Ethics and Morality

The unit opens with a poster, Ethics for Success, with six qualities round it. Ethics are the principles of right and wrong that guide how we behave; morality is behaving by them.

Quality	What it means	An example
honesty	telling the truth and not cheating or stealing	returning extra change the shopkeeper gave you by mistake
integrity	keeping to your principles even when nobody is watching	not copying in an exam when the invigilator steps out
responsibility	doing what you are trusted to do, and owning your mistakes	finishing your part of a group project on time
trust and respect	being someone others can rely on, and treating everyone fairly	keeping a friend’s secret; listening to someone you disagree with
leadership	guiding and encouraging others towards a goal	a class monitor who helps the slow learners, not only the toppers
punctuality	being on time	arriving at school before the bell, every day

Before you read

What kind of text it is

The text is a short parable, a simple story that teaches a moral lesson, by the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910), best known for his great novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina. In his later years Tolstoy wrote many short, plain stories for ordinary people, about forgiveness, greed and goodness. This one appeared in 1885; its Russian title means “Little Girls Are Wiser Than Old Men”. It comes to us in an English translation, which is why the girls’ clothes have old-fashioned names (frocks, kerchiefs) and the people say lassies and folly.

The story, part by part

1. Easter in the village

It is an early Easter, the Christian festival in spring. The snow has only just stopped being good for sledging (sliding downhill on a sled); snow still lies in the yards, and melting water runs in streams down the village street. Between two farmhouses, the dirty water from the farmyards has made a large puddle.

2. Two girls, two new frocks

Two little girls from different houses meet there. Malasha is very small; Akoulya is a little bigger. Their mothers have dressed them both in new frocks (dresses) for the festival, one blue, one yellow, with red kerchiefs (scarves) on their heads. Coming home from church, they show each other their finery (best clothes), and then begin to play.

The fancy takes them (they suddenly want) to splash in the water. Malasha is about to walk in, shoes and all, but Akoulya, the sensible older one, stops her: Malasha’s mother would scold her. They both take off their shoes and stockings, hold up their skirts, and walk towards each other through the puddle. Malasha is scared when the water reaches her ankles; Akoulya tells her it won’t get deeper, and warns her not to splash.

3. The splash

Just as Akoulya says “don’t splash”, Malasha stamps her foot down, and muddy water splashes all over Akoulya’s frock, and into her eyes and nose. Akoulya, angry at the stains, runs after Malasha to hit her. Malasha, frightened, scrambles (climbs quickly and clumsily) out of the puddle to run home.

4. The grown-ups take over

Akoulya’s mother passes by and scolds her daughter for her dirty frock. Akoulya says Malasha did it on purpose. At that, Akoulya’s mother grabs Malasha and hits her on the back of the neck. Malasha howls so loudly that the whole street hears, and her mother rushes out to ask why her girl is being beaten. The two mothers begin abusing each other (shouting insults). The men come out, a crowd gathers, and everyone shouts while nobody listens. Someone pushes someone else, and the quarrel is about to become a fight.

5. The grandmother’s words

Akoulya’s old grandmother steps in among them to calm them: is it right to behave like this, and on a holy day? It is a time for rejoicing, not for such folly (foolishness). But nobody listens; they nearly knock her off her feet.

6. The channel

Meanwhile the two girls have forgotten the whole thing. Akoulya wipes the mud off her frock and goes back to the puddle. With a stone she starts scraping a channel in the earth, so that the water can run out into the street. Malasha joins her and helps dig with a chip of wood. Just as the men are starting to fight, the water bursts through the channel and runs down the street, right towards the crowd. The girls run after it, one on each side, shouting and laughing, watching the chip float along, straight into the group of men.

7. Who is wiser?

The grandmother points to them: aren’t the men ashamed, fighting over these lassies (girls), when the girls themselves have forgotten all about it and are playing happily together? The children are wiser than the grown-ups. The men look at the girls, feel ashamed, laugh at themselves, and go home.

