grammar cop

GRAMMAR COP

N E W Y O R K • T O R O N T O • L O N D O N • A U C K L A N D • S Y D N E Y

M E X I C O C I T Y • N E W D E L H I • H O N G K O N G • B U E N O S A I R E S

Grammar Cop © Scholastic Teaching Resources

ContentsIntroduction

PARTS OF SPEECHThe Case of the Strange Playground Equipment

The Case of Rapunzel’s Long Hair

The Case of Jack and Jill

The Case of the Old Woman in the Shoe

The Case of a Letter to Old MacDonald

The Case of the Bumbling Cupids

The Apology of Goldilocks

The Case of Mary Had a Little Rooster

The Case of the Dog Who Eats Homework

The Case of the Cat Food Casserole

The Case of the Saxophone Disaster

The Case of the Unexpected Delay

MECHANICSthe case of the missing capital letters

The Case of the Fairy Godmother for Hire

The Case of Freddy’s Tarantula

The Case of Frosty’s Rules

The Case of Humpty Dumpty

The Case of the Grumpy Goose


The Case of the Sick Bookworm

The Case of the Chicken That Crossed the Road

The Case of the Wanna-be Superstar

The Case of the Weary Lunch Lady

The Three Little Pigs’ Day in Court

SPELLING & USAGEThe Case of the Frog Prince

The Case of the Careless Typist

The Case of the Terrible Tooth Fairy

The Case of the Missing Rabbit

The Case of Frosty the Snowman

The Case of the Cow Who Jumped Over the Moon

The Case of Fabulous Fritz

The Case of the Big Bad Wolf

The Case of the Worried Elf

The Case of the Stinky Dragon

The Case of the Itsy Bitsy Spider

The Case of the Surfing Elephant

The Education of Snow White

The Case of the Unemployed Princess

The Case of the Slimy Aliens

The Case of the Sad Spider

The Case of the Dissatisfied Dog

Answers


Introduction

Grammar Cop © Scholastic Teaching Resources 5

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Nouns

The Case of the Strange Playground EquipmentBuild a roller coaster for the school

playground? Find out what the Super-

Riders Construction Team thinks about

this highly unusual request!

Directions:

6 Grammar Cop © Scholastic Teaching Resources

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Nouns

The Case of Rapunzel’s Long HairRapunzel desperately needs to get her hair done for the ball. Can she find someone

to help her?

Directions:


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Pronouns

The Case of Jack and JillJill wants to explain what really happened when

she and Jack went up the hill. But she doesn’t

understand the difference between he and him.

Can you help her?

Directions:

Grammar Cop’s Clues

He and him are both personal

pronouns. You use both of

them as a substitute for

someone’s name. The key is

knowing when to use he and

when to use him. Here are

some nifty tricks to help you

get it right:

• He is the subject of a

sentence or a clause. He is

used at the beginning of a

sentence and right before a

verb.

• Him is the object of a

sentence or a clause. Him is

likely to be at the end of a

sentence and after a verb or

a preposition.


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________


I and me are both personal

pronouns. You use them as a

substitute for someone’s name.

Here are some nifty tricks to

help you remember when to use

each one:

• I is the subject of a sentence

or a clause. I is used at the

beginning of a sentence and

right before a verb.

• Me is the object of a

sentence or a clause. Me is



a preposition.

Pronouns

The Case of the Old Woman in the ShoeThe Old Woman in the Shoe is thinking about moving to a

new home, but she doesn’t know the difference between I

and me. Can you help?

Directions:


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________


We and us are both personal

pronouns. Read these clues to

help you know when to use

each one:

• We is the subject of a

sentence or a clause. We is

used at the beginning of a

sentence and right before a

verb.

• Us is the object of a

sentence or a clause. Us is



a preposition.

Pronouns

The Case of a Letter to Old MacDonaldThe animals in Old MacDonald’s farm are quite upset.

So they wrote a letter to Farmer MacDonald.

