VERBAL ABILITY

LAB MANUAL

FOR

B. TECH - II YEAR

(Common to all Branches)

2019- 20

CVR COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Vastunagar, Mangalpalli (V), Ibrahimpatan (M),

R.R. Dist. Pin: 501510.

Email: info@cvr.ac.in Web: http://cvr.ac.in

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FOREWORD

In the globally competitive environment in the world today, be it academics or in business, the im-
portance of English cannot be overemphasized. English is most definitely the language of Interna-
tional scholarship and of International trade. Jobs in India are bagged by those professionals who
express themselves effectively in English. This necessitates better mastery over the English Lan-
guage, along with the skills in one’s core competence area.

We can claim mastery over the English language only when we have sufficient proficiency in its lan-
guage skills, namely Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. It has been found that though most
of our students start using English quite early in their life, they are still not effective communicators
in English, due to lack of exposure, practice and lack of application. It is precisely to address these
problems that the college has introduced English for the second year students of the B. Tech course.
This is an enhancement on the JNT University prescribed course of study, which the college has un-
dertaken after it acquired an Autonomous status.

Verbal Ability is a new course that has been introduced in the II yr. of the B. Tech course. In keeping
with the global demand for engineers with excellent communication skills in English, the college has
decided to have English as a subject for all the four years of the B. tech course. Different aspects of
the English language which the students need in their professional lives have been identified and new
inputs added to the JNTU prescribed syllabus.

Verbal Ability will further continue to build on the skills the students developed in their first year.
Apart from strengthening their English skills, this course will also help the students become aware
and familiar with concepts tested in recruitment drives and competitive exams like GRE and TOEFL.
The same modules and testing parameters have been incorporated into the course content. It caters to
modules on Word Formation, Essay Writing, Reading Comprehension, Letter Writing etc. Verbal
Ability is a lead, into the third-year English course which comprises exclusively of employability
skills.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

S. No Topics Pages

Word Formation 5-12

1

Spellings 13-26
2

Synonyms and Antonyms 27-37

3

Homonyms, Homophones and Homo-

38-43
4 graphs

Collocations 44-53
5

One Word Substitutes 54-58

6

Idiomatic Expressions 59-66

7

Phrasal Verbs 67-84

8

Verbal Analogy 85-88

9

Sentences (Grammar, Corrections,

Improvement, Spotting of Errors, 89-140
10
Jumbled Words)

Paragraph Writing 141-144

11

Essay Writing 145-146

12

Business Letter Writing 147-157

13
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w.e.f. AY 2019-20
B.Tech. II year
VERBAL ABILITY LAB
(common to all)

Instruction: 2 periods/week Sessional Marks : 30

Credits : 1 End Examination Marks : 70
End Exam duration: 3 Hours
Course Objectives:

1. Students will be trained to become proficient in word formation, spellings, and vocabulary
2. Students will develop linguistic competence through appropriate use of Idioms and Phrasal
verbs
3. Students will develop verbal reasoning through Verbal Analogy
4. Students will be trained to identify the common errors in English and write grammatically
correct sentences
5. Students will develop professional writing skills through business letters

The students will be given exercises covering the following topics:

1. Word Formation
2. Spelling
3. Synonyms and Antonyms
4. Homonyms, Homophones and Homographs
5. Collocations
6. One word substitutes
7. Idiomatic expressions
8. Phrasal Verbs
9. Verbal Analogy
10. Sentences
a. Rearranging jumbled words to make meaningful sentences
b. Identifying errors in sentences
c. Correction of sentences
d. Improvement of sentences
11. Writing Skills
a. Paragraph writing (different kinds of paragraph writing)
b. Essay writing
c. Business Letter writing

The students will be tested on the use and application of all the topics mentioned in the syllabus in
addition to their basic conceptual understanding.

Course Outcomes:

CO 1: Students will be empowered in English language skills and meet the demands of the global work
environment

CO 2: Students will have enriched vocabulary

CO3: Students will be proficient in answering reasoning based questions

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CO4: Students will develop the ability to write grammatically correct sentences

CO5: Students will enhance their professional writing skills through business letters

References:

1. Objective English, Edgar Thorpe & Showick Thorpe, S.Chand & Co., 2011.

2. A Modern Approach to Verbal Reasoning, R. S. Aggarwal, S.Chand & Co., 2011.

3. Barron’s Essential Words for GRE, Philip Geer, Barron’s Educational Series, 2011.

4. How to prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT, Arun Sharma and
Meenakshi Upadhyay, Tata McGraw-Hill, 2011.

5. Word Power Made Easy, Norman Lewis, Goyal publishers & Distributors, 2011.

6. English Vocabulary in Use Advanced, Michael McCarthy, Cambridge University Press, 2008.
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1. Word Formation

Vocabulary plays an important role in effective communication and enhances confidence of the speaker or
writer. A person who possesses great knowledge of vocabulary can be compared to one who has a wide range
of tools and technology to solve different problems efficiently.

A person with a depth in vocabulary, knows origin of words or root words, becomes adept in using prefixes,
suffixes and feels comfortable to communicate on any topic, group or circumstance. The person also becomes
confident in using words in their various forms of parts of speech.

Examples: -

1. The beginners of English language can be told that the ability to deal with a difficulty is “overcome”
while the advanced learners can be told that it is “surmount”

2. Instead of saying “I can use English language to bring great effect”, one can say “I can use English
language effectively”

Importance:

The importance of vocabulary for an engineering student is twofold; firstly, to prepare for Campus Placement
and secondly to perform well in his or her career.

Morpheme and Word Formation

The smallest unit in a language is called a Morpheme. The difference between a word and morpheme no is that
while a word may stand by itself a morpheme may not. Every word comprises of one or morphemes. Broadly
speaking Morphemes can be divided into Free or Bound. Free Morphemes can function as words whereas the
Bound Morphemes appear as parts of words.

Examples:

Free Morphemes : freedom , teacher, talkative, cutter, intentional,

Bound Morphemes: protest, discontent, receive, intolerable

A morpheme should not be confused or understood to be prefix or suffix alone and can be words used in different
situations.

For example:

The intelligent students worked hard for examinations.

The --- Article

Intelligent – Adjective

Students --- Noun

Worked --- Verb

Hard --- Adjective

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Examinations – Noun

Based on these considerations we can conclude this sub-section by schematically conceptualizing the
realm of morphology, as described so far

Diagram II
Morphology

Inflection Word Formation

Derivation Compounding

The formal means employed in derivational morphology and discussed so far can be classified in the
following way:

Diagram III
Derivation

Affixation Non – Affixation

Prefixation suffixation Infixation Conversion Truncation Blending

1. Conversion

Conversion can be defined as the derivation of a new word without any overt marking. In order to find
cases of conversion we have to look for pairs of words that are derivationally related and are com-
pletely identical in their phonetic realization. Such cases are not hard to find, and some are listed
below:
1. the hammer to hammer
2. the bottle to bottle
3. the file to file
4. to call a call
5. to dump a dump
6. to guess a guess
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2. Truncation

Truncation is a process in which the relationship between a derived word and its base is expressed by
the lack of phonetic material in the derived word.
Examples:
1. Ron (¬ Aaron)
2. Condo (¬ condominium)
3. Liz (¬ Elizabeth)
4. demo (¬ demonstration)
5. Mike (¬ Michael)

3. Blending
Blending has often been described as a rather irregular phenomenon, but, as we will shortly see,
we find a surprising degree of regularity.

1. breath + analyzer = Breathalyzer

2. motor + hotel = Motel
3. breakfast + lunch = Brunch
4. information + entertainment= Infotainment
5. drama+ comedy = Dramedy

Word Formation Methods:

In this module, we will learn vocabulary building through the following methods:

1. Root Words

2. Prefixes

3. Suffixes

4. Parts of Speech

Root Words:

As the name suggests, a Root Word is the most basic form of a word from which other words are formed. It
does not have a prefix or a suffix.

A root word can be used to form different words by adding prefixes and suffixes. Different words can also be
formed by combining two root words.

Examples:

Able – becomes Unable by a using a prefix – un

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Prefer – becomes Preferable by using a suffix – able (it is also an example of combining two roots words to
form a new word)

Two root words Bed and Room become Bedroom

Using Parts of Speech to build vocabulary:

Noun Verb Adjective Adverb

Beauty Beautify Beautiful Beautifully
Intelligence Intelligent Intelligently
Honesty Honest Honestly
Empathy Elaborate Enthusiastic Evasively
Glamour Gallop Glamorous Gallantly
Kindness Affectionate Lovely
*Blanks spaces are to be filled by the students as a practice exercise.

