10.1 Kathmandu Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: A corpse is being cremated on its banks; washerwomen are at their work and children bathe. From a balcony, a basket of flowers and leaves, old offerings now wilted, is dropped into the river. A small shrine half protrudes from the stone platform on the riverbank. When it emerges fully, the goddess inside will escape, and the evil period of the Kaliyug will end on earth. 1. Which river is being referred to here? 2. What was happening on the banks of the river? 3. What was dropped from the balcony? 4. Where is the shrine? Extract 2: I find it difficult to tear myself away from the square. Flute music always does this to me : it is at once the most universal and most particular of sounds. There is no culture that does not have its flute — the reed neh, the recorder, the Japanese shakuhachi, the deep bansuri of Hindustani classical music, the clear or breathy flutes of South America, the high-pitched Chinese flutes. Each has its specific fingering and compass. It weaves its own associations. Yet to hear any flute is, it seems to me, to be drawn into the commonalty of all mankind, to be moved by music closest in its phrases and sentences to the human voice. Its motive force too is living breath : it too needs to pause and breathe before it can go on. 1. Name the lesson and the writer. 2. What do different cultures of the world have with them? 3. What does the writer say about the Chinese flutes? 4. What is the antonym of ‘universal’? 37
10.2 A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: A slumber did my spirit seal; I had no human fears: She seemed a thing that could not feel, The touch of earthly years. No motion has she now, no force; She neither hears nor sees; Rolled round in earth’s diurnal course, With rocks, and stones, and trees. 1. What sealed the poet’s spirit? 2. What slumber is the poet talking of? 3. What could she not feel now? 4. What is meant by ‘human fears’? 5. Why can’t she hear or see? 6. What is meant by ‘earth’s diurnal course’? 7. According to the poet, what change has come in her? 8. Do you think the poet is sad or in relief? 38
PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) Reading Comprehension (Unseen Passage) I. Read the following passage carefully. [factual] material gods. The company thinks the idea An Estonia-based design firm, Kodasema will resonate with people looking to explore a develops tiny homes that move with their new way of living. owners. The Koda Light Float homes can be Answer the questions given below. assembled and taken apart in a single day, a. What does the Estonia based company allowing them to be transported easily. This Kodasema develop and how is it useful? is useful for more than just digital nomads. b. What contributes to the uniqueness of these In the face of rising sea levels or a hurricane, homes? residents could ostensibly have the option c. How is the company’s new model different to move their homes to a safer location. The from the original one? firm’s latest model, a 278 sq ft structure, sits d. In what other ways, can the houses function on a floating pontoon and can be built on both other than being a living unit and why? water and land. It is well-known for its sleek Complete the statements. and minimalistic design. a. Residents in Spain, France and the UK have The firm’s designer, Ular Mark, says traded ___________________________. residents in Spain, France and the UK have b. The company is on its ____________________ traded mansions for traditional homes and ______________________________. apartments. The 2000 sq ft apartment awaits Find words from the passage which mean the the same destiny, he says and will be soon same as those given below. swapped for even tinier spaces. However, a. exchanged [para 2] the concept of a floating tiny home is a bit b. meet the needs of [para 5] ahead of its time, says the firm’s CEO, Birgit. II. Recently you happened to visit a wholesale “The legislative settings for floating homes in vegetable and fruit market. Describe the different European countries are not quite in market based on the clues give below. place,” he says. • Vendors sitting all over the place shouting Mark envisions the homes being manufactured out to potential customers in bulk, like cars. The design, he says, is a • Many people moving around carrying huge blank canvas on which people can project baskets or boxes on their heads their personal taste. The company has already • Big trucks loading or unloading fruits and built an entire village of tiny homes in Estonia vegetables and is now putting the finishing touches on • An extremely noisy place, crowded and not Koda Park, a mixed-use community with much space to move freely its own solar technology and wastewater • Fast business – bargaining, auction and quick treatment system. disappearance of the stock The company’s original model, Koda was • Some vendors selling tea and snacks made of heavy concrete and weighed around 30 tonnes. The price of that home was 39 around 150,000 pounds. Kodasema has since introduced lighter materials like timber and plywood that can be recycled and last 50 years. Birgit says that the company is on its way to building homes that start at 20,000 pounds. In less than 280 sq ft, residents have access to a kitchen, living room, bed room and bathroom. Since the model can be built on land, it could also function as a café, hotel, or small business, like an artist’s studio. However, Mark says most people see it as a living unit. The home’s minimalistic aesthetic caters to a growing trend of prioritising experiences over
PRACTICE SHEET - 2 (PS-2) Grammar: 1. In the given paragraph, there is an error in each b. they/jobs/a job/doing manual/prefer/some line. Edit the given paragraph. office/to/in Papaya is the healthier fruit with a list of [a] c. that/they/think/labour/degrading/manual/is properties that is long because exhaustive. d. workshops/little/own/their/up/set/can/they [b] Papaya favours digestive as well as cures [c] 4. Do as directed. skin irritation and burns. You can munched a. Heavy rains had damaged the roads. [change [d] the voice] on it as a salad, has it cooked or boiled or [e] b. Shyam is the most intelligent boy in the just drunk it up as milk shake or juice. [f] class. [Rewrite in positive degree] The most important of these virtue is the [g] c. The children were playing in the park. protein - digesting enzyme in a milky juice. They saw a man staring at them. [Join the [h] sentences using ‘while’] d. The girls saw the bangle seller. They ran 2. In the following passage, one word has been towards him. [Begin with ‘As soon as’] omitted in each line. Supply the missing word. 5. Read the instructions and complete the Manufactured goods crores of rupees are being paragraph. [a] • Take two slices of bread. imported every year. There is dearth food. Our • Cut the bread into squares. [b] • Grate a cube of cheese. industries are yet infancy. We need engineers [c] • Mix fresh cheese and cream. to man them. We mechanized farming to • Add salt and pepper to taste. increase [d] • Spread the cheese mixture. the output of corn. All is only possible if we give • Top the sandwich with lettuce leaves. [e] Two slices of bread are taken. Each slice [a] a technical turn to education and if skilled [f] __________. A cube of cheese [b] __________. labour made available. At present there are Fresh cream and cheese [c] ________. Salt and [g] pepper [d] __________ to taste. The cheese very few technical institutions the country. mixture [e] __________ between two slices [h] of bread. The sandwich [f] __________ with lettuce leaves. 3. Rearrange the jumbled sentences to form meaningful sentences. a. manual labour/most of/have a/our young men/all sorts of/prejudice against/sort of 40
11.1 If I Were You Reading Comprehension Extracts Extract 1: Intruder: Thanks a lot. You’ll soon stop being smart. I’ll make you crawl. I want to know a few things. 1. Why does the intruder think that Gerrard was being smart? 2. According to the intruder, when would Gerrard stop being smart? 3. How does Gerrard make a fool of the intruder? 4. What do you mean by ‘crawl’? Extract 2: Gerrard : This is your big surprise. I said you wouldn’t kill me and I was right. Why do you think I am here today and gone tomorrow never see trades people? You say my habits would suit you. You are a crook. Do you think I am a Sunday-school teacher? The game’s up as far as I’m concerned Things went wrong with me. I said it with bullets and got away. Unfortunately they got one of my men, and found things the fool should have burnt Tonight I’m expecting trouble. 1. Who is Gerrard talking to? 2. Why does Gerrard feel it would be useless killing him? 3. What reason does Gerrard give for living there? 4. What are Gerrard traits as revealed in these lines? 41
PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) Reading Comprehension (Unseen Passage) I. Read the following passage carefully. debate on how to address these issues [discursive] without undermining the benefits of digital False information on internet travels faster media. Governments should promote news than the truth, researchers said. But contrary literacy and strong professional journalism to popular belief, it is largely people who in their societies. The news industry must spread the misinformation, not robots. The provide high-quality journalism in order to contested news stories were tweeted by three build public trust and correct fake news and million people over 4.5 million times. wrong information without legitimizing them. To determine whether the news was true or Technology companies should invest in tools false, researchers relied on six independent that identify fake news, reduce financial fact checking organizations. ‘Falsehoods were incentives for those who profit from false news 70% more likely to be retweeted than the and improve online accountability. truth,” said the report, led by researchers at Answer the questions given below. the Massachusetts Institute for technology. It a. What or who is actually responsible for also takes true stories about six times as long spreading fake stories? to reach 1500 people as it does for false stories b. What is the time taken by true stories to to reach the same number of people. Prior reach people compared to fake ones? studies on the topic have been limited to case c. Why do people share fake stories? studies or smaller samples. d. At what time do the false stories spread Researchers say fake stories spread faster faster? because of the ‘novelty hypothesis’ which e. How do media outlets benefit from spreading suggests people share these stories because fake news? they are more surprising than real ones. f. How can the news industry contribute in Falsehoods commonly inspired replies curbing the spread of false stories? expressing surprise, fear and disgust. The g. Find a word from paragraph 3 which means truth tended to elicit sadness, anticipation, joy the same as ‘expectation’. and trust. h. Find a word from paragraph 6 which means The study also found that the amount of false the opposite of ‘disapprove’. news on Twitter is increasing and tends to II. Recently you came across the picture given spike during major events around the world. below in a newspaper. You also read that this However the perpetrators do not tend to have step was a deliberate move towards reducing huge followings. In fact, those who spread corruption which exists in the form of black false news had significantly fewer followers, money. You decide to write an article on ‘Black followed significantly fewer people, were Money – A Curse’. less active on social media, were verified less often and had been on social media sites for a 42 significantly lesser time. For media outlets, the ability to attract viewers to their websites becomes necessary to generate online advertising revenue. Publishing a story with false content that attracts users, benefits advertisers and improves ratings. Easy access to online advertisement revenue, increased political polarization and the popularity of social media have all been implicated in the spread of fake news which competes with legitimate news stories. Fake news and sophisticated misinformation campaigns are especially problematic in democratic systems, and there is growing
PRACTICE SHEET - 2 (PS-2) Grammar: 1. In the given paragraph, there is an error in each meaningful sentences. line. Edit the given paragraph. a. outlook/moods/our/are/influence/emotions/ Children are conserved to the most important that asset [a] b. influence/persist/hbad/with/hours/or/weeks/ of their countries. However improperly understanding [b] this/may/for/days/even of the parents but poverty makes them the c. out/it/talk/is/to/mood/bad/a/with/deal/to/ reason [c] for the weakness of the country besides of being way/best/the [d] d. mind/on/soothing/have/neutral/the/effect/a/ the power of the country. Most of the children ov er [e] colours the poverty line are forced to doing child labour. [f] 4. Fill in the blanks with appropriate words. Simran dreams [a] _____ inventing a fridge 2. In the following passage, one word has been [b] _____ can take good care of [c] _____. She omitted in each line. Supply the missing word. says that the new fridge [d] _____ have a touch screen and a hatch. The screen will display [e] Earlier considered exotic ingredient, _____ icons. All she will have to do is to press mushrooms a [a] an icon for ‘clean’ [f] _____ the fridge will common in households and eateries. self-clean. Another icon will indicate [g] _____ While the button [b] foodstuff has gone stale and she will [h] _____ mushrooms are commonly found local markets, to press a button to get it out of the fridge. [c] connoisseurs are now dishing out recipes include 5. Read the given dialogues and complete the [d] paragraph. imported varieties such truffles, porcini etc. Sonu: Tomorrow is my birthday. I want to make [e] some pastries myself. Apart their high nutritional value they Minu: We can make some black forest pastries also add a lot of flavor. [f] and also try some with fresh strawberries. Sonu: I have seen my mother make pastries often 3. Rearrange the jumbled sentences to form but never tried myself. Minu: We can also Google to find out more ways to make the pastries. Sonu told Minu [a] __________ and [b] __________. Minu said that [c] __________ and also try some with fresh strawberries. Sonu mentioned that [d] _________ but [e] __________. Minu told Sonu [f] __________ to find out more ways to make the pastries. 43
1. Determiners At the end of this chapter, students will be able to: • Understand and demonstrate the correct usage of determiners Key Points Determiners are words used before a noun to determine or modify a noun. Since they fix the meaning of the noun that follows them, they are also called word fixers. They restrict the meaning of the noun. DETERMINERS ARTICLES QUANTIFIERS POSSESSIVES DEMONSTRATIVES a, an, the NUMERALS some, any, my, our, much, more, your, his, her, little, less their, its this, that, these, those One, two, three, four…….. [Cardinal numbers] First, second, third, fourth………. [Ordinal numbers] Both, some, many, few, all, several, each, every, either, neither [Distributives] PRE - DETERMINERS MULTIPLIERS FRACTIONS INTENSIFIER twice, three one-third, such, what, half, three- rather, quite Etximaems,pflieves:times Examples: His burger is twice the size of mine. My bus will arrive in half an hour. It was quite a surprise. He broke both his arms in the accident. 44
1. Determiners ‘A few’ is more than ‘few’. ‘A few’ is a positive idea. - Fortunately, our financial situation is good: We still have a few good customers. ‘Few’ is a negative idea. It means ‘almost none’ - I’m very sad: I have few good friends. We use ‘a few’ and ‘few’ + a plural countable noun. ‘A little’ is more than ‘little’. ‘A little’ is a positive idea. It means ‘not much, but some’. - I speak a little English. ‘Little’ is a negative idea. It means ‘nearly none, nearly nothing’. - I speak little English. Either, neither and both are used when talking about two persons. 45
PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) I. Choose the appropriate determiners from those II. Complete the paragraph using suitable given in the brackets and fill in the blanks. determiners. 1. The Amazon in Brazil is __________ longest A weary traveller stopped at a Bedouin’s tent river in South America. [a/an/the] and asked for shelter for the night. Without 2. Last summer we went on __________ cruise (a) ____________ delay, the man killed (b) in the Caribbean. Among __________ islands _________ chicken and handed it to (c) ________ we visited were Bermuda and the Bahamas. wife for (d) _______guest’s supper. As the woman [an.…a/the….the/a….the] stirred the meat in (e) ______________ copper 3. We could not get much information at the cooking pot, she smelled the rich steam and airport. __________ people seemed to have could not resist tasting (f) _________of the meat __________ idea about the flights. [many…. and soup, to see if it was soft and tasty. But any/only a few…..some/any….no] mouthful followed mouthful, and there wasn’t 4. __________ teachers prefer a class that is (g) _________ chicken left, but for the neck piece, fairly consistent in having pupils of the same which she gave to her little son to nibble. The level. [any/whole/most] boy found it so tasty that he whined, “Give me 5. __________ drawings is different. [many of (h) ______ more chicken, mother!” The woman the/each of the/most of the] slapped the little boy and scolded him: “It’s a 6. The report concludes sadly that __________ shameful habit (i) ______ father taught you, students have __________ knowledge of enough of it, I tell you!” On (j) _______ other nuclear physics. [every…. no/very few…. side of the wooden hanging which screened some/both….whole] the woman’s part of the tent from the rest, the 7. __________ his friends speaks any English. traveller overheard them. “What habit has (k) [both of/many of/neither of] _________ father taught (l) ___________ child?” 8. __________ of what he said was very he asked curiously. “Oh,” said the woman, sensible. [much/any/many] “whenever a guest arrives at (m) ________ tent, 9. I had to live in Paris and Madrid for many he cuts off his ears and roasts them over the fire years because of my business but I don’t like for (n) _______ son to eat.” Making not a sound, __________ city much. [neither/either/both] the traveller picked up (o) ______shoes and ran. 10. In my country, __________ universities offer a wide range of courses. [many/most any] 46
PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) III. Complete the following passage with the words given in the help box. In some cases more than one word will fit. all each every several a lot of many few Once, there was a very rich man. He was neither handsome nor clever but he worked hard and save (a) ______ money. Living two doors away from him was a beautiful lady. She was a widow with (b) ______ children.( c) ______ morning, the rich man would steal (d) ______ glances at the widow when she came out to do her chores in the garden. One evening, the man decided to pay her a visit. He brought with him (e) ______ presents, one for (f) ______ child. (g) _______ the children liked him and so (h) ______ time he visited her, he brought presents for the children. This went on for (i) ______ months. Just when the man thought that he could propose to the widow, something happened. A handsome stranger came to town. He was not as rich as the man. But somehow, (j) ______ eligible lady in town fell in love with him, including the widow. 47
2. Modals At the end of this chapter, students will be able to: • Understand and demonstrate the correct usage of Modals Key Points Modals are verbs used to express the mood or attitude of the speaker. They are also called auxiliaries or auxiliary verbs meaning ‘helping verbs’. They are used with the main verb in its first form. Usage of modals asking and giving permission, request, possibility, ability, to make • can/could suggestions promise, request, willingness, likelihood, certainty, habits, asking for things • will/would promise, suggestions, duty, obligation, suggestion, advice • shall/should possibility, permission, wish, faith, hope, purpose • may/might obligation, necessity, emphatic, advice, strong probability • must obligation, advice, duty • ought to past habit • used to to give permission or advice • need to to indicate strongly to someone not to do something • dare to 48
PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) I. Choose the best option to complete the III. Complete the conversation by filling the blanks following sentences. with appropriate modals. 1. Julie said that the traffic was heavy, so she Naresh Raghu, I [a] _____get my watch [may/might/should/can] be late for the repaired. [b] _____ you get it done for meeting. me if you are going to the market? 2. I don’t have enough money to buy lunch. Raghu I [c] _____ surely get your work done [May/Could/Shall/Will] you lend me a couple but I am not going to the market today. I of dollars? [d] _____ go tomorrow. 3. That ice is dangerously thin now. You Naresh Then you [e] _____ take my watch [mustn’t/might not/would not/cannot] go tomorrow. ice-skating today. Raghu It would be better if you [f] _____ give it 4. I’m really quite lost. [Would you mind/Would to me right now. In that case I [g] _____ you be/Must you be/Should you be] showing come back all the way to your house me how to get out of here? tomorrow. 5. That bus is usually on time. It [might/had/ Naresh Thanks a lot. need/have] to be here any time now. Raghu There is no need to be thankful. I [h] 6. We [will/would/shall/should] play soccer if it _____ go to the market in any case. doesn’t rain. 7. You [mustn’t/needn’t/won’t/can’t] take your raincoat. I don’t think it will rain. 8. The young lady is very fit and strong. She [must/can/dare/need to] climb the peak with ease. 9. He [[might/shouldn’t/couldn’t/can] have committed this crime. He wasn’t even in the city that night. 10. I think you [had to/ought to/might to/have to] do something for her. II. Fill in the blanks with appropriate modal verbs. 1. There are plenty of tomatoes in the fridge. You _____ buy any. 2. It’s a hospital. You _____ smoke. 3. I ____ Arabic fluently when I was a child. 4. _____ you stand on your head for more than a minute? No, I _____. 5. Take an umbrella. It _____ rain. 6. Drivers _____ stop when the traffic lights are red. 7. _____ I ask a question? Yes, of course. 8. If you want to score better grades you _____ work very hard. 9. I didn’t know that you needed help. You _____ have told me. 10. This is our city. We _____ throw garbage all around. 49
3. Prepositions At the end of this chapter, students will be able to: Preposition Used when Example • Understand and demonstrate the correct usage beside referring to besides by the side of The girl is sitting beside prepositions above moreover, her mother. over apart from Everyone, besides Tony, Key Points below was punished. under a higher level The ball went above the Prepositions are words which link nouns, pronouns covering or batsman’s head. and phrases to other words in a sentence. vertically The plane flew over Some common prepositions are: above Dubai. about, above, after, against, along, amid, among, a lower level Her blood pressure has around, at vertically fallen below normal. before, behind, below, beneath, beside, besides, below The book is lying under between, beyond, by the chair. down, during except Given below is a list of common verb – preposition for, from combinations: in, into, abide by [a promise/a decision] of, off, on, over accompany by [a person] through, to, towards accompany with [something] under, up, upon add to [something] with, without ask for [someone/something] in front of, next to beware of [something] capable of [something] AT – ON – IN cling to [someone/something] Prepostions Of Time coincide with [something] compare to [for dissimilar things] AT + specific She wakes up at 8o’clock. compare with [for similar things] time consist of [something] count on [something/someone] ON + days Where was Maria on Monday? deprive of [something] desire for [someone/something] ON + dates Her birthday is on 30th March. differ from – Our nature differs from each other like chalk and cheese. IN + months My brother was born in April. differ on/over – The two parties differed on/over most issues. IN + Years The Titanic sank in 1912. differ with [someone]- I differ with my friends when it comes to playing outdoor games. IN + the + Life was very different in the engaged to [[someone] decade 1950s. engaged in [something] indulge in IN + the + The monument was built in the involve in century 15th century. grieve at [something] heir to [someone] IN + season We go to the beach in summer. marvel at [someone/something] meddle with[someone/something] IN + time period I will reach the market in twenty occur to [someone] minutes. operate on [someone] The following table shows when to use the following prepositions. Preposition Used when Example between referring to He has to choose among two things between the ice-cream more than and the chocolate. two things Distribute the chocolate among the children. 50
3. Prepositions overcome with part with prohibit from pretend to recover from refer to refrain from rely on succeed in supply to wait for warn of yearn for Adjectives + Prepositions combinations OF FOR WITH TO Afraid eager associated attracted Ashamed eligible accustomed Aware famous bored addicted Capable notorious blessed allergic Envious prepared crowded indifferent Jealous ready delighted Proud responsible disappointed kind Certain respected fed up married Silly suitable familiar related Typical thankful popular similar satisfied superior IN BY Comfortable amazed FROM AT Experienced delighted different angry Interested disturbed awful excited safe bad Present impressed absent brilliant Skilled inspired clever Slow free TO Nouns + Prepositions combinations OF damage advantage addiction FOR IN devotion habit reaction Demand rise/increase intention access threat Need fall/decrease lack exception result Reason interest notice use Room delay Preference experience Reputation pleasure Admiration difficulty 51
PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) I. Fill in the blanks with appropriate prepositions. III. Fill in the blanks with appropriate prepositions. 1. We regret that we cannot comply __________ John Doe, who graduated [a] _____ the your request. University of North Carolina two years ago, is 2. The best candidate should be appointed now doing research work [b] _____ engineering __________ the post. [c] _____ Georgia Tech. He expects to receive his 3. He is addicted __________ gambling. Master’s degree [d] _____ next June. After that, 4. We must be grateful __________ the he plans [e] _____ to accept a job as a technician blessings that God has bestowed __________ [f] _____ an oil company [g] _____ South us. America. 5. We called __________ a friend’s house __________ the way. 6. __________ the way we came across an old beggar. 7. We agreed __________ a certain course of action. 8. People __________ many villages don’t have access __________ electricity. 9. He was accused __________ theft. 10. He has been absent __________ classes __________ three days now. II. Fill in the blanks with appropriate prepositions. 1. The two companies are completely independent. There’s no connection ________ them. 2. The advantage ________ having a car is that you don’t have to rely on public transport. 3. There are many advantages ________ being able to speak a foreign language. 4. Bill and I used to be good friends, but I don’t have much contact ________ him now. 5. There was panic when people realized the building was ________ fire. 6. I wish I were experienced ________ the field of marketing. 7. Most people agree that kindergarten contributes ________ the child’s mental development. 8. Although he studied hard, he couldn’t succeed ________getting a high score in his test. 9. All candidates are looking forward ________ the announcement of our test scores. 10. Rahul goes ________ school ________ bus. 52
