The clever farmer

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 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