English Book

ENVISION-II Generic English Textbook for II Semester B. Com/B.B.A.
and other
courses coming under the faculty of Commerce and Management, is prepared by
the Members of the Textbook Committee, Bengaluru City University (BCU).
Copyrights: Bengaluru City University (BCU)
First Edition: 2022
Published by:
Bengaluru City University Press
Bengaluru City University (BCU)
Central College Campus
Bengaluru-560001
i
FOREWORD
The Generic English Textbook ENVISION-II for II semester B. Com/B.B.A. and

other courses coming under the Faculty of Commerce and Management has been
prepared by the members of the textbook committee of Bengaluru City University
(BCU). This book has been designed as per the model and guidelines of NEP
2020. The workbook aims at improving the language competence of
undergraduate students and prepare them for the competitive world.
I congratulate the members of the textbook committee for their diligent work. They
have ensured quality in every chapter of the book. I thank the Director of Bengaluru
City University Press and their staff for bringing out the book neatly and quickly.
I hope the text will be utilized by the teachers and the students skillfully to
achieve the command over the language.
Prof. Lingaraja Gandhi

Vice-Chancellor
Bengaluru City University
Bengaluru-560001
PREFACE
ENVISION-II, the Generic English Textbook for II semester B. Com/B.B.A. and

other courses coming under Faculty of Commerce and Management, Bengaluru
City University (BCU), has been designed with the objective of enabling the
language skills and competence of undergraduate students. It is the second book as
per the guidelines of NEP.
The chapters have been selected judiciously to meet the class room requirements.
The selections aim at honing the skills of the students and making them industry-
ready.
I hope the students will make the best use of the material given, with the assistance
of the teachers, to equip themselves in language skills. The teachers can use the
ii
tasks in the book to test the competence of the learners. I am sure the LSRW skills
will be tuned and shaped with the help of the chapters provided. In the true sense,
Envision- II has all the tools to enhance students’ ability to use language with joy
and purpose.
I congratulate the members of the textbook committee for bringing out this
workbook studded with useful information on relevant topics of language
learning. I thank the Director of Bengaluru City University Press and their staff
for bringing out the book neatly and on time.
Dr. Thandava Gowda TN

Chairperson
Board of Studies (UG)
Bengaluru City University
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF STUDIES-ENGLISH (UG) (BCU)
Dr.Thandava Gowda T N
Chairperson, PG Department of English, BCU
1 Dr. Rajaram 6 Mrs. Ayesha Firdose

Associate Professor and Head Associate Professor
Department of English Department of English
St. Joseph’s College of Commerce Vijaya College, Jayanagar
Bengaluru-560095 Bengaluru-560011
iii
2 Dr. P. Sartaj Khan 7 Dr. Padmavathy K.
Associate Professor and Head Professor and Head
Al-Ameen Arts, Science and Sindhi College
Commerce College Bengaluru-560024
Bengaluru-560027
3 Dr. R. V. Sheela 8 Mrs. Leena Karanth
Associate Professor and Head Associate Professor and Head
MES College of Arts, Science and Bishop Cotton Women’s College
Commerce Bengaluru-560027
Malleswaram
Bengaluru-560003
4 Dr. Anita Rao 9 Mrs. Prasanna Udipikar
Govt. Science College V.V.N. Degree College
Nrupatunga University Bengaluru-560004
Bengaluru-560001
5 Dr. Kavita Shastri 10 Dr. Narasimharaju K.
Vijaya College, Jayanagar Govt. R.C. College of Commerce
Bengaluru-560011 and Management Bengaluru-
560001
MEMBERS OF THE TEXTBOOK COMMITTEE (BCU)
1 Prof. N G Narasimhan 5 Prof. Kavitha Venugopal

Chairperson Associate Professor
Associate Professor and Head Department of English
Department of English Sri Krishna Degree College
Vijaya Evening College, R V Road ITI Layout
Basavanagudi, Bengaluru-560004 Bengaluru-560085
iv
2 Prof. Prasanna Udipikar 6 Prof. Akhila H G
BOS Member Associate Professor
Associate Professor and Head Department of English
Department of English Jain College
V.V.N Degree College Visveswarapuram,
Visveswarapuram, Bengaluru-560004
Bengaluru-560004
3 Prof. Renuka R 7 Prof. Narayana Swamy
Assistant Professor Assistant Professor and Head
Government First Grade College S.J.P Degree College of Arts and
Malleshwaram Commerce
Bengaluru-560012 Hunasamaranahalli
Bengaluru-562157
4 Prof. Chennappa V K 8 Prof. Ravi Kumar M S
Head of the Department of English Assistant Professor
Sha-Shib Degree College Department of English
KIA Road, Bettahalasuru Cross, Vivekenanda Degree College
Yelahanka, Bengaluru-562127 Rajajinagara
Bengaluru-560055
Note to the Teacher
ENVISION-II is the Generic English Textbook for II semester B. Com/B.B.A. and

other courses coming under the Faculty of Commerce and Management in
Bengaluru City University (BCU). This book has been designed as per the
guidelines of new National Education Policy (NEP). It should also be noticed that
under Ability Enhancement Compulsory Course (AECC), Generic English will be
taught as L2.
The workbook material reflects variety of language skills and communication

tools spanning LSRW. The book has nine chapters which cater to different
dimensions of language learning. These chapters include comprehension
passages, vocabulary building, correction of sentences, listening activities
related to interviews and conversations (pre-recorded audios), reported speech,
dialogue writing, verbal and non-verbal communication, active and passive voice,
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introducing guests, welcome speech and vote of thanks. These chapters constitute
the workbook syllabus for the second semester B. Com/BBA of BCU.
Each chapter has a clear and well-defined objective, definition of the skill to
be explained, examples and samples, tasks and exercises. It has been clearly
mentioned in the chapters which task or exercise will be tested and examination-
oriented as some tasks are exclusively meant for classroom activity and
assignment. The teachers will get pointers in the chapters with respect to choosing
certain tasks for Internal Assessment. A model question paper and question paper
pattern have been given at the end for the benefit of teachers and students.
Unit I deals with Receptive Skills and chapter1 introduces types of comprehension
passages like global, factual and data compilation and students’ ability to read and
comprehend these passages will be tested in the examination. Chapter 2 deals with
vocabulary building in terms of usage of synonyms, antonyms, prefixes, suffixes,
homonyms, homophones and collocations. In chapter 3, an attempt has been made
to enlighten the student on different ways of correction of sentences. Chapter 4
deals with listening activities pertaining to listening to pre-recorded audios on
interviews and conversations. It has several sample exercises and tasks which can
be used for classroom activities such as role play, mock interview etc. They are not
for testing in the examination. Audio and video links have been provided for
classroom activity.
Teachers can make the best use of their own resources as well.
Chapter 5, that comes under Unit II—Productive Skills, reintroduces the nuances of
reported speech. These will be tested in the examination. Also tested will be
the skills of dialogue writing, which forms the core of chapter 6. In chapters 7, a brief
introduction has been given to verbal and non-verbal communication and in chapter 8,
active and passive voice exercises have been dealt with at length. Chapter 9
teaches the skills of introducing guests, welcome speech and vote of thanks. This
enables the students in achieving mastery over speaking or oratory skills. To
reiterate, except chapter 4, rest of the units will feature in the end semester
examination question paper. The model question paper and its pattern will be of help
for both teachers and students.
The tasks and exercises in the chapters are meant for meaningful attempts to enhance
the language skills of the students and later for testing in the end semester
examination. The end semester examination will be conducted for 60 marks and 40
vi
marks will be earmarked for Internal Assessment. Assessment details have
been given for reference at the end of the book in question paper pattern section.
In the examination, the Workbook component carries 40 marks and the Coursebook
component carries 20 marks.
The Committee expresses its gratitude to Dr.Thandava Gowda T N, Chairperson,

(UG/PG) Bengaluru City University, for his constant support and inputs in
the making of this book. The Committee also thanks Prof. Lingaraja Gandhi,
the Honourable Vice-Chancellor of BCU for his insightful advice and suggestions.
We are grateful to the Staff of the Prasaranga, Bengaluru City University Press,
BCU, for their efforts in bringing out this book so neatly and on time. The
Committee is indebted to the Principal and staff of Vijaya Evening College and V.
V. N. Degree College for their invaluable support during textbook committee
meetings. Thanks to the exemplary efforts made by the members of the committee.
N G Narasimhan
Chairperson
Textbook Committee
vii
CONTENTS
WORKBOOK
Chapter Unit-I Receptive Skills (Reading and Listening Skills) Page No
1 Reading Skills - Comprehension passages 2 – 25
2 Vocabulary building 26 – 47
3 Correction of sentences 48 – 70
4 Listening activities (interviews and conversations) 71 – 78

Unit-II Productive Skills (Speaking and Writing Skills)
5 Reported speech 79 – 96
6 Dialogue writing 97 – 104
7 Verbal and non-verbal communication 105 – 112
8 Active and passive voice 113 – 126
9 Introducing guests, welcome speech, vote of thanks 127 – 139
10 Question paper pattern 140
11 Model question paper 141 - 144

Chapter-1
READING SKILLS-COMPREHENSION PASSAGES
OBJECTIVES:
• To acquaint the students with reading comprehension strategies and skills that
facilitate their understanding and analyzing of written texts effectively and
easily.
1
• To introduce the learners to different types of reading comprehension passages
which focus on Factual & Global relevance and Data Compilation. 
Reading comprehension is the fundamental skill which is influenced by external

factors. The reader’s cognitive skills, such as visual processing, processing speed,
and reasoning skills, can impact one’s ability to comprehend text. Prior knowledge,
language fluency, and the ability to make inferences will also play a role in
a reader’s comprehension.
Reading comprehension involves both text comprehension and vocabulary

knowledge. It is essential to know what each word means individually and as a part
of the whole in addition to what the text is trying to convey.
Definition:
Comprehension is the understanding and interpretation of what is read. To be able to

accurately understand the written material, students must be able to (1) decode what
they read; (2) make connections between what they read and what they already know;
and (3) think deeply about what they have read.
WHY IS COMPREHENSION SKILL IMPORTANT?
Reading comprehension demonstrates your ability to understand, interpret, analyze,

and infer written information. Reading comprehension level is indicative of many
other important, and sought-after, skills in the workplace.
Communication skills, critical thinking skills, giving attention to details, decision-

making ability, and ability to concentrate can all contribute towards understanding
what is read.
5 Types of Reading Comprehension
Lexical comprehension
Understand key vocabulary in the text.
 Preview vocabulary before reading the story or text

 Review new vocabulary during or after reading the text
Literal comprehension
2
Answer Who, What, When and Where questions.
 Identify the main ideas of the paragraph.

 Ask questions from the beginning, middle, and end of the story.
Interpretative comprehension
Answer What if, Why and How questions.
 Understand ‘facts’ that are not explicitly stated in the story.

 Predict endings and anticipate consequences
Applied comprehension
Relate story to existing knowledge or opinion.
 Not a simple question that can be marked ‘right’ or ‘wrong’.

 Challenge readers to support their answers with logic or reason.
Affective comprehension
Understand social and emotional aspects
 Preview social scripts to ensure understanding of plot development.

 Connect motive to plot and character development.
To really understand these different levels, let’s take a familiar text and see
how different types of questions probe different understandings of the same story.
Cinderella was a simple hardworking girl who lived with her stepmother and
stepsisters in her house. Her stepmother and stepsisters used to harass Cinderella
and make her do all the household work. One day a message was sent from the
royal house in the city that the prince is looking for a girl for his wedding. Because
of which he invited all the girls of the city to the ball party. In such a situation, all
the girls of the city including her step sisters started getting ready to go to this
party. But Cinderella’s stepmother did not allow Cinderella to go to the party. All
the people went to the party while Cinderella was left crying in her house. Then
suddenly there was a burst of light and an angel, who was Cinderella’s God
mother appeared in front of her. With a flick of magic, she changed Cinderella’s
dress into a beautiful gown and gave her beautiful glass sandals. The angel with the
wave of her magic wand, turned a pumpkin which was there into a chariot and the
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6 rats which was with Cinderella into horses and one of them was replaced as the
charioteer. Before Cinderella happily left for the ball, the angel tells her that she
must return from the party before the fairy magic ends at 12:00. Cinderella
went to the party and the prince’s eyes fell on Cinderella and was enchanted by
her beauty. The prince danced with Cinderella the entire time and at 12:00
O’clock Cinderella remembered the angel’s warning and started to run to her
chariot. In the hurry, Cinderella left one of her glass sandals on the stairs of the
palace. The prince tells his soldiers to find out about Cinderella in the whole city,
with the help of the same sandal. The prince’s men finally discover Cinderella with
the help of that sandal. Then both, Prince and Cinderella married to each other and
Cinderella went to live in the palace happily.
Comments
• Preview vocabulary before reading the story or

 Identify the main ideas of the paragraph.
text.
Lexical  Ask questions from the beginning, middle, and end
Literal comprehension • Review new vocabulary during or after the text.
comprehension of the story
Answer who, what, when, and where Example
Example Lexical
Literal comprehension
comprehension questions:
questions
Understandquestions
key vocabulary
.
Whatwas
Who doesthe‘enchanted'
girl who lostmean?
the glass slipper?
in the text Where did Cinderella go
What words are most like to live at the end of the
“enchanted”:
story?
Magical or funny? Scary or special?
• Understand “facts” that are not explicitly stated in the story or Reading between the lines
Interpretative comprehension  Predict endings and anticipate consequences
Example Interpretative Comprehension
Answer What if, Why and How questions:
questions How did the pumpkin turn into a carriage?
What would have happened to Cinderella if she
had not lost her slipper?
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 Not a simple question that can be marked right or
wrong
Applied comprehension
 Challenge readers to support their answer with logic
Relate story to existing knowledge or reason
Example Applied comprehension questions :
or opinion
Do you think Cinderella was wrong in going to the ball
even after her stepmother told her she shouldn’t go?
Comment
 Previews social scripts to ensure understanding of plot

development
Affective comprehension  Connect motive to plot and character development
Example Affective comprehensive questions
:
Understand social and emotional
What do you do when you’re disappointed because you
aspects cannot do something fun? Is that how Cinderella
reacted?
Different types of Reading Skills:
One of the most obvious, but unnoticed, aspects related to reading purpose is the
consideration of the different types of reading skills. There are four types of
reading skills. We had become familiar with two of these reading skills in
ENVISION -I.
Skimming: Reading rapidly for the main points
Scanning: Reading rapidly to find a specific piece of information
Extensive Reading: Reading a longer text, often for pleasure with

emphasis on overall meaning
Intensive Reading: Reading a short text for detailed information
Here in this text, we are introducing learners to passages which have Global and
Factual relevance and also Data compilation passages.
PASSAGES FOR COMPREHENSION:

Sample passage 1:
Factual passage:
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Read the following passage and answer the questions given below:
Our country is facing a severe environmental crisis. If not tackled on a war

footing, it will certainly lead to socio-economic and ecological disaster, which
will seriously affect the lives of millions of people, especially the poor.
Government data usually understate the extent of environmental
destruction. The recent satellite data has revealed that India is losing
millions of hectares of forest every year which is many times more than the
annual rate of deforestation put out by the forest department.
Q1. Choose the most appropriate option
1. If India’s environmental problem is not dealt with urgently, it

will a. Lead to war.
b. Make people unemployed.
c. Create problem of poverty.
d. Lead to ecological disaster Ans: Lead to ecological disaster.
Q2. Who will be most seriously affected by the ecological disaster?
Ans: Millions of people, especially the poor will be affected by the

ecological disaster.
Q3. The recent has revealed that India is losing millions of

hectares of forest every year
Ans: Satellite data.
Q4. The word ‘understate’ in the paragraph means-

Choose the correct options from below:
a. Exaggerate
b. Overture
c. Undervalue
d. Overvalue
Ans: c -Undervalue
Q5. The forest department every year puts out the correct annual rate of
deforestation. True / False.
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Ans: False.
Sample Passage 2:
Global passage
Most of us have experienced war only through books or the media. However,
war is a lot more than that, especially for the people who had experienced war
personally. The memories of the hardship and difficulty they experienced are
firmly imprinted in their minds for the rest of their lives.
It is indeed sad that leaders of certain countries quickly declare war whenever
there is conflict between two countries. In the past, leaders of countries
were seldom concerned with maintaining good relationships with their
neighbors but were more interested in gaining more power by conquering other
cities. This is why there have been two world wars in the first fifty years of the
twentieth century. War may occur because of various reasons, but more often
than not, the reason of war is quickly forgotten amidst the tragedy of it. The
amount of destruction that takes place during war is massive and once
started, war spreads like a disease and rarely achieves anything.
Many have questioned the necessity of war, especially because of the huge
number of towns and cities that are destroyed and people who are killed. The
people who call for war are usually the leaders of the country. Ironically, they
are also the ones who are safely and comfortably protected in their homes
when war happens. The people who come forward and are prepared to
sacrifice their lives are the common people, who are also the ones to suffer
from the shortage of food and water that is inevitable in any war.
Q1. When the writer says that ‘Most of us have only experienced war through
books or the media’, he means that-
a. Most people have only read about war or seen films about war but have not
personally experienced war
b. Books give the complete experience of war more than what the media
gives.
c. Most of us have experienced war in real life than that is shown in books or
media.
d. Media gives us the experience of war more than that the book can give us.
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Ans: option a.
Q2. Why were there two world wars in the first half of the twentieth century?
Ans: Leaders of countries attacked one another as they wanted to increase

their power.
Q3. Once started, war spreads like a and rarely achieves anything.
Ans: disease
Q4. The phrase ‘firmly imprinted’ which is in the paragraph 1

mean- a. Printed firmly
b. Cannot forget
c. imprints are firm
d. impress
Ans: b - Cannot forget
Q5. Suggest a suitable title for the above passage.
Ans: War and its consequences
Sample Passage 3
Data Compilation Passage:
FINANCIAL FRAUDS
Banks and other financial institutions reported frauds worth 1.38 trillion in
202021, down 25% compared to the previous year, when the amount involved
was 1.85 trillion, according to the Reserve Bank of India's annual report.
In terms of number, these entities reported 15 percent fewer frauds in 2020- 21,
at 7,363 compared to the previous year's 8,703 cases. The RBI data takes into
account frauds of 1 lakh and above only. Also, the central bank has changed its
accounting year to April-March from July-June, and hence, the latest report only
covers nine months (July 2020-March 2021).
In 2019-20, the total fraud cases involving 1 lakh and above had shot up by
28% by volume and 159% by value. The RBI suggests that the share of public
8
sector banks in frauds, both in terms of number and value, has fallen, while
that of private sector banks increased in the corresponding period.
Furthermore, most frauds are occurring in the loan portfolio of financial
institutions, the report says. In 2020-21, the loan portfolio saw 47.5% of the
frauds in terms of number and 99% in terms of the amount involved.
"The average time lag between the date of occurrence of frauds and the
date of detection was 23 months for the frauds reported in 2020-21. However, in
respect of large frauds of ₹100 crore and above, the average lag was 57 months
for the same period," the RBI said.
Recently, it was reported that cumulatively, banks in India suffered frauds

worth 4.92 trillion as of March 31, 2021, or nearly 4.5 per cent of the total bank
credit. This was based on RBI data, which was sought under the Right to
Information Act by Saurabh Pandhare. The data showed 90 banks and financial
institutions reported a total of 45,613 cases of loan fraud till March 31, 2021.
9
Also, the RBI report said there was an increase of 31.3% in counterfeit
notes detected in the denomination of ₹500 in 2020-21 compared to the
previous year. However, there was a decline in counterfeit notes detected in
other denominations.
Based on your understanding of the data given in the passage, answer the
questions given below:
Q1. What was the average time lag with respect to large frauds of Rs.100
crore and above that was reported in 2020-21? a. 59 months
b. 23 months
c. 57 months
d. 32 months
Ans: c -57 months
Q2. Why does the latest report only cover nine months?
Ans: The central bank has changed its accounting year to April-March from
July- June, and hence, the latest report only covers nine months.
Q3. As per the data in the table given, the number of fraud cases in the
financial year 2021(FY21) found in PSBs (Public sector banks) is
cases. Ans: 2,903
Q4. Based on RBI data, which was sought under the Right to Information Act by
Saurabh Pandhare, we can understand that-
a. banks in India suffered frauds worth 4.92 trillion as of March 31, 2021.
or
b. banks in India gained profits worth 4.92 trillion as of March 31,2021
Ans: a- banks in India suffered frauds worth 4.92 trillion as of March
31,2021.
Q5. In the year 2020-21, a decline was detected in the counterfeit notes of
denomination Rs.500/- compared to notes of other denominations.
True / False.
Ans: False
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Factual Passages:
Practice Test 1
Read the following passages and answer the questions that follow:
There is no general agreement about how the planets were formed. The most
widely accepted theory is that about 5000 million years ago swirling clouds of
matter began to condense. Through the action of centrifugal force, the
heavier molecules were concentrated near the centre of the eddies and the
lighter, gaseous material was thrown out towards the periphery. Such is the
theory. What is known is that nine satellites began orbiting round the sun. These
are the planets. The planet on which man lives is the third closest to the sun,
with the third shortest orbit. It also has something none of the others has-
an atmosphere that can support life in all the manifold forms that exist on our
planet. There may be satellites circling other stars in other parts of the
universe that have the right ingredients for some sort of life to evolve, but
the earth is the only one in the solar system.
Q1. Choose the most appropriate option:
The theory of the formation of the planets

a. Is generally agreed upon by everyone
b. Is a debatable one
c. Covers a very wide area.
d. Is fairly well-known
Q2. According to the passage, what is the theory behind the formation of Planets?
Ans:
Q3. The Earth is the planet which is closest to the sun.
Q4. In the passage, the word Periphery means:
a. Heart
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b. Centre
c. Middle
d. Edge
Q5. The atmosphere of the earth makes it possible for the presence of life on
it. True / False.
Practice Test 2
A noble purpose gives meaning to one’s own life and is of benefit to

others. I realized this when researching on and writing about the life of
Jamshedji Tata. What gave one man living in a colonized country the
vision to advance it in the community of nations? He not only gave India the
power of steel and hydroelectric energy, but also an institution of research.
He sent an educationist to Europe and the United States to report on what should
be the best model for India. The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore was
recommended as the model. But Jamshedji made it a point to see that his name
was not associated with the university. After his death, his dream came
true with the establishment of the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru.
It was to be the fountainhead of science in the decades to come.
There are others too whose purpose in life has made a difference to society.
Mother
Teresa had a comfortable life at Loretto Convent, Kolkata. On a train
journey to Darjeeling, she felt her ‘calling’ and wanted to give up her
comfortable life in the convent and serve the poor and the needy.
After that, she took a three–month nursing course and returned to

Kolkata. She devoted her time to the sick and the homeless. Touched by her
sacrifice, some of her students joined her and work began. Not everyone has
such a strong calling. When I asked her how one could be sure of one’s calling,
she replied, “Deep down in our hearts we know exactly what our calling is, if
we are sincere.”
Q1. Choose the most appropriate answer:

(a) Jamshedji Tata sent an educationist to Europe and the United States
because he wanted …………………………
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a. him to go abroad
b. the educationist to be away from him
c. him to understand the model best suited for India
d. to send him for a vacation
Q2. What are the contributions of Jamshedji Tata to our country?
Q3. When mother Teresa felt her “calling’ she was on her way to
a. Darjeeling
b. Dehradun
c. Delhi
d. Dimapur
Q4. Mother Teresa served the sick and the homeless in Kolkata. True / False
Q5. Identify the theme of the passage and suggest a suitable title.
Practice Test 3
Diabetes is a metabolism abnormality that affects the way your body uses
blood sugar (glucose), your main source of energy. To understand diabetes,
you have to start from the beginning – with food. Your body converts a portion
of the food you eat and digest into glucose. Glucose is then absorbed into your
bloodstream, where it can enter the individual cells of tissue throughout your
body to be used as energy. Before your cells will let glucose in, however, they
need the help of insulin.
Insulin is a hormone produced by your pancreas – a gland located just behind
your stomach. Normally, insulin acts like a master key, unlocking the doors of
your cells and allowing glucose inside. To simply maintain this process, such
as at night when you’re asleep, the pancreas releases a low level of insulin on a
13
constant basis. When necessary, such as after a meal, your pancreas
increases insulin supply to meet demand.
After you eat a meal or a snack, your pancreas releases more insulin to make
sure the extra glucose in your bloodstream can enter your cells. If you
have more glucose than you need, your body can remove the excess from
your blood and store it in your liver and muscles or convert it to fat. Then,
when you run low on fuel, your body can release this stored energy back
into your bloodstream, where insulin is waiting to usher it into your cells.
If you have diabetes, this whole process goes awry. Instead of entering
cells throughout your body, excess glucose builds up in your bloodstream and
some of it may eventually be excreted in your urine. This can happen
when your pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin (Type 1 diabetes),
when your cells have become resistant to the effects of insulin (Type 2
diabetes) or, more commonly, when both of these problems occur.

Diabetes is a
a. nervous disorder
b. metabolic disorder
c. throat disorder
d. physical disorder
Q2. What is ‘Insulin’?
Q3. If your body does not produce sufficient insulin you have
Diabetes.
Q4. Secretions of pancreas decrease during the night. (True/False)
Q5. ‘Insulin is waiting to usher it into your cells’- The word ‘usher’ in the
sentence means:
a. lead
14
b. follow
c. trail
d. route Global passages:
Practice Test 4:
Climate change across the world.
The weather is a common conversation for many people each day. The
weather can change day-to-day or even from hour-to-hour. On the other hand,
the climate in an area usually takes a long time to change. It is the average
temperature and conditions in a specific place over a long period of time, in
years. Climate does not change day- to-day or even month-to-month, but
usually takes hundreds, thousands, or millions of years to change.
The climate in one place on Earth is different from another place. For example,
the climate in a desert may be hot and dry, but in a rainforest, it is usually warm
and humid, and in some mountain areas and other places it will be cold all year
long. In the world today, the words climate change is often heard, and it usually
refers to the process of the Earth heating up, which is often called global
warming. Most people can agree on the weather, but sometimes climate change
or global warming leads to disagreement.
The Earth is about 4.5 billion years old, and during its life, the climate has
changed quite often and has experienced an Ice Age, warming, and everything
in between. All scientists agree that the climate changed often during the first
4.5 billion years. However, it is also a proven fact that the Earth's average
temperature has increased about 1.33°F over the past 100 years between the
1900s and 2000s. Reviewing the past 200 years it has increased about 1.8°F.
It may not sound like a big change, but it will influence the Earth.
The Earth is covered like a greenhouse, which is used by some farmers,

florists, and others to grow plants, it is a 'glass-covered' building that absorbs
the heat from the Sun. Greenhouses are very hot. Of course, the Earth is not
covered with glass, but the greenhouse effect refers to the retention of the
Sun's warmth in the Earth's lower atmosphere by greenhouse gases.
The greenhouse gases include mostly carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous
oxide. These gases (instead of glass) act as a blanket for the Earth, helping to
15
keep the Earth warm enough to support life, an average of about 59°F.
An increase in the greenhouse gases causes the Earth to become warmer.
Think of it as a heavier blanket.
One of the greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide, is absorbed by the trees and forests
throughout the world, and then released as oxygen. Unfortunately, deforestation,
the cutting down of trees and forests to make way for farms, roads, oil mines, and
dams further leads to the greenhouse effect and a thicker 'blanket'.
A warmer climate can affect the planet negatively. It could lead to heavier
precipitation, unusual season changes, heat waves, etc. Polar animals'
natural habitats are melting because of warmer temperatures, affecting polar
bears, and seals. Orangutans in the rainforests are losing their homes, and sea
turtles are losing nesting beaches because of rising sea levels. Farming in
developing countries faces increased rain, floods, and droughts; plus, certain
kinds of food items may become scarce, unavailable, or more expensive for
people to purchase.
In summary, there has been climate change before humans began living on the
Earth, but the average temperature has increased over the past 200 years. Many
scientists believe it is a result of human behavior and changing some of those
behaviors will have a positive effect on climate change and global warming.
Which of the following best explains the difference between climate and
weather as it relates to the temperature, precipitation, etc. in an area of the
world?
a. Climate is daily change and weather is change over a long-time period
b. Climate and weather are basically the same
c. Climate cannot be measured daily but weather can
d. Climate does not change day-to-day; weather can change day-to-day
Q2. What does ‘greenhouse effect’ refer to?
16
Q3. The Earth is about years old.
Q4. Select the Natural habitat of the following

animals: a. Seals: (i) Polar region (ii) beach
b. Orangutans: (i) Desert (ii) rainforest
Q5. Identify the theme and suggest a suitable title to the passage.
Practice Test 5
The Global Pandemic- Coronavirus
The novel coronavirus has given rise to a global pandemic that has destabilized
most institutional settings. While we live in times when humankind possesses the
most advanced science and technology, a virus invisible to the naked eye has
massively disrupted our lives, economies, healthcare, and education systems
worldwide.
Given the corona virus’s current situation, some households have also had time
to introspect on gender roles and stereotypes. For instance, women are
expected to carry out household chores like cooking, cleaning, and
looking after the family. With men sharing household chores responsibilities
during the lockdown period, it gives hope that they will realize the burden that
women have been bearing and will continue sharing such responsibilities.
This tough period also gave people some time to reflect on the
importance of keeping themselves fit. With sufficient time in hand, people
started investing their time learning new ways to exercise. Those who
never exercised before, giving excuses of busy lives, too developed some
new habits of Yoga, Pranayama and exercises during the lockdown
period. These new habits and people’s increased focus on their health,
wellness and immunity will surely change the way we lead our lives even in
future.
17
Nature too healed itself during the lockdown period. Restricted human
movement led to better air quality, cleaner water bodies and joyful wildlife
movements. The human beings, we hope, reflected during this time, how some
of their unconscious activities cause disruption in nature and worked out ways
to adopt environmentalfriendly options for their activities in future.
This situation also affected the education sector to a great extent. It has
forced us to shift from offline to online mode of teaching-learning process,
almost immediately without prior preparation. Is it giving us a peek into the
reality ahead? Technologyenabled teaching is definitely the future we are
looking towards, but it is important to identify key challenges for students
and teachers in the current scenario. Once identified, academic leadership
and the government can address these through innovations in the
focused areas to minimize the effect of pandemic on the education of
the students.
It is our responsibility that we take all necessary precautions through
mask- wearing, physical distancing, and hand hygiene as part of daily life.
It is highly important to make these new behaviours part of our everyday
habits. Travelling to new places, casual café visits with a large bunch of friends,
spending our weekends in shopping, window-shopping and casual strolls,
large gatherings in birthday parties and other celebrations; will require some
modifications and patience to fit into “New Normal” keeping all the safety
norms in mind.
The outbreak of COVID-19 is called a pandemic because-

a. It has spread across the globe.
b. It has spread across India
c. It is invisible to naked eye
d. It has disrupted many institutional settings
Q2. According to the passage the lockdown period made people introspect on
gender roles and stereotypes because
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Q3. Choose the option that is NOT TRUE: People, who never exercised before,
started exercising during the lockdown period because-
a. They had sufficient time in hand
b. Exercise was the only way to treat people from the novel coronavirus.
c. People learnt new ways to exercise their body.
d. People understood the importance of health and wellness in the face of the
pandemic
Q4. Fill in the blank with the correct option:

The pandemic also affected the education sector to a great extent. It
has forced us to shift from offline to online mode of teaching-
learning process
________
a. Almost immediately without prior preparation
b. With a lot of preparation and training.
Q5. According to the paragraph, the phrase ‘New normal’ means-

a. Doing things normally like before
b. A new way of living and going about our lives
c. Which is expected to become abnormal.
d. Doing normal things in a new way.
Practice Test 6
Worldwide, females are generally treated lower in status and power,

relative to males. This may be called gender stratification, although it is
sometimes referred to as gender inequality, sexism, patriarchy, and female
disadvantage.
Many feminists view men’s greater economic power and, correspondingly,

women’s economic dependence on men, to be at the heath of women’s lower
19
status and power. Once societies based on money evolved, men’s labor appeared
to have greater value because it was done for money or the exchange of goods.
The important economic contributions that women make collecting fuel,
taking care of animals, growing vegetables, doing laundry, preparing food,
taking care of children, and so on are frequently forgotten or devalued as
“natural”.
Worldwide, men control economies and resources, own more property, and
occupy more positions of power in business and banking. This is true in
virtually every country, including industrialized nations such as the United
States. Men make more money than women, and even when they work the same
jobs as women, this tends to be true.
Politics is another arena in which women’s low power and status are apparent.
In the twentieth century, activists worked to gain women the right to vote
(called women’s suffrage). In most countries, voting rights have only been
awarded to women in the last thirty years. Even in the United States, it was not
until 1920 that women were granted the right to vote. By the year 2003, all
countries that allow males to vote have granted women that same right, except
for Kuwait.
Not only are male activities valued over female ones, but in most countries,
females themselves value male children over female children, in what is
known as son preference. All over the world, people greet the birth of boys
and girls differently (Mosse, 1993). For example, among the Turkana people of
northern Kenya, great feasting accompanies the birth of a boy, but there is no
feasting if the baby is a girl. According to the UN High Commissioner for
Human Rights (2003), the areas most affected by son preference are South Asia
(Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan), the Middle East (Algeria, Egypt,
Jordan, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Morocco, the
Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, Turkey) and parts of Africa (Cameroon,
Liberia, Madagascar, Senegal). Although son preference is not as obvious in the
West, great value is still placed upon producing a male heir to carry on the
family name.
The Passage indicates that Gender Stratification means:
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a. Men and women fighting for rights.
b. Females being lower in status and power relative to males.
c. Gender statistics not being maintained.
d. Advantage of being a woman.
Q2. According to the passage, which are the important economic

contributions that women make but, which are devalued?
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Q3. By the year women of all the countries got the right to vote.
Q4. Tick the correct option

‘Son Preference’ means -
a) Females valuing male children over female children.
b) Females valuing female children over male children.
Q5. Identify the theme of the passage and suggest a suitable Title.
Data compilation:
Practice Test 7
Read the passage carefully and understand the data given:

The UN’s 2017 International Year tells that sustainable tourism is an
important tool for development, most importantly in poor communities
and countries. Today sustainability –environmental, social, and economic –
is increasingly recognized as the benchmark for all tourism business. As
noted by the UN World Tourism Organization, 57% of international
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tourist arrivals will be in emerging economies, by 2030. The various
‘Tourism Terms’ are defined as follows:
Based on data collected by a survey by Travel Bureau, the following market

profile of an ecotourist was constructed: -
Age: 35 - 54 years old, although age varied with activity and other factors such
as cost.
Gender: 50% female and 50% male, although clear differences based on
activity were found.
Education: 82% were college graduates, a shift in interest in ecotourism from

those who have high levels of education to those with less education was
also found, indicating an expansion into mainstream markets.
Household composition: No major differences were found between general

tourists and experienced ecotourists**
Party composition: A majority (60%) of experienced ecotourism respondents
stated they prefer to travel as a couple, with only 15% stating they preferred to
travel with their families, and 13% preferring to travel alone. (** experienced
Eco tourists = Tourists that had been on at least one “ecotourism” oriented trip.)
Trip duration: The largest group of experienced Eco tourists- (50%) preferred
trips lasting 8-14 days.
Expenditure: Experienced Eco tourists were willing to spend more than

general tourists, the largest group (26%).
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Important elements of trip: Experienced Eco tourists top three responses were:
(a) wilderness setting, (b) wildlife viewing, (c) hiking/trekking.
Motivations for taking next trip: Experienced Eco tourists' top two responses
were (a) enjoy scenery/nature, (b) new experiences/places.
The World Tourism Organization of the UN, in an observation, shared that

a. Emerging economies of the world will gain 57% of their annual profits
from international tourists.
b. Countries with upcoming economies shall see maximum tourist footfall
from all over the world in the next decade.
c. A large number of international tourists in 2030 will be from
developing countries.
d. Barely any tourist in the next decade shall travel from an economically
strong nation to a weak one.
Q2. Define the term ‘Ecotourism’.

