Unit: 8. B Wordsworth
A. COMPREHENSION
1. Answer the following questions.
a. What kind of person is considered a 'rogue' by the narrator?
Ans: The narrator describes a man who only came once and behaved somewhat strangely,
as an example of rouge.
b. Why does the narrator say, 'His English was so good, it didn't sound natural...?
Ans: The narrator says, ‘His English was so good, it didn’t sound natural...’ because the port
speaks Standard English. The narrator and the people around him, including his mother, do
not speak Standard English.
c. According to B. Wordsworth, what could a poet do quite easily?
Ans: Cry
d. Do you think the narrator's mother liked poetry? Give reasons for your answer.
Ans: Pupils can say yes or no as long as they give a reason for what they think it may be that
she does not have the time or opportunity to enjoy poetry; she does not want to buy a poem
from the poet.
e. What did B. Wordsworth give as a reason for travelling about?
Ans: B. Wordsworth’s reason for travelling is that he gets to watch many things.
f. Why is B. Wordsworth's answer to the policeman’s question funny?
Ans: B. Wordsworth’s insert is funny because he responds to the policeman’s question
(about what they are doing in that particular place at that particular time) as if the policeman
is asking what his purpose is on earth.
g. How did the world become an exciting place for the narrator?
Ans: The world became an exciting place for the narrator because the poet took him
to see lots of places and did everything as though he were doing it for the first time in
his life.
h. When the narrator saw Wordsworth looking so ill, how was he affected?
Ans: When the narrator saw Wordsworth looking so ill he felt himself wanting to cry.
This question is more challenging.
i. "My mother said, 'Tell that blasted man to haul his tail away from my yard, you
hear."
I said to B. Wordsworth, 'My mother say she ain't have four cents.'
What does this exchange tell us about
i. the mother and ii. the boy?
Ans: This exchange tells us that the mother has no interest in the port and wants him
to leave. She probably views him as just another caller or rouge. It tells us that the boy does not
wish to offend the man and that he is interested in him.
2. You will have noticed that many of the sentences spoken by the narrator (when he is
using direct speech), his mother, and the policeman are grammatically wrong. Below
there are twelve sentences, all of which are incorrect. Correct them and rewrite them in
your book. Can you explain what is wrong with each one?
a. 'What you want?'
Ans: “What do you want” –missing auxiliary ‘do’
b. "Stay here and watch him while he watches the bees.'
Ans: “Stay here and watch him while he watches the bees.” –subject verb agreement
c. 'I ain't have the time.'
Ans: “I don’t have the time.” –ain’t = am not, are not, is not
d. "What you does do, mister?'
Ans: “What do you do, mister?” –placement of auxiliary and subject verb agreement
e. "Why you does cry?'
Ans: “Why do you cry?” –subject verb agreement
f. "When she not beating me.’
Ans: “When she is not beating me.” –missing auxiliary
g. 'Ma, you want to buy a poetry for four cents?’
Ans: “Ma, do you want to buy a poem for four cents?” –determiner noun agreement
(or some poetry)
h. My mother say she ain't have four cents.’
Ans: “My mother says/said she doesn’t have four cents.” –subject verb agreement
i. "You really think I is am poet”
Ans: “You really think i am a poet” –subject verb agreement
j. 'You does write a lot, then?’
Ans: “Do you write a lot, then?” –question format and agreement
k. ‘You sell any poetry yet?’
Ans: “(Have) you sold any poetry yet?” –question format and tense
l. "Where you was?
Ans: “Where were you?” –verb placement and subject verb agreement
B. WORKING WITH WORDS
1. The following words, from the story, have two or more meanings. Write down
the meanings. Consult a dictionary if you need help.
Watch round palm stars lie right blows chest
Watch
To observe carefully: I like to watch the stars at night.
A device for telling time: She looked at her watch to check the time.
Round
Shaped like a circle or sphere: The Earth is round.
