Guide Words Worksheets

Related ELA Standard: L.3.4.D

Core Standard
Answer Keys Here

Guide words traditionally are the foundation of how dictionaries and glossaries are navigated. On each of the pages of these tools you find these words in large bold-faced type. That guide word indicates the starting word that is found on this page. This helps students alphabetically quickly located other terms of interest. This gives students an understanding on the connection of written language. Understanding the nature of guide words can help students use these reference tools effectively it also helps their ability to alphabetize just about anything. This will ultimately aid students in becoming more independent learners as they will be more self-sufficient when approach new vocabulary terms. These worksheets will help students build upon their ability to locate and use guide words.

Guide Words Worksheets to Print:

Fit It In - Place each term in the correct column where it would fall within a reference tool.

In the Dictionary - Use the correct range of terms to sort the words from the into the correct dictionary pages.

What Page? - Use the key to determine on which page you would find each terms that are listed. Write the correct page number on the line.

Gaps - This builds up off of the previous worksheet and gives you ideas to follow up on.

Columns - Sort all the terms into where they would fit within each column.

Which Stack? - We up the difficulty and make students look deeper into using this skill properly.

Number It - Again, a much harder task where students are mostly focused on the use of vowels.

Between Them - In each row, the bold term are guides in the dictionary. Circle the un-bolded word that belongs between each range of terms.

Where Does It Fit? - We work backwards on this one.

Yes or No? - Decide if each terms that are listed would fit within the range of set guide words. Write yes or no.

Live Exercise - You will get different results depending on which dictionary or glossary that you use.

Ten Words - You can use this over the course of a few weeks.

Range Finder - Evaluate all of the terms that listed and see if they fit a specific range that provided to you.

Page # - Where are these terms listed in your own personal dictionary?

Fit It - This will require that you have one of these reference tools handy.

What Are Guide Words?


The English language can be pretty tricky, not just because it's old but also because of its large vocabulary and an extensive list of rules. It can become a nightmare for non-native speakers because sometimes, we use words with a specific meaning, but their exact definition changes when used in different situations. And in these situations, guide words save the day.


Guide Words 101: What Are They?


They are used in English to help the reader understand the meaning of sentences better and make them more effective at getting the point across while limiting the amount of work that needs to be done by the reader.


They are also known as helping words or cue words, but what they all have in common is they can't be conjugated like verbs or made plural like nouns and, therefore, will always stay in one form regardless of what's going on around them.


The very nature of guide words is that you can't predict when they'll appear. But, herein lies their great value: they help ease transitions between paragraphs and concepts; they serve as signposts for readers, helping them stay on track with your points.


You may not realize it, but you use these types of terms all day long-they're those big, powerful words that lead us from sentence to sentence and paragraph to paragraph. Some of these include, but, therefore, yet etc.


Uses in Linguistics:


How can we speak about grammar and not consider linguistics?


In linguistics, a guide word is a word or phrase (an auxiliary) that has little or no meaning but indicates how another word should be used grammatically .


In English grammar, there are two kinds of auxiliary words that perform various grammatical functions:


1. Words that create questions by indicating they are questions (interrogative pronouns like who, what and where),


2. Words that make statements positive or negative by indicating they're positive or negative (such as only, even, and either).


The words we call guide words are usually those which act as auxiliaries to verbs, adjectives and adverbs; such as 'only,' 'just,' 'almost' etc., but also those which tell us whether something is to be taken literally or figuratively; such as 'really,' 'nearly' etc.


It is confusing, right? Don't worry. Great results take time.


Now let's consider an example.


'The lady was hungry; therefore, she ate,'' or for linking notions that would appear oppositional, like ''The lady was hungry, but she did not want to eat.''


Using these guiding words in this context helps you rationally integrate your knowledge inside a phrase and add meaning simply by using one short word.


They are helpful when you don't know a lot about a topic, making you understand what is being said without looking up every word.


However, it's important to remember that there are times when using too many guide words will make your writing seem stilted and unnatural—so try not to overdo it!