Word Formation / Vocabulary Building

Prefix Meaning Examples
A, An Not, Without Anarchy, atrophy, asymmetrical, anesthetic
Ab Away, apart Abnormal, abdicate, absolve, absent, absorb
Able Ability, capable of Workable, understandable
Ac, Acr Sour, High, Sharp Acrobatics, acronym, acumen
Ad to, toward Advance, adventure, advertisement
Be Good Benefactor, benevolent, beneficent
Cede, ceed, Achieve, result, follow Succeed, precede, recede, proceed
cess
Chron Time Chronometer, chronology, chronic
Contra Opposite Contradictory, contradiction, Contrary
De Move away, change, hold, stop Debar, detain, detach, destroy, demolish
Di Clear, away, measure Distinct, distance ,distract
Em To join, to be placed Emplane, embark
En To please Enthrall,
Ext Outside Exterior, External
Fa In support of Favourable, favour, favourite,
Ful Full of, complete Successful, eventful, meaningful
Ga Brave, speed, together Gallant, Gallop, Gather
Hyper High, Immense Hyperactive, Hypersensitive, Hyperbola
Ism System, method, quality, think- Heroism, capitalism, optimism
ing
Ject Matter, throw, Subject, inject, reject
Less Absence of Tasteless, meaningless, noiseless
Mal, mis Bad Malfunction, maladjusted, maleficent, mistrust, mis-
judge
Multi Many Multitude, multifaceted, multifunctional,
Non Not belonging to Nonviolent, nonferrous,
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Ness Consisting of Madness, cleanliness

Pre Before Precede, predict, prelude
Retro Backwards Retrospect, retrograde
Sect Divide, cut Intersect, dissect
Syn. Align, together Synchronise, synthesise, synergise
P.S: Students are required to take help from the above and develop more vocabulary as self-study

Assessment
Q1. Fill in the blanks to identify the word and choose the correct meaning from the choices given in the brackets:

1. - - fluent ( poor, very good in a language, well to do)

2. Am - - guous (clear, clarity, confused)

3. Bene - - lent (harsh, wicked, generous)

4. - - lingual (many languages, two languages, one language)

5. Omni - - - sent (present everywhere at one time, all pervasive, powerful)

6. Ex - - triate (one who has taken residence in a foreign country, send away from a country, belonging to
no country)

7. Specta - - - (observer, recorder,one who wears spectacles)

8. Po - - - - - (fit to drink, fit to be a table)

9. - - - temporary (temporary in nature, of the latest trend, state of the art)

10. - - pathy (feel pity, understand and share feelings of another person, to look into the future)

Q2. Read the paragraph given below, note the words by using prefixes, suffixes and different parts of speech.
Identify the root words where applicable:

It was a stormy day and I decided to go to sleep early. I finished my dinner quickly and started climbing
up the stairs leading to my bedroom. I looked through the only window accidentally and saw a puppy lying in
the garden. I ran down quickly and was aghast at the sight of the puppy. It was badly wounded and was whining
feebly.

I picked it up in my arms, took it into the living room and fed it with some warm milk. I washed its
wounds and applied medicine. It recovered after a while, stretched on the carpet and went off to sleep instantly.
I went to my room in a happy mood and slept happily.

Q3. Write a short paragraph on “A Star Studded Sky” using the following words / root words and the words
formed by them. You can add more words / root words on your own

Vast, Expanse, Glitter, Shimmer, Rays, Immense, Galaxy, Fairy Tale, Imagine, Canvas, Universe, Creator,
Stellar, Voyage -------

Directions: Build an appropriate word to fill the blanks with the help of the word given in the brackets.

1. It's totally _______________ (understand) that you stayed home when you were sick.
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2. Don't laugh at his stupid jokes! You'll only _______________ (courage) him to say them again.
3. That sidewalk is _______________ (slip), I almost fell!
4. After Monday, I will no longer be a foreigner--I am receiving my _______________ (citizen)!
5. Arthur will be very lonely unless you _______________ (friend) him.
6. Every afternoon, the cooks _______________ (sharp) their knives in preparation for dinner.
7. I hate being around Mary Lou, she is so _______________ (friendly).
8. The stock market crash of 1929 left my great-grandfather _______________ (penny).
9. I have a class at 8:00 a.m. but I am always _______________ (sleep).
10. The groom may _______________ (veil) the bride only when their vows have been exchanged.
11. I think we should try something else. That strategy seems way too _______________ (risk).
12. My father's death left me with a great _______________ (empty) in my heart.
13. Americans fought hard to earn their _______________ (free) from Britain.
14. When you work at a nuclear power plant, you have to be extremely _______________ (care).
15. Every time I think I've beaten you, you _______________ (do) me!
16. I had to take three months off when I was pregnant, but my boss has been very _______________(un-
derstand).
17. He will _______________(cork) the water bottle as soon as we are ready for dinner.
18. You need to work on your orthography, so you don't _______________(spell) these words.
19. The weather _______________(cast) looks bad for a picnic--rainy and windy!

Write the missing adjectives, nouns or verbs in the blanks

Verb Noun Adjective

Difference
Discrimination
Electrify
Astonish
Culture
Hunger
Dictation
heated
creative
Demonstration

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate form of the word.

1. We have known each other since our __________________

Childhood childlike childish

2. His hard work __________________him to pass his examination.

Able enable abled enabled

3. The manager asked the board members to __________________his earlier proposal.

Reconsider consideration considerable

4. Only a fool will __________________his net worth.

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Estimate underestimate

5. He is a stupid and often talks __________________

Sense sensible nonsense

6. The Government of XYZ country has __________________ its currency.

Valued valuable devalued

7. Parents should not __________________their children’s mistakes.

Look look over overlook

8. He was absent because he was __________________

Well unwell wellness

9. The judgment __________________in our favour.

Go went gone

10. The judge ordered that the accused be __________________

Behead beheading beheaded

11. The minister wants to __________________ the capital.

Beauty beautify beautiful

12. Many people often make a ------------------between London and New York
compare

13. This book -----------as a series of lectures about shipwrecks, which were given two decades ago.
origin

14. There are power stations across Europe that use the -------------rise and fall of the ocean tides.
day

15. If you weren't so -------------of Ben, he'd be happier to spend time with you.
critic

16. Don't you find it ------------how Jeremy always comes to work looking so untidy?
intrigue

17. Doctors say a glass of warm milk before bedtime can result in a more ------------ night's sleep.
rest
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18. Tim-Berners Lee has received many awards as the -------------of the world wide web.
invent

19. On the final day, we visited the ----------Victoria Falls and then flew home.
majesty

20. The ------------recommended intake of Vitamin C varies from country to country.

day

21. When shopping online, many people make use of price -------- websites.
compare

22. The book, like the movie, tracks the anxiety and ------------ pains of a teenager in 1970s Germany.
grow

23. This soup has a very fruity flavour to it and a ----------- after-taste. I really like it.
please

24. I've lost all -------- for this concert, I'm finding it boring. Can we go?
enthuse

25. The opening of this new restaurant should satisfy the ------------ of local Indonesian food fans.
sophisticated

26. You don't respond well to positive------------- , which is only made to help you.

critic

27. -------------- as it may seem, mammoths were alive only five thousand years ago.

credible

28. In ---------------- with an ancient tradition, dinner will be served on blue china.

keep

29. It's -------------rare to see large sharks in the Mediterranean Sea.

credible

30. The royal wedding finished with a ------------- 8-course meal in the evening.

majesty
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2.Spellings

Spellings are an essential part of English language. They can be difficult as well as confusing for a student
because of their various rules and combinations.

Let us first examine the rules and then various tips to develop excellent spelling skills.

Words in English are not always spelled as they are pronounced. Spelling in English follows some basic rules
and the majority of English words (around 75%) follow these rules. You can learn the rules but there are always
exceptions to the rules that need to be learned too.

The main basic spelling rules of English relate to: prefixes and suffixes; spelling and plurals; doubling letters;
dropping and adding letters; verb forms. This section focuses on British English but also covers some basic
differences in spelling between British and American English.

Spelling: prefixes

dis + obey → disobey mis + spell → misspell

dis + satisfied → dissatisfied over + hear → overhear
in + humane → inhumane super + human → superhuman
in + sane → insane un + natural → unnatural
inter + national → international un + sure → unsure
mis + rule → misrule under + pass → underpass

Prefixes il-, im-, ir-

in becomes il- before l in becomes im- before m or p in becomes ir- before r

Illegible Immoral irrelevant
Illiterate Immature irresponsible
Illogical Impossible irreplaceable
We commonly change the prefix in- to il-, im- or ir- when the first letter of a word is l, m, p, or r.

Spelling and plurals

There are rules for the plurals of regular nouns and the -s forms of regular verbs.

The general rule is add -s:

bring → brings, day → days, ear → ears, smile → smiles, speak → speaks, town → towns

If the ending is pronounced as ‘ch’ /tʃ/ or ‘s’ /s/, we add -es /ɪz/:

Noun plurals Verb -s forms

bus → buses cross → crosses
church → churches fetch → fetches
kiss → kisses guess → guesses
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If a word ends in an -e, we add an -s:

base → bases, face → faces, judge → judges, lose → loses

If the word ends in a consonant plus -y, we change -y to i and add -es:

Noun plurals Verb -s forms

baby → babies marry → marries
opportunity → opportunities reply → replies

We add -es to some words ending in -o:

Noun plurals Noun plurals/verb -s forms

tomato → tomatoes echo → echoes
cargo → cargoes embargo → embargoes
hero → heroes go → goes (go [n] = attempt)

However, some words ending in -o only require -s: videos, discos, pianos, memos, photos.

