Class 10 English – Words and Expressions 2 Unit 4

📝 Section 1 — Language Notes

Story in Short — Anne Frank's Diary

Anne Frank was a Jewish girl living in hiding during World War II.
She and her family hid from the Nazis in Amsterdam.
She kept a diary describing her feelings and daily life.
Anne felt lonely and isolated in hiding.
Her diary became one of the most read books in the world.
Sadly, Anne died in a concentration camp in 1945.

Reading Text 1 — Diary of Lena Mukhina

Lena was a teenager in Leningrad during World War II.
Germans blocked the city from September 1941 for 872 days.
People faced extreme cold, hunger, and constant bombing.
Bread rations were cut five times in two months.
People welcomed bad weather — it stopped the bombers.
On sunny days, bombs fell — people lived in constant fear.

Reading Text 2 — Daniel Defoe's Journal of Plague Year

It describes how plague spread to England in 1664.
People heard news only through letters — no newspapers then.
The government knew about the plague but kept it secret.
Two men died in London and doctors confirmed it was plague.
Deaths were recorded in a weekly bill of mortality.

Grammar — Idiomatic Expressions

Quaking in one's boots — trembling with fear
Not to lose heart — not to give up hope
Icing on the cake — an extra benefit
Call the shots — to be in charge
Breaking the ice — reducing tension in a new situation
Raining cats and dogs — raining very heavily
Chalk and cheese — completely different from each other

Grammar — Contracted Forms

Contracted forms make two words shorter.
is not → isn't
they have → they've
let us → let's
did not → didn't
could not → couldn't
here is → here's
I would → I'd
are not → aren't

Grammar — Phrasal Verbs in Sentences

break down — a machine stops working
find out — to discover information
look for — to search for something
go out — to leave the house or go somewhere
check out — to look at or examine

Diary Writing — Key Features

A diary records personal experiences and feelings.
It is written in first person (I, my, me).
It has a date at the top of each entry.
It uses informal, personal language.
A journal is more formal — it records events and facts.
A log or daybook records daily activities or voyages.

Lena Mukhina's Poem — Key Message

"Consider any day on which you learn nothing a lost day!"
Anyone can become strong, smart, and brave.
The key is will power.
Strong people are persistent and determined.
These qualities must be developed — not born with.

✏️ Section 3 — Solved Exercises

Exercise 1 — Comprehension: Diary of Lena Mukhina

a Appalling hunger and cold means: extremely terrible and unbearable hunger and freezing temperatures experienced by people during the siege.

b Start of the siege means: when the German army completely surrounded and cut off the city from September 1941.

c Blockade grams means: a very small measured amount of bread (125 or 250 grams) given to people trapped inside the blocked city.

d People welcomed bad weather because cloudy skies reduced visibility for enemy bombers, making bombing raids less likely.

e The correct answer is (d) — "the possibility of buying food without a ration card, as in the past, was no more than a memory now."

Exercise 2 — Contracted Forms

a "You should not eat so much." → You shouldn't eat so much.

b "They have written the story." → They've written the story.

c "Let us go watch a movie." → Let's go watch a movie.

d "He did not play tennis." → He didn't play tennis.

e "I could not find my friend." → I couldn't find my friend in the crowd.

f "Here is your bag." → Here's your bag.

g "I would guide him." → I'd guide him.

h "They are not rich." → They aren't rich.

Exercise 3 — Vocabulary: Choose Correct Word

b One should learn to defend oneself against bullies.

c The girls who were helping you were probably Rahul's friends.

d These dresses belong to you. I am sure they are yours.

e The fire caused serious damage to the group of houses.

f The board was concerned with plans for the tournament.