4. Subject-Verb Concord At the end of this chapter, students will be able to: Half of the books were sold. • Understand and demonstrate the correct usage • ‘A pair of’, when applied to things like scissors, of subject-verb combination spectacles, trousers etc. is considered as a singular subject. If the same words are used without ‘a pair Key Points of’, the subject is considered plural. Eg: A pair of scissors is on the table. When the verbs change according to the persons of The scissors are in the drawer. the subjects, the verb is said to be in accordance with • Class names such as clothing, footwear, scenery, the subject. crockery, furniture, stationery, cutlery, hair are • When the subject of a sentence is singular, the verb considered singular and take a verb in accordance with the singular subject. must be in accordance with the singular subject. Eg: His clothing is not suitable for the occasion. Eg: The girl reads a book ever day. [base form + ‘s’ The furniture, in this showroom, is not of good or ‘es’] quality. • When the subject is plural, the verb is in accordance • Words like ‘people, poultry, clergy, studies and with the plural subject. cattle’ are considered plural. Eg: The masons report at the site at 9am. [base Eg: The cattle were grazing in the field. • Names of subjects and certain diseases which end form only] • When two or more singular subjects are joined by in ‘s’ are considered singular subjects. Eg: Physics is my favourite subject. ‘and’, the verb has to be in accordance with the Measles is a painful disease. plural subject. • When a plural number is applied to distances, Eg: Shally and Mary are sisters. • When two or more subjects are joined by ‘as well weights, heights or amounts of money, it is taken as’, the verb is in agreement with the first subject. as a whole and is considered singular. Eg: The king as well as the ministers was invited for Eg: Thousand rupees is a lot of money. the meeting. Twenty meters of cloth costs fifteen hundred ru- • When two or more singular subjects are connected pees. by ‘or’, ‘nor’, ‘either…. or’, ‘neither……nor’, they • The titles of books, names of houses, hotels, films take a verb which is in agreement with the latter are always considered singular. subject. Eg: Gulliver’s Travels was written by Jonathan Eg: Neither Ravi nor Rahul is responsible. Swift. • The pronouns – many a, anyone, anything, ‘The Sound of Music’ is an interesting film. everybody, everyone, everything, every, somebody, someone, something, one, no one, nobody, nothing, either, neither, each, none, neither of, none of – take a verb which is in agreement with a singular subject. The pronouns mentioned here are treated as singular subjects. Eg: Everything is under control. • A collective noun is considered as a singular subject. Eg: A bunch of keys was kept on the table. • ‘A lot of’, ‘plenty of’, ‘some of’ and ‘half of’ are considered as plural when they denote number; they are considered singular when they denote quantity. Eg: There is a lot of oil in Assam. There are a lot of books on the table. There are plenty of roses in the bushes. There is plenty of rice in the bowl. Some of the boys are playful. 53
PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) I. Choose the correct form of the verb for the III. Complete the paragraph by filling in the blanks following sentence: with the correct form of the verbs given in the 1. Pete’s stomach _____ when it is empty. brackets. [growls / growl] 2. Brown bears _____ thick fur only in the cold One of the first things a child [a] _____ [learn] in winter months. [has/have] school [b] _____ [to be] that a fish [c] _____ [live] 3. Not many vegetables _____ high in calories. in water and when it is brought out of water, it [is/are] [d] _____ [die]. True, most fish [e] _____ [do], 4. Carol and her cousins _____ every afternoon. but there are a few fish that [f] _____ [climb], [g] [exercise/exercises] _____ [walk] and there [h] _____ even a species 5. The owner of those CDs _____ them back. that [i] _____ [fly]. This [j] _____ [to be] truly [want/wants] amazing. 6. The inventor of different gadgets __________ a patent. [demands/demand] 7. Neither the Minister nor his colleagues _____ given any explanation for this. [have/has] 8. Either Mary or Alice _____ responsible for this. [are/is] 9. One of my friends _____ gone to France. [have/has] 10. He and I _____at Oxford together.[was/were] II. There are errors in each of the given sentences. Rewrite the sentences with corrections. 1. Water are the most popular drink in the world. 2. Tea leaves finds their way into the emperor’s boiling water. 3. Neither he nor his sister are to blame. 4. Politics play an important role in our lives. 5. A bunch of keys are kept on the table. 6. All the furniture in the old building have been brightly painted. 7. Each of the participants have been given a certificate. 8. Information on the board exam dates have not been released yet. 9. My spectacles is lost. 10. Everyone speak loudly in this class. 54
5. Clauses Learning Objectives At the end of this chapter, students will be able to: • Understand and demonstrate the correct usage of noun clause, adverb clause and relative clause Key Points A clause is a group of words containing a subject and a verb, but stand below a sentence in rank. A clause may be dependent or independent. CLAUSES PRINCIPAL CLAUSE/ SUB-ORDINATE CLAUSE CO-ORDINATE CLAUSE Clauses joined by co-ordinate conjunctions Clauses joined by sub-ordinate conjunctions [and, but, only, for, so, yet, or, nor] [before, since, till, when, after, because, as, that, if, unless, though, although, than] Expresses ideas of equal rank Sub –ordinate clause depends on or importance the main clause for complete meaning Example Example Listen to me or I'll complain. We shall cancel the picnic if it rains. Noun Clause A noun clause is a dependent clause that acts as a noun. A noun clause contains a subject and a verb but does not express a complete thought. It begins with ‘wh’ question words – what, when, where, which, who, whom, how, why, whichever, whomever, whatever & if, whether, that etc. Example She decided that she would become a lawyer.[noun clause] It is important to think about why we make certain decisions. Adverb Clause of time An adverb clause of time shows when something happens. It is usually introduced by time adverbs – before, after, as, when, until, as soon as, since, no sooner than, as long as etc. An adverb clause of time can come before or after the main clause. When it comes before the main clause, it is separated with a comma. Commas are not necessary when the adverb clause goes after the main clause. 55
5. Clauses Example As soon as you reach here, we will leave for the party. We will leave for the party as soon as you reach here. Adverb Clause of Condition An adverb clause of condition gives the circumstances under which the action in the main clause will take place. It is usually introduced by subordinating conjunctions – if, unless, whether, provided that, on condition that, so long as etc. Example Unless you work hard, you will not pass. If the cost fits her budget, she will buy the house. Relative Clause Relative clauses are non-essential parts of a sentence. They may add meaning, but in case they are removed, the sentence will function grammatically. Relative clauses are introduced by relative pronouns - who, that, whose, which etc. Example My mother, who is fifty, lives in London. This is a book whose author is my neighbour. I. Add the phrase given in the brackets and rewrite the sentence. 1. The lady was tired. [I went to meet her] 2. The accountant was arrested. [the 56
PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) accountant works for my father’s company] Sl. COLUMN A COLUMN B 3. I wrote to my friend. [you met the friend last No week] 1 He stayed out with even though he gets 4. The mobile phone can’t be fixed. [the mobile his friends till late in plenty of sleep the evening phone is broken] 5. We like the actor. [the actor acted in the 2 I will call you since I joined it twenty years ago horror film] 6. I often buy cheese. [the cheese is imported 3 She screamed on condition that I let her pay her share from Paris] 7. The hairdresser was very skillful. [the 4 The kid feels in spite of my telling exhausted all the him to return early hairdresser has red hair] time 8. The child is playing in the garden. [we see the 5 The company has if you don’t tell me child often] grown considerably how you spent it last 9. The women were late. [Lucy invited the month women] 6 They sat up talking wherever he went 10. The car is in the garage. [the car broke down] II. Fill in the blanks with appropriate conjunctions 7 She accepted my if I manage to get the from those given in the brackets. invitation for dinner tickets 1. Sue and Kate are _____ good friends that 8 I am not going to until the clock struck they do everything together. [so/such] give you pocket midnight 2. We took shelter under a tree _____ the rain money any more stopped. [after/until] 9 The crowd followed even if you are sure 3. I will call you _____ I am late. [if/unless] the leader that it is correct 4. There are plenty of seats. You may sit _____ 10 Check the answer as if she had seen a [however/wherever] again ghost 5. You can borrow my bike _____ [as if/as long as] you ride it carefully. 6. I read a magazine _____ [before/while] I was waiting for the bus. 7. Jane bought the bangles _____ [even if/even though] they were rather expensive. 8. The bird flew away _____ [as long as/as soon as] it saw me. 9. Julie has had her hair cut _____ [before/ since] I last saw her. 10. I was _____ [such/so] hungry that I ate the entire pizza myself. III. Rewrite the sentences by matching the parts of the sentences from Column A to those in Column B. 57