The story ends with a line from the Bible (the Gospel of Matthew), words of Jesus: unless you turn and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Words from the story

Word	Meaning here
sledging	sliding over snow on a sled
homestead	a farmhouse with its land and buildings
frock	a girl’s or woman’s dress
kerchief	a square of cloth worn on the head or round the neck
finery	your best and most beautiful clothes
fancy	(noun) a sudden wish; (verb) to want or imagine
scramble	to climb or move quickly and awkwardly, using your hands
howl	to cry loudly, like an animal in pain
abuse	to speak to someone rudely and insultingly; to treat someone badly
folly	foolishness; a stupid act
chip	a small piece broken off wood or stone
pacify	to make someone calm
lassie	(Scottish and northern English) a girl
rejoicing	great happiness, shown by many people together

A. Replace the words

B. Choose the correct answers

C. Answer the questions

D. A story from your childhood

In English, the words in a sentence are not all equally loud. The important words, those that carry the meaning, are stressed: louder, longer, higher. The small grammar words between them are said quickly and softly. This gives spoken English its rhythm, like a drum beat on the stressed words.

The mark ˈ goes before the stressed syllable of each stressed word:

• The ˈman was ˈhappy to reˈceive the ˈgift.
• I ˈwant you to ˈstart the ˈparty.
• I ˈdidn’t ˈmean ˈthat.
• ˈWhere did he beˈgin his ˈschooling?
• ˈWhat did you ˈdo ˈyesterday?

Nouns, main verbs, adjectives, adverbs, question words and negatives are stressed; a, the, to, was, you, did, his are not. The Extra bit at the end of the unit lists them.

When people plan something together, they agree and disagree. Doing it politely keeps the plan going.

To agree	To agree in part	To disagree politely
I agree with you.	You may be right, but…	I don’t think that’s right.
That’s a great idea.	I agree up to a point.	I’m afraid I disagree.
Exactly! / Absolutely.	That’s true, but have you thought about…?	I see what you mean, but…
I couldn’t agree more.	Yes, but on the other hand…	I’m not sure about that.

A. The Youth Club’s fair

In the model conversation, the President of a Youth Club asks whether everyone agrees to hold a fair to raise money. Surya agrees: the club needs money for prizes. Asmita disagrees politely: not all students will spend money at a fair, so they should look for other ways too. Notice that Asmita gives a reason and offers a way forward; that is what makes a disagreement useful, not rude.

B. Five situations

Affirmative and negative

An affirmative sentence says that something is so; a negative sentence says that it is not. To make a sentence negative:

1. Put not after the first helping verb: She can swim. → She cannot swim. They have finished. → They have not finished.
2. If there is no helping verb, add do / does / did + not and put the main verb in its plain form: Manisha has a bath daily. → Manisha does not have a bath daily. (The tense is shown once, in does or did: ✗ did not liked.)
3. Change the partner words that go with negatives: some → any, already → yet, too → either, somebody → nobody.
4. For an order, put Do not / Don’t first: Have a cup of tea. → Do not have a cup of tea. For let’s: Let’s not listen to the music.

Affirmative	Negative
He sometimes goes swimming.	He does not always go swimming.
Manisha has a bath daily.	Manisha does not have a bath daily.
Have a cup of tea.	Do not have a cup of tea.
I have already met him.	I have not met him yet.
Only he can solve it.	None but he can solve it.
Only this medicine could save him.	Nothing but this medicine could save him.
I want a little milk.	I do not want much milk.
Let’s listen to the music.	Let’s not listen to the music.
You must buy it.	You need not buy it.
I liked it, too.	I did not like it, either.
He had to do the job on time.	He did not have to do the job on time.

Most of these make the opposite statement. A few are different: only → none but / nothing but, sometimes → not always and a little → not much say the same thing (or nearly) in negative words. Only he can solve it and None but he can solve it both mean that nobody else can.

