B.A.(Prog.)/B.Com.(Prog.

) Semester-I/II English

CORE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY
SLM-1 (Unit 1-5)

SCHOOL OF OPEN LEARNING

University of Delhi

Department of English
Content Editors
Dr. Neeta Gupta Ms. Nalini Prabhakar
 Table of Contents
• About the SLM
• SLM Description
• SLM Objectives
• Units in the SLM:
o Unit 1:Reading Comprehension–1 1-71
▪ Suggested Readings:
▪ A Foundation English Course for Undergraduates: Reader
I, Delhi: Oxford University Press,
▪ 1991, pp. 1 - 36 Units 1 - 6
▪ Everyday English Delhi: Pearson, 2005, pp. 1 - 15 Units 1 - 3 & 21
- 31 Units 5 - 6

o Unit 2:Learning about Words 72-80

▪ Suggested Readings:
▪ Everyday English Delhi: Pearson, 2005, pp. 36 - 43 Unit 8

o Unit 3:Basic Grammar Rules – 1 81-104

▪ Developing Language Skills I, Delhi: Manohar, 1997, pp. 186 -
195 & 206 - 209 Units 2, 3 & 5 of the ‘Grammar’ section

o Unit 4:Writing Skills – 1 105-146

▪ Suggested Readings:
▪ Everyday English, Delhi: Pearson, 2005, pp. 21 - 31 Units 5 - 6
▪ A Foundation English Course for Undergraduates: Workbook
I, Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1919, pp. 1 - 31 Units I - V

o Unit 5:Conversing – 1 147-170

▪ Suggested Readings:
▪ Everyday English, Delhi: Pearson, 2005, Units 1 - 5
▪ Developing Language Skills I, Delhi: Manohar, 1997, pp. 8 - 26
Units 1 - 5 of 'Oral Communication: Speech Patterns'

• Appendix : Sample Question Paper

About The Self Learning Material/SLM
This SLM contains material on the Compulsory Core English Language paper, ENGLISH
PROFICIENCY. It is meant for students of B.A. Programme and B.Com. Programme
Semester I/II. Students are required to study the following Units:
1. Unit 1: Reading and Comprehension 1
2. Unit 2: Learning About Words
3. Unit 3: Basic Grammar Rules 1
4. Unit 4: Writing Skills 1
5. Unit 5: Conversing 1

All the above Units are based on the prescribed sections of the textbooks listed as
‘Suggested Reading’ in the syllabus. For example, passages for ‘Reading and
Comprehension’ in Unit 1 have been taken from two textbooks, namely A Foundation
English Course for Undergraduates -Reader 1 and Everyday English -Part 1. Rest of the
Units are similarly based on the relevant sections of the prescribed textbooks .
SLM Description
Each Unit in this Self Learning Material contains a number of exercises such as questions
on Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, Grammar, Writing etc. You are advised to
attempt these questions with the help of the explanation provided. For your benefit an
Answer Key for most of the questions has been provided at the end of the Exercise itself.
You can check your answers with the help of this Answer Key.
Objectives
The Units in this Self Learning Material will help you to enhance your proficiency in
English:
• It will help you improve your basic comprehension skills and enrich your
vocabulary.
• You will be able to form simple sentences, rearrange them if the order is
mixed up and write short paragraphs.
• Understand and use information given in tabulated form.
• Understand how to use a dictionary
• Learn basic grammar rules pertaining to use of tenses, prepositions,
modals, conjunctions and subject-verb agreement.
• It will help you know how to carry on a simple conversation and
understand the difference between formal and informal speech.

Appendix
• A Sample Question Paper has been provided at the end of the SLM to give you
an idea about the pattern as well as the type of questions you will be expected to
attempt in the examination.
 UNIT – 1
READING AND COMPREHENSION 1
Introduction

The passages in this Section are meant for Reading Comprehension, that is you have to
read them and answer the questions given on them. How should you read a passage for
comprehension?

Step 1. Read the passage silently without worrying about the meaning of words and
phrases (groups of words) which may seem to be difficult. Your first reading
should be only to find out what the passage is about.

Step 2. Guess the meaning of words and phrases by noting how they are used.

Step 3. Each passage is followed by comprehension and vocabulary exercises. Go

back to your passage (the text) to find out where to get the answers to the
questions.

Step 4. Once you have found the answers write them in your own words wherever
needed. Follow the instructions carefully.

There are three types of questions:

1. False or True questions: you have to write F or T or you have to put a tick mark✓on
the correct answer.
2. Multiple choice questions: you have to choose the most appropriate or the best
answer.
3. Short answers: you have to write answers in your own words.
4. Questions on Vocabulary, Grammar, Writing and Speaking

Note:

a. The passages in your examination paper will be unseen passages. In this Study
Material you will find that we have taken passages from two books, namely A
Foundation Course in English for the Undergraduates – Reader I (Units 1-6) and
Everyday English Part I (Units 1,2,3,5 and 6). Both these books are listed as
Suggested Reading in your syllabus.

b. To have an idea of the types of exercises on vocabulary, grammar and writing which
may be given in the examination paper, you must practice all the exercises provided
in the Study material.

1
 FROM: A FOUNDATION ENGLISH COURSE FOR
UNDERGRADUATES - READER 1
1(a)
COFFEE
Dr. Neeta Gupta

There are millions of people who drink coffee in coffee bars or restaurants all over
the world. While drinking coffee they talk about the day’s news or they just relax. Coffee
bars are a good place to meet people for a chat, and drinking coffee is a simple way to relax.
People also drink coffee so that they can keep awake. Students drink it late at night
because they want to study. Lorry drivers drink it because they want to keep awake on the
road. Most people drink coffee in the morning when they get up and after each meal. Coffee
breaks are a good way to relax at work.
Coffee has a bitter taste, and people usually drink it with sugar or milk. Some people
like to drink their coffee black. In Italy they drink very strong black coffee. It’s called
espresso. There are some people who drink their coffee with warm milk and the Irish have
a special coffee with whisky in it.
Coffee comes from coffee beans and these beans grow on trees. Coffee trees need
sunshine and water, so they grow well in hot countries like South America, South Africa,
India and the Far East. Coffee trees are very delicate and difficult to grow, and picking the
beans is a long process. The workers have a hard job because they pick the beans by hand.
This can take a long time. Which country produces the most coffee? Brazil, of course.
Read the passage carefully and attempt the questions given below:
Comprehension
A. Read the following statements and decide whether they are true (T) or false (F).
Write T or F against them as the case may be. (Check your answers with the ones
that have been provided for you.)
Example: True drivers drink coffee because they don't want to fall asleep. (T)
1. Brazil is the largest coffee-producing country. (T)
2. People go to coffee bars to have a nap. (F)
3. Coffee helps people to relax. (T)
4. No one in the world drinks coffee without milk or sugar. (F)
5. Coffee grows in those countries which have a lot of water and sunshine. (T)
B. Complete the following sentences by choosing the most appropriate word or phrase
from the brackets:(The correct word/phrase has been underlined.)
1. The largest coffee-growing country in the world is (India, Brazil, South
Africa).
2. People drink coffee because (they get it cheap, they want to avoid work, they
want to relax).

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 3. Espresso coffee is (strong black coffee, coffee with milk, coffee with whisky).
4. Coffee is difficult to produce because workers have to (work hard for long
hours, work in the hot sun, climb trees).
II. Vocabulary
A. Words from the passage which mean the opposite of the following words:
cold : hot
asleep : awake
short : long
B. Underline one word or phrase in column B which matches in meaning the word in
column A. (The correct word/phrase has been underlined for you)
Column A Column B
Example : Coffee bars : hostels, clubs, coffee houses, buildings
chat : talk, smoke, drink, play cards
million : ten lakh, one lakh, ten thousand, hundred
thousand
usually : normally, always, never, sometimes.
delicate : soft, rough, rare, beautiful
III. Grammar
A. Read the following sentences:
1. I like coffee
2. My mother likes coffee
3. People drink coffee so that they can keep awake
4. Brazil produces the most coffee
The italicized verbs are in the simple present tense.
Note that a verb in the simple present tense takes ‘s’ only in the third person singular (i.e.
he, she, it: He likes coffee)
Now fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb given in brackets.(Check your
answers with the Key provided.)
1. They _____ in the afternoon. (play)
2. She ____ black coffee. (drink)
3. I do not _____ coffee in the morning. (drink)

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 4. My brother _____ very fast. (drive)
5. My history teacher ____me very much. (like)
6. It _____heavily in August. (rain)
7. She _____ very hard. (work)
8. The sky _____ beautiful after it rains. (look)
9. My dog _____bones. (like)
10. I _____exercise every day. (take)

[Answer Key: 1.play 2.drinks 3.drink 4.drives 5.likes 6.rains 7.works 8.looks
9.likes 10.take]
B. Read the following sentences:
1. a. Students drink coffee late at night.
b. Students want to study.
Students drink coffee late at night because they want to study.
2. a. Ravi could not buy a car.
b. Ravi did not get a loan.
Ravi could not buy a car because he did not get a loan.
Now combine the following pairs of sentences using because. (Check your answers with
the key provided.)
1. a. Krishna studies hard.
b. Krishna wants to pass the examination.
2. a. The boss scolded the peon.
b. The peon came late.
3. a. The mistress dismissed the maid servant.
b. The maid servant had stolen her bangles.
4. a. Rajiv cannot go to Calcutta.
b. Rajiv is ill.
5. a. Mona missed the train.
b. Mona reached the station late.
6. a. The thief stole the money.
b. The thief wanted to buy a scooter.

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7. a. Students get up early in the morning.
b. Students want to revise their lessons before going to school.
8. a. There is no smoke.
b. There is no fire.
[Answer Key:

1. Krishna studies hard because he wants to pass the examination.

2. The boss scolded the peon because he came late.
3. The mistress dismissed the maid servant because she had stolen her
bangles.
4. Rajiv cannot go to Calcutta because he is ill.
5. Mona missed the train because she reached the station late.
6. The thief stole the money because he wanted to buy a scooter.
7. Students get up early in the morning because they want to revise
their lessons before going to school.
8. There is no smoke because there is no fire.]

5
 1(b)

HOW WAS COFFEE DISCOVERED?

K. Ojha
As is true of so many other things, the discovery of coffee is lost in legend. No one
really knows who had the first thrill of drinking a cup of coffee.
But there is a legend that, perhaps a thousand years ago, an Abyssinian was attracted
by the pleasant smell that came from a certain wild shrub that was burning. He chewed a
few of its berries and liked the taste so much that he brewed a beverage from them& and
thus discovered coffee!
We do know that the Abyssinians in eastern Africa were the first to enjoy coffee.
Until the fifteenth century, this was the only place in the world where the coffee tree grew.
Then it was taken into Arabia. From then on, for 200 years, the world’s coffee came from
Yemen, in southern Arabia.
In the seventeenth century, the Dutch began to grow coffee in Java and they
distributed the coffee plant to several tropical countries. The English took it to the island
of Jamaica, from where it was taken to Central and South America. Soon coffee became
very popular in both Europe and the Americas.
The coffee plant thrives in almost any tropical climate, but it grows best on fairly
high ground with good drainage. This kind of soil and climate is found in the foothills of
Brazil. That’s why today three-fourths of the world’s coffee is produced in Brazil.
In Brazil are found the largest coffee plantations in the world, some of them
containing millions of trees and extending for miles. Coffee is also grown in large quantities
in Venezuela, Columbia, Guatemala, Mexico, and in some countries of the West Indies and
Java.
The terms ‘Mocha’ and ‘Java’ used to refer to the places from which the coffee
came. But today this is no longer true. They merely designate particular kinds of coffee.
For example, they are both now grown in Brazil, as well as the types known as Rio and
Santos. The greatest coffee port in the world is Santos, in Brazil.
The coffee bean is the seed, or stone, of a fruit resembling a small cherry. The fruit
grows on a tall bush with shiny leaves. This bean occurs either singly or as two halves with
its flat sides facing each other.
While there are more than 25 species of coffee that grow wild in the tropics, only
two produce fruit with that distinctive flavour which is brought out by roasting.
Read the Passage carefully and attempt the questions given below.
I. Comprehension.
A. Read the following statements and decide whether they are True or False, Write T
or F against them. (Check your answers with the ones that have been provided for
you).
(a) An Abyssinian discovered coffee by chance or accidentally. (T)

6
 (b) Yemen was the first Arabian country to produce coffee. (T)
(c) Coffee can be grown in all climates and places. (F)
(d) The Dutch took coffee trees to various tropical countries. (T)
(e) Java and Mocha, are names of two kinds of coffee. (T)
(f) Coffee is a very popular drink in many countries. (T)
(g) Out of many species of coffee only two are used for preparing coffee. (T)
(h) Santos is a port in the North America. (F)
(i) The English took coffee trees from Arabian countries to Africa. (F)
B. Write short answers.
a. Name the countries and places where coffee is grown in large quantities.
Answer: Coffee is grown in large quantities in Brazil, Venezuela, Columbia,
Guatemala, Mexico, and in some countries of the West Indies and Java.
b. Name four popular kinds of coffee.
Answer: The four popular kinds of coffee are Java, Mocha, Rio and Santos
c. Where can the coffee plant be grown?
Answer: Coffee plant can be grown in tropical climate on fairly high ground
with good drainage.
d. Complete the sentences by filling correct words in the blanks. (Key is
provided)
Answer: An ______ liked the _____of a burning _____. He _____ its berries
and liked the ______.
[Key: Abyssinian, smell, shrub, chewed, taste.]
II. Vocabulary
A. Find words from the passage which mean the opposite of the following words. (You
can check your answers from the Key that has been given.)

Words Opposites
1 Western
2 northern
3 smallest
4 small
5 short
[Answer Key: eastern, southern, largest, large, tall.]

7
B. Find words and phrases in the story which have the same meaning as the following:
( The exercise has been solved for you. The answer is given in italics.)
1. bush (line 5): shrub
2. drink (line 8): beverage
3. made a drink by mixing coffee seeds in water (line 8): brewed
4. spread about (line 17): distributed
5. grows rich (line 22): thrives
6. large areas of land used for growing coffee (line 27): coffee plantations
7. serve as the names of (line 34): designate
8. special (line 44): distinctive
9. taste or scent. (line 44): flavour
10. heating the seeds (line 44): roasting
III. Grammar
1. Time and tense: the present tense.
When writing a description, you must decide which time you are writing in- present
time or time which has passed (past time). Choose your tense and then stick to it.
Example
Present tenses The road is wide and shaded by rows of trees. The houses are
very beautiful but Han’s home is not so beautiful.
Past tenses The road was wide and shaded by rows of trees. The houses
were very beautiful.
2. Singular and plural
(the present tense)
A singular subject takes a singular verb.
A plural subject takes a plural verb.
Note the form of the verbs :

I write We write

You write You write

He writes They write

I have We have

You have You have

He has They have

8
 I am We are

You are You are

He is They are

She is They are

It is They are

3. Complete the passage by using the correct verb given in the brackets.

(The exercise has been solved for you and the correct verbs have been underlined)

His name (is/are) Janak Gupta and he (live/lives) next door to us. He is a young
man of medium height and size and is a very funny character. His eyes (is/are) fierce, his
language (is/are) abusive and his voice is loud. His lips (is/are) thick and hair (curl/curls)
back naturally. He (look/looks) dangerous and my aunts (hate/ hates) him. He often
(walk/walks) up the main street barefooted and (throw/throws) all the garbage of his house
in front of the park gate. We often (hear/hears) him screaming at small children who pass
by his home. It is said that his parents died in an accident when he was nine years old. His
grandmother (look/looks) after him. It is she who has brought him up. He (has/have) a
graduate’s degree. He has studied privately. He (work/works) in a general store. I don't
know how he (keep/keeps) his customers and the master happy. They (admire/admires) his
work and his honesty. Maybe he (behave/behaves) differently in the store.

9
 2(a)

EAT BETTER, FEEL BETTER

Dr. Neeta Gupta
It is becoming more and more important to eat the right food. Experts say that the
type of food you eat can affect your health. If you eat the right food, you will have a better
chance of living a long and healthy life. If you eat a lot of processed food, you are more
likely to have problems with your health. If people eat food with a lot of fat in it, they run
a greater risk of getting heart disease.
In some countries people eat less fat in their diet. Scientists have shown that fewer
people get heart disease in those countries. In Spain and Italy, for example, most people
have less fat in their diet than people in England. And in England, the rate of heart disease
is double the rate in Spain and Italy. So, if you eat less fatty food, you will live longer. You
will feel better, feel fitter and have more energy if you change to a simpler and healthier
diet.
Read the passage carefully and attempt the questions given below:
I. Comprehension
A. Say whether the following statements are true (T) or False (F). Write T or F against
them as the case maybe. (Check your answers with the ones provided)
1. Processed food is harmful to health. (T)
2. The food which contains less oil keeps us fit and healthy. (T)
3. Nobody gets heart disease in Spain and Italy because there people eat less fat.
(F)
4. There are many more patients of heart disease in England than in Spain and
Italy. (T)
B. Complete the following statements by choosing the best alternative.
1. The right kind of food
(a) has a lot of fat in it.
(b) has very little fat in it.✓
(c) is always tasty.
2. The chances of heart disease increase
(a) if one eats fatty food. ✓
(b) if one eats a balanced diet.
(c) if one leads a simple life.
3. If you were to give another title to the passage which of the following would
you prefer?
(a) Less the Fat, Better the Food.✓
(b) Causes of Heart Disease.
(c) Food Habits of the English People.

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II. Vocabulary
A. Underline the words or phrases in Column B which match in meaning the words in
Column A. (Check your answers from the Key that has been provided)
Column A Column B
damage : repair, improve, harm, take care of
risk : danger, hope, pain, fear
experts : trained persons, doctors, scientists, nurses
diet : hunger, food, hotel, chew
disease : sickness, weakness, pain, problem.
[Answer Key: harm, danger, trained persons, food, sickness]
III. Grammar
Fill in the blanks using the correct tense of the verb given in brackets.
(The exercise has been solved for you and the correct verbs have been underlined)
Meera and I are sisters. Meera goes (go) to college and I go (go) to school. I go (go)
by car. Meera goes (go) by bus. Mother says (say) I am too young to travel by a
public bus so father drives (drive) me to school. Both of us leave (leave) the house
at 9 o'clock. Meera reaches (reach) college at 10 o'clock because her college is quite
far, but I reach (reach) at 9.30. We come (come) back at 2 o'clock and have lunch
together. Then we sleep (sleep) for two hours and get (get) up at 4.30.

11
 2(b)

EARLY RISING
S.K. Mukherjee

The great advantage of early rising is the good start it gives us in our day’s work.
The early riser has done a large amount of hard work before other people have got out of
bed. In the early morning the mind is fresh, and there are few sounds or other distractions,
so that work done at that time is generally well done. In many cases the early riser also
finds some time to take some exercise in the fresh morning air, and this exercise supplies
him with a fund of energy that will last until the evening. By beginning so early, he knows
that he has plenty of time to do thoroughly all the work he can be expected to doand is not
tempted to hurry over any part of it. All his work being finished in good time, he has a long
interval of rest in the evening before going to bed. He goes to sleep several hours before
midnight, at the time when sleep is most refreshing and, after a sound night’s rest, rises
early next morning in good health and spirit for the labours of a new day.
It is very plain that a life such as this is far more conducive to health than that of
the man who shortens his working hours by rising late, and so, in the course of the day can
afford little leisure for necessary rest. Anyone who lies in bed late must, if he wishes to do
a full day’s work, go on working to a correspondingly late hour, and deny himself the hour
or two of evening exercise that he ought to take for the benefit of his health. In spite of all
his efforts, the late riser will probably not produce as good results as the early riser, because
he misses the best working hours of the day.
It may be argued that some find the perfect quiet of midnight by far the best time
for working. This is no doubt true in certain cases. Several great thinkers have found by
experience that their intellect is clearest, and they can write best, when they burn the
midnight oil. But even in such cases the practice of working late at night cannot be
commended. Few men and women, if any, can exercise the full power of their intellect at
the time when nature prescribes sleep, without ruining their health thereby; and, of course,
the injury done to the health must in the long run have a bad effect on the quality of the
work done.
Read the passage carefully and attempt the questions given below:
I. Comprehension

A. Say whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F). Write Tor F
against them as the case may be. (Check your answers with the ones
provided for you)

1. An early riser gets up before others because he suffers from

sleeplessness. (F)

2. An early riser can do more work than others because he is very

intelligent. (F)

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 3. The early morning hours are suitable for work because the mind is
fresh at that time and there is no disturbance. (T)
4. An early riser does all his work in a hurry and in a disorderly
way. (F)
5. A late riser gets enough time for leisure, rest and exercise. (F)
6. An early riser produces better results in his work because he makes
use of the best working hours of the day and has more time at his
disposal. (T)
7. Those who work late at night ruin their health in the long run which
ultimately has a bad effect on their work. (T)
B. Complete the following statements by choosing the best alternative
1. The early riser can do better work than others because
(a) he can do some exercise at that hour
(b) his mind is fresh at that time and there are no noise and
disturbances. ✓
(c) he is alone
2. The early riser has enough time for leisure and rest because
(a) he has cultivated a taste for it.
(b) he knows the value of such things.
(c) by starting the day early he has finished all his work in good
time. ✓
3. A late riser cannot do good work because
(a) he has less working hours, and therefore works in a hurry.
(b) he has missed the fresh and healthy hours of the morning.
(c) both the reasons mentioned above in (a) & (b). ✓
4. Some people work late at night because
(a) the quiet atmosphere of night helps them to think clearly. ✓
(b) there are no visitors at night.
(c) they have not got up early in the morning to start their day’s
work.
(d) they like to work in artificial light.
5. Working late at night is not good because
(a) the hours of night are meant for sleep.
(b) working late at night will ruin the health and will finally weaken
the quality of work.
(c) both the reasons mentioned above in (a) and (b).✓

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II. Vocabulary

A. Underline the words and phrases in Column B which match in meaning the
words in Column A. (Check your answers from the Key provided)

Column A : Column B

advantage : benefit, facility, opportunity change.

distraction : disturbance, noise, blockage, obstruction.
thoroughly : gradually, carelessly, slowly, perfectly.
refreshing : healthy, hygienic, desirable, useful.
conducive : that leads to, effective, important, promoting.
prescribes : compels, requires one to do something, arranges,
[Answer Key: benefit, disturbance, perfectly, healthy, that leads to, requires
one to do something]

III. Grammar

Read the following sentences:

1. I go for a walk every morning.

2. She always takes her pet dog for a walk.
3. Rita has lunch with her parents everyday.
4. Butter costs a lot these days.
5. Healthy habits bring happiness to life.
The italicized verbs in the above sentences are in the simple present tense. The
simple present tense is used to describe a general truth, a habitual action, or some
permanent trait in character. Now fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb given
in brackets. (The exercise has been solved for you)

Sharad gets (get) up early in the morning and goes (go) out for a walk in the ridge. The
morning air is (be) very fresh and healthy. At this time there are (be) very few cars and
other vehicles on the road to pollute the atmosphere with poisonous gases. The early
morning walk refreshes (refresh) the mind. Sharad meets (meet) his friend Ajay and
together they run (run) for some distance and take (take) same exercise. The morning air
and exercise gives (give) them a lot of strength and energy. Then they start (start) their
work. Sharad does (do) much more work than a late riser because he gets (get) plenty of
time to finish his work. Early rising is (be) a good habit. An early riser improves (improve)
his health. He gets (get) sufficient time to do all his work. He also has (have) time for
leisure and rest. This mode of life is (be) ideal and everyone must follow it.

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 3(a)
THE GREEDY DOCTOR

Dr. Neeta Gupta

A rich old lady was steadily losing her eyesight, so she called in a famous doctor
who examined her and offered to cure her completely. He demanded a very big fee, and
the rich lady gladly agreed to pay him the money if he could restore her sight. The doctor
bandaged her eyes and carried out the treatment, which took several days. But he was very
greedy. He saw many beautiful pieces of furniture with which the house of his patient was
furnished, and each day he carried away one of the best 10 pieces till there was hardly
anything left.
In the course of time, the lady was completely cured. The bandage was taken off,
and she could see everything clearly. Then she discovered that almost all her furniture was
gone. When the doctor came for his payment, she said, ‘Look here, doctor, I am by no
means cured, for I cannot see my furniture in my house. I am not going to pay you
anything’. The doctor was thus paid in his own coin.
Read the passage carefully and attempt the questions given below. (Check your answers
from the ones that have been provided for you.)
I. Comprehension
A. Choose another suitable title for the story from the following:
1. The Foolish Woman
2. The Blind Woman
3. The Dishonest Doctor✓
B. Here is an outline of the story in six sentences. The sentences are jumbled up. Put
them in the correct order.
1. He bandaged her eyes as treatment.
2. The doctor stole her furniture.
3. She called a doctor.
4. An old lady noticed that she was getting blind.
5. The old lady did not find her furniture in the room.
6. She did not pay the fee.
Answer: The correct order of the six sentences is given below:

4. An old lady noticed that she was getting blind.

3. She called a doctor.

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 1. He bandaged her eyes as treatment.

2. The doctor stole her furniture.

5. The old lady did not find her furniture in the room.

6. She did not pay the fee.

C. Complete the following statements by choosing the best alternative.

1. We know that the doctor was greedy because
a. he demanded a suitable reward.
b. he removed many pieces of furniture.✓
c. he demanded money without curing the woman’s eyesight.
2. The old lady sent for the doctor because
a. she had become completely blind.
b. she wanted to test the doctor’s knowledge.
c. she was worried about her weak eyesight. ✓
3. The lady readily agreed to pay a high fee to the doctor because
a. she knew she had nothing to give him.
b. she knew she could pretend to be blind later.
c. she wanted to be cured of her weak eyesight.✓
4. The furniture was removed by the doctor
a. before he started the treatment.
b. during the treatment.✓
c. after the treatment was over.
5. In the end the lady refused to pay the doctor because
a. she was not cured.
b. she did not have money to pay him.
c. he had stolen her furniture.✓
6. The phrase ‘paid in his own coin’ means
a. the doctor was paid the amount he had demanded.
b. the doctor was given only a coin as fee.
c. the doctor got what he deserved.✓

16
D. Here is a list of 10 describing words (adjectives). Some of them describe the doctor,
others describe the lady. Write them in the correct column. rich, old, greedy,
dishonest, well-known, wise, clever, intelligent, cunning, capable. (The exercise
has been solved for you)

Doctor Lady
cunning rich
greedy old
dishonest wise
Well known clever
capable intelligent

E. The moral of the story is:

a. As you sow, so shall you reap.✓
b. Where there is a will, there is a way.
c. Dishonesty is the best policy.
II. Vocabulary
A. Find words and phrases in the story which have the same meaning as the following.
(Check your answers from the key that has been provided)
Example: to become all right (line 14) cured
1. well known (line 2)
2. checked (line 2)
3. suitable payment (line 3)
4. happily (line 4)
5. bring back (line 5)
6. many (line 6)
7. not at all (line 15)
8. a person who wants more and more (line 7)
[Answer Key: 1. famous 2. Examined 3. fee 4. gladly 5. restore 6. Several
7. by no means 8. greedy]

17
III. Grammar
Read the following sentences:
1. The old lady called the doctor.
2. The doctor examined her and offered to cure her.
The italicized verbs are in the simple past tense. Now fill in the blanks with the correct
form of the verb given in brackets. (The exercise has been solved for you and the correct
form of the verb has been underlined)
Mona and Sheila met at Neeta’s birthday party last Sunday. They talked (talk)
about their studies and their hobbies. They sang (sing) folk songs and Neeta
played (play) the guitar. They enjoyed (enjoy) the party and returned (return)
home at 7 o'clock.

