Grammar - Goal Setting

Grammar

Preposition

A preposition is a word that is placed before a noun or a pronoun to show its relationship to other words in a sentence.

D. Choose the most appropriate preposition from the brackets.

1.     We have been living in Chennai _________ eight years. (for/ since)

2.     Abdul has taken______ his father. (after/ at)

3.     Vimal generally goes to his workplace______ bus. (by/on)

4.     The cricket ball was hidden ______ the leaves. (among/ between)

5.     Mani divided his toys______his brothers and sisters. (among/ between)

E. Identify the prepositions in the given sentences and underline them.

1.     Riya borrowed a dress from me and lent it to her friend, Mary.

2.     When I moved back to the city, things had changed considerably.

3.     The burglar found the keys under the pot in the balcony.

4.     Prabhu was hiding behind the door when his sister came looking for him.

5.     My dog sat on my hat and squashed it.

F. Complete the passage by filling in appropriate prepositions from the list- (with, out, to, in, from, during, of, for, by). Some prepositions may be used more than once.

In Tamil Nadu, a very interesting form of recitation named Villupattu developed (a) ____________ the 15th century. Villupattu means bow—song because a bow—shaped musical instrument (b) ___________ strong high tension string is used (c) __________ placing it (d) _______________ an earthen pitcher. It is believed that this narrative form was an invention (e) ____________Arasa Pulavar. The troupe gives its performance mostly (f) ___________________ temple festivals. There are seven to eight persons in a troupe who form a kind main singer-narrator. When the chief narrator sings, the chorus takes (h) ___________       the refrain _______________ the song and repeats it in unison. The whole party sits (j) ______________ the ground and performs (k) ______________ a lot _____________ gesticulation and facial expression to suit the narrative they have taken. The ballad style songs are composed (m) ________________ the rural dialect which appeals (n) _______________ the audience who sometimes join the troupe ________________ suitable notes or words.

Preposition with verbs

G. Some verbs are usually followed by prepositions before the object of the verb.

Examples

i.            The kids laughed at the hilarious antics of the clown.

ii.            Fathima planned to stay at a hotel, when she visited Mumbai.

iii.            I have pressing matters to attend to in Kolkata.

iv.            I believe in the healing power of a mother’s touch.

v.            She was so happy in life that she could not ask for more.

vi.            The Sharma couple care for their pets as they do for their children.

vii.            I agree with everything you’ve said.

H. Frame sentences using the prepositional phrases given in the box.

Fairs and festivals form an integral part of the culture of Tamil Nadu. They are an excellent platform to promote and preserve the vibrant art and culture of the Tamils.

I. Given below is a picture of a carnival. Complete the factual description by filling in the blanks with appropriate prepositions.

A thiruvizha is a source of excitement and thrill for villagers. The village thoroughfare wears a festive look, as the open spaces are cleaned, spruced up and decorated (a) ________ colourful streamers.

People throng the premises (b) ______catch a glimpse (c)________their village deity (d)______ a magnificently decorated chariot, and pay their respects. There is a big crowd (e)_____ the food stalls that serve free piping hot sakkaraipongal (sweet pongal), lemon rice and curd rice.

People (f)______nearby villages and towns display their wares attractively, and call out loudly (g)______the people (h)_______buy their wares. Cotton candy, cut raw mangoes smothered (i)________salt and chilly powder, boiled groundnuts, murukku, sweets, buttermilk etc are sold. Men, women, grandmas, grandpas and little children dressed (j)_________their best clothes, enjoy the Thiruvizha greatly.

You can hear the shrieks (k)________happy children enjoying the rides on ferris wheels and carousels, elders looking (l)_________ each other with smiles on their faces.

The entire day is spent (m) _______fun and gaiety. All the village people irrespective of their age, look forward (n)_________the thiruvizha every year.

Clauses

A clause is a group of words that contains both a subject and a predicate (or a verb). There are two types of clauses. They are independent clause and dependent clause.

