Term pack

Year 9 English

Name: ________________________

Skills in this pack

Reading between the lines
Reading: why the writer wrote it
Agreement with a tricky subject
Phrases and clauses
Say, tell and other reporting verbs
Modals of obligation and probability
Tense in stories and in reports
Asking questions
Comparison structures
Commas with clauses
Quantifiers: how much and how many
Words that are easy to confuse

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Year 9 English · 1 of 12

Reading between the lines

Work out what a passage implies but does not state outright.

1.Read: "By the time the bell rang, only three answers were filled in. Ria kept glancing at the clock." What can you infer?
- a) Ria has run out of time.
- b) The clock was broken.
- c) Ria finished early.
- d) Ria was not in the examination hall.
2.Passage: "Ravi arrived with mud to his knees and a broken bat." Which of these is an inference rather than a stated fact?
- a) Ravi had been playing cricket on a wet field.
- b) Ravi's bat was broken.
- c) There was mud on Ravi's legs.
- d) Ravi arrived.
3.Passage: "Rain drummed on the tin roof. Kavi put down his book, fetched a bucket and placed it under the wet patch on the ceiling." Sort each statement.
Groups: Stated in the passage · Inferred from the passage
- It is raining.
- There is a wet patch on the ceiling.
- The roof is leaking.
- Kavi did not want water on the floor.
4.Read: "Every wall of the small room was covered with certificates and medals." What can you infer about the person who lives there?
- a) They have won many awards.
- b) They dislike sport.
- c) They collect stamps.
- d) They have just moved in.
5.Read: "Nobody answered the bell, and three days of newspapers lay on the step." What is the most likely explanation?
- a) Somebody is at home but asleep.
- b) Nobody has been home for days.
- c) The newspapers arrived this morning.
- d) The bell is broken.
6.Read: "Ammu looked at the empty chair beside her, where her sister always sat, and said nothing for the rest of the journey." What can you infer?
- a) She is angry with the driver.
- b) She is missing her sister.
- c) She has fallen asleep.
- d) She is excited about the trip.
7.Read: "The tickets were sold out within an hour of going on sale." What can you infer?
- a) The event was unpopular.
- b) The event was cancelled.
- c) The event was in great demand.
- d) The tickets were expensive.
8.Read: "She wiped her eyes quickly and turned to the window before anyone could see." Write one word for what she was hiding.

Reading between the lines · Year 9 English · www.arenapublications.com/learn

Year 9 English · 2 of 12

Reading: why the writer wrote it

Work out why a piece was written and who it was written for, and say what a particular sentence in it is doing.

1.Answer in one word. The lake piece says a plastic bag thrown into the lake stays there for a hundred years. Which single word does the piece itself use for that length of time?
2.Sort each piece of writing by why it was written.
Groups: To tell you how to do something · To make you agree or act · To explain how something works
- A leaflet asking you to give blood
- A page explaining why the sky looks blue
- The steps for mending a bicycle chain
- A poster urging people to save water
- An article on how a monsoon forms
- A recipe for lemon rice
3.The coriander piece reads: "To grow coriander on a windowsill, fill a shallow tray with loose soil. Scatter the seeds thinly and press them down with your palm. Water the tray until the soil is damp but not wet. Keep the tray where the morning sun reaches it, and cut the leaves when they are the length of your thumb." Which of these does it NOT tell you?
- a) How wet the soil should be.
- b) When to cut the leaves.
- c) How deep to plant the seeds.
- d) Where to keep the tray.
4.The lake piece ends: "The lake cannot clean itself." What is that last sentence doing?
- a) Describing the colour of the water.
- b) Telling the reader what time to arrive.
- c) Naming the people who will be there.
- d) Reminding the reader why their help is needed.
5.Sort each sentence from the lake piece by what kind of sentence it is. "The lake behind the school has shrunk to half its size in ten years. Every plastic bag thrown into it stays there for a century. On Sunday morning, twenty of us will meet at the east gate with gloves and sacks. Bring a friend. The lake cannot clean itself."
Groups: A statement · An instruction to the reader
- Every plastic bag thrown into it stays there for a century.
- Bring a friend.
- The lake behind the school has shrunk to half its size in ten years.
- On Sunday morning, twenty of us will meet at the east gate with gloves and sacks.
6.The coriander piece tells you to press the seeds down with your palm. Why is that there?
- a) To tell the reader exactly what to do at that step.
- b) To explain why seeds are small.
- c) To persuade the reader that coriander tastes good.
- d) To describe the writer's own hands.
7.Read this. "To grow coriander on a windowsill, fill a shallow tray with loose soil. Scatter the seeds thinly and press them down with your palm. Water the tray until the soil is damp but not wet. Keep the tray where the morning sun reaches it, and cut the leaves when they are the length of your thumb." Why was this written?
- a) To describe a garden the writer once saw.
- b) To tell the reader how to grow coriander.
- c) To argue that coriander is the best herb to grow.
- d) To warn the reader about damp soil.
8.In the lake piece — "The lake behind the school has shrunk to half its size in ten years. Every plastic bag thrown into it stays there for a century. On Sunday morning, twenty of us will meet at the east gate with gloves and sacks. Bring a friend. The lake cannot clean itself." — which sentence tells the reader to do something, rather than telling them something?
- a) Bring a friend.
- b) The lake behind the school has shrunk to half its size in ten years.
- c) Every plastic bag thrown into it stays there for a century.
- d) The lake cannot clean itself.

