8th Grade ELA Quiz: Spell Correctly

What this quiz covers

This quiz focuses on Spell Correctly, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for 8th Grade ELA.

How to use this quiz

Try each quiz question before looking at the correct answer. Use the explanations to review missed ideas, then come back to similar questions until the pattern feels familiar.

Question 1

1. Your
2. You're (correct answer)
3. Yours
4. Youre

Explanation: The blank needs a word meaning "you are," since the sentence works as "You are responsible for turning in the permission slip." The contraction "You're" spells this correctly with an apostrophe replacing the missing letter in "are." "Your" is the possessive form (as in "your slip"), which shows ownership rather than meaning "you are," so it does not fit here. "Yours" is also possessive (as in "the choice is yours") and stands alone without a following noun, so it cannot mean "you are" either. "Youre" would be the right sounds but is missing its apostrophe, so it is not a correctly spelled word. A quick test: if you can replace the word with "you are," choose "You're."

Question 2

1. it's
2. its (correct answer)
3. its'
4. it is

Explanation: The sentence needs a word showing that the signal belongs to the robot, so you need the possessive form "its" (no apostrophe). Think of it like "his" or "her"—possessive pronouns don't use apostrophes. The choice "it's" is the contraction for "it is," which would make the sentence read "the robot lost it is signal"—that doesn't work here. The choice "it is" is the full two-word phrase that "it's" stands for, and it fails for the same reason: "the robot lost it is signal" is not a sentence. The choice "its'" puts an apostrophe after the s, but the possessive "its" never takes an apostrophe in any position. To decide between these, test the meaning: if you can replace the word with "it is" and the sentence still makes sense, use "it's"; if the word shows ownership, use "its."

Question 3

1. misspell (correct answer)
2. mispell
3. misspel
4. mispel

Explanation: The prefix "mis-" attaches to the base word "spell" without dropping any letters, so both the "s" from the prefix and the "s" that begins "spell" stay, and the double "l" of "spell" stays too. That gives "misspell," which fits the "-ing" blank to make "misspelling." "Mispell" is wrong because it drops one of the two "s" letters where the prefix meets the base word. "Misspel" is wrong because it keeps the double "s" but drops an "l" from "spell." "Mispel" is wrong because it drops both an "s" and an "l," so neither the prefix nor the base word is spelled fully. Only "misspell" keeps every letter of the prefix and the base word.

Question 4

1. coach
2. embarassed (correct answer)
3. forgot
4. uniforms

Explanation: Tests spelling grade-appropriate words correctly, including homophones (their/there/they're), commonly confused words (affect/effect), words with silent letters (knight), double letters (necessary), and academic vocabulary (analyze, separate). Academic words have specific spellings to memorize: definitely (not definately), separate (not seperate), analyze (not analise), privilege (not priviledge). The word "embarrassed" correctly has double r and double s (em-barr-ass-ed). Common misspelling "embarassed" omits one r. The correct answer B identifies "embarassed" as the misspelled word—it should be "embarrassed" with double r. Options A "coach," C "forgot," and D "uniforms" are all spelled correctly in the sentence. Common error patterns include omitting double letters in words like embarrassed, occurred, and necessary. For double letters, learn specific words (occurred, beginning, necessary, embarrassed—no rule covers all, must memorize).

Question 5

1. affect (correct answer)
2. effect
3. affects
4. affecting

Explanation: The blank needs a base-form verb meaning "to influence," and "affect" fits perfectly: "How will this rule affect the outcome?" The word "effect" is almost always a noun meaning "a result," so it can't act as the verb the sentence needs. "Affects" has the right meaning but the wrong form—after a helping verb like "will," you use the base form "affect," not the -s form used with a single present-tense subject like "it." "Affecting" also has the right meaning but the wrong form—the -ing form can't follow "will" by itself; you'd need "will be affecting," which changes the sentence. Only "affect" gives you the correct meaning and the correct base form after "will."

Question 6

1. analise
2. analyze (correct answer)
3. analyse
4. analize

Explanation: The correct American English spelling is 'analyze,' with a 'y' in the middle and a 'z' before the ending. Think of the related words 'paralyze' and 'catalyze,' which follow the same '-yze' pattern. The spelling 'analise' is wrong because it uses an 's' and swaps in an 'i' where the 'y' belongs. The spelling 'analyse' keeps the correct 'y' but ends in 's' instead of 'z'—that is the British spelling, not the American spelling asked for here. The spelling 'analize' also fails because it replaces the 'y' with an 'i,' even though it does end in 'z.' Each wrong choice keeps just enough of the right shape to look tempting, but only 'analyze' has both the 'y' and the 'z' that American English requires. When you meet an academic word like this, break it into parts—an-a-lyze—and picture the letters as you spell it.

