English Poorvi Class 7 Say the Right Thing Notes

Introduction

• Chapter Overview: “Say the Right Thing” is a humorous play included in the CBSE Class 7 Poorvi English textbook. It teaches the importance of polite conversation, hospitality, and thinking before speaking, especially when hosting guests.
• Theme: The play emphasizes the value of kindness, respect, and tact in social interactions, aligning with Indian cultural values like Athithi Devo Bhava (Guest is God).
• Setting: The story takes place in the home of Mrs. Shaw and her daughter Mary in Lanfield, where Mrs. Shaw is preparing to host two guests.
• Objective: To help Class 7 students understand how to communicate politely and avoid offending others, using humor to make the lesson engaging.

Characters

1. Mary Shaw: A young, confident, but tactless girl who speaks without thinking, leading to humorous blunders.
2. Mrs. Shaw: Mary’s mother, who is eager to make friends and teaches Mary how to be polite to guests.
3. Mrs. Harding: The wife of a wealthy man, Mr. Harding, who recently moved to Lanfield from London.
4. Mrs. Lee: Mr. Harding’s sister, staying with the Hardings, who accompanies Mrs. Harding to the visit.

Summary of the Play

Scene I: Preparing for the Guests

• Context: Mrs. Shaw is tidying the house to welcome Mrs. Harding and Mrs. Lee. She wants to impress them to build a friendship and be invited to their house.
• Mary’s Behavior: Mary is careless, leaving her coat in the living room, which annoys Mrs. Shaw. She insists she is not a child and can talk well.
• Mrs. Shaw’s Advice:
  • Be kind and say things that please guests.
  • Laugh and make guests laugh to keep the conversation lively.
  • If there’s silence, say something kind to restart the conversation.
  • When guests leave, say, “Must you go? Can’t you stay?” to show you want them to stay longer.
  • Avoid saying anything that might upset or anger the guests.
• Mary’s Confidence: Mary believes she can handle the conversation and insists on staying, despite her mother’s suggestion to go for a walk.
• Key Point: Mrs. Shaw is cautious, while Mary is overconfident, setting the stage for her mistakes.

Scene II: The Guests Arrive

• Initial Interaction: Mrs. Harding expresses her liking for Lanfield, and Mrs. Shaw tries to keep the conversation pleasant.
• Mary’s Blunders:
  • Mistake 1: Mary compliments Mrs. Harding’s “beautiful children,” but Mrs. Harding has no children, causing embarrassment.
  • Mistake 2: Mary mocks Mr. Best’s routine of traveling to London and reading newspapers, calling bankers unthinking. Mrs. Lee reveals her brother (Mr. Harding) is a banker who does the same.
  • Mistake 3: Mary laughs at Mrs. Best’s blue dress and red coat, only to learn Mrs. Harding wears the same combination.
  • Mistake 4: Mary criticizes Mrs. Cotter for staying in bed and visiting the doctor, unaware that Mrs. Harding stays in bed and Mrs. Lee sees a doctor often.
  • Mistake 5: Mary calls Mrs. Grantley talkative, not knowing Mrs. Lee’s mother is talkative.
  • Mistake 6: Mary insults a dog outside, calling it dirty, only to discover it’s Mrs. Harding’s dog, Towzer.
  • Mistake 7: Mary criticizes Mr. Pomeroy’s love for horses and shooting, unaware that Mrs. Lee’s brother (Mr. Harding) shares these hobbies.
• Final Blunder: When Mrs. Harding and Mrs. Lee decide to leave, Mary mistakenly says, “Must you stay? Can’t you go?” instead of asking them to stay longer.
• Outcome: The guests leave feeling uncomfortable, and Mrs. Shaw’s efforts to impress them fail due to Mary’s tactless remarks.
• Atmosphere: The repeated stage direction “no one speaks” indicates awkward silences after Mary’s blunders, showing tension and discomfort.

Key Themes and Lessons

1. Politeness in Conversation:
   • Always think before speaking to avoid hurting others’ feelings.
   • Use kind words and avoid criticizing others’ habits or choices.
2. Hospitality:
   • Guests should be treated with respect and made to feel welcome, as emphasized by Athithi Devo Bhava.
   • Small gestures like offering water or accompanying guests to the door show care.
3. Learning from Mistakes:
   • Mary’s blunders teach that overconfidence without tact can lead to embarrassment.
   • Students learn to be mindful of their words in social settings.
4. Humor as a Teaching Tool:
   • The play uses Mary’s funny mistakes to make the lesson memorable and engaging.

Vocabulary and Language Skills

1. Key Words and Meanings:
   • Hilariously: In a very funny way.
   • Blunders: Careless mistakes.
   • Embarrasses: Makes someone uncomfortable.
   • Talkative: Speaking a lot.
2. Suffixes:
   • Suffixes like -ous (humorous), -ly (hilariously), -ing (coming), and -ful (beautiful) change the meaning of root words.
   • Examples: gladly (glad + -ly), banker (bank + -er), guidance (guide + -ance), quietly (quiet + -ly), walking (walk + -ing).
3. Word Pairs:
   • Say vs. Tell: Say focuses on the message (e.g., “She said ‘Hello'”), while tell requires a listener (e.g., “She told me a story”).
   • Fetch vs. Bring: Fetch means to go get something and return, while bring means to carry something to a place.
   • See vs. Look: See is passive viewing, while look involves intentional focus.
   • Live vs. Stay: Live is permanent residence, while stay is temporary.
   • Study vs. Learn: Study is formal learning, while learn is gaining knowledge through experience.
   • Speak vs. Talk: Speak is formal, while talk is informal conversation.
   • Hear vs. Listen: Hear is passive, while listen is intentional.
4. Tenses:
   • Simple Past: Used for completed actions (e.g., “They lived in London”).
   • Present Perfect Continuous: Shows actions starting in the past and continuing or recently completed (e.g., “She has been staying with them”).
5. Sentence Types:
   • Declarative: States facts (e.g., “The room looks cleaner now”).
   • Interrogative: Asks questions (e.g., “What is the weather forecast?”).
   • Exclamatory: Expresses emotion (e.g., “What an exciting adventure!”).
   • Imperative: Gives commands (e.g., “Clean up your room”).
6. Intonation and Stress:
   • Falling Intonation: Used in declarative sentences (e.g., “I saw Mrs. Cotter this afternoon”).
   • Rising Intonation: Makes a statement sound like a question (e.g., “I saw Mrs. Cotter this afternoon?”).
   • Sentence Stress: Emphasize content words (e.g., “Mrs. Cotter” in “I saw Mrs. Cotter this afternoon”) to convey meaning.