The clever farmer
A farmer once went to market and bought three animals. First he bought a hen, next he bought a sheep and finally he bought a fox. He took the three animals and began to walk home.
On his way he came to a stream. The stream was wide and deep and he could not walk across it.He looked about and found a small boat.
The boat was very small. There was room in it for farmer himself with only one of the animals.He could take the animals over at a time but not all together nor even two together.
"Now what shall I do?" thought the man. "I can't leave the fox with the sheep or the hen.Foxes kill sheep and if I leave this fox with the hen or the sheep it will kill them. What shall I do?"
He thought for a time and in the end found a way.What do you think he did? Think it out for your self.
Well, this is what he did. First he took the fox over and left it on the opposite side of the stream.Then he went back and brought the sheep to the other side. But he did not leave the sheep with the fox. Oh no! he left the sheep on the other side, but he took the fox back into the boat.
The sheep was now on one side of the stream, the hen was on the other side and the fox was in the boat. The farmer now brought the fox back to the first side and left it there, but not with the hen. He took the hen away and brought it to the opposite side and left it with the sheep.
He now went back a third time and took the fox across. In this way he got all the animals over safely.
How many times did he across the stream from the first side to the opposite side? Did he across three times or four times.
Language Focus
Number
Singular - Plural
a hen hens
a hen hens
a fox foxes
a country countries
a leaf leaves
Exception
a man men
a woman women
a child children
a mouse mice
a foot feet
a sheep sheep
EXERCISE
Give the plurals of these words:
1. this 6. tooth 11. mouth 16. country
2. mistress 7. that 12. leaf 17. cinema
3. foot 8. half 13. penny 18. child
4. couch 9. factory 14. woman 19. policeman
5. body 10. his 15. wife 20. handkerchief
