A Tale of Two Birds / News Report: Pokhara International Airport Inaugurated

Unit 19 is about reporting what others say. Reading I is a folk tale, A Tale of Two Birds: two nestlings separated by a storm grow up in very different company, one near robbers and one near a hermit, and they speak accordingly.

Reading II is a news report from The Himalayan Times on the inauguration of Pokhara Regional International Airport on 1 January 2023. The grammar is reported (indirect) speech — statements, questions, commands.

In writing you write a story and a news report; the project is a newspaper front page.

19.1 Reading I: A Tale of Two Birds

Summary

• A mother bird and her two newly hatched nestlings live in a tall tree in a forest. A great storm blows the tree down; a branch kills the mother, and the wind carries the nestlings to the other side of the forest. One lands near a cave of robbers; the other outside a hermitage where a cultured old hermit lives.
• Years later, a king out hunting chases a deer deep into the forest and loses his way. Tired, he sits under a tree near the cave. A big brown bird calls out: "Quick! Hurry up! There's someone under the tree. Come and take his jewels and his horse." The king rides away; a robber threatens him; the brave king aims an arrow, but as the robbers are more in number he rides off.
• He reaches a tranquil hermitage. A gentle voice says: "Welcome to the hermitage, Sir. Please go inside and rest… There's some cold water in the pot." It is a bird that looks just like the first one — its brother, who now talks like the robbers he lives with.
• The hermit welcomes the king and explains: "One is known by the company one keeps." Each bird repeats what it has always heard.

Moral/theme: our surroundings and companions shape our character and language; choose good company.

Vocabulary (Exercise A)

a. nestlings b. wicked c. tranquil d. hermitage e. hermit f. robber g. imitate

Order of events (Exercise B)

c → a → b → d → g → e → f

Comprehension (Exercise C) — model answers

a. What caused the tall tree to fall? A big storm with strong wind.

b. Where were the nestlings blown to? To the other side of the forest — one near a robbers' cave and the other outside a hermitage.

c. Was the king able to catch the deer? How do you know? No. The deer ran deep into the forest, the king lost his way, and the story never says he caught it.

d. Why did the brown bird tell the robbers about the king? Because it had grown up near the robbers and always heard their talk, so it imitated them.

e. Why did the king not fight the robbers' gang? Because the robbers were more in number, and fighting alone would have been foolish.

19.2 Grammar: Reported speech

No change: if the reporting verb is present (says), for universal truths (the Earth moves round the Sun), and for the past perfect.

3. Pronouns, time and place

I → he/she; we → they; you → I/me/he/she (the listener); my → his/her.

now → then, today → that day, yesterday → the day before (the previous day), tomorrow → the next day (the following day), next week → the following week, last week → the previous week, a year ago → a year before, here → there, this → that, these → those.

4. Questions become statements

No do/does/did, no question mark, subject before verb: "Where is he?" → She asked me where he was. (not where was he)

Textbook answers

Speaking B: a. A asked B why he had come there. B said that he had come there to meet his relatives. b. A asked B if he liked ice-cream. B said yes, he was fond of ice-cream. c. A asked B if he could give him his pen for a while.

B said it was okay and that he could take it. d. A asked B why he was sad that day. B said that his brother was sick. e. A told B that they had planned a picnic the following week. B said that he would join.

Grammar I A: a–iv, b–viii, c–vi, d–i, e–ii, f–iii, g–x, h–ix, i–v, j–vii

Grammar I B: a. She told me that she was coming then. b. He requested me to help him get to the hospital. c. She asked me if I could give her my phone number. d. He said that Reshma did not work. e. She asked me where he was. f. She commanded me to come there at once. g. She asked me what I was doing. h. She asked him if he worked in a factory. i. She asked me why I had gone out the previous night. j. She told me that water boils at 100 degrees Celsius. (universal truth — no change)

Grammar II A: a. ii b. iii c. iii d. iii e. i f. iii g. i h. iii i. i j. iii (when I came is also accepted in modern English)

Grammar II B: a. He said that he would send a postcard. b. They told me that they had bought a new car. c. Aruna said that she didn't speak German. d. Hem tells the boys not to play on the grass.

