CCRA.L.1: Command of Standard English Grammar and Usage
In plain English: CCRA.L.1 is the Common Core College and Career Readiness anchor standard for language that asks students to use the grammar and usage conventions of standard English when they write or speak in settings that call for it. In grades 6-12 it is carried by L.6.1 through L.11-12.1, moving from pronoun case and shifts in grade 6 to parallel structure in grades 9-10 and contested usage in grades 11-12.
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy · Domain: College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language · Cluster: Conventions of Standard English Also written as CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.L.1 · Official standard
CCRA.L.1 asks students to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when they write or speak. Command means more than spotting errors on a worksheet: it means choosing the conventional form while drafting, speaking or editing, and being able to say why. The standard treats standard English as the variety expected in formal writing and public speaking, not as the only correct way to speak, so this lesson frames every correction as a choice that fits a setting.
This page teaches the anchor as a progression for grades 6-12. Grade 6 focuses on pronouns, grade 7 on phrases, clauses and modifiers, grade 8 on verbals, voice and mood, grades 9-10 on parallel structure and varied phrases and clauses, and grades 11-12 on usage that changes over time or is contested. The texts, all written for this page, are a student news draft with planted errors, the transcript of a practice announcement, and a thank-you letter for homework. Every activity has a grades 6-8 version and a grades 9-12 version.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Choose the correct pronoun case and use intensive pronouns with an antecedent
Find and fix vague pronouns, misplaced and dangling modifiers, and inappropriate shifts in person, tense, voice and mood
Choose among sentence types and use phrases and clauses, including parallel structure, to show how ideas relate
Explain the rule behind a correction, and decide when standard English conventions fit the setting
Resolve a contested usage question by consulting a reference and weighing the audience
Prior Knowledge Required
Students should already be comfortable with:
Identifying nouns, verbs, pronouns, adjectives and adverbs in a sentence
Recognizing a complete sentence, a fragment and a run-on
Reading a short text closely and quoting it accurately CCRA.R.1
Revising and editing a draft with a partner CCRA.W.5
"Read these two sentences: 'Me and Jordan finished the poster.' and 'Jordan and I finished the poster.' Do they mean the same thing? Where might you hear the first one, and where would you expect to read the second?"
Take answers. Both sentences mean the same thing, and listeners understand both. The first is common in casual conversation in many communities; the second follows the conventions of standard English, which readers expect in formal writing, school reports and public speaking. Make the frame for the period explicit: CCRA.L.1 asks students to command standard English conventions so they can use them when a setting calls for them. It does not ask them to give up the ways they speak at home or with friends.
Direct Instruction15-20 minutes
Terms for the whole period.
Standard English: the variety of English used in most published writing, schoolwork, workplaces and formal speaking. It is one variety among many. Regional and community varieties follow their own consistent grammar, and fluent speakers often move between varieties depending on the setting and the listener.
Grammar: how words combine into phrases, clauses and sentences (pronoun case, agreement, sentence structure).
Usage: the accepted choice among options in a given variety (who or whom, fewer or less, which pronoun to use). Usage is set by convention, so it can change over time, and some points are contested.
Phrase: a group of words without a subject and verb working together (to the wall, faded by the sun). Clause: a group of words with a subject and a verb; an independent clause can stand alone, a dependent clause cannot.
Progression of CCRA.L.1 in grades 6-12
Grade-level standard
Band
What this band adds
L.6.1
Grade 6
Pronouns: correct case, intensive pronouns (myself, ourselves), no inappropriate shifts in pronoun number or person, no vague pronouns; recognizing variations from standard English in writing and speaking
L.7.1
Grade 7
Phrases and clauses and what they do; choosing simple, compound, complex and compound-complex sentences to show how ideas relate; fixing misplaced and dangling modifiers
L.8.1
Grade 8
Verbals (gerunds, participles, infinitives); active and passive voice; the indicative, imperative, interrogative, conditional and subjunctive moods; fixing inappropriate shifts in voice and mood
L.9-10.1
Grades 9-10
Parallel structure; many kinds of phrases (including absolute phrases) and clauses used to convey specific meanings and add variety
L.11-12.1
Grades 11-12
Usage as a matter of convention that changes over time and is sometimes contested; resolving complex or contested usage with references such as usage dictionaries
Read the table from top to bottom. The anchor stays the same from grade 6 to grade 12; what grows is the range of structures students control. Grade 6 works at the level of single words (pronouns), grades 7 and 8 at the level of phrases, clauses and verbs, grades 9-10 at the level of whole sentence patterns, and grades 11-12 at the level of judgment: deciding what to do when the conventions themselves disagree.
