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Play the Grammar Detective quiz →
Start here: the 3-pass method
Do one section a day, about 5 minutes each. Set a timer, then stop when it rings, even if you’re on a roll.
Your mission on every Editor in Chief passage: find every error the circles say are hiding. The circles are your checklist. You’re not done until every circle is crossed off.
- Count first. Look at the circles. Write the totals in the margin, like ADJ 4 · ADV 5 · ART 2.
- Pass 1: Adjectives. Read the passage once and look only at words that describe nouns. Cross off a circle for each fix.
- Pass 2: Adverbs. Read it again and look only at words that answer how, when, where, or how much.
- Pass 3: Articles. Read it one last time and look only at a, an, and the.
- Read it out loud. Whisper-read the fixed passage. If a sentence sounds silly or doesn’t make sense, an error is still hiding there.
Brain tip: Put your finger or a pencil under each word as you read. Take a 30-second stretch break after each pass. Paragraph 2 counts just as much as paragraph 1.
Adjectives: they describe NOUNS
An adjective tells you about a person, place, or thing. It answers What kind? Which one? How many?
the sharp teeth → What kind of teeth? Sharp.
Trap 1: A noun pretending to be an adjective
If a word sits right before a noun but is itself a thing, it probably needs an ending like -ful, -y, -ed, -ous.
| Wrong | Right | Clue |
|---|---|---|
| its power hind legs | its powerful hind legs | power is a thing; powerful describes |
| a health change | a healthy change | add -y |
| our thatch hut | our thatched hut | add -ed |
Trap 2: After “is, was, were, seems, smells” use an ADJECTIVE
These verbs work like an equals sign. The word after them describes the noun, so it’s an adjective (no -ly).
- The teeth were effective. (teeth = effective)
- The soup smells wonderful. (not wonderfully)
Trap 3: Comparing (count how many!)
| Comparing… | Short words | Long words | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 things | add -er | use more | taller, more feared |
| 3 or more | add -est | use most | tallest of all, most feared |
Rule of thumb: “of all” or “ever” means -est / most.
Trap 4: The rule-breakers
| One | Two (-er) | All (-est) |
|---|---|---|
| good | better | best |
| bad | worse | worst |
| many / much | more | most |
Make-sense check: “Our better ones are not as good as your worse ones.” Aunt is comparing her whole pile to yours, so it’s best and worst. Ask: Is this comparing 2, or comparing the top/bottom of a group?
Adverbs: the 4 questions (not just -ly!)
Big idea: An adverb is NOT “a word that ends in -ly.” An adverb is any word that answers one of these 4 questions about a verb, an adjective, or another adverb:
| Question | Example adverbs | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| HOW? | quickly, well, fast, certainly | It ran fast. |
| WHEN? | yesterday, tomorrow, soon, now, always | Yesterday, Auntie called. |
| WHERE? | there, here, back, anywhere | We spent time there. |
| HOW MUCH? | very, enough, approximately, intensely | intensely feared |
Trap 1: Missing -ly
If a word describes how something is done, and it has an -ly form, use it.
- as it is popular called → popularly called
- will certain have to wait → will certainly have to wait
- an intense feared predator → an intensely feared predator (“how feared?”)
Trap 2: Fake -ly (an extra -ly that doesn’t belong)
Some adverbs never take -ly. If you see one of these with -ly stuck on, it’s an error.
No -ly words: enough · fast · hard · soon · late · there · here · yesterday · tomorrow · always
- enoughly time → enough time
- ran fastly → ran fast
Trap 3: The wrong WHEN word
Time words have to match the verb’s time. Read the sentence and ask: Did this already happen, or is it going to happen?
Tomorrow, Auntie called → Yesterday, Auntie called. (called = already happened)
Trap 4: good vs. well
Good describes a noun (adjective). Well describes how something is done (adverb).
- She is a good swimmer. / She swims well.
Articles: a, an, the
There are only 3 articles. That makes them the easiest points on the page.
Rule 1: a vs. an goes by SOUND, not spelling
Say the next word out loud. Vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u sound) → an. Consonant sound → a.
| Word | Sounds like | Article |
|---|---|---|
| honor | “ON-er” (silent h) | an honor |
| hour | “OW-er” | an hour |
| unicorn | “YOU-nicorn” | a unicorn |
| tree | “tree” | a tree |
| intensely feared | “IN-tensely” | an intensely feared |
Watch out: the article matches the word right after it, even if that word is an adjective. an old dog, but a big old dog.
Rule 2: a vs. the
- a / an = any one, not a specific one. “the fruit of a tree called the coconut palm”
- the = a specific one, or the only one. “the ocean,” “the king of them all,” “the moon”
Quick test: Is there only one, or do we already know which one? → the.
Practice: spot it, fix it
Circle the wrong word and write the fix on the line. Each sentence has one error, except one sentence that is a trick.
Round 1: the error type is given
- [ADVERB] The puppy ran quick across the yard. Fix: ________
- [ADJECTIVE] She is the faster runner on the whole team. Fix: ________
- [ARTICLE] We saw a elephant at the zoo. Fix: ________
- [ADJECTIVE] It was a danger storm, so we stayed inside. Fix: ________
- [ADVERB] I didn’t have enoughly money for a snack. Fix: ________
- [ADVERB] Tomorrow we went to the beach and built a sandcastle. Fix: ________
30-second stretch break!
Round 2: detective mode (no hints)
Write ADJ, ADV, or ART after each fix.
- Mia did good on her spelling test. Fix: ________ Type: ____
- Of the two pies, the cherry one is the best. Fix: ________ Type: ____
- The moon is a brightest object in the night sky. Fix: ________ Type: ____
- The garbage smelled terribly. Fix: ________ Type: ____
- That was a extremely loud thunderclap. Fix: ________ Type: ____
- This is the worse movie I have ever seen. Fix: ________ Type: ____
- We waited an hour for the bus. Fix: ________ Type: ____
Cheat card (cut out and keep by the homework)
| Ask yourself | Watch for | |
|---|---|---|
| ADJECTIVE | What kind? Which one? How many? | noun used instead of adjective (power → powerful) · after is/was/were · 2 = -er, 3+ = -est · good/better/best, bad/worse/worst |
| ADVERB | How? When? Where? How much? | missing -ly · fake -ly (enoughly) · wrong time word (Tomorrow… called) · good vs. well |
| ARTICLE | Does the next word start with a vowel SOUND? Is it a specific one? | a honor → an honor · a elephant → an elephant · a vs. the |
Not done until every circle is crossed off. Read it out loud at the end.
Parents: the answer key for the practice section is on a separate page.