(says is present — no tense change) e. My mum asked me if I was feeling well. f. Nishan asked me where I had met him the previous week. g. The doctor told my father that he must (had to) stay in bed. h. The boy asked to be allowed to go.

(or The boy asked them to let him go.) i. Arpan asked me how often I played cricket.

19.3 Writing I: A story

Model answer — "Two friends were walking along the forest…"

A Friend in Need

Two friends were walking along the forest path when they suddenly saw a big bear coming towards them. Ramesh, who was thin and quick, ran to the nearest tree and climbed it at once. He did not even look back at his friend.

Suresh could not climb trees. He remembered hearing that bears do not touch dead bodies, so he lay down on the ground and held his breath. The bear came near, sniffed his face and ears, and then slowly walked away into the forest.

When the bear had gone, Ramesh climbed down and asked with a laugh, "What did the bear whisper in your ear?" Suresh stood up and replied, "He told me never to trust a friend who leaves you in danger." Ramesh felt ashamed and said nothing.

Moral: A friend in need is a friend indeed.

19.4 Reading II: News Report — Pokhara International Airport Inaugurated

(Nepal's three international airports: Tribhuvan, Kathmandu; Gautam Buddha, Bhairahawa; Pokhara Regional.)

Vocabulary (Exercise A)

a. commended b. congested (text: congestion) c. inaugurated d. transition e. ceremony f. maintenance

Comprehension (Exercise B) — model answers

a. Who inaugurated the airport and when? Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, on 1 January 2023.

b. How is the airport useful, according to the Prime Minister? It will improve connectivity and contribute to the economic development of Pokhara and the whole country.

c. Which was the first airline to land at the new airport? The report says Buddha Air, Shree Airlines, Yeti Airlines and Guna Air started daily flights, and Himalaya Airlines was the first to land an Airbus A320 there in a demonstration flight.

d. Why did the Deputy Prime Minister commend the locals? For their sacrifices and patience during the completion of the project.

e. Why is ICAO grateful to the Government of Nepal and CAAN? For their long-standing commitment, consistency and comprehensive support to ICAO's work.

f. Why are airport infrastructure and air services vital, according to Tao Ma? They ensure connectivity, socio-economic development and disaster relief in landlocked countries.

19.5 Writing II: A news report

Rules: headline (short, present tense, no articles); byline and dateline; a lead answering who, what, when, where, why, how; body with details and quotations in descending importance; third person; past tense / present perfect; reported speech for what people said.

Model answer — Hospital inaugurated in Doti

60-Bed Hospital Inaugurated in Doti

By Our Correspondent Dipayal, [date]

A new 60-bed hospital was inaugurated by the Minister of Health amid a large crowd in Doti today.

The hospital has been built with financial support from the Government of Nepal. Its construction started in 2019 and was completed in 2021.

It will provide health services to people of Doti and neighbouring districts, who earlier had to travel long distances for treatment.

Speaking at the ceremony, the minister said that the hospital would make quality health care easier to reach for the people of the far west. Local residents looked happy and hopeful about the future.

19.6 Pronunciation and project work

Consonant clusters (two or more consonants together): storm, splash, nestling, trustworthy, struggle, crayons, cruel. Say every consonant; do not add a vowel before s-clusters (storm, not "istorm").

Project work — front page of a newspaper: name of the paper (masthead), date and price, a main headline with a photo, the lead story, two or three shorter stories, an index, and the weather.

Chapter summary

• A Tale of Two Birds: twin birds raised near robbers and near a hermit speak like their company; "One is known by the company one keeps."
• PRIA: Nepal's third international airport, inaugurated 1 January 2023 by PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal; Himalaya Airlines landed the first A320.
• Reported speech: said/told that; asked if/whether; asked + wh-word + statement order; told/ordered/requested + (not) to.
• Back-shift tenses after a past reporting verb; no back-shift after says or for universal truths.
• now → then, today → that day, tomorrow → the next day, here → there, this → that.
• News report: headline, byline, dateline, lead, body.

