, the verb must be
7. I (make, makes) the best lemonade in town! plural. Here’s a secret,
8. Ralph (earn, earns) money by mowing his neighbor’s lawn. though: While a noun
9. The kids often (swing, swings) at the playground. that ends in -s is usual-
10. My house plants (grows, grow) an inch every month. ly plural, a verb that
11. Henry (were, was) in charge of the class party.
ends in -s is usually
12. At lunch time, Rita always (sit, sits) near the windows.
singular!
13. They (switch, switches) seats every week.
14. Christopher (has, have) on a striped sweater today.
21
SKILL: Plural Nouns
Make It Two!
Write the plural 1
of each singular
2
noun on the line
provided. Then 3 4
write the plurals

in the crossword
puzzle grid.
5 6 7
8
FAST FACT
Some nouns add -s to
9 10
become plural. Others
add -es. Other nouns
11 12 13 change completely
when they become plur-
14
al, and still others do
not change at all!
15 16
17
ACROSS DOWN
3. one banana; many __________________ 1. one plant; many __________________
5. one president; many __________________ 2. one waitress; many __________________
8. one subject; many __________________ 4. one foot; many __________________
9. one itch; many __________________ 6. one deer; many __________________
11. one disk; many __________________ 7. one note; many __________________
14. one tomato; many __________________ 10. one child; many __________________
17. one television; many __________________ 12. one cookie; many __________________
13. one person; many __________________
15. one key; many __________________
16. one mouse; many __________________
22
SKILL: Abstract Nouns
Invisible Nouns FAST FACT

Some nouns name ideas or feelings
Use a noun from the box to fill in the blank in each sentence.
Then write your answers in the crossword puzzle. that you cannot see, hear, smell, or
touch. Some examples are happi-
1 2 3
ness, wonder, and justice. These
4
nouns are called abstract nouns.
5
6 7
9 10
love respect
11 sadness anger
beauty fairness
democracy concern
12
sharing courage
hope intelligence
13 confidence kindness
ACROSS DOWN
4. Madison has ____________________ that 1. Felicia was filled with
the future will be bright. ____________________ when her dog died.
6. Jack has ____________________ in his 2. My parents fell in ____________________
ability to play soccer. when they were in college.
8. The students had great 3. The United States government is a
____________________ for their teacher. ____________________ .
9. For the sake of ____________________, 5. In the spring, flowers fill the world with
Marianne gave each child the same number of ____________________ .
cookies. 6. It takes ____________________ to give a
11. Caroline’s main ____________________ speech in front of the whole class.
after the hurricane was the safety of her 7. Albert Einstein had ____________________,
neighbors. but he did not do well in school.
12. Josh treats everyone with 10. The kids know that ____________________
____________________, so he has many friends. is important. They always take turns with
13. When Grandpa saw what the burglars their toys.
had done to the house, he was filled with
_______________ .
23
SKILL: Action Verbs
Where’s the Action?

1
Read each sentence and

2 3 4 5
fill in the blank with an
action verb from the
box. Write the verb in
the crossword puzzle. 6 7 8
fly wore 10
walked shook
11 12
won meet
opened
smiled
laughed
wrote
13 14
FAST FACT
climbed yelled An action verb
15
erased baked describes activity that
16
led roared happened in the past, is
17
carry eat
happening now, or will
rock
happen in the future.
18
ACROSS DOWN
2. Jeanette __________________________ as she 1. Samantha __________________________ her
thought of the exciting day ahead of her. team to victory.
6. Jack __________________________ the home- 3. “I am pleased to ______________________ you,”
work assignment in his notebook. Jacob said.
7. During the earthquake, the whole house 4. The teacher __________________________ the
__________________________ . writing on the chalk board.
9. Alexis __________________________ at 5. Don’t __________________________ the boat; it
Courtney’s joke. may tip over!
10. Our basketball team ________________________ 6. Gregory __________________________ the dog
the state championship! around the block.
11. I am so hungry, I could 8. I __________________________ the envelope as
__________________________ ten pizzas! soon as I saw it.
13. Chris __________________________ all the way 12. Let’s __________________________ a kite today.
to the top of the tree. 14. In honor of your birthday, Aunt Rose
17. The lion __________________________ loudly, __________________________ a cake.
surprising the zoo visitors. 15. My book bag weighs at least 15 pounds. It is
18. Victor __________________________ “Fire!” as too heavy to __________________________!
soon as he saw the flames. 16. Lucas __________________________ his favorite
tie on school picture day.
24
SKILL: Personal and Possessive Pronouns
Pronoun Magic My ball! Mine!
Use a pronoun from the box to fill in the blank in each sentence. You
may use some pronouns more than once. Then write the pronouns in
the crossword puzzle.
1 2 3
4 5 6
FAST FACT
Pronouns take the place of nouns:
7 8 9
10 11 12 13 I it him
you we her
he me us
she they them

16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 Pronouns can be possessive,

just like nouns:
24
my their/theirs
25 his your/yours
our/ours its
mine whose
her/hers
ACROSS DOWN
2. Look at that flower! ___________________ is 1. Mike and Rob went to the park because
beautiful. ___________________ wanted to play ball.
4. This letter is addressed to my neighbors. It 3. The students have recess after
must be ___________________ . ___________________ eat lunch.
6. Joanna can’t wait for the class trip. It will 5. Amanda loves space, so ___________________
be ___________________ first visit to a muse- wants to become an astronaut.
um. 8. That pen belongs to me. It is _____________ .
7. George helped me with the science home- 11. A cat followed Bob and me home. It stayed
work. I helped ___________________ with the behind ______________ the whole way!
math problems. 13. The blue car belongs to our family. The van
9. Will you join ___________________ for a is ___________________, too.
walk? I would enjoy your company. 17. Mrs. Miller remembers every solo
10. If you don’t hurry, ___________________ are ___________________ daughter sang.
going to be late for school. 18. I was in a rush, so I asked the waiter to
12. Can you find ___________________ way home bring ___________________ food quickly.
from here? 20. Many nutrients of an apple are in
16. Our school has two playgrounds. Everyone ___________________ peel.
works to keep ___________________ clean. 21. My mom knows me well.
19. Brian forgot ___________________ lunch ___________________ can tell when I’ve had a
today. bad day.
22. Is this backpack ___________________? It has 23. My friends and I love to ride bikes. It is
your initials on it. ___________________ favorite activity.
24. The Smiths took ___________________ new 25. My brother and I hope ___________________
puppy for a walk. both make the soccer team.
25. ___________________ jacket is this?
25
SKILL: Adverbs
Awesome Adverbs
Read each 1 2
sentence and
fill in the
blank with an 3
adverb from 4 5
the box. Then
6 7
write your
answers in 8
the crossword
puzzle.
FAST FACT
9 10
An adverb can describe
a verb, adjective, or
another adverb. Adverbs
11 often answer the ques-
tions how, when, where,
and to what extent.
Many—but not all—
loudly happily slowly hungrily fast adverbs end in -ly.
hard well lightly there
angrily hopefully never finally
ACROSS DOWN
1. Hillary ate her soup 1. Bryan __________________________ agreed
__________________________. to join the game.
4. Natasha hit the ball 2. The crickets chirped
_________________________ and ran to first base. ________________________ outside the window.
6. David brushed the canvas 3. The tired children walked home from
______________________ with yellow paint. school ____________________ .
8. All of the students did very 5. The cat hissed __________________________
__________________________ on the reading test. when the dog walked by.
9. The twins couldn’t believe their birthday 7. When I heard the announcer begin to
had ___________________ arrived. name the winners, I looked up
11. I will sit here; you can sit _______________________________ .
_______________________. 9. Tricia runs __________________________
enough to make the track and field team.
10. Kyle has _____________________________
experienced a snowfall before.
26
SKILL: Proper Adjectives
It’s Only Proper FAST FACT

Use a proper adjective from the box to fill in the blank in each sen- A proper adjective is an
tence. Then write the answers in the puzzle. adjective that forms
1 2 from a proper noun. For
example, a king from
England is an English
3 4 5
king. A proper adjective
uses a capital letter.
6
9 10
11
12
Hawaiian Asian Amtrak Atlantic Nike Irish Chinese

