9th Grade Grammar: Key Skills and Concepts

Ninth graders should be able craft complete, well-written sentences that are interesting to read and accurately convey information.

• recognize and use different types of phrases in sentences
• use different types of grammar clauses in writing
• use a variety of sentence patterns throughout an essay

While ninth graders should have mastered basic punctuation rules in earlier grades, there are important advanced rules to cover in high school.

• identify correct examples of colon and semicolons in sentences
  
• properly use semicolons and colons in writing
  
• know and apply rules of colon usage for proper punctuation
• practice these punctuation skills with sentence combining worksheets

Students at this level should be able to select the correct form of words to use in written and spoken communication. This includes parts of speech, tense and other key elements of grammar associated with word selection.

• choose the correct form of a word to use, such as selecting an adverb or adjective form as required based on usage
• select the proper conjugation of irregular verbs based on the sentences they'll be used in
• review examples of writing and determine whether the correct word forms are used; replace erroneous forms with correct options
• use these irregular verbs worksheets and irregular verb activities to practice

Students will spend a lot of time improving their writing skills during 9th grade, particularly with regards to writing work focused on a specific topic and audience.

• practice crafting clearly written sentences and turning them into paragraphs or longer works
• edit one's own writing to improve content, clarity, organization, and structure
• revise one's own writing so it is fine-tuned to be appealing to a specific audience or for a particular purpose

In 9th grade, students will put their grammar skills to work via a wide variety of writing assignments.

• research, organize, write, and properly format informative essays
• develop sound arguments and write informed and convincing argumentative essays
• utilize narrative writing skills like sequencing and dialogue to tell a story
• practice organizing and structuring an essay using this essay writing template

In the context of reading materials suitable for 9th grade, students should be able to determine the meanings of complex terminology.

• identify the meaning of new words that appear in 9th grade level reading assignments, via context and/or reference materials
• correctly interpret, understand and use words that can have multiple meanings or forms
• recognize and correctly interpret euphemisms, examples of oxymorons and other figures of speech
• recognize the difference between connotative and denotative meanings to understand text

In ninth grade, students should start to learn how to use a style manual to format their writing according to academic standards.

• learn style formatting requirements using a specified style manual (such as APA or MLA)
• format essays and other assignments in APA, MLA style or other assigned style
• edit one's own previously written work to comply with a specified style guide

These Common Core topics are integral to 9th grade grammar. The first year of high school involves continuing to build on grammar skills from earlier grades to prepare students for more advanced assignments and tasks. Ninth graders will spend a lot of time in English class focused on analyzing literature and building strong writing skills. Now that you have reviewed 9th grade grammar, turn your attention to literary terms for high school English.