My Uncle Podger

A1. Discuss with your partner the following: You come across a story, caricatures/cartoons/a movie based on one and the same theme. Would you like to read a story or see it in other form? Would you enjoy watching caricatures/cartoons? Would you like to watch a movie? What is more interesting? Why? A2. Funny things When you look around you come across many situations that make you laugh. What is it, that makes you laugh? Discuss with your partner. A3. Order of your choice Read the story quickly and arrange the following statements in order of preference of your own choice. a) Commotion leading to humour b) Hilarious attempt at a simple job c) Realistic to our life, so makes us laugh d) Irritating, yet interesting to read about e) Situational humour f) Expressions

My Uncle Podger
He always reminds of my poor Uncle Podger. You never saw such a commotion up and down a house, in all your life, as when my Uncle Podger undertook to do a job. A picture would have come home from the frame-makers and be standing in the dining-room, waiting to be put up; and Aunt Podger would ask what was to be done with it, and Uncle Podger would say; Oh, you leave that to me. Dont you, any of you, worry yourselves about that. Ill do all that. And then he would take off his coat, and begin.

He would send the girl out for six penorth of nails, and then one of the boys after her to tell her what size to get; and, from that he would gradually work down, and start the whole house. Now you go and get me my hammer, Will, he would shout; and you bring me the rule, Tom; and I shall want the step -ladder, and I had better have a kitchen-chair too; and Jim! You run round to Mr. Goggles, and tell him, Pas kind regards, and hopes his legs better; and will he lend him his spirit level? And dont you go, Maria, because I shall want you to hold me the light; and when the girl comes back, she must go out again for a bit of picture-cord; and Tom! Wheres Tom? You come here, I shall want you to hand me up the picture. And then he would lift up the picture, and drop it, and it would come out of the frame, and he would try to save the glass, cut himself; and then he would spring round the room, looking for his handkerchief. He could not find his handkerchief, because it was in the pocket of the coat he had taken off, and he did not know where he had put the coat, and all the house had to leave off looking for his tools, and start looking for his coat; while he would dance round and hinder them. Doesnt anybody in the whole house know where my coat is? I never came across such a set in all my life upon my word I didnt. Six of you! and you cant find a coat that I put down not five minutes ago! Well, of all the Then hed get up, and find that he had been sitting on it, and would call out: Oh you can give it up! Ive found it myself now. Might just as well ask the cat to find a nything as expect you people to find it. And, when half an hour had been spent in trying up his finger, and a new glass had been got, and the tools, and the ladder, and the chair, and the candle had been brought, he would have another go, the whole family, including the girl and the charwoman, standing round in a semi-circle, ready to help. Two people would have to hold the chair, and a third would help him up on it, and hold him there, and a fourth would hand him a nail, and drop it. There! he would s ay, in an injured tone, now the nails gone. And we would all have to go down on our knees and grovel for it, while he would stand on the chair, and grunt, and want to know if he was to be kept there all the evening. The nail would be found at last, but by that time he would have lost the hammer. Wheres the hammer? What did I do with

the hammer? Great heavens! Seven of you, gaping round there, and you dont know what I did with the hammer! We would find the hammer for him, and then he would have lost sight of the mark he had made on the wall, where the nail was to go in, and each of us had to get up on the chair, beside him, and see if we could find it; and we would each discover it in a different place, and he would call us all fools, one after another, and tell us to get down. And he would take the rule, and re-measure, and find that he wanted half thirty-one and three eights inches from the corner, and would try to do it in his head, and go mad. And we would all try to do it in our heads, and all arrive at different results, and sneer at one another. And in the general row the original number would be forgotten, and Uncle Podger would have to measure it again. He would use a bit of string this time, and at the critical moment, when the old fool was leaning over the chair at an angle of forty five, and trying to reach a point three inches beyond what was possible for him to reach, the string would slip, and down he would slide on to the piano, and really find musical effect being produced by the suddenness with which his head and body struck all the notes at the same time. And Aunt Maria would say that she would not allow the children to stand round and hear such language. At last, Uncle Podger would get the spot fixed again, and put the point of the nail on it with his left hand, and take the hammer in his right hand. And, with the first blow, he would smash his thumb, and drop the hammer, with a yell, on somebodys toes. Aunt Maria would mildly observe that, next time Uncle Podger was going to hammer a nail into the wall, she hope hed let her know in time, so that she could make arrangements to go and spend a week with her mother while it was being done. Oh! You women, you make such a fuss over everything. Uncle Podger would reply, picking himself up. Why, I like doing a little job of this sort. And then he would have another try, and, at the second blow, the nail would go clean through the plaster, and half the hammer after it, and Uncle Podger be precipitated against the wall with force nearly sufficient to flatten his nose. Then we had to find the rule and the string again, and a new hole was made; and about midnight, the picture would be up very crooked and insecure, the wall for yards round looking as if it had been smoothed down with a cake and everybody

dead beat and wretched except Uncle Podger. There you are, he would say, stepping heavily off the chair on to the charwomans corns, and surveying the mess he had made with evident pride. Why some people would have had a man in to do a little thing like that! Glossary Commotion: Sixpenorth Charwoman: Grovel: Gaping: Row: Precipitated:

= = = = = = =

sudden noisy confusion six penny worth woman whose job is to clean a house Crawl stare with your mouth open serious disagreement between people hurled downward

A4. Now read the story again and after discussing with your partner answer the following questions: 1. What was the task that Uncle Podger undertook? 2. What were the errands assigned by him to the different family members? 3. What were the arrangements, when the job was actually being done? 4. Describe in your own words; the incident of putting up the frame. 5. Which specific incident made you laugh? 6. Pick out the phrases which show that Uncle Podger felt a great sense of achievement. 7. Describe the different tasks assigned to different children. 8. Why did the entire household get busy in searching the coat? 9. How many members helped? 10.How did Uncle Podger fall down? 11.Imagine Uncle Podger in the kitchen busy with cooking. Describe the outcome, in a humorous vein. 12.How does Uncle Podger complicate the simple task of hanging the picture on the wall? 13.Do you think Uncle Podger was unsystematic in doing his task? Yes/No. Give substantial reasons / justify your answer. A5. Linkers:

Pick out phrases / words which are expressive but are used as discourse markers For example: upon my word, well. A6. Match Match the expressions with their appropriate shade of meaning. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Up and down Leave that to me To lose sight To have another try Smooth down a. unable to find b. redo c. all over d. level e. responsibility

A7. Tool-kit You have to prepare a tool kit that Uncle Podger used. Refer to the story and pick out the appropriate words that can go into your kit. hammer A8. Word Register As you read the story you come across many words from the field of Mathematics. List them down. Every field has got its own vocabulary. Develop a small register containing words belonging to different fields or worlds, like Medicine, Sports. etc. A9. Qualities of Uncle Podger Go through the text, discuss with your partner, the different traits of Uncle Podgers personality and match the columns: A B Ordering people about * I did it! Doing things in a confused and disorderly manner. * bossy Working without proper planning * unsystematic Being bad-tempered and unreasonable * chaotic situation

 Mission accomplished

* petulant

A10. Glance through the story again and label each paragraph where you can fit in the following headings: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Uncle Podger undertook the job himself. Family members sent out on different errands. Search for Uncle Podgers coat is on! Everybody eager and ready to help. Uncle Podger tries his hand at calculations. Uncle Podger felt a great sense of achievement.

A11. Continuous action in the past Look at the following sentences and then discus with your partner the questions in the box: The old fool was leaning over the chair at an angle of forty-five. Discuss: What do the underlined words indicate? What is the action indicated? Is the action going on or over? Was the action going on in the past? When do we use was and when do we use were? A12. What were you doing yesterday? Ask your partner what he/she was doing at this particular time yesterday. Write down their responses in your notebook. Later on you should tell what you were doing. Select the proper verb form to make the sentence meaningful: 1. Uncle Podger were waiting/waiting/was waiting to put up the photograph on the wall. 2. All the family members were watching/watching/was watching the scene. 3. The members were helping/was helping/helping to find a hammer.

4. Everybody was laughing/were laughing/laughing at the situation. A13. Expressions Glance through the story again and write what Uncle Podger would do in the following situations: 1. Uncle Podger lifted up the picture and dropped it . 2. Uncle Podger could not find his tools . 3. Uncle Podger was standing on the chair, while the rest of the family were searching for the nail that he had dropped . 4. While leaning over the chair, Uncle Podger would slide on to the piano 5. About midnight, the picture would be up very crooked and insecure .. A14. Humour As you read a story certain things make you laugh. List all those situations or sentences that make you laugh. Give reasons. A15. Cartoon strip You have gone through the story and now you know the plot and characters in it. Draw a cartoon strip with your style of drawing. Take help of your friends. Think of the consequence of events. Consider a witty comment. Look at the use of small dialogues Make use of call outs or pop ups! You may even add to or change the story! A16. Crack a Joke contest You must have come across many jokes. Take a turn and share your jokes in your class. Note the skill required to tell a joke Shouldnt hurt the feeling of others Should be on the lighter side of life Should be witty and express your command over language. Use decent words Make laughter a real fun!

A17. Character sketch You have read about the character sketch of Uncle Podger. Now imagine about any such personality, may be your uncle/aunty! Develop a character sketch using the ideas given below. Uncle Podgers attitude towards work His nature and disposition His was way of involving other family members in the task His method of doing a particular job (planning, preparation, etc.) His actual behaviour when unexpected things happen. His tenacity in facing of obstacles. ******