British English American English
Torch Flashlight
Plaster Band-Aid
Autumn Fall
Bank Holiday National Holiday
Lift Elevator
Queue
There's a queue. Stand in a Line
There's a line.
Quid (slang for pound) Bucks
Surgery Doctor's office
Trodden on Stepped on
I'm knackered I'm Beat
Kip / sleep sleep
Nick steal
Wireless / Radio Radio
Come round Come over
Off you go Go ahead
It's gone off It's spoiled
Sport
British English American English
Football Soccer
Rounders Baseball
Bat (table tennis) Paddle (ping pong)
People
British English American English
Girl / Lass Girl
Boy / Lad Boy
Man / Bloke / Gentleman / Guy /
Chap Man / Guy
Lady / Woman Lady
Policeman / Bobby / Copper Policeman / Cop
Postman Mailman
Dustman Garbage Man
Friend / Pal / Chum / Mate /
Buddy
Friend / Buddy
Cashier Teller
Lollypop Man Crossing Guard
Nutter Crazy Person
Mum / Mummy / Mom Mom
In and around the House
I watch the telly whilst lying on the settee.
Whilst is used in British English. It is another word for while
British English American English
The Toilet / Loo /
Bog / WC Bathroom / Restroom
Bathroom - the room where the bath is. If you asked us for the bathroom we will think you want to have a bath!
Tap Faucet
Garden Backyard / Yard
Wardrobe Closet
Bin / Dust Bin Trash Can
Telephone / Blower / Phone Telephone
Television / Box / Telly/ TV TV / Television
Cooker Range or Stove
Couch / Sofa / Settee Sofa
Hand Basin / Sink Sink
Run the bath Fill the tub
Parts of a Car
British English American English
Bonnet Hood
Windscreen Windshield
Boot Trunk
Reversing lights Back-up lights
Exhaust pipe Tail pipe / Muffler
Food
That food looks very scrummy (delicious)
British English American English
Biscuit / Bickie
(A cookie is a large biscuit) Cookie
Scone Biscuit
Fairy Cake Cup Cake
Courgette Zucchini
Sweets Candy
Sausage / Banger Sausage
Crisps Chips
Chips
(French Fries in McDonald's) French Fries
Starter Appetizer
Puddings / Afters / Dessert /
Sweets Dessert
Jam Jelly or Jam
Jelly (a dessert in the UK) Jell-o (flavoured gelatin)
Aubergine Eggplant
Bill (at restaurant) check
Grill Broil
Egg bread (fried) French Toast
Runner beans Green beans
Take-away Take out
Scotch Pancakes Flapjacks
Flapjacks in England are oats mixed with honey and/or golden syrup and baked and then cut into slices. Sometimes raisins are added to the mixture.
Buildings / Shops
British English American English
Semi-Detached House Duplex
Flat (one storey) apartment Apartment
Terrace (row of houses joined) Town House
Chemist Drug Store / Druggist
Cafe / Caff (not 24 hrs) Diner
Bungalow House (one storey)
Ranch House
On the Road
In the UK, we drive slowly over sleeping policemen.
Are we afraid of waking them up?
British English American English
Sleeping Policeman /speed bump Speed bump
Car park Parking Lot
Car Journey / drive Road Trip
Zebra Crossing / Pedestrian Crossing Cross Walk
Lollipop Man or Lady Crossing Guard
Motorway Freeway
Traffic Jam / Tailback Traffic Jam
Lorry Truck
Articulated Lorry Tractor Trailer /
Trailer Truck
Petrol Gas / Gasoline
Pavement Sidewalk
Petrol Station Gas Station
Diversion Detour
Fire Engine Fire Truck
Phone Box Telephone Booth
At School
"Stop mucking around and get on with your work,"
shouted the teacher to two students who were off task.
British English American English
Friend / Mate Friend
Glue Gum
Rubber Eraser
Maths Math
Public School Private School
State School Public School
Holiday Vacation
Plimsolls Gym Shoes
"Mucking Around" / Off Task Off Task / Fooling Around /
"Goofing Off"
Break Time Recess
Drawing pins Push pins or thumb tacks
Clothes
British English American English
Trousers Pants
Jumper / Pullover / Sweater /
Jersey Sweater
Pinafore Dress Jumper
Vest Undershirt
Waistcoat Vest
Wellington Boots / Wellies Galoshes
Mac (slang for Macintosh) Rain Coat
Plimsolls Gym Shoes
Trainers Sneakers
Braces Suspenders
Suspenders Holds up stockings
Dressing Gown Robe
Nappy Diaper
Pinny / Apron Apron
Polo Neck Turtle Neck
Dressing Gown Bath Robe
Swimming costume / Cozzy Bathing Suit
One Meaning - Two Words
Definition UK Word USA Word
11th June 1998 11/06/98 06/11/98
the dot at the end of a sentence full stop period
unit of paper currency note bill
the season after summer autumn fall
day when offices are closed bank holiday legal holiday
mark made when something is correct or selected tick check
the name of the final letter of the alphabet zed zee
angry pissed off pissed
Definition UK Word USA Word
third piece of a man's suit that goes between
the jacket and the shirt waist coat Vest
a type of soft shoe used in sports or for casual wear trainers,
plimsolls Sneakers
strap to hold up a man's trousers / pants braces Suspenders
item to hold up stockings suspenders Garters
item of clothing worn in house at night dressing gown Bathrobe
a thin cloth from Arabia muslin Cheesecloth
the area next to a street where pedestrians walk pavement Sidewalk
place to cross a street on foot pedestrian crossing crosswalk
place from where goods are bought shop store
place from where medicines are bought chemist drug store
payment in a restaurant bill check
place where alcoholic drinks are bought off license liquor store
shop / store selling metal goods and tools ironmonger hardware store
the business part of a city town centre downtown
law enforcement officer copper cop
what there was before email post mail
code used when sorting mail / post postcode zip code
telephone call where the person called pays reverse charge collect call
free telephone call paid by company free phone toll free
company on the WWW .co.uk .com
four wheeled private vehicle car automobile
front of a car / automobile bonnet hood
rear compartment of a car / automobile boot trunk
metal plate with number on a vehicle number plate license plate
long piece of metal used for radio reception aerial antenna
metal tool for tightening nuts and bolts spanner wrench
glass in front of a car windscreen windshield
metal over the wheel to keep mud off mud guard
(wing) fender
multi-lane road for cars motorway freeway
road passing over another flyover overpass
heavy goods vehicle lorry truck
fuel for vehicles petrol gasoline
place to buy fuel petrol station gas station
area to stop off a major road lay-by pull-off
metal container in street for unwanted items skip dumpster
ticket for one journey single one way
ticket for two journeys: out and back return round trip
type of transport run on metal rails railway railroad
a beam supporting railway / railroad tracks sleeper tie
what you eat with milk, tea or coffee biscuit cookie
crunchy thin-sliced fried potatoes crisps chips
fried stick-shaped potatoes chips french fries
a large vessel for juice or water jug pitcher
sweet things given to children to rot their teeth sweets candy
rolled up cake with jam / jelly in the middle Swiss roll jelly roll
a sugary, liquid like honey treacle molasses
flavoured ice on a stick lolly popsicle
soft long green vegetable marrow squash
meat passed through a device that breaks it up into little pieces mince ground meat
cereal made from oats, sugar and milk porridge oatmeal
Swiss cereal made from oats muesli granola
fluffy sweet item for children candy floss cotton candy
arthropod with six legs insect bug
red insect / bug with black spots ladybird ladybug
dwelling in a large building flat apartment
device for obtaining water tap faucet
container for household waste rubbish bin trash can
portable battery-operated light source torch flashlight
the floor of a building that is level with the ground ground floor first floor
the floor of a building that is one level above the ground first floor second floor
device for carrying people between floors of a building lift elevator
place where films / movies can be watched cinema movie theater
a self contained section of television programme show
game played on chess board draughts checkers
contest between two teams match game
bar on a pivot for children see-saw teeter-totter
simple game of O and X noughts and
crosses tic tac toe
a collection of playing cards pack deck
a portable telephone mobile cellular, cell
a group of people waiting for their turn queue line
the dates of the Second World War 1939 - 1945 1941 - 1945
________________________________________
________________________________________
One Word - Two Meanings
Word UK Usage USA Usage
Asian person of Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi origin person of Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, Philippino origin
bathroom a room containing a bath or shower a room containing a toilet
bill amount to pay for a service a piece of paper currency
chips What Americans call "French fries" What the British call "crisps"
football soccer gridiron
hamper picnic basket full of food basket for dirty clothes
homely pleasant ugly
Indian person from the Indian sub-continent indigenous American
jelly gelatinous dessert fruit preserve
mad not sane angry
mean stingy aggressive
momentarily for a short while soon
pissed drunk angry
presently soon now
public school fee-paying school state school
semi semi-detached house tractor-trailer
smart well dressed clever
spunk slang for male sexual emission full of "get up and go"
suspenders hold up stockings hold up trousers / pants
tea drink served hot with milk drink served cold with lemon
vest a garment worn under a shirt the third part of a three piece
suit worn between the shirt and jacket
wash up wash dishes after a meal wash face and hands
VOCABULARY
British American
cable car gondola
café, caff café, diner, sidewalk café
Calgary Calgary
call box, phone box phone booth
camp bed cot
campsite campground
can, tin can
Canada Canada, Great White North
Canadian Canadian, Canuck
candy floss cotton candy
canteen, refectory, cafeteria cafeteria
capital punishment death penalty, capital punishment
capsicum, pepper bell pepper, sweet pepper
car car, auto, automobile
caravan, mobile home trailer, mobile home, motor home, fifth wheel, Winnebago
car boot sale, jumble sale rummage sale, garage sale, yard sale, flea market, swap meet
caretaker janitor, custodian
car mechanic car mechanic, auto mechanic
carnival parade
car park parking lot
carpenter, joiner carpenter
car pool car pool, HOV (high occupancy vehicle)
cash dispenser, cash point, hole-in-the-wall ATM, bank machine, instant teller, cash machine
cash point, hole-in-the-wall, cash dispenser ATM, bank machine, cash machine, instant teller
caster sugar, castor sugar superfine sugar
casualty (hospital), accident & emergency emergency, ER
catapult slingshot
cater for cater to
cat’s eyes (embedded in road) road reflectors
cattery (cat) kennel
caving, potholing spelunking
centenary centennial
central reservation (road) median
CEO, managing director CEO
change down (gears) shift down
chap, lad, bloke, guy guy
charge (officially, with a crime) charge, indict
charity shop, Oxfam, second-hand shop, Sally Anne thrift store, second-hand store, Value Village
chat show talk show
chav (England), ned (Scotland), scanger (Ireland) trailer trash
chemist druggist, pharmacist
chequerboard, chessboard checkerboard
chest of drawers bureau, dresser, chest of drawers
chewing gum, gum, chuddy gum, chewing gum
chick, bird, bit of fluff (woman) chick, dame
chickory endive, Belgian endive
chickpea garbanzo bean, chickpea
chief bridesmaid maid of honor, matron of honor
chimney (factory) smokestack
chiropodist podiatrist
chips French fries
choc-ice ice cream bar
chocolate bar candy bar
Christmas, Crimbo, Chrimbo Christmas
Christmas cake n/a
Christian name, first name, given name first name, given name, Christian name (unusual)
Christmas present Christmas present
cigarette, ciggy, ciggie, fag, cancer stick, coffin nail, faggerette cigarette, smoke, cigaret
cinema, pictures, picture house, flicks movie theater, theater, movie house
circular saw circular saw, buzz saw
city centre downtown
clever clogs, clever dick, , smart Alec smart ass, wise guy, smart Aleck
cling film plastic wrap, Saran wrap
cloakroom checkroom, coat check
closing down sale closing out sale
clothes horse drying rack
clothes peg clothespin
coach (long-distance) bus, Greyhound
coach station bus station
cob, bun, batch, roll, bap roll, bun
cock, cockerel rooster, cock
cockroach cockroach, roach
codswallop, bullshit hogwash, baloney, BS, bullshit
coffee coffee, java, Joe
coffee break, tea break coffee break
coffin casket, coffin
colleague co-worker, colleague
comic comic book
compere emcee
comprehensive school, secondary school, high school high school
condom, Durex, Johnny, rubber Johnny, French letter, nodder condom, rubber
cone, cornet (ice cream) cone
conscription draft
Conservative Party, Tories Republican Party
constituency (electoral) district
continental quilt, duvet, quilt quilt
cooker stove, range
copper, PC Plod, bobby, cop, police constable (PC), policeman/woman police officer, patrolman, Smokey (dated), state trooper, cop, trooper
cops, the Old Bill, pigs, the law, the fuzz, police cops, police, pigs (dated), the fuzz (dated), the law, the heat
cordial, squash concentrated drink
coriander cilantro
corn grain
corner shop, Spar convenience store, 7-11, mini-mart, variety store
corn flour corn starch
cot crib
cot death crib death, SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)
cotton thread
cotton buds Q-tips
cotton wool cotton balls, cotton
couch, settee, sofa sofa, couch
council estate housing project, the projects
council housing public housing
councillor councilman, councilwoman, alderman
country bumpkin, yokel hillbilly, yokel
country's capital nation's capital
courgette zucchini
court shoes pumps
counterfoil (cheque) stub
court courthouse, courtroom
cover charge, entrance fee cover
covering letter cover letter
cowboy cowboy, buckaroo, wrangler
cram, swot (for exams) (v) cram
crayfish crayfish, crawfish
crazy, daft, barmy, batty, bonkers, crackers, doolally, daft as a brush, loony, loopy, nutty, off one's head, off one's rocker, one sandwich short of a picnic, out to lunch, round the twist, wacko, wacky, off one's trolley crazy, wacko, wacky, nutty, batty, bonkers, loony, nutty, off one’s rocker
crazy golf miniature golf, putt-putt
cream cracker soda cracker, saltine
creature creature, critter
creche, day care, nursery day nursery, day care
creepy-crawly, insect insect, bug
crew cut (hair) crew cut, brush cut, buzz cut
crisps (potato) chips
crooked, skew-whiff crooked
crossroads intersection, four way
cupboard (in the bedroom, or general storage) closet
cupboard (in the kitchen) cupboard
cup of tea, cuppa cup of tea
curling tongs curling iron
current account checking account
curriculum vitae, CV résumé, curriculum vitae, CV
curry house, balti, Indian restaurant, Indian Indian restaurant
curtains drapes, curtains
cutlery silverware, flatware
Using Hyphens
Two words brought together as a compound may be written separately, written as one word, or connected by hyphens. For example, three modern dictionaries all have the same listings for the following compounds:
hair stylist
hairsplitter
hair-raiser
Another modern dictionary, however, lists hairstylist, not hair stylist. Compounding is obviously in a state of flux, and authorities do not always agree in all cases, but the uses of the hyphen offered here are generally agreed upon.
1. Use a hyphen to join two or more words serving as a single adjective before a noun:
a one-way street
chocolate-covered peanuts
well-known author
However, when compound modifiers come after a noun, they are not hyphenated:
The peanuts were chocolate covered.
The author was well known.
2. Use a hyphen with compound numbers:
forty-six
sixty-three
Our much-loved teacher was sixty-three years old.
3. Use a hyphen to avoid confusion or an awkward combination of letters:
re-sign a petition (vs. resign from a job)
semi-independent (but semiconscious)
shell-like (but childlike)
4. Use a hyphen with the prefixes ex- (meaning former), self-, all-; with the suffix -elect; between a prefix and a capitalized word; and with figures or letters:
ex-husband
self-assured
mid-September
all-inclusive
mayor-elect
anti-American
T-shirt
pre-Civil War
mid-1980s
5. Use a hyphen to divide words at the end of a line if necessary, and make the break only between syllables:
pref-er-ence
sell-ing
in-di-vid-u-al-ist
For line breaks, divide already hyphenated words only at the hyphen:
mass-produced
self-conscious
For line breaks in words ending in -ing, if a single final consonant in the root word is doubled before the suffix, hyphenate between the consonants; otherwise, hyphenate at the suffix itself:
plan-ning
run-ning
driv-ing
call-ing
Never put the first or last letter of a word at the end or beginning of a line, and don't put two-letter suffixes at the beginning of a new line:
lovely (Do not separate to leave ly beginning a new line.)
eval-u-ate (Separate only on either side of the u; do not leave the initial e- at the end of a line.)
Apostrophes: Answers to the Exercise
The following sentences are punctuated with apostrophes according to the rules for using the apostrophe.
1. Who's the party's candidate for vice president this year?
2. The fox had its right foreleg caught securely in the trap's jaws.
3. Our neighbor's car is an old Chrysler, and it's just about to fall apart.
4. In three weeks' time we'll have to begin school again.
5. Didn't you hear that they're leaving tomorrow?
6. Whenever I think of the stories I read as a child, I remember Cinderella's glass slipper and Snow White's wicked stepmother.
7. We claimed the picnic table was ours, but the Smiths' children looked so disappointed that we found another spot.
8. It's important that the kitten learns to find its way home.
9. She did not hear her children's cries.
10. My address has three 7s, and Tim's phone number has four 2s.
11. Didn't he say when he would arrive at Arnie's house?
12. It's such a beautiful day that I've decided to take a sun bath.
13. She said the watch Jack found was hers, but she couldn't identify the manufacturer's name on it.
14. Little girls' clothing is on the first floor, and the men's department is on the second.
15. The dog's bark was far worse than its bite.
16. The moon's rays shone feebly on the path, and I heard the insects' chirpings and whistlings.
17. They're not afraid to go ahead with the plans, though the choice is not theirs.
18. The man whose face was tan said that he had spent his two weeks' vacation in the mountains.
19. I found myself constantly putting two c's in the word process.
20. John's '69 Ford is his proudest possession.
Comma vs. Semicolon in Compound Sentences: Exercise
Each of the following sentences needs either a comma or a semicolon. Put in the necessary punctuation.
________________________________________
1. Many companies make sugar-free soft drinks, which are flavored by synthetic chemicals the drinks usually contain only one or two calories per serving.
2. Mr. Leyland played the viola professionally for many years and he now conducts a community orchestra.
3. The crab grass was flourishing but the rest of the lawn, unfortunately, was dying.
4. The hill was covered with wildflowers it was a beautiful sight.
5. As I turned around, I heard a loud thump for the cat had upset the goldfish bowl.
6. The artist preferred to paint in oils he did not like watercolors.
7. The house was clean, the table set, and the porch light on everything was ready for the guests' arrival.
8. He looked carefully in the underbrush but he failed to notice the pair of green eyes staring at him.
9. The foundations of the house had been poured but, to his disappointment, nothing else had been done because of the carpenters' strike.
10. The computer could perform millions of operations in a split second however, it could not think spontaneously.
11. I thought registration day would be tiring but I didn't know I'd have to stand in so many lines.
12. The dog, growling and snarling, snapped at me I was so frightened that I ran.
13. The snowstorm dumped twelve inches of snow on the interstate subsequently, the state police closed the road.
14. Professors are supposed to be absent-minded and I've seen plenty of evidence to support that claim since I've been in college.
15. The suspect said that he had never met the victim however, the detective knew that he was lying.
16. In the first place, it was snowing too hard to see the road in the second place, we had no chains.
17. I have read Soul on Ice but I have not read The Invisible Man.
18. San Francisco is my favorite city in fact, I plan to spend two weeks there this summer.
19. The quarterback made a brilliant pass and the end crossed the goal line for the winning touchdown.
20. Large supermarkets fascinate me I can find everything from frozen chow mein to soybean flour in one place.
21. Ron and Mike were both in English class this morning they gave an interesting presentation on their research.
22. The obstacles are not insurmountable but they are real and formidable.
23. Riding a bicycle is excellent exercise I ride mine every day.
24. I am not interested in a trip to Asia this year however, I would like to go to Europe.
25. Not all highly educated people enjoy traveling, but many world travelers are particularly well educated.
26. Jack worked overtime to pay off his education debts at least, that was his explanation for his long hours.
27. Katherine has given up smoking about five times but she cannot seem to break the habit.
28. His work may be almost totally forgotten but he would certainly be surprised to see how much current scholarship simply echoes his ideas.
29. Our dog seems to have a built-in alarm clock he wakes us up at exactly the same time every morning.
30. The passengers on the plane were initially alarmed by the loss of altitude but the pilot and the crew kept them calm.
31. I realized at once that something was wrong I was not, however, the only person who was concerned.
32. I had to complete the assignment by Friday otherwise, I would have failed the course.
33. Ralph decided to be a chemist but he changed his mind after taking Chem. 121.
34. I finished reading The Nation and then I went to bed.
35. We always go to the mountains in the fall they are at their prettiest at that time of year.
36. Tim went to the candy store quite often the clerk even knew his name.
37. Criticism of capitalist expansionism does not surface in most discussions of the worldwide ecological crisis indeed, proposed solutions rarely deviate from a basic message of further technological "progress."
38. The president has pledged to cut taxes repeatedly and the public has responded enthusiastically.
39. The office was closed consequently, I could not pay my bill.
40. The air was beautifully clear it was a lovely day.
Exercises for Eliminating Wordiness
Directions: Revise these sentences to state their meaning in fewer words. Avoid passive voice, needless repetition, and wordy phrases and clauses. The first sentence has been done as an example.
1. There are many farmers in the area who are planning to attend the meeting which is scheduled for next Friday.
1. Many area farmers plan to attend next Friday's meeting.
2. Although Bradley Hall is regularly populated by students, close study of the building as a structure, is seldom undertaken by them.
3. He dropped out of school on account of the fact that it was necessary for him to help support his family.
4. It is expected that the new schedule will be announced by the bus company within the next few days.
5. There are many ways in which a student who is interested in meeting foreign students may come to know one.
6. It is very unusual to find someone who has never told a deliberate lie on purpose.
7. Trouble is caused when people disobey rules that have been established for the safety of all.
8. A campus rally was attended by more than a thousand students. Five students were arrested by campus police for disorderly conduct, while several others are charged by campus administrators with organizing a public meeting without being issued a permit to do so.
9. The subjects that are considered most important by students are those that have been shown to be useful to them after graduation.
10. In the not too distant future, college freshmen must all become aware of the fact that there is a need for them to make contact with an academic adviser concerning the matter of a major.
11. In our company there are wide-open opportunities for professional growth with a company that enjoys an enviable record for stability in the dynamic atmosphere of aerospace technology.
12. Some people believe in capital punishment, while other people are against it; there are many opinions on this subject.
Directions: Combine each sentence group into one concise sentence.
1. The cliff dropped to reefs seventy-five feet below. The reefs below the steep cliff were barely visible through the fog.
2. Their car is gassed up. It is ready for the long drive. The drive will take all night.
3. Sometimes Stan went running with Blanche. She was a good athlete. She was on the track team at school.
4. Taylor brought some candy back from Europe. It wasn't shaped like American candy. The candy tasted kind of strange to him.
5. Government leaders like to mention the creation of new jobs. They claim that these new jobs indicate a strong economy. They don't mention that low-wage jobs without benefits and security have replaced many good jobs.
Apostrophes: Exercise
Punctuate the following sentences with apostrophes according to the rules for using the apostrophe.
1. Whos the partys candidate for vice president this year?
2. The fox had its right foreleg caught securely in the traps jaws.
3. Our neighbors car is an old Chrysler, and its just about to fall apart.
4. In three weeks time well have to begin school again.
5. Didnt you hear that theyre leaving tomorrow?
6. Whenever I think of the stories I read as a child, I remember Cinderellas glass slipper and Snow Whites wicked stepmother.
7. We claimed the picnic table was ours, but the Smiths children looked so disappointed that we found another spot.
8. Its important that the kitten learns to find its way home.
9. She did not hear her childrens cries.
10. My address has three 7s, and Tims phone number has four 2s.
11. Didnt he say when he would arrive at Arnies house?
12. Its such a beautiful day that Ive decided to take a sun bath.
13. She said the watch Jack found was hers, but she couldnt identify the manufacturers name on it.
14. Little girls clothing is on the first floor, and the mens department is on the second.
15. The dogs bark was far worse than its bite.
16. The moons rays shone feebly on the path, and I heard the insects chirpings and whistlings.
17. Theyre not afraid to go ahead with the plans, though the choice is not theirs.
18. The man whose face was tan said that he had spent his two weeks vacation in the mountains.
19. I found myself constantly putting two cs in the word process.
20. Johns 69 Ford is his proudest possession.
Comma vs. Semicolon: Exercise Answers
1. Many companies make sugar-free soft drinks, which are flavored by synthetic chemicals; the drinks usually contain only one or two calories per serving.
2. Mr. Leyland played the viola professionally for many years, and he now conducts a community orchestra.
3. The crab grass was flourishing, but the rest of the lawn, unfortunately, was dying.
4. The hill was covered with wildflowers; it was a beautiful sight.
5. As I turned around, I heard a loud thump, for the cat had upset the goldfish bowl.
6. The artist preferred to paint in oils; he did not like watercolors.
7. The house was clean, the table set, and the porch light on; everything was ready for the guests' arrival.
8. He looked carefully in the underbrush, but he failed to notice the pair of green eyes staring at him.
9. The foundations of the house had been poured, but, to his disappointment, nothing else had been done because of the carpenters' strike.
10. The computer could perform millions of operations in a split second; however, it could not think spontaneously.
11. I thought registration day would be tiring, but I didn't know I'd have to stand in so many lines.
12. The dog, growling and snarling, snapped at me; I was so frightened that I ran.
13. The snowstorm dumped twelve inches of snow on the interstate; subsequently, the state police closed the road.
14. Professors are supposed to be absent-minded, and I've seen plenty of evidence to support that claim since I've been in college.
15. The suspect said that he had never met the victim; however, the detective knew that he was lying.
16. In the first place, it was snowing too hard to see the road; in the second place, we had no chains.
17. I have read Soul on Ice, but I have not read The Invisible Man.
18. San Francisco is my favorite city; in fact, I plan to spend two weeks there this summer.
19. The quarterback made a brilliant pass, and the end crossed the goal line for the winning touchdown.
20. Large supermarkets fascinate me; I can find everything from frozen chow mein to soybean flour in one place.
21. Ron and Mike were both in English class this morning; they gave an interesting presentation on their research.
22. The obstacles are not insurmountable, but they are real and formidable.
23. Riding a bicycle is excellent exercise; I ride mine every day.
24. I am not interested in a trip to Asia this year; however, I would like to go to Europe.
25. Not all highly educated people enjoy traveling, but many world travelers are particularly well educated.
26. Jack worked overtime to pay off his education debts; at least, that was his explanation for his long hours.
27. Katherine has given up smoking about five times, but she cannot seem to break the habit.
28. His work may be almost totally forgotten, but he would certainly be surprised to see how much current scholarship simply echoes his ideas.
29. Our dog seems to have a built-in alarm clock; he wakes us up at exactly the same time every morning.
30. The passengers on the plane were initially alarmed by the loss of altitude, but the pilot and the crew kept them calm.
31. I realized at once that something was wrong; I was not, however, the only person who was concerned.
32. I had to complete the assignment by Friday; otherwise, I would have failed the course.
33. Ralph decided to be a chemist, but he changed his mind after taking Chem. 121.
34. I finished reading The Nation, and then I went to bed.
35. We always go to the mountains in the fall; they are at their prettiest at that time of year.
36. Tim went to the candy store quite often; the clerk even knew his name.
37. Criticism of capitalist expansionism does not surface in most discussions of the worldwide ecological crisis; indeed, proposed solutions rarely deviate from a basic message of further technological "progress."
38. The president has pledged to cut taxes repeatedly, and the public has responded enthusiastically.
39. The office was closed; consequently, I could not pay my bill.
40. The air was beautifully clear; it was a lovely day.
Using Commas: Exercise #1 Answers
__C__ He left the scene of the accident and tried to forget that it had happened. (rules 13 and 4)
__3__ Oil, which is lighter than water, rises to the surface.
__6__ Madame de Stael was an attractive, gracious lady.
__1__ Nice is a word with many meanings, and some of them are contradictory.
__C__ The contractor testified that the house was completed and that the work had been done properly. (rules 14 and 4)
__C__ Some people refuse to go to the zoo because of pity for creatures that must live in small cages. (rules 2 and 4)
__C__ Taxicabs that are dirty are illegal in some cities. (rule 4)
__5__ The closet contained worn clothes, old shoes, and dirty hats.
__C__ The uninvited guest wore a dark blue tweed suit. (rule 6)
__2__ After surviving this ordeal, the trapper felt relieved.
__3__ Mark Twain's early novels, I believe, stand the test of time.
__9__ December 7, 1941, will never be forgotten.
__7__ The field was safe enough, wasn't it?
__9__ Write the editor of the Atlantic, 8 Arlington Street, Boston, Massachusetts, 02116.
__10_ He replied, "I have no idea what you mean."
__2__ After a good washing and grooming, the pup looked like a new dog.
__2__ Because of their opposition to institutions that force creatures to live in captivity, some people refuse to go to the zoo.
__C__ Men who are bald are frequently the ones who are the most authoritative on the subject of baldness. (rule 4)
__3__ Vests, which were once popular, have been out of vogue for several years.
__2__ As a celestial goddess, she regulated the course of the heavenly bodies and controlled the alternating seasons. (also, rule 13)
__C__ I hope that someday he will learn how to be polite. (rule 4)
Using Commas: Exercise #1
Add commas as needed in the sentences below. On the line to the left of each sentence, write the number of the appropriate comma rule. If the sentence is correct as it is, write C on the line.
_____ He left the scene of the accident and tried to forget that it had happened.
_____ Oil which is lighter than water rises to the surface.
_____ Madame de Stael was an attractive gracious lady.
_____ Nice is a word with many meanings and some of them are contradictory.
_____ The contractor testified that the house was completed and that the work had been done properly.
_____ Some people refuse to go to the zoo because of pity for creatures that must live in small cages.
_____ Taxicabs that are dirty are illegal in some cities.
_____ The closet contained worn clothes old shoes and dirty hats.
_____ The uninvited guest wore a dark blue tweed suit.
_____ After surviving this ordeal the trapper felt relieved.
_____ Mark Twain's early novels I believe stand the test of time.
_____ December 7 1941 will never be forgotten.
_____ The field was safe enough wasn't it?
_____ Write the editor of the Atlantic 8 Arlington Street Boston Massachusetts 02116.
_____ He replied "I have no idea what you mean."
_____ After a good washing and grooming the pup looked like a new dog.
_____ Because of their opposition to institutions that force creatures to live in captivity some people refuse to go to the zoo.
_____ Men who are bald are frequently the ones who are the most authoritative on the subject of baldness.
_____ Vests which were once popular have been out of vogue for several years.
_____ As a celestial goddess she regulated the course of the heavenly bodies and controlled the alternating seasons.
_____ I hope that some day he will learn how to be polite.
Using Commas
The comma is a valuable, useful punctuation device because it separates the structural elements of sentences into manageable segments. The rules provided here are those found in traditional handbooks; however, in certain rhetorical contexts and for specific purposes, these rules may be broken.
1. Use commas to separate independent clauses when they are joined by any of these seven coordinating conjunctions: and, but, for, or, nor, so, yet.
The game was over, but the crowd refused to leave.
The student explained her question, yet the instructor still didn't seem to understand.
Yesterday was her brother's birthday, so she took him out to dinner.
2. Use commas after introductory a) clauses, b) phrases, or c) words that come before the main clause.
a. Common starter words for introductory clauses that should be followed by a comma include after, although, as, because, if, since, when, while.
While I was eating, the cat scratched at the door.
Because her alarm clock was broken, she was late for class.
If you are ill, you ought to see a doctor.
When the snow stops falling, we'll shovel the driveway.
However, don't put a comma after the main clause when a dependent (subordinate) clause follows it (except for cases of extreme contrast).
1. She was late for class, because her alarm clock was broken. (incorrect)
2. The cat scratched at the door, while I was eating. (incorrect)
3. She was still quite upset, although she had won the Oscar. (correct: extreme contrast)
b. Common introductory phrases that should be followed by a comma include participial and infinitive phrases, absolute phrases, nonessential appositive phrases, and long prepositional phrases (over four words).
Having finished the test, he left the room.
To get a seat, you'd better come early.
After the test but before lunch, I went jogging.
The sun radiating intense heat, we sought shelter in the cafe.
c. Common introductory words that should be followed by a comma include yes, however, well.
Well, perhaps he meant no harm.
Yes, the package should arrive tomorrow morning.
However, you may not be satisfied with the results.
3. Use a pair of commas in the middle of a sentence to set off clauses, phrases, and words that are not essential to the meaning of the sentence. Use one comma before to indicate the beginning of the pause and one at the end to indicate the end of the pause.
Here are some clues to help you decide whether the sentence element is essential:
• If you leave out the clause, phrase, or word, does the sentence still make sense?
• Does the clause, phrase, or word interrupt the flow of words in the original sentence?
• If you move the element to a different position in the sentence, does the sentence still make sense?
If you answer "yes" to one or more of these questions, then the element in question is nonessential and should be set off with commas. Here are some example sentences with nonessential elements:
Clause: That Tuesday, which happens to be my birthday, is the only day when I am available to meet.
Phrase: This restaurant has an exciting atmosphere. The food, on the other hand, is rather bland.
Word: I appreciate your hard work. In this case, however, you seem to have over-exerted yourself.
4. Do not use commas to set off essential elements of the sentence, such as clauses beginning with that (relative clauses). That clauses after nouns are always essential. That clauses following a verb expressing mental action are always essential.
That clauses after nouns:
The book that I borrowed from you is excellent.
The apples that fell out of the basket are bruised.
That clauses following a verb expressing mental action:
She believes that she will be able to earn an A.
He is dreaming that he can fly.
I contend that it was wrong to mislead her.
They wished that warm weather would finally arrive.
Examples of other essential elements (no commas):
Students who cheat only harm themselves.
The baby wearing a yellow jumpsuit is my niece.
The candidate who had the least money lost the election.
Examples of nonessential elements (set off by commas):
Fred, who often cheats, is just harming himself.
My niece, wearing a yellow jumpsuit, is playing in the living room.
The Green party candidate, who had the least money, lost the election.
