Sentence Structure
8th Grade
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS):
8.10.D
edit drafts using standard English conventions, including:
complete complex sentences with subject-verb agreement and avoidance of splices, run-ons, and fragments; consistent, appropriate use of verb tenses and active and passive voice; prepositions and prepositional phrases and their influence on subject-verb agreement; pronoun-antecedent agremment; correct capitalization; punctuation, including commas in nonrestrictive phrases and clauses, semicolons, colons, and parentheses; and correct spelling, including commonly confused terms such as its/it's, affect/effect, there/their/they're, and to/two/too;
Pennsylvania Core Standards:
CC.1.4.8.F
Demonstrate a grade-appropriate command of the conventions of standard English grammar,usage, capitalization, punctuation,and spelling.
E08.D.1.1.1 - Explain the function of verbals (i.e., gerunds, participles, and infinitives) in general and their function in particular sentences.
E08.D.1.1.2 - Form and use verbs in the active and passive voice.
E08.D.1.1.3 - Form and use verbs in the indicative, imperative, interrogative, conditional, and subjunctive mood.
E08.D.1.1.4 - Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood.*
E08.D.1.1.5 - Place phrases and clauses within a sentence, recognizing and correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers.*
E08.D.1.1.6 - Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person.*
E08.D.1.1.7 - Recognize and correct vague pronouns (i.e., ones with unclear or ambiguous antecedents).*
E08.D.1.1.8 - Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense.*
E08.D.1.1.9 - Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-on sentences.*
E08.D.1.1.10 - Correctly use frequently confused words (e.g., to, too, two; there, their, they’re).*
E08.D.1.1.11 - Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement.*
E08.D.1.2.1 - Use punctuation (i.e., comma, ellipsis, and dash) to indicate a pause or break.
E08.D.1.2.2 -Use an ellipsis to indicate an omission.
E08.D.1.2.3 - Spell correctly.
E08.D.1.2.4 - Use punctuation (i.e., commas, parentheses, and dashes) to set off nonrestrictive/parenthetical elements.*
E08.D.1.2.5 - Use punctuation to separate items in a series.*
Pennsylvania Core Standards:
CC.1.4.8.L
Demonstrate a grade-appropriate command of the conventions of standard English grammar,usage, capitalization, punctuation,and spelling.
E08.D.1.1.1 - Explain the function of verbals (i.e., gerunds, participles, and infinitives) in general and their function in particular sentences.
E08.D.1.1.2 - Form and use verbs in the active and passive voice.
E08.D.1.1.3 - Form and use verbs in the indicative, imperative, interrogative, conditional, and subjunctive mood.
E08.D.1.1.4 - Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood.*
E08.D.1.1.5 - Place phrases and clauses within a sentence, recognizing and correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers.*
E08.D.1.1.6 - Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person.*
E08.D.1.1.7 - Recognize and correct vague pronouns (i.e., ones with unclear or ambiguous antecedents).*
E08.D.1.1.8 - Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense.*
E08.D.1.1.9 - Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-on sentences.*
E08.D.1.1.10 - Correctly use frequently confused words (e.g., to, too, two; there, their, they’re).*
E08.D.1.1.11 - Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement.*
E08.D.1.2.1 - Use punctuation (i.e., comma, ellipsis, and dash) to indicate a pause or break.
E08.D.1.2.2 -Use an ellipsis to indicate an omission.
E08.D.1.2.3 - Spell correctly.
E08.D.1.2.4 - Use punctuation (i.e., commas, parentheses, and dashes) to set off nonrestrictive/parenthetical elements.*
E08.D.1.2.5 - Use punctuation to separate items in a series.*
Pennsylvania Core Standards:
CC.1.4.8.R
Demonstrate a grade-appropriate command of the conventions of standard English grammar,usage, capitalization, punctuation,and spelling.
E08.D.1.1.1 - Explain the function of verbals (i.e., gerunds, participles, and infinitives) in general and their function in particular sentences.
E08.D.1.1.2 - Form and use verbs in the active and passive voice.
E08.D.1.1.3 - Form and use verbs in the indicative, imperative, interrogative, conditional, and subjunctive mood.
