English Grammar and Writing Skills for Marathi students

     In this beautiful essay, the writer points out the value of good manners in social life and emphasizes the importance of courtesy and politeness in daily behaviour. He shows how polite speech and manner sweeten the atmosphere around and how discourtesy and ill manners spoil or pollute it. The angry lift man's case:      The angry lift man in a city office threw (hurled) a passenger out of his lift because the latter (the passenger) refused to say “please”! The adamant passenger wanted to go to the top floor, so he said Top! while the liftman expected him to say “Top-please!”      When the passenger refused to say "please" the lift-man felt insulted. His self-respect was challenged. He would have been less hurt if someone had kicked him. The pain of a kick on the shins soon passes away, but the pain of a wound to our self-respect may spoil a whole day. The passenger showed discourtesy by not saying "please" but not saying "please" is not ...

An Astrologer's Day Short story by R. K. Narayan The main character (protagonist) in this story is the astrologer (fortune teller) who spent his early life in a village, but later shifted to a town. The astrologer's forefathers (ancestors) were farmers, but he could not continue the same occupation. He had to leave home and shift to a town where he married and settled permanently. Why he left his village is a suspense which gets cleared in the end. In fact, he had no knowledge of astrology but with clever guessing and some knowledge of human psychology he surprised his clients (customers). His clients were pleased and astonished with his words. He knew no more of what was going to happen to himself next minute. He was as much a stranger to the stars as were his innocent customers. Yet he said things which pleased and astonished everyone: that was more a matter of study, practice, and shrewd guesswork. Textbook Reference Page 3 The astrologer did his business under a huge tamari...