The Magic Mirror / Poem: If I was a Superhero

Unit 14 is about imagined situations — if this happens, what will or would happen? Reading I is a folk tale, The Magic Mirror: a cunning barber in the kingdom of Granada claims his mirror shows a girl's dishonesty, and only a brave shepherd girl dares to look. Reading II is a poem by Sally Gray, If I was a Superhero, full of wishes to save the world. The grammar is conditional sentences, types 1, 2 and 3. In writing you complete a story with the right verb forms and write a news story; the project is a speech beginning "If I were the Prime Minister…".

14.1 Reading I: The Magic Mirror

Summary

• The king of Granada announces he will marry the most worthy girl of the land, and offers money to whoever finds him a bride. The news spreads through the court barber, the night watchmen and the old market women.
• The cunning barber says he has a magic mirror: if a dishonest girl looks into it, spots of her dishonesty will appear. Looking into it, with the barber beside her, is the only condition; any lady above twenty may try.
• Many ladies want to be queen, but none dares to look. Weeks pass; every morning the king hears "No!"
• The barber suggests a lonely shepherd girl living on the mountainside. The king agrees, even though she is "of low birth".
• The whole kingdom fills the royal hall. The girl is shy, but she says that everyone makes mistakes and she is no exception; she has no great desire to be queen, but she is not afraid to look. She gazes — no stains appear.
• The other women snatch the mirror and shout that there is no magic — it was a trick. The king replies: "You have only yourselves to thank. If you had been as confident in yourselves as this young lady, you might have been the queen."

Theme/moral: honesty and self-confidence matter more than birth or wealth; people who fear being exposed lose their chances. The mirror was a test of courage and honesty, not magic.

Characters: the king — patient, fair, not proud of rank; the barber — clever, cunning; the shepherd girl — humble, honest, brave; the ladies — ambitious but lacking confidence.

Vocabulary (Exercise A)

a–v (kingdom), b–iv (merchant), c–iii (surround), d–ii (convince), e–i (pleased)

Order of events (Exercise B)

c → a → b → f → d → g → e

True / False / Not Given (Exercise C)

a. Not given — no time is stated (they shouted so loudly that the young ladies woke up). b. True. c. False — any lady above 20 was eligible, not only those in their twenties. d. True. e. False — weeks went by. f. False — the king says kings in other lands had no trouble.

Comprehension (Exercise D) — model answers

a. What happened as soon as the shepherd girl was brought to the palace? The whole kingdom filled the royal hall to see her, and she felt very shy.

b. How do you know the king was happy at first sight of her? He was very pleased with her appearance and received her kindly.

c. Was the girl really shy? She felt shy in front of so many people, but she was not timid: she spoke honestly and calmly and was not afraid to look into the mirror.

d. What was the secret of the mirror? It was an ordinary mirror. The magic was a trick by the barber to test which girl was honest and confident enough to look.

e. What did the other ladies realise at the end? That they had been tricked, and — as the king said — they had lost the chance to be queen because they lacked confidence in themselves.

Who said it? (Exercise E)

a. The barber, to the people (townspeople) who asked how the king would choose a wife. b. The people/the crowd; you = the barber. c. The king, to the ladies who snatched the mirror.

14.2 Grammar: Conditional sentences

Type	Form	Meaning	Example
Zero	If + present, present	always true; facts	If you heat ice, it melts. If you drop an egg, it breaks.
First (Type 1)	If + present simple, will + verb	real/possible future	If it rains, we will get wet.
Second (Type 2)	If + past simple, would + verb	imaginary/unlikely present or future	If Anjali won the lottery, she would go on a long trip.
Third (Type 3)	If + had + V3, would have + V3	imaginary past (it did not happen)	If they had won the race, we would have been very happy.

• The if-clause can come first (comma after it) or second (no comma).
• In type 2, were is used for all persons in formal English: If I were you… (If I was — as in the poem's title — is informal).
• could / might may replace would: If you had been confident, you might have been the queen.
• Never put will/would in the if-clause: If it ~~will rain~~ rains…

Textbook answers

Grammar I A: a–vi, b–iv, c–v, d–i, e–iii, f–ii

Grammar I B: a. If you study hard, you will pass the exam. b. If you heat ice, it melts. c. If you work hard, you will succeed. d. If I asked her, she would help me. e. If you had invited them, they would have come. f. If she doesn't know the answer, the teacher will be unhappy. g. If she hadn't studied hard, she could have failed her exams. h. Would you help me if I asked?

Grammar II A: a. are b. would you do c. wouldn't have d. may bite (bites is also possible as a general fact) e. will stay f. had g. had had h. wouldn't have fallen i. will happen

Grammar II B (sample endings): a. If I were you, I would apologise. b. If you call him, he will come. c. I would have called your mother if I had known her number. d. If you don't brush your teeth regularly, they will decay. e. If they didn't hurry, they would miss the bus. f. If it stops raining, we will play golf. g. I can help you if you tell me the problem.

Speaking — chains of events: If it rains heavily, I will stay inside. If I stay inside, my mother will be happy. If my mother is happy, she will make delicious food. / If I found a purse, I would submit it to a police station.

14.3 Writing I: Completing a story with verb forms

The Lamb and the Wolf — answers: was eating · did not notice · saw · started · is · agreed · was dancing · had · take · took · started · heard · happened.

