EFL Essentials Printable primary worksheets

Using Commas to Separate Clauses – This intermediate-level worksheet helps students practise using commas to separate independent and dependent clauses within sentences. By inserting commas where needed, students will learn how to create clearer, more structured sentences. The exercise includes a mix of introductory phrases, conjunctions, and complex sentences, allowing students to explore various situations where commas are essential for readability. The final part encourages students to create their own sentences, reinforcing the skill of proper comma placement.

Hyphens in Compound Words – This intermediate-level worksheet teaches students how to correctly use hyphens in compound words to improve clarity in writing. The exercises focus on common compound words that often require hyphens, such as well-known, part-time, and numbers like twenty-one. Students will read each sentence and insert hyphens where necessary, reinforcing their understanding of compound words. The final task encourages them to write their own sentences, using both hyphenated and non-hyphenated compound words, helping them gain confidence in applying this punctuation skill in everyday writing.

Ellipses and Em Dashes: Adding Drama and Pause! – This engaging worksheet is designed for intermediate-level students to explore the use of ellipses and em dashes in English writing. By practising how to insert ellipses and em dashes into sentences, students will learn how to add pauses, convey hesitation, and emphasise specific parts of a sentence. This worksheet contains exercises that ask students to rewrite sentences using the appropriate punctuation marks, enhancing their ability to express tone, add drama, and vary sentence structures in their writing. Through these fun and interactive tasks, students will not only develop their punctuation skills but also enrich their writing style.

Quotation Marks for Titles and Speech – This intermediate-level worksheet teaches students how to correctly use quotation marks in sentences. By adding quotation marks around titles (books, movies, articles) and direct speech, students learn to format these elements properly. The worksheet helps improve punctuation skills and strengthens students’ writing abilities by focusing on the correct usage of quotation marks in English.

Using Apostrophes for Possession and Contraction – This intermediate-level worksheet helps students practise using apostrophes correctly in two key situations: possession (e.g., "the cat’s toy") and contractions (e.g., "can’t" for "cannot"). Through exercises that require students to identify and rewrite sentences using the correct apostrophe placement, they learn to distinguish between ownership and word shortening. This activity reinforces the importance of proper apostrophe use for clarity and grammatical accuracy in writing.

Using Semicolons and Colons – This intermediate-level worksheet guides students on how to use semicolons and colons correctly. With simplified sentence rewrites and clear instructions, students practise adding these punctuation marks to clarify meaning in their writing. The worksheet enhances students’ understanding of sentence structure and punctuation usage.

Punctuating Direct and Indirect Speech – This intermediate-level worksheet focuses on helping students understand the punctuation rules for direct and indirect speech. Students practise using quotation marks for direct speech, placing commas before quotes, and adding correct punctuation such as full stops and question marks. They also learn to identify indirect speech, which requires no quotation marks. By completing this worksheet, students improve their ability to distinguish between direct and indirect speech and apply the correct punctuation rules in various contexts.

Comma Placement in Complex Sentences – This intermediate-level worksheet focuses on using commas in compound and complex sentences. Students practise inserting commas after dependent clauses and before conjunctions in compound sentences. This activity helps improve clarity and structure in their writing by reinforcing proper comma placement.

Punctuation for "Yes" and "No" Answers – This beginner-level worksheet helps students practise using commas correctly after "yes" and "no" at the beginning of sentences. By rewriting sentences with the correct punctuation and starting with an example, students will enhance their understanding of sentence structure and basic punctuation rules.

Capital Letters for Proper Nouns and Sentence Starts – This beginner-level worksheet helps students practise capitalising the first word of a sentence and proper nouns, such as names, places, and days of the week. Students rewrite sentences using the correct capitalisation, reinforcing the rules of proper grammar and sentence structure.

Apostrophes for Contractions – This beginner-level worksheet teaches students how to form contractions using apostrophes. It includes exercises where students rewrite words and sentences using contractions, helping them understand how to combine words and use apostrophes correctly. By practising contractions, students improve their everyday writing skills and grasp the informal aspects of English.

Commonly Confused Words: Adapt/Adopt – This upper-intermediate worksheet helps students understand the difference between "adapt" (to adjust or change) and "adopt" (to take on or accept). With 12 fill-in-the-blank exercises and a writing task, students practise selecting the correct verb based on context, improving vocabulary and understanding of these commonly confused words.

