6th Grade English worksheets - Edform - Free Printable

Let’s go step by step through each sentence. We need to choose the correct singular or plural form of the word in parentheses, based on whether the sentence talks about one thing (singular) or more than one thing (plural).

We’ll look at clues like:
- Words like “a”, “one”, “the” → often singular
- Words like “three”, “many”, “those”, “all” → often plural
- Verbs: “has” = singular, “have” = plural; “is” = singular, “are” = plural

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1. Mrs. Jones has two naughty ___ (child)
→ “two” means more than one → plural → children

2. A flock of wild ___ just flew noisily overhead. (goose)
→ “flock” is a group → so we’re talking about many geese → plural → geese

3. Three tiny ___ scurried quickly through the kitchen. (mouse)
→ “Three” → plural → mice

4. Mother cut the cheese sandwich into two ___ (half)
→ “two” → plural → halves

5. The dental hygienist cleaned my ___ (tooth)
→ Usually, you clean more than one tooth → but wait — does it say “my tooth”? No, it says “my ___” — and since dentists usually clean all teeth, and there’s no number given, we assume plural? Actually, let’s think: if it were one tooth, it would say “one tooth” or “a tooth”. But here, it’s general — likely plural. Also, “cleaned my teeth” is common phrase → teeth

6. The old ___ at the bus stop had striped umbrellas. (woman)
→ “umbrellas” is plural → so probably more than one woman → women

7. Grandpa carefully sharpened the ___ in the kitchen. (knife)
→ He sharpened “the knife” — could be one? But knives are often kept in sets. Wait — no clue for plural. But “sharpened the knives” is also possible. Let’s check verb: “sharpened” doesn’t help. Hmm. Actually, without a number, and since it’s “the ___”, it might be singular. BUT — people usually have multiple knives. However, grammatically, if no plural indicator, we default to what makes sense. Wait — let’s see context: “in the kitchen” — likely he sharpened his set → plural → knives

Actually, let’s reconsider: If it said “a knife”, then singular. But “the knife” can still be singular. However, in real life, grandpas sharpen multiple knives. But grammar-wise, unless specified, we should go with singular? No — wait, look at other sentences. For example, #8: “Those ___ were shouting” — clearly plural. Here, no such clue. But “sharpened the knife” is fine for one. However, I think the intended answer is plural because kitchens have many knives. Let me check standard usage — actually, this is ambiguous. But looking at similar worksheets, they often expect plural when it’s a household item used in multiples. I’ll go with knives.

Wait — let’s pause. Maybe I’m overcomplicating. Let’s look at the pattern. In #9: “Mandle bought two ___” → clearly plural. In #10: “The busy ___ were fixing” → “were” = plural → so “men”. So verbs matter.

In #7: “Grandpa carefully sharpened the ___” — no verb agreement clue. But “knife” vs “knives” — since it’s “the”, and no number, it could be either. But in educational contexts, they usually make it clear. Perhaps it’s singular? Let’s think differently: if it were plural, it might say “all the knives” or “his knives”. Since it says “the knife”, maybe singular? But that feels odd. Actually, I recall that in many such exercises, “knife” becomes “knives” even without explicit plural markers if it’s logical. I’ll stick with knives.

But let’s double-check later. Move on.

8. Those ___ were shouting angrily at the players. (person)
→ “Those” + “were” → definitely plural → people

9. Mandle bought two ___ of seed bread. (loaf)
→ “two” → plural → loaves

10. The busy ___ were fixing the large hole in the street. (man)
→ “were” → plural → men

11. I heard a pack of ___ howling loudly in the forest. (wolf)
→ “pack” = group → plural → wolves

12. The farmer’s ___ walked slowly into the field. (sheep)
→ “sheep” is same in singular and plural! So whether one or many, it’s “sheep”. But the sentence doesn’t specify number. However, farmers usually have flocks → likely plural, but word doesn’t change → sheep

13. The young ___ peel the ___ (lady, potato)
→ Two blanks. First: “young ___” — could be lady or ladies? Then “peel the ___” — potatoes? Since peeling usually involves multiple potatoes, and “young ladies” is common phrase → ladies, potatoes

Also, verb “peel” — if subject is plural, verb matches. “Ladies peel” — yes. If singular “lady peels” — but here it’s “peel”, so must be plural subject → ladies, potatoes

14. The caterpillars suddenly turned into stunning ___ (butterfly)
→ “caterpillars” plural → turn into multiple butterflies → butterflies

15. There were high ___ and beautiful ___ (cliff, valley)
→ “There were” → plural → so both nouns should be plural → cliffs, valleys

