Friday, 25 September 2015



                            Idioms and......(6)


  •  the fur was flying ( having serious and heated argument )= When Ram's wife met his latest girl friend in a party they began to argue and within minutes the fur was flying.
  • make a fuss ( complain )= Stop making a fuss over so trifle a matter.
  • in the fullness of time ( at the right and proper time )= Stop chasing love at this tender age. You will get what you deserve in the fullness of time.
  • make fun of ( to belittle somebody )= Don't make fun of your grandpa, he belongs to a different era when there was no smart phone.
  • by hook or crook ( by any means )= Soumyo is desperate. He is going to get an i-phone by hook or crook.
  • to hope against hope ( continue hoping )= His doctors have given up but I am hoping against hope that he will survive till his son comes next month.
  • jump on the bandwagon ( opportunists ) =Since Mr Modi came to power with a popular mandate in the last election many intellectuals have began praising his leadership qualities. They have jumped on the Modi bandwagon hoping for some plum posts.
  • as weak as a kitten ( very weak )= After her operation she has become as weak as a kitten.
  • a ladies' man ( loves the company of women )= Nirenbabu is a very handsome man . Some call him a ladies' man behind his back for he loves to be  in the company of beautiful women.
  • as happy as a lark ( very happy )= I saw Anuska on the beach at Puri with her parents. She was looking as happy as a lark.
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When my younger brother was 5 or 6 years old he was a very arrogant child. He was very intelligent too. He was clever enough to know how to get out of a sticky situation. One day he called an old man ( whom we addressed as 'dadu' ) a 'nonsense'. The old man was naturally and complained to my mother. She in turn brought this up to the notice of our father who was a very strict person. Naturally it made him very angry and he demanded an explanation from my brother. Our mother and I thought that he was sure going to be getting a good dressing down by my father. But my younger brother had already thought of his defense. He told father ,'' I am sorry baba, I didin't know that 'nonsense' was such a bad word.  I thought it meant ' fool'. I have seen it in the dictionary. At that moment of time we did not have a dictionary at our home but his explanation was valid. He got a scolding but was spared a beating. Whenever I talk with my students about the power of the language I recall this little story. Now you can say '' Mr SPK is talking nonsense. ( It means what he is saying has no meaning. ). If you say that Debnath is a man of letters, it we will understand that he is an educated man and not a postal peon. Similarly ' a big fish' does not mean a fish as such. ' A big mouth' does not refer to the size of Mr Modi's mouth. If you thought that catching ' a fish out of water' would be easy sure people will brand you as a 'fool of the first water.'
 
So be careful what words, phrases or idioms you use while speaking and writing. Consult your dictionary as often as necessary.
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Let us revisit the time prepositions. Once more:
At dawn, In the morning,at 8 am, At noon, At/In the afternoon, At dusk, In the evening, At night/midnight, In a day,/a week, a month, year, January etc, / a decade/century etc / on Monday etc./ 24th september/ In 2015, In the past/ In future/ At present etc.
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Saturday, 19 September 2015


                                Idioms and......( 5 )


  •  with flying colours ( come out successful )= I am sure you will come out with flying colours in the JEE .
  • flesh and blood ( normal human being )= No flesh and blood can put up with such insult.
  • play with fire ( doing something dangerous )= Hiten knows that he is playing with fire by having an affair with a married woman.
  • of the first water ( rare quality )= Lady Diana was a beauty of the first water so it was natural for Prince Charles to fall for her.
  • take the floor ( to rise to speak )= When Ranjit  took the floor it was already late but many people stayed back to hear him speak.
  • a fool's paradise ( a false sense of optimism )= People are living in a fool's paradise if they believe that Modi will deliver the goods as promised.
  • take French holiday ( take unauthorised leave)= When he was in school Mr Kundu used to take French holidays on the drop of a hat.
  • the gift of the gab ( oratorial skill )= If you want to succeed in a democracy you must possess a gift of the gab to convince people to accept your point of view.
  • play to the gallery ( to try to become popular by saying what the people want to hear )= Mr Modi is already become famous for playing to the gallery. He has promised so many things to so many people.
  • a golden handshake ( offering monetary benefits for leaving a job before time)=Many bank employees have opted for the golden handshake policy as they want to enjoy their life with their family.
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Prepositions;::::::
--------------- You are a man with a soft and sympathetic heart. So you feel sympathy for everyone who appears to be needy and poor. You  are sympathetic to the slum dwellers of your locality and you want to do some charity work for them. You always sympathise with the poor of the country .