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Q3. According to the survey, when it comes to the Education of Eco tourists,
82% of them were .
Q4. According to the survey conducted by the Travel Bureau, the total
percentage of experienced Eco tourists who DID NOT prefer to travel
alone was a) 60%.
b) 75%.
c) 15%.
d) 13%.
Q5. According to the survey, one of the most powerful driving forces leading
experienced ecotourism to invest in new trips was to enjoy scenery and
experience a new place. True / False.
23
Practice Test 8
Read the passage given below and understand the Data.
Technological evolution is a certainty. Cyber-physical systems, Big Data

and the
Internet of Things (IoT) have been changing the infrastructure of our world. In
the 2020s, these phenomena, which are still in their nascency, will rapidly
accelerate due to the increasing digitization of key areas such as health,
science, transport, communications and energy. The ubiquity of technology, and
its increased ability to connect and communicate, has paved the way for this
tipping point. Beneath the surface, we are moving towards an explosion of
change
Over 50% of our global population is now online, and the other half is following
fast. To be precise, around 726 million people joined the web in the last three
years. These new users will change the shape of the internet. Many of them will
be lower income. They are choosing smart phones over laptops and tablets and are
more likely to use voice commands.
Geodata and the IoT will create new markets and supply chains. The automation
of manufacturing, services and mobility has already begun. Artificial
Intelligence (AI) will reach what Gartner terms the ‘Plateau of Productivity’, in
24
which the technology becomes both mainstream and viable. McKinsey
estimates that 70% of companies may adopt at least one AI technology by 2030.
It is unlikely they will all use it well, but those that do could manage to take us
to a place where man and machine are indistinguishable.
Bioscience has the potential to be transformative in the 2020s. Gene

editing (CRISPR) technology will likely soon be able to edit genomes to
allow animal organs to be accepted into human bodies – transforming, and
perhaps saving, the lives of people currently waiting for organ transplants.
Similar technology can also be used to combat inherited diseases, and even
cancer. Elsewhere, gene therapy experiments are using the body’s immune
system to fight cancer through re- engineering our cells.
Technology has inarguably improved science, health, communications and

transport. However, technology has not necessarily corresponded to
increased economic productivity. Indeed, many of the most technologically
advanced countries have seen productivity stagnate and stall, as discussed in
growing inequality and opportunity. In the 2020s many questions around
technology will be resolved. The scaffolding is in place. This will be the
decade in which AI, geodata, the IoT, bioscience, and quantum computing
are given the opportunity to change our world. Whether this change will be
surface- level or truly transformative remains to be seen.

According to McKinsey,
a. 70% of companies will employ more labor force by the year 2030
b. Nearly 70% of the companies will adopt use of one AI by the end
of this decade
c. Nearly 70% of all the companies will stop using AI by the end of 2030
d. 70% of all companies will depend on people who can use computers by
the end of 2030.
Q2. How can Gene editing transform the lives of human beings in the future?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
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Q3. The total percentage of smart homes in the US by the year 2024 will be .
Q4. According to the report, what will generate new market and supply
chains? a. Artificial Intelligence
b. Artificial Intelligence and Internet
c. Geodata and Internet of Things
d. Access to meta-data
Q5. According to the passage, technology has most necessarily corresponded to

increased economic productivity. True / False
Practice Test 9
Read the following excerpt from a case study titled Impacts of Festivities on
Ecology.
Festivals are synonymous with celebration, ceremony and joy. However,

festivals bring to fore the flip side of celebrations – pollution – air, water, soil
and noise. This led to the need of assessing the awareness level among
people about ecological pollution during festivals. So, a study was
conducted by scholars of an esteemed university in India. This study was
titled Awareness towards Impact of Festivals on Ecology.
There were two main objectives of the study. The first one was to assess
the awareness level among people about ecological protection during festivities.
Exploring solutions to bring awareness about celebrating festivals without
harming ecology was the second objective. The method used to collect
data was a simple questionnaire containing 6 questions, shared with 50
respondents across four selected districts of a state in the southern region of
India. The research began by understanding the socio-economic conditions of
the respondents before sharing the questionnaire. Once the responses were
received, the data collected was tabulated (Table 1), for analysis.
Table-1: Awareness level among respondents
26
The study recommended the imposition of strict rules and regulations as
opposed to a total ban on all festive activities which have a drastic impact on
our environment. The researchers believed that such measures would help
in harnessing some ill- effects that add to the growing pollution and
suggested further studies be taken up across the country to assess awareness
about ecological degradation.
The observations made in the study pointed to the environmental groups and
eco- clubs fighting a losing battle due to city traffic issues, disposal of plastics,
garbage dumping and all sorts of ecological degradation. The researchers
stressed that the need of the hour is increasing awareness among people to
reduce ecological pollution which can be facilitated by celebrating all festivals
in an eco-friendly manner.

The reason to conduct the study on Impact of Festivals on Ecology was:
a. To assess the awareness among people about economical disturbances in
life.
27
b. To assess the awareness level among people about ecological pollution
during festival.
c. To assess the awareness
Q2. Which are the two main objectives of the study.
% of the respondents believe that
Q3. According to the survey,

celebrations and festivals unite
people.
Q4. The phrase ‘flipside’ in the paragraph means:
a. Converse
b. Best side
c. Wrong side
d. Equal side
Q5. 80% of the respondents were aware of waste segregation and disposal
guidelines.
True / False.
Reference:
https://www.understood.org/articles/en/video-why-learning-to-read-is-harder-
than- learning-to-speak
https://www.zippia.com/advice/skills-employers-look-for/
https://handinhandhomeschool.com
28
Chapter-2
VOCABULARY BUILDING
Objective:
• To enrich the vocabulary of the learners.

• To equip the learners with the skills of vocabulary building. 
• To make the stakeholders competent to face competitive examinations. 
• To enhance the communication skills of the learners. 
Vocabulary building is very essential in learning a language. It enables one to

know the meaning, spelling and pronunciation of a word. Understanding of a
word extends to understanding of a family of words. For instance, the
words able and create acquire different forms after being affixed or
collocated with a few letters or words.
Able- enable, unable, ability, ably, able administrator
Create- creator, creative, creation, pro-creation, creativity.
This unit focuses on inducing unquenchable thirst for words. Sound

vocabulary is essential for reading, writing, speaking and understanding
29
spoken English. Hence emphasis is laid on exposing the learner to
synonyms, antonyms, homonyms, homophones, affixes and collocations.
SYNONYMS
Synonym is a word, the meaning of which is similar to that of another word.
In other words, Synonyms are words that are similar in meaning.
E.g., See - look, watch, notice, view, observe
Although these words are similar or close in meaning, they cannot always
replace one another. The usage of each of these words varies with or depends
on the context. It is only with extensive reading and writing practice that one
learns to use the right word at the right place. Learners are required to enrich or
expand their vocabulary with synonyms so that they become language
proficient. Also, learning of synonyms enables the learners to fare well in the
competitive examinations.
List of Synonyms:
• ability - competence, skill

• achieve - attain, accomplish, realize, reach 
• attribute - characteristic, trait
• beautiful - attractive, pretty, lovely, stunning 
• bossy - controlling, domineering, overbearing
• challenge - dispute, question
• cold - indifferent
• create - generate, make, produce 
• cute - adorable, delightful, endearing 
• develop - evolve, expand, grow 
• different - distinct, unusual
• difficult - grueling, hard, strenuous, tedious 
• effective - functional, operational, successful 
• example - illustration, instance
• excited - exhilarated, thrilled
• fun – amusement, enjoyable
• funny - humorous, comical, hilarious
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• goal - intent, purpose, target
• good - acceptable, satisfactory
• great - exceptional, extraordinary
• happiness – gladness, mirth, joy
• hardworking - diligent, industrious, enterprising
• hate - abhor, loathe, detest, despise 
• honest - fair, sincere, trustworthy
• important - vital, essential, significant, critical 
• intelligent - smart, clever, bright, brilliant, sharp 
• introvert - shy, quiet, withdrawn
• judge – evaluate, determine, decide, gauge 
• justify - substantiate, demonstrate
• journey - trip, travel,
• key - critical, crucial, fundamental, vital 
• kind - considerate, amiable, merciful, gentle 
• knowledge - awareness, understanding 
• lazy - idle, lackadaisical, lethargic, indolent 
• love – passion, deep affection, 
• lucky - fortunate,
• mean - unpleasant, bad-tempered
• nice - pleasant, agreeable
• need - require, want
• old - antiquated, ancient, obsolete, extinct 
• opportunity - chance
• pacify - appease, placate, mollify, console 
• positive - optimistic
• question - inquire, enquire, interrogate
• qualified - eligible, competent
• recalcitrant - obstinate, stubborn, ungovernable 
• rich - affluent, wealthy, prosperous
• strong - stable, secure, solid, tough
• true - genuine, accurate, correct, real 
• turbulent - violent, unsettled
• unhappy - sad, depressed, miserable
• weak - frail, infirm, puny, fragile
• xenophobia - intolerance, ethnocentrism, isolationism 
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• yummy - delicious, tasty
• zealous - ardent, fervent
• zero - nil, nothing
Exercise 1: Pick the odd word out of the given set of words:
1. angry, furious, irate, glad

2. baffle - bewilder, confuse, perplex, convince
3. challenge - dispute, yield, question, debate
4. fair - just, impartial, wrong, unbiased,
5. hypocrisy – conceit, deceit, duplicity, honesty
6. lavish – simple, abundant, excessive, extravagant,
7. frivolous- silly, petty, trivial, grave
8. zone- area, position, region, sector
9. valid - right, outdated, legitimate, authentic
10. quarantine - seclusion, liberty, separation, confinement, isolation
ANTONYMS
Antonym is a word that means the opposite of another word. Learning
antonyms enriches the vocabulary and also proves beneficial while facing
competitive examinations. Learners are suggested to add a minimum of five
sets of antonyms and synonyms to their vocabulary every day.
• advance - retreat
• admire – detest, abhor
• cordial -hostile
• abundant – scarce
• accept - decline, refuse
• admit – deny, dismiss
• ally – enemy
• ancient – modern
• appear – vanish
• approve-reprove
• ascend – descend
32
• attractive – repulsive
• blame – praise
• bless – curse
• board - alight
• bold - meek, timid
• boon-bane
• bound – free
• bravery – cowardice
• captive – free, liberated
• crooked – straight
• concise - elaborate
• cheap – expensive, dear  conceal – reveal
• contract – expand
• courteous – rude
• dainty – clumsy
• deep – shallow
• despair – hope
• denial - acceptance
• exterior – interior
• external – internal
• foolish – wise
• friend - foe, enemy
• frequent – seldom, rare
• fresh – stale, rotten
• giant - tiny, dwarf
• guilty – innocent
• humble – proud, haughty
• inhale – exhale
• intelligent – stupid, foolish
• lazy – industrious
• maximum – minimum
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• miser – spendthrift
• optimism- pessimism
• polite – rude, arrogant, haughty
• real – fake, virtual
• shallow – deep
• simple – complex
• success – failure
• transparent – opaque
• virtue – vice
Note: Learners may practice antonyms in different parts of speech. For example:
 ascent-descent; ascend-descend
 virtue-vice: virtuous-vicious
 humility-pride; humble -proud
 acceptance-denial; accept-deny
Exercise 2: Fill in the blanks with the antonyms:
1. arrive X ; arrival X
2. wise X : stupid X
3. major X : majority X
4. permanent X : permanence X 5. innocent X
: innocence X
Exercise 3: Match the words in column A with the antonyms in column B:

A B
Advance foe
cordial pessimism
accept clumsy
ally vanish
appear spendthrift
dainty Retreat
frequent hope
miser seldom
34
optimism hostile
despair decline
Opposite words are also formed by adding or changing affixes.

 Able x Unable Agree x Disagree Careful x Careless
 Do x Undo Efficient x Inefficient Encourage x Discourage
 Fire x Misfire Graceful x Disgraceful Happy x Unhappy
 Just x Unjust Legal x Illegal Relevant x Irrelevant
 Sure x Unsure Told x Untold Understand x Misunderstand
• Wanted x Unwanted
Exercise 4: Fill in the blanks with the words opposite in meaning to the words
given in brackets after adding suitable affixes:
1. Dr. Sandeep doesn’t want his wife to _(understand) him.
2. Disha decided to dispose the (wanted) things off.
3. Ravina expressed her (ability) to complete the task in time.
4. Madhurima proved that she is not an (responsible) girl.
5. Mahatma Gandhi advocated truth and (violence).
Note: The list of synonyms and antonyms is not exhaustive. Learners are required
to explore more synonyms and antonyms and thus enrich their vocabulary every
day.
Words Synonyms Antonyms – Opposites
Abate Subside, moderate Aggravate
Adhere Comply, observe, conform Ignore, disregard
Abolish Annihilate, eradicate, Sustain, cherish
obliterate.
Acumen Discernment, talent Stupidity, ignorance
Absolve Pardon, forgive, exonerate Condemn, Accuse
Abject Despicable, dismal, servile Commendable,
Praiseworthy
Feeble weak, frail Strong, Robust
Abound Flourish, proliferate Deficient
Accord Agreement, harmony Discord
Adversity Misfortune, calamity Prosperity, Fortune
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Bleak Grim, Austere Bright, Pleasant
Barren Desolate, Sterile Fertile
Audacity Boldness, Courage Mildness, Cowardice
Benevolent Benign, Generous Malevolent, Miserly
Concede yield, accept Deny, reject
Feeble weak, frail Strong, Robust
Feud strife, quarrel Harmony, fraternity
Thrifty Frugal, prudent Extravagant
Generosity Altruism, bounty Stinginess, greed
Forsake desert, renounce Hold, maintain
Exercise 5:
Pick the right synonym of the following words:
1. Frantically
A - satisfactory B - amok C - calmly D - meek
2. Contempt
A - approval B - regard C - sanction D -scorn
3. Chaos
A - interruption B - order C - disorder D - organization
4. Controversial
A - undoubted B - litigious C - define D - certain
5. Metamorphosis
A - unchanging B - stagnation C - transfiguration D - shrinkage
6. Predict
A - foretell B - decide C - prevent D - discover
7. Fraud
A - malevolent B - argument C - imposter D -clown
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8. Ignite
A- switch B- trigger C- transform D- change
9. Wary
A - calm B - curved C - confused D - cautious
10. luminous
A - clear B - bright C - brittle D -clever
Exercise 4:
Pick the right antonym of the following words:
1. Tedious
A- unwavering B- frightening C- horrible D- easy

2. Flaunt
A- regard B- sink C- hide D- propose

3. Stamina
A-weakness B- clear C- decisive D- calmness
4. Concede
A- sit B – withstand C- dismiss D- elaborate
5. Placate
A- appease B- lose C- tremendous D- enrage

6. Extravagant
A- unknown B- dear C- thrifty D- lose
7. Resilient
A- stubborn B- careless C- substantial D- vulnerable
8. Attain
A- crave B- lose C- harbour D- credit
9. Curtail
A-remain B- detain C- placate D- prolong
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10. Magnify
A- attract B- contemporary C- diverse D- diminish
Exercise 6:
Some of the questions from General English paper in various
competitive examinations are given for reference. Prior knowledge of
synonyms is essential to choose the right answer.
Directions – From the given options, choose the option that is nearest in meaning
to the highlighted words in the sentences given below.
Q.1. The coming decades will likely see more intense clustering of jobs,
innovation and productivity in a smaller number of bigger cities and city-
regions.
1. Concentrated 2. Forceful 3. Passionate 4. Energetic
Q.2. Most of human history has been a part of the Paleolithic period or the
old stone age. The exponential change in the development of human
civilization came in the recent few centuries.
1. Great 2. Fast 3. Tremendous 4. Increasing
Q.3. “I can’t stand this anymore,” said Lalit, noticing that Rustam did not
relish Zuker’s conversation.
1. Gaiety 2. Savour 3. Vindicate 4. Desire
Directions – From the given options, choose the option that is the most
opposite in the meaning to the highlighted words in the sentences given below.
Q.4. Neither the Gods nor the Kings have anything to say in a
politically enlightened community.
1. Civilised 2. Ignorant 3. Stupid 4. Uncivilized
Q.5. These bottles are harrowing. How could she spend so much money on
something that is so drab?
1. Unattractive 2. Attractive 3. Gruesome 4. Adorable
38
Note: Apart from MCQ type questions, questions on synonyms and antonyms
are set in reading comprehension section.
Candidates who aspire to appear for the various competitive
examinations must regularly update their vocabulary by adding more words to
the list of Synonyms and Antonyms.
AFFIXES
Affixes are letter/letters fixed before or after a root word to form a new word
or to alter its form. They also affect the meaning of the words. They may be
called prefixes or suffixes depending upon whether fixture is added at the
beginning of the word or at the end.
Prefixes are fixed at the beginning of the words.
For example: befriend, co-curricular, disagree, encourage, ignoble, ill-treat,

imperfect, indirect, mismanage, non-violence, pre-determine, re-generate,
uncertain…
Exercise 1: Fill in the table with the words that can be fixed with the prefixes
listed in the first column:
Prefix Word Prefixed Prefixed word Prefixed word

word1 2 3
a vow Ex: avow Ex: abiotic Ex: aplenty
anti thesis antithesis
auto biography autobiography
be little belittle
co operate cooperate
de forestation deforestation
dis advantage disadvantage
em power empower
en compass encompass
extra ordinary extraordinary
fore tell foretell
ig noble ignoble
il treat ill-treat
im perfect imperfect
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inter national international
ir relevant irrelevant
mega event mega event
mis manage mismanage
non violence nonviolence
over sight oversight
pre view preview
post graduate postgraduate
re generate regenerate
Semi final semifinal
sub standard substandard
super star superstar
un certain uncertain
uni lateral unilateral
under estimate underestimate
Suffixes are fixed at the end of the words.
For example: Artist, artful, artless, beautify, casually, greatness, hearty,

loyalty, manifestation, priority, socialize……….
It may be noted that a word can take more than one suffix depending on the
context. The word Commerce (noun) with a suffix ial is commercial (adjective);
with ially commercially (adverb) with ialization is commercialization (noun).
Exercise 2:
Fill in the table with words that can be fixed with the suffixes listed in the
second column:
Word Suffix Suffixed word Suffixed Suffixed word
1 word 2 3
adore able adorable
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play er player
cash ier cashier
write r writer
art ist artist
beauty ful beautiful
parent hood parenthood
Harm less harmless
kind ness kindness
rationalise ation rationalisation
national ism nationalism
study ious studious
friend ship friendship
Exercise 3:
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the words given in the brackets
after affixing them:
1. The device is (able) now.

2. The girl is (fortune). She survived the fatal accident.
3. Students submitted their (assign) before the due date.
4. Audience was overwhelmed by the performance of
the artiste.
(ordinary)
5. Reshma was instructed to ____ (boot) her device whenever it
(functions).
6. Oxygen is ___________ (colour) and __________ (taste)
7. Audience was overwhelmed by the performance of
the artiste.
(ordinary)
8. Reshma was instructed to ____ (boot) her device whenever it
(functions).
9. Oxygen is ___________ (colour) and __________ (taste)
HOMOPHONES AND HOMONYMS
HOMOPHONES
41
(Home: same; phone: sound)
Homophones are words that sound the same but differ in spelling and meaning.
One tends to get confused while using such words. It is therefore required to learn
the correct spelling and meaning of such words and use them correctly.
Example: There-their, buy-by, hour-our, eye-I, wood-would, knew-new, know-

no, some-sum, to-two and one-won.
Their-there : Their children found their belongings there.
Buy-by : Sanjay decided to buy a laptop for his sister and visited the store
by car.
Hour-our : Swathi waited for an hour to receive our parcel. eye-I
: I could see the problem eye to eye. wood-would : I would rather
choose the table with the legs made of wood. Knew-new : Dhruthi
knew that Samrat was a new recruit.
know-no : Wasim Akthar and Lahari know that there is no scope for
reconciliation.
some-sum : Some of the students were wrong in calculating the sum.
to-two : The award was given to the two participants from Bengaluru.
Here is a list of homophones. Learners are required to learn the spelling and
meaning of each of these words and construct sentences using them.
Ascent-
berth-birth ball-bawl boar-bore bough-bow
assent
brake-break cast-caste cell-sell cent-scent-sent check-cheque
cite-site- sight complement-
dear-deer descent-dissent desert-dessert
compliment
dew-due dual-duel flea-flee fore-four foul-fowl
feat-feet grate-great hair-heir heal-heel hole-whole
42
Lack-lac-
idle-idol knight-night loan-lone mail-male
lakh
mask- meat-meet meter-metre naught-nought pail-pale
masque
pain-pane peace-piece, pray-prey reign-rein right-rite
role-roll root-route scene-seen, scent-sent sole-soul
scene-seen, scent-sent sole-soul Sun-son soar-sore
steal-steel storey-story tail-tale tire-tyre vain-vein-wane
wail-whale waste-waist way-weigh weak-week wear-ware-where
weather- which-witch. yoke-yolk

floor-flour whether weight-wait
Exercise 1: Construct sentences using the homophones listed here forth:
Example: Ascent: Hilary’s ascent of Mount Everest was commendable
Assent: Tanmayi’s employer gave assent to her project.
Berth Birth
Complement
Compliment
Dual Duel
Feat
Feet
Grate
Great
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Heal
Heel
loan lone
Meter
Metre
Peace
Piece
Right
Rite
Site Cite
Tire Tyre
Vain Vein
Weather Whether
Yoke Yolk HOMONYMS
(homo-same; nym-name)
Homonyms are the words that possess different meaning in different context.
Some of the homonyms are dear, feet, fine, mine, key, sole, mean, free, rest,
play, watch, principal, fair, right, left and train.
Fine : In spite of paying a heavy fine (penalty), he sounded fine (a sense

of well-being).
Mine : That mine (quarry) is mine (belongs to me).
Key : The bunch of keys (tools to open locks) played a key
(significant) role in solving the crime.
Mean : Souharda didn’t mean (intend) to be mean (self-possessed) to
her friend.
44
Free : You are free (not restricted) to avail the free (no cost) offer
by the end of May.
Rest : Visitors are allowed to rest (relax) for the rest (remaining part) of
the day.
Play : Rose wanted to play (recreate) games after watching the play
(drama).
Principal : The Principal (Head) laid emphasis on the principal (important)
objectives.
Fair : It is not fair (right/just) to prevent children from visiting the
fair (mela) this year.
Right : It is right (correct) to be aware of our fundamental rights
(entitlement).
Left : All the students who were seated on the left (direction) hand side
left (went out of) the hall.
Train : All the teachers decided to train (coach) the kids to follow safety
measures before they boarded the train (mode of transport).
Exercise 2: Construct two sentences each for the homonyms listed here-forth:
Course: :
Press:
45
Long: :
Notice:
COLLOCATIONS
46
Objectives:
• To aid the understanding of proper structure of the English language.

• To make the use of the English language natural and interesting
• Make better use of words or group of words by presenting it in better
form
• It enhances the use of language and thereby comparatively leads to
innovation of the English language.
It may be observed that some words fit together naturally. Such group of
words or phrases is referred to as Collocation. For example, do well, make
the most of, strong feeling, light rain, good job, have a break, go astray and so
on. Definition and Meaning:
• Collocation is the habitual juxtaposition of a particular word with another

word or words with a frequency greater than chance.
• Collocation is a pair or group of words that are habitually juxtaposed.
• Collocation is a familiar grouping of words which appear together because
of their habitual use.
Collocation may be classified into different types based on the words
grouped together: noun collocation, verb collocation, adjective collocation, adverb
collocation.
1. Noun Collocations (noun-noun, noun-verb): Words collocated with nouns.
a) Noun-noun collocation: cash flow, bottle neck The
company is trying to stabilize the cashflow.
The construction of Metro rail has created a bottle neck at this junction.
b) Noun-verb collocation: companies merged, products
launched The companies merged to create a win-win
situation.
The products launched proved better than the products manufactured by the
rival company.
2. Verb collocation (verb-noun, verb-preposition, verb-adverb): Words

collocated with verbs.
47
a) Verb-noun collocation : have fun, take action We shall have fun
after the examinations.
The Principal has decided to take action immediately.
b) Verb-preposition collocation: go about, get along
The girl was instructed to go about the task smoothly.

Samyukta decided to get along well with her classmates.
c) Verb-adverb collocation : react instantly
The counselor advised not to react instantly.
3. Adjective Collocation: Words collocated with adjectives. For example: heavy
rain, deserted road Bengaluru received heavy rains yesterday.
I was scared to walk along the deserted road
4. Adverb Collocation: Words collocated with adverbs
For example: slow moving, flatly refuse
The slow-moving metro traffic drove the tourist
crazy. The driver flatly refused to drive slowly.
Exercise 1:
Fill in the blanks with the right collocation:
1. He didn't know anything about business, so starting his own business was
.
a) a leap into the cloud b) a leap in the dark c) a leap into the whole
2. I hate the way he criticizes everybody. It really rattles

a) my back b) my bones c) my cage
3. When her business crashed, she had to pick up and start again.
a) the fragments b) the pieces c) the stones
4.I used to go to church under false . I never wanted to go but my mother

made me.
a) agreements b) feelings c) pretences
5. One minute they were just talking and then all hell broke and everybody
started screaming and shouting.
a) free b) loose c) over
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6. He never cheats or tricks anybody when he plays. He always goes by the
.
a) book b) instructions c) principles
7. Don't tell Mary your plans or she'll tell everybody. She is always her
mouth off.
a) shooting b) speaking c) talking
8. Tom might be able to help with your problem. He has friends in high
who might be able to change the decision.
a) jobs b) places c) spots
Exercise 2:
Complete the expressions using the right verb given in the brackets:
(miss, get, do and make)
a) a goal j) ready
b) peace k) progress
c) lost l) someone’s help
d) a home m) nothing
e) an appointment n) an effort
f) a lesson o) one’s best
g) homework p) furniture
h) the cooking q) the shopping

i) someone a favour r) trouble
Exercise 3: Identify the collocation and construct sentences of your own.

a) do progress/make progress:
b) strong rain/heavy rain:
c) hard traffic/heavy traffic:
d) do a mistake/make a mistake:
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e) big decision/heavy decision:
f) best friend/ great friend:
Exercise 4: Use the listed collocations in your sentences.
1. To do a favour:
2. Get ready:
3. Make friends:
4. have a break:
5. Give a minute:
6. Good job:
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7. Extremely hot:
8. Break the record:
9. Big decision:
10. Demanding situation:
Exercise 5:
Describe your hometown using the collocations generally used to describe places.
Note: One must listen and read regularly to master using collocations as naturally
as a native speaker. It is also essential to construct sentences using the
collocations.
JARGON
51
• Words and expressions used in a particular profession or by a particular
group of people, which are difficult for other people to understand.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
• The technical terminology or characteristic idiom of a special activity or

group.
Merriam Webster
Students are required to learn jargon and use judiciously.
Jargon
Economics Law Medicine
Recession Affidavit Abrasion
Unemployed Alimony Benign
Money Annulment Chronic
Investment and capital Appeal Fracture
Government spending Bar Hypertension
Welfare economics Bench Outpatient
Efficient Custody Relapse
Cost and profit Civil case Suture
Demand Civil Court Transplant
Supply Complaint Vaccine
Marginal Contempt Sepsis
Significant Court Infection
Biased Decision Wound
Dummy Decree Surgery
Elasticity Defendant Diabetes
Rational Evidence Prescription
Rent Summons diet
Note: Explore jargon employed in different streams
Points to be remembered:
50
52
• Sound vocabulary is essential for reading, writing, speaking and
understanding spoken English.
• Vocabulary must be regularly updated by adding more Synonyms and
Antonyms.
• Affixes are letter/letters fixed before or after a word to form a new word or
to alter its form.
• Updating the list of homophones and using them in own sentences
help to prevent errors in spelling while writing.
• Homophones are words that sound the same but differ in spelling and
meaning.
• Homonyms are the words that possess different meaning in different
context. 
• A familiar grouping of words which appear together because of their
habitual use is called collocation.
• Practice of listening and reading regularly facilitates use of collocations
as naturally as a native speaker.
• An extensive vocabulary aids expression and communication. 
Link to be tapped: https://youtu.be/rrztIQ0F2-M
53
Chapter – 3
CORRECTION OF SENTENCES
Objectives:
i) to refine the LSRW skills of the learners
ii) to identify and rectify common errors in usage of English iii)
to enable the learners to use the right vocabulary and diction
Accuracy is an important part of the language. To avoid

miscommunication, one should be proficient in the nuances of grammar
and usage. Even though English language has been very accommodative of
many words from other languages around the world, certain basic language
structure is unchanged. English has been adapted to the needs of English
language users in India too. However, not all the syntactical and dictional usage
is accepted globally. Correction of Errors or Error Correction in English
language has become an integral part of the entrance tests and competitive
54
examinations which requires thorough and accurate knowledge of English
language.
The Error correction questions are generally related to parts of speech,
singular- plurals, infinitives, participles, tenses, use of articles, redundancy,
punctuations, usage etc. To rectify the errors in the sentence, students need to be
aware of basic grammar skills. To be able to answer the error spotting
questions, it is essential that students build up a good command over English
Grammar and vocabulary. This unit gives a glimpse of some common errors
committed by the second language users and the right usage.
1. Articles: The articles – a, an, the form the basis of determination of

number of nouns; They also determine the generic and specific nature of
nouns in a sentence. A singular countable common noun always requires an
article before it whereas a plural common noun does not always require an
article. A plural common noun can have the article ‘the’ whenever the noun
needs to be particularized.
• For example:
 I saw a snake. (Refers to a random snake)
 I saw snakes in a zoo. (No article is required)
 I have seen the snake again. (Refers to the snake I have already seen
earlier)
 I saw the snakes again before leaving the zoo. (Refers to the
particular snakes of the zoo which I saw earlier.)
• The choice between the two indefinite articles – a and an – is determined
by
sound of the first letter of the word (vowel sound or consonant sound). For
instance:
 a university, a union, a useful book, etc.
 a one-dollar note, a one-man army, etc.
 an MA, a BA, an LLB, a BSC,
 an M.L.A but a Member of Legislative Assembly
 an M.P, but a Member of Parliament
 Zero Article: It refers to an occasion in speech or writing where no
article is required. The zero article is also known as the zero
determiner.
55
No article is required:
1. to refer to the plural and uncountable nouns or when talking about
things in general:
 I'm terrified of heights  I'm into drum and bass.  I hate cheese.
2. before (proper nouns) the names of countries, cities, towns, streets, languages
and mountains:
 I'm from China.
 Kavita is from Mumbai.
 I've climbed Mount Everest.  She speaks French.
3. before some places and means of transport:
 I live at home with my parents.
 I came here by car.
 He goes to work by bus.
Note: However, article the is used before the names of the trains and
buses. Ex: Dhruv commutes by the Shatabdi Express every day.
4. In exclamatory sentences with what + uncountable noun:
 What beautiful weather!
 What loud music!
 What disgusting food!
Classroom activity: Cite more instances wherein the definite article the is used.
B) Fill in the blanks with the suitable article, if necessary:
a) Paris is capital of France. I’d like to visit it one day.

