Commutative English

Biyani's Think Tank

Concept based notes

Communicative English

(B.Tech)

Bethcy Sherin George

Asst. Professor

Deptt. of Engineering

Biyani International Institute of Engineering and Technology

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Published by :

Think Tanks

Biyani Group of Colleges

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Edition : 2013

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While every effort is taken to avoid errors or omissions in this Publication, any mistake or

omission that may have crept in is not intentional. It may be taken note of that neither the

publisher nor the author will be responsible for any damage or loss of any kind arising to

anyone in any manner on account of such errors and omissions.

Commutative English 3


Preface

I am glad to present this book, especially designed to serve the needs of the students.

The book has been written keeping in mind the general weakness in understanding the

fundamental concepts of the topics. The book is self-explanatory and adopts the “Teach

Yourself” style. It is based on question-answer pattern. The language of book is quite easy and

understandable based on scientific approach.

Any further improvement in the contents of the book by making corrections, omission and

inclusion is keen to be achieved based on suggestions from the readers for which the author

shall be obliged.

I acknowledge special thanks to Mr. Rajeev Biyani, Chairman & Dr. Sanjay Biyani, Director

(Acad.) Biyani Group of Colleges, who are the backbones and main concept provider and also

have been constant source of motivation throughout this Endeavour. They played an active role

in coordinating the various stages of this Endeavour and spearheaded the publishing work.

I look forward to receiving valuable suggestions from professors of various educational

institutions, other faculty members and students for improvement of the quality of the book. The

reader may feel free to send in their comments and suggestions to the under mentioned

address.

Note: A feedback form is enclosed along with think tank. Kindly fill the feedback form

and submit it at the time of submitting to books of library, else NOC from

Library will not be given.

Author

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Syllabus

Unit 1

Grammar

1. Tenses

2. Passive Voice

3. Indirect Speech

4. Conditional Sentences

5. Modal Verbs

Unit 2

Composition

1. Dialogue Writing

2. Paragraph and Precis Writing

3. Report, its importance and Report Writing

Unit 3

Short Stories

1. The Luncheon: W.S. Maugham

2. How Much Land Does a Man Need?: Leo Tolstoy

3. The Last Leaf: O. Henry

Unit 4

Essays

1. On the Rule of the Road: A. G. Gardiner

2. The Gandhian Outlook: S. Radhakrishnan

3. Our Own Civilisation: C.E.M. Joad

Unit 5

Poems

1.The Unknown Citizen: W. H. Auden

2.The Character of A Happy Life: Sir Henry Wotton

3.No Men are Foreign: James Kirkup

4.If : Rudyard Kipling



Unit –I

GRAMMAR (TENSES)

Q.1 Explain the different kinds of Tenses?

Ans. Tense refers to a set of verb or verb forms that indicate a particular point in time.

There are different types of tense :-

I- PRESENT TENSE :-

1. Present Simple Tense :- usually present simple tense is used when

something happens regularly or is in a permanent situation. For E.g.- Sita

goes to school at 7‟O clock in the morning.

2. Present Continuous Tense :- This tense is usually used to talk about

events that are actually happening at present. In things or verbs, „ing‟ is

added at its base. For E.g.- Rakesh is studying hard this year.

3. Present Perfect Tense :- This tense is often used to talk about the different

experiences. For E.g. – Ram have been to Ireland thrice.

4. Present Perfect continuous Tense :- This tense is usually used to indicate

the time since any activity had been taking place. For E.g. – I have been

studying French for the past four years.

GENERAL RULE : PRESENT

Present Simple Continuous Tense Perfect Perfect Continuous

I/We/You/ I/We/You/They I/We/You I/We/You/They

They work Are working They had worked Have been working

He /She/It He /She/It is He /She/It He /She/It has

Works Working Has worked Been working

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II- PAST TENSE :-

1. Simple Past Tense :- Any event that look place at a particular point in time

in the past is denoted by the simple Past Tense. For E.g. – I got my degree

in the year 2001.

2. Past Continuous Tense :- This tense is used to explain any past action over

a period of time. For E.g. – What were they working on in the morning ?

3. Past Perfect Tense :- This tense is usually used to talk about two past

events. For E.g. When I arrived, they had already started eating.

4. Past Perfect Continuous :- This tense is used to talk about longer events in

the past. For E.g. – She had been sitting at the computer all day

III- FUTURE TENSE :-

1. Simple Future :- It is generally used to express a general intention,

prediction or opinion. For E.g. It will snow in winter. We will travel

abroad.

2. Future Continuous: - It is used for activities that will be in progress at a

point of time. For E.g. – At 7:30, I will be travelling to Delhi.

3. Future Perfect: - It is generally used for activities or events to be completed

by a particular time in future. For E.g. : I will have sent the project by

Friday

4. Future Perfect Continuous :- It is generally used for activities that will

continue until a point of time and will not be completed. For E.g. – He will

have been travelling for 24 hours.



GENERAL RULE : PAST & FUTURE

Past Simple Past Continuous Past Perfect Past Perfect

Continuous

I/We/You/they I/He /She was

working

I/We/You/They/ I/We/You/They/It

He /She/It We/you/They He /She/It had He /She had been

Worked Were Working worked working

Simple Future Future

Continuous

Future Perfect Future Perfect

Continuous

I/We/You/they/He

/She

I/You/they/

we/

I/We/You/Th

ey/

I/We/You/Th

ey/

It will be shall work He /She/It

will be or shall

be working

He /She/It

will have

worked

He /She/It

will have been

working

Q.2 What do you understand by voice ?

Ans. The relationship between the agent i.e. the one who performs the action and the

action i.e. verb is termed as voice. Voices can be of two types :-

(1) Active Voice (2) Passive Voice

In active voice, the subject performs the action of the verb and the agent receives

more emphasis or attention.

In the passive voice, the subject receives the action and the attention of the reader

is focused on the receiver of the action the structure of the passive voice is as

follows :-

Subject +auxiliary verb(be)+main verb (Past Participle)

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Q.3 Explain the steps for passivizing an active sentence ?

