ENGLISH LEARNING

  THE LETTER  - DHUMAKETU  About the Author :  Dhumaketu (1892-1965) is the pen name of Gourishankar Govardhandas Josh, a prolific writer, who is considered one of the pioneers of the Gujrati short story. He published twenty-four collections of such stories, as well as thirty two novels on historical and social subjects, plays and travelogues. His writing is characterized by a poetic styles, romanticism and powerful depiction of human emotions.  1. In the grey sky of early dawn stars still glowed, as happy memories light up a life that is nearing its close. An old man was walking through the town, now and again drawing his tattered clothes tighter to shield his body from the cold and biting wind. From some houses came the sound of grinding mills, and the sweet voices of women singing at their work, and the sounds helped him along his lonely way. Except for the occasional bark  of a dog, the distant steps of a workman going early to work, or the screech...

  THE TRIBUTE                               - DASH BENHUR  1. As I reached my desk in the office, my eyes stopped over a letter. It contained  that familiar, petite handwriting of my elder brother. After a very long time he had written to me. I shrank within for not writing letters home, all these days. 2. In my student days, it was almost a routine affair. I used to go home to that distant village on a rickety bus, caring nothing for the strain of the journey. My home- my village- they used to pull me away from the moribund city life. Now things have changed an I too have changed, a great deal at that! A lot of cobwebs have settled around me. I am swept by that invisible tide of time, and business. I was studying at Bhubaneshwar, where I got my job and now for these two years, I have thought of home not even once. Many a time my mother has written letters complaining about my negli...

NCERT ENGLISH SOLUTIONS CLASS TEN  CHAPTER 1  A LETTER TO GOD Oral Comprehension Check Page (5)  1. What did Lencho hope for?  Answer : Lencho hoped for a good rain as it was needed for a good harvest.  2. Why   did Lencho say the raindrops were like 'new coins'?  Answer : Lencho said the raindrops were like 'new coins' because they were promising him a good harvest which would result in more prosperity.  3. How did the rain change? What happened to Lencho's fields?  Answer : Suddenly a strong wind began to blow and very large hailstones began to fall along with the rain. The hailstorm continued for an hour and destroyed the corn fields and flowers from the plants.  4. What were Lencho's feelings when the hail stopped?  Answer : After the hailstones stopped, Lencho's soul was filled with sadness. He realized that nothing was left to feed his family for the entire year and he could actually visualize a bleak future for his family....

FIRE AND ICE  Some say the world will end in fire  Some say in ice.  From what I've tasted of desire I hold with those who favour fire.  But if it had to perish twice,  I think I know enough of hate   To say that for destruction ice  Is also great  And would suffice.                              ROBERT FROST  Thinking about the Poem  1. There are many ideas about how the world will 'end'. Do you think the world will end some day? Have you ever thought what would happen if the sun got  so hot that it 'burst', or grew colder and colder? Answer : Yes I do believe that this world will end some day. We all know the fact that anything that has a beginning will have an end, everything born has to die. If the sun got so hot that it burst then the whole world would perish and if the sun grew colder and colder ,then again everything would come to an end....

DUST OF SNOW The way a crow  Shook down on me The dust of snow  From a hemlock tree Has given my heart  A change of mood And saved some part  Of a day I had rued.                                         ROBERT FROST Thinking about the poem 1. What is a "dust of snow"? What does the poet  say has changed his mood? How has the poet's mood changed?  Answer : A 'dust of snow is very fine particles of snow. The 'dust of snow' changed the poet's mood. The poet was feeling remorseful but the little dust of snow changed his mood and saved his day. 2. How does Frost present nature in this poem? The following questions may help you to think of an answer.   (i) What are the birds that are usually named in poems? Do you think a crow is often mentioned in poems? What images come to your mind when you think of a crow?  Answer : Generally,...

THE TENSE  What is Tense?  Tense is that form of a verb that shows not only the time of action but also the state of it.  Read the following sentences :  1. Harry goes to school daily.  2.Harry passed the examination.  3.Harry will appear in the entrance text next week.  In sentence 1, the action 'goes' shows the Present time of its happening.  In sentence 2, the action 'passed' shows the Past time of its happening.  In sentence 3, the action 'will appear' shows the Future time of its happening.  Thus we came to know that there are three tenses  in English.  1. The Present Tense (Harry goes to school.)  2. The Past Tense (Harry passed the examination.)  3. The Future Tense ( Harry will appear in the entrance text next  week.)  Read the following sentences carefully : Simple Present Tense   I am a doctor. He is a doctor. You are a doctor.  Michael is my brother. Boys are in the ground.  He has ...