7th and 8th Grade Grammar

Grammar

“Ill-fitting grammar are like ill-fitting shoes. You can get used to it for a bit, but then one day your toes fall off and you can't walk to the bathroom.”

― Jasper Fforde, One of Our Thursdays Is Missing

Count Nouns

• A Noun that can form a plural and, in the singular, can be used with the indefinite article (eg. books, a book; desks, a desk)

• Persons, places, or things that can be either singular, or plural, and that can be counted

• It can be modified by a numeral

Noncount nouns

•  a smaller number of nouns do not typically refer to things that can be counted and so they do not regularly have a plural form

Multiple Choice

Identify if the underlined nouns are count or noncount.

How many books are there on this shelf?

• Counts

• Noncounts

Multiple Choice

You've added too much salt.

• count

• noncount

Multiple Choice

He took a cab and the cabman said that these things showed the city's progress.

• Count

• Noncount

Multiple Choice

Naser doesn't have enough coins to pay for his ticket.

• counts

• noncounts

Multiple Choice

I have errands to run before I go shopping for new clothes.

• counts

• non counts

• clothes is non count, errands is count

• clothes is count, errands is noncount

Multiple Choice

I haven't decided on how many guests I will invite to my party.

• counts

• noncounts

• guests is count, party is non count

• guests in noncount, party is count.

Multiple Choice

The love of a mother is irreplaceable.

• counts

• noncounts

• love is count, mother is noncount

• love is noncount, mother is count

Multiple Choice

Can you show me where I can read about titanium and gold?

• counts

• noncounts

• titanium is count, gold is noncount

• titanium is noncount, gold is count

Multiple Choice

You need to buy some fuel for the coming season.

• counts

• noncounts

• fuel is count, season in noncount

• fuel is noncount, season is count

Verbs

• are doing words and can express:

• a physical action (e.g. to swim, to write, to climb, sells, bought, & wrote)

• a mental action (e.g. to think, to guess, to consider, thought)

• a state of being (e.g. to be, to exist, to appear, am, are, is, was, were, will be)

Multiple Choice

1. Find the main verb:

The king has created bad laws.

• king

• has

• created

• laws

Multiple Choice

2. Find the main verb:

I have lost my glasses.

• I

• lost

• glasses

• have

Direct Object

• The direct object of a verb is the thing being acted upon (i.e. the receiver of the action).

• Play the guitar.

• Every actor played his part.

To find a direct object

• Find the verb and ask what or whom?

• Our cat caught a mouse.

• verb is caught

• what was caught?

• a mouse

• a mouse is the direct object

Multiple Choice

The students are baking pies in their cooking class.

• baking

• students

• pies

• cooking

Multiple Choice

Jesse has to practice the trumpet before he goes to the movies

• Jesse

• practice

• movies

• trumpet

Infinitive

• is a formed form of a verb but doesn't act as a verb.

• It acts as a noun, adjective, or adverb.

• It is made up of two words: to + verb

Multiple Choice

The children need a garden to play in.

• to play

• children

• garden

• in

Special Verbs and Infinitives

• Infinitives lose their "to" when it follows these special verbs: feel, hear, help, let, make, see, and watch

• Between the verb and the infinitive, you will find a direct object.

• Special verb + direct object + infinitive

Going To

• Going to is not a tense. It is a special structure that we use to talk about the future.

• subject+form of be+going+to-infinitive

• form of verb "be" can be any of the following: being, is, are, were, was, am

going to for intention

• We use going to when we have the intention to do something before we speak. We have already made a decision before speaking.

  
  

• Jo has won the lottery. He says he's going to buy a Porsche.

going to for prediction

• We often use going to to make a prediction about the future. Our prediction is based on present evidence. We are saying what we think will happen.

  
  

• The sky is very black. It's going to snow.

Complete each of the following sentences using the going to form of the verb in parentheses.

Multiple Choice

Our neighbors __________________________(constantly-host) loud parties at their home.

• are constantly hosting

• is constantly hosting

• was constantly hosting

Multiple Choice

Carl_____________________________(specialize {present tense}) in engineering next year.

• was going to specialize

• are going to specialize

• is going to specialize

Multiple Choice

Nina and Simone _________________________(enjoy {present tense}) our new art museum.

• are going to enjoy

• was going to enjoy

• be going to enjoy

Multiple Choice

My friend told me that you ____________________________(attend {past tense}) the Super Bowl.

• was going to attend

• is going to attend

• were going to attend

Multiple Choice

My friend ____________________________ (apologize {past tense}) to you, but you were very rude.

• were going to apologize

• is going to apologize

• was going to apologize

Multiple Choice

I________________________(listen {present tense}) to some Frank Sinatra songs.

• am going to listen

• was going to listen

• is going to listen

Multiple Choice

Last time, Hala told me that she __________________________________ (visit {past tense}) her grandmother in Scotland.

• is going to visit

• was going to visit

• am going to visit