Nehru Arts and Science College

E- Learning – Department of EnglishSemester: 2nd Semester Subject: English – II

Bharathiar University, Coimbatore 46.Part II English

(For Undergraduate Students admitted from 2012-13 onwards)

Semester II : Paper IIUnit 1: Prose1.1 Words of Wisdom – Chetan Bhagat1.2 Forgetting – Robert Lynd1.3 My Early Days – Dr. Abdul Kalam

Unit 2: Poetry2.1 Ozymandias – P. B. Shelley2.2 Mending Wall – Robert Frost2.3 Where The Mind is Without Fear – Tagore

Unit 3: Short Stories3.1 Am I Blue? – Alice Walker3.2 The Last Leaf – O’Henry3.3 The Selfish Giant – Oscar Wilde

Unit 4: One-act Play & Biographies4.1 Soul Gone Home – Langton Hughes4.2 Albert Schweitzer – G. F. Lamb4.3 Pablo Picasso – Noel Bach

Unit 5: Functional Grammar5.1 Lexical Skills and Question Forms5.2 Idioms and Phrases – Subject-Verb Agreement5.3 Spelling, Antonyms and Synonyms, Infinitives5.4 Vocabulary, Report Writing5.5 Plurals, Particles in Adjectives5.6 Apostrophe, Archaic Words, Art of Persuasion5.7 Syllables, Changing Adjectives to Nouns5.8 Homonyms, Prepositions5.9 Compound Words, Acronyms, Collective Nouns, Degrees of Comparison5.10 Soft Skills, Business English, Spoken SkillsBooks Prescribed:Radiance – English for Communication, Board of Editors, Emerald Publishers, 2012.Paths of Glory, Ed Rangaswamy (Macmillan).

Unit – IProse

1.1 Words of Wisdom By Chetan Bhagat

I. One word Answers:

1. The Author of the text ‘ Words of Wisdom’ is Chetan Bhagat

2. In the ‘Words of Wisdom’ author delivered to the College Students

3. In his speech author argues every one keep the spark alive in us.

4. “Spark” means happiness.

5. Frustration is the second storm.

6. The spark starts in childhood.

7. Unfairness will kill the spark.

8. The spark is difficult to find in old people.

9. The message given by Chetan Bhagat in his speech is keep happiness in forever with you.

10. He compares the spark with the Lamp.

II. Paragraph Questions:

1. Define the word ‘Spark’.

The spark is actually the curiosity an excitement that is within us. These are the factors that

make human beings truly alive. It is the force that makes us happy. A human being is born

with them. This spark is found in abundance in young people. It makes the young people get

thrilled and excited. But in the old people this spark is difficult to find. As they become dull,

dejected, and aimless and bitter the spark in them slowly dies.

2. Define four storms in life.

One will find four storms in one’s life. These are disappointment, frustration, unfairness and

loneliness of purpose. Disappointment is the result of failure and if a person faces it bravely he

will be successful in life frustration saps excitement and turns the positive energy in to negative.

So one has to view it seriously. Likewise another disturbing storm is unfairness. Initially it

may succeed. But in the long run it will fail. The last storm is isolation. This can be overcome

by love. We must first love ourselves and then others. Thus all the four storms in life can be

successfully overcome by an individual if he is alert.

III. Essay Question:

What does Chetan Bhagat consider important in life?

Introduction:

In this essay the author speaks about the spark of excitement alive in us. This spark is

responsible for out happiness in life. It is this spark that will give meaning to our lives.

Definition the word Spark:

The spark is actually the curiosity an excitement that is within us. These are the factors that

make human beings truly alive. It is the force that makes us happy. A human being is born

with them. This spark is found in abundance in young people. It makes the young people get

thrilled and excited. But in the old people this spark is difficult to find. As they become dull,

dejected, and aimless and bitter the spark in them slowly dies.

Dealing with failure in life:

To deal with failures in life one must nuture the spark in us to succeed against the failures in life.

We must continuous guard the spark against the storms of life. On must have goals in life. It is

human nature to strive, improve and achieve full potential. This will help us to succeed against

failures in life. The goals one sets will give a balanced and successful life. The word balanced

refers to good health, relationships and mental peace in good order. The harmonious life will

help us to deal with failures successfully.

Four storms in life:

One will find four storms in one’s life. These are disappointment, frustration, unfairness and

loneliness of purpose. Disappointment is the result of failure and if a person faces it bravely he

will be successful in life frustration saps excitement and turns the positive energy in to negative.

So one has to view it seriously. Likewise another disturbing storm is unfairness. Initially it may

succeed. But in the long run it will fail. The last storm is isolation. This can be overcome by

love. We must first love ourselves and then others. Thus all the four storms in life can be

successfully overcome by an individual if he is alert.

Viewing things not seriously:

To nuture the spark with us in life should be taken seriously as life is a temporary one. Our life

is a prepaid card with limited validity. We may live for a certain number of years only in this

world. So we should not view things very seriously in life. We are all human beings with flesh,

blood, and feelings. We are not programmed machines or robots. Viewing things seriously will

kill the spark, curiously and excitement in us. Hence one must not take things seriously in life.

Conclusion:

The author in this essay writing in a simple and conversational language presents a clear view of

nurturing the spark in us by overcoming the storms of life in an effective way. The points that

are given in the essay are important for a successful and harmonious life.

1.2. Forgetting

By Robert Lynd

I. One word Answers:

1. The essay forgetting is written by Robert Lynd.

2. The commonest form of forgetfulness occurs in Posting Letters.

3. Sportsmen have worse memories than ordinary serious minded fellows.

4. The imaginative of men are said to be anglers.

5. The fishing rod of reality is forgotten as the day dreams over the feats of fishing rod of

Utopian land.

6. Salesmen seem to have extraordinary bad memories.

7. Robert Lynd was born in the year 1879.

8. Modern man remembers even telephone numbers.

9. Chemists make their fortunes out of the medicine people forget to take.

10. Men who had marvelous memories and who yet had no intellect to speak of.

II. Paragraph Questions:

1. How does Robert Lynd prove that men have amazing memories?

Robert Lynd begins by saying that men have amazing memories. They remember telephone

numbers, the names of cricketers, footballers, even of notorious murders, appointments

regarding lunch, dinner, etc. Nobody forgets a single item of clothing when dressing. We

invariably turn off the lights before going bed. Never do we forget to shut the front door when

leaving the house.

2. What are the things men forget offen?

Most of the people forget to take medicines at the appointed time. Doctors advise patients to

take medicine either during, after or before meals. The meals itself should remind us the

medicine. But, strangely enough, we eat our meals but forget the medicine totally. Because we

forget the medicine, our illness is aggravated. We buy medicine again, only to forget it again.

This vicious circle continues endlessly. Ultimately, it is the medicine sellers who are benefited.

Lynd observed cynically and cryptically that chemists make their fortunes out of the medicines

people forget to take.

III. Essay Question:

1. What amazing examples of forgetfulness are given by Lynd?

Amazing memory of People:

Robert Lynd begins by saying that men have amazing memories. They remember telephone

numbers, the names of cricketers, footballers, even of notorious murders, appointments

regarding lunch, dinner, etc. Nobody forgets a single item of clothing when dressing. We

invariably turn off the lights before going bed. Never do we forget to shut the front door when

leaving the house.

Examples which prove that forgetfulness is common:

Most of the people forget to take medicines at the appointed time. Doctors advise patients to

take medicine either during, after or before meals. The meals itself should remind us the

medicine. But, strangely enough, we eat our meals but forget the medicine totally. Because we

forget the medicine, our illness is aggravated. We buy medicine again, only to forget it again.

This vicious circle continues endlessly. Ultimately, it is the medicine sellers who are benefited.

Lynd observed cynically and cryptically that chemists make their fortunes out of the medicines

people forget to take.

Things that Lynd usually forgets:

Lynd confesses that he almost always forgets to post letters. Even if he carries the letter in his

hand, he goes past the pillar – box without posting it. And then he puts it for safety into one of

his pockets, only to forget all about it. The walking – sticks is another object that he often

forgetfully leaves behind in train Lynd observes that even the ‘grimmest – jawed umbrella

carrier’ cannot claim that he has lost an umbrella.

Excited and imaginative people:

Lynd holds that people who are highly excited and imaginative are forgetful. The player, while

travelling in a train, is lost in thoughts of the match that has won. And so he forgets to take his

bats and balls while alighting. Similarly, anglers also live in a Utopia. Intensely imagining

their fishing expedition, they forget to bring home their fishing rods. Lynd curtly observes that

Socrates and Coleridge are lost in contemplation and cannot be entrusted with the prosaic task

of posting a letter.

The abnormal father forgetting his child:

Once a father took his child out in a perambulator, he left his child in it and went into a

wayside bar to have a glass of beer. The mother coming that way to do some shopping found

her child in the perambulator and wheeled it back home. She thought that her husband would

be shocked on not finding the child. Instead, he returned home whistling gaily. He had

forgotten all about the child. Such cases of forgetfulness are rare. If all fathers were as

forgetful as this man, the institution of the family would disappear.

1.3 My Early Days

By Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam

I. One word Answers:

1. The Second World War broke out in the year 1939.

2. My Early Day is an extract from Wings of Fire.

3. Abdul Kalam’ s science teacher name is Sivasubramanian Iyer.

4. Native place of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam is Rameswarm.

5. Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam’s father name is Jainulabdeen.

6. Kalam’s mother name is Aishamma.

7. One of the Kalam’s close friend was Samsuddin.

8. Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam’s was honored with the title Bharath Ratna.

