Module 1 Language and Communication

Unit 1.1 Listening and Writing

Copyright © 2000 The Commonwealth of Learning
The Commonwealth of Learning Module 1 Language and Communication

Contents
Introduction 1
About this unit 1
How to use this manual 1
How you’ll be assessed 2
Finding your way 2
Competency 3
Learning outcomes 3
Assessment criteria 4
Other resources you may find useful 4
Listening, Writing and the Communication Process 5

Section 1: Listening 9
1.1 Listening and hearing 11
Activity 1 12
1.2 Improving listening skills 12
Concentration 13
Activity 2 13
Activity 3 13
Eye contact 15
Activity 4 15
Note taking 18
Activity 5 19
Activity 6 19
Repeating 19
Barriers to listening 21
Activity 7 22
Activity 8 22
Summary 24
Check your progress 25

Section 2: Writing skills 27

Activity 9 27
2.1 Purpose 30
Activity 10 31
2.2 Sentence structure and grammar 33
What is a sentence? 24
Activity 11 37
Activity 12 40
Activity 13 41
General rules about sentences 42
Activity 14 42
2.3 Proofreading 43
2.4 Appropriate use of language 43
Activity 15 45
The Commonwealth of Learning Module 1 Language and Communication

Summary 46
Check your progress 47

Section 3: Giving and following instructions 49

3.1 Preparing instructions 50
Activity 16 52
3.2 Writing instructions 54
Clear 54
Logical 54
Precise 54
Activity 17 55
Activity 18 56
Activity 19 58
3.3 Writing oral instructions 59
Activity 20 60
3.4 Delivering oral instructions 61
Activity 21 62
3.5 Following instructions 64
Activity 22 65
Following written instructions 66
Following oral instructions 66
Concentration 66
Repeating 67
Eye contact 67
Note taking 68
Activity 23 69
Summary 69
Check your progress 71

Section 4: Using oral and written resources 73

4.1 Sources of information 73
Activity 24 76
4.2 Using sources of oral and written information 76
Activity 25 83
Some general guidelines for library searches 84
Summary 85
Check your progress 86

Suggested solutions to activities 88

Written Assignment 103

Practical Assignment 105
The Commonwealth of Learning Module 1 Language and Communication

Introduction
About this unit

Welcome to the unit on listening and writing skills.

We hope you find the study of this topic informative and interesting.

This unit identifies the skills required to listen and write well. These
skills are then applied to giving and following instructions. The unit
also discusses how to locate and use oral and written information. It
also contains activities and exercises that will give you practise in
developing and applying these skills in your area of teaching.

How to use this manual

The manual is designed to build on the skills acquired in each section.

You should work through it at your own pace in the order presented.

As well as information on listening and writing skills, this unit includes

practical activities for you to complete. These are designed to
reinforce the information and to give you a chance to develop and
practise the skills discussed.

Answers to the activities are provided at the back of this manual.

Check your answers as soon as you complete an activity.

For some activities suggested answers are provided for you to consider.

There is an audiotape to accompany this unit. Some activities are

located on this tape. It also contains some exercises as part of your
assessment.

Assessment tasks are included at the end of the unit.

It is these assessment tasks that will determine whether you have met
the learning outcomes for this unit.

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How you’ll be assessed

Assessment of this unit will be in two parts.

Part 1 is a written assignment and will cover the skills outlined in

this unit.

Part 2 is a practical assignment that will be completed in

conjunction with your tutor. The practical assignment will require you
to apply the skills discussed in this unit.

When you are ready for assessment, please contact your tutor.

Finding your way

As you work through the text you’ll see symbols in the left margin of
some pages. These ‘icons’ guide you through the content.

Read

Important—take note!

Check your progress

Activity

Audio Tape

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Competency

The resources of the TVET curriculum are competency based. The

competency for each unit is expressed as a number of learning
outcomes and assessment criteria.

The assessment criteria specify what you must be able to do to show

you have gained the knowledge and skills needed to achieve each
learning outcome.

Each unit has its own assessment criteria specified. Recognition of

prior learning is encouraged. If you feel confident you have the
necessary level of competence to successfully complete the elements
shown below, you may be able to take the assessment without studying
the unit.

Learning outcomes

When you have completed this unit you should be able to:
· give examples of the benefits to be derived from good listening and
writing skills;
· locate and use oral and written information for specific purposes;
· demonstrate the writing of correct sentences which include, eg.
subject, verb and object;
· use the correct tense of the verb.
· Use the correct demonstrate the ability to give instructions;
· demonstrate the ability to follow instructions;
· use appropriate vocabulary in written and spoken English related
to the teacher trainee’s area of specialisation.

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Assessment criteria
· Provide accurately, three reasons for developing good writing
skills.
· Provide accurately, three reasons for developing good listening
skills.
· Examine a case to determine what happens when good listening
skills are not used.
· Using a manual that relates to the teacher trainee’s area of
expertise, locate specific information and use it to develop a short
description of the process/product detailed.
· From the audiotape provided, locate specific information and
respond orally to given questions.
· Write five sentences that demonstrate the correct use of grammar
and tense.
· Write a brief instruction, for a colleague, on how to locate a book
in a library, given the title and author’s name.
· Given specific instructions to create a small folded cardboard box,
construct the box.
· Write a description, using correct sentence structure, of the
teacher trainee’s area of expertise, including qualifications,
training and main functions.

Other resources you may find useful

· Burton, S. H., Mastering English Grammar, 1984, Macmillan

Education Limited, London.
· Nutting, J., Cielens, M., Strachan, J., The Business of
Communicating, 1996, McGraw Hill Book Co., Australia.
· Windschuttle, K., Windschuttle, E., Writing, Researching,
Communicating, 1988, McGraw Hill Book Co., Australia.

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Listening, Writing and the Communication Process

Communication is the process of transmitting your thoughts
and ideas to another person or other people and ensuring that
the listener has understood what you have said by listening to
his/her response.

Effective Communication is an interactive process which involves

transmitting your thoughts and ideas to another or other people and
receiving the other person’s thoughts and ideas and providing feedback.

It also involves receiving other people’s thoughts and ideas and

providing them with feedback to show that you understand what they
are trying to say.

In fact it is true to say that the speaker and the listener share the
communication process.

There are many different ways of communicating your ideas and the
method you choose will depend on your audience. Consider the
following:

Who is your audience?

How many people are there?

How far away are they?

How complex is your message?

Do you need to be sure that the person has

received the message or is it general
information? Do you need an immediate
response?

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With these issues in mind, you can decide how to send your message.
You can send your message:

Orally Have a face-to-face discussion, make a

telephone call, or make a television or radio
broadcast.
In writing Write a letter or short note, or a newspaper or
magazine article, send a fax or an e-mail,
prepare an article for the Internet or write a
book.
Non-verbally using Give a wave of the hand, a kiss or a punch!
body language Each of these carries a very powerful message.
Graphically Create an advertising billboard, draw a
cartoon, write graffiti or paint a painting.

Communication will be effective if you:

· choose the right method for sending your message
· send your message as clearly and simply as possible
· ensure your audience is ready to receive your message.
· correctly interpret the feedback given by your audience
· provide appropriate feedback to your audience where necessary

In this unit you will be exploring Listening and Writing Skills and
the part they play in effective communication.

Listening is about attending to the message and ensuring that you

hear what is really being said. There are skills that you can develop
which will make you a good listener. You will also examine ways that
you can help your audience to hear your messages more clearly.

If you choose to write your message when communicating, it is

important to use proper sentence structure. It is also important to

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write simply and clearly to ensure your audience receives the right
message.

Giving and following instructions combine both written and verbal

skills and the skills of good listening. We shall examine ways of both
giving and following instructions more effectively.

There are various written and oral resources already available to you.
In this Unit, we will investigate how to access these.

Let’s now examine the skill of listening and how we can use this
technique more effectively in our professional and personal lives.

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Section 1
Listening
1.1 Listening and hearing

Before we begin our lesson on listening take some time to examine

your own listening behaviours.

Respond to each question using the following scale:

1= always
2= frequently
3= sometimes
4=seldom
5= never
_____ 1. I consider listening and hearing to be essentially the same
and so I simply keep my ears open
_____ 2. My mind often wanders away from what the speaker is
talking about.
______ 3. I simplify messages I hear by omitting details.
______ 4. I focus on a particular detail of what the speaker is saying
to influence my evaluation of the message.
______ 5. I allow my attitudes toward the topic or speaker to influence
my evaluation of the message.
______ 6. I assume that what I expect to hear is what is actually I said.
______ 7. I stop listening when the speaker’s opinions are different
from my own.
______ 8. I listen to what others say but I don’t feel what they are
feeling.
_______ 9. I judge and evaluate what the speaker is saying before
he/she actually finishes the statement.
_______10. I go over my questions and responses while the speaker is
speaking.

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Scoring the Listening Effectiveness Test

All the statements above describe ineffective listening tendencies. High

scores, therefore, reflect ineffective listening habits. Regardless of
your score, however, we all can improve our listening skills with
practise.

Hearing is the physical process of taking in sounds through your

ears, which are then passed to your brain to be analysed and
identified. Pause for a moment now and listen to the sounds going on
around you.

What can you hear?

· Traffic?
· Voices?
· A dog barking?
· Aircraft passing overhead?
· Music or a television playing?

Before you paused, were you aware of the sounds? You probably
weren’t unless the sounds were very loud and intrusive. When you are
concentrating, you filter out those sounds that you don’t want to pay
attention to.

Listening to a particular sound is a conscious choice. You choose to

focus on that particular sound, whether it’s your favourite song or
someone calling your name.

When you listen you are also trying to understand the message that
you are hearing.

Listening is:
· attending to what you are hearing
· trying to understand what you are hearing.
· evaluating what you are hearing
· responding to what you are hearing

Have you ever had someone say to you, ‘I have been talking to you for
five minutes and you haven’t heard a word I’ve said!’? Perhaps you
were watching your favourite sport on TV or reading the newspaper
and you weren’t aware that you were being spoken to. This can be very
annoying for the person who wanted you to listen.

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Listening can assist both our professional and personal lives.

There are several benefits to be gained from listening well.

· You receive more accurate information. If you concentrate on

what is being said and ask questions, you can discover more
information.
· You can establish better relationships with people. People will
appreciate you if they know you are genuinely listening to them.
· Listening also reduces the chance of conflicts and
disagreements with other people if you clearly understand what
is being said to you.
· Listening can save you time. If you listen, you won’t have to go
back later and ask questions or spend time doing the wrong
activities.

Before we look at how to improve listening skills, try the following

activity that asks you to think about how people listen.

Activity 1
Listening behaviour

As a teacher delivering a lesson, how would you know if your students

were listening to you?
1. What might you see happening?
2. How else could you assess whether your students were listening?

Turn to page 88 for suggested answers to this activity.

Consider your responses to this activity against the information

in Improving listening skills on the next page.

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1.2 Improving listening skills

There are several skills that you can develop to improve your listening
skills:

Four of the most important are:

· concentration
· eye contact
· note taking
· repeating

Let’s look at each of these in more detail.

Concentration

When you are trying to listen, you need to be able to focus all your
attention on what is being said, whether you are listening to a lecture
in a crowded lecture theatre or an audiotape through headphones.

