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 ASSIGNMENT SOLUTIONS GUIDE (2018-2019)
B.E.G.E-103
Communication Skills in English
Disclaimer/Special Note: These are just the sample of the Answers/Solutions to some of the Questions given in the

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Assignments. These Sample Answers/Solutions are prepared by Private Teacher/Tutors/Authors for the help and guidance
of the student to get an idea of how he/she can answer the Questions given the Assignments. We do not claim 100%

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accuracy of these sample answers as these are based on the knowledge and capability of Private Teacher/Tutor. Sample
answers may be seen as the Guide/Help for the reference to prepare the answers of the Questions given in the assignment.

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As these solutions and answers are prepared by the private Teacher/Tutor so the chances of error or mistake cannot be

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denied. Any Omission or Error is highly regretted though every care has been taken while preparing these Sample

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Answers/Solutions. Please consult your own Teacher/Tutor before you prepare a Particular Answer and for up-to-date

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and exact information, data and solution. Student should must read and refer the official study material provided by the
university.

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Q. 1. What do you understand by Global English? Describe its features. How different is it from

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Indian English? Give examples to explain your answer.

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Ans. It is common conception that there is something of called English which we must learn. But what we do

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not take into concern that there are various different varieties of English as is the case with any of the languages.

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Well, we are aware of the fact that there are formal and informal varieties of language. There is something called
standard variety of a language which is commonly accepted for the educational and cultured usage.

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English language varies across the world and of course in UK as well. It is an established fact that no two

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people use exact same version of the language. But what is important, as far as international communication is

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concerned, is to have as neutral an accent as possible. By that we mean there should be no traces of regional accent

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while speaking English.

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But the question is which model of international English should we follow? There are two international models

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of English, namely British and American. In India, the English we use has its grammar similar to the British English.

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People often tend to mix words of Indian languages while speaking English in India, just like people do in different

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parts of the world, this is known as code mixing.
Standard English – A Model: British, or American

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In simple words, Standard English is the variety of English which is considered to be correct in every sense and

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it is expected from the speaker of English to use their form. Standard English or for that matter standard language is

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debatable topic. There are various intellectual or scholars who do not favour the concept of standard language. It is
obvious that standard language is the language of elite and powerful class and might become the tool of exploitation.
Moreover, between the various dialects and varieties available it would not be natural to pick up one as a standard

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variety. But there are views that standard language is necessary or the different dialect of language will eventually
evolve as different language and the source language will be lost, as is the case with parent Indo- European languages.
In India, the written model of Standard English has always been British. Spoken English however, depends on the
person to person. We know that the written language has been preserved by scholars and grammarians, and has been
more formal, careful and considered style. And because of the fact that we were the part of British empire we have
adopted British English as our mode.
Another model for English is American English, a model which is followed in Philippines. It is not that one mode
is better than the other, it is just a matter of tradition. But now slowly and gradually things are getting out of the
confinement of tradition and people are starting to follow the other than what they have been following. In India for
example, the written model still is that of the British, but as far as spoken English is concerned, people have started
to Americanized their speech, especially with the growth of information technology. Later we will take a look at the
difference between British and American English in detail, but for now let us understand the difference in a glance,
as it is important for us to know in order to proceed further.

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British English and American English
Those people who complain about the difficulties of learning German, don’t know how lucky they really are –
they only have one language to master. Admittedly, there are regional differences of dialect in German-speaking
countries, but the non-native speaker who has learned Hochdeutsch (high or standard German) should have no
problems in making himself understood by citizens of Germany, Austria or Switzerland. The difficulty for the non-
native learner of English on the other hand is that there is no standard English form. He is confronted with two English
dialects to learn: British English and American English (leaving aside Australian, Indian, South African English etc.).
And despite the many cross-cultural influences, it seems that the vocabularies, spellings and pronunciations of these
two dialects are diverging year by year.
To be consistent in his use of English and, more importantly, to be understood, the non-native speaker needs to
know which words have distinct meanings and pronunciations depending on whether they are used by a Briton or an

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American. This is necessary not only for sake of communication, but also to avoid embarrass-ment. For example, if
a Londoner tells a resident of New York that she has left her child’s dummy in the pram and its nappy in the boot, she

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will merely be greeted with a look of bewilderment. If the New Yorker then tells the London woman that she has nice

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pants, he may well wonder why she doesn’t seem to take his remark as a compliment.

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In general, where there are differences between British English (BE) and American English (AE) spelling, it can

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be said that American English has the more economical and phonetic spelling. Unnecessary letters are left out and

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words are spelled how they sound. An obvious example is the omission in AE of the letter in words such as color,
neighbor, honor etc. Compare also the AE words traveling, jewelry and program with their BE counterparts travelling,

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jewellery and programme. However, this rule does not always apply. For example, you would expect skilful to be the

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AE spelling and skillful the BE spelling, but unfortunately you would be wrong!

