Conjunctions, Prepositions and Interjections · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Little Words That Do Big Jobs

English · Grammar & Punctuation · ages 10-11
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. True or false: writers often use interjections in dialogue to show a character's sudden feeling.

    Circle one:   True   False

  2. Identify the preposition in this sentence: 'Ben hid the gift behind the sofa.'

    • gift
    • hid
    • behind

  3. Identify the preposition in this sentence: 'Sam plays football after school.'

    • after
    • football
    • plays

  4. Identify the interjection in this sentence: 'Wow, that trick was amazing!'

    • Wow
    • amazing
    • trick

  5. What is lost if you remove 'because' from 'Mia cheered because her team scored'?

    • Nothing, the sentence keeps its full meaning
    • The place where Mia cheered
    • The reason Mia cheered

  6. Mia bumps into her friend at the park: '___ I did not see you there.' Which interjection fits the surprise?

    • Before,
    • Oh,
    • And,

  7. In 'The keys are under the mat,' what happens if you remove the preposition 'under'?

    • The sentence loses the exact location of the keys
    • The sentence still tells you exactly where the keys are
    • Nothing changes

  8. Which word best completes the sentence: 'Ben brought his umbrella ___ the sky looked grey.'

    • because
    • and
    • but

  9. Ben writes: 'Oh no, I left my bag on the bus.' Why does 'Oh no' need a comma after it?

    • Because 'oh no' is a preposition showing place
    • Because an interjection stands alone and is set apart from the rest of the sentence
    • Because every sentence needs a comma in the middle

  10. Read: 'Mia smiled because she won the game.' Now swap 'because' for 'but'. How does the meaning change?

    • It stops giving a reason and just pushes the two ideas against each other
    • The sentence now shows a sudden feeling
    • It still gives winning as the reason for the smile
LightMySky · lightmysky.comW1-mt_LN_g2b3d34-s1

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Little Words That Do Big Jobs W1-mt_LN_g2b3d34-s1

  1. True · Interjections like 'wow' and 'oh no' let a character's feeling burst out naturally when they speak.
  2. behind · 'Behind' shows where the gift is, linking it to the sofa. That is a preposition's job.
  3. after · 'After' shows when Sam plays, linking the football to a time. Showing time is a preposition's job.
  4. Wow · 'Wow' bursts out on its own to show surprise, separate from the rest of the sentence.
  5. The reason Mia cheered · Without 'because', the two ideas sit side by side and the reason for the cheering is gone.
  6. Oh, · 'Oh' bursts out the surprise on its own, set apart by a comma. That is how an interjection works.
  7. The sentence loses the exact location of the keys · Without 'under', you no longer know exactly where the keys are. The preposition was carrying that meaning.
  8. because · The grey sky is the reason Ben brought the umbrella, so 'because' is the joining word that fits.
  9. Because an interjection stands alone and is set apart from the rest of the sentence · Interjections do not join to the rest of the sentence, so writers set them apart with a comma or exclamation mark.
  10. It stops giving a reason and just pushes the two ideas against each other · 'Because' gives the reason for the smile. 'But' only sets the two ideas against each other, so the reason is gone.
Worksheet · LightMySky