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Unit 07 :
“Actions speak louder than Words”

Upper Intermediate

Objective

To be able to know more about idioms and expressions.

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Vocabulary

Read and know the meaning the words used in the article.

1. kindhearted /ˌkaɪndˈhɑːr.t̬ɪd/
(of a person ) showing a lot of care  and kindness for other people

A kind-hearted comedian paid the £160-odd and bailed him out and thus cleared him of the debt, so there was one person in prison.

2. midst /mɪdst/
the middle of a group of people or things

She caught sight  of Johnny in their midst (= among them), laughing and talking 

3. cane /keɪn/
a long stick used especially by old, ill, or blind people to help them walk

The old person has a black cane.

4. touched /tʌtʃt/
grateful for something kind that someone has done

I was very touched by all the cards my friends sent me when I was in hospital.

5.profusely /prəˈfjuːs.li/
in large amounts

She apologized/ thanked us profusely.

6. gesture /ˈdʒes.tʃɚ/
a movement of the hands, arms, or head, etc. to express an idea or feeling

She made a rude gesture at the other driver.

7. handicapped /ˈhæn.dɪ.kæpt/
not able to use part of your body or your mind  because it has been damaged or does not work normally

What’s the best way of improving theatre access for people who are physically handicapped?

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Quick Reading

Read the short passage.

This proverb means that our actions convey more than the words they speak.

Here the word speak does not mean literally to speak. It is used to mean convey or show or demonstrate.

For example if you are teaching someone how to dance… it is better to show them the movements physically instead of just describing it in words. Actions give a clear picture about what we are trying to say in a short period of time.

Here is a small story to illustrate the proverb.

Sita was a ten year old girl who went to school by bicycle everyday. She was a kindhearted young girl always willing to help people. She was very good at studies and always followed her teacher’s advice that one must always lend a helping hand to those in trouble.

One morning, as she was on her way to school, she saw a blind man trying to cross the road in the midst of busy traffic. There was no one to help him and he was in danger of getting hurt by the speeding vehicles.

Sita, who saw this, parked her cycle in front of a shop and requested the shop owner to look after her cycle, telling him that she was going to help the blind man.

Sita ran across to the blind man, took hold of his white cane and told him to walk with her. She waved her hand at all the vehicles, signaling them to stop.

All the vehicles stopped and gave way for them to get across. The drivers were touched by the helping move of a small girl who did this small help. The blind man thanked Sita profusely and wished her good luck.

Sita’s class teacher who was passing by saw this and felt very proud of her student. Sita’s gesture towards the blind man clearly showed her good intention to help others who were in need.

That day the teacher told the whole class of Sita’s helping tendency and asked them to applaud her. She also told the other students that they should follow Sita in converting what they learn into action.

Sita was very pleased that she could at least do this small help for a handicapped person. After that Sita became famous among the school-students and she was awarded in the school function for her humanitarian gesture.

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Discussion

Answer the questions with your teacher.

  1. Do you believe in the proverb “ actions speak louder than words”?
  2. What can you say about Sita?
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Discussion about You

Answer the questions with your teacher.

  1. If you were in a situation similar to Sita, what would you do?
  2. How do you help other people?