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There are of course great regional differences in pronunciation within both countries. The difference lies either in

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using different vowel sounds or by stressing the word in a different place.

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As a percentage of the total English vocabulary the number of words which are used only in one or the other
country is very small, but the problem for learners of English is that these words are among the most common in the

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language. There are many words that are used almost exclusively by Americans which are understood by most

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Britons and vice versa. But there are others which can cause difficulty. For example, most Britons know that

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Americans call biscuits – cookies and flats apartments, but not so many know what an alumnus or a fender is.

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Similarly, Americans know that what they call their yard is called a garden in Britain and that trucks are lorries, but

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common British English words like plimsolls or of licence may mean nothing to them.
British English and American English grammar are mostly in agreement; there are however, some interesting

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variations. For example, there are differences in certain verb forms. In AE the past tense of fit is fit; in BE it is fitted.

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Americans say I’ve gotten to know her well; Britons I’ve got to know her well. In BE the present perfect tense is

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used for situations in which AE would typically use the past simple. For example, using the words just or already,

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Britons would be more likely to say: I’ve just seen him or I’ve already done it whereas, in AE it would be common to
hear I just saw him or I already did it.

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As another example, Americans are much more likely to be technically correct in the agreement of collective
noun and verb form than Britons. So in standard AE it would be The team is playing well this season whereas in BE
it is common and acceptable to say The team are playing well. Similar differences can be seen in the use of words like

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government, committee etc. The government is .. (AE), The government are .. (BE).
There are countless other small and interesting differences between AE and BE, which come under the heading
of usage. Take the useful expression used in AE through, meaning up to and including. For example. The exhibition is
showing March through June. The equivalent expression in BE is from March to June, but this is ambiguous. Does the
exhibition close at the end of May or the end of June? To avoid any misunder- standing, it is necessary to say
something like The exhibition is showing from March to the end of June.
As another example: for Americans the number billion has 9 zeros (a thousand million); for most Britons it has 12
zeros (a million million). Zero itself is a much more common word in AE than in BE, where nought is more widespread.
Americans are likely to say the number 453 as four hundred fifty three, whereas in Britain it would almost always be
said four hundred and fifty three. And so on!

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Indian English and South Asian English
Now we know that three ways in which verities of a language differ are pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar.
The most common of all the three is the pronunciation. The second place is stamped by vocabulary which is also very
important.
Borrowing: The abstract noun borrowing refers to the process of speakers adopting words from a source
language into their native language. “Loan” and “borrowing” are of course metaphors, because there is no literal
lending process. Borrowing is a consequence of cultural contact between two language communities. Borrowing of
words can go in both directions between the two languages in contact, but often there is an asymmetry, such that
more words go from one side to the other. In this case, the source language community has some advantage of power,
prestige and/or wealth that makes the objects and ideas it brings desirable and useful to the borrowing language

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community. For example, the Germanic tribes in the first few centuries A.D. adopted numerous loanwords from Latin
as they adopted new products via trade with the Romans. Few Germanic words, on the other hand, passed into Latin.

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English borrowed its vocabulary from various different languages. Let us have a look at the brief description of

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different languages which helped English to buildup its modern vocabulary base.

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Code Mixing and Code Switching: Code-mixing refers to the mixing of two or more languages or language
varieties in speech.

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Some scholars use the terms “code-mixing” and “code-switching” interchangeably, especially in studies of syntax,

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morphology, and other formal aspects of language. Others assume more specific definitions of code-mixing, but these
specific definitions may be different in different subfields of linguistics, education theory, communications etc.

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Code-mixing is similar to the use or creation of pidgins; but while a pidgin is created across groups that do not

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share a common language, code-mixing may occur within a multilingual setting where speakers share more than one

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language.

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Code-switching is the concurrent use of more than one language, or language variety, in conversation. Multilinguals–

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people who speak more than one language–sometimes use elements of multiple languages in conversing with each

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other. Thus, code-switching is the use of more than one linguistic variety in a manner consistent with the syntax and
phonology of each variety.
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Code-switching is distinct from other language contact phenomena, such as borrowing, pidgins and creoles, loan

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translation (calques), and language transfer (language interference). Speakers form and establish a pidgin language

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when two or more speakers who do not speak a common language form an intermediate, third language. On the other

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hand, speakers practice code-switching when they are each fluent in both languages. Code mixing is a thematically

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related term, but the usage of the terms code-switching and code-mixing varies. Some scholars use either term to

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denote the same practice, while others apply code-mixing to denote the formal linguistic properties of said language-

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contact phenomena, and code-switching to denote the actual, spoken usages by multilingual persons.

