A Book I Have Recently Read

Reading book is my passion. I have read many books. I have recently read a book named ' Pather Panchali'. It was written by famous writer Bibhutibhusan Bandyopadhyay. It is my favourite book.The main characters of the book are Apu, Durga, Harihar and Sarbajaya. It is a touching account of a boy's growing up from childhood to adolescence. It is a story of a poor family. Harihar and Sarbajaya, a rustic couple passed their days in miserable distress. But they dreamt of a rosy future. Durga died a premature death. It was a great shock to the family. One cannot help shedding tears when one reads about the death of Apu's dearest sister Durga. The book gives a very living picture of the beauty of a remote village in Bengal in minute details. The story reminds us the hardship of the thousands of poor and helpless people of our country. Really it is an immortal creation of Bibhutibhusan Bandyopadhyay. Reading the book is altogether an unforgettable experience.

A Paragraph on 'Our National Flag'.

The flag of a nation upholds its identity as an independent nation. Our National Flag is the symbol of our freedom, the aims and ideals of life. The idea of a National Flag was first taken in 1907 in Calcutta. The present shape of our National Flag was adopted on July 22, 1947. Our tri-coloured, rectangular flag has a bright saffron strip at the top. It stands for India's ideal of sacrifice and service. The white band in the middle symbolises truth, purity and peace. The colour green at the bottom represents strength, courage and youth. The ratio of the width of the length of the flag is 2 : 3. There is a blue Chakra in the centre of the flag. It stands for the wheel of life and progress. The flag is hoisted on the days of national importance. It is kept half-mast on the days of national mourning. Our National Flag is very dear to us. It is the lamp of our liberty. We shall keep this lamp ever alight. We shall try to keep the flag ever flying at all costs.

A Paragraph on 'Discipline'

We cannot live without liberty. But uncontrolled liberty leads to chaos. We cannot do whatever we like to do. There are certain limits to our desires. These limits are exercised on us by certain rules of social living. Obedience to these rules is called discipline. The word 'discipline' is derived from the word 'disciple'. A disciple or learner has to know how to follow and obey some established rules and regulations. It is certainly the key to success not only to an individual but to a nation as well. We obey some rules and there is order in the society. For a peaceful living we control our whims and maintain discipline. We think of us and think of others. Discipline is connected with co-operation. It is necessary everywhere in civilized life. It is an important key to success. A disciplined student shines in life. A disciplined team wins. And a disciplined army is rarely defeated. In absence of discipline a man moves aimlessly. A family loses peace. A society crumbles and there's anarchy in a country. So we obey rules. Rules regulate us and we live a happy life.

List of Collective Nouns

A Collective noun is the name we give to a group of nouns to refer to them as one entity.

 List of Collective Nouns :