       You should listen to what your elder say. You must be devoted to your parents and care for and provide for them in their hour of need. Your friends are very precious to you so it is your duty to be loyal to them. It is your duty to be faithful to your employer. You may not agree with on all points but is it not your duty to agree to what your mother says?

     Mr Rajat Basu was travelling in a car. The car was running at a great speed and met with an accident. The driver of the car was killed on the spot but Mr Bose was rushed to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. He was survived by his wife and two daughters. The police  has started an investigation into the accident.
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Wednesday, 16 September 2015


                                      Idioms and...........(4 )


  • a cock and bull story ( an absurd tale )=My friend told me a cock and bull story that he had discovered a treasure in the haunted house.
  • under a cloud ( under suspicion ) = The manager was not dismissed but he left the company under a cloud of some wrong doings.
  • clutch at straw ( trying desperately )= A drowning man tries to clutch at a straw to save his life.
  • on cloud nine ( very happy ) =Ranjit Guha is now on cloud nine because his hotel Sikkim Aurora is making a lot of profit.
  • through cold water on ( discourage )= Mr SPK threw cold water on our enthusiasm by announcing that he was not going with us to Pelling.
  • as cool as a cucumber ( very calm ) = Everyone except Apratim was worried for the safety of him climbing down a stiff hill. He remained as cool as a cucumber.
  • out of date ( old fashioned )= Debnathbabu does not support live-together for his ideas are out of date.
  • take a dim view of ( disapprove )= I take a dim view of his attitude towards his parents ; he should be more supportive.
  • a rough diamond ( unsophisticated but good at heart )= You have to bear with Ram's loud and harsh language but he is good at heart. He is a rough diamond.
  • an apple of discord ( cause for dispute )= Kashmir was, is and will always remain an apple of discord between India and Pakistan.
  • dog eat dog ( fierce competition )=We are living in an era when every company is trying to destroy another company. It is really a dog eat dog situation.
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My friend Ranjit Guha is a good samaritan at large. He always tries to help others, including me. Recently he has sent me a pictorial presentation of common prepositions and their appropriate uses. I thank him profusely for that. I am really indebted to him for his help and advice. I am really very fond of him. He has always been kind to me. We are going to Pelling on 2.12.15 by train. We will put up in his Hotel Sikkim Aurora for three nights. My friends Ram and Nirenda are going with me. We will have a blast of time there at Pelling. I am sure of it.

Last evening I was telling my students that boats sail on water but fishes live in water. We swim in the river but boys jump into the river.
 We sit on the benches but gas balloons go up into the sky. Being chased by the police the thief jumped over the wall. The sun is shining brightly above our head.
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Tuesday, 15 September 2015

  
                                                Idioms and.........( 3 )

  •  Out of date ( old fashioned )= His ideas are out of date
  • At the end of a day ( at last )= We may differ on many things but at the end of the day we all want to be happy and contented.
  • from day to day ( temporarily )= I dont know what is in store for me in future ; I live from day to day.
  • save the day ( prevent something from happening )= We were stranded midway and were in a fix but Ranjit saved the day for us by sending his personal car.
  • some day ( sometime in future )= Urmi is passing through some difficulties but she hopes to get married some day.
  • make someone's day ( to make someone very happy )= Apratim and Mamoni sent me a bunch of beautiful roses which made my day.
  • fall on deaf ears ( not to be listened to )= All our appeals fell on deaf ears for the H.M. refused to declare it a rainy day.
  • keep one's ears to the ground ( remain alert )= Dont get frustrated; keep your ears to the ground and you will soon get a job of your choice.
  • easier said than done ( easy to talk about but difficult to do )= Getting a pair of tickets at the Eden Gardens is easier said than done.
  • easy on the eye ( looks beautiful )= Debnath likes his new secretary. She is easy on the eye.
  • at the eleventh hour ( at the last moment )= After we reached the station I remembered that I had forgotten to bring my extra pair of shoes. I remember things at the eleventh hour.
  • a white elephant ( something which is useless and expensive to keep )= Buying a Mercedes is like keeping a white elephant these days. It guzzles gallons of petrol.
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Let us study the following sentences:
Hurry up lest you should miss the train.
Apratim gripped his father's arm firmly lest he fell from the running train.
Debnath was apprehensive lest he revealed too much.

