Spokenez

  Why the sky is far away: Raman looked at the food in his lunch box and made a face. "Idli and chutney and chutney and idli again," he said to his friend Bhim." Bhim gave his own lunch a critical look and frowned. "You think that's bad," he said, "I've got bread and jam again. It's the third time this week!" They pushed the food aside. "We can get something at the burger place after school," Raman said. They concentrated on studying for their English test instead of eating. English was next period, and Mr. Frank had a reputation for giving difficult tests. When the bell rang, they dropped their uneaten lunches into the garbage. Mr. Frank was standing nearby. "Not hungry, guys?" he asked. They shook their heads and hurried off to class. When the test was over, there were still ten minutes left in the period. Mr. Frank stood at the front of the class. "Before you leave today," he said, leaning against the desk,...

  Reward for bravery: There was once a kind Duke. He was loved and respected by his subjects. This Duke had a wicked brother. His name was Frederick. Frederick rebelled against his brother. He drove away the Duke. The Duke was a peace loving person. He left the Dukedom. He went to the forest called Arden. His followers also went with him. There he led a peaceful life with his followers. Frederick became the Duke. The Duke had a daughter. Her name was Rosalind. Frederick also had a daughter. Her name was Celia. Rosalind and Celia were fond each other from their childhood. Celia wanted Rosalind to be with her in the palace. Frederick allowed Rosalind to be in the palace with his daughter. This was for the sake of his own daughter, Celia. Sir Rowland De Boys was friend of the elder Duke who was in the forest. Sir Rowland died leaving all his property to his eldest son whose name was Oliver. Oliver was jealous of his younger brother whose name was Orlando. Oliver did not give any part ...

  Ribbit The Rabbit: Once there lived a foolish Rabbit named Ribbit. “Oh, it is quite dangerous to live on land," Ribbit always thought. Ribbit thought hard to find a safe place to live. Finally, he thought of one. “I will go and live in the river! He said. So foolish Ribbit went to the river, and jumped into it! “Help!" cried Ribbit. He did not even know how to swim. A tortoise heard Ribbit crying and saved him. That was the last time Ribbit ever went near the river.

  Powerful Advice From A Dying Man: I am only 24 years old, yet I have actually already chosen my last tie. It’s the one that I will wear on my funeral a few months from now. It may not match my suit, but I think it’s perfect for the occasion. The cancer diagnosis came too late to give me at least a tenuous hope for a long life, but I realized that the most important thing abut death is to ensure that you leave this world a little better than it was before you existed with your contributions. The way I’ve lived my life so far, my existence or more precisely the loss of it, will not matter because I have lived without doing anything impactful you existed with your contributions. Before, there were so many things that occupied my mind. When I learned now much time I had left, however, it became clear which things are really important So, I am writing to you for a selfish reason….I want to give meaning to my life by sharing with you what I have realized: you existed with your contribu...

  Positive Thinking : Sometimes life can be tough, and it is easy to focus on the negative. However, those who are true to the positive and joys of life will see this story for what it really is — The true way we should view life and all its wonders. Read the story below and let it change your thinking about life! Two men are seriously ill and in the same hospital room. For an hour each day, the nurses would let the man closest to the room’s only window sit up in order to help drain the fluid in his lungs. The other man in the room spent all his time flat on his back. As you can imagine, with little else to do, the men would talk for hours. They spoke about their families, homes, their lives in the military and where they had traveled. And each day, the man sitting away from the window longed for the hour when his roommate would be able to sit up and describe the details of the world outside their room. He would speak of children playing, of animals peacefully roaming and of happy ...

  Perceptive : Two twin boys were raised by an alcoholic father. One grew up to be an alcoholic and when asked what happened, he said “I watched my father." The other grew up and never drank in his life. When asked what happened, he said “I watched my father." Two boys, same dad, two different perspectives. Your perspective in life will determine your destination. Today is a new day.

