A Tiger in the House

What do you think “A Tiger in the House” will be about? Discuss with a partner. Ruskin Bond (1934–) is an Indian author of children’s literature. Most of his stories are about life in the foothills of the Himalayas, where he spent his childhood.

RUSKIN BOND

tiger cub tigerunge discovered oppdaget shikari storviltjeger persuaded overtalt accompany følge, bli med party her: jaktlag advise rådgi terrain terreng beaters en som jager dyr ut fra busker o.l., så jegerne kan skyte dem sumptuous overdådig courses matretter admitted innrømmet Viceroys britiske guvernører howdahs vogn på ryggen til elefantene beat her: jakten peacock påfugl wild boar villsvin jackal sjakal stroll spasere distinction følelse bagged her: fått noe i sekken game vilt mutton fårekjøtt

A Tiger in the House

Timothy, the tiger cub, was discovered by Grandfather on a hunting expedition in the Terai jungle near Dehra. Grandfather was no shikari, but as he knew the forests of the Siwalik hills better than most people, he was persuaded to accompany the party – it consisted of several Very Important Persons from Delhi – to advise on the terrain and the direction the beaters should take once a tiger had been spotted. The camp itself was sumptuous – seven large tents (one for each shikari), a dining-tent, and a number of servants’ tents. The dinner was very good, as Grandfather admitted afterwards; it was not often that one saw hot plates, finger-glasses, and seven or eight courses, in a tent in the jungle! But that was how things were done in the days of the Viceroys ... There were also some fifteen elephants, four of them with howdahs for the shikaris, and the others especially trained for taking part in the beat. The sportsmen never saw a tiger, nor did they shoot anything else, though they saw a number of deer, peacock, and Vurderingseksemplar wild boar. They were giving up all hope of finding a tiger, and were beginning to shoot at jackals, when Grandfather, strolling down the forest path at some distance from the rest of the party, discovered a little tiger about eighteen inches long, hiding among the intricate roots of a banyan tree. Grandfather picked him up, and brought him home after the camp had broken up. He had the distinction of being the only member of the party to have bagged any game, dead or alive. At first the tiger cub, who was named Timothy by

Grandmother, was brought up entirely on milk given to him in a feeding bottle by our cook, Mahmoud. But the milk proved too rich for him, and he was put on a diet of raw mutton and

cod liver oil, to be followed later by a more tempting diet of pigeons and rabbits. Timothy was provided with two companions – Toto the monkey, who was bold enough to pull the young tiger by the tail, and then climb up the curtains if Timothy lost his temper; and a small mongrel puppy, found on the road by Grandfather. At first Timothy appeared to be quite afraid of the puppy, and darted back with a spring if it came too near. He would make absurd dashes at it with his large forepaws, and then retreat to a ridiculously safe distance. Finally, he allowed the puppy to crawl on his back and rest there! One of Timothy’s favourite amusements was to stalk anyone who would play with him, and so, when I came to live with Grandfather, I became one of the tiger’s favourites. With a crafty look in his glittering eyes, and his body crouching, he would creep closer and closer to me, suddenly making a dash for my feet, rolling over on his back and kicking with delight, and pretending to bite my ankles. He was by this time the size of a full-grown retriever, and when I took him out for walks, people on the road would give Remember! You don’t have to understand all the words in a story to enjoy it. cod liver oil tran pigeons duer companions følgesvenner mongrel puppy blandingsvalp darted back spratt tilbake with a spring med et sprang make dashes at gjøre slag mot amusements fornøyelser stalk forfølge crafty lur make a dash for kaste seg fram mot delight fryd, glede pretending lot som

Vurderingseksemplar !