b) Alisha loves walking in rain. She likes rainy days rather than sunny
ones.
c) He is most famous actor I know.
d) I have
e) I try to go for idea! __________ run three times week.
2. Prepositions: A preposition shows the relationship between two nouns/

two pronouns in a sentence. They may be classified as simple (in, by, to, from,
under etc.) compound (amongst, between, in front of, outside, without etc.) and
56
phrasal prepositions (according to, by means of, in front of, in spite of,
on behalf of, in addition to etc.), phrasal verbs (bring down, call off, give up,
take over, show down etc.) according to their structure.
They are categorized as prepositions of time (at, on, in, before, after,
etc.), place/position (on, under, behind, in, at etc.) and
movement/direction (along, across, around, over, opposite etc.) according to
their usage. Prepositions are harder to master for non-native speakers of
English as the first-language nuances hinder understanding of proper
preposition usage. Each language has its own set of grammar rules, so
there are points of conflict when someone wants to learn a second language.
Common errors in the use of prepositions are as follows:
• Transfer of a specific preposition from their native language into English

(substitution);
 I’m angry on you. (incorrect) I’m angry with you
(correct)
 Sahil is in a call with his client. (incorrect) Sahil
is on a call with is client. (correct)
• Usage of a preposition when it should not be used (addition);
 Roshan’s office is near to Mahi’s house.
(incorrect) Roshan’s office is near Mahi’s house.
(correct)
 She is of the same age as me. (incorrect) She
is the same age as me. (correct)
• An obligatory preposition is omitted in some cases (omission).
 He is neither ashamed nor sorry for his
misdeeds. (incorrect) He is neither ashamed of
nor sorry for his misdeeds. (correct)
 The design of this house is different and

inferior to that of other houses.
(incorrect)
The design of this house is different from and inferior to that of
other houses. (correct)
57
Classroom activity: Complete the conversation using prepositions given in
brackets:
(in, on, at, for, of, with, between, before, about, to)
Student: Excuse me, when are your office hours?
Instructor: I am available to meet you Thursday 13:30 and 15:30.
Student: I have class that time. Can we meet lunch?
Instructor: Is it urgent?
Student: Yes, I have some questions to ask you the mid-term exam.
Instructor: You can come my office 11:00. Does that work you?
Student: Yes, thank you. Can you remind me where your office is?
Instructor: My office is the third-floor room A321 the Unity

building.
Student: Thank you very much! See you then.
Links for reference:
 https://www.stmarysca.edu/sites/default/files/attachments/files/PrepositionC
hart.pdf
 https://www.uvic.ca/learningandteaching/cac/assets/docs/Prepositions%20Fi
nal.pdf
3. Tenses: As tense indicates time of the action, the English language users
have to be aware of the following common errors:
• Using inconsistent forms of verbs- It's important to avoid switching back

and forth between tenses. For example,
 We were on the way to school. Suddenly, the sky turns dark.
were is past tense and turns is present tense,
We were on the way to school. Suddenly, the sky turned dark.
(Both were and turned are past tense forms, so the verb tense is consistent.)
• Confusion in the use of different forms of present tense - There
are four different forms of present tense. They are very similar but are not
58
interchangeable. Here is the table which shows when to use each present
tense form, along with sample sentences featuring a form of the verb
‘work’ that illustrate correct usage.
Present Tense Verb
When to Use Sample Sentence
Form
simple present tense current or habitual actions My friend works there.
connects the past to the My friend has
present perfect tense
present worked there.
present continuous discussing something that is
My friend is working there.
tense in progress right now
an ongoing action that has
present perfect been in progress for some My friend has been
continuous tense time. working there.
• Confusion in the use of different forms of past tense- The table

below explains when to use each form along with a sample sentence
featuring the verb ‘eat’.
Past Tense Verb Form When to Use Sample Sentence
simple past tense action completed in the past I ate an apple

yesterday.
action that was done at some I had already eaten
past perfect tense apple by then.
point in the past
action that was in progress in I was eating apple
past continuous tense the past, but is over at the when the bell rang.
present
an action that started in the I had been eating apple
past perfect past continued until another every morning for two
continuous tense time in the past. years till Jonathan
advised me not to do so.
• Using past tense indicating two different times of action: It is often

confusing to use the correct form of past tense in a sentence to describe
59
the actions which might have taken place in the past but at different times.
A combination of past perfect, indicating the action which took place first,
(remote past) and simple past, indicating the action which took place later,
(recent past) is used in such cases. For example,
 The train had already left (past perfect/ remote past) before
Harish reached (simple past/ recent past) the railway station.
 The guests had arrived before I reached home.
• Using past tense indicating two simultaneous actions in the past- A
combination of simple past and past continuous tense is used while
describing two actions taking place at the same time. For example:
 Sudha was reading a book when I visited her. 
The phone was ringing when Sumesh entered the
office.
• Altering the future tense forms- When the verb in the main clause is in the
future tense, the verb in the subordinate clause should shift to the present
tense.
For Example:
 I will hire you full-time when your degree is
complete.  We will wait in the shelter until the bus
comes.
Classroom activity: Complete the following letter with the verbs in brackets in
the right tense (present simple, present continuous, present perfect, will,
past simple, past continuous, gerund).
Dear Jia,
I (just/ read) your email, but my computer (not work), so

I have decided to send you a letter. Next month I (move) to a new flat and I
(already/buy) the furniture. I can’t wait!
By the way, I have some news to tell you: While I (be+ look) for
the flat, I (meet) a very nice estate agent: his name’s Subhash. We
(be) out for dinner twice and tomorrow we (have) lunch together.
I’m sure you (like) him a lot. He (work) near my office.
60
Let me tell you more about the flat: there are two big rooms, a kitchenette and
a small bathroom. Last weekend, I (get) a very nice lamp for the living
room,
but unfortunately, I (break) it when I (be+ clean) the flat. How
clumsy of me! Luckily it (do+ not cost) much, I (probably
buy) another one next Saturday. Now I (wait) for my sister. We (go)
to a party together later and I (not know) what to wear: my old flat is
full of boxes and I can’t find a nice dress. I (be) shopping three
times this week, but always for the flat! However, I hope my sister
(lend) me something nice for tonight.
I have to go for work now, it (be) nice to hear from you. Please get in
touch again soon. Of course, you must come to the housewarming party: I
(tell) you the right day and time in a couple of weeks.
Looking forward to (see) you!
Yours,
Ruhi
Conditionals- In the English language, a conditional is a sentence that

expresses a condition. A condition is something that is prevalent before
something else can happen. Conditional sentences commonly begin with
words and phrases such as if, when, unless, even if, only if, in case. For
example,
 You will be allowed to watch television only if you finish your homework by
9:00.
 I will be at your wedding tomorrow unless my son is still sick.
 When the sun sets, the kids will return home.
 If you want to be paid for a full day, you have to arrive at work on time.
 Even if we leave right now, we will still be late to the wedding.  Take
your cell phone with you in case you need to call me.
English has five conditional structures: the zero, first, second, third and mixed.
The following are some common problems that students of English have
with the structure of conditional sentences. In English, most sentences using
the conditional contain the word if. The following examples are given
61
using the conditional if. Conditional sentences have two parts: the if–clause
and the main clause. The main clause depends on the if-clause.
• Zero conditional (present real condition) talks about things that are always
true, like a scientific fact.
Examples: i) If you heat ice, it melts.
ii) If you cross an international date line, the time changes.
• The first conditional- we use the present simple in the if-clause and ‘will’ in
the main clause. A very common error is to put ‘will’ in the if-clause:
Examples: i) If you study more, your English will get
better. ii) If I see Kumar, I’ll ask him.
• The second conditional- is used for hypothetical or improbable situations.

We use the past simple in the if-clause and ‘would’ in the main clause.
Examples: i) If you studied more, your English would get
better. ii) If I had more time, I would take up
golf.
• The third conditional- is used for improbable situations. We use the
past perfect in the if- clause and ‘would’ in the main cluse.
Examples: i) If you had studied more, your English would have
improved. ii) If I’d known earlier, I wouldn’t have done it.
(‘d = had)
• The Mixed conditionals- is used to refer to a time in the past, and a

situation that is ongoing into the present. The facts they are based on are
the opposite of what is expressed. The mixed type conditional is used to
refer to an unreal past condition and its probable result in the present. In
mixed type conditional sentences, the if clause uses the past perfect,
and the main clause uses the present conditional.
Examples: i) If you weren’t afraid of cockroaches, you would have picked it
up and thrown out.
ii) If you’d studied harder, you’d be at a higher level now.
Classroom activity: Fill in the blanks with the appropriate conditionals:
62
i. If we (not / work) harder, we (not pass) the exam. ii.
If the children (not eat) soon, they (be) grumpy. iii.
If she (have) her laptop with her, she (email) me.
iv. If you (not be) so stubborn, we (not have) so many arguments!
v. If Susan (not/take) the map, she (get) lost.
vi. If our team (not/score) another goal, we (not win) the championship.
 For more details on conditional sentences please refer-

https://www.ef.com/wwen/english-resources/english-grammar/conditional/
4. S-V Agreement- The subject and the verb of a sentence must agree with
each other in number. For example,
Singular: The cat jumps over the fence.
Plural: The cats jump over the fence.
Agreement in speech and in writing refers to the proper grammatical match between
words and phrases. Parts of sentences must agree, or correspond with other parts, in
number, person, case, and gender. Some of the rules to be followed in subject verb
agreement are:
1. A verb must agree with its subject in number.
 A book is on the table.

 My books are on the table.
2. The number of a verb does not change when one or more phrases come
between a verb and its subject.
 The number of cybercrimes is increasing in the country.

 The box of organic mangoes arrives today.
3. A singular verb must be used with the singular indefinite pronouns each,
neither, either, anyone, everyone, no one, someone, anybody, everybody,
nobody, somebody, anything, everything, nothing and something.
 Neither of the students is attending the seminar.

 Each flower has a unique fragrance.
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4. Some subjects, although they appear plural, are singular in meaning and take a
singular verb.
 The news seems more and more depressing every day.

 Measles is the only childhood disease I haven’t had.
5. When the conjunction or, nor, either…or, or neither…nor connect the parts
of a compound subject, the verb will agree with the subject closer to it.
 Neither the general nor his men are at the fort.

 Either the apples or the large orange is for Dinesh.
6. A singular verb is generally used after works denoting an amount (time,

money, measurement, weight, volume).
 Three weeks is a long vacation.

 Ten feet of kite strig tangles easily.
7. Nouns like scissors, jeans, spectacles, binoculars are plural; when they are
used with the phrase a pair of the subject is singular.
 A pair of scissors is lying on the table.

 Sushma’s glasses are new.
8. Some collective nouns like police, cattle, poultry, infantry are plural and a
plural verb is followed.
 Our infantry have marched forward.

 Police have arrested the thieves.
9. If the subject is joined by ‘as well as’, ‘with’, ‘along with’, ‘together with’,
‘and not’, ‘In addition to’, ‘but’, ‘besides’, ‘except’, ‘rather than’,
‘accompanied by’, ‘like’, ‘unlike’, ‘no less than’, ‘nothing but’, the
verb will agree with the first subject.
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 Suresh’s father, unlike his uncles, is strict.
 Rahim, as well as his parents, is visiting us tomorrow.
10. If a sentence states an imaginary position, it starts with if, as if,

as though, suppose, I wish, in case, would that etc. In such sentences
‘were’ is used, irrespective of the number of the subject.
 I wish, I were bird.

 If he were rich, he would help others.
Classroom activity: Choose the appropriate form of the verb from the
brackets:
i. The number of boys (is/ are) fifty.
ii. His hair (is/are) black. iii. Many kinds of furniture (is/ are)
available in that shop. iv. Where (is/ are) my pants?
v. Ethics (demand/demands) honesty. vi. Cattle (is/are) grazing
in the field. vii. The committee (has/have) taken a decision
unanimously.
viii. One of the five students (has/have) passed the examination. ix.
Either Ram or his friends (has/ have) come.
x. High levels of pollution (cause/causes) damage to the respiratory tract.
 Note: i) This concept has been dealt in detail in the previous semester.
Revisit the unit in Envision-I for better comprehension.
ii) S-V agreement is considered for testing in the II semester
Examination.
5. Punctuation- The art of separating composition by means of the marks
into clauses and parts of sentences is called Punctuation. When correctly used,
they guide the reader through the text and make comprehension easier.
However, when incorrectly placed, they can also change the meaning of a
sentence. Consider the following example:
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Original text: A woman without her man is nothing.
Punctuated text 1: A woman, without her man, is nothing.
Punctuated text 2: A woman: without her, man is nothing.
i. Full Stop or Period (.)

• used at the end of a sentence.
 A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing.
• used in courtesy titles and abbreviations of rank which appear before a name
used with abbreviations.
 Mr. Amjad Qureshi, Mrs. Salma Rahim, 
Lt. Amar Pandey, Dr. Jagadish Chandra
Bose  P.M., M.P., M.D.
• before abbreviated academic degree.
 B.Com., B.A., M.B.B.S., Ph.D.
ii. Comma (,)
• used to separate words in the same construction of a sentence.
 He has lost his lands, money, reputation and friends.
• used to separate each pair of words connected by and, or.
 High and low, rich and poor, wise and foolish, all must die.
• used to separate the two nouns in a sentence which mean the same person or
thing.
 Paul, the apostle, was beheaded in the reign of Nero.
• used to separate two or more coordinate adjectives.
 Kempa is a short, stocky, powerful wrestler.
• used to separate three or more adverbs.
 She always speaks slowly, clearly, easily and briefly.
• used to separate three or more verbs in a sentence.
 He is writing, directing and producing new TV-serial.
• used to mark off noun clauses or adjective clauses.
 I didn’t’ know when he did it, and why he did it?
 used to mark off the words that are used for addressing.
 Lord of the universe, shield us and guide us.
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iii. Question mark or Mark of Interrogation
(?)  used after every direct question.
 Do you like her?
 not used after an indirect question.
 He asked what time it was.
 enclosed in parenthesis after a fact which is doubtful.
 America was first visited by a white man in A.D 1000
(?)  used after each separate question in a series of questions.
 If you poison us, do we not die? If you wrong us, shall
we not revenge?
iv. Exclamation Mark (!)
• used to add a forceful emphasis to a declarative word, expression or
sentence.  “Get out!” She screamed.
• used after an expression of strong emotion like surprise, anger, happiness
etc.  How the mighty be fallen!
• An interjection is a word that expresses emotion. It may be strong
enough on its own merit not to require an exclamation mark. Thus, a
mark of exclamation merely helps to strengthen it.
 Oh, what a beautiful day!
 The exclamation mark is placed either immediately after an
interjection that begins a sentence, or at the end of the sentence introduced
by an interjection.  Hark! Someone is singing a sweet song.
v. Colon (:)
 used to introduce a quotation.
 Franklin D. Roosevelt said: “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.”
 used to introduce formal lists, enumerations
 I have come to the following conclusions: Understand, Accept and
Execute.
 used in reference to time to separate hours from minutes.
 10:15, 12:30, 2:45, 6:50
 used between the sentences grammatically independent but closely
connected.
 Study is to acquire a habit of thinking: no study is more important.
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vi. Semicolon (;)
• used to separate the main clauses of a sentence when they are joined
by coordinating conjunctions.
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
When it is silence everywhere; no disturbance and no noise, then it is
the real time of studies.
• used to separate the clauses in a compound sentence.
 He was brave, large-hearted man and we all honoured him.
• separates main clauses of a sentence that are joined by conjunctive adverbs.
 He is taking six courses this semester; however, he has given up his
part-time job and will have more time to today.
• used to separate the items in a series when parts of the items are
already separated by commas.
 The winners are Shazia, first; Hassan, second; Beena, third.
• used to separate clauses to emphasize by providing a longer pause
between them.
 The coconut tree gives us food; it gives us drink; it gives us material for
roofing; indeed, with nearly all the necessaries.
vii. Dash (--)
• used to indicate a sudden break or change of thought.
 Are you — do you feel all right?
• used to follow a direct quotation to indicate an interruption in discourse
 “Really, now you ask me,” said Alice, very much
confused, “I don’t think --
 viii. Inverted
Commas (“”)
• Inverted commas or quotation marks are used to indicate and question.
 But what is the use of saying, “Call not a man
happy till he dies”.
• A single quotation mark is used to enclose a quotation within a quotation.
 He said, “Everyone should remember that ‘God
helps those who help themselves’”.
ix. Parenthesis ( )
• used to separate a portion of a sentence from the rest of the sentence.
 She gained from heaven (It was all she wished) a son.
• used to enclose a correction or explanatory comment in quoted material.
 She [Mrs. Azra Touffique] used to counsel Jamil at great length.
x. Hyphen (-)
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
• used to break up telephone numbers, account numbers, card numbers etc. 
N.I.C. No: 0422-28968-5
• used to form the compound words.
Brother-in-law, self-assured, President-elect etc.
xi. Apostrophe (’)
• used to denote the omission of one or more letters or figures
 Shouldn’t, Wouldn’t
• used to show the possessive case.
 Have you seen Aslan’s new motor bike? xii.
Capital Letters: Some uses of capital letters are:  The first
letter of a sentence or quoted speech  My first essay is due
tomorrow.
 The minister said, “That compromise is not
justified”.
• The pronoun ‘I’
 James and I are in the same group.
• Abbreviations and acronyms– formed from the first letters of words
 RNMIT, ABC, ANZ, TAFE, USB, ASAP, DVDs, AIDS
• Proper nouns (names, countries, names of days,)
 Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Mother Teresa, India, Poland,
Sunday, Thursday
• names of specific groups of people, languages, religions, deities
 Australian, Red Indians, Hindi, Spanish, Buddhism, Hinduism, Jesus
Christ, Mahaveera
xiii. Ellipses (…) - An ellipsis (plural: ellipses) is a mark that comprises a series
of three dots. It is used
• To show an omission of a word or words (including whole sentences) from a
text.
 "Today … we vetoed the bill."  To create a pause for effect.
 I don't know…I'm not sure.
• To show an unfinished thought.
 I know I saw my keys somewhere . . .
• To show a trail off into silence.
 Why would he do that . . .?
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
• To show some excitement/ exclamation  I cannot believe you did that . . .!
xiv. Asterisk (*) -The word "asterisk" comes from the Latin word "asteriscus"
and the Greek word "asterikos" meaning "little star." The asterisk was first
used in printing and writing in the early 1600s. It is used
• to direct the reader to a footnote or annotation
The category 3 storm devastated the area and killed 4,000* people.
*Data reported from U.S. Coast Guard.
• as a disclaimer
 Sale! Everything must go! 100 percent financing or 90 days same as cash*!
*Credit approval with minimum score required.
• to omit certain letters in a word
 The bystander reported the terrifying event, “It was terrifying! The
sound was so loud it scared the sh*t out of me!” Classroom activity:
Punctuate the following passage.:
have you ever wondered where your petrol money goes The biggest portion goes to
the manufacturers of crude oil the people who get the oil out of the ground they take
a whopping 72% The people who refine the crude oil, turning it into gasoline, earn
about 9% The distributors people who move the oil around, make 7% You
may wonder where the rest goes Well taxes account for the other 12% Do you know
how much the station owners make They make as little as a few cents A
GALLON Shocking, isn’t it
6. Redundancy - is the unnecessary repetition of ideas. Wordiness is the use

of several words when a few can express the same idea more clearly and concisely.
• The use of unnecessary words or phrases.
Redundant: Turn left at the green-coloured house.
Correct: Turn left at the green house.
• Unnecessary repetition of nouns or pronouns.
Redundant: Riva she couldn’t believe her ears.
Correct: Riva couldn’t believe her ears.
• The use of wordy phrases instead of adverbs.
a) Wordy: She spoke in a very convincing manner.
Concise: She spoke very convincingly.
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
b) Wordy: He had a car that was old and rusty.
Concise: He had an old, rusty car.
Here is the list of common redundant phrases:
Foreign imports Chase after Burning fire
Bald – headed But yet Blend together
Drop down Collaborate together Actual fact
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End result Each and every Browse through
Few in number Current status quo Join together
Follow after Continue on Little baby
General public Blatantly obvious False pretence
Hurry up Adequate enough First and foremost,
Merge together Black darkness Free gift
Classroom activity: Identify the redundant words. Cross them out.
i. We need to cooperate together. ii. This

absolutely phenomenal piece of equipment…
iii. A liaison officer who is responsible for…
iv. A total number of 14 APCs…
v. With the close proximity of…
vi. Exactly the same number of soldiers…
vii. New innovations will move our industry forward. viii. Let me summarize
briefly… ix. There is no doubt that the recent actions…
x. We also have ATM machines inside the base.
7. Common errors in using certain parts of speech –
 Usage of adverbs
Incorrect Correct
She is too happy. She is very happy.
He is very weak to walk. He is too weak to walk.
She is much happy. She is very happy
He is much tall. He is very tall.
This book is much interesting. This book is very interesting
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He owns much books. He owns many books.
 Usage of adjectives
Incorrect Correct
Please give me any milk. Please give me some milk
She made tea with little milk. She made tea with a little milk
He earns few rupees daily. He earns a few rupees daily.
Ghalib is greater than any poet. Ghalib is greater than any other poet.
She is taller than me. She is taller than I.
This car is more preferable

than that. This car is preferable to that.
She is my oldest sister. She is my eldest sister.
The students in our class are more

The students in our class are more intelligent than those your class.
intelligent than you.
 Usage of Conjunctions
Correct
Incorrect
She is as tall as he. She is as tall as him.
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She had no sooner entered the class, the She had no sooner entered the class than
teacher began to teach the lesson. the teacher began to teach the lesson.
She is both wise as well as beautiful. She is both wise and beautiful.
Although he is old but he can run fast. Although he is old, he can run fast.
I will not help you unless you do t I will not help you unless you request me
no request me to do so. to do so.
The war caused not only The war caused not only destruction
destruction and death but generations and death but also generations of hatred
of hatred between the two communities between the two communities.
Because he is intelligent so he gets good

marks. He is intelligent so he gets good marks.
Neither does he call nor does he

message. He neither calls nor messages.
Though he is poor, still he dreams big. Though he is poor, he dreams big.
No sooner I had reached the office than No sooner had I reached the office than
the boss left. the boss left.
 Usage of Nouns
Incorrect Correct
The sceneries of Kashmir are lovely. The scenery of the Kashmir is lovely.
The furniture in this room are good. The furniture in this room is good.
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She gave me two advices. She gave me two pieces of advice.
She wrote three poetries. She wrote three poems.
The hen ate many rice. The hen ate many grains of rice.
He made many mischiefs. He made many pieces/acts of mischief.
John gave me two information. John gave me two pieces of information.
Her hairs are curly. Her hair is curly.
She bought some stationeries. She bought some stationery.
Indianism in English - Indianism refers to a word or phrase which is a

characteristic of Indian English. Indian English features a large number of
unique political, sociological, and administrative terms which may not be
understood outside Indian English-speaking communities. Examples include
hartal, eve-teasing, vote bank, cousin sister/brother, using present continuous
tense like are you having a pen, I’m having fever etc. It also contains a number of
Anglo-Indian words such as tiffin, hill station and gymkhana, which do not appear
in standard international English.
i. Many cinema halls have been forced to close due to the pandemic.
ii. Are you coming to my house for dinner tonight, no? iii. Our
organization places great stress on knowledge upgradation. iv.
Please revert with the required information.
v. Bus windows should be kept closed at all times to prevent chain-
snatching.
Indianism in English language with corrections
i. Many cinema halls have been forced to close due to the pandemic.
In British English, the standard term is cinema; in American English, the term is
movie theater.
ii. Are you coming to my house for dinner tonight, no?
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The right question tag- aren’t you? should be added. There is a tendency to add ‘no’
or ‘isn’t it’ before the end of every question for confirmation which should
be avoided.
iii. Our organization places great stress on knowledge upgradation.

The right usage would be ‘upgrading knowledge’ rather than knowledge
upgradation.
iv. Please revert with the required information.
In standard English, revert means to return to a previous state. You could use “please
get back to me” instead of “please revert.”
v. Bus windows should be kept closed at all times to prevent chain-

snatching.
The better usage might read: ‘Please keep the bus windows closed to prevent
theft.’ Chain-snatching is also very similar in meaning to the term pick-pocketing.
Classroom activity 1: Identify the mistakes in the following sentences:
i. No one is available at 2 p.m. Let’s prepone the meeting to 11 this

morning.
ii. Good morning, Madam! What’s your good name? iii. I passed out of
college in 2017 and I’m doing my graduation in Scotland. iv. “Where are you
originally from?
v. “I belong to Kolkata.”
vi. I’ll speak to you later – Susmita is eating my brain here! vii.
The entrance is on the backside of the building. viii. He
didn’t reply back to any of my emails.
ix. Have you got five minutes, Vikrant? I need one help.
x. Veena herself only did this project.
Classroom activity 2: Come up with more examples of Indianism in English.
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9. Words often confused and misused- Writers often confuse words that
sound alike but have different meanings or words that have similar meanings. Below
are some of these frequently confused words. You need to be able to select the
appropriate word based on the context. Below is a list of frequently confused words
and example sentences.
1. Among vs. Between
Among is used when referring to three nouns or more.

 Among the paintings was an original Picasso.
Between is used when referring to two.
 I am stuck in traffic between Church Street and M.G.Road.
2. Effect vs. Affect
An effect is a result or a consequence. (usually a noun)
Effect may also function as a verb meaning ‘to bring about something.’
 The effect was catastrophic.

 He effected the change in the existing system.
An affect is to have an impression, influence, or effect on something. (usually a verb)
 This greatly affected his mental state that evening.

3. Fewer vs. Less
Fewer is used when referring to things that can be counted.
 There were fewer customers than anticipated.

Less is used when referring to uncountable and usually abstract nouns.
 I have less patience than Lakshmi.

4. Hanged vs. Hung
Hanged refers to the past tense and past participle of hang (to put to death).
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 Many people were hanged during the Salem Witch Trials.
Hung refers to the past tense and past participle of hang (to suspend).
 He hung the picture on the wall.

5. Lie vs. Lay
Use lie when the object is laying itself down.
 I am going to lie down on the couch.
Use lay when the object is being laid down.

 I will lay the book on the table.
Classroom activity: For each of the following sentences, circle the correct word
choice:
1. We discussed the multiple literary (illusions/allusions) within the text.

2. (Among/Between) Rahul and Raheela, I think, Raheela won the contest.
3. She had too (many/much) sweaters in her closet.
4. Alex was (to/too) excited to sleep.
5. (Their/They’re/There) going to the amusement park tomorrow.
6. The sugar had a negative (effect/affect) on the science experiment.
7. Nicole has (fewer/less) shoes than Sara.
8. The gas prices continue to (raise/rise).
9. Michael (hanged/hung) the picture for his mother.
10. Cindy, (lay/lie) the book on the table.
 Testing questions:
Correct the errors in the following sentences:
1. The man is mortal.
2. There is vast scope for improvement.

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3. He is a honest man.
4. What’s the time in your watch?
5. John is going to London in the train.
6. You must insure for theft and fire.
7. My brother write with his left hand.
8. After you will return from Mumbai, I will meet you.
9. It is raining for two days.
10. Under the tree is several flowers.
11. The students, along with the teacher, was going to attend a seminar.
12. The rhythm of the pounding waves are calming.
13. I had toast for breakfast it was burnt.
14. She said this is wonderful.

15. new delhi is the capital of india.
16. My personal opinion is that the walls should be painted blue.
17. In the modern world of today, we can easily communicate with people around
the globe.
18. We assembled together in the board room.
19. Hello, myself Suresh Babu.
20. I prefer coffee than tea.
21. Manisha is both modest as well as intelligent.
22. The petrol prices continue to raise.
23. Whose responsible for the advertising of the event?
24. I am going to lay down for an hour.
25. Have you visited the excavation cite?
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Points to be remembered:
 Language proficiency can be attained through using language regularly

 Avoid translating mother tongue to English
 Sometimes, context decides the usage of vocabulary and diction
Chapter-4
LISTENING ACTIVITIES
Interviews and conversations
Objectives:
1. To acquire the knowledge, efficiency and skill of understanding the

interviews and conversations in appropriate way.
2. To improve listening skills with respect to interviews and conversations
effectively.
Definition of interview:
Interview refers to a formal, in-depth conversation between two or more persons,

where in the exchange of information takes place, with a view of checking a
candidate’s acceptability for the job.
A conversation in which a journalist puts questions to someone such as a famous

person or politician is called celebrity interview.
Dear students, in the previous semester, you have studied ample of examples on job
interviews and also on other kinds of common conversations. In this semester you
are going to learn some more types of interviews like interview of celebrities and
some specific kind of conversations.
It is believed that students can equip with enough skill and efficiency in their
communication through the furnished examples.
How to interview a famous person:
• Start with small people out there…  Build the number of connections
first….
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• Research on the celebrity…
• Be highly informed, but not misinformed…
• Be polite when you ask queries…
• Ask the right questions…
• Do not go personal or indulge in their domestic issues…
“I don’t have many friends, I’m happy being by myself” - Amitabh Bachchan.
It takes days and countless phone calls to get the interview. But when it does finally
take place in Amitabh Bachchan’s Juhu home, curtains drawn to cordon off his
living room where his parents sit reading, he willingly plays the interviewee role-
and to perfection.
Changing from his beige silk kurta into his perfectly cut dark suit and Ferragamo tie
or taking us for a spin around Bombay in his van for the photo sessions. Silencing
the many phones while he answers questions for hours without ever even appearing
to look at his hedge to the more personal areas.
Bachchan is looking good. Those long ringlet-like locks are gone, the six months
he spends in New York each year have done him good. There’s a new kind
of confidence, a slight American twang to some of his phrases. But there is also a
tinge of sadness, a trace of vulnerability. In his interview with Senior Associate
Editor Madhu Jain, he talks about the roles in his life.
EXCERPT:
Sample-1
Interviewer: You are an active businessman now. Did you ever plan it?
A.Bachchan: No, it just happened. When I make a commitment, I like to make sure
I give it my best shot.
Interviewer: Did ABCL also just happen? Why not something else?
A.Bachchan: You know, I wish people would make up their mind. When you sit
back, they say, ’Why the hell are you sitting back? Get up and do something.
‘When you get up and do something, they say, ‘Why the hell did you do this?
Nobody is ever satisfied. If you work with Manmohan Desai, Prakash Mehra,
Hrishikesh Mukherjee etc, they say, ’You’ve never worked with the newcomers,
who the hell do you think you are? So you work with Tinnu Anand and Mukul
Anand etc. and they say, ’Why?’ And then when you announce a project with
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Indra Kumar, they say, ‘Why haven’t you gone back to your own people?’ I guess
most people who are high profile and vulnerable are going to face these situations.
But if everyone has the correct answer about how my life should be guided, I wish
they’d come and do it because I’m going to unload a lot of my problems on them.
“Professional actors should be able to mould themselves according to what

somebody else does or asks them to do.”
Interviewer: What will the new Big B label do? I believe you were cutting discs
in London last week.
A.Bachchan: We need to project our music to other parts of the world. There is so
much piracy overseas of our tunes. The foreign audio companies are coming because
they see India as a large market, but do not have any expertise in marketing
and distribution here. They want our data, but we want reverse distribution through
their worldwide distribution. If Lambada can become a world phenomenon, so can
choli ke peeche or jumma chumma. They can be heard in Boston discos. Or even a song
like Muqabla. There are all kinds of fusion, of crossovers taking place.
Interviewer: How do you like the sound of Big B, the name of your music
company?
A.Bachchan: It was given by the corporation, it wasn’t my idea. I find it

terribly immodest, but all these decisions are taken by the corporation. I don’t have
much of a say.
Interviewer: Why are you so passive in decision making?
A.Bachchan: In these kind of decisions, yes I run up against a wall. If something is

glaringly objectionable, I put my foot down. And if there’s too much resentment, I
exercise my right for whatever it’s worth. I do open my mouth every now and then,
but I do realize that it’s better to keep shut.
Interviewer: You are making yourself sound like plasticene, almost like
a plaything.
A.Bachchan: That’s what actors and they are supposed to be like that, to be able to
mould themselves according to what somebody else does or asks them to do.
Interviewer: How does one put a figure on you? That you are worth Rs.10
crore? Can one put a person on a weighting-scale?
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A.Bachchan: You can’t. this is something that will have to be discussed with the
financial institutions because there has never been a precedent. How do you put a
value to a human being? Within a few give- and- take frameworks, you have to
arrive at some figure, and that’s how it came.
Interviewer: Marlene Dietrich’s legs were insured for $1 million. Are you also
insured, some part of you, the voice may be?
A.Bachchan: Yes, I am. We are working on the figure (the new role) requires me
to be insured. A normal corporate practice .
Interviewer: Why did you become an NRI?
A.Bachchan: We started TV Asia, New York, in 1993 and since I spend more
than six months there, I decided I might as well become an NRI.
Interviewer: How does the industry here and those who have invested in
ABCL feel about this?
A.Bachchan: Desh chhod ke to nahin bhag gaya(I’ve not run away from
the country). I am still an Indian national, I pay my taxes here. I am just working in
New York individually.
Sample-2
Conversation between Abdul Kalam and Ramanadha Shastry:
Abdul Kalam: Today I am very sad at what our new teacher has done.
Ramanadha Shastry: I am very upset too. I don’t understand what’s wrong with
the teacher?
A.Kalam: I don’t understand the teacher’s attitude too. Till now no one had ever
objected to our sitting together.
Ramanadha Shastry: Yes. But why does this teacher object us?
A.Kalam: I think our new teacher looked at me wearing a cap and you, a sacred
thread. It does not take him long to understand that I am Muslim and you are
Hindu.
Ramanadha Shastry: May be, he didn’t like it and asked you to sit at the last bench.
This made me sad and downcast. As a teacher he should not do such things.
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A.Kalam: Yes. This action of the new teacher amounted to spreading the poison
of social inequality and communal intolerance. This really broke my heart as
such things had never been known earlier among us in the island.
Ramanadha Shastry: But I don’t want to accept this action of our new teacher as
it amounts to breaking communal harmony of all castes, religions and faiths here.
A.Kalam: I don’t want to accept his action too as we have been living like a
big family.
Ramanadha Shastry : I am surely going to complain about this to my parents.