16. The ___ have four ___ (buffalo, foot)
→ “have” → plural subject → so first blank: buffalo (same singular/plural) → buffalo
Second: “four” → plural → feet → feet

Note: “buffalo” can be “buffaloes” but “buffalo” is acceptable as plural. In modern usage, “buffalo” is often used for plural too. But some prefer “buffaloes”. However, in most school worksheets, they accept “buffalo” as plural. Let’s confirm: Merriam-Webster says both “buffalo” and “buffaloes” are correct plurals. Since the base word is “buffalo”, and no specification, we can use buffalo for plural. But to be safe, perhaps “buffaloes”? Wait, the instruction is to use the word in parentheses. Parentheses say “(buffalo, foot)” — so we need to pluralize appropriately.

For “foot” → definitely “feet”

For “buffalo” → since “have” indicates plural subject, and “buffalo” can be plural, we’ll use buffalo (as it’s invariant). Some might argue for “buffaloes”, but I think buffalo is fine.

Actually, let’s check: in American English, “buffalo” is commonly used as plural. Example: “a herd of buffalo”. So yes → buffalo, feet

17. The rotten ___ stole the bright red ___ (thief, cherry)
→ “stole” — past tense, doesn’t indicate number. But “rotten thief” sounds odd — usually thieves steal, and “rotten” might describe character, but likely plural? Wait, “the rotten ___” — if singular, “thief”; if plural, “thieves”. Similarly, “bright red ___” — cherries? Probably multiple cherries stolen → so thieves, cherries

Also, “stole” works for both singular and plural. But context suggests multiple items stolen → so plural thief? Not necessarily. One thief can steal multiple cherries. Hmm.

But “rotten thief” is possible, but “rotten thieves” is also possible. Without more clues, perhaps we look at typical usage. In stories, often “thieves” are plural. But let’s see the verb: no help. Perhaps the worksheet expects plural for both? I think so → thieves, cherries

18. Those ___ had to do many ___ (boy, quiz)
→ “Those” → plural → boys
“many” → plural → quizzes

19. The ___ played happily among the ___ (fox, cactus)
→ “played” — past tense, no number clue. But “among the ___” suggests multiple cacti → so second blank: cacti (or cactuses, but “cacti” is traditional plural)

First blank: “The fox” or “The foxes”? Again, “played” could be singular or plural. But “among the cacti” implies multiple animals? Not necessarily. One fox can play among cacti. But typically, in such sentences, if not specified, and since “cactus” is being pluralized, perhaps “fox” is also plural? Let’s see: “The foxes played happily among the cacti” — sounds natural. “The fox played...” also fine. But given that “cactus” is likely plural (because “among the” often precedes plural), and to match, perhaps “foxes”.

Moreover, in wildlife contexts, foxes are often seen in groups? Not really. But grammatically, no strong clue. However, looking at similar problems, they often make both plural if one is obviously plural. Here, “cactus” → “cacti” is clearly plural. For “fox”, since no article like “a” or “one”, and “the” can be plural, I’ll go with foxes, cacti

20. The ___ had fun at the spring ___ (elf, party)
→ “had fun” — past tense. “spring ___” — parties? Or party? “Spring party” is common, but “spring parties” also. But “the spring ___” — if singular, “party”; if plural, “parties”.

First blank: “The elf” or “The elves”? Elves are mythical, often in groups. “Had fun” — could be one or many. But “elves” is more fun in groups! And “spring parties” — multiple events? Possible.

But let’s think: “The elves had fun at the spring parties” — sounds good. “The elf had fun at the spring party” — also good. Which is intended?

Perhaps look at the pattern: most sentences with “the” and no number tend to be plural if the noun is countable and likely multiple. But “elf” is less common. However, in fantasy contexts, elves are plural. I think elves, parties

But let’s verify all answers again for consistency.

Now, back to #7: “Grandpa carefully sharpened the ___ (knife)”

I was unsure. Let me think: if it were singular, it would be “knife”. But in a kitchen, you have multiple knives, and sharpening them is a task done to several. Also, in many grammar books, they use “knives” for such contexts. Moreover, if it were singular, why not say “a knife”? “The knife” implies a specific one, which is possible, but less likely in this context. I think the intended answer is knives.

Similarly, for #5: “cleaned my teeth” — definitely plural, as dental hygiene involves all teeth.

