Delaware Grade 8 English

Explain the job of an -ing phrase before revising it

A verb form can do work other than serving as the sentence’s main verb. Looking at its job helps students explain a verbal and revise a sentence whose opening phrase points to the wrong actor.

Curriculum source: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy, adopted for Delaware English language arts in 2010, from the Delaware Department of Education ELA resource directory.

Delaware Grade 8 references for this activity

Delaware’s ELA/literacy standards use the Common Core State Standards. The full ELA document contains the Grade 8 expectations across its subject strands. These are selected references for the activity on this page; use the full document for curriculum planning.

These are selected CCSS references used in Delaware’s ELA/literacy standards. Activity labels describe a teaching focus rather than reproduce the full requirements. Districts develop their own curriculum sequence; use the complete document and the school’s plan for wider coverage.

A worked Grade 8 reading and writing activity

This original classroom example is separate from official assessment questions.

A: Reading quietly helps Malik concentrate.

B: Reading quietly, Malik missed the first bell.

C: To finish the chapter, Malik stayed at his desk.

Draft to revise: Reading quietly, the bell startled Malik.

Try the activity

Explain what reading quietly does in A and B, then describe the purpose expressed by to finish the chapter in C. In the draft, identify who the opening phrase seems to describe. Revise it so the intended reader is clear.

Follow the reasoning

In A, Reading quietly is a gerund phrase functioning as the subject: that activity helps Malik concentrate. In B, the same words form a participial phrase describing Malik as he reads; missed is the sentence’s main verb. In C, the infinitive phrase To finish the chapter gives a purpose for staying. The draft incorrectly attaches the reading phrase to the bell, which cannot be its reader. One revision is, “Reading quietly, Malik was startled by the bell.” Another is, “The bell startled Malik while he was reading quietly.”

Notice what needs more practice

An -ing ending alone does not determine whether a phrase is a gerund or a participle. Compare its function in the whole sentence. A response changing the draft to “Reading quietly, the loud bell startled Malik” makes the bell more detailed but leaves the actor problem. A response claiming the two revisions have exactly the same grammatical structure misses the choice: one keeps an opening participial phrase, while the other uses a clause to identify Malik’s action.

Grade 8 English worksheets

Choose printable practice that matches the skill being taught. Check the task, reading difficulty, and directions before assigning it; the collection is independently published.

Browse Grade 8 English worksheets

Use the next session to build independence

1. Locate the sentence’s subject and main verb.
2. Explain the verbal phrase’s job in that sentence.
3. Check which actor an opening phrase describes.
4. Revise for a clear meaning, then compare two workable structures.

Write a new pair of sentences using drawing carefully first as a subject and then as a description of a person. Explain the function instead of relying on the matching spelling. Next, add an infinitive that expresses a purpose. Have a partner identify the actor and goal without assistance. When revising longer writing, choose the structure that makes the intended relationship easiest to follow rather than keeping an opening phrase solely for variety.

For more general reading and writing resources, visit the Grade 8 English Online Center.

Delaware Grade 8 English: useful planning questions

Is every -ing phrase a gerund?

No. Examine its function. Reading quietly acts as a noun-like subject in one example and describes Malik in another. Its role in the sentence distinguishes the gerund phrase from the participial phrase.

Where are the complete state requirements?

Delaware’s ELA/literacy standards use the Common Core State Standards. The full ELA document contains the Grade 8 expectations across its subject strands. These are selected references for the activity on this page; use the full document for curriculum planning. The school’s sequence also includes reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language work beyond this example.