These are some of the most beautiful lines in Bhagwant Singh’s latest collection entitled ASGAH BHATKAN (limitless Quest): lines which are sensitive, eloquent and meaningful . They represent the central theme of his poetry – the distance between desire and realization, between hope and despair, between love and hate. Here is recaptured the true rhythm and conceit of poetry as well as serenity of a philosophic vision .A consciousness of the uncertainty of fulfillment and fragility of human happiness has characterized Bhagwant Singh’s verse from the very beginning . He thus cut out the period of apprenticeship in romantic sentimentalism through which practically all of our Punjabi poets have passed. This is the reason why his poetry looks maturer than his years.

ASGAH BHATKAN , which is Bhagwant Singh’s third collection, marks a significant stage in his own growth to adulthood. He has here achieved greater poise and certitude and a surer control over his medium. Despite the turbulence of the poet’s spirit, this latest verse is remarkable for its restraint of expression and smoothness of rhythm. The sobriety of tone he has attained should be a prelude to still greater achievement.

Bhagwant Singh belongs to none of the schools which dominate Punjabi poetry today. He maintains a genuinely personal and individual tone of voice. Its principal notes are a deeply felt anguish of the soul and an undercurrent of faith and optimism . He does not
let himself be completely, overwhelmed by his sense of suffering and seeks redemption for it in articulation , in song, in creative act. This mystique of the poetic articulation is what separates him from such of his contemporaries as seek refuge in the social act or the absurd. He does not write as if to convey or communicate , but to share an experience . This gives to his work a tonal quality of emotive stress and inner conflict. His expression , though straight forward and matter- of – fact, acquires a sharpness verging occasionally on the satirical . Essentially a poet of cynical sensibility, Bhagwant Singh is refereshingly exempt from cant and frothiness.
Bhagwant Singh’s involvement with his own self may look somewhat morbid , but the experience he seeks to realize has a quality of genuiness. The world of frustration he recreates in his poems is not an unrecognizeable phenomen. This lends to the poet’s vision communicability as well as integrity. ……Dated 1965

1. Agreement of subject with verb e.g. The Manager as well as his wife and children was shocked at the news.
2. A singular subject requires a singular verb even though intervening words may be plural.
e.g. A new system of ideas and principles has been started.
3. The verb agrees with the subject not with the predicate noun (noun which follows the subject).
e.g. The best time to see the stars is two hours after midnight.
4. A compound subject connected be ‘and’ takes a plural verb. e.g. Precision and speed in typing are acquired by practice. But when the compound subject consists of two words of closely related meaning or of two nouns naming the same person, the verb is singular.
e.g. My coach and helper gives me confidence.
5. Use singular verbs with singular pronouns including each, either, anyone, neither, someone, anybody, everybody, nobody, none, e.g. Each of the five patients has been cured.
6. None usually takes a plural verb unless a singular idea is clearly expressed.
e.g. None of them are willing to take the responsibility.
7. When a subject is connected by either-or, neithcr-nor the verb is usually made to agree with the nearer.
e.g. (i) Neither the car nor its occupants were shaken.
(ii) Neither the occupants nor the car was shaken.
Rule : Neither + Subject I + Nor + Subject 2 + Verb of Subject 2 + Object (Same Rule for Either-Or)
Subject I + as well as + subject 2 + verb of object I + object (Same Rule for In addition to, alongwith besides).
8. Use a singular verb when the subject is the name of the book, a poem, a newspaper, a motion picture or a drama or the like. e.g.’ The complete works of Shaw is an immense book.
‘The Times of India’ is an excellent paper.
9. Quantity and sums or multiples of numbers when expressing a singular idea may take a singular verb.
e.g. 12 inches is one foot.
10. Fractions take a singular verb if the subject of the following phrase is singular.
Change the Voice