Christmas Arctic Disney South Great American
ACROSS DOWN
1. We took an _________________________ train 2. They went swimming in the
across the country. __________________________ Ocean.
3. Polar bears and snowshoe rabbits are both 3. The ________________________ flag has stars
_____________________ animals. and stripes.
7. The ______________________ Lakes are locat- 4. The ________________________ New Year is
ed between the United States and Canada. celebrated with parades and fireworks.
8. Anthony bought a pair of blue 5. Mike received many
________________________ sneakers. __________________________ presents from his
10. No one lives at the friends.
__________________________ Pole all year long. 6. The _________________________ Islands are
11. Japan is an ____________________________ part of the United States.
country. 9. An ___________________________ person is
12. Sara enjoys watching someone from Ireland.
__________________________ movies.
27
SKILL: Subject of Sentence
Subject Search
FAST FACT
Read each sentence and underline the word that is the simple subject. The simple subject is
Write the word in the crossword puzzle.
the noun or pronoun
1
that tells what or whom
the sentence is about.
2 3
5 6
9 10
11
12
13
14
ACROSS DOWN
1. They knew that they were going to be 1. Travis rode the roller coaster four
late for the meeting. times.
2. Teachers have exciting jobs. 2. The telephone rang loudly.
4. She owns several rare books. 3. A single star shone in the night sky.
5. The local newspaper ran an article 6. Everyone shouted “Surprise!” when
about helping the environment. Nathan walked in the front door.
7. My new shoes gave me painful blisters. 8. Beautiful music played while we
8. The tall brown mare guarded her new- worked on our projects.
born foal. 9. Shelly is one of my closest friends.
9. The hot sun scorched the farmer’s 10. Litter makes the park ugly.
crops.
11. Mrs. Edwards’ store closes at 7:30
p.m. on weeknights.
12. It is almost summer time.
13. Cheese is a popular pizza topping.
14. The letter arrived in yesterday’s mail.
28
SKILL: Common Nouns
Food Fight!
FAST FACT
Work with a partner on this Common nouns are
activity. One partner will be general names for peo-
the Clue Giver. The other ple, places, and things.
partner will be the Word
Giver. They do not use capital
letters. For example:
1. The Clue Giver asks the
Word Giver for a word to fill student, home, and
in each blank. Fill in all the apple.
blanks before reading the
story.
2. The Clue Giver reads the
story out loud.
One day the students in our class were having a quiet lunch in the ____________________.
common noun/place
At first everything was going smoothly. The kids were enjoying fried ___________________________,
common noun/thing
baked ____________________________, and a variety of other tasty treats.
common noun/thing
Trouble started when one of the students was carrying her tray to her seat. Her stomach
grumbled as she gazed at the ____________________________, ____________________________, and

common noun/thing common noun/thing
__________________________ on her tray. A _________________________ and _________________________
common noun/thing common noun/person common noun/person
sitting nearby both looked hungrily at the piping hot lunch. Suddenly, the student tripped on a
_________________________ on the floor, and her tray went flying. A large ________________________
common noun/thing common noun/thing
landed on a _________________________ who was walking by. “You know what that means!” anoth-
common noun/person
er student shouted. “Food fight!”
Before long, the kids’ lunches were sailing through the air. A burned ___________________
common noun/thing
plopped down on a ___________________________. A greasy ____________________________ flew out
common noun/person common noun/thing
the window and headed for the _________________________. The food fight continued until a
common noun/place
mushy _________________________ sailed right into the teacher.
common noun/thing
“Stop this nonsense,” the teacher cried. “Each one of you is behaving like a
_________________________. Clean up this mess right now or I will send you to the
common noun/person
_________________________!” Needless to say, that was the end of the food fight!
common noun/place
29
SKILL: Proper Nouns
The Strangest
Field Trip Ever FAST FACT
Proper nouns are the
Work with a partner on names of specific peo-
this activity. One partner ple, places, and things.
will be the Clue Giver. They always begin with
The other partner will be
the Word Giver. a capital letter. For
example: George, Texas,
1. The Clue Giver asks
the Word Giver for a and the Statue of
word to fill in each Liberty.
blank. Fill in all the

blanks before reading
the story.
2. The Clue Giver reads
the story out loud.
Last night I had a very unusual dream. In my dream, ___________________________ was the
proper noun/person
principal of our school! One day, the principal announced that we were going on a field trip to
______________________. Now, I had been to ______________________ and to ______________________,

proper noun/place proper noun/place proper noun/place
but never there!
Believe it or not, my dream got even crazier after that. We rode a ______________________
proper noun/form of transportation
all the way to our destination. Once we arrived, we met all kinds of people. I personally saw
______________________ and ______________________ and even got ______________________ to give

proper noun/person proper noun/person proper noun/person
me an autograph. I will always treasure it!
On the way home, we talked the principal into stopping in ______________________ and
proper noun/place
______________________. We tried to stop in ______________________, too, but we ran out of time.
proper noun/place proper noun/place
Even so, it was the most awesome field trip I had ever been on. Was I ever disappointed when it
was time to wake up!
30
SKILL: Verbs/Present and Past Tense
Alien Adventure
FAST FACT
Work with a partner on this activity. The present tense
One partner will be the Clue Giver. The
other partner will be the Word Giver. describes an action that
is happening now. The
1. The Clue Giver asks the Word Giver
for a word to fill in each blank. Fill in past tense describes an
all the blanks before reading the story. action that already hap-
2. The Clue Giver reads the story out pened. Many verbs form
loud. the past tense by
adding -ed or -d.
When I saw the flashing lights, I knew right away it was a
UFO. It________________ right next to me. The doors opened, and out came ____________________
verb/past tense number over 2
____________________. The creatures marched toward me and began to speak. “We are from the
plural noun
planet _________________,” they said. “We travel around the Milky Way, stopping only to
noun
________________. Tell us about yourself, Earthling.”
verb/present tense
I ____________________ and I ____________________. I did not know what to say, “My name
verb/past tense verb/past tense
is _______________________,” I began. “I like to ___________________________ and
word giver’s name verb/present tense
__________________________. My favorite thing to do is __________________________ and hang out
verb/present tense verb/present tense
with my good friend, __________________________.”
noun/person’s name
The creatures looked at each other and __________________________. “Aha,” they said.
verb/past tense
“Earth is very different from our planet. Come, and we will show you.”
I hopped aboard the UFO and we took off. The creatures and I ____________________ and
verb/past tense
_______________________. They also gave me a delicious ________________________ to eat.
verb/past tense noun/thing
Finally, we arrived. I could tell we were there when the UFO _______________________. I
verb/past tense
stepped outside. I watched as alien creatures ____________________ and ____________________.
I was homesick already, without my family and my favorite _________________. “Take me
noun
home!” I told the aliens. They shrugged and put me back on the UFO—by myself! “Wait” I cried.
“I don’t know how to fly this thing!”
The doors closed, and I spied a control panel. I did not know which button to press, so I
just ____________________. Amazingly, the UFO ____________________ and started its journey back
to Earth. It took me ____________________ days, but I finally made it home.
number
31
SKILL: Verbs/Future Tense
I See the Future

FAST FACT
Work with a partner on this activity. One partner will be the Clue Giver. To form the future
The other partner will be the Word Giver. tense, verbs add the
1. The Clue Giver asks the Word Giver for a word to fill in each blank. Fill word will. For example:
in all the blanks before reading the story. He will run tomorrow.
2. The Clue Giver reads the story out loud.
What will life on Earth be like 100 years from now? Here’s what I think:
People __________________________ much less often than they do today, but they
verb/future tense
__________________________ at least ten times a day. Children __________________________ in
verb/future tense verb/future tense
schools and they __________________________ in their neighborhoods.
verb/future tense
In the United States, most people __________________________ , but in other parts of the
verb/future tense
world, people __________________________ . People everywhere __________________________ .
In the future, all cars __________________________ and bikes __________________________ . It
will be so much fun! Computers _______________________ , and machines _____________________ .
What will I be doing 100 years from now? Thanks to medical advances, I will still be
around. I probably _______________________ , and I definitely ________________________ . But most

of all I _______________________ ! I can hardly wait!
verb/future tense
32
SKILL: Adjectives
Say It With
Adjectives! FAST FACT
Adjectives are words
Work with a partner on this that describe nouns or
activity. One partner will be the pronouns. For example:
Clue Giver. The other partner
will be the Word Giver. beautiful, sloppy, blue,
broken.
1. The Clue Giver asks the Word
Giver for a word to fill in each
blank. Fill in all the blanks
before reading the story.
2. The Clue Giver reads the

story out loud.
One _________________________ spring afternoon, a _________________________ student

adjective adjective
named _________________________ was playing basketball. The student was wearing the latest
noun/first name
fashion: _________________________ pants and a very _________________________ shirt.
adjective adjective
The student threw the ball toward the basket, but it bounced into the woods. “I guess I’ll
have to chase it.” The student ran to get the basketball but it was nowhere in sight. Instead,
there was a _________________________ , _________________________ bottle with a

adjective adjective
_________________________ lid propped beneath a tree.
adjective
The student opened the bottle cautiously. Out popped a _________________________ genie
adjective
wearing a strange _________________________ outfit!
adjective
“Finally!” said the genie as he glanced at the _________________________ watch on his
adjective
wrist. “It’s about time someone let me out of this bottle. I only have time for one wish. So make
it snappy.”
The student thought. What would be the best wish? To be a ___________________________

adjective
superstar? To have some really ____________________________ toys? Finally, the student thought
adjective
of the perfect wish and told the genie.
“Whatever,” said the genie as he snapped his fingers. And just like that, the wish came
true. The student became a ___________________________, ____________________________

adjective adjective
_____________________, and never forgot that _______________________ day in the forest.
noun adjective
33
SKILL: Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, Adverbs (Review)
A Parts-of-Speech FAST FACT

