class 8 english grammar

1. Unseen Passages Type I for Class 8

An unseen passage is a text that students read for the first time and answer questions based on its meaning, details and vocabulary.

Example passage

Questions and answers

1. Why are trees important for nature?
Trees absorb carbon dioxide, release oxygen and provide food and shelter to animals.

2. How do tree roots help the soil?
Tree roots hold the soil together and help prevent soil erosion.

3. Why are forests being cut down?
Forests are being cut down for roads, buildings and industries.

4. Suggest a suitable title for the passage.
The Importance of Trees.

5. Find a word that means “the wearing away of soil.”
Erosion.

2. Unseen Passages Type II for Class 8

Type II passages may include longer texts, factual information, narratives, descriptions or questions that require students to interpret information. The exact distinction between Type I and Type II can vary by school or worksheet.

Example passage

Questions and answers

1. How has technology changed learning?
It has made digital libraries, educational videos and online lessons easily accessible.

2. Mention two benefits of digital learning.
It makes learning convenient and allows students to revisit difficult topics.

3. What problems can excessive screen time cause?
It can affect sleep and concentration.

4. What does the passage suggest about technology?
Technology is useful when balanced with other learning activities.

5. Give a suitable title.
Using Technology Wisely for Learning.

3. Message Writing for Class 8

A message is a short written communication that passes information to someone who is unavailable.

Format

Important points

• Include the heading, date and time.
• Write the main information clearly.
• Use brief, complete sentences.
• Mention the name of the person writing the message.
• Follow the word limit given in the question.

4. Notice Writing for Class 8

A notice is a formal announcement used to inform a group about an event, competition, meeting or important instruction.

Format

5. Postcard Writing for Class 8

A postcard is a short informal message sent to friends or relatives. A traditional postcard has a message side and an address side.

Example

6. Paragraph Writing for Class 8

A paragraph develops one main idea through connected sentences.

Structure

• Introduction — introduces the topic.
• Body — gives explanations, facts and examples.
• Conclusion — summarises the main idea.

Example: The Importance of Discipline

7. Composition Based on Verbal Input for Class 8

Verbal input consists of words, phrases or points that must be developed into a meaningful composition.

Example input

Morning walk — fresh air — exercise — healthy body — peaceful mind — good habit.

Composition: Benefits of a Morning Walk

8. Composition Based on Visual Input for Class 8

Visual input may include a picture, poster, chart or illustration. The composition should describe the main details and message shown in the visual.

Example

Imagine a picture showing students cleaning a park, collecting litter and planting trees.

Composition: Cleanliness Is Everyone’s Responsibility

9. Letter Writing for Class 8

Letters are generally divided into informal and formal letters.

A. Informal letter

Written to friends, relatives or people we know personally.

Format

• Sender’s address
• Date
• Greeting
• Introduction
• Main message
• Closing and name

Example: Letter to a Friend About a School Trip

B. Formal letter

Written to a principal, editor, officer or organisation.

Example: Letter to the Municipal Officer About Garbage

10. Application Writing for Class 8

An application is a formal request made to a person in authority.

Example: Application for Sick Leave

11. Story Writing for Class 8

Story writing involves creating a sequence of events with characters, a setting, a problem and a conclusion.

Main elements

• Title
• Characters
• Setting
• Plot
• Conflict or problem
• Climax
• Conclusion
• Moral, where appropriate

Example: The Power of Kindness

12. Email Writing for Class 8

Email is an electronic method of communication used for personal, educational and official purposes.

Format

13. Article Writing for Class 8

An article presents information, ideas or opinions about a topic for readers.

Example: Save Water, Save Life

14. Speech Writing for Class 8

A speech is prepared for delivery before an audience. It may inform, persuade or motivate listeners.

Example: The Importance of Reading

15. Diary Writing for Class 8

Diary writing is a personal record of events, feelings, thoughts and experiences. It is usually written in the first person.