Reading: why the writer wrote it · Year 9 English · www.arenapublications.com/learn

Year 9 English · 3 of 12

Agreement with a tricky subject

Make the verb agree with its real subject, even when other words come in between.

1.Write "is" or "are": The bunch of keys ____ missing.
2.Mathematics ____ my favourite subject.
- a) were
- b) is
- c) are
- d) have
3.One of the windows ____ broken.
- a) are
- b) were
- c) have
- d) is
4.Neither the brothers nor Ravi ____ coming.
- a) have
- b) is
- c) are
- d) were
5.Match each subject to the verb that agrees with it.
- Each of the boys
- Both of the boys
- The tray of glasses
- The glasses on the tray
- have finished
- has finished
- are on the shelf
- is on the shelf
6.Sort each subject by the verb form it needs.
Groups: Takes a singular verb · Takes a plural verb
- Many students
- One of my friends
- Each of the girls
- Both of the girls
- Some of my friends
- Every student
7.The box of old books ____ on the floor.
- a) are
- b) is
- c) have
- d) were
8.Write "is" or "are": The keys to the cupboard ____ missing.

Agreement with a tricky subject · Year 9 English · www.arenapublications.com/learn

Year 9 English · 4 of 12

Phrases and clauses

Tell a phrase from a clause, and a main clause from a subordinate one.

1.Sort each group of words. A clause has its own subject and verb; a phrase does not.
Groups: Phrase · Clause
- a bunch of keys
- on the wooden table
- in the morning
- after we had eaten
- because she was late
- when the bell rang
2.How many clauses are there in "He ran fast, but he missed the bus"?
3.Sort each clause by whether it could stand alone as a sentence.
Groups: Main clause · Subordinate clause
- because it was locked
- she opened the box
- birds were singing
- the shop was closed
- although the door creaked
- when we arrived
4.In "We stayed indoors because it was raining", which part is the main clause?
- a) We stayed indoors
- b) because it was raining
- c) stayed indoors because
- d) it was raining
5.Match each term to its meaning.
- a phrase
- a main clause
- a subordinate clause
- a subject
- a predicate
- a clause that makes complete sense on its own
- what the clause says about its subject
- a clause that depends on another clause
- a group of words with no subject and verb of its own
- the person or thing the clause is about
6.Which group of words is a clause?
- a) after the rain stopped
- b) a crowded station platform
- c) under the old bridge
- d) with great difficulty
7.Which sentence contains two clauses?
- a) A basket of fresh fruit on the step.
- b) The boy won because he trained hard.
- c) Running quickly down the hill.
- d) The tall boy in the blue shirt won.
8.Sort each group of words by whether it contains a verb.
Groups: Contains a verb · Contains no verb
- a red umbrella
- under the bench
- we waited
- the birds flew
- he was sleeping
- very carefully

Phrases and clauses · Year 9 English · www.arenapublications.com/learn

Year 9 English · 5 of 12

Say, tell and other reporting verbs

Choose the reporting verb that says what the speaker was really doing, and know which of them must name the listener straight afterwards.