Circus A noun is a person,
place or thing
Work with a partner on this
(Mr. Simpson, Ohio,
activity. One partner will be
the Clue Giver. The other part- banana ). A verb tells
ner will be the Word Giver. the action in the
1. The Clue Giver asks the sentence (lifts, dances,
Word Giver for a word to fill sees). An adjective
in each blank. Fill in all the
describes a noun (blue,
blanks before reading the
story. nice, smart). An adverb

2. The Clue Giver reads the usually describes a
story out loud. verb (quickly, happily,
wildly).
Last week, the circus came to our town. It was set up near the
old ______________________. I wasn’t planning to go, but

common noun/place
_______________________ and _____________________ talked me into it. They were dying to see the
proper noun/person proper noun/person
_______________________ ______________________ and the __________________________
adjective common noun/thing adjective
________________________ .
common noun/person
When we arrived, we were starving, so we got in line to buy some snacks.
I ate the ________________________ __________________________, and my friends ate the

adjective common noun/thing
_____________________ ________________________.
Then the show began. The ringmaster _____________________ announced the first act.
adverb
Then __________________ __________________ came out and started to _______________________
adjective/number plural noun verb/present tense
_______________________! When the act was over, everyone began to __________________________
adverb verb/present tense
_______________________ and ___________________________ ____________________________ .
adverb verb/present tense adverb
Later in the show, we saw a _______________________ _________________________ and a
________________________ ________________________ who could _______________________ and
adjective common noun/person verb/present tense
_____________________. The best part of the show was the last act, when a _____________________
verb/present tense adjective
___________________ ___________________ ___________________ on top of a ______________________!
common noun/person verb/past tense adverb any common noun
We ran into _______________________ and ______________________. They were carrying a
common noun/person common noun/person
______________________ that they had bought as a souvenir. They said they loved the show, too!
common noun/thing
34
SKILL: Adverbs
A Pet Adventure FAST FACT

This adventure story is miss- Adverbs can describe
ing its adverbs! Fill in the verbs, adjectives, or
blanks in the story with even other adverbs.
adverbs from the box below.
They usually answer the
When you are finished, put
the numbered letters in the questions how, when,
correct order and get the or where. They often
secret message. end in the letters -ly.
suddenly loudly high sadly fearlessly wildly

quickly breathlessly desperately hungrily innocently
My neighbors asked me to watch their dog, Sophie. I __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

1
needed the money, so I took the job. Sophie barked __ __ __ __ __ __ and gave me a
2
big kiss. I took her by the leash and waved good-bye.
Trouble began when she chewed off her leash and ran __ __ __ __ __ __
down the street. When I caught her, she was licking someone’s ice cream cone! Then she
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ran across the street. I followed

3 4
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ behind her.
5
Sophie stopped at the park. There, she __ __ __ __ __ __ __ made some new
8 6
friends, leaped __ __ __ __ into the air to grab their Frisbee, and greeted a man who was
7
feeding the squirrels.
We were invited to a picnic and ate __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __. Then I

9
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ realized it was time to go. We __ __ __ __ __ said
10 11 12
good-bye, and got home minutes before Sophie’s owners. They saw her sitting
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ by the door and exclaimed. “Sophie’s so good for

13
you. Are you available next week?”
Now use the circled letters to decode the message:
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
5 1 6 7 9 12 13 2 3 8 4 4 11
__ __ __ __ __ __ __!
3 4 7 1 9 12 10
35
SKILL: Prepositions
Prepositions
Show Position FAST FACT
Prepositions usually tell
This story is missing its prepositions! where something is,
Fill in the blanks in the story with where something is
prepositions from the box below. going, or when some-
When you are finished, put the num-
thing is happening.
bered letters in the correct order and
get the secret message.
about before except in near with to

above by from inside on without
Last summer, I went ____ ____ Space Camp! I went for three days, ____ ____ ____ ____ a
1 2 3 4
Monday to a Wednesday. On the first day, I got to try on a space suit just like the ones worn by
real astronauts. It had an American flag ____ ____ the front and all kinds of special equipment
built into it. It even had a device to control the temperature inside the suit.
____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ this equipment, astronauts could not survive ____ ____ space.
5
The next day, I got to taste astronaut food. I especially liked the freeze-dried ice cream. In
fact, all of the kids at Space Camp (____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ for one or two) thought the
6 7
ice cream was the best.
Finally, I got to go ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ a special anti-gravity chamber. It was
8 9
invented ____ ____ scientists to give astronauts an idea of what it’s like to be weightless in
10
outer space. While I was floating inside the chamber, I imagined that I was traveling far
____ ____ ____ ____ ____ the Earth. Wow!

11
Before I knew it, it was time to head home. But before I left, I got to meet a real-life astro-
naut. She sat down ____ ____ ____ ____ all the campers and told us ____ ____ ____ ____ ____
12 13
her job. She sat ____ ____ ____ ____ me, so I even got an autograph! Now I don’t just think I
14
want to be an astronaut. I know for sure!
Now use the numbered letters to decode the message:

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
3 6 11 7 12 2 1 3 10 1 5 3
__ __ __ __ __ __!
9 3 6 13 4 8
36
SKILL: Conjunctions
A Conjunction’s
Function FAST FACT
Conjunctions are linking
This story is missing its conjunc- words. They join words,
tions! Fill in the blanks in the story phrases, clauses, and
with conjunctions from the box sentences together.
below. When you are finished, put
the numbered letters in the correct
order and get the secret message.
and or yet if since before

but nor so until because once
The day we moved into our new house, the weather was rainy __ __ __ cold.
1 2
__ __ __ __ __ I could not play outside, I decided to explore the attic. It was mostly
3
empty, __ __ __ a few dusty boxes sat in the corner, belonging to the previous owners
4
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ my family had not come up here yet.
5
I began to look through one of the boxes filled with papers that looked old and fragile, __ __
I was careful. I uncovered an old map and recognized our neighborhood. It showed a large “X”
near the lake, at the end of our road. “Hmmmm,” I thought to myself. “X” marks the spot.” For a
chest full of gold __ __ a priceless piece of jewelry? I could hardly wait to find out!
6
Luckily the next day was sunny. __ __ __ __ I finished breakfast, I set out to search
7
for the spot marked on my map. __ __ __ __ __ __ I had gotten very far, I heard a
8
voice say, “I’m Kate. You must be the new kid.” I said “hello.” I didn’t want Kate to think I was
silly, __ __ __ I knew she might be a big help so I showed her my map. Soon both of us
9
were having a great time.
We found plenty of garbage, and may never know __ __ there is treasure by the lake, but
10
I have a new pal!
Now use the circled letters to decode the message:

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
8 6 10 7 1 2 3 5 6 7
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __!
9 6 7 5 3 4 6 7 3
37
SKILL: Interjections
Hey, Wow!
FAST FACT
This letter is missing its inter- An interjection is a word
jections! Fill in the blanks in or phrase that express-
the story with interjections
es strong feelings. It is
from the box below. When you
are finished, put the numbered usually punctuated with
letters in the correct order and an exclamation point.
get the secret message.
All right Hello Thanks Wow Hey Yuck Oops Phew

Dear Aunt Linda,
__ __ __ __ __ there! I just got the train set you sent for my birthday.
__ __ __ __ __ __! I really love it. It has eight cars and a long, curving track.
1 2 3
__ __ __! It has to be the nicest train set I’ve ever seen.
It took me about three hours to put the set together (with mom’s help). __ __ __ __!
It sure was hard work! But when I was finally finished, I was very excited. I invited my best
friend, Tim, over to take a look. Tim loves trains as much as I do. When he saw it, he shouted,
“__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __!” Tim and I played with the trains for a while. Then
4 5
Tim’s brother, Lou, came over, and we had to put the set away. That’s because Lou tried to play
with the track and almost broke it. I said, “__ __ __! Please be careful with that!”
6
I hear my mom calling me for dinner, so I will wrap up this letter. We are having liver and
lima beans. __ __ __ __! I hope you are having something tastier!

7 8
I will talk to you soon!
Love,
Daniel
P.S.: __ __ __ __! I almost forgot to tell you that my first soccer game of the season will
9
be this Saturday morning!

