FIRST YEAR – SEMESTER II
GENERAL ENGLISH – II
Unit – I RESILIENCE
POEM
1.1 Don‘t Quit – Edgar Albert Guest (page 2)
1.2 Still Here – Langston Hughes (page 7)
SHORT-STORY
1.3 Engine Trouble – R.K. Narayan (page 11)
1.4 Rip Van Winkle – Washington Irving (page 21)
Unit – II DECISION MAKING
SHORT-STORY
2.1 The Scribe – Kristin Hunter (page 41)
2.2 The Lady, or the Tiger? – Frank R. Stockton (page 54)
POEM
2.3 The Road Not Taken – Robert Frost (page 64)
2.4 Snake – D.H. Lawrence (page 67)
Unit – III PROBLEM SOLVING
Prose – LIFE STORY
3.1 How I Taught My Grandmother to Read – Sudha Murty
(page 73)
3.2 How Frog went to Heaven – A Tale of Angola – Aaron
Shepard (page 80)
AUTOBIOGRAPHY
3.3 Wings of Fire (Chapter 1, 2 and 3) – A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
(page 87)
Unit – IV TENSES
4.1 Present Tense 4.2 Past Tense
4.3 Future Tense 4.4 Concord
Unit – V ENGLISH IN THE WORKPLACE
5.1 E-mail (Invitation, Enquiry & Seeking Clarification)
5.2 Circular
5.3 Memo
5.4 Minutes of the Meeting
,General English Notes _ Sem – II (2023_2024) 2
Unit – I RESILIENCE
POEM
1.1 Don’t Quit – Edgar Albert Guest
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
when the road you‘re trudging seems all uphill,
when the funds are low and the debts are high,
and you want to smile but you have to sigh,
when care is pressing you down a bit – rest if you must, but
don‘t you quit,
Life is queer with its twists and turns.
As everyone of us sometimes learns.
And many a fellow turns about when he might have won had he
stuck it out,
Don‘t give up though the pace seems slow – you may succeed
with another blow,
Often the goal is nearer than it seems to a faint and faltering
man;
Often the struggler has given up when he might have captured
the victor‘s cup;
and he learned too late when the night came down,
how close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out – the silver tint of the clouds
of doubt,
and when you never can tell how close you are,
it may be near when it seems afar;
so stick to the fight when you‘re hardest hit – it‘s when things
seem worst, you may not quit
Glossary:
trudging – walk slowly and with heavy steps
uphill – complicated and difficult
debts – a sum of money that is owed or due
sigh – a long, deep audible exhalation expressing sadness
queer – strange / odd
,General English Notes _ Sem – II (2023_2024) 3
twists and turns – complicated circumstances
faint – barely perceptible
faltering – losing strength or momentum
victor‘s cup – the trophy of a winner
tint – a shade or variety of a colour
About the Poet:
Edgar Albert Guest, a British-born American poet, was born
in 1881 in Birmingham, England. In 1991, his family moved
from England to Detroit, Michigan. He began his career as a
copyboy and subsequently as a reporter at the Detroit Free Press.
His first poem was published in 1898. His poetry, which
frequently had an uplifting and hopeful outlook on ordinary life,
were widely read across North America. Guest wrote around
11,000 poems. There were published in 20 books. He earned the
name ―People‘s Poet.‖ ―A Heap o‘Livin‖, published in 1916,
and ―Just Folks,‖ published in 1917, are two of his works. Guest
was the only poet to be named Poet Laureate of Michigan. He
died in Michigan in 1959.
About the Poem:
Edgar Albert Guest wrote the poem ―Don‘t‘ Quit‖ in the
1920s. It is a motivating poem about persevering through
adversity. The speaker urges the readers to keep their strength
and resolve not to quit. Through simple words, he emphasizes
the importance of never giving up. He makes the point that
perseverance, courage and confidences are essential for
overcoming any obstacles that one may face in life. He wants
his readers to pause for a moment and not to quit.
Essay:
Introduction:
The poet starts off by clearly stating that things aren‘t
always a breeze. Sometimes our plans go well and life continues
as we want it to, but sometimes things do not work out as
, General English Notes _ Sem – II (2023_2024) 4
wished. Just like how roads aren‘t always straight, even the
occasions of life aren‘t ship-shaped, they can go uphill. Note
that the poet says ―when‖ and not ―if‖ because he wants to
affirm that things will be dolorous and you need to face it head
on!
When things go awry, take the break but NEVER GIVE UP!
Twists and Turns:
At an amusement park, the most electrifying and stimulating
rides are labyrinthine rollercoasters with twists and turns!
Similarly, the ride of life is hair-rising, hence it is exhilarating!
Sometimes it goes up, and sometimes down. Embrace the
queerness of life. Learn from the hard moments and apply the
lessons to create sunny futures. Stay patient, even if you feel that
people are overtaking you, just stay calm and trust yourself.
Give yourself another chance. You may succeed in the next time
if you try again. So, don‘t give up even if you fail many times.
Golden Crown:
Robert Kennedy has stated that ―only those who dare to fail
greatly can ever achieve greatly.‖ You might be so near to
capturing your victory, but even then you out to be consistent
and keep on going! Never show your back to the ―golden
crown.‖ At a time when you are uncertain and you lack strength,
you may perceive the aspired goal to be so far away. Yet it
could be nearer than what you think. Don‘t‘ let your current
state of weakness or miserable situation to cloud your judgment.
You may be so near to where you want to be. No situation is
hopeless, keep hoping for better days!