9. There was a Shiva Temple near Kalam’s house.

10. Kalam worked in the headlines in Dinamani.

II. Paragraph Questions:

1. Describe the friendship between Abdul kalam’s father and Lakshmana Sastry.

Kalam’s father had catholic tastes. He was free from the poison of communal

intolerance. He got friendship with Lakshmana Sastry who was head-priest of the local

Shiva temple. The two often sat together and discussed spiritual matters. Kalam’s father

held that prayer transcended the body and become a part of the cosmos. He said that

adversity was welcomed as it gave one opportunities for introspection. Their amity was an

example that Kalam emulated later on.

2. What happened when Kalam was six year old?

Jainalujdeen said his namaz regularly. Listening to his father’s prayers, Kalam also

become religious. He did not know the meaning of the Arabic prayers chanted by his father.

But he was sure that the prayers reached God. Emerging from the mosque, father dipped his

figures in the bowls of water extended by devotees of various religions. The belief was that

the water acquired a medical quality and could cure invalids. Father explained complex

spiritual problems in a very simple language. He often said that distresses should be

welcomed as they gave the devotee opportunities for introspection and self-scrutiny. Also,

father was confident that he played a pivotal role in the lives of devotees by helping them

conquer the demonic forces in their minds with prayers and offerings.

III. Essay Question :

Write about Abdul Kalam’s father, early education and friends.

Introduction:

Though uneducated, Kalam’s father Jainulabdeen had a profound influence on him. It

was his love and understanding that raised Kalam to phenomenal heights later.

Jainulabdeen’s capacity for hard work:

Jainulabdeen had a coconut grove four miles away from home. Every morning he got

up early and walked to and from the grove, carrying a dozen coconuts on his should. He

ate his breakfast only after this arduous exercise. He undertook to build a wooden boad

in order to carry Hindu pilgrims from Rameswaram to Dhanushkodi. The boy Kalam

was fascinated by his father’s project. Unfortunately, a storm broke out and wrecked

the boat. For the first time, Kalam witnessed the fury of the sea. But father did not

despair. At that Kalam was sis years old.

Father’s piety:

Jainalujdeen said his namaz regularly. Listening to his father’s prayers, Kalam also

become religious. He did not know the meaning of the Arabic prayers chanted by his

father. But he was sure that the prayers reached God. Emerging from the mosque, father

dipped his figures in the bowls of water extended by devotees of various religions. The

belief was that the water acquired a medical quality and could cure invalids. Father

explained complex spiritual problems in a very simple language. He often said that

distresses should be welcomed as they gave the devotee opportunities for introspection

and self-scrutiny. Also, father was confident that he played a pivotal role in the lives of

devotees by helping them conquer the demonic forces in their minds with prayers and

offerings.

Father inducing Kalam to take up higher education:

After Kalam finished the elementary education in Rameswaram, his father encouraged

him to go to Ramanathapuram for higher studies. He said that the boy should, like the

sea – gull, soar into high altitudes. He convinced his hesitant wife by quoting Khalil

Gibran that children should not be shackled but allowed to reach higher levels as they

were urged by “Life’s longing for itself’. He took Kalam to the mosque and explained

that Kalam’s soul dwells in ‘the house of tomorrow’ and that none had the right to

impede him. Thanks to his father’s encouragement, kalam joined Schwartz High School

in Ramanathapuram. Thus father was a step stone to Kalam’s progress.

Kalam’s friends:

Kalam’s most intimate friend was Jallaluddin. He later married Kalam’s sister Zohara.

Though uneducated, Jallaluddin had a bird’s eye – view of the latest developments in

science and technology. It was he who induced Kalam to study on and on without

interruption. His emphasis on positive thinking dispelled Kalam’s gloom and

homesickness when he was in Ramanathapuram, executing higher studies. Another of

Kalam’s intimate friends was Samsuddin, the news paper agent in Rameswaram. Kalam

updated his knowledge of the Second World War by reading the headlines and looking

at the pictures in the news papers. When the Second World War broke out, the train did

not halt at Rameswaram for strategic reasons. News papers bundles were thrown from

the moving train. The eight year old Kalam picked them up. For this job, Samsuddin

paid a small sum of money to Kalam which he treasured. Kalam was deeply attached to

his Brahmin class-mate Ramanadha Sastry and always nestled by his side in the class-

room. A new teacher objected to a Muslim boy sitting by the side of a Brahmin. He

compelled Kalam to sit on a back bench. Kalam was anguished by the separation.

Thanks to the intervention the authorities, he was allowed to sit again with his dear

friend on the front bench.

Thus the essay is full of kalam‘s reminiscences about his parents, relations and friends.

Unit – II

Poetry

2.1 Ozymandias

P.B. Shelley

I. One word Answer:

1. P.B. Shelley was born in the year 1792.

2. Shelley was educated at Eton and Oxford University

3. The word ‘antique land’ refers to nineteenth dynasty of ancient Egypt.

4. Shelley criticizes politicians of his age.

5. The passions in the statue reflect the skill of its sculptor.

II. Paragraph Questions:

1. What does the traveler report to the poet?

A traveler walking across a vast desert sees a broken trunkless statue. Only the legs and

face of the statue are found. There is a sneering expression on the face. The inscription on

the pedestal says that the statue is that of the powerful Egyptian monarch Ozymandias and

that his far – flung empire is lying stretched before the statue. The traveler looks all around,

only to see an endless desert. This is what traveler reported to the poet.

2. What conclusion does the poet reach?

Where Ozymandias’s empire flourished once, only an unrelieved desert exists now. The

empire has decayed and disappeared. This is an evidence of the impermanence of human

glory. The sneer on the statue’s face remains indelible. This shows that, of all human

products, only art is indestructible.

iii. Essay Question:

1. How does the theme of the impermanence of human glory conveyed in’ Ozymandias’?

Introduction

The speaker recalls having met a traveler “from an antique land,” who told him a story about the

ruins of a statue in the desert of his native country. Two vast legs of stone stand without a body,

and near them a massive, crumbling stone head lies “half sunk” in the sand. The traveler told the

speaker that the frown and “sneer of cold command” on the statue’s face indicate that the

sculptor understood well the emotions (or "passions") of the statue’s subject. The memory of

those emotions survives "stamped" on the lifeless statue, even though both the sculptor and his

subject are both now dead. On the pedestal of the statue appear the words, “My name is

Ozymandias, king of kings: / Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!” But around the

decaying ruin of the statue, nothing remains, only the “lone and level sands,” which stretch out

around it.

Form

“Ozymandias” is a sonnet, a fourteen-line poem metered in iambic pentameter. The rhyme

scheme is somewhat unusual for a sonnet of this era; it does not fit a conventional Petrarchan

pattern, but instead interlinks the octave (a term for the first eight lines of a sonnet) with the

sestet (a term for the last six lines), by gradually replacing old rhymes with new ones in the form

ABABACDCEDEFEF.

Human glory conveyed in’ Ozymandias’:

This sonnet from 1817 is probably Shelley’s most famous and most anthologized poem—

which is somewhat strange, considering that it is in many ways an atypical poem for Shelley, and

that it touches little upon the most important themes in his oeuvre at large (beauty, expression,

love, imagination). Still, “Ozymandias” is a masterful sonnet. Essentially it is devoted to a single

metaphor: the shattered, ruined statue in the desert wasteland, with its arrogant, passionate face

and monomaniacal inscription (“Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”). The once-great

king’s proud boast has been ironically disproved; Ozymandias’s works have crumbled and

disappeared, his civilization is gone, all has been turned to dust by the impersonal,

indiscriminate, destructive power of history. The ruined statue is now merely a monument to one

man’s hubris, and a powerful statement about the insignificance of human beings to the passage

of time. Ozymandias is first and foremost a metaphor for the ephemeral nature of political

power, and in that sense the poem is Shelley’s most outstanding political sonnet, trading the

specific rage of a poem like “England in 1819” for the crushing impersonal metaphor of the

statue. But Ozymandias symbolizes not only political power—the statue can be a metaphor for

the pride and hubris of all of humanity, in any of its manifestations. It is significant that all that

remains of Ozymandias is a work of art and a group of words; as Shakespeare does in the

sonnets, Shelley demonstrates that art and language long outlast the other legacies of power.

Of course, it is Shelley’s brilliant poetic rendering of the story, and not the subject of the

story itself, which makes the poem so memorable. Framing the sonnet as a story told to the

speaker by “a traveller from an antique land” enables Shelley to add another level of obscurity to

Ozymandias’s position with regard to the reader—rather than seeing the statue with our own

eyes, so to speak, we hear about it from someone who heard about it from someone who has seen

it. Thus the ancient king is rendered even less commanding; the distancing of the narrative serves

to undermine his power over us just as completely as has the passage of time. Shelley’s

description of the statue works to reconstruct, gradually, the figure of the “king of kings”: first

we see merely the “shattered visage,” then the face itself, with its “frown / And wrinkled lip and

sneer of cold command”; then we are introduced to the figure of the sculptor, and are able to

imagine the living man sculpting the living king, whose face wore the expression of the passions

now inferable; then we are introduced to the king’s people in the line, “the hand that mocked

them and the heart that fed.” The kingdom is now imaginatively complete, and we are introduced

to the extraordinary, prideful boast of the king: “Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”

With that, the poet demolishes our imaginary picture of the king, and interposes centuries of ruin

between it and us: “ ‘Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’ / Nothing beside remains.

Round the decay / Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare, / The lone and level sands stretch

far away.”

2.2. Mending Wall

Robert Frost

One word questions:

1. Robert Frost was born in the year 1874.

2. This poetry is an argument between the author and his neighbor.

3. Robert Frost has an apple orchard.

4. The repeated words used by his neighbor are ‘Good fences make good neighbors’.

5. The author narrates the mending walls as an outdoor game.

Paragraph Questions:

1. What are the arguments of the old farmer?

There is an old farmer who says that walls are necessary. His point is that the fence will

demarcate accurately his farm from his neighbor’s. There will not be any room for

misunderstanding. He says repeatedly that ‘good fences make good neighbors’. He is

very conventional. He wants to mend the broken wall between the two farms.

