Humour

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The main theme is vanity and self-importance being humbled by unexpected circumstances. Humour comes through the doctor's excessive self-admiration (deciding to grow a moustache, keep an attractive sm…

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Meagre (adjective) means small in quantity or inadequate. From the story: 'I had just set up medical practice and my earnings were meagre.' It describes the doctor's small income when he was starting …

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Basheer creates humour through the doctor's absurd logic - he wants to marry a rich, fat woman doctor so that if he makes mistakes and needs to run away, she won't be able to catch him! This reveals h…

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A phrasal verb is a combination of a verb and one or more particles/prepositions that creates a new meaning different from the individual words. Examples from the chapter: 1) 'take out' (remove someth…

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The Kangaroo objects that the Duck's feet are 'unpleasantly wet and cold' and might give him 'roo-matiz' (rheumatism). The Duck solves this by buying four pairs of worsted socks for her webbed feet an…

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When two past actions have a time gap, the earlier action uses Past Perfect and the later uses Simple Past. Example: 'Some thief had removed most of my things' (Past Perfect - happened first) and 'The…

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Solitary means single or only one. In the story: 'I also possessed one solitary black coat.' This emphasises the doctor's poor financial condition - he owned only one formal coat, highlighting his hum…

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Lear creates adventure through the Duck's longing to escape the 'nasty pond' and explore 'the world beyond', visiting magical places like 'the Dee and the Jelly Bo Lee'. Friendship is shown through th…