Commonly Confused Words: Farther/Further – This upper-intermediate worksheet focuses on helping students distinguish between "farther" (used for physical distance) and "further" (used for metaphorical or abstract distance). Through fill-in-the-blank exercises, students practise identifying the correct word based on context. The worksheet also includes a writing task to reinforce their understanding and use of these commonly confused words, enhancing their vocabulary and grasp of figurative language.

Commonly Confused Words: Assure/Ensure/Insure – This upper-intermediate worksheet helps students differentiate between "assure" (to make someone feel confident), "ensure" (to make certain), and "insure" (to protect against financial loss). Through fill-in-the-blank exercises and a writing practice task, students learn to select the correct verb based on context, strengthening their vocabulary and understanding of these subtly different terms.

Commonly Confused Words: Eminent/Imminent – This upper-intermediate worksheet helps students understand the difference between "eminent" (famous or respected) and "imminent" (something about to happen). With fill-in-the-blank exercises and a writing task, students practise using these words in context, improving their vocabulary and understanding of similar-sounding words with different meanings.

Commonly Confused Words: Principle/Principal – This upper-intermediate worksheet focuses on helping students differentiate between "principle" (a fundamental rule or belief) and "principal" (a person in authority or something of main importance). Through 12 fill-in-the-blank exercises and writing practice, students will reinforce their understanding of these commonly confused words, building vocabulary and clarifying their proper usage in different contexts.

Commonly Confused Words: Historic/Historical – This upper-intermediate worksheet helps students distinguish between "historic" (used for significant, important events) and "historical" (used for anything related to history). Through fill-in-the-blank exercises and a writing task, students practise identifying and using these adjectives correctly. The activity builds vocabulary nuance, aiding students in using these terms accurately in writing and discussion.

Commonly Confused Words: Stationary/Stationery – This upper-intermediate worksheet helps students distinguish between the homophones "stationary" (meaning not moving) and "stationery" (meaning writing materials). The fill-in-the-blank sentences provide practice in selecting the correct word based on context. A writing task further reinforces their understanding, building vocabulary and homophone recognition skills.

Commonly Confused Words: Complement/Compliment – This upper-intermediate worksheet focuses on helping students differentiate between "complement" and "compliment." Through fill-in-the-blank exercises, students practise using these commonly confused words correctly in various contexts. The worksheet also includes a writing task where students create sentences using both "complement" and "compliment," reinforcing their understanding of each word's meaning and usage. This activity builds vocabulary skills and sharpens grammatical accuracy in sentence construction.

Commonly Confused Words: Rise/Raise – This intermediate-level worksheet is designed to help students differentiate between "rise" (intransitive) and "raise" (transitive). Through fill-in-the-blank sentences and multiple-choice questions, students practise identifying when to use each verb correctly based on the presence of a direct object. This worksheet reinforces the distinction between transitive and intransitive verbs, enhancing students' grammar and writing accuracy in various contexts.

Commonly Confused Words: A/An – This beginner-level worksheet helps students practise using the articles "a" and "an" correctly. By filling in the blanks and choosing the right option in different sentences, students learn to identify when to use "a" (before consonant sounds) and "an" (before vowel sounds). This activity builds essential grammar skills and pronunciation awareness for primary-aged learners.

Commonly Confused Words: Was/Were – This beginner-level worksheet focuses on helping students practise the correct usage of "was" and "were" in past tense sentences. Through fill-in-the-blank and multiple-choice exercises, students learn how to match the correct verb form with singular and plural subjects. This worksheet aims to reinforce past tense verb conjugation and subject-verb agreement, which are essential for building basic grammar skills.

Commonly Confused Words: Here/Hear – This beginner-level worksheet helps students practise the correct usage of "here" and "hear," which are commonly confused homophones. Through fill-in-the-blank exercises and multiple-choice questions, students learn to differentiate between the words based on context. This activity aims to build listening comprehension and vocabulary, ensuring students use these words accurately in both spoken and written communication.

Commonly Confused Words: To/Too/Two – This beginner-level worksheet helps students differentiate between "to," "too," and "two." Through fill-in-the-blank exercises and multiple-choice questions, students learn to use these commonly confused words in different contexts. The activity provides simple examples and clear guidance, reinforcing grammar skills while expanding vocabulary for primary-aged learners.

