CBSE Class 9 English Grammar: Essential Tips & Resources

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Class 9 English Grammar is really important for students. It’s about how we use words and sentences correctly. This helps us talk and write well in English.

Understanding English Grammar is key to speaking and writing in English easily. If we don’t learn it well, we might struggle to communicate effectively in English.

This article will cover what’s in the Class 9 English Grammar syllabus, solve some exercises, and give tips to prepare for exams. It’s all about helping students study Grammar and get ready for their English tests.

Class 9th English Grammar Syllabus

Understanding English Grammar in Class 9 is crucial for students. It’s a vital part of the subject that needs attention. The Grammar section in the Class 9 exam includes Regular Grammar and Integrated grammar, which we’ll cover next.

Take a look at this chart outlining the Class 9th English Grammar Syllabus. We’ll briefly talk about each topic in Class 9 English Grammar along with examples. This will help Class 9 students grasp the syllabus better.

Syllabus Topics	Brief Discussion	Examples
Tenses	Tense is a verb-based method indicating time – Past, Present or Future.	Past – Swati wrote a letter. Present – Swati writes a letter. Future – Swati will write a letter.
Modals	Modal or Auxilliary Verb is ‘can’ or ‘would’ words that are fitted with the main verb to express the possibility, intention or necessity of the sentence.	Modal Verbs: Can Could May Might Will Would Shall Should Must Ought to.
Active and Passive Voice.	Active Voice is such a tone of sentence which places the subject at the beginning followed by the target of the subject. While, in the passive sentence the target of the action is the main focus.	Active Voice – Sita will write a letter Passive Voice – A letter will be written by Sita.
Subject-Verb Concord	The agreeing of the subject and predicate in a sentence is called subject-verb concord.	The light bulb in his room flickers every night.
Direct and Indirect Speech	Direct speech is a reported speech of the speaker. While, the indirect speech is the speech that tells what someone said. You convey in your own words using indirect speech, but in direct speech you say exactly what the speaker has spoker word-to-word.	Direct Speech – The Minister said, “We will soon start working in the rural and backward areas of Raninagar”. Indirect Speech – The Minister said that they will soon start their work in the rural and backward areas of Raninagar.
Clauses	Clauses are a group of words which contains the subject and a verb which are related to each other.	When it started thundering they went inside.
Determiners	Determiners are specific words which are used to modify and introduce the noun in a sentence.	The farmer is tilling the land.
Prepositions	Prepositions are words which are placed before a noun or pronoun to show the time, direction.	before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, close to, down, during, except, inside, instead of, into, like, near, off.

1. Number: The basic principle of subject-verb agreement is that singular subjects need singular verbs. Plural subjects need plural verbs:

2. Person: The rules regarding the person are as follows:
(i) The first person singular or plural takes a singular verb:

I like this scenery.
We like this scenery.

(ii) The second person singular or plural takes a singular verb:

You like this scenery.

(iii) The third person singular takes a singular verb:

He likes this scenery.

(iv) The third person plural takes a plural verb:

They like this scenery.

3. Uncountable Noun:

When We use an uncountable noun as the subject of a verb, we use a singular form of the verb:

Honesty is the best policy.
Fear begins to haunt him.

4. Singular and Plural Nouns:

When we use a singular noun as the subject of a verb, we use a singular verb. Plural nouns take a plural verb:

The moon was shining in the sky.
The sun is about to set.
The children were swimming.
The farmers were ploughing.

5. One of + Plural Noun:

When the subject consists of ‘one of + plural noun’, the verb is singular:

One of the girls was singing.
One of the students was talking.
One of the birds was chirping.

6. Long Subject:

When a clause or a long group of words is the subject, we have to be careful to make the verb agree with the subject:

The chairs which I bought yesterday are very costly.
The woman whom I met in the market was my friend’s sister.

7. Introductory ‘there’:

The verb has to agree with the real subject that follows the introductory there. If the subject is singular, then there will be followed by a singular verb. If the real subject is plural, then ‘there’ will be followed by a plural verb:

There is no chair in the room.
There are no chairs in the room.
There are fifty boys in the class.
There is one girl in the class.

8. Two or More Nouns:

When two or more nouns function as subject, a plural verb is used:

Satish and his sister have gone to see a movie.
My friend and his father are meeting us tomorrow.

