UNIT – I

Grammar: Articles, Prepositions, Antonyms, Synonyms.

Vocabulary: Basics of Communication (Definition, Types of communication). Importance of
body language in corporate culture, Body language ( Facial expressions – eye contact – posture – gestures –
Proxemics – Haptics – Dress Code – Paralanguage – Tone, pitch, pause & selection of words), Impromptu
speeches.

Articles
The English language uses articles to identify nouns. Articles act much like adjectives. Articles clarify
whether a noun is specific or general, singular or plural. An article appears before the noun it accompanies.
There are two types of articles
Definite article: the
Indefinite article: a, a.

‘A’ or ‘An’ is used before countable singular nouns.

Ex: a box, a house, a horse
An is used before words beginning with a vowel sound. Ex: an apple, an hour, an honour, an heir
A University, a European
The words ‘University’ and ‘European’ begin with a vowel spelling but with a consonant sound.
An hour, an heir
Here the words ‘hour’ and ‘heir’ begin with a vowel sound and the initial consonant ‘h’ is not
pronounced.
Use of the Indefinite Article
The Indefinite Article is used-
1. in the sense of one.
ex: I bought a book He came with an Umbrella
2. in the sense of certain.
ex: A Smith came to see you.
3. to represent a class
ex: A cow is a useful animal. (A cow= all cows)
An elephant is a huge animal. (An elephant = all elephants)
4. To make a common noun of a proper noun.
ex: A Daniel Came to judgement ( A Daniel= a person as great as Daniel)
Only a Wordsworth can write such a poem (A Wordsworth= A person/ a poet with the ability of
Wordsworth)
Use of the Indefinite Article
The Indefinite Article is used-
1. in the sense of one.
Ex: I bought a book; He came with an Umbrella
2. in the sense of certain.
Ex: A Smith came to see you.
3. to represent a class
Ex: A cow is a useful animal. (A cow= all cows); An elephant is a huge animal. (An elephant = all
elephants)
4. To make a common noun of a proper noun.
 Ex: A Daniel Came to judgement ( A Daniel= a person as great as Daniel)
Only a Wordsworth can write such a poem (A Wordsworth= A person/ a poet with the ability of
Wordsworth)
5. To indicate price, speed etc.
Ex: He drove the bus at fifty kilometers an hour; He bought the apples at thirty rupees a dozen.
6. in exclamations
Ex: What a pity!; What a beautiful sight!
7. in certain similes and metaphors
Ex: She walks like a queen; Here is a heaven for lunatics.
8. After some prepositions, especially ‘as’, ‘for’, ‘on’ and ‘at’.
Ex: It is only a change; They don’t do it as a rule; Cloth is manufactured on a large scale
9. In some phrase.
Many a
What a
Such a
Ex: to pay somebody a visit.
to take an interest in.
to be in a hurry.
in a word.
take a vacation.
play a joke.
as a matter of fact
Use of the-Definite Article
The is used
1. to indicate a class with nouns in the singular.
Ex: The cow is a useful animal; The monkey is mischievous animal.
2. to indicate a class with Adjectives.
Ex: The rich are becoming richer; The poor suffer a lot.
3. as an adverb with a comparative.
Ex: The higher you go, the colder it becomes.
The more, the merrier.
4. With superlatives.
Ex: She is the cleverest girl in the class.
He is the most popular actor.
6. Before proper nouns when these are the names of mountains, rivers, oceans, seas and certain territories.
Ex: The Alps, the Krishna, the Atlantic, the Bay of Bengal, the Punjab, the United States of America
7. Before the names of holy books.
Ex: The Ramayana, the Bible, the Koran
8. Before the names of things unique of their kind.
Ex: The Sun, the moon, the sky, the earth
9. Before a proper noun to make is a common noun (in comparison)
Ex: Kalidasa is the Shakespeare of India; Mumbai is the Manchester of India.
Omission of the Article
1. Before proper nouns (some exceptions to this have been noted above)
Ex: Tagore is a great poet. Nehru was a great leader. (but names in the plural form take the)
The Tatas are famous industrialists.
2. Before plural nouns used to denote a class or in a general sense.
Ex: Cows are useful animals.
Books are our true friends.
3. Before material nouns and abstract nouns used in a general sense.
Ex: Cotton is light; Patience is a great virtue.
4. Before of names of diseases.
Ex: He is suffering from fever.
He is stricken with consumption.
5. Before of the names of languages and colours.
Ex: He does not know French.
Blue is his favourite colour.
6. Before nouns in certain phrases.
Ex: by air, by sea, over hill and dale, by land
7. Before certain titles and names indicating relationships.
Ex: King William, Uncle Tom
8. Before certain titles and names of things single in kind.
Ex: Heaven, Hell, God
9. Before places visited for their primary purpose.
Ex: He goes to college. (to study); He was sent to prison ( as punishment)
He goes to church (to pray)
Note: The is used with these words when we refer to them as a definite place, building or object (not
for the normal activity)
The college is not far from my house.
I met Smith at the church; John went to the hospital to meet the doctor.
10. Before the names of relations.
Ex: Father has come back; Uncle came to see us; Cook is angry;
11. Before predicative nouns denoting a unique position. (held by one person only)
Ex: Syam was elected President of the Students’ Union
Mr. Rao became Principal of our college.
12. Before names of meals.
Ex: Lunch is at eleven O’ clock.
Mr. Anderson invited me to dinner.
13. In certain phrases consisting of a verb and an object.
Ex: to catch fir to see sail to send word
to lose heart to give ear to set foot
14. In certain phrases consisting of a preposition and its object.
Ex: at home by water in hand
in debt by river by train
by day by steamer by night
by name on horseback by land
on foot on demand at sight
Complete the following sentences using appropriate articles.Mark X in case of no articles are needed.
1. Man is -----------mortal.
2. I am----------------university student.
3. She goes to the temple in------------mornings.
4. Kiran is-----------best student in the class.
5. Camel is the ship of the desert.
6. This book has won------------Booker prize.
7. Harishchandra was-------------honest king.
8. I am fond of--------------classical music.
9. I met-----------boy in the store.
 10. Gold is-----------precious metal.
11. She returned after-----------hour.
12. There is -----------institution for-----------blind in this city.

Answers
1. Man is mortal. (No article is needed.)
2. I am a university student.
3. She goes to temple in the mornings.
4. Kiran is the best student in the class.
5. The camel is the ship of the desert.
6. This book has won the Booker prize.
7. Harishchandra was an honest king.
8. I am fond of classical music. (No article is needed.)
9. I met a boy in the store.
10. Gold is a precious metal.
11. She returned after an hour.
12. There is an institution for the blind in this city.
Fill in: The, a, an or --- (leave blank)
1. I have just had great idea.
2. Columbus was one of first people to cross Atlantic.
3. British drink too much tea.
4. Thames flows into North Sea.
5. Judith earns € 2000 month.
6. Dancing is more interesting activity than reading.
7. As captain of ship I have complete authority.
8. people we met on holiday in north of England came from USA.
9. What’s on TV today?
10. He was doing eighty miles hour on motorway.
11. How many hours do you work on average?
12. You are first to reach the top.
13. The people who live in Netherlands are called Dutch.
14. The burglar hit me on back of my neck.
15. Football is his whole life.
16. I try to go for run four times week.
17. Did you read book I gave you?
18. Sally went to prison to visit her husband.
19. This is only cinema in the area.
20. People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
 Answers
1. I have just had a great idea.
2. Columbus was one of the first people to cross the Atlantic.
3. The British drink too much tea.
4. The Thames flows into the North Sea.
5. Judith earns € 2000 a month.
6. Dancing is a more interesting activity than reading.
7. As captain of the ship I have complete authority.
8. The people we met on holiday in the north of England came from the USA.
9. What’s on TV today?
10. He was doing eighty miles an hour on the motorway.
11. How many hours do you work on average?
12. You are the first to reach the top.
13. The people who live in the Netherlands are called the Dutch.
14. The burglar hit me on the back of my neck.
15. Football is his whole life.
16. I try to go for a run four times a week.
17. Did you read the book I gave you?
18. Sally went to the prison to visit her husband.
19. This is the only cinema in the area.
20. People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.

Prepositions
A preposition is a word placed before a noun or a pronoun to show in what relation the person
or thing denoted by it stands in regard to something else.
The word preposition means ‘that which is placed before’.
The noun or pronoun which is used with a preposition is called its Object. A
preposition may have two or more objects as:
for eg., The road runs over hill and plain.

A preposition is often placed before its object, but sometimes follows it : for eg.,
i) Here is the watch that you asked for.
ii) What are you looking at?
The Preposition for, from, in, on are often omitted before nouns of place or time as:
i) for eg., We did it last week.
ii) I cannot walk a yard.
1. Simple Preposition :
At, by, for, from, in, of, off, on, out, through, till, to, up, with.
Compound Prepositions :

2. Compound Prepositions :

which are generally formed by prefixing a preposition to a Noun, an Adjective or an Adverb.

About, Above, Across, Along, Amidst, Among, Before, Behind, Beside, Between, Inside, Outside, Underneath,
Within, Without.

3. Phrase Preposition :

which is a group of words used with the force of a single preposition

for eg., According to, in accordance with, in place of, along with, in course of, owing to, with a view to, in order
to, for the sake of.
4. Preposition of Place :
About, across, among, before, between below, behind, from, through, near, on, over, under, upon, within,
round, without, beside into.
5. Preposition of Time :
After, at, in, on, during, since, through, throughout, towards, from, during, into, behind.
At – is used to indicate a definite point of time:
for eg., He came at 8 o’clock, I shall tell him the fact at the right time.
In – is used to indicate year, century, morning, evening, time period (in years, hours, days, months)
seasons etc as:
for eg., I get up early in the morning. It shall be completed in four hours/months.
On – is used in expressing days and dates, as
for eg., My school shall reopen on Monday, India was declared independent on 15th August 1947.
From and To – from is used to indicate the beginning of an action, and to indicate the time when the
action ends.
for eg., The Diwali vacation is From 15th October to 22nd October 2005.
6. Preposition of Agency, instrumentality
Sell goods at auction, sent the parcel by post, heard this through a friend, cut it with

7. Preposition of manner
Fought with courage, worked with earnestness, won with ease

8. Preposition of cause, reason, purpose

Labored for the good of humanity, did it for our good, does it from perversity, concealed it through shame, lost his purse
through negligence, shivers with fever, took medicine for cold.

9. Preposition of Possession
 The mosque of Omar, a man of means, the boy with red hair
10. Preposition of measure, standard, rate, value; as
He charges interest at nine per cent, Stories like these must be taken at what they are worth.
Cloth is sold by the yard. It was one by the tower-clock.
11. Preposition of contrast, concession : as,

For one enemy he has a hundred friends. For one enemy he has a hundred friends.
With (in spite of) all his faults I admire him.
12. Preposition of Inference, motive, source or origin : as
From what I know of him, I hesitate to trust him. He did it from gratitude. Light emanates from the sun. This is a
quotation from Milton.
Note :- It will be seen that the same preposition, according to the way in which it is used, would have its place under
several heads.
PREPOSITIONS THAT REQUIRE SPECIAL NOTICE
The following prepositions require special notice :
1. We can use in or at with the names cities, towns or villages. We can use in
when we are talking about a place as an area, we use at when we see it as a
point.
for eg., We stayed in Mumbai for
five days. How long have you lived
in this village?
2. We use at to talk about group activities and
shops/workplaces for eg., Did you see Shobha at the
party?
There weren’t many people at the meeting.
3. We use in with the names of streets and at when we give the house-
number. for eg., He lives in Church Street
He lives at 45 Church Street.
4. We use on when we think of a place as a
surface for eg., The dog is lying on the floor
Put this picture on the wall.
5. Till is used of time and to
of place for eg., He slept
till eight o’clock He
walked to the end of the
street
6. With often denotes the instrument and by the
agent for eg., He killed two birds with one shot
He was stabbed by a lunatic with a dagger.
7. Since is used before a noun or phrase denoting some point of time and is preceded
by a verb in the perfect tenses, as
for eg., I have eaten nothing since
yesterday. He has been ill since
Monday last.
 8. In before a noun denoting a period of time, means at the end of, within means
before the end of, as

for eg., I shall return in an hour, I shall return within an hour.

9. Beside means at (or by) the side of, while besides means in addition to,
as: for eg., Besides his children, there were present his nephew and niece.
Besides being fined, he was sentenced to a term of imprisonment.

Exercise
1. The cat jumped_____________ the fence.
2. She walked__________ the park.
3. The restaurant is___________ the post office.
4. The village is situated_____________ the river.
5. The train passed__________ the station.
6. They cross-examined everyone __________ Taman.
7. They went out of the room one__________ another.
8. The train started_____________7 p.m.
9. Take rest __________ hard work.
10. We sat ________ a tree.

Answers

1. over
2. through
3. near
4. beyond
5. by
6. but
7. after
8. after
9. after
10. beneath

Exercise – 2

Fill in the blanks in the following sentences with prepositions choosing the correct ones from the brackets:

1) Cloth is sold__________ the metre. (by/with/as)

2) Do not shout _________ others are reading. (while/during/by)
3) I promise to return the book _________ Monday (by /until/on)
4) He did not fulfil his promise ________ it was too late. (until/by/after)
5) The ship sailed__________ the West. (towards, in, for)
6) The young man was employed _________my father’s secretary. (like / as)
7) The secret was kept away_________ his own family. (from/on/by)
8) Tom came first in his class_______ everyone expected. (as / like)
9) You are free to keep the book_____ Friday, but I must have it back _____Monday. (until/by)
10) He orders his friends about, ______they were his servants. (as if/as)
11) This plan will go_________ your interests. (against/by)
 Synonyms and Antonyms

Words Synonyms - Same Meaning Antonyms - Opposites

Abate Moderate, decrease Aggravate
Adhere Comply, observe Condemn, disjoin
Abolish Abrogate, annual Setup Establish
Acumen Awareness, brilliance Stupidity, Ignorance
Abash Disconcert, rattle Uphold, Discompose
Absolve Pardon, forgive Compel, Accuse
Abjure Forsake, renounce Approve, Sanction
Abject Despicable, servile Commendable, Praiseworthy
Alleviate Abate, relieve Aggravate, Enhance
Allure Entice, fascinate Repulse Repel
Amplify Augment, deepen Lessen, Contract
Axiom Adage, truism Absurdity, Blunder
Bleak Austere, Blank Bright, Cheerful
Bold Adventurous Timid
Boisterous Clamorous, rowdy Placid, Calm
Blunt Dull, Insensitive Keen, Sharp
Compassion kindness, sympathy Cruelty, Barbarity
Chastise punish, admonish Cheer, encourage
Concede yield, permit Deny, reject
Comprise include, contain Reject, lack
Consent agree, permit Object Disagree
Concur approve, agree Differ, disagree
Consolidate solidify, strengthen Separate, Weaken
Consequence effect, outcome Origin, Start
Contempt scorn, disregard Regard, Praise
Demolish Ruin, devastate Repair, construct
Deliberate cautious, intentional Rash, Sudden
Deride mock, taunt Inspire, Encourage
Deprive despoil, divest Restore, Renew
Dissuade Remonstrate, Counsel Insite, Persuade
Disdain detest, despise Approve, praise
Dense Opaque, piled Sparse, brainy
Denounce Blame, boycott Defend
Despair Depression, misery Contentment, Hope
Derogatory Sarcastic, critical Laudatory, appreciative
Eccentric strange, abnormal Natural, Conventional
Encumbrance hindrance, obstacle Incentive, stimulant
Efface destroy, obliterate Retain, Maintain
Eloquence expression, fluency Halting, Stammering
Enormous colossal, mammoth Diminutive, negligible
Endeavour undertake, aspire Cease, quit
Equivocal uncertain, hazy Obvious, lucid
Epitome precise, example Increment, expansion
Frivolous petty, worthless Solemn, significant
Frantic violent, agitated Subdued, gentle
Frugality economy, providence Lavishness, extravagance
Gloom obscurity, darkness Delight, mirth
Gather Converge, huddle Disperse, Dissemble
Gorgeous magnificent, dazzling Dull, unpretentious
Glut stuff, satiate Starve, abstain
Grisly disgusting, atrocious Pleasing, attractive
Gracious courteous, beneficent Rude, Unforgiving
Guile cunning, deceit Honesty, frankness
Grudge hatred, aversion Benevolence, Affection
Hapless unfortunate, ill-fated Fortunate, Lucky
Haughty arrogant, pompous Humble, Submissive
Hideous frightful, shocking Attractive, alluring
Heretic non-conformist, secularist Conformable, religious
Harmony Conformity, Amicability Discord, discord
Hamstrung Cripple Debilitate Strengthen, Encourage
Infernal Damned, Accursed Heavenly,
Indigent Destitute, Impoverished Rich, Affluent
Interesting Enchanting, Riveting Dull, Uninteresting
Insipid Tedious, Prosaic Pleasing, appetizing
Immense huge, enormous Puny, Insignificant
Immunity prerogative, privilege Blame, Censure
Impediment hurdle, obstruction Assistant, Concurrence
Impartial just, unbiased Prejudiced, Biased
Impute attribute, ascribe Exculpate, support
Impious irreligious, unholy Pious, Devout
Incompetent inefficient, unskilled Dexterous, Skilled
Inclination disposition, affection Indifference, Disinclination
Inevitable unavoidable, ascertained Unlikely, Doubtful
Jejune dull, boring Interesting, exciting
Jaded tired, exhausted Renewed, recreated
Jubilant rejoicing, triumphant Melancholy, depressing
Jovial frolicsome, cheerful Solemn, morose
Just honest, impartial Unequal, unfair
Knotty complicated difficult Simple, manageable
Kindred relation, species Unrelated, dissimilar
Keen sharp, poignant Vapid, insipid
Knell death knell, last blow Reconstruction,rediscovery
Lax slack, careless Firm, reliable
Lavish abundant, excessive Scarce, deficient
Liable accountable, bound Unaccountable, apt to
Lenient compassionate, merciful Cruel, severe
Malice Vengefulness, grudge Goodwill, Kindness
Merit Stature, Asset Demerit, dishonor
Masculine Gallant, strapping Feminine, meek
Mitigate alleviate, relieve Augment enhance
Miraculous marvelous, extraordinary Ordinary, trivial
Noxious baneful, injurious Healing, profitable
Notion Conceit, Apprehension Reality, Concrete
Obstruct impede, prevent Hasten, encourage
Obstinate Stubborn, Adamant Pliable, flexible
Obscure Arcane, Vague Prominent
Obvious Evident, apparent Obscure, ambiguous
Occult latent, ambiguous Intelligible, transparent
Opaque obscure, shady Transparent, bright
Ominous Menacing, Foreboding Auspicious
Oracular cryptic, vague Lucid, distinct
Optimist Idealist Pessimist
Ornamental decorative, adorned Unseemly, plain
Peevish perverse, sullen Suave, amiable
Placid tranquil, calm Turbulent, hostile
Perverse petulant, obstinate Complacent, docile
Pompous haughty, arrogant Unpretentious, humble
Quaint Queer, strange Familiar, usual
Quack Impostor, deceiver Upright, unfeigned
Quell subdue, reduce Exacerbate, agitate
Quarantine seclude, screen Befriend, socialize
Quibble equivocate, prevaricate Unfeigned, plain
Rapidity Quickness, Velocity Inertia, lanquidity
Raid Incursion, Foray Retreat, release
Rebellious Restless, attacking Submissive, Compliant
Reason Acumen, Bounds Folly, Speculation
Reluctant Cautious, Averse anxious, Eager
Rectify Amend, Remedy Falsify, Worsen
Ravage Destroy, ruin Reconstruct, renovate
Remnant Residue, piece Entire, whole
Ratify consent, approve Deny, dissent
Restrain Detain, Confine Incite
Redeem Recover, liberate Conserve lose
Succinct Concise, Terse Lengthy, polite
Sarcastic Ironical, derisive Courteous, gracious
System Scheme, Entity Chaos, Disorder
Shrewd Cunning, craftly Simple, imbecile
Saucy Impudent, insolent Modest, humble
 COMMUNICATION – NATURE, PROCES AND TYPES

1.1 MEANING OF COMMUNICATION

The word communication has been derived from the Latin ‘Communicare, which means “to share”.
Communication may, therefore, be defined as the process of sharing (exchanging) information, ideas,
thoughts, feelings and emotions between two or more persons.

