Rift Valley University

Communicative English skills handout

Unit One 1.
Personal Introduction
1.1. Speaking –Introducing oneself and others
We often find ourselves in a situation where we introduce ourselves to others
or in a situation of having to introduce one or more people with each other.
Task l. Brainstorming
Work individually or in pairs and brainstorm with the following questions.
 Have you ever introduced yourself or someone in English?
 If you were to introduce yourself in three sentences what would you say?
 List the expressions that are used to introduce one self.
 What are the expressions used to respond to personal introduction?
Introducing oneself

You may introduce yourself to your classmate based on the following structure;
I would like to introduce myself
Name is _____________________________ (Include father‟s name)
I was born ____________________ in_______________________________
I attend primary school (in the name of school) ___________________________ and
I learned secondary school (in the name of school) ____________________________
I haven‟t got a job still I‟m student. I learn in ______________________ University.
My hobbies are swimming and reading fictions/watching movies, etc.
In the future I want to be/my plan is to be ____________________________
Task 2. Work in pairs and find out about your partner using the following
language.
Questions for asking your partner about him/herself:
Hello, what is your name? _____
How old are you?_____________, what is your birth date?________
Where did you complete your high school education? _____________,
where did you attend primary school? ___________, what do you like to

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do in your spare time? ______________, do you have any hobbies?
_______________, what are your hobbies? _____________, Can you tell me
other things about yourself? _________________________

Introducing a friend: Find out about your partner and introduce

him/her to the class. Example:
Good morning! My classmates and respected guests.
I would like to introduce my friend.
His name is Yonas
He is 20 years old
He came from Holeta, Oromia region.

Task 3. Introducing Others

 Write the expressions that you use to introduce your friends, colleagues,
your class mates and others to someone?
 What are the differences between formal and informal expressions used in
introducing oneself and others?
Model dialogues on introducing oneself
Task 4. Practice the following dialogues and play the role of each
individual. Then, identify the expressions used in each dialogue.
Dialogue A
Aster: Hi my name is Aster.
Helina: I am Helina.
Aster: Nice to meet you. I think we are in the same class.
Helina: Really? That is great.
Dialogue B
Mr. Biruk: Oh! Excuse me. Let me introduce myself. My name is Biruk.
Mr. Tolossa: How do you do Mr. Biruk? My name is Tolossa.
Mr. Biruk: Please call me Tolossa.
Mr. Tolossa: ...and call me Biruk.

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Model dialogues on introducing others
Task 5: Practice the following dialogues and identify the expressions used
in each dialogue.
Dialogue A
Yasin: Ahmed, I would like introduce you to Tolessa. Tolessa is the
team leader of English department.
Ahmed: How do you do, Tolessa. I have heard a lot about you.
Tolessa: It is a pleasure to meet you, Ahmed.
Ahmed: It is my pleasure to meet you too.
Dialogue B
Abebe, a Rift Valley University Yeka campus student, introduces his roommate
to a close friend of him, Tilahun.
Abebe: This is Belay, my roommate.
Tilahun: Hello, Belay. Good to meet you.
Belay: Good to meet you too.
Task 6: Points for Discussion Discuss the following questions in
groups
 Have you ever introduced yourself to the department head/ office
manager of a given institution? What have you said?
 How is this different from introducing yourself to someone at
school, or the friend of someone you know?
 Go back to the model dialogues under task 4 and 5 (A and B).
When Aster and Helina are talking, are they using formal or
informal introduction? What about Biruk and olossa, Ahmed
and Tolassa?
 How does an informal introduction in your mother tongue differ
from that used in English? For example, foreigners often shake
hands quickly when they meet each other. In Ethiopia, people
often shake hands for a long time and hug each other. Can you
think of some more examples?

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Task 7. It‟s important to notice not only the phrases of introducing oneself
but also ways of responding to people introducing themselves. The table
below is part of the introduction process. Write the responses that the
speaker B should give.
Speaker A Speaker B
• How do you do? • ___________________________
• I am very much pleased to meet you • ___________________________
• It is a pleasure to meet you • ___________________________
• Hi/Hello, pleased to meet you • ___________________________
• Hi/Hello, it‟s good/nice/great to meet you • ___________________________

Task 8. Situations for Role play

Look at the following situations. In your groups, share the roles so that
everyone gets the chance to play different role each time. Some of the
situations have two participants and others have three. Decide which are
formal and which ones are informal. You need to construct as many
appropriate dialogues as you can.
Situation 1
It is a first day of the new semester at RVU. The faculty head introduces a new
English instructor, Ato Alemu to the leader of English Course Team
Situation 2
It is a coffee break during a conference on “Quality Education in Ethiopian
Universities A university professor from Addis Ababa introduces himself to a
lecturer in Bahir Dar.
Situation 3
Helen is a student at Madawalabu University. Her brother is in Robe for the
weekend to visit her. Helen introduces him to her close friend.

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When you prepare a role-play for one of the above scenarios, consider the
following information, which is usually important during the process of
introduction.
1. Their profession or position: She is a college dean or lie works all the
national bank.
2. Their relationship to the person making the introductions: He is an
old/good friend of mine: she is my instructor; she is my dorm mate etc.
3. Their purpose in being present: He is here to do some research; he is on
vacation leave; he is on holiday.
4. Where they are from: He lives in Adama. She is from the United States.
1.2: Reading: Extracting information from texts.
Task 1: Getting ready for the reading.

What would you do if you found a bottle containing this that look like
sweets?

 Would you eat one to see what it was like?