1. We cook our meals here.

2. They are building the house.

3. Some boys have insulted their teacher.

4. Today he missed his lunch.

5. They were building the house.

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
WORKSHEET NO. 1
1. Frame sentences to illustrate the use of each of the following expressions :
utopian, quixotic, hewers of wood and drawers of water, to throw pearls before swine, hook, line and sinker.
2. Correct the following sentences :
(a) Neither of them have had any success with the boss.
(b) The police made the limb over to a firm of undertakers to dispose it of in a
more formal way.
(c) He said that the B.C.G. vaccination was one of the greatest ‘farce’ that was
ever practised on the public.
(d) Digging an unused well, a huge treasure was discovered.
(e) Looking down below, people on the streets appeared mere specks.
(f) Apparently the spurt in prices have been caused by the recent floods.
(g) I asked him that how much he wanted.
(h) He had scarcely left the room than the party arrived.
(i) Until you do not work hard you will not pass.
(j) As I am still weak, so I shall not be able to attend your party.
3. Give one word for :
(a) One who is easily fooled.
(b) A brave, fearless person.
(c) Use of more words than necessary.
(d) A dabbler in the fine arts.
(e) A connoisseur of good food.
4. Give one word for :
(a) excessive eater
(b) belief in many gods

Hypocricy, grievence, gazette, bulliten, extention, leisurly, kerocene, imparetive, familirty, disasterous, dependant, economical, eightyth, eligibal, ninth, ninety, suparcede, psychology, undoubtly, pastime, occupent, meloneholy, michivous, magnificence, manageable adandan, agreeable, interferance, irrelevant, juveneele, legitemate, jewellary, memorandum, noticeable, outrageous, symbolic, unnecessary, volunteer, serviceable, reimborsement, relieve, remembrence.

2. Give single word for persons having the following characteristics. One who walks in his sleep

i) One who looks on the dark side of thins

One who dies for a noble cause1. Correct the spellings of the following misspelt words:

Hypocricy, grievence, gazette, bulliten, extention, leisurly, kerocene, imparetive, familirty, disasterous, dependant, economical, eightyth, eligibal, ninth, ninety, suparcede, psychology, undoubtly, pastime, occupent, meloneholy, michivous, magnificence, manageable adandan, agreeable, interferance, irrelevant, juveneele, legitemate, jewellary, memorandum, noticeable, outrageous, symbolic, unnecessary, volunteer, serviceable, reimborsement, relieve, remembrence.

2. Give single word for persons having the following characteristics. One who walks in his sleep

ii) One who looks on the dark side of thins

iii) One who dies for a noble cause

iv) One who feeds on fruit

v) One who foretells events

vi) One versed in many languages

vii) A Messenger sent in great haste

viii) An unthankful person

ix) One who abstains from alcoholic drinks

x) One who shoots with bows and arrows

xi) One who collects coins

xii) A partner in crime, one who fishes with a rod

xiii) One who takes refuge in a foreign country

xiv) One new to anything a hater of women

3. Give single word for persons having the following characteristics.

i) One who attends to the diseases of the eye

ii) One who compounds or sells drugs

iii) One who drives a motor-car

iv) One who deals in flowers

v) One who deals in fish

vi) One who looks after horses at an inn

vii) One who studies the start

viii) One who cleans the street

ix) One who performs tricks by sleight of hand

x) One who mends shoes

xi) A physician who assists women at child birth

xii) One who deals in iron & handware

xiii) A professional rider in horse races

xiv) A woman employed to clean inside building

4. Write the anatonyms of the following words:

admire, barren, enmity, hope, malice, nominate, optional, harmony, generous, public, empty, health, dynamic, stationary, future, abundance, lend, giant, wild, busy, start, ugly, kind, roburt, youth, profit, lead

5. Use the following words in illustrative sentences so as to bring out their meaning

(a) adopt, adept, altar, alter, mean, means, quiet, quite; rise, raise, negligent, negligible, except, accept, judicial, judicious; lay, lie, precede, proceed, industrious, industrial, weather, whether; imaginary, imaginative.

(b) Lookout, outlook; take over, overtake, speak out, outspoken; let out, outlet, enact, react, reward, award; run over, overrun, Pass-by, bye-pass, short-cut, cut short.

6. Give single words for phrases given below:

i) a number of bees, locusts, ants etc.;

ii) a number of people at church;

iii) a collection of fowls, ducks etc.;

iv) a number of artists, dancers or acrobats;

v) a collection of poems;

vi) a set of furniture, rooms etc.;

vii) a collection of flowers; a number of savages;

viii) a number of fish taken in a net; a collection of wild animals;

ix) a number of sheep;

x) a number of ships;

xi) a collection of tools;

xii) a number of jury men engaged in a case.

