Grade 9 English Language Arts

1. 1.Complete the passive: The bridge ____ by next June. (verb: complete)

2. 2.Complete the passive using "can", with three words: This problem ____ in two ways. (verb: solve)

3. 3.Change to the active: "The trees had been planted by the villagers."

   • a) The villagers plant the trees.
   • b) The villagers have planted the trees.
   • c) The villagers had planted the trees.
   • d) The trees planted the villagers.

4. 4.Match each active sentence to its passive form.

   • They clean the hall.
   • They are cleaning the hall.
   • They cleaned the hall.
   • They have cleaned the hall.
   • They will clean the hall.
   • They must clean the hall.

   • The hall was cleaned.
   • The hall must be cleaned.
   • The hall will be cleaned.
   • The hall has been cleaned.
   • The hall is cleaned.
   • The hall is being cleaned.

5. 5.Sort each passive verb phrase by whether it carries a modal verb.

   Groups: Passive with a modal · Passive without a modal

   • was washed
   • has been signed
   • must be signed
   • can be repaired
   • is repaired
   • should be washed

6. 6.Why might a writer choose the passive in "The window was broken during the night"?

   • a) To move the sentence into the future.
   • b) Because who broke it is unknown or does not matter.
   • c) To turn the sentence into a question.
   • d) To say clearly who broke it.

7. 7.Change to the passive: "They have finished the work."

   • a) The work has finished.
   • b) The work is finished by them.
   • c) The work had been finished.
   • d) The work has been finished.

8. 8.Which sentence is the passive of the command "Close the gate"?

   • a) The gate closed.
   • b) The gate closes.
   • c) Let the gate be closed.
   • d) The gate is closing.

The passive in every tense · Grade 9 English Language Arts · www.arenapublications.com/learn

1. 1.Which sentence contains an adverb clause?

   • a) I know that you tried.
   • b) She sings whenever she is happy.
   • c) This is the book I wanted.
   • d) The man who called was polite.

2. 2.In "Nobody knows where he went", the clause "where he went" is a ____.

   • a) noun clause
   • b) adverb clause
   • c) main clause
   • d) adjective clause

3. 3.Sort each clause by what it tells you.

   Groups: Tells you when or why — adverb clause · Tells you which one — adjective clause

   • since it was getting dark
   • whose bag was missing
   • as soon as the gate opened
   • that we saw last week
   • who teaches us science
   • although he was tired

4. 4.Put the steps of naming a subordinate clause in the right order.

   • Next, find the word that begins the other clause, such as who, when or that.
   • Finally, name it a noun, adjective or adverb clause from the job it does.
   • Then ask what job that clause does in the sentence.
   • First, find the main clause — the part that could stand alone.

5. 5.Write the subordinate clause in "He stayed at home because he was unwell."

6. 6.In "The house that stands on the hill is empty", the clause "that stands on the hill" is a ____.

   • a) main clause
   • b) adverb clause
   • c) adjective clause
   • d) noun clause

7. 7.In each sentence the subordinate clause is in capitals. Sort by the job that clause does.

   Groups: Noun clause · Adjective clause · Adverb clause

   • We left BEFORE THE RAIN STARTED.
   • She told me WHAT SHE HAD SEEN.
   • The book WHICH YOU LENT ME is excellent.
   • He smiled BECAUSE HE WAS PLEASED.
   • I know THAT HE IS HONEST.
   • The boy WHO WON THE RACE is my cousin.

8. 8.In "We waited until the rain stopped", the clause "until the rain stopped" is a ____.

   • a) adverb clause
   • b) main clause
   • c) adjective clause
   • d) noun clause

Noun, adjective and adverb clauses · Grade 9 English Language Arts · www.arenapublications.com/learn

1. 1.Zero conditional — something that is always true. If you drop a stone into water, it ____.

   • a) sinks
   • b) would sink
   • c) will sink
   • d) sank

2. 2.Which sentence is a zero conditional?

   • a) If I cut my hair short, I would look quite different.
   • b) If you cut an onion, your eyes water.
   • c) If you will cut the paper, I will fold it.
   • d) If you cut the rope, the boat will drift away.