1.2 PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION

The communication process consists of the following elements:

Noise

1. Sender: Sender is the person who initiates the process of communication. The sender may be a
speaker, a writer, an actor, a painter, etc.
2. Encoding: The process of converting the message into words, symbols, pictures, etc. is called encoding
3. Message: Message means whatever is to be communicated. It is the heart of communication process
4. Channel: The medium through which the message is sent is called channel. It may be a speech, a letter,
an e-mail, SMS, gesture, sound, etc.
5. Receiver: The person to whom the message is sent is the receiver. The receiver may be a listener, a
reader or a viewer.
6. Feedback: The reaction or response to the message is called feedback
7. Noise: Any disturbance, hurdle or barrier to communication is the notice

1.3 TYPES OF COMMUNICATION

Communication is of several types and may be classified as follows:

COMMUNICATION

on the basis on the basis

of channel of purpose
and style
Verbal Non-
verbal Visual
Formal
Auto-visual

Informal
1. VERBAL COMMUNICATION: In verbal communication words and language are used to convey the
message. Verbal communication is of two types:

(a) Oral communication: It means communication through spoken words. It may be face- to-
face (lecture, seminar, conference, meeting, informal conversation, chit-chat, gossip, or
telephone). Clear voice and tone are necessary for effective oral communication. Speaking at too
fast/slow speed or two high/low volume impairs oral communication:
(b) Written communication: Communication via SMS, e-mail, letter, brochure, hand book,
report is written communication. Such communication is essential in case of formal business
interactions (memo, proposal, press release, contract, etc.) and legal documen- tation. Grammar,
vocabulary, writing style, etc. determine the effectiveness of written communication.
Verbal communication is the easiest and fastest form of communication. Even then it con-
stitutes a very small part (about 7 per cent) of all human interactions.
2. NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION: Communication without using words is called non-ver- bal
communication. Non-verbal communication may take the following forms:
(a) Body Language: Communication through facial expressions, gestures, stance, touch and
other physical signs is called body language. For example, leaning forward may indicate interest
and acceptance whereas leaning backward may mean rejection and lack of interest. Body language
(e.g. smile, frown, clenching of hands etc. can transmit emotions which cannot be expressed
through words. Body language constitutes a major part (about 55 per cent) of all communication.
(b) Paralanguage: Pitch, tone, quality, etc. of voice is known as paralanguage. The way one
speaks, rather than words, reveal the intent of the speaker. Paralanguage constitutes about 38 per
cent of all communications.
(c) Aesthetics: Music, dancing, painting sculpture and other forms of art serve as means of
communication. These convey the feelings and thoughts of artists.
(d) Appearance: Dress and grooming create the first impression. In offices, there is a dress code.
Formal dress for men may consist of shirt, trouser, coat and leather shoes. For women, it may
consist of saree, suit, shirt, trouser or skirt.
(e) Symbols: Symbols may relate to religion, status, ego, etc. These convey the special meaning.
For example, the number of stars on the shirt of a police officer reveal his/ her status.

3. VISUAL COMMUNICATION: In visual communication, signs, drawing, graphic design, colour,

illustration and other visual aids are used to convey the message. For example, colours are used to
control traffic. Visuals such as graphs, pie chart, flow chart, etc. convey considerable information in a
clear and concise manner. These are a powerful medium and are an essential part of official presentations.
4. AUDIO-VISUAL COMMUNICATION: Use of voice and visuals together is called audio-visual
communication. Radio is an audio medium while television and films are audio-visual media of
communication. Combination of spoken words and pictures is a very powerful form of combination.
5. 5. FORMAL COMMUNICATION: Communication through the organizational hierarchy (chain of
command) and in accordance with the policies, rules and conventions of the organization is called formal
 communication. It can be both oral and written. Formal communication can be in the following patterns:

(a) Vertical communication: Flow of information downwards and upwards in the organi- zation
is called vertical communication. Managers pass down orders and instructions to their subordinates
for implementation. Subordinates transmit reports, suggestions, grievances and requests to their
superiors.
(b) Horizontal communication: Communication between individuals/departments at the same
level of authority is known as horizontal communication. For example, heads of production and
marketing departments hold a meeting to discuss quality and price of a product.
(c) Diagonal Communication: This type of communication takes place between employ- ees
working in different departments and at different levels of authority. Such cross functional
communication reduces the chances of distortion or misrepresentation. For example, the marketing
manager may directly ask a factory manager about the cost and quality of output.
6. INFORMAL COMMUNICATION: When two or more employees in an organization exchange views
without following the official rules and procedures it is called informal communication or grapevine.
Grapevine. It is unofficial, friendly and casual. It is based on common interests and attitudes. It
helps to satisfy social needs of employees and to build relationships. For example, during the lunch
break, employees working in different departments of an organization may discuss new leave
rules.

1.4 NETWORKS OF COMMUNICATION

The pattern used to share information is known as communication network. Members of an organi- sation
use various types of communication flows as per their needs. In some organizations there are prescribed
networks for communication. Main types of communication networks are given below:

1. VERTICAL NETWORK: This network is used for communication between a superior and a
subordinate. It is a two-way communication in which immediate feedback can be available
Superior
Feedback
Message

Subordinate
2. CIRCUIT NETWORK: When two employees at the same level of authority communicate with
each other, it is a circuit network
 3. CHAIN NETWORK: In this network, communication flows through the chain of
command. The message flows from the chief executive downward to different levels of employees.
In the following, diagram A gives command to B, C, D, E, F and G working at different levels

in the hierarchy. In chain network

Communication gets delayed as it has to pass through several layers. Communication
may be distorted due to filtering at various levels.
4. WHEEL: In this network, a single authority gives orders and instructions to all the em-
ployees around him. They also report directly to him. This network may be efficient for a small
organization provided the central authority is competent. But in a large organization all
decisions cannot be taken by one person.

5. STAR NETWORK: In this network members of an organization communicate through

multiple channels. They exchange information with each other freely without any obstacle.
Star network encourages group communication and teamwork in the organization.
 IMPORTANCE OF BODY LANGUAGE IN CORPORATE CULTURE

Business relationships are built on communication.

Whether it’s the carefully-structured marketing campaigns, you use to engage your target
audience or the conversations you have with stakeholders to drive company growth,
communication counts. While verbal and written communication strategies both play their part
in the corporate world, it’s crucial not to overlook the importance of body language. Non-
verbal communication like the way you hold yourself in a meeting, or your ability to commit
to eye contact can either harm or enhance the message you’re sending.

Body language in business sets the foundation for people to communicate with others on a
deeper level. From your facial expressions to your body movements, the things that you don’t
say can often convey some of the largest volumes of information.

According to studies from language and psychology experts, body language might even have a
bigger impact on a conversation than the words that you choose.

Over 55% of all messages come from non-verbal cues like posture and gesture, and research
indicates that people are 80% more likely to hold onto the information that they learn if it’s
shared with them using verbal and visual elements.

Defining body language in business communications

Sometimes, actions do speak louder than words.

If you’re wondering why body language is vital in corporate environment or business

communications, the first thing you’ll need to know is how body language contributes to any
conversation.

Body language is essentially a supplementary concept that works alongside the verbal aspects
of your communication strategy to create a nuanced message. When it comes to body language
for business, there are many functions for non-verbal actions. For instance, body language can
be:

• A substitution: Sometimes, body language can replace verbal communication. For

example, if you’re in a conversation with a stakeholder who just won’t stop talking,
you can’t just tell them to be quiet. However, you can glance at your watch, or step
back to indicate that you need to go.
• Regulatory: Body language with employees or consumers can regulate a conversation.
For instance, in a group meeting, various non-verbal cues indicate when one person can
start speaking after someone else finishes.
• A way to accentuate speech: Sometimes, body language in business can accentuate or
enhance your verbal communication. For instance, you might point at a subject you’re
discussing.
• Repetitive: Body language in business communications can also be used to repeat and
therefore draw extra focus to an idea. For example, if you’re reminding your
 employees to use the sign-in sheet when they come into the office, you can point to the
sheet, or pick it up.

The importance of body language in business communications can’t be overestimated. The

way you present yourself, both to your consumers and your employees will change how they
feel about you. According to scientists and psychologists, nonverbal communications and body
language in business are components of a social language that’s often much richer than mere
words. The chances are you’ve felt upset or hurt by someone in the past, not because of the
words they said, but “how” they said them.

Leaders in a business can rely on body language and tone of voice to motivate and engage
employees while sales assistants use their body language to encourage consumers to buy. The
things you don’t say can drive action more effectively than the words you use.

Why body language is important in business communications or corporate culture?

Body language in business and in personal communication is proven to have a significant

impact on the way that we perceive others. The body language you use with your consumers,
stakeholders and employees can even form a part of your brand communication strategy and
alter your business identity.

When it comes to using body language for business, here are some of the most critical
characteristics that companies can convey through individual non-verbal cues:

• Confidence: Throughout history, entrepreneurs and business leaders project

confidence in the way that they hold themselves. Just look at Richard Branson of
Virgin Media. He shows confidence wherever he goes with plenty of open body
language and big smiles.
• Assertiveness: Assertiveness is a crucial part of body language in business
communications. Whether you’re selling to consumers or trying to prove the value of a
new business strategy to shareholders, it’s important to be assertive.
• Interest: Communication works best when everyone involved is interested in what the
other person is saying. Showing an active interest in every conversation indicates
professionalism, which is ideal for building better consumer and employer brands.
• Intelligence: Body language methods can even make people seem more intelligent.
Nodding along and showing comprehension with complex topics, or schooling your
face not to show confusion during a complicated situation can be an essential way to
“save face” in business communications.
• Empathy: Just as it’s important to show your IQ with body language in business, it’s
also valuable to demonstrate your “EQ” or emotional intelligence. Professionals who
can decipher and respond to the emotional needs of their colleagues and customers
have the best chance of thriving in today’s competitive marketplace.

The key to successful body language for business communications is figuring out how you
want your people to present themselves in their day-to-day conversations and establishing
guidelines for non-verbal success. Some companies even host body language seminars to help
their staff members become more fluent in body language.
 Body Language or Nonverbal Communication

A message can be sometimes expressed without the help of words. Nonverbal

communication is the process of communicating without the use of words. It is defined
as non-word human responses like facial expressions and gestures and the perceived
characteristics of the environment through which the human verbal and nonverbal
messages are transmitted. Nonverbal communication is also known as “silent language.”
It involves the use of cues, gestures, vocal characteristics, facial expressions, and spatial
relationship between the sender and the receiver to convey a message. For example, a
smile, glance, stare or a frown convey different meanings.

The components of Non Verbal Communication are:

1. Kinesics: It is the interpretation of body language such as facial expressions and

gestures — or, more formally, non-verbal behavior related to movement, either of
any part of the body or the body as a whole. Body Language is technically known
as kinesics

Body language is the unconscious and conscious transmission and interpretation of

feelings, attitudes, and moods, through:

• body posture, movement, physical state, position and relationship to other bodies,
objects and surroundings,
• facial expression and eye movement,

• and this transmission and interpretation can be quite different to the spoken words.

Body movements include gestures, facial expressions and other physical movements.
Every body movement conveys a certain meaning. For example, raising an eyebrow
conveys disbelief, rubbing the nose indicates puzzlement and shrugging shoulders shows
indifference. When a person is eager to hear something, he sits with his feet under the
chair, toes pressed to the ground, and leans forward on the desk. When a person is
listening carefully, he maintains eye contact and frequently nods his head. Body language
coupled with verbal communication gives more meaning to a message.

2. Proxemics is the technical term for the personal space aspect of body language.
Proxemics is the study of measurable distance between people as they interact.

Body spacing and posture are unintentional reactions to sensory fluctuations or

shifts, such as subtle changes in the sound and pitch of a person's voice. Social distance
between people is reliably correlated with physical distance, as are intimate and personal
distance, according to the following delineations:
• Intimate distance for embracing, touching or whispering
Close phase – less than 6 inches (15 cm)
Far phase – 6 to 18 inches (15 to 46 cm)
• Personal distance for interactions among good friends or family members
Close phase– 1.5 to 2.5 feet (46 to 76 cm)
Far phase – 2.5 to 4 feet (76 to 120 cm)
• Social distance for interactions among acquaintances
Close phase– 4 to 7 feet (1.2 to 2.1 m)
Far phase – 7 to 12 feet (2.1 to 3.7 m)
• Public distance used for public speaking
Close phase– 12 to 25 feet (3.7 to 7.6 m)
Far phase – 25 feet (7.6 m) or more.
3. Oculesics: It is the study of the role of eye contact in non verbal communication.
Our eyes are a very significant aspect of the non-verbal signals we send to others.
Oculesics is one form of nonverbal communication, which is the transmission and
reception of meaning between communicators without the use of words. It can
include the environment around the communicators, the physical attributes or
characteristics of the communicators, and the behavior of the communicators
4. Chronemics is the study of the use of time in nonverbal Communication. The
way we perceive time, structure our time and react to time is a powerful
communication tool, and helps set the stage for the communication process.
Across cultures, time perception plays a large role in the nonverbal
communication process. Time perceptions include punctuality, willingness to
wait, and interactions. The use of time can affect lifestyles, daily agendas, speed
of speech, movements and how long people are willing to listen.
5. Haptics refers to the study of touching. There is six different kinds of touch. These
include: positive, playful, control, ritualistic, task-related and unintentional.
Managers should know the effectiveness of using touch while communicating to
subordinates, but need to be cautious and understand how touch can be
misunderstood. Working with others and using touch to communicate, a manager
needs to be aware of each person’s touch tolerance.
6. Paralinguistics: It is the study of variations in pitch, speed, volume, and pauses
to convey meaning. Interestingly, when the speaker is making a presentation and
is looking for a response, he will pause. However, when no response is desired, he
will talk faster with minimal pause.
 7. Paralanguage refers to the non-verbal elements of communication used to modify
meaning and convey emotion. Paralanguage may be expressed consciously or
unconsciously, and it includes the pitch, volume, and, in some cases, intonation of
speech. Sometimes the definition is restricted to vocally- produced sounds. The
study is known as paralinguistics.
Paralanguage refers to voice quality, volume, pitch, speed and non-fluencies (like ‘ah,’
‘um,’ or ‘uh.’) used to convey a message. It helps to convey information about the attitude
of the speaker. Sometimes there may be a contradiction between what a person says and
what his actions indicate. In such cases, the person’s actions can be regarded as a truer
picture of his feelings and ideas.
Physical Appearance: Physical appearance always contributes towards how people
perceive about individuals. Neatly combed hair, ironed clothes and a lively smile will
always carry more weight than words. It is believed that physical appearance determines
the success a person will attain at every stage of his life.

An Impromptu Speech
An impromptu speech is a useful speech that is very hard to deliver. To present an impromptu
speech, mostly you will not have any preparation time. But sometimes you may have less
preparation time before the speech. Hence, giving a speech on different impromptu speech topics
will help you to improve your quick thinking and speaking ability.
Like other long-format speeches, the impromptu speech also demands a proper speech structure. A
well-structured short speech will make your readers clearly understand what you are speaking. If
you are not a public speaker, then the speech topic you choose may develop your confidence. To
build your confidence for all types of speeches, you should be aware of some impromptu speech
topics.
The impromptu speeches are commonly given in debate competitions and public speaking courses.
The ultimate purpose of impromptu speech is to test and practice public speaking skills. Mainly, it
tunes you to think quickly and speak effectively in less preparation time. Remember, the impromptu
speech you deliver should be informative and convincing.
When giving an impromptu speech, make sure to structure it into three separate parts. Your speech
should have an introduction, body, and conclusion. The whole speech should be simple, sweet, and
engaging. You can also add some humor elements at appropriate places in your speech. Most
importantly, when preparing and delivering a speech, have a clear impromptu speech topic in mind
and stay focused on it.
Some topics of Impromptu Speeches
1. Why manners are important
2. Why the government should cut off all foreign aid to dictatorships
3. Calorie counts should be listed on fast food menus. Counts should be listed on fast food menus
4. Why is voting important?
5. Laughter is the best medicine.
6. What is it to be young?
7. Women have always been smarter than men.
8. The importance of medication.
9. Real learning occurs outside the classroom.
10. Do uniforms take away individuality?
11. Colors affect the way how we feel.
12. How to lead a happy life?
13. Are public cameras ethical?
14. Should voting be made obligatory for all people?
15. Are scholarships always fair?
16. Link between violent video games and crime rates increase
17. Laughter is the best medicine.
18. A sense of humour is essential.
19. How we look is unimportant. It's who we are on the inside that counts.
20. Pets are for people who don't have children.
21. Advertising targeting children is immoral.
22. Clothes make the man/woman
23. Exams are/are not good forms of assessment.
24. Why it's important to meditate
25. How to learn new skills?
26. The most successful person you know.
27. Online communication can never be as good as real-life friendship.
28. Things you can’t learn at school.
29. An important lesson I learned after a mistake.
30. How to remember things?
31. Creativity cannot be taught
32. Fast food’s popularity relies on marketing.
33. Renting a house is better than buying.
34. Are self-driving cars the future?
35. Why is voting important?
36. Pros and cons of social media.
37. When is it ok to lie?
38. Plants have feelings just like us.
39. Procrastinating is beneficial for psychological health.
40. Immigration laws should be less rigid.
 UNIT – II
Grammar: Tenses, Idioms and Phrases, One word substitutes.
Vocabulary: Public speaking - Oral presentations, writing skills – Short Essay writing and E- mail
writing.

Verb and Tenses

A verb is a word that tells about an action of a state of being or state of existence or possession.

Ex: The boy cried. ( Here the verb ‘cried’ tells about the action of the subject)
Sam is a clever boy. (Here the verb ‘is’ tells about a state of being or existence of the subject)
I have a watch. (Here the verb ‘have’ indicates possession or ownership)
Verbs can be divided into so many ways.

1. Transitive and Intransitive verbs.

2. Finite and Non-finite verbs
3. Auxiliaries

Every verb will have five forms.

1. Present form (V1)

2. Past form (V2)
3. Past Participle form (V3)
4. Present Participle form (V4) [ i.e. V1 + -ing ]
5. Gerund form [ i.e. V1 + -ing form is used as a noun ]

Verbs are divided into two classes according to the way in which they form their Past form (V2)
and Past Participle form (V3). Those are 1. Strong Verbs 2. Weak Verbs.

1. Strong verbs have –en, -n, -ne in the participle form.

Present form (V1) Past form (V2) Past Participle form (V3)

Arise - arose - arisen

Bear - bore - born, borne
Blow - blew - blown
Break - broke - broknen
Drink - drank - drunk, drunken
Freeze - froze - frozen
Give - gave - given
Know - knew - known

2. Weak Verbs: - The verbs form in their Past form (V2), Past participle form (V3) by adding –ed, - d or –
t.

Present form (V1) Past form (V2) Past Participle form (V3)

Bend - bent - bent

Bleed - bled - bled
Work - worked - worked
Dream - dreamt - dreamt
Catch - caught - caught

Auxiliary verbs are called helping verbs or anomalous finites, special finites or modal auxiliaries. There
are 24 auxiliary verbs.

Present form Past form

‘Be’ forms is, am, are (Present tense ‘Be’ was, were (Past tense ‘Be’ forms)
forms)
‘Have’ forms Have/has had
‘Do’ forms Do/Does Did
Shall Should
Will Would
Can Could
May Might
Modal
Must ----
Auxiliaries
Ought (to) ----
Need ----
Dare ----
---- Used to
Tense: - A tense is a verb form that indicates action of the time i.e. whether the action happened in
present time or past time or degree of completeness of a certain action or state. There are two main
tenses in English, the present tense and the past tense as

He lives here; He lived here;

It is important to note that English has no future tense. The forms of verb tell us [V1 Present form and
V2 Past form] whether something happens in the present or in the past time. But there is no separate
form of verb to represent future tense. We can use to talk about an action that is expected to take
place in the future. Instead we say, for example – He will live here.
In fact, there are many ways to indicate future action in English.
1. Present Tense:- The present tense is used to describe actions that happen in present time.
Present Tense has divide into 4 parts.

1. Simple Present Tense or Present Indefinite.

2. Present Continuous Tense or Present Progressive Tense.
3. Present Perfect Tense.
4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense.

1. Simple Present Tense: - Subject + V1 (Present form) + Obj

I Person II Person III Person

Singular I You He, She, It, Rama, Latha, Geetha, India
Plural We You They
To understand simple Present we must be aware of personal pronouns.

