BASIC COMMUNICATION SKILLS

WEEK 2
AGENDA:
• Overview of the subject

• Grading system

• Basic Sentence Patterns

• TCS: TYPES OF LISTENING

OVERVIEW OF THE COURSE
 LISTENING

MACRO SKILLS

SPEAKING

GRAMMAR
READING
WRITING
GRADING SYSTEM
 PRELIM EXAM 20%

MIDTERM EXAM 20%

FINAL EXAM 20%

PERFORMANCE TASKS
(Activities, Quizzes, Long Tests)
40%
BASIC SENTENCE PATTERNS
1. Julie is an outstanding student in the class.

1. Julie created a student organization that aims to help the victims

of bullying in the university.
Being able to recognize a variety of sentence patterns enhances your ability to use those patterns in
your own writing and to understand better how grammar functions.

Plus, with an understanding of the most elemental structures, you will more easily be able to
experiment with word-order variations, inversions, sentence combinations, and other writing
techniques.
S-V (Subject—Verb) (intransitive verb)
Examples:
a. The earth trembled.
a. Maria laughed.
a. The bell rang.
Note: Intransitive verbs do not have direct objects.
S-TV-DO (Subject—Transitive Verb—Direct object)
Examples:
a. The earthquake destroyed the city.
a. Lilia wrote that poem.
a. The students of Lawang Bato started a donation drive.
Note: Transitive verbs are verbs that require a direct object; the direct object is the
receiver of the action in the sentence.
S-LV-C (Subject—Linking Verb—Complement)
Examples:
a. The result was chaos. (S-LV-PN) (Predicate Nominative)
b. Evelyn is the team leader. (S-LV-PN) (Predicate Nominative)
c. Aleena was elated. (S-LV-PA) (Predicate Adjective)

Note: A subject complement is a noun, pronoun, or adjective that appears

with a linking verb.
S-TV-IO-DO (Subject—Transitive Verb—Indirect Object—Direct Object)
Examples:
a. Lily gave James a new jacket.
b. The government sent the city aid.
c. Alex gave Ethan his final advice.

Note: An “indirect object” answers the questions “to whom or for whom,” and
“to what or for what.”
S-TV-DO-OC (Subject—Transitive Verb—Direct Object—Objective Complement)
Examples:
a. The citizens considered the earthquake a disaster.
b. The committee elected Simon as chairman.

Note: An “objective complement” is a noun or an adjective that describes the

direct object.
LISTENING
 WHAT IS LISTENING?

Listening is the process of receiving, constructing

meaning from, and responding to a spoken and/ or
non-verbal message.

—International Reading Association

TYPES OF LISTENING
 APPRECIATIVE LISTENING

- listening for pleasure and enjoyment, as when we

listen to music, to a comedy routine, or to an
entertaining speech
 EMPATHIC LISTENING

- listening to provide emotional support for the

speaker, as when a psychiatrist listens to a patient
or when we lend a sympathetic ear to a friend
 EMPATHIC LISTENING

- focuses on understanding and identifying with a

person’s situation, feelings, or motives

- there is an attempt to understand what the other

person is feeling
 EMPATHIC LISTENING

- listener does not necessarily agree or feel the

same way with the speaker instead understand the
type and intensity of feelings the speaker is
experiencing without judgement
 COMPREHENSIVE/ACTIVE LISTENING

- listening to understand the message of a

speaker, as when we attend a classroom lecture or
listen to directions for finding a friend’s house
 COMPREHENSIVE/ACTIVE LISTENING

- focuses on accurately understanding the

meaning of the speaker’s words while
simultaneously interpreting non-verbal cues such as
facial expressions, gestures, posture, and vocal
quality
STEPS IN ACTIVE LISTENING

1. Listening carefully by using all available

senses

2. Paraphrasing what is heard both mentally

and verbally

3. Checking your understanding to ensure

accuracy

4. Providing feedback
 CRITICAL/ANALYTICAL LISTENING

- listening to evaluate a message for purposes of

accepting or rejecting it, as when we listen to the
sales pitch of a used-car dealer or the campaign
speech of a political candidate
 CRITICAL/ANALYTICAL LISTENING

- challenges the speaker’s message by evaluating

its accuracy and meaningfulness, and utility
 11.4

LISTENING 16.1
READING
SPEAKING 55.4
WRITING
17.1
AGENDA:
• Subject-Verb Agreement

• TCS: Note-taking
SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
 Rules for A verb must agree with its subject in number.
Subject-Verb EX. : A book is on the table.
Agreement My books are on the table.
 The number of a verb does not change when one or
more phrases come between a verb and its subject or
when there is an intervening phrase.