E08.D.1.1.4 - Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood.*
E08.D.1.1.5 - Place phrases and clauses within a sentence, recognizing and correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers.*
E08.D.1.1.6 - Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person.*
E08.D.1.1.7 - Recognize and correct vague pronouns (i.e., ones with unclear or ambiguous antecedents).*
E08.D.1.1.8 - Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense.*
E08.D.1.1.9 - Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-on sentences.*
E08.D.1.1.10 - Correctly use frequently confused words (e.g., to, too, two; there, their, they’re).*
E08.D.1.1.11 - Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement.*
E08.D.1.2.1 - Use punctuation (i.e., comma, ellipsis, and dash) to indicate a pause or break.
E08.D.1.2.2 -Use an ellipsis to indicate an omission.
E08.D.1.2.3 - Spell correctly.
E08.D.1.2.4 - Use punctuation (i.e., commas, parentheses, and dashes) to set off nonrestrictive/parenthetical elements.*
E08.D.1.2.5 - Use punctuation to separate items in a series.*
Florida - Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking:
ELA.8.C.3.1
Follow the rules of standard English grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling appropriate to grade level.
8th Grade Writing - Sentence Structure Lesson
SENTENCE STRUCTURE
SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT ❋ Singular subjects agree with singular verbs . ❋ Plural subjects agree with plural verbs .
All subjects and verbs of all clauses in a sentence must agree.
Special Rules Subject-Verb Agreement
⚜ RULE #1 singular .
Singular Indefinite Pronouns
⚜ RULE #2 singular or plural .
Most of the flowers were blooming.
All of the children were on the bus.
⚜ RULE #3 Compound subjects joined by "and" are plural .
Are the cat and the dog at the kennel today?
⚜ RULE #4
NOTE neither is not an indefinite pronoun subject in this sentence; instead, it is part of the correlative conjunction pair, neither - nor.
⚜ RULE #5 not subjects. Subjects of sentences starting with either of these words are usually after the verbs.
Here is my completed homework assignment .
⚜ RULE #6 Collective nouns are usually singular .
The enemy's army was defeated.
⚜ RULE #7 time , money , measurement , and weight are often singular .
Two dollars is the new price per student.
⚜ RULE #8 Non-count nouns are singular .
Mathematics was my favorite subject in middle school.
❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ Go to the next page to practice editing sentences for subject-verb agreement .
SENTENCE STRUCTURE
SENTENCE FRAGMENTS Sentence fragments are missing independent clauses .
⚜ Sometimes sentence fragments are missing subjects
The little girl was running through the woods as fast as a startled fawn.
⚜ Sometimes sentence fragments are missing verbs
There were
Boxes and wrapping paper were
⚜ Sometimes sentence fragments are dependent clauses
While she waited impatiently for the mailman to deliver the package, Tessa stared out the window.
Tessa stared out the window while she waited impatiently for the mailman to deliver the package.
RUN-ON SENTENCES
Run-on Sentences have two or more independent clauses that are "run together " without appropriate punctuation or conjunctions to separate them or connect them.
⚜ Some run-on sentences are fused sentences
Jarvis stamped around the room like an elephant he was so angry about losing the election to Mary .
Edit 1 :. H e was so angry about losing the election to Mary
Edit 2 ; he was so angry about losing the election to Mary.
Edit 3 because he was so angry about losing the election to Mary.
Edit 4 , for he was so angry about losing the election to Mary.
⚜ Some run-on sentences are comma splices
Jerry and Sal have an excellent recipe for pizza dough , it's perfectly crunchy and delicately flavored .
❋ A comma is not sufficient punctuation between two independent clauses. ❋
Edit 1 : Jerry and Sal have an excellent recipe for pizza dough
; it's perfectly crunchy and delicately flavored.
Edit 2 : Jerry and Sal have an excellent recipe for pizza dough
: it's perfectly crunchy and delicately flavored.
Edit 3 :; in fact, it's perfectly crunchy and delicately flavored.
Edit 4 :. I t's perfectly crunchy and delicately flavored.
❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ Go to the next page to practice identifying and editing sentence fragments and run-on sentences .
8th Grade Writing - Sentence Structure Lesson