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Kalinga University

Faculty of Technology and IT

Departments of DICE/DICS/DIEE/DIME/DIMI

Course --- Diploma in Engineering

Subject: Communication Skills—2

Subject Code: 201

Unit 2

Semester: 2nd

Short and Long questions

1. What is an antonym?

Answer: Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings. For example, an antonym

of day is night, and an antonym of on is off. The term antonym comes from antonymy, which is

the technical grammar term for words that have contradictory meanings—but you can think of

antonyms as opposites.

2. Describe varieties of antonyms.

Answer: Antonyms are closely related to synonyms, which are words that have identical

meanings. While antonyms have opposite meanings, synonyms have the same meaning.

Let’s look at the example word big. The antonym of big is small. This

is because big and small are opposites; the synonym of big is large because big and large mean

the same thing.

big antonym: small synonym: large

Contronyms or auto-antonyms
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A contronym, also known as an auto-antonym, is a special type of antonym. Contronyms are

words that have multiple meanings, and some of those meanings are antonyms of each other.

Technically, contronyms are antonyms that are also homophones, which are words that are

pronounced the same but have different meanings. Contronyms can fit into any of the types of

antonyms below.

One of the most common contronym examples is dust. As a verb, dust can mean:

To remove dust (as in cleaning)

To sprinkle with dust (as in putting sugar on food)

Essentially, the word dust means both to “add dust” and “remove dust.” This contrast in

definitions makes it a contronym.

3. What’s the purpose of antonyms?

Answer: Antonyms play an important role in writing by making your words more effective.

Placing opposites together highlights their differences and makes the individual words stronger.

Specifically, you can use the power of opposites in three ways.

Comparisons

Antonyms are great for comparing two separate things and drawing attention to what makes

them different. If you’re writing a research paper that compares two topics, using pairs of

antonyms can better communicate what sets them apart.

For example, let’s say you’re discussing life in urban areas versus life in rural areas. Instead of

just listing facts about each, you can use antonym pairs to communicate the differences more

clearly. So you could call rural life “quiet” and urban life “noisy” or say that there are “few”

people in rural areas and “many” people in urban areas.

Description:
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Sometimes the best way to describe something is to explain what it isn’t. Using antonyms with a

negative can add new dimensions to your descriptions and improve your writing’s word choice.

For example, you might describe someone who is arrogant as “not modest” or “not humble.”

Because modest and humble are antonyms of arrogant, you’re saying the same thing. However,

using the antonyms draws attention to the fact that the person chooses not to be modest or

humble, which adds a little more characterization than simply calling them “arrogant.”

Keep in mind that positive descriptions are usually better than negative descriptions, so

antonyms are not recommended for descriptions all the time. Still, they work well when you’re

playing with the reader’s expectations. For example, bugs are usually small, so when you

mention a “giant bug,” the contrast makes the phrase stronger.

In this way, antonyms can enhance your persuasive writing by strengthening your descriptive

words and challenging your reader’s expectations.

Antithesis:

Antithesis is a literary device that directly harnesses the power of opposites by placing them next

to or near each other. As mentioned above, antonyms draw attention to what makes things

different, making each word seem stronger. Antithesis takes this to the next level by putting

antonyms together. Always look for opportunities to use antithesis when you revise your

writing.

One of the most famous examples of antithesis is Neil Armstrong’s real-life quote when landing

on the moon:

That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

There are two different pairs of antonyms here: small and giant, and step and leap. By putting

the opposite concepts of “small step” and “giant leap” together in the same sentence, his
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statement makes each of them seem more significant. If Neil’s first words on the moon were “I

took a small step” and nothing more, his quote wouldn’t be nearly as popular!

4. What are the types of antonyms?

Answer: When we say antonyms are opposites, that’s a bit general. There are different types of

opposites and so different types of antonyms.

Complementary antonyms:

Also known as binary antonyms or contradictory antonyms, complementary antonyms are word

pairs where the positive use of one means the negative use of the other. In other words, they have

an either-or relationship: Something can be either one or the other but never both at the same

time.

Complementary antonym examples:

on — off real — fake alive — dead

Gradable antonyms:

Also known as polar antonyms, gradable antonyms are opposite amounts of the same quality. For

example, far and near are gradable antonyms because they are opposite amounts of distance.

However, these qualities are relative: The mall may be far from your home, but compared to the

middle of the Pacific Ocean, it’s near your home.

Gradable antonym examples:

new — old hot — cold long — short

Relational antonyms:

Also known as converse antonyms, relational antonyms play opposite roles in a mutual

relationship. For example, teacher and student are relational antonyms: Neither can exist without

the other, and yet their roles are completely different.