  Owning Mistakes: Simon was a curious boy. He was fond of reading adventure stories. He lived with his grandfather. One night, he stealthily entered the store room where his grandfather kept his priceless antiques. Simon knew his grandfather did not like anyone to touch his rare collections. Once inside the room, Simon stood on a chair. He lifted the box wherein his grandfather had kept many wrist-watches bought from different countries he had visited. While getting down from the chair, Simon’s elbow struck against the chair. The box slipped out of his hands and fell onto the floor. All the watched lay scattered all around. To his utter shock, he found the glass of his grandfather’s favorite watch broken. Simon got frightened lest his grandfather should come to know about the broken glass. He started picking up the pieces of glass. Simon thought, “How will I tell my grandfather that his favorite watch had got broken? He will be angry with me. If I do not tell him, he will not come...

  My Time is Coming: An elephant and a dog became pregnant at same time. Three months down the line the dog gave birth to six puppies. Six months later the dog was pregnant again. And nine months on it gave birth to another dozen puppies. The pattern continued. On the eighteenth month the dog approached the elephant questioning. "Are you sure that you are pregnant? We became pregnant on the same date. I have given birth three times to a dozen puppies and they are now grown to become big dogs. Yet you are still pregnant. What’s going on?" The elephant replied. "There is something I want you to understand. What I am carrying is not a puppy but an elephant. I only give birth to one in two years. When my baby hits the ground, the earth feels it. When my baby crosses the road, human beings stop and watch in admiration. What I carry draws attention. So what I'm carrying is mighty and great." LESSON : Don't lose faith when you see others receive answers to their pr...

  Monkey Story: Once up a time there were three monkeys. Daddy monkey, Mummy monkey and Baby monkey. They lived in a tree on the plains in Africa. There was not much to do in their tree, they were bored. “I’m bored" said Baby monkey. “Let’s go shopping," said Mummy monkey. “Don’t be stupid," said Daddy monkey, “we’ve not got any cash." “We don’t need cash," replied Mummy monkey. “We’re monkeys." “Now that is a good point," said Daddy monkey. “So how do we get into town?" asked Baby monkey. “Get the bus of course. How else. We can’t drive a car," replied dad. “A number 44, should be along fairly soon," said Mummy monkey. “We could get that. It goes right into the center of the city." The monkeys wandered over to the bus top avoiding the lions who were looking very hungry that morning and waited for a bus. Soon enough a number 44 came along and they jumped on. “Fairs please," said the driver. The monkeys just ignored the driver ...

Man Overboard: I stood on the deck of S.S. Rajula. As she slowly moved out of Madras harbor, I waved to my grandparents till I could see them no more. I was thrilled to be on board a ship. It was a new experience for me. "Are you travelling alone?" asked the person standing next to me. "Yes, Uncle, I'm going back to my parents in Singapore," I replied. "What's your name?" he asked. "Vasantha," I replied. I spent the day exploring the ship. It looked just like a big house. There were furnished rooms, a swimming pool, a room for indoor games and a library. Yet, there was plenty of room to move around. The next morning the passengers were seated in the dining hall, having breakfast. The loudspeaker spluttered noisily and then the captain's voice came loud and clear. "Friends we have just received a message that a storm is brewing in the Indian Ocean. I request all of you to keep calm. Do not panic. Those who are inclined to sea-sick...

  Last Journey: The cab driver picked up his passenger in the dead of the night. An elderly woman stood outside the building with a suitcase. He smiled at her as walked her to the car and carried her case into the trunk of the cab. As they settled into drive he asked her where she wanted to go… After giving him the address she asked…Can we drive through downtown to get there? It’ll be longer...he said. The woman smiled….I don’t mind, I’m going to the hospice tonight. The cab driver looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening….I don't have any family left….she continued. The doctor says I don't have very long. He quietly reached over and shut off the meter. They drove for two hours with the woman showing the cab driver various buildings where she grew up, where she worked, where she met her husband. As the sun started rising, they stopped outside the hospice where two orderlies greeted them. The cab driver carried her suitcase to her and she was already seated in a ...

  Infinity Kiss: There are some things money can't buy. What's more valuable than money to YOU? I worked two jobs, was raising my 6-year-old alone and each week worried if I would make ends meet. In the evening, my son and I would spend a little time together, but he felt my stress even though I tried to hide it from him. One night we were sitting together and I was reading him a story. The story was about a family who had everything...a new car, beautiful home. It was so far from what we knew, it felt like make believe. Tears came to my eyes and I turned away from my son, I didn't want him to see me like this. My young, but very wise little boy seemed to read my mind and said, "Mommy…don't cry. This family may have a lot of things, but you know we are rich too." I looked at him not quite understanding what he meant. He went on to say, "We may not have a lot, but we have each other and we love each other. Money can't buy that." I smiled and said,...