9. Distances, Weight, etc:

For distances, weight, height or amounts of money, we use a singular verb even when the subject is plural:

Ten thousand rupees is not a small sum.
Three kilometers is a small distance.
Five hundred feet above sea level is not a great height.

10. Plural Names:

The title of a book, the name of a house or a hotel in plural takes a singular verb:

“The Arabian Nights” has interesting stories.
“The Hotel Brewers” is a five-star hotel.

11. Plural Nouns with Singular Meaning:

Nouns which are plural in form but singular in meaning usually take a singular verb:

Mathematics is not an easy subject.
Economics is a dull subject.
Measles is an infectious disease.
The latest news is that the criminal has been arrested.

12. Singular Nouns with Plural Verb:

Some nouns which appear to be singular in form take a plural verb:

The police have arrested three terrorists.
The Indian cricket team won the match.

13. Collective nouns like group, crowd, flock, regiment, etc. are generally followed by a singular verb:

A group of boys was playing in the ground.
A crowd of people rushes into the hall.
A regiment of soldiers was marching towards the town.

14. ‘Class’ nouns such as food, furniture, clothing, etc. take a singular verb:

This furniture is very old.
This imported cutlery is very costly.
His clothing consists of a bullet-proof jacket, a blue pair of trousers and some other items.

15. Some nouns which appear to be plural in form when preceded by a pair of take a singular verb, for example, shoes, scissors, trousers, etc.

A pair of scissors was taken out of the drawer.
A pair of trousers was washed by the servant.
A pair of shoes was bought by him.

But when these nouns are used without ‘a pair of’, they take a plural verb:

His shoes have worn out.
My scissors do not cut well.

16. Some nouns are preceded by a lot of, a plenty of, a great deal of, etc. These nouns take a singular verb when they refer to amount or quantity. But they take a plural verb when they refer to number:

A lot of people visit the exhibition.
A plenty of water was supplied to the villagers.

17. When a singular subject is joined by as well as, in addition to, except, etc. with another noun or pronoun, we use a singular verb.

Sohan as well as his brother has come.
My father in addition to our neighbour has gone out for a walk.
Everyone except Satish was present.

18. A singular verb is used with singular pronouns, e.g. each, either, neither, anyone, etc.

Each of the boys was given a prize.
Neither of the students was absent.
Everybody has helped her.

19. When two or more subjects are connected by nor or or, the verb is used according to the number of the noun nearest to it:

Neither she nor her sisters visit the temple. ‘
Either they or he is telling a lie.

20. A collective noun such as jury, committee, family, etc. takes a singular verb when it is considered one unit. But when they are regarded as individuals, they take a plural verb:

The jury is about to give its decision.
The jury are divided in their opinion.
The committee is meeting tomorrow.
The committee have decided to raise the membership fee.
Our family has decided to visit Shimla this summer.
The family now live in London.

21. When some nouns are regarded as one unit, they take a singular verb:

Bread and butter is a wholesome food.
Brick and stone is lying scattered all over the place.
Time and tide waits for none.
The novelist and poet is dead.

Exercise (Solved)

Choose the correct form of the verbs given in the brackets in the following sentences:

Each of these producers……………………… his own advantage, (has, have)
Ten miles……………………… long distance, (is, are)
Many a student …………………… hard to pass his entrance exam, (try, tries)
The furniture in his house………………….. impressive, (look, looks)
Few students……………….. present in the class today, (is, are)
Ritesh, my best friend…………………… leaving for Japan next week, (is, are)
Most of my friends…………………. government employees, (is, are)
The level of intoxication…………………… from subject to subject, (vary, varies)
Either boys or girls……………. telling lies, (is, are)
A number of people……………………… reported to be missing in the train accident at Jhansi.(was, were)

Answer:

has.
is.
tries.
looks.
are.
is.
are.
varies.
are.
were.

Class 9 English Grammar FAQs

How to score good marks in English Grammar Class 9?

Practice different types of writing like articles, reports, letters, stories, and notices to improve your writing. Avoid making mistakes in grammar. Reading your NCERT English Class 9 textbooks regularly will be really helpful for your exams. Make sure to go through all your English textbooks carefully.

What are the topics of integrated grammar?

In grammar, you'll learn about things like dialogue writing, correcting errors, making headlines, and more. Some topics covered include direct and indirect speech, active and passive voice, determiners, conjunctions, prepositions, subject-verb agreement, and others.

Is there any English grammar book for Class 9?

CBSE, English Grammar and Composition - Class 9 & 10