Grade 9 Worksheets
Ten worksheets for Grade 9: four grammar, three reading and three writing, each with the answers.
Grammar
Worksheet 1 — Reported speech: statements
Focus: the tense shift, and the changes to pronouns and time words.
Task A. Put into reported speech.
1. "I am tired," she said. 2. "We have finished the work," they said. 3. "I will come tomorrow," he said. 4. "I saw her yesterday," Nimal said. 5. "We are living in Kandy now," they said.
Task B. Put into direct speech.
6. She said that she was leaving the next day. 7. He said that he had lost his keys. 8. They said that they could not help us. 9. She told me that she liked the book. 10. He said that he would telephone that evening.
Answers. A: 1. She said (that) she was tired. 2. They said they had finished the work. 3. He said he would come the next day. 4. Nimal said he had seen her the day before. 5. They said they were living in Kandy then. B: 6. "I am leaving tomorrow," she said. 7. "I have lost my keys," he said. 8. "We cannot help you," they said. 9. "I like the book," she told me. 10. "I will telephone this evening," he said.
Teaching note. Three things move together: the tense goes back one step, the pronouns change to fit the new speaker, and the time words change (tomorrow to the next day). Ask the class to mark all three changes in question 3 in different colours.
Worksheet 2 — Reported questions and commands
Focus: word order in reported questions, and the infinitive in reported commands.
Task A. Report these questions.
1. "Where do you live?" he asked. 2. "Have you finished?" she asked me. 3. "What time does the bus leave?" they asked. 4. "Why are you late?" the teacher asked. 5. "Did you see the notice?" he asked.
Task B. Report these commands and requests.
6. "Close the door," she said. 7. "Please help me," he said. 8. "Do not touch that," the guard said. 9. "Wait here," she told us. 10. "Bring your book tomorrow," the teacher said.
Answers. A: 1. He asked where I lived. 2. She asked me whether I had finished. 3. They asked what time the bus left. 4. The teacher asked why I was late. 5. He asked whether I had seen the notice. B: 6. She told me to close the door. 7. He asked me to help him. 8. The guard told us not to touch that. 9. She told us to wait there. 10. The teacher told us to bring our books the next day.
Teaching note. The single biggest error is keeping question word order: He asked where did I live. Once the question is reported it is no longer a question, so the word order returns to normal and do disappears.
Worksheet 3 — Relative clauses: who, which, that, whose, where
Focus: joining two sentences with a relative pronoun, and choosing the right one.
Task A. Fill in the correct relative pronoun.
1. The man ____ lives next door is a doctor. 2. The book ____ I borrowed was excellent. 3. This is the girl ____ father owns the shop. 4. The village ____ I was born is very small. 5. The bicycle ____ was stolen has been found.
Task B. Join each pair into one sentence.
6. I met a woman. She teaches at your school. 7. We visited a temple. It was built four hundred years ago. 8. That is the boy. His brother won the prize. 9. This is the room. My grandfather was born in it. 10. I read a book. You recommended it.
Answers. A: 1. who 2. which/that 3. whose 4. where 5. which/that. B: 6. I met a woman who teaches at your school. 7. We visited a temple which was built four hundred years ago. 8. That is the boy whose brother won the prize. 9. This is the room where my grandfather was born. 10. I read the book which you recommended.
Teaching note. Whose is the one they avoid. Question 3 and question 8 sit together deliberately: both show possession, and neither works with who.
Worksheet 4 — Conditionals: first, second and third
Focus: the three patterns, and what each one means about likelihood.
Task A. Complete with the correct form.
1. If it rains, we ____ (stay) at home. 2. If I ____ (have) more time, I would learn to play the violin. 3. If she had studied harder, she ____ (pass) the examination. 4. If you heat water to 100 degrees, it ____ (boil). 5. If I ____ (be) you, I would apologise.
Task B. Say which type each sentence is (zero, first, second or third) and what it tells you.
6. If I win the scholarship, I will go to Colombo. 7. If I had known, I would have told you. 8. If you mix blue and yellow, you get green. 9. If I were rich, I would build a library. 10. If he arrives late, the door will be locked.