For some nouns ending in -f or -fe, we form the plural by changing the -f or -fe to -ves:

loaf → loaves, shelf → shelves, thief → thieves, wife → wives

Spelling: doubling consonants

We often double the final consonant of a word (b, d, g, l, m, n, p, r, t) when a suffix beginning with a vowel is
added (-ed, -er, -est, -ing):

hop + -ed → hopped slim + -ing → slimming

red + -ish → reddish thin + -er → thinner
rub + -ed → rubbed travel+ -er → traveller
sit + -ing → sitting wet + -er → wetter

When we add a suffix to a word with more than one syllable, we double the consonant only when the word ends
in a stressed syllable (the stressed syllable of the base form is in bold):

admit + -ing → admitting prefer + -ed → preferred

forget + -ing → forgetting transmit + -ed → transmitted
occur + -ence → occurrence upset + -ing → upsetting

Compare, however, visit or enter where the spoken stress is on the first syllable:

visit → visiting enter → entered

Not: visiting Not: enterred
Note too that in each case the vowel before the last consonant is a short vowel.

We don’t double the final consonant before a suffix:

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o if the word ends in two written consonants, e.g. export = exported, find =finding, insist = insisted,
lift = lifted, persist = persistence
o if there are two written vowels together in the word, e.g. meeting, rained, weaken, trainer, repeated.

Irregular forms and exceptions

Some monosyllabic words ending in -s are irregular. We normally do not double the -s, although some doubled
forms will be seen. For example: busses and buses; gasses and gases. (Busses and gasses are not common.)

Some words, several of them ending in l, with more than two syllables, have a double consonant even though
the last syllable is not stressed; for example, labelling, traveller, equalled, handicapped, programmed.

In American English the single consonant spelling is usually more common: labeling, traveler.

Spelling: dropping and adding letters

The final -e: We often drop the final -e when a suffix beginning with a vowel is added to a word:

approve + -al → approval hope + -ing → hoping

fame + -ous → famous invite + -ation → invitation
hate + -ed → hated note + -able → notable

We keep the -e in dyeing (from dye) and singeing (from singe) to differentiate them from similar words e.g. dy-
ing (from die) and singing (from sing).

When a suffix begins with a consonant (e.g. -less, -ful, -ly, -ment) we do not normally drop the -e:

definitely excitement forceful hopeless lately widely

Sometimes we do drop the -e:

argue → argument true → truly

due → duly whole → wholly
Some words have alternative forms with or without an -e: for example, acknowledge, acknowledgment,
and judgement or judgment.

The suffix -ally

The suffix -ally is added to adjectives ending in -ic to form adverbs:

basic → basically

realistic → realistically

tragic → tragically

public: publicly

Changing -y to -i

When we add a suffix to a word ending in a consonant + -y, we normally change -y to i:

amplify + -er → amplifier happy + -ly → happily

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busy + -ness → business hurry + -s → hurries

day + -ly → daily purify + -cation → purification
easy + -ly → easily reply + -ed → replied
fury + -ous → furious spy + -s → spies

Some words with one syllable keep the -y before a suffix: dryness, shyness, slyness.

We keep -y before -ing: studying, worrying.

We keep -y before ’s: the fly’s wings, Andy’s house.

We usually keep the -y in most words that end in a vowel + -y:

buy → buyer

destroy → destroys

BUT: day → daily

Spelling: ie or ei?

If in doubt about ie or ei, when the sound of the vowel is as in brief /i:/, we spell it ie; but after the letter c, we
spell it ei:

ie ei after c
Achieve Ceiling
Belief Conceit
Diesel Deceive
Niece Receipt
Relieve Perceive

Words in which -y has changed to i end in -ies even after a c:

emergency → emergencies

bureaucracy → bureaucracies

In most words that do not have the pronunciation /i:/ as in brief, the usual order is e before i, e.g. neighbour, lei-
sure, height; friend, ancient, science are common exceptions.

Spelling and verb forms

Past and -ed forms

The past and -ed forms are the same in regular verbs. The following are the spelling rules for regular verbs.

We add -ed to the base form of the verb:

clean → cleaned echo → echoed email → emailed sail → sailed

If the word ends in -e, we add -d to the base form of the verb:
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agree → agreed dine → dined love → loved

If the word ends in a consonant + -y, we change the -y to i before -ed:

apply → applied cry → cried

There are three common exceptions, where we change the -y to i after a vowel and just -d is added:

pay → paid say → said

-ing forms

The general rule is add -ing to the base form of the verb:

go → going hurry → hurrying play → playing

If the word ends in -e, we drop the -e before -ing:

love → loving lose → losing write → writing

But if the word ends in -ee, -ye, or -oe, we keep the -e:

agree → agreeing dye → dyeing (compare: die/dying) see → seeing

If the word ends in -ie, we change the -i to -y and we drop the -e before -ing:

die → dying lie → lying tie → tying

Addition of final -e to indicate long vowel

We use a final silent -e to indicate that the stressed vowel is long:

long vowel short vowel

hate, fate hat, fat
theme, impede them, fed
dine, bite din, bit

British and American English Spelling

Here are some common differences between British and American English spelling. A good learner’s dictionary
will give information about other spelling differences:

Spelling American British

ENSE Vs ENCE Defense Defence
License Licence
Practise Practice
ER Vs RE Center Centre
Liter Litre
Meter Metre
Theater Theatre
OR Vs Our Color Colour
Favorite Favourite
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Neighbor Neighbour
ED Vs T Dreamed Dreamt
Learned Learnt
Burned Burnt
K Vs QUE Check Cheque
Checker Chequer
Bank Bank
IZE Vs ISE Analyze Analyse
Criticize Criticise
Reorganize Reorganise
LL Vs L Enroll Enrol
Skillful Skilful
OG Vs OGUE Dialog Dialogue
Analog Analogue
Catalog Catalogue

Some Examples:

British English American English

apologise Apologize
aeroplane Airplane
Centimetre Centimeter
Fibre Fiber
Colonise Colonize
counsellor Counselor
Defence Defense
Labour Labor
Woollen woolen
programme program
Travelled traveled

List of words with spellings:

A” Words

a lot a while, awhile ability absence absent

abundance accelerate accept acceptable accessible
accident accidentally acclaim accommodate accommodation
accompanied accomplish accordion accumulate accumulation
accuse accustomed ache achieve achievement
acknowledge acquaintance acquainted acquire acquit
acquitted across address addressed adequate
advantage advantageous advertise advertisement advice
advisable advise advisor aerial affect
affectionate aficionado again against aggravate
aggressive agree ail air aisle
ale alight all ready all right alleged
all together almost already alright although
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altogether always amateur American among

amount analysis analyze angel angle
annual anoint another answer antiseptic
anxious apartment apologize apology apparatus
apparent appear appearance appetite application
apply appreciate appreciation approach appropriate
approval approve approximate arctic argue
arguing argument arouse arrange arrangement
article artificial ascend assistance assistant
associate association ate atheist athletic
attempt attendance attention audience August
author automobile autumn auxiliary available
avenue awful awhile awkward axle

“B - C” Words

bachelor balance balloon barbecue bargain

basic basically beautiful because become
before beggar beginning being belief
believable believe beneficial benefit benefited
between bicycle bight biscuit bite
board bored borrow bottle bottom
bough bought boundaries boundary brake
breadth breath breathe brilliant broccoli
brought building bulletin bureau burial
buried bury bushes business byte
Caesar cafeteria calculator calendar camouflage
campaign candidate cantaloupe capital capitol
captain carburetor career careful careless
Caribbean carriage carrying cartilage castle
category ceiling cemetery cents cereal
certain challenge changeable changing characteristic
charity chauvinism chief chili chocolaty
choose chose cigarette circumstance citizen
climbed cloth clothes clothing coarse
coffee coliseum collect collectible college
colonel column comedy comfortable coming
commemorate commission commitment committed committee
communicate company comparative compel competent
competition completely complement compliment conceal
concede conceit conceited conceivable conceive
concentration conception condemn condescend condition
conference confident congratulate congratulations connoisseur
conquer conscience conscientious conscious consensus
consequence consequently considerable consistency consistent
continual continuous controlled controversial controversy
convenience convenient conversation coolly corporal
correlate correspondence corroborate cough could
council counsel counselor courage courageous
course courteous courtesy criticism criticize
crystal curiosity cylinder
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“D - E” Words

daily daiquiri Dalmatian daughter daybreak

death debt deceive December decent
deception decide decision decisive deed
defendant deferred definite definitely definition
definitive delicious dependent deposit derelict
descend descent describe description desert
desiccate desirable despair desperate dessert
destruction determine deterrence develop development
device devise dictator dictionary died
difference different dilemma dining dinner
direction disappear disappearance disappoint disappointment
disapproval disapprove disastrous discipline discover
discriminate disease dispensable dissatisfied dissection
dissipate distance distinction division doctor
dollar dominant doubt dough doughty
dozen drunkenness dumbbell dyed earnest
easily easy ecstasy ecstatic education
effect efficiency efficient eight eighth
either eligibility eligible eliminate email
embarrass embarrassment embezzle embezzler emergency
emperor emphasis emphasize enclosure encouragement
encouraging endeavor enemy engineer English
enormous enough entirely entrance entrepreneur
envelop envelope environment equipment equipped
equivalent err especially essential evening
evident ewe exaggerate exaggeration examine
exceed excellence excellent except exceptional
exercise exhaust exhausted exhaustion exhilarate
exhilaration existence existent exorbitant expense
experience experiment explanation extreme extremely
exuberance

