Maxim Book 9_Sunil_2075_final for press

Study the following sample recipe. How to make carrot cake Servings: 5 people Total time: 1 hours Equipment: cup, bowl, cake tin, spoon Ingredients: 2 large eggs ½ cup oil 1 cup brown sugar 2 teaspoons cinnamon 2 cups carrot, grated 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind ½ teaspoon baking soda 1 cup white flour 1 cup flour, shifted 2 teaspoons baking powder Descriptions: • Firstly, beat the eggs, oil and brown sugar in a bowl until thick and smooth. • Then add the cinnamon, lemon rind and grated carrot. • After that, mix the mixture well. • Add the sifted flour, baking powder and baking soda. • Stir until just combined. • Rub the bottom of a cake tin with oil. • Pour mixture into the cake tin. • Bake at 180°C for 45 minutes, or until the centre is firm or a fork comes out clean. • Leave to stand for 5 minutes in the tin. • Cool on a cake rack and sprinkle with icing sugar. • Serve it as a dessert. How to make a cup of tea • To make a cup of tea is not a hard matter. • First, fill the kettle with cold water and heat it. • Next, put tea leaves into the hot water. • When the water has turned into red colour, pour it into the cup through a strainer. • Pour milk in the cup and add required amount of sugar. • Finally, stir and drink slowly. EXERCISE Choose one of the following dishes and write a complete recipe for it. Include all the five parts (title, servings, total time, equipment, ingredients and directions). 1. How to make a cup of tea? 2. How to make fish curry? 3. How to make rice pudding? 4. How to make carrot cake? 5. How to make egg fired rice? 6. How to make vegetable soup? 7. How to make mo mo? 8. How to make mixed vegetable? 9. How to make orange cake? 10. How to make dhidhoo? 11. How to make vegetable pakora? 12. How to make jaulo? Book 9 251

Charts and Diagrams There are different types of graphs- bar charts, line graphs, pie charts, circle chart and tables. They are used to present facts in visual form. They can be used to illustrate many types of data and should be used to make facts clearer and more understandable. Generally charts are described in three paragraphs: Paragraph 1 : Introduction (Write what type of chart it is and what it is about.) Paragraph 2 : Main Body (Write interesting and relevant information from the graph. Describe the sections of the graph.) Paragraph 3 : Conclusion (Write a short conclusion giving an overall view of what the chart is about. You can also include your opinions on the basis of the data in the chart.) Read these sample exercises: This is a pie chart. It shows the Mr. Basnet’s monthly income and expenditure monthly income and expenditure of Mr. Basnet. He nds his total monthly travelling income on six different items besides 7% his saving. Out of his total monthly income, he spends 21% on food, 7% education on travelling, 17% on education, 17% saving 19% on rent, 9% for stationery and 16% 11% on clothes. He also saves 16% of his total income. food rent Mr. Basnet spends most of his income 21% 19% on food. It seems that he has a large family. Maybe he has the habit of clothes eating expensive food or eating out. 11% stationery He spends least amount of his money 9% on travelling. As Mr. Basnet saves some money monthly, he is well concerned about his future. It can be said from the pie chart Mr. Basnet is a good parent as he spends 17% of his total income on education for his family. Book 9 252

The numbers of boys and girls in SB Academy 450 400 350 345 360 400 350 300 310 190 250 300 250 200 200 boys 150 150 girls 100 50 0 This bar chart shows the number of boys and girls in SB Academy from 2060 to 2061. It presents the number of five years. According to the chart, the number of total students is increasing every year. In 2060, the number of boys was 150 and the number of girls was 200. In 2064, the number of boys is 360 and the number of girls is 400. Every year the number of girls is more than that of the boys. But in 2063, the number of boys and girls was almost the same. It can be said from the bar chart that SB Academy is a good institution as it is getting more and more students admitted every year. Describe the following charts: The number of students in each class in janaki Boarding School, in 2001 120 100 100 80 80 90 60 65 70 50 48 40 30 38 38 20 0 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Monthly expenditure of Mr. Sahani 1 Annul Evaluation System of Milan Vidyakendra School food education 25% 13% festivals 6% Third Term, First Term, First Term travelling clothes 50% 20% 10% 12% Second Term, Second Term telephone 30% Third Term saving 14% 20% Book 9 253

Story Writing A story is a short or long narration where there are characters who carry out actions in a certain place or time. Stories are told by a narrator who talks about things that happen to the characters or to himself/herself. Point to remember: • Read the given outline carefully and understand the idea it conveys. • Connect the points in the story logically and sensibly leaving no points or ideas. • Guidelines are usually given in the present tense. Use the past tense to describe the events in a story. Describe them in sequence. • Write an interesting title that explains the main theme of the story. • Remember a good story has a beginning, a problem, a solution to the problem, an ending. • Think of a good starting in the first paragraph. Introduce the main characters; use some adjectives to describe them. To bring your characters to life, you must describe them: their appearance; their personalities; their strengths and weaknesses. • Think of a good setting that expresses the time, place, and even the weather in which a story occurs. • Keep the sentences in inverted commas if it is needed to quote directly. • Write a moral of the story. • Completing a story is not simply a gap filling. So do not add only a few words in the gaps to complete the story. Try to develop a readable story using the outline. Writing a story using guidelines or skeleton: Look at the skeleton of a story: an old lady becomes blind – calls in a doctor – agrees to pay large fee if cured, but nothing if not – doctor calls daily – puts eyes on lady’s furniture – delays the cure – everyday takes away furniture – at last cures her – demands his fees – lady refuses to pay – saying cure not complete – doctor brings a court case – judge asks why she will not pay – she says sight not properly restored – she cannot see all her furniture – judge gives verdict in her favour – moral. Ask yourself the following questions while you go through the guidelines: • Who or what is the main character? • Who is going to be in the story? • What sorts of characters are they? • Where and when is the story going to take place? (setting) • What is going to happen in your story? What type of story is it? • What are the important events? (plot) • How is the problem solved? How does it end? • What type of ending does it have? Happy? Sad? Book 9 254

Read the sample story: Adjectives The Clever Old Lady Title Exclamation First fghfghf Paragraph Once there lived an old lady in a town. Her name was Mrs Adverb Brown. In spite of her old age, she was living there all alone. Mid The villagers often talked about her cleverness and prosperity. Paragraphs One day she became blind all of a sudden. She sat on her Dialogue beautiful sofa and remembered her grandchild pulling her white hair and making fun of her furrowed face and toothless Last mouth. Now she could just smell the flowers in the Italian Paragraph vase that she had kept two days ago, but couldn’t see. Moral The old woman feared of hiring a doctor as the town was full of fake doctors. Yet she decided to call in a doctor on one condition. “Condition!” the doctor, whom she called in, said doubtfully, “What’s it!” Mrs Brown replied, “I’ll pay a large amount if I’m cured, but nothing if not.” The doctor agreed and visited her house daily for treatment. The furniture in Mrs Brown’s house lured him. He delayed the cure and began to take away an item of furniture everyday he came there. Finally he cured her and demanded his fees. Although the old lady got her eyesight restored, she refused to pay to the doctor. She just said, “I still can’t see well.” The doctor was sure that she could see well. So he brought a court case. The judge asked the lady, “Mrs Brown, why are you not paying to the doctor?” “Your Honour! My eyesight is not properly restored. I still cannot see all my furniture,” the lady said to the judge. The judge understood and gave verdict in her favour. Mrs Brown won the court case with her honesty and wit, and got her eyesight restored as well. Moral: To know when to be generous and when firm- that is wisdom. A good story has title moral adjectives adverbs exclamations dialogues words that appeal all the senses of the readers Book 9 255

Now read some sample stories: Three artists complete – one paints a wreath of flowers – a bee comes and sits on the picture –another paints a basket of fruit – an ox tries to seize it – the third paints a curtain – all the three pictures placed before the judge – the judge tries to raise the curtain – the pictures judged the best – it deceives a man – other only insect and animals – moral. The three artists Long ago there lived three artists who were fully accomplished in art, and their paintings were equally so good that it was great difficult for anyone to judge who was best among them. Once an art competition was held to find out who was best among them. The three artists took part in the competition. One painted a flower. It looked so real that a bee came and settled on it. Another painted a basket of fruit. It looked so natural that an ox tried to seize some of it. The third artist painted a curtain that was also so real and beautiful. Everybody was excited to know who would be the winner among the three. All the three paintings were presented before the judge. He looked at all the paintings. When he looked at the curtain, it appeared so natural to him that he tried to raise it. The judge said, “The first two paintings deceived only an animal and an insect, but the third painting deceived a human being. So I declare the artist of the third painting as the winner.” Moral: The best always takes the first place. Three men find a bag of money – agree to divide the money – all very hungry – one sent to buy food – he wants all the money himself – poisons the food – the other two plot to murder him – so they murder him – they now eat the poisoned food – both die – moral. Greed for money Once three men saw something and yelled out, “Hey, chaps, what’s that?’ pointing to a small bag under a tree. To their amazement, it was a bag full of money. They had never seen such wads of money before. They agreed to divide the money equally. As they had walked long, they were hungry. One of them was sent to buy some food from a nearby market. While returning from the market with the food, he thought of getting all the money by himself. So he poisoned the food. Meanwhile, the other two planned to kill him on his return so as to have more share. When the man returned with food, the other two murdered him and happily ate the poisoned food his friend had brought. After sometime both of them also died. The bagful of money remained under the tree unused and unclaimed with their dead bodies. Nothing else, but greed was the cause of their death. Moral: Greed leads to an unhappy ending. Book 9 256

A king disappointed – his people lazy – to teach them a lesson he had a big stone put in the middle of the road one night – next day merchants pass and go round it –an officer driving his car did the same – a young solider came cycling, did the same – all cursed the stone and blamed the government for not removing it – then the king had the stone removed – many people watched it – under it was an iron box, marked, “For the man who moves away the stone” – inside was a purse full of money – the people were ashamed – moral. Lazy countrymen got a lesson Once there was a wise king who was very much worried about his countrymen. The people in his country were so lazy and didn’t participate in any work or development activities. One evening the king thought of teaching the people a good lesson. He had a big stone put in the middle of the road one night. Next day merchants passed and went around it. An officer who came driving a car passed the stone without caring it. A young soldier came cycling but he also did the same. None of the people tried to remove the big stone from the road, instead all of them cursed and blamed the government for not removing the stone. Knowing that no one was going to remove the stone, the king with a few of his courtiers had the stone removed and many people watched the incident. Under the stone there was an iron box marked, “For the man who moves away the stone” The king opened the purse and there was full of money. The people watching it were ashamed of themselves for not removing the stone. Moral: Do what you can, rather than blaming or complaining about others. Androcles– slave – runs away – lives in a cave in the desert – the lion comes limping – thorn in its foot – Androcles pulls out the thorn – lion grateful – soon after Androcles caught – condemns to be thrown to lions – one lion not touches him – lays at his feet – same lion – master hears Androcles story – pardons Androcles – sets lion free– moral. A cruel master Long ago there was a kingdom which was ruled by a cruel master. There was extreme slavery and poverty in the kingdom. People were afraid of the master. The master had many slaves working for him. Among them was Androcles, who was so badly treated by his master that he ran away from the master to a desert. He sheltered into a cave. One day he saw a lion with a wounded paw. It came to him limping. He saw a big thorn in its paw. He took out the big thorn. The lion was very much grateful to him and they became good friends. Androcles and the lion were living happily in the desert till the day when he was caught by his master again. He was condemned to be thrown before a hungry lion. His master threw Androcles to a lion. But the lion didn’t hurt him rather it laid at his feet. Book 9 257

