THINKING
ABOUT THE PLAY PAGE
16
1. What does Chubukov at first suspect that
Lomov has come for? Is he sincere when he later says “And I’ve always loved
you, my angel, as if you were my own son”? Find reasons for your answer from
the play.
Answer:
When
Lomov first comes to the house, Chubukov thinks he has come to borrow money
without the intention of returning it. Clearly, he was not at all sincere at
all when he said to Lomov that he'd always loved him and that he treated the
young man as his son. This is made evident as it is mentioned in the story that
Chubukov had made his mind up on not giving a single penny to Lomov. Later. He
ridiculed Lomov as well.
2. Chubukov says of Natalya: “… as if she
won’t consent! She’s in love; egad, she’s like a lovesick cat…” Would you
agree? Find reasons for your answer.
Answer:
When
Lomov told Chubukov that he was doubtful about whether Natalya would ever agree
to marry him, to the marriage proposal, Chubukov lied to him, saying that she
was actually in love with him and waiting for his proposal. I do not agree with
what Chubukov said as it was a lie on the face which was made even more evident
when Natalya picked up a fight with Lomov,
3. (i) Find all the words and expressions in
the play that the characters use to speak about each other, and the accusations
and insults they hurl at each other. (For example, Lomov, in the end, calls
Chubukov an intriguer; but earlier, Chubukov has himself called Lomov a
"malicious, doublefaced intriguer." Again, Lomov begins by describing
Natalya as "an excellent housekeeper, not bad-looking,
well-educated.")
(ii) Then think of five adjectives or
adjectival expressions of your own to describe each character in the play.
(iii) Can you now imagine what these
characters will quarrel about next?
Answer:
(i) The words and expressions that have been used in the play by
various characters to describe each other are listed below:
Chubukov: intriguer,
grabber, old rat, Jesuit
Natalya: a lovesick
cat, an excellent housekeeper, not bad-looking’ well-educated.
Lomov: a good
neighbour, impudent, pettifogger, malicious, double-faced intriguer, rascal,
blind hen, turnip-ghost, a villain, a scarecrow, the stuffed sausage, a
monster, the wizen-faced frump, pup, fool, milksop, etc.
(ii)
& (iii) Activity to be done by yourself.
THINKING
ABOUT LANGUAGE PAGE
16
I.
1. This play has been translated into English from the
Russian original. Are there any expressions or ways of speaking that strike you
as more Russian than English? For example, would an adult man be addressed by
an older man as my darling or my treasure
in an English play?
Read through the play carefully, and find
expressions that you think are not used in contemporary English, and contrast
these with idiomatic modern English expressions that also occur in the play.
2. Look up the following words in a dictionary
and find out how to pronounce them. Pay attention to how many syllables there
are in each word, and find out which syllable is stressed, or said more
forcefully.
palpitations interfere implore thoroughbred
pedigree principle evidence misfortune
malicious embezzlement architect neighbours
accustomed temporary behavior documents
3. Look up the following phrases in a dictionary
to find out their meaning, and then use each in a sentence of your own.
(i) You may take it that
(ii) He seems to be coming round
(iii) My foot’s gone to sleep
Answer:
1. The expressions that are not used in
contemporary English include:
(i) "my
darling", "my angel", "my beloved", "my
beauty", "my treasure" – used for an adult by an elderly man.
(ii) “…and all that
sort of thing” – This expression leaves the sentence as it is.
(iii) “…and all that” –
This expression leaves the sentence as it is.
(iv) “how may you be
getting on?” – Lomov is wanting to know how Chubukov is faring.
(v) “the scarecrow”,
“the stuffed sausage”, “the wizen-faced frump” – Used by Chubukov as abused.
Some
of the modern English expressions used in the play were:
“Madam”, “my heart”,
“honoured Natalya Stepanovna”, “honoured Stepan Stepanovitch”, “I beg pardon
Stepan Honouritch”. (all by Lomobv)
“My dear fellow” (by
Chubukov)
“malicious, double
faced intriguer”, “fool”, “guzzling gambler” (abused hurled at Lomov by
Chubukov)
“shout yourself hoarse”
(by Natalya)
2. To
be done by the student.