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In the 1940s and 1950s, many scholars called code-switching a sub-standard language usage. Since the 1980s,

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however, most scholars have recognized it is a normal, natural product of bilingual and multilingual language use.
The term code-switching is also used outside the field of linguistics. Some scholars of literature use the term to

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describe literary styles which include elements from more than one language, as in novels by Chinese-American,
Anglo-Indian, or Latino/a writers. In popular usage, code-switching is sometimes used to refer to relatively stable
informal mixtures of two languages, such as Spanglish or Franponais. Both in popular usage and in sociolinguistic

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scholarship, the name code-switching is sometimes used to refer to switching among dialects, styles or registers, such
as that practiced by speakers of African American Vernacular English as they move from less formal to more formal
settings.
Q. 2. What are the usual topics of small talk? Describe some of the conventions we must follow for
ease and flow of conversation.
Ans. Short Conversations: We will now look at how conversation is started and carried on about different
topics like food, weather and entertainment.
Talking about the Weather: Talking about weather is easy. It can be quite easily started and carried on at least
for some time without any danger. Even if people start getting personal and start talking about their own preferences,
it is quite fine, to say the topic is quite neutral in nature. Look at the following sample conversation about weather:
“Terribly hot, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, the weather report says that it has touched 42 degrees today.”

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 “Blimey, and we are just on the middle of May. More than a month to go.”
“But the news says that monsoon will hit early his year.”
“Hope it does.”
What is important to notice in above sample is that because of the shared information, it was easy for both of
them to take turns.
Turn taking is a very important in a conversation. Imagine a conversation wherein two or more people are taking
at the same time without letting anyone to finish what he/she has to say.
Turn taking also helps in listening properly. If one waits for the other to finish, it is more probable that the listener
will be able to pay more attention to what is being said.
Personal Matter: Another good topic to start small conversation is talking about personal matters, i.e. talking
about people and their lives. Though the term ‘gossip’ is used in a derogatory sense but think about a world wherein

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we are not able to talk about others and ourselves, and you will regret why you thought. A small conversation can
begin very easily by talking about people and their family member’s health. But there are times when we meet

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strangers and many people do not want to talk about their personal lives, but usually they are innocuous and help in
forging a good friendly bond.

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Take a look at the following conversation, and notice how two strangers talk not only about their personal lives but
also share their views on life and changing time.

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“You seem sad. What’s the matter?”

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I hesitated, should I confess to the stranger?
The exaltation about the environment compelled me to drop my guard.

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“I lost my job. Three weeks ago.”

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“Ha!” he snorted, as if he has heard the joke. “So that’s the problem? Don’t worry. After the war, I thought I had

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lost everything. A couple of years later, I was back on my feet, hale and hearty. When my wife Rose… Rosemary

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died, I thought I was a gone. I roamed here and there, But I am okay now. Time is the greatest healer. Time will pass.

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You will get a new job and you will forget you were out of one.”

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“None of my business, but why did you lose your job?” he continued, slurping the lemonade.

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I shrugged. “They told me I couldn’t relate to the youngsters… the new generation. I was a disciplinarian, an ogre

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to this generation’s junkies. I couldn’t stand their coming late, their clothes, their flirtations. So I got tough. It was

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question of them or me. The management decided to get rid of me.”

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“Ha!” he snorted again. Much to my consternation, I could see no humour here.

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“The time, they are changing”, he sang merrily. “Mister, you gotta change too. Can’t remain the same. Don’t

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worry. You will, you will. It will just take some time.”

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“What do I do till I get a new job?”

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He scratched his beard. “You know what? Confronting time – pure, uncommitted, unoccupied time – is a terrifying

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experience for a human being. But once you learn it, it does good for the soul. Imagine no TV, no movies, no pubs, no

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theatre, no distractions at all. For example, being out in a place like this. What can you do but stand and stare? At the
water, at the geese and ducks. Something nothing moves for hours. That’s what I am trying to do. Confront time. It

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does good for the soul. It tells us worrying isn’t any good.”
(From the Hindu)
Food: Another light and interesting topic very much suitable for small conversation is food. It doesn’t matter if

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you talk about new and popular earing places in town or the fruits of the season, the topic of food always go along and
that too quite easily.
Notice how the following conversation starts with an offer of fruit and goes towards personal taste and nostalgic
memories.
“Fresh guavas from our orchard.”
“Really! They seem to be just ripe.”
Yes with guavas you want them just right; not too raw nor too ripe.”
“Here’s some salt and pepper. Sprinkle some.”
“Reminds me of time back in village. We would perch ourselves on the branches and merrily much away, story
book in one hand.”

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 “Glorious days. You don’t really get that natural taste now, with all these artificial manures and pesticide sprays.”
“Mmm. Anyway from your orchard… That makes it special.”
It is important to notice that in above conversation every statement links to the previous one and makes a free
flow of conversation. The conversation would have ended if the second person would have accepted the offer and
would have said ‘thank you’. Here, is what we call the art of conversation to think of something which may ease the
other person and delight him/her and let the conversation flow.
Entertainment: Entertainment is yet another topic which helps people to start a conversation. It is one of those
topics in which people usually have interest. People can talk about things which they have done like vesiting to a
theater or a cinema or concert. Some times sports can also serve as the good topic for conversation.
Look at the following comic strip:

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A: I can’t look.
B: But the score is three to two in the last of the ninth.

