Expansion of Idea

 

Std 11th English 
Expansion of idea’

Expansion of idea’  is a short composition. One is expected to take the idea embodied in a proverb, a maxim, a quotation, a saying, a slogan or an idiom and elaborate on it in the form of paragraphs.

Template for ‘Expansion of Idea’ :

1) Title - A suitable title is essential/

2) Introductory paragraph - (1st paragraph) : A suitable introduction should be given, through which the reader knows what you are going to write about. This paragraph may contain the topic sentence with a brief explanation.

Topic sentence : A sentence that expresses the main idea or central theme of the piece of writing.

3) Core content - (2nd paragraph) : The topic sentence / the central idea is explained in detail. You can

add relevant experiences, brief instances and anecdotes. There should be unity in the ideas and clarity of thought. Discourse markers may be used to maintain coherence and a logical link in the ideas.

Discourse Markers : Discourse Markers are words or phrases that play a role in managing the

flow and structure of oral or written communication. They link the narrative or conversation.

They also emphasise and explain what you are saying. Thus, they bring clarity to the communication, besides adding to its beauty.

Some examples of Discourse Markers : anyway, nevertheless, therefore, similarly, thus, by the

time, on the other hand, oh, well, now, you know, I mean etc.

4) Concluding paragraph - (3rd paragraph) : The whole composition is summed up concisely.Another proverb / saying with the same meaning as the one you are writing about may be used. For example, if the given sentence is ‘Birds of a feather flock together,’ you may end with a similar one

like ‘A man is known by the company he keeps’.

A Friend in Need is A Friend Indeed

          our daily life we come across people who over a period of time become close to us. But we cannot be sure if they are true friends or just fair-weather friends. Many people develop contacts with influential people for their benefit. It will be a great mistake if one considers these apparently close people as friends. The test of true friendship is in time of difficulties. On the other hand, the fair-weather friends disappear in times of trails. They find excuses to distance themselves from us.

The Epics of India showcase timeless illustrations of         friendship. In the Ramayana, it is between Rama and Sugreva. In the Mahabharata,  it is between Krishna and Kuchela; between Duryodhana and Karna. Such friendship stands the test of time. Such friends are life’s greatest blessing. Friendship with people like these last a lifetime

FRIENDS - A REAL TREASURE

When the world seems to turn upside down, when your life seems to be totally ruined – the only person we can rely upon during these tough times and the only shoulder we can cry on without any uneasiness is our friend. I got used to believe that friendship is an everlasting phenomenon and it is truly forever. I stick to the opinion, that true friendship is never-ending. Life is unpredictable and we never know what may happen tomorrow. I’ve a lot of friends but only few of them are real. We’ve gone through many difficulties together and now my heart is aching at the thought that we are living in different countries because of life circumstances.

Together though miles apart – that’s the motto of our friendship! When you are bounded by true friendship you won’t mind the distance! You can always join such friendship networks like MySpace or Facebook and be sure that you can always stay in touch with your dear friends!

Very often I use the famous quote of David Tyson that goes, “True friendship comes when the silence between two people is comfortable”. Friendship starts when you know what the person next to you is going to say. Sometimes it’s enough to just hold a hand and everything becomes clear without words. In the hour of desperation and sadness a true friend will stand by your side whenever you need him/her. If you have at least one true friend you may consider yourself to be the luckiest person on the Earth! However, the best way to know what the friendship is – is to become a good friend yourself!

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

              A person who has knowledge is equipped with power. Here power does not mean the power of money or brute force or the power wielded by money. rather it means the power to understand, discriminate between what is right or wrong and the power to make right or wrong choices. The illiterate person has limited choices of opportunity and advancement. Knowledge makes a man resourceful. When he is faced with a difficult situation, he is able to tackle it better. His mind is able to come up with many ways to solve a problem. He is not bogged down by paucity of thoughts. he can even think up new ways of doing things.The world is moving faster each day. No one can afford to remain illiterate. Everyone has to keep up with the knowledge of the times.

Practice Makes Perfect

       Practice makes a man perfect is a famous proverb that tells us the importance of practicing regularly in a particular field. Practice improves the skill of a person. If you are not practicing in your field, you cannot master it. We can learn anything we want in the world with regular practice. Practice is the best habit and we need to develop it from childhood. Nobody can perform well in his/her field if he/she does not practice regularly. We have to convert our knowledge into action which needs regular practice. Regular practice helps us to build a good habit. The practice is one such activity that enhances the will power of a person.

You cannot become a world - class musician unless you take up your instrument and play on it daily for hours together. You cannot become a Dhoni merely through inborn skill. You have to go to the nets every day for hours of practice. You need a coach to guide you and tell you where you go wrong. Merit - holders in board examinations do not achieve their marks by pure inspiration. They have studied throughout the year and revised and re - revised and made themselves perfect in whatever they have set out to study. It is only regular practice that makes one perfect. 

Service to Man is Service to God 

Great and noble souls are usually selfless people. They believe in the ideal of service before self. Giving up all thought of personal comfort, they devote themselves to the service of their fellowmen. Such was the case with Christ, Gandhi, Vivekananda, and a host of others who dedicated themselves to the welfare of mankind. 

If we love God and wish to serve Him, we must show our love for Him by deeds, not words. We can please God by serving our fellowmen. To do service, we have to take a lot of trouble. We must give up our comforts. We should be ready to sacrifice our time and energy to help others. This is just what Albert Schweitzer did in his attempt to be of service to humanity. 

