The Cranky Macaw
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Many different animals, birds and even reptiles are kept as pets. Dogs are popular pets
as they are friendly and are good company, especially for children. Some people have cats
as pets because cats are very independent. Parakeets can be trained to talk. In olden days
sailors and pirates who spent a lot of time on the sea used to keep parakeets as pets. This is
the story of a sailor and his pet, a macaw.
OLD SAILOR JOHNNY JAY LOVED THE SEA. From
the year he turned twelve, he started sailing.
Since then it has been 66 years. He has
sailed across the world. He has seen many
countries. But the sea was his home. He did
not like to live on the land for a long period
of time. He had a small cabin on an island of
Guana where he chose to stay instead with
his family, which lived on a nearby island.
Johnny Jay has had only one constant
friend over the years. Crazy Coot, as he
was known, spoke like a man but with a
very odd shrieking tone. Crazy Coot and
Johnny Jay both loved the sea, and like
all sailors enjoyed their own company.
Meeting people always made them cranky
with people. But what made Crazy Coot
really special was that he was a macaw, a
kind of South American parrot. His plumage
and tail feathers were scarlet in colour, the
rump of light blue and the upper wings of
yellow. Macaws are very intelligent and can
be taught to speak.
Crazy Coot had a bad temper, and when
irritated he would shout, almost like humans.
He loved watching old movies with Johnny
Jay, and could imitate sounds of gunfire. He
could also speak some dialogues from some
movies. He loved to whistle. Whenever he
saw a girl or a woman, he would whistle
loudly and pretend to faint. He also threw
his favourite food – sunflower seeds –
throughout Johnny Jay’s house and loved to
hide behind things. Johnny Jay and Crazy
Coot were a well-matched pair – stubborn,
and solitary.
Johnny Jay’s older sister Missy May was
not fond of the macaw. She would visit
them when Johnny Jay and Crazy Coot
were staying in their home on the island of
Guana. Whenever Missy May was around
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Crazy Coot, he would screech at her. Then
he would make sounds of police siren and
gunshots, and laugh aloud. Missy May, as
you can imagine, was not very happy with
Crazy Coot.
One afternoon Missy May came to
visit Johnny Jay. When she did not find
her brother in the house, she decided to
sleep in the parlour for some time. She
ignored Crazy Coot. When he did not get
the attention that he wanted, Crazy Coot
started muttering, and then hid behind
some books.
Then a thief climbed in from the window
of the parlour. He started putting things in
his bag quietly because he did not want to
wake up Missy May. But the thief did not
know about Crazy Coot, who was hiding
behind the books.
Out of nowhere someone shouted,
‘You thief, you kill me? Leave me alone. I
call police. You go to jail.’ It was followed
by the sounds of police siren and gunshots.
Suddenly terrified, the thief stood as if he
had turned into stone.
The thief jumped to escape, and at the
same time the sister shot up from the chair.
Surprised, the thief tripped, and struck his
head on the table. He fainted.
Missy May then called the police, who
arrested the thief. Feeling ecstatic at being
saved, Missy May went to Crazy Coot to
pet him. But what do you think did the
already irritated Crazy Coot do?
Crazy Coot said, ‘You thief, you kill
me? Leave me alone. I call police. You go
to jail. AAAAA . . .’
The police froze when they heard Crazy
Coot and then burst out laughing. They
understood how Missy May was able to
escape unhurt.
Glossary
*
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cranky : strange; bad-tempered
Guana : an island in the Caribbean
pirate : someone who robs a ship
constant : not changing
You thief, are you trying to kill me? Leave me alone. I’ll call the police. You’ll go to jail.
plumage : the feathers covering a bird’s
body
parlour : a small room for guests
scarlet : bright red
ignored : did not pay attention
rump : backside
tripped : stumbled and fell
screech: make a loud high unpleasant sound ecstatic : very happy
A
A1.
Comprehension
Complete the following sentences in your own words.
1.
2.
3.
4.
A2.
The police were surprised when they realized how Missy May escaped, because
...
Answer the following quesons in your own words.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
B
Johnny Jay and Crazy Coot did not like to be in the company of many people
because . . .
