Our Responsibilities
👋 What this unit is really about
You give up your bus seat to a pregnant woman; somebody else scratches their name into the seat back. Same bus, two opposite ideas of what we owe one another. Grade 11 opens with that sharp question — who is responsible for the society I live in? — and walks you through buses, school walls, vandalism, road rules and community service, handing you the English to discuss every one.
The grammar that fits stories about the past is all four past tenses seen together in one picture, so you finally stop muddling them. You'll also watch how a single root word can grow several new jobs by adding a suffix (vandal → vandalism → vandalize), and you'll practise the notice and informal-letter formats that turn up as Test 14.
📖 Role Play — Vikum and Chamindu on the bus
NIE Pupil's Book Grade 11, page 1 — reproduced verbatim. Watch the small acts of responsibility threaded through it — keeping a friend's bag, offering a seat — and the new word the unit is built around: vandalism.
Notice how the whole conversation is the lesson, acted out. Vikum offers to carry a bag, the boys debate whether laws alone can make people behave, and at the very end Vikum stands up for a pregnant woman without being asked. That last line answers the unit's big question quietly: responsibility isn't something the law forces on you — it's the small decent thing you do when nobody is watching. Hold that idea; it's the heart of the civic essay you'll write later.
📖 Reading — Vandalism
NIE Pupil's Book Grade 11, page 3 — reproduced verbatim. Read it for its shape: paragraph one says what vandalism is, paragraph two why it happens, paragraph three how much it costs us.
This passage is a model of how to explain a problem in an essay. It defines the word first ("deliberately destroys, alters or defaces… without permission"), then digs into causes — and notice they're not the obvious ones; boredom, peer pressure and the search for "fun" do more damage than real malice. Then it names the consequence: it's a crime, and "a problem that affects everyone". When you write about any social issue, borrow this what → why → so-what order, and your argument will never wander.
📐 Grammar — Past tenses — all four in one diagram நான்கு இறந்தகாலங்கள்
Imagine a single afternoon yesterday. The four past tenses are simply four camera angles on it. Past simple snaps a finished moment — "the postman delivered the letter". Past continuous films an action mid-flow — "I was waiting when he delivered it". Past perfect rewinds to something that finished even earlier — "my father had visited the library a week before". And past perfect continuous shows an action that had been rolling on up to that earlier point — "he had been waiting a long time to get those books". Same afternoon, four lenses.
Once you see them as one family rather than four separate rules, the choosing gets easy: ask finished or going on? and at the main time, or before it? Those two questions land you on the right tense every time.
| Tense | Form | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Past simple | V2 (delivered) | a single past action, finished at a point. |
| Past continuous | was / were + V-ing | an action going on at a point in the past. |
| Past perfect | had + V3 | a past action finished before another past action. |
| Past perfect continuous | had been + V-ing | an action that started earlier and went on up to a past point. |
The Farah letter (page 9) lines all four up in one little story:
- Past simple: The postman delivered the letter.
- Past continuous: I was waiting for a letter from you when the postman delivered it.
- Past perfect: My father had visited the library a week before he organized this donation.
- Past perfect continuous: He had been waiting a long time to get those books for the library.
The trap is over-using the past perfect. It only earns its place when there are two past events and you need to show which came first. With a single event, the plain past simple is right — "I went to school" needs no "had".
📐 Grammar — Word-class suffixes — vandal → vandalism · vandalize · vandalistic பின்னொட்டுகள்
A root word is like a seed, and a suffix is the soil that decides what it grows into. Take "vandal" (a person): add -ism and it becomes the idea (vandalism, a noun); add -ize and it becomes the action (vandalize, a verb); add -istic and it becomes a describing word (vandalistic, an adjective). The meaning stays in the family; the suffix just changes the job it does in a sentence.
This matters for the exam because Test 9 hands you a root and a gap, and the shape of the gap tells you which suffix it needs. If the sentence wants a thing, reach for the noun ending; if it wants something done, reach for the verb ending. Learn the common endings and you can build the right word on demand.
| Root noun | + -ism | + -ize | + -istic |
|---|---|---|---|
| vandal | vandalism (noun) | vandalize (verb) | vandalistic (adj) |
| critic | criticism | criticize | — |
| terror | terrorism | terrorize | — |
| real | realism | realize | realistic |
Other word-class swaps the paper loves to test:
- -ity (makes a noun): safe → safety · cruel → cruelty · responsible → responsibility
- -ance / -ence (noun): attend → attendance · differ → difference
- -able (adjective): respect → respectable · enjoy → enjoyable
- -ize (verb): modern → modernize · organ → organize
✍️ Writing — Informal letter to a friend (~100 words, Test 14 shape)
on a topic of your choice. Use about 100 words.
Include:
• address top-right
• date
• informal greeting (Dear ...)
• thanks for last letter / news
• one update about your school
• one update about your family
• closing wish.
Pannipitiya.
27th January 2027.
