SYNTAX

CHECKLIST

The Common Core State Standards Initiative indicates that

children should demonstrate mastery of the following
syntax skills in the following grades. Use this checklist to
help identify which grade-appropriate syntax skills a child
is missing. Mark skills as they are observed in spoken
language and/or written language. Feel free to mark on all
skills that are at or below the child’s grade level to indicate
which earlier skills are missing or present.

Use the following key to track

which skills are missing or present:

Mark a “+” if the skill is used correctly

Mark a “O” if the skill is used incorrectly or omitted
Mark a “/” if the skill is used inconsistently.

Source: http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/

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 Spoken Written
Grade Skill
Language Language

Kind Form regular plural nouns orally by adding -s or -es

Kind Produce complete sentences

Kind Use most frequently occurring prepositions (to, from,

in, out, on, off, for, of, by, with)

1st Use common, proper, and possessive nouns

1st Use singular and plural nouns with matching verbs in

basic sentences (we hop; he hops)

1st Use personal, possessive, & indefinite pronouns (e.g.,

I, me, my; they, them, their; anyone, everything)

1st Use past, present, and future tense verbs

1st Use frequently occurring adjectives

1st Use frequently occurring conjunctions (and, but, or, so

because)

1st Use determiners (articles, demonstratives)

1st Use frequently occurring prepositions (during, beyond,

toward)

1st Produce complete simple and compound declarative,

interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences
in response to prompts

2nd Use collective nouns (e.g., group)

2nd Form and use commonly occurring irregular plural

nouns (feet, children, teeth, mice, fish)

2nd Use reflexive pronouns (e.g., myself, ourselves)

2nd Form and use commonly occurring irregular past tense

verbs (sat, hid, told)

“+” = Used Corectly “O” = used incorrectly or omitted “/” = used inconsistently

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 Spoken Written
Grade Skill
Language Language

2nd Use adjectives and adverbs

2nd Produce, expand, and rearrange complete simple and

compound sentences (e.g., The boy watched the
movie; The little boy watched the movie; The action
movie was watched by the little boy).

3rd Explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs,

adjectives, and adverbs in general and their functions
in particular sentences

3rd Form and use regular and irregular plural nouns

3rd Use abstract nouns (e.g. childhood)

3rd Form and use regular and irregular verbs

3rd Form and use simple verb tenses (eg., I walked; I

walk, I will walk)

3rd Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent

agreement

3rd Form and use comparative and superlative adjectives

and adverbs

3rd Use coordinating and subordinating conjunctions

3rd Produce simple, compound, and complex sentences

4th Use relative pronouns (who, whose, whom, which,

that) and relative adverbs (where, when, why)

4th Form and use the progressive verb tenses (e.g., I was
walking; I am walking, I will be walking)

4th Use modal auxiliaries to convey various conditions

“+” = Used Corectly “O” = used incorrectly or omitted “/” = used
(e.g. may, can, must)

4th Order adjectives correctly in sentences

4th

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 Spoken Written
Grade Skill
Language Language

4th Form and use prepositional phrases

4th Produce complete sentences, recognizing and

correctly inappropriate fragments and run-ons

5th Explain the function of conjunctions, prepositions, and

interjections in general and their function in particular
sentences

5th Form and use the perfect verb tenses (e.g., I had
walked; I have walked; I will have walked)

5th Use verb tense to convey various times, sequences,

states, and condition

5th Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb

tense

5th Use correlative conjunctions (e.g., either/or,

neither/nor)

6th Ensure that pronouns are in the proper case

(subjective, objective, and possessive)

6th Use intensive pronouns (e.g., myself, ourselves)

6th Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun

number and person

6th Recognize and correct vague pronouns (i.e., ones with

unclear or ambiguous antecedents)

7th Explain the function of phrases and clauses in general

and their function in specific sentences

7th Choose among simple, compound, complex, and

compound-complex sentences to signal differing
relationships among ideas

“+” = Used Corectly “O” = used incorrectly or omitted “/” = used inconsistently

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 Spoken Written
Grade Skill
Language Language

7th Place phrases and clauses within a sentence,

recognizing and correcting misplaced and dangling
modifiers

8th Explain the function of verbals (gerunds, participles,

infinitives) in general and their function in particular
sentences

8th Form and use verbs in the active and passive voice

8th Form and use verbs in the indicative, imperative,

interrogative, conditional, and subjunctive mood

8th Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb

voice and mood

9-10th Use parallel structure

9-10th Use various types of phrases (noun, verb, adjectival,

adverbial, participial, prepositional, absolute) and
clauses (independent, dependent; noun, relative,
adverbial) to convey specific meanings and add variety
and interest to writing or presentations

11-12th Apply the understanding that usage is a matter of

convention, can change over time, and is sometimes
contested

11-12th Resolve issues of complex or contested usage,

consulting references (e.g., Merriam-Webster’s
Dictionary of English Usage, Garner’s Modern
American Usage) as needed

“+” = Used Corectly “O” = used incorrectly or omitted “/” = used inconsistently

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and Language Kids,reserved.
2020. All rights reserved.