Language Focus

Language Functions

Grammar

Making Suggestions
Expressing future with
eg. Shall we do something on reading?
is / are + going to
eg. We are going to have the
Shall we organize a Best Reader
English Day of our school in
Competition?
June.
Giving Information
The sportsmeet of the school is
postponed indefinitely.

Expressing future passive with

will be + past participle
eg. English Day 2009 of Vijitha
Maha Vidyalaya will be held
on 10th June.

Asking for Information

eg. What shall we have for the Best
Reader Competition?

will have to be + past participle

eg. The above competitions will
have to be completed by
30th May.

Giving Instructions
eg. Draft a similar announcement.
List the verb forms given.
Listen and change roles.

must be + past participle

eg. Their names must be written
clearly and certified by the respective
class teacher.

24

Unit 02

Reading for Learning

Different types of reading materials.

Reading
Some materials we read are given in column A and what they contain are
given in column B. Match A with B and write them in your writing book.
A

Magazine

Stories about fairies.

Legend

A printed publication daily or weekly containing news,

advertisements and correspondence.

Newspaper

A pamphlet or leaflet giving descriptive information.

Brochure

A traditional story, sometimes historical, based on

beliefs or myths.

Fairy tales

A publication containing articles and stories

with photographs and illustrations.
25

a) Activity 2.1 (Group Work)

Reading / Speaking
Read the role play given below and find the answers for the following
questions.
1. What are the students of Vijitha Maha Vidyalaya going to have?
2. Which grade is going to have a Best Reader Competition?
3. What is the theme of the English Day?
4. Why do they need a notice about the competition?
5. What else do they need?
The Students of Vijitha Maha Vidyalaya are busy making arrangements for
their English Day. Grade eight students are discussing their items with their
class teacher.
Children :

Good morning teacher!

Teacher :

Good morning children, I have some special news for you today.
We are going to have the English Day of our school in June this
year.

Sita

What are the items we are going to have on that day, teacher?

Nizam

Shall we do something on reading?

Teacher :

Thats good. The theme of this years English Day is Reading

maketh a full man. We can have an item related to that theme.

Deva

Shall we organize a Best Reader Competition?

Teacher :

Thats fine.

Nizam

How can we do it teacher?

Teacher :

First, you need a notice giving details, rules and deadlines of the
competition.

Sita

What else do we need, Deva?

Deva

I think we also need an announcement to be read at the assembly,

and a poster giving information about the competition.

Teacher :

You are quite right, Deva.

b) Now practise the role play in your groups. Your teacher will help you.
26

Activity 2.2
Reading Notices
Copy the grid given into your writing book
Read the notices carefully and record the relevant information in the grid.
If the information is not given, write not given.
Notices
Message
To whom
By whom
Venue
Date

Notice 1
The sportsmeet of the school scheduled for
25th March 2009 is postponed. Students
will be informed of the new date and the
time as soon as possible.
Games Captain,
Mirissa M.V., 18 March 2009.

Notice 3
The library will be open from 9.00 a.m. to
2.30 p.m. The students can return and
borrow books before 1.00 p.m.The
books must be returned on time. All the
books returned after the due date will be
fined.
The Librarian,
Mahanama College, 15 February 2009.

Notice 2
There will be a special
talk onThe Advantages
of Reading organized
by the Junior English
Literary Union of the
School. The talk will be
given by Mr. C. P.
Rajapakse, a scholar in
this field.It will be held
in the school auditorium
on Wednesday 27 th
July 2009 at 9.30 a.m.
All members of the
Junior Literary Union
are welcome.
The Secretary,
Junior Literary Union,
Katunayake M.V.
23 July 2009.

Notice 4
The Prize Giving of the college will be held on 28th July 2009 at 3.00 p.m. in the
main hall. The Chief Guest will be Mr. T.M. Perumal the Zonal Education Officer.The
students are expected to be in the main hall before 2.45 p.m.
The Organizing Committee.
Vijitha M.V., 22nd July 2009.
27

Activity 2.3
Here is the notice prepared by Deva, giving details, rules and deadlines of
the competitions of the English Day 2009. Read the notice carefully.