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Relational antonym examples:

buy — sell left — right parent — child

Antonyms and prefixes:

In English, antonyms are often used with prefixes, small syllables of around one to three letters

that attach to the beginnings of words to change their meaning. There are a few prefixes that

reverse a word’s meaning, turning it into its opposite—perfect for antonyms!

Be careful when using prefixes: Not every word can take a prefix, so you can’t add them

wherever you want. You just have to familiarize yourself with the common prefixed words in

English until you memorize the correct terms. Also, pay attention to spelling, as sometimes a

letter gets doubled to assist the pronunciation.

Here are some common prefixes used with antonym pairs, along with their examples. Each of

these prefixes essentially changes a word’s meaning to its opposite.

dis- honest — dishonest appear — disappear agree — disagree

i- logical — illogical legal — illegal responsible — irresponsible

in-, im- possible — impossible decent — indecent discreet — indiscreet

non- believer — nonbeliever binary — nonbinary linear — nonlinear

mis- lead — mislead behave — misbehave fortune — misfortune

mal- function — malfunction nutrition — malnutrition adaptive — maladaptive

un- important — unimportant necessary — unnecessary likely — unlikely.

5. What are the 8 parts of speech?

Answer: Parts of speech include nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, prepositions,

conjunctions and interjections.

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6. What are the 4 main parts of speech? Give examples.

Answer: part of function or "job" example words

speech

Determiner limits or "determines" a noun a/an, the, 2, some, many

describes a verb, adjective or quickly, silently, well, badly, very,

Adverb
adverb really

Pronoun replaces a noun I, you, he, she, some

Preposition links a noun to another word to, at, after, on, but.

7. What does it mean by Adverb? Give examples.

Answer: Adverb gives more information about the verb and about how the action was done.

Adverbs tells how, where, when, why, etc. Depending on the context, the adverb can come

before or after the verb or at the beginning or end of a sentence.

He completed the course enthusiastically.

Enthusiastically describes how he completed the course and answers the following question.

Steven recently enrolled in the Graduate Certificate in Communication program at Walden.

Recently modifies the verb enroll and answers the when question.

Then, I verified that most of my sources were peer-reviewed.

8. What are the 10 examples of suffix examples?

Answer: Noun Suffixes

Suffix -acy.
Suffix -al.
Suffix -ance, -ence.
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Suffix -dom.
Suffix -er, -or.
Suffix -ism.
Suffix -ist.
Suffix -ity, -ty.

9. What are some common word endings for verbs?

Answer: Verb Suffixes--

They are often made by adding letters in a noun or adjective. The most common verb suffixes
are –en, -ify, ize, and –ate.

10. What does it mean by suffix? Illustrate the rules and give examples of noun suffixes.

Answer: Many words in English are formed from the same root or base word. By adding
different suffixes, a range of new words can be formed.

A suffix is a letter or a group of letters that are added to the end of a word to make a new word.
Generally, suffixes have a particular meaning. When a suffix is added to a base word and that
base word becomes a noun, it is called a noun suffix.

Here are some rules:

Adding a suffix usually changes the class of the word (for example, verb to noun).

For example:

Root/Base word: Entertain (verb)

Suffix: -ment

New word: Entertainment (noun)

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Adding a suffix can mean the class of the word remains the same but the meaning of the new
word changes. For example:

Root/Base word: quest (noun)

Suffix: -ion

New word: question (noun)

Adding a suffix can cause a spelling change. For example:

Root/Base word: supervise

Suffix: -or

New word: supervisor

Here are some commonly used noun suffixes and what they mean:

Suffixes Meaning Examples

forming nouns
someone who does something or
student, president, resident, assistant,
-ant/-ent something that has a particular
defendant, accountant, deodorant
function
addressee, interviewee, referee, trainee,
-ee someone who does something
employee, refugee, trustee, lessee, retiree
someone who does something, writer, teacher, worker, dancer, buyer, actor,
-er, -or
something that does a particular job supervisor
journalism, criticism, vegetarianism,
-ism belief, behaviour, theory or act of
humanism
person connected with, person with a
-ist journalist, feminist, violinist, pianist
belief in
-ment forming abstract nouns government, enjoyment, management,
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Suffixes Meaning Examples

forming nouns
improvement, development
-ness quality or state happiness, kindness, forgiveness, goodness
discussion, excursion, population,
-sion, -tion quality or state
information, communication, question
friendship, citizenship, leadership,
-ship quality or state
membership
-ity quality or state ability, security, similarity, curiousity

11. What is a basic business letter?

Answer: The seven parts of a business letter are: sender's address, date, recipient address,
salutation, body, closing salutation and signature. If you have documents attached with the letter,
include a list of enclosures after the signature.
12. What is a business letter with example?

