The Graded Practice Sets Bank

Sometimes you don't want another explanation — you just want a clean set of drills to throw at yourself, then a quick key to mark against. That's all this is: short worksheets, indexed by pillar and difficulty, each one linked home to the article that actually teaches the rule. Do a set, check the key, and if a whole run trips you up, follow the link back and read the proper lesson. The keys confirm; they don't teach.

Difficulty is marked basic / intermediate / advanced. Where an item genuinely works both ways in UK and US English, the key shows both.

P1 · Foundations

P1 — basic: find the subject and the main verb

Teaches this: P1 · Foundations

Name the subject and the main verb in each sentence.

1. The kettle boiled.
2. My neighbours are repainting their fence.
3. On Fridays, the office empties early.
4. Nobody answered.
5. The train from Bristol arrives at noon.
6. Reading in bed helps me sleep.

Answer key

1. Subject the kettle; verb boiled.
2. Subject my neighbours; verb are repainting.
3. Subject the office; verb empties (the opening phrase isn't the subject).
4. Subject Nobody; verb answered.
5. Subject the train (from Bristol just describes it); verb arrives.
6. Subject Reading in bed; verb helps.

P3 · Sentence Structure & Syntax

P3 — basic: fragment or complete sentence?

Teaches this: P3 · Sentence Structure & Syntax — fragments

Mark each S (complete sentence) or F (fragment).

1. Because the train was late.
2. The dog barked all night.
3. Running through the park on Saturday morning.
4. Although I tried my best.
5. Everyone in the room laughed.
6. The new manager from London.
7. When the film ended.

Answer key

1. F — subordinate clause only; no main clause.
2. S — subject + verb, complete thought.
3. F — an -ing phrase with no subject and no finite verb.
4. F — Although… opens a subordinate clause that never lands.
5. S — subject (Everyone) + verb (laughed).
6. F — a noun phrase with no verb.
7. F — When… clause left hanging.

P3 — intermediate: mend the run-on and the comma splice

Teaches this: P3 · Sentence Structure & Syntax — run-ons

Each line fuses two clauses. Rewrite as two sentences, or join them properly. More than one fix works.

1. It was getting late we decided to go home.
2. The lecture was interesting, I took lots of notes.
3. She didn't understand the rules she played anyway.
4. The sun was shining, the wind was cold.
5. I revised all weekend I still felt unprepared.

Answer key (model answers)

1. It was getting late, so we decided to go home. (or a full stop after late)
2. The lecture was interesting, and I took lots of notes. (or a full stop, or a semicolon)
3. She didn't understand the rules, but she played anyway.
4. The sun was shining, but the wind was cold.
5. I revised all weekend, but I still felt unprepared. — for the comma rules, see → P6 · Commas.

P3 — advanced: fix the misplaced modifier

Teaches this: P3 · Sentence Structure & Syntax — modifiers

Move or reattach the modifier so it points at the right word.

1. Running down the street, the bus was missed by Tom.
2. She almost drove her kids to school every day.
3. I only said I liked your idea yesterday.
4. Covered in chocolate, Sarah handed me a biscuit.
5. We nearly watched all of the three-hour documentary.

Answer key (model answers)

1. Running down the street, Tom missed the bus. (it's Tom who runs, not the bus)
2. She drove her kids to school almost every day. (she made the trip, not "almost drove")
3. I said I liked your idea only yesterday. (as recently as yesterday)
4. Sarah handed me a biscuit covered in chocolate. (the biscuit is chocolatey, not Sarah)
5. We watched nearly all of the three-hour documentary.

P2 · Parts of Speech

P2 — basic: name the part of speech

Teaches this: P2 · Parts of Speech

Label the bold word.

1. Those apples look fresh.
2. I nearly missed my bus.
3. She sang beautifully.
4. We walked through the park.
5. They arrived early.
6. It was a difficult question.
7. I wanted to go, but I was too tired.
8. Everyone was excited.

Answer key

1. Those — determiner (demonstrative).
2. my — determiner (possessive).
3. beautifully — adverb.
4. through — preposition.
5. They — pronoun.
6. difficult — adjective.
7. but — conjunction.
8. Everyone — pronoun (indefinite).

P2 — intermediate: possessive apostrophes and its / it's

Teaches this: P2 · Parts of Speech — possessive apostrophes; its/it's

Add apostrophes where they're needed. Some words are already right.

1. The teachers lounge was freshly painted.
2. The childrens coats were on the floor.
3. Its nearly midnight.
4. The dog wagged its tail.
5. My brothers bike was stolen. (one brother)
6. The cats whiskers twitched. (one cat)
7. I can't believe its raining again.
8. The players boots were lined up. (a whole squad)

Answer key

1. teachers' lounge — plural owners, apostrophe after the s.
2. children's coats — irregular plural, so 's.
3. It's nearly midnight — contraction of it is.
4. its tail — already correct; possessive its takes no apostrophe.
5. brother's bike — one owner.
6. cat's whiskers — one owner.
7. it's raining — it is again.
8. players' boots — plural owners.