A stage or part of a sequence: We won the first round of the game.
Palm
The inside part of the hand: He held the coin in his palm.
A type of tropical tree: We saw tall palm trees near the beach.
Stars
Bright objects in the night sky: The stars twinkled brightly.
Famous people in movies or sports: He met some movie stars at the event.
Lie
To recline or rest flat: He likes to lie on the grass and relax.
To say something untrue: It’s wrong to lie to your parents.
Right
Correct or true: You gave the right answer to the question.
The opposite of left: Turn right at the corner.
Blows
Hits or strikes with force: The boxer delivered powerful blows to his opponent.
Moves air or wind: The wind blows strongly in the winter.
Chest
The upper part of the body, near the lungs and heart: He felt a pain in his chest after running.
A large box for storing items: She opened the treasure chest and found gold coins.
2. For each of the following pictures can you think of the correct word and a homophone?
a. sheik/shake b. cell/sell c. mail/male
d. sun/son e. sweet/suite f. root/route
3. There are hundreds of other homophones and homonyms in English. Can you think
of any? Make a list
Examples of homonyms:
lead, back, rest, saw, forge, fair, head, ear, late, last, organ, pat, sound, found, spade, etc.
Examples of homophones:
dear/deer, flower/floor, plain/plane, die/dye, write/right, sole/soul, heal/heel, tide/tied, etc.
4. Fill in the blanks with 'ie' or 'ei'. Check the words in a dictionary if you are in doubt.
Do you know the rule for the use of ie and ei?
a. Perceive b. Receipt c. height d. sheikh
e. field f. Receive g. Deceit h. achieve
i. Ceiling j. Conceive k. Deceive l. Chief
m. grief q. Relief r. Shriek n. Believe
s. Yield o. sieve p. relieve t. Thief
C. LEARNING ABOUT LANGUAGE
1. Make sentences using the nouns and the adjectives given. Find the best order to
arrange the adjectives.
Example: cat (black, thin)
Thin black cat
The thin, black cat lapped up the milk in the saucer
a. Mountains (distant, blue)
b. Road (narrow, mountain, high)
c. watch (new, shiny, steel)
d. Face (grey, expressionless, dull)
e. Snake (green, venomous, long)
f. Car (Rover, sleek, black, new)
g. Artist (young, Pakistani, famous)
h. Suit (evening, ready-made, Italian)
i. Shirt (new, red, smart)
j. Plane (trans-Atlantic, jet-propelled, passenger).
Solve exercise:
a. Mountains (distant, blue)
The travelers admired the distant blue mountains from the hilltop.
b. Road (narrow, mountain, high):
We drove carefully along the narrow high mountain road.
c. Watch (new, shiny, steel):
He gifted her a new shiny steel watch for her birthday.
d. Face (grey, expressionless, dull):
His grey dull expressionless face revealed no emotions.
e. Snake (green, venomous, long):
The forest ranger spotted a long green venomous snake in the undergrowth.
f. Car (Rover, sleek, black, new):
He proudly drove his new sleek black Rover car through the neighborhood.
g. Artist (young, Pakistani, famous):
The gallery featured a young famous Pakistani artist who painted stunning landscapes.
h. Suit (evening, ready-made, Italian):
He wore an Italian ready-made evening suit to the gala.
i. Shirt (new, red, smart):
He bought a smart new red shirt for the party.
j. Plane (trans-Atlantic, jet-propelled, passenger):
A jet-propelled trans-Atlantic passenger plane landed safely after a long flight.
2. Complete the following by using suitable adverbial clauses of time. You may put the
adverbial clause first, if you think the sentence sounds better that way. Use each
conjunction only once.
a. The beggar sat on the doorstep __________
b. She asked me to visit her __________
c. The fielders paced up and down __________
d. A great cheer went up from the pavilion __________
e. The lights went off __________
f. We never go out of the house __________
g. The mother burst into tears __________
h. I have not seen Saima __________
i. There was silence in the classroom __________
j. Man will live on Earth __________
Answers:
a. The beggar sat on the doorstep until it stopped raining.
b. She asked me to visit her when I had the time.
c. The fielders paced up and down while waiting for the batsman to take his stance.
d. A great cheer went up from the pavilion as soon as the team won the match.
e. The lights went off just as we were about to start dinner.
f. We never go out of the house after it gets dark.
g. The mother burst into tears when she heard the news.
h. I have not seen Saima since we graduated from school.
i. There was silence in the classroom until the teacher arrived.
j. Man will live on Earth as long as the environment is protected.
3. Identify the adverbial clause of time in the following.
a. Irfan went straight to the cinema after his friends had left.
b. I promise to come and say goodnight to you as soon as you have got into bed.
c. While the clock ticked, the girl’s parents sat waiting and watching.
d. We visit them whenever they come to stay in the city.
e. Before the day broke they had woken and bathed.
5. Find adverbial clauses of condition, reason, or place to complete:
Because, if , unless, where, since, as, wherever.
Because:
He stayed home because it was raining heavily. (Reason)
If:
You will succeed if you work hard and stay focused. (Condition)
Unless:
We cannot start the game unless everyone arrives on time. (Condition)
Where:
The treasure is hidden where no one can find it. (Place)
Since:
I haven’t spoken to him since he moved to another city. (Reason)
As:
She smiled as she handed me the gift. (Reason)
Wherever:
You can sit wherever you feel comfortable. (Place)
Identify the adverbial clauses in the following and say what kind they are:
Children sat in the library because Mr. Arif told them to read more.
She will be allowed to go to the party, if you go with her.
Since we are going, they can come too.
He goes to the zoo whenever he visits the city.
He will never find out what is wrong, unless he visits the doctor.
They settled down on the grass where it was dry.
He will post your letter, as he is going that way.
They will be allowed some sweets after they have eaten their dinner.
Answers:
Children sat in the library because Mr. Arif told them to read more.
Adverbial Clause: because Mr. Arif told them to read more
Type: Reason
She will be allowed to go to the party if you go with her.
Adverbial Clause: if you go with her
Type: Condition
Since we are going, they can come too.
Adverbial Clause: Since we are going
Type: Reason
He goes to the zoo whenever he visits the city.
Adverbial Clause: whenever he visits the city
Type: Time
He will never find out what is wrong unless he visits the doctor.
Adverbial Clause: unless he visits the doctor
Type: Condition
They settled down on the grass where it was dry.
Adverbial Clause: where it was dry
Type: Place
He will post your letter as he is going that way.
Adverbial Clause: as he is going that way
Type: Reason
They will be allowed some sweets after they have eaten their dinner.
Adverbial Clause: after they have eaten their dinner
Type: Time
WORKBOOK
A. Adverbs and time
1. Pick out the adverb phrases and adverb clauses of time in the following sentences. Underline them and state whether they are phrases or clauses.
a. Three beggars called punctually every day at the hospitable houses in Miguel Street.
(phrase)
b. At about ten an Indian came in his dhoti and white jacket. (phrase)
c. At two a blind man led by a boy called for his penny. (phrase)
d. The strangest caller game one afternoon at about four o’clock. (phrase)
e. Stay here and watch him while he watches the bees. (clause)
f. We watched the bees, this man and I, for about an hour, squatting near the palm trees.
(phrase)
g. And when you’re a poet you can write about everything. (clause)
h. When B. Wordsworth left, I prayed I would see him again. (clause)
i. Coming back from school one afternoon, I met him at the corner of Miguel Street. (clause)
j. When I said I was better, he began telling me the names of the stars. (clause)
k. I can spot Orion even today. (phrase)
l. We climbed Chancellor Hill in the late afternoon. (phrase)
m. I have been working on it for more than five years now. (phrase)
n. When I have finished this story, I want you to promise that you will go away. (phrase)