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A: But we have two outs!
B: But Charlie Brown is on third! And our best hitter is coming up.

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A: Say, you don’t think Charlie Brown will try to steal home, do you?

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B: Never! Not even Charlie Brown would do anything that stupid!

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C: I wonder if I should steal home!

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In informal conversation, people usually drop the tone of polite tone and no pick up expressions like ‘don’t be
stupid’.

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Conversation Conventions

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Any sort of conversation is based on cooperative principle. One should know when to speak and when to stop.

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One must not continue speaking when he/she is expected to stop. One must understand other’s perspective. But

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there could be situations when one might want to interrupt, take lead and conclude the conversation. Let us look at the

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following sections for further details.
Taking and Giving Turns: In conversation, the roles of speaker and listener change constantly. The person

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who speaks first becomes a listener as soon as the person addressed takes his or her turn in the conversation by

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beginning to speak.

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Conversations need to be organized therefore there are rules or principles for establishing who talks and then who

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talks next. This process is called turn taking.
The study of turn taking includes,

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1. Turn constructional component

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2. Turnallocational component or turn taking rules

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3. implicit and explicit markers.

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Sacks suggested some guiding principles for the organization of turn taking in conversation. He observed that the

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central principle that speakers follow in taking turns is to avoid gaps and overlap in conversation.

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The turn constructional component describes out of which turns are fashioned. These basic units are called turn
constructional units or TCUs. These units are gram-matically, pragmatically, semantically, intonationally correct units.

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In a particular context they accomplish recognizable social actions TCU is a stretch on speech at the end of which
another person could not start speaking.

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The completion of a TCU results in a transition relevance place or TRP. At that point, it is possible for another
speaker to start speaking.
The rules are:
1. If the current speaker selects another speaker, that speaker must speak next.
2. If the current speaker does not select another speaker, someone may self-select as next speaker.
3. If nobody self selects, the current speaker may continue.
Sacks, Schegloffm, and Jefferson called it local management system.
Speakers themselves may signal their willingness to give up the floor in favour of another speaker (who can be
nominated by current speaker only). They can do this by directing their gaze towards the next speaker and by
employing characteristics gesturing patterns synchronizing with the final words. They may alter speech, speak more
softly, lengthen the last syllable or use stereotypical discourse markers e.g. you know or sort of things etc. The
current speaker indicates through certain markers that another person can take over. The other person may read the
signals from the flow of speech, which suggest an opening is possible.

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 These signals or markers are of two types.
1. Implicit markers
2. Explicit markers.
Implicit markers are paralinguistic features such as body language and prosodic features.e.g., falling tone and
rising tone.
Explicit markers are linguistic features which invite a response : (a) clauses–A super ordinate clause allows turn
taking. A subordinate clause does not allow turn taking (b) suggestion – A speaker asks for suggestion. e.g. Shall we
go to picnic? (c) Request – A speaker request the other person. e.g. Could you please open the door? (d) Question–
A speaker asks question. e.g. What do you think?
A conversation can be viewed as a series of speech acts greetings, Inquiries, invitations requests refusals, accusations,
denials, promises and farewells. To accomplish the work of these speech acts some organization is essential.

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A coherent conversation proceeds in an orderly way by a series of interaction moves with each participant having
a turn to speak. However, in emotional conversation, one speaker may interrupt another, this interruption is called turn

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stealing.
The right to speak in interaction is referred as ‘the floor’. Rules of turn taking tells us how to ‘get the floor’, to

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‘hold the floor’, and to ‘give up the floor’. Getting on the floor holding the floor and giving up the floor, involves a
whole series of signals some of which can be rather subtle. The most common signal that someone is ready to give up

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the floor is pausing. Generally, the person who is speaking has the most rights over the floor. They usually can hold the

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floor for as long as they want, can select who will speak next and can constrain the next turn by controlling the topic.
Speakers who want to keep the turn or control the turn employ following strategies:

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1. They don’t pause at the end of the sentences
2. They make their sentences run on by using connectors like and, then, but so,etc.

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3. They place their pauses at points where the message is clearly incomplete.

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Interrupting, Continuing: Interruption, more surely than anything else, kills conversation. The effusive talker

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who, in spite of his facility for words, is in no sense a conversationalist, refuses to recognize the fact that conversation

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involves a partnership; that in this company of joint interest each party has a right to his turn in the conversational

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engagement. He ignores his conversational partners; he breaks into their sentences with his own speech before they

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have their words well out of their mouths. He has grown so habitual in his interrupting that he rattles on unconscious

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of the disgust he is producing in the mind of any well-bred, discriminating conversationalist who hears him. The best

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of talkers interrupt occasionally in conversation; but the unconscious, rude interruption of the habitual interrupter and

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the unintentional, conscious interruption of the cultivated talker are easily discernible, and are two very different

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things.