2. Explain the symbols in the poem.

There are some apt symbols in the poem. The wall stands for all kinds of man-made

barriers may be due to racial, linguistic, religious, political or economic differences. The

old man who insists on mending the wall is described as ‘savage’. That is, his views are

very old-fashioned. The young man who wants to pull down the wall is described as a

‘mischievous self’. That is, the abolition of barriers is nothing but mischief and

irresponsibility. It will create only confusion.

Essay Question:

1. Explain the argument between the author and his neighbor.

Mending Wall is one of Forst’s popular poems. There are two farmers in the poem - the old farmer arguing for the retention of a fence and the other young farmer wanting to pull it down.

A stone wall separates the speaker’s property from his neighbor’s. In spring, the two meet

to walk the wall and jointly make repairs. The speaker sees no reason for the wall to be kept—

there are no cows to be contained, just apple and pine trees. He does not believe in walls for the

sake of walls. The neighbor resorts to an old adage: “Good fences make good neighbors.” The

speaker remains unconvinced and mischievously presses the neighbor to look beyond the old-

fashioned folly of such reasoning. His neighbor will not be swayed. The speaker envisions his

neighbor as a holdover from a justifiably outmoded era, a living example of a dark-age

mentality. But the neighbor simply repeats the adage.

Blank verse is the baseline meter of this poem, but few of the lines march along in blank

verse’s characteristic lock-step iambs, five abreast. Frost maintains five stressed syllables per

line, but he varies the feet extensively to sustain the natural speech-like quality of the verse.

There are no stanza breaks, obvious end-rhymes, or rhyming patterns, but many of the end-words

share an assonance (e.g., wall, hill, balls, wall, and well sun, thing, stone, mean, line, and again

or game, them, and him twice). Internal rhymes, too, are subtle, slanted, and conceivably

coincidental. The vocabulary is all of a piece—no fancy words, all short (only one word, another,

is of three syllables), all conversational—and this is perhaps why the words resonate so

consummately with each other in sound and feel.

I have a friend who, as a young girl, had to memorize this poem as punishment for some

now-forgotten misbehavior. Forced memorization is never pleasant; still, this is a fine poem for

recital. “Mending Wall” is sonorous, homey, wry—arch, even—yet serene; it is steeped in levels

of meaning implied by its well-wrought metaphoric suggestions. These implications inspire

numerous interpretations and make definitive readings suspect. Here are but a few things to think

about as you reread the poem.

The image at the heart of “Mending Wall” is arresting: two men meeting on terms of

civility and neighborliness to build a barrier between them. They do so out of tradition, out of

habit. Yet the very earth conspires against them and makes their task Sisyphean. Sisyphus, you

may recall, is the figure in Greek mythology condemned perpetually to push a boulder up a hill,

only to have the boulder roll down again. These men push boulders back on top of the wall; yet

just as inevitably, whether at the hand of hunters or sprites, or the frost and thaw of nature’s

invisible hand, the boulders tumble down again. Still, the neighbors persist. The poem, thus,

seems to meditate conventionally on three grand themes: barrier-building (segregation, in the

broadest sense of the word), the doomed nature of this enterprise, and our persistence in this

activity regardless.

But, as we so often see when we look closely at Frost’s best poems, what begins in folksy

straightforwardness ends in complex ambiguity. The speaker would have us believe that there are

two types of people: those who stubbornly insist on building superfluous walls (with clichés as

their justification) and those who would dispense with this practice—wall-builders and wall-

breakers. But are these impulses so easily separable? And what does the poem really say about

the necessity of boundaries?

The speaker may scorn his neighbor’s obstinate wall-building, may observe the activity

with humorous detachment, but he himself goes to the wall at all times of the year to mend the

damage done by hunters; it is the speaker who contacts the neighbor at wall-mending time to set

the annual appointment. Which person, then, is the real wall-builder? The speaker says he sees

no need for a wall here, but this implies that there may be a need for a wall elsewhere— “where

there are cows,” for example. Yet the speaker must derive something, some use, some

satisfaction, out of the exercise of wall-building, or why would he initiate it here? There is

something in him that does love a wall, or at least the act of making a wall.

This wall-building act seems ancient, for it is described in ritual terms. It involves

“spells” to counteract the “elves,” and the neighbor appears a Stone-Age savage while he hoists

and transports a boulder. Well, wall-building is ancient and enduring—the building of the first

walls, both literal and figurative, marked the very foundation of society. Unless you are an

absolute anarchist and do not mind livestock munching your lettuce, you probably recognize the

need for literal boundaries. Figuratively, rules and laws are walls; justice is the process of wall-

mending. The ritual of wall maintenance highlights the dual and complementary nature of human

society: The rights of the individual (property boundaries, proper boundaries) are affirmed

through the affirmation of other individuals’ rights. And it demonstrates another benefit of

community; for this communal act, this civic “game,” offers a good excuse for the speaker to

interact with his neighbor. Wall-building is social, both in the sense of “societal” and “sociable.”

What seems an act of anti-social self-confinement can, thus, ironically, be interpreted as a great

social gesture. Perhaps the speaker does believe that good fences make good neighbors— for

again, it is he who initiates the wall-mending.

Of course, a little bit of mutual trust, communication, and goodwill would seem to

achieve the same purpose between well-disposed neighbors—at least where there are no cows.

And the poem says it twice: “something there is that does not love a wall.” There is some intent

and value in wall-breaking, and there is some powerful tendency toward this destruction. Can it

be simply that wall-breaking creates the conditions that facilitate wall-building? Are the

groundswells a call to community- building—nature’s nudge toward concerted action? Or are

they benevolent forces urging the demolition of traditional, small-minded boundaries? The poem

does not resolve this question, and the narrator, who speaks for the groundswells but acts as a

fence-builder, remains a contradiction.

Many of Frost’s poems can be reasonably interpreted as commenting on the creative

process; “Mending Wall” is no exception. On the basic level, we can find here a discussion of

the construction-disruption duality of creativity. Creation is a positive act—a mending or a

building. Even the most destructive-seeming creativity results in a change, the building of some

new state of being: If you tear down an edifice, you create a new view for the folks living in the

house across the way. Yet creation is also disruptive: If nothing else, it disrupts the status quo.

Stated another way, disruption is creative: It is the impetus that leads directly, mysteriously (as

with the groundswells), to creation. Does the stone wall embody this duality? In any case, there

is something about “walking the line”—and building it, mending it, balancing each stone with

equal parts skill and spell—that evokes the mysterious and laborious act of making poetry.

On a level more specific to the author, the question of boundaries and their worth is

directly applicable to Frost’s poetry. Barriers confine, but for some people they also encourage

freedom and productivity by offering challenging frameworks within which to work. On

principle, Frost did not write free verse. His creative process involved engaging poetic form (the

rules, tradition, and boundaries—the walls—of the poetic world) and making it distinctly his

own. By maintaining the tradition of formal poetry in unique ways, he was simultaneously a

mender and breaker of walls.

2.3 WHERE THE MIND IS WITHOUT FEAR

Rabindranath Tagore

One word Answer:

1. Rabindranath Tagore got Nobel Prize for Literature in the year 1913.

2. Where The Mind Is Without Fear is the extract taken from the text Gitanjali.

3. The poet visualizes an ideal land of Utopian values.

4. Utopia is an imaginary land which is full of perfection.

5. Rabindranath Tagore was born in the year 1861.

Paragraph Questions:

1. Describe the freedom from fear, narrow boundaries and falsehood that Tagore aspires to.

Fear is the root cause of slavery and subjection. If Indians become fearless, they can overthrow

the British rulers, however immense their power may be. Hence Tagore accords top priority to

fearlessness in his prayers. Second comes intellectual freedom. One should be able to pursue

knowledge without any hindrance. Learning should be limitless. Third Tagore wishes for

international unity. Wars break out only because of narrow regional and national loyalties.

People should rise above linguistic and communal divisions. Fourth, people should speak the

truth at all casts. Truth does not lie on the surface. It lies buried under many layers of deceptions

and delusions. One has to dig through these crusts to get at truth just as one has to dig deep to

get at pure water.

2. Describe Tagore‘s view on reaching perfection and the hindrance to attain it.

Nothing short of perfection will satisfy the poet. He does not want Indians to rest content with

the broken arc. He wants them to strive tirelessly till the perfect round is attained. Outdated

values often interrupt our onward progress. Tagore compares them to dead bodies. A man might

have been cherished and honoured when alive. But after he dies, his body must be disposed of.

Useless habits also must be put away likewise. Outdated habits are also compared by Tagore to

‘dreary desert sand’. Desert sand will only suck in a stream and prevent it from flowing on to

fertile land. Reason is like a stream. A reasonable man should reject value that have outlived

their usefulness and address ever – widening tasks. Finally, Tagore emphasizes the need for

action issuing out of thought. Thought that does not lead to action is like unending pregnancy

and acting hastily and thoughtlessly is like abortion. Thought and action should interpenetrate.

Essay Question:

Describe how the poem expresses Tagore’s vision of free India.

Tagore, Rabindranath (1861-1941), Indian poet, philosopher, and Nobel laureate, was

born in Calcutta, into a wealthy family. He began to write poetry as a child; his first book

appeared when he was 17 years old. After a brief stay in England (1878) to study law, he

returned to India, where he rapidly became the most important and popular author of the colonial

era, writing poetry, short stories, novels, and plays. He composed several hundred popular songs

and in 1929 also began painting.

