CBSE Class 9 - English - Unit 5 - Connectors

Connectors

Q1:Read the English folktale given below and fill up the blank spaces with suitable words.

Answer:

There were once three tortoises - a father, a mother (a) _and_ a baby. (b)_✗/On_ one fine morning during Spring, they decided (c) _that_ they would like to go for a picnic. They picked the place (d)_where__ they would go; a nice wood at some distance, (e) _and_ they began to put their things together. They got tins of cheese, vegetables, meat and fruit preserves. In about three months, they were ready. They set out carrying their baskets (f) _after_ eighteen months, they sat down for a rest. They knew (g) _that_ they were already half way to the picnic place.


In three years they reached there. They unpacked (h) _and_ spread out the canned food. Then, mother began to search inside the basket. She turned it upside down and shook it (i) _as/because_ something important was missing.

"We've forgotten the tin- opener. Baby, you'll have to go back. We can't start without a tin-opener. We'll wait for you".

Do you promise (j) _that__ you won't touch a thing (k) _until__ I come back?"

"Yes, we promise faithfully," Mother and father said together.

Soon after, he was lost among the bushes.

So, they waited and waited. A year went by and they were getting hungry. They had promised (l)_so_ they waited. They began to feel really hungry (m) _when_ the sixth year was about to end.

Mother tortoise said, "He'd never know the difference."

"No," said the father tortoise.

Mother tortoise said, "He ought to be back by now. Let's just have one sandwich (n)_while_ we are waiting."

They picked up the sandwiches, (o) _and_ as they were going to eat them, a little voice said, "Aha! I knew you'd cheat! It's a good thing I didn't start for that tin opener," baby Tortoise said.

1.1 Based on your reading of the passage, complete the statements using given connectors.

Answer:

a) The mother, father _and a baby___thought _of going to a picnic_(and)
b) They planned to walk to the woods __which were at some distance__ (which)
c) They reached the place __which was half way to the picnic place_in eighteen months (which)
d) They eagerly unpacked their picnic basket _but didn't find the tin-opener__(but)
e) It was _after three years, when the three tortoises arrived at the picnic, place. (after)
f) The mother tortoise ordered the baby to go home for the opener, saying _that they had forgotten tin-opener (that).
g) _But the baby __ (but) was not willing at first.
h) The Mother and Father promised to wait _until he returned__ (until)
i) After a year went by_, they began to get very hungry. (after)

1.2 Notice how ideas are connected in the story. Write what the following words you just used in 1.1 imply by choosing suitable options from the box.

connects similar actions, objects
denotes contrast
denotes time.

Answer:
  and: connects similar actions, objects
  but:  denotes contrast
  where: denotes place
  while: denotes time
  after: denotes time
  until: denotes time
  so: denotes time

2. Classification
Look at the table below, showing the different meanings of connectors. Put words from the box into the correct categories. Some have been done for you as examples.

because           when if       as…..as       after       before
therefore          where              than                 provided                  that                whereas
so that                            as                        although                                while

Answer:

Contrast	Reason/   Cause	Result/   Purpose	Place	Time	Comparison	Condition
whereas	because	therefore  so that	where	when  while	as...as  than	if  provided  than

3. More Complex ConnectorsRead through the following text. Pay special attention to the underlined words. These help the reader to understand the relationship between sentences, or the parts of sentences, clearly.

Select as many appropriate words as possible from the list given below to replace the underlined words. Be careful not to change the basic meaning too much.

---

to his amazement                                    even though
although                                                  in actual fact
as a matter of fact                                   lastly
generally                                                 usually
however                                                  nevertheless
besides                                                    to his surprise
as a rule                                                  all the same.

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Martin's Picture

Martin wasn't a very bright boy. Normally, he never came more than second from the bottom in any test. But, that morning in the art lesson, he had drawn a beautiful picture of a scarecrow in a field of yellow corn. To his astonishment, the drawing was the only one given full marks - ten out of ten - which made him for the first time in his life the best in the class! He had proudly pinned the picture up on the wall behind his desk, where it could be admired by all. It seemed though, that not everyone admired it. Some unknown member of the class had, in fact, taken a violent dislike to it.

During the lunch break, when the classroom had been deserted, the picture had been torn off the wall. Moreover, it had been trodden or stamped on. As if that wasn't enough, the words 'ROTTEN RUBBISH' had been written on the back in big round letters. And finally, the paper was so creased that it looked as though it had been screwed up into a tight ball and perhaps thrown about the room.

