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COMMUNICATIVE ENGLISH II UNIT 2 NOTES

1. (a) FORMAL LETTER WRITING (Model)

Write a letter to the Principal of your institution requesting him to issue Study
certificate.

Kanuru,
26th March, 2020.

From
T. Prudhvi,
I B.Tech. ECE S2,
Regd. Number: 19501A0482,
Prasad V. Potluri Siddhartha Institute of Technology,
Kanuru,
Vijayawada - 7.

To
The Principal,
Prasad V. Potluri Siddhartha Institute of Technology,
Kanuru,
Vijayawada - 7.

Sir,
Sub: Request to issue Study certificate - Reg.
I would like to bring to your kind notice that I wish to apply for Pragathi Scholarship.
In this context, I need to submit Study certificate to the concerned authorities. Hence,
I humbly request you to issue me the above mentioned certificate which will be helpful to me
in getting the monetary aid.
Thanking you,

Yours faithfully,
Prudhvi
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1 (b). INFORMAL LETTER WRITING (Model)

Write a letter to your friend, Ramesh inviting him to spend the summer vacation at
your place in Chennai. Imagine you are Gopinath.

B-32, sector-11,
Kodambakam,
Chennai,
th
26 March, 2020.

Dear Ramesh,
It has been a while since I have heard from you. I hope this letter finds you in the best
of your health.
As summer is approaching, I am thinking if we could spend the summer break
together at my place in Chennai. I will introduce you to all my friends and close relatives. I
will arrange you a city tour as well. We will spend some quality time in the afternoons near
the sea shore. As you know pretty well, the weather here is very pleasant during those days
due to sea winds.
I am very much excited at the thought of you and I spending the summer together
after a long time. I am eager to share with you a lot of things and expect the same from you.
Convey my regards to aunty and uncle!
Hope to see you soon.
Yours affectionately,
Gopinath
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2. e-Mail FORMAT

To:
Cc:
Bcc:
Subject:

Dear Mr. Venkat,

Text

With regards,

Mr. P. Bhanu Prasad,

Manager,
BHEL,
Hyderabad.

3. SUBJECT - VERB AGREEMENT (CONCORD)

Subject-Verb Agreement Rules:

The following are the rules to be followed for Subject - Verb Agreement:

RULE 1: When two subjects are joined by ‘and’, the verb is plural.

Eg: My friend and his mother are in town.

RULE 2: When two singular nouns joined by ‘and’ refer to the same person or thing, the
verb. is singular.
Eg: The captain and coach of the team has been sacked.

In case, these are two different individuals, two articles need to be used: Eg: The captain and
the coach of the team have been sacked.

RULE 3: Indefinite pronouns (everyone, each one, someone, somebody, no one, nobody,
anyone, anybody etc.) are always singular.

Eg: Everyone is selfish.

Note: We do not use 'are' in this sentence.
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This rule does not apply to: few, many, several, both, all, some.

RULE 4: When the percentage or a part of something is mentioned with plural meaning the
plural verb is used.

Eg: Forty of every 100 children are malnourished.

RULE 5: When the subjects joined by ‘either or’ or ‘neither nor’ are of different persons, the
verb will agree in person and number with the noun nearest to it.

Eg: Neither you nor your dogs know how to behave.

Either of the books is fine for MAT preparation.

Note: Always remember that, when either and neither are used as pronouns, they are
treated as singular and always take the singular verb.

RULE 6: If connectives/appositives like along with, together with, as well as, accompanied
by etc. are used to combine two subjects, the verb agrees with the subject mentioned first.

Eg: Mr. Ram, accompanied by his wife, Sita and his brother, was banished to
the forest.

RULE 7: A number of/ the number or

‘A number of (some countable noun)’ is always plural. ‘The number of (some countable
noun)’ is always singular.

Eg: A number of students are going on the trip.

RULE 8: The singular verb form is usually used for units of measurement or time.

Eg: Five gallons of oil was required to get the engine running.

RULE 9: When any of ‘few, many, several, both, all, some’ is used with a countable noun,
the verb is plural.

Eg: Some men are needed for the battle.

RULE 10: When any of ‘few, many, several, both, all, some’ is used with an uncountable
noun, the verb is singular.

