An Exercise in Tenses

In the extract of a paragraph from the passage, A Cooking Challenge, in a previous post on reading comprehension, you will notice that there are different kinds of tenses. Take a look at the tenses highlighted in red and attempt to explain why different kinds of tenses are used.  Then, go to the blog page of The Pear Tree Centre for Education for the explanations.

In the next post, I will go over the same extract to explain perfect tense.

I have had a few yuck moments, for sure, before I had the revelation that cooking is a science!  I have, for instance, realised that one simply does not concoct a drink from grapefruit and bitter gourd, no matter how good, Google tells you, they are good for your body.  I must admit that I tried unsuccessfully to redeem the drink through scooping spoonfuls of honey.  But, ah, those are moments that belong to history.  With a bit of help from my sister, friends and the Net, I found to my surprise that I was getting better.  That is, I was getting better, with creating rather simple dishes until the fateful day when I decided to cook egg curry with the help of the `egg roast curry powder'.

Remember to go to website of The Pear Tree Centre for Education for the suggested explanations. 

Suggested Answers (The Cooking Challenge)

Suggested answers to the reading comprehension questions found in the previous post.

1.    Give an example of a `palatable dish' that originated from `bland ingredients'.

An example would be fried egg.  The addition of onions, chillies to raw egg fried in oil makes the resultant dish tastier than the individual ingredients on their own.

2.    Which original phrase inspired the phrase `cross kitchen knives and ladles'?

The phrase is `cross swords'.

3.    What do you think happened when the writer had those `yuck moments'?

The dishes were failures in that these dishes didn't taste good.

4.    What does the writer mean by saying that `cooking is a science'?

There is a logical method to cooking. In other words, in order to achieve a good dish, only appropriate ingredients or ingredients that complement one another should be included.

5.    What would be the taste of the drink before honey was added to it? Was the addition of the honey successful in making it taste better? Give a reason for your answer.

It would taste very sour or bitter. No, since we are told that the attempt was unsuccessful.

6.    What is the meaning of chagrin?

It means disappointment or exasperation.

7.    Name the `staple vegetables'. Why do you think the writer refers to these vegetables as `staple'

The staple vegetables are tomatoes and carrots. These vegetables are regularly featured or used in the writer's cooking.

8.    What does `bid adieu' mean?

It means to say goodbye, in other words, to leave the pan.

9.    Why would the writer think that the eggs are ready to be removed?

The protruding white substance would indicate that the egg white is cooked since it has turned from liquid to solid. Hence, the writer would think that whole egg white and yolk inside each of the eggs would be cooked.

10.              In what way or ways is the `base' important?

The `base' was enough to make the dish tasty even though the main ingredient, the eggs, were not well-cooked.

A Reading Comprehension Exercise

The Cooking Challenge

I am not a great cook - well, not even a `passable' cook actually - but recently, I have been showing some interest in trying my hand at transforming bland ingredients into palatable dishes.  Reality shows have a way of inducing viewers into thinking they can become as good as the competitors on the countless shows where aspiring chefs cross kitchen knives and ladles!

I have had a few yuck moments, for sure, before I had the revelation that cooking is a science!  I have, for instance, realised that one simply does not concoct a drink from grapefruit and bitter gourd, no matter how good, Google tells you, they are for your body.  I must admit that I tried unsuccessfully to redeem the drink through scooping spoonfuls of honey.  But, ah, those are moments that belong to history.  With a bit of help from my sister, friends and the Net, I found to my surprise that I was getting better.  That is, I was getting better, with creating rather simple dishes until the fateful day when I decided to cook egg curry with the help of the `egg roast curry powder'.

Honestly, with the base curry powder at your side, how difficult can it be?  Well, unfortunately, I found out to my chagrin that what comes after including the `base' is also important!

First, I placed a saucepan, half-filled with water, on the stove and lighted it.  Then, I went about chopping the onions, garlic and ginger.  I decided that from a one-dish person, it would be better to include some carrots and tomatoes in it to make it a more complete and nutritious meal.  So, after a good rinse under the running tap, my dear staple vegetables landed on my chopping board.

Meanwhile, I glanced at the saucepan and thought the water was about to boil.  Now, I thought, would be a good time to gently lower the eggs into the pan using a ladle.  (Yes, I do get nightmares about boiling water splashing on me!)  I remembered hearing that eggs don't take long to become hard-boiled.  I glanced uncertainly at my eggs dancing in the boiling water.  When I noticed the tell-tale white substance protruding from within a thin crack lining the side of the one of the eggs, I decided that it was time for my eggs to bid adieu to the pan.

I scooped up the eggs and left it in a pot of tap water to let them cool off.  Not too long after, I decided to peel the shells off of the eggs.  It was not easy to peel because the insides were not hard but still soft.  Is this what they call `soft-boiled'? I saw the gooey yellow and mushy white wobbling within the cracked shells.

No, I did not have my perfect egg curry, but my scrambled egg curry was not too bad.  I suppose, the base is important after all!

Below are some questions based on the above account.  Go over them and try to use contextual clues and prior knowledge to answer them. Suggested answers will be offered in a few days.

