Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grade 8 Language standards 1 and 3 here for specific expectations.)
Common Core State Standards, Grade 8, Speaking & Listening · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026
What SL.8.6 Means in Plain English
Eighth graders hear the difference between telling a friend “we need a later bus” and asking the school board for one, and switch. Formal speech means full sentences, no slang, and the grammar of L.8.1 and L.8.3: “If the bus were later,” verbs that name who acts.
The wording is the same in seventh grade (SL.7.6) and in grades 9 and 10 (SL.9-10.6). What changes is the grammar it points to: clauses and concise wording in seventh grade, voice and mood in eighth, and parallel structure in grades 9 and 10.
SL.8.6 I Can Statements
I can tell when a setting calls for formal English.
I can turn a casual request into a formal one without slang.
I can use voice and mood correctly when I speak formally.
SL.8.6 Worked Example
The same request at a school board meeting, said twice. The first would be fine at lunch; the second fits the room.
Prompt
You have two minutes during public comment at the school board meeting. Ask the board to add a 4:30 late bus for students in after-school clubs.
Not YetHey, so basically the late bus thing is kind of a mess. Like, half of robotics just gets stuck here, and nobody does anything about it. You guys should totally add one, it’d be super easy.Slang (basically, like, totally, you guys), a vague “thing” and a complaint where a request should be. Fine at lunch, but in front of the board it sounds unprepared and a little rude.
Meets the StandardGood evening. My name is Ana Reyes, and I’m an eighth grader at Lincoln Middle School. I’m asking the board to add a 4:30 late bus. Right now, eighteen students in robotics and drama wait up to an hour for a ride home. If there were a late bus, those students could stay for the whole club meeting. I recommend that the board try it for one semester. Thank you for your time.It greets the board, introduces the speaker and makes one clear request with numbers behind it. The subjunctive appears twice (“If there were,” “that the board try”), and every sentence is complete.
Moves to Use
Decide who is listening and what the setting expects before you speak.Open by greeting the audience and saying who you are.Swap slang and fillers for exact words: “a 4:30 late bus,” not “the bus thing.”Use the subjunctive for a formal request or a what-if: “that the board try,” “if there were.”
Common Mistakes with SL.8.6
One register for every room
A student speaks to the school board in the same voice they use at the lunch table
Try this: Have students say the same request three times, to a friend, a teacher and the principal, and name what changed.
Formal means fancy
“It is my utmost desire that the aforementioned bus be procured forthwith.”
Try this: Teach that formal English is complete and precise, not inflated, and cut any word the speaker couldn’t define on the spot.
Fillers that undo a formal start
“Good evening, board members. So, like, basically we need a bus.”
Try this: Record a 30-second practice run, count the fillers together, then rerun it with a pause wherever a filler was.
Random Name PickerFree ToolSpin for who speaks, then let the class call the setting: lunch table, classroom or school board. The student makes the same request to fit it.Next speakerWhole class