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __!
3 5 1 6 9 2 5 4 1 7 8
38
SKILL: The Verb “To Be”
To Be or
Not to Be? FAST FACT
The verb “to be” is the
most frequently used
This story is missing verb in the English lan-
some of its verbs! Fill in
guage. Eight different
the blanks in the story
with verbs from the box words are part of the
below. All of the verbs verb “to be.”
are forms of the verb
“to be.” When you are
finished, put the num-
bered letters in the cor-

rect order and get the
secret message.
is am are was were be being been
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It __ __ quite an honor to stand before you this evening and accept this award. I am
1
thrilled to __ __ named the Inventor of the Year. Believe it or not, just a few years ago I
2
__ __ __ a poor, unknown inventor with plenty of ideas but no money to make them happen.
Today, I __ __ a big success, all thanks to my famous Two-In-One Dental Floss and Fishing
3
Line. If it __ __ __ __ not for this amazing device, I might still be dreaming away in my
4
basement workshop.
As I accept my award, I’d like to thank some special people in my life. They __ __ __
5 6
my parents and my fifth-grade science teacher, Mrs. C. A. Labrat. To all three of them, I say,
“Thanks for __ __ __ __ __ there for me!” And to all of you in the audience, I say
7
that I have never __ __ __ __ happier or more proud than I am tonight.
8
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __!
2 6 3 4 1 7 7 8 5
39
SKILL: Capitalization
A Capital Idea
Look at each set of sentences. Fill in the circle next to
the sentence that uses capital letters properly. When
you are finished, use the letters of your answers to solve
the riddle at the end.
1. n A. The Statue of Liberty is in new york, New York.

n B. The Statue of Liberty is in New York, New York.
n C. The statue of liberty is in new york, new york.
FAST FACT
n D. the Statue of Liberty is in New York, New York. Capital or upper case
letters are used to begin
2. n E. George Washington was america’s first president. proper nouns, to begin
n F. George Washington was America’s first president.
n
sentences, for the per-
G. George Washington Was America’s First President.
n
sonal pronoun I, and in
H. George washington was america’s first president.
many abbreviations.
3. n I. Many creatures live in the Pacific Ocean.
n J. Many creatures live in the pacific ocean.
n K. Many creatures live in the Pacific ocean.
n L. Many Creatures live in the Pacific Ocean.
4. n M. My cat’s Name is Lady.

n N. My cat’s name is Lady.
n O. My Cat’s name is Lady.
n P. My cat’s name is lady.
5. n Q. Where are you celebrating thanksgiving this year?

n R. where are you celebrating Thanksgiving this year?
n S. Where are you celebrating Thanksgiving this year?
n T. Where are you celebrating Thanksgiving this Year?
6. n U. he and I both go to school with karen.

n V. He and I both go to School with Karen.
n W. He and I both go to school with Karen.
n X. He and i both go to school with Karen.
40
7. n Y. Mr. bloomberg teaches fourth grade.
n Z. Mr. Bloomberg Teaches fourth grade.
n A. Mr. Bloomberg teaches fourth grade.
n B. MR. Bloomberg teaches Fourth Grade.
8. n C. We made a birthday cake for uncle phil.

n D. We made a Birthday cake for Uncle Phil.
n E. We made a birthday cake for Uncle Phil.
n F. We made a birthday Cake for Uncle Phil.
9. n G. The Mississippi river sometimes floods.

n
H. The Mississippi River Sometimes floods.

n I. The Mississippi River sometimes floods.
n J. the Mississippi River sometimes floods.
10. n K. Jennifer has a Girl Scout meeting after school on Monday.

n L. Jennifer has a girl scout meeting after school on monday.
n M. jennifer has a Girl Scout meeting after school on Monday.
n N. Jennifer has a girl Scout meeting after School on Monday.
11. n O. They are having a family reunion in March.

n P. They are having a Family Reunion in march.
n Q. they are having a family reunion in March.
n R. They Are having a family reunion in March.
12. n S. Playland is Roger’s favorite amusement park.

n T. Playland is roger’s favorite amusement park.
n U. playland is Roger’s favorite amusement park.
n V. Playland is Roger’s favorite Amusement park.
Now solve the riddle! Each number below stands for one of the questions. Write the letter of the cor-
rect answer above each number. You will spell out the answer to this riddle:
Where does a polar bear keep its money?
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __!
3 4 7 12 4 11 6 1 7 4 10
41
SKILL: Possessive Nouns
Whose Is It?
the sentence that uses possessive nouns properly.
When you are finished, use the letters of your answers
to solve the riddle at the end.
1. n A. The cats’s fur was matted from the rain.

n B. The c’ats fur was matted from the rain.
n C. The cats fur was matted from the rain.
n
D. The cat’s fur was matted from the rain.
2. n E. The churchs door is made of thick wood.

n F. The churches door is made of thick wood.
n G. The church’s door is made of thick wood.
n H. The churches’s door is made of thick wood. FAST FACT
n
A possessive noun
3. I. We’re going over to Juan’s house.
n
shows ownership. Most
J. We’re going over to Juans house.
n
singular nouns become
K. We’re going over to Juan house.
n L. We’re going over to Juans’s house. possessive by adding -’s.
Most plural nouns end-
4. n M. The childrens toys were all over the floor. ing in -s become pos-
n N. The children’s toys were all over the floor. sessive by adding an
n O. The childrens’s toys were all over the floor. apostrophe after the -s.
n P. The children toys’ were all over the floor.
5. n Q. Our classes field trip will be next Thursday.

n R. Our class’s field trip will be next Thursday.
n S. Our classs field trip will be next Thursday.
n T. Our class’ field trip will be next Thursday.
6. n U. The Smiths’s driveway is very long.

n V. The Smiths’ driveway is very long.
n W. The Smithses driveway is very long.
n X. The Smiths driveway is very long.
7. n Y. The doll’s dress is as beautiful as Margarets own outfit.

n Z. The dolls’ dress is as beautiful as Margaret’s own outfit.
n A. The doll’s dress is as beautiful as Margaret’s own outfit.
n B. The dolls dress is as beautiful as Margaret’s own outfit.
42
8. n C. Bailey’s phone number is easy to remember.
n D. Baile’ys phone number is easy to remember.
n E. Baileys phone number is easy to remember.
n F. Baileys’s phone number is easy to remember.
9. n G. Our store’s motto is, “The customers needs come first.”

n H. Our store’s motto is, “The customers’s needs come first.”
n I. Our store’s motto is, “The customers’ needs come first.”
n J. Our stores motto is, “The customers’ needs come first.”
10. n K. My brothers jacket is too big for me.

n
L. My brother’ jacket is too big for me.

n M. My brothers’s jacket is too big for me.
n N. My brother’s jacket is too big for me.
11. n O. I’d like to have a pen like Michelle’s.

n P. I’d like to have a pen like Michelles.
n Q. I’d like to have a pen like Michelles’.
n R. I’d like to have a pen like Michelles’s.
12. n S. Johns and Erics reports were both excellent.

n T. John’s and Eric’s reports were both excellent.
n U. John’s’ and Eric’s’ reports were both excellent.
n V. Johns’ and Eric’s reports were both excellent.
13. n W. Nora’s goal improved her teams’ chances of winning.

n X. Noras goal improved her team’s chances of winning.
n Y. Nora’s goal improved her team’s chances of winning.
n Z. Noras goal improved her teams chances of winning.
Where does afternoon come before morning?
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
9 10 7 1 3 8 12 3 11 10 7 5 13
43
SKILL: Articles
The Genuine Articles:

A, An, and The
Look at each set of sentences. Fill in the circle next
to the sentence that uses the words a, an, and the
properly. When you are finished, use the letters of
your answers to solve the riddle at the end.
1. n A. I always carry umbrella in my backpack.

n B. I always carry a umbrella in my backpack.
n C. I always carry an umbrella in my backpack.
n D. I always carry an a umbrella in my backpack.
2. n E. My birthday is an last day of May.

FAST FACT
n F. My birthday is a last day of May. The words a, an, and
n G. My birthday is last day of May. the often come before
n H. My birthday is the last day of May. nouns. Use the in front
n
of a specific noun. For
3. I. France is a country in Europe.
n
example: This is the
J. France is an country in Europe.
n K. France is country in Europe.
bike I want. Use a and
n L. France is the country in Europe. an in front of non-spe-
cific nouns. Use a in
4. n M. Marcus packed sandwich and an apple for lunch. front of nouns that
n N. Marcus packed a sandwich and a apple for lunch. start with consonants
n O. Marcus packed a sandwich and an apple for lunch. and an in front of
n P. Marcus packed an sandwich and a apple for lunch.
nouns that start with
n
vowels. For example:
5. Q. My balloon rose into an sky.
n R. My balloon rose into a the sky.
I’d rather have a bike
n S. My balloon rose into sky. than an automobile.
n T. My balloon rose into the sky.
6. n U. Our car got the flat tire on highway.

n V. Our car got a flat tire on the highway.
n W. Our car got an flat tire on the highway.
n X. Our car got flat tire on a highway.
44
7. n Y. Toby’s coat has an hood and a zipper.
n Z. Toby’s coat has a hood and an zipper.
n A. Toby’s coat has a hood and a zipper.
n B. Toby’s coat has hood and a zipper.
8. n C. I always try to sit in an front of the bus.

n D. I always try to sit in the front of an bus.
n E. I always try to sit in the front of the bus.
n F. I always try to sit in a front of the bus.
9. n G. A sun is supposed to come out later.

n
H. The sun is supposed to come out later.

n I. An sun is supposed to come out later.
n J. A the sun is supposed to come out later.
10. n K. I must read a story and study for a exam.

n L. I must read story and study for an exam.
n M. I must read a story and study for an exam.
n N. I must read an story and study for an exam.
11. n O. They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away.