3. (i) I’m not being truthful. You may take it at that.
(ii) He seems to be
coming round after losing his son in an air crash.
(iii) My foot’s gone to
sleep after having run ten kilometres.
II. Reported Speech
You must have noticed that when we report
someone’s exact words, we have to make some changes in the sentence structure.
In the following sentences fill in the blanks to list the changes that have
occurred in the above pairs of sentences. One has been done for you.
1. To report a question, we use the reporting verb asked
(as in Sentence Set 1).
2. To report a
statement, we use the reporting verb ________________________.
3. The adverb
of place here changes to __________________________________.
4. When the
verb in direct speech is in the present tense, the verb in reported speech is
in the ______________________________ tense (as in Sentence Set 3).
5. If the verb
in direct speech is in the present continuous tense, the verb in reported
speech changes to _____________________ tense. For example, ___________________
changes to was getting.
6. When the
sentence in direct speech contains a word denoting respect, we add the adverb
____________________ in the reporting clause (as in Sentence Set 1).
7. The pronouns
I, me, our and mine, which are used
in the first person in direct speech, change according to the subject or object
of the reporting verb such as , _________________, _____________________,
__________________ or _______________ in reported speech.
Answer:
2. To report a statement, we use the reporting verb
said/declared/told/suggested.
3. The adverb of place here changes to there.
4. When the verb in direct speech is in the present
tense, the verb in reported speech is in the past tense.
5. If the verb in direct speech is in the present
continuous tense, the verb in reported speech changes to past continuous tense.
For example,’ am getting’ changes to ‘was getting’.
6. When the sentence in direct speech contains a
word denoting respect, we add the adverb respectfully in the reporting clause.
7. The pronouns I, me, our and mine, which are used
in the first person in direct speech, change according to the subject or object
of the reporting verb such as he/she, him/her, their or his/hers in reported
speech.
III. Here is an excerpt from an article
from the Times of India dated 27
August 2006. Rewrite it, changing the sentences in direct speech into reported
speech. Leave the other sentences unchanged.
"Why do you want to know my age? If people know I
am so old, I won't get work!" laughs 90-year-old A. K. Hangal, one of
Hindi cinema's most famous character actors. For his age, he is rather
energetic. "What's the secret?" we ask. "My intake of everything
is in small quantities. And I walk a lot," he replies. "I joined the
industry when people retire. I was in my 40s. So I don't miss being called a
star. I am still respected and given work when actors of my age are living in
poverty and without work. I don't have any complaints," he says, adding,
"but yes, I have always been underpaid." Recipient of the Padma
Bhushan, Hangal never hankered after money or materialistic gains. "No
doubt I am content today, but money is important. I was a fool not to
understand the value of money earlier," he regrets.
Answer:
A.K. Hangal, one of
Hindi cinema's most famous character actors and aged ninety asked laughingly
why we wanted to know his age. He said that if people knew he was that old, he
would not get work. For his age, he was rather energetic. We asked him about the
secret. He replied that his intake of everything in small quantities was secret
and that he walked a lot. He said that he had joined the industry when people
usually retire. He was in his 40s, so he did not miss being called a star. He
was still respected and given work when actors of his age were living in
poverty and without work. He said he had no complaints and stressed that he had
always been underpaid. Being the recipient of the Padma Bhushan, Hangal never
hankered after money or materialistic gains. He said that he was content
without a doubt at present, but money was an important aspect. He said
regretfully that he was a fool not to understand the value of money before.
SPEAKING AND
WRITING PAGE
18
1. Anger
Management: As adults, one important thing to learn is how to manage our
temper. Some of us tend to get angry quickly, while others remain calm.
Can you think of three ill effects that
result from anger? Note them down. Suggest ways to avoid losing your temper in
such situations. Are there any benefits from anger?
Answer:
Anger
never benefits the one who gets angry, but it damages him emotionally and
psychologically. It is believed that anger causes many health problems
including hypertension and obesity. Headaches can also be attributed to negative
emotions. Also, anger can permanently damage a flowering relationship. When one
gets angry, it is better to breathe deeply and count backwards.
Note: Remaining activities to be done by the student.
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