Notice
The English Day 2009 of Vijitha Maha Vidyalaya will be held on10th June 2009.
The following competitions will be organized by the respective grades.

Item

Grade

Singing
Debate
Drama
Speech
Creative writing
Best reader
Handwriting

12
11
10
09
08
07
06

The above competitions will have to be completed by 30th May 2009. The names
of the winners of the competitions will have to be given to the organizing committee
on or before 30th May 2009. Their names must be written clearly, correctly and
certified by the respective class teacher. Certificates and prizes will be awarded to
the winners on the English Day.

Secretary
The Organizing Committee.
When we write Notices and Invitations we can use the following
phrases.
eg. i. will be + past participle
will be held.
will be organized.
eg. ii. will + have to be + past participle
will have to be given
eg. iii. should / must + be + past participle
should be + told
must be + given
28

Read the sentences and practise the structures.

1. The meeting will be held on Monday.
2. The sportsmeet will be organized by the sports club.
3. The singing competition will have to be completed before the end of July.
4. The books must be distributed before December.
5. The students should be told to obey their teachers.

Activity 2.4
Writing
Use the above underlined verb phrases and make similar sentences on
one of the events - the Prize Giving, the Parents Day, an Exhibition,
a Shramadana Campaign. Follow the guidelines given. Write the sentences
in your writing book.
- When?
- Where?
- Who will organise ............?
- What will be given for refreshments?

Activity 2.5
Writing
Fill in the blanks with a suitable word or a phrase and complete the
notice given below. Copy it into your writing book.

Notice
The English Day of will be ............... (hold) on ..The
.. , .. and ..competitions and a
.. contest .. (organize) by the .. . These items
.. (complete) before 30th May 2009. The names of winners
.. (give) to the Organizing .. . The winners will be given
certificates and valuable prizes.

29

Activity 2.6 (Pair Work)

Speaking / Writing
Write a notice under LOST.
Describe :
The appearance
Breed
Give it a name
Give date, time and place where it was lost
Offer a reward
Give contact address or phone number
This dog is lost.
Present your notice to the class
Display your notice in the class. (you may draw a suitable picture)

Activity 2.7
Reading / Writing
Read the story and answer the questions given below.
One day while I was walking along the road I saw a black leather purse
lying on the pavement. I picked it up and opened it to see if I could find out the
owners name. There were some hundred rupee notes, a photograph a picture
of a family with two young girls, an old woman and an old man with two kids. I
put the photograph back and took
the purse to the police station. I
handed it over to the police officer
in charge of lost articles. Before I
left he made a note of my name and
address and I had to give details of
when and where I found it.
That evening I went to a
dinner at my aunts. They had
invited another family. There were
two young girls and two kids there. The members of this family were quite familiar
but I couldnt remember where I had seen them. I was sure that we had not met
before. In the course of the conversation the old gentleman said that he lost his
purse that afternoon. Then I suddenly remembered where I had seen them. They
were the ones in the photograph. I related my story. I told them that I handed
30

over the purse to the police. My uncle wanted to go to the police station
immediately to claim the purse. I too went with them.The police officer laughed
and handed over the purse saying that he wished more people were like me
bringing not only lost goods but their owners as well .
(adapted from Donn Byrne Intermediate Comprehension Passages Longman
Group Ltd.)

(1) Choose the best answer.

a. The purse which the writer found
had no money in it.
(i)
(ii)
had some money in it.
(iii)
had some hundred rupee notes and a photograph in it.
(iv)
had two identity cards.
b. The writer recognised the family because
(i)
he had met them somewhere earlier.
(ii)
he had seen their photograph.
(iii)
they often had dinner at the same place.
(iv)
the family recognized the writer.
(2) Write five questions that the police officer would have asked the narrator.
(3) Give short answers to the following questions.
a) Did the writer find the owners identity card in the purse?
b) Were the members of the other family surprised when the writer described
the purse?
c) Where did they go to get the purse back?