“F - G” Words

facility facsimile factory fallacious fallacy

familiar farther fascinate fascinating fatigue
feasible feat February feet fiat
fictitious fiery finally financial financially
financier flabbergast flight flotation flourish
fluorescent forcibly forego forehead foreign
foresee forfeit forgo formal former
formerly fortunate forty fought fourteen
fourth frequent friend fright frightening
fuelling fulfill fundamental fundamentally further
gallon garden gardener gauge general
generally genius gnat gnaw government
governor grammar grateful great grievance
grievous grocery gross guarantee guardian
guerrilla guess guidance guttural
 21 | P a g e

“H - I” Words

half hammer handkerchief handfuls handful

happily happiness harass healthy hear
heard heavy height heinous heir
hemorrhage here heroes heroine hesitancy
hideous himself hindrance hoarse holiday
homepage hopeless hoping horrific hors d'oeuvre
hospital humorous hurried hurrying hygiene
hypocrisy hypocrite ideally idiosyncrasy ignorance
imaginary imbecile imitate imitation immediately
immigrant implement inadvertent incidental incidentally
increase incredible independence independent indicted
indispensable inevitable influence influential information
ingenious ingenuous initiate innocence inoculate
inquiry insistent instead instinct insurance
integrity intellectual intelligence intercede interest
interfere interference interpreted interrupt introduce
invitation irascible irrelevant irresistible irritable
island isle it’s its itself

“J - M” Words

January jealous jealousy journal judgment

judicial kindergarten kitchen knee knew
knickers knife knit knock know
knowledge knuckle labour laboratory laid
language later latter laugh led
legitimate leisure length lesson liaison
library license lieutenant light lightening
lightning likelihood likely liquefy listen
literal literature livelihood loaf loneliness
loose lose losing lovely loyal
loyalty luxury magazine maintain maintenance
manageable maneuver manufacture marriage married
marry marshmallow match material mathematics
measure medicine medieval memento might
millennium million millionaire miniature minimum
minuscule minutes minutia miracle miscellaneous
mischief mischievous misogyny missile misspell
misspelled mistake momentous monkey monotonous
moral morale mortgage mosquito mosquitoes
mountain mournful murmur muscle mysterious
mystery

“N - P” Words

narrative natural naturally nauseated nauseous

necessary necessity needle negligence neighbour
neither neutron newspaper newsstand nickel
 22 | P a g e

niece night ninety ninth no one

noticeable nowadays nuisance obedience obedient
obstacle occasion occasional occasionally occur
occurred occurrence ocean official omission
omit omitted once online, on-line operate
opinion opponent opportune opportunity oppression
optimism optimist optimistic orchestra ordinarily
origin original oscillate ought ounce
outrageous overcoat overrun paid pamphlet
panicky parallel parallelism parliament particular
partner pastime patience pavilion peace
peaceable pear peculiar pencil penetrate
peninsula people perceive perception perfect
perform performance perhaps permanence permanent
permissible permitted perpendicular perseverance persevere
persistence persistent personal personality personnel
perspiration persuade persuasion pertain pharaoh
physical physician picture piece pigeon
pilgrimage pistachio pitiful plagiarize plain
plane planning playwright pleasant please
pleasure plenitude plight pneumonia pocket
poinsettia poison policeman political population
portray portrayal positive possess possession
possessive possibility possible potato potatoes
practical practically prairie precede precedence
preceding precise predictable prefer preference
preferential preferred prejudice preparation prepare
prescription presence president presumptuous prevalent
primitive principal principle printout privilege
probably procedure proceed produce profession
professional professor profitable prominent promise
pronounce pronunciation propaganda propagate propeller
prophecy prophet prospect psychiatrist psychology
publicly puerile pursue pursuit

“Q - S” Words

quality quantity quarantine quarrelling quart

quarter questionnaire quiet quite quizzes
raise raspberry realistic realistically realize
really reason rebellion recede receipt
receive recipe recognize recommend recuperate
reference referred referring refrigerator rehearsal
reign relevant relieve relieving religious
remedy remembrance reminisce reminiscence rendezvous
renovate renowned repetition representative resemblance
reservoir resistance resource respectability responsibility
restaurant rheumatism rhythm rhythmical ridiculous
right role roll roommate rough
sacrifice sacrilegious safety salary sandal
sandwich satellite Saturday savvy scarcely
scary scene scenery scents schedule
 23 | P a g e

science scientific scissors season secede

secretary seen seize seminar sense
sensible sentence separate separation septuagenarian
sergeant service several severely shepherd
sheriff shining shinning shish kebab should
shoulder shriek siege sight signal
significance significant similar similarity simile
simply simultaneous sincerely site skiing
soften solemn solider sophomore sorcerer
soul source souvenir special specifically
specified specimen speech sponsor spontaneous
stationary stationery statue statute stomach
straight strategy strength strenuous stretch
striking stubbornness studying subordinate subpoena
substantial subtle succeed success successful
succession sudden sufficient superintendent supersede
suppress surely surprise surround susceptible
suspense suspicious sweat syllable symmetrical
sympathy synonym synonymous

“T - Z” Words

tangible tariff technical technique temperament

temperamental temperature tenant tendency tenement
tenet their themselves theories there
therefor therefore they're thorough though
thought threshold through tight title
together tomorrow tongue too tough
tournament toward towards tragedy transferred
transferring treasury tremendous tries truly
twelfth twelve tyranny ukulele unanimous
undoubtedly unforgettable unique unnecessary until
usable usage useful usual usually
utilization vacuum valley valuable variety
vegetable vein vengeance versatile vicinity
vicious view vigilant village villain
violence virtue visible vision visitor
voice volume waist warrant warrior
weak weal wear weather website
Wednesday week weigh weird wheel
wherever whether which while whole
wholly whose withdrawal woman women
worthwhile would wrap wretched wrinkle
write writing xylophone yacht yield
young your you're Zeitgeist

Words with Silent Letters

Many words in English have silent letters. Silent letters are letters that you can't hear when you say the word,
but that are there when you write the word.
 24 | P a g e

Si- Si- Si- Si-

Silent Silent Silent Silent Silent Silent
Silent B: Silent K: lent lent lent lent
C: D: G: H: P: W:
M: N: T: U:
aplombbom ab- hand- align ache knack mne- au- psy- apos ba- awry
b scess ker- as- an- knapsack moni tumn chol- tle guett play-
climb as- chief sign chor knave c ogy bris- e wright
comb cend sand- be- arche- knead col- pneu- tle bis- sword
crumb ascent wich # nign ology knee umn monia bus- cuit wrack
debt con- Wedne cam- archi- kneel con- pseud tle build wrangle
doubt scienc sday paign tect knell demn o cas- built wrap
dumb e cham- ar- knew psy- tle cir- wrap-
jamb con- pagne chives knickers damn chia- fas- cuit per
lamb scious co- chaos knife trist ten dis- wrath
limb cres- logne char- knight hym psy- glis- guise wreak
numb cent con- acter knit n chia- ten guess wreath
plumb de- sign char- knob sol- try hus- wreck
subtle scend de- acter- knock emn psy- tle guest wreck-
succumb de- sign istic knoll cho- jos- guide age
thumb scent feign cha- knot ther- tle wren
tomb disci- for- risma know apy lis- guild wrench
womb ple eign chemi- knowledg psy- ten guile wrest
fasci- gnarl cal e chotic mois guil- wrestle
nate gnash chem- knuckle receipt ten lo- wretch
fluo- gnat ist mort tine wretche
res- gnaw chem- gage guilt d
cent gnom other- guilty wriggle
incan- e apy of- wring
des- gnu chlo- ten * guise wrinkle
cent reign rine nes- gui- wrist
isosce- re- choir tle tar writ
les sign chol- rus- rogue write
lumi- sign era tle writhe
nes- chord sof- sil- wrong
cent chore- ten * hou- wrote
mis- o- this- ette wrought
cella- graph tle
neous cho- tres- wrung
mus- rus tle wry
cle Chris- whis
ob- tian tle
scene Christ- wres
resus- mas tle
citate chrom
sce- e
nario echo
scene lepre-
scent chaun
scis- loch
sors me-
chani-
cal
melan-
choly
mon-
arch
 25 | P a g e

mono-
chrom
e
or-
ches-
tra
orchid
psy-
chic
schem
e
school
stom-
ach
tech-
nical
tech-
nique
tech-
nology

Exercise 1
Find the correctly spelt words.
1. A. Efficient B. Eficient C. Efficent D. Eficent

