Welcome! This site contains free grammar and usage worksheets that I created to use in my own college classes. I teach English composition, and although my courses presuppose fluency in English and a command of standard American grammar, syntax, and punctuation, I find that students benefit from a review, or in some cases, an introduction, to these concepts.
Get All the Answers to Worksheets: 208 Pages.
If you would like all (20 different topics) of the worksheets, along with the answers and tips on teaching (or learning) every topic, get the answers (with teaching tips) to every worksheet, a total of 208 pages of grammar and usage exercises, with answers and tips for teaching for $7.00.
Click here for all the answer keys with teaching tips.
I believe in the power of the written word. It has given me confidence; it has challenged me; it has entertained me; it has afforded me a decent living doing something I love. When I teach, my students sometimes tell me I sound like a preacher. I know I do. I hope this passion comes out in this website.
Note to Teachers: If what you see here is useful in your teaching, please use it. Use it passionately and with care, as much as you can. You won't like everything. You won't agree with everything, and that's okay. Improve upon what you can, use it with your students, let me know what works, and let me know what you improved upon. Thank you for visiting, and I hope you find the materials on this site useful.
These days, with COVID-19 concerns, many parents choose to home school their children. I hope that these worksheets help. In a home or classroom setting the worksheets may also work to differentiate instruction. Differentiated instruction can help more advanced students as well as students who may need assistance with certain basic grammatical concepts.
Note to Students: You won't find "free essays" here, or "custom essays." You'll find some material that can guide you to write your own essays, probably with better results than you would have if you hired someone to write essays for you. Write the essays yourself. You'll see topics, hints, notes on introductions, classic essays, contemporary essays, and yes, grammar worksheets. Read, learn, and write. Above all, believe in yourself and in your ability, with effort, to improve your English language and essay-writing skills.
Worksheets
The front of each grammar worksheet contains instruction on the topic with what I hope are clear examples. The second page, or back page when duplicated, contains exercises. These sheets require that the students actually write out their answers. In this manner, students get hand-written practice in producing grammatically and syntactically correct sentences. Some topics have additional worksheets with exercises only. I plan to add more topics and supplemental exercises over time.
Essays
This section includes a selection of essays for study and discussion. The selection of essays will expand with time. The selection includes both essays that are in the public doman and current essays. Each essay has its vocabulary builder, study questions, and a writing assignment.
Free to Use
The materials are free for any teacher, student, tutor, school, or school system to download, copy, distribute, and use in any manner. The worksheets are in PDF files, and can be accessed through the pages dealing with the specific grammar or usage topic. Please do not modify the worksheets. Also, please notify me if you link to this site or find this site useful.
Classroom Uses
College or Advanced Placement (AP) English teachers can use the grammar worksheets as supplements to their primary handbook or grammar text; college department chairs or directors of compostion programs can use them as emergency substitute plans or integrate them in their composition programs. More and more colleges and univerities frown on instructors simply cancelling a class because of illness. Each worksheet provides suitable material for a typical 50 - 75 minute class session.
The materials can be reproduced in quantities and stored in the department area. If an instructor calls in sick, a substitute can be assigned to teach one or two worksheets so that students use class time meaningfully.
Teachers of English as a Second Language (TESOL, ESOL, or ESL)
To my surprise, teachers of English as a second language have found some of the worksheets useful. Although I did not write them as ESL worksheets, they work well with advanced levels, what some programs might call Level 5 or Level 6. The needs of ESL students are different from the needs of native English-speaking high school and college students, but the principles are the same, as are the rules and conventions. If, as an ESL teacher, you find this site or these sheets useful, please share your comments.
Writing Labs or Writing Centers
College and university writing centers may copy the worksheets so that tutors work one on one with students on particular grammar or usage problems. Alternatively, the computers in the writing center may link to this site and students can download and print the sheets as they are needed. A variety of topics, including comma splices, run-on sentences, fused sentences, sentence fragments, apostrophe use, misplacecd/dangling participles, and nominalizations are covered.
Private Tutors and Homeschoolers
Private tutors and homeschoolers can link to this site or download the worksheets to work with individual students. They may also be assigned as homework.