HS4101 Communicative English Unit III - A ready reference

Unit IV
A ready reference
Part – A
Tenses
In a sentence, a verb and its form convey the time of the occurrence or the happening. If the
verb used conveys the present time, it is a Present tense. For Example: I sleep, she runs
It is very important to be sure of which tense your sentence is going to use. Further, we will
discuss the types of Present tense and their rules in detail.
Simple Present Tense
It is used to convey the repeated actions, Universal truths, occurrences on a daily basis and
more.
Positive Sentences
Rule- Subject+ Verb (First Form) + s/es + Object
Examples
I go to the school.
He goes to a temple.
They go to a temple.
We go to the Zoo every Sunday.
Present Continuous Tense
This Tense is used to describe the actions going on in present.
Assertive/ Positive Sentences
Rule- Subject + Is/am/are + Verb (First Form) + Object
Examples
I am going to play.
He is going to play.
We are going to play.
They are going to play.
Present Perfect Tense
It is used to convey the activity, which is just/recently, completed.
Positive Sentences
Rule - Subject+ has/have+ verb (third form) + Object
Examples
She has done the homework.
I have done the homework.
They have done the homework.
John has done the homework.
Present Perfect Continuous
This tense is used to express the action which started in the past and is still going on in the
present.
Positive Sentences
Rule- Subject+ has/have+ been+ verb (first form) + ing+ object
Examples-
I have been doing the dishes.
She has been doing the dishes.
They have been doing the dishes.
HS4101 Communicative English Unit III - A ready reference

PAST TENSES
Simple Past
A verb tense (the second principal part of a verb) indicating action that occurred in the past
and which does not extend into the present.
Ex: I played football
Usage
(I)To express actions that began and ended at a particular time in the past.
Ex: We went to Goa last year.
(ii) An action started and completed in the past.
Ex: She worked in GH for ten years.
(iii) An action that took place regularly in the past.
Ex: She went to temple every morning.
Past Continuous
The past continuous tense is used to say that somebody was in the middle of doing something
at a certain time. The action or situation had already started before this time but had not
finished: Ex: I was camping when I got stung by a bee.
Usage i) An interrupted action.
Ex: I was reading the novel when Ram came.
ii) A continuous action in the past
Ex: I was having many friends at college.
Past Perfect
An aspect of the verb that designates an action which has been completed before another past
action.
I wasn’t hungry. I had just eaten.
USAGE:
(i)An action that just occurred before another action in the past.
Ex: John had just left when I arrived at the party.
(ii) An action that was expected to occur in the past.
Ex: I had longed to get news from my boss before today.
(iii) To report of an action completed before a point of time in the past.
Ex: Tom was 14 years. He had set a world record by then.
Past Perfect Continuous Tense
Used to denote an action that began before a certain point in the past and continued
up to sometime in past.
e. g., I had been learning English in this school for 20 days.
1. Assertive Sentences –
Subject + had been +V1 + ing + Object + (.)
She had been writing a letter.
2. Negative Sentences Subject + had + not been + V1+ ing + Object + (.)
She had not been writing a letter.
3. Interrogative Sentences Had + Subject+ been+ V1 + ing + Object + (?)
Had she been writing a letter?
FUTURE TENSE
SIMPLE FUTURE:
To talk about an action or event that happens in future.
Rule: Subject + will + first form of verb(V1)
Examples: They will come here next week.
To indicate an offer or promise
Example: I will do all this for you.
We often use simple future tense to make a prediction about the future.
HS4101 Communicative English Unit III - A ready reference

Example: It will rain tomorrow.

She will perform his duty.
Future Continuous Tense:
Future continuous tense is used for an action at a particular moment in future. The action will
start before that moment but it will not have completed at that moment.

