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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR OR A NEWSPAPER Letter to the Editor are written to draw attention of the public authorities towards certain irregularities and common problems. Such letters are also written to raise certain current issues and express writer’s own view point. Objectives: To express an opinion or share one's views with the general public. To create awareness regarding certain social issues. To disagree with some information or point of view and offer another version. Contents Reference to the article or stating the issue concerned. Origin/causes/of the problem. Contemporary evidence or examples Advantages/disadvantages/repercussions. Your own suggestions to end the letter. Points to Remember • Raise the issue by giving certain items or events. • Analyze the issue-try to find causes. • Offer suggestions to face the problem. DON’T WRITE THAT THE EDITOR SHOULD TAKE ACTION Be courteous, even if critical. Sample Letter to Editor Life in school is set to change drastically. CBSE is planning to introduce a flexible, activity-oriented more practical curriculum in the next academic session. Instead of a rigid and fixed timetable, the curriculum will afford space for discussion, talking to guests, local activities and so on. Write a letter to the Editor expressing your views in not more than 150 words. You are Manoj/Manisha of std. XII. The Editor The Times of India K.G. Marg New Delhi Jan 12, 2021 Subject: CBSE New & Practical curriculum Dear sir, The rigidity in the education system is best portrayed in the school timetable. Our aim is to make time management an essential aspect of academic planning and bring flexibility and variation in practices. The dynamic time scheme will allow kids to choose the subject they would like to study on a particular day. If they want to learn about water, the topic will be included in discussions on subjects like Maths, science, Social Science etc. The system plans to use school time more creatively in activity-based approach. Teacher talk time will be reduced in favour of student-interaction time. Learning by doing and collaborative approach in teaching learning is the core component of the new pedagogical system. I feel this initiative by CBSE will certainly make students self-dependent and will promote self-paced learning. Learning by doing is the need of the hour. Only when students are required to make projects, models based on the contents on their syllabus, they will learn the practical aspect of how things work in real life. I sincerely believe that students and educators all across the country will adopt this new practice of self-learning and activity-based learning once it is implemented in the curriculum. And this new pedagogical approach towards teaching-learning will certainly empower students and make them compatible towards the New Educational policy likely to be introduced soon. Regards, Manoj/Manisha Exercise for Practice 1. You are Mansi/Manish of M.G Road, Delhi. You are worried about the hike in prices of essential commodities like LPG gas, petrol, diesel, vegetables, pulses etc. Write a letter to the editor of Hindustan Times. Delhi to draw the attention of Government to take concrete steps to curb the rising prices/inflation in the benefit of common man. 2. Having observed that crime against woman is increasing day by day in big cities. You feel that self-defence training should be made compulsory for girls in schools. Write a letter to the editor of ‘The Hindu’ highlighting the need for such training and drawing the attention of the Government to take concrete steps for safety of women. You are Navin/Naina, a student of class XII, Happy Public School, Delhi. 3. You travel by ‘Blue Line’ buses in Delhi everyday. You are the witness and experience the rash and negligent driving by the bus drivers. You have also read in the news paper about the death of dozens of people only due to these buses. Write a letter to the editor of Hindustan Times highlighting the related problems. Also give some suggestions. More Questions to be added soon. Keep Visiting the site. Reference: DIRECTORATE OF EDUCATION, Govt. of NCT, Delhi ( Class X)

