English Skill 6

Grammar

Future Perfect : will have + verb past participle (will have done)

We use future perfect to talk about an action that will be in the past, or will just
have finished by the given time.
Imagine, today is January 1. Your term exam is set from January 7 to 14.
You may say: By January 15, my term exam will have been over.
Normally, we begin the sentences with by then, by that time, by January 14, etc.

20 Compose sentences about yourself.

By the end this year will have got married.
By the age of 25 passed the SEE.
By the age of 30 joined the college.
By the age of 40 joined a job.
By 2025 built a house of my own.
By next Sunday bought a new colour pencil.
By 2050 passed grade six.

Writing

21 Write a paragraph describing life 50 years hence. Make a
guess about what people will have done by then.

22 Find fifteen punctuation errors.

Deserts are some of the most interesting places on earth A desert is not
a dry area It is an area that receives less than ten inches of rainfall a
year About one fifth of the earth is composed of deserts Although many
people believe that deserts are nothing but hills of sand this is not true In
reality deserts have large rocks mountains canyons and even lakes For
instance only about ten percent of the Sahara Desert the largest desert
on the earth is sand

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16 Narrating Sequence

of Events

Conversation

1 Listen and practise.

Kabita : Hello Usha, how are you?

Usha : Hi, Kabita! I’m fine. How
about you? You weren’t in
class yesterday.

Kabita : No, I wasn’t. I went
to attend my uncle’s
wedding yesterday.

Usha : Well, how was the party?

Kabita : It was really nice. We
danced a lot. All our
relatives and family members were there. But I missed my
class. What lessons did you do yesterday?

Usha : There weren’t many. In maths, we did percentages, in science
we studied light, in Nepali we discussed Bhanubhakta and
in English we learnt about King Arthur. After the fourth
period, we had a quiz competition.

Kabita : All right. I think I can learn from you. By the way, who won
the competition?

Usha : Red house.

Kabita : Congratulations! You were also in the team, weren’t you?

Usha : Yes, I was. Thank you very much.

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Grammar

The past simple

2 Complete the tables.

Positive Negative
I was happy. I was not / wasn’t happy.

He was happy. He was not / wasn’t happy.

She was happy. She was not / wasn’t happy.

It was happy. It __________ / __________ happy.
You were happy. You were not / weren’t happy.

We __________ happy. We were not / weren’t happy.

They __________ happy. They were not / weren’t happy.

Question Short answer
_________ I happy? Yes, I was. / No, I wasn’t.
_________ he happy? Yes, _________ . / No, he ________ .
_________ she happy? Yes, ________ . / No, she ________ .
Was it happy? Yes, it was. / No, it wasn’t.

_________ you happy? Yes, you were. / No, you weren’t.
_________ we happy? Yes, we were. / No, we _________ .
Were they happy? Yes, they _______ . / No, they ______ .

3 Complete the dialogue with was, wasn't, were or weren't.

Kavi : Hello, Ravi. Where _____________ you yesterday? You
_____________ in the dojo for karate.

Ravi : That's true. I __________ there yesterday. I ____________at the
Jaya Nepal Cinema for the premiere show of new Nepali movie

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'Fateko Jutta'. It _____________
fantastic.

Kavi : ____________________ you ?
really? Which famous actors
_____________ there?

Ravi : Well, Saugat Malla

_____________ there. Of

course, lots of other celebrities

_____________ there, too.

Kavi : What about Priyanka Karki? I think she _____________ there.

Ravi : She is my favourite actress but I'm afraid she _____________
there yesterday.

Kavi : Oh, that's a pity. You'll get to see her next time, perhaps.

4 Look at the given verbs and complete the rules.

Rule: We use the past simple tense to talk about finished actions in the past.
Here are some rules for changing verbs into their past form.

With regular verbs, we usually add ___________ at the end of the verb.
want – wanted / pull – pulled / join - joined / fix - fixed
If the verb ends in e like in live, die, or decide, we add ________ at the end.

change – changed / like – liked / hope - hoped / inquire - inquired
If a short verb ends in a vowel + a consonant like in plan, we double the
___________ and add ed.
plan – planned / travel – travelled / hop - hopped / stop - stopped

If the verb ends in a consonant + y like try, we change the y into
___________ and add ___________ .

try - tried/ fry - fried / occupy - occupied / notify - notified

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5 Complete the sentences. Use the past simple form of
the verbs given in brackets.

a. I ___________ (want) to have momo yesterday.

b. When I was young, my family ___________ (live) in a village.

c. Last week, we ___________ (plan) our presentation.

d. My brother ______________ (try) to phone you last evening, but
nobody ___________ (answer).

e. When my mother _______________ (play) with the baby, she
___________ (stop) crying and ___________ (smile) at her.

6 Choose a pair of verbs from the list and complete the
sentences. Take one from the first row and another
from the second row. Be careful, they must be in the
simple past tense and fit in with the context.

stop start talk tidy stay rain study

not clean not finish not like not watch not play not say

I started eating the apple but I didn’t finish it.

a. They ______________ in an expensive hotel but
______________ the food.

b. It ______________ all day on Sunday. So we
______________ football.

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c. She ______________ her cupboard, but she
______________ the showcase.

d. He ______________ for a long time, but he
______________ anything interesting!

e. Meena ______________ TV last night. She
______________ for her test.

7 Listen, sing and learn irregular verbs.

Some verbs change
Some verbs remain the same
When we talk about the past.

Sometimes you add ed
Sometimes only d
But don't be too fast.