The master and all others were astonished to look at the behaviour of the lion. Androcles knew that it was the same lion that he had met in the desert. When the master heard Androcles story, he felt so deeply that he pardoned Androcles and set the lion free. Moral: If you help others you will be helped. EXERCISE 1 A merchant in a city had a friend, monkey - helped the merchant in his works - the merchant sleeping - monkey sitting near and looking after him - a housefly sat on the merchant’s face - monkey tried to chase - but couldn’t - sat again on merchant’s face - monkey angry - picked up his sword - hit - housefly flew away- result - moral. 2. Robert Bruce, King of Scotland - defeated by England - his country captured - wanted to free - repeatedly defeated by the British - sad and gloomy hid in a cave - saw a spider - climbing up to the roof - each time it reached close to the roof but fell back - tried again - at last reached the roof - gave hope to the king - he also tried again - succeeded- moral. 3. A silly ass - found lion’s skin - thinks to have fun - wears it - starts to frighten people- people afraid- people shut up in houses- the ass be mightily pleased- a bold and fearless villager fights with- the skin slip softly- villagers now recognises and kills- moral. 4. A dispute between the sun and the wind - agree to a trial of strength - a traveller appears - either bids to make him take off his clothes - the wind wins the toss - blows harder and harder - the traveller clasps his clothes even tighter - the sun shines - gets hotter and hotter - the traveller takes off his coat and shirt - the sun wins - moral. 5. A heavy shower - birds comfortable in nests - monkeys getting wet at the branches of the trees - birds sympathise them - monkeys with head and feet can’t build shelters - rain ceases - monkeys destroy nests - moral. 6. A boy falls into a bad company - his mother asks him to leave the company - does not obey- thinks of a plan- gives good apples - also rotten one - set together in a basket - after some days - all the apples found rotten - the boy improves - moral. 7. A well educated man - travelling in a boat - talked with the boatman - asked him if he was literate - he wasn’t - lost his half of life - a big storm began - boat about to sink - the boat man asked if the man knew to swim - he didn’t - lost whole life. 8. A woman - two servants - worked hard - the woman- a cock - the cock used to crow very early - the woman used to wake up - they killed the cock - situation was still worse- the woman - up whenever she liked and made them - moral. 9. A village boy - daily - taken sheep out for grazing- gets tired of work shouts ‘wolf’ as a fun - villagers run for help - find no wolf - boy laughs at them - play the same joke again - villagers angry - at last wolf really comes - boy shouts - villagers take no notice - moral. 10. A barber shop - near the jungle - a barber - people visit - shaving everyday- nearby a monkey on a tree - watching - shaving finished - a barber goes to the river - the monkey climbs down - tries shaving - cuts mouth and nose - screams - moral. Book 9 258

11. A cat kills many mice - mice hold a meeting - discuss how to be safe - a young mouse says, ‘Let’s tie a bell around its neck’ - all agree; happy - a wise old mouse says, ‘But who will bell the cat?’ - all quiet - moral. 12. A farmer - an amazing goose - laid a golden egg daily - the farmer greedy - thinks to be rich at once - kill the goose to get all the eggs inside her - great disappointment - gets a single egg - moral. 13. A pack of jackals in a jungle - an old elephant - a clever jackal undertakes to kill him for other jackals - flatters the elephant - invites him to a meeting of the animals to choose him as their king - leads to muddy place - sticks fast in the thick mud - the jackals rush upon the elephant - kills him and enjoy a hearty feast - moral. 14. A farmer with several sons - sons always quarrelled - the farmer was sad - fell ill and taken to hospital dying - called his sons and gave a bundle of sticks - told them to break the sticks - untied the bundle - gave the sticks separately - easily broke each stick - moral. 15. A fox hungry - sees a crow - crow has a piece of cheese - fox wishes to have the cheese - begins to praise the crow - asks to sing - the crow pleased and crows - the cheese falls down - the fox eats and walks away - moral. 16. A king - had a clever jester - made funny remarks about people in the court - humourous - offended king - condemned to death - begged for mercy from the king - king allowed him to choose how he would like to die - choose to die of old age - king was pleased with his wit - pardoned him- moral. 17. A lion catches in a hunter’s net - a squirrel serves the lion - becomes his favourite servant - the lion - promises him a cartload of nuts- did not fulfil his promise for long - the hungry squirrel envies others - grows old - retires from service- is given his cartload of nuts - long ago lost all his teeth - moral. 18. A man - a brave and faithful mangoose - master and mistress go out - small child alone in the house - a big snake comes up - is killed - the mangoose’s mouth covered with blood - kill it - find the child safe and sound - moral. 19. A merchant - load his donkey with salt - donkey ships into a stream - weight lessens - merchant reloads the donkey with salt - donkey plays the trick - loads with sponges - donkey acts to ship - sponges heavier with water - donkey realises its mistake - moral. 20. A dog and a donkey sleeping - hear a noise - but the dog goes to sleep again- ‘Why don’t you bark? It could be thieves,’ asks the donkey, ‘You’d better mind your own business,’ replies the dog - the restless donkey then brays to the loudest of his voice - his voice frightens off the thieves but wakes up master - master becomes angry for being woke up - beat the donkey severely- moral. 21. A famine - a rich man distributes loaves among children every day - children quarrel over loaves - a small girl waits patiently - gets the smallest loaf last of all - cuts it on reaching home - finds two rupees in her loaf - runs to the rich man to return the loaf - the rich man returns them to her as reward for her patience - moral. Book 9 259

Paragraphs Begin your paragraph with a good topic sentence that covers the content of the entire paragraph. All the supporting examples and details of the paragraph must fit under the topic sentence. When you are writing a paragraph, first decide what your topic sentence is and what sentences and ideas you are going to write to support your topic sentence. Never include more than one idea in one paragraph. Topic There are a number of things to keep in mind when you visit a temple. sentence The first thing is that you make sure that you are not wearing any leather things. If you are wearing leather things, you need to take them off before you enter the Supporting temple. The second thing you need to consider is that you should take some flowers Sentences with you to worship. You may sometimes do not get chance to buy flowers at the temple. Thirdly, you have to stand in queue if there are many people waiting for Topic worshipping. sentence Supporting Pollution means substances that make our water, air and soil dirty. Sentences Our surroundings get polluted from many factors. Our rivers are polluted with dirty water from our homes and factories. Smoke coming out of vehicles and factories pollute the air we breathe. Polluted water causes water borne diseases like cholera, typhoid etc. Air pollution leads to breathing problem. Chemical pollution affects the soil. Polluted fruits and vegetables that grow pollution must, therefore, be checked urgently, only then we can lead a healthy and happy life. My Neighbour My neighbour Jeevan Uncle is one of the most interesting people in my neighbourhood. First of all, he looks very funny. He is forty-five years old and has a wrinkled white face. He usually dyes his hair in brown and wears a temporary tattoo on his left arm. He loves to wear colourful shirts and jeans. Next, Jeevan uncle has a remarkable history. When he was twenty years old, he went to Bombay to be a film actor. He learnt singing, dancing and acting there. Now he is a successful gym instructor. He instructs me and my friends while doing exercise in a filmy style. Further, I love spending time with him because he always makes the things easy. He cracks jokes and he is never serious. He always gives simple solutions to any problems. In short, I am very fond of Jeevan Uncle because he has an interesting look, a strange past and is very friendly. Preparation for the Final Exam The hostel students are working hard to get through their final exams with good grades. They are spending most of their time revising their subjects, ignoring all other activities, no matter how important they are. Whenever they have any difficulty at any point, they are consulting their friends. If there is no solution, they consult their teachers. At the end of the day, they evaluate themselves how many lessons they have learned. All of them have made their study plan and they are moving according to it. In short, the hostel students are burning the midnight oil to pass their final exams with high marks. Visiting Chitwan National Park If you visit Chitwan National Park, you will certainly see some big wild animals. Some Book 9 260

common ones are one-horned rhinoceros, wild elephants and tigers. Another cool wild animal in Chitwan National Park is the gharial crocodile. During a recent trip, I saw one or two gharial crocodiles lying in the pool. I also saw four horned antelope, striped hyena, pangolin and dolphin. Also, you can easily see samber, chital, hog deer, barking deer, sloth bear, common leopard, palm civet, wild dog, langur, rhesus monkey and different species of birds. The ranger talking to our group said there are more than 400 species of birds in the park. So if you visit Chitwan National Park and keep your eyes open, you will likely see some of these wild animals, too. My Favourite Hobby Although I have several hobbies, painting is my most enjoyable pastime activity. While I am painting, this is the time I express my deep love to natural things. My paintings often show the essence of saving nature for the existence of human life. People are destroying natural elements like forests, rivers, lakes, etc. Whenever I am free, I visit to an area with outstanding natural beauty and spend my spare time there. I usually visit such places on Saturdays and do a painting sketch. While I am drawing, I feel very relaxed and happy. My happiness increases when my friends see my paintings and realize the message that I want to convey through my painting. I have been painting for three years and have made a lot of paintings. Most of my paintings have often attracted the attention of visitors in the art exhibitions. In this way, I also get a chance to make some money. I am convinced that painting will always be a great leisure- time activity for me. Importance of Homework Homework is an important part of the learning process in primary and secondary school. One reason is that homework gives students additional practice of skills covered in class. School classes are too short to teach a new concept and practice it sufficiently for students to master. Another reason for homework is that it provides time to complete longer assignments. For example, composition writing or project work allows time for students to think and to reflect on their ideas, as well as time to revise and to proofread their writing. In addition, since all students do not learn or work at the same speed, giving students time at home to finish work keeps them from falling behind. Finally, the most important reason for homework is that it ensures review. New material and old material are practised in daily assignments. That’s why, students need to do their daily homework for sufficient practice, better grades and better learning. My Visit to Grandmother Although I have never really lived in the village with my grandmother, visiting her seems like coming home. This impression begins as soon as I get off the bus at Rajbiraj and start walking on a dusty road that goes to my grandmother’s house. While walking on that road, the sense of welcome overwhelms me. When I reach there, I always find uncles, aunts, cousins and my grandmother standing in front of the house and waiting for me. The smell coming from mango trees and chirping sounds of birds have made this place memorable for me. But the memory that lasts the longest is the smell of curd and beaten rice that my grandmother gives me to eat after I reach there. Yes, only in Grandmother’s house, I always feel welcome and have decided to spend my next holiday with her. Book 9 261