6. Tenses At the end of this chapter, students will be able to: • Understand and demonstrate the correct usage of different form of verbs Key Points USAGE WORDS OF RULES EXAMPLES IDENTIFICATION Present Tense TENSES To express always, seldom, P – V1+ ‘s’ or ‘es’ P – Peter reads the book. routine, daily, every day N – do not/does N – Peter does not read the Simple Present universal truths, etc. not+ habits, processes book. Present and facts V1 I – Does Peter read the book? Continuous I – d o/does…… + Present Perfect V1...? Present Perfect To express at this time, now, P – is/are/ P – Peter is reading the book. Continuous continuity of still am+V1+ing N – Peter is not reading the action in the N – is/are/am not + present book. V1 + ing I – Is Peter reading the book? I – Is/Are/Am+…. V1 + ing……..? To express yet, so far P – has/have+V3 P – Peter has read the book. completion of N – has not/have not N – Peter has not read the an action in the + V3 book. recent past I – h as/have not…… I – Has Peter read the book? + V3…….? To express the since/for+time P – h as/have been + P – Peter has been reading start of an action V1 + ing the book since morning. in the past and its continuity in N – h as not been/ N – Peter has not been the present have not been + reading the book. V1 + ing I – Has Peter been reading I – Has/Have …… the book? been + V1 + ing? Past Tense USAGE WORDS OF RULES EXAMPLES TENSES IDENTIFICATION P – Peter read the book. Simple Past To express an yesterday, last, ago P – V2 N – Peter did not read the action sometime N – did not + V1 book. Past Continuous in the past I – Did … + V1…..? I – Did Peter read the book? P – Peter was reading the To express yesterday at this P – was/ book. continuity of time, while, when were+V1+ing N –Peter was not reading the action in the N – was not/were past book. not + V1 + ing I – Was Peter reading the I – W as/Were…… + book? V1 + ing? 58
6. Tenses Past Perfect To express before, after P – had+V3 P – Peter had read the book. completion of N – had not + V3 N – Peter had not read the Past Perfect an action before I – Had….. + V3? Continuous another action book. of the past I – Had Peter read the book? Future Tense TENSES To express the since/for+time P – had been + V1 + P – P eter had been reading start of an action ing the book. Simple Future in the past and N – had not been + Future its continuity in N – Peter had not been Continuous the past V1 + ing reading the book. I – Had….. + Been + Future Perfect I – Had Peter been reading V1 + ing? the book? Future Perfect Continuous USAGE WORDS OF RULES EXAMPLES To express an IDENTIFICATION P – will + V1 action in the tomorrow, later, N – will not + V1 P – Peter will read the book. future next I – Will…. + V1…..? N – Peter will not read the To express P – will be +V1+ing book. continuity of tomorrow at this N – w ill not be + V1 I – Will Peter read the book? action in the time P – P eter will be reading the future + ing I – W ill…. Be + V1 + book. To express N – Peter will not be reading completion of ing……? an action in the P – will + have +V3 the book. future N – will not have + I – Will Peter be reading the V3 To express the since/for + time I – Will… + have + book? start of an action V3? P – P eter will have read the as well as its P – will have been + continuity in the book. future V1 + ing N – P eter will not have read N – will not have the book. been + V1 + ing I – W ill Peter have read the I – W ill…. have been book? + V1 + ing? P – P eter will have been reding the book. N – Peter will not have been reading the book. I – Will Peter have been reading the book? • P - POSITIVE • N - NEGATIVE • I - INTERROGATIVE 59
PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) I. Choose the appropriate option and fill in the III. Fill in the blanks with appropriate form of blanks. verbs. 1. I _____ [hoped/am hoping/had hoped] to get a raise in salary soon. John [a] _____ a fashion designer. He [b] _____ 2. Recently we _____ [were hearing/will hear/ different varieties of dresses since he [c] _____ have heard] a strange story. young boy. He [d] _____ his first job in a garments 3. The lady _____ [is cutting/had cut/will have factory when he [e] _____ just eighteen. He [f] cut] the mango which has ripened. _____ buttons on to a shirt when he [g] _____ a 4. By this time tomorrow I _____ [will be brilliant idea for a design. After he [h] _____ to his reaching/will reach/will have reached] the bank manager he [i] _____ a loan. He [j] _____ his resort. own little workshop. Since then people [k] _____ 5. My friend _____ [tells/told/will tell] me that to him for unique designs. Now he [l] _____a he _____ [has finished/had finished/will have lot of money. Next year he [m] _____ will open finished] his project. his own boutique which will exclusively sell his 6. The general _____ [has/have/is] never before designs. He [n] _____ very rich soon. led the troops in the battle. 7. Currently Rohan _____ [has been learning/ had learnt/is learning] to play the mouth organ. 8. The river _____ [flows/will flow/flow] under the bridge. 9. We will wait till the shopkeeper _____. [come/has come/comes] 10. I _____ [cut/am cutting/have cut] my finger and it _____ [was bleeding/is bleeding/has been bleeding] now. II. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate forms of the verbs given in the brackets. 1. I [a] _____ [look] forward to the next weekend. I [b] _____ [arrange] to [c]_____ [meet] my old friend at Café Coffee Day in the centre of the city. I [d] _____ [not see] her for a very long time because she [e] _____ [work] abroad. 2. Raj and Hari [a] _____ [lose] their suitcase. It was made of brown leather and it [b] _____ [have] a golden edge. They [c] _____ [enquire] the other passengers whether they [d] _____ [see] it. One gentleman [e] _____ [say] that he [f] _____ [see] it in the hands of a lady who [g] _____ [wear] a blue dress. 3. Addiction to gadgets [a] _____ [be] quite dangerous. I believe you [b] _____ [be] aware of the fact that many students [c] _____ [take] to gadgets like a fish [d] _____ [take] to water. In the beginning one [e] _____ [get] thrill. Later students {f] _____ [become] addicted to these gadgets. 60
7. Voice At the end of this chapter, students will be able to: • Understand and demonstrate the correct usage of Voice Key Points Voice refers to the form of the verb which shows whether the subject of a sentence has done something or something has been done to it. VOICE ACTIVE VOICE PASSIVE VOICE Subject performs Subject is the the action receiver of action To change a sentence from active voice to passive voice the following steps have to be kept in mind. • Subject changes to object Present Continuous • Object changes to subject The mason is building the wall. • The preposition ‘by’ is used. [wherever required] The wall is being built by the mason. • The verb changes its form according to the new RULE : am/is/are + V1 + ing ---------- is / are being + V3 Present Perfect subject and the tense of the sentence. The mason has built the wall. The wall has been built by the mason. The girl made a kite. RULE : has/ have + V3 --------- has/have been + V3 Subject Verb Object A kite was made by the girl. Simple Past The mason built the wall. The wall was built by the mason. Subject Verb Preposition Object RULE : V2 ---------- was/ were + V3 Past Continuous Given below are the rules and examples of changes The mason was building the wall. made to sentences in active voice, when changed to The wall was being built by the mason. passive voice. RULE : was/were + V1 + ing ---------- was/ were being +V3 Simple Present The mason builds the wall. The wall is built by the mason. RULE : V1 ---------- is/are + V3 61
7. Voice Past Perfect Simple future will build will be built The mason had built the wall. The wall had been built by the mason. Interrogative Sentences RULE : had + V3 ---------- had been + V3. Active voice – Who has taken the pencil? Simple Future Passive voice – By whom has the pencil been taken? The mason will build the wall. The wall will be built by the mason. • While changing questions from active to passive RULE : will + V1 --------will be +V3 voice, questions will have to be retained as questions only. They should not be changed into TENSE ACTIVE VOICE PASSIVE VOICE statements. is / are built Simple present builds is/ are being • The change in the form of the verb has to be in built accordance with the tense given in the question. has / have been Present is building built Cases where the subject is obvious. continuous was / were Active Voice – The police arrested the criminal. built Passive voice – The criminal was arrested. Present perfect has/have built was/ were Active voice – People in north India speak Hindi. being built Passive voice – Hindi is spoken in north India. Simple past built had been built In case of sentences where the subject is obvious, Past was building the subject can be omitted from the sentence in continuous had built passive voice. Past perfect Commands and Requests Do not take the pen. Let the pen not be taken. Please buy some vegetables from the market. Let some vegetables be bought from the market. If the subject in active voice is a pronoun, the following changes have to be made. Active Voice Passive Voice I me we us you you him he her she them they it it 62
PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) I. Change the following sentences from active to III. Complete the description below using the passive voice. correct voice. 1. Some girls were helping the wounded lady. 1. How to Make Tea 2. Why did your sister write such a proposal? 3. Peter gave me flowers on my birthday. • Boil a glass of water in a kettle/teapot. 4. The children have broken the window pane. • When the water is still boiling, pour half a glass of 5. All the members of the crew wore life jackets. 6. Who has spilt water on the carpet? milk into the boiling water. 7. People use this lane as a shortcut to the bus • Add two teaspoons of tea powder and sugar into the stand. 8. Pollution has worsened the problem. boiling content. 9. Open the front door. • Stir the tea and serve hot. 10. Please complete the project work. First, a glass of water [a] _____ in a kettle or II. Expand the given news headlines. teapot. When the water is still boiling, [b] 1. FRENCH CLASSES TO BEGIN ON SEPT 20TH _____ into the boiling water. Two teaspoons The Director has announced that of tea powder [c] _____ into the boiling ___________________. content and finally, tea [d] _____ and [e] 2. 15 INJURED AS JEEPS COLLIDE _____ hot. About ___________________ at the Gandhi circle today. 2. How to make noodles 3. DOG MAULS INFANT TO DEATH • Boil a glass of water in a pan. A two month old girl died after she • Add the spices to the boiling water and stir for a ___________________ by a dog in her home in North Kolkata. minute. 4. INDIA SRI LANKA TO PLAY FINAL • Crunch the packaged noodles and empty the packet The tri-nation cricket final ___________________ between India and Sri into the water. Lanka next week. • Add green peas and curry leaves of your choice. 5. HIGH RISE BUILDINGS CAUSING BIRD • Leave the mixture to simmer for three minutes and DECLINE A decline in bird population serve with tea or coffee. ___________________ by high rise buildings which leave no room for them to roost or This is how I made noodles yesterday. First, a breed. glass [a] _____ pan. Next, the spices [b] _____ 6. BAN ON RAGGING water and [c] _____ for a minute. Following Ragging ___________________ in all this, the packaged noodles [d] _____ and the educational institutions. packet [e] _____ into the water. Next, green 7. LARGEST WEB-WEAVING SPIDER DISCOVERED peas and curry leaves of [f] _____ to the Scientists ___________________ the largest preparation. Finally, the mixture [g] _____ web-weaving spider in South Africa. for three minutes and [h] _____ with tea or 8. NASA TO ROLL OUT NEW SATELLITES coffee. According to a report, new satellites ___________________ by NASA next month. 63
8. Reported Speech At the end of this chapter, students will be able to: • Understand and demonstrate the correct usage of reported speech Key Points There are two ways of reporting what a person has said. Direct speech Indirect speech Conveys the exact Conveys the meaning of words of the speaker what the speaker has said While changing a sentence from direct to indirect Direct Speech Indirect Speech speech, the following points have to be kept in Rahul said, “I watched Rahul said that he had mind: the movie.” watched the movie. • The inverted commas have to be removed. • Appropriate conjunctions to be added. [and, but, Past Continuous Past Perfect Continuous Rahul said, “I was Rahul said that he had so and because] watching the movie.” been watching a movie. • Tenses have to be changed. [Table shown below to Past Perfect No change, except be referred] removal of inverted • Pronouns have to be changed. commas. • Necessary changes have to be made with regard to Rahul said, “I had Rahul said that he had watched a movie.” watched a movie. ‘place and time’ expressions. Direct Speech Indirect Speech Past Perfect Continuous No change, except removal of inverted Simple Present Simple Past commas. Rahul said, “I often watch Rahul said that he often movies.” watched movies. Rahul said, “I had been Rahul said that he had watching a movie.” been watching a movie. Present Continuous Past Continuous Rahul said, “I am Rahul said that he was Simple Future [will] Would Rahul said, “I will watch a Rahul said that he would watching a movie.” watching a movie. movie.” watch a movie. Present Perfect Past Perfect Rahul said, “I have Rahul said that he had watched the movie.” watched the movie. The auxiliary verbs change as follows in indirect speech. Present Perfect Past Perfect Continuous Continuous Direct speech Indirect speech Rahul said, “I have been Rahul said that he had can/cannot could/couldn’t watching a movie.” been watching a movie. may might Simple Past Past Perfect will/shall would/should must have to 64
8. Reported Speech The first and second person pronouns in the direct Words that denote nearness in time and space speech change into the third person pronouns in change into words that denote distance. reported speech. Mary said to Martina, “I will meet you at the café.” Direct speech Indirect Speech Mary told Martina that she would meet her at the café. this that these those If the one who reports is the same as the one now then addressed, the second person pronoun is changed to first person pronoun. ago before My father said to me, “You are very clever.” My father told me that I was very clever. last night previous night today that day tonight that night The following table indicates the changes made to yesterday previous day pronouns in reported speech. tomorrow next day Direct speech Indirect Speech come go I He/she bring take you I/me Questions are introduced by words like ‘if, whether, asked, or inquired’. me him/her The teacher said to the students, “Have you completed the homework?” you [all] we/us The teacher asked the students whether they had completed the homework. my his/her mine his/hers your our Exclamations and wishes in reported speech are introduced by verbs like ‘wondered, exclaimed, wished, our their blamed or praised’. Alice said, “What a beautiful painting it is!” Alice exclaimed that it was a beautiful painting. Commands and requests are introduced by words like ‘ordered, requested or commanded’. The landlord said to his servant, “Get me a glass of water.” The landlord ordered his servant to get him a glass of water. 65
PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) Kate asked Clara [a] __________ . Clara said that [b] __________ university exams. Kate I. Rewrite the sentences in reported speech. [c] __________ to take up. Clara replied 1. Raju said, “We often play football in the that [d] __________ and added that she evening.” [e] __________ for the same. Kate asked 2. Mohit said to me, “Please wait until I come.” [f] __________. Clara told Kate that it [g] 3. The policeman said to the thief, “What are __________ on the 15th of the following you carrying in your bag?” month. Kate wanted to know [h] __________. 4. Marisa said, “I want to meet all my relatives Clara mentioned that [i] __________ and that in Australia. [j] __________ . Kate wished the very best for 5. My friends said, “Our family is planning to her future. visit Kashmir next month.” 6. The boy said, “I ate a lot in the afternoon today.” 7. Sonia said to her sister, “Are you coming home with me?” 8. The twins said to their aunt, “We did not attend the coaching class this week.” 9. Pranav said to his teacher, “I will come for the picnic tomorrow.” 10. The inspector said to me, “Is you name Aman?” II. Read the given dialogue and complete the paragraph. Joe: Can you lend me two hundred rupees? Mother: Why do you need the money? Joe: I want to buy some flowers for my teacher on her birthday. Mother: Ok, I will lend you the money. Joe: I will not spend it for any other purpose. Mother: You must not forget to pay it back. Joe asked his mother [a] ______________ . His mother asked [b] ______________ . He replied that [c] ______________ for his teacher on her birthday. His mother [d] ______________ . Joe promised that [e] ______________ . His mother told him [f] ______________ . III. Complete the passage below. Kate: Where have you been all these days? Clara: I was home preparing for my university entrance exams. Kate: Which course are you planning to take up? Clara: I have always been interested in literature. I have got admission for the same. Kate: When will your course begin? Clara: It will begin on the 15th of next month. Kate: When are you planning to leave? Clara: I have some shopping to do. I may be leaving in the last week of this month. Kate: Wish you all the best. 66
Grade Requirement: Reading Writing task TASK OBJECTIVE QUESTION TYPE READING *Interpreting and analysing the passage *Causes and effects *Conceptual understanding, decoding, *Infers meanings of unfamiliar words. WRITING analysing passage, inferring and -difficult Synonym and antonym. (composition) interpreting facts *Inferenced based questions. *Critical evaluation of issue and *Figures of Speech , Imageries. Controversy *Connects to real life and ask questions in Story Writing: context. Outline story and story out of imagination. *Vocabulary To be able to write a good opening body and conclusion To able to write in paragraph. Diary Writing: Should be able to give proper reasoning To be able to write lucid and and should follow appropriate format and conversational language in a diary fluency. Article Writing Person, place & events 67