The word lest means =to prevent something from happening. In the first sentence the meaning is obvious. It means a) you should hurry up and if you do hurry up you won't miss the train but b) if you do not hurry up there is every chance of your missing the train. So you are advised to hurry up to prevent the happening.

In the second sentence the following things happened a) Apratim was very alert and careful about his father. b) the train was moving and there was every chance that his father might fall down from the running train and in order to prevent that accident from happening he gripped his father's arm tightly.

In the third sentence the situation was a) Debnath was talking to somebody and he did not tell him the whole truth b) but he was apprehensive that if he were not careful he could have revealed the truth which he had no intention to reveal to that particular person.
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Monday, 14 September 2015


                            Idioms and.........( 2 )

  • A piece of cake ( very easy )=Winning the US open was a piece of cake for Sania and Martina.
  • Call a spade a spade ( to be brutally franc )= It may hurt your sentiment but I prefer to call a spade a spade. You are wrong on this point.
  • Carry the can ( to take the mistake )= As you are  can for my good friend I am ready to carry the can for your mistakes.
  • Capital punishment ( the death sentence )= The rapists should be given the capital punishment for their heinous crime.
  • Burn the candle on both ends ( to expend all the resources )= He has sold his car as well his car but could not  salvage his business from ruin. It is classic case of burnong the candle on both ends.
  • To get carried away ( be overwhelmed )= Don't get carried away by this victory ; you have a long way to go.
  • A dab hand ( expert )= Apratim is a dab hand at photography.
  • As fresh as a daisy ( very active and enthusiastic ) = At this age Ranjit Guha looks as fresh as a daisy; he is always upto something new.
  • not to give a damn ( don't care attitude )= I am my own man. I give a damn what other people think of me.
  • not worth a damn ( completely meaningless )= As he knows nothing on this subject his opinin is not worth a damn; just ignore it.
  • a damp squib ( something which proved to be worthless ) = The debate on the ban on cow slaughter proved to be a damp squib as no speaker was able to raise the debate to the expected level.
  • a dark horse ( a person or team whom nobody expected to win )= In the recently concluded world cup Bangladesh proved to be the dark horse by reaching the quarter final stage.
  • keep it dark ( keep it a secret ) = Atasi and Sanjoy were successful in keeping everyone in dark about their love-affairs.
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A few grammatical problems:

The word transformation means a complete change in somebody or something.(Oxford Advance Dictionary) .But in grammatical sense transformation means changing the form of the sentence without changing the intended or original meaning. So in that sense it is not complete change as such. Let us take a few examples. First the obvious one:

  • My father is an honest man. ( Make it negative ) Can we write My father is not an honest man? The answer is obvious= we can't because it will change the meaning upside down and what is more my father may beat me black and blue. We have transform it in such a manner that the intended meaning does remain the same. So we have to write =My father is not a dishonest man. ( If he is not 'dishonest' , he must be ' honest'. )
  • Do this work carefully. ( use the noun form ) = Do this work with care.
  • As soon as we reached home it began to rain cats and dogs. (Make it negative )= No sooner had we reached home it began to rain cats and dogs. ( We can write this sentence in another form ) = Hardly  had we reached home when it began to rain cats and dogs.
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Sunday, 13 September 2015


                                 Idioms and...........( 1 )

 To make our language more interesting we use phrases and idioms. Idioms are actually phrases with special meaning. We do not get the proper meaning from the word-meaning. English language is rich in phrases and idioms. I propose to discuss some important and commonly used idioms here. It is hoped that it will kindle interest in the mind of my students and friends and they will find a good book on idioms and and phrases and enrich their language. Let us begin our journey into the world of phrases and idioms.