Understandably, they don’t know the difference between

we and us. Can you help them?

Directions:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5) (6)

(7)

(8) (9)

(10)


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Plural Nouns

The Case of the Bumbling CupidsBig Boss Cupid wrote this memo to America’s Cupids.

But he’s confused about plurals. Can you help?

Directions:

(1) (2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6) (7)

(8)

(10) (11)

(12)

(13)

(14)

(15)

(9)


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Possessives and Plurals

The Apology of GoldilocksGoldilocks feels guilty about messing up the home

of the three bears. She wants to make it up to them.

But she doesn’t understand the laws of possessive

words. Can you help her?

Directions:


Remember these basic laws of

possessives and plurals:

• Singular possessive (’s): Use

’s when you want to show that

something belongs to

someone or something.

• Plural possessive (s’): Use s’

when something belongs to

more than one person.

• Plural noun (s): Use a plain s

when you simply want to show

that there is more than one of

something.


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Verbs

The Case of Mary Had a Little RoosterIt seems that Mary didn’t just have a little lamb. She had

a rooster as well. And he’s mad! He wants to tell us why he’s

so angry, but he doesn’t know how to use verbs correctly.

Can you help him?

Directions:

(1)

(2)

(3) (4)

(5) (6)

(7)

(8)

(10) (11)

(12)

(13)

(14)

(15)

(9)


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Verbs

The Case of the Dog Who Eats HomeworkMolly the Mutt has something shocking to tell, but

she doesn’t know which verbs to use. Can you help?

Directions:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4) (5)

(6)

(7) (8)

(10)

(11)

(12)

(13)

(9)

(14)


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

ate

Verbs

The Case of the Cat Food CasseroleWould you feed your family cat-food casserole?

Not on purpose, maybe. Read this confession from

a budding chef.

Directions:

(eat)

(happen)

(slice)

(cook)

(talk)

(watch)

(say)

(grab) (dump)

(mix)

(stick)

(am) (ask)

(open) (do)

(is)

(empty)

(eat)

(hurt)

(see)

(love) (feel)

(ring)

(whisper)

(chop)


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Adjectives/Adverbs

The Case of the Saxophone DisasterOops! Marcia’s big mistake got her kicked out of the school band. But was it really her fault?

You decide.

Directions:


Remember these simple rules

about adjectives and adverbs:

• An adjective describes a noun

or a pronoun. It might tell

what kind, which one, or how

many.

• An adverb describes a verb,

an adjective, or another

adverb. Many adverbs end

in -ly.


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________


Remember these simple rules

about adjectives and adverbs:

• An adjective describes a

noun or a pronoun. It might

tell what kind, which one, or

how many.

• An adverb describes a verb,

an adjective, or another

adverb. Many adverbs end

in -ly.

Adjectives/Adverbs

The Case of the Unexpected DelayWill the Gingerbread Man’s delicious new house ever be completed?

Not if the hungry workers can help it!

Directions:


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: _____________________

Capitalization

the case of the missing capital lettersThe person who wrote this letter didn’t really

understand the laws of capital letters. Can you help

find the mistakes?

Directions:



capital letters:

• Names: Always capitalize

someone’s proper name.

• Places: Always capitalize the

name of a town, city, state,

or country.

• I: Always capitalize the letter

I when it stands for a person.

• First letter: Always capitalize

the first letter of a sentence.


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________



capital letters:





or country.





Capitalization

The Case of the Fairy Godmother for HireBelinda Cunningham is looking for a job. She wrote this

business letter, but she is confused about the use of

capital letters. Can you help her?

Directions:


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________


How do you know whether to

capitalize family titles like

mom, grandma, and uncle? Here

are some tricks:

• If you’re using the word as

part of a person’s name (Aunt

Rhoda) or as a substitute for

a person’s name (“Did

Grandma call?”), capitalize it.

You are using it as a proper

noun.