EX. : The box of grapes from Saratoga Farms was

Rules for delivered today.
Subject-Verb
Agreement The clown with the sad eyes looks pathetic.

Anna, together with her friends, is going to the

party.

The coins, along with this watch, were a gift.

 The words here, there, and where are NOT
Rules for subjects. They introduce a sentence in inverted
order. The verb must agree with the subject of a
Subject-Verb sentence.
Agreement
EX. : Here is the package of letters.
 A singular verb must be used with the singular
indefinite pronouns each, neither, either, anyone,
Rules for everyone, no one, someone, anybody, everybody,
Subject-Verb nobody, somebody, anything, everything, nothing,
Agreement and something.

EX. : Neither of the houses is worth much.

Everyone is bringing his own car.
 Some subjects, although they appear plural, are
singular in meaning and take a singular verb.
Rules for
EX. : The news seems more and more depressing
Subject-Verb
every day.
Agreement
Measles is the only childhood disease I haven’t
had.
 A singular verb is generally used after words denoting
Rules for an amount (time, money, measurement, weight,
volume).
Subject-Verb
Agreement EX. : Three weeks is a long vacation.
Two weeks was all the vacation he got.
 A singular verb is generally used after a collective
Rules for noun. If the individuals of a group act separately,
however, a plural verb must be used.
Subject-Verb
Agreement EX. : The jury was out an hour only.
The team have received their letters.
 When the conjunction “and” connects the parts of
compound subjects, the verb is generally plural.
However, if the subject is preceded by each, any, or
Rules for every, the verb will be singular.
Subject-Verb
Agreement EX. : My mother and father are old.

Each mother and father was recognized at the

meeting.
 When the conjunction or, nor, either...or, or neither...nor
connect the parts of a compound subject, the verb will
agree with the subject closer to it.
Rules for
Subject-Verb EX. : Either rain or snow is falling all over the state.
Agreement Neither titles nor honors are everlasting.
Neither the general nor his men are at the fort.
Either the apples or the large orange is for Jack.
NOTE-TAKING
 NOTE-
TAKING

Taking notes involves active listening, as well as

connecting and relating information to ideas you
already know. It also involves seeking answers to
questions that arise from the material.

(Shelley O'Hara, Improving Your Study Skills: Study

Smart, Study Less. Wiley, 2005)
TAKING NOTES CAN HELP YOU
TO…

• improve your understanding by making you convert

difficult ideas into your own words

• prepare for writing fuller, better connected

arguments in your essays

• be more focused and time-efficient in your exam

revision period

• assess your own progress as you study

LISTENING AND NOTE-TAKING TIPS
 GENERAL
TIPS:

• Have a clear purpose

• Recognize main ideas
• Identify how the information is organized
• Select only the relevant ideas
• Have a system of recording information that works
for you
STRATEGIES TO INCREASE COMPREHENSION AND
IMPROVE NOTE-TAKING
USE SYMBOLS AND
ABBREVIATIONS
When taking notes, you can reduce the amount of
language by shortening words and sentences.
Some ways of abbreviating are:

• leaving out most articles and conjunctions (the,

a, and, but)

• shorten words by leaving out vowels or other

letters (also known as “word truncation”)

• using abbreviations and symbols for commonly

used words and phrases
USE CONCEPT MAPS AND
DIAGRAMS
NOTE-TAKING SYSTEMS
THE CORNELL
METHOD
THE OUTLINING
METHOD
THE MAPPING
METHOD
THE CHARTING
METHOD
THE SENTENCE
METHOD
AGENDA:
Moods of Verb
TCS: Implication and Inference
MOODS OF THE VERB
The mood of a verb indicates your attitude toward a statement as you make it.

e.g. stating a fact, telling a command/request, expressing one’s wish, giving

recommendations, etc.
 The indicative mood is for statements of fact, opinion, or strong
probability:

INDICATIVE Examples:
MOOD
1. Variety shows were popular in the early days of television.
2. The spine-tailed swift flies faster than any other bird in the world.
3. The people will remember the flooding for many years to come.
 The imperative mood is for commands and requests made directly.