Model text. Text 1 was written for this page; the school, the store and the people are invented. It is a student's draft for the school news site, and it contains eight planted errors in grammar and usage. Today the class corrects the five in paragraphs 1 and 2. Leave paragraph 4 alone for now: its three errors are for the quiz.
1For more than thirty years, a painted river has run along the brick wall of Delgado's Hardware on Wexley Avenue. Last spring the paint started to peel, and by May whole sections of the river fall off in the rain. This fall, students from Osprey Point Middle School are bringing the river back.
2The project began when Mr. Okafor, the art teacher, asked Priya Raman and I to lead a sketch team. Faded and peeling, the team studied the old mural in photographs from the store's office. When the student painters met with the shop owners, they said the colors had faded badly. Each of the twelve panels show a different stretch of the river, from a spring in the hills to the harbor.
3The original artist, Rosa Delgado, still owns the store with her son. She has agreed to advise the students herself. "The river was the first thing I ever painted for other people," she said. "I want to see it run again."
4Work days are Saturdays in October. Volunteers will scrape the wall, priming the bricks, and to paint the new design. If a student wants to help, you can sign up in Room 12 by Friday. The instructions for the first work day are short: first scrape off the loose paint, and then the wall should be washed with soap and water.
5Ms. Delgado hopes the new river will last another thirty years. "Paint it so your grandchildren can see it," she told the team.
SVHS (original model draft with planted errors), Text 1: Draft news article, "The Wexley Avenue Mural Gets a Second Life" (written for this page; the school, store and people are invented; it contains eight planted errors in grammar and usage, for editing practice). Original passage written for this page.
Choose the pronoun case (grade 6)
Ms. Delgado handed the brushes to Tomas and (I / me).
Result: Cover "Tomas and" and read what is left: "handed the brushes to me." The pronoun is the object of the preposition to, so the objective case me is correct: "to Tomas and me." The same test works for subjects: "Tomas and I carried the ladder," because "I carried the ladder."
Fix a vague pronoun (grade 6)
Lena called Ms. Ito after she found the leak in the paint can.
Result: She could mean Lena or Ms. Ito. Replace the pronoun with a name, or rebuild the sentence: "After Lena found the leak in the paint can, she called Ms. Ito," or "Lena called Ms. Ito after Ms. Ito found the leak." Each revision commits to one meaning.
Fix a dangling modifier (grade 7)
Climbing the ladder, the top of the wall came into view.
Result: The opening phrase needs a doer, and the sentence names none: the top of the wall is not climbing. Put the climber right after the phrase: "Climbing the ladder, Jonah could see the top of the wall."
Keep the verb mood steady (grade 8)
Hold the brush at an angle, and you should press lightly on the brick.
Result: The sentence starts in the imperative mood (a command) and shifts to the indicative (a statement with should). Keep both halves as commands: "Hold the brush at an angle, and press lightly on the brick."
Use phrases for meaning and variety (grades 9-12)
Combine: The mural faced west. It caught the evening light. It drew the eyes of drivers on Wexley Avenue.
Result: "Facing west, the mural caught the evening light, drawing the eyes of drivers on Wexley Avenue." Two participial phrases (facing west, drawing the eyes) turn three short sentences into one, and they show which detail is background and which is the result.
Guided Practice15 minutes
Edit paragraphs 1 and 2 of Text 1 together. Students read each sentence aloud, mark anything that sounds or looks off, and then name the rule before fixing it. Naming the rule is the point: a correction without a reason will not transfer to the next draft.
Paragraph 1, verb tense. Ask: "When did the sections fall off?" Teacher note: "by May whole sections of the river fall off" shifts into the present tense in the middle of a story about last spring. Fix: "by May whole sections of the river were falling off in the rain." Rule: keep verb tense consistent unless the time really changes.
Paragraph 2, pronoun case. Ask students to apply the cover-up test from the worked examples. Teacher note: "asked Priya Raman and I" becomes "asked Priya Raman and me," because the pronoun is an object of asked.
Paragraph 2, dangling modifier. Ask: "Who or what was faded and peeling?" Teacher note: the mural was, but the sentence makes the team faded and peeling. Fix: "The team studied photographs of the old mural, which was faded and peeling."