Rule: Subject + will be/shall be + verb(+ing)

Examples:
We shall be playing hockey when you come tomorrow.
She will be writing a letter.
I will be playing tennis at 8 pm tomorrow.
Future Perfect tense:
To express an action which will happen or occur in future and will be completed in a certain
time in future. We use the future perfect to say that some actions will be completed in a
particular time in the future.
Rule: Subject + will + have + past participle(V3)
Examples:
By the time you arrive, we will have finished the meal and the speeches.
They will have shifted the house by Sunday morning.
I will have completed my assignment.
Future Perfect continuous tense: An action that will be continued until a specific event or
time in the future.
Rule: Subject + will have been + verb + ing
Examples: In July next year, you will have been studying for three years.
He will have been watching the football match for over fifty minutes.

Fill in the correct form of the verb

1. Every year his family ____________ to Europe for two weeks. (go)
2. Tammy and Jen ______________ a Pilates class on Wednesday mornings. (take)
3. __________ that airline __________ to Paris? (fly)
4. The semester _____________ until the end of June. (not finish)
5. Tony usually _________ to call his mother in the mornings. (try)
6. _______________ for your car expenses? (Who/pay)
7. The shops ___________ until 21:00. (not close)
8. Gerard _________ the ball and __________ it into the net. (receive/kick)
9. _________times a day _____ you _____ your dogs for a walk? (take)
10. ________ he always ________ his cell phone for long distance calls? (use)
Answers:
1. goes 6. Who pays
2. take 7. don’t close
3. Does/fly 8. receives/kicks
4. doesn’t finish 9. How many/do/take
5. tries 10. Does/use

Conditionals
Conditional sentences are also known as Conditional Clauses or If Clauses. They are used to
express that the action in the main clause (without if) can only take place if a certain
condition (in the clause with if) is fulfilled. There are three types of Conditional Sentences.
HS4101 Communicative English Unit III - A ready reference

Conditional Sentence Type 1

Form
if + Simple Present/ V1(s), ….. will V1 …..
Example: If I find her address, I will send her an invitation.
Example: If I do not see him this afternoon, I will phone him in the evening.
The main clause can also be at the beginning of the sentence. In this case, do not use a
comma.
Example: I will send her an invitation if I find her address.
Use
Conditional Sentences Type I refer to the future. An action in the future will only happen if a
certain condition is fulfilled by that time. We do not know for sure whether the condition
actually will be fulfilled or not, but the conditions seem rather realistic – so we think it is
likely to happen.
Example: If I find her address, I’ll send her an invitation.
I want to send an invitation to a friend. I just have to find her address. I am quite sure,
however, that I will find it.
Example: If John has the money, he will buy a Ferrari.
I know John very well and I know that he earns a lot of money and that he loves Ferraris. So
I think it is very likely that sooner or later he will have the money to buy a Ferrari.
Conditional Sentence Type 2
→ It is possible but very unlikely, that the condition will be fulfilled.
Form
if + Simple Past/ V2, main clause with would V1
Example: If I found her address, I would send her an invitation.
Example: If I had a lot of money, I would not stay here.
The main clause can also be at the beginning of the sentence. In this case, do not use a
comma.
Example: I would send her an invitation if I found her address.
Were instead of Was
In IF Clauses Type II, we usually use‚ ‘were’ – even if the pronoun is I, he, she or it –.
Example: If I were you, I would not do this.
Use
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Conditional Sentences Type II refer to situations in the present. An action could happen if
the present situation were different. I do not really expect the situation to change, however. I
just imagine ”what would happen if …”
Example: If I found her address, I would send her an invitation.
I would like to send an invitation to a friend. I have looked everywhere for her address, but I
cannot find it. So now I think it is rather unlikely that I will eventually find her address.
Example: If John had the money, he would buy a Ferrari.
I know John very well and I know that he does not have much money, but he loves Ferraris.
He would like to own a Ferrari (in his dreams). But I think it is very unlikely that he will
have the money to buy one in the near future.
Conditional Sentence Type 3
→ It is impossible that the condition will be fulfilled because it refers to the past.
Form
if + Past Perfect/ had V3, main clause with would have V3
Example: If I had found her address, I would have sent her an invitation.
The main clause can also be at the beginning of the sentence. In this case, do not use a
comma.
Example: I would have sent her an invitation if I had found her address.
Example: If I had not studied, I would not have passed my exams.
Use
Conditional Sentences Type III refer to situations in the past. An action could have happened
in the past if a certain condition had been fulfilled. Things were different then, however. We
just imagine, what would have happened if the situation had been fulfilled.
Example: If I had found her address, I would have sent her an invitation.
Sometime in the past, I wanted to send an invitation to a friend. I did not find her address,
however. So, in the end, I did not send her an invitation.
Example: If John had had the money, he would have bought a Ferrari.
I knew John very well and I know that he never had much money, but he loved Ferraris. He
would have loved to own a Ferrari, but he never had the money to buy one.
Synonyms & antonyms
The Synonyms and antonyms are an important concept to learn while you are working on
your vocabulary. Synonyms are often used to flavour the text and make it diverse and
colourful.
HS4101 Communicative English Unit III - A ready reference