1. Give an example of a `palatable dish' that originated from `bland ingredients'.
2. Which original phrase inspired the phrase `cross kitchen knives and ladles'?
3. What do you think happened when the writer had those `yuck moments'? 
4. What does the writer mean by saying that `cooking is a science'?
5. What would be the taste of the drink before honey was added to it?  Was the addition of the honey successful in making it taste better? Give a reason for your answer.
6. What is the meaning of chagrin?
7. Name the `staple vegetables'. Why do you think the writer refers to the vegetables as `staple'?
8. What does `bid adieu' mean?
9. Why would the writer think that the eggs are ready to be removed?
10. In what way or ways is the `base' important?

Sentences: Ways of starting a sentence

So do the examples above include `proper' sentences?

Thundering down in torrents, rain came, battering the barren earth in merry glee.

So long as the sentence has a subject, verb and optional object, if it is needed to complete a thought, it does not matter in which order these appear. If I were to rearrange the words, I would get:

The rain came, thundering down in torrents (and) battering the barren earth in merry glee.

The subject is the rain and the action is `came'.  So, it does not matter whether the subject is at the beginning or in the middle; so long as it's there, and along with a verb (came), the sentence gets across a complete thought, it is a proper sentence.

Now, go over the following and ask yourself if they are complete or incomplete sentences:

1. The field is overgrown with grass.
2. I can't believe that
3. James running into the room in anticipation
4. She was in tears when she came up to me and apologised
5. Lush and green, the fields appeared in the morning glow.

The answers can be found in one of the posts in The Pear Tree website.

Sentences: Beginning a sentence

Marnqui was on his way to the park when he met Lil' Pompurse walking hurriedly toward the bus-stop.

Marnqui:	Hey, wait up, where are you off to?
Lil' Pompurse:	(With his little chest puffing up in a proud heave) I am off to tutor my classmates on what makes a sentence and what does not?
Marnqui:	Wow, so you are now a tutor?
Lil' Pompurse:	Yup, I am the smartest in class, so Mr John told me to help the others.
Marnqui:	Oh, pray then, tell me, what makes a sentence a sentence and what does not?
Lil' Pompurse:	Hmmm, so you don't know either, huh? (The chest heaved even more!)
Marnqui:	Don't bother about what I know or don't, just tell me, what are you going to teach your classmates?
Lil' Pompurse:	Well, it usually starts off with the subject or doer of the action. You know, like `I had cereal for breakfast.' The `I' is the subject or the one in the thick of the action!
Marnqui:	Oh, alright... then, what about a sentence that starts with an object?  What would your answer be for a sentence that goes like this: `The cereal was eaten by me.'
Lil' Pompurse:	I am coming to that! (Here, the chest deflated a little, but just for a moment, mind you!) That would depend on whether the sentence is an active or passive voice.
Marnqui:	Voice?! You mean, a sentence talks?!
Lil' Pompurse:	(Breaking into spirited laughter, or to our texting friends, lol) Gosh, you crack me up! In an active voice, the focus is on the subject or doer and the action, so the sentence is, sort of, active, you know. From my given example, the focus is on the `I' having the cereal. However, in the case of the passive voice, the attention is drawn to the object, or the recipient, or result, of the act. Thus, in your example, you want people to pay attention to the cereal and not the `I' or subject. Hence, you said, `The cereal was eaten by me.' Both are correct. It just depends on what or whom you want to draw attention to.
Marnqui:	Wow, you are so smart, Pompurse! Now, do you see this sign? What do you make of it? Some of these sentences don't start with a subject or an object? So, are they proper sentences?

What do you think? Are they `proper' sentences? Answers from The Pear Tree Centre for Education coming soon.

Meanwhile, look out for the additional exercise on complete and incomplete sentences, which will be available in a couple of days.

Sentences: Complete and Incomplete Sentences

A Sentence - What is it and what makes it complete?

What is a sentence?  You might have been taught that, at a basic level, a complete sentence consists of a subject, verb and object.  However, this definition is too simplistic.

I (subject) go (verb or action word) to the market (objective of the action `go').

Therefore, in the simplest sense, it is correct to say in a sentence there is a subject, verb and object.

However, as Man is complex so is language.

I exist.

This is also a sentence, but there is no object; there is only the subject, `I', and the verb `exist'.  Therefore, it would be more instructive to think of a complete sentence as one that includes a complete thought.

A complete sentence is one that is able to convey one's thought completely.

Take a look at the following and ask yourself which of these include a complete thought and which don't.

Even though I studied hard.

I tried my best to persuade her.

The mighty waves thundered.

While the game was on.

Waiting at the sidelines.

The incomplete sentences are the following since they do not include complete thoughts:

Even though I studied hard.

While the game was on.

Waiting at the sidelines.

The use of `even though', `while' and `waiting' indicates that the writer has more information to disclose.

1. I studied hard but something contrary to what would normally happen took place. What was it? We are not told.  However, if we add that information, as shown in the next sentence, then the sentence will be complete since the `full' thought is offered to the reader.  Even though I studied hard, I failed in the exam.
2. Again, something happened `while the game was on'. Therefore, to complete the sentence, I could add: A man ran onto the pitch while the game was on.
3. We have no idea what to make of the `waiting at the sidelines'. Waiting is a gerund, that is, a word ending in `ing'.  If I were to convert the given example to the following: Waiting at the sidelines is a bad idea, then the `waiting at the sidelines' becomes a gerund phrase, that is, it becomes a noun - the subject of the verb `is'.

The remaining two, which are repeated below, are complete sentences since they complete the thoughts that need to be expressed.

I tried my best to persuade her.

The mighty waves thundered.