Examples:
IMPERATIVE
1. Vote for change.
MOOD
2. Fight pollution.
3. Be yourself.
4. Acknowledge and embrace individual differences.
SUBJUNCTIVE The subjunctive mood is used to talk about actions or states that are in
doubt or not factual.
MOOD
PRESENT SUBJUNCTIVE FORM
The present subjunctive is formed with the base form of a verb. It occurs only in noun clauses beginning
with that.

These clauses follow verbs, nouns, or adjectives that express suggestions, demands, or requests.

a. It is important that he sleep more.

propose, recommend,
recommendation, suggest,
b. The doctor’s suggestion is that they sleep
suggestion, advise, advisable,
more.
Words of critical, desirable, important, vital,
Suggestion urge
c. It is advisable that she sleep more.

d. The doctor suggested I sleep more.

In subjunctive sentences, the word that is sometimes

The term “present” refers to the form of
omitted after certain verbs (propose, suggest, insist). It
the subjunctive verb (base form) is not usually omitted in other contexts.
The present subjunctive is formed with the base form of a verb. It occurs only in noun clauses beginning
with that.

These clauses follow verbs, nouns, or adjectives that express suggestions, demands, or requests.

a. My parents have demanded that I be

quiet at night.

demand, imperative, insist, b. Your parents require that you be quiet at

necessary, order, require, required night.
Words of
Demand c. It will be imperative that she be quiet at
night.

In subjunctive sentences, the word that is sometimes

The term “present” refers to the form of
omitted after certain verbs (propose, suggest, insist). It
the subjunctive verb (base form) is not usually omitted in other contexts.
The present subjunctive is formed with the base form of a verb. It occurs only in noun clauses beginning
with that.

These clauses follow verbs, nouns, or adjectives that express suggestions, demands, or requests.

a. I ask that you have more patience with

the other students.
ask, beg, prefer, request, wish
Words of b. The teacher requested that Nick have his
Request project finished earlier.

In subjunctive sentences, the word that is sometimes

The term “present” refers to the form of
omitted after certain verbs (propose, suggest, insist). It
the subjunctive verb (base form) is not usually omitted in other contexts.
PAST SUBJUNCTIVE FORM
The past subjunctive is formed with the past form of a verb that describes a state, condition, or habit.

It is used to talk about hypothetical or imaginary situations. With the verb be, the form were (not was) is
usually used for all subjects.

a. I wish Sally were here to help us.

b. He wishes he could run faster.

After the verb wish to express an
unfulfilled desire

The term “past” refers to the form of the subjunctive verb (past
simple)
The past subjunctive is formed with the past form of a verb that describes a state, condition, or habit.

It is used to talk about hypothetical or imaginary situations. With the verb be, the form were (not was) is
usually used for all subjects.

a. If people drove smaller cars, we would all breathe

cleaner air.

b. If I were taller, I could reach the top shelf.

After if (only) in second conditional
sentences (followed by a clause with c. You might like her if you knew her better.
would, could, or might)

The term “past” refers to the form of the subjunctive verb (past
simple)
The past subjunctive is formed with the past form of a verb that describes a state, condition, or habit.

It is used to talk about hypothetical or imaginary situations. With the verb be, the form were (not was) is
usually used for all subjects.

a. Suppose you met the president. What would you say?

After the verbs suppose and imagine, b. Imagine you were rich. What could you do?
expressing unreal conditions (usually
followed by a sentence with would or
could)

The term “past” refers to the form of the subjunctive verb (past
simple)
The past subjunctive is formed with the past form of a verb that describes a state, condition, or habit.

It is used to talk about hypothetical or imaginary situations. With the verb be, the form were (not was) is
usually used for all subjects.

a. She acts as though she were very rich, but she’s not.

b. He drives as if he were in a Formula 1 race.