Ans. Following are the steps to be considered for changing an active voice into passive

voice .

1. Generally, in a passive sentence, the main verb is in past participle form and

the subject of the active verb becomes the agent of the passive verb.

2. „By‟ is used when converting a sentence from active to passive.

3. When changing from active to passive form, the tense of the sentence remains

unchanged.

4. Only sentences containing direct objects can be changed into passive because

the direct object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive

sentence.

5. According to the tense, the appropriate form of „be‟ is to be used while

converting to passive voice. Like Present (is,am,are), Past (was, were), Perfect

(been), continuous (being), To-infinitives (to be), Imperatives and modals (be)

6. While conversion, wherever necessary, an appropriate preposition like by,

with, to ete should be used.

For E.g. – 1) The dog bit the boy

The boy was bitten by the dog

2) Smoke filled the room

The room was filled with smoke.

3) He must talk to him.

He must be talked to

7. The subjective form of the active voice must be changed into objective form of

the passive voice. Like :-

I - Me

We - Us

You - You

He - Him

She -her



It - It

They - Them

Sita - Sita

8. The tense of the helping verb remains the same and the main verb changes

into its past participle form.

For E.g. – 1. William writes a letter (Present Tense)

A letter is written by William (Present Tense)

2. William has written a letter (Present Perfect)

A letter has been written by William (Present Perfect)

3. William wrote a letter (Past Simple)

A letter was written by William (Past Simple)

Q.4 How sentences are transformed write passivization

Ans. Transformation to Imperative sentences :- Imperative Sentences are those which

create a command. So the original sentences are converted into command form.

For example :-

1. The dog eats the bone

Eat the bone

2. I am Happy

Be Happy

3. We consider joe intelligent

Consider Joe intelligent

Transformation to Exclamatory Sentences :-

Exclamatory Sentences are those which create a surprise statement so the original

sentences are converted into surprise form. For Example :-

1. The dog eats the bone

What a bone the dog eats !

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2. Mary gave Joe a ring.

What a ring Mary gave Joe

Transformation to Interrogative Sentences :-

Interrogative sentences are question sentences. In active sentences, when

the question begins with Do,did, does, etc appropriate form of „be‟ is used. For

E.g. :-

1. What are you eating ?

What is being eaten by you?

2. Do you bake cakes here ?

Are the cakes bated here ?

SSoommee EExxaammpplleess :: AAccttiivvee ttoo PPaassssiivvee

1. The child had swallowed a piece of plastic.

A piece of plastic has been swallowed by the child

2. Loud thunderstorms frighten our dog.

Our dog is frightened by loud thunderstorms.

3. That investment will make a good deal of money

A good deal of money will be made by that investment

Q.5 What do you understand by Direct and Indirect speech ?

Ans. The words of a speaker can be reported in two ways. One is quoting the actual

words of the speaker like :- He said, “ I have lost my mobile phone”.

Another is reporting the words of the speaker but not quoting his exact words

Like :-

He said that he had lost his mobile phone.

Q.6 Discuss the steps to be considered while converting from direct to indirect

speech?



Ans. Following are some of the steps to be considered:-

1. When the reporting or principal verb is in past tense, the cense of the

sentences in the direct speech gets changed as follows :-

Present Simple Tense - To Past Simple Tense

Present Continuous Tense - To Past Continuous

Present Perfect Tense - To Past Perfect Tense

Present Perfect continuous Tense - Past Perfect Continuous

Simple Past Tense - Past Perfect Tense

Past Continuous Tense - Past Perfect Continuous

Future Tense - Conditional

2. If the reporting or principal verb is in present tense, the tenses of the direct

speech do not change .

For Eg. :- He says, “ Jam unwell”.

He says that he is unwell.

3. The tense of the direct speech do not change if the statement is a universal

truth, a proven fact or is still relevant.

For E.g. – Marry said, “ I know her address”.

Marry said that she knows her address.

4. If the meaning gets changed while converting from direct to indirect, then the

tense of the direct speech does not change.

For E.g. – He said, “ I loved her”

He said that he had loved her (meaning is getting changed)

He said that he loved her.

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5. The pronouns of the direct speech gets changed wherever necessary from first

or second person to third person. If speaker is reporting his own words, there

is no change in pronouns.

For E.g. He said, “ I have forgotten my books”.

He said that he had forgotten his books.

6. Adverb and Adverb phrases of time also gets changed while conversion.

Adverbs like This and that are converted to there and those and when used as

adjectives, they are converted to “the”.

For E.g. – He said, “ I bought this pen”.

He said that he had bought that pen.

Following changes are made in adverbs and adverbial phrase of time :-

Today - That day

Yesterday - The day before

Tomorrow - The next day/The following day

Next week - The following week

Last week - The Previous week

For E.g. – He said, “ I will send the letter tomorrow”

He said that he would send the letter the next day.

7. When converting the questions from direct to indirect, the reporting verb said

is converted to ask, Inquire etc.

For E.g. – He said to me, “ Where are you going?”

He asked me where I was going.

8. If in the direct speech question begins with a question word, that question

word will be repeated in the indirect speech.

For E.g. – He said, “ Who was there ?”

He inquired who was there



9. When the question does not start with a question word, if/whether is used

while conversion.

For E.g. He said to me, “ Do you speak English ?”

He asked me if I spoke English.

10. While converting Imperative sentences into indirect speech, the word ordered

or requested or advised or suggested or forbade or not to do is added to the

reporting verb.

For E.g. - He said to me, “ Please help me”.

He requested me to help him.

11. While converting exclamatory sentences into indirect speech words like

exclaimed with Joy, exclaimed with sorrow or exclaimed with wonder is

added to the reporting verb.

For E.g. He said , “ Hurray ! I won a price”.

He exclaimed with joy that he had won a price.

12. Sentences having modals like can, may, must, shall will be changed to could,

right, had to, should in indirect speech.

For E.g. – He said, “ I can drive a car”.

He said that he could drive a car.