Answer: A business letter is a formal document often sent from one company to another or from
a company to its clients, employees, and stakeholders, for example. Business letters are used for
professional correspondence between individuals, as well.
13. What are the 7 Essential Elements to include in a Business Letter?

Answer: Your Contact Address

If the contact address is already included in the letterhead, skip it. Otherwise, include these in
your contact information:

Full name

Job title

Company

Address
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City, state, ZIP Code

Phone number

Email address
Date

This is the date when you are writing the letter. If your contact information is included on the
letterhead, your business letter starts with the date.

Recipient Address

The address should include:

Full name

Job title

Company

Address

City, state, ZIP Code

Salutation

The salutation that you use depends upon how familiar you are with the recipient.

Use “To whom it may concern” if you’re not sure about who will receive and read your letter.

If you know the recipient formally, use Dear [last name].

If you know the recipient informally, use the salutation Dear [first name].

Body of the Letter

This is the moot point of the business letter. Use single line spacing for readability. You can use
extra lines between paragraphs, after the salutation and above the closing salutation.

Closing Salutation or Valediction

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Again, the closing salutation depends upon how formal or informal your relationship is with the
recipient. Some of the most commonly used closing salutations in business include:

Sincerely

Cordially

Best

Kind regards

Regards

All the best

Your Signature

You should always end with a handwritten signature even if the letter is typed and printed using
a computer. Handwritten signatures help in establishing a rapport with the recipient even if this is
your first communication. Always write your full name and title below the signature.

Optional Things to Include

If you are including any additional documents pertaining to the letter, make a list of those
enclosures after your signature and name. If you are sending a sales letter, you may consider
including a call to action (CTA) at the bottom of the letter.

14. How do you format a Business Letter?

Answer: A business letter must be formatted for clarity and ease of understanding. Here are some
points to consider while formatting the letter:

Block or indent. In the block format, all elements of the letter are left-aligned. But, if you want
to use an indented format, right-align your address, date, closing salutation and signature. The
rest of the elements will be left-aligned.

Font. Use a professional font such as Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman, Helvetica, etc. The size
must be from 10 to 12.
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Margins. A one-inch margin on all four sides of the page is the standard. You can increase it to
one-and-a-quarter inches to differentiate it from other types of letters.

Spacing. Use a single line for the body of the letter. Use extra lines after your address, date,
recipient address and salutation. Also, leave an extra line before the closing salutation.

15. What is tender and quotation with example?

Answer: Tender is the process of asking suppliers to bid on products/services required by a

company whereas quotation is the response to bidders, where they quote their price for
goods/services. Quotation is also termed as an estimation given by professionals for jobs. Tender
is more formal than quotations.
16. How are tenders and quotations prepared?

Answer: For the preparation of a tender or quotation, a manufacturer must have detailed
information regarding the cost of raw materials, wages and the different overheads and the profit
of the preceding period.
16. Give an example of Tender Notice Inviting Quotation.

Answer:
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This tender notice invitation quotation for purchase of computer is a template with a basic
structure that you can follow to prepare your own document. It’s editable, making it very
easy to change the information it contains and replace it with your own information.

17. What is note-making? Explain with example.

Note making is not just about writing down everything you hear or read. It is a process of
reviewing, connecting and synthesizing ideas from your lectures or reading. Making notes helps
you to: stay active and engaged during your lectures, reading and revision.

18. What are some good interview skills?

When preparing for an interview, it may be helpful to review the following attributes that are
valued by employers:
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Skills for Success and Leadership Skills for Success.

Communicating Effectively.
Working Well in a Team.
Problem Solving.
Using Initiative.
Being Well Organized.
Being Adaptable.

19. What are the 3 C's of interview?

These three C's that we will examine are: Credibility; Competence; and Confidence. They are
inextricably connected. I'm an introvert by personality type, but can interview with the best of
them because of the successful implementation of these three C's.

20. How do you introduce skills in an interview?

The best way to highlight your skills is to provide examples. By talking about how you used your
skills, you'll show the hiring manager how you can fit into the role you're interviewing for.
Rather than bragging or boasting about your skills, describing how you used them for their
betterment.
21. What are 10 most common interview questions?

Tell me about yourself.

What attracted you to our company?

Tell me about your strengths.

What are your weaknesses?

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Tell me about a time where you encountered a business challenge?

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What are the most important things you are looking for in your next role?

Why are you leaving your current job?

What are your salary expectations?

Do you have any questions for me?