Grade 8 Study Guide
Language Arts/Literature
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Identify the verb and the subject in a sentence
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Identify the complete verb including any helping verbs. Helping verbs: is, am, are, was, were, be, being,
been, has, have, had, do, does, did, shall, will, should, would, may, might, must, can, could.
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Identify compound verbs in a sentence
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Identify the complete predicate - the verb and everything else to the end of the sentence
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Identify the simple subject.
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Identify the complete subject - the simple subject and everything that modifies it.
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Identify compound subjects in a sentence.
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Identify pronouns and their antecedents, the nouns to which the pronouns refer.
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Identify adjectives and articles. Adjectives and articles modify nouns. An adjective answers the
questions, What kind? and Which one?
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Identify proper nouns and proper adjectives, p. 42
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Identify linking verbs that are FORMS OF THE VERB BE- is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been, p. 55
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Identify linking verbs that are DISGUISED AS ACTION VERBS-
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Some verbs that might appear to be action verbs but could be linking verbs are; appear, become, feel, grow,
look, remain, seem, smell, sound, stay, taste)
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To check if the verb is a linking verb, put it to this test:
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Substitute a verb of being for the verb, and ask, “Does it make sense and mean the same thing?”
If it makes sense and means the same thing with the verb of being, it’s a linking verb.
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Identify adverbs that modify adjectives and other adverbs, p. 63 An adverb answers the questions, How?
When? Where? Why? to What Extent?
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Identify prepositional phrases, and label the PREPOSITION and the OBJECT of the PREPOSITION.
pp, 66, 67, 68
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Identify whether a prepositional phrase in a sentence is acting like an adjective or acting like an adverb
p. 98, 99
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Identify and label a direct object in a sentence. The DIRECT OBJECT receives the action of the ACTION
VERB.
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Use this formula to find out if there is a direct object:
SUBJECT + ACTION
VERB + WHAT? or WHOM? = DIRECT OBJECT
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Identify and label an indirect object. The indirect object receives the direct object.
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Identify subject complements - (predicate nominatives and predicate adjectives) that complete the
LINKING VERB and link to the SUBJECT.
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Identify a predicate nominative. A Predicate Nominative follows a linking verb and identifies the subject
of the sentence. p. 85
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Identify a predicate adjective.
A Predicate Adjective follows a linking verb and describe the subject., p.
87
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Nouns and pronouns have: person, number, gender, and case.
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1st person refers to the person speaking
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2nd person refers to the person spoke to
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3rd person refers to the person spoken about
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Select personal pronoun in the correct case for its location in a sentence.
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Subjects and predicate nominatives are in the nominative case.Nominative case pronouns for subjects and
predicate nominative following linking verbs
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Objective case pronouns for direct objects, indirect objects, objects of the preposition. Direct
objects, indirect objects, and objects of the preposition are in the objective cas. Nouns and pronouns
showing possession are in the possessive case.
1.
What is a phrase? A phrase is a group of words that acts as one part of speech
2.
What is a clause? A clause is a word group containing a verb and its subject and is used as a sentence or a
part of a sentence. p. 119
3.
What is an independent clause? An independent clause expresses a complete thought and can stand by itself
as a complete sentence. p. 120
4.
What is a subordinate clause? A subordinate or dependent clause does not express a complete thought and
cannot stand by itself as a complete sentence. p. 121
5.
What is a simple sentence? A simple sentence contains one independent clause and no subordinate clauses.
e.g.,
ind. clause
Eric likes peas.
6.
What is a compound sentence? A compound sentence contains two independent clauses and no subordinate
clauses. e.g.,
ind. clause
independent clause
Eric likes peas, but Liza prefers green beans.
7.
What is a complex sentence? A complex sentence contains one independent clauses and one or more
subordinate clauses, e.g.,
ind. clause
subordinate clause
Erik likes peas when they are cooked a short time.
8.
What is a compound complex sentence? A compound complex sentence contains two or more independent
clauses and at least one subordinate clause. e.g.,
ind. clause
independent clause
subordinate clause
Erik likes peas, but Liza prefers green beans when they are steamed.
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Change interrogative sentence into a declarative sentence without adding, deleting, or changing words
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Recognize sentence fragments and correct them by adding missing subjects or predicates.
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Revise a sentence to add adjectives to modify the nouns in a sentence.
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To revise a run-on sentence,
1.
Make it two sentences;
2.
Use a comma and a conjunction such as and, but, or or; OR
3.
Add a semicolon.
Literary terms/Figurative language
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An idiom is a group of words, the meaning of which cannot be understood by examining the literal meanings
of the words themselves, e.g., “Wrap your head around that,” “It’s a piece of cake,” “Time flies.”
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Metaphor: a literary device in which two unrelated things are made equal for the purpose of highlighting a
similarity between them.”
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Simile: a figure of speech which uses “like” or “as” in making a direct comparison between two different
ideas,
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Personification: a type of figurative language in which something that is not human is give human
characteristics. e.g., The old house was the same, droopy and sick..” “The fire silently devoured Miss
Maudie’s home.”
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Hyperbole is a literary device of great exaggeration, e.g. “Hyperbole is mile-high description.” “Atticus, the
world is coming to an end!”
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Onomatopoeia: words that imitate sound. The meaning of the word is the sound of the word, e.g. “The fence
gate squeaked.”
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Alliteration is the repetition of the first consonants of words that are near each other in poetry or prose,
e.g. “similar sounds in a sentence.”
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Allusion: Within a text, the passing mention of a well-known literary, Biblical, historical, or cultural person,
place, or thing, for which no further information is given.
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Dialect is the form of language spoken by people who live in a particular region. It is often spelled
phonetically, e.g. “Scout yonder’s been readin’ ever since she was born, and she ain’t even started to school
yet. You look right puny for goin’ on seven.
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Mood: the feeling or atmosphere of a literary work
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Tone: the writer’s attitude toward the subject of the literary work.
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Sensory description: language that appeals to the senses of sight, smell, hearing, touch, or taste.
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Point of View: the perspective from which a story is told
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Dialogue: the words characters speak aloud, usually indicated by quotation marks
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Narration: writing that tells a story
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Characterization: the creation and development of a character directly through how the author describes
him, and indirectly through what he says and does and how other characters react to him.
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Setting: includes all the details of place and time, the backdrop or context in which the characters act and
events occur.
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Plot: the story line or sequence of interrelated events involving characters and a conflict
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Exposition is the part of the plot in which the characters, setting and basic situation, are introduced
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Flashback: Usually beginning with a memory, a scene in a novel which interrupts the sequence relates events
that occurred in the past.
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Foreshadowing: Early in a novel, the author’s hinting or giving clues about what will happen later in the story.
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Symbol: an object, person or place that is standing for something else.
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Theme,: the central message, concern, or purpose of a literary work.
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Biography: a nonfiction story of someone’s life written by another person
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Novel: a long work of fiction that has characters, setting, conflict, and plot.
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Conflict: a struggle between opposing forces, either internal or external.
Identify Literary Device and analyze its use in poems:
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The City is So Big, p.399 mood/literary device _________________
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The People Yes p.343/ literary device ___________________
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Ode to Enchanted Light p. 848 ___________________
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Incident in a Rose Garden p. 893 ___________________
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The New Colossus p. 373 ___________________
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Los N.Y p. 454 ___________________
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Love is a Place p___ ___________________
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The Road Not Taken p.44 ___________________
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The Choice p. 48 ___________________
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Ring out, Wild Bells p73 ___________________
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Winter Moon p___ ___________________