What is new at fifth grade?

Relative clauses: who repaired the atlas, which overlooks the harbor, that Grandma knitted. They have subjects and verbs but lean on a noun, so they label as dependent.

Do dependent clauses always come first in a sentence?

No. They open sentences, close them, and hide in the middle. That is why this page practices the clause alone: position stops mattering once your child knows the leaning feel.

5th grade independent and dependent clauses

5th grade independent and dependent clauses worksheets

Fifth grade clause worksheets add relative clauses, the ones that start with who, which, whose, or that. They hide inside sentences in real reading, so learning to spot one on its own is what makes them visible in context.

Free printable PDF worksheet.

Each print is a different sheet with its own answer key. You don't need to sign up.

The kind of sentences you'll get

Read each group of words. Circle the letter of the kind of clause.

“the fog lifted just before lunch” Kind of clause: . dependent · independent
Answer: independent
“since the robot mapped the maze” Kind of clause: . independent · dependent
“the auction raised two hundred dollars” Kind of clause: . dependent · independent

Every print pulls a new set of sentences at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different mix.

What's on a 5th grade sheet

5th grade sheets draw from 120 sentences, 10 to a page. All 60 of 4th grade's sentences are here too, plus 60 more.

A few of the sentences:

because the rain started during recess
the curtain rose ten minutes late
the tide uncovers the sandbar every evening

Choose the word. Read each group of words. Circle the letter of the kind of clause. 10 questions per page.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

How to teach this

For relative clauses, try the delete test: in a full sentence like the librarian who repaired the atlas found a map, the who part can lift out and the sentence still stands. Anything that lifts out like that was leaning. Practicing on isolated clauses first makes the in-sentence spotting much easier.

Watch for: Kids judge by length. A dependent clause can be long and detailed and still lean; a four-word independent clause stands fine. The signal word IS the difference: the same words with because in front stop standing alone. Have kids read the clause with and without its first word to feel it.

Common questions about 5th grade independent and dependent clauses

What is new at fifth grade?: Relative clauses: who repaired the atlas, which overlooks the harbor, that Grandma knitted. They have subjects and verbs but lean on a noun, so they label as dependent.
Do dependent clauses always come first in a sentence?: No. They open sentences, close them, and hide in the middle. That is why this page practices the clause alone: position stops mattering once your child knows the leaning feel.

5th grade independent and dependent clauses worksheets

The kind of sentences you'll get

What's on a 5th grade sheet

How to teach this

Common questions about 5th grade independent and dependent clauses

Related worksheets

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