berth plass reclining hvile dignity verdighet snarling snerre prophetic profetisk frenzied hysterisk poultry høns, fjærkre villainous onde intent hensikt interned holdt fanget railing rekkverk approached gikk nærmere bars stengene (i buret) tickled kilte

us a wide berth. When he pulled hard on his chain, I had difficulty in keeping up with him. His favourite place in the house was the drawing room, and he would make himself comfortable on the long sofa, reclining there with great dignity, and snarling at anybody who tried to get him off. Timothy had clean habits, and would scrub his face with his paws exactly like a cat. He slept at night in the cook’s quarters, and was always delighted at being let out by him in the morning. “One of these days,” declared Grandmother in her prophetic manner, “we are going to find Timothy sitting on Mahmoud’s bed, and no sign of the cook except his clothes and shoes!” Of course, it never came to that, but when Timothy was about six months old a change came over him; he grew steadily less friendly. When out for a walk with me, he would try to steal away to stalk a cat or someone’s pet Pekinese. Sometimes at night we would hear frenzied cackling from the poultry house, and in the morning there would be feathers lying all over the verandah. Timothy had to be chained up more often. And finally, when he began to stalk Mahmoud about the house with what looked like villainous intent, Grandfather decided it was time to transfer him to a zoo. The nearest zoo was at Lucknow, two hundred miles away. Reserving a first-class compartment for himself and Timothy – no one would share a compartment with them – Grandfather took him to Lucknow where the zoo authorities were only too glad to receive as a gift a well-fed and fairly civilized tiger. About six months later, when my grandparents were visiting relatives in Lucknow, Grandfather took the opportunity of calling at the zoo to see how Timothy was getting on. I was not there to accompany him, but I heard all Vurderingseksemplar about it when he returned to Dehra. Arriving at the zoo, Grandfather made straight for the particular cage in which Timothy had been interned. The tiger was there, crouched in a corner, full-grown and with a magnificent striped coat. “Hello Timothy!” said Grandfather and, climbing the railing with ease, he put his arm through the bars of the cage.

The tiger approached the bars, and allowed Grandfather to put both hands around his head. Grandfather stroked the tiger’s forehead and tickled his ears, and, whenever he growled, smacked him across the mouth, which was his old way of keeping him quiet.

It licked Grandfather’s hands and only sprang away when a leopard in the next cage snarled at him. Grandfather “shooed” the leopard away, and the tiger returned to lick his hands; but every now and then the leopard would rush at the bars, and he would slink back to his corner. A number of people had gathered to watch the reunion when a keeper pushed his way through the crowd and asked Grandfather what he was doing. “I’m talking to Timothy,” said Grandfather. “Weren’t you here when I gave him to the zoo six months ago?” “I haven’t been here very long,” said the surprised keeper. “Please continue your conversation. But I have never been able to touch him myself, he is always very bad tempered.” “Why don’t you put him somewhere else?” suggested Grandfather. “That leopard keeps frightening him. “I’ll go and see the Superintendent about it.” Grandfather went in search of the Superintendent of the zoo, but found that he had gone home early; and so, after wandering about the zoo for a little while, he returned to Timothy’s cage to say goodbye. It was beginning to get dark. He had been stroking and slapping Timothy for about five minutes when he found another keeper observing him with some alarm. Grandfather recognized him as the keeper who had been there when Timothy had first come to the zoo. “You remember me,” said grandfather. “Now why don’t you transfer Timothy to another cage, away from this stupid leopard?” “But – sir – “stammered the keeper. “It is not your tiger.” “I know, I know,” said Grandfather testily. “I realize he is no longer mine. But you might at least take a suggestion or two from me.” “I remember your tiger very well,” said the keeper.” He died two months ago.” “Died!” exclaimed Grandfather. “Yes, sir, of pneumonia. This tiger was trapped in the hills only last month, and he is very dangerous!”

Grandfather could think of nothing to say. The tiger was still licking his arm, with increasing relish. Grandfather took what seemed to him an age to withdraw his hand from the cage. With his face near the tiger’s he mumbled, “Good night, Timothy,” and giving the keeper a scornful look walked briskly out of the zoo.