P4 · The Verb System

P4 — basic: tense forms

Teaches this: P4 · The Verb System — tenses & aspect

Choose the correct form.

1. Yesterday, I (walk / walked / am walking) to the station.
2. She (is eating / ate / eats) dinner every evening at six.
3. Look — they (play / played / are playing) football in the park.
4. By this time tomorrow, I (will finish / will have finished / finished) the report.
5. I (have seen / saw / see) that film three times.
6. While I (cooked / was cooking / cook), the phone rang.

Answer key

1. walked — past simple, finished and tied to yesterday.
2. eats — present simple for a routine.
3. are playing — present continuous for right now.
4. will have finished — future perfect, done by a point ahead.
5. have seen — present perfect, experience up to now.
6. was cooking — past continuous interrupted by the phone rang.

P4 — intermediate: modal verbs in context

Teaches this: P4 · The Verb System — modals

Fill each gap with the modal that fits the meaning in brackets. Sometimes more than one works.

1. You ___ finish this form before you leave. (strong obligation)
2. I ___ be a little late — there's traffic. (possibility)
3. ___ you open the window, please? (polite request)
4. When I was younger, I ___ run for miles. (past ability)
5. You ___ try restarting your computer first. (advice)

Answer key (model answers)

1. must — the obligation comes from a rule or need.
2. might (or may) — an open possibility.
3. Could (or Would) — softens the request.
4. could — general ability in the past.
5. should — a recommendation, not an order.

P4 — advanced: active into passive

Teaches this: P4 · The Verb System — passive voice

Rewrite each in the passive. Drop the by… phrase where the doer doesn't matter.

1. The chef cooked the meal.
2. Someone has stolen my bike.
3. They will announce the results tomorrow.
4. The committee rejected the proposal.
5. The storm damaged several houses.

Answer key (model answers)

1. The meal was cooked (by the chef).
2. My bike has been stolen — doer unknown, so no by.
3. The results will be announced tomorrow.
4. The proposal was rejected by the committee.
5. Several houses were damaged by the storm.

P5 · Agreement & Concord

P5 — basic: subject–verb agreement traps

Teaches this: P5 · Agreement & Concord — subject–verb agreement

Choose the verb that agrees with the real subject.

1. The list of items (is / are) on the table.
2. The news (is / are) on at six.
3. Either Tom or his friends (is / are) coming.
4. Everyone (was / were) pleased with the result.
5. A number of students (is / are) still waiting.
6. Neither of the answers (is / are) correct.

Answer key

1. is — the subject is list (singular); of items is just a modifier.
2. is — news is singular despite the -s.
3. are — with either…or, the verb agrees with the nearer subject, friends.
4. was — everyone is grammatically singular.
5. are — a number of means "several", so it's plural.
6. is — neither is singular in careful writing.

P5 — intermediate: collective nouns and singular they (UK/US)

Teaches this: P5 · Agreement & Concord — pronoun agreement; singular they

Choose the natural form. Two answers count as right where marked.

1. My family (lives / live) in Manchester.
2. The team (is / are) playing well this season.
3. Someone has left ___ umbrella by the door.
4. Every student must submit ___ own essay.
5. The government (has / have) announced new rules.

Answer key

1. lives or live — UK uses both (live when we picture the members); US strongly prefers lives. (tendency)
2. are or is — UK often takes the plural for a group of people; US prefers is. (tendency)
3. their (or his or her) — singular they is fine for an unknown person.
4. their (or his or her) — same principle.
5. has or have — UK admits both; US prefers has. (tendency)

P6 · Punctuation

P6 — basic: commas

Teaches this: P6 · Punctuation — commas

Add the commas each sentence needs. One item is a UK/US split.

1. We bought apples oranges pears and grapes.
2. After dinner we went for a walk.
3. My sister who lives in Leeds is visiting. (you have only one sister)
4. I wanted to go but I was too tired.
5. In the morning when it stopped raining we left.

Answer key

1. apples, oranges, pears and grapes (UK) / apples, oranges, pears, and grapes (US, with the serial comma). (variant)
2. After dinner, we went for a walk — comma after an introductory phrase.
3. My sister, who lives in Leeds, is visiting — the clause is extra, so it's fenced off.
4. I wanted to go, but I was too tired — comma before but joining two clauses.
5. In the morning, when it stopped raining, we left.

P6 — advanced: semicolon, comma-and-conjunction, or full stop?