Answers. A: 1. will stay 2. had 3. would have passed 4. boils 5. were. B: 6. First — a real possibility in the future. 7. Third — the past, and it did not happen. 8. Zero — always true. 9. Second — imaginary or unlikely. 10. First — a real possibility.
Teaching note. The meaning matters more than the label. In 7, ask what actually happened: I did not know, and I did not tell you. Once they can say that, the form follows.
Reading
Worksheet 5 — The interview
Focus: attitude — working out what the writer feels without being told.
Passage. The office was cool and very quiet. I had rehearsed my answers for a week, and by the time the door opened I could recite them without thinking, which turned out to be the difficulty. The woman behind the desk did not ask a single question I had prepared for. She asked what I had read recently, and whether I had enjoyed it. I heard myself talking for four minutes about a book I had not thought about in years, and when I stopped she was smiling.
Questions. 1. How had the writer prepared? 2. Why was that preparation a difficulty? 3. What did the woman actually ask about? 4. How long did the writer speak? 5. What does I heard myself talking suggest about the writer's state of mind? 6. Do you think the interview went well? Give two pieces of evidence. 7. Choose one word to describe the writer's feeling at the start, and one for the end.
Answers. 1. By rehearsing answers for a week until they were automatic. 2. Because the rehearsed answers were useless — none of the prepared questions came up. 3. What the writer had read recently and whether they enjoyed it. 4. Four minutes. 5. That the writer was speaking without planning, surprised at themselves — a sign of nerves giving way to genuine interest. 6. Accept: she was smiling at the end; the writer spoke naturally and at length. 7. Accept: anxious or over-prepared at the start; relieved, surprised or pleased at the end.
Marking note. Question 6 must have evidence. This is the exact skill the Ordinary Level comprehension will test two years from now.
Worksheet 6 — Two accounts of one event
Focus: comparing two versions and noticing where they disagree.
Account A. The match was ruined by the weather. Rain stopped play twice, the outfield was slow, and our batsmen never settled. The final margin of eleven runs flattered the other side, who were fortunate to bat when conditions were at their best.
Account B. A hard-fought match ended in an eleven-run win. Both sides faced two rain interruptions and the same slow outfield. Our bowlers held their nerve at the close, and the victory was thoroughly deserved.
Questions. 1. What was the winning margin? 2. How many rain interruptions were there? 3. On which two facts do the accounts agree? 4. On what do they disagree? 5. Which account was written by a supporter of the losing side? How do you know? 6. Find one word from each account that shows the writer's bias. 7. Which account would you trust more, and why?
Answers. 1. Eleven runs. 2. Two. 3. The margin and the number of interruptions; also the slow outfield. 4. Whether the result was deserved or lucky, and whether both sides faced the same conditions. 5. Account A — it calls the margin flattering, says the other side was fortunate, and blames the weather. 6. A: ruined, flattered, fortunate. B: hard-fought, thoroughly deserved. 7. Accept either with a reason. B is more even-handed because it grants both sides the same conditions; a pupil who argues A is closer to the truth must show why.
Marking note. There is no single right answer to 7. Mark the reasoning, not the choice.
Worksheet 7 — Summary practice
Focus: reducing a passage to its main points without losing the meaning.
Passage. Sri Lanka's rail network was built in the nineteenth century to carry coffee, and later tea, from the hill country to the port at Colombo. Passengers were an afterthought. The line to Kandy opened in 1867 and was extended to Nanu Oya, and later Badulla, over the following decades. Building it was slow and dangerous work: the track had to be cut into steep hillsides, and in places it climbs more than a thousand metres in a few dozen kilometres. Today the same line carries far more tourists than tea, and the journey that was once an industrial necessity is now considered one of the most beautiful in Asia.
Questions. 1. Why was the railway originally built? 2. When did the Kandy line open? 3. Name two difficulties in building it. 4. What does the line mainly carry today? 5. Summarise the passage in no more than 40 words.
Answers. 1. To carry coffee, and later tea, from the hill country to Colombo port. 2. 1867. 3. Cutting track into steep hillsides; the steep climb of over a thousand metres in a short distance. Accept slow and dangerous work. 4. Tourists. 5. Model: Sri Lanka's hill-country railway was built in the nineteenth century to move coffee and tea to Colombo. Construction was slow and dangerous on steep slopes. The Kandy line opened in 1867. Today it carries mainly tourists and is admired for its beauty. (39 words.)