Why Should Children Go to School? Children should go to school for various purposes. First and foremost is education. At school, they learn reading, writing, maths, science, history, physical education and more. They learn languages and necessary life skills. School education even complements the things children learn at home from their family members. Another purpose behind sending children to school is socialization. At school, children learn to get along with peers and adults. They learn to get adjusted with students from different communities. They make new friends and learn new things. Moreover, children should go to school to learn to stay away from home. When they are at school, their parents do not have to look after them. This allows their parents to do their jobs even staying away from home. Thus, school is a very important place for children. EXERCISE 1. Do you live in a town or village? Write about life in your town or village, using the following clues: Town:facilities, entertainment, opportunities, noise, pollution, rush. Village:peace, co-operation, leisurely life, illiteracy, poverty, lack of facilities. 2. Write a short paragraph about how you will spend your holidays. You may take the help of the clues given below or add your idea also. When holidays begin? - what do you do? - where do you go? - whom do you go with? -how long - how much do you spend, etc. 3. Write a couple of paragraphs about your teacher, use the clues: Name and age: Physical Features: height, colour of eyes, etc. Other attributes: intelligent, hopeful, liking and disliking in him/her. 4. Write a couple of paragraphs about ‘The Rising Nepal’, a national daily newspaper. Use the clues: Carries news and views from all directions; gives entertainment, public awareness, politics, economics, education and knowledge; people can say to the government and direct it; it should not be controlled by the political parties; no misleading and twisted news. 5. Write a short description of Bharatpur with the help of the following hints: Bharatpur - headquarters of Chitwan district - Narayani river - about 148 km southwest of Kathmandu - passes Mahendra Highway - hot and dry - fertile land - exports mustard, rice - religious spot Devghat - population about 70 thousands. Book 9 262

Dialogues Tips for Students • You need at least two people to talk to each other in a dialogue. • Identify the topic or situation on which you have to write a dialogue. • After that, choose characters and setting. • Decide the number of exchanges. • Write like you talk. • Write your dialogue in about 75 to 100 words. • Get to the point and make your dialogue realistic. • Include the following things in your dialogue. M Greetings and pleasantries (hello, good morning, nice to see you, …) M Colloquial expressions, interjections, filler words (Well, um, so, no, really, oh, er, ugh, yuck, shh, yes, uh, yippee, hurray, like, actually, absolutely, sort of, kind of, …) M Short responses (Yes, I did. No, no. Several times before,….) M Farewells (bye, good bye, see you, thank you,…..) Study the following dialogue Dialogue 1 Ravi : Have you got a big family? Mina : No, not very big. There are four in my family.: my mum, my dad, my sister and me. What about you? Have you got any brothers or sisters? Ravi : I’ve got a little sister. Mina : What’s her name? Ravi : Her name’s Pushpa. Mina : How old is she? Ravi : She’s two years old. Mina : Have you got any pet? Ravi : Yes, I’ve got a dog, Jacky, Do you like pets? Mina : Yes, I have two small cats. They like biscuits. Dialogue 2 Nima : Welcome to my house! Please have a seat. Mona : Thanks. Nima : Do you like to have some coffee? Mona : No, thanks. I’m thirsty. Nima : What about a glass of water? Mona : Yes, please. I’m feeling hot. Nima : Can I use your computer, please? Mona : Sure. Nima : Where is it? Mona : It’s in my room. Nima : Can I write an email? Mona : I’m afraid you can’t. I haven’t got internet connection. Book 9 263

Dialogue 3 Kumar : Why weren’t you at school yesterday? Pukar : I wasn’t really feeling well. Kumar : What was wrong with you? Pukar : I had a severe headache. Kumar : Do you feel better now? Pukar : I don’t really feel too well yet. Kumar : Do you want anything to make you feel better? Pukar : No, thanks. I already took some medicine. Kumar : I hope you feel better. Pukar : Thank you. Kumar : Have you heard my good news? Pukar : You haven’t told me anything yet. Kumar : I topped the class this year. Pukar : Is that right? Kumar : It’s the truth, I am really happy. Pukar : Congratulations! Kumar : Thank you very much. Pukar : You’ll give us a party, won’t you? Kumar : Sure. I will arrange it at the weekend. EXERCISE 1. Your brother wants to visit a zoo but you want to visit a museum. Write a dialogue between you and your brother about your visiting plan. 2. Write a short dialogue between two friends talking about a birthday party or marriage ceremony or any social event. 3. Write a conversation between a shopkeeper and a customer on getting some discount while buying a pair of shoes. 4. Write a dialogue between two friends about a movie they have recently watched. 5. Compose a dialogue between a father and a son about the importance of reading a newspaper. 6. Suppose you had a quiz contest in your school last week. Write a short conversation between you and your friend talking about the contest. 7. Write a short conversation between two friends talking about one of the following topics: a. Weather b. Shopping c. Hobbies d. Favourite e. books f. Favourite movies g. School h. Future Plans i. Holiday plans Book 9 264

Letters There are two types of letters- formal and informal letters. Informal letters are also called personal letters. Personal Letters The layout of a personal letter Sender’s address and Baneshower, Kathmandu. date 13th August, 2014. Greeting or salutation Dear Atul, What’s up! I hope you’re doing great in Kathmandu. I thought First paragraph I’d drop you a line to let you know I’m back in Kathmandu from my village and we could start our work from tomorrow. My journey back here was fine, though it was quite a long one. I wanted to travel by a night bus but guess what; all the night Main body buses were full! So I had no choice but to travel by a small day bus. The journey took more than ten hours. By the time we reached here, my legs were tired. But now I’m fine. You’ve typed all the documents, haven’t you? If not, cool! I’ll Final paragraph get them completed as I’ve had a new laptop. Hey! Atul, let’s meet tomorrow at Kirtipur, shall we? See you! Closing Best regards, Kunal Personal letter: Sample 1 Pokhara. May 10, 2017 Abhash, I hope you remember your promise to come and spend a few days with us at Pokahara after your examination. I know your examination is now over, isn’t it? When are you packing your bags for our place? My parents will be delighted to have you here. In fact, only yesterday my mother was inquiring about your coming here. I assure you of good times once here. With so many things to see and places to visit, you’ll never be bored. And besides I’ve several friends here living close by. It’ll be a pleasure to have you join us. I’m anxiously waiting for your arrival. I’ll come to pick you up. What’s your brother doing nowadays? Why don’t come here with him? Ever yours, Ritesh Book 9 265

Some important points: Ü The sender’s address is put at the top right hand side and the date below it. Ü General greetings for informal letters are ‘Dear………’ or ‘Hi………’ or simply the name of the person (only initial name) to whom you are writing. Ü The first paragraph generally expresses a greeting, followed by wishes of good health and what’s going around. Ü Mid paragraphs contain the main message. Use active sentences, contractions, questions, exclamations, tag questions, etc to make your letters colloquial. Ü Use some friendly remarks like ‘Best wishes, Love, Best regards, Ever yours, Yours, With love, etc and only your first name to close your letter. Greetings Dear Suman, Atul, Hi Tina, Dear Father, Dear Aunt, Dear Mr Sharma, My dear Uncle, First and mid Respected Father, etc. paragraphs How are you? I hope you’re fit and fine………. I hope you are feeling better………. Endings It’s been long I haven’t heard anything from you… How are you my dear sister? I hope………. How are you? Hope everything’s OK………. It’s been a while since we wrote,………. Thank you very much for your last letter………. It was interesting to read………. You might be surprised to hear from me………. Well, I thought………. I can’t wait to come visit you in………. What’s up dude! Hope you’re………. I am so glad to hear that you have decided to…. I am very grateful for………. It feels like such a long time since the last time I..... I will not be able to attend the………. I am sorry to inform you that………. Why don’t we………. Unfortunately, we will have to postpone………. I look forward to hearing from you………. I’m really sorry I………. We had a little bit of luck………. Give my regards to………. I’d better get going………. Let me know as soon as………. Please let me know………. That reminds me,………. Write soon………. Thanks for your letter………. Did you know that………. Could you do something for me? I’m happy to hear that………. All the best, All best wishes, Be well, Best regards, Best wishes, Bye for now..., Cheerio, Good wishes, Goodbye Kind Regards, Lots of love, Love, Many thanks, Take care, Take good care, Thank you, Very truly yours, Warm regards, Warmest Regards, Wishing you the best, With kind affection, With warmth, With all best wishes, With love, With all good wishes, Your friend, Yours always, Yours ever, Yours, Ever yours, Your loving son, Yours sincerely, Sincerely yours, etc. Book 9 266

Personal letter: Sample 2 A letter to a foreign friend Biratnagar Dear David, 16 May 2018. I got your letter yesterday and I’m glad to know that you intend to visit Nepal this autumn. My family and I will, indeed, be delighted to have you here with us. Let me tell you a few things about my village, as you’ve requested in your letter. Ours is a small village, far from the main highway in the eastern part of Nepal. It lacks most of the modern amenities like electricity, concrete road, tap water, telephones, bus, computer, etc. One has to walk long distances to fetch water from streams and get the daily essentials. The houses are simple, made of mud and thatch. So life is not all comforts here. People here are simple, honest and hardworking. They are helpful and live in peace and harmony. I’m sure you’ll enjoy scenery of the village. I look forward to welcoming you here. Yours, Jenny Personal letter: Sample 3 A letter to a relative Baneshower, Kathmandu Dear Uncle Shyam, 13th August, 2017 You might be surprised to hear from me as this is my first letter to you, Uncle. Dad gave me your address before he left for Delhi. Hope you’re doing great in your business, and Father always tells me that you’ve always enjoyed good health with good exercise and balanced diet, haven’t you? Uncle, actually my exam is quite at hand and I need to buy some books for my project work. I’m a bit short of money at the moment and Father may stay more than two weeks in Delhi. Will you please send me five thousand rupees so that I can buy the books I need? I’ve already sent an e-mail to Father about it. In fact, he has suggested me to ask money with you. He will return the money when he comes back from Delhi. I hope you don’t mind doing this help to your nephew. Please let me know the soonest about it. I appreciate any help you can offer me. With kind regards, Ishan Book 9 267

