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 - Building Confidence

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.
Four word groups from the newsletter; only one has a subject paired with its verb. Ari is sorting word groups from the school newsletter. Which group of words is a clause?
- the tall crossing guard
- the crossing guard waved
- across the empty parking lot
- waving at the bus driver
2.
Four word groups from the flyer; only one has a subject paired with its verb. Bo is sorting word groups from a pet-club flyer. Which group of words is a clause?
- the puppy tumbled
- behind the garden shed
- the playful puppy next door
- to fetch the stick
3.
Four word groups from the notice; only one has a subject paired with its verb. Jun is sorting word groups from a hallway notice. Which group of words is a clause?
- to cross the busy hall
- the hall monitor
- ringing for the next class
- because the bell rang
4.
The twins stacked the chairs after the assembly ended. Kira is bracketing the dependent clause in a sentence. Which version brackets the whole dependent clause?
- The twins [stacked the chairs after the assembly ended].
- The twins stacked the chairs [after the assembly ended].
- [The twins stacked the chairs] after the assembly ended.
- The twins stacked the chairs after [the assembly ended].
5.
The cat napped under the old porch swing. Luz is bracketing a phrase in a sentence. Which version brackets the whole phrase that begins with “under”?
- The cat napped [under the old porch swing].
- The cat [napped under the old porch swing].
- The cat napped under [the old porch swing].
- [The cat napped] under the old porch swing.
6.
Laughing at the joke, the audience clapped. Milo is bracketing a phrase in a sentence. Which version brackets the whole phrase that begins with “Laughing”?
- [Laughing at the joke, the audience] clapped.
- [Laughing at the joke], the audience clapped.
- [Laughing] at the joke, the audience clapped.
- Laughing at the joke, [the audience clapped].
7.
The librarian who runs the book club ordered new mysteries. Noah is bracketing the dependent clause in a sentence. Which version brackets the whole dependent clause?
- The librarian who runs the book club [ordered new mysteries].
- [The librarian who runs the book club] ordered new mysteries.
- The librarian [who runs the book club] ordered new mysteries.
- The librarian who [runs the book club] ordered new mysteries.
8.
The marching band turned [onto Maple Street]. Pia draws an arrow from the bracketed group to the word it tells about. Which word gets the arrow?
- turned
- Street
- band
- marching
9.
The tall drummer [in the red hat] waved. Ren draws an arrow from the bracketed group to the word it tells about. Which word gets the arrow?
- waved
- hat
- red
- drummer
10.
The baker iced the cake [that had three layers]. Zee draws an arrow from the bracketed group to the word it tells about. Which word gets the arrow?
- cake
- baker
- iced
- layers

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.