A.Kalam: Yes. I will do the same too. Our parents always feel proud of living in
complete harmony.
Ramanadhan Shastry: Let us hope we shall sit together by tomorrow with the
help of our parents.
A.Kalam: I wish the same too. OK. Bye.
Ramanadhan Shastry: Bye. We shall meet tomorrow with a new hope

that everything will settle by tomorrow.
Sample-3
Conversation between teacher and student about exam preparation:
Teacher: Hello, Rohan, have you started preparing for the exam?
Rohan: No sir. I will start from tomorrow onward.
Teacher: The exam is too near Rohan. Do you remember your marks in the last
exam? It would be best if you improved this time, and why are you still saying
tomorrow?
Rohan: I will study from today, sir.
Teacher: You don’t look like interested still.
Rohan: Sir, actually mathematics is too tough for me. I think I have to upgrade my
basics. Otherwise, I couldn’t study well alone. That’s why I’m still confused.
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Teacher: Why haven’t you told me before? I would have helped you before. And
now you don’t worry. I will help you with the basics. Come to the office evening at
4 o’clock after class and tell your friends also that I am going to take a class for
Mathematics and ask them to come if they are interested.
Rohan: Thank you so much, sir. Teacher:
You are welcome and it’s my duty.
Sample-4
Talking about the weather
Situation: Rani and Rajani talk while walking to their next class.
Rani: Oh, it feels so cold this morning.
Rajani: Yes, you are right. Early this morning windshield of my car was covered
with frost. I had to spray it with water before I could head to school.
Rani: Who would have thought it could be this cold in early December, especially
in California.
Rajani: I know. The temperature was 35 degrees Fahrenheit when I woke up this
morning. I was freezing as soon as I got out of bed. The cold weather just hit me by
surprise.
Rani: I cannot remember when it was this cold in early December.
Rajani: Brace yourself for the rain this afternoon. Cold and wet, Yuck?
Rani: It is going to rain this afternoon?
Rajani: Not only this afternoon, but also the rest of the week.
Rani: Oh, it is going to be miserable. I have a full class schedule today and
tomorrow. To walk from class to class, I will have to juggle my books and my
umbrella trying not to get wet.
Rajani: You carry too many books. Why don’t you leave some of them in your
locker?
Rani: My locker is a long way from my English classes. This is the reason why I
carry all my books with me. Is it going to rain hard or just drizzle?
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Rajani: The news said that it would start to drizzle around noon, and then it would
rain really hard by three o’clock.
Rani: No hope for better weather this week?
Rajani: There is a slim chance of sunshine by Saturday. However, it will be foggy,
windy, and rainy before the sun comes out this week end.
Rani: I am glad that it rains even though I do not like rainy weather. We have had
a very dry season so far this year.
Rajani: Yes, I can hardly remember when it rained last time. Well, as long as there
is no thunder or lightning, I can bear it, to make a snowman or go skiing.
Rani: You are right, we are better off with no snow. Ok, I have class right now;
see you later in the library.
Rajani: See you later.
Exercise:
1. Here is a conversation between a doctor and a patient. Fill up the blanks with
expressions choosing from the options given in the brackets. (try your own
options as well)
Patient: Good morning, doctor.
Doctor: Good morning. ?
Patient: I caught cold last night and since then I have severe pain at the left in my
chest.
Doctor: Let us see. .
Patient: Yes, doctor.
Doctor: Take deep breaths and release them slowly. Do you feel pain in the
stomach?
Patient: No, doctor, but I had bad stomach.
Doctor: We’ll take an X-ray of your chest. For the time being I am prescribing
some tablets for the pain and a mixture for digestion. Please come
tomorrow again.
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The next day
Doctor: I’ve examined your X-ray. .
Patient: ?
Doctor: Don’t worry. I will give you injections. You will be all right soon.
Patient: Are you sure?
Doctor: . If you take proper care, you have nothing to worry about.
Patient: Thank you, doctor. I shall certainly follow your instructions.
A week later
Patient: Good morning, doctor.
Doctor: . ?
Patient: Not quite well yet, doctor. I still feel pain in the left side of my chest every
now and then.
Doctor: ?
Patient: Yes, doctor. I’ve been particular about that.
Doctor: Then there must be something wrong with your food.
Patient: .
Doctor: Well, avoid very hot and cold things, and I’m sure you will be O.K.
Patient: Thank you, doctor.
(A) you had not given any special instructions about that. B) Good morning. How
are you now? C) Of course, I’m sure. D) Have you been taking the medicine
regularly? E) My God, pneumonia? F) Good morning. What’s wrong with you? G)
Please lie down.]
2. Develop a conversation between a cricketer and an interviewer.
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3. Develop a conversation between an adventurer and his fan (adventurer may
be a mountaineer/ swimmer/ any other kind of adventurer).
References:
• https://basicenglishspeaking.com  https://stevepavlina.com
• https://www.bbc.com
 https://www.cnn.com
• https://agendaweb.org
Chapter 5:
REPORTED SPEECH
Objective:
• To make the reporting of the conversation meaningful as also to focus on

some of the differences in tense, person and time and place between the
original conversation and the report.
Definition: Reporting or narrating conversations dialogues, statements,

announcements, expressions or a narration is called the reported speech.
Keep the following points in mind while reporting:
1. Identify whether the speaker is male or female.
2. Identify whether the speaker speaks to male or female.
Direct speech:
In Direct speech the exact words spoken by a person are given within
quotation marks (“ ”).
Example: Narayan said, “I have been watching television.”
Indirect / Reported speech:
In indirect speech the words spoken by another person are not put within quotation
marks. The speech of the person is merely reported.
Example: He said he was going to the cinema.
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Rules for changing direct into indirect speech:
• There are four kinds of sentences:

a. Assertive sentence
b. Interrogative sentence
c. Imperative sentence
d. Exclamatory sentence
• Remove the inverted commas, omit the comma separating the reporting verb
from the actual words.
• Make changes in reporting verb depending upon the kinds of sentence
and when the reporting verb is in past tense. If the reporting verb is in
simple present, present perfect or future (He says/ He has said/ I shall) no
changeis made in the verb form of reported speech.
Example: She says, “I am happy.”
Speaker
Reporting verb
She says that she is happy.

Changes in words expressing nearness and time:
Direct Speech Indirect Speech

this that
now then
these those
here there
ago before
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tomorrow the next day/the following day
today that day
yesterday the previous day/the day before
Next week the following week/the week after
The day before yesterday two days before
The day after tomorrow in two days’, time
Change in personal pronouns:
Pronouns in Direct Speech Pronouns in Indirect Speech

I he/she
you he/she
you him/her
your his/her
me him/her
my his/her
myself himself/herself
we they
us them
our their
Changes in auxiliary verb:
Direct speech Indirect speech

do did
am/is was
are were
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did had done
has/have had
was/were had been
will would
will be would be
may might
can could
There is no change to; could, would, should, might and ought to:
Direct speech: “I might go to the cinema”, he said.
Indirect speech: He said he might go to the cinema.
In reported speech tense usually changes.
Present simple: Past simple:

She said, “It’s cold.” She said it was cold.
Present continuous: Past continuous:
He said, “I’m waiting for the bus.” He said that he was waiting for
the bus.
Present perfect simple: Past perfect simple:
Vinod said, “I’ve been on the show Vinod said that he had been on the
since 2004.” show since 2004.
Present perfect continuous: Past perfect continuous:

Raju said, “I’ve been dancing for six Raju said that he had been dancing for
years.” six years.
Past simple: Past perfect:
Yashu said, “I read the Yashu said she had read the book
book yesterday.” yesterday.
Past continuous: Past perfect continuous:
The mother said, “I was singing The mother said she had been singing
earlier.” earlier.
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Past perfect: Past perfect: (no change)
Father said, “The meeting had already Father said the meeting had already
started when he arrived.” started when he arrived.
Past perfect continuous: Past perfect continuous:
She said, “I’ve already been teaching (no change)
for five minutes.” She said she had already been teaching
for five minutes.
Modal verb forms also sometimes change:

Will: Would:
The teacher said, “I’ll teach The teacher said that she would teach
grammar tomorrow.” grammar the next day.
Can: Could:
He said, “I can read better now.” He said he could read better then.
Must: Had to:

Father warned us, “You must Father warned us that we had to be
be very quiet.” very quiet.
Shall: Should:
She said, “Where shall we go She asked where they should go
today?” that day.
May: Might:
Ramu said, “May I eat the Ramu asked if he might eat the
mango?” mango.
a) Assertive sentence:
Sentences that make a statement are called assertive sentences. These
sentences may be positive, negative, false, or true statements. To convert such
sentences into indirect narration, use the rules mentioned above, except said is
sometimes replaced with told,
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Examples-
1. Direct: She says, “I am writing a letter to my brother.”
Indirect: She says that she is writing a letter to her brother.
2. Direct: She said to me, “I am writing a letter to my brother.”
Indirect: She told me that she was writing a letter to her brother.
3. Direct- Ram says, “Hari has gone to Bengaluru.”
Indirect- Ram says that Hari has gone to Bengaluru.
4. Direct- She has said to me, “Lavanya will join the camp.”
Indirect- She has told me that Lavanya will join the camp.
5. Direct – Rama says to you, “You should mind your own business.”
Indirect – Rama tells you that you should mind your business.
6. Direct – Pushpa said, “My brother arrived yesterday and will go tomorrow.”
Indirect – Pushpa said that her brother had arrived the previous day and would go the
next day.
7. Direct – He said, “I saw her yesterday.”
Indirect – he said that he had seen her the previous day.
8. Direct – The teacher said to the students, “I am not feeling well, so I shall not take
the class today.”
Indirect – The teacher told the students that he/she was not feeling well, so
he/she would not take the class that day.
Task: 1(Assertive sentence)
Change the following sentences into indirect speech.
1. I said, “I do not like that book.”
2. They said, “We want to go to Bengaluru.”

3. He said, “He is a postman.
4. You said, “She is not a good girl.”
5. Dinesh says, “Mahesh gets up in the morning.”
6. They will say, “we are happy.”
7. I said to my neighbour, “Your children have spoiled my garden.”
8. Rimy said, “The Rajputas are generally brave.”
9. Macbeth wrote to his wife, “The time is near when I shall become king.”
10. The teacher said, “Ibrahim Lodhi was defeated in the first battle of Panipat.”
b) Interrogative sentence: When we have to report a question in the indirect form,

we must change the introductory verb into asked, inquired, demanded, etc
Direct: He said, "how many brothers have you?"
Indirect: He asked how many brothers I had.
Notice that the question mark is dropped in the indirect, and the order of the last two words is
inverted: the verb follows the subject, as in a normal assertive sentence. All questions
beginning with interrogative words like how, why, where, what, who, which, when
etc., can be changed into the indirect in this manner.
But there is another set of questions beginning with have, has, will, may, do, did, is, are
etc. The answer to these questions must be either yes, or no. When reporting such
questions, the reporting verb has to be followed by whether or if.
Direct: The teacher said "Have you done your homework?"
Indirect: The teacher asked if I had done my homework.
Direct: Tom said. "Will you come and play ball with me?"
Indirect: Tom asked whether I would go and play ball with him.
Examples-
1. Direct- “Where does the owner live?” Rekha asked her friend.
Indirect- Rekha asked her friend where the owner lived.
2. Direct- She said to me, “Which train stops here?”
Indirect- She asked me which train stopped there.

3. Direct -He said to her, “Do like my idea?”
Indirect -He asked her if she liked his idea.
4. Direct-I said to Pushpa, “Did you meet my sister on your way to college? Indirect -I
asked Pushpa if she had met my sister on her way to college
5. Direct -He said to me, “Do you know the way?” Indirect – He enquired of me if knew
the way.
6. Direct – She said, “Will you listen to such a man?”
Indirect – She asked (them) whether they would listen to such a man.
7. Direct – Lavanya said to her sister, “Have you taken breakfast.
Indirect- Lavanya asked her sister if she had taken her breakfast.
8. Direct – Yashu asked, “Are the girls here?”
Indirect – Yashu asked whether the girls were there.
9. Direct – Sudha asked, “What is the time?”
Indirect – Sudha asked me what the time was.
10.Direct – Rana said to his mother, “Why have you not washed my school dress?”
Indirect – Rana asked his mother why she had not washed his school dress.
There are two types of questions:

i) ’Wh’ questions
ii) ’Yes’ or ‘No’ questions
‘Wh’ questions: begin with ‘Wh’ words.
Structure: ‘Wh’ + auxiliary verb + subject + ........................... ?
Example: Where are you going?
‘Yes’ or ‘No’ questions: begin with auxiliary verbs. They are: am, is, are,was, were, do,
does, did, have, has, had, will, would, can, could, shall, should, may, might, must.
Structure: auxiliary + subject .................................. ?
Example- Are you coming by bus?
Task: 2(Interrogative sentence)
Change the following sentences into indirect speech

1. He said to me, “Do you play football?”
2. David said to me, “Can I use your phone?”

3. She said to me, “Have you gone to London?”
4. He said to me, “Are you enjoying the music?”
5. “Have you no manners?”, shouted the woman angrily.
6. “Why don’t you get vaccinated?”, the doctor asked.
7. He said, “Where can I get an application form?”
8. “Who was the first man to fly in space?”, questioned the examiner.
9. “What on earth do you mean?” he shouted.
10. “Would you like to attend the summer camp?”, said the N.C.C officer.
c) Imperative sentence (commands and requests)

Imperative sentence is a sentence which gives a command/ order, makes a request,
advice or expresses a wish. Sentences containing an order, request, warning,
advice, etc, are in the imperative mood. In reporting them in the indirect
form, the introductory words ‘said’ has to be replaced by asked, ordered,
commanded, requested, implored, advised, warned, etc.
Example:
1. Direct- She said to me, “Please help me.” Indirect- She requested me to help her.
2. Direct- The doctor said to him, “Do not drink.” Indirect- The doctor advised him not to
drink.
3. Direct- He said to me, “Close the gate.”
Indirect- He ordered me to close the gate.
4. Direct: He said to me, 'Please open the door." Indirect: He requested me to open the
door.
5. Direct: He said to me, 'Please wait here till I return."
Indirect: He requested me to wait there till he returned.
6. Direct: I said to him, "Please explain the passage." Indirect: I requested him to explain
the passage.
7. Direct: Mother said to him, "Don't run in the sun."
Indirect: Mother advised him not to run in the sun.

8. Direct: He said, "Ram, go there."
Indirect: He told Ram to go there.
9. Direct: He said, "Friends, lend me your ears."
Indirect: Addressing them as friends, he requested them to lend him their ears.
10. Direct: He shouted, "Stop, you villain!"
Indirect: He shouted to the villain to stop.
11. Direct: I said to him, "Excuse me, sir." Indirect: I begged him to excuse me.
12. Direct: I said to him, "Let us have some music."
Indirect: I proposed or suggested to him that we should have some music.
13. Direct: He said to his companions, "Let us not miss this chance."
Indirect: He proposed to his companions that they should not miss that chance.
14. Direct: We said, "Let him tell the story."
Indirect: We said that he might (or might be allowed to) tell the story.
15. Direct: She said, “Let him eat whatever he likes."
Indirect: She said that he might eat whatever he liked.
16. Direct: He said, "Let me come in."
Indirect: He requested that he might be allowed to come in.
Task: 3 (Imperative sentence)

1. He said to me, “Please make some tea for me.”
2. The teacher said to him, “Do not waste your time.”
3. The police said to the man, “Open the door.”
4. The boss said to the employee, “Get out of the room.”
5. The teacher said to Isha, “Stand up on the bench.”
6. The beggar said to the old lady, “Give me something to eat.”
7. I said to him, “Let me go.”

8. He said to me, “Please lend me a rupee.”
9. I said, “Let us go out for a walk.”
10. Lavanya said, “Let it rain, I must go to school.”
d) Exclamatory sentence: In reporting exclamations and wishes, the reporting verb

(usually said) has to be changed into some verb expressing exclamation or wish,
like exclaimed, declared, cried out, wished, prayed etc. Interjections and
exclamations in the direct speech, like oh, alas, bravo, hurrah etc., and the
exclamation mark, are omitted in the indirect form, and phrases like with delight,
with regret, with sorrow, etc., are often added to bring out the intensity of feeling.
An exclamatory sentence expresses a strong feeling, state of sorrow, joy or
wonder.
Example: Hurrah! I won the competition. (State of joy)
Alas! I failed my exam. (State of sorrow)
Wow! What a beautiful car. (State of wonder)
1. Direct- They said, “Hurrah! we won the game.”
Indirect- They exclaimed with joy that they won the game.
2. Direct- He said, “Alas! I failed my exam.”
Indirect- He exclaimed with sorrow that he had failed the exam.
3. Direct- She said, “Wow! What a beautiful car.”
Indirect- She exclaimed with wonder that what a beautiful car.
4. Direct: He said, "Alas! I am undone!"

Indirect: He cried out in sorrow that he was undone.
5. Direct: He said, "What a fool I am!".
Indirect: He exclaimed that he was a great fool/what a fool he was
6. Direct: He said, "Good-bye, my friends."
Indirect: He bade his friends good-bye.

7. Direct: "Bless his kind heart!" they cried.
Indirect: They blessed him for his kind heart.
8. Direct: "Bravo! well done!" they cried.
Indirect: They applauded him, for (or saying that) he had done well.
9. Direct: "So help me Heaven!" he cried, "I will never do so again."
Indirect: He prayed to Heaven to help him in his resolve not to do so again.
10. Direct: He said, "By Jove! What a good news!"
Indirect: He swore by Jove that it was a very good news.
11. Direct: The boys said, "Hurrah! We have won the match."
Indirect: The boys exclaimed in joy that they had won the match.
12. Direct: He said to me, "Alas! I could not save you."
Indirect: He exclaimed in grief that he could not save me.
13. Direct: The boy said, "What a fool I am!"
Indirect: He exclaimed that he was a great fool.
14. Direct: He said, "What a nice bird it is!"
Indirect: He exclaimed in wonder that it was a very nice bird.
15. Direct: He observed, "How dirty the house is!" Indirect: He exclaimed that the
house was very dirty.
16. Direct: "Help! Help!" shouted the woman.
Indirect: The woman shouted for help.

Task: 4(Exclamatory sentence)
1. She said, “Hurrah! I passed the exam.”
2. The girl said, “What a beautiful flower this is!”
3. She said, “Oh! I lost my purse.”
4. David said to him, “How intelligent you are!”
5. They said, “May the King live long!.”
6. My friend said, “What a beautiful view!”
7. Yashu said, “What a lot of food there is to eat!”
8. The commander said to soldiers, “Bravo! You fight bravely.”
9. Deepak said, “Alas! how foolish I have been!”
10. The boy said, “Hurrah! We have won the match.”

CLASSROOM ACTIVITY.
EXERCISE:
Rewrite the following into indirect narration, with the help of example given.
Examples:
Son: Dad, I want a racing bike.

Father: No, you aren't eighteen yet.
Son: How does that matter?
Father: Do you know how to ride a bike?
Son: Of course, dad. I rode my friend's bike a number of times.
Father: That was wrong. I promise to get you one only when you are eighteen.
A son asked his father to get him a racing bike but his father denied because he
wasn't eighteen till then. The son argued how it mattered. His father asked him if he knew how
to ride a bike. The son replied in the affirmative saying that he had ridden his friend's bike a
number of times. Then his father promised him that he would get him one only when he was
eighteen.
Customer: I must be at that meeting at once. I can’t spare another minute.
Barber: I know all about the meeting.
Customer: Then you’ll let me go there?
Barber: I am afraid, I won’t, sir.
The customer told the Barber that he must be at that meeting at once and he
couldn’t spare another minute. The Barber replied that he knew about the meeting. The
customer asked the barber if he would let him go to the meeting! The Barber said that he
would not be able to.
Rewrite the following into indirect narration. (Not for testing)
1. Ajay: Do you want to play with us?
Mohan: Yes, but I have been too late.

Ajay: It does not matter in the ground.
Mohan: Thanks
2.Lavanya: What do you think now?

Yashu: I am thinking about my future.
Lavanya: What is your future plan?
Yashu: I want to be an IPS officer.
3.
Anjali: Sir, may we come in? I have a friend with me.
Principal: You are most welcome, girls, come in.
4. Sandeep: Good morning, Deepali , how do you do?

Deepali: Good morning, Sandeep. I am quite well. How are you getting on?
Sandeep: I have done my papers well. But I am weak in Hindi and do not know what
will be my fate in the examination.
Deepali: Do not bother. It's very easy to pass the exams these days.
5. Mother: Call in a doctor immediately. Your grandmother complains of a pain in the
chest.
Son: I shall bring the doctor with me. In case Dr.Trilok Agarwal is not available, I shall go
to find Dr. Narayan.
Mother: ok, go at once. Do find one and bring him along with you.
Exercise:
Change from direct to indirect speech:

1. I said to him, “Let us go out for a walk.”
2. The invigilator called out, “Time is up! Stop writing everybody.”
3. He said, “Be quiet and listen to my words.”
4. The principal said to me, “If you are so rude again, I shall expel you.”
5. Leela said, “I will come to your house as early as possible.”
6. I informed him, “I will meet you tomorrow.”
7. Rama replied, “I cannot go to office since I am suffering from fever.”
8. My friend told me, “We have been living here for the last five years.”
9. He asked us, “Why are you sitting there doing nothing?”
10. He asked me, “What can I do for you?”
11. My teacher often says to me, “If you do not work hard, you will fail”.
12. Rahul said, “I have done my homework”.
13. Rita said to her brother, “Can you drive a car?”
14. “Where does the owner live?” Rekha asked her friend.
15. “How far is your village from here?” said Sunil. “About a mile and a half,”Ravi
replied.
16. “Go away, Vikram,” shouted Vamsi. “You’ve betrayed me. Never will I be friendly
with you again”.
17. Manju says, “I like playing games”.
18. “Is the flight delayed?” the lady asked the superintendent.
19. “What a splendid spot!” the boy said.
20. Vidya said to her classmates, “Let me do my sums, please”. 21. Rajeev said, “Good
heavens! What a disaster!”
22. “Get out of the class,” shouted Mr. Rao.
23. “Stay where you are, son! I’m coming down,” Gregory said.
24. “Let’s have dinner now and worry about it tomorrow,” I suggested.
25. John asked him, “Will you go to Mumbai on Sunday?” he replied, “No”.
26. The speaker said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my proud privilege to talk toyou this
afternoon”.
27. Madhavi said to me, “I waited for you here today”.
28. Dinesh says, “Mahesh gets up in the morning”.
29. Narayan said to her, “Do you like my idea?”
30. Raju said to Ravi, “Did you meet my brother on your way to school?”
31. The teacher said to Yashu, “Stand up on the bench”.
32. The beggar said to the old lady, “Give me something to eat”.
33. The girls said, “Hurrah! We have won the match”.
34. Sudha said, “What a lot of food there is to eat!”
35. Rama said, “I am very busy now”.
36. “I know her address,” said Gopi.
37. “German is easy to learn,” she said.
38. “Where do you live?” asked the police.
39. “Call the first witness,” asked the judge.
40. Lavanya said, “How clever I am!”
POINTS TO REMEMBER:
• Direct speech should be placed between the inverted commas and begin with a capital
letter.
• No inverted commas and comma used in indirect speech.
• The tense of the Reporting verb is not changed.
• A conjunction is used after the Reporting verb in Indirect speech.
• Tense /pronouns/words indicating nearness of time and position are changed.
Chapter-6
DIALOGUE WRITING
Objectives:
 To communicate effectively and appropriately in real-life situation.

 To provide proficiency to enhance English communicative skills.
 To improve English language fluency through practice exercises.
 To write impactful dialogue with precise structure and pattern.  To learn
apt, appropriate usage of situational language writing skills.
Meaning and definition:

The word ‘dialogue’ originated from the Greek word ‘dialogos’ means
‘conversation’. The term “two” (di-) “speak” (log) in this sense, two people are
speaking to create dialogue.
Dialogue is a written or spoken / conversational exchange between two or more
people, a literary and theatrical form which depicts an exchange of ideas,
thoughts, feelings, emotions, information and opinions or a discussion. Dialogues
are an effective communication tool both in formal and informal situations
as well.
Dialogue writing is a very important form of composition to enhance language
skills. It provides a model on which students can base their own dialogues to
focus on constructive language learning and usage. In addition, dialogue writing
helps to develop conversational skills and holds considerable promise in
encouraging creativity by laying emphasis on precise expressions, analytical
language writing skills. Thus, dialogue writing becomes a central element of
any individual transformation.
Read the following conversations in different situations for better understanding
of dialogue writing:
 Dialogue between a passenger and train ticket booking clerk.

Clerk : Good morning! How may I help you?
Passenger : Good morning, I want to reserve two tickets to Delhi.
Clerk : Have you filled reservation form?
Passenger : Here it is!
Clerk : But there is no seat available on 6 April.
Passenger : Are there any seats available in other trains on that day?
Clerk : Yes there are two seats available in Jan Shatabdi express.
Passenger : What is the time of departure?
Clerk : It is at 7:30 am.
Passenger : Please book those two seats.
Clerk : Yes sure, here they are
Passenger : Thank you.
 Dialogue between a shopkeeper and a customer at sweet stall.

Customer : What is the rate of Kaju burfi?
Shopkeeper : Rs.600/- per kg, sir
Customer : Pack half a kg for me.
Shopkeeper : Give a minute sir, here it is
Customer : But you have weighed less than half a kg.
Shopkeeper : Don’t worry sir, you’ll have less weight to carry.
Customer : Oh! Thank you for a good piece of advice.
Shopkeeper : Well, I am here to do good for my customers, sir
Customer : Here’s your money.
Shopkeeper : But, it’s less, sir
Customer : Don’t worry, you’ll have to count less money.
Shopkeeper : But, that’s not fair.
Customer : I’m simply following your advice, Sir.
 Telephone conversation between receptionist and HR manager. 
Roma : Hello! Is it Paradise Regency resorts, Devanahalli?

Receptionist : Yes, please. What can I do for you?
Roma : Roma, HR Manager from Excellent Softech Ltd, Bengaluru. We
have planned to organize a two-day conference at Devanahalli.
Receptionist : It’s great! How can I help you?
Roma : Do you have any Conference Hall?
Receptionist : Of course, we have Ma’m.
Roma : Could you please Email or Fax me your tariff ASAP so that we
can discuss and finalise the booking.
Receptionist : Oh! Sure Ma’m, please tell me your Email or WhatsApp no.
Roma : Yeah, it is hr@excellentinfotech.in and my WhatsApp no is
9988776655.
Receptionist : Ok, madam I’ll do ASAP. It would be a pleasure to serve your
company.
Roma : That’s ok, Thank you.
Dialogue between friends:
Veena : Why are you rubbing your eyes?

Reena : I feel acute irritation in them.
Veena : What is the reason?
Reena : It is due to air pollution.
Veena : Oh yes, the air is full of fumes.
Reena : These fumes have poisonous gases.
Veena : Today, I forgot my sunglasses too.
Reena : How would sunglasses help?
Veena : They shield eyes from harmful gases.
Reena : Oh! Is it, then I must wear mine from tomorrow?
Veena : Yes, you must. Ok than, catch you later, bye.
 Mr. Mohan wanted to buy a car. So he went to a nearby car showroom.
Conversation between Mr. Mohan and sales representative.
Sales rep : Good morning, Welcome Sir, please have a seat.
Mr. Mohan : Thank you very much. I am interested in buying a family
car.
Sales rep : very well, sir but first of all please let me know your
budget.
Mr. Mohan : Well, my budget is 7 to 10 lakhs.
Sales rep : please let us know how many are there in your
family?
Mr. Mohan : We are four, my wife and two daughters and I.
Sales rep : (showing brochure) Sir, we recommend you our best seller
model ‘Glitz’.
Mr. Mohan : Why do you suggest me this car?
Sales rep : It has most advanced engine that gives good mileage and all the
features like power steering, power windows, airbags and comfortable
design and space.
Mr. Mohan: That’s fine. Please give me this brochure and I will discuss with my
family and visit tomorrow again.
Sales rep : Very well sir, you are welcome. Have a good day.
Mr. Mohan : Thank you, See you tomorrow. Have a good day.
Guidelines to write dialogues:
 Have a purpose for every single dialogue, a logical one.