3. 3.Which form completes this second conditional? If the printer ____ working, we would write the notice by hand.

   • a) will stop
   • b) has stopped
   • c) stops
   • d) stopped

4. 4.Each card is the result half of a conditional sentence. Sort by which kind of conditional it belongs to.

   Groups: First conditional · Second conditional

   • we would miss the train
   • the plants would die
   • we will miss the train
   • the plants will die
   • she would tell you the truth
   • she will tell you the truth

5. 5.One of these conditionals breaks the three conditional patterns above. Which one?

   • a) If it will rain, we will stay at home.
   • b) If it rains, we stay at home.
   • c) If it rained, we would stay at home.
   • d) If it rains, we will stay at home.

6. 6.First conditional — a real possibility in the future. If the bus ____ late, we will walk.

   • a) will be
   • b) had been
   • c) would be
   • d) is

7. 7.Complete this second conditional with the past form of "know". Write one word. If she ____ the answer, she would put her hand up.

8. 8.Complete this first conditional using the verb "get". Write two words. If you practice every day, you ____ better quickly.

Conditionals: zero, first and second · Grade 9 English Language Arts · www.arenapublications.com/learn

1. 1.Rewrite this so that it talks about the past. "You should apologize." Write the three words that replace "should apologize".

2. 2.Match each piece of evidence to the sentence it best supports.

   • The floor is covered in flour.
   • His shoes are by the door but the house is silent.
   • The form was never sent.
   • We lost by a single run.

   • Somebody must have been baking.
   • She should have sent it a week ago.
   • We could have won that match.
   • He might have fallen asleep.

3. 3.Sort each sentence by the time it is talking about.

   Groups: About the past · About now or later

   • She should see a doctor.
   • You must have been tired after that walk.
   • They might be at home.
   • You must be tired after that walk.
   • They might have been at home.
   • She should have seen a doctor.

4. 4.Sort each sentence by what the speaker is really doing.

   Groups: Concluding — almost certain it happened · Naming a possibility that was never taken · Saying what ought to have been done

   • They should have checked the address before setting out.
   • The ground is wet — it must have rained in the night.
   • Her bag is gone, so she must have left already.
   • You could have taken the earlier train.
   • We could have won if the last catch had been held.
   • You should have told me you were unwell.

5. 5.The pitch is soaked and there is nobody on it. Which sentence draws the most confident conclusion?

   • a) It must have rained.
   • b) It could have rained.
   • c) It might have rained.
   • d) It should have rained.

6. 6.Complete with the verb "finish" in the right form. Write two words. She looks relieved, so she must ____ her examinations.

7. 7.Which of these is a spelling mistake rather than a real form of English?

   • a) should have gone
   • b) should have been going
   • c) should of gone
   • d) should not have gone

8. 8.Every one of the past modals in this skill is built the same way: a modal, then one fixed word, then a past participle. Write that fixed middle word.

Modals in the past · Grade 9 English Language Arts · www.arenapublications.com/learn

1. 1.In each sentence the relative clause is in capitals. Sort by whether that clause needs commas round it.

   Groups: Needs commas — extra information · No commas — it says which one

   • The boy WHO PLAYS THE FLUTE sits behind me.
   • The man WHO GREW UP ON A FARM keeps bees.
   • My only brother WHO PLAYS THE FLUTE is younger than me.
   • The doctor WHO TREATED MY ANKLE works at the clinic.
   • My mother WHO IS A DOCTOR works long hours.
   • My father WHO GREW UP ON A FARM tells wonderful stories.

2. 2.Match each relative pronoun to what it stands in for.

   • who
   • whom
   • whose
   • which
   • where
   • when

   • something belonging to the person or thing
   • a person, as the object of the clause
   • a place
   • a time
   • a person, as the subject of the clause
   • a thing or an animal

3. 3.Put the cards in order to make one correct sentence with a defining relative clause.

   • has run out.
   • which
   • last week
   • The pen
   • you lent me

4. 4.Which sentence is wrong?

   • a) The film that we watched last night was long.
   • b) The film, that we watched last night, was long.
   • c) The film we watched last night was long.
   • d) The film which we watched last night was long.

5. 5.One relative pronoun can never introduce a clause sitting between a pair of commas. Write it.

6. 6.Compare "My sister who lives in the hills is a doctor" with "My sister, who lives in the hills, is a doctor". What does the first version suggest that the second does not?

   • a) The speaker has only one sister.
   • b) The sister is not really a doctor.
   • c) The sister has left the hills.
   • d) The speaker has more than one sister.

7. 7.In which sentence can the relative pronoun be left out altogether?

   • a) The road that leads to the station is closed.
   • b) The girl who won the prize is in my class.
   • c) The book that I borrowed was excellent.
   • d) My cousin, who lives abroad, writes to me often.

8. 8.Match each sentence to what its punctuation tells you.

   • The passengers who had tickets were allowed on.
   • The passengers, who had tickets, were allowed on.
   • My friends who live nearby came early.
   • My friends, who live nearby, came early.

   • Only some of my friends live nearby.
   • All of the passengers had tickets.
   • All of my friends live nearby.
   • Only some of the passengers had tickets.

Defining and non-defining relative clauses · Grade 9 English Language Arts · www.arenapublications.com/learn

1. 1.Joining two complete sentences with nothing but a comma has a name. Write the two words for it.

2. 2.Which sentence uses the colon correctly?

   • a) We needed three things, rope: water and a map.
   • b) We: needed three things, rope, water and a map.
   • c) We needed: rope, water and a map.
   • d) We needed three things: rope, water and a map.

3. 3.Which sentence is punctuated wrongly?

   • a) The rain stopped. The match began.
   • b) The rain stopped; the match began.
   • c) The rain stopped, and the match began.
   • d) The rain stopped, the match began.

4. 4.Each card holds two pieces of a sentence, split by a slash. Sort by whether a semicolon could join them.

   Groups: Yes — both halves are complete sentences · No — one half cannot stand alone

   • The road was closed / we turned back
   • She opened the letter / which had come that morning
   • She opened the letter / her hands were shaking
   • The road was closed / after the landslide
   • The sky darkened / the birds fell silent
   • The sky darkened / because a storm was coming

5. 5.Sort each sentence by whether its punctuation is correct.

   Groups: Correctly punctuated · Wrongly punctuated

   • The gate was locked, so we climbed over the wall.
   • We waited for an hour, the train never came.
   • The gate was locked so, we climbed over the wall.
   • Because the road was closed, we took the long way round.
   • We waited for an hour; the train never came.
   • Because, the road was closed we took the long way round.

6. 6.Put the cards in order to make one correct sentence.

   • on the list.
   • everything
   • the shop was crowded,
   • we found
   • Although

7. 7.Match each mark to the job it does between clauses.

   • a comma
   • a semicolon
   • a period
   • a colon
   • a pair of dashes

   • introduces a list or an explanation of what came before
   • closes off an opening subordinate clause
   • throws in an aside, more informally than commas would
   • ends one sentence so that the next can begin
   • joins two main clauses that are closely related

8. 8.Which mark joins these two closely linked sentences without any joining word? "The library was silent. Nobody had come in all afternoon."

   • a) a comma
   • b) a hyphen
   • c) a semicolon
   • d) an apostrophe

Punctuating complex sentences · Grade 9 English Language Arts · www.arenapublications.com/learn

1. 1.Sort each phrase by whether a stronger single word could replace it.

   Groups: Vague — a stronger single word exists · Already precise

   • drenched
   • silent
   • very quiet
   • very big
   • very wet
   • gigantic

2. 2.Match each vague sentence to its sharper version.

   • The stew was very tasty.
   • The joke was very funny.
   • The task was very easy.
   • The noise was very loud.
   • The water was very cold.

   • The task was effortless.
   • The water was icy.
   • The joke was hilarious.
   • The stew was delicious.
   • The noise was deafening.

3. 3."The examination hall was very quiet." Which replacement keeps the meaning exactly?

   • a) shy
   • b) calm
   • c) silent
   • d) still

4. 4."The manuscript was VERY OLD." Which single word says the same thing?

   • a) previous
   • b) elderly
   • c) former
   • d) ancient

5. 5.Sort each precise word by the ordinary adjective it strengthens.

