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EnglishClass 11The Portrait of a Lady A Photograph

The Portrait of a Lady A Photograph | Class 11 English Notes

By ConceptScroll Team · Published on 17 July 2026 · 3 min read

The Portrait of a Lady A Photograph – this guide gives you a concise, exam-ready overview of The Portrait of a Lady A Photograph from Class 11 English, written by ConceptScroll editors and reviewed against the latest NCERT textbook.

Noticing form

This section draws students’ attention to the use of the past perfect tense in the narrative. It highlights sentences where verbs are in the past perfect form, such as 'had been,' 'had once been,' 'had finished,' and 'had lit.' The past perfect tense is used to describe actions or states that were completed before another action in the past. This grammatical focus helps students understand how the author recounts events that happened in the distant past, providing a clear timeline and context. The section encourages practice with the past perfect form to improve students’ writing and comprehension skills. Understanding verb tenses is crucial for narrating stories and expressing sequences of events accurately.

📊 Diagram: No diagrams are included for grammar explanation.

🧪 Activity: Practice exercises converting sentences into past perfect tense.

🔗 Connection: Leads to 'Things to do' section where students relate the text to personal experiences.

Frequently asked questions

Given below are four different senses of the word 'tell'. Match the meanings to the uses listed above. 1. make something known to someone in spoken or written words 2. count while reciting 3. be sure 4. give information to somebody

The four uses of 'tell' are matched as follows:

3. At her age one could never tell. — 3. be sure 4. She told us that her end was near. — 4. give information to somebody 1. make something known to someone in spoken or written words — corresponds to the general meaning of 'tell' but not specifically numbered here 2. count while reciting — not used in the given examples

Explanation:

  • 'At her age one could never tell' means 'be sure' (sense 3).
  • 'She told us that her end was near' means 'give in
II. Notice the different senses of the word 'take'. 1. to take to something: to begin to do something as a habit 2. to take ill: to suddenly become ill Locate these phrases in the text and notice the way they are used.

The phrases 'to take to something' and 'to take ill' are used in the text to show different meanings of the verb 'take'.

  • 'To take to something' means to begin a habit or liking for something.
  • 'To take ill' means to suddenly become sick.

Students should locate these phrases in the text and understand their contextual usage.

Tick the words in the box below that also refer to a manner of walking. | haggle | shuffle | stride | ride | waddle | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | wriggle | paddle | swagger | trudge | slog |

Words that refer to a manner of walking are:

  • shuffle
  • stride
  • waddle
  • swagger
  • trudge
  • slog

Explanation:

  • 'Shuffle' means to walk by dragging one's feet.
  • 'Stride' means to walk with long steps.
  • 'Waddle' means to walk with short steps, swaying from side to side.
  • 'Swagger' means to walk with a confident or arrogant manner.
  • 'Trudge' means to walk slowly and with heavy steps.
  • 'Slog' means to walk with great effort.

Words like 'haggle' (to bargain), 'ride' (to sit on and control a

Infer the meanings of the following words from the context. | paddling | transient |

Meanings inferred from context:

  • 'paddling': walking or moving through shallow water by moving the feet.
  • 'transient': lasting only for a short time; temporary.

Dictionary meanings:

  • 'paddling': the act of moving through water by using the feet or a paddle.
  • 'transient': lasting only for a short period; not permanent.

Explanation:

  • 'Paddling' is used in the poem to describe the girls moving through water.
  • 'Transient' describes the temporary nature of the feet being washed by the sea, em

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