Year 4 Simple, compound, adverbial and relative complex sentences worksheet

“Finding clauses and verbs” is free to print, with no account. It is the first sheet in the Year 4 English unit “Simple, compound, adverbial and relative complex sentences”, for children aged 8 to 9, and takes about 20 minutes.

Print it on A4. The child's pages come first; the answers, and what each wrong answer tells you, are on the grown-up page that follows. Weeks 1 to 2 of the year, 7 sheets in the unit.

Free sample · answers on the last page

Finding clauses and verbs

Name: ____________ · Date: ____________
Year 4 · English · about 20 minutes
Answers are on the grown-up page

Today I can tell main clauses from subordinate clauses by finding the verb.

A Look back2 min

1.
Which word is the verb in the sentence: Mia ran home?
Miaranhome
2.
Which group of words has no verb, so it is a phrase and not a clause?
the old green benchthe old green bench sagged
3.
Which one is a complete sentence?
Snow fell softly.Under grey clouds

B Watch me, then you4 min

Ola stayed inside because it was wet. Let us sort the two parts.

Watch me

Ola stayed inside has the verb stayed and makes sense alone: main clause.

because it was wet has the verb was, but it does not make sense alone.

It starts with because and needs the main clause, so it is a subordinate clause.

Now you

1.
Which group of words is the subordinate clause in: Dan waited because the bus was late?
Dan waitedbecause the bus was late
2.
Write the subordinate clause from: Ali smiled as the sun rose.

C Your turn6 min

Decide whether each group is a main clause or a subordinate clause. Find the verb, then ask if it makes sense alone.

1.
Ali laughed. Is this a main clause or a subordinate clause?
main clausesubordinate clause
2.
Is when the bell rang a main clause or a subordinate clause?
main clausesubordinate clause
3.
Maya is my friend. Is this a main clause or a subordinate clause?
main clausesubordinate clause
4.
Sam cried because he was sad. Which group is the subordinate clause?
Sam criedbecause he was sad

Say it out loud: What do you look for first: the verb, or the joining word? Why?

D Spot the mistake3 min

A school gate on a quiet morning with nobody about

Kit says: “Ben is at school, so there is no verb, because nobody is doing anything.”

1.
Which word is the verb in: Ben is at school?
Benisschool

E Think deeper3 min

1.
Write two sentences. The first is a main clause with a being or having verb, such as was or has. The second has a main clause and a subordinate clause starting with because, when or as.

How did it feel?

I can do it Nearly Not yet

For the grown-up

Finding clauses and verbs · 2 minutes to read

Answers, and what a wrong one tells you

A

1. ran Mia is a name, so it is a noun, not a verb. Ask your child: what did Mia do? The doing word is the verb.

2. the old green bench Sagged is the verb in the second group, so the second group is a clause. Ask your child to find the verb first.

3. Snow fell softly. Under grey clouds has no verb, so it cannot be a sentence. Ask your child: is there a doing or being word?

B

1. because the bus was late Dan waited makes sense alone, so it is the main clause. Ask your child: which group starts with a joining word like because?

2. Look for: as the sun rose, starting with as and containing the verb rose and not making sense alone.

C

1. main clause

2. subordinate clause It has a verb, rang, but it starts with when and waits for a main clause. Ask your child: can it stand alone?

3. main clause Is is a being verb, so it is a verb even though nothing is being done. Ask your child: does it make sense alone?

4. because he was sad Sam cried is a main clause because it makes sense alone. Ask your child: which group needs the other to finish the idea?

D

1. is Kit thinks only doing words are verbs. Is is a being word, so it is a verb. Ask your child: what does is tell us about Ben?

E

1. Look for: Two sentences: the first has a main clause with a being or having verb; the second joins a subordinate clause starting with because, when or as to a main clause.

Words to use

Say“Find the verb first. Then ask: does this group make sense on its own?”

Instead of“Tell them which group is the subordinate clause before they have looked.”

After the sheet

Read a page of a favourite book together. Each time you spot a sentence with because, when or as, say which group could stand alone.

Tick what your child got right in StudyDen. Anything missed comes back in a later Look back box, so there's no need to redo the sheet.

The rest of this unit

6 more sheets come with a StudyDen plan, in teaching order:

Three sentence types(with a plan)
Where the commas go(with a plan)
Two Kinds of Joining Word(with a plan)
Adding a relative clause(with a plan)
Adding a relative clause(with a plan)
Commas Around Extra Details(with a plan)

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