English
Estrelia D. Alfon
Marco opened the magazine and began to
read. Sometimes he stuck his tongue between his
teeth as he endeavoured to form in his mind the
sounds he thought the English words on the paper
should have. Unconsciously, he even started to utter
them aloud, his tongue clumsy over them, but his
heart proud that he could say them at all – until he
came to himself, remembering he had been hurrying
to his work much as he had hurried until the
newsboy at the corner had trust that paper at him.
There were students going to school, the smaller
they were, the more laden with the books, it
seemed. There were men, some young, some old,
wearing clothes that had been slept in rolling their
shirt sleeves higher up on their arms. There were
others relatively better dressed, who hurried as
much, and tugged at coat sleeves to make them
cover dirty shirt cuffs. But many there were too,
who bore the stamp of good living, who pressed
palms over breast pockets and hip pockets, as if
feeling for pencils therein, or wallets perhaps, less
they had left these at home. And even these hurried.
Even the cocheros flourished their whips, it seemed
with much impatience, and the drivers of some
automobiles expressed their irritation at the
slowness of the traffic with the grate and noise of
their gear shifting.
Marco licked his lips again, and looked at
the newsboy who stood near him the small con for
his paper, he looked at the newsboy who stood near
him, thrusting papers at all passers-by. The boys
eyes still showed signs of sleep. When Marco gave
him the small coin for his paper, he looked at it a
while, tinkled it on the sidewalk, pick it up, then
shoved it into his pocket. As Marco walked on, the
newsboy continued to thrust papers at the hurrying
people, and his “paper, Sir?” reminded Marco that
Marcela would be right to scold him for buying a
paper in a language he could not read.
He arrived at the bodega in time and
immediately took off the coat he wore over his
undershirt and wrapped t around the magazine. His
search for a place to lay the coat in, revealed only
dusty corners and piled up bales of maguey, and
finally he hung the coat up on a nail in the wall , no
one would see the paper it concealed.
They began working even before the
whistle. Marco ought to have been used to the stifle
of the bodega, its dust, its tang of the sea that rose
from the maguey, the spoiled, moldyodor of copra,
and the smell of sweat from the bodies unwashed:
but every once in a while, he still had to leave his
place at the weighing scales to go out and gasp his
fill of air in the alley that ran by the bodega. How
thankful he had been when the American boss had
put him on a pesador, taking him from the ranks of
bale-carriers where he had been.
He had been here for two years and Marcela
had given him Paul, that day at the bodega
When he had the bale taken from his shoulder by
the others, and they had the bale taken from his
shoulder by the others, and they had carried him off
to one corner, where they had indulge the bubbling
in his throat. They had taken from him to his wife
then, and left him with many admonitions about not
being afraid, he would be all right.
But when they had gone, he had cried, a
weakness he couldn’t prevent, and lain with his face
to the wall ; while Marcela, who was older than he
was, wiped away her own tears and talked to him
brusquely about not angering her by being so afraid.
And Paul had cried in the cradle that Cela had
improvised by folding a blanket and trying the
corners with strips of cloth to the wall. He had cried
some more then, and had sobbed aloud, and he had
prayed to God that he would soon be well enough
for the two who depended on him.
Questions for discussion
1. What is Marco’s job? Describe what he
does._____________________________________
2. Where is his place of work? Is it a healthful place
to work in? Why or Why not? _________________
3. What illness did Marco suffer from? Is his illness
related to his job ? What circumstances may have
contributed to this type of illness? How did he
regain his health?
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
4. Compare Marco’s sons Pauland Vicente: in age,
physical appearance, and attitude towards learning.
5. What was Marco’s dream for his sons? Who is
more likely to fulfil his dream? Why?
6. Would you say Marco was an extremely poor
man? Explain your
answer____________________________________
7. What incidents indicate Marco’s strong
determination to learn to read and speak in English?
Why so you think was he determined to do so?
__________________________________________
_________________________________________
8. Point out instances where Marco displayed the
value of humility; of resourcefulness; of self
reliance.

9. Name some Filipinos you know or have read
about who have shown similar worthwhile values.
In what ways did they display these values?
__________________________________________
___9. Kindly pick up the pieces of paper on the
floor.
___10. Stand straight.
H. Evaluating Learning (Formative Assessment)

10. Pick out scenes or incidents described in the Fill in the blanks with the correct prepositions of
story which reflect local traditions and practices. place. Use the map below as your guide.
What values do they represent? Are they
worthwhile pre-serving? at the end behind between in in front
__________________________________________ of next next to on opposite

Imperative Sentence

 It is used in giving a command or an 1.The railway station is at the end of the

instruction, expressing hope or a wish, as road, the bank and the library.
well as in requesting. 2.The bank is at the end of the road on the left-hand
Example: side and the library.
3.The library is of the road, on the
Have a nice day! right-hand side and opposite the bank.
4.The post office is on the left-hand side, opposite
Explanation:
the cinema and to the bank.
In this case, you are not giving a command, 5.The concert hall is between the cinema and the
but hoping that someone enjoys the day. hotel the right of the street.

Example: 6.The shopping centre is the town hall and

in front of the car park.
Turn left on Quezon Avenue. 7.The police station is the first building on the
right, the football ground, opposite the
Explanation: café.

In this case, you are giving someone 8.The football ground is on the right, the
instructions. police station.
9.The café is the first building on the left,
Example: the church.

Kindly fill out the information sheet and 10.The market is the middle of the street.
wait for your turn.

Explanation:

In this case, you are requesting someone to

do as you say.

I. Identify whether it is a command or a request.

Write C if it is a command and R if it is a
request.

___1. Close the door, please.

___2. Clean the backyard.
___3. May you please give this form to the
principal?
___4. Kindly fetch me a gallon of water.
___5. Write a simple poem about bringing peace to
earth.
____6. Invite friends to join the celebration.
___7. Come to me and be my love.
___8. Please bring those books here.