KSEEB Class 9 · English (1st language) · KTBS Revised 2024-25
On Saying Please
Chapter summary, hard words and model exam answers for Karnataka Board Class 9 English.
Free online summary and notes (Karnataka Board Class 9 English). Read it here, no PDF download needed.
About the author
A.G. Gardiner (1865–1946), writing under the pen name "Alpha of the Plough," was a famous British essayist and editor of The Star. His short essays on manners remain classics of light prose. "On Saying Please" argues that civil words lubricate social life as oil lubricates machines.
Summary
A young man enters a lift without "please" or apology, jostling others. Mood turns sour; silence hardens.
A young man enters a lift without "please" or apology, jostling others. Mood turns sour; silence hardens.
One discourtesy spreads discomfort. Gardiner shows how small acts poison shared space.
One discourtesy spreads discomfort. Gardiner shows how small acts poison shared space.
A cheerful "please" and smile change the same situation - passengers relax and cooperate.
A cheerful "please" and smile change the same situation - passengers relax and cooperate.
Manners oil the wheels of social machinery. Without them, daily life grates and stalls.
Manners oil the wheels of social machinery. Without them, daily life grates and stalls.
Law cannot force politeness. Being decent is moral choice beyond courts and police.
Law cannot force politeness. Being decent is moral choice beyond courts and police.
Saying please costs nothing yet buys harmony. Civility is citizenship in miniature.
Saying please costs nothing yet buys harmony. Civility is citizenship in miniature.
Hard words & meanings
| courtesy | good manners showing respect |
| lubricant | something that reduces friction - used metaphorically for please/thank you |
| discourtesy | lack of polite behaviour |
| jostle | to bump against others in a crowd |
| civility | respectful behaviour in public life |
| metaphor | calling manners "oil" without literal meaning |
| moral | about right conduct rather than law |
| harmony | pleasant cooperation without conflict |
| etiquette | customary codes of good behaviour |
Model exam answers, grammar & audio
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