Mastering Grammar: Articles and Prepositional Phrases from 'The Night the Ghost Got In'

Grammar - Articles, Prepositional Phrases | The Night the Ghost Got In | by James Grover Thurber

Articles

A, An and The are called Articles.

We use a or an with singular nouns only.

(e.g.) A girl, An orange

We use a with singular nouns and adjectives which begin with a consonant sound.

(e.g.) A computer, A unit (yu+nit), A wonderful artist

We use an with singular nouns and adjectives which begin with a vowel sound.

(e.g.) An artist, An M.L.A. (em.el.a), An honest shopkeeper

NOTE

Words beginning with consonant letters do not always begin with consonant sounds. Similarly words beginning with vowel letters do not always begin with vowel sounds.

(e.g.) Honour (sounds like – onour), European (sounds like yu-ropean)

We use the when a person, an animal, a plant, a place, a thing is mentioned for a second time.

(e.g.) I bought a book this morning. I am reading the book now.

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We use the when it is clear to the listener or reader which person, animal, place, or thing we are referring to.

(e.g.) The judge found him not guilty.

We use the when there is only one such thing.

(e.g.) The earth goes round the sun.

We usually use the before ordinal numbers.

(e.g.) I live on the third floor.

We use the before some proper nouns such as:

(e.g.) The Indian Ocean, The Arabian Sea

We use the before names of most buildings, landmarks, monuments and natural wonders.

(e.g.) The Park Hotel, The Taj Mahal

We use the before names of places containing of.

(e.g.) The Republic of China.

The names of places ending in plurals.

(e.g.) The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, The Netherlands.

Some proper nouns are not preceded by an article.

• the names of continents - Africa, Asia
• the names of countries - Belgium, India
• the names of towns and cities - Tokyo, Chennai
• the names of streets - Ritchie Street.

Some nouns can be counted and they are called as countable nouns; some cannot be counted and they are called uncountable nouns.

We use a or an only before countable nouns.

(e.g.) A leaf fell off the tree. (countable)

Rain can cause flooding (uncountable)

We use the with uncountable nouns, when it is clear to the reader which things we are referring to. We do not use the with uncountable nouns when we are talking in general. (Uncountable nouns do not take the plural forms).

(e.g.) The rice in this super market is good. Rice is the staple food of Asians.

The word some can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns in the following ways.

(e.g.) I want some apples.

I want some papers.

Nagarajan and Dhanalakshmi want to buy a new house. They have come to see a house for sale. Complete the conversation below by adding a, an or the.

Nagarajan: Well, here we are, No.8, Kaveri Street. I think this is the house we saw online. What do you think of the location?

Dhanalakshmi: It is in a nice neighbourhood. And it’s close to the railway station.

Nagarajan: And the bus stop is not too far away.

Dhanalakshmi: How many rooms are there?

Nagarajan: There are three rooms, a kitchen and a balcony.

Dhanalakshmi: There is a lawn behind the house, right?

Nagarajan: That’s right. the lawn is actually quite large. Did you see any photos of the living room, online? What does it look like?

Dhanalakshmi: The living room looks great. It looks bright and airy. It has a nice view of the hills. But the kitchen looks a little small.

Nagarajan: And, I remember you said there isn’t a store room, right?

Dhanalakshmi: No, but there is an attic, where we can store things.

Nagarajan: I hope this house is a better option.

Dhanalakshmi: Lets wait for the real estate agent. She said, she would be here at three o’clock.

Nagarajan: Look there she is!

Few articles are missing in the given passage. Edit the passage given below by adding suitable articles where ever necessary.

My neighbourhood is very interesting place. My house is located in apartment building downtown near many stores and offices. There is small supermarket across street, where my family likes to go shopping. There is also post office and bank near our home. In our neighbourhood there is small, Green Park where my friends and I like to play on weekends and holidays. There is small pond near park and there are many ducks in park. We always have great time. In addition there is elementary school close to our home where my little brother studies in third grade. There are so many things to see and do in my neighbourhood that’s why I like it. It’s really great place.

Answer: My neighbourhood is a very interesting place. My house is located in an apartment building downtown near many stores and offices. There is a small supermarket across the street, where my family likes to go shopping. There is also a post office and a bank near our home. In our neighbourhood there is a small, Green Park where my friends and I like to play on weekends and holidays. There is a small pond near the park and there are many ducks in the park. We always have a great time. In addition there is an elementary school close to our home where my little brother studies in the third grade. There are so many things to see and do in my neighbourhood that’s why I like it. It’s really a great place.

Prepositional Phrases

These prepositions are formed by a two-word or a three-word combination such as according to, along with, at the time of, because of, owing to, instead of etc. These kinds of prepositions are used frequently in our day to day life.

Examples:

C. Refer to the dictionary to find out the meaning of the following prepositions and match them with the correct meaning.

Refer to the images below for the matching exercise and the answer key.

Matching Exercise:

Answer Key:

D. Fill in the blanks by choosing the most appropriate prepositional phrase from the given options.

1. Everything falls to the ground because of earth’s gravitational pull.
   • a. in addition to
   • b. because of
   • c. cause of
2. The trial was conducted in accordance with the procedure of law.
   • a. in accordance with
   • b. due to
   • c. despite of
3. There is a temple right in front of my house.
   • a. in back of
   • b. apart from
   • c. in front of
4. As a result of his hard work, he achieved the target.
   • a. instead of
   • b. result of
   • c. apart from
5. Failure is often the effect of negligence.
   • a. effect of
   • b. consequence of
   • c. reason of
6. Children are given toys in addition to sweets on Children’s day.
   • a. on top of
   • b. in addition to
   • c. due to
7. The parents must be informed in case of any indiscipline conduct of their wards.
   • a. because of
   • b. in case of
   • c. in spite of
8. He didn’t turn up due to his busy schedule.
   • a. consequence of
   • b. due to
   • c. except for
9. Global warming is an effect of the green house emission.
   • a. an effect of
   • b. in spite of
   • c. in addition to
10. in spite of several warnings, he continued to swim.
    • a. due to
    • b. in spite of
    • c. because of

E. Edit the following passage by replacing the underlined incorrect words with correct prepositional phrases.

Original Passage:

Janu is studying in class X. In the event of the teachers she is a disciplined student. In addition to her poverty, she is always neat. Many students like her in case of her simplicity. According to her studies, she also participates in sports. She gets on with everyone in case of age and gender in the school. In opposition to taking leave, she ensures that she completes the work given before she goes to school next day.