Topics Covered: Notice Writing Email Writing Article Writing Report Writing Story Writing Biography Writing 1. You are the secretary of the “Cultural Club” of your school. The club has decided to organize a tour to visit places of historical importance in Jaipur. Write a notice in about 50 words informing students about the tour. Give all the relevant details. 2. Give a brief description of the orphanage you have recently visited (100 words). You may use the following clues. orphanage run by the Missionaries of Charity moved by the sight of children between the ages of 1 and five years living in the orphanage most of the children abandoned by unwed mothers and poor parents children well looked after – well fed and cleanly dressed airy rooms and clean surroundings greatly touched by the dedication and commitment of sisters and nuns generous donations by people. 3. You are Reshma . You have come across many incidents of ragging in educational institutions. Write an e- mail to the editor of a local daily highlighting the problem. Also suggest concrete steps to deal with the menace. 4. You are Rohit. You happened to see the following lines in a newspaper. “ We all mourn and groan about the loss of the quality of life through the destruction of our ecology , and yet each one of us , in our comfortable little ways, contributes daily to that destruction. It is time now to awaken in each one of us the respect and attention our beloved mother deserves”, says, Ed Anser , an environment supporter. Write an article for the school magazine titled ;Save the Planet Earth‟ .Write the article in about 150 words. 5. You are Ria/Rohan of Mother Teressa Public School. You lost your wallet in the school playground during the recess. It contained your library card and 100 rupees. Write a notice for your school notice board inventing all the necessary details. 6. Given below is a profile of Mr. Ratan Shah your school gardener. Write a short bio-sketch of Mr. Ratan Shah in about 100 words. Age - 50 years Physical appearance - short, slim, very active, pleasant face. Experience - 30 years Educational qualification - studied till VIII std. Family - married with 3 grown up daughters. Duties - maintains school garden, takes care of trees and potted plants always concerned and caring. 7. As the sports captain of your school, you want a special summer camp to be held for basket ball coaching, as it would help the students to perform better in inter school competitions and prepare them for state level selection round. Write an email to the Principal of your school requesting him to consider your suggestion. (about 120 words). 8. It was a bright day and you were reading a book in your lawn. Suddenly a man threw a bag in your garden and ran away. You called him out but __________ . In about 150 words, write a story using some of the phrases given below. Bag looked suspicious called police, parents concerned, neighbours gathered, bomb squad called, opened the bag, full of old used clothes. 9. Your school has celebrated „Grand Parents Day‟. The function was marked by several activities and games for them. Write a report for your school magazine describing the event in 120 words. You are Deepti/Deepak. 10. You are Aman/Anita, President of Sports Club. Your school is organizing an Inter House Skating Competition. Write a notice for the school notice board informing students of class 9th and 10th about the event and inviting them to participate. Give all the necessary details (50 words).

Topics Covered Jumbled Words & Phrases Editing Errors Gap Filling Reported Speech Passive Voice Complete the passage given below by filling in the blanks. Below the passage, four choices are suggested for each blank. Choose the most appropriate word for each blank. Q2. Here is a set of instructions for making a sandwich. Using the instructions fill in the blanks in the paragraph given below by choosing the best options from those that follow. Q3. The following paragraph has not been edited. Identify the error in each line and write it along with the correction. Underline the correction. The first has been done as an example. Q4. Q5. Answer Key is available for download below

