How do where and when fit in?

They are relative adverbs, gluing descriptions onto places and times: the field where we practice, the year when it snowed in May. Same glue, different nouns.

When is it which vs. that?

Commas. Extra, droppable information takes which with commas; essential information takes that without. The sheets keep the distinction visible in every sentence.

5th grade relative pronouns and adverbs

5th grade relative pronouns and adverbs worksheets

Fifth graders add the relative adverbs where and when for places and times, and handle comma-marked which-clauses against plain that-clauses.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core L.4.1.a.

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

The kind of sentences you'll fix

Choose the word from the parentheses that fits, and write it on the line.

The shelter (when / where / which) we found our dog holds an open house each fall.
Fixed: The shelter where we found our dog holds an open house each fall.
The board game (that / who / whose) Grandpa taught us has no dice at all.
The morning (when / which / who) the pipes froze, school started two hours late.

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 40 sentences, 8 to a page. 4th and 5th grade print from the same 40 sentences. The teaching notes below are written for this grade.

A few of the sentences:

The runner who finished last got the loudest cheer.
The play that won the game took weeks to practice.
The neighbor whose garden feeds half the block never locks the gate.

Fix it. Choose the word from the parentheses that fits, and write it on the line. 8 sentences to fix per page.

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

How to teach this

For where and when, test by substitution: if 'in which' or 'on which' would fit (the park in which we play), the sentence wants where or when. Fancy grammar, five-second test.

Watch for: Which never points to a person. The fastest error to fix is 'the teacher which': one question (person or thing?) settles it. That can point to a person too (the girl that won), but who is the clearer choice, and it's the one these sheets practice. Whose shows belonging and works for both people and things: the tree whose branches, the girl whose kite. It is the possessive of the relative family.

Common questions about 5th grade relative pronouns and adverbs

How do where and when fit in?: They are relative adverbs, gluing descriptions onto places and times: the field where we practice, the year when it snowed in May. Same glue, different nouns.
When is it which vs. that?: Commas. Extra, droppable information takes which with commas; essential information takes that without. The sheets keep the distinction visible in every sentence.

Related worksheets

Ready to print one?

Need a fresh set of sentences? Download another copy.

Aligned to Common Core L.4.1.a. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated October 2026.

Spot a mistake on this sheet? Tell us. · About these worksheets