Q.7 What are conditional sentences?

Ans. Conditional sentences are those sentences which express hypothetical situations

and their consequences conditional sentences pul forth certain conditions. There

are two parts of a conditional sentence- the subordinate clause and the main

clause. The condition is-the subordinate clause and the consequence is the main

clause.

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For E.g. :- It is rains (subordinate clause), the picnic will be cancelled (main

clause)

Q.8 Explain in detail the different types of conditional sentences?

Ans. Conditional sentences can be of the following types :-

1. Probable condition :- These are those sentences where there is greater

probability of the condition to be fulfilled. The verb in the if clause is in the

present tense and the verb in the main clause is in future simple tense.

For E.g. – If we play, we will win.

If he run fast, he will catch the train

Variations

These are certain variations to the general rule :- In main clause

A) If + Simple Present Tense +may (possibility)

B) If + Simple present +can (Ability or Permission)

C) If+ Simple present +may (Permission)

D) If+ simple present +must (command)

E) If+ Simple Present +should (Request or Advice)

F) If +Simple Present +Simple Present tense

If clause:-

A) If + Present continuous Tense

B) If +Present Perfect Tense

2 Improbable condition: - These are those sentences where there is lesser

probability of the condition to be fulfilled. The verb in the „if clause‟ is in the past

tense and the main clause consists of the conditional tense (would + infinitive/I

form of verb)

For E.g.- If he was here, I would have spoken well.



If I was a bird, I would fly in the sky

This soup would taste better, If it had more salt in it.

Variations :-

There are certain variations to this general rule as follows :-

Main clause :-

A) If +past tense+might (possibility)

B) If + Past tense + could (Ability)

C) If + Past tense + Past tense

If clause :-

a) If+ Past continuous tense

b) If + Past Perfect Tense

3 Impossible condition :- These are those sentences where the action in the „If

clause‟ does not happen as the time is part and the condition cannot be

fulfilled. The verb in the „if clause‟ is in Past Perfect tense and the main clause

has perfect conditional tense (Could +have +past participle /III form of the

Verb).

For E.g. – If they had been stronger, they would have lifted the table.

If they had not come, it would have been better.

Variations

Main Clause :-

A) If + past perfect+could (ability)

B) If +past perfect +might (ability)

Q.9 What do you understand by Modal verb ?

Ans. Modal verbs are also termed as modals, modal auxiliary verbs and they are used

to indicate nodality i.e. like hood, ability, permission and obligation. It cannot

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function as a main verb in a sentence but help in giving more information about

the function of the main verb that follows it.

For E.g. – They can do it well.

You should go for a walk every day.

Should he reach there at 7 in the morning

Q.10 Explain the different types of modals?

Ans. The different types of modals are as follows :-

1. CAN – It is used to indicate possibility and ability, in nothing requests, in

asking for or giving permission.

It can be used for something that is generally possible, used to talk about

specific circumstances or possibilities.

In questions also, the modal „CAN‟ request permission to do something or to

ask about possibilities.

For E.g. He can help you

He can play the guitar

Can I help you ?

Can you do this for me

2. COULD – It is used to talk about what was possible in the past. Could can be

used for positive events and could not for negative events.

For E.g. I could have told you

I could easily climb the tree.

3. SHALL – „Shall‟ is basically used with first person pronouns to express simple

futurity. It can be used to talk about strong possibility or certainly of an event.

It can also indicate suggestion or promises.

For E.g. You shall obey my instructions

Shall we go now ?



4. WILL – „Will is also used with first person pronouns generally to express ideas

like determination, promise, threat, willingness etc.

For E.g. I will go there

5. MAY – May is used to ask for permission and is rather formal and not used

very after in nodals English.

For E.g. – May we think about it

May I go there ?

6. MIGHT – Might is used to suggest a small possibility of something than May.

But might is more usual than „May‟ in spoken English.

For E.g. It might rain today

He might reach here anytime.

7. MUST – Must may be used to indicate as obligation, an assumption or

possibility.

For E.g. – You must watch this movie.

You must not eat so much chocolate.

8. SHOULD/SHOULDN‟T/OUGHT TO – „Should‟ and „Shouldn‟t are used to

make an obligation or an assumption about what is probably true, if

everything is as we expect.

For E.g. it shouldn‟t take so much time

They should be here by now

The modal „ought to‟ indicate an obligation. „should‟ & „ought to‟ are

synonyms but in questions, generally „should‟ is used instead of „ought to‟.

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For E.g. You ought to go home now

Should he go now ?

Should we call her.

WOULD- Would is used for unreal or unimagined situations.

For E.g. - She would love to be a doctor

We would be more than happy to visit New York.



Unit 2

Dialogue Writing

Q.1 What do you understand by dialogue writing ?

Ans. Dialogue writing is one of the most complicated parts of creative writing and

appears best when put into a summarized form rather than the drawn out form of

an actual conversation. Dialogue is what happens when two or more characters

speak to one another and it gives necessary information. Dialogue must aim at

moving the story forward. A good dialogue foreshadows events which are to

come, makes them more dramatic and gives characters and the relationships

between them, Life

Q.2 Describe the various aspects of a Dialogue ?

Ans. Dialogues in fictions must reasonable real dialogue without the tiresome

monotonous part, well written dialogues doesn‟t draw attention to itself but

quietly goes about its business revealing truth. It expresses the education, social

class, profession and background of the characters.

Writing Direct Dialogue :-

While writing direct dialogue, context should always determine who is talking

and what they are saying dialogue should not be simply used to convey

information but it should set the scene, advance action, give insight into

characterization , remind the reader and fresh shadow. Grammatical corrections

are not necessary but it should read like actual speech. Too much slang or

misspellings must not be used to create a characteristics voice.

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Writing Indirect Dialogue :-

It is another way of creating the feel of exchange without quotations. If a direct

thought is to be written, what is being said must be italicized?

Writing Natural Dialogue :-

Natural sounding dialogue is a major tribulation to many writers. A Natural

dialogue must seem real to the rader without having all the false state of real

speech.