Examples of independent and dependent Clauses

·        Telegram-plane Karagattam is a popular folk dance which is performed during village festivals.

(Independent Clause)     (Dependent Clause)

·        Telegram-plane The pots are decorated with a cone that has flowers in it.

(Independent Clause)     (Dependent Clause)

·        Telegram-plane Skilled puppeteers manipulate the puppets that they pull.

(Independent Clause)     (Dependent Clause)

·        Telegram-plane The whole village celebrates when there is a thiruvizha.

(Independent Clause)     (Dependent Clause)

Phrases

Examples of Noun phrases

Examples of Verb Phrases

Examples of Prepositional Phrases:

Phrases and Clauses

J. Identify the dependent clauses or phrases in the following sentences and underline them.

1.     Texting on his phone, the man swerved into a ditch.

2.     It isn’t necessary to cram all night if you have studied a little each day.

3.     We climbed up the hill to enjoy the view.

4.     I enjoy painting during my holidays.

5.     Whether he attends the party or not, I have decided to go.

6.     I will stop playing the drums when you go to sleep.

K. Complete the following sentences using appropriate prepositional phrases.

1. I would like to order coffee__________tea.

a) instead of        

b) instead from

c) instead to

2. ____________ the rains, we went out.

a) In spite of

b) In spite

c) In spite on

3. ___________ fire, break the glass to escape.

a) In case of         

b) In case

c) In case with

4. I am standing here_______ my friends.

a) in behalf of      

b) on behalf of

c) on behalf

5. We solved the problem _______ a new device developed by our engineers.

a) by means of     

b) by means

c) by means to

6. ________ we are impressed with their performance.

a) In general        

b) On general

c) In generally

Writing

You stayed with your grandparents at your native village during Pongal. You had an unforgettable time with them. You visited the village fair and enjoyed the simple pleasures of life like bathing in the river, strolling in the fields, eating food cooked in earthen utensils over firewood, sleeping on a cot on the terrace under the star-lit sky, visiting temple fairs and watching Karagattam presentation.

L.Write a letter to your friend, describing the joy of celebrating festivals in a village.

Project

M. Your class has to stage a Puppet Show in the Assembly Open Forum on the topic ‘Child Labour’. Divide yourselves into groups and discuss the requirements for the presentation like storyline, characters, dialogues, choice of puppets and music for the interlude. Now complete the dialogues given below.

Ramesh :

Let us present a Puppet Show on CHILD LABOUR for our Assembly Open Forum.

Mohammed :

That is a very good idea! Let us start planning right away.

Geetha :

_________________________________________________________________?

Leema :

I suggest we begin with the storyline first.

Mani :

How _____________________________________________________________ ?

Ramesh :

We can have around five characters.

Mohammed :

What ___________________________________________________________ ?

Meena :

We can focus on the problems of poverty and illiteracy as the major reasons for child labour.

Ramesh :

Can _____________________________________________________________?

Leema :

I am good at making stick puppets. I will make them myself. But I require some help.

Mani :

I _______________________________ . Tell me, __________________________

Leema :

Thank you, Mani. Let us stay back after the meeting and discuss.

Ramesh :

Have ___________________________ ?

Meena :

I think we should have some music for the interlude.

Geetha :

That would make it really interesting. I will get my music group to start working on the tunes for our puppet show.

Now you are ready to start writing your script for Bommalattam on ‘Child Labour’.

Guidelines for script writing

·        Write a brief description of the play in a story map format. (storyline, conflict/ problem, resolution, moral, puppet characters, backdrop and setting, properties).

·        Write a rough draft of the puppet play script (sound effects, timings/ pauses, what the characters may be doing when not talking , direction for props etc.)

·        Edit and revise your rough draft. Make sure that the story is lucidly conveyed and feels like natural conversation to the listeners.

·        When your puppet play is ready, pick puppets of your choice and start practising.