Eg: Some milk is spoilt.

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Subject and Verb Agreement Exercise

Choose the correct form of the verb that agrees with the subject:

1. Annie and her brothers (is, are) at school.

2. Either my mother or my father (is, are) coming to the meeting.
3. The dog or the cats (is, are) outside.
4. Either my shoes or your coat (is, are) always on the floor.
5. George and Tamara (doesn't, don't) want to see that movie.
6. Benito (doesn't, don't) know the answer.
7. One of my sisters (is, are) going on a trip to France.
8. The man with all the birds (live, lives) on my street.
9. The movie, including all the previews, (take, takes) about two hours to watch.
10. The players, as well as the captain, (want, wants) to win.
11. Either answer (is, are) acceptable.
12. Every one of those books (is, are) fiction.
13. Nobody (know, knows) the trouble I've seen.
14. (Is, Are) the news on at five or six?
15. Mathematics (is, are) John's favorite subject, while Civics (is, are) Andrea's
favorite subject.
16. Eight dollars (is, are) the price of a movie these days.
17. (Is, Are) the tweezers in this drawer?
18. Your pants (is, are) at the cleaner's.
19. There (was, were) fifteen candies in that bag. Now there (is, are) only one
left!
20. The committee (debates, debate) these questions carefully.
21. The committee members (leads, lead) very different lives in private.
22. The Prime Minister, together with his wife, (greets, greet) the press
cordially.
23. All of the CDs, even the scratched one, (is, are) in this case.

Answers:
1. Annie and her brothers are at school.
2. Either my mother or my father is coming to the meeting.
3. The dog or the cats are outside.
4. Either my shoes or your coat is always on the floor.
5. George and Tamara don't want to see that movie.
6. Benito doesn't know the answer.
7. One of my sisters is going on a trip to France.
8. The man with all the birds lives on my street.
9. The movie, including all the previews, takes about two hours to watch.
10. The players, as well as the captain, want to win.
11. Either answer is acceptable.
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12. Every one of those books is fiction.

13. Nobody knows the trouble I've seen.
14. Is the news on at five or six?
15. Mathematics is John's favorite subject, while Civics is Andrea's favorite
subject.
16. Eight dollars is the price of a movie these days.
17. Are the tweezers in this drawer?
18. Your pants are at the cleaner's.
19. There were fifteen candies in that bag. Now there is only one left!
20. The committee debates these questions carefully.
21. The committee members lead very different lives in private.
22. The Prime Minister, together with his wife, greets the press cordially.
23. All of the CDs, even the scratched one, are in this case.

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4. AVOIDING CLICHÉS

What is a cliché?

Clichés are words and phrases that have been used so often which are no longer very
interesting or effective.

A cliché can be two things:

1. An overused expression, something that conveys a lot that has become some
common, it no longer really has any relevance or is even noticed in conversation.
Phrases such as “to this day” or “next thing I knew” are examples of such a cliché,
and you often say these phrases without noticing you are doing so.
2. An idea with a different meaning from its literal meaning. For example, the phrases
“sweaty palms” or “twinkling eyes” have come to mean more than the fact that your
palms are just sweaty or that your eyes have a twinkle. When you say someone has
sweaty palms, everyone knows you mean "he is nervous" because the expression has
become a cliché.

Here is a list of some common clichés to avoid and alternate expressions:

 at the end of the day (finally, At last, ultimately,...)

 back on track (moving in the right direction)
 the fact of the matter (As a matter of fact, in fact, indeed, Actually)
 few and far between (occasional)
 a level playing field (equal opportunity, equal rights, equity, proportion)
 in this day and age (today, now a days, at the moment)
 to all intents and purposes (in theory, on paper)
 when all’s said and done (In the final analysis, ultimately, after all)
 in the final analysis (in the end, as a last resort, finally, eventually)
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 come full circle (complete turn, lap, back to zero)

 par for the course (typical, traditional, characteristic)
 think outside the box (think innovatively, think differently)
 avoid someone or something like the plague (give a wide berth or scope)
 in the current climate (in the current situation or environment)
 mass exodus (massive displacement or movements or departure)
 at this moment in time (at present, currently, at this moment or point, today,
now, right now, at this stage, for the moment)
 the path of least resistance (easy path or way, alternative)
 a baptism of fire (misery, torment, difficult new experience)
 in any way, shape, or form (in any manner, in a state, in a position)
 fit for purpose (necessary, adequate, suitable, proper, sufficient, adjusted,
tailored)

