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Precise Words, Clear Sentences is a free printable Grade 4 English worksheet on choosing words and punctuation for effect, aligned to Common Core standard W.4.4. It prints 8 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two pupils in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 16 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Precise Words, Clear Sentences

W.4.4

NameDate

Tick the right answer.

1.What does a colon usually signal?
  • A.That an explanation or a list follows
  • B.A change of speaker
  • C.The end of a paragraph
2.When should you choose the shorter word?
  • A.When it says the same thing as clearly
  • B.Never
  • C.Only in speech
3.Why choose "expel" rather than "push out" in a science text?
  • A.It is the precise term readers of that subject expect
  • B.It is longer
  • C.It sounds friendlier
4.Which sentence conveys most in fewest words?
  • A.He went down towards the sea below him.
  • B.The sky let go of him.
  • C.Then something bad happened to Icarus.
5.Which belongs in dialogue between friends?
  • A.You are exhibiting excessive concern.
  • B.Your concern is disproportionate.
  • C.You're making a fuss.
6.You are writing a diary entry. Which suits it?
  • A.The warning was issued at six.
  • B.I was the one who said it was nothing.
  • C.Eleven households had prepared by midnight.
7.Why might a writer use a very short sentence after several long ones?
  • A.To save paper
  • B.To make it land harder
  • C.Because they ran out of ideas
8.Why does a report avoid "I"?
  • A.Because reports must be long
  • B.Because "I" is misspelled easily
  • C.Because it presents the events rather than one person's experience

LessonPrint · W.4.4 · Set 16 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Precise Words, Clear Sentences

Set 16. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.That an explanation or a list follows
  2. 2.When it says the same thing as clearly
  3. 3.It is the precise term readers of that subject expect
  4. 4.The sky let go of him.
  5. 5.You're making a fuss.
  6. 6.I was the one who said it was nothing.
  7. 7.To make it land harder
  8. 8.Because it presents the events rather than one person's experience

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to W.4.4 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.