  Humanity : Father and son, went to a temple. Suddenly son shouted after seeing the pillars of Lions at the entrance of the temple. "Run Dad, or those Lions will eat us." Dad consoled him saying "they are just statues and won’t harm us." Son replied, “If those lion statues won’t harm us then how could statues of God give us blessings."The father wrote in his diary... "I am still speechless on my child’s answer and have started searching for God in Humans instead of statues. I didn't find God but I found humanity."

  Hercules : Hercules was a strong and brave man. He lived in Greece. The King was jealous of Hercules. People might make Hercules the King. Therefore he wanted to get rid of Hercules. He set difficult tasks for Hercules to keep him away from the country so that he would not be a possible threat to him (the King). Once he asked Hercules to get three golden apples. Some trees were said to bear golden apples. These trees were said to be in a place called Hesperides. But no one knew the way to Hesperides. So the King thought of Hesperides. Hercules would be away for a longer period. Hercules set out on the journey. At first he met three maidens during the journey. Hercules asked them the way to Hesperides. They told him to ask the old man of the sea. But they also warned him, “Hold the old man of the sea tightly. Otherwise he will escape. No one else knows the way." Hercules saw the old man. He was sleeping on the shore. He was looking strange. He had long hair and a beard. Hercules ...

  Her Dream Bicycle: Malar lived at Keeranur village in Pudukottai district with her family. Malar was studying in class VI. She was eleven years old. She had two elder sisters and a younger brother. His name was Arul. Malar’s father was Kathirvel. Kathirvel was a hard-working farmer. Of late, the rains were irregular and he could not always cultivate the two acres they owned. Her eldest sister was Ponni. Ponni was married to a mason and lived in Mathur with her little son Vikram. Malar’s second sister was Mallika. Mallika decided to do tailoring after Class X and was attending a tailoring course in Mathur. Attending the course also gave Mallika a chance to visit her sister Ponni. But walking all the way made her tired and she often missed the tailoring classes. Her mother used to scold Mallika. "OH! Why are you so lazy? You must attend your classes regularly". Mallika would reply, "I walk 9 kilometers everyday - 4 kilometers to the tailoring classes, 2 kilometers to fet...

  Hard Work and Smart Work: Mukesh and Anil joined a company together a few months after their graduation from university. After a few years of work, their Manager promoted Mukesh to a position of Senior Sales Manager, but Anil remained in his entry level Junior Sales Officer position. Anil developed a sense of jealousy and disgruntlement, but continued working anyway. One day Anil felt that he could not work with Mukesh anymore. He wrote his resignation letter, but before he submitted it to the Manager, he complained that Management did not value hard working staff, but only promoted only the favored! The Manager knew that Anil worked very hard for the years he had spent at the company; even harder than Mukesh and therefore he deserved the promotion. So in order to help Anil to realize this, the Manager gave Anil a task. “Go and find out if anyone is selling water melons in town?" Anil returned and said, "yes there is someone!" The Manager asked, "how much per kg?...

  Happiness Not Given By Others: Only those who are capable of being alone are capable of love. The capacity to be alone is the capacity to love. It may look paradoxical to you, but it is not. It is an existential truth…only those people who are capable of being alone are capable of love, of sharing, of going into the deepest core of the other person – without possessing the other, without becoming dependent on the other, without reducing the other to a thing and without becoming addicted to the other. They allow the other absolute freedom, because they know that if the other leaves, they will be as happy as they are now. Their happiness cannot be taken by the other, because it is not given by the other.

  Bad Temper: There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence. The first day, the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like...

