Answer each of these questions in two or three paragraphs (100-150 words).
What are the main features of the mechanical teachers and the schoolrooms that Margie and Tommy have in the story?

Now use these adverbs to fill in the blanks in the sentences below:

(i) The report must be read ________ so that performance can be improved.

(ii) At the interview, Sameer answered our questions ______ shrugging his shoulders.

(iii) We all behave ________ when we are tired or hungry.

(iv) The teacher shook her head _______ when Ravi lied to her.

(v) I __________ forgot about it.

(vi) When I complimented Revathi on her success, she just smiled ________ and turned away.

(vii) The President of the company is ______ busy and will not be able to meet you.

(viii) I finished my work _______ so that I could go out to play.

Read this sentence taken from the story: They had once taken Tommy’s teacher away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out completely.

The word complete is adjective. When you add –ly to it, it becomes an adverb.

Find the sentences in the lesson which have the adverbs given in the box below.

(i) Imagine that Margie’s mother told her, “You’ll feel awful if you don’t finish your history lesson.”

(ii) She could also say: “you’ll feel awful unless you finish your history lesson.”

Unless means if not. Sentences with unless or if not are negative conditional sentences.

Notice that these sentences have two parts. The part that begins with if not or unless tells us the condition. This part has a verb in the present tense (look at the verbs don’t finish, finish in the sentences no (i) and (ii) above).

The other part of the sentence tells us about a possible result. It tells us what will happen (if something else doesn’t happen).The verb in this part of the sentence is in the future tense (you’ll feel/ you will feel.)

Notice these two tense again in the following examples:

Complete the following conditional sentences. Use the correct form of the verb.

(i) If I don’t go to Anu’s party tonight, ____________.

(ii) If you don’t telephone the hotel to order food, _________.

(iii) Unless you promise to write back, I __________.

(iv) If she doesn’t play any games, ______________.

(v) Unless that little bird flies away quickly, the cat____________.

A new revised volume of Issac Asimov’s short stories has just been released. Order one set. Write a letter to the publisher Mindfame Private Limited, 1632 Asaf Ali Road, New Delhi, requesting that a set be sent you by Value Payable Post (VPP), and giving your address. Your letter will have the following parts:-

1. Addresses of the sender and receiver

2. The salutation

3. The body of the letter

4. The closing phrases and signature.

Answer each of these questions in two or three paragraphs (100-150words).

Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think old kind of school must have been fun?

Answer each of these questions in two or three paragraphs (100-150 words).

Do you agree with Margie that schools today are more fun than the school in the story? Give reasons for your answer.

Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (or about 30 words):

How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?

Make adverbs from these adjectives.

(a) angry_________ (b) happy__________(c) merry__________ (d) sleepy__________

(e) easy__________ (f) noisy__________ (g) tidy__________ (h) gloomy__________

Answer these questions in a few words or a couple of sentences each.

How old are Margie and Tommy?

Answer each of these questions in two or three paragraphs (100-150 words).

What are the main features of the mechanical teachers and the schoolrooms that Margie and Tommy have in the story?