Tagore wrote primarily in Bengali, but translated many of his works into English

himself. He was awarded the 1913 Nobel Prize in literature, and in 1915 he was knighted by the

British king George V. Tagore renounced his knighthood in 1919 following the Amritsar

massacre of 400 Indian demonstrators by British troops. Some of his more famous works are

'Balaka', 'Sonar Tari', ‘Chitali’, and 'Gitanjali'. His selected poems 'Sanchaita', and selected short

stories 'Galpagucha' were published in India 1966. Two of his songs are national anthem of India

and Bangladesh.

In 1901 Rabindranath Tagore founded a school at Santiniketan, West Bengal, India,

which later developed into an international institution called Visva Bharati, where he tried to

revive the spirit of education of ancient India, the famed "Gurukula" system, when students

spent their childhood at their teacher's house and studied there

RabindranathTagore's writing is highly imagistic, deeply religious and imbibed with his love of

nature and his homeland. RabindranathTagore’s poem, ‘Where the Mind is Without

Fear’ ,included in the volume called Naibedya, later published in English ‘Gitanjali’ is a prayer

to a universal father-figure, presumably, God to elevate his country into a free land. Here Tagore

defines Freedom as a fundamental system of reasoning of a sovereign state of mind, established

or accepted as a guide for governing the man in a nutshell. A freedom fixes the limits and defines

the relations of the moral, ethical and powers of the state of mind, thus setting up the basis for

life.

The first line of the poem is one of the most significant sub clauses which go to build up

the poem. The ‘World of Freedom’, which Tagore envisions for his , can only be

attained if we possess a fearless mind. Only a fearless mind can hold its head upright. So attain

true freedom one has to have a mind which is ‘Without fear’. Thus, the poet wishes to be

awakened to a heaven where the mind can work fearlessly and the spirit can hold its head high

and again its knowledge is crystal clear reasoning:

A free country means where one can acquire knowledge in all freedom of choice. The big

world of man is fragmented or restricted to small mutually exclusive compartments. The poet

preaches that our minds, instead of being engulfed in such prejudices and narrow superstitions,

must be enriched by thoughts and actions, which are worthy and beneficial for the sake of the

country:

In an ideal free country everybody speaks his/her heart clear, where actions flow in the

form of various streams moving from success to success, where petty conventions do not

stagnant the course of judgment. Tagore entertains a system of thought that emphasizes the role

of reason in obtaining knowledge. He also emphasizes the role of experience, especially sense

perception. Tagore also attempts to tie various perceptions of the world together in some way.

The comparative study of variegated knowledge would led to the reconstruction of a hypothetical

parent Ideal to account for striking similarities among the various perceptions of East and west:

According to RabindranathTagore, attainment of ideal freedom was definitely an arduous but the

dreamiest of situation in our country, in the pre−independent India. Studies commissioned by

Tagore did determine with near certainty that declining moral values reflect cultural bias in the

country, in the sense that post independent India scores such bloodshed in the name of religion.

Here, Tagore remains an accurate predictor of Indian sociology. One must possess a fearless

mind with one’s head hold high in self-esteem. Knowledge gained by the countrymen ought to

be free from prejudices. The world should not become fragmented through internal strives and

feuds. The mental make-up should be free from the superstitious, narrow and gloomy practices.

The poet, finally, conceives of a situation, where the mind is guided by the Divine One to

awaken ourselves from the errors of our commitments.

Unit - III

Short Stories

3.1 Am I Blue

Alice Walker

1. Alice Walker is the author of ‘Am I Blue’. 2. Full of windows is the specialty of author’s rented house.

3. Blue is the name of the horse.

4. White is its colour. 5. A man who lived in another town was the owner of Blue.

6. Young girl or boy were riding on Blue.

7. Apple in his yard was that belonging to the author was liked by Blue 8. The author actually forgotten that Human animals and non-human animals can communicate 9. Brown was the name of the new horse

10. Brown was taken aback by its owner made Blue seem worried.

Paragraph Answers

1. Was Blue a symbol of freedom? Why or Why not?

By narrating the story of Blue the author projects the importance of freedom from

slavery. After the disappearance of Brown, Blue galloped furiously. It whinnied until it could

not. He tore at the ground with his hooves. He butted himself against the nearby tree. He always

looked towards the road down which his partner had gone. This is the way the Negro slaves of

past reacted when they were separated from their families. They could not suppress their boiling

emotions and spirit of independence. But they were as helpless as Blue was. They were just

slaves and had to obey to the whims and fancies of the white people. Thus Blue was really a

symbol of freedom justice.

2. Can non-human animals communicate as accurately as human animals?

When Brown was with Blue the author found a look of independence, pride and self

possession. The look of Blue communicated justice and peace to the author. But after the

disappearance of Brown, Blue communicated its restlessness and unhappiness. It did not eat the

apples which the author gave. Once it cherished eating apples. But now it let the apple fall to the

ground. It behaved like a crazed person. Its look was so piercing. It was full of grief. It was the

look of human being filled with extreme pain.

Essay Question:

How does Alice Walker’ reveal men’s indifference to the animals and downtrodden.

Introduction:

This short story by Alice Walker is a thought-provoking one. The author stresses the importance of freedom and justice through the story of a horse. She also speaks about slavery and the sad plight of the black people in America.

Alice Walker's essay Am I Blue?, is on the surface, a statement about how humans treat

animals and the right's of animals. However, on a deeper level, Walker is making a very

powerful argument about how human animals treat each other much the same way they treat non

human animals.

All though history, horses have been symbols of power and grace. Gigantic herds of mustangs

were once seen galloping on the American frontier. Alice Walker brings you to her reality, with

the story of a beautiful horse named Blue. She uses great imagery, personification and socially

thought provoking analogies to build emotional sentiment for her central ideas and effectively

persuade you to see her point of view. She incorporates her techniques so well that the reader is

left with an entirely new, or at the very least, greatly supported view of a horse’s life and animal

captivity.

Alice Walker's extraordinary use of imagery effectively creates scenes of beautiful country life

in the readers mind. A reader can brilliantly picture "a large meadow" running strait from a porch

"into the mountains." Her Descriptions of Blue "flipping its mane," added with the scenery of the

five acres, develops a full scene that one can truly observe and feel. This technique of imagery

not only captures the reader’s attention, but gives the reader a firsthand view from the eyes of the

writer. This leads to a greater effect when Alice surfaces arguments from her experience. Alice's

great use of imagery helps to enhance all aspects of her story.

This story of the solitary misery of a neighbor’s horse evokes so much empathy in Alice Walker

that she quits eating meat. "Am I Blue" is about a fond relationship between a horse and a

woman

3.2 Last Leaf

1. O .Henry is the author of ‘The Last Leaf’

2. Johnsy and Sue lived in Washington street?

3. Johnsy was suffering from Pneumonia? 4. Johnsy was counting Leaves of Ivy vine in reverse order - 5. Behrman earned his living by Serving as model to young artists - 6. The Last Leaf made Johnsy to get excited? 7. The Masterpiece of Behrman was the last leaf 8. Old Behrman died due to Pneumonia 9. Behrman sacrificed his life for saving another one 10. Johnsy wishes to paint Bay of Naples

Paragraph Answers

1. How did Sue and Joanna spend their time in that room?

Sue and Joanna are artists. They are interested in drawing pictures. They jointly

run a studio on the top – most floor of a brick building. Sue is attached to her fellow

– artist Johnsy. Johnsy is struck down by pneumonia. She keeps gazing at clinging to

the brick wall. Sue tries to cheer up Johnsy and orient her towards life.

2. Describe the place where the two young artists lived.

The young artists lived in a thickly populated village west of Washington Square. The name of

the village is Greenwhich village. Sue and Joanna familiarly called Johnsy live at the top of a

three- storeyed brick house. They are jointly running a studio.

Essay Question:

Narrate the theme of the short story “The Last Leaf”.

“The Last Leaf” is about someone whose illness changed. This person’s name is Johnsy

she’s diagnosed with pneumonia. She is always negative about herself. She always watches a

vine that outside her window. She watches each leaf fall. She always says that when the last leaf

fall she going to go with it. Mr. Behrman daubs the last leaf on the wall after the real one does.

Then he catches pneumonia and dies. I think the most important theme of this story is self

sacrifice. I think that’s the theme because Mr. Behrman risks his life for Johnsy. I consider Mr.

Behrman chivalric because he was brave enough to go out there and paint the leaf on the wall for

Johnsy and then gets pneumonia and dies just to lifts Johnsy’s spirits. Sue the care taker of

Johnsy doesn’t like when she speaks negatively and doesn’t like it when all she does and wait for

that last leaf to fall. She always is solicitously about Johnsy. She does whatever she can to take

care of Johnsy.

This theme is important because when Mr. Behrman paints the leaf on the wall he’s doing it just

to give Johnsy hope. He also does it to stop her from thinking negatively about herself and to

think positive. Each might Johnsy would look at those leaves and watch them fall one by one.

Each time zephyrs came they knocked down leaves. When Mr. Buhrmann painted that lea on the

wall he did it so she wouldn’t die of negatively and disbelief. What Mr. Behrman did helped her.

Mr. Behrman knows how Johnsy is everyday. She is morbid and always looks at that

vine. He knew how important that vine was to her. He did whatever he could to keep him alive

and give her hope, even if it takes his life. Each time she looked out that window the last leaf

would still be there and she would get more hope and would speak more positively about herself.

That mean he gave a self sacrifice for Johnsy.

People today would take self sacrifices for someone. Like parent for instance. They would do

anything for their children or their loved ones. They would make sure no matter what the kids

and loved ones are always secure and well. Kids also care for their brothers or sisters if they have

any because if someone was to on your little brother/sister you would take a self sacrifice for

them. These are how people make self sacrifices in our time period. Back then they might not

have that many people take self sacrifices for other people. When Mr. Behrman dies Johnsy

realizes that this is meant to stop being negative and to give hope because the last leaf will never

fall.