Teaches this: P6 · Punctuation — semicolons & colons

Join each pair the best way and rewrite it.

1. The results were announced everyone seemed relieved.
2. I like classical music my brother prefers rock.
3. It was already dark we kept walking.
4. She revised thoroughly she still felt nervous.
5. The flight was delayed there was fog at the airport.

Answer key (model answers)

1. The results were announced; everyone seemed relieved. (two balanced clauses)
2. I like classical music, but my brother prefers rock.
3. It was already dark, but we kept walking.
4. She revised thoroughly; she still felt nervous.
5. The flight was delayed; there was fog at the airport. (or …delayed because there was fog)

P6 — intermediate: quotation marks (UK vs US)

Teaches this: P6 · Punctuation — quotation marks

Punctuate each line. Both national styles are given — pick one and stay consistent.

1. Did he really say I hate grammar
2. The teacher said Please hand in your homework
3. That's my seat the woman said calmly
4. Have you read The Secret Garden he asked

Answer key — UK style (single quotes; punctuation outside unless part of the quote)

1. Did he really say 'I hate grammar'?
2. The teacher said, 'Please hand in your homework.'
3. 'That's my seat,' the woman said calmly.
4. 'Have you read The Secret Garden?' he asked.

Answer key — US style (double quotes; commas and full stops inside)

1. Did he really say "I hate grammar"?
2. The teacher said, "Please hand in your homework."
3. "That's my seat," the woman said calmly.
4. "Have you read The Secret Garden?" he asked.

(Genuine UK/US difference: quote-mark shape and the placement of commas and full stops. Book titles are italicised in both.)

P7 · Capitalisation

P7 — basic: fix the capitals

Teaches this: P7 · Capitalisation

Correct the capital letters.

1. we visited london in april.
2. my favourite subject is history.
3. have you met doctor singh?
4. they went to see uncle peter on sunday.
5. the company is called greenleaf industries.
6. we sailed down the river severn.

Answer key

1. We visited London in April — sentence start, place, month.
2. My favourite subject is history — school subjects stay lower-case (a language, like French, would not).
3. Have you met Doctor Singh? (or Dr Singh) — a title used with a name.
4. …to see Uncle Peter on Sunday — Uncle here is part of his name; days are capitalised.
5. …called Greenleaf Industries — a company name.
6. …down the River Severn — the full proper name of the river.

P8 · Spelling, Morphology & Word Choice

P8 — basic: UK vs US spelling

Teaches this: P8 · Spelling, Morphology & Word Choice — spelling systems

Give the UK and US spelling for each word.

P8 — intermediate: the -ise / -ize drill (with traps)

Teaches this: P8 · Spelling, Morphology & Word Choice — -ise/-ize

Give the acceptable spelling(s). Watch the words where only one ending is ever right.

1. organi__e the files
2. She began to reali__e the truth
3. The boat began to caps__e
4. Please adverti__e the role
5. We must analy__e the data
6. Twenty minutes of exerci__e

Answer key

1. organise (UK) / organize (US, and accepted in UK too). (variant)
2. realise (UK) / realize (US, also fine in UK). (variant)
3. capsize — always -ize, both sides of the Atlantic; the -ize is part of the stem, not the Greek suffix.
4. advertise — always -ise, everywhere. A common trap.
5. analyse (UK) / analyze (US). (fixed)
6. exercise — always -ise, everywhere.

P8 — intermediate: confusables

Teaches this: P8 · Spelling, Morphology & Word Choice — confusables

Choose the right word.

1. I was deeply (affected / effected) by the news.
2. Please (accept / except) my apologies.
3. We need to (practise / practice) our presentation.
4. The new policy will have a big (affect / effect) on staff.
5. I can't (compliment / complement) you enough on your work.
6. The wine will (complement / compliment) the meal nicely.

Answer key

1. affected — the verb affect means "to influence".
2. accept — to receive or agree to (except means "apart from")*.
3. practise (UK verb) / practice (US spells both noun and verb this way). (variant)
4. effect — the noun, the result.
5. compliment — praise.
6. complement — it completes or sets off the meal.

P9 · Style, Formality & Register

P9 — basic: formal or informal?

Teaches this: P9 · Style, Formality & Register

Label each F (formal) or I (informal) for typical written use.

1. I am writing to enquire about the advertised position.
2. Can you send that over ASAP?
3. I look forward to hearing from you.
4. Cheers for your help with this.
5. Please let me know if you require any further information.

Answer key

1. F — a standard formal opening.
2. I — casual, and ASAP is shorthand.
3. F — a formal sign-off.
4. I — Cheers is chatty.
5. F — measured and polite.

P9 — advanced: tighten the wordy sentence

Teaches this: P9 · Style, Formality & Register — concise style

Cut each sentence back without losing the meaning.