EXERCISE ON CLICHES:

Model Answer:
We have to devise a strategic plan if we don’t want this company to shut down. Our first
priority is to find new office space and hire some young people who can contribute fresh
ideas to the product team. Let’s start rebuilding this company and meet the expectations of
our founder who built this company. The product and sales teams have to improve their
performance. The new recruiters need to learn their jobs quickly if they wish to keep up with
the competition. Let us all make efforts to regain our reputation. In short, the whole team has
a challenging task ahead. There is no limit to what an enthusiastic team like ours can achieve.

******************
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5. COMMON PHRASAL VERBS

Separable Phrasal Verbs

Verb Meaning Example

blow
Explode The terrorists tried to blow up the railroad station.
up

bring
mention a topic My mother brought up that little matter of my prison record again.
up

bring
raise children It isn't easy to bring up children nowadays.
up

call off Cancel They called off this afternoon's meeting

do over repeat a job Do this homework over.

fill out complete a form Fill out this application form and mail it in.

fill up fill to capacity She filled up the grocery cart with free food.

My sister found out that her husband had been planning a surprise
find out discover
party for her.

give something to
give
someone else for The filling station was giving away free gas.
away
free

give My brother borrowed my car. I have a feeling he's not about

return an object
back to give it back.

give in yield Ashoka never gave in to any foreign conquerer.

submit something
hand in The students handed in their papers and left the room.
(assignment)

hang put something on

She hung up the phone before she hung up her clothes.
up hook or receiver

hold up delay I hate to hold up the meeting, but I have to go to the bathroom.

hold up
rob Three masked gunmen held up the Security Bank this afternoon.
(2)

You left out the part about the police chase down Asylum Avenue.
leave
omit
out
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look The lawyers looked over the papers carefully before questioning the
examine, check
over witness. (They looked them over carefully.)

look up search in a list You've misspelled this word again. You'd better look it up.

make She knew she was in trouble, so she made up a story about going to
invent a story or lie
up the movies with her friends.

make
hear, understand He was so far away, we really couldn't make out what he was saying.
out

pick There were three men in the line-up. She picked out the guy she
choose
out thought had stolen her purse.

lift something off

pick up The crane picked up the entire house. (Watch them pick it up.)
something else

point As we drove through Paris, Francoise pointed out the major

call attention to
out historical sites.

put We put away money for our retirement. She put away the cereal
save or store
away boxes.

We asked the boss to put off the meeting until tomorrow.

put off postpone
(Please put it off for another day.)

put clothing on the

put on I put on a sweater and a jacket. (I put them on quickly.)
body

The firefighters put out the house fire before it could spread.
put out extinguish
(They put it out quickly.)

read
peruse I read over the homework, but couldn't make any sense of it.
over

My wife set up the living room exactly the way she wanted it.
set up to arrange, begin
She set it up.

take
make a written note These are your instructions. Write them down before you forget.
down

take off remove clothing It was so hot that I had to take off my shirt.

talk
discuss We have serious problems here. Let's talk them over like adults.
over

throw
discard That's a lot of money! Don't just throw it away.
away

put clothing on to
try on She tried on fifteen dresses before she found one she liked.
see if it fits
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try out test I tried out four cars before I could find one that pleased me.

turn
lower volume Your radio is driving me crazy! Please turn it down.
down

turn
He applied for a promotion twice this year, but he was turned
down reject
down both times.
(2)

turn up raise the volume Grandpa couldn't hear, so he turned up his hearing aid.

switch off
turn off We turned off the lights before anyone could see us.
electricity

turn off
repulse It was a disgusting movie. It really turned me off.
(2)

switch on the
turn on Turn on the CD player so we can dance.
electricity

exhaust, use The gang members used up all the money and went out to rob some
use up
completely more banks.

Inseparable Phrasal Verbs (Transitive)

Verb Meaning Example

call on ask to recite in class The teacher called on students in the back row.