Personal letter: Sample 3 A letter for invitation Kirtipur, Kathmandu 15th December, 2017 Dear Kunal, It’s been long we haven’t met with each other. Well, I thought New Year would be a good opportunity to get to know you and our classmates. Therefore, I’d like to invite you to my New Year Party at Lovely Cottage, opposite the bus park at Kirtipur. To make it more interesting, I’ve also invited our classmates-Subha and Nibha, who have recently opened a band. I think they will entertain us with songs and dance. We’ve planned to start party sharp at 7 pm and we’ll burst New Year Balloons sharp at 12, and then we’ll enjoy whole night with food, singing and dancing. You can dress casually in jeans and T-shirt or wear formal dresses if you like. Can you manage one or two digital cameras so that we can take photographs, or if possible a video camera? Let me tell you that the cottage has a very beautiful garden with a fountain where we can have some fine snaps. Please let me know as soon as possible if you can come to my little party and how many friends you’d like to bring with you. How to write an invitation letter? With kind greetings, Milan 1. The tone of an invitation should be always positive. 2. Extend the invitation, naming the event and including the date, time, and place. If the event has a special purpose, such as honouring someone or celebrating an anniversary, state this. 3. Indicate the appropriate dress, if there is any reason for question. 4. Express anticipation. 5. Ask for a response by a specific date. Personal letter: Sample 4 A letter for thanks Birgunj 15th May, 2017 Dear Kumud, Thanks a lot for your last letter and the wonderful present you sent for me. Imagine, my surprise when I opened the present waiting for me at home. I think the juicer is really useful for me because my old one was not working well. As I go on a diet every two months, that juicer will do a lot to me. Had I known earlier you were coming over, I would have been thrilled to receive the gift personally. Just the same, I appreciate the thoughtfulness and effort you put into finding me a wonderful present. Please let me know when are you free, I want to meet you as I have a plan that I want to share with you. Thanks again! Deshaj Book 9 268

Personal letter: Sample 5 A letter for congratulations Birgunj 15th May, 2017 Dear Ishan, Congratulations! All of your hard work has finally paid off! I knew that if anyone could set a new world record for the high jump, it would be you. It takes a great deal of talent, hard work, and determination to get such an outstanding achievement. If you have some free time, I would love to celebrate this wonderful achievement with you.Your skills and smarts will surely serve you well in the field of sports. Best wishes for continual success. Once again, my sincere congratulations on your grand success! Sincere best wishes, Anu How to write an effective congratulation letter? M State in the beginning the specific occasion that has motivated you to write your letter. M Express praise and approval of the reader’s accomplishments. M Keep your congratulation letter simple and concise - under one page in length. M Be positive and don’t include any negative comments or unhappy news. M Don’t exaggerate your congratulatory words, or your letter may seem sarcastic or mocking. Personal letter: Sample 6 A letter for sympathy and condolence Biratnagar 20th June, 2017 Dear Samir, I’m writing to extend my deepest condolences to you and your family. I was so very sad to hear about your uncle Kabir, he was such a wonderful man. I had the honour and the pleasure to know your uncle and I was very sorry to hear about his passing away. I had the greatest respect for him and will miss playing football with him. He was very generous and had remarkable sense of humour. May Almighty God give you strength and courage to bear this irreparable loss! May his departed soul rest in peace in heaven! Please let me know whether there is anything I can do to help during this difficult time. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers. Yours sincerely, Nikhil Book 9 269

Some important tips to write sympathy/condolence letters: M Be brief in your approach and try to be empathetic. M Mention how you came to know about the sad news in simple terms. M You can mention the shock that you had to face within yourself when you heard the news. M If your letter is concerned with the death of a person. Include the name of the person. M If your letter is concerned with a death, mention positive memories about that person. M Try to give a feeling to the bereaved family that they are not alone in this grief. You are there to share this grief. M Try to encourage the bereaved family and close your letter with an expression of comfort. Personal letter: Sample 7 A letter for father Kathmandu August 15 Dead Dad, I’m fine here and hope all of you’ll be in the pink of health. I always look at my family album and miss You, Mum and Sister Jenny a lot. Dad! You might be wondering why I’ve written this letter to you because I come home every winter vacation which is very near. But not in this winter vacation, as our school has organized an educational tour for Grade X students to major cities of Nepal. We’re being accompanied by our Geography teacher and the hostel superintendent. It is a ten day tour, and the school is charging Rs. 5, 0000/- for it. A few of my friends have already given their names for the tour. I do not wish to miss the tour too, and see some famous places in Nepal. Such tours, as you know, form an important part of education. But I do not wish to enlist my name until I have your permission. I, therefore, request you to please permit me to go on this tour. If you think I should join the tour, please send me the required money. Say my namaste to Mum and best wishes to Jenny. Your loving son, Karun Book 9 270

Personal letter: Sample 8 A letter for apology Pokhara Jan 25 Dead Manoj, I’m sorry I spoke so sharply to you on the phone last night. As you know, I’m a morning person and I had been asleep for about fifteen minutes when you called. I’m not sure I was completely awake. You are a dear friend, and I would not intentionally hurt your feelings. Please accept my apology and let me make it up to you by taking you to lunch Friday. It’s been a while since we had a good talk. Once I’m very sorry. Let’s meet this weekend. I’m waiting for your call. See you soon! Your friend, Karun Dharan August 28 Dead Raju, I’m writing to apologize for the behavior of some members of our soccer team at the district level finals last week. We all know that emotions can get heated when close calls are made in intense games, but it does not excuse the language and behavior of some of our players. I, too, was personally shocked and offended by their actions, which were a direct contravention of the values of dignity and good sportsmanship we teach in our school. The offending players are being disciplined, and will not have their athletic scholarships renewed. Please convey my personal apologies to the faculty and students of your college, for whom we have the utmost respect. Once again please accept my warm apologies on behalf of our team. Let’s arrange a meeting so that we can create friendly environment between the two teams once again. I’m waiting for your response. See you soon! Best regards, Samir Book 9 271

EXERCISE a. Write a letter to a friend whom you haven’t seen or spoken to for a long time. Tell him about what you have been doing and ask him how he is and what he has been up to recently. b. Write a letter to a friend who has been having some problems. Ask him/her how she/he is doing and if you can help. c. Write a letter to your pen friend telling him/her about the SEE examination in Nepal. d. Suppose a foreign friend of yours is coming to visit Nepal next month. Write a letter to inform him/her about the types of clothes he/she needs to bring with him/ her. e. Write a letter to your father telling him about your preparation for the final exam and asking him for some money to buy some winter dresses for yourself. f. Write a letter to your mother telling her that you will come home next month. g. Write a letter to your uncle asking him about his new motorbike he bought last week. h. Suppose your aunt is very conscious about good health. Write a letter asking her about the quantity and variety of food needed for good health. i. Choose a special event and write a letter inviting a friend. What do you need to include in the letter so that they have all the necessary information? You need to be clear on the date and the time, as well as the location. Remember to ask them to reply saying yes or no. Give a date by which you must have their reply. j. Write a letter to your cousin who lives in a neighbouring country and invite her to your birthday party. k. Your class has just been out on a school visit to Jhimruk Power Station in Pyuthan District. Write a thank you letter to the manager. You will need to say thank you and how much you enjoyed the visit. Give some examples of what you enjoyed best about the day. l. Write a letter extending your sincere thanks to a neighbour or friend who has given time to take care of something valuable to you. m. Write a thank you letter to your teacher who helped you complete your project work providing extra classes for you. n. Write a condolence letter to the parents of your friend who was killed in a motorcycle accident. o. Suppose you are the manager of Deepa Mobile Store where an accident took the life of a hardworking salesperson Anil Shilpakar. Write a condolence letter to his family. Book 9 272

Formal Letters The layout of a formal letter Sender’s address and Panchakumari Maarg- 20, date Baneshower, Kathmandu. 13th June, 2018. The Manager, Inside address SB Bros Fitness Superstore Pvt. Ltd. New Road, Kathmandu. Greeting or salutation Dear Sir, I have seen your advertisement in yesterday’s Kantipur, and First I am writing to ask you to send me some information about paragraph fitness equipment for a health club. I am the owner of Top Fitness Centre that I have recently opened at Kuleshower. I would be grateful if you could send me your catalogue. I Main body and some friends are particularly interested in exercise bikes, dumbbells, weight set, body rollers, exercise balls, weight belts, squat stands, weight benches, lifting gloves, etc. I look forward to seeing your catalogue and will appreciate if Final paragraph you could let me know by return if you can supply these items of gym equipment. Closing remark Yours sincerely, Aruna Bastakoti Some important points: Ü The sender’s address is put at the top right hand side and the date below it. Ü The address of the person receiving the letter goes on the left hand side below the sender’s address and the date. Ü General greetings for formal letters are: Dear Sir, (If you know the person is a male) Dear Madam, (If you know the person is a female) Dear Sir or Madam, (If you do not know whether the person is a male or a female) Dear Sirs, (If you are writing to an organization, not to a particular person) Dear Mr. Sahani, (If you know name of the person) (If you know the name, use the title (Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms, Dr, etc.) and the surname only. If you are writing to a woman and do not know if she uses Mrs or Miss, you can use Ms, which is for married and single women.) Ü The first paragraph should be short and state the purpose of the letter- to make an enquiry, complain, request something, etc. Book 9 273

Ü The mid paragraphs show the main message. They should contain the relevant information behind the writing of the letter. Use full forms and polite expressions to make your letter formal. Ü The last paragraph of a formal letter should state what action you expect from the recipient. Sum up your main point and state that you look forward to a response to your letter / query / complaint, etc if appropriate. Most formal letters in English are not very long, so keep the information to the essentials and concentrate on organising it in a clear and logical manner rather than expanding too much. Ü Use some complementary remarks like ‘Yours faithfully, Yours sincerely, Yours truly, etc and only your full name and signature to close your letter. Letter for leave Satdobato, Lalitpur 6th July, 2017 To, The Class Teacher, LMV Secondary English School, Lagankhel, Lalitpur. Dear Sir, Subject: Leave application I am writing to request you a leave of absence for about a week starting from 8th July 2009 for the reason given in this letter. My brother has been diagnosed as having a cyst and needs to undergo surgery for the same. He needs someone to accompany him to the hospital for the surgery and also needs someone to be with him during recovery. The entire process, according to the doctor, will take about two weeks. As my mother and I are the only ones in the family, it is obvious that this responsibility will fall on my shoulders. Hence I request you to grant me leave for a period of one week starting 8th July. I shall resume my class when my brother will be discharged. Thanking you! Yours sincerely, Anjali Khadka Grade X Roll 6 Book 9 274

