English Grammar Class 8 Syllabus Topics Worksheets (2025)

Looking for a comprehensive English Grammar Class 8 Syllabus, Topics & Worksheets (2025)? This page provides essential grammar lessons from the CBSE, ICSE, and NCERT syllabi, making it easy to master 8th-standard concepts. Explore topics like tenses, active-passive voice, narration, and sentence transformation, all explained in a structured manner with practice exercises for effective learning.

Class 8 English Grammar Topics Contents

Explore Class 8 English Grammar Topics Content with detailed lessons on tenses, voice, narration, and sentence structure. This guide follows CBSE, ICSE, and NCERT standards for a strong grammar foundation. Get worksheets and Class 8 English Grammar PDF for better practice!

1. Subject and Predicate

2. Pronouns

3. Primary Auxiliaries and Modals

4. Non-finite verbs

5. Adjectives-Comparison

9. Adverbs

7. The Tenses

8. Clauses

9. Conjunctions

10. Prepositions

11. Simple, Compound and Complex Sentences

12. Subject-Verb Agreement

13. Articles

14. Active and Passive Voice

15. Direct and Indirect Speech

16. Conditional Clauses

17. Transformation of Sentences

18. Synthesis of Sentences

19. Capital Letters and Punctuation

20. Integrated Grammar Practice

21. Vocabulary

22. Comprehension

23. Composition

24. Grammar Game (Revision)

Class 8 English Grammar Syllabus (2025) Breakdown

Access the latest Class 8 English Grammar Syllabus Topics (2025) with detailed explanations and exercises. This guide covers essential grammar concepts, including tenses, voice change, narration, and sentence transformation. It ensures a strong grammar foundation, aligned with CBSE, ICSE, and NCERT standards. Download worksheets and English Grammar for Class 8 PDF for effective practice!

1. Subject and Predicate

• basic structure
• compound subject and predicate
• types of sentences according to function

The most important word of the subject is called the headword of the subject, which is always a noun.

In the following examples, the subject is highlighted and the predicate is italicized. The verb is italicized and in bold black, while the headword is underlined.

1. A dirty dish lay on the floor.

2. The brakes of the car were not working well even after the servicing.

3. The dog barked.

4. Something was worrying them yesterday.

The predicate may consist of just the finite verb and nothing else (see the third example). Similarly, the headword may be the complete subject (see the fourth example

Worksheets

A. Complete these sentences by adding either compound subjects or compound predicates.

1. _____________________  are playing in the field.

2. _____________________have gone home for lunch.

3. The seagulls on the beach _____________________

4. _____________________ are both going to Bhutan for a holiday.

5. The Pathaks and the Singhs _____________________

6. Would _____________________ like to _____________________ ?

7. _____________________ want to go on a cycling trip.

8. All the animals in the sanctuary _____________________ .

2. Pronouns

Kinds of pronouns

• personal pronouns-uses of ‘it’;
• use of they, them, their
• demonstrative pronouns
• possessive pronouns and
• possessive adjectives
• interrogative pronouns
• reflexive pronouns
• emphasizing pronouns
• reciprocal pronouns
• indefinite pronouns
• relative pronouns-defining
• and non-defining

A pronoun is a word that is used instead of a noun or noun phrase.

For example: he, it, she, hers, me, them, etc.” – ALD by A S Hornby

1. Who does your project for you?

2. Would you like to work on my projects with me?

3. Who is that person sitting on the bench?

4. He is the new manager. I have asked him who he is

The words that are used in the above sentences are different kinds of pronouns

Worksheets

A. Read the following sentences and tell whether the relative clause used in each

is a defining or a non-defining relative clause.

1. The story which I heard from her was published in all the dailies.

2. My television, which was in the far corner of the room, toppled over.

3. All the boys, who climbed to the very top of the hill, were rewarded.

4. The attacker, who threatened me with a gun, was arrested by the police.

5. The ball, which I threw, was caught by my dog.

6. The children who could read the story and write their name were admitted to the school.

3. Primary Auxiliaries and Modals

• primary auxiliaries
• modal auxiliaries

“An auxiliary verb is a verb such as ‘be’, ‘do’, and ‘have’ used with main verbs to show tense, etc, and to form questions and negatives.” – ALD by A S Hornby

These verbs, often, cannot stand on their own. 

