Commas with Appositives Worksheet — Grade 5
Grade 5 students practice setting off appositive noun phrases with commas on both sides, through identifying, correcting, and writing exercises.
An appositive is a noun phrase placed right beside another noun to rename or describe it. When an appositive falls in the middle of a sentence, a comma belongs on each side — working like a pair of parentheses to set the phrase apart. Learning this rule helps students write with more detail and variety, because they can add information about a person, place, or thing without starting a new sentence. This worksheet gives Grade 5 students practice at every level: first they spot the appositive in correctly punctuated sentences, then they choose between punctuation options, then they correct errors, and finally they write a sentence of their own. Each section builds on the one before it.
Commas with Appositives Worksheet — Grade 5
This worksheet helps you practice using commas to set off appositives. Read each section carefully and follow the directions.
Remember
- An appositive is a noun phrase that renames or describes the noun right before it.
- When an appositive interrupts the sentence, place a comma before it and after it.
- Example: My sister, a great swimmer, won the relay race. The appositive is 'a great swimmer.'
Part A — Find the Appositive
Circle the appositive in each sentence — the noun phrase that renames the noun before it.
- 1.
My neighbor, Dr. Patel, taught me about plants last summer.
- 2.
The book, a story about space travel, won three prizes.
- 3.
Our science teacher, Ms. Okonkwo, showed us how volcanoes form.
- 4.
The Amazon River, the longest river in South America, flows through Brazil.
- 5.
My dog, a golden retriever, loves to chase the ball.
Part B — Choose the Correct Sentence
Read each question and circle the letter of the correctly punctuated sentence.
- 6.
Which sentence is correctly punctuated?
- a)Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system orbits the sun.
- b)Jupiter the largest planet in our solar system, orbits the sun.
- c)Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, orbits the sun.
- 7.
Which sentence is correctly punctuated?
- a)Layla, my lab partner carefully measured the liquid.
- b)Layla my lab partner, carefully measured the liquid.
- c)Layla, my lab partner, carefully measured the liquid.
- 8.
Which sentence is correctly punctuated?
- a)The cheetah the fastest land animal can run at 70 miles per hour.
- b)The cheetah, the fastest land animal, can run at 70 miles per hour.
- c)The cheetah, the fastest land animal can run at 70 miles per hour.
- 9.
Which sentence is correctly punctuated?
- a)Our principal, Mr. Torres gave us the good news today.
- b)Our principal Mr. Torres gave us the good news today.
- c)Our principal, Mr. Torres, gave us the good news today.
- 10.
Which sentence is correctly punctuated?
- a)The Nile, a major river in Africa flows into the Mediterranean Sea.
- b)The Nile a major river in Africa, flows into the Mediterranean Sea.
- c)The Nile, a major river in Africa, flows into the Mediterranean Sea.
Part C — Fix the Sentence
Rewrite each sentence correctly, adding commas in both places to set off the appositive.
- 11.
Mars the red planet is the fourth planet from the sun.
- 12.
Sofia my classmate won first place in the science fair.
- 13.
The oak tree the tallest tree in the yard lost a branch.
- 14.
Our library a two-story building just got new computers.
Part D — Write Your Own
Write one sentence using an appositive set off by commas on both sides.
- 15.
Write a sentence about a person you know or a place you have visited. Use an appositive set off with commas to add more information.
Answer key
Part A — Find the Appositive
- 1.Dr. Patel
- 2.a story about space travel
- 3.Ms. Okonkwo
- 4.the longest river in South America
- 5.a golden retriever
Part B — Choose the Correct Sentence
- 6.Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, orbits the sun.
- 7.Layla, my lab partner, carefully measured the liquid.
- 8.The cheetah, the fastest land animal, can run at 70 miles per hour.
- 9.Our principal, Mr. Torres, gave us the good news today.
- 10.The Nile, a major river in Africa, flows into the Mediterranean Sea.
Part C — Fix the Sentence
- 11.Mars, the red planet, is the fourth planet from the sun.
- 12.Sofia, my classmate, won first place in the science fair.
- 13.The oak tree, the tallest tree in the yard, lost a branch.
- 14.Our library, a two-story building, just got new computers.
Part D — Write Your Own
- 15.Example: My teacher, Ms. Rivera, reads us a poem every Friday morning.
What this worksheet teaches
- Identify an appositive noun phrase and the commas that set it off in a sentence.
- Choose the correctly punctuated version of a sentence containing an appositive.
- Write an original sentence that uses commas correctly to set off an appositive.
Notes for the grown-up
- Students often place one comma before the appositive but forget the closing comma after it.
- Point to the renamed noun, read the appositive aloud, and show how both commas act like parentheses.
- A student is ready to move on when they can add both commas correctly in new sentences without a prompt.
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