(4) Vocabulary
Choose the best explanation according to the context.
a)

b)

familiar means
(i) uncommon
(iii) popular

(ii) known
(iv) domestic

immediately means
(i) hurriedly
(iii) without loss of time

(ii) soon
(iv) as soon as possible
31

Role Play
Nizam

What shall we have for the Best Reader Competition?

Deva

We can give lists of different supplementary readers for each grade

from six upwards.

Sita

Well get the selected reading material from the library with the
help of our teachers.

Anne

Yes, the competitors can borrow them from the library, and prepare
themselves for the competition.

Sita

Then we can select the Best Reader from each grade and give
prizes.

Deva

Ah! How can we do it by ourselves?

Sita

No. I didnt mean that.

Nizam

Well in that case, well ask the teachers to give us the list of books
and give the necessary instructions to the children about the
competition.

Sita

Finally our English teachers can select the winners.

Anne

How can we find money to buy the prizes for the winners?

Deva

Funds can be collected from the parents, donors and well-wishers.

Sita

Thats right. Well have a lovely competition.

Activity 2.8
Reading / Writing
Read the role play again and fill in the blanks with suitable words.
There will be a ________ for the students from grade ________ . The organizers
are going to give ________ for the ________ . Their ________ teachers will give a
________ to select the ________ . Funds will be collected from the ________ ,
________ and ________ . Children can borrow books from the library.
32

Activity 2.9 (Group Work)

Speaking / Writing
Now write the dialogue between the teacher and these students. Once you
have practised in your group, present the role play to the class.
Teacher : ..........
(asks Deva to prepare the notice)
Deva
: ...
(agrees to prepare the notice)
Teacher :
(asks Anne when she is going to prepare the announcement)
Anne
:
(tells the date)
Teacher :
(asks what they are going to include in the
poster)
Sita & Nizam : ..
(answer)
Teacher :
(asks the children to suggest good reading material
for the competition)
Children :
(answer)

Match A with B and write sentences in the writing book as shown in the
example below.
A

B
1. narrate
2. recite
3. deliver
4. sing
5. read

a poem
a speech
a song
a book
a story

Example - I will recite a poem on the next English Day.

33

Activity 2.10
Reading and Matching / Writing
a) Look at the cover pages of some of the books selected for the Best
Reader Competition. Read the description of the cover pages.

34

b)Guess the cover page and complete the sentence.

The cover page gives the title of the story. It does not have the name of the author. The
picture gives us an idea of the story. At the bottom it tells us the level of reading. That
is given in capitals. It is ...................
c) In Groups write a description of a cover page in your writing book.

d) Match the authors with the titles of the books and write a few sentences on
each as shown in the example.

Title

Author

The Emperors New Clothes

Hans Christian Andersen

Hamlet

Charles Dickens

Oliver Twist

Not given

Robinson Crusoe

Hans Christian Anderson

Beauty and the Beast

Daniel Defoe

The King of the Golden River

William Shakespeare

e.g. - - - - - - - - - was written by - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - No one knows who first related the story of - - - - - - - -. It is - - - - - - - - -

e) Select a story book that you like from the library and write a short
account of it in about fifty words.

35

Activity 2.11
Reading / Writing
a) Here are some of the reasons why we like reading different materials.
Read them carefully.
Some like historical stories because

they tell of the past events of a nation.

they are related to their lives.
they help to trace the development of
countries.
they describe the brave deeds of kings.

Some like adventure stories because

they are thrilling.

they are unusual.
they are exciting.
the characters take risks.

Some students like novels because

there are interesting characters in these

stories.
they are long stories.
characters and events relate to life.
they are not expensive.

Some students like dramas because

the actors make them laugh.

of their actions.
it is audio visual.
they are short.

b) Given below is a list of different types of reading materials.Write sentences

giving reasons for your choice of different reading material. The above
Reading text may help you. You may use the words : as / because / since.
a) Adventure stories
c) Historical books
e) Newspapers/magazines/ articles
g) Short stories
i) Short Plays

b) Books of travel
d) Books on Inventions
f) Fairy tales
h) Novels
j) Science fiction

eg : I like reading adventure stories because they are thrilling.

