Communication and soft skills

Course Outline:
This course consists of three parts:
1. Basics of English Grammar
2. Communication Skills for Freelancers
3. Soft Skills for Freelancers
 English Language Basics

Application Techniques – Verbs: “Can” and “Could”:

 Example of can/could are given: 1) Elephants can be/could be very
dangerous. 2) A hundred years ago, flu could be very dangerous. 3) Your
keys can be in your pocket. 4) My brother can play cricket. 5) My brother
could not ride a bicycle until he was 14. 6) Can/could I use your mobile
phone? 7) Can/could you send this letter to Fahad? 8) You can do the
shopping if you like. 9) I can do the shopping for you if you want.

Introduction to Verbs: “May” and “Might”:

 “May” and “Might” are used for probabilities, polite requests, and for
asking permissions.
 Ability cannot be shown with “May” and “Might”.
 A few Examples are given: 1) May I come with you? 2) Rashid may come to
see us tomorrow. 3) She may be tired because she had a lot of work to
do. 4) May I borrow the bicycle tomorrow? 5) It may rain
tonight. 6) Students may travel for free.
 We can use “May not” to refuse permission in a formal way. (E.g. You may
not borrow the bicycle until you can be more careful with it.).

Applications Techniques - “May” and “Might”:

 We use may/might when we are not sure about something in the present
or future.
 We use “May have” and “Might have” to make guesses about the past. (E.g.
he might have written the letter.)
 We also use “Might” as the past tense of requests with may. (E.g. He asked
if he might borrow the bicycle.).
 May/might can be used for a conditional sentence composed of two parts:
“If/when clause + Main clause”. (E.g. If Faiza comes/came, she might/may
look after the children).
 Examples of may/might are given: 1) I’m not sure but I think my camera
may be broken. 2) I don’t know where your gloves are. They might be in the
kitchen. 3) We’re late. The play might have started already.
Introduction to Verbs - “Must” and “Should”:
 “Must” and ”Should” are used for obligations. (E.g. I must/should submit
my assignment tomorrow.).
 “Must” is used when something is very necessary to do or a moral
obligation to do. (E.g. We must respect elders.).
 “Must” cannot be used in the past sentences. For past tenses, we use “Had
to”. (E.g. I had to submit my fee by the 25th of March.).
 “Should” can be used to advise someone. (E.g. You should take medicine
regularly.).

Introduction to Verbs - “Have to” and “Need to”:

 We used “Have to” for somebody in authority has said it is necessary to do.
(E.g. You have to wear college uniform.).
 “Have to” is used with plural subjects and “I” and “Has to” are used with
singular subjects. (E.g. He has to submit the assignment tomorrow.).
 We use “Need to” as something is a requirement to do something else. (E.g.
You need to cook your food before eating it.).
 The past form of “Have to” is “Had to”. (E.g. They had to apply for the job.).

Introduction to Verb Tenses:

 There are four types of tenses 1) Simple/indefinite 2)
Continuous/progressive 3) Perfect 4) Perfect Continuous
 Simple present tense describes an event that happens in the present. (E.g. I
see an elephant.).
 Present continuous tense describes an event as being in progress in the
present and likely to continue in the future. (E.g. I am doing my
assignment.).
 Present perfect tense describes an event that occurred in the past but has
some connection to the present. (E.g. They have done their work.)
 Present perfect continuous tense describes an event that began in the past
but continues to happen in the present. (E.g. They have been working on
their assignment since morning.).
 Simple past tense describes an event that began and ended in the past.
(E.g. My brother went to Karachi yesterday.).
  Past continuous tense describes events that began in the past, continued
for a length of time, and ended in the past. (E.g. Ali was shopping last
night.).
 Past perfect tense describes a past event that occurred before another past
event. (E.g. The train had left the station before we arrived.).
 Past perfect continuous describes an event that began in the past,
continued for a length of time, and was in progress when another past
event happened. (E.g. They had been travelling to various countries before
they settled in America.).
 In the future tense, we say that an event will happen in the future.
 Future continuous tense describes an event that will begin in the future and
will continue for a length of time. (E.g. At this time tomorrow, I will be
travelling to Karachi.).
 Future perfect tense describes an event that will complete within a specific
time. (E.g. The students will have submitted the assignment by the
weekend.).
 Future perfect tense describes an event that will continue up until a point
in the future. (E.g. They will have been working in the bank for five years
this November.).