Commonly Confused Words: Your/You’re – This beginner/pre-intermediate level worksheet focuses on helping students understand the difference between "your" (possessive) and "you’re" (contraction of "you are"). Through fill-in-the-blank exercises and multiple-choice questions, students practise recognising and using these commonly confused words in different contexts. The worksheet provides straightforward examples that reinforce grammar skills, making it perfect for primary-aged learners.

Commonly Confused Words: There/Their/They’re – This pre-intermediate level worksheet is designed to help students master the correct usage of "there," "their," and "they’re." Through a variety of exercises, including fill-in-the-blanks and multiple-choice questions, students will learn to distinguish between these commonly confused words. The worksheet provides ample practice in a simple, easy-to-follow format, allowing students to build confidence in their grammar and writing skills. This exercise is ideal for primary-aged learners who are ready to expand their understanding of basic homophones.

Editing for Adjective Variety: This upper-intermediate worksheet helps students practise editing and improving their writing style by replacing repetitive adjectives with a variety of suitable ones. Students read a paragraph that overuses a single adjective and rewrite it using different descriptive words. The exercise promotes vocabulary expansion and enhances students' ability to write more engaging and vivid sentences.

Descriptive Paragraph Writing – Using Adjectives This upper-intermediate worksheet helps students practise creative writing by crafting a detailed descriptive paragraph using a variety of adjectives. With a given topic, students are encouraged to use both simple and complex adjectives to make their writing vivid and engaging. An example paragraph is provided to guide students in adding sensory details and creating an imaginative description. By completing this activity, students will improve their ability to use adjectives effectively, enhancing their writing skills and vocabulary.

Compound Adjectives Practice: This upper-intermediate worksheet introduces students to compound adjectives through a child-friendly, multiple-choice format. Students read sentences and select the most fitting compound adjective from two options. Additionally, they apply their learning by writing sentences using their chosen compound adjectives. This activity not only helps to expand students' vocabulary but also enhances their descriptive writing skills and understanding of compound adjectives in English.

In this upper-intermediate level worksheet, students will practise using adjectives to make sentences more descriptive and engaging. By rewriting simple sentences, students will learn how adjectives enhance meaning and provide more vivid imagery. The worksheet encourages creative thinking, expanding vocabulary, and understanding the power of descriptive writing. Perfect for students looking to improve their writing skills by adding more depth and detail to their sentences.

This worksheet helps upper-intermediate ESL students practise creating more complex sentences using adjective clauses. By adding details to basic sentences, students will learn how to combine ideas seamlessly using words like "who," "that," "which," "where," and "whose." This activity focuses on developing their sentence structure and enriching their writing style. Clear instructions, examples, and varied sentences make this exercise perfect for expanding their grasp of English grammar. By the end of the worksheet, students will have a solid understanding of how to use adjective clauses to add specificity and detail to their sentences.

Adjective-Noun MatchingThis intermediate-level worksheet is designed to help students expand their vocabulary by matching nouns with suitable adjectives. It encourages creative thinking as some nouns can be described with more than one adjective. Students will practise pairing adjectives with nouns. This activity will strengthen their descriptive language skills and broaden their understanding of how adjectives are used to add detail to nouns.

Comparative and Superlative AdjectivesThis worksheet focuses on the use of comparative and superlative forms of adjectives. Students will first fill in the blanks with the correct form of the adjectives provided, reinforcing their understanding of how to compare two or more things. In the second part, they will practise rewriting sentences to explore different ways of expressing comparisons. This worksheet is designed for intermediate ESL learners to enhance their sentence variety and descriptive skills. An example is provided for guidance, and students will encounter both direct comparisons and reverse structures (e.g., "The orange is sweeter than the apple"). By the end of this activity, learners will have a stronger grasp of how to use adjectives to compare and describe objects, people, and places.

This worksheet helps intermediate ESL students practise the correct order of adjectives in sentences. Students will rearrange a series of jumbled adjectives into the correct sequence and use articles ("a," "an," or "the") where necessary. This exercise develops students' understanding of sentence structure and descriptive language, enhancing their ability to create more complex phrases.

Adverbial Idioms and Expressions - This upper-intermediate worksheet introduces students to common adverbial idioms and expressions. Students will choose the correct idiomatic phrase to complete each sentence, enhancing their understanding of figurative language in everyday use. They will also be tasked with using three idioms to create their own sentences, allowing them to practice incorporating idiomatic expressions into their writing. This exercise boosts vocabulary, figurative language skills, and creative writing.