 Use simple, polite, easy to understand language.
 Be brief and impactful.
 Keep it as real and closer to the characters as possible.
 Use narration in between dialogues to abstain from stray dialogue-writing.
 Use punctuation whenever necessary, as they portray the dialogue and its emotions.
Some useful phrases to begin / end conversation / dialogue:
 Hello / Hi!
 Take care / see you soon 
Enjoy your day!
 Good morning / afternoon / evening
 Good luck!
 How are you / How are you doing? 
 Talk to you soon!  Great
Fine / Fine, thanks / Okay  What’s
seeing you
new? / What’s up!
 Great talking to you!
 Nice to meet you!
 Catch you later!
 Pleased to meet you!  It’s a
 See you later / tomorrow 
pleasure meeting you
Bye! Have a good day!
 Hi, my name is .
 Catch you later! Bye-bye!
 Hi, what’s your name?
 I have to get going. / It’s time
 Bye / Good bye
for me to go. etc.
 Good night
Practicing dialogue writing is a great way for English language learning students to
test their language skills and develop a better understanding of the language.
Students should be encouraged to think on their own and form their ideas using their
experience, knowledge and imagination to develop conversations skills, than being
text or teacher dependent.
1. Complete the following dialogue between two friends in a suitable way.
Priyanka : Hi! You seem to be getting ready.
Hemanth : Yes, actually, I am going for an interview.
Priyanka : !
Hemanth : Well, it begins in half an hour.
Priyanka :
Hemanth : Oh! Come on, who sticks to the watch?
Priyanka :
Hemanth : Yes, I have called them up and taken an appointment.
Priyanka :
Hemanth : Thank you so much
2. Saritha is being interviewed for the job of a lecturer in a college. Complete the
dialogue by filling the blanks.
Saritha : Good morning Sir,
Interviewer : Very good morning, .
Saritha : Thank you sir.
Interviewer : Why do you think you ?
Saritha : Well, I am qualified for the job and I have passion for teaching.
Interviewer : Can any other languages?
Saritha : Hindi and Kannada as well.
Interviewer : What in your Graduation?
Saritha : Sir, I have a Post Graduate Degree in Mathematics.
Interviewer : Do you experience?
Saritha : Yes, I have 5 years of teaching experience in a college.
Interviewer : Well, then we may consider you for the Job. !
Saritha : Thank you Sir,
3. Complete the following dialogue between two friends about book fair.
Shankar : Hi, how are you?
Shakeel :
Shankar : Did you visit the book fair in Palace ground
Shakeel : Yes,
Shankar : Did you buy any books there?
Shakeel : Yes,
Shankar : Well, what sort of science books you
bought?
Shakeel : Stories about space and unidentified flying objects.
Shankar :
Shakeel : Yes, books of all subjects available there.
Shankar : Do you have any idea
Shakeel : I guess it will go on till 30th of this month.
Shankar : .
4. Develop a dialogue between father and son about son’s career after
his graduation.
Father :
Son :
Father :
Son : _
Father :
Son : _
Father :
Son :
Father :
Son :
Father :
Son :
5. Develop a dialogue between Rajat who calls up Rajeev to make a

plan for New Year celebration.
Rajat :
Rajeev :
Rajat :
Rajeev :
Rajat :
Rajeev :
Rajat :
Rajeev :
Rajat :
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Rajeev :
Rajat :
Rajeev :
Comprehension / Exercises:
Read the following situations carefully and develop a conversation
accordingly.
1. Mr. Rohan, Geetha’s father plans to take his family for a weekend picnic.
Geetha is very excited about it. Develop a conversation between father and
daughter.
2. Rajesh’s mother suddenly fell ill and he had to look after her so, could not
attend classes for a week. Develop a dialogue between Rajesh and
his teacher.
3. Develop a dialogue between newly admitted Student and Librarian about
borrowing a book.
4. Develop a conversation between two passers-by on witnessing a traffic
jam.
5. Develop a conversation between a customer and a mobile shop keeper
about anew mobile phone purchase.
 Points to remember:
a. Understand the topic / situation well before writing the dialogue.
b. Read and understand the preceding dialogues for coherence.
c. The grammatical errors to be identified / discussed and explained.
d. The dialogues should sound like a natural conversation.
e. The words / phrases should be clear using simple language and convey
the message logically.
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f. Dialogue writing should be less complex in structure because people
generally don’t talk in sentences that are full of multiple clauses.
Sources:
- Beare, Kenneth. "Dialogue Activities for ESL Students."
- http://www.englishfor2day.com
Chapter-7
VERBAL AND NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
OBJECTIVES:
 To understand the importance of communication in the professional world.
 To learn about the role of creative and critical thinking, as well as
emotions incommunication.
 To know the nuances of verbal and non-verbal communication.
Communication
The word “communication” is derived from the Latin word “communicare” (to
make common). Communication is used in common talk usually to mean
speaking or writing or sending a message to another person. Communication is
an important aspect of behaviour; human communication is affected by all
factors that influence human behaviour.
The most important foundation skill for anyone is the ability to
communicate. This means being able to express your ideas, opinions,
feelings, and emotions effectively in writing and speech.
Definitions of Communication:
• “Communication is a process of passing information and understanding from

one person to another”. - Keith Davis
• “Communication is any behaviour that results in an exchange of meaning”.
-The American Management Association
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• “The process by which information is transmitted between individuals and /or
organizations on understanding response results”. – Peter Little
• “Communication is the intercourse by words, or message”. -Fred G. Meyer
Communication are of two types:
1) Verbal communication (Using words)

2) Non-verbal communication (Without using words)
Verbal communication
Verbal communication entails communication using words involving the

transmitter skills – speaking and writing and the receiver skills- reading and
listening skills.
Types of verbal communication
VERBAL COMMUNICATION
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ORAL COMMUNICATION WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
Oral communication occurs through speech. It can be seen in interviews, telephone
conversations, meetings, conferences, lectures etc.
Advantages of Oral communication:
 It is time saving, effective and faster means of communication.
 In this type of communication, immediate feedback is received.
Clarification of doubts is possible.
 It develops personal contact, which is essential and valuable for smooth
working.
 It is very useful in difficult and emergency situation.
 It has a human touch as it generates the friendly and co-operative spirit. 
It is very useful for some secret and confidential matters.
Disadvantages of Oral communication:

 As there is no documentary proof of oral communication, the impact of
communication is temporary.
 Oral communication is not suitable if the message to be conveyed is too
lengthy.
 Sometimes misunderstandings and wrong assumptions can occur because
certain words might not be heard properly.
 Limitation of oral communication is that it has no scope from legal point
of view as there is no proof or evidence.
 As oral communication cannot be stored, it has little reference value
Written communication is done through words written and documented. Some of

the advantages are:
➢ It is slower in preparation and consumes time.

➢ It serves as a record and can be used for future reference. It is documentary
proof and can be used as legal evidence. ➢ It is more precise and
accurate than oral.
➢ It is usually shorter than oral communication.
➢ It is expensive as it requires stationery, preparation, and transmission
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Written communication is used for many purposes like Letters, Memorandum, Notice,
Circular, Reports, Minutes etc.
Non-verbal communication
Communication without using language or words is called non-verbal communication.

Non-verbal communication could be instinctive, spontaneous and conscious use
of signs and symbols. Body language refers to the non-verbal signals that we
use to communicate through physical behaviour, expressions and mannerisms.
Complete the table:
Non-verbal sign Message conveyed

nodding one’s head conveys agreement, yes
Smiling conveys friendliness
Brisk or erect walk conveys confidence
Standing with hands on hips
Walking with hands in pockets
Audio signals
Auditory forms of communications are audio signals like sirens, whistles, bells
and buzzers and signature tunes (particular programs in radio and TV).
Examples:
1. Drumbeats are used to communicate messages from one place
to another. (Audio)
2. College bells and sirens indicate time. (Audio) Complete the
table:
Audio signal Message conveyed
Claps Sign of appreciation

Give way, medical emergency
Alarms
Calling bell Call attention (hotels, principal chamber)
Ringtone
Visual signals
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Visual symbols like colour, pictures, posters, graphs, charts, maps, signs, and
signals are non-verbal forms of communication.
Examples:1. Lighthouses guiding sailors to safety. (Visual)
2. Traffic signals guide drivers on what to do. (Visual)
Complete the table:
Visual sign Message conveyed
Smoking not allowed
Snapshot
Components of Non-verbal communication
i. Kinesics
ii. Proxemics
iii. Chronemics (Time language)
i. Kinesics
It is the study of how we communicate through our body language, and facial,
postures, expressions. Our body movements are guided by our feelings
and emotions and convey a wide variety of messages like disinterestedness,
boredom, horror, nervousness, anger, excitement, happiness.
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Body language includes facial expressions, eye contact, gesture, posture, para
language, appearance, clothing, silence.
➢ Facial expression
“Face is the index of mind”. The face is one of the important organs
which conveys several kinds of messages. This way it is said ‘Face is the index of
mind’. Whatever we have in mind is reflected in the face. Surprise,
confusion, joy, disgust, anger are some of the emotions conveyed through the face.
➢ Eye contact
Eye contact is of great importance in face-to-face communication. The first thing
we notice about the person we are communicating with is the person’s face. The
eyes along with eyebrows, eyelids, and the size of the pupils communicate our
deepest feelings. Impression of cordiality, openness, interest, caring,
sincerity, credibility, concern and friendliness.
Example: raised eyelids to communicate surprise.
Complete the following table:

Message conveyed Description of the eye position
Anger Staring and glaring
Hurt
Lie Distraction of eye contact
➢ Gesture
Gestures are the movements of our body parts head, shoulders, limbs, feet etc.
speech accompanied.
➢ Posture
Posture is the way a person sits, stands, or walks. Posture can be studied through
various indicators like the body orientation. Posture indicates confidence,
openness, and attitude.
➢ Para language
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‘Para’ means ‘like’. Thus, paralanguage means ‘like a language’. Non-
verbal aspects of spoken word are known as paralanguage. It must be remembered
that vocal messages are made up of two components:
1) What is said (content), and
2) How it is said (tone, volume, etc.,)
Para language is concerned with how something is said.
Study these examples and notice how the stress on the underlined words alters
the meaning of the sentence:
Who is your English teacher?

The human voice is capable of conveying vital messages like surprise, enthusiasm,
anger, urgency, etc.,
Some of the voice factors are tone, volume, pitch, pace, pronunciation, accent and
intonation.
➢ Appearance
A person’s general appearance depends on several things. Two of the important

factors that contribute to appearance are grooming and personal hygiene.
Clothing and accessories compliment the appearance of the person.
➢ Silence:
Silence can be a very effective way of communication. Silence is not a negative
absence of speech but a positive withdrawal. Facial expression and posture may
indicate the feeling behind the silence.
ii. Proxemics (space/distance)

It is the study of spatial distances between individuals in different cultures and
situations. It is concerned with studying how we communicate using the space
around us. At times, it is also called ‘space language’.
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iii. Chronemics (Time language):
In this mode of non-verbal communication, we convey the messages to others by
showing them what time means to us. We often hear people saying “time is
money”. It is for this reason that a person arriving late for an interview will never
be entertained by the interviewers. Time management has become one of
the vital components of overall management.
Exercise:
Answer the following questions in one/two sentences:
1) What is communication?
2) What are the two types of communication?
3) What is verbal communication? Give two examples?
4) What is non-verbal communication? Give two examples?
5) Name the components of non-verbal communication?

6) What is kinesics?
7) What is proxemics?
8) What is paralanguage?
9) What is chronemics?
10) Why is direct eye contact important?
11) How do gestures help in effective communication?
12) Mention two facial expressions.
References:
Pushpa Ranganath. Business communication,2008, pub: Himalaya publishing
house pvt.ltd.Mumbai .
https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/communication-skills.html
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Chapter-8
ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE
Objectives:
- To comprehend and identify active and passive voice construction.

- To enhance the ability to understand the functions of active and
passive voice. - To learn appropriate usage of voice in writing.
Voice
Voice is a grammatical category that applies to the verb in a sentence. It shows
the relationship between the doer of an action (Subject) and the receiver of
that action (Object). The action remains the same, but the focus changes
depending upon the context.
Example:
- R. K. Narayan wrote Malgudi days.
- Malgudi days was written by R. K. Narayan.
Active Voice
A. It is a form of verb in a sentence in which a subject is a person or thing that
acts according to its verb and can take as a direct object. An active voice is a
straight forward sentence; hence it is used to deliver the sentence directly. It
follows a rule (subject + verb + object) to form the sentence. Examples: a.
Raman painted the house.
b. I read the novel in a day.
c. The Director will give you the guidelines.
d. Sita cleans the house every Sunday.
As in the above examples, it can be figured out that the subject is directly
acting upon its verb, hence they are in active voice.
B. In active sentences, the person / thing doer of the action is the subject of the
sentence and the person / thing receiving the action is the object. [Thing /
person doing action] + [verb] + [thing / person receiving action] Example: a.
The professor teaches the students.
b. Columbus discovered America.
c. Sapna helps the old lady.
d. She delivered the letters.
C. A direct object is not always required for active-voice verbs. When an object
is included, however, it must come directly after the verb. Example: a. The
boy hid his report card from his parents.
b. The salesman showed a new computer to him.
c. The professor gave the books to the students.

d. Sophia sold the car to a doctor.
When to use active voice?
Typically, active voice is preferred to the passive voice, because it requires fewer
words and expresses a clearer relationship between the verb and subject. The active
voice is generally thought of as the default voice in spoken and written English.
The following sections contain circumstances in which you always tend to use the
active voice rather than passive voice.
1. When there is no direct object.
The sentences without direct objects must be in active voice.
Example:
- “That man has painted for more than 40 years.”
(What has been painted?)
- David gave me a computer.
(To whom does the subject, David, give a computer?)
2. When the subject is important.

The active voice is commonly used to emphasize the importance of a subject in a
sentence. By using the active voice, we can highlight a subject’s responsibility
for or involvement with a particular action.
Example:
- “The employees drink lots of coffee before work every day.”
(AV - describes the employees in relation to the act of drinking coffee)
- “Lots of coffee is drunk by the employees before work every day.”
(PV- describes the act of drinking coffee in relation to the employees)
3. When the subject is known or relevant.

If the subject is identifiable or contains information that is relevant to the rest
of the sentence.
Example: “A veterinarian found an abandoned puppy by the road.”
(The speaker knows that it was a veterinarian who found the puppy and
believes the information is relevant.)
- “Shan stole a menu from the restaurant.”
(The speaker knows or is familiar with Shan.)
4. When expressing authoritative tone.

The active voice may also be used to stress the authority of the doer.
This authoritative tone is a strategy commonly used in copywriting,
advertising, and marketing in order to convince consumers of the beneficial effects
of a product or service. It may also be used to establish a command or to more
strongly emphasize the subject’s responsibility for an action.
Example:
- Dentists recommend brushing your teeth at least twice a day.
(AV - emphasizes the authority of the dentists)
- You must eat all of your broccoli before dessert is served. (AV -
emphasizes your responsibility to eat your broccoli)
5. When the subject is an ongoing topic.

Subjects that can perform multiple actions may be treated as topics. Making
a subject an ongoing topic places emphasis on that subject instead of the actions it
performs. When a subject acts as a topic, it usually remains the primary subject in
most active-voice sentences used to describe or refer to it. This can be seen most
prominently in works of fiction, in which protagonists typically perform numerous
actions throughout a story.
Example:
Look at the passage below how it describes an imaginary character named Kaveri.
“Kaveri jumped back and gasped. She was afraid of spiders and despised the
feeling of their silky webs on her skin. But she knew it was time to face her
fears. Sighing and brushing herself off, Kaveri slowly continued down the path
toward the hill.”
Passive Voice
It is a form of the verb in a sentence in which the subject is acted on by the verb
and can’t take as a direct object. The position of the object and subject
are interchanged in passive voice. It focuses on the action than the subject.
The passive voice is a type of grammatical voice in which the subject is acted
upon by the verb and the subject is the receiver of the action.
Examples:
a. The house was painted by Raghu.
b. The novel was read by me in a day.
c. The guidelines will be given by the director.
d. The house was cleaned by Sita.
In the above examples, it can be figured out that the subject is acted upon by the
verb, hence they are in passive voice.
In passive sentences, the thing receiving the action is the subject of the sentence
and the thing doing the action is optionally included near the end of the
sentence. [Thing / person receiving action] + [be] + [past participle of verb] +
[by] + [thing / person doing action]
Example:
e. The students are taught by the Professor.
f. Shakuntala was written by Kalidasa.
g. Telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell.
h. Let the book be returned to the Library.
The passive voice is a type of grammatical voice in which the subject is acted
upon by the verb. In passive-voice sentences, the subject is the receiver of the
action (i.e., what would be the direct object* in an active-voice
sentence).
Example:
i. The concert was attended by many young people.
(The subject the concert receives the action of attended.)
j. Many buildings were demolished by storm.
 A direct object is a noun or pronoun that receives the action of a verb.
An indirect object is the noun or pronoun for whom the action is done.
Example:
a. Umesha repairs computers. (Direct object)
b. Umesha gave me a computer. (Indirect object)
c. The students asked the teacher many questions.
(Direct object: many questions Indirect object: the teacher)
Passive-voice verbs are always preceded by the auxiliary verb be and are in
their past participle forms. While the receiver of the action comes before the
verb, the person or thing performing the action comes after the verb and is
preceded by the preposition by to form a prepositional phrase.
Example:
k. Final exams will be taken by the students on Friday.
(Final exams is the subject, but students performs the action taken.)
l. Letters to Santa are sent by children every year.

(Letters to Santa is the subject, but children performs the action sent.)
 Auxiliary verbs: The verbs which occur along with the main verbs and indicate
tense, aspect voice, mood / intention of the speaker. They are called as auxiliary
verbs.
Some examples:
(‘Be’ ‘Do’ and ‘Have’ are the primary auxiliaries. Will, would, shall, should, can,
could, may, might, need, dare, must, ought to and used to are Modal verbs)
- I wrote a letter. (main verb)
- I was writing a letter. (auxiliary+ main verb)
When a verb phrase contains more than one verb, the last verb in the phrase is
the main verb. All other verbs are auxiliaries.
- I have been writing a letter.
Here, last verb "writing” is the main verb and the other two ‘have’ and ‘been’ are
auxiliaries.
When to use the passive voice?

The passive voice is less commonly used than the active voice because it is wordy
and often lacks clarity; however, there are several cases in which using the passive
voice may be necessary or preferable. The following examples contain various
circumstances in which you might wish to use the passive voice instead of the
active voice.
1. When the receiver of the action is important.
The passive voice may be used to emphasize the importance of the receiver of the
action.
The examples below demonstrate the differences between an important receiver
of the action (passive voice) and an important agent (active voice):
- The college dance will be organized by the humanities forum this

year.
(PV - emphasizes the activity in relation to the organizers)
- The humanities forum will organize the college dance this year.
(AV - emphasizes the organizers in relation to the activity)
2. When the object is unknown, irrelevant, or implied.
Occasionally, the object of an action may be unknown or irrelevant to the rest of
a sentence, or it may already be heavily implied through the action or receiver
of the action. In these cases, the object may be eliminated altogether.
(Which can only be done with the passive voice—not in the active voice).
Example:
- Our car was stolen last night.
(Wedon’t know who stole it) -
My missing wallet was returned.
(Unknown object - we don’t know who returned the missing wallet)
- He has been taken to the hospital.
(What we are interested in is the fact that he has been taken to
hospital and not who has taken him)
- A popular play is being performed at the local theatre.
(Irrelevant agent—the names of the performers are irrelevant)
- Bathing suits are usually sold in the summer months.
(Implied agent—we can assume that the agent is clothing stores or
something similar)
- Murderer was arrested last night.
(It is not necessary to mention that he has been arrested by the police
because it is self-evident)
3. When softening an authoritative tone

Because the passive voice places less emphasis on the responsibility of the
subject and more emphasis on the receiver of the action, and we can use the
passive voice toexpress commands in a softer, less authoritative tone than
those expressed through the active voice.
Example:
- Inexperienced mountaineers should not attempt Mount Everest.
(AV - emphasizes inexperienced mountaineers responsibility to
avoid the mountain)
- Mount Everest should not be attempted by

inexperienced mountaineers.
(PV - emphasizes the difficulty or danger of the mountain)

If the subject is clearly implied, it may be eliminated for the sake of conciseness:
- You need to finish this project by tomorrow. (AV)
- This project needs to be finished by you, by tomorrow.
(Passive voice with subject)
- This project needs to be finished by tomorrow. (Passive
voice without subject)
4. When expressing a professional, neutral, or objective tone

Various forms of writing, including scientific reports and instruction
manuals, use the passive voice to express a professional, neutral, or
objective tone.
Characteristically, the receiver of the action functions as the
primary topic throughout the text. The subject is usually removed
due to irrelevance or to avoid a sense of subjectivity.
Example:
- The experiment was conducted over the course of two
weeks.
- Adverse reactions to the medication should be assessed
and treated by a medical professional.
Active passive overview:
Tense Active Passive

Simple Once a week, Tinku cleans the Once a week, the house is
Present house. cleaned by Tinku.
Present Right now, Saritha is writing Right now, the letter is being
Continuous the letter. written by Saritha.
The car was repaired by
Simple Past Samarth repaired the car.
Samarth.
The sales man was helping the The customer was being
Past
customer when the thief came helped by the salesman when
Continuous into the store. the thief came into the store.
Present Many tourists have visited that That castle has been visited by
Perfect castle many tourists.
George had repaired many cars Many cars had been repaired
Past Perfect before he received his by George before he received
mechanics’ license. his mechanics’ license.
Simple Future Someone will finish the work The work will be finished by
Will by 5:00pm. 5:00pm.
Simple Future Suma is going to make a A delicious dinner is going to
be going to delicious dinner tonight. be made by Suma tonight.
Future At 8:00pm tonight, the dishes
At 8:00pm tonight, John is
Continuous be are going to be being washed
going to be washing the dishes.
going to by John.
Future Perfect They will have completed theThe project will have been
Will project before the deadline.completed before the deadline.
The bills used to be paid by
Used to Jeevan used to pay the bills.
Jeevan.
My mother would always make The parathas would always be
Would always
the parathas. made by my mother.
 Note: The following tenses cannot be changed into passive voice.

- Present perfect continuous tense.
- Past perfect continuous tense.
- Future continuous Time reference.
- Future perfect continuous time reference. - Sentence
having Intransitive verbs.
Points to ponder over:
1. Transitive verb:
 The subject transfers the action to the object. Most verbs in
English are transitive.
a. We played basketball yesterday.
b. I took my car to the shop.
In the above examples, the verbs played and took are
followed by the direct objects car and basketball,
respectively.
 If a verb is transitive, you will always be able to ask a question

beginning with what or whom.
Example.
- “To what shop did you take your car?” Or
- “With whom did you play basketball?”
By asking these questions, you are asking, “Who or what
receives the action of the verb?”
2. Intransitive verb:
 The verbs do not take direct objects because there is no
action to transfer.
a. Padma’s writing improved.
b. We walked carefully.
Neither of the above examples has a direct object.
 Similarly observe this one.
Example.
- “Peter departed late last night”
cannot be rewritten as
- “Late last night was departed
Peter.”
 Some verbs can be either transitive or
intransitive because they have multiple
meanings.
Example.
a. I ran every day when I was an athlete.
b. I run every morning to stay in shape.
c. Jyothi runs her own restaurant.
d. Mahesh ran his business efficiently.
When used in the context of physical movement, run is
intransitive. In the context of guiding or overseeing a company or
other group of individuals, run is transitive.
Note:
 You may only convert a sentence from the active voice into the
passive voice if there is a direct object. As we’ve seen, this
direct object becomes the subject in the passive voice.
Example:
- “A University track and field star won the race.” (AV)
- “The race was won by a University track and field star.” (PV)
- “Local businesses are handing out pamphlets near the mall.”
(AV)
- “Pamphlets are being handed out by local businesses near
the mall.” (PV)
 If an active-voice sentence does not contain a direct object, it

cannot be converted into the passive voice, as the
sentence will lack coherence without subject.
Example:
- “The kids are playing outside.” (AV)
- “Is being played by the kids outside.” (What is being played
by the kids?)
Points to remember:
1. In active voice the subject does the action or active

voice projects thesubject.
2. In passive voice the subject receives the action or
passive voice projectsthe object.
3. Active sentences are about what people or things do,
while passive sentences are about what happens to
people or things.
4. Passive voice is generally indicated by a form of the
“be” verb + the past participle. “To be” verbs
include: is, was, has, will be, has been, are, am,
being, etc.
5. To change a sentence from passive to active and vice
versa, identify and understand the subject, verb and
object.
Comprehension Exercises:
I. Change the following sentences into active voice:
1. The steam engine was invented by James Watt.
2. He will be made Secretary of the company by the board of

directors.
3. My attempt to become a writer pleases my uncle.
4. Many buildings have been damaged by flood.
5. Let silence be maintained in this room.
II. Change the following sentences into passive voice:

1. Somebody has stolen my purse.
2. People tell many amusing things and stories about Gandhi.

3. They still deny women the right to vote in some countries.
4. You must write the answers on one side of the paper only.
5. All desire wealth but some acquire.
III. Rewrite the following, using the correct forms of the verbs given in
brackets.
1. Yesterday it (rain) heavily. But the weather
(be) fine today. The sun (shine)
brilliantly. Dark clouds are still (float) in the sky. If it (rain),
the match will be abandoned.
2. Who (own) this umbrella? I (not know) Everybody

(use)it but nobody (know) who(own) it.
3. In 1920, Fiat _ (started / was started) making cars at a new

factory at Lingotto, near Turin. There was a track on the
roof where the cars (tested / were tested) by technicians. In 1936,
Fiat launched the fiat 500. This car (called/ was called) the
Topolino.
4. “Jack the Ripper” is the name which _ (give) to an unidentified

serial killer
who was active in the largely improvised areas in and around
the Whitechapel district of London in 1988. The name
(originate) in a letter which (write) by someone claiming to be
the murderer.
5. William Shakespeare _ (baptize) on 26th April 1564. He
was an English poet and playwright who _ (regard) as the
greatest writer in the English language. He _ (often / call)
England’s National poet. His surviving works _ (consist) of
about 34 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems and
several other poems.
6. Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon. At

the age of 18 he (marry) Anne Hathaway and they (have) three
children: Susanna,
Hamnet and Judith who _ _ (be) twins. Between 1585 and 1592, he
(begin) successful career in London as an actor,
writer and part owner of a playing company which (call) the lord
chamberlain’s Men and which (later / know) as the King’s Men.
IV. Complete the following paragraph using the appropriate form

of the verb given in the brackets:
1. Thousands of people (kill) in the earthquake in

Gujarat last decade. Many villages (destroy) completely. Now
new houses (build) for the homeless. So far ten builders
(arrest) for making unsafe houses. It (hope) that
very soon life (make) normal for the people there.
2. Vibha is feeling proud of her father because he (elect)

an M P it seems that she does not know that unfair means
(use) by him in the election. He (dislike) by the people for
his wrong practices and impolite manners.
3. Our college library (open) at 10am and
(close) at 7pm. The students (read) silently now. One boy and a
girl student (disturb) the peaceful atmosphere of the library. They
(ignore) looking at the warning sign 'Silence please'.
V. The following paragraph is written with some verbs in the
passive voice. Rewrite the paragraph, and change the verbs from
the passive voice to the active voice. Supply new subjects for some
sentences.
9
1. Someone broke into a local jewelry shop yesterday. The
owner had just locked up the shop when a robber with a gun
threatened him. The robber told him to unlock the shop and gave
him all the diamonds in the safe. Then the robber tied him up.
The police have planned a search for the robber. Doctors are
treating the owner of the shop for shock.
2. People saw a UFO in the sky above Bengaluru last night. They
reported it to the police. The police sent a helicopter to look at it
more closely. The UFO shot the helicopter down and killed two
policemen in it. People have given photographs of the UFO to the
police. Experts are looking at them now.
3. Last year a hurricane was experienced by my family and me for

the first time. It was Hurricane Apache, and much damage to our
property and neighborhood was caused by its fierce winds of 200
miles per hour and its heavy rains.
Sources:
• www.edumantra.net
• www.sjsu.edu/writingcenter.net
• Peter herring. Farlex English grammar book, 2016, pub: Farlex
International.
• J D Murthy. Contemporary English Grammar, 2003, pub: Book
palace, New Delhi.
Chapter 9
INTRODUCING GUESTS, WELCOME SPEECH, VOTE OF

THANKS
Objectives:
1. To create awareness among students how to introduce a guest.

2. To familiarize the students with the skill and etiquette of
introducing a guest appropriately.
3. To enable them to acquire the knowledge of the things one has
to learn to introduce a guest.
Tips to write a welcome speech:
1. The very first step in welcoming a chief guest is by greeting them

in person. As soon as the chief guest arrives, it is best to go ahead
and greet them personally.
2. Smile and suggest they are being welcomed.
3. Always address the chief guest with a formal title. If someone is a
doctorate, do not forget to use the formal title of Dr or in other
cases, use Mr./Mrs.
4. Introduce yourself to the chief guest before the formal event and
escort him to the venue.
5. At the end of the event, make sure to bid thanks to the chief guest.
A welcome speech should include:
1. An introduction
2. Acknowledgement
3. Event purpose
4. Conclusion
How to introduce a guest:
A guest introduction should be majorly focused upon the guest. His / her
professional work, life achievements and introducing him to the audience
who may not know him /her properly.
Some expressions that can be used in welcoming a guest:
While presenting a formal welcome to a person /chief guest, use warm

welcome tones and greetings.
For example:
1. ‘I feel/I am delighted to welcome you’.

