The Sentence

The Sentence

 

  • Look at these groups of words:
  1. Mary has
  2. Mary has a little
  3. Mary has a little lamb.
  • The first two groups of words do not have complete meaning.
  • The third group has a complete meaning.
  • The third group of words is a Sentence.
  • A Sentence is a group of words that makes complete sense i.e. it has a complete meaning.
  • We always begin a Sentence with a capital letter and put a full stop (.) at the end of a Sentence.
  • We always write the word ‘I’ as a capital letter.

 

  • Let us look at some more groups of words:
  1. A bird
  2. on the tree
  3. A bird is sitting on the tree.

 

  1. Cats and milk
  2. Cats love
  3. Cats love milk.

 

  1. Birds and wings
  2. Birds fly with
  3. Birds fly with their wings.

 

  1. The girls
  2. The girls are
  3. The girls are playing.

 

  • The first two groups of words in each group are incomplete.
  • The third group of words has complete meaning.
  • They all are Sentences.

 

  • It is also important that the words in a sentence are in their proper order. Look at the following groups of words:
  1. Toys balls are
  2. Clothes the dry are
  3. Plays she the violin
  4. Black is crow the

 

  • We cannot call these groups of words, Sentences, because they are not in their proper order. Their meaning is not clear. Let us put them in their proper order:
  1. Balls are toys.
  2. The clothes are dry.
  3. She plays the violin.
  4. The crow is black.

 

  • Now, these groups of words make sense. They are meaningful and can be called sentences.

Days and Months

 

Days of the Week

  • There are seven days in a week.
  1. Sunday
  2. Monday
  3. Tuesday
  4. Wednesday
  5. Thursday
  6. Friday
  7. Saturday
  • Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are known as weekdays or working days.
  • Monday begins the working week.
  • Saturday and Sunday are days of rest and enjoyment.
  • Sunday is a holiday – a no-work day in most countries.
  • The names of the weekdays are after the Sun, the Moon and the five planets.
  • Sun: Sunday; Moon: Monday; Mars: Tuesday; Mercury: Wednesday; Jupiter: Thursday; Venus: Friday; Saturn: Saturday

Months in a Year

Thirty days hath September

April, June, and November

All the rest have thirty-one

Excepting February alone –

Which hath but twenty-eight, in fine,

Till leap year gives it twenty-nine.

  • This ‘little rhyme’ tells a lot about the different months in a year.
  • There are 365 days in a year. They are divided into 12 months. The months are:
  1. January
  2. February
  3. March
  4. April
  5. May
  6. June
  7. July
  8. August
  9. September
  10. October
  11. November
  12. December
  • As the ‘little rhyme’ says January, March, May, July, August, October and December have 31 days.
  • April, June, September and November have 30 days.
  • February alone has 28 or 29 days.
  • When there are 29 days in February, there are 366 days and the year is called a leap year.
  • The leap year comes after every four years.
  • January is the first month of the year.
  • December is the last month of the year.

Life

Life never turns out

the way we want it

the way we imagine it

the way we dream it

Life is a mystery

the more we try to unravel it

the more entangled

we find ourselves in it

Life does not provide answers

It does not give way

It leaves us with Q.marks

Restless

Like blind men, we traverse

Unaware  of our destinations

Puppets in Lord’s hands

Walking with the hope

That all will be well!

Parental Pressure

Recently I watched the film Chal Chalein. The film touches upon a very sensitive subject – parental pressure on kids to perform well in studies, to become doctors, engineers, administrative officers etc. The producer (Mahesh Padalkar) and the director (Ujjwal Singh) should be applauded for taking up this issue. It is indeed a very serious matter. Consciously or unconsciously parents are subjecting their children to inhuman hours of study. They are taking the fun out of their children’s lives.

It is not just grown up kids (9th to 12th standard) but very small children are going through this trauma of doing well, of excelling. In metropolitan cities, there is literally a mad rush. Parents want to admit their children in the best schools of the city. From the age of two and a half they start grooming them – sending them to special preparatory schools, making their tender hands write all kinds of scripts and numbers, making them cram alphabet, rhymes, and essays. They do not realize that by thus tutoring small children, they are killing creativity, curiosity, imagination and individuality. As it is life ahead is tough, competitive and it pains to see childhood thus wrangled.

