Grade 6 English, Lesson-1 The Cranky Macaw

 

The Cranky Macaw

 

Many different animals, birds and even reptiles are kept as pets. Dogs are popular pets as they are friendly and are good company, especially for children. Some people have cats as pets because cats are very independent. Parakeets can be trained to talk. In olden days sailors and pirates who spent a lot of time on the sea used to keep parakeets as pets. This is the story of a sailor and his pet, a macaw.

 

OLD SAILOR JOHNNY JAY LOVED THE SEA. From the year he turned twelve, he started sailing. Since then it has been 66 years. He has sailed across the world. He has seen many countries. But the sea was his home. He did not like to live on the land for a long period of time. He had a small cabin on an island of Guana where he chose to stay instead with his family, which lived on a nearby island.

 

Johnny Jay has had only one constant friend over the years. Crazy Coot, as he was known, spoke like a man but with a very odd shrieking tone. Crazy Coot and Johnny Jay both loved the sea, and like all sailors enjoyed their own company. Meeting people always made them cranky. But what made Crazy Coot really special was that he was a macaw, a kind of South American parrot. His plumage and tail feathers were scarlet in colour, the rump of light blue and the upper wings of yellow. Macaws are very intelligent and can be taught to speak.

 

Crazy Coot had a bad temper, and when irritated he would shout, almost like humans. He loved watching old movies with Johnny Jay, and could imitate sounds of gunfire. He could also speak some dialogues from some movies. He loved to whistle. Whenever he saw a girl or a woman, he would whistle loudly and pretend to faint. He also threw his favourite food -sunflower seeds throughout Johnny Jay's house and loved to hide behind things. Johnny Jay and Crazy Coot were a well-matched pair - stubborn, and solitary.

 

Johnny Jay's older sister Missy May was not fond of the macaw. She would visit them when Johnny Jay and Crazy Coot were staying in their home on the island of Guana. Whenever Missy May was around Crazy Coot, he would screech at her. Then he would make sounds of police siren and gunshots, and laugh aloud. Missy May, as you can imagine, was not very happy with Crazy Coot.

 

One afternoon Missy May came to visit Johnny Jay. When she did not find her brother in the house, she decided to sleep in the parlour for some time. She ignored Crazy Coot. When he did not get the attention that he wanted, Crazy Coot started muttering, and then hid behind some books.

 

Then a thief climbed in from the window of the parlour. He started putting things in his bag quietly because he did not want to wake up Missy May. But the thief did not know about Crazy Coot, who was hiding behind the books.Out of nowhere someone shouted, 'You thief, you kill me? Leave me alone. I call police. You go to jail.** It was followed by the sounds of police siren and gunshots. Suddenly terrified, the thief stood as if he had turned into stone.

 

The thief jumped to escape, and at the same time the sister shot up from the chair. Surprised, the thief tripped, and struck his head on the table. He fainted.

 

Missy May then called the police, who arrested the thief. Feeling ecstatic at being saved, Missy May went to Crazy Coot to pet

 

him. But what do you think did the

 

already irritated Crazy Coot do? Crazy Coot said, 'You thief, you kill me? Leave me alone. I call police. You go to jail. AAAAA....'

 

The police froze when they heard Crazy Coot and then burst out laughing. They understood how Missy May was able to escape unhurt.

 

A Comprehension

 

A1. Complete the following sentences in your own words.

 

1. Johnny Jay and Crazy Coot did not like to be in the company of many people because... they both were solitary, enjoyed their own company and meeting people always made them cranky.

 

2. Crazy Coot was not an ordinary pet because... he had a bad temper, and when irritated he would shout, almost like humans. He loved watching old movies with Johnny Jay, and could imitate sounds of gunfire. He could also speak some dialogues from some movies. He loved to whistle. Whenever he saw a girl or a woman, he would whistle loudly and pretend to faint.

 

3. Crazy Coot would screech at Missy May probably because....he did not like her visiting to the house. He was solitary and liked being in his own company.

 

4. The police were surprised when they realized how Missy May escaped, because...the words told by Crazy Coot to Missy May, saved her and made the thief arrested.

 

Answer the following questions in your own words.

 

1. What kind of birds are macaws? What is special about them?

Ans- Macaws are South American parrots. Their plumage and tail feathers are scarlet in colour, their rump is light blue and the upper wings are yellow in colour.

Macaws are very intelligent and can be taught to speak. This makes them special.

 

2. Give two proofs from the story that indicate that Johnny Jay and Crazy Coot were not used to living among lots of people.

Ans- Following are two proofs from the story that indicate that Johnny Jay and Crazy Coot were not used to living among lots of people.

1)   Johnny Jay has had only one constant friend over the years.