It is impossible to frame meaningful sentences without using helping, or auxiliary, verbs.

 For example,

• The car is speeding.
• They are practicing on the ground.
• Sheetal will go to the library tomorrow.

Worksheets

A. Rewrite the sentences with the correct form of the words given in the brackets.

1. We are allowed to go home early. (can)

2. Can I use your pencil for a second? (allowed)

3. One isn’t allowed to enter the restaurant with food from outside. (can’t)

4. One isn’t allowed to use cell phones on an aeroplane. (can’t)

5. We can’t take food for the animals in the zoo. (allowed)

6. You can start writing your exams now. (allowed)

4. Non-finite verbs

• difference between finite and
• non-finite verbs

The Infinitive

• form
• function

The Gerund

• form
• function
• comparison between infinitive and gerund

The Participle

• present participle
• comparison between gerund
• and present participle
• past participle

Infinitive

Form

The infinitive is the base form of a verb, preceded by to.

Infinitive structure: to + verb (base form)

For example,

• I want to meet him.

Gerund

Form

The gerund is the ing form of a verb that functions as a noun.

Gerund structure:  Verb(Base form) + ing (used as a noun)

For example,

• I enjoy sailing.

Participles

A participle is a word formed from a verb which can be used as an adjective. There are three types of participles-present participle (ending in ing), the past participle (usually ending in ed, d, t, en, or n), and perfect participle (having + past participle).

Worksheets

A. Determine whether the ing forms of the verbs in these sentences are gerunds (G) or participles (P).

1. The drowning man is still trying to swim. (G/P)

2. Will you be going rafting when you visit Rishikesh? (G/P)

3. I love reading and swimming. (G/P)

4. Growing interest rates can result in the number of loans falling. (G/P)

5. Spending time with one’s family is very relaxing. (G/P)

6. Let’s go fishing this weekend. (G/P)

7. Crying helps us release stress, sometimes. (G/P)

8. Seeing the heaving crocodile snapping its jaws at him, the man started screaming. (G/P)

9. Sheltering thieving juveniles causes harm to one and all. (G/P)

5. Adjectives-Comparison

• kinds of adjectives
• position of adjectives
• order of adjectives of quality
• comparison
• construction of comparative and superlative forms

An adjective is said to be positive if used merely to describe a noun, comparative if used for the comparison between two nouns, and superlative if it highlights the highest degree of quality among the nouns.

For example,

Positive: This flower is beautiful. (No comparison, just describing the noun)

Comparative: This flower is more beautiful than that one. (Comparison between two nouns)

Superlative: This is the most beautiful flower in the garden. (Comparison showing the highest degree among two or more nouns)

Worksheets

A. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the adjectives given within brackets. Don’t forget to write the appropriate articles, if they are needed.

1. Mridula has a (tidy) _______ room than her sister.

2. Australia is (big) _______ than England.

3. Serena is a (good) _______ tennis player than Venus.

4. Savita’s got (few) _______ friends than you, but that doesn’t matter.

5. Quite a few people think that Japanese is (difficult) _______ language to learn.

6. The Mohun Bagan Football Club played (bad) _______ than the East Bengal Football Club yesterday.

7. Cats are not (intelligent) _______  than dogs.

8. Trigonometry is (difficult) _______ than Geometry.

9. _______ (hot) desert of all is the Sahara, and it’s in Africa.

