English Class 9 Book PDF Download (Punjab Board)

English for Class 9 is published by the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board (PCTB), Lahore. The latest edition is based on the Updated/Revised National Curriculum of Pakistan 2023. It has eleven units covering prose, poetry, and drama, along with grammar, vocabulary, oral communication, and writing skills in every chapter.

For 9th class students, this book is the core resource for the Punjab Board English paper. Each unit builds reading, writing, and grammar skills through structured exercises and two review sections. The PDF lets students study at their own pace, revise units before tests, and prepare thoroughly for the board exam.

Book Overview

Class	9 (SSC Part 1)
Subject	English
Category	Class 9
Board	Punjab Board (PCTB, Lahore)
Curriculum	NCP 2023 (Updated/Revised)
Authors	Ms. Ruhi Zaka Malik, Ms. Fatima Dar, Ms. Zarqa Bashir
Editor	Mr. Safdir Hussain
Total Units	11 + 2 Review sections
Total Pages	168 (2025-26 edition)
Format	PDF (Free Download)

Unit List

The 2025-26 edition has 11 units plus two review sections — Review 1 after Unit 6 and Review 2 at the end of the book.

Unit 1: The Saviour of Mankind

Unit 1 is an expository text on the life and mission of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH), born in Makkah Mukarramah about fifty miles from the Red Sea. It describes pre-Islamic Arabia’s poetry fairs at Ukaz, the first revelation brought by Hazrat Jibril in the cave of Hira, the pagan Arabs’ delegation to Hazrat Abu Talib, and tributes from Michael H. Hart and Hazrat Ayesha. Skills taught include glossary vocabulary, dictionary use, prefixes and suffixes, the eight parts of speech, group discussion and reading aloud, and paragraph and essay writing on tolerance and religious harmony.

Important Questions:

• What challenges did the Rasoolullah (PBUH) face in proclaiming Tauheed? The pagan Arabs, fearing for their dominance in society, pressured him and his followers to give up their cause and return to idol-worship. They even sent a delegation to his uncle Hazrat Abu Talib, demanding that he stop his nephew from preaching.
• At what age did Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) start spending time in solitude in the cave of Hira? At the age of thirty-eight. He would retire there with food and water and spend days and weeks in the remembrance of Allah.
• What does the Arabs’ memory and eloquence suggest about their culture before Islam? It shows that theirs was a highly developed oral and literary culture in which poetry was prized, with a yearly poetical competition held at Ukaz.
• What did Michael H. Hart say about the Rasoolullah (PBUH)? In “The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History,” Hart credited him with both the theology of Islam and its main ethical principles, judging that he may rank as the most influential political leader of all times.

Unit 2: Patriotism

Unit 2 defines patriotism as love and devotion to the motherland, tracing “patriot” to the Latin patriota (countryman). It presents sovereignty, integrity and honour as a patriot’s supreme values, cites Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah as a nation-builder who won Muslims a separate homeland, and names Nishan-e-Haider recipients from the 1965, 1971 and Kargil 1999 wars. Skills covered include a K-W-L chart, cause-effect and fact-opinion tasks, glossary words such as commendable and devoid, tenses, gerunds, infinitives and participles, a debate on youth in nation-building, and essay writing.

Important Questions:

• What is the origin of the word ‘patriot’? It comes from the Latin word patriota, which means countryman.
• What are the supreme values of a patriot according to the text? The sovereignty, integrity and honour of the country, on which no compromise can be made.
• Why did Quaid-e-Azam want to secure a separate homeland for the Muslims of the subcontinent? He wanted to protect the values, culture and traditions of the Muslims and give them a sense of identity.
• In which wars did many brave soldiers lay down their lives for Pakistan? In the wars of 1965 and 1971 and the Kargil War of 1999. Those who embraced martyrdom were awarded the Nishan-e-Haider, the highest military award.

Unit 3: Daffodils (Poem)

Unit 3 presents William Wordsworth’s “Daffodils,” inspired by an 1802 walk with his sister Dorothy near Ullswater in the Lake District. The speaker, drifting alone like a cloud, comes upon a vast stretch of golden flowers beside a lake, and later recalls them when lying in a vacant or pensive mood. The unit teaches themes of nature, memory and solitude; connotation versus denotation; figurative language including simile, personification, hyperbole, metaphor, alliteration, assonance and imagery; compound prepositions and prepositional phrases; oral recitation of Taufiq Rafat’s “Arrival of the Monsoon”; and paraphrasing and objective summary writing.