2)   Crazy Coot and Johnny Jay both loved the sea, and like all sailors enjoyed their own company. Meeting people always made them cranky.

 

3. What would have happened to Missy May had she woken up while the thief was still in the middle of his burglary?

Ans- If Missy May would have woken up while the thief was robbing the parlour, he might have hurt or wounded her to escape being caught.

 

4. Why did the thief turn into stone?

Ans- Thief was terrified and turned into stone because out of nowhere he heard someone shouting. It was followed by the sounds of police siren and gunshots.

 

5. How do you think people decide which animal, bird or reptile they want as a pet?

Ans- Based on their needs and preferences, people decide which animal, bird or reptile they want to keep as a pet. For example, dogs are friendly, cats are more independent and parakeets can be trained to talk.

 

B                                Vocabulary

 

Look at the paired words below:

cranky - irritated

shriek - screech

 

The paired words have similar meanings. Cranky and irritated mean annoyed. Shrick and screech mean scream.

 

Synonyms

Words that have similar meanings are synonyms of each other. Synonyms can be used when a word has to be repeated several times in the same text. Synonyms help us avoid repetition and make our writing more readable.

 

B1 The table below shows some words from the lesson in the first column. The meanings are given in the second column. Choose four correct synonyms for each word from the third column.

 

Word	meaning	synonyms
Stubborn	refusing to change opinion	determined, weak, strong willed, funny, unshakeable, persistent
Ecstatic	extremely happy	worn out, blissful, on cloud nine, tickled pink, weary, euphoric
Imitate	copy	innovate, ape, differ, duplicate, echo, mimic
Terrified	very afraid	at ease, panic-stricken, spooked, light headed, unnerved, turned into stone

 

B2. Choose the correct synonym of walk to complete the following sentences.

1. I cannot sleep. Let's go to the beach and take a,

a) stroll

b) pace

d) meander

c) wander

 

2. Don't waste time! Stop

a) strolling

b) pacing

c) wandering

d) meandering

 

3. Will you stop….. up and down the floor? You're making me dizzy

a) strolling

b) pacing

c) wandering

d) meandering

 

4. We still have time before the appointment. Let's …… a little.

 a) stroll

c) wander

b) pace

d) meander

 

Grammar

 

Present Perfect Tense

 

Look at the following sentences:

He has sailed across the world.

He has seen many countries.

Johnny Jay has had only one constant friend over the years.

 

Read the sentences carefully. What kind of 'action' or 'event' do they refer to? Choose two correct options.

 

1. They happened in the past.

2. They will occur in the future.

3. They are taking place now,

 

4. We do not specifically know the exact time when they happened.

 

The sentences above tell us about something that happened in the past. But we do not know when it happened. This could be because it is not important to know when it happened. The tense form in these sentences is called the present perfect tense.

 

The present perfect tense indicates an action that happened in the past but its effect is felt in the present.

 

My sister has bought a new bicycle. (She bought it in the past and she owns it now.)

Sheetal has injured her arm. (Her arm is still bad.)

 

We can make the present perfect tense using this formula:

 

subject + auxiliary verb has/ have + main verb (past participle) + rest of the sentence

 

I have eaten my food.

 

Subject	has/have	past participle of the main verb	rest of the sentence
I	have	driven	a car before.
You	have	done	your work
Maya	has	eaten	her share of cookies
We	have	dined	at this restaurant before.
Lara, Rajiv and Meera	have	Gone	for shopping.

 

 

Negative sentences

 

How do we make negative sentences in the present perfect? To make negative sentences we just add not between has/have and the past participle of the main verb.

 

Maya has not eaten her share of cookies.

Lara, Rajiv and Meera have not gone for shopping.

 

Has/ have + not can also be written and spoken as hasn't/haven't.

 

You haven't done your work.

Maya basn't eaten her share of cookies.

 

Questions

 

Questions in the present perfect are formed this way:

has/ have subject + past participle of the main verb + remaining parts of the sentence

 

Have you eaten cornflakes?

Has Tara danced in a competition?

 

Negative sentences in the present perfect tense can also be turned into the interrogative form.

 

Have you not done your homework?

Has she not flown in a plane?

 

Put the words in each sentence in the correct order. Then put the sentences in the right order to form a story. The first sentence has been done for you.

 

1. I've seen in Africa ostriches.

I’ve seen ostriches in Africa.

2. Africa I've been to.

I’ve been to Africa.

3. Penguins I seen because haven't I Antarctica visited haven't.

I haven’t seen Penguins because I haven’t visited Antartica.

4. Antarctica I've it's heard cold very in.

I’ve heard it’s very cold in Antarctica.

5. I've travelled across the world.

I’ve travelled across the world.