Here we are starting a grading system for the 10th class but what about little children? Why should they be subjected to this kind of manipulation, just because their parents want good schools for their children? And why do schools have such stupid, stringent rules for admission? Instead of taking a written test of five or six years old (for which the child has been preparing for two years or more), can’t there be a simpler criterion for selection? I think this issue needs serious attention.

Our Helpers

Our life is made easy and comfortable by a number of people in the society. Lets us know more about these community helpers/workers.

  • A doctor treats the sick and injured.
  • A nurse helps the doctor and cares for or nurses the sick.
  • A teacher teaches the students.
  • A tailor stitches our clothes.
  • A barber cuts our hair.
  • A washer man washes our clothes.
  • A postman brings our letters.
  • A farmer grows grain, vegetables and all seeds.
  • A driver drives a bus, truck, a car, a train etc.
  • A policeman catches thieves/robbers.
  • A watchman gaurds our homes and offices.
  • A cobbler mends/repairs our shoes.
  • A greengrocer provides/sells fruits and vegetables.
  • A porter carries our luggage at railway stations, airports and bus stops.
  • A sweeper keeps our surroundings clean.
  • A soldier defends us from the enemies.
  • A baker bakes bread, biscuits and cake.
  • A potter makes pots of clay.
  • A waiter waits at the tables in a hotel.
  • A milkman brings us milk.
  • A carpenter makes our furniture.
  • A fireman puts out the fire.
  • A mason builds our houses.
  • A plumber repairs our water pipes.

Exercise 1 :- Fill in the blanks with appropriate words.

  1. The ______ cuts our hair.
  2. The ______ cleans our surroundings.
  3. The ______ carries our luggage.
  4. The ______ treats the sick.
  5. The ______ sells fruits and vegetables.
  6. The ______ brings us our letters.

Exercise 2 :- Match the following:

  1. Tailor                                 1. Furniture
  2. Cobbler                              2. Houses
  3. Teacher                              3. Clothes
  4. Driver                                 4. Shoes
  5. Mason                                5. Students
  6. Carpenter                           6. Bus

Homes of Animals

As we live in huts or houses. Similarly animals and birds build their homes. Wild animals live in forests. Birds build nests on trees, cliffs or on the ground. Man also builds some shelters for animals. Let us know some of them.

Animals Homes

Tiger                                                                                                      Cave

Lion                                                                                                       Den

Rat                                                                                                         Hole

Rabbit                                                                                                    Burrow

Horse                                                                                                     Stable

Sheep                                                                                                     Pen

Cow                                                                                                       Cow-shed

Dog                                                                                                        Kennel

Birds                                                                                                      Nest

Honey bee                                                                                             Hive

Exercise 1 :- Answer the following questions :

Que 1. Where dose a lion live?

Que 2. Where dose a dog live?

Que 3. Where dose a honey bee live?

Que 4. Where dose a rabbit live?

Que 5. Where dose a rat live?

Animal Sounds Or Cries of Animals / Birds

Animals / Birds Sounds

Cats                                                                                        Meow / Purr

Cows                                                                                      Moo / Low

Dogs                                                                                       Bark (Woof woof bow wow)

Donkey                                                                                   Bray (Hee-Haw)

Monkey                                                                                  Whoop / Chatter

Camel                                                                                     Grump

Lion                                                                                        Roar

Pigs                                                                                         Grunt (Oink)

Goats                                                                                      Bleat (Naa)

Sheep                                                                                      Bleat (Baa)

Horses                                                                                     Neigh

Snakes                                                                                     Hiss (Sss)

Beer                                                                                         Buzz / Hum

Birds                                                                                        Chirp / Peep / Twitter

Crows                                                                                      Caw / Kaak

Cock                                                                                        Crow (Cock-a-doodle-doo)

Hen                                                                                          Cluck cluck

Goose                                                                                       Cackle

Duck                                                                                        Quack quack

Pigeons                                                                                    Coo

Owls                                                                                        Hoot

Frogs                                                                                        Croak

Mouse                                                                                      Squeaks

Elephant                                                                                   Trumpet

Cuckoo                                                                                     Cuckoos

