English Language Arts Standards » Language » Grade 8

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Standards in this strand:

Conventions of Standard English:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.1
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.1.a
Explain the function of verbals (gerunds, participles, infinitives) in general and their function in particular sentences.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.1.b
Form and use verbs in the active and passive voice.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.1.c
Form and use verbs in the indicative, imperative, interrogative, conditional, and subjunctive mood.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.1.d
Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood.*
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.2
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.2.a
Use punctuation (comma, ellipsis, dash) to indicate a pause or break.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.2.b
Use an ellipsis to indicate an omission.

Knowledge of Language:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.3
Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.3.a
Use verbs in the active and passive voice and in the conditional and subjunctive mood to achieve particular effects (e.g., emphasizing the actor or the action; expressing uncertainty or describing a state contrary to fact).

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.4
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words or phrases based on grade 8 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.4.a
Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word's position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.4.b
Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., precede, recede, secede).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.4.c
Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning or its part of speech.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.4.d
Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.5
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.5.a
Interpret figures of speech (e.g. verbal irony, puns) in context.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.5.b
Use the relationship between particular words to better understand each of the words.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.5.c
Distinguish among the connotations (associations) of words with similar denotations (definitions) (e.g., bullheaded, willful, firm, persistent, resolute).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.6
Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.