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We are accustomed to think that children are the only offenders in interrupting; but, shades of the French salon,

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the crimes of the adults! The great pity about this positive phase of interrupting is that all habitual interrupters are

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totally unconscious that they continually break into the speeches of their conversers and literally knock their very

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words back into their mouths. Robert Louis Stevenson pronounced this eulogy over his friend, James Walter Ferrier:
“He was the only man I ever knew who did not habitually interrupt.” Now, you who read this may not believe that you

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are one of the violators of this first commandment of good conversation, “thou shalt not interrupt”; but stop to think
what small chance you have of escape when only one acquaintance of Stevenson’s was acquitted of this crime. One
must become conscious of the fact that he continually interrupts before he can cease interrupting. The unconsciousness

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is what constitutes the crime; for conscious interruption ceases to be interruption. The moment a good talker is aware
of having broken into the speech of his converser, he forestalls interruption by waiting to hear what was about to be
said. He instantly cuts off his own speech with the conventional courtesy-phrase, “I beg your pardon,” which is the
same as saying, “Pardon me for seeming to be unwilling to listen to you; I really am both willing and glad to hear what
you have to say.” And he proves his willingness by waiting until the other person can finish the thought he ventured
upon. What better proof that conversation is listening as well as talking?
Sheer, nervous inability to listen is responsible for one phase of interruption to conversation. It is the interruption
of the wandering eye which tells that one’s words have not been heard. “The person next to you must be bored by my
conversation, for it is going into one of your ears and out of the other,” said a talker rather testily to his inattentive
dinner-companion whose absent-minded and tardy replies had been snapping the thread of the thought until it grew
intolerable. She was perhaps only a little less irritating than the man who became so unconscious in the habit of

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inattention that on one occasion his converser had scarcely finished when he began abstractedly: “Yes, very odd, very
odd,” and told the identical anecdote all over again.
Concluding Conversation: A conversation does not end abruptly, it has to reach a natural end in order to
conclude it.
One possible indication of the closure of conversation could be unwillingness to respond.
Look at the following conversation from the novel Jane Eyre.
“And where do you live? Where are your friends?”
I was silent.
“Can we send for anyone you know?”
I shook my head.

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“What account can you give of yourself?”
“I can give you no details tonight.”

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“But then what do expect me to do for you?”

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“Do you mean, that we have now given what you require, we may dismiss you to the rainy night?”

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“I will trust you. I really have no fear. Do with me what you like. But excuse me from talking much, my breath is
short. I feel a spasm when I talk.”

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“Hannah, let her sit there at present, and ask her no questions; in ten minutes more give her the remainder of the

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bread and milk; Mary and Diana let us go into the matter and talk the matter over.”
The closure of conversation can also be indicated in other ways: ‘showing satisfaction with conversation’, ‘a

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promise to meet later sometime’, etc.
Look at the following sentences which indicate closure of a conversation.

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A: There are few more things to be discussed, if we have time.

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B: Yes, there are, but perhaps we can meet again sometime?

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A: I saw this great movie. You must watch it. I will tell you about it.

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B: Some other time. I’m rather busy at the moment.

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A: I need to discuss few things with you, regarding the ideas we were talking about the other day.

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B: Sure, but now I am going out for dinner, but I will call you tomorrow.

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Q. 3a Write a note on the language of formal letters.

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Ans. We know about some of the basic phrases to be used in a formal letter like ‘Dear Sir, sincerely, thank you,

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etc.’ These phrases give a formal and professional tone to a letter, but apart from the tone, when writing a formal

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letter, the language must also be formal and professional. In the following sections, we will look at the language and

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content of formal letters.

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Even today, when communication is not a problem, and no matter how far the person is, one can converse with

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the person in seconds, the art of writing a good letter is important as it was important when letters were only the

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means of communication between people living separated by space.
USE A FORMAL STYLE

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Using formal style in a formal letter is important, as one cannot expect to use informal words and phrases in a
formal letter. Let us look at some of the words which we use in informal context and their formal counterparts.
(a) Hi - Dear

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(b) Putting me up - your hospitality
(c) When I was in - during my visit to
(d) Sorry - please accept my apologies
(e) That I haven’t written - for not writing to
(f) When I got back - on my return
(g) Work mates - colleagues
(h) Go on - proceed
(i) Straight away - immediately
(j) Great that you were able to - very kind of you to
(k) Pass on - convey
(l) Thanks - gratitude

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 When we look at a word in a dictionary, we often can see whether a word is formal or informal. So when we are
to write a formal letter or a professional letter, we must use words and expression which are formal. A formal letter
is quite different from the usual conversation which we have with our friends. Therefore, one must refrain him/herself
from the using the coequal expressions and slangs. One must also keep in mind that the language of a formal letter is
different from that of the language of legal contracts and reports.
It is also important that one should not become too formal, as being too formal can be considered as unfriendly.
And at the same time the casual approach may give the reader an impression of unprofessionalism. The idea is sound
sincere and professional.
Tailor Your Style to Get Results
There is no doubt that a formal letter limits our choice of style but still depending upon need of the letter we
choose different styles to suit the purpose. When writing to make an impact a forceful style is suitable, when making

m
complains, an impersonal style seems to be less offensive, similarly when trying to sell something a personal style of
writing is more preferable.

o
So the important question is what is style? A style can be simply defined as the your or writing, use of vocabulary
and expression to make the writing attain a tone. The tone can be personal, impersonal, forceful or passive.

