Language handbook additional practice in grammar, usage, and mechanics grade 9

TX_L09LH_01 6/1/09 6:13 PM Page 1 NAME Language Handbook CLASS DATE 1 The Parts of Speech WORKSHEET 1 Identifying Nouns Exercise A Underline all of the nouns in the following paragraph. If a noun appears more than once, underline it each time it appears. EXAMPLE [1] Craters formed by meteorites have shallow floors and uplifted centers. [1] Mercury is the planet nearest the sun. [2] Recently, data from spacecraft have shown astronomers that Mercury, like our Moon, is covered with craters. [3] The surface of Venus may also be cratered, but thick clouds of gas hide the landscape from telescopes. [4] Craters are formed when large meteorites, which are fragments of comets or asteroids, collide with a planet or a planet’s satellite. [5] Some of the craters on the Moon are 320 miles wide. Exercise B Underline all of the nouns in the following paragraphs. If a noun appears more than once, underline it each time it appears. EXAMPLE [1] The islands of Hawaii consist of lava and ash built up from the floor of the ocean. [1] The formation of a volcanic island is a remarkable process. [2] This process often occurs over millions of years. [3] Erupting volcanoes build mountains on the floor of the sea. [4] Each eruption adds more lava to the pile of volcanic rock until, after many years, the volcanic mountain comes within reach of the waves. [5] The submerged island © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company sometimes becomes a coral reef. [6] Other islands rise high above the surface of the ocean, forming rugged mountains with ridges, canyons, and cliffs. [7] Plants and animals come to the island, either blown in on the wind or washed in with the current. [8] Some forms of life travel to the new island on natural rafts of tree limbs and matted vegetation. [9] Other organisms are carried by the birds that come to the island from other lands. [10] On the Galápagos Islands some forms of life, such as tortoises and sunflowers, grow much larger than they do on the mainland. The Parts of Speech 1 TX_L09LH_01 6/2/09 9:56 AM Page 2 NAME Language Handbook CLASS DATE 1 The Parts of Speech Identifying and Using Pronouns WORKSHEET 2 Exercise A Each of the following sentences contains two pronouns. Circle each pronoun, and draw an arrow to the noun for which it stands. EXAMPLE 1. Mr. Platero owns two dogs, which he adopted from the animal shelter. 1. Roberto passed the ball to Elena, who caught it easily. 2. Otis called his sister, but she didn’t answer. 3. When asked about the game, Mike said, “I didn’t see it.” 4. Since Gabriella found the money, the cash belongs to her unless it is claimed. 5. The children said they like the new bus driver who wears the blue hat. 6. Although Elliot studied French in school, he didn’t feel comfortable speaking it. 7. Denise brought sandwiches with her on the hike and carried them in a knapsack. 8. “I,” Jerry said, “surprised myself.” 9. Because Sheila enjoyed musical comedies, she tried to see them as often as possible. 10. Keiko enjoyed volleyball so much she played it every day after school. In the following paragraph, fill in the blanks with pronouns that refer to the italicized nouns. Exercise B EXAMPLES Any nurse [1] who served in a Red Cross hospital during World War I risked [2] her life. In 1907, Dr. Antoine Depage had asked Miss Cavell to come to Brussels. [2] __________ wanted [3] __________ hospital modernized according to the principles of Florence Nightingale. After the outbreak of the war in 1914, [4] __________ became a Red Cross hospital. The Germans marched into Belgium, although [5] __________ was a neutral country. The hospital was filled with many casualties of the war. Edith Cavell joined an underground group [6] __________ gave aid to Belgians of military age and to escaped Allied prisoners. The Germans discovered the group, and in 1915 [7] __________ arrested Edith Cavell and thirty-four other members. Edith Cavell, because of [8] __________ religious convictions, refused to lie, even in order to protect [9] __________. [10] __________ lost her life to a firing squad on October 12, 1915. 2 Language Handbook © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company Edith Cavell was a British nurse [1] __________ served in Belgium during World War I. TX_L09LH_01 6/1/09 6:13 PM Page 3 NAME Language Handbook CLASS DATE 1 The Parts of Speech WORKSHEET 3 Identifying Adjectives Exercise A Underline each adjective in the following paragraph. Do not include the articles a, an, and the. EXAMPLE [1] Bonsai is the art of growing tiny trees. [1] In Japan, some people grow miniature trees that have a famous history and an important place in horticultural art. [2] Through pruning and fertilization, the trees are trained to keep the shape and proportion of larger trees. [3] The trees often have small leaves and small fruit. [4] The trees have an old and wind-swept appearance, as though they had grown in the outdoors. [5] With bonsai, gardeners can create realistic landscapes in pots and carry scenes of mountain crags or vast plains into their homes. Exercise B Underline each of the twenty-five adjectives in the following story, and draw an arrow from the adjective to the word or words it modifies. Treat hyphenated compound words like spine-tingling as one word. Do not include the articles a, an, and the. EXAMPLE Scary stories can make the imagination run wild. On hot summer nights, Julio and the other boys sleep out in the yard. They put up a tent in a dark corner, where the trees and bushes are thick. That way the boys can easily imagine they are in wild, uninhabited country. One evening Mike suggested that they tell ghost stories or tales of bear hunts. After a © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company particularly spine-tingling story, Mike couldn’t sleep; he was too nervous. About midnight he saw something move in the shadows. “Yeow!” he cried out. “There is a big bear! It is really huge!” In the sudden confusion, the small tent collapsed on top of the boys; each one seemed eager to go in a different direction. Anxious parents ran out of the nearby house. They found a coal-black dog. Like a bear, this animal was very curious. It was sniffing at the tangle of arms, legs, and bodies under the tent. The Parts of Speech 3 TX_L09LH_01 6/2/09 9:56 AM Page 4 NAME Language Handbook CLASS DATE 1 The Parts of Speech Identifying and Using Verbs WORKSHEET 4 Exercise A