( you need 10 minutes to read this story)
–
Once, in a small village, there lived a poor Brahmin. He was very learned but did nothing all day. He lived on the alms the villagers gave him every day.
One day, as usual, the Brahmin got up in the morning, performed his morning rituals and set out to beg for alms. As he went from door to door, people gave him several things. Some gave dal. Others gave him rice and yet others gave him vegetables. But one generous lady gave the Brahmin a large measure of flour.
“Ah! What good luck. I will not have to beg for alms for a long time,” thought Brahmin to himself.
He went home and cooked his lunch. After he had eaten, the Brahmin put the flour into a large mud pot and hung it near his bed. “Now, it will be safe from rats,” he said to himself as he lay down in his cot for an afternoon nap.
He began to think, “I will save this flour until there is a famine. Then I will sell it at a very good price. With that, I will buy a pair of goats. Very soon, I will have a large flock of goats. With their milk, I will make more money. Then I will buy a cow and a bull. Very soon I will also have a large herd of cows. Their milk will fetch me a lot of money. I will become very wealthy. I will build for myself a huge palace and get married to a beautiful woman… Then we will have a little son. I will be a proud father. In a few months, my son will start crawling. He will be mischievous and I will be very worried that he may come to some harm. I will call out to my wife to take care of him. But she will be busy with housework and will ignore my call. I will get so angry. I will kick her to teach her a lesson like this…”
Brahmin threw his leg up. His foot hit the pot of flour hanging overhead and it came down with a resounding crash, spilling the flour all over the dirty floor. The lazy Brahmin realized that his foolishness and vanity had cost him a precious measure of flour. Laziness and foolishness taught him a lesson. Thereafter he lived an active life which took him to heights.
–
Vocabularies
Brahmin (noun): A member of the highest Hindu caste, traditionally responsible for religious teaching and conducting rituals.
Example: The Brahmin was respected in the village for his knowledge and wisdom.
Alms (noun): Money or food given to the poor as charity or a sign of compassion.
Example: The villagers offered alms to the beggar at the temple.
Flour (noun): A fine powder made by grinding grains, nuts, or seeds, used in baking and cooking.
Example: The baker used flour to make delicious bread.
Famine (noun): An extreme scarcity of food, leading to widespread hunger and starvation.
Example: The region faced a severe famine, leading to a humanitarian crisis.
Goats (noun): Domesticated animals kept for their milk, meat, and wool.
Example: The farmer had a herd of goats that provided him with fresh milk every day.
Herd (noun): A group of animals, especially cattle, sheep, or deer, that live, feed, and move together.
Example: The shepherd guided the herd of sheep to greener pastures.
Wealthy (adjective): Having a great deal of money, possessions, or assets; rich.
Example: The wealthy businessman lived in a luxurious mansion.
Mischievous (adjective): Playfully causing annoyance, harm, or trouble.
Example: The mischievous child hid his sister’s toy to tease her.
Vanity (noun): Excessive pride or admiration in one’s appearance, achievements, or possessions.
Example: His vanity led him to constantly check his reflection in the mirror.
Heights (noun): A high point or achievement in one’s life or career.
Example: After years of hard work, he finally reached the heights of success in his profession.
–
Grammar Points
Direct and Indirect Speech:
The story uses direct speech to show the thoughts and words of the characters.
For example, “Ah! What good luck. I will not have to beg for alms for a long time,” thought Brahmin to himself. There is also an example of indirect speech, such as “He began to think that he would save the flour until there was a famine”.
special plural Forms:
“A large herd of cows“: In this noun phrase, “herd” is the collective noun, which refers to a group of animals of the same species. “Cows” is the specific noun, which specifies the type of animal in the herd. “Large” is an adjective that describes the size of the herd. When using collective nouns, it is important to remember that they can be singular or plural, depending on the context. In this case, “herd” is singular because it refers to one group of cows.
“A pair of goats“: In this noun phrase, “pair” is a noun that refers to two similar things. “Goats” is the specific noun that specifies the type of animal in the pair. “A” is an article that indicates that the noun phrase refers to a specific instance of the pair of goats. When using collective nouns, it is important to remember that they can be singular or plural, depending on the context. In this case, “pair” is singular because it refers to two goats considered as a single unit.
“Flock of goats“: In this noun phrase, “flock” is the collective noun, which refers to a group of animals, especially birds or sheep. “Goats” is the specific noun that specifies the type of animal in the flock. “Of” is a preposition that shows the relationship between the two nouns. “Flock” is singular in this case because it refers to a single group of goats.
These noun phrases demonstrate how collective nouns and specific nouns can be combined to create more descriptive and specific noun phrases.