18
 3(b)
A PAIR OF TROUSERS
Edited by : Dr. Neeta Gupta
A young man once went into town and bought himself a pair of trousers. When he
got home, he went upstairs to his bedroom and put them on. He found that they were about
two inches too long.
He went downstairs, where his mother and his two sisters were washing up the tea
things in the kitchen. ‘These new trousers are too long,’ he said. “They need shortening by
about two inches. Would one of you mind doing this for me, please?” His mother and sisters
were busy and none of them said anything.
However, as soon as his mother had finished washing up, she went quietly upstairs
to her son’s bedroom and shortened the trousers by two inches. She came downstairs
without saying anything to her daughters.
Later on, after supper, the elder sister remembered her brother’s trousers. She was
a kind-hearted girl, so she went quietly upstairs without saying anything to anyone and
shortened the trousers by two inches.
The younger sister went to the cinema. When she came in she too remembered what
her brother had said. She ran upstairs with her scissors, needle, and thread, and took two
inches off the legs of the new trousers.
You can imagine the look on the young man’s face when he put the trousers on the
next morning.
Read the passage carefully and attempt the questions that follow. (You can check your
answers with the ones that have been provided for you).
I. Comprehension

A. Say whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F):
1. The young man bought a pair of shoes for himself. (T)
2. The trousers were short. (F)
3. The trousers were long about two inches. (T)
4. The young man shortened the trousers himself. (F)
5. He asked only his mother to make the trousers short. (F)
6. He asked only his elder sister to make the trousers short. (F)
7. He asked only his younger sister to make the trousers short. (F)
8. He asked that any one of them (mother and sister) should make the
trousers short. (T)

19
 9. Only the mother made the trousers short. (F)

10. All three of them made the trousers short separately. (T)

B. The following sentences make the outline of the story. They are not put in
proper order. Put them in correct order.

1. First the mother shortened the trousers by two inches.

2. A young man bought a pair of trousers.

3. Then the elder sister shortened the trousers.

4. The young man was shocked to find the trousers six inches short.

5. The younger sister also shortened the trousers.

6. He found the trousers two inches too long.

7. He asked if his mother or sisters would make the trousers short.

Answer: The correct order of the sentences is given below:

2. A young man bought a pair of trousers.

6. He found the trousers two inches too long.
7. He asked if his mother or sisters would make the trousers short.
1. First the mother shortened the trousers by two inches.
3. Then the elder sister shortened the trousers.
5. The younger sister also shortened the trousers.
4. The young man was shocked to find his trousers six inches short.

C. Tick off the correct statement.

1. The young man found the trousers

a) perfectly fit.
b) too long✓
c) too short.
2. The young man had
a) two elder sisters
b) one elder sister and one younger sister.✓
c) two younger sisters.

20
3. He asked
a) Only his mother to shorten the trousers.
b) only his elder sister to shorten the trousers.
c) only his younger sister to shorten the trousers.
d) if any one of them would do it.✓
4. The trousers were shortened.
a) only by the mother.
b) only by the elder sister.
c) only by the younger sister.
d) by all three of them separately.✓
5. The mother shortened the trousers
a) after she had finished cooking.
b) after she had finished ironing clothes.
c) after she had finished washing up.✓
6. The elder sister shortened the trousers
a) after supper.✓
b) after dinner.
c) after lunch.
7. The younger sister shortened the trousers
a) after she came back from the cinema.✓
b) before she went to the cinema.
c) after she had done the washing.
8. The trousers were shortened
a) by two inches.
b) by six inches.✓
c) by four inches.
9. The elder sister was
a) a cruel girl.
b) a careless girl.
c) a kind-hearted girl.✓
10. When the young man put on the trousers the next morning, he was
a) angry.
b) shocked and unhappy.✓
c) satisfied.

21
I. Vocabulary

A. Upstairs is the opposite of downstairs. Such words are called antonyms. Match
words in column A with their antonyms (Opposites) in column B. (Check your
answers from the key that has been provided)

Column A Column B

1. young 1. before

2. long 2. old

3. finish 3. elder

4. after 4. idle

5. kind 5. old

6. younger 6. start

7. remember 7. short

8. new 8. evening

9. busy 9. forget

10. morning 10. Cruel

[Answer Key: 1. old 2. Short 3. start 4. before 5. cruel 6. elder 7. forget 8. old
9. idle 10. evening]

B. The verb shorten is made by adding ‘-en’ to short. It means to make short or to
become short. You can make verbs in the same way by adding ‘-en’ to some words.
You will find adjectives in Column A and verbs in Column B. Match them
correctly:(Check your answers from the key that has been provided)

Column A Column B

1. bright 1. sicken

2. light 2. lengthen

3. haste 3. tighten

4. height 4. frighten

5. sick 5. brighten

6. length 6. hasten

22
 7. tight 7. lighten

8. fright 8. Heighten

[Answer Key: 1. Brighten 2. lighten 3. hasten 4. heighten 5. sicken 6. lengthen

7. tighten 8. frighten]

C. Bought is the second form of the verb buy. You will find the second forms of verbs
in Column A. In Column B you will find the first forms of verbs. Match them
correctly. (Check your answers from the Key that has been provided)

Column A Column B

1. caught 1. think

2. brought 2. fight

3. thought 3. teach

4. fought 4. catch

5. taught 5. Bring

[Answer Key: 1.catch 2.bring 3.think 4.fight 5.teach]

III. Grammar
A. The story is told mostly in the Simple Past Tense.
For example:
1. A young man went into town.
2. The mother shortened the trousers by two inches.
In the following exercise you will find blanks. You will also find verbs in brackets.
Use the verbs in the correct tense. (This exercise has been solved for you and the
underlined word is the correct form of the given verb in brackets.)
My brother got (get) admission in B.A. He bought (buy)the textbooks and started
(start) his studies regularly. He worked (work) very hard. He appeared (appear) in
the examination with confidence. He scored (score) sixty five percent marks. He
was (be) very happy. I congratulated (congratulate) him on his grand success.
B. We can change sentences in the Simple Present Tense to Simple Past Tense by
changing the form of the verb.

Example:-

a) He works hard. (Simple Present Tense)

b) He worked hard. (Simple Past Tense)

23
Here are some sentences in the Simple Present Tense. Rewrite them in the Simple Past
Tense. (The past tense of the verb is provided in the Key given below)

1. She goes to school regularly.

2. They know my address.

3. He becomes angry without reason.

4. I get my newspaper regularly.

5. Naresh writes beautiful letters.

6. The farmer grows sugarcane.

7. They are my friends.

8. I never forget my friends.

9. Meeta finishes her homework in time.

10. Prakash always speaks the truth.

[Answer Key: 1. went 2. knew 3. became 4. got 5. wrote 6. grew 7. were 8. forgot
9. finished 10. Spoke]

C. Here are some sentences in the Simple Past Tense. Re-write them in the Simple
Present Tense. (Use the Key given below for help)

Example:-

a) Students hated studies. (Simple Past Tense)

b) Students hate studies. (Simple Present Tense)

1. The players played well.

2. He came to see me every day.

3. Arun never told a lie.

4. He went to school regularly.

5. The workers fought for their demands.

6. Teachers taught us how to study.

7. He brought good news.

24
8. I bought a book every month.

9. The child took off his shoes.

10. The child put on his dress.

[Answer Key: 1. play 2. comes 3. tells 4. goes 5. fight 6. Teaches 7. brings 8. Buys
9. takes 10. puts.]

25
 4(a)
OUR NEIGHBOURS
Dr Neeta Gupta

We all have neighbours. The people whose houses are next to our own are our
neighbours, and the ones who live along the same street as we do are also our neighbours.
We see them often and recognize them. Those whom we see most, we greet on meeting
and sometimes we become friendly with them. A neighbour is someone to whom one
should be able to turn in times of difficulty. When neighbours work together, helping one
another, they can do many things to improve their community. A good neighbour should
be a friend.
Countries, like people, also have neighbours. Although these neighbours are not as
close to us as those who live next door, they are not really too far away. Aeroplanes, can
take us to them in just a few hours and every day the newspapers and the radio bring us
news about them and tell us what they are thinking and doing about many important
matters.
Like people, countries can be good or bad neighbours. When they are unfriendly to
one another they can make trouble for their people, sometimes even cause wars. But when
their feelings for one another are kind and friendly, as they should be, they can come closer.
Together they can try to get over their problems and make life happier for their people. We
can help people much better when we get to know them. And, as we become acquainted
we often find that others are not really as different from us as we had imagined. Our ways
of living and many of our ideas are the same and this helps us to be friends. Even the things
which seem strange need not come in the way of our understanding each other.
Who are India’s closest neighbours? Near the south-easternmost tip of our country,
not very far from Kanya Kumari, is the island of Sri Lanka. In the north, nestling among
the world’s highest mountains, lies the country of Nepal. Near Nepal is the small
Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, which has a special relationship with India. In the north-
west is Pakistan; and in the north-east is Bangladesh. In the east is Burma, which juts into
the Bay of Bengal.
Read the passage carefully and attempt the questions that follow. (Check your answers with
the ones that have been provided for you)
Comprehension
A. Say whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F).
Example: Burma is to the east of our country. (T)
1. Unlike people, countries do not have neighbours. (F)
2. Our ways of living are not very different from the people of our (T)
neighbouring countries.
3. If neighbouring countries understand each other there will be no wars. (T)

26
 4. Nepal is situated among the Himalayan Mountains. (T)
5. Pakistan is in the north west of India. (T)
6. The island of Sri Lanka is in Kanya Kumari. (F)
B. Give the names of our neighbouring countries:
1. Pakistan
2. Nepal
3. Bangladesh
4. Bhutan
5. Burma
6. Sri Lanka

C. Complete the following statements by choosing the best alternative.

1. Neighbouring countries can become friendly
a. if they understand each other’s problems.✓
b. if they just have a common border.
c. if they look alike.
2. Our neighbours are only those people
a. who live nearby. ✓
b. who visit us.
c. who greet us.
3. We get news about our neighbouring countries
a. from the radio and newspapers.✓
b. only by visiting them.
c. by thinking about them.
II. Vocabulary
A. Match words in column A with their opposites in Column B. (Check your answers
with the Key provided below)
Column A Column B
1. good a. far
2. often b. different
3. close c. bad
4. same d. sometimes

27
 5. war e. few
6. many f. sad
7. happy g. worse
8. better h. enemies
9. friends i. familiar
10. strange j. peace
[Answer Key: 1.c 2.d 3.a 4.b 5.j 6.e 7.f 8.g 9.h 10.i.]
B. 'Unfriendly’ is the opposite of ‘friendly’. It is formed by putting ‘un’ before the
word ‘friendly’ (un + friendly). Now make opposites of the following words:
1. happy
2. kind
3. lucky
4. important
[Answer Key: 1. Unhappy 2. Unkind 3. Unlucky 4. Unimportant]
C. Rewrite the following sentences by choosing the appropriate word from those given
in the brackets. Example: India and Pakistan have played many(unfriendly,
friendly) matches. India and Pakistan have played many friendly matches.
1. Anurag looked very (happy, unhappy) when his father did not buy him a
bicycle on his birthday.
2. The students were very happy when they sawall the (important, unimportant)
questions in the examination paper.
3. We should not be (kind, unkind) to animals.
4. We should be (kind, unkind) to the poor.
5. He was very (lucky, unlucky) as he missed his first division by one mark.
[Answer Key: The correct words have been underlined for you. Now rewrite the sentences
using these words.]
III. Grammar
Read the following sentences:
1. Aeroplanes can take us to many neighbouring countries in just a few hours.
2. We can help people when we know their problems.
We use ‘can’ to say that something is possible or that someone has the ability to do
something. The negative form of can is ‘cannot’ or ‘can’t’. Fill in the blanks in the
following sentences by using ‘can’ or ‘can’t’.

28
 1. Mohan ________ drive a car but he does not have one.(can)
2. I don't know French. So I ________ understand what he speaks. (can’t)
3. She has hurt her foot. So she ________ run fast. (cannot)
4. I am sorry I ________ help you. (can’t)
5. Sita is ill so she ________ go to school today. (cannot)
6. He is a trained pilot so he ________ fly all kinds of aircraft. (can)
7. It is raining heavily so we ________ go out. (can’t)
8. Sunita has a very sweet voice. She ________sing very well. (can)
9. A crocodile ________ swim in water.(can)
10. She has lived in England for many years. So she____speak English very well.
(can)
[Answer Key: The correct word has been provided within brackets after each sentence.]
IV. Composition
Imagine that you are introducing yourself to a penfriend. Complete the outline with
reference to your likes and dislikes.
What I like doing best is ________ I'm also very fond of ________ and I quite like
________as well. I don't mind ________though I'm not very interested in either
________ or ________ , nor do I really like ________As for ________ , I
absolutely hate it.

[Answer Key: Choose from the following words: singing, reading, chess, cricket,
cooking, sleeping, tennis, hiking]

29
 4(b)
WEDDING BELLS IN NEPAL
Edited by : Dr Neeta Gupta
The Kathmandu Valley is the traditional homeland of the Newars, a community
known for their art and architecture. It has often been said that there are more temples than
houses in this valley and this is no exaggeration. Every Newar house contains at least one
shrine and there may be several more in the courtyards outside-Buddhist and Hindu gods
arranged side by side.
The religion of the Newars, whether Hindu or Buddhist, is a continual flow of ritual.
Throughout the year each town and village worships its own gods and goddesses with noisy
processions through the streets for all to see and join. Apart from public celebrations there
are a series of rituals in the life of every individual which mark his or her progress from
birth to death.
Of all these family rituals the most important, the happiest, and the most colourful,
not to mention the most expensive, is marriage. And here it starts to get complicated-for
Newar girls (but not boys) are married not once but three times.
The first of these marriages, called ‘ihi’ in Newari, takes place when girls are only
five or six years old. Dressed in traditional red and gold saris and heavy jewelry, all the
young girls of a particular locality are collectively married, not to a living man but to a god!
Some say it is Vishnu in his incarnation as Narayan, others say it is Kumar, the son of
Shiva.
The second marriage is a symbolic marriage to Surya. When a girl comes of age,
she is once again dressed in the familiar red and gold wedding sari and presented formally
to Surya, the sun god.
Finally, there is the marriage of girls to their human husbands. Nowadays this
normally takes place when a girl is in her late teens or early twenties. In this part of the
world, marriage is less an arrangement between two individuals than between two families.
Read the passage carefully and then read the questions given below. Try to answer them
on your own and check your answer with the one provided.

I Comprehension

A Answer the following questions:

a) Where is the traditional home land of Newars?
Answer: The traditional homeland of the Newars is the Kathmandu Valley.
b) What is the Newar community known for?
Answer: The Newar community is known for their art and architecture.
c) What is Kathmandu Valley known for?
Answer: The Kathmandu Valley is known for its temples.

30
d) What is the religion of Newars?
Answer:The religion of the Newars is either Hindu or Buddhist.
e) What does every Newar house contain?
Answer: Every Newar house contains at least one shrine.
f) To what religion do the shrines in the homes belong?
Answer: The shrines belong to Hindu and Buddhist gods.
g) How do the Newars worship their gods on goddesses?
Answer: They worship them with noisy processions through the streets.
h) What marks the individual Newar’s progress from birth to death?
Answer: A series of rituals mark the progress of a Newar individual from
birth to death.
i) What is the most important family ritual in an individual’s life?
Answer: Marriage is the most important family ritual in an individual’s life.
j) How many times does a Newar girl get married?
Answer: A Newar girl gets married three times.
k) When does the first marriage of a Newar girl take place and what is it
called?
Answer: The first marriage takes place when a girl is five or six years old
and it is called ‘ihi’.
l) How is the first marriage of Newar girl celebrated?
Answer: Girls are dressed in traditional red and gold sarees and collectively
married to god Vishnu.
m) How and when does the second marriage of a Newar girl take place?
Answer: The second marriage takes place when the girl comes of age. This
time she is symbolically married to Surya.
n) Who does she marry the second time?
Answer: She is married to the god Surya.
o) When do the Newar girls marry their human husbands?
Answer: The Newar girls marry their human husbands when they are in the
late teens or early twenties.

31
B. Tick off the correct statement
a) Kathmandu valley is the traditional homeland of Gurkhas.
b) Kathmandu valley is the traditional homeland of Newars.✓
c) Kathmandu valley is known for its gambling dens.

d) Kathmandu valley is known for its temples.✓

e) The courtyard of every house contains only Hindu gods.

f) Hindu and Buddhist gods are arranged side by side in the courtyards.✓

g) The marriage of Newar girl and boy is more an arrangement between two
individuals.

h) The marriage of a Newar girl and boy is more an arrangement between two
families.✓

II. Vocabulary

Match words in column A with their opposites in column B.

Column A Column B

1.homeland a. silent

2. noisy b. foreign land

3. happiest c saddest

4. complicated d. simple

5. late e. individually

6. collectively f. early

[Answer Key: 1.b 2.a 3.c 4.d 5.f 6.e.]

III. Grammar

Fill in the blanks with the correct verb. (The correct verb has been underlined for
you)

a) Punjab________ known for its traditional Bhangra dance (is/are)

b) Mahatma Gandhi ________often been quoted in this essay (has/have)

32
c) Blue and red candles________arranged side by side (is/are)

d) Every religion ________ its own rituals (has/have)

e) A noisy procession________ taken out at the time of Dussehra festival.

(is/are)

f) The most important ritual in the life of a person________his or her marriage

(is/are)

g) Marriages these days ________very expensive (is/are)

h) Every tribe ________on its traditional dress during the Republic Day parade
(put/puts)

i) These days marriages ________more an arrangement between two

individuals than between two families (is/are).

33
 5(a)
BIRDS
Dr Neeta Gupta
There are eight thousand six hundred kinds of birds, varying in size from the tiny
humming birds to the largest of all living birds, the ostrich. They are of different colours
and they live in many different places. They eat different kinds of food and they make
different noises. But, in spite of all this, birds are a group of animals that are similar in
many ways. For example, they all have feathers. They have warm bodies and the feathers
help to prevent this warmth from being lost. Only birds have feathers so that if you want to
decide if some unknown creature was a bird or not, you would only need to see if it had
feathers.
As well as having warm bodies and feathers, all birds have wings. Most birds use
these for flying but there are birds that cannot fly, such as penguins and ostriches, and they
use their wings in other ways. Penguins use their wings for swimming and ostriches use
them when they run and sometimes for showing off.
Like any other animal, a bird must eat and every bird has a beak to pick up its food.
Because there are many different kinds of food which birds can eat, the shape of the beak
varies. In fact, it is possible to get a very good idea of a bird’s food by looking at the shape
of its beak.
All birds lay eggs and the baby bird develops and grows inside the egg until it
finally grows too big and breaks it open. After it has hatched, the young bird is still rather
helpless and has to be looked after by its parents until it is strong enough to look after itself.
There are some birds, such as the cuckoo, which do not look after their own young but lay
their eggs in other birds’ nests. When the eggs hatch, the other birds then look after their
‘foster children’ as if they were their own.
Read the passage carefully and then attempt the questions given below. (Check your
answer with the ones provided for you.)
I. Comprehension
A. Say whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F).
1. All birds are of the same size. (F)
2. There are, in all, eight thousand six hundred kinds of birds. (T)
3. Feathers help to keep the birds warm. (T)
4. Birds fly with feathers. (F)
5. Some birds swim and run with their wings (T)
6. A baby bird grows inside the egg. (T)
7. A baby bird needs no help after it is born. (F)
8. The shape of a bird’s beak decides which food it can eat. (T)
9. The ‘foster children’ of birds are not looked after properly. (F)

34
B. 1. Name the largest bird mentioned in the lesson.
Answer: Ostrich is the largest bird mentioned in the lesson.
2. Name two birds which do not use wings for flying.
Answer: The two birds that do not use wings for flying are the penguins and the
ostrich.
3. Which bird lays its eggs in other birds’ nests?
Answer: The cuckoo lays its eggs in other birds’ nest
4. How is a bird different from other creatures?
Answer: A bird is different from other creatures because it has feathers.
C. 1. Which features are common to all birds?
Example: a. all birds lay eggs.
Answer: b. all birds have feathers
c. all birds have beaks
d. all birds have wings
2. Name the activities for which different birds use their wings.
Example: a. flying
Answer: b. swimming
c. running
d. showing off
II. Vocabulary
B. Find the words from the passage which are opposite in meaning to the words
given below. (Check your answer from the Key provided below)
1. large
2. similar
3. cold
4. old
5. weak
[Answer Key: tiny, different, warm, young, strong]
B. Fill in the blanks in the following sentences by choosing the most suitable word or
phrase from the list given below. (Check your answers from the Key provided at
the end of the exercise.)
lay, hatched, looked after, helpless, break open
1. Our hen has ________ five chickens.
2. My maid servant ________ my son when I was away.

35
 3. The thief tried to ________ the almirah but he was caught.
4. The blind man is ________ we should help him to cross the road.
5. Most birds _______ eggs and look after their young ones.
[Answer Key: 1. Hatched 2. looked after 3. break open 4. helpless 5. lay]
III. Grammar
Read the following sentences :
1. The crocodile has a long tail.
2. He has many books.
3. Delhi has a hot climate in summer.
4. Birds have wings.
5. Does she have a job now?
6. Do children have bad teeth?
7. He doesn't have enough money to buy a colour TV.
8. We don't have a car.
Now fill in the blanks in the following sentences with ‘have’ or ‘has’. (Key has been
provided below)
1. She does not __________ breakfast at 7 o'clock.
2. Does his father __________ a book shop?
3. Do you __________ a scooter or car?
4. I __________ a degree in history but at the moment I am without a job.
5. Do the Sharmas __________ a big bungalow?
6. Does Reena __________ a camera now?
7. Do you __________ a dictionary? No I don't __________ any but Anita
__________ one.
8. I __________ only one grandparent now.
9. Do Anita and Anupam __________ brown hair?
10. India __________ a population of about 800 million.
[Answer Key: 1. have 2. have 3. have 4. have 5. have 6. have 7. have, have,
has 8. have 9. have 10. has]

36
 5(b)
WHY DO BIRDS SING?
-V P Sharma
The song of birds is one of the liveliest sounds in nature. Sometimes when we are
out in the country and we hear birds singing, it seems to us that they are calling back and
forth, that they are telling one another something.
The fact is that birds do communicate with one another, just as many other animals
do. Of course, at times, the sounds birds make are mere expressions of joy, just as we may
make cries of ‘Oh!’ and ‘Ah!’. But for the most part, the sounds that birds make are
attempts at communication.
A mother hen makes sounds that warn her chicks of danger and cause them to
crouch down motionless Then she gives another call which collects them together. When
wild birds migrate at night, they cry out. These cries may keep the birds together and help
lost ones return to the flock.
But the language of birds is different from language as we use it. We use words to
express ideas, and these words have to be learned. Birds don't learn their language. It is an
inborn instinct with them. In one experiment, for example, chicks were kept away from
cocks and hens so they couldn't hear the sounds they made. Yet when they grew up they
were able to make those sounds just as well as chicks that had grown up with cocks and
hens!
This doesn't mean that birds can't learn how to sing. In fact, some birds can learn
the songs of other birds. This is how the mockingbird gets its name. If a sparrow is brought
up with canaries, it will make great efforts to sing like a canary. If a canary is brought up
with a nightingale, it can give quite a good imitation of the nightingale’s song. And we all
know how a parrot can imitate the sounds it hears. So we must say that while birds are born
with the instinct to sing, some learning takes place, too.
Did you know that birds have dialects? The song of the same kind of bird sounds
different in different parts of the world. This shows that, in addition to their instinct, birds
do quite a bit of learning in their lifetime when it comes to singing.
Read the passage ‘Why Do Birds Sing’ and answer the questions given below. (Check your
answers with the ones provided.)

I. Comprehension
A. Say whether the following statements are true (T) or False (F).
1. The sounds that birds make are only expressions of joy. (F)
2. Birds do not have to learn their language. (T)
3. Some birds can learn to sing like other birds. (T)
4. A parrot will make the same sound anywhere in the world. (T)
5. If the chicks are kept away from their parents they will make sounds
different from their parents. (F)

37
B. Answer the following questions:

1. What are birds most often trying to do when they are making sounds?

Answer: They are trying to communicate with one another.

2. What is the difference between the language of human beings and the
language of birds?

Answer: Language of human beings can be learned but the language of birds
is an inborn instinct.

3. Name the birds which can imitate the singing of other birds?

Answer: Mockingbird, sparrow, nightingale, canary and parrot are some

birds that can imitate the singing of other birds.

4. Why do some migrating birds cry out at night?

Answer: These cries help to keep the birds together and also guide the ones
that are lost to return to the flock.

5. What do chicks do when the mother hen makes a warning sound?

Answer: They crouch down motionless.

II. Vocabulary
A. Underline the words or phrases in column B which match in meaning with
the words in column A. (The correct word/phrase has been underlined for
you)
Column A Column B
(a) liveliest living, most beautiful, most cheerful, most interesting
(b) communicate give information etc., make common, join together, fight
(c) crouch become still, bend low, close one’s eyes, stop suddenly
(d) flock nest, tree, group, field
B. From verb ‘express’ we get the noun ‘expression’. What nouns do the following
verbs give?
(Use the Key given below to check your answers)
(1) communicate
(2) collect
(3) grow
(4) mean
(5) imitate

38
 (6) know
(7) sing
[Answer Key: communication, collection, growth, meaning, imitation, knowledge,
song]
III. Grammar
Look at the following sentences:
(i) Human beings learn their language
(ii) Birds do not learn their language
(iii) Animals can learn how to sing
(iv) Animals cannot learn how to sing
You will notice that (ii) and (iv) are negative sentences. In a negative sentence we
always have helping verb + not + verb:
do not learn
(helping verb + not + verb)
Remember we use do not/does not + verb in a sentence in Present Indefinite tense.
We do not need another helping verb in sentences like (iii) because ‘can’, a helping
verb, is already there.
Now change the following sentences into negative. (Check your answers with the
ones provided.)
(1) Most birds sing at night.
(Most birds do not sing at night.)
(2) Birds can easily imitate each other’s sound.
(Birds cannot easily imitate each other’s sound).
(3) A cuckoo lays eggs in its own nest.
(A cuckoo does not lay eggs in its own nest).
(4) A honey bee will sting if you disturb its beehive.
(A honey bee will not sting if you disturb its beehive).
(5) An elephant has a long memory
(An elephant does not have a long memory).