Vurderingseksemplarreunion gjenforening keeper vokter crowd folkemengde conversation samtale bad-tempered dårlig humør superintendent her: direktøren transfer overføre compartment kupé testily utålmodig exclaimed ropte pneumonia lungebetennelse relish nytelse withdraw trekke tilbake mumbled mumlet scornful hånlig briskly raskt

UNDERSTANDING

1 Answer the questions. a Who is telling the story? b How does Grandfather get the tiger cub? c What do they feed Timothy? d Who are Timothy’s companions? e Where does Timothy sleep at night? f How does Timothy change as he grows older? g What does Grandmother mean when she says, “One of these days we are going to find Timothy sitting on Mahmoud’s bed, and no sign of the cook except his clothes Common themes in surprising twist overraskende vri and shoes!”? h Why does Grandfather transfer Timothy to the zoo? i What happens when Grandfather visits the zoo six months later? j What is the surprising twist at the end of the story? VIEWPOINTS 2 Discuss the questions. a What do you think happened to Timothy’s mother? b Today hunting for sport is illegal in India. What do you think about this? c Do you think it is a good idea to keep wild animals as pets? d Do you think zoos are good places for wild animals? TEXT ANALYSIS Vurderingseksemplar literature: 3 Answer the questions for text analysis. Good vs. evil Author: Who wrote the story? Revenge Narrator: Who is telling the story? Growing up Setting: Where does the story take place? Courage Characters: Who are the main people involved? Love Plot: What happens in the story? Theme: What is the story really about?

VOCABULARY

4 Make a list of all of the animals mentioned in the story. How many did you find?

CREATIVE CORNER

5 Draw an illustration for this story.

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DIGITAL DIVE

6 Use the internet and find 5–8 facts about Bengal tigers in India. Work with a partner and compare what you found. 7 Find the cities of Dehra (called Dehradun today) and Lucknow on a map of India. 8 The Lucknow Zoo still exists. Visit its website (lucknowzoo.com). Make a list of endangered species kept at the zoo.

WRITING WORKSHOP

9 Make a list of seven adjectives that can be used to describe tigers. Then write a short description of a tiger.

LANGUAGE LAB

10 Find the correct adjective for each sentence. scornful favourite dangerous bold friendly first-class raw afraid

Vurderingseksemplar frightening

a He was put on a diet of raw mutton. b The monkey was ___ enough to pull the tiger’s tail. c At first Timothy was ___ of the puppy. d His ___ place in the house was the drawing room. e As the tiger grew older, he got less ___. f They travelled in a ___ compartment on the train. g The tiger is ___, said the keeper. h The tiger found the leopard ___. i Grandfather gave the keeper at the zoo a ___ look.

ORAL PRACTICE

1 Choose one of the countries in the UK and plan a short holiday there. What would you include on your list of must-sees and must-dos? Prepare a presentation.

2 Choose either India or Ireland. Prepare a PowerPoint presentation on the country. Focus on the landscape, nature and climate. Find pictures to illustrate what the country looks like, and learn the words you need to describe the pictures.

WRITING PRACTICE 3 Saint George led the dragon back to Silne. What do you think happened when they returned? Write the rest of the story. Include descriptions. 4 Imagine that you go on a holiday to India to experience the celebration of Diwali. Use the internet to find more information about the celebration. Write a diary entry about this experience. Include descriptions. 5 Write an interview with questions and answers for Mahatma Gandhi. Use facts and details from the text “Great Soul”. 6 Grandfather’s cook, Mahmoud, writes a letter home to his mother about Timothy the tiger. Write this letter. 175 Vurderingseksemplar

Include descriptions.

ADJEKTIV ADJECTIVES

Adjektiv er ord som beskriver substantiv, altså som beskriver ting eller personer. He is a strong boy. The fish was cold and stiff.

1 Find the adjectives in these sentences. a I need a sharp knife. b He is a bright student. c Linda’s hair looked gorgeous at the wedding. d You must taste these strawberries. They are fresh and sweet. e Chris enjoyed a cold milkshake at the beach. f I spilled tea on Grandma’s new rug. g I cannot believe that the teacher gave us such a difficult test. Å GRADBØYE ADJEKTIV COMPARING WITH ADJECTIVES Vi gradbøyer adjektivet for å sammenligne to eller flere substantiv: loud noise – louder noise – (the) loudest noise Mars is smaller than Earth. Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. Vurderingseksemplar

Vi dobler konsonanten i korte adjektiv som big, mad, sad. big – bigger – the biggest