Letter for leave Siraha March 11, 2017 The Principal, Devine Grace Academy, Lahan, Siraha. Dear Sir, As I was returning home from school yesterday, I met with an accident. A bicycle hit me as I was crossing the road. I was thrown a few yards away and fell on my back. Though the X-ray revealed no serious injury, my back is badly hurting. The doctor has advised rest for at least two weeks. So I shall be grateful if you would kindly grant me leave of absence for two weeks. I will make up for the lost lessons through extra work after I am able to attend my classes. Yours respectfully, Biva Sahani Grade V, Roll No: 10 Letter to the editor A letter to the editor is generally written to pass on an opinion or a message to a wide audience - anyone who happens to read it. By writing to a paper, a sender hopes that the message will reach the people concerned. Often such letters are used to express opinions such as on road facilities, climate change, treatment of animals, poor services, not enough buses, human rights, etc. Lagankhel, Lalitpur August, 10th, 2017 The Editor, The Rising Nepal, Kathmandu. Dear Sir, Through the columns of your esteemed paper I would like to bring the attention of the authorities something extremely worrying. Most of the roads in this area are not swept for two weeks. The municipality vehicles that carry garbage of this area have not been seen for a month. The result is unbearable foul smell. The whole area is full of flies and mosquitoes, which may cause epidemic diseases. The situation is worse when a strong wind blows, that takes dirt inside the house. Many of our neighbours have begun to fall sick. We hope that the authorities will realize the need to do something early! Yours sincerely, Kanchan Sahani Book 9 275

Letter to the editor Sanepa, Lalitpur March 21, 2017 The Editor, The Republica, Kathmandu, Dear Sir, There is an alarming increase in road accidents in our city. Every day we come across about a news story about people being run over by cars or hit by motorcycles. They are either being killed or seriously injured. This is most depressing. It was only yesterday I saw an old lady, who was trying to cross the road, very narrowly escape being run over by a speeding car. It must have been running at a great speed that is not allowed in residential areas. Such reckless driving is a health hazard. It causes fatal accidents while pedestrians trying to cross the road. Although there are speed limits, drivers do not seem to care and the traffic authorities are not strict in enforcing the regulation. What use is the rule if it is not enforced or followed? I hope your newspaper will publish this letter and raise public awareness to the hazards of reckless driving. Everyone must work together to bring pressure on the traffic police and local authorities to check reckless driving and make roads safe for the people. Yours sincerely, Kumar Basnet Job Application Jawlakhel, Lalitpur. May 10, 2017 The Principal, Sunshine Secondary Boarding School, Kathmandu. Sub: Application for the post of an English teacher. Dear Sir, I read your vacancy announcement that appeared in the ‘Himalayan Times’ yesterday. I wish to apply for the vacant post of an English teacher. I am a young man of 25 years with a robust health. As regard to my qualification, I beg to state that I have passed my B.A. with major in English in the first division in 1983. I then took the B. Ed. course, and passed the examination in 1986 in the first division. I obtained both these degrees from Tribhuvan University. Book 9 276

I might add that I have about four years’ experience as an English teacher at Trinity Academy, Lagankhel. I am also a good sportsman, and take a keen interest in games. I was in fact in-charge of games in my previous school and have sound knowledge about extra-curricular activities. My academic transcripts and my bio-data are attached herewith this application for your kind consideration. I assure you of my best service if I am selected for the post. Thanking you in anticipation. Yours faithfully, Kanchan Sharma EXERCISE a. Write a letter to your class teacher for two days’ leave with a suitable reason. b. Choose a fortunate event in which your friend achieved a great success and write a congratulation letter to him/her. c. Write a letter to the editor mentoring the problem of street dogs in your locality. d. Write a letter to the editor describing the problem of damage roads in your locality. e. Write a letter to the editor describing the inconvenience caused by load-shedding in your locality. f. Write a letter in about 200 words to the editor of The Rising Nepal about ‘deforestation’ in your village. g. Write a letter in about 200 words to the editor of The Rising Nepal about the environmental pollution in your town. h. Write a job application for the post of a cook in a reputed hotel. i. Read the following advertisement and write a job application for the vacant post. VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT A reputed English medium school is seeking a dynamic, energetic and well qualified secondary level teacher for the following post: Post : Mathematics teacher (Full timer) Qualification : M.A. or M.Ed. in Mathematics. Remuneration : Negotiable Qualified and interested individuals are requested to send their applications to the following address with a copy of their academic qualification, CV and a recent passport size photograph within 20 March 2008. Tara Madhyamick Vidhyalaya Chhepetan, Gorkha. Book 9 277

Postcards A postcard is a small card for sending a message by post without an envelope, typically having a photograph or other illustration on one side. Tips for students: • Writing a postcard is like writing a short note. You don’t have a lot of room so just write a few lines. • Use short sentences when writing a postcard. Write about simple topics like weather, food and vacation activities. Instead of writing ‘I am having a lovely time’. You could write: ‘Having lovely time’. • Write your message on the left side of the card. Write the address on the right side of the card. Don’t forget to write down the country if you are sending it to a foreign country. • Your message should include: ü Where are you? For what purpose are you there? ü How is the weather? What about food and people? ü What activities have you already done? ü What are you doing and will be doing? ü How long with you stay? What is the exciting part? • End your message with a subscription and your signature. N aga rko t May 10 POSTCARD Dear Jiya, Angela Shakya House No. 16 We’re now at Nagarkot. Dad took me to the Buddha Street tower this morning. We’re staying in a hotel. Thamel, Kathmandu The weather is not clear. We’re waiting to see the sunrise. We’re having a great time. The local yogurt is yummy! We’re enjoying sightseeing and trekking. Wish you were here! Say my hello to all. See you soon. With regards, Angela Book 9 278

Pokhara POSTCARD Hi Raj, Apr 20 I hope you’re having a fantastic summer! Raj Shrestha Thought I would send you a postcard from my House No. 8 holiday to let you know I’m thinking of you and Shanti Marga missing you a lot! Patan, Lalitpur I’m in Pokhara with my school friends. We’re enjoying sight seeing and trekking. Today we’re going to do boating on Fewa Lake. Looking forward to seeing you in May 5. See you soon! Karan Expressions for writing postcards Hello from rainy …………..! I’m having such a good time. We’re having a great time. We’re thinking of you. I’m having a great time on vacation! The weather’s been gorgeous. The weather here is lovely! Lots of bright and sunny days! The days are long and sunny! The food is great! I go sightseeing at all the famous places. We’ve been enjoying all the sights. I try lots of interesting local food. Say hello to ……. for us. This is our first/second/third day in ... We’re returning home on the …. We’ve only got ........days left. Wish you were here! EXERCISE a. Write a postcard to your cousin or friend wishing him/her Happy New YEAR or Happy Birthday. b. Write a postcard to your friend member telling him/her about your vacation in any foreign country. c. Write a short message for a postcard from one of the famous places in Nepal. Include your personal experience about the place. d. Write a postcard to your friend telling him/her about your visit to a historical place in Nepal. e. Write a postcard to your friend telling him/her about your visit to a national park in Nepal. Book 9 279

Invitation Cards Tips for students: • Your invitation card should be short, clear, and complete. • It should contain all the necessary information. • It should have no grammar, spelling, or punctuation errors. • Use formal language for a formal occasion and informal language for a causal one. • Make sure to include all necessary details (event, the date, the time, the place, map, and the attire.) • Indicate ‘RSVP’ if you need the people you have invited to confirm their attendance for the event. Study the following invitation cards. INVITATION INVITATION Mr. Sunam Basnet and Happy Birthday Mrs. Riya Basnet Mr. Anil Dangol and joyfully invite you to extend your blessings Mrs. Maya Dangol and share in their happiness request the pleasure of your on the marriage ceremony of their daughter company to celebrate the 7th Ms. Anu Basnet birthday of their son with Kumar Dangol Mr. Kumar Basnet Your gracious presence on the auspicious occasion is highly Date: May 10 expected to extend your blessings. Venue: Lalitpur Party Palace Time: 2 pm to 6 pm Date: Apr 26 Venue: Buddha Party Palace RSVP to Time: 4 pm to 8 pm Mr and Mrs Basnet (0099846324) RSVP to Mr and Mrs Dangol (009725461) EXERCISE Prepare an invitation card for one of the following occasions. a. A wedding ceremony b. A dinner party for guardians in your school c. A birthday party d. A school picnic Book 9 280

Emails An email or electronic text message has usually two parts - header and body. 1. HEADER The header section of an email contains the following parts: a. From : The email address of the sender is written in the From section. b. To : The email address and sometimes the name of the recipient is written in the TO section. c. Date : The date of the message is written. d. Subject : The topic of the message is written in the subject line. It tells the reader what the email is about. The appropriate use of the subject line increases the chances your email will be read and not discarded into the SPAM can. e. Cc (carbon copy) : It includes additional recipient names and web addresses. f. Bc (blind copy or complimentary copy) : It also includes additional for recipients that are hidden from view. 2. BODY The body contains the message of the email. n Sentences should be kept short and to the point. n Intermix short and longer sentences. n Avoid very long sentences when possible. n Include a desired action and a deadline for completion when appropriate. n Make sure to include contact information, including your name, title, phone and fax numbers, as well as snail-mail address in the signature portion of the email. n If you have additional email addresses, you may want to include these as well. Book 9 281

New Message Send Discard X From [email protected] To [email protected] Cc Bcc Subject Thanks for the guitar Dear Uncle, I’m writing to thank you for the guitar you sent me for my birthday. It’s really wonderful and I really wanted to buy the same one. It was really kind of you and I enjoyed playing it with my friends. I had a wonderful birthday. I visited the fun park with my friends in the daytime. We spent all day on the fabulous rides and games there. We had a great party in the evening. It was fun. Anyway, thank you again for the present. I hope to see you before too long. Love from Manoj EXERCISE a. Write an email to your friend requesting to visit your house in your next birthday. (16th birthday…….next week…….party in my house…….starts from 5 pm…….fun games and videos…….classmates are also coming…….write me back) b. Write an email to your friend asking about his/her hobby. (Greeting……..hobby……..time to enjoy……..how long ……..benefits…….. drawbacks) c. Read this short email and write a short reply to it. From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Date: Apr 15 Subject: Congratulations Maya, Congratulations on winning the swimming championship. I read about your achievement in today’s Kantipur. I’m not surprised you won it. I’m impressed! Your hard work has paid you off! Can you please recommend me a good book that helps me know about swimming skills? It’ll be great help for me. I look forward to hearing from you! Regards, Suman Book 9 282

Reviews A review is an article or report in which someone gives their opinion of a play, book, art exhibition, social vent, performance, etc. A review usually covers three parts – introduction, body and conclusion. 3 parts Book Review Film Review Introduction • the title of the book • the title Body • the author’s name • the name of the actors Conclusion • the names of characters • the name of the director • the publisher’s name • the name of the producer • the genre of the book • the type of the movie (comedy, thriller, action, etc) (comedy, thriller, action, etc) • Overall impression of the • Overall impression of the book movie • Paragraph one: Write the • Paragraph one: Write the short summary of book or the main features of the plot (or main features of the plot. summary of the story in the film). • Paragraph two: Write general comments and • Paragraph two: Write opinions (strengths and general comments and weaknesses) on various opinions (strengths and features like writing weaknesses) on various style, characters, setting, features like acting, music, illustrations, book format, etc. photography, setting, costumes, special effects, etc. • Include a recommendation and • Include a recommendation and reasons why you recommend reasons why you recommend the book. the film. Expressions for writing reviews: Introduction • The book is about…. The film is set in … • This fascinating book is… This film originates from a novel named … • The film is directed by… The book is written by… • The film is based on a novel / a real life story of a… • This is a comedy, horror film, love story, cartoon, science fiction movie, action film, a thriller, …. Body • The plot focuses on… The story begins / concerns about / is about… • The plot / story has a twist in … The film reaches a climax when… • The plot is absolutely thrilling / exciting / fascinating / touching / romantic / surprising… Book 9 283