Q1.Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow: Motivate Force It was the first crisis point of my life. The whole family had gathered together and they were deciding whether I should go to Bombay to attend the Board coaching camp for Under – 19 cricketers. I was 15 then and when you are 15 you can hardly exert your individuality nor can you decide for yourself what course of action to take. The meeting was , however , not over whether I should go to Bombay or not. There was no way such an honour would be denied to me by my parents. The debate was over “how much money I should carry for my pocket expenses on trip”. I wished to take at least a thousand rupees but my father blew up. He said that excessive money was bound to spoil kids and he would not give me so much to spend. Personally , I felt that if I had a reasonable amount it would help my confidence. My upbringing was such , I had never felt a want for anything and thanks to GOD we were well off. My father had a point about the destructive power of money in a young man's hand. It was getting near the hour when I had to leave home to catch the night train to Delhi but my father seemed determined not to give in. He retired to his bedroom and the crisis remained unresolved . I was fighting to hold back my tears as the big chance seemed to be slipping away. My entire childhood had revolved around cricket and just when some recognition was coming my way , a problem had cropped up. My elder brother , Romesh came to my rescue. He put his foot down saying I had to go to Bombay, come what may. He assured me that he would himself drive me to New Delhi and if it became too late to catch the train, he would pay for my air ticket to Bombay. The argument still raged on and finally my mother was convinced. But the head of the family had gone to bed and who would have the temerity to wake him up and tell him ? I am glad my mother worked up her courage. My father was woken up and told that he would have to permit my journey. Fortunately for me , the relative quiet of the bedroom had clamed his nerves and he readily agreed . He came out of the bedroom to send me off 10 EC2-037 Page 3 of 8 and pressed a thousand rupees into my hand. I had a little secret to keep from him. Romesh had slipped some money into my hand and I was fairly loaded with the stuff when I took the train that night. It was actually more than a journey. As far as I was concerned , it was the beginning of a great adventure. My arrival in the cricket world was a different story altogether. It was hot and humid in Bombay and the coaching sessions seemed to go on. We had not been permitted even a glass of water and when we finally broke for lunch we were a bunch of lads with the heartiest appetite in the world. And what did we get for lunch ? Two dry chapattis and one spoonful of vegetables. I can assure you that I had not read Charles Dickens in my life but had certainly heard the tale of Oliver. 1.1 On the basis of your reading of the above passage, complete the following statements briefly . (a) The crisis in the life of the narrator was __________ . (b) He was going for a __________ . (c) He felt that if he had more money , then __________ . (d) The father felt that more money would __________ . (e) The brother offered to __________ . (f) The secret that the narrator's hid from the father was __________.' (1.2) Answer the following questions briefly. (a) How did the father agree to give the money ? (b) What was the narrator‟s experience at the camp ? (1.3) Find words from the passage which mean the same as the words given below : (a) Too much (b) Went to take rest Q2. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow by choosing the correct options from the given ones. We have gone out of sync with nature. That is why we are suffering and so many catastrophes take place every year. Nature‟s angry mood is a reflection of the nature of men – always greedy and exploitative . As Havelock Ellis wrote long ago, the sun, the moon and the stars would have disappeared long ago had they been within the reach of predatory human beings. These are some of the thoughts I crystallized at a seminar last week. Titled „Call of Time - United Natures‟. The speakers lamented the „delink‟ of harmony between environment nature and human nature. We have forgotten ourselves – our own good nature – and our animalistic instincts have had the better of us. We exploit nature and we are blind that mother earth is weeping and crying. Can we ever be happy if our “mother” is crying ? Can we ever be at peace so long as our mother earth is in pain inflicted by our wanton acts of destruction ? We have to rethink over the very concepts of development we have been following . Development has to have a human face ; and for that spirituality alone can be the driving force. We need to keep in mind that anything we do by way of development must enrich the environment. (a) How do we know that we have gone out of sync with nature ? (i) Nature is angry. (ii) So many catastrophes take place every year. (iii) Man is greedy. (iv) We have become animals (b) What might have happened to the sun and the moon ? (i) would have been conquered by man. (ii) The moon would have been pulled in by the sun. (iii) They would have vanished. (iv) They would have hit the earth. (c) Why is there a „delink‟ between man and nature ? (i) We have become animals. (ii) We exploit nature for our selfish reasons. (iii) We inflict pain on mother nature. (iv) All of the above. (d) What is the corrective action that should be undertaken ? (i) Conserve nature (ii) Enrich nature (iii) Development should have a human face. (iv) None of the above. (e) ''crystallised‟ in the above context means (i) understood (ii) misunderstood (iii) observed (iv) interpreted Q3. Read the poem given below and complete the statements that follow by choosing the correct options. (a) The poet talks about the snail going __________ . (i) slowly (ii) softly (iii) quickly (iv) harshly (b) Her journey according to the poet is __________ . (i) short (ii) long (iii) full of troubles (iv) enduringly long (c) The snail feeds on ------------- (i) food (ii) trees (iii) flower or herbs (iv) animals (d) The snail is able to find food and ___________. (i) happiness (ii) satisfaction (iii) anger (iv) unhappiness (d) ''Procure‟ in the given lines means ____________. (i) to attain (ii) to borrow (iii) to get (iv) to arrange Answer key can be downloaded from here.

INTERNAL ASSESSMENT 1 Internal Assessment 2 Note: For detailed understanding of the poem please CLICK HERE Internal Assessment 3 For the Concept Video of the poem 'Keeping Quiet', Click here.