Apples, which are my favorite fruit, are the main ingredient in this recipe.
Professor Benson, grinning from ear to ear, announced that the exam would be tomorrow.
Tom, the captain of the team, was injured in the game.
It is up to you, Jane, to finish.
She was, however, too tired to make the trip.
Two hundred dollars, I think, is sufficient.
5. Use commas to separate three or more words, phrases, or clauses written in a series.
The Constitution establishes the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government.
The candidate promised to lower taxes, protect the environment, reduce crime, and end unemployment.
The prosecutor argued that the defendant, who was at the scene of the crime, who had a strong revenge motive, and who had access to the murder weapon, was guilty of homicide.
6. Use commas to separate two or more coordinate adjectives that describe the same noun. Be sure never to add an extra comma between the final adjective and the noun itself or to use commas with non-coordinate adjectives.
Coordinate adjectives are adjectives with equal ("co"-ordinate) status in describing the noun; neither adjective is subordinate to the other. You can decide if two adjectives in a row are coordinate by asking the following questions:
• Does the sentence make sense if the adjectives are written in reverse order?
• Does the sentence make sense if the adjectives are written with and between them?
If you answer yes to these questions, then the adjectives are coordinate and should be separated by a comma. Here are some examples of coordinate and non-coordinate adjectives:
He was a difficult, stubborn child. (coordinate)
They lived in a white frame house. (non-coordinate)
She often wore a gray wool shawl. (non-coordinate)
Your cousin has an easy, happy smile. (coordinate)
The 1) relentless, 2) powerful 3) summer sun beat down on them. (1-2 are coordinate; 2-3 are non-coordinate.)
The 1) relentless, 2) powerful, 3) oppressive sun beat down on them. (Both 1-2 and 2-3 are coordinate.)
7. Use a comma near the end of a sentence to separate contrasted coordinate elements or to indicate a distinct pause or shift.
He was merely ignorant, not stupid.
The chimpanzee seemed reflective, almost human.
You're one of the senator's close friends, aren't you?
The speaker seemed innocent, even gullible.
8. Use commas to set off phrases at the end of the sentence that refer back to the beginning or middle of the sentence. Such phrases are free modifiers that can be placed anywhere in the sentence without causing confusion. (If the placement of the modifier causes confusion, then it is not "free" and must remain "bound" to the word it modifies.)
1. Nancy waved enthusiastically at the docking ship, laughing joyously. (correct)
2a. Lisa waved at Nancy, laughing joyously. (incorrect: Who is laughing, Lisa or Nancy?)
2b. Laughing joyously, Lisa waved at Nancy. (correct)
2c. Lisa waved at Nancy, who was laughing joyously. (correct)
9. Use commas to set off all geographical names, items in dates (except the month and day), addresses (except the street number and name), and titles in names.
Birmingham, Alabama, gets its name from Birmingham, England.
July 22, 1959, was a momentous day in his life.
Who lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC?
Rachel B. Lake, MD, will be the principal speaker.
(When you use just the month and the year, no comma is necessary after the month or year: "The average temperatures for July 1998 are the highest on record for that month.")
10. Use a comma to shift between the main discourse and a quotation.
John said without emotion, "I'll see you tomorrow."
"I was able," she answered, "to complete the assignment."
In 1848, Marx wrote, "Workers of the world, unite!"
11. Use commas wherever necessary to prevent possible confusion or misreading.
To George, Harrison had been a sort of idol.
Comma Abuse
Commas in the wrong places can break a sentence into illogical segments or confuse readers with unnecessary and unexpected pauses.
12. Don't use a comma to separate the subject from the verb.
An eighteen-year old in California, is now considered an adult. (incorrect)
The most important attribute of a ball player, is quick reflex actions. (incorrect)
13. Don't put a comma between the two verbs or verb phrases in a compound predicate.
We laid out our music and snacks, and began to study. (incorrect)
I turned the corner, and ran smack into a patrol car. (incorrect)
14. Don't put a comma between the two nouns, noun phrases, or noun clauses in a compound subject or compound object.
The music teacher from your high school, and the football coach from mine are married. (incorrect: compound subject)
Jeff told me that the job was still available, and that the manager wanted to interview me. (incorrect: compound object)
15. Don't put a comma after the main clause when a dependent (subordinate) clause follows it (except for cases of extreme contrast).
1. She was late for class, because her alarm clock was broken. (incorrect)
2. The cat scratched at the door, while I was eating. (incorrect)
3. She was still quite upset, although she had won the Oscar. (correct: extreme contrast).
Active and Passive Voice Quiz
Change the following sentences into passive voice.
1 He (offer) a new job last week.
2 The bridge (blow off) yesterday.
3 This novel (write) by Hemingway.
4 Flies (catch) by spiders.
5 All the trees (cut) down yesterday.
6 We (tell) to go home now.
7 Their purse (steal) yesterday night in the disco.
8 Rain (hold) up by fog.
9 He (throw) out of the bar a week ago.
10 Pigs (use) to find truffles.
11 The old theatre (reopen) last Friday.
12 She (ask) about the accident by the police yesterday.
13 Rotten eggs (throw) at him last month in Bristol.
14 I (often / ask) for her address.
Exercise 2
1 They built these houses in 1902.
.
2 She bakes a cake every Sunday.
.
3 He broke the vase yesterday.
.
4 I clean the shoes every Friday.
.
5 We wrote the exercise an hour ago.
.
6 They use this road very often.
.
7 Thieves stole his car.
.
8 They cancelled all the flights.
.
9 Brian told the truth.
.
10 She always loads the dishwasher.
.
WRITING CONCISE
SENTENCES
Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell.
Whether it's a two-word quip or a 200-word bear, a sentence must be a lean, thinking machine. Here are some notes toward efficiency and conciseness in writing.
PRUNING THE REDUNDANT
Avoid saying the same thing twice.
• Many uneducated citizens who have never attended school continue to vote for better schools.
A phrase that repeats itself—like "true fact," "twelve noon," "I saw it with my own eyes”called a pleonasm.
Redundant phrases are bad habits just waiting to take control of your writing. Beware of the following.
Redundancy The Lean Version
12 midnight midnight
12 noon noon
3 am in the morning 3 am
absolutely spectacular/phenomenal spectacular/phenomenal
a person who is honest an honest person
a total of 14 birds 14 birds
biography of her life biography
circle around circle
close proximity proximity
completely unanimous unanimous
consensus of opinion consensus
cooperate together cooperate
each and every each
enclosed herewith enclosed
end result result
exactly the same the same
final completion completion
frank and honest exchange frank exchange or honest exchange
free gift gift
he/she is a person who . . . he/she
important/basic essentials essentials
in spite of the fact that although
in the field of economics/law enforcement in economics/law enforcement
in the event that if
job functions job or functions
new innovations innovations
one and the same the same
particular interest interest
period of four days four days
personally, I think/feel I think/feel
personal opinion opinion
puzzling in nature puzzling
refer back refer
repeat again repeat
return again return
revert back revert
shorter/longer in length shorter/longer
small/large in size small/large
square/round/rectangular in shape square/round/rectangular
summarize briefly summarize
surrounded on all sides surrounded
surrounding circumstances circumstances
the future to come the future
there is no doubt but that no doubt
usual/habitual custom custom
we are in receipt of we have received
Phrases You Can Omit
Be on the lookout for important sounding phrases that add nothing to the meaning of a sentence. Such phrases quickly put a reader on guard that the writer is trading in puffery; worse, they put a reader to sleep.
all things considered All things considered, Connecticut's woodlands are in better shape now than ever before.
All things considered, Connecticut's woodlands are in better shape now than ever before.
as a matter of fact As a matter of fact, there are more woodlands in Connecticut now than there were in 1898.
as a matter of fact, There are more woodlands in Connecticut now than there were in 1898.
as far as I'm concerned As far as I'm concerned, there is no need for further protection of woodlands.
As far as I'm concerned, there Further protection of woodlands is not needed.
at the present time This is because there are fewer farmers at the present time.
This is because there are fewer farmers now.
because of the fact that Woodlands have grown in area because of the fact that farmers have abandoned their fields.
Woodlands have grown in area because farmers have abandoned their fields.
by means of Major forest areas are coming back by means of natural processes.
Major forest areas are coming back through natural processes. (or naturally)
by virtue of the fact that Our woodlands are coming back by virtue of the fact that our economy has shifted its emphasis.
Our woodlands are coming back by virtue of the fact that because our economy has shifted its emphasis.
due to the fact that Due to the fact that their habitats are being restored, forest creatures are also re-establishing their population bases.
Due to the fact that Because their habitats are being restored, forest creatures are also re-establishing their population bases.
exists The fear that exists among many people that we are losing our woodlands is uncalled for.
The fear that exists among many people that we are losing our woodlands is uncalled for.
for all intents and purposes The era in which we must aggressively defend our woodlands has, for all intents and purposes, passed.
The era in which we must aggressively defend our woodlands has, for all intents and purposes, passed.
for the most part For the most part, people's suspicions are based on a misunderstanding of the facts.
For the most part, pPeople's suspicions are based on a misunderstanding of the facts.
for the purpose of Many woodlands, in fact, have been purchased for the purpose of creating public parks.
Many woodlands, in fact, have been purchased for the purpose of creating as public parks.
have a tendency to This policy has a tendency to isolate some communities.
This policy has a tendency tends to isolate some communities.
in a manner of speaking The policy has, in a manner of speaking, begun to Balkanize the more rural parts of our state.
The policy has, in a manner of speaking, begun to Balkanize the more rural parts of our state.
in a very real sense In a very real sense, this policy works to the detriment of those it is supposed to help.
In a very real sense, this This policy works to the detriment of those it is supposed to help.
in my opinion In my opinion, this wasteful policy ought to be revoked.
In my opinion, thisThis wasteful policy ought to be revoked.
in the case of In the case of this particular policy, citizens of northeast Connecticut became very upset.
Citizens of northeast Connecticut became very upset about his policy.
in the final analysis In the final analysis, the state would have been better off without such a policy.
In the final analysis, the The state would have been better off without such a policy.
in the event that In the event that enough people protest, it will probably be revoked.
If enough people protest, it will probably be revoked.
in the nature of Something in the nature of a repeal may soon take place.
Something in the nature of like a repeal may soon take place.
in the process of Legislators are already in the process of reviewing the statutes.
Legislators are already in the process of reviewing the statutes.
it seems that It seems that they can't wait to get rid of this one.
It seems that they They can't wait to get rid of this one.
manner They have monitored the activities of conservationists in a cautious manner.
They have cautiously monitored the activities of conservationists.
the point I am trying to make The point I am trying to make is that sometimes public policy doesn't accomplish what it set out to achieve.
The point I am trying to make is that some Sometimes public policy doesn't accomplish what it set out to achieve.
type of Legislators need to be more careful of the type of policy they propose.
Legislators need to be more careful of the type of policy they propose.
what I mean to say is What I mean to say is that well intentioned lawmakers sometimes make fools of themselves.
What I mean to say is that well Well intentioned lawmakers sometimes make fools of themselves.
Quiz
Rewrite the following sentences in the text-areas provided:
1. At this point in time we can't ascertain the reason as to why the screen door was left open.
2. My sister, who is employed as a nutritionist at the University of Michigan, recommends the daily intake of mega doses of Vitamin C.
4. It is to be hoped that we discover a means to create an absolutely proper and fitting tribute to Professor Espinoza.
5. There is a desire on the part of many of us to maintain a spring recess for the purpose of getting away from the demands of our studies.
6.Joe was an honest and hard working man. Basically, he never gave much consideration to sitting idly about, doing nothing constructive. (Rewrite as one sentence.)
7. What is your basic understanding of predestination?
8. At what point in time will a downturn in the stock market have a really serious effect on the social life of people as a whole?
9. I would call your attention to the fact that our President, who was formerly the Governor of Arkansas, is basically a Southerner.
10. There are millions of fans who desperately want the Hartford Whalers to enter politics.
ARTICLES
Choose the right answer
________________________________________
1 Harold is ______ most honest person I know.
(blank)
the
a
an
________________________________________
2 Diana is ______ very nice person.
(blank)
the
a
an
________________________________________
3 Last night we went out for ______ meal.
(blank)
The
A
An
________________________________________
4 Tonight we are probably going to eat in ______ European restaurant.
(blank)
The
A
An
________________________________________
5 I cannot remember if I saw that film on television or at ______ cinema.
(blank)
The
A
An
________________________________________
6 Make sure you mention your name at ______ end of the report.
(blank)
The
A
An
________________________________________
7 I'm sure it won't be long before people are living and working in ______ space.
(blank)
The
A
An
________________________________________
8
Have you already had ______ lunch?
(blank)
The
A
An
________________________________________
9 John ______ honest man.
(blank)
The
A
An
________________________________________
10 I'd like to invite him to ______ dinner next week, if that's OK with you.
(blank)
The
A
An
________________________________________
11 Could you close ______ door, please? It's really cold.
(blank)
The
A
An
________________________________________
12 We have got new offices near ______ centre of the city.
(blank)
The
A
An
________________________________________
13 Has your new office got ______ canteen?
(blank)
The
A
An
________________________________________
14 For lunch I had a sandwich. I cannot remember what filling was in ______ sandwich.
(blank)
The
A
An
________________________________________
15 When you come out the lift, you'll see two doors, ______ red one and ______ blue one. My door is ______ red one.
(blank)/(blank)/(blank)
the/the/a
a/a/the
a/a/a
the/the/the
________________________________________
16 We need to do more for ______ poor.
(blank)
The
A
An
________________________________________
17 The greatest invention of the 20th century is ______ computer.
(blank)
The
A
An
________________________________________
18 I'm looking for ______ new apartment.
(blank)
The
A
An
________________________________________
19 I saw ______ man going into the office. I don't know who ______ man was.
(blank)/the
the/a
a/the
a/a
________________________________________
20 When you're ready, I'll take you to ______ airport.
(blank)
The
A
An
________________________________________
21 ______ United Nations
(blank)
The
________________________________________
22 ______ U.S.A.
(blank)
The
________________________________________
23 ______hour
A
The
An
________________________________________
24
______ Japan
(blank)
The
1. Dr. Reddy is one of those professors who ___________ distracted most of the time.
SEEM
SEEMS
2. ___________ either Peter or his parents written to Angelina?
HAVE
HAS
3. Neither Ram nor his parents ___________ the least bit interested in keeping in touch with her.
IS
ARE
4. Everybody on this team ___________ really hard to please the new coach.
TRY
TRIES
5. As there ___________ many students in that class, I can sometimes sleep in
the back row.
ARE
IS
6. Mr. Bradley, along with his two sisters ___ lived in this town for
thirty years.
HAVE
HAS
7. There ___________ no reasons for this horrible development that I can see.
IS
ARE
8. Some of the water ___________ already gone bad.
HAVE
HAS
9. One of these students ___________ obviously cheated during the exam.
HAVE
HAS
10. Either the U Conn Women's Team or the U Conn Men's Team ___________ going to be national champion this year.
ARE
IS
12. Carlos and his brother John___________ travelling across the country next summer.
IS
ARE
13. Several of the students ___________ decided to withdraw from the course.
HAVE
HAS
In the paragraph below, the words in BOLD may be incorrect. In the space immediately after each such word, indicate if they are correct (with a C) or incorrect (with an I).
Everyone who have 1. ever been to a graduation know 2. how exciting it can be for the graduates. In our town, nearly the whole population come 3. each year. There is 4. one thing that both graduates and guests enjoys: 5. the awarding of scholarships. This ceremony, along with the closing exercises, makes 6. attending the graduation worthwhile. Several of the students who receives 7. awards plan 8. to attend the community college. Many former graduates is 9. grateful for opportunities that such an award provide 10. .
1. Neither of us ________ able to predict the outcome of today's game.
was
were
2. Macaroni and cheese ________ my favorite dishes.
is
are
3. At the foot of the mountain ________ two enormous vineyards, both owned by the same woman.
was
were
4. A small percentage of the grain _______ ruined by the prolonged rain.
was
were
5. Most parents mistakenly think that mumps _______ been eliminated as a childhood disease.
has
have
6. Our college should change _______ policy about withdrawals.
its
their
7. Coaches Khan and Rao coach different sports. Neither Khan nor Rao scheduled ________ team for the gym this afternoon.
her
their
8. No one has offered to let us use _______ home for the department meeting.
her
their
his or her
9. If I ever find my glasses, I think I'll have ________ replaced.
it
them
10. General Motors will probably recall most of _________ four-wheel-drive vehicles.
its
their
Quiz on
Which, That, and Who
Below each sentence select the pronoun that will best fit in the blank:
1. People ________ live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
who
which
that
Responses:
________________________________________
2. Walden Pond, ______ was written in the mid-1800s, remains a popular book among romantic and individualistic Americans.
who
which
that
Responses:
________________________________________
3. She prefers to watch movies ______ make her cry.
who
which
that
Responses:
________________________________________
4. He bought all the books ________ are required for the course.
who
which
that
Responses:
________________________________________
5. In the crowd were several recruits _______ are regarded as excellent prospects for next year's team.
who
which
that
Responses:
________________________________________
6. The police were able to find no evidence against her, _____ surprised no one who knows her well.
who
which
that
Responses:
________________________________________
7. Rose Dylan’s children, ______ all graduated from college, came home for her eightieth birthday.
who
which
that
Responses:
________________________________________
8. Predictably, the students _____ did best were not the ones who stayed up all night studying.
who
which
that
Responses:
9. She wanted to buy a scarf _______ would complement her blue eyes.
who
which
that
Responses:
________________________________________
10. The answers, ________ you can find in the back of the book, are sometimes incorrect.
who
which
that
Responses:
PRONOUN CHOICES:
From the choices provided after each sentence select a word that would correctly complete the sentence
1. Be sure that everyone brings ____________ own book.
HIS OR HER
THEIR
2. If anyone calls, tell ____________ that I'll be back in half an hour.
HIM OR HER
THEM
3. Joe and ____________ have been close friends for many years.
ME
I
4. Did you see Derek and ____________ at the game?
HER
SHE
5. Between you and ____________ , this politician cannot be trusted.
ME
I
6. Each person in the room turned ____________ head to the front when the teacher entered.
THEIR
HIS
7. We know that we can count on James, Anne, and ____________ .
HER
SHE
8. Rhonda explained that ____________ and her sister had often eaten at that restaurant.
HER
SHE
9. Most of the workers were wearing ____________ hard hats.
HIS OR HER
THEIR
10. It's always best for a student to ask questions when ____________ doesn't understand a problem.
SHE
THEY
11. The children in that neighborhood often ride ____________ bikes through the park.
HIS OR HER
THEIR
12. The local government plans to cut ____________ budget for recreation.
ITS
THEIR
13. When I meet new people, I'm usually curious about ____________ occupations.
THEIR
HIS OR HER
14. Everyone who purchased one of the paintings ____________ pleased.
WERE
WAS
15. Few of the suggestions ____________ reasonable to me.
SOUND
SOUNDS
16. Christopher and ____________ want to travel to the Far East some day.
I
ME
17. The cost of the repairs shocked both my brother and ____________ .
I
ME
18. Most of the congestion on the highway ____________ caused by an overturned truck.
WERE
WAS
19. To Maria and ____________ , the movie seemed very silly.
HINT: Are you looking for a subject or the object of a preposition here?
HER
SHE
20. Both of the bicycles in the garage ____________ broken.
IS
ARE
Combining Sentences
Directions: In the text-area below each group of sentences, combine all of those sentences in
1. Hartford is the capital of Connecticut.
It is the second largest city in the state.
Write your version in the space below:
________________________________________
2.
Hartford was once known as an industrial center.
It was the home of several manufacturers.
They made firearms, typewriters, bicycles, and even cars.
Write your version in the space below:
________________________________________
3.
Today, though, several insurance companies make Hartford their home.
Aetna, the Travelers, the Hartford, and Cigna are in Hartford.
Their home offices are within miles of one another.
Write your version in the space below:
________________________________________
4.
Manufacturers once took advantage of Hartford's access to the Connecticut River.
They also enjoyed Hartford's well-educated workforce.
Write your version in the space below:
________________________________________
5.
Eventually, cheap labor in the southern states lured manufacturing away from Hartford.
Large empty factories were all that was left of Hartford's industrial past.
Write your version in the space below:
________________________________________
6.
Some of these factories have been torn down.
Some of them have been converted to artists' studios.
Write your version in the space below:
________________________________________
7.
Today, great wealth abounds in Hartford.
The wealth is centered in the insurance industry.
However, few manufacturing jobs are still available.
Write your version in the space below:
________________________________________
Eliminating Wordiness
Try to eliminate redundant statements and useless phrases from the sentence:
1.
2.
3.
________________________________________
4.
________________________________________
5.
________________________________________
6.
________________________________________
7.
________________________________________
8.
________________________________________
9.
________________________________________
10.
Gender Neutral Language
The sentences given below contain a gender bias which you should remove by using gender neutral language..
1.
________________________________________
2.
________________________________________
3.
________________________________________
4.
________________________________________
5.
________________________________________
6.
________________________________________
7.
________________________________________
8.
________________________________________
9.
________________________________________
10.
The Notorious Confusables
Select one answer from the choices provided after each sentence. The word you choose should fit the blank in the sentence.
1. I couldn't tell _______________ she was serious or not.
whether
weather
2. ____________ are too many possible answers to this question.
They're
There
Their
3. _________ going to help me with this?
Whose
Who's
4. Reading that book had a peculiar _______________ on Evelyn.
effect
affect
5. I am completely _________________ in this course.
uninterested
disinterested
6. I'm afraid she's going to _____________ her grandmother's wedding band.
loose
lose
7. My mother has been _______________ in bed all morning.
lieing
laying
lying
8. She has apparently found it difficult to ___________ the circumstances.
accept
except
9. She apparently doesn't care about ___________ origins in antiquity.
it's
its
10. It's usually hotter __________ this in July.
than
then
11. The politicians can't seem to find an appropriate ___________ for the new community college.
cite
sight
site
12. I've never known the library to be _____________ this quiet.
quite
quiet
quit
________________________________________
Its/It's and There/Their/They're
Select one answer from the choices provided after each sentence. The word you choose should fit the blank in the sentence.
its = The possessive form of it.
it's = The contracted form of it is or it has.
1. _____ up to you.
Its
It's
2. I knew what model car it was, but I wasn't sure about ____ color.
its
it's
3. I'm afraid ____ going to be a very long season for the Mighty Ducks.
its
it's
4. His fear of ____ being a very long season seemed contagious.
its
it's
________________________________________
there = 1. at or in that place; 2. toward, to, or into that place; 3. used in impersonal constructions in which the real subject follows the verb.
their = The possessive form of they.
they're = The contracted form of they are.
5. ______ are no excuses this time, Buddy!
There
Their
They're
6. I can't imagine where __________ going after the movie.
there
their
they're
7. It's ________ car, so let them decide where we're going.
there
their
they're
8. Wherever ________ are two or more firefighters in the same room, you know what they'll be talking about.
there
their
they're
9. Whatever ________ doing to this highway, it seems to be taking forever to finish.
there
their
they're
10. These students have a poor attendance record. I'm worried about ______ being absent during next week's exams.
there
their
they're
SUBJECT-VERB
AGREEMENT:
From the choices provided after each sentence select a word that would correctly complete the sentence.
1. There ____________ several reasons why you should reconsider your decision.
ARE
IS
2. Howard and Vincent, who ____________ a copy center in town, have decided to expand their business.
RUNS
RUN
3. Both of the statues on the shelf ____________ broken.
ARE
IS
4. The fishing boat that has been tied up at the pier for three days ____________ finally on its way this morning.
Remember that a subject and its verb are not always together.
WAS
WERE
5. The chairman, along with his two assistants, ____________ to attend the annual convention.
PLAN
PLANS
6. The issues of inflation and tax reform ____________ to be on everyone's mind.
CONTINUE
CONTINUES
7. Juan or Julian ____________ the conference room each week.
PREPARE
PREPARES
8. Not one of the performers ____________ at the party after the concert.
WERE
WAS
9. The results of the election ____________ not available for two days.
WERE
WAS
10. When there ____________ thunderstorms approaching, we are always reminded of the threat of tornadoes.
IS
ARE
SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT:
In the paragraph below, the words in BOLD may be incorrect. In the space immediately after each such word, indicate if they are correct (with a C) or incorrect (with an I).
Everyone who have 1. ever been to a gradution know 2. how exciting it can be for the graduates. In our town, nearly the whole population come 3. each year. There is 4. one thing that both graduates and guests enjoys: 5. the awarding of scholarships. This ceremony, along with the closing exercises, make 6. attending the graduation worthwhile. Several of the students who receives 7. awards plan 8. to attend the community college. Many former graduates is 9. grateful for opportunities that such an award provide 10. .
Instructions: For each question, choose the single best answer.
1. My best friend lives ______ Boretz Road.
a. in
b. on
c. at
2. I'll be ready to leave ____ about twenty minutes.
a. in
b. on
c. at
3. Since he met his new girlfriend, Juan never seems to be ______ home.
a. on
b. in
c. at
4. The child responded to his mother's demands ______ throwing a tantrum.
a. with
b. by
c. from
5. I think she spent the entire afternoon ______ the phone.
a. on
b. in
c. at
6. I will wait ______ 6:30, but then I'm going home.
a. from
b. at
c. until
. The police caught the thief _____ the corner of Cascade and Plum Streets.
a. in
b. at
c. from
8. My fingers were injured so my sister had to write the note _____ me.
a. for
b. with
c. to
9. I am not interested _____ buying a new car now.
a. to
b. for
c. in
10. What are the main ingredients ______ this casserole?
a. about
b. to
c. of
11. My best friend, John, is named ______ his great-grandfather.
a. after
b. to
c. about
12. Grandpa stayed up ______ two in the morning.
a. since
b. for
c. until
13. My parents have been married ______ forty-nine years.
a. since
b. for
c. until
14. He usually travels to Philadelphia _______ train.
a. by
b. at
c. with
15. You frequently see this kind of violence ____ television.
a. with
b. in
c. on
16. I told Mom we'd be home ______ an hour or so.
a. to
b. in
c. at
17. I was visiting my best friend _____ the hospital.
a. of
b. at
c. in
18. The professor _______ South Africa amazed the American students with her stories.
a. from
b. of
c. in
19. I'll see you ____ home when I get there.
a. in
b. by
c. at
20. It's been snowing ________ Christmas morning.
a. since
b. for
c. until
WRITING CONCISE
SENTENCES
Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell.
Whether it's a two-word quip or a 200-word bear, a sentence must be a lean, thinking machine. Here are some notes toward efficiency and conciseness in writing.
PRUNING THE REDUNDANT
Avoid saying the same thing twice.
• Many uneducated citizens who have never attended school continue to vote for better schools.
A phrase that repeats itself—like "true fact," "twelve noon," "I saw it with my own eyes”called a pleonasm.
Redundant phrases are bad habits just waiting to take control of your writing. Beware of the following.
Redundancy The Lean Version
12 midnight midnight
12 noon noon
3 am in the morning 3 am
absolutely spectacular/phenomenal spectacular/phenomenal
a person who is honest an honest person
a total of 14 birds 14 birds
biography of her life biography
circle around circle
close proximity proximity
completely unanimous unanimous
consensus of opinion consensus
cooperate together cooperate
each and every each
enclosed herewith enclosed
end result result
exactly the same the same
final completion completion
frank and honest exchange frank exchange or honest exchange
free gift gift
he/she is a person who . . . he/she
important/basic essentials essentials
in spite of the fact that although
in the field of economics/law enforcement in economics/law enforcement
in the event that if
job functions job or functions
new innovations innovations
one and the same the same
particular interest interest
period of four days four days
personally, I think/feel I think/feel
personal opinion opinion
puzzling in nature puzzling
refer back refer
repeat again repeat
return again return
revert back revert
shorter/longer in length shorter/longer
small/large in size small/large
square/round/rectangular in shape square/round/rectangular
summarize briefly summarize
surrounded on all sides surrounded
surrounding circumstances circumstances
the future to come the future
there is no doubt but that no doubt
usual/habitual custom custom
we are in receipt of we have received
Phrases You Can Omit
Be on the lookout for important sounding phrases that add nothing to the meaning of a sentence. Such phrases quickly put a reader on guard that the writer is trading in puffery; worse, they put a reader to sleep.
all things considered All things considered, Connecticut's woodlands are in better shape now than ever before.
All things considered, Connecticut's woodlands are in better shape now than ever before.
as a matter of fact As a matter of fact, there are more woodlands in Connecticut now than there were in 1898.
as a matter of fact, There are more woodlands in Connecticut now than there were in 1898.
as far as I'm concerned As far as I'm concerned, there is no need for further protection of woodlands.
As far as I'm concerned, there Further protection of woodlands is not needed.
at the present time This is because there are fewer farmers at the present time.
This is because there are fewer farmers now.
because of the fact that Woodlands have grown in area because of the fact that farmers have abandoned their fields.
Woodlands have grown in area because farmers have abandoned their fields.
by means of Major forest areas are coming back by means of natural processes.
Major forest areas are coming back through natural processes. (or naturally)
by virtue of the fact that Our woodlands are coming back by virtue of the fact that our economy has shifted its emphasis.
Our woodlands are coming back by virtue of the fact that because our economy has shifted its emphasis.
due to the fact that Due to the fact that their habitats are being restored, forest creatures are also re-establishing their population bases.
Due to the fact that Because their habitats are being restored, forest creatures are also re-establishing their population bases.
exists The fear that exists among many people that we are losing our woodlands is uncalled for.
The fear that exists among many people that we are losing our woodlands is uncalled for.
for all intents and purposes The era in which we must aggressively defend our woodlands has, for all intents and purposes, passed.
The era in which we must aggressively defend our woodlands has, for all intents and purposes, passed.
for the most part For the most part, people's suspicions are based on a misunderstanding of the facts.
For the most part, pPeople's suspicions are based on a misunderstanding of the facts.
for the purpose of Many woodlands, in fact, have been purchased for the purpose of creating public parks.
Many woodlands, in fact, have been purchased for the purpose of creating as public parks.
have a tendency to This policy has a tendency to isolate some communities.
This policy has a tendency tends to isolate some communities.
in a manner of speaking The policy has, in a manner of speaking, begun to Balkanize the more rural parts of our state.
The policy has, in a manner of speaking, begun to Balkanize the more rural parts of our state.
in a very real sense In a very real sense, this policy works to the detriment of those it is supposed to help.
In a very real sense, this This policy works to the detriment of those it is supposed to help.
in my opinion In my opinion, this wasteful policy ought to be revoked.
In my opinion, thisThis wasteful policy ought to be revoked.
in the case of In the case of this particular policy, citizens of northeast Connecticut became very upset.
Citizens of northeast Connecticut became very upset about his policy.
in the final analysis In the final analysis, the state would have been better off without such a policy.
In the final analysis, the The state would have been better off without such a policy.
in the event that In the event that enough people protest, it will probably be revoked.
If enough people protest, it will probably be revoked.
in the nature of Something in the nature of a repeal may soon take place.
Something in the nature of like a repeal may soon take place.
in the process of Legislators are already in the process of reviewing the statutes.
Legislators are already in the process of reviewing the statutes.
it seems that It seems that they can't wait to get rid of this one.
It seems that they They can't wait to get rid of this one.
manner They have monitored the activities of conservationists in a cautious manner.
They have cautiously monitored the activities of conservationists.
the point I am trying to make The point I am trying to make is that sometimes public policy doesn't accomplish what it set out to achieve.
The point I am trying to make is that some Sometimes public policy doesn't accomplish what it set out to achieve.
type of Legislators need to be more careful of the type of policy they propose.
Legislators need to be more careful of the type of policy they propose.
what I mean to say is What I mean to say is that well intentioned lawmakers sometimes make fools of themselves.
What I mean to say is that well Well intentioned lawmakers sometimes make fools of themselves.
Quiz
Rewrite the following sentences in the text-areas provided:
1. At this point in time we can't ascertain the reason as to why the screen door was left open.
2. My sister, who is employed as a nutritionist at the University of Michigan, recommends the daily intake of mega doses of Vitamin C.
4. It is to be hoped that we discover a means to create an absolutely proper and fitting tribute to Professor Espinoza.
5. There is a desire on the part of many of us to maintain a spring recess for the purpose of getting away from the demands of our studies.
6.Joe was an honest and hard working man. Basically, he never gave much consideration to sitting idly about, doing nothing constructive. (Rewrite as one sentence.)
7. What is your basic understanding of predestination?
8. At what point in time will a downturn in the stock market have a really serious effect on the social life of people as a whole?
9. I would call your attention to the fact that our President, who was formerly the Governor of Arkansas, is basically a Southerner.
10. There are millions of fans who desperately want Chiranjeevi to enter politics.
Prepositions:
Locators in
Time and Place Select from the followingGUIDE Home PageINDEXPrinciples of CompositionQUIZZESSentence Parts and Functions. . . . adjectives. . . . adverbs. . . . conjunctions. . . . determiners. . . . interjections. . . . nouns. . . . objects. . . . prepositions. . . . pronouns. . . . subjects. . . . verbsAbbreviationsArticles and DeterminersAuxiliary VerbsBw 2 Independent ClausesCapitalizationCases -- of pronounsClauses -- Essential Bldg BlocksCompositionCompound Nouns and ModifiersConcise SentencesConfusable WordsConfusion -- Sources, RemediesDiagramming SentencesEssay TypesFragmentsFrequently Asked QuestionsGrammarlogs -- answersGrammarPollItalics and UnderliningModifier PlacementObjects -- dir., indirectParagraph DevelopmentParallel StructuresPassive vs Active VoicePhrasesPlague Words & PhrasesPluralsPossessivesPrimer LanguagePronouns, Antcdnt AgrmntPUNCTUATION. . . . apostrophes. . . . brackets. . . . colons. . . . commas. . . . dashes. . . . ellipses. . . . exclamation marks. . . . hyphens. . . . parentheses. . . . periods. . . . question marks. . . . quotation marks. . . . semicolons. . . . slashesPowerpoint PresentationsRun-on SentencesSearch EngineSentence CombiningSentence Variety and TypesSpelling Rules and QuizzesSubjectsSubject-Verb AgreementTense SequenceTransitions, CoherenceUnbiased LanguageUsing Numbers, Making ListsVerbs and VerbalsVocabulary Builders A preposition describes a relationship between other words in a sentence. In itself, a word like "in" or "after" is rather meaningless and hard to define in mere words. For instance, when you do try to define a preposition like "in" or "between" or "on," you invariably use your hands to show how something is situated in relationship to something else. Prepositions are nearly always combined with other words in structures called prepositional phrases. Prepositional phrases can be made up of a million different words, but they tend to be built the same: a preposition followed by a determiner and an adjective or two, followed by a pronoun or noun (called the object of the preposition). This whole phrase, in turn, takes on a modifying role, acting as an adjective or an adverb, locating something in time and space, modifying a noun, or telling when or where or under what conditions something happened.
