ELA: Dessert versus Desert Practice
Choosing the correct word based on meaning and context
ELA: Dessert versus Desert Practice
Choosing the correct word based on meaning and context
Language Arts - Grade 4-5
- 1
Choose the correct word to complete the sentence: After dinner, Maya ate chocolate cake for _____.
Think about what someone might eat after dinner.
The correct word is dessert. Dessert means a sweet food served after a meal. - 2
Choose the correct word to complete the sentence: A cactus can survive in the hot, dry _____.
The correct word is desert. A desert is a dry place with little rainfall. - 3
Write a sentence using the word dessert correctly.
Remember that dessert has two s's, just like sweet stuff.
A correct answer will use dessert to mean a sweet treat, such as, We had ice cream for dessert after dinner. - 4
Write a sentence using the word desert correctly to mean a dry place.
A correct answer will use desert to mean a dry place, such as, The camel walked across the desert. - 5
Choose the correct word to complete the sentence: The travelers carried extra water before crossing the _____.
Look for clues about heat, sand, or needing water.
The correct word is desert. The sentence is about crossing a dry place, so desert is correct. - 6
Choose the correct word to complete the sentence: For my birthday, I picked apple pie as my _____.
The correct word is dessert. Apple pie is a sweet food that can be eaten after a meal. - 7
Circle the correct word: The army did not want to desert / dessert the small camp during the storm.
This sentence is not about food or a dry landform.
The correct word is desert. In this sentence, desert means to leave a place or people behind. - 8
Circle the correct word: The menu listed three choices for desert / dessert: pudding, cookies, and fruit.
The correct word is dessert. Pudding, cookies, and fruit can be sweet foods served after a meal. - 9
Explain the difference between dessert and desert in your own words.
Use the number of s's to help you remember the meanings.
Dessert means a sweet treat, often eaten after a meal. Desert can mean a dry place with little rain, or it can mean to leave someone or something behind. - 10
Fix the mistake in this sentence: We walked through the dessert and saw sand dunes for miles.
The corrected sentence is: We walked through the desert and saw sand dunes for miles. Desert is correct because the sentence is about a dry place. - 11
Fix the mistake in this sentence: Mom made brownies for desert after lunch.
Brownies are something you eat, not a place.
The corrected sentence is: Mom made brownies for dessert after lunch. Dessert is correct because brownies are a sweet treat. - 12
Choose the correct word for each blank: The hikers crossed the _____ in the morning, then enjoyed a sweet _____ at night.
The correct sentence is: The hikers crossed the desert in the morning, then enjoyed a sweet dessert at night. Desert means a dry place, and dessert means a sweet treat.