9. Article Writing Checklist ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------- 1. Must have a relevant and concise heading. [cen- trally placed] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Name of the writer below the heading on the RHS. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. An article must be divided into three paragraphs. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- a. Brief introduction of the issue – if possible a ------------------------------------------------------- SAMPLE thought/question/report based on a survey or You are much disturbed by the sudden population a news report to be incorporated. explosion in the country. You would like to express b. Relevant value points in support of the given your opinion on ‘Population Explosion’ in the form of topic. an article. Write your article in about 100 -150 words. c. Conclusion – to lay stress on certain aspects, appeal and provide a suggestion or two if possi- Population Explosion ble. xyz 4. Logical sequencing and smooth flow of ideas must be maintained. According to the Indian census, carried out in 2011 the 5. Sentences must be well structured and punctuat- population of India crossed the one billion mark. This ed. is the second most populous country of the world after 6. Long sentences with more than one connector to China and the studies and researches have projected be avoided. that India will be the world’s largest populous country, 7. Formal language to be used – reported speech, surpassing China, by 2025. verb in passive voice and third person pronoun. One of the major causes of over population in India is 8. Interactive language should not be used. that the birth rate is still much higher than the death 9. Students must avoid writing their own names. If rate. Early marriage also contributes to this problem as getting married at a young age prolongs the child the name is mentioned in the question paper, the bearing age too. Another factor is illiteracy and pover- same may be used. ty. Due to various customs and traditions Indians lag 10. Word limit: 120-150 words. behind in using birth control measures. Many of the Format families still have the notion that more the number of members in the family, more will be the members to HEADING bring some income. The age old thought that sons are xyz/name mentioned in the question -------------------- the bread winners of the family also puts pressure on --------------------------------------------------------------------- couples to produce children till a male child is born. ------------------------------------------------- CONTENT [IN 3 Last but not the least illegal migration is also adding PARAGRAPHS] ---------------------------------------------------- to increased population density. -------- --------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------- Today India is stretched to its limit due to overpopu- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- lation, where a bare minority billionaires control most ----------------------------------------------------------------------- of India’s wealth. This economic inequality leads to ----------------------------------------------------------------------- poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, lack of medical fa- cilities, lack of social security, poor living conditions, shortage of drinking water, rapid depletion of natural resources, increased levels of air and water pollution etc. 68
PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) The government should initiate a strong population policy so that the economic growth of the country can keep pace with the demands of a growing population. Some measures like empowering women, promoting family planning, making education accessible to all, should be introduced by the government from the grass root levels. Such measures will help in having a control over population explosion and also ensure that any country has more of an intellectual majority. 1. You are Namita/Naman. Write an article on the topic ‘India – A Tourist’s Paradise’ in 100-150 words. You may use the clues given below: • a vast country • diversity of culture • variety of races • climate – hills, rivers, plains, deserts • places of pilgrimage • huge coastline, friendly beaches • modern cities 2. Parents, today, are facing a major problem with their children who are found wasting most of their time on Facebook, Instagram and other social networking sites, with the result that their studies and other important activities are neglected. Write an article on ‘The Impact of Social Networking Sites’ in about 100-150 words as Peter/Patricia. You may use the clues given below. • teenagers waste time • parents’ fear of the dangers involved • advantages – quick relay of information, source of news, helps in academic work, improves relationships • disadvantages – spread of false information, students spend long hours, leads to stress, misunderstandings and arguments, students become lonely and depressed • to maintain a balance and fix hours to use the social networking sites, parents to spend more time with children and listen to their problems 69
10. Story Writing Structure of the taxis stopped for us, except one. Without talking anything about the fare he asked us to get in. We The structure of a story: thanked the taxi driver for stopping for us. The driv- • Plot er asked us where we wanted to go and we told the • Characters place. Since it was very cold, I asked the driver to stop • Setting in midway at any small restaurant or a tea shop. We Plot: Needs to be well-planned. It can be adventurous, wanted to have a cup of hot tea. The driver stopped mysterious, funny or a sci-fi. There can be a moral or near a small restaurant. We ordered for tea and asked message being conveyed. Some stories may have un- the driver to join us and have a cup of tea. The driv- usual ends or may end on a note of suspense. er refused. I insisted him to take a cup as it could be Characters: Stories may have people, animals or oth- refreshing. Again the driver refused to drink tea. This er creatures as characters. Usually there is one main irritated us. I was really surprised at his behaviour and character/the protagonist and the rest supportive. asked my friend not to compel him. We thought of the Setting: The background provided to a story is its set- driver to be an arrogant person. In fifteen minutes, we ting. It can be an island, a planet, a city, a forest or just reached home. We paid the fare and he thanked us. I a room! The details should be carved keeping the set- stopped him, as I really wanted to ask him why he re- ting in mind. fused to drink tea. He thought for a minute, and replied Evaluation: It will be based on creativity, structure that his son passed away that noon in an accident. He and coherence/relevance. didn’t have enough money for his funeral. So he prom- Title: It is important to give the story a title. ised not to drink even water until he earned enough Dialogues may be used while writing a story but in money for his son’s funeral. We both were shattered such cases, proper punctuations must be used. and offered him more money. He politely refused and Different types of questions for writing a story: mentioned that if he would get one or two more cus- • Spin-a yarn- where just a hint of a beginning is tomers he would have enough money. He could have charged us double or even triple the usual rate due given and the student is expected to weave a story to rain. Still, he took the nominal taxi fare. In spite of with what is given. his poor financial condition, his deep sorrow, the taxi • Stories based on visual stimuli driver remained honest and stood by his words. We • The ending lines are given and students are felt really ashamed of ourselves and promised that we expected to end the story with the given lines. would not jump to hasty conclusions about anyone • A story outline may be given and students have to ever in our lives. build a story based on the given outline. Word limit: 200 – 250 words Assignment 1 SAMPLE Read the outline given below and build a story. Write a story beginning with the given lines: a merchant returning home from a fair – has a large It was a cold and windy night. My friend and I sum of money – sudden heavy rainfall – merchant ……………… … …………………….. gets wet – attacked by robbers on the way – robbers attempt to shoot – failure – gum powder damp – THE HONEST TAXI DRIVER merchant escapes It was a cold and windy night. My friend and I met after a long time and were chatting for hours. We did not notice that time flew away and it was close to ten. We decided to take a taxi back home. There was a sudden change in the weather. In the morning it was extreme- ly hot and sultry. There was no trace of rain. It started raining and soon there was a heavy downpour. None 70
10. Story Writing Assignment 2 Write a story based on the given picture. [three friends meeting after a long time – each one re- calling what happened in their lives in the last couple of years – meanwhile a stray dog makes its appearance – refuses to leave the place - the three friends having different opinions on how to handle the dog – one of them decides to adopt the dog] NOTE: The above skeleton is just an idea. There may be various ways in which the students may create a story from the given picture. Every creative idea needs to be respected and marked accordingly. 71