Important Questions:

• To which natural element does the poet compare himself at the beginning of the poem? He compares himself to a cloud. The unit explains this simile conveys his sense of isolation and aimlessness as he drifts.
• Describe the setting where the poet saw the daffodils. He saw them beside a lake and beneath the trees, moving in the breeze along the margin of a bay. The peaceful setting supports the poem’s shift from loneliness to joy.
• Identify and explain the use of personification in the poem. The daffodils are described as fluttering and dancing in the breeze, and as tossing their heads. Giving flowers human actions makes the scene lively and conveys joy and movement.
• What is the “inward eye” that the poet mentions? The unit explains it as a metaphor for the poet’s memory or imagination. When he is alone in a vacant or pensive mood, the vivid recollection of the daffodils returns and fills his heart with pleasure.

Unit 4: Hazrat Asma (RA)

Unit 4 recounts the life of Hazrat Asma (RA), daughter of Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique (RA), during the migration of 622 A.D. She prepared and tied food for the journey with her own belt, earning the title Zaat-un-Nitaqain, and carried provisions nightly to the cave of Thawr. She refused to reveal her father’s whereabouts to Abu Jehl, and comforted her blind grandfather with pebbles hidden under cloth. The unit teaches glossary words such as alleviate, perilous and resolute, context clues and dictionary work, tenses with gerunds, infinitives and participles, an interview role-play, and narrative writing.

Important Questions:

• How did Hazrat Asma’s (RA) actions during the migration show her resourcefulness and courage? She prepared food and tied it to the camel with her own belt when nothing else could be found, and every night she carried food quietly through rugged mountains to the cave of Thawr despite the fear of being detected.
• What did Hazrat Asma (RA) do when Abu Jehl demanded to know the whereabouts of her father? She politely replied with a counter question, “How would I know?”, giving no clue. This infuriated Abu Jehl, who slapped her so hard that her ear-ring fell off, yet she did not reveal the secret.
• How did she alleviate her blind grandfather’s concern about the family’s wealth? She gathered pebbles, placed them where her father kept his money and jewels, and covered them with a piece of cloth. When Hazrat Abu Quhafaa (RA) touched it, he believed the wealth had been left behind and felt relieved.
• What family relations of Hazrat Asma (RA) are mentioned in the text? She was the daughter of Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique (RA), stepsister of Hazrat Ayesha Siddiqa (RA), wife of Hazrat Zubair bin al-Awwam (RA), mother of Hazrat Abdullah bin Zubair (RA), and granddaughter of Hazrat Abu Quhafaa (RA).

Unit 5: Women Empowerment through Entrepreneurship

Unit 5 defines entrepreneurship as starting, managing and growing a business venture, and shows how it gives women financial independence and leadership. Its central example is Hazrat Khadija (RA), a wealthy Makkan trader praised for wisdom, integrity and strategic thinking, alongside Pakistani women in fashion, food, handicrafts, education and e-commerce, plus barriers such as cultural expectations, mobility limits and loan access. Skills taught include glossary words (microfinance, stereotype, thrive), idioms and proverbs, punctuation and capitalisation, first- and third-person narrative, group discussion and role-play, and writing a biography paragraph and a sponsorship application.

Important Questions:

• What qualities made Hazrat Khadija (RA) a successful entrepreneur in a male-dominated society? She was known for her wisdom, integrity and leadership in running a thriving trading business, expanding her ventures through hard work, intelligence and strategic thinking. Her success showed that gender should not be a barrier.
• What role does e-commerce play in overcoming barriers for women entrepreneurs in Pakistan? Online platforms let women run businesses from home with greater flexibility, so they can reach customers and markets without the travel restrictions that limit their movement.
• What common obstacles do women entrepreneurs face in Pakistan? Cultural expectations about household duties, limited access to finance, education and networks, mobility restrictions, legal hurdles in registering businesses, and a lack of mentors or support networks.
• In what ways does women’s entrepreneurship benefit the wider community? It drives economic growth and job creation, develops communities by tackling local issues like education and healthcare, promotes gender equality, and inspires future generations through role models.

Unit 6: The Value of Time

Unit 6 tells the story of Taseer, a cheerful, kind-hearted boy whose one flaw is poor time management: he procrastinates over video games, chatting and daydreaming while schoolwork piles up. His grandfather demonstrates a jar filled with big rocks, pebbles and sand, showing that priorities must come first. Taseer builds a schedule, improves his grades and relationships, and shares the lesson with classmates. The unit teaches plot development (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution), vocabulary such as elucidate, gratification and methodically, conjunctions and transition words, group discussion, and story writing with editing and proofreading.