I thought what Mr. Behrman did was very respectful. I thought when he was first

introduced in this passage that he was mean but in the end I found out he was a very nice man.

This theme was true about everything. He was doing a self sacrifice so that Johnsy wouldn’t die

and wouldn’t give up hope. If I was Mr. Behrman I would have don’t the same thing I always

say you come before me. That’s exactly what Mr. Behrman did. I always do stuff to be respectful

to my loved ones and I always do what I need to do to help them. If I ever have to take a self

sacrifice I would and I know my love ones would do it for me too. I’m happy that he would do

something just to help to keep someone’s hope and beliefs up and not down. I’m also very proud

of Sue also takes a self sacrifice for Johnsy. Sue always stays home and does whatever she can to

keep very good care of Johnsy she cooks, she stays home, and she doesn’t leave to do something

else. She doesn’t ever leave Johnsy. I’m pound of these characters and I hope that someday I

could make a self sacrifice and be the one to help someone too.

3.3 Selfish Giant1. Oscar Wilde is the author of ‘The Selfish Giant’.

2. Every afternoon, after coming from the school children played in the giant’s garden.

3. The giant went to visit his friend Cornish ogre.

4. Giant built a high wall around the garden.

5. The board on the wall showed ‘TRESSPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED’

6. The description given to the giant was Selfish Giant.

7. A small child made a change in the giant.

8. Paradise is the garden of the small boy.

9. Jesus Christ is the small boy.

10. The children were playing on the road after the giant has chased them out of the garden.

Paragraph Answers:

1. Describe the garden where the children played and what did the giant do when he returned from his visit? The garden was a large one. It had soft green grass. Over the grass stood

flowers. The flowers shone bright like stars. There were twelve peach trees which

broke out into delicate blossoms in spring.

On seeing children playing in his garden, the giant got angry. He sent out

the children. He erected a high compound wall round the garden to keep out the

children permanently. In addition to all these measures, he put up a notice to the

effect that trespassers would be prosecuted.

2. Describe the transformation of the giant.One day, through a hole in the compound wall, all the children come into

the garden. At once the garden is filled with blossoms. In one corner a small child is

seen crying. All the other children are playing on the trees. But the small child

cannot climb up the tree. On seeing this the giant’s heart melts. He goes up to the

child and puts it on the tree. The child reciprocates t he giant’s kindness by kissing

him, this is a turning –point in the giant’s life. All his selfishness disappears at once.

He pulls down the compound wall and allows the children to come and play in the

garden whenever they like.

Essay Question”

Describe the role of the Selfish Giant.

‘Selfish Giant’ is one of the short stories beautifully written by Oscar Wilde.By reading

this short story you will instantly enter into a beautiful garden and live their during winter and

spring seasons. You cannot but admire and applaud when he describes the winter season as

‘spring asleep’ insinuatingly. This short review is only to drive you towards the original. The

moment you enter the garden you are astonished with the scenic beauty of it. There are oak trees

blossom with beautiful and colorful flowers in the spring season and birds sing merrily. Children

play in the garden by climbing on the trees and enjoying the birds singing.

The garden belongs to ‘The Selfish Giant’. He has been away for some time. When the

Giant returns to his garden the trouble brews.

On entering his garden, the ‘Selfish Giant’ sees that the children are playing and enjoying

in his garden. He asks the Children in a high commanding tone, ‘what are you doing here?’

Feeling terrific and frightened at his voice, the children run away from the garden..

‘Selfish Giant’ also sets up a sign board with the words: ‘Trespassers will be

prosecuted’. Hence, thereafter, the children do not come to play in the garden for fear of facing’

Selfish Giant’.

Thereafter, winter (described by Oscar Wilde as ‘spring fast asleep’) comes to the garden and the

season lasts longer. Beyond the compound of the garden, the season changes into spring, but in

the ‘Giant’s garden’ it is winter.

The ‘Selfish Giant’ is even worried to see that the winter season lasts longer in his garden

alone with frost lingering on. Suddenly, he is pleased to see a small boy standing inside his

garden under a tree. He is too small to climb up a tree. The Giant runs towards the boy lifts him

up on a tree. Pleased with the Giant’s act, the small boy even kisses him. Giant is also pleased

very much to see that the tree in which the boy stands is abound with blossoming flowers. Spring

has returned to this tree alone. The Giant also notes that when some other small boys trickle into

his garden through a hole in the compound wall, spring season returns to the garden and birds

begin to sing.

Now the ‘Selfish Giant’ realizes that where the real happiness lies. He dismantles the

compound wall and allows the children freely into his garden. Once again the feeling of joy and

spring season is restored to his garden. But to his dismay and shock, he finds that the tiny tot

from whom he received a kiss is not seen and whose whereabouts are also not known. In fact the

‘Selfish Giant ‘ is longing for the arrival of the small boy.

Years roll by. The ‘Selfish Giant’ becomes old and fragile and is leaning in a chair.

One day, all of a sudden, he sees that the small boy is standing under a tree in a corner of his

garden. The Giant runs towards him. He sees that the small boy has nail marks in his hands and

legs. He tells the Giant that he has come to his garden just because he allowed a small boy into

his garden. The ‘Selfish Giant’ is struck with awe and wonder; unknowingly he kneels down

before him.

The next day, the children who have come to play in the garden see that the ‘Selfish Giant’ lay

dead in the garden under a tree and is covered with full of white flowers.

In the above story, you can see the mastery of Oscar Wilde’s story narrating skills and

turn your mood according to the season. When you are inside the Giant’s garden you can feel the

spring season when the children are playing and when they are driven away, you will enter into

the winter season and you can even feel the shivering with cold. When the “Selfish Giant’ meets

the small boy and kneels down before Him, you are filled with a sense of reverence and

mysticism. And above all you feel that young children are really children of God and you should

be liberal with them. When the ‘Selfish Giant’ lays dead in his garden, you have a feeling of

sympathy for him. Hence, by all means, the story is really a classic in the real sense of the word.

Unit - IV

4.1 Soul Gone Home

One word answer:

1. Langston Hughes was an African writer.

2. Soul Gone Home is a play about poverty of Africans

3. The name of the dead boy is Ronnie.

4. Ronnie complaints that his mother is a bad mother.

5. Ronnie had TB because of undernourishment.

6. Ronnie’s mother complained that he was a useless boy.

7. Ronnie’s mother was relieved of his death.

8. Ronnie’s mother forced him to sell newspapers in the street.

9. Ronnie’s mother argues that he hasn’t even had a decent death.

10. Randolph is Ronnie’s original name.

Paragraph Answers:

1. What are the accusations of Ronnie against his mother? Her weeping is not genuine. She pretends to grieve and wail over her son’s death.

Suddenly the dead boy Ronnie opens his eyes. To the utter shock of his mother he

begins to speak. He accuses his mother that she is very bad. He says that she never fed

him properly when he was alive. He sadly says that she did not do anything good for

him. She forced him to sell newspapers in the street which made him grow without

manners and morals. He finds fault with her for letting him grow up with bow – legs

because of undernourishment. She did not give him milk or eggs. She fed him only

with beans even when he was suffering from TB.

2. How does Ronnie’s mother answer the accusations of Ronnie?Ronnie’s mother is shocked to hear all these charges against her. She replies that

she gave birth to him and raised him amidst difficulties. In fact she was ruined by

Ronnie’s father. In fact she did not marry in order to take care of Ronnie. She lost the

chance of marrying a good man because no one would like to take care of another

one’s child. For the past 16 years she has been taking care of Ronnie.

Essay Question:

Langston Hughes uses subtle yet powerful imagery to illustrate the plight of a black

family in a white dominated society in his one-act play "Soul Gone Home".The pennies on

Ronnie's eyes mentioned at the beginning and end of the play refer to an ancient custom and also

to the poverty that can blind one in a capitalist world. Wealth is only mentioned in a monetary

sense, "When I had money, ain't I fed you?" (Hughes, 1271) and "you said you ain't got no

money for milk and eggs" (Hughes, 1272). Wealth of a spiritual or emotional nature is never

mentioned.

As Kolin and Curley point out in "Hughes Soul Gone Home", color is also a reoccurring

symbol throughout the play (1274). Ronnie's description is a "dark boy in a torn white shirt"

(Hughes, 1271). "He rolls his big white eyes" (Hughes, 1271) at his mother. Even the milk and

eggs mentioned as lacking in his diet are a subtle reference to the white society that has stunted

his growth as a black man.

The "Men in the white coats" (Hughes, 1273) who carry Ronnie's body away are yet

another figurative expression of a white society claiming another black victim. Langston Hughes

was a prolific writer who used his literary influence to bring the plight of blacks to the attention

of society.

4.2 Albert SchweitzerOne word answer:

1. Albert Schweitzer was the son of a protestant clergy man.

2. Mr. Widor was one of the chief organist of Schweitzer.

3. Schweitzer joined the University of Strasbourg as a lecturer.

4. Joseph was the interpreter of Schweitzer.

5. Schweitzer’s patients put their pain to evil sprits.

6. Banana was the chief item in the diet of the local Africans

7. Joseph, Schweitzer’s assistant was an African, speaking French fluently.

8. Schweitzer decided to serve the natives of Africa as a doctor.

9. Schweitzer was inspired to take up medical work by a missionary magazine.

10. Schweitzer’s wife accompanied him as a nurse in his assistance.

Paragraph:

1. Write a paragraph on Schweitzer’s early life.

Schweitzer was born in the Alsatian village of Gunsbach, the son of a Protestant Clergyman,

in the eighties of the last century. He was very soft-hearted. He was moved to tears by the

suffering people and animals. Once he shed tears when he saw and old horse being dragged to

the slaughterhouse. People called him sentimental. He enjoyed playing piano even when he was

nine –year old boy. He loved playing Bach to his tutor Widor. When he was nearing the age of

thirty, he began to think of ways and means of helping suffering humanity.