n P. They say a apple a day keeps the doctor away.
n Q. They say an apple a day keeps an doctor away.
n R. They say a apple an day keeps the doctor away.
12. n S. The Smiths went hiking in the Rocky Mountains.

n T. The Smiths went hiking in a Rocky Mountains.
n U. A Smiths went hiking in the Rocky Mountains.
n V. The Smiths went hiking in an Rocky Mountains.
Where does a cow go in its free time?
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ – __ __ __ __!
5 4 5 2 8 10 4 11 6 3 8 12
45
SKILL: Contractions
Using
Contractions
the sentence that uses contractions properly. When
you are finished, use the letters of your answers to
solve the riddle at the end.
n
1.
n
A. W’ell see you tomorrow.
B. Well see you tomorrow.
FAST FACT
n C. We’ll see you tomorrow. A contraction is formed
n D. Wel’l see you tomorrow. by putting two words
together and leaving out
2. n E. Id like to see a movie this weekend. some letters. An apos-
n F. Iw’d like to see a movie this weekend.
n
trophe takes the place
G. ‘Id like to see a movie this weekend.
n
of the missing letters.
H. I’d like to see a movie this weekend.
3. n I. Ling knew she needed glasses when she cou’ldnt see the board.
n J. Ling knew she needed glasses when she couldnt see the board.
n K. Ling knew she needed glasses when she could’nt see the board.
n L. Ling knew she needed glasses when she couldn’t see the board.
4. n M. Dad said hed pick me up after school.

n N. Dad said he’d pick me up after school.
n O. Dad said h’ed pick me up after school.
n P. Dad said hed’ pick me up after school.
5. n Q. Joseph cant have a dog because he’s allergic to fur.

n R. Joseph can’t have a dog because hes allergic to fur.
n S. Joseph ca’nt have a dog because h’es allergic to fur.
n T. Joseph can’t have a dog because he’s allergic to fur.
6. n U. Sandy is my sister, but she’s also my best friend.

n V. Sandy is my sister, but sh’es also my best friend.
n W. Sandy is my sister, but shes also my best friend.
n X. Sandy is my sister, but sh’s also my best friend.
46
7. n Y. Ill play basketball after dinner.
n Z. Il’l play basketball after dinner.
n A. I’ll play basketball after dinner.
n B. ‘Ill play basketball after dinner.
8. n C. We tried to move the boulder, but it wouldnt budge.

n D. We tried to move the boulder, but it would’nt budge.
n E. We tried to move the boulder, but it wouldn’t budge.
n F. We tried to move the boulder, but it wou’ldnt budge.
9. n G. My grandparents said theyd visit, but they didn’t say when.

n
H. My grandparents said the’yd visit, but they didn’t say when.

n I. My grandparents said they’d visit, but they didn’t say when.
n J. My grandparents said th’eyd visit, but they didn’t say when.
10. n K. Ive always wanted to travel around the world.

n L. Ive’ always wanted to travel around the world.
n M. I’ve always wanted to travel around the world.
n N. Iv’e always wanted to travel around the world.
11. n O. Don’t forget to bring a jacket!

n P. Dont forget to bring a jacket!
n Q. D’ont forget to bring a jacket!
n R. Do’nt forget to bring a jacket!
12. n S. Lets ask the librarian for help finding the book.
n T. Lets’ ask the librarian for help finding the book.
n U. Let’s ask the librarian for help finding the book.
n V. Le’ts ask the librarian for help finding the book.
When is an astronaut’s favorite time to eat?
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __!
3 7 6 4 1 2 5 9 10 8
47
SKILL: Agreement of Subject and Predicate
Be Agreeable!
Look at each set of sentences. Fill in the circle next
to the sentence in which the subject and verb agree.
When you are finished, use the letters of your
answers to solve the riddle at the end.
1. n A. Janine plays in the school band.

n B. Janine play in the school band.
n C. Janine were playing in the school band.
n D. Janine are playing in the school band.
2. n E. I lives about six blocks from Sam’s apartment building.

n F. I live about six blocks from Sam’s apartment building.
n G. I are living about six blocks from Sam’s apartment building.
n H. I is living about six blocks from Sam’s apartment building.
3. n I. That book is one of my sister’s favorites.

n J. That book are one of my sister’s favorites.
n K. That book am one of my sister’s favorites.
n L. That book were one of my sister’s favorites.
FAST FACT
4. n M. Mirtha’s favorite topics is birds and plants. If the subject of a sen-
n N. Mirtha’s favorite topics was birds and plants.
tence is singular, the
n O. Mirtha’s favorite topics are birds and plants.
n
verb must also be sin-
P. Mirtha’s favorite topics am birds and plants.
gular. If the subject is
5. n Q. Dogs love water, but cats hates it. plural, the verb must be
n R. Dogs love water, but cats hate it. plural.
n S. Dogs loves water, but cats hates it.
n T. Dogs loves water, but cats hate it.
6. n U. A tornado strike our area once every few years.

n V. A tornado strikes our area once every few years.
n W. Tornadoes strikes our area once every few years.
n X. Tornadoes is striking our area once every few years.
48
7. n Y. Owen am bringing chips and salsa to the party.
n Z. Owen are bringing chips and salsa to the party.
n A. Owen is bringing chips and salsa to the party.
n B. Owen bringing chips and salsa to the party.
8. n C. The Philadelphia Eagles has a talented coach.

n D. The Philadelphia Eagle have a talented coach.
n E. The Philadelphia Eagles have a talented coach.
n F. The Philadelphia Eagles has had a talented coach.
9. n G. Benjamin and Matthew goes to the same swim club.

n
H. Benjamin and Matthew is going to the same swim club.

n I. Benjamin and Matthew go to the same swim club.
n J. Benjamin and Matthew am going to the same swim club.
10. n K. Traffic on the highway have been backed up for five miles.
n L. Traffic on the highway is backed up for five miles.
n M. Traffic on the highway are backed up for five miles.
n N. Traffic on the highway am backed up for five miles.
11. n O. My aunt knows a lot about current events because she am a reporter.
n P. My aunt knows a lot about current events because she are a reporter.
n Q. My aunt know a lot about current events because she is a reporter.
n R. My aunt knows a lot about current events because she is a reporter.
12. n S. The cafeteria often run out of ice cream, and the students get disappointed.
n T. The cafeteria often runs out of ice cream, and the students gets disappointed.
n U. The cafeteria often run out of ice cream, and the students gets disappointed.
n V. The cafeteria often runs out of ice cream, and the students get disappointed.
What has a mouth but cannot smile?
__ __ __ __ __ __!
7 11 3 6 8 5
49
SKILL: Sentences and Fragments
Is It a Sentence?
Look at each set of answers. Fill in the circle next to the
answer that is a complete sentence. When you are fin-
ished, use the letters of your answers to solve the riddle
at the end.
1. n A. Chicken for dinner.

n B. We are having chicken for dinner.
n
C. Having chicken for dinner.

n D. We chicken for dinner.
2. n E. Did the mail arrive yet?

n F. The mail?
n G. Mail yet?
n H. Did arrive yet?
3. n I. The park opens at seven o’clock in the morning. FAST FACT

n J. At seven o’clock in the morning.
n
A sentence must have a
K. The park at seven o’clock in the morning.
n L. At seven o’clock in the morning, the park.
subject and a verb. In a
command, the subject
4. n M. Enough apples to make an apple pie. is understood to be
n N. We picked enough apples to make an apple pie. “you.” For example:
n O. Picked enough apples to make an apple pie. (You) Answer the
n P. We apples to make an apple pie. phone, please!
5. n Q. A new CD.
n R. Got a new CD for her birthday.
n S. Lori a new CD for her birthday.
n T. Lori got a new CD for her birthday.
6. n U. Please close the door behind you.

n V. The door behind you.
n W. The door behind you, please.
n X. Behind you.
50
7. n Y. Since the weather is so nice.
n Z. The window.
n A. Let’s open the window, since the weather is so nice.
n B. The window, since the weather is so nice.
8. n C. How to play softball at summer camp.

n D. Kelly learned how to play softball at summer camp.
n E. Kelly how to play softball at summer camp.
n F. To play softball.
9. n G. Which movie would you like to see?

n
H. Which movie?
n I. Like to see?
n J. Which movie would like to see?
10. n K. Mr. Finley a math teacher for fourteen years.

n L. A math teacher for fourteen years.
n M. For fourteen years, Mr. Finley.
n N. Mr. Finley has been a math teacher for fourteen years.
11. n O. Filled the sky just before noon.

n P. Just before noon, dark clouds.
n Q. Just before noon.
n R. Just before noon, dark clouds filled the sky.
12. n S. Natalie, who already knows French.

n T. Natalie, who already knows French, plans to study Spanish next year.
n U. Natalie to study Spanish next year.
n V. To study Spanish next year.
What do grizzlies do when they are having a bad day?
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __!
9 11 3 4 7 10 8 1 2 7 11 3 12
51
SKILL: Using Commas
Be a Comma Cop!
Look at each set of sentences. Fill in the
circle next to the sentence that uses commas
properly. When you are finished, use the letters
of your answers to solve the riddle at the end.
1. n A. I’d like a hamburger, salad, and milk for supper.

