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NCERT Solutions for Class 5th English Chapter 2 A. A conversation · B. Making new words · C. Words with ‘ai’ — Let us Write

Book page 21–22 Updated on2026-09-19

Q1.
By the time the children ran to the gate, the scooter was gone… and so was the ball. They looked at each other and burst into laughter. Write a possible conversation between Gopi and his friends after this incident? Gopi: ............... Ramani: ............... Deepak: ............... Manoj: ............... Jay: ...............
Answer

How to write this conversation:

  1. Write one line for each child — five lines in all, in the order the book gives: Gopi, Ramani, Deepak, Manoj, Jay.
  2. Each line must sound like that child. Gopi is honest and sensible. Deepak boasts. Manoj is bossy on the field. Ramani is quick and playful. Jay is the one who hit the shot.
  3. Make each line answer or follow the line before it. A conversation is a chain, not five separate speeches.
  4. Remember they are laughing, not fighting. Nobody blames Jay.
  5. Put the name, then a colon, then the words. You do not need quotation marks in this kind of writing.

Sample answer:

Gopi: I looked for that ball in the grass, in the bushes and in the dry leaves — and now it has gone away on a scooter!
Ramani: At least now I can say what colour it was. It was white — I saw it going!
Deepak: Do not worry. Tomorrow I will bring my brand-new football, and we can all play with that.
Manoj: Jay, that was the best shot of the evening. But next time please aim at the goalpost, not at the gate.
Jay: I am sorry, friends. Let us go to the shop on Sunday and buy one ball together, so it belongs to all of us.
Another way to end it: You could also make the last line funny instead of kind — for example, Jay: “Somewhere in this town a man is riding home with onions, coriander and one hockey ball, and he does not know it!”
What makes a conversation good: Each line should either add something new or reply to the line before. Read your five lines aloud with friends. If it sounds like real children talking, you have written it well.
Q2.
Form new words by following the example given below: sun + rise = sunrise (word web: sun → rise, set, shine, flower)
Answer

The word sun is in the middle of the web, and four words are joined to it. Put sun first and the other word second.

sun + rise = sunrise
sun + set = sunset
sun + shine = sunshine
sun + flower = sunflower

A word made by joining two smaller words is called a compound word.

New wordWhat it meansA sentence of your own
sunriseThe time in the morning when the sun comes up.We reached the river just before sunrise.
sunsetThe time in the evening when the sun goes down.The children played hockey until sunset.
sunshineThe light and warmth of the sun.My grandmother sits in the winter sunshine every morning.
sunflowerA tall plant with a big yellow flower that turns towards the sun.A sunflower grew taller than our gate.
Why the order matters: Compound words cannot be turned round. Sunflower is a flower; flowersun is not a word at all. The second word tells you what the thing really is, and the first word tells you more about it.
Q3.
Form new words by following the example given below: foot + ball = football (word web: ball → base, foot, basket, volley)
Answer

Here the word ball is in the middle, and this time ball comes second, not first.

foot + ball = football
base + ball = baseball
basket + ball = basketball
volley + ball = volleyball
New wordWhat the game isA sentence of your own
footballA game played by kicking the ball with the foot.Deepak’s father bought him a brand-new football.
baseballA game in which players hit the ball and run round four bases.I saw a baseball match on television for the first time.
basketballA game in which players throw the ball into a basket high up on a pole.Our school won the district basketball match.
volleyballA game in which players hit the ball over a net with a volley — a hit made before the ball touches the ground.We play volleyball on the sand near the village pond.
Look at what the first word does: In every one of these, the first word tells you how the game is played or what is used — the foot, the bases, the basket, the volley. That is how English builds names for games.
Try a few more of your own: hand + ball = handball, cricket + ball = cricket ball, snow + ball = snowball, eye + ball = eyeball.
Q4.
Write a sentence using each of these words in your notebook.
Answer

You have made eight new words. Now write one sentence for each. A good sentence should show the meaning of the word, not just contain it.

What a good answer needs: a full sentence with a capital letter at the start and a full stop at the end; the new word used correctly; and enough around it that a reader could guess the meaning even without knowing the word.

Sample answer — all eight sentences:

  1. sunrise — At sunrise the whole sky above our field turns orange.
  2. sunset — Gopi and his friends wanted to finish the game before sunset.
  3. sunshine — After three days of rain, the warm sunshine felt wonderful.
  4. sunflower — My uncle grows a whole row of sunflowers behind his house.
  5. football — He kicked the football so hard that it crossed the wall.
  6. baseball — In baseball, a player runs from one base to the next after hitting the ball.
  7. basketball — Tall players often do well at basketball because the basket is very high.
  8. volleyball — We hit the volleyball over the net six times without dropping it.
Compare these two sentences: “I saw a sunflower.” and “My uncle grows a whole row of sunflowers behind his house.” Both use the word. Only the second one lets a reader picture it. Always write the second kind.
Q5.
Using the clues given below, write ten words that have ‘ai’ in the middle. 1. Something that has four legs, on which you generally sit. (Answer given: chair)
Answer

chair — this one is already filled in for you in the book.

