Identifying Infinitives Worksheet | Grade 8 Printable

This identifying infinitives worksheet provides targeted grammar practice to help middle school students recognize verbals in context. By analyzing ten distinct sentences, learners will develop the syntactic awareness necessary to distinguish between prepositional phrases and true infinitives, strengthening their overall writing and reading comprehension skills.

At a Glance

• Grade: 8 · Subject: ELA
• Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.1.A — Explain the function of verbals in sentences
• Skill Focus: Identifying infinitives
• Format: 1 page · 10 problems · Answer key included · PDF
• Best For: Independent grammar practice
• Time: 10–15 minutes

Inside this printable resource, educators will find a straightforward, single-page activity focused entirely on infinitive recognition. The worksheet features ten carefully crafted sentences where students must locate and underline the infinitive phrase. To increase the rigor, some sentences contain prepositional phrases starting with "to" but no true infinitives, requiring students to write "none" on the provided line. A complete answer key is included to ensure fast and accurate grading.

• Guided practice: Begin by reviewing the first two sentences together, modeling how to look for the word "to" followed immediately by a base verb.
• Supported practice: Have students complete the next three sentences in pairs, discussing tricky distractors like "to the concert" or "to me."
• Independent practice: Assign the final five problems for individual completion to assess mastery of the concept.

This gradual-release approach ensures students build confidence before tackling the I Do, We Do, You Do progression independently.

This resource is directly aligned to CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.1.A: Explain the function of verbals (gerunds, participles, infinitives) in general and their function in particular sentences. It also supports foundational grammar skills introduced in earlier grades regarding parts of speech. Both standard codes can be copied directly into lesson plans, IEP goals, or district curriculum mapping tools.

Deploy this worksheet as a focused warm-up activity before beginning a broader writing lesson on sentence variety. Alternatively, use it as a quick formative assessment during a grammar unit on verbals. While students work, circulate the room and observe whether they are confusing prepositional phrases (e.g., "to the store") with infinitives (e.g., "to run"). This targeted observation allows for immediate corrective feedback. Most students will complete the ten problems within a 10 to 15-minute timeframe.

This activity is designed primarily for eighth-grade language arts students, though it serves as an excellent review tool for high schoolers or an enrichment exercise for advanced sixth and seventh graders. For students requiring accommodations, consider highlighting the word "to" in each sentence beforehand to reduce visual tracking demands. Pair this worksheet with a direct instruction lesson on verbals or an anchor chart detailing the differences between gerunds, participles, and infinitives.

Mastering grammar concepts like those outlined in CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.1.A requires consistent, targeted practice where students must explain the function of verbals in sentences. According to an EdReports 2024 analysis of middle school language arts curricula, students who engage in isolated syntactic exercises before applying those skills to their own writing demonstrate a marked improvement in sentence complexity and reading comprehension. Identifying infinitives is a critical stepping stone toward advanced literacy, as it allows learners to manipulate sentence structures for varied rhetorical effects. By distinguishing true infinitives from prepositional phrases, students develop a more nuanced understanding of English mechanics. This foundational knowledge directly supports broader academic achievement across all subject areas, ensuring learners can articulate their ideas with precision and clarity in both spoken and written formats.