• It is rather confusing / long / slow / boring • The cast is excellent / weak / awful / unconvincing • The script/ story is dull / clever / exciting It has a tragic / surprising / dramatic ending • It does not come across as true / convincing • The music / sound effect is dull / rich • It is a catchy tune as backing music • The theme song is powerful / weak / satisfying • The colour in the photography is natural / spectacular / dull / dark and frightening • The acting is true to life / powerful / natural Conclusion • Don’t miss it! • It is well worth reading/watching/seeing! • It will change the way you see ( e.g. young people) after watching this film. • It is bound to be a box office hit. • I highly / thoroughly / strongly recommend it. • It is highly entertaining. • It is certainly at the top of my list of good books. • It’s a must! I would not recommend this because… • It ‘s a boring movie/book. • Only watch this film if you have plenty of time to spare. Book Review Book: Maldivesko Prem Katha Ra Anya Yatraharu Author: Shree Krishna Gautam Genre: Travelogue Publisher: Sajha Publications Price: Rs 75 Pages: 82 Shree Krishna Gautam, a retired bureaucrat has authored his sixth book ‘Maldivesko Prem Katha Ra Anya Yatraharu’. It is a love story of Maldives and other travels. Writing a travelogue, a least written genre in Nepal literature, has been recently picking up in Nepali language, as it is the author’s third travelogue. This small book gives readers a joyous ride to almost all the major cities in the world from Paris to Washington, Petersburg, New York, London and Colombo, among others. In Tehran, the author seems to have found a lost connection in the development of our civilization between Iran and Nepal. His confessions about the Iranian beauties and experiences seem true to his heart. The book that has 20 travelogues is a worth read in one sitting. Book 9 284

Movie Review Movie: Captain Underpants Directed by: David Soren Based on: Captain Underpants Produced by: Mireille Soria Music by: Theodore Shapiro Starring: Kevin Hart, Ed Helms Captain Underpants ‘Captain Underpants’ is a computer-animated superhero comedy film. It is based on the children’s novel series of the same name by Dav Pilkey. It was produced by DreamWorks Animation and Scholastic Entertainment The movie tells the story of two fourth-graders George and Harold, who often prank their teachers for joy and laughter. One day they hypnotize their principal into thinking that he is a superhero who fights crime while wearing only underwear and a cape. He does many funny things that make you laugh. The boys also fight a super villain to save their school and the city. Very funny, I could not stop laughing out loud. It is an excellent movie for those who like humour and pranks. I found worth watching it. Book: Animal Farm Book Review Author: George Orwell Genre: Satire, Political satire The novel ‘Animal Farm’ has been written by the famous English novelist George Orwell. It is a political satire and was first published in England on 17 August 1945. According to the author, the book reflects events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and then on into the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union. In this novel, the plot is set in a future when animals are much cleverer than now. And because of their cleverness, the pigs started a revolution against the humans. Pigs could speak fluently in English unlike the other animals, and that gave them the power to be leaders. Although it tells a fairly simple story of barnyard animals trying to manage themselves after rebelling against their masters, the novel demonstrates how easily good intentions can be subverted into tyranny. Truly a timeless classic that speaks so much of human nature! Animal Farm is the most thought-provoking piece of literature I have ever read. it is a book that anyone could and should read. EXERCISE a. Write a short review of the book your have recently read in about 200 words. b. Write a short review of the film your have recently watched in about 200 words. Book 9 285

News Reports Newspaper stories/reports use a different form called The Inverted Pyramid. This means that the most important news comes first in the story, in the INTRODUCTION. News items are arranged in descending order of newsworthiness, so that the main detail comes first and the minor detail last. The later part of the story contains detail which is helpful, but not essential. HEADLINE A good headline has catchy words that grab the readers' attention and brief the contents of a news story. INTRODUCTION It is the first paragraph, often known as a stand-first. It answers the '5WHs' (Who, What, When, Where and Why), and describes the headline and draws the reader to read on. BODY Body paragraphs explain the lead in greater detail telling more about '5WHs' and provide information from primary resources such as quotes, statistics, comments and document citation. Read these sample news stories: Headline: Children Escaped Serious Injury Source: By Reema Singh Place and date: New Delhi, June 20: Introduction: More than 30 children escaped serious injury when a school bus crashed in Delhi today, reported by the local traffic police inspector. Explanation: The 36-seater bus, which was carrying children to Delhi Public School, ran off Potala Road. It narrowly missed an electricity pole and came to rest with most of its windows smashed in a garden. Additional: Eye-witnesses said the children were helped from the bus screaming and shouting and in a state of panic. Although none of the children was seriously hurt, some of them were grazed jumping out of the bus and some of them had small cuts in their body. A pedestrian said, “There should be a good traffic rule for school buses in town.” Book 9 286

Plane Crash at Thankot Kath, Sep 30 (TRN): A twin-otter plane registered as 704k of the Necon Air Pvt Ltd crashed at Thankot yesterday, the official reported here today. The plane took the flight from Pokhara at 6:30 a.m carrying twenty-two passengers. Among twenty-two passengers, ten were the football players. They were coming to Kathmandu to play a tournament. Other people were the businessmen and students. All of them died in the crash. All the dead bodies have been found and handed over to the suffered family. The ill-fated plane hit the TV tower at Thankot and caught the fire. There were thick clouds and the pilot was unable to see clearly. The government has announced to compensate the suffered families with Rs. 5,00,000/- for each. A search party has been formed to find the reason of the crash and the minister of civil aviation has expressed his condolence on this tragic event. A Week’s Heavy Rainfall: Death Toll Reaches 50 Siraha, Sep 20 (RSS): The heavy rain fall of the week caused the great flooding in the Terai region pushing the death toll 50, the official reported here today. It had been raining cats and dogs for a week. It caused the great flood in the Terai region. Major rivers are over-flowing at their danger levels. The most affected areas are Jhapa, Morang, Saptari and Rautahat. The flood pushed the death toll to 50 and many livestock are dead and many villages were washed away. The paddy crops were damaged in a great amount. The government has started a relief work and has announced to compensate the suffered family with Rs. 5,000/-. Our prime minister visited the suffered areas and expressed his sympathy on the loss caused by the flood. Fourteen Killed in Bus Accident Birgunj, Sep 18 (RSS): A night bus registered as 6384 BA of Koshi Transport Pvt. Ltd. skidded off the road near Parbanipur, a place near Birgunj and fell into the river pushing the death toll twelve on the spot and two in the hospital. The ill-fated bus left Kathmandu to Birgunj carrying thirty passengers. It skidded off the road and fell into the river thirty feet below. Twelve people died on the road and fell into the river thirty feet below. Twelve people died on the spot and many were injured in the accident. The injured are under the treatment and two have already died in the hospital. Arjun Singh, one of the passengers said, “The accident occurred because the driver was drunk.” The driver and the Khalasi have been kept in the police custody for the legal investigation. Australia beat India despite Tendulkar’s 175 AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Hyderabad, India, Nov 5: Australia defeated India by three runs despite a scintillating Book 9 287

175 by Sachin Tendulkar in the fifth one-day international here on Thursday. Tendulkar, 36, smashed 19 fours and four sixes for his 45th one-day century before India were bowled out for 347 in 49.4 overs while chasing Australia´s imposing 350- 4 in 50 overs. Tendulkar shared a 137-run partnership with Suresh Raina (59) to take India close in the day-night encounter. But his dismissal in the 48th over proved the turning point of the game and handed Australia a 3-2 lead in the seven-match series. Debutant fast bowler Clint McKay picked three wickets, including that of Tendulkar, while Shane Watson took 3-47 to cap a fine all-round performance, having scored 93 earlier. EXERCISE Write news stories using the following clues: Three die in Detroit marathon October 18, 2009 – three runners died– police told CNN – deaths occurred between 9 and 9:20 a.m. – a man in his 60s fell and hit his head – the cause of the fall unknown – the man was transported to Detroit Receiving Hospital – pronounced dead –two other men (ages 36 and 26) – collapsed during the race – were dead at the hospital. Eye camp at Banepa A week-long eye camp at Banepa – opened among a huge mass by the director of Til Ganga Eye Hospital – nearly 1500 eye patients were treated – team of 30 experts and helpers from Kathmandu – an active involvement of Til-Ganga Eye Hospital – various awareness programmes’ –’we are grateful to organizers, and it was really a very nice programme, the eye patients, who were benefitted, said. Japan gives aid for increasing food production The Government of Japan – a grand assistance of Rs.324 million to Nepal – Japanese ambassador Zenji Kaminaga and Bhanu Prasad Acharya, Secretary at the Ministry of Finance – signed and exchanged notes – behalf of their respective governments – to increase food production –utilized for the development of agriculture, forestry, fisheries – efforts would help in the socio-economic development of Nepal. Student lost in jungle rescued Mr. Dinesh B. K.-lost in the jungle – a student of Bageswori School – rescued by a cowboy – on way to his school through the jungle – parents heartily thanked him Flights to eastern hilly region cancelled Flights to eastern hilly region – cancelled – bad weather condition – passengers, stranded at Biratnagar Airport – flights to Suvetar, Bhojpur, Lamidamada, Okhaldunga – also cancelled – dense fog in these districts – regional office of NAC reported – Rumjatar airport most affected by fog – chief of N.A.C. said. Plane crash Sky Line Airways (Dilatus Proter IAN-CWC) plane from Janakpur to Kathmandu - crashed at Dhulikhel hill - thick clouds - poor visibility - hit the telecom tower - all dead including the crew - Rs. 100000 each as compensation. Book 9 288