Format

• Date and day
• Time, if required
• Dear Diary
• Description of the event
• Personal feelings and reflections
• Optional closing

Example: A Memorable Day

16. Dialogue Writing for Class 8

Dialogue writing presents a conversation between two or more people. Each speaker’s words are written on a separate line.

Example: Two Friends Discussing Exams

17. Description Writing for Class 8

Description writing presents a clear picture of a person, place, object or event through relevant details.

A. Description of a Person: My Favourite Teacher

B. Description of a Place: My School Library

18. Determiners Exercises for Class 8 with Answers

Determiners are words placed before nouns to identify or quantify them.

Types of determiners

Exercise

Fill in the blanks.

• There are ___ apples in the basket.
• I have ___ money left, so I can buy a snack.
• ___ student must bring a notebook.
• Do you have ___ questions?
• ___ of the two answers is correct; both are wrong.

19. Nouns Exercises for Class 8 with Answers

A noun names a person, place, animal, thing, substance or idea.

Types of nouns

• Proper noun: A particular name — India, Riya, Monday.
• Common noun: A general name — city, girl, river.
• Collective noun: A group — team, crowd, flock.
• Abstract noun: An idea, quality or state — honesty, courage, childhood.
• Material noun: A material or substance — gold, wood, cotton.
• Countable noun: Can be counted — books, chairs, apples.
• Uncountable noun: Not usually counted individually — water, furniture, advice.

Exercise

Identify the type of noun in bold.

• Honesty is important.
• Mumbai is a large city.
• A flock of birds flew overhead.
• The table is made of wood.
• I borrowed three books.

20. Noun Phrase Exercises for Class 8 with Answers

A noun phrase is a group of words that works as a noun in a sentence. It may include a determiner, adjectives and a noun.

Examples

• The tall boy
• A beautiful red flower
• The old house near the river
• Several interesting books

In sentences

• The little girl in the blue dress won the race.
• I bought a new pair of shoes.
• The students in our class are preparing for a competition.

Exercise: Identify the noun phrase

• The old man walked slowly.
• We visited a beautiful historical monument.
• The boy with curly hair is my cousin.

21. Phrasal Verbs Exercises for Class 8 with Answers

A phrasal verb combines a verb with a particle, such as an adverb or preposition, to form a meaning.

Exercise: Fill in the blanks with suitable phrasal verbs

• Please ___ the lights before leaving.
• She will ___ her younger brother.
• We must not ___ when work becomes difficult.
• The school had to ___ the trip because of rain.
• I need to ___ my missing notebook.

22. Participle Exercises for Class 8 with Answers

Participles are verb forms used in verb phrases and sometimes as adjectives.

Exercise: Identify the participle

• The barking dog disturbed the neighbours.
• The broken chair was removed.
• Having completed the task, he went home.
• The children are playing outside.

23. Pronouns Exercises for Class 8 with Answers

A pronoun replaces a noun or noun phrase.

Examples

• Riya and I are friends. We study together.
• The blue bag is mine.
• He completed the work himself.
• The girl who won the race is my sister.

Exercise

• Rahul is absent because ___ is ill.
• This pen belongs to me. It is ___.
• The children enjoyed ___ at the picnic.
• The student ___ answered correctly received a prize.
• ___ is knocking at the door?

24. Adjectives Exercises for Class 8 with Answers

An adjective describes a noun or pronoun.

Types of adjectives

• Quality: clever, honest, beautiful.
• Quantity: some, much, little.
• Number: one, three, several.
• Demonstrative: this, that, these, those.
• Possessive: my, your, their.
• Interrogative: which, what, whose.

Degrees of comparison

Exercise

• Riya is ___ than her sister. (tall)
• This is the ___ story I have read. (interesting)
• He is a ___ boy. (honesty — use the correct adjective)
• Of the three runners, Aman is the ___. (fast)

25. Agreement of Verb and Subject Exercises for Class 8 with Answers

Subject–verb agreement means that the verb must match its subject in number and person.

