UNIT III: HUMAN RELATIONS
I. Look at these words from the story:
1. newly-wed wife 2.bus stop 3.forehead
They are all compound words. A compound word is a union of two or more words to convey a specific idea or special meaning that is not as clearly or quickly conveyed by separated words. As shown above, compound words may be hyphenated, written open (as separate words), or written solid (closed). The use of compounding in English is an evolving process. As expressions become more popular or adopt special meanings, they follow a gradual evolution from two or more separate or hyphenated words to single words.
audio visual audio-visual audiovisual
wild life wild-life wildlife
The words in the first, second and third columns are called 'open compounds', 'hyphenated compounds' and 'closed compounds' respectively. In this unit we focus on hyphenated compounds.
A hyphenated compound is a combination of words joined by a hyphen or hyphens. Here, the hyphen aids understanding and readability and ensures correct pronunciation. Words are hyphenated mainly to express the idea of a unit and to avoid ambiguity.
Exercise 1
Write 5 compound words in each category.
Open Compounds
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Hyphenated Compounds
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Closed Compounds
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Grammar
I. In this story the author used the past perfect (had + past participle) in many sentences. If you observe the following sentences from the story and the rules given under them, you will understand why and how the past perfect is used.
1. It was 10.20 ....... My father had already left. (para 6)
When an action takes place before a point of time in the past, the action is expressed in the past perfect tense. (Sometimes the point of time can be understood from the earlier sentences and other contextual clues.)
2. Finally we reached Dirang. The bus from Tawang had not yet reached Dirang.(para 11)
When two actions in the past are clearly separated by time, the earlier action is expressed in the past perfect tense.
3. I quickly sat down on a rock. My father laughed at my plight. (para 7)
When two actions in the past happen simultaneously, both of them are expressed in the past tense.
4. a) Sunitha never saw a bear before she was transferred to Maredumilli. (not from the story)
c) I never met him after I left India.
Normally, when the time relation is unambiguous, (by the use of before, after, because,etc.), the simple past (past perfect is optional) is used to refer to both past actions.
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