The old minister continued to call on his sick

call on (2) Visit
parishioners.

recover from sickness or I got over the flu, but I don't know if I'll ever get
get over
disappointment over my broken heart.

The students went over the material before the

go over Review
exam. They should have gone over it twice.

They country went through most of its coal

go
use up; consume reserves in one year. Did he go through all his
through
money already?

My mother promised to look after my dog while I

look after take care of
was gone.

The police will look into the possibilities of

look into Investigate
embezzlement.
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I ran across my old roommate at the college

run across find by chance
reunion.

Carlos ran into his English professor in the

run into Meet
hallway.

take after Resemble My second son seems to take after his mother.

It seemed strange to see my old boss wait

wait on Serve
on tables.

Three-Word Phrasal Verbs (Transitive)

Verb Meaning Example

interrupt (a I was talking to Mom on the phone when the operator broke
break in on
conversation) in on our call.

catch up After our month-long trip, it was time to catch up with the
keep abreast
with neighbors and the news around town.

check up The boys promised to check up on the condition of the

examine, investigate
on summer house from time to time.

come up to contribute After years of giving nothing, the old parishioner was able
with (suggestion, money) to come up with a thousand-dollar donation.

cut down We tried to cut down on the money we were spending on

curtail (expenses)
on entertainment.

drop out of leave school I hope none of my students drop out of school this semester.

get along have a good I found it very hard to get along with my brother when we
with relationship with were young.

get away
escape blame Janik cheated on the exam and then tried to get away with it.
with

The citizens tried to get rid of their corrupt mayor in the

get rid of eliminate
recent election.

get through
finish When will you ever get through with that program?
with

keep up
maintain pace with It's hard to keep up with the Joneses when you lose your job!
with
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look
anticipate with pleasure I always look forward to the beginning of a new semester.
forward to

look down It's typical of a jingoistic country that the citizens look down
despise
on on their geographical neighbors.

We were going to look in on my brother-in-law, but he

look in on visit (somebody)
wasn't home.

Good instructors will look out for early signs of failure in

look out for be careful, anticipate
their students

look up to respect First-graders really look up to their teachers.

make sure Make sure of the student's identity before you let him into
verify
of the classroom.

The teacher had to put up with a great deal of nonsense from

put up with tolerate
the new students.

run out of exhaust supply The runners ran out of energy before the end of the race.

My oldest sister took care of us younger children after Mom

take care of be responsible for
died.

The star player talked back to the coach and was thrown off
talk back to answer impolitely
the team.

think back
recall I often think back on my childhood with great pleasure.
on

walk out on abandon Her husband walked out on her and their three children.

Intransitive Phrasal Verbs

Verb Meaning Example

That old Jeep had a tendency to break down just when I

break down stop functioning
needed it the most.

Popular songs seem to catch on in California first and then

catch on become popular
spread eastward.

Father promised that we would never come back to this

come back return to a place
horrible place.

They tried to come in through the back door, but it was

come in enter
locked.
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He was hit on the head very hard, but after several minutes,
come to regain consciousness
he started to come to again.

come over to visit The children promised to come over, but they never do.

visit without We used to just drop by, but they were never home, so we
drop by
appointment stopped doing that.

When we visited Paris, we loved eating out in the sidewalk

eat out dine in a restaurant
cafes.

Uncle Heine didn't have much money, but he always seemed

get by survive
to get by without borrowing money from relatives.

Grandmother tried to get up, but the couch was too low, and
get up arise
she couldn't make it on her own.

go back return to a place It's hard to imagine that we will ever go back to Lithuania.

He would finish one Dickens novel and then just go on to

go on continue
the next.

The cops heard all the noise and stopped to see what
go on (2) happen
was going on.

grow up get older Charles grew up to be a lot like his father.

The judge warned the stalker to keep away from his victim's
keep away remain at a distance
home.

keep on
(with continue with the same He tried to keep on singing long after his voice was ruined.
gerund)

lose consciousness, He had drunk too much; he passed out on the sidewalk
pass out
faint outside the bar.

Whenever he sat down at the piano, we knew he was going

show off demonstrate haughtily
to show off.

Day after day, Efrain showed up for class twenty minutes

show up arrive
late.

wake up arouse from sleep I woke up when the rooster crowed.

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