Introduction to Present Simple Tense:

 Present simple tense uses the root form of the verb and is often used to
state facts. (E.g. He always speaks the truth.).
 Present simple tense is also used for actions that are happening right now.
(E.g. He dodges a player.).
 Present simple tense is also used when actions happen regularly like a
routine or habit. (E.g. I study every day.).
 We also use it to tell about schedules and timetables. (E.g. My class ends at
01:00 PM.).
 Also used to state universal truths that are not affected by the passage of
time. (E.g. Honesty is the best policy.).
 We use the first form of the verb in the present simple tense and add
“s/es” after the verb if the subject is singular and use a simple verb if the
subject is plural or “I”. (E.g. He works in a bank/ I always speak the truth.).
 We use “Is”, “Am” and “Are” forms of the verb “To be” in present. (E.g. I am
a teacher.).
  We use does not/do not to make a sentence negative and interrogative.
(E.g. I don’t like coffee.).
 In interrogative sentences “Don’t/Doesn’t” comes before the subject. (E.g.
Does he play cricket?).
 Plural subjects and “I” are used with “Don’t” and “Doesn’t” is used with
singular subjects. (E.g. I do not like coffee/He does not like coffee.).
 We do not add ‘s/es’ after the verb in negative and interrogative sentences.

Introduction to Imperative Sentence:

 Imperative sentences express a direct command warning, request,
suggestion, forbid, etc. (E.g. Open the door.).
 Imperative sentences do not have a subject. It starts with a verb.
 A directive is given to an applied listener, second person “You”.
 We always use “Don’t” in negative imperative sentences. (E.g. Don’t open
the door.).
 To be more polite, you can use please; especially if it is a suggestion or a
personal command. It can be placed before or after the sentence.
 Following are the examples of imperative sentences: 1) Bring me a glass of
water.
 2) Don’t drive the car so fast, please. 3) Can you please help me lift the
box? 4) Please open the window.

Introduction to Present Simple Tense:

 Present continuous tense is used to show that the action is happening right
now.
 Depending on the subject we will use is/am/are and present participle form
of the verb.
 “Am” is used with “I”, “Are” is used with plural subjects, and “Is” is used
with singular subjects.
 Present continuous tense is also used to talk about future happenings
which have been planned or planned future action. (E.g. I am going to
Karachi tomorrow.)
 It is also used for actions that someone is presently doing but which started
some time ago and will continue for some time in the future. (E.g. I am
studying political science these days.).
Present Simple Tense vs Present Continuous Tense: When to Use Them:
 Present simple tense is used to describe fixed actions or routines. (I brush
my teeth daily.), while present continuous tense is used to show that the
action is happening right now. (E.g. I am standing.).
 We use frequency adverbs like never, rarely, often, always, etc. with
present simple tense. (E.g. He always reaches the office in time/They
frequently travel by bus.). We can also use these adverbs with present
continuous tense.
 We can use time phrases with present continuous tense like now, at the
moment, these days, etc. (E.g. I am talking at the moment.).

Present Simple Tense vs Present Continuous Tense: Always:

 The present continuous with words such as always or constantly expresses
the idea that something often happens.
 Frequency adverbs are used to stress.
 It is placed between the helping verb and the main verb. (E.g. He
is always complaining.).
 While in the simple present tense we use it before the action verb. (E.g. He
often drinks coffee.).
 If the form of the verb “To be” is used in simple present tense then we will
use the frequency adverb after the helping verb. (E.g. He is often sick.).