3. Read the situations and write requests using “Can you ...?

” “Could
you ...?”
Example:
You’re carrying a lot of things. You can’t open the door yourself. You see a
woman standing near the door.
You: Could you open the door, please?
(a) You are new in the city. You are in a hotel. You want to go to the bus
park but you don’t know where it is.

(b) You are in a shop. You want to try a beautiful pair of shoes.

(c) You are at your friend’s house and you want to watch TV.

(d) You want to borrow a friend’s bicycle. .

(e) You phone your uncle but his wife answers. You want to leave a message
for him.

(f) You are preparing for the exam. Your neighbour is playing music loudly.

C. Activate yourself

Work in groups. Act out the conversation given above in 4 (B).

5. Writing
A. Engage yourself

What do you do daily? Have you ever noted down details of your daily
activities? What do you call it if you keep it as your personal document?

B. Study

1. Read the following excerpt taken from ‘The Diary of a Young Girl’ by Anne
Frank (1929-1945), who died in the Bergen - Belsen Concentration Camp
during World War II.

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ENGLISH: Grade 8 31
 Sunday, 14 June, 1942

On Friday, June 12th I woke up at six o’clock and no wonder; it was my birthday.
But of course I was not allowed to get up at that hour, so I had to control my curiosity
until a quarter to seven. Then I could bear it no longer and went to the dining room,
where I received a warm welcome from Moortje (the cat).

Soon after seven I went to mummy and daddy and then to the sitting room to undo
my presents. The first to greet me was you, possibly the nicest of all. Then on the
table there were a bunch of roses, a plant and some peonies and more arrived dur-
ing the day.

I got masses of things from mummy and daddy, and was thoroughly spoiled by
various friends. Among other things I was given camera obscura, a party game, lots
of sweets, chocolates, a puzzle, a brooch, Tales and legends of the Netherlands by
Joseph Cohen, Daisy’s Mountain Holiday (a terrific book), and some money. Now
I can buy the myths of Greece and Rome-grand.

Then Lies called for me and we went to school. During recess I treated everyone to
sweet biscuits, and then we had to go back to our lessons.

Now I must stop bye bye we’re going to be great pals!

1. Now write a diary of a day including important activities you did.

2. Read your diary in class. Then share it with your friends. Receive feedback
from them and edit it.

C. Activate yourself
Make a habit of writing a diary so that it can serve as a history book for you
in future. Sometimes your diary, like that of Anne Frank, can be a remarkable book
to be enjoyed by others as well.

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32 ENGLISH: Grade 8
6. Project work
1. Look at the following pictures. What are the people doing in the
pictures?

2. Go to your local market. Find a businesswoman and interview her. She may
be running a grocery, cosmetic shop or hotel. You can record her
interview and later have all your classmates listen to it.
3. Move around the locality of your school. You can meet the business
people there and ask them about their success stories. Write their
names, their business field and how they are progressing with their
business. Prepare a chart with the information and exchange it with
your friends in the class.
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ENGLISH: Grade 8 33
7. Enjoy yourself
1. Chant the following poem enjoying the different uses of money by
different people. How would you use it?

Money
Workers earn it,
Spendthrifts burn it,
Bankers lend it,
Laymen spend it,
Forgers fake it,
Taxers take it,
Dying leave it,
Heirs receive it,
Thrifty save it,
Misers crave it,
Robbers seize it,
Rich increase it,
Gamblers lose it,
I could use it.

2. Answer these questions.

a. How do workers earn money?

b. Why do laymen spend money?

c. Do spendthrifts really burn money?

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34 ENGLISH: Grade 8
4 Biography

1. Reading
A. Engage yourself
1. Do you know the people in the pictures? What do you know about
them? What are they known for?

2. Can you think of some influential figures that made great contribu-
tions to their nation? Complete the following table with the informa-
tion about them.

Name Contribution Date

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ENGLISH: Grade 8 35
B. Study
Read the text and note down the important events that happened in the
life of Ganesh Man Singh.
Ganesh Man Singh: The iron man
Ganesh Man Singh is publicly acclaimed as all acceptable leader of democracy. It is
a sign of respect that all the Nepalese show towards him that they call him supreme
leader.
He was born to a well-to-do family on Novem-
ber 09, 1915 in Itumbahal, Kathmandu as the
son of Gyan Man Singh and Sanunani Shrestha
Singh. His father died when he was six. So, his
grandfather Ratna Man Singh brought him up.
He studied in Darbar High School till grade
six. He was expelled from the school for not
respecting his fellow students who were Ranas.
He went to India to continue his studies. After
completing his I.Sc. from Vidyasagar College, he returned to Nepal.
As soon as he returned to Nepal, he planned to protest against the autocratic
rulers of Nepal. In 1940, he joined the Praja Parishad, the first political party in Nepal.
Unfortunately he was arrested on October 18, 1940. Though he was sentenced to
life in prison for anti-Rana activities, he ultimately escaped from Bhadragol Jail in
1944. After that he fled to India.
In 1949, he became one of the founding members of the Nepali Congress. Following
this, he played a significant role to overthrow the Rana Regime in 1950. In 1958, he
became a cabinet minister. However, after the coup by late king Mahendra on 31st
December 1960, he was arrested and kept at Sundarijal Military Detention Camp
for eight years. Yet he refused to let his spirit be broken. Instead, he became one
of the main leaders advocating democracy in Nepal after he was released on 30th
October 1968.
He spent many years struggling against the partyless Panchayat System. Finally, he
led the Nepalese Democratic Movement in 1990 which overthrew the Panchayat
System. After the restoration of democracy, in 1990, he transcended above the party
politics. Later he started working in favour of the nation and her people. Sadly, ‘the
iron man’ died on September 18th, 1997 in Chaksibari, Kathmandu.

