DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL RUBY PARK KOLKATA

SESSION : 2022-23
English Literature – STUDY MATERIAL
CLASS: VII
Month: December 2022
Topics-
Literature: The Little Mechanic
Grammar: Reported Speech
Writing: Notice Writing

LITERATURE –
Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American writer. He was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. His
first novel Fanshawe was published anonymously in 1828. Some short stories were published in 1837 as Twice-
Told Tales. He married Sophia Peabody in 1842. They had three children. The family moved about Massachusetts
for a few years, but finally settled in Concord, Massachusetts. The Scarlet Letter was published in 1850. The House
of the Seven Gables was published in 1851. A political appointment sent Hawthorne and his family to Europe.
They returned to Massachusetts in 1860. Hawthorne died on May 19, 1864.
Hawthorne's works belong to the cultural movement called romanticism. His novels and short stories are
cautionary tales. They suggest that guilt, sin, and evil are the most inherent natural qualities of humanity. Many of
his works are inspired by Puritan New England. They combine historical romance loaded with symbolism and
deep psychological themes. They border upon surrealism. His depictions of the past are a version of historical
fiction used only as a vehicle to express common themes of ancestral sin, guilt and retribution.
Summary Isaac Newton was born in 1642 in a village in England. He was brought up by his kind grandmother.
During his school days, he was remarkable for his ingenuity. He invented curious articles with his tools. His
neighbours and grandmother admired his inventions and believed he would be a capital workman in future. His
friends wanted him to be an apprentice for a clockmaker. Newton was good in mechanical and maths skills. He
made curious clocks like the dancing figures, the sailing ship as the pendulum vibrates and the clock that worked
by the dropping of water. Newton also made a sun-dial which is still in his house at Woolsthorpe. He could acquire
knowledge in simple ways. Like, to find the strength of the wind, he jumped against the wind and by the length of
his jump, he calculated the force of the wind. Newton frequently went to the new windmill near his house and
examined its parts and internal machines for many hours. When the windmill was working, he watched the process
by which the mill-stones revolved and crushed the grains. Thus he learnt about the construction of the
windmill and he made his own small windmill with available materials like box-traps, linen for sails. When this
windmill was placed in the air, even a puff of wind from Newton’s mouth made the windmill work and the handful
of rains put into it turned to snow white flour.
Isaac Newton’s playmates always admired his toys, particularly the windmills. But one of his friends said that he
had forgotten something in the making of the windmill, when Isaac was sure that it lacked nothing. It lacked a
miller. As Isaac grew older, he started thinking beyond making toys. He isolated himself, thought deeply, read
some book of mathematics or philosophy and at nights he observed the stars. He asked himself many curious
questions about the world of stars, their distance from earth, their orbits, hold force and so on. After fourteen years
he helped his widow mother, but his mind was bent to become a scholar. So his mother sent him to the University
of Cambridge. Isaac was the first to find the nature of Light. When an apple fell on his head, he discovered the
force of gravitation. He tracked the orbits of the planets and stars on the sky. When he was doing his researches, he
spent all nights on a tower, gazing the heavenly bodies through a telescope. His mind was above this world. He
spent most of his life in the world that lie millions of miles away. Sir Isaac Newton died in 1727 when he was 85
years old. He was a Member of Parliament and received the honour of knighthood from the king. But he was not
proud of his earthly fame or knowledge. His name is written in letters of light, formed by the stars in mid sky.
Answer the following questions in brief-

1.Who was taking care of Newton after his father's death?

Answer- His grandmother was taking care of Newton after his father’s death.

2. What did Isaac manufacture at his young age?

Answer: Isaac manufactured a set of little tools and saws of various sizes.

3. How did the young boy find the strength of the wind?
Answer: The young boy found the strength of the wind by first jumping against the wind. According to the length
of his jump, he could calculate the force of a gentle breeze, a brisk gale or a tempest.

