Linking vs. Action Test

This worksheet helps students in Grades 4, 5, and 6 strengthen grammar accuracy by identifying whether a sentence’s main verb is a linking verb or an action verb and then choosing correctly between bad and badly. By underlining verbs and analyzing sentence structure and meaning, learners practice verb identification, modifier selection, and careful sentence interpretation in a clear, structured format.

Learning Goals

• Verb Identification (Grades 4-6): Distinguish between linking verbs (such as is, seems, feels) and action verbs.
• Adjectives vs. Adverbs: Use bad with linking verbs and badly to describe how an action is performed.
• Sentence Structure Analysis: Examine how verb type affects correct word choice.
• Word Usage Accuracy: Apply grammar rules consistently to improve clarity and correctness.

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource: Designed to reinforce foundational grammar concepts through guided analysis.
• Step-by-Step Reasoning: Underlining verbs encourages students to slow down and think before choosing.
• Meaning-Based Grammar Practice: Connects grammatical form directly to sentence meaning.
• Flexible Use: Suitable for grammar lessons, review activities, small groups, or independent practice.

This printable worksheet helps students build confidence using bad and badly correctly by focusing on verb function and sentence meaning. Through identifying linking versus action verbs and applying the appropriate descriptive form, learners strengthen grammar knowledge, sentence analysis skills, and overall writing accuracy. It is a no-prep resource that works well in both classroom and homeschool language arts settings, supporting careful, accurate language use.

This worksheet is part of our Bad vs. Badly Worksheets collection.