Consider the professor's desk and all the prepositional phrases we can use while talking about it.
You can sit before the desk (or in front of the desk). The professor can sit on the desk (when he's being informal) or behind the desk, and then his feet are under the desk or beneath the desk. He can stand beside the desk (meaning next to the desk), before the desk, between the desk and you, or even on the desk (if he's really strange). If he's clumsy, he can bump into the desk or try to walk through the desk (and stuff would fall off the desk). Passing his hands over the desk or resting his elbows upon the desk, he often looks across the desk and speaks of the desk or concerning the desk as if there were nothing else like the desk. Because he thinks of nothing except the desk, sometimes you wonder about the desk, what's in the desk, what he paid for the desk, and if he could live without the desk. You can walk toward the desk, to the desk, around the desk, by the desk, and even past the desk while he sits at the desk or leans against the desk.
All of this happens, of course, in time: during the class, before the class, until the class, throughout the class, after the class, etc. And the professor can sit there in a bad mood [another adverbial construction].
Those words in bold blue font are all prepositions. Some prepositions do other things besides locate in space or time — "My brother is like my father." "Everyone in the class except me got the answer." — but nearly all of them modify in one way or another. It is possible for a preposition phrase to act as a noun — "During a church service is not a good time to discuss picnic plans" or "In the South Pacific is where I long to be" — but this is seldom appropriate in formal or academic writing.
Click HERE for a list of common prepositions that will be easy to print out.
You may have learned that ending a sentence with a preposition is a serious breach of grammatical etiquette. It doesn't take a grammarian to spot a sentence-ending preposition, so this is an easy rule to get caught up on (!). Although it is often easy to remedy the offending preposition, sometimes it isn't, and repair efforts sometimes result in a clumsy sentence. "Indicate the book you are quoting from" is not greatly improved with "Indicate from which book you are quoting."
Based on shaky historical precedent, the rule itself is a latecomer to the rules of writing. Those who dislike the rule are fond of recalling Churchill's rejoinder: "That is nonsense up with which I shall not put." We should also remember the child's complaint: "What did you bring that book that I don't like to be read to out of up for?"
Is it any wonder that prepositions create such troubles for students for whom English is a second language? We say we are at the hospital to visit a friend who is in the hospital. We lie in bed but on the couch. We watch a film at the theater but on television. For native speakers, these little words present little difficulty, but try to learn another language, any other language, and you will quickly discover that prepositions are troublesome wherever you live and learn. This page contains some interesting (sometimes troublesome) prepositions with brief usage notes. To address all the potential difficulties with prepositions in idiomatic usage would require volumes, and the only way English language learners can begin to master the intricacies of preposition usage is through practice and paying close attention to speech and the written word. Keeping a good dictionary close at hand (to hand?) is an important first step.
Prepositions of Time: at, on, and in
We use at to designate specific times.
The train is due at 12:15 p.m.
We use on to designate days and dates.
My brother is coming on Monday.
We're having a party on the Fourth of July.
We use in for nonspecific times during a day, a month, a season, or a year.
She likes to jog in the morning.
It's too cold in winter to run outside.
He started the job in 1971.
He's going to quit in August.
Prepositions of Place: at, on, and in
We use at for specific addresses.
Grammar English lives at 55 Boretz Road in Durham.
We use on to designate names of streets, avenues, etc.
Her house is on Boretz Road.
And we use in for the names of land-areas (towns, counties, states, countries, and continents).
She lives in Durham.
Durham is in Windham County.
Windham County is in Connecticut.
Prepositions of Location: in, at, and on
and No Preposition
IN
(the) bed*
the bedroom
the car
(the) class*
the library*
school*
AT
class*
home
the library*
the office
school*
work
ON
the bed*
the ceiling
the floor
the horse
the plane
the train
NO PREPOSITION
downstairs
downtown
inside
outside
upstairs
uptown
* You may sometimes use different prepositions for these locations.
Prepositions of Movement: to
and No Preposition
We use to in order to express movement toward a place.
They were driving to work together.
She's going to the dentist's office this morning.
Toward and towards are also helpful prepositions to express movement. These are simply variant spellings of the same word; use whichever sounds better to you.
We're moving toward the light.
This is a big step towards the project's completion.
With the words home, downtown, uptown, inside, outside, downstairs, upstairs, we use no preposition.
Grandma went upstairs
Grandpa went home.
They both went outside.
Prepositions of Time: for and since
We use for when we measure time (seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, years).
He held his breath for seven minutes.
She's lived there for seven years.
The British and Irish have been quarreling for seven centuries.
We use since with a specific date or time.
He's worked here since 1970.
She's been sitting in the waiting room since two-thirty.
Prepositions with Nouns, Adjectives, and Verbs.
Prepositions are sometimes so firmly wedded to other words that they have practically become one word. (In fact, in other languages, such as German, they would have become one word.) This occurs in three categories: nouns, adjectives, and verbs.
NOUNS and PREPOSITIONS
approval of
awareness of
belief in
concern for
confusion about
desire for
fondness for
grasp of
hatred of
hope for
interest in
love of
need for
participation in
reason for
respect for
success in
understanding of
ADJECTIVES and PREPOSITIONS
afraid of
angry at
aware of
capable of
careless about
familiar with
fond of
happy about
interested in
jealous of
made of
married to
proud of
similar to
sorry for
sure of
tired of
worried about
VERBS and PREPOSITIONS
apologize for
ask about
ask for
belong to
bring up
care for
find out
give up
grow up
look for
look forward to
look up
make up
pay for
prepare for
study for
talk about
think about
trust in
work for
worry about
A combination of verb and preposition is called a phrasal verb. The word that is joined to the verb is then called a particle. Please refer to the brief section we have prepared on phrasal verbs for an explanation.
Idiomatic Expressions with Prepositions
agree to a proposal, with a person, on a price, in principle
argue about a matter, with a person, for or against a proposition
compare to to show likenesses, with to show differences (sometimes similarities)
correspond to a thing, with a person
differ from an unlike thing, with a person
live at an address, in a house or city, on a street, with other people
Unnecessary Prepositions
In everyday speech, we fall into some bad habits, using prepositions where they are not necessary. It would be a good idea to eliminate these words altogether, but we must be especially careful not to use them in formal, academic prose.
She met up with the new coach in the hallway.
The book fell off of the desk.
He threw the book out of the window.
She wouldn't let the cat inside of the house. [or use "in"]
Where did they go to?
Put the lamp in back of the couch. [use "behind" instead]
Where is your college at?
Prepositions in Parallel Form
(Click HERE for a definition and discussion of parallelism.) When two words or phrases are used in parallel and require the same preposition to be idiomatically correct, the preposition does not have to be used twice.
You can wear that outfit in summer and in winter.
The female was both attracted by and distracted by the male's dance.
However, when the idiomatic use of phrases calls for different prepositions, we must be careful not to omit one of them.
The children were interested in and disgusted by the movie.
It was clear that this player could both contribute to and learn from every game he played.
He was fascinated by and enamored of this beguiling woman.
Recognizing Prepositions
Quiz on Prepositions
Prepositions at the Crossword
Prepositions at the Crossword II
Prepositions at the Crossword III
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Guide to Grammar
and Writing Principles of
Composition Index
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1
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
2
INTRODUCTION
Communication is your door to success.
Communication is one of the most talked about yet least understood areas of human behavior.
Yet, we have been communicating with each other since the very dawn of our history. Our
ability to communicate in a variety of ways is unique on earth to us humans.
However, effective communication is rarely taught and even more
rarely learned. When we are young, we are taught the well known “3
R’s” – Reading (W)riting and (A)rithmetic and then progress to other
areas and subjects – but what about the art of effective
communication?
How do you make sure that you are passing on the message you intend, to ensure that what you
mean is being correctly understood, how do you use means other than words to express
yourself, accentuate meaning and in turn how to comprehend and interpret correctly what
others are communicating to you.
Communication skills are more important than any other for, if we cannot express ourselves
adequately, how can we impart and absorb information and knowledge? Superior
communication skills are unquestionably important to living a life by design and vital to success
in the business world.
Even people who do not possess the ability to speak can be wonderful communicators - the loss
of one or two senses can impair particular dimensions of communications, but it certainly does
not stop communication altogether.
Interpersonal communication is the exchange of any information
between people. Being social beings, we communicate with each
other whenever we get together whether it involves passing on
important data or letting others know what we think and feel. All of
us have an inherent need to communicate and we do so even when we
have nothing or little to say.
When we are with our family, friends or colleagues we spend most if not all our time
communicating with each other. Even when we are with strangers we will communicate with
them if we are brought together by circumstances such as on a train journey, waiting in a long
queue or at a public gathering.
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This kind of interpersonal communication also occurs constantly at
any workplace and is an integral part of any business. The way
colleagues communicate with each other directly impacts on any
business. Your approach and feelings towards your business, towards
your colleagues and your job itself, are made evident through
communications.
Thus, while communications may not specifically be a part of a
business plan, interpersonal communication always has a direct and
major effect on its success or failure. Business environments where
anger, heated words and irritation with others is common, people are
never going to be effective or productive. On the other hand, if
constant joking, and having a riotous good time is commonplace, the
effect will be the same.
Both these are extremes and both will adversely affect performance, cause chaos and
ultimately failure. A balance between these two extremes is what is best; performance levels
are optimized when people have high comfort levels when interacting with their colleagues,
knowing that messages sent and received are being correctly and objectively interpreted.
BASIC COMPONENTS OF COMMUNICATION
Interpersonal communication includes the following elements:
A sender or transmitter: Someone who sends a message verbally or non-verbally to someone
else.
A receiver: Someone who receives a message from another person.
A message: Information in some form.
Feedback: Both the sender and receiver constantly elicit verbal and nonverbal feedback to the
other person.
Replication: The duplication of understanding in one person that is in the mind of another
person. Replication is the desired goal of interpersonal communication.
Understanding: An approximation of what the message means to the sender after being
received from the receiver.
Noise: Anything that interferes or causes the distortion, or deletion of the replication of
information being transmitted from the mind of the transmitter to the mind of the receiver.
Excellent communication is the ability to transmit a message by the
sender to a receiver and have that message replicated in the
receiver's mind. Excellent communication is the ability to receive a
transmitted message and have the receiver be able to replicate the
form and intent of the message.
If the receiver is uncertain about some aspect of a communication, it is the responsibility of
the receiver to clarify the communication through the artful use of questions. Similarly, it is
also up to the sender to ensure that the receiver is digesting the message, as intended i.e.
what the sender thinks and means is what the receiver receives. This means the transmitter
must be certain to code a communication so it is received in a manner that is understandable
to the receiver.
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The Art of Communication
Few people would argue with the fact that skillful communication is one of the most critical
success factors in both business and personal life. However, it is much more than just a means
to an end. Communication is one of the most creative, beautiful and rich art forms that a
human being can aspire to master.
Becoming proficient in the art of Communication doesn’t require us to set aside large chunks of
time each day, or clear out some special physical space in order to engage in it. All that is
required besides your everyday communication situations, are a sincere effort to practice a few
skills, some reliable feedback, and most importantly, your sustained attention and awareness.
Think about the tremendous variety of communication situations you face. Which are most
difficult for you? Delivering a powerful and persuasive business presentation? Leaving a
succinct voice mail message? Negotiating a contentious issue with your boss without letting
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counterproductive emotions dominate? Persuading another that the view they have held to
date is erroneous and to accept another viewpoint through logic and rationale?
At the most basic level, there are 2 core elements at play in all of these situations and you
need to apply and adjust these in appropriate ways to be effective.
1. Elements of speaking:
Body Language - eye contact, posture, gestures, expressions
Speech: Content, voice quality, clarity, structure
Manner: directness, sincerity, energy, sensitivity, rapport, focus
Sub-elements or offshoots:
Visual aids, imagery, animation
Self-concept and concept of others
Speaking from the heart
Timing, rhythm and pacing
Silence
2. Elements of Listening:
Attentiveness (eye contact, being awake, aware and interested)
‘Listening’ to non-verbal elements
Openness
Sub-elements or offshoots:
Expectations about person speaking, about their message, about their agenda
Listening to yourself
Feedback
Change in pattern
There is much discussion and argument about the proportional importance of different
elements.
Some experts maintain that non-verbal factors account for as much as
75% of all communication! Another school of thought puts this at 7%
for actual words themselves, 38% for vocal elements of tone, pitch
and modulation and 55% for non-verbal clues.
Whichever way you look at it, non-verbal factors account for the
major portion of communications.
Improving communications requires first that we understand that communication is rarely
perfect or clear by itself. We must learn to listen better and speak more clearly. We must also
check whether our message is delivered correctly and whether we have heard a message
clearly.
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LISTENING SKILLS
The major barriers to mutual interpersonal communication is our very tendency to judge,
evaluate, approve or disapprove, the statement of the other person, or the other group. Real
communication occurs when we listen with understanding - to see the idea and attitude from
the other person's point of view, to sense how it feels to them, to achieve their frame of
reference in regard to whatever they are talking about.
Listening is not the same as hearing.
Hearing is using your ears to acknowledge the sound of something. Listening means
understanding from the perspective of the speaker.
Thus effective listening is the ability to distance yourself form your own preconceived notions
or beliefs for a while and to listen purely objectively to what the other person is
communicating.
Here’s another way of looking at it – listening involves the use of tact. Developing tactful
habits will stand you in very good stead.
T = Think before you speak
A = Apologize quickly when you blunder
C = Converse, don't compete
T = Time your comments
F = Focus on behavior - not on personality
U = Uncover hidden feelings
L = Listen for feedback
Other DO’s and DON'Ts to Accompany T-A-C-T-F-U-L Strategies:
DO be direct, courteous and calm
DON'T be rude and pushy
DO spare others your unsolicited advice
DON'T be patronizing, superior or sarcastic
DO acknowledge that what works for you may not work for others
DON'T make personal attacks or insinuations
DO say the main points first, then offer more details if necessary
DON'T expect others to follow your advice or always agree with you
DO listen for hidden feelings
DON'T suggest changes that a person cannot easily make.
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Could You Just Listen?
When I ask you to listen to me and you start giving me advice,
you have not done what I asked.
When I ask you to listen to me and you begin to tell me why I shouldn't feel that way,
you are trampling on my feelings.
When I ask you to listen to me and you feel you have to do something to solve my problem,
you have failed me, strange, as that may seem.
Listen! All I asked was that you listen, not talk or do - just hear me.
Advice is cheap; a rupee’s postage stamp will get you advise from expert newspaper
columnists.
I can do this for myself; I'm not helpless - maybe discouraged and faltering, but not helpless.
When you do something for me that I can and need to do for myself,
you contribute to my fear and inadequacy.
But when you accept as a simple fact that I do feel what I feel, no matter how irrational,
then I can quit trying to convince you and can get about the business of understanding what's
behind this irrational feeling.
When that's clear, the answers are obvious and I don't need advice.
Irrational feelings make more sense when we understand what's behind them.
Perhaps that's why prayer works, sometimes, for some people - because God is mute, and
He/She doesn't give advice or try to fix things.
"They" just listen and let you work it out for yourself.
So, please listen and just hear me.
And if you want to talk, wait a minute for your turn - and I'll listen to you.
. . . Author Unknown
Really good listeners make others feel special. When you make others feel special, they
will feel that you are special.
More than a century ago, a young woman who had dined with both William Gladstone and
Benjamin Disraeli (Prime Ministers of Britain), explained why she preferred Disraeli: "When I
dined with Mr. Gladstone I felt as though he was the smartest man in England. But when I
dined with Mr. Disraeli, I felt as though I was the smartest woman in England."
We are all familiar with the scene of the child standing in front of his
father, just bursting to tell him what happened in school that day.
Unfortunately, dad is snoozing or has the paper in front of his face
and even when he drops the paper down half-way, it is visibly
apparent that he is not really listening.
One child solved the problem of getting father to listen from behind
his protective paper wall. Her solution was to say, `Move your face,
dad, when I'm talking to you.'' This simple solution will force even the
poorest listener to adopt effective listening skills because it captures
the essence of good listening.
Show that you are Listening
A crucial skill that you can practice to be a good listener is, act like
a good listener. We have spent a good deal of our lives working at
tuning out the information that is thrust at us. It therefore
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becomes imperative to change our physical body language from that
of a deflector to that of a receiver, much like a satellite dish. Our
faces contain most of the receptive equipment in our bodies, so it is
only natural that we should tilt our faces towards the channel of
information.
A second skill is to use the other bodily receptors besides your ears.
You can be a better listener when you look at the other person.
Your eyes pick up the non-verbal signals that all people send out
when they are speaking. By looking at the speaker, your eyes will
also complete the eye contact that speakers are trying to make. A
speaker will work harder at sending out the information when they
see a receptive audience in attendance. Your eyes help complete
the communication circuit that must be established between
speaker and listener.
When you have established eye and face contact with your speaker, you must then react to the
speaker by sending out non-verbal signals. Your face must move and give the range of
emotions that indicate whether you are following what the speaker has to say. By moving your
face to the information, you can better concentrate on what the person is saying. Your face
must become an active and contoured catcher of information.
It is extremely difficult to receive information when your mouth is moving information out at
the same time. A good listener will stop talking and use receptive language instead. Use
words (even non-words) like ‘I see’ . . . ‘uh huh’ . . . ‘oh really’ - words and phrases that
follow and encourage your speaker's train of thought. This enables you to react to the ideas
presented, rather than the person. You can then move to asking questions, instead of giving
your opinion on the information being presented. It is a true listening skill to use your mouth
as a moving receptor of information rather than a broadcaster.
A final skill is to move your mind to concentrate on what the speaker is saying. You cannot
fully hear their point of view or process information when you argue mentally or judge what
they are saying before they have finished. An open mind is a mind that is receiving and
listening to information.
If you really want to listen, you will act like a good listener. Good listeners are good catchers
because they give their speakers a target and then move that target to capture the information
that is being sent. When good listeners don’t understand their speakers, they will send signals
to the speaker about what they expect next, or how the speaker can change the speed of
information delivery to suit the listener. Above all, a good listener involves all of their face to
be an active moving listener.
Things to Remember
If you are really listening intently, you should feel tired after your speaker has finished.
Effective listening is an active rather than a passive activity.
When you find yourself drifting away during a listening session, change your body position and
concentrate on using one of the above skills. Once one of the skills is being used, the other
active skills will come into place as well. Your body position defines whether you will have the
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chance of being a good listener or a good deflector. Good listeners are like poor boxers: they
lead with their faces.
The speaker cannot just transmit meaning as a tangible substance. It must also be stimulated
or aroused in the receiver. The receiver must therefore be an active participant for the cycle
of communication to be complete.
Listen with your ears
Listen with your eyes
Listen with your mind
Listen with your heart
Listen with your gut!
Easy listening is a style of music, not communication
50 Reasons for better listening
1. To learn some thing
2. To be entertained
3. To understand a situation
4. To get information
5. To be courteous
6. To be responsible
7. To prevent accidents
8. To be a team player
9. To ask intelligent questions
10. To improve confidence
11. To protect freedom
12. To find out people’s needs
13. To negotiate
14. To be valued and trusted
15. To use money wisely
16. To be more efficient/productive
17. To evaluate accurately
18. To make comparisons
19. To share in your children’s lives
20. To analyze the speaker’s purpose
21. To be liked by others
22. To get the best value
23. To improve self – discipline
24. To build relationships
25. To solve problems
26. To show compassion
27. To satisfy curiosity
28. To be safe
29. To be a good lover
30. To make intelligent decisions
31. To prevent waste
32. To make money
33. To avoid embarrassment
34. To stay out of trouble
35. To save time
36. To be an informed customer
37. To be a supportive friend
38. To give an appropriate response
39. To enjoy the sounds of nature
40. To create “Win-Win” situations
41. To control distractions
42. To increase concentration
43. To improve your vocabulary
44. To stay healthy
45. To be prepared for sudden change
46. To be a better family member
47. To settle disagreements
48. To maintain a flexible attitude
49. To improve your personality
50. To use the gift of hearing
A WORD ON POSTURE
Posture is the position of the parts of your body in relation to each other. Your posture
constantly changes depending on the activity; but no matter what you are doing, there is a way
of holding and moving your body that is balanced and efficient.
This way is called good posture.
Your posture is second nature to you, a taken-for-granted habit. If you
have poor posture, others are probably more aware of it than you are;
they may think you are lazy or lacking in self-esteem. You may be
aware only of chronic fatigue, headaches or backaches, which can stem
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from poor posture.
Poor posture also causes muscular strain, particularly of the spinal
muscles and therefore wastes energy. It may cause crowding of the
heart, lungs and abdominal organs causing impaired function. It
produces uneven stress on spinal joints and discs and may cause
permanent damage.
When postural habits are good, you can work and play longer without
fatigue because your muscles work more efficiently. Your spine has a
chance to develop normally and your internal organs function better.
You look healthier and happier; your clothes fit better; and you make a
better impression on others.
The Lower Back: When you stand, your lower back should curve slightly. This curve helps to
distribute your weight properly through the spine and pelvis. The discs located between each
of the vertebrae act as shock absorbers. Excessive pressure within the discs may, when sitting,
cause damage, but this can be avoided through proper posture.
Stand Tall: The knees should be straight but not locked, stomach flat, ribs raised, shoulders
and head erect. Pretend you are balancing a book on your head. Your weight should be evenly
distributed on both legs.
Walk tall: Walk tall with your feet pointing straight ahead. Your arms should swing freely
from your sides. Look straight ahead; never down.
Sit Tall: As you sit, your pelvis rotates and the curve of your lower back is flattened. Good
seats and proper sitting posture help reduce this effect and ease the pressure on the discs. Sit
tall with both feet flat on the floor, your whole back against the chair back, and your head
erect. Your weight should be evenly distributed on both buttocks.
Good Seats and How to use them...
At home: Make sure your back is supported comfortably. Use arm rests if available. If you are
sitting for long periods, shift your position from time to time.
At work: Avoid hunching forward. If using a stool, place it close to your work surface, so as to
rest your arms comfortably. Also use the height adjustment if available to assure comfortable
positioning.
While driving: Move the seat far enough forward to allow knees and elbows to be slightly bent
as you reach for the steering wheel and pedals. Use added low back supports if needed and
available.
Avoid:
• Using straight back chairs with no low back support;
• Slouching while driving;
• Using soft seats, such as sofas;
• Using flat stools with hard surfaces and no height adjustments;
• Reaching for your work; instead move your stool close enough to the work surface to
allow comfortable positioning;
• Placing your seat too far back or forward;
• Using flat seat backs unless a supportive cushion can be used.
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Sleeping
Sleep on your side or back. Do not sleep on your stomach as this will
aggravate "sway back" and forcibly turn the head to one side. Your
pillow should be just high enough to keep your head in line with the
rest of your spine. The mattress should be soft enough to fit the
normal curves of the body, yet firm enough not to sag generally.
BODY LANGUAGE
The Language Everybody Speaks
Often body language is more important than getting the content of the message across. In a
sense we can think of this as communication about communication, as it does not involve any
spoken words and deals with a more basic form of conveying meaning.
Body language is as old as the human race itself.
Words are inadequate
When we connect with a person, we also have to make it clear to each other how the content
of a spoken message needs to be interpreted. How we do this says something about the
relationship we have with the other person. Often words are inadequate for this purpose. For
instance we do not easily tell each other what we feel for each other. Or how the words of a
message need to be interpreted. To make the meaning of our words clear we use body
language. Body language is a language without spoken words and is therefore called non-verbal
communication. We use body language all the time, for instance looking someone in the eyes
means something different than not looking someone in the eyes. In contact with others it is
just impossible to be not communicating something unconsciously.
Usually body language occurs unconsciously. Yet the body language we use accounts for a
crucial part of the quality of our communication. It follows therefore that it would be good to
become conscious of our own and others' body language. We can learn to use our body
language for a purpose as well as to learn to understand and interpret the body language of
others. How we can interpret body language depends on the situation, the culture, the
relationship we have with the person as well as the gender of the other.
Body language is also interlinked with spoken language and a whole
pattern of behavior from a person. Besides, various body language
signs can complement each other to make a particular meaning
crystal clear or strengthen the meaning of what we communicate.
Some groups have developed a whole specific body language which
can be very explicit in it’s meaning and gets used to ‘converse’ where
the use of words may otherwise be difficult or dangerous, such as
soldiers during war, prisoners, etc.
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Used to express feelings
Body language is especially used to express feelings. For instance if
we do not like someone, we may not say that directly to the person.
However by way of body language we will make it clear intentionally
or unintentionally. The opposite is also true. We may say we ARE
angry with words and our body language may be saying loud and clear
that we are NOT. This can be very confusing for the receiver.
This is giving off contradictory messages - one message in words and an opposite message in
body language. It is also hard to lie or to cover up our feelings in body language. People who
are unconscious about their body language will give themselves away by it. It has been
researched that most people pay more attention and believe their impression of a person more
by what they see in body language than what someone says with words. As a consequence we
tend to doubt or put question marks behind the spoken words if they do not connect with the
language of the body.
The importance of knowing our ways of communication
How we come across to someone is only decided for a small part by the words we speak. To
leave a good impression, say at a job interview, it is important that we know and to a certain
extent, can control our body language. The receiver of our body language message will have a
feeling or impression that is often hard to describe. It is hard to put in words or hard to prove
what actually was communicated.
We all have said at times: 'I have a feeling he/she doesn’t like me.' Or something like: 'I doubt
whether what he/she says is the truth of the matter.' This kind of feeling is called intuition.
Body language plays a big role in intuition as it gives us messages about the other person that
we interpret at an intuitive level. It is therefore necessary to get to know our own body
language first. Learn about it so that we can recognize it by others as well as by ourselves.
Posture
We can tell something about a person when we notice his or her
body posture, the way people hold themselves gives important
information. For instance a lot of people feeling down or
depressed, will convey that information by the way they hold their
shoulders. Not only do we see it in their body posture, shoulders
sagging and head down, but also in the way they have very little
eye contact. They say to the world in fact that they are not
interested in their environment or the people in it.
Compare that to someone who walks and sits straight and looks at the world and immediately
you will have another impression of how this person is feeling. Our body posture often reflects
quite well how we feel. Try walking upright and looking around next time when you are feeling
a bit low and you will notice that such a simple thing already influences your mood positively.
Interest and Respect
Another feeling we can communicate with our body posture is one of interest and respect for
someone else. Turning your body towards someone when they are talking to you indicates that
you are interested in hearing what they have to say. It is an act of friendliness and respect and
often rewards itself when you get it back from the other person. A small effort in this way can
make the difference between being accepted by others or not.
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Closed or open
A body posture can be closed or open. Someone who does not feel
too comfortable when they are with someone else will often assume a
closed position. He or she will possibly have crossed arms or legs or
will hold an object such as a bag in front. The bag as well as the
crossed arms and legs provide a bit of a barrier and protection for
feeling vulnerable.
Trust has a lot to do with it and it is often natural to begin contact with someone you do not
know with a bit of a closed body position until you have established some level of trust and
comfort that goes with that. And trust gets established by our body language interactions as
well as what we say.
Movement
We are often not conscious of the kind of body language signals we send out, yet unconsciously
we are able to interpret the body language of others. We rely on our intuitive feelings with this
process of interpreting. Movement also belongs in body language. All movements, in our face,
with our head, our legs, our feet and all body parts, our gestures, combine to make our body
language congruent. Gestures, combinations of a series of smaller body movements, can be
learned.
Take for instance the gesture when we want to say OK: our thumb and
index finger make a circle and our other fingers stretch upwards,
while our facial expression compliments what we are signing with this
signal. It is often funny how young children learn these signals and do
not always get them right. It can also be funny, as well as cause
difficulties, when a gesture means one thing in one culture and
another thing in another culture. So pay attention when and where
you use them.
These kind of gestures have of course nothing to do with the learned sign language of deaf
people, even though that language is made up out of series of gestures. Some of the principals
of body language do not apply in the same way for deaf people when they are sign-talking.
EXAMPLES OF BODY LANGUAGE AND THE MEANINGS THEY CONVEY
NONVERBAL BEHAVIOR INTERPRETATION
Brisk, erect walk Confidence
Standing with hands on hips Readiness, aggression
Sitting with legs crossed, foot kicking
slightly
Boredom
Arms crossed on chest Defensiveness
Walking with hands in pockets, shoulders
hunched
Dejection
Hand to cheek Evaluation, thinking
Touching, slightly rubbing nose Rejection, doubt, lying
Rubbing the eye Doubt, disbelief
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Hands clasped behind back
Anger, frustration,
apprehension
Locked ankles Apprehension
Head resting in hand, eyes downcast Boredom
Rubbing hands Anticipation
Sitting with hands clasped behind head,
legs crossed
Confidence, superiority
Open palm
Sincerity, openness,
innocence
Pinching bridge of nose, eyes closed Negative evaluation
Tapping or drumming fingers Impatience
Steepling fingers Authoritative
Patting/fondling hair
Lack of self-confidence;
insecurity
Tilted head Interest
Stroking chin Trying to make a decision
Looking down, face turned away Disbelief
Biting nails Insecurity, nervousness
Pulling or tugging at ear Indecision
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3 BASICS FOR MEETING PEOPLE IN BUSINESS ENVIRONMENTS
1. A genuine smile
2. Proper eye contact
3. A handshake
A comfortable, genuine smile and direct eye contact should always accompany a firm
handshake.
The Smile
• Amongst the most recognized and remembered characteristic of
a person is their smile. Professional success is often attributed
to appearance, yet many people attempting to advance
themselves, do not pay attention to their smile, which is of
vital importance and instrumental in forming that crucial first
impression.
• Billions are spent on clothes, cosmetics and allied products in
an attempt to make us look more attractive and professional,
be more competitive, feel better and become more successful.
In fact, all have no bearing and cannot really alter the most
characteristic we most value – a genuine, open, welcoming
smile.
• A healthy, comfortable and genuine smile is one of the
cornerstones for ensuring and projecting optimal selfconfidence.
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Eye Contact
Of all the ways we communicate with people, eye contact is the most powerful. How we look
at other people, meet their gaze and look away can make all the difference between an
effective encounter and one that leads to embarrassment or even rejection. Whether it's an
interested look, hostile stare, nervous glance, prolonged look or a refusal to look altogether,
the way we make eye contact reveals our interest, or lack of, in the other person and the
situation.
• Looking at people and making eye contact are the first steps
toward striking up relationships and making positive
impressions.
• Making eye contact for too long a duration can be seen as
threatening.
• Failing to look at others causes suspicion as to what feelings
or thoughts are being hidden.
• The ability to look someone in the eye is directly related
to honesty.
• Refusing to make eye contact also sends messages of
arrogance and contempt – this tells the other person that
they are insignificant or uninteresting - a non-person.
There are some subtle rules to eye contact and the normal “looking time” differs in various
settings and circumstances. For instance, in an elevator, on a bus or train, or as a pedestrian
on the street, eye contact can be made, but should be broken immediately, for if you do not
know someone, any glance longer than a brief one will become a sign of rudeness or
unwarranted inquisitiveness. In general conversation, you can make eye contact for a few
seconds at a time before breaking it. And in public speaking situations, glances of even longer
duration are vital to getting your message across.
In a normal conversation between two people, eye contact plays an important role as an
indicator of taking turns to speak. To start a conversation with someone, you need to first
establish eye contact. If that person returns your eye contact and looks back, "permission" has
been granted to begin speaking.
As a speaker in a conversation, you look intermittently look away
from the listener glancing back to check that what you are saying is
being understood and digested. If you're speaking to a group, eye
contact should be maintained with all sets of eyes to check that you
are maintaining their interest.
As a listener, you look at the speaker with greater consistency to
show your responsiveness and interest. Listeners typically look at
the speaker about 75% of the time in glances lasting from one to ten
seconds. If you want to make a verbal contribution, it's important
that you re-establish eye contact with the speaker.
In conversations with a group of people, you have to signal to the others that you want to
speak. If people do not notice, a shift in your position will help focus attention towards you. In
public speaking situations, skilled speakers look directly at their audience when they want to
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emphasize a point or display conviction. At other times, they sweep with audience with their
eyes taking a few seconds to "click" with each set of eyes. Their goal is to appear as though
they are having a mini-conversation with each member of the audience.
The basic components of eye behavior are easy to master, once you know how they work. It is
important not to make eye contact look deliberate or controlled. The goal is always to use
your eyes in a relaxed way so that you make others feel comfortable.
Handshakes
Handshakes are universal. Employed all over the world, they have become the truly
international form of greeting. Historians and academics even keep a record of famous
handshakes as milestones in our history and indeed there are some famous handshakes that are
watched and celebrated by countless people and pass into the history books as epoch making.
Some such renowned handshakes have even become part of folklore such as Dr. Stanley
meeting Dr. Livingston in a remote uncharted part of Africa after seeking him out for ages,
followed by the words “Dr. Livingston I presume?” a line that has become a household quote
for posterity. In Africa, at Ujiji, now in Tanzania, at the place where they met, a statue has
even been erected depicting this famous meeting by portraying the two of them shaking hands.
In the more recent past some of the famous handshakes marking a watershed in history have
been President Nixon and Premier Zhou-Enlai, Presidents Reagan and Gorbachov signaling
glasnost and early this year, President Musharraf offering his hand to Prime Minister Vajpayee,
a handshake which was on the front page of newspapers worldwide.
