English Reader-2

Fill in the blanks with ‘was’ or ‘were’.
a. Our neighbours ................ having a party last evening.
b. The men ................ drinking wine.
c. The women ................ taking snacks.
d. The children ................ running around.
e. Rohan and Reeta ................ singing a song.
f. Ann ................ dancing.
g. I ............ looking at what people ............ doing.
h. What ................ you doing yesterday evening?

4 Listening and speaking

A. Act.

What time is it now? I’m getting late.
It’s ten o’clock.
New Nepal English Reader-2 51
Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur

B. Read.

When do you eat lunch?

I always eat lunch between noon
and one o'clock in the afternoon.

What do you do on Saturday?

I usually meet friends and
sometimes we go to a cafe.

Now, have similar conversations in pairs.

C. Listen to the record and complete.

Sally gets up at quarter to eight. She
has breakfast at ……….o' clock. Then
she …………. to school. School starts
at ………o' clock. She …….home at
half past four. Then, she plays with
her …………. She does her homework
in the …………….. . At ten o' clock she
goes to bed.

52 New Nepal English Reader-2 Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur

5 Learning English sounds

Listen and practise: Consonants /θ/ and /ð/

with / soothe thigh / thy

ether / either teeth / loathe

Repeat the sentences after your teacher. Note the differences
between the green words and red words.
► Tirtha took a trip with thirteen friends.

► That is his tooth near the booth.

► How can I soothe my aching tooth?

6 Writing

A. Write what Anup is doing.

It is five minutes to six. It is five past six.
Anup is ............................. He ....................................

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It is quarter past six. It is half past six.
He .................................... . ....................................

It is eight thirty.
.................................................... .

B. What time do you do the following activities?
a. I get up ......................................... .
b. I take my breakfast ......................................... .
c. I go to school ......................................... .
d. I have my tiffin break ......................................... .
e. I play games ......................................... .
f. I return home ......................................... .
g. I do my homework ......................................... .
h. I watch TV ......................................... .
i. I go to bed ......................................... .

54 New Nepal English Reader-2 Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur

7 Reflecting

What is more important, money or time? Have a debate with
your classmates.

Listening script

Sally gets up at quarter to eight. She has breakfast at eight
o'clock. Then, she goes to school. School starts at nine o'clock.
She gets home at half past four. Then she plays with her
friends or watches TV. She always does her homework in the
evening. At ten o'clcock she goes to bed.

Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur New Nepal English Reader-2 55

4 My Daily Routine

1 Warming up -Kalli Dakos

a. Read. Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur
I'm cleaning house
In my brain,
It's BACK TO SCHOOL
Time again.

Shine windows,
Paint doors,
Vacuum rugs,
Polish floors.

Brush away
TV shows,
Picnics, beaches,
Free time goes.

Bring my memory
Back in gear,
Sweep the channels,
Crystal clear.

My brain is
An amazing tool,
And it's all ready for
BACK TO SCHOOL!

56 New Nepal English Reader-2

b. Match the activities in the poem with pictures.
shine windows

paint doors

vacuum rugs

polish floors

c. Find the rhyming words for the followings from the poem.
brain - again doors - …...…………

shows - …...………… gear - …...…………

Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur New Nepal English Reader-2 57

2 Reading

My Daily Routine

On weekdays, I normally wake up at 7 o'clock in the morning.
It takes me about twenty minutes to get dressed and brush my
teeth. I have my breakfast with my family at about half past seven
before heading to school, which starts at quarter past eight.

My first lesson starts at ten
to nine. I have two lessons
before recess. Recess lasts
for fifteen minutes. Then,
I get back to the classroom
until lunch time. I have
lunch at twelve thirty in
my classroom but I go to
the playground to play
with my friends when the
bell rings at ten past one.
At half past one, lessons
start again until ten past
three.

In the afternoon, I have a
piano lesson or a tennis
lesson from four o'clock for one hour. After that, I return home
and start my homework at about half past five.

58 New Nepal English Reader-2 Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur

I have dinner at around six thirty and, at quarter to seven, I
normally watch my favourite programme. It lasts for half an
hour. After that, I generally finish my homework and finally, at
about eight o'clock, I play chess with my dad. At half past eight,
I get ready for bed.

I must be in
bed before nine
o'clock, but I am
allowed to read
my book until half
past nine. Then
it's lights out!

Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur New Nepal English Reader-2 59

A Playing with words

A. Learn the meanings of the following words.
Words Meanings

weekdays • days of the week other than Saturday

recess • a break between classes

allowed • let to do

lights out • the time when you should turn off

the lights and go to sleep

B. Make two sentences using the words in the box below.
You can use the same word two times.

go during
on
to weekdays
we
recess school

restroom

a. …………………………………………………………………

b. …………………………………………………………………

B Working with the text

A. Complete the information about the speaker in the table
below.

Activity Time
Wake up in the morning ………………….

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……………………………...... 7:30
Heading to school …………....……….
…………………….............…… 8:50
Lunch time ………………….
…………………………..........….. 1:30
Piano/tennis lesson ………..………….
………………………….........…… 5:30
have dinner …………...……….
……………………............… 6:45
Play chess …………...…..…….
Get ready for bed ………………...….

B. Answer the following questions.

a. With whom does the speaker have breakfast?
……………………………………………………………………
b. How long does the recess last for?
……………………………………………………………………
c. When and where does he play with his friends?
……………………………………………………………………
d. What does he do before he sleeps?
……………………………………………………………………
C. Think and answer
a. Does the speaker have a good daily routine?
……………………………………………………………………
b. Is your daily routine similar to the speaker's?
……………………………………………………………………

Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur New Nepal English Reader-2 61

3 Practising grammar do/does

I/You/We/They work. We say We write
Affirmative He/She/It don't do not
works. isn't is not
I/You/We/They aren't are not
Negative He/She/It don't haven't have not
doesn't work. hasn't has not
Do won't will not
I/you/ shan't shall not
Questions we/ wasn't was not
Does they work?
he/she/
it

Look at these examples.

swims A fish swims in water.

does not swim A rabbit does not swim in water.

eat grass Deer eat grass.

do not eat grass Wolves don't eat grass.

go  don't go
goes  doesn't go

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A. Make these sentences negative by adding don’t or doesn’t.
Example:
Rita helps her mother to feed the animals.
Rita doesn't help her mother to feed the animals.
a. Animals feel thirsty.
..................................................................................................
b. The peacock dances very well.
..................................................................................................
c. Anish loves his pet dog.
..................................................................................................
d. The zookeeper feeds the animals.
..................................................................................................
e. The oxen work hard for us.
..................................................................................................
f. A carpenter mends our barns.
..................................................................................................
g. They invite us to the party.
..................................................................................................
h. The children like to play with animals.
..................................................................................................

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Questions
I go fishing every Saturday.
Do you go fishing every Saturday?

Melina sells eggs.
Does Melina sell eggs?

B. Make questions using Do or Does at the beginning.
a. Yogurt tastes sour.
Does yogurt taste sour?
b. Most animals eat meat.
..................................................................................................
c. They serve Japanese fish here.
..................................................................................................
d. The king of the jungle lives in the palace.
..................................................................................................
e. A giraffe has a long neck.
..................................................................................................
f. The cow lives in the forest.
..................................................................................................
g. Vegetarians do not eat meat.
..................................................................................................

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h. The last bus to the zoo arrives at 6.00 pm.
..................................................................................................
i. Birds fly up in the sky.
..................................................................................................
j. The teacher sings well.
..................................................................................................

4 Listening and speaking

A. Conversation

Read the conversation with your teacher.
Ann : Hi, Rohan! Were you at home

this afternoon?
Rohan : Yes, I was. I was busy when

you called me.
Ann : What were you doing?
Rohan : I was washing my clothes.
Ann : Good job, Rohan. I was also cleaning my room.

Now have a similar conversation with your partner.
Example:
Student A : Where were you at 2:00 pm yesterday?
Student B : I was at school.
Student A : What were you doing?
Student B : I was drawing and painting.
Student A : How nice! I also like painting.

Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur New Nepal English Reader-2 65

B. Listen to the record and match. • quarter past three
a. Conny gets up at

b. School starts at • half past nine

c. Conny comes home from school at • half past seven

5 Learning English sounds

Listen and practise: Vowel /ɜː/

bird / word curd / surd surge / purge

Repeat the sentences after your teacher. Note the vowel sound
in the coloured words.

Take my word.

Look at the bird.

Who likes the curd that helps to purge?