39
 6(a)
ROBINSON CRUSOE
Dr. Neeta Gupta
One day, when Robinson Crusoe was walking on the beach, he saw a footprint. He
could see that it was not his footprint as it was too big. He looked about him.
‘Who could have made this footprint?’ he asked. ‘It was not I. There must be
someone here on my island. I will have to look and see who it is.’
Robinson Crusoe looked up and down the beach to see who had made the footprint.
Then he saw some men with little boats down by the water. One man was running away
from the others. He ran to Robinson Crusoe, and the other men ran after him.
‘I must help that man,’ Robinson Crusoe said to himself.
Robinson Crusoe said to the man, ‘Come with me. I will help you.’
Then he fired his gun and the other men ran off. Robinson Crusoe was pleased to
have a friend again.
‘Today is Friday,’ he said, ‘So I will call you Friday. Come on, I will take you to
see my house and my island. You can stay here with me for as long as you like’.
Friday went home with Robinson Crusoe. He liked the house and was pleased to
stay there. He helped Robinson Crusoe to milk the goats, water the corn, and make the
bread. Robinson Crusoe was pleased to have a friend to talk to. He talked to Friday in
English, and soon Friday could speak English too.
One day Friday was on the beach and Robinson Crusoe was working near his house.
Friday came running up from the beach.
‘Robinson, Robinson,’ he called. ‘Come, come. Big, big boat.’
Robinson Crusoe looked out to sea. Yes, there was a ship coming. Robinson Crusoe
ran down to the beach, calling and waving as he went. He lit his fire to signal the ship. The
captain saw the signal and stopped the ship. He let a boat down into the water and went to
see what Robinson Crusoe wanted. The captain of the ship was English. He said he would
take Robinson Crusoe and Friday home with him. They thanked the captain and went to
get the things they wanted to take on the ship with them.
Robinson Crusoe was pleased to be going home at last, but he was sorry to go away
from his house, his goats, his corn, and the island that had been his home for so many years.
Read the above passage and attempt the given below. (Check your answers with the ones
that have been provided for you.)

40
I. Comprehension
Answer the following questions:
1. How did Robinson Crusoe feel sure that there was another person on the
island?
Answer: He felt sure because he saw another person’s footprint on the
sand.
2. What did Robinson Crusoe do to save the stranger from the other men?
Answer: He fired his gun to save the stranger from other men.
3. Why did Robinson Crusoe name the stranger Friday?
Answer: He named the stranger Friday because he found him on a Friday.
4. What did Robinson Crusoe teach Friday?
Answer: He taught him to speak in English.
5. What was Robinson Crusoe doing when Friday saw a ship coming?
Answer: He was working near his house.
6. What things did Robinson Crusoe do to draw the attention of the captain of
the ship.
Answer: He ran down to the beach and then lit a fire to send a signal to the
ship.
7. To which country did the captain of the ship belong?
Answer: He belonged to England.
8. Why did Robinson Crusoe and Friday thank the captain?
Answer: They thanked him because he said he would take them home with
him.
9. Why did Robinson Crusoe feel sorry to leave the island?
Answer: He felt sorry because the island had been home for him for many
years.
10. Why was Robinson Crusoe pleased to have a friend on the island?
Answer: He was pleased to have a friend to talk to.
II. Vocabulary
1. Which of the following words is similar in meaning to the word ‘pleased'?
(a) flattered (b) angry (c) polite (d) happy
Answer: ‘happy’

41
 2. Find the word from the story which is opposite in meaning to the word
‘glad’.
Answer: ‘sorry’
3. Which word in the story means the same as ‘shore’?
Answer: ‘beach’
4. Find the phrase or group of words from the story which means ‘examined
carefully’.
Answer: ‘looked up and down’
III. Grammar
A. Fill in the blanks in the passage given below with ‘on’, ‘from’, ‘in’ or ‘with.
(Use the Key to check your answers)
Robinson Crusoe saved the man and took him home_________ him. From
that day he began to call him Friday. He talked to him _________ English.
One day Friday came running _________the beach and told Robinson
Crusoe that there was a big ship _________ the sea. Robinson waved to the
captain of the ship. The captain saw the signal and decided to help them.
[Answer Key: with, in, from, on.]
B. Read the following sentences:
Friday went home with Robinson Crusoe. Friday liked the house. In the
second sentence, ‘Friday’ has been repeated. It refers to ‘Friday’ mentioned
in the first sentence. When a noun is repeated it can be replaced by a
pronoun. Here ‘Friday’ can be replaced by the pronoun ‘he’.
Friday went home with Robinson. He liked the house.
Now replace the nouns in the following passage by appropriate pronouns,
wherever necessary:
[Note: The nouns that need to be replaced have been underlined and the pronoun
has been provided in the key given below. Rewrite the paragraph using these
pronouns.]
One day when Robinson Crusoe was walking on the beach, Robinson (he) saw a
footprint. (He) Robinson Crusoe could see that the footprint was not Robinson
Crusoe's(his) footprint, as it was too big. Robinson Crusoe looked about Robinson
Crusoe(him). Robinson Crusoe (He) looked up and down the beach to see who had
made the footprint. Then Robinson Crusoe(he) saw some men with little boats down
by the water. One man was running away from the others. The man ran to Robinson
Crusoe and the other men ran after the man.
[Answer Key: he, He, his, him, He, he]

42
 6(b)
SHANKAR'S LUCK
Naresh Jain

If it weren't for the fact that my wife and I, like a good many of our fellow Indians,
are superstitious, I am sure that Shankar, our young servant boy, would have got the sack
long ago-till, of course, the incident that shamed us into changing our attitude to him.
From the day that Shankar stepped into our home, our luck took a sudden upward
swing. It began with my wife winning the second prize in a lottery run by a north-eastern
State, which, in turn, led to our immediately changing our black and white TV for a colour
model. Almost immediately after that, I chanced to go on a ‘longish’ foreign tour, all
expenses paid, and on my return I found my transfer orders posting me to a thoroughly
enjoyable and cushy assignment waiting for me. Then followed a series of events like the
announcement of the Fourth Pay Commission’s report raising the salaries of both my wife
and myself; our booking a Maruti car, which we had missed doing on the first occasion
some years ago; the admission of our sons into a good school after years of trying. In short,
we had never had it so good as from the moment Shankar entered our lives.
Why we came to attribute all these pleasant happenings to Shankar’s presence in
our house was because, on the one day he went on leave, not only did everything go wrong
with all of us, but we all drew blood-I gave myself a big gash on the chin while shaving,
my wife cut her finger with a knife in the kitchen, our elder boy fell and hurt himself when
the branch of the tree he had climbed in the garden gave way, and the younger one got into
a scuffle with his friends while playing football and generally came out the worse for it.
Yet everything pointed towards Shankar getting the sack. Not only was he on the
cheeky side but he was also erratic in his work, being more interested in playing football
and cricket with my sons and their friends, and, of course, in watching television. Besides,
he was thoroughly indisciplined, given to getting into fights and mimicking visitors to our
home. But, every time my wife decided to turn him out I'd point out all the good things that
had come our way and she'd sigh and change her mind.
All this apart, there was also a lingering doubt in our minds about his honesty.
Though nothing had ever been found missing there was this question of his mother, who
worked on a daily basis in a number of other houses in our colony, parking herself just
outside the kitchen window during her tea time and carrying on a conversation with him in
low, whispered tones. My wife kept a close eye on him, and we did not trust him enough
to leave him alone in the house whenever we all had to go out together. We were convinced
that he’d pinch something or the other and disappear by the time we returned. So, we would
lock him out and ask him to play around till we got back. We never gave any thought to
whether he felt hurt about it or not.
Now it so happens that the flat we live in has a self-locking front door, that is to
say, if you chance to leave your keys behind by mistake you’d get locked out. This in turn
means an expenditure of a couple of hundred of rupees because the only way to enter the
house again is, to break open one of the windows which would then have to be replaced.
So, we were always extra cautious every time we left the house.

43
 Then one day it happened. We had all gone out shopping, locking Shankar out as
usual and, on our return, we discovered to our horror that we had forgotten our keys inside
and, as a consequence, had been locked out!
Shankar, who was playing in the garden, joined us in trying all the windows and
doors one by one. Then, just as we had resigned ourselves to the inevitable and had begun
making plans for spending the night with some friends Shankar spoke up. In a slow, hesitant
voice he asked: ‘Sahib, shall I open the door?’
‘How?’ asked my wife, half eagerly, half suspiciously.
‘I can get through that ventilator over there’, I think, he replied, still hesitant. ‘Then
I can open the door from inside.’
My wife looked at me. ‘We don’t have a choice, do we?’ She nodded at him giving
him the green signal.
With a grin he jumped forward and pulled up the table in the verandah. he stood on
top of it and then climbed the wall like a monkey, using footholds and handholds here and
there, till he reached the ventilator. Then, very deftly, he squeezed himself through the
opening and went in. We heard him drop on the other side and a minute later he was
grinning at us through the open front door.
My wife and I looked at one another and an unspoken, yet unmistakable message
was exchanged between us. Each of us knew the other felt the same sense of shame. From
that day we stopped locking Shankar out of the house.
Read the above passage and attempt the questions given below. (Check your answers from
the ones that have been provided for you.)
I. Comprehension
A. Say whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F).
1. Shankar was a servant in the narrator’s family. (T)
2. Shankar is the narrator of the story. (F)
3. The narrator’s family is a middle-class family. (T)
4. The narrator and his wife fully trusted Shankar. (F)
5. The family owned a Maruti Car. (F)
6. The narrator and his wife were ashamed of themselves at the
end. (T)
7. Shankar entered the house through the ventilator and opened the
door from the inside. (T)
B. Answer the following questions in one sentence each:

1. What work did Shankar do?

44
 Answer: He was a servant in the house.

2. Was he a thief?

Answer: No, Shankar was not a thief.

3. Why did the family think Shankar was lucky for them?

Answer: They thought so because good things started happening for

all of them the day Shankar stepped into their house.

4. Why did they lock him out?

Answer: They were suspicious of him that is why they locked him
out.

5. How did Shankar enter the locked house?

Answer: He entered it through a ventilator.

6. Why did the narrator and his wife feel ashamed after Shankar had
opened the door?

Answer: They felt ashamed because they realized they had

suspected Shankar unnecessarily.

7. Do you think the title of the story is proper? In what way?

Answer: The title is proper because Shankar’s luck works for the
family he works for and it also saves him from losing his job.

II. Vocabulary

A. Match the words in Column A with their meaning in Column B. (Check your
answers from the Key given below).

Column A Column B

1. hesitant a. careful

2. ventilator b. wide smile

3. cautious c. one who is slow to decide

4. grin d. an opening in a room/building to let fresh air in

5. sack e. found out

6. discovered f. dismissal (from a job)

45
 [Answer Key: 1. c 2. d 3. a 4. b 5.f 6.e]

B. 1. Which word in para 5 means steal?

Answer: ‘pinch’

2. Which word in the last paragraph mean “spoken or written piece of

information”?

Answer: ‘message’

III. Grammar

Read the following sentence:

Shankar stood on the table and climbed the wall like a monkey.

What is the tense of the verbs ‘stood’ and ‘climbed’? they are in the Past Tense.

Now fill in the blanks in the following sentences with the Past form of the verbs
given in bracket.

Remember you are telling a story. (You can use the Key given below to check your
answer).

When we came back we found that the key had been left inside. We (try) all the
door and windows but we (can) not get in. At this point Shankar (say) he (can) get
in and open the door.

My cousin and his wife (have) no choice. The boy (enter) the house through the
ventilator. Soon he (open) the front door from inside. We (are) all so relieved. But
my cousin and his wife (feel) very guilty.

[Answer Key: tried, could not, said, could, had, entered, opened, were, felt]

46
 FROM: EVERYDAY ENGLISH -- PART 1
1

FLOWERS

Dr. Seema Suri

Pre-reading Activity

1. When you go to a garden, what are the things you notice there? Discuss with your
partner.

2. What flowers do you find in summer, winter and spring? Can you describe their
colour?

Flowers are a living symbol of delicacy and beauty. Gardens are beautiful because
flowers bloom there in plenty. No one would like to go to a garden where there were no
flowers. We use flowers on all occasions, for all kinds of purposes, throughout our life. We
use them at birth; we use them at death. Writers, poets, painters—all praise the beauty of
flowers.

There are a variety of flowers growing in India. There are roses in so many colours,
there are lilies, there are golden marigolds. If you go to a garden in the spring season, you
can smell the fragrance of hundreds of flowers, you can touch their soft petals. You almost
feel as if you were in heaven. It is so delightful to be in a garden in the early morning. The
flowers dance in the morning breeze and your heart dances with them.

The rose may be called the king of flowers. It is found in so many colours-pink,
red, yellow, orange, white, even black. Its smell is very sweet. It is a feast for the eyes. Our
late Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, was very fond of roses. He used to put a rose in the
buttonhole of his coat every day. When he passed away, his body was covered with roses.

Glossary
Symbol : sign
delicacy : the quality of being delicate
delicate : pleasant and soft
fragrance : sweet smell

Read the above passage and attempt the questions given below. (Check your answers from
the ones that have been provided for you.)
Reading Comprehension

1. Given below are a few statements based on the text. Say whether you agree or
disagree with them. Write True or False against them.

47
 (a) Flowers are used both on happy and unhappy occasions. True
(b) Poets have praised flowers in their poems. True
(c) All roses are red. False
(d) The lily is regarded as the king of flowers. False
(e) Jawaharlal Nehru carried a rose in his hand every day. False
2. Give short answers to the following questions:
(a) Which qualities are associated with flowers?
Answer: Delicacy and beauty are associated with flowers. Flowers bloom for a
short time and their beautiful colours and smells are very appealing.
(b) Why is the spring season so special?
Answer: Spring is the season when all flowers bloom and you can smell them.
The sight of so many bright colours is beautiful.
(c) How does one feel on entering the garden early in the morning?
In the early morning there is a light wind blowing in the garden. It seems as if the
flowers are dancing when their petals move in the breeze. The sight fills the heart
with joy.
3. What does the word ‘heaven’ in para 2 mean?
(a)a place where God lives.
(b) a place where we find great happiness. ✓
(c) a place situated above the earth.
Vocabulary
1. Look at the expression ‘a feast for the eyes.’ Discuss the meaning with your partner.
What does it mean?
(a) a large tasty meal.
(b) something that provides great pleasure. ✓
(c) a medicine for the eyes.
2. Read the words given in the box below:

Pleasure trouble joy dejection fun regret hopelessness satisfaction

Pain sorrow recreation delight

Some of these words are associated with the feelings of happiness. Others are
associated with the feeling of unhappiness. Separate the words and write them in
the relevant columns.

48
 Words associated with happiness Words associated with unhappiness
pleasure trouble
joy dejection
fun regret
satisfaction hopelessness
recreation pain
delight sorrow

3. Notice the following words from the passage:

Beautiful, delightful
These words are formed by adding ‘—ful’ to the nouns ‘beauty’ and ‘delight’:
Beauty + ful
Delight + ful
Now form adjectives from the following words by adding ‘—ful’.
Nouns Adjectives
wonder wonderful
duty dutiful
success successful
pain painful
care careful

4. Fill in the blanks in the following sentences with a suitable adjective from those you
have formed above:
(i) Everyone thinks that Shah Rukh Khan is a wonderful actor.
(ii) His brother had some heart problem; he had to undergo a painful operation.
(iii) Dhirubhai Ambani was a very successful industrialist.
(iv) We must be very careful while driving.
(v) She has a very dutiful and caring son; he is always ready to do what she asks
him to do.
Writing
Write four to five sentences mentioning different ways in which we use roses:
making medicines: The essential oil of the rose is used to prepare many Ayurvedic
medicines.
giving gifts: Bouquets of red roses are the most popular gift on Valentine’s Day.

49
 preparing perfumes: Roses are used to prepare ‘ittar’, a traditional Indian perfume.
Hundreds of kilos of roses are used to get one litre of rose oil.
using for decoration: All over the world, flowers are a major part of wedding
celebrations.
flower arrangements: On every festival in India people decorate their homes with
flowers.
2. Given below is a notice put up at the entrance of the Rose Garden Two of the
instructions are mentioned below. Add two more. (The exercise has been done for
you)
Rose Garden
Notice
1. Do not smoke in the garden.
2. Do not litter. Use dustbins.
3. Plucking of flowers is prohibited. Penalty Rs. 50
4. Do not stick bills on trees.

Speaking

Choose appropriate forms of greetings for the following persons whom you meet in the
Lodhi Gardens at different times of the day. Remember that there are two kinds of
greetings. Formal and informal. We use the informal greeting such as ‘Hi’ or ‘hello’
between friends. For our elders and teachers we use the formal greeting such as ‘good
morning’ or ‘good afternoon’ depending on the time of the day.

Person Time Greetings

Your friend, Nimimi a) at 10 a.m. Hi ! How are you?
b) at 3 p.m. Hi ! What are you doing here
at this time?
Your teacher, Mr. Manav a) at 9 a.m. Good morning, sir.
How are you?
b) at 4 p.m. Good afternoon, sir.
Pleased to meet you.
Your sister, Ruchi a) at 8 a.m. Hello! Are you taking a walk
for a change?
b) at 2 p.m. Hello! Where are you going?
Your friend’s father a) at 11.30 a.m. Good morning, uncle.
How are you?
b) at 6.00 p.m. Good evening, uncle.

50
II. Revision Exercises
(a) Grammar - Adjectives
Adjectives are words that describe nouns. They have the same form in both the
singular and the plural. They also go alone (without nouns) after the verbs: appear,
be, become, feel, smell, taste, etc.
• Adjectives normally go before nouns.
She bought an expensive house.
• Adjectives can also be used without a noun after certain verbs (appear, be,
feel, etc.)
He felt nervous.
• The adjectives afraid, alone, alive, awake, asleep, etc. are never followed by
a noun.
• Nouns can be used as adjectives if they go before another noun.
Could you repair the kitchen sink?
I have a morning class.
We went for a two-week holiday.
• Certain adjectives can be used as plural nouns refering to a group of people
in general. Those are: the poor, the rich, the old, the elderly, etc.
We should have more respect for the elderly.

I. How can you best describe the experiences below? Use an adjective from the
box.(Check your answers from the Key given below)

frightening, surprising, terrifying, boring, exhausting, exciting.

1. You get stuck in a lift.

2. You walk for 15 Kilometers.
3. You find a snake in the bathroom.
4. Your sister buys you a new shirt with her pocket money.
5. You go to see a film that lasts for four hours.
6. You and your friends decide to go on a mountain trek.
[Answer Key: 1. frightening 2. exhausting 3. terrifying 4. Surprising 5. Boring
6. exciting]

II. 1. — ing adjectives describe a situation, person, or thing.

an interesting life

51
 a boring teacher
an exciting film
2. — ed adjectives describe how people feel.

I'm very interested in chess.

We were bored at the end of the lesson.

She’s excited about going on holiday tomorrow.

Complete the sentences using one of these adjectives.

excit —
frighten —
bor — —ed
interest — — ing
confus —
disappoint —
worry —
surprise —

1. ‘I met a famous film star today’. “Really? How ................... !’

2. ‘I spent four hours going around the museum’.
It was quite ........................................
3. I am .................................. I haven’t heard from my brother for two weeks.
4. I failed my exam. I worked really hard for it. I'm so.............................
5. A man followed me home last night. I was .................................
6. This computer manual is so .....................................
I don't understand anything.
[Answer Key : 1. exciting 2. interesting 3. worried 4. disappointed
5. frightened 6. confusing]
B. Everyday English
Social Expressions.
We use certain expressions in different social situations.

52
1. Match the expressions and responses.

1. How are you? a. Bye

2. Hello, Janet! b. Same to you.
3. How do you do? c. Good morning
4. See you tomorrow! d. Fine, thanks.
5. Good night! e. How do you do?
6. Good Morning! f. Not at all. Don't mention it.
7. Hello, I'm Ajay Das g. Hi, Ramesh.
8. Have a good weekend. h. Sleep well.
9. Thank you very much, indeed i. Pleased to meet you, Ajay

[Answer Key : 1.d 2.g 3.e 4.a 5.h 6.c 7.i 8.b 9.f]
2. Making conversation.
All of us visit places like a clothes shop or a chemist. Complete these conversations
and check your answers.

A. Hello. Can I help you.

B. I ............................., thanks.
A. What were you looking for?
B. I'm looking for a sweater.
.................................... Have you got .............................?
A. I'll just have a look.
................................................ are you?
B. Medium.
A. Here, I found your size.
B. Thank you .................................?
A. Of course. The changing rooms are over there.
B. I’ll take it. How much is it?
A. It is .............................
B. .....................................
A. I’ll pay cash.
Where are the conversations taking place?
How does the shop assistant help the customer?

53
 2

A MINOR BIRD

Dr. Seema Suri

A MINOR BIRD

Pre-reading Activity

1. Do you love to hear birds chirping in the morning? Does your heart thrill to the
sound of their songs? Discuss with your partner.

2. Do you remember a time when a particular bird irritated you with its persistent
singing? What did you do then? Read Robert Frost’s poem given below and
compare your experiences.

I have wished a bird would fly away,

And not sing by my house all day;

Have clapped my hands at him from the door

When it seemed as if I could bear no more.

The fault must partly have been in me.

The bird was not to blame for his key.

And of course there must be something wrong

In wanting to silence any song.

Read the poem above and attempt the questions given below. (You can check your
answers with the ones that have been provided for you).
Reading comprehension.
1. The four stanzas of the poem describe different moods or emotions of the poet. Match
the moods given below to the stanza that describes them.
(i) the poet’s extreme unhappiness and invitation — (Answer: stanza 2)
(ii) his sense of guilt — (Answer: stanza 3)
(iii) his desire — (Answer: stanza 1)
(iv) self-doubt and review of earlier feeling — (Answer: stanza 4)
2. Stanza 1
(i) Why do you think the poet is annoyed with the bird?
Answer: The poet is annoyed with the bird because its singing disturbs him.

54
 (ii) Where is the bird singing?

Answer: The bird sings all day next to the poet’s house.

Stanza 2

(i) What does the poet do to drive away the bird?

Answer: The poet claps his hands to frighten the bird and make it fly away.

(ii) Is the bird’s song soft or loud? Whish words give us the clue?

Answer: The phrase ‘bear no more’ suggests that the bird was singing loudly and the
poet could not tolerate the constant noise.

Stanza 3

(i) The poet realizes that the little bird was not to blame for its ‘key’.

(ii) The poet realizes that the ‘fault must have partly been in me’. He accepts that he
was impatient with the poor little creature.

3. What do you think the bird’s song suggests here?

(i) its chirping notes.

(ii) its creativity

(iii) its freedom of expression.

(iv) or, all of these. ✓

4. (i) Does the poem end with the poet’s feeling of irritation?
Answer: The poem does not end with the poet’s irritation.
(ii) Do you see a movement in the poem? Does the last stanza take us to a larger
question of an individual’s right to freedom and self-expression?
Answer: The poet’s attitude has changed in the last stanza. He accepts that his
annoyance with the bird was a result of his own inability to understand that each
living creature has the freedom to express. Nature does not put any restrictions on its
creations.
(iii) Do you think the word ‘minor’ is significant? Does it add another meaning to
the poem?
Answer: The little bird is called ‘minor’ because the poet thinks, in the beginning of
the poem at least that the bird is an unimportant object. He is not open to enjoying
his song.

55
Vocabulary

1. The poem makes use of several words that are related in meaning e.g. ‘bird’ and
‘fly’. Now put the words given below in the relevant columns:

Blame, want, wrong, song

Wish Sing Fault

Want Song Blame
Wrong

2. We use different words to describe sounds made by different creatures, e.g. we say
that birds ‘chirp’ or ‘twitter’.

Column A mentions the names of some creatures and Column B mentions the
sounds they produce. Match these:

A: Creatures B: Sounds
lion roar
horse neigh
elephant trumpet
bee buzz
dove / pigeon coo

Speaking

1. What is rhyme?

Rhyme is the echoing effect produced by matching sounds at the end of two (or more)
different words. In this poem the words at the end of the lines, in all four stanzas,
rhyme with each other.

I have wished a bird would fly away.

And not sing by my house all day.
Have clapped my hands at him from the door.
When it seemed as if I could bear no more.
The fault must partly have been in me.
The bird was not to blame for his key.
And of course there must be something wrong.
In wanting to silence any song.

56
 You will find most rhymes in poetry and at the end of lines. But it is not necessary
for poems to have rhymes, and for a poem not to rhyme is now considered perfectly
normal.

Why do poets use rhyme in poetry?

Poets use rhyme for a number of reasons. The most important ones are listed.

✓ Rhymes produce a pleasant, harmonious and echoing effect which is satisfying

and enjoyable to listen to as in music.

✓ Rhymes echo similar sounds and thus generate a natural rhythm.

✓ Rhymes also help readers to, remember the poem more easily.

2. The poem by Victor Hugo has two lines that do not rhyme. They are underlined.

Be like the bird, who

Halting in his flight

On limb too slight

Feels it gives way beneath him.

Yet sings

Knowing he hath wings.

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 3

PENNY POST

Dr. Seema Suri

Do you know where the modern mail system originated? Well, it was in England.
And the strange thing was that it was not the sender but the receiver who had to pay for the
post. Initially, the postmen delivering letters used to collect the money in cash. The postage
itself was quite high, calculated on the basis of a complex set of rates.

Rowland Hill, who became the greatest postal reformer in history, never forgot his
childhood experience, when his poor mother had to send him out to sell a bag of clothes to
raise three shillings to receive a batch of letters.

Later, he (Sir Rowland Hill) thought of a scheme so that the burden of payment
should be shifted from the addressee to the sender. And the system of postage stamps was
started. Most letters required a postage stamp worth only a penny.

The first such stamp was issued in 1840 and carried the head of Queen Victoria.
Some people felt unhappy that their queen’s head was disfigured in the process of
cancellation. The queen herself didn’t seem to mind. In fact, she herself enjoyed walking
to the local post office from her Balmoral Castle to buy stamps and chat with the
postmaster.

These reforms gave a great boost to letter writing—a fitting end to the old, outdated
systems of sending letters through runners, carrier pigeons and post riders. In recent years,
the use of the e-mail is becoming very common. However, the romance of the mail still
remains.

These reforms gave a great boost to letter writing—a fitting end to the old, outdated
systems of sending letters through runners, carrier pigeons and post riders. In recent years,
the use of the e-mail is becoming very common. However, the romance of the mail still
remains.

Glossary

originated : began for the first time

shilling : a small unit of money used in the UK until 1971
addressee : the person to whom a letter is addressed
postage : money paid to send letters through the post
penny : (plural, pence) a small unit of money in the UK. There are 100 pence
in a pound. In the earlier days, 12 pence made a shilling.
disfigure : to spoil the appearance of someone or something
cancellation : marking a stamp so that it cannot be used again

58
e-mail : electronic mail, a system of sending mail from one computer to
another.
romance : a feeling of excitement and adventure connected with a particular
thing
Read the above passage carefully and attempt the questions given below. (Check your
answers from the ones that have been provided for you.)
Reading Comprehension
Answer the following questions in short phrases.
1. (i) Where was the modern postal system started?
Answer: The modern postal system started in England.
(ii) Who used to pay for the post in the beginning- the sender or the receiver?
Answer: At first, the receiver of the letter had to pay for the postage.
(iii) Which ‘burden’ is shifted from the addressee to the sender? Who was
responsible for this change?
Answer: The burden of paying for the postage shifted from the addressee to the
sender. Rowland Hill, the well-known postal reformer was responsible for this
change.
(iv) When was the first stamp issued? Whose picture did it carry?
Answer: The first stamp was issued in 1840 and carried an image of the head
of Queen Victoria of England.
(v) How much did the people spend on most stamps at first?
Answer: At first people had to spend a penny on a postage stamp.
2.Complete the following table with appropriate information from the passage:
Old Times Modern Times Recent
Additions
Who delivered / Runners, Postmen Computer used
a)
delivers letters? carrier, for e-mail
pigeons and
post riders
b) Who paid / Pays Receiver Sender None. It is free.
paid in pays the
cash postage

3. (i) Which childhood incident inspired Rowland Hill to bring about postal reforms?
Answer: As a child, Rowland Hills, mother sent him out to sell a bag of clothes
to raise three shillings. She needed the money to receive some letters. In those

59
 days the receiver had to pay the postage. This childhood experience inspired
Rowland Hill to invent a scheme whereby the sender bore the cost of the
postage.
(ii) Why were some people unhappy when a picture of Queen Victoria’s head was
printed on the stamp?
Answer: In England the first postage stamps issued had the image of Queen
Victoria. But when the post office put a stamp on the figure people felt unhappy
as they thought it was disrespectful to their Queen.
Vocabulary
1. Arrange the following words under the headings ‘Person’ and ‘Thing’:
Writer, singer, cooker, teacher, instructor, eraser, driver, stapler, cutter, sailor

Person Things
Writer Cooker
Singer Eraser
Teacher Stapler
Instructor Cutter
Driver
Sailor

2. Notice the following phrases that occur in the passage. Learn their meaning and try
to use them in sentences of your own:

In cash – in the form of notes or coins

Raise money – collect money for a particular purpose

Gave a boost to –helped in the growth of

Given below are the sentences made from above phrases. You can make more such
sentences of your own.