Important Questions:

• How had Taseer wasted his time before he visited his grandfather? He procrastinated, spending hours on video games, chatting with friends and daydreaming while his schoolwork and chores piled up.
• How did Taseer fill the jar? He first poured in the sand, then the pebbles, so when he tried to add the big rocks they would not fit.
• What lesson did the grandfather teach with the rocks, pebbles and sand? The big rocks stand for important things like schoolwork, family and health, the pebbles for hobbies and friendships, and the sand for trivial things. If you put the small things first there is no room for what matters.
• What was the impact of good time management on Taseer’s performance and relationships? He felt more in control and less stressed about deadlines, his grades improved, and he had more time for family and friends, who found him more reliable while his parents were proud of his progress.

Unit 7: If (Poem)

Unit 7 presents Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If,” a father’s counsel to his son on the qualities that build character: staying calm under blame, trusting oneself while allowing for others’ doubt, keeping dreams and thoughts in check, meeting triumph and disaster alike, rebuilding after loss, and holding on through exhaustion. A note introduces Kipling (1865-1936), author of The Jungle Book and Kim. The glossary covers imposter, knave, sinew, stoop, triumph and virtue. Grammar covers subordinating and correlative conjunctions and transitional devices, with paraphrasing and summary writing tasks.

Important Questions:

• According to the poet, how should one respond to criticism and blame? One should keep a level head when others lose theirs and blame him, and continue to trust himself while still making allowance for their doubts.
• What message does the poem give about dreams and aspirations? Dreams and thoughts are valuable but must not become one’s master or sole aim. The unit explains this means staying grounded and realistic while pursuing goals.
• What is the grammar focus of this unit? Conjunctions and transitional devices — specifically subordinating conjunctions that link independent and dependent clauses, and correlative pairs such as both/and, either/or, neither/nor and not only/but also.
• What are the two main writing tasks at the end of the unit? Students must paraphrase the second and third stanzas of “If” using the paraphrasing steps, and then write a summary of the poem, guided by a model summary of Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.”

Unit 8: The Impact of Globalisation on Culture and Economy

Unit 8 explains globalisation as the process by which countries, economies and cultures become interconnected through communication, trade and the exchange of ideas. It shows how Pakistan exports textiles, rice and sports goods, attracts foreign direct investment through initiatives like CPEC, and gains jobs in IT, telecommunication and manufacturing, while digital globalisation spreads learning, social media contact and global cuisines and fashion. It also warns of cultural erosion, homogenisation and misinformation. Language work covers glossary words and anagrams, sentence structure with simple and complex sentences and subordinate clauses, an oral mind-map dialogue, and précis writing.

Important Questions:

• What is globalisation and how does it promote economic growth? Globalisation is the process by which countries, economies and cultures become interconnected and interdependent through increased communication, trade and exchange of ideas. It promotes growth by opening international markets for exports and bringing in foreign investment and technology.
• How has globalisation impacted Pakistan’s trade and investment? It opens international markets for Pakistani exports such as textiles and agricultural products and gives consumers access to imported goods. Foreign direct investment, especially through CPEC, brings capital, technology, jobs and infrastructure development.
• What new job opportunities has globalisation created in Pakistan? Multinational companies setting up operations in Pakistan have created jobs in information technology, telecommunication and manufacturing, often with better pay and working conditions than local companies.
• What concerns are raised about preserving traditional Pakistani culture? There is concern that adopting global trends may erode traditional culture, overshadowing unique practices, languages and heritage. The text urges a balance between embracing global influences and preserving cultural identity.

Unit 9: Quality Education — A Key to Success

Unit 9 presents quality education as the basis of sustainable development, linking it to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG 4. The essay argues that education builds human capital, reduces poverty and inequality, advances gender equality, strengthens social cohesion and peace, and drives innovation through STEM and university research, while noting problems such as outdated curricula, teacher shortages and low salaries. Learners study glossary words such as bedrock, cohesion, holistic and pedagogical, practise contextual clues, learn adjectival, prepositional and adverbial phrases, perform a role-play, and write a book review.

Important Questions:

• How has quality education been defined in the text? It is described as education taking a holistic approach that gives learners the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes needed to thrive in a rapidly changing world, and to live productive, fulfilling lives.
• Which subjects are highlighted as important for critical thinking and problem-solving? Mathematics, science and technology, whose skills are in demand in industries such as technology, healthcare and engineering.
• Why is STEM education important for driving innovation? STEM equips students with the technical skills for innovation and fosters curiosity and a problem-solving mindset, which are crucial for technological advancement and scientific discovery.
• What role do higher education institutions play in research and development? Universities and colleges provide the resources and environment for students and faculty to conduct research, leading to new inventions, technologies and methodologies.