Left: The first handshake by a
US President on Chinese soil -
President Nixon and Premier
Zhou-Enlai at Beijing Airport,
February 21st 1976.
Right: President Musharraf’s
famous, unexpected ‘hand of
conciliation’ offered to Prime
Minister Vajpayee, at the
SAARC Submit Katmandu,
January 2002.
Handshakes are critical in forming first and lasting impressions. In business, the handshake
is the correct manner of introduction and is the only accepted form of physical contact for
both men and women.
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Proper Handshakes
• Always come with eye contact and a smile.
• Are always with the right hand.
• Are always firm but never painful.
• Last for 2 to 3 seconds.
• Take only 2 or 3 “pumps”.
• Begin and end crisply.
• Do not continue through the full introduction.
• Are always with the hand held upright – your hand should never be either below or above
the other’s as these convey submissiveness or dominance.
Important Note for Gents: In India, when you meet a lady you do not extend your hand
immediately for a handshake, but wait for the lady to offer her hand first. If she does, you
can respond with yours but you must wait for her to do so first, as all ladies are not
comfortable with this and many prefer no touch or contact when meeting others. While this
may not apply to all cultures it is of great importance in India. Please be very aware of this.
However, in other cultures especially in USA and UK, the only correct protocol is to practice
gender-neutral etiquette. In other words both ladies and gents are treated in the same
manner. Giving any preferential treatment to someone solely because of their gender is
considered to be chauvinist and condescending and people can take serious offence at such
behavior.
Being Gender-neutral
1. Shake hands with everyone - men and women - the same way. The
one hand, straight up-and-down handshake is the most effective
and professional.
2. Women should stand when introduced, as men do, in a one-on-one
encounter or meeting environment.
3. Use your full name when introducing yourself. Don’t say "Ajay in
networking." Full names give you more credibility and identity as a
professional.
4. It is proper to address women as "Ms." in a spoken or written
communication. The woman may then advise you to say "Mrs." or
"Miss" if she prefers it.
5. Introduce people in business based on rank, not gender.
6. Avoid touching people, beyond the one-hand professional
handshake.
7. Avoid showing too much skin in any business-related situation,
whether it is dress-down day or the company cocktail party. Short
shorts, sleeveless shirts, tank tops, sandal-like shoes or open backs
are not appropriate for business-related environments.
8. People open doors for people, not necessarily men opening doors for women. If someone
opens a door for you, however, you should not protest this act of politeness.
9. The host of a business lunch, the one who did the inviting, pays for lunch regardless of
gender.
10. Avoid saying "Dear", "Buddy", and "Mate" to people in the work environment and over the
telephone.
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Never Ever:
• Offer a limp hand with no pressure - this conveys a lack of interest/confidence and is
perceived to be “slimy”.
• Keep your hand still when shaking - you must “pump” the other persons hand 2 or 3
times.
• Use too much force - only enough to be firm and warm.
• Allow your hand to be below the other person’s while pumping - this conveys that you
are submissive.
• Allow your hand to be above the other person’s while pumping – this conveys that you
are dominant.
• Keep pumping a person’s hand throughout the introductions – never use more than 2 or
3 pumps.
• Offer your hand for a handshake if it is wet or dirty. Excuse yourself from shaking
hands and explain the reason why.
• Ignore an outstretched hand offered for you to shake – this is insulting to the other
person.
When to shake hands
When:
• Greeting friends, acquaintances, colleagues –
anyone already known to you.
• Someone offers his/her hand to you.
• You first meet someone.
• Greeting guests.
• Greeting your host or hostess.
• Offering congratulations.
• Offering condolences/sympathy.
• Saying goodbye.
• Concluding an official business meeting.
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The Proper Handshake
Start the handshake with
your fingers together and
your thumb up.
The meeting of hands
should be web-to-web,
with a firm but not
crushing grip.
Never offer only your
fingertips. This results in a
weak, limp handshake and
portrays a lack of interest
and commitment.
Keep your fingers and thumbs up. Take the web of your hand (the part where the thumb joins
the first finger), up to the web of the other person’s hand to make sure you do not shake hands
using only your fingers. Shaking hands with the webs of both persons intertwined also prevents
one person from crushing another’s knuckles.
A couple of tips:
While at a reception or function, when you are offered a drink of
anything cold, keep your drink in your left hand. Thus, when you have
to shake hands with someone, you will not offer the person a cold or
wet hand.
Don’t rock or sway when shaking hands, save those movements for the
dance floor!
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INTRODUCTIONS
Introductions project information. Besides the obvious elements of name, title, and affiliation,
an introduction conveys a level of respect and reflects how the person making the introduction
views the other person’s status. Mastering the art of introductions will help put you and the
people you are introducing at ease. Learning the basics - and they are not very difficult - is the
first step.
• The most important point about introductions is to make
them. Failing to do so causes embarrassment and discomfort.
If given a choice, most people would prefer you to make the
introduction incorrectly, even if you forgot their name, rather
than stand there unacknowledged and disregarded.
• The second important point in any introduction is the order
of names. The name of the person being introduced is
mentioned last, and the person to whom the introduction is
made is mentioned first.
In business, introductions are based on hierarchy. Simply put,
persons of lesser authority are introduced to persons of greater
authority.
For example, you would say, "Mr./Ms. Greater Authority, I would
like to introduce Mr./Ms. Lesser Authority.” However, the person
holding the highest rank may not be Mr./Ms. Greater Authority.
Very Important: A client, always takes precedence over anyone in your organization.
Some examples:
Introducing someone from your firm to a client or customer: “Mr. Khanna, this is Mr.
Apparao, our Sales and Marketing Manager. Mr. Khanna is our client from Madurai.”
Introducing a junior executive to a senior executive: “Example: Mr. Senior Executive, I’d
like to introduce Mr. Junior Executive.”
Introducing a junior person (Mr. Khanna) to a senior (Ms. Smith): “Ms. Smith, may I
introduce my colleague Mr. Gupta?”
Using Titles
Rank and status, a person’s place in the hierarchy of a company are essential to corporate
culture so care should be taken when referring to a person’s title. Even if you normally call
your manager by his/her first name when alone, when in the company of others show respect
by saying “Mr.” or “Ms.” (or “Mrs.” or “Miss” if you have been asked to).
The Nuances
As you are mentioning the names of each of individual, look at him or her. This focuses
attention on them and makes them feel important. Once you have introduced one people to
each other, a conversation has begun and everyone is at ease, you may excuse yourself if you
need to.
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When introducing people to others always clarify their relationship to you; it avoids any
possible embarrassment that could result from inadvertent comments. Including a tidbit of
information that might start the conversational ball rolling is always a good idea.
Introducing Yourself
If no one introduces you, step in and introduce yourself. Someone
may be too embarrassed to admit forgetting a name or may be
distracted by other matters. Feeling offended because you were not
introduced only puts you at a disadvantage. Introduce yourself by
extending your hand, smiling and saying something like, "Hello, I’m
Danny D’souza, Rajiv Sharma’s colleague."
• If you have a long name which maybe difficult for others to say and remember it is
acceptable to offer them an alternate. Example: “Hello. My name is Surindernath
Venkatarajakrishna but please call me Venki - it’s easier.”
• Be clear and concise in your introduction; you will only alienate a new acquaintance if you
ramble on about your life history or, worse, your problems or illnesses. If you expect
people to respond favorably to your introduction, leave your problems outside the
workplace door.
• Make sure your tone is engaging and then, construct an introduction that is interesting and
catchy, yet still professional. Think of it as a one or two sound bite commercial. (A sound
bite, the length of time available in television to engage viewers` attention before they
tune out, has decreased to 7-10 seconds currently because we are all so overexposed to
visual and oral stimuli.)
• Try to gauge information that will be of interest to the others. At business functions, it
would be appropriate to mention where you work. However, just saying "I’m in PR at
Krishna Finance" will not stir a great deal of interest or conversation whereas, "I try to
attract investment in Krishna Finance by working on the company’s press releases and
annual reports" might be more interesting.
Never focus too much attention on yourself with grand pronouncements.
At functions that are not strictly business events, people are not forthcoming with their job
information because many people feel that they are not defined by employment. At an
organized event, such as an association fund-raiser, you can mention your connection to the
association.
Or, if you have a mutual interest, mention that as long as you phrase it to keep the focus is on
the other person. For example, "Mr. Bhandarkar tells me that you are a member of the Global
Business Association. I’m also involved in international trade so I’d be interested in learning
how the association has benefited you."
At any business meal, always introduce yourself to the people sitting next to you to open the
way for conversation - few people want to deal with someone who comes across as aloof or
uninterested. Not introducing yourself could cost you a valuable business lead.
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Some Tips
Saying things like, “Rajan works for me” or “Rajan works for my
division”, sounds like you are attempting to establish your superior
status or are a dominating person. Always say, “Rajan works with me”
or “Rajan is with our division”.
Treat both people in an introduction equally. Do not say, “Mr. Pai, I’d
like you to meet Raman”; If you are being formal with one, do not be
informal with the other.
Responding to Introductions
The way you respond to someone else’s introduction is just as important as making the
introduction. In response to introductions, simply say "hello" or “I’m pleased to meet you”.
Add a phrase like, "I’ve heard so much about you, Mr. Peterson," only if it is true and if it is
complimentary.
"How do you do?" for peers or "How do you do sir?" for seniors is the customary response to a
formal introduction. Never use first names until and unless the person to whom you’ve been
introduced has indicated that the familiarity is preferred.
Introductions at Functions
At functions and gatherings, it is not necessary to introduce a
newcomer to everyone in the room. Introduce that person to
the closest group of people by saying the newcomer’s name first
and then giving the names of the others. Ask the members of
the group to introduce themselves if you cannot remember
everyone’s name. Make sure from time to time, though, that
the guest is circulating.
At any function, the host should meet all the guests to make them feel that their presence
matters. At many business functions, guests may not know the host. It is a good idea and
common practice to appoint several representatives of the corporation to stand by the door to
act as greeters when guests arrive. The greeters introduce themselves and escort the guests to
the host or senior executives, make the introductions and then escort the guests to introduce
them to several other guests while the host remains free to greet new guests.
Always stand up for introductions
Everyone should rise to greet newcomers at both offices and functions. At a very large
function, only those nearest the newcomer would rise and say hello. If you are wedged into a
tight position in a crowded table or restaurant, there may not always be sufficient room to
stand properly, but you should at least make the attempt to do so. By remaining seated you
will be perceived as aloof and uninterested. In the office, always rise and turn round from
your workstation or come around from behind your desk to greet visitors.
Remembering Names
• If you forget someone’s name when making an introduction, try
putting the other people at ease rather than concentrating on
your own embarrassment.
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• Remain calm; if you fall apart, the person whose name you
forgot may feel obliged to put you at ease, compounding your
error.
• Be straightforward yet tactful in admitting your memory lapse.
By saying, "I’ve forgotten your name," you imply the person wasn’t worth remembering. "I’ve
just drawn a blank," or "my memory seems to be failing" denotes a more temporary condition
that doesn’t have the same insulting implications. If you can’t remember someone’s name, but
you remember an interesting point about him or her, cite it. You might say, "I clearly
remember our conversation about Chinese food, but your name seems to have temporarily
slipped my mind. Please help me out."
Then, get off the subject of the memory lapse and onto something more interesting to
everyone. There is no need for profuse apologies - this only makes everyone uncomfortable.
The sooner you forget about it, the sooner everyone else will...and the happier everyone will
be.
When you are introduced to someone, say the person’s name, and then repeat it during the
conversation. Not only do you project a genuine interest in someone by repeating his or her
name, but the repetition will also help imprint the name in your memory.
Introducing a Speaker
Speaker introductions should be brief, 60-90 seconds. Include the speaker’s name (pronounced
correctly), the speech topic, their background and credentials that relate to the topic and
mention how the audience will benefit from the speech. The final sentence of your
introduction should repeat the speaker’s name adding the speech title.
Don’t share your personal anecdotes, reveal the speech content or
embarrass the speaker in any way.
Stay at the lectern or dais until the speaker reaches it, shake
hands, and then exit, if possible in the opposite direction from the
speaker’s approach.
At the conclusion, meet the speaker at the lectern and shake
hands again as the speaker leaves. Offer a few summary
comments referring to the speech’s ideas and how they have
enlightened you and the audience, along with words of thanks and
appreciation.
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CONVERSATION MANAGEMENT
Many conversations meander and drift along; in business, this is wasteful; as a manager, you
seek communication rather than chatter. To ensure an efficient and effective conversation,
there are three considerations:
You must make your message understood
You must receive/understand the intended message sent to you
You should exert some control over the flow of the communication
Ambiguity Avoidance
In a business environment where you are concerned with getting things done, your view of
words should be pragmatic rather than philosophical.
If your manager gives to you an instruction, which contains an
ambiguity, which neither of you notice and which results in you
producing entirely the wrong report or product, who is at fault?
The answer is: it doesn’t matter. Your time has been wasted, the
needed report or product is delayed (or dead); attributing blame
will only be a defensive exercise but it does not address the
problem. In everything you say or hear, you must look out for
possible misunderstanding and clarify the ambiguity.
One of the greatest difficulties is that words often have different meanings depending upon
context and/or culture. Thus, a "dry" country lacks either water or alcohol; a "funny" meeting
is either humorous or peculiar; a "couple" is either a few or exactly two. If you recognize that
there is a potential misunderstanding, you must stop the conversation and ask politely for the
valid interpretation.
Another problem is that some people simply make mistakes. Your job is not only to spot
ambiguities but also to counter inconsistencies. Thinking over several alternatives you may
suffer momentary confusion and say one of them while meaning another. This happens to
everybody at some stage or another and is an area that must be guarded against. Focus and
concentration are the main weapons against such confusion.
Finally, of course, you may simply mishear. The omission of a simple word could be
devastating. For instance, how long would you last as an explosives engineer if you failed to
hear a simple negative in: "whatever happens next you must [not] cut the blue wire?"
So, the issue is this: the word has multiple meanings, it might not be the one intended, and you
may have misheard it in the first place - how do you know what the speaker meant?
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Rule 1: Play Back for Confirmation
Simply put, you ask for confirmation. You say "let me see if I have
understood correctly, you are saying that..." and you rephrase what
the speaker said. If the original speaker acknowledges this “play
back” version as being correct, then you have a greater degree of
confidence in you own understanding. It is vital that you rephrase
what was said as merely repeating the statement will never bring out
any inconsistency.
Rule 2: Write Back for Confidence
For any important message or decision, there should be a clear, concise and verified statement
of what was said; without this someone will get it wrong. If your time and effort depend upon
it, you should write it down and send it to everyone involved as a double check. This has
several advantages:
Further clarification - is this what you thought we agreed?
Consistency check - the act of writing may highlight defects/omissions.
A formal stage - a statement of the accepted position provides a springboard from which to
proceed.
Evidence - hindsight often blurs previous inconsistencies and people fail to recall their previous
errors.
Rule 3: Give Background for context
When speaking yourself, you can often counter against possible problems by adding
information, and thus providing a broader context in which your words can be understood.
Hence there is less scope for alternative interpretations. When others are speaking, you should
ask questions yourself to establish the context in which they are thinking.
Some Practical Points
As with all effective communication, you should decide (in advance) on the purpose of the
conversation and the plan for achieving it. There is no alternative to this. Some people are
proficient at "thinking on their feet" - but this is generally because they already have clear
understanding of the context and their own goals. The following are a few techniques to help
the conversation along.
Assertiveness
The definition of to assert is: "to declare; state clearly". This is your aim. If someone argues
against you, even loses their temper, you should be quietly assertive. Much has been written
to preach this simple fact and commonly this is a three-fold plan of action:
1. Acknowledge what is being said by showing an understanding of the position, or by simply
replaying it (a polite way of saying "I heard you already")
2. State your own point of view clearly and concisely with perhaps a little supporting evidence
3. State what you want to happen next (move it forward)
Thus we have something like: yes, I see why you need the report by tomorrow; however, I have
no time today to prepare the document because I am in a meeting with a customer this
afternoon; either I could give you the raw data and you could work on it yourself, or you could
make do with the interim report from last week.
You will have to make many personal judgment calls when being assertive. There will certainly
be times when a bit of quiet force from you will win the day but there will be times when this
will get nowhere, particularly with more senior management. In the latter case, you must
agree to abide by the decision of the senior manager but you should make your objection and
reasons clearly known. For yourself, always be aware that your subordinates might be right
when they disagree with you and if events prove them so, acknowledge that fact gracefully.
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Confrontations
When you have a difficult encounter, be professional, do not lose your self-control because,
simply, it is of no use. Insults are ineffective. If you call people names, then they are
certainly not going to actually listen to what you have to say; in the short term you may feel
some relief at "getting it off your chest", but in the long run you are merely perpetuating the
problem since you are not addressing it. This is common sense.
There are two implications. Firstly, even under pressure, you have to remember this.
Secondly, what you consider fair comment may be insulting to another - and the same problem
emerges. Before you say anything, stop, establish what you want as the outcome, plan how to
achieve this, and then speak.
Finally, if you are going to criticize or discipline someone, always assume that you have
misunderstood the situation and ask questions first which check the facts. This simple courtesy
will save you from much embarrassment.
Seeking Information
There are two ways of phrasing any question: one way (the closed question) is likely to lead to
a simple grunt in reply (yes, no, maybe), the second way (the open question) will hand over the
speaking role to someone else and force them to say something a little more informative.
Suppose you are reviewing a project with Vijay and it goes something like this:
"Have you finished project X Vijay?"
"Yes"
"If everything written up?"
"Nearly"
"So there is documentation left to do?"
"Some"
"Will it take you long?"
"No, not long"
Before your fingers start twitching to place themselves around Vijay’s neck, consider that your
questions are not actually helping the flow of information. The same flow of questions in an
open format would be: what is left to do of project X, what about the documentation, when
will that be completely finished? Try answering Yes or No to those questions.
Open questions are extremely easy to formulate. Establish in your own mind the topic/aim of
the question and then start the sentence with the words:
WHAT - WHEN - WHICH - WHY - WHERE - HOW
Let Others Speak
There is more to a conversation than just the flow of information. You may also have to win
that information by winning the attention and confidence of the other person. The most
effective way is to give people your interest. To get Vijay to give you all his knowledge, you
must give him all your attention; talk to him about his view on the subject. Ask questions:
what do you think about that idea, have you ever met this problem before, how would you
tackle this situation?
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Silence can be very effective - and much under-used. People are nervous of silence and try to
fill it. You can use this if you are seeking information. You ask the question, you lean back,
the person answers, you nod and smile, you keep quiet, and the person continues with more
detail simply to fill your silence.
To Finish
At the end of a conversation, you have to give people a clear understanding of the outcome.
For instance, if there has been a decision, restate it clearly (just to be sure) in terms of what
should happen and by when; if you have been asking questions, summarize the significant (for
you) aspects of what you have learnt.
DEALING WITH INTERPERSONAL CONFLICTS
It’s easy to be critical and criticize someone. However, constructive criticism – the refined and
most effective means of critical feedback – is like an art when compared to faultfinding,
caustic remarks and negativity. Nothing makes most people bristle more quickly than unfair,
unskilled or uncalled-for criticism. Yet there are times when offering constructively critical
feedback is essential to success relationships.
Consider the relationship. Constructive criticism is employed in innumerable situations - an
employer criticizing an employee, a supervisor criticizing a direct report, a project leader
criticizing a team member, a colleague criticizing a peer, or any number of different cases?
Some approaches for offering constructive criticism can be applied in all cases, and in all cases
success depends on the agreements that are in place – and understood by both parties.
For example, an employer criticizes an employee’s performance on the basis of the agreements
made at the start of the relationship regarding about the employer’s expectations and how the
employee will fulfill these. A colleague criticizing a coworker can require a more delicate
approach, because the same assumptions regarding authority are not in place.
Review assumptions. Most people automatically assume that they are right and others are
wrong and spend all their energy and time in correcting others. However to those listening to
such people, it appears more like criticism that is unproductive and demoralizing. It is useful,
before you criticize someone, to review the assumptions you may be making about the
relationship, expectations or how the person is approaching a project or situation.
For example, if you’re about to criticize someone for "never listening," your assumptions might
include your perception that you’ve been clear in your. In fact, this may not be true.
Exploring potential assumptions can help set the foundation for a more positive discussion or
feedback-sharing session.
Relax and center before meeting. If you are anxious about providing critical feedback, or
feeling frustrated or resentful about another person's behavior or performance, you will head
into a feedback-sharing discussion in a state of stress. The better choice is to take a few
minutes to relax, breath slowly and deeply, remember our highest intentions for the meeting
and for sharing our feedback.
Whether you count to 10 or borrow a few relaxation or mindset management tips from your
favorite athlete or self-help book, making an effort to relax and center will make a positive
difference in the tone of your meeting, and you'll be more likely to be skillful rather than
reactionary in your discussion.
Share intentions. Before offering criticism, check your own intentions for wanting to let
someone else know what they’ve done wrong or what could be refined in their behavior or
performance. This provides a good litmus test for whether the issue under criticism is really a
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matter of preference, work style or worse, your own problem. Then preface your criticism by
sharing your intentions. For example, you might say, "My intention for wanting to talk with you
is that I want our group’s work to be excellent, and something we can all be proud of".
Clarify expectations. Murky or unvoiced expectations create problems when it’s time to
provide feedback, including constructive criticism, of someone else’s behavior or performance.
In addition to sharing your intentions for the discussion, you might want to share your
perspective on how you understand any working agreements or your own expectations for the
situation or the other person’s performance or behavior. Doing so might sound something like,
"My understanding of the project is that you were going to be handling meeting logistics by
Friday afternoon and forward that information to me."
Ask questions (and listen to the responses). Another useful way to collect information that
will help you to unveil unclear expectations, misperceptions or lack of clarity is to ask
questions. The opposite, of course, is doing all of the talking yourself, which is assuming that
you’re correct in your perception of the situation. Before providing constructive feedback, you
need to ask questions and learn more about how the other person has understood his/her role
and assignments, how they have understand any agreements, what they thought you or others
expected of him/her, and how he/she feels about his/her performance to date. Often, as you
listen to someone’s responses to questions, you will have at least one "Aha!" moment that
enriches your own understanding, which then allows you to provide more constructive
feedback.
Speak respectfully. Nothing is worse than being yelled out, scolded, or just "talked at." And
all of those seem even less constructive if you feel that what’s coming at you is biased,
inaccurate or unfair, and that you’ve not been offered a chance to share your perspective on
the matter. In any discussion, and particularly one where you’ll be offering criticism, it’s
important to listen, to ask questions, to ensure that you’ve made clear that what you’re
sharing is your perspective rather than a judgment or indictment of the other person. It’s
much nicer to participate in an information-sharing dialogue – where both people get to speak
and listen – than it is to feel like you're facing an interrogation.
See the positive as well as the negative. Studies show that many people feel criticized,
bullied or ostracized more than appreciated at work, and a fair percentage of people leave
their place of employment because of such interpersonal problems with supervisors or
colleagues. Before a meeting where you’ll be providing feedback to colleagues, a good
practice is to make a list of things that you really appreciate about the individual with whom
you’ll be sharing feedback – positive attributes only. Then, once you’ve shared your intentions
about the meeting, share the "what I really appreciate about you and your work" list before
moving on to constructive criticism. You can also end the meeting with a recap of positive
thoughts.
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USING RIGHT WORDS
Less Is More
A good writer is like a sculptor. Sculptors use less and less to express more and more. They cut
away unless words and make every word count. In writing, as in all art, ‘less is more’. Some
tips for effective writing.
1. Use graphic rather than abstract words, e.g., ‘scooter’ rather than ‘vehicle’, ‘jackal’
rather than ‘animal’.
2. Use one syllable words rather than two syllable words, two syllable words rather than three
etc. example: ‘blood, sweat, tears’ rather than ‘sacrifice, perspiration, sorrow’.
3. Use the active voice rather than the passive; e.g., not, ‘The tire was fixed by me’, but ‘I
fixed the tire’.
4. Lean on the verbs and nouns; reduce adjectives and adverbs. Choose strong graphic verbs,
e.g., ‘Ravi wrestled with the problem.’ A well – chosen verb makes an adverb unnecessary.
5. Make each word count. Edit ruthlessly. Don’t use two words where one is sufficient.
6. Keep sentence short. Brevity and clarity are the thing.
7. Concentrate on paragraph development. One paragraph, one idea. Clear writing comes
from clear thinking.
8. Relate to the experience of the reader; e.g., if your readers are fishermen, then refer to
fish, wind, nets, sea and sand.
9. Write not to impress, but to express.
10. Be reader oriented. The reader’s interest tires quickly. Be personal, ask use questions of
reader, exclamations.
11. Writing is hard work. You have no tone or gesture to help you. ‘Good sentences are not
written, they are rewritten’.
12. Every language has its own music. Read your work aloud to see whether it has the correct
‘feel’.
Using Long Words
One of the little understood paradoxes in communication is that the longer the word, the
shorter the explanation. The more meaning you can pack into a single word, the fewer words
are needed to get the idea across.
Big words are resented by persons who don’t understand them and, of course, very often they
are used to confuse and impress rather than clarify. But this is not the fault of leaning or
language; it is the arrogance of the individual who misses the tools of communication.
The best reason for acquiring a large vocabulary indeed is that it keeps you from being long –
winded: a genuinely educated person can express himself tersely, tightly and trimly. If he does
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not do so, it is because he is using education to befuddle or intimidate his audience, and not to
enlighten.
For example, if you don’t know, or use, the word “imbricate”, you have to say to someone,
“having the edges overlapping in a regular arrangement as tiles on a roof, the scales on a fish
or sepals of a plant.” More than 20 words to say what can be said in one.
The whole power of a language depends upon how much meaning can be packed into a single
word, just as power of a hose depends on how much water pressure can be packed into it
“Treason” says in two brief syllables what would otherwise be weakly conveyed by “the
violation of allegiance towards one’s country, especially by waging war against it or
purposefully acting to aid its enemies.”
Very often, of course, the short word is the best and most effective. But short words, can be
more dangerous than long ones, for they can be twisted to mean almost anything, whereas the
long word, properly used, means only what it says and nothing more or less. This is why the
doctor tells you that you have a ‘bug’ when he does not know what it is. If he did, he would
use a much longer term.
HOW TO WRITE RIGHT
It is estimated that up to 30% of work-time is engaged in written communication. Thus it is
absolutely vital for you as a to actively develop the skill of writing; not only because of the
time involved in writing, but also because your project's success may depend upon it. Indeed,
since so much of the communication between you and more senior management occurs in
writing, your whole career may depend upon its quality.
In a business context, writing has two major roles:
1. It clarifies - for both writer and reader
2. It conveys information
It is this deliberate, dual aim, which should form the focus for all your writing activity.
There are many uses for paper and virtual paper within an organization; some are inefficient -
but the power of paper must not be ignored because of that. In relation to a project,
documentation provides a means to clarify and explain on-going development, and to plan the
next stages.
If you are having trouble expressing an idea, write it down - you and others will then
understand it. It may take you a long time to explain something "off the cuff", but if you have
explained it first to yourself by writing it down - the reader can study your logic not just once
but repeatedly, and the information is efficiently conveyed.
Forget the Past
Professional writing has very little to do with the composition and literature learnt at school.
The objectives are different and the audience has different needs.
English at school has two distinct areas of focus: the analysis and appreciation of the great
works of literature, and the display of knowledge. It is all a question of aim. A novel
entertains. It forces the reader to want to know what happens next. On the other hand, a
business report is primarily designed to convey information. The businessperson’s job is helped
if the report is interesting; but time is short and the sooner the meat of the document is
reached, the better.
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The novel would start: "Sir John lived in a fifty-five room mansion with a retinue of domestic
help, ably led by his crusty and completely trustworthy butler.”
The business report however, would start (and probably end): "The butler killed Sir John with a
12 inch carving knife".
In school we are taught to display knowledge. The more information and argument, the more
marks. In business and industry, it is totally different. Here the wise person must extract only
the significant information and support it with only the minimum-necessary argument. The
expertise is used to filter the information and so to remove inessential noise. The
businessperson as an expert provides the answers to problems, not an exposition of past and
present knowledge: we use our knowledge to focus upon the important points.
When preparing any document, follow this simple procedure:
1. Establish the Aim
2. Consider the Reader
3. Devise the Structure
4. Draft the text
5. Edit and Revise
1. Aim
You start with your aim. Every document must have a single aim - a specific, specified reason
for being written. If you cannot think of one, do something useful instead; if you cannot
decide what the document should achieve, it will not achieve it.
Once you have established your aim, you must then decide what information is necessary in
achieving that aim. The reader wants to find the outcome of your thoughts: apply your
expertise to the available information, pick out the main facts which are relevant, and state
them precisely and concisely.
2. The Reader
A document tells somebody something. As the writer, you have to decide what to say and how
best to say it to the particular audience; i.e consider the reader.
There are three considerations:
a) What they already know affects what you can leave out.
b) What they need to know determines what you include.
c) What they want to know suggests the order and emphasis of your writing.
For instance, in a products proposal, marketing will want to see the products differentiation
and niche in the market place; finance will be interested in projected development costs,
profit margins and risk analysis; and R&D will want the technical details of the design. To be
most effective, you may need to produce three different reports for the three different
audiences.
The key point, however, is that writing is about conveying information - conveying; that means
it has to get there. Your writing must be right for the reader, or it will lost on its journey; you
must focus upon enabling the reader access to the information.
3. Structure
Writing is very powerful - and for this reason, it can be exploited in business. The power comes
from its potential as an efficient and effective means of communication; the power is derived
from order and clarity. Structure is used to present the information so that it is more
accessible to the reader.
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In all comes down to the problem of the short attention span. You have to provide the
information in small manageable chunks, and to use the structure of the document to maintain
the context.
While still considering the aim and the reader, the document is broken down into distinct
sections that can be written (and read) separately. These sections are then each further
broken down into subsections (and sub-subsections) until you arrive at simple, small units of
information - which are expressed as a paragraph (or a diagram).
Every paragraph in your document should justify itself; it should serve a purpose, or be
removed. A paragraph should convey a single idea. There should be a statement of that key
idea and if possible some of the following:
- A development of the idea
- An explanation or analogy
- An illustration (if applicable as in the case of a design or engineering project)
- Support with evidence
- Contextual links to reinforce the structure
The judicious use of diagrams can greatly boost the effectiveness of your document and when
used appropriately are often much better than written text. Not only do diagrams convey
some information more effectively, but often they assist in the analysis and interpretation of
the data. For instance, a pie chart gives a quicker comparison than a list of numbers; a simple
bar chart is far more intelligible than the numbers it represents. Due care must be given to
add informative labels and titles, highlight any key entries.
Draft, Revise and Edit
When you have decided what to say, to whom you are saying it, and how to structure it; say it -
and then check it for clarity and effectiveness. The time spent doing this will be far less than
the time wasted by other people struggling with the document otherwise.
The following are a few points to consider as you wield your red pen.
Layout
The main difference between written and verbal communication is that the reader can choose
and re-read the various sections, whereas the listener receives information in the sequence
determined by the speaker. Layout should be used to make the structure plain, and so more
effective - it acts as a guide to the reader.
Suppose you have three main points to make; do not hide them within simple text - make them
obvious. Make it so that the reader's eye jumps straight to them on the page. For instance,
the key to effective layout is to use:
Informative titles
White space
Variety
Style
People in business do not have the time to marvel at your florid turn off phrase or flowery
expressions. They want to know what the document is about and what it says; there is no real
interest in style, except for ease of access.
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In some articles a summary can be obtained by reading the first sentence of each paragraph.
The remainder of each paragraph is simply an expansion upon, or explanation of, the initial
sentence. In other writing, the topic is given first in a summary form, and then successively
repeated with greater detail each time. This is the pyramid structure favored by newspapers.
A short and simple document will always be read. This has lead to the "memo culture" in which
every communication is condensed to one side of A4. Longer documents need to justify
themselves to their readers' attention.
The Beginning
Imagine a busy person who has a lot to do today: she has to prepare for a meeting tomorrow
morning with the regional VP, a call to make to the German sales office, several letters to
dictate concerning safety regulations, and this month’s progress report has failed to reach her.
She is busy and distracted. You have possibly 20 seconds for your document to justify itself to
her. If by then it has not explained itself and convinced her that she needs to read it, she will
tackle something else. If she is a good manager, she will insist on a rewrite; if not, the
document may never be read.
Thus the beginning of your document is crucial. It must be obvious to the reader at once what
the document is about, and why it should be read. You need to arrest the readers attention.
Unlike a novel, the business document must not contain "teasing elevations of suspense". Take
your "aim", and either state it or achieve it by the end of the first paragraph. For instance, if
you have been evaluating a new software package for possible purchase then your reports
might begin: "Having evaluated the Talwar package, I recommend that ...".
Simple Errors
For important documents, there is nothing better than a good, old-fashioned proofread. For
example, the following is an extract from a national advertising campaign/quiz run by a famous
maker of Champagne:
Question 3: Which Country has one the Triple Crown the most times?
Won understands the error, but is not impressed by the quality of that company's product!
Sentence Length
Avoid long sentences. We tend to associate "unit of information" with "a sentence".
Consequently when reading, we process the information when we reach the full stop. If the
sentence is too long, we lose the information either because of our limited attention span or
because the information was poorly composed to start with and might, perhaps, have been
broken up into smaller, or possibly better punctuated, sentences which would better have kept
the attention of the reader and, by doing so, have reinforced the original message with greater
clarity and simplicity. Get it?
Word Length
It is inappropriate to utilize verbose and bombastic terminology when a suitable alternative
would be to: keep it simple. Often the long, complex word will not be understood. Further, if
the reader is distracted by the word itself, then less attention is paid to the meaning or to the
information you wished to convey.
Wordiness
When one is trying hard to write an impressive document, it is easy to slip into grandiose
formulae: words and phrases which sound significant but which convey nothing but noise.