2. A. Foreign B. Foreine C. Fariegn D. Forein

3. A. Ommineous B. Omineous C. Ominous D. Omenous

4. A. Pessenger B. Passenger C. Pasanger D. Pesanger

5. A. Benefitted B. Benifited C. Benefited D. Benefeted

6. A. Treachrous B. Trecherous C. Trechearous D. Treacherous

7. A. Forcast B. Forecaste C. Forcaust D. Forecast

8. A. Rigerous B. Rigourous C. Regerous D. Rigorous

9. A. Palete B. Palet C. Palate D. Pelate

10. A. Bouquete B. Bouquette C. Bouquet D.Boqquet

11. A. Vetarinary B.Veteninary C. Vetinary D. Veterinary

12. A. Chancelary B. Chancellery C. Chancelery D. Chancellary

13.A. Excessive B. Exccessive C. Exxcesive D. Excesive

14. A. Indipensable B.Indipenseble C. Indispansible D. Indispensable

15. A. Humorous B. Ganerous C. Pupolous D. Maretorious

16. A. Itinarery B.Itinerary C. Itenary D. Itinarary

 26 | P a g e

17. A. Survaillance B. Surveillance C. Survellance D.Surveilance

18. A. Sepulchral B.Sepilchrle C. Sepalchrul D. Sepalchrl

19. A. Acommodation B. Accomodaton C. Accommodation D. Acomodation

20. A. Faithfuly B. Sincerely C. Truely D. Affectionatly

21. A. Klaptomania B. Klepptomania C. Kleptemania D. Kleptomania

22. A. Schedulle B. Schedeule C. Schdule D.Schedule

23. A. Skillful B. Skillfull C. Skilful D. Skilpull

24. A. Judicious B. Cancious C. Dilicous D. Gracous

25.A.Gaurantee B. Guarantee C. Garuntee D.Guaruntee

26. A. Friming B. Burnning C. Running D. Fryng

27. A. Dammage B. Damaige C. Dammege D. Damage

28. A. Accomplish B. Acomplush C. Ackmplesh D. Accompalish

29. A. Puerrile B. Puerrille C. Purrile D. Puerile

30. A. Satelite B. Sattelite C. Satellite D. Sattellite

 27 | P a g e

3.Synonyms and Antonyms

Synonym is a word or expression that has the same or almost the same meaning as another word.

Example: Contentment / Satisfaction

Happy / Joyful

Travel / take a trip

Counsel / advice

Antonym is a word or expression that means opposite of another word

Example: Strong / Weak

Rural / Urban

Obedience / Disobedience

Understand / Misunderstand

Importance:

Knowledge of Synonyms and Antonyms adds the following aspects to one’s communication (both spoken and
written):

1. Clarity: An in-depth knowledge of Synonyms and Antonyms gives a speaker or writer the ability to think
clearly and develop content or material. He or she will be able to think from many angles and make commu-
nication very clear.

2. Variety: It is the ability to use different words to maintain interest of the listener or reader and avoid monot-
ony. It gives an authority to a person on the communication and a capability to place right words at the right
place.

Read the following two paragraphs to understand the importance of variety

The man looked out of the window, saw a few children playing happily and said “what a beautiful day it is! I
wish I could go back to my childhood days and play like them”

The man glanced through the window, spotted a few children enjoying the day in a playful manner and ex-
claimed “Wow! It is a wonderful day indeed! How I wish I could be a child once again and play joyfully”

3. Understand subtle differences: A set of words which belong to the same area or subject may seem to mean
the same but have subtle differences. The differences need to be understood for correct and effective com-
munication:

Examples: Salary, Remuneration, Fees

Study, Read

Large, Big, Small, Little

 28 | P a g e

Listen, Hear

Tell, Say

Buy, Purchase

4. Understand the Context: Meaning of a word can change as per the context.

He was deeply buried in thoughts

He was buried in a cemetery

He was in a state of shock after the accident.

He was given state honours.

Application in Interviews and Job:

1. In GDs and Interviews: Synonyms and antonyms can be applied to great effect in transforming
thoughts into words, sentences and speak with clarity. The variety so obtained generates interest in the
listener (s) which results in gaining success in GDs and Interviews.

2. In Job: Writing emails, sending business proposals, discussions within the team and with the clients
requires an ability to communicate effectively. It may at times call for the same ideas to be put differ-
ently and a sound knowledge of synonyms and antonyms will give additional advantage to a person in
doing so.

Word Synonym Antonym

Abate moderate, decrease aggravate, supplement
Abject despicable, servile commendable, praiseworthy
Abjure forsake, renounce approve, sanction
Abortive vain, unproductive effectual productive
Absolve pardon, forgive compel, accuse
Accord agreement, harmony disagreement, discord
Acrimony harshness, bitterness courtesy, benevolence
Adamant stubborn, inflexible flexible, soft
Adherent follower, disciple rival, adversary
Adjunct joined, added separated, subtracted
Admonish counsel, reprove approve, applaud
Adversity misfortune, calamity prosperity, fortune
Alien foreigner, outsider native, resident
Allay pacify, soothe aggravate, excite
Alleviate abate, relieve aggravate, enhance
Allure entice, fascinate repulse, repel
Amplify enlarge, extend lessen, contract
Antipathy hostility, aversion admiration, fascination
Apathy unconcern, indifference concern, care
 29 | P a g e

Arraign charge, blame exculpate, pardon

Audacity boldness, arrogance mildness, cowardice
Authentic genuine, reliable fictitious, unreal
Awkward clumsy, rough clever, apt
Axiom maxim, truth absurdity, blunder
Baffle frustrate, perplex compose, facilitate
Barbarous uncivilized, savage cultured, humane
Benevolence humanity, generosity malevolence, inhumanity
Bewitching magical, fascinating repulsive, repugnant
Bleak dismal, gloomy bright pleasant
Brittle delicate, fragile tough, enduring
Bustle haste, flurry slowness, quiet
Calamity adversity, misfortune happiness, fortune
Callous obdurate, unfeeling compassionate, tender

Capable competent, able incompetent, inept

Captivate charm, fascinate disillusion, offend
Captivity imprisonment, confinement freedom, liberty
Cavity depth, depression elevation, projection
Cease terminate, desist begin, originate
Chaste virtuous, pure sullied, lustful
Chastise punish, admonish cheer, encourage
Compassion kindness, sympathy cruelty, barbarity
Comprise include, contain reject, lack
Concede yield, permit deny, reject
Concur approve, agree differ, disagree
Consent agree, permit object, disagree
Consequence effect, outcome origin, start
Consolidate solidify, strengthen separate, weaken
Conspicuous prominent, obvious concealed, hidden
Contempt scorn, disregard regard, praise
Contradict deny, oppose approve, confirm
Contrary dissimilar, conflicting similar, alike
Dainty elegant, delicate clumsy, coarse
Decay collapse, decompose flourish, progress
Deceit deception, artifice veracity, sincerity
Decipher interpret, reveal misinterpret, distort
Dedicate devote, consecrate refuse, negate
Defer prolong, suspend accelerate, expedite
Defile contaminate, pollute purify, sanctity
Defray spend, pay disclaim, repudiate
Deliberate cautious, intentional rash, sudden
Delicious palatable, tasteful distasteful, unsavoury
 30 | P a g e

Demolish ruin, devastate repair, construct

Deprive despoil, divest restore, renew
Deride mock, taunt inspire, encourage
Despicable worthless, shameless worthy, decent

Eccentric strange, abnormal natural, conventional

Ecstasy delight, exultation despair, calamity, depression
Efface destroy, obliterate retain, maintain
Elevate dignify, heighten deprecate, denounce
Eliminate expel, oust restore, accept
Eloquence expression, fluency halting, stammering
Encumbrance hindrance, obstacle incentive, stimulant
Endeavour undertake, aspire cease, quit
Enormous colossal, mammoth diminutive, negligible
Epitome precise, example increment, expansion
Equivocal uncertain, hazy obvious, lucid
Eradicate destroy, exterminate secure, plant
Esteem respect, regard ridicule, spurn
Eternal perpetual, endless temporary, momentary
Evade avoid, elude acknowledge, confront
Evident obvious, apparent obscure, concealed
Fabricate construct, produce destroy, dismantle
Fallacy delusion, mistake veracity, truth
Falter stumble, demur persist, endure
Fanatical narrow-minded, biased liberal, tolerant
Fantastic fanciful, uncommon ordinary, normal
Feeble weak, frail strong, robust
Ferocious cruel, fierce gentle, sympathetic
Feud strife, quarrel fraternity, harmony
Fleeting transient, temporary enduring, eternal
Flimsy trifling, transparent firm, tenacious
Fluctuate deflect, vacillate stabilise, resolve
Forsake desert, renounce hold maintain
Fragile weak, infirm enduring, tough
Frantic violent, agitated subdued, gentle
Frivolous petty, worthless solemn, significant
Frugality economy, providence lavishness, extravagance
Gloom obscurity, darkness delight, mirth
Glut stuff, satiate starve, abstain
Gorgeous magnificent,dazzling dull, unpretentious
Gracious courteous,beneficent rude, unforgiving
Grisly disgusting,atrocious pleasing, attractive
Grudge hatred, aversion benevolence, affection
 31 | P a g e

Hamper retard, prevent promote, facilitate

Haphazard random, unsorted considered, arranged

Harass irritate, molest assist, comfort

Hazard Peril, danger conviction, security

Heretic non-conformist,secularist conformable, religious
Hideous frightful,shocking attractive, alluring
Hypocrisy deception,affectation sincerity, honesty
Immaculate unsullied,spotless defiled, tarnished
Immense huge, enormous puny, insignificant
Immerse submerge, involve emerge, uncover
Imminent impending, brewing distant, receding
Immunity prerogative,privilege blame, censure
Impair diminish,deteriorate restore, revive
Impartial just, unbiased prejudiced, biased
Impediment hurdle,obstruction assistance, concurrence
Impious irreligious,unholy pious, devout
Impute attribute, ascribe exculpate, support
Inclination disposition,affection disinclination, indifference
Incompetent inefficient,unskilled dexterous, skilled
Incongruous inappropriate,absurd compatible, harmonious
Inevitable unavoidable,ascertained unlikely, doubtful
Infringe violate, encroach comply, concur
Ingenuous undisguised, naive wily, crafty
Insinuate allude, hint conceal, camouflage
Insipid tasteless, vapid delicious, luscious
Insolvent indigent,destitute wealthy, solvent
Instil inculcate, inject eradicate, extract
Intricate tangled,complicated regulated, orderly
Intrigue scheme, conspiracy candour, sincerity
Intrinsic genuine,fundamental extraneous, incidental
Invective accusation,censure approval, acclamation
Invincible unconquerable,impregnable effeminate, languid
Irrepressible irresistible,unconfined composed, hesitant
Jaded tired, exhausted renewed, recreated

