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Grade 1 English Language Arts — Describing words

Find the word that tells you what someone or something is like.

Name: ________________________

Before you start

Four shapes, and each one has a describing word in its name. Find out how each shape is described.

1234
  1. 1. A big square
  2. 2. A small square
  3. 3. A tall triangle
  4. 4. A short triangle

Take the describing word away and nobody knows which shape you mean.

  1. 1.Match each describing word to what it tells you.

    • red
    • round
    • huge
    • sour
    • a color
    • a size
    • a taste
    • a shape

  2. 2.Which word describes the dog? "The big dog barked."

    • a) dog
    • b) barked
    • c) big
    • d) The

  3. 3.Write the describing word: "The old man sat down."

  4. 4.Sort each describing word.

    Groups: How it feels · How it tastes

    • sour
    • soft
    • smooth
    • bitter
    • rough
    • sweet

  5. 5.Sort each word by the job it does.

    Groups: Naming word · Describing word

    • cat
    • tiny
    • green
    • table
    • soft
    • river

  6. 6.Put the words in order to make a sentence.

    • big
    • I
    • saw
    • bird.
    • a

  7. 7.Which word describes the ball? "I have a red ball."

    • a) red
    • b) ball
    • c) have
    • d) I

  8. 8.Sort each describing word.

    Groups: Color · Size

    • green
    • blue
    • yellow
    • huge
    • tiny
    • small

Answer key — Grade 1 English Language Arts — Describing words

  1. 1. red → a color; round → a shape; huge → a size; sour → a taste
  2. 2. c) big
  3. 3. old
  4. 4. soft → How it feels; sweet → How it tastes; rough → How it feels; sour → How it tastes; smooth → How it feels; bitter → How it tastes
  5. 5. cat → Naming word; soft → Describing word; table → Naming word; green → Describing word; river → Naming word; tiny → Describing word
  6. 6. 1. I 2. saw 3. a 4. big 5. bird.
  7. 7. a) red
  8. 8. blue → Color; tiny → Size; yellow → Color; huge → Size; green → Color; small → Size