The English Lesson 21 theme is MAHATMA GANDHI

Part One: Learn English Skills

Read the following text and answer the questions that follow:

Gandhi Mahatma Gandhi was a great man who showed people that peaceful means could be used to end violence and injustice. His teachings, which emphasised that people of different races and religions could live together peacefully, influenced many political leaders including Nelson Mandela.

Although Gandhi is best known for trying to bring peace to India and then helping the country gain independence from Britain, he spent much of his younger life doing similar work in South Africa.

At the age of 24 he came to South Africa, working as a lawyer. Arriving in Durban in the 1890s Gandhi found himself treated as a member of an inferior race because the government of the time gave very few rights to Indian people. Appalled by this, he spent the next 20 years working to improve the rights of Indians living in South Africa.

After being attacked and beaten by white men, Gandhi began to teach a policy of passive resistance to injustice. He called this policy satyagraha, which means "truth and firmness" and organised a number of peaceful protests against the South African authorities.

As a result, he was often put into jail but every time after he was released he would return to his campaign for Indian rights. He, for example, formed a colony near Johannesburg where Indians could live and work together. More importantly, Gandhi's actions finally influenced the government to change some of the restrictive laws regarding Indians.

Shortly afterwards, Gandhi returned to India. In his country of birth, he continued his nonviolent protest, leading the successful campaign for Indian independence. Living a spiritual life of prayer, fasting, and meditation, the Indian people thought of him as a saint began to call him Mahatma, which means "great soul".

Your Turn

What did Gandhi's teachings emphasise?
What was Gandhi's job when he came to South Africa?
Why was he jailed?
Where was Gandhi born?
What does "Mahatma" mean?
Genius question: what word in the text also means "shocked" and "disgusted".

Part Two: Learn English Structure

AT, IN and ON

AT, IN and ON are used when talking about time. (These same words are also used when describing someone's physical position.)

When talking about exact times we use AT.

The Eurocentres student wakes up AT six o' clock.
I will leave home AT 4.15.
Visit me AT lunch time.

In informal English, when asking a question, we say "What time?"

What time does the bus to Cape Point leave? ("AT what time?" is correct, but unusual).

When referring to parts of the day we use AT, IN and ON.

Gandhi prayed IN the morning.
The class starts AT three o' clock IN the afternoon.
Visitors to Cape Town usually go out IN the evening.

There is an exception. We say AT night.

We usually go out AT night.

We use ON if we say which morning, afternoon etc. we are talking about or if we describe the morning, afternoon etc.

I will see you ON Monday morning. It happened ON a cold afternoon in early spring.

When referring to a specific day we use ON.

The Eurocentres tour to Cape Point is ON Tuesday.
Ghandi's birthday was ON 2 October.

When talking about a weekend or public holiday period as a whole (like Christmas, Easter and New Year) we use AT.

Are you going to visit Cape Town AT Easter?

We use ON when we talk about one day of the holiday.

It happened ON Easter Monday.

British people also use AT when talking about the weekend as a whole.

What did you do AT the weekend?

To confuse matters a bit, Americans use ON when talking about the weekend.

What did you do ON the weekend?

People use IN when referring to longer periods.

Violence erupted IN the week after Gandhi's death.
Gandhi was born IN October.

Here is a useful summary of the words we covered in Grammar Groans this month.

AT: exact time
IN: part of day
ON: particular day
AT: weekend, public holiday
IN: longer period

Your Turn

Complete the following sentences using AT, IN and ON.

Cape Town is beautiful ____ summer.
The OWLS student went to Hermanus ____ the weekend.
Gandhi was born ____ 2 October 1869.
He died ____ 1948.
Are you going to spend time at home ____ Christmas?

Part Three: Funnies

Why does an ostrich have such a long neck? Because its head is so far from its body.

Part Four: Quotations

Nonviolence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man. - Mohandas K. Gandhi

He lived, thought and acted, inspired by the vision of humanity evolving toward a world of peace and harmony. We may ignore Gandhi at our own risk. - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth. - Albert Einstein

Answers

Answers to Part One

Gandhi's teachings emphasised that people of different races and religions could live together peacefully.
He was a lawyer.
He was jailed for leading a series of peaceful protests against the South African authorities.
He was born in India.
It means "great soul".
"appalled"