Brochures and Leaflets A brochure is also known as a pamphlet. A brochure is a larger version of a leaflet. Usually a leaflet has a single page printed on one or both sides, whereas a brochure is a small booklet with a few pages. Both leaflets and brochures have advertisement information. Write a brochure or leaflet in about 150 to 200 words. A good brochure or leaflet has the following components: • Title/heading: Make your leaflet attention grabbing. Write a direct and eye-catching title. • Slogan: Use a catchy slogan to grab attention and hold interest. • Introduction: Introduce your topic with some general facts. • Subheadings: Write subheadings to categorize your information for easy reading. • Body: Consider the following points while writing the body: ü Be clear and concise, and use simple and direct language. ü Use persuasive language that makes people visit a place or attend an event. ü Break up the information in short and logical sections (subheadings). ü Highlight the most important points or features usually in a different way. ü Write to inform people why the event is good for them. ü Use bullet points, text boxes and info-graphics to organize the information into readable portions. • Contact information and other details: Include the address, website, phone number, map, directions, opening times and prices, dates for exciting events, and other details. Expressions for brochures and leaflets breathtaking, stunning (views, scenery) picturesque (village) outstanding, magnificent (architectural legacy) peaceful (atmosphere) exotic, striking (beauty, location) iconic (city, destination) impressive, awe-inspiring (location) rugged (landscape) vibrant, bustling, lively (city, market) crystal clear (sea) majestic (mountains, national parks) historical (monuments) snow-capped, snow-covered (mountains) authentic, genuine (cuisine) once-in-a-lifetime (experience) scenic (route) adventurous (destination) tranquil (waters) sumptuous (surroundings) intimate (ambiance) award-winning (restaurant) charming (resort) mouthwatering (cookery) luxury (hotel) excellent, top notch (location) historic (interest) natural (beauty, habitat) specialty (restaurant) amazing, incredible (beauty) quality (service) unforgettable, memorable (trip) cultural (immersion) magical, dazzling (landscape) world-class (museum) Book 9 289

Sample leaflet 1 Peace Zone Library heading slogan Need Help? Get help from the books! introduction Peace Zone is a newly established library with more than Use bullets and five thousand books, magazines, newspapers, e-books and numbers. online resources. It has been opened by a group of Nepali Give sufficient information. and American students with an aim to promote mutual Give contact co-operation between two countries and support quality details. learning and education. All you need is a library card and your online pin number to access yourself with library books and online resources. Order books or Membership requirements join the library n Photocopy of your identity card online at n Two passport sized photographs www.pzlibrary.com n Annual charge: 500 rupees n Children below 15 are free to enter. Library Hours n 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM (Sunday to Thursday) n 10:00 am to 3:00 pm (Friday) n The library remains closed on Saturday and other government holidays. Hurry up and Join n If you enjoy reading, music or films, you won’t get a cool place like this. n You can borrow books or hire DVDs. n You can use Internet free for half an hour. How to reach Peace Zone Library is situated in a big building just a few minutes’ walk from Baneshower Chowk. You cannot miss it as you can see its board from the main Chowk. You can come to Baneshower using any local vehicles. Peace Zone Library Buddhanagar, Kathmandu Tel: 01448956545 Book 9 290

Sample leaflet 2 Location Parsa Wildlife Reserve Parsa Wildlife Reserve was established in 1984 with an area of 499 sq. km. It occupies parts of Chitwan, Makwanpur, Parsa and Bara districts in Central Nepal. The reserve headquarters is at Adhbar on the Hetauda-Birgunj highway (22 km. south of Hetauda and 20 km. north of Birgunj). What can you see? The reserve supports a good population of resident wild elephants, tigers, leopards, sloth bears, blue bulls, and wild dogs. Other common animals are sambar, chital, hog deer, barking deer, langur, striped hyena, palm civet, and jungle cat. There are nearly 300 species of birds in the reserve. The Giant Hornbill is one of the endangered species to be found in certain forest patches. Peafowl, red jungle fowl, flycatchers, and woodpeckers are a few of the other common birds found in the reserve. How to reach there? The reserve is accessible by bus via the Kathmandu-Birgunj highway or the Mahendra Rajmarg. The reserve headquarters are an 8-hour drive from Kathmandu. Simara airport is 7 km. away from the reserve headquarters. It takes only 15 minutes to reach Simara from Kathmandu by plane. Charges for Entrance Foreigners Nepali Fees 650/- 10/- Entrance 300/- 20/- Camping (1 night per person) 650/- 100/- Elephant rides (1 hour per person) Children below 10 years free entrance. Flora and fauna of the reserve are fully protected and must not be disturbed. Rubbish must be buried or disposed of in a designated place. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT Reserve Headquarters Adhabar P.O. Box 860 Telephone: 220859, 220912, 227926 EXERCISE 1. Prepare a short tourist leaflet about any one of the famous places or any one famous place you know. 2. Prepare a short leaflet about any one of the famous schools or the school where you study. Book 9 291

Essays An essay is a written composition that helps students to express their personal ideas or opinions on some topic. It is a practical piece of writing. Essays can be short or long. They are written for different purposes. While writing essays, one has to narrate, describe or give information on any given topic. Essays may be practical or imaginative. Practical essays contain facts, instructions, explanations, reports, etc. Imaginative essays are creative writing and the students have to imagine or create ideas to write such compositions. The ideas or opinions in an essay are systematically organized in different paragraphs. Here is a model essay structure: TITLE Introduction (First Paragraph) Introductory statement Thesis statement Body (Mid Paragraphs) First supporting idea Transition, topic sentence Discussion, examples, and analysis Second supporting idea Transition, topic sentence Discussion, examples, and analysis Third supporting idea Transition, topic sentence Discussion, examples, and analysis Conclusion (Last Paragraph) Transition, statement reflecting back on thesis Restate key points Read these points to know the organization and types of essays: The introductory statement could be an anecdote, quotation, saying, description, striking statistic, a fact that will lead to the thesis statement. The main idea of the essay is stated in a single sentence called the thesis statement. Supporting paragraphs make up the main body of the essay. They develop the main idea of your essay. A topic sentence is the sentence that will explain what the paragraph is mainly about. Each paragraph should have one topic sentence. Book 9 292

We use special transition words to link your supporting paragraphs together. Here are some transition words- first, second, third, however, even though, nevertheless, therefore, in addition to, as a result of, consequently, furthermore, also, despite, etc. A descriptive essay often focuses on describing a person, a place, an object, a memory, a situation or an experience. It tries to create a deeply involved and vivid experience for the reader. The best way to create a vivid experience for the readers is to focus on the five senses- sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. So a descriptive essay provides details about how something looks, feels, tastes, smells, makes one feel, or sounds. It uses a lot of sensory details. A narrative essay is to move an event through time. It tells a story. It can also be called a ‘short story’. It is conversational in style, and tells of a personal experience. It is often written in the first person (uses I). This essay could tell of a single, life-shaping event, or simply a mundane daily experience. As the essay is written as a story, it should include all the parts of a story. This means that you must include an introduction, plot, characters, setting, climax, and conclusion. Think of a thesis statement that tells what you are narrating in the text. Use specific language to evoke specific emotions and senses in the reader. An argumentative essay generally tries to persuade the reader to accept the writer’s point of view. It tries to convince the reader of the validity of the writer’s opinion. So the main purpose of this type of essay is to argue a case or point of view to influence the reader’s thoughts and actions. You should have to state your position clearly and concisely, and you have to use a clear line of reasoning to support your position. And then give reliable, relevant, valid and convincing evidence/examples to support your reasons. You also have to consider and respond to the possible arguments against and try not to sit on the fence – show there are different arguments but make clear which you find most convincing. Read these essays. The thesis statements are underlined for your help: Importance of the English Language There are about seven thousand living languages in the world. Among them, the English language is an international language that is spoken all over the world. It is spoken by more than 300 million native speakers, and between 400 and 800 million foreign users. Over the years, English has been of great importance for us. One main importance is that the world’s best books are written in the English language. So a person with sound knowledge of English can get great academic achievement in his career. In many countries, English is the main medium of science, literature, commerce and international studies. Realizing this importance, the Ministry of Education in Nepal has also started teaching English from primary level. In addition to its importance in academic field, English is a means not only for international commerce; it has become increasingly essential for inter-state commerce and communication. Without its knowledge, one cannot read the Book 9 293

instructions written on many products or things that we use in our life. It is the official language of air transport and shipping; the leading language of international conference, technology, computers, commerce, employment, etc. Overall, we find the English language used in every aspect of our life so it has become an important language. Importance of Cultural Heritage UNESCO has defined cultural heritages into two categories – tangible and intangible. Tangible heritages include paintings, sculptures, coins, manuscripts, monuments, archaeological sites, etc whereas intangible cultural heritage include oral traditions, performing arts, rituals, and so on. There are many tangible and intangible heritages in Nepal that are of great importance for nation and its countrymen. More importantly, cultural heritages reflect our identity and develop the feeling of nationalism among countrymen. They help to recognise Nepalese people around the world. They make our tradition and culture familiar to all. Besides saving our identification and nationalism, cultural heritages are sources of great income for us. We can get in foreign currency as tourists are attracted by ancient monuments, arts and architecture. Moreover tourists take Nepali art and architectures to their nation which helps in preserving the speciality and originality of our heritages. Furthermore, cultural heritages also help in developing peace and co-operation among people and various countries. Various religious activities and cultural heritages are parts of Nepalese life. They develop mutual understanding among people and societies. As cultural heritages are meant a lot for a nation and its countrymen for national, economic, social and cultural progress, we should work had in hand to preserve such valuable heritages of our nation. Rivers in Nepal A massive amount of water flowing from one place to another can be defined as a river. Rivers are the greatest natural resources in Nepal. There are many rivers in Nepal. Some of the big rivers of Nepal are Mechi, Koshi, Bagmati, Narayani, Kaligandaki, Seti, Mahakali, Rapti, Seti, Karnali. Actually they originate from high Himalayas. Rivers are very important for us. Firstly, water from rivers is used for irrigation, secondly, for generation of hydroelectricity and for domestic purpose. Rivers are important also for scenic beauty. Many tourists love watching the flow of water and rivers are also used for rafting and even for transportation. In spite of such advantages of rivers, people are polluting water resources by throwing wastage garbage, dead bodies, and waste materials. People have managed their drainage in rivers. Pollution of water in rivers has caused a great disadvantage for people themselves. A great drawback of our country is that we have not managed all the water of rivers. So, we should take good advantage of resources available in our country. And for that protection of rivers is very much essential. Book 9 294

Tourism in Nepal Tourism is a sector which is concerned with travelling to new places with different purposes. People travelling to new places are recognized as tourists. They visit new places to see different things, to do business, to meet somebody, to get education, etc. Tourism in Nepal is of great importance for national development. Tourism is one of the great sectors to earn foreign currency. Tourists all over the world visit Nepal and spend money on food, dress, hotel and other things. Many shops and restaurants get benefit from their visit. They also increase the importance of Nepalese products in international markets as they buy things and take them to their own country. In this way, tourism helps to make the identification of the country, international understanding, mutual business, etc. Although tourism is a good sector to improve economic condition of our country, some demerits are also found. People imitate about western culture. Wherever tourists go, the unnecessary crowd is observed. Beside that many teenagers copy the habit of drinking, smoking and taking drug habits from some of the tourists. Tourists visit different places and they throw garbage anywhere they like. So tourism also causes the environmental pollution. But if we can make the tourism sector systematic and planned, we can get maximum profit from it. Despite a few drawbacks, tourism has contributed a lot in country development. Therefore, this sector should be well utilized by providing good facilities and safe environment for tourist. Computer The computer is a man-made electronic device that manipulates numbers and symbols and gives us useful information. It is one of the latest developments of science and technology. The computer is now an invaluable tool for many of us and is used in various sectors. In general people use computers for typing documents, using Internet facilities, banking, shopping and many others. There are a lot of softwares that are contributing in the field of banking, business, communication and scientific research. Computers are used in schools for billing, preparing report cards, letter typing, questions- making, etc. People enjoy chatting on computers with friends staying away from one another. We can send emails to our friends. We can get information about many things if we work on Internet. We can also find jobs with the help of computers. The work of man has been made easier with the help of computers. They have replaced the human labour and this could be one of the demerits in the use of computers. People stop thinking as the computers can do all the work for them and people become lazy. So, we must not completely rely on computer. As computers are not only used in the field of education, research, communication, satellite communication, defence, medical operations, etc. but also to carry day to day household works. Its wide application in data processing and communication has made the world small and incomplete without computer. Book 9 295

