6th Grade Grammar Worksheet: What a 12-Year-Old Needs to Know for the Year

Instructions

1. Read the mission briefing at the start of each section. You are a Grammar Detective on a mission!
2. Use your grammar knowledge to solve the puzzles and decode the clues in each section.
3. Complete the sections in order, as each one builds your skills for the next.
4. When you have completed your mission, check your work using the "Top Secret Answer Key" at the end.

Section 1: The Briefing Room (Identifying Parts of Speech)

Mission: Before we can crack any codes, we need to know our tools. Identify the part of speech of the bolded word in each sentence below. Your choices are: Noun, Verb, Adjective, Adverb, Pronoun, Preposition.

1. The clever agent easily solved the puzzle.

Your Answer: ____________________

2. She crept silently through the dark hallway.

Your Answer: ____________________

3. The secret message was hidden under the floorboards.

Your Answer: ____________________

4. The villain spoke menacingly into the microphone.

Your Answer: ____________________

5. The team needed a new plan to succeed.

Your Answer: ____________________

Section 2: Cracking the Code (Sentence Structure)

Mission: Messages come in different forms. You must correctly identify if a sentence is Simple, Compound, or Complex to understand its structure.

Intel Briefing:
• Simple Sentence: One independent clause. (The spy watched the door.)
• Compound Sentence: Two or more independent clauses, joined by a conjunction like for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. (The spy watched the door, and she saw a shadow move.)
• Complex Sentence: One independent clause and at least one dependent clause. (When the clock struck midnight, the spy watched the door.)

1. The alarm blared loudly through the empty museum.

Sentence Type: ____________________

2. Because the coast was clear, the agent moved to the next room.

Sentence Type: ____________________

3. The getaway car was ready, but the driver was nowhere in sight.

Sentence Type: ____________________

4. I will wait here until you give the signal.

Sentence Type: ____________________

Section 3: Punctuation Undercover (Commas, Semicolons, and Colons)

Mission: A single misplaced piece of punctuation can change a message entirely. Insert the correct punctuation ( ,   ;   : ) in the blank spaces below.

1. The spy kit contained the following items___ a camera, a lock pick, and a disguise.

2. The agent was experienced___ however, this mission felt different.

3. To complete the mission, you will need courage___ intelligence___ and a little bit of luck.

4. Maria checked the perimeter___ her partner hacked the computer.

Section 4: The Case of the Missing Identity (Pronouns)

Mission: Pronouns can be tricky agents. Their identities must be clear! Circle the correct pronoun in each sentence. Then, for sentences 3 and 4, identify if the pronoun is used as a reflexive pronoun or an intensive pronoun.

Intel Briefing:
• Reflexive: Refers back to the subject; the sentence wouldn't make sense without it. (He taught himself to code.)
• Intensive: Emphasizes a noun or another pronoun; the sentence still makes sense if you remove it. (The director herself approved the mission.)

1. Each of the agents has to pack ( their / his or her ) own equipment.

2. The director gave the files to my partner and ( I / me ).

3. I built the gadget ( myself / itself ). Type: ____________________

4. The agent accidentally revealed ( himself / hisself ) to the guard. Type: ____________________

Section 5: Time Travel Evidence (Verb Tense Consistency)

Mission: This field report is a mess! The timeline of events is all wrong because the verb tenses are inconsistent. Rewrite the paragraph below, correcting the verb tenses so they are all in the past tense.

The detective enters the room quietly and saw the open window. A cold breeze blows through the curtains, and a single piece of paper is sitting on the desk. He picks it up and will read the cryptic message.

Your Corrected Report:

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

Section 6: The Final Report (CHALLENGE)

Mission: You've gathered all the evidence. Now, it's time to write your final report. Write a short paragraph (3-4 sentences) describing a fictional detective finding a clue.

Your report must include:

• At least one compound sentence
• At least one complex sentence
• Correct use of a semicolon (;)

Your Final Report:

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

Top Secret Answer Key

Section 1: The Briefing Room (Identifying Parts of Speech)

1. Adjective
2. Pronoun
3. Preposition
4. Adverb
5. Noun

Section 2: Cracking the Code (Sentence Structure)

1. Simple
2. Complex
3. Compound
4. Complex

Section 3: Punctuation Undercover (Commas, Semicolons, and Colons)

1. The spy kit contained the following items: a camera, a lock pick, and a disguise.
2. The agent was experienced; however, this mission felt different. (A comma after 'however' is also correct).
3. To complete the mission, you will need courage, intelligence, and a little bit of luck.
4. Maria checked the perimeter; her partner hacked the computer.

Section 4: The Case of the Missing Identity (Pronouns)

1. Each of the agents has to pack ( his or her ) own equipment.
2. The director gave the files to my partner and ( me ).
3. I built the gadget ( myself ). Type: Intensive
4. The agent accidentally revealed ( himself ) to the guard. Type: Reflexive (Note: 'hisself' is not a standard English word).

Section 5: Time Travel Evidence (Verb Tense Consistency)

The detective entered the room quietly and saw the open window. A cold breeze blew through the curtains, and a single piece of paper was sitting (or sat) on the desk. He picked it up and read the cryptic message.

Section 6: The Final Report (CHALLENGE)

(Answers will vary. The example below meets all requirements.)

Detective Miles scanned the library carefully; every book seemed to be in its proper place. He almost gave up, but then he noticed a faint scratch on the floor. Because he was a thorough investigator, he knelt down to examine the mark and discovered it was a secret latch for a hidden compartment.