  • A to Z ( very thoroughly and completely )= Ranjit has studied the Bhagbat Gita from A to Z.
  • A1 ( very best )= Hotel Sikkim Aurora is an A1 hotel at Pelling.
  • ABC ( primary knowledge ) =Mr SPK does not know the ABC of Hindu Religion.
  • Of one's own accord.( willingly, without being influenced by others )= Apratim decided to   leave the old job on his own accord.
  • Bring to account ( punish /making sure that somebody who did something wrong must pay for his wrongdoing )=The terrorists must be brought to account for the crimes they have committed.
  • By all accounts ( in the opinion of all )= By all accounts Mamoni is a very sober girl and a good human being.
  • Give a good account of oneself ( doing well )= I am sure Debnath will give a good account of himself in the interview.
  • A backhanded compliment. ( praising reluctantly ) = Apratim gave me a backhanded compliment by praising my photo publicly.
  • The back of beyond ( a very remote place ) = I was born at back and beyond, at a remote place in Bangladesh.
  • Backpedal ( forced to change one's opinion )= Faced with a strong public criticism the Govt. was forced to backpedal and withdraw the new law.
  • Bag and baggage ( with all the belongings )= Soumyakanti left Burdwan  bag and baggage and said he would never come back.
  • A bad egg ( an evil person )= Don't mix with Nirmal for he is a bad egg.
  • Go from bad to worse ( deteriorate/ worsen ) = Hiru's financial condition has gone from bad to worse; he is unable to run his business.
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Study the above mentioned examples and use the idioms in your own sentences. You will feel good. A little bit of ornamentation is necessary to make your language sound better. Use them in your conversation with your friends. In course of time you will be able to create your own idioms.
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Sunday, 6 September 2015


                Choose your verbs carefully..............................

 Three things are very important for expressing your opinion in English.
     1.Choose the correct verb
     2. Use the correct tense of the verb....and
     3. Use the correct and appropriate prepositions.
Let me elaborate on this. Study the following sentences carefully:

  • Debnath is laughing loudly.
  • Pinki is smiling sweetly.
  • Sonai is giggling.
One thing is common--------all of them are in a jovial mood. None of them is sad or worried. Suppose they are enjoying a film together. They have just watched a funny scene or a hilarious episode. They are happy and in a good mood. Let us suppose we don't know any of the three persons mentioned here. But we can make some intelligent guesses. Sonai must be the baby of the group. She is 'giggling'. This verb gives her identity. Debnath must be the head of the group. He is 'laughing' loudly. Pinkii is a sober woman. A bit reserve. She is also enjoying the show but she is a bit restrained.
I hope I have made my point clear to you. Always choose the correct verb. Make a personal list of your important verbs-- the verbs you need to express your thoughts on a particular topic or subject. Consult your dictionary and write down the conjugation of the verbs. Know the related phrasal verbs. Again a good dictionary will be of immense help. START WRITING. 


  • Syamaprasad is crying bitterly because he has been duped by somebody.
  • I saw Aparajita sobbing uncontrollably hearing the news of her father's death.
  • When I returned home from the burning ghat I found my mother weeping silently in her room.
Not everybody cries in the same way. You can gauge the mood of the person from the use of the verb.
  • Nirenda is taking /having his breakfast now.
  • Chandu is very hungry. He is gobbling the egg toast.
  • Don't swallow the food, Tarun, you will suffer from indigestion.
  • Promita was munching a biscuit when I telephoned her.
So the choice of verb is very important. If you can do that it will solve a lot of problem for you.
  • You can kill a person in any way you like. People get killed in accidents. 
  • You can stab or kill a person with a knife but stabbing would be more appropriate.
  • You can kill or shoot a person with a gun but shooting with a gun would be more appropriate.
  • You can murder a person with a sword as they did in the past but it would be better if you had slayed a person.
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Saturday, 5 September 2015

DR. SARVEPALLI RADHAKRISHNAN - THE PHILOSOPHER PRESIDENT
 
    Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was born on September 5, 1888, in a middle class family in the pilgrim town of Tirutani. His father, it is said, did not want his son to learn English, instead wanted him to become a priest. However, the talents of the boy were so outstanding that he was sent to school at Thirupati and then Vellore. Later, he joined the Christian College, Madras, and studied philosophy. Drawn by accident into philosophy, Radhakrishnan by his confidence, concentration and strong convictions went on to become a great philosopher.