Question 7

1. their
2. there (correct answer)
3. they're
4. theirs

Explanation: The sentence needs a word showing WHERE to put the laptops: 'over there' points to a location. 'There' is the spelling used for place or position, so it is correct. 'Their' shows ownership (their laptops) and names no place, so 'over their' is wrong. 'They're' is short for 'they are'; reading 'put the laptops over they are' shows it does not fit. 'Theirs' is a possessive pronoun that replaces something owned ('the blue one is theirs'), so it also cannot signal a location after 'over.' To choose among these sound-alikes, decide the meaning you need—location, ownership, or a contraction—then pick the matching spelling. Since 'over  ' calls for a place, 'there' is the only word that works.

Question 8

1. You're (correct answer)
2. Your
3. You'll
4. Youre

Explanation: The blank needs the meaning "you are," and the contraction for that is "You're" with an apostrophe standing in for the missing letter. "Your" is a possessive, as in "your slip," so it cannot replace "you are" and leave a complete sentence. "You'll" is the contraction of "you will," which changes the meaning to a future action rather than stating who is responsible right now. "Youre" would be a contraction of "you are," but it is missing the apostrophe, so it is simply misspelled. Only "You're" fits both the meaning and the correct spelling.

Question 9

1. classe
2. presentaton
3. embarrassed (correct answer)
4. would'nt

Explanation: In the sentence, the word "embarrased" is spelled wrong—the correct spelling is "embarrassed," with double r and double s (em-barr-ass-ed). Since it is the only misspelled word in the sentence, its corrected form is the answer. The choice "embarrassed" fixes that error, so it is correct. The choice "classe" is wrong because the sentence already spells "class" correctly; adding an extra e creates a new error rather than correcting the sentence. The choice "presentaton" is wrong because "presentation" is spelled correctly in the sentence, and dropping the i here misspells a word that was actually fine. The choice "would'nt" is wrong because the sentence's "wouldn’t" is already correct; the apostrophe belongs before the t (wouldn’t), not before the n. Only "embarrased" needed fixing, and only "embarrassed" spells it right. Double letters like these must be memorized, since no single rule covers every word (embarrassed, occurred, necessary, beginning).

Question 10

1. too
2. two (correct answer)
3. to
4. tue

Explanation: The blank names how many chapters are left, so you need the number word "two." The word "too" means "also" or "excessively," which does not fit a count of chapters. The word "to" is a preposition or part of an infinitive, so it cannot tell how many. The spelling "tue" is not a real English word at all, so it is simply a misspelling and never correct. Only "two" is both a real word and the one that fits the meaning of the sentence.

Question 11

1. accept
2. except (correct answer)
3. expect
4. access

Explanation: The sentence says that one person in the group did NOT do something everyone else did, so it needs a word meaning "but not" or "excluding." That word is "except," a preposition that leaves Jordan out of the group who remembered. "Accept" is a verb meaning to receive or agree to something (I accept your gift); the sentence isn't about receiving anything, so it doesn't fit. "Expect" is a verb meaning to look forward to or predict something (I expect rain today); it can't connect "Everyone" to "Jordan" as an exclusion. "Access" means to reach or get into something, or the ability to do so (access the files); it doesn't signal that Jordan is the exception. Each wrong word is spelled correctly but has the wrong meaning for this sentence—only "except" shows that Jordan is the one person left out.

Question 12

1. skedule
2. schedule (correct answer)
3. schedual
4. shedule

Explanation: The correct spelling is "schedule," which begins with the sch- letter combination and ends in -ule. Even though it can sound like "sk" at the start, the standard spelling keeps the c after the s and h. The choice "skedule" is wrong because it spells the beginning the way it sounds, using a k instead of the sch- combination. The choice "schedual" is wrong because it swaps the order of the last two letters, writing -ual instead of -ule. The choice "shedule" is wrong because it drops the c entirely, leaving only sh- at the start. When you know a word starts with sch- like school, scheme, and scholar, keep all three letters, and remember the ending is -ule, not -ual.

Question 13

1. too
2. two (correct answer)
3. to
4. tow

Explanation: The blank tells how many extra pencils you brought, and the word for the number 2 is "two," so that is the correct choice. "Too" sounds the same but means "also" or "more than enough," which does not name a quantity here. "To" is also a homophone, but it works as a preposition ("to school") or before a verb ("to write"), not as a number. "Tow" sounds nearly the same and means to pull something, like a truck towing a car, so it cannot describe a count of pencils. All four words sound similar, so you have to know their meanings to pick the one that names a number.