Corrected Passage:

Janu is studying in class X. According to the teachers, she is a disciplined student. In spite of her poverty, she is always neat. Many students like her because of her simplicity. Besides / In addition to her studies, she also participates in sports. She gets on with everyone regardless of / irrespective of age and gender in the school. In case of taking leave, she ensures that she completes the work given before she goes to school next day.

How to Write a Good Speech: Guide from The Night the Ghost Got In

Writing - The Night the Ghost Got In | by James Grover Thurber

How to Write a Good Speech

Writing

1. Have an inspiring OPENING and ENDING.
2. Appropriate(suitable)TONE of VOICE. (e.g.) sincere for a serious issue, humour for comedy etc
3. Adapt speech for PURPOSE and AUDIENCE. (e.g.) teenagers, mixed audience, teachers, children etc
4. Organise IDEAS logically and do not confuse the audience.
5. Use EMOTIVE language to CONVINCE your audience that what you are saying should be listened to.
   (e.g.) Even if they put us in chains, torture us and leave us to bleed we will not move. Blood will be our victory!
6. Use RHETORICAL QUESTIONS – asking a question for persuasive effect with out expecting a reply (because the answer is obvious)
   Eg: Was he not a good man? (knowing that the audience agree anyway)
7. Make sure you are writing in the CORRECT PERSON
   (e.g.) I believe that … I knew him well …
8. Use interesting facts and figures (e.g.) 200000 people… with diagrams or charts to help your audience visualize it.

M. Write a speech for your school Literary Association celebration with the given lead.

1) Opening :- Good morning dear members,

2) Purpose :- I am very glad to welcome you to the first annual meeting of our English literary association.

3) Audience :- You would be pleased to know that several award winning authors would visit our place to deliver lectures on the importance of English language learning, its usage, and application to the modern world on this auspicious occasion.

4) Language - Some Good Describing Words (Adverbs and Adjectives), Emotive Words, Imagery etc. :- I stand before you all to address the aim of this association that is why we should leam English in this technological advanced world. English is the window to the world. It is spoken in nook and comer of this world. It is spoken by more than 750 million people in the world. So it plays an important role in our life. With the learning of English, we can communicate with people around the world. So we must leam it with full spirit.

5) Ending :- Thank you for giving me this opportunity. Let’s us all unite together to achieve our association’s aim.

The Tie That Does Not Bind by Fernando Sabino | Reading Comprehension Exercises | 10th English Unit 2

Reading Comprehension: The Tie That Does Not Bind

From 10th English Unit 2: Prose - The Night the Ghost Got In

The tie that does not bind

by Fernando Sabino

“Oh, so you’re going abroad? Can you bring me back…..?” I’ve been asked to bring back a vaccine for a course. Once I searched the suburbs of Paris for two days for a special brand of ceramic paint. Having spent a lot of money for Cartier lighter refills, I had them confiscated at the airport just before boarding because the gas might be dangerous in the air.

Now, two months before a trip, I stop talking to people so they won’t suspect I’m about to travel. But someone always catches me.” I’ve heard you’re going to New York, and I want you to get something for me. It’s just a little thing you can find anywhere. I don’t know exactly how much it costs, but it shouldn’t be much. We’ll settle up when you get back”.

What Gilson asked me to buy was, in fact a little thing: a tie. But not just any tie. He wanted a tie with a small embroidered G. Any colour would do, as long as it had his initial. Look, this is a special flight, I explained. We are only staying Saturday through Tuesday. On the day we arrived I didn’t have time to think about the tie, but strolling around on Sunday I did see ties bearing various letters in more than one shop window. They were cheap, just a dollar, but all the shops were closed.

On Monday, lunch lasted the whole afternoon. Then it was Tuesday morning, time to leave. It was only when I saw our airport bus waiting outside the hotel that I remembered the tie.

I told the group to go on. I would get a taxi to the airport. And so I went in search of a nearby shop where I had seen ties.

But I couldn’t find it. I walked further down the street -one, two, three blocks - all in vain. Back at the hotel, a bit anxious now, I took my suitcase, got a taxi and asked the driver to rush to the street where I had seen them.

The driver stopped at each shop we passed so I could look from the window. The stores had all sorts of ties, but not the kind I was looking for.

When I finally thought I had located the right shop, I decided to go in and check. The driver refused to wait. Parking was prohibited, he said. I promised to double the fare, jumped out and ran into the shop. Was I going to miss the plane just for a damned tie?

The salesman was unbearably slow. When I realized that the smallest change I had was a ten dollar note, I grabbed ten ties of different colours so I wouldn’t have to wait for change. I rushed out with the ties in a paper bag.

On the street I looked around. The taxi had vanished, taking my suitcase. What is more, I was going to miss the plane.

I ran to the corner, and hope flared up again: the taxi was waiting in the next street. Quick to the airport! As I settled down inside the taxi. I sighed with relief. Gilson was going to have enough initialized ties to last him a lifetime.

When I reached the airport, I paid the taxi driver the double fare and grabbed my suitcase. Panting, I boarded the plane under the reproachful gaze of the other passengers, all primly seated with their seat belts fastened. Ready to take off. Departure had been delayed because of me.

“At least I hope you found your tie”, said one who knew the story.

“I did”, I answered triumphantly.

After making myself comfortable, I reached for the paper bag to show the ties.

I had left it behind; in the taxi.

Fernando Sabino.

H. Read the incident again and answer the following questions.

1. What was the writer always asked to do whenever he planned to go abroad?

The writer was always asked to buy some gifts from abroad whenever he planned.

2. What did Gilson want the writer to bring for him?

Gilson wanted to bring a tie with a letter ‘G’ embroidered on it.

3. When did the writer remember the fact that he had to buy something for Mr. Gilson?

When the writer saw the airport bus on Tuesday morning, he remembered to buy a tie for Mr. Gilson.

