May Assignments: Mishel’s English Class

English Language

Essays

Copy write each of the following essays. You must highlight new words, sentence starters and
connectors. Pay close attention to presentation, spacing and title placement. You may edit the story
line, introduction or conclusion as per your choice.

TYPE 01: Narrative Essay

Your father is an avid traveler and loves to seek new experiences. Narrate your experiences
of one special trip that you took along with your father.

Traveling has been my father’s longtime passion. He finds exploring unfamiliar places, meeting new
people and getting to know different cultures exceptionally inspiring. Therefore, by the age of 12, I
had already been to many exotic places: Turkey, Laos, Thailand, Japan, Egypt, Malaysia, New
Zealand, Australia and Cuba. Recently my father had to go Ukraine for work. He wanted to take us
with him and since my younger brother and I had holidays during that period, the whole family went
for the trip.

I did not know what to expect from Ukraine since I knew little about it. But somehow I knew that it
would be an intriguing experience due to the spontaneous nature of my travel. Ukraine turned out to
be completely different from any place I had visited so far. Kiev, the capital city, appeared
unexpectedly well-groomed, green and wealthy. Lots of bridges across the Dnieper River, a large
number of outstanding parks, a couple of botanical gardens, and flowers everywhere you go.

The Carpathian Mountains in Western Ukraine are precious and authentic, with small distant villages
and little country houses that seem like modern progress will never reach them. The people of
Western Ukraine amazed me as well, especially the elderly – amiable, positive and active.

From the Carpathians, we traveled to Lviv – a wonderful medieval city that is somewhat similar to
Prague, yet it is special in its atmosphere: 800-year-old castles, wooden churches, Gothic catholic
temples and palaces, flowers at every corner and on every window seal, original block pavement
streets of the Old City (Stare Misto).
Lviv is a magical city and it fueled me with inspiration to see the rest of the country. Next we went to
Zaporizhzhya (quite a tongue twister) – an eastern city with two thousand years of history. The city
is built on two banks of the Dnipro River, and has an island in the middle – Khortitsa – the biggest
river island in the world.

The city itself seemed to me to be still Soviet-like in its spirit and atmosphere, so it was quite
interesting to take photos of their famous dam with the huge Lenin statue pointing at it, and the
factories that were once the pride of the USSR and, amazingly, still successfully functioning for
export purposes nowadays.

Our next stop was Crimea – a big heart-shaped peninsula that is washed by two seas – the Black
Sea and the Azov Sea (the shallowest in the world). Crimea has indescribable mountains, fantastic
crystal caves and scenic deep lakes. It is a picturesque place – so green, so virginal, so unlike
anything I have seen before.

Ukraine was a true discovery for me, and one of those times when your expectations are nothing
like what you see. If you should ask me what place I can recommend to those avid and blasé
travelers who seem to have seen it all, I would say without a second of hesitation: “Go to Ukraine!
Whatever you will expect this will still amaze and astonish you.”

TYPE 02: Descriptive Essay

You have been living in your ancestral house since your birth. The house is acquired by the
government because the Delhi Metro line has to pass from there. Narrate the incidence and
describe your feelings about moving out of this house.

My grandfather came into the country from what had just been named Pakistan in 1947 with his
parents. In return for the land that he had left behind there, he had been allotted some property in
what was now the capital of independent India – New Delhi. On this land, over four years, he built
for his family a lovely new house. Until last week it was the only home I had ever known, and now it
is to be demolished.

Over the last few years sweeping changes have taken place in Delhi; with the advent of the Delhi
Metro, the very geography of the city has been altered. Suddenly, it has become possible to get from
one end of the city to the other in just over an hour, and that too in air-conditioned comfort.

As time goes by, the spread of the Metro is only slated to expand. It will soon cut through entirely
new localities and neighborhoods as it makes it easier than ever before to get from place to place in
the city. Unfortunately, my ancestral house happens to be in one of those neighborhoods.

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Our house happened to be right where a new line of the Delhi Metro was soon supposed to be. Since
it was, of course, impossible for both to simultaneously occupy the space, the house had to go. The
Government bought it from us for a princely sum, and while this allowed us to buy another house
elsewhere, it could do nothing to alleviate the pain we felt at shifting out. That we were in some,
small way assisting the growth of public transportation in the city was no consolation at all.

