Study the following sentences.

● “What!” screamed Mother.

● “N –n-no”, she whispered.

● “Sit up,” he ordered.

The Italicized words are verbs of reporting. We quote or report what someone has said or thought by using a reporting verb. Every reporting clause contains a reporting verb. For example:

● He promised to help in my project.

● “How are you doing?” Seema asked.

We use verbs of reporting to advise , order, report statements, thoughts, intentions, questions, requests, apologies, manner of speaking and so on.

Underline the verbs of reporting in the following sentences.

(i) He says he will enjoy the ride .

(ii) Father mentioned that he was going on a holiday.

(iii) No one told us that the shop was closed.

(iv) He answered that the price would go up.

(v) I wondered why he was screaming.

(vi) Ben told her to wake him up.

(vii) Ratan apologised for coming late to the party.

There was a glad sense of relief when she heard the noise of the carriage growing fainter…

Here, glad means happy about something.

Glad, happy, pleased, delighted, thrilled and overjoyed are synonyms. (words or expressions that have the same or nearly the same meaning.) However, they express happiness in certain ways.

Read the sentences below:

● She was glad when the meeting was over.

● The chief guest was pleased to announce the name of the winner.

Use an appropriate word from the synonyms given above in the following sentences. Clues are given in brackets.

(i) She was --------------- by the news of her brother’s wedding. (very pleased)

(ii) I was ____________ to be invited to the party. (extremely pleased and excited about)

(iii) She was _____________at the birth of her granddaughter. (extremely happy)

(iv) The coach was ______________with his performance. (satisfied about)

(v) She was very ___________with her results. (happy about something that has happened)

Study the use of word big in the following sentence.

He was so big …… his hands and his neck, especially his mouth…

Here, big means large in size

Now consult a dictionary and find out the meaning of big in the following sentences. The first one has been done for you.

(i) You are a big girl now. Older

(ii) Today you are going to take the biggest decision of your career. __________

(iii) Their project is full of big ideas._________

(iv) Cricket is a big game in our country. _______

(v) I am a big fan of Lata Mangeskar. ________

(vi) You have to cook a bit more as my friend is a big eater._____________

(vii) What a big heart you’ve got, Father dear. _______

Some verbs of reporting are given in the box. Choose the appropriate verbs and fill in the blanks in the following sentences.

(i) I am not afraid ,”__________the woman.

(ii) “Leave me alone, “my mother________.

(iii) The children ____________ that the roads were crowded and noisy.

(iv) “Perhaps he isn’t a bad sort of a chap after all,”_________ the master.

(v) Let’s go and look at the school ground ,”__________ the sports teacher.

(vi) The traffic police __________ all the passers-by to keep off the road.

Has your life been different from or similar to that of Kezia when you were a child? Has your perception about your parents changed now? Do you find any change in your parent’s behavior vis-� -vis yours? Who has become more understanding? What steps would you like to take to build a relationship based on understanding? Write three or four paragraphs (about 150-200 words ) discussing these issues from your own experience.