Commas between describing words

Grade 7 Reading Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   Ari checks the describing words in a sentence. Which one is punctuated correctly?

   • Esme painted a bright, cheerful mural on the old, brick wall.
   • Esme painted a bright, cheerful, mural on the old brick wall.
   • Esme painted a bright cheerful mural on the old brick wall.
   • Esme painted a bright, cheerful mural on the old brick wall.
2. 2.

   Bo checks the describing words in a sentence. Which one is punctuated correctly?

   • The sailors crossed a long, narrow wooden, bridge above the gorge.
   • The sailors crossed a long narrow wooden bridge above the gorge.
   • The sailors crossed a long, narrow, wooden bridge above the gorge.
   • The sailors crossed a long, narrow wooden bridge above the gorge.

3. Read this first

   Use this

   [1] Zee set a tall glass vase on the shelf. [2] The shop smelled of fresh, warm bread. [3] Customers waited in a long slow line. [4] Zee greeted each customer with a friendly, relaxed smile.

4. 3.

   Jun proofreads a paragraph. Which numbered sentence needs a comma change, and what is the change?

   • Sentence 3: add a comma between “long” and “slow”.
   • Sentence 2: remove the comma between “fresh” and “warm”.
   • Sentence 1: add a comma between “tall” and “glass”.
   • Sentence 4: remove the comma between “friendly” and “relaxed”.

5. Use this

   [1] The ferry crossed a wide, choppy bay. [2] Ren stood on the upper deck beside a rusty, iron rail. [3] A cold, sharp wind blew spray across the deck. [4] Passengers huddled in a cramped, noisy cabin.

6. 4.

   Kira proofreads a paragraph. Which numbered sentence needs a comma change, and what is the change?

   • Sentence 1: remove the comma between “wide” and “choppy”.
   • Sentence 4: add a comma between “noisy” and “cabin”.
   • Sentence 2: remove the comma between “rusty” and “iron”.
   • Sentence 3: remove the comma between “cold” and “sharp”.

7. Use this

   [1] The old library added a bright, spacious reading room. [2] A quiet, shaded, courtyard sat behind the building. [3] Tala chose a worn leather chair beside the window. [4] Visitors enjoyed the soft, steady hum of the fans.

8. 5.

   Luz proofreads a paragraph. Which numbered sentence needs a comma change, and what is the change?

   • Sentence 4: remove the comma between “soft” and “steady”.
   • Sentence 3: add a comma between “worn” and “leather”.
   • Sentence 2: remove the comma between “shaded” and “courtyard”.
   • Sentence 1: remove the comma between “bright” and “spacious”.
9. 6.

   The ancient stone bridge crossed a rushing icy river. Milo finds the one pair of describing words that takes a comma. Which pair is it?

   • A comma goes between “stone” and “bridge”.
   • A comma goes between “rushing” and “icy”.
   • A comma goes between “ancient” and “stone”.
   • A comma goes between “icy” and “river”.
10. 7.

    Luz unpacked a delicate fragile glass vase and a sturdy wooden crate from the battered green truck. Pia finds the one pair of describing words that takes a comma. Which pair is it?

    • A comma goes between “delicate” and “fragile”.
    • A comma goes between “battered” and “green”.
    • A comma goes between “fragile” and “glass”.
    • A comma goes between “sturdy” and “wooden”.
11. 8.

    Esme sipped a hot, bitter tea on the porch. Ren explains the comma. Which reason is right?

    • Bitter describes tea, but hot describes bitter, so a comma links the two.
    • Hot and bitter are both adjectives, so any two adjectives in a row take a comma.
    • A comma is needed before any describing word that comes right before the noun.
    • Hot and bitter pass the swap and and checks, so they are equal partners.
12. 9.

    Pia hung three paper lanterns from the old wooden rafters. Tala explains why this sentence has no comma. Which reason is right?

    • Old and wooden fail the swap check but pass the and check, so no comma.
    • Each word describes a different noun, so these words need no comma.
    • Each word builds on the next, so swapping them (“wooden old rafters”) sounds odd.
    • Three or more describing words in a row must be separated by commas.
13. 10.

    Zee described a quiet and calm lake at dawn. Zee explains why this sentence has no comma. Which reason is right?

    • A comma goes between describing words that come after the noun they describe.
    • A comma is missing, because two describing words in a row need one.
    • Quiet and calm build on each other, so they stay together without a comma.
    • And already joins the two describing words, so no comma is needed beside it.