As we packed our belongings and began moving our luggage out, there was no one who was not
crying a little bit. Four generations of my family had lived in this house, and it was suffused with the
memories of all the time we had spent here. I myself had grown up in its various rooms, corridors,and
gardens, and was heart- broken at the thought that very soon it would cease to even exist. Still, a
new house meant new rooms and a new neighborhood to explore, and that was a heartening thought
for the time being.

TYPE 03: Argumentative Essay

Technology has made us overly dependent on its existence

For the motion:

Billy Lox, a very famous American bassist said, “Technology should improve your life, not become
your life.” That’s one thing that every one of us should learn and adopt. We need technology just to
improve and help us do our work, which otherwise would be time consuming, in a much easier and
faster way. That is it. We do not have to become slaves of technology. Gadgets, equipment,
machines etc., are just a part of life not a way of life.

We need to loosen our grip on technology and tighten it on human interaction. Albert Einstein once
said, “I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a
generation of idiots.” We definitely do not want our generation and the coming generations to be
skill-less nitwits.

Gone are the days when kids would want to play outside in the parks or gardens. They now want to
have a smart phone or a laptop or a television in front of them where they either play games, watch
shows etc. We know that these actions have serious repercussions.

Depression, insomnia, hyperactivity disorder are some major disorders that today’s kids are facing
are directly linked to gadgets. A very important question here is not what technology has done and
is doing ‘for’ us but what technology has done and is doing ‘to’ us. One to one communication is
losing its essence.

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While sitting together for dinner in a restaurant, in a party, in a family gathering or any social event,
people are seen glued to their smart phone. Reading stories to children, listening to live music,
having a soulful conversation with a family member or friend seems forgotten tales.

Our increasing dependence on technology for getting us through all our daily chores, our day to day
obligatory communication, our days and our nights, is removing the power of choice. We take what
technology has to offer without weighing our options because it’s easy and quick that way. I conclude
with just one sentence. Technology is a useful servant but a very, very dangerous master.

TYPE 04: Picture Composition

Study the picture given below and write a story or a description or an account of what it
suggests you. Your composition may be about the subject of the picture or you may take
suggestions from it; however, there must be a clear connection between the picture and your
composition.

School is perhaps one of the best experiences of life. This makes me recall an incident of my life.
An excursion was planned by my school when I was in the 9th standard. The news came as a
surprise to me and we were too excited to go. We were informed that we were going to Jaipur for
two nights and three days.

When I went home, I very cautiously told this to my mother who did not stir a bit. I had to try very
hard to convince her. Finally, she gave her consent and advised me not to do anything reckless on
my trip.

Once we were in Jaipur, we visited beautiful forts there. We also saw peacocks there. We could not
stop ourselves from admiring their beauty. As we were about to click some pictures of the peacocks,
we heard some school kids screaming. The noise was so loud that we moved towards the direction

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from where screams were coming. To our surprise, we saw three of our school children sitting on an
elephant along with the master of the elephant. That was not the usual scene of an elephant ride
because the animal was crossing the lake with all these four people sitting on it. The lake surrounded
the fort and was deep. The water was also quite cold that day and so the elephant was slightly
uncomfortable crossing the lake.

The elephant was losing its balance and this was the reason that the kids were screaming.
Everybody present there was only looking at the helpless kids as even the elephant’s master was
unable to control the balance of his animal. Although the kids were holding each other but still they
seemed to be afraid. Suddenly, the elephant lost its balance and to everyone’s surprise all its
passengers fell in the water.

All the children started yelling for help. I and my friends knew swimming and we jumped into the lake
for their rescue. By God’s grace, we were successful in saving their lives. On coming back from the
trip, we were praised by our school Principal and were also awarded with the bravery award. Our
parents felt so proud of us.

TYPE 05: Story Writing

“Where there is a will, there is a way”. Use this proverb to write a story.

Reaching to the Heights

Robin belonged to an extremely poor family. His father worked as a laborer in the fields. His earning
was insufficient and could hardly support a family of five people. Robin, being the eldest, was
different from other members of the family. Instead of taking life as it comes, he decided to go to a
nearby town and started distributing newspapers there. He used to get up at 3:30 am, collect the
newspapers by 4:30 am and then start the distribution of newspapers. Initially, he would take a cycle
on rent as he did not have enough money to purchase one. He used to get monthly wages from the
newspaper distributor (his employer) and one newspaper everyday.

