NEB Grade XII Compulsory English Note | Language Development | Unit 14 “I am Sorry”- The Hardest Three Words to Say

Unit 14

“I am Sorry”- The Hardest Three Words to Say

Working with words

A. Pair the following words as opposites.

despair- hope

kind- cruel

fresh- stale

strange- familiar

fierce- gentle

selfish - generous

corrupt - honest

eccentric - normal

B. By adding a suitable suffix to each word, form another word.

into noun

open-minded-open-mindedness

accommodate- accommodation

rehearse- rehearsal

transgress- transgression

angry- anger

mix- mixtion / mixture

into adjective

pain-painful

differ- different

behave- behavioural

remark- remarkable

indifference- indifferent

thought- thoughtful

into verb

less- lessen

sure- ensure

real- realize

glory- glorify

power-power

prison- prison

Comprehension

A. Write True or False after each statement.

a. The author says his father was an ideal person in the family.

False

b. The author wanted to forgive his father but he did not get an opportunity.

False

c. It’s worth forgiving a person if he/she realizes his/her mistakes.

True

d. South Africa had dual type of education system in the 1960s.

True

e. The author lived in a joint family.

False

f. The author regretted for not getting a chance to talk to his father.

True

g. According to the author, all our glories and splendours are short-lived.

True

B. Answer the following questions.

a. How does the author remember his family environment when he was a small boy?

He remembers as a young boy, he had to watch helplessly as my father verbally and physically abused his mother. He can still recall the smell of alcohol, see the fear in his mother’s eyes and feel the hopeless despair.

b. Why does the author blame system more than his father?

The author blames system more than his father because his father was in pain caused by the system.

c. How does the principle of forgiveness work?

The principle of forgiveness works when it takes practice, honesty, open-mindedness and a willingness.

d. How does the author interpret the noises, squalls and tantrums of his children?

The author interprets the noises, squalls and tantrums of his children as a whole catalogue of the failures and irritations our children have served up.

e. Why did the author decide to educate his children in Swaziland?

The author decided to educate his children in Swazilandto to ensure their children who were never subjected to the brainwashing that passed for education in South Africa.

f. How does the author define human life?

The author defines human life as a great mixture of goodness, beauty, cruelty, heartbreak, indifference, love and so much more.

g. According to the author, is it heredity or environment that shapes a man’s character? Explain.

It is environment that shapes a man’s character. No one is born a liar, and full of hatred and violence. But on any given day or in any given situation, goodness can be forgotten, obscured or lost. Sometimes we are generous and sometimes selfish. Sometimes we are thoughtful and other times careless; sometimes we are kind and sometimes cruel. All these qualities we develop when we repeat them.

h. Why is forgiveness important in our life?

Forgiveness is important in our life becasue it is how we free ourselves from our past errors, are able to move forward into our future, unfettered by the mistakes we have made.

Critical thinking

a. Desmond Tutu once said, “Forgiving is not forgetting; it’s actually remembering– remembering and not using your right to hit back. It’s a second chance for a new beginning.” Does this quotation apply to this text? Analyze.

A human life is a great combination of goodness, and cruelty. All of us share the inner qualities of our human nature and so sometimes we are thoughtful and other times thoughtless. But in any given situation, goodness can be forgotten, or lost.

We all make mistakes, but we are not ready to accept, and blame others for this. We all need forgiveness. There is no magic stick we can wave to go back in time and change what the harm that has been done. However, we can do everything in our strenght to set right what has been made wrong. We can try to make sure the harm never happens again.

Forgiveness is the way we heal the world. We heal the world by healing each and every one of our hearts.The process of forgiveness is simple, but it is not easy. Forgiving is not forgetting; it’s actually remembering– not to hit back. It’s a second chance for a new beginning of goodness.

b. The author interprets ‘I am sorry’ as three hardest words to say. How does it apply to your life?