Paragraph 2, vague pronoun. Ask: "Who said the colors had faded?" Teacher note: they could be the student painters or the shop owners. Fix by naming the speakers: "When the student painters met with the shop owners, the owners said the colors had faded badly."
Paragraph 2, agreement. Ask: "What is the subject of show?" Teacher note: the subject is each, which is singular; "of the twelve panels" is a phrase between the subject and the verb. Fix: "Each of the twelve panels shows a different stretch of the river."
Check what is already right. Point to paragraph 3: "She has agreed to advise the students herself." Ask whether herself belongs there. Teacher note: yes. It is an intensive pronoun that adds emphasis, and it has an antecedent, she. Editors should leave correct sentences alone.
Grades 6-8: students work the first five steps with the teacher, then explain one fix to a partner in their own words. Grades 9-12: students edit both paragraphs in pairs first, then compare with the class; ask them to defend each fix with the rule and to say whether a fix changes the meaning or only the form.
Independent Practice15 minutes
Write with control. Students write a work-day announcement of five or six sentences for the mural project, then trade with a partner who checks it against the list below and marks each item as present and correct.
Grades 6-8: include one compound-complex sentence, one intensive pronoun used with an antecedent, a pronoun in the objective case after a compound ("you and me," "Lena and her"), and no shifts in person or mood.
Grades 9-12: include a series in parallel structure, one absolute phrase, one participial phrase and one noun clause, and no shifts in voice or mood. Label each structure in the margin.
Partners write one sentence of feedback naming a structure that works and one that could be clearer. The teacher circulates and asks writers to say why each choice fits a schoolwide announcement.
Closure5 minutes
Exit ticket: Write one sentence about the mural that puts a pronoun after "Ms. Delgado and" (as a subject or as an object), and explain in one sentence the test you used to choose its case.
For the quiz: Text 2, below, is a transcript written for this page. Priya practices the mural announcement before recording it. Her first run contains three planted usage problems, and Mr. Okafor points out one of them. For homework: Text 3, below, is a class thank-you letter written for this page; it contains six planted errors in grammar and usage. Teacher note: none of the three texts uses dated or offensive language.
1PRIYA (first run, reading from her notes): Good morning, Osprey Point! This is Priya Raman with news about the Wexley Avenue mural. There's four Saturdays left in October, and we need painters for every one of them. Mr. Okafor and myself have finished the design with the sketch team. Arriving at eight, gloves and scrapers will be handed out at the wall. Sign up in Room 12 by Friday. Thanks, and see you on Wexley Avenue!
2MR. OKAFOR: Good energy, and you kept it under a minute. One change first. When you're talking with friends in the hallway, "there's four Saturdays" is how a lot of people talk, and nobody misunderstands you. On the announcement, though, you're speaking to the whole school for the project, so use the standard form a formal announcement calls for: "There are four Saturdays." The verb agrees with "Saturdays."
3PRIYA: So the hallway version isn't wrong. It just belongs somewhere else?
4MR. OKAFOR: That's how I'd put it. Every setting has its own expectations. Now read the rest of your notes slowly, out loud, one more time. I hear two more spots where a listener might stumble. Find those, and then we'll record it.
SVHS (original model transcript; the people are invented), Text 2: Practice run of the mural announcement, Priya and Mr. Okafor (transcript written for this page; Priya's first run contains three planted usage problems, and Mr. Okafor points out one of them). Original passage written for this page.
1Dear Ms. Tran,
2Thank you for arranging our class's tour of the Osprey Point Water Treatment Plant last Thursday. Us seventh graders had never thought much about where our tap water comes from until the tour.
3Covered in a thin green film, our guide pointed to the first settling basin. He explained that heavy bits of dirt sink to the bottom there before the water moves on to the filters. Later, Ella told Maya that her questions were the best of the day.
4We learned how the water is filtered, that chlorine is added to kill germs, and testing samples every hour in the lab. The questions on our worksheet was easy to answer after the tour, and several of us now want to work in a lab someday.
5Please thank Mr. Hale for driving the bus, and the drawing we made of the filter beds should be given to him too.
6Sincerely, Room 14, Osprey Point Middle School
SVHS (original model draft with planted errors), Text 3: Homework draft, a class thank-you letter after a water treatment plant tour (written for this page; the people are invented; it contains six planted errors in grammar and usage). Original passage written for this page.