 Would you leave the bottle where it is?
 Would you pick it up and take it an adult?
What would you do?
TASK 2: While reading
You are going to read, a story of a two girls who found a bottle containing
things. As you read try to guess or answer the questions about the story.

One evening Hana and Beza were getting water from the pump at the end of
their street when they saw a bag lying by the side of the road. “I wonder what‟s
inside that bag,” said Hana, “Let‟s pick it up and see.”

Inside the bag was a small box. Hana opened the box and said, “look there are
sweets inside. Let‟s see them. Here, you are, have one,” and she offered the box
to Beza.

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But Beza said, “No, we shouldn‟t eat them. Firstly, they aren‟t ours. Secondly,
we don‟t know what they are.”

“Come on. Nobody will know that we found them, and they look nice,” said
“Hana. I‟m going to have one.”

“No, don‟t. Look, there‟s something printed on the box. It says „keep out of
children‟s reach‟” said Beza.

“What should we do with them?” asked Hana. “Shall we throw them away?”

“No!” said Beza. “We shouldn‟t throw them away. A baby, who can‟t read, might
find them and eat them. They may be poisonous and would kill him. I think we
ought to take them home and show them to mother. She‟ll know what to do
with them.”

The two girls took the box home and showed it to their mother. She was
shocked when she saw the box. “My goodness, she said.” “These aren‟t sweets,
they‟re pills. It‟s a good thing you didn‟t eat them.”

Hana said, “Why, mother?”

“Because they could make you very ill,” mother replied. “If you ever find
anything and you don‟t know what it is, you shouldn‟t touch it. One of you
should get help from an adult and the other one should stand some distance
away from it and stop other children from touching it. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Mother,” said the girls. “We promise that we‟ll never touch any strange
thing again.

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Task 3: Post Reading
Answer the questions about the story.
1. What did the two girls see at the side of the road?
2. What did Beza refuse Hana‟s offer?
3. What do you think „keep out of children‟s reach‟ means?
4. Why wound Beza throw the „sweets‟ away?
5. Why did mother say that it was a good thing that the children had not
eaten the pills?
6. What should you do if you find something and you don‟t know what it is?
1.3. Grammar: Talking about the past
Task 1: Read the story and tell two major tenses the story is told through.
Work individually first and share in groups and be ready to present to the
whole class.
I really do love meeting people. I love to talk to people and get to know them.
It really fascinates me. When I was in fifth grade, I met this girl named
Victoria. It didn't take very long before we were best friends and literally did
EVERYTHING together. Before you knew it, it had been 2 years since we've
been friends. It was my friend Chloe who had introduced me to this girl. To be
honest, I am really glad she did. Even though something later on that
happened made us not best friends, I am really glad I got the chance to get to
know such a wonderful person. 1 wouldn't have gone back and changed
anything. It's amazing how someone can really change you.

Task 2: Complete the following story by putting the correct form of the
verbs in the brackets. Use the simple past tense.
Ato Chala (grow-up) in Yirgalem. In 1940, he (go) to Adola. He (buy) land there
and (start) a farm. In 1948, a man named, Lama who was working for Chala,
(find) gold on Chalas‟ land. He (show) in to Ato Chala. The two men (try) to
keep it secret, but other men who were working their (find) out about it. Right
way, they (stop) work to search for more gold. Ato Chalas‟ land quickly (become)

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famous. During the next two years over 20,000 people (come) their. Workers
(leave) their jobs, and husbands (leave) their wives. Then the place (become)
very famous and (get) popularity as Adolas gold mining.
Task 3. Read the given short description on the following types of tenses
and write at least two examples for each.
l. Simple Past
We use the simple past for many kinds of past events: short, quickly finished
actions and happenings, longer situations and repeated events.
2. Past Progressive
We use past progressive to say that something was in progress around a
particular past time.
3. Past Progressive and Simple Past
We often use the past progressive together with the simple past .The past
progressive refers to a longer ‟background‟ action or situation; the simple past
refers to the shorter action or event that interrupt it.
4. The Past Perfect

The basic meanings of the past perfect are „earlier past‟ and completed in
the past'. A common use is to 'go back‟ when we already talking about the
past, so as to make it clear that something had already happened at the
time we are talking about.
1.4. Vocabulary: Phrasal Verb
Phrasal verb:-means a group of words that functions as a verb & is made
up of a verb & prepositions, an adverb or both. It is the combines a verb
with prepositions or adverbs or both & that function as a verb whole
meaning is different from the combined meanings of the individual words.
Example:- sorry I am late. The car (broke down.) stop working
(Look out!) Be careful. There is a car coming.

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 I. Choose the best alternative to complete the following dialogues
and replace a number in the space provide
A: Why are you so late?
B: The bus (1 ) I had to walk to school.
A: What‟s the matter? You look (2)
B: I‟ve just been ( 3)by the teacher. He‟s always (4) me. What are you
doing?
A: I‟m trying to (5) the answer to these sums. They are very difficult. You‟ll
have to hurry if you want to (6)
B: (7). The teacher‟s (8) us
A: Yes, we‟d better (9) our work.

1. A: back up C: break down

B: break up D: back down
2. A: put off C: fed up
B: put on D: put up
3. A: talk into C: told off
B: take off D: turn up
4. A: pick on C: pick out
B: pick up D: none
5. A: looking into C: work out
B: look up D: wear out
6. A: cut off C: catch up
B: come to D: carry out
7. A: look ahead C: look out
B: watch out D: All except “A”
8. A: look ahead C: look into
B: look out D: All
9. A: get by C: get on with
B: get to D: get away

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A.A

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