Simple Present and Present Continuous
Mr. Madan is going on tour next week. Look at his itinerary.
| Mr. Madan | Tour of North India and Nepal | ||
| Mon | 7th | Mumbai 06:30 Peace Conference |
Delhi 08:30 |
| Tues | 8th | Delhi 07:30 Cultural Centre |
Agra 10:30 |
| Wed | 9th | Agra 09:30 Local School Head Teacher |
Varanasi 13:30 |
| Thurs | 10th | Varanasi 08:00 Discuss Trade Unions |
Patna 18:30 |
| Fri | 11th | Patna 14:00 Himalayan Project |
Kathmandu 17:00 |
| Sat | 12th | Kathmandu 11:00 | Delhi 14:00 |
Describe Mr. Madan’s schedule for next week. Use verbs from the table below.
Monday, 7th November
Tuesday, 8th November
Wednesday, 9th November
Thursday, 10th November
Friday, 11th November
Saturday, 12th November
You are the grandmother. How did you feel when your granddaughter gave you the novel ‘Kashi Yatre’ ? Write your feelings in your diary.
To make your diary entry interesting, read the following information about what is a diary entry.
A diary entry is a purely personal piece of writing. The writer expresses his/her thoughts and feelings. Reactions to incidents are generally poured out in a diary. Hence expressions that are emotionally charged are used.
For example – When you are happy about something, you could start like this
8th July 20xx, Wednesday 8 pm
Today I am very happy as ………………………..
The following is a flow chart showing the course of the brook. Can you fill in the
blank spaces with help from the phrases given below?
a) passes under fifty bridges; b) comes from the place where coots and herons live;
c) passes lawns filled with flowers; d) crosses both fertile and fallow land; e) goes
through wilderness full of thorny bushes
Answer the following question.
"When I cry the hills laugh;
When I humble myself the flowers rejoice;
When I bow, all things are elated."
Cry, humble and bow indicate different intensity with which the rain falls. Explain the
three in the context of the poem.
In this poem, life is being compared to a play. Just as in a play, a man acts many
parts, so also in life, a man plays many roles. Can you think of some other
comparison for life? (For example, life could be compared with the seasons in
nature, the days of the week, the lessons in a school day.) Select one of these
comparisons (or choose one of your own), and write about the similarities that
life has with it. (80-100 words)
On the basis of your understanding of the poem, answer the following question
by ticking the correct choice.
The title 'Oh, I wish I'd looked after me teeth' expresses __________.
You are JEANNE. After coming home you realize that the Villa was not actually
bought and your husband has fooled both you and the landlady of the Villa. You
are filled with rage, disgust and helplessness because of your husband's
betrayal. Write your feelings in the form of a diary entry.
Discuss in groups
What would you do in the following situations? Give reasons for your answer
If you were travelling by bus and you saw someone pick another passenger's
pocket.
Here is a news story about how crops are saved by climate-proofing them Complete it by choosing the right words from those given in the brackets.
(A) Among the most worrying aspects of climate change today (a) __________ (is/has been) the effect it (b) __________ (has had/have had) on the food supply of the world. Sctentists (c) __________ (have focussed /focus) their attention and efforts on increasing crop yield and improving crop resilience. Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa (d) __________ (have been I are) the most affected today. Their population (e) __________ (is/has been) the world’s fastest growing rice consumer. The most vulnerable agricultural systems (f) __________ (are/have been) the rain-fed uplands and lowlands that form 80% of total rice land. Until recently, scientists (g) __________ (have focussed / focussed) on improving crop yields, and in a relatively short period of time, (h) __________ (give / have given) us, higher yields. Reports warning of increased droughts and floods, (i) __________ (shift/have shifted) scientists’ attention to making crops “climate- proof”
(B). Answer the questions based on your reading of the passage above.
(a) What have been the most worrying aspects of agricultural growth?
(b) What do scientists today focus on?
(c) Where is the negative impact of climate most felt?
(d) What have the scientists focussed on so far?
(e) How has their attention shifted?
(C) Did you know
You would have used the simple present and present perfect tense in your
answer. Why?
The main use of the simple present tense is to refer to
(i) an action that takes place now.
(ii) routine action/ s.
The present perfect tense is used to refer to an action which has happened
in the past but whose effect still remains.
(e.g.) Among the most worrying aspect of climate change is the effect it has on
the world's food supply.
Climate scientists have predicted that the cultivation of rice in Asia and SubSahara
Africa has been affected severely, since 1970. But, today lack of funds
hinders research.
Look at the verbs in the box and put them in the correct columns in the table that follows
|
believe wish see belong |
hate own regret measure |
know understand forget touch |
weigh prefer hear
|
smell find imagine
|
think cost remember
|
suppose like taste
|
| thought | emotion | possession | perception (often used with can) | measurement |
Some verbs, like the ones mentioned above, are not normally used in the continuous (- ing) form. However, we do sometimes use such verbs in the continuous form. Look at the following examples.
