📝 Unit 1: People

Six people are described below. Match each description with the
correct person from the box. Write the letter in the space provided. The first
one is done for you.

People:
(a) Mr. Lalith Vitharana — middle-aged, well built, fair, tall, with a thick black moustache, wears a yellow checked shirt.
(b) Mr. Ravi Balan — about thirty, average height, light-skinned, with neat short hair, carries a brown briefcase.
(c) Mrs. Ramya Vitharana — middle-aged, average build, fair, in a green saree with a small red bindi.
(d) Mrs. Madini Balan — young, slim, fair, in a yellow saree, holding a small handbag.
(e) Mr. Mohomad Razik — middle-aged, thin build, with a thick black beard, carrying a brown leather briefcase.
(f) Mrs. Sarojini Silva — old, average build, with wavy grey hair, in a pink saree, wearing glasses and a wristwatch.

Descriptions:
(1) She is the eldest of all and wears glasses. → f (example)
(2) He is the only person with a thick beard. → ...
(3) She is young and slim and is dressed in a yellow saree. → ...
(4) He wears a yellow checked shirt and has a thick moustache. → ...
(5) He has a clean-shaven face and carries a brown briefcase. → ...
(6) She wears a green saree with a small red bindi. → ...

Underline the correct word in brackets to complete the description.
The first one is done for you.

My uncle (1) (is, are, am) about forty years old. He is tall and
(2) ........... (well-build, well-built, well-builds). He has a (3) ........... (round, rounds,
rounded) face and a (4) ........... (short, shorter, shortly) beard. His hair (5) ...........
(is, are, was) thick and black. He is also very (6) ........... (kind, kindly, kindness)
and never gets angry with us.

Study the picture (a family photograph) and fill in the blanks
using ONE word from the box in each blank. The first one is done for you.

Word box:
fair · tall · curly · beard · saree · son · short · daughter · standing · sitting · suit

This picture shows a family. The father is (1) ...tall... and well built. He has a
thick black (2) ........... . He is wearing a navy-blue (3) ........... . The mother is
(4) ........... and slim, with a green (5) ........... . She has (6) ........... black hair
that just touches her shoulders. She is (7) ........... beside her husband. Their
(8) ........... is about ten years old and wears a school uniform. He is
(9) ........... in the middle. Their (10) ........... is five and has (11) ........... black hair
tied with a red ribbon.

Rashmi and her aunt are talking about a wedding photograph.
Rewrite each statement in reported speech. The first one is done for you.

(1) Rashmi: "This is my mother in the photograph."
→ Rashmi said that <b>that was her mother</b> in the photograph. (example)
(2) Rashmi: "She looks very young."
→ Rashmi said that ...........
(3) Aunt: "She was twenty-two when this was taken."
→ Aunt said that ...........
(4) Rashmi: "Will you tell me more about that day?"
→ Rashmi asked her aunt if ...........
(5) Aunt: "Where is your father in the photograph?"
→ Aunt asked ...........
(6) Rashmi: "He is standing behind grandma."
→ Rashmi said that ...........

Read the following text and answer the questions.

My English teacher, Mrs. Perera, has been with our school for fifteen years.
She is about fifty years old, of average height and medium build. She always
wears a saree, usually in light colours. Her hair, which used to be jet black,
now has more than a few grey streaks at the temples. What you notice first
about her, though, are her eyes — large, kind and always smiling.

She is the most patient teacher in our school. When I joined Grade 9 from a
Tamil-medium school, I couldn't construct a single English sentence. Other
teachers might have given up on me, but Mrs. Perera stayed back after class
every Wednesday to read with me. She never raised her voice, not even when I
made the same mistake five times in a row. Today I can write a full essay in
English, and I owe most of it to her.

Of course, she has her own little weakness. She is so kind that she sometimes
forgets to mark students who arrive late, which other teachers say spoils the
discipline. But ask any of us — we love her exactly the way she is.

(1) Roughly how old is Mrs. Perera?
(2) What does the writer notice first about her teacher?
(3) Write the sentence which shows that the teacher is very patient.
(4) Underline the correct answer. The writer joined Grade 9 ...........
(a) from another English-medium school.
(b) from a Tamil-medium school.
(c) without knowing any other language.
(5) What is Mrs. Perera's small weakness?

On your way home from school yesterday you found a small white
puppy near the bus stop. Write a notice to be put up on the village notice
board. Use about 40–50 words.

Include:
• where and when you found the puppy
• a brief description of the puppy
• how the owner can contact you.

Write a paragraph on ONE of the following topics. Use about 50–60
words.
(a) An interesting person I know
(b) My best friend
(c) My class teacher

Write on ONE of the following. Use about 200 words.
(a) An article to the school magazine on 'The person I admire most'.
(b) An essay on 'A famous Sri Lankan personality'.
(c) Write a description of a member of your family. Include:
• appearance (age, height, build, face, hair)
• personality (positive qualities and one small weakness)
• a clear example of one of those qualities
• why this person is important to you.