1.Which sentence is correct?
- a) She said me the answer.
- b) She told to me the answer.
- c) She told me the answer.
- d) She said me to wait.
2.Ravi can ____ three languages.
- a) tell
- b) speak
- c) talk
- d) say
3.Sort each verb by whether the listener can be named straight after it, with nothing in between.
Groups: Names the listener straight after · Needs "to" before the listener
- explain
- tell
- reply
- say
- inform
- remind
4.Which sentence uses "talk" correctly?
- a) I want to talk a story.
- b) I want to talk you.
- c) I want to talk to you about the trip.
- d) I want to talk three languages.
5.The guard ____ us not to touch the wires.
- a) said
- b) warned
- c) spoke
- d) talked
6.Write one word: "The teacher ____ us a story about her own school days."
7.Match each spoken line to the verb that reports best what the speaker was doing.
- "I am sorry — I broke it."
- "Do not go near the edge."
- "I will be there. You have my word."
- "You really should see a doctor."
- "The bus is late because of the rain."
- admitted
- advised
- explained
- promised
- warned
8.Which sentence reports a suggestion correctly?
- a) He suggested to us leave early.
- b) He suggested us leaving early.
- c) He suggested that we leave early.
- d) He suggested us to leave early.

Say, tell and other reporting verbs · Year 9 English · www.arenapublications.com/learn

Year 9 English · 6 of 12

Modals of obligation and probability

Say how strong an obligation is with must, have to, should and ought to, and say how sure you are with must, might and cannot.

1."Must" has no past form, so a sentence about yesterday needs a different verb. Yesterday I ____ stay back and finish the work.
- a) had to
- b) must have
- c) must
- d) have to
2.Sort each sentence by whether it forbids something or simply says it is not necessary.
Groups: Forbids it · Says it is not necessary
- You must not open that door.
- Players must not argue with the umpire.
- You do not have to open that door.
- Players do not have to bring their own bats.
3.Which sentence says the speaker is certain that something is NOT true?
- a) She should be the new librarian.
- b) She must be the new librarian.
- c) She might be the new librarian.
- d) She cannot be the new librarian.
4.Fill the gap so that the sentence means there is no need at all: "There is plenty of time — we ____ leave before six."
5.Sort each sentence by what its modal verb is doing.
Groups: Says there is no choice · Gives advice
- I think you should ask your teacher first.
- Visitors have to sign the register at the gate.
- Passengers must show their tickets to the guard.
- Every rider must wear a helmet.
- You should get more sleep before the exam.
- You ought to apologise to her.
6.The classroom lights are off and the door is locked. Where is the class?
- a) They cannot be inside.
- b) They must be inside.
- c) They should be inside.
- d) They have to be inside.
7.Write the one word that shows the speaker is certain: "Ravi's bag is here but his shoes are gone, so he ____ be outside."
8.Which sentence forbids something, rather than saying it is simply not necessary?
- a) You must not touch the wires.
- b) You might come early tomorrow.
- c) You do not have to come early.
- d) You should come early if you can.

Modals of obligation and probability · Year 9 English · www.arenapublications.com/learn

Year 9 English · 7 of 12

Tense in stories and in reports

Choose the tense a piece of writing needs — the past for a story or a report, the present for instructions and general facts, and the past perfect for what happened earlier still.

1.Write one word: A story about events that are over and done with is normally written in the ____ tense.
2.By the time we reached the platform, the train ____.
- a) is leaving
- b) leaves
- c) has left
- d) had left
3.Sort each verb by its tense.
Groups: Simple past · Past perfect
- saw
- had written
- had walked
- walked
- wrote
- had seen
4.A newspaper is reporting a fire that broke out during the night. Which opening sentence fits?
- a) A fire will break out at the grain market.
- b) A fire is breaking out at the grain market.
- c) A fire broke out at the grain market during the night.
- d) A fire breaks out at the grain market.
5.Which sentence describes how something works, rather than something that happened once?
- a) The pump filled the tank in ten minutes.
- b) The pump pushes air down the tube and into the tyre.
- c) The pump was repaired on Tuesday.
- d) The pump had stopped working by then.
6.Rewrite this as a story would tell it, in the past tense: "She opens the letter." Write the whole sentence.
7.Sort each sentence by whether it belongs in a story about last summer or in a guide to looking after a puppy.
Groups: The story · The guide
- The boat rocked and everybody laughed.
- A puppy sleeps for most of the day.
- Feed the puppy twice a day.
- Keep a bowl of clean water within its reach.
- We reached the river just before sunset.
- Nobody had thought to bring an umbrella.
8.Sort each piece of writing by the tense it is normally written in.
Groups: Past tense · Present tense
- A fact about how bees make honey
- A description of how a bicycle pump works
- A diary entry about what happened at school today
- A recipe for lemon rice
- A story about a journey you made last year
- A newspaper report of yesterday's match

Tense in stories and in reports · Year 9 English · www.arenapublications.com/learn

Year 9 English · 8 of 12

Asking questions

Build a question from a statement — moving the helping verb, adding do, does or did, and spotting the questions that need no helping verb at all.