Dear Kalani,
How are you? I hope you are doing fine. Thank you very much for your letter
and the birthday card. I was waiting for a letter from you when the postman
delivered it. It's a lovely card made out of natural flowers and leaves which
we all admired.
School reopened last week and everyone is busy with the inter-house cricket
tournament. My young brother won the under-12 spelling bee — Amma is
prouder than the boy! How is your A-Level prep going? Write soon.
Love,
Farah.
Why it works: An informal letter to a friend is warm and chatty, but it still has anchors the examiner checks off — and this model slips them all in without sounding stiff. Look at the layout: address and date top-right, the friendly "Dear Kalani,", a thank-you that opens the conversation, one piece of school news and one of family news, and a closing wish ("Write soon"). The clever part is that it quietly shows off the unit's grammar — "I was waiting for a letter when the postman delivered it" puts past continuous and past simple in one natural sentence. Keep the tone like talking to a real friend, but never drop the required pieces.
✍️ Writing — Notice for a community activity (40–50 words)
residents to take part in a 'Clean Our Lane' community day. Use 40–50 words.
Dear residents, the Youth Society invites every household on Lake Drive to
join us on Saturday, 6th March 2027 at 8.00 a.m. to clean drains and clear
the roadside of polythene. Please bring a broom and gloves. Refreshments
will be provided.
— Tharindu Silva, Secretary.
Why it works: A notice has one job: give every fact a reader needs in as few words as possible. Test it against the five W's — what (Clean Our Lane day), who (every household), when (Saturday 6th March, 8 a.m.), where (Lake Drive), and the practical extras (bring a broom; refreshments provided). Notice there's no waffle, no story — a heading in CAPITALS, the details, and a signature with the writer's role. That last part matters: a notice must be signed by someone with the authority to call it, here the Secretary. Lean and complete beats long every time.
⭐ What the exam asks about this unit
Glance over this before revising. The four past tenses are a Test 12 fixture every single year, and word-class suffixes anchor Test 9. The notice and informal letter are common Test 14 tasks, and "public property" / civic-responsibility essays come round regularly. This opening unit quietly feeds a large share of the paper.
| Past-paper test | What was tested |
|---|---|
| 2015 Test 9 | Notice rewriting (Drama practices begin / parents' letters of permission) |
| 2017 Test 9 | Word-form fill-in (manage / participate / invent / compete) |
| 2018 Test 9 | Match instructions to places (Library / Hospital / Bus) |
| 2019 Test 14 (a) | Letter on Teachers' Day — informal letter shape |
| 2018 Test 16 (a) | Article on 'Public property belongs to all of us' — direct unit topic |
| Test 12 every year | Verb-form passage testing all four past tenses |
- Sprinkling "had" everywhere — past perfect is only for the earlier of two past events; a single event takes plain past simple.
- "He had been play in the field" — past perfect continuous is had been + V-ing: "had been playing".
- Picking the wrong suffix — read the gap: a thing wants -ity/-ism, an action wants -ize, a description wants -able.
- A notice with no date, no time, or no signature — those are the easy marks examiners hand out for completeness.
🎯 Test yourself before you move on
- Name the four past tenses and one form each. → Past simple (V2), past continuous (was/were + V-ing), past perfect (had + V3), past perfect continuous (had been + V-ing).
- Which two questions choose the tense? → Finished or going on? and at the main past time, or before it?
- When is the past perfect the right choice? → Only for the earlier of two past events in the same context.
- Build the noun, verb and adjective from "real". → realism / realize / realistic.
- Which suffix makes a verb, and which an adjective? → -ize → verb; -able / -istic → adjective.
- Name three things a community notice must contain. → Any of: what, when, where, who, and a signature with the writer's role.
| Paper · Test | Format | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Paper I · Test 6 | Notice / note / message | 40–50 |
| Paper I · Test 8 | Short paragraph (a place, a person, a hobby) | 50–60 |
| Paper II · Test 14 | Letter or data description (bar / pie / table) | ~100 |
| Paper II · Test 16 | Article / essay / speech / story / dialogue | ~200 |
Examiners cut marks for going over by more than 10%. Count by line — six average sentences ≈ 60 words.
📝 Exam Practice
Write your answer first, then click Show model answer to compare.
brackets — past simple, past continuous, past perfect or past perfect
continuous.
(1) Mr. Bandara (sell) ........... his car last week.
(2) Suwimali (sweep) ........... the classroom by the time the teacher
started the lesson.
(3) She (wait) ........... at the bus stop for an hour when I saw her.
(4) When the bell (ring) ..........., the children were already in line.
(5) By 2020, our village (build) ........... two new playgrounds.
(2) had swept (or had been sweeping)
(3) had been waiting
(4) rang
(5) had built
5 marks.
word in brackets.
(1) Vandalism is a (CRIME) ........... act in our country.
(2) The principal asked us to (DISCIPLINE) ........... ourselves.
(3) Travelling without a ticket is a (PUNISH) ........... offence.