(i) Will you pay in cash or through credit card?

(ii) The students organized a carnival to raise money for the tsunami victims.
(iii) The lowering of taxes on entertainment will give a boost to the industry.

Writing:

The sentences given below tell us about the journey of a letter (from the sender to the
receiver). The order in which things happen has got mixed up.

60
 1. Sort out the following sentences and rewrite them in the proper order: Check your
answer with the solution provided below:

(i) We put in the mail in the mailbox.

(ii) All the mail is sorted out at the post office and put in different bags.

(iii) The letters from these bags are then delivered by hand to people who have
been waiting for these messages of love.

(iv) We write our letter, put it in an envelope and stick a postage stamp on it.

(v) It is taken out of the mailbox by a postman along with other letters.

(vi) These bags are sent by air or rail or road to different paces.

Solution: The correct sequence is

(i) We write our letter, put it in an envelope, and stick a postage stamp on it.

(ii) We put it in the mailbox.

(iii) It is taken out of the mailbox by a postman alongwith other letters.

(iv) All the mail is sorted out at the post office and put in different bags.

(v) These bags are sent by air, or rail, or road to different places.

(vi) The letters from these bags are then delivered by hand to people who have
been waiting for these messages of love.

2.Link the above sentences by using expressions such as ‘first of all’, ‘then’,
‘afterwards’, ‘later’, ‘in the end’, to link these sentences and write them in a
connected paragraph.

Solution:

First, we write our letter, put it in an envelope, and stick a postage stamp on it. Then we
put it in the mailbox. From there it is taken out by a postman, alongwith other letters. Later,
all the mail is sorted out at the post office and put in different bags. After that those bags
are sent by air, or rail, or road to different places. Finally, the letters from these bags are
then delivered by hand to people who have been waiting for these messages of love.

61
 5

THE SWAN AND THE PRINCES

Dr. Neeta Gupta

THE SWAN AND THE PRINCES

Characters

Suddodhana: the King of Kapilvastu

Sidhartha: the Prince of Kapilvastu
Dev Datt: Sidhartha’s cousin
The Chief Minister and four other Ministers of the King
The Door-Keeper
[King Suddodhana is sitting on his throne. His Ministers are sitting around him. The Chief
Minister is saying something to him. Just then the door-keeper enters and bows to
the King.)

DOOR-KEEPER: Long live the King! Sir, Prince Dev Datt wants to come in.

KING: Bring him in.

[The door-keeper bows and goes out.]

CHIEF MINISTER: I wonder why Prince Dev Datt wants to see the King at this time.

SECOND MINISTER: Perhaps he wants to complain against someone.

[The door-keeper enters with Dev Datt. Both of them bow to the King.]

KING: What is it, Dev Datt? Why have you come to me at this time?

DEV DATT: Sir, the Prince will not give me my swan. I want justice from you.

KING: [smiling] Be calm, Dev Datt. Has Sidhartha taken your swan from you?

DEV DATT: Yes, sir, he has. I shot it and it fell on the ground near the Prince. He picked
it up and said he wouldn't give it to me.

KING: That’s very naughty of Sidhartha. [to the door-keeper] Go and call him.

[The door-keeper bows and goes out.]

THIRD MINISTER: (softly to the Fourth Minister] The Prince is a good lad. He can't do a
thing that’s wrong.

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FOURTH MINISTER: I agree with you.

[The door-keeper enters with Prince Sidhartha, who has a white swan in his arms.
Sidhartha bows to the king.]

KING: Sidhartha, Dev Datt says that you’ve taken his swan. Is that the swan which you
took from him?

SIDHARTHA: Your Highness, Dev Datt has complained about this swan but it isn’t his
swan. It’s mine.

DEV DATT: No, Your Highness, it is not his. It is mine. I shot it with an arrow. Sidhartha
is telling a lie.

KING: Be calm, Dev Datt. You say that the swan is yours because you shot it. Is that right?

DEV DATT: Yes, sir, that’s quite right.

KING: What do you say, Sidhartha? Why do you say that the swan is yours?

SIDHARTHA: Your Highness, Dev Datt shot this swan but I saved its life. That’s why it’s
mine.

MINISTERS: Hear! Hear!

KING: Listen, Sidhartha. A kshatriya can’t give up what he has shot. Do you agree with
me?

SIDHARTHA: Yes, I do, sir, but a kshatriya can’t give up a suppliant either. This swan
came to me for protection. I can’t give it up.

Dev Datt: Your Highness, this is injustice. I shot the swan, so it’s mine.

KING: Well, boys, I’m puzzled. It’s a strange case. I don’t know how to decide it. [to the
Chief Minister] Can you help me?

CHIEF MINISTER: I’ll try, Your Highness.

KING: Very well, then. Please go ahead.

CHIEF MINISTER: Prince Sidhartha and Prince Dev Datt, please listen to me. Prince Dev
Datt says that the swan is his because he shot it, and Prince Sidhartha says that it is
his because he saved its life. Am I right?

SIDHARTHA AND DEV DATT: Yes, you’re right.

CHIEF MINISTER: Good. Now, Prince Sidhartha put the swan on this stool.

[Sidhartha puts the swan on the stool and goes back to his place. The swan is frightened

63
 and keeps looking at Sidhartha.]

CHIEF MINISTER: Prince Dev Datt, please come forward and ask the swan to come to
you.

DEV DATT: [coming forward] Come to me, O swan. Come! Come! Come! [The swan
trembles and cries with pain.]

CHIEF MINISTER: That will do, Prince Dev Datt. Now, it’s your turn to call the swan,
Prince Sidhartha. [Dev Datt goes back and Sidhartha comes forward.]

SIDHARTHA: [going near the swan] Dear swan, don’t be afraid. I’ve come to you. Come
and sit in my arms. [The bird goes to Sidhartha’s arms.]

CHIEF MINISTER: [to the king] Your Highness, the bird has decided the case.

KING: It has, indeed, and we accept that the bird belongs to Sidhartha.

ALL: Long live Prince Sidhartha!

Glossary

1. Bows : To bend down with respect

2. Suppliant : Someone who asks for help
3. Injustice : An act of being unfair
4. Puzzled : Confused
5. Trembles : Shake with fear

Introduction
‘The Swan and the Princes’ is a short play that describes a peculiar situation faced by
the King of Kapilvastu regarding his two sons Prince Dev Datt and Prince Sidhartha.
Sidhartha is better known as Gautam Buddha. There are many stories that have generated
from the time that Gautam Buddha spent as the Prince of Kapilvastu when he was known
as Prince Sidhartha.
This unit gives you an example of how a story can be presented in the form of a
drama—in a dramatic form. At first you are given a list of characters who will appear in
the play. Then a dialogue takes place between these characters in a certain sequence which
then forms a story. All stage directions are given within parenthesis i.e. within brackets,
which indicates that these words are not to be spoken but the action described has to be
performed. The entire dialogue is in Direct speech.
Read the above extract and attempt the questions given below. (You can check your
answers from the ones that have been provided for you.)

64
1. Reading Comprehension
Write short answers to the following questions from the text. (Check your answers from
the ones provided)

(a) Dev Datt came to the king for money. Justice or Sympathy?

Answer: Dev Datt came to the king for Justice.

(b) Why did Prince Sidhartha pick up the Swan form the ground?

Answer: Prince Sidhartha picked up the Swan because it came to him for protection.

(c) Why did Sidhartha feel that the swan belonged to him and not to Dev Datt?

Answer: Sidhartha felt that the Swan belonged to him and not to Dev Datt because he had
saved its life.

(d) Whose help did the King take to solve the problem?

Answer: The King took the Chief Minister’s help to solve the problem.

(e) The King was puzzled because

Answer: He believed that both the parties were saying the right thing.

(f) The Swan came flying to Sidhartha for

Answer: protection.

(g) Given below are a few describing words (adjectives) which can be used to describe the
King, Dev Datt, Sidhartha and the Chief Minister. Write the appropriate adjectives for each
in the given columns:

Confused, just compassionate, cruel, kind, wise

King Dev Datt Sidhartha Chief Minister

Confused Cruel Kind Wise
Just Compassionate

65
Vocabulary:

1.Swan is a kind of bird. Can you name five more birds?

Answer: The names of five other birds are as follows:
(i) Sparrow
(ii) Crow
(iii) Parrot
(iv) Peacock
(v) Koel

2. Birds live in nests. Give the homes of the following: dogs, pigs, horses, lions bees
Animals and Insects Homes
1. Dogs
2. Pigs
3. Horses
4. Lions
5. Bees
[Answer Key: 1. kennels 2. sty/pen 3. stables 4. dens 5. hives]

Speaking
When we meet people for the first time, we introduce ourselves to them. For example, when
you come to a new college or to a new class you may meet new girls / boys. Your teacher
also introduces herself to you when she comes to your class the first time. Given below are
some examples of informal and formal speech.
I. Informal Speech
Introducing yourself and others
1. Hello, I’m Geeta Sarin.
2. Hello, you must be Geeta.
I'm Anand.
3. Geeta : Anand, meet my friend Shikha.
: Shikha, this is Anand.
Anand : Glad to meet you Shikha.
Shikha : Same here.

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II. Formal

Introducing oneself in a formal situation

(i) Anand : Good morning, I’m Anand.

Geeta : Good morning Mr. Anand. I’m Geeta Sarin.

(ii) Anand : May I introduce myself ? I’m Anand Mehta, Sales Manager
of this Company.

(iii) Geeta : Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Geeta Sarin, your English
teacher.

Introducing others in a formal situation

(i) Anand: May I introduce our new marketing manager, Mr. Gupta.

(ii) Mr. Lal: Ladies and gentlemen, this evening I would like to introduce to you
the Chairman of Vishakha Enterprises, Mr. K.C. Pant. He shall talk to us about
our marketing strategies.

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 6
EINSTEIN’S FORMULA FOR SUCCESS

Dr. Neeta Gupta

EINSTEIN'S FORMULA FOR SUCCESS

Einstein is one of the greatest scientists the world has ever known. He had the
unique genius of getting to the heart of any problem and suggesting the simplest possible
solution. He wrestled with the most complex problems in physics but he used only paper,
pencil, and the blackboard.

Once when he was asked what the secret of his achievements was, he replied, with
characteristic simplicity and mathematical brevity:

S = X + Y + Z, where,

S = Success

X = Hard work

Y = Rest or Relaxation

Z = Keeping one’s mouth shut.

This formula is universally valid.

Without hard work no one can achieve excellence in any field. Even a great batsman
cannot afford to miss net practice before an important match.

Rest or relaxation is an equally essential requirement, as we have seen earlier.

Einstein himself was fond of music. Once, when he was greatly distressed and
disappointed, as he found that his solution to a most complex problem in physics was
wrong, he played the violin for several hours.

Z, that is silence, has great significance. Silence is golden, as the proverb goes.
Silence makes us think deeply. It endows our mind with serenity. It gives us a sense of
proportion. It can be creative. It is for this reason that Mahatma Gandhi used to observe
silence one day in the week.

Glossary

1. Unique: the only one of its kind

2. Wrestled with: Struggled with
3. Achievements: Accomplishments
4. Brevity: Saying something in very few words

68
5. Universally valid: accepted by everyone in the world
6. Essential: absolutely necessary
7. Fond: to like something
8. Distressed: Worried
9. Complex: Complicated
10. Several: Many
11. Endows: fills
12. Serenity: Peace
13. A sense of Proportion: to understand what is important and what is not
Read the given passage carefully and attempt the questions below. (Check your answers
from the solutions that have been provided for you).

Reading Comprehension

1. Say whether the following statements are true or false.

(i) Einstein was the greatest scientist in the world. (False)

(ii) Einstein did not believe in talking too much. (True)

(iii) Great batsmen do not need practice before the match. (False)

(iv) Einstein could not play violin. (False)

2. Answer the following questions:

(i) What materials did Einstein use to solve the most difficult Physics problem?

Answer: The materials that Einstein use to solve the most difficult Physics problems
were only paper, pencil and the blackboard.

(ii) What did Einstein do to relax himself?

Answer: Einstein played the violin to relax himself.

(iii) Mention two ways in which silence helps us achieve success.

Answer: The two ways in which silence helps us achieve success are

(1) Silence helps us to think deeply

(2) It gives us a sense of proportion.

69
Vocabulary

1. Matching the words in Column (A) with their meanings in Column (B).

Column A Column B
1. Unique difficult
1. Genius accepted by everyone in the world
2. Wrestled with extraordinary; being the only one of its kind.
4. Complex outstanding talent
5. Universally valid struggled with

[Answer Key: 1. Extraordinary; being one of its kind 2. Outstanding talent

3. Struggled with 4. Difficult 5. Accepted by everyone in the world]

2. The phrase ‘getting to the heart of’ means:

i. understanding something thoroughly.✓

ii. Feeling pain in the heart.
iii. Not showing your feelings.

3. What does ‘keeping one’s mouth shut, mean?

Answer: ‘keeping one’s mouth shut’ means to keep quiet about something.

4. ‘Relativity’ is a noun formed by adding ‘-ty’ to relative. Notice the spelling changes
that take place.

Form nouns by adding ‘-ty’ to the given words and then use them in sentences of your own:

active,pure, real, creative and public.

(i) Active Activity

The activity of walking briskly is good for health.

(ii) Pure Purity

One should always check the purity of gold before buying it.

(iii) Real Reality

Reality is very different from dreams.

70
(iv) Creative Creativity

The paintings showed the creativity of the artist.

(v) Public Publicity

The government carries out publicity campaigns to create awareness about diseases
like polio and T.B.

6. Making pairs by using an Adjective and a Noun.

Adjective Noun

1 active story

2 creative water

3 public member

4 pure writing

5 real speech

[Answer key: 1. Member 2. Writing 3. Speech 4. Water 5. Story]

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 UNIT – 2

LEARNING ABOUT WORDS

FROM: EVERYDAY ENGLISH – PART1

Edited by : Dr. Neeta Gupta

8. ‘THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS’

I. The Red Queen said, ‘Try another Subtraction sum. Take a bone from a dog.
What remains?’
Alice considered. ‘The bone wouldn’t remain, of course, if I took it—and the dog
wouldn’t remain; it would come to bite me and I’m sure I wouldn’t remain’!
“Then you think nothing would remain?’ said the Red Queen.
‘I think that’s the answer.’
‘Wrong, as usual,’ said the Red Queen; “The dog’s temper would remain.”
‘But I don't see how-’.
‘Why, look here!’ the Red Queen cried. ‘The dog would lose its temper, wouldn't
it?’
‘Perhaps it would,’ Alice replied cautiously.
‘Then if the dog went away, its temper would remain!’ The Queen exclaimed.
Alice said, as gravely as she could, “They might go different ways.’ But she couldn't
help thinking to herself, “What dreadful nonsense we are talking!!
II. The Red Queen began again. “Can you answer useful questions?’ she said. ‘How
is bread made?’
‘I know that, Alice cried eagerly. ‘You take some flour—’.
‘Where do you pick the flower?’ the White Queen asked. ‘In a garden, or in the
hedges’?
‘Well, it isn’t picked at all,’ Alice explained: ‘it’s ground’?
‘How many acres of ground?’ said the White Queen. ‘You mustn’t leave out so
many things.’
Reading Comprehension
I. Read the first extract and answer the following questions: (Check your answers from the
ones that have been provided for you).

72
 1. a) What does ‘lose one’s temper’ mean normally?
Answer: To ‘lose one’s temper’ means to become angry.
b) What does ‘lose one’s temper’ mean according to the Red Queen?
I. become angry
ii. become less warm
iii. get separated from one’s temper ✓
2. Do we use ‘lose one’s temper’ the same way as we say ‘I’ve lost my coat?
Give reasons for your answer.
Answer: No, we do not lose our temper the same way as we lose our coat.
Reasons: a coat is a material thing i.e it can be seen and touched and worn.
Temper is not a material thing it is a feeling. It can only be experienced. It
comes from within us. If a coat is lost it means we have lost something
material. If temper is lost it means we have lost control over our anger.
3. Do you agree with Alice’s remark, ‘What dreadful nonsense we are talking!’
If yes, say why.
Answer: Yes, we have to agree with Alice’s remark because the Queen is
talking about temper as though it is a material thing and can be separated
from us.
II. Read the second extract and answer the following questions:
1. Can you make out why the White Queen misunderstands Alice when she
mentions ‘flour’?
Answer: The White Queen misunderstands Alice because both ‘flour’ and
‘flower’ are pronounced in the same way. Alice means ‘flour’ which is made
from grinding wheat or any other grain. The Queen misunderstands it as
‘flower’ which is the flower that blooms in the garden.
2. Why does Alice say, ‘It’s not picked, it’s ground’? What is she referring to?
Answer: Alice is referring to grain/wheat which is ground to make flour.
3. Why does the White Queen refer to acres of ground when Alice is talking
about the ‘ground flour’?
Answer: The White Queen has misunderstood ‘flour’ as ‘flower’ and refers
to actual ground on which flowers grow.
III. You must have noticed that the misunderstanding between Alice and the two
Queens is caused by the fact that in English, words having different meanings may
be pronounced alike. We often get confused when we try to express ourselves in
English. Sometimes it’s the spellings that bother us, sometimes it’s the
pronunciation that baffles us and sometimes it’s the meanings and the idiomatic

73
 expressions. So then, what do we do? Well, we have to look up a dictionary.
It is essential for us to know how to consult a dictionary and get as much
information from it as we can about words and phrases.

Every dictionary has a section at the very beginning, which tells us how to use it. It
is important for us to know the symbols, abbreviations and other details given in
the Introductory Section of the dictionary.

The Dictionary Entry

Let’s begin with a dictionary entry and see what it tells us about a word. Here is the
entry for ‘nonsense’ taken from the Longman Active Study Dictionary of English.

nonsense // n [U]

1 statements and opinions that are not true or seem very stupid. (= rubbish):
absolute/complete/utter nonsense He described the rumours as ‘absolute nonsense’. I +
about Do you believe all this nonsense about ghosts? | Now you're talking nonsense. I've
never heard such a load of nonsense (=a lot of nonsense). | it is nonsense to do something
It’s nonsense to say that mistakes are never made.

2 stupid and annoying behaviour. I'm not putting up with any more of this nonsense!

3 speech or writing that you cannot understand because it has no meaning.-

-nonsensical // adj

The headword (the word we are looking up) is nonsense, the space within the two
slanting lines tells us about the pronunciation, for which phonetic symbols are used. (The
list of phonetic symbols is given at the end of the unit. Ask your teachers to tell you about
the symbols and the sounds they stand for.) After the pronunciation comes the information
about the word class (i.e. the part of speech) of the headword. The abbreviation n tells us
that ‘nonsense’ is a noun. [U] means that the noun is uncountable. This is followed by the
meaning 1 after which word collocations are given in bold print, which shows that the most
common adjectives that occur with ‘nonsense’ are absolute/complete/utter. Next come
example sentences to show us how the word is used in meaning 1. The more common
expressions using ‘nonsense’ are put in bold.

Then we get the second and the third meanings of the word after which an example
illustrating the use in meaning 2 is given.

Below the detailed entry the word ‘nonsensical’ is given, telling us that
‘nonsensical’ is an adjective.

Can you now say whether ‘nonsense’ in the extract is used in meaning 1, 2 or 3?

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How to use a dictionary
Words in the dictionary are entered in simple alphabetical order. You should be
able to decide fast which letter comes before or after another letter if you want to increase
your speed in looking up words in a dictionary. Do the following exercise to practise
alphabetical ordering.
1. Alphabetical Ordering
Find the words in Column A which are not in alphabetical order. Arrange the words in the
correct order and write them in Column B. (Check your answer with the key provided
below)

Column A Column B

remain
really
routine
respect
ruler
[Answer Key: Alphabetical order of the words is: really, remain, respect,
routine, ruler.]

2. Spelling and Pronunciation

The dictionary gives the spelling and pronunciation of the words. The pronunciation
is given in phonetic script. You should make yourself familiar with the phonetic
symbols and the sounds they represent.
i. The spelling ‘ough’ is pronounced in different ways. Can you identify the
words that are pronounced like rough in the following list? Consult a
dictionary to check your answers.
Bough enough dough tough cough
Answer: The words that are pronounced like ‘rough’ are the following:
enough, tough, cough
ii. Look up a dictionary to find the pronunciation of the following words and
say what is common to all these words (Hint: Are all the letters pronounced
in the following words?): plumber, why, honest, psychology
[Answer: In both the words ‘honest’ and ‘psychology’ the first alphabet
is silent.]

3. Word class labels

The dictionary mentions the word class for every entry, which tells us whether a
word is an adjective, a verb or a preposition.

75
 Put the words given below in the relevant class category (a word may belong to
more than one class):

Cautiously remain temper different ground

Noun Verb Adjective Adverb

Temper Remain different cautiously
ground ground

Notice that the word ‘ground’ is listed in the dictionary both as a noun and as a
verb. The meaning in both the cases is different. As a noun it means ‘the solid
surface of the earth’. As a verb it means to ‘prohibit or prevent a pilot or an aircraft
from flying’.

4. Grammar

The dictionary tells us whether a particular noun is countable or uncountable. It tells us

whether a verb is used with or without an object, or whether an adjective is or is not
followed by a noun and many other kinds of information about the grammar of a word,
e.g. the symbol[U] in the entry of ‘nonsense’ stands for ‘uncountable’, which means
that we do not use ‘a’ before this noun nor do we use it in the plural.

i. Use a dictionary to find out which of the following words are used in the
singular, which ones in the plural and which ones are used in both (find the
spellings of the plural forms):

house rice information match weather

Word Singular Plural Both

House House Houses

Rice Rice

Information Information

Match Match Matches

Weather Weather

ii. Find out from a dictionary the second and the third forms of the following verbs
with their pronunciation: lie, cry, beat, read, wind.

Answer: The third form of the given verbs is as follows:

76
 Lie: lied; cry: cried; beat: beat; read: read (pronounced as red); wind: wound
(pronounced in the same way as ‘round’)

5. Meaning

The dictionary may give more than one meaning for an entry. When consulting a
dictionary, you should be able to find the right meaning for the word used in a text.

i. Look at the entry for the verb ‘subtract’ taken from the Longman Active
Study Dictionary of English, which has the following meaning:

subtract v[T] to do a sum by taking one number or amount away from another; for
example, if you subtract 10 from 30 you get 20 –

subtraction n[C;U]

Can you now say whether the sum of subtraction that is given to Alice is according
to the meaning of the word “subtraction'?

ii. Some words are spelt alike, some are pronounced the same way, yet they
are different words for there is no meaning connection, e.g. ‘ground’ has
two meanings in the text: Alice uses the word as a verb and the Queen uses
the word as a noun. They are different words having the same spelling and
pronunciation. Such words are called homonyms.

6. Collocations, idioms, and phrasal verbs

i. The dictionary also gives us a number of collocations, i.e. it tells us about

the words which are most frequently used together. For example, we may
use ‘carefully’ or ‘attentively’ or ‘closely’, with the verb ‘to listen’ but not
‘cautiously’, even though ‘carefully and cautiously’ are similar in meaning.
As you go through different texts, notice such collocations. So, we say,
‘Listen carefully’ but not ‘Listen cautiously’.

Some common collocations:

Have
Have a drink
Have a bath
Have breakfast
Have sympathy

Fully:
Fully appreciate
Fully recover
Fully understand

77
 Badly:
Badly hurt
Badly damaged
Badly need
You can find many more collocations in the dictionary.
ii. The dictionary also lists various idioms. Idioms are combinations of words
with a fixed meaning. This meaning is completely different from the
meanings of the words taken separately. For example, ‘lose one’s temper’
means ‘to get angry’, ‘to do somebody a good/bad turn’ means ‘to do
something that is helpful or unhelpful to somebody’, ‘to be back to square
one’ means ‘to be back in exactly the same situation that you started from,
so that you have made no progress’, and so on.
Some more examples of idioms:
• A grey area - Something unclear
• A rip-off - Too expensive
• Add fuel to the fire - To add more to an existing problem
• As easy as ABC - Something is very easy
• Call it a day - Time to quit
• Cool as a cucumber - To be very calm under stress
You can find many more like these in the dictionary.
iii. In English, we make phrasal verbs by combining the common verbs (e.g.
come, look, put, take, etc.) with prepositions and adverbs (often called
adverb particles). Phrasal verbs are given at the end of the main entry for
the verb.
Fill in the blanks in the following sentences with a correct phrasal verb from
those given in the box, making changes in the form of the verb where
necessary (Answers have been provided for you after each sentence.):

take after, look up to, put up with, make up, look after

i. She ________ her mother; when you see her, you are reminded of the
mother.

She takes after her mother; when you see her, you are reminded of her
mother.

ii. Who will _______ my plants when I go away?

Who will look after my plants when I go away?

78
 iii. It is very difficult to _________ such rude behaviour.

It is very difficult to put up with such rude behavior.

iv. He has a fertile imagination; he _______ excuses in a second.

He has a fertile imagination; he makes up excuses in a second.

v. They always __________their father for guidance.

They always look up to their father for guidance.

7. Style, subject and language variety

The dictionary also tells us whether a word is appropriate in a formal, literary or

spoken style, e.g. ‘what dreadful nonsense’ is an informal phrase. The dictionary
also tells us which field the word is related to, e.g. the word may be related to poetry,
music, art, linguistics etc. From the dictionary we can also get the information
whether the word is used in American English or British English or Indian English.

Which variety of English do these words belong to—Indian English, British

English, American English?

namaste, petrol, gas (= petrol), lassi, colour, centre

Answer key:

Indian English: namaste, lassi

British English: petrol, colour, centre

American English: gas

Writing

1. Project: Make your own mini dictionary. Note down new words you come across
and consult a dictionary for their pronunciation, meaning, grammar and citations
(example sentences in which they are sued)

2. Given below is the Pronunciation Table. Ask your teacher for the symbols given in
the table and their sounds.

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Pronunciation table

Consonants Vowels

Symbol Keyword Symbol Keyword

p pen short l bit
b back e bed
t ten ae cat
d day d dog
k key A cut
g get u put
f fat ə about
 view i happy
 thing u actuality
 then long
s soon i sheep
z zero a: father
 ship ɔ: four
3 pleasure u: boot
h hot 3: bird
x loch diphthongs
t cheer ei make
d3 jump ai lie
m sum ɔI boy
n sun
sung
w wet
I let
r red
j yet
Diphthong: sound formed by the combination of two vowels in a single syllable, in which
the sound begins as one vowel and moves towards another (as in coin, loud, and side).