n B. I’d like a hamburger salad and milk for supper.
n C. I’d like a hamburger salad and, milk for supper. FAST FACT
n D. I’d like, a hamburger, salad, and milk for supper. Commas are used to
n
separate items in a list,
2. E. Louisa has a pair of red white and blue shorts.
n
to separate a quotation
F. Louisa has a pair, of red, white and blue shorts.
n G. Louisa has a pair of red, white, and blue shorts.
from the rest of the
n H. Louisa has a pair of red white, and blue, shorts. sentence, to separate a
city from a state or
3. n I. The shopkeeper said “Everything is on sale,” country, to separate the
n J. The, shopkeeper said, “Everything is on sale.” month and day from the
n K. The shopkeeper said “Everything, is, on sale.” year, and to separate
n L. The shopkeeper said, “Everything is on sale.”
clauses in a sentence.
4. n M. I was born on May 23 1991.

n N. I was, born on May 23, 1991.
n O. I was born on May, 23, 1991.
n P. I was born on May 23, 1991.
5. n Q. My favorite cousins live in, Los Angeles California.

n R. My favorite cousins, live, in Los Angeles, California.
n S. My favorite cousins live in Los Angeles California.
n T. My favorite cousins live in Los Angeles, California.
6. n U. The cake smelled delicious, which made the children hungry.

n V. The cake smelled delicious which made the children hungry.
n W. The cake smelled delicious which made the children, hungry.
n X. The cake smelled delicious which, made the children hungry.
52
7. n Y. Grown-ups, kids, and animals all enjoyed the good weather.
n Z. Grown-ups, kids, and animals, all enjoyed the good weather.
n A. Grown-ups kids and animals all enjoyed the good weather.
n B. Grown-ups kids, and animals all enjoyed the good weather.
8. n C. The next century will begin on January 1 2100.

n D. The next century will begin on January 1, 2100.
n E. The next century will, begin on January 1 2100.
n F. The next century will begin on January, 1, 2100.
9. n G. My chores are to make my bed clean my room and set the table for dinner.
n
H. My chores are to make my bed, clean my room and set the table for dinner.
n I. My chores are to make my bed, clean my room, and set the table for dinner.
n J. My chores are to, make my bed clean my room and, set the table for dinner.
10. n K. Mr. Linnett, the principal of our school, is very funny.

n L. Mr. Linnett the principal of our school is very funny.
n M. Mr. Linnett the principal of, our school, is very funny.
n N. Mr. Linnett, the principal of our school is, very funny.
11. n O. Brett wanted to be here, today but he, has the flu.
n P. Brett wanted to be here today, but he has the flu.
n Q. Brett wanted to be here today, but, he, has the flu.
n R. Brett wanted, to be here today but he has the flu.
12. n S. Grandma grew up in Bismarck, North Dakota.

n T. Grandma grew up in Bismarck North Dakota.
n U. Grandma grew up in Bismarck North, Dakota.
n V. Grandma grew up in, Bismarck North Dakota.
What flowers have big mouths?
__ __ __ __ __ __!
5 6 3 9 11 12
53
SKILL: Periods, Question Marks, Exclamation Points
Sentence Enders
the sentence that is punctuated properly. When you
are finished, use the letters of your answers to solve
the riddle at the end.
1. n A. We stayed at the park for one hour,

n B. We stayed at the park for one hour.

n C. We stayed at the park for one hour?
n D. We stayed at the park for one hour
FAST FACT
2. n E. Help! There’s a fire!
n
A statement ends in a
F. Help. There’s a fire.
n G. Help. There’s a fire?
period. (.) A question
n H. Help! There’s a fire ends in a question
mark. (?) A strong com-
3. n I. Do you know the capital of California. mand or an exclamation
n J. Do you know the capital of California! ends in an exclamation
n K. Do you know the capital of California? point. (!)
n L. Do you know the capital of California
4. n M. Is Francine home sick today.

n N. Is Francine home sick today!
n O. Is Francine home sick today
n P. Is Francine home sick today?
5. n Q. My name is Colin?
n R. My name is Colin.
n S. My name is. Colin
n T. My name is Colin!?
6. n U. Marigolds need a lot? of sun.

n V. Marigolds need a lot of sun
n W. Marigolds need a lot of sun.
n X. Marigolds need a lot of sun,
54
7. n Y. Stop, thief?
n Z. Stop, thief
n A. Stop, thief!
n B. Stop, thief.
8. n C. Wearing sunscreen protects your skin from dangerous rays

n D. Wearing sunscreen protects your. skin from dangerous rays
n E. Wearing sunscreen protects your skin from dangerous rays.
n F. Wearing sunscreen protects your skin from dangerous rays?
9. n G. What time will the next train depart?

n
H. What time will the next train depart

n I. What time will the next train depart!
n J. What time will the next train depart.
10. n K. Zachary rides a green mountain bike

n L. Zachary rides a green mountain bike.
n M. Zachary rides a green mountain bike,?
n N. Zachary rides a green mountain bike:
11. n O. I just won a million dollars

n P. I just won a million dollars,
n Q. I just won a million dollars.?
n R. I just won a million dollars!
12. n S. Would you like to share a snack

n T. Would you like to share a snack?
n U. Would you like to share a snack!
n V. Would you like to share a snack.
Who gets paid for loafing around?
__ __ __ __ __ __!
7 1 7 3 8 11
55
SKILL: Quotation Marks
Quotation
Location
Look at each set of sentences. Fill in the cir-
cle next to the sentence that uses quotation
marks properly. When you are finished, use
the letters of your answers to solve the riddle
at the end.
1. n A. “Please open the letter, said Jeffrey.”

n B. “Please open the letter, said Jeffrey.
n C. “Please open the letter,” said Jeffrey. FAST FACT

n D. Please open the letter, said Jeffrey.”
Quotation marks go
n
around a person’s exact
2. E. Our national anthem is The Star-Spangled Banner.
n
words. They also set
F. Our national anthem is “The Star-Spangled Banner.
n G. Our national anthem is The Star-Spangled Banner.”
apart the titles of songs
n H. Our national anthem is “The Star-Spangled Banner.” and poems and the
titles of chapters in
3. n I. “I was on TV!” Lucy exclaimed. books. Quotation marks
n J. “I was on TV! Lucy exclaimed.” always come in pairs.
n K. I was on TV! Lucy exclaimed.
n L. “I was on TV! Lucy exclaimed.
4. n M. The umpire shouted, “You’re out!

n N. The umpire shouted, “You’re out!”
n O. The umpire shouted, You’re out!
n P. “The umpire shouted, You’re out!”
5. n Q. Chapter 4 is called A New Beginning.

n R. “Chapter 4” is called A New Beginning.
n S. Chapter 4 is called A New Beginning.”
n T. Chapter 4 is called “A New Beginning.”
6. n U. “Will you join me for lunch? Gil asked.

n V. Will you join me for lunch? Gil asked.
n W. “Will you join me for lunch?” Gil asked.
n X. “Will you join me for lunch? Gil asked.”
56
7. n Y. “Check the card catalog, the librarian suggested.
n Z. Check the card catalog the librarian suggested.
n A. “Check the card catalog,” the librarian suggested.
n B. “Check the card catalog, the librarian suggested.”
8. n C. Jody’s favorite saying is, Live and let live.”

n D. Jody’s favorite saying is, Live and let live.
n E. Jody’s favorite saying is, “Live and let live.”
n F. “Jody’s favorite saying is, Live and let live.”
n
9. G. The poem is called, “The Hilltop.”

n H. The poem is called The Hilltop.
n I. The poem is called, The Hilltop.
n J. The poem is called, The Hilltop.”
10 . n K. The clerk asked may I help you find something?

n L. The clerk asked, May I help you find something?
n M. The clerk asked, “May I help you find something?”
n N. The clerk asked, “May I help you find something?
11. n O. I pledge allegiance to the flag, the class recited.

