OwlSheets
Hermit Crabs Move House worksheet preview

Worksheet

Hermit Crabs Move House

Read a short article about hermit crabs and their shells, then practice subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement.

Grade 3ELAInteractive · Printable

Aligned toL.3.1.f

Play onlinePlay as a game
PrintLetter-size worksheetAnswer keyPrintable answers
Assign to classAssign to your classes, or get a join code

What’s included

  • Single worksheet
  • Auto-graded online
  • 1 Common Core standard
  • Printable answer key
  • 10 questions
  • Classroom-ready

Details

Format
Interactive · Printable
Grade
Grade 3
Subject
ELA
Question types
Fill in the blank, Multiple choice, Matching, Circle the answer, Sorting, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

  • Students make verbs agree with singular, plural and compound subjects.
  • Students choose pronouns that agree in number with the nouns they replace.

How to use

Read the article aloud, then let students answer on their own. Have them say each finished sentence quietly to hear whether the verb and pronoun agree.

Curriculum

Common Core standard covered

L.3.1.f

Make subjects agree with their verbs and pronouns agree with their antecedents.

Preview

OwlSheets.com

Name Date

Hermit Crabs Move House

Read an article and check that verbs and pronouns agree.

Read the article

Read the article. Then answer the questions.

Hermit Crabs Move House

1A hermit crab is a small animal with hard claws and legs. The back part of its body is soft and curled. This soft part needs protection, but a hermit crab does not grow its own shell. Instead, it usually lives in an empty shell that once belonged to a sea snail.

2The crab tucks its soft body inside the shell and holds on tight. When danger comes near, the crab pulls back inside. Its biggest claw can block the opening like a door.

3A hermit crab keeps growing, but its shell does not. After a while, the shell feels too tight. Then the crab goes looking for a bigger home. It feels inside each empty shell with its claws to check the size. When it finds a shell that fits, it moves in.

4Sometimes, a group of crabs gathers near one large empty shell. The crabs may line up by size. The biggest crab moves into the new shell first. Then the next crab moves into the shell that the biggest crab left behind. In the end, many of the crabs have homes that fit better.

5Some kinds of hermit crabs live on land near the beach. Many other kinds live in the ocean. Wherever they live, hermit crabs need shells that fit them.

Subjects and verbs

The verb must agree with its subject. One crab crawls. Two crabs crawl.

1.
Read this sentence from paragraph 4. Underline the one word that is the subject of the verb gathers.

Sometimes,agroupofcrabsgathersnearonelargeemptyshell.

2.
Which verb completes the sentence?
The shells on the sand ______ empty.
  • A. is
  • B. was
  • C. are
  • D. has been
3.
Choose the verb in ( ) that agrees with the subject. Write it on the line.

1. A hermit crab (has / have)   a soft body.
2. Some hermit crabs (live / lives)   on land.
3. Hermit crabs (does / do)   not grow their own shells.
4. Its biggest claw (is / are)   like a door.

4.
Match each subject to the words that finish the sentence. The verb and the pronoun must agree with the subject.
  1. A hermit crab
  2. Hermit crabs
  3. The old shell
  4. The old shells
  1. A. feel too tight.
  2. B. carries its home on its back.
  3. C. carry their homes on their backs.
  4. D. feels too tight.
5.
Which sentence is written correctly?
  • A. A crab and a snail shares the same rock.
  • B. The crab and its friends looks for shells.
  • C. My sister and I watches the crabs crawl.
  • D. Two crabs and a snail crawl on the sand.

Pronouns that agree

A pronoun must agree with the noun it stands for. Use it or its for one animal or thing. Use they, them or their for more than one.

6.
Read paragraph 2. In the sentence "Its biggest claw can block the opening like a door," whose claw does Its stand for?
  • A. the crab's
  • B. the shell's
  • C. the snail's
  • D. the door's
7.
Does each pronoun stand for one, or for more than one? Sort the pronouns.
themsheitstheyittheirhimhis
Stands for oneStands for more than one
8.
Read paragraph 5. Underline the sentence that has pronouns standing for hermit crabs.

Some kinds of hermit crabs live on land near the beach.Many other kinds live in the ocean.Wherever they live, hermit crabs need shells that fit them.

9.
Which word completes the sentence?
The hermit crab grew too big for ______ shell, so it found a bigger one.
  • A. their
  • B. its
  • C. it's
  • D. them
10.
This sentence has two mistakes: "The crabs carries its shells." Rewrite it so the verb and the pronoun both agree with the subject.

Related worksheets