CSEC ENGLISH
Hello there! This week we take a close look at one of the wonderful stories on your English B syllabus, and we look at some aspects of English grammar and usage. Read on and enjoy!
ENGLISH B - SHORT STORIES
Let’s take a look at Frank O’Connor’s story, The Man of the House. You will find the story easy enough to understand, so we’ll give you some tips for what to look out for. The narrator is a young boy whose mother is ill. He tries really hard to be ‘the man of the house’ and act like a grown-up, but the fact of the matter is that he is only a child, and he doesn’t manage to be as helpful as he wants to be. His efforts to help at home are unsuccessful, and although he does several brave things (like going to the local ‘pub’ to get whiskey as medicine for his mum, getting the doctor, and then walking a long distance to the dispensary for her medicine), he actually achieves nothing much. He does not even manage to bring the medicine home (you’ll see why not when you read the story). However, while he is away, his mother recovers from her illness, so by the time he gets home, he is able, thankfully, to return to being a little boy again, enjoying his mother’s love and understanding.
Make a note of these points as you read: ● What do you learn about the environment—the narrator’s home, the local environment, and the way the boy is treated by big folk? What efforts does the boy make to be helpful? How does each project end? What things make the boy afraid? Do you think he shows courage in these situations? What evidence can you find of the family’s poverty? What part does religion play in the story? Do you think a miracle happens? Why do you think the girl in the dispensary is able to ‘tempt’ the narrator? Is the incident credible? What impression do you get of the mother’s character? Does Minnie Ryan serve as a contrast to highlight the mother’s character? ● ●
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ASSORTED COMPARISONS Inferior TO
Normally our comparative adjectives are followed by THAN. Please note that these examples follow a different pattern: Junior TO, senior TO, inferior TO, and superior TO. ● Miss Brown is senior to the typist who joined us only last week. ● The cellphone that you bought is superior to the model I have.
Less and Least We can also make comparisons with “less” and “the least”. Look at these examples: ● The student thought that French would be less difficult ● Of the four boys, Robert is the least athletic. than Spanish.
Less and fewer Use “less” for an amount that CANNOT be counted (less sugar, less ability, less courage) Use “fewer” for an amount that CAN be counted (fewer marbles, fewer candles, fewer employees).
Older and elder Use “elder” before a noun: my elder sister Otherwise, use “older”: My sister is older than I am.
Bad, worse and worst When things are going downhill for us, we often say: ‘Things went from bad to worse’.
And then if the downhill ride gets totally out of control, we say: ‘If worse comes to worst’, we’ll have to declare bankruptcy’—or something like that.
N.B. People often get this expression wrong. Both of these are wrong: ‘If worse comes to worse’. x ‘If worst comes to worst’. x The correct expression is ‘If worse comes to worst’—showing the progression from the very bad to the completely bad!
ALWAYS COMPARE LIKE THINGS
You will agree that it is impossible to compare, let’s say, light bulbs with doors, cats with pencils, umbrellas with chocolate ice cream! Amazingly, though, we do silly things like that in sentences. What is wrong with these sentences? Your essay is better than Mary. x The population of London is greater than New York. x
The corrected sentences should read: Your essay is better than of London is greater than that of New York!
TIME TO PRACTISE Choose the most suitable word from the brackets, and put it in its correct form. 1. Rats are (small, large) than mice. 2. Motor-racing is (dangerous, safe) than playing table-tennis. 3. Travelling by air is (slow, fast), (safe, dangerous) but (cheap, expensive)
than travelling in a taxi. 4. Many people regard Sunday as (busy, pleasant) day of the week. 5. Mr Smith is recovering from his operation. He is much (weak, strong) than he was a week ago, and his general condition is much (good, bad). Friday was his (bad) day for the week. 6. Girls are (honest, strong) than boys, but sometimes are (tough, talkative)
too.
Put in
less, more, the most
7. Gold is ………… .expensive than silver. Therefore, silver is………...
costly than gold. 8. Human beings have …………… advanced homes than wild animals do
but their senses are usually ………… ..developed. 9. In a desert, ………..valuable commodity is water, and ………..useful is
sand. 10.In Europe, ……..pleasant months for foreign visitors are probably June to August, and ………… attractive, because of poor weather, are January and February. 11.Carol is one of ………… .selfish people I know: she is always willing to
share. 12.There is a well-known saying: “………… ..haste; ……….speed”
LET’S AGREE
the least.
Mary’s.
The population This exercise is about making the verb agree with the subject. Select the correct form of the verb from the pair in italics. 1. The club’s president, along with several senior members,
the airport to welcome their counterparts from Trinidad. 2. Colin is one of the technicians who was/were dissatisfied with the
proposals made for upgrading the laboratory facilities. 3. Cherille is the only member of the group of students who
to making Caribbean Studies compulsory. 4. Despite warnings of high tides, the intrepid fisherman, assisted by his
two sons, pushes/push off from the shore. 5. His toothbrush, together with some chewing gum, a pack of cards and
three rubber bands, tumbles/tumble out as he tips up the bag. 6. An overweight woman and her dog enters/enter the store just minutes
before closing time. 7. The sound of seagulls screeching and seals barking mingles/mingle with
the howling of the wind and the thunderous pounding of the waves. 8. This tribal custom is enforced by strict taboos, the violation of which
brings/bring about the death of the offender.
ANSWERS
or was/were at objects/object