• Otherwise, do not capitalize

it; you are not using it as a

proper noun. Here’s a hint:

When you use a word like my,

your, or her before the family

title (“My mom has red

hair”), you usually do not

capitalize the title.

Capitalization

The Case of Freddy’s TarantulaFreddy may never get his dream pet, but

maybe he can teach his mom and dad some

rules about capitalizing family titles. Can you?

Directions:

(1) (2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

(10)

(11)

(12)

(13)

(14)

(15)20 Grammar Cop © Scholastic Teaching Resources

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________



capital letters:





or country.





Capitalization

The Case of Frosty’s RulesIt seems that some of the snowpeople need to be reminded

of the rules of the trade. Too bad Frosty can’t seem to

remember the rules of capitalization. Can you help him?

Directions:


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

1. _______________

2. _______________

3. _______________

4. _______________

5. _______________

6. _______________

7. _______________

8. _______________

9. _______________

10. ______________

11. ______________

12. ______________

Contractions

The Case of Humpty DumptyHumpty Dumpty has written a letter to all the king’s

horses and all the king’s men, but he doesn’t know

how to make contractions. Can you help?

Directions:

(1)

(2) (3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7) (8)

(9)

(10)

(11)

(12)

I’m


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

1. _______________

2. _______________

3. _______________

4. _______________

5. _______________

6. _______________

7. _______________

8. _______________

9. _______________

10. ______________

11. ______________

12. ______________

13. ______________

Contractions

The Case of the Grumpy GooseThis goose is fed up and confused—confused about

the use of contractions. Can you help her?

Directions:

(1)

(2)

(3) (4)

(5)

(6) (7)

(8)

(9)

(10)

(11)

(12) (13)

You’re


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

1. _______________

2. _______________

3. _______________

4. _______________

5. _______________

6. _______________

7. _______________

8. _______________

9. _______________

10. ______________

11. ______________

12. ______________

Contractions

The Case of the Sick BookwormNeither Mr. Worm nor Dr. Fish understands the use of

contractions. Can you help them?

Directions:

(1) (2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9) (10)

(11)

(12)

you’ll


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

1. _______________

2. _______________

3. _______________

4. _______________

5. _______________

6. _______________

7. _______________

8. _______________

9. _______________

10. ______________

11. ______________

12. ______________

13. ______________

14. ______________

15. ______________

16. ______________

17. ______________

Contractions

The Case of the Chicken ThatCrossed the RoadThis chicken has something to say. Can you give him some

help with contractions?

Directions:

(1) (2) (3)

(4) (5)

(6) (7)

(8)

(9)

(10) (11)

(12) (13)

(14)

(15)

(16) (17)

You’ve


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Billy

Punctuation

The Case of the Wanna-be SuperstarThis budding superstar is trying to

convince his parents to support his

ambitions. Too bad he doesn’t know

the first thing about punctuation.

Can you help him?

Directions:


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Punctuation

The Case of the Weary Lunch LadyIf this letter from the students at Webster

Elementary doesn’t convince the lunch lady to

change the lunch menu, then nothing will. Too bad

these kids don’t know how to use punctuation

marks. Can you help?

Directions:


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Quotation Marks

The Three Little Pigs’ Day in CourtThe Three Little Pigs are trying to prove

their case against the Big Bad Wolf. But

they don’t know the rules for using

quotation marks. Can you help by adding

the quotation marks needed in their

story?

Directions:


Remember these basic laws for

quotation marks:

• Direct Quotes: Put quotation

marks around words that

someone is actually saying.

• Indirect Quotes: Don’t put

quotation marks around words

that summarize what someone

said.

Tip: Phrases such as said that

or reported that are often good

clues that you don’t need

quotation marks.


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

1. _______________

2. _______________

3. _______________

4. _______________

5. _______________

6. _______________

7. _______________

8. _______________

9. _______________

10. ______________

11. ______________

12. ______________

13. ______________

14. ______________

15. ______________

16. ______________

17. ______________

18. ______________

19. ______________

20. ______________

Spelling

The Case of the Frog PrinceEver since Prince Leonardo was turned into a frog, his

spelling skills have really suffered. His letter below is filled

with spelling errors. Can you help him?