1.Which question is correctly formed?
- a) What time the film starts?
- b) What time do the film start?
- c) What time does the film start?
- d) What time does the film starts?
2.Which is a correctly formed negative question?
- a) Did you not saw the notice?
- b) Didn't you see the notice?
- c) Not did you see the notice?
- d) Did not you see the notice?
3.Put the parts in order to make one correct question. Note the capital letter and the question mark.
- did the meeting
- late?
- start so
- Why
4.In which question is "who" the subject — the one doing the action?
- a) Who met you?
- b) Who did you meet?
- c) Who did she call?
- d) Who are you waiting for?
5.Turn this statement into a question about the time, beginning with "When": "The bus leaves at eight." Write the whole question.
6.Which is correct?
- a) Did she goes to the fair?
- b) Did she went to the fair?
- c) Did she gone to the fair?
- d) Did she go to the fair?
7.Sort each question by whether "who" is the one doing the action or the one it is done to.
Groups: Who is doing it · Who it is done to
- Who did the teacher praise?
- Who taught the class?
- Who called Ravi?
- Who did Ravi call?
8.Each statement is about to be turned into a question. Sort it by whether it will need a form of "do" or already has a helping verb to move to the front.
Groups: Will need do, does or did · Already has a helping verb
- We can leave now.
- You like mangoes.
- You have finished your work.
- They arrived on time.
- He plays the flute.
- She is coming with us.

Asking questions · Year 9 English · www.arenapublications.com/learn

Year 9 English · 9 of 12

Comparison structures

Compare with as … as, than, twice as … as and the more … the more, and build each of them into a whole sentence.

1.Complete with one word: "The bus grew fuller and ____ as we neared the city."
2.This rope is twice ____ long as that one.
- a) than
- b) as
- c) more
- d) so
3.Sort each phrase by whether it weighs two things against each other or picks one out of a whole group.
Groups: Weighs two against each other · Picks one out of many
- the least crowded
- less crowded than
- as tall as
- by far the busiest
- taller than
- the tallest
4.Which sentence says the difference was very large indeed?
- a) It was by far the best film of the year.
- b) It was as good as the others.
- c) It was the best film of the year.
- d) It was a better film than most.
5.Ravi is ____ tall as his brother.
- a) more
- b) as
- c) than
- d) so
6.Match each comparison to what it tells you.
- as fast as the bus
- not as fast as the bus
- twice as fast as the bus
- faster and faster
- by far the fastest
- slower than the bus
- getting quicker all the time
- two times the speed of the bus
- the quickest of all, and easily so
- exactly the same speed as the bus
7.Complete with the two missing words: "The more you read, ____ ____ you know."
8.Which sentence is correct?
- a) More it rains, greener the fields become.
- b) More it rains, the greener the fields become.
- c) The more it rains, the greener the fields become.
- d) The more it rains, greener become the fields.

Comparison structures · Year 9 English · www.arenapublications.com/learn

Year 9 English · 10 of 12

Commas with clauses

Put the comma where a clause needs one — after a clause that comes first, around an extra piece of information, and between two main clauses joined by a joining word.

1.Each of these sentences needs one comma. Sort it by where that comma belongs.
Groups: After the first clause · Before the joining word
- The power failed without any warning at all and every fan in the building stopped.
- The tap had been leaking for three whole days so we finally called a plumber.
- Because the tap was leaking we called a plumber.
- When the power failed the fans stopped.
2.In which sentence is a comma doing a job that only a full stop or a joining word can do?
- a) The bell rang before the children ran out.
- b) When the bell rang, the children ran out.
- c) The bell rang, the children ran out.
- d) The bell rang, and the children ran out.
3.Which of these is correctly written with no comma at all?
- a) It had been raining hard since early morning so the whole family stayed indoors all day.
- b) Our school which is very old has a big garden.
- c) We stayed indoors because it was raining.
- d) Because it was raining we stayed indoors.
4.Match each rule to the sentence that follows it.
- A clause that comes before the main clause
- A clause that comes after the main clause
- Two main clauses joined by a joining word
- An extra piece of information dropped into the middle
- Our house, which is very old, has no fan at all.
- We lit a candle when the lights went out.
- When the lights went out, we lit a candle.
- The lights went out, but we had a candle.
5.Write the one word the comma should come straight after: "Although the shop was closed we knocked anyway."
6.Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
- a) However we could not find the key.
- b) However, we could not find the key.
- c) How ever, we could not find the key.
- d) However we could not, find the key.
7.Sort each sentence by whether it needs a comma in it.
Groups: Needs a comma · Needs no comma
- We turned back because the road was blocked.
- When the rain stopped we went out.
- Because the road was blocked we turned back.
- We went out when the rain stopped.
- He finished the race because he wanted the medal.
- Although he was tired he finished the race.
8.In which sentence is the comma wrong?
- a) Before we left, we locked the gate.
- b) It was late, so we took a taxi.
- c) Our neighbour, who is a nurse, works nights.
- d) We locked the gate, before we left.

