8th Grade Grammar Assessment

The Eight Parts of Speech

noun Names a person, place, thing, or idea

Examples: mayor, ship, Missouri River, happiness

pronoun Takes the place of a noun or other pronoun

Examples: I, you, he, himself, they, whom, that, which, each, none

verb Expresses and action or state of being

Examples: go, be, startle, break, feel, do

adjective Modifies a noun or pronoun

Examples: green, large, English, two

adverb Modifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb

Examples: suddenly, yesterday, really

preposition Relates one word to another word

Examples: in, on, to, above, before, with, between

conjunction Joins words or groups of words

Examples: an, or, but, so, either, or, because

interjection Expresses emotion

Examples: hooray, whew, uh-oh

Subject/Predicate Subject: Tells who or what the sentence is about

Example: The joke flopped.

Predicate: Tells what is happening to the subject. The predicate include the verb and all the words related to the verb.

Example: Eighty wedding guests ate nine submarine sandwiches.

Simple/Compound/Complex Sentences

A simple sentence is made up of one independent clause and no dependent clauses.

Example: The pear tree grows.

A compound sentence is made of two or more independent clauses and no dependent clauses.

Example: The sun shines, and the pear tree grows.

A complex sentence is made up of one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.

Example: The pear tree that we planted last season grows well.

Phrase/Clause/Sentence A phrase is a word group that functions as a specific part of speech and does NOT contain both a subject and a verb

Examples: saved by the bell, in the morning

A clause is a word group that contains both a subject and its verb•An independent clause can stand along as a sentence and expresses a complete thought

Example: The pear tree grows.

•A dependent (or subordinate) clause, does not express a complete thought and cannot stand alone as a sentence.

Example: The pear tree that Aunt Kim gave us grows well.

A sentence is a word group that has both a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought.

Prepositional Phrases Is introduced by a preposition and usually acts as an adjective or adverb

Example: The book on the left is the one to read if you are working on the report assigned in class.

Appositive/Appositive Phrases An appositive is a noun or pronoun that identifies or explains another noun or pronoun

Example: My sister’s cat, Chimney, doesn’t like your dog.

An appositive phrase usually follows the word it identifies, but it may also precede it

Example: A state known for its cold climate, Alaska is closer to the North Pole than to Texas.

Verbals/Verbal Phrases Gerund: is a verbal that ends in –ing and functions as a noun Example: Traveling might satisfy your desire for new experiences..

Example (Gerund Phrase): Traveling to Asia might satisfy your desire for new experiences.

Participle: is a verbal that is used as an adjective and most often ends in –ing or –ed

Example: The dangling toy caught the kitten’s attention.

Example (Participle Phrase): The toy dangling off the sofa caught the kitten’s attention.

Infinitive An infinitive is the base form of a verb plus the word “to”

Examples: to hike, to help

Using Punctuation for Effect -Use an ellipses, three spaced periods (…), to show where the text is left out

Example: a new nation … dedicated to the proposition…

Or to show a pause or break in thought.

Example: It’s just that … I don’t know

-Dashes can show pauses or breaks in thought

Example: There is room in the van for six people—not sixteen.

Verb Mood Mood refers to the form the verb takes to indicate the speaker’s attitude.

Indicative mood expresses fact or opinion.◦ Example: The Rogers family raises chickens.

Imperative mood expresses a command or request.◦ Example: Bring me the eggs, please.

Subjunctive mood expresses a suggestion, necessity, or a wish.◦ Example: I wish I were seated already

Interrogative sentences express a question.◦ Example: Did you go to the farm?

Conditional verbs express actions or states of being that depend on other conditions.◦ Example: If the sun had already set, we would have gone home.

Active/Passive Voice Active Voice—the subject of the sentence performs the action expressed by the verb

Example: The girl threw the ball.

Passive Voice—the subject receives the action expresses by the verb.

Example: The ball was thrown.

Helping Verbs/Linking Verbs Helping Verbs: The work together with other verbs (has, have, had, can, could, will, shall, should, may, might)

Example: can graduate, will have flown

Linking Verbs: Connect subjects with words or phrases (be, am, is, was, were, become, seem, appear, believe, grow, remain, prove)

You seem tired.