Internal Assessment 1 Internal Assessment 2 Internal Assessment 3 Internal Assessment 4 Internal Assessment 5

#EnglishWithADifference #InternalAssessment #ClassX Internal Assessment 2

Do you Know which kind of relative clause is used in Spoken & Written English? Read to explore. Relative clauses What is a relative clause? A relative clause is part of a sentence which gives information about which person or thing we are talking about. Look at the two examples below. The train was cancelled. We were going to travel in it. (without a relative clause) The train that we were going to travel was cancelled. (With a relative clause) Note: The relative clause tells us which train was cancelled. Defining Relative Clause: A relative clause defines the noun it is talking about. Such a relative clause is called a defining relative clause. Example The train that we were going to travel was cancelled Non-defining Relative Clause: Study the following Sentences: Our train was cancelled. It was going to New Delhi today. ( Without a relative clause) Our train, which was going to New Delhi today, was cancelled. (with a relative clause) If we leave out the highlighted relative clause in the above sentence, the meaning of the sentence does not change. The relative clause does not define which train ( the name of the train) we are talking about. Therefore, we can leave out the relative clause from the sentence as it is not a very essential information in the context of the sentence. Such a relative clause which give us extra information-not essential to understanding the meaning of the sentence, is called a non-defining relative clause. Example of Non-defining relative clause from the above sentence: Our train, which was going to New Delhi today, was cancelled. Another Example of Non-defining Relative Clause is My friend’s birthday, which was held last month, was really entertaining. How to identify a non-defining relative clause? In written English there is a comma at the beginning and end of a non-defining relative clause. In spoken English there will be a slight pause before and after the non-defining relative clause. Let’s Recapitulate: Relative clauses give additional information about a noun, such as a person, place or thing. Relative pronouns introduce a relative clause. They represent who for people, that and which for things, when for time, and whose to show possession. Relative clauses belong to one of two categories: defining relative clauses and non-defining relative clauses. Extra Info: In informal interaction, relative pronouns like who and when are generally replaced with that in defining relative clauses. The man that called this morning was very intelligent. Do you recollect my friend that you first met? The relative pronoun who is used in respect of people. However, in formal written and spoken interaction, if the pronoun refers to the object of the clause, we use whom instead. My Maths teacher, whom I really adored, expired last year. The girl whom I met this morning is a dance teacher. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< End>>>>>>>>>>>

Do you know when are Interrogative pronouns ‘Who’ and ‘ Whom’ used? There is a difference in their usage in Spoken and Written English. Let’s discover….. 1. ‘Who’ is usually used as the object pronoun while asking questions. e.g. Who did you meet in school? Do you know what an Object pronoun is ? Let me explain. We call a pronoun ‘an object pronoun’ when it is used as an object in a sentence. For example, I have seen him in school. Here in this sentence ‘him’ is an object pronoun. Let us now go to the use of ‘Who’ in a different situation. 2. In spoken English we usually make use of ‘who’ and add a preposition at the end of the sentence. For example, Who should I address the letter to? He asked me who I had discussed the matter with. 3. On the other hand, Whom is not used very often in spoken English. The use of whom as the pronoun after prepositions is very formal: It means In a very formal context ( written or spoken) we can use ‘whom’ preceded by a preposition as shown in the example. a)To whom should I report the matter? b)He asked me with whom I had discussed it. c) To whom did you speak yesterday? 4. Who is a personal pronoun in a relative clause and can be used as the subject or object. The person who lives next to me is very honest. (who is the subject) Sam is a teacher who you met yesterday. (who is the object) 5. Whom is always the object in a sentence. It represents a person that is the object of the relative clause. Whom is mostly formal and mostly used in a written style. For example, the person whom I met yesterday informed me everything in detail. 6. In defining relative clauses the object pronoun whom is not often used. You can either use who or that, or leave out the pronoun completely. Let us understand with the help of an example. The family __________ I met at the airport were very kind.(who/that/whom). You can either write The family who I met at the airport were very kind. Or you can also write the family that I met at the airport were very kind. Or, You can leave out who or that completely and say The family I met at the airport were very kind. This structure is very common in informal spoken English context. 7 . In non-defining relative clauses ‘who’ in informal context and whom in formal situations is used. But like in defining relative clause we do not use…... ‘that’ …...in non-defining clause and the pronoun cannot be left out: Let us understand with an example. Ex: Our doctor, who/whom we all liked very much, retired last week. We can use who or whom in a more formal context in this sentence. Remember that this pattern is not used very much in spoken English. Do watch our concept video on Defining and Non-defining relative Clauses. Let us recap now. Whom asks about a person but only when it is an object - it's an object pronoun. It's quite formal and it's used more in writing whereas ‘who’ is used both as a subject and as an object in a sentence. ‘Who’ is used mostly in spoken English with a preposition at the end of a sentence. <<<<<<<<<<<< End >>>>>>>>>>>>>