Vi endrer y til i når bokstaven før y er en konsonant. dirty – dirtier – the dirtiest

Vi tar bort stum e på slutten av adjektiv før vi legger til -er og -est. large – larger – the largest

2 Compare (gradbøy) these adjectives. a sad – sadder – the saddest b simple c fat d crazy e wet f easy g thin h mad i wise j happy 3 Find the missing adjectives. a cold colder coldest b ___ smaller ___ c ___ ___ saddest d large ___ ___ e ___ happier ___ f ___ ___ loudest g short ___ ___Vurderingseksemplar h ___ bigger ___ i ___ ___ dirtiest 4 Complete the sentences with the correct form of the adjective. a Mars is smaller than Earth. (small) b That is the ___ trick ever! (dirty) c He is much ___ now. (happy) d An elephant is ___ than a mouse. (big) e The ___ temperature ever recorded was -89 degrees Celsius in Antarctica. (cold) f The South Pole is ___ than the North Pole. (cold) g The Pygmy tribes in Africa are the ___ people in the world. (short) h What is the ___ film you have ever seen? (sad)

i This is the ___ cake I have seen. (big) j Lions roar ___ than tigers. (loud) k The ___ bird is the Bee Hummingbird. (small) l My shoes are ___ than yours. (dirty) m Her new song is even ___ than the last one. (sad)

LANGE ADJEKTIV LONG ADJECTIVES

Lange adjektiv som beautiful, exciting og powerful gradbøyer vi ved å bruke more og the most. Saturn is more beautiful than Neptun. Earth is the most beautiful planet in the Solar system. 5 Compare (gradbøy) these adjectives. a intelligent – more intelligent – the most intelligent b comfortable c ambitious d colorful e dangerous f expensive g selfish h famous i special j difficult 6 Comparing long adjectives with more and the most Complete the sentences with the correct form of the adjective. Use more or the most. a The poison dart frog is the most poisonous animal. (poisonous) Vurderingseksemplar b A Box jellyfish is more poisonous than a Portuguese Man-of-War. (poisonous) c Chimpanzees are ___ animals. (intelligent) d Dolphins are ___ than elephants. (intelligent) e One of ___ languages to learn is Hungarian. (difficult) f English spelling is ___ than Norwegian. (difficult) g “___ Girl in the World” is a song by Prince. (beautiful) h Snow White was ___ than her stepmother, the Queen. (beautiful) i Football is ___ sport in the world. (popular) j Texting is ___ than talking on the phone. (popular) k Bugatti’s La Voiture Noire is ___ car on the market. (expensive) l The Aston Martin One-77 is ___ than the Lamborghini Reventon. (expensive)

UREGELRETTE ADJEKTIV IRREGULAR ADJECTIVES

Noen adjektiv er uregelrette og må læres spesielt.

good bad

little better

worse

less the best

the worst

the least

little smaller the smallest

far further the farthest

7 Translate the sentences. a Christian er den beste læreren jeg har hatt. Christian is the best teacher I have had. b Denne valpen er mindre enn de andre. c Det var den verste dagen i mitt liv. d Maria bor lenger fra skolen enn meg, men Christina bor lengst borte. e Været i dag er verre enn i går. f Den nye bilen vår er ganske liten, men det er større en den forrige. g Du har mindre å gjøre enn med i dette gruppearbeidet. h Den som har minst å gjøre er Philip. ORDENSTALL ORDINAL NUMBERS Ordenstallene er adjektiv. De lages av grunntallene. one – first two – second three – third four – fourth Vurderingseksemplar five – fifth six – sixth seven – seventh eight – eight nine – ninth ten – tenth twenty – twentieth

NASJONALITETSORD NATIONALITY WORDS

Nasjonalitetsord er også adjektiv. Vi skriver alltid ord som dannes av navn for land eller landområder med stor forbokstav på engelsk.