7. Use the following words in illustrative sentences so as to bring out their meaning:

a) adopt, adept, altar, alter, mean, means, quiet, quite; rise, raise, negligent, negligible, except, accept, judicial, judicious; lay, lie, precede, proceed, industrious, industrial, weather, whether; imaginary, imaginative.

b) Look out, outlook; take over, overtake, speak out, outspoken; let out, outlet, enact, react, reward, award; run over, overrun, Pass-by, bye-pass, short-cut, cut short.

8. Give single word for the following : -

i) A place where fishes are kept;

ii) The home of a lion;

iii) A residence for monks;

iv) The kitchen of a ship;

v) A place where leather is tanned;

vi) A muslim place of worship;

vii) A place with gambling tablets;

viii) A place where ships are repaired;

ix) A receptacle for storing coal;

x) A place for housing cars,

xi) A place for keeping or breeding insects;

xii) The house or shelter of a gipsy;

xiii) A place where clothes are washed and ironed.

xv)

xvi) One who feeds on fruit

xvii) One who foretells events

xviii) One versed in many languages

xix) A Messenger sent in great haste

xx) An unthankful person

xxi) One who abstains from alcoholic drinks

xxii) One who shoots with bows and arrows

xxiii) One who collects coins

xxiv) A partner in crime, one who fishes with a rod

xxv) One who takes refuge in a foreign country

xxvi) One new to anything a hater of women

3. Give single word for persons having the following characteristics.

xv) One who attends to the diseases of the eye

xvi) One who compounds or sells drugs

xvii) One who drives a motor-car

xviii) One who deals in flowers

xix) One who deals in fish

xx) One who looks after horses at an inn

xxi) One who studies the start

xxii) One who cleans the street

xxiii) One who performs tricks by sleight of hand

xxiv) One who mends shoes

xxv) A physician who assists women at child birth

xxvi) One who deals in iron & handware

xxvii) A professional rider in horse races

xxviii) A woman employed to clean inside building

4. Write the anatonyms of the following words:

admire, barren, enmity, hope, malice, nominate, optional, harmony, generous, public, empty, health, dynamic, stationary, future, abundance, lend, giant, wild, busy, start, ugly, kind, roburt, youth, profit, lead

5. Use the following words in illustrative sentences so as to bring out their meaning

(a) adopt, adept, altar, alter, mean, means, quiet, quite; rise, raise, negligent, negligible, except, accept, judicial, judicious; lay, lie, precede, proceed, industrious, industrial, weather, whether; imaginary, imaginative.

(b) Lookout, outlook; take over, overtake, speak out, outspoken; let out, outlet, enact, react, reward, award; run over, overrun, Pass-by, bye-pass, short-cut, cut short.

6. Give single words for phrases given below:

xiii) a number of bees, locusts, ants etc.;

xiv) a number of people at church;

xv) a collection of fowls, ducks etc.;

xvi) a number of artists, dancers or acrobats;

xvii) a collection of poems;

xviii) a set of furniture, rooms etc.;

xix) a collection of flowers; a number of savages;

xx) a number of fish taken in a net; a collection of wild animals;

xxi) a number of sheep;

xxii) a number of ships;

xxiii) a collection of tools;

xxiv) a number of jury men engaged in a case.

7. Use the following words in illustrative sentences so as to bring out their meaning:

a) adopt, adept, altar, alter, mean, means, quiet, quite; rise, raise, negligent, negligible, except, accept, judicial, judicious; lay, lie, precede, proceed, industrious, industrial, weather, whether; imaginary, imaginative.

b) Look out, outlook; take over, overtake, speak out, outspoken; let out, outlet, enact, react, reward, award; run over, overrun, Pass-by, bye-pass, short-cut, cut short.

8. Give single word for the following : -

xiv) A place where fishes are kept;

xv) The home of a lion;

xvi) A residence for monks;

xvii) The kitchen of a ship;

xviii) A place where leather is tanned;

xix) A muslim place of worship;

xx) A place with gambling tablets;

xxi) A place where ships are repaired;

xxii) A receptacle for storing coal;

xxiii) A place for housing cars,

xxiv) A place for keeping or breeding insects;

xxv) The house or shelter of a gipsy;

xxvi) A place where clothes are washed and ironed.

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NOTE —those who answer besT would be honoured