10. Who is (talkative) _______ person in your family?

6. Adverbs

• kinds of adverbs
• use of adverbs
• same form used as adjective
• and adverb
• position of adverbs
• order of adverbs
• degrees of comparison

“An adverb is a word that adds more information about place, time, circumstance, manner, cause, degree, etc to a verb, an adjective, a phrase, or another adverb: In ‘speak kindly‘, ‘incredibly deep‘, ‘just in time‘ and ‘too quickly‘, ‘kindly‘, ‘incredibly‘, ‘just‘ and ‘too‘ are all adverbs.” – OALD by A S Hornby

1. Kinds of adverbs

The different kinds of adverbs are

• Adverbs of Manner: well, slowly, fast, nicely, cleverly, etc.
• Adverbs of Time: now, then, soon, still, tomorrow, yet, etc.
• Adverbs of Place: here, there, near, up, off, by, down, etc.
• Adverbs of Frequency: often, sometimes, always, never, usually, occasionally, rarely, etc.
• Adverbs of Degree: very, so, too, rather, hardly, fairly, etc.
• Sentence Adverbs: surely, frankly, obviously, certainly, luckily, fortunately, definitely, etc.
• Interrogative Adverbs: when, why, where, how, etc.

Worksheets

A. Place the adverbs in their usual position in the following sentences.

1. He was sorry, (extremely)

2. They are scared. (understandably)

3. I have not met him. (lately)

4. You have been punished. (justly)

3. You have written all the answers. (incorrectly)

6. Don’t go back. (any further)

7. She doesn’t sing nowadays. (much)

8. You are speaking. (too fast)

9. They are going. (abroad)

10. I have put the keys. (somewhere)

7. The Tenses

The Simple Present Tense

• uses
• structure

The Present Continuous Tense

• uses
• structure

The Present Perfect Tense

• uses
• structure

The Present Perfect Continuous Tense

• uses
• structure

The Simple Past Tense

• uses
• structure

The Past Continuous Tense

• uses
• structure

The Past Perfect Tense

• uses
• structure

The Past Perfect Continuous Tense

• uses
• structure

The Simple Future Tense

• uses
• structure

The Future Continuous Tense

• uses
• structure

The Future Perfect Tense

• uses
• structure

The Future Perfect Continuous Tense

• uses
• structure

Tense is a grammatical concept that expresses the timing of an action, event, or state in a sentence. It helps determine whether something occurs in the past, present, or future.

Tenses are generally divided into three main categories:

A. Present Tense

1. Simple present tense
2. Present continuous tense
3. Present perfect tense
4. Present perfect continuous tense

B. Past tense

1. Simple past tense
2. Past continuous tense
3. Past perfect tense
4. Present perfect continuous tense

C. Future tense

1. Simple future tense
2. Future continuous tense
3. Future perfect tense
4. Future perfect continuous tense

The Simple Present Tense

Positive Form: Subject + the first form of the verb + the rest of the predicate

Negative Form: Subject + does not/do not + the first form of the verb + the rest of the predicate

Interrogative Form: Does/Do + Subject + the first form of the verb + the rest of the predicate

Negative-Interrogative Form: Does/Do + Subject + not + the first form of the verb + the rest of the predicate

Worksheets

A. Complete the sentences with the past perfect form of the words given in the brackets.

1. The children _________ (not, do) their homework, so they were in trouble.

2. They a _________(not, cat) all day so we went to a restaurant.

3. I _________ (not, have) breakfast when he arrived.

4. He _________ (not, use) email before, so I taught him how to use it.

5. You _________ (not, study) for the test, so you were very nervous.

6. When I arrived at the cinema, the film _________ (start).

7. She _________ (live) in China for a year before she went to live in Thailand.

8. After they _________ (cat) the shellfish, they began to feel sick.

9. If you _________ (listen) to me, you would have got the job.

10. Julie didn’t arrive until after I _________ (leave)

8. Clauses

• clause structure

Types of Clauses

• principal clause
• subordinate clause
• coordinate clause
• noun clause
• adjective clause
• adverb clause

Clauses comprise a noun phrase and a verb phrase. 

For example,

Types of Clauses

Clauses are of three kinds:

1. Principal Clause

A principal clause (also called a main clause, or an independent clause) has a finite verb with a subject and conveys complete sense, i.e., it can stand on its own.