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Do how to find a proper tone suitable for a letter? The first step to find the right tone for a letter is to know the
relationship with reader. We need know what kind of relationship we share with reader.

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Of course the formal letters are intended to be friendly, but what is the meaning of the term ‘friendly’. In official

r
context, the term ‘friendliness’ simply means that we show consideration to the readers. So we must think that how
will we feel when the letter is addressed to us. This way we can prevent misunderstanding.

a i
Another thing we can do is to consider the purpose of our letter. When writing a letter, the idea is to make the

d
receiver understand it and do something in response. So when we are clear about the message and how we wish to

a
m
express it the tone become clear.

Re
A Personal and Friendly Style: In the world of growing needs, we always see letters from banks, financial

y
institutions, credit card companies, and shopping malls trying to sell something or the other. These letters use personalized

d
tone and make us feel there is someone who really thinks of our benefits. Such letters sounds very friendly and

e s
personal. They make the readers feel good and doesn’t sound like some computer generated routine letters, but in

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i k
u
fact they are. The question is how they achieve this level of personalization. Such letters use ‘I’, ‘you’ and ‘we’ with

l
t
quite ease. They try not use the third person or impersonal expressions like the name of the bank. They also make use

n oo
of direct active voice. They try not to use much of passive-voice.

s O b
When we make use of personal expressions like ‘I’, ‘you’, ‘we’, ‘you, ‘my’, and ‘our’ the piece of writing

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become much more readable, the readers are able to connect with the writer and it seems like one person is talking

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to the another.

f E
So in order to create a personal and friendly tone in the letter, you might want to:

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(a) Personal pronouns, especially ‘we’ and ‘you’.

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(b) Use active voice
(c) Use short sentences

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w Th
(d) Direct questions at the reader.
An Impersonal and Indirect Style: It is true that personal and direct letter is good to read but the case is not
always the same. When we are writing a letter which conveys something negative personal style is not suited at all.

w
In such case, one should always go with impersonal and passive style of writing. Instead writing something like:
“We cannot accept your application as you have exceeded the deadline.”
One should go with something like:
“You application cannot be accepted, as all applications must be received before the given deadline”.
The first one is direct and personal style. Such letters can offend the readers. So while give some news which is
not so good or not good at all one must be care not to use personal and active style of writing.
Avoid Overuse Phrases
It has been noticed that many people make use of overused phrases like ‘we acknowledge receipt of…, after a
careful consideration… enclosed herewith, I am writing this letter to inform you…’Such phrases are unnecessary
and are too long when one can do with a smaller phrase.

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 It is always good to use simple English, as it makes easier for people to understand. When writing a simple plain
English it is important not to include unnecessary words, without which one can easily do away with.
There are times when we can also use a more familiar and less formal word for a more formal equivalent. For
example, one can use ‘get’ instead of ‘obtain’. Using simple words puts both reader and the writer on the same plain.
And with more formal and abstract words it becomes difficult to comprehend what is being said.
Make Your Letters Gender Neutral
Careful writers avoid language that would universalize one element of humanity to the exclusion of others. When
you are writing about people in general, many of your professors will expect you to use “inclusive” or “nonsexist”
language, that is, gender neutral language.
The need for inclusive language arises because according to widely accepted norms of current usage, masculine

m
pronouns no longer communicate a generic sense of “anyone.” Indeed, many people find such usage not only inaccurate
but offensive. As a matter of courtesy, you would be wise to search for alternatives that are inclusive or gender

o
neutral. For example, avoid “man” or “men” when you mean “human being(s),” “humankind,” or “people.”

c g
There are no simple formulas for inclusive language, but a basic rule of thumb says it is wise to avoid distracting

.
readers with either a gender specific term that may be offensive or an awkward inclusive phrases such as “him or
her” or “she/he.”

t n
One easy approach is to use plural forms, such as “people” instead of “man,” or “students” instead of “the

r
student.” Then you can use “they” on second reference and avoid the gender issue. However, when you use “they,”
take care to avoid mismatching your pronouns. Some readers object strongly to plural pronouns with singular antecedents,

a i
as in this grammatically incorrect sentence: “Each professor decides their own reading lists.”

d
A related strategy is to keep the text free of terms that unnecessarily specify gender. To do this, you might try

a
m
reorganizing a sentence so that the question of gender does not arise. For example, consider neutral alternatives to

e
gender-specific terms, such as “police officers” instead of “policemen,” or “members of Congress” for “Congressmen.”