Shut, shut, shut,
Cut, cut, cut
Hurt, hurt, hurt

But catch caught, caught
Fight, fought, fought
And teach, taught, taught

Grow, grew, grown
Throw, threw, thrown
Know, knew, known

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Shake, shook, shaken
Take, took taken
Hide, hid, hidden

These verbs change.
Read, read, read
All look the same

Send, sent, sent
Bend, bent, bent,
Feel, felt, felt

Say, said, said
Pay, paid, paid
Lay, laid, laid

Cost, cost, cost
Hit, hit, hit
Meet, met, met

Think, thought, thought,
Buy, bought, bought
Bring, brought, brought
These verbs don't follow the rules.
Please, be careful!

8 Put the words in the correct order to make questions.

a. did / Karna / into / jump / the Trishuli river ?

b. he / army / did / join / the?

c. did / you / coffee / this morning / drink?

d. watch / last night / TV / did / you?

e. you / go / to the library / last week / did?

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9 Complete the story with the correct verb form.

My Uncle's Story

Yesterday I __________ (go) to a shop. I
__________ (buy) some food. I __________
(meet) a friend there and we __________
(speak) about the time when we were in
school. I __________ (feel) really happy.

My friend __________ (tell) me that she
__________ (lose) her money on the way. I __________ (feel) sorry for her
and __________ (give) her some money from my wallet. She __________
(say), "Thank you!" Then, I __________ (come) home and started to check
the things. I __________ (find) out that my wallet __________ (be) not in
my pocket. I __________ (think) that

I __________ (make) a mistake and __________ (put) it somewhere else.
But it __________ (be) nowhere. I __________ (think) I __________ (lose)
it in the shop but it __________ (be) not there.

Then, I __________ (know) that my friend __________ (steal) it when I
__________ (speak) to her.

Listening

10 Match the words with their meaning.

a. referee ___ the leader of a team

b. dominate ___ one who is in charge of a game.

c. captain ___ time given to teams at the end of a game
to cover the time loss due to injuries

d. injury time ___ to restart

e. resume ___ to have control over something

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11 Are the following true or false? Listen and check.

a. The students of grade six and seven were in the playing teams.
b. The game started at 3 pm.
c. Team Blue had the first goal.
d. Team Red was controlling the game in the first half.
e. The match ended in a draw.

12 Listen again and fill in the blanks.

a. They were playing the ________________match of the tournament.

b. Bishwant is the _____________of team Red House A.

c. They had ________________minutes set time for the match.

d. The name of the captain of team Blue House C is
________________.

e. They got ________________minutes of injury time.

Speaking

13 Listen to the sport commentary again and share it in
the past tense.

Reading

14 Read and learn.

Paul Bunyan and His Babe

This is a story of a giant lumberjack and his unusual ox. Many years
ago, Paul Bunyan was born in a North American village. His mother and
father were shocked when they first saw the boy. Paul was so large at
birth that five large birds had to carry him to his parents. When the boy
was only a few weeks old, he weighed more than forty-five kilograms.

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As a child, Paul was always hungry. His parents needed ten cows to
supply milk for his meals. Before long, he ate fifty eggs and ten containers
of potatoes every day.

Young Paul grew so big that his parents did not know what to do with
him. Once, Paul rolled over so much in his sleep that he caused an
earthquake. This angered people in the town where his parents lived.
So, the government told his mother and father they would have to move
him somewhere else.

Paul’s father built a wooden cradle -- a traditional bed for a baby. His
parents put the cradle in the water along the coast. However, every
time Paul rolled over, huge waves covered all the coastal towns. So his
parents brought their son back on land. They took him into the woods.
This is where he grew up.

As a boy, Paul helped his father cut down trees. Paul had the strength
of many men. He also was extremely fast. He could turn off a light and
then jump into his bed before the room got dark.

The place where they lived was very cold for much of the year. One day,
it started to snow. The snow covered Paul’s home and a nearby forest.
However, this snow was very unusual. It was blue. The blue snow kept
falling until the forest was covered.

Paul put on his snowshoes and went out to
see the unusual sight. As he walked, Paul
discovered an animal stuck in the snow. It
was a baby ox. Paul decided to take the ox
home with him. He put the animal near the
fireplace. After the ox got warmer, his hair
remained blue.

Paul decided to keep the blue ox and named
him Babe. Babe grew very quickly. One night,
Paul left him in a small building with the
other animals. The next morning, the barn
was gone and so was Babe. Paul searched everywhere for the animal.
He found Babe calmly eating grass in a valley, with the barn still on top
of his back. Babe followed Paul and grew larger every day. Every time

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Paul looked, Babe seemed to grow taller.

Paul taught Babe to help with his work. Babe was very useful. For
example, Paul had trouble removing trees along a road that was not
straight. He tied one end of the road to a tree stump and the other end
to Babe. Babe dug his feet in the ground and pulled with all his strength
until the road became straight.

Paul always gave Babe the Blue Ox a thirty-five kilogram piece of sugar
when he was good. But sometimes Babe liked to play tricks. At night,
Babe would make noises and hit the ground with his feet. The men in
the village would run out of the buildings where they slept, thinking it
was an earthquake.

When winter came, Babe had trouble finding enough food to eat. Snow
covered everything. Ole the Blacksmith solved the problem. He made huge
green sunglasses for Babe. When Babe wore the sunglasses, he thought the
snow was grass. Before long, Babe was strong and healthy again, Babe the
Blue Ox died in South America. One story says he ate too many hot cakes.
Some people also believe that he died in a fight with a squirrel. Paul buried
his old friend there. Today, the burial place is known as the Black Hills.