In simple present tense, the base verb (V1) is added to the subject. But for third person singulars (i.e.
He, she, it , Rama, Sita etc) –s or –es has to be added to the verb.
Ex: I write We write You write They write
He writes She writes It writes Rama writes

I do not know We do not know You do not know They do not know
She does not know He does not know It does not know Rama does not know

I have a pen We have a pen You have a pen They have a pen
He has a pen She has a pen It has a pen Sita has a pen

The Simple Present Tense is used

1. To denote habitual actions or routine works.
Ex: - He goes to college by bus; She gets up early;
I do not smoke; Dogs bark;
2. To refer universal or eternal truths (Things that are believed to be always true) and Proverbs.
Ex: - The Sun rises in the east; The earth moves round the sun;
The starts shine brightly; Ice is cold;
Hydrogen is lighter than air; Necessity is the mother of invention;
3. To refer present situation ( a constant and unchanging feature of the current situation but may
change later)
Ex: - He works in a bank; India is a democratic country; She is tall;
Ravi stays with his uncle and aunt; An Atheist does not believe in God;
4. Announcements, Circulars.
Ex: - The park opens at six; The shops are closed at Nine.
The Venkatadri express arrives on plot form No. 1;
The college remains closed for 4 days on the occasion of Dasara festival.
5. To describe objects, places, people, making process etc.
Ex: - A pressure cooker is metal vessel with a tight-fitting lid, through which steam cannot
escape; Chair is made of metal;
6. To narrate an incident of the past, to make the action more vivid and forceful in a narration, Simple
Present is used as a substitute for the Simple Past. It is called the Historic Present.
Ex: - Arjuna now sees his chance and shoots a divine arrow at the helpless Karna.
7. To describe or to demonstrate (i.e. as in sports, commentaries and cooking demos) an action or
activity which is in progress at the time.
Ex: - He goes out; They come in; Take tea powder, water and sugar to prepare tea;
Tendulkar hits the ball towards the square leg boundary.
8. To make a news report more dramatic. ( In news paper headlines)
Ex: - Indian chemist wins international award.
Prime Minister opens new Block of building to public.
9. To express a future action when it is clear.
Ex: - We leave for Bangaluru tomorrow; Our college reopens on Monday;
Some Phrases to identify Simple Present Tense:- Usually, Generally, frequently, regularly, yearly, Once,
Twice, thrice, weekly, monthly, annually etc.
2. Present Continuous Tense or Present Progressive Tense: -
Sub + is /am/are + V1 + ing + obj
Ex: - I am writing a letter; You are solving a problem;
They are preparing meal; She is working in this office;
Present Continuous Tense is used to express
1. An activity in progress at the time of speaking.
 Ex: - They are watching the T.V (now); She is writing a poem (at present);
Listen, he is talking (now);
2. An action that will take place in the near future.
Ex: - My friend is leaving for New Delhi next week; He is going to return on Monday;
The President of America is visiting India shortly;
We are going to cinema this afternoon;
3. A temporary action, not necessary happening at the moment of speaking.
Ex: - I am reading a play by Shakespeare (not at this moment)
I am working for an examination (not at the moment of speaking)
Some Phrases to identify Present Continuous Tense are – Now, at present, at the moment, at the time
speaking, Look!, Here, Don’t Disturb.

Certain verbs are not normally used in the continuous tense.

a) Verbs of Perception (Sense) – See, smell, hear, feel, touch

b) Verbs expressing feelings and emotions – Love, like, hate, desire, fear, wish, want, care etc.

c) Verbs of thinking or mental activity – think, feel, realize, understand, know, mean, suppose, believe,
expect, remember, recollect, forget, trust, mind, recall etc.

d) Verbs of Possession (ownership) – Own, have, owe, possess, belong.

e) Miscellaneous – seem, signify, appear, contain, consist, keep, concern, matter

These verbs, therefore, have only one possible present tense i.e. simple present tense.
We cannot say ‘I am wanting’, ‘I am believing’, but must say ‘I want’, ‘I believe’, even when the action is
happening now.
Some of these verbs can be used in the continuous form in certain cases and with special meanings.
Ex: - He is always differing with his fellow teachers (quarrelling with)
We are thinking of going to Kashmir in our holidays (considering the idea of)
He is feeling for the switch ( try to find by touch)
3. Present Perfect Tense: -
Sub + have / has + V3 + obj
Ex: - I have written a letter; You have taken my pen;
She has completed her task; Ramu has finished his target in time.
The Present Perfect tense is used to express
1. An action just completed.
Ex: - I have written a novel; Anitha has just returned from Hyderabad.
2. An action that began in the past and is going on (incomplete) at present.
Ex: - Smitha has worked in this college for five years.
We have lived in Tirupati for 3 years. (still living in Tirupati)

3. A past action with no definite time.

Ex: - I have met him; Sudha has seen the painting.

Note: - If time is made definite, use simple past tense.

Ex: - She saw him last week; I wrote to her yesterday;
A few adverbs or adverb phrases can used with the present perfect tense.
 Just, often, never, ever, so far, till now, yet, already, since today, this week, this month etc.
Ex: - She has just come. He has often been told not to do that.
I have never seen it. Has Gopal come yet?
He has not come till now. His brother has already come.
Latha has been ill since last week. P.M. has visited Hyderabad this month.
He has not met his friend for two months.
My friend has met me this week.
4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense: -
Sub + have / has + been + V1+ -ing + obj
I have been suffering from fever since Monday.
She has been waiting for you for half an hour.
Present Perfect Continuous Tense is used to denote an action which began in the past and is still
continuing.
Ex: - Sudha has been dancing for 3 years; The boys have been playing cricket since 8 o’ clock.

For : - For is used with ‘ a period of time’.

Ex: - for four hours, for ten days, for two years etc.

Since: - Since is used with ‘ a point of time’.

Ex: - Since 2 o’ clock, since last week, since March, since 1990, since independence.

2. Past Tense : - The past tense is used to describe actions that happened in past time.
Past Tense has divided into 4 Parts.
1. Simple Past Tense.
2. Past Continuous Tense
3. Past Perfect Tense
4. Past Perfect Continuous Tense.
5.
1. Simple Past Tense: - Sub + V2 + obj
Ex: - I wrote a letter; She completed her homework; They went out;
Simple Past Tense is used
a) To describe an action completed in the past.
Ex: - The hunter killed the deer; I completed my degree in 2018.
b) To describe an action occurring habitually in the past.
Ex: - I played cricket every morning last year;
Latha practised singing daily during summer holidays;
c) The verbs ‘used to’ and ‘was accustomed to’ are used to describe a habitual action in the
past.
Ex: - He used to get up early. (not now)
John was accustomed to walking long distances.
The Simple Past Tense often occurs with adverbs of Past time. Ago, Yesterday, last, then, at that time.
Ex: - He met me a year ago; Shanthi did not go to college yesterday;
At that time he was not in house. Then my father came in.
The Simple Past Tense is used after the following phrases.
As if, as though, it is time.
Ex: - Raju behaves as if he was the owner of the theatre; ( he does not own it )
Shekar talks as if he knew everything; (He does not know)
 It is time we left; It is high time we left. (High is used to emphasize the idea)

2. Past Continuous Tense: -

Sub + was / were + V1 + -ing + obj
I was singing a song; They were preparing for exams;
Past Continuous tense is used
1. To describe an action going on in the past. It lays emphasis on the duration of the action.
Ex: - Rekha was writing a letter; They were painting the house;
2. When two actions take place at the same time, both the actions are described in the past
continuous.
Ex: - While I was talking, she was singing; Nero was fiddling while Rome was
burning.
3. When two actions take place at the same time, the action of longer duration must be described
in the past continuous.
Ex: - When I saw him, he was playing chess. (The second action is of longer duration)
While they were coming down, they saw me. (The first action is of longer duration)
4. The past continuous tense indicates a gradual development when used without time
expression.
Ex: It was getting warmer; The river was rising;

3. Past Perfect Tense: -

Sub + had + v3 + obj
I had talked; She had worked; They had done;
Past Perfect Tense is used
1) The past perfect tense indicates an action completed in the past in relation to a later action in
the past. (first action – past perfect; second action – simple past)
Ex: - She said that she had visited Madras;
Smith had worked in Warangal for three years before he was transferred.
2) The past perfect usually occurs with ‘before, after, already, when’.
Ex: - The boy had come in before the bell rang; The boy came in after the bell had rung;
I went to my friend’s house at nine but he had already gone out.
3) The past perfect is not used when two actions happened at the same time. In such cases the
simple past is used.
Ex: - He came in and sat; She went out when I reached her office;
4) the simple past is used with ‘ and so’ and ‘but’ (but not the past perfect)
Ex: - Raghu worked hard and so he got first class.
The teacher warned the boy but he continued to misbehave.

4. Past Perfect Continuous Tense: -

Sub + had +been+ v1 + ing + obj
The past perfect continuous tense is used to refer to some action which began before a certain
point in the past and continued till that time in the past.
Ex: - I knew that he had been riding the horse for many days.
They had been living in Bihar for two years before the earthquake occurred.
3. Future Tense : - The future tense is used to describe actions which takes place in future.
Future Tense has divided into 4 Parts.
1. Simple Future Tense.
2. Future Continuous Tense
3. Future Perfect Tense
4. Future Perfect Continuous Tense.

1. Simple Future Tense:

Sub + will/shall + v1 + obj
I shall talk We shall talk You will talk He will talk
She will talk They will talk

The simple future tense is used to indicate an action which takes place in future.

Note: - Shall is used with I and We. (I Person)

Will is used with you, he, she it and they (II and III Persons)
‘be + going to’ is used to express the likelihood of the action and intention.
Ex: - It is going to rain. (likelihood)
He is going to build a house. (intention)

2. Future Continuous Tense:

Sub + will/shall + be + v1 +ing + obj
Ex: I shall be talking We shall be talking you will be talking
You will be talking He will be talking They will be talking
The future continuous tense represents an action going on at some point in future time.
Ex: - I shall be waiting for you then. When I go home, my children will be reading.
The future continuous tense is also used to indicate future events that are planned.
Ex: We shall be staying in Hyderabad till Saturday.
They will be voting next week for the Zilla Parishad seats.

3. Future Perfect Tense:

Sub + will/shall + have + v3+ obj
Ex: - I shall have talked. We shall have talked. You will have talked
He will have talked. She will have talked They will have talked.
The future perfect tense is used to represent an action which will be completed by a certain
future time. The tense often occurs with ‘by’ and ‘before’.
Ex: By next week I shall have been here for twenty years.
They will have saved Rs.30,000/- by the end of the year.
They will have reached Hyderabad before the strike begins.

4. Future Perfect Continuous Tense:

Sub + will/shall + have + been + v1 + ing + obj

The future perfect continuous tense indicates an action which is in progress over a period of time that
will end in future.
Ex: By next month we shall have been working in this college for twelve years.
They will have been living here for five years by the end of the month.

Corrections of Sentences
 1. I am working in the college for the last five years.
2. Madhavi is staying in Vizag since 1990.
3. I have visited Agra last year.
4. My father has died three years ago.
5. You must see that the amount shall be paid soon.
6. Take care that you will not be late.
7. I shall tell you about it, when I will know the truth.
8. If you will laugh at her, she will be angry.
9. I had been to Canada recently.
10. I had consulted the doctor last week.

Fill in the blanks with suitable forms of the verbs given in the brackets:
1. In 1990, we _____(open) two new brances in South India.
2. Mr. Singh called while you ____(take) lunch.
3. What time _____?(the flight take off)
4. Is your secretary still typing the addresses? Yes, she ______(type) them for the last two hours.
5. I’m sorry I _____(misplace) the letter from S.K. Agencies. _____(you have) a photocopy?
6. Kindly wait here until Mr. Narayan ____(arrive)
7. We ____(carefully examine) the documents before we mailed them to you.
8. I was sorry to be late. I ____(delay) by an overseas call.
9. What _____(you do) tomorrow morning? Can you join me at breakfast?
10. The statement of your current account _____(send) to you on May 7.

Correction of the Sentences

1. I am living in Anna Nagar

2. Every day I am coming to college by bus.
3. He leaves for the USA next year.
4. I am having a Maruthi Zen.
5. We are going to Ooty every summer.
6. The Thames is flowing in the southern part of the United Kingdom.
7. Water is slaking my thirst.
8. She has slept for eight hours last night
9. She has ate an insect.
10. She said that she is ill.

Important Idioms and Phrases

1. Once in a blue moon:
Meaning-Something that happens very rarely
Sentence- Once in a blue moon, the blue jay can be seen in these parts of the forest.
2. Beating around the bush:
Meaning-Avoiding the main topic
Sentence-The President was beating around the bush when the citizens demanded a reason for the
forgery of legal documents.
3. Chip on your shoulder:
Meaning-When someone is upset about something that happened a while ago
Sentence-He has a chip on his shoulder for being abandoned by his parents in his childhood.
4. Cry over spilt milk:
Meaning-Complaining about a loss or failure from the past
Sentence-He was mad because he couldn’t clear the cut off due to a silly mistake. But, then he
realized there was no use crying over spilt milk and decided to become more careful.
5. Spill the beans:
Meaning-To disclose a secret
Sentence-The little one spilled the beans about the surprise vacation we had planned.
6. Piece of cake:
Meaning-Something that is easy to understand or do
Sentence-I thought that the problem would be tough, but it turned out to be a piece of cake!
7. Blessing in disguise:
Meaning-Something good and useful that did not initially seem that way
Sentence-His accident was a blessing in disguise because it gave him a lot of time to think about his
life while he was recovering, and as a result, he made some important decisions that improved his
life.
8. Come hell or high water:
Meaning-Possible obstacles in your path (will not stop you)
Sentence-I have decided that come hell or high water I will become an engineer.
9. Taste of your own medicine:
Meaning-When someone receives the same treatment, usually negative, that he/she gives to others
Sentence-She is always taunting others and hurting their sentiments. I just wish someone
would give her a taste of her own medicine.
10. Golden handshake:
Meaning-A big sum of money given to a person when he/she leaves a company or retires
Sentence-The management of the company wanted to decrease their workforce. They offered a
golden handshake to their aged employees.
11. Mean business:
Meaning-Being serious/dedicated
Sentence-The border is sealed by troops who mean business.
12. Apple of one’s eye:
Meaning-Being cherished more than others are
Sentence-Sam is adored by his teacher for his childlike nature. He is the apple of her eye.
13. The best of both worlds:
Meaning-The benefits of widely differing situations, enjoyed at the same time.
Sentence-I had the best of both worlds since I worked as an ordinary member of the team but got to
learn from the leaders.
14. Feeling a bit under the weather:
Meaning-Feeling slightly ill
Sentence-I may not be able to jog today, as I am feeling a bit under the weather.
Sentence-The house looked impressive in the advertisement. Still I made a trip to the house to check
everything. It is wise not to judge a book by its cover.
15. Hear it on grapevine:
Meaning-To hear rumors about something or someone
Sentence-I heard it on grapevine that he had stiffed an old man asking for his pension.
16. It takes two to tango:
Meaning-Actions or communications need more than one person
Sentence-Even though I thought I would be fired after the altercation with my manager,
thankfully upper management realized that it takes two to tango.
17. Last straw:
Meaning-The final problem in a series of problems
Sentence-My body was already in bad shape. The accident was the last straw. I am now on
complete bed rest.
 18. To be in the doldrums:
Meaning-To be in low spirits
Sentence-Sam was in the doldrums after he was insulted by the boss in front of his colleagues.
19. To sit on the fence:
Meaning-To remain neutral
20. Icing on the cake:
Meaning-Something that turns good into great
Sentence-India’s victory over England on India’s Independence Day was like icing on the cake.
21. Cost an arm and a leg:
Meaning-Be very expensive
Sentence-His laziness made him miss his flight to Chandigarh. The next ticket cost him an arm and
a leg.
22. Jump the bandwagon:
Meaning-To join a popular activity or trend
Sentence-When he was detected with diabetes, he quickly jumped on the bandwagon and joined the
Zumba dance class.
23. Ball is in your court:
Meaning-When it is up to you to make the next decision or step.
Sentence-Now the ball is in your court; decide whether you want to reply or not.
24. Bite off more than you can chew:
Meaning-To take up a task which you may not be able to accomplish due to lack of ability.
Sentence-I bit off more than I could chew when I decided to take up the 300-page research
project.
25. Can’t judge a book by its cover:
Sentence-Since I wasn’t aware of the details, I decided to sit on the fence during the argument
between my cousins.
26. Break the ice:
Meaning-To initiate a social conversation or interaction
Sentence-At the start of the lecture, the new professor tried to break the ice by telling a joke.
27. A bird’s eye view:
Meaning-A view from a very high place that allows you to see a very large area
Sentence-The Singapore Big Wheel offers a bird’s eye view of the city.
28. A litmus test:
Meaning-A method that helps to know if something is correct
Sentence-Taking up the job served as a litmus test for me to know how good I was at applying my
knowledge.
29. At the drop of a hat:
Meaning-Willingness to do something instantly
Sentence-She expects me to make dinner at the drop of a hat even if I am very busy with office
work.
30. Afraid of one’s own shadow:
Meaning-To become easily frightened
Sentence-Her creepy encounter with the supernatural had a devastating effect on her. She is
now afraid of her own shadow.
31. A house of cards:
Meaning-A poor plan
Sentence-The State’s new scheme was initially welcomed, but later turned out to be a house of cards
when it was discovered how easy it was to perpetrate a scam.
32. Black and blue:
Meaning-Full of bruises
Sentence-The young lad was all black and blue after a tiff with a raging senior.
33. Be on cloud nine:
Meaning-Be very happy
Sentence-I will be on cloud nine when my first article gets published.
34. Bone of contention:
Meaning-A subject or issue over which there is continuing disagreement
Sentence-The examination system has long been a serious bone of contention in the HRD Ministry.
35. Eat humble pie:
Meaning-To apologize humbly
Sentence-He will have to eat humble pie for the disrespect shown to the Captain.
36. Fool’s paradise:
Meaning-False sense of happiness or success
Sentence-They were living in a fool’s paradise, refusing to accept that they were facing poverty.
37. Give cold shoulder:
Meaning-To ignore
Sentence-I sent her a message to apologize for my misbehavior, but she gave me the cold
shoulder.
38. Get a raw deal:
Meaning-To not be treated as well as other people
Sentence-The fact is that students in government schools get a raw deal.
39. Hit the nail on the head:
Meaning-To do the correct thing
Sentence-She hit the nail on the head when she laid out a list of justifiable grievances she had with
the company.
40. Hand to mouth:
Meaning-live on only basic necessities
Sentence-The severe drought led the farmers to live hand to mouth.
41. Hit the bull’s eye:
Meaning-To be exactly right about something or achieve the best result possible.
Sentence-The detective hit the bull’s eye when he figured out that nobody but the
doctor could have had access to the poison.
42. Let the cat out of the bag:
Meaning-To reveal the secret carelessly or by mistake
Sentence-Now that she had let the cat out of the bag, she had no option but to confess.
43. Make a face:
Meaning-To show dislike or disappointment through facial expressions Sentence-Little
Stella made a face at the sight of bitter gourd in her food.
44. Open Pandora’s Box:
Meaning-To find a source of great troubles and problems
Sentence-Finding the wallet on the road opened up a Pandora’s box. I was arrested for stealing when I
went to report it at the police station.
45. It’s Greek to me
Meaning-Something that is not understandable
Sentence-I failed my commerce test; it was all Greek to me!
46. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket:
Meaning-Do not put all your resources in one basket.
Sentence-The boy put all his money into his dream startup that eventually failed. I had told him not
to put all his eggs in one basket.
47. To call a spade a spade:
Meaning-To be brutally frank, outspoken, blunt in speech.
Sentence- Let’s call a spade a spade – popular he may be, but that man is a liar.
48. To be a Good Samaritan:
Meaning-To be kind and compassionate to someone in distress
Sentence-I was sure I would be stuck on the highway till the morning, but a Good Samaritan
offered me a ride home.
49. To put in a nutshell:
Meaning-To say in a few words or to make something concise
Sentence-The Textbook Development Committee decided to put the 30-page chapter in a nutshell to
help save time for students during revision.
50. To pour oil on troubled waters:
Meaning-To make peace
Sentence-I am always stuck pouring oil on troubled waters when my mother and wife start their
bickering.
51. To move heaven and earth:
Meaning-To exert all efforts
Sentence-He moved heaven and earth to ensure that his family was taken care of in the foreign land in
his absence.
Word substitution
It reflects good literary sense to use one word in place of ten to express the appropriate
meaning. Therefore, for writing good English and to be precise as well, we should always avoid
being wordy, and should use short clear-cut words to express our thoughts and feeling. This always
leaves greater effect and weight than long ones. It will always be a useful practice for the student to
pause and think while writing and find out whether he has used any of those expressions which can,
without changing the sense, be substituted by a single word. This way alone he can learn to be
precise in speech and writing. Following is a list of words which can be substituted by a single word.