Directions:


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

1. _______________

2. _______________

3. _______________

4. _______________

5. _______________

6. _______________

7. _______________

8. _______________

9. _______________

10. ______________

11. ______________

12. ______________

13. ______________

14. ______________

Spelling

The Case of the Careless TypistAuthor Johanna Hurwitz has written a letter to all the

Storyworks readers, but whoever typed it made some

spelling mistakes. Can you help?

Directions:


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

1. _______________

2. _______________

3. _______________

4. _______________

5. _______________

6. _______________

7. _______________

8. _______________

9. _______________

10. ______________

11. ______________

12. ______________

13. ______________

14. ______________

15. ______________

Spelling

The Case of the Terrible Tooth FairyThere are problems in Tooth Fairy Land. This letter

will be sent to the queen, but it’s filled with spelling

mistakes! Can you help?

Directions:


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Spelling

The Case of the Missing RabbitThe class rabbit has disappeared, and now there’s a

wild bunny on the loose. Could they be the same animal?

Directions:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8) (9)

(10)

(11)

(12)

(13)

(4)


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Homophones

The Case of Frosty the SnowmanFrosty the Snowman has a complaint, but he is confused about homophones. Can you help?

Directions:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

(10)

(12)

(11)

(13)

(14)

(4)


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Homophones

The Case of the Cow Who Jumped Over the MoonHey diddle, diddle, does anyone know what happened

to the cow who jumped over the moon? Well, we

finally found out. In this exclusive letter to ,

the cow tells us about her new life.

Directions:

(1)

(2) (3)

(5)

(6) (7)

(8) (9)

(10) (11)

(12) (13)

(14)

(15)

(16)

(17)

(18)

(4)


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Homophones

The Case of Fabulous FritzJeremy Jenkins wrote this letter to his favorite author.

He needs some help with homophones before he can send it,

though. Can you help him?

Directions:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(5) (6)

(7) (8)

(9) (10)

(12)(11)

(13)

(14) (15)

(16) (17) (18) (19)

(20) (21) (22)

(4)


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Its/It’s

The Case of the Big Bad WolfThe wolf from “Little Red Riding Hood” is

trying to tell his side of the story. But he

doesn’t really understand the difference

between its and it’s. Can you help?

Directions:


Remember these basic laws

for its and it’s:

• It’s is a contraction of it is

or it has. A contraction is

made up of two words that

are joined by an apostrophe.

The apostrophe shows

where one or more letters

have been left out.

• Its is the possessive form of

it (the fancy name is

“possessive pronoun”).

Its shows that “it” owns

something.


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Their/They’re/There

The Case of the Worried ElfSanta’s head elf is worried. But he doesn’t

know the difference between their, they’re,

and there. Can you help him?

Directions:



their, they’re, and there:

• Their is the possessive form of

they. You use it when you want

to say that something belongs

to a group of people.

• They’re is a contraction of

they are.

• There is a place. It is the

opposite of here.

There is also

a pronoun used to introduce a

sentence.


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Their/They’re/There

The Case of the Stinky DragonWhoever wrote this advertisement doesn’t know the

difference between their, there, and they’re. Can

you help?

Directions:



their, they’re, and there:

• Their is the possessive form of

they. You use it when you want

to say that something belongs

to a group of people.

• They’re is a contraction of

they are.

• There is a place. It is the

opposite of here.

There is also a pronoun

used to introduce a sentence.


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

To/Too/Two

The Case of the Itsy Bitsy SpiderThe Itsy Bitsy Spider wants to explain a few things,

but he doesn’t know the difference between to, two,

and too. Can you help?

Directions:



to, too, and two:

• To is a preposition.

Sometimes the word to also

comes before a verb.

• Too means “also” or “too

much.”