Q.3 Explain the characteristics of a good dialogue ?

Ans. Following are the essential characteristics of a good dialogue :-

1. It should follow simple grammatical rules and must be enclosed within

quotation marks.

2. It must be concise as long and tedious passages will not be easy for the reader.

3. Good dialogue must let the reader know something about the person speaking

it.

4. Good dialogue must remind the reader that their characters are physical

human beings by grounding their dialogue in the physical world.

5. Good dialogue should never be used to tell the readers, things your characters

already know.

6. Too much use of words like exclaimed, gasped, searched, postulated,

reasoned, argued, pondered, mouthed should not be done because the

dialogue will be over whelmed by the words around it.

Q.4 What is a paragraph ?

Ans. A paragraph is a collection of connected or sequential sentences that develops one

main idea. A basic paragraph structure usually consists of five sentences – the

topic sentence (Introduction), there supporting sentences (explanation) and a



concluding sentence (conclusion). The fundamental rule is that one main idea

must be focused upon and developed through a paragraph.

The topic of a paragraph is usually introduced in „topic sentence‟ which

serves as an idea or attitude of the topic. It needs to be clear and focused. The last

sentence of a paragraph is termed as closing sentence which restates the main

idea of the paragraph using different words.

Q.5 Explain the various stages in a paragraph ?

Ans. The various stages are as follows :-

1. The Pre-writing stage :-This stage requires careful thinking and organization

of ideas. Various things need to be thought like what can be the introductory

sentence, what facts can support the introductory sentence and how the

paragraph can be made more interesting.

2. The Writing Stage :-It is the stage when the ideas are turned into sentence.

The main idea must be focused upon keeping the sentences clear and simple.

3. The Editing Stage: - It is the stage when paragraph is checked for mistakes

and corrections are made if needed. It is essential to reread the paragraph and

ensure that each sentence has a subject, paragraph has a topic sentence and all

sentences focus on the main idea.

Q.6 What are the essential elements of writing a good paragraph?

Ans. Following are the essential elements of good paragraph writing:-

1. Unity -A Paragraph must focus on a main idea and the entire paragraph

should be unified around this main idea.

2. Order -Order refers to the way supporting sentences are organized. In a well

ordered paragraph, the reader follows along easily, aided by the established

pattern.

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3. Coherence -Coherence is the quality that makes writing understandable.

Sentences with a paragraph need to connect to each other and work together

as a whole. Use of linking words is one of the best methods to create a sense of

coherency

4. Completeness - Completeness means a paragraph is well defined and

developed. If all sentences clearly and sufficiently support the main idea, then

the paragraph is complete.

Q.7 What is a Précis ?

Ans. The consent reduction of a text into a sheet summary can be termed as a précis. In

this, the important ideas of the original text are shortened using one‟s own words.

Therefore, it is a type of summarizing of the original text into its one third. In this

way, précis say a great deal within a brief space.

The purpose or objective behind précis writing is to test the reader‟s

comprehension of any given passage, test the ability to blend information and test

his communication skills.

Q.8 What are the essential principles of writing a good précis ?

Ans. Following are the essential principles :-

1. The basic facts, highlights, author‟s emphasis, tone and argument must be

included.

2. Quotations must be limited as the whole idea is to summarize the content.

3. A lengthy passage must be compressed retaining the important concept and

key words.

4. The text needs to be factually correct and described as accurately and briefly

as possible.

5. For a good précis writing, the passage needs to be read several times for a full

understanding. Each paragraph may be restated in one or two sentences.

6. Key words and occasionally key expressions can be used.



7. A précis never expresses any opinion about the passage but it only

summarizes another person‟s ideas in one‟s own words.

8. An apt heading or title must be chosen by reading the passage carefully and

titles of text must be italicized.

9. The précis order of the original points need to be retained and these should

not be any use of abbreviations.

10. Expressions such as- Ejhis passage says‟, „according to the author‟ etc should

be avoided.

11. Finally check the precis against the original to be sure that it is exact in idea

and retains the order, proportions and relationships.

Q.9 What do you understand by a report ?

Ans. Reports are used in government, education, business, science and other fields and

is a statement containing important and definite information reports vary in their

purpose but all of them requires careful planning and a formal structure using

clear & concise language.

Reports are a highly structured form of writing often following a common

format. One of the most common formats for presenting reports is IMRAD i.e.

Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion. This structure is standard for the

genre because it mirrors the raditional publication of scientific research and

summons the ethos and credibility of the discipline.

Q.10 Explain the various stages involved in Report writing ?

Ans. Following are the various stages involved :-

1) Reason of writing :-

The purpose of writing report needs to be clear. This will help in

communicating information with more clarify and will help the author to be

selective while collecting the information.

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2) Planning :-

Careful planning is very essential for writing clear, concise and effective

report. Planning involves breaking down the report into various parts along

with an estimation of duration required to complete the entire report.

3) Collecting information :

Al this stage, there must be a careful analysis, Listing and planning of the

information which is to be gathered.

4) Organizing Information

Organization of the collected information is essential and this can be done by

writing the main theme in the centre of a piece of paper in order to brainstorm

the ideas.

5) Writing Reports

The last stage is writing reports. A first draft should be written which must be

revised, edited and carefully rewritten. After writing, it should be checked

thoroughly.

Q.11 Briefly describe the structure of a report ?

Ans. A report generally has the following structure :-

1. The cover Page/Title Page

This includes the title of the report along with the author‟s name. The title must

reflect the purpose of the report, the persons for whom the report was prepared

and the full details of the persons who prepared the report.

2. Acknowledgement :-

This is a short paragraph thanking any person or organization which helped

the author in data collection and preparation of report.

3. Table of contents

This is a list of heading and appendices of the report



4. Abstract

It should be generally short summarizing the main contents of the report but it

is quite different from introduction. It should contain the essence of the report.

5. Introduction

The context and scope of the report is mentioned in introduction. In this the

objectives must be stated clearly, outline the method of enquiry and key terms

and scope must be clarified.