Look at where the letters sit: chair. The a and the i stand together in the middle of the word. That is the pattern you must hunt for in all ten answers.

Your own sentence: Please put the chair back near the table.

The little rule: When a and i stand side by side, they usually make one long “ay” sound — chair, rain, train, paint. Two letters, but only one sound.
Q6.
2. Water that falls from clouds.
Answer

rain

Rain is the water that falls from the clouds. Spell it: r – a i – n, with the ‘ai’ right in the middle.

Your own sentence: The first rain of the year brought a lovely smell from the earth.

A whole family of ‘ai’ words comes from this one: rain → rainy, raindrop, rainbow, raincoat, rainfall.
Q7.
3. A vehicle that runs on tracks.
Answer

train

A train is the long line of coaches that runs on iron tracks. Spell it: tr – a i – n.

Your own sentence: Our train to Nagpur leaves from platform number four.

Notice: rain and train rhyme, and they are spelt almost the same — just add a t in front. When two words rhyme, their spellings are often close too. That is a good way to remember new words.
Q8.
4. You use this to colour your wall or pictures.
Answer

paint

Paint is the thick, coloured liquid we brush on to a wall or a picture. Spell it: p – a i – n – t.

Your own sentence: We used green paint for the leaves on our chart.

The same word does two jobs: Paint is the thing in the tin (a naming word), and it is also the action — “I paint the wall.”
Q9.
5. The part of body that helps you think.
Answer

brain

The brain sits inside the head. It helps us think, remember, speak and move. Spell it: br – a i – n.

Your own sentence: A helmet protects the brain, so we must always wear one.

This links back to the chapter: In Let us Think B.3 you explained why the scooterist wears a helmet. It is the brain he is protecting.
Q10.
6. A slow moving creature with a shell.
Answer

snail

A snail is a small, soft creature that carries a hard shell on its back and moves very slowly. Spell it: sn – a i – l.

Your own sentence: After the rain, a snail crept slowly across our wet courtyard.

Did you know? A snail can pull its whole body inside its shell when it is afraid. The shell grows along with the snail, so it never becomes too small.
Q11.
7. Letters and packages you send or receive.
Answer

mail

Mail means the letters and parcels that are sent through the post. Spell it: m – a i – l.

Your own sentence: The postman brought the mail just before lunch.

Careful — two words sound the same: mail is letters and parcels; male means a boy or a man. They sound alike but mean quite different things, so check the spelling before you write.
Q12.
8. The movements of boats on water.
Answer

sail

To sail is to travel on water in a boat or a ship. The big sheet of cloth that catches the wind and pushes the boat along is also called a sail. Spell it: s – a i – l.

Your own sentence: The fishermen sail out to sea before sunrise.

Another look-alike pair: sail (on water) and sale (when things are sold cheaply). Same sound, different spelling, different meaning — just like mail and male.
Q13.
9. All animals have them, long or short.
Answer

tail

The tail is the part that grows at the back end of an animal’s body. A monkey has a long tail; a rabbit has a very short one. Spell it: t – a i – l.

Your own sentence: Our dog wags his tail whenever I come home from school.

Look at these three together: mail, sail, tail. They all end in the same three letters and they all rhyme. Change only the first letter and you get a new word — also nail, rail, pail, fail, jail.
Q14.
10. Steps that takes us from one floor to another.
Answer

stairs

Stairs are the steps that take us up from one floor of a building to the next. Spell it: st – a i – r – s.

Your own sentence: We climbed the stairs to the terrace to fly our kites.

One step or many? We almost always say stairs, in the plural, because there is never just one. A single step is called a stair or a step.
And one more look-alike: stairs (steps) and stares (looks hard at something). Say them aloud — they sound the same.
Q15.
The complete list of ten words with ‘ai’ in the middle.
Answer

Here is the whole table, filled in.

No.ClueWord
1Something that has four legs, on which you generally sit.chair (given)
2Water that falls from clouds.rain
3A vehicle that runs on tracks.train
4You use this to colour your wall or pictures.paint
5The part of body that helps you think.brain
6A slow moving creature with a shell.snail
7Letters and packages you send or receive.mail
8The movements of boats on water.sail
9All animals have them, long or short.tail
10Steps that takes us from one floor to another.stairs
Check every answer the same way: Cover the first letters with your thumb and look at the middle of the word. In all ten, you should see the two letters a and i standing next to each other. If you cannot see them, the word is wrong.
More ‘ai’ words to collect in your notebook: nail, jail, pail, wait, waist, faint, chain, plain, praise, afraid, straight, painting, rainbow, mountain, curtain.
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