4. Why were the other passengers in the flight gazing at the writer?

The flight was delayed due to the writer’s late arrival. And so the other passengers in the flight were gazing at the writer.

5. What is the humour element in the above incident?

The humour element was that the writer had left the tie in the taxi. All his efforts became vain.

I. Suggesting titles: Matching Paragraphs

The following titles summarize different parts of the story. Each title is matched with its corresponding paragraph below.

1. Oh, No! But it happens!

“Oh, so you’re going abroad? Can you bring me back...?” I’ve been asked to bring back a vaccine for a course. Once I searched the suburbs of Paris for two days for a special brand of ceramic paint. Having spent a lot of money for Cartier lighter refills, I had them confiscated at the airport just before boarding because the gas might be dangerous in the air.

2. Don’t let out your travelling dates

Now, two months before a trip, I stop talking to people so they won’t suspect I’m about to travel. But someone always catches me.” I’ve heard you’re going to New York, and I want you to get something for me. It’s just a little thing you can find anywhere. I don’t know exactly how much it costs, but it shouldn’t be much. We’ll settle up when you get back”.

3. Anyway, people will be people

What Gilson asked me to buy was, in fact a little thing: a tie. But not just any tie. He wanted a tie with a small embroidered G. Any colour would do, as long as it had his initial. Look, this is a special flight, I explained. We are only staying Saturday through Tuesday. On the day we arrived I didn’t have time to think about the tie, but strolling around on Sunday I did see one shop window. They were cheap, just a dollar, but all the shops were closed.

4. Search begins

I told the group to go on. I would get a taxi to the airport. And so I went in search of a nearby shop where I had seen ties. But I couldn’t find it. I walked further down the street-one, two, three blocks - all in vain. Back at the hotel, a bit anxious now, I took my suitcase, got a taxi and asked the driver to rush to the street where I had seen them. The driver stopped at each shop we passed so I could look from the window. The stores had all sorts of ties, but not the kind I was looking for.

5. Things are not that easy

When I finally thought I had located the right shop, I decided to go in and check. The driver refused to wait. Parking was prohibited, he said. I promised to double the fare, jumped out and ran into the shop. Was I going to miss the plane just for a damned tie?

6. Hurry invites worry

When I reached the airport, I paid the taxi driver the double fare and grabbed my suitcase. Panting, I boarded the plane under the reproachful gaze of the other passengers, all primly seated with their seat belts fastened. Ready to take off. Departure had been delayed because of me. “At least I hope you found your tie”, said one who knew the story. “I did”, I answered triumphantly. After making myself comfortable, I reached for the paper bag to show the ties. I had left it behind; in the taxi.

J. What Should Have Been Done?

Look at the following situations the writer was in. He could have avoided the situation and saved himself. Glance through the write up again and comment on what the writer should have done in the following situations.

• Gilson asked the writer to bring a tie.

  The writer could have avoided Gilson by explaining that the stay was a short period. And so he cannot go for shopping.

• On the day of arrival, the writer had no time to think about the tie.

  He should have bought the tie when he have a lot of time on the day of arrival.

• The writer remembered about the tie when the bus was leaving for the airport.

  He should have gone directly to the airport. It is wrong time for shopping.

• The writer walked down in search of the shop.

  The writer should have taken the address of the shop from a local person instead of wasting his time.

• The writer rushed out with the tie in a paper bag.

  The writer should have kept the tie in his coat pocket.

K. True or False

• 1. The narrator searched for three days to buy ceramic paint. - False
  Correct Statement: The narrator searched for two days to buy ceramic paint.
• 2. The author was going to New York. - True
• 3. Gilson asked the narrator to buy a tie. - True
• 4. The taxi driver took away the narrator’s suitcase. - False
  Correct Statement: It was not a parking area. So he was waiting in a corner.
• 5. Departure was delayed because of the author. - True
• 6. The author left the ties in the taxi. - True

Speaking, Reading, and Writing Exercises for 'The Night the Ghost Got In'

Speaking - The Night the Ghost Got In | by James Grover Thurber

Speaking

F. Quiz: Who am I ?

Let us play this game in class

• Who Am I? is a guessing game where players use ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions to guess the identity of a famous person.

Questions are based upon the traits and characteristics of a person everyone will be able to identify.

• Divide the class into groups. One group should decide the personality while the other group should ask ‘yes’ or ‘no’ type questions. To win the game, a team needs to find out the person within 10 clues.

Let us play this game in class:

Who Am I? is a guessing game where players use ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions to guess the identity of a famous person. Questions are based upon the traits and characteristics of a person everyone will be able to identify.

Divide the class into groups. One group should decide the personality while the other group should ask ‘yes’ or ‘no’ type questions. To win the game, a team needs to find out the person within 10 clues.

Sample questions to ask. Answers must be ‘yes’ or ‘no’ only.

• Are you a male (female)?
• Are you a famous personality?
• Are you a singer (dancer, actor)?
• Are you a historical figure?
• Are you young (old)?
• Are you alive now?
• Does your name start with ‘___’ ?
• Is he/she ____ ?

G. Use this passage to play the game. You can collect information on other famous personalities and play too.

Charlie Chaplin was born on April 16, 1889, in London England. His birth name was Charles Spencer Chaplin, though he had many nicknames growing up such as Charlie, Charlot, and The Little Tramp. His father, Charles Chaplin, and his mother, Hannah Chaplin, were inducted into the music hall of fame, leading the way to his exposure even as a young boy. His first onstage moment was when he was 5 years old; he sang a song that was intended to be sung by his own mother; she had become ill at the time of the performance, so little Charlie Chaplin stood instead and performed for his mother.

Charlie Chaplin came to the United States in 1910, at the age of 21. He was brought to New York, which was known to be a great place to start out for anyone trying to become a professional actor. Two years later, in 1913, Chaplin signed his very first contract at Keystone and it was no time before he headed to Hollywood. His first movie premiered in 1914, “Making a Living,” and went on to make over 35 movies total in that year alone. Charlie Chaplin grew to become one of the most popular and successful actors of all time. The moment that really kicked off his long career was in 1921 when he starred in, and produced, his first full length film called “The Kid.” From then on, most people all over the world knew Charlie Chaplin and loved his movies. He had a great career and life, dying on December 25, 1977, in Vevey, Switzerland. He had apparently died of natural causes in his sleep from old age.

