The Graded Practice Sets Bank

Sometimes you do not want another explanation — you just want a set of drills to throw at yourself, then a quick key to mark against. That is all this is: short practice sets, grouped by topic and graded from easy to a bit harder, each one linked home to the young-learner page that teaches the rule. Do a set, check the key, and if a whole run trips you up, follow the link and read the proper lesson. The keys tell you the answer; they do not teach — for that, head to The Walk-In Clinic.

How to use it: cover the key with your hand, do the basic set first, then the harder one. Mark honestly. A wrong answer is not a bad thing — it is just a signpost to the page that will sort it. Where a word is spelled differently in British and American English, the key shows both.

Foundations

Basic: find the subject and the verb

In each sentence, name who or what is doing something (the subject) and the action word (the verb).

1. The dog barked.
2. My little sister sings every morning.
3. Rain fell all afternoon.
4. The two boys laughed.
5. Grandpa reads the paper.

Key: 1. dog / barked. 2. sister / sings. 3. rain / fell. 4. boys / laughed. 5. Grandpa / reads.

A bit harder: spot the extra bits

The subject is not always the word nearest the verb. Find the real subject.

1. The box of toys is heavy.
2. One of my friends lives nearby.
3. The list of names was long.
4. A bunch of grapes sits on the table.

Key: 1. box (not toys). 2. one (not friends). 3. list (not names). 4. bunch (not grapes). The extra words in between are just describing the subject — ignore them when you pick the verb.

Harder: how many verbs?

Some sentences hide more than one verb. Count and list them.

1. She opened the door and ran outside.
2. I think it will rain later.
3. He stopped, looked, and listened.

Key: 1. two — opened, ran. 2. two — think, will rain. 3. three — stopped, looked, listened. Spotting every verb helps you keep them all in the right tense. (Teaches this: Foundations.)

Parts of Speech

Basic: name the part of speech

Say whether each bold word is a noun, verb, adjective or adverb.

1. The happy puppy ran.
2. She sang beautifully.
3. The river is wide.
4. He ran quickly.

Key: 1. adjective. 2. verb. 3. noun. 4. adverb.

A bit harder: its or it's?

Choose the right one. Remember: it's means "it is"; its means "belonging to it".

1. The cat licked (its / it's) paw.
2. (Its / It's) raining again.
3. The team lost (its / it's) captain.
4. I think (its / it's) too late.

Key: 1. its. 2. It's. 3. its. 4. it's. The trick every time: try "it is" — if it fits, use it's. Full drills in Its / It's, Their / There, You're / Your.

Harder: which word class does the job?

Say whether the bold word is working as a noun, a verb, or an adjective here.

1. I will water the plants.
2. The water is cold.
3. She gave a light tap.
4. Please light the candle.

Key: 1. verb. 2. noun. 3. adjective. 4. verb. The same word can change its job depending on where it sits — so look at what it is doing, not just the word itself.

Sentences

Basic: fragment or full sentence?

Write full or fragment for each.

1. Because it was raining.
2. We stayed inside.
3. Running down the hill.
4. The bell rang.
5. After the long, cold walk home.

Key: 1. fragment. 2. full. 3. fragment. 4. full. 5. fragment. A fragment is missing a subject, a verb, or a finished thought.

A bit harder: mend the run-on

Each of these jams two sentences together. Fix it with a full stop, or a joining word like so, but or because.

1. It was late we went home.
2. I was hungry, I made a sandwich.
3. She tried hard she still lost.

Key (one good fix each): 1. It was late, so we went home. 2. I was hungry, so I made a sandwich. 3. She tried hard, but she still lost.

Harder: join the short sentences

Combine each pair into one smooth sentence using a joining word.

1. It rained. We stayed in.
2. I like tennis. My brother prefers football.
3. She was tired. She finished the race.

Key (one good version each): 1. It rained, so we stayed in. 2. I like tennis, but my brother prefers football. 3. Although she was tired, she finished the race. Short sentences are not wrong — but joining a few makes writing flow. (Teaches this: Sentences.)

Verbs

Basic: past tense forms

Write the simple past of each verb.

1. go — 2. run — 3. bring — 4. swim — 5. catch

Key: 1. went. 2. ran. 3. brought. 4. swam. 5. caught. These are irregular — they do not just add -ed.

A bit harder: keep one tense

Each sentence hops from past to present. Fix it so the tense stays steady.

1. She walked in and sits down.
2. He opened the box and finds a note.
3. We ran outside and see the rainbow.

Key: 1. …and sat down. 2. …and found a note. 3. …and saw the rainbow. Pick one time and hold it through the sentence.