To be able to concentrate, you need to be prepared. Here are some

ways to aid concentration and help you to listen better.

Know why you are If you are listening with a clear purpose it is
listening. much easier to concentrate.
Have all that you For example, pen and paper, tape player,
need with you. glass of water.
Try to be as For example, choose a comfortable seat.
comfortable as It is difficult to concentrate when you are
possible. tired or have a headache. Be realistic about
how long you can concentrate and allow
yourself regular breaks.
Make sure there are For example, sit away from other people so
as few distractions that talking doesn’t distract you.
as possible. If you want to listen to a tape at home, choose
a quiet time of the day and a quiet part of the
house.
Allow yourself For example, if you know you have to rush
plenty of time to away from a lecture to go to the dentist, you
complete activities. may be more focused on the time than on
what is being said.

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Make listening For example, think about what is being said.

active rather than Try to relate what you are hearing to
passive. information that you already know.
Ask questions if you don’t understand.

These skills will aid concentration, which is an important part of

listening. Let’s apply these listening skills in an activity.

Activity 2
Listening skills – concentration
Watch a television news report. Choose a 30-minute program with local,
national and international news. Try and concentrate for the whole 30
minutes.

Were you successful? What stopped your concentration?

Turn to page 88 for suggested answers to this activity.

Activity 3

Listen in the audiotape and answer the questions.

Turn to page 89 for the answers to this activity

Eye contact

Establishing eye contact is the second of our listening skills and is

important in face-to-face situations. Eye contact is a powerful body
language. If you are talking to someone and they are looking directly
at you, what message could you read from this body language?
· The person is interested in what I have to say.
· He/She cares about me.
· I could feel positive feelings towards this person.
· He/She is self confident
· She is comfortable with the topic

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If someone is avoiding making eye contact with you, the messages are
just as strong. What could you assume if you were talking to someone
who would not meet your eyes?
· The person would rather not be here.
· The person is not listening.
· The person is not interested in me or what I have to say.
· The person is lying.
· The person is shy
· The person considers the topic too personal and is embarrassed.

A word of caution - if someone doesn’t want to look at you don’t force

the eye contact. Remember in some cultures that direct eye contact is
not welcome.

Making eye contact does not mean staring at someone. Unbroken eye
contact can be very threatening and make the person who is being
looked at very uncomfortable.

Maintain a comfortable level of eye contact with the other person.

Move your eyes away from their face. Nod your head as another way of
showing that you are listening.

We are not aware of most of our body language. It happens without our
thinking about it. It is possible that you are already using most of the
body language discussed here. Try to remember the effect body
language has on the process of communication for both the speaker and
the listener.

The next activity asks you to observe eye contact and other listening
behaviour that we have discussed so far.

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Activity 4
Listening skills - eye contact

Next time you are able to observe other people in a social situation, try to
notice some of their behaviour when they are talking face to face.

What did you notice about the listener’s body language?

_____________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

2. What other attending behaviour did you notice?

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

Turn to page 90 for suggested answers to this activity.

Note taking

Note taking, the third of our listening skills, is the skill of being able to
listen to and write down the main ideas as someone is speaking. If you
can develop this skill, it allows you to:
· keep a record of what you have listened to
· check the main ideas with the speaker to ensure you have
understood what is being said (See Repeating next)
· review your notes and use them to create a more detailed record
later.

Note taking is also a useful means of helping you to concentrate on

what the speaker is saying. It will also help you to understand what
you are listening to.

Note taking is NOT about trying to write down every word that is
said. Generally, people can speak much faster than you can write and
you will soon find yourself left behind.

Note taking is about listening for and writing down the main ideas.
The main ideas may be important details such as dates, times, names,
directions. Supporting information is any information that helps to

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explain the main idea and it may be useful to make notes of this
information too.

Read this passage and find what you think are the main ideas and
supporting information. Use the blank table after the passage to record
your ideas.

Sometimes it is easy to recognise when there is conflict occurring

between two people. The obvious signs are shouting, harsh words being
said, people storming out and slamming doors. Sometimes conflict is
not as easy to see and hear. There may be silence, not shouting, and
denial that a problem exists. This type of behaviour is sometimes more
difficult to deal with than the shouting.

Main Point

Supporting information ·
·
·
·
·
·

This is what I think. Compare your answer to this.

Main Point Recognising Conflict

Supporting information · shouting

· harsh words
· people storming out
· slamming doors
· silence
· denial that a problem exists.

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Part of the skill of listening is knowing WHAT you should be listening

to! If the speaker is very good, he or she will alert you to the main
points in some way and usually at the beginning of a sentence. These
two examples both use this approach.
· ‘It is important to note that…’ would indicate a point worth
writing down.
· ‘There are three main reasons why…’ and you can then listen for
the three reasons, which they will hopefully number 1, 2 and 3!

Points written on overhead transparencies are useful to make note of as

they should summarize main ideas.

As a teacher it is useful to draw your students’ attention to important

points that they need to understand and make notes of.

When writing your notes, use dot points rather than sentences to make
it quicker to write down. Leave out joining words such as a, an, and,
of, with, by. Use abbreviations of longer words such as the following:

· Communication becomes comm.

· Management becomes mgmt.
· Any word that ends in ‘ion’ can have this shortened to ‘n’. eg. attn.

You probably already have your own ways of shortening words. Any
abbreviation is fine as long as you remember what it means. Write
down two common abbreviations that you use often.

If you want to keep a permanent record of what you have heard, it is

important to review your notes as soon as possible. You might find it
helpful if you:
· read your notes
· arrange them so that they are clear to you
· rewrite them adding any other details you recall.

Let’s practise note taking skills in the following activity, where you are
to use an audiotape.

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Activity 5
Listening skills - note taking

Practise your note taking skills. Refer to the Audiotape. Listen to the
account of the robbery and make notes.

Main Point

Supporting Information

Robber 1

Supporting Information

Robber 2

Supporting Information

You may need to arrange your notes into order after listening to the tape.

Turn to page 91 for suggested answers to this activity.

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Here’s another opportunity to practise your note taking skills in

this next activity.

Activity 6
Listening skills - note taking

Watch a television news report. Choose a 30-minute program with local,

national and international news.

1. Make notes of each news item. Ask a colleague or friend to do the

same and compare notes at the end.

2. Discuss any differences that occurred between your notes and those of
your colleague.

Turn to page 103 for suggested answers to this activity.

So far in this section, we have examined the listening skills of:

· concentration
· using eye contact
· note taking.

Let’s now move on to explore the last listening skill, repeating.

Repeating

Repeating is the fourth and last listening skill. This skill involves
repeating verbally back to the speaker the main ideas that you have
heard. This is useful because:
· it allows you to check that you have understood what you were
listening to;
· it gives the speaker a chance to correct any mistakes or clear up
any confusing points;
· it lets the speaker know that you have heard and understood.

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Repeating can be used in all listening situations as a way of checking

that you have understood.

For example, during a lecture or talk you can choose a pause and ask
the speaker ‘So what you are saying is…’ and then repeat the main
ideas back to the speaker using the techniques for identifying main
ideas covered in the section on note taking.

Repeating the main ideas is particularly useful when someone is giving

you instructions or when the information you are receiving is very
complex.

Remember it is often to reflect things to ourselves in our own heads

when there is no opportunity to do so aloud.

Repeating is a technique that is used by counsellors and is particularly

useful when you are dealing with emotional situations. It enables the
listener to show that he/she understands not only what the speaker is
saying but how the speaker is feeling.

This next graphic illustrates the use of the skill of repeating in an

emotional situation. Note how the teacher repeats not only the words
the student is saying but the emotional content of the message as well.

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The teacher has shown the student that he/she has been listening and
understands both the problem and how the student is feeling. This
conversation opens up lots of possibilities for the teacher to reassure
the student that he/she is not dumb and to look at exactly where the
student is having problems. The teacher can then help the student to
consider some positive solutions to the problem rather than giving up.

Barriers to listening

From what you have read so far it is easy to see that there are many
things that can get in the way of listening and these can be called
barriers to listening.

Some of these are:

· distracting noises
· being tired or uncomfortable
· emotions
· not knowing why you should be listening
· not understanding what is being said

Some other possible barriers to listening are:

· Talking too much yourself. This is especially true in face-to-
face situations. It is important to know when to talk and when to
listen.
· Having negative feelings about the person who is speaking.
These feelings may make you less interested in concentrating on
what the person has to say.

Can you think of any others? Make your own list of barriers to
listening here - three or four will do.

_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Take some time now to think about how you as a teacher can eliminate
some of these barriers to listening. This will help you in the next
activity.

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Activity 7
Listening skills - barriers to listening

As a teacher, how can you create an environment that is best for listening?

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

Turn to page 92 for suggested answers to this activity.

Activity 8
Case Study

Mr. Smith felt irritable and anxious. He had only two hours in which to
hand in this semester’s exam grades. As he hurried to calculate the first
set, he heard someone enter the staff room. He looked up to see Frenchy,
his good friend and co-worker, walking towards his desk, newspaper in his
hand and a smile on his face.

“Hey, Smithy! You saw the news? Lara’s back on the team again.”

“Really,” said Mr. Smith as he continued to write down the grades in the
register.

“What you saying about Lara? Let me see it.” Miss James got up from her
computer and walked towards Mr. Smith’s desk.

This gives the West Indies a chance!” said Miss James perching on Mr.
Smith’s desk and snatching the newspaper from Frenchy’s hand.

As Miss James sat down on Mr. Smith’s desk, she pushed the papers aside,
jarring Mr. Smith’s hand.

“Dawn!” Mr. Smith exclaimed, reaching for the white out.

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“Don’t be so cranky, Smithy. This is a big day! Lara can help us win
against Pakistan.”

“I’m not so sure,” said Mr. French, doubtfully. “They’ve got a very strong
bowling line-up.”

“Listen,” said Miss James, “it’s time for the broadcast from Lahore. Turn
on the radio, Frenchy.”

“Can’t you go somewhere else to have this discussion and listen to the
radio?” asked Mr. Smith.

“Smithy, relax. We’re just having a chat, man.” Said Mr. French. “You’re
too serious! And it’s a test match, man!”

Mr. French turned back to Miss James and the two of them huddled over
the radio fiddling with the dial and continuing their discussion about the
West Indies Pakistan match just above his head.

Just then the staff room telephone rang. Mr. Gordon, who was nearest the
phone, answered it.

“Smithy, the Head wants to see you right away in his office.” Mr. Gordon
shouted across the room.

Mr. Smith groaned angrily, slammed down his pen and walked towards the
door. He felt helpless; he couldn't concentrate. He would not finish the
reports in time. All he really wanted was to be left alone to finish the
reports.

1. What really is Mr. Smith's problem?

2. What are the external distractions?
3. Are there any internal distractions?
4. Why do you think so?
5. What indicated Mr. Smith's lack of interest in the conversation at
this time?
6. Would you consider Miss James and Mr. French considerate
communicators?
7. What would you suggest that Mr. Smith do to get through his
reports while maintaining good interpersonal relations with his
colleagues?
8. What could Mr. Smith have done to keep the situation from
escalating?
For answers to these questions, turn to page 92.

