Grade 7 · Reading

7th grade Phrases and clauses and what they do worksheet

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Phrases and clauses and what they do

Grade 7 Reading Worksheet

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.
[To finish the mural by Friday], the art club painted all weekend. Bo labels the bracketed group in a sentence from a club newsletter. What is it?
- an appositive phrase
- a participial phrase
- a dependent clause
- an infinitive phrase
2.
[Racing against the sunset], the cyclists pedaled home. Esme labels the bracketed group in a sentence from a race report. What is it?
- a participial phrase
- a prepositional phrase
- an infinitive phrase
- a dependent clause
3.
The cabin [beside the frozen lake] belongs to my aunt. The arrow points to “cabin”. Kira draws an arrow from the bracketed group to the word it tells about. Which question does the group answer?
- How?
- Which one?
- Why?
- When?
4.
The ferry slowed [because fog covered the harbor]. The arrow points to “slowed”. Luz draws an arrow from the bracketed group to the word it tells about. Which question does the group answer?
- When?
- Where?
- Which one?
- Why?
5.
The campers cheered [when the rocket launched]. The arrow points to “cheered”. Milo draws an arrow from the bracketed group to the word it tells about. Which question does the group answer?
- Which one?
- When?
- How?
- Where?
6.
The sweater [that Grandpa knitted] shrank in the wash. The arrow points to “sweater”. Noah draws an arrow from the bracketed group to the word it tells about. Which question does the group answer?
- Where?
- Which one?
- When?
- Why?
7.
[Because the ferry was late], [the passengers waited on the dock]. Pia tests each bracketed group by reading it alone. Which group could stand alone as a complete sentence?
- Neither group, because both need more words before they make sense
- Just “Because the ferry was late”
- Just “the passengers waited on the dock”
- Both groups
8.
[The leader checked the map], and [the guide led the way]. Ren tests each bracketed group by reading it alone. Which group could stand alone as a complete sentence?
- Just “The leader checked the map”
- Neither group
- Both groups
- Just “the guide led the way”
9.
[The hikers crossed the stream] [before the clouds rolled in]. Tala tests each bracketed group by reading it alone. Which group could stand alone as a complete sentence?
- Just “before the clouds rolled in”
- Both groups
- Just “The hikers crossed the stream”
- Neither group
10.
[As soon as the buzzer sounded], [the players hurried to the bench]. Zee tests each bracketed group by reading it alone. Which group could stand alone as a complete sentence?
- Just “As soon as the buzzer sounded”
- Both groups
- Just “the players hurried to the bench”
- Neither group

7th grade Phrases and clauses and what they do worksheet – printable — Print: 1 2 3 4 5 6

About this worksheet

Phrases and clauses and what they do. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

I can tell a clause (a subject with its verb) from a phrase (a group of words without that pair).
I can tell which clause can stand alone and which one leaves the reader waiting.
I can draw an arrow from a phrase or clause to the word it tells about, and say what question it answers.

Words to know

phrase: A group of words that work together but have no subject paired with a verb.

clause: A group of words with a subject and its verb.

independent clause: A clause that makes sense alone, like a sentence.

dependent clause: A clause that starts with a link word like because or who and cannot stand alone.

prepositional phrase: A phrase that starts with a word like in, under or beside.

participial phrase: A phrase built on an -ing or -ed verb that describes a noun.

infinitive phrase: A phrase built on to plus a verb.

appositive phrase: A noun group that renames the noun beside it.

Common mistakes

When sorting phrases from clauses, your child picked a group of words that has no subject paired with its verb. Ask who or what does the action, then find the verb that goes with it.

When bracketing a phrase or clause, your child left out words that belong to the group. Try reading only the words inside the brackets and checking that nothing is missing at either end.

When bracketing a phrase or clause, your child included words from the rest of the sentence. Have your child stop the bracket at the last word that belongs to the group.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with phrases and clauses and what they do?

When sorting phrases from clauses, your child picked a group of words that has no subject paired with its verb. Ask who or what does the action, then find the verb that goes with it.

Are these 7th grade reading worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.