Word Functions
About This Worksheet
This Grade 7 Language Arts worksheet helps students decide whether a bold word functions as a preposition or an adverb. Some words, including inside, over, around, up, outside, and above, can perform either job depending on how they are used. A preposition introduces an object, while an adverb stands alone and modifies an action. For example, inside is a preposition in “inside the box” but an adverb in “looked inside quickly.”
Learning Goals
The main goal is to help students understand that a word’s grammatical role depends on the sentence around it. Students should already recognize basic prepositional phrases and adverbs. This activity moves them toward checking whether the bold word is followed by an object or works independently. It supports CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.7.1, which focuses on word functions and standard sentence structure.
Student Tasks
On this worksheet, students will read twelve sentences and classify each bold word as a preposition or an adverb. The examples place the same words in contrasting sentence patterns so students can compare their roles directly. They must write either P or A on each line. Students should identify whether the word begins a phrase or simply adds information to the verb.
Common Challenges
Some students may label a word by memory and forget that the same spelling can serve different functions. Others may mistake any word near a noun for a preposition, even when it does not introduce that noun. Words such as around and above can be especially confusing when the object is understood rather than stated. Encourage students to ask, “Is there a noun or pronoun directly completing this word?”
Teaching Suggestions
A teacher can place paired examples side by side and underline the object after the preposition. Students can then see that the adverb version has no object attached. At home, a parent can say a sentence with one of the target words and ask the child to identify whether anything comes after it to complete the phrase. This simple object test works well for most items.
Worksheet Features
The worksheet includes twelve paired examples featuring several words that can act as either prepositions or adverbs. The repeated contrast makes the difference easier to recognize. Short response spaces keep the task focused while still requiring careful analysis. This page works well for advanced parts-of-speech review, homework, small-group teaching, or assessment.