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Summary
In this section, we have explored the process of listening and examined
the skills that help to make good listeners.

Hearing is the physical process of taking in sounds through your ears.

Listening is:
· attending to what you are hearing
· trying to understand what you are hearing
· responding to what you are hearing

Reasons to improve listening skills:

· to establish better relationships with people
· reduce the chance of conflict
· save time

There are four listening skills that good listeners have:

· concentration
· maintaining eye contact
· repeating
· note taking

Barriers to listening include:

· distracting noises
· being tired or uncomfortable
· not knowing why you should listen
· not understanding what you are listening to
· talking too much yourself
· negative feelings about the speaker

In the next section we will examine writing skills covering the topics
of purpose, appropriate sentence structure and grammar, proofreading
and use of appropriate language. But before we move on, check your
progress on Section 1. Remember that there are no answers given, so
check your responses against the information in Section 1.

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Check your progress

1. Describe the difference between hearing and listening.

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

2. List three benefits of listening.

(1)___________________________________________________________

(2)___________________________________________________________

(3)___________________________________________________________

3. List and describe four ways to improve your listening skills.

(1)___________________________________________________________

(2)___________________________________________________________

(3)___________________________________________________________

(4)___________________________________________________________

4. List and describe four barriers to listening.

(1)___________________________________________________________

(2)___________________________________________________________

(3)___________________________________________________________

(4)___________________________________________________________

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Section 2
Writing skills
Writing skills rely on you, the writer, to know your purpose and
audience to use appropriate language and sentence structure to convey
your meaning. The words you choose and the structure you use
influence the response of the reader not only to the content of your
writing but their feelings about you as a writer.

Let’s look at a brief example in Activity 9 to see how well the writer has
communicated to you.

Activity 9
Writing skills

Read the following sentence and then answer the following questions.

Peregrination may indeed have a salutary effect on the psyche but has a
deleterious effect on the posterior.
(Adapted from a quote by Peter Ustinov)

1. Do you find the statement easy or difficult to understand?

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

2. What are your impressions of the author of this statement?

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

3. What do you think the writer’s purpose is?

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

4. Who do you think his audience might be?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

(Continued)

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Activity 9
Writing skills
Here is the same quote but written more simply.

Travel may be good for the mind but is hard on the backside.

1. What is your impression of the author of the second quote?

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

2. What are the differences between the two statements?

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

3. What do you think this writer’s purpose is?

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

Turn to page 93 for suggested solutions to this activity.

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These two statements help to demonstrate some of the

characteristics of good writing. Good writing:

· has a simple, clear and direct message

· is easily understood by the audience for which it is intended.

The statements in Activity 9 should have demonstrated some of the

reasons why it is useful to develop good writing skills.

These are:
· the reader has no doubts about the writer’s meaning and purpose;
· the reader doesn’t have to waste time re-reading to try and
understand;
Good writing facilitates the communication process as discussed in the
introduction to this unit on page 5.

Here are some suggestions that will help you to develop better writing
skills:
· have a clear purpose
· use appropriate sentence structure and grammar
· use appropriate diction and style
· always proofread

We shall now examine these skills in more detail.

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2.1 Purpose
Only a few people write just because they feel like it! Most do so for a
specific reason. There is a particular message that you they want to get
to a particular audience. All good writing has a clear purpose -
one that is clear to the reader.

Your purpose will influence the types of words that you choose, the
structure of what you are writing and will help you to think about what
your reader needs to know to get your message clearly. If you are not
clear about your purpose, then it is likely that the reader will also be
confused and may misunderstand what you intend.

Before you begin to write, ask yourself, ‘what is this message intended
to do?’

Some possible answers to that question are to:

· inform
· persuade
· express an opinion, whether supportive or hostile
· entertain
· describe
· arouse emotions - sense of security, sense of outrage etc.
· promote reflection

Can you think of any others?

You may have more than one purpose in mind when you write. It may
be to inform and entertain or to persuade and arouse emotions of
outrage.

Another way of looking at this aspect, the purpose of what I write, is to

consider the reader. Ask yourself, ‘what do I want my readers to know
or understand or be able to do when they have read my message? What
do I want them to get from what I write?’

The best place to seek examples of the different purposes for writing
can be seen in the newspaper. Let’s test this out in the following
activity.

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Activity 10
Writing skills – purpose
Locate a copy of your local newspaper and consider the types of writing in
each different part of the paper.

1. Look at the stories on page 1. What purpose can you see in these stories?

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

(b) What seems to be the main style of writing?

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

2. Scattered throughout your newspaper will be a number of advertisements

for different products. Some will use attractive or eye catching
photographs or styles. Choose an advertisement and examine the ways
in which it tries to persuade you towards a product.

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

3. Turn to the ‘Letters to the Editor’ section. Scan these letters. Can you
identify the writer's purpose?

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

4. Can you see any that have more than one purpose?

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

(Continued)

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Activity 10
Writing skills – purpose
5. Can you find letters that don’t appear to have a clear purpose?

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

6. Some items in the newspaper are included simply because they are
entertaining. Can you find any examples of these?

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

7. Find the Editorial Section. Select and read an editorial item. How is this
different from the stories on page one?

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

8. Turn to the Sports Section. Can you see any differences between these
stories and the lead news stories?

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

Turn to page 94 for suggested answers to this activity.

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2.2 Sentence structure and grammar

Let’s examine the second of our writing skills, which is about using
appropriate sentence structure and grammar.

Although we use the same words when we speak, we need to be far

more careful when we write. The speaker can watch his audience to see
reaction, repeat and rephrase his statement and use gestures and body
language to emphasise and clarify.

Writing is more restricted. It has to be more organised and the writer

must make sure he says exactly what he wants to say and that his
reader understands. To do so he must rely on punctuation marks,
paragraphs and other such markers, but his main source is the written
word.

The basis of good writing is correct sentence structure. Words alone

do not convey meaning. They must be arranged according to a set of
rules called grammar. The words and the way they are arranged
convey meaning.

It is much easier to read and understand when poor language or

incorrect grammar does not distract us.

Poor grammar leaves a poor impression.

Let’s spend some time now examining correct sentence structure and
basic grammar.

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What is a sentence?

A sentence is a group of words

· that means something by itself
· that has a subject and a verb.

Read the following:

Repaired the car with the garage has faulty brakes.

You know this is wrong. The meaning of the sentence is not clear
because the word order is incorrect.

Meaning in a sentence depends on the way the words are ordered. If

you don’t organise your words properly, then you will not convey your
intended meaning.

Within sentences, words have specific tasks. Look at this sentence and
then read the task each word fulfils.

The mechanic fixes cars.

The subject of a sentence tells you what the main idea of the sentence
is. In this sentence the subject is mechanic.

Verbs are the action words in the sentence. They tell us what the
subject is doing or being. Fixes is the verb in this sentence. It tells us
what mechanics do.

The object of a sentence tells us who or what is receiving the action in

the sentence. ‘Cars’ is the object of the sentence. Cars are receiving
the action in this sentence.

Let’s begin by looking in more detail at the subject of a sentence.

The subject of a sentence is a noun or a pronoun (a pronoun is a word

that is used in place of a noun).

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There are four types of nouns:

· common nouns
· proper nouns
· collective nouns
· abstract nouns

Common nouns name general things, animals, and places such as:
table, ball, boy, moon, pencil, factory

Proper nouns name particular people or things including brand

names and company names. They begin with a capital letter. Here are
some examples:

Names of people: Jack, Mary

Places: England
Days, months: Monday, August
Streets: Long Avenue
Companies: McDonalds

Collective nouns name collections or groups of similar persons,

animals, or things such as:
herd, army, crowd, tribe, flock

Abstract nouns name qualities, emotions and actions such as:

anger, love, happiness, joy

The subject of a sentence may also be a subject pronoun - that is, a

word that stands in place of a noun such as:
I, she, he, they, we, it, who...

Each of these words stands for a noun. You can substitute the name of
a person or object for each pronoun.

The subject of a sentence can be at the beginning of a sentence,

understood (as in a command) or come after the verb (as in a question).

To find the subject of a sentence, ask yourself ‘Who or what in the

sentence is doing the action’?

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Read this sentence:

Jack drives a car.

Who or what in this sentence is doing the action? Jack is doing the
action. Jack is the subject of this sentence.

In commands, the subject is not written. The subject is understood as

in this command:
Come here.

This means: You come here.

The subject of this sentence is you (a pronoun). Sometimes the subject

comes after the verb as in this example:

Where is the coffee?

Coffee is the subject of this sentence. There can be more than one
subject in a sentence as in this example:
Jan and John worked in the office.

Jan and John are doing the action in this sentence and so both are
the subject of the sentence.

Sometimes a verb function as the subject of a sentence.

Playing sports is good for character building.

Playing sports is the subject of the sentence. It is the thing that ‘is
good’.

Let’s practise locating the subject of a sentence in some examples in the

following activity.

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Activity 11
Sentence structure – finding the subject

Read the following sentences. Find and highlight the subject of each
sentence.

1. The dog was barking.

2. Sit down!
3. He went to the shop.
4. Bill and Ben were studying history.
5. The apples are ripe.
6. Where are the pencils?
7. Michael and I are going to the movies.
8. Who took the cake?
9. Leroy was here.
10. Peter worked in an office and cooked at the restaurant.

Turn to page 95 for suggested answers to this activity.

Remember

· The subject of a sentence is a noun or a pronoun.

· There are four types of nouns.
· To find the subject of a sentence, ask who or what is doing the
action in the sentence.
· The subject can be more than one noun, be understood or come
after the verb.

Let’s now look at verbs in more detail.

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Remember at the beginning of this section where we described what

a sentence is? One of the elements that describes a correct sentence
is that a sentence contains both a subject and a verb.

Verbs in sentences can show action. Work, sit and read are verbs that
indicate action.

Sometimes the verb doesn’t show action but tells what the subject is or
was.

The verbs in the following examples are such verbs and they have been
underlined:
David is a sailor.
Jo seems happy in her work.

Verbs are also used to indicate the time an action takes place. This is
called tense. There are three time periods, past, present and future.

The following table using the verb ‘to run’ shows the differences in
tenses.

Yesterday I ran
(Past tense) I have run
I had run
I was running
Today I run
(Present tense) I am running
Tomorrow I shall run
(Future tense) I shall be running

When you are writing, it is important to pay attention to the tense of

the verb you are choosing and make sure that you use the correct tense.
Switching from one tense to another in a sentence can be confusing.
The next example uses all three tenses.

Yesterday I was working in the office. (past tense) I see the boss. He
is coming through the door with more work for me. (present tense) I
will have to have the work done by Friday. (future tense)

Did that make sense? No it didn’t, because we mixed the tense of the
verb. Look at the passage again: does it make better sense?

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Yesterday I was working in the office. I saw the boss. He was coming
through the door with more work for me. I had to have the work done
by Friday.

Verbs also indicate number or how many people or things are doing
the action.

I am (Singular)

They are (Plural or more than one)

The verb number must agree with the subject. If the subject indicates
more than one doing the action, then the verb must also show this as in
this example:

Jan works in an office. (Single subject, singular verb.)

Jan and Paul work in an office. (More than one subject, plural verb.)

