The House Call-XI

Possible Questions:

1. Show the points of similarities and differences between the two supernatural stories’A House call’ and the      loving Mother.(2064)
2. What are two possible explanations of the girl was who came to fetch the doctor?(2066)
3. What did Dr. Brawn discover when he went with the girl who came to his house? (2057)
4. Why did the doctor have a look of surprise on his face when Elda told him that little daughter died in September? (2058, 2063)

“The House Call” is a story from Germany that basically concentrates upon the mysterious arrival of the spirit of a young girl to make a call to the doctor for the treatment of her mother who was suffering from pneumonia for several days. Dr. Brawn, the protagonist of this story, is identified as the famous surgeon in his locality. The day after the Christmas of 1903, he was sitting alone in his dining room in about 9:30 p.m. he was quite tired even unable to take his evening meal due to hard surgery, which he performed on his particular day. He was preparing report about his surgical works and putting his head down the table and dozing. He suddenly woke up when he heard the doorbell. After sometime, he came to know that he had a patient to see. In fact it was a young girl who had come to call the doctor for her mother. Despite his exertion, Braun decided to follow her up to her home and see her mother. The doctor tried to catch her up on the way so that he could have asked many questions related to her mother and about herself. The doctor was old enough to walk on the speed as the girl was making a rush towards her home. Anyway the doctor managed to follow her till he reached at her old apartment where a woman seemed to be lying on the bed.

 The doctor checked her up and found that she was suffering from pneumonia. He provided her some medicine that comforted the woman because she was the same woman who once worked in the same hospital as the maintenance staff. The doctor knew that Elda had gone to stay at her brother’s house in the village. The woman further added that she came back just three months ago after her only child Adelheid died. Dr. Braun was very surprised because the very child had been to the doctor to make a call. The woman further showed some of her belongings to revive her memory in her old and least furnished apartment. The ragged shawl and tattered shoes shown to doctor by her mother made him more confused and serious because he had seen the girl in the same dress. When he looked at Elda he found her asleep and returned with his black bag on his hand.

The Lost Doll-XI

Possible questions:

1.  In what ways were Maria del Carmen and Evangelina alike? (2060)

2. What evidences are there in the story to show that Soto family was poor? (2062)

3. In what ways were Maria del Carmen and Evangelina different?

4. Describe Carmen.

5. How was the lost doll found?

6. What evidence is there in the story to show that Carmen and Evangelina were alike? (2069)

Carmen was the only child of Roberto and Rosa Soto. She was beautiful, bright and loving child. However she was sick from the day of her birth. When she was four, she fell sick seriously and died. A few days after the funeral ceremony, Rosa gave away Carmen’s playthings and clothes to a priest of another village so that she couldn’t see them time and again. She thought that she wouldn’t have another child as she was told at the time of Carmen’s birth. When Roberto knew about it, he became very unhappy because he was hopeful that they would have another child. He asked about her the little dolly which Carmen always carried with her. Rosa said that she didn’t give it away. Then they searched everywhere in the house as well asked the villagers too but they couldn’t find it.

However they soon forgot about the lost doll because Rosa became pregnant. On the first anniversary of the death of Carmen, Rosa gave birth to another child. Roberto and Rosa became very happy. She was named Evangelina, which meant “good news”. When Evangelina grew she looked very much similar to her sister Carmen. But she was healthy girl. When she was about four, she told her mother that she had been sick a long time ago. She also told her aunt that she had a little, beautiful doll with blue eyes and red dress. She had buried it under a tree in the yard. She requested her mother to dig up the doll. When Rosa dug up the ground, she found the lost doll. She looked surprised, shocked and sick because it was difficult for her to believe. Evangelina also said that when she was sick, the nice man came and helped her to bury that doll under the tree.

 The story accounts the supernatural significance regarding its particular focus on the concept of reincarnation. When Evangelina was born and grown up, she looked very much similar to that of Carmen’s actions, characters, behaviors and other many things were very much similar. The priest said that God healed Carmen and sent her back in the form of healthy Evangelina. Though Rosa did not believe that her newly born child as the reincarnation of Carmen but she could not reject the mysterious fact towards the end of the story. When Evangelina reported everything about past and about her doll, Rosa could say nothing anymore.

The Recurring Dream-XI

Possible questions:                                                                                                                               

1. Why does Janet want to take Kim to her parents’ farm for a few days? (2059)

2. Why do some people have recurring dream? (2063)

3. Write about the dream that you have recently seen. What is the special meaning of dream? (2058,2067)

4. Why do you think the cottage is for sale?

5. Why do you think Kim has such dream?

6. Describe the lane and the house.

7. Explain the dream that Kim had.

The “Recurring Dream” is a supernatural story that particularly centers round a strange dream, which Kim was frequently haunted by. Kimberly Clark, the protagonist, has undergone a serious problem which she had the same sort of dream time and again. She is a young and beautiful woman of twenty-five who used to live in London and worked in a large company. She keeps a good position in the office however she has a problem. She sees a mysterious and frightening dream almost every night. In the dream, she finds herself walking on a village lane that is surrounded by white fences on both sides of it. At the end of the lane there is a little hill where on the top a beautiful cottage is located. She enters inside the house and finds in an old man with white hair and white beards fallen asleep. When she goes near him he wakes up and looks at her. But when she tries to speak with him she wakes up and finds herself in her bed in London.