2. How does Schweitzer’s dream come true?

One day he was reading a magazine published by the Paris Evangelical Mission. He

found there that there was a great need of medical workers in French Equatorial Africa and

Belgian Congo. Schweitzer thought that it was the right kind of work for him. He decided to

serve the Africans as a doctor. Schweitzer decided to study medicine and specialize in tropical

diseases. It was a very brave decision to give up his present distinguished position as a lecturer,

philosopher and musician, and to study for about seven years.

However, he did it. He took a medical degree from Strasbourg and studied tropical

diseases in Paris. His wife whom he married in 1912 became a nurse to help him. He then got

permission from the Paris Evangelical Mission of Paris to build a hospital in their mission at

Lambarene about 200 miles at Cape Lopez. He was offered a house too. Albert Schweitzer at last

reached Lambarene in 1913 after a long journey. As the hospital was not yet ready, he kept the

essential medicines and things in his sitting room and started treatment in the open space. It was

difficult to work in the open. The sun was hot. When the storms came almost every evening

things had to be carried to the verandah. After a short time a fowl-house without windows and

with a leaking roof was turned into a hospital.

Essay Question:

Discusses the hurdles faced by Albert Schweitzer in African forest.

In the essay, the narrator narrates the early life of Albert Schweitzer, his noble decision to

serve mankind and his life at Lambarene by healing the sick there. Albert Schweitzer was born at

Gunsbach, a village at Alsace. His father was a protestant pastor there. He had a talent for music.

Even in childhood, he could play the fugue of the famous composer, Bach, on the organ very

well. He learnt the organ from Munch and Widor. He studied theology in the universities of

Strasbourg, Paris and Berlin. Then he became a lecturer in the Strasbourg University. When he

was twenty-one, still a university student, he took a noble vow to dedicate himself to the service

of suffering men. As a pastor’s son he enjoyed a good comfortable life. He felt grateful to

humanity for that, so he wanted to serve suffering men to repay his debt of gratitude. He decided

to enjoy his good pleasant life till the age of thirty and to devote himself to the service of men

after that.

When he was thirty, he started his mission by looking after neglected children. He could

not do that well. Then he began to do welfare work for beggars and discharged prisoners. But he

found, that sort of work could be better done by organizations. He wanted to do something in a

personal and independent way. One day he was reading a magazine published by the Paris

Evangelical Mission. He found there that there was a great need of medical workers in French

Equatorial Africa and Belgian Congo. Schweitzer thought that it was the right kind of work for

him. He decided to serve the Africans as a doctor. Schweitzer decided to study medicine and

specialize in tropical diseases. It was a very brave decision to give up his present distinguished

position as a lecturer, philosopher and musician, and to study for about seven years.

However, he did it. He took a medical degree from Strasbourg and studied tropical

diseases in Paris. His wife whom he married in 1912 became a nurse to help him. He then got

permission from the Paris Evangelical Mission of Paris to build a hospital in their mission at

Lambarene about 200 miles at Cape Lopez. He was offered a house too. Albert Schweitzer at last

reached Lambarene in 1913 after a long journey. As the hospital was not yet ready, he kept the

essential medicines and things in his sitting room and started treatment in the open space. It was

difficult to work in the open. The sun was hot. When the storms came almost every evening

things had to be carried to the verandah. After a short time a fowl-house without windows and

with a leaking roof was turned into a hospital.

4.3 Pablo Picasso

One word question:

1. Picasso belongs to France

2. Picasso practiced Cubism

3. Cubism interlocked different colours and lights

4. Picasso’s father Don Jose Ruiz helped his growth.

Paragraph answer:

1. Write a paragraph on the special features of Picasso’s paintings.

Picasso has innovated many new techniques, one of them being cubism. It is nothing but

painting figures and objects as interlocking geometrical forms of colour and light. According to

him, see with mind, He never show of his riches. He does not use a palette. Usually tries his

colour on a sheet of newspaper or cardboard. If the works goes on well, he works till two or three

in the morning. Pablo is not slavishly imitative. He considers himself a law unto himself.

Essay Question:

Write an essay on Picasso’s uniqueness as a painter.

Introduction:

Picasso of France is an innovative painter. When Pablo was12, his father handed over to him his

palette – to symbolize acknowledgement that his son had surpassed him. He has introduced a

new technique called cubism, interlocking lights and colours. He sells his pictures at

phenomenal prices. Recently, he sold one of his paintings for more than s. 3 lakhs.

Special features of Picasso’s paintings:

Picasso has innovated many new techniques, one of them being cubism. It is nothing but painting

figures and objects as interlocking geometrical forms of colour and light.He once said that reality

was not in the object but in the painting .He painted a bowl, feeling that a bowl has nothing to do

with a bowl in real life. Seeing with the eye is foolish According to him, see with mind, He

never show of his riches. He compromises between a millionaire and a coolie. His wife

Jacqueline is always by his side when he is at work. He works in a variety of sun conditions and

even at night with a few unshaded bulbs. He does not use a palette. Usually tries his colour on a

sheet of newspaper or cardboard. If the works goes on well, he works till two or three in the

morning. He has absorbed the methods of previous school of painters such as corot, van Gogh,

Gaugin, Cezanne etc .His immediate predecessor Cezanne, a French painter was an outstanding

figure in modern art. Pablo is not slavishly imitative. He considers himself a law unto himself.

Unit - V

5.1 Lexical Skills and Question Forms

Interrogatives (Yes or No, WH questions & Question tags)

Yes or No Questions:

The subject in the sentences generally precedes the verb but in questions the auxiliary verb comes before the subject. If there is no auxiliary verb in the sentence we have to create it according to the tense of the verb.

I am reading a book

Here we found the auxiliary verb ‘am’ - Am I reading a book?

She is singing now.

Here we found the auxiliary verb ‘is’ - Is she singing now?

Birds fly- (fly = do+fly ) - Do birds fly?

Bird flies – (flies = does + fly) - Does bird fly?

Note:

The answer for these questions will be either Yes or No.

Yes or No questions have other functions. The following are some examples or their different uses.

WH Questions

Wh-questions are questions that begin with one of the eight “wh ” words: who, whose, what, when, which, why, where and how.

Wh- Questions allow a speaker to find out more information about topics. They are as follows:

When? Time When did they play?Where? Place Where does she play?Who? Person Who are you?Why? Reason Why had they played?How? Manner How is he playing?What? Object/Idea/Action What was he playing?

Other words can also be used to inquire about specific information:

Which (one)?Whose? Whom? How much? How many? How long? How often? How far?

Choice of alternativesPossession Person (objective formal) Price, amount (non-count) Quantity (count) Duration Frequency Distance

Question Tags:

A tag question is a special construction in English. It is a statement followed by a mini-question. The whole sentence is a "tag question", and the mini-question at the end is called a "question tag".

Use

frequently used in spoken English when you want s.o. to agree or disagree

the question tags will be followed by the statement

the answer for the question tag will be your agree or disagree for the statement.

Form

positive statement ->question tag negative - You are Tom, aren't you?

negative statement->question tag positive - He isn't Joe, is he?

Like ‘ Yes or No questions, question tags also starts with the auxiliary verb used in the

statement.

If a statement doesn’t have any auxiliary verbs, you should insert them according to the

tense form of the statement.

If a sentence without auxiliaries (use: don't, doesn't, didn't)They play football on Sundays, don't they? - Present tense Plural Subject (do + play = Play)

She plays football on Sundays, doesn't she? - present tense singular subject (does

+ play = plays)

They played football on Sundays, didn't they? – past tense (did + play = played )

The basic structure is:

+Positive statement,

-negative tag?

Snow is white, Isn’t it?

-Negative statement,

+positive tag?

You don't like me, Do you?

Subject-Verb Agreement

Rule 1

Two singular subjects connected by or or nor require a singular verb.

Example:

My aunt or my uncle is arriving by train today.

Rule 2

Two singular subjects connected by either/or or neither/nor require a singular verb as in Rule 1.

Examples:

Neither Juan nor Carmen is available.

Either Kiana or Casey is helping today with stage decorations.

Rule 3

When I is one of the two subjects connected by either/or or neither/nor, put it second and follow

it with the singular verb am.

Example:

Neither she nor I am going to the festival.

Rule 4

When a singular subject is connected by or or nor to a plural subject, put the plural subject last

and use a plural verb.

Example:

The serving bowl or the plates go on that shelf.

Rule 5

As a general rule, use a plural verb with two or more subjects when they are connected by and.

Example:

A car and a bike are my means of transportation.

Rule 6

Sometimes the subject is separated from the verb by words such as along with, as well as,

besides, or not. Ignore these expressions when determining whether to use a singular or plural

verb.

Examples:

The politician, along with the newsmen, is expected shortly.

Excitement, as well as nervousness, is the cause of her shaking.

Rule 7

The expression the number is followed by a singular verb while the expression a number is

followed by a plural verb.

Examples:

The number of people we need to hire is thirteen.

A number of people have written in about this subject.

Rule 8

The words here and there have generally been labeled as adverbs even though they indicate

place. In sentences beginning with here or there, the subject follows the verb.

Examples:

There are four hurdles to jump.

There is a high hurdle to jump.

Rule 9

Use a singular verb with sums of money or periods of time.

Examples:

Ten dollars is a high price to pay.

Five years is the maximum sentence for that offense.

Rule 10

Sometimes the pronoun who, that, or which is the subject of a verb in the middle of the sentence.

The pronouns who, that, and which become singular or plural according to the noun directly in

front of them. So, if that noun is singular, use a singular verb. If it is plural, use a plural verb.

Examples:

Salma is the scientist who writes/write the reports.