Exercise 4 — Editing: Max Müller's Quote (Errors Corrected)

1 "If I was asked" → were (subjunctive mood with "if")

2 "some for its choicest gifts" → of its choicest gifts

3 "has find solutions" → found solutions

4 "attention even of them who" → those who

5 "I should pointed to India" → point to India

6 "if I were to ask me" → myself

7 "we who has been nurtured" → who have been nurtured

📋 Section 4 — Word Power

Word	Part of Speech	Meaning	Example Sentence
siege	noun	surrounding a city to cut it off	The siege of Leningrad lasted 872 days.
aftermath	noun	the period after a bad event	The aftermath of the flood was very difficult.
apathy	noun	lack of interest or feeling	Constant suffering led people into apathy.
appalling	adjective	causing shock; extremely bad	The conditions in the city were appalling.
inclement	adjective	unpleasantly cold or stormy (weather)	Inclement weather delayed the flights.
discourse	noun	spoken or written communication	He heard in ordinary discourse about the plague.
tokens	noun	signs or evidence of something	Doctors found evident tokens of sickness on the bodies.
vent	noun / verb	an opening for releasing something; to express	The news got some vent in the neighbourhood.
indelible	adjective	impossible to forget or remove	War leaves indelible impressions on the mind.
alienation	noun	feeling isolated and separated from others	Anne Frank felt deep alienation in hiding.
bombarded	verb	attacked continuously with bombs or questions	The city was bombarded every day by enemy aircraft.
mortality	noun	deaths occurring in a particular time and place	A weekly bill of mortality recorded all plague deaths.

📄 Section 5 — Practice

Practice 1 — Fill in the Blanks with Contracted Forms

1. She _______ (is not) feeling well today.
2. _______ (Let us) go to the library now.
3. I _______ (could not) understand the problem.
4. _______ (They have) already left for school.
5. _______ (Here is) the book you wanted.

Practice 2 — True or False

1. Anne Frank hid from the Nazis during World War II. ___
2. Lena Mukhina's diary is from Germany. ___
3. People in Leningrad feared sunny days more than rainy days. ___
4. Daniel Defoe wrote about a plague that hit London. ___
5. A diary and a logbook are the same type of writing. ___

Practice 3 — Match Idioms with Meanings

1. call the shots A. completely different people
2. chalk and cheese B. raining very heavily
3. raining cats and dogs C. to be in charge / decision maker
4. icing on the cake D. an extra bonus on something good
5. breaking the ice E. reducing awkwardness in a new situation

Practice 4 — Grammar: Fill Phrasal Verbs

Choose: broke down, find out, go out, look for, checked out

1. Suhasini wanted to _______ with her mother.
2. Her mother's car _______ on the way back.
3. She had to _______ a mechanic nearby.
4. She _______ several apps but could not _______ her internet connection.

Practice 5 — Writing Prompt

Write a short diary entry (4–5 sentences) imagining you are locked at home for one week during an emergency. Share your feelings and daily activities using "I" and informal language.

Answers to Practice Exercises

Practice 1 Answers: 1. isn't 2. Let's 3. couldn't 4. They've 5. Here's

Practice 2 Answers: 1. True 2. False (she was Russian, from Leningrad) 3. True 4. True 5. False (they are different types)

Practice 3 Answers: 1 – C 2 – A 3 – B 4 – D 5 – E

Practice 4 Answers: 1. go out 2. broke down 3. look for 4. checked out / find out

🃏 Section 6 — Word Flashcards

siege

Surrounding and cutting off a city. "The siege of Leningrad lasted 872 days."

apathy

Lack of feeling or interest. Constant suffering and hunger led to apathy.

indelible

Impossible to erase from memory. War leaves indelible impressions on children.

contracted form

Two words joined into one short form. is not → isn't, let us → let's, did not → didn't.

quaking in boots

Idiom: trembling with great fear. "The whole class was quaking in its boots."

mortality

Deaths in a particular time or place. The bill of mortality listed plague deaths weekly.

alienation

Feeling cut off and alone. Anne Frank felt alienation in the hidden annex.

will power

Inner strength to keep going despite difficulty. Lena's poem says will power conquers all.

Unit 4 — From the Diary of Anne Frank Words and Expressions 2 • Class 10 • Different Learner Friendly Notes