The one who is wrong, is required to to ask forgiveness from the one who is right. Sometimes it's our ego that gets in the way. Those who lack empathy can have a hard time respecting another person's feelings, which makes saying 'I am sorry' difficult to do.

'Saying sorry' takes practice, honesty, and open-mindedness. It's not easy. Most of us I think saying sorry means acknowledging failure, and giving the other person an advantage over us. We find there is a great freedom in asking for forgiveness and great strength in admitting the wrong. It is how we free ourselves from our past errors, are able to move forward into our future, unfettered by the mistakes we have made.

Writing

What should be done to make education equal to all citizens of Nepal? Write a couple of paragraphs expressing your views.

Every citizen struggles for a good education but the criteria are elusive. Residents of big cities do not think twice before they enroll their children into a private school but the majority of children in rural areas do not even have that choice. They are forced to go to the nearest government school without the know how to gauge its quality, nor the means to demand better.

It is obvious that there are severe problems in Nepalese education system. To ensure quality education, teachers should be prepared, supervised and monitored closely. The administration—whether it’s the government or private school boards- should begin regular professional development that encourages teachers to expose to new methods and provides chances to reflect on their practices. It should also make teachers accountable if students are not studious if they do not demonstrate grade-level achievements.

Grammar

When and While

When and While are used to connect subordinating clauses to the main clause of a sentence. 

 While

We use 'while + past progressive tense':

-to emphasize that an action was in progress

-to talk about one event that happens immediately after another and to talk about periods of time in the past.

When

We use 'when + simple tense' with:

- the action which is short and without a significant duration

- the shorter action that interrupts the longer action

While I was reading a novel, my wife called me. (Reading a novel has a duration.)

When it started to rain, they went inside the house. (The action 'started' is short.)

A. Join the following pairs of sentences using when and while.

a. Bibha Kumari was doing her homework. The doorbell rang.

While Bibha Kumari was doing her homework, the doorbell rang.

b. I heard the telephone ring. I picked it up.

When I heard the telephone ring, I picked it up.

c. Dil Maya found a thousand rupee note. She was washing her pants.

Dil Maya found a thousand rupee note while she was washing her pants.

d. Tenjing gave his measurements to the dressmaker. He was visiting the market yesterday.

Tenjing gave his measurements to the dressmaker while he was visiting the market yesterday.

e. I was at the butcher’s shop. I met Harikala.

When I was at the butcher’s shop, I met Harikala.

f. The sales agent was dealing with the customer. A thief stole the jewels.

While the sales agent was dealing with the customer, a thief stole the jewels.

g. My small brother was sleeping. I played chess with my father.

While my small brother was sleeping, I played chess with my father.

h. The old lady fell down. She was climbing up the stairs.

The old lady fell down while she was climbing up the stairs.

i. The leader was giving a speech loudly. He lost his voice.

While the leader was giving a speech loudly, he lost his voice.

j. Kanchan broke her backbone. She was lifting up the load.

Kanchan broke her backbone while she was lifting up the load.

Connectives

Due to (Adjective) - to modify the noun and to present the reason for a noun / to describe or modify a noun

Because of (Adverb) - to modify verbs and to present the reason for an action

Now, fill in the blanks with one of the connectives.

[so, because, as, since, due to, owing to, because of]

a. We didn’t go for a morning walk today ……………it was raining

because

b. I wanted to go home early …………… I was not feeling well.

because

c. My brother stayed at home………………his illness.

because of / owing to

d. I was late in the class ………………..traffic jam.

due to 

e. He didn’t like dogs…………….he was not happy when his wife brought a puppy home.

so

f. He was not included in the team …………..his knee injury.

because of

g. ……………I was tired, I went to bed early.

Since

h. He was very unhappy ………….he lost one million rupees in share market.

because

i. We cancelled our trip to Rara Lake …………………… the bad weather.

because of 

j. These two lines intersect with each other. ……………they are not parallel lines.

because