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However, beware of silly neologisms such as “personhole covers.”

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Q. 3b You purchased a book through Flipkart. After a couple a days you discovered that ten pages

e
(from 116-125) are missing. Write a letter of complaint to the relevant person in the organisation asking:

in ks
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• how such an error happened

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• how this mistake has inconvenienced you

n oo
• you would expect another copy of the book as soon as possible.

s O b
Ans. 12.08.18

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Viber homes,

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Dandi Nagar,
Nagpur
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2nd January,2019

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Flipkart
MG Road, Goregaon

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Dear Sir;
Sub: Requesting for the replacement of a book.
I Sumit the resident of Nagpur had bought a book on architectural named "New Designs" written by Abhinav

w
Verma from your online bookstore few days back. And later I noticed that some of the pages in of the books were
torn and I didn't understand that why such a fatal mistake has not been taken care of before sending the book to me.
I want it to be replaced with another one.
Please send me the book as soon as possible because my exams are coming in few day's time.
Yours truly,
Sumit Lokare
Dandi Nagar, Nagpur
Q. 4a What do you understand by unscripted programmes on TV? Discuss this in the context of a
panel discussion.
Ans. Preparing for Unscripted Programmes: Some of the unscripted radio and television programmes are
interviews, group discussions, panel discussions and audience participatory programmes. When we say unscripted,
we do not mean unprepared. Well, of course the anchor of a show or an interviewer must do some homework before

10
appearing in front of the camera, because if the preparation is not done and the programme loses its focus, the
audience will also lose interest.
In media for producers, there are two catchphrases:
(a) Well begun is half done; ill begun is undone.
(b) Tell them what you are going to tell them; tell them tell them what you’ve told them.
The first phrase talks about making the things interesting for the audience right from the beginning. The idea is to
make the audience glued to your programme in spite of their freedom of changing the channel.
The second phrase talks about the fact that one cannot go back refresh their memories while watching a television.
So in a programme, it is important to keep refreshing the memories of the audience.
An Example: Setting-up A Panel: Let us say that you want to set up a panel discussion about preparing for
interview. So the first step will be to brush up the information regarding the preparation of an interview. The next

m
question will be how big should the panel be? So apart from the anchor you will require two more people for the
discussion. You may think two members are not sufficient as it is possible that both of them agree on same point and

o
if so happens then there will be no point of discussion. So you may want to include two more apart from yourself.
Now you may want to think about the people you want to call on your panel. People must be somehow connected

c g
to the topic. You cannot call a sports person and ask him to discuss on the subject. For this, you may want to start with

.
people who have taken interviews. Like an HR manager in a company or a production manager in an MNC.

t n
Now that you have your people, you must think about what to say. Look at the following questions:

r
(a) How to begin the programmer?
(b) How to introduce the panel members?

a i
(c) What questions should you ask?

d
(d) What do you think the answers are likely to be?

a
m
Q. 4b Describe ways in which you can train yourself to be a good listener.

Re
Ans. Listening skills are as important as speaking. So if you think that you are not able to understand anything

y
while watching an English programme or movie then it’s time for you to work on your listening skills. Get a tape
recorder and record a speech in English. Listen to a small bit of it and try to make it what is being said. Do not worry

d e s
if you think you are not able to make out anything. Listen to it over and over, eventually you will come along. Now

n
i k
once you have made it clear, it’s time for you to move a bit. Repeat the process and complete the entire speech.

u l
As an adult, you also have an advantage of making guesses for what is being said as against a child who is trying

t n oo
to learn the language.

s O b
Begin Small, Listening to Short Stretches at a Time: It is important to begin with small listening stretch. So
you can start with:

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.e
(a) the beginning and the end of a news broadcast

fo E
(b) beginning and end of sport commentary
(c) weather bulletins

b d
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(d) programme announcements

u an
(e) interviews and advertisements.

H
Make a Guess: While listening, try to guess what the message is about. In order to do so you need to have:

w Th
(a) Background Knowledge: If you will have background knowledge it will be easier for you to make a guess
and that to accurate.

w
(a) Body Language: You can look at the body language of the speaker and guess the expression whether it is
ad, angry, happy, or normal.
Predict the Language: When you are listening to someone try to understand the pause in between. Notice the
ups and downs in the sentences spoken. Listen to grammatical cues and be aware of how the sentence is about to
continue. For example, when you listen something like “one the one hand” then you must watch out for “On the
other”. Try to watch out for certain phrases and expression.
Q. 5 What do you understand by the World Wide Web? What are the ways in which you can create
content for the web?
Ans. The Internet is a massive network of networks, a networking infrastructure. It connects millions of computers
together globally, forming a network in which any computer can communicate with any other computer as long as
they are both connected to the Internet. Information that travels over the Internet does so via a variety of languages
known as protocols.