6 Writing

A. Arrange these words and phrases to make meaningful
sentences. Do not forget to begin each sentence with a
capital letter and end it with a full stop.

a. the old man / in an old tin / found a gold pin

...........................................................................................................

b. gave the gold pin / the son / to the old woman

...........................................................................................................

c. yesterday / bought a book / Reeta

...........................................................................................................

66 New Nepal English Reader-2 Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur

d. last year / went to / Kathmandu / I
...........................................................................................................
e. my father / last month / bought a car
...........................................................................................................
B. Read what Mr. Fox did yesterday.

5:00 am—wake up
6:00 am—go jogging
8:00 am—breakfast
9:00 am — go to work on the farm
5:00 pm—get home
6:00 pm—dinner
8:00 am—read stories

Write what Mr. Fox did yesterday.

.....M....r....F..o...x...w...o..k..e...u..p....a..t..5..:.0..0...a...m......H...e...w...e..n..t...-.-..-.-..-.-..-..-..a..t...6..:.0..0...a..m...........................
..............................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................

Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur New Nepal English Reader-2 67

7 Reflecting

Tell your friends what you did last Saturday. How did you feel
at the end?

...............................................................................................................................

...............................................................................................................................

...............................................................................................................................

...............................................................................................................................

...............................................................................................................................

Listening script

Conny gets up at half past seven.
Then she has breakfast and goes
to school with her brother. School
starts at half past nine. She comes
home from school at quarter past
three. Then Conny sometimes plays
tennis with her friends. Later, she
does her homework or plays the
guitar. After that, she watches TV
or reads a book. She goes to bed at
nine o'clock.

68 New Nepal English Reader-2 Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur

Our School

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5 Going to School

1 Warming up

A. New words

a. Write the name of the school facilities.

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b. Today is Anupa’s first day at school. She saw many things
there. Can you match the things she saw with their names?

scissors New Nepal English Reader-2 71
clock
globe
stapler
pen
crayon
pencil
easel
ruler
paper

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2 Reading

First Day at School

[This short poem can be used to let students talk about their experience
of the first day at school. While delivering the lesson, motivate them to
talk even if they may not be able to use correct English structures.]

My first day at school today,
Funny sort of day,
Didn't seem to learn much,
Seemed all we did was play.
Then teacher wrote some letters
On a board all painted black,
And then we had a story and ... ...
I don't think I'll go back.

– Rod Hull

72 New Nepal English Reader-2 Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur

A Playing with words

A. Look at the pictures. Match the words with them.

Things we do at school

read

write

draw

colour

play

dance

B. Match the objects with their names. These are the things
we use at school.

whiteboard

easel

paintbrush

bookshelf

stapler

ink New Nepal English Reader-2 73

Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur

C. Read and learn.
We use a chair to sit on.
We use a paintbrush to paint pictures.

Now, complete the following sentences.
a. We use a whiteboard to  ........................................................
b. We use an easel to  ........................................................
c. We use the brush to ........................................................
d. We use a stapler to  ........................................................
e. We use a bookshelf to  ........................................................

B Working with the text

(Note: There is a person who says “I” in the poem. We call this person
‘‘the spaker’’. The spaker can be either male or female. Sometimes, the
speaker can also be an animal or an object.)
A. Write “T” for true and “F” for false.
a. The speaker likes her first day at school.

b. The speaker played all the day.

c. The speaker read stories.

d. The speaker learned a lot.

B. Think and answer.
a. Did the speaker like the first day at school?
b. Did the speaker learn many things?

74 New Nepal English Reader-2 Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur

3 Practising grammar locating things:
in, out, on, above
A. Read and learn
There is a green frog in the box.
Now, it is jumping!
It jumped out of the box.
Look! Now it is on the box again.

A horse can jump over the fence.
But a frog cannot.

The boy is walking along the road.
There is a cat, too.
The cat is running across the road.

The bird is above the water.
But the fishes are under the water.

Now, fill in the blanks.
a. I saw many cows yesterday.
They were walking ....................... the river.
b. Our English teacher taught us about horse-riding.

She drew a horse ....................... the whiteboard.

c. A bull ran towards us.
We jumped ....................... the fence.
Then, we ran ....................... the field.

d. There is a wooden bridge ....................... the river.

The river flows ....................... the bridge.

Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur New Nepal English Reader-2 75

4 Listening and speaking

A. Read the example and talk about other things in the
same way.

Example: Radio
A : Where is the radio?
B : It is on the table.

Now, talk about the following things in the picture.