After as though or as if to make a
comparison to an imaginary condition

The term “past” refers to the form of the subjunctive verb (past
simple)
TCS: IMPLICATION vs INFERENCE
AGENDA:
Tenses
- Simple Tenses
- Progressive/Continuous Tenses
- Perfect Tenses
SIMPLE TENSES
 The simple present is just the base form of the verb.

SIMPLE
PRESENT
TENSE • He speaks English. Third person singular
USE OF SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
REPEATED ACTION

The action can be a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that
often happens.

• I play badminton.
• She always forgets her bag.
• Anna leaves the house every morning at 5AM.
STATEMENT OF FACTS

The simple present can also indicate the speaker believes that a fact was true before, is true now,
and will be true in the future. It is not important if the speaker is correct about the fact. It is also
used to make generalizations about people or things.

• Philippines offers the best customer service in the world.

• Cats are amazing animals.
• Many people love coffee more than tea.
SCHEDULED EVENTS IN THE FUTURE

• The train leaves tonight at 6PM.

• The prom starts at 9PM.
THE ‘NOW’ (Noncontinuous Verbs)

Speakers sometimes use the simple present to express the idea that an action is happening or is
not happening now.

• He needs help right now.

• She is not here right now.
• He has his passport in his hand.
SIMPLE The simple past tense of regular verbs is formed by
PAST adding -d or -ed at the end of the verb; irregular verbs may
vary in construction.
TENSE
USE OF SIMPLE PAST TENSE
COMPLETED ACTION IN THE PAST

• Joanna went to the mall yesterday to buy a new set of furnitures.

• I didn’t see him in the inauguration.
• Last year, I traveled to Japan with my family.
DURATION IN THE PAST

A duration is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two years, for five minutes,
all day, all year, etc.

• I lived in Puerto Rico for three years.

• Eric studied different techniques of pottery for a year.
• We waited at the bus station all day.
HABITS IN THE PAST

To make it clear that we are talking about a habit, we often add expressions such as: always, often,
usually, never, when I was a child, when I was younger, etc.

• I played violin when I was younger.

• They always skipped class during our freshman year.
• He stopped writing poetry.
SIMPLE
Simple future has two different forms in English: "will" and
FUTURE "be going to."
TENSE
 Simple future has two different forms in English: "will" and
"be going to."

SIMPLE
FUTURE
TENSE • You will help your Aunt prepare for the party later.
• Allen is going to meet his newborn sister tonight.
USE OF SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE
EXPRESS VOLUNTARY ACTION (will)

• I will sort out the documents so that Mrs. Tala won’t have any difficulty in
the upcoming accreditation.

• I will send you the needed drafts of the plan when I get my hands on
them.
EXPRESS A PROMISE (will)

• I will attend the meeting tomorrow.

• Don’t worry, I will do better next time.
EXPRESS A PLAN (be going to)

• I am going to spend my vacation in Isabela.

• I am going to continue on writing my thesis this month.
EXPRESS A PREDICTION (will/be going to)

• The year 2021 will be a better year for all of us.

• Janna is going to be the next president of the student government body.
PROGRESSIVE/CONTINUOUS TENSES
 The present continuous (also called present progressive)
is a verb tense which is used to show that an ongoing
PRESENT action is happening now, either at the moment of speech
CONTINUOUS or now in a larger sense.
TENSE
The present continuous can also be used to show that an
action is going to take place in the near future.
 FORM:

PRESENT am/is/are + present participle

CONTINUOUS
TENSE For example:

I am listening to the radio.

USE OF PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE
The NOW

• I am eating breakfast with my family here at the hotel.

• Sheena is watching the new season of her favorite American series.
• We are negotiating with the other team for the event.
LONGER ACTIONS IN PROGRESS NOW

In English, "now" can mean: this second, today, this month, this year, this century, and so on.

• I am studying to become a teacher.

• I am reading Animal Farm by George Orwell.
NEAR FUTURE

Sometimes, speakers use the present continuous to indicate that something will or will not happen
in the near future.

• I am meeting my friends after work.