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36 ENGLISH: Grade 8
Ganesh Man Singh was awarded the United States Peace Run Prize in 1990. More-
over, he was the first Asian to be honoured with the United Nations Human Rights
Award which he received in 1993. He was the first commoner to receive the State
Funeral in Nepal.

Ways with words

1. Read the text above and fill in the gaps with correct words from the
box.

supreme leader escaped well-to-do

expelled released democracy

(a) There are many political parties in Nepal. We live in a multiparty ……

…............................….
(b) Everyone accepted Ganesh Man Singh as their leader during the
Nepalese Democratic Movement in 1990. Therefore, he was known as
the …………. of the Nepalese.
(c) Ratna Man Singh was Badakaji. He worked in the Rana’s palaces. He had
managed everything in his family. Ganesh Man Singh was born in such
a ...….......................................... family.
(d) If students break school rules and regulations, they can be …………..
(e) Though he was sentenced to life in prison, he …………. from the jail.
2. Match the words in column ‘A’ with their meanings in column ‘B’.
A B
(a) transcend (i) bringing back a system that existed
previously
(b) coup (ii) to be or go beyond the usual limits of
something
(c) restoration (iii) the funeral given by the government in
honour of a great person
(d) advocating (iv) sudden and unlawful change of the
government
(e) state funeral (v) supporting something publicly
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ENGLISH: Grade 8 37
Read and answer
1. Answer these questions.
(a) Who is Ganesh Man Singh?
(b) Where was he born?
(c) Where did he study?
(d) Why was he expelled from Darbar High School?
(e) Why did he join the Praja Parishad?
(f) Why was he sentenced to life in prison?
(g) When was the Panchayat System overthrown?
2. Find what happened in the life of Ganesh Man Singh. Write a sentence for
each date given in the table.
Date Event that happened in his life
November 9, 1915
1940
October 18, 1940
1944
1949
1950
1958
1960
30th October, 1968
1990
1993
September18, 1997

C. Activate yourself
The text above is an example of a biography. It is the life story of Ganesh Man
Singh. It is not written by Ganesh Man Singh himself. Select a renowned person
in your locality. Collect some important information about him/her. Then write a
biography of that person.
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38 ENGLISH: Grade 8
2. Time for grammar
A. Engage yourself
You might have met many people in your life. Recall one of your relatives whom
you like most. Who is he/she? Can you describe the person?

B. Study
1. Study the following text about a boy.
The boy who is reading a book is my brother. He is 17 years old. He is hard-
working. He looks funny. He usually wears a shirt, pants and a cap. He likes
to play football and cricket. He has a small mole on his right cheek.
2. Can you describe a person in a similar way? Now describe the person
using the clues given in the box.
A lady in a sari - my sister - doctor- works in her clinic- 25 years old - usu-
ally carries a bag and an umbrella - likes singing and dancing.
Study these examples.
Examples:
(i) A woman is a doctor. She lives next door.
The woman who lives next door is a doctor.
(ii) A lady is writing with her leg. She is Jhamak Ghimire.
The lady who is writing with her leg is Jhamak Ghimire.
Relative clause: A clause is a part of a sentence. A relative clause tells us which
person or thing the speaker is talking about. To form relative clauses you can use
relative pronouns like ‘who’, ‘which’, ‘whom’, ‘where’, ‘that’ etc.

Now make one sentence from each of the following pairs using relative
pronoun.
(a) A man answered the phone. He was my uncle.
(b) A waiter served us. He was very polite.
(c) A lady wrote ‘Jiwan kaandaa ki phool’. She won Madan Puraskar in 2010.
(d) People met me at the party. They were friendly.

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ENGLISH: Grade 8 39
(e) A little girl is playing on the ground. She is my sister.
(f) A man is waiting for a bus. He is my father.
(g) A receptionist received my call. She was very impolite.
(h) The first man landed on the moon in 1969. He was Neil Armstrong.
(i) A man is selling newspapers. He is Sita’s uncle.
(j) This lady is Ananda’s sister. She is delivering a speech in front of a large crowd of
people.

C. Activate yourself
Work in pairs. Describe your friends using relative clauses. You can use some
simple sentences too.

3. Listening
A. Engage yourself
Look at the picture. What are the men doing?

B. Study
1. Listen to the description of a cricketer and complete the table below.
Name of the cricketer
Date of birth
Birth place
Batting style
Bowling style
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40 ENGLISH: Grade 8