General rules for verbs

· Sometimes the verb is more than one word.
I will work on my report.
I have been working on my report.

· A word ending in ing can never be a verb on its own. It must have
another verb in front of it:
I am going to the beach. (The verb here is am going.)
But not: I going to the beach.

· A word with to in front of it cannot be a verb.

I like to work in the office. (Like is the verb in this sentence.)

· There can be more than one verb in a sentence, particularly where

you have two simple sentences joined together.
John worked in the office and helped in the shop.

(John is the subject of both sentences. Two sentences have been joined
together here using the connector and. John worked in the office. John
helped in the shop.)

Let’s practise identifying verbs in the next activity. We’ll use the same
sentences we used in Activity 9 where we located the subject of the
sentence.

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Activity 12
Sentence structure - finding the verb
Read the following sentences. Find and underline the verb in each
sentence. You have already highlighted the subject in Activity 11 (page
37).

1. The dog was barking.

2. Sit down! (You sit down!)
3. He went to the shop.
4. Bill and Ben were studying history.
5. The apples are ripe.
6. Where are the pencils?
7. Michael and I are going to the movies.
8. Who took the cake?
9. Leroy was here.
10. Peter worked in an office and cooked at the restaurant.

Turn to page 95 for suggested answers to this activity.

Remember

Every sentence has a verb. Verbs

· show action
· show what the subject is or was
· indicate time (tense)
· indicate number (singular or plural)
Remember too that:
· the subject can sometimes be a verb.
Let’s now look at the object of a sentence.

Where the verb in a sentence is an action verb - that is, a verb that
describes a specific action - then it may have a noun or pronoun as its
object. The object of a sentence is the person or thing that receives the
action of the verb. Not all sentences have objects.

These examples have the subject, verb and object identified.

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Jack drives the car.

Jack (subject) drives (action verb) the car (object).

I hit him.
I (subject) hit (action verb) him (pronoun object).

To find the object in a sentence with an action verb, ask what or

whom after the verb. The following sentences demonstrate this.
Jack drives a car.
Jack drives what? A car (Object).
I hit him.
I hit whom? Him (Object).
An action verb does not always have an object or the object can be
implied as in this example.

Jack drives.

This is a complete sentence on its own and gives us some information

about Jack that we can understand.

Let’s now apply all that we have so far covered in this section on
sentence structure and grammar in the following activity.

Activity 13
Sentence structure - finding subject, verb and object
Read the following sentences. Highlight the noun with a highlighter pen,
underline the verb and circle the object in each sentence. The first
example is done for you.

1. The children ate the apples.

2. The choir sang songs from many different countries.
3. Pick up that paper!
4. Cats catch mice.
5. My aunt ate the pickles.
6. John had a nightmare last night.
7. Joan likes ice cream.
8. Kate gave an expensive present to Bill.
9. The chef cooked a lavish dinner.
10. I like to read.
Turn to page 96 for suggested answers to this activity.

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In these examples above we have dealt with the simple sentence

- that is, a sentence that contains only one subject and one verb.
Not all the sentences you will use will be simple sentences. But
the rules of grammar that apply to the simple sentence apply to
all sentences.

General rules about sentences

From the information about subject, verb and object above, we can
devise some general rules about sentences. Let’s look at a few of these
simple rules.
· Every sentence has a subject and a verb. Simple sentences have
only one subject and one verb. Complex sentences may have more
than one subject and more than one verb.
· Some sentences that contain an action verb may also contain an
object - a noun or pronoun that receives the action of the verb.
· Nouns and verbs should agree in number - a singular noun has a
singular verb, a plural noun has a plural verb.
· Verbs also indicate tense. Ensure that you do not change tenses
mid sentence when writing.

Activity 14

Look at these sentences and identify the subjects/verbs and objects.

(1) Liquid paper was invented by Bette Nesmith

(2) She was a young bank secretary
(3) Nesmith noticed that sign painters painted over their errors instead of
erasing them.
(4) She filled small bottles with white paint and covered her
mistakes.
(5) Her friends all wanted their own bottles.
(6) Bette Nesmith and her son patented the formula.
(7) They called it Liquid Paper.
(8) Selling the product to IBM was their first idea.

Refer to page 96 for answers

Let’s move on to look at proofreading.

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2.3 Proofreading
Once the writing stops, the job is not over. It is just as important to
spend time in the review of your writing. This is the third skill that
good writers use. This means re-reading, correcting spelling mistakes,
changing grammar and sentence structure to make your meaning more
clear.

If you are able to, it is useful to have a friend or colleague whose

opinion you trust read the item for you and give you some feedback.

They will be able to tell you:

· if your writing is clear and easily understood
· about any problems with grammar or spelling
· if your writing style and organisation of content are suitable.

If you are using a computer to write, DON’T rely on the computer

spelling check program to check your work for accuracy. You may have
spelled a word correctly but used it in the wrong place and the spelling
check will not necessarily find this error.

Look at this example:

The spell check is a useful tool but it will not solve all your problems.
Pour spellers will still be in trouble with there instructions.

2.4 Appropriate use of language

This is the fourth and last of the skills that good writers use.

It seems every occupation or profession has its own jargon or internal

language. Jargon may be technical terms that apply specifically to a
trade, or a way of expressing messages that is traditional to some
professions.

The legal profession, for example, seems to enjoy complicated and

sometimes old-fashioned expressions. Look at the statement from a
health insurance policy: What does it really mean?

A second reading of the following example may reveal the awkward

wording it contains:

Benefits are paid if an insured employee or eligible dependent incurs

covered charges because of pregnancy. Reimbursement for hospital and

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out-of-hospital maternity charges will be made on the same basis as for

any non-maternity condition covered made the plan.

Wouldn't it have been better to say "If you or one of your insured family
members becomes pregnant, the Plan will pay for medical care as it
does for any other medical condition”?

Be aware of the jargon you are using and the audience who will read it.
Will they understand? Can you use a different term or should you
make sure you explain new terms as they arise?

If you are reading a book that contains a lot of technical language or

jargon, check whether the book has a ‘Glossary of Terms’. A glossary
gives simple explanations of complex words or terms. We shall discuss
this in more detail in Unit 1.2, Processing Information.

In the meantime, Activity 15 will give you an opportunity to apply what

we have just covered regarding appropriate use of language.

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Activity 15
Appropriate use of language

Find a piece of writing which is relevant to your teaching area, such as an

instruction manual, technical specification, journal article etc.

1. Read the article and make notes of any words, terms etc. which may be
unfamiliar to someone outside your field of expertise.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

2. If you can, ask someone who is not familiar with the subject to also read
and make notes of any unknown words or instructions which may be
unclear to someone without inside knowledge. Compare your notes and
list any words or items that you did not include in your list above.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

Turn to page 98 suggested answers to this activity.

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Summary
· In this section, we have dealt with the reasons for developing
good writing skills and discussed the skills that can help achieve
this.
· Good writing enhances the communication process.
· The characteristics of good writing are that it:
- has a simple, clear and direct meaning
- is easily understood by the reader
· Good writers develop good writing skills so that the reader:
- has no doubts about the meaning and purpose of the text
- doesn’t have to waste time re-reading
- can respond appropriately to the writer and what is written
· People with good writing skills:
- have a clear purpose and state this purpose clearly
- use appropriate sentence structure and grammar
- proofread their work carefully
- use appropriate language

Here is a checklist to use when you write for an audience.

Writing Check List

YES NO
1. Is your purpose for writing clear?
2. Is your language suited to your audience?
3. Is your message clear?
4. Have you avoided jargon as much as possible?
5. Is each paragraph in its proper place?
6. Have you checked the grammar, punctuation and spelling?
7. Is each sentence correct (containing subject/
verb and object)?
8. Is the layout attractive to the eye?
9. Are there any typographical errors?
10. Are completely satisfied with the piece?

In the next section, Giving and following instructions, we will

apply the skills of listening and writing that we have examined in this
unit. Let’s check your progress on Section 2. Remember that there are
no answers given, so check your responses with the information in
Section 2.

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Check your progress

1. List three reasons why you should develop good writing skills.
(1)___________________________________________________________
(2)___________________________________________________________
(3)___________________________________________________________

2. List three skills that will help develop good writing skills.
(1)___________________________________________________________
(2)___________________________________________________________
(3)___________________________________________________________

3. List three purposes you may have in writing.

(1)___________________________________________________________
(2)___________________________________________________________
(3)___________________________________________________________

4. Define the term subject in sentence structure.

_____________________________________________________________

5. Define the term verb in sentence structure.

_____________________________________________________________

6. Define the term object in sentence structure.

_____________________________________________________________

7. What is jargon and why should you avoid its use?

_____________________________________________________________

8. What are the stages in the writing process?

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

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Section 3
Giving and following instructions
Instructions are part of our lives. We give and take instructions every
day. Some instructions are clear and simple. How often have you
heard the instruction "make your bed" or followed the unspoken
instruction of the traffic lights as they change from green to red?

Other instructions are more complex like the ones given for:
· following a recipe
· following a map when you are in a strange city

You are given instructions for a variety of reasons, among them:

· to get you to do a specific action
· to ensure your safety
· to teach you a new skill

Instructions describe a step-by-step process with a beginning and a

desired outcome. When you begin the instructions, you have clearly in
mind some goal that you wish to achieve. Instructions that are clear
and well designed will help you to work step-by-step to that goal. That
goal may be a chocolate cake, a safe journey or a new skill.

If the instructions are not clear and well designed or you don’t follow
the steps as they are described, then you may not reach the desired
goal. You may end up with a lot of inedible chocolate cake batter, or
lost or confused.

Giving and following instructions combine the skills that we have

discussed so far in this Unit - Listening skills and writing skills.
As either the giver or the receiver of instructions, you have an
important role to play in making sure that this communication process
is a successful one.

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In this Section, we will deal with the topic of giving and following
instructions by:
· examining the skills needed to prepare instructions which
teach new skills
· practising delivering instructions
· discussing the role of the person following instructions and the
skills they need to develop to follow instructions well.
Let’s begin with the first of these - preparing instructions.

3.1 Preparing instructions

Instructions can be:
· graphical
· written
· oral

Graphical instructions could include:

· icons on a computer screen
· circuit diagrams
· maps
· building plans

Graphical instructions are usually accompanied by some written

instructions. There are various written instructions and these
include:
· the instruction booklets which accompany new electrical
equipment
· technical manuals
· recipes

Most written instructions have diagrams or pictures to show what the

finished product looks like as well as illustrating steps or procedures.

Writing instructions is a time-consuming process because you need to

ensure that the instructions are complete but easy to follow. If they are
well prepared, written instructions are easy to follow and you can take
your time and refer back to them if necessary.

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Written instructions can be set out as a narrative as in this example:

First, beat the butter and sugar together until the sugar has
dissolved. Next add the eggs and combine well. Fold in the
flour using a wooden spoon. Finally place small balls of the
mixture on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes in a
moderate oven.

Notice the connecting words such as first, next and finally

Instructions can be written as a list like the following:

1. Beat the butter and sugar together until the sugar has
dissolved.
2. Add the eggs and combine well.
3. Fold in the flour using a wooden spoon.
4. Place small balls of the mixture on a baking tray.
5. Bake for 15 minutes in a moderate oven.