6. Kangaroos I've seen in Australia.

I’ve seen Kangaroos in Australia.

7. You have Australia visited?

Have you visited Australia?

8. Yes. I've to Australia been.

Yes, I have been to Australia.

 

2. Rewrite the following sentences in the present perfect tense and then as negative sentences. Finally turn them into the interrogative form.

 

1. Sitara lost her car keys.

Positive: Sitara has lost her car keys.

Negative: Sitara hasn’t lost her car keys.

Interrogative: Has Sitara lost her car keys.

 

2. Tommy draws funny cartoons.

Positive: Tommy has drawn funny cartoons.

Negative: Tommy hasn’t drawn funny cartoons.

Interrogative: Has Tommy drawn funny cartoons?

 

3. Maya, Jai and Reeta are eating ice cream.

Positive: Maya, Jai and Reeta have eaten ice cream.

Negative: Maya, Jai and Reeta haven’t eaten ice cream.

Interrogative: Have Maya, Jai and Reeta eaten ice cream?

 

4. They were washing the car.

Positive: They have washed the car.

Negative: They haven’t washed the car.

 

Interrogative: Have they washed the car?

 

5. You will finish your work.

Positive: You have finished your work.

Negative: You haven’t finished your work.

Interrogative: Have you finished your work?

 

C3. Let's play.

 

We all enjoy playing games. Let's see if we can string a story in the present perfect. Divide yourselves into small groups. The first student forms a sentence in the present perfect, say, I've sold my cycle.' Then the student next to the first one repeats 'I've sold my cycle' and adds another sentence to it: I've sold my cycle because I've decided to buy a scooter." The third student repeats the first two sentences and then adds to it. This goes on till the last student of the group has had his turn.

 

D Listening and Speaking

 

Listening

 

D1. Listen to the radio talk given by a police inspector on how to protect your house from burglars and robbers. Then choose the correct answers to the following questions.

 

1. According to the inspector, we can protect ourselves by

 

a) taking a few careful steps.

b) keeping firearms.

c) appointing security guards.

 

2. A pet dog

a) can bite the owners themselves.

b) is difficult to keep.

c) can act as a guard dog.

 

3. Why should we leave a light on when leaving the house in the evening?

a) So that it looks beautiful.

b) So that it looks occupied.

c) So that pets do not lose their way at night.

 

4. Before opening the door we must ask

a) 'How are you?'

b) 'Who is it?'

c) ‘Are you a robber?’

 

5. If you have a security system in your house,

a) don't tell your security code to everyone.

b) display your security code on the front door.

c) share the security code with your neighbours.

 

6. According to the inspector, if you are leaving your grandparents at home, you should

a) inform the police.

b) give them weapons for self-defence.

c) inform your neighbours.

 

7. Your door should have

a) a keyhole.

b) a peephole.

c) at least three latches.

 

8. The inspector ends his talk with this saying:

a) Look before you leap.

b) Better late than never.

c) Better safe than sorry.

 

Speaking

 

D2. A day at the fair

 

Imagine that you are going to a big fair. There are swings, food stalls, game stalls, stalls where you can play with animals like hens and ducks, and ride camels and elephants. There are ice cream stands, a magician's tent and also a stage where you can perform with your friends. Can you imagine the kind of fun you will have? There are colours all around you, people are laughing and playing. Some have come for a picnic. The air is filled with different aromas of food from the food stalls.

Make small groups and discuss how you would have spent your day at the fair. Then each group should also present something - a song, a mime or a dance - which they would have performed on the stage at the fair.

 

Writing

 

Make pairs consisting of a student who has a pet and another who doesn't. Both students talk about pets. The student who has a pet should describe what makes it so special. The student who doesn't have a pet tells which animal or bird he/she would like to have as a pet, and why. Either student will carefully note down what his/her partner says. Then they write what their partner spoke about his/her pet. In the end, students can stick their pages on the wall for the rest of the class to read.

 

Things that you can talk about: Those who have pets:

 

• What kind of pet do you have?

• What is its name?

• What does the pet usually do?

• Have you trained it to do something special? Does it bite or make noises all the time? .

• What are the favourite foods of your pet?

• Have you ever been in trouble because of it?

 

For the imagined pets:

 

• What kind of pet would you like to have?

• Why that particular pet?

• What traits make that pet special?

• What kind of activities will you do with your pet? Is it a dangerous pet?

 

Activity

 

Do you know that according to Indian law it is illegal to catch, keep, buy or sell birds? You must have seen the so-called fortune tellers using caged parakeets to do business. This is punishable by a fine and up to five years in jail. Do some research in groups of four students and make an illustrated chart of animals captured and kept illegally. Display your chart on the school noticeboard,