❖ Something no longer in use or fashion – Obsolete

❖ Someone which is not very clear to read – Illegible
❖ Sound or voice which is too slow to be made out with any degree of clarity
– Inaudible
❖ Something beyond all price – invaluable
❖ Something contrary to law – illegal
❖ Something which is entirely beyond belief – incredible
❖ Someone who hates all mankind – misanthrope
❖ One who hates women – misogynist
❖ Lasting only a very short time – transient or temporary
❖ Conduct which deserves all praise – laudable
❖ One who uses confusing words to hide the truth to mislead others – equivocal
❖ Someone who can be easily fooled by others – gullible
❖ One who uses his both left and right hand with ease – ambidextrous
❖ Organized scheme or plan for popularizing something – propaganda
❖ Skillfully planning or handling the movements of an event or machine –maneuvering
❖ Organizations in successive grades or leaves – hierarchy
❖ To take revenge – retaliate
❖ The power of being present everywhere – omnipresent
❖ Post for which no salary is paid – honorary
❖ A remedy for all diseases – panacea
❖ The power of reading the thoughts or minds of others immediately – telepathy
❖ One having much energy which is not in use but capable of using it
into action at a moment of emergency – dormant
❖ One who is out to subvert a government – Anarchist
❖ One who is recovering from illness – convalescent
❖ One who knows everything – omniscient
❖ One who can do anything for money – mercenary
❖ One who has no money – pauper
❖ One who doubts the existence of god – agnostic
❖ One who pretends to be what he is not – hypocrite
❖ One incapable of being tired – indefatigable
❖ One who helps others – good Samaritan
❖ One who copies from other writers – Plagiarist
❖ One who knows many languages – polyglot
❖ One who thinks only of himself – egoist
❖ One who thinks only of welfare of women – feminist
❖ One who is indifferent to pleasure or pain – stoic
❖ One who has strange habits – eccentric
❖ One who speaks less – reticent
❖ One who goes on foot – pedestrian
❖ One who believes in fate – fatalist
❖ One who dies without a will – intestate
❖ One who always thinks himself to be ill – valetudinarian
❖ A government by the people – Democracy
❖ A government by a king or queen – monarchy
❖ A government by officials – bureaucracy
❖ A government by the rich – plutocracy
❖ A government by few – oligarchy
❖ A government by the nobles – aristocracy
❖ A government by one – autocracy
❖ Rule by the mob – mobocracy
❖ A sentence whose meaning is unclear – ambiguous
❖ That which cannot be imitated – inimitable
❖ That which cannot be avoided – inevitable
❖ That which cannot be defended – indefensible
❖ That which is not likely to happen – improbable
❖ People living at the same time – contemporaries
❖ A book written by an unknown author – anonymous
❖ People who work together – colleagues
❖ One who eats too much – glutton
❖ That which cannot be satisfied – insatiable
❖ One who questions everything – cynic
❖ One who lives in a foreign country – immigrant
❖ To transfer one’s authority to another – delegate
❖ That which is lawful – legal
❖ That which is against law – illegal
❖ A study of ancient things – archaeology
❖ To free somebody from all blame – exonerate
❖ To write under a different name – pseudonym
❖ A thing no longer in use – obsolete
❖ One who is greedy for money – avaricious
❖ A person’s peculiar habit – idiosyncrasy
 ❖ An animal who preys on other animals – predator
❖ Violating the sanctity of a church – sacrilege

PUBLIC SPEAKING - ORAL PRESENTATION

NATURE AND IMPORTANCE OF ORAL PRESENTATION

An oral presentation is a form of oral communication. It is a purposeful, interactive, formal, and audience
oriented.

There are several forms of oral presentations such as seminars, workshops, symposia,
student presentations, industry conferences, product launches, press conferences, team presentation,
annual general meetings etc.

We may not be professional public speakers but we may have to make a presentation at
some point of time or the other. Whether one is a student, a professional engineer, an academician, or
a business executive, one may have to make oral presentations in front of one’s colleagues or
professional peers. For example a professional student may be required to make presentations in the
form of progress reports, student seminars, and research presentations and so on.

Therefore, the ability to deliver an effective presentation is essential for all of us. We should
know how to present our ideas in a persuasive way, how to make our audience interested in our
presentation, how to use appropriate visuals during our presentation, and how to reflect confidence
while speaking. A person making a presentation needs to understand the basic elements of an effective
presentation- the 4P’s –Planning, Preparation, Practice, and perform.

1. Planning: An oral presentation is the formal, structural and systematic presentation of a message to
an audience in a limited time. It should, therefore, be planned it in advance so that the material is
delivered effectively. The following suggestions will help in planning well.

(a) Define the purpose: The purpose of the presentation is the most important thing that makes the
presentation focused with clear objectives. A general purpose as well as a specific purpose should be
identified.

(b) Analyze the audience: Audience analysis is an integral part of the oral presentation. It includes
identifying audience characteristics, analyzing audience needs and expectations, and identifying factors
for getting and maintaining audience attention.

(c) Analyze the occasion: The occasion on which the presentation is to be made should be analyzed to
understand the nature of the event or communicative situation. Several aspects of the event like its
background, the people involved, the organizations linked to the event and so on need to be considered.

(d) Choose a suitable title: Generally, a title is necessary for the presentation which gives the audience
the first glimpse of the presentation and they form their first impression. After a suitable topic is selected
for the presentation, it should be narrowed down as per the focus of the presentation to phrase a clear,
complete, specific and focused title. In this process the nature of the general and specific purposes of
the presentation as well as audience expectations may be considered. For example, if the selected topic
is “pollution”, it may be narrowed down to any of the following:

• Vehicular pollution hazards in Delhi(local focus)

• Pollution of the Ganges ( national focus)
• CFC’ s and Ozone depletion (international focus)
2. Preparation : Once the presentation is planned, it is time to begin preparing for it. Any OP is easier
when it is prepared in a systematic manner. Preparing for the presentation involves developing the
central idea and main points, gathering relevant supporting material and planning visual aids.
(a) Develop the central idea: The central idea of the presentation is its core idea. It should be a
complete declarative sentence that captives the essence of the message.

(b) Develop the main idea: The presenter may make a logical division of the central idea, establish
reasons for the idea being true, or support the central idea with a series of steps. Choosing one
of the techniques will depend on the topic of the presentation as well as its objectives.
(c)
Logical division of the central idea

Ex: Central idea: Unemployment in India.

Logical division: A. types B. causes C. solutions.

Establishing reason for the central idea being true.

Ex: Central idea: Education in India needs to be restructured.

Establishing reason: A. reason B. reason C. Reason

Supporting the central idea with a series of steps.

Ex: Central idea: Indo-pak relations can be improved.

Series of steps: A. strategy B. strategy C. strategy

d) Gather supporting material: The most difficult aspect is gathering relevant

supporting material. While gathering supporting information a systematic approach should be

adopted. First, the presenter should gather his thoughts on the subject and then recall related
information from his personal knowledge and experience. Thereafter, several research resources
such as the Internet, Library, Personal interviews and discussion with experts, Colleagues, and special
internet groups should be consulted.

The supporting material gathered may include facts, examples, definitions,

quotations etc.. After that, the first draft is written and revised as required.

(d) Plan visual aids: Using appropriate visual aids will increase the effectiveness of
presentations. Good visual may serve the following purposes.

• They serve as speech notes

• They give confidence.
• They help focus on the theme of presentation
• They increase audience interest
• They give clarity and precision
3. Organising the presentation: After the central idea as well as the main ideas have been developed,
relevant supporting material has been gathered and appropriate visual aids have been planned, the
message has to be organized and structured. Divide the presentation into three parts: Introduction, Body
and Conclusion.

(a) Introduction: As a saying goes “a good beginning is half done”, an introduction may have four
functions.
 1. Get audience attention: The speaker needs to get the attention at first sight. Some
techniques are used to draw the attention of the audience. The presenter must say something
surprising or unexpected information or data. Appropriate use of anecdotes is very important.
Humorous quotations and saying are also added in middle of the presentation.

2. Introduce the subject: A statement of the central idea should be included in the Introduction.

3. Give the audience a reason to listen: Audience attention should be drawn to the topic of the
presentation by showing them how the topic affects them directly. Giving relevant statistics can
motivate the audience.

4. Preview the main ideas: The audience should be told what they are going to listen to, The
preview should include a statement of the central idea and mention the main points of the
presentation at the end of the introduction.

Body: The body contains the main content of the presentation. Each main point should be supported
by appropriate details but not excessive data where some presenters may fail. The speaker should

(b) ensure that this information is accurate, complete and relevant. The speaker should choose the
sequence that he follows from the following organizational patterns.
✓ Sequent ional
✓ General to Specific
✓ Specific to general
✓ More important to less important
✓ Less important to more important
✓ Categorical
✓ Contest and more comparison
(c) Conclusion: The conclusion of the presentation should accomplish the following five specific
objectives:
(i) Summarize the presentation
(ii) Reemphasis the central idea
(iii) Focus on a goal
(iv) Motivate the audience to respond (to give feed back and asking any questions)
(v) Provide closure(verbal techniques like finally, lastly, or as my last point)
4. Rehearsing the Presentation (practice): Having planned, prepared and organized a presentation well,
it is necessary to rehearse it properly because it will give the presenter confidence and avoid any
distraction and deviation during actual presentation.

Before rehearsing a presentation it is necessary to answer a few questions like Who will the
audience be? , How many rehearsals are necessary? , What would the methods of rehearsals be held? ,
Should delivery notes be used while rehearsing? ....etc.

The following suggestions will help in rehearsing the presentation:

• Plan the rehearsal well

• Rehearse before a live audience
• Timing during rehearsal
• Recreate the presentation environment
5. Important Delivery (perform): Once the presentation has been rehearsal properly and systematically,
it can be delivered. The way a presentation is delivered does influenced the way listened will respond to
the message. Thus, the most important element of a presentation is the speaker’s performance. It
involves choosing an appropriate delivery technique, using speech notes and deciding the non-verbal
behavior.
 (a) Choosing delivery methods: There are three basic methods of delivery: the
memorizing method, reading method and the outlining method. A speaker may

choose a method of delivery that suits his content, style and objectives.

(b) Handling stage fright: One of the most difficult things that needs to be handled during a
presentation is one’s first encounter with stage fright. We become nervous or anxious and suffer
from stage fear. Infact, even very good speakers also experience some degree of stage fright when
they have to give a presentation before an audience. So, some degree of stage fright is quite normal.
However, it is important to learn to handle stage fright and use the extra energy positively to
improve presentation delivery.
The following strategies can be used to control and reduce stage fright:

Set realistic goals

Avoid negative thoughts

Begin the presentation with pause

Speak slowly and confidently

Learn and practice stress reduction techniques

Short Essay Writing and Email Writing

Essay Writing

Essay Writing are common in elementary, middle, high school, and college, and one may even need
to write essays in the business world. An essay is defined as a short piece of writing that expresses
information as well as the writer’s opinion. An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the
author’s own argument but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a paper, an article, a
pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have traditionally been sub-classified as formal and informal.
Format: Essays Writing should be written in the following format:
There are seven steps to writing a successful essay:
1. Pick a topic. ………..
2. Prepare an outline or diagram of your ideas.
3. Write your opening statement. ………..
4. Write the body. ………..
5. Write the introduction. ………..
6. Write the conclusion. ………..

Essay Writing Example

For some, writing an essay is as simple as sitting down at their computer and beginning to type, but
a lot more planning goes into writing an essay successfully. If you have never written an essay
before, or if you struggle with writing and want to improve your skills, it is a good idea to go
through several steps in the process
For example, to write an essay, you should generally:
• Decide what kind of essay to write.
• Brainstorm your topic.
• Do research.
• Outline your essay.
• Focus on Coherence of idea.
• Edit your writing to check spelling and grammar.

Kinds of Essays
The first step to writing an essay is to decide what kind of essay to write. There are several main
structures into which essays can be grouped:
1. Narrative Essays: Tell a story or impart information about your subject in a straightforward,
orderly, manner.
2. Descriptive Essays: Focus on the details of what is going on. For example, if you want to write a
descriptive essay about your trip to the park, you would give great detail about what you
experienced: how the grass felt beneath your feet, what the park benches looked like, and anything
else the reader would need to feel as if he were there.
3. Persuasive Essay: Convince the reader of some point of view.
4. Comparative Essay: Compare two or more different things.
5. Expository Essay: Explain to the reader how to do a given process. You could, for example, write
an expository essay with step-by-step instructions on how to make a peanut butter sandwich.
Essay Writing On My Hobby
I am 12 years old and read in class 7th standard. Now I know very well that reading is very good
habit which can make me a complete. My hobby is reading interesting and knowledgeable books in
my free time. Whenever I go to home from my school I like to read such books after completing my
home work. This hobby can be developed by anyone however I got this naturally. Reading books
keep one always happy and busy and create interest in advancing the knowledge.
It is the good source of enjoyment, knowledge, inspiration and instruction. It makes us disciplined,
loyal, punctual and most importantly a successful person in the life. Through books reading nobody
can feel alone and disturb. I think this habit is more precious than gold or other precious stones of
the world. It provides us high level of knowledge, noble thoughts and ideas to work in many fields.
Good and interesting books are like best friends of the one who like to read. The one who do not
have this habit may possess worldly wealth but he/she would always be poor because of the lack of
wealth of true knowledge. The habit of reading books can be acquired at young age by anyone.
Through this habit of book readings one may feel energetic and advancing the knowledge through
the good habit of acquiring it through books.
Essay Writing On Independence Day
In India, Independence Day is celebrated by the people of all religions, cultures and traditions with
great joy and happiness. Independence Day in India is observed on 15th of August every year from
1947 as our country became independent on the same day from the British rule almost after 200
years of slavery.
It has been declared as the national holiday when all the schools (government or private), offices,
colleges, universities, educational institutions, organizations, companies and business centres remain
closed. It is celebrated with big enthusiasm in every schools, colleges and other educational
institutions by the students and staff.
They participate and perform in dancing, drama, singing, playing indoor games, outdoor sports,
cultural activities, quiz competitions, awards distribution, etc during celebration. First of all the
National flag is unfurled by the chief guest or School Principal, National Anthem is sung with flute
and drum and then march past and procession in the streets takes place.
A big celebration event is organized by the government of India at the Rajpath, India Gate in the
National Capital, New Delhi where people of all religion, culture and tradition gather to listen the
patriotic speech by our Prime Minister.
By celebrating this event we commemorate those all great people who had sacrificed their lives and
loved ones in making India an Independent country. We feel indebted by their sacrifices for the
country. Essay Writing On Republic Day
Republic day also called as 26 January which is celebrated every year as this day is of great
importance for every Indian. Because at this day India was declared as the republic country as well
as constitution of India came into force after independence of long years of struggle. India got
independence on 15th of August in 1947 and two and half years later it became a Democratic
Republic.
On 20th of August 1947 a draft committee was constituted to prepare a draff for permanent
constitution of India. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was the main architect as a chairman of Drafting
Committee who took responsibilities and submitted the constitution of India to the Assembly on 4th
of November in 1947 however it took years to get enforced on 26th of January in 1950 to honour the
pledge of “PURNA SWARAJ”.
Republic day is the national holiday in India when people celebrates this great day of honour in their
own way through media, speech at schools or get participated in quiz competitions related to
freedom of India. At this day a big event gets organized by the Government of India at the Rajpath.
New Delhi where a parade takes place by the Indian army and state tableau in front of the India Gate
in the presence of President of India after unfolding the Indian Flag and singing National Anthem.
Generally the representatives from our friend allied country is invited as a chief guest to celebrate
the function with our president of the country.
Essay Writing On Save Trees
Trees are precious gift to our life from the nature. They are the green gold on the earth and very
important for everyone’s life. Some of the importance of trees is mentioned below proving why save
trees is save life:
1. Trees are very important source of cleaning and refreshing air (as they produce oxygen and
consume green house gases) by filtering and intercepting the airborne particles, chemicals, toxic
gases, reducing heat, absorbing CO2 and other pollutants like sulphur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide.
2. Trees acts as natural dustbins to the harmful gases in the environment. Trees are source of natural
shadow against scorching heat of the sun during the summer days and cool air and most comfortable
than the artificial cooling technologies like fan, coolers, air conditioning, etc.
3. They are effective in breaking the force of wind as a wind brake thus helpful in protecting houses,
vegetation, farmland, etc.
4. They keep us healthy by lowering the dust levels and pollution levels especially in the urban
areas.
5. They prevent us from the respiratory disorders and breathing problems by producing refreshing
air.
6. They help in reducing noise pollution and most effective as sound barriers because they act most
effectively like stone walls in stopping sound. They prevent us from the noises of crowded roads,
railway stations, airports, etc. They prevent soil from erosion, helpful in rainwater conservation, and
prevent sediment deposit during storms.

Questions for Practice

• Rainy season
• My role model, the person I like the most
• Pleasure of reading
• Importance of homework
• Personality development
• Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao
• Punctuality

Email Writing
Email stands for Electronic mail and is a method of sending, receiving, and producing information
over the Internet through an electronic communication system. Emails are generally used to
communicate for official purposes. It is the most popular mode of communication since it is the
cheapest and it takes less time.
Format of Email Writing
Email writing is an effective way of professional communication. It is not necessary to get people to
respond to your emails if they do not feel interested in your message or proposal. This is exactly the
reason why you should learn email writing should be good. Be specific. The best email
communication is the one that is easy and straightforward.
1. Email Address- Make sure you type in the exact email id of the receiver to whom you are
sending. Always cross-check before sending because even an unwanted full stop can land your
email at the wrong address.
2. Subject Line- The Subject line is the next most essential factor that should be considered because
that is the first thing anyone receiving the email would see. It is also the determining factor if the
receiver would want to open the mail.
3. Salutation- See that your Salutation or Greeting is suitable for the receivers.
4. Body- The Body of the email states what the email is all about. Be very clear with what you want
your receiver to know. Make sure you jotted down everything you want to convey drafted in simple
terms. It should very simple, short, and easy.
5. Sign off the email on a humble note. You can write ‘Thanks & Regards’ or ‘Warm Regards’. The
closing should be good and hopeful so that the receiver wants to respond.

Email writing template

• To - Recipient's email id
• CC - Other people receiving the email with visible email ids
BCC - Other people receiving the email with hidden email id
• Subject - The title of the Email with a phrase/one line regarding the main purpose.
• Greeting - Words like Hello. Hi, Respected before the recipient’s name.
• Main body - Introduction
• Ending - End with a concluding line
• Attachments - Attach your documents and let the recipient know
• Signature - Phrases like Thanks, Regards, and your name under it. You can add a
designation if necessary.
Tips for email writing
• Stay updated and avoid using old letter writing formats. There is no requirement for
mentioning dates when practicing electronic modes of communication.
• Formal emails can have indirect questions instead of direct ones.
• Always hold your tone politely.
• Formal complaints should be eloquent but without losing the nature of professionalism.

Email to inform your classmates regarding Science Exhibition

To- Recipient email id
Cc:
Bcc:
Subject: Regarding Science Project
Dear Bindi,
I hope you are feeling better. I am writing to inform you that our school is conducting a
science exhibition. I request everyone to participate in the exhibition, those willing to
participate shall provide their name latest by the 30th of this month.
Thanks & Regards,
(Your name)
Email to inform your classmates regarding the intra-college quiz competition.
To: (email id of recipient)
Cc:
Bcc:
Subject: Intra-college Quiz Competition.
Hello Everyone! This is to notify you all that an intra-college quiz competition is going
to be conducted in our college on Jan 25 from 11:00 am in Auditorium – 01. Everyone is
therefore invited to take part in the competition so that our department can win.
For further inquiries, feel free to contact me.
Thanks,
(Your name)
UNIT – III
Grammar : Direct and Indirect speeches, Active and Passive voice, Drawing inferences
(reading comprehensions and listening comprehensions)
Vocabulary: Leadership Skills – Negotiation skills - Team-building – Debate.
Leadership Skills – Negotiation skills - Team-building

Direct and Indirect Speech

The words spoken by a person are reported in two ways – Direct and Indirect Speech.
In Direct Speech we can reproduce the words exactly spoken by a person. It is enclosed
within inverted commas.
Ex: He said, “I am busy”
In Indirect speech we express in our own words the substance of the speaker’s words.
Inverted commas are removed in the Indirect Speech.
Ex: He said that he was busy.
Rules for changing Direct speech to Indirect
1. If the reporting verb is in the present tense, the tense of the verb in the reported
speech does not change.
Ex: He says, “Life is dull”.
He says that life is dull.
2. If the reporting verb is in the future tense, the tense of the verb in the reported speech
does not change.
Ex: He will say, “I am weak”
He will say that he is weak.
If the reporting verb is in the past tense, the tense of the reported verb is changed into the
corresponding past tense.
Direct Speech Indirect Speech
Is, ------------------------------------→ am,was
Are ---------------------------------→were
may --------------------------------→might
can ---------------------------------→could
will ---------------------------------→would
shall -------------------------------→should
has/have -------------------------→had
must ------------------------------→had to
do/does -------------------------→did
Present --------------------------→Past
Present Continuous -----------→Past Continuous
Present Perfect ----------------→Past Perfect
Present Perfect Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous
Simple Past tense -------------→Past Perfect
Past Continuous ---------------→Past Perfect Continuous
Examples:
1) She said, “ I am unwell”

She said she was unwell.