1. “I can’t concentrate on my work because I’m thinking about that beautiful scene.”
2. “I think it is beautiful.”
(а) Mohan comes in wearing overalls and is covered in paint.
(i) _______________________________________
(ii) _______________________________________
(b) Ramesh comes in with a smile on his face. He is holding a trophy.
(i) _______________________________________
(ii) _______________________________________
(c) Monica returns home with lots of packets in her hands.
(i) _______________________________________
(ii) _______________________________________
(b) Sheela comes in with red eyes and a wet handkerchief.
(i) _______________________________________
(ii) _______________________________________
In Units 1 and 2 you learnt and practised the skill of deducing the meanings of new words by using other words in the given context. Now use that skill to deduce the meanings of words in the article you have read. Here is an example.
(a) They are solitary creatures with the exception of the mothers and calves and breeding pairs, although they sometimes congregate at bathing places.
Deduce the meanings of the following words from the passage you have just read, using other words in the context to help you. Copy and complete the following :
| Word | Words/clues that helped me | what I think the word means | what the dictionary says | were you (✓) (tick mark) or (x) |
| confined | ||||
| ranged | ||||
| overlapping | ||||
| bobbing | ||||
| olfactory | ||||
| aggregation | ||||
| plummeting | ||||
| mortality | ||||
| vulnerable | ||||
| poached |
An astronaut is speaking to the Mission Control from her capsule, describing geographical features she can see on Earth. Decide which features she is talking about. Fill in the gaps in the astronaut’s description below. Use the names given in the box with the correct determiners (a, an, the). (The first two have been done for you):
“There is very little cloud cover at
Read the following excerpts from newspapers on various environmental issues.
Ban the Bag
The Indus Valley Civilisation left beautifullycrafted pottery that speaks volumes of the advances its people made. After 3,000 years, if the ruins we leave behind are excavated, chances are only plastic bags would be dug up. It may sound like an exaggeration, but these bags are not biodegradable. Apart from causing emissions when these are manufactured, noxious fumes are released while these are being burnt or disposed off. So, be kind to Mother Earth the next time you go shopping for groceries, remember to carry a cloth bag with you.
What India Should Do
India has released the National Action Plan on Climate Change. Is it adequate? Is there more that the country can do? Here are some ways how we can make a difference.
(a) SOLAR MISSION
1) To promote the use of solar energy through solar photovoltaic and thermal systems for power generation .
2) To integrate other renewable energy technologies like biomass and wind. 
(b) ENERGY EFFICIENCY
1) To mitigate GHG through sector-specific and cross-cutting technology and fuel switch options.
2) To use more LNG and biomass fuels besides seeking tech transfer. 
(c) SUSTAINABLE HABITAT
1) To promote energy efficiency in the residential and commercial sectors through LPG use.
2) To manage municipal solid waste and urban public transport in a better way. 
(d) WATER MISSION
1) To promote efficient water use, augment supply in critical areas and ensure effective management of water resources.
2) To have better management of surface and groundwater,and conserve wetlands. 
(e) SUSTAINING HIMALAYAS
1) To enhance monitoring and conservation of the Himalayan ecosystems, empower local communities for management of ecological resources and promote sustainable tourism. 
(f) GREEN INDIA
1) To reduce fragmentation of forests, enhance public and private investments for plantation, upscale joint forestry management and promote conservation of biodiversity. Need to afforest degraded lands.
(g) SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE :
1) To focus on four crucial areas - dry land agriculture, risk management, access to information and promoting the use of biotechnology.
2) To develop drought and pest resistant varieties. 
Work in pairs. You and your partner are made in charge of your school. What will you change?
Discuss and then write about the decisions you would make.
Use the various verb forms available for future time reference.
e.g. Now we are in charge of the school, we shall…
Before you listen for the second time, discuss the following with your partner.
Answer the following question by ticking the correct option.
John Douglas had won quite a reputation for himself in Birlstone because of his __________________
Imagine you are a famous person. Write a brief report (maximum 80 words) of a day in your life. Use the passive voice where you think it is appropriate. An example of how you might start is given below.
I woke up at 7 am and was given tea. It was a lovely cool morning so I decided to walk to the film studio. Normally I am driven____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Here are the stories of the two boys. One student reads the story of Shravan Kumar and the second student reads the story of Narendra Kumar. After reading the story, each student completes bis or her half of the table in Question 3.