 The recurring dream troubles her badly. So, she shares her problem with her roommate Janet Wilson. One day Janet went to her parents’ farm for a few days with Kim to keep Kim free from her problem. On the way Kim falls asleep and has the same dream. She was surprised to see the same place in front of her that she usually sees in her dream. She asks Janet to stop the car and she gets out of it. She sees the same lane, hill and cottage of her dream. As in the dream, she goes towards the house. There she sees assign of “FOR SALE” in front of the door.

 As in the dream she knocks at the door and the same old man with white hair and white beard opens the door but he is afraid to see her. So, he immediately closes the door. Kim again requests him to open the door and when he opens it she asks him if the house is on sale. The man replied positively and says that a ghost has haunted the house every night. Then Kim asks him who the ghost is? The old man replies “It is you” then he closes the door.

WORD ORDER

                                                                                                          

Ø  subject+ verb+  Indirect object+ direct object +place +time

Ø  Wh-question: wh-word+ aux V. + subject+ M.V. ……? e.g. What are you doing?

Ø  Yes-no question: Aux V. + sub+ M.V. ……? e.g. Did she find that?

Ø  Indirect question: Root verb+ Ind. Obj+ wh-word+ sub+ verb……. . e.g. Ask him what he is doing.

Ø  Double questions: 1^st direct question + 2^nd indirect question e.g. Does he know why she is crying?

Ø  Adverbs of frequency are placed before M.V. / in between Aux. V and M.V. e.g. They often go there. They have never been to Japan.

Ø  Adverbs of manner like slowly, carefully, awfully, are put behind the direct object (or behind the verb if there's no direct object) e.g. He drove carefully.

Ø  Adverbs of place like e.g.: here, there, behind, above  are put behind the direct object or the verb. e.g. He left me behind./ I did not go there.

Ø  Adverbs of time are like recently, now, then, yesterday, usually put at the end of the sentence. e.g. what have they done recently?

·         Opinion- Fact adj……….Order of Adj.: size, general description, age, shape, colour, material, origin, purpose (e.g. gerund adj.- walking stick)

·         i) Attributive adj: the adj comes before Noun e.g. this book, my pen etc. ii) Predicative adj: adj that comes after verb e.g. Tom felt cold.

·         adj can change meaning if used interchangeably e.g. good/bad, big/small, heavy/light, old  are attributive but gives different meaning used precatively.

            e.g.       A small farmer……having small farmer.

                         Farmer is small (physically small).

                        Early/ late train…..scheduled

                        The train is early/late…….before/after proper time.

                        The poor boy (unfortunate)………

                        The boy is poor (without enough money)

Ø  Use of too( excessive)  and enough( sufficient)

           1. Enough follows adjectives and adverbs:

                       He isn't old enough to watch this program.

                       We're not walking quickly enough.

           2. Enough may also precede nouns:

                       We have enough money.

                       I have not got enough money to buy this computer.

           3. Too comes before adjectives and adverbs:

                       It's too hot to wear that coat.

                       I was driving too fast.

Ø  Too generally placed at the end of the Clause but Also is placed before Verb.

           e.g. He also likes music.          He likes music too.

Ø  Order of Personal Pronoun

           231 i.e. 2^nd person, 3^rd person & 1^st person

           e.g.       You, he and I are playing outside.

                       You and I are playing.

                       She and I are playing.

                                                                                                                       Ranjit Kr. Singh

                                                                                                                                                              www.rksnote.blogspot.com

WORD OFTEN CONFUSED

BRITISH VS AMERICAN SPELLING                       

BRITISH                                         AMERICAN

-our                                                   -or

behavior                                           behavior

colour                                               color

-re                                                      -er

metre                                                 meter

-ae/-oe/-oeu                                     -e/-o/-eu

mediaeval                                        medieval

oestrogen                                         estrogen

manoeuvre                                       maneuver

-se                                                      -ze

analyse                                             analyze

-l                                                        -ll

fulfil                                                  fulfill

WORD OFTEN CONFUSED

affect (v):     influence somebody or something

effect (n):     result

loose (adj):   not firmly attached

lose (v):        be unable to find/get sth

principal(adj):  first in the rank; main

principle (n):    fundamental truth/law as the basis of                  reasoning

practice (n):     habitual action

practice (v):   perform regularly

stationery (n):  writing materials

stationary (adj):    not moving

                                                           30^th July

-ll                                                       -l

travelling                                         traveling

-ogue                                                 -og

dialogue                                           dialog

-ence                                                 -ense

licence                                              license

defence                                             defense

-dge/-gue                                          -dg/-gu

judgement                                        judgment

arguement                                        argument

-gramme                                          -gram

programme                                      program

advice (n):   recommendation on how to act

advise (v):  give advice to

raise( v):  put into a higher position

rise (v):  come/go up

dairy (n):  place to make and sell milk products

diary (n):  daily records of events or thought

gaol (n):   place for detention of prisoners

goal (n):  object of ambition; destination

later (adj):  after the usually/ expected time

latter(adj):   the second-mentioned person or thing

Ranjit Kr. Singh

www.rksnote.blogspot.com