Crazy Coot was not an ordinary pet because . . .
Crazy Coot would screech at Missy May probably because . . .
What kind of birds are macaws? What is special about them?
Give two proofs from the story that indicate that Johnny Jay and Crazy Coot
were not used to living among lots of people.
What would have happened to Missy May had she woken up while the thief was
still in the middle of his burglary?
Why did the thief turn into stone?
How do you think people decide which animal, bird or reptile they want as a
pet?
Vocabulary
Look at the paired words below:
cranky – irritated
shriek – screech
The paired words have similar meanings. Cranky and irritated mean annoyed. Shriek and screech
mean scream. Words that have similar meanings are synonyms of each other.
Synonyms can be used when a word has to be repeated several times in the same text.
Synonyms help us avoid repetition and make our writing more readable.
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B1.
The table below shows some words from the lesson in the first column. Their
meanings are given in the second column. Choose four correct synonyms for
each word from the third column.
word
stubborn
B2.
ecstatic
refusing to change
opinion
extremely happy
imitate
copy
terrified
very afraid
synonyms
determined, weak, strong-willed, funny,
unshakeable, persistent
worn-out, blissful, on cloud nine, tickled
pink, weary, euphoric
innovate, ape, differ, duplicate, echo, mimic
at ease, panic-stricken, spooked, lightheaded, dismayed, turned into stone
Choose the correct synonym of walk to complete the following sentences.
1.
2.
3.
4.
C
meaning
I cannot sleep. Let’s go to the beach and take a ____________
a) stroll
b) pace
c) wander
d) meander
Don’t waste time! Stop ____________
a) strolling
b) pacing
c) wandering
d) meandering
Will you stop ____________ up and down the floor? You’re making me dizzy.
a) strolling
b) pacing
c) wandering
d) meandering
We still have time before the appointment. Let’s ____________ a little.
a) stroll
b) pace
c) wander
d) meander
Grammar
Present Perfect Tense
Look at the following sentences:
He has sailed across the world.
He has seen many countries.
Johnny Jay has had only one constant friend over the years.
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Read the sentences carefully. What kind of ‘action’ or ‘event’ do they refer to? Choose two
correct options.
1. They happened in the past.
2. They will occur in the future.
3. They are taking place now.
4. We do not specifically know the exact time when they happened.
The sentences above tell us about something that happened in the past. But we do not know
when it happened. This could be because it is not important to know when it happened.
The tense form in these sentences is called the present perfect tense.
The present perfect tense indicates an action that happened in the past but its effect is felt in
the present.
My sister has bought a new bicycle. (She bought it in the past and she owns it now.)
Sheetal has injured her arm. (Her arm is still bad.)
We can make the present perfect tense using this formula:
subject + auxiliary verb has/have + main verb (past participle) + rest of the sentence
I have eaten my food.
I
have
past participle of
the main verb
driven
You
have
done
your work.
Maya
has
eaten
her share of cookies.
We
have
dined
at McDonald’s before.
Lara, Rajiv and Meera
have
gone
for shopping.
subject
has/have
rest of the sentence
a car before.
Negave sentences
How do we make negative sentences in the present perfect? To make negative sentences we
just add not between has/have and the past participle of the main verb.
Maya has not eaten her share of cookies.
Lara, Rajiv and Meera have not gone for shopping.
Has/have + not can also be written and spoken as hasn’t/haven’t.
You haven’t done your work.
Maya hasn’t eaten her share of cookies.
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Quesons
Questions in the present perfect are formed this way:
has/have + subject + past participle of the main verb + remaining parts of the sentence
Have you eaten cornflakes?
Has Tara danced in a competition?
Negative sentences in the present perfect tense can also be turned into the interrogative
form.
Have you not done your homework?
Has she not flown in a plane?
C1.
Put the words in each sentence in the correct order. Then put the sentences
in the right order to form a story. The first sentence has been done for you.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
C2.
Rewrite the following sentences in the present perfect tense and then as
negave sentences. Finally turn them into the interrogave form.
1.
2.
3.