Jovial frolicsome,cheerful solemn, morose

Jubilant rejoicing,triumphant melancholy, depressing
Judicious thoughtful,prudent irrational, foolish
Just honest, impartial unequal, unfair
Justify defend, exculpate impute, arraign
 32 | P a g e

Juvenile young, tender dotage, antiquated

Keen sharp, poignant vapid, insipid
Kindred relation, species unrelated, dissimilar
Knave dishonest,scoundrel paragon, innocent
Knell death knell, last blow reconstruction, rediscovery
Knotty complicated difficult simple, manageable
Lavish abundant,excessive scarce, deficient
Lax slack, careless firm, reliable
Lenient compassionate,merciful cruel, severe
Liable accountable, bound unaccountable, apt to
Liberal magnanimous,generous stingy, malicious
Linger loiter, prolong hasten, quicken
Listless indifferent,inattentive brisk, attentive
Lucid sound, rational obscure, hidden
Lunacy delusion, insanity normalcy, sanity
Lure attract, entice repel, dissuade
Luscious palatable,delicious unsavoury, tart
Luxuriant profuse, abundant scanty, meagre
Minute diminutive,miniature large, colossal
Miraculous marvellous,extraordinary ordinary, trivial
Mitigate alleviate, relieve augment, enhance
Modest humble, courteous arrogant, pompous
Molest harass, tease console, soothe
Mollify appease, assuage irritate, infuriate
Momentous notable, eventful trivial, insignificant
Monotonous irksome, tedious varied, pleasant
Munificent liberal,hospitable frugal, penurious
Murky dusky, dreary bright shining
Mutinous recalcitrant,insurgent submissive, faithful
Mutual joint, identical separate, distinct
Negligent inattentive,careless vigilant, careful
Niggardly miser, covetous generous, profuse
Nimble prompt, brisk sluggish, languid
Nonchalant indifferent,negligent attentive, considerate
Novice tyro, beginner veteran, ingenious
Noxious baneful, injurious healing, profitable
Nullify cancel, annual confirm, uphold
Numerous profuse, various scarce, deficient
Obstruct impede, prevent hasten, encourage
Obvious evident, apparent obscure, ambiguous
Occult latent, ambiguous intelligible, transparent
Odious malevolent,obnoxious engaging, fascinating
Offensive abhorrent,arrogant docile, compliant
 33 | P a g e

Offspring sibling, descendant ancestor, forefather

Opaque obscure, shady transparent, bright
Oracular cryptic, vague lucid, distinct
Ordain order, impose revoke, abolish
Ornamental decorative,adorned unseemly, plain
Outbreak eruption,insurrection compliance, subjection
Outrage offence,maltreatment praise, favour
Overwhelm triumph, subjugate flounder, falter
Pamper flatter, indulge deny, disparage
Paramount foremost, eminent trivial, inferior
Peerless matchless,unrivalled mediocre, commonplace
Peevish perverse, sullen suave, amiable
Pertness flippancy,impudence modesty, diffidence
Perverse petulant,obstinate complacent, docile
Placid tranquil, calm turbulent, hostile
Pompous haughty, arrogant unpretentious, humble
Precarious doubtful, insecure assured, undeniable
Predicament plight, dilemma resolution, confidence
Premature precocious,untimely belated, opportune
Prodigious vast, enormous unimpressive, diminutive
Prodigy miracle, marvel normal, average
Profligate dissolute,degenerate virtuous, upright
Profuse lavish, abundant scarce, scantly
Proscribe prohibit, exclude solicit, include
Protract prolong, delay abbreviate, curtail
Provoke inflame, incite pacify, comfort
Prudent cautious, discreet impetuous, unwise
Quack impostor, deceiver upright, unfeigned
Quaint queer, strange familiar, usual
Quarantine seclude, screen befriend, socialize
Quell subdue, reduce exacerbate, agitate
Questionable dubious,disputable reliable, authentic
Quibble equivocate,prevaricate unfeign, plain
Ratify consent, approve deny, dissent
Ravage destroy, ruin reconstruct, renovate
Redeem recover, liberate conserve, lose
Remnant residue, piece entire, whole
Remonstrate censure, protest agree, laud
Remorse regret, penitence ruthlessness, obduracy
Remote inaccessible,farther adjoining, adjacent
Rescind annul, abrogate delegate, permit
Resentment displeasure, wrath content, cheer
Retract recant, withdraw confirm, assert
 34 | P a g e

Reverence respect, esteem disrespect, affront

Rout vanquish,overthrow succumb, withdraw
Rustic rural uncivilised cultured, refined
Ruthless remorseless,inhumane compassionate, lenient
Sarcastic ironical, derisive courteous, gracious
Saucy impudent, insolent modest, humble
Scanty scarce,insufficient lavish, multitude
Shabby miserable,impoverished prosperous, thriving
Shrewd cunning, crafty simple, imbecile
Slander defame, malign applaud, approve
Sneer mock, scorn flatter, praise
Solicit entreat, implore protest, oppose
Sporadic intermittent,scattered incessant, frequent
Squalid dirty, filthy tidy, attractive
Stain blemish, tarnish honour, purify
Stupor lethargy,unconsciousness sensibility, consciousness
Subsequent consequent,following Preceding, Previous
Substantial considerable,solid tenuous, fragile
Subvert demolish, sabotage generate, organise
Superficial partial, shallow profound, discerning
Sycophant parasite,flatterer devoted, loyal
Taboo prohibit, ban permit, consent

Tedious wearisome, irksome exhilarating, lively

Temperate cool, moderate boisterous, violent
Throng assembly, crowd dispersion, sparsity
Timid diffident, coward bold, intrepid
Tranquil peaceful, composed violent, furious
Transient temporal,transitory lasting, enduring

Trivial trifling,insignificant significant veteran

Tumultuous violent, riotous peaceful, harmonious
Tyro beginner, learner proficient, veteran

Uncouth awkward,ungraceful elegant, graceful

Usurp seize, wrest restore, compensate
Utterly completely,entirely deficiently, incompletely
Vagrant wanderer, roaming steady, settled
Valid genuine, authentic fallacious, deceptive
Valour bravery, prowess fear, cowardice
Vanity conceit,pretension modesty, humility
Venerable esteemed, honoured unworthy, immature
Venom poison,malevolence antidote, benevolent
 35 | P a g e

Veteran ingenious,experienced novice, tyro

Vicious corrupt, obnoxious noble, virtuous
Vigilant cautious, alert careless, negligent
Volatile light, changing heavy, ponderous
Vouch confirm, consent repudiate, prohibit
Vulgar inelegant,offensive elegant, civil
Waive relinquish, remove impose, clamp
Wan pale, faded bright, healthy
Wane decline, dwindle ameliorate, rise
Wary cautious,cirumspect heedless, negligent
Wed marry, combine divorce, separate
Wicked vicious, immoral virtuous, noble
Wield use, employ forgo, avoid
Wilt wither, perish revive, bloom
Yearn languish, crave content, satisfy
Yell shout, shriek whisper, muted
Yield surrender,abdicate resist, protest
Yoke connect, harness liberate, release
Zeal eagerness, fervour apathy, lethargy
Zenith summit, apex nadir, base
Zest delight,enthusiasm disgust, passive
Zig-zag oblique, wayward straight, unbent

Assessment
Q. Tick the synonym (s) that matches / match the word(s) given in bold:

1. Contemporary

A. Modern B. Fashionable C. Trendy D. Ancient

2. Simulate

A. Replicate B. Condition C. Create D. Act

3. Why are you so upbeat?

A. Battered B. Beaten C. Cheerful D. Sad

4. Given a chance I can project my ideas very well.

A. Task B. Articulate C. Express D. Mission

5. Can you forge these people into a team?

A. Copy B. Fake C. Build D. Create

 36 | P a g e

Q. Tick the antonym (s) that matches / match the word(s) given in italics:

1. He was riding on the pinnacle of his success.

A. Base B. Summit C. Bottom D. Peak

2. It is a preposterous idea.

A. Sensible B. Absurd C. Wise D. Ridiculous

3. He is a thrifty man.

A. Spendthrift B. Lavish C. Frugal D. Careful

4. The river becomes tranquil near the mountain.

A. Turbulent B. Peaceful C. Rough D. Calm

5. It is a matter of individual discretion.

A. Carelessness B. Tactfulness C. Caution D. Unsoundness

Q. Please rewrite the paragraph given below using synonyms of the words marked in bold letters to bring
out the same meaning as it has been written.