Main rules

• A singular subject generally takes a singular verb in the simple present: She writes.
• A plural subject generally takes a plural verb: They write.
• Two subjects joined by and generally take a plural verb: Riya and Aman are friends.
• Each, every, everyone, someone and nobody generally take singular verbs: Everyone is ready.
• With either…or and neither…nor, the verb generally agrees with the nearer subject in standard school grammar.
• Uncountable nouns generally take singular verbs: The information is useful.
• In sentences beginning with there, the verb agrees with the real subject: There are two books.

Exercise

• Each of the students ___ a book. (has/have)
• The players ___ ready. (is/are)
• Neither the teacher nor the students ___ absent. (was/were)
• Mathematics ___ my favourite subject. (is/are)
• There ___ several reasons for the delay. (is/are)

26. Use of Modals Exercises for Class 8 with Answers

Modals are helping verbs that express ability, possibility, permission, obligation, advice or willingness.

Exercise

• You ___ obey traffic rules.
• ___ I borrow your pen?
• You ___ see a doctor if you feel very unwell.
• She ___ speak three languages.
• You ___ bring lunch; food is provided.

27. Preposition Exercises for Class 8 with Answers

A preposition shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word in the sentence.

• Prepositions of place: in, on, under, behind, beside, between, among.
• Prepositions of time: at, on, in, since, for, during.
• Prepositions of direction: to, towards, into, across, through.

Examples

• The keys are under the table.
• We have a test on Monday.
• She was born in July.
• The train arrives at 8 a.m.
• He walked through the tunnel.

Exercise

• The cat is hiding ___ the bed.
• We will meet ___ 5 p.m.
• My birthday is ___ December.
• She walked ___ the bridge.
• He has lived here ___ 2020.

28. Verb Exercises for Class 8 with Answers

A verb expresses an action, state or occurrence.

Main verb types

• Action verb: The children play.
• Linking verb: She seems happy.
• Helping verb: They are studying.
• Transitive verb: He opened the door.
• Intransitive verb: The baby slept.
• Modal verb: You should listen.

Verb forms

Exercise

• She ___ to school every day. (go)
• They have ___ their lunch. (eat)
• The baby is ___. (sleep)
• He ___ the window yesterday. (open)
• You should ___ carefully. (listen)

29. Nominalisation Exercises for Class 8 with Answers

Nominalisation means changing a word, often a verb or adjective, into a noun.

Examples

• The team performed well. → The team’s performance was good.
• She decided quickly. → Her decision was quick.
• The city is developing rapidly. → The city’s development is rapid.

Exercise: Change the bold word into a suitable noun form

• They decided to leave early.
• He was kind to the stranger.
• The school plans to improve its library.
• The company will develop a new product.

30. Tenses Exercises for Class 8 with Answers

Tense indicates the time of an action or state.

Present tenses

• Simple present: She reads every day.
• Present continuous: She is reading now.
• Present perfect: She has read the book.
• Present perfect continuous: She has been reading for an hour.

Past tenses

• Simple past: She read yesterday.
• Past continuous: She was reading when I arrived.
• Past perfect: She had read the book before the class.
• Past perfect continuous: She had been reading for an hour when I arrived.

Future forms

• Simple future: She will read tomorrow.
• Future continuous: She will be reading at 8 p.m.
• Future perfect: She will have finished by evening.
• Future perfect continuous: She will have been studying for two hours by 8 p.m.

Exercise

• He ___ football every Sunday. (play)
• I ___ my homework now. (do)
• She ___ the film last night. (watch)
• They have ___ the work. (finish)
• We ___ our grandparents tomorrow. (visit)
• When I arrived, he ___ dinner. (cook)

31. Active and Passive Voice Exercises for Class 8 with Answers

Basic structure

Active: Subject + verb + object.
Passive: Object + suitable form of be + past participle + optional by phrase.

Exercise: Change into passive voice

• The teacher explains the lesson.
• The boy broke the glass.
• They will organise the event.
• Riya is writing a story.
• Someone has stolen my bag.