"Who could have done it?" Martin wondered.

Now rewrite the text.

Answer:

Martin's Picture

Martin wasn't a very bright boy. Usually,/Generally/As a rule, he never came more than second from the bottom in any test. However/Nevertheless, that morning in the art lesson, he had drawn a beautiful picture of a scarecrow in a field of yellow corn. To his amazement/To his surprise, the drawing was the only one given full marks - ten out of ten - which made him for the first time in his life the best in the class! He had proudly pinned the picture up on the wall behind his desk, where it could be admired by all. It seemed although/even though, that not everyone admired it. Some unknown member of the class had, in fact, taken a violent dislike to it.

During the lunch break, when the classroom had been deserted, the picture had been torn off the wall. As a matter of fact/Besides/In actual fact, it had been trodden or stamped on. Nevertheless/Besides, the words 'ROTTEN RUBBISH' had been written on the back in big round letters. Lastly, the paper was so creased that it looked as though it had been screwed up into a tight ball and perhaps thrown about the room.

"Who could have done it?" Martin wondered.

4. What Comes Next

Connectors are indicators or markers of what comes next in a text.

Look at these extracts from longer texts. Decide which marker/connector could be used in the blanks to indicate what comes next. e.g.

There are many good players in the cricket team: for instance, Tendulkar and Dhoni.

Answer:

1. There are two main types of elephant in the world: _that is/namely_, the Indian and the African.

2. He is good at swimming, tennis and hockey. _Furthermore/Further to this/Besides, he has also represented the school in cricket.

3. Many environmentalists strongly object to the mill being built at Srutipur, _on the other hand/wheras_ the unemployed are very happy at the proposal.

4. Her performance in the Olympics did not match our expectations. _Inspite of the fact/ Regardless of the fact that_, she hasn't improved much in the recent past.

5. … In the field of research the computer, has proved immensely useful. _Overall/In conclusion/ To sum up_, It has become an indispensable tool for all kinds of scientific endeavour.

6. The import of petrol has been banned in the Midlands. _Consequently/As a result/Therefore, the price of it has gone up.

Discourse Connectors

Type of Relationship	Connector	Position in Sentence
Ordering	Firstly, Secondly, Second, First, Third, next, finally etc.	Initial position (Generally beginning of a sentence)
Summary	Finally, All in all, To summarize, To sum up, In toto etc.	Initial position
Addition	Additionally, In addition, Moreover, Further, Further to this, Besides etc.	Initial position
Contrast between two different things, persons	On the other hand, However,Yet, In contrast etc.	Initial position, starts a clause
Concession (unexpected contrast)	Nevertheless, Nonetheless, Despite the fact, Regardless of the fact, etc.	Initial position, starts a clause
Exemplification or Result	Namely, For example, For instance, that is etc.	Initial position
Reason (explaining why this is so)	Since, Because, so far as etc.	Initial position, starts a clause
Result of something	Therefore, Consequently,As a result, Accordingly, Hence, Thus etc.	Initial position, starts a clause
Condition	As a matter of fact,Indeed, On the contrary As it happens	Initial position

5. Look at the text below. The sentences have been jumbled up. Write them in order out to produce a complete paragraph. The first sentence has been given to help you.

a. To conclude, like many things in life it is up to the individual to use TV wisely, or to abuse it and become its slave.
b. By contrast, those who attack TV state that it makes people lazy by doing everything for them.
c. Television is here to stay.
d. In other words, it stifles rather than stimulates the imagination.
e. Defenders of TV say that it is a wonderful source of information about things we can never hope to see or do in person.
f. Moreover, they say it makes topics interesting which would otherwise be boring and difficult in books.
g. However, is it a boon or a curse?
h. In fact, it has become an indispensable part of our lives.

Answer:
Television is here to stay. In fact, it has become an indispensable part of our lives.However, is it a boon or a curse? Defenders of TV say that it is a wonderful source of information about things we can never hope to see or do in person. Moreover, they say it makes topics interesting which would otherwise be boring and difficult in books. By contrast, those who attack TV state that it makes people lazy by doing everything for them. In other words, it stifles rather than stimulates the imagination. To conclude, like many things in life it is up to the individual to use TV wisely, or to abuse it and become its slave.

What helped you to put the sentence back in the correct order?
Connectors link information in the sentence in which they occur to information in preceding sentences. Thus they help put the sentences back in correct sequence.
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