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You must avoid these at all costs. So: "for the reason that" becomes "because"; "in connection
with" becomes "regarding"; "in view of the fact that" becomes "since"; "within a comparatively
short period of time" becomes "soon".
Often you can make a sentence sound more like spoken English simply be changing the word
order and adjusting the verb. Thus: "if the department experiences any difficulties in the near
future regarding attendance of meetings" becomes "if staff cannot attend the next few
meetings". As a final check, read your document aloud; if it sounds stilted, change it.
Conclusion
Writing is a complex tool, you need to train yourself in its use or a large proportion of your
activity will be grossly inefficient. You must reflect upon your writing lest it reflects badly
upon you.
Put in a nutshell, strive for the 3 magic C’s: Clarity, Comprehensiveness, Conciseness.
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TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
Telephone etiquette is one of the most critical areas of any office, though it is often one of the
most neglected. It forms the basis of initial and long lasting impressions of the office by
clients and is also an integral part of maintaining and improving intra-office communication.
Just as first impressions are essential in personal professionalism and success, telephone
communications are essential in the impression created about your organization.
There are set rules and manners to telephone etiquette and adhering to these ensure that a
professional image of your company is maintained.
Incoming calls should be answered:
*Promptly
*Personally, whenever possible (use voice mail only when necessary)
*Courteously
*Professionally
Appropriate Greetings
"Good morning, this is Sunil Joshi, may I help you?"
"Good afternoon, Finance Division, Sunil Joshi speaking, may I help you"
Good Telephone Habits
1. Answer every phone call promptly on the first or second ring. A maximum of three rings is
the outside limit within which a telephone should be answered.
2. Treat every call and caller as important. Give the caller your undivided attention. Treat
the telephone as a task in itself; don't be distracted by work on your desk.
3. Answer the phone with a smile; it actually does help convey a cheerful attitude. There is no
need for you to transfer any of your bad feelings to the caller.
4. Do not eat or drink while answering the phone. Needless to say, do not chew gum.
5. Make sure you know which line is ringing before you pick up the phone.
6. Keep your telephone message pad and a pen handy so they can be easily reached.
7. Personalize your conversation by using the caller's name; "Yes, John, I'll be happy to send
you an application," or "Thank you for calling, Mrs. Nair."
8. When taking messages for another person, make complete notes:
• The caller's full name, spelled correctly (ask for correct spelling if in doubt).
• The caller's department, institution, agency or firm.
• The caller's complete phone number (include area code).
• The nature of the call.
• The date and time call was taken.
• Your name or initials.
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9. If you need to put a caller on hold immediately upon answering the phone, ask their
permission before you put them on hold. Many callers would rather try calling again than
being put on hold.
10. When you have several incoming calls simultaneously, don't panic. Handle the situation in
the following manner:
Ask someone in the vicinity to help you by answering one of the calls, if
someone is available.
Calmly excuse yourself: "Good Morning. May I put you on hold a moment
while I answer the other phone? (or, Will you please excuse me a
moment while I answer the other phone?) Thank you." Put them on
hold.
Answer the other call and ask them if you may put them on hold.
Return promptly to the original call - remember you’ve asked someone
to hold on for just ‘a moment’.
11. When it's necessary to direct a call to a co-worker request the caller's name before
transferring the call. Notify the co-worker of this so that he or she can be ready when he or
she picks up the phone.
12. Be tactful when co-workers are away from the office. Don't say that someone is "out for
coffee," or "on a break." Say the person " is away from his/her desk (office) now. May I take a
message?"
13. Be a good listener; make notes while the caller is speaking. If you are going to put a caller
on hold, make a note of which line you are on.
14. Avoid jargon, technical expressions and acronyms that may confuse the caller.
15. Use businesslike phrases instead of slang. Say "Yes," "Certainly" and "Of course," instead of
"OK," "Yah," and "Uh-huh."
16. When placing calls, identify yourself and the office. "This is Anjali Mehta in the Research
Division."
17. If it is necessary to leave the line, explain the reason and excuse yourself. Always place
the caller on hold, do not just cover the mouthpiece with your hand. Thank the caller when
you return. If it will be longer than one or two minutes, ask to return the call.
18. If a customer is talking with you in person and the phone rings, excuse yourself to the
customer and answer the phone. Ask the caller to wait a moment or offer to return the call.
19. If a customer approaches while you are on the phone, excuse yourself briefly from the
caller and acknowledge the visitor. Ask if the visitor can wait a moment while you finish the
call.
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20. Always let the caller hang up first.
Telephone Etiquette at a Glance
This is the right way. . . This is not acceptable. . .
Person called is available
*May I tell her who's calling? or,
*May I tell him what your call is
in reference to?
*Hang on, he’s here
*I'll get her.
Person called is not available
*Mrs. Doe is taking another call
right now. Would you care to
hold? or,
*Mr. Smith isn't available right
now. May I or someone else help
you? or,
*Mrs. Williams is away from her
desk. May I take a message? Or
would you like her voice mail?
*She's busy talking now.
*Could you call later?
*He's not here.
Leaving the Line
*Would you mind waiting while I
check, please? or,
*It will take about a minute.
Would you like to wait or shall I
call you back? (wait for an
answer)
*Hang on.
*Just a minute.
*Let me look around for it.
*Hold on, I'll see what I can do.
Returning to the Line
*Thank you for waiting, I have
that information.
*I'm sorry to have kept you
waiting. I can help you now.
*I’m afraid I could not locate the
information. May I please call
you back in a little while after I
have done so?
*Okay, the date on that was June
18.
*Are you still there?
*I can't find it. Can I call you
back?
Completing the Conversation
*Thank you for calling, Mrs.
Gupta. I'm glad I was able to help
you. Goodbye. or,
*You're welcome, Mr. Patel,
goodbye.
*Bye now
*O.K. So long.
Telephone Impressions
How do you "look" (sound) to the customer? Are you able to convey your thoughts accurately in
order to achieve our objective?
1. How to project sincerity over the phone:
-Use natural vocabulary and tone of voice.
-Keep your voice clear, inflection up and tone bright.
-Avoid extravagant claims, obvious exaggerations, etc.
-Relate what you are saying to the caller's needs and view point.
2. How to project a friendly, caring quality:
-Use tone and manner that are warm and cordial. Smile, identify yourself, as well as the
caller, with warmth and interest.
-Do not be formal or inflexible.
-Do not rush. Pace yourself to what the caller says.
-Be attentive. Respond to what the caller says.
-Be courteous.
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3. How to show responsiveness:
-Answer the caller's questions, clearly and to the point.
-Get your facts straight by checking with the caller. Ask questions.
-Do not sound as if you are reading something or saying it from notes.
-Always listen to what you are saying and what it means, especially to the caller.
-Do not speed or rush over points familiar to you, but unfamiliar to the caller.
-Avoid soft, low pitch speech.
4. Ways to avoid sounding mechanical:
-Guard against a tired tone of voice, giving the impression of someone bored with doing the
same job again and again.
-Vary your phrasing from call to call.
-Let your delivery develop, as much as possible, out of the response from the caller.
5. Some skills that will make you a professional:
-Answer the phone before or during the second ring.
-Hold the mouthpiece about an inch from your lips.
-Never slam the receiver down.
-Always let the caller hang up first.
How to Handle an Angry Caller
Sooner or later, everyone who regularly uses a business telephone has to
deal with an angry caller. The way you handle this situation is
important both to you and your organization.
1. Remember that your instinctive reaction to someone who starts to "chew you out" is to get
pretty huffy yourself. That is the worst thing you can do.
2. Listen carefully and do not interrupt. Do not argue or contradict. Agree if you can without
misleading. Let them know you understand the cause of anger and perhaps even feel the anger
is justified.
3. If you or the office is at fault, admit it but do not dwell on it.
Nothing will lower an angry caller's temperature faster than honest
acknowledgment of an error.
4. Do everything you can to correct the trouble that produced the
storm. If immediate action is impossible, indicate that the matter will
be looked into promptly and followed with a reply. Thank the caller
for bringing it to your attention.
A calm, reasonable approach to an angry caller can have the following effect:
Prevent the situation from worsening.
Solve the problem with a minimum of delay.
Help to avoid undue stress and resentment from both parties.
Create a positive image as capable, helpful, friendly and resourceful.
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E-MAIL COMMUNICATION
Don't Be A Novelist
Messages should be concise and to the point. Think of it as a telephone conversation, except
you are typing instead of speaking. Nobody has ever won a prize for literature for a telephone
conversation nor will they win one for an e-mail message.
Its also important to remember that some people receive hundreds of e-mail messages a day so
the last thing they want to see is a message that’s long and rambling.
Too Much Punctuation!!!
Don't get caught up in excessive punctuation. Some people put a dozen
exclamation points at the end of a sentence for added emphasis. This is
highly incorrect and rude. Exclamation points are just another form of
ending a sentence.
If something is important it should be reflected in your text, not in your punctuation.
It should be just plain text.
Using HTML to format messages so that they have fancy fonts and colors is asking for trouble.
There are lots of e-mail clients (and some servers), which cannot handle messages in these
formats. The message will come in as utter gibberish or in the worst case, crash the e-mail
client. This does happen.
Subject Lines
A subject line that pertains clearly to the e-mail body will help people mentally shift to the
proper context before they read your message. The subject line should be brief (as many
mailers will truncate long subject lines), does not need to be a complete sentence, and should
give a clue to the contents of the message.
For example:
Subject: home inspection scheduled for Tuesday
Dear Sunil,
The buyers have scheduled the home inspection for 3:00 this Tuesday afternoon, if that is all
right with your seller.
For time-critical messages, starting with URGENT: is a good idea (especially if you know the
person gets a lot of email):
Subject: URGENT: home inspection must be rescheduled
Dear Sunil,
The buyer must leave town on a business trip and asks if the inspection can be rescheduled for
the following day, Wednesday at 4:00.
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Be careful not to use ‘URGENT’ often, else your credibility will be ruined.
For requests, starting with REQ: can signal that action is needed:
Subject: REQ: Closing date has been set
The closing date for has been set for 2:00 p.m. at Hari Bhavan, Santhome Road. If you or your
agent cannot attend, please let me know immediately and we will suggest suitable
alternatives.
If you are offering non-urgent information that requires no response from the other person,
prefacing the subject line with FYI: (For Your Information) is appropriate, as in:
Subject: FYI: Bakshi Report
The report seems to have been very well received though we will have to wait to hear from
them officially.
Avoid Abbreviations
Abbreviation usage is quite rampant with e-mail. In the quest to save keystrokes, users have
traded clarity for confusion (unless you understand the abbreviations). At the very most, use
only abbreviations that are already common to the English language, such as FYI and BTW.
Beyond that, you run the risk of confusing your recipient.
Salutations
If you normally address a person by letter as Miss/Mrs./Ms./Mr. then
that's the way to would initially address them in e-mail. If you normally
call them by their first name then “Dear Anand” is appropriate. If you
are unsure, stick to the formal salutation.
Signatures
On a paper document you would typically close the document (after your signature) with your
name and title such as:
Anand Mishra
Senior Networking Engineer
In e-mail messages, include the same information (minus the signature) at the bottom of your
messages, together with your company name. Many companies use abbreviated names or
numbers for employee e-mail addresses and those abbreviations or numbers will mean little to
someone not familiar with their significance. It is also recommended to include your e-mail
address in this information.
You will sometimes run across a user's signature that contains a quote
(such as "...the secret to life is that there is no secret.") after the
person's name. This has become a fairly common practice but is really
not recommended in business.
You will also come across signatures that contain images built out of
keyboard characters. These are also to be avoided in business/work emails.
Quotes
Nothing is more wasteful than to reply to an e-mail by including a complete copy of the original
with just the words "I agree", "Okay" or "Ditto" at the bottom.
The correct method is to use quoting. Example:
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>and do you agree with the proposal to hire Mr. Roy to handle our legal services?<
Yes. Please make the necessary arrangements.
The '>' in front of the text indicates to the recipient that this is quoted material from his/her
last e-mail message. The second sentence is your response to the quoted material. The key
with quoting is to include enough material in the quote so that it will be relevant to the
recipient. Imagine that the original message was a hundred lines long and the only question
that required a response was located in the last sentence. Why send the whole message back
in the reply? That would cause the recipient to scroll through the hundred-line message again
just to find your response at the bottom.
This is a very important aspect as many people have formed the habit of replying to a message
by hitting the ‘Reply’ key without bothering to delete the entire previous message. This is also
extremely vexing to the recipient as he or she already has their copy of the message they have
sent you and do not need another unnecessary copy.
Save A Tree
One of the goals for e-mail usage is to eliminate (or greatly reduce) the shuffling of paper, but
what chance does that have if a significant number of people are going to print every message
they receive. This does not mean that all messages should not be printed. However far too
many messages are printed for no reason.
Privacy
There is no such thing as a private e-mail. With some e-mail systems, the e-mail
administrator has the ability to read any and all e-mail messages and companies do monitor
employee e-mail.
E-mail software is like all software in that occasionally things go wrong. If this happens, you
may end up receiving e-mail meant for another person or your e-mail may get sent to the
wrong person. Either way, what you thought was private is not private anymore.
Somewhere in the world there is a person (usually a hacker) who is able to read your e-mail
if he/she tries hard enough. Usually, there are security measures in place to prevent this
from happening, but no security is one hundred percent hacker-proof.
Do not send anything by e-mail that you would not want posted on the company bulletin
board. If it's safe enough for the bulletin board, it's safe enough for e-mail. If you are
debating whether or not to send something personal by e-mail, either deliver it by hand or send
it by snail mail.
Flames
To be flamed means that you've sent e-mail to a person that has caused that person to respond
in many, not-so-nice words. It's basically a verbal attack in electronic form.
Sometimes the reason for a flame is quite obvious but in other cases you just never know. You
might send what you think is a harmless e-mail to ten people. Nine people may respond in a
rational tone while the tenth sends you a flame. Remember that everyone sees the world
differently
What do you? The best way to respond to a flame would be to ignore it and go about your life
as logical and rational human being. If this is not your first reaction, it probably will be after
you've been flamed a couple dozen times. You will find out that responses just aren't worth
the effort
If you do choose to respond you will probably end up in what is known as a "flame war". This is
where two or more people end up exchanging flames for an extended period of time, usually to
the point that users start making really personal and nasty comments. At some point, all those
44
participating in the war will eventually forget what originally started it and go back to being
normal human beings.
Avoid getting Flamed
Never send e-mail in all UPPER CASE. Use of upper-case words is the equivalent of shouting
in some one's ear.
Never make a comment about grammar or punctuation. Nobody wants to feel like they are
exchanging e-mail with their schoolteacher.
Sending mass e-mails. This will generate more flames than the devil himself. Think about the
amount of junk mail you receive everyday by snail mail. Even though you don't want it, you
find you must look through all of it because somewhere in that stack of unwanted
advertisements and wasted paper could be your monthly water bill. The same principle applies
to the e-mail. Would you want to search through a mailbox full of advertisements simply to
find that all-important message from your boss?
Expressions for Agreeing and Disagreeing
Stating an opinion • In my opinion...
• The way I see it...
• If you want my honest opinion....
• According to Lisa...
• As far as I'm concerned...
• If you ask me...
Asking for an opinion • What's your idea?
• What are your thoughts on all of this?
• How do you feel about that?
• Do you have anything to say about this?
• What do you think?
• Do you agree?
• Wouldn't you say?
Expressing agreement • I agree with you 100 percent.
• I couldn't agree with you more.
• That's so true.
• That's for sure.
• (slang) Tell me about it!
• You're absolutely right.
• Absolutely.
• That's exactly how I feel.
• Exactly.
• I'm afraid I agree with James.
• I have to side with Dad on this one.
• No doubt about it.
• (agree with negative statement) Me neither.
• (weak) I suppose so./I guess so.
• You have a point there.
• I was just going to say that.
Expressing disagreement • I don't think so.
• (strong) No way.
• I'm afraid I disagree.
• (strong) I totally disagree.
• I beg to differ.
• (strong) I'd say the exact opposite.
• Not necessarily.
• That's not always true.
• That's not always the case.
• No, I'm not so sure about that.
Interruptions • Can I add something here?
• Is it okay if I jump in for a second?
• If I might add something...
• Can I throw my two cents in?
• Sorry to interrupt, but...
• (after accidentally interrupting someone) Sorry, go ahead. OR Sorry, you were saying...
• (after being interrupted) You didn't let me finish.
Settling an argument • Let's just move on, shall we?
• Let's drop it.
• I think we're going to have to agree to disagree.
• (sarcastic) Whatever you say./If you say so.
Topics for Debate
Here are 20 topics to discuss with a friend or group. Practise agreeing and disagreeing even if you have to argue against something you actually believe in. One way to have fun with this is to make up a bunch of cards that say agree or disagree. Each person has to pick up a card and then the topic is read out. It is more fun to have a debate this way because you don't have to play your true self. Try to continue each discussion for at least five minutes. Use the expressions that you learned, including agreeing, disagreeing, asking for opinions, interrupting, etc.
• Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
• Swimming in the ocean is better than swimming in a public pool.
• Alcohol should be illegal.
• Children should provide room and board for their aging parts.
• Studying grammar is more important than practicing conversation skills.
• Television is the leading cause of violence in today's society.
• Dogs make better companions than cats.
• Smoking should be permitted in public places.
• Females are better students than males.
• A parent shouldn't pierce a baby's ears.
• Women should be allowed to go topless in public.
• Lawyers should make a higher salary than nurses.
• Everyone should plan their own funeral.
• Reading English is more difficult than writing English.
• Summer is the best season of the year.
• Children under 13 should not be allowed to baby-sit.
• High school students should wear uniforms.
• 21 should be the legal driving age around the world.
• Rock and Roll is the best kind of music.
• The government should pay for post secondary education.
Episode 120: The bank manager
Manager: So, why should the bank lend you this money?
Tim: Well, I've been saving here for almost five years.
Manager: But haven't you been unemployed recently?
Tim: Yes but I've been living on my savings, not using an overdraft. I'm a reliable customer and I think my new business is an excellent investment. A business loan would be good for me and good for the bank.
Manager: Well your current account does look healthy, that's true. What about credit cards? Do you rely on plastic much?
Tim: I've got one but I always pay off my balance every month.
Manager: Well let me look at your proposal in more detail and I'll get back to you soon.
Episode 106: Asking for help
Prof Lewis: Come in Helen. How are you?
Helen: There's no point saying 'I'm fine' is there?
Prof Lewis: Not unless it's true. But I don't think you'd have made an appointment with me if everything was OK. Am I right?
Helen: As ever, Professor Lewis, as ever.
Prof Lewis: So what's on you mind?
Helen: I've been neglecting my studies and I want to get back on the right track.
Prof Lewis: Well that IS good news. What's brought on this change of heart?
Helen: Heart's the right word. Mine is broken and I need to get over it.
Prof Lewis: So you want my help not because you're interested in your studies but simply as a way to distract you from a failed romance?
Helen: No!
We use 'need' to talk about things we think are necessary to do. We can use two different structures – need / needs to and need / needs -ing
Need to
We use this form when we want to talk about something that's necessary for someone to do. We usually mention who is going to do it. For example: "I need to go to the dentist" means "It's necessary for me to visit the dentist".
We form this structure with:
subject need or needs to verb
Ellie needs to practise
Alice needs to wear a uniform
They need to go shopping
We need to post the letters
We form the negative with:
subject don't or doesn't need to verb
Paul doesn't need to take Ellie riding
She doesn't need to drive
We don't need to pay to go to the park
They don't need to buy a present
Need -ing
We can use this form when we want to talk about something that is necessary for someone to do. We don't have to say who is going to do it. For example, when the instructor said "Dusty needs untacking" she meant "The horse needs to be untacked by you, Ellie".
This is a passive structure where the usual subject + verb + object form changes to object + need + verb+ing.
We form this structure with:
object need or needs verb+ing
The horse needs untacking.
The house needs tidying
The stables need mucking out
These letters need posting
We form the negative with:
object don't or doesn't need verb + ing
The car doesn't need washing
The plant doesn't need watering
The stables don't need painting
The horses don't need feeding
Dynamoo's Email Etiquette
Although most business and organisations? have adopted email relatively recently, for many people it is now the standard way of communicating within organisations, and also with customers, external contacts and business partners.
In business, the formality of email messages tends to vary, between the semi-formal approach that was previously the domain of the inter-office memo, down to chatty exchanges that you might have with someone over the telephone or while standing next to the coffee machine.
However, email messages are surprisingly permanent. Have a really good look through the contents of your mailbox and you might be surprised to see just how old some of those messages are. Would you have kept a paper inter-office memo for that length of time? Probably not. And the worrying thing is that most people give very little thought to the contents of an email message, even though it might linger around an organisation for several years.
Most corporate mail systems are backed up onto tape regularly, and those tape archives can stretch back for several years and allow access to mail that you had previously thought was gone forever. There have been several high-profile cases where archived emails have been recovered and used in legal cases.
However, it can be normal day-to-day email messages that can cause the most problems, with their offhand remarks and unguarded comments, thoughtless turns of phrase and careless wording. Care must be taken both when sending an email message, and, perhaps more importantly, when reading it. Try not to be too harsh if there's a chance that you might have misinterpreted the sender's meaning.
One problem with less formal email is missed signals - the written message doesn't come with facial expressions or gestures that you would get in a face-to-face meeting, and there's no tone of voice to interpret as you could over the telephone. A great deal of human communication comes from these non-verbal signals and traditionally they help to make the message more clear..
..for example, irony and humour? can be difficult to express in a mail message - many people get round this by using smileys such as :) to indicate humor - but not everyone knows what these mean, so they are not foolproof.
The following tips should help you avoid some of the pitfalls.
Good Email Etiquette
• Do check to see what your organisation's email policy is. Many organisations have rules about the types of message that can be sent and also if your email is monitored or screened.
• Do try to think about the message content before you send it out.
• Do make sure that the content is relevant to the recipients. Nobody likes to receive junk email.
• Do be polite. Terseness can be misinterpreted.
• Do trim any quoted message down as much as possible.
• Do try to use humour and irony sparingly. You can use smileys such as :) or :( to indicate facial expressions, but make sure that the recipient understands what they mean.
• Do ensure that you have a relevant "Subject" line.
• Do try to quote from the original message where relevant. You can break the quoted message down into paragraphs and comment on them individually to make it clearer.
• Do be patient, especially with inexperienced email users. Give people the benefit of the doubt - just because you are familiar with email etiquette, it doesn't mean that they are.
• Do include a brief signature on your email messages to help the recipient understand who it is from, especially if you are dealing with someone you do not know very well.
• Do be careful when replying to mailing list messages, or to messages sent to many recipients. Are you sure you want to reply to the whole list?
• Do remember to delete anything that isn't needed or is trivial.
• Do remember to tell people the format of any attachments you send if they're anything other than basic Microsoft Office file types.
• Do tell your correspondent if you forward a message to somebody else to deal with, so they know who to expect a reply from.
• Do use emphasis where its useful to do so. If your email system doesn't allow bold or italics then a common convention is to use a *star* either side of the word you want to stress.
• Do understand that languages such as English differ in spelling between different countries. "Organisation" and "humour" are the correct spelling in British English, but in American English it would be "organization" and "humor". Non-native speakers of English may use a variety of national spellings.
Bad Email Etiquette
• Don't reply to an email message when angry , as you may regret it later. Once the message has been sent, you will not be able to recover it.
• Don't keep mail on your server longer than necessary, especially large attachments.
• Don't copy out an entire, long message just to add a line or two of text such as "I agree".
• Don't type in CAPITALS as this is considered to be SHOUTING. This is one of the rudest things you can do.
• Don't over-use punctuation such as exclamation marks ("!") as these are meant to be for emphasis. In particular avoid more than one exclamation mark ("!!"), especially if your email is quite formal. Also, over-use of the full-stop (e.g. "....") can make a message difficult to read.
• Don't send irrelevant messages, especially to mailing lists or newsgroups.
• Don't send large attachments without checking with the recipient first.
• Don't send excessive multiple postings to people who have no interest. This is known as "spamming" and is considered to be ignorant, and may lead to serious trouble with your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or IT department.
• Don't send chain letters or "make money fast" messages. There are several hoaxes about to do with viruses - never pass these on without checking with your IT department first.
• Don't criticize people's spelling, it is considered petty. Many people have no way of running a spell check on their messages and will make typos. Not all nationalities spell words in the same way.
• Don't conduct arguments in public, for example on a mailing list.
• Don't "flame" people by sending them abusive email messages.
• Don't make personal remarks about third parties. Email messages can come back to haunt you.
• Don't send unsuitable email or attachments, especially anything of an obscene nature as they may well be found by a third party later.
• Don't use an over-elaborate signature on your email message. Never, ever, use scanned images in a signature as these tend to be very large.
• Don't mark things as urgent if they aren't, because then when you really do have an urgent message it may not be treated in the way it deserves.
• Don't post your email address on web sites and other parts of the Internet unless you want to be deluged with spam.
Grammar, idioms and usage in Indian English
[edit] Grammar tweaks
John Lawler of the University of Michigan observes the following anomalies in the grammar of Indian English:
• The progressive tense in stative verbs: I am understanding it. She is knowing the answer.; an influence of traditional Hindi grammar, it is more common in northern states. Also, "i am working at Oracle" instead of "I work at Oracle".
• Variations in noun number and determiners: He performed many charities. She loves to pull your legs.
• Prepositions: pay attention on, discuss about, convey him my greetings. Most prepositions of English are direct mental translations of the approximate postpositions of Hindi, but the Hindi-speakers fail to note that there isn't always a one-to-one correspondence.
• Tag questions: The use of "isn't it?" and "no?" as general question tags, as in You're going, isn't it? instead of You're going, aren't you?, and He's here, no? ('na' often replaces 'no': another influence of languages like Hindi, this time colloquial, common all across the North, West, and East--the South replaces it with the 'ah' sound, as in Ready, ah?, an influence of colloquial Tamil and Kannada.)
• Word order: They're late always.(instead of "They are always late") My friends are all waiting.(instead of "All my friends are waiting)[citation needed]
• Yes and no agreeing to the form of a question, not just its content -- A: You didn't come on the bus? B: Yes, I didn't."
• Use of the indefinite article a before words starting with vowels (usually a slip of the tongue).
In addition to Lawler's observations, other unique patterns are also standard and will frequently be encountered in Indian English:
• The past perfect tense used in verbs where International English speakers would use the past simple. I had gone for I went.
• Use of would instead of will as in "I would be going to New York this weekend".
• Use of do the needful as in "do whatever needs to be done" (particularly uncanny is the phrase "please do the needful", as in "Could you help me with this?")
• Use of the words but or only as intensifiers such as in: "I was just joking but." or "It was she only who cooked this rice." Or even "I didn't go only" to mean "I didn't end up going after all." (Influenced by Hindi syntax.)
• People from South Indian state mainly Karnataka have the habbit of adding "U" to all english words Ex:LeftU for left , BusU for Bus.
• Anglicisation of Indian words especially in Chennai by adding "ify" to a local Tamil word.
• Use of yaar, machaa, abey, arey in an English conversation between Indians, mainly by people of native Hindi-speaking origin; 'ra', 'da', 'machaa' is more frequently used in the South.
• Use of the word ki (Hindi and Marathi) to mean, loosely, that, such as in "What I mean is ki we should adopt this plan instead." (Seen mainly in North and West India.)
• Idiomatic English for quantification in use of preposition "of", as in "There is so much of happiness in being honest."
• Use of the plural ladies for a single lady or a woman of respect, as in "There was a ladies at the phone."
• Use of "open" and "close" instead of switch/turn on/off, as in "Open the air conditioner" instead of "Turn on the air conditioner", and "Open your shirt" for "Take off your shirt." This construction is also found in Quebec English and also among Arab speakers of English etc.
• Use of "hope" where there is no implication of desire but merely expectation: "We don't want rain today but I hope it will rain." (Used mainly by people from the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu)
• Use of "off it" and "on it" instead of "switch it off" and "switch it on."
• Use of "current went" and "current came" (also, "light went" and "light came") for "The power went out" and "The power came back"
• Use of "y'all" for "you all" or "all of you", as used in Southern American English, especially by Anglo-Indians.
• Swapping around the meanings of "slow" and "soft" as in "I shall speak slower for you" (actually means I will speak softly) or "make the fan softer" (actually means make the fan go slower/ reduce its speed)
• Creation of nonsensical, rhyming double-words to denote generality of idea or act, a 'totality' of the word's denotation, as in "No more ice-cream-fice-cream for you!", "Let's go have some chai-vai (tea, "tea and stuff")." or "There's a lot of this fighting-witing going on in the neighborhood." (Prevalent mainly in Hindi- and Punjabi-speaking states.)
• Use of "baazi"/"baaji" or "-giri" for the same purpose, as in "business-baazi" or "cheating-giri." (Also prevalent mainly in Hindi-speaking states.)
• Use of word "wallah" to denote occupation or 'doing of/involvement in doing' something, as in "The taxi-wallah overcharged me.", "The grocery-wallah sells fresh fruit." or "He's a real music-wallah: his CD collection is huge."
• Use of the word maane (Bengali) , "Yani" (Urdu) and matlab (Hindi/Urdu) to mean, loosely, "meaning" ("What I mean is..."), as in "The problem with your idea, maane, what I feel is missing, is ki it does not address the problem of overstaffing." or "Your explanation, matlab, your feeble attempt at one, was sorely lacking in cohesiveness."
• Overuse of the words "Generally"/"Actually"/"Obviously"/"Basically" in the beginning of a sentence.e.g "Actually I am not feeling well."
• Use of the word "since" instead of "for" in conjunction with periods of time, as in "I have been working since four years" instead of "I have been working for four years" or "I have been working since four years ago". This usage is more common among speakers of North Indian languages such as Hindi where the words for both "since" and "for" are the same.
• Confusion, especially among North Indians, between the use of till and as long as, as in "Till you haven't finished your homework, you will not get dinner." This is again directly traceable to Hindi grammar.
• Use of the word "gift" as a verb : You are gifting me a new cell phone?
• Use of "I can able to cook" instead of "I can cook" - a widespread grammatical error in Tamil Nadu.
• Use of "Can you drop me?" and "We will drop her first" instead of "Can you drop me off?" and "We will drop her off first"
• Use of "throw it" instead of "throw it out"
• Use of "wish her" instead of "wish her a happy birthday"
• Use of "meet" or "met" to refer to spending time with someone as opposed to a first-time acquaintanceship: "i met my friend last night."
• Omission of the definite article: e.g. "Let's go to city" instead of "Let's go to the city"
• Usage of "out of hundred" instead of per cent: "He got hundred out of hundred" instead of "He got a hundred" or "He got one hundred per cent".
• Pronunciation of "h" as "hech" instead of "eych" in South India.
• Use of the Latin word "cum", meaning "with", as in "Welcome to the gymnasium cum swimming pool building." This was common in the past in British English.
• In South India, phrases such as "that and all", or "this and all" are used roughly to convey the meaning "all of that (stuff)" or "regarding that". e.g: A: "Can I pay you back later? I don't have my wallet." B: "That and all I don't know. I need the money now."
• Use of "the same" instead of "it", as in "I heard that you have written a document on .... Could you send me the same?" (this again used to be standard British English but now appears old-fashioned).
• Use of "right?", a translation of Hindi kya, at the end of a sentence. Kya is also encountered in Indian English.
• Skipping of verbs, as used in Hindi in the beginning of the sentence as in "What I did?", instead of "What did I do?"
• Use of the plural form of the word stuff to refer to almost anything, as in "other stuffs".
• Use of "told" instead of "said". An example would be "Ravi told he is going home" instead of "Ravi said he is going home" or "Ravi told me he is going home". This error is more prevalent in south india.
• Saying "native" instead of "native place" or "home town". Example: I am going to my native tomorrow.
• An extra "got". Example: "The job got completed" instead of "The job has completed'"
[edit] Idioms and popular words/phrases
• boy/girl - unmarried persons of any age. Matrimonial ads might describe the candidate as a 'boy, age 28 yrs'. The words 'man' and 'woman' are thought to imply lack of virginity and are thus particularly inappropriate in matrimonial ads unless the candidate is divorced.
• B.A. (fail) - used in matrimonial ads to describe someone who did not pass the final examinations but was admitted to college and did take college classes, as opposed to someone who did not go to college. 'Higher Secondary (fail)' and 'M.A. (fail)' are similar.
• Condoled - as in 'The railway minister condoled the families of those killed in the accident'.
• Gone for a six or Taken a six - to mean something got ruined. (Origins linked to game of Cricket)
• Eve-teasing - 'Sexual harassment'
• Pre-cap - 'like re-cap at beginning of serial TV show, a pre-cap at the end previewing the next one'
• Convented - 'A girl educated well in Christian convent-style school'
• I got a firing/I was fired by him - 'I got yelled at by him'
• Sharma sir is not here - same as Sharma-ji is not here, a respectful address. No knighthood suffix.
• I will make a move now - means 'I'm leaving', not 'making a move on someone', or anything related to chess.
• Where are you put up? means 'Where do you live'?. Heard often in S.India.
• Where do you stay? is the same as 'Where do you live?' or 'Where's your house?'
• Cheap and best means good quality at a low price - a great deal
• I don't take meat/milk/whatever - 'I don't eat meat/ drink milk' etc
• It is worst - 'It is really bad or of very poor quality'.
• She is innocently divorced or divorced (innocent)- not the party at fault, or the marriage was not consummated..
• Wheatish complexion - Seen in matrimonial ads. Means 'not dark skinned, tending toward light'
• "Your good name please?": "What is your name?", carryover from Hindi expression "Shubh-naam", literally meaning "auspicious name". This is similar to the way Japanese refer to the other person's name with an honorific "O-" prefix, as in "O-namae" instead of the simple "namae" when referring to their own name. It is also an indication that the questioner wants to know the person's formal or legal given name, as opposed to the pet name s/he would be called by close friends and family.
• "Out of station" to mean "out of town". This phrase has its origins in the posting of army officers to particular 'stations' during the days of the East India Company.
• "Join duty" to mean "reporting to work for the first time". "Rejoin duty" is to come back to work after a vacation.