Philosophy and Life
    His first book, "The Ethics of the Vedanta and Its Material Presupposition"', being his thesis for the M.A. degree examination of the Madras University, published in 1908, at once established his fame as a great philosopher of undoubted ability. All his later works are landmarks in their respective fields. Expressing abstract and abstruse philosophical thoughts in intelligible language is considered very difficult. But Dr. Radhakrishnan was one of the few who could accomplish this with ease and simplicity.
    To him, philosophy was a way of understanding life and his study of Indian philosophy served as a cultural therapy. By interpreting Indian thought in western terms and showing that it was imbued with reason and logic he was able to give Indians a new sense of esteem, who were overcome by inferiority complex by imperial forces. But he also made clear to them that their long and rich tradition had been arrested and required further evolution and he exhorted Indians to cast off much that was corrupt and abhorrent.

Social Commitment
    Dr. Radhakrishnan moved beyond being a mere academic and sought to engage his philosophical and religious studies in the political and social developments of the contemporary context.
    He believed that in India, the philosopher's duty was to keep in touch with the past while stretching out to the future. This commitment to society, the crusading urgent tone in his scholarly writings, the modern note in his interpretations of even classical texts and his intellectual resistance to the deforming pressures of colonialism gave Dr. Radhakrishnan a distinct public image. He was a coin minted differently from the usual run of politicians and academicians.

Evocative Teacher
    Far from being a stern and severe intellectual remote from the world, Dr. Radhakrishnan was a very humane person. Exceedingly popular among his students right from his early days as a professor at Presidency College, Madras he was an evocative teacher. He was offered the professorship in Calcutta University when he was less than 30 years old. He served as Vice-Chancellor of Andhra University from 1931 to 1936. In 1939, he was appointed the Vice Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University .Two years later, he took over the Sir Sayaji Rao Chair of Indian Culture and Civilisation in Banaras.
    Recognition of his scholarship came again in 1936, when he was invited to fill the Chair of Spalding Professor of Eastern Religions and Ethics at Oxford which he retained for 16 years. His mastery on his subject and his clarity of thought and expression made him a much sought after teacher. But what made him even more popular was his warmheartedness and his ability to draw out people. This aspect of his personality continued to win him countless admirers throughout his long and illustrious public life.
    In the last decades of British rule, his was the most sophisticated and exalted analysis of Gandhi's work and thought and in free India he provided the ideological armour for Nehru's foreign policy.

International Acclaim
    His commitment to high principles and unfailing dignity lent nobility and moral authority to all the offices which he held. If in India Dr. Radhakrishnan was a highly respected figure, abroad he became one of the best-liked public figures of his time. He earned very early international recognition as a philospher. In 1952, the Library of Living Philosophers, an institute of world-wide repute, brought out a massive volume on 'the philosophy of Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan' devoted wholly to a critical appreciation of his philosophical doctrines.
    After Independence, this philosophical luminary, who personified the essence of India yet had a universal vision, became an ideal ambassador to the Soviet Union, for the nascent nation poised to establish itself in the international arena.