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 The World Wide Web, or simply Web, is a way of accessing information over the medium of the Internet. It is an
information-sharing model that is built on top of the Internet. The Web uses the HTTP protocol, only one of the
languages spoken over the Internet, to transmit data. Web services, which use HTTP to allow applications to
communicate in order to exchange business logic, use the Web to share information. The Web also utilizes browsers,
such as Internet Explorer or Firefox, to access Web documents called Web pages that are linked to each other via
hyperlinks. Web documents also contain graphics, sounds, text and video.
The Web is just one of the ways that information can be disseminated over the Internet. The Internet, not the
Web, is also used for e-mail, which relies on SMTP, Usenet news groups, instant messaging and FTP. So the Web is
just a portion of the Internet, albeit a large portion, but the two terms are not synonymous and should not be confused.
Creating Content for Web

m
The writing for web is quite similar to any other piece of good writing but still we need to keep certain things in
mind like characteristic of the medium – convergence, non-linearity and hypertextuality, all these influence the people

o
who read.

c g
Elements of the Web: Let us now look at some of the components of the web:

.
A Web browser, a software application used to locate, retrieve and also display content on the World Wide Web,
including Web pages, images, video and other files.

t n
A Web page is the basic unit of the web. Web pages are written in the HTML language and sent to web browsers

r
by a web server using the HTTP protocol. A web page has a similar format to a page from a book or magazine, with
text and graphics displayed in a layout, and is displayed in a normal computer application window.

a i
A website is a site (location) on the World Wide Web. Each Web site contains a home page, which is the first

d
document users see when they enter the site. The site might also contain additional documents and files. Each site is

a
m
owned and managed by an individual, company or organization.

e
Home page is the main page of a Web site. Typically, the home page serves as an index or table of contents to

R
y
other documents stored at the site.

d
A Web portal or public portal refers to a Web site or service that offers a broad array of resources and services,

e
such as e-mail, forums, search engines, and online shopping malls.

in ks
u
A window is an enclosed, rectangular area on a display screen. Most modern operating systems and applications

l
t
have Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) that let you divide your display into several windows. Within each window,

n oo
you can run a different program or display different data.

s O b
URL is an abbreviation of Uniform Resource Locator (URL) it is the global address of documents and other

r -
resources on the World Wide Web.

.e o
Hypertext is a special type of database system, invented by Ted Nelson in the 1960s, in which objects (text,

f E
pictures, music, programme, and so on) can be creatively linked to each other. When you select an object, you can see

b d
all the other objects that are linked to it. You can move from one object to another even though they might have very

we u a n
different forms.
A hyperlink is an element in an electronic document that links to another place in the same document or to an

H
w Th
entirely different document. Typically, you click on the hyperlink to follow the link. Hyperlinks are the most essential
ingredient of all hypertext systems, including the World Wide Web.
Building Site Map: The first step of website building is to build a site map. A site map is a list of pages of a web

w
site accessible to crawlers or users. It can be either a document in any form used as a planning tool for web design,
or a web page that lists the pages on a web site, typically organized in hierarchical fashion. This helps visitors and
search engine bots find pages on the site.
At this stage of website building, you may want to decide on the followings:
(a) What information most people would like to access.
(b) What kind of information organization would want people to have first?
(c) What this site is about?
(d) What kind of information can be put together?
(e) What level of detail is required in each part of the site.
Writing in Screen Sized Chunks: Breaking up the information in smaller paragraphs can greatly cut the time
people need to scan the content. People scan first to see whether what they search for is on that page. Long blocks
of text can put people off from reading through.

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 No matter how good the screen or the conditions for reading are (e.g. colours, light), it is still much more difficult
to read on screen than on paper. Writing for print (such as books or brochures) is very different from writing for the
web.
Emphasis and briefness make content on the web attractive to read. A web page should have a primary heading
describing very briefly what the page is about. It should also have secondary headings for each important section.
Break the text in short paragraphs (3-5 lines), use short phrases that read quickly and use as few stop words as
possible (e.g. and, to, when, etc.). Try to use words with few syllables that even 10 year olds can understand. Use a
thesaurus to find alternatives to long and pompous words or both.
Dashes and bullets are excellent tools to increasing readability while bold and italics can make key points stand
out. One and a half or double paragraph line height can be used but never use single line height or the text will look too
crammed.

m
Your visitors can figure out what the page is about instantly and take in key points at first glance if you help them.
Not only do you have to get your point across quickly but also make your writing concise. The more you say in fewer

o
words, the more you keep your visitors focused on your website. Try to cut out all the fluff and, as Strunk and White
say in “Elements of Style”, make “every word tell”.

. c g
Hyperlinks and Popup Windows: While creating the website, it is important to keep in mind that it is not
necessary to elaborate every detail. Details which are not necessary for all the readers can be packaged into a pop up

t n
window. It can also be linked as a hypertext. This makes it easier for the viewers to access information.

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