2) He said, “We are in the play ground”.
He said that they were in play ground.
3) She said, “ It may rain”.
She said that it might rain.
4) The boy said, “ I can do it”.
The boy said that he could do it.
5) He said to me , “ I shall meet your father”.
He told me that he would meet my father.
6) He said, “ I have a problem”.
He said that he had a problem.
7) The officer said to the clerk, “You must do it”.
The officer told the clerk that he had to do it.
8) He said to me “You are late”
He told that I was late.
9) The boy said, “ I am doing my home work”.
The boy said that he was doing his home work.
10) He said, “ I have met your brother”.
He said that he had met my brother.
11) The boy said, “My father went to Guntur”.
The boy told me that his father had gone to Guntur.
12) Radha said, “ I was watching the T.V. set.”
Radha said that she had been watching the T.V. set.
4) If the reported speech expresses a universal truth, the tense remains unchanged.
Ex: The teacher said, “The sun rises in the East”.
The teacher said that the sun rises in the East.
5) Words expressing nearness in place or time are changed to words expressing distance
in Indirect speech.
Direct Speech Indirect Speech
Now -----------------------------------> then
here -----------------------------------> there
hence ---------------------------------> thence
hither ---------------------------------> thither
this ------------------------------------> that
these ----------------------------------> those
ago ------------------------------------> before
thus -----------------------------------> so
hereby -------------------------------> thereby
today --------------------------------> that day
tonight ------------------------------> that night
tomorrow --------------------------> the next day/ the following day
yesterday ---------------------------> the day before/the previous day
last night ----------------------------> the night before
6. Assertive Sentences
In assertive senteces ‘say, says, said’ remain unchanged.
say to becomes tell
says to becomes tells and
said to becomes told.
Ex: 1. He said, “ I shall go to Chennai”.
He said that he would go to Chennai.
2. She said to me, “ I am writing a poem”.
She told me that she was writing a poem.
3. He says to me, “ My son is lazy”.
He tells me that his son is lazy.
7. Questions
The reporting verbs used in questions are ‘ask, enquire, wonder, want to know’.
When the question is introduced by a verb, the reporting verb is followed by ‘if’ or
‘whether’.
When the question is introduced by an interrogative word (what, where, when, why, how
etc), the same word is used in the indirect speech. No conjunction is used.
In the Direct speech the verb is placed before the subject
In Indirect speech the verb is placed after the subject.
In Direct speech a question mark is placed at the end of the sentence.
In the Indirect speech a full stop is placed at the end.
a) My friend said, “ Is Mr. Rao on leave?”
My friend enquired if Mr. Rao was on leave.
b) He said to her, “Is your son all right?”
He asked her whether her son was all right.
c) “Do you wish to open an account?” the accountant said to the stranger.
The accountant asked the stranger whether he wished to open an account.
d) My friend said, “Shall we ever forget the golden voice of Ghantasala?”
My friend wondered whether he would ever forget the golden voice of Ghantasala.
e) I said to him, “ What are you doing there?”
I asked him what he was doing there.
o f) The conductor said to the old man, “ Why have you not bought a ticket for the
boy?”
The conductor wanted to know from the old man why he had not bought a ticket for the
boy.
8. Imperative Sentences
The reporting verbs used in imperative sentences are ‘ advise, ask, order, request,
command, urge, beg’. The imperative mood is changed into the infinitive.
o a) They said to us, “ Grow more trees.”
They urged us to grow more trees.
o b) He said to the boy, “Go out”.
He ordered the boy to go out.
c) “Call the witness” said the judge.
The judge commanded them to call the witness.
d) The inspector shouted to the police, “ Stop the man”
The inspector shouted to the police to stop the man.
e) The manager said to the clerks, “ Don’t come late”.
The manager advised the clerks not to come late.
f) The lecturer said to the students, “ Use the Oxford dictionary”.
The lecturer recommended to the students to use the Oxford dictionary.
g) He said to me, “Please wait here.”
He requested me to wait there.
9. Exclamations
The reporting verbs used in exclamatory sentences are ‘exclaim, wonder, remark, wish’.
The Conjunction ‘that’ is used.
The exclamations are changed into statements in the Indirect speech.
a) He said, “How beautiful the garden is!”
He exclaimed that the garden was very beautiful.
b) He said, “Alas! My dog is dead!”
He exclaimed sorrowfully that his dog was dead.
c) He said, “May your daughter soon recover!”
He prayed that my daughter might soon recover.
d) The old man said to the young player, “Bravo! You
have played well”.
The old man applauded the young player saying
that he had played well.
e) He said to her, “Good morning”.
He wished her good morning.
f) She said, “Oh, God! I have lost my purse.” She exclaimed bitterly that she had lost her
purse.
10. Pronouns
a) Pronouns of the first person are changed according to the subject of the reporting verb.
Ex: - I said, “I have solved the problem”.
I said that I had solved the problem.
( I – subject)
He said, “ I have solved the problem”.
He said that he had solved the problem.
( He – subject)
b) The pronoun ‘you’ is changed according to the object of the reporting verb.
My father said to me, “You have done your work well”
My father told me that I had done my work well.
(Me – Object)
More than one sentence:
If there are different sentences in the reported speech, each sentence should have the
appropriate reporting verb and added to another with a conjunction.
a) She said to him, “ I know your sister. When will she go to England?”.
She told him that she knew his sister and enquired when she would go to England.
b) “Welcome,” she said, “be seated. I am happy to meet you”.
She welcomed me and requested me to be seated and added that she was happy to meet
me.
c) My son said to me, “The T.V. set has arrived. Where is it to be put?”.
My son told me that the T.V. set had arrived and asked where was to be put.
Exercise – 1
Turn the following sentences into Indirect Speech:
1) Balu said, “ I don’t drink coffee”.
2) The teacher said to Ramu, “ How old are you?”
3) She said to me, “What is your name?”
4) Sita said, “I am busy now”.
5) Anita said, “ We are late today”.
6) Prathibha said, “ My aunt is in England”.
7) He said, “Oh God! I will never steal again”.
8) The porter said, “ The train will be late”.
9) He said, “I have been ill since yesterday”.
10) Alice said, “Alex, how clever you are!”
11) Neeraja said to me, “I may need your help”.
12) The teacher said, “Be silent in the class”.
13) Mohan said to me, “I met Suresh in Mumbai”.
14) “What is this strange cry?” said Shankar.
15) “Please go there.” he said to me.
16) The interviewer asked, “Who is the first man to fly in space?”
17) He said to me, “Let us go for a walk”.
18) She said, “Good-bye, my friend.”
19) He said, “Alas! I have been lazy”.
20) He said to me, “Will you help me?” “Yes” I replied.
21) The officer said to the attender, “If you are later again, I shall dismiss you.”
22) The stranger asked the secretary, “’Why do you wish me to go away now?”
23) “Is he rude to you?” she asked. “I hope, not” replied her daughter.
24) “Did you read the novel yesterday?” my friend asked. “No”, I replied.
25) The doctor said to the patient, “Don’t take strong medicines. They may be harmful”

Exercise – 2
Turn the following sentences into Direct Speech:
1) He said that he was sorry.
2) Gopal asked me what I was doing.
3) He ordered the servant to go away.
4) He said that he was not guilty.
5) The librarian asked us to be quiet.
6) The stranger asked me if I could tell him the way to the railway station.
7) Viswanath requested his father to allow him to continue his studies.
8) The boy said that he had not stolen the ink-stand.
9) She asked her friend which magazines she usually read.
10) The villagers asked him where he was going and he replied that he was going to the
town.
Voice
The change of one form of a sentence into another form without changing the meaning of
the original is called the transformation of a sentence.
Look at the following sentence:
He ate a mango
( He _______ subject
ate _______ verb
a mango _______ object)
In the above sentence ‘ate’ is a transitive verb. It has a subject (he) and object ( a mango).
The verb tells what the subject does. The sentence gives a prominent place to the ‘doer’ of
the action. So the sentence is in the active voice.
Def: - A verb is in the active voice when the person or thing denoted by the subject does the
action.
The above sentence can be written in another way
A mango was eaten by him.
( A mango ____________Subject
was eaten ____________verb
him ____________object )
In the above sentence the verb ‘was eaten’ shows that something is done to the subject.
The sentence gives a prominent place to the object of the action. So the sentence is in the
passive voice.
Def: A verb is in the passive voice when it shows that something is done to the person or
thing denoted by the subject.
Look at the following:
1. The theatre was burnt down.
2. The house was constructed last year.
3. Her purse was stolen.
4. English is spoken in many countries.
All the above sentences tell us about the object of the action. The ‘doer’ (Agent) is dropped
because he is understood, or not known or unimportant.
When a sentence is changed from the active to the passive, the following changes take
place.
a) Subject becomes by + object
b) Object becomes subject
c) Verb becomes be + past Participle(v3)
Ex: She wrote a letter (Active Voice)
A letter was written by her (Passive Voice)
‘Be’ verb is added according to the tense of the verb in the active voice.
Tense ‘Be’ form
1. Simple Present tense  is/am/are + Past participle(v3)
2. Present Continuous  is/am/are + being + v3
3. Present Perfect  has/have + been + v3
4. Simple Past  was/were + v3
5. Past Continuous  was/were + being + v3
6. Past Perfect  had been+ v3
7. Simple future  will/shall +be + v3
1. Present Tense:
a) He repairs the radio (Active voice)
The radio is repaired by him (Passive voice)
b) She writes novels. (A.V.)
Novels are written by her. (P.V.)
2. Present Continuous tense:
a) Latha is singing a song (A.V.)
A song is being sung by Latha (P.V.)
b) The boys are making kites (A.V.) Kites are being made by the boys. (P.V.)
3. Present Perfect Tense:
a) He has cut the tree. (A.V.)
The tree has been cut by him. ( P.V.)
b) R.K. Narayan has written many novels. ( A.V.)
Many novels have been written by R. K. Narayan (P.V.)
4. Past tense:
a) She broke the glass (A.V.)
The glass was broken by her. (P.V.)
b) He built two houses. (A.V.)
Two houses were built by him (P.V.)
5. Past Continuous tense:
a) Madhu was singing a song. (A.V.)
A song was being sung by Madhu. (P.V.)
b) The carpenters were making chairs. (A.V.)
Chairs were being made by the carpenters. (P.V.)
6. Past Perfect tense:
a) He had sent the parcel. (A.V.)
The parcel had been sent by him. (P.V.)
b) Jim Corbett had killed many tigers. (A.V.)
Many tigers had been killed by Jim Corbett. (P.V.)
7. Future tense:
a) I shall punish you. (A.V.)
You will be punished by me. (P.V.)
b) He will send the book tomorrow. (A.V.) The book will be sent by him tomorrow. (P.V.)
8. Future Perfect tense:
a) They will have completed the work by tomorrow.
The work will have been completed(by them) by tomorrow. (P.V.)
b) By next year they will have constructed the house.
The house will have been constructed (by them) by next year. (P.V.)
When the verb in the active voice takes two objects (direct object and indirect object),
either object may become the subject of the passive voice.
Ex: 1.He sent her a gift. (A.V.)
(her – indirect object
a gift – direct object)
She was sent a gift by him. (P.V.)
A gift was sent her by him. (P.V.)
2. John teaches us English. (A.V.)
We are taught English by John (or)
English is taught us by John. (P.V.)
3. They lent him some money. (A.V.)
He was lent some money by them. (P.V.)
Some money was lent him by them. (P.V.)
4. He will give you the instructions. (A.V)
You will be given the instructions by them. (P.V.)
The instructions will be given you by them.( P.V)
Sentences with object complements
1. We chose Ravi leader of our group (A.V.)
Ravi was chosen(by us) leader of our group. (P.V.)
2. The judge found him guilty of murder. (A.V.)
He was found guilty of murder. (P.V.)
Sentences with verbs followed by Prepositions:
1. They will look into your case. (A.V.)
Your case will be looked into(by them) (P.V.)
2. The Principal presided over the meeting. (A.V.)
The meeting was presided over by the Principal (P.V)
3. They have objected to my proposal. (A.V)
My proposal has been objected to(by them) (P.V)
4. You must work for success. (A.V)
Success must be worked for. (P.V)
Interrogative Sentences
1. Do they sell apples? (A.V.)
Are apples sold by them? (P.V.)
2. Does he play cricket? (A.V.)
Is cricket played by him? (P.V.)
3. Can he lift this box? (A.V.)
Can this box be lifted by him? (P.V.)
4. Has he invited you to dinner? (A.V.)
Have you been invited by him to dinner? (P.V.)
5. Will he help me? (A.V.)
Shall I be helped by him? (P.V.)
6. Who wrote Gitanjali? (A.V.)
By whom was Gitanjali written? (P.V.)
7. What do they say about it? (A.V.)
What is said about it? (P.V.)
8. Where did he find the pen? (A.V.)
Where was the pen found by him? (P.V.)
9. Why has he punished the innocent boy? (A.V)
Why has the innocent boy been punished? (P.V.)
10. When did they accept all demands? (A.V.)
When were all your demands accepted by them? (P.V.)
Imperative Sentences
1. Open the window. (A.V.)
Let the window be opened. (P.V.)
2. Please help the poor man. (A.V.)
You are requested to help the poor man. (P.V.)
3. Do not consult him. (A.V.)
Let him not be consulted. (P.V.)
4. Let him finish the job now. (A.V.)
Let the job be finished now(by him) (P.V.)
5. Keep silent in the library. (A.V.)
You are advised to keep silent in the library(P.V.)
Exercise – 1
Turn the following into the passive voice:
1. He has opened the box.
2. We know him.
3. Why do you help him?
4. Rajani has given me a present.
5. He will look after her.
6. He gave me a book.
7. He hit the boy with a stone.
8. Aruna has painted these pictures.
9. He will finish the work in a week.
10. What does he want?
Answers
1. The box has been opened by him.
2. He is known to us.
3. Why is he helped by you?
4. I have been given a present by Rajani or
A present has been given me by Rajani.
5. She will be looked after by him.
6. A book was given me by him. Or I was given a book by him.
7. The boy was hit by him with a stone.
8. These pictures have been painted by Aruna.
9. The work will be finished by him in a week.
10. What is wanted by him?

Drawing inferences (reading comprehensions and listening

comprehensions)
Making an inference involves using what you know to make a guess about what you don't
know or reading between the lines. Readers who make inferences use the clues in the text
along with their own experiences to help them figure out what is not directly said, making
the text personal and memorable. Helping students make texts memorable will help them
gain more personal pleasure from reading, read the text more critically, and remember and
apply what they have read.
Proficient readers use their prior knowledge and textual information to draw conclusions,
make critical judgments, and form unique interpretations from text. Inferences may occur in
the form of conclusions, predictions, or new ideas (Anderson and Pearson, 1984).
Introduce this strategy by modelling it for students, starting with everyday examples,
moving to listening activities, and then to text examples. Tell students that good readers
make inferences to understand what they are reading. Emphasize that they will bring their
own knowledge of events to the text, so each inference may be unique.
Students with dyslexia (Dyslexia is a learning disorder that involves difficulty reading due
to problems identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words)
(decoding)have difficulty drawing inferences from written text. A study completed by F.R.
Simmons and C.H. Singleton in 2000 compared the reading performance of students with
and without dyslexia. According to the study, students with dyslexia scored similarly when
asked literal questions to those without dyslexia; however, when asked questions that
relied on inferences, the students with dyslexia scored much lower than those without
dyslexia.
Inference: Key to Comprehension
Inference is drawing conclusions based on information that has been implied rather than
directly stated and is an essential skill in reading comprehension and listening
comprehension. People make inferences every day, both in oral and written
communication. Many times this is so automatic most readers or listeners don't even
realize the information wasn't included in the conversation or text. For example, read the
following sentences: "My wife and I tried to pack light but we made sure not to forget our
bathing suits and sunblock. I wasn't sure if I would get seasick again so I made sure to pack
some medicine for upset stomachs."
You can deduct a great deal of information from these sentences:
• The author is married.
• He and his wife are going on a trip.
• They are going to be on a boat.
• They will be around water.
• They will be going swimming.
• They have gone swimming before.
• The author has gotten seasick on a boat in the past.

This information was not clearly stated in the sentences, but you can use what was written
to deduce or infer much more than what was said. Most of the information students get
from reading comes from what is implied rather than direct statements, as you can see
from the amount of information available by reading between the lines. It is through
inferences that words take on meaning. For students with dyslexia, the meaning behind the
words is often lost.
Learning and Teaching Inferences
Making inferences requires students to combine what they are reading with what they
already know, to reach into their own personal knowledge and apply it to what they are
reading. In the previous example, a student needs to know that having a bathing suit
means someone is going swimming and that getting seasick means someone is going on a
boat.
This previous knowledge helps readers make inferences and understand what they are
reading. Although this is a natural process and students with dyslexia may be able to
apply these concepts to an oral conversation, they have more difficulty doing so with
printed material. Teachers must work with such students to help them understand the
process of making inferences, to be aware of inferences made in oral conversations, and
then to apply this understanding to written works.
The following are ideas and activities teachers can use to reinforce inferring information
from text:
Show and infer. Rather than show and tell, have students bring in a few items that tell
about themselves. The items should be in a paper bag or trash bag, something the other
children can't see through. The teacher takes one bag at a time, bringing out the items,
and the class uses them as clues to figure out who brought in the items. This teaches
children to use what they know about their classmates to make educated guesses.
Fill in the blanks. Use a short excerpt or passage appropriate for the grade level and take
out words, inserting blanks in their place. Students must use clues in the passage to
determine an appropriate word to fill the blank space.
Use pictures from magazines. Have students bring in a picture from a magazine
showing different facial expressions. Discuss each picture, talking about how the person
might be feeling. Have students give supporting reasons for their opinion, such as, "I
think he is angry because his face is tense." Shared reading. Have students read in pairs;
one student reads a short paragraph and must summarize the paragraph to her partner.
The partner asks questions that have not been specifically answered in the summary to
have the reader make inferences about the passage.
Graphic thought organizers. Use worksheets to help students organize their thoughts to
help come up with inferences. Worksheets can be creative, such as a picture of a ladder
going up a tree to a treehouse. Students write their inference in the treehouse, and the
clues to back up the inference on each rung of the ladder. Worksheets can also be as
simple as folding a paper in half and writing the inference on one side of the paper and
the supporting statements on the other.
Have students read a newspaper editorial. Have them infer at least two things that were
not explicitly stated by the author. Then have students draw a conclusion about the topic.
Ask students to make inferences and draw conclusions from a particular novel you are
reading in class.
Have students make inferences about where or when a photograph was taken. Provide
photographs of unfamiliar geographic areas, buildings, or landscapes.

Leadership Skills

When we talk about leadership skills, what exactly do we mean? Leadership skills are the
tools, behaviors and capabilities that a person needs in order to be successful at motivating
and directing others. Yet true leadership skills involve something more; the ability to help
people grow in their own abilities. It can be said that the most successful leaders are those
that drive others to achieve their own Eleven Principles of Leadership
✓ Know yourself and seek self-improvement. You can strengthen your leadership abilities by
reading, self-study, taking appropriate classes, etc. ✓ Be technically proficient. As a leader,
you must know your job and have a solid familiarity with your employees’ jobs. ✓ Seek
responsibility and take responsibility for your actions. Search for ways to guide your
organization to new heights. And when things go wrong, do not blame others. Analyze the
situation, take corrective action and move on to the next challenge. ✓ Make sound and timely
decisions. Use good problem-solving, decision-making and planning tools. ✓ Keep your
people informed. Know how to communicate with employees, senior management and other
key people within the organization. ✓ Develop a sense of responsibility in your people.
Develop good character traits within your people that will help them carry out their
professional responsibilities. ✓ Ensure that tasks are understood, supervised and
accomplished. Communication is the key to this responsibility. ✓ Train your people as a
team. Although many so-called leaders call their organization, department, section, etc. a
“team,” they are really just a group of people doing their jobs. Good leaders build solid teams
✓ Use the full capabilities of your organization. By developing a team spirit, you will be able
to employ your organization, department, section, etc. to its fullest capabilities. ✓ Set the
example. Be a good role model for your employees. They must not only hear what they are
expected to do, but see you doing it. ✓ Know your employees and look out for their well-
being. Understand the importance of sincerely caring for your workers.
Negotiation Skills:
Negotiation is a dialogue/discussion between two or more people or parties intended to;

o Reach an common understanding

o Resolve point of difference
o Gain advantage
Example: - Customer trying to negotiate with seller over a price of a product. Negotiation for
salary between employee & employer.
Negotiation has many purposes:
1. conflict resolution

2. persuasive communication and selling

3. Purchasing/Delivering

Example: - Customer trying to negotiate with seller over a price of a product. Negotiation
for salary between employee & employer.
Negotiation has many purposes:
1. conflict resolution
2. persuasive communication and selling
3. Purchasing/Delivering
4. dealing with staff
5. Arbitration
6. many business or personal transactions
7. dealing with industrial dispute
8. bringing more productivity at work place

Types of Negotiation:

Distributive Negotiation
Integrative Negotiation

Distributive negotiation (Win –Lose)

 It is also sometimes called positional or hard- bargaining negotiation
 Each side often adopts an extreme position, knowing that it will not be accepted.