Online movie streaming services

Reading

Read the following incident carefully to answer the questions that follow

The tie that does not bind

“Oh, so you’re going abroad? Can you bring me back…..?” I’ve been asked to bring back a vaccine for a course. Once I searched the suburbs of Paris for two days for a special brand of ceramic paint. Having spent a lot of money for Cartier lighter refills, I had them confiscated at the airport just before boarding because the gas might be dangerous in the air.

Now, two months before a trip, I stop talking to people so they won’t suspect I’m about to travel. But someone always catches me.” I’ve heard you’re going to New York, and I want you to get something for me. It’s just a little thing you can find anywhere. I don’t know exactly how much it costs, but it shouldn’t be much. We’ll settle up when you get back”.

What Gilson asked me to buy was, in fact a little thing: a tie. But not just any tie. He wanted a tie with a small embroidered G. Any colour would do, as long as it had his initial. Look , this is a special flight, I explained . We are only staying Saturday through Tuesday. On the day we arrived I didn’t have time to think about the tie, but strolling around on Sunday I did see ties bearing various letters in more than one shop window. They were cheap, just a dollar, but all the shops were closed.

On Monday, lunch lasted the whole afternoon. Then it was Tuesday morning, time to leave. It was only when I saw our airport bus waiting outside the hotel that I remembered the tie.

I told the group to go on. I would get a taxi to the airport. And so I went in search of a nearby shop where I had seen ties.

But I couldn’t find it. I walked further down the street -one, two, three blocks - all in vain. Back at the hotel, a bit anxious now, I took my suitcase, got a taxi and asked the driver to rush to the street where I had seen them.

The driver stopped at each shop we passed so I could look from the window. The stores had all sorts of ties, but not the kind I was looking for.

When I finally thought I had located the right shop, I decided to go in and check. The driver refused to wait. Parking was prohibited, he said. I promised to double the fare, jumped out and ran into the shop. Was I going to miss the plane just for a damned tie?

The salesman was unbearably slow. When I realized that the smallest change I had was a ten dollar note , I grabbed ten ties of different colours so I wouldn’t have to wait for change. I rushed out with the ties in a paper bag.

On the street I looked around. The taxi had vanished, taking my suitcase. What is more, I was going to miss the plane.

I ran to the corner, and hope flared up again: the taxi was waiting in the next street. Quick to the airport! As I settled down inside the taxi. I sighed with relief. Gilson was going to have enough initialized ties to last him a lifetime.

When I reached the airport, I paid the taxi driver the double fare and grabbed my suitcase. Panting, I boarded the plane under the reproachful gaze of the other passengers, all primly seated with their seat belts fastened. Ready to take off. Departure had been delayed because of me.

“At least I hope you found your tie”, said one who knew the story.

“I did”, I answered triumphantly.

After making myself comfortable, I reached for the paper bag to show the ties.

I had left it behind; in the taxi.

Fernando Sabino.

H. Read the incident again and answer the following questions.

1. What was the writer always asked to do whenever he planned to go abroad?

The writer was always asked to buy some gifts from abroad whenever he planned.

2. What did Gilson want the writer to bring for him?

Gilson wanted to bring a tie with a letter ‘G’ embroidered on it.

3. When did the writer remember the fact that he had to buy something for Mr. Gilson?

When the writer saw the airport bus on Tuesday morning, he remembered to buy a tie for Mr. Gilson.

4. Why were the other passengers in the flight gazing at the writer?

The flight was delayed due to the writer’s late arrival. And so the other passengers in the flight were gazing at the writer.

5. What is the humour element in the above incident?

The humour element was that the writer had left the tie in the taxi. All his efforts became vain.

I. Suggesting titles:

Title summarises the story. Each paragraph is a part of the story. Look at the following expressions and find out the paragraphs that best suit these expressions.

1. Oh, No! But it happens!

“Oh, so you’re going abroad? Can you bring me back...?” I’ve been asked to bring back a vaccine for a course. Once I searched the suburbs of Paris for two days for a special brand of ceramic paint. Having spent a lot of money for Cartier lighter refills, I had them confiscated at the airport just before boarding because the gas might be dangerous in the air.

2. Don’t let out your travelling dates

Now, two months before a trip, I stop talking to people so they won’t suspect I’m about to travel. But someone always catches me.” I’ve heard you’re going to New York, and I want you to get something for me. It’s just a little thing you can find anywhere. I don’t know exactly how much it costs, but it shouldn’t be much. We’ll settle up when you get back”;

3. Anyway, people will be people

What Gilson asked me to buy was, in fact a little thing: a tie. But not just any tie. He wanted a tie with a small embroidered G. Any colour would do, as long as it had his initial. Look, this is a special flight, I explained. We are only staying Saturday through Tuesday. On the day we arrived I didn’t have time to think about the tie, but strolling around on Sunday I did see one shop window. They were cheap, just a dollar, but all the shops were closed.

4. Search begins

I told the group to go on. I would get a taxi to the airport. And so I went in search of a nearby shop where I had seen ties. But I couldn’t find it. I walked further down the street-one, two, three blocks - all in vain. Back at the hotel, a bit anxious now, I took my suitcase, got a taxi and asked the driver to rush to the street where I had seen them. The driver stopped at each shop we passed so I could look from the window. The stores had all sorts of ties, bill not the kind 1 was looking for.

5. Things are not that easy

When 1 finally thought I had located the right shop, i decided to go in and check. The driver refused to wait. Parking was prohibited, he said. I promised to double the fare, jumped out and ran into the shop. Was I going to miss the plane just for a damned tie?

6. Hurry unites worry

When I reached the airport, I paid the taxi driver the double fare and grabbed my suitcase. Panting, I boarded the plane under the reproachful gaze of the other passengers, all primly seated with their seat belts fastened. Ready to take off. Departure had been delayed because of me. “At least 1 hope you found your tie”, said one who knew the story. “I did”, I answered triumphantly. After making myself comfortable, I reached for the paper bag to show the ties. I had left it behind; in the taxi.