Okay, finalizing:

1. children
2. geese
3. mice
4. halves
5. teeth
6. women
7. knives
8. people
9. loaves
10. men
11. wolves
12. sheep
13. ladies, potatoes
14. butterflies
15. cliffs, valleys
16. buffalo, feet (or buffaloes? But I'll go with buffalo as it's accepted)
Wait, let me confirm #16: "The ___ have four ___" — subject must agree with "have", so plural. "Buffalo" can be plural, so ok. Some might write "buffaloes", but since the base is "buffalo", and it's invariant, "buffalo" is fine.

Actually, upon second thought, in strict grammar, "buffalo" as plural is correct, but sometimes worksheets expect "buffaloes". However, I think "buffalo" is acceptable. To be safe, let's see: the word is "buffalo", and we need plural. Standard plural is "buffaloes" or "buffalo". In American English, "buffalo" is preferred for plural. So I'll keep buffalo.

But let's check online sources mentally: National Geographic uses "buffalo" for plural. Yes.

17. thieves, cherries
18. boys, quizzes
19. foxes, cacti
20. elves, parties

Now, for #16, I recall that "buffalo" has three forms: singular buffalo, plural buffalo or buffaloes. But in this context, since it's "The ___ have", and "have" requires plural subject, and "buffalo" can serve as plural, it's ok. However, some teachers might expect "buffaloes". But I think it's fine.

Alternatively, perhaps the worksheet expects "buffaloes"? Let me think of the rule: for words ending in o, add es if preceded by consonant, but buffalo is exception. Actually, buffalo is irregular. I think both are correct, but since the instruction is to use the word in parentheses, and pluralize, perhaps "buffaloes" is safer? No, because "buffalo" is listed, and it's known to be invariant.

I found a better way: in the sentence, "The ___ have four ___", if we put "buffalo", it's "The buffalo have" — which is correct. If we put "buffaloes", also correct. But since the base word is "buffalo", and no specification, I'll go with buffalo as it's simpler and accepted.

But let's see answer keys from similar worksheets — typically, they use "buffalo" for plural.

Okay, proceeding.

Final list:

1. children
2. geese
3. mice
4. halves
5. teeth
6. women
7. knives
8. people
9. loaves
10. men
11. wolves
12. sheep
13. ladies, potatoes
14. butterflies
15. cliffs, valleys
16. buffalo, feet
17. thieves, cherries
18. boys, quizzes
19. foxes, cacti
20. elves, parties

For #16, I'm still hesitant. Let me double-check: "buffalo" plural is indeed "buffalo" or "buffaloes". In British English, "buffaloes" is more common; in American, "buffalo". Since the worksheet doesn't specify, and to avoid error, perhaps use "buffaloes"? But the word given is "buffalo", so pluralizing it might require adding 'es'.

Actually, the rule for words ending in 'o': if preceded by a vowel, add s; if consonant, add es — but there are exceptions. Buffalo ends with 'o' after 'f', which is consonant, so should be "buffaloes". Yes! That's the rule. For example, hero -> heroes, potato -> potatoes, tomato -> tomatoes. Buffalo follows the same pattern? Actually, buffalo is an exception; it can be both. But in many dictionaries, "buffaloes" is listed as the regular plural.

Upon recollection, Merriam-Webster lists:
- plural buffalo or buffaloes

So both are correct. But in educational settings, they might expect "buffaloes" to teach the -es rule. However, since "buffalo" is provided, and it's a special case, I think either is acceptable. But to be precise, let's see the context: "The ___ have four ___" — if we use "buffaloes", it's clear plural. If "buffalo", also clear. I think I'll go with buffaloes to follow the standard pluralization rule for words ending in 'o' after consonant.

Yes, that makes sense for a student learning rules. So change #16 first blank to buffaloes.

Similarly, for #19, "cactus" -> "cacti" is correct, as it's Latin plural.

For #20, "elf" -> "elves" (change f to v and add es), "party" -> "parties" (y to i and add es).

All good.

So corrected #16: buffaloes, feet

Now, final answers:

1. children
2. geese
3. mice
4. halves
5. teeth
6. women
7. knives
8. people
9. loaves
10. men
11. wolves
12. sheep
13. ladies, potatoes
14. butterflies
15. cliffs, valleys
16. buffaloes, feet
17. thieves, cherries
18. boys, quizzes
19. foxes, cacti
20. elves, parties

I think that's accurate.

Final Answer:
1. children
2. geese
3. mice
4. halves
5. teeth
6. women
7. knives
8. people
9. loaves
10. men
11. wolves
12. sheep
13. ladies, potatoes
14. butterflies
15. cliffs, valleys
16. buffaloes, feet
17. thieves, cherries
18. boys, quizzes
19. foxes, cacti
20. elves, parties