Question 14

1. accept
2. except (correct answer)
3. expect
4. excerpt

Explanation: The sentence means everyone other than Maya remembered a pencil, and the word meaning "but" or "other than" is "except," so that is the correct choice. "Accept" is a verb meaning to receive or agree to something, which does not fit the "other than" meaning the sentence needs. "Expect" means to anticipate that something will happen, so it also does not signal that Maya was left out. "Excerpt" means a short passage taken from a longer piece of writing, and it is a noun, so it cannot connect "Everyone" to the rest of the sentence. Only "except" shows that Maya is the exception to the group who remembered pencils.

Question 15

1. effect
2. affect (correct answer)
3. effects
4. affects

Explanation: The sentence needs a verb meaning 'to influence': How will this new rule   the outcome? The correct choice is 'affect,' the base-form verb that follows the helping word 'will' and means to have an impact on something. 'Effect' is a noun meaning a result, so it can't do the action the sentence calls for. 'Effects' is just the plural noun and has the same problem—you can't say a rule will 'effects' an outcome. 'Affects' is close because it comes from the right verb, but after 'will' you always use the base form, so 'will affect' is correct while 'will affects' is not. A quick trick: Affect = Action (verb), Effect = End result (noun). Since the rule is doing something to the outcome, you need the action word 'affect.'

Question 16

1. their
2. they're
3. there (correct answer)
4. theyr

Explanation: The blank comes right after "over," which points to a place, so you need the word that means a location: "there." Think of the phrase "over there"—it tells where the notebooks should go. "Their" is the possessive form, used to show ownership like "their notebooks," but nothing here belongs to anyone, so it doesn't fit. "They're" is the contraction for "they are," and if you read it back—"put the notebooks over they are on the back table"—it makes no sense. "Theyr" looks close to "they're" but is missing letters and an apostrophe; it isn't a real spelling of any word. When homophones sound alike, decide the meaning you need first: ownership means "their," "they are" means "they're," and a place means "there." Since this sentence names where to set the notebooks, "there" is the correct choice.

Question 17

1. their
2. there (correct answer)
3. they're
4. theirs

Explanation: The blank follows "over," which points to a place or location, so you need "there" (as in "over there"). The word "their" is the possessive form used before a noun to show ownership, like "their books," but nothing here belongs to anyone, so it doesn't fit. The word "they're" is a contraction meaning "they are," so the sentence would read "over they are on the return cart," which makes no sense. The word "theirs" is a possessive pronoun that stands alone to show ownership, like "the books are theirs," but again no ownership is being shown here. When you meet homophones like these, decide the meaning you need first: location (there), ownership before a noun (their), ownership standing alone (theirs), or "they are" (they're). Since the sentence names a location, "there" is the only correct choice.

Question 18

1. effect
2. affect (correct answer)
3. affected
4. effected

Explanation: The blank follows "will," so the sentence needs a present-tense verb that means "to influence." That word is "affect"—as in, the new rule will change or influence the outcome. "Effect" is a noun meaning a result or consequence ("The effect was surprising"), so it can't act as the verb this sentence requires. "Affected" is the correct verb, but it's the past-tense form; after "will" you need the base form "affect," not "affected." "Effected" is a real verb meaning "brought about" or "caused to happen," but it doesn't fit here—the rule isn't creating the outcome from nothing, it's influencing an outcome that already exists. A quick check: affect = verb (to influence), effect = noun (a result), and "will  " always signals you need a base-form verb.

Question 19

1. You're (correct answer)
2. Your
3. Youre
4. Yours

Explanation: The blank means "you are responsible," so you need the contraction of "you are." Try substituting "you are" into the sentence: "You are responsible for turning in the permission slip" makes sense, which confirms you need "You're" (the apostrophe replaces the missing letter in "are"). The possessive spelling shows something belongs to you, like "your slip" or "your class," but the sentence is not describing something you own, so that spelling does not fit here. The version without an apostrophe looks close, but a contraction always needs an apostrophe to stand for the dropped letters, so it is a misspelling. The other possessive spelling stands alone to show ownership, as in "the choice is yours," and cannot come before a describing word like "responsible." Whenever these homophones confuse you, check whether "you are" fits: if it does, choose "You're."

Question 20

1. psycology
2. psychology (correct answer)
3. sychology
4. psycholagy

Explanation: The correct spelling is "psychology." This word comes from Greek and starts with a silent p followed by s (psy-chol-o-gy). It keeps both the silent p and the h after psyc, and ends in -ogy. The choice "psycology" drops the h after psyc, breaking the psych- pattern seen in words like psychiatry and psychic. The choice "sychology" leaves off the initial silent p entirely, so it no longer follows the ps- spelling pattern. The choice "psycholagy" swaps the correct o for an a in the ending, giving -agy instead of the standard -ogy. When you are unsure about academic words with silent letters, remember common ps- words and check a dictionary to confirm the spelling.