How a word changes with its ending, and what its root means
Grade 9 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.
Read this first
Sentence
A scholarly edition of the letters, full of notes, took twelve years to finish. Strip: scholar (student of a field) | ly (ending)
Ari builds a strip for a word in a sentence. What part of speech is it here?
- Noun: scholarly names a person who studies the letters
- Adjective: it describes the edition, though it ends in -ly
- Adverb: -ly tells how the edition took twelve years
- Verb: scholarly names what the editors did to the letters
Sentence
A retrospective glance at the old photographs showed how much the town had changed. Strip: retro (back) | spect (look) | ive (tending to)
Tala splits the key word of a class blog sentence. Which label gives its meaning here?
- adjective: tending to look back at what already happened
- noun: a person who looks back at old photographs
- adjective: tending to look inward at one's own thoughts
- adjective: tending to look ahead to what has not happened yet
“The nurses check on the elderly every morning before breakfast. Strip: elder (older) | ly (ending)” Jun builds a strip for a word in a sentence. What part of speech is it here?
- Adjective: elderly describes the nurses who visit each morning
- Verb: elderly names what the nurses do before breakfast
- Noun: after the, it names the older people the nurses visit
- Adverb: -ly tells how the nurses check each morning
Sentence
The ____ of the footbridge took three summers because the crew could work only at low tide. Family: construct, construction, constructive, constructively
Pia fills a blank in a school-paper sentence. Which form of the word fits the blank?
- constructive
- construct
- construction
- constructively
Sentence
The coach gave an incredulous stare when the rookie insisted the pitch had been a strike. Strip: in (not) | cred (believe) | ulous (inclined to)
Bo splits the key word of a class blog sentence. Which label gives its meaning here?
- noun: the act of not believing what was said
- adjective: unwilling to believe what was said
- adjective: too ready to believe what was said
- adjective: believing what was said
“After weeks of debate, the council acted ____ and closed the unsafe road. Family: decide, decision, decisive, decisively” Zee fills a blank in a school-paper sentence. Which form of the word fits the blank?
- decide
- decisive
- decisively
- decision
“The ferry town had a transient crowd of workers who stayed only one season. Strip: trans (across) | ient (going)” Kira splits the key word of a class blog sentence. Which label gives its meaning here?
- adjective: going or moving
- adjective: staying across the river for good
- adjective: passing through without staying long
- noun: the act of going across a river
Sentence
The team consistently outscored its rivals, even on the road. Strip: consist (stay the same) | ent (describing) | ly (ending)
Ren builds a strip for a word in a sentence. What part of speech is it here?
- Noun: consistently names the habit of outscoring rivals
- Adjective: consistently describes the team that outscored
- Verb: consistently names what the team did
- Adverb: -ly tells how the team outscored its rivals
Sentence
Heavy rain will ____ the soil along the riverbank unless the roots hold it in place. Family: erode, erosion, erosive, erosively
Esme fills a blank in a school-paper sentence. Which form of the word fits the blank?
- erosion
- erosively
- erode
- erosive
Sentence
The board's vote to repaint the library was unanimous, and no member spoke against it. Strip: uni (one) | anim (mind) | ous (full of)
Noah splits the key word of a class blog sentence. Which label gives its meaning here?
- adjective: generous and large-minded
- adjective: alone, with no one else voting
- adjective: of one mind, with the whole group agreeing
- adjective: having to do with the mind or spirit