n P. “I pledge allegiance to the flag,” the class recited.
n Q. “I pledge allegiance to the flag, the class recited.
n R. “I pledge allegiance to the flag, the class recited.”
12. n S. Donald asked, “What time is it?” and Lora answered, Ten thirty.
n T. Donald asked, What time is it? and Lora answered, Ten thirty.
n U. Donald asked, “What time is it? and Lora answered, Ten thirty.”
n V. Donald asked, “What time is it?” and Lora answered, “Ten thirty.”
What animal always wins at a game of cards?
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __!
7 1 2 8 8 5 7 2
57
Answer Key
WORD SEARCH PUZZLES
Noun Hunt (page 9) People: 1. teacher; 2. mother Verbs Help Out (page 11): 1. were; 2. should;
and father; 3. teenager; 4. singer; 5. aunt. Places: 6. 3,. can; 4. is; 5. am; 6. did; 7. do; 8. have; 9. are; 10.
store; 7. school; 8. restaurant; 9. home; 10. airport.
B S H E A C K G T R B A has;A11.
F was;
M 12.
I Gmight;
H T13.Ehad.
B P A R E
Things: 11. bicycle; 12. bag; 13. apple; 14. table; 15.
A C L O U D A F E E M S D O I H B M C L D I O E G
cloud.
P H D G N B I D A S O G C L Q W E R E R S J S U A
P O F O T N T A C T T M S E O N E T A K H C D I D
L 0 H A C H A F H A H E H A D T N P V B O S F W T
E L O B T E B M E U E G D U T G Q O M N U U R H E
A B N J W Y W A L I M A S
S L M G Q H L W R R R B
V A I D C H A R D L Q S E
T E E N A G E R T A P U
C M K T F K S N L G C O S
O I A K L K Y R V N C Z
L R S X A M U H D I D N T
R B I C Y C L E A T I R P U A O S B V U N P Z B I
E M R B C S I N G E R S M S I H A V E J E R A H I
B A I R P O R T M J Z N B W T O E D S V P T Y O F
Noun Hunt Verbs Help Out
Find the Verb (page 10): 1. begins; 2. visits; 3. Good, Better, Best (page 12): 1. faster; 2.
caught; 4. read; 5. painted; 6. is; 7. won; 8. loves; 9. cuter; 3. smart; 4. coldest; 5. tallest; 6. louder; 7.
shared; 10. sang; 11. made; 12. blew; 13. listens; 14. dark; 8. harder; 9. earlier; 10. closest.
B P H D M A K H A S C I A H S D Y B R O C U P E
broke; 15. has.
L A E C A U G H T A O L L M C M N E L O U D E R
M I S B D G I C E L I N H B E O A K C G T N D I
E N S N E S A O F O H V A D A L N R J M E A B S
P T U T Z G V S L V S R R T R F A S T E R C P A
I E B R E O I A H E I E D A L O V H E K F O N Z
Y D J W O N U N M S R P E A I A E T Y I D L E H
B R O K E M S G S T B C R I E O C L O S E S T B
R F S H A R E D B I H T P S R T A L L E S T E D
L E R V I S I T S D E R U B A Y R C O L D E S T
C W A O Q J A O G E Y H Good, Better, Best
X H R D E A B L E W O E
Find the Verb
58
Noun Substitutes (page 13): 1. I; 2. he; 3. it; 4. For Short (page 15): 1. c (Doctor); 2. h (Mister); 3.
they; 5. him; 6. us, ours; 7. you; 8. she; 9. we; 10. he; i (Street); 4. f (television); 5. l (January); 6. k
11.Aher;
O 12.
U them;
R S 13.
M my;
C L14.Bits;H15.Etheir.
D A W E M Q 7.
(Pennsylvania); N bI(Avenue);
A D J 8.Rd (Saturday);
T R E V 9. a
I B H C N P S A H X I T D P U A10.Te (miles
(October); E L EperVhour);
I S11.I j O(United
N E States);
12. Eg (California).
X N D O C T O R A F O P O
O M R E D T G F M E N H G
E L Y A I K C O W B L E I N B E I M P H J A T D C G S
N G K O T A T R L U N T S T
J Q H O S I R E Q J G M L
S Q M I L E S P E R H O U R
H E D S H E V C A S R K O
Y H I F E S D Y B D P B R E
K U T E G W T N I T S E R L C S R A I R S E A O E H E
R X S P R C H B E H L M U V K T L B A D G T Y F R I T
D F M I A F E M K E T S Z A S E A U N I P Q A Z U K L
B H E R E Y I D F Y H I M N E R N H O F J E S T M C E
P H M A L U R A Q S Z R M I C A L I F O R N I A E R B
T R U J O T B R E C P E T A X D A V E N U E M A B S C
N U F Y I G C M Y D A H Q D J A N U A R Y R W Q B I B
Noun Substitutes For Short
SNAIL (“WRAPAROUND”) PUZZLES

Contraction Action (page 14): 1. not; 2. have; Single Minded (page 16): 1. planet; 2. truck; 3.
3. am; 4. had; 5. will; 6. are; 7. is; 8. It; 9. us. key; 4. yard; 5. ditch; 6. hill; 7. leaf; 8. foot; 9. trip;
10.
1 penny; 11. yam; 12. man;2 13. nickel; 14. light.
A N E A R E H B M I S P L A N E T R
H F X I J O E A G D R 8 9
K A U N L A C N V U A A F O O T R U
D Q D T E S F I T E Q E I C K E I C
A H B N O T G E I T U 7 13 14 10 3
C I N W Z E R A S L I L N T L P K
O S E F V G U J G I P L A H G I E E
L I Y A T V E H A G W 12 11 4
G N H M F S W I L L E I M A Y N N Y
6 5
P A E U C O N B D P D H C T I D R A
U M C H S K E A I R O
Contraction Action SINGLE MINDED
59
In the Past (page 17): 1. I slept in a bed; 2. She Cr eate a Word (page 19): 1. footprint; 2.
turned the key; 3. We decided what to eat for lunch; teardrops; 3. sunshine; 4. earthquake; 5. eyelid; 6.
1 2 1 2
4. Stephan drew a picture; 5. I won the spelling bee; doorknob; 7. baseball; 8. lifetime; 9. eggshell; 10.
S L E P T U R F O O T P R I N T
6. Rachel nodded
7
her head in agreement; 7. They lighthouse;
5 11. earring. 6
D toEschool
drove D every
R day; N examined the
O 8. VThe nurse K E Y E L I D O E
9
10
patient; 9. Everyone danced8 to that song; 10. I dared
D C E D A E E A T I M E G G O A
you to watch the scary movie; 11. We did the dishes.
3 11
O N D R X D U E O U S E S R R
6 11
N A I D E A E Q F H N G A H K D
9
O D E N I M C H I T I R R E N R
5 8 10
4
W E R D E D I T L H G I L L O O
7
R L A B E S A B P
IN THE PAST 4 3
A E N I H S N U S
CREATE A WORD
Pick a Preposition (page 18): 1. below; 2. Which One (Won) Is It? (page 20): 1. aunt; 2.
without; 3. toward; 4. despite; 5. except; 6. through- too;
1
3. one; 4. eight;
2
5. threw;
3
6. week; 7. know; 8.
1 2
out;
B 7. Eto; 8.Lonto;O9. on;
W10. Inear.T A U N T O
weigh; 9. heard; 10. deer; 11. right; 12. Their; 13.O N
6 9
rows; 14. sore 4
C E P T H R H I G H E A R E
9 10 13 10
X O N E A O O E I R O W D I
5 8 14
E T R U U W E S E G
3
T N G T O H E R O E H
8 7 12 11 5
I O T U O H O N T H G I R T
4 7 6
P S E D R A W K E E W E R H
PICK A PREPOSITION
WHICH WON IS IT?
60
Do They Agree? (page 21): 1. have; 2. eat; 3. Invisible Nouns (page 23): DOWN: 1. sadness;
tries; 4. shines; 5. says; 6. swim; 7. make; 8. earns; 2. love; 3. democracy; 5. beauty; 6. courage; 7. intelli-
1 2 3 1 2 3
9. swing; 10. grow; 11. was; 12. sits; 13. switch; 14.
H A V E A T R L 6.Dconfidence;
gence; 10.S sharing. ACROSS: 4. hope;
4
has.
8 9 8. respect; H O 12.
A 9. fairness; 11. concern; P kindness;
E 13.
E A R N S W I anger. D
5
B V M
13 6 7
C O N F I D E N C E O
K S W I T I E
4 O E N A C
A T C N S 8
U S T U R
7 14 10
R E S P E C T A
M I S A H G H A L Y C
12 11
I S A W O R I G L Y
9 10
E F A I R N E S S
6 5
W S Y A S E N G H
11
C O N C E R N A
N R
12
DO THEY AGREE? C K I N D N E S S
E N
13
A N G E R
CROSSWORD PUZZLES
Make It T wo! (page 22): DOWN: 1. plants; 2.
waitresses; 4. feet; 6. deer;
1 7. notes; 10. children; 12.
Invisible Nouns
Wher e’s the Action? (page 24): DOWN: 1 led;
3. meet; 4. erased; 5. rock; 6. walked; 8. opened; 12.
P L
1
cookies; 13. people; 15. keys; 16. mice. ACROSS: 3.
2 fly; 14. baked; 15. carry; 16. wore. ACROSS: 2.
W L E
bananas; 5. presidents; 8. subjects; 9. itches; 11.
3 4 smiled; 6. wrote; 7. shook; 9. laughed; 10. won; 11.
B A N A N A S F 2 3
S M17.I roared;
L E 18.
4
D yelled. R
5
disks; 14. tomatoes; 17. televisions. eat; 13. climbed;
I N E E R O
T T E E A C
5 6 7
P R E S I D E N T S 6
W R O T E
7 8
S H O O K
E E O A E P
8
S U B J E C T S 9
L A U G H E D E
9 10
I T C H E S R E K 10
W O N
H E S 11 12
E
11 12 13 E A T F
D I S K S C P D
13 14
14 C L I M B E D
L T O M A T O E S Y A
D O O 15
15 16 C K
R K M K P 16
17 W A E
T E L E V I S I O N S L 17
R O A R E D
N Y C E E
R R
S E S 18
E Y E L L E D
MAKE IT TWO
Where’s the Action?

