Take down the following scrambled version of a story, that your teacher will dictate to you, with appropriate punctuation marks. Then, read the scrambled story carefully and try to rewrite it rearranging the incidents.

A grasshopper, who was very hungry, saw her and said, “When did you get the corn? I am dying of hunger.” She wanted to dry them. It was a cold winter’s day, and an ant was bringing out some grains of corn from her home. She had gathered the corn in summer.
“I was singing all day,” answered the grasshopper.
“If you sang all summer,” said the ant, “you can dance all winter.”
“What were you doing?” asked the ant again.
The grasshopper replied, “I was too busy.”
“I collected it in summer,” said the ant. “What were you doing in summer? Why did you not store some corn?”

Notice the incomplete sentences in the following paragraphs. Here the writer is using incomplete sentences in the narration to make the incident more dramatic or immediate. Can you rewrite the paragraph in complete sentences?

(You can begin: The vet and I made a dash back to the car. Bruno was still floundering ...)

(i) A dash back to the car. Bruno still floundering about on his stumps, but clearly weakening rapidly; some vomiting, heavy breathing, with heaving flanks and gaping mouth.

Hold him, everybody! In goes the hypodermic—Bruno squeals — 10 c.c. of the antidote enters his system without a drop being wasted. Ten minutes later: condition unchanged! Another 10 c.c. injected! Ten minutes later: breathing less stertorous — Bruno can move his arms and legs a little although he cannot stand yet. Thirty minutes later: Bruno gets up and has a great feed! He looks at us disdainfully, as much as to say, ‘What’s barium carbonate to a big black bear like me?’ Bruno is still eating.

(ii) In the paragraphs above from the story the verbs are in the present tense (eg. hold, goes, etc.). This gives the reader an impression of immediacy. The present tense is often used when we give a commentary on a game (cricket, football, etc.), or tell a story as if it is happening now. It is, therefore, called the narrative present.

You will read more about the present tense in Unit 10.

Find the adverbs in the passage below. (You’ve read about adverbs in Unit 1.)

(i) Complete the following sentences, using a suitable adverb ending in –ly.

(a) Rana does her homework____________.

(b) It rains______________ in Mumbai in June.

(c) He does his work ____________.

(d) The dog serves his master_____________.

(ii) Choose the most suitable adverbs or adverbial phrases and complete the following sentences.

(a) We should ____________________ get down from a moving train. (never, sometimes, often)

(b) I was _______________ in need of support after my poor performance. (badly, occasionally, sometimes)

(c) Rita met with an accident. The doctor examined her_________________. (suddenly, seriously, immediately)

What is the snake trying to escape from?

Is it a harmful snake? What is its colour?