The steps are numbered to show the order to be followed

There is a wide range of oral instructions that may be given by

teachers in a classroom teaching a new skill, sports coaches teaching
young players, or parents giving direction to their children.

Oral instructions must be prepared very carefully and the delivery of

the instructions planned as well. This is possibly the most difficult way
to give and receive instructions.

The speaker has less time to think yet the instructions need to be
clearly stated and just enough for the hearer to understand remember
and act upon. When you are preparing instructions of any sort there are
three important steps in the planning process:

1. Purpose - asks you some questions such as:

· What do I want my audience to be able to know or do?
· Why do I want them to know/do this?

2. Audience - consider aspects such as:

· Who will use these instructions?
· What do they know already?
· Will I need to teach them new skills or explain new terms so
they can follow the instructions?

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3. Content
· What exactly do I need to say?
· In what order will I say it?

4. Delivery - consider this aspect:

· What is the best method for delivering the instructions –
graphical, written, oral or a combination of these?

As a means of practising what we are discussing about giving and

following instructions in this section, we will be asking you to prepare a
set of oral instructions that you can deliver when you have completed
studying this section.

The next activity begins the process of preparing these instructions

using the information covered so far.

Activity 16
Preparing oral instructions

At the end of this section, you will be asked to deliver a set of oral
instructions to a colleague or, if possible, a small group of people. Consider
now who your audience will be as this will influence your preparation for
this activity. You will receive feedback from these people using the standards
that are set out in this unit. You will be required to work on this project
throughout the rest of this unit.

1. Decide what it is that you would like to instruct your students to do. If
possible, find something relevant to your teaching area. Choose
something SIMPLE.

____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

2. Fill in the following questions about these instructions.

(a) What do I want my users to be able to do or know?

__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

(Continued)

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Activity 16
Preparing oral instructions

(b) Why do I want them to know/do this?

____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

(c) Who will use the instructions?

____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

(d) What do they know already?

____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

(e) Will I need to teach them any new skills or explain new terms so they
can follow the instructions? If so what?

____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

(f) The instructions will be delivered orally, but do you want to consider
giving graphical or written instructions as well, such as using an
overhead projector or handing out written instructions? When and
how would you use them?

____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

These are the questions that need to be asked before you begin to write
the instructions. Let’s now move on to writing the instructions

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3.2 Writing instructions

The elements that should be present in all instructions whether they
are written, oral or graphical are that the instructions should be:
· clear
· logical
· precise

Let’s look at each of these elements.

Clear
· Make instructions easy to follow.
· Use simple steps - break the task into a series of simple, easy-to-
follow steps.
· Use simple language - simple, clearly written sentences.
· Explain any technical terms and be careful of using jargon.

Logical

The instructions must move the audience one step at a time towards
the goal. There should be a clear beginning point and a clear
conclusion. Steps should be addressed in sequence, each step building
on the last without any distracting elements.

Precise

The instructions should contain ALL the information that the audience
needs to successfully complete the task. The information should also be
concise - it must contain only the information that the audience needs,
but all the information the audience needs.

All of us have been caught by instructions that we couldn’t follow or

that had information missing or out of sequence. Remember that to be
effective, instructions must be clear, logical and precise.

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Activity 17
Preparing oral instructions

INSTRUCTIONS:

You need the following instructions:

Remove the external filter housing. (You may need a special tool for this.)
The filter housing normally has a wall as a new sealing ring.
Check the oil capacity of the engine before you change the oil. Make sure
that you have enough oil for the correct type.
Warm the engine so that the lubricant flows easily and then stop the
engine.
Remove the filter cap and refill the engine until it contains the correct
amount of fresh lubricant.
Place an empty container under the sump drain plug before you remove it.
Allow the sump to drain completely. Clean the sump plug and then
replace it.

Are the instructions:

Clear Yes □ No □
Logical Yes □ No □
Precise Yes □ No □
Rewrite the instructions if you think they need to be re-written. If you think
they are well-written go on to the next activity.

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

Turn to page 98 for suggested answers for this activity

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Activity 18
The elements of effective instructions

Read the following instructions and then decide whether the instructions
are clear, logical and precise.

Go back to the highway. Follow it until you reach a set of traffic

lights. Go through them. When you get to the shopping centre,
turn right and then take the first left. Follow this until you reach
the river. Fred’s house is the green one on your right.

Clear

Logical

Precise

Turn to page 99 for suggested answers to this activity.

Clarity, logic and precision are elements that should be present

in all forms of instructions. Let’s now look at the different
processes involved in preparing written and oral instructions.
We’ll start with written instructions.

Here are some guidelines for writing written instructions:

1. Start with a statement of what your audience will be able to do at
the end of the instruction.
2. Make a list of any equipment that is necessary to complete the
instructions OR put in a labelled diagram identifying the relevant
parts.
3. State any warnings or safety instructions.
4. Arrange the instructions in a logical sequence.
5. Identify each separate step by using numbers, putting each new
instruction on a separate line or use some other method to define
each step.
6. Where appropriate, include diagrams.
7. Revise your instructions to make sure they are clear, logical and
precise.

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Make sure that you think about how your instructions look once they
are written. Instructions need to look easy to follow so that your
audience is motivated to read them. Go back to the beginning of this
module to the section titled How to use this manual on page 1 and
Finding your way on page 2. Look at the way these instructions are
written and the way they are presented. You will find:

· titles in bold
· each separate instruction well spaced
· use of graphics.

These instructions look easy to read and appealing to the eye.

Let’s practise writing written instructions in the next activity.

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Activity 19
Preparing written instructions

Prepare a set of written instructions for making a cup of instant coffee.

Follow the steps outlined on the previous page.

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

Turn to page 99 for answers to this activity.

You have just applied the steps required for good written instructions.
Now we’ll examine the process for preparing oral instructions.

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3.3 Writing guidelines for oral instructions

Here are some guidelines for preparing oral instructions so that you
can deliver them to your audience.

Preparing · Prepare a statement of what your audience will

verbal be able to do at the end of the instructions.
instructions
· Consider the amount of time the instructor will
need to adequately complete the instructions.
Make sure the instructor has sufficient time
available.

· Make a list of all the equipment that you will

need.

· Identify any safety precautions or warnings that

have to be given.

· Arrange the instructions in a logical sequence.

· Prepare any visual aids that might be useful.

These include handouts to the students or
overhead transparencies.

· Review your instructions to ensure they are

clear, logical and precise.

We can now apply this process to the task that we identified in Activity
18. Using the guidelines in the table above, write the instructions so
that you can deliver them at the end of Section 3.

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Activity 20
Writing a plan for oral instructions

Return to the set of instructions you identified in Activity 13. You’ll need
them again here. Prepare your instructions for delivery given the guidelines
in the table on the previous page. An outline has been prepared for you to
complete.

Purpose:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

List of equipment/materials needed:

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Approximate time required:

________________________________________________________________________

Instructions:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Turn to page 100 for suggested answers to this activity.

So far in this section we have examined the skills required for

preparing and writing instructions and given you some practise doing
this. Let’s move on to delivering oral instructions.

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3.4 Delivering oral instructions

This is an extra dimension to be considered after you have written your
oral instructions. You now have to consider the practical aspects of
delivering these instructions to a live audience.

This table sets out the steps to follow when you are delivering these
instructions.

Delivering When delivering instructions:

instructions
· Begin with the statement of purpose so that the
audience is clear about the expected outcome.
· Give the safety instructions and ensure everyone
understands them. (Have your students repeat
your instructions if necessary)
· Present one step at a time. Allow the audience
time to complete each step before moving on.
· Combine instructions and practise. Your audience
can then write down the instruction and then
practise each step. If, for example, you were telling
your students how to make a cake, it would help if
you not only told them how to do it but
demonstrated as well OR got the students to make
their own cake.
· Make sure everyone understands each step before
moving on to the next.
· Stop regularly and ask if there are any questions.
Repeat steps if necessary.
· At the end, review the whole process briefly.
Congratulate your audience on their success!
· Be aware of your audience’s body language
audience. Do they look confused? Are they
concentrating on what you are saying?

Before moving on to the section on Following Instructions, take some

time to deliver the instructions that you have already prepared in
Activities 14 and 16 to your audience.

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Activity 21
Delivering instructions orally

Using the guidelines outlined in this section, deliver your instructions.

Ask each member of your audience to complete the feedback sheet
printed over the page. (Photocopy enough for your participants.)

Prepare your own review. List what went well and what you would do
differently next time.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

Read the feedback sheets given to you by your participants and make
notes of any changes that you think might help in the future.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

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Delivering Oral Instructions Participant Feedback Sheet

Please answer all the questions below and return this form to the Instructor after the
session. Tick the response that is appropriate.
Yes No

You do not have to put your name on this sheet unless you wish to.
1. Were you clear about the purpose of this instruction before you started?
2. Did you have all the equipment you needed to complete the instructions?
3. Were any relevant safety procedures explained before you began? (Leave this
blank if there weren’t any safety instructions to give)
4. Were the instructions presented in logical order?
5. Were the steps presented one at a time?
6. Was each step clearly explained?
7. Did you have sufficient time to complete each step?
8. Did the instructor check your progress regularly?
9. Were you able to ask questions?
10. Did the instructor use visual aids (OHTs, handouts, diagrams etc…)?
If YES, comment on how useful they were.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

11. Did the instructor review the whole process at the end of the instruction?

12. Was there enough time for the whole session?

13. Did you feel you were successful carrying out the instructions?

Comments:
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

Congratulations! I’m sure that delivering the instructions was a useful, and maybe
stressful, learning experience. Next time you have to deliver instructions, review
your own assessment of this activity for useful pointers on how to deliver oral
instructions. Of course we learn by practise, so make opportunities to practise.

We’ll now move on to consider how to follow instructions.

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3.5 Following instructions

As well as giving instructions we also have to follow them from
time to time.

As discussed at the beginning of this section, the person following

instructions has an important role to play in ensuring that the
communication process is successful.

The person giving the instructions has the responsibility to ensure

that the instructions are clear, logical and precise.

The person following the instructions has the responsibilities outlined

below.

Written instructions · Read instructions carefully and follow

each step.

Oral instructions · listen actively

· concentrate
· take notes
· repeat instructions
· use eye contact and other positive body
language to show that you are listening
· ask questions if necessary

Complete the next activity, which gives practise at following written

instructions.

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Activity 22
Following instructions

You have one minute to complete this activity. Read all the instructions
before continuing.

1. Print your full name:____________________________________________

2. Print your address:______________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

3. Write your phone number: ______________________________________

4. Circle your marital status: Married Single Other

5. Print your date of birth: _______________________________________

6. Write your nationality: _________________________________________

7. Circle the number of children you have: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6

8. Print the name of your closest relative: ____________________________

9. Ignore instructions 1 - 8. You need only sign your name below.

Sign your name: ______________________________________________

Did you get caught? That was a trick questionnaire, but it does
underline the need to be diligent when following written
instructions. If you had read all the instructions first as
directed at the beginning of the activity, then you wouldn’t have
been tricked.