• We are eating Samgyeopsal tonight.
REPETITION

Remember to put the words "always" or "constantly" between "be" and “verb+ing."

• She is constantly speaking while the teacher is discussing.

• They are always complaining about work, so I don’t like them.
 The past continuous (also called past progressive) is a
PAST verb tense which is used to show that an ongoing past
CONTINUOUS action was happening at a specific moment of interruption,
TENSE or that two ongoing actions were happening at the same
time.
 FORM:

PAST was/were+ present participle

CONTINUOUS
TENSE For example:

We were studying when her mom called.

USE OF PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE
INTERRUPTED ACTION IN THE PAST

• I was reviewing when she texted me.

• When the phone rang, Anna was writing a letter to Tommy.
PARALLEL ACTIONS

• I was cooking dinner while he was cleaning the house.

• Ali and Jake were listening to the webinar while writing the request letter.
REPETITION

Remember to put the words "always" or "constantly" between "be" and “verb+ing."

• She was constantly speaking while the teacher was discussing.

• They were always complaining about work, so I didn’t like them.
 Future continuous has two different forms:
FUTURE
CONTINUOUS "will be + present participle"
TENSE and
“be going to be + present participle"
USE OF FUTURE CONTINUOUS TENSE
INTERRUPTED ACTION IN THE FUTURE

Use the future continuous to indicate that a longer action in the future will be interrupted by a
shorter action in the future

• I will be watching The Witcher in Netflix when she comes home tonight.
• I am going to be staying at my Airbnb, so I will not see them when they
arrive.
PREDICTING OR GUESSING ABOUT FUTURE EVENTS

• He will be coming to the meeting, I expect.

• I guess you are going to be feeling thirsty after working in the sun.
PERFECT TENSES
PRESENT The present perfect is a verb tense which is used to show
PERFECT that an action has taken place once or many times before
TENSE now.
 has/have + past participle

PRESENT
has eaten/have eaten
PERFECT
TENSE has delivered/have delivered

has written/have written

USE OF PRESENT PERFECT TENSE
UNSPECIFIED TIME BEFORE NOW

You CANNOT use the present perfect with specific time expressions such as: yesterday, one year ago, last week.

You CAN use the present perfect with unspecific expressions such as: ever, never, once, many times, several times,
before, so far, already, yet, etc.

• I have watched Spirited Away many times.

• People have traveled to the moon.
• I think I have seen him before.
DURATION FROM THE PAST UNTIL NOW (Noncontinuous verbs)

• I have had cold for two weeks.

• She has been in California for eight months.
• Ken has loved kare-kare since he was a child.
PAST The past perfect is a verb tense which is used to show that
PERFECT an action took place once or many times before another
TENSE point in the past.
 had + past participle
PAST
PERFECT had eaten
TENSE had delivered
had written
USE OF PAST PERFECT TENSE
COMPLETED ACTION BEFORE SOMETHING IN THE PAST

The past perfect expresses the idea that something occurred before another action in the past. It can also show that
something happened before a specific time in the past.

• I had cooked dinner before he came home.

• Susan had studied Nihongo before she moved to Japan.
DURATION BEFORE SOMETHING IN THE PAST

We use the past perfect to show that something started in the past and continued up until another action in the past.

• We had had that car for ten years before it broke down.
• By the time Bobbie finished her studies, she had been in London for over
seven years.
 Future perfect has two different forms:
FUTURE
PERFECT "will have + past participle"
TENSE and
"be going to have + past participle"
USE OF FUTURE PERFECT TENSE
COMPLETED ACTION BEFORE SOMETHING IN THE FUTURE

The future perfect expresses the idea that something will occur before another action in the future. It can also show
that something will happen before a specific time in the future.

• By next December, I will have received my promotion.

• By the time my mother gets home, I am going to have cleaned the house.
• Sam is going to have finished his paper by the time he leaves the coffee
shop.
DURATION BEFORE SOMETHING IN THE FUTURE (Noncontinuous verbs)

We use the future perfect to show that something will continue up until another action in the future.

• I will have been in France for six months by the time I leave.
• By Tuesday, Anna is going to have had my book for two weeks.