Exercise 1 :- What sounds do the following animals make :

  1. Cats [          ]
  2. Cows [           ]
  3. Donkeys [            ]
  4. Horses [             ]
  5. Sheep [             ]

Exercise 2 : – Match the animals with their sounds :

Animals Sounds

  1. Ducks                                                                               1. Caws
  2. Dogs                                                                                 2. Buzz
  3. Camels                                                                             3. Roars
  4. Lion                                                                                  4. Bark
  5. Beer                                                                                  5. Quack
  6. Crow                                                                                6. Grump

Animals / Birds and their young ones

Animals / Birds and their young ones

There are different species of animals and birds on this earth. Some animals can be tamed and are kept as pets at home. They are called domestic animals. There are others which cannot be tamed. They are called wild animals.

Animals / Birds                                         Young ones

Cow                                                                       Calf

Cat                                                                         Kitten

Dog                                                                        Puppy (Pup)

Goat                                                                       Kid

Sheep                                                                     Lamb

Horse                                                                     Foal / Colt (Male)

Filly (Female)

Pig                                                                         Piglet

Deer                                                                      Fawn

Lion                                                                      Cub

Bear                                                                      Cub

Elephant                                                             Calf

Camel                                                                   Calf

Hen                                                                       Chicken

Duck                                                                     Duckling

Butterfly                                                             Caterpillar

Goose                                                                   Gosling

Kangaroo                                                             Joey

Koala                                                                    Joey

Monkey                                                                Infant

Penguin                                                                Chick

Rabbit                                                                   Bunny / Kit

Tiger                                                                     Cub / Whelp

Toad                                                                     Tadpole

Whale                                                                   Calf

Dolphin                                                                Pup / Calf

Bird                                                                      Hatchling / chick

Owl                                                                      Owlet / fledgling

Hare                                                                     Leveret

Squirrel                                                                Pup / Kitten / Kit

Zebra                                                                    Colt / Foal

Exercise 1 :- Match animals and their babies:-

  1. Butterfly                                                             1.  Bunny
  2. Kangaroo                                                           2.  Whelp
  3. Owl                                                                       3.  Chick
  4. Frog                                                                     4.  Calf
  5. Goose                                                                  5.  Calf
  6. Whale                                                                  6.  Caterpillar
  7. Zebra                                                                  7.  Joey
  8. Bird                                                                      8.  Owlet
  9. Tiger                                                                    9.  Tadpole
  10. Rabbit                                                                10.  Gosling

Exercise 2 :- Fill in the blanks with appropriate words:-

  1. The young one of a _______ is called a Kitten.
  2. The young one of a cow is called a ________ .
  3. The young one of a _______ is called a lamb .
  4. The young one of a _______ is called a foal .
  5. The young one of a elephant is called a ______ .
  6. The young one of a _______ is called a pup .
  7. The young one of a _______ is called a kid .
  8. The young one of a deer is called a ________ .
  9. The young one of a lion is called a ________ .
  10. The young one of a _______ is called a duckling .

Exercise 3 :- Here is a list of animals. Put them in the right column :

Bear             Goat             Lion            Horse           Elephant              Sheep

Cat               Fox               Zebra          Tiger            Cow                    Dog

Farm Animals Wild Animals

Spoken English

Spoken English

Speech serves as a foundation for learning any language. Notice how a child learns a language. He picks up, absorbs, and internalizes the language that is spoken around him. We never teach a child language through the rules of grammar and pronunciation. Yet by the time a child is two years old, he is able to convey meaning through words and simple sentences. Therefore the best way to learn a language is to surround oneself with it.

In case of a foreign/second language (in our case English),sometimes a little bit of training is helpful as the habits acquired in connection with our first language stand in the way – this is called mother-tongue interference. Initially, it requires a conscious effort on the part of the learner to resist the pull of the mother-tongue and reorganize speech habits.

The need to learn spoken English has, increased tremendously all over the world. With the growth of international travel, tourism, trade, work opportunities and education, the demand for learning spoken English has gone up manifold. There is a strong desire and motivation for learning spoken English in people of all ages and walks of life – students for higher education, job aspirants for attractive careers or advancement in their chosen professions, others for business or travelling.