Whatever happened to Paul Bunyan? There are lots of stories. Some
people say he was last seen in the Himalayas. Some others say he still
visits the villages he lived in before. Some say Paul moves in and out of
the woods, so few people ever know that he is there.

Comprehension

15 Put the following in order by numbering them from 1 to 5.

Paul’s father made a cradle for him.

People in the city got angry with Paul’s parents.

He was taken to the jungle.

He was kept on the coast.

He rolled in his sleep and caused an earthquake.

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16 Answer the following questions.

a. Why were Paul’s parents shocked to see their own baby? What was
unusual about him?

b. How much did Paul eat as a child?
c. Why couldn’t Paul’s parents keep him in the village and on the

coast? Why did they have to move to the forest?
d. How did Paul help his father in the forest?
e. How did Babe’s hair become blue?
f. How can you say that Babe was very strong?
g. How did Babe help to make the road straight?
h. How would Babe trick people in the village?
i. Do you believe this is a true story? Why?

Vocabulary

17 Find the words from the story. The meaning of the
words are given below.

a. surprised
b. vessels
c. a traditional bed for a baby
d. woodcutter or logger
e. found
f. wrapped
g. looked for
h. a small house where animals are kept

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Speaking

18 Play a leg pulling game. First play the game with your
teacher. When you know what it is, play it with your
partner.

Teacher : Yesterday I went to town and saw a beautiful car. It had
eight legs and went very fast…

Students : That’s not true. Cars don’t have legs, they have wheels. And
they don’t have eight wheels, they have four wheels.

Teacher : Oh, sorry. You’re quite right. Anyway, it was going very fast.
I went to the barber’s shop to buy some bread…

Students : Oh, No! You can’t buy bread at the barber’s shop…

19 Work in small groups to tell tall tales you can make up.

A : My great grandfather was so strong that he could lift a bus with his
one hand.

B : Huh, that’s nothing! My great grandfather was so strong that he
could lift two buses with one hand.

C : Haha, that’s nothing! My great grandfather
was so strong that he could carry the
whole house with him. Once he was going
through a jungle holding a house in his
palm, a blue whale jumped from the ocean
and dropped in front of him. Then, he just
picked the whale with his two fingers and
chewed it. That was his breakfast.

D : Hah, that’s nothing! My great grandfather
was so strong that he could lift an aeroplane
and throw it into the sky. Long before the
Wright Brothers invented the aeroplane,
he made one and threw it into the sky. It
hasn't returned yet.

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Grammar

Past continuous

Past continuous statements

Subject Was/were Verb-ing
standing
He / She / I / It was (not) at the gate.
(Singular subjects)

You / We / They were (not) standing at the gate.
(Plural subjects)

We use past continuous to talk about
an action that was in progress at a particular time in the past.
At this time on Saturday, I was watching television.

two actions happening at the same time in the past.
While I was watching television, my father was writing something.

to talk about background of the story.
It was early in the evening and it was beginning to get dark. She
was having a cup of tea. Her brother was talking on the phone.

Past simple and past continuous

When two events happen one after another very quickly we often use
past simple tense for both.

We saw the owner of the hay. We ran down the hill. He came
chasing. My friend fell and twisted his ankle. However, he ran but
I was caught.

When one action is going on and another short action interrupts it, we
use past continuous to talk about the longer action while we use past
simple to talk about the shorter action.

When Mandira phoned, I was doing my homework.

I was going to the market when I met Monica.

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20 Fill in the gaps with the correct past continuous form of
the verb in brackets. Here, a boy is telling a policeman
what he saw in the street.

Suspicion!

(Telephone rings at the police station. An officer comes and picks the phone.)

Policeman : Hello!

Ketan : Hello, sir! I'm Ketan
Tiwari from Balaju. I'm
calling you because I
want to tell you what
happened last night
near my house.

Policeman : Well, Mr. Ketan, tell us what you saw.

Ketan : I _______ (staying) in the veranda last night. lt was about
10 o'clock. lt _______ (rain) and the lights in the street
_______ (not work), so I couldn't see very well. But I did
see this man. He _______ (act) strangely.

Policeman : What _______ he _______ (do)?

Ketan : He _______ (walk) around in circles and he _______ (pick)
things up from the ground. Then, he started to whistle.
He _______ still _______ (whistle) when I entered my
house.

Policeman : What did he look like?

Ketan : Well, he _______ (wear) dark clothes. I noticed that
he _______ (not carry) an umbrella. That was strange
because it was a rainy night. But he _______ (hold) a large
bag. Anyway, I went in and my dad _______ (watch)
television. I told him about the man and he went to look
but the man wasn't there anymore.

Policeman : Don't worry, Ketan. We'll watch out for him.

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Reading

21 Read and learn.

Yomari Punhi

It was a Saturday in December. The school was off and it was cold. I was
still in bed when Shashi called me. Since the telephone was placed near
my bed, I just rose and picked it.

"Are you still asleep? Are you not going with us today?" he said.

I mumbled, "Where? Where are we going?"

Then immediately I realised three days ago Sangeeta had given us an
invitation. "Oh, yes. We have
to go to Sangeeta’s house.
What time shall we move?"

"Maybe nine?" he proposed.

"OK," I said.

I had more than an hour to
prepare. After my chore, I got
dressed and got out taking
permission from my parents
that I would be out for the day as our friend had invited us. Shashi lived
three houses away from us. Then, both of us headed to Sangeeta's house.