[From Longman Active Study Dictionary. New Edition. Pearson Education Limited. 2005]

80
 UNIT - 3
BASIC GRAMMAR RULES 1
FROM : DEVELOPING LANGUAGE SKILLS - 1
Nalini Prabhakar
1.Subject-Verb Agreement
Last year, I had an opportunity to visit Mauritius by sea. We travelled in a big ship.
There were other smaller ships going alongside. The whole fleet (1) was in formation. The
captain and pilot (2) of our ship was very efficient. The journey was very comfortable.
Bread and butter(3) was given to us at breakfast. Each one of us (4) was served food in
plenty. I formed a useful friendship with one of the fellow passengers. We enjoyed the
journey very much. Neither he nor I (5) was in a hurry to reach Mauritius. In the evening
we sat on the deck with other passengers. We had a lot of conversation on politics,
mathematics, love and marriage. Someone said: ‘Politics (6) is a dirty game’. Another said:
‘Mathematics (6) is fascinating’. Time passed pleasantly and we reached our destination.
The captain, with all his crew members, (7) has earned a permanent place in our memory.
Explanation 1: Observe the underlined words in the above passage. These illustrate
the agreement of the verb with the subject. For instance, ‘fleet’ (a group of ships), though
plural, takes a singular verb because it is a collective noun. Similarly, we can write: ‘The
Tenth Lok Sabha has chosen its speaker’. If, however, a collective noun is not thought of
as one unit, but as the items which compose it, then it takes a plural verb. Thus, we write:
‘The jury were divided in their opinion’.
Exercise 1: In the following sentences, supply the correct form of the verb from within
the brackets so as to make it agree with the subject:
A number of candidates ................................ late for the interview. (was/were)
The committee ...................... agreed on the main point. (was/were)
The public ................................ requested not to walk on the grass. (is/are)
The crew of the pirate ship ..................... taken prisoner. (was/were)
The crowd ...................... dispersed by the police. (was/ were)
A few suggestions ....................... been made for the Staff Association to consider.
(has/have)
(Answer Key: were, was, is, was, was, have)
Explanation 2: The second underlined phrase ‘The captain and pilot’ in the passage
above takes a singular verb because the two nouns ‘The captain’ and ‘pilot’ refer to the
same person. Similarly, we can write: ‘The poet and dramatist of Bengal is dead’. If,

81
however, the subject in such cases is made up of two nouns, both being used with ‘the’, it
will take a plural verb. Thus: ‘The poet and the dramatist are dead’.
Exercise 2: In the following sentences, choose the correct alternative from within the
brackets:
The accountant and the cashier of this firm ................... run away. (has/have)
I am happy that my friend and benefactor .............................. come. (has/have)
Alas! The great philosopher and statesman of our country ............... no more. (is/are)
The secretary and the treasurer of our society......................... yet to be elected. (is/are)
The storyteller and poet of our state ................. honoured recently. (was/were)
(Answer Key: have, has, is, are, was)
Explanation 3: The third underlined phrase ‘Bread and butter’ takes a singular verb
because the two nouns express a single idea. Similarly, we can say: ‘The horse and carriage
is at the door’.
Exercise 3: In the following sentences, use a verb in agreement with the subject:
Slow and steady .................... the race.
After his recent illness, bread and milk ................... his only food.
Time and tide ..................... for no man.
The rise and fall of the tide ......................... due to the effect of the moon.
The long and short of the matter ................. that you must go to Bombay tomorrow.
(Answer Key: wins, is, waits, is, is)
Explanation 4: The fourth underlined phrase ‘Each one of us’ takes a singular verb
because the subject is made singular by the use ‘each one of ..................’. Similarly, we
can say: ‘Each one of the pupils has paid the fee’. The use of ‘every’ or ‘none’ with a plural
noun also makes the subject singular. Thus: ‘None of the boys was present in my class
yesterday’.
Exercise 4: In the following sentences, use a verb in agreement with the subject:
Everyone of the boys and girls....................... ready for the picnic.
None of the girls ................................. more than five feet tall.
Each one of the students ................... given a prize.
When the plane exploded in mid-air, every man, woman, and child ............... lost.
Each one of the suspected persons ......................... arrested by the police.
(Answer Key: is, is, was, was, was)

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 Explanation 5: The fifth underlined phrase ‘Neither he nor I’ takes a singular verb
because the subject here is singular with the use of ‘neither nor’. Similarly, with ‘either or’
a singular verb is used. Thus, we say: Either Ravi or Naeem is at fault in this matter.
Exercise 5: Make corrections, if any, in the use of the verb in the following sentences
and rewrite them:
Either an officer or an assistant are needed soon.
.........................................................................................................................................
Neither the judge nor the lawyer have arrived at the court yet.
.........................................................................................................................................
Either Abdul or Hanif has stolen Zoya’s watch.
.........................................................................................................................................
Neither food nor water were to be found in the deserted village.
.........................................................................................................................................
Neither the president nor the secretary were present at the meeting.
(Answer Key: is, has, has, was, was)
Explanation 6: The sixth underlined words ‘Politics/Mathematics’, take a singular
verb ruse these two nouns, although apparently plural in form, are singular in meaning.
similarly, we can say: ‘Economics is a popular subject’.
Exercise 6: Write five similar sentences of your own:
.........................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................
Explanation 7: The seventh underlined phrase ‘The captain, with all his crew
members’ takes a singular verb because the real subject in this underlined phrase is ‘The
captain’ (which is singular) and ‘with all his crew members’ is only additional information
about the subject. Similarly, when a singular subject is joined by ‘together with’ or ‘as well
as’, a singular verb is used.
Examples: (a) The governor, together with his security guards, has arrived for the
function.
(b) Shalini, as well as her friends, is interested in going for a picnic.

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 Exercise 7: Write correct/incorrect against each of the following sentences. Rewrite
the incorrect sentences after making necessary corrections:
(a) The tribal chief, with all his followers, were present at the function
.................................................................................................................................
(b) Smoking, as well as drinking, is bad for health.
.................................................................................................................................
(c) The plane, with all the passengers, was lost in a storm.
.................................................................................................................................
(d) Kindness, as well as justice, are the hallmark of a judge
.................................................................................................................................
(e) The cow, as well as the horse, eats grass.
................................................................................................................................
(f) The Prime Minister, with all his ministers, were present in the Parliament House
.................................................................................................................................
(g) Sunil Gavaskar, as well as Kapil Dev, deserves praise for playing great cricket
.................................................................................................................................
(h) The box, with all its valuable contents, was lost.
.................................................................................................................................
(i) My wife, as well as my children, like hot curry.
.................................................................................................................................
(j) Wholesome food, with fruits, are necessary for good health.
.................................................................................................................................
(Answer Key: was, is, was, is, eats, was, deserves, was, likes, is)

2. TENSES
Simple present and present continuous
(a) This is Mr. Ashok Srivastav. He works in a college. Mr. Srivastav teaches
English. He is very kind and helpful. He works hard and prepares his lesson well
before going to the college. He pays special attention to weak students and holds
extra classes for them. The students admire and love him.
(b) In this picture, you are looking at Mr. Srivastav. He is sitting in his study. He is
typing a letter to one of his old students.
Points for discussion
Look at the underlined verbs in the above paragraphs. The verbs in paragraph (a) are
in the simple present form. Those in paragraph (b) are in the present continuous tense.

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 Can you say when we should use the simple present and when the present continuous
form of the verb? Discuss with others in the group.
Can you think of other situations when these two verb forms are used? Make a list and
compare it with that of others in the group.
Explanation: The simple present tense usually shows that an action is habitual or
happens regularly, e.g. ‘The puppy plays with the ball every morning’. The present
continuous form usually shows that the action is going on at the actual moment of speaking
or writing, e.g. ‘The boy is running to school’.
Note: There are certain verbs of perception/cognition which are not normally used in
the continuous form. Some of these are: abhor, agree, contain, deserve, love,
like, know
Some other uses of the two tenses

Simple present Present contentious

It is used in clauses of time and This form of the verb is also used:
condition, e.g. (a) to denote repeated action that occurs
‘I will leave the office when he comes over a specified period of time, e,g.
back.’ ‘I am learning French this semester.’
‘If it rains, I'll not go to college’. In such sentences the adverbial of time
It must be used with those verbs (verbs specifying the period of occurrence is
of perception, etc.) which cannot be used in often used;
the continuous form, e.g. (b) for a planned action in the near
‘I see an aeroplane coming towards us’. future, e.g.
It can be used for dramatic narrative, ‘I am going to meet him tomorrow
description of people and places, etc., afternoon’.
planned future action(s), and TV/radio (c) for a repeated action, often one which
commentary. seems unreasonable to the speaker, e.g.
‘Ravi is always eating out at weekend’s.
Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks with the simple present or present continuous form of
the verb given in brackets:
(a) He usually ...................... his letters in English, but today he is ................. in
Hindi. (write)
(b) Shiela often ................ her homework as soon as she is back from school. (do)
(c) The train .................. at 9.00 p.m. but it is late today and ..................... at 9.30 p.m.
(leave)

85
 (d) Bikash .......................... in the mornings but this month he ............. in the
afternoons. (lecture)
(e) He ............................. only one novel this year though he usually ............... three
novels in a year. (write)
(Answer Key: a. writes, writing b. does c. leaves, is leaving d. lectures, is
giving lectures e. is writing, writes)
Exercise 2: Fill in the blanks with the simple present or the present continuous form
of the verb given in brackets:
We .......................... (see) two persons in this picture. They .................................. (be)
Mr. Reddy and Mr. Kaul. Mr. Reddy, ................................. (sit) in the chair and Mr. Kaul
...................................... (stand) in front of him. Probably, Mr. Reddy ..............................
(consult) Mr. Kaul on the arrangements for the school fete next week.
As in the past, the school ................................ (hold) its annual fete this year, too, and
Mr. Kaul..................................... (look after) the arrangements. Students usually
................................ (put up) about fifty stalls and ................................ (raise) a tidy sum.
This time they ................................ (put up) about a hundred stalls. At the moment, the
student union ...................................(hold) its meeting for a decision on this point.
(Answer Key: are seeing, are, is sitting, is standing, is consulting, is holding, is
looking after, put up, raise, are putting up, is holding)
Exercise 3: Supply in the following pairs of sentences either the simple present or the
present continuous form of the verb given in brackets:
(a) The moon ................................in the sky now. (shine)
The moon ............................................ in the sky at night. (shine)
(b) I .......................................................... my scooter on Sundays. (wash)
I..................................................... my scooter with detergent and water. (wash)
(c) She ............................................................. the windows when they are dirty.
(dust)
She .......................................................... the windows because they are dirty.
(dust)
(d) They .......................................... students from the college for this offence. (expel)
They ................................... five students from the college for this offence. (expel)
(e) My sister ............................................................... how to swim. (learn)

86
 My sister ................................................................. how to swim. (know)
(Answer Key: a. is shining, shines b. wash, am washing c. dusts, is dusting
d. expel, are expelling e. is learning, knows)
Simple Past, Present Perfect and Past Perfect
Look at the underlined verbs in the following paragraph:
Mr. Ashish Gupta has finished writing a story. He wrote three stories last year. He
started writing stories when he was still in school. By the time he was 21, he had written
twenty stories. He has written thirty stories by now.
Simple Past – Wrote
Present Perfect – Has written
Past Perfect – Had written
Points for discussion
Both the simple past and the present perfect are used for an activity which happened
in the past. What then is the difference between the two tenses?
Explanation 1: Simple past tense indicates that the action occurred in the past. It can
be a single or a repeated action, e.g.
I bathed at six this morning.
I always bathed at six when I was a boy.
It focuses our attention on the action and may also indicate when it happened. It is
obligatory to use this form of the tense if an adverbial of fixed past time is used, e.g.
I bought this book yesterday. It may also be used with the adverbials of immediate past
time, e.g.
I bought this book just now.
Explanation 2: The present perfect tense expresses the completion of an action NOW.
It focuses our attention on the present relevance of a past activity and not on the activity or
the time of the activity, e.g.
I have read the book (i.e. I now know what isthereinit, etc.).
The present relevance of this past activity will depend on the shared knowledge of the
two interlocutors.
The present perfect is not normally used with the adverbs of definite past time. We can
say
I have seen him.

87
 But it would be wrong to say
I have seen him yesterday.
But it can be used with adverbs of present time, i.e. time which is not yet over at the
moment of speaking or writing, e.g.
I have seen him twice today (the day is not yet over).
It can also be used with the adverbs of indefinite past time, e.g.
I have never seen your principal.
In fact, it is often found with ‘already’, ‘never’, ‘recently’, etc.
Explanation 3: The past perfect tense is a sort of ‘double past’, or ‘past before past’.
It shows that two events happened in the past and stresses the sequence of their happening,
e.g.
The train had left when we reached the station.
(i.e. first the train left and then we reached the station)
Notice: that when two actions are completed in the past, the action which happens first
is expressed in the past perfect and the other is written in the simple past.
The past perfect is also used to express an action completed by a certain time in the
past, e.g.
He had completed the job by six o'clock.
The past perfect is also used
(a) in a conditional clause, e.g.
If I had worked hard, I would have passed.
(b) to express an unfulfilled wish, e.g.
I wish I had worked harder!
(c) to make a grammatical change while rewriting reported speech which is in the
simple past or present perfect in indirect narration, e.g.
The woman told us that she had worked hard all her life.
Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks with the correct tense forms (simple past or present
perfect) of the verbs given in brackets:
(a) Mr. Anand now owns a house in Delhi. He .......................... it in 1989. (build)
(b) This party ......................... the election a second time. It first ......................... the
election three years ago. (win)

88
 (c) Sheila ...................... (buy) the novel a year ago but she ..................... it yet. (not
read)
(d) Mr. Singh ........................... (not see) our principal although the principal
................. the college last month. (join)
(e) Mr. Gupta ..................................his first novel when he was only 21. (publish)

(Answer Key: a. built b. has won, won c. bought, has not read d. has not seen,
joined e. published)

Exercise 2: Fill in the blanks with appropriate tense forms (Simple Past or Past
Perfect) of the verbs given in brackets:
(a) Mr. Hussain ............................... (post) the letter before Arif................. (arrive)
here.
(b) The woman immediately ...................................... (recognize) the thief because
she ......................... (see) him before.
(c) The woman said, ‘I wish I ..................................................... (hit) the thief on the
head when he .............................. (come) through the window’.
(d) If the police ....................................... (arrive) in time, they would have caught the
thieves.
(e) My sister told me that she .................................. (visit) the library in the morning.
(Answer Key: a. posted, had arrived b. recognized, had seen c. had hit, came d.
had arrived e. had visited)
The Present Perfect Continuous
The present perfect continuous tense usually shows that the action began at a certain
time in the past and that it is still going on at the present moment; or that it has been taking
place for a certain length of time and is still doing so at the moment of speaking or writing,
e.g.
I have been reading Julius Caesar for a week.
Note: that we use ‘for’ or ‘since’ with this tense.
Points for discussion
Discuss with your group the distinction between the continuous and the perfect
continuous tenses. How would you explain the distinction between:
I have been reading Julius Caesar for a week.
and
I am reading Julius Caesar.
Do you know that we use ‘for’ and ‘since’ in the present perfect and the perfect
continuous tenses? Do you also know when we use ‘for’ and when we use ‘since'? Discuss
with the others in the group and check with the teacher.

89
 Exercise 1: Select the correct form of the verb given in brackets in each of the
following sentence:
(a) I (am/have been) waiting for him since morning.
(b) The commission (is/has been) submitting its report for action.
(c) We (are/have been) training teachers for four years.
(d) Malini (has been/is) acting in films since the age of twelve.
(e) Tomorrow morning Roshni (has been/is) painting a special card for the
exhibition.
(Answer Key: have been, is, have been, has been, is)
Exercise 2: Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb ‘write’ using only:
(a) write Simple present tense
(b) am writing Present continuous tense
(c) have written Present perfect tense
(d) have been writing Present perfect continuous tense
I ...................................... regularly for a women’s magazine. I .................................
every morning for about four hours. I.............................................................. ten short
stories so far. I ......................................... a novel now. Unfortunately, I
...................................... very slowly. Although I ........................................ since the age of
ten, I... ................................. not more than a few short stories till now because of this
shortcoming.
(Answer Key: write, write, have written, am writing, write, have been writing, have
not)
Exercise 3: Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb ‘play’ using only:
(a) played Simple past tense
(b) was playing Past continuous tense
(c) had played Past perfect tense
(d) had been playing Past perfect continuous tense
I....................... tennis yesterday afternoon with my neighbour. We.................................
one set only when I became very tired. He .............................. a very fast game because,
as he told me, he ........................ regularly every afternoon for the last six months. I
............... after a gap of six months so naturally I could not keep up with him.
(Answer Key: played, had played, played, had been playing, was playing)
Exercise 4: Select the correct form of the verb given in brackets in each of the following
sentence:
(a) He (went/has gone) to Bombay yesterday.

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 (b) I (am/have been) waiting for two hours.
(c) They will serve you lunch if you (attend/will attend).
(d) They had left when he (arrived/had arrived).
(e) The bus (left/has left) an hour ago.
(f) Had I known you were coming I (would have waited/ would wait) for you.
(g) I (did not write/have not written) the essay yet.
(h) She (lived/has lived) in Jaipur since 1947.
(i) I (am not hearing/have not heard) from her for a year.
(j) A new TV serial (has been started/was started) last Month.
(Answer Key: went, have been, attend, arrived, left, would have waited, have not
written, has lived, have not heard, was started)

3. MODALS AND THEIR MEANINGS

Study the sentences given below:
1. I could have complained about it.
2. I could run very fast when I was young.
3. Could I use your pen for a while?
The helping verb ‘could’ imparts different meanings to these sentences. Thus, it expresses
‘possibility’, ‘ability’ and ‘polite request’ in the first, second and third sentences,
respectively.
Helping verbs that express a wide variety of meanings are called modals. A list of
modals is given below:
can, could, shall, should, will, would, may, might, must, ought
‘Can’ expresses ability or capacity, permission, request and possibility.
I can speak English fluently.
(ability)
You can leave the office an hour earlier today.
(permission)
It can happen to anybody.
(possibility)
He can study for six hours at a stretch.
(capacity)

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‘Shall’ expresses willingness or intention, suggestion and insistence.
Shall we drop the idea?
(suggestion)
I shall do my best.
(willingness/intention)
I shall not give up my seat.
(insistence)
‘Should’ expresses obligation, advice, necessity and expectation
You should bring your textbook to class.
(Obligation)
We should take all aspects into consideration.
(Advice)
You should attend your classes regularly.
(Necessity)
A clever boy like you should not find this difficult
(Expectation)
‘Will’ expresses willingness or intention, prediction and insistence in questions.
You will fail in the examination.
(prediction)
Do you think he will accept our offer?
(willingness/intention)
He will check the lock thrice, even though there is nothing worth stealing.
(insistence)
Will you close the door, please?
(request)
‘Would’ expresses willingness, habitual action in the past, polite request, probability,
wishes and desire.
Would they be at home now?
(probability)
He would welcome this opportunity.
(willingness)
Whenever he was nervous he would chew his nails.
(habitual action)

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Would you close the door, please?
(polite request)
I would like to have coffee.
(desire)
‘May’ expresses permission, possibility, wishes, purpose and concession.
She may or may not come.
(possibility)
May I see this play?
(permission)
Since you are not feeling well you may leave the office an hour earlier today.
(concession)
May God bless you!
(wish)
He should inform us of his new address so that we may contact him when the need arises.
(purpose)
‘Might’ expresses permission, possibility, concession and reproach.
He wrote to ask if he might extend his leave by a few days.
(permission)
Disappointment in love might have led to his suicide.
(possibility)
He might be dull but he is hard-working.
(concession)
You might have told me before to enable me to make alternative arrangements.
(reproach)
‘Must’ expresses necessity, prohibition, compulsion, obligation, deduction, certainty
and prohibition.
You must practise for six hours every day to become a champion.
(necessity)
Children must obey their parents.
(obligation)
You must not drive unless you hold a licence.
(prohibition)
It must have happened like this.
(deduction)

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You must finish your homework before going out to play.
(compulsion)
Parents must take care of the needs of their children.
(obligation)
He must have been selected.
(certainty)
‘Ought to’ is similar in meaning to ‘should’ but is, as a rule, more emphatic. This is
illustrated in the pairs of sentences given below:
1. The building should have been completed long ago.
The building ought to have been completed long ago.
2. You should bring your textbook to class.
You ought to bring your textbook to class.
3. You should not offend your employer.
Your ought not to offend your employer.
Exercise 1: Choose the correct alternative given in brackets in the following passage:
Doctors (should/can/will) remember to treat their patients with kindness. They (must/
would) explain how medicines are to be taken. While in hospital patients (ought to/can)
cooperate with the nurses. Patients (may/could/would) be encouraged to be frank with their
doctors. However, at times doctors (would/might) not reveal their diagnosis to the patients.
(Answer Key: should, must, ought to, may, might)

Exercise 2: In the sentences given below fill in the blanks with the correct alternative
provided in brackets:
(a) A good teacher .............................................................................................ignore
any pupil in her class. (should not/might not)
(b) The principal insists that teachers .........................................................................be
late for class. (would not/must not)
(c) .................................................................................................... students take their
practicals seriously? (should not/may not)
(d) Students.............................................................................. respect their teachers.
(can/should)
(e) Students................................................................................. be allowed to talk
during the examinations. (should not/would not)
(Answer Key: should not, must not, should not, should, would not)

Exercise 3: Fill in ‘can’, ‘cannot,’ ‘could’ or ‘could not’ in the blanks in the sentences
given below:

94
 (a) I ...................................................... meet him now; he will have to wait.
(b) I told him that he .............................. complain if he wanted to.
(c) I will buy a house as soon as I ....................................... save enough money.
(d) Without your help I...................................... have got such good marks.
(e) It .......................... be 7 o'clock already! My children will miss the school bus.
(Answer Key: cannot, could, can, could not, cannot)

Exercise 4: Fill in ‘will’, ‘must’, ‘would’ or ‘could’ in the blanks in the sentences given
below:
(a) I hope it is not necessary but he .............. demand your resignation.
(b) If you had not come to my rescue, I................ have had to plead for mercy.
(c) Savitri’s husband has been posted abroad; now she ...................... have to manage
on her own.
(d) You ....... ..............shout into his ear; he is quite hard of hearing.
(e) Arshad was a very naughty child; his mother .................. give in to every wish of
his.
(Answer Key: will, would, will, must, would)

Exercise 5: Fill in ‘must’ or ‘can’t’ in the blanks in the sentences given below:
(a) He isn't serious, is he? He............................... be joking!
(b) It........................ be Kapil, he plays better shots.
(c) He is not very young; he ..................be in his late thirties.
(d) Ofcourse it is true! it..........................be otherwise.
(e) Did you see that cycle go by? It ......................... have been travelling at more than
50 kmph!
(Answer Key: must, can’t, must, can’t, must)

Exercise 6: Fill in ‘may’ or ‘can’ in the blanks in the sentences given below:
(a) .............................. you tell me the time, please?
(b) Who................................ be outside?
(c) You are refused permission; You .................. not go out today.
(d) Please do not come tomorrow; we ... ............. not be at home.

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 (e) He says he .............. run a mile in less than four minutes.
(f) He ....................... look like a saint but is a rogue in reality.
(g) No one ....................... avoid death.
(h) He................. listen to my advice but he seldom acts upon it.
(i) .......................... you put up the list of candidates by tomorrow?
(j) Many parents believe that their children ......................... do no wrong.
(Answer Key: can, may, can, may, can, may, can, may, can, can)

4. ARTICLES
Read the following paragraphs carefully paying special attention to the underlined words:
Australia is a land of contrasts. It is geologically one of the oldest of land masses, yet it
ranks as one of the youngest of nations. It is half a world away from Europe, but its people
are largely of European descent and they follow a Western lifestyle. One of the most
sparsely populated of nations, it is also one of the most highly urbanized with 85 per cent
of its people living in cities.
Australia is a land of great distances, covering an area of 7,682,303 sq km, almost twice
the combined area of India and Pakistan. The flattest of all continents, Australia has an
average elevation of less than 300 m, compared with the world’s mean of 700 m. The
highest point in Australia, Mount Kosciusko, has an elevation of only 2228 m.
Points for discussion
(a) Can you guess when we use ‘a’/ ‘an’?
(b) Can you say when we use ‘a’ and when ‘an’?
(c) Can you specify the important uses of ‘the’?
Explanation
1. ‘A’ ‘an’, and ‘the’ are articles. ‘A’ ‘an’ are indefinite articles and ‘the’ is a definite
article.
2. Articles in English are not merely ornaments used to decorate the language. They
are meaningful. Compare the following sentences:
(a) I have a black and white dog.
(b) I have a black and a white dog.

The Indefinite Article the indefinite article is used before a word denoting a non-proper
singular noun when it is mentioned for the first time bout only if the noun is as countable
noun. Things we cannot count take no indefinite article and usually no plural.

96
The indefinite article can also be placed before ‘Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms’ followed by the
surname, e.g. ‘A Mr Smith’ meaning ‘A man called Smith’ and implies that he is a stranger
to the speaker.
‘An’ is used with words whose pronunciation begins with a vowel sound and ‘a’ is used
with words whose pronunciation begins with a consonant sound. What matters is the initial
sound and not the initial letter of the alphabet, e.g. a hair, an heir, an hour, an honourable
man, a university, a union, a European, an uncle, an MP.
The Definite Article ‘The’ is used before nouns to represent a class of objects and also to
denote a definite person or a thing. The noun may become definite when (a) it is mentioned
for the second time, (b) a clause/phrase is added to define it, and (c) it is the only one of its
kind and conveys, the sense, ‘you know which one I mean’.
Hence, ‘the’ is used before the names of seas, rivers, chains of mountains, groups of islands
(but not before a single mountain or single island), sacred/ well-known books, buildings,
names of ships, newspapers, nations, communities, descriptive geographical names, and in
such phrases as ‘the better of the two’, etc.
Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks with ‘the’, ‘a’ or ‘an’:
.........girl in.....................blue sari is......................good friend of mine. I still remember
........................ time I first met her. She was reading ........................ book in ........ university
library. ... ........... book had ............ unusual title. ........ couple of my friends were with me
in ...... library. I soon found out that she was ........... history student like me. We both shared
............ interest in hunting out ... ................ most uncommon books from............ shelves.
(Answer Key: The, the, a, the, a, the, The, an, A, the, a, an, the, the)
Exercise 2: Fill in the blanks the indefinite article ‘a’ or ‘an’, where necessary:
My mother is .... good cook......... accomplished cook can make ......... cake in ...............
hour. I spend .................. enormous amount of time just collecting ingredients.
(Answer Key: a, An, a, an, an)
Exercise 3: Unnecessary use of articles as illustrated below must be avoided. Rewrite the
following sentences without the underlined Articles:
a) I advise you to keep him at an arm’s length.
..............................................................................................................................................

b) The principal asked us to take an action on it.