76 New Nepal English Reader-2 Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur

B. Listen to the audio and draw pictures.

5 Learning English sounds

Listen and practise: Vowel / ɔː/

born / dorm door / boar four / tour jaw / law

Repeat the sentences after your teacher. Note the vowel sound
in the coloured words.

Mr. Foxy took an oar.
He was on a tour with a ball,
He broke the oar and tore the shawl.

Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur New Nepal English Reader-2 77

6 Writing

Answer the following questions about your school.

a. What is your school building like?

- size Our school building is big.

- colour of the building ......................................

- how many storeys does it have? .....................................

- how far is it from your home? .....................................

b. How many students are there in your class?
......................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................
c. How many students are there in your school?
........................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................
d. How do you feel about your school?

- like/ don’t like .....................................................
- friendly/ not friendly .....................................................
- fun/ boring .....................................................

Note to the teacher: Getting small children to write is always fun and challenging.
Instead of asking them to “just write,” we should walk them through the process
of thinking. For this, we may set mini-tasks such as answering a series of short
questions, preparing a list of things, and so on. This exercise helps them to write
about their school in complete sentences.

78 New Nepal English Reader-2 Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur

7 Reflecting

Make a list of things you did on your first day at school.

My First Day at School

Arrived at school at 9:30
.................................................................................
.................................................................................
.................................................................................
.......................................................................
.......................................................................

math

.......................................................................
English

ENGLISH

Listening Script

1. A book on a table
2. A ball in a box
3. An aeroplane over a tree
4. A mango under a chair

Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur New Nepal English Reader-2 79

6 Respecting Others

1 Warming up

A. Look at these pictures. Say what the people are doing.

playing climbing crying clapping
sweeping smelling knocking running

80 New Nepal English Reader-2 Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur

B. Action words with ‘-ing’

Most of the action In some action In these words
words take ‘–ing’ to words, the last the last letter ‘e’ is
indicate the work letter is doubled dropped before ‘–
in progress. when we add ‘– ing’ is added.
Examples: ing’.
work – working Examples:
help – helping Examples: ride – riding

put – putting come – coming

run – running

Now, add “-ing” to the following words.

smile .......................... give ..........................
look .......................... talk ..........................
sit .......................... make ..........................
write .......................... begin ..........................
drop .......................... cut ..........................
clean .......................... play ..........................

Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur New Nepal English Reader-2 81

2 Reading

Anita's Story

Once upon a time, there was a little girl in a village of Jhapa.
Her name was Anita. She was a hard working girl. Her marks
were higher than the others. Other students in the class did not
become her friends for this reason. They did not play with her.
She was alone.

One day, the teacher set an exam. The next day, the teacher
returned the paper. Anna failed the exam. She was shocked.
But, other kids were happy. Later, the teacher checked the paper
again. There was a mistake. Anita had passed the exam. Again
other kids made fun of her.

One day, the Principal wanted to visit every child in her school.

82 New Nepal English Reader-2 Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur

During her visit, the Principal
saw that Anita was crying. So
she said:

– “What is your name?”

-The girl answered: “Anita”

"Why are you crying Anita?"
the Principal asked.

Anita told her how the other
kids didn’t like her.

Then, the Principal took the
school microphone and told a story about her childhood that was
similar to Anita's.

After her speech,

all the children

realized their

mistake. They

felt sorry. They

all became her

friends. They also

started to work

hard and got good

marks.

From then on, they
were very happy and learned the lesson of respecting others.

(Adapted from Chris Morales's short story 'Anna's Story')

Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur New Nepal English Reader-2 83

A Playing with words

A. Match the words with their meanings.
Words Meanings
a. returned • i. a formal talk
b. shocked • ii. gave back
c. speech • iii. understood
d. realized • iv. surprised
B. Complete the following crossword puzzle.

1T

4 2 3

S P L

5

C

Across Down
2. the head of a school 1. a person who helps you learn
5. place to buy or eat tiffin 3. you can take books from here
4. a place where you go for learning

84 New Nepal English Reader-2 Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur

B Working with the text

A. Put the following sentences in the right order. Put the
number in the boxes.

a. Anita failed the exam.

b. Anita was alone.

c. Anita got friends.

d. The Principal met Anita.

e. The teacher set an exam.

f. The Principal told her story.

g. The teacher told Anita had passed the exam.

h. Anita was a hard working girl.
B. Answer the following questions.
a. Where is Anita from?
……………………………………………………….
b. Why did other students not become her friend?
………………………………………………………….
c. How did Anita feel when she failed the exam?
………………………………………………………….
d. What did the Principal do when she heard Anita's story?
………………………………………………………….

Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur New Nepal English Reader-2 85

C. Think and answer
a. Do you have a friend like Anita in your class? Do you play

with him/her?
………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………….

b. How are your friends? Do they play with you?
………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………….

3 Practising grammar commands

A. Read the following sentences.

Come here, Mina.
Listen to your teacher.
Do your homework.
Help your friends.
Do not go out at night.
Choose the appropriate verb from the box below.

pass, write, take, drive, walk, draw, boil, take
a. …..........…. me the salt, please.
b. …..........…. your name at the bottom.
c. It's raining outside. …..........….your umbrella.
d. Please …..........….slowly.

86 New Nepal English Reader-2 Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur

e. …..........….on the grass.
f. …..........….a picture.
g. …..........….some eggs for breakfast.
h. …..........…. a photo.

4 Listening and speaking

A. Play the game.

1. 2. 3. 4.
Clap your Stamp your feet. Shrug your
Click or snap shoulders.
hands your fingers.

Start 17.

16. High-five with 18. 5.
Shake hands with two friends. Nod your head.
Do a double
two high-five with
people.
someone.
15.
Write your 21. 6.
favourite drink 20. Shake your head.
on the board. Finish

12. Board Stand up and
Sing 'Happy Game turn around.

Birthday'. 13. 7.
Dance for
11. 5 seconds. 19. Count from 10 to
Count from Touch your 1 backward.
Whistle 'Happy
Birthday'. toes. 8.

Count from 20 to
10 backwards.

10. 9.
Walk around
Say the ABC
the table. from F to A
backwards.

Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur New Nepal English Reader-2 87

B. Work in pairs. One gives the following commands and the
other follows it.

Write your name on Walk around the
the board. classroom.

Draw a picture on the Keep your English
board. book in your bag.

Close the window. Wash your hands.
C. Practise the conversation.

Rohan : Hello, Reeta! What are you doing?
Reeta : I am watching television.
Rohan : What about Ann?
Reeta : She is reading a story.
Rohan : And what are your parents doing?
Reeta : They are in the kitchen. Do you want to see them?
Rohan : Not really.

88 New Nepal English Reader-2 Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur

Pair Work
Now, have a similar conversation with your partner. Ask him/
her what he/she and others are doing at the moment.

You : What are you doing?

Your partner : I am .....................

D. Show the picture to your partner and ask what is happening
there.

Examples:
You : What is the monkey doing?

Partner : The monkey is eating a banana.

Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur New Nepal English Reader-2 89

5 Learning English sounds

Listen and practise: Vowels / ɔː / and / ɜː /

oar / word boar / bird

core / curd pour / purge

Repeat the sentences after your teacher. Note the vowel sounds
in the coloured words.
► Mr. Foxy chased a boar with an oar.

► How to reach the shore?

► And Mr. Foxy saw a board by the door.

6 Writing

Look at the picture below and describe what is happening.

90 New Nepal English Reader-2 Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur

…………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………

7 Reflecting

What things do you do in your school? Make a list.
…………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………

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Our Environment

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7 Who is Powerful

1 Warming up

A. New words

Read and learn.
Once there was a powerful king.

He had a beautiful daughter.

In the examples above, powerful and beautiful are describing
words. Mostly, we derive such words by adding “ful” to a naming
word. We can also add “less” to get words such as “powerless.”

Now, find a single word to describe the following. The word
must end with “ful” or “less.”

homeless aimless harmful toothless goalless

helpful successful powerful jobless hopeful

A teacher who always helps his students ...................................

A person with no home ...................................
A person with no job ...................................
A person who causes harm to others ...................................
A person who holds power ..................................

Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur New Nepal English Reader-2 93

A person with no teeth ...................................
A match (game) with no goal scored ...................................
A person who gets good results ...................................
A person with no aim ...................................
A person with hope ...................................

B. New structures

Read and learn.
Once a Mouse King went to the Sun. He offered his daughter
for marriage!

You’re the most Not quite. The cloud
powerful one. is more powerful
Will you please
marry my daugh- than me. Ask him to
marry your daugh-
ter?
ter.