J. Look at the following situations the writer was in. He could have avoided the situation and saved himself. Glance through the write up again and comment on what the writer should have done in the following situations.

· Gilson asked the writer to bring a tie.

Answer: The writer could have avoided Gilson by explaining that the stay was a short period. And so he cannot go for shopping.

· On the day of arrival, the writer had no time to think about the tie.

Answer: He should have bought the tie when he have a lot of time on the day of arrival.

· The writer remembered about the tie when the bus was leaving for the airport.

Answer: He should have gone directly to the airport. It is wrong time for shopping.

· The writer walked down in search of the shop.

Answer: The writer should have taken the address of the shop from a local person instead of wasting his time.

· The writer rushed out with the tie in a paper bag.

Answer: The writer should have kept the tie in his coat pocket.

K. State whether the following statements are true or false.

1. The narrator searched for three days to buy ceramic paint. - False
2. The author was going to New York. - True
3. Gilson asked the narrator to buy a tie. - True
4. The taxi driver took away the narrator’s suitcase. - False
   Correct Statement: It was not a parking area. So he was waiting in a corner.
5. Departure was delayed because of the author. -True
6. The author left the ties in the taxi. - True

Writing

How to Write a Good Speech

1. Have an inspiring OPENING and ENDING.
2. Appropriate(suitable)TONE of VOICE. (e.g.) sincere for a serious issue, humour for comedy etc
3. Adapt speech for PURPOSE and AUDIENCE. (e.g.) teenagers, mixed audience, teachers, children etc
4. Organise IDEAS logically and do not confuse the audience.
5. Use EMOTIVE language to CONVINCE your audience that what you are saying should be listened to. (e.g.) Even if they put us in chains, torture us and leave us to bleed we will not move. Blood will be our victory!
6. Use RHETORICAL QUESTIONS – asking a question for persuasive effect with out expecting are play (because the answer is obvious) Eg: Was he not a good man? (knowing that the audience agree anyway)
7. Make sure you are writing in the CORRECT PERSON (e.g.) I believe that … I knew him well …
8. Use interesting facts and figures (e.g.) 200000 people… with diagrams or charts to help your audience visualize it.

M. Write a speech for your school Literary Association celebration with the given lead.

1) Opening :- Good morning dear members,

2) Purpose :- I am very glad to welcome you to the first annual meeting of our English literary association.

3) Audience :- You would be pleased to know that several award winning authors would visit our place to deliver lectures on the importance of English language learning, its usage, and application to the modern world on this auspicious occasion.

4) Language - Some Good Describing Words (Adverbs and Adjectives), Emotive Words, Imagery etc. :- I stand before you all to address the aim of this association that is why we should leam English in this technological advanced world. English is the window to the world. It is spoken in nook and comer of this world. It is spoken by more than 750 million people in the world. So it plays an important role in our life. With the learning of English, we can communicate with people around the world. So we must leam it with full spirit.

5) Ending :- Thank you for giving me this opportunity. Let’s us all unite together to achieve our association’s aim.

Listening Exercise Answers for 'The Night the Ghost Got In' by James Grover Thurber

Listening - The Night the Ghost Got In | by James Grover Thurber

E. Listen to the story and answer the following.

1. The rich man was from....

a. Nagaland

b. Thailand

c. Finland

Ans: Thailand

2. Where did Chulong catch the bird?

Chulong caught the bird in a bush in his garden.

3. Why did Chulong catch the bird?

Chulong caught the bird in order to become richer by selling it for a big amount.

4. What will happen to the bird in imprisonment?

If the bird is kept in imprisonment, it will lose its beauty and its sweet voice.

5. What did the bird suggest Chulong, in exchange for its freedom?

The bird suggested Chulong to teach him 3 important rules of life, in exchange for its freedom

6. Does Chulong want to earn money honestly?

No, he was a greedy man, he wanted to earn more money through dishonest way.

7. What were Chulongs plans for the the bird?

Chulong’s first plan was to sell the beautiful bird for a huge amount. His second plan was to kill it and to eat its meat.

8. Who is wise according to you?

According to me, the bird is wiser than Chulong.

9. Is the bird a crow?

No, the bird is not a crow.

10. What are the three rules given by the bird?

(i) Never believe everything others say.

(ii) Never be sad about something you do not have.

(iii) Never throw away what you have in your hand.

Vocabulary and Grammar from 'The Night the Ghost Got In' by James Thurber

Vocabulary - The Night the Ghost Got In | by James Grover Thurber

Vocabulary

Slang Expression:

Slang is a type of language consisting of words and phrases that are regarded as very informal and more common in speech than writing. They are typically restricted to a particular context or group of people.

C. Look at the following expressions from the text. With the help of your teacher rewrite them in standard English. One has been done for you.

1. ‘Musta got away - whatfd he like?
   - Must got away - what was he like?’
2. ‘Looky here, Joe
   - Look here, joe
3. ‘No sign o’ nothing’
   - No sign of anything
4. ‘Back t’ the lines ye goodaam’
   - Back to the lines you god-damn
5. ‘What was the idee of all them cops tarryhootin’ round the house last night.’
   - What was the idea of all the cops tarryhootin around the house last night (tarryhootin - loitering and making a lot of noise)

Singular and Plural Forms.

In this lesson, we find plural forms such as furniture, houses, windows, burglars, boxes, shelves, policemen. You may notice that the words have taken up different suffixes to form plurals. This is because English words have different origins.

D. Complete the given tabular column with the suitable plural forms.

• chair - chairs
• box - boxes
• eskimo - eskimos
• lady - ladies
• radius - radii
• formula - formulae
• child - children
• deer - deer
• loaf - loaves
• hero - heroes

The Night the Ghost Got In: Questions and Answers | James Grover Thurber

Answer the questions - The Night the Ghost Got In | by James Grover Thurber

A. Answer the following questions in a sentence or two.

1. 1. Why was the narrator sorry to have paid attention to the footsteps?

   The narrator was sorry because his imagination of considering his Grandfather as a ghost

2. 2. Why did Herman and the author slam the doors?

   Herman and the author slammed the door because of their fear of the ghost.