Practice questions

Reading

1. Answer briefly. [5]aWhat killed the mother bird?bWhat did the king chase into the forest?cWhat did the bird at the hermitage offer the king?dWho unveiled the plaque at PRIA?eName two airlines that started daily flights there.

Answers — Reading

1.(a) A big heavy branch that hit the nest when the tree fell.(b) A deer.(c) Rest inside the hermitage and some cold water from the pot.(d) Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal.(e) Any two of Buddha Air, Shree Airlines, Yeti Airlines and Guna Air.

Grammar

2. Change into indirect speech. [5]aRita said, "I am reading a novel now."bHe said to me, "Did you see the match yesterday?"cThe teacher said, "The sun rises in the east."dMother said to me, "Don't go out in the rain."eRam said to Sita, "Where will you go tomorrow?"

Answers — Grammar

2.(a) Rita said that she was reading a novel then.(b) He asked me if I had seen the match the day before.(c) The teacher said that the sun rises in the east.(d) Mother told me not to go out in the rain.(e) Ram asked Sita where she would go the next day.

Writing

3. Write a news report: a landslide in Myagdi; three houses buried; two people injured; rescue by Nepal Army and locals; road blocked for two days. [5]

Answer — Writing

3. Headline (Landslide Buries Three Houses in Myagdi), byline, dateline, lead (what, where, when, casualties), body (rescue work, injured taken to hospital, road blocked, a reported statement from an official), third person, past tense.

Group D: Long writing and model answers

Group D — Extended answers (8 to 10 marks each, for deeper revision)

1. Write a news report on the opening of Pokhara International Airport and a short story with a moral. [10]
2. Explain reported speech: statements, questions and commands, with back-shift and time-word changes. [10]

(a) Pokhara airport sign

(b) Lukla airstrip

(c) White-rumped vulture

(d) Arctic tern

Model answer D1: a news report and a story (10 marks)

Introduction. A news report tells a recent event in the past tense and in order of importance: the most important facts come first.

Model report.

Model story with moral: A Tale of Two Birds (short). Twin birds were raised in two homes: one near a band of robbers, the other near a hermit. The first bird shouted rude words; the second spoke kindly.

A king who passed by was shocked by the first and charmed by the second. Moral: One is known by the company one keeps.

Points for a news report (8).

1. Headline.
2. Byline.
3. Dateline.
4. Lead (5W1H).
5. Body with details.
6. Quotation from a person.
7. Past tense and passive voice.
8. A short closing fact.

Conclusion. Facts first, quotation next, and no personal opinion.

Model answer D2: reported speech (10 marks)

Introduction. In reported speech we give the meaning of what someone said. If the reporting verb is in the past, the tenses go one step back.

Direct	Reported
"I like tea," she said.	She said that she liked tea.
"I am reading," he said.	He said that he was reading.
"I have finished," Sita said.	Sita said that she had finished.
"I will come," Ram said.	Ram said that he would come.
"Where do you live?" he asked.	He asked where I lived.
"Do you swim?" she asked.	She asked if I swam.
"Don't be late," Mother said.	Mother told me not to be late.

Rules.

1. Statements: said/told + that.
2. Yes/no questions: asked + if/whether.
3. Wh-questions: asked + wh-word + statement order.
4. Commands: told/ordered/requested + (not) to + verb.
5. No back-shift after says or for universal truths: The teacher said that the earth goes round the sun.
6. Time and place words change: now → then, today → that day, tomorrow → the next day, yesterday → the day before, here → there, this → that.
7. Pronouns change to suit the speaker.
8. Told needs a person (told me); said does not.

Conclusion. Choose the reporting verb, shift the tense, and change pronouns and time words.