Differentiation Strategies
For Struggling Students
Give a one-page reference with the cover-up test for pronouns, a two-question check for modifiers ("Who is doing this? Is that word right next to the phrase?") and three model sentence types
Have students edit one error type per pass through a text instead of all types at once
Let students say a corrected sentence aloud to a partner before writing it
For Advanced Students
Ask students to rewrite paragraph 4 of Text 1 twice after the quiz, once for the news site and once as a short spoken announcement, and explain which grammar choices changed
Have students compare two usage references on one contested point and write a short note explaining where they agree and differ
Ask students to write a paragraph that uses an absolute phrase, a noun clause and a parallel series, and to explain what each structure adds to the meaning
Assessment Guidance
What to Look For
Strong work pairs each correction with its rule and leaves correct sentences alone. Watch for students who "fix" correct structures (changing a correct me to I, or removing an intensive pronoun that has an antecedent) and for corrections that change the meaning. In grades 9-12, look for students who use phrases and clauses on purpose and who can explain a usage choice in terms of convention and audience rather than as a fixed law.
02
Classroom Activities
3 Activities
1
Sentence Repair Stations
15 minGroups of 3-4
Groups repair eight sentence cards, one at a time, and must name the rule before they write the fix. Each band uses its own card set, matched to its grade-level standards.
Grades 6-8 Version: 8 Cards
Jamal and her carried the ladder to the wall.
The teacher gave the extra paint to Lena and I.
We painted the last panel ourself.
When a painter finishes, you should rinse the brush in the bucket.
Tomas told Ari that his sketch was chosen for the heron panel.
Dripping onto the sidewalk, Lena wiped up the blue paint.
We saw a heron on the wall walking to school.
Mix the paint slowly, and then you should pour it into the trays.
Grades 9-12 Version: 8 Cards
The new design is bold, colorful, and it is easy to see from the street.
Volunteers learned mixing paint, how to clean the brushes, and to tape the edges.
The mural was planned by the sketch team, and then the eighth graders painted it.
If the wall was dry, we would start painting now.
Having finished the sketches, the paint was ordered.
Each of the volunteers have a sign-in sheet.
Not only did the team repaint the river but also the boats.
Their brushes washed, the painters, who sat on the curb.
Teacher Key
Grades 6-8: 1. she (subjective case for a subject); 2. me (objective case after to); 3. ourselves (the intensive pronoun for we); 4. shift in person: "When painters finish, they should rinse their brushes"; 5. vague pronoun: name the owner of the sketch, "Tomas told Ari that Ari's sketch was chosen" (or Tomas's, if that is the meaning); 6. dangling modifier: "Lena wiped up the blue paint that was dripping onto the sidewalk"; 7. misplaced modifier: "Walking to school, we saw a heron on the wall"; 8. shift in mood: "Mix the paint slowly, and then pour it into the trays."
Grades 9-12: 1. faulty parallelism: "bold, colorful and easy to see"; 2. faulty parallelism: "learned to mix paint, clean the brushes and tape the edges"; 3. shift in voice: "The sketch team planned the mural, and then the eighth graders painted it"; 4. a condition contrary to fact takes the subjunctive were in formal writing ("If the wall were dry"); was is common in casual speech; 5. dangling modifier: "Having finished the sketches, the team ordered the paint"; 6. agreement: each is singular, so "Each of the volunteers has"; 7. faulty parallelism with not only ... but also: "The team repainted not only the river but also the boats"; 8. fragment with no main verb: "Their brushes washed, the painters sat on the curb," which keeps the absolute phrase.
Discussion Questions
Which cards were easiest to hear when read aloud, and which could you only see on the page?
Card 4 in the grades 9-12 set uses was. Where would that wording sound natural, and where would a reader expect were?
Did any repair change the meaning of a sentence? How did you check?
2
Sentence Combining Studio
15 minPairs
Pairs combine sets of short kernel sentences in more than one way, then explain what each version signals about how the ideas relate. The point is that sentence structure carries meaning.
The Three Kernel Sets
Set A: The wall faces the bus stop. Hundreds of people pass it each day.
Set B: The team tested the old paint. It contained no lead. Scraping could begin.
Set C: Rosa Delgado painted the first river. She was twenty-two. She had never painted a wall before.