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I’ve seen in Africa ostriches.
Africa I’ve been to.
Penguins I seen because haven’t I Antarctica visited haven’t.
Antarctica I’ve it’s heard cold very in.
I’ve travelled across the world. (1)
Kangaroos I’ve seen in Australia.
you have Australia visited?
Yes. I’ve to Australia been.
I lost my car keys.
Positive:
___________________________________________________
Negative:
___________________________________________________
Interrogative: ___________________________________________________
Tommy draws funny cartoons.
Positive:
___________________________________________________
Negative:
___________________________________________________
Interrogative: ___________________________________________________
Maya, Jai and Reeta are eating ice-cream.
Positive:
___________________________________________________
Negative:
___________________________________________________
Interrogative: ___________________________________________________
4.
5.
C3.
They were playing in the field.
Positive:
___________________________________________________
Negative:
___________________________________________________
Interrogative: ___________________________________________________
You will finish your work.
Positive:
___________________________________________________
Negative:
___________________________________________________
Interrogative: ___________________________________________________
Let’s play.
We all enjoy playing games. Let’s see if we can string a story in the present perfect. Divide
yourselves into small groups. The first student forms a sentence in the present perfect, say,
‘I’ve sold my cycle.’ Then the student next to the first one repeats ‘I’ve sold my cycle’ and
adds another sentence to it: ‘I’ve sold my cycle because I’ve decided to buy a scooter.’ The
third student repeats the first two sentences and then adds to it. This goes on till the last
student of the group has had his turn.
D
Listening and Speaking
Listening
D1. Listen to the radio talk given by a police inspector on how to protect your
house from burglars and robbers. Then choose the correct answer to the
following quesons.
1.
2.
3.
According to the inspector, we can protect ourselves by
a) taking a few careful steps.
b) keeping firearms.
c) appointing security guards.
A pet dog
a) can bite the owners themselves.
b) is difficult to keep.
c) can act as a guard dog.
Why should we leave a light on when leaving the
house in the evening?
a) so that it looks beautiful
b) so that it looks occupied
c) so that pets do not lose their way at night
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4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Before opening the door we must ask
a) How are you?
b) Who is it?
c) Are you a robber?
If you have a security system in your house,
a) don’t tell your security code to everyone.
b) display your security code on the front door.
c) share the security code with your neighbours.
If you are leaving your grandparents at home,
a) inform the police.
b) give them weapons for self-defence.
c) inform your neighbours.
Your door should have
a) a keyhole.
b) a peephole.
c) at least three latches.
The inspector ends his talk with this saying:
a) Look before you leap.
b) Better late than never.
c) Better safe than sorry.
Speaking
D2. A day at the fair
Imagine that you are going to a big fair. There are swings, food stalls, game stalls, stalls where
you can play with animals like hens and ducks, and ride camels and elephants. There are icecream stands, a magician’s tent and also a stage where
you can perform with your friends. Can you imagine
the kind of fun you will have? There are colours all
around you, people are laughing and playing. Some
have come for a picnic. The air is filled with different
aromas of food from the food stalls.
Make small groups and discuss how you would have
spent your day at the fair. Then each group should also
present something – a song, a mime or a dance – which
they would have performed on the stage at the fair.
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E
Writing
Make pairs consisting of a student who has a pet and another who doesn’t.
Both students talk about pets. The student who has a pet should describe what makes it so
special. The student who doesn’t have a pet tells which animal or bird he/she would like to
have as a pet, and why. Either student will carefully note down what his/her partner says.
Then they write what their partner spoke about his/her pet. In the end, students can stick
their pages on the wall for the rest of the class to read.
Things that you can talk about:
Those who have pets:
•
What kind of pet do you have?
•
What is its name?
•
What does the pet usually do?
•
Have you trained it to do something special?
•
Does it bite or make noises all the time?
•
What are the favourite foods of your pet?
•
Have you ever been in trouble because of it?
For the imagined pets:
•
What kind of pet would you like to have?
•
Why that particular pet?
•
What traits make that pet special?
•
What kind of activities will you do with your pet?
•
Is it a dangerous pet?
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