Communicating clearly, confidently and effectively, socially and at the work place is everyman’s desire. And as English is an international language – used and understood in most parts of the world – learning to speak English well, can take you, a step ahead of others in realizing your dreams.

If you speak English fluently, you can:

  1. Get the job of your dreams.
  2. Can face an interview board confidently.
  3. Can manoeuvre conversation to your benefit at business and social meetings.

What do spoken English courses offer?

  1. Spoken English courses focus both ‘what to say’ and ‘how to say’ i.e. the content and structure and the manner of speech. They aim at training students to express themselves in a wide range of situations, such as asking questions, making requests, expressing greetings, thanks, apologies, regrets, farewells, buying groceries, flying in an airplane, making a sales call, borrowing books from a library, making a phone call, applying for a job, facing an interview etc. They create and provide situations for people to interact in English.
  2. Aim at training people in speaking English with a reasonable degree of fluency, intelligibility and social acceptability.
  3. Aim at developing the skill to understand English spoken by native speakers.
  4. Aim at promoting the ability to produce English approximating to the sound system of the native speakers for international intelligibility. English has acquired a number of accents as it is spoken by large sections of people separated from each other geographically, educationally and socially. But people seeking social and career advancement need to make a conscious effort to learn acceptable English. It is here that spoken English courses and training programmers come to aid.
  5. They train people in the production of English speech sounds (vowels and consonants), word stress, rhythm and intonation.

.

Remember:

God helps those who help themselves

There is no shortcut to success.

Your future depends on your efforts.

If you keep yourself updated and speak well, you will soon accomplish your desires.

Colours

Ours is a colourful world. Numerous colours are spread around us. It is Impossible for us to imagine a world devoid of colour. Let us identify some of the colours.

  • The sky is spread over us. What is the colour of the sky?
  • The sky is blue
  • There are many plants and trees around us. They give us oxygen. Have you noticed the colour of leaves?
  • A leaf is usually green.
  • It is pleasant and cool to walk on soft green grass.
  • We eat different fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetable are good for our health. An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Do you eat apples? What colour are they?
  • An apple is red. We also find green apples.
  • Do you know that a tomato is a fruit, not a vegetable. It has many seeds. What is its colour?
  • A tomato is red.
  • Potatoes, carrots and radish grow underground. Do you know their colour?
  • A potato is brown.
  • A carrot is red or orange.
  • A radish is white.
  • Have you noticed the colour of a brinjal, a capsicum, a mango and a banana.
  • A brinjal is purple.
  • A capsicum is green, red or yellow.
  • A mango and banana both green and yellow.
  • There are many birds and animals on this earth. They too are of different colours.
  • A crow is black.
  • A parrot is green with a red beak.
  • A pigeon is grey.
  • A dove is white.
  • A elephant is grey.
  • A zebra is black and white.
  • Hens and Ducks lay eggs. Do you eat eggs? What is the colour of an egg?
  • An egg is usually white.
  • Milk is known as a complete food. What is its colour?
  • Milk is also white.
  • Children love chocolate. What is the colour of a chocolate?
  • A chocolate is brown.
  • The sun gives us energy and light. What is the colour of the sun? Do you know the colour of the sun changes as the day advances. Notice the change.
  • The sun is yellow.
  • Many flowers blossom around us. Notice their colours.
  • A lotus is pink.
  • A rose is red or pink or orange or yellow.
  • A sunflower is yellow.
  • Have you seen a rainbow? A rainbow can be seen the sky, sometimes after rains. It has seven colours in it.
  1. Red
  2. Yellow
  3. Orange
  4. Green
  5. Blue
  6. Indigo
  7. Violet

Exercise 1 :- Look around you and identify objects of different colours.

Exercise 2 :- Draw different shapes – a circle, a semi-circle, an oval, a square, a rectangle, a triangle, a cylinder and colour them with different colours.

Exercise 3 :- Fill in the blanks and complete this colour puzzle with the answers.

Down :-

  1. The grass is _______ .
  2. The lotus is _______ .      4.The sky is _______ .

Across :-3.The clouds are _______ .

5.A  crow is _______ .   6.The sun is _______ .

1G
2P
3W
4B
5B
6Y