3. 3. What woke up the mother?

   Slamming of the doors by the narrator and his brother woke up their mother.

4. 4. What do you understand by the mother’s act of throwing the shoe?

   Author’s mother did not want to take risk by getting down. At the same time, she wanted the police to come there. So, she threw the shoe at neighbour’s home to seek help.

5. 5. Why do you think Mrs. Bodwell wanted to sell the house?

   Mrs. Bodell wanted to sell the house because she was disturbed often.

6. 6. How did the cops manage to enter the locked house?

   The cops broke the front door. Thus they manged to enter the locked house.

7. 7. Why were the policeman prevented from entering grandfather's room?

   Grandfather mistook the police as General Meade’s men who were retreating. With that thinking, he harmed them. So, the police were prevented.to enter grandfather’s room.

8. 8. Who used the zither and how?

   The narrator’s pet Guinea pig used the zither. It used to sleep on it.

9. 9. Mention the things that the grandfather imagined.

   Grandfather imagined that the cops were General Meade’s men. He thought that they were beginning to retreat and even desert

B. Answer the following questions in about 100-150 words.

1. Describe the funny incident that caused the confusion in the house.

Prose : THE NIGHT THE GHOST GOT IN

Author : James Grover Thurber

Theme : Chaos in the house

Characters : The narrator’s family, Mrs. Bodwell, Joe, Reporter, Herman

Outline : Narrator - strange sound - thought - burglar or ghost - Mother - seek help -Bodwell - called police- Grandfather misunderstood - General Meade’s men - shot - grand father - walked - for water

It was about a quarter past one o’ clock in the morning. The narrator was in the bathroom. He heard a strange sound. He was scared. He thought it was a burglar or a ghost. So, he went to his brother, Herman’s room. They came out and looked downstairs. Nothing was there. They heard the footsteps circling the dining-room table like a man running and it started up the stairs towards them. So they rushed to their rooms and slammed the doors. The narrator’s mother was aroused by the sound. They thought that there was a burglar in the house. So she threw her shoe at their neighbour, Mr.Bodwell’s window to seek help. Mr. Bodwell called the police. When the police broke into the door, the narrator’s grandfather mistook them as General Meade’s men who were retreating. So he grabbed the gun from them and shot at the police. The police left the house empty handed finally. Next morning, grandfather told that he came to the dining room for water, the previous night. These are the incidents that caused the confusion in the house.

ESSAY

• Introduction
• A strange sound
• Call for the police
• Entry of the police
• Mystery behind the chaos
• Conclusion

Introduction

James Grover Tburber was an American cartoonist, best known for his cartoons and short stories. This lesson clearly tells that too much of imagination will, mislead the situation. Though the theme is trivial, the story provokes all elements of a horror drama.

A strange sound

It was about a quarter past one o’ clock in the morning. The narrator was in the bathroom. He heard a strange sound. He was scared. He thought it was a burglar or a ghost. So, he went to his brother Herman’s room. They came out and looked downstairs. Nothing was there. They heard the footsteps circling the dining-room table like a man running and it started up the stairs towards them. So they rushed to their rooms and slammed the doors.

Call for the police

Their mother was aroused by the sound. They thought that there was a burglar in the house. So she threw her shoe at their neighbour Mr.Bodwell’s window to seek help. Mr. Bodwell called the police.

Entry of the police

When the police broke open the door, the narrator’s grandfather mistook them as General Meade’s men who were retreating. So he grabbed the gun from them and shot at the police. The police left the house empty handed finally.

Mystery behind the chaos

The next morning grandfather told that he had walked in the kitchen to have some water the previous night.

Conclusion

It finally becomes clear that the narrator mistook his grandfather walking in the dark for a burglar and then a ghost. Their imagination rewarded them a sleepless night of chaotic activities.

Moral: What you see can be a lie; what you hear can be a lie;
what you investigate is real/true

2. Narrate the extensive search operation made by the policemen in the house.

Prose : THE NIGHT THE GHOST GOT IN

Author : James Grover Thurber

Theme : Supernatural

Characters : Mr. Bodwell, Mrs. Bodwell, Joe, Reporter, Herman

Prose outline : police broke - opened - main door- search - operation - ruined - spilled - objects - drawers- furniture- ransacked - tom - suitcase- zither - Guinea pig - sleep-Chaos -grandfather misunderstood - deserters of general Meade’s army- grab -shot - Pitty - old man- great disappointment- cops - empty handed

The narrator and his family heard a strange sound at his home. They thought that there was a burglar in the house. They called for the police with the help of their neighbour. The police broke open the main door. During the search, the police ruined the whole house. They spilled all the things from the drawers, the windows were shut up and pulled down, furniture fell with dull thumps. The floor was ransacked and clothes were tom. While pulling a suitcase, they found a zither. Five or six policemen sprang for the attic door, where the narrator’s grandfather was sleeping. Chaos came when Grandfather mistook the police as General Meade’s men who were retreating. He managed to grab a gun from the police and shot at them. It led to crack the rafters. Smoke filled the attic. They all finally got downstairs and locked the door against the grandfather. It was a pity that the police could not get the gun from the old man. With great disappointment, the cops left the home empty handed.

ESSAY

• Introduction
• Search of the police
• Chaos in the attic
• Disappointed policemen
• Conclusion

Glossary of 'The Night the Ghost Got In' by James Thurber | 10th English Prose

Glossary - The Night the Ghost Got In | by James Grover Thurber

Glossary

hullabaloo (v)

lot of loud noise made by people who are excited.

patrolman (n)

a patrolling police officer.

attic (n)

a space or room inside or partly inside the roof of a building

slamming (v)

shutting a door or window forcefully and loudly.

gruffly (adv.)

sadly

intuitively (adv.)

without conscious reasoning, instinctively

whammed (v)

struck something forcefully

bevelled (v)

reduced to a slopping edge

rending (v)

tearing to pieces

yanked (v)

pulled with a jerk

zither (n)

a musical instrument consisting of a flat wooden sound box with numerous strings stretched across it, placed horizontally and played with fingers

guinea pig (n)

a domesticated tailless South American rodent originally raised for food

hysterical (adj.)

affected by wildly uncontrolled emotion

creaking (v)

making a squeaking sound when being moved

indignant (adj.)

feeling or showing anger or annoyance at what is perceived as unfair treatment

holster (n)

a holder made of leather for carrying handgun

rafter (n)

a beam forming part of the internal framework of a roof

deserter (n)

a person who leaves the armed force without permission.