  Angry Snake: A carpenter went home after shutting down his workshop. When he was gone, a poisonous snake entered his workshop. The snake was hungry and hoped to find its supper lurking somewhere within. It slithered from one end to another. Finally it bumped into an axe and got very slightly injured. In angry and revenge, the snake bit the snake with full force. What could a snake’s bite do to the metallic axe? Instead the snake’s mouth started bleeding. Out of fury and arrogance, the snake tried its best to strangle and kill the metallic axe - The object that was causing it the pain by wrapping itself around the axe. The next day the carpenter opened the workshop. He found the dead snake wrapped around the blades of the axe. Here the snake did not die because of someone’s fault. But it faced these consequences merely because of its own anger and wrath. Sometimes when angry, we try to cause harm to others. But as time passes by, we realize that we caused more harm to ourselves. I...

  An Apple Tree and Our Parents: Once upon a time there was a huge apple tree. A little boy used to come to play near the tree. He would search for juicy apples. He would play alongside the tree and rest under the shade. The tree was overjoyed after meeting this little bundle of joy. One day, the tree was surprised to see that boy approaching it with a sad face. “Come on little boy! Play with me," the Tree asked the boy. “I am no longer a kid to play around tree like you," the boy scowled at the tree. “I need toys. I need money to buy toys of various designs and sizes," the boy told the tree. “Sorry my dear boy! I do not have money to give you. But you can pick all my apples and sell them. That will give you adequate money to buy toys of your choices," replied the tree in soothing voice. The boy grabbed all the apples and left happily. He sold the apples and got money. He bought toys of his choices. Spring bid adieu and autumn came by but there was no sign of the bo...

  An Old Man and A Phone: Very Heart Touching A Bitter Truth An old man took his phone to a Repair shop. Repairer told that old man that NOTHING IS WRONG with this phone. Old man with tears in his eyes said that Then why DON'T my children ever call me?

  An Old Lady in The Cruise: A man asked why an old lady was all alone on a cruise ship. He noticed that although she was alone, all the staff, ships officers, Waiters and busboys were very familiar with her. So, he asked the waiter who the lady was, expecting to be told…she owned the line, but all the Waiter knew was that she was on the last four cruises, back to back. As he left the dining room one evening he caught her eye and stopped to say hello. They chatted and he asked, "I understand you've been on this ship for the last four cruises." She replied, "Yes, that's true." He said, "I don't understand" and she replied, without a pause, "It's cheaper than a nursing home. So, there will be no nursing home in my future. I'm staying on this cruise; the average cost for a nursing home is $200 per day. Here, I can get a long term discount and senior discount price of $135 per day. That leaves $65 a day for tips and extra cash. I have ...

  A Wise Deer and A Cowardly Tiger: There was a dense forest on the sides of a mountain. Many kinds of animals lived in the forest. A deer was eating grass and leaves with her two young ones. The young ones wandered happily here and there. The deer followed her fawns. The young ones entered a cave. The deer was frightened. It was a tiger’s cave. There were bones of dead animals all over the cave. Fortunately, the tiger was not inside the cave at the time. The deer was trying to lead her young ones out of the cave. AT that time she heard a loud roar. She saw the tiger at a distance. The tiger was coming towards the cave. It was dangerous to go out of the cave now. She thought of a plan. The tiger had come closer to the cave. The deer raised her voice and shouted, “My deer young children do not weep. I shall capture a tiger for you to eat. You can have a good dinner." The tiger heard these words. He was disturbed. He said to himself, “Whose is that strange voice from the cave? A dan...

 Always Follow Your Heart: As a child, Monty Roberts was the son of a horse trainer and moved from stable to stable, from ranch to ranch, training horses. The boy’s schooling was constantly interrupted. One day, when he was a senior, his teacher asked him to write about what he wanted to be when he grew up. He did not hesitate and wrote a seven-page paper about his aim to be an owner of a horse ranch. It was a detailed paper with the location of buildings, stables and even a house plan. Two days later he received his paper back with an F on the front page. After class he asked his teacher why he received such a low score. The teacher told him, “This dream is unrealistic for a boy like you, who has no money, no resources and who comes from an itinerant family. There is no possibility that you will reach this goal." Then the teacher offered him the opportunity to rewrite the paper with a more realistic attitude. The boy went home and asked his father how he should respond. His fathe...