Marking note. For question 5 mark four things: purpose, difficulty, date, present use. A summary that keeps the pretty last sentence but loses the purpose has missed the passage.
Writing
Worksheet 8 — A formal letter of request
Focus: formal layout and formal tone.
Task. Write a letter of about 120 words to the Principal requesting permission for your class to visit a museum. Give the date, the purpose, the number of pupils, and the teacher who will accompany you.
Model answer. The Class Monitor, Grade 9B, Central College, Kurunegala. 14th August 2026.
The Principal, Central College, Kurunegala.
Dear Sir,
Request for permission to visit the National Museum
I write on behalf of Grade 9B to request permission for our class to visit the National Museum in Colombo on Friday 5th September 2026.
We are studying the chapter on ancient irrigation, and the museum's collection would allow us to see the objects we have only read about. Thirty-two pupils would take part.
Mrs Perera of the English Department has kindly agreed to accompany us, and a second teacher would join us if required. We would leave at 7.00 a.m. and return by 4.00 p.m.
I should be grateful if you would consider this request.
Yours faithfully, Ravindu Silva, Class Monitor
Marking guide. Two marks for both addresses and the date; one for the subject line; one for Dear Sir with Yours faithfully; four for the four required details; two for formal tone; two for accuracy. Twelve marks.
Teaching note. Dear Sir pairs with Yours faithfully; Dear Mr Perera pairs with Yours sincerely. Pupils mix these every year and it is a free mark once learnt.
Worksheet 9 — A speech
Focus: writing to be heard rather than read.
Task. Write a speech of about 150 words to be delivered at the school assembly, persuading pupils to take part in a tree-planting campaign. Open by addressing the audience, give two reasons, and end with a clear call to act.
Model answer. Respected Principal, teachers and dear friends,
Next Friday our school will plant one hundred saplings along the boundary wall, and I am here to ask every one of you to take part.
I want to give you two reasons. The first you can see for yourselves: our playground has almost no shade, and by ten o'clock the heat drives everyone indoors. Trees planted this year will shade the pupils who follow us.
The second reason is simpler. Planting a tree takes ten minutes. Very few useful things in this world can be done in ten minutes, and fewer still last fifty years.
Some of you will say that one sapling makes no difference. One does not. One hundred, planted by one school, repeated by every school in this district, does.
Bring a trowel on Friday. I will see you at the wall.
Marking guide. Two marks for addressing the audience; four for two developed reasons; two for a clear call to action; two for spoken rhythm — short sentences, direct address; two for accuracy. Twelve marks.
Teaching note. Make them read it aloud. Anything they stumble over is a sentence that is too long for a speech.
Worksheet 10 — A narrative with a set opening
Focus: shaping a story with a beginning, a turn and an ending.
Task. Write a story of about 200 words beginning with this sentence: The envelope had been under the door since morning, and nobody had touched it.
Model answer. The envelope had been under the door since morning, and nobody had touched it. My mother had seen it, stepped over it and gone to work. My brother had noticed it, decided it was not addressed to him, and left it there.
By four o'clock I could not bear it any longer. There was no stamp and no address, only my grandfather's name in handwriting that sloped uphill.
My grandfather had not received a letter in eleven years. He read the newspaper each morning, complained about it, and slept in the afternoon, and nothing else ever happened to him.
When he came in from the garden I held it out. He looked at the writing for a long moment before he took it, and he did not open it in front of me.
He sat on the step with the envelope on his knee until it grew dark. Then he came inside, put it in his shirt pocket, and asked what was for dinner, exactly as though it were an ordinary evening.
He never told us who it was from. But he read the newspaper differently after that, and he stopped complaining about it.
Marking guide. Four marks for a clear beginning, turn and ending; three for detail that does work rather than decorating; three for controlled paragraphing; three for accurate, varied sentences; two for an ending that is not merely and then I woke up. Fifteen marks.
Teaching note. Ban two endings before they start: waking from a dream, and the whole thing turning out to be a story someone was reading. Both are used to avoid finishing, and both cost marks at every level above this one.