Combining Sentences with Adverbs - This upper-intermediate worksheet is designed to help students practice combining simple sentences into more complex ones using appropriate adverbs. Students are provided with pairs of sentences and a word bank of adverbs (e.g., while, afterwards, suddenly, quickly). Their task is to rewrite each pair as a single, cohesive sentence. This exercise enhances their understanding of adverb placement, sentence structure, and how to convey actions in a more fluid and engaging manner. The worksheet not only strengthens students' writing skills but also encourages creativity in their sentence construction.

This advanced worksheet introduces upper-intermediate ESL students to complex adverbial clauses using a variety of conjunctions. By completing sentences with suitable adverbial clauses, students practice constructing more complex sentences and enhance their understanding of how different clauses provide additional context. A bonus challenge encourages students to create their own sentences using adverbial clauses, promoting creativity and language mastery.

This upper-intermediate worksheet focuses on enhancing persuasive writing by using adverbs effectively. Students will read a short persuasive paragraph with missing words and fill in the blanks with suitable adverbs from a word bank. This activity encourages them to think critically about how adverbs can strengthen arguments and add variety to their writing. A special note at the start guides students to explore different adverb choices, fostering creativity and flexibility in language use. This task not only boosts students' understanding of adverbs but also develops their persuasive writing skills in a fun and engaging way.

Identifying Adverbial PhrasesThis worksheet introduces intermediate ESL students to adverbial phrases, which are groups of words that modify a verb and explain how, when, where, or why an action happens. The worksheet includes practice sentences for students to identify adverbial phrases in context and an extra challenge where students create their own sentences using adverbial phrases.

Comparative and Superlative Adverbs Practice – Correct or Incorrect?This worksheet helps intermediate ESL students practise distinguishing between correct and incorrect use of comparative and superlative adverbs. Students will read pairs of sentences and choose the correctly formed one. The exercise focuses on enhancing students' understanding of adverb forms (e.g. faster, more neatly, earliest) and helps solidify their grasp on English grammar rules. With an example provided at the top of the worksheet, students will be guided through the task effectively. This activity also aids in developing careful reading and sentence analysis skills.

This intermediate-level worksheet helps students practise using adverbs of frequency to describe their daily routines and activities. Students rank how often they engage in various activities using a chart of common adverbs of frequency (always, usually, often, sometimes, rarely, never). Then, they write sentences using these adverbs, providing them with practical examples of expressing routine and habits.

This worksheet is designed for beginner/pre-intermediate ESL students to practise identifying and using common adverbs. Students will fill in the blanks using the correct adverbs from the word bank to complete each sentence. This activity helps reinforce vocabulary and understanding of how adverbs can modify actions in various contexts. The sentences are simple, clear, and relatable, making it an engaging way for students to learn and apply their knowledge of adverbs in everyday situations.

This worksheet challenges upper-intermediate students to combine sets of short sentences into more complex ones using conjunctions, relative clauses, or conditionals. The activity focuses on enhancing students' ability to construct advanced sentences, improving their writing fluency and grammatical accuracy. It is perfect for students looking to develop sentence variety and expressive writing skills.

This worksheet encourages upper-intermediate students to enhance a short, bland story by rewriting it using varied sentence types. By incorporating compound, complex, and exclamatory sentences, students learn how to add interest and depth to their writing. This activity is ideal for developing creative writing skills and improving the overall quality of written narratives.

In this worksheet, upper-intermediate students practise persuasive writing by incorporating rhetorical questions into a paragraph. With sentence starters and examples provided, students learn how rhetorical questions can strengthen their arguments and engage the reader. This exercise develops students' ability to use persuasive language and varied sentence structures effectively.

This handy ESL worksheet provides a short dialogue for students to punctuate correctly and identify the types of sentences used (statement, question, command, or exclamation). Designed for upper-intermediate students, the activity focuses on using punctuation accurately within dialogues and understanding the varied structures of sentences in conversational English.

This worksheet is designed to teach upper-intermediate students how to use relative clauses (e.g., who, which, that) to combine sentences. By practising sentence combinations, students enhance their sentence variety and develop more complex structures in their writing. This activity helps students understand how relative clauses add extra information to sentences, making their writing more engaging and detailed.

This worksheet introduces upper-intermediate students to first, second, and third conditional sentences. They are provided with sentence starters and are required to complete them using the appropriate conditional form. The activity aims to develop students' skills in constructing complex sentences using various conditionals, enhancing their understanding of how to express different possibilities, hypothetical situations, and outcomes.