Synonyms are words with the same or similar meanings. Example: Breeze and Wind.
Synonyms can literally mean different but they can be used in place of each other to maintain
the meaning of the sentence.
Antonyms are words with opposite meanings.
Word Meaning Synonym Antonym Sentence
Abrogate revoke Formally Abolish, renage approve, permit The judge would not
abrogate the law
Acerbic (especially of a sharp, sarcastic, mild, kind, sweet “his acerbic wit”
comment or style of sardonic
speaking) sharp and
forthright.
Augur Predictor harbinger, herald recite, recount, Ancient Roman augurs
who predicted the
future by reading the
flight of birds
Avowedly allegedly accepted, professedly, party’s avowed aim
admitted, purportedly, was to struggle against
professed supposedly capitalist exploitation.
Boisterous Noisy and lacking in vociferate, subdued, solemn, He has a dozen
restraint or discipline clamorous, moderate brothers, each of which
uproarious are as boisterous and
rather dim-witted as the
next
Bigotry Intolerance bias, injustice, fairness, impartiality There’s a thousand
unfairness years of prejudice and
bigotry concentrated in
you.
Bequest Something given in Endowment, Divest, disown, The fullness of delight
will devisal dispossess in a garden is the
bequest of a childhood
spent in a garden.
Cohort partner in activity companion, enemy, foe, The cohort on duty was
comrade, disciple opponent drawn up under arms at
the palace gates
Covenant A formal agreement promise, disagreement, The contract contained
between two or more convention, misunderstanding, a restrictive covenant
parties to perform or bargain denial against building on the
not perform some land.
action
Detrimental Tending to cause harm Harmful , Hurtful Harmless, Beneficial Recent policies have
been detrimental to the
interests of many old
people
Deceit practice of misleading Fraud, duplicity fairness, honesty Love and deceit,
troubles and rewards
are as ageless as the
heavens.
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Elfish Usually good- elfin, naughty behave, good They perpetrated a

