🎯 Learning Objectives
- Read and understand a humorous story about teenage behaviour
- Use APOSTROPHE correctly to show possession
- Use three forms of adjectives: Positive, Comparative, Superlative
- Use nouns as verbs
- Pronounce words with SILENT LETTERS correctly
1.1 Reading — 'Our Son the Between-Ager' by H.T. Baker
📚 Story Background
Author: H.T. Baker |
Theme: Generation gap — the funny, frustrating clash between a teenage son and his parents.
Between-Ager = A teenager — no longer a child but not yet an adult. Full of contradictions but ultimately lovable.
Episode-by-Episode Summary:
| Episode | What Happened |
|---|
| 1. The Mouth-Full Argument | Father tells son not to talk with his mouth full. The boy swallows quickly and opens his empty mouth to prove there is no food. The boy wins. The father knows he had his mouth full earlier but cannot prove it now. |
| 2. The First Shave | The boy has only a faint shadow on his upper lip but treats it like a prize garden — darkening it with his mother's eyebrow pencil! He uses the razor without permission, leaving lather everywhere, uses two new blades, leaves a flooded basin and sopping towels on the floor. |
| 3. The Pocket Money Standoff | Father stops the boy's pocket money as punishment. But the boy says cheerfully: "All right Dad — no pocket money, but could I have the ₹38 you owe me?" The father had borrowed from the boy's earnings. The Young Bull wins again. |
| 4. The Soap-and-Water Trick | Mother insists soap and water will cure the boy's skin rash. Days later the rash is gone. Mother says "See? Soap and water!" The boy says: "I didn't wash at all." He had done nothing and the rash cleared on its own. |
| 5. The Maths Homework | The boy asks his mother for help with maths, she sends him to the father, the father looks it up and explains. Boy says "That's not how you do it, Dad" and fills a page with incomprehensible squiggly brackets. Father asks why the boy asked if he already knew. Boy: "I just wanted to see if you could do it." Then immediately asks for help with a different problem! |
| 6. The Father's Conclusion | "If he were anybody else's son, I wouldn't want him around. But this one is welcome to stay." A between-ager is irritable, talkative, all mixed up — but ultimately rather lovable. |
1.2 Vocabulary — Nouns Used as Verbs
📖 Nouns as Verbs — Key Concept
From the story:
'...the way he waters it...' — Here 'water' is used as a VERB meaning 'to apply water to'.
In English, many nouns can be used as verbs!
| Noun | Used as Verb | Example |
|---|
| captain | to captain (lead a team) | Who will captain the team? |
| tutor | to tutor (teach someone) | He tutored students in Physics. |
| elbow | to elbow (push with elbow) | The bully elbowed me out of the way. |
| shoulder | to shoulder (take on responsibility) | He had to shoulder all family responsibilities. |
| police | to police (patrol/control) | The army policed the city. |
| motor | to motor (drive) | We motored down to Belgium. |
1.3 Listening — Four Siblings Speak About Family Position
| Person | Position | Advantage | Disadvantage |
|---|
| Tasia | Eldest of 5 | Can boss over younger siblings; responsible role | No privacy; must share everything |
| Roger | Middle child | Flexible — can side with either sibling; learns diplomacy | Identity unclear; often caught in the middle |
| Rini | Youngest | Pampered and cared for; less pressure | Treated like a baby even when grown; ignored in decisions |
| Adeel | Only child | All attention and resources; no competition | Lonely; never learned to share |
1.4 Grammar — The Apostrophe (')
📖 Apostrophe Rules
The apostrophe (') is used to show
OWNERSHIP or POSSESSION — that something belongs to someone or something.
| Rule | How to Form | Examples |
|---|
| Singular noun (not ending in s) | Add 's | father → father's, mother → mother's |
| Singular noun ending in s | Still add 's | boss → boss's, princess → princess's |
| Plural noun ending in s | Add ' only (after the s) | boys → boys', ladies → ladies' |
| Irregular plural (not ending in s) | Add 's | men → men's, children → children's |
📝 News Story Exercise — Completed Answers
Two girls disappeared from their
uncle's (i) house. They were there for a
children's (ii) acting course. The police asked for the other
children's (iii) names. They put Jaya and
Rita's (iv) photos on TV. The two
girls' (v) mother appeared on TV. A witness saw them get into a
man's (vi) car.