Leading the Nation
    In 1952, Dr. Radhakrishnan was chosen to be the Vice President of the Republic of India and in 1962, he was made the Head of the State for five years. It was the glory of Indian democracy that an educationist aloof from politics but with an international acclaim as a profound scholar was placed in the position of the President. And it was an advantage for a young country like India to have him to interpret its domestic and foreign policies abroad to expound its outlook and aspirations emphatically and in the rightway which was much needed in a world of uncertainity and disbelief among nations.
    His appointment as President was hailed by Bertrand Russel who said "It is an honour to philosophy that Dr.Radhakrishnan should be President of India and I, as a philosopher, take special pleasure in this. Plato aspired for philosophers to become kings and it is a tribute to India that she should make a philosopher her President".
    History reserved for Radhakrishnan's term of office as President much suspense and surprise. Within months of his ascendancy in 1962 there was the Chinese invasion. The nation's morale was dealt a blow but RadhakrishnanÕs voice, firm and resolute came on the air to reassure a shaken nation:
    "Owing to the difficult terrain and numerical superiority of the Chinese, we suffered military reverses. These have opened our eyes to the realities of the situation. We are now aware of our inadequacies and are alive to the needs of the present and the demands of the future. The country has developed a new purpose, a new will".
    In 1965, Pakistan violated our Western frontiers. Dr Radhakrishnan in his broadcast to the nation on September 25, 1965 said,"Pakistan assumed that India was too weak or too afraid or too proud to fight. India, though naturally disinclined to take to arms felt the necessity to defend herself when attacked. Pakistan also assumed that communal disturbances would occur in the country and in the resulting chaos she could have her way. Her miscalculations must have come to her as a rude shock."
    Dr.Radhakrishnan had great faith in Indian democracy. In his farewell broadcast to the Nation on May 12, 1967, he said that despite occasional forebodings to the contrary, the Indian Constitution had worked successfully so far. But democracy, he warned, was more than a system of the Government. "It was a way of life and a regime of civilised conduct of human affairs. We should be the architects of peaceful changes and the advocates of radical reform", he said.

Great Teacher
    It was in 1962 when Dr. Radhakrishnan became the President of India that his birthday in September came to be observed as 'Teachers' Day'. It was a tribute to Dr.Radhakrishnan's close association with the cause of teachers. Whatever position he held whether as President or Vice President or even as Ambassador, Dr.Radhakrishnan essentially remained a teacher all his life. The teaching profession was his first love and those who studied under him still remember with gratitude his great qualities as a teacher.
    Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, who was one of his closest friends throughout, said about Dr.Radhakrishnan: "He has served his country in many capacities. But above all, he is a great Teacher from whom all of us have learnt much and will continue to learn. It is IndiaÕs peculiar privilege to have a great philosopher, a great educationist and a great humanist as her President. That in itself shows the kind of men we honour and respect."
    Bharat Ratna, the highest award of the nation, was conferred on him in 1954 in recognition of his meritorious service to mankind.

5th September, the birthday of Dr. Radhskrishnan, is observed as Teacher's Day.
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On this auspicious day I pay my tribute to all those who have chosen to be teachers. In this age it is a very difficult choice because it is not a lucrative profession. I am obviously not talking about those who are selling ''packaged education''. To them knowledge is also '' goods'' and it needs to be packaged well and marketed efficiently. I am talking about the dedicated individuals who have chosen this beautiful profession. I salute them.




Friday, 4 September 2015



                   Articles and Prepositions for MP students: ( ABTA Test Papers }


  • Long time ago a lawful ruler of a French Province had been deposed by his younger brother . driven from his dukedom, the old duke fled with several faithful followers into the forest of Arden. ( Page -553 )
  • Socratice was born in Greece in the year 470 B.C. As a young man he served the army.( Page-568) 
  • Every afternoon the children came and played with the Giant. But the little boy whom the Giant loved was never seen before. The Giant was kind to all the children but he longed for his little friend.( Page-583 )
  • When I was returning from/to my office at Park Street I met a college student who was reading an article on the economic policy of the government. ( Page-612 )
  • Two students from a well- known English Medium School at Howrah's shalimar were arrested on saturday for murdering a businessman the previous evening. ( Page-628 )
  • The prompt action by forest officials prevented any bloodshed in another encounter with tigers that occurred at Adibasiapara village of Gosaba. ( Page-643 )
  • The Principal called a meeting of the staff council to discuss about date sheet. ( Page-659 )
  • Man is entirely different from other animals since his babyhood. ( Page-676 0
  • Pran was the recipient of numerous awards and a mention in the Limka Book Of Records in 1995 as well as the Lifetime Achievement Award by Indian Institute of cartoonists. Prime Minister Naredra Modi took to twitter to express his grief over his passing away. Mr Modi described Pran ''as a verstile cartoonist who brought smiles on the faces of people through his rich work. ( Page-690 )
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Wednesday, 2 September 2015