4. Why were his friends attracted by the windmill?

Answer: His friends were attracted by the windmill because they thought that they had not seen anything so pretty
and wonderful in the whole world.

5. How was Newton honoured by the king?

Answer: Newton was made a Member of the Parliament and received the honour of knighthood from the king.

6. How could Isaac’s grandmother tell the time of the day whether it was bright or cloudy?
Answer: Isaac had made a sundial which could tell the time when it was bright and sunny. He also made a water
clock which was set to work by the dropping of water.

7. ‘that unseen, inconstant and ungovernable wonder’

a) What is this wonder?
b) Why is it called ‘inconstant’ and ‘ungovernable’?
c) What did Isaac make it do? How?

Ans- a)‘This wonder’ is nothing else but the wind.

b) The wind is called ‘inconstant’ because it keeps changing both its speed and direction and
‘ungovernable’ because no one has any control of it.
c) Isaac made the wind tell him the measure of its strength.
He did this by jumping against the wind and then calculating the force of the wind by the length of his
jump.

8. ‘As a boy, Isaac had discovered the mechanism of a windmill. As a man, he explained to his fellow human
beings the complex mechanism of the universe’
a) How did Isaac Newton study the mechanism of the universe?
b) Which discoveries of Newton does the text mention?

Ans- a) Isaac took interest in Mathematics and Philosophy. He often spent time thinking deeply about the different
things in the universe. He gazed curiously at the stars and wondered about their nature, distance and power.
b) In the text it is mentioned that Isaac was the first to find out the nature of light. He discovered the force of
gravitation and also the laws by which the planets are guided through the sky.

9. ‘I seem to myself like a child, playing on the sea shore, and picking up here and there a curious shell or a
pretty pebble, while the boundless ocean of truth lies undiscovered before me.’
a) In this statement, the sea or the ocean has been compared to truth. What has been represented as a
curious shell or a pretty pebble? Why?
b) Why do you think Isaac saw himself as a child in this image?
c) What feelings does this statement express?

Ans- a) Isaac’s discoveries have been compared to a curious shell or a pretty pebble. This is because, although, his
discoveries were very important but in comparison to the vast ocean of truth, that remains yet to be discovered, he
felt his findings were small.
b) He saw himself as a child because he felt curious and excited in the similar way as a child feels in front of the
undiscovered vastness of the universe that needs to be explored.
c) Isaac Newton was humble. In spite of discovering so many truths of the universe, he felt that there was so much
more yet to be discovered. He has never been proud of his discoveries.

Additional questions-
1) Who was taking care of Newton after his father’s death?
2) What did Isaac manufacture at his young age?
3) Why were his friends attracted by the windmill?
4) Why did Newton’s friends advice his grandmother to apprentice him to a clockmaker?
5) How did Newton learn about the way a windmill operated?

________
GRAMMAR – Reported Speech
Reference material
● When we report something using the exact words of the speaker, we use direct speech. When we report
something in our own words, we use indirect speech.
Eg. Direct speech: The boy said, ‘I’m happy with my results.’
Indirect speech: The boy said that he was happy with his results.

● Whenever we report a speech there’s a reporting verb used like “say” or “tell”.
Eg. Direct speech: I love to play football.
Reported speech: She said that she loves to play football.

(Note 1 : Assume a gender if not mentioned already.

Note 2: Using “that” is optional. This sentence could also have been written as “She said she loves to play
football.”)
The tense doesn’t have to be changed in this case of reported speech. But if the reporting verb is in the past tense,
we do change the tense of the sentence.

