Verb Adjective or Preposition Worksheet

Verbs, adjectives, and prepositions each do a different job inside a sentence, and third graders who can name that job read more closely and write more clearly. This Verb Adjective or Preposition Worksheet asks students to do both halves of that skill: first choose the word a sentence actually needs, then explain what kind of word it is. Because every wrong choice on the page is a real word from a different part of speech, students cannot succeed by guessing — they have to think about the slot before they think about the word.

This 3rd grade parts of speech worksheet is a two-part printable. In Part A, students read five sentences and choose the word that completes each one from three options, writing it on a solid handwriting line; time words such as Yesterday and Tomorrow signal the verb tense, while the other items need a describing word or a position word instead. In Part B, students read six more sentences, look at the underlined word, and write whether it is a verb, an adjective, or a preposition on the line below. A small reference strip keeps the three labels in view. Print this Verb Adjective or Preposition Worksheet for morning work, a grammar center, an early finisher page, or a quick homework review — the answer key grades it in seconds.

What’s Included

• 1 print-ready PDF worksheet
• Answer key
• 5 choose-the-word sentences and 6 name-the-part-of-speech sentences

There are three reasons this page moves students forward so quickly. First, mixing the three parts of speech into one activity forces real discrimination: a child who has only ever circled adjectives on an adjectives page has never had to rule one out. Second, the distractors are chosen on purpose — an adverb beside an adjective, a verb beside a preposition — so each item quietly teaches the difference it is testing. Third, Part B asks students to name the word’s job rather than just pick it, which is exactly the language third-grade standards and state tests use.

Teachers and parents can stretch this practice all week. Write one sentence on the board each morning and have students label every verb, adjective, and preposition they can find. Play a quick sorting game with word cards, asking children to explain why a word landed in the pile it did. Take a “preposition walk” and describe where things are — under the table, beside the door, above the shelf. Read a page of a favorite chapter book aloud and pause on the describing words. Then sing the Verb Rap Song together so the definition of an action word sticks.

Related Resources

• What is the Function of the Parts of Speech? Worksheet
• Prepositions in Sentences Worksheet
• Identifying Verb Tenses Worksheet
• Verb Rap Song by Have Fun Teaching