2. ‘It’s my pleasure to have you here with us’/it is my pleasure to be
here amidst you.
3. ‘I am extremely overwhelmed’
Sample-1
It is a great honor for me to introduce and welcome the chief guest of

this startling beautiful evening. He is well known for his work in the field
of education and health of poor children. Besides, he has published many
books and is a widely read author of the current era. (insert the title of his
book here) is one of his masterpieces that not only has got critical acclaim
but also international recognition.
Moreover, he is profoundly loved and respected by his readers

especially youth on whom he has got great influence due to his character
and short stories. With that being said, let us call upon none other than Mr.
( insert the name of the chief guest here).
Sample-2
Now we request our distinguished chief guest Mr./ Ms. (insert the name of
the chief guest here) to address the gathering. And to give his/her precious
inputs to our dear students who are seeking to be like him/her. Sir/Madam,
you have motivated us all by being a living example of kindness and selfless
service to our nation. You have given your best by sharing your experience
and knowledge in every way possible to help poor children get education.
Thus, I am sure that the parents here are also motivated to support and
help their children to be like you. Besides, they also crave to be proud of
their children just the way your parents are proud of you. Thus, without
wasting any time, I would like to call upon Mr/Ms(insert the name of the
chief guest here) to deliver his/her address.
Sample-3
Welcome of the Chief Guest:
On behalf of the college, I welcome our chief guest Mr.ABC, who is the
Dean of XYZ College. We are grateful to her for accepting our invitation
and becoming a chief guest of today’s event.
Our chief guest doesn’t require an introduction as she is a well-recognized

figure in our city. She is known for her wonderful administration she is in
charge of. Apart from this, she is a Philanthropist and renders selfless
service to society. She has moulded the life of students and served people
with her kindness.
We are so honoured to have her as the chief guest for the evening. I am
certain that all the parents present here are also moved and assuredly want
their children to be like her.
Sample-4
Welcome Speech for Fresher’s Day:
Good morning to everyone present here.
We all have gathered today on the occasion of the fresher’s day.
Welcoming people is part of Indian Culture, followed for centuries. We
maintain this custom and welcome today the fresh faces in the college with
a fresher’s party.
I thank all my teachers and everyone who gave me this opportunity to
welcome all my freshers today. It’s a moment of great pleasure for me to
welcome you all.
‘University life will give you much more than just a degree- get ready
for all the adventure!’
My dear friends, studying in our institution is pure joy and the professors,
students, and other staff members are the epitome of compassion and we
are quite sure you will be influenced by their sagacity.
All in all, I would like to say that you have made an absolutely secure
decision to be a part of this institution. Our college welcomes all the
students joining us today. I hope all of you will operate along with the
values of the college and magnify its reputation.
Now, I will halt my words and start with the program for the day which
includes some astounding performances by the students of our college.
I guarantee, your next few hours and years of stay in the college will be
delightful and memorable. Thank you for being a patient audience and
hearing my thoughts.
Enjoy the day!
Sample-5
Welcome Speech for a Farewell Party:
Good morning to everyone present here!
I welcome you all on this occasion of the farewell party, for which we
have assembled today.
“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end”
First of all, I would like to thank everyone who gave me this opportunity
to welcome all my seniors and teachers on this memorable occasion.
Student life is undoubtedly the best phase of life for everyone. Our parents,
teachers and friends all have made this phase of life so memorable for us.
We learned so many things from our inspiring teachers. Made mistakes,
made memories with friends, and what not. It was a long journey in itself.
Today marks the end of this college life of sweet and bitter moments to
cherish all our lives. We do feel a touch of sadness but it is the nature of
life, to move forward. So, today we will celebrate this moment with our
beloved teachers and friends to bid a good farewell to all who have to leave
now, with a smiling face.
Thank you.
Sample-6
Welcome Speech for College Function:
Good morning to all!
Honorable Chief Guest Mr.XYZ, respected Principal Dr. ABC, Staff

Members, and all the students present here. I welcome you all to the
annual function of our esteemed college.
My name is Lakshita Kumar, a student of B.Sc. and also a secretary of

cultural programs organized under our college authority.
I feel extremely proud to announce that our elite college has completed 25
years and we all have gathered today to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of the
same. Behind huge success over the years are the dedicated teachers,
motivated students, and helpful staff who give their best to make the
college achieve great heights of success.
Also, it is a great honor for me to pronounce that today we are joined by a

lady who hardly needs an introduction. She is well known for her
work in educating poor children. Besides, she is an extensively read
author of the contemporary world. ‘Modern Treasure of Literature’ is
one of her treasures that has gained a huge international
acknowledgement.
Moreover, she is extremely loved and respected by her readers which

include the youth population of the country, whom she has influenced the
most with her writing. With that being said, let us call upon none other than
Miss/Mrs.(insert the name of the chief guest).
Sample-7
Welcome Speech for Teachers’ Day:

Respected Principal, Teachers and dear students!
We welcome you all today, to celebrate this auspicious occasion of

teacher’s day. We celebrate teachers’ day every year on 5 th
September, to commemorate the birth anniversary of Dr. Sarvapalli
Radhakrisnan.
“Those who educate children well are more to be honored than

parents, for these only gave life, those the art of living well.”-
Aristotle.
This quotation cannot be truer! Teachers are parents to the children when
needed. They render us with light and lead us through the pathway of life.
They seek nothing but respect in return to their persistent efforts to give the
best.
Teachers are our ideals. They inspire us each day and make us strive
towards the route of success. They equip us with the power of knowledge
and propel us with endless wisdom to become better citizens of the future.
On that note, I would now like to invite our respected Principal on the
stage to deliver her thoughts on the day.
Thank you!
Exercise:
1. You have established an educational institution in your locality, and

you have invited a well- known environmentalist, Vandana Shiva as
Chief Guest of the inaugural function of the institution. Prepare an
introductory speech on her.
Profile:
Name: Vandana Shiva
Born: 5 November 1952, Dehradun.
Education: University of Guelph (1978), Panjab University (1973),
Indian Institute of Science, more.
Awards: Right Livelihood Award, Sydney Peace Prize, Thomas
Merton Award TV shows: Roshni: Ray of Light, Bad Seed - The
Truth About our Food.
Edited works: Manifestos on the Future of Food and Seed, more.
Other achievements: an Indian scholar, environmental activist, food
sovereignty advocate, eco-feminist and anti-globalization author.
Based in Delhi, Shiva has written more than 20 books. She is often
referred to as “Gandhi of grain” for her activism associated with the
anti – GMO movement.
2. You have invited Mrs. Sudha Murthy, Chairperson of Infosys
Foundations, for the inaugural function of an orphanage and old age
home. Prepare introductory speech for the occasion.
Profile:
Name: Sudha Murthy
Born: 19 August 1950, Shiggaon, Mysore State.
Occupation: Chairperson of Infosys Foundation
Alma mater: New York University; B.V.B. College of
Engineering and Technology.
Spouse: N.R. Narayana Murthy.
Achievements: Indian Businesswoman, educator, author and
philanthropist.
3. Prepare welcome speech for the occasion of Republic Day,
scheduled to be celebrated by your college.
4. For the ALUMNI MEET of your college, you are the president of the
association. Being a president, how do you welcome the gathering on
the occasion? Prepare a situational welcome speech.
5. On the occasion of Annual Sports Meet, introduce the Chief Guest of
the day, Sachin Tendulkar, the great cricketer, who was the captain of
the Indian cricket team.
Profile:
Name: Sachin Tendulkar
Born: Nirmal Nursing Home in Dadar, Bombay on 24 April 1973
to a Rajapur
Saraswat Brahmin Maharashtrian family
Parents: father Ramesh Tendulkar and mother Rajni
Last ODI: 18 March 2012 v Pakistan
6. Write a welcome speech for the Alumni Meet, organized in your
college and invited Chief Guest of the function is a social worker, Dr.
Gunashekhar. The details about him are as follows: a) Name: Dr.
Gunashekhar.
b) Birth place: Hubli
c) Education: M.A., M.Ed., PhD (English)
d) Profile: started his career as Principal – direct recruitment after
M.A., M.E., and PhD., in English literature.
Now working as the Registrar in the Bengaluru East University.
Based on the information provided write a speech to introduce
him at the function.
VOTE OF THANKS
Objective:
1. To acquaint with importance and method of delivering vote of

thanks in various situations.
2. To develop efficiency of skill of delivering vote of thanks among
students.
What is vote of thanks?
A vote of thanks is a well-prepared speech given formally and publicly to

thank the host, the organizer and other participants for their presence and
contribution to an event.
How to write vote of thanks?
Preparing a vote of thanks speech is always thought of as a Herculean task,

and it does not have to be so if one knows exactly what one has to do.
Choose the words carefully. It is very important to include any of the
esteemed guests, the host and the dignitaries in the speech. One should also
take care to thank the participants and the people who would be a part of
the event and contribution.
A vote of thanks is probably the last item for any event- be it Teacher’s Day,
Annual Day, Birthday Party, the list goes on. Make sure not to write long
unwinding sentences. Keep it short and simple. One can start vote of thanks
speech by greeting everyone present or with a good quote on gratitude,
followed by the list of guests one has to extend one’s thanks on behalf of
the organization or the party that is hosting the event. It is then to thank
the participants and everyone who has been there for the event. Finally,
one can end by thanking the hosts for having given the opportunity to
represent them. It is the best technique if one can begin the speech
with an effective and appropriate quote.
Some expressions that can be used to offer vote of thanks to a chief

guest:
• ‘We are looking forward to have you again as our chief guest’
• ‘I am thoroughly pleased to witness you’
The best quotes that can be used in a vote of thanks are:
1. “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the
others.”- Cicero.
2. “A moment of difference makes a difference in your attitude.”- Bruce
Wilkinson.
3. “Those who educate children well are more to be honored than parents,
for these only gave life, those the art of living well.”- Aristotle.
Samples of vote of thanks:
Sample-l
Ladies and gentlemen, a very good morning to all. It gives me an immense

pleasure to deliver the vote of thanks to all dignitaries assembled here. I
would like to thank our chief guest who graced this function with his
inspirational thoughts. I would like to thank our beloved principal, staff
members, students, participants, volunteers and last but not the least our
beloved audience for making this function, a grand success. Once again, I
thank one and all present here.
Thank you.
Sample-2
Vote of thanks speech for a General Event:
Good evening, everyone. It has been such an honor to be a part of this

wonderful event. On behalf of the organization, I would like to extend
my heartfelt gratitude to our esteemed guests, Mr. Vinay Prasad, Manager,
IT Solutions and Mrs. Savithri, Director of MNS Technologies. Thank you.
Sincere thanks to the heads of the various departments who handled the
event throughout. A wide round of applause and thanks to all the participants
who made the event a memorable one. Finally, I would like to thank all of
you present here for making the time to be with us today and helping us make
this event a grand success. Thank you one and all.
Sample-3
Vote of thanks for the installation function:
Good evening to all of you. Respected ladies and gentlemen, we come

close to this year’s installation function of new office bearers. On behalf of
Rotary Club of Chennai Golden Star. It gives me immense pleasure to
deliver the vote of thanks to this august gathering here.
My special thanks to the Chief Guest Mr. R. Kanna. The District

Governor for (2021- 22) who gave an inspirational speech.
I take immense pleasure in extending my sincere thanks to the Guest of

Honor Rtn.
Babu Prem who had highlighted the directions for taking the club to
greater heights.
I extend my heartfelt thanks to one and all who have helped to make this
installation function a grand success. I have to specifically mention the
contributions made by Mr.C.K.Ramu, in all the printing related works.
I am very happy to extend my sincere thanks to Mr.Gunshekar and
Mrs.Kavitha Shekar who constantly, gave advice and also did the master of
ceremony to give color to this function.
We are very much grateful Rtn. S. Thyagarajan sir, and his team of office
bearers for the year 2021-22 for their continuous dream of conducting
this function in a grand manner. All ideas of our club Rotarians would take
our club to greater heights and help in getting maximum awards from the
district level and at the Rotary International level.
Sample-4
Being the President of CMA, I deem it a great honor and privilege to

propose the vote of thanks on this memorable occasion. Let me, first of all
start by giving glory to the Almighty God for making today’s occasion a
resounding success.
As William Arthur Ward rightly said, “Feeling gratitude and not

expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it”.
Today, I take this opportunity to express my deepest sense of gratitude and

appreciation to all those made this event such a resounding success.
To begin with, on behalf of the Department of Management, Glory College

of Science and Management and all the students I would like to thank our
chief guest……. who spared time from his busiest schedule to grace this
occasion. Thank you, sir.
Now, I place on record our gratitude to our principal Dr.Chanrashekar

Patil, CMI, for his generous support for this event.
Sample-5
Prof. Ved Prakash, Secretary, UGC
On initiation of Golden Jubilee Year of UGC
Honorable Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajapayee, honorable Minister

for Human
Resource Development, Dr. Murli Manohar Joshiji, honorable Minister
of State for
Human Resource Development, Prof. (Mrs.) Rita Vermaji, Respected
Secretary of
Education, Shri Sant Kumar Tripathiji, respected Secretary, Information and
Communication Technology, Shri Rajiv Ratan Shahji, respected Chairman,
UGC, Prof. Arun Nigavekarji, respected members of the UGC, our
most valued invited guests, ladies and gentlemen.
I deem it a great privilege to have been asked to extend a vote of thanks on

this historic occasion. This day will be remembered as a milestone in the
history of higher education in India as it is the first occasion after fifty
years’ time when the Honorable Prime Minister of this great country has
graced this important event.
The very presence of the Honorable Prime Minister in today’s programme in

spite of his extremely busy schedule is a reflection of the importance
that is attached to the commitment of the nation to quality augmentation.
We are all inspired by your gracious presence, sir.
I, on behalf of the UGC family, entire fraternity of higher education, guest
invitees and on my own behalf extend to you warm regards. Honorable
Prime Minister , sir, a very hearty vote of thanks for gracing the function
and sharing with this august audience your vision of education for our
country.
I would like to take this opportunity to express our thanks to Dr. Murli
Manohar Joshiji, Minister for Human Resource Development for unstinted
support and guidance he has extended to all of us at the UGC.
We are extremely thankful to Prof. (Mrs.) Rita Vermaji, Minister of state

for Human Resource Development for her gracious presence in the
function.
I also extend my thanks to Shri Sant Kumar Tripathiji, Secretary, Secondary

and Higher
Education, MHRD and also to Shri Rajiv Ratan Shah, Secretary,
Information and Communication Technology for their enormous support
and guidance in the organization of this event.
We are thankful to all the former Chairpersons and Vice-Chairpersons,
Secretaries, Members and also the present Members of the UGC for
their support and valuable guidance.
I take this opportunity to extend our most sincere thanks to all our guest
invitees who have come from different destinations for their support and
cooperation.
I must mention our deep sense of appreciation for the officers of the
ERNET, Shri Gulshan Rai and Shri Surendra Pal for their immense support. I
may also like to express our sincere thanks to media persons both print and
electronic including our Doordarshan for giving an excellent coverage to our
programme.
I also wish to express my gratitude to Prof. Arun Nigavekarji, for his

minute-to- minute guidance and support and for providing encouragement
at every point of time in the organization of this great event.
I am also very grateful to all the officers of Vigyan Bhavan for their
logistic support, of course, at a good price. Thank you.
Sample-6
Vote of thanks on inaugural function of the English Club
Distinguished Chief Guest, Prof. Rajakumar, Principal, College of Science

and Technology, Guest invitees, our Principal Prof. Rajahamsa, faculty
members, my seniors and friends and media.
On behalf of the management- Vidyakashi Educational
Institutions- I take the privilege of proposing a vote of thanks. We are
all happy that this Inauguration of the English Club has been organized
and conducted extremely well.
First of all, my sincere thanks to our Chief Guest for accepting our
invitation and for being with us this morning. Thank you, sir, for
that interesting and highly informative speech.
Next my sincere thanks to our beloved Principal for having come up
with such a wonderful idea of setting up an English Club for the
benefit of the students. Next my cordial thanks to my dear teachers
for their support and cooperation in organizing this event.
I would like to thank the media for the coverage of the event.
I would like to thank the non- teaching staff for their help in making
necessary arrangements for the programme.
Last but not the least, I thank the students for their active
participation. Thank you one and all.
Exercise:
1. You have organized for the celebration of the Children’s Day in your
institution, you are the one to offer vote of thanks at the
concluding part of the occasion. Prepare a vote of thanks for the
occasion.
2. In your locality, the mobile library has been scheduled to open,
addressing the gathering, prepare a vote of thanks for the situation.
3. Lion’s Club has sponsored for free health checkup and distribution of
medicines for the patients. Being the organizer of the programme in
your area, prepare a vote of thanks, as a token of gratitude for the
President and his associates for their generosity.
4. You are a resident of a remote village. For long, you did not have
public bus facility to your village. Recently, your MLA visited your
village and received requisition regarding the lack of transport
facility. The MLA recommended for the same and within a month,
buses began to run in your route. Your village panchayath decided to
honor the MLA. Prepare a vote of thanks for the situation.
Links for references:

• https://nvshq.org
• https://gupshups.org  https://www.bpps.in
• https://brainly.in
II Semester B.Com./BBA and other courses coming under
the
Faculty of Commerce
(As per NEP Model)
GENERIC ENGLISH – Language English-II (ENVISION-
II)
QUESTION PAPER PATTERN
Time-2 ½ hours Marks-60
Section-A (Workbook-40 marks)
Question Unit Marks

no.
I Comprehension Passages 5
II Vocabulary building 10
III Correction of sentences 5
Listening activities (interviews/conversations) NOT FOR TESTING
IV Reported speech 5
V Dialogue writing 3
Verbal and non-verbal communication 2

VI
Active and passive voice 5
VII Introducing guests, welcome speech, vote of thanks 5
Section-B (Coursebook-20 marks)
VIII Answer any FIVE out of SIX (from all six units) 5x1=5
IX Answer any 1 out of 3 (poetry-1, prose-2) 1x5=5
X Answer any 1 out of 3 (poetry-2, prose-1) 1x10=10
INTERNAL ASSESSMENT MARKS ALLOTMENT-- 40 marks
1 Assignments/projects/debate/role play/quiz etc. 10 marks
2 Internal Test (2) 10+10=20 marks
3 Seminar/presentation/GD/case study etc 10 marks

II Semester B.Com./BBA and other courses coming under
the
Faculty of Commerce
(As per NEP Model)
GENERIC ENGLISH – Language English-II (ENVISION-
II)
MODEL QUESTION PAPER
Time-2 ½ hours Marks-60
Instructions: 1. Read all the instructions carefully and write answers.
2. Write the question number correctly
SECTION-A
(Workbook-40 marks)
I Read the following passage and answer the questions set on it:
5x1=5
There is no general agreement about how the planets were formed. The most
widely accepted theory is that about 5000 million years ago swirling clouds of
matter began to condense. Through the action of centrifugal force, the heavier
molecules were concentrated near the centre of the eddies and the lighter,
gaseous material was thrown out towards the periphery. Such is the
theory. What is known is that nine satellites began orbiting round the sun.
These are the planets.
The planet on which man lives is the third closest to the sun, with the third
shortest orbit. It also has something none of the others has- an atmosphere
that can support life in all the manifold forms that exist on our planet.
There may be satellites circling other stars in other parts of the universe
that have the right ingredients for some sort of life to evolve, but the earth
is the only one in the solar system.
1. The theory of the formation of the planets

a) Is generally agreed upon by everyone
b) Is a debatable one
c) Covers a very wide area.
d) Is fairly well-known
2. According to the passage, what is the theory behind the formation

of Planets?
3. The Earth is the planet which is closest to the sun.

4. In the passage, the word Periphery means:
a) Edge
b) Heart
c) Centre
d) Middle
5. Suggest a suitable for the passage.
II Do as directed:
1. Choose the correct synonym for the words given below: 2
a) Chaos: (confusion, orderly, disciplined)
b) Develop – (evolve, explain, groan)
2. Choose the correct antonym for the words given below: 2
a) Feeble: (weak, strong, fragile)

b) Adhere: (follow, disregard, comply)
3. Add suitable affixes to the words given in brackets and fill in the
blanks: 2
He drove car (occasion) but enjoyed many (joy) moments. They were
(ordinary) journeys and (possible) to forget.
4. Construct two sentences each for the homonym ‘fine’ in different
contexts: 2
5. Write a suitable homophone for the word ‘THERE’: 1
6. Identify the proper collocation in the following pairs: 1
Strong coffee/powerful coffee
III Do as directed: 5
a) India is democratic country. (Use a suitable article)

b) There is no short cut success. (Use a suitable preposition)
c) I (dance) for three hours yesterday. (Use a proper tense form of the
word given)
d) bengaluru is the capital city of karnataka (Punctuate the sentence)
e) This story is much interesting. (Correct the error in the usage)
IV Change the following sentences into reported speech: 5
a) He said, “Be quiet and listen to my words.”

b) The principal said to me, “Do it yourself.”
c) Leela said to Shankar, “I will come to your house as early as
possible.”
d) The Director said to the actor, “Can you perform better”.
e) “The weather is going to be extreme this week”, said the experts.
V A) Complete the following dialogue between two friends on

vaccination: 3
• Rosy: Did you get your dose of vaccination?

• Manjula ................................ What about yours?
• Rosy: .
• Manjula: What are you waiting for? It is available for free in the PHC.
Go get it.
• Rosy: .
B) Answer the following questions in one/two sentences:

a) What is communication?
b) What are the two types of communication?
VI Rewrite the following passage in passive voice: 5
People saw a UFO in the sky above Bengaluru last night. They reported it
to the police. The police sent a helicopter to look at it more closely. The
UFO shot the helicopter down and killed two policemen in it.
VII A) You have invited an eminent educationist as the chief guest to
your college annual day. Prepare a welcome speech, using the profile
given below: 5
Name: Dr. Sumanth Prabhu
DOB: 08-03-1972
Place of birth: Hassan, Karnataka
Educational qualification: M. A. in English, Ph. D
Achievements: 25 years of teaching experience in ABC College, XYZ
University.
Guest faculty in UK.
Awards: Best teacher award, Excellence award, Citizen of the City award.
OR
B) Prepare a vote of thanks for the same occasion as mentioned
above.
SECTION-B
(Coursebook-20 marks)
VIII Answer any FIVE of the following in a word/phrase/sentence:
5x1=5
1. What kind of freedom does Tagore claim for his motherland?
2. What is BIBA?
3. Which object gave Chaplin ‘an inordinate sense of possession’?
4. Who was Endymion, according to Greek myth?
5. Why was the Happy Prince looking sad?
6. What can a tourist find in the Sundarbans?

IX Answer any ONE of the following in about a page: 1x5=5
1. How does the poem ‘The Sundarbans’ portray the conflict between
human beings and tigers?
2. How does Chaplin recollect his first stage appearance?
3. Explain the early days of Meena Bindra in her business.
X Answer any ONE of the following in about two pages:

1x10=10
1. How did the little swallow help the Prince in making him ‘happy’?
2. Describe the power of beauty, as explained by Keats in

‘Endymion’.
Explain Tagore’s vision of freedom, with reference to his poem ‘Freedom’.
INSIGHTS-II
General English Text Book
II Semester B.Com./BBA and other courses coming under Faculty of Commerce,
Bengaluru Central University (BCU)
Editor
Dr. Chitra Panikkar
Prasaranga
BENGALURU CENTRAL UNIVERSITY (BCU)
Bengaluru
IMPRINTS-2: General English Textbook for II Semester B.Com./BBA and

other courses coming under Faculty of Commerce, Bengaluru Central University
(BCU), is prepared by the Members of the Textbook Committee,
Bengaluru Central University. (BCU)
© Bengaluru Central University
First Edition 2020
Published by:
Bengaluru Central University Press
Bengaluru Central University (BCU)
Bengaluru - 560001
FOREWORD
INSIGHTS-II General English Text Book for II Semester B.Com./BBA and other
courses coming under Faculty of Commerce, Bengaluru Central University (BCU),
has been designed with the dual-objective of inducing literary sensibility and
developing linguistic skills in students. Both of these have been combined in a
single text instead of having two separate texts. This is the Second General English
Text Book for Undergraduate students of BCU, Bengaluru, prepared by the
Members of the Text Book Committee.
I congratulate the Text Book Committee on its efforts in the preparation of the
material, which includes a variety of literary pieces and workbook for honing
language skills. I thank the Director of Bengaluru Central University Press and
their personnel for bringing out the textbook neatly and on time.
I hope the text will motivate the teachers and the students to make the best use
of it and develop literary sensibility as well as linguistic skills.
Prof. S. Japhet
Vice-Chancellor
Bengaluru Central University
Bengaluru-5600
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF STUDIES IN ENGLISH (UG)
Dr. Chitra Panikkar

Professor & Chairperson Prof. C. P. Usha Rani
Department of English Assistant Professor
Bangalore University SJRC Arts, Science and Commerce College
Jnana Bharathi Race Course Road
Bengaluru-560056 Bengaluru-560001
PREFACE
The General English Text book for II Semester B.Com and BBA, INSIGHTS-II,
introduces undergraduate students to a spectacular kaleidoscope of literary
selections that cover a wide range of subjects and issues. These model pieces of
writing cast in different genres and forms are meant not only to cultivate literary
sensibilities in students but also to sensitize them to social concerns. It is
assumed that the thinking practices and extended activities incorporated as part
of every lesson would help students interpret literature as a form of cultural
expression.
The Course book has two parts: Part I comprises the literary component; Part II
concentrates on language. The language section is designed to perfect and hone
the soft skills of students pertaining to effective verbal expression and
communication.
It is hoped that the students would make best use of the present anthology and
understand the importance of acquiring fine language skills while engaging with a
verbal medium like literature.
I would like to thank the concerned Chairperson and her team of teachers who
have put in all their time and effort into the realization of this textbook. I thank
the Vice Chancellor and Registrar of Bangalore Central University for their
consistent support. I also thank the publisher, who helped us bring out the book
on time.
Dr. Chitra Panikkar

Chairperson
UG Board of Studies
BCU
A Note to the Teacher
INSIGHTS-II, the new General English Text Book for second semester
undergraduate Commerce Course under Bengaluru Central University aims to
develop literary sensibilities and language competence in students across the four
semesters. The Course material is designed with an integrated approach to
language learning, emphasizing on essential skills of the language. The
Workbook complements the Course Book. It also promotes essential writing
skills.
The Course Book material reflects variety and diversity in terms of language use
and the themes discussed. There are two extracts, one from the autobiography of
Charlie Chaplin and the other from the play ‘Hayavadana’ by Girish Karnad in
order to expose students to different forms of literature. Poetry selections reflect
classical as well as modern poetry. The teachers need to encourage the learners to
pay attention to the use of language in these texts. The Essay on Gender
Concepts is of great societal relevance meant to inculcate healthy attitude and
approach to life, among the youngsters. The teacher can foreground the topic and
elicit responses from students and facilitate interactive learning. The weightage
for Course Book is 40 marks while it is 30 marks for the Workbook. 30 marks for
Internal Assessment can be allotted as follows.
Assignments - 15, Test - 10, Attendance - 5 = 30

Final Exam (written paper) = 70 - Total = 100
The Workbook focuses on the basic language skills expected of an under

graduate in the competitive global job scenario. It attempts to give a
comprehensive training in terms of proper sentence structures, logical sequence
of sentences and writing coherent paragraphs and competent use of language.
The exercises are meant to be worked out in the classroom and generate
meaningful discussion that can lead to proper learning. The teacher can guide and
facilitate learning by providing more exercises from other sources including
online resources.
Extended Activity is meant to provide opportunities for the students to go beyond
the text and gain better insight into the world. The teachers can also use these
activities for project work.
I NSIGHTS-II Page 1
The Committee expresses its sincere thanks to Dr. Chitra Panikkar, Chairperson,
Bengaluru Central University for constant guidance and support in preparation of
the Textbook. The Committee also thanks Dr. Japhet, the Honourable Vice-
Contents
COURSE BOOK
1. Freedom Rabindranath Tagore -4

2. A Cut above Meena Bindra -7
3. Charlie Chaplin Extract from Autobiography - 18
4. Endymion John Keats - 31
5. The Happy Prince Oscar Wilde - 36
6. The Sunderbans Susil Mandal - 58
I NSIGHTS-II Page 2
1. FREEDOM - RABINDRANATH TAGORE
Approach to the text:

 Freedom or liberty is something that every living being craves for.
Discuss
 “Give me Blood and I will give you freedom”. This is an inspiring
slogan by Subhash Chandra Bose. Give your views on these words.
 Do you think freedom from rituals, orthodoxy or superstitions will
help in the emanicipation of the society?
About the poet:

Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore born on 7th May, 1861 and died on 7 th Aug 1941, He was
born and brought up in Bengal. He was an acclaimed Indian writer, philosopher
and a poet versatile in the forms of literature, art and music. ‘Gitanjali’ is
I NSIGHTS-II Page 3
considered profoundly sensitive and fresh poetry, for which he received Nobel
Prize in the year 1913. He is also the author of Indian National Anthem.
The poem ‘Freedom’ highlights the poet’s wish, that his country should be free
from the fear of British Imperialism. It also urges the countrymen to overcome
any kind of fear and oppression and liberate themselves to enjoy the bliss of
freedom.
***
Freedom from fear is the freedom I
claim for you my motherland!
Freedom from the burden of the ages, bending your head,
breaking your back, blinding your eyes to the beckoning call

of the future;
Freedom from the shackles of slumber wherewith you fasten
yourself in night’s stillness, mistrusting the star that speaks
of truth’s adventurous paths; Freedom from the anarchy of
destiny
whole sails are weakly yielded to the blind uncertain winds,
and the helm to a hand ever rigid and cold as death. Freedom
from the insult of dwelling in puppet’s world, where
movements are started through brainless wires, repeated
through mindless habits,
where figures wait with patience and obedience for the
master of show, to be stirred into a mimicry of life.
Glossary beckoning: to signal

shackles: chains slumber: sleep
or rest anarchy: lawlessness helm:
wheel for steering a ship rigid:
I NSIGHTS-II Page 4
unable to bend, not flexible burden:
load mimicry: imitate
I Answer the following questions in one or two sentences each:
1. What kind of freedom does the poet claim for his motherland?
2. What does ‘burden of the ages’ mean?
3. The expressions, ‘bending your head’ and ‘breaking your back’ refer
to the
a.injustice done to the rulers.
b.oppression that the country suffered at the hands of the British
rulers.
c.punishments given to the people.
4. ‘Whole sails are weakly yielded to the blind uncertain winds’, refers
to
a.a country moving the direction of prosperity
b.a country moving with no sense of direction
c.a country with a good governance
5. What are the reasons for the Imperial oppression, according to the
poet?
6. How according to the poet, can the country progress and prosper?
II Answer the following questions in about a paragraph:

1) What is the vision of the poet?
2) Why does the poet wish that his Motherland should be free from the
‘burden of ages’?
3) Do you think the poet is speaking of political freedom alone?
4) Which expression means ‘controlled life’ in the poem?
III Answer the following questions in about two pages each:

1) What message does the poet give to his countrymen in the poem?
2) Discuss the significance of the title ‘Freedom’.
3) Comment on the figures of speech used in the poem.
Suggested Reading:
• The Ensign- Alphonse Daudet
• Where the Mind is Without Fear – Rabindranath Tagore
I NSIGHTS-II Page 5
Extended Activity:
• Gather information on the Noble Prize winners in English Literature
 Conduct a Debate on the impact of Imperialism on India
2. A CUT ABOVE
- MEENA BINDRA
BIBA
 It is fashionable to use branded products. Do you agree?
 Do you think formal training is required to become an entrepreneur?
 It is great to lead than to follow. Elaborate.
About the author:
Rashmi Bansal is a writer, entrepreneur and youth expert. She is a motivational