The Night the Ghost Got In by James Grover Thurber: Full Story and Analysis

The Night the Ghost Got In

by James Grover Thurber

Imagination of odd things always leads to absolute humour. Read the lesson and enjoy the narrator's experience with his grandfather who creates chaos and laughter with his imaginative stories.

The ghost that got into our house on the night of November 17, 1915, raised such a hullabaloo of misunderstandings that I am sorry I didn’t just let it keep on walking, and go to bed. Its advent caused my mother to throw a shoe through a window of the house next door and ended up with my grandfather shooting a patrolman. I am sorry, therefore, as I have said, that I ever paid any attention to the footsteps.

They began about a quarter past one o’clock in the morning, a rhythmic, quick-cadenced walking around the dining-room table. My mother was asleep in one room upstairs, my brother-Herman in another, grandfather was in the attic, in the old walnut bed which, as you will remember, once fell on my father. I had just stepped out of the bathtub and was busily rubbing myself with a towel when I heard the steps. They were the steps of a man walking rapidly around the dining-table downstairs. The light from the bathroom shone down the back-steps, which dropped directly into the dining-room; I could see the faint shine of plates on the plate-rail; I couldn’t see the table. The steps kept going round and round the table; at regular intervals a board creaked, when it was trod upon. I supposed at first that it was my father or my brother Roy, who had gone to Indianapolis but were expected home at any time. I suspected next that it was a burglar. It did not enter my mind until later that it was a ghost.

a. Where was the author when he heard the noise?

b. What did the narrator think the unusual sound was?

After the walking had gone on for perhaps three minutes, I tiptoed to Herman’s room. ‘Psst!’ I hissed, in the dark, shaking him. ‘Awp’, he said, in the low, hopeless tone of a despondent beagle – he always half suspected that something would ‘get him’ in the night. I told him who I was. ‘There’s something downstairs!’ I said. He got up and followed me to the head of the back staircase. The steps had ceased. Herman looked at me in some alarm: I had only the bath towel around my waist. He wanted to go back to bed, I gripped his arm.

‘There’s something down there!’ I said. Instantly the steps began again, circled the dining-room table like a man running, and started up the stairs towards us, heavily, two at a time. The light still shone palely down the stairs; we saw nothing coming; we only heard the steps. Herman rushed to his room and slammed the door. I slammed shut the door at the stairs top and held my knee against it.

After a long minute, I slowly opened it again. There was nothing there. There was no sound. None of us ever heard the ghost again.

The slamming of the doors had aroused mother: she peered out of her room. ‘What on earth are you boys doing?’ she demanded. Herman ventured out of his room. ‘Nothing,’ he said, gruffly, but he was, in colour, a light green. ‘What was all that running around downstairs?’ said mother. So she had heard the steps, too! We just looked at her. ‘Burglars!’ she shouted, intuitively. I tried to quieten her by starting lightly downstairs.

‘Come on, Herman,’ I said.

‘I’ll stay with mother,’ he said. ‘She’s all excited.’

I stepped back onto the landing.

‘Don’t either of you go a step,’ said mother. ‘We’ll call the police.’ Since the phone was downstairs, I didn’t see how we were going to call the police -- nor did I want the police – but mother made one of her quick, incomparable decisions. She flung up a window of her bedroom which faced the bedroom windows of the house of a neighbour, picked up a shoe, and whammed it through a pane of glass across the narrow space that separated the two houses. Glass tinkled into the bedroom occupied by a retired engraver named Bodwell and his wife. Bodwell had been for some years in rather a bad way and was subject to mild ‘attacks’. Almost everybody we knew or lived near had some kind of attacks.

c. What were the various sounds the brothers heard when they went downstairs?

d. Who were the narrator neighbours ?

It was now about two o’clock of a moonless night; clouds hung black and low. Bodwell was at the window in a minute, shouting frothing a little, shaking his fist. ‘We’ll sell the house and go back to Peoria,’ we could hear Mrs. Bodwell saying. It was some time before mother ‘got through’ to Bodwell. ‘Burglars!’ she shouted. ‘Burglars in the house!’ Herman and I hadn’t dared to tell her that it was not burglars but ghosts, for she was even more afraid of ghosts than of burglars. Bodwell at first thought that she meant there were burglars in his house, but finally he quieted down and called the police for us over an extension phone by his bed. After he had disappeared from the window, mother suddenly made as if to throw another shoe, not because there was further need of it but, as she later explained, because the thrill of heaving a shoe through a window glass had enormously taken her fancy. I prevented her.

The police were on hand in a commendably short time: a Ford sedan full of them, two on motorcycles, and a patrol wagon with about eight in it and a few reporters. They began banging at our front door. Flashlights shot streaks of gleam up and down the walls, across the yard, down the walk between our house and Bodwell’s. ‘Open up!’ cried a hoarse voice. ‘We’re men from Headquarters!’ I wanted to go down and let them in, since there they were, but mother wouldn’t hear of it. ‘You haven’t a stitch on,’ she pointed out. ‘You’d catch your death.’ I wound the towel around me again. Finally the cops put their shoulders to our big heavy front door with its thick bevelled glass and broke it in: I could hear a rending of wood and a splash of glass on the floor of the hall. Their lights played all over the living-room and crisscrossed nervously in the dining -room, stabbed into hallways, shot up the front stairs and finally up the back. They caught me standing in my towel at the top. A heavy policeman bounded up the steps. ‘Who are you?’ he demanded. ‘I live here,’ I said.

e. How did the Bodwells react, when a shoe was thrown into their house?

f. What did the Bodwells think when they heard the mother shout

The officer in charge reported to mother. ‘No sign of nobody, lady,’ he said. ‘Musta got away – whatt’d he like?’ ‘There were two or three of them,’ mother said, ‘whooping and carrying on slamming doors.’ ‘Funny,’ said the cop. ‘All ya windows and door was locked on the inside tight as a tick.’