The present day world is often referred to as a global village. It has all the characteristics that make a village
but on a large scale. The media and communication explosion have immensely contributed to bring the world
together as never before. The Social Media Network which is very popular among the old and young alike has
enhanced social and cultural awareness and population across geographical boundaries of the world feel as one
community. The world indeed has become a global village.
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Q. Please rewrite the paragraph given below using antonyms of the words marked in bold letters with an
aim to change its meaning to opposite of what has been written.

The sky was overcast and I was weary to venture out of the cozy comfort of my home. I am fond of being
indoors and adore four walls of my house. The vast expanse of the blue sky is an alien to me. I looked out of
the window and was aghast by what I saw. There were a lot of people enjoying the weather and I thought them
to be weird.
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4. Homonyms, Homophones and Homographs

Homonyms are two words that have similar spelling and sound, but have different meanings. The word
"homonym" comes from the prefix "homo," which means the same, and the suffix "-nym," which means
name.
Example: Pole and Pole

The first Pole refers to a citizen of Poland who could either be referred to as Polish or a Pole. The second Pole
refers to a bamboo pole or any other wooden pole.

Homophones, Homographs and Homonyms: What's the Difference?

These three terms are often confused, thanks to their identical prefixes. It's the suffix that makes all the differ-
ence in this case, though. Let's take a closer look:

Homophones

Homophones have the same sound but different meaning, and they are often spelled differently. For example,
consider the word "plate" and "plait." A plate is a dish for eating, but a plait is a special knot or twist, usually
indicating something braided, like hair or rope.
Other examples:

 mat/matte

 two/too

Homographs

Homographs are words that are spelled the same, as indicated by the suffix "-graph," which means writing.
Homographs have the same spelling but different meanings. For example, the words "tear" and "tear." Tear can
mean drops of water from the eyes; on the other hand, it can mean to rip paper into pieces. Either way, the
spelling is the same.

Other examples:

 bow (to bend at the waist)/bow (a piece of archery equipment)

 entrance (to hold one's attention)/entrance (a doorway)

More Examples of Homonyms

Here are a few more examples of homonym pairs:

o Address (to speak to)/address (location)

o Band (a musical group)/band (a ring)

o Bark (a tree's out layer)/bark (the sound a dog makes)

o Current (up to date)/current (flow of water)

 39 | P a g e

o Die (to cease living)/die (a cube marked with numbers one through six)

o Pound (unit of weight)/pound (to beat)

o Ream (a pile of paper)/ream (to juice a citrus fruit)

o Rose (to have gotten up)/rose (a flower)

o Spring (a season)/spring (coiled metal)

o Tire (to grow fatigued)/tire (part of a wheel)

o Bail - to clear out water / to release a prisoner

o Beat - to overcome something / to feel exhausted

o Capital - the chief city of a state / a crime punishable by death

o Grave - something very serious / a place to bury the dead

o Hide - to keep something secret / the skin of an animal

o Iron - to press or smooth / silvery-gray metal

o Jade - a hard, green stone / a hardened or bad-tempered woman

o Objective - not being influenced by prejudice / the lens of a microscope or camera

o Refrain - to stop oneself from doing something / a repeated line in music or poetry

Homonyms, Homophones, and Homographs

Below is a listing of some the most common homonyms, homophones, and homographs. The first column con-
tains homonyms in alphabetical order, while the second and third columns list the corresponding homonym,
homophone, or homograph as applicable.

accept - take in except - other than

ad - advertisement
advice - guidance
aid - assist, assistance
ail - to suffer poor health
air - atmosphere
aisle - a passage
allusion - an indirect refer-
ence
altar - table in a church
ate - past tense of eat
bail - to clear water
band - a ring, something that
binds
bare - uncovered
bases - starting points
beat - to strike, overcome
blew - past tense of blow
bread - baked food item
buy - purchase
add - join, combine
advise - recommend
aide - one who gives assistance
ale - a beverage
ere - before heir - one who inherits property
I'll - contraction of I will isle – island
illusion - false appearance
alter - to change
eight - the number 8
bail - release of a prisoner bale - a large bundle
band - a group banned – prohibited
bear - large animal bear - support, yield
bases - four stations on a baseball field basis - a basic principle
beat - exhausted beet - a plant with red roots
blue - the colour
bred - produced
by - near, through bye – goodbye

capital - punishable by death
ceiling - top of a room
cell - compartment
cent - penny coin
cereal - breakfast food
chews - gnaws with teeth
Chile- country in South
America
chord - musical tone
cite - quote
close - opposite of open
coarse - rough
complement – enhance; go
together
conduct - behaviour
council - committee
creak - squeak
crews - gangs
days - plural of day
dear - darling
desert - to abandon
dew - morning mist
die - cease to exist
discreet - tactful
doe - female dear
dual - double
elicit - draw out
eminent - distinguished
ewe - female sheep
eye - sight organ
facts - true things
fair - equal
fairy - elflike creature with ferry - boat
wings
faze - impact
feat - achievement
find - to discover
fir - type of tree
flea - small biting insect
flew - did fly
flour - powdery, ground up flower - blooming plant
grain
for - on behalf of
forth - onward
foreword - introduction to a forward - advancing
book
gene - a chromosome
gorilla - big ape
grease - fat
groan - moan
hair - head covering
hall - passageway
halve - cut in two parts
40 | P a g e
capital - chief city capitol - building where legisla-
ture meets
sealing - setting, fastening
sell - vend
scent - an odour sent - past tense of send
serial - sequential
choose - to select
chili - bean stew chilly – frosty
cord - rope
site - location sight – view
clothes - clothing
course - path, procedure
compliment - praise
conduct - to lead
counsel - guidance
creek - stream of water
cruise - ride on a boat
daze - stun
deer- woodland animal
desert - dry land dessert - after-dinner treat
do - operate due - payable
dye - colour
discrete - distinct
dough - uncooked bread
duel - battle
illicit - illegal
imminent - soon
you - second-person personal pronoun
I - first-person personal pronoun
fax - a document transmitted via tele-
phone
fare - price
phase - stage
feet - plural of foot
fined - charged a penalty
fur - animal hair
flee - run
flu - illness
fore - front four - three plus one
fourth - number four
jean - fabric; pants
guerrilla - warrior
Greece - country in Europe
grown - form of grow
hare - rabbit-like animal
haul - tow
have - possess
 41 | P a g e

hay - animal food hey - interjection to get attention

heal - mend heel - back of foot
hear - to listen here - at this place
hi - hello high - up far
hoarse - croaky horse - riding animal
hole - opening whole - entire
holey - full of holes holy - divine wholly - entirely
hoarse - rough voice horse - animal
hour - sixty minutes our - belonging to us
knead - massage need - desire
knew - did know new - not old
knight - feudal horseman night - evening
knot - tied rope not - negative
know - have knowledge no - opposite of yes
lead - metal led - was the leader
leased - past tense of lease least - the minimum
lessen - make smaller lesson - class
loan - lend lone - solitary
made - did make maid - servant
mail - postage male - opposite of female
marry - to wed merry - very happy
meat - animal protein meet - encounter
mince - to chop finely mints - type of sweet
morning - a.m. mourning - remember the dead
none - not any nun - woman who takes special vows
oar - boat paddle or - otherwise ore - mineral
oh - expression of surprise or owe - be obligated
awe
one - single won - did win
overdo - do too much overdue - past due date
pail - bucket pale - not bright
pain - hurt pane - window glass
peace - calm piece - segment
peak – highest point peek - glance
patience - being willing to patients - person treated in a hospital or
wait by a doctor
pear - a type of fruit pair - two (usually matching)
plain - ordinary plane - flight machine plane; flat surface
pole - post poll - survey
poor - not rich pour - make flow
pray - implore God prey - quarry
principal - most important principle - belief
rain – water from sky rein - bridle
rap - tap wrap - drape around
read - past tense of the verb red - colour
to read
real - factual reel - roll
right - correct; not left write - scribble
ring - encircle wring - squeeze
road - street rode - past tense of ride
role - function roll - rotate
rose - flower rows - lines
sail - move by wind power sale - bargain price
scene - landscape seen - viewed
sea - ocean segment see - observe with eyes
 42 | P a g e

seam - joining edge seem - appear

sew - connect with thread so - as a result sow - plant
soar - ascend sore - hurt place
sole - single soul - essence
son - male child sun - the star that lights the solar system
some - a few sum - amount
stair - step stare - to look at steadily
steal - swipe steel - alloy
suite - large room in a hotel
sweet - the opposite of sour
tail - animal’s appendage tale - story
their - belonging to them there - at that place they’re - they are
threw - past tense of throw through - passing from one place to an-
other
to - toward too - also two - the number 2
toe - foot appendage tow - pull along
vary - differ very - wail - howl
wail - howl whale - huge sea mammal
waist - area below ribs waste - squander
wait – kill time weight - measurable load
war - battle wore - did wear
warn - caution worn - used
way - path weigh - measure mass
we - us wee - tiny
weak - not strong week - seven days
wear - to don attire where - question word
weather - climate whether - if
which - that witch - sorcerer
wood - material coming from would - conditional auxiliary
trees
your - belonging to you you’re - you are

Assessment
Practice Using Homonyms, Homophones, and Homographs

Complete each of the following sentences by filling in the blank with the correct word. To heighten interest, all
of the sentences are quotes from various authors' writings in books and magazine articles published over the
years.