................................................................................................................................................
c) He likes an egg but I like a fish.

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................................................................................................................................................
d) This is not a child’s play.
................................................................................................................................................
e) Lalita has finally obtained an employment with a company in Bombay.
................................................................................................................................................
f) The publicity campaign is an eyewash.
................................................................................................................................................
g) What a fun we had!
................................................................................................................................................
h) An information has been received that the wedding has been cancelled.
................................................................................................................................................
i) These days one finds it difficult to make both the ends meet.
................................................................................................................................................
j) No news is a good news.
................................................................................................................................................
5. PREPOSITIONS
Explanation Prepositions occur before nouns, noun phrases or pronouns. They show the
link between these and another word or element in the sentence. Some prepositions may
also occur at the end of a sentence.
Prepositions may also be used as adverbs without a following noun or noun phrase or
pronoun.
There are prepositions which consist of only one word but there are others which may
consist of two or more words or a phrase.
Many verbs get strongly associated with certain prepositions in one of the following two
ways:
1. with verb and prepositions keeping their basic meanings, e.g. ‘He kept looking out
of the window for hours together.’
2. as a compound having an idiomatic meaning, i.e. when we cannot guess the
meaning from the two parts e.g. ‘Look out Peter, that step is not safe!’
Every good dictionary lists compounds made with prepositions or adverbial particles under
the verb. Oxford Dictionary of Current Idiomatic English (Vol. 1) is particularly useful, as
it is exclusively devoted to this area.

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Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks in the following sentences using suitable prepositions:
(a) What did you do ............. your birthday?
(b) It is cool.................. night.
(c) It will be ready ................. Thursday.
(d) How do you go ....................college?
(e) Keep ..................... the grass.
(f) You are .................... time.
(g) The cup fell..................... the shelf.
(h) He is ........................... serious trouble.
(i) I'll meet you ...................... the New Delhi Railway Station.
(Answer Key: on, at, by, to, off, on, off, in, at)
Exercise 2: First underline the verb in List A. Next choose the appropriate preposition from
List B which goes with this verb and then complete the sentence choosing an appropriate
phrase from List C:
Example: I borrowed some money from the bank.
List A List B List C
(a) When did you get rid against Authority.
(b) He has just recovered to Voting
(c) The students can hardly wait from your servant?
(d) She has to apologize of a long illness.
(e) No student should abstain for the holidays to begin
(f) Deepak belongs being so rude.
(g) Young people rebel at a rich family
(Answer Key: a. of your servant b. from a long illness c. for the holidays to begin d.
for being so rude e. from voting f. to a rich family g. against authority)
Exercise 3: First underline the adjective in List A. Next choose the appropriate preposition
from List B which goes with this adjective and then complete the sentence choosing an
appropriate phrase from List C:
Example: The first few rows of the cinema hall were full.

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List A List B List C
(a) It is different of School.
(b) My beliefs are contrary for the company’s product are good.
(c) Few to what I had expected.
(d) Vedant was late the beliefs of others.
(e) It was a bad decision scented soap.
(f) I am allergic from boycott the elections.
(g) All the students were absent on the list was my friend’s name.
(h) They were aware all the rules of the game.
(i) And last that day were fined.
Answer Key: Adjectives-- different, contrary, few, late, bad, allergic, all, aware, last
a) from what I had expected b) to the beliefs of others c) of the company’s products
are good d) to school e) to boycott elections f) to scented soap g) on that day were fined
h)of all the rules of the game i) on the list was my friend’s name

Exercise 4: Fill in the blanks in the following sentences using suitable prepositions:
(a) This woman has been charged.................... the murder of her husband.
(b) The Prime Minister was accompanied ..................... his wife.
(c) We expect to come back ................. a week.
(d) I bought this pen ................. two rupees.
(e) At the age of 60, my mother still takes a bath .............. cold water.
(f) I go to my college .....................foot.
(g) She prefers coffee .................................tea.
(h) Applicants for this post must have a good command ..................... English.
(i) The Seminar on Rural Development will commence .................... Monday.
(j) The Minister showed concern ................... the rising incidents of violence in the city.
(k) All those present were fascinated ................... her new hair style.
(l) I shall get ....................... at the next bus-stop.
(m) My friend is very good .................... Writing radio plays.
(n) Please do inform me .............................. the details of the training course.
(o) John’s marriage ....................... his first wife did not last long.
(Answer Key: with, by, in, for, with, by, to, over, on, at, by, off, at, about, with)

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Exercise 5: Unnecessary use of prepositions as underlined below must be noted and
avoided. Rewrite the following sentences after making corrections:
(a) Just before elections you will find people discussing about politics.
................................................................................................................................................
(b) The candidates should contact on our office between 9 and 11 a.m.
................................................................................................................................................
(c) She has already approached to the bank for a loan.
................................................................................................................................................
(d) Priya was awarded with a prize for the best essay.
................................................................................................................................................
(e) The police decided to investigate into the crime.
................................................................................................................................................
(f)My house is opposite to the post office.
................................................................................................................................................
(g) Science has greatly benefited to mankind.
................................................................................................................................................
(h) She said she would not bow down to their demands.
................................................................................................................................................
(i) The principal is going to call for a meeting of the staff to discuss about this matter.
................................................................................................................................................
(j) Students should contact with the class teacher for further instructions.
................................................................................................................................................
(k) The course comprises of seven study areas.
................................................................................................................................................
(l) The car hit against the tree.
................................................................................................................................................
(m) In this poem the poet describes about his experience of nature.
................................................................................................................................................
(n) We were really surprised when he entered into the room.
................................................................................................................................................

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(o) Can you find out some job for me?
................................................................................................................................................
(P) Please follow after me.
................................................................................................................................................
(q) We have already ordered for four cups of tea.
................................................................................................................................................
(r) Please list down the main points for discussion.
................................................................................................................................................
(s) He has come to meet with the principal.
................................................................................................................................................
(t) The students are making too much of noise.
................................................................................................................................................
(u) Why do you pick up a quarrel with everyone?
................................................................................................................................................
(v) We will not reach at the station in time.
................................................................................................................................................
(w) He resembles with his father.
................................................................................................................................................
(x)After retirement, he intends to settle down in Shimla.
................................................................................................................................................
(y) She stitched up that dress.
................................................................................................................................................
(z) He was wearing a torn outshirt.
................................................................................................................................................
6. CONJUNCTIONS
Unless/until
Mr Sood told his students one day, ‘It will not be possible for me to teach you unless you
bring your books with you to the classroom’.(1) If you do not have your books in front of
you, you cannot follow the lesson.(2) Therefore, I shall not meet your class until each one
of you brings along the ‘book.’(3)
Explanation 1: Look at the above passage. It illustrates the use of ‘unless’ and ‘until’. In
the first sentence it can be seen that ‘unless you bring your books with you to the classroom’

102
is the condition. Similarly, in the third sentence, ‘until each one of you brings along the
book’ is the condition. The first part of these two sentences is in the future tense. Such
sentences are known as future conditionals, and ‘unless’ and ‘until’ do the job of joining
or linking the two parts of such sentences. ‘Unless’ has the meaning of ‘if not’ as can be
seen in sentence 2 in the passage above. ‘Until’ has the meaning of ‘till such time’ as can
be seen in sentence 3 in the passage above.
Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks in the following sentences using ‘unless’ or ‘until according
to the meanings given above:
(a) You must wait............ the traffic light changes to green.
(b) Do not get off a DTC bus .............. it stops.
(c) You will not pass............... you work hard
(d) Let us wait.................. the rain stops.
(e) ....................... bad weather stops me, I go for a walk everyday.
(Answer Key: until, until, unless, until, unless)
Explanation 2: Note that all the three sentences in the given passage have future tense in
the principal clause and present tense in the conditional clause. Thus, ‘It will not be ...
unless you bring your books ...’ and ‘I shall not meet ... until each one of you brings
along....’
Exercise 2: In the following sentences, put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense:
(a) I (stay) here until he answers me.
................................................................................................................................................
(b) You will have to wait until he (come).
................................................................................................................................................
(c) I (not move) from here until he changes his mind.
................................................................................................................................................
(d) He will not go to the door unless he (hear) the bell.
................................................................................................................................................
(e) I (not write) to him unless he writes to me.
................................................................................................................................................
(Answer Key: will stay, comes, will not move, hears, will not write)

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Exercise 3 Match clauses in List A with clauses in List B to make complete sentences:
List A List B
(a) You will not catch the train until he comes.
(b) Unless you are careful on the road we will not have good crops.
(c) We shall wait here until I call him.
(d) Unless it rains you will not be safe.
(e) He will not come in unless you go early.
(Answer Key: a. unless you go early b. you will not be safe c. until he comes d. we
will not have good crops e. until I call him)

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 UNIT- 4

WRITING SKILLS -1

FROM: EVERYDAY ENGLISH --PART 1

Dr. Neeta Gupta
5. ‘THE SWAN AND THE PRINCES’

WRITING
Given below are a few sentences telling the story of ‘The Swan and the Princes’ but the
order has been mixed up. Rewrite the sentences in the form of a paragraph. Note the use of
pronouns and expressions such as ‘one day’, ‘and’, ‘then’, and ‘but’.
i. It was picked up by Sidhartha
ii. The swan fell to the ground.
iii. Dev Datt asked Sidhartha to give him the bird.
iv. The swan went to Sidhartha.
v. Dev Datt quarrelled with him and then complained to the king about it.
vi. The king called both of them and asked the swan to choose one of them.
vii. One day Dev Datt shot a swan with an arrow.
viii. But Sidhatrtha refused to give it to him.
ix. Sidhartha felt happy to get it back.
Solution: Given below is the paragraph that would result if the sentences are put in the
correct order:
One day Dev Datt shot a Swan with an arrow. The Swan fell on the ground. It was
picked up by Sidhartha. Dev Datt asked Sidhartha to give him the bird. But Sidhartha
refused to give it to him. Dev Datt quarreled with him and then complained to the
king about it. The king called both of them and asked the Swan to choose one of them.
The Swan went to Sidhartha. Sidhartha felt happy to get it back.
Capital Letters and Punctuation
In order to understand and write a piece of writing, it is essential to know the correct
use of capital letters (also called ‘upper-case letters’) and the right punctuation. The
meaning of a paragraph can be misunderstood if capital letters and punctuation are
used inappropriately.
Capital letters
We use capital letters to begin the first word of every sentence and any phrase that is
used a as a sentence. For example, look at the following:
My friend is used to Delhi

105
 Do you know where she works?
Good morning
Not me

In poetry however we usually begin each fresh line with a capital letter. See the poem
‘A Minor Bird’.

ii. We use capital letters to begin all Proper Nouns, e.g. names, surnames, titles of
persons, e.g. Sidhartha, Ms. Mehta the Qutub Minar.

iii. We use capital letters to write

a) The names of days of the weeks and months, e.g. Monday, Friday, March, April
b) The names of books, newspapers, magazines, films etc. e.g. Gitanjali, The Times
of India, India Today, Hum Tum, Black
c) The names of festivals, e.g. Christmas, Diwali, Id, Pongal, Navroz
d) The names of places, e.g. Deli, India, China, Asia
e) The pronoun ‘I’
f) Abbreviations, e.g. W.H.O., U.S.A., D.U. etc.

Read the explanation of the use of capital letters and punctuation carefully. Now try and
solve the following exercises. (Check your answers from the solutions provided below):
Exercise - 1
Use Capital letters wherever necessary
1. my father has gone to london for some work.
2. we are going to have classes every saturday and sunday.
3. mrs. and mr.mehta visited delhi and saw the qutubminar, the purana quila, the birla
mandir and many other places of tourist interest.
4. on festivals like diwali, id and christmas the markets are brightly lit.
5. my friend asked me if i would like to go for the movie hum tum.
6. my favourite writer is r.k. narayan and my favourite book is ‘swami and friends’.
7. her son has gone to the u.s.a. for further studies.

Punctuation

Punctuation is the use of putting stops at the right places in a piece of writing, to make the
meaning of a written passage clear.

Here are different ways in which we indicate that a sentence or a phrase used as a sentence
ends:

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i. The full stop is used to mark the end of an assertion – typically a declarative sentence
(one which is not a question or an exclamation) such as:
a) Oil floats on water.
b) Open the door, please.
c) Yes, please.

ii. We use a question mark and not a full stop after a direct question. For example,
a) He you finished your work?
b) Where are you going?
c) ‘How are you’? She asked.

iii. An exclamation mark is used to end a sentence or a phrase expressing joy, sorrow,
anger and surprise. For example,

a) Oh dear! What a terrible story this is.

b) What a beautiful Painting!
c) That such a thing should happen to me!
d) If only I’d thought of that!

The sentences following a full stop, a question mark or an exclamation mark begin with a
capital letter. Now attempt the exercise given below: (Check your answers from the
solutions provided below):
Exercise 2. (Use of punctuation)
1. the sun rises in the east
2. all that glitters is not gold
3. no I cannot come today
4. can you come here please
5. are you coming over today
6. what a beautiful necklace
7. oh God I'm going to be late
8. how are you feeling now she asked

Solutions to exercises on use of Capital Letters and Punctuation

Exercise 1 (Use of Capital Letters)

1. My father has gone to London for some work.

2. We are going to have classes every Saturday and Sunday.

3. Mrs and Mr. Mehta visited Delhi and saw the Qutub Minar, the Purana Quila, the
Birla Mandir and many other places of tourist interest.

107
4. On festivals like Diwali, Id and Christmas, the markets are brightly lit.

5. My friend asked me if I would like to go for the movie Hum Tum.

6. My favourite writer is R.K. Narayan and my favourite book is ‘Swami and Friends’.

7. Her son has gone to the U.S.A. for further studies.

Exercise 2 [Use of Punctuation]

1. The sun rises in the east.

2. All that glitters is not gold.

3. No, I cannot come today.

4. Can you come here, please?

5. Are you coming over today?

6. What a beautiful necklace!

7. Oh God! I'm going to be late!

8. ‘How are you feeling now’? she asked.

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 6. ‘EINSTEIN'S FORMULA FOR SUCCESS’
Einstein is one of the greatest scientists the world has ever known. He had the
unique genius of getting to the heart of any problem and suggesting the simplest
possible solution. He wrestled with the most complex problems in physics but he
used only paper, pencil, and the blackboard.

Once when he was asked what the secret of his achievements was, he replied, with
characteristic simplicity and mathematical brevity:

S = X + Y + Z, where,
S = Success
X = Hard work
Y = Rest or Relaxation
Z = Keeping one’s mouth shut.
This formula is universally valid.

Without hard work no one can achieve excellence in any field. Even a great batsman
cannot afford to miss net practice before an important match.

Rest or relaxation is an equally essential requirement, as we have seen earlier.

Einstein himself was fond of music. Once, when he was greatly distressed and
disappointed, as he found that his solution to a most complex problem in physics
was wrong, he played the violin for several hours.

Z, that is silence, has great significance. Silence is golden, as the proverb goes.
Silence makes us think deeply. It endows our mind with serenity. It gives us a sense
of proportion. It can be creative. It is for this reason that Mahatma Gandhi used to
observe silence one day in the week.

1. Read the last two paragraphs of the above extract. You will notice that in both the
paragraphs the first sentence conveys the main idea which is then later developed in
the rest of the paragraph. We call such sentences topic sentences.

In the first of these paragraphs, the idea contained in the first sentence (Rest or
relaxation is an equally essential requirement …) is developed further with an
example. In the last paragraph, the idea conveyed by the first sentence (Z, that is
silence, has a great significance) is developed In the subsequent sentences which give
the reasons why silence is considered significant. In this way we see that a paragraph
as a central or main idea which is developed in different ways.

2. Develop into short paragraph of 5-6 sentences the idea given in the following
sentence:

‘Without hard work no one can achieve excellence in any field’.

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Solution:

Without hard work no one can achieve excellence in any field. Whether it is the field
of science, technology, medicine or even fine arts or sports—hard work is absolutely
essential to excel in any area of work or study. A sportsman, a singer or a musician,
all have to practise daily in order to perform well. A doctor, an engineer or a scientist
has to constantly upgrade his knowledge about his field to know the latest. Therefore,
hard work is essential for excellence and success.

3. Given below is a short paragraph on ‘The benefits of early rising’ from which the
topic sentence has been omitted. Read the paragraph and try to write the topic
sentence containing the main idea of the paragraph.

It gives us a good start in our day’s work. We are able to do a lot of work before other
people get up. Our mind is fresh in the morning, so we can concentrate on our work.
It is peaceful and quiet in the morning and we can do more work in less time. We can
also do some exercises, which keeps us energetic throughout the day.

Read the paragraph. The topic sentence of the given paragraph can be:

“There are many benefits of rising early in the morning.”

110
 FROM: A FOUNDATION ENGLISH COURSE FOR
UNDERGRADUATES: WORKBOOK I
Nalini Prabhakar and Neeta Gupta

I : Filling Forms

Read the Personal Information Form filled in by Sumant Chopra and answer the questions
given below:

PERSONAL INFORMATION FORM

Surname : CHOPRA Name : SUMANT

Father’s name : Satish Chopra
Address : 18, Woodlands, Park Street,
Calcutta 700314
Date of Birth : 15 July 1998
Age as on 1.1.2020 : 21 years, 5 months, 15 days
Height : 170 cm
Weight : 50 kg
Complexion : brown
Colour of Eyes : dark brown
Colour of Hair : dark brown
Identification mark : a mole on the left cheek
Academic Qualification : BA (Hons)Economics
Likes in order of preference : a. Western pop music
b. Indian classical music
c. reading detective stories and novels
Hobbies (if any) : a. gardening
b. painting
Present occupation (if any) : working as an accountant in a private firm
Personal goals (if any) ; to become a bank manager

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1. What is Sumant’s surname?
_________________________________________________________________
2. How old is he?
_________________________________________________________________
3. How tall is Sumant?
_________________________________________________________________
4. What is his weight?
_________________________________________________________________
5. What are his academic qualifications?
_________________________________________________________________
6. What does Sumant like most?

_________________________________________________________________

7. What are his hobbies?

_________________________________________________________________

8. What is his present occupation?

_________________________________________________________________

9. Does he have any personal goals?

_________________________________________________________________

On the basis of the information given by Sumant Chopra his friend has written a paragraph
about him. Read it carefully:

My friend’s name is Sumant Chopra. He is the son of Mr. Satish Chopra. He stays at 18,
Woodlands in Calcutta. He is twentyone years old. His birthday is on July 15. Sumant is
170 cm tall and weighs 50 kg. He has dark brown eyes and dark brown hair. He has a mole
on his left cheek. he likes Western Pop music and Indian Classical music. he likes reading
detective stories and novels. his hobbies are gardening and painting. He is a graduate in
Economics. At present Sumant is working as an accountant in a private firm, but he wishes
to become a bank manager.

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PERSONAL INFORMATION FORM

Surname: Name :

Father’s name and occupation :

Address :

Date of Birth :

Sex : Male/Female

Marital status : Married/Unmarried

Telephone No. :

Height :

Weight :

Colour of hair :

Colour of eyes :

Likes and dislikes :

School last attended :

Now write a paragraph about yourself.

(You have already filled in the form). Your paragraph will begin thus:

My name is _______________. My father is ___________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

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2. GRAMMAR: ARTICLES

Read the following sentences:

1. I borrowed a pen from my friend.

2. I plucked a flower from the garden.

3. The teacher gave us an exercise to do.

In the above sentences, nouns like ‘pen’, ‘flower’ and ‘exercise’ are countable nouns.
Countable nouns are names of the things we can count. We can make them plural, e.g. pens,
flowers and exercises.

1. 'A’ is used before countable nouns or nouns preceded by adjectives, beginning

with a consonant sound.

Examples:

a boy a new notebook

a man a small toy

a family a fast train

a shirt a good game

The initial ‘u’ is sometimes pronounced like the consonant ‘y’. So, it takes ‘a’ before
it:

a university

a uniform

a unit

a useful book

2. 'An’ is used before countable nouns or nouns preceded by adjectives beginning

with a vowel sound or words beginning with a silent ‘h’.

Examples:

an ant an evening an honest man

an apple an hour an ugly boy

an egg an honour

114
In ‘hour’ and ‘honest’ ‘h’ is silent. The next letter after ‘h’ has a vowel sound. Therefore,
they take ‘an’ before them. In other words, the choice of ‘a’ or ‘an’ depends on the sound
which follows it. If the sound is a consonant, we use ‘a’. If the sound is a vowel, we use
‘an’.

Exercise: 1

Put ‘a’ or ‘an’ before the following nouns:

1. scooter 14. trouble

2. hill 15. radio
3. game 16. experience
4. hour 17. utensil
5. table 18. orange
6. elephant 19. election
7. actress 20. servant
8. animal 21. habit
9. machine 22. chemist
10. passage 23. knife
11. suggestion 24. blackboard
12. wife 25. union
13.holiday 26. umbrella

(Answer Key: 1. a 2. a 3. a 4. an 5. a 6. an 7. an 8. an 9. a 10. a 11. a 12. a

13. a 14. a 15. a 16. an 17. a 18. an 19. an 20. a 21. a 22. a 23. a 24. a 25. a
26. an)

115
3. ADMISSION FORM

1.You are seeking admission to BA (Programme) First Year in St Andrew’s College.

Fill in this Application Form:

ST ANDREW'S COLLEGE: DELHI

Application for Admission

Class to which admission is sought: ____________________

Course: __________________________________________
Self-attested
photograph to be
pasted here
Subject preferred

1. ___________________________________

2. ___________________________________

3. ___________________________________

4. ___________________________________

Name in block letters : __________________________________________

(surname first)

Date of birth : __________________________________________

Age as on 1st October : _________years ________months_______days ___

Nationality: _________________ Religion: __________________________________

Whether belong to Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe; if yes, state the Caste: __________

Father’s Name: ______________________ Occupation: _________________________

Address for correspondence: ________________________________________________

_______________________________________________

Contact No./ Mobile No.:

Parents’ monthly Income: Rs. __________

Province/State to which you belong: _________________________________________

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Mention the names of close relatives who have studied in the College, with year, class and
present address : __________________________________________________________

Educational Qualifications

Examination University or Year Roll No. Subjects Marks

passed Board Obtained (%)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
______
Total: ______

Last Examination passed with Hindi (circle one): 8th / 10th / 12th Class

Mention the mode of conveyance you will use

to come to college: ___________________

Distinction in sports/games/
extra-curricular activities: _________________________________________________

I declare that the information given above is correct. I further declare that I shall submit
myself to the disciplinary jurisdiction of the Principal, and the other authorities of the
college, who may be vested with power to exercise discipline under the act, statutes and
ordinances of the University.

I am seeking admission with the consent of my father/mother/guardian.

Signature of Applicant

117
2. Write a paragraph about yourself in the space given below, using information given by
you in the Admission Form:
_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

4. VOCABULARY: NATIONALITIES

A person from India is called an Indian. A person who comes from Pakistan is known as a
Pakistani. Now find out what people from the following countries are called:

1. A person from Myanmar is called a __________________

2. A person from Sri Lanka is called a __________________

3. A person from the U.S. is known as an __________________

4. A person from Denmark is called a __________________

5. A person from Scotland is known as a __________________

6. A person from Germany is called a __________________

7. A person from Poland is known as __________________

8. A person from Norway is called a __________________

9. A person from Spain is known as a __________________

10. A person from Sweden is called a __________________

118
11. A person from Tibet is called a __________________

12. A person from Italy is called an __________________

13. A person from Bhutan is known as a __________________

14. A person from Afghanistan is called an __________________

15. A person from Egypt is known as an ___________________

[Answer Key: 1. Burmese 2. Sinhala 3. American 4. Dane 5. Scot 6. German 7. Pole

8. Norwegian 9. Spaniard 10.Swede 11. Tibetan 12. Italian 13. Bhutanese 14. Afghan
15. Egyptian]

VOCABULARY: COMPLETE THE PAIRS

Complete the following pairs by choosing the appropriate words from the box. One pair
has been done for you.

policeman and thief

servant
pupil doctor and _______________________

patient teacher and _______________________

ward _____________________ and customer
client
guardian and ______________________
policeman
___________________ and bridegroom
guest
bride host and _________________________

tenant lawyer and _______________________

shopkeeper landlord and ______________________

master and _______________________

(Answer Key: patient, pupil, shopkeeper, ward, bride, guest, client, tenant, servant)

5. APPLICATION FORM FOR A JOB

Here is a description of Ankur Verma who wants to apply for the job of a Senior Assistant
in the Railway Board. He is the son of Mr. Rajindra Verma. He was born on 20 August
1965. He is a resident of D-50, Radhakrishnan Nagar, New Delhi 110005. He passed his

119
Senior Secondary Examination from the All India Board of Secondary Education in 1982
with 59% marks. He did his BA from Agra University and secured 64% marks.

He has been working in a private company as an Upper Division Clerk for two years.

Now fill in the given form for Ankur Verma, based on this information.

120
 APPLICATION FORM

The Assistant Secretary,

Railway Recruitment Board,
Railway Holiday Home,
Tulsi Bagh,
Srinagar 190001
1. Post applied for
2. Full Name of the Candidate
(in block letters) (underline surname):
3. Father's/Husband’s Name
(in block letters):
4. Date of Birth : Date Month Year
5. Postal Address: District/State
(in block letters) to which candidate belongs
___________________ District State
___________________
_______PIN_________
6. Category to which the Candidate belongs
(Tick mark inside the relevant box) GENL S.C. S.T.

7. Educational Qualification:
(Matriculation & Higher Qualifications in chronological order)
Examination Board/University Aggregate/ Percentage of marks
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

121
8. Experience:

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

I hereby declare that all statements made in this application are true, complete and
correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Date:

Place: Signature of Applicant

122
 6. Railway Reservation Form

Here is a railway reservation form duly completed. Look at the form and answer the
questions given below:

1. Who filled in the form?

2. Where are Raj and Savita staying?

3. Which word in the form shows that Raj and Savita will spend a night in the train?

4. How many days in advanced did they get their berths reserved?

123
You plan to go to Amritsar on 3 June 1989 by Shane Punjab. The train leaves at 6.30
a.m. from New Delhi Station and reaches Amritsar the same afternoon. Since it is a
very crowded train, you decided to get your reservation a month earlier. Fill in the
reservation form:

7. GRAMMAR: ARTICLES

We have already learnt some uses of a/an.

A/ An is also used before a noun denoting jobs:

1. Rita’s father is a doctor.

2. He is an engineer.

3. Shakespeare was a dramatist.

124
A/An is also used to denote number, weight or measurement:

1. I have a hundred things to do.

2. 100 centimetres make a metre.

3. She bougth half a kilo of mutton.

4. He visits us twice a month.

5. Petrol is 8 rupees a litre.

Exercise: 1

Now fill in the blanks with ‘a’ or ‘an’:

1. Rita is _______typist.

2. Satyajit Ray is _______director.

3. Einstein was _______scientist.

4. Madhu Bala was _______actress.

5. An ant is _______insect.

6. She is _______nurse.

7. Gavaskar is _______ cricketer.

8. Milk is four rupees _______litre.

9. He bought _______banana.

10. One thousand grams make _______kilogram.

11. She bought _______ gram of gold for Rs. 300/-.

12. She fasts once _______ week.

(Answer Key:1. a 2. a 3. a 4. an 5. an 6. a 7. a 8. a 9. a 10. a 11. a 12. a)

Read the following sentences:

1. He is a student of Physics.

2. Blood is red.

3. Cheese is made from milk.

125
4. I like coffee very much.