Integrative negotiation(Win-Win)
 It is called interest-based or principled negotiation.
 It is a set of techniques by providing an alternative to traditional distributive negotiation
techniques. While distributive negotiation assumes there is a fixed amount of value to be
divided between the parties, integrative negotiation often attempts to create value in the
course of the negotiation
 Negotiations in which both parties come away winners and both parties are committed to
upholding their ends of the agreement

Negotiation Styles
Avoiding

o Individuals who do not like to negotiate and don’t do it unless warranted.

o When negotiating, avoiders tend to defer and dodge the confrontational aspects of
negotiating
 o They may be perceived as tactful and diplomatic.
Accommodating:
o Individuals who enjoy solving the other party’s problems
o Preserving personal relationships.
o Accommodators are sensitive to the emotional states, body language, and verbal
signals of the other parties.
o They take advantage of situations when the other party places little emphasis on the
relationship.

Competing:

oIndividuals who enjoy negotiations because they present an opportunity to win

something.
o Competitive negotiators have strong instincts for all aspects of negotiating and are
often strategic.
o They can dominate the bargaining process, competitive negotiators often neglect the
importance of relationships.
Compromising:

o Individuals who are eager to close the deal by doing what is fair and equal for all
parties involved in the negotiation.
o Compromisers can be useful when there is limited time to complete the deal
o Compromisers often unnecessarily rush the negotiation process and make
concessions too quickly.
Collaborating:

o Individuals who enjoy negotiations

o Involve solving tough problems in creative ways.
o Collaborators are good at using negotiations to understand the concerns and interests
of the other parties
Phases of Negotiation

There are four phases of negotiation

1st Phase of Negotiation:

 Preparation: Negotiators need to review previous examples or other incidents that might have
bearing on the current situation.
 Parties will decide to negotiate rather than pursue

 When the cost of NOT negotiating a resolution is higher than the cost of negotiating, then
negotiation can be the most desirable course of action.

2nd Phase of Negotiation:

 Exchanging information is really an extension of preparation, and allows both parties the
opportunity to consider all of the available information before a bargaining meeting takes place.
3rd Phase of Negotiation – Bargaining
 The “meat and potatoes” part of negotiation

 The phase where actual sacrifices and concessions are made

4th Phases of Negotiation

Closing

 Once the parties have completed bargaining, made all the adjustments, and agreed upon the least
uncomfortable result, the negotiation is ready for commitment and closure

Commitments can be made public as a way to share the conclusion of the process

One final, important note in the process is to make absolutely sure that you have a commitment to
carry out the agreement that has been negotiated

Techniques for preparation of win - win negotiation:

1. An effective negotiation is preparation: One should be well prepared before going for a negotiation

2. Very specific about expectation from Negotiation: Don’t expect anything you yourself know is not
possible

3. Always be ready with an alternative plan: Don’t rely on a single plan. It might not work out
sometimes, learn to be a little tactful and intelligent.

4. Be transparent and honest with second party: honesty always pays in the long run. Don’t hide anything
from the other party. So, no terms and condition should be hide.

5. Be very confident: Never show your need and helplessness to anyone

6. Understand the second party well: One should try his level best to come to a conclusion which would
make both the parties happy.

7. Be a good communicator: Don’t play with words; make sure you carefully chose relevant words.
Avoid using foul words against anyone.

8. Be patient: Negotiation needs time and one ought to be patient enough to interact. Never impose your
decision on others on rush for -------.

9. Don’t drag the conversation too long: One the conclusion is reached, It’s better to choose the dead.
Don’t wait for some more miracles to happen.

10. Chose a proper room for business negotiation.

Team Building for work teams -Emphasize the importance of each team member’s contribution and
demonstrate how all of their jobs operate together to move the entire team closer to its goal. Delegate
problem-solving tasks to the team. Let the team work on creative solutions together. Facilitate
communication.
The formal definition of team-building includes:
1. aligning around goals.

2. building effective working relationships.

3. reducing team members' role ambiguity.

4. finding solutions to team problems.

Team Building: How To Bring Your Employees Together

Acquaint and Establish Connections. Getting to know each other in the workplace is one goal of
team building. ...
-Encourage Communication and Teamwork. ...
-Improve Morale and Engagement. ...
-Foster Innovation and Creativity. ...
-Build Trust and Team Bonds.
High-performance teams (HPTs) is a concept within organization development referring to teams,
organizations, or virtual groups that are highly focused on their goals and that achieve superior business
results.
These five factors describe the behaviors of leaders who had those high-performance teams.
1. Team Leaders Inspire More Than They Drive. ...

2. Team Leaders Resolve Conflicts And Increase Cooperation. ...

3. Team Leaders Set Stretch Goals. ...

4. Team Leaders Communicate, Communicate, Communicate The Vision And Direction. ...

5. Team Leaders Are Trusted.

IMPORTANCE OF BUILDING HIGH PERFORMANCE TEAMS

1. High-performance work teams are essential to the way most organizations organize and carry out
their work, resulting in superior performance, which translates into a significant competitive advantage.
... A deep sense of purpose and commitment to the team's members and to the mission.

2. High-performance work teams are essential to the way most organizations organize and carry out
their work, resulting in superior performance, which translates into a significant competitive advantage.
... A deep sense of purpose and commitment to the team's members and to the mission.
Debate
A debate is a discussion or structured contest about an issue or a resolution. A formal debate involves
two sides: one supporting a resolution and one opposing it. Such a debate is bound by rules previously
agreed upon. Debates may be judged in order to declare a winning side. Debates, in one form or another,
are commonly used in democratic societies to explore and resolve issues and problems. Decisions at a
board meeting, public hearing, legislative assembly, or local organization are often reached through
discussion and debate. Indeed, any discussion of a resolution is a form of debate, which may or may not
follow formal rules (such as Robert’s Rules of Order). In the context of a classroom, the topic for debate
will be guided by the knowledge, skill, and value outcomes in the curriculum.
Structure for Debate
A formal debate usually involves three groups: one supporting a resolution (affirmative team), one
opposing the resolution (opposing team), and those who are judging the quality of the evidence and
arguments and the performance in the debate. The affirmative and opposing teams usually consist of
three members each, while the judging may be done by the teacher, a small group of students, or the
class as a whole. In addition to the three specific groups, there may an audience made up of class
members not involved in the formal debate. A specific resolution is developed and rules for the debate
are established.
Debate Preparation:
• Develop the resolution to be debated.
• Organize the teams.
• Establish the rules of the debate, including timelines.
• Research the topic and prepare logical arguments.
• Gather supporting evidence and examples for position taken.
• Anticipate counter arguments and prepare rebuttals.
• Team members plan order and content of speaking in debate.
• Prepare room for debate.
• Establish expectations, if any, for assessment of debate.

Conducting Debate:
Debate opens with the affirmative team (the team that supports the resolution) presenting their
arguments, followed by a member of the opposing team. This pattern is repeated for the second speaker
in each team. Finally, each team gets an opportunity for rebutting the arguments of the opponent.
Speakers should speak slowly and clearly. The judges and members of the audience should be taking
notes as the debate proceeds. A typical sequence for debate, with suggested timelines, is as follows:
• the first speaker on the affirmative team presents arguments in support of the resolution. (5 – 10
minutes)
• The first speaker on the opposing team presents arguments opposing the resolution. (5 – 10 minutes)
• The second speaker on the affirmative team presents further arguments in support of the resolution,
identifies areas of conflict, and answers questions that may have been raised by the opposition speaker.
(5 – 10 minutes)
• The second speaker on the opposing team presents further arguments against the resolution, identifies
further areas of conflict, and answers questions that may have been raised by the previous affirmative
speaker. (5 – 10 minutes)
• The rules may include a short recess for teams to prepare their rebuttals. (5 minutes)
• The opposing team begins with the rebuttal, attempting to defend the opposing arguments and to defeat
the supporting arguments without adding any new information. (3 – 5 minutes)
• First rebuttal of the affirmative team (3 – 5 minutes)
• Each team gets a second rebuttal for closing statements with the affirmative team having the last
opportunity to speak. (3 – 5 minutes each)
• There cannot be any interruptions. Speakers must wait their turns. The teacher may need to enforce the
rules.
Post-debate Discussion and Assessment
When the formal debate is finished, allow time for debriefing and discussion. Members of the audience
should be given an opportunity to ask questions and to contribute their own thoughts and opinions on the
arguments presented. Members of the debate teams may also wish to reflect on their performance and
seek feedback from the audience, including the teacher.
If some form of assessment was part of the debate plan, it would be conducted at this time. Assessment
could be conducted by the teacher, the judging team, or the entire class. (Debate Assessment Rubric.)
Additional Support Materials
The following curriculum support materials may be of use in preparing a class debate:
o The Inquiry Process (Conducting Research)
o Persuasive Writing
o Articulate Perspectives on Issues
o Dealing with Controversial Issues
o Critical Thinking in Social Studies

UNIT – IV
Grammar: Common errors, Rearrangement of sentences.
Vocabulary: Resume writing, Pre-interview preparation , Group discussion.

Some Common Errors

1) She is more pretty than her cousin.
•She is more pretty than her cousin. → She is prettier than her cousin.
2) It’s time two go!
• It’s time two go! → It’s time to go!
3) They’ve been married during six years.
• They’ve been married during six years. → They’ve been married for six years.
4) Me and Paul are going to the cinema.
• Me and Paul are going to the cinema. → Paul and I are going to the cinema.
5) There is much noise here.
• There is much noise here. → There is a lot of noise here.
6) Sam not like doing sport.
• Sam not like doing sport. → Sam doesn’t like doing sport.
7) We should contact they’re parents
• We should contact they’re parents. → We should contact their parents.
8) How many wine did you drink last night?
• How many wine did you drink last night? → How much wine did you drink last night?
9) This bag is more cheap than the other one.
• This bag is more cheap than the other one. → This bag is cheaper than the other one.
10) How much books do you have?
• How much books do you have? → How many books do you have?

Rearrange Jumbled Sentences

1. Exercise
1. this friday / have / we / a holiday
2. cooks / my mom /delicious food
3. welcomed / every gest / was
4. the thief / arrested / the policeman
5. bakes / a baker / bread

Answers
1. We have a holiday this Friday.
2. My mom cooks delicious food.
3. Every guest was welcomed.
4. The policeman arrested the thief.
5. A baker bakes bread.

2. Exercise
1. of leather / the jacket / was made
2. sipped / some water / the sparrow
3. the computer / is working on / my neighbor
4. our gratitude / to show / we have / to them
5. if you word hard, / surely / you will / succeed

Answers

1. The jacket was made of leather.

2. he sparrow sipped some water.
3. My neighbor is working on the computer.
4. We have to show our gratitude to them.
5. If you work hard, you will surely succeed.

3. Exercise

1. a beautiful / I shall / for myself / buy

2. as you listen / to note down / points / it is important
3. most important / of his career / match / it was the
4. in the city / many garden / there are
5. the old / honest person / man / was an

Answers
1. I shall buy a beautiful gown for myself.
2. It is important to note down points as you listen.
3. It was the most important match of his career.
4. There are many gardens in the city.
5. The old man was an honest person.

4. Exercise
1. the garbage / dispose / properly
2. clappled happily / came in / when santa claus / the children
3. had traveled far / was tired / and / the old man
4. has given / some / our cow / lovely milk today
5. come from / where / did / all the litter

Answers

1. Dispose of the garbage properly.

2. The children clapped happily when Santa Claus came in.
3. The old man had traveled far and was tired.
4. Our cow has given some lovely milk today.
5. Where did all this litter come from?

5. Exercise

1. all over the town / spread the / we have / garbage

2. my friend / i received / an email / from
3. the window / smashed / the ball / through
4. is located / the skull / inside / the brain
5. i ran towards / it started raining / and / the bus stop

Answers

1. We have spread the garbage all over the town.

2. I received an email from my friend.
3. The ball smashed through the window.
4. The brain is located inside the skull.
5. It started raining and I ran towards the bus stop.

RESUMES

The success of employment search largely depends on a candidate’s ability to design a persuasive
resume and an effective job application.

EMPLOYMENT COMMUNICATION

Employment communication involves a complex process that includes writing employment letters,
applications and résumés. In fact, the success of employment search depends a lot on the candidate’s
ability to design a persuasive resume and an effective cover letter. An employer has to read a large
number of applications and resumes before he takes a decision to invite a candidate for a personal
interview. No employer is under any obligation or compulsion to invite prospective candidates for a
personal interview. In fact, the process of short listing candidates for an interview might result in the
rejection of a large number of applicants. The screening committee tries to get to know the candidates
through their application and resume by evaluating their education, skills, and experience. Therefore,
learning the art of writing applications that highlight one’s strengths and designing resumes that package
one’s skills and assets into a convincing advertisement is essential.

RESUME WRITING
A resume is an employment-seeking document that presents a summary of an individual’s education,
professional training, experience, skills, abilities, achievements, and references. Writing an effective
resume is a challenge faced by all candidates. The following section presents several techniques and
suggestions for creating persuasive resumes.

Resume Design
There is no one right design for a resume. The design of a resume largely depends on a person’s
background, employment needs, career goals, and professional conventions in the area of specialization.
Resume may have to be rewritten for every new job application because every job has its own
requirements.

However, whatever the resume designs, the resume must answer the following questions:

a) How can the employer contact the candidate?

b) What are his career objectives?
c) Which institution has been attended?
d) What courses have been completed?
e) What is his work experience?
f) What are his special skills or capabilities?
g) What are his awards or honors that he has received?
h) What are his activities/interests/hobbies?
i) Who are his references?
Answer to these questions will provide the employer with all the relevant information needed to assess
an applicant’s suitability for a particular position. These answers may be integrated to these questions
into different parts of a resume.

Parts of Resume
The standard parts of a resume includes the heading, position sought, career objective, education, work
experience, specific skills, achievements, activities, interests, and references.

Heading The heading of a resume includes contact information, which contains the applicant’s name,
full postal address with pin code, telephone number with area code, fax number, and e-mail address.

Position Sought If applying for a solicited job position, the position sought should be mentioned so that
the employer is able to distinguish the application from those who might have applied for other positions
available in the company/organization. However, it is not necessary to include this part in the resume if
the application is for an unsolicited job position.
Career Objectives Career objective is a special part in a resume. It occurs just above the main experience
and education parts. If responding to an advertised job position, the resume should include the
applicant’s career objective, which should be tailored to the position he is seeking. Thus, it should be a
specific one-sentence focused statement expressing his career goals in relation to the targeted position.
It should convey his motivation and interest in the job he is seeking. The following are some examples:

1. To obtain as a challenging position in a large software consulting organization providing business

consulting, application development, and product engineering services, where understanding
and experience of business process modeling and organizational change management to suit
customer needs can be used to achieve set targets.
2. To contribute to the growth of a high technology materials engineering enterprise by working in
a position where I will have opportunities to utilize my exposure and experience in modeling and
designing steel structures, and my hands-on experience in using FEM/FEA software.
If you are just exploring a job position by sending an all-purpose resume, you may use a general
statement as your career objective. It would just express your general career goals and tell the potential
employer the sort of work you are hoping to do. Study the following examples:

1. Seeking a suitable position in design/project management.

2. Challenging position in maintenance of computer printers and peripherals.
3. Position in academic administration.
4. Faculty position in English language.
Professional Summary Some resume may include a professional summary in place of career objective.
It is a one-sentence statement listing the applicant’s most important qualifications, essential skills, and
work experience. This part should be included in the resume if the applicant wishes to highlight the
relevance of his qualifications, special skills, and key work experience to the position he is applying for.
The following are some examples:

1. Six years experience in providing customer support to users of the industry’s leading network
routing, switching, security, and VOIP technology as a CCNA professional at CONVERGYS.
2. Four years of experience as production engineer with thorough understanding of weld
technology and design and sound knowledge about trouble-shooting, fool proofing of processes,
cost saving through process improvement, and low cost automaton.

Education In this part of resume, specific details regarding the applicant’s education and professional
training must be included. The name and location of the school/college/university, major areas of study,
degrees/certificates received should be mentioned. The applicant’s grade point average/class/division if
it is on the higher side may also be mentioned. Reverse chronological order is used to list educational
information that is, starting from the most recent educational information.

Work Experience This part of the resume should provide a brief and specific overview of the applicant’s
work and professional experience. As prior work experience is a vital part of any hiring decision, the
applicant must draft this part of the resume very carefully. Work experience should be given in reverse
chronological order, by listing the most recent employment first. Title of the position, employer’s name
or name of the organization/company, location of work, dates of employment, and important job
responsibilities, activities, and accomplishments should be included.

Special skills, Abilities, and Aptitudes In this part of the resume, the applicant’s special skills, abilities
and aptitudes that are of significance and of direct relevance to the job applied for are listed. Examples
of learned skills include computer programming, computer processing, data processing, machinery
operation, drafting, technical writing, and so on.
Activities and Interests Extra-curricular, co-curricular, professional activities, and hobbies and interests
must be mentioned. These activities must show that the applicant is a dynamic and energetic person
who can accept challenges. Companies prefer such people.

Achievements/Accomplishments/Honours The applicant’s achievements, accomplishments, and

awards distinguish him from the rest. They convince the employer that he is an achiever and therefore
worth hiring. This part should include scholarships, fellowships, awards, distinctions, commendations,
certificates, or anything that shows achievement or recognition.

References Some employers need references from persons who know the applicant’s work or
professional competence through formal and professional interaction with him. The applicant’s previous
employer, teacher, research guide, colleague, and superior or subordinate may be used for reference.
The name of the reference, designation with full address, contact telephone number and e-mail address
should be giver.

Resume styles
Choosing an appropriate resume style largely depends on the applicant’s qualifications, career goals, and
personal preferences.

Chronological Resume This is the most common resume style. It focuses on education and experience.
It organizes past employment record or education in reverse chronological order. It lists work experience
items or educational/professional qualifications starting with the current or most recent and works
backwards in time.

Functional Resume Unlike chronological resumes that focus on education and work experience,
functional resumes highlight accomplishments and emphasise skills. Some employers are more
interested in the applicant’s ability to handle the position they are applying for, and they would prefer a
functional resume rather than a chronological one. A functional resume provides examples of
experiences that demonstrate the skills needed for the targeted position.

INTERVIEW SKILLS
A job interview is a pre-arranged and planned conversation used for evaluating the suitability of a candidate for a
particular position.
THE CONCEPT & PROCESS

Many people get nervous at the very idea of a job-interview. For most job applicants, job interviews are
frightening simply due to the fear of being rejected. Even if a person is self- confident, with a good grasp
of the subject of his specialization, he is most likely to be tense and nervous before and during the
interview. However, we can overcome our fear of the interview process by understanding the process
and making ourselves ready and prepare for it.

The interviewing process is a complex means of gathering relevant data about a candidate for a
particular job position, promotion, or making a selection panel. Although interviewing may be practiced
along with other screening methods such as group discussions and oral presentations, recruitment
experts believe that a job interview provides the best opportunity to examine the relevance of an
applicant’s knowledge and experience. It could be either a face-to-face meeting or a formal conversation
through telephone, or videoconferencing between a candidate and the members of the selection
committee or representatives of the concerned employers.
 Job interviews in today’s technologically advanced world are more challenging than they used to
be a few years ago. As the selection committee faces the challenge of getting the right person into the
job, the members of the committee are interested in a correct evaluation of the candidate’s personal
qualities, qualifications, talents, traits, and suitability for the position to be filled in. However, it is not
easy task for any selection committee to judge a candidate’s abilities and personal qualities on the basis
of a half-hour conversation with the candidate. Therefore, new and more effective interviewing
techniques have been devised for the correct evaluation of a candidate. Some organizations prefer to
conduct preliminary and screening interviews before the final interview. In fact, there are several factors
responsible for making job interviews more challenging today. They include:

Growing competition in job market.

Changing demands of the job market.
Growing professionalism of the business world.
Increasing focus on the candidate personal qualities and

A candidate may have knowledge, confidence, and speaking skills to face a job interview but he still need
proper orientation and guidance to face a job interview efficiently and confidently and improve his
chance of success. The candidate should be familiar with the types of interviews, interview formats, and
appropriate interviewing strategies. He should know how to plan and prepare for a job interview, how
to develop the interview file, how to project success during the interview, how to reflect confidence
while answering questions and how to uphold his personality and overcome hazards.

PRE INTERVIEW PREPARATION TECHINIQUES

When a candidate has applied for a job and is getting ready for that important moment in his life, the job
interview, he needs to prepare for it systematically, even if it is not the first job interview for the person.
Preparing well is the key to success during interview.