94 New Nepal English Reader-2 Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur

Note: Describing words or adjectives are also used to compare
things. We use “more . . . than” and “less . . . than” with describing
words if they are long.

Now, make sentences using the clues below. Use “more . . .
than” and “less. . . than”.

a. An elephant/ powerful/ a horse
.A..n....e.l.e..p..h..a..n..t..i.s...m...o..r.e...p..o..w...e.r..f.u..l..t.h..a..n...a...h..o..r..s.e........................................
b. Rohan/ careful/ Seema
..........................................................................................................
c. A dog/ beautiful/ a cat
..........................................................................................................
d. Binod/ truthful/ Sharan
..........................................................................................................
e. Sharan/ careless/ Binod
..........................................................................................................
f. Rajesh/ successful/ Bhuwan
..........................................................................................................
g. I/ helpful/ you
..........................................................................................................

Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur New Nepal English Reader-2 95

2 Reading

The Powerful Mouse

[This folk-tale adapted from panchatrantra comments on human sense
of vanity and pride through the character of a mouse. However, it also
offers an occasion to have students practise comparative structures.]

Once upon a time, there was a
powerful mouse king. He was
very proud of his power. He
had a beautiful daughter.

Many young mouse princes
from different mouse kingdoms
wanted to marry her. But, the
king didn’t agree to marry his
daughter to any of the mouse
princes. He wanted to marry his
daughter to the most powerful
being.

He requested the sun to marry
his beautiful daughter. But, the
sun said, “The cloud is more
powerful than me. If he stands
in between the Earth and myself, I cannot give light to the Earth.”

Then the king asked the cloud to marry his daughter. The cloud

96 New Nepal English Reader-2 Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur

said, “The wind is more
powerful than me. It can
blow me off anytime. So,
please go to the wind.”

The mouse king went to the
wind. The wind said, “I am
sorry, king. The mountain is
more powerful than me. It
can always stop me from blowing.”

Very tired, the
mouse king went
to the mountain
and said, “You are
the most powerful
being. Please marry
my daughter, she is
beautiful.” But the
mountain said, “Yes,
I am strong and I can
stop the wind from
blowing. But the mouse is my problem. It burrows holes and
tunnels inside me and the wind can pass. I am always afraid of
the mouse.”

The mouse-king realized that nobody but the mouse was the

most powerful being. At last, he offered his daughter’s hand to a

young mouse prince.

Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur New Nepal English Reader-2 97

A Playing with words

A. Words that mean almost the same thing! Such words are
called synonyms.

Read and learn.

strong.
The King was powerful.

mighty.
lovely
The daughter was beautiful.
charming.

B. Now, choose the words that almost mean the same.

air den firm scared breeze
sleepy tough frightened hole weary

a. afraid ......................... .........................
b. hard ......................... .........................
c. tired ......................... .........................
d. wind ......................... .........................
e. burrow ......................... .........................

B Working with the text

A. Complete these sentences.

a. The king was proud because .......................................................

...........................................................................................................

b. The king didn’t want to marry his daughter to any mouse
because ...........................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

98 New Nepal English Reader-2 Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur

c. The sun didn’t agree to marry the princess because ...............
..........................................................................................................
d. The cloud didn’t agree to marry the princess because ............
...........................................................................................................
e. The mouse is more powerful than the mountain because
...........................................................................................................
f. The mouse king agreed to marry his daughter to a young

mouse because ...............................................................................

...........................................................................................................
B. Match the following.

The mouse king is more powerful than the sun.
The sun is more powerful than the cloud.
The cloud had a beautiful daughter.
The wind is married to a young mouse.
The mouse is the most powerful being.
The princess is more powerful than the mountain.

C. Think and answer.
a. Do you think the mouse is the most powerful being?
...........................................................................................................

b. Who do you think is the most powerful among the Mouse,
Cloud, Wind, Sun, and Mountain?

...........................................................................................................

c. What lesson did you get from the story?
...........................................................................................................

Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur New Nepal English Reader-2 99

3 Practising grammar comparison

a. Read and learn.
Adjectives and degrees

Ramesh Rohan Rina

Ramesh is a fast runner.

Rohan runs faster than Ramesh.

Rina is the fastest runner of all.

Rhino is a big animal.
Elephant is the biggest land animal.
Giraffe is the tallest animal.
Blue whale is the largest animal on the earth.

100 New Nepal English Reader-2 Approved by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur