class 9 english grammar

1. Tenses

Tenses show the time of an action: present, past, or future. Each tense has different forms.

Present Tense

Past Tense

Future Tense

2. Modals

Modals are helping verbs that express ability, permission, possibility, advice, obligation, or necessity.

Rules

• Use the base form of the verb after most modals: She can sing.
• Do not add s or es after a modal: He can swim, not He can swims.
• Use must not for prohibition and need not for absence of necessity.

3. Active and Passive Voice

In the active voice, the subject performs the action. In the passive voice, the subject receives the action.

• Active: The teacher praised Riya.
• Passive: Riya was praised by the teacher.

Basic Structure

• Active: Subject + verb + object
• Passive: Object + suitable form of be + past participle + by + subject

Important points

• Only sentences with a suitable object can normally be changed into passive voice.
• The tense must remain the same.
• The main verb changes to its past participle form.
• The phrase beginning with by may be omitted when the doer is unknown or unimportant.

4. Subject–Verb Concord

Subject–verb concord means that the verb must agree with its subject in number and person.

Rules and examples

• A singular subject takes a singular verb.
  • He plays cricket.
• A plural subject takes a plural verb.
  • They play cricket.
• Two subjects joined by and generally take a plural verb.
  • Riya and Siya are friends.
• With either…or and neither…nor, the verb usually agrees with the nearer subject.
  • Neither the teacher nor the students are ready.
  • Neither the students nor the teacher is ready.
• Words such as each, every, everyone, somebody, and nobody generally take singular verbs.
  • Everyone is present.
• Collective nouns can take singular verbs when the group is considered as one unit.
  • The team is playing well.
• Uncountable nouns usually take singular verbs.
  • The information is useful.
• With one of, the noun after of is plural, but the verb agrees with one.
  • One of the boys is absent.
• Amounts of money, time, or distance considered as one unit usually take a singular verb.
  • Ten kilometres is a long distance.
• In sentences beginning with there, the verb agrees with the actual subject.
  • There are two books on the table.

5. Direct and Indirect Speech

Direct speech reports the exact words spoken by someone. Indirect speech reports the meaning without quoting the exact words.

Changes in Tense

When the reporting verb is in the past, the tense often shifts back.

Changes in Words

These changes depend on the context; they are not necessary when the original words remain accurate.

Types of Sentences

6. Clauses

A clause is a group of words containing a subject and a verb.

Main Clause

A main clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone.

• Example: I stayed at home.

Subordinate Clause

A subordinate clause depends on another clause to complete its meaning.

• Example: because it was raining.

Types of Subordinate Clauses

Common conjunctions introducing clauses include because, although, when, while, if, unless, since, who, which, and that.

7. Determiners

Determiners are words placed before nouns to identify or limit their meaning.

Types of Determiners

Important Differences

• Many is used with countable plural nouns: many books.
• Much is used with uncountable nouns: much water.
• Few means almost none; a few means some.
• Little means almost none; a little means some.
• Some is common in affirmative sentences; any is common in negatives and questions, though usage depends on meaning.

8. Prepositions

Prepositions show relationships of place, time, direction, and other connections.

Prepositions of Time

• At: at 7 o’clock, at noon
• On: on Monday, on 10 October
• In: in October, in 2026, in the morning
• Since: since Monday
• For: for two hours
• By: by tomorrow
• Until: until evening

Prepositions of Place

• The book is on the table.
• The keys are in the drawer.
• The cat is under the chair.
• The school is between the bank and the park.
• The picture is above the shelf.

Prepositions of Direction

• She walked towards the gate.
• He jumped into the pool.
• They travelled across the river.
• The child ran through the tunnel.

Common Usage

• Interested in
• Good at
• Afraid of
• Depend on
• Listen to
• Belong to
• Different from
• Proud of

9. Gap Filling

Gap-filling exercises test grammar, vocabulary, and understanding of context. A missing word may be a verb, modal, determiner, preposition, or conjunction.

Example

Answers: goes, studies, missed.

Tips for solving

• Read the complete passage before filling the gaps.
• Identify the tense from time expressions and context.
• Check whether the subject is singular or plural.
• Choose the correct determiner or preposition.
• Read the completed passage to check meaning and grammar.

10. Editing Tasks

Editing tasks contain grammatical errors. Find the incorrect word and replace it with the correct one.

Example

Common errors to check

• Subject–verb agreement
• Tenses
• Articles and determiners
• Prepositions
• Pronouns
• Modals
• Singular and plural forms

11. Omission

In omission exercises, a word is missing from each sentence. Identify the missing word and place it correctly.

Example

How to solve

• Read the sentence carefully.
• Identify where the sentence sounds incomplete.
• Check for missing articles, prepositions, helping verbs, or conjunctions.
• Rewrite the complete sentence to verify the answer.

12. Sentence Reordering

Sentence reordering means arranging jumbled words or phrases into a grammatically correct sentence.

Rules

• Begin with the subject in most statements.
• Place the verb after the subject.
• Put the object after the verb when required.
• Place adjectives before the nouns they describe.
• Use punctuation and capital letters correctly.

13. Sentence Transformation

Sentence transformation means changing the structure of a sentence without changing its essential meaning.

14. Integrated Grammar Practice

Exercise A: Fill in the blanks

• She ___ (read) a book every evening.
• They ___ playing in the park now.
• You ___ obey traffic rules.
• Each of the students ___ a notebook.
• He is interested ___ music.
• I have lived here ___ 2020.
• She said that she ___ busy.
• The work ___ completed yesterday.

Exercise B: Correct the errors

• He go to school daily.
• She do not like tea.
• They was playing cricket.
• Each students has a book.
• He is good in mathematics.

Exercise C: Change into indirect speech

• Riya said, “I am happy.”
• He said to me, “Do you know the answer?”
• The teacher said, “Work hard.”
• She said, “Where are you going?”

Exercise D: Change into passive voice

• The chef prepares dinner.
• The students completed the project.
• She will write a letter.
• The police caught the thief.

Answer Key

15. Diary Entry

A diary entry records personal experiences, thoughts, and feelings.

Format

• Date and day
• Dear Diary (optional)
• Description of the event
• Feelings and reflections

Example

16. Article Writing

An article presents information, ideas, or opinions about a topic.

Format

• Title
• Byline: By [Name]
• Introduction
• Main body with facts, reasons, examples, or suggestions
• Conclusion

Example: The Importance of Reading

17. Story Writing

Story writing involves creating a meaningful narrative with characters, a setting, a problem, and a conclusion.

Format

• Title
• Beginning: introduce the setting and characters
• Middle: describe the main event or problem
• Ending: resolve the problem and convey a suitable message when appropriate

Example: Honesty Is the Best Policy

✅ Quick Revision Checklist

• Revise all tense forms and their structures.
• Practise modals, determiners, and prepositions in context.
• Learn subject–verb concord rules.
• Practise active/passive voice and direct/indirect speech.
• Identify main and subordinate clauses.
• Solve gap-filling, editing, omission, and sentence-reordering exercises.
• Follow the correct format for diary entries, articles, and stories.
• Check grammar, spelling, punctuation, and word limits before submitting your answers.