2. Subordinate Clause

A subordinate clause (also called a dependent clause) has a finite verb with a subject but does not convey complete sense on its own. It can, thus, never be a sentence in itself and makes sense only when it is subordinated to an appropriate principal clause.

Worksheets

A. Mark the clauses as main clause (MC), subordinate clause (SC) and coordinate clause (CC) in these sentences.

1. Priya had a nice basket full of fruits which I like most.

2. I wanted to play Scrabble, but my sister was keen on playing Monopoly.

3. Debu likes music that is composed by AR Rahman.

4. The lady who is wearing a black dress is my aunt.

5. Use the washing machine carefully, as I showed you yesterday.

6. Ravi has a car but prefers to travel by bus.

7. Rinku left for Gujarat last month, and she has not returned since.

8. The boy who came yesterday was Monu’s brother.

9. The train will leave when the green signal is given.

10. He tried and tried again till he succeeded.

9. Conjunctions

• coordinating conjunctions
• subordinating conjunctions
• correlative conjunctions

A conjunction is a word that is used to join two words, two phrases, or two sentences together.

Conjunctions are of three kinds:

1. Coordinating conjunctions
2. Subordinating conjunctions
3. Correlative conjunctions

1. Coordinating conjunctions

Coordinating Conjunctions join two independent clauses. There are seven coordinating conjunctions. These are – for, and, nor, but, or, yet and so. An easy way to remember all seven is to remember the acronym: FANBOYS.

For example,

• Rashi doesn’t eat junk food, for she’s afraid of falling sick. (because)
• He picked up his racquet and went out to practice. (in addition to)
• Nikhil isn’t fond of cricket nor does he enjoy playing basketball. (and not)
• I tried calling her over several times, but she just didn’t respond. (contrast)
• You need to improve your attendance or face the music. (showing choice, alternative, or advice)
• Timothy is such a nice person, yet no one seems to like him. (despite something)
• Yami hadn’t heard from her brother for a while, so she decided to pay him a visit. (reason)

Worksheets

A. Combine these pairs of sentences using suitable coordinating conjunctions.

1. Gagandeep helps people in need. When he needs help, no one comes forward.

2. Farah does not like cooking. She does not like eating.

3. Tara’s brother likes to cook. Their mother does not allow him to.

4. The parrot puffed up its feathers. It began to sing.

5. Debodeep has to make up his mind. He will have to continue to suffer.

10. Prepositions

• position of prepositions
• use of prepositions after a verb with two objects
• use of prepositions to express time
• use of prepositions to express movement
• use of prepositions for place
• use of prepositions for tools, agency, description
• use of prepositions after adjectives
• use of prepositions after verbs
• use of prepositions after nouns
• prepositional phrases

Prepositions are words which are normally used before nouns, pronouns, or gerunds (i.e., -ing forms of verbs functioning as nouns). 

For example,

• He fell off a ladder.
• I have read the chapter on modals.
• They are deaf to my requests for help.
• Give the book to me.
• Water collects in the water bodies during rains.

Worksheets

A. Fill in the blanks with the correct prepositions.

1. Sugar dissolves ________ water.

2. You have to put more effort ________ your work.

3. There’s a signboard ________ either end of the road.

4. The report is silent ________ the main issue.

5. Your article is full ________ silly errors.

6. We listen to the news ________ the radio.

7. The house is infested ________ mosquitos.

8. Political parties are hungry ________ power.

9. He left ________ a hurry.

10. I’ll be back ________ fifteen minutes.

11. Simple, Compound and Complex Sentences

• types of sentences according
• to clause type
• simple sentences
• complex sentences
• compound sentences

Types of Sentences According to Structure

Based on the clauses they contain, sentences are generally of three types.