36

Activity 2.12 (Pair Work)

a) Listening
Copy the following form into your writing book.
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
vii.
viii.

Name of the school Name of the grade Name of the event Where books are available What has to be done to enter the competition Important dates Further details that can be obtained from the librarian Conclusion -

Here is Annes announcement. Read it and complete the form. It must be

done in pairs. One may read the announcement and the other can complete
the form.

Announcement
Vijitha Maha Vidyalaya is going to have a Best Reader Competition for
grade eight students to mark the English Day Celebrations 2009. Books
selected for the respective grades are in the library. The students are
expected to borrow them from the library and read them. Each student is
expected to read at least two books by the end of May. A test will be
held in the first week of June and the winners will be given certificates and
prizes on the English Day. For further details contact the librarian.

b) Reading / Writing
Read the following verb forms given in Annes announcement. Construct
similar sentences related to your school and write them in your writing book.
(i) Maha Oya Light House School is going to have an Essay Competition for
grade eight students to mark the English Day celebrations of 2009.
(ii) The topics for the respective grades will be put on the notice board.
(iii) The competition will be held in the second week of June.
(iv) The winners will be given certificates and valuable prizes.
37

Activity 2.13
Reading
a) Recite the two rhymes given below with correct stress and intonation.
Your teacher will help you.
A

Mondays child is fair of face,

Tuesdays child is full of grace
Wednesdays child is full of woe,
Thursdays child has far to go,
Fridays child is loving and giving
Saturdays child works hard for its living
But a child that is born on a Sunday
Is fair and wise and good and gay.

Thirty days hath September,

April June and November.
All the rest have thirty one,
Except February alone,
Which has but twenty-eight days
And twenty nine,in each leap year.

(Pair Work)
b) Read rhyme A and ask questions from your partner to get the answers
from the rhyme as given in the example.
Example:
X : On which day were you born?
Y : I was born on a Wednesday.
X : So,arent you a child full of woe?
Read rhyme B again. Write sentences in your writing book for all the months
as given in the example.
Example:
There are thirty days for the month of September.

38

Activity 2.14 (Pair Work)

Reading / Speaking
Tuna and Shark are on their way to school.
* Read the Conversation between them.
* Practise the dialogue.
Tuna

Tuna

: Come on , Shark. Hurry up. You are late today.

Shark

: I missed the bus.

Tuna

: Why? What happened?

Shark

: I read an interesting book on fairies till late last night.

Tuna

: Can I have a look at it?

Skark

: Its in my bag. Im going to return it to the library today. Then

you can borrow it.

Tuna

: Whats the title of the book?

Shark

: Its The Sleeping Beauty.

Tuna

: Ha...ha..., Thats why you had a sound sleep last night.

Shark

: Oh! If you read it, you will also have a good sleep.

Tuna

: Now I feel like reading it very much.

Shark

: Shall we run to the library quickly?

Tuna

: Thats good.

39

Shark

Activity 2.15
a) Reading
Read the following text about the months of the year.

The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used calendar in the world today. It was
first proposed by the Calabrian doctor Aloysius Lilius. It was decreed by Pope Gregory
X11I on 24 February 1582. The calendar was named as The Gregorian calendar
because it was decreed by pope Gregory X111. The months of the year of this calendar
are January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October,
November and December. People have been using this calendar since 24 February
1582.

b) Reading / Writing
Here are the origins of the English names of the months used in the Gregorian
calendar. Match the months in A with their origins in B and write sentences
in your writing book as given in the example.
A
B
January
Decem (Latin for ten)
February
Septem ( Latin for seven)
March
Janus (Roman god of gates)
April
Juno ( Roman Goddess, wife of Jupiter)
Aprilis (mensis) Latin for month of Venus
May
June
Julius Caesar (Roman Dictator)
July
Februs (Etruscan god of death)
August
Octo (Latin for eight)
September
Mars (Roman God of war)
October
Augustus (First Roman emperor)
November
Maia Maiestas (Roman goddess)
December
Novem (Latin for nine)
Example :

January is the first month of the year.