11. Diary Entry Check list: caught from the pond was delicious. Unlike our city all the people of the village knew each other. The affection A diary is a first person report of an incident, person and the warmth made me a little emotional too. I felt a or turn of events and the writer’s reaction to the sense of well- being in simple country existence. I felt same. spiritual serenity in the rural landscape. The simplicity, • The date [has to be written in expanded form natural beauty and the tranquility made me feel very relaxed and rejuvenated. I will make it a point to spend only], day and time of writing the diary should some time every year in a village. be written on the same line. • The diary should focus on the events which have happened in the immediate past. • A diary is always written in first person and in the past tense. • The emphasis, while writing a diary, should be on feelings and emotions and not on the event itself. • A diary has to be written in a single paragraph. • Salutation and subscription is not required while writing a diary. • Word limit : 100 – 150 words Format DATE, DAY TIME ----------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- CONTENT ----- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- SAMPLE You are Raghav, born and brought up in a city. Last weekend you had gone to visit your cousin who stays in a village. It was a totally new experience for you. Write a diary on your experience of village life. 1st January’2019, Tuesday 8pm Last weekend I went to visit my cousin who stays in the Madhupur village. It was my first visit to a village. My cousin was really excited and he promised to make my stay exciting. The morning scene was something which I will never forget. Watching the sunrise was an amazing experience. The chirping of the birds was caught my attention in the early hours of the morning. Unlike the people in the city, the villagers woke up very early in the morning and went about their daily chores. I went for a walk with my cousin. The ponds, the green fields alongside the roads, the paddy fields covered with green crops proved a visual treat. Little ahead I saw children walking down to school in small groups. For food, I had different preparations which my aunt made with from fresh garden vegetables. The fish 72
PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) 1. Your best friend Ranjit, whom you always considered a true friend, cheated you out of your money. Write a diary about how your friend cheated you and your feelings on being cheated. 73
12. Factual Description Checklist …………………………………………………………… Person …………………………………………………… • The physical appearance of the person may be Sample 1. Event included. Your school celebrated the Tree Plantation Day on • Focus should be on the achievements of the 15th June 2018. Write a short paragraph describing the event. person being described. CLUES • Character traits of the person would add to the 15th June – tree plantation day at abc school objective – reinforce importance of plants and trees description. planting saplings • The time span may cover childhood to adult life. special assembly – mime show Place competitions held during the day • The name of the place is written as the heading. tree plantation campaign • The details of what the place is meant for must be chief guest speech every guest given a sapling described in a few sentences. • The physical description – location of the place is Tree Plantation Day ABC school celebrated the Tree Plantation Day on 15th important. June’ 2018. The main objective of the programme was • Vivid and carefully selected details have to be to reinforce among the students the importance of plants and trees in everyday life. To mark this auspi- included. cious day the Green Ambassadors of the school dec- Event orated each classroom with floral and leafy saplings • A proper heading has to be given [the event – eg. planted and adopted by them. They also named the saplings after themselves. A special assembly was Sports Day, Blessing ceremony] held in the early hours which include a speech and a • Date and time span must be mentioned. skit. The highlight of the morning was the mime show • Focus has to be on the main aspects – organizers, presented by the students on the need to protect the trees. Later during the day various competitions were chief guests, the actual happenings, the ambience held for the students which included drawing and etc. poster display, poem and essay writing. The theme • The paragraph has to be finished with a logical for the competition was ‘Save Trees, Save Earth, Save conclusion. Mankind’. A tree plantation campaign was held which General Tips saw large scale participation of students, teachers, • Language should be simple, formal and effective. parents and the guests as well. Various herbal and • Short sentences must be used. medicinal plants were planted in school premises. The • The focus should be only on the relevant details. occasion was graced by the Members of the Manage- • Word limit – 100 -150 words ment, the chief Guest …….. and the Principal …….. In his address the Chief Guest highlighted the impor- Format tance of keeping the surroundings green and added Heading/Title that unless tress were respected one could not have a healthy life. Every visitor was given a sapling at the …………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………… Content …………………… ……………………………………… …………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………… 74
12. Factual Description end of the programme. The programme was a huge 3. Person success and was well appreciated by all those who Given below is the profile of Mr. Raj, the school were present. gardener. Briefly describe Mr. Raj on the basis of the 2. Place given hints. Using the clues given below describe ‘Khandala’. age – around 50 years located in western ghats – 3 kms from Lonavla – height/weight – six feet/75 kgs, well built, active at 1800 feet - well connected by road – scenery, and agile waterfalls, greenery attracts visitors – seen the ups family – large – parents, wife, six children : four boys and downs of the Peshwas, Marathas, British – has and two girls mansions of the earlier days – monsoon, the best education – high school, discontinued due to family time to visit the place – provides scope for fun responsibilities and relaxation – famous for vegetarian and non- devoted to his job – has sound knowledge of plants, vegetarian food – people are friendly manure, soil, takes pride in the plants, maintains school lawn and playground Khandala interacts well with teachers and children – believes Khandala is a hill station in the Western Ghats in the they are like young plants state of Maharashtra, India, about three kilometres from Lonavala. This beautiful hill station is nestled at a Mr. Raj - The School Gardener height of 1,800 feet in the western ghats of Maharash- Mr. Raj, the school gardener is around 50 years of age. tra. Khandala is well connected to many cities of India He is six feet tall and is well built. He has completed by road. Frequent private bus services to this beautiful high school but could not continue further as he had hill station are also available from the cities like Mum- huge family responsibilities. He has a large family to bai, Pune, Nashik and many others. Decorated with support which includes his parents, wife and his six stupendous natural views, it surprises the travelers children. He has two daughters and four sons. Mr. Raj with its beautiful scenery of lustrous valleys, magnif- is a skilled gardener. He can be seen in school garden icent waterfalls, greenery and picturesque ponds. The tending to plants from morning till afternoon. He sows beautiful place has seen the heave and turn down of seeds, grows saplings and plants them. He favours great rulers including the Peshwas, the British and the organic manure for the plants. He takes a lot of pride in Marathas. Moreover, Khandala houses some beautiful the plants that he grows in the school garden. Mr. Raj is mansions that are standing proudly as an imposing also responsible for taking care of the school lawn and tribute to the regal period. A large number of people playground. He is very popular among the teachers throng this place during the monsoon season to relish and students alike. He believes that children are like the pleasant climate, spectacular views and charming young saplings that need tender nursing and care. His green surroundings. Khandala has plethora of sites to pleasant manners have earned him the respect of all be scouted by the folks thronging from wide and far in in the school. search of unlimited fun and relaxation. Khandala of- fers visitors lip-smacking vegetarian and non-vegetar- ian delicacies. The people are extremely friendly and welcome visitors with a smile. It is a must visit place. 75
PRACTICE SHEET - 1 (PS-1) 1. On the basis of the clues given below describe you Mathematics teacher. Name – Mr. Suresh Age – 40 years Height/weight/appearance – five and half feet, smart, bright eyes Education – MA [Mathematics] Agra University, B.Ed – University of Rohtak Experience – 15 years Duties – class teacher, HoD –Mathematics, organizes Math Olympiads Character traits – takes great pain and interest in teaching, thorough, explains in details, easily approachable, patient listener, cheerful 2. A counselling session on career options was held in your school. Students from a few neighbouring school were also invited for the event. Briefly describe the event in about 100 – 150 words. Hints When and where the event was held Organisers of the event Purpose of the event No. of participants Different career options offered Question-answer session Reaction of the students Overall response to the programme 3. You recently visited the recently inaugurated the children’s park, a favourite place for all children, in the centre of the city. Briefly describe the park in 100 – 150 words. Hints location well planned area fenced all around with gates for entrance and exit green all around floor – lush green, plants and creepers all around – beautiful ambience benches for comfortable seating swings, slides, sea-saw and other exciting games for children main attraction – fish pond and farm animals jogging area a small wave pool cafteria 76
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