1.5 Grammar — Comparison of Adjectives
| Degree | What It Does | Rule (Short Adj.) | Example |
|---|
| Positive | Describes quality simply | Basic form | She is sweet. |
| Comparative | Compares TWO things | Add -er | She is sweeter than her sister. |
| Superlative | Compares THREE or more | Add -est | She is the sweetest of all. |
| Type | Rule | Examples |
|---|
| Short adjectives | Add -er/-est | tall → taller → tallest |
| Ending in 'e' | Add -r/-st | wise → wiser → wisest |
| CVC ending | Double last consonant | hot → hotter → hottest |
| Long adjectives (3+ syllables) | Use MORE / MOST | beautiful → more beautiful → most beautiful |
| Irregular | Learn by heart | good → better → best | bad → worse → worst |
1.6 Pronunciation — Silent Letters
| Silent Letter | When Silent | Examples |
|---|
| b | In -mb and -bt (word-final) | thumb, bomb, comb, debt, doubt |
| k | Before 'n' (word-initial) | knee, knob, know, knock, knife |
| l | Before 'k', in -lk, -lm | walk, talk, folk, balm, palm, calm |
| t | Between s-l and s-e | castle, listen, wrestle, fasten, bustle |
| w | In -wr- (word-initial) | write, wrong, wrap, wrist |
| h | In -gh- sequences | ghost, aghast, ghetto |
Practice Questions & Answers
Q1. In what two ways does the boy break table manners in the story?
1. He talks with his mouth full of food.
2. He clicks his teeth with his fork while eating.
Q2. What happened when the son shaved for the first time?
He made a complete mess — got lather all over the bathroom, used two new blades for his very sparse (thin) hairs, left the basin full of soapy water, and left the floor littered with sopping (soaking wet) towels.
Q3. Why was the son not disturbed when his pocket money was stopped?
Because the father had borrowed ₹38 from the boy's earnings earlier. So when the father stopped his pocket money, the son cheerfully asked for the ₹38 back. The father could not punish him because he owed him money!
Q4. Who are the 'Young Bull' and 'Old Bull'? What does 'locked horns' mean?
Young Bull = the teenage son. Old Bull = the father. 'Locked horns' is a metaphor — two bulls fight by pressing their horns together. Here it means: the father and son are constantly in conflict/argument.
Q5. What is a 'Between-Ager'? Give 3 examples.
A between-ager is a TEENAGER — no longer a child but not yet an adult, stuck between two stages.
1. Not old enough to shave, but insists on using a razor.
2. Not mature enough to manage money, but challenges his father about the ₹38.
3. Fights like a child, but also tries to help with maths homework like an adult.
Q6. Rewrite using the apostrophe: a) The dance of the gypsies was delightful. b) The tail of the donkey went up in the air.
a) The gypsies' dance was delightful.
b) The donkey's tail went up in the air.
Q7. Fill in the correct degree of adjective: a) The ___ (large) number of ingredients is in carrot halwa. b) Almond delight is the ___ (rich) dish.
a) The LARGEST number. (Superlative — comparing all three dishes)
b) Almond delight is the RICHEST dish. (Superlative)
Q8. Give 5 examples of silent 'k' words and 5 of silent 'l' words.
Silent 'k' (before 'n'): knee, knob, know, knock, knife
Silent 'l' (before 'k' or in -lk/-lm): walk, talk, folk, balm, palm
Q9. What is the difference between Positive, Comparative, and Superlative adjectives?
POSITIVE: Basic form — no comparison. She is tall.
COMPARATIVE: Compares TWO — add -er or 'more'. She is taller than her friend.
SUPERLATIVE: Compares THREE or more — add -est or 'most'. She is the tallest girl in class.
Irregulars: good → better → best | bad → worse → worst | much → more → most
Q10. Give the advantages and disadvantages of being an only child.
Advantages: All attention and resources; no competition; parents always available; never denied anything.
Disadvantages: Lonely; never learned to share; may become selfish or very private; no sibling to confide in.
Let Us Sum Up — Quick Revision
- Story: Humorous account of a teenager who constantly outsmarts his parents — lovable but maddening
- Apostrophe: Singular → add 's | Plural ending in s → add ' only | Irregular plural → add 's
- Adjectives: Positive (basic) → Comparative (2 things, -er/more) → Superlative (3+ things, -est/most)
- Irregulars: good/better/best | bad/worse/worst | much/more/most | little/less/least
- Nouns as Verbs: captain, tutor, elbow, shoulder, police, motor
- Silent Letters: b (bomb), k (knife), l (walk), w (write), t (castle), h (ghost)