1. A class of students.
   
2. An army of soldiers.
   
3. A choir of singers.
   
4. A crew of sailors.
   
5. A band of musicians.
   
6. A bunch of crooks.
   
7. A crowd of people/spectators.
   
8. A gang of thieves.
   
9. A group of dancers.
   
10. A team of players.
    
11. A troupe of artists/dancers.
    
12. A pack of thieves.
    
13. A staff of employees.
    
14. A regiment of soldiers.
    
15. A tribe of natives.
    
16. An audience of listeners.
    
17. A panel of experts.
    
18. A gang of labourers.
    
19. A flock of tourists.
    
20. A board of directors 
21. A catch of fish.
    
22. An army of ants.
    
23. A flight of birds.
    
24. A flock of birds.
    
25. A haul of fish.
    
26. A flock of sheep.
    
27. A herd of deer/cattle/elephants/goats/buffaloes.
    
28. A hive of bees.
    
29. A litter of cubs.
    
30. A host of sparrows.
    
31. A team of horses.
    
32. A troop of lions.
    
33. A zoo of wild animals.
    
34. A pack of wolves.
    
35. A litter of puppies/kittens.
    
36. A swarm of bees/ants/rats/flies.
    
37. A team of horses/ducks/oxen.
    
38. A murder of crows.
    
39. A kennel of dogs.
    
40. A pack of hounds.
41. A group of islands.
    
42. A galaxy of stars.
    
43. A wad of notes.
    
44. A forest of trees.
    
45. A stack of wood.
    
46. A fleet of ships.
    
47. A string of pearls.
    
48. An album of stamps/autographs/photographs.
    
49. A hedge of bushes.
    
50. A library of books.
    
51. A basket of fruit.
    
52. A bowl of rice.
    
53. A pack of cards.
    
54. A pair of shoes.
    
55. A bouquet of flowers.
    
56. A bunch of keys.
    
57. A chest of drawers.
    
58. A pack of lies.
    
59. A range of mountains.
    
60. A cloud of dust.
    

Words Denoting Sounds

Every creatures makes a sound of its own. This brief chapter acquaints you with these sounds.

Creature/Object                                                Sound
Ape                                                                    gibber
Ass                                                                     bray
Baby                                                                   lisp
Bear                                                                   growl
Bee                                                                    buzz,drone,hum
Bell                                                                    ring, tinkle
Bird                                                                   chirp, sing, twitter, warble
Bungle                                                                blow
Bull                                                                    bellow
Calf                                                                   bleat
Camel                                                                grunt
Cat                                                                    mew, purr
Chain                                                                clank
Cloud                                                                thunder
Cock                                                                 crow
Coin                                                                  jingle
Cow                                                                  low
Cricket                                                              chirp
Crow                                                                caw
Dog                                                                   bark
Door                                                                 bang
Dove                                                                 coo                
Drum                                                                 beat
Duck                                                                 quack
Eagle                                                                 scream
Elephant                                                             trumpet
Falling object                                                     thud
Frog                                                                  croak
Fly                                                                     buzz
Goat                                                                  whine, bleat
Goose                                                                cackle
Hand                                                                  clap
Hen                                                                    cluck
Hoof                                                                  clatter
Horse                                                                 neigh, snort
Jackal                                                                 howl
Leaf                                                                   rustle
Lion                                                                   roar
Monkey                                                             chatter
Mouse                                                               squeak
Nightingale                                                         warble
Owl                                                                   hoot
Pig                                                                     grunt
Pigeon                                                               coo
Puppy                                                                yelp
Sheep                                                                bleat
Shoe                                                                  creak
Snake                                                                 hiss
Squirrel                                                              squeak
Teeth                                                                 chatter
Tiger                                                                   roar
Trumpet                                                              blare
Turkey                                                                gobble
Vulture                                                                scream
Wing                                                                   flap
Wolf                                                                   howl, yell

Rules of Using Articles

There are two types articles in English language.

1. Indefinite article: a/an
2. Definite article: the

An article is used before a noun or an adjective modifying a noun. 

Definite Article 'The'

The definite article "the" is used for a definite, specific or particular noun.
   e.g.  Mr. Roy bought the car.
The article “the” before the noun “car” in above sentence means that the car, Mr. Roy bought, is a specific or particular car and not any car.

                          Indefinite Article 'A' and 'An'

The definite article “a/an” is used for indefinite, non-specific or non-particular (common) noun.

   e.g.  Mr. Roy bought a car.

The article “a” before car in above sentence means that the car he bought is any car and not a specific or particular car.

List of Important Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal /Group Verbs	English meaning	Phrasal verbs used in sentence
Act on / upon	Affect	Over eating acts upon your health.
Ask for	Beg/pray	The woman asked for his son.
Bear away	Win	He bore away three prizes in the Annual sports.
Bear with	Tolerate	Please bear with us in this time of trouble.
Bear out	Support	His evidence bears out the charge brought against the accused.
Blow out	Extinguish	Blow out the lamp.
Blow up	Destroy by explosion	The terrorists of Kashmir blew up a bus.