(4) Her (KIND) ........... towards stray dogs is well-known.
(5) Citizens must take (RESPONSIBLE) ........... for their actions.
(2) discipline (use the verb form)
(3) punishable
(4) kindness
(5) responsibility
5 marks.
notice board. There is a mistake in each sentence. Rewrite each sentence
correctly. The first one is done for you.
Notice for Grade Nine students
(1) Drama practices begins tomorrow → Drama practices begin tomorrow. (example)
(2) Be prepare to stay after school.
(3) Parent's letter of permission are needed.
(4) Lunch is providing at the hostel.
(5) Meet on the main hall at 2.00 p.m.
(6) The principle will address the students.
(3) Parents' letters of permission are needed.
(4) Lunch is provided at the hostel.
(5) Meet in the main hall at 2.00 p.m.
(6) The principal will address the students.
5 marks.
(1) Give the dictionary definition of vandalism.
(2) Name THREE causes of vandalism mentioned in the text.
(3) Write the sentence that lists the punishments for vandalism.
(4) Find a word in paragraph 2 that means 'lack of interest or excitement'.
(5) Underline the correct answer. According to the passage, most vandals
(a) have a clear plan.
(b) do it for political reasons.
(c) do it without a clear motive, often as fun or art.
(2) Any three: lack of meaningful activities, disciplinary problems, revenge, boredom, anger, frustration, peer-group pressure, playfulness, curiosity, pleasure.
(3) "It is a punishable crime with imprisonment, monetary fines, or both as laws exist in a country to prevent vandalism."
(4) boredom.
(5) (c) do it without a clear motive, often as fun or art.
5 marks.
notice for the school notice board about a poster competition titled
'Respecting Public Property'. Use about 40–50 words.
Include:
• topic and theme
• size of the poster
• closing date
• prize.
Grade 9 to 11 students are invited to enter a poster competition titled
'Respecting Public Property'. Posters must be on A3-size art paper, in any
medium. Hand entries to Mr. Perera by Friday, 11th March 2027. Winning
poster receives a Rs. 5,000 book token.
— Secretary.
50 words. 5 marks.
(a) Why I respect public property
(b) My duty as a citizen
(c) Vandalism in my neighbourhood
Public property belongs to all of us. The bench at the bus stop, the wall at
the park and the desk at school were paid for by my parents' taxes — and
mine, one day. Scratching my name on them is scratching my own future. So I
carry my litter, hold my voice down in the library, and ask politely before
I touch anything that is shared.
5 marks.
service you took part in. Use about 100 words.
Include:
• address, date, salutation
• what the community activity was
• who organised it / how many took part
• what you learnt
• closing wish.
Maharagama.
6th March 2027.
Dear Sajini,
Last Saturday morning our Youth Society organised a community clean-up day
in our lane. Forty households turned out, armed with brooms, sacks and a
shared determination. By noon we had cleared two truckloads of polythene
and cut back the overgrown drains.
More than the rubbish, I came away with two new lessons. First, work goes
faster when everybody pitches in. Second, the neighbours I had never spoken
to now wave hello.
Why don't you start something similar on your lane?
Love,
Tharindu.
108 words. 10 marks — full layout, three short paragraphs, two clear
lessons, closing question.
(a) An article: 'Public property belongs to all of us'.
(b) A speech on 'Our responsibilities as good citizens'.
(c) An essay on 'How to stop vandalism in our area'.
If you walked through the bus stand at Maharagama yesterday, you would have
noticed three things: a half-broken signboard, a fresh marker scrawl across
the shelter wall, and a child's school bag left behind on a bench. The first
two are vandalism. The third is the simple fact that all of us — even the
youngest — depend on what is public.
Public property is everything that does not belong to one person but to all
of us together: schools, hospitals, buses, parks, streetlights, water taps,
post-boxes. We use them daily. They were built with our parents' tax money
and ours too, one day. When someone scratches a name on a wall, breaks a
bus seat or smashes a streetlight, they damage what we have already paid for.
There are three steps every student can take. First, awareness — teach a
younger student why it matters. Second, example — pick up litter even when
no one is watching. Third, courage — politely ask a vandal to stop, or
report the act to a prefect or the police.
Public property belongs to all of us. To respect it is to respect ourselves
and the country we want to live in.
Thank you.
15 marks — opening hook, clear definition, three-step action plan, warm
close.
⚡ Quick Check — Passive Voice (advanced)
1. "The road ___ ___ repaired last month." (passive, past — two words)
2. "A new hospital ___ next year." (future passive)
3. "The homework must ___ by Friday."
4. "Trees ___ ___ planted every year." (present passive — two words)
5. Why do we use passive? "Electricity was discovered by Faraday."
🎧 Dictation — Gerunds & Infinitives
Listen carefully, then type exactly what you hear. Click 🔊 to replay.
🗣️ Speaking — Discussing Responsibilities
Read each sentence aloud. Click 🎤 Record, speak clearly, then see your result.