Direct speech tense Indirect/Reported speech tense

Simple present simple past

present continuous past continuous

simple past past perfect

past continuous past perfect continuous

present perfect tense past perfect tense

Tense Direct speech Reported speech Changed tense

She said she liked to swim

Simple present I like to swim in the ocean Simple past
in the ocean

He said he lived in New

Simple present I live in New Orleans Simple past
Orleans

I went to school in the She said she had gone to

Simple past Past perfect
morning school that morning

I was going to the He said he was going to

Present continuous Past continuous
Himalayas the Himalayas

I was walking near the She said that she had been
Past continuous past perfect continuous
beach walking near the beach

She said she had caught a

Present perfect I have caught a few fishes past perfect
few fishes

I had trekked the He said he had trekked the

Past perfect Himalayas this time last Himalayas this time last Past perfect
year year
Some word transitions from direct to indirect speech:
● will becomes would
● can becomes could
● would stays would
● should stays should
● must stays must or had to (matter of choice)
● shall becomes should
Exception: A present tense in direct speech may not become a past tense in the reported speech if it’s a fact or
something generic we are talking about in the sentence.
Eg. Direct speech: The sun rises from the East.
Reported speech: She said that the sun rises from the East.

Reported speech- Handling questions:

What happens when the sentence we are trying to report was actually a question? That’s something we are going to
deal with in this section.
The only difference is that when we report a question, we no more report it in the form of a question but in the
form of a statement.
Eg. Direct speech: Where do you want to eat?
Reported speech: She asked me where I wanted to eat.
Note how the question mark is gone from the reported speech. The reported speech is a statement now.

Direct speech Reported speech

Are you going to my

She asked me if I was going to her house.
house?

Where were you going? He asked me where I was going.

Where have you been? She asked me where I had been.

Now these are questions that have wordy answers to them. What about the questions that have yes/no answers to
them? In these type of questions just add “if” before asking the question.
● Direct speech: Would you like to eat some cupcakes?
● Reported speech: He asked me if I would like to eat some cupcakes.
● Direct speech: Have you ever seen the Van Gogh paintings?
● Reported speech: She asked me if I had ever seen the Van Gogh paintings.
Reported speech- Reported requests:

Well not all questions require answers. Some questions are polite requests.
Reported request = ask me + to + verb OR requested me + to + verb
Just add this rule to reported speech and we have what is called a reported request.

Direct speech Reported speech

Could you please shut the door? She asked me to shut the door.

Can you please help me? She requested me to help her.

Reported speech- Reported orders:

Well, not everyone is going to be polite. Sometimes, we get orders. Now how will you report them? Unlike the
request, the reporting verb isn’t ask but told or tell. Also, when in orders, sometimes subjects are omitted, we have
to revive the subjects while reporting. Let’s see a few examples:
● Direct speech: Sit down!
● Reported speech: She told me to sit down.
● Direct speech: don’t worry!
● Reported speech: She told me not to worry.

Reported speech- Time transitions:

Direct speech Reported speech

Now then / at that time

Today that day

Yesterday the day before

 last night the night before

last week the week before / the previous week

Tomorrow the next day / the following day

SOLVED EXERCISES.

Exercise1. Change the following into Indirect Speech:

Change the following into indirect speech :

1. He said to me, “I have often told you not to play with me.”
2. They wrote, “It is time we thought about settling this matter.”
3. The teacher promised me, “If you come to school tomorrow, I will explain it.”
4. “What do you want ?” he said to her.
5. He said to me, “How’s your father ?”
6. “Don’t you know the way home ?” asked I.
7. “Do you really come from China ?” said the prince.
8. “Sit down, boys,” said the teacher.
9. “Run away, children,” said the mother.

Answers:
1. He told me that he had often told me not to play with him.
2. They wrote that it was time they (had) thought about settling that matter.
3. The teacher promised to me that he would explain it if I went to school the following day.
4. He asked her what she wanted.
5. He enquired about my father. Or He enquired how my father was.
6. I asked if he did not know the way home.
7. The Prince asked him if he really came from China.
8. The teacher asked the boys to sit down.
9. The mother asked the children to run away.

