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Grade 4 English Language Arts — Alphabetical order

Put words in dictionary order, using the second letter when the first letters are the same.

Name: ________________________

  1. 1.Sort each pair by which letter decides the order of the two words.

    Groups: The first letter decides · The second letter decides

    • cat and dog
    • tree and bell
    • sun and moon
    • cat and cup
    • tree and tap
    • sun and sea

  2. 2.Put these words in dictionary order.

    • cat
    • ant
    • egg
    • dog
    • bird

  3. 3.Which comes first in a dictionary, "grass" or "gate"? Write that word.

  4. 4.Which of these words would come first in a dictionary?

    • a) crow
    • b) cloud
    • c) cake
    • d) city

  5. 5.A dictionary page has the guide words "lamp" and "leaf" at the top. Which word is on that page?

    • a) lemon
    • b) ladder
    • c) lion
    • d) lead

  6. 6.Put these words in dictionary order. They all begin with the same letter, so the second letter decides.

    • bird
    • bell
    • bud
    • boat
    • bat

  7. 7.Sort each word by whether it comes before or after "milk" in a dictionary.

    Groups: Before milk · After milk

    • map
    • match
    • melon
    • mind
    • mud
    • moon

  8. 8.Which pair of words is already in dictionary order?

    • a) shell, sand
    • b) shell, sea
    • c) sand, shell
    • d) sea, sand

Answer key — Grade 4 English Language Arts — Alphabetical order

  1. 1. cat and dog → The first letter decides; cat and cup → The second letter decides; sun and moon → The first letter decides; sun and sea → The second letter decides; tree and bell → The first letter decides; tree and tap → The second letter decides
  2. 2. 1. ant 2. bird 3. cat 4. dog 5. egg
  3. 3. gate
  4. 4. c) cake
  5. 5. d) lead
  6. 6. 1. bat 2. bell 3. bird 4. boat 5. bud
  7. 7. match → Before milk; moon → After milk; melon → Before milk; mud → After milk; map → Before milk; mind → After milk
  8. 8. c) sand, shell