B. Make the sentences negative

Subject–verb agreement

The verb must agree with its subject: a singular subject takes a singular verb (is, was, has, goes), a plural subject a plural verb (are, were, have, go). You learned the basic rule in earlier grades. These are the cases that catch people out:

Rule	Example
A number of + plural noun = many: plural verb	A number of soldiers were injured.
The number of = the number itself: singular verb	The number of soldiers is not known.
A collective noun for one group: singular	A pack of lions was approaching. The team is ready.
Nouns that are always plural (two parts): plural	His trousers were torn. The scissors are sharp.
The + adjective for a group of people: plural	The rich are not always happy. The truthful are trusted.
An -ing form or to-infinitive as subject: singular	To cry is never the solution. Swimming keeps you fit.
Each, every, everyone, everything, either, neither: singular	Each of the dancers twirls. Everything is fine.
Either … or, neither … nor: the verb agrees with the nearer subject	Either she or her friends are responsible. Neither she nor I am going.
Here / there + verb + subject: the verb agrees with what comes after it	Here lies the body of a brave soldier. There are two letters for you.
with, along with, as well as, together with do not add to the subject	I, along with my colleagues, am efficient.
All that (= everything that): singular	All that glitters is not gold.

C. Choose the correct verbs

How to write a story

1. A title that hints at the story.
2. The beginning: who, where and when, in a sentence or two (Once upon a time, a poor woodcutter…).
3. The problem: something goes wrong, or a character must choose.
4. The events, in the order they happen, in the past tense, with a little dialogue to bring it alive.
5. The ending: what the choice led to.
6. The moral, in one short sentence.

What kind of text it is

The text is a comedy sketch, a short, funny scene for the stage or television, written as a play script. A script gives the scene (where it happens: a big TV studio), the characters, then each speaker’s name followed by their words. Words in brackets in italics are stage directions: what the actors do (The audience laughs. She pours some boiling soup into the bucket.). It makes fun of TV shows where people do silly things to break records.

The characters: Michael Moonshine, the show’s cheerful host; Albert Hargreaves, standing on one leg in a bucket of hot soup; his wife Daisy, who keeps the soup hot; Mabel Phillips, leaning on a brush; and a man with no trousers.

The sketch, part by part

1. Albert in the soup

Michael welcomes the audience to the show that gives people the chance to break a world record. Two people are trying tonight. The first, Albert Hargreaves, is standing on one leg in a bucket of hot soup. He has been there for six hours and fifty-eight minutes; the record is seven hours and three minutes. The soup is still hot because his wife, Daisy, comes every half hour with more sizzling soup, and she pours some in now. Albert screams. Michael jokes that he is glad it is Albert’s leg and not his.

2. Mabel and her brush

The second contender (competitor) is Mabel Phillips, a charming young lady, who is leaning on a brush. That’s all. The joke is that this is no achievement at all, and Michael says that poor Mabel has a long way to go.

3. The man with no trousers

A young man with no trousers walks on. Michael asks how long he has been looking for his trousers and what the world record is. The man is confused: he isn’t trying to break any record; he took his trousers off for a bath, and when he got out, they were gone. Michael chases him away: they are on television!

4. The last minute

Back to Albert, with only a minute to go. Daisy brings more blistering soup; Albert screams again. Asked how it feels, Albert says “Scorching!” Michael meant how it feels to be close to the record. Albert says he has dreamed of this moment, practiced every day, twice on Sundays. Daisy comes again, this time only to count down the last seconds: ten, nine, eight, seven… and Mabel pushes Albert. Saying “Congratulations” ironically (meaning the opposite), she watches him fall. Michael ends the show: Albert hasn’t broken a world record, but he has broken … his leg!

Words from the sketch

Word	Meaning here
a round of applause	clapping by an audience
sizzling	very hot, making a hissing sound like food frying
blistering	hot enough to raise blisters on the skin
scorching	extremely hot, enough to burn
contender	a person competing to win something
charming	pleasant and attractive
irony	saying the opposite of what you mean, often as a joke
ironic, ironically	meaning the opposite of what is said
giggle	to laugh quietly in a silly or nervous way
exploration	a search; here, a funny, grand word for looking for trousers

A. Word classes

B. True or False

C. Answer the questions

D. Is it fair?

A. Before you listen

The textbook’s listening task is a short talk about the “mentalities” we can learn from eagles. CDC’s own recording is below: read the matching task first, then listen, as many times as you need.