• Two is a number.


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

To/Too/Two

The Case of the Surfing ElephantMr. Brandon L. Phant is looking for a new job. But he doesn’t

know the difference between to, two, and too. Can you help him?

Directions:



to, too, and two:

• To is a preposition.

Sometimes the word to also

comes before a verb.

• Too means “also” or “too

much.”

• Two is a number.


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Your/You’re

The Education of Snow WhiteSnow White has left the seven dwarfs’ cottage. She

wants to explain her disappearance, but she doesn’t

really understand the difference between your and

you’re. Can you help her fill in the blanks?

Directions:



your and you’re:

• Your is the possessive form of

you. Use it when you are

talking about something that

belongs to the person with

whom you are speaking.

• You’re is a contraction of you

are. Here’s a tip: Whenever you

write you’re, read over the

sentence again and substitute

the words you are for you’re.

If the sentence makes sense,

you’ve made the right choice.


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Your/You’re

The Case of the Unemployed PrincessSleeping Beauty wrote this letter to the Royal

Mattress Company. But she doesn’t understand the

difference between your and you’re. Can you help?

Directions:



your and you’re:

• Your is the possessive form

of you. Use it when you are












Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Your/You’re

The Case of the Slimy AliensThe slimy aliens from the planet Gooeygoopiter need

to read this important advertisement. Can you help

the writer fill in the blanks?

Directions:



your and you’re:














Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Your/You’re

The Case of the Sad SpiderThis spider needs some help before he can send

this note to Miss Muffet. He is confused about

how to use your and you’re.

Directions:



your and you’re:










you are for you’re. If the

sentence makes sense, you’ve

made the right choice.


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Your/You’re, Its/It’s

The Case of the Dissatisfied DogPoochie Doodle wants a new doghouse and has

written this letter to his family. Problem is, he

doesn’t know when to use your or you’re and

its or it’s. (Big surprise!) Can you help him?

Directions:


Remember these basic rules:






• You’re is a contraction of

you are. Whenever you write

you’re, read over the sentence

again and substitute you are

for you’re. If the sentence

makes sense, you’ve made

the right choice.

• It’s is a contraction of it is or

it has.

• Its is the possessive form

of it (the fancy name is

“possessive pronoun”).

Its shows that “it” owns

something.


AnswersThe Case of the Strange Playground Equipment

Nouns:

Proper Nouns:

The Case of Rapunzel’s Long Hair

Nouns:

Proper Nouns:

The Case of Jack and Jill

The Case of the Old Woman in the Shoe

The Case of a Letter to Old MacDonald

The Case of the Bumbling Cupids

The Apology of Goldilocks

The Case of Mary Had a Little Rooster

The Case of the Dog Who Eats Homework

The Case of the Cat Food Casserole

The Case of the Saxophone Disaster

Adjectives:

Adverbs:

The Case of the Unexpected Delay

Adjectives:

Adverbs:

the case of the missing capital letters

The Case of the Fairy Godmother for Hire

The Case of Freddy’s Tarantula

The Case of Frosty’s Rules

The Case of Humpty Dumpty

The Case of the Grumpy Goose

The Case of the Sick Bookworm

The Case of the Chicken That Crossed the Road

The Case of the Wanna-be Superstar


The Case of the Weary Lunch Lady

The Three Little Pigs’ Day in Court

The Case of the Frog Prince

The Case of the Careless Typist

The Case of the Terrible Tooth Fairy

The Case of the Missing Rabbit

The Case of Frosty the Snowman

The Case of the Cow Who Jumped Over the Moon

The Case of the Fabulous Fritz

The Case of the Big Bad Wolf

The Case of the Worried Elf

The Case of the Stinky Dragon

The Case of the Itsy Bitsy Spider

The Case of the Surfing Elephant

The Education of Snow White

The Case of the Unemployed Princess

The Case of the Slimy Aliens

The Case of the Sad Spider

The Case of the Dissatisfied Dog


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