Grammar, usage, and punctuation (grade 5) · lesson

Interjections and prepositions

💡 An interjection shows strong feeling, and a preposition shows how a noun relates to other words.

An interjection is a word that shows strong feeling. Oh, hooray, and ouch are interjections. A comma or exclamation point usually follows it.

A preposition shows place, time, or direction. Above, beside, during, and through are prepositions.

A preposition begins a phrase that ends with a noun: across the street, after lunch.

🧠 Let's work it out

Sentence: Ouch, the pan is hot on the stove!

Ask: which word shows a feeling? Ouch. It is the interjection.
Which word shows where the pan is? On.
It links the pan to the stove, so it is a preposition.

What do you think comes next?

interjection: a word that shows strong feeling
preposition: a word that shows place, time, or direction

🔗 Grammar: sentences, clauses, and phrases (grade 5) · Khan Academy ↗

Verb tense

💡 Keep verbs in the same tense, and use the perfect tense to show which action came first.

Verb tense shows when something happens: past, present, or future.

In one sentence about one time, keep the verbs in the same tense. Not: I open the box and found a key. Yes: I opened the box and found a key.

Perfect tenses use has, have, or had. Use had for an action that happened before another past action: When I got home, the pizza had arrived.

🧠 Let's work it out

Sentence: Mia ___ finished her homework before dinner was ready.

Ask: which happened first? The homework, then dinner.
Both are past.
So use had: Mia had finished her homework.

What do you think comes next?

tense: the time a verb shows
perfect tense: a verb form with has, have, or had

Conjunctions

💡 Conjunctions join words and ideas, and some come in pairs.

A conjunction joins words or ideas. And, but, or, and so are common ones.

Some come in pairs: either with or, neither with nor, both with and, not only with but also.

With either...or and neither...nor, the verb matches the subject closer to it: Either the twins or their mom picks us up.

🧠 Let's work it out

Sentence: Either my aunt or my cousins ___ coming.

Ask: which subject is closer to the blank? Cousins, which is plural.
So use are.
If it said my cousins or my aunt, the closer one is aunt, so use is.

What do you think comes next?

conjunction: a word that joins words or ideas
correlative conjunctions: joining words that come in pairs

Commas

💡 Commas separate items in a list, set off an opening part, and follow words like yes and no.

Put a comma after each item in a series, except the last: We need eggs, milk, and bread.

Put a comma after an opening part that comes before the main sentence: If you finish early, you may read.

Put a comma after yes, no, or well at the start of a sentence, and before a name you speak to: No, thank you. Come here, Sam.

🧠 Let's work it out

Sentence: Because the road was icy we drove slowly.

Ask: where does the opening part end? After icy.
The main sentence is we drove slowly.
So the comma goes after icy.

What do you think comes next?

series: a list of three or more things
comma: a mark that separates parts of a sentence

Writing titles

💡 Titles of long works like books go in italics, and titles of short works like poems go in quotation marks.

Titles get special marks so readers know they are titles.

Long works, like books, movies, and magazines, go in italics. Italic letters lean to the right. When you write by hand, underline them.

Short works, like songs, poems, and stories, go inside quotation marks. Think: a short piece fits inside a big one.

🧠 Let's work it out

Title: a poem called Spring Rain.

Ask: is a poem a long work or a short work? Short.
So it goes inside quotation marks, the same marks you use when someone talks.

What do you think comes next?

italics: letters that lean to the right
title: the name of a book, song, or other work