naturedly mischievous practical joke with
elfish delight.
Emblematic Serving as a visible typical, literal ,Real The free discussion that
symbol for something emblematical, ,straightforward is emblematic of
abstract figurative democracy
Engulf Absorb Bury, Consume Dry, Uncover The bright light
engulfed him
completely
Fabrication A deliberately false or hogwash, forgery, truth, entertainment, The synthesis and
improbable account; fable reality fabrication of single
The act of making crystals
something (a product)
from raw materials
Farcical absurd comical, funny, grave, reasonable, Amber has been known
laughable sad to behave in a farcical
manner when she is
under the influence of
marijuana
Grandeur The quality of being brilliance, dullness, simplicity, An imaginative mix of
magnificent, splendid expansiveness, insignificance old-fashioned grandeur
or grand magnificence and colourful art
Gloom depression despair, misery, confidence, joy, She could not see a
sadness delight thing; but she waited in
the gloom for the
steward to come and
light the lamps.
Hurled throw forcefully fire, toss, launch hold, keep, receive My friend now began
to hurl stones at it, but
it easily dodged them.
Inebriated make (someone) bombed, sober, straight He arrived late in the
drunk; intoxicate. plastered, boozy banqueting hall, and
there were indications
that he was inebriated.
Incessant Never ending ceaseless, nonstop bounded, finished Night and day we live
with the incessant noise
of the city.
Inception An event that is a outset, conclusion, The strife was thus in
beginning; a first part provenance, kick- outgrowth, ending its inception political;
or stage of subsequent off but it soon became
events religious as well.
Jargon Technical terminology Slang, vocab, standard A technical paper is
ardot filled with jargons
Jumble Mix something up to Mix up, confuse, Arange, order The receptionist
cause confusion fuddle jumbled their names
and assigned them
wrong rooms
Meticulous very careful and Careful, Accurate Careless, Lazy Many hours of
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precise meticulous preparation

have gone into writing
the book
Occult Secret Concealed, Bare, clear Vortices may be called
Hidden an occult quality,
because their existence
was never proved.
Paradox Contradiction Absurdity, enigma Normality, I always lie’ is a
regularity paradox because if it is
true it must be false”
Peril Risk,Danger Hazard, Certainly, Safety, Just be a little careful,
Insecurity, Protection and you are perfectly
Jeopardy out of peril
Pristine clean, pure immaculate, affected, dirty The car seemed to be in
untouched, intact pristine condition.
Proliferate Grow rapidly breed, engender, decrease, destroy, Pizza parlours
mushroom lessen proliferate in this area
Resonate Be received or echo, vibrate quieten In the higher frequency
understood range both locked and
free long waves could
be resonated.
Rugged Sturdy and strong in irregular, lumpy even, smooth with a house full of
constitution or boys you have to have
construction; enduring rugged furniture”
Spurious Plausible but false; counterfeit, genuine, authentic, After receiving a low
Intended to deceive specious, real appraisal on my
apocryphal diamond ring, I
realized the suspicious-
looking jeweler had
sold me a spurious
jewel
Tandem Alongside each other together, in flow alone A tight fiscal policy
working in tandem with
a tight foreign
exchange policy
Timid Showing fear and lack ambivalent, conceited, Problems call for bold
of confidence bashful, egotistical, extrovert not timid responses
vacillating
Tumult Uproar agitation, Agreement, Calm Then his words were
commotion lost in tumult, for the
third day’s fighting
began.
Valiant Having or showing gallant, gritty, afraid, cowardly, In course of time the
valour stalwart timid valiant Swedes were
obliged to give way
before their enemy.
Vendetta A feud in which bickering, grudge, agreement, He saw himself as the
members of the hostility forgiveness, peace victim of a personal
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opposing parties vendetta being waged

murder each other by his political
enemies.
Weary Tired Exhausted, refresh, energetic Children weary me
fatigued with their constant
questions and demands.
Wobbling shaking quaking, steady The motion of
staggering, something that
swaying wobbles.
Zenith the time at which highest point, high nadir, bottom “His career reached its
something is most point, crowning zenith in the 1960s.”
powerful or successful. point, height
Single word substitutes
The use of a single word in place of a whole sentence makes the sentence structure simpler
and it is known as one-word substitution. With the phrase replaced, the meaning remains the
same while the statement becomes shorter. One Word Substitution is a key component of
vocabulary. It requires the replacement of a sentence with an appropriate single word that
captures its full meaning.
One Word Substitution
One word for many terms, study, group, sound, etc., is given below.
 A temporary police force – Posse
 A large group of people – Horde
 The study of plants – Botany
 Several fish swimming together – Shoal
 The one who loves mankind – Philanthropist
 The one who looks at the brighter side of everything – An optimist
 The one who looks at the negative/dark side of everything – Pessimist
 The one who does not believe in God is – Atheist
 The one who eats human flesh – Cannibal
 Someone who regards the world as their country – Cosmopolitan
 Space where animal hides are tanned – Tannery
 Changing the direction of one’s path suddenly -Veer
 A government that has a monarch as the head – A monarchy
 Events manifested by festivities – Fiesta
 Extreme physical or mental sufferings – Agony
 The one who loves good food and knows a lot about it – Gourmet
 Someone who lives in solitude – Recluse
 Someone who speaks more than one language – Polyglot
 A person who boasts of one’s achievements – An egotist
 The sound of Camels – Grunt
 People who can vote in an election – Electorate
 Using a word or name that is inappropriate – Misnomer
 A person who loves himself the most – Narcissist
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 A person who draws maps – Cartographer