Reading the instructions is often the last thing we do. The

natural tendency when faced with a new piece of equipment or a
form or questionnaire is to start doing something with it.
Reading the instructions first can save time and stop us from
making mistakes.

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Following written instructions

This should be much easier than listening to spoken instructions. You

have the opportunity to re-read an instruction if it is not clear or if you
think you don’t understand. Reading instructions also lets you work
at your own pace. You can be as slow or as quick as you like. The
disadvantage of written instructions is that if you don’t understand
an instruction there may be no one around to ask!

Following oral instructions

This means using the Listening Skills discussed in Section 1 of this

unit. In this section we will be concentrating on receiving spoken
instructions. Take a few minutes now to re-read pages 4 - 7 of this unit
to refresh your memory about Listening skills.

Remember, following instructions correctly is as important as

preparing good instructions.

Let’s look at each of the listening skills and how they can assist you in
following instructions. The listening skills are:
· concentrating
· repeating
· maintaining eye contact
· note taking

Concentration

It is important to focus your attention and ignore distractions when

listening to instructions so that you do not miss vital information.

Oral instructions are often wordy and you need to be able to

concentrate to select the vital information as in this example:

When you lift the photocopier lid, you will notice that the glass
sometimes has white marks on it. This is because people place
their documents down to be copied without waiting for the
liquid paper to dry and this leaves the white marks behind. It is
important to wait until the liquid paper dries before placing
your copy on the glass.

The vital instruction in this narrative is in the last line:

It is important to wait until the liquid paper dries before
placing your copy on the glass.

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Listen for the verbal cues. In the example above ‘It is important…’ was
the cue to listen for. Other cues might include words like "first" or "be
sure to"

This is one of the differences between written and verbal instructions.

Those who prepare written instructions usually emphasize the main
point at the beginning of the sentence. When delivering verbal
instructions, many presenters use the end of a paragraph to deliver the
main point.

When you are concentrating listen for the information that tells you:
· what to do
· when to do it
· how to do it
· where to do it.

Repeating

This is the second listening skill that should be applied to following

verbal instructions.

This means listening for the verbal cues that tell you what information
is important and then repeating the vital parts of an instruction to
ensure you have understood. This also allows the person giving the
instructions a chance to correct any mistakes and to let them know that
you are listening and trying to understand. For example:

When paper is jammed in the photocopier, a red flashing light

will appear on the ‘Copier Ready’ screen. To clear the paper
jam, first turn the machine off. Then, using the finger hold, pull
down the side panel. Thirdly, push down on the blue lever to
raise the lid section of the copier. Carefully remove the jammed
paper.

What do you think is the important information?

Make your own list here before moving on.

__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

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Here’s what I think:

· Paper jam is indicated by red flashing light.

· Turn machine off.
· Pull down side panel.
· Push down on blue lever.
· Carefully remove jammed paper.

As a listener, when you summarise and repeat the information you are
checking that you have received the correct information.

Maintaining Eye contact

This is the third listening skill that we will apply to following

instructions.

Eye contact and other body language signals (mentioned in Section 1)

are a way of giving feedback to the instructor that you are getting the
message. Watch the instructor and make careful note of any diagrams
or demonstrations the instructor may give. Maintain good eye contact
with the instructor so he can see your response to his words.

Remember that a skilled instructor develops a rapport with the

audience and can ‘read’ their reactions from their body language.

Note taking

In situations where it is not practical to repeat the instructions you

have heard, it is useful to take notes so that you can refer back to them
later. Once again you are listening for:
· what to do
· when to do it
· how to do it
· where to do it

Before attempting the next exercise, review the section on Note taking
in Section 1.2 of this unit.

Refer now to the audiotape for this activity. There are no tricks this
time!

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Activity 23
Following oral instructions

Refer to the audiotape for this activity. The instructor will identify this
activity number at the start of the segment.

To complete this activity you will need an ordinary sheet of blank paper, a
pencil, eraser and ruler.

Follow the instructions given on the tape and then check your answer.

Turn to page 101 for suggested answers to this activity.

Did your drawing look the same as the one on the answer page?
If you had some difficulties, think about the reasons for this and
if they affected your listening skills. Repeat the Activity if
necessary.

Summary

In this section we have examined the processes and skills required to

give and follow instructions. There are three different ways of
giving instructions:
· orally
· in written form
· graphically

Preparing and following instructions require good writing and

listening skills.

Before beginning to write instructions consider:

· What is my purpose?
· Who is my audience?
· How should I deliver these instructions?

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The three elements of all good instructions are that they are:
· clear
· logical
· precise

When following instructions:

· read the instructions carefully OR
· listen attentively

The last section of this unit will discuss locating and using oral and
written information sources. Before moving on, check your progress on
Section 3.

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Check your progress

1. Give an example of each of the following:

(a) graphical instructions

_________________________________________________________

(b) oral instructions

_________________________________________________________

(c) written instructions

_________________________________________________________

2, Before preparing instructions, what three questions should you

ask yourself?
(1)___________________________________________________________
(2)___________________________________________________________
(3)___________________________________________________________

3. List the three elements of good instructions and briefly describe

each.
(1)___________________________________________________________
(2)___________________________________________________________
(3)___________________________________________________________

4. When following instructions, what are the two skills required?

(1)___________________________________________________________
(2)___________________________________________________________

Remember that there are no answers given, so check your responses

against the information in Section 3.

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Section 4
Using oral and written resources

You often hear the term ‘information explosion’ used to describe the
amount of information that you can now access on just about any topic
you can think of. Computer storage and transmission of information
has improved our capacity to make available large amounts of material.
One of the skills you need to develop as both a student and a teacher is
identifying and using appropriate oral and written resources.

We will look at the skill of identifying appropriate sources of

information in Unit 1.2, Processing Information.

In this section, we will examine what oral and written information

resources are available, where and how to locate them.

4.1 Sources of information

What sort of written and oral sources of information are available to
you? Some examples are listed below.

Written information · Books

resources · Encyclopaedias and other reference books
· Journals
· Magazines
· Newspapers
· The Internet
· CD-Rom
· Computer discs
· Microfiche storage

Can you think of any ·

others?
·
·

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Oral information · video and audiotape

sources could include: · film
· slides

Don’t forget the local expert in your college

who can tell you lots of useful things!

Can you think of any ·

others? ·
·
·

Let’s look at what kind of information can be found in these different

sources.
· Books can be either fiction or non-fiction. Most books are written
for pleasure.

· Reference books include encyclopaedias, dictionaries, atlases and

books that are written primarily for academic research purposes.

· Journals and magazines contain information on current

research or information on a particular subject area.

· CD-Rom and computer discs can contain large amounts of

information. Encyclopaedias and dictionaries are often available
on CD-Rom. Indexes or abstracts for current journals are now
usually found on CD-Rom. Searching these indexes can locate the
most recent research published in a particular field.

· Some indexes are also available on microfiche. Rather than

keeping old copies of newspapers, many of these are stored on
microfiche as well.

· The Internet contains a vast amount of information. Most

reference and special libraries have access to the Internet.

· Videotapes, audiotapes, film, filmstrips and slides contain

many different kinds of information. Some have a training or
educational focus. There are films on how to present instructions
in the workplace or how to be a better salesperson. Some have a
specific focus, such as career or occupational information or
information on specific research topics.

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· Don’t forget the importance of people in your community who

have expertise or knowledge in a particular area. These may be
academics or teachers, trades people, or people with years of
experience in a particular field - business, government, labour
unions etc....

There are a variety of places where this information may be available

to you depending where you live. Most people will have access to a
library, which is where most of this written and oral information is
available.

There are three main types of library throughout the world:

· public
· academic
· special

Let’s look at each different type of library.

· run by city or municipal authorities

Public libraries
· provide their services to the local community as
information centres with an emphasis on reading
for pleasure
· have a limited reference collection which may be
useful for general information
· found in schools and in colleges or universities
Academic libraries
· major function is research
· may hold a large amount of material covering a
range of topics depending on the subjects offered.
A college that specialises in science and
mathematics will have a library that concentrates
on those topics
· will have reference material as well as journals
and serials covering the most recent research
· are generally smaller with a concentration on one
Special libraries
particular subject. For example, a special library
may be attached to a government department, a
large hospital, a labour union or a large company
· have a limited reference collection which
concentrates on topics relevant to that
organisation
· may not allow you to borrow from their collections
but it may be possible to browse or use the books
in the library

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In addition to these libraries there are also state and national

libraries, which have vast collections of both current and historical
material.

Use the following activity to think about the local sources of

information that are available to you.

Activity 24
Local information sources

Make a list of your local sources of both oral and written information.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

Ask a colleague or friend to check your list and add any that you may have
missed.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

Turn to page 101 for suggested answers to this activity.

4.2 Using sources of oral and written

information
So far in this section we have looked at what kinds of oral and written
resources are available and where they might be found. Let’s now look
at how to access this information.

The first step in finding information in a library is to browse through

the library and find where each different type of resource is stored.
Books, reference books, journals and audiovisual material are usually
held in different parts of the library. Each is considered a separate
collection. There will also be quiet places to study and most libraries
have photocopy facilities available for you to copy material that cannot
be taken from the library.

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Before copying books or journals, be sure to read the copyright

restrictions to ensure you are not breaking the law!

While you are walking around the library, look at how the shelves are
numbered. These numbers will help direct you to the right place to find
your book or journal.

All libraries will have a catalogue system - that is, a way of arranging
the items in the library so that people can find the information they
need. Libraries are gateways to a wide range of information and both
the staff and the catalogue system are there to try and make your
search as easy and successful as possible.

Catalogue systems will vary from library to library. Most large

libraries use computer catalogue systems. Some smaller libraries may
still use a card catalogue system.

There are three different ways you can search for information on the
catalogue system:
· author
· title of book
· subject

We will look at each of these in turn.

If you want a book by a particular author, you would make your

search through the alphabetical list of authors - either using the card
catalogue or finding ‘author’ on the menu list on the computer
catalogue. Authors are listed last name first. William Shakespeare is
listed as Shakespeare, William.

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You will need to have the correct spelling of the author’s name,
especially on the computer system, or it will not be able to find what
you are looking for. When you find the author’s name, the computer
will generate a list of all the books by that author, as in the example
below.

The card system will have a separate card for every book that the
library has by that author. You then find the card for the book that you
want. On both systems you will be able to find all the information you
need about that book. The author and title information will be at the
top, followed by information about publisher and publishing dates.
Sometimes there is a brief description of the contents of the book.

You will also find the call number of the book prominently displayed.
Call numbers are used by libraries to organise their book collections.
This number may vary from library to library as a variety of catalogue
numbering systems are used. Usually, it will be a combination of
letters and numbers. You must write down this call number as it will
direct you to the correct ‘stack’ in the library.

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Call Number

A stack is the name given to the bookcases where the books are kept.
Each stack is labelled with the range of call numbers that it holds.

An advantage of the computer system over the card system is that the
computer can tell you if the book is currently available. If it has been
borrowed or has been placed in a reserve collection, the computer will
tell you. Reserve collections are books and other material that can’t
be taken from the library, but you can use them in the library.

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Once you have the call number of the book, all you need to do is follow
the number trail through the stacks until you find the correct book!