Planned preparation for the job interview will help the candidate to

✓ develop the needed confidence; enter the job interview with information and understanding;
✓ deal with interview anxiety effectively;
✓ be sensitive to the needs and expectations of the interviewers;
✓ know his/her strengths and weaknesses;
✓ strike up a positive interaction with the interviewers;
✓ know his/her job and the organization that he/she wants to join; and
✓ adapt his background, knowledge, and skills to fit the job.
Thus, preparing for the job interview involves in

✓ analyzing yourself;
✓ identifying your skills;
✓ researching the organizations;
✓ analyzing the job position;
✓ revising your subject knowledge and brushing up your general awareness; and
✓ developing the interview file.
Self-analysis

We cannot project ourselves successfully unless we know our strengths and weakness properly. It may
sound foolish but it is true that most of us really do not know ourselves. That is why a simple question
like “Tell us something about yourself” unnerves many candidates during job interviews. Self analysis is
the first step towards effective planning for a job interview. It includes analyzing our background,
identifying our major accomplishments, achievements, our special interests and hobbies, and analyzing
our career goals in terms of the contribution we can make to the job we aspire for.

Analyze your skills

Every job has a set of functions and requires certain skills to perform it. The main purpose of a job
interview is to find out whether the candidate possesses the skills and knowledge required to carry out
the functions associated with the job. Thus analyzing skills is an integral part of an interview. Most
employers would like to see the match between the candidate’s skills and the requirements for the job
and may ask you the following questions:

✓ How will you rate yourself for this position on a scale of one to ten?
✓ Why should we hire you?
✓ What makes you suitable for this position?
✓ What are your strengths?
✓ What is your strength?
A candidate may have impressive skills and abilities but the employers would be more interested in
knowing whether he/she has the right skill and abilities.

Research the Organization

You must thoroughly research the organization you want to join before the interview. Interviewers
may ask a few questions to test your knowledge about the organization and your interest in them. Some
of these questions may include “Why do you want to join us?”, “What do you know about our
company?”, “How do you rate our company?”, “ Our computer was recently in the news. Can you tell
why?,” and so on. Unless you research the company you will not be able to answer any of these
questions.

Job Analysis

You should know what the job is all about. You cannot adopt your skills to fit the job desired unless you
know about the job. Moreover, without sufficient knowledge about the job position you may not be able
to answer questions like “ Why are you interested in this job?”, “What makes you fit for this position?”,
…etc. with a little preparation, you can answer these questions confidently.

Revise Your Subject Knowledge

A job interview is to asses the candidate’s level of knowledge and technical expertise as it relates to the
job at hand. Although a good grade is an indicator of one’s command over the subject, many
organizations focus on evaluating the subject competence of candidates. It is, therefore advisable to
revise one’s subject knowledge before the interview.

You should also brush up your general awareness. The interviewers may test your knowledge
on a wide range of topics related to burning social, political, economic, scientific, and environmental
issues, national and international affairs, controversial topics, key news makers, and much more. As an
educated person, you are expected to be aware of such matters. Therefore, reading newspapers,
watching news on television, and visiting informative websites to brush up your knowledge about recent
developments in different areas is essential.

Develop the Interview File

Preparing for an interview demands a professional approach. Therefore, you should develop an
interview file that may contain the following papers and documents:
 ✓ Interview letter
✓ Original degrees, certificates, and transcripts
✓ Experience certificates
✓ Reference and testimonials
✓ Certificates of merit
✓ Copies of your resume
✓ Your visiting cards
✓ Other relevant papers that might be needed during the interview
Keeping everything in order will help in projecting yourself as an organized and systematic person.

Strategies in Job Interview

There are two strategies which have to be followed in interviews

o Opening strategies
o Answering strategies

Open Strategies

1. Arrive early: Job interviews require punctuality; arrive early. Yes, this is a "common sense"
strategy that you should already know. But you'd be amazed at how many candidates show up
late for their interviews! Talk about a negative first impression! Plan to arrive at least 15 minutes
prior to your interview time. Use those 15 minutes to relax and mentally prepare.

2. Make your introduction and greeting memorable: Job interviews can involve dozens of
candidates over the course of several days. You need to stand out from the pack and be
remembered! So make your introduction and greeting more memorable than most. Do this with
everyone you are introduced to, including the receptionist or Human Resources person who meets
you prior to the interview: Smile, make eye contact, shake hands, and say their name.

3. Use body language: Job interviews can seem like intimidating situations, but as the old saying
goes, "Never let 'em see you sweat." Walk into the room in a manner that exudes confidence and
control. Do not walk timidly or rush hastily. Walk in a way that you greet a friend. After the
greetings, sit when and where they indicate. Sit properly. This means showing good posture,
sitting up straight and looking attentive. Do not slouch or lean way back and clasp your hands
behind your head to indicate how "comfortable" you are. Do sit comfortably and don't sit on the
edge of the chair as if you're eager to run away. Do not fidget

4. Be yourself, but only up to a point: Let your personality show, but don't overdo it. Match
your demeanor to that of the interviewers. For instance, if they joke around a bit to break the ice,
go with it but don't laugh insincerely. Don't tell any jokes yourself. If you have a sense of humor
and you've deduced that the interviewers do, too, you can use this in some of your answers.

5. Answer questions clearly and confidently: Since you've prepared in advance and anticipated
many of the questions, your answers should be clear, concise and confident. Do not mumble or
speak in a low voice. You don't want the interviewer to ask you to speak up or repeat your answer.
One of the great advantages of anticipating questions and practicing your answers in advance is
that you can "edit" them before the actual interview. Many companies limit the interview time to
20 minutes or less. You want your answers to be short, focused and to the point. If you're not sure
you've given enough information, simply ask, "Did I answer that sufficiently for you, or would
you like more details?"

Your last comment should be that you feel you would be a good asset for the company and you
definitely want the job. Don't forget this!

Answering strategies

How a question is answered is sometime more important than the answer itself. The way a
question is answered reflects a person’s communicative ability. The following suggestions will
help in improving the quality of answers:

1. Attentiveness: When a person attends a job interview, he/she cannot answer the interviewer’s
questions correctly unless he is listening properly. Many candidates start answering before they
have heard the complete question. This is wrong. The candidate should listen to the interviewer
more attentively in order to understand the question and respond to it.

2. Accuracy: The candidate should give particular attention to dates, timelines, persons, and other
details. If he cannot remember a date or time, it should not be mentioned. Giving an incorrect or
incomplete answer will reduce the chances of success. The candidate should not try to bluff the
interviewer; it is better to accept that he/she does not know an answer rather than give an incorrect
answer. No one is expected to know everything and there is nothing wrong in accepting one’s
lack of knowledge.

3. Brevity: The candidate should be brief and to the point particularly in open questions, where
he has the scope to speak as much as he/she can. He/she should listen to the question carefully
and answer only what is asked, not talking more than one minute to answer any question.

4. Focus: The candidate should be focused and specific. Very often, candidates deviate from the
question asked and do not answer specifically. Concrete and specific words and phrases should
be used, and obscure, abstract, and vague words that may confuse the interviewers should be
avoided.

5. Clarity: Candidates should answer directly and clearly. The candidate should not give the
interviewers a chance to ask for an answer to be repeated or classified. Clarity of expression
generally reflects clarity of thought and professionalism.

6. Positive Attitude: The candidates answer should reflect a positive attitude. Interviewers may
ask negative or sensitive questions to explore the negatives in the candidate personality.
Therefore, it is important to remain positive and answer even negative questions positively.

7. Logical Thinking: The ability to think logically is always an asset during an interview.
Answers should always be rational and logical because illogical answers reflect a disorganized
personality

Alternative Interview Formats

As mentioned above, job interviews have become more complex and sophisticated today. Gone
are the days when a job interview was a simple exchange of information during a face-to-face
conversation in a conventional setting. Although face to face interviews are still the most common
interview format, interviews are also taking place in non-conventional settings and there are
several alternative interview formats, which include interviews through telephone, and
videoconferencing.

Interview through Videoconferencing

This is a very similar to face-to-face job interview because the interviewers can watch the
candidate answering questions and can assess his/her behavior and non-verbal gestures. Some
organizations might prefer to have a screening interview through videoconferencing. Situational
interviewers may also be conducted through video conferencing

Interview through Telephone

Interviews may also be held through telephone. Unlike a face-to-face interview, which generally
takes place in office in a conventional setting, a telephone interview takes place in a non-
conventional setting. Although the telephone interview has certain inherent weakness as an
interview format, its popularity is increasing, especially for recruitment of senior positions.
Moreover, it is less cumbersome for both the interviewers as well as the candidate. The following
suggestions will help improve telephone interview skills:

✓ Candidate should plan and prepare for the interview in a manner similar to that for a face-
to-face interview.
✓ The candidate should ensure that there are no distractions during the telephone interview.
✓ He must also keep a pen and paper to take notes.
✓ As in a face to face interview it is best to answer briefly in telephone interviews too.
✓ The interviewee should speak clearly and distinctly, keeping his voice level up to reveal
a high energy level.
✓ GROUP DISCUSSION
✓
✓ The ability to take effective part in group discussions is one of the most important skills that contribute to
professional success.
✓
✓
NATURE OF GROUP DISCUSSION

What is a GD?

We often find people discussing various social, economic and political issues. These discussions might be
both informal and formal. Informal private discussions can take place at a restaurant, recreation club,
college canteen, bus stop, coffee shop or even at home. On the other hand, formal discussions may take
place, at a conference hall, recruitment centre, meeting place or an office. Why do people discuss? The most
obvious answer is that we involve in discussion in order to develop better perspective on key issues by
bringing out various view points. When we exchange different views on an issue, we get a clear picture of
the problem and are able to understand it. This understanding makes better equipped to deal with the
problems. This is precisely the main purpose of a discussion.

GD is basically an interactive oral process. Here, the exchange of ideas, thoughts, and feelings takes place
through oral communication. Each member of the group listens to other members as well as gives his or her
views orally. One has to use clear language, persuasive style, and has to use voice and gesture effectively.
This means that participants need to be proficient in oral communication in order to take effective part in a
GD.

GD is a group process, that is, it involves both person-to-person as well as person-to-group interactions.
Every group member has to develop goal-oriented or group oriented interaction. GD is a purposeful and
goal oriented activity. The goals or objectives of discussion are generally decided before the discussion takes
place. It may help achieve group goals as well as individual needs. Group goals are common and shared by
each participant whereas individuals needs may be the personal goals of the members of the group.

Importance of Group Discussion Skills

The ability to take effective part in GD is one of the most important skills that contribute to professional
success. Whether one is a student, a job seeker, a professional engineer, or a company executive one needs
effective GD skills. A student may have to take part in academic discussions, students meetings, group
deliberation, interactive classroom sessions, or selection GDs for admission to professional courses. A job
seeker may be required to face selection GDs as part of the selection process. Professionals in different
fields also have to take part in professional meetings and discussions. All these situations require the ability
to make a significant contribution to group deliberation and help the group in the process of decision
making.

The importance of GD has increased in recent times because of its increasing role as an effective tool in (a)
problem solving, (b) decision making, and (c) personality assessment.

CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCCESSFUL GROUP DISCUSSIONS

Effective group discussions achieve group goals and aid in decision making. However, a large number of
group end without a group consensus. It is therefore, important to know the characteristics that make a
GD successful. Successful GDs some or all of the following features.

Agreement on Group Goals: An effective GD begins with a purpose, which is shared and understood by all
the group members. As the participants know why they are taking part in the discussion, they can
concentrate better and can be more active in realizing the group goals. They can smoothly work from a
general purpose to specific goals.

Goal Oriented Interaction: Successful discussions motivate group members to have goal oriented
interaction. Effective GD members are not only aware of the group goals but also work towards the
attainment of these goals.

Agreement on Procedures: Participants of a successful GD develop procedures to guide them. They decide
how they will organize the presentation of individual views, how an exchange of the views will take place,
and how they will reach a group consensus. In order to ensure attainment of group goals, they may develop
norms of interaction.

Cooperative and Friendly Atmosphere: An important characteristic of successful GDs is the development
of a cooperative, friendly, and cordial atmosphere where disagreements do exist but they do not lead to
serious conflicts. Members cooperate with each other as they understand and appreciate different points
of views and try to pool them together in order to develop group consensus. They may be direct but goal-
oriented confrontation as each member presents his/her points of view as well as reservations and
differences. However, these different positions, opinions, ideas, and approaches enrich the process of
discussion and broaden the horizon of the group.
Use of Effective Communication Techniques: The success of a GD depends on an effective use of
communication techniques. Effective GD members keep the channels of communication open and speak
clearly and precisely using simple words, short sentences, correct articulation, and appropriate
pronunciation. They are direct and specific and try to avoid and check barriers to group communication.
Moreover, they use non-verbal communication tactfully and interpret the body language of other
participants.

Shared Leadership: There is generally no elected or formal leader in a GD. The leadership functions are
shared and performed by the various members of the group. As there is a willingness on the part of each
participant to reach to a group consensus, they come forward to perform leadership tasks such as starting
the discussion, keeping the discussion going, encouraging non-participants to speak, making periodic
summaries, checking the group progress, and so on.

SELECTION GROUP DISCUSSIONS

GD has emerged as an effective and powerful technique for evaluating personality traits of candidates for
job selection or admission to professional courses. There are four major areas of evaluation in selection
DGs: Subject knowledge, Oral communication skills, Leadership skills and Team management.

Subject Knowledge: As all participants must possess a thorough understanding of the topic on which they
are supposed to speak, subject knowledge is the first requirement of effective participation in a group
discussion. Participants need to have a fair amount of knowledge on a wide range of subjects. They should
know all about national and international affairs, burning social and economic topics, scientific and
environmental issues, key newsmakers, controversial topics, and a lot more. The topics for GD tests may
include interesting and relevant ideas pertaining to society, culture, polity, and economy, scientific and
technical research. Subject knowledge also implies the ability to analyse facts or information in a systematic
way to correlate them with personal experiences and exposure. The best way to keep one abreast of latest
events and national as well as international developments is to read daily newspapers, good magazines,
periodicals, watch news bulletins and informative programmes on television.

Oral Communication Skills: The participants in a GD must possess not only subject knowledge but also the
ability to present that knowledge in an effective way. As the exchange of ideas in a GD takes place through
speech, one of the prerequisites of success in GD is the ability to speak confidently and convincingly. In fact,
a vital part of every successful GD is high quality oral communication. The effectiveness of oral
communication skills depends on the following factors: listening skills, appropriateness of language, clarity
of expression, positive speech attitudes, clear articulation and non-verbal clues.

Leadership Skills: A candidate’s success in a GD test will depend not only on his/her subject knowledge and
oral skills but also on his/her ability to provide leadership to the group. In every GD, there is an element of
leadership. We can define leadership in GD on a functional basis. Thus, anything that contributes to goal
achievement can be considered a leadership function. Leadership functions during a GD include the
following: initiative, analysis, assertiveness, self-confidence, objectivity, patience and composure,
persuasiveness, and motivation.

Team Management: Apart from subject knowledge, oral communication, and leadership skills, every
participant needs team management skills in order to be successful in a GD test. The leader in a GD should
be able to manage the group despite differences of opinion and steer the discussion to a logical conclusion
within the fixed time limit. GD participants need a number of team management skills in order to function
effectively in a team. Some of the skills needed to manage a group effectively include are adaptability,
positive attitude, cooperation, and coordination.

GROUP DISCUSSION STRATEGIES

As GD is a systematic and purposeful oral process characterized by the formal and structured exchange of
views on a particular topic, issue, problem, or situation, it should be well planned and well conducted. Seven
strategies have been described here for participating in GD.

Getting the GD Started: As mentioned before, there is generally no elected or formal leader in a GD. So,
there is no one to get the GD started. In a selection GD, the group, which may consist of six to ten persons,
is given a topic to discuss within 30 to 45 minutes. After announcing the topic, the total GD time, and
explaining the general guidelines and procedures governing the GD, the examiner withdraws to the
background leaving the group completely free to carry on with the discussion on its own without any outside
interference. In order to get the GD started, the assertive, natural leader will have to remind the group of
its goal and request them to start the discussion without wasting time. A few examples of the opening lines
are given below:

• Well friends, may I request your kind attention? I am sure all of us are keen to begin the GD and
complete it within the allotted time. Let me remind you that we have only thirty minutes to complete the
task. So, let us get started.
• My dear friends, may I have your attention please? As you all know, we have to complete the discussion
in 45 minutes and we have already used up five minutes. I thing we should start the discussion now.
• Hello everybody. I am sorry to interrupt but I have something very important to say. We are here to
discuss the topic- “…….some topic…….” and the time given is just 30 minutes. Let us begin , shall we?
• Hello friends! May I have your kind attention for a few seconds, please? I am sure you will agree that
we are here to exchange our views on “……..some topic……..” and we have to complete the discussion within
30 minutes. As we have already used up more than five minutes, we should begin the discussion now. Shall
we start?
Once the GD has been successfully initiated, the leader should propose the procedures to be followed during
the discussion. The procedures may include time management, order of speaking, length and nature of
individual contributions, and nature of group interactions. While trying to get the GD started, the leader
should attempt to create an atmosphere in which all members feel free to participate.

Contributing Systematically: The success of GD depends on systematic contributions by each member of

the group. In order to make systematic contributions to the group deliberations, all the group members
should understand the process of reflective thinking. They should be able to identify the stage of the
discussion and contribute accordingly. When a participant makes a contribution, he/she should ensure that
his/her contribution relates to what has previously been said by other members, focuses on the theme of
the discussion, etc.

Creating a Friendly and Cooperative Atmosphere: Creating an atmosphere which is conductive to positive
discussion is the responsibility of each member of the group. A friendly and cooperative atmosphere
encourages effective and positive deliberations that lead to successful conclusion. The following suggestions
may be helpful in this regard:

• All participants should help the group to make the discussion lively and pleasurable.
• Participants should develop a consensus regarding group standards early in the discussion.
• In order to maintain friendly attitudes, participants should demonstrate a sense of fair play by
treating others as they would like themselves to be treated.

• All participants must conduct themselves with decorum and dignity.

• Every participant should make sure that other members feel free to express their views, opinions,
comments, and feeling.
Moving the Discussion along: A GD without a leader may drift without a proper direction. A leader should
ensure that the GD moves along the right direction so that it is able to complete the task within the fixed
time limit. He/she should make sure that every member of the group gets some time to present his/her
views and no one member monopolizes the discussion. No one should be allowed to do all the talking
because the purpose of a GD is to exchange views, and not to hear just one person. It is also very important
to avoid any digression that may sidetrack the group. The following are some examples of how to do this:

• I do understand your point but I think we should stick to the main subject at hand.
• I see what you mean but it would be better if we limit our discussion to the given subject.
• That is all well said but I do not find a link between what you want to say and the subject in
hand. Could you please return to the main point?

• That is not the main point under discussion. Let us come to the main subject.
Handling Conflict: One important aspect of participating in any group discussion is dealing with conflict. As
a group always tends to be heterogeneous, conflict is natural in any group activity and may sometimes be
desirable for the success of a group process. Do not be a spectator when two or more people are in conflict.
The following suggestions will help leaders deal with conflict during a GD:

• Maintain a friendly attitude and try to create an atmosphere in which people respect conflicting
opinions as they feel free to express their opinions and expect others to talk freely.
• Strictly follow the discussion procedure that has been decided earlier in the discussion.
• Avoid conflicts between persons and not conflict between ideas.
• Provide positive guidance to the group by making occasional summaries.
• When two people are in conflict, they should both be encouraged to express themselves completely
and then their views can be summarized. This will satisfy the egos of both the group members.
Effective Closure: In the absence of a designated leader to close the discussion formally, the group is likely
to continue until the examiner announces that the time is over. Every member has to see that the GD ends
with positive conclusions within the given time limit. In order to complete the GD within the allotted time,
the leader has to remind the group of its goal and request them to reach to a group consensus. He/she must
emphasise the point of agreement in order to indicate a common viewpoint regarding the topic.

TECHNIQUES FOR INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTION

As indicated before, every GD should have two distinct sections, an individual section where each member
of the group presents his/her views and a group interaction section where members exchange their views
and try to reach to a group consensus. Sometimes the two sections are mixed up and the group is not able
to develop a procedure to conduct the discussion because no one emerges as the natural leader of the
group. All participants should ensure that the group follows certain norms regarding individual contribution
and group interaction.

Topic Analysis: Speaking in a GD involves no planning, preparation, or practice. Participants have to speak
on the spur of the moment. As they do not have any aids to help them know what to say, their presentation
depends on their reading, knowledge, experience, and background. Participants should think about the
topic with a cool and open mind in order to analyze what they know about the topic. All the aspects of the
topic should be examined and related to their personal experiences; this will give them fresh ideas.

The first speaker has the extra responsibility of introducing the topic to the group members. The rest,
however, should refer to the earlier speakers. It is generally a good idea to begin your presentation with an
expression of gratitude to the earlier speakers for their ideas. Participants should express their
agreement/disagreement with others politely.