• "Hello, What do you want?": used by some when answering a phone call, not perceived as impolite by most Indians
• "Tell me": used when answering the phone, meaning "How can I help you?"
• "send it across" instead of "send it over", as in "send the bill across to me" instead of "send the bill over to me".
• "order for food" instead of "order food", as in "Let's order for sandwiches".
• "What a nonsense/silly you are!" or "Don't be doing such nonsense any more.": occasional - idiomatic use of nonsense/silly as nouns (although this use of nonsense is not uncommon in British English).
• "pass out" is meant to graduate, as in "I passed out of the university in 1995."
• "go for a toss" is meant to go haywire or to flop, as in "my plans went for a toss when it started raining heavily."
• "funny" is meant to replace not only "odd"/"strange" but "rude"/"precocious"/"impolite" as well. "That man was acting really funny with me, so I gave him a piece of my mind"
• "on the anvil" is used often in the Indian press to mean something is about to appear or happen. For example, a headline might read "New roads on the anvil".
• "tight slap" to mean "hard slap".
• I have some doubts - 'I have some questions'
[edit] Titles (of respect; formal)
• Referring to elders, strangers or anyone meriting respect as "'jee'"/"'ji'" (suffix) as in "Please call a taxi for Gupta-ji" (North, West and East India)
• Use of prefixes "Shree"/"Shri" (Mr) or "Shreemati"/"Shrimati" (Ms/Mrs): Shri Ravi Shankar or Shreemati Das Gupta.
• As with Shree/Shreemati, use of suffixes "Saahib/Sāhab" (Mr) and "Begum" (Mrs)(Urdu) as in "Welcome to India, Smith-saahib." or "Begum Sahib would like some tea."
• Use of "Mr" and "Mrs" as common nouns for wife/husband. For example, "Jyoti's Mr stopped by yesterday" or "My Mrs is not feeling well".
• Use of "Ms" (also Mr, Mrs) with first name. For example, Swathi Ashok Kumar might be addressed as "Ms Swathi" instead of "Ms Kumar". This is logical and perhaps the only possible correct usage in South India, especially in Tamil Nadu, where most people don't use a surname.
• Use of the English words 'uncle' and 'aunty' as suffixes when addressing people such as distant relatives, neighbours, acquaintances, even total strangers (like shopkeepers) who are significantly older than oneself. E.g., "Hello, Swathi aunty!" In fact, in Indian culture, children or teenagers addressing their friend's parents as Mr Patel or Mrs Patel (etc.) is considered unacceptable, perhaps even offensive—a substitution of Sir/Ma'am is also not suitable except for teachers. On the contrary, if a person is really one's uncle or aunt, he/she will usually not be addressed as "uncle"/"auntie",[citation needed] but with the name of the relation in the vernacular Indian language, even while conversing in English.[citation needed] For example, if a woman is one's mother's sister, she would not be addressed (by a Hindi speaker) as "auntie" but as Mausi (Hindi: मौसी). It is interesting to observe that calling one's friends' parents auntie and uncle was also very common in Great Britain in the 1960s and 70s but is much rarer today.
• Use of Respected Sir while starting a formal letter instead of Dear Sir. Again, such letters are ended with non-standard greetings, such as "Yours respectfully", or "Yours obediently", rather than the standard "Yours sincerely/faithfully/truly".
• Use of "Baba" (father) while referring to any person, such as "No Baba, just try and understand, I cannot come today".
• In lengthy texts, such as newspaper articles, a person is referred to with his name, position, department and company without prepositions and often without the first name spelled out, leaving just the initial: "D. Singh, manager, department function ("tech sales"), company name".[16] In South India, especially in Tamil Nadu, where surnames are not used, the initial stands for one's father's first name, e.g., in M. Karthik, the initial M could stand for Mani, Karthik's father's first name.
• the phrase of 'the concerned person' is widely used in oral Indian English.
• 'A child was born of wed lock' in Indian English was actually meaning "a child was born out of wedlock."
[edit] Interjections and casual references
• Casual use of words yaar (friend, buddy, dude, man, mate), bhai (brother) and bhaiyya (elder brother) much as with the American English 'man' or 'dude', as in " Arey! C'mon, yaar! Don't be such a killjoy!", "Long time no see, bhai." or "Ay, bhaiyya! Over here!" Yaar is the equivalent of mate in Australian and British English. The word boss is also sometimes used in this way, among friends but also to male strangers, as in "How much to go to the train station, boss?", or "Good to see you, boss."
• Informal and sometimes coarse assignations of familial relationships to friends. For example, alliyan in Kerala, machan in Chennai, mama in Hyderabad literally meaning uncle and sala in Mumbai literally mean brother-in-law, but are informally used by the youth to refer to each other. Targeted at a stranger, such words may take a derogatory meaning (like "sleeping with your sister").
• Use of interjections Arey! and acchha! to express a wide range of emotions, usually positive though occasionally not, as in "Arey! What a good job you did!", "Accha, so that's your plan." or "Arey, what bad luck, yaar!"
• Use of the word "chal" (Hindi for the verb "walk") to mean the interjection "Ok", as in "Chal, I gotta go now" at the end of a phone call
• Use of T-K in place of O.K. when answering a question, as in "Would you like to come to the movie?" -- "T-K, I'll meet you there later." ("theek hai", literally "fine is", meaning "okay"). T-K is a anglophonic homophone of the Hindi phrase "Theek hai" similar to the French "Ça va" similar to the English phrase "Alright then."
• Use of oof! to show distress or frustration, as in "Oof! The baby's crying again!"
• Along with "oof!", there is also "off-oaf!" [of.fof] which is in a more whining voice which kind of means "oh, no!". Not many Indians will say this, but it is used widely in Hindi movies or soap operas. The South Indian equivalent is "Aiyo!" [əiː.jo], expanded to "Aiyaiyo!" in proportion to the provocation. The latter phrase is the trademark of the South Indian, as caricatured in Hindi movies.
• Use of "Wah" to express admiration, especially in musical settings, as in "Wah! Wah! You play the sitar so well!"
• Use of "just" and "simply" in a seemingly arbitrary manner in southern India, especially Kerala. e.g. Q:"Why did you do it?" A:"Simply!" or "Just I was telling to [sic] him.
• "Lady's finger" means "Okra" (as in some other English-speaking countries). "Brinjal" or "Bai-ngan" means eggplant or aubergine.
• "Hill Station" means mountain resort.
• "Hotel" means "restaurant" (as well as specifically "big hotel") in India: "I ate in the hotel". "Lodge" is used to refer to small hotels. Sometimes "Lodge" refers to a place where you stay (in rooms) and "Hotel" refers to a place where you eat.
• "stepney" or "stepaney" refers to a car's spare tyre. It is also used to refer to a mistress (i.e., a "spare" wife!)
• "specs" means spectacles or glasses (as in colloquial UK English).
• "cent per cent" means "100 per cent" as in "He got cent per cent in maths."
• "centum" is also frequently used to refer to 100.
• Overuse of the word "Please" as an interjection, often over-stressing the vowel. This could stem from "please" being implied within the verb conjugation in Hindi, causing speakers to overcompensate for its absence in English.
• Use of the verb "sit" in place of "located" e.g. "Where are you sitting?" for "Where are you located? (for one's location in a school or office but not home)"
• Use of "chumma chumma" (means simply in Tamil) at the beginning of a sentence. (eg. chumma chumma dont talk)
• Unnecessary repetition of a word to stress on the general idea. Used mostly with words like Yes No Right Ok etc. (eg. A: Did you finish reading the book ? B: Yes yes !! ) It is generally accompanied by an emphatic shake of the head.
[edit] Anomalous usage
• "Kindly" used to mean "please": "Kindly disregard the previous message".
• "Paining" used when "hurting" would be more common in Standard American and British: "My head is paining."
• "Cover" to mean envelope or shopping bag. For example, "Put the documents in a cover and post it", and "Put the vegetables in a separate cover".
• "To fire" used to mean "given an oral (not written) dressing down by a superior" rather than "sacked" or "dismissed." Indian: I got fired today at the office. American: I got chewed out today at the office.
• "Today morning" (afternoon, evening, etc.) instead of "this morning." ("I met with him today morning."). Similarly, "yesterday night" instead of "last night".
• "Pattice" is used for a singular vegetable /Corn patty or plural Corn patties.
• The verb "revert" used to mean "reply to" and the noun to mean a "reply" ("Why have you not reverted my letter?" meaning "Why have you not replied to my letter?")
• The word "marriage" used to mean "wedding." ("I am attending my cousin's marriage next month.")
• The word "holiday" used to mean any day on which a person is not at work, including official holidays, vacations, sick leave, weekends, etc. ("Sunday is my holiday.")
• Treatment of the phrase "I don't think so" as a unit, as in "I don't think so I can do that" instead of "I don't think I can do that."
• The word non-veg (short for non-vegetarian) is used to mean food which contains flesh of any mammal, fish, bird, shellfish, etc or even eggs. Fish, seafood, and eggs are not treated as categories separate from "meat," especially when the question of vegetarianism is at issue (milk and its products are always considered vegetarian). E.g., "We are having non-veg today for dinner", whereas the native varieties of English would have: "We are having meat today for dinner". This Indian usage with eggs is non-uniform, because many Indians have started considering eggs as vegetarian due to the fact that with modern technology they are unfertilized and unable to hatch into chicks.
• The word "mutton" is used to mean goat meat instead of sheep meat (and sometimes in a broader, euphemistic sense to mean any red meat, i.e., not poultry or fish).
• The word "hero" is used to mean a male protagonist in a story, especially in a motion picture. The protagonist need not have any specifically heroic characteristics. More significantly, "hero" is used to mean a movie actor who is often cast in the role of the protagonist. Thus, "Look at Vik; he looks like a hero," meaning "he is as handsome as a movie star."
• "Music director" is used to mean a music composer for movies.
• The word "dialogue" means "a line of dialogue" in a movie. ("That was a great dialogue!" means "That was a great line!") "Dialogues" is used to mean "screenplay." In motion picture credits, the person who might in other countries be credited as the screenwriter in India is often credited with the term "dialogues." (Note the usage of British spelling).
• The verb "repair" in southern India is used as a noun for a broken object as in, "The TV became repair." The same word is used for saying when the broken object is fixed: "The TV is repaired and now it is working properly."
• The word "stay" used for "live" or reside at": "Where do you stay?" meaning not "Where are you temporarily lodging" but "Where is your residence?" (though this is normal in Standard Scottish English)
• The word "damn" used as an intensifier, especially a negative one, far more frequently and with far more emphatic effect, than in international English, as in "That was a damn good meal".
• The word "healthy" to refer to fat people, in North India and in general as in "His build is on the healthy side" to refer to a positively overweight person. This is primarily because India used to have great food shortages and famines during early decades after independence, and a slim person would remind of someone malnourished and probably going to die, as compared to a fat person who would be seen as having enough food to eat.
• The word "dress" (noun) is used to refer to clothes for men, women, and children alike: "She bought a new dress for her son", whereas in international varieties of English a dress is a women's outer clothing with a bodice and a skirt as a single garment. The usage of dress as clothes does exist in international varieties but only in very rare occasions and in relevant context., e.g. schooldress. Young girls in India invariably wear a dress, which is called a frock by the Indians.
• The word "cloth" usually refers only to any clothes or fabrics that are not wearable, like "waste cloth": "Use that cloth for cleaning."
• "Full Shirt or Full Arm Shirt" is used for "Full Sleeves" and "Half Shirt or Half Arm Shirt" for "Half Sleeves" or "Short Sleeves". Similarly full-pant means trousers and half-pant means shorts.
• "Cloth" and "clothe" are used interchangeably.
• "Shirtings and suitings" used for the process of making such garments and also to refer to shops specializing in men's formal/business wear.
• saloon [sæ.'luːn] instead of salon, as in "I will visit the hair saloon."
• "Bath" and "bathe" are also used interchangeably.
• Usage of the word Mohammadans instead of proper Muslims by many Hindus. This is an example of hyperforeignism, i.e. since Mohammadan is a highly anglicized word, it is considered "more proper" term; in reality, most Muslims would consider it disrespectful. Similarly, many Indians would still call the Blacks as negro without knowing that in modern usage it is disrespectful.
• Foreigner often means not just an alien in India, but any ethnic white Caucasian person (even if he or she has got an Indian citizenship). E.g., "Nina has such a fair complexion and blue eyes; she looks just like a foreigner".
• Greetings like "Happy Birthday" are used even to say that "Today is my happy birthday". However, this usage is mostly restricted to children.
• The use of "also" in place of "too" or "as well"; as in "I also need a blanket" instead of "I too need a blanket" or "He was late also" instead of "He was late as well"
• Intensifying adjectives by doubling them. This is a common feature of most Indian languages. For example: "She has curly-curly hair"; "You are showing your hairy-hairy legs; "We went to different-different places in the city in search of a good hotel; "You will get used to the humidity slowly-slowly"; "Don't worry about small-small things" to mean very insignificant issues.
• Use of "reduce" to mean "lose weight" as in "I need to reduce lot!!"
• Use of "this side" and "that side" instead of "here" and "there." "Bring it this side." "We went that side."
• Use of "engagement" to mean not just an agreement between two people to marry, but a formal, public ceremony (often accompanied by a party) where the engagement is formalized with a ring and/or other local rituals. Indians will not speak of a couple as being "engaged," until after the engagement ceremony has been performed. Similar to the use of term "marriage," a person may say "I am going to attend my cousin's engagement next month." Afterwards, the betrothed is referred to as one's "would-be" wife or husband. In this case, "would be" is used to mean "will be" in contrast with the standard and American and British connotation of "wants to be (but will not be)."
• The word "marry" used to mean "arrange or organize a wedding for," as in "I will be marrying my daughter next month", meaning: "I will be hosting/organizing my daughter's wedding next month."
• "Keep" is used to refer to a woman who is someone's mistress. For example, "She is his keep", and also "She is a kept woman".
• "Graduation" used exclusively to mean completion of a bachelor's degree: "I did my graduation at Presidency College" ("I earned my bachelor's degree at Presidency College."), whereas in the United States it refers to completion of Highschool, Master's or PhD as well.
• Word order following who, what, where, when, why, or how with clauses is anomalous. In standard American and British English, the following are correct
"Where are you going?"
"Tell me where you are going"
In Indian English, however, a speaker will tend to choose one or the other word order pattern and apply it universally, thus:
"Where are you going?" and "Tell me where are you going.", or
"Where you are going?" and "Tell me where you are going."
• "Metro" to mean large city (i.e. 'metros such as Delhi and Chennai') This is a shortening of the term Metropolis. This can be confusing for Europeans, who tend to use the word to describe underground urban rail networks. However, following the popularity of the Delhi Metro, the word Metro now tends to be used to describe both the metropolis and the underground rail network.
• Use of the word "shift" to indicate "move" (oneself with belongings to a different house or city), as in "When are you shifting?" (instead of "When are you moving?").
• Use of "Sugar" to ask people if they are diabetic ("Do you have sugar?", instead of "Do you have diabetes?").
• Use of "power" to ask people if they are wearing corrective glasses ("What is your power?").
• Use of "blood pressure" or "BP" to refer particularly to high blood pressure, as in "I have BP!" to mean "I am suffering from high BP or hypertension".
• Use of "off" as an emphatic. ("I did it off" to mean "I went ahead and did it", or "Do it off" to mean "Do it without hesitation".)
• Use of "bucks" as a colloquial name for the Rupee. (This is more common in the US, while "quid" is used likewise in the UK).
• Lifting the phone instead of picking up the phone.
• Use of "doubt" to mean "a follow-up question", as in "I have a small doubt about this week's homework" or "Do you have time for a doubt?".
• Use of "one another" instead of "one more" or "another"
• "Yoghurt" is called as curd in Indian English, whereas in native varieties of English, curd is sour coagulated milk which is precursor to cheese.
• Pronouncing words starting with the letter
• Pronouncing the word
Sometimes indians use english vocab in their sentences but the sentence is basically hindi. eg. Madhuri ne kuch food khaya.
[edit] Words unique to or originating in Indian English (in formal usage)
Main articles: List of English words of Hindi origin, List of English words of Tamil origin, List of English words of Sanskrit origin, List of English words of Urdu origin, and List of English words of Malayalam origin
Indians frequently inject words from Indian languages, such as Marathi,Bengali, Kannada,Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, and Urdu into English. While the currency of such words usually remains restricted to Indians and other Indian subcontinentals, there are many which have been regularly entered into the Oxford English Dictionary as their popularity extended into worldwide mainstream English. Some of the more common examples are "jungle", "bungalow", "bandana", "pyjamas"; others were introduced via the transmission of Indian culture, examples of which are "mantra", "karma", "avatar", "pundit" and "guru". The lead female character in the American pop sitcom "Dharma and Greg" has a Sanskrit name "Dharma" (interestingly, "dharma" is masculine in Hindi and Sanskrit).
Words unique to (i.e. not generally well-known outside South Asia) and/or popular in India include those in the following by no means exhaustive list:
• batchmate or batch-mate (Not classmate, but a schoolmate of the same grade)
• "eggitarian" for a person who is eats vegetarian food, milk and eggs but not meat. (See this blog)
• compass for pencil box
• cousin-brother (male first cousin) & cousin-sister (female first cousin); used conversely is one's own brother/sister (of one's parent, as opposed to uncle or aunt; English brother/sister): most Indians live in extended families and many do not differentiate even nominally between cousins and direct siblings.
• Dicky/dickey the boot of a car
• Double-confirm for re-confirm or just confirm.
• eve teasing (catcalling - harassment of women)
• foot overbridge (bridge meant for pedestrians)
• godown (warehouse)
• godman somewhat pejorative word for a person who claims to be divine or who claims to have supernatural powers
• gully to mean a narrow lane or alley (from the Hindi word "gali" meaning the same).
• Himalayan blunder (grave mistake)
• mugging to mean studying hard or swotting, and having nothing to do with street crime
• nose-screw or nose-ring (woman's nose ornament)
• opticals (eyeglasses)
• pass-out to graduate from college
• to prepone (to advance, literally the opposite of 'postpone').
• ragging for fagging(UK)/hazing(US).
• rubber for eraser
• In tension for being concerned or nervous
• tiffin for lunch box
• time pass or timepass to mean something that is good enough for killing time. For example, "The movie was not great, but timepass".
• updation (used in out-sourcing to mean to update something, as in "I've completed the updation".)
• upgradation (commonly used in business communication instead of 'upgrade')
• uptil used for or "up until".
• upto (a shortening of "up to")
• villi used for villainess, especially in some parts of South India.
• would-be (fiancé/fiancée)
• co-brother indicates relationship between two men who married sisters, as in "He is my co-brother" (commonly used in South India)
• Some Indians consider "baby" as applicable only to a female infant. A male infant would be called a "baba" [baːbaː] (in Hindi [i]-ending nouns are usually feminine and [a]-ending ones usually masculine.)
The book Hobson-Jobson by Henry Yule and A. C. Burnell, first published in 1886, gives a glossary of colloquial Anglo-Indian words.
[edit] Colloquial and slang words used in Indian English
The words below are not generally used in formal Indian English. These are mainly used by the younger generation and may not be used or understood by older English speakers in India.
• arbit (a slang term and short for arbitrary. Can be used to mean "vague", "random" or "bad". e.g.: "What an arbit ending that movie had!" Used primarily by college students in the metros. It is pronounced either as "arbitt" or "arbid", usually with equal stress on both syllables)
• funda short for fundamental. Refers to the background behind a concept - "I can't understand the funda of compactness!", "He explained the funda of Newton's Law of Cooling". Used almost exclusively by college students in large cities, esp. Delhi and Mumbai.
• fundu or fundoo - great. Someone who has good fundas is fundu. 'Fundu grub' means great food. The word sometimes surfaces more publicly as in this ad for chips: 'Five fundu flavours', probably aimed at the young, college-going market
• enthu, a short form for 'enthusiasm' or 'enthusiastic'. For example, 'He has a lot of enthu'.
• despo, a short form for 'desperate'.
• senti, a short form for 'sentimental'.
• n - Many (He takes n troubles to stay neat).
• time pass or timepass to mean something that is good enough for killing time. For example, "The movie was not great, but timepass".
• "Deadly", "hi-fi", "sexy" are used in idiomatic ways as adjectives. Deadly means intense, "hi-fi" stylish or beyond the perception of the average person and "sexy" excellent or extremely cool. Examples are "That movie was deadly, yaar; what an action scene!", "Your shoes are hi-fi. Where'd you get them?" and "That's a sexy car, man!"
• "Propose", to ask a person of the opposite sex if he/she is interested in him. Unlike Western usage, it does not imply marriage, instead it means asking someone out.
• "Gone for a toss", to mean something got ruined.
• ..freaking out - used (loosely) in place of "..having a good time", as in We are all going to the club tonight to freak out or it can also mean being worried about something, as in I am freaking out thinking about the exams
Common problems
Connectors
What's wrong?
Please correct the following sentences:
1. Despite sales were down, the company chairman was optimistic.
2. The tax rates, they all were changed two years ago, are now lower.
What are connectors?
Connectors are linking words or phrases that connect two ideas, facts, events, etc. They join the ideas but also signal what is coming next, eg a contrasting fact or a purpose. These signals help the listener or reader to understand the connection between ideas.
Examples
1. Contrast:
a. Last year's profits amounted to ten million whereas the previous year's profit was eight million.
b. We have not yet received our order in spite of the fact that we contacted you a month ago.
2. Consequence:
The company needs to expand its international business. We therefore recommend the opening up of new markets in Asia.
3. Adding information:
The refunds are substantial. They are, in addition, easy to claim.
4. Explaining:
We'll need to make personnel cuts. In other words there will be some redundancies.
They sometimes offer reductions.
Test it out!
Look at these connectors and choose an appropriate one to fill each gap in the sentences below:
alternatively whereas as a result despite
on the other hand in other words in addition although
1. The rate in the UK is 16%, the rate in France is 17%.
2. difficult trading conditions, the company made a considerable profit.
3. The company made a loss last year and did not pay a dividend.
4. On the one hand, reorganization will reduce salary costs but , it will increase administrative costs.
5. their competitors became bankrupt, the company did not increase its market share.
6. The tax rates are progressive. the percentage withheld increases as the income rises.
7. We recommend that you relocate to Amsterdam. , you could consider a base in the Hague.
8. We should try to maintain the current level of manufacturing costs and, intensify our marketing efforts.
Word families
A word family is a group of words with the same root. It is helpful to learn all these words at the same time.
Look at these two word families and then choose the correct words from the boxes to put into the sentences below:
NOUN VERB ADJECTIVE ADVERB
economy
economics economic economically
economize
economist economical
.
profit
profitability profit profitable profitably
profiteer
1. They will try to sell the product at an price.
2. The company hopes to return to high next year.
3. Is the company viable?
4. We spent a day talking about next year's budget.
5. The car is very . It doesn't use much petrol.
6. The company made a pre-tax of six million last year.
Word partnerships
Some words are frequently used with a key business word.
Look at the words below which can be use with the word "investment" to make word partnerships, for example "capital investment".
capital equity real
tax-free INVESTMENT net
speculative fixed-interest gross
"Capital investment" is investment in capital goods, such as machinery or buildings needed for the production process.
Which of the other "investment" word partnerships have the following meanings?
1. Investment in goods and services needed for the benefit of the community, not for financial gain.
investment
2. The use of money to buy a security or commodity with the intention of selling it at a profit.
investment
3. An investment which earns interest at an agreed fixed rate.
investment
4. The gross investment reduced by the amount of capital consumption.
investment
5. An investment which gives the holder a right to receive a share in the profits, usually in the form of a dividend.
investment
Word play
Do you know these common idiomatic uses of the word "air"? If you are not sure, click the "Meaning" button.
The politician's speech was full of hot air.
His personal assistant entered the room with an air of apology.
The prime minister spoke on the radio recently, airing his views on the situation of the economy.
The president went on the air to make a public broadcast.
There had been several small disagreements among the staff. Finally, their boss called them together to clear the air.
Crossword
Most of the words in this crossword are to do with finance.
Print this page and complete the crossword offline.
1 . 2 . . 3 ///// 4 5 . . . 6
. ///// . ///// ///// . ///// ///// . ///// ///// ///// .
7 . . . . . ///// 8 . . 9 . .
. ///// . ///// ///// . ///// ///// . ///// . ///// .
. ///// ///// ///// ///// . ///// ///// ///// ///// . ///// .
///// ///// ///// 10 . . 11 . . 12 . . /////
13 ///// ///// ///// ///// ///// . ///// ///// . ///// ///// 14
15 . . 16 ///// ///// . ///// ///// 17 . . .
. ///// ///// . ///// 18 . . . . ///// ///// .
. ///// ///// . ///// ///// . ///// ///// . ///// ///// .
19 . . . . . . ///// ///// . ///// ///// .
. ///// ///// . ///// ///// ///// ///// ///// . ///// ///// .
20 . . . . . ///// 21 . . . . .
Across
1. A person who owes money to another.
4. ..... investment gives the holder a right to receive a share of the profits.
7. Of, or related to, public money.
8. Add, subtract, multiply, ..... .
10. A continuing rise in prices.
15. The price paid for something.
17. You can rent or ..... a car.
18. To give out, or provide officially, eg to ..... shares.
19. Not known.
20. People can invest money in unit ..... .
21. ..... are all the things with monetary value owned by a person or company.
Down
1. To ..... is to postpone.
2. The lowest part, or foundation.
3 Tax ..... is a tax-free amount.
5. ..... is a colloquial word meaning an English pound.
6. ..... is the rate of income received by an investor from a security.
9. People can put their money ..... property, equity or securities.
11. You can practise your English by having an English ..... .
12. If someone is left money by a relative who has died, he has ..... the money.
13. What kind of bank ..... have you got?
14. People who have paid too much tax, usually get ..... .
16. General tendencies or directions
Crossword - Answers
1D E 2B T O 3R ///// 4E 5Q U I T 6Y
E ///// A ///// ///// E ///// ///// U ///// ///// ///// I
7F I S C A L ///// 8D I V 9I D E
E ///// E ///// ///// I ///// ///// D ///// N ///// L
R ///// ///// ///// ///// E ///// ///// ///// ///// T ///// D
///// ///// ///// 10I N F 11L A T 12I O N /////
13A ///// ///// ///// ///// ///// E ///// ///// N ///// ///// 14R
15C O S 16T ///// ///// S ///// ///// 17H I R E
C ///// ///// R ///// 18I S S U E ///// ///// B
O ///// ///// E ///// ///// O ///// ///// R ///// ///// A
19U N K N O W N ///// ///// I ///// ///// T
T ///// ///// D ///// ///// ///// ///// ///// T ///// ///// E
20T R U S T S ///// 21A S S E T S
Prepositions
Prepositions play an important part in written business communication. The following verbs and prepositions are often found in business letters:
apologise for something / doing something
apply for a job
draw attention to something
have pleasure in sending / enclosing something
look forward to hearing from / meeting someone
refer to a letter / telephone call / meeting
reply to a letter / fax
Use some of the above verbs and prepositions to fill the gaps in the following letter. (Put the verbs into the correct form).
Dear Mr Jackson
We your letter of 20 January, in which you expressed interest in the vacant post of sales representative. We the delay in your letter. We sending further details of the post. We should like to your the fact that the post will be based in the North of England.
We hearing from you.
Yours sincerely
6.Successful Negotiations in English
There will be many occasions in which you might find yourself having to negotiate with an English-speaking person in business: to ask for a pay rise or promotion, to get the best possible deal from your suppliers, or even to make social arrangements with your colleagues.
Ideally, in any negotiation, you can give the other party what they want, and they can also give you what you want. But in some situations, one person has to compromise and will probably try to negotiate something in return. The important thing is that both parties feel happy with the final outcome: a "win-win" situation.
Although some negotiations are more "important" than others, there are some useful phrases you can use at different stages of the negotiation to make your position clear and to make sure that the other party is in agreement with you.
Preparation for the negotiation
It goes without saying that the better prepared you are, the more likely you are to get what you want. Think about your goals - as well as those of the opposing party - to make sure you are clear about what you want. What can you trade with the other party? Do you have any alternatives that are acceptable to you? If you can also work out possible solutions, then it is easier to find an acceptable outcome. Finally, you should be clear about your "bottom line": the point at which you can offer no more. In rare cases you may even have to be prepared to walk away from the negotiation if you reach a stalemate: a position from which it is impossible to negotiate any more.
Starting and outlining your position
I'd like to begin by saying…
I'd like to outline our aims and objectives.
There are two main areas that we'd like to concentrate on / discuss.
Agreeing
We agree.
This is a fair suggestion.
You have a good point.
I can't see any problem with that.
Provided / As long as you….. we will….
Disagreeing
I'm afraid that's not acceptable to us.
I'm afraid we can't agree with you there.
Can I just pick you up on a point you made earlier.
I understand where you're coming from / your position, but…
We're prepared to compromise, but…
If you look at it from our point of view,…
As we see it…
That's not exactly as we see it.
Is that your best offer?
Clarifying
Does anything I have suggested / proposed seem unclear to you?
I'd like to clarify our position.
What do you mean exactly when you say….
Could you clarify your last point for me?
Summarizing
Can we summarise what we've agreed so far?
Let's look at the points we agree on.
So the next step is…
Language points
During a negotiation, you're likely to hear "if" sentences, as the negotiation moves from the stage of exploring issues to the stage of making a deal.
If you increased the order size, we could / would reduce the price. (2nd conditional - exploring the issue)
So, we'll reduce the price by 5% if you increase the order by 5%. (1st conditional - making a deal)
You might also hear "unless" (=if not), "as long as" and "provided (that)" instead of if:
As long as you increase your order, we can give you a greater discount.
Unless you increase your order, we won't be able to give you a bigger discount.
Provided you increase your order, we can give you a bigger discount.
3. Effective Emails
Make sure your emails are easy to understand with our guide to writing effective emails.
Have you ever been in the situation where you've received an email, but you don't understand the message? Maybe you just don't understand the English, or maybe you don't know what to do after the email. Does the sender want you to do something, or to reply, or to just keep the email as information? Maybe the sender has written something in such a way that you don't know if he / she is happy, unhappy, or being sarcastic. In any of these cases, you can spend - or waste - a lot of time just trying to work out what the email is about.
Here are eight guidelines to writing clear and effective emails, so your readers always know how to respond.
1. Use a clear subject line.
Say what the email is about in a few words. Instead of writing "Urgent", write "Meeting at 10am about pay rise".
Use a subject line each time you reply to an email, to avoid subject lines starting Re: or R:R:
Be careful to avoid general subject lines, such as "Hello" or "Hi", as some email providers automatically delete these as spam.
2. Keep your emails short.
Try to keep to only one point in each email. If necessary, you can send more emails on different points. If you write a descriptive subject line for each email, it is easier for the reader to understand the content of your email.
You don't need to quote all the previous messages in the one you send. You can selectively quote (only including the previous question, for example) by using the angle brackets < < quote here >>.
3. Use simple English.
Keep your emails grammatically simple. This means that a) you're less likely to make grammatical mistakes, and b) your reader is more likely to understand them.
Here are some ways of writing simple English:
- use active forms instead of passive forms
- write short sentences rather than long ones (remember the word order Subject Verb Object Manner Place Time)
- don't use idioms or phrasal verbs
- use common words rather than technical or jargon words if your reader is not in the same field as you
4. Make sure your reader knows what to do next
Use direct language to help your reader act on your email. For example, if you want your reader to find some information for you, write "Please can you find me the sales figures for 2006" instead of the vaguer "I'm going to need the sales figures for 2006".
Common ways of making requests are by using the modals "Could", "Would" and "Can". See our page on modal verbs for more information.
5. Reduce the amount of email you send!
Most people receive more - rather than less - email every day. Here are some ways you can reduce the number of emails you send to people:
- make a phone call rather than send an email. This is particularly effective if you only want a quick piece of information
- only send an email to the people who need to see it. Don't automatically click "reply to all" if only one or two people need to read your message.
- Don’t take part in chain emails (when you have to forward something on to five of your best friends, for example)
- don't reply to spam
6. Don't send heavy attachments.
If possible, send a zip file, or give web addresses where your reader can find information.
7. Be careful of your email content.
Try to make your emails informative and polite, and use a neutral tone. Remember that your reader could forward your email to other people, so only write what you would be happy for other people to read. (No gossip, no personal comments, no confidential information and no ambiguous English such as sarcastic humour.)
Avoid using emoticons and smilies in business emails, or too many exclamation marks.
8. Check your email before you send it.
Use a spell check to eliminate spelling mistakes. Read your email aloud to check for grammar and punctuation errors. Ask yourself these questions:
"Is this clear?"
"Does my reader know what to do next?"
"Is this polite?"
2. Good Writing Etiquette
Native English speakers aren't always "aware" of the effect their writing has on people. This is especially the case with emails, when people often don't check for mistakes before they send, or just as importantly, they don't put themselves in their reader's shoes and check for "tone".
Putting yourself in your reader's shoes means you try to anticipate what your reader will think when they get your email. Can what you write be interpreted differently to your intended meaning? Does it sound rude or will it offend?
Here are some of the biggest etiquette mistakes to avoid when you write.
1. Not acknowledging emails
If someone has taken the time and trouble to write to you, it's only polite to reply within a day or so. If you can't answer the person within this time frame, write something short to let them know you will answer more fully later.
"Thanks for your email. I'll get back to you within the next day / tomorrow / next week." If you're going on holiday and will be away for more than a few days, consider setting up an auto responder to reply automatically to emails.
It's also polite to reply to people who have sent in their CVs or who are applying for work with you. Even if you don't have anything concrete to tell them, at least acknowledge that you have received their application:
"Thanks for sending us your CV. We'll get back to you as soon as possible."
2. Not thanking someone for their work or input
If someone has put in time to quote for a project or to give you some information, make sure you thank them. Making someone feel appreciated means that they are more likely to want to do business with you in the future.
"I'm sorry you didn't get the project, but thanks for your work."
"Thank you for finding me the information about X. I really appreciate your help."