As well as searching by author name, you can also search for a

particular book title using either the computer or card system. Find
the drawers that are marked ‘Title cards’ or select ‘title’ on the
computer menu. In the card catalogue, all books are held in
alphabetical order.

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When looking for books:

· ignore first words such as a, an and the. They are not counted as
first words. ‘A Farewell to Arms’ would be listed as ‘Farewell
to Arms, A’;
· numbers should be spelt fully. For example, ‘100 Best Short
Stories’ would be ‘One Hundred Best Short Stories’;
· spell abbreviations out fully. For example, Mister for Mr and
Saint for St.

This may be different on the computer catalogue. You may need to

experiment!

Once you have located the book that you want, make a note of the call
number and proceed to the appropriate stack.

Lastly, you can also search for appropriate resources by subject. You
would search by subject if you were not sure which authors or books
contained the information that you need. This is a more time-
consuming type of search and requires more planning. Card catalogues
have cards separately listed as subject cards. On a computer you can
generally search by subject or by keyword.

Before beginning your search, think of all the words or groups of words
that relate to the subject you are searching for. These are called
‘keywords’.

If you were searching for information on teaching English to overseas

students, you might search for ‘English as a Second Language’,
‘International students’ or ‘language teaching’.

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It is a good idea to have a number of different terms available for your

search so that you cover all possible combinations of keywords. The
library may not have chosen the same keywords as you, so it is useful
to have a variety to experiment with!

Try to be as specific with your keywords as possible to narrow down the

number of possible ‘hits’, especially if you are using a computer
catalogue or the Internet.

If you typed the word ‘Library’ into the search facility on the Internet,
you would get more that 9 million hits - that is, there are at least nine
million Internet sites that relate to the general term library. To be
useful, you need to be able to narrow the field a little!

If you were searching for information about the different types of

libraries, what other terms do you think you could use to narrow down
the search? Make a list of related terms here that you think might
narrow the search.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

In a card catalogue system, the subject cards will usually have a section
at the bottom called ‘See also’, which lists any related subjects as in the
following example:

From your subject search, you will compile a list of potential resources
that you will need to locate and browse through to see if they contain
the information you need.

Let’s practise all this information we have been exploring about oral
and written resources in an activity. You will be asked to do a similar

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exercise, as part of your assessment for this Unit, so now is a great

chance to get in some practise!

Activity 25
Library searches

Now is the time to practise these different types of searches using your
local library.

1. AuthorSearch: List three works by the author William Shakespeare.

(1)______________________________________________________________
(2)______________________________________________________________
(3)______________________________________________________________

2. Title search: Find the title ‘A Farewell to Arms’. Who is the author?
_______________________________________________________________

3. Subject search: Choose a subject from your teaching area. Make a

short list of three publications that you would find useful:
(1)______________________________________________________________
(2)______________________________________________________________
(3)______________________________________________________________

4. Write a brief description of the process you went through to find your
Resources.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

5. Were there any oral resources listed?

_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

Turn to page 102 for suggested answers to this activity.

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Some general guidelines for library searches:

· always have pen and paper with you when you enter the library
· allow plenty of time to make proper use of the library’s facilities
· spend some time browsing around the library so that you are
familiar with the location of where different resources are kept
· if you are having any problems, ask a librarian

Some guidelines for using the Internet:

When you collect information from the Internet it is important to ask
yourself these questions to ensure that you do not download useless
information. There is so much of it on the World Wide Web.
- Who or what organisation has produced the information?
- Is the organisation and writer qualified in the subject area?
- Can you contact the source to verify the information?
- How up to date is the information?
- Who referred you to the site?

The Dictionary
We often overlook one of the most useful sources of information – the
dictionary. We usually think of it when we need to find the meaning
of a word or its spelling but there is much more information to be
found in our dictionaries. This information includes:
· Spelling
· Word meanings
· How to divide words into syllables
· Pronunciation
· Capitalisation
· History and origins of words
· Parts of speech
· Synonyms and antonyms
· Usage
· Abbreviations
· New words
· Foreign words and phrases

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Get yourself a good dictionary. They are updated every five years or so.
Take some time to look at the front and back matters and you will be
surprised at how much information you will find there. It is a very
useful resource especially when you have to write.

Summary
In this section, we examined using oral and written resources. Here
are the main points:
· There are a wide variety of written and oral resources available.
· You can locate information in your local library by using the card
or computer catalogue.
· Information is stored alphabetically under author, title or subject
headings.
· The Internet is another source of written information.
· Don’t forget the importance of local experts as sources of oral
information.

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Check your progress

1. List three types of written resources.

(1)________________________________________________________
(2)________________________________________________________
(3)________________________________________________________

2. List three types of oral resources.

(1)________________________________________________________
(2)________________________________________________________
(3)________________________________________________________

3. Name the three different types of library and give a brief

description of each.
(1)________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
(2)________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
(3)________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

4. Fill in the missing word:

(a) The way of arranging books in a library is called a

_________________________.
(b) Each item in a library has a ________________________ a
combination of letters and numbers.

(c) Books are housed in _____________________________ or

bookcases.

(d) Before copying any written or oral resource, check the

____________________ restrictions.

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5. Name the three different ways in which you can locate

information in a library.
(1)________________________________________________________
(2)________________________________________________________
(3)________________________________________________________

6. List three general guidelines to remember when using a

library.
(1)________________________________________________________
(2)________________________________________________________
(3)________________________________________________________

Remember that there are no answers given, so check your responses

with the information in Section 4.

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Suggested solutions to activities

Activity 1 - refer to page 11

Listening behaviour

1. What you might see if your students are listening to you?

· Body language such as:
– Students looking at you
– Frowning to show concentration
– Head nodding
– Looking up at you when you make new points.
· Students may be asking questions to clarify points you have
made.
· Students may be taking notes.

2. Other ways to check whether students have been listening

include:
· Ask questions of the students. (Try to do this in a non-
threatening way!)
· Ask students to summarize the main points you have made
either in written form or orally.
· Give the students a short test! (WARN them first.)

Activity 2 - refer to page 13

Listening skills - concentration

Congratulations if you were successful in concentrating for the whole

30 minutes. If you weren’t, consider the reasons why not.
· Did you choose a news bulletin in a busy part of the day when
there were too many distractions?
· Were some of the news items about issues that were unfamiliar to
you?
· Were there some items which didn’t interest you? For example:
weather report, stock market reports etc.
· Was it difficult simply to sit and listen?

Sometimes it helps concentration to take notes while you are listening.

This skill will be covered further on in this unit.

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Activity 3 - refer to page 13

Listening Skill Activity

1. False
2. False
3. Gary Sobers
4. B
5. False
6. True
7. C
8. False

If you do not agree with the answers listen a second time. Refer to the
transcript if you are still not clear.

Transcript

Interviewee: Those are the sort of things, that I think, that we need to
talk about. We need to talk to our bowlers because when I talk about
technique I’m not now thinking only of batting, you know. Our fast
bowlers, the younger ones at any rate, and the group after the great we
had for about eight years, the younger group I watch nowadays run in
and face the bats man with full chest. They get no benefit of swivelling
the body in helping them to swerve the ball. I bought a book that I had
upstairs, I may have shown you, I can’t remember but I showed it to a
few other people upstairs, a photograph of Gary Sobers in the stride
just before he takes the last stride before he delivers, and he is facing
what would be his chest. Remember Gary is left-handed, his chest is
towards extra cover and he has to look over his right shoulder at the
wicket. Which means that when he takes that last stride and then
delivers the ball it isn’t just his hand that is coming over, his body is
going to be swivelling and it helps to swing the ball. And there are
other aspects, many other aspects of the game that I think need
discussion as well as field practice.

Interviewer: How important is coaching? I don’t know how much

coaching you got when you were coming up and you were a great
batsman and a number of other West Indian….I thought you were.. but
how important is coaching at this level.

Interviewee: The best coaching is by the time a chap is twelve, but

coaching can never be wasted. Good coaching will always be good.
They must be taught to think about the game as well. That’s where

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the discussion will come in….I told you of an occasion in which I was
batting. I was lucky enough to be batting with the great George
Headley and he seemed ….having been batting fluently…..not to be
able to get the ball away. Poor innocent little me went down the wicket
to him at the end of an over and said, “Old Massa….bowling has got
tight”

He said, “Nonsense. Nonsense. New ball is only due at 200 and I am

making sure that we are both here at 200 because we are now set. We
must not allow a fresh man to have to come in and face a new ball.”

Now that’s the kind of thinking that I don’t know if they have discussed
with youngsters today.

End of transcript

Activity 4 – refer to page 15

Listening skills - eye contact

There are several possible responses to these questions. Some of the

behaviours you may have observed are:
· Direct eye contact, head nodding, smiling, positive facial
expressions
· Verbal responses such as saying ‘yeah’ or ‘uh-huh’ while the other
person is speaking.
· Sitting close to the other person or leaning towards the person.
· Touching which is also used as a way of showing concern or
empathy.
· Gesturing

These are generally positive responses. Negative responses include:

§ Staring, looking at the ceiling or the floor
§ Fake yawning
§ Fidgeting
§ Moving away
§ Negative facial expressions

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Activity 5 - refer to page 18

Listening skills - note taking
Main idea: Bank hold-up - ABC Branch – Greentown

Main Point
Supporting Information · 2 robbers - possibly male
· 1 armed with pistol
· Other carried blue sports bag
· Red sedan
· Possible female driver
Robber 1
Supporting Information · Carrying sports bag
· 6 foot tall
· Jeans, runners, black sweater
· Hat and scarf over face

Robber 2
Supporting Information · Pistol
· 5’ 9”
· Heavy build
· Jeans, dark striped sweater
· Stocking mask

Activity 6 - refer to page 19

Listening skills - note taking

There are no correct answers to this activity.

Consider the reasons why there are differences and review the notes
you have taken against the points in the section on ‘Note taking’.

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Activity 7 - Refer to page 22

Listening skills - barriers to listening
This list of possible answers is not complete. There may be other
correct answers that you have thought of. Your answers may contain
some of the following:
· Explain the importance of the material the students will be
learning.
· Link the current material to lessons the students have already
had. ‘This follows on from…’
· Minimise outside interference - noise, interruptions etc…
· Be aware of student reactions. Watch your students’ body
language to give some indication about how well they are
listening.
· Allow breaks to give the students a chance to relax.
· Include activities so that students are stimulated rather than just
concentrating for long periods.
· Be aware that after lunch and last lesson Friday are bad times for
students to concentrate, so plan your lessons with this in mind.

Activity 8 – refer to page 22

CASE STUDY

1. Mr. Smith is behind schedule and he is stressed because of this.

2. External distractions include Mr. French, Miss James and the

telephone call

3. Internal distractions include fear, anxiety

Anger perhaps at his friend’s thoughtlessness and at himself for
being behind
Worry – What might the Head be calling him about?

4. He gives a one-word response “Really”

He makes no eye contact
He continues to write

5. Mr. Smith might have been interested if the timing was right.
His friend comes to him confidently expecting him to respond.

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6. Miss James and Mr. French were inconsiderate. They could have
been more sensitive to his response.

7. Mr. Smith could explain his position and promise to discuss it later

8. He could find a quiet place away from people who might disturb him

Any other suggestions that you might have.