6. Methodology :- This section states how data was collected through

interviews or questionnaires and should be presented logically and

concisely.

7. Result or Findings

Results or Findings can be presented through tables, graphs, Pie-chart, bar

charts and diagrams.

8. Discussion

This section is used for analyzing and interpreting the results drawn from the

information collected.

9. Conclusion & Recommendations :-

This section draws together the main issues and should be expressed clearly.

It should not present any new information.

10. References

References include the precise details of all the work by other authors which

has been referred to within the report.

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11. Appendices

It contains additional information related to the report but which is not

essential to the main findings.

12. Illustration checklist

This checklist clarifies all diagrams,\abellings, titles, link between text and

diagrams and soon.

13. Abbreviations/Glossary

It provides an alphabetical list of the abbreviations used in the report.

Glossary can be provided if many technical terms are used in the report

wherein a brief explanation of the terms can be given.

Q. 12 Describe the various types of reports ?

Ans. The different types of reports are

1. Research Report :- It is the type of report written an account of research work

carried out with a specific purpose

2. Business Report: - Business reports are considered to be indispensible parts of

business communication process.

3. Scientific Reports: - It is somewhat similar to the research report. The only

difference is that the scientific reports are written by science students while

research reports dominate in humanities.



Unit 3

Short Stories

Q.1 Explain in detail the story of „The Luncheon‟ ?

Ans. The Luncheon‟ is an interesting short story written by William Somerset

Maughan who was a distinguished British author. In this story, the narrator

recognizes a woman with whom he had lunch year ago and he starts

remembering the unforgettable evening. He was living in Paris at that time, was

young and could barely make his ends neat. She had read one of his books and

wrote to congratulate him on his ----------When the narrator thanked her for the

letter, she wrote another letter asking to have chat with him as she was passing

through Paris. The narrator invited her for lunch and to his horror, she chose a

very expensive restaurant. She was a very talkative woman of forty. First she

ordered a salmon and then a little caviar by mentioning that the French while

wines are so light & easy for digestion, she ordered for champagne also after

eating so much, she stated that she is not in the habit of eating a heavy luncheon.

When the waiter came with the bill of fare, she again asked him for some giant

asparagus. The narrator‟s heart sank as they were horribly expensive. In this way,

she ordered one expensive dish after another and when the bill came, the narrator

paid and was left with no money at all. However, in the end, the narrator feels

that he finally had his sevenge when he sees that the woman now weight twenty

one stones which is approximately 300 pound.

Q.2 Give a brief explanation about the author of this story?

Ans. The author of this story is willliam somerset Maugham a distinguished British

author. He was born in Paris and spent his childhood in a French speaking

society. At the age of 10, he returned to England. He studied at Hielelberg and at

St. Thomas Hospital, London and qualified as a doctor. But his indination was

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towards writing instead of practicing medicine. He wrote large number of novels,

plays and short stories. Some of his best novels include –Of Human Bondage, The

Moon and sixpence etc. Maugham has an amazing skill for revealing, with a few

toches, a situation and the essentials of a character, and his stories are told with

lucidily and an economy of word which are the marks of a supreme

craftsmanship.

Q.3 Explain in detail the story of “How much land does a Man need” ?

Ans. The story of “ How much land does a Man need” was written by Leo Tolstoy, a

popular Russian writer. It is considered to be one of the greatest story that the

literature of the world knows. It is a short story about a man who, in his but for

land forfits everything. What happens in the story is that Pahom, a Russion

peasant overhears his wife and her sister arguing –the merits of farm life versus

city life. Pahom being a poor fellow proclaims to himself that if he had enough

land, he would not even fear the devil. Pahom‟s greedy plans get into devil‟s ears

and he plans to exploit him. The devil decides to give him land without him

knowing. Pahom soon succeeded in buying land yet he gets dissatisfied. In order

to acquire more land, he treated the local peasants very badly. He started buying

more and more land and grew tired and bought even more. One day Pahom was

told about the region of Bashirs where fertile land was available at low prices.

When we went there, he was told that he can get as much land as he can walk off

in a day for thousand Rubles. Also he has to return to his starting point before

sunset. Pahom walks a great distance trying to encircle or much land as possible.

He went too far and when he was heading back, he realized that the sun was

setting. Therefore, he started running, as hard as he could and just as he reached

the destination, he died from overexertion. He ends up with six feet of land

enough for his grave.



Q.4 Explain in brief about the author of the story “How much land Does a Man

Need”?

Ans. The author of this short story is Leo Tolstoy who was born in the Tula region of

Russia. He primarily wrote novels and short stories but later in life he also wrote

plays and essays. His most famous works the novels, was and Peace, Anna

Karenina, Hadji Murad, etc are acknowledged as the greatest novels of all time.

Tolstoy is considered as one of the world‟s greatest novelists. He is known for his

complicated and paradoxical persona and for his extreme moralistic and ascetic

views. In 1910, at the age of 82, he died of pneumonia.

Q.5 Explain in detail the story of “ The last leaf” ?

Ans. The story “ The last leaf” was written by O.Henry a prolific American short story

writer. This story is about an uncouth artist who saves the life of an artist at peril

to himself, making a masterpiece. In this story, there were two young artists Sue

and Johnsy who soon become friends and started living together. In November,

Pneumonia attacked the little village where they were living and Johnsy was also

attacked. Her condition worsened and the doctor attending her said that she had

not desire to live. She lay on her bed looking outside through the small window

panes at an old puy tree whose leaves were falling. She had started believing that

when the last leaf falls, she would also die. She tried to divert her attention from

the thoughts of death. She informed Behrnan, an old painter about the foolishness

of Johnsy. They went upstairs and found johnsy sleeping. She pulled the shades

of the window and called Behaman to the other room from where he could see

the Puy tree whose leaves were falling.

The next morning Johney asked sue to remove the curtain from the window.

