Adding & Subtracting Linear Expressions Worksheets, Grade 7 (7.EE.A.1) – Free PDF + Answer Key

First page of the adding & subtracting linear expressions practice worksheet

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PDFs print on US Letter paper. Free for classroom and home use.

Watch: Combining Like Terms - Watch me solve this in under 2 minutes - then you try one!

Key idea

Adding: collect like terms, nothing changes. Subtracting: flip every sign inside the bracket, then collect. Like terms only — x terms with x terms, constants with constants.

Sample problems

Simplify (4x + 3) + (2x + 5).
Simplify (4x + 3) − (2x + 5).
Simplify (6x − 2) + (x − 7).
Simplify (6x − 2) − (x − 7).

Common mistakes to watch for

Combined 8x and −2 into 6x. Unlike terms cannot be added — 8x and −2 stay separate.
Answered 2x − 2 by subtracting 3x and then carrying −4 across unchanged. The minus applies to every term inside the bracket, not just the first.
Answered 5x + 4 by flipping only the 2x and leaving +5 alone.

The answer key explains each one, so you can tell what a wrong answer means.

How to use this set

Teach with the slides (about 15 minutes), or watch the video together.
Practice with the worksheet. Questions climb from fluency to application to reasoning.
Check understanding with the exit ticket, and send the homework home.
Mark with the answer key — each answer shows the steps and the most likely mistake.