The word in front of who is scientist, which is singular. Therefore, use the singular verb writes.

He is one of the men who does/do the work.

The word in front of who is men, which is plural. Therefore, use the plural verb do.

Rule 11

Collective nouns such as team and staff may be either singular or plural depending on their use

in the sentence.

Examples:

The staff is in a meeting.

Staff is acting as a unit here.

The staff are in disagreement about the findings.

The staff are acting as separate individuals in this example.

The sentence would read even better as:

The staff members are in disagreement about the findings.

Rule 12

With words that indicate portions—percent, fraction, part, majority, some, all, none, remainder,

and so forth —look at the noun in your of phrase (object of the preposition) to determine whether

to use a singular or plural verb. If the object of the preposition is singular, use a singular verb. If

the object of the preposition is plural, use a plural verb.

Examples:

Fifty percent of the pie has disappeared.

Pie is the object of the preposition of.

Fifty percent of the pies have disappeared.

Pies is the object of the preposition.

One-third of the city is unemployed.

One-third of the people are unemployed.

NOTE: Hyphenate all spelled-out fractions.

All of the pie is gone.

All of the pies are gone.

Some of the pie is missing.

Some of the pies are missing.

None of the garbage was picked up.

None of the sentences were punctuated correctly.

Of all her books, none have sold as well as the first one.

The Infinitive

Recognize an infinitive when you see one.

To sneeze, to smash, to cry, to shriek, to jump, to dunk, to read, to eat, to slurp—all of these are

infinitives. An infinitive will almost always begin with to followed by the simple form of the

verb, like this:

to + verb = infinitive

Important Note: Because an infinitive is not a verb, you cannot add s, es, ed, or ing to the end.

Ever!

Infinitives can be used as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs. Look at these examples:

To sleep is the only thing Eli wants after his double shift waiting tables at the neighborhood café.

To sleep functions as a noun because it is the subject of the sentence.

No matter how fascinating the biology dissection is, Emanuel turns his head and refuses to look.

To look functions as a noun because it is the direct object for the verb refuses.

Wherever Melissa goes, she always brings a book to read in case conversation lags or she has a

long wait.

To read functions as an adjective because it modifies book.

Richard braved the icy rain to throw the smelly squid eyeball stew into the apartment dumpster.

To throw functions as an adverb because it explains why Richard braved the inclement weather.

Recognize an infinitive even when it is missing the to.An infinitive will almost always begin with to. Exceptions do occur, however. An infinitive will

lose its to when it follows certain verbs. These verbs are feel, hear, help, let, make, see, and

watch.

The pattern looks like this:

special verb + direct object + infinitive - to

Here are some examples:

As soon as Theodore felt the rain splatter on his hot, dusty skin, he knew that he had a good

excuse to return the lawn mower to the garage.

Felt = special verb; rain = direct object; splatter = infinitive minus the to.

When Danny heard the alarm clock buzz, he slapped the snooze button and burrowed under the

covers for ten more minutes of sleep.

Heard = special verb; alarm clock = direct object; buzz = infinitive minus the to.

Although Dr. Ribley spent an extra class period helping us understand logarithms, we still

bombed the test.

Helping = special verb; us = direct object; understand = infinitive minus the to.

Because Freddie had never touched a snake, I removed the cover of the cage and let him pet

Squeeze, my seven-foot python.

Let = special verb; him = direct object; pet = infinitive minus the to.

Since Jose had destroyed Sylvia's spotless kitchen while baking chocolate-broccoli muffins, she

made him take her out for an expensive dinner.

Made = special verb; him = direct object; take = infinitive minus the to.

I said a prayer when I saw my friends mount the Kumba, a frightening roller coaster that twists

and rolls like a giant sea serpent.

Saw = special verb; my friends = direct object; mount = infinitive minus the to.

Hoping to lose her fear of flying, Rachel went to the airport to watch passenger planes take off

and land, but even this exercise did not convince her that jets were safe.

Watch = special verb; passenger planes = direct object; take, land = infinitives minus the to.

Report WritingWhat is Report Writing?

A report can be defined as a testimonial or account of some happening. It is purely based on observation and analysis. A report gives an explanation of any circumstance. In today’s corporate world, reports play a crucial role. They are a strong base for planning and control in an organization, i.e., reports give information which can be utilized by the management team in an organization for making plans and for solving complex issues in the organization.

A report discusses a particular problem in detail. It brings significant and reliable information to the limelight of top management in an organization. Hence, on the basis of such information, the management can make strong decisions. Reports are required for judging the performances of various departments in an organization.

An effective report can be written going through the following steps- Determine the objective of the report, i.e., identify the problem. Collect the required material (facts) for the report. Study and examine the facts gathered. Plan the facts for the report. Prepare an outline for the report, i.e., draft the report. Edit the drafted report. Distribute the draft report to the advisory team and ask for feedback and

recommendations.

The essentials of good/effective report writing are as follows- Know your objective, i.e., be focused. Analyze the niche audience, i.e., make an analysis of the target audience, the purpose for

which audience requires the report, kind of data audience is looking for in the report, the implications of report reading, etc.

Decide the length of report. Disclose correct and true information in a report. Discuss all sides of the problem reasonably and impartially. Include all relevant facts in a

report.

Concentrate on the report structure and matter. Pre-decide the report writing style. Use vivid structure of sentences.

The report should be neatly presented and should be carefully documented. Highlight and recap the main message in a report. Encourage feedback on the report from the critics. The feedback, if negative, might be

useful if properly supported with reasons by the critics. The report can be modified based on such feedback.

Use graphs, pie-charts, etc to show the numerical data records over years. Decide on the margins on a report. Ideally, the top and the side margins should be the

same (minimum 1 inch broad), but the lower/bottom margins can be one and a half times as broad as others.

Attempt to generate reader’s interest by making appropriate paragraphs, giving bold headings for each paragraph, using bullets wherever required, etc.

Plurals, Particles in Adjectives

The plural form of most nouns is created simply by adding the letter s.more than one snake = snakes more than one ski = skis more than one Barrymore = Barrymores

Words that end in -ch, x, s or s-like sounds, however, will require an -es for the plural: more than one witch = witches more than one box = boxes more than one gas = gases more than one bus = buses more than one kiss = kisses more than one Jones = Joneses

Note that some dictionaries list "busses" as an acceptable plural for "bus." Presumably, this is because the plural "buses" looks like it ought to rhyme with the plural of "fuse," which is "fuses." "Buses" is still listed as the preferable plural form. "Busses" is the plural, of course, for "buss," a seldom used word for "kiss."

There are several nouns that have irregular plural forms. Plurals formed in this way are sometimes called mutated (or mutating) plurals.more than one child = children more than one woman = women more than one man = men more than one person = people more than one goose = geese more than one mouse = mice more than one barracks = barracks more than one deer = deer

And, finally, there are nouns that maintain their Latin or Greek form in the plural. (See media and data and alumni, below.) more than one nucleus = nuclei more than one syllabus = syllabi more than one focus = foci more than one fungus = fungi more than one cactus = cacti (cactuses is acceptable) more than one thesis = theses more than one crisis = crises* more than one phenomenon = phenomena more than one index = indices (indexes is acceptable) more than one appendix = appendices (appendixes is acceptable) more than one criterion = criteria

ApostropheRule 1Use the apostrophe with contractions. The apostrophe is always placed at the spot where the letter(s) has been removed.Examples:don't, isn't You're right. She's a great teacher.

Rule 2Use the apostrophe to show possession. Place the apostrophe before the s to show singular possession.

Examples:one boy's hatone woman's hat one actress's hat one child's hat Ms. Chang's house

Rule 3Use the apostrophe where the noun that should follow is implied.Example:This was his father's, not his, jacket.

Rule 4

To show plural possession, make the noun plural first. Then immediately use the apostrophe.Examples:two boys' hats two women's hats two actresses' hatstwo children's hats the Changs' housethe Joneses' golf clubs the Strauses' daughterthe Sanchezes' artwork the Hastingses' appointment the Leeses' books

Rule 5With a singular compound noun, show possession with 's at the end of the word.Example:my mother-in-law's hat

The Art of Persuasion

Introduction The art of persuasion can be used to get humans into bed or to get them to buy material goods. What I am interested in is using the art of persuasion to sell ideas. You might use it to sell an idea like new computer architecture, the end of hunger, a sustainable ecology or that gay and straight humans should have strict equality. You might use it to persuade humans to give up some bad habit like smoking tobacco, abusing alcohol, an obsolete violent religion or cruelty to animals and children. These hints may be useful to altruistic humans or future artificial intelligences. Knowledge of these techniques may also be useful in defending yourself from persuasion by people who are considering only their personal benefit. Here are the techniques I have learned. I have not yet thought out which ones are ethical.

The Techniques Teach by example. If you want to stop a mob from panicking in a theatre during a fire,

walk calmly. If you want humans to adopt some ethical moral code, or philosophical system, live it rigorously. They will pick it up from you unconsciously by modelling you.

Lead with non-controversial statements. Humans reason mostly by analogy. The key is finding the right analogy and letting them

reason it through for themselves. You don’t even need to assert the two models are related, just put them in the same vicinity.

Praise the desired behaviour in anyone who exhibits it. The others will mindlessly model the behaviour to get praise.

Don’t bother with the reasons why you want humans to do something. Get into their heads. Why would they want to do it? People are much more likely to trust you if you obviously like them and have their desires and well being in consideration.

Reward humans with attention when they seem to be moving in the right direction. In debate, concede as many points as you possibly can. Your opponents will then

perceive you as emminently reasonable and stop fighting you so hard. If you want to get humans angry at some injustice, don’t model anger. They will think

you already have it covered and do nothing. Just calmly tell them the facts and let them create their own anger.