Grades 6-8 Version
Combine Set A into a compound sentence and Set B into a complex sentence
Combine Set C into a compound-complex sentence
For each, write which relationship the sentence signals: time, cause, contrast or addition
Grades 9-12 Version
Combine each set twice, once with a clause and once with a phrase (participial, absolute, appositive or prepositional)
Label every phrase and clause you used
Choose the version of Set C you would use to open a news article, and explain the choice in terms of emphasis
Teacher Key (sample answers)
Set A, compound: "The wall faces the bus stop, so hundreds of people pass it each day" (cause). Set B, complex: "Because the old paint contained no lead, scraping could begin after the team tested it" (cause). Set C, compound-complex: "Rosa Delgado was twenty-two when she painted the first river, and she had never painted a wall before" (time, then addition). Phrase versions: "Facing the bus stop, the wall is passed by hundreds of people each day" (participial; note the shift to passive and discuss whether it helps); "The old paint tested and found free of lead, scraping could begin" (absolute); "Rosa Delgado, a twenty-two-year-old who had never painted a wall, painted the first river" (appositive with a relative clause). Accept any grammatical version whose label and explanation are accurate.
3
Usage Panel
15 minGroups of 3-4
Each group receives one usage question, looks it up in a dictionary with usage notes, and recommends a choice for two settings: a formal school report and a conversation with friends. Groups present their recommendation in one minute, citing the reference.
Grades 6-8 Version: Usage Cards
Who or whom: "___ should we ask about the paint?"
Good or well: "The team painted ___ on Saturday."
Can or may, in a written request to a teacher: "___ I borrow the ladder?"
Lie or lay: "The brushes ___ on the table to dry."
Grades 9-12 Version: Usage Cards
Split infinitive: "to carefully remove the old paint" or "to remove the old paint carefully"
Data with a singular or plural verb in a lab report: "The data show" or "The data shows"
Between or among, with three choices: "choosing ___ the three designs"
Hopefully as a sentence adverb: "Hopefully, the paint will dry by noon."
Presentation Frame
"Our question was ___. The reference we used says ___. In a formal school report we recommend ___, because ___. In conversation, ___ is also fine, because ___."
Teacher Key
Grades 6-8: 1. whom is the object form, expected in formal writing; who is common in speech. 2. well, the adverb, tells how the team painted. 3. may is the traditional choice for asking permission in a formal request; can is common in everyday speech. 4. lie (to rest) takes no object, so "The brushes lie on the table"; lay needs an object ("Lay the brushes on the table"). Grades 9-12: these are points on which writers and readers disagree, so score the reasoning, not one answer. Students should report what their reference actually says, then recommend a choice for the formal setting that will not distract a careful reader. Either order of the infinitive is grammatical; choose by clarity and rhythm. Lab-report conventions on data vary by field and by style guide, so the recommendation should name the guide the class uses.
Discussion Questions
Which cards had one clear answer, and which were really choices?
Why might a usage rule that many people ignore in speech still matter in a formal report?
What would you do if two references disagreed?
03
Diagrams & Visual Aids
1 diagrams
Diagram 1: How the Parts of a Compound-Complex Sentence Work Together
The grade 7 standard asks students to explain what phrases and clauses do. Here the dependent clause sets the time, each independent clause carries a main action, and the conjunction and signals that the two actions are equal in weight. Changing and to so would signal cause instead, which is why choosing a sentence type is a choice about meaning, not only about length.
04
Homework Assignment
~30 min
CCRA.L.1 Homework: Editing a Class Thank-You Letter
Directions: Use the class thank-you letter (Text 3) at the end of the lesson plan, in Closure. It contains six planted errors in grammar and usage. For Problems 1 and 2, quote each error, write the correction, and name the rule. Problems 4 and 6 have a grades 6-8 version and a grades 9-12 version; answer the one for your grade. Paragraph numbers match the numbers printed beside the letter.
Part 1: Edit the Letter (Problems 1-3)
Paragraphs 2 and 3 of Text 3 contain three planted errors. Quote each one, correct it, and name the rule it breaks.
Paragraphs 4 and 5 of Text 3 contain three more planted errors. Quote each one, correct it, and name the rule it breaks.
Decide whether each sentence below is standard, and fix any that are not, explaining your decision. (a) Ms. Tran tested the water sample herself. (b) Ella and myself drew the filter beds. (c) We reminded ourselves to thank the driver.
Part 2: Build, Speak and Decide (Problems 4-6)
Grades 6-8: Combine these sentences into one complex sentence and then into one compound-complex sentence: "Dirt builds up in the sand filters. The water flows more slowly. Workers clean the filters." Name the relationship each version signals. Grades 9-12: Write two sentences about the tour, one built around an absolute phrase and one built around a noun clause, and label each structure.
