Grammar bell ringers are the closest thing to a sure bet in ELA. Put one broken sentence on the board, tell the kids how many mistakes are hiding in it, and let them hunt. Telling them the number matters. It turns it into a game instead of a guessing contest.

Below are 40 fix-it sentences: 20 for middle school and 20 for high school. They cover the mistakes I see over and over, in every grade, including from adults. The answer key is tucked under each section so you can project the sentences without giving them away.

How to run a grammar bell ringer

  • One sentence, a set number of errors. “There are two mistakes. Find them.”
  • Make them name the rule. Fixing “its” to “it’s” is half the job. Saying “it’s means it is” is the other half.
  • Repeat the big ones. Their/there/they’re, its/it’s, and your/you’re should come back every couple of weeks until nobody misses them.
  • Use their mistakes. Pull an error from student writing (anonymous, of course) and make it tomorrow’s bell ringer. They pay a lot more attention when it’s real.

Grammar bell ringers for middle school (grades 6–8)

  1. Its going to rain today, so bring you’re umbrella. (2 errors)
  2. The dog wagged it’s tail when we got home. (1 error)
  3. Me and him went to the store after school. (2 errors)
  4. Their going to the game after school. (1 error)
  5. i visited new york in july. (4 errors)
  6. For the picnic we need eggs milk and bread. (missing commas)
  7. The list of chores are on the fridge. (1 error)
  8. My sister is taller then me. (1 error)
  9. Because I was late. (Fix the fragment.)
  10. The teachers lounge is closed for cleaning. (1 error)
  11. I went to the store I bought some chips. (Fix the run-on.)
  12. Each of the boys have a ticket. (1 error)
  13. She don’t like broccoli. (1 error)
  14. Your the best friend I’ve ever had! (1 error)
  15. We could of won the game if we practiced more. (1 error)
  16. Who’s backpack is sitting in the hallway? (1 error)
  17. I seen that movie last weekend. (1 error)
  18. The kids was playing outside until dark. (1 error)
  19. Lets go to the park after lunch. (1 error)
  20. Their are three mistakes in this sentance. (Find all three. Think hard about the third.)
Answer key: grades 6–8
  1. It’s going to rain today, so bring your umbrella. (It’s = it is. Your = belongs to you.)
  2. The dog wagged its tail. (Possessive “its” has no apostrophe.)
  3. He and I went to the store. (Take out the other person: you’d say “I went,” not “me went.” Put yourself last.)
  4. They’re going to the game. (They’re = they are.)
  5. I visited New York in July. (Capitalize I, proper nouns, and months.)
  6. We need eggs, milk, and bread. (Commas separate items in a series. The last comma is a style choice, but be consistent.)
  7. The list of chores is on the fridge. (The subject is “list,” not “chores.”)
  8. My sister is taller than me. (Than compares. Then is about time.)
  9. Sample: Because I was late, I missed the bus. (A “because” clause can’t stand alone.)
  10. The teachers’ lounge. (It belongs to more than one teacher: plural possessive.)
  11. I went to the store, and I bought some chips. Or: I went to the store. I bought some chips.
  12. Each of the boys has a ticket. (Each is singular.)
  13. She doesn’t like broccoli. (She does, not she do.)
  14. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had! (You’re = you are.)
  15. We could have won the game. (It sounds like “could of,” but it’s always “could have” or “could’ve.”)
  16. Whose backpack is sitting in the hallway? (Who’s = who is.)
  17. I saw that movie last weekend. (Or “I’ve seen.” “Seen” needs a helper verb.)
  18. The kids were playing outside. (Plural subject, plural verb.)
  19. Let’s go to the park. (Let’s = let us.)
  20. There are three mistakes in this sentence. The third mistake? There are only two mistakes. Kids either love this one or want to throw something at you.

Grammar bell ringers for high school (grades 9–12)

  1. I studied all night, I still failed the quiz. (Fix the comma splice.)
  2. Walking to school, the rain soaked my shoes. (Fix the dangling modifier.)
  3. The new rule will effect every student. (1 error)
  4. There are less students in class today than yesterday. (1 error)
  5. She likes hiking, to swim, and riding bikes. (Make it parallel.)
  6. Who did you give the book to? (Make it formal.)
  7. Neither the coach nor the players was ready for the storm. (1 error)
  8. The decision was made by the committee. (Rewrite in active voice.)
  9. I have three goals; to graduate, to get a job, and to travel. (1 punctuation error)
  10. Between you and I, the test was harder than I expected. (1 error)
  11. The team celebrated they’re win at the diner. (1 error)
  12. I saw a deer driving to school this morning. (Fix the misplaced modifier.)
  13. Irregardless of the weather, practice is still on. (1 error)
  14. Him and his brother are going to the game. (1 error)
  15. I could care less about the final score. (Fix the meaning.)
  16. The medicine had a strong affect on her. (1 error)
  17. Its a long climb to the top, but it’s view is worth it. (2 errors)
  18. If I was you, I would study tonight. (1 error)
  19. Laying on the couch all weekend isn’t good for you. (1 error)
  20. The principal, along with the teachers, are coming to the assembly. (1 error)
Answer key: grades 9–12
  1. I studied all night, but I still failed the quiz. Or use a semicolon: night; I still failed. (Two full sentences can’t be joined with just a comma.)
  2. Sample: As I was walking to school, the rain soaked my shoes. (As written, the rain was walking to school.)
  3. The new rule will affect every student. (Affect is usually the verb. Effect is usually the noun.)
  4. There are fewer students. (Fewer for things you can count. Less for things you can’t, like water or time.)
  5. She likes hiking, swimming, and riding bikes. (Items in a list should match in form.)
  6. To whom did you give the book? (Whom is the object. Trick: if you’d answer “him,” use whom.)
  7. Neither the coach nor the players were ready. (With neither/nor, the verb matches the closer subject, “players.”)
  8. The committee made the decision. (Put the doer first.)
  9. I have three goals: to graduate, to get a job, and to travel. (A colon introduces a list. Semicolons join full sentences.)
  10. Between you and me. (“Between” is a preposition, so it takes the object form.)
  11. The team celebrated their win. (Their = belongs to them.)
  12. While I was driving to school this morning, I saw a deer. (As written, the deer was driving.)
  13. Regardless of the weather. (“Irregardless” shows up in some dictionaries as nonstandard, but it doesn’t belong in formal writing.)
  14. He and his brother are going. (You’d say “he is going,” not “him is going.”)
  15. I couldn’t care less. (The point is you can’t possibly care any less. “Could care less” means you still care some.)
  16. The medicine had a strong effect. (Noun here.)
  17. It’s a long climb to the top, but its view is worth it. (It’s = it is. Its = belongs to it.)
  18. If I were you. (Use “were” for things that aren’t true, like wishes and what-ifs.)
  19. Lying on the couch. (You lie down. You lay something down.)
  20. The principal, along with the teachers, is coming. (“Along with the teachers” is extra info. The subject is still “principal.”)

Want a grammar bell ringer every day?

Every school day we post a fresh set of bell ringers for grades 6–8 and grades 9–12. The ELA section is often a fix-it sentence just like these, with the answer in a collapsed box. You also get math, science, social studies, and current events. Free, no sign-up.

More lists: 100 bell ringer questions, math bell ringers, science bell ringers, and social studies bell ringers.

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