Our family was new to Panauti and so was Shashi’s. Sangeeta was a
local of the area. We were not familiar with the festivals of the area.

When we reached her house, we saw her dressed in her traditional attire
standing on the veranda. When she saw us, she dashed towards the gate
to receive us.

“What’s going on? What’s it for you today?” we asked her.

She said, “Today is Yomari Punhi. We celebrate it by worshipping our
gods and eating Yomari. That’s why I invited you!”

They were planning to go to Dhaneshwor Temple. There was a
procession of traditionally dressed people carrying offerings to god.

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Along with them there were fully
trained musicians and dancers. They
were playing cymbals, drums and
flutes.

As we reached the temple, we saw
people in thousands. They were
getting into the temple. The temple
priest was busy. He would take the
offerings from the devotees and put
them up for the idol. Then he would offer tika, flowers and prasad to the
each devotee. In the temple yard, musical shows were going on. There
was a choir singing hymns. We too went into the temple with Sangeeta
and we received the blessings from the priest.

Then, it was time for us to return home. Her grandparents and parents
had prepared everything needed for their worship at home. They
worshipped the god of harvest. In half an hour, the guests were lined
up on long straw mats. All of us were given plain plates made of leaves.
We were ready for the feast. All kinds of food including yomaris were
there for us. The sweet molasses gave
the delicacies a savory taste. After the
feast, we were about to come home
when Sangeeta insisted we should
stay for the evening. She had a plan
for us: we'd visit the neighbouring
houses singing the traditional songs
and enjoying yomaris.

We called our parents and told them
we would return home late in the
evening. At sunset, Sangeeta gathered her cousins to join us as we went
door to door singing:

"The Yomari has a tip,
It is dark within.
It will taste sweet if you give;
If not, it is tasteless.
She is young who gives,

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She is a miserly old hag who does not.
If you do not hurry and present us with yomari
We will relieve ourselves in your rice-grinding machine.”

We went to about ten houses and gathered a good number of yomaris
in different shapes. Shashi and I were given three each. We took the
yomaris home. Our parents also enjoyed them. It was great experience
of celebrating Yomari Punhi in Panauti.

Comprehension

22 Write true or false or not given (NG).

a. The narrator is the native of Panauti. ______

b. Yomari Punhi generally falls in December. ______

c. The narrator was dressed in traditional clothes. ______

d. People from each family visit Dhaneshwor temple. ______

e. The boys and girls went to the neighbours' in the afternoon to ask

for yomaris. ______

f. Parents of the narrator did not enjoy the yomaris. ______

23 Answer the following questions.

a. What time did they reach Sangeeta’s home?
b. What did they eat?
c. What kind of musical instruments were played?
d. What did they do in the evening?
e. What did the song say?

Writing

24 Composition: Write how you celebrated a recent
festival with people close to you.

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Listening

25 Listen and number the pictures (1-5) according to
the story.

Speaking

26 Now, brainstorm about a memorable event in your
life and tell your story.

Writing

27 Write a story using the outline.

When we write a story or a personal experience, it is important to place
the events in order in which they happened. The events in the story
should also be linked with each other with connectors.

We often use the words below to show a sequence of events in a story.

before after then next now
suddenly
second earlier while during at first

at once finally immediately

A foolish stag was thirsty _____ reached a pool ___ saw his own reflection
glad to see his horns ___ hated his thin and ugly legs ___ hounds ran
after him __ stag ran for life ___ his leg carried him out of danger but his
horns got stuck in bushes ___ provided to be the cause of his death.

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17 Expressing Surprise

and Dismay

1 Listen and sing.

Mr. Tandon has gone to London
But he has not met the queen.
Yet, he hasn't met the queen.

He has gone to a cafe,
Has asked for coffee
Has met Mr. Bean.
He has just met Mr. Bean.

Mr. Tandon has gone for boating
On the River Thames.
But he can't row the boat himself.
That's way he's called Mr. James.
He has already called Mr. James.

Mr. Tandon has gone to London
But he has not met the queen.
Yet, he hasn't met the queen.

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Conversation

2 Listen and practise.

Luna : Hello!

Neeta : Hello, Luna.
What’s up?

Luna : Everything's so
cool! What about
you?

Neeta : I'm fine. But have
you seen your
results?

Luna : No, not yet! Have they been published? I'm scared now.

Neeta : Yes, I went to school. You came out second! Congratulations!

Luna : You must be kidding! This can't be true! Juna is there!

Neeta : No, no! I 'm not kidding! Go see the results for yourself.

Luna : Thanks, Neeta! I'm going there soon. Bye!

Speaking

Interjections to express emotions

We often use interjections to express our strong emotion. When we
need to express dismay, surprise or wonder, we use them.

• Oh! I forgot that!
• Oh dear! He is falling!
• Here comes the man who can speak to birds!
• Wow! It's incredible! I had never seen such a wonderful bird!
• What a wonderful house! I think I would be lost in it!
• Oh, no! Bad luck!
• It can't be like that!

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3 Practise the given conversations and compose similar
dialogues based on the given situations. Then practise.

Goma : Seema, can you lend me your novel "Charlie and Chocolate
Factory" by Roald Dahl?

Seema : Don't you know I lost that book? I don't know who took it
and never returned.