Ella will thank Ms. Tran aloud at the next school assembly. Her notes say: "Me and Maya liked the lab best. There's lots of tests they run every day." Rewrite the notes in standard English for the assembly. Then explain in one sentence why the original wording works fine in a conversation with friends.
Grades 6-8: Choose who or whom for a formal letter: "___ did you meet in the lab?" Explain the choice, and say which form many people use in conversation. Grades 9-12: Look up comprise in a dictionary with usage notes. Decide whether a formal report on the tour should say "the plant comprises three buildings" or "the plant is comprised of three buildings," and explain how the reference and the setting shape your choice.
Rubric
Criterion
Full Credit (2 pts)
Partial Credit (1 pt)
No Credit (0 pts)
Finding and Fixing Errors
All six errors are quoted and corrected without changing the meaning
Four or five errors are corrected, or a fix changes the meaning
Fewer than four errors are corrected
Naming Rules
Each correction names the rule accurately (case, modifier, pronoun reference, parallelism, agreement, shift)
Most rules are named, with one or two vague or wrong
Rules are missing
Building Sentences
The combined sentences are grammatical, labeled correctly and show the stated relationship
The sentences are grammatical but a label or relationship is wrong
The sentences are not combined or are ungrammatical
Choosing for the Setting
Problems 5 and 6 match the form to the setting and explain the choice without calling the casual form wrong
The form is right but the explanation is thin
No explanation, or the casual form is dismissed as bad English
05
Quiz: 20 Questions
Interactive, with answers
Instructions
Questions 2-4 use paragraph 4 of Text 1 (Direct Instruction). Questions 9, 10 and 15 use Text 2, the practice announcement (Closure). The other questions include everything they need. Your score updates as you answer, and Reset quiz clears everything.
Multiple choice: pick an option to check it. Short answer: write your answer, then reveal the model answer.
0 of 20 answered · 0 correct
Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which sentence uses pronoun case correctly?
Answer: C
Me is an object of gave; covering "Malik and" leaves "gave me the new stopwatch." Choices A and D put the objective-case me in the subject position, where the subjective I belongs. Choice B makes the opposite error, putting the subjective I where an object belongs.
Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Paragraph 4 of Text 1 says, "Volunteers will scrape the wall, priming the bricks, and to paint the new design." Which revision uses parallel structure?
Answer: A
Each item in the series is now the same form, a base verb after will: scrape, prime, paint. Choice B still mixes a base verb with two -ing forms, and choices C and D keep three different forms in one list.
Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Paragraph 4 of Text 1 says, "If a student wants to help, you can sign up in Room 12 by Friday." Which revision avoids the shift in person?
Answer: D
The original moves from the third person (a student) to the second person (you). Choice D stays in the third person throughout. Choices A, B and C each keep a shift: second to third, third to first, and third to second.
Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Paragraph 4 of Text 1 ends, "first scrape off the loose paint, and then the wall should be washed with soap and water." What is the problem with this sentence?
Answer: A
"Scrape off the loose paint" is an imperative in the active voice; "the wall should be washed" is a passive statement. The fix keeps both as commands: "first scrape off the loose paint, and then wash the wall with soap and water." Choice B misreads should be washed as a tense change, and neither half is a question (C) or uses the first person (D).
Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In the sentence "I wish the forecast were clear for Sunday," which mood does the verb were show?
Answer: D
The speaker wishes for something that is not true (the forecast is not clear), so were is in the subjunctive mood, which standard English uses for wishes and for conditions contrary to fact. Choice A would fit "The forecast is clear." The sentence gives no command (B) and asks no question (C).
Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which sentence is compound-complex?
Answer: C
Choice C has one dependent clause (because it was hot) and two independent clauses joined by and. Choice A is complex (one dependent clause), choice B is compound (two independent clauses only), and choice D is simple: its phrases add detail but contain no second clause.
Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In the sentence "The girl who painted the heron is my cousin," what does the clause who painted the heron do?
Answer: A
The relative clause modifies girl: it identifies which girl. Choice B confuses it with the main verb, is. Choice D is wrong because "who painted the heron" cannot stand alone as a sentence.
Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In the sentence "Painting murals takes patience," what is the function of painting?
Answer: B
Painting murals is the thing that takes patience, so painting is a verb form used as a noun: a gerund, here the subject. Choice A would need painting to describe a noun, as in "a painting crew." The main verb is takes, not painting (D), and an infinitive would be to paint (C).
Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In paragraph 1 of Text 2, Priya says, "Mr. Okafor and myself have finished the design with the sketch team." Which revision follows standard English usage?
Answer: B
The pronoun is part of the subject, so it takes the subjective case, I. A pronoun ending in -self needs an antecedent in the sentence ("I finished it myself"), and here there is none. Choice A uses the objective me as a subject; choices C and D keep myself.
Question 10 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which statement about Mr. Okafor's advice in Text 2 does the transcript support?
Answer: C
In paragraph 2 he tells Priya to "use the standard form a formal announcement calls for," because she is speaking to the whole school. Choice A contradicts his point that the hallway wording is how many people talk; choice D contradicts "nobody misunderstands you"; and he uses contractions himself (B).
Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice
A classmate says that a sentence must never end with a preposition. Which response best reflects how usage works?
Answer: D
Usage is a matter of convention, and this rule is disputed. A final preposition is often the most natural choice ("What is the wall made of?"), while some formal readers still prefer to avoid it. Choice A treats a contested convention as a fixed law, and choice B swaps one absolute rule for another.
Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which sentence is in the active voice?
Answer: C
In choice C the subject, two eighth graders, performs the action. In choices A, B and D the subject, the heron panel, receives the action, which is the passive voice; choice A names the doer only in a by phrase.
Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which sentence shows correct subject-verb agreement?
Answer: B
The subject is box, which is singular; "of new brushes" is a phrase between the subject and the verb. Choices A and D match the verb to brushes instead of box, and choice C pairs a plural subject with a singular verb.
Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which sentence contains a misplaced modifier?
Answer: A
In choice A, "that was half empty" sits next to closet, so the sentence seems to say the closet was half empty. Choices B, C and D place the description next to can, the word it modifies.
Question 15 of 20 · Short Answer
In paragraph 1 of Text 2, Priya says, "Arriving at eight, gloves and scrapers will be handed out at the wall." Explain the problem a listener might stumble on, and rewrite the sentence for the announcement.
Model answer: The opening phrase "Arriving at eight" is a dangling modifier. It should describe the volunteers, but the sentence makes the gloves and scrapers the ones arriving, and it never names the people at all. Rewrite: "When you arrive at eight, you will get gloves and scrapers at the wall." Using you also suits a spoken announcement, which talks to listeners directly. Rubric: full credit names the dangling modifier, explains who should be doing the arriving and gives a grammatical rewrite; partial credit gives a correct rewrite without the explanation.
Question 16 of 20 · Short Answer
The sentence "After Jonah talked with Mr. Abel, he decided to repaint the heron" can be read two ways. Explain why, and write two revisions, one for each meaning.
Model answer: The pronoun he is vague: it could refer to Jonah or to Mr. Abel. Revision 1: "After talking with Mr. Abel, Jonah decided to repaint the heron." Revision 2: "After Jonah talked with him, Mr. Abel decided to repaint the heron." Rubric: full credit names the vague pronoun and gives two clear revisions with different meanings; partial credit gives one clear revision.
Question 17 of 20 · Short Answer
Combine these sentences into one compound-complex sentence, and label its clauses: "The rain started. The painters covered the wet panel. Priya carried the ladders inside."
Model answer: "When the rain started, the painters covered the wet panel, and Priya carried the ladders inside." Dependent clause: when the rain started. Independent clauses: the painters covered the wet panel; Priya carried the ladders inside. The conjunction and joins the independent clauses, and when signals that both actions followed the rain. Rubric: full credit gives a grammatical sentence with one dependent and two independent clauses, correctly labeled; partial credit gives the sentence with a labeling error.
Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer
Grades 9-12: Add an absolute phrase to the sentence "The team finished the last panel at dusk," and explain what the phrase adds.
Model answer: "Their brushes stiff with blue paint, the team finished the last panel at dusk." An absolute phrase is a noun plus a modifier (here brushes plus stiff with blue paint) that describes the whole clause rather than a single word. It adds a concrete detail about the team's long day without a second sentence. Rubric: full credit adds a true absolute phrase (a noun with a participle or adjective, not a full clause) and explains its effect; partial credit adds a phrase of another kind, such as a participial phrase, with an explanation.
Question 19 of 20 · Short Answer
At lunch, a student tells a friend, "Her and me are painting the fish panel." Later she reports the same plan in a formal class presentation. Rewrite the sentence for the presentation, and explain why the original works at lunch.