61
Pronoun Magic (page 25): DOWN: 1. they; 3. It’s Only Pr oper (page 27): DOWN: 2. Atlantic;
they; 5. she; 8. mine; 11. us; 13. ours; 17. her; 18. 3. American; 4. Chinese; 5. Christmas; 6. Hawaiian;
1 2
9. Irish. ACROSS: 1. Amtrak; 3.AArctic;
M T7. R A K
1 2 3
my; 20.
T its; 21. she; 23. our; 25. we.I ACROSS:
T 2. it; Great; 8.
4 5 6
4. theirs;
T H E6. her; R 16.
I R7. Shim; 9. me; 10. you;H12.E your; Nike; 10. South; 11. Asian; 12. Disney. T
7 8 9
them; E19. his; 22. yours; M whose.
M their; 25.
H I 24. E L
10 11 12 13 3 4 5
Y O U I E Y O U R A R C T I C A
15 6
S N U H M H H N
16 17 18 7
T H E M R A E I G R E A T
19 20 21 22 23
H I S E Y O U R S W R N I I
24 8
T H E I R U A N I K E S C
25
W H O S E R 9
I
10
U T H
I C S O
E I R A M
E
11
A S I A N A
12
N S D I S N E Y
Pronoun Magic H
Awesome Adverbs (page 26): DOWN: 1. happi- It’s Only Proper

Subject Search (page 28): DOWN: 1. Travis; 2.
ly; 2. loudly; 3. slowly; 5. angrily; 7. hopefully; 9. fast; telephone; 3. star; 6. everyone; 8. music; 9. Shelly;
1 2
10. never.HACROSS:
U N G1. Rhungrily;
I L 4. Y hard; 6. lightly; 8. 10. Litter. ACROSS:1 1. they; 2. teachers; 4. she; 5.
T H E Y
A
well; 9. finally; 11. there.O newspaper; 7. shoes; 8. mare; 9. sun; 11. store; 12.
3 R
S P U it; 13. cheese;
2 14. letter. 3
4 5 T E A C H E R S
L P H A R D 4
I N
6 7 S H E V T
O L I G H T L Y
8
W E L L G Y O L I A
5 6
L Y R P N E W S P A P E R
Y I E P V
7
9
F I
10
N A L L Y F S H O E S E
8
A E Y U O M A R E
9 10
S V L7 S U N L U Y
11 11
T H E R E L H E I S T O R E
12
R Y E I T I N
13
L T C H E E S 9E
14
L E T T E R
Awesome Adverbs Y R
Subject Search
62
PARTNER STORIES RIDDLE BUBBLE TESTS
Food Fight! A Capital Idea (page 40): 1. B; 2. F; 3. I; 4. N; 5.
(page 29): Answers will vary. S; 6. W; 7. A; 8. E; 9. I; 10. K; 11. O; 12. S.
Riddle: In a snowbank.
The Strangest Field T rip Ever
(page 30): Answers will vary. Whose Is It? (page 42): 1. D; 2. G; 3. I; 4. N; 5.
R; 6. V; 7. A; 8. C; 9. I; 10. N; 11. O; 12. T; 13. Y.
Alien Adventure Riddle: In a dictionary.
(page 31): Answers will vary.
The Genuine Articles (page 44): 1. C; 2. H; 3.
I See the Futur e! I; 4. O; 5. T; 6. V; 7. A; 8. E; 9. H; 10. M; 11. O; 12.
(page 32): Answers will vary. S. Riddle: To the moo-vies.
Say It With Adjectives Using Contractions (page 46): 1. C; 2. H; 3. L;

(page 33): Answers will vary. 4. N; 5. T; 6. U; 7. A; 8. E; 9. I; 10. M; 11. O; 12. U.
Riddle: launch time.
A Parts-of-Speech Circus
(page 34): Answers will vary. Be Agreeable (page 48): 1. A; 2. F; 3. I; 4. O; 5.
R; 6. V; 7. A; 8. E; 9. I; 10. L; 11. R; 12. V.
Riddle: A river.
Is It a Sentence? (page 50): 1. B; 2. E; 3. I; 4.

CRACK-THE-CODE STORIES N; 5. T; 6. U; 7. A; 8. D; 9. G; 10. N; 11. R; 12. T.
Answers are listed in the order they appear in Riddle: Grin and bear it.
the stories.
Be a Comma Cop! (page 52): 1. A; 2. G; 3. L;
A Pet Adventure (page 35): desperately, loudly, 4. P; 5. T; 6. U; 7. Y; 8. D; 9. I; 10. K; 11. P; 12. S.
wildly, fearlessly, breathlessly, quickly, high, hungrily, Riddle: tulips.
suddenly, sadly, innocently.
Message: Be kind to furry friends. Sentence Enders (page 54): 1. B; 2. E; 3. K; 4.
P; 5. R; 6. W; 7. A; 8. E; 9. G; 10. L; 11. R; 12. T.
Prepositions Show Position (page 36): to, Riddle: A baker.
from, on, without, in, except, inside, by, above, with,
about, near. Message: Reach for your dreams. Quotation Location (page 56): 1. C; 2. H; 3. I;
4. N; 5. T; 6. W; 7. A; 8. E; 9. G; 10. M; 11. P; 12. V.
A Conjunction’s Function Riddle: A cheetah.
(page 37): and, since, but, because, so, or, once, before,
yet, if. Message: Friends are treasures.
Hew, Wow! (page 38): hello, thanks, wow, phew, all

right, hey, yuck, oops. Message: Stay on track.
To Be or Not To Be (page 39): is, be, was, am,

were, are, being, been. Message: Be a winner.
63
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Grammar

Puzzles & Games

That Teach the Essential Rules of Grammar

Mexico City * New Delhi * Hong Kong

And special thanks to Mr. Ed Miller,

Edited by Sylvia Charlesworth

Copyright © 2000 by Karen Kellaher.

Word Search Puzzles

Good, Better, Best (comparing adjectives) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Snail (“Wraparound”) Puzzles

A Parts-of-Speech Circus (parts of speech review) . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Riddle Bubble Tests

believe it’s because the idea of a game or puzzle lends an

Why Use Grammar Games?

Some of the special features of this book include:

How to Use the Book

You may use the reproducible activities in any order.

A Special Note to Teachers S Q K O T

Each of the puzzles in this book includes easy-to-follow directions. ABBR

The puzzles are broken down as follows:

across, down, or on the diagonal. of on

In these puzzles, the answers wrap around in the shape of a snail.

Pairs of students work together to complete a story using specific

over with new, exciting results each time. ___ e ll etb bo

Crack-the-Code Cloze Games

Students complete a short story by filling in the missing part of su pe

speech. Then they use their answers to decode a secret message!

Riddle Bubble Tests

Today, n invent Year. accept

The G, An, and T

correct answer). Look

n F.G. MyMy birthdayayisis the last day

Find the Verb

2. Lucas visits his grandmother at least once a week.

3. The snake caught its prey under a boulder.

4. I read an exciting novel last week.

6. My cat is three years old.

7. Our school basketball team just won the state championship.

8. Megan loves pizza with pepperoni.

9. The two brothers shared a seat on the school bus.

10. We sang the national anthem at school today.

11. A rabbit made its nest in our front yard.

13. Jared listens to many kinds of music.

14. Anne broke her arm last winter.

15. That film has terrific special effects.

Verbs Help Out

Helping verbs help the main verb

1. Our neighbors were playing loud music last night. __________________

3. I can see the park from my bedroom window. __________________

4. My train is leaving in ten minutes. __________________

5. I am planning to join the swim team. __________________

7. Yes, I do like to work with clay. __________________

8. I have started my homework. __________________

9. My cousins are visiting for the weekend. __________________

10. Julia has written a poem for class. __________________

11. I was walking to school when I saw an injured bird. __________________

12. I might win the contest. __________________

Good, Better, Best

1. “ _________________ am happy to meet you,” I said.

1. I couldn’t make it to the dance recital on Wednesday.

ABBREVIATION FULL WORD

1. Dr. _____ a. October

Single Minded FAST FACT

1. There are nine planets in our solar system. ____________________

Grammar Puzzles & Games Kids Can't Resist

Grammar Puzzles & Games Kids Can't Resist

grumbled as she gazed at the , , and

. Now, I had been to and to __,

and and even got __ to give

around. I probably _ , and I definitely __ . But most

One _ spring afternoon, a _ student

there was a _ , _ bottle with a

true. The student became a _, __

I ate the __, and my friends ate the

My neighbors asked me to watch their dog, Sophie. I __

ran across the street. I followed

We were invited to a picnic and ate . Then I

by the door and exclaimed. “Sophie’s so good for

the Earth. Wow!

lima beans. ! I hope you are having something tastier!