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Grade 7 English Language Arts · Phrases and Clauses

Grade 7 Phrases and Clauses Practice Test

Build Grade 7 English Language Arts skills with five 10-question practice tests on phrases, clauses, sentence structures, clause functions, and punctuation.

Phrases and Clauses Practice Tests

These Grade 7 English Language Arts practice tests use original sentences and editing tasks to build understanding of phrases and clauses. Students identify noun, prepositional, participial, gerund, infinitive, and appositive phrases; distinguish independent and dependent clauses; analyze sentence structures; and apply punctuation rules.

Skills covered

  • Identifying phrases and distinguishing them from complete clauses
  • Recognizing independent, dependent, adjective, adverb, and noun clauses
  • Analyzing compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences
  • Understanding how phrases and clauses function as subjects, objects, modifiers, and complements
  • Using relative clauses, appositives, subordinating conjunctions, and coordinating conjunctions
  • Applying commas, semicolons, colons, and punctuation for clear clause relationships

How to use these practice tests

First find the subject and verb. Then decide whether the word group expresses a complete thought, depends on another clause, or functions as a phrase within the sentence. Finally, check punctuation and read the complete sentence for clarity.

For more Grade 7 English Language Arts practice, return to the Grade 7 English Language Arts category.

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5 Tests
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4. Test

Grade 7 Phrases and Clauses Practice Tests

A 10-question Grade 7 English Language Arts practice test on phrases, clauses, sentence structures, clause functions, and punctuation.

Identify the phrase or clause, determine its grammatical function, and choose the sentence structure or punctuation that communicates the relationship clearly.

10 Questions
0/10 Questions0 %
Correct 0
Incorrect 0
Unanswered 10
1. QuestionMultiple choice

Choose the sentence with correct punctuation between two independent clauses joined by and.

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: A

The correct answer is The wind grew stronger, and the sailors lowered the sails..

  1. Identify the sentence part: Look for a subject, a verb, and the words that belong together as a phrase or clause.
  2. Apply the phrase or clause rule: A comma belongs before and because it joins two independent clauses.
  3. Check the complete meaning: Read the whole sentence again to confirm that the selected structure fits its grammatical role.

A comma belongs before and because it joins two independent clauses.

2. QuestionMultiple choice

Choose the sentence that correctly uses a semicolon between related independent clauses.

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: B

The correct answer is The museum opened at nine; visitors began lining up early..

  1. Identify the sentence part: Look for a subject, a verb, and the words that belong together as a phrase or clause.
  2. Apply the phrase or clause rule: A semicolon can join two closely related independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction.
  3. Check the complete meaning: Read the whole sentence again to confirm that the selected structure fits its grammatical role.

A semicolon can join two closely related independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction.

3. QuestionMultiple choice

Choose the sentence that does not need a comma before because.

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: C

The correct answer is The hikers rested because the climb was steep..

  1. Identify the sentence part: Look for a subject, a verb, and the words that belong together as a phrase or clause.
  2. Apply the phrase or clause rule: The dependent clause follows the independent clause and is essential to the meaning, so no comma is needed before because.
  3. Check the complete meaning: Read the whole sentence again to confirm that the selected structure fits its grammatical role.

The dependent clause follows the independent clause and is essential to the meaning, so no comma is needed before because.

4. QuestionMultiple choice

Choose the sentence with correct punctuation after an introductory adverb clause.

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: D

The correct answer is Although the path was narrow, the hikers moved carefully..

  1. Identify the sentence part: Look for a subject, a verb, and the words that belong together as a phrase or clause.
  2. Apply the phrase or clause rule: A comma follows the introductory dependent clause Although the path was narrow.
  3. Check the complete meaning: Read the whole sentence again to confirm that the selected structure fits its grammatical role.

A comma follows the introductory dependent clause Although the path was narrow.

5. QuestionMultiple choice

Choose the sentence with correct commas around a nonessential clause.

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: A

The correct answer is The old bridge, which crosses the creek, is closed today..

  1. Identify the sentence part: Look for a subject, a verb, and the words that belong together as a phrase or clause.
  2. Apply the phrase or clause rule: Which crosses the creek adds extra information about the identified bridge, so it needs commas on both sides.
  3. Check the complete meaning: Read the whole sentence again to confirm that the selected structure fits its grammatical role.

Which crosses the creek adds extra information about the identified bridge, so it needs commas on both sides.

6. QuestionMultiple choice

Choose the correctly punctuated sentence with a transitional phrase.

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: B

The correct answer is The first route was flooded; however, the second route remained open..

  1. Identify the sentence part: Look for a subject, a verb, and the words that belong together as a phrase or clause.
  2. Apply the phrase or clause rule: A semicolon separates the independent clauses, and commas set off the transitional word however.
  3. Check the complete meaning: Read the whole sentence again to confirm that the selected structure fits its grammatical role.

A semicolon separates the independent clauses, and commas set off the transitional word however.

7. QuestionMultiple choice

Choose the sentence that uses a colon after a complete clause.

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: C

The correct answer is The guide gave one instruction: stay with the group..

  1. Identify the sentence part: Look for a subject, a verb, and the words that belong together as a phrase or clause.
  2. Apply the phrase or clause rule: The clause before the colon is complete, and the colon introduces the specific instruction.
  3. Check the complete meaning: Read the whole sentence again to confirm that the selected structure fits its grammatical role.

The clause before the colon is complete, and the colon introduces the specific instruction.

8. QuestionMultiple choice

Choose the best correction of the comma splice: "The storm ended, the teams returned outside."

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: D

The correct answer is The storm ended, and the teams returned outside..

  1. Identify the sentence part: Look for a subject, a verb, and the words that belong together as a phrase or clause.
  2. Apply the phrase or clause rule: Adding and after the comma correctly joins the two independent clauses.
  3. Check the complete meaning: Read the whole sentence again to confirm that the selected structure fits its grammatical role.

Adding and after the comma correctly joins the two independent clauses.

9. QuestionMultiple choice

Choose the sentence that needs no comma before the final dependent clause.

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: A

The correct answer is We stayed inside until the lightning stopped..

  1. Identify the sentence part: Look for a subject, a verb, and the words that belong together as a phrase or clause.
  2. Apply the phrase or clause rule: The dependent clause follows the main clause and completes the time relationship, so it does not need a comma.
  3. Check the complete meaning: Read the whole sentence again to confirm that the selected structure fits its grammatical role.

The dependent clause follows the main clause and completes the time relationship, so it does not need a comma.

10. QuestionMultiple choice

Choose the correctly punctuated compound-complex sentence.

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: B

The correct answer is When the bell rang, the students packed their books, and the teacher checked the list..

  1. Identify the sentence part: Look for a subject, a verb, and the words that belong together as a phrase or clause.
  2. Apply the phrase or clause rule: The introductory dependent clause takes a comma, and the comma before and joins two independent clauses.
  3. Check the complete meaning: Read the whole sentence again to confirm that the selected structure fits its grammatical role.

The introductory dependent clause takes a comma, and the comma before and joins two independent clauses.

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Frequently asked questions about Grade 7 Phrases and Clauses

What is the difference between a phrase and a clause?

A phrase is a group of related words without a complete subject-and-verb relationship, while a clause contains a subject and a verb. An independent clause also expresses a complete thought.

What is a dependent clause?

A dependent clause contains a subject and verb but begins with a word such as because, although, when, or while that makes it depend on another clause for a complete meaning.

How many questions are on this page?

The page includes five mini tests with 10 questions each, for 50 Grade 7 Phrases and Clauses questions in total.