However, to her surprise she found one leaf standing out though the weather had

been very stormy throughout the night . the next day also the leaf was there and

Johney told Sue about her foolish thoughts of death. The doctor was also happy at

30


the progress of Johney. That afternoon sue told Johney that the last leaf that kept

hanging on the Pue tree was old Behaman‟s masterpiece which he painted for you

to save you. In pointing that last leaf, in that terrible wind, made him sick and he

passed away.

Q.6 Describe about the author of the story of “The Last Leaf”?

Ans. The story of “The last leaf” was written by O. Henry, popularly known as the

master of surprise endings. In the year 1898, he was tried convicted and

sentenced for five years. Most of his stories were written when he was in jail.

Some of his famous short stories are „Cabbages and Kings‟, „The Four Million‟,

„The Trimmed Lamb‟ etc. O.Henry is recognized as one of the representative short

story writers of America. He like most of the American humorists expresses

himself through slangs, which add to realism. His verbal energy, pans and the

metaphous are typically Amercian. His stories are brief and usually open with a

conversation. In his era, he was popular and famous as a short story writer.



Unit 4

Essays

Q.1 Write a note on the essay “ On the rule of the Road”?

Ans. “On the rule of the road” is one of the finest essays of A.G. Gardener. The essay

reveals the delightful and charming personality of Gardiner. Though written in a

playful spirit, yet it contains thought provoking ideas. In this essay, Gardiner

speaks about the nature and limits of personal liberty and the individual‟s social

obligations. The author begins his essay by giving the example of an old lady

from Petrograd who unsisted on walking in the middle of the road. When it was

pointed out to her that the pavement was the right place for her to walk, she

replied that she was free to move anywhere she liked we must all observe the rule

of the road in order that the liberties of all may be preserved. The author

emphasize that liberty is not a personal affair but a social contract. A person is

free to do anything as long as it does not touch anybody‟s liberty. But as soon as

one moves out of this personal domain, his personal liberty is conditioned by

other people‟s liberty. Gardiner emphasizes the fact that rights and duties are

correlated to each other and they can‟t be in isolation.

If we have certain rights, we have certain obligations as well. If we forget our

duties towards others and remember only the rights, chaos would result. The

prose style of this essay is very apt to the theme of the essay. The choice of words

is happy and there is a wealth of literacy and historical allusions in the essay.

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Q.2 Discuss about the author of the essay “On the Rule of the Road” ?

Ans. The author of the essay “ On the rule of the Road” is Alfred George Gardiner, one

of the greatest journalist of his generation. He was the editor of the „Daily News‟,

the powerful mouthpiece of the liberal party, one of the two most powerful

political parties of England. Gardiner‟s imaginative faculty, creative art, Keen

critical sense ready with and gentle and juicy humors‟ all helped him a great deal

in shaping his social Asious. Most of his writings were about his people and

addressed to them. The essays of ceardiver were exactly like the man he was. He

was a true humanitarian, a humanitarian to the lose of his heart. Ceardines had

several literary attraction like wit, humour, pathos, irony and satire. To conclude,

we can say that ceardiner is delightful, yet instructive, heaching but not

preaching, simple yet elegant, light hearled but never frivolove, wiley, humorous,

like a judge he has his eyes on both the sides of a coin & delivers his judgment

dispassionately.

Q.3 Write a note on the essay “ The Gandhian Outlook” ?

Ans. The essay “ The Gandhian Outlook” was written by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan. The

essay talks about the ideals and concepts of Gandhi and depicts Gandhi as the

nation builder. Gandhi remarked that a true and authentic essence of a religion

lies not in the theories but in its practice. Gandhi implemented and lived with the

ideals of a distinguished prophetic nature about religion. He believed that one‟s

religion should be in one‟s deed. Love and truth can create a true religion to all

such religion holders. Gandhiji before doing anything always had the practice of

questioning himself, alongwith he fastened, prayed and made intense thinking till

he was confronted that the particular action and the method approach to it was

true & righteous to proceed with.

The other dominating persona of him was his weapon of non violence

which he freely and confidently implicated in India and he believed that this

weapon is equally applicable in the whole world. As he was a well wishes of the



whole world and not just a nation that of India, so he was called internationalist

in a broad sense. His uniqueness and integrity of thought ran through a

nationalist to an internationalist, which made the whole world love and

appreciate him.

He believed that all human were the offspring of the same God whether

Englishman or Indians and all the brothers to each other. He supported the view

not to hate the evildoer but his evils and one should try to remove it instead. The

essayist emphasize that today so much of uncertainly, so much fear, so much of

confusion, it is because our goals are not clear, and that we have not given to the

human wind something to satisfy its hunger, hunger for truth and something that

cecales universal brotherhood. The essayist says that if Gandhi had lived longer,

he would have worked to build a world state where different nations are merely

branches.

In order to create a happier world order for the future generations, we

must take oath that we will believe in universal brotherhood, respect one another,

regardless of individuals or nations and we will not apply two different method

of criticism, one to ourselves and a different one to others. The essayist realize

that we cannot bring about this change overnight but we can though it may be

slowly, supported with goodwill and understanding.

Q.4 Describe in brief about the author of the essay “The Gandhian Outlook”?

Ans. The author of the essay “ The Gandhian Outlook” is Dr. S. Radhakrishnan who

was a great writer, philosopher, conversationalist and always thought provoking

and scintillating . He was offered professorship in calculla University when he

was less than 30 years old. When he was around 40 years old he was called to

seeve as the Vice Chancellor of Andhra University. Later he was appointed as the

vice chancellor of BHU. The Oxford University institute the Radhakrishnan

scholarship in his memory. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize for literature

34


for five consecutive years from 1933-1937. In 1952, he became the vice-president

of India and was finally elected as the President of India in 1962. His principal

works, are „The reign of Religion in contemporary philosophy‟, „Indian

Philosophy‟, „The Hindu view of life‟, Can Idealist view of Life‟, „East and West in

Religion, „Freedom & Culture‟, „Religion and Society‟, „Our heritage‟ etc.

Q.5 Write a note about the essay „Our own civilization ?