 Absolute freedom to act as one wishes – Carte blanche
 A person who abandons his religion – Apostate
 A soldier who fights for the sake of money – Mercenary
 A person was appointed to settle a dispute between two parties – An arbitrator
 An accolade or honour bestowed in recognition of achievement – Laurel
 The one who knows everything – Omniscient
 Charging a politician with a serious crime – Impeach
 The one who is all-powerful – Omnipotent
 Believer of fate – Fatalist
 The one who is present in everything – Omnipresent
 Someone who is eighty years old – Octogenarian
 The one who settles in another country – Immigrant
 Someone who cares about mankind. Humanitarian
 A group of sheep – Flock
 Many people travel together in a big van or jeep – A caravan
 Appreciation of beauty, by a set of principles – Aesthetics
 A family of young animals – Brood
 Study of stars – Astronomy
 A series of stars – Constellation
 Spartan snowstorms with uncontrollable winds – Blizzard
 Indefinite period – Aeon
 Study of statistics – Demography
 The ancient search for a panacea, and of the philosopher’s stone – Alchemy
 Dwarfed varieties of trees and shrubs in pots – Bonsai
 An eccentric manner of living – Bohemian
 The remote regions of a country that are far away from the rivers – Hinterland
 Huge fire for celebration – Bonfire
 Complex situation or a mix-up – Imbroglio
 Not showing enough care and attention – Remiss
 A shelter for a Dog – Kennel
 The study of ancient writing and scriptures – Paleography
 Make someone feel young – Rejuvenate
 Ordinary and Dull – Mundane
 Where wild animals live – Lair
 The study of the evolution of mankind – Anthropology
 The practice of writing dictionaries – Lexicography
 The study of the human mind – Psychology
 Published after someone’s death – Posthumous
 A place where coins are made – Mint
 The symbols of royalty – Regalia
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 A person promises to tell the truth in court – Oath

 Beginning to exist and evolve – Nascent
 The study of rocks and soil – Geology
 The profession of teaching or the approach or style of teaching – Pedagogy
Collocations
A collocation is two or more words that often go together. These combinations just sound
“right” to native English speakers, who use them all the time. On the other hand, other
combinations may be unnatural and just sound “wrong”.
Why learn collocations?
Your language will be more natural and more easily understood.
You will have alternative and richer ways of expressing yourself.
It is easier for our brains to remember and use language in chunks or blocks rather than as
single words.
Types of collocation
There are several different types of collocation made from combinations of verb, noun,
adjective etc. Some of the most common types are:
 adverb + adjective: completely satisfied (NOT downright satisfied)
 adjective + noun: excruciating pain (NOT excruciating joy)
 noun + noun: a surge of anger (NOT a rush of anger)
 noun + verb: lions roar (NOT lions shout)
 verb + noun: commit suicide (NOT undertake suicide)
 verb + expression with preposition: burst into tears (NOT blow up in tears)
 verb + adverb: wave frantically (NOT wave feverishly)
Part – B
Informal letter

Many of us think that in the world of internet and smart phones, letter writing is an
obsolete and can be replaced by email or SMS. We are so wrong. A personal letter becomes
a treasure for a life time and there is more to it than just the words it contains. Letters can
communicate intense emotions more effectively than any medium. Very often, letters
written by famous personalities become important historical documents because they bear
testimony not only to the important events they were witnesses to, but indicators of what
they felt. If you get the opportunity, read them. This unit aims to hone your skills in writing
personal letters. These letters are also called friendly or informal letters.
Steps to write effective letters

Pre-writing – Make a mental note of the things you plan to discuss in your letter before you
start writing.