Unit 10: The Silent Predator and the Majestic Prey — Snow Leopard and Markhor

Unit 10 describes two animals of Pakistan’s Himalaya, Karakoram and Hindu Kush ranges. The snow leopard, the “Ghost of the Mountains,” has a thick spotted coat, wide fur-covered paws and a long balancing tail, and roams up to 5,500 metres. The markhor, Pakistan’s national animal with corkscrew horns up to 1.5 metres, is a herbivore of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Balochistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The unit teaches connotative versus denotative meanings, hyphenated nouns and adjectives, “-ough” words, role-play of a conservation meeting, and a descriptive composition using brainstorming and mind mapping.

Important Questions:

• Why is the predator-prey relationship between the snow leopard and the markhor important? Snow leopards keep herbivore populations such as the markhor in check, which protects plant life, while markhors help maintain mountain vegetation. Losing either species would create a ripple effect that endangers the whole ecosystem.
• How do the snow leopard’s adaptations help it survive in the mountains? It has dense fur, a muscular build, wide fur-covered paws for walking on snow, and a long tail for balancing on narrow ledges.
• What are the benefits and concerns of community-led conservation programmes like trophy hunting? In places like Chitral National Park and the Toshi Game Reserve, regulated trophy hunting generates revenue for conservation and gives local people a financial incentive to protect animals. A concern is that such programmes may prioritise financial gain over animal welfare.
• How is the markhor adapted to living in mountainous regions? It lives at altitudes of up to 3,600 metres on steep, rocky terrain, using its wide hooves to climb cliffs and grazing on grasses, shrubs and leaves. Its seasonal coat keeps it warm in winter.

Unit 11: The Dear Departed (One-Act Play)

Stanley Houghton’s one-act play, set in a single Edwardian living room, opens with Mrs. Amelia Slater preparing for her sister Elizabeth Jordan’s arrival after their father, Abel Merryweather, is believed to have died upstairs. Before the Jordans arrive, Amelia and Henry carry down the old man’s bureau and clock; the sisters then squabble over mourning clothes, a newspaper notice, a gold watch and an unpaid insurance premium, until Abel walks in alive and announces a new will and a marriage. The unit teaches features of a one-act play, glossary words such as bureau and impassive, antonyms and root words, direct and indirect narration, role-play, and writing scenes with dialogue and director’s notes.

Important Questions:

• What do the actions of Mrs. Slater and Mrs. Jordan reveal about their true motivations? Both sisters are driven by greed and self-interest rather than grief, competing over mourning clothes, the bureau, the clock, the gold watch and the insurance money. Their concern is appearances and inheritance, not their father.
• Why do Mrs. Slater and Henry move the bureau and the clock downstairs before the Jordans arrive? Mrs. Slater has long wanted the bureau and knows Elizabeth would bargain hard for it, so she has it brought down while a shabby chest of drawers is sent up in its place. She takes the clock too because theirs is worthless.
• How does Victoria’s character differ from the adults around her? Victoria is innocent and blunt: she openly wonders whether the family is stealing her grandfather’s things, remembers he had been drinking, and is simply glad he is alive — which exposes the adults’ hypocrisy.
• What three things does Abel Merryweather announce he will do on Monday? He will go to the lawyer to alter his will, pay his overdue insurance premium, and get married at St. Philip’s Church to Mrs. John Shorrocks, who keeps the ‘Ring-o’-Bells’.

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Download English Class 9 Book PDF

Three editions are available below. Click the button for the edition you need — each opens in a new tab and is ready to read or save on any device.

2025–26 Edition (NCP 2023)

⬇ Download PDF (2025–26)

2023–24 Edition (NCP 2023)

⬇ Download PDF (2023–24)

2012 Edition (Old Curriculum)

⬇ Download PDF (2012)

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Who Should Read This

This book is for Class 9 students in all groups — Science, Arts, and Commerce — studying under the Punjab Board. The 2025–26 and 2023–24 editions are for students following the NCP 2023 revised curriculum. The 2012 edition is useful for students whose school still follows the older curriculum or for reference and past paper practice.

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Applicable Boards

This textbook is published by PCTB and is used across all Punjab Board schools. The Federal Board (FBISE) has its own English textbook, but students from other boards can use this book for grammar practice, comprehension, and essay writing skills that are common to all boards.

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