speaker and mentor to students and young entrepreneurs. Her four books on
entrepreneurship-Stay Hungry Stay Foolish, Connect the Dots, I Have a Dream
and Poor Little Rich Slum have motivated many a young mind to tread the path
hither to not taken. These books have sold over half a million copies and have
been translated into 10 languages. A Cut Above is an excerpt from Follow Every
Rainbow authored byRashmi Bansal. The book unfolds the inspiring stories of
25 women entrepreneurs whose gentle touch brought about tremendous change in
business.
I NSIGHTS-II Page 6
A Cut Above is an article on the success of Meena Bindra who turned the humble
salwar kameez into a national brand with annual sales of 300 crores. A business
she started to earn some pocket money led to the creation of a popular brand,
BIBA.
Meena Bindra was born and brought up in Delhi.
“I grew up in a large family of six siblings-three brothers and three sisters. I was
somewhere in the middle.”
Meena’s father was a businessman, but he passed away when she was only 9
years old. However, he left behind a lot of property so her mother was able to
provide and give them a ‘normal’ childhood.’ After completing a B.A. in History
from Miranda House, Meena got married. She was nineteen-and-a-half and in
love.
“My husband was in the Indian Navy and almost ten years older than me.”
As a navy wife, Meena moved around all over the country- from Delhi to
Bombay to Vishakhapatnam. Never more than three years in one place.
“My son, Sanjay was born in 1965, Siddharth came in 1974. So the first twenty
years of marriage, I was just busy looking after home and family.”
Only when her kids had grown up, did Meena think of ‘doing something’
“My elder son was in boarding school, the younger one in school. Playing Cards
was not my scene and I also knew I am not cut out for a job!”
What Meena did enjoy was designing clothes.
“I hadn’t done a formal course, but I dabbled with prints and colours. I got a few
of my saris block-printed, just for fun.”
But to go into business, you need some money.
“I spoke to my husband and he arranged for a loan from Syndicate Bank.”
Eight thousand is not a lot of money, but enough to buy some fabric and hire a
tailor. But as they say, fortune favours the brave.
“My first lucky break was when someone introduced me to a block printer called
Devesh. He was a young boy, passionate about his work and he had a big
factory.”
Every morning, Meena would take a cab to the factory and spend the day there,
experimenting with various techniques and colour combinations.
I NSIGHTS-II Page 7
“We enjoyed experimenting with new techniques of printing, Tie and dye, khari
painting, whatever we did came out really well!”
Through trial and error, Meena put together 40 salwar suits-all casual wear and
reasonably priced (under 200). Some stitched, some unstitched.
“I had a little sale in my house and everything got sold. I also got a lot of orders!”
This first sale resulted in a small profit of 3000. With that money, Meena bought
fabric for 80 suits and that too sold out quickly.
“So that really encouraged me, and the same money which I made, I would take
it, buy more fabric and make more suits!”
It was a business, and yet not strictly business.
“I lived in a huge flat which was like an ‘open house’. Koi chai pee raha hai, koi
coffee pee raha hai….. It was a very easy atmosphere where women enjoyed
coming, sitting and chatting.”
“And they would also try and buy, knowing that in case I go home and don’t like
it, Meena will take it back.”
“It was not such a commercial venture actually,” says Meena. “The buyers were
my friends, first and foremost, not customers.”
Purely by word of mouth, Meena’s suits became ‘famous’ among ladies in the
Colaba and Cuffe Parade areas of Bombay. By the end of the year, she had three
tailors doing jobwork and started getting enquiries from retailers like Benzer and
Sheetal.
“Once I started supplying outside, I needed a name for my bill book. I decided on
‘BIBA’.”
Retailers placed large orders -100 pieces at a time. And, they wanted new designs
and a wider range of fabric.
“I got into terrycots and silks, and quickly scaled up the production,” smiles
Meena.
From a timepass and hobby venture, BIBA was quickly becoming a real
business. Driven by a force bigger than the creator herself.
“I never did any marketing as such, but I think maybe the time was right. New
shops were opening, they needed to stock readymade salwar kameez and they
heard about me….so I got big orders.”
I NSIGHTS-II Page 8
But Meena has only hazy memories of what she exactly earned in that first
couple of years.
“I was doing well, but I cannot recall exactly….not lakhs, but definitely I earned
in thousands.”
Thousands quickly did become lakhs because, in 1986, three years into business,
Meena moved into a 1000 sq.ft office at Kemp’s Corner. An office which was
paid for entirely by money earned from BIBA.
And yet, there was no business plan, as such.
“I was just flooded with orders and had also opened my own boutique in
Kemp’s Corner.”
I NSIGHTS-II Page 9
“Jo ban raha tha bik raha tha- so there were no targets, no deadlines, I never felt I am under
any pressure.”
Things might have continued in this happy-go-lucky manner, except that, around this time,
Meena’s elder son, Sanjay, completed his BCom and joined the business.
“I didn’t encourage him initially. I said –you don’t know anything about salwar kames and
you don’t know anything about business! First go do an MBA and then I’ll think about it.”
But Sanjay would not take no for an answer.
“I would say, even from his side, initially it was not so serious, but once we shifted to the
office he got into BIBA full-time.”
“I wanted to keep busy and earn some extra money, pocket money.
That’s why I started designing clothes.”
And he proved to be a big asset. Sanjay quickly took over the ‘boring’ side of the business-
handling the labour, taking orders, keeping accounts. Now, Meena could focus wholely and
solely on designing the clothes.
The next few years, BIBA grew at a steady pace. More range, more outlets-not just in
Bombay, but all over India. Retailers from as far as Bangalore and Jaipur came and placed
orders.
By 1993, BIBA had become one of India’s largest ethnic-wear wholesalers, selling 1000-2000
pieces every month.
“I think our turnover at this point was 8-10 crore…(shakes her head). No, at that time we were
selling wholesale so it would be less. It must have been around 2 crore.”
There was money in the business, but it was not the main driving force.
Meanwhile, there were other forces acting in Meena’s favour. By the mid-90s, India’s first
multi-city department store. Shopper’s Stop came into being. They too came to BIBA for
ladies’ ethnic- wear. In the process, Meena learnt many lessons.
“We were forced to become more professional-to stand by our commitments, deliver on time
and also bring our costs down, without compromising on quality.”
It wasn’t easy. From the very beginning, BIBA had outsourced its manufacturing.
“When faced with a production problem, my first reaction used to be, ‘What can I do? My
tailors are like this only!”
10
But then, it was a problem Meena would have to solve. Advance planning, control systems
and quality checks helped tailors become more efficient. Sanjay handled most of this work.
“I can’t say I was 100% involved, but I was not 100% not involved – it was a joint thing.”
In 1993, BIBA had around 10 employees and worked with around 100 tailors. The tailors
worked in groups of 10 or 20, and many of these units produced exclusively for the company.
This introduced a measure of accountability.
“Once we were giving 500 pieces to one tailoring unit, we would ask for a date of delivery.”
If the delivery date was near and tailors were falling behind, they would be asked to work
night-shifts. But scaling up to meet demand was, and still remains, a challenge.
“For men’s shirts you can have an assembly line. For salwar kames, 5-6 different karigars
may need to work on one piece.”
What’s more, the fabric itself is handmade, not mill-made. So it is not standardised.
“If I order 1000 metres of a particular print from Jaipur, it comes in five different shades. So
how do I fulfill a bulk order?”
Working with limitations and yet going beyond limits is the true test of any entrepreneur. And
BIBA passed that test with flying colours. By the year 2000, production had scaled up to 5000
pieces per month.
Demand was never an issue – as Shopper’s Stop and then Pantaloons opened new outlets, they
needed more and more stocks.
“We told our tailor masters, ‘We have more work for you. Why don’t you keep more staff?’ so
they grew along with us and were happy.”
While tailors expected to be paid in cash, the stores expected credit. But the credit period was
30-45 days and there was generally no delay. So BIBA could manage its cash flows without
bank limits or overdrafts.
“We never took any outside funding as such. I don’t know if that was the right thing – we
could have grown faster, perhaps.”
Readymade salwar kameez was a new idea and every shop was looking for
suppliers. I never had to go anywhere-people came looking for me.”
“I knew when my husband gets a transfer, we will have to vacate the flat.
Bombay mein kahan flat milega – it’s
11
impossible. But I had earned enough to buy a flat so
I could stay on.”
The turning point for BIBA came when her younger son, Siddharth, joined the company after
graduating from Harvard in 2002. Although by then BIBA had a wide footprint and annual
revenues of over Rs 25 crore, it was not a well-known brand name.
“Siddharth had a very clear vision – we must have our own retail outlets.”
BIBA opened its first company-owned outlet in 2004, at In Orbit and CR2 malls in Mumbai.
Both shops did remarkably well from day one, with sales of Rs. 1215 lakh per month.
“That encouraged us and we started booking shops wherever we thought a good mall is
coming up. Automatically we get footfalls.”
Of course, this kind of expansion requires management bandwidth and funding. These aspects
were handled by Siddharth. In fact, the whole company was restructured and, in 2006, Kishore
Biyani bought a 10% stake in BIBA for Rs. 110 crores.
“Our growth since 2004 has been phenomenal,” admits Meena.
In March 2012, BIBA’s annual revenues stood at Rs. 300 crores, with 90 company-owned
outlets contributing 50% of sales. The company continues to outsource manufacturing, but
employs around 1000 people in supervisory roles and for retail sales.
A long, long way from a business started to earn some ‘extra pocket money’.
“I never imagined it when I started… but as you grow, your vision keeps growing. Now, I feel
we can grow to any height, even become a global brand.”
But did getting into business mean a compromise in personal life? Meena maintains she was
able to achieve that fine balance.
“When I first started, I never ever worked after 6 pm. My husband, being in the navy, we had
a lot of evening engagements.”
The problem Meena faced was that her husband had a transferable job. When he was posted to
Delhi, she stayed back in Bombay – and he was always supportive.
“I would spend 10 days in Delhi, rest in Bombay. We lived like this for 8-9 years, until his
retirement in 1993.”
Meena then moved to Delhi while Sanjay stayed on in Bombay.
12
“I had bought a flat at Worli Seaface. Sanjay got married and moved there and I started an
office in Delhi.”
Meena’s deep and continuing commitment is towards great design.
“I rely on my own sensibilities – simple, elegant, wearable design.”
Even today, with BIBA producing 60-70,000 pieces a month, and professionals to handle all
aspects, the one thing Meena oversees herself is designing.
“We have a design team, but I still give the brief, I go through the colours. Samples are made
and I give the final approval.”
Of course, designs are worked on at least a year in advance. And once samples are approved, a
made-for-scale, scientific process takes over. And Meena is happy about that.
“Low cost, good quality and timely delivery – these are the three essential
qualities of a
successful business.”
“I think women always have their family at the back of their mind. For a man,
family is
important, but it’s taken care of by the wife. So
in his mind, career is uppermost.”
“I don’t like dealing with too many people and you know I’m not such a good administrator.
Frankly, if I had to handle all that, I would not have wanted to grow so much.”
Working with family, she feels, has been a blessing. Because you can trust them. And
whatever you are building, you are ultimately doing it with and for your family.
"Of course, it requires certain amount of adjustment,” she smiles.
Meena’s husband was never interested in the business. Even after retirement, he was busy with
consulting projects and authoring a book. He passed away in 2011.
13
“I think I was happier not having him in the business,” she admits.
With her sons, Meena had a clear demarcation of boundaries. Yet, there was argument and
friction.
“I thought Sanjay was very radical, he thought I wasn’t willing to change. But we always
worked things out. As a mother I would eventually give in.”
The dynamics changed when Siddharth also joined the business.
“There were differences of opinion on how to take the business forward,” says
Meena. “Ultimately, they decided to work separately.”
In 2010, Sanjay sold his stake and has started a new ethnic-wear label called ‘Seven East’.
“We are still close as a family,” says Meena. “In fact, it’s better this way because conflict is
just a waste of energy.”
Energy is the force which moves mountains and working mothers.
“I do yoga, pranayama, walking and swimming to keep my energy up!”
And then there are deeper dimensions. A journey within, which, for Meena, began 22 years
ago.
“I came across a book called I Am That by Nisarga Dutta Maharaj. I didn’t understand much
of it in the beginning, but I started thinking about questions like ‘who we are’ and ‘what is the
purpose of life?’ ”
Meena read and re-read the book, until the meaning started sinking in. She later bought all the
other books by the same author and devoured them. Even today, I Am That occupies pride of
place on her bedside table.
“It’s not something that you can just read 5-6 pages, just half a page at any given time. But
over time it has changed me – made me a better and calmer person.”
A person who does not blame others because each one is playing their role in life. So you
accept the world as it is, not as it should be.
And enjoy all the blessings you have.
“I don’t enjoy cooking, but I love having a beautiful house and am very fond of interiors,
gardening and meeting friends.”
All things bright and beautiful, all pleasures great and small.
A woman can be a wife, a mother and an entrepreneur.
14
Live a dream and have it all.
Glossary:
Venture : a risky or daring journey or undertaking asset : a
useful or valuable quality, skill or person
overdraft : a deficit in a bank account caused by drawing more money than the account
holds
vision : the ability to think about or plan the future with imagination or wisdom
footfall : the total number of people who visit a shop, a place over a particular period
of time
retail : the sale of goods to customers for their own use, rather than to
shops
wholesale : the activity of buying and selling goods in large quantities and therefore at
cheaper prices usually to shop keepers who then sell them to the public
approval : feeling or showing or saying that one thinks something is good; agreement
demarcation : a border or line that separates two things such as types of work, groups of
people or areas of land
Comprehension:
1. What is BIBA?
2. Where did the narrator meet Meena Bindra ?
3. At what age did Meena start designing clothes?
4. Meena Bindra ran her business with the co-operation of her sons.
True/False.
5. Who helped her to start business?
6. What was her lucky break as mentioned by Meena ?
7. What was the profit gained by Meena of her first sale?
8. Who bought her salwar suits initially?
9. When did she move into an office at Kemp’s corner? Why?
10. Why was Meena reluctant to allow her son Sanjay to join her business?
15
11. What is the ‘true test of an entrepreneur’ as discussed in the article?
12. What was the turning point for BIBA ?
13. What according to Meena are the essential qualities of a successful business?
14. How did Meena keep her energy up?
15. Which book has been a constant source of inspiration for Meena?
II Answer the following questions in about one page each:

1. Why did Meena start her business? What was the secret of her success?
2. Discuss the role of her family in her business as shared by Meena.
3. Meena rather chose to lead than follow. Elaborate.
4. What changes did Siddharth bring about in her company?
5. Write a note on Meena Bindra, an entrepreneur.
III. Answer the following questions in about two pages each:
1. Trace the growth of BIBA into one of India’s largest ethnic wear wholesalers.
2. Explain how Meena Bindra’s venture proved to be A Cut Above the rest.
3. Comment on the way Meena Bindra shaped her passion into profession.
Suggested Activities:
• Make a SWOC analysis of entrepreneurship.
• Meet the alumni of your college who have set up their own business.
• Visit any of the BIBA outlets and check out the difference compared to other
brands in your city.
Suggested Reading:
• Follow every rainbow by Rashmi Bansal
• Connect the Dots by Rashmi Bansal
16
3. CHARLES CHAPLIN
(An excerpt from My Autobiography)
 Quotes from Chaplin reflect his views on life. Here are a few gems:-
1. A day without laughter is a day wasted.
2. I always like walking in the rain, so no one can see me crying.
3. We think too much and feel too little.
4. You will never find a rainbow if you’re looking down.
 Comedians bury their miseries in the smiles on their faces. Do you agree?
 Have you noticed Chaplin’s expressions in his movies? Discuss some of his films
from the age of silent films.
About the author
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (1889-1977) was a famous English comic actor, filmmaker,
composer, screenwriter, editor and producer during his time. Those were the times of silent
films. He became renowned through his films like The Gold Rush, The Circus, City Lights and
others. His film The Great Dictator satirized Adolf Hitler. His screen persona was the
inimitable ‘The Tramp’. In his career of 75 years, he saw both adulation and controversy.
In this edited extract from chapter one of My Autobiography, Chaplin tells about his childhood
and his association with his mother, father and brother. Predominant was his mother’s
influence on him. His keen observation and pragmatic outlook are not to be missed in this
piece. His biographer David Robinson said, ‘At seventy-five years old, Charles Chaplin
finally told his own story, at length’.
17
***
I was born on 16 April 1889, at eight o’clock at night, in East Lane, Walworth.
Soon after, we moved to West Square, St George’s Road, Lambeth. According to Mother my
world was a happy one. Our circumstances were moderately comfortable; we lived in three
tastefully furnished rooms. One of my early recollections was that each night before Mother
went to the theatre, Sydney and I were lovingly tucked up in a comfortable bed and left in the
care of the housemaid. In my world of three and a half years, all things were possible; if
Sydney, who was four years older than I, could perform legerdemain and swallow a coin and
make it come out through the back of his head, I could do the same; so I swallowed a
halfpenny and Mother was obliged to send for a doctor.
Every night, after she came home from the theatre, it was her custom to leave delicacies on the
table for Sydney and me to find in morning- a slice of Neapolitan cake or candies- with the
understanding that we were not to make a noise in the morning, as she usually slept late.
Mother was a soubrette on the variety stage, a mignonne in her late twenties, with fair
complexion, violet-blue eyes and long light-brown hair that she could sit upon. Sydney and I
adored our mother. Though she was not an exceptional beauty, we thought her divine-looking.
Those who knew her told me in later years that she was dainty and attractive and had
compelling charm. She took pride dressing us up for Sunday excursions, Sydney in an Eton
suit with long trousers and me in blue velvet one with blue gloves to match. Such occasions
were orgies of smugness, as we ambled along the Kennington Road.
London was sedate in those days. The tempo was sedate; even the horsedrawn tram-cars
along Westminster Bridge Road went at a sedate pace and turned sedately on a revolving table
at the terminal near the bridge. In Mother's prosperous days we also lived in Westminster
Bridge Road. Its atmosphere was gay and friendly with attractive shops, restaurants and music
halls. The fruitshop on the corner facing the Bridge was a galaxy of colour, with its neatly
arranged pyramids of oranges, apples, pears and bananas outside, in contrast to the solemn
grey Houses of Parliament directly across the river.
This was the London of my childhood, of my moods and awakenings: memories of Lambeth
in the spring; of trivial incidents and things; of riding with Mother on top of a horse-bus trying
to touch passing lilac-trees - of the many coloured bus tickets, orange, blue, pink and green,
that bestrewed the pavement where the trams and buses stopped – of rubicund flower - girls
18
at the corner of Westminster Bridge, making gay boutonnieres, their adroit fingers
manipulating tinsel and quivering fern- of the humid odour of freshly watered roses that
affected me with a vague sadness- of melancholy Sundays and palefaced parents and their
children escorting toy windmills and coloured balloons over Westminster Bridge; and the
maternal penny steamers that softly lowered their funnels as they glided under it. From such
trivia I believe my soul was born.
Then objects in our sitting-room that affected my senses: Mother’s lifesize painting of Nell
Gwyn, which I disliked; the long-necked decanters on our sideboard, which depressed me, and
the small round music-box with its enamelled surface depicting angels on clouds, which both
pleased and baffled me. But my sixpenny toy chair bought from the gypsies I loved because it
gave me an inordinate sense of possession.
***
Then something happened! It could have been a month or a few days later - a sudden
realization that all was not well with Mother and the outside world. She had been away all the
morning with a lady friend and had returned home in a state of excitement. I was playing on
the floor and became conscious of intense agitation going on above me, as though I were
listening from the bottom of a well. There were passionate exclamations and tears from
Mother, who kept mentioning the name Armstrong - Armstrong said this, Armstrong said that,
Armstrong was a brute! Her excitement was strange and intense so that I began to cry, so
much so that mother was obliged to pick me up and console me. A few years later I learned
the significance of that afternoon. Mother had returned from the law courts where she had
been suing my father for non-support of her children, and the case had not gone too well for
her.
Armstrong was my father's lawyer.
I was hardly aware of a father, and do not remember him having lived with us. He too was a
vaudevillian, a quiet, brooding man with dark eyes. Mother said he looked like Napoleon. He
had a light baritone voice and was considered a very fine artist. Even in those days he earned
the considerable sum of forty pounds a week. The trouble was that he drank too much, which
Mother said was the cause of their separation.
It was difficult for vaudevillians not to drink in those days, for alcohol was sold in all theatres,
and after a performer’s act he was expected to go to the theatre bar and drink with the
customers. Some theatres made more profit from the bar than from the box office, and a
number of stars were paid large salaries not alone for their talent but because they spent most
of their money at the theatre bar. Thus many an artist was ruined by drink -- my father was
one of them. He died of alcoholic excess at the age of thirty-seven.
19
Mother would tell stories about him with humour and sadness. He had a violent temper when
drinking, and during one of his tantrums she ran off to Brighton with some friends, and in
answer to his frantic telegram: 'What are you up to? Answer at once!' she wired back: 'Balls,
parties and picnics, darling!'
At eighteen Mother had eloped with a middle aged man to Africa. She often spoke of her life
there; living in luxury amidst plantations, servants and saddle horses.
In her eighteenth year my brother Sydney was born. I was told he was the son of a lord
and that when he reached the age of twenty-one he would inherit a fortune of two thousand
pounds , which information both pleased and annoyed me.
Mother did not stay long in Africa, but returned to England and married my father. I had no
knowledge of what ended the African episode, but in our extreme poverty I would reproach
her for giving up such a wonderful life. She would laugh and say that she was too young to be
cautious or wise.
What degree of feeling she had for my father I never knew, but whenever she spoke of him it
was without bitterness, which makes me suspect she was too objective to have been deeply in
love. Sometimes she would give a sympathetic account of him, and at other times talk of his
drunkenness and violence. In later years, whenever angry with me she would ruefully say:
‘you will finish up in the gutter like your father’.
She had known Father before she went to Africa. They had been sweethearts, and had played
together in the same Irish Melodrama called Shamus O'Brien. At sixteen she played the
leading role. While touring with this company, she met and ran off with the middle-aged lord
to Africa. When she returned to England, Father took up the broken threads of their romance
and they married. Three years later I was born.
What other facts besides drink were involved I do not know, but a year after my birth my
parents separated. Mother did not seek alimony. Being a star in her own right, earning twenty
five pounds a week, she was well able to support herself and her children. Only when ill-
fortune befell her did she seek relief; otherwise she would never have taken legal steps.
She had been having trouble with her voice. It was never strong, and the slightest cold brought
on laryngitis which lasted for weeks; but she was obliged to keep working, so that her voice
grew progressively worse. She could not rely on it. In the middle of singing it would crack or
suddenly disappear into a whisper, and the audience would laugh and start booing. The worry
of it impaired her health and made her a nervous wreck. As a consequence, her theatrical
engagements fell off until they were practically nil.
20
It was owing to her vocal condition that at the age of five I made my first appearance on the
stage. Mother usually brought me to the theatre at night in preference to leaving me alone in
the rented rooms. She was playing the Canteen at Aldershot at the time, a grubby, mean
theatre catering mostly to soldiers. They were a rowdy lot and wanted little excuse to deride
and ridicule.
To performers, Aldershot was a week of terror.
I remember standing in the wings when Mother’s voice cracked and went into a whisper. The
audience began to laugh and sing falsetto and to make catcalls. It was all vague and I did not
quite understand what was going on. But the noise increased until Mother was obliged to walk
off the stage. When she came into the wings she was very upset and argued with the stage
manager who, having seen me perform before Mother’s friends, said something about letting
me go on in her place.
And in the turmoil I remember him leading me by the hand and, after a few explanatory
words to the audience, leaving me on the stage alone. And before a glare of footlights and
faces in smoke, I started to sing, accompanied by the orchestra, which fiddled about until it
found my key. It was a well-known song called Jack Jones.
Half-way through, a shower of money poured on to the stage. Immediately I stopped and
announced that I would pick up the money first and sing afterwards. This caused much
laughter. The stage manager came on with a handkerchief and helped me to gather it up. I
thought he was going to keep it. This thought was conveyed to the audience and increased
their laughter, especially when he walked off with it with me anxiously following him. Not
until he handed it to Mother did I return and continue to sing. I was quite at home. I talked to
the audience, danced, and did several imitations including one of Mother singing her Irish
march song.
And in repeating the chorus, in all innocence I imitated Mother's voice cracking and was
surprised at the impact it had on the audience. There was laughter and cheers, then more
money-throwing; and when Mother came on the stage to carry me off, her presence evoked
tremendous applause. That night was my first appearance on the stage and Mother's last.
When the fates deal in human destiny, they heed neither pity nor justice. Thus they dealt with
Mother. She never regained her voice. As autumn turns to winter, so our circumstances turned
from bad to worse. Although Mother was careful and had saved a little money, that very soon
vanished, as did her jewellery and other small possessions which she pawned in order to live,
hoping all the while that her voice would return.
Meanwhile from three comfortable rooms we moved into two, then into one, our belongings
dwindling and the neighbourhoods into which we moved growing progressively drabber.
21
Mother had now sold most of her belongings. The last thing to go was her trunk of theatrical
costumes. These things she clung to in the hope that she might recover her voice and return to
the stage. Occasionally, she would delve into the trunk to find something, and we would see a
spangled costume or a wig and would ask her to put them on. I remember her donning a
judge’s cap and gown and singing in her weak voice one of her old song successes that she
had written herself.
With amazing ease she would then break into a graceful dance and forget her dressmaking and
regale us with her other song successes and perform the dances that went with them until she
was breathless and exhausted. Then she would reminisce and show us some of her old
playbills. One read:
ENGAGEMENT EXTRAORDINARY
Of the dainty and talented
Lily Harley,
Serio-comedienne, impersonator and dancer.
She would perform before us, not with only her own vaudeville material, but with imitations
of other actresses she had seen in the so-called legitimate theatre.
I remember an evening in our one room in the basement at Oakley Street. I lay in bed
recovering from a fever. Sydney had gone out to night school and Mother and I were alone. It
was late afternoon, and she sat with her back to the window reading, acting and explaining in
her inimitable way the New Testament and Christ's love and pity for the poor and for little
children. Perhaps her emotion was due to my illness, but she gave the most luminous and
appealing interpretation of Christ that I have ever heard or seen. She spoke of his tolerant
understanding; of the woman who had sinned and was to be stoned by the mob, and of his
words to them: ‘He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.’
She read into the dusk, stopping only to light the lamp, then told of the faith that Jesus inspired
in the sick, that they had only to touch the hem of his garment to be healed.
'Don't you see,' said Mother, 'how human he was; like all of us, he too suffered doubt.
Mother had so carried me away that I wanted to die that very night and meet Jesus. But
Mother was not so enthusiastic. ‘Jesus wants you to live first and fulfil your destiny here,’ she
said. In that dark room in the basement at Oakley Street, Mother illuminated to me the
kindliest light this world has ever known, which has endowed literature and the theatre with
their greatest and richest themes: love, pity and humanity.
22
***
Living as we did in the lower strata, it was very easy to fall into the habit of not caring about
our diction. But Mother always stood outside her environment and kept an alert ear on
the way we talked, correcting our grammar and making us feel that we were distinguished.
.
As we sank further into poverty I would, in my childish ignorance, reproach her for not going
back to the stage. She would smile and say that ‘that’ life was false and artificial, and that in
such a world one could easily forget God. Yet whenever she talked of the theatre she would
forget herself and again get carried away with enthusiasm. Some days, after reminiscing, she
would fall into a long silence as she bent over her needlework, and I would grow moody
because we were no longer a part of that glamorous life. And Mother would look up and see
me forlorn and would cheerfully console me.
Winter was approaching and Sydney ran out of clothes; so Mother made him a coat from her
old velvet jacket. It had red and black striped sleeves, pleated at the shoulders, which Mother
did her best to get rid of, but with little success. Sydney wept when he was made to wear it:
'What will the boys at school think?'
'Who cares what people think?' she said. 'Besides, it looks very distinguished.' Mother had
such a persuasive way that Sydney to this day has never understood why he ever submitted to
wearing it. But he did, and the coat and a pair of Mother's cut-down high-heeled shoes got him
into many a fight at school. The boys called him ‘Joseph and his coat of many colours’. And I,
with a pair of Mother's red tights cut down for stockings (which looked as though they were
pleated), was called ‘Sir Francis Drake’.
At the depth of this dolorous period, Mother began to develop migraine headaches and was
forced to give up her needlework, and for days was obliged to lie in a dark room with tea-leaf
bandages over her eyes. Picasso had a blue period. We had a grey one, in which we lived on
parochial charity, soup tickets and relief parcels. Nevertheless, Sydney sold newspapers
between school hours, and though his contribution was less than a drop in the bucket, it did
give a modicum of aid. But in every crisis there is always a climax - in our case this crisis
was a happy one.
One day while Mother was recovering, with a bandage still over her eyes, Sydney came
bursting into the darkened room, throwing his newspapers on the bed and exclaiming: ‘I’ve
found a purse!’ He handed it to mother. When she opened it she saw a pile of silver and
copper coins. Quickly she closed it, and then fell back on the bed from excitement.
23
Sydney had been mounting buses to sell his newspapers. On top of one bus he saw a purse on
an empty seat. Quickly he dropped a newspaper over it as if by accident, then picked it up and
the purse with it, and hurried off the bus. Behind a bill-board, on an empty lot, he opened the
purse and saw a pile of silver and copper coins. He told us that his heart leapt, and without
counting the money he closed the purse and ran home.
When Mother recovered, she emptied its contents on the bed. But the purse was still heavy.
There was a middle pocket! Mother opened it and saw seven golden sovereigns. Our joy was
hysterical. The purse contained no address, thank God, so Mother's religious scruples were
little exercised. Although a pale cast of thought was given to the owner's misfortune, it was,
however, quickly dispelled by Mother’s belief that God had sent it as a blessing from Heaven.
Whether Mother's illness was physical or psychological I do not know. But she recovered
within a week. As soon as she was well, we went to Southend-on-Sea for a holiday, Mother
outfitting us completely with new clothes.
Like sand in an hour-glass our finances ran out and hard times again pursued us. Mother
sought other employment, but there was little to be found. Problems began mounting.
Instalment payments were behind; consequently Mother's sewing machine was taken away.
And Father's payments of ten shillings a week had completely stopped.
In desperation she sought a new solicitor, who, seeing little remuneration in the case, advised
her to throw herself and her children on the support of the Lambeth Borough authorities in
order to make Father pay for our support.
There was no alternative: she was burdened with two children, and in poor health; and so she
decided that the three of us should enter the Lambeth workhouse.
Glossary legerdemain: magic with hands, sleight of hand.

Neapolitan: an Italian brand known for ice creams of different flavours.
soubrette: a mischievous female attendant in theatrical comedies.
mignonne: cute, pretty, good looking. dainty: elegant, neat,
small and pretty.
orgy: excessive indulgence smugness: pleased, satisfied
(with dresses) ambled: walked leisurely. sedate: slow-
paced, calm rubicund: red coloured boutonnieres:
24
bunch of flowers worn in a buttonhole. adroit: deft,
skilful.
tinsel: shining
Nell Gwyn: a famous actress in seventeenth century England. decanters: a vessel to
pour liquor.
Vaudevillian: a multi-act theatrical entertainment style.
brooding: deeply thoughtful. saddle: a seat on the
horse back.
melodrama: a musical dramatic presentation with variety of emotions and feelings.
alimony: an allowance given to a former spouse by a divorced or legally separated person.
Laryngitis: inflammation of the larynx, hoarse voice. canteen: a
military cafeteria. Aldershot: a town in England.
grubby: unclean, dirty.
deride: mock. falsetto: false voice.
catcalls: a jeer, a sound of disapproval from the audience.
fiddle: adjusting sound correctly.
drab: dull, uninteresting.
regale: to entertain. reminisce: recall.
New Testament: the second part of The Bible, the sacred scripture of the Christians.
luminous: bright. forlorn: sad, miserable.
pleated: folded, plaited, braided.
dolorous: sad, dull.
Picasso: a famous Spanish painter. parochial:
church-related. modicum: a small amount.
Lambeth: a district in Central London, England.
25
Workhouse: a home for homeless, funded by Church, where people were required to work.
Comprehension
I. Answer the following in one or two sentences each:

1. When and where was Charles Chaplin born?
2. When did Chaplin try doing legerdemain and what was the result?
3. How would his mother dress up her two sons for Sunday excursions?
4. Mother always kept delicacies on the table for Sydney and Chaplin.
Why?
5. Mention any two memories Chaplin shares with the reader with respect to his
childhood in London.
6. Which object gave him ‘an inordinate sense of possession’?
7. Why was his mother angry with Armstrong?
8. What was the occupation of Chaplin’s father?
9. Why did his parents get separated?
10. Why was it difficult for vaudevillians not to drink in those days?
11. How was mother’s life with her first husband in Africa?
12. Mother had known Chaplin’s father much before her first marriage.
TRUE/FALSE.
13. Why didn’t mother seek alimony after her separation from Chaplin’s father?
14. Why couldn’t she continue her singing act on the stage?
15. Why was ‘performing at Aldershot’ considered ‘a terror’?
16. When did Chaplin make his first appearance on the stage?
17. How would she entertain her kids even in tough times?
18. According to mother, how did Jesus inspire faith in the sick?
19. Which are the three virtues of Jesus that inspired Chaplin?
20. How did Sydney contribute to the family when in crisis?
21. What was the reason for Sydney’s excitement one day?
22. What was mother’s reaction to the ‘purse episode’?
II. Answer the following in about a page each:

1. What were the early memories of Chaplin about his childhood?
2. How does Chaplin remember London and its imprints on his mind?
3. Why did mother sue Chaplin’s father and how did the case end?
26
4. Write a note on Chaplin’s father.
5. What does Chaplin say about his mother’s first marriage?
6. Mother’s poor health was the main reason for her setback in theatre.
Explain.
7. Describe Chaplin’s first stage appearance.
8. How did mother show her love of theatrical costumes before her kids?
9. Write a note on her reading sessions with the kids, especially Christ’s love and
pity for the poor.
10. What was the impact of poverty on young Chaplin?
11. Give an example of the persuasive skills of Chaplin’s mother.
12. How does the ‘purse episode’ reflect the plight of the family and its
compromise with religious scruples?
13. What led the family to enter the Lambeth workhouse?
III. Answer the following in about two pages each:

1. How does Chaplin acknowledge the influence of his mother in his childhood?
2. Write a brief note on London life in the early years of Chaplin.
3. Describe the two marriages that Chaplin’s mother got into and suffered.
4. Artist’s life is shrouded with compromises and suffering. Explain with reference
to Chaplin’s parents.
5. ‘Aldershot appearance on the stage was Chaplin’s first and his Mother’s last’.
Discuss.
6. Religious readings and stories had an impact on Chaplin. Elaborate.
7. Write a detailed note on financial crisis suffered by Chaplin’s family.
Suggested Reading:
• Read My Autobiography by Charles Chaplin
• Watch his films City Lights, The Great Dictator and others.
Extended Activity:
• Collect information about famous comedians.
• Watch Raj Kapoor’s Hindi movie ‘Mera Naam Joker’.
• Watch any comic play and share your views on it.
27
4. ENDYMION
- JOHN KEATS
Approach to the text
 Once one fully knows beauty, it will never leave. It transforms the onlooker into a beautiful
object –believes Keats, Discuss  What is your idea of beauty?
About the Poet:
John Keats, (born October 31, 1795, London, England—died February 23, 1821, Rome,
Papal States [Italy]), English Romantic lyric poet who devoted his short life to the perfection
of a poetry marked by vivid imagery, great sensuous appeal, and an attempt to express a
philosophy through classical legends. His father was Thomas Keats, manager of the Swan and
Hoop, a livery stable, and his mother was Frances Jennings, the daughter of the proprietor of
the stables. In 1803, Keats entered John Clarke's school in Enfield, about ten miles from
London. Clarke was a liberal and his influence may have contributed to Keats' political
development.
After his mother's death, Keats developed a love of reading, including the thrillers popular in
his time. In his last two or three terms at Enfield he won several prizes and even began a prose
translation of Virgil's Aeneid. At this time he made a friend of Cowden Clarke, eight years his
senior, who had been his tutor in his first years at Enfield. Clarke was instrumental in fostering
a love of music and poetry in Keats. His popular odes are “Ode to Nightingale”, Ode on a
Grecian Urn”, “Ode to Autumn”, Ode to Melancholy”, “Ode to Psyche”. His other poems
include ‘The Eve of St. Agnes’,‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’, ‘Isabella’ and others.
Keats also tried his hand at a long poem comprising of four books. The result was Endymion,
an involved romance in the Elizabethan style, in which a mortal, the shepherd Endymion, was
28
wedded to the goddess Diana and won immortal bliss. The extract prescribed is from
Endymion- Book-1, First stanza.
Book-1
The first book of “Endymion” by John Keats details the speaker’s beliefs regarding the power
of beauty and his intentions to tell the story of Endymion. The poem begins with the speaker
describing at length the power he believes that beauty holds over human life. He sees it as
being a guiding force that, when accepted and appreciated, enters into one’s heart and helps to
clear one’s path through life. Once one fully knows beauty, it will never leave. It transforms
the onlooker into the beautiful object.
The second half of the poem tells of the speaker’s plan to tell the long story of Endymion, a
character from Greek mythology. He announces his intentions, primes the audience for a long
story, and sends out a “herald” to tell the world what is about to happen. ***
(excerpt)
A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:

Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.
Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing
A flowery band to bind us to the earth,
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth
Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of all the unhealthy and o'er-darkened ways
Made for our searching: yes, in spite of all,
Some shape of beauty moves away the pall
From our dark spirits. Such the sun, the moon,
Trees old and young, sprouting a shady boon
For simple sheep; and such are daffodils
With the green world they live in; and clear rills
That for themselves a cooling covert make
‘Gainst the hot season; the mid forest brake,
Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms:
And such too is the grandeur of the dooms
29
We have imagined for the mighty dead;
All lovely tales that we have heard or read:
An endless fountain of immortal drink,
Pouring unto us from the heaven's brink.
Glossary
Endymion: Derived from Greek word ‘endyein’ meaning ‘to dive into’, or enter. In Greek
mythology he was an Aeolian mortal loved by the mood goddess Selene, who asked Zeus to
grant him eternal life. Aeolian: related to Aeolus- Greek God of winds bower: a pleasant
shady place under the tree or climbing plant morrow: the following day wreathing: surround,
encircle spite: desire to offend or annoy someone despondence: disheartened, hopeless
gloomy: sad pall: cloud here- a dark cloud of gloom and sadness sprouting: to develop
suddenly in large numbers shady boon: a shade which is helpful to someone rills: streams of
running water covert: not openly known or displayed brake: a process to slow down musk-
rose: a Mediterranean rose with white musk-scented flowers grandeur: splendour, impressive
dooms: death, last day of existence mighty: enormous
immortal: living forever heaven’s brink: the door of
God’s home
Comprehension
I. Answer the following in one or two sentences:
1. According to Greek myth who was Endymion?
2. What does the line ‘Therefore are we wreathing a flowery band to bind us to
earth’ suggest?
3. What makes human beings love life in spite of troubles and sufferings?
4. Why is ‘grandeur’ associated with ‘mighty dead’?
5. Do we experience things of beauty only for short moments or do they make a
lasting impression on us?
6. Which of the following does the poem ‘Endymion’ contain?
a. a description of Keats’ ideal society
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b. a re-imagining of Greek myth
c. a meditation on the beauty of Nature
d. All of the above
II. Answer the following in about a paragraph:
1. Explain the images used by the Poet to describe the beautiful bounty of the earth.
2. How does beauty aid us during the darkest days of our life?
3. What does the poet say about the world of dead and the world of living?
4. In ‘Endymion’, Does Keats generalize upon the experience and then unfold his
views? Explain.
III. Answer the following in about two pages:

1. Explain the line” A thing of beauty is a joy forever’, in the context of the poem.
2. Elucidate the all-pervasive power of beauty as observed by the Poet.
3. Write a note on figures of speech used in the poem.
4. How does Keats embellish a familiar story from Greek mythology to retell the
same?
Suggested Reading:
• Ode on a Grecian Urn-John Keats
• Lines Written a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey by William Wordsworth
• To a Skylark by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Extended Activity:
• Figures of Speech and Literary Devices:
A figure of speech or rhetorical figure is figurative language in the form of a single word or
phrase. It can be a special repetition, arrangement or omission of words with literal meaning,
or a phrase with a specialised meaning not based on the literal meaning of the words. Figures
of speech often provide emphasis, freshness of expression, or clarity and enhance the beauty
of expression.
Examples of figures of speech:
 Anaphora
 Metaphor
 Alliteration
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 Anaphora- repetition of a word or expression at the beginning of successive
phrases, clauses, sentences, or verses especially for rhetorical or poetic effect
Lincoln's "we cannot dedicate—we cannot consecrate—we cannot hallow—this
ground" is an example of Anaphora.
 Metaphor-a word or phrase denoting one kind of object or action is used in place
of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them: "you're a peach"-is an
example of Metaphor.
 Alliteration- the repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more
neighbouring words or syllables- wild and woolly, threatening throngs- are examples.
5. THE HAPPY PRINCE

- OSCAR WILDE
TO CARLOS BLACKER

 ‘Man is truly happy only when he spreads happiness around’. How far is the
statement true? Discuss.
 Mother Teresa said ‘I see Christ in the face of the beggar in the gutter’.
Discuss.
About the author:
32
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde was an Irish writer. He was born on October 16, 1854 in Dublin. He was an
author, playwright, and poet. He was a popular literary figure in late Victorian England,
known for his brilliant wit, flamboyant style. In 1891, he published The Picture of Dorian
Gray, his only novel which was banned as immoral by Victorian critics. But now it is
considered as one of his most notable works. As a dramatist, many of Wilde’s plays were well
received. His satirical comedies were Lady Windermere’s Fan (1892), A Woman of No
Importance (1893), An Ideal Husband (1895). The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) was
his most famous play. He died in poverty three years after his release from his imprisonment,
at the age of 46. He died on 30th November, 1900.
The story ‘THE HAPPY PRINCE’ is about a prince. When the prince was alive, he was very
happy. After his death, his big statue was erected on the pedestal, from where the statue of the
prince could see the miseries of the people. He felt sorry for the poor people who were in such
helpless and miserable condition.
The theme of the story is that outward beauty is nothing, it is just a superficial. The real beauty
consists of love and sacrifice. The story conveys the message of love and humanity.
***
High above the city, on a tall column, stood the statue of the Happy Prince. He was gilded
all over with thin leaves of fine gold, for eyes he had two bright sapphires, and a large red
ruby glowed on his sword-hilt.
He was very much admired indeed. ‘He is as beautiful as a weather-cock,’ remarked one
of the town councillors who wished to gain a reputation for having artistic tastes; ‘only not
33
quite so useful,’ he added, fearing lest people should think him unpractical, which he really
was not.
‘Why can’t you be like the Happy Prince?’ asked a sensible mother other little boy who
was crying for the moon. ‘The Happy Prince never dreams of crying for anything.’
‘I am glad there is someone in the world who is quite happy,’ muttered a disappointed
man as he gazed at the wonderful statue.
‘He looks just like an angel,’ said the charity children as they came out of the cathedral in
their bright scarlet cloaks and their clean white pinafores.
‘How do you know?’ said the mathematical master, ‘you have never seen one.’
‘Ah! but we have, in our dreams,’ answered the children; and the mathematical master
frowned and looked very severe, for he did not approve of children dreaming.
One night there flew over the city a little swallow. His friends had gone away to Egypt
six weeks before, but he had stayed behind, for he was in love with the most beautiful reed.
He had met her early in the spring as he was flying down the river after a big yellow moth,
and had been so attracted by her slender waist that he had stopped to talk to her.
‘Shall I love you?’ said the swallow, who liked to come to the point at once, and the reed
made him a low bow. So he flew round and round her, touching the water with his wings, and
making silver ripples. This was his courtship, and it lasted all through the summer.
‘It is a ridiculous attachment,’ twittered the other swallows, she has no money, and far
too many relations,’ and indeed the river was quite full of reeds. Then, when the autumn came
they all flew away.
After they had gone he felt lonely, and began to tire of his lady love. ‘She has no
conversation,’ he said, ‘and I am afraid that she is a coquette, for she is always flirting with the
wind.’ And certainly, whenever the wind blew, the reed made the most graceful curtseys. ‘I
admit that she is domestic,’ he continued, ‘but I love travelling, and my wife, consequently,
should love travelling also.’
‘Will you come away with me?’ he said finally to her, but the reed shook her head, she
was so attached to her home. ‘You have been trifling with me,’ he cried. ‘I am off to the
Pyramids. Goodbye!’ and he flew away.
All day long he flew, and at night-time he arrived at the city. ‘Where shall I put up?’ he
said; ‘I hope the town has made preparations.’
Then he saw the statue on the tall column.
34
‘I will put up there,’ he cried, ‘it is a fine position, with plenty of fresh air.’ So he
alighted just between the feet of the Happy Prince.
‘I have a golden bedroom,’ he said softly to himself as he looked round, and he prepared
to go to sleep; but just as he was putting his head under his wing a large drop of water fell on
him. ‘What a curious thing!’ he cried; ‘there is not a single cloud in the sky, the stars are quite
clear and bright, and yet it is raining. The climate in the north of Europe is really dreadful. The
reed used to like the rain, but that was merely her selfishness.’
Then another drop fell.
‘What is the use of a statue if it cannot keep the rain off?’ he said.
‘I must look for a good chimney-pot,’ and he determined to fly away.
But before he had opened his wings, a third drop fell, and he looked up, and saw-Ah!
What did he see?
The eyes of the Happy Prince were filled with tears, and tears were running down his
golden cheeks. His face was so beautiful in the moonlight that the little swallow was filled
with pity.
‘Who are you?’ he said.
‘I am the Happy Prince.’
‘Why are you weeping then?’ asked the swallow; ‘you have quite drenched me.’
‘When I was alive and had a human heart,’ answered the statue, ‘I did not know what
tears were, for I lived in the Palace of Sans-Souci, where sorrow is not allowed to enter. In the
daytime I played with my companions in the garden, and in the evening I led the dance in the
great hall. Round the garden ran a very lofty wall, but I never cared to ask what lay beyond it,
everything about me was so beautiful. My courtiers called me the Happy Prince, and happy
indeed I was, if pleasure be happiness. So I lived, and so I died. And now that I am dead they
have set me up here so high that I can see all the ugliness and all the misery of my city, and
though my heart is made of lead yet I cannot choose but weep.’
‘What! is he not solid gold?’ said the swallow to himself. He was too polite to make
any personal remarks out loud.
‘Far away,’ continued the statue in a low musical voice, ‘far away in a little street there
is a poor house. One of the windows is open, and through it I can see a woman seated at a
table. Her face is thin and worn and she has coarse, red hands, all pricked by the needle, for
she is a seamstress. She is embroidering passion-flowers on a satin gown for the loveliest of
35
the queen’s maids-of-honour to wear at the next court-ball. In a bed in the corner of the room
her little boy is lying ill. He has a fever and is asking for oranges. His mother has nothing to
give him but river water, so he is crying. Swallow, swallow, little swallow, will you not bring
her the ruby out of my sword-hilt? My feet are fastened to this pedestal and I cannot move.’
‘I am waited for in Egypt,’ said the swallow. ‘My friends are flying up and down the
Nile, and talking to the large lotus-flowers. Soon they will go to sleep in the tomb of the great
king. The king is there himself in his painted coffin. He is wrapped in yellow linen, and
embalmed with spices Round his neck is a chain of pale green jade, and his hands are like
withered leaves.’
‘Swallow, swallow, little swallow,’ and the prince, ‘Will you not stay with me for one night,
and be my messenger? The boy is so thirsty, and the mother so sad.’
‘I don’t think I like boys,’ answered the swallow. ‘Last summer, when I was staying on
the river there were two rude boys, the miller’s sons, who were always throwing stones at me.
They never hit me, of course; we swallows fly far too well for that, and besides, I come of a
family famous for its agility; but still, it was a mark of disrespect.’
But the Happy Prince looked so sad that the little swallow was sorry. ‘It is very cold
here,’ he said, ‘but I will stay with you for one night, and be your messenger.’
‘Thank you, little swallow,’ said the prince.
So the swallow picked out the great ruby from the prince’s sword, and flew away with
it in his beak over the roofs of the town.
He passed by the cathedral tower, where the white marble angels were sculptured. He
passed by the palace and heard the sound of dancing. A beautiful girl came out on the balcony
with her lover. ‘How wonderful the stars are,’ he said to her, ‘and how wonderful is the power
of love!’
‘I hope my dress will be ready in time for the state ball,’ she answered; ‘I have
ordered passion-flowers to be embroidered on it: but the seamstresses are so lazy.’
He passed over the river, and saw the lanterns hanging to the masts of the ships. He
passed over the ghetto, and saw the old Jews bargaining with each other, and weighing out
money in copper scales. At last he came to the poor house and looked in. The boy was tossing
feverishly on his bed, and the mother had fallen asleep, she was so tired. In he hopped, and
laid the great ruby on the table beside the woman’s thimble. Then he flew gently round the
bed, fanning the boy’s forehead with his wings. ‘How cool I feel!’ said the boy, ‘I must be
getting better,’ and he sank into a delicious slumber.
36
Then the swallow flew back to the Happy Prince, and told him what he had done. ‘It is
curious,’ he remarked, ‘but I feel quite warm now, although it is so cold.’
‘That is because you have done a good action,’ and the prince. And the little swallow
began to think, and then he fell asleep. Thinking always made him sleepy.
When day broke he flew down to the river and had a bath. ‘What a remarkable
phenomenon!’ said the professor of ornithology as he was passing over the bridge.‘A swallow
in winter!’ And he wrote a long letter about it to the local newspaper. Everyone quoted it, it
was full of so many words that they could not understand.
‘Tonight I go to Egypt,’ said the swallow, and he was in high spirits at the prospect. He
visited all the public monuments, and sat a long time on top of the church steeple. Wherever
he went the sparrows chirruped, and said to each other, ‘What a distinguished stranger!’ so he
enjoyed himself very much.
When the moon rose he flew back to the Happy Prince. ‘Have you any commissions
for Egypt?’ he cried; ‘I am just starting.’
‘Swallow, swallow, little swallow,’ said prince, ‘will you not stay with me one night
longer?’
‘I am waited for in Egypt,’ answered the swallow. ‘Tomorrow my friends will fly up
to the Second Cataract. The river-horse couches there among the bulrushes, and on a great
granite throne sits the god Memnon. All night long he watches the stars, and when the
morning star shines he utters one cry of joy and then he is silent. At noon the yellow lions
come down to the water’s edge to drink. They have eyes like green beryls, and their roar is
louder than the roar of the cataract.’
‘Swallow, swallow, little swallow,’ said the prince, ‘far away across the city I see a
young man in a garret. He is leaning over a desk covered with papers, and in a tumbler by his
side there is a bunch of withered violets. His hair is brown and crisp, and his lips are red as a
pomegranate, and he has large and dreamy eyes. He is trying to finish a play for the director of
the theatre, but he is too cold to write any more. There is no fire in the grate, and hunger has
made him faint.’
‘I will wait with you one night longer,’ said the swallow, who really had a good heart.
‘Shall I take him another ruby?’
‘Alas! I have no ruby now,’ said the prince, ‘my eyes are all that I have left. ‘They are
made of rare sapphires, which were brought out of India a thousand years ago. Pluck out one
of them and take it to him. He will sell it to the jeweller, and buy firewood, and finish his
play.’
37
‘Dear prince,’ said the swallow, ‘I cannot do that,’ and he began to weep.
‘Swallow, swallow, little swallow,’ said the prince, ‘do as I command you.’
So the swallow plucked out the prince’s eye, and flew away to the student’s garret. It
was easy enough to get in, as there was a hole in the roof. Through this he darted, and came
into the room. The young man had his head buried in his hands, so he did not hear the flutter
of the bird’s wings, and when he looked up he found the beautiful sapphire lying on the
withered violets.
‘I am beginning to be appreciated,’ he cried; ‘this is from some great admirer. Now I
can finish my play,’ and he looked quite happy.
The next day the swallow flew down to the harbour. He sat on the mast of a large
vessel and watched the sailors hauling big chests out of the hold with ropes. ‘Heave a-hoy!’
they shouted as each chest came up. ‘I am going to Egypt!’ cried the swallow, but nobody
minded, and when the moon rose he flew back to the Happy Prince.
‘I am come to bid you goodbye,’ he cried.
‘Swallow, swallow, little swallow,’ said the prince, ‘will you not stay with me one
night longer?’
‘It is winter, answered the swallow,’ and the chill snow will soon be here. In Egypt
the sun is warm on the green palm trees, and the crocodiles lie in the mud and look lazily
about them. My companions are building a nest in the Temple of Baalbec, and the pink and
white doves are watching them, and cooing to each other. Dear prince, I must leave you, but I
will never forget you, and next spring I will bring you back two beautiful jewels in place of
those you have given away. The ruby shall be redder than a red rose and the sapphire shall be
as blue as the great sea.’
‘In the square below,’ said the Happy Prince, ‘there stands a little match girl. She has
let her matches fall in the gutter, and they are all spoiled. Her father will beat her if she does
not bring home some money, and she is crying. She has no shoes or stockings, and her little
head is bare. Pluck out my other eye, and give it to her, and her father will not beat her.’
‘I will stay with you one night longer,’ said the swallow, ‘but I cannot pluck out
your eye. You would be quite blind then.’
‘Swallow, swallow, little swallow,’ said the prince, ‘do as I command you.’
So he plucked out the prince’s other eye, and darted down with it. He swooped past
the match girl, and slipped the jewel into the palm of her hand. ‘What a lovely bit of glass!’
cried the little girl: and she ran home, laughing.
38
Then the swallow came back to the prince. ‘You are blind now,’ he said,’ so I will
stay with you always.’
‘No, little swallow,’ said the poor prince, ‘you must go away to Egypt.’
‘I will stay with you always,’ and the swallow and he slept at the prince’s feet.
All the next day he sat on the prince’s shoulder and told him stories of what he
had seen in strange lands. He told him of the red ibises, who stand in long rows on the
banks of the Nile, and catch gold fish in their beaks; of the Sphinx, who is as old as the world
itself, and lives in the desert, and knows everything; of the merchants, who walk slowly by the
side of their camels and carry amber beads in their hands; of the King of the Mountains of the
Moon, who is as black as ebony, and worships a large crystal; of the great green snake that
sleeps in a palm tree, and has twenty priests to feed it with honey-cakes; and of the pygmies
who sail over a big lake on large flat leaves and are always at war with the butterflies.
‘Dear little swallow,’ said the prince, ‘you tell me of marvellous things, but more
marvellous than anything is the suffering of men and of women. There is no mystery so great
as Misery. Fly over my city, little swallow, and tell me what you see there.’
So the swallow flew over the great city, and saw the rich making merry in their
beautiful houses, while the beggars were sitting at the gates. He flew into dark Lanes, and saw
the white faces of starving children looking out listlessly at the black streets. Under the
archway of a bridge two little boys were lying in one another’s arms to try and keep
themselves warm. ‘How hungry we are!’ they said. ‘You must not lie here,’ shouted the
watchman, and they wandered out into the rain.
Then he flew back and told the prince what he had seen.
‘I am covered with fine gold,’ said the prince, ‘you must take it off, leaf by leaf,
and give it to my poor; the living always think that gold can make them happy.’
Leaf after leaf of the fine gold the swallow picked off, till the Happy Prince looked
quite dull and grey. Leaf after leaf of the fine gold he brought to the poor, and the children’s
faces grew rosier, and they laughed and played games in the street. ‘We have bread now!’ they
cried.
Then the snow came, and after the snow came the frost. The streets looked as if
they were made of silver, they were so bright and glistening; long icicles like crystal daggers
hung down from the eaves of the houses, everybody went about in furs, and the little boys
wore scarlet caps and skated on the ice.
39
The poor little swallow grew colder and colder but he would not leave the prince,
he loved him too well. He picked up crumps outside the baker’s door when the baker was not
looking, and tried to keep himself warm by flapping his wings.
But at last he knew that he was going to die. He had just enough strength to fly up
to the prince’s shoulder once more. ‘Goodbye, dear prince!’ he murmured, ‘Will you let me
kiss your hand?’
‘I am glad that you are going to Egypt at last, little swallow,’ said the prince, ‘you
have stayed too long here; but you must kiss me on the lips, for I love you.’
‘It is not to Egypt that I am going,’ said the swallow. ‘I am going to the House
of Death. Death is the brother of Sleep, is he not?’
And he kissed the Happy Prince on the lips, and fell down dead at his feet.
At that moment a curious crack sounded inside the statue, as if something had
broken. The fact is that the leaden heart had snapped right in two. It certainly was a dreadfully
hard frost.
Early the next morning the mayor was walking in the square below in company with
the town councillors. As they passed the column he looked up at the statue: ‘Dear me! How
shabby the Happy Prince looks!’ he said.
‘How shabby, indeed!’ cried the town councillors who always agreed with the
mayor; and they went up to look at it.
‘The ruby has fallen out of his sword, his eyes are gone, and he is golden no longer,’
said the mayor: ‘in fact he is little better than a beggar!’
‘Little better than a beggar,’ said the town councillors.
‘And here is actually a dead bird at his feet!’ continued the mayor. ‘We really must
issue a proclamation that birds are not to be allowed to die here.’ And the town clerk made a
note of the suggestion.
So they pulled down the statue of the Happy Prince. ‘As he is no longer beautiful he
is no longer useful,’ said the art professor at the university.
Then they melted the statue in a furnace, and the mayor held a meeting of the
corporation to decide what was to be done with the metal. ‘We must have another statue, of
course,’ he said,’ and it shall be a statue of myself.’
‘Of myself,’ said each of the town councillors, and they quarrelled. When I last heart
of them they were quarrelling still.
40
‘What a strange thing!’ said the overseer of the workmen at the foundry. ‘This
broken lead heart will not melt in the furnace. We must throw it away.’ So they threw it on a
dust heap where the dead swallow was also lying.
‘Bring me the two most precious things in the city,’ said God to one of His angels;
and the angel brought Him the leaden heart and the dead bird.
‘You have rightly chosen,’ said God, ‘for in my garden of Paradise this little bird
shall sing for evermore, and in my city of gold the Happy Prince shall praise me.’ Glossary
pinafore: Brit. An apron, esp. with a bib, a woman’s sleeveless wrap around washable
covering for the clothes, tied at the back, a collarless sleeveless dress usually worn over a
blouse or jumper.
coquette: a woman who flirts, any crested humming bird of the genus Lophornis.
curtsey (curtsy): a woman’s or girl’s formal greeting or salutation made by
bending the knees and lowering the body.
lofty: of imposing height, noble, elevated, haughty and aloof
embalm: preserve in an unaltered state, give a pleasant fragrance to, preserve from decay,
originally with spices and now usually by injection of preservative. agility: act of being able
to more easily and understand quickly.
cathedral: the principal church of diocese.
Ghetto: part of a city, especially a slum area, occupied by a minority group, historical the
Jewish quarter in city.
Bulrush: a reed mace, tall waterside plant, a rush like water plant
Beryl: a transparent pale green, blue or yellow mineral consisting of a silicate of Beryllium
and Aluminium, something used as a gemstone.
Grate: the recess of fireplace or furnace, a metal frame for holding fuel in a fireplace or
furnace. garret: a top floor or attic room, especially a small dismal one.
violets: small plants typically with purple, blue or white five petalled flowers. Eg. African
violet a bluish purple colour seen at the end of the spectrum opposite red.
haul: pull or drag with effort or force, transport in a truck or cart change course abruptly.
The temple of Baalbec: It is home to the Baalbec temple complex which includes two of the
largest and grandest Roman temple ruins: the Temple of Bacchus and the Temple of Jupiter. It
was inscribed in 1984 as an UNESCO World Heritage site.
41
The palace of Sans-Souci : it was the summer palace of Frederick the Great king of Prussia,
in Potsdam, near Berlin.
Sans-Souci means without worry, free of care.
Comprehension
1. Where did the statue of ‘The Happy Prince’ stand?
2. Why was the Prince sad?
3. What did the little swallow say when he alighted between the feet of the
statue of the Happy Prince?
4. What did the swallow carry to the sick child’s house?
5. Why hadn’t the swallow gone south with the other birds?
6. The little swallow took the reed with him. True/False
7. What surprised the little swallow when he tried to snuggle between the
feet of the statue?
8. What did the little swallow say when the second drop of water fell on him?
9. Where were the little swallow’s companions building a nest, in the story?
10. What does the swallow see when it flies over the city?
11. What is the moral of the story?
12. What did the little swallow decide to do, after the prince turned ‘blind’?
13. Was the little swallow able to go to Egypt? Why?
14. Who did the Happy Prince give his gemstones from his eyes to?
15. What is the statue of the Happy Prince compared to by one of the two
councillors?
16. What were the two precious things brought to God by one of his angels?
17. Who received the gold leaf that had covered the prince’s body?
18. Why did the workmen throw the heart of the statue on the dust heap?
II. Answer the following questions in a page each:

1. Describe the statue of the happy prince.
2. What did he do in the house of seamster?
3. Who did the Prince send the sapphires to? Why?
4. Why did the swallow decide not to go south with the other birds?
42
5. How did the swallow prove to be the happy Prince’s true friend?
6. Though the courtiers called the Prince ’The Happy Prince ’, the Prince was not
really happy. What made the prince unhappy?
III. Answer the following questions in two pages each:
1. How did the Happy Prince convince the little swallow to stay back with him to
help the helpless and needy people? Explain.
2. Who came there the very next morning after the death of the Prince?
What did they do to the statue?
3. When the Prince was alive, he could not help the poor and miserable people, but
after his death, how did he help them and win a place in the city of gold?
4. Discuss the title of the story ‘The Happy Prince.’
5. How were the Happy Prince and the little swallow rewarded finally?
Suggested Reading:
• The Stories of Panchatanthra  The Aesope’s Fables.

Extended activity:
• Visit an Old Age Home or an Orphanage and try to find out the difficulties of
human life.
• Think of different ways in which you can help the needy and make a list of things
to do.
6. THE SUNDERBANS
-SUSIL MANDAL
Approach to the text
 ‘People compete with wildlife for food and resources’, this Humanwildlife
conflict has led to the extinction and reduction of numerous species and uncountable
human deaths. Discuss
 A major challenge of modern conservation is the resolution of Humanwildlife
conflict.
43
 Does Human-wildlife conflict leads to antagonism towards wildlife conservation
Initiative?
About the poet:
Susil Mandal was born on 1 st April in Palpur village under Gosaba block, an intermediate
Panchayat under South 24 Paraganas district in the Sunderbans. He was initiated into the
world of poetry in a school established by Daniel Hamilton, an Englishman, in the
Sunderbans. Mandal was attracted to the inspiring thoughts and ideas of Swami
Vivekananda, the Bengal Renaissance thinker and reformer of the nineteenth century. He
was particularly fascinated by Vivekananda’s firm belief in the rise of the Shudras and Ati-
Shudras. He also dreamt of a New India rising from the slums and shanties of hapless
Dalits. This was the major driving force behind his decision to join a Ramakrishna Mission
school. He became a teacher in the Department of English at Narendrapur Ramakrishna
Mission Ashram in 1982.
His most noteworthy volumes of poetry are Ek Akash Geetabitan (A Sky of Songs),
Anuchyar Taranga (Silent Waves), Heem Sandhyar Batas (Cold Waves of a Wintry
Evening), Nirjanatar Baibhabe (In the Opulence of Silence) and Ananta Aswiner Shishire
(Dewas of a Perennial Autumn). He has received two major awards –Loksakha Sammanana
and Banani Puraskar. Recently, Mandal’s poems have been selected for the Bridgewater
Poetry Festival, Viginia, USA.
In the poem, the poet tries to draw the pensive sketches of Dalit life in the remotest nooks
of the marshlands. The dire necessity to access the dense, impenetrable forests in search of
honey and firewood and the resultant death in the cruel jaws of the ferocious Royal Bengal
Tiger, is the central theme of this poem. When hapless Subal is devoured by the blood-
thirsty tiger, his wife had no other alternative but to commit suicide by hanging herself from
the ceiling of her ramshackle hut.
A Note on Translator
Shishir Roy studied English Literature in the University of Calcutta. Started his career as a
teacher and later he joined a course in direction and screenplay writing at Satyajit Ray Film
and Television Institute, Kolkata. His interests are varied, including translating for friends,
writing personal prose pieces, cooking, travelling and singing. He is a journalist at present,
working with Anandabazar Patrika, one of the leading vernacular dailies in India.
***
You Coming from Kolkata, Sir?
44
Who sends you here/
All come to see the tigers, But no takers
for us.
A lot more things for you here –
Tigers, crocodile, Hental, Sundari trees, the mangrove – You write
poetry on the colourful leaves.
Only we, black bodies, are left unnoticed.
Our children, poor scavengers,
Scuffle with the orange-peels you’ve thrown.
Tigers fascinate you, no? The Royal Bengal?
‘How wonderful, oh! How’s it possible!’ You never
know the secret behind, The man-eater guzzled a
lot:
Haripada, Subal, Fateh Ali –how many shall I count!
Subal’s wife hanged herself last year
Couldn’t bear the fangs of hunger –what we could do?
We wait for the minister to come,
He came once, year ago,
Promised, ‘The Sunderbans will transform!’
We beg you, sir,
Go tell him kindly,
Our stomachs are full
With the brine-water from flood.
- Translated from Bengali by Shishir Roy
Glossary
Hental: it is wild date tree, but very small and yields but little wood.
Sunderbans is famous for Hental Tree scavengers: someone who searches
through rubbish for food or useful thing scuffle: to make a living with difficulty, to
struggle financially guzzled: to drink or eat quickly, to gulp down brine-water: the
water of the sea
45
Comprehension
1. What can a tourist find in the Sunderbans?

2. Who are unnoticed?
3. ______________ attracts the tourists.
4. The phrase “The sman-eater” refers to _____________
5. What happened to Haripada, Subal and Fateh Ali?
6. Who is the speaker waiting for and why?
7. Why does Subal’s wife commit suicide?
II Answer the following questions in a page each:
1. What are difficulties faced by the localities?
2. How does the poem portray the conflict between human beings and tigers?
3. The poem highlights human hypocrisy. Explain.
III Answer the following questions in two pages each:

1. How does the poet bring out the plight of the downtrodden in the poem?
2. Comment on the element of satire in the poem.
3. “Our Stomachs are full/with the brine-water from flood.” What message is the
poet trying to convey?
4. The project of saving tigers sidelines the issues of loss of human lives.
Substantiate.
Suggested Reading:
• http:/www.cnbctv18.com/economy/the-man-animal-conflict-insunderbans-is-
creating-villages-full-of-tiger-windows-748061.html
• Watch Discovery Channel
• Read the novel Yann Martel’s Life of Pi
Extended Activity:
• Watch the movie Life of Pi(2012)

• Collect information on the Tribal groups in India and write a report on them.
46
47

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ENVISION-II Generic English Textbook for II Semester B. Com/B.B.A.

Copyrights: Bengaluru City University (BCU)

First Edition: 2022

The Generic English Textbook ENVISION-II for II semester B. Com/B.B.A. and

Prof. Lingaraja Gandhi

ENVISION-II, the Generic English Textbook for II semester B. Com/B.B.A. and

Dr. Thandava Gowda TN

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF STUDIES-ENGLISH (UG) (BCU)

1 Dr. Rajaram 6 Mrs. Ayesha Firdose

MEMBERS OF THE TEXTBOOK COMMITTEE (BCU)

1 Prof. N G Narasimhan 5 Prof. Kavitha Venugopal

ENVISION-II is the Generic English Textbook for II semester B. Com/B.B.A. and

The workbook material reflects variety of language skills and communication

The Committee expresses its gratitude to Dr.Thandava Gowda T N, Chairperson,

Chapter Unit-I Receptive Skills (Reading and Listening Skills) Page No

1 Reading Skills - Comprehension passages 2 – 25

4 Listening activities (interviews and conversations) 71 – 78

6 Dialogue writing 97 – 104

7 Verbal and non-verbal communication 105 – 112

8 Active and passive voice 113 – 126

9 Introducing guests, welcome speech, vote of thanks 127 – 139

10 Question paper pattern 140

11 Model question paper 141 - 144

READING SKILLS-COMPREHENSION PASSAGES

Reading comprehension is the fundamental skill which is influenced by external

Reading comprehension involves both text comprehension and vocabulary

Comprehension is the understanding and interpretation of what is read. To be able to

WHY IS COMPREHENSION SKILL IMPORTANT?

Reading comprehension demonstrates your ability to understand, interpret, analyze,

Communication skills, critical thinking skills, giving attention to details, decision-

5 Types of Reading Comprehension

Understand key vocabulary in the text.

 Preview vocabulary before reading the story or text

 Identify the main ideas of the paragraph.

Answer What if, Why and How questions.

 Understand ‘facts’ that are not explicitly stated in the story.

Relate story to existing knowledge or opinion.

 Not a simple question that can be marked ‘right’ or ‘wrong’.

Understand social and emotional aspects

 Preview social scripts to ensure understanding of plot development.

• Preview vocabulary before reading the story or

 Previews social scripts to ensure understanding of plot

Different types of Reading Skills:

Skimming: Reading rapidly for the main points

Scanning: Reading rapidly to find a specific piece of information

Extensive Reading: Reading a longer text, often for pleasure with

Intensive Reading: Reading a short text for detailed information

PASSAGES FOR COMPREHENSION:

Our country is facing a severe environmental crisis. If not tackled on a war

Q1. Choose the most appropriate option

1. If India’s environmental problem is not dealt with urgently, it

Q2. Who will be most seriously affected by the ecological disaster?

Ans: Millions of people, especially the poor will be affected by the

Q3. The recent has revealed that India is losing millions of

Ans: Satellite data.

Q4. The word ‘understate’ in the paragraph means-

Ans: Leaders of countries attacked one another as they wanted to increase

Q4. The phrase ‘firmly imprinted’ which is in the paragraph 1

Q5. Suggest a suitable title for the above passage.

Ans: War and its consequences

Data Compilation Passage:

Furthermore, most frauds are occurring in the loan portfolio of financial

Recently, it was reported that cumulatively, banks in India suffered frauds

The theory of the formation of the planets