America – American England – English

8 Translate the sentences. a Han var den første nordmannen som kom til Amerika. b Den tiende engelskmannen vi møtte kunne hjelpe oss. c Den fjerde dagen møtte vi noen amerikanere. d Europeeren ringte til amerikaneren for tredje gang. 9 Decide which category each of the adjectives in the word cloud belong in. Category 1: Regular adjectives Category 2: Irregular adjectives Category 3: Long adjectives happy careless simple cold

difficult littleeasy big old powerful many

badshort foolish Vurderingseksemplar

10 Compare the adjectives in the word cloud. Example: short – shorter – shortest

BESKRIVENDE TEKSTER DESCRIPTIVE TEXTS

This writing lesson teaches you to • Use description to improve your texts

I dette skrivekurset skal du øve på å bruke beskrivelser. Levende beskrivelser gjør teksten mer interessant for leseren. Det blir lettere for leseren å forestille seg det du skriver om, og kanskje føle at de er «inne i teksten» og opplever det som du beskriver.

ADJEKTIV ADJECTIVES Adjektiv er ord som beskriver ting eller personer. A old lady. A big, juicy hamburger. Når du skal beskrive en gjenstand, person, hendelse eller følelse, bør du legge nøye merke til detaljene. Tenk på de fem sansene – syn, lukt, hørsel, følelse og smak. Vi bruker vanligvis adjektiv for å beskrive sansene. Se på forskjellen når vi bruker adjektiv og når vi ikke gjør det: I picked up a stone. I picked up a smooth, shiny stone. I was home alone that night. I was home alone that dark and stormy night. He served French fries.Vurderingseksemplar He served some crispy, delicious, homemade French fries.

The puppy ran towards me. The adorable, furry puppy ran towards me.

1 Find five words or expressions you can use to describe each of these: a an object in the classroom b a person you like c a place you like d the feeling of joy e the feeling of anger f the feeling of fear

SAMMENLIGNINGER COMPARISONS

Adjektiver er viktige når vi skal beskrive, men vi kan også bruke sammenligninger (comparisons). Når vi sammenligner, bruker vi as eller like. Se på disse eksemplene: I stedet for å si “the train was very fast” kan du si “the train was as fast as a bullet.” I stedet for å si “he was very angry” kan du si “his anger was like a thunder storm”.

2 Try to find ways to descibe one or more of these using comparison. a Soldiers who are very brave. The soldiers are as brave as lions. b Sarah’s grandfather, who is very smart. c Thomas, who is very happy after scoring an important goal. d Keyla’s house, which is very big. e Christine’s very loud scream when she sees a spider.Vurderingseksemplar

VERB VERBS

Det kan også være lurt å tenke på hvilke verb du bruker i teksten din. Vi bruker gjerne de samme verbene veldig ofte: say, walk, look, get. Hvis vi erstatter noen av de vanligste verbene med mer beskrivende verb, får leseren mer informasjon og teksten blir mer interessant.

declare say announcewhispermurmurshoutmention arriveanswer appear turn up come show up enter form exit go move imagine approachthink wonderbelieveconcludeassumedeparttravel

stop start want

make prepareproduce create

get begin needcravefancyprefer

collecthalt quit end pause initiate wish take earnreceive snatch grab V W

RB L E EH E Vurderingseksemplar

3 Discuss with a partner what happens when we replace the verbs in the sentences with one of the more descriptive verbs: a “I don’t want to clean my room”, Sheila said. whispered, cried, shouted, sighed, mumbled

b Tom walked down the street. ran, stumbled, limped, marched, hurried

c I looked at the painting. examined, admired, noticed, recognized, stared at

d I got the money from my grandmother. received, inherited, earned, stole, accepted 4 Replace the verbs in these sentences with more descriptive verbs. a I got the ball from my brother and walked out of the house. b She said that she was proud of me. c He looked at me and walked out of the room. 5 Using everything you have learned about descriptive writing, write a description of one of these situations. • The nervous feeling inside yourself or in the classroom before an important test • The atmosphere when you wake up on the first day of summer vacation • The feeling of happiness when you achieve your goal (make someone happy, perform well, score a goal, can buy the thing you have been saving for, etc.) • The atmosphere in your house on Christmas Eve or another day Vurderingseksemplar of celebration.