3. Not using capital letters or proper punctuation
If you shorten words too much (would = wld; please = plse), don't punctuate your sentences (i instead of I; no commas or full stops, etc) you not only appear uneducated, but you make your reader spend time trying to understand what you want to say. Neither of these things makes you look professional!
4. Sending short, unfriendly emails
If you don't know someone particularly well, take the time to answer an email as fully as possible. Don't leave out important information, and don't answer questions with just one word. At the beginning of a business relationship, it makes sense to appear willing to help and to do business.
5. Bombarding your reader with unnecessary information
A classic example of this is someone who sends an instant message, then an email to say he / she has sent a message. Choose your method of communication, and don't duplicate your messages.
6. Getting emotional
You may feel frustrated or irritated with someone, but don't tell them that. Personal feelings don't usually have a place in business relationships - especially at the beginning when you don't know the other person very well. Try to remain as neutral as possible in your written communication.
7. Being aggressive or doing a hard sell
If you don't like the response you have received from someone, don't reply in an aggressive way, or try to justify what you want. If you don't like a company's terms of service, for example, then look elsewhere rather than "shooting the messenger".
1. Making a Good First Impression
Making a good impression on new business contacts is important as it means that the other person will take you seriously from the beginning, and feel comfortable doing business with you.
Greetings
How do you greet someone when you first meet them? Do you kiss their cheek, "air kiss" (kiss the air next to their cheek), hug, squeeze their arm, or shake their hand? The choice of greeting is confusing to many British people who, up until recently, would shake hands in a business context and only kiss close friends or relatives.
Social kissing has become more common in British business culture over the last few years (especially between people who already have a business relationship). However, it is better to give a firm handshake when you meet someone for the first time. This is particularly true when you meet people from cultures where social kissing is not generally practised.
Introducing yourself
(In order of formality)
- How do you do? (With a falling intonation)
(Correct response is "How do you do?" also with a falling intonation.)
- Pleased to meet you. I'm …
- Nice to meet you. I'm …
- Hello. I'm…
- Hi!
Responding to introductions
You can generally use the same words as the person who has introduced him or herself. So if someone says "Pleased to meet you. I'm …." you can also say "Pleased to meet you. I'm…." Alternatively, you can just give your name as a reply, but make sure you sound confident, rather than speaking too quietly for the other person to hear.
Introducing others
(In order of formality)
- May I introduce you to…
- Could / Can I introduce you to…
- Let me introduce you to…
- I'd like you to meet…
- I don't believe you've met…
- Have you met…
- X, this is Y. Y, this is X.
Who do you introduce first?
In "Mr. A, I'd like you to meet Mr. B", Mr. A has the higher status. When you are introduced to someone, you can use a standard phrase such as "Pleased to meet you". You don't need to say much at all, unless you are asked a direct question.
As you introduce someone, use your arm to gesture. So if you have Mr A on your left hand side and you want him to meet Mr. B, move your right forearm slowly away from your body in the direction of Mr. B so that it is clear who you are introducing.
Making small talk
If you meet someone at a business function, you'll probably spend a couple of minutes in small talk after you introduce yourselves. The topic of small talk is often related to the situation. For example, if you are both at a business conference, the topic of conversation will probably be the conference itself. "Interesting seminars this year" could be the starting point, or "Did you go to the talk by X?" If you are unsure about what to say, take your cue from the other person, responding to their questions, and taking the conversation further:
A: Did you go to the talk by X?
B: Yes, I did. I thought it was really interesting. Are you going to the seminar this afternoon?
A: Interesting seminars this year.
B: Yes, I agree. I particularly liked the one on Asian markets.
Saying good bye
Use a polite phrase to show that you have to leave the other person.
- Well, it was nice meeting you.
- Well, it was a pleasure to meet you.
5. Top 10 Presentation Mistakes
Many articles and books have been written on the subject of presentations. Along with good meeting and good negotiating skills, the art of giving a presentation is one of the most fundamental if you want to get ahead in business. But all too often, a business presentation doesn’t have the effect on the audience that was intended. It’s not just what is wrong in terms of content or language, but sometimes the delivery, the use (or abuse) of visuals, a perceived lack of organisation – or even a missing “WOW” factor turn a presentation into a dull, boring “speech”.
Here are my top ten presentation mistakes:
1. Ignoring the “What’s in it for me?” factor
Any time you give a presentation, you should first think about why the audience is there. This “What’s in it for me?” factor is vital. Unless you involve and get your audience’s attention from the start, you’re going to lose their interest. Starting your presentation with a “hook” (a reason to listen to you) is one crucial step in making sure your audience pays attention.
2. Not practising in front of a live audience
Even if you feel confident that you know your presentation word for word, nothing compares to real, live practice. Deliver your presentation to a colleague, a family member or a friend, and you will soon know which areas of your presentation cause you difficulty.
There is no substitute for practice. My first teacher-trainer told me she practised her first ever lesson to her dining room table and chairs. Although a lesson is obviously not a business presentation, the principles are similar. If you practise, you get a better idea of timing, a better feel for where you need to pause, and you become more aware of nervous habits. So much better if the person you’re practising to can also video you. It may be embarrassing at first, but all exceptional public speakers use video to help them give great presentations.
3. Forgetting the main principle of public speaking
Audiences have short attention spans. They’re likely to remember less than one half of what you tell them. Some audience members get bored, drift off in day dreams, or start thinking about other things. Then when a colleague asks what your presentation was about, they’re unable to give a good summary. Help your audience remember what your presentation is about with these three rules:
- Tell them what you are going to tell them
- Tell them
- Tell them what you have told them
Essentially, you tell them at the beginning what the presentation is about. Then you give your presentation. Finally, you summarise what you have said.
4. Using too many visuals
Visuals can be distracting. It is better to use fewer, but more self-explanatory visuals, than to overload your audience’s attention by giving them too many to look at. In my opinion, a good speaker can engage an audience better if he or she speaks directly to them. Use visuals only when the information you want to give is much better understood graphically. Choose your visual style carefully, and remember you can present information in a variety of ways, such as pie charts, graphs, tables and so on.
5. Not giving people time to look at visuals before commenting on them
Don’t fight with your visuals. As soon as you present a visual, your audience is going to look at it. Don’t distract them by talking while they are looking. By giving them a few seconds to absorb the information, you can then be sure to have their attention when you explain what is important or interesting about the information.
6. Using font that is too small
I was devastated to hear that during my first ever presentation (which I had worked so hard at!) the people at the back of the audience couldn’t see or read the slides. The font was just too small. Don’t underestimate how large the font will need to be, and if possible, try a visual in a similar sized room before you make all your slides or visuals. If the room is large, nothing less than 20 point will be visible to people at the back.
7. Using bad colour combinations
Blue or black text on white = good
Red text on yellow = bad
Don’t make your audience strain to read what you have written. Some colour combinations just do not work. When in doubt, stick to a classic blue or black text on a white or cream background.
8. Not having a clear questions policy
Let your audience know at the beginning of your presentation how you are going to handle questions. It is probably easier and less stressful if you have questions at the end of the presentation. Then you can speak knowing that you won’t be distracted. A simple sentence such as “Please feel free to ask questions at the end of the presentation” is generally enough.
9. Speaking too fast
A sure sign of nervousness, if you speak too fast, you risk losing your audience. Don’t be afraid to pause for effect and to let your audience absorb information. On the other hand, don’t speak so slowly that the audience risk getting bored. Practising your presentation before will help you find the optimum speed.
10. Bad or nervous posture
Body language is one of those almost indefinable factors that help us form an impression of someone. If you look relaxed, people will relax around you. If you look nervous (by standing stiffly or by making nervous gestures) your audience will not feel relaxed either. This can make the difference between a bad and a great presentation, so practise in front of the mirror to see how you look when you stand in front of people.
4. English Presentation Skills - Vocabulary
Overviews
After you give your opening statement, you should give a brief overview of your presentation. This includes what your presentation is about, how long you will take and how you are going to handle questions. For example, a presentation to sales staff could start like this:
"Welcome / "Hello everyone."
Opening statement
You all very well know this company is losing its market share. But we are being asked to increase
sales by 20 – 25%. How can we possibly increase sales in a shrinking market?"
Overview
"Today I am going to talk to you about how we can do this. My presentation will be in three parts. Firstly I am going to look at the market and the background. Then I am going to talk to you about our new products and how they fit in. Finally, I'm going to examine some selling strategies that will help us increase our sales by 20%. The presentation will probably take around 20 minutes. There will be time for questions at the end of my talk."
Useful language for overviews
"My presentation is in three parts."
"My presentation is divided into three main sections."
"Firstly, secondly, thirdly, finally…"
"I'm going to…
take a look at…
talk about…
examine…
tell you something about the background…
give you some facts and figures…
fill you in on the history of…
concentrate on…
limit myself to the question of…
"Please feel free to interrupt me if you have questions."
"There will be time for questions at the end of the presentation."
"I'd be grateful if you could ask your questions after the presentation."
The main body of the presentation
During your presentation, it’s a good idea to remind your audience occasionally of the benefit of what you are saying.
"As I said at the beginning…"
"This, of course, will help you (to achieve the 20% increase)."
"As you remember, we are concerned with…"
"This ties in with my original statement…"
"This relates directly to the question I put to you before…"
Keeping your audience with you
Remember that what you are saying is new to your audience. You are clear about the structure of your talk, but let your audience know when you are moving on to a new point. You can do this by saying something like "right", or "OK". You can also use some of the following expressions:
"I'd now like to move on to…"
"I'd like to turn to…"
"That's all I have to say about…"
"Now I'd like to look at…"
"This leads me to my next point…"
If you are using index cards, putting the link on the cards will help you remember to keep the audience with you. In addition, by glancing at your index cards you will be pausing - this will also help your audience to realize that you are moving on to something new.
Language for using visuals
It's important to introduce your visual to the audience. You can use the following phrases:
"This graph shows you…"
"Take a look at this…"
"If you look at this, you will see…"
"I'd like you to look at this…"
"This chart illustrates the figures…"
"This graph gives you a break down of…"
Give your audience enough time to absorb the information on the visual. Pause to allow them to look at the information and then explain why the visual is important:
"As you can see…"
"This clearly shows …"
"From this, we can understand how / why…"
"This area of the chart is interesting…"
Summarizing At the end of your presentation, you should summarise your talk and remind the audience of what you have told them:
"That brings me to the end of my presentation. I've talked about…"
"Well, that's about it for now. We've covered…"
"So, that was our marketing strategy. In brief, we…"
"To summarise, I…"
Relate the end of your presentation to your opening statement:
"So I hope that you're a little clearer on how we can achieve sales growth of 20%."
"To return to the original question, we can achieve…"
"So just to round the talk off, I want to go back to the beginning when I asked you…"
"I hope that my presentation today will help you with what I said at the beginning…"
Handling questions
Thank the audience for their attention and invite questions.
"Thank you for listening - and now if there are any questions, I would be pleased to answer them."
"That brings me to the end of my presentation. Thank you for your attention. I'd be glad to answer any questions you might have."
It’s useful to re-word the question, as you can check that you have understood the question and you can give yourself some time to think of an answer. By asking the question again you also make sure that other people in the audience understand the question.
"Thank you. So you would like further clarification on our strategy?"
"That's an interesting question. How are we going to get voluntary redundancy?"
"Thank you for asking. What is our plan for next year?"
After you have answered your question, check that the person who asked you is happy with the answer.
"Does this answer your question?"
"Do you follow what I am saying?"
"I hope this explains the situation for you."
"I hope this was what you wanted to hear!"
If you don't know the answer to a question, say you don't know. It's better to admit to not knowing something than to guess and maybe get it wrong. You can say something like:
"That's an interesting question. I don't actually know off the top of my head, but I'll try to get back to you later with an answer."
"I'm afraid I'm unable to answer that at the moment. Perhaps I can get back to you later."
"Good question. I really don't know! What do you think?"
"That's a very good question. However, we don't have any figures on that, so I can't give you an accurate answer."
"Unfortunately, I'm not the best person to answer that."
What can you say if things go wrong?
You think you've lost your audience? Rephrase what you have said:
"Let me just say that in another way."
"Perhaps I can rephrase that."
"Put another way, this means…"
"What I mean to say is…"
Can't remember the word?
If it's a difficult word for you, one that you often forget, or one that you have difficulty pronouncing, you should write it on your index card. Pause briefly, look down at your index card and say the word.
Using your voice
Don't speak in a flat monotone - this will bore your audience. By varying your speed and tone, you will be able to keep your audience's attention. Practise emphasising key words and pause in the right places - usually in between ideas in a sentence. For example "The first strategy involves getting to know our market (pause) and finding out what they want. (Pause) Customer surveys (pause) as well as staff training (pause) will help us do this."
Don't forget - if you speak too fast you will lose your audience!
7. Improving Team Communication
In most companies, good teamwork is considered essential. Teams are often formed for a particular project or to achieve a specific goal, and the team members can come from different departments in the company. But one of the biggest problems that teams face is lack of communication, or miscommunication.
If you are heading a team, these tips will help you develop strategies to communicate well with all members, so that you can monitor progress of the project, get feedback, and make sure that everyone feels involved.
Tailor what you say to your team members
Different types of people like information presented in different ways. Some like to know the answer to “why” questions (Why is this project important?); while others want the answer to “how” questions (How can we increase sales by 5% in a recession?); to “what” questions (What is this project about / What is the deadline?); or to “What if” questions (What if we only concentrated on the European market?)
One way to involve all your team members - and to make sure that they all listen to you - is by tailoring what you say to answer these four types of questions beginning “Why?”, “What?”, “How?” and “What if?”
Use different communication styles to reach everyone
As well as respecting different reasons for listening (as above), try to also respect different generations within your team, as different age groups also have preferred communication styles.
For example, older team members tend to prefer formal organisation structures and planned meetings, but they may not use up-to-date communication methods. People in their 30s or 40s are more likely to have a direct, informal communication style. Younger team members prefer working together and want regular feedback. They are also much more likely to demand a fun working environment, and have career (rather than company) loyalty. Having grown up in the internet age, they are also used to a variety of communication styles, such as email, messaging, blogs and so on.
Using the right style for different team members will help you ensure that all members feel included and valued.
Use different communication forms
A combination of different communication forms helps you to be both “human” and clear. Use verbal communication for informal situations, but back it up with a written confirmation if the message is important, or likely to be misinterpreted. Written communication provides a permanent record of what was agreed or said, and is particularly useful in avoiding situations where individuals have remembered things differently from one another. Bear in mind, too, that if you appear positive and enthusiastic in your body language, you will be able to reinforce your spoken message.
You might choose to use some or all of these following methods of communication:
Team meetings / one-to-one meetings / Performance appraisal meetings (Often annual, these are formal opportunities to report on individual performance)
Minutes (which are either emailed or printed out, or more informal verbal follow-up from meetings)
Telephone conversations (follow up if necessary by written communication)
Instant messaging / chat (also useful for informal, regular feedback)
Video presentations / conferencing
Presentations (give summaries and handouts at the end)
Training sessions / courses
Memos (particularly useful for formal communication to all staff)
Progress reports (consider also sending these company-wide or to other work teams)
Newsletters (Weekly, bi-weekly and monthly newsletters can also be useful to report on progress)
Emails (limit to brief messages and use attachments for longer messages)
Web pages / blogs / micro logs such as Twitter to keep people informed of your whereabouts / texting
Five strategies for good communication
1. Structure what you say or write so it is clear, logical and concise
2. Only hold meetings if they are essential. Make sure you have clear meeting objectives, and then start and end the meeting on time. Summarise at the end of the meeting and clarify any points.
3. Be open and honest. Make sure your team knows what your vision and goals are. Also, realize that as a team leader you might need to make – and communicate – difficult decisions.
4. Listen to team members, and give and get feedback from your team members on progress.
5. Be available and flexible. Let your team members know when and how they can communicate with you. This means you might need to get up to speed on different communication forms and styles.
English presentation skills
At some time or other, most of us will have to give a presentation. The idea of speaking in public can be frightening enough if you're a native English speaker, but it's even more so if English is your second language.
In this first article on presentation skills, we show you how to take the stress out of giving presentations with eight tips to help you plan a perfect presentation.
1. Know your audience
To give an effective presentation, you need to know something about your audience. How good is their English? How much do they know about the subject of your talk? Why will they be interested in listening to you? It’s a good idea to find out who is attending your presentation so that you can make the information relevant and interesting to them. For example, a presentation on your company’s financial results to financial analysts will focus on results, reasons and analysis. A presentation on new auditing software will focus on the benefits and features of the software.
Also ask yourself what you want to achieve from your presentation. Sales presentations are different from information-giving presentations, for example. It’s always a good idea to work out what you want your audience to think or do at the end of your talk, as this will help you focus on the language and content of your presentation.
2. Use a strong opening statement or question to interest your audience
The first minute of your presentation is crucial. In this time you should interest your audience and give them a reason to listen to you. What you say in the first minute depends on your audience and their interests, but it must mean something important to them. Perhaps it is a problem that you know how to solve or a fact or statistic that they need to know.
3. Don’t forget the physical details
You’ll need to make sure the room is big enough for the number of people attending, and that you have all the equipment you need. Find out when you are giving your presentation – your audience may be less attentive if it’s right before lunch or at the end of the week and you’ll need to make especially sure that the presentation is interesting if it’s at a difficult time.
4. Plan the content of your presentation
Planning helps you focus on your presentation goals, and minimizes the chances of anything going wrong.
If you know who you are talking to and why you are talking to them, you can put yourself in your audience's position. You can decide what information to include and how to order it.
Aim to speak for no longer than 30 minutes, and leave time for questions and answers at the end. Remember that it’s difficult to absorb lots of new information, so don’t aim to include too much.
Many presentations are divided into five areas:
a) The introduction (Get someone else to introduce you to the audience. This gives you credibility as a speaker and means that you don't have to waste time telling people who you are and why you are there)
b) The overview
c) The main body of the presentation
d) Your summary
e) A question and answer session
Make brief notes about all the points you want to make in your presentation and make a plan. Organize your presentation into main points and supporting evidence.
During the presentation, remember that it is a good idea to refer back to your opening statement and remind your audience why they are listening to you.
5. Use index cards
Put your points on individual index cards to help you during the presentation. If you put the key words onto cards (1 card for 1 key word or point) you can refer to them at any time if you forget where you are in the presentation.
Use your index cards for any words that you might find difficult to remember, or words that are difficult to pronounce.
You can also use the index cards to write the links between points, such as:
“This brings me to…”
“Now I’d like to move on to...”
“Right…”
6. Keep visuals simple
Don't put too much information in visuals and only use them to illustrate information that would otherwise take too long to explain.
Simple graphic visuals such as pie charts and bar graphs work better than visuals with lots of labelling or words. Use colour and different fonts to help information stand out.
7. Practice makes perfect!
Practise your presentation as often as you can using your index cards. By practising, you will know how long it will take, and where the difficult areas are in your talk. The more you practise, the more confident you will feel!
8. Prepare questions and answers
You're likely to have questions at the end of your presentation, so try to think of some in advance, as well as possible answers. The more you prepare these, the better you'll feel able to deal with them
Home | FAQs | News | Writing Courses | Writing Centres | Advice | Books | For Faculty
Special Cases in the Use of the Definite Article
Printable PDF Version
Fair-Use Policy
________________________________________
To decide if you should use the word the, ask yourself these three questions:
1. Is the noun indefinite (unspecified) or definite (specific)?
The general rule states that the first mention of a noun is indefinite and all subsequent references to this noun are definite and take the.
A man is walking down a road. There is a dog with the man.
The second mention may be a synonym:
Combine butter, sugar and eggs. Add flour to the mixture.
First (indefinite) mention requires a or an for a singular count noun, no article for a plural or non-count noun. Second mention makes the correct for both count and non-count nouns:
A growing plant must have water and minerals. The plant must also have sunlight. The minerals must include nitrates and the water must not be saline.
Three special groups of nouns are considered definite in reference even if they have not been mentioned in the preceding sentence or clause.
a) The first group consists of nouns which refer to shared knowledge of the situation or context. For example, in Canada you can say
The Prime Minister will arrive tomorrow
because there is only one Prime Minister in Canada, and so it is clear to whom you are referring. Similarly, if there is only one hospital in the town, you can say
He's been working in the hospital for two years.
But you couldn't say this in Toronto, where there are many hospitals. You would have to name the particular hospital in your first reference to it:
He's been working at Toronto General Hospital for two years. He says the hospital is in a financial mess.
b) The second group consists of nouns referring to unique objects:
e.g., the sun/the earth/the Pope/the sky/the equator
c) Superlative adjectives and unique adjectives form the third group. Because there can be only one of these (only one of a series can be the tallest or the best or the first), they take the definite article:
Mexico City is the most populous city in the world.
I enjoyed the first part, but I was disappointed at the end.
She is the principal researcher.
2. Is the noun modified?
a) Premodification: If the noun is preceded by one of the following--
this/that/these/those/some/any/each/every/no/none/my/mine
do not use the definite article.
e.g., the red books/some red books/no red book/his red books/each red book
b) Postmodification: if the noun is followed by a dependent clause (who/which/that) or a prepositional phrase (of/in/to...), it is made definite and takes the definite article.
The man who lives next door is Chinese.
We take the regular collection of garbage for granted.
The journey to Vancouver take three days by train.
No one expected the results that were found.
EXCEPTION: collective nouns take the indefinite article:
a box of matches/a deck of cards/a bar of soap/a herd of cows.
3. Is the noun generic?
Generic reference is used when one refers to a whole group or class, to generalize about all possible members of a group. There are five patterns one can use:
a) no article PLUS plural count noun:
It's astonishing what gymnasts can do.
b) no article PLUS noncount noun:
Love can cause a lot of suffering.
c) indefinite article PLUS singular count noun:
It's astonishing what a gymnast can do.
[This pattern cannot be used to discuss the location or existence of
something/someone. You cannot say A lion lives in Africa. You
must use pattern (a) or (d)].
d) definite article PLUS singular count noun:
It's astonishing what the gymnast can do.
e) definite article PLUS plural nationality noun:
The Chinese have an ancient culture.
Pattern (a) is most common in colloquial English; pattern (d) is frequently used in academic writing.
Special Uses of Articles
a) Media and communications:
Use a noun PLUS definite article to refer to systems of communication and the mass media, in contrast to the actual machine of communications. The telephone is the system of communication; a telephone is the actual physical machine.
The newspapers are all in agreement on the latest financial disaster.
[exception: television usually has no article: Did you see him on
television?]
b) Means of transportation:
Use the definite article to refer to the whole transport system, rather than to an individual vehicle:
How long does it take on the bus?
The subway is quicker.
[if you use the construction "by PLUS means of transport," there is
no article: I go by subway].
c) Forms of entertainment:
To refer to a form of entertainment in general, use the definite article:
I enjoy seeing the ballet.
To refer to a particular event, use the indefinite article:
I saw a good movie last night.
d) Place/object of activity nouns:
Certain nouns refer to either a place/object or to an activity. When they refer to an activity, do not use the definite article:
activity object
I go to bed at 11 o'clock. Don't jump on the bed.
She went to school for many years. The school was too small.
Many families eat dinner together. The dinner was delicious.
I shower before breakfast. The breakfast was delicious.
They are at church. The church is very old.
She is in class. The class is in Room 102.
e) Directions:
Nouns indicating direction do not take the definite article:
Go two blocks south and turn left.
[exception: nouns indicating political divisions take the definite article:
She is on the left of the party.]
f) Periods of time:
Names of decades, centuries and historic periods take the definite article, as they are a form of unique reference:
The 1960s were a time of student rebellion.
Written by Martine Johnston.
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
• Follow this link to the Rensselaer Writing Centre for more on definite versus indefinite nouns.
• Follow this link to the Purdue University Online Writing Lab for more on count versus noncount nouns.
• Follow this link to HyperGrammar at the University of Ottawa for a review of the parts of speech.
Home | FAQs | News | Writing Courses | Writing Centres | Advice | Books | For Faculty
Special Cases in the Use of the Definite Article
Printable PDF Version
Fair-Use Policy
________________________________________
To decide if you should use the word the, ask yourself these three questions:
1. Is the noun indefinite (unspecified) or definite (specific)?
The general rule states that the first mention of a noun is indefinite and all subsequent references to this noun are definite and take the.
A man is walking down a road. There is a dog with the man.
The second mention may be a synonym:
Combine butter, sugar and eggs. Add flour to the mixture.
First (indefinite) mention requires a or an for a singular count noun, no article for a plural or non-count noun. Second mention makes the correct for both count and non-count nouns:
A growing plant must have water and minerals. The plant must also have sunlight. The minerals must include nitrates and the water must not be saline.
Three special groups of nouns are considered definite in reference even if they have not been mentioned in the preceding sentence or clause.
a) The first group consists of nouns which refer to shared knowledge of the situation or context. For example, in Canada you can say
The Prime Minister will arrive tomorrow
because there is only one Prime Minister in Canada, and so it is clear to whom you are referring. Similarly, if there is only one hospital in the town, you can say
He's been working in the hospital for two years.
But you couldn't say this in Toronto, where there are many hospitals. You would have to name the particular hospital in your first reference to it:
He's been working at Toronto General Hospital for two years. He says the hospital is in a financial mess.
b) The second group consists of nouns referring to unique objects:
e.g., the sun/the earth/the Pope/the sky/the equator
c) Superlative adjectives and unique adjectives form the third group. Because there can be only one of these (only one of a series can be the tallest or the best or the first), they take the definite article:
Mexico City is the most populous city in the world.
I enjoyed the first part, but I was disappointed at the end.
She is the principal researcher.
2. Is the noun modified?
a) Premodification: If the noun is preceded by one of the following--
this/that/these/those/some/any/each/every/no/none/my/mine
do not use the definite article.
e.g., the red books/some red books/no red book/his red books/each red book
b) Postmodification: if the noun is followed by a dependent clause (who/which/that) or a prepositional phrase (of/in/to...), it is made definite and takes the definite article.
The man who lives next door is Chinese.
We take the regular collection of garbage for granted.
The journey to Vancouver take three days by train.
No one expected the results that were found.
EXCEPTION: collective nouns take the indefinite article:
a box of matches/a deck of cards/a bar of soap/a herd of cows.
3. Is the noun generic?
Generic reference is used when one refers to a whole group or class, to generalize about all possible members of a group. There are five patterns one can use:
a) no article PLUS plural count noun:
It's astonishing what gymnasts can do.
b) no article PLUS noncount noun:
Love can cause a lot of suffering.
c) indefinite article PLUS singular count noun:
It's astonishing what a gymnast can do.
[This pattern cannot be used to discuss the location or existence of
something/someone. You cannot say A lion lives in Africa. You
must use pattern (a) or (d)].
d) definite article PLUS singular count noun:
It's astonishing what the gymnast can do.
e) definite article PLUS plural nationality noun:
The Chinese have an ancient culture.
Pattern (a) is most common in colloquial English; pattern (d) is frequently used in academic writing.
Special Uses of Articles
a) Media and communications:
Use a noun PLUS definite article to refer to systems of communication and the mass media, in contrast to the actual machine of communications. The telephone is the system of communication; a telephone is the actual physical machine.
The newspapers are all in agreement on the latest financial disaster.
[exception: television usually has no article: Did you see him on
television?]
b) Means of transportation:
Use the definite article to refer to the whole transport system, rather than to an individual vehicle:
How long does it take on the bus?
The subway is quicker.
[if you use the construction "by PLUS means of transport," there is
no article: I go by subway].
c) Forms of entertainment:
To refer to a form of entertainment in general, use the definite article:
I enjoy seeing the ballet.
To refer to a particular event, use the indefinite article:
I saw a good movie last night.
d) Place/object of activity nouns:
Certain nouns refer to either a place/object or to an activity. When they refer to an activity, do not use the definite article:
activity object
I go to bed at 11 o'clock. Don't jump on the bed.
She went to school for many years. The school was too small.
Many families eat dinner together. The dinner was delicious.
I shower before breakfast. The breakfast was delicious.
They are at church. The church is very old.
She is in class. The class is in Room 102.
e) Directions:
Nouns indicating direction do not take the definite article:
Go two blocks south and turn left.
[exception: nouns indicating political divisions take the definite article:
She is on the left of the party.]
f) Periods of time:
Names of decades, centuries and historic periods take the definite article, as they are a form of unique reference:
The 1960s were a time of student rebellion.
Written by Martine Johnston.
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
• Follow this link to the Rensselaer Writing Centre for more on definite versus indefinite nouns.
• Follow this link to the Purdue University Online Writing Lab for more on count versus noncount nouns.
• Follow this link to HyperGrammar at the University of Ottawa for a review of the parts of speech.
________________________________________
THE NAME UKRAINE, which first appeared in the historical chronicles in 1187, has been common in the English language for almost 350 years. In the earliest years it appeared without the definite article "the" but in this century the definite article increasingly preceded the name Ukraine.
First of all we might note that the Ukrainian language has no articles so this is not a factor except indirectly. The reason for this is that many Ukrainian immigrant scholars, due to their imperfect knowledge of English, used the form "the Ukraine" in their books thus helping to perpetuate this usage.
Does English grammar require the definite article the before Ukraine? Ukraine is the name of an independent country. There are only two groups of countries which require the article in English: Those with plural names such as the United States or the Netherlands. The others have names with adjectival or compound forms which require the article, such as the United Kingdom, the Dominion of Canada, or the Ukrainian SSR.
English grammar does not require a definite article before the names of singular countries such as England, Canada or Ukraine.
Geographical regions such as the Arctic, the Atlantic, the North, the West, and the prairies all require the definite article, but these are not countries. Since 1917 Ukraine has had very definite borders so it cannot be regarded as merely a region. Some people have mistakenly thought that Ukraine is a general word meaning "the borderland;' "the steppes" or "the prairies;' which would require the article. A few neanderthal writers in the past have even promoted "the Ukraine" to reflect the original meaning "the borderland" in order to diminish the international political stature of Ukraine. They betrayed their ignorance of Ukraine, or their bias against it, with this usage. See for example, the view of Robert 0. Grover in the U.S. News & World Report (Dec. 9, 1991).
Is there any other reason to use the definite article in English with Ukraine? Usage has been suggested as a reason but this cannot be accepted today since the majority of books and newspapers do not use it.
For example, the authoritative five volume Encyclopedia of Ukraine edited by Danylo Struk and published by the University of Toronto Press does not use it. The article is not used by such prominent publications as The Ukrainian Quarterly (New York), Ukrainian Review (London, England), Forum Ukrainian Review (Scranton, Pa.), Ukrainian Voice (Winnipeg), Ukrainian Echo (Toronto), Journal of Ukrainian Studies (Toronto), Ukrainian News (Edmonton) or News From Ukraine (Kiev). In fact, today there is no Ukrainian periodical in English which uses the article although Harvard Ukrainian Studies once forced it on scholarly contributors.
But what about the regular daily press in the USA, Canada and England? Even The New York Times (which once required it in its Style Guide) does not use it now. Neither do The Times (London), The Economist (London), Washington Post, TIME, Newsweek or Maclean's. News services such as Canadian Press, Reuters, CNN and Associated Press do not use the article. When the December 1991 referendum confirmed the independence of Ukraine the White House in Washington, D.C. officially announced that it would discontinue use of the definite article before the name Ukraine.
Even the computer age has ruled that "the" Ukraine is wrong in English. Gram-mat-ik, the very popular grammar and style checker for computers by Reference Software International of San Francisco, uses Ukraine without the article and labels "the Ukraine" as a mistake of grammar.
There appears to be virtually no grammatical or logical reason to use the definite article before the name Ukraine. But it is still encountered occasionally because of habit or because the writer is careless or ignorant about Ukraine. Sir Bernard Pares the eminent English historian of Russia suggested that "the Ukraine" came from French usage. We say Ia France, le Canada and l'Ukraine in French but not 'the France; 'the Canada' or 'the Ukraine' in the English language. The definite article the does not add anything to the meaning or clarity when used before the proper noun Ukraine.
Now, the exception to the rule. Yes, it is possible for "the Ukraine" to be correct in English but it is a very rare usage in apposition to contrast the past with the present. For example, one could correctly say, "The America of George Washington is not the America of Bill Clinton" as well as "The Ukraine of Shevchenko is not the Ukraine of Kravchuk."
We may conclude then, that the use of the definite article in English before the name Ukraine is awkward, incorrect and superfluous. Writers who care about good style in their English grammar and the correctness of their language will always avoid the use of "the Ukraine" and use only the simpler and correct "Ukraine."
-Educated at McMaster University and the University of Toronto, Andrew Gregorovich has been a department head in the University of Toronto Library system for over 30 years. A past Chairman of the Toronto Historical Board, he is a member of the Centre for Russian and East European Studies and is on the Academic Board of the University of Toronto. He is Editor of FORUM Ukrainian Review.
For better or for worse, English is blessed with articles. This causes a considerable amount of confusion for speakers of most of the world's other languages, who seem to get on rather well without them.
Articles are actually precision tools that greatly contribute to the unique accuracy of expression afforded by the English language. Most article usage does, in fact, have a reasonably logical explanation. If this can be properly grasped then non-native English can be made a lot less conspicuous and many misunderstandings avoided
Between British and American usage, one finds subtle differences in nuance or emphasis. For example, Americans usually say someone is in the hospital, much as they could be at the bank or in the park. To the British this sounds like there is only one hospital in town or that the American is thinking of one hospital in particular that he or she patronizes. The Brits say an ailing person is in hospital, just as they would say a child is at school or a criminal is in prison. This is because they are thinking more of the primary activities that take place within those institutions rather than the buildings in which they are housed. If, however, you are merely visiting one of these places, you are at the hospital, at the school or at the prison — both British and Americans agree here that what we have in mind is the building itself.
a, an The Indefinite Article
To facilitate pronunciation, a is used in front of any word that begins with a consonant or consonant-like vowel sound.
Conversely, an is put in front of any word that begins with a pure vowel sound or a mute 'h'. • Our town has a theatre, a university,
a large park and a conference hall.
• Many Chinese still believe an Englishman
always carries an umbrella.
