Grade 8 · Reading

8th grade Gerunds, participles and infinitives worksheet

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Gerunds, participles and infinitives

Grade 8 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.
1: Dancing lifts everyone's mood. 2: The dancing lights spun overhead. Kira compares two sentences that share one word. What job does the word “dancing” do in each?
- In 1: gerund. In 2: main verb.
- In 1: gerund. In 2: gerund.
- In 1: participle. In 2: gerund.
- In 1: gerund. In 2: participle.
2.
1: The melting ice dripped from the roof. 2: The sun is melting the ice on the roof. Luz compares two sentences that share one word. What job does the word “melting” do in each?
- In 1: main verb. In 2: participle.
- In 1: participle. In 2: participle.
- In 1: participle. In 2: gerund.
- In 1: participle. In 2: main verb.
3.
1: The waiting passengers stood in line. 2: Waiting for the ferry gave the passengers time to read. Noah compares two sentences that share one word. What job does the word “waiting” do in each?
- In 1: participle. In 2: gerund.
- In 1: participle. In 2: participle.
- In 1: gerund. In 2: participle.
- In 1: participle. In 2: main verb.
4.
Hoping [to finish before dark], the crew worked quickly. Pia finds a verbal phrase inside a longer sentence. What job does the bracketed phrase do, and which word does it work with?
- noun, the subject of “worked”
- adjective, describes “crew”
- noun, the object of “hoping”
- adverb, tells why “worked”
5.
The crew's plan [to repaint the fence] pleased the club. Ren finds a verbal phrase inside a longer sentence. What job does the bracketed phrase do, and which word does it work with?
- noun, the subject of “pleased”
- main verb, tells what the crew did
- adverb, tells why “pleased”
- adjective, describes “plan”
6.
The crew won praise for [fixing the broken swing] before noon. Zee finds a verbal phrase inside a longer sentence. What job does the bracketed phrase do, and which word does it work with?
- adjective, describes “praise”
- noun, the object of “for”
- noun, the object of “won”
- adverb, tells how “won”
7.
The crew repaired the swings. This pleased the whole town. Ari combines two sentences from a town newsletter. Which sentence joins them with a gerund phrase as the subject?
- The crew repaired the swings and pleased the whole town.
- Repairing the swings pleased the whole town.
- The crew, repairing the swings, pleased the whole town.
- To repair the swings pleased the whole town.
8.
The baker worked at dawn. The baker hummed an old tune. Bo combines two sentences from a bakery flyer. Which sentence joins them with a participial phrase that describes the baker?
- Humming an old tune, the baker worked at dawn.
- The baker worked at dawn to hum an old tune.
- Humming an old tune made the baker work at dawn.
- The baker worked at dawn and hummed an old tune.
9.
The scouts climbed the hill. They wanted a better view of the valley. Esme combines two sentences from a camp log. Which sentence joins them with an infinitive phrase that shows the purpose?
- The scouts climbed the hill to get a better view of the valley.
- Wanting a better view of the valley, the scouts climbed the hill.
- The scouts climbed the hill, and they wanted a better view of the valley.
- Climbing the hill gave the scouts a better view of the valley.
10.
The class cleaned the whole beach. The class earned a trophy. Jun combines two sentences from a class newsletter. Which sentence joins them with a gerund phrase after a preposition?
- The class earned a trophy to clean the whole beach.
- Cleaning the whole beach, the class earned a trophy.
- The class cleaned the whole beach and earned a trophy.
- The class earned a trophy for cleaning the whole beach.

8th grade Gerunds, participles and infinitives worksheet – printable — Print: 1 2 3 4 5 6

About this worksheet

Gerunds, participles and infinitives. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

I can tell a verbal (a verb form that is not the main verb) from the main verb in a sentence.
I can name a gerund, a participle and an infinitive, and say what job each one does: noun, adjective or adverb.
I can see that one word, like painting, can be a gerund in one sentence and a participle or a main verb in another.

Words to know

verbal: A verb form that does not work as the main verb; it works as a noun, an adjective or an adverb.

gerund: An -ing verb form that works as a noun, like Hiking in "Hiking is fun."

participle: An -ing or -ed verb form that works as an adjective, like frozen in "the frozen pond".

infinitive: The word to plus a verb, like to read. It can work as a noun, an adjective or an adverb.

verbal phrase: A verbal with the words that go with it, like "Painting the old fence".

main verb: The verb that tells what the subject does or is.

Common mistakes

When looking for a verbal, your child picked the main verb of the sentence. Ask whether the word shows the main action, or whether it is a verb form working as a noun or a describing word.

When looking for a verbal, your child picked a noun that ends like a verb form, such as morning or ceiling. Ask whether the word shows an action or only names a time or a thing.

When looking for a verbal, your child picked a plain describing word. Ask whether the word comes from an action, the way a verb form does.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with gerunds, participles and infinitives?

When looking for a verbal, your child picked the main verb of the sentence. Ask whether the word shows the main action, or whether it is a verb form working as a noun or a describing word.

Are these 8th grade reading worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.