Underline each verb in the following paragraph. There are twenty-five of them, and all are action verbs. There may be several verbs in a sentence. EXAMPLE [1] The art group carefully planned and built a small clubhouse. [1] Mark, Louisa, and Djuana formed an art group. [2] Since they needed a clubhouse, they planned the construction of a small geodesic dome. [3] The group financed the structure through the sale of some of their work. [4] Louisa sold a portrait and an abstract painting. [5] Mark constructed a Tiffany-style lamp, and the Posnicks quickly bought it and placed it in their brownstone apartment across the street. [6] Djuana sketched several local scenes, carved the sketches into linoleum blocks, made greeting cards with the blocks, and sold the cards through a local novelty store. [7] The group carefully studied The Whole Earth Catalog for instructions. [8] Louisa, Mark, and Djuana decided on a 10 1/2- ϫ 8-foot building. [9] Louisa, the math whiz, performed the necessary mathematical calculations. [10] Mark, an expert bargain finder, shopped for the materials. [11] With the group’s earnings, he purchased wood struts, spoke hubs, and plastic covering. [12] The group asked Mark’s parents for the use of part of their back yard. [13] They started the construction work on Monday. [14] Louisa cut the wood to the necessary dimensions. [15] Mark formed the cut wood into triangles, and Djuana fastened the triangles together in the shape of a dome. [16] They finished the skeletal structure on Friday. [17] On Saturday they attached the plastic Exercise B The following items contain nouns modified by adjectives. Construct a sentence with each group of words by supplying verbs to link the nouns and adjectives, and write the new sentences on the lines provided. Use five different linking verbs. EXAMPLE 1. the stormy weather The weather looks stormy. ____________ 1. the dull knife ______________________________________________________________ 2. the haunted house ____________________________________________________________ 3. the shy child ____________________________________________________________________ 4. the calm lake ______________________________________________________________ 5. the bitter medicine __________________________________________________________ 4 Language Handbook © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company covering. [18] That evening the group celebrated its success in the new clubhouse. TX_L09LH_01 6/1/09 6:13 PM Page 5 NAME Language Handbook CLASS DATE 1 The Parts of Speech WORKSHEET 5 Using and Identifying Helping Verbs Exercise A Complete the following sentences by writing suitable helping verbs on the lines provided. Then, circle the entire verb phrase. EXAMPLE 1. Did the teacher explain? 1. __________ you ever seen a Kabuki play? 2. His car __________ going too fast for safety. 3. I __________ waiting for Helen. 4. __________ you met my mother? 5. It __________ be later than you think. 6. Edena __________ becoming an excellent soccer player. 7. If he __________ read better, he __________ learn more. 8. There __________ been serious consequences. 9. Mr. Prinz __________ not __________ persuaded to change. 10. __________ you read “For My People” by Margaret Walker? Exercise B Each sentence in the following passage contains at least one verb phrase. For each verb phrase, underline the helping verb(s) once and the main verb twice. EXAMPLE [1] How many elements does air contain? [1] Since no one can see the air, some people in the past did not consider it real. [2] The ancient Greek philosopher Anaximenes, however, did not agree with these © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company people. [3] He believed that air must be one of the foundations of all matter. [4] One evening Anaximenes was walking in the moonlight. [5] While looking up at the sky, he must have seen a rainbow made by the moon. [6] Unlike other Greeks, he did not believe that the rainbow was a goddess. [7] He was not surprised to see the rainbow because he believed that it was made by the effect of light on compressed air. [8] Like Anaximenes, we must admit that the air does contain something real. [9] Scientists have found nitrogen, oxygen, and other elements in the air. [10] We may discover new facts about air now that we are investigating other planets. The Parts of Speech 5 TX_L09LH_01 6/2/09 9:56 AM Page 6 NAME Language Handbook CLASS DATE 1 The Parts of Speech Identifying and Using Adverbs WORKSHEET 6 Exercise A Circle the adverb in each item. Then, draw an arrow to the verb it modifies. On the line provided, state whether the adverb tells how, when, where, or to what extent. EXAMPLE when 1. The big drawing always attracts a crowd at the county fair. _____________ 1. For weeks merchants cheerfully gave numbered tickets with purchases. _____________ 2. My cousin Lorraine and I finally collected forty tickets. _____________ 3. “If we’re lucky,” I often told Lorraine, “we will win that camping equipment.” _____________ 4. Saturday came, and we eagerly waded through the crowd at the fair. _____________ 5. The rules stated that the holders of winning tickets must be there. _____________ 6. Promptly at midnight, they started the drawing. _____________ 7. “The winner of the camping gear is 608–1313!” shouted the announcer. “Will the holder of number 608–1313 come here?” _____________ 8. Lorraine’s success completely surprised everybody. _____________ 9. She walked to the platform slowly for her prize. _____________ 10. She exclaimed, “This is the first prize I have ever won!” Modify each verb in the following paragraph by filling in each blank with an appropriate adverb. Choose varied, interesting adverbs. EXAMPLE [1] Several of the drama students rehearsed together to prepare for the auditions. Rena [1] _________________ wanted to get a part in her school’s production of The Diary of Anne Frank. She was [2] _________________ nervous about auditioning, and she [3] _________________ awaited the day for tryouts. To prepare herself, she [4] _________________ scanned the play over the weekend. [5] _________________ she went back and [6] _________________ studied the role of Anne. [7] _________________ she began to understand how it must have felt to live in hiding for so long. She wondered if she could [8] _________________ portray the girl who had [9] _________________ written the diary. Continued 6 Language Handbook ☞ © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company Exercise B