Robin was very hardworking as well as studious. He enrolled himself in a government school where
the fee was very nominal. Whatever wages he earned, he sent part of it to his family in the village.
Years rolled on and his employer was impressed by Robin’s hardwork and studious nature. His
employer offered him to get admitted in a college after passing from school. He joined the college
and was the first person from his village to become a graduate.

He read all the books he could get hold of. One of his friends suggested him to appear for Civil
Services Examination. The coaching and examination fee for this exam were excessively high, so
he started taking tuitions in Science and Maths in the evening. He studied till late at night. His
hardwork and perseverance ultimately paid off as he was able to pass the Civil Services Examination
with flying colours. He was very excited and so were members of his family and the whole village.

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After initial training, Robin was posted as District Magistrate of his own district. This was the day
when Robin could not hold his tears. The whole village was there to greet and cheer him. He was
an inspiration to the other poor people of his village as he had proved that nothing is unachievable
if one works diligently for it. ‘Where there is a will, there is a way’!

Letter Writing:

Follow your own school formats for the addresses, date line and salutations.

Write a letter to the Police Commissioner of your city drawing his / her attention to the menace
of hawkers outside your school. Tell him / her what dangers they pose and offer solutions for
their rehabilitation.

Flat 236, Block C,

Hill Crest View Apartments,
Salem Street,
Coonoor-26.

23rd February, 2018.

The Police Commissioner,

Police Commissioner’s Office,
6, Cavalry Road,
Coonoor-3

Dear Sir,
I write to draw your attention to the menace of hawkers outside St. Paul’s School in Nehru Nagar of
our town. I am the Secretary, Swach Bharat Club, St. Paul’s School. The hawkers sell open food
and cheap toys. A number of our school students cluster around them and the lane in front of our
school is blocked, dirty and congested.

I would request you to look into this problem and have the hawkers move into the field behind our
school. This would ensure that they are not deprived of their livelihood and the area in front of our
school is kept clean and congestion fee.

The hawkers must also be warned about the importance of necessary hygiene and the sale of clean
food. This will ensure that students do not fall sick after eating food sold by the hawkers.I trust that
you will consider my suggestion and take the necessary steps as outlined in my letter to you to deal
with the menace of hawkers outside the school.

Thanking you,

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Yours faithfully, / Yours truly,

Santosh Haldar
B-32, Sector-11
Rohini Apartments
New Delhi-110034

July 10, 2018

Dear Agyat,

My happiness knew no bounds when I got to know that you have topped your school and achieved
your dream. I felt so pleased that I wish I were there to congratulate you personally.

The result has proved that hard work, determination and perseverance brings good results. You
were so laborious and passionate about it. I know you were very nervous too, but I was always very
confident that you would come out with flying colours.(Add points of your own)

I apologies that I couldn’t even attend the celebration party despite my wishes. Hope to see you
soon. Please be encouraged and continue your hard work. Your future is very bright.

My parents and elder sister have sent lots of love and heartiest congratulations.

With lots of love and best wishes.

Yours lovingly,
Shikha

Email Writing:

You are Saurabh/Saumya of class X of Happy School, Daryaganj, New Delhi. You wish to
participate in a Robotics contest being organised by a Infocom Private Company. Write an e-
mail to your Principal requesting him to nominate your name for the Class IX-X level, giving
him the detail of the Robot that you want to display in the contest.

To: principalhappyschool@[Link]

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Subject: Nomination for entry in Robotics Contest

Dear Sir,

I am a student of Class X-B of your school. I most humbly request you to nominate my name in the
class IX-X category of the upcoming Robotics Contest being organised by Infocom Pvt. Ltd.

The Robot that I have made for the contest is able to mimic a human’s voice. It is also capable of
reciting a few nursery rhymes. I am quite confident that my entry would bag the first prize in the
contest.

Kindly nominate my name on the behalf of our school.

Thanking you,
Yours truly,
Saurabh Grover
Class X-B

Your school is organizing a charity drive for the underprivileged children of the nearby
locality. Write out a notice to be put up in your school informing students about the event
and inviting them to participate in the charity drive.

GIVE TILL IT HURTS!

(Charity Drive for the Underprivileged Children of our locality)

Date: Friday, 3rd August, 2018

Time: 8 a.m to 11 a.m
Venue: The Assembly Area, SMJ School

All the students from class 5 to 10 kindly contribute to make the charity drive a success. Used text
books, unused notebooks, stationery, blazers, sweaters or shoes that are in good condition may be
handed over to your class Prefect.

Be as generous as possible. Give Till It Hurts!