8th grade direct and indirect objects worksheets

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At grade 8 the sheet uses four labels. A direct object receives the action of the verb. An indirect object names who gets the direct object and sits in front of it with no preposition. An object of a preposition follows to, for, on, or another preposition. A subject complement follows a linking verb and renames or describes the subject.

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The kind of sentences you'll fix

Write what the quoted word is in each sentence. Choose from the words in parentheses.

  1. The mayor thanked the volunteers who had cleaned up the riverbank. “volunteers” is the (direct object / indirect object / object of a preposition / subject complement).

    Fixed: The mayor thanked the volunteers who had cleaned up the riverbank. “volunteers” is the direct object.

  2. The referee handed the captain a yellow card for arguing. “captain” is the (direct object / indirect object / object of a preposition / subject complement).
  3. My grandmother sewed my sister a quilt from scraps of old shirts. “quilt” is the (direct object / indirect object / object of a preposition / subject complement).

Every print pulls a new set of sentences at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different mix.

What's on an 8th grade sheet

8th grade sheets draw from 52 sentences, 7 to a page. None of these sentences are on 7th grade sheets. 7th grade sheets print 8 to a page.

A few of the sentences:

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

How to teach this

Start every sentence by finding the verb and asking one question: does it show an action, or does it link? If it links (is, was, became, seemed), the word after it is a subject complement and you are done. If it shows an action, ask what, then ask whether a person sits between the verb and that answer. The paired items help here: the same person shows up as an indirect object in one sentence and inside a to phrase in another, so students see the label change while the meaning stays put.

Watch for: A noun after to or for is never an indirect object. Gave the pass to Omar has a direct object (pass) and a prepositional phrase. A word after is, was, became, or seemed is not a direct object. Nothing is being done to it; it renames or describes the subject. A direct object can be a person. In the principal praised the actors, the actors receive the praise, so they are the direct object.

Common questions about 8th grade direct and indirect objects

What is a subject complement?
A word after a linking verb that renames or describes the subject. In Rosa is our captain, captain renames Rosa. In the soup tasted salty, salty describes the soup. Neither one receives an action, so neither is an object.
Why is object of a preposition one of the answers?
Because it is the mix-up students make most. She sent the office a form and she sent a form to the office mean the same thing, but only the first has an indirect object. Offering the label makes students look for the to.
Is this on the standards?
Not as its own CCSS code. It is the conventional grammar behind pronoun case, such as between you and me or it was she, which eighth graders practice under L.8.1.

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Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated September 2026.

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