   Groups: Means very happy · Means very sad · Means very surprised

   • heartbroken
   • delighted
   • astounded
   • miserable
   • astonished
   • overjoyed

6. 6.Sort each word by whether it already carries the idea of "very" inside it.

   Groups: Already means very — no intensifier needed · An ordinary adjective

   • big
   • pleased
   • enormous
   • delighted
   • cold
   • freezing

7. 7.Replace the words in capitals with one precise word: "After the climb we were VERY TIRED."

   • a) exhausted
   • b) rather sleepy
   • c) quite tired
   • d) so very tired

8. 8.Replace "very afraid" with one precise word beginning with the letter t.

Choosing the precise word · Grade 9 English Language Arts · www.arenapublications.com/learn

1. 1.Paragraph 1: "The committee met the villagers and the engineers on Monday. It had asked the engineers to bring the plans." Paragraph 2: "They had brought drawings of the new bridge." Who does "They" mean?

   • a) the drawings
   • b) the committee
   • c) the villagers
   • d) the engineers

2. 2.A passage runs in three paragraphs: the first describes the village before the flood, the second the night of the flood, the third the rebuilding. Sort each question by the paragraph that answers it.

   Groups: Paragraph 1 · Paragraph 2 · Paragraph 3

   • At what hour did the water reach the road?
   • How did the families get out?
   • Who paid for the new bridge?
   • What crops were grown there?
   • How many houses stood in the village?
   • How long did the repairs take?

3. 3.Which of these questions could only be answered by reading more than one paragraph?

   • a) Why did the narrator refuse the invitation, given what had happened the year before?
   • b) What is the name of the town?
   • c) How old was the narrator when the story begins?
   • d) What color was the door?

4. 4.Read: "The old cinema closed in 1998. For twenty years the building stood empty. In 2018 a bookshop opened in it, and the owner kept the red velvet seats up in the balcony." Match each question to its answer.

   • How long did the building stand empty?
   • What is in the building now?
   • What was kept from the cinema?
   • Where in the building were they kept?

   • a bookshop
   • the red velvet seats
   • in the balcony
   • twenty years

5. 5.Paragraph 1: "Every winter the lake freezes and the ferry stops running." Paragraph 2: "In January the villagers simply walk across." Write the one word from the first paragraph that explains how walking across is possible.

6. 6.Read: "Kamala keeps bees on her roof. Her neighbors' mango tree fruited heavily this year, for the first time in a decade." Sort each statement by what the passage does with it.

   Groups: Stated in the passage · Not stated — you joined the two facts yourself

   • The mango tree fruited heavily this year.
   • Kamala keeps bees.
   • The roof is close enough to the tree to matter.
   • The bees are on her roof.
   • The tree had not fruited well for ten years.
   • The bees helped the tree to fruit.

7. 7.Paragraph 1: "Sunita had never once left the district." Paragraph 3: "She stepped off the train and stood quite still, looking up." What does the third paragraph gain from the first?

   • a) It tells you what the weather was like.
   • b) It tells you how long the journey took.
   • c) It tells you that she had bought a ticket.
   • d) It tells you that everything she is looking at is new to her.

8. 8.Paragraph 1: "The bus to the hill station leaves at six. Nobody in the hostel owns an alarm clock." Paragraph 2: "Meena was on the bus. She had sat up all night with a book." Why was Meena on the bus?

   • a) She never went to sleep, so nothing had to wake her.
   • b) The bus left later than six that day.
   • c) She owned an alarm clock.
   • d) Somebody in the hostel woke her.

Reading across paragraphs · Grade 9 English Language Arts · www.arenapublications.com/learn

1. 1.A story begins: "I had never seen the river so high. My father would not let me cross." Which continuation keeps both the narrator and the tense?

   • a) He walks down to the bank and points.
   • b) I waited on the bank while he walked down to look.
   • c) I am waiting on the bank while he walks down to look.
   • d) She waited on the bank while he walked down to look.

2. 2.The opening says: "The lamp had gone out an hour before, and I had no matches." Which continuation contradicts it?