B. The textbook’s audio: answers

To make a negative sentence affirmative, reverse the steps: take out not (and do/does/did with it, putting the tense back on the main verb), and change the partner words back: any → some, nobody → somebody, never → always (or ever), neither … nor → both … and.

• She does not like tea. → She likes tea. (does not like → likes: the -s comes back.)
• Nobody came. → Somebody came.
• She does not have anything in her bag. → She has something in her bag.

A. Make the sentences affirmative

B. A letter with agreement errors

When someone dies, people send a message of condolence: words of sorrow to the family and friends. When someone is ill or hurt, we write a letter of sympathy, sharing their pain and wishing them well. Both must be sincere, short and kind.

A. A message of condolence

The model is a message from the Newah Organization of America (NOA) on the death of Satya Mohan Joshi (12 May 1920 – 16 October 2022), the much-loved Nepali scholar, writer and historian, who died at the age of 102.

It is built in three paragraphs:

1. The news and who he was. The organization is deeply saddened by his passing; it calls him a centenarian (someone over 100), a legend, a well-wisher of the organization, a three-time winner of the Madan Puraskar, Nepal’s best-known literary prize, and the author of more than 60 works on Nepal’s literature, culture and history.
2. What he meant to the writers. He was their chief guest and keynote speaker at their 11th National Convention in May 2012 and at their Nepal Sambat 1141 celebration in November 2020. They grieve the loss of a great member of their community.
3. Condolences and a prayer. They join the nation in mourning, offer their heartfelt condolences to the bereaved (grieving) family, keep the family in their thoughts and prayers, and pray for the eternal peace of the departed soul.

The title, Heartfelt Condolences!, the name, a photo, and the dates of birth and death come first; the sender’s name comes last.

Useful phrases
opening	We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of… / It is with great sorrow that we…
about the person	…will always be remembered for… / His (her) contribution to… is unparalleled.
condolences	We extend our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. / Our thoughts and prayers are with…
closing	May his (her) soul rest in eternal peace. / Let us pray for the departed soul.

B. Your message: Jayananda Lama

C. A letter of sympathy

How to write them

	Message of condolence	Letter of sympathy
when	after a death	after an illness, accident or loss
to whom	the family, or published for the public	the person, or their family
layout	a title, the name (and photo) and dates, the message, the sender	a letter: your address, date, Dear …, paragraphs, a warm close (Yours sincerely, With best wishes), your name
content	the sad news; who the person was and what they did; condolences and a prayer	what you heard and that you are sorry; something good about the person; an offer of help; good wishes
tone	formal and respectful	warm and personal

In spoken English, some words in a sentence are stressed and some are not. The one stressed most receives the sentence stress, and it often decides what the sentence means:

• They usually perform at public places. (public, not private)
• Rita is spending her holiday in England. (there, not anywhere else)

Content words are usually stressed: they still mean something on their own, out of the sentence. Grammatical words (function words) are usually not stressed.

Content words (stressed)	Examples
main verbs	sell, give, constitute
nouns	car, music, Mary
adjectives	red, big, interesting
adverbs	quickly, why, never
negative contractions	don’t, aren’t, can’t

Grammatical words (unstressed)	Examples
pronouns	he, we, they
prepositions	on, at, into, behind
articles	a, an, the
conjunctions	and, but, because
auxiliary (helping) verbs	do, be, have, can, must

But even a grammatical word can be stressed when it carries the point: “They’ve been to Mongolia, haven’t they?” “No, they haven’t, but we have.” Here the speaker wants to make clear who did it. And be, even as a main verb, is usually not stressed: I am Brazilian.

SEE-style practice on this unit. Try each one as in the exam, then open the answer.