1. “He simply sat down on the ledge and forgot everything _____ [accept or except] the marvellous mys-
tery.”
2. "I live in the Oakland Hills in a tiny house on a street so windy you can’t drive more than ten miles per
hour. I rented it because the _____ [ad or add] said this: 'Small house in the trees with a garden and a
fireplace. Dogs welcome, of course.'"
3. "Francis wondered what _____ [advice or advise] a psychiatrist would have for him."
4. "The _____ [aid or aide] gets out of the way, picking her skirt out of the rubble of children at her feet."
5. "He seemed to want to recapture the cosseted feeling he'd had when he'd been sick as a child and she
would serve him flat ginger _____ [ail or ale], and toast soaked in cream, and play endless card games
with him, using his blanket-covered legs as a table."
6. "He sat down and leaned forward, pulling the chair's rear legs into the _____ [air, ere, or heir] so that
the waitress could get by."
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"[T]he stewardess was moving down the _____ [aisle, I'll, or isle], like a trained nurse taking temper-
atures in a hospital ward, to see that they were all properly strapped in for the take-off."
7. "Mrs. Parmenter laughed at his _____ [allusion or illusion] to their summer at Mrs. Starrett’s, in Rome,
and gave him her coat to hold."
8. "In the long years between, she had fashioned many fine dresses—gowned gay girls for their conquests
and robed fair brides for the _____ [altar or alter]."
9. "On a Saturday morning soon after he came to live with her, he turned over her garbage while she was
at the grocery store and _____ [ate or eight] rancid bacon drippings out of a small Crisco can."
10. "The barn was bigger than a church, and the fall's fresh hay _____ [bails or bales] were stacked to the
roof in the side mows.:
11. "Her two spare dresses were gone, her comb was gone, her checked coat was gone, and so was the
mauve hair-_____ [band or banned] with a mauve bow that had been her hat."
12. "Without the shelter of those trees, there is a great exposure—back yards, clotheslines, woodpiles,
patchy sheds and barns and privies—all _____ [bare or bear], exposed, provisional looking."
13. "This was the time when outfields were larger than they are today and well-hit balls would roll for a
long time, giving runners ample time to round the _____ [bases or basis] for a home run."
14. "The conductor had his knotted signal cord to pull, and the motorman _____ [beat or beet] the foot
gong with his mad heel."
15. "Nancy held the cup to her mouth and _____ [blew or blue] into the cup."

Choose the correct word to complete the sentence.

1. My friend has brown hair/hairs - _________

2. My birthday is on the 14th of/off April - _________

3. I have nothing to were/wear to the party - _________

4. My house is over there/their - _________

5. I won the first place/plaice in the competition - _________

6. Can I borrow/lend your bike tonight? - _________

7. My blazer is bit loose/lose. I need to get it altered - _________

8. I was disappointed/ dissapointed when you didn’t come to my birthday party. - _________

9. I have applied for a new mortgage/morgage - _________

10. I have an appointment/apointment with the doctor. - _________

11. I have a surprise/suprise for you. - _________

12. Please excuse/ecsuse me for coming late. - _________

13. Bookmark sells books, stationory /stationary and pendrives. - _________

14. The notise/notice says that this is a no smoking area. - _________

15. Himalayan mountains are very beautyfull/beautiful - _________

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5.Collocations

Vocabulary plays a very important role in effective communication. Collocations in English language refer to
a natural affiliation of words that are closely related to each other. The relation may be one which has been
accepted due to continuous usage through the ages or the combination has been tried and proved to be the best.
For example we say “super-fast train” and not “super quick train”.

Collocations help in conveying the meaning precisely and avoid repetitive usage of words like ‘very’ , ‘nice’ ,
‘beautiful’ and so on with our common communication.

In the context of career, knowledge and usage of correct collocations aids in conveying ideas clearly and effec-
tively. Collocations can express actions, emotions and ideas and are used in both formal and informal commu-
nication.

Types: There are six types of collocations which are formed by combining different parts of speech.

1. Adjective + Noun
2. Noun + Verb
3. Noun + Noun
4. Verb + expression with Preposition
5. Verb + Adverb
6. Adverb + Adjective
7. Verb + Noun

Examples

1. Adjective + Noun
o He was ordered to take regular exercise.
o The soldiers were put through a strict regimen
o It was his maiden venture.

2. Noun + Verb
o I always revise my lessons before examinations
o He makes tea before he goes for a walk.
o She went walking in the scorching Sun.

3. Noun + Noun
o She is adept at household chores.
o Let us give him a round of applause.
o I bought a bar of soap.

4. Verb + expression with Preposition

o The route was fraught with danger.
o Her eyes filled with tears on seeing the injured man.
o He was running out of ideas.
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5. Verb + Adverb
o He placed his hand gently on his son’s shoulder.
o The children laughed uncontrollably on seeing the monkeys jump.
o The king uttered angrily.

6. Adverb + Adjective
o The marriage hall was aesthetically decorated.
o The student is ingeniously clever
o The plan is remarkably ingenious.

7. Verb + Noun
o His ideas were running wild.
o He mows the lawn very well.
o Baking a cake is a skill.

Have do make
have a bath do business make a difference
have a drink do nothing make a mess
have a good time do someone a favour make a mistake
have a haircut do the cooking make a noise
have a holiday do the housework make an effort
have a problem do the shopping make furniture
have a relationship do the washing up make money
have a rest do your best make progress
have lunch do your hair make room
have sympathy do your homework make trouble
Take break catch
take a break break a habit catch a ball
take a chance break a leg catch a bus
take a look break a promise catch a chill
take a rest break a record catch a cold
take a seat break a window catch a thief
take a taxi break someone's heart catch fire
take an exam break the ice catch sight of
take notes break the law catch someone's attention
take someone's place break the news to someone catch someone's eye
take someone's temperature break the rules catch the flu
take advantage
take advice
take (something) apart
take back
take the blame
take a break
 46 | P a g e

take care
take care of
take a chance
take a course (lessons)
take it easy
take effect
take an injection
take into consideration
take it as ...
take it or leave it
take lessons
take liberties
take a look (at)
take medicine
take a nap
take notes
take off
take (something) off
take the opportunity
take over
take part
take personal offense
take place
take pride
take a poll
take the responsibility
take a rest
take a shower
take steps
take a taxi (bus, plane)
take the temperature
take a test
It takes time
take one's time
take a trip
take up something
take a walk
take your time
Pay save keep
pay a fine save electricity keep a diary
pay attention save energy keep a promise
pay by credit card save money keep a secret
pay cash save one's strength keep an appointment
 47 | P a g e

pay interest save someone a seat keep calm

pay someone a compliment save someone's life keep control
pay someone a visit save something to a disk keep in touch
pay the bill save space keep quiet
pay the price save time keep someone's place
pay your respects save yourself the trouble keep the change
Come go Get
come close go abroad get a job
come complete with go astray get a shock
come direct go bad get angry
come early go bald get frightened
come first go bankrupt get home
come into view go blind get lost
come last go crazy get married
come late go dark get nowhere
come on time go deaf get permission
come prepared go fishing get pregnant
come right back go mad get ready
come second go missing get started
come to a compromise go on foot get the impression
come to a decision go online get the message
come to an agreement go out of business get upset
come to an end go overseas get wet
come to a standstill go quiet get worried
come to terms with go sailing
come to a total of go to war
come under attack go yellow

Miscellaneous collocations

Time Business English Classifiers

Bang on time Annual turnover A ball of string
Dead on time Bear in mind A bar of chocolate
Early 12th century Break off negotiations A bottle of water
Free time Cease trading A bunch of carrots
From dawn till dusk Chair a meeting A cube of sugar
Great deal of time Close a deal A pack of cards
Late 20th century Close a meeting A pad of paper
Make time for Come to the point
Next few days Dismiss an offer
Past few weeks Draw a conclusion
Right on time Draw your attention to
Run out of time Launch a new product
 48 | P a g e

Save time Lay off staff

Spare time Go bankrupt
Spend some time Go into partnership
Take your time Make a loss
Tell someone the time Make a profit
Time goes by Market forces
Time passes Sales figures
Waste time Take on staff

Collocations With The Word “BIG”

The word big is often used in collocations with a happening or event, for example:

 a big accomplishment

 a big decision

 a big disappointment

 a big failure

 a big improvement

 a big mistake

 a big surprise

Collocations With The Word “GREAT”

The word great is often used in collocations with feelings or qualities.

Great + feelings

 great admiration

 great anger

 great enjoyment

 great excitement

 great fun

 great happiness

 great joy

Great + qualities

 in great detail

 great power
 49 | P a g e

 great pride

 great sensitivity

 great skill

 great strength

 great understanding

 great wisdom

 great wealth

Collocations With The Word “LARGE”

The word large is often used in collocations involving numbers and measurements.

 a large amount

 a large collection

 a large number (of)

 a large population

 a large proportion

 a large quantity

 a large scale

Collocations With The Word “STRONG”

The word strong is often used in collocations with facts and opinions:

Strong + facts/opinions

 strong argument

 strong emphasis

 strong evidence

 a strong contrast

 a strong commitment

 strong criticism

 strong denial

 a strong feeling
 50 | P a g e

 a strong opinion (