5. Rice is the staple food of most South Indians.

6. Wood always floats on water.

7. I waited for an hour.

8. This is an ugly house.

The nouns ‘blood’, ‘cheese’, ‘milk’, ‘coffee’, ‘rice’, ‘wood’, ‘water’, in the above sentences
don't take ‘a’ or ‘an’ because they can't be counted or made plural. Such nouns are called
uncountable nouns. No uncountable noun takes ‘a’ or ‘an’.

Exercise: 2

Now fill in the blanks with ‘a’ or ‘an’ only where necessary:

1. She spent ____ evening in Connaught Place.

2. He prefers ____ tea to ____ milk.

3. These days ____ milk is Rs. 7 ____ litre.

4. _________ Flour is made from _________ wheat.

5. _________ Gold is _________ precious metal.

6. _________ air is necessary for life.

7. Her bangles are made of ____ silver.

8. She eats _________ apple _________day.

9. She likes _________bread _________butter and _________jam.

10. My aunt always carries _________umbrella in her bag.

(Answer Key: 1. an 2. not required 3. not required, a 4. not required, not required
5. not required, a 6. not required 7. not required 8. an, a 9. not required, not required,
not required 10. an)

126
 READING TABLES

WEATHER CHART

Given below is the weather chart of four major cities of India from August 1 to August 7,
1987. Read the chart carefully and answer the questions given below:

Name of the AUG. 1 AUG. 2 AUG. 3 AUG. 4 AUG. 5 AUG. 6 AUG. 7

City Max. Min Max. Min Max. Min Max. Min Max. Min Max. Min Max. Min
DELHI 27.4 25.5 29.5 25.1 31.1 24.9 34.6 25.9 34.2 25.9 32.8 26.5 32.9 26.9
CALCUTTA 33.1 27.4 30.1 26.8 30.1 26.4 31.7 26.5 33.4 27.0 31.9 27.6 31.9 26.2
BOMBAY 31.0 25.2 29.3 24.8 30.7 24.5 29.8 24.4 31.1 25.2 31.1 26.3 31.3 26.7
MADRAS 36.1 27.8 36.4 28.0 36.6 26.6 34.9 24.9 34.5 27.0 35.6 24.9 33.5 23.5

1. What was the maximum temperature of Calcutta on August 5?

2. What was the minimum temperature of Madras on August 7?

3. Which city was the hottest on August 3?

4. Which city had the lowest temperature on August 1?

5. Which city was hotter than Calcutta on August 2?

6. What was the highest temperature of Delhi during the week?

7. What was the lowest temperature of Madras during the week?

8. Which city had the lowest temperature in the week?

9. What was the range of the maximum temperature of Bombay during the week?

10. Which city had the highest temperature on August 7?

VOCABULARY: OPPOSITES

Fill in the Blanks in the following sentences with the opposites of the words given in
the brackets. You may choose the opposites from the list given on the left.

Example: He is ninety years old and very _______ (lazy)

The opposite of ‘lazy’ is ‘active,’ or ‘industrious’.

sweet 1. This knife is very ________. It has a fine point. (blunt)

empty 2. The cake is very ________ (sour).

127
better 3. Mr. Srivastava’s job is ________ (permanent)

sharp 4. Athens is an ________ city. (modern).

smooth 5. Anita’s picture is much ________ than Rani’s (worse)

maximum 6. The ________ temperature of Delhi in June is 450C (minimum)

temporary 7. May I ________ your pen. (lend)

expensive 8. Tomatoes are selling at Rs. 20/- a k.g They are ________. (cheap)

ancient 9. Although he earns a lot, his purse is ________ towards the end of
the month. (full)

borrow 10. Most roads in South Delhi are ________. (rough)

(Answer Key: sharp, sweet, temporary, ancient, better, maximum, borrow, expensive,
empty)

VOCABULARY: CLASSIFICATION

Write one name for each of the following groups. Before starting look at the example

1. Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn : planets

2. banana, orange, grape, strawberry :

3. Buddhism, Christianity, Islam Hinduism :

4. bow and arrow, sword, gun :

5. necklace, earrings, bangle, ring :

6. malaria, measles, mumps, cholera :

7. 250, 6, 27, 99 :

8. potato, onion, tomato, carrot :

9. cricket, football, hockey, tennis :

10. India Today, Saptahik Hindustan, :

Dharamyug, The Illustrated Weekly

11. pig, dog, sheep, lion :

12. table, chair, sofa, bookcase :

128
13. bee, fly, ant, beetle :

14. iron, silver, copper, gold :

15. plate, saucer, cup, bowl

(Answer Key: fruits, religions, weapons, jewelry, diseases, numbers, vegetables,

games, magazines, animals, furniture, insects, metals, tableware)

129
CLASS TIME – TABLE

Days 9:00 to 9:50 to 10:40 to 11:30 to 11:45 to 12:35 12:35 to 1:25 to 2:15 to
9:50 10:40 11:30 11:45 IV 1:25 2:15 3:05
I II III V VI VII
Monday English Room History Room Hindi Political Education Economics N.C.C.
Lecture/Precep No. 5 No. 3 Room No. 5 Science Room Room No. 4 Room No. 5
Geography No. 9
Room No.7
Tuesday Games English Room Hindi History Room Education Music N.S.S.
Lecture/Precep No. 5 Room No. 2 No. 3 Room No. 3 Room No. 2
Geography
Room No. 7
Wednesday English Room Hindi History Room English Room Political Economics N.C.C.
Lecture/Precep No. 2 Room No. 5 No.2 No. 5 Science Room Room No. 5
Geography No. 9
Room No. 5

COFFEE BREAK
Thursday Political Education Economics Music Music History Room N.S.S.
Lecture/Precep Science Room Room No. 2 Room No. 5 Room No. 2 Room No. 2 No. 2
No. 1 Geography
Room No. 7
Friday English Room Economics Hindi Political Educational Music Room N.C.C.
Lecture/Precep No. 3 Room No.5 Room No. 2 Science Room Room No. 4 No. 2
No. 9

130
Look at the timetable of BA (Pass) I year of your college and answer the questions given
below:
(one example has been done for you)

1. How many periods of English do you have in a week?

Answer: There are five English periods in a week.

2. Which room is used for teaching Geography?

_________________________________________________________________

3. Which two subjects are taught at the same time?

_________________________________________________________________

4. After how many periods do you have a coffee break?

_________________________________________________________________

5. In which period do you have Hindi on Monday?

_________________________________________________________________

6. How many periods of Political Science do you have on Thursday?

_________________________________________________________________

7. How many days a week do you have N.C.C.?

_________________________________________________________________

8. Can a student offer both History and Geography?

_________________________________________________________________

9. Which subject is given the maximum number of periods?

_________________________________________________________________

10. At what time does the third period start?

_________________________________________________________________

11. At what time does college close?

_________________________________________________________________

12. Which subject is taught in Room No. 3 on Friday?

_________________________________________________________________

13. Can a student offer both Economics and History?

_________________________________________________________________

131
Rita is a student of BA (Pass) First year. She has offered English, Hindi, Music, History
and N.S.S. Look at the time-table and write a paragraph describing how she spends her
week in college.
Your paragraph should include answers to the following questions:
1. How many days does Rita have to attend college?
2. When does she have N.S.S. activities?
3. On which days does she have to reach college at 9 a.m.?
4. Which is the heaviest day for her?
5. How many periods does she have to attend every week?
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
USE OF ‘CAN’ AND ‘CAN'T’
Read the following sentences:
1. Sunil can run very fast because he practices every day.
2. A fish can swim but it can't fly.
3. Anita can't play the guitar but she can dance well.
4. Since Mr. Gupta is old and weak, he can't walk properly.
Exercise:
Now fill in the blanks in the following sentences with ‘can’ or ‘can't’:
Example: A dog ________ run but it ________ talk.
A dog can run but it can't talk.
1. A bird ____ fly but it ____ swim.
2. I am afraid I ____ come to your wedding next Monday.

132
3. She speaks in a soft voice but I ____ understand what she says.
4. Since it is raining, we ____ go out without an umbrella.
5. She ____ pay her bill because she doesn't have any money.
6. Meena has a diploma in painting; she ____ paint well now.
7. Mohan is sick; he ____ go to school today.
8. Sonali can sing well but she ____ dance.
9. Manoj is very short. He ____ reach the top of the book-shelf.
10. We have enough time today. We ____ go to the museum.
11. She is very busy. She ____ come to my house today.
12. Since I am very tired, I ____ work any longer.
[Answer Key: 1. can, can’t 2. can’t 3. can 4. Can’t 5. can’t 6. can 7. can’t 8. can’t
9. can’t 10. can 11. can’t 12. can’t]

VOCABULARY: PAIRS OF WORDS

Fill in the blanks in the following sentences by choosing the correct words given in the
brackets:
1. I have lost my school ____ . (dairy, diary)
2. I cannot ____ this stick into two. (break, brake)
3. Spread a carpet on the ____ . (floor, flour)
4. She ____ my sister’s dress blue. (died, dyed)
5. He ____ a whistle in the park. (blue, blew)
6. The ____ are grazing in the field. (kettle, cattle)
7. She gave ______ to twins last week. (berth, birth)
8. The police are making a ____ on all cars to see that their brakes work. (check,
cheque)
9. How much is the railway ____ from Delhi to Calcutta. (fair, fare)
10. He wears ____ clothes. (loose, lose).
11. No ____ member was present in the party. (mail, male)
12. He gave me a ____ of bread. (piece, peace)
13. He changed the ____ of one of his shoes. (soul, sole)
133
14. This door is made of ____ . (steel, steal)
15. He told me an interesting ____ . (tail, tale)
16. Tinku wears a belt around his ______. (waste, waist)
17. He is feeling ____ because he has just had malaria. (week, weak)
18. I wear a raincoat in wet ____ . (whether, weather)
19. We live on the second ____ of this building. (story, storey)
20. The children showed ____ report cards to ____ parents. (their, there)
[Answer Key: 1. diary 2. break 3. floor 4. dyed 5. blew 6. cattle 7. birth 8. check
9. fare 10. loose 11. male 12. piece 13. sole 14. steel 15. tale 16. waist 17. weak
18. weather 19. story 20. their, their.]
SEQUENCING
Read the following sentences and rewrite them in the proper order, in the form of a
paragraph. Do the same for the next set.
1. A CRICKET MATCH
1. Team B was the loser.
2. The two cricket teams assembled in the playground at 8.30 a.m.
3. Team A scored 250 runs in 50 overs.
4. With the toss it was decided that team A would bat first.
5. The winning team was awarded the trophy.
6. They could score only 200 runs in 50 overs.
7. Team A won the match.
8. Then Team B batted.
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
[Answer Key: 2, 4, 3, 8, 6, 7, 1, 5.]

134
2. HOW TO PREPARE A CHAPATI
1. The chapati is ready to be served.
2. Now make small balls out of the kneaded dough.
3. Roll out a chapati with a belan.1
4. Take a cup of flour.
5. When both sides are slightly baked, remove the chapati from the tava.
6. The dough should be neither very wet nor very hard.
7. When one side is slightly baked, tum it over on the other.
8. Put the chapati on a tava.
9. Knead it with water into dough.
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
[Answer Key: 4, 9, 6, 2, 3, 8, 7, 5, 1.]
3. A STORY
Arrange the following sentences in the right order to make them read like a story. Use the
space given below to write the story in the form of a paragraph.
1. Thus the mother and son became rich.
2. A poor boy lived with his mother.
3. The stranger blessed them and gave them his diamond ring.
4. So the boy sold his pen to buy a loaf of bread for him.
5. Then the mother gave food to the stranger.
6. He was very hungry.
135
7. One day a stranger came to their house.
8. The mother had nothing to offer him to eat.
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
[Answer Key: 2, 7, 6, 8, 4, 5, 3, 1.]
VOCABULARY: WORD FORMATION
Add one letter to each of the following words (in any place) to form a new word:
Example: RAN RAIN: we have it in the rainy season
1. OAR _________ the sound a lion makes
2. RULE _________ you use one to draw straight lines
3. OLD _________ it is like this in winter
4. SAVE _________ to cut hair with a razor
5. AIR _________ two things of the same kind used
together
6. LAME _________ seen in a fire
7. EAT _________ we feel it in summer
8. TALE _________ opposite of fresh
9. ABLE _________ a piece of furniture
10. ILL _________ a tablet of medicinal value
11. WIN _________ it blows
12. HOSE _________ an animal
[Answer Key: 1. ROAR 2. RULER 3. COLD 4. SHAVE 5. PAIR 6. FLAME
7. HEAT 8. STALE 9. TABLE 10. PILL 11. WIND 12. HORSE]

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Unit IV : Describing People
Look at the family tree of Mr Ved Prakash Kapoor and answer the questions that follow.
You may use the words listed below:
sister-in-law, niece, nephews, uncle, cousin
1. A FAMILY TREE
Ved Prakash Kapoor, 75 years
Kaushalya Rani Kapoor, 70 years

Ajit, son, 50 Amit, son, 46 Aruna, daughter, 45

Kalpana, wife, 43 Veena, wife, 42 Satish, husband, 50

Anil, Shuchi, Neha, Rajesh, Taruna,

son, 22 daughter, 15 daughter, 15 son, 21 daughter, 18

1. How many children do Ved Prakash Kapoor and Kaushalya Rani Kapoor have?
__________________________________________________________________
2. Who is their eldest child?
__________________________________________________________________
3. Who is their youngest child?
__________________________________________________________________
4. How is Veena related to Ajit?
__________________________________________________________________
5. How is Aruna related to Kalpana?
__________________________________________________________________
6. What is the relationship between Shuchi and Ajit?
__________________________________________________________________
7. How many grand-daughters does Kaushalya Rani have?
__________________________________________________________________

137
8. Name Amit’s nephews.
__________________________________________________________________
9. Give the name of Kalpana’s father-in-law.
__________________________________________________________________
10. Name Kaushalya Rani’s son-in law.
__________________________________________________________________
11. How many cousins does Taruna have?
__________________________________________________________________
12. Name the twins.
__________________________________________________________________
VOCABULARY: OPPOSITES
Fill in the blanks in the following sentences with the opposites of the words underlined.
You may choose the opposites from the list given on the left:
Example: Anwar had nine sums right and one ________.
Note: the opposite of ‘right’ is ‘wrong’ ‘opposites’ are also known as ‘antonyms.’
So the sentence will be: Anar had nine sums right and one wrong.
dishonest 1. Wise people save money, while _______ people spend all they
earn.
safety 2. The Ganga is deep in some parts, but quite _______ in others.
save 3. The father is very honest, but the son is ______.
foolish 4. When the policeman saw the children in danger he removed them
to a place of ______.
bought 5. Don't spend all your money; _______ some for the future.
rejected 6. He sold his old house and _______ a new one.
finishes 7. The movie starts at 9.30 a.m. and _______ at 11.15 a.m.
shallow 8. The Principal accepted his application and _______ mine.
decreases 9. I remember his surname, but I _______ his first name.
forget 10. The temperature increases in the afternoon and _______ at night.
[Answer Key: 1. foolish 2. shallow 3. dishonest 4. safety 5. save 6. Bought
7. finishes 8. rejected 9. forget 10. decreases]

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2. PEOPLE: THEIR LOOKS AND QUALITIES

Name Figure Face Nose Hair Eyes Skin Voice Characte

ristics
Divya slim long pointed black large dark sweet cheerful
(a girl, 15) brown
Anubhav fat round small black, small, wheatish soft jolly
(a man, 30) black black
Payal thin and small straight black, blue fair low very
(woman, 25) short short quite
Anwar tall long small grey brown wheatish deep smokes
(a man, 45) continou
sly
Anurag tall thin straight black, bright fair sweet charming
(a boy, 10) straight black affection
ate
Dinesh tall and long and pointed black, grey fair soft very
(a boy, 15) slim this long fond of
reading
Rosy tall and wrinkled hooked grey large fair loud authorita
(an old lady, fat tive
65)

Here is description of Divya based on the information given in the table above.
Divya is a fifteen-year-old girl. She is slim and dark. She has a long face and black hair.
She has large brown eyes, a pointed nose and a sweet voice. She is always cheerful.
Now complete the following description of Rosy:
Rosy is an old lady. She is 65. She has a wrinkled face. ___________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Now write descriptions of the other persons mentioned in the table.
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
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_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

Imagine you are waiting for a bus. You see an interesting person who attracts you. Describe
him/her.
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
VOCABULARY: PEOPLE AND THEIR JOBS
Match the people listed in Column A with their jobs described in Column B:
Column A Column B
a cashier shaves beards and cuts hair.
a chemist receives money in a shop, restaurant, etc.
a cobbler fills and takes out teeth and supplies
artificial teeth.
a barber sells medicines, pills, etc.

140
a dentist repairs shoes.
a surgeon sells butter, cheese, tea, etc.
a plumber takes photographs.
a lawyer fits and repairs taps.
a photographer a railway servant, who handles luggage.
a grocer solves legal problems
a baker sells flowers.
a florist sells meat.
a butcher makes bread, cake, etc.
a mason performs surgical operations.
a porter a worker who builds with brick or stone.
[Answer Key:
1. Cashier: receives money in a shop, restaurant etc.
2. A chemist: sells medicines, pills etc.
3. A cobbler: repairs shoes
4. A barber: shaves beards and cuts hair
5. A dentist: fills and repairs teeth and supplies artificial teeth
6. A surgeon: performs surgical operations
7. A plumber: fits and repairs taps
8. A lawyer: solves legal problems
9. A photographer: takes photographs
10. A grocer: sells, butter, cheese, tea etc.
11. A baker: makes bread, cake etc.
12. A florist: sells flowers
13. A butcher: sells meat
14. A mason: a worker who build with brick and stone
15. A porter: a railway servant who handles luggage]
GRAMMAR: SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
Complete the following passage on ‘The Lemon’ by choosing the appropriate words given
in brackets:
THE LEMON
The lemon is a juicy, oval, yellow fruit that ____ (belong, belongs) to the same family as
the orange and the grapefruit. The lemon ____ (grow, grows) in tropical parts of the world,
where the climate is warm and the soil is moist. The Italians ____ (grow, grows) more
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lemons than any other people in the world. Many farmers in California also ____ (raise,
raises) lemons.
The lemon tree ____ (grow, grows) to be about eight feet tall. It has tough green leaves and
sharp thorny branches. Its pink blossoms have a very sweet smell. The lemon tree is an
attractive plant, and some florists ____ (grow, grows) lemon trees in large pots for people
to keep in their houses or gardens.
Lemons are very useful in many ways. The sharp sour flavour of lemon juice ____
(improve, improves) the taste of fish and seafood and certain kinds of meat. The lemon
juice is useful as a bleach to remove stains. The lemon ________(contain, contains)
vitamins that are healthful. Many doctors ____ (advise, advises) people to have some lemon
or other citrus fruit in their diet.
[Answer Key: belongs, grows, grow, raise, grows, grow, improves, contains, advise]
Unit V: Describing Animals
1. CHIMPANZEES
Look at the facts about the Chimpanzee:

Habitat the forests of Central Africa

Weight slightly less than most human beings
Strength very strong
Ears large, hairless
Qualities Very intelligent, great curiosity, can learn tricks

Here is a description of Chimpanzees based on the given facts:

Chimpanzees live in the tropical forests of Central Africa. They have larg1 hairless ears.
They weight slightly less than human beings, but they are very stron1 They are very
intelligent and have great curiosity. They are capable of learning many tricks.
2. RABBITS
Look at the following information about the Rabbit:
Kind a gnawing animal
Size of body 35-45 cms
Tail small
Ears large

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Legs back legs very strong, can run very fast with long
leaps.

Colour grey or brown in natural state, white or black in

domestic varieties

Habitat woods, cultivated land, river banks and dunes

Home burrows

Habits active mainly at dusk and dawn

Food crops, grass, leaves, bark

Write a descriptive paragraph on Rabbits in the space given below.

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

3. APES

Based on the facts given below write a paragraph about Apes:

Kind several

Tails no tail

Jaws large and projecting

Teeth large and flat edged

Food birds, fruit, plants

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Habits swing from tree to tree

Habitat tropical forests

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
4. THE RED FOX
Look at the following information about the Red Fox and write a paragraph on it:
Kind a hunting animal
Length of body 75 cm
Tail bushy 47 cm long
Ears large and pointed
Colour reddish brown
Home burrows
Habitat woodlands, farms and town
Habits mainly active at night, sometimes seen in daytime
Food birds, beetles, earthworms, eggs, fruits or berries
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

144
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
GRAMMAR: SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
Complete the following description of The Mackerel by choosing correct words from the
brackets:
THE MACKEREL
The mackerel is a fish that lives in the warmer waters of the ocean. It is usually about a
foot long and _______ (weight, weighs) between 1 and 6 or 7 pounds. Its long sleek body
is bluish-green in colour, with tiny black markings on the back. The mackerel ________
(look, looks) like a torpedo as it ________ (glide, glides) through the water. Thousands of
mackerel ________ (swim, swims) together in what are called ‘schools’. At night the
schools ________ (break, breaks) up, and the mackerel ________ (come, comes) together
again when it is day light. Mackerel ________ (eat, eats) almost every kind of small fish,
and sometimes a mackerel will eat smaller mackerel. The female mackerel ________ (lay,
lays) eggs in the spring, many miles away from shore. It ________ (take, takes) a week for
the eggs to hatch.
The mackerel is a very tasty fish. The mackerel that ________ (live, lives) in the Pacific
Ocean are usually canned, while the Atlantic-Ocean mackerel are most often eaten fresh or
frozen. The people in the United States ________ (eat, eats) thirty-five million pounds of
mackerel every year.
[Answer Key: weighs, looks, glides, swim, break, come, eats, lays, takes, lives, eat]
VOCABULARY: OPPOSITES
Fill in the blanks with the words opposite in meaning to those given in the brackets:
1. We like ________ milk and ________ air. (stale)
2. They had six ________ to dinner. (hosts)
3. A lion is a ________ animal (domestic)
4. We ________ go for a morning walk. (seldom)
5. My brother is very ________. (well)
6. The ground is ________ after the rain. (dry)
7. She ________ forgets to pay her rent on time. (never)
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8. It is midnight but the baby is still ________. (asleep)
9. This is ________ gold, not cheap yellow metal. (artificial)
10. A rabbit’s hind legs are very ________. (weak)
[Answer Key: 1. fresh, fresh 2. guests 3. wild 4. often 5. unwell 6. wet 7. always
8. awake 9. real 10. strong]

146
 UNIT-5
CONVERSING 1
FROM: EVERYDAY ENGLISH - PART 1

SPEAKING
Nalini Prabhakar
1. Greeting friends
Imagine you are Manju and you meet your friend Neha in a garden. Practise the
following conversation:
Manju : Hello, Neha!
Neha : Hi, Manju! How are you?
Manju : Fine, thanks. How are you?
Neha : I’m fine too. Haven't seen you for a long time.
Manju : Yeah, I’d gone out.
You will notice that Manju and Neha greet each other saying ‘hello’ and ‘hi’ because
they are friends. This is an informal way of greeting.
2. Greeting elders and seniors
Here’s a conversation between Mohit and his teacher, Ms Manpreet. Practise it with
your partner.
Mohit : Good morning, Ma’am!
Ms Manpreet : Good morning, Mohit!
Notice that Mohit greets the teacher by saying ‘good morning’ and the teacher too
responds with ‘good morning’ because this is a formal way of greeting. Depending on the
time when we greet our seniors or elders, we choose ‘good morning’, ‘good afternoon’,
and ‘good evening’.
Exercise 1
Now, choose appropriate forms of greeting for the following persons whom you
meet in the Lodhi Gardens at different times of the day:

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 Person Time Greeting
Your friend, Nimmi a. at 10 a.m.
b. at 3 p.m.
Your teacher, Mr. Manav a. at 9 a.m.
b. at 4 p.m.
Your sister, Ruchi a. at 8 a.m.
b. at 2 p.m.
Your friend’s father a. at 11.30 a.m.
b. at 6 p.m.
Guess what you would say to your mother or friend or teacher before parting in
the evening or at night and before going to bed! Well, you will say ‘good night’.
Remember that when we part from someone in the evening, we do not say ‘good
evening’.
1. Now, read the following poem for enjoyment:
Sing Song
What is pink? A rose is pink
By the fountain’s brink.
What is red? A poppy’s red
In its barley bed.
What is blue? The sky is blue.
Where the clouds float thro’.
What is white? A swan is white
Sailing in the light.
What is yellow? Pears are yellow,
Rich and ripe and mellow.
What is green? The grass is green,
With small flowers between.
What is violet? Clouds are violet
In the summer twilight.
What is orange? Why, an orange,
Just an orange!
Christina Georgina Rossetti

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 You will notice that the use of rhyming words makes a poem sound sweet to the
ear. Here is a small poem by Victor Hugo for you to read and recite. Note the rhyming
scheme in this poem. Are there lines in the poem that do not rhyme?
Be like the bird, who
Halting in his flight
On limb too slight
Feels it gives way beneath him,
Yet sings
Knowing he hath wings
Exercise 2
1. Ravi has been waiting anxiously for an important letter. The moment he sees the
postman, Hari, he goes out to enquire about the mail.
Arrange the following sentences in the form of a dialogue between Ravi and Hari
and then practise the dialogue in pairs:
i. Sorry, There’s nothing for you!
ii. Hello, Hari bhaiya. Are there any letters for me?
iii. Are you sure?
iv. Mother isn’t home. Can I collect it?
v. Well, yes, but there’s a registered letter for your mother.
vi. Thank you.
vii. Sure. Please sign the receipt.
viii. Welcome.
(Answer Key: ii, i, iii, v, iv, vii, vi, viii)
3. Thanking and Responding
Notice that we say ‘thank you’ when someone does something for us as a favour or
even as a routine matter. We say ‘sorry’ when we hurt someone or say something
unpleasant or disappoint someone by doing something even when these things happen by
mistake or unintentionally. By saying ‘thank you’ and ‘sorry’, we want to show that we
either appreciate what others do for us or that we care for them.