1. Simple sentences
2. Compound sentences
3. Complex sentences

For example,

• The eagle flew high into the sky. (Simple sentence)
• Ravi stood up angrily and stomped out of the room. (Compound sentence) 
• The man who is wearing a red shirt is my brother. (Complex sentence)

Worksheets

A. Identify these sentences as simple (S), compound (Co) or complex (Cx).

1. What goes up, comes down.

2. Go to the shop and buy some fruit.

3. What you see is what you get.

4. Have you seen or heard from Hari recently?

5. The big brown dog ran after the blue and red ball.

6. On reaching the shop, don’t forget to buy some fruit.

7. Before the queen rode in the parade, she gave a speech.

8. James and Tina rode their bicycles after they ate lunch.

9. You, not I, have to be at the station at five in the morning.

10. We have to go to bed when the clock chimes ten o’clock.

12. Subject-Verb Agreement

• rules for subject-verb agreement

A verb should agree with its subject in number and person. In other words, a singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb. If a subject is a noun phrase with more than one noun, the verb should agree with the noun that is the real subject or the headword. 

For example,

• The main objective of all my efforts is to help him.

                    subject (noun phrase)                   predicate

The headword in the noun phrase is ‘objective’, which is singular, that’s why the verb (is) used here is singular.

• All my plans to start a new school have failed.

                      subject (noun phrase)            predicate

The headword in the noun phrase is ‘plans’ which is plural, that’s why the verb (have) used here is plural.

Worksheets

A. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verbs given in brackets.

1. The team _____ good players. (need)

2. Fifteen students _____ the club (compose)

3. Many a caged bird _____ the longer. (live)

4. The leader as well as his followers _____ confident. (sound)

5. Both positive and negative feedback _____ asked for. (be)

6. The explosion of bombs _____ loud. (be)

7. None of the players _____ hit a century, (have)

8. Much pains _____ already been taken. (have)

9. The crowd _____ waving hands. (be)

10. The police _____ arrested the thief. (have)

13. Articles

• use of indefinite articles
• use of definite article

14. Active and Passive Voice

• structure
• rules for transformation from active to passive
• uses of passive voice

15. Direct and Indirect Speech

• Rules for Conversion
• in assertive sentences
• in imperative sentences
• in interrogative sentences

16. Conditional Clauses

• zero conditional
• first conditional
• second conditional
• third conditional

17. Transformation of Sentences

• by changing individual words
• by changing the degree of comparison
• by using antonyms and ‘not’
• by changing from positive to negative and vice versa
• by changing type of sentence according to function
• by changing voice
• by changing from direct to indirect speech and vice versa
• by changing type of sentence according to clause

18. Synthesis of Sentences

• joining two or more simple sentences to form a simple sentence
• joining two or more simple sentences to form a complex sentence
• joining two or more simple sentences to form a compound sentence

19. Capital Letters and Punctuation

• rules for using capital letters
• terminal punctuation marks
• mid-sentence punctuation marks
• miscellaneous punctuation marks

20. Integrated Grammar Practice

21. Vocabulary

• Onomatopoeia
• Personification
• Oxymoron
• Prefixes and Suffixes
• Phrasal Verbs
• Nominalisation

22. Comprehension

• Oliver Asks for
• Invitations and
• Born Again
• A Winter Night
• The Young Diarist
• The Thief

23. Composition

• Descriptive Essay
• Writing an email
• Narrative Essay
• Letter to the Editor
• Informal Letter
• Picture Composition 
• Film Review
• Precis Writing
• Writing Reports
• Advertisement
• Replies Display

Grammar Game (Revision)

FAQs on Class 8 English Grammar 

1. What are the 8 rules of grammar?

Ans:

• Use the Correct Subject-Verb Agreement – Singular subjects take singular verbs; plural subjects take plural verbs.
• Use Proper Tenses – Match tense with time reference in sentences.
• Use Correct Sentence Structure – Ensure the right word order (Subject + Verb + Object).
• Punctuate Properly – Commas, periods, question marks, etc., should be used correctly.
• Use Correct Pronouns – Match pronouns with their antecedents properly.
• Avoid Double Negatives – Example: I don’t know nothing ❌ (Incorrect), I don’t know anything ✅ (Correct).
• Use Articles Correctly – A, An, and The should be used appropriately.
• Ensure Parallelism – Similar elements in a sentence should follow the same grammatical form.