Commas with clauses · Year 9 English · www.arenapublications.com/learn

Year 9 English · 11 of 12

Quantifiers: how much and how many

Choose the quantifier that fits the noun and the amount — all, most, some, none, both, several, plenty — and know when it needs "of" after it.

1.Sort each word or phrase by how much of something it means.
Groups: All or nearly all · Some, but not many · None at all
- all
- several
- a few
- none
- not one
- most
2.Put these words in order, from the smallest amount to the largest.
- all
- none
- a few
- most
3.Sort each quantifier by the kind of noun it goes in front of.
Groups: Nouns you can count · Nouns you cannot count
- several
- a large amount of
- a little
- a great deal of
- both
- a large number of
4.Sort each phrase by whether it is written correctly. Remember that "of" needs a word like the, my or these — or a pronoun — straight after it.
Groups: Correct · Not correct
- most of players
- several of the books
- most of the players
- several of books
- all them
- all of them
5.Which sentence is correct?
- a) The most students walk to school.
- b) Most students walk to school.
- c) Most of students walk to school.
- d) Most of student walk to school.
6.Ravi has two brothers, and each of them plays cricket. Which sentence uses the word that is only ever used for exactly two?
- a) Both of them play cricket.
- b) Most of them play cricket.
- c) Several of them play cricket.
- d) All of them play cricket.
7.Match each quantifier to the amount it describes.
- all
- most
- several
- a few
- none
- a small number, though still some
- more than two, but not many
- every single one
- nearly all, but not quite
- not one at all
8.Which sentence is correct?
- a) None tickets were left.
- b) No of the tickets were left.
- c) None of tickets were left.
- d) None of the tickets were left.

Quantifiers: how much and how many · Year 9 English · www.arenapublications.com/learn

Year 9 English · 12 of 12

Words that are easy to confuse

Choose correctly between words that sound alike or look alike — accept and except, affect and effect, advice and advise, its and it's, lose and loose.

1.Sort each sentence by the word that belongs in its gap.
Groups: there · their · they're
- ____ waiting outside the gate.
- ____ going to be late again.
- The children left ____ bags on the bus.
- Is ____ any milk left?
- I cannot find ____ address anywhere.
- Put the box over ____ by the door.
2.Match each word to its meaning.
- stationary
- stationery
- principal
- principle
- desert
- dessert
- paper, pens and envelopes
- the head of a school
- the sweet course at the end of a meal
- standing still
- a rule you live by
- a dry, sandy land
3.Sort each sentence by whether it is correct.
Groups: Correct · Not correct
- Please except my apology.
- Please accept my apology.
- Her advise was useful.
- The rain did not effect the match.
- Her advice was useful.
- The rain did not affect the match.
4.Everyone in the class came ____ Ravi, who was ill at home.
- a) accept
- b) expect
- c) except
- d) exept
5.Which sentence is correct?
- a) I always loose my pen.
- b) Do not loose your ticket.
- c) The screw is lose.
- d) Do not lose your ticket.
6.Which sentence is correct?
- a) It's been raining since morning.
- b) Its' paw was hurt.
- c) The cat licked it's paw.
- d) Its been raining since morning.
7.Sort each word by whether it names a thing or does an action.
Groups: A noun — a thing · A verb — an action
- effect
- advice
- belief
- affect
- believe
- advise
8.Write "its" or "it's": "The dog wagged ____ tail."

Words that are easy to confuse · Year 9 English · www.arenapublications.com/learn

Answer keys — Year 9 English

In the same order as the worksheets.