               Articles and prepositions for MP Students ( ABTA Test Papers )


  • Our animal world needs to be protected because once an animal has completely vanished, like the cheeta in India , no one can bring it back. The numbers of the Royal Bengal Tigers are getting fewer. ( 457 0
  • The czar went to the hermit and asked for answers to his questions. The hermit remained silent for a minute . then he began to answer his questions calmly.( 473 )
  • India is passing through a very critical stage. It is the political leaders who are to blame themselves. Their weakness for power and position have made the majority of masses dishonest, selfish, insincere and unpatriotic. (491 )
  • I remember the afternoon when I received the cablegram from my publisher in London that the prize had been awarded to me. ( 506 )
  • There was a dull moment glowing.Mortimer in the lamp light , suddenly saw a dark and solitary figure he knew. ( 523 )
  • The caves in Ajanta were built in two phases . The first was built in the 2nd century and the 2nd century AD. The second began in the fifth or sixth century AD and continued according to one theory until the eight century. They witness not only thousand years of faith but also the dynamic vision of life. (538 )
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It gives me sense of satisfaction that these lessons are being followed by some students and general public. Since 9th July till date 1800 page views have been registered. It would have given me greater satisfaction if I had got suggestions for improvement. Like my students I am also learning the language and the more I learn the more I come to realize how little I know. This realization makes me humble and honest.

I propose to write some paragraphs , letters etc for my MP and HS students. If i get some feedback it would help me prepare my lessons in a better way. Please send me your suggestions. If you have any queries , don't hesitate to ask them. I will be more than happy to answer your questions to the best of my knowledge and ability.

Happy learning.
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Tuesday, 1 September 2015


                        Prepositions for MP students ( ABTA Test Papers )


  • And the one thing that came to my mind was to teach children. It was not because I was specially fitted for this work of teaching.I have not had the full benefit of a regular education. ( Page-274 )
  • The Sundarbans is the largest single block of tidal mangrove forest in the world. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (290 )
  • All along Subhash was a meritorious student. he stood second in the entrance examination. He studied for only eight months with intense concentration and came out fourth in the I.C.S. ( Page-305 )
  • In summer the people of Balurghat have a chance to taste rich and ripe mangoes. Mango-sellers bring mangoes from Malda to Balurghat by train. ( Page no-321 )
  • King Arthur ruled for many and grew old with time.Many of his trusted knights had perished during their adventures. The King gave his magic sword the Excalibur , to a trusted  knight.( Page no-340 0
  • In the third week of January , 1941, befooling the British police , he escaped from internment in his own house. ( Page no-361 )
  • According to a report about 18 villagers have already died of Encephalitis in the last two months at Kandran village in the Northern part of  Malda. ( Page no-382 )
  • The disappearance of Subhash  Chandra Bose on August, 8 ,1945 still remains an unsolved mystery. There is no definite evidence about an unfortunate plane crash or Netaji being in the plane at all. ( Page n0-407 )
  • A few days ago I met a man on my birthday who advised me to listen to classical music. ( Page no- 441 )
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Let us again discuss about the application of  the Past Simple Tense and Past Continuous Tense. Both the tenses refer to completed works in the past. Most of the time we are talking about such actions, we use the Past simple/ indefinite.
      I lived there for five years.
      I only found out this a few moments ago.
      I asked how but she did not know anything.
      The company sacked 50 workers last year.
When we want to emphasize the continuity of the action we should use past continuous tense.
     Everybody was talking about it all the evening.
    They were really trying hard to survive..
    I was thinking about you the other day
    Were you expecting that to happen?
When we use the two tenses together we use them for different purposes. We use the past continuous to talk about the background action and the past simple/indefinte to talk about the shorter completed action.
     It was raining hard when we left the stadiuum.
     I was sleeping when you rang.
     He was going out for lunch when i saw him.
     The company was doing well when i last visited it.

I hope this lesson on past tense will help you.
Happy learning.
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