Silver Tint:
The metaphoric clouds with a silver tint usually signify
hope. Success is ―the silver tint‖ when you have doubts. Don‘t
quit because of your doubts, go ahead even when you are
doubtful. Be optimistic that you can acquire success. Life is a
GENERAL ENGLISH – II
Unit – I RESILIENCE
POEM
1.1 Don‘t Quit – Edgar Albert Guest (page 2)
1.2 Still Here – Langston Hughes (page 7)
SHORT-STORY
1.3 Engine Trouble – R.K. Narayan (page 11)
1.4 Rip Van Winkle – Washington Irving (page 21)
Unit – II DECISION MAKING
SHORT-STORY
2.1 The Scribe – Kristin Hunter (page 41)
2.2 The Lady, or the Tiger? – Frank R. Stockton (page 54)
POEM
2.3 The Road Not Taken – Robert Frost (page 64)
2.4 Snake – D.H. Lawrence (page 67)
Unit – III PROBLEM SOLVING
Prose – LIFE STORY
3.1 How I Taught My Grandmother to Read – Sudha Murty
(page 73)
3.2 How Frog went to Heaven – A Tale of Angola – Aaron
Shepard (page 80)
AUTOBIOGRAPHY
3.3 Wings of Fire (Chapter 1, 2 and 3) – A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
(page 87)
Unit – IV TENSES
4.1 Present Tense 4.2 Past Tense
4.3 Future Tense 4.4 Concord
Unit – V ENGLISH IN THE WORKPLACE
5.1 E-mail (Invitation, Enquiry & Seeking Clarification)
5.2 Circular
5.3 Memo
5.4 Minutes of the Meeting
,General English Notes _ Sem – II (2023_2024) 2
Unit – I RESILIENCE
POEM
1.1 Don’t Quit – Edgar Albert Guest
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
when the road you‘re trudging seems all uphill,
when the funds are low and the debts are high,
and you want to smile but you have to sigh,
when care is pressing you down a bit – rest if you must, but
don‘t you quit,
Life is queer with its twists and turns.
As everyone of us sometimes learns.
And many a fellow turns about when he might have won had he
stuck it out,
Don‘t give up though the pace seems slow – you may succeed
with another blow,
Often the goal is nearer than it seems to a faint and faltering
man;
Often the struggler has given up when he might have captured
the victor‘s cup;
and he learned too late when the night came down,
how close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out – the silver tint of the clouds
of doubt,
and when you never can tell how close you are,
it may be near when it seems afar;
so stick to the fight when you‘re hardest hit – it‘s when things
seem worst, you may not quit
Glossary:
trudging – walk slowly and with heavy steps
uphill – complicated and difficult
debts – a sum of money that is owed or due
sigh – a long, deep audible exhalation expressing sadness
queer – strange / odd
,General English Notes _ Sem – II (2023_2024) 3
twists and turns – complicated circumstances
faint – barely perceptible
faltering – losing strength or momentum
victor‘s cup – the trophy of a winner
tint – a shade or variety of a colour
About the Poet:
Edgar Albert Guest, a British-born American poet, was born
in 1881 in Birmingham, England. In 1991, his family moved
from England to Detroit, Michigan. He began his career as a
copyboy and subsequently as a reporter at the Detroit Free Press.
His first poem was published in 1898. His poetry, which
frequently had an uplifting and hopeful outlook on ordinary life,
were widely read across North America. Guest wrote around
11,000 poems. There were published in 20 books. He earned the
name ―People‘s Poet.‖ ―A Heap o‘Livin‖, published in 1916,
and ―Just Folks,‖ published in 1917, are two of his works. Guest
was the only poet to be named Poet Laureate of Michigan. He
died in Michigan in 1959.
About the Poem:
Edgar Albert Guest wrote the poem ―Don‘t‘ Quit‖ in the
1920s. It is a motivating poem about persevering through
adversity. The speaker urges the readers to keep their strength
and resolve not to quit. Through simple words, he emphasizes
the importance of never giving up. He makes the point that
perseverance, courage and confidences are essential for
overcoming any obstacles that one may face in life. He wants
his readers to pause for a moment and not to quit.
Essay:
Introduction:
The poet starts off by clearly stating that things aren‘t
always a breeze. Sometimes our plans go well and life continues
as we want it to, but sometimes things do not work out as
, General English Notes _ Sem – II (2023_2024) 4
wished. Just like how roads aren‘t always straight, even the
occasions of life aren‘t ship-shaped, they can go uphill. Note
that the poet says ―when‖ and not ―if‖ because he wants to
affirm that things will be dolorous and you need to face it head
on!
When things go awry, take the break but NEVER GIVE UP!
Twists and Turns:
At an amusement park, the most electrifying and stimulating
rides are labyrinthine rollercoasters with twists and turns!
Similarly, the ride of life is hair-rising, hence it is exhilarating!
Sometimes it goes up, and sometimes down. Embrace the
queerness of life. Learn from the hard moments and apply the
lessons to create sunny futures. Stay patient, even if you feel that
people are overtaking you, just stay calm and trust yourself.
Give yourself another chance. You may succeed in the next time
if you try again. So, don‘t give up even if you fail many times.
Golden Crown:
Robert Kennedy has stated that ―only those who dare to fail
greatly can ever achieve greatly.‖ You might be so near to
capturing your victory, but even then you out to be consistent
and keep on going! Never show your back to the ―golden
crown.‖ At a time when you are uncertain and you lack strength,
you may perceive the aspired goal to be so far away. Yet it
could be nearer than what you think. Don‘t‘ let your current
state of weakness or miserable situation to cloud your judgment.
You may be so near to where you want to be. No situation is
hopeless, keep hoping for better days!
Silver Tint:
The metaphoric clouds with a silver tint usually signify
hope. Success is ―the silver tint‖ when you have doubts. Don‘t
quit because of your doubts, go ahead even when you are
doubtful. Be optimistic that you can acquire success. Life is a