Downstairs, we could hear the tromping of the other police. Police were all over the place; doors were yanked open, drawers were yanked open, windows were shot up and pulled down, furniture fell with dull thumps. A half-dozen policemen emerged out of the darkness of the front hallway upstairs. They began to ransack the floor; pulled beds away from walls, tore clothes off hooks in the closets, pulled suitcase and boxes off shelves. One of them found an old zither that Roy had won in a pool tournament. ‘Looky here, Joe,’ he said, strumming it with a big paw. The cop named Joe took it and turned it over. ‘What is it?’ he asked me. ‘It’s an old zither our guinea pig used to sleep on,’ I said. It was true that a pet guinea pig we once had would never sleep anywhere except on the zither, but I should never have said so. Joe and the other cop looked at me a long time. They put the zither back on a shelf.

‘No sign o’ nothing’, said the cop who had first spoken to mother, ‘The lady seems hysterical.’ They all nodded, but said nothing; just looked at me. In the small silence we all heard a creaking in the attic. Grandfather was turning over in bed. ‘What’s that?’ snapped Joe. Five or six cops sprang for the attic door before I could intervene or explain. I realized that it would be bad if they burst in on grandfather unannounced, or even announced. He was going through a phase in which he believed that General Meade’s men, under steady hammering by Stonewall Jackson, were beginning to retreat and even desert.

When I got to the attic, things were pretty confused. Grandfather had evidently jumped to the conclusion that the police were deserters from Meade’s army, trying to hide away in his attic. He bounded out of bed wearing a long flannel nightgown over long woolen pants, a nightcap, and a leather jacket around his chest. The cops must have realized at once that the indignant white-haired old man belonged to the house, but they had no chance to say so. ‘Back, ye cowardly dog!’ roared grandfather. ‘Back t’ the lines ye goodaam Lily -livered cattle!’ With that, he fetched the officer who found the zither a flat – handed smack alongside his head that sent him sprawling. The others beat a retreat, but not enough; grandfather grabbed zither’s gun from its holster and let fly. The report seemed to crack the rafters; smoke filled the attic. A cop cursed and shot his hand to his shoulder. Somehow, we all finally got downstairs again and locked the door against the old gentleman. He fired once or twice more in the darkness and then went back to bed. ‘That was grandfather’, I explained to Joe, out of breath. ‘He thinks you’re deserter.’ ‘I’ll say he does,’ said Joe.

g. What was the grandfather wearing?

h. What conclusions did grandfather jump to when he saw the cops?

The cops were reluctant to leave without getting their hand on somebody besides grandfather; the night had been distinctly a defeat for them. Furthermore, they obviously didn’t like the ‘layout’; something looked – and I can see their viewpoint – phony. They began to poke into things again. A reporter, a thin-faced, wispy man, came up to me. I had put on one of mother’s dress, not being able to find anything else. The reporter looked at me with mingled suspicion and interest. ‘Just what the hell is the real lowdown here, Bud?’ he asked. I decided to be frank with him. ‘We had ghosts,’ I said. He gazed at me a long time as if I were a slot machine into which he had, without results, dropped a coin. Then he walked away. The cops followed him, the one grandfather shot holding his now-bandaged arm, cursing and blaspheming. ‘I’m gonna get my gun back from that old bird,’ said the zither- cop. ‘Yeh,’ said Joe, ‘You – and who else?’ I told them I would bring it to the station house the next day.

‘What was the matter with that one policeman?’ mother asked, after they had gone. ‘Grandfather shot him,’ I said. ‘What for?’ she demanded. I told her he was a deserter. ‘Of all things!’ said mother. ‘He was such a nice-looking young man’.

‘Grandfather was fresh as a daisy and full of jokes at breakfast next morning. We thought at first he had forgotten all about what had happened, but he hadn’t. Over his third cup of coffee, he glared at Herman and me. ‘What was the idee of all them cops tarryhootin’ round the house last night?’ he demanded. 'None of you bothered to leave a bottle of water beside my bed. Do you ever realize what it cost for a thirsty man to look for water in the dining room last night?" He had us there.

i. Were the policemen willing to leave the house?

j. What made the reporter gaze at the author?

About the Author

James Grover Thurber (1894–1961) was an American cartoonist, author, humourist, journalist, playwright, and celebrated wit. He was best known for his cartoons and short stories published mainly in The New Yorker magazine, such as "The Catbird Seat", and collected in his numerous books. He was one of the most popular humourists of his time, as he celebrated the comic frustrations and eccentricities of ordinary people.

Where was the author when he heard the noise? - English

One Line Answer

Where was the author when he heard the noise?

SOLUTION

The author had just stepped out of the bathtub, when he heard the noise.

What did the narrator think the unusual sound was? - English

One Line Answer

What did the narrator think the unusual sound was?

SOLUTION

At first, he thought it was his father or his brother Roy. Next, he suspected that it was a burglar. Later on, he thought that it was a ghost.

What were the various sounds the brothers heard when they went downstairs? - English

 What were the various sounds the brothers heard when they went downstairs?

SOLUTION

The brothers heard like a man running and started up the stairs towards them. They thought that they were coming two at a time. They saw nothing, but only heard the steps.

Who were the narrator neighbours ? - English

 Who were the narrator neighbours?

SOLUTION

The narrator’s neighbours were a retired engraver named Bodwell and his wife.

How did the Bodwells react, when a shoe was thrown into their house? - English

How did the Bodwells react, when a shoe was thrown into their house?

SOLUTION

Mr. Bodwell was shouting, frothing a little, and shaking his fist. Mrs. Bodwell wanted to sell their house and go back to Peoria. For some years, he had been in a bad way and was subjected to mild attacks.

 

What did the Bodwells think when they heard the mother shout. - English

What did the Bodwells think when they heard the mother shout.

SOLUTION

Bodwell thought that there were burglars in his house when they heard the mother shout.

What was the grandfather wearing? - English

What was the grandfather wearing?

SOLUTION

The narrator’s grandfather was wearing a long flannel nightgown over long woollen pants, a nightcap, and a leather jacket around his chest.