   • a) I felt my way along the wall towards the door.
   • b) The room was completely dark.
   • c) I lit the lamp again and carried it to the window.
   • d) I waited for my eyes to get used to the darkness.

3. 3.A story is written in the past tense. Rewrite "I walk to the window and open it" so that it fits, changing only the two verbs. Write the whole sentence.

4. 4.A story opening reads: "I had never seen the river so high." Name the person the story is written in. Write one word.

5. 5.Which continuation keeps both the narrator and the tense of this opening? "We had been walking since dawn, and none of us had spoken for an hour."

   • a) We stopped at the bend to look back at the valley.
   • b) We stop at the bend to look back at the valley.
   • c) They stopped at the bend to look back at the valley.
   • d) I am stopping at the bend to look back at the valley.

6. 6.A story opening introduces a girl called Nita and a key she cannot find. Which continuation wanders off the point?

   • a) Nita remembered leaving the key on the shelf that morning.
   • b) Nita's school had been built in 1962 and had four hundred pupils.
   • c) Nita looked under the mat, and then under the pot beside it.
   • d) Nita went next door to ask whether anybody had a spare.

7. 7.Match each opening to the only continuation that keeps everything it set up.

   • I was ten years old that summer, and the well was still full.
   • She was ten years old that summer, and the well was dry.
   • I am ten years old, and the well is full.
   • She is ten years old, and the well is dry.

   • She lowered the bucket and heard it strike stone.
   • I lower the bucket and hear it strike water.
   • I lowered the bucket and heard it strike water.
   • She lowers the bucket and hears it strike stone.

8. 8.A story reads: "I found the envelope under the door mat. My name was on it in handwriting I did not know." Which continuation actually moves the story on?

   • a) The envelope was white and rather crumpled at one corner.
   • b) I stood there for a while, thinking about the envelope.
   • c) It had been a very strange week altogether.
   • d) I tore it open and read the first line twice.

Continuing a story · Grade 9 English Language Arts · www.arenapublications.com/learn

1. 1.In careful writing, "only" goes immediately before the words it limits. If the meaning is that she read one page and no more, which version places it correctly? "She read the first page of the letter."

   • a) She read the first page of the only letter.
   • b) Only she read the first page of the letter.
   • c) She read only the first page of the letter.
   • d) She only read the first page of the letter.

2. 2.Put the steps of editing a sentence in the right order.

   • Next, find the subject and its verb, and check that they agree.
   • Then look for a word that is missing, doubled, or standing in the wrong place.
   • First, read the sentence straight through without stopping.
   • Finally, read the corrected sentence aloud to be sure nothing new has broken.

3. 3.One word is missing. Which is it? "She is fond music and dancing."

   • a) with
   • b) of
   • c) in
   • d) for

4. 4.One word must be taken out. Write the word to remove. "The two of them both agreed on the plan."

5. 5.Match each faulty sentence to the correction it needs.

   • He is one of best players in the team.
   • Please return back the book.
   • The books were given to the students that were torn.
   • I am waiting my friend at the gate.
   • Running down the stairs, the bag slipped.

   • add a word after "waiting"
   • add a word before "best"
   • name the person who was running
   • take out a word the verb already says
   • move the description next to the books

6. 6.Match each faulty sentence to the name of its fault.

   • He arrived to the station at six.
   • The letter was write by my sister.
   • He explained me the answer.
   • We reached at the airport late.
   • Seeing the crowd, the plan was changed.

   • a dangling opening phrase
   • a preposition that is not needed
   • a wrong preposition
   • a missing preposition
   • a wrong verb form

7. 7.Every sentence below has exactly one fault. Sort by the kind of fault it is.

   Groups: A word is missing · A word or phrase is in the wrong place · A word is not needed at all

   • I am waiting my friend at the gate.
   • Please return back the book tomorrow.
   • The two of them both agreed on the plan.
   • He is one of best players in the team.
   • The teacher gave the books to the students that were torn.
   • Running down the stairs, the bag slipped from my hand.

8. 8.One word is missing. Write the whole corrected sentence. "I have been waiting you since morning."

Editing at sentence level · Grade 9 English Language Arts · www.arenapublications.com/learn