1. Due to the fact that the meeting started late, we were unable to finish all of the items on the agenda.
2. In order to be able to complete the project, we will need additional funding.
3. At this point in time, we are currently not in a position to make a decision.
4. The reason why the system failed is because it was overloaded.
5. In my personal opinion, I think the plan is basically unrealistic.

Answer key (model answers)

1. Because the meeting started late, we couldn't finish the agenda.
2. To complete the project, we'll need more funding.
3. We can't decide right now.
4. The system failed because it was overloaded.
5. I think the plan is unrealistic.

P10 · Common Errors & Usage Problems

P10 — intermediate: spot and fix the error

Teaches this: P10 · Common Errors & Usage Problems

Each sentence has one common slip. Write the standard version.

1. I don't need no help with this.
2. Between you and I, it was a disaster.
3. There was less people at the event than we expected.
4. She gave the books to Tom and I.
5. We was waiting for more than an hour.
6. She could of called.
7. Its raining and their going home.

Answer key

1. I don't need any help — one negative, not two.
2. Between you and me — after a preposition, use me. See → P2 · pronouns.
3. There were fewer people — fewer for things you can count.
4. …to Tom and me — again the object form.
5. We were waiting. See → P5 · subject–verb agreement.
6. She could have called — never could of.
7. It's raining and they're going home.

P10 — advanced: undo the hypercorrection

Teaches this: P10 · Common Errors & Usage Problems — hypercorrection

These are technically defensible but fussy for everyday writing. Rewrite them naturally.

1. It is I who am responsible for the error.
2. To whom did you send the email? (a neutral, everyday context)
3. One should always complete one's work on time.
4. Whom shall we say is calling?
5. He is taller than I.

Answer key (model answers)

1. I'm responsible for the error.
2. Who did you send the email to?
3. You should always finish your work on time.
4. Who shall we say is calling? — here who is the subject of is calling, so whom is actually wrong.
5. He's taller than me.

P11 · Advanced Grammar & Syntax

P11 — advanced: the subjunctive and unreal conditions

Teaches this: P11 · Advanced Grammar & Syntax — subjunctive; conditionals

Put the verb in the best form.

1. If I ___ (be) you, I'd double-check the figures.
2. It's vital that he ___ (be) told immediately.
3. I wish I ___ (have) more time to prepare.
4. If she ___ (know) about the delay, she would have called.
5. They act as if nothing ___ (matter).
6. I'd rather he ___ (not tell) her yet.

Answer key

1. were — the subjunctive were in careful writing (was turns up in speech).
2. be — the mandative subjunctive after it's vital that.
3. had — a past form for a present wish.
4. had known — third conditional, an unreal past.
5. mattered — a past form for an unreal present.
6. didn't tell (or not tell) — after would rather.

P11 — advanced: reduce the clause

Teaches this: P11 · Advanced Grammar & Syntax — clause reduction

Combine each pair into one sentence using a reduced clause (-ing, -ed, or a to-infinitive).

1. The report was finished yesterday. It was checked by Jo.
2. Because he was exhausted, he fell asleep on the sofa.
3. When you are writing, keep your audience in mind.
4. The book, which was written in 1920, is still popular.
5. After she had completed the form, she handed it in.

Answer key (model answers)

1. Finished yesterday, the report was checked by Jo.
2. Exhausted, he fell asleep on the sofa.
3. When writing, keep your audience in mind.
4. The book, written in 1920, is still popular.
5. Having completed the form, she handed it in.

UK | US variants that turn up in these sets

Only genuine splits are listed. A blank would be honest where there's no divergence — these are the ones that matter here.

Where each set links home

Every set above points back to the pillar that teaches its rule. The full map:

• P1 · Foundations
• P2 · Parts of Speech — nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, articles/determiners, possessive apostrophes, its/it's
• P3 · Sentence Structure & Syntax — clauses, phrases, fragments, run-ons, modifiers, word order
• P4 · The Verb System — tenses, aspect, mood, modals, passive, conditionals
• P5 · Agreement & Concord — subject–verb, pronoun–antecedent, singular they
• P6 · Punctuation — commas, semicolons, colons, apostrophes/contractions, quotation marks, dashes, hyphens, parentheses
• P7 · Capitalisation
• P8 · Spelling, Morphology & Word Choice — spelling systems, confusables, UK/US vocabulary, morphology
• P9 · Style, Formality & Register
• P10 · Common Errors & Usage Problems
• P11 · Advanced Grammar & Syntax

For quick reference while you drill, keep the pillar quick charts open alongside (P12 pieces 4–8 and 10): the verb-tense chart, the agreement cheat-sheet, the punctuation chart, the capitalisation chart, the spelling chart, and the confusables list.