Discussing Opinions: The topic of a group discussion could be a one-sentence opinion. These opinions may
relate to any of the following:

a) social issues (example: there should be no reservation in jobs)

b) economic conditions (example: sick public sector companies should be privatized)
 c) moral issues (examples: human cloning should be banned)
d) political concepts (example: parliamentary democracy has failed in India)
Discussing Problems: If the topic is a problem or an issue, GD participants must try to understand the nature
of the problem. There are three types of problems-problem of fact, problem of value and problem of policy.
In a problem of fact, one is concerned with the truth of a statement (example: Glorification of violence and
crimes in Indian films accounts for the high crime rate today). However, with a problem of value one is
concerned with certain questions related to value judgment or the desirability of some actions, concepts,
persons, processes, or things (example: Has the American war against Iraq helped Iraqis?). Finally, a problem
of policy is concerned with certain questions related to policy decisions (example: What should the
government do to control corruption at high place?). The participant may decide his/her approach as per
the nature of the problem.

Discussion Case Studies: Companies, big or small, face many challenges in order to survive in the
competitive business environment. Similarly, institutions and government organizations have to face
difficult situations due to the bitter reality of the ‘survival of the fittest’. Thus, the recruitment process in
many organizations may focus on evaluating the candidate’s analytical and problem,-solving skills and they
can ask students to discuss a case study. We may define a ‘case study’ as an actual problem situation in an
organization, demanding immediate attention and solution.

To discuss a case study, GD participants need to follow an entirely different strategy. They should begin
their presentation with a brief summary of the case and their interpretation of the situation, emphasizing
the need to solve the problem immediately. Next, they can suggest ways and means to solve the problem
situation. They may propose and examine several possible solutions or alternative courses of action and
then choose the most effective one, giving reasons for their choice.

GROUP INTERACTION STRATEGIES

GD is a forum that provides opportunities for interaction. This interaction is possible only if every member
of the group contributes and demonstrates his/her level of understanding on the given topic for discussion.
However, there are several unpredictable factors involved in a GD. In order to ensure an impressive
performance in a GD, you should know how to exchange opinions and suggestions in GD.

Exchanging Opinions: GD is a cooperative exercise where opinions and views of each member of the group
are important for developing consensus and reaching to a conclusion. So, you have to ask for opinions, give
opinions, support opinions, balance points of view, or express agreements and disagreements.

Asking for Opinions: You may ask one person to give his /her opinion on any point or your request might be
directed at a group of people in general. Study the following table…..

Directed at one person Directed at a group of people

What is your opinion about this? What is the general view on this?

What do you feel about it? What is the general feeling about this?

What do you think about it? Any reaction to that?

Have you any strong view on this? Does anyone have strong views on this?

Do you want to make any comments? Does anybody have anything to say?
Giving Opinions: During a GD you may have to give your opinions about the subject being discussed. You
also have to react to the views given by other members. You may express an opinion in a strong way, neutral
way, or in a tentative way.

Strong opinions Neutral opinions Tentative opinions

I have no doubt that…. I think that…. It appears to me that….

I’m pretty sure that…. I feel that…. It seems to me that….

I’m quite convinced that…. I believe that…. I’m inclined to see think….

I’m sure that…. From a social point of view…. As it appears to me….

There is no doubt that…. As I see it…. I must accept the view that….

I strongly believe that…. According to me….

Supporting Your Opinion: In order to make your views acceptable to the other group members, you need
to support them with facts, examples, illustrations, or arguments. Sometimes you may feel that giving one
reason or consequence for your point of view is sufficient to convince the listeners. This is illustrated by
the following examples:

➢ I have no doubt that capital punishment should be abolished because it promotes barbarism,
which is no longer valid to our modern ideas, times, and values.
➢ I’m convinced that our company must open new branches because our business has expanded.
➢ I’m pretty sure that reducing the prices will improve our sales.
Balancing Points of View: In order to be reasonable and rational, GD participants may have to balance
points of views by truing to look at both sides of a given opinion. They need to balance advantages and
disadvantages. The following are some examples.

➢ The fall in interest rates is good for industry as it makes borrowing cheaper. However, it might
adversely affect the balance of payments situation in India by affecting the exchange rates and
making essential imports like oil more expensive.
➢ Of course, reducing the prices of our car will help us clear the old stock and improve our sales,
but it will adversely affect the company profits and can damage the company’s image in the long
run.
➢ Although capital punishment serves as a deterrent by instilling fear of the law in the minds of the
criminals, it promotes barbarism, which is no longer acceptable to our modern ideas, times, and
values.
Agreeing and Disagreeing: Agreeing and disagreeing are the two aspects of interaction in a GD. When a
participant agrees or disagrees to someone or accepts or rejects the suggestions and proposal given by other
members, he/she should clearly express his/her agreement/disagreement. When you agree with someone
your expression of agreement should indicate to the listener the strength of your agreement, which might
be strong or neutral. Look at the following examples given in table:
 Strong disagreement Neutral disagreement

I strongly disagree. I disagree.

I disagree completely. I don’t agree.

This is totally unacceptable. No.

That is out of question. That is not true.

Strong agreement Neutral agreement

I strongly agree. I agree.

I quite agree. Yes.

I completely agree. Of course.

Of course, yes. Right.

Yes, certainly. That’s true.

Exactly. You are right.

I thing you are right.

Similarly, our expression of disagreement should indicate to the listener the strength of our disagreement.
Read the examples in table:

Exchanging Suggestions and Proposals: During a GD, participants need to get the suggestions of other
members of the group in order to conduct the discussion, and to explore possible solutions to actual
problem situations. There is a difference between an opinion and a suggestion. An opinion is what seems
to one to be probably true while a suggestion is a proposal to do something.

Requesting Suggestions: Your request for suggestions might be directed at one person or it may be an open
request for the group. Look at the following table:

Direct at one person Directed at a group of people

What do you suggest? Any suggestions?

What would you suggest? Any recommendations?

What should we do? Do any of you have any suggestions?

What do you recommend? I’d like to have some of your recommendations.

Making Suggestions: During a case study discussion, participants, particularly leaders, may have to make
suggestions or present various alternatives to solve the problem situation. Like opinions, suggestions may
also be strong, neutral, or tentative. Study the following examples in table:
 Strong suggestions Neutral suggestions Tentative suggestions

There’s bi way but to…. I suggest that…. One alternative could be…

There’s no alternative but to… I would suggest that…. One way would be to….

The only way is to …. We should…. Only solution could be….

The only solution is to…. My suggestion is that…. How about ___ ing…

Several phrases may also be used to put forward alternatives. The following are some examples.

✓ There are at least three different ways to deal with this situation. The first solution is to… Another
possibility could be… The third alternative can be....
✓ There appears to be at least two solutions to this problem. One solution could be to….Another
alternative is to….
Accepting and Rejecting Proposals: While discussing a problem or a case, proposals put forward by other
members of the group may need to be accepted or rejected. As the leader’s acceptance will show his/her
support to the concerned member, the expression he/she chooses should indicate the strength of his/her
support. Strong phrases may be used to indicate a strong acceptance while the use of weak phrases or
informal expressions might show neutral or weak support. Some examples are given in the table:

Strong support Weak support

I’m sure that is the best opinion. Good idea.

It is the best solution. It appears to be a good idea.

It is an excellent idea. It may be tried.

I strongly favour this. Sounds OK.

That is a great idea. Fine.

Similarly, the expression of rejection of a proposal put forward by other members must indicate the strength
of the rejection. Strong, standard or diplomatic rejections may be used according to the need of the
situation. The following table gives some examples:

Strong rejections Standard rejections Diplomatic rejections

It is not possible/feasible. I’m sorry, but that is not possible. I appreciate your point of view but…

It’s not possible to accept that. I’m sorry I can not accept that. That’s a good idea but I still feel that….

I can’t accept it. I’m afraid I am against that. You have a point but…

I’m strongly against that. I’m sorry, that is acceptable. That sounds interesting but….

I really find it unacceptable.

When a leader supports or rejects proposals or solutions given by other members, he/she has to give
reasons for doing so. Look at the following examples:
 ➢ I’m sure that is the best option. My first reason is that…. My second….
➢ It is the best solution. Firstly because… secondly…
➢ It is an excellent idea. First, due to… and secondly….
➢ I’m strongly in favour of this solution. One reason is… another is…
➢ I’m sorry, but this is not practical. Firstly because … secondly…

UNIT – V:
Grammar : Verbal ability tests.
Vocabulary: Mock interviews, Post interview Etiquette.

VERBAL ABILITY
1 Find out the erroneous part -
Honestly speaking/I Like her not because / she is beautiful and charming / but that she is
exceedingly kind.
(a) Honestly speaking
(b) I like her not because
(c) but that she is exceedingly kind
(d) she is beautiful and charming
Ans- Error over here is in option (c); this is wrong because when two reasons are being told or given
must have the same format before it, or even the entire format of the reason has to be the same.
Q.2 In the following question, one part of the sentence may have an error. Determine which
part of the phrase is incorrect.
I need to get to the house in Mainstreet Road by nine o’clock.
(a) I need to get to the house in
(b) Mainstreet Road by
(c) nine o’clock
(d) no error
Ans - The error is in part (a) the word (in) is completely wrong. Because we are talking about a
house which is situated near Mainstreet road. Instead of (in) the correct word should be (on) or (at).
Q.3 Choose the option closest in meaning. AUGUST
(a) Common (b) Ridiculous
(c) Dignified (d) Petty
Ans- AUGUST = having great importance and respect.
So, the most suitable word is the Dignified option (c).
Q.4 Choose the option closest in meaning.
DEROGATORY
(a) Complimentary (b) Disparaging
(c) Dignified (d) Flattering
Ans - DEROGATORY = showing strong disapproval and not showing respect.
Disparaging = Criticizing someone, in a way that shows you don't respect them.
So, the closest word is the Disparaging option(b).
Q5. In the following question, fill in the blanks with the most appropriate option.
The government has been promising the eradication of child labor in high-risk industries in India for
many years. However , almost 105 million children are still not able to go to school, and around 9.5
million children are working in (1)_________________ industries .India has the biggest child
population of 381 million in the world, the (2)___________number of children who are forced to
earn money.
Blank 1
(a) Honorary (b) hazardous (c) handicraft (d) hardware
Blank 2
(a) largest (b) lowest (c) latest (d) loudest
(a) Handicraft, Lowest (c) Hazardous, largest
(b) Hardware, Latest (d) Honorary, loudest
Ans- The answer for this question is (hazardous and largest) that is an option (c). Because as we can
see the industries are high risk, so it means that these industries are not ideal for children to work in,
so for blank 1 the most appropriate word is (b) hazardous. As we can see the sentences are not so
positive, it talks about the negative effect of child labour. So for blank 2, the most appropriate word
is (a) largest.
Q.6 Once upon a time there (1)_________(live) a man called Peter. A friend of his eventually
became the ruler of a small city. Peter thought, ‘ How lucky my friend is. He is now a ruler. He must
be having a great time. He must have fine clothes, lots of money, and a number of servants. I wish I
had his luck. He (2)________(decide) to visit his friend to enjoy his hospitality. When he
(3)________ (reach) the palace, the king himself received him with respect and affection. Peter then
told the king that he was overwhelmed to see him. The king smiled. He invited his friend to have
dinner with him.
(a)Liven, decide , reach (b) Live, will decide, arrive
(c) Lived , decided, reached (d) Living , deciding, arriving
Ans - Sentence starts with once upon a time which shows the past condition so it should be lived by
following past tense so for Blank 1 (Lived). Blank 2 (Decided ) should be there as per past tense.
Blank 3 (Reached) should be there as followed by past tense.
Q.7 Identify the word with a correct spelling
(a) Prudent (b) Prudant (c) Puredent (d) Predant
Ans- (a)Prudent: careful and avoiding risks.
“It's always prudent to read a legal paper carefully before signing it”.
Q.8 Identify the word with a correct spelling
(a) Metticulous (b) Meticuelous (c) Meticulous (d) Meticurelous
Ans- (c)Meticulous: giving or showing careful attention to every detail.
“This is a detailed and meticulous study, which was done by scientists.”
Q.9 Pick out the most effective word(s) from the given words to fill in the blank to make the
sentence meaningful.
Cinderella sings very well and ___________does Peter .
(a)even (b) too (c) Also (d) so
Ans- (d)so
Q.10 Pick out the most effective word(s) from the given words to fill in the blank to make the
sentence meaningful.
The waiter hasn’t brought the chocolate shake____________ _I’ve been here an hour already.
(a) up (b) yet (c) still (d) till
Ans- (b) yet
Q.11 In the questions below, each passage consists of six sentences. The first and sixth
sentences are given in the beginning. The middle four sentences are removed and jumbled up.
These are labeled as W, E, K, and T. Give the proper order for the four sentences.
S1: I saw two men at the bus station.
W: Both of them went to the tea shop together.
E: The first one was holding a walking stick.
K: The second one was holding a book.
T: After tea, one of them left the tea shop.
S6: The second one waited for his sister later.
(a) WTEK (b) EKWT (c) WTKE (d) EWKT
Ans - (b) EKWT . (S1) is followed by (E) as it says about the first man. (E) is followed by (K) as it
talks about the second man. (K) is followed by (W) as it talks about their going to a tea shop
together. (W) is followed by (K), and finally (T) as they state their next steps. Hence, the correct
order is (EKWT).
Q.12 In the questions below, each passage consists of six sentences. The first and sixth
sentences are given in the beginning. The middle four sentences are removed and jumbled up.
These are labeled as W, E, K, and T. Find out the proper order for the four sentences.
S1: Earthquake means the shaking of the Earth’s tectonic plates.
W: It is a sudden trembling of the tectonic plates. E: Furthermore, Earthquakes can aggravate life
threats and property damages.
K: Earthquakes certainly are terrible natural disasters.
T: Some Earthquakes are not strong in nature and probably go unnoticed.
S6: In contrast, some Earthquakes are major and life-threatening.
(a) KETW (b) KEWT (c) WKET (d) TEKW
Ans- (c) WKET
The passage discusses earthquakes, their meaning and effect on nature, life, property, and finally its
characterization.
Q.13 Complete the sentence by selecting the most appropriate word from the given options.
‘John made some __________remarks to the American President. He was soundly chastised by his
reporters.’
(a) reverent (b) Irreverent (c) flattering (d) complimentary
(e) praise
Ans- (b)'Irreverent' means lacking respect or seriousness. Here, we can choose the right word by
invoking the cause-effect logic.
Q.14 Complete the sentence by selecting the most appropriate word from the given options.
‘She’s got a sharp __________. She might just get into trouble if she isn’t careful.
(a) Tongue (b) intellect (c) Mouth (d) vision (e) Brain
Ans- (a)Tongue as the other four options do not complete the sense of the sentence. Q.15 There
may be inaccuracies in certain portions of the sentence. Find out which part of the sentence
has an error and select the appropriate option. If a sentence is free from error, select 'No
Error'.
‘My great grandmother used (A) / to go (B) / for a walk (C) / every evening. (D) / No error (E)’
(a) to go (b) for a walk (c) every evening (d) No error
Ans- Option (d) The sentence is absolutely correct and thus has no error in it.
Q.16 There may be inaccuracies in certain portions of the sentence. Find out which part of the
sentence has an error and select the most appropriate option. If a sentence is free from error,
select 'No Error'.
(A) One of the cabinet members/(B) expressed doubt if/(C) the Chief Minister was an atheist./(D)
No error.
(a) One of the cabinet members (b) expressed doubt if
(c) the Chief Minister was an atheist (d) No error
Ans- expressed doubt that whenever there is only one fact stated, the sentence uses 'that'. "if' is used
in more than one fact.
Mock Interviews

the suitability of a candidate for a particular position is evaluated during a job interview
through an oral question-answer session. Thus, the interview contains specific questions and appropriate
answers. The candidate should understand the nature of different types of interview questions, analyse
expected questions in order to devise answering strategies, and practise these answers. Some tips on job
interview questions and answers are discussed below.
You should be familiar with the nature and type of questions being asked during job interviews so that you
are ready to answer them confidently. Usually, there are seven different types of questions that are asked to
elicit certain responses from candidates. They include open, closed, probing, reflective, loaded, hypothetical,
and leading questions.

Following are some of the examples of open questions:

 ▪ Tell us something about yourself.
▪ Talk about your interests and activities.
▪ Describe the most diffi cult situation that you recently faced.
▪ What are the advantages of a mixed economy?
▪ What do you think about the impact of multinational companies on the Indian economy?

Frequently Asked Interview Questions (for mock Interview)

1. Tell us something about yourself.
2. What are your career objectives?/ What type of position are you looking for?/ What do you
want to do?/ What are your short-term and long-term career goals?
3. Tell us something about your interests and activities.
4. Why should we hire you?/ What makes you fi t for this position?
5. Why do you want to join our company?/ What makes you interested in our organisation?/
Why are you interested in our company?
6. What according to you would be an ideal company to join?
7. Tell us something about your work experience.
8. Tell us something about your academic achievements.
9. Where do you see yourself in five years?
10. Why are you interested in this job?/ What interests you most about this position?
11. Can you tell us about your responsibilities at your present job?/ What are you doing right
now?/ What are your duties at your present position?
12. What are your strengths?
13. Tell us about a problem you have faced and the strategy you used to handle it?
14. What is your greatest weakness?
15. How will you rate yourself on a scale from one to ten?
16. Are you a leader or a follower?
17. How long do you want to stay with us?/ How long do you plan to work for us?
18. Are you interested in a full-time or part-time position?
19. Will you accept a lower position for the time being?
20. When can you join us?/ When can you begin?/ How long will you take to join us?

Interview Etiquette
Guidelines – Before the Interview
– Self Assessment – Know yourself!
• Skills, talents, abilities, strengths, weaknesses, interests, education, values, goals
• Know your resume inside and out; have your stories ready
• Career goals – What do I want to do?
• Types of work you enjoy and types you do not enjoy
• Use the internet and research the organization’s webpage
• Work environment or conditions in which you are comfortable and those in which you are
not comfortable.
• Use research tools at the library – business directories, annual reports, databases of
newspaper and periodical articles
• Ask those in your network who may be familiar with the company
• Talk with current or former employees

– Familiarize yourself with common questions

– Be prepared to give examples of your personal characteristics, accomplishments, failures,
reactions under stress or difficult circumstances
– Practice with friends and family. Also practice in front of a mirror.
1. Research, research, research: -
– Employer Research
2. Practice makes perfect
3. Prepare employer questions
4. Choose professional attire

5. Call to confirm your appointment one (working) day in advance

6. Review directions & parking

7. Prepare copies of your resume and reference page (minimum of 3)

Guidelines – During the Interview

1. Beginning of Interview – Allow plenty of time to arrive five minutes early
– Make sure that all cell phones and pagers are turned off
– Bring something career-related to read while you wait

– Bring extra resumes and reference pages

– Bring pen, professional notepad or portfolio (with questions for employer)
– Always be courteous, polite, and professional to everyone
– Introduce yourself with a smile, eye contact, and a firm handshake
– Use your interviewer’s name
– Interviewer may begin with small talk; work to find something in common

– Maintain good posture and eye contact; avoid fidgeting

– Listen! (and give visual and verbal cues; use positive body language to show your interest)
– Project your voice and speak clearly
– Use correct grammar and diction (do not use slang)
– Use your action verbs
– Don’t “think,” “guess,” or “feel” about things (indecisiveness signals lack of confidence)
– Give clear, concise answers that offer specific examples (do not ramble and do not give one
word answers)
– Sell yourself; be confident and enthusiastic
– Do not dominate the interview; follow the interviewer’s lead
– Remain positive (negativity will leave a negative impression; do not whine, complain, gripe, or
bad mouth)
– Be honest (do not lie or exaggerate)
– It’s okay to pause and regroup if you are feeling flustered
– Ask (3 – 5) insightful questions at the appropriate time
– Phrase your questions so that you sound confident
– Find out what happens next and reaffirm your interest
– Thank the interviewer for her/his time
– Ask for the interviewer’s business card (if you do not have contact information for your thank
you letter)
– Type and print on quality resume paper
– Send by mail (and email if you have the address) immediately following the interview
– Address to the individual who interviewed you
– If you have multiple interviewers, you should a thank you letter to each of them
2. Middle of Interview
3. End of Interview
(“What would my duties be?” instead of “What are the job duties?”)
Guidelines – After the Interview
1. Write & carefully proofread a thank you letter
– Express appreciation for opportunity
– Reaffirm things you liked&/or ways you'll meet their needs
– Add important things that you forgot
– Thank them and decline if you don’t want the job
– If you want the job more than ever, show enthusiasm
2. Make follow-up call when appropriate
3. Record or log notes on interview including name of interviewer(s) and your analysis of the
experience (what went well, what you could improve upon)