Television The word ‘television’ is made of ‘tele’ and ‘vision’. They mean ‘distant’ and ‘pictures or scenes’ respectively. Television simply means the vision of distant pictures or scenes on a screen. The machine was first invented by John Baird in 1926. The television conveys message through pictures and sounds and varies according to size, brand, colour and companies. It is one of the greatest inventions in the field of media and entertainment. Watching television has numerous advantages. Without going to America, the situation of America, culture, political issues can be known. There will be only few people who won’t be enthralled by watching different programs on television. Although the television is the best means of entertainment and media, it has also some disadvantages. It damages our eye sight. It spoils the studies of children, as they are all the time busy in watching television. On the one hand it is very expensive and the movies broadcast by television are fiction and vulgar that leave bad impression on their mind. Watching television can be useful if we are selective and if not get addicted to it. Those who can gain real knowledge and true entertainment are true television viewers. Library A library is a place where books and magazines on different subjects are kept for reading for general people. In fact a library is a part of educational institute like schools and colleges. The concept of the library became more popular in the 19th century. Various types of libraries are useful for various age groups of people. Nowadays there are many good libraries established in our town. People obtain the membership of that library and visit there daily for individual reading. Each library has a set of rules and regulations that one needs to follow. We can find books on academic subjects such as science, social study, history, biography, geology, etc. Different books are arranged according to volume and level. Different people go to libraries and read the book they need. They can also borrow books if they want to take any books home, but membership is required in that case. Generally, there are two types of libraries – private and public. The American library in Kathmandu is the biggest public library in Nepal. We generally find libraries only in town but the government should establish libraries also in village areas so that people can get more knowledge and information. Various newspapers help people to know about up-to-date information. My Aim in Life Everyone has an aim. But the aim should be definitive, not vague or fuzzy. A strong definitive goal enhances the desire of achievement towards succession. Many people are observed moving without any aim at this important point which makes them failure. An aimless person is regarded as a ship without any particular direction. There are four things that everybody desires in life after getting basic needs. They are happiness, fame, power and wealth. A person tries to get all these things in Book 9 296

life by setting an aim for himself. Some persons have a great aim but I have a simple aim. I want to be a good doctor in my life. If I become a doctor, I will establish a hospital in a village area by earning money. I will provide treatment to poor people at low price. Now I am working hard to get success in my life. I have chosen this aim because there are many people in Nepal who are very poor and poverty has caused them unable to afford good health facilities. I will serve all those people. So, if I become a doctor, I will try my best and spend my life for the treatment of poor people. My Favourite Game Games are good for health and for entertainment. People play different types of games according to their interest and will. Some like indoor games. Some like outdoor games like cricket, basketball, football, volleyball, hockey, etc. My favourite game is basketball. It is one of the most interesting games. Boys and girls playing basketball in uniform look very smart. It gives good exercise to our body. Basketball is one of the popular games. It is played between two groups of players. Its court is different from that of volleyball and tennis. Many national and international basketball tournaments are held every year in many countries. I generally play basketball with my classmate in holidays. I visit my school with my friends. There is a nice basketball court. Our games teacher, Ashim Khanal is a national player of basketball. He teaches us how to play basketball. We have already won the first prize in inter school basketball tournaments many times. We also play after class is over. I like this game very much because it gives enjoyment and exercise to me. Town Life Town life is said to be very comfortable. There are many modern facilities in town. The living standard of town people is better than that of village people. People in town comfort their life with many facilities like electricity, hospitals, transports, communications, schools, colleges, government offices, shopping centres, etc. Many people from villages want to settle in towns. They come here to get education and to get treatment. Most of the people in town are involved in some types of business. They are busy all the time. They have no time to sit together and share their sorrows and happiness. Despite of maximum facilities available in town, there are numbers of demerits also. People hate living in towns may be because of pollution. There are many types of pollution in towns. There are many vehicles which throw out smokes and make the town air-polluted. Such as pollution effects on health, crime increase, lack of settlement, etc. There is the lack of co-operation and unity among people. Town life is called busy life as people do not have time to celebrate or follow cultural heritages or religious heritages. Even they cannot provide more time to their children which cause their kids to take wrong path. However, with respect to facilities and opportunities, town life is better. Book 9 297

EXERCISE 1. Where are you from-a village or a town? Do you like to live in a village or a town? Pour your own opinions and feelings in about 200 words. Consider the following clues given in the box. Introduce - why people tend to settle in villages/towns -advantages and disadvantages of village/town life-conclusion. 2. Write an essay on ‘Agriculture in Nepal’ in about 200 words. Use the clues given in the box: Introduction - importance - causes of fall in agriculture - steps to improve agriculture - conclusion 3. Write an essay on ‘My School’ in about 200 words. Use the clues given in the box: Location : town, village, etc. Facilities : library, games, canteen, etc. Teachers : number, male and female, your ideal teacher, etc. Things you like and dislike about your school. 4. Write an essay on ‘My Village/Town’ in about 200 words. Use the clues given in the box: Location: part of the country, district, etc. People: castes, religions, languages, cultures, etc. Nature and development: rivers, jungles, schools, factories, temples, etc. Things you like and dislike about your village/town. 5. Write an essay on “A Festival” which is celebrated in your community in about 200 words. 6. Write an essay on “Leisure” in about 200 words. 7. Write an essay on any one of the famous religious places in Nepal in about 200 words. Include these points: Introduction, name, location, the reason for religious significance, additional significance etc. 8. Write a few paragraphs about your future plan after passing SEE in about 200 words. 9. Write an essay on “Domestic Animals in your Region” in about 200 words. Use the clues given in the box: Name and location of your region - names of domesticated animals - different uses of those animals - conditions of those animals - efforts and ways to improve - conclusion. 10. Write an essay on “Our Country” in about 200 words. Use the clues given in the box: Name and location - physical features - capital and cities - specialties to be famous - people and culture etc. 11. Write an essay on ‘Newspapers’ in about 200 words. 12. Does the system of giving a dowry exist in your society? If yes, in what form? Do you support this system? Write a few paragraphs in about 200 words. Use the clues given in the box: Introduction - forms of dowries - good sides - bad sides - conclusion. Book 9 298

Views and Attitudes Tips for students: • Expressing your views on a topic is a kind of opinion essay or argumentative essay. • Use the ideas of essay writing for this type of essay. • Write this essay in more than three paragraphs in about 100 to 200 words. • Usually this type of essay has the following structures: ü Introduction: It introduces the topic and has a thesis statement. The last sentence in the introductory paragraph that contains the central idea of the essay is called the thesis statement. ü Body paragraphs: The body paragraphs support the idea in the thesis statement. Each body paragraph should have a topic sentence and supporting sentences to support your views. Write down at least 2 body paragraphs. ü Body paragraphs: The body paragraphs support the idea in the thesis statement. Each body paragraph should have a topic sentence and supporting sentences to support your views. ü Concluding paragraph: This is the last paragraph of your essay and summarizes the main points of the essay or restates the thesis statement using different words. Read the following sample essays: Zoo Animals Should animals be kept in zoos? Many people say that animals should not be kept in zoos. Some people do not agree with this view. In my opinion, keeping animals in zoos have both advantages and disadvantages. One advantage of keeping animals in zoos is for education and entertainment. Visitors can learn more about wild animals and their style of living. Moreover, many people consider zoos can protect animals from predators and hunters. Also, zoos can provide correct medicine to sick animals to get better. All in all, animals are safer in zoos than in the wild. Many people consider zoos to be a horrible cage for animals. They think that animals need a place to be free and run wild. After all everybody deserves freedom. In the wild, they get a big space, but zoos have very small places comparatively. Thus, zoos make animals stressed and unhappy. As you can see different people have different opinions as to whether or not zoos should be allowed. Personally, I would prefer people to set up more nature reserves because that way the animals are happy and have all the treatment they need in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Book 9 299

Sex Education in Schools Introducing sex education for school children is highly debated in many countries. Many parents are against it and believe that it should not be approved in school curriculum. However, I believe that sex education should be included in school curriculum because of three important reasons. First of all, sex education teaches school children to accept their bodily changes in a positive way. School children are physically in the period of change. They experience changes in their bodies and feelings. Providing sex lessons will enable them to understand why and how their bodies develop, for example, the change of their sex organ. In addition, they will realize some strange feelings that emerge such as passion toward the opposite gender. Second, sex education helps to solve social problems among school children. It teaches them to avoid sex abuse and how to deal with early marriage, pregnancy, abortion, etc. By getting lessons of sex education, they can get control over their passion and know why these social problems are not good for their future life. Moreover, sex education provides school children with information and skills that help them to attain good reproductive health in the future. It teaches them about safe sex relationship, the use of contraception and other sexual measures. It also informs them about pregnancy and safe motherhood. Besides, it also teaches about sexually transmitted diseases, their symptoms and prevention. In conclusion, I strongly say that sex education should be taught to senior school students as it guides them about sexual development, sex related social issues and various reproductive health problems. Television – Good or Bad The television has become the most popular media in this modern world. Sitting in one’s room, one can see what is happening in the world. Everyone must agree that watching television has both advantages and disadvantages. Numerous TV channels broadcast programmes for people of different ages and interests. One can watch national and international news on news channels. Travelling can be easy by watching a channel like Travel with Us. Children can learn about various things on the channels like Discovery and National Geographic. A person can listen to weather forecast on TV and can plan his day accordingly. Thus, the television has been the best means for entertainment, communication, travelling and education. On the other hand, the television has some drawbacks. Some TV programmes show horrifying acts of violence like spousal abuse, violent beatings, rape, war and gang fighting. Such programmes can pollute the mind of children and make them violent and aggressive. In addition, children may get distracted from their studies and are more likely to have eye problems. To sum up, watching television can be useful if we are selective and if we do not get addicted to it. Those who watch right programmes to gain real knowledge and true entertainment are true television viewers. Book 9 300