Model answer: "She and I are painting the fish panel." The pronouns are subjects, so standard English uses the subjective case, she and I. At lunch, the original is clear and is how many speakers talk with friends, so it does its job there; a formal presentation follows standard English conventions, which the audience expects. Rubric: full credit gives the standard form, names the rule and explains the setting without calling the casual form bad English; partial credit gives the standard form with a thin explanation.
Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer
Grades 11-12: A sign in the school library reads "10 items or less." A student says it should read "10 items or fewer." Explain the traditional rule, explain why this is a contested usage, and recommend wording for a formal school report about library checkouts.
Model answer: The traditional rule uses fewer with things you count (items, books) and less with amounts you measure (time, water). This sign is contested because less with a number is common in everyday English, especially in short fixed phrases like this one, and nobody misreads it; some careful readers still object. In a formal report, "students checked out fewer than 10 items" follows the traditional rule and will not distract readers who hold to it. Rubric: full credit states the traditional rule, explains the disagreement and recommends wording for the setting; partial credit states the rule without addressing the disagreement or the setting.
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06
Frequently Asked Questions
10 Questions
What does CCRA.L.1 mean?
It means students should be able to use the grammar and usage conventions of standard English correctly when they write or speak in settings that call for them. That covers pronoun case, modifiers, verb forms, sentence structure and usage choices, and it includes knowing why a form is conventional, not only that it is.
Is CCRA.L.1 the same in grade 6 and grade 12?
The anchor wording is the same, but each grade-level standard adds new structures. Grade 6 works on pronouns, grade 7 on phrases, clauses and modifiers, grade 8 on verbals, voice and mood, grades 9-10 on parallel structure and varied phrases and clauses, and grades 11-12 on usage that changes over time or is contested. Earlier skills stay in use as the later ones are added.
Does teaching standard English mean other ways of speaking are wrong?
No. Standard English is the variety expected in formal writing, school reports and public speaking, and it is one variety among many. Regional and community varieties have consistent grammar of their own. The grade 6 standard asks students to recognize variations from standard English and to use conventional language when the setting calls for it, which is a matter of choosing the right form for the audience.
Why does CCRA.L.1 say "writing or speaking"?
Because the same conventions apply to formal speech, such as a presentation, an announcement or an interview. Some errors are easier to hear than to see, and the reverse is true too: a dangling modifier can slip past a listener, while an agreement error often sounds wrong at once. Practicing aloud, as Priya does in Text 2, helps with both.
What is the difference between grammar and usage?
Grammar is how words combine into phrases, clauses and sentences; usage is the accepted choice among options in a given variety, such as who or whom. The line between them is not sharp, but usage questions are the ones on which careful writers sometimes disagree, which is why the grades 11-12 standard asks students to consult references.
Which quick grammar checks help middle school writers?
A few quick tests catch many problems: cover the other noun to choose a pronoun's case, ask "who is doing this?" after an opening phrase, find each pronoun's antecedent, and read the draft aloud to hear shifts in person, tense or mood. Each test is taught in the worked examples on this page.
How is CCRA.L.1 usually assessed?
Usually two ways: editing tasks, in which students choose or write the conventional form of a sentence and explain the rule, and the student's own writing and speaking, scored for control of conventions. Many standardized English tests include editing questions of the first kind. This page's quiz uses both kinds.
Should students learn grammar terms like gerund and absolute phrase?
Yes, at the grades named in the standards. The grade 7 and 8 standards ask students to explain the function of phrases, clauses and verbals, and the grades 9-10 standard names specific phrase types, so students need the terms to talk about their choices. The goal is use, not labeling for its own sake.
How can parents help with grammar at home?
Ask your child to read a school draft aloud and listen together for sentences that are hard to follow. Asking "who does this sentence say is doing that?" often reveals a dangling modifier or a vague pronoun. Respect the way your family talks: the aim is to add a formal register, not to replace everyday speech.
How does CCRA.L.1 connect to CCRA.L.2 and CCRA.L.3?
CCRA.L.1 covers grammar and usage, CCRA.L.2 covers capitalization, punctuation and spelling, and together they make up the conventions of standard English. CCRA.L.3 then asks students to apply that knowledge to make choices for meaning and style and to understand how language works in different contexts.
07
Related Standards
8 standards
These are the grade-level standards that carry anchor CCRA.L.1 in grades 6-12, plus closely related anchors.
Grades 6-8
L.6.1Grade-band standard
Grade 6: pronoun case, intensive pronouns, shifts and vague pronouns