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i. Informal Conversation

Thanking Responding
Thanks. Welcome.
Thanks a lot. You are welcome.
Thanks very much. That’s all right.
That’s okay.
Fine.
Apologising/saying sorry Responding
Sorry. That’s all right.
Very sorry.

ii. Formal Conversation

Thanking Responding
Thank you very much. You are welcome.
It’s very kind of you. The pleasure is mine.
I'm grateful/obliged to you. My pleasure.
Apologising/saying sorry Responding
I'm sorry. It was my fault. That’s perfectly all right.
I beg your pardon.
Note that sometimes there is not much difference between informal and formal
conversation. Still, it is important to keep the distinction in mind between informal and
formal ways of saying things in general.
Exercise 2
Given below is a dialogue between two friends, Shuchi and Neeti. Neeti has brought a
lovely dress for Shuchi from Bombay. Shuchi thanks her for it. Fill in the missing
responses.
Shuchi : Hi, Neeti! Where have you been?
Neeti : Hi! I’d gone to Bombay for a cousin’s wedding. I’ve got a dress for you
from there.
Shuchi : It’s so lovely!...............
Neeti : Welcome. Must rush for my class now. Bye.
Shuchi : ...
(Answer Key: Shuchi – It’s so lovely! Thank you very much.
................................................................................................................
Bye Neeti, will see you after class.
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 Exercise 3. PROMOTING PHILATELY
Today, hobbies are vastly diversified and TV and computer games so popular that
philately is essentially for the serious-minded.
However, TV, computers and such other modern media can be used to attract young
people to philately. There was a movie on the B.B.C. once about a young boy who
somehow got a rare and valuable stamp stuck to his hand and would not allow anyone to
remove it. He became a serious problem for his mother and others close to him as racketeers
were out to kidnap the boy. Finally, he allowed a police detective to remove the stamp in
return for a gold coin. Similar stories highlighting the valuable nature of stamps might
create an interest in young people for stamps. Comic strips can also be used to highlight
usefulness of stamp collecting.
Another way to create an interest in stamp collecting is to have stamp clubs in schools
and colleges and hold annual exhibitions, awarding prizes for meritorious exhibits. One
could also start a magazine on philately with a nominal subscription to cover expenses. A
library with a nominal entrance fee is also a good idea.
One of the benefits of philately is that is opens up avenues for friendship all over the
world. Many young people have been collecting stamps through their pen-friends. Philately
provides a common interest which sustains the friendship. Philately also rises above caste
and creed, promoting thereby the spirit of national integration and universal brotherhood.
Try to enact the story of the young boy (in the passage) who refused to remove
the stamp from his hand. One of you can be the young boy, some of you his family
members, and one of you the police officer. Write short dialogues and then act out the
story. Ask your teacher for help with the dialogues. You may use some of the following
expressions:
You must take off the stamp. Somebody might attack you.
No, never!
Please listen to me, son. Don't be so difficult.
What a lovely stamp it is!
What if I offer you a gold coin for it? Will you let me have it then?
That sounds great!
Can I take it off now?
Yeah, sure. You can.
Thanks.
That’s all right.

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Informal and Formal Speech
When we meet people for the first time, we introduce ourselves to them. For example,
when you come to a new college or to a new class you may meet new girls/boys. Your
teacher also introduces herself to you when she comes to your class the first time. Let’s
look at some of the ways we introduce ourselves and others in an informal and formal
situation.
Informal speech
Introducing oneself (to classmates) Introducing others (to friends, family
members)
Ashok: Meeta, this is my friend, Gaurav. Vivek: Hello! I’m Vivek. Are you also in
He’s just joined this college. the same class? May I know your
name?
Meeta: Glad to meet you, Gaurav. I hope
you'll like it. Monika: Yes. I'm Monika. Nice meeting
you.

Formal speech

Introducing oneself in a formal situation Introducing others in a formalsituation

Teacher: Let me introduce myself. I am Anurag: May I introduce my brother, Ankit

Sumita Kapoor, your English
teacher. (pointing to one of the
students) What’s your name?
Suchitra: Good morning, Ma'am. I am
Suchitra Dev.
to you, sir. He’s taken admission
in our college this year.
Mohit: Let me introduce my friend, Asif, to
you, Mrs Roy. She’s come here
from England for a vacation.

Practise the above dialogues in pairs.

152
 ORAL COMMUNICATION: SPEECH PATTERNS
FROM: DEVELOPING LANGUAGE SKILLS 1
Edited by : Dr Neeta Gupta and Nalini Prabhakar

1: Starting a Conversation: Greetings and Asking after?

Whenever you speak to another person or a group of people, you are communicating orally.
This form of communication, in which speech is used, is known as oral communication.
When you start a conversation you begin by greeting the other person and ask about their
well-being.
Let us see how this happens.
Aman: Hello, Salman! How are you?
Salman: Hello Aman. I'm fine. What about you?
This is how the conversation begins and it will then continue. To carry on a
conversation you can talk about your interests, about your family members, about your
likes and dislikes and so on.
Let us take a look at a few examples:
1.Introducing a third person
Aman: Salman, this is Rahul, he lives in Janakpuri.
2. Inquiring about the family.
Aman: I have two brothers and one sister. How many do you have?
3. Likes and dislikes
Aman: I do not like soft drinks. I like to drink fresh fruit juices.
The above conversation is between friends. But if the same conversation were to take place
between a young boy and an elderly man or a student and teacher, it would be very
different. For example, how would a student greet his teacher?
Student : Good morning ma’am/sir.
Teacher : Good morning.
This kind of greeting is called a formal greeting while the earlier one which was among
friends was an informal form. Apart from these two forms i.e. formal and informal, there
is a third form too, which can be used any time/anywhere. Let us take a look at a few
samples.

153
Samples
1. If two friends meet, they will greet each other in the following manner:
(a) A : Hello Suresh! How are you?
B : Fine, thanks.
(b) A : Hi, Alka! Coming for the class?
B : Hello! Yeah, I’m coming
(c) A : Hello Seema! How’re you doing?
B : Fine, And you?
Notice that all these ways of greeting and asking after are informal ways since the
conversation is among friends. Now let’s see how two people greet each other formally.
(i) A : Good morning, Sir
B : Good morning, Seema! You were not in class yesterday. Are you
keeping well?
A : Yes sir, thank you very much.
(ii) A : Good evening, sir.
B : Good evening, gentlemen. Today we are here to discuss some
important business.
The formal way of greeting is used when the person, who is being addressed, is either
much older to you or holds a higher position than you. In the latter case even if the age of
the two speakers is the same and yet one of them holds a much higher position than the
other. Then the greeting would be a formal one. For example, if an employee of a firm
meets the managing director, he will greet him formally even though there may be no age
difference between the two.
The third form of greeting can be used anytime/anywhere. For example:
(i) A : Hello Mrs. Wagle! How are you?
B : I'm alright. How about you?
Exercises
1. State whether the following forms of greeting are formal or informal.
(a) Hello Usha! How are you?
(b) Good morning sir! I hope you are better now.
(c) Good evening Mr. Jain! How are you keeping?
154
 (d) Good evening, gentlemen!
(e) Hi Sushil! Where have you been all these days?
(Answer Key: IF, F, F, F, IF)
2. State whether the following forms of responses are formal or informal:
(a) Oh. Hello! I’m fine. What about you?
(b) Good morning, Vikram! I'm fine now. Thank you.
(c) Oh, Good evening, Mr. Gupta. I'm fine and what about you?
(d) Good evening, sir.
(e) Hello Seema! I’ve been away for sometime. How are you?
(Answer Key: IF, IF, F, F, IF)
3. You have gone to visit your aunt who has not been well for sometime. How will
you greet her and what will be her response?
4. Imagine you are working in an office. One day, as you enter the office, you first
meet the office peon, then you meet a friend, then you meet an elderly colleague
and last of all you meet your boss. How will you greet each one of them and what
will be their response?
2: Introducing Oneself and Others
The need to introduce ourselves can arise when we want to start a conversation with a
total stranger. Similarly, the need to introduce others can also arise when we are with people
who do not or may not know each other. Here too these are the three distinctions which we
have already seen in UNIT 1: The informal the formal and the anytime/anywhere situations.
Now let’s take a look at a few examples to notice the difference.
1. On your first day in college, you meet a girl of your age. How will you introduce
yourself?
You : Hi, I’m Jyoti, Are you also in first year?
Kiran : Hello, I am Kiran. Yes, I am. I’m doing English Honours.
Notice that this form of introduction is an informal one as it is taking place between
people belonging to the same age groups and same class. But if Jyoti were to go to the staff
room and meet her English teacher, the form of introduction will change.
Jyoti : Good morning, ma'am! I’m Jyoti, I'm a first year student of English
Honours.

155
 Teacher : Good morning, Jyoti! Go and sit in room number 12. I’m coming in a few
minutes.
This form of introduction is a formal introduction. Now let’s take a look at one
example of the anytime/anywhere situation is informal, formal or any time/any where. For
example:
1. Informal
A : Jyoti, this is Meera.
B : Hi, Nice meeting you.
2. Formal
A : Good morning, class! Let me introduce your new English Teacher,
Mrs. Bhatia.
B : Good morning, ma’am!
3. Anytime/Anywhere
A : I'd like you to meet Deepak.
B : How do you do?
A few points that you should keep in mind:
(a) When introducing others we must also provide information about the person who
is being introduced so that a conversation can be started as:
A : This is Mukul. He is also in first year English Honours.
OR
A : Let me introduce Mr. Lal. He will be taking on as our new marketing
manager.
(b) If a situation is formal then it is always the younger person who is introduced to the
older person, the man to the woman and the junior to the senior or superior.
(c) There are some standard greetings and their standard responses. For example, ‘How
do you do’, and ‘Pleased to meet you’, usually followed by a handshake, are always
answered with ‘How do you do’ and ‘pleased to meet you’ respectively.
(d) If we address a person by his/her first name we do not use the title (Miss, Ms., Mrs.,
Mr.). If you do want to add the title, then always use the surname. So, Rakesh Jain
will either be addressed by his first name as ‘Rakesh’ or by his Surname ‘Mr. Jain’
or ‘Mr. Rakesh Jain’ but never as ‘Mr. Rakesh’.

156
Exercises
1. In the market you meet your friend Seema. How will you introduce her to your
mother, who is with you?
2. You have been asked to introduce yourself to
(a) a fellow student
(b) your English teacher
(c) a senior student
Write down your introduction and their responses.
3. Sunil is standing for the post of college President. He has come to your class. How
will you introduce him to your class?
4. Seeta : Hi Meera, Meet Deepika. Deepika this is Meera.
Meera : -------------------------------
Deepika : Fine thanks. How are you?
Complete the dialogue given above.
5. Mahesh : Mr. Gupta, meet Mr. Sarin, our new colleague.
Mr. Gupta : How do you do, Mr. Sarin.
Mr. Sarin : ---------------------
Complete the dialogue given above.
3: Thanking, Wishing Well, Apologizing and Excusing
We thank people for the favours they do us. Let us imagine a situation where you owe
thanks to someone. Imagine that it is your birthday and your uncle has given you a camera
as the birthday gift. Let us see what conversation takes place between you and your uncle.
Uncle : Many happy returns of the day, Shyam. Here is a little thing for you.
You : Thank you very much, uncle. What a lovely camera! This is just what I have
been wishing to have for a long time. Thanks a lot.
Uncle : It is all right. I am happy that you like the camera.
It is not only for things that you thank people. You thank them when they show care
and consideration for you or express wishes for your well-being. Amar has been ill for
some time is admitted in the hospital. Mr. Gulati his neighbour goes to the hospital every
day to see him. He doesn’t bring flowers or fruits for him because he cannot afford them.
But it is his care and thought for him which are invaluable and Amar is grateful to him for

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these. Let us hear the conversation between Amar and Mr. Gulati in which Amar expresses
his gratitude (thankfulness) and Mr. Gulati responds to his thanks.
Mr. Gulati : Hello Amar, how are you today?
Amar : I am much better. Thank you for your concern. I really don't know how
to thank you enough for your kindness throughout my illness.
Mr. Gulati : Please don’t mention. What have I done after all?
Amar : You have been coming every day. I cannot tell you how refreshing your
talk is.
Mr. Gulati : It was no trouble at all. It was nice coming and talking to you every day.
Now in the two situations given above the first is informal as the dialogue is between
uncle and nephew–two very close relative. The Second situation is slightly more formal,
but the third situation given below is very formal and calls for formal thanks and equally
formal response.
Mr. Gupta has given a dinner to Mr. Roy the Chief Manager of the bank in which Mr.
Gupta is working. The dinner over, Mr. Gupta thanks his boss, the Chief Manager for taking
the trouble of coming to his place. Let us hear how their conversation goes on.
Mr. Roy : I will take your leave now Mr. Gupta, thank you very much for the very
sumptuous dinner.
Mr. Gupta : It was my pleasure Mr. Roy. I am extremely grateful to you for sparing
some of your very precious time for us today.
Mr. Roy : I am delighted to have come.
Exercise
Amin is going to appear for an interview for admission in the School of Planning and
Architecture. His friend Asit wishes him good luck and success for which Amin expresses
his gratitude. Write the conversation between them on this occasion.
Apologies are made when we have done something consciously or unconsciously that
has hurt or harmed someone or when our behaviour has not been up to the mark especially
when we have neglected our duty. Asit has come late for the class and apologizes to his
teacher.
Asit : Excuse me Ma'am. May I come in?
Teacher : Do come in Asit. But it is the second time in this week that you have
come late. You miss your lesson and the whole class is disturbed
because of you.

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 Asit : I’m extremely sorry Ma’am. I had started from home at the right time.
But the bus came late today as it had the day before yesterday.
Teacher : O.K. Asit, sit down. It wasn’t your fault then.
The teacher accepted Asit’s apology but people in authority are not so understanding
and obliging everywhere. A clerk in the paper factory came late to the factory by two
minutes. The attendance register had been sent to the manager and he had to go to his office
to mark his attendance. You will find below the dialogue between the employee and the
employer.
The clerk : May I have the register to sign, Sir. I am sorry I am late today.
The boss : Why are you late today?
The clerk : I am sorry Sir, my watch was slow by two minutes.
The boss : You ought to be more careful. You may sign today but I don't want this
to be repeated. I suggest that you buy a new watch or I'm afraid you will
have to lose your job.
Exercise
1. Imagine that your friend Nilam has lost the story book you lent her. You are a bit
annoyed at first but seeing your friend’s embarrassment and concern you try to
console her. Write the dialogue between you and your friend.
2. You are talking to someone who is speaking too softly, and you cannot properly
hear her. Courtesy demands that you take the blame of not hearing on yourself
instead of blaming her. What are the words of apology you would use. If you do
not know, please try to find out.
4: Asking for and Giving Information
Many times, a situation arises when we have to ask for information. We may want to
know the directions to reach a certain place, we may want to know how to fill up a form or
we may just want to know the time. Infact we may need information in many such
situations. Remember, we must be polite when asking for information and after we have
received an answer we must thank the person. So ‘Excuse me’, and ‘please...’ are
commonly used for asking for information. But if the situation is formal then questions
cannot be asked directly. In such a situation we have to introduce the question e.g.: ‘I was
wondering if you could tell me...’ or ‘I hope you don't mind my asking....’
Let’s take a look at a few examples. If the situation is informal then the question can
be put in the following ways:
(a) Could you tell me....?

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 (b) Anybody knows....?
(c) Know the way....?
(d) Please let me know....?
(e) Any clue to where....?
The responses to such informal questions can be
(a) Yeah! Sure
(b) Why not?....
(c) Sorry, I don't know.....
(d) Sorry no idea.....
If the situation is not so informal then the method changes a little bit. This can be called
the Anytime Anywhere situation where the question can be asked in the following ways:
(a) Can/Could you tell me please.....?
(b) Excuse me. Do you know anything about.....?
(c) I'd like to know something about.......please.
Responses to such questions can be:
(a) Yes/of course.
(b) Sure
(c) I'm not sure but......
(d) I've no idea
(e) I'm sorry/afraid I don't know.
If the situation turns out to be very formal then there is a further change. e.g.:
(a) Sorry to trouble you, but could you tell me....?
(b) Would you be kind enough to please ......?
(c) I hope you don't mind my asking.....?
(d) Could you please give me some information about....?
(e) I wonder if you could please tell me.....?
Responses to such formal questions can be:
(a) Definitely/Certainly/Gladly
(b) I shall be delighted to
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 (c) I'm afraid I don’t have that information.
(d) I'm sorry, but I can be of no help.
Now let’s take a look at a short conversation between Seeta and Geeta.
Seeta : Do you know where the library is?
Geeta : Yeah, its at the rear end of the College building.
This is a very informal way of asking for and supplying the information since the
conversation is between friends. But if Seeta were to ask the same question from an elderly
person she would speak thus:
Seeta : Excuse me sir, but could you please tell me where the library is.
Mr. Khan : Yes sure. Just go straight ahead and turn left. You will see its entrance
immediately.
The above situation can be the anytime/anywhere situation. But if the situation were
still more formal. If Seeta were to seek this information from one of her teachers then she
would speak in the following manner:
Seeta : Would you be kind enough to please guide me to the library.
Dr. Anand : Certainly, Go straight ahead and turn left.
Seeta : Thank you very much, Sir!
Exercises
1. A stranger stops you on the road and asks you about which bus he should take for
the Central Secretariat. What will be your reply?
2. You are new to the area and want to know the way to the local market. How would
you ask the following people for directions:
(a) A stranger
(b) Your neighbour
(c) A group of teenagers playing badminton.
3. If a stranger asks you for directions to reach Red Forty how would you reply if
you do not know the way yourself?
4. You wish to apply for a course in Computer Science. You need some information
about it. From where would you seek this information and how.
5. To whom will you say this:
‘I wonder if you could tell me the way to the Seminar Room.’

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 (a) Your friend and classmate.
(b) Your English teacher.
(c) The college president.
Could you use it with others also? If not then what changes would you make to make
the question appropriate.
6. Write a dialogue for the following situation:
You are at the railway station in order to receive your friend coming from Madras by
the Tamil Nadu Express. The train has been delayed for over two hours. You approach the
Enquiry Officer. Write down the dialogue which will take place between you and the
Enquiry Officer.
7. Write down responses for the following:
(i) Stranger (at the bus stop): Could you tell me which bus I should take for the
Central Secretariat?
Response:
(ii) Student (to another student): Excuse me, could you tell me the way to the
Principal’s room?
Response:
(iii) A: Would you be kind enough to tell me where I can get a good pair of
spectacles made?
Response:
(iv) A: Know anything about Jaipur? I want to visit it this weekend.
Response:
5: Offers, Requests and Orders
Life is a game of give and take. At every step you find yourself in a situation where
you ask for help from others or the others ask for favours from you. Some people are so
good that they offer a helping hand to anyone who is in need of it.
Your teacher has given you an assignment to write in the class. You are busily writing
when your pen breaks. Your friend Suneet is sitting next to you. He offers to help you.
You : (in anxiety) “Oh God! What shall I do now? My pen is broken”.
Suneet : Don't worry Paul, I have got an extra pen with me. You can write with it”.
You : “Oh, it is very kind of you. Thanks a lot”.

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 Mrs. Biswas has to attend a meeting in the college where she teaches. But she has a
small baby and there is no one in the house to look after him in her absence. She telephones
her next-door neighbour.
Mrs. Biswas : “Hello Mrs. Hardev, I have a little problem and I was wondering if
you could help me.”
Mrs. Hardev : “Certainly Mrs. Biswas, I will help you if I can. What is the matter?”
Mrs. Biswas : “Actually Mrs. Hardev, I have to attend an important meeting in the
college. But there is no one to look after the baby in my absence as my
husband has not yet returned from the office. I was wondering if I
could leave him with you for two hours. I shall be back by eight
O’clock.”
Mrs. Hardev : “Oh, it is no problem, Mrs. Biswas. Please bring the baby, I’ll look
after him.”
Mrs. Biswas : “Oh, it is very kind of you. I shall bring the baby and his things to you
right now. Thanks a lot’.
In the above situation Mrs. Biswas asked for a favour and Mrs. Hardev did it. But it is
possible that a request is turned down for one reason or the other.
Sunnet is sitting in the examination hall doing his paper. But he is in doubt about the
answer of a question. Sudhir, the most brilliant boy of the class is sitting next to him. Suneet
has always found him helpful. He decides to ask help from him.
Suneet (whispering), “Sudhir, can you tell me the answer of the fourth question? Is it
yes or no?”
Sudhir ignores his question.
Suneet (insisting), “Sudhir, please, can’t you help me a little”? “Is it yes or no?".
Sudhir (Speaking very softly), “No, Suneet. I’m afraid I can’t. It would be cheating
and I don’t want to cheat”.
As for orders they are given to sub-ordinates and the people lower in rank. But as you
have read in your text book civilized people give orders to their subordinates in the form
of requests. So the general manager of a big firm does not say to his personal assistant
“Look, I order you to send these letters immediately. He would say instead, “Miss Martin,
May I request you to send these letters immediately?” The parents and teachers can also
order their children and students. But these are usually for the children’s own good and
there is a lot of love and concern in them. The children too obey them in the same spirit.

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 Exercise: Imagine a situation where a teacher orders a student to get out of the class
because he always forgets to bring his book. The student apologizes politely and on his
assurance that he would never forget his book again the teacher takes back her order. Write
the conversation between the two.

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 APPENDIX

SAMPLE PAPER

Code Title of the paper : ENGLISH PROFICIENCY

Semester : I / II
Maximum marks : 75 marks
Time : 3 hours

EVALUATION SCHEME:
Reading comprehension : 25 marks
Vocabulary : 15 marks
Grammar : 15 marks
Composition : 10 marks
Dialogue & expressions : 10 marks
Total : 75 marks

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 SAMPLE PAPER
‘ENGLISH PROFICIENCY’ SEMESTER I / II
Maximum marks: 75 Time: 3 hours
1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow it:
(1) Listening is one of the best ways of learning. Usually, we take it for granted.
But it is possible that you may not be using the right techniques of listening.
Paying attention to your listening techniques can be rewarding. So, what can
you do to improve your listening?
(2) It is important, first of all, to get rid of barriers that come in the way of
listening. Many people are so absorbed in themselves that they do not give
importance to the thoughts and feelings of others. Some people talk too
much and therefore, miss what others have to say.
(3) We think faster than a speaker can talk. So, our attention begins to wander
when we are listening to someone speak. When this happens, try to bring
your mind back to what is being said. Concentrate on the speaker’s message
without being distracted by her / his appearance or delivery.
(4) Most speeches usually contain just four or five main points. Identify these
points. Also, be alert to the statements that the speaker uses to support her /
his argument. As you listen, evaluate the evidence or proof that the speaker
provides and try and judge whether the statements s/he is making are
accurate, objective, relevant and adequate.
(5) Finally, give the speaker enough time. Try and understand what s/he is
saying. You may have mental blocks about certain subjects or areas. A good
listener always keeps her / his mind open to new ideas and information.
Don’t be in a hurry to judge the speaker.
(a) Match the sub-headings given below with the paragraphs of the
passage above. The paragraphs have been numbered for your
convenience. 5
i. Overcoming obstacles to listening
ii. Focusing one’s mind
iii. Avoiding premature judgement
iv. The importance of listening properly
v. Noting the main points and supporting evidence

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 (b) On the basis of the information given in the above passage, mark the
following statements as True or False: 5
i. You cannot be a good listener if you talk too much.
ii. It is natural to lose concentration when you are listening to
someone.
iii. Pay special attention to the way the speaker looks and
speaks.
iv. Do not try to judge what the speaker is saying.
v. Welcome ideas and information that is new to you.
2. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow it:
Traditionally we got our news from trusted sources, journalists and media outlets
that are required to follow strict codes of practice. However, the internet has enabled a
whole new way to publish, share and consume information with very little regulation or
editorial standards. Lots of things you read online especially in your social media feeds
may appear to be true but often they are not. Fake news is news, stories or hoaxes created
to deliberately misinform or deceive readers.
There are various types of fake news we need to be aware of. Some stories are purposely
created to promote a biased point of view or a particular political cause or agenda.
Sometimes, attention-grabbing headlines are used to lead readers onto inaccurate reports.
Occasionally, reporters may publish a story without checking all of the facts thereby
misleading audiences. Lots of fake news stories are meant only for entertainment and
parody.
Many people are drawn to news or stories that confirm their own beliefs or biases. Fake
news exploits these biases. Powerful tech companies use clever algorithms to personalize
and tailor services to each user’s profile. So when we log in we are presented with articles
and content based on our own searches online. This type of content tends to reflect our own
likes, views and beliefs, thereby isolating us from differing views and opinions. This is
often referred to as a filter bubble.
As we become more and more dependent on online sources for news and information
we need to be careful about fake news. The key skill of thinking critically and evaluating
whatever we read, hear and see should be developed in young people from an early age.
(a) Fill in the blanks in the sentences below using a suitable word from the passage: 3
i. Fake news aims to _______________ mislead readers.
ii. People like stories that ____________their own views on various issues.
iii. Companies _____content according to the profile of the social media user.
(b) Which of the following is not an objective of this passage? 2
i. to explain what fake news is

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 ii. to explain how and why fake news is generated
iii. to defend fake news
iv. to caution the reader against fake news
Note: The following questions should be answered in 30 – 40 words each, using
your own words as far as possible.
(c) Does internet differ from the traditional sources of news? If yes, how? 2
(d) List two reasons for which fake news is spread. 2
(e) Do people always look for truth / objectivity in news stories? If not, what do they
seek? 2
(f) What is a ‘filter bubble’? What is the danger of being trapped in this ‘bubble’? 2
(g) How can you guard against fake news? 2

3. (a) On the lines of the given example, make the opposites of the words given
below by choosing a suitable prefix from the following list: 5
il-, im-, ir-, mis-, un-
Example: safe – unsafe
i. kind
ii. regular
iii. legal
iv. guide
v. practical
(b) Complete each of the following sentences by choosing suitably from the
opposites you have made in Question 3 (a) above: 5
Example: Drunken driving is very unsafe.
i. Please do not _______________ the child.
ii. The new student has been very _______________ in attending classes.
iii. Your advice is _______________.
iv. That was an _______________ remark.
v. It is _______________ to employ small children as household helps.

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 (c) On the lines of the given example, complete each sentence below by making
suitable changes in the form of the word given in brackets: 5
Example: The absence of timely (time) attention made the patient’s
condition worse (bad).
i. The rose is a _______________ (beauty) flower.
ii. Young people like to wear _______________ (fashion) clothes.
iii. May the _______________ (good) performer be crowned the champion!
iv. A _______________ (help) stranger gave me the directions to your house.
v. A _______________ (deliver) boy is waiting at the gate with your parcel.
4. (a) Fill in the blanks in the paragraph given below by making suitable changes
in the forms of the verbs given in brackets. 5

Example: I was (be) late for class yesterday.

I _______________ (be) fond of studying. English and History _______________

(be) my favourite subjects. But my brother _______________ (do) not like books.
He _______________ (be) fond of music. He _______________ (have) a big
collection of the latest hit songs.

(b) Complete the paragraph given below by choosing from the following list of
prepositions: 5

in, for, from, on, to

Example: I have booked a ticket for you.

Auditions will be held _______________ the Seminar Hall _______________

15th December _______________ 2 p.m. _______________ 5 p.m. Interested
students should register _______________ the event at the earliest.

(c) Fill in the blanks in the paragraph given below by choosing a suitable article
(a / an / the): 5

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 Example: There is a big tree opposite our house.
_______________ old lady was carrying _______________ umbrella on
_______________ rainy day. _______________ wind was blowing so hard that she
was finding it hard to hold on to ______________ umbrella.

5. Write a paragraph of about 100 words on a memorable day in your life. If you wish,
you may take the help of the following points. However, you must write a connected
paragraph with suitably linked sentences rather than a list of answers in response to
the suggested points / questions. 10

• What happened?
• When?
• Where?
• How did you and your friends / family feel at the time?
• What makes the event / experience so memorable for you?
6. (a) Match the best match of the spoken expressions given in Column A with the
participants given in Column B (that is, between which two persons would
the comment most likely be made?): 5

Column A Column B

i. Hi, I’m Kamal. Are you also in the Two strangers, on a footpath
first year?

ii. Can I help carry your books, Security guard, passenger

ma’am?

iii. Could you please give me Two students

information about how I can change
my subject?

iv. Oops, my fault! I didn’t see you. Student, teacher

v. Just a routine check, sir. We’re sorry Student, office clerk

for the inconvenience.
(b) If you were the listener, how would you answer / respond to each statement
given in Column A in Question 6 (a) above? 5

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