Roots to Branches: Word Families Worksheet for Class 4

This Grade 4 worksheet on Word Families helps young learners understand how words are connected through shared root words. Designed for Class 4 students, this engaging worksheet focuses on an essential vocabulary and grammar concept — recognising how one root word can give rise to a whole family of related words like run → runner → running → ran.

Why Word Families Matter in Grammar?

Understanding word families is a foundational skill for Grade 4 learners because:
1. It helps students expand their vocabulary quickly by recognising patterns.
2. It builds awareness of how suffixes and prefixes change the form and function of a word.
3. It strengthens reading comprehension and writing accuracy.
4. It supports spelling skills by showing students how related words are formed from a common base.

What's Inside This Worksheet?

This worksheet includes five carefully crafted exercises that build confidence and fluency with word families:

Exercise 1 – Match the Following
Students match each derived word (e.g., running, singer, jumped) to its correct root word from a given list. This activity sharpens their ability to identify the base form of a word and understand how derived words are formed.

Exercise 2 – Sort the Words
Students sort given word pairs (e.g., runner/run, table/chair) into two categories — Family Words and Not-Family Words. This activity builds critical thinking and helps learners distinguish between words that share a root and those that are simply associated by theme.

Exercise 3 – Fill in the Blanks
Students select the correct root word from a pair of options to complete meaningful sentences. For example: "Meera loves to __________ in the school choir." (sing / read). This contextual exercise reinforces understanding of how root words function naturally in sentences.

Exercise 4 – Multiple Choice Questions
Students choose the correct word form (root word or derived word) to complete sentences, selecting from four options. For example: "She sang in the choir. She is a __________." (a) singed b) sang c) sing d) singer). This activity reinforces accuracy in identifying word family members.

Exercise 5 – Sentence Rewriting
Students rewrite sentences that contain incorrectly used word family forms, replacing them with the correct root word or derived form. For example: "Ravi readed the chapter twice last night." must be corrected to "Ravi read the chapter twice last night." This activity builds editing skills and a deeper understanding of correct word usage.

Answer Key (For Parents & Educators)

Exercise 1 – Match the Following
running → run 
jumped → jump 
talker → talk 
player → play 
dancer → dance 
singer → sing
writing → write
painter → paint
reader → read 
worker → work

Exercise 2 – Sort the Words
Family Words: 
runner/run 
player/play 
walker/walk 
singer/sing 
driver/drive 
reader/read
painter/paint
teacher/teach

Not Family Words: 
table/chair
pen/paper
flower/leaf 
sun/moon 
cat/dog
bread/butter
book/shelf

Exercise 3 – Fill in the Blanks
1. read
2. paint
3. dance
4. run
5. sing
6. play
7. talk
8. read
9. run
10. sing

Exercise 4 – Multiple Choice Questions
1. d) singer
2. a) paint
3. c) runner
4. b) jump
5. a) reader
6. c) dance
7. b) worker
8. d) write
9. c) player
10. a) talk

Exercise 5 – Sentence Rewriting
1. Priya jumped her bag over the puddle. → Priya jumped over the puddle with her bag.
(Note: "jumped" is correctly used here; the sentence construction is awkward — corrected form: Priya jumped over the puddle carrying her bag.)
2. The talker boys could not stop chattering. → The talkative boys could not stop chattering.
3. He painter a beautiful picture of the hills. → He painted a beautiful picture of the hills.
4. Ravi readed the chapter twice last night. → Ravi read the chapter twice last night.
5. She dancer gracefully at the annual show. → She danced gracefully at the annual show.
6. They runned the last lap together. → They ran the last lap together.
7. The worker boys fixed the broken fence. → The working boys fixed the broken fence.
8. Riya singed a lovely tune at the concert. → Riya sang a lovely tune at the concert.
9. He playen cricket from morning till dusk. → He played cricket from morning till dusk.
10. She writed a letter to her new pen pal. → She wrote a letter to her new pen pal.

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