While-writing – Imagine the person is sitting next to you and you are actually in a

conversation. You can use a few details and anecdotes to make the letter interesting.
Post-writing – Read your letter again to check if you have forgotten anything you intended to
say. Read from the receiver’s point of view. Check for errors in spelling or punctuation.

SAMPLE EXERCISE
HS4101 Communicative English Unit III - A ready reference

Sharing opinions on movies is a favourite topic of interest. The following sample shows
how to discuss a movie you have recently watched.

4/9 Ghanshyam
Marg Bose Road,
21.4.2023
Dear friend
Hope this letter finds you in good health. I am fine and wish the same for you. It’s been
long since you wrote to me. How are your parents and your sister?
I recently watched a Tamil movie on the great mathematical genius Srinivas Ramanujan. I
couldn’t wait to share my thoughts about this movie with you. I still remember how we
used to plan to go to movies every weekend during our hostel years. This movie is a
biopic on Ramanujan. The movie is definitely for an international audience but the first
production has been made in Tamil as Ramanujam was born and lived in Tamil Nadu.
The movie has a host of Tamil actors and actresses. Some of the actors and actresses were
debutants but the director has done a great job in getting credible performances out of
them. His efforts in researching and portraying the great mathematical genius deserve
appreciation.
The movie begins at the birthplace of the hero. We see how his parents lived in an
orthodox Tamil Brahmin family and gave Rama the traditional education in the Vedas and
sent his to a private tutor to learn maths to take care of the accounts of the family. His
obsession with numbers, his dreams and discussion are all shown beautifully. Recognition
comes much later and the rest is history. The director has stuck of facts and made a faithful
representation of them in the movie. The music is very mellow, which was a bit of a let-
down. The background score is also very unexciting. But these are my views. The movie
will definitely win an international award.I believe this movie is soon to be remade in
several Indian languages, including Bengali. In such a case, I hope we watch it together so
that we can have a discussion on it like the good old days.
Did you watch anything recently? Do share your views. Convey my respects to your parents
and regards to your sister.
Your loving friend,
Xyz

Informal email
The primary means of communication in this fast-moving world is e-mail. The effective and
appropriate e-mail etiquette is important in the work and business environment. Here are
some of the points that will help you become an effective writer and reader/ manager of e-
mail.
Greetings to be used formally
Dear [ name],
Hi [ name],
Hello [name],
To whom it may concern,
Sir,
Sample opening sentences
Following our phone dialogue, I am sending you…
Further to our last conversation, I would like to bring to your attention the following issues:
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In reply to your mail for the post of marketing director, please find below a concise outline of
my skills.
Sample closing sentences
While writing formal mails, it is important to close the e-mail with appropriate sentences.
Some examples are:
I look ahead to your reply
Thank you for the valuable time taken to assess my candidature for the position.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch with me for any questions or concerns you may have.
Please forward me the accurate information.
Thank you,
Best regards,
Thanks,
The Top Ten Do’s
To sum up the important points to remember while composing a mail are as follows:
Write a meaningful subject line: do not repeat the first line of your e-mail in your subject line.
Keep the message focused and understandable.
Stay away from large attachments.
Be well-mannered and kind.
Make yourself clear.
Proofread: check for grammar, punctuation and spelling before sending a mail.
Be professional at work and informal with friends, do not use personal e-mail accounts for
company business.
Reply quickly.
Show respect and self-control.
Use plain formatting without stationary backgrounds, images, wallpapers or fancy stylized
fonts.