Ans. The essay „our own civilization‟ was written by C.E.M Joad, a great British

Philosopher, author and teacher. This essay is an extract from one of his most

eminent and well known creations “The story of civilization”. Through this essay,

he has expressed the view that science, technology and also the modern

civilization have caused a great deal of global dilemmas. Joad discussing the

merits of civilization remarks that it has blessed people with order and safely

which is the foremost achievement of the time. Nobody can be oppressed or

abused either verbally or physically because everybody has an access to law

where he can approach the law courts for justice. The author remarks that order

and safely is a common thing like the air we breathe and without it, a man cannot

pursue his higher activities.

Men today are also largely free from fear of pain. People now enjoy better

health and greater life expectancy as a result of technology. Also with security

point of view, our civilization of today is more secure than the earlier once. The

author says that the world has become a small place now instead of lot of separate

places shut off from one another. There is a mutual exchange of goods, services,

culture and technology.

But unfortunately, we also have an unbalanced economy. On one hand, a

part of the population has access to all the comfort of life and on the other hand, a

very majority of the population doesn‟t have access even to the base necessities of

life. They live in extremely pitiable conditions and this is one of the greatest

defects of our civilization. Another danger comes from war as now every country



possesses nuclear weapons. Yet another defect is that our vivilization doesn‟t

know what to do with its knowledge. Machines are supposed to serve man to

man has become used to them.

The writer concludes the essay by suggesting that a true and prosperous

civilization advocates for making and writing beautiful things, thinking liberally,

living rightly and preserving justice equally between man and another man.

Q. 6 Give a brief description about the author of the essay “Our own Civilization” ?

Ans. The author of the essay “Our own Civilization” is C.E.M Joad who is regarded as

British philosophy, Author, Teacher, Radio Personality and Britain‟s most

controversial as well as colourful intellectual personality. Serving for 16 years in

the civil services, he retired & then worked as the head of the department of

Philosophy and Psychology at Birbeck College, University of London. As a

starnch rationalist author, he was keenly interested in the issues pertaining to

science, civilization, religion and technology. He was popular as a writer of,

philosophical works. Among his works are „Guide to philosophy‟ and „Guide to

Philosophy of Morals and Politics‟.

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Unit-V

Poems

Q 1. Write a summary about the poem “ The unknown Citizen” ?

Ans. The poem “The unknown Citizen” was written by the English born American

poet W.H. Avden. The poem is a critical community on the state which knows its

citizens only by letters and numbers. The poems represents on unknown citizen

who was found to be all right by the Bureau of Statistics. All reports on his

conduct showed that he was harmless to the state and its Good. He had worked

in Fudge Motous Inc. and had satisfied his employers by means of his honest and

hard work. The research bureau on worker‟s social psychology reports says that

he was popular with other workers. The newspaper boy feels that he bought a

paper everyday and his reactions to the advertisements were normal. He

possessed everything necessary to the modern man, namely a gramophone

record player, a radio, a Car & a refrigerator. His political opinions had been in

harmdug with those of the current opinions of the state. He added five children to

the population which was the right number for a father of his generation. He also

never interfered with the modern system of education. In this way, this poem is a

bitter satire against the modern civilization which has reduced human beings to a

nameless and faceless machine or number.

Q.2 Describe in brief about the poet of the poem “The unknown Citizen” ?

Ans. The poem “ The unknown Citizen” was written by W.H. Avden, an English born

American poet, a dramatist, Liberist, Critic, essayist, editor and translator. He is

considered as one of prominent English language poets of the 20th century. A

Contradictory personality, at once prudent, revolutionary, pious and intemperate,



Avden is distinguished for his enormous intelligence, technical virtuosity,

complex philosophical and moral vision and keen wit. His best known poetry,

most of which appears in the „Orators, „Another Time‟, „Journey to a War‟, „New

Year Letter‟, „For the time being „ & „ The age of Anxiety‟ reflects his lifelong

preoccupation with political, Psychological and spiritual conflicts.

His work is known for its stylistic and technical achievements, its

engagement with moral and political issues and its variety of tone, form and

content. The Central themes of his poetry are love, politics and citizenship,

religion & morals and the relationship between unique human beings and the

anonymous impersonal world of nature. Avden is capable if writing in many

different forms and styles and is considered a modernist writer. At a time when

many poets were experimenting with obscure forms and new ways of using

language, much of Avden‟s poetry had more popular appeal.

Q.3 Describe about the poem “The character of a Happy Life” ?

Ans. The poem “The character of a Happy Life” was written by Sir Henry Wotton. In

this poem, the poet has described the characteristics of person who can truly be

called a happy man. The poem is in a sharp contrast between the uneasy life of

the ambitious man and the contented life of man satisfied to live an obscured life

of peaceful virtue. In this poem, the poet remarks that a person who has freedom

of will & thought, leads a happy life. His only weapon is his simplicity and truth

and does not act according to other people‟s wishes. Such an upright man is not

concerned about being famous or what people say about him publicly or

privately. He is not jealous of chance or foul play and does not abide by the rules

of the society which compel a person to do unwanted deeds. He follows the rule

of goodness which will lead him to the right path.

A happy man‟s life is free from numerous things and he retires in his comfort of

clear conscience. He prays to God regularly and asks God to be gracious and

38


merciful to him. A good book or a friend is favorite pastime. A man who is truly

happy is free from slavery of his desires, does not expect too much and therefore,

his hopes aren‟t shallered. He has not got lands or wealth and yet he has

everything because he possesses the greatest wealth of contentment and

happiness.

Q.4 Write a short note about the author of the poem, “The character of a Happy

Life” ?

Ans. The poem “The character of a Happy Life” was written by sir Henry Wotton who

was an English author, diplomat and politician. He was educated at Winchester

College, New college, Oxford and Queen‟s College graduating in 1588. He was

not a very laborious author and his writings are not good in number. Some 15

poems were written by him and out of those 15, two of his poems, “On his mistris

the queen of Bohemia” and the character of a Happy Life” obtained a place

among the best known poems in the language. During his lifetime, he published

two works only. “The Elements of Architecture” and a latin prose addressed to

the king on his return from Scotland. He died at the beginning of December 1639

and was buried in the Chapel of Eton college.