 Advising A Fool: On a mango tree in a jungle, there lived many birds. They were happy in their small nests. Before the onset of the rainy season, all the animal of the jungle repaired their homes. The birds also made their homes more secure. Many birds brought twigs and leaves and others wove their nests. “We should also store some food for our children," chirped one of the birds. And they collected food, until they had enough to see them through the rainy season. They kept themselves busy preparing for the tough times. Soon the rains came. It was followed by thunder and lighting. All the animals and birds stayed in their homes. It continued raining for many days. One day, a monkey wet in the rain came into the forest. He sat on a branch, shivering with cold, water dripping from its body. The poor monkey tried his best to get shelter, but in vain. The leaves were not enough to save him from the rains. “Brrr! It is so cold!" said the monkey. The birds were watching all this. ...

  A True Servant: A king had a large number of slaves. One of them was very black. He was true to the king. So, the king loved him greatly. One day the king went out on a camel. Some slaves walked in front of the king. Others went behind the king. The black slave rode on a horse by the side of his master – The King. The King had a box. There were pearls in it. On the way the box fell down in a narrow street. It broke into pieces. The pearls rolled on the ground. The king said to his slaves. “Go and take the pearls. I do not want them any longer," said the king. The slaves ran and gathered the pearls. They took those pearls. The black slave did not leave his place. He was by the side of his master. He guarded his master. He cared for the life of his master. He did not care for the master’s pearls. He was the true servant. The king observed the attitude of the servant and gave him many gifts.

  A Rich Man and His Son: A rich man's son was graduating college. For months, the son was asking his father for a new car, knowing that his father had more than enough money. When graduation day came, the young man's father called him into the study. The father handed him a wrapped gift and congratulated the new about to be graduated on his achievement. Looking disappointed, the son opened the gift to find a lovely, leather bound journal, with the young man's name embossed on the cover. He angrily raised his voice, threw down the journal and stormed out. The young man had not seen his father since graduation day. He became successful and was wealthy like his father, with a beautiful home and family. He came to realize his father was aging and it may be time to put the past behind them. Just then, he received a message that his father had passed, and he had to return home to take care of the estate. As the mourning son regretfully returned home, he began searching through h...

  A Powerful Story: A man and a young teenage boy checked into a hotel and were shown to their room. The receptionist noted the quiet manner of the guests and the pale appearance of the boy. Later, the man and boy ate dinner in the hotel restaurant. The staff again noticed that the two guests were very quiet and that the boy seemed disinterested in his food. After eating, the boy went to his room and the man went to ask the receptionist to see the manager. The receptionist initially asked if there was a problem with the service or the room, and offered to fix things, but the man said that there was no problem of the sort and repeated his request. When the manager appeared, he took him aside and explained that he was spending the night in the hotel with his fourteen-year-old son, who was seriously ill, probably terminally so. The boy was very soon to undergo therapy, which would cause him to lose his hair. They had come to the hotel to have a break together and also because the boy ...

  Introduction 1. The students learn English. 2. The Baker bakes breads 3. My father helps me. In the above sentences, the words -  The cat, The baker My father  Theas words come under the classification - The subject. The verbs Plays Bakes Helps These words refer to the actions done by the subject. We notice that the object receives the actions of the verb. These verbs are in the Active voice. In the active voice the subject is prominent while. In the passive voice the object is made prominent. The above three sentences can be rewritten without changing the meaning. 1. English is learned by the students. 2. Breads are baked by the baker. 3. I am helped by my father. In the above sentence the verb shows that something is done to the person or thing denoted by subject. English Breads I These words fall under the classifications of subject in the above sentences. We have also seen that the verb in the active voice if changed to the passive voice the subject of the verb in t...

. Introduction 1. Simple Sentences: In the simple sentence we find only one subject and a predicate. There are only one subject and a predicate in each sentences below.  I went to the market I read a story boo The dog barks The train moves. The leaves fall from the tree. 2. Compound sentences.   I went to the super market. I purchased fruits. The above two sentences are simple sentences. When I went to the supermarket I purchased fruits In the above sentence there are two subjects and two predicates. The underlined words from a main clause in the sentence whereas the first part of the sentence forms a subordinate clause. A sentence in which there is a main clause with one or more subordinate clause is a complex sentence. i. I went to the playground. ii. I played football  The above two simple sentences can be formed as a single sentence by adding and as written here below. I went to the playground and I played football . In this sentence we notice there are two main cla...