• It's an old custom.
It's a strange old custom.
Note that spelling is not a reliable indicator of when
to use a or an! • The coastguard received an SOS.
• He spent an hour standing in line.
The indefinite article a/an is placed in front of a countable noun that is being mentioned for the very first time. Once introduced, all further references to it can be preceded by the definite article the. • I have two cars: a Ford and an Audi.
The Ford is white and the Audi is silver.
In English, an indefinite article is needed in front of professions. • She is an architect and he is a doctor.
The indefinite article can also be used instead of per when giving the rate or pace of something. • He earns $200 a day.
• She swims twice a week.
• He drove at 60 miles an hour.
Note too that little and few become a whole lot more positive when preceded by the indefinite article! • She has a little money and a few friends,
so she'll probably get by.
Compare:
• She has little money and few friends,
so I doubt if she'll get by.
the The Definite Article
The definite article the is used in front of any noun the listener or reader already knows about. • I have two cars: a Ford and an Audi.
The Ford is white and the Audi is silver.
The is also used when the existence of something is common knowledge or comes as no surprise because of the context in which it is mentioned. • Last week a fighter plane crashed into a field
but the pilot managed to eject safely.
• Yesterday I spent the afternoon at home.
I put my clothes into the washing machine and went outside to sit in the garden.
The definite article is used in front of things generally regarded as unique. • The sun, the moon, the sea, the sky, the Arctic Circle, the environment, the capital, the air, the ground, etc.
Because nouns preceded by superlative adjectives and ordinal numbers are by their very nature unique, they too require the definite article.
Irregularity: Spoken American English drops the in dates. • It was the worst day of my life!
• The captain was the first person to leave
the burning tanker.
• AmE June twenty-first.
• BrE June the twenty-first.
The twenty-first (day) of June.
The definite article is used in front of countable nouns representing a whole class or category of something. • The computer has changed our lives.
• It is left up to the consumer to decide
which one to buy.
• We all have a responsibility to look after
the old and infirm.
• The whale is the largest mammal.
The is used in front of oceans, seas, rivers, island and mountain chains, deserts, countries with plural names, and noun forms of points of the compass. • The Pacific, the Mediterranean, the Amazon,
the West Indies, the Rockies, the Sahara,
the Netherlands, the Far East, etc.
The is used in place names and titles including of.
In the case of official job titles, the is usually dropped if there is only one such incumbent at any given time. • It is unlikely the Queen of Denmark has
ever swum in the Bay of Bengal.
• Margrethe II is (the) Queen of Denmark.
• Donald was elected chairman of the board.
The is also used in proper names consisting of noun(s) and/or adjective(s) + noun. • The Empire State Building, the English Channel, the White House, the Festival Hall, the Rolling Stones, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the British Museum, etc.
The is used in hotel names. • The Hilton Hotel, the Savoy, the Sheraton
The is used for newspapers. • The Times, the Baltimore Sun, the Daily Mail
The is used for many larger organizations and
institutions (not commercial enterprises), including those with initials that are normally spelled out.
Acronyms (initials read as whole words) are treated in the same way as regular names (proper nouns) and so do not require any article. If you are uncertain, please monitor usage in the media or consult a dictionary. • The Commonwealth, the Fed, the EU, the WHO, the BBC, the FDA, the IAEA, etc.
Compare:
• OPEC, NATO, ICANN, etc.
The is used for currencies. • The U.S. dollar has risen against the yen but fallen against the euro.
In front of people's names, however, the is only used to avoid confusion. • I'm the David Appleyard that lives in Japan.
The is used with the names of musical instruments. • Richard Clayderman plays the piano.
The can be used instead of a possessive form when referring to parts of the body and items of clothing. • She was hit on the head by a snowball
(= a snowball hit her head).
• Joe grabbed the youth by the collar
(= Joe grabbed the youth's collar).
Many forms of entertainment are preceded by the definite article the, but not the medium of television. • I go to the cinema/movies, the theatre,
the circus, the ballet and the opera.
• In the daytime I listen to the radio, but in the evenings I like to watch television.
Using Articles
What is an article? Basically, an article is an adjective. Like adjectives, articles modify nouns.
English has two articles: the and a/an. The is used to refer to specific or particular nouns; a/an is used to modify non-specific or non-particular nouns. We call the the definite article and a/an the indefinite article.
the = definite article
a/an = indefinite article
For example, if I say, "Let's read the book," I mean a specific book. If I say, "Let's read a book," I mean any book rather than a specific book.
Here's another way to explain it: The is used to refer to a specific or particular member of a group. For example, "I just saw the most popular movie of the year." There are many movies, but only one particular movie is the most popular. Therefore, we use the.
"A/an" is used to refer to a non-specific or non-particular member of the group. For example, "I would like to go see a movie." Here, we're not talking about a specific movie. We're talking about any movie. There are many movies, and I want to see any movie. I don't have a specific one in mind.
Let's look at each kind of article a little more closely.
Indefinite Articles: a and an
"A" and "an" signal that the noun modified is indefinite, referring to any member of a group. For example:
• "My daughter really wants a dog for Christmas." This refers to any dog. We don't know which dog because we haven't found the dog yet.
• "Somebody call a policeman!" This refers to any policeman. We don't need a specific policeman; we need any policeman who is available.
• "When I was at the zoo, I saw an elephant!" Here, we're talking about a single, non-specific thing, in this case an elephant. There are probably several elephants at the zoo, but there's only one we're talking about here.
Remember, using a or an depends on the sound that begins the next word. So...
• a + singular noun beginning with a consonant: a boy; a car; a bike; a zoo; a dog
• an + singular noun beginning with a vowel: an elephant; an egg; an apple; an idiot; an orphan
• a + singular noun beginning with a consonant sound: a user (sounds like 'yoo-zer,' i.e. begins with a consonant 'y' sound, so 'a' is used); a university; a unicycle
If the noun is modified by an adjective, the choice between a and an depends on the initial sound of the adjective that immediately follows the article:
• a broken egg
• an unusual problem
• a European country (sounds like 'yer-o-pi-an,' i.e. begins with consonant 'y' sound)
Remember, too, that in English, the indefinite articles are used to indicate membership in a group:
• I am a teacher. (I am a member of a large group known as teachers.)
• Brian is an Irishman. (Brian is a member of the people known as Irish.)
• Seiko is a practising Buddhist. (Seiko is a member of the group of people known as Buddhists.)
Definite Article: the
The definite article is used before singular and plural nouns when the noun is specific or particular. The signals that the noun is definite, that it refers to a particular member of a group. For example:
"The dog that bit me ran away." Here, we're talking about a specific dog, the dog that bit me.
"I was happy to see the policeman who saved my cat!" Here, we're talking about a particular policeman. Even if we don't know the policeman's name, it's still a particular policeman because it is the one who saved the cat.
"I saw the elephant at the zoo." Here, we're talking about a specific noun. Probably there is only one elephant at the zoo.
Count and Noncount Nouns
The can be used with noncount nouns, or the article can be omitted entirely.
• "I love to sail over the water" (some specific body of water) or "I love to sail over water" (any water).
• "He spilled the milk all over the floor" (some specific milk, perhaps the milk you bought earlier that day) or "He spilled milk all over the floor" (any milk).
"A/an" can be used only with count nouns.
• "I need a bottle of water."
• "I need a new glass of milk."
Most of the time, you can't say, "She wants a water," unless you're implying, say, a bottle of water.
Geographical use of the
There are some specific rules for using the with geographical nouns.
Do not use the before:
• names of most countries/territories: Italy, Mexico, Bolivia; however, the Netherlands, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, the United States
• names of cities, towns, or states: Seoul, Manitoba, Miami
• names of streets: Washington Blvd., Main St.
• names of lakes and bays: Lake Titicaca, Lake Erie except with a group of lakes like the Great Lakes
• names of mountains: Mount Everest, Mount Fuji except with ranges of mountains like the Andes or the Rockies or unusual names like the Matterhorn
• names of continents (Asia, Europe)
• names of islands (Easter Island, Maui, Key West) except with island chains like the Aleutians, the Hebrides, or the Canary Islands
Do use the before:
• names of rivers, oceans and seas: the Nile, the Pacific
• points on the globe: the Equator, the North Pole
• geographical areas: the Middle East, the West
• deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas: the Sahara, the Persian Gulf, the Black Forest, the Iberian Peninsula
Omission of Articles
Some common types of nouns that don't take an article are:
• Names of languages and nationalities: Chinese, English, Spanish, Russian
• Names of sports: volleyball, hockey, baseball
• Names of academic subjects: mathematics, biology, history, computer science
An overview of the FIVE most important tenses in the English language
Tenses Chart
It is important to know when to use each tense and also how to make the tenses. Here’s some help with the most commonly used tenses in English:
Present Simple
(I go) Past Simple
(I went) Future Simple
(I will go) Present Perfect
(I have gone) Present Continuous
(I am going)
When do I use this tense? Used for present facts and repeated actions. Used for completed actions in the past. Used for future actions, even if they are only a few seconds in the future. Used for actions which started in the past and are still true now. Used for temporary actions going on now.
Words that signal use of the tense: every (day, week, month, year, etc.), always, usually, often, sometimes, etc. Yesterday, last (week, month, year, etc.), when I was a child, this morning (if it is no longer morning), etc. Tomorrow, next (week, month, year, etc.), in the future, when I retire, when I get home, etc. Since, for, ever (with questions), up to now, how long (with questions), etc. Now, at the moment, today, this week, presently, etc.
How do I make the tense? The first form of the verb is used to make the Present Simple.
For questions and negatives the helping verb (do / does) is used with the first form of the verb.
An important rule with the Present Simple is: Don’t forget the "s" with he, she & it! The second form of the verb is used for the Past Simple.
However, when making questions and negatives in the Past Simple, we use the helping verb "did" and leave the main verb in its infinitive form (1st form). The Future Simple is formed with the helping verb will and the first form of the verb. The Present Perfect is formed with the helping verb have (or: has) and the third form of the verb. The Present Continuous is formed with the helping verb to be (am, are, is) and the "-ing" form of the verb.
Which helping verb do I use? do / does did will have / has to be (am, are, is)
Date Topic Duration
05.05.08 Intro to the Language 1.5Hrs
Parts of Speech-ppt
06.05.08 Articles-ppt 1.5Hrs
07.05.08 Preps.doc 1.5Hrs
08.05.08 Subject Verb Agreement-ppt 1.5Hrs
09.05.08 SVA contd 1.5Hrs
12.05.08 Tenses-ppt 1.5Hrs
13.05.08 Gender Nueter 1 Hr
14.05.08 Articles & Preps Quiz 1.5Hrs
15.05.08 Expressions for Agreeing and Disagreeing 1.5 Hrs
Role Plays
16.05.08 Quiz Cont-Tenses 1 Hr
19.05.08 Intro to Written Communication 1 Hr
20.05.08 Concise Writing 1 Hr
21.05.08 Concise Writing Quiz 1 Hr
22.05.08 Role Plays 1.5Hrs
23.05.08 Email Etiquette ppt 1.5Hrs
26.05.08 Good & Bad Emails 1Hr
27.05.08 Sample Emails 1Hr
28.05.08 Presentation Skills 1.5Hrs
29.05.08 Presentations by the trainees 1.5Hrs
30.05.08 Presentations by the trainees 1.5Hrs
02.06.08. Social English & Polite Speech 1.5Hrs
03.06.08 Business Vocab n Grammar 1.5Hrs
04.06.08 Final Assessment 1.5 Hrs
31 Hrs
Tense Affirmative/Negative/Question Use Words that signal the use of the tense:
Simple Present A: He speaks. action in the present taking place once, never or several times every (day, week, month, year, etc.), always, usually, often, sometimes, etc.
N: He does not speak. facts
Q: Does he speak? actions taking place one after another
action set by a timetable or schedule
Present Continuous A: He is speaking. action taking place in the moment of speaking Now, at the moment, today, this week, presently, etc.
N: He is not speaking. action taking place only for a limited period of time
Q: Is he speaking? action arranged for the future
Present Perfect A: He has spoken. putting emphasis on the result Since, for, ever (with questions), up to now, how long (with questions), etc.
N: He has not spoken. action that is still going on
Q: Has he spoken? action that stopped recently
finished action that has an influence on the present
action that has taken place once, never or several times before the moment of speaking
Present Perfect Continuous A: He has been speaking. putting emphasis on the course or duration (not the result) Present Perfect Continuous
N: He has not been speaking. action that recently stopped or is still going on
Q: Has he been speaking? finished action that influenced the present
Simple Past A: He spoke. action in the past taking place once, never or several times Yesterday, last (week, month, year, etc.), when I was a child, this morning (if it is no longer morning), etc
N: He did not speak. actions taking place one after another
Q: Did he speak? action taking place in the middle of another action
Past Continuous A: He was speaking. action going on at a certain time in the past Past Continuous
N: He was not speaking. actions taking place at the same time
Q: Was he speaking? action in the past that is interrupted by another action
Past Perfect A: He had spoken. action taking place before a certain time in the past Past Perfect
N: He had not spoken. sometimes interchangeable with past perfect progressive
Q: Had he spoken? putting emphasis only on the fact (not the duration)
Past Perfect Continuous A: He had been speaking. action taking place before a certain time in the past Past Perfect Continuous
N: He had not been speaking. sometimes interchangeable with past perfect simple
Q: Had he been speaking? putting emphasis on the duration or course of an action
Future I Simple A: He will speak. action in the future that cannot be influenced Tomorrow, next (week, month, year, etc.), in the future, when I retire, when I get home, etc.
N: He will not speak. spontaneous decision
Q: Will he speak? assumption with regard to the future
Future I Simple A: He is going to speak. decision made for the future Future I Simple
(going to) N: He is not going to speak. conclusion with regard to the future (going to)
Q: Is he going to speak?
Finalized Dates for Language Skills Training
Module 1
a. Articles
b. Prepositions
Module 2
a. Gender Nueter
b. Pronouns
Module 3
a. Subject Verb Agreement
Module 4
a. Tenses
Module 5
a. Email Etiquette
Module 6
a. Social English
b. Polite Speech
c. Voice Modulation
Module 7
a. Concise Writing
b. Business Vocab
To complete the entire exercise from May 2008 to
MODULES Module 1 Module 2 Module 3 Module 4 Module 5 Module 6 Module 7
TIMINGS
Batch 1 8-May 9-May 14-May 15-May 16-May 21-May
Batch 2 8-May 9-May 14-May 15-May 16-May 21-May
Dear Sir,
As I am going to start the Language Training Programme from next Wednesday, i.e:07.05.08, I request you to send me 5 JRAs from your division, who, you opine, need training in either spoken/written English Language Skills or both (spoken and written).
Each batch would comprise 15 trainees.
The training programme is for 10 days, excluding the day of the Pre-Assessment, which will be held on day one (07.05.08).
The duration of each session would be 1.5 hrs.
The timings are as follows
Batch 1: 10:00am to 11:30am
Batch 2: 2:00pm to 3:30pm
Please send the following details of the selected trainees, as formatted below:
Sl.No Emp ID Name Division Dept Email ID
The dates are tentatively allotted and there could be a slight variation .You will be updated about the changes in the schedule, if any.
Thank you,
Regards,
Preeti Sahgal,
Assistant Manager- HR
Capital IQ
Mob: 9849339225
Polite speech –Ways of saying ‘No’
When native speakers of English give a negative answer they do not usually just say "no". They prefer to make the response more polite by adding words or using different phrases to show they are saying no.
Match the the questions on the left with an appropriate response on the right:
1.
Do you mind if I smoke? a. No, thank you.
2.
Do you like the new plan? b. It might not be very convenient for the others.
3.
Would you like to come to dinner? c. I'd rather you didn't.
4.
How about postponing the meeting? d. I'd love to, but I'm afraid I'm busy.
5.
Would you like some coffee? e. Well, not really I'm afraid.
Polite speech
Requests
At work we often have to ask people to do things for us. We may need their help urgently or it may be a minor matter. The language we use to make such requests will be different, depending on the importance of the thing requested. We are more formal and less definite if we are asking another person to make big efforts for us.
Our language also, of course, reflects the relationship we have with another person. If we are asking a stranger or our boss to do something for us, we choose language which is much more formal and less definite (weaker) than when speaking to a colleague in our office or a friend.
Exercise 1
Look at the situations below. In each case you need to ask someone to do something for you. What do you say?
The first one is already done for you.
Press the "Suggestion" button to see one possible answer. There are, of course, several possibilities for each situation.
1. You've lost your calculator. Ask a colleague to lend you his.
Could you lend me your calculator, please? I've lost mine.
2. You want your secretary to type a letter for you.
3. You want somebody in your department to finish writing a report for you by Friday.
4. You can't meet Pat Hoskins tomorrow because you've suddenly got to go to Paris on business. Ask a colleague to meet Pat Hoskins instead.
5. You want your friend to get you a coffee.
6. You can't attend the meeting tomorrow because you have a doctor's appointment. Ask your boss to postpone the meeting.
Exercise 2
Look at the response phrases below. Is it possible to use all of them with the requests above?
Yeah, OK. No, not at all. Certainly. Yes, of course. Yes, all right.
Tense Affirmative/Negative/Question Use Signal Words
Simple Present
A: He speaks.
N: He does not speak.
Q: Does he speak? action in the present taking place once, never or several times
facts,
actions taking place one after another ,
action set by a timetable or schedule always, every …, never, normally, often, seldom, sometimes, usually
if sentences type I (If I talk, …)
Present Continuous
A: He is speaking.
N: He is not speaking.
Q: Is he speaking?
action taking place at the moment of speaking
action taking place only for a limited period of time ,
action arranged for the future
at the moment, just, just now, Listen!, Look!, now, right now
Present Perfect
A: He has spoken.
N: He has not spoken.
Q: Has he spoken?
putting emphasis on the result
action that is still going on ,
action that stopped recently
finished action that has an influence on the present ,
action that has taken place once, never or several times before the moment of speaking
already, ever, just, never, not yet, so far, till now, up to now
Present Perfect Continuous
A: He has been speaking.
N: He has not been speaking.
Q: Has he been speaking?
putting emphasis on the course or duration (not the result)
action that recently stopped or is still going on ,
finished action that influenced the present
all day, for 4 years, since 1993, how long?, the whole week
Simple Past
Past Continuous
A: He spoke.
N: He did not speak.
Q: Did he speak?
A: He was speaking.
N: He was not speaking.
Q: Was he speaking?
action in the past taking place once, never or several times ,
actions taking place one after another ,
action taking place in the middle of another action
action going on at a certain time in the past
actions taking place at the same time,
action in the past that is interrupted by another action
yesterday, 2 minutes ago, in 1990, the other day, last Friday
if sentence type II (If I talked, …)
when, while, as long as
Past Perfect
A: He had spoken.
N: He had not spoken.
Q: Had he spoken? action taking place before a certain time in the past
sometimes interchangeable with past perfect progressive
putting emphasis only on the fact (not the duration) already, just, never, not yet, once, until that day
if sentence type III (If I had talked, …)
Past Perfect Continuous A: He had been speaking.
N: He had not been speaking.
Q: Had he been speaking? action taking place before a certain time in the past
sometimes interchangeable with past perfect simple,
putting emphasis on the duration or course of an action for, since, the whole day, all day
Future 1 Simple
A: He will speak.
N: He will not speak.
Q: Will he speak? action in the future that cannot be influenced
spontaneous decision ,
assumption with regard to the future in a year, next …, tomorrow
If Type I (If you ask her, she will help you.)
assumption: I think, probably, we might …, perhaps
Future 2 Simple
(going to) A: He is going to speak.
N: He is not going to speak.
Q: Is he going to speak? decision made for the future,
conclusion with regard to the future in one year, next week, tomorrow
Future Continuous A: He will be speaking.
N: He will not be speaking.
Q: Will he be speaking? action that is going on at a certain time in the future ,
action that is sure to happen in the near future in one year, next week, tomorrow
Date]
[Addressee]
Dear [Name]:
As you may have heard, [briefly describe situation requiring
this request]. It is with this in mind that I request you a
5 day leave of absence (from – to -).
I will be back at my desk, with my full attention, as always,
on [date]. If you need any additional information, please
contact me at extension [#].
Regards,
_________________
Letter of Appreciation to Employee
Dear
Your enthusiasm and your ability to motivate your employees
have resulted in a significant increase in productivity and
profitability.
If we had an award to give, you would be the prime candidate.
Please accept my sincerest appreciation for the fine job you
are doing in our sales department.
Employment Letter
Date: _
To: _ (Employee)
Dear . . .
We are pleased to confirm your being employed by our firm
in the capacity of _. You will report directly to _,
commencing with your start of employment on _, 19_.
Your salary shall be $_ per _. You will also be covered
by the standard group benefit plans and fringe benefits
explained to you. For the first year vacation time shall be
pro-rated, so you will be entitled to _ days’ vacation for this
year.
If you agree, this letter sets for our understanding,
please sign the enclosed copy and return it for our files.
Looking forward to your joining the company.
Congratulations on Promotion
Dear . . . .
Congratulations on your recent promotion to (position)
I know how hard you have worked to earn the recognition
you presently enjoy at (name of firm) , and I feel that
the company has displayed its wisdom in making its choice.
Please accept my best wishes for your success in your
new position.
Running Effective Meetings
Meetings are wonderful tools for generating ideas, expanding on thoughts and managing group activity. But this face-to-face contact with team members and colleagues can easily fail without adequate preparation and leadership.
The Importance of Preparation
To ensure everyone involved has the opportunity to provide their input, start your meeting off on the right foot by designating a meeting time that allows all participants the time needed to adequately prepare.
Once a meeting time and place has been chosen, make yourself available for questions that may arise as participants prepare for the meeting. If you are the meeting leader, make a meeting agenda, complete with detailed notes.
In these notes, outline the goal and proposed structure of the meeting, and share this with the participants. This will allow all involved to prepare and to come to the meeting ready to work together to meet the goal(s) at hand.
The success of the meeting depends largely on the skills displayed by the meeting leader. To ensure the meeting is successful, the leader should:
• Issue an agenda
• Start the discussion and encourage active participation
• Work to keep the meeting at a comfortable pace – not moving too fast or too slow
• Summarize the discussion and the recommendations at the end of each logical section
• Ensure all participants receive minutes promptly
While these tips will help ensure your meeting is productive and well-received, there are other important areas that need to be touched on to make sure your meeting and negotiation skills are fine-tuned.
Managing a Meeting
Choosing the right participants is key to the success of any meeting. Make sure all participants can contribute and choose good decision-makers and problem-solvers. Try to keep the number of participants to a maximum of 12, preferably fewer. Make sure the people with the necessary information for the items listed in the meeting agenda are the ones that are invited.
Tip:
Stop for a minute to consider the hourly cost to your organization of the people attending your meeting. You'll realize that calling a meeting is expensive, so it's important to ensure that every person attending and every minute of your meeting adds value. So don't invite people who won't participate but will simply report back to their boss or team (sending a copy of the minutes will be a more effective way of achieving this). Equally, don't use meetings to tell people things that could be communicated just as effectively by email or memo.
If you are the leader, work diligently to ensure everyone’s thoughts and ideas are heard by guiding the meeting so that there is a free flow of debate with no individual dominating and no extensive discussions between two people. As time dwindles for each item on the distributed agenda, you may find it useful to stop the discussion, then quickly summarize the debate on that agenda item and move on the next item on the agenda.
When an agenda item is resolved or action is agreed upon, make it clear who in the meeting will be responsible for this. In an effort to bypass confusion and misunderstandings, summarize the action to be taken and include this in the meeting’s minutes.
Time Keeping
Meetings are notorious for eating up people's time. Here are some ways of ensuring that time is not wasted in meetings:
• Start on time.
• Don't recap what you've covered if someone comes in late: doing so sends the message that it is OK to be late for meetings, and it wastes everyone else's valuable time.
• State a finish time for the meeting and don't over-run.
• To help stick to the stated finish time, arrange your agenda in order of importance so that if you have to omit or rush items at the end to make the finish time, you don't omit or skimp on important items.
• Finish the meeting before the stated finish time if you have achieved everything you need to.
Issuing Minutes
Minutes record the decisions of the meeting and the actions agreed. They provide a record of the meeting and, importantly, they provide a review document for use at the next meeting so that progress can be measured – this makes them a useful disciplining technique as individuals' performance and non-performance of agreed actions is given high visibility.
The style of the minutes issued depends on the circumstances – in situations of critical importance and where the record is important, then you may need to take detailed minutes. Where this is not the case, then minutes can be simple lists of decisions made and of actions to be taken (with the responsible person identified). Generally, they should be as short as possible as long as all key information is shown – this makes them quick and easy to prepare and digest.
It is always impressive if the leader of a meeting issues minutes within 24 hours of the end of the meeting – it's even better if they are issued on the same day.
SOCIAL ENGLISH
Welcoming clients
It business it is important to establish a good working relationship with clients. Meetings over a dinner table can often help people to understand one another better over the boardroom table.
Social English helps you to promote a pleasant and positive atmosphere in your contact with clients. It is especially useful in situations where you are the host or guest, meeting face to face.
Here are some of the things you may have to do as either a host or a guest.
1.
Greet someone you know
2.
Respond to a greeting
3.
Introduce yourself or another person
4.
Respond to an introduction
5.
Offer, eg a cup of tea
6.
Accept or refuse an offer
7.
Request, eg milk or sugar/to borrow a pen
8.
Respond to a request
9.
Apologise, eg for being late
10.
Respond to an apology
11.
Make small talk, eg about the weather
12.
Thank for hospitality
13.
Respond to thanks
What language for these activities do you know?
Look at the sentences below. Write the letter of each sentence next to the appropriate activity above:
a May I have some salt, please? l May I introduce myself?
b Don't worry. It's no problem. m Good morning. How are you?
c Is this your first visit to this country, Mr Prince? n Yes, please. Could I have a gin?
d Many thanks for the meal. o Are you interested in soccer?
e Would you like a drink? p Thank you for a delicious meal?
f How was your journey? q What do you think of the wine?
g May I make a quick phone call to my office? r Could you pass the butter?
h May I introduce Hans Peek from our Tokyo office? s It was a pleasure.
i How do you do? t Good morning, Mr Prince.
j I'm so sorry. My secretary tells me she hasn't sent you the sales figures. u Very well, thank you. And you?
k I really must apologise for the delay. v Yes, of course. Go ahead.
Simple Present or Present Continuous ?
1. Look! It ___ (raining). Bugger, I don't have an umbrella!
2. They ___ (usually/travel) to the Tatra Mountains, but this summer
they ___ (travel) to the west of England.
3. Simon ___ (listen) BBC World Service radio every day.
4. I have to go now. It ___ (get) dark.
5. Distance-learning degrees ___ (require) self-discipline.
6. They ___ (have) a big car.
7. Who _____ (he/wait for?) I guess for his girlfriend.
8. How often _____ (you/eat out)? Not very often. Once a month.
9. You ___ (look) sad. What's the matter?
10. Would you like some coffee? No, thanks. I ___ (hate) coffee.
11. Don't go. The Manager l ___ (want) to talk to you.
12. Who ___ (do) the washing-up every day in your house?
My wife, of course !.
13. Why ___ (you/believe/not) her? She ___ (tell) you the truth.
14. Joanna ___ (live) with some friends until she ___ (find) her own flat.
Raj: Hello, what are you doing here?
Rose: Hello, I am Rose! This is my younger sister, and we are waiting here for our friend Jane. She is in the department store over there, and we are already tired.
Who are you?
Raj: Oh, I am Raj. Yes, I am also waiting for a friend. He is in the department
store, too. Do you come here often?
Rose: We are here every day.
Raj: Yes, the department store is very big!
Rose: Look! There she is.
Raj: My friend is there too! Hey, what are you doing tonight?
Rose: We are going to the cinema! And you?
Raj: First, we are drinking something and then … we do not know yet. My friend has been here since this morning. He is just on vacation here.
Rose: Are you also new here?
Raj: Yes, I am actually from Germany, and my friend is from Sweden. My father, however, is an Indian.
Rose: Oh, that is interesting. Unfortunately, I have to go. You are very nice.
Raj: Thanks! You are too! Maybe I will see you around!
Lesson 1
Sl.No Name Topic Presentation
(Subject Knowledge &
Organization)
5 Non Verbal Communication
(Body Language, Eye Contact, Rapport with the audience etc.
10) Voice Modulation, Intonation
5 Verbal Communication
(Grammar, Pronunciation)
10 Total
30
Comments
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Download the original attachment
ROLE PLAYS
In the clinic:
Patient: Good morning, Doctor
Doctor: Good morning, what’s your problem?
Patient: I am suffering from a severe headache and a bad cold.
Doctor: How long have you been suffering from this?
Patient: It started with a mild cough two days ago.
Doctor: Do you have any other problems like fever and body pains?
Patient: I don’t have fever but there is slight body pain.
.
Doctor: Have you tried any medicines?
Patient: I took some painkillers but they did not help.
Doctor: Are you allergic to sulphur drugs?
Patient: No. But penicillin doesn’t suit me.
Doctor: Oh, I see.
Patient: Please give me something mild so that I don’t feel weak. These drugs make me feel drowsy.
Doctor: Yeah, some of these drugs contain alcohol and they cause drowsiness. You must be cautious while driving.
Patient: But I don’t have any leave now.
Doctor: No need to go on leave. It’s better not to drive till you become all right. That’s all.
Patient: Should I follow a strict diet?
Doctor: Not exactly. You can eat anything that is easily digestible. Avoid oily stuff, cool drinks and ice cream.
Patient: O.K. When should I visit you again?
Doctor: I’m prescribing the medicine for 5 days. You will be cured by then. You can see me if the problem still persists.
Patient: Thank you doctor
Doctor: That’s all right. Get well soon.
Understand the dialogues:
1.What is the patient’s problem?
2.Should he follow diet restrictions?
3.Does penicillin suit him?
BORROWING
Son: Dad, can I borrow the car tomorrow?
Father: Why do you want to borrow the car?
Son: I’m going to the beach with Tony.
Father: Last time you borrowed it you had an accident and dented the door.
Son: I promise I’ll drive carefully this time.
Father: The petrol tank was almost empty as well.
Son: I’ll fill it up before I get home.
Father: Well, Ok then, provided you’re home by 8. I’m going out tomorrow evening and I need the car.
Son: Great! Thanks dad, I’ll be home by 7.30.
CLOTHES SHOP
Agent: May I help you?
Customer: Yes, I’m looking for a pair of trousers.
Agent: What color would you like?
Customer: Black
Agent: And what size are you?
Customer: I’m not sure. Can you measure me?
Agent: [measures the customer] You’re 34’’ waist. How about these?
Customer: What material is that?
Agent: Wool
Customer: Have you got anything in cotton?
Agent: Yes! These!
Customer: Can I try them on?
Agent: Of course. The fitting rooms over there.
Customer: [tries trousers] They are a little long. Have you got anything shorter?
Agent: These are shorter.
Customer: I’ll take them.
ELECTRICAL SHOP
Agent: Good Morning! Can I help you?
Customer: I hope so. I’m looking for a television.
Agent: The Toshiba TV5 is on a special offer this week.
Customer: How much is it?
Agent: Only £ 299.95.
Customer: It’s a little expensive. Do you have a cheaper one?
Agent: Yes. This one’s only £ 150.
Customer: What makes is it?
Agent: It’s a Panasonic.
Customer: I’ll take it. DO you take credit cards?
Agent: Yes, we do
OPENING AN ACCOUNT:
A: Good morning! Can I help you?
B: Yes, I’d like to open a deposit account.
A: Certainly sir! Would you like a Silver or a Gold account?
B: What’s the difference?
A: You can open a Silver account with just £ 5. The account comes with a cash card so you can withdraw your money at any time. The Silver account currently pays 5% interest. For the Gold account, you need a minimum of £ 500 and you have to give 14 days’ notice to withdraw money. The interest rate is 6.5%.
B: I’ll go for the Silver account.
A: How much would you like to deposit?
B: £ 500
A: And we’ll need two proofs of ID, telephone bill, driving license, credit card statement, etc.
B: I’m sorry; I don’t have any of those right now. I’ll come back tomorrow.
CRIME:
O: Dart ford Police Station. How can I help you?
W: I guess. My house has been burgled.
O: Where do you live?
W: 2B South Brook Road.
O: When did you discover the burglary?
W: When I got home from work...about 5 minutes ago.
O: Was anything stolen?
W: Yes. My entire jewellery’s gone and my computer too. And they sprayed graffito all over my walls.
O: How did they get in?
W: They forced the back door
O: An officer will be round in about half an hour. Please don’t touch anything
AT THE CINEMA HALL:
Peter: Hello, Julie.
Julie :How come you are here?
Peter : Well, I came with my uncle to watch the movie Ekalavya.
Julie: Is he your uncle?
Peter: Yes. Uncle, this is Julie, my friend.
Peter: Julie, this is my uncle, Floyd .He is a doctor in London.
Floyd: Hi Julie, nice to see you.
Julie: Hello uncle, pleased to meet you.
Floyd : How’s this movie?
Peter: Critics have given a very good review.
Floyd: Is it going to hit the box –office?
Julie: That’s what we are all expecting.
Peter: I heard this movie is nominated for Oscar.
Julie: Last year Amir Khan’s Rang –de- Basanti was nominated for
Oscar and we all had high hopes.
Peter: Yeah, we missed it last year. Hope this year we will be able to get it.
Julie: Uncle, do you like watching films?
Floyd: Yes, but I don’t get time to go out and watch them.
Julie: Then how do you manage?
Floyd: I have a home theatre. I love to watch old Hindi movies on weekends.
Peter: Who is your favorite actor?
Floyd: I am a great fan of Guru Dutt.
Julie: I like him too.
Peter: Amitabh and Kareena are my favorite stars.
Julie: Back in London, there are thousands of Amitabh’s fans.
Floyd: Yeah, it seems that he is the only Indian actor, whose statue is setup in the famous London museum, Madam Tussad’s.
Julie: We have to fell proud of having such a talented actor in our own country.
Peter: Come let’s go. It's time to watch the movie.
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