32. Reported Speech Exercises for Class 8 with Answers

Reported speech communicates what someone said without repeating the exact words.

Common changes when the reporting verb is in the past

These changes depend on context. Universal truths and facts that remain true do not always require a tense change.

Statements

Questions

Commands and requests

Exercise

• He said, “I am happy.”
• Riya said, “I will call you.”
• She said, “Where are you going?”
• The teacher said, “Complete your work.”
• Aman said, “I have finished my homework.”

33. Integrated Exercises for Class 8 with Answers

Integrated exercises combine several grammar topics in one activity.

A. Fill in the blanks

• Each of the boys ___ a notebook. (has/have)
• She is ___ honest person. (a/an)
• The children enjoyed ___. (themselves/their)
• You ___ respect your elders. (should/might)
• He ___ to school every day. (go/goes)
• We have ___ our work. (complete/completed)
• The keys are ___ the drawer. (in/at)
• There isn’t ___ milk left. (many/much)

B. Rewrite the sentences

• Change into passive: The police caught the thief.
• Change into reported speech: He said, “I am busy.”
• Correct the sentence: She do her homework daily.
• Join using but: I was tired. I continued working.

34. The Sentence Exercises for Class 8 with Answers

A sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete thought.

Types according to purpose

• Assertive: The Earth revolves around the Sun.
• Interrogative: Where do you live?
• Imperative: Please sit down.
• Exclamatory: What a wonderful idea!

Types according to structure

• Simple: I enjoy reading.
• Compound: I wanted to play, but it started raining.
• Complex: I stayed indoors because it was raining.

Exercise: Identify the type

• Please open the window.
• What an exciting match!
• She completed her work.
• Where are you going?
• I stayed home because I was ill.

35. Adverb Exercises for Class 8 with Answers

An adverb modifies a verb, adjective, another adverb or sometimes a whole sentence.

Types of adverbs

Examples

• He speaks politely.
• We will leave tomorrow.
• She often visits her grandmother.
• The water is very cold.
• They waited outside.

Exercise

• She sings ___. (beautiful/beautifully)
• I have ___ completed my work. (almost/slow)
• He ___ arrives late. (often/there)
• The children played ___. (outside/outdoor)
• The train will arrive ___. (soon/quick)

36. Articles Exercises for Class 8 with Answers

Articles are a, an and the.

Exercise

• I saw ___ eagle.
• She studies at ___ university.
• ___ Moon shines at night.
• He is ___ honest man.
• ___ children need care and education.

37. Conjunction Exercises for Class 8 with Answers

A conjunction joins words, phrases or clauses.

Coordinating conjunctions

and, but, or, so, yet, for, nor.

• I wanted to play, but it rained.
• Study hard, and you will improve.
• Hurry up, or you will miss the bus.

Subordinating conjunctions

because, although, if, when, while, unless, since.

• I stayed inside because it was raining.
• Although he was tired, he completed the task.
• We will go if the weather improves.

Correlative conjunctions

either…or, neither…nor, both…and, not only…but also.

• Both Riya and Aman participated.
• You can choose either tea or coffee.

Exercise

• I was tired, ___ I completed my homework.
• We stayed indoors ___ it was raining.
• You must hurry, ___ you will miss the bus.
• ___ Riya nor Aman was absent.
• ___ he was nervous, he gave a good speech.

38. Interjection Exercises for Class 8 with Answers

An interjection expresses a sudden feeling or reaction.

Examples

• Wow! That is an amazing painting.
• Hurrah! We won the match.
• Alas! We lost the game.
• Oh! I forgot my notebook.
• Ouch! That hurts.
• Bravo! You performed very well.

Exercise: Choose a suitable interjection

• ___! We won the competition.
• ___! I hurt my finger.
• ___! What a beautiful view.
• ___! We have lost our match.

39. Modals Exercises for Class 8 with Answers

This topic gives additional practice with modal verbs.