Exercise2. Rewrite the following statements in indirect speech:

1.The teacher said to the boys, ‘Have you done your homework?’
2. The little girl asked the man, ‘Will you help me?’
3. Janaki said, ‘I have been reading this book.’
4. Mother said to the daughter, ‘Go and change your dress.’
5. Susie said, “I had read this book before I gave it to you.
6. Mike said, ‘I will bring my piano.’
7. The officer told the clerk, ‘Bring me that file.’
8. Jane asked, ‘Have you read that book?
9. Malathi asked, ‘Where is your watch?’
10. Sophia said, ‘I watched this movie last week.’

Answers:
1. The teacher asked the boys if they had done their homework.
2. The little girl asked the man if he would help her.
3. Janaki said that she had been reading that book.
4. The mother told the daughter to go and change her dresses.
5. Susie said that she had read that book before she gave it to me.
6. Mike said that he would bring his piano.
7. The officer told the clerk to bring him that file.
8. Jane asked if I had read that book.
9. Malathi asked where my watch was.
10. Sophia said that she had watched that movie the previous week.

PRACTICE EXERCISES-

I) Rewrite the following statements in indirect speech:

1. The teacher said to the boys, ‘Have you done your homework?’
2. The little girl asked the man, ‘Will you help me?’
3. Janaki said, ‘I have been reading this book.’
4. Mother said to the daughter, ‘Go and change your dress.’
5. Susie said, ‘I had read this book before I gave it to you.’
6. Mike said, ‘I will bring my piano.’
7. The officer told the clerk, ‘Bring me that file.’
8. Jane asked, ‘Have you read that book?’
9. Malathi asked, ‘Where is your watch?’
10. Sophia said, ‘I watched this movie last week.’
11. Mother asked, ‘What is the matter?’
12. Shyam said, ‘I can solve this problem.’

II) Change the following sentences in direct speech to indirect speech.

1. Shyam said, “I want to buy a new laptop.’

2. Rahul said to me, ‘I am going to the movies.’
3. Mother said to me. ‘Learn your lessons.’
4. Madhav said, ‘I am hungry.’
5. Supriya said, ‘I am preparing for my exam.’
6. Rahul said, ‘I have to send a letter to my grandmother.’
7. Venu said, ‘I passed my exam.’
8. Manohar said to me, ‘I like your attitude.’
9. The girls said, ‘We are rehearsing for the programme.’
10. He said, ‘I know the answer.’
WRITING : Notice Writing

A notice is a form of written or printed information that can be in the form of an official statement of public
importance or a warning in advance, or it can also be used to give information to a segment of people or people at
large. The basic purpose is to disseminate information related to various issues or occasions. It is written in a
simple and formal language and is always brief and to the point.

Points to remember:

• the purpose should be to inform

• it should have a heading
• it should be brief and precise
• it should give all the required information, in a simple language
• the name and designation of the issuing authority should be mentioned
• it should be written in the third person
• it should have a date
• it should look attractive and the word limit should be adhered to
Format-

A SAMPLE-

Question : You are Asma/Ashish, the head girl/boy of XYZ international school. Your school is soon going
to publish the annual magazine next month. Write a notice for the notice board of your school inviting
students to submit write-ups.

XYZ INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

3 January 2023 NOTICE
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

This is to inform all the students that our school is going to publish its annual magazine
next month. All those who wish to contribute can mail their entries
to xyzmagazine@gmail.com. Write-ups will be accepted latest by March 30,2019 till
11:59 pm. You can take any topic of your choice. For further information, contact your
respective class teachers.
Thank you
Asma/Ashish
Head Girl/Head Boy

Q1. You are Suhani/Arya, the head girl/boy of XYZ school. Your school is going to publish the annual
magazine next month. Write a notice inviting students, who are interested, to submit their write-ups

HW- You are Ruhi/Rahul, the President of the Eco Club of ABC school. The club is visiting an
Old age home where the students need to contribute woollens and blankets. Write a notice requesting all
students to contribute generously for the noble cause

_________