Goma : Oh, no! Who could that be?
Jeevan : Hi, Karma! Have you heard that tomorrow is a holiday?
Karma : Wow! Is it? Thanks for the good news!
Jeevan : You are welcome!
Kirti : Have you heard of the road accident last night?
Om : Where?
Kirti : Along the Araniko Highway. Fifteen people were killed and

many got injured!
Om : Oh, no! Sad news!
Kirti : I too feel sad.

a. One of your friends from western Nepal called to tell you
that there was an earthquake.

b. One of your friends told you that your teacher had announced
a winter sport competition and you are a sports lover.

c. Someone told you that you have won the prize in art
competition.

d. Somebody told you that you have won a lottery of Rs 10,000.

e. Someone told you that one of your relatives has been
hospitalised after an accident.

f. Someone told you the news of a plane crash in which 20
people died.

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Listening

4 Look at the pictures and discuss.

• What are these insects?
• What amazing facts do you

know about them?

5 Listen to the audio and complete the note.

Rayn : Have you played this new ____________________?
Sam : No, not yet! Is there anything new?
Rayn : This game is full of ____________________ about

____________________.
Sam : Oh, really? Like what?
Rayn : Like ____________________ have six or eight eyes.
Sam : Eight eyes? Where on earth do you find such

____________________? Are you sure they exist?
Rayn : Yeah. I'm sure about it. I looked it up carefully. Here is

another fact. ____________________ die after their first sting.
Sam : Interesting! Well, I know a fact about bees. They

communicate through their different _________________.
Rayn : They have written this one too. Look at this one about bees.

They have ____________________ in their eyes.
Sam : This game looks interesting! I'd love to explore more about

it.

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Reading

6 Read and learn.

The Dying Detective

-Adapted from Sherlock Holmes Stories

One early morning Mrs Hudson, Sherlock Holmes’ landlady, came to my
house. She looked worried. As soon as she entered, she started, “Holmes
is dying, Dr Watson. For three days he has been in bed. I doubt if he will
last the day. He would not let me get a doctor. But this morning I could
stand no more of it." I said, “With your leave or without it, Mr Holmes,
I am going for a doctor this very hour.” He replied, “Let it be Watson,
then.” Hurry up, sir or you may not see him alive.

I was afraid for I had no idea of his illness. As we rode on a coach, I asked
for the details.

“He has been working lately on
some case down near the river. He
is coming late. I was just going to
my bed on Wednesday night when
I heard a faint knocking at the main
gate. I found Mr. Holmes there. He
could hardly stand, just muttered
to me to help him up to his bed and
he’s barely spoken since.”

“You could have telegraphed for me.” I told her.

“Sir, I don’t like to tell you, but . . . well, Mr. Holmes said he wouldn’t
even have you to see him.”

“What? This is monstrous! I, his oldest friend! He didn’t like me to see
him!”

When we reached his home, he did indeed look terrible. His weathering
face staring at me form the bed made me sink within. His voice was
croaking. His thin hands were twitched now and then. Dark crusts clung
to his lips.

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“Holmes? It’s I—Watson.” I called.

He sighed back, “Ahh! Well, Watson? We . . . we seem to have fallen on
evil days.”

“My dear fellow!” I cried and tried to get near to feel his pulses.

“No, no! Keep back! You mustn’t come near!” he urgently shouted. “I
know what is the matter with me. For your own sake, Watson. I contracted
. . . a disease—from Sumatra. It is very little known, except that it is most
deadly. It is contagious by touch. So . . . must keep away.”

“What?! Utter rubbish. Holmes! Mrs. Hudson tells me she helped you
to your bed. There’s nothing the matter with her.” I was puzzled and
tensed.

“It was the early period. It was dangerous only after two or three days.
It is deadly by now.” Holmes gestured me away. “What do you know
about the tropical diseases?”

“I don’t have much idea about them
but I know Dr Ainstree, the greatest
living authority upon tropical
disease. I am going to fetch him.” I
determinedly turned to the door.

Shockingly! The dying man sprang
up like a leopard and shut the door
and staggered back to his bed.

“You won’t take the key from me by
force, Watson. I’ve got you, my friend.
It’s four o’clock. At six we resume
conversation.’

I just stood there looking at him for some time. He looked asleep. Having
nothing to do, I walked up to the mantelpiece. On it was a small black
and white ivory box with a sliding lid. I had stretched out my hand to
examine it more closely…

“Put it down! Watson I say!”

I turned. His head sank back upon the pillow and he gave a sigh of relief
as let the box down.

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“Sit down, man, and let me have my rest!”

At six he began to talk with the mixture of sob and cough. He asked me
to light the gas. He told me, “Watson, be careful. For an instant, it should
not be more than half on.” He also asked me to put some papers and
letters within his reach on the table. Then he asked me to move the ivory
box with the help of sugar tongs and place it among the papers.

“Good! You can now go and fetch Mr Culverton Smith, of 13 Lower
Burke Street.”

“Eh? Culverton Smith? I’ve never heard the name!” I was perplexed.

Holmes explained, “Possibly not. It may surprise you to know that the
one man who knows everything about this disease is not a medical man.
He’s a planter.”

“A planter? Treating you! At this time?!”

“Mr Smith is a well-known resident of Sumatra. He is in London now.
If you could persuade him to come here, his unique experience would
greatly benefit us. He would be delighted to investigate the case. However,
he doesn’t have a good feeling towards me. His nephew, Watson—died
horribly. He is angry against me. You will have to persuade him, Watson.
Beg him, get him here by any means. He can save me—only he!”

“I will bring him even if I have to carry him down here.”

“Don’t try to do anything, just persuade him to come. And then you will
return in front of him. Make any excuses so as not to come with him.
Don’t forget, Watson. You won’t fail me. You never did fail me.”