Solve the following questions from 'First Flight' & 'Footprint Without Feet.' Q1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow . They were beckoning to him, calling shrilly. He dropped his legs to stand on the green sea. His legs sank into it. He screamed with fright and attempted to rise again flapping his wings. But he was tired and weak with hunger and he could not rise, exhausted by the strange exercise. His feet sank into the green sea, and then his belly touched it and he sank no farther. He was floating on it, and around him his family was screaming, praising him and their beaks were offering him scraps of dog – fish. He had made his first fight. (i) Name the lesson from which this extract has been taken. (ii) What was the ‘green flooring’ on which his brothers and sister had landed? (iii) What was the young seagull’s first experience of the sea ? (iv) Which word in the passage means the same as ‘summoning or luring by silent signal ? Q2. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow : My father, the most adorable father I ‘ve ever seen , didn’t marry my mother until he was thirty six and she was twenty –five. My sister Margot was born in Frankfurt in Germany in 1926. I was born on 12th June 1929. I lived in Frankfurt until I was four. My father emigrated to Holland in 1933. My mother , Edith Hollander Frank, went with him to Holland in September, while Margot and I were sent to Aachen to stay with our grandmother. (i) Who is the narrator ? (ii) Why were the narrator and her sister sent to Aachen ? (iii) When was the narrator born ? (iv) Find the word from the passage which means ‘ to leave one’s own country to live in another country’. Q3. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow by choosing the most appropriate options from those given . (Attempt any two ) I . He should be lurking in shadow, Sliding through long grass Near the water hole Where plump deer pass (a) The tiger is moving through (i) the circus (ii) the cage/zoo (iii) the jungle (iv) the long grass (b) The tiger lies in wait near the water hole – (i) waiting for deer (ii) to drink water (iii) to catch fishes (iv) all of the above (d) The word plump shows that deer referred to are – (i) weak (ii) strong (iii) fat (iv) all of the above Q4. What is the boy now , who has lost his ball, What , what is he to do ? I saw it go Merrily bouncing, down the street , and then Merrily over – there it is in the water ! (a) The boy has lost – (i) the ball which he was playing with (ii) the glass of water (iii) his school bag (iv) all of the above (b) It fell down (i) into the water (ii) into the well (iii) into the drainage (iv) none of the above (c) At the loss of his ball the boy felt – (i) happy and gay (ii) adventurous (iii) grieved and helpless (iv) none of these Q5. Don’t bite your nails, Amanda ! Don’t hunch your shoulders, Amanda ! Stop that slouching and sit up straight, Amanda ! (a) The speaker wants Amanda (i) to learn bad manners (ii) to enjoy (iii) to learn good habits (iv) all of the above (b) The speaker is – (i) Amanda’s teacher (ii) Amanda’s father (iii) Amanda’s Tennis coach (iv) Amanda’s mother (c) The word from the passage which means the same as ‘erect’ is – (i) fast (ii) straight (iii) hunch (iv) slouching Q6. Answer any three of the following questions in 40-50 word each. (a) What did Lencho write to God in his first letter ? (b) Why did Mandela join African National Congress ? What did he gain ? What did he lose ? (c) Why was the young seagull alone on his ledge ? (d) ‘Paper has more patience than people ‘. Elucidate. Q7. Answer the following question in about 80 words. (a) Was Anne an intelligent girl ? Support your answer giving instances. OR (b) Did they get a reply ? who was more anxious for a reply, Peggy or Maddie ? How do you know ? Q8. Answer the following question in about 80 words. Do you think there are parents like Mrs. Pumphrey? What kind of parent is she ? OR Write a character sketch of Anil? Answer Key will be published once you submit the answers. Visitor students from elsewhere can text me on Chatbox of the website. I shall directly send you answerkey on chatbox.