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Free 5th grade writing and grammar worksheets

Written by Dr. Evan J. Hasson, DC — a dad of three who built this curriculum for his own kids.

50 questions with the answers, free to print and free to photocopy for your own students. Grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, word choice and the conventions a grade is expected to control.

Enjoy them. If you want more, or something we do not have yet, write to support@uponlylearning.com and ask — we read it.

English & Writing — Grade 5

50 questions · answers marked

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  1. 1. Which sentence about Marisol is written in the past tense?
    1. A. Marisol bakes bread for her neighbors.
    2. B. Marisol will bake bread for her neighbors.
    3. C. Marisol baked bread for her neighbors. ← Answer
    4. D. Marisol is baking bread for her neighbors.
  2. 2. Where does the comma go? Yes I can help carry the boxes.
    1. A. Yes, I can help carry the boxes. ← Answer
    2. B. Yes I, can help carry the boxes.
    3. C. Yes I can help, carry the boxes.
    4. D. Yes I can, help carry the boxes.
  3. 3. What does the Greek root tele mean?
    1. A. sound
    2. B. write
    3. C. far ← Answer
    4. D. light
  4. 4. What does it mean to come to a discussion prepared?
    1. A. You have read the material and brought notes and questions ← Answer
    2. B. You have arrived before anyone else and taken a good seat
    3. C. You have decided in advance what you are going to argue for
  5. 5. What is an oral report?
    1. A. A list of questions you ask a friend about their favorite game
    2. B. A talk that shares information on a topic with an audience ← Answer
    3. C. A poem that you copy into your notebook and keep for later
    4. D. A story you write down and hand in to your teacher to grade
  6. 6. What is the claim in an opinion essay?
    1. A. a fact you found in a book
    2. B. the writer's main opinion ← Answer
    3. C. the last sentence of the essay
    4. D. a question for the reader
  7. 7. What is the main purpose of informative writing?
    1. A. To describe your own feelings about a fun weekend trip
    2. B. To tell an exciting made-up story with characters
    3. C. To convince the reader to agree with your opinion
    4. D. To teach the reader true facts about a topic ← Answer
  8. 8. What does pacing mean in a story?
    1. A. Where and when the story takes place
    2. B. How fast or slow the story moves ← Answer
    3. C. How many characters the story has
    4. D. Which words the characters say aloud
  9. 9. Which sentence about the twins is written in the future tense?
    1. A. The twins will visit the aquarium. ← Answer
    2. B. The twins visit the aquarium.
    3. C. The twins are visiting the aquarium.
    4. D. The twins visited the aquarium.
  10. 10. Where does the comma go? After school we walked to the library.
    1. A. After school we, walked to the library.
    2. B. After school, we walked to the library. ← Answer
    3. C. After school we walked, to the library.
    4. D. After, school we walked to the library.
  11. 11. What does the Latin root port mean?
    1. A. carry ← Answer
    2. B. build
    3. C. say
    4. D. break
  12. 12. What is a discussion role?
    1. A. A rule about which person is allowed to speak first
    2. B. A turn that lasts longer than everybody else's turn
    3. C. A job one member carries out during the talk ← Answer
  13. 13. What does pace mean when you are giving a report?
    1. A. How fast or slow you talk ← Answer
    2. B. Where you stand in the room
    3. C. How loud your voice sounds
    4. D. How long your note cards are
  14. 14. Which sentence is the best claim for an opinion essay?
    1. A. Libraries lend books and movies.
    2. B. The library opens at nine on Saturday mornings.
    3. C. Many towns have public libraries.
    4. D. Every town should keep its library open. ← Answer
  15. 15. What does precise language mean?
    1. A. Words that rhyme so the writing is fun to read
    2. B. Exact words that say just what you mean ← Answer
    3. C. Any words that fill up more space on the page
    4. D. Long words that make writing sound fancy
  16. 16. Which part of a story should a writer usually slow down?
    1. A. The most important or exciting moment ← Answer
    2. B. Everyday chores like brushing teeth each day
    3. C. The parts that do not matter much to the plot
    4. D. The boring trip to get to the main event
  17. 17. Which sentence about the dog is written in the simple present tense?
    1. A. Our dog chased the mail truck.
    2. B. Our dog chases the mail truck. ← Answer
    3. C. Our dog had chased the mail truck.
    4. D. Our dog will chase the mail truck.
  18. 18. Where does the comma go? Well I think we should leave now.
    1. A. Well I, think we should leave now.
    2. B. Well I think, we should leave now.
    3. C. Well I think we, should leave now.
    4. D. Well, I think we should leave now. ← Answer
  19. 19. What does the Greek root bio mean?
    1. A. small
    2. B. self
    3. C. earth
    4. D. life ← Answer
  20. 20. What does the Questioner do?
    1. A. Decides which member speaks next
    2. B. Opens with a specific question about the text ← Answer
    3. C. Answers every question that the group asks aloud
  21. 21. What is eye contact?
    1. A. Staring at the clock to check the time
    2. B. Looking at your audience while you speak ← Answer
    3. C. Closing your eyes so you can concentrate
    4. D. Reading every word on your note cards
  22. 22. Which sentence about dogs states an opinion?
    1. A. Some dogs are trained to help people.
    2. B. Dogs have four legs and a tail.
    3. C. Dogs make better pets than cats. ← Answer
    4. D. Puppies are born with their eyes shut.
  23. 23. Which word is more precise than the word went in this sentence? The cheetah went across the plain.
    1. A. got
    2. B. traveled
    3. C. moved
    4. D. sprinted ← Answer
  24. 24. Which kind of event can a writer usually zoom past in a sentence or two?
    1. A. The scene where a character makes a choice
    2. B. Everyday events that are not important ← Answer
    3. C. The part where the story's tension peaks
    4. D. The moment when the big problem happens
  25. 25. Choose the verb that keeps the tense steady: Yesterday, Omar painted the fence and ____ his brushes.
    1. A. washes
    2. B. washed ← Answer
    3. C. is washing
    4. D. will wash
  26. 26. What kind of introductory element starts this sentence? Wow, that roller coaster is tall!
    1. A. a clause
    2. B. a single word ← Answer
    3. C. a phrase
    4. D. a main clause
  27. 27. What does the Latin root aud mean?
    1. A. say
    2. B. hear ← Answer
    3. C. see
    4. D. look
  28. 28. What does the Evidence Keeper do?
    1. A. Writes down everything that each member says
    2. B. Asks for the passage behind each claim ← Answer
    3. C. Keeps the discussion from running past the time
  29. 29. What is a main idea in a report?
    1. A. A small fact that you might skip right over
    2. B. The greeting you say to the audience
    3. C. The most important point of one section ← Answer
    4. D. The thank-you at the end of a talk
  30. 30. Which sentence about recess is a fact that could support an opinion?
    1. A. Everyone loves recess more than math class.
    2. B. Recess is held at noon for thirty minutes. ← Answer
    3. C. Recess is the best part of the day.
    4. D. Recess should be much, much longer.
  31. 31. What is domain-specific vocabulary?
    1. A. Words that belong to a particular subject ← Answer
    2. B. Words that a writer makes up on the spot
    3. C. Words that describe a character's feelings
    4. D. Short everyday words like the, and or is
  32. 32. What is dialogue?
    1. A. The words that characters say ← Answer
    2. B. The place where a story is set
    3. C. The order of events in a plot
    4. D. The lesson a story teaches us
  33. 33. Choose the verb that keeps the tense steady: Every Saturday, Grandpa makes pancakes and ____ them with berries.
    1. A. topped
    2. B. will top
    3. C. had topped
    4. D. tops ← Answer
  34. 34. What kind of introductory element starts this sentence? In the attic, we found an old trunk.
    1. A. no opener at all
    2. B. a single word
    3. C. a clause
    4. D. a phrase ← Answer
  35. 35. What does the Greek root photo mean?
    1. A. far
    2. B. write
    3. C. sound
    4. D. light ← Answer
  36. 36. What does the Summarizer do?
    1. A. Decides whether the group reached the right answer
    2. B. Repeats each comment so everybody can hear it
    3. C. Tracks the key ideas for the end of the talk ← Answer
  37. 37. What is a supporting detail?
    1. A. A greeting that starts the report off well
    2. B. A sequence word like first, next or finally
    3. C. A joke that has nothing to do with the topic
    4. D. A fact or example that explains a main idea ← Answer
  38. 38. Which linking word shows a result?
    1. A. consequently ← Answer
    2. B. for one example
    3. C. however
    4. D. in addition
  39. 39. Which word is a domain-specific word for a report about volcanoes?
    1. A. big
    2. B. scary
    3. C. hot
    4. D. magma ← Answer
  40. 40. What is a character response?
    1. A. The very first sentence that a reader sees in each new chapter
    2. B. The list of every place where the story takes place
    3. C. The title that the author chooses to give the story
    4. D. How a character reacts through thoughts, words or actions ← Answer
  41. 41. Choose the verb that keeps the tense steady: Tomorrow, the class will plant seeds and ____ the soil.
    1. A. watered
    2. B. waters
    3. C. will water ← Answer
    4. D. was watering
  42. 42. What kind of introductory element starts this sentence? When the thunder ended, the frogs began to sing.
    1. A. a phrase
    2. B. a clause ← Answer
    3. C. a single word
    4. D. a main clause
  43. 43. What does the Latin root rupt mean?
    1. A. carry
    2. B. break ← Answer
    3. C. hear
    4. D. build
  44. 44. What does the Connector do?
    1. A. Connects the group to another discussion group
    2. B. Chooses the article the group is going to read
    3. C. Links comments to each other during the talk ← Answer
  45. 45. Which is the best way to begin an oral report?
    1. A. Begin with a detail that is not about the topic.
    2. B. Start reading your last note card out loud.
    3. C. Greet the audience and tell them your topic. ← Answer
    4. D. Say thank you and then walk back to your seat.
  46. 46. Which linking word introduces a precise, exact example?
    1. A. finally
    2. B. consequently
    3. C. however
    4. D. specifically ← Answer
  47. 47. A report on the human body would use which subject-area term?
    1. A. strong
    2. B. inside
    3. C. wonderful
    4. D. skeleton ← Answer
  48. 48. Which sentence speeds up time in a story?
    1. A. I took one deep breath, and then I took another one.
    2. B. My fingers trembled as I lifted the trumpet slowly.
    3. C. The judge's pencil scratched once, then stopped cold.
    4. D. The next three weeks passed in a blur of practice. ← Answer
  49. 49. Which verb is in the wrong tense? Last night, we cooked soup, set the table, eat bread and washed the dishes.
    1. A. eat ← Answer
    2. B. set
    3. C. cooked
    4. D. washed
  50. 50. Which sentence about the zoo puts the comma after the introductory word?
    1. A. Sadly, the zoo was closed. ← Answer
    2. B. The zoo, sadly was closed.
    3. C. The zoo was sadly, closed.
    4. D. Sadly the zoo, was closed.
UpOnly Learning · uponlylearning.com · free to print and photocopy for your own studentsEnglish & Writing — Grade 5
UpOnly Learning · uponlylearning.com · English & Writing Grade 5
From the workbook

A real page of English & Writing · Grade 5

Time Travelers: Keeping Verb Tenses Steady

The child will recognize inappropriate shifts in verb tense and correct them so writing stays consistent. · 40 min

Warm-up — say this

“Verbs are like time machines. They tell us when things happen. If they jump around for no reason, the reader gets confused.”

Worked example

Find and fix the tense shift: We spend two weeks working on it. (The rest of the paragraph is in the past.)

Answer: We spent two weeks working on it. The story happened last Friday and before, so spend must change to the past tense spent.

A mistake students make

Every verb in a piece of writing must be in exactly the same tense.

How the book fixes it

Show the last paragraph of the passage. The writer moves to the future because the time really changes to next year. Shifts are fine when the time changes.

Note to the parent

Irregular past-tense verbs like write and wrote or feed and fed cause many tense mistakes. Keep a short list on the fridge and add any your child mixes up.

That is one topic of many. The free questions above check a skill; this is the part that teaches it.

Practice is not teaching. English & Writing · Grade 5 is the part that teaches.

These questions check a skill your student has already met. They do not explain anything, and they are not meant to — that is what the workbook is for, and it is the whole difference between the two.

  1. It teaches.Each topic is a forty-minute lesson that tells you what to say, in order: a five-minute warm-up, twelve minutes of teaching, ten minutes guided, ten minutes on their own, three minutes to close. Written for a parent who has never taught.
  2. It explains.Two worked examples per topic, and the two mistakes students actually make on that exact skill — named, with how to correct each one. When a student is stuck, the book already knows why.
  3. It reviews.Every answer comes with a short explanation, not just a key. And every topic has its own question bank, so a student who needs another go gets different questions rather than the same page again.
  4. It is a plan, not a pile.Every topic names the standard it addresses, in teaching order, so you can see the whole year before you start.
$9.99 Buy English & Writing · Grade 5 — $9.99 Read a free sample first Everything else we give away

Not sure which grade to start in? Write to support@uponlylearning.com and tell us about your student. We will tell you honestly, including if the answer is a grade below the one they are in.

Why this exists

I was spending thousands a month on tutors, and when I asked about enrolling a second or third child the answer was the same everywhere: that will be double. So I built the thing I could not find — nine subjects, kindergarten through grade 5, every topic in the order a student should actually meet it.

Dr. Evan J. Hasson, DC — Founder · Read the whole story

Other grades

KindergartenFree kindergarten writing and grammar questionsGrade 1Free 1st grade writing and grammar questionsGrade 2Free 2nd grade writing and grammar questionsGrade 3Free 3rd grade writing and grammar questionsGrade 4Free 4th grade writing and grammar questions

Grade 5, other subjects

MathFree 5th grade math questionsReadingFree 5th grade reading questionsScienceFree 5th grade science questions

Further reading

Grammar That Actually Shows Up in Their WritingYour student can label a noun and still write a page of run-ons. Here is how to teach grammar so it transfers: sentence work, combining, and revision.

Questions parents ask

Are these writing and grammar worksheets really free?

Yes. All 50 questions and their answers are on this page, free to print and free to photocopy for your own students. There is no account, no email address and no card.

Can a teacher or a tutor use these with a class?

Yes. Print and photocopy them for the students you teach. The only thing we ask is that you do not republish them as your own or sell them.

Where are the answers?

Marked beside each question on this page, so it prints as its own answer key. If you want a clean copy for a student, print it and cover the answer column, or use the sample workbook instead.

What grade are these for?

Grade 5. Every other grade from kindergarten to grade 5 has its own page, linked at the foot of this one. If your student finds these hard, try the grade below — that is normal and it is not a problem.

What do the paid workbooks add?

These questions check a skill. The workbook teaches it: a forty-minute lesson that tells you what to say, two worked examples, the two mistakes students actually make on that skill and how to correct each one, and an explanation beside every answer rather than a bare key.