Activity 9 - refer to page 27

Writing skills

Some words may be familiar to you but others, such as peregrination,

are not in common use. You will need a dictionary for that one!

The authors could leave you with many impressions.

· Author 1 is pompous, old fashioned, well read, very intelligent.
His purpose is to impress us, make us think.
· Author 2 has a sense of humour, has travelled a lot. The author’s
purpose is to entertain, make us think.

Language:

The use of language is what makes one sentence easy to understand and
the other difficult
· Example 1 is very complex with words that are not in common
usage.
· Example 2 is very simple, using everyday language.

Structure:

Each example has the same structure. Two simple sentences joined by
‘but’.
· Example 1 seems very complex because of the use of ‘filler words’
such as may indeed and the use of complex describing words
(adjectives) such as salutary and deleterious.
· Example 2 does not use filler words and contains no adjectives and
therefore seems simple in structure.
Writer Peter Ustinov might have been writing for a sophisticated and
well-read audience. The second quote might have been geared to a less
sophisticated or serious audience. It is more conversational in tone.

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Activity 10 - refer to page 31

Writing skills - purpose

1. These stories are generally the lead news stories and are there to
inform. They may arouse emotions in you depending on their
content, but their primary purpose is to inform. These stories
generally contain a lot of facts and may have direct quotes from
people involved in the stories. The style of writing is very plain
and very simple.

2. Advertisements use many different ways to persuade you to buy a

product. Some try to appeal to your emotions, some to your good
sense, some to your vanity.

3. Some Letters to the Editor will express an opinion. Some letters

may try to arouse emotions. Some may entertain and others
will try and inform.

4. These types of items can be found on the Social Pages or in the

cartoon section. Are there any other examples you found?

5. This type of writing contains more opinion. The editorial may

review the facts of a particular story but the main aim is to
express an opinion.

6. The stories on the Sports page may contain more description of

events which actually took place. For example:
Carl, wearing his lucky No 3 Jersey, stepped up to the goalmouth to
take the free kick. His face was a study in concentration as he sized
up the distance and the angle that the ball would have to travel.
As he stepped back to make the kick, the crowd fell silent. His foot
struck the ball and the ball sailed through the air missing the open
goal by mere fractions of an inch. Carl fell to his knees on the
ground holding his head in his hands. The crowd let out a great
sigh.
The intention of this story is to describe an event and make you
feel as though you were there to see this happen.

7. There are no suggested solutions supplied for this question. An

Editorial is usually carefully stated because it reflects the opinion
of the newspaper.

8. There are no suggested solutions supplied for this question. Most

sports stories are very descriptive. The language is colourful,
emotive and conversational.

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Activity 11 - refer to page 37

Sentence structure - finding the subject

1. The dog was barking.

2. Sit down! (You sit down!)
3. He went to the shop.
4. Bill and Ben were studying history.
5. The apples are ripe.
6. Where are the pencils?
7. Michael and I are going to the movies.
8. Who took the cake?
9. Leroy was here.
10. Peter worked in an office and cooked at the restaurant.

Activity 12 - refer to page 40

Sentence structure - finding the verb

The verb is underlined in each of these sentences. The subject is

already highlighted.

1. The dog was barking.

2. Sit down! (You sit down!)
3. He went to the shop.
4. Bill and Ben were studying history.
5. The apples are ripe.
6. Where are the pencils?
7. Michael and I are going to the movies.
8. Who took the cake?
9. Leroy was here.
10. Peter worked in an office and cooked at the restaurant.

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Activity 13 - refer to page 41

Sentence structure - finding subject, verb and object

The noun is highlighted, the verb is underlined and the object is

italicised in each sentence.

1. The children ate the apples.

2. The choir sang songs from many different countries.
3. (You) Pick up that paper!
4. Cats catch mice.
5. My aunt ate the pickles.
6. John had a nightmare last night.
7. Joan likes ice cream.
8. Kate gave an expensive present to Bill.
9. The chef cooked a lavish dinner.
10. I like to read.

Activity 14 The story of Liquid Paper – refer to page 42

1. Subject “Liquid paper”

Verb “was invented”

2. Subject “She”
Verb “was”

3. Subject “Nesmith”
Verb “noticed”

4. Subject “sign painters”

Verb “painted”
Object “that sign painters painted over their errors”

5. Subject “she”
Verb “filled” and “covered”
Object “bottles” and “mistakes”

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6. Subject “friends”
Verb “wanted”
Object “bottles”

7. Subject “Bette Nesmith and her son”

Verb “patented”
Object “formula”

8. Subject “They”
Verb “called”
Object “it”

9. Subject “Selling the product”

Verb “was”

10. Subject “invention”

Verb “was turned down”

11. Subject “You (Understood)”

Verb “create”
Object “company”
Subject “friends”
Verb “suggested”

12. Subject “Who”

Verb “won”

13. Subject “Forming the Liquid Paper company”

Verb “was”

14. Subject “Nesmith and her son Michael”

Verb “earned”

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Activity 15 - refer to page 45

Appropriate use of language

There are no correct answers to this activity.

Depending on the area of specialisation, it is possible someone from

outside would not have a clue about what has been written or can
gather only the broadest outline. Other examples may be easier to
follow.

Consider:

· Does it have to be written that way?

· Is it possible to simplify the language or is it technical jargon that
must be taught?

Activity 16 – refer to page 52

There are no suggested answers for this activity.

Activity 17 - Refer to page 55

These instructions are neither clear nor logical.
The Process needs to be carefully sequenced:
1. Check the oil capacity of the engine before you change the oil.
Make sure that you have enough oil of the correct type.
2. Warm the engine so that the lubricant flows easily and then
stop the engine.
3. Place an empty container under the sump drain plug before you
remove it. Allow the sump to drain completely. Clean the sump
plug and then replace it.
4. Remove the external filter housing. (You may need a special tool
for this.) The filter housing normally has a sealing ring.
Replace the new filter as well as the sealing ring.
5. Remove the filter cap and refill the engine until it contains the
correct amount of fresh lubricant.

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Activity 18 - refer to page 56

The elements of effective instructions

Following road directions.

The instructions are clear. They are simple and straightforward

without any confusing terms or language.

The instructions are logical. They are sequential and take the user
step by step to the goal, Fred’s house.

The instructions are NOT precise OR they are too concise. They leave
out vital information which is essential for success. For example:
· Which way do you turn at the highway?
· How far to the traffic lights?
· Do you turn right before or after the shopping centre?
· What about the names of the streets?
· What number is Fred’s house?

Activity 19 - refer to page 58

Preparing written instructions

Preparing a cup of instant coffee.

This is what my set of instructions look like. Compare them to yours.

There is no correct answer to this activity as long as you have followed
the steps outlined in the text.

1. What you should be able to do:

At the end of the instructions, the audience will be able to make a
drinkable cup of coffee.

2. What you need to collect:

1 cup
Instant coffee
Sugar (if desired)
Milk (if desired)
1 teaspoon (5ml capacity)
Boiling water

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3. Safety tips:
· care needs to be taken with the use of boiling water
· be sure to use a kettle or electric jug with a proper pouring
spout to prevent spillage
· pour the boiling water carefully into the cup
· when tasting your coffee, sip it carefully to judge how hot it is.

4. Method:
· Place enough cold water in a kettle or electric jug to fill the
coffee cup. Bring to the boil.
· While the water is boiling, place 1 level teaspoon of instant
coffee powder in the cup. Use slightly more or less if you
prefer a stronger or weaker coffee flavour.
· Add sugar according to personal taste.
· When the water has boiled, carefully pour the water into the
coffee cup until it comes to within 2 cm of the top of the cup.
· Gently stir the contents of the cup to dissolve the coffee and
sugar.
· Add milk according to personal taste.
· Tidy the workbench and put all the ingredients away. Put the
dirty teaspoon in the sink.
· Drink carefully to test the heat of the drink. Add more sugar
or milk if required.

Enjoy!

Activity 20 – refer to page 60

There is no right answer for this activity. If you made the adjustments
to your written instructions based on your colleague’s response,
however, translating the written instructions following the guide
should be relatively easy.

To test the ability of listeners to follow your oral instructions, test them
on a colleague and get his/her feedback:

· Were the instructions clear?

· Was the list of equipment complete?
· Were the safety precautions clear?
· Was the estimated time sufficient?

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Activity 21 – refer to page 62

There is no right answer for this activity – the feedback sheets will tell
you how you did.

Activity 22 – refer to page 65

There is no right answer for this activity.

Activity 23 – refer to page 69

Following verbal instructions

Your drawing should look like this:

Activity 24 - refer to page 76

Local information sources

There may be a variety of local resources depending on where you live.

Don’t forget to seek out any relevant local special libraries.

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Activity 25 - refer to page 83

Library searches

1. Author search: More than 30 works have been attributed to

William Shakespeare. The first three in alphabetical order are:
· ‘All’s Well that Ends Well’
· ‘Anthony and Cleopatra’
· ‘As You Like It’

Whether your list matches this will depend on the books that your
library holds.

2. Title search: Ernest Hemingway

3. Subject search: There are no correct answers to the Subject

search. The information that you have gained can be used to help
with your final assessment.

4. There are no correct answers to this question.

5. There are no correct answers to this question.

Assessment
You are now ready to complete your assessment for this unit.

Please contact your tutor to arrange a time to undertake the

practical part of your assessment.

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Written Assignment
To be completed and sent to your tutor for assessment.

1. List three reasons for developing good listening skills.

2. List three reasons for developing good writing skills.

3. Using the verb ‘to run’, write three sentences to demonstrate the
correct use of grammar and tense. Use the three different tenses,
past, present and future.

4. Write two sentences that contain a subject, verb and object.

5. A colleague has asked for help in locating information in the

library. Write a brief instruction (about two hundred words) on
how to locate a book in the library given the title and author’s
name.

6. You have been asked to submit a brief outline of your teaching

qualifications and experience. Write a description of about 200
words, using correct sentence structure, of your area of expertise,
including qualifications, training and main functions.

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Practical Assignment
To be completed with your tutor present.

To complete this assignment you will need:

· an article from a manual/journal that relates to your area of

expertise - supplied by your tutor.
· an audiotape ‘The Traffic Accident’ on which you will be asked
oral questions - supplied by your tutor.
· a cassette player.
· pen and paper.
· a sheet of paper for constructing a cardboard box from written
instructions - supplied by your tutor.

Activity 1

Using the listening skills outlined in this unit, listen to the segment on
the audiotape entitled ‘The Traffic Accident’. You may wish to make
some short notes if required. Your tutor will then ask you some oral
questions about the report.

Activity 2

Using the article supplied by your tutor, prepare a short description

(about 200 words) of the product or process described in the article.

Activity 3

Using the set of instructions and the sheet of paper handed out by your
tutor, construct a small cardboard box.

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ASSIGNMENTS

Practical Assignment:

Activity 1 20 marks
Activity 2 10 marks
Activity 3 10 marks

Written Assignments:

Activity 1 18 marks
Activity 2 10 marks
Activity 3 10 marks

Total marks: 80

Convert to percentage eg 40/80 x 100 =50%

Unit 1.1 Listening and Writing Page 107