Important differences

• Can: Ability or informal permission.
• Could: Past ability or polite request.
• May: Permission or possibility.
• Might: Possibility.
• Must: Strong obligation or logical conclusion.
• Should: Advice.
• Needn’t: Something is not necessary.
• Mustn’t: Something is prohibited.

Examples

• You mustn’t enter this restricted area.
• You needn’t bring a lunchbox because lunch is provided.
• You should revise before the examination.
• Could you please help me?

Exercise

• You ___ not touch that wire; it is dangerous.
• You ___ bring an umbrella; it is not necessary today.
• ___ you please pass the salt?
• We ___ respect the rules.
• It ___ rain this evening.

40. Question Tags Exercises for Class 8 with Answers

A question tag is a short question added at the end of a statement to seek confirmation or agreement.

Basic rules

• Positive statement → negative tag.
• Negative statement → positive tag.
• Use the appropriate auxiliary verb.
• Use a pronoun in the tag.

Special cases

• I’m late, aren’t I?
• Let’s go, shall we?
• Open the door, will you?
• Nobody came, did they?

Exercise

• You are a student, ___?
• She doesn’t like tea, ___?
• They can swim, ___?
• He went to school, ___?
• Let’s start the lesson, ___?
• I am correct, ___?

41. Word Power Exercises for Class 8 with Answers

Word power means understanding words, their meanings and how to use them correctly.

A. Synonyms

B. Antonyms

C. Homophones

• Their: Their house is large.
• There: Put the bag there.
• They’re: They’re coming home.
• Principal: The head of a school.
• Principle: A rule or belief.
• Stationary: Not moving.
• Stationery: Writing materials.
• Weather: Conditions of the atmosphere.
• Whether: Expresses alternatives.

D. Prefixes and suffixes

A prefix is added at the beginning of a word: unhappy, disagree, impossible.

A suffix is added at the end: kindness, careful, quickly, development.

E. Idioms

Exercise

• The synonym of rapid is ___.
• The antonym of permanent is ___.
• The school ___ addressed the assembly. (principal/principle)
• A piece of cake means ___.
• Add a prefix to make the opposite of agree.
• The word kindness is formed from kind using a ___.

42. Integrated Grammar Exercises for Class 8 with Answers

These questions combine determiners, nouns, noun phrases, verbs, tenses, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, modals, voice and reported speech.

A. Fill in the blanks

• Each student ___ a textbook. (has/have)
• She is ___ honest girl. (a/an)
• The children enjoyed ___. (themselves/their)
• He speaks very ___. (polite/politely)
• You ___ follow the safety rules. (must/might)
• We have ___ the assignment. (complete/completed)
• The cat is hiding ___ the table. (under/at)
• I stayed at home ___ I was unwell. (because/or)
• There isn’t ___ sugar left. (many/much)
• The ___ of the project was successful. (perform/performance)

B. Rewrite the sentences

11. Change into passive voice: The teacher praised the student.
12. Change into reported speech: Riya said, “I am tired.”
13. Add a question tag: You have finished the work, ___?
14. Correct the sentence: He go to school every day.
15. Join using although: He was tired. He continued working.

C. Identify the grammar item

16. Identify the noun phrase: The tall boy in the blue shirt won the race.
17. Identify the adverb: She answered the question confidently.
18. Identify the conjunction: I wanted to go, but it was raining.
19. Identify the modal: We should protect the environment.
20. Identify the phrasal verb: Please look after your younger brother.

✅ Class 8 English Revision Checklist

Revision progress

0 of 20

• Unseen passages Type I and Type II
• Message, notice and postcard writing
• Paragraph and composition writing
• Letter and application writing
• Email and diary writing
• Story, dialogue and description writing
• Article and speech writing
• Determiners and articles
• Nouns and noun phrases
• Pronouns and adjectives
• Verbs and participles
• Tenses and subject–verb agreement
• Phrasal verbs and nominalisation
• Prepositions, conjunctions and interjections
• Adverbs and modals
• Active and passive voice
• Reported speech
• Question tags
• Word power
• Integrated grammar exercises

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