Points: past continuous for the background (was eating, was dancing); past simple for events; present tense inside the lamb's direct speech (My stomach is full); a first conditional in speech (I can dance faster if you take my bell); had happened after had.

14.4 Reading II: Poem — If I was a Superhero

What the poem says

Every stanza begins "If I was a superhero" (a second conditional — an imaginary situation). The speaker would:

1. fly with arms outstretched, racing birds in the sky;
2. have special powers like extra-strong legs for jumping over towers;
3. save the oceans with secret, magical cleaning-up potions;
4. save the trees, mountains, rivers, birds and bees;
5. help the poor, give them food and end their hunger;
6. make the world better — "I'm sure you'll agree".

Theme: the child's wish to use power not for fame but to protect nature and help people. The first two stanzas are about fun powers; the rest are about saving the environment and helping the poor. Rhyme: lines 2 and 4 rhyme (fly/sky, powers/towers, oceans/potions, trees/bees, poor/more, agree/me).

Crossword (Exercise A)

Across: 4. superhero 5. tower 6. bees 7. magical. Down: 1. outstretched 2. definitely 3. potion

Gap filling (Exercise B)

a. arms b. jump c. (secret and magical) cleaning-up potions d. mountains e. food f. world

14.5 Writing II: A news story

Part	What it is	In Nepal begins exporting cement to India
Headline	short title in large type	Nepal begins exporting cement to India
Byline	the reporter's name	By Satish Mishra
Dateline	place and date	Kathmandu, 10th July 2021
Lead	first paragraph: the most important facts (who, what, when, where, why, how)	"Nepal has begun exporting cement to India. Palpa Cement, based in Sunawal-7 of Nawalparasi district, says it has begun exporting cement to India, for the first time in the country."
Body	details, numbers, quotations	Tansen brand; three trucks on day one; 3,000 tonnes a day (PR manager Jeevan Niraula); government grant; country already self-reliant in cement

News is written in the third person, mostly in the past/present perfect, with the most important facts first (the "inverted pyramid").

Model answer — Nepali youth awarded in Delhi (Writing II B)

Nepali Youth Awarded in Delhi

By Our Correspondent Nepalgunj, [date]

Mohammad Irfan, a young man from Banke district, has been honoured with the National Youth Icon Award 2022 for his excellent contribution to the field of development. The award was presented to him by the Chief Minister of Delhi at a ceremony held in Delhi.

Irfan started his career with USAID in Jumla, where he worked on community development programmes. Since then he has been a very active social and political activist, especially in raising awareness about disability.

Speaking after the ceremony, Irfan said that the award belonged to everyone working for people with disabilities in Nepal. His family and friends in Banke have expressed their happiness at his achievement.

(Only use quotations and details that are given or clearly invented as an example; in the exam, stick to the points provided.)

14.6 Project work: a speech draft

Format of a speech: greeting the audience → introduction of the topic → main points → conclusion → thanks.

14.7 Pronunciation: British and American

Word	British	American
either / neither	/ˈaɪðə/	/ˈiːðər/
schedule	/ˈʃedjuːl/	/ˈskedʒuːl/
leisure	/ˈleʒə/	/ˈliːʒər/
mobile, missile	/-aɪl/	/-əl/
vitamin, privacy, dynasty	/ˈvɪt-/, /ˈprɪv-/, /ˈdɪn-/	/ˈvaɪt-/, /ˈpraɪv-/, /ˈdaɪn-/
advertisement	/ədˈvɜːtɪsmənt/	/ˌædvərˈtaɪzmənt/

Chapter summary

• The Magic Mirror: the barber's "magic" mirror tests honesty and courage; the confident shepherd girl wins; "If you had been as confident…, you might have been the queen."
• Poem: second-conditional wishes — fly, jump towers, clean the oceans, save nature, feed the poor, make the world better.
• Zero: if + present, present. Type 1: if + present, will. Type 2: if + past, would. Type 3: if + had + V3, would have + V3.
• No will/would in the if-clause; If I were… in formal English.
• News story: headline, byline, dateline, lead (5W1H), body.
• Speech: greeting, introduction, points, conclusion, thanks.

Practice questions

Reading

1. Answer from The Magic Mirror. [5]aWho were the first to hear the news?bWhat was the only condition to marry the king?cWhere did the shepherd girl live?dWhat did she say about mistakes?eWhat did the ladies shout when they saw no stains?

Answers — Reading

1. (a) The court barber, then the night watchmen and the old market women. (b) To look into the barber's magic mirror. (c) Alone, far away on the mountainside. (d) Everyone makes mistakes and she is no exception. (e) "There is no magic in this mirror — a trick has been played on us!"

Grammar

2. Complete. [5]aIf you (water) the plants, they will grow.bIf I (be) a bird, I would fly.cIf she had left early, she (catch) the bus.dIf you mix red and white, you (get) pink.eWe would go out if it (not rain).

Answers — Grammar

2. (a) water (b) were (c) would have caught (d) get (e) didn't rain

Writing

3. Write a news story: a fire in Kalanki market; 15 shops burnt; no deaths; loss of about Rs 2 crore; short circuit suspected; fire brigade controlled it after three hours. [5]

Answer — Writing

3. Headline (Fire Destroys 15 Shops in Kalanki), byline, dateline, a lead answering what/where/when/how (Fifteen shops were burnt in a fire at Kalanki market on … night), body with the loss, cause, fire brigade's work and no casualties; past tense; third person.