SHRAVAN KUMAR
His day begins when most other people's day ends. Thirteen-year old Shravan Kumar works in a tea shop on Delhi's Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, where several newspaper offices are situated. His work begins around seven in the evening when he starts preparing samosas, coffee and tea. He carries them to several offices, does the dishes, and goes around collecting his money well into the night. Around six in the morning, when all the newspapers are despatched for distribution and the press employees return home, he prepares his food, takes a bath and goes to bed.
Shravan is an orphan who crune to Delhi from his village in search of work. His father kept a shop, but was tricked out of it by a deceitful uncle. Despair drove him to alcohol and grunbling, and he died of a stroke soon after.
Shravan worked in a tea shop in his village for a while. "When I first began washing other people's cups and glasses", he recalls, "I used to feel very bad, I would cry."
Shravan moved to the more lucrative environs of Delhi, where his elder brother Shatrughan had preceded him. Ajob in a shop selling ice was his first taste of big city life. His mother crune to visit him in Delhi, but she fell ill and died soon after. "That was two or three years ago. I don't remember exactly when," the little boy says. Soon, Shravan lost his first job. His employer still owes him Rs 500.
Following a brief spell of unemployment and a short spell as an assistant at a car park, he joined the tea shop where he is presently employed. The ruthlessness and loneliness of the world has left him shattered. "I think I run all alone in this world," he says despondently.
Of the Rs 300 that he earns every month, he deposits Rs 200 in the bank. His bank balance stands at Rs 2000, he says proudly. Survival is his immediate aim but there is a larger objective towards which Shravan is working. He intends to retrieve the land that was mortgaged by his father. Already Shravan and Shatrughan have paid back the loan of Rs 8000 - only the interest remains to be paid.
Shravan was a dedicated lotte:ry buyer at one time; until he realized that it was adding nothing to his income. The cinema remains a favourite form of entertainment - he even wakes up early to see the noon show. "I have no friends here. Who keeps awake late at night and sleeps during the day? I miss my village. There, I used to play gully danda and marbles and I had a lot of friends. When I went to the village last year, I met them. They are still studying and playing games. I want to join them, but it is a question of survival for me."
Sharvan's mother wanted him to own a big shop - "like the one his father had owned," he says wistfully. He dreams of fulfilling her wish. He dreams of getting back their mortgaged land, and returning to the village for good, "I like being in my village. I like the films and the glitter of Delhi, but I prefer the greene:ry, the trees, and the fields of my village." Maybe the grit and intelligence he has shown, alone and friendless, in facing a hostile world, will also win for him his heart's desire.
NARENDRA KUMAR
Narendra Kumar, a thirteen year old Kendriya Vidyalaya student, was interviewed by The Illustrated Weekly of India. Read what he says about himself.
Interviewer : Hello, Narendra!
Narendra : Hello!
Interviewer : Congratulations! Narendra. I saw your photograph in the newspaper last week, when you won the Soviet Land Nehru Award for drawing and painting. Our readers are anxious to know more about you.
Narendra : Thank you, Sir. I think I was just lucky to get the award. The competition is held every year in my school and a large number of students take part in it.
Interviewer : That's good, very good. It's evident that your school encourages students to take part in various activities.
Narendra : Oh yes. Our teachers -especially my Art teacher, Mr. V. Sinha - gives us a lot of encouragement. My parents have encouraged me a lot, too.
Interviewer : When did you start painting?
Narendra : When I was three, I was attending the Shishu Vihar Nursery School. My teacher gave me a picture of a big kite one day. The picture was beautiful and that very day I asked my father to buy me some crayons and drawing paper... Soon my room was full of crayons and paper! I kept drawing whenever I found time. I now have a mini art room of my own at home!
Interviewer : That's great, really great! Do you want to become an artist when you grow up?
Narendra : No. Drawing and painting are just hobbies, which give me a great deal of pleasure. I want to become a police officer when I grow up. That's the only thing I've ever wanted to be.
Interviewer : Is that because your father is a police officer?
Narendra : Yes, maybe. I've been watching my father and other policemen for a very long time. I suppose I want to be like him!
Interviewer : Do you feel you have the qualities that a good police officer needs?
Narendra : Yes, I think so. A good police officer needs to be physically fit and mentally alert. I'm trying my best to grow into a healthy young man. I'm a member of the local sports club. I play tennis in the evenings and I also swim regularly.
Interviewer : How do you find time for all these activities?
Narendra : Well, I suppose I'm busy the whole day. Immediately after school I like to paint or play. I study before dinner and usually get to bed at about 10 o'clock.
Interviewer : Thank you, Narendra. It's been good talking to you. We wish you success.
Narendra : It's been a pleasure
Either in groups or individually, make a power-point presentation on either of the two games. Incorporate points from the table above and any other interesting information I detail.
Class discussion
• Is a biography written in a particular order of events?
• Which is the most common tense?
