UNIT 8 Link Lesson: A Short Monsoon Diary
Comprehension
A. Read the poem and answer the following questions.
The Wind
And blow the birds about the sky;
And all around I heard you pass,
Like ladies' skirts across the grass-
O wind, a-blowing all day long.
O wind, that sings so loud a song!
I saw the different things you did,
But always you yourself you hid.
I felt you push, I heard you call,
I could not see yourself at all-
O wind, a-blowing all day long.
O wind, that sings so loud a song!
O you that are so strong and cold,
O blower, are you young or old?
Are you a beast of field and tree,
Or just a stronger child than me?
O wind, a-blowing all day long,
O wind, that sings so loud a song!
1. Who is the 'I' in the poem? What does he see?
Ans. 'I' is the poet. He sees that the wind is teasing
the kites in the sky and blowing the birds in the sky.
2. What did 'l' hear?
Ans. I heard the wind passing by.
3. Who is singing a loud song?
Ans The wind is singing a loud song.
4. The poem has several rhyming words. Example: high
and sky. Write down some of the other rhyming words in the poem.
a. grass and pass
b. high and sky
c. hid and did
d. call and all
e. long and song
f. tree and me
5. What different things does the wind do?
Ans. The wind tosses the kites, blows the birds, sings
a song, pushes and calls.
6. What is the wind being compared to by the poet?
Ans. The wind is being compared to a beast of field and tree.
Working with Language
Vocabulary
A. Look at the following expressions taken from the link
lesson.
tinkle of cowbells water
drips |
Here tinkle and drips are sound words.
Find more sound words from the link lesson and write them
down in the space provided.
Drum, swish and caw
B. Find from the link lesson, the synonyms for the words
given below.
(You may use the hints to locate the synonyms)
Word
Hint Meaning
1. Hide
June 24 Conceal
2. Announced
June 27 Heralded
3. Shortage
June 27 Dearth
4. Heavy rain
August 2 Downpour
5. Appears
August 3 Emerges
6. Strong
August 31 Firm
7. Wet
January 27 Drenched
8. Sitting
March 23 Squatted
Grammar
A. Present Continuous Tense. Look at the following
example.
A woman is chopping up sticks.
Here is chopping is the present continuous form of
chop.
Now rewrite the following sentences in the present
continuous tense. One has been done as an example.
1. My sister Usha writes stories for children.
My sister Usha is
writing stories for children.
2. Gautam plays the drums for his school band.
Gautam is
playing the drums for his school band.
3. Leander Paes plays in many international tournaments.
Leander Paes
is playing in many international tournaments.
4. The cook kneads the dough to make bread.
Kneading |
The cook is kneading the dough to make bread.
5. The sea level rises due to global warming.
The sea level
is rising due to global warming.
6. Biju calls his sister.
Biju is
calling his sister.
7. The horse kicks the stable door.
The horse is
kicking the stable door.
8. My brother helps our mother with the chores.
My brother
is helping our mother with the chores.
9. The birds migrate to warmer regions.
The birds
are migrating to warmer regions.
10. Mila thinks of buying a car.
Mila is
thinking of buying a car.
B. Look at the following sentence taken from the link
lesson.
And the trees, no longer green but grey, menace me with
their loneliness.
Here 'loneliness' is an abstract noun.
Fill in the blanks with the opposites of the given abstract
nouns.
1. Death life 2. Honesty dishonesty
3. Friendship enemity
4. Distrusts trusts
5. Sorrow happiness
6.
Justice injustice
7. Gratitude ingratitude 8. Properly improperly
9. Truth lie 10.Hardness softness
Dictionary Practice
A. Look up a dictionary and find the differences between
the following.
1. Mist, fog and smog.
2. Hot and warm
3. Wet and humid
Fog en 1 thick cloud of tiny water droplets spended
in the atmosphere at or near the earth's surface which reluces visibility. 2
state or cause of confusion: a fag of detail. (fog, fogging, fogged) 1
cover or become covered with steam, 2 confuse, originperh. from FOGGY.
Hot adj. (hotter, hottest) 1 having a high
temperature, 2 feeling or producing an uncom fortable sensation of heat. 3 very
exciting or intense. 4 currently popular or interesting. 5 inkamal (of goods)
stolen. 6 (hot on) informal very knowledgeable about. 7 (hot on) informal
strict about. v. (hots, hotting, hotted) (hot up) Bat informal become more
exciting or in tense PHRASES have the hots for normal be sexually attracted to.
Hot under the collar kamal angry or annoyed. In hot water normal in trouble,
DERIVATIVES hotly adv. ORIGIN Old English
Humid hyoo mid adj (of the air or weathery samp and
warm Latin huumides
Mist on 1 a cloud of tiny water droplets in the
atmosphere, limiting the ability to see, 2 a condensed vapour settling on a
surface. αν. cover or become covered with mist. ORIGIN old English.
Smog en fog or haze made worse by other pol lutants
in the atmosphere such as smoke. ORIGIN from SMOKE and FOG.
Warm adj. 1 at a fairly or comfortably high
temperature. 2 (of clothes ar coverings) made of a material that helps the body
to retain heat. 3 enthusiastic, affectionate, or kind. 4 (of a colour)
containing red, yellow, or orange tones. (of a scent or trail) fresh, strong 6
close to finding or guessing what is sought v. 1 make or become warm. 2 (warm
to towards) become more interested in or enthu siastic about. n. 1 (the warm) a
warm place or area. 2 an act of warming. PHRASES warm up 1 prepare for exercise
by doing gen tle stretches and exercises. 2 (of an engine or electrical
appliance) reach a temperature high enough to allow it to operate efficiently.
3 en tertain (an audience or crowd) to make them more enthusiastic before the
arrival of the main act. DERIVATIVES warmly adv. warm ness n. ORIGIN Old
English.
Wet eadj. (wetter, wettest) 1 covered or saturated
with liquid. 2 (of the weather) rainy. 3 involving the use of water or liquid.
4 (of paint, ink, etc.) not yet having dried or hard ened. 5 Bot. informal
lacking forcefulness or strength of character. v. (wets, wetting. ing. wet or
wetted) 1 cover or touch with liquid. 2 urinate in or on. 3 (wet oneself)
urinate in- voluntarily. en 1 liquid that makes something damp. 2 (the wat)
rainy weather. 3 Brit informal a feeble person. PIIRASKS wet the baby's head
Bat informal celebrate a baby's birth with a drink, wet behind the ears indu
mal lacking experience, wet one's whistle in formal have a drink. DERIVATIVES
wetly adv. wetness ORIGIN Old English.
Mist – A cloud of tiny water droplets in the
atmosphere limiting the ability to see.
Fog –A thick cloud of tiny water droplets suspended in
the atmosphere at or near the earth’s surface which reduces visibility.
Smog- Fog or haze made worse by other pollutants in
the atmosphere.
Hot and warm - Hot means having a high temperature but
warm is at fairly or comfortably high temperature.
Wet and humid – Wet- covered with liquid,
Humid –damp
and warm
Speaking and Writing
Writing: Composition
You read some extracts from the diary of Ruskin Bend in your
link lesson. Now write a diary of your experiences of the last three days i.e.
yesterday, day before yesterday and a day earlier.
Earlier
Dec 27, 2023
Today was my English class test. Got very less marks, will
try to improve. While coming back from school, lost my water bottle.
Day before yesterday
Dec 28, 2023
Had a quarrel with one of my best friend. I know it will be
all right tomorrow. Papa bought samosas in the evening.
Yesterday
Dec 29, 2023
It was a normal day like other days. Went to school, came
back and played with friends, watched TV. and slept.