It is named after Janus, the Roman God of Gates.

c) Writing
Learn the Sinhala / Tamil names for the months of the year. Find out the
associations for each month. Write them in your writing book.
eg. The month of May is called Vesak. The Vesak fullmoon day is an
international holiday. It is associated with Lord Buddha.
40

Activity 2.16 (Pair Work)

a) Speaking / Writing
Given below is an incomplete dialogue that Araliya (tree) had with the Margosa
(Kohomba tree). Complete the dialogue and practise it with your partner.

Araliya

: Hello ! How are you this

morning?

Margosa

: Im fine and how are you ?

Araliya

: Im fine too. Thank you.

Margosa

: ...............................................................
(asks Araliya why she is in a happy mood)

Araliya

: .................................................................................................
( says children who go to Dhamma School come to her)

Margosa

: ...............................................................................................
(asks why they come to her)

Araliya

: .................................................................................................
(says : to take her flowers to the temple)

Margosa

: ..............................................................................................
( says: she is also very happy about Araliya)

Araliya

: .....................................................
(says : Margosa is also very useful to
the villagers)

Margosa

: ..........................................................
............................................................
(says : She is happy to help the villagers)

41

b) Reading
Newspapers consist of a lot of news items. Given below are different kinds
of advertisements. Read them and answer the questions given on the next
page in your writing book.

Newspaper Advertisements

Wanted

Casual workers
call: 2291540

42

Activity 2.17
a) Writing
Select the correct answer from a, b, c, or d from 1-4 and write it in your
writing book.
1) There is a sale for a (a) motor bicycle, (b) car,
for Rs 89,000/=

(c) van,

(d) jeep

2) There are jobs advertised for

a) Telephone Operator/ Teacher/ Computer Operator
b) Telephone Operator/ Receptionist/ Computer Operator / Washing Quality
Controller
c) Telephone Operator/ Computer Operator/ Electrician/ Driver
d) Telephone Operator/ Receptionist/ Computer Operator / Doctor
3) The lottery results advertised are
a) i. Development lottery,
b) i. Development Fortune
c) i. Development Fortune
d) i. Vasana Sampatha

ii.Lakmina Vasana
ii. Viduravi
ii. Suwasetha
ii. Sethmaga

4) An experienced electrician is wanted for a company. Fax your bio-data to

a) 2448786 b) 2447886
c) 2446788
d) 2448876
5) Find the name of the company that gives the Trophy
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Group Work)

b) Writing
Read Annes announcement again.
Draft an announcement for the English Day of your school in your writing
book. You can select any item for the competition poetry / essay / singing ,
poster etc.Follow the Announcement given in this unit as a model.

43

Enrichment
Reading stories is very interesting and exciting. Here is a part of
the story from one of the stories given on the cover page of the titles
of books.
* Read it and guess what the title is.
* Relate the story to the class in your own words.
* Look for the book in the library and read the story to the end.
* Read the other books, the titles of which are given on page 34
and enjoy yourself.

I was born in the city of York in the year 1632. When I was still a
boy, I wanted to go to sea. But my father would not let me go. I stayed at
home till I was a young man. Then some friends asked me to go to sea
with them. I went without asking my father, trusting in God to help me, I
went to sea.Our ship was a small one, carrying fifteen men.
It was sailing to Africa. At the beginning, the
weather was good and the winds was
favourable. Later on, a terrible storm arose. Our
ship was driven here and there. Its sails were
torn and some parts of the ship were broken.
For twelve days the storm continued. On the
thirteenth day, we sighted land.
Land! we all shouted with great joy.

44

Activity 2.18
Listening / Reciting
Poems make beautiful images. An image is a picture that you can make in
your mind. Read and enjoy this funny poem.

A Strange World
What a strange world
If fishes went to school !
And the boys and girls,
Spent all the day
Swimming in the pool.
How strange if trees
Could walk and talk,
And flowers could
Dance and sing.
How strange if
Elephants could fly,
Oh! What a funny thing.

1. Do you think that this poem is really funny?

Write five reasons in your writing book.
2. Write a similar poem and show it to the teacher.
3. Recite the poem aloud to the class.

45