Harder: have + past participle

Fill the gap with the right form after has or have.

1. I have (eat) already.
2. She has (write) three pages.
3. They have (take) the bus.
4. We have (see) that film.

Key: 1. eaten. 2. written. 3. taken. 4. seen. After has/have you need the past participle, which is often different from the plain past (ate → eaten, saw → seen). (Teaches this: The Verb System.)

Agreement

Basic: match the verb to the subject

Choose the verb that agrees.

1. The dog (run / runs) fast.
2. The children (was / were) tired.
3. My friend (like / likes) football.
4. The books (is / are) on the shelf.

Key: 1. runs. 2. were. 3. likes. 4. are. A single subject takes the -s verb; a plural one does not.

A bit harder: the tricky subjects

Some subjects look plural but are not (and the other way round).

1. Everyone (is / are) here.
2. The team (is / are) winning.
3. Neither answer (is / are) right.
4. Ten pounds (is / are) a lot for a pen.

Key: 1. is. 2. is (as one group). 3. is. 4. is (one amount). Words like everyone and neither are singular. Full drills in When Words Need to Match.

Harder: match the pronoun too

Choose the pronoun that agrees with the subject.

1. Everyone brought (his or her / their) own lunch.
2. Each of the girls raised (her / their) hand.
3. The team celebrated (its / their) win.

Key: 1. their is now widely accepted for everyone; his or her is the strict traditional form. 2. her (each = one girl at a time). 3. either works — its treats the team as one thing, their as the players. Agreement covers pronouns as well as verbs.

Punctuation

Basic: add the commas

Put commas where a list or a pause needs them.

1. I packed socks shorts and a towel.
2. Yes I would love to come.
3. After lunch we went swimming.
4. My best friends Amy Sam and Jo came round.

Key: 1. socks, shorts and a towel. 2. Yes, I would love to come. 3. After lunch, we went swimming. 4. Amy, Sam and Jo.

A bit harder: apostrophes

Add or remove apostrophes so each is correct.

1. The dogs bowl was empty. (one dog)
2. I bought three apple's.
3. The childrens coats are here.
4. Thats not fair.

Key: 1. The dog's bowl. 2. three apples (no apostrophe). 3. the children's coats. 4. That's not fair. Apostrophes show belonging or a missing letter — never a plain plural.

Harder: full stop, question or exclamation?

Add the right end mark to each.

1. What time is it
2. Watch out
3. She closed the door quietly
4. Are you coming with us

Key: 1. ? 2. ! 3. . 4. ? A question mark ends a question; an exclamation mark shows strong feeling; most sentences just take a full stop. (Teaches this: Punctuation.)

Common Errors

Basic: spot the sound-alike

Choose the right word.

1. (Your / You're) late.
2. (Their / There / They're) going home.
3. The house is over (their / there).
4. (Its / It's) my turn.

Key: 1. You're. 2. They're. 3. there. 4. It's. Try the long form (you are, they are, it is) to check.

A bit harder: fix the slip

Each sentence has one common mistake. Rewrite it correctly.

1. I should of gone earlier.
2. There is less cars today.
3. Me and him went to the park.
4. She done her homework.

Key: 1. should have gone. 2. fewer cars (things you count). 3. He and I went. 4. She did her homework. If a run of these catches you, visit The Walk-In Clinic.

Harder: then/than and more mix-ups

Choose the right word.

1. My bag is bigger (then / than) yours.
2. We ate, and (then / than) we left.
3. I could (of / have) helped.
4. There are (less / fewer) biscuits left.

Key: 1. than (comparing). 2. then (time). 3. have. 4. fewer (you count biscuits). These four slips are among the most common in all of English — get them automatic and your writing jumps a level.

A quick UK / US note

Most of these drills work the same wherever you are. The main place they differ is spelling: a British answer key writes colour, practise (the verb) and organise; an American one writes color, practice and organize. Neither is wrong — just pick the variety your school uses and keep to it across a whole piece.

Come back to this bank whenever you want a warm-up or a quick check before a big piece of writing. You do not have to do it all at once — one pillar at a time is plenty, and the section that trips you up most is the one worth a second run.

Where next

• Reference — the young-learner shelf — the bigger map this sits inside
• The Walk-In Clinic — if a drill keeps catching you out
• Its / It's, Their / There, You're / Your — the apostrophe drills' home
• When Words Need to Match — the agreement drills' home