Experience is the best teacher.

If you warn a child not to put his hand near the fire, he or she may not listen to you. But if the child actually touches the flame out of curiosity, he or she will get burnt. By actual experience the child will learn that putting one’s hand in fire can actually cause a lot of pain and physical damage. Most of our study is based on books. But only be actual ly making a visit to the Taj Mahal will one actually experience its grandeur. Direct knowledge gives personal experience. There are so many skills that mere theoretical knowledge cannot supply complete information. Practical knowledge gives us complete, impartial and permanent information of the thing we are studying. We learn through our mistakes more than we learn from bookish knowledge. Learning by doing is the most effective way of education

Honesty is The Best Policy.

Honesty is a policy that prays in the long run. There is the story of Lord Alfred of France who was convicted for being a spy. He spent years in a jail far away from his native land and his countrymen hated him. Then one day the real spy got his story published and the truth came out. Lord Alfred was restored to his original status with all honours and the nation was ashamed of the way it treated him. All through the trial Lord Alfred kept on saying that he was innocent.

      Every religion tells us that we must be honest. No one likes dishonest people because they cannot be trusted. The truth is always so simple. Dishonesty is like a web that has no beginning and no end. Sometimes we are punished for being honest, but it is nothing compared to the pain and suffering we cause due to dishonesty. Gandhi laid great emphasis on the need to be truthful in words and deeds. His life throughout was a struggle to uphold the virtue of truth. A truthful man can speak and act with moral conviction. He commands respect and reverence in society.

Where there is will, there is a way

When we read the biographies of great men and women, right from Albert Einstein to Edmund Hillary, we find that it is their strong will which made them overcome great difficulties or setbacks and find a way to march towards success. Similarly, a student may think securing a first class in an examination is beyond his or her capacity. But if the student makes a firm resolve to achieve his or her goal and works towards it wholeheartedly, he or she is almost certain to achieve success.

There was a time when lying in the air, travelling in space and sending messages and pictures over the air were all regarded as flights of fancy. But today we see that these seemingly impossible things have become possible. The aero plane, the spaceship, the radio, the television, the mobile phone and the internet are now realities.

HEALTH IS WEALTH

What is the use of having millions and billions in one’s bank account and yet not enjoying good health? A healthy man can enjoy the benefits of his wealth. But a wealthy man will always followed by physical complaints if he is not healthy. In fact, if you are ever asked to choose between the two, always opt for good health. because health can give wealth, but wealth does not ensure health. very often the desperate search for wealth makes a man unhappy. It brings along with it stress, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, ulcer and diabetes

      It deprives a man the necessary physical exercise. It makes him follow unhealthy food habit in the name of saving time. As a result he has to spend the later part of his life in and out of hospitals and undergoing expensive operations in order to keep himself alive. Finally he dies a stressful premature death. And all the wealth he has accumulated is distributed amongst his heirs. Rather he could have enjoyed his wealth while he had lived if only he had believed in the dictum, ‘Health is wealth‘

Prevention is better than cure.

      A young man sometimes handles a razor blade carelessly, cuts his finger, allows the cut to go septic and, when the pain is unbearable, consult a doctor. The doctor prescribes a prolonged and costly treatment. Would it not have been better for him to have taken due precaution while using the blade? We can always protect ourselves against common ailments and diseases with proper precautionary, preventive measures.

      But very often, something within us makes us ignore the possibility of trouble, even after we have seen the first symptoms of trouble. The result, very often, is that the trouble is aggravated and we regret our neglect when it is only too late. A man’s lack of foresight often lands him in serious trouble. Sayings such as  ‘ Nip the mischief in the bud ‘, ‘ A stitch in time saves nine ‘ advise us to take prompt steps against impending trouble and ward them off right at the start. But even sounder is the proverb ‘Prevention is better than cure’ that advises us to take precaution so that the trouble is not allowed to affect us at al

Impossible is a word in the dictionary of fools.

      It was Napoleon Bonaparte, the great conqueror, who said, ” Impossible is a word to be found only in the dictionary of fools “. Come to think of it, there is so much truth in this quote. How often we have thought that a particular plan is impossible. But then the situation changes and the plan becomes easy and possible. Those who think that something can never be done are not fools, I wonder rather say they are lazy, unimaginative, unambitious and weak of heart.

         If Sherpa Tenzing had said, ” Climbing Mount Everest is impossible “, his name would not have been in the history books today. If Wilma Rudolf had listened to her doctor and never got off bed, being paralytic, she would never have won three Olympic gold medals.

God help those who help themselves.

     There are students who don’t study all through the year and then one day before the examination they go to the temple, make offerings and perform pooja and think that God will answer their prayers and give them a good result in the examination. Such students will find, much to their dismay, that God does not help shirkers. He only helps those who help themselves.

      There is the story of a scientist who worked for years in order to find out the cause of malaria. He had performed hundreds of experiments and almost given up hope. The he prayed and fell asleep. The next morning he woke up with a new idea in his hand. He tried it out and lo and behold!, he had found the cure for malaria. Thus we see that God helps only those who helps themselves. This is because God has given us all talents, attributes and the thinking power to achieve what we want. After being given all these, why should we again rely on God to achieve success? We should rely on the gifts that God has given us to make progress in life, rather than on God to do it for us.