Q.5 Write a short note on the poem, “No men are foreign” ?

Ans. The poem, “No men are foreign” was written by James Falconer Kirkup in which

he states that we should not regard anyone as foreign or strange. The poem

revolves around the idea that all men are equal. The poem begins with the

speaker asking his audience to remember that no human being should be treated

as foreigner. Even those who wear different dresses are in no way different from

us because though the clothes are different, the bodies are the same. The author

remarks that peace brings prosperity to all men and war brings diversity and

adversity. The lines on the hand of are people show that they are all destined to

work hard and labor for earning the living. God has bestowed the same strength



to all new and it is only the human quality of love that can subdue the most

powerful of all forces. The poet says that we have no rights to look down on

anybody or discriminate against anybody on any grounds. He makes a strong

plea against the evil of war. By taking up arms, men desecrate the holy earth,

polluting it with not only dust and smoke but also hatred. Men must learn that no

man is a stranger and no country foreign and must develop the feeling of

universal brotherhood.

Q.6 Describe in brief about the poet of the poem “No men are foreign” ?

Ans. The poem, “No men are foreign” was written by James falconer kirkup who was

a prolific Engineer poet, translator and travel writer. He wrote over 30 books,

including autobiographies, novels and plays. After writing simple verses and

rhymes from the age of six and the publication of his first poetry book, “ The

Drowned sailor” in 1947, Kirkup‟s published works encompassed several dozen

collections of poetry, Six volumes of auto biography, over a hundred monographs

of original work and translations and thousands of shorter pieces in journals and

periodicals. His skilled writing of haiku and tanka is acknowledged

internationally.

In this early 1990‟s, kirkup settled in Andoera. He continued his prolific

work and correspondence notably becoming a frequent contributor to the

obituary section of the British newspaper “ The Independent‟ until 2008. He also

had several virtual books published on the internet by Brind in press. A great

encourager of young talent in all aspects of the arts, he was the Honorary

President of Switch Drama company youth theatre. Kird up died in Andorra on

10th May 2009.

40


Q.7 Give a detailed description of the poem “If” ?

Ans. The poem entitled “If” was written by Rudyard Kipling who was born in Bombay

and get educated in England. The poem is an in spirational stuff discussing the

mottos and maxims for life. It aims at teaching a moral instruction to the little

minds. The poem illustrates the practice of self confidence and expresses that in

being confident, one must also bear the courage to face defamation and criticism.

The poet suggests patience, honesty and fortitude of character. He also provides

instruction in the maintenance of righteous behavior in the face of

unrighteousness. The poet peusuades the reader to maintain a balance between

private ideals and public action. In other words an individual in order to be a

leader, must be able to put personal dreams and philosophies to public action so

that private thoughts once made public, can be twisted away from their original

meaning. The poem is characterized by hyperbole or the use of exaggeration as a

literary device. Kipling makes a recommendation to “make one heap of all your

winnings and risk it on one turn of pitch and toss in order to illustrate the

complete detachment with which an individual should regard both profit and

loss neither of which is permanent. He also points out that fine and model

leadership requires action that is based on a world view which is complex

multifaceted and ultimately inclusive. There are recommendations against

favouritism and towards regarding man with equality. By learning the

characteristics of a model leader, an individual can achieve manhood. The poem

is meant as a specific address to adulthood or a young man.

Actions of a model leader is directly associated with the achievement of

“manhood” with the characteristics that reveals a societal attitude towards

gender that excludes women from the realm of public leadership. The poem is

also a part of the children‟s story collection rewards and Fairies. Thus the final

line can be seen as an appropriately affectionate address from an older mentor to

a young boy .



Q. 8 Write a brief note about the author of the poem “If” ?

Ans. The author of the poem, “If” is Rudyard Joseph Kipling. He was born in Bombay

and got educated in England. He returned to India in 1882 and worked for anglo-

Indian newspapers-Kipling set off his best works while living in India and wrote

much about India throughout his life and in later ages, he returned to England.

Although kipling‟s brilliant works are mostly the children‟s books for which even

his harehest critics consider him for his true genius, he become the very first

English author to win the Nobel price for literature. As a prolific writer, he

always had ponderous readers around him although his name declined in his

later age. Among his best literary works are departmental Ditties, Plain Tales

from the Hills, Soldier there, Barack Room Ballads, Jungle book which became a

world famous children‟s classic. Kipling also wrote some controversial books

during the first world war and his collection of poems appeared in 1933.

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Key Terms

1. Tense A set of verb or verb forms

2. Active Voice Active voice is used in a clause whose subject expresses the agent of the main verb.

3. Passive Voice It is a grammatical voice used when the focus is on action.

4. Helping Verb It is the verb that supports the main verb.

5. Pronouns It is a word or form that substitutes for a noun

6. Conditionals It is used for expressing failed implications or hypothetical situations and their consequences like would, will, can could etc.

7. Précis A short summary

8. Report A statement containing important information

9. Abbreviations Short forms

10. Glossary List of Technical terms

11. Asparagus A following perennial plant species

12. Luncheon A midday meal



Bibliography

Books

Sawhney Ruchi, Upadhyay Mukti, Bano Kulsum, Pathak Sunil-

Communicative English, Genius Publication, 2012

Collins Peter, Modals and Quasi Modals in English, Rodopi Publication, 2009.

Comrie Beanard, Tense, Combridge University Press, 1985

Websites :-

English Grammar online, 2014, www.ego4u.com

Sequence of verb Tenses,

WWW.grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/sequence.htm.

Passive Voice, 2014 WWW.ego4u.com

Direct to Indirect speech, WWW.englishfo4students.com

http://www.ego4u.com/

http://www.grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/sequence.htm

http://www.ego4u.com/

http://www.englishfo4students.com/

Documents

Commutative English