Look on every response to what you say, no matter how vitriolic, as a gift from the universe to continue the debate. The worst thing that can happen is humans will ignore you totally. Treat every attack as a cry for more information.

Express your own doubts about anything you say. The more middle-of-the-road you are in any controversy the more weight you have as a wise unbiased judge.

There is no end to what can be accomplished if you don’t care who gets the credit.

Syllables, Changing Adjectives to Nouns

A syllable is a basic unit of written and spoken language. It is a unit consisting of uninterrupted sound that can be used to make up words. For example, the word hotel has two syllables: ho and tel. These will be marked here as in ho/tel.Counting SyllablesTo find the number of syllables in a word, use the following steps:Count the vowels in the word.Subtract any silent vowels, (like the silent e at the end of a word, or the second vowel when two vowels are together in a syllabl.e)Subtract one vowel from every diphthong (diphthongs only count as one vowel sound.)The number of vowels sounds left is the same as the number of syllables.

The number of syllables that you hear when you pronounce a word is the same as the number of vowels sounds heard. For example:The word came has 2 vowels, but the e is silent, leaving one vowel sound andone syllable.The word outside has 4 vowels, but the e is silent and the ou is a diphthong which counts as only one sound, so this word has only two vowel sounds and therefore, two syllables.

Six Kinds of Syllables

There are six different kinds of syllables in English:

1. Closed Syllables: A closed syllable has one and only one vowel, and it ends in a consonant. Examples include in, ask, truck, sock, stretch, twelfth, and on.

2. Open Syllables: An open syllable has one and only one vowel, and that vowel occurs at the end of the syllable. Examples include no, she, I, a, and spry.

3. Silent-E Syllables: A silent-e syllable ends in an e, has one and only one consonant before that e, and has one and only one vowel before that consonant. Examples include ate, ice, tune, slope, strobe, and these.

4. Vowel Combination Syllables: A vowel combination syllable has a cluster of two or three vowels or a vowel-consonant unit with a sound or sounds particular to that unit. Examples include rain, day, see, veil, pie, piece, noise, toy, cue, and true.

5. Vowel-R Syllables: A vowel-r syllable is one which includes one and only one vowel followed by an r, or one vowel followed by an r which is followed by a silent e, or a vowel combination followed by an r. Examples include car, or, care, ire, air, and deer.

6. Consonant-L-E Syllables: In these syllables, a consonant is followed by le. The vowel sound in these syllables is the schwa sound that occurs before the l. Examples include -ble, -cle, -dle, -fle, and -gle.

How to Change a Noun to an Adjective

While some say it's impossible to change a noun into an adjective, those are people who have a very strict and narrow view of grammar. For example, the word matron is a noun, and refers to a married woman or a widow or simply a female with maturity and knowledge. However, you can use this noun as an adjective to describe something that is mature and feminine, such as "That dress is very matronly." Heightening your knowledge of language and being willing to increase the vocabulary present in contemporary slang will allow you to change nouns into adjectives. While technically in informal conversation the speaker can attempt to use any noun he pleases, certain choices and ways to transform nouns into adjectives will be more or less successful.

Instructions1. Add a -y to the end of the noun. You can see this commonly in words such as the nouns salt, silk and velvet becoming adjectives salty, silky and velvety.

2. Add -ly to the end of the noun. You can see this in the adjectives friendly and elderly, originally being the nouns friend and elder.

3. Add the suffix -ic to the noun, if the noun refers to a person. For example, the adjectives athletic, prophetic and scientific, come from the nouns athlete, prophet, and scientist.

4. Use the noun in front of another noun to describe it. For example, in the phrases vegetable soup, English class and flower girl, the words vegetable, English and flower are all used as adjectives without any other changes made.

5. Add the suffix -like to a noun when equating something to it. For example, if you had a table with drawers, you might equate it to a desk, saying "That table is very desk-like". Or you could say the exterior off house appears "brick-like". If a restaurant has a very quaint, small feel, you could say it's "cafe-like".

6. Add the suffix -less to a noun to make it into an adjective that describes a lack or absence of something. For example, "We live on a treeless street." Or, "they are a childless family" or "This is a bar-less neighborhood."

Homonyms, Prepositions

A homonym is a word that has the same spelling and the same pronunciation as another word, but has a different meaning from it. For example, bill can be a noun meaning a written statement of money owed, but it can also be a noun meaning a bird's beak. Similarly, fair can be an adjective meaning attractive, but it can also be a noun meaning a market

Homonyms generally include two categories of word types: homophones and homographs. Homographs are words that are spelled the same but have different meanings. Homophones are words that sound the same when you pronounce them, but have different meanings.

This list contains both homophones and homographs.

ade – drink type, as in lemonade aid – to help or assist aide - assistant

affect - change effect – result or consequence

air – atmosphere (the stuff we breathe) err – to make a mistake

aisle - walkway I’ll – I will isle - island

allowed - permitted aloud – out loud

ant – picnic pest aunt – relative, as in your mom’s sister

ate – chewed up and swallowed eight – number after seven

bare - uncovered bear – grizzly animal

berry – fruit from a bush bury – to put underground

base – bottom part bass – deep or low

Preposition

What is a Preposition?A preposition links nouns, pronouns and phrases to other words in a sentence. The word or phrase that the preposition introduces is called the object of the preposition.

A preposition usually indicates the temporal, spatial or logical relationship of its object to the rest of the sentence as in the following examples:The book is on the table.The book is beneath the table.The book is leaning against the table.The book is beside the table.She held the book over the table.She read the book during class.

English Prepositions List

There are about 150 prepositions in English. Yet this is a very small number when you think of the thousands of other words (nouns, verbs etc). Prepositions are important words. We use individual prepositions more frequently than other individual words. In fact, the prepositions of, to and in are among the ten most frequent words in English. Here is a short list of 70 of the more common one-word prepositions. Many of these prepositions have more than one meaning. Please refer to a dictionary for precise meaning and usage.

aboard before concerning in

about behind considering insideabove below despite intoacross beneath down likeafter beside during minusagainst besides except nearalong between excepting ofamid beyond excluding offamong but following onanti by for ontoaround through from opposite

Compound Words, Acronyms, Collective Nouns, Degrees of Comparison

Acronym

Technically, a word that is formed by combining some parts (usually the first letters) of some other terms. For example, modem is the acronym derived from modulator/demodulator. In everyday speech, the term is also used to refer to initialisms, which are combinations of letters representing a longer phrase. For example, CRT is an initialism for cathode ray tube. The difference is that an acronym is pronounced as if it were a word rather than just a series of individual letters.

Newsgroups, chat rooms, and e-mail have spawned a rich set of acronyms and initialisms for common phrases. A few of the more common ones are listed below. Acronym/Initialism Meaning

ASAP As Soon As PossibleBTW By The WayFWIW For What It's WorthFYI For Your InformationIMHO In My Humble Opinion IMO In My OpinionLOL Laughing Out LoudROTFL Rolling On The Floor Laughing RTFM Read The #&!@ing Manual TIA Thanks In Advance

Collective Nouns One of the many oddities of the English language is the multitude of different names given to collections or groups, be they beasts, birds, people or things. Many of these collective nouns are beautiful and evocative, even poetic.

army council minority

audience department navy board faculty public cabinet family school class firm senate committee group society company jury team corporation majority troupe

Degrees of ComparisonDegrees of Comparison are used when we compare one person or one thing with another.There are three Degrees of Comparison in English.They are:

1. Positive degree, 2. Comparative degree, 3. Superlative degree.

1.Positive degree : When we speak about only one person or thing,We use the Positive degree.

Examples: • This house is big.In this sentence only one noun “The house” is talked about.• He is a tall student.• This flower is beautiful.• He is an intelligent boy.

Each sentence mentioned above talks about only one noun.

2. Comparative degree.When we compare two persons or two things with each other, We use both the Positive degree and Comparative degree.

Examples:a. This house is bigger than that one. (Comparative degree)This house is not as big as that one. (Positive degree)The term “bigger” is comparative version of the term “big”.Both these sentences convey the same meaning.

3. Superlative degree:When we compare more than two persons or things with one another, We use all the three Positive, Comparative and Superlative degrees.

Examples:a. This is the biggest house in this street. (Superlative) This house is bigger than any other house in this street. (Comparative) No other house in this street is as big as this one. (Positive) The term “biggest” is the superlative version of the term “big”. All the three sentences mean the same meaning.

Soft Skills

Soft skills are personal attributes that enhance an individual's interactions, job performance and career prospects. Unlike hard skills, which are about a person's skill set and ability to perform a certain type of task or activity, soft skills are interpersonal and broadly applicable.

Soft skills are often described by using terms often associated with personality traits, such as:optimismcommon senseresponsibilitya sense of humorintegrity

Abilities that can be practiced (but require the individual to genuinely like other people) such as:empathyteamworkleadershipcommunicationgood mannersnegotiationsociabilitythe ability to teach.

If you're intelligent enough, it's easy to learn the technical skills you'll need to be successful at work. But if you're looking to climb that corporate ladder, you're going to need superior soft skills too. Unfortunately, all too often we see people promoted to leadership positions that lack the soft skills required to be successful.

In this publication, we're going to talk about the concept of soft skills. We'll provide a definition of the term, as well as presenting some examples. We'll also talk about the difference between soft skills and hard skills. Finally, we'll explain how you can use soft skills to enrich your resume.

Soft Skills in the Workplace Leadership CharacteristicsLeadership Qualities Leadership TraitsLeadership Skill Leadership Skills AssessmentDeveloping Leadership Skills Understanding Soft Skills

While technical expertise is always appreciated, and something of value, moving up the ranks in the workplace means going beyond being recognized as a subject matter expert, or SME. Soft skills are often what separate individual contributors from managers and business leaders.