Year 8 Grammar
Booklet 2 and tasks
Apostrophes, more on
adverbs, commas and
sentence construction
More about adverbs
An adverb tells us more about a verb. It describes or modifies the verb in some way. Most
(but not all) adverbs end with the suffix ‘ly’. For example: The captain proudly received the
cup.
There are four categories of adverb:
Time adverbs tell us when something
happens for example: He runs later.
Place adverbs tell us where something happens,
for example: He runs far.
Manner adverbs tell us how
Degree adverbs add more information about
something happens, for example: He
another adverb, for example: He runs very
runs fast.
quickly .
Copy these sentences. Choose a suitable
adverb from the box to fill the gap.
Copy these sentences below. Underline the
adverb in each sentence. Say if it is an
adverb of manner (M), an adverb of time
(T), or an adverb of place (P).
a) My bedroom is ______ in a mess.
b) The cat crept ______ through the
house.
Do it like this: Lunch will soon be ready.
(T)
c) Feeling tired, I yawned ______.
d) I looked ______ for my lost pen.
a) Ahead lay the hidden city of the Incas.
e) “Come ____!” shouted the teacher.
b) The woman slowly walked down the path.
f) The car ____ disappeared into the
c) I once saw Justin Bieber.
night.
g) I promised to do my homework _____.
d) Sarah finished her work early.
e) I faced the bungee jump bravely.
f) The boy won the race easily.
g) The bucket was already full.
Adverbs of time - always, later
Adverbs of place - everywhere, here
Adverbs of manner - quietly, sleepily,
speedily
h) The bear was nowhere to be seen.
3. Write three more sentences of your own
including adverbs of time, manner and place.
Identify them in the same way.
Apostrophes
We sometimes shorten words by missing out some letters. We use an apostrophes to show
where the letters are missing.
I am going swimming = I’m going swimming.
These words are called contractions because when you ‘contract’ something you make it
shorter or smaller.
Here is something for you = Here’s something for you.
We also use apostrophes in contractions of dates – the class of ’99 but not for decades
e.g. 80s and for times = eight o’clock (eight of the clock)
Match and write out the contraction in set A with its partner in set B.
Set A
we’re
Set B cannot
wasn’t
you
have
she’s
it is
it’s
we
would
you’ve
I’ve
we are we will
we’ll
was
not
they’re
we’d
she is
I have
Copy these contractions and put in the missing apostrophe.
a) wasnt
b) whos
c) youve
d) itll
e) cant
f) thats
g) theyve
h) theyd
i) werent
j) hows
k) Ill
l) shes
m) shouldnt
n) theyre
o) shell
p) wed
q) theres
r) well
s) dont
t) Ive
Use ten of the above contractions in sentences of your own. Don’t forget the
apostrophes.
can’t
they
are
Commas
Commas tell you to make a short pause and help readers to make sense of your writing.
Commas are used to separate extra parts added to a sentence.
Have you handed your book in, Tom?
Unfortunately, we couldn’t start the car.
Commas help to break up longer sentences into clauses (smaller sections) to make more sense.
After picking up their packs, the two mountaineers set off for the summit.
Commas help you add extra information in the form of phrases.
The house, which was rather shabby, sold the next day.
Rewrite the sentences below, putting the comma in each.
a) Stop that Simon!
b) I would like a bar of chocolate a nutty one.
c) Have you seen my dog Rover?
d) Sorry sir.
e) Can I stay up late Mum?
f) Yes I can do it.
g) Look out Jason!
h) I can’t manage I’m afraid.
i) Please stop being silly Edward.
j) We’ll go after tea shall we.
Copy the beginning to the sentences below and write a suitable ending for each one,
putting in the comma.
a) To my surprise… b) If you are going to be noisy…
c) As we walked down the street…
d) Last of all…
e) Even though it was raining…
f) In the middle of the night…
g) After the evening meal was over…
h) Just as the policeman round the corner…
i) Because it was the holidays…
j) It’s no good…
Copy these sentences and put in the missing commas.
a) The hedgehog was about 30 centimetres long with prickly spines.
b) Emma picked up her bag glad that school was over.
c) The car the one underneath the tree had been vandalised.
d) He picked up their blankets soaked from the rain and walked home.
e) A minute before midnight just a day before Christmas the bells rang.
Commas
Accuracy
Using full stops and capital letters correctly is a level
3 skill! Accuracy across a range of punctuation and
grammar is essential for hitting level 5 and using
punctuation for effect is key to success in level 6+.
Get practising your accuracy now to make sure you
don’t miss out on those crucial levels.
Always use a full stop at the end of a
sentence. Use more full stops and shorter
sentences to create tension. Use longer
more descriptive sentences, with fewer
.
full stops, to explore in more detail. Use a
combination of these for variety and
range. Always use capital letters for the
names of people, places, days of the week,
months of the year…Capital letters are a
level 3 skill and you MUST use them
correctly.
;
:
You can use a semi colon instead of a
connective to link two sentences together
1. Words in a List
Use commas to separate three or
more words in a list.
Andrew's favourite sports are
football, badminton, rugby and
cricket.
2. Subordinate Clauses
A subordinate clause has a subject
and a verb but doesn’t make sense on
its own. Place a comma after a
subordinate clause that begins a
sentence.
When I go to the cinema, I like to eat
popcorn.
when the subject of the second sentence
is very closely linked to the first.
3. Phrases
You can use a colon to introduce a list.
Make sure you separate the items on your
list with commas.
A phrase is a word or group of
words that explains another word in
‘
Use an apostrophe for a contraction or
for possession. A contraction is when two
words have been joined together e.g. don’t
and the apostrophe indicates the missing
letter. For possession the apostrophe goes
before the s e.g. Bob’s
car, unless the possession is plural e.g. the
teachers’ staff room or the word ends in s
e.g. James’ book.
Use speech marks at the beginning and
the end of the words that are spoken.
Use a punctuation mark before the
speech marks close. Start a new line for a
“
“
new speaker. Use a comma before the
first speech mark and/or before the last
a sentence. Use commas to set off
a phrase from the rest of the
sentence.
Mr Long, my favourite teacher, gave
us extra homework today.
4. Introductory Words
Place a comma to separate
introductory words and phrases,
such as a) connectives b) discourse
markers and c) the name of a person
the sentence addresses directly.
speech mark. Use a capital letter to begin
the speech.
a) However, I don’t believe this to
be the case.
b) Yes, I would like some more
sauce on my pasta.
c) Dan, is this your key?
More spelling and Vocabulary
1. adverb
2.
3.
4.
5.
11. poetry
atmosphere
12. prose
antonym 13. punctuation
contraction
14. rhyme
dictionary
15. rhythm
6. essay
16. sentence
7. language 17. simile
8. noun
18. soliloquy
9. phrase
19. synonym
10. plural
20. thesaurus
Plurals
1. babies
4. calves
11. donkeys
12. dresses
13. dwarves
14. foxes
5. chiefs
15. graves
2. benches
3. buses
6. cities
16.
handkerchiefs
7. clashes
17. hoaxes
8. coats
18. jellies
9. cuffs
19. knives
Vocabulary Task: Write a short, rhyming poem using some of the plurals in your spellings.