I dashed mumbling like a silly child.

While I was trying to get a cab, there came a man through the fog.

“How is Mr Holmes, sir? he asked.

He was old acquaintance, Inspector Morton in his official dress.

“He is very serious," I answered.

I couldn’t escape the strange expression on his face which looked like a
smile. As a cab had driven up, I could not lose time and left him.

Lower Burke Street proved to be a line of five houses. Reaching to the
Culverton Smith’s, I asked about him and his butler went to call him.

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I heard him saying, “He can come in the morning or he can stay away. T
My work must not be hindered.” t

It was urgent. His life depended upon my promptness. Before the butler
came with the message, I was inside the room.

“What’s this? Culverton Smith
screamed. “Didn’t I send you
word that I would see you
tomorrow morning?”

“I’m sorry!” I said, “but the matter
cannot be delayed. Mr Sherlock
Holmes—

His face changed instantly. He
became tensed and alert. His
anger vanished.

“Have you come from Holmes?” he asked.

“He is badly ill. That’s why I have come to fetch you.”

Then he led me to a chair and turned the other side. His face had a
mysterious smile. However, as he turned to see me I could see a genuine
concern upon his face.

“I only know Mr Holmes through some business dealings we have had,
but I have every respect for him.”

“Mr Holmes said you have special knowledge of Eastern diseases and
now you are only man in London who can cure him.”

Mr Culverton Smith smiled and picked up his cap and got ready to go
along with me.

I remembered what Holmes had said. “I have another appointment,” I
said.

“Well, I will go alone. You can rely upon me. I will be there within half
an hour at most.”

On reaching I told him, “He is coming.”

“Great, Watson! You can now be out of the scene. You can be in the next
room.”

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“My dear Holmes!” I protested. But
he instead me to be out of room.

As Mr Culverton Smith came in, he
saw Holmes in bed. He also saw the
ivory box on the table. Grabbing the
ivory box in hand, he said, "Well,
Holmes, this is the fourth day! You
shall die here! You will never tell
anyone of the murder of Victor, my
nephew! He died of poisoning, so
will you! Nobody can take Victor's
properties away from me now.
Haha!"

I overheard him muttering and
giggling in the next room. Immediately, Inspector Morton was in.

"Arrest him! He is the culprit," Holmes stood from the bed and shouted.
Mr Smith was arrested. Holmes got the murder case solved. What a great
detective he was!"

Comprehension

7 Number the statements (1-9) in the order of the events
in the story.

a. Holmes' landlady goes to meet Dr. Watson.
b. Watson meets Inspector Morton.
c. Holmes asks Watson to meet Culverton Smith.
d. Culverton Smith scolds Watson for coming in.
e. Culverton Smith meets Holmes where he has fallen ill.
f. Culverton Smith confesses killing his nephew.
g. Holmes suspects Culverton Smith as a culprit.
h. Inspector Morton arrests Culverton Smith.
i. Watson hides in the next room.

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8 Answer the following questions.

a. Was Holmes really ill?
b. Who told Dr Watson that Holmes was ill?
c. Where did Culverton Smith live?
d. Why did Holmes actually want Culverton Smith to come to see

him?

e. Why did Culverton Smith want to kill Holmes?

f. Do you think Inspector Morton knew about Holmes' plan? Which
line in the story helps you guess so?

g. How did Mr. Smith kill Victor?

Grammar

The present perfect

Police have set up temporary
check posts.

The Road Department has
renovated the roads.

The bus companies have set up
new counters for booking.

I have never tasted avocados.

We use the present perfect to talk
about actions that happened some
time and are linked up to now.

We also use the present perfect
when we talk about our experience
without mentioning the time.

We form the present perfect tense with have + past participle form of a verb.

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9 Complete the sentences. Use the present perfect.

a. They __________ (walk) three kilometres. They are about to reach
their destination.

b. Nadeem __________ (cut) his finger. It is bleeding now.

c. We __________ (finish) our work. You can check it now.

d. Lata __________ (make) some pickle. It is very tasty.

e. Phurbu __________ (climb) Mount Everest twice.

f. Simran __________ (not give) my book back. She promised she
would bring it yesterday.

10 Use gone to or been to and complete the conversation.

Jane has gone to Pokhara. John has been to Pokhara.

We use gone when we mean the person has left home for the place but he
or she has not returned home yet.

We use been when we mean the person was there some time before (but
time is not mentioned) but now the person is back home.

Here Jane is still in Pokhara but John is not. John was there some time
before but when he was there is not mentioned.

Tom : Hi. Where is Tashi?
Jim : He’s gone to the supermarket to get something for a meal.
Tom : But I have brought some chicken for tonight. I’ve just _______

a supermarket on my way home. There is a new supermarket
near the station.
Jim : I haven’t _______ there yet.
Tom : Where is Mona? Isn’t she here?
Jim : No, she’s _______ the tap. She’ll be back within a few minutes.

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11 Use ever and never. Write questions and answers. Use
the information in brackets.

Juna : (cook chicken) Have you ever cooked chicken?
Muna : (no, mushroom) No, I've never cooked chicken, but I’ve

cooked mushroom.
Kabi : (play cricket) ___________________________________?
Ravi : (no, football) ____________________________________?
Dolma : (eat fish) _______________________________________?
Laxmi : (no, mutton) ____________________________________?

Speaking

12 Work in pairs. Then, ask and answer. Look at the
model conversation below.

a. ever / see / a tiger? b. ever / eat / sea food?

c. ever / visit / Pokhara? d. ever / travel / on a train?

e. ever / win / a lottery? f. ever / taste / Chinese food?

g. ever / meet / the Prime Minister?

A : Have you ever seen a tiger?

B : Yes, I have. Have you?

A : No, I haven’t. I've never seen a
tiger.

B : Have you talked to the Prime
Minister?

A : No, I haven’t. I've never
talked to the Prime Minister.
But I've met the president.

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Grammar

The past perfect

They had drawn water from the well before I reached there.

Before Dashain began, they had decorated the house.

By the dinner time I had already made 10 phone calls.

We use the past perfect to talk which action happened earlier in the past.

We make past perfect using: Sub + had+ past participle verb.

13 Complete the paragraph using the correct verb form.

Ganeshman looked back towards the hills.
He had finally come to the plain after walking
for many days. He ________________ (have)
no idea wether he would make the journey
to the plain safely or not when he started
about 20 days earlier. To start a journey, he
________________ (disguise himself) as a
man looking to join the army in India. On the way, he ________________
(be) hungry. He even ________________ (stop) at a farmer's house,
working in the field for three days, only to feed him. The old man in
the family ________________ (tell) him that he would offer his daughter
to him. However, he ________________ (have) a different idea in his
head. He ________________(leave) home to reach Banaras of India and
________________(want) to meet other leaders there. As he was walking
along the narrow trail along the paddy field, he ________________(think)
he had made it. But the risk still persisted. Any time, spies sent by Ranas
could catch him and send him to the jail.

Writing

14 Compose a dialogue between your friend and you
discussing one of your childhood memories.

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18 Asking for Information
and Reasons

1 Listen and sing. Then, read and work.

I Keep Six Honest Serving-men

-Rudyard Kipling
I keep six honest serving-men

(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When

And How and Where and Who.
I send them over land and sea,
I send them east and west;

But after they have worked for me,
I give them all a rest.

I let them rest from nine till five,
For I am busy then,

As well as breakfast, lunch, and tea,
For they are hungry men.

But different folks have different views;
I know a person small-

She keeps ten million serving-men,
Who get no rest at all!

She sends 'em abroad on her own affairs,
From the second she opens her eyes-

One million Hows, two million Wheres,
And seven million Whys!

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2 Now fill in the blanks to summarise the poem. Use the
given words.

nine to five learning breakfast questions tea
new things rest
his daughter men truth hungry men answers

curiosity millions rest

The first stanza of the poem is about the author’s way of ____________
about the world. His “serving men” are the ______________ he asks of
the things around him: “what?” “why?” “when?” “how?” “where?” and
“who?” These ________________ are honest because this is the best way
to objectively learn the _________________. The speaker seems open
to learning ________________ and seeking the truth. He does put the
word “knew” in the past tense, and says that he gives the questioning “a
________________,” .

In the second stanza, the poem satirised the grown-ups who stop thinking
or asking questions about the world around them. He says then he gives
them rest from _________________ for he is _________________. He also
would let them to have _______________, lunch and _______________.
He characterises his questions as _________________.

In the next stanza the poet talks about refreshing ___________________
of children. The speaker says he loves to let his men rest but the small
person, ___________________, keeps million serving-men. She never
gives them ___________________. That means she is ever eager to know.
She sends them far and wide to know the different affairs and she has
___________________ of question. Thus, the poet encourages people to
have more questions so that they can have more ___________________.

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Grammar

We use who, where, when, why, what, which and how, to ask for
information.
Q : Who saw Kabita yesterday? (Who is the subject.)
A : Kabita's brother saw Kabita yesterday.
Q : Who did Kabita see yesterday? (Who is the object.)
A : Kabita saw her mother yesterday.
We use who to ask about people.
We use what to ask about things or specific items
We use why to ask about reason or purpose.
We use where to ask about place.
We use how to ask about qualities, quantities, appearances,
manners or methods.
We use which to ask about things in a specific way.

3 Choose the correct question to ask in the given situations.

a. Your brother or sister wrote an email.

Who did you write an email to?

Who wrote an email to you?
b. You went to a friend's house and your friend was watching TV.

What was your friend watching?

Who was watching your friend?
c. Your classmate got help with a difficult math problem.

Who did you help?

Who helped you?
d. You did not come to school because you were ill.

Why did you not come to school?

Why did not come to school?

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e. You have many stylish pens. I want that red one, please.
What do you want?
Which do you want?
f. They were working in the field.
Where were they working?
Where were working they?
g. She handled the bottle carefully.
How did she handle the bottle?
How handled the bottle?

4 Write questions so you get the highlighted parts in the
following sentences as your answer.

a. He went to the supermarket yesterday.
b. He was waiting for his friend at the station.
c. Sona visited me last week.
d. We bought a packet of biscuits in the shop.
e. She did not do her work because she was ill.
f. His carelessness made him sick.
g. We had a party last Friday.
h. Sohan fell with a big thud.

Listening

5 You will hear eight question words. Listen and fill
in the blanks.

a. _________ were you born?
b. _________ was your sister born?
c. _________ helps you do your homework?

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d. _________ do you like to eat?

e. _________ did she fail the exam?

f. _________ do you fix it?

g. _________ school do you go to?

h. _________ car is that?

Reading

6 Discuss the following questions.

a. Where do you live?
b. Do you live in a city or a village?
c. Is your home far from the city?
d. How often do you go there?
e. How do you travel there?

7 Read and learn.

In our country, thousands of people return home from the capital
city during the Dashain festival. The buses become overcrowded and
travelling can be dangerous. It is everyone’s concern in the rush that the
journey becomes safe. Different arrangements have been made for such
safety.

The Road Department has renovated the roads. The department has
black topped some of the new roads. It has repaired the crumbled roads.
Besides, it has built parapet walls in many of the turnings and bridge
heads.

Likewise, the bus companies have managed enough buses for the
travellers. The companies have set up new counters. Travellers can book
tickets three days ahead.

Similarly, police have also made some arrangements. They have set up

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highway patrol. They have established some temporary check posts.
They will not let people travel on the hood. The patrolling team will not
let the buses be overloaded.

The police want to bring down the number of deaths due to accidents.
They are working hard on it. The given data shows that the death toll is
coming down.

Death due to accidents during the Dashain festival

Number of people died 35
30
25 2017 2018 2019 2020
20 Year
15
10
5

0 2016

Comprehension

8 Are the given statements true or false?

a. The bus companies haven’t made any preparation to reduce the
number of accidents.

b. The situation of road has nothing to do with the number of accidents.

c. Parapets can stop vehicles from falling off the roads.

d. The given diagram is an example of a bar graph.

e. According to the graph, the number of deaths is decreasing since
2013.

f. The years are shown along the horizontal line.

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9 Answer the questions.

a. Why can travelling be dangerous during the festivals?

b. What has the Road Department done to reduce the number of
accidents?

c. What arrangements have the police made?

d. How many people died in accidents in 2012?

e. Which year had the highest number of deaths due to accidents?

f. Which year had the least number of deaths due to accidents?

g. Which of the two years had an equal number of deaths due to
accident?

Listening

10 Here are the names of 10 rice producing countries.
Now, listen and write the country's name in the
given graph.

250

Rice production in million tonnes 200

150

100 Series1

50

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Countries

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Speaking

Interpreting graphs The given chart shows the subject-wise
distribution of teachers in Kathmandu in
Subject-wise distribution of 2021. As per the pie-chart, in Kathmandu
teachers in Kathmandu in the number of English teachers is the
highest with 22 percent teachers are
2021 (Total: 27,700) teaching English. In contrast, music
teachers are the least in number making
Sports Music only 2% of total number of teachers of 27,
5% 2% 700. Teachers teaching maths make the
second largest portion covering 20% of
Science English total. The portion of Social Studies and
18% 22% Science is similar. It is 18% slightly less than
that of maths. Number of Nepali teachers
Nepali Math is three times that of sports. However, it
15% 20% is less than social and science. This charts
once prove that there is higher number
Social of English teachers but there are almost
18% insignificant number of music teachers.

11 Describe the following graphs as in the example.

a Total Population b Favourite Cereal in Grade 6

City F 21% City A 15% 6
5
City E 11% City B 17% Number of Votes 4
3
City D 24% 2
City C 12% 1

Corn Flakes Cheerios Life Kix

Distribution of population in six Cereal
cities of a country.
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Writing

12 Now describe one of the graphs.

13 Make groups of 4 or 5 students. Set questions to ask
about favourite games. Survey at least 100 people
around your school for answers. Then prepare a chart
and present it in the class it. Look at examples for cues.

Reading

14 Read and learn.

Team Pink Wins Inter-House Football
Championship - 2078

By Soniya Bulun goals. Team Pink led by Karina
Gurung remained on top of the
Bhimad, April 28 match held at the football ground
of Janajyoti Secondary School in
The Pink House team bagged the Tanahu today. Captain Gurung
inter-house football tournament
of 2078 with the final score of 5-2

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scored the first goal against Team Yellow on the 7th minute of the match.
The match was equalised with Team Yellow forward Tashi Dolma's free
kick from near the D-box area.
Then Team Pink forward Juna Magar scored a goal on the 25th minute
of the game. She alone had dribbled the ball to just five yards away from
the post. Team Yellow scored the only goal in a penalty shoot-out as
Captain Suja Bhandari was fouled in the D-box area.
For Team Pink, Captain Gurung scored 4 goals in the tournament to
ensue the victory of the team.
After the match, Miss Gurung said she is going to join the senior team
soon. She said, “I’m hopeful that I will join the senior team for the next
inter-school tournament.”
School football coach Vijaya Lama thanked all the students and players
for the wonderful sportsmanship.
Finally, Principal of the School Ram Chandra Paudel congratulated the
winning team and said, “Sports bring us honour and make our character.
Committed to a game, players can commit to work as well. So, stay active
and healthy.”

Comprehension

15 Write ‘T’ for true and ‘F’ for false statements.

a. What is the news about?

b. Who wrote this news?

c. When was the news written?

d. Where did the event happen?

e. What was Karina's achievement in the match?

f. What does Karina expect to happen?

g. What did the head teacher say?

Writing

16 Write a similar report about an event at your school.

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Listening

17 Listen and note.

How to make pancakes:

What you need: _________ eggs _________ grams plain flour

_________ ml milk _________of salt

18 Now listen to the process and number (1-6).

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Writing

19 Write a set of instructions to prepare a cup of tea
with your favourite flavour.

20 Read the given instructions and write a wh-poem.

Who? What? When? Where? Why? Use these questions to write a
non-rhyming poem. Here's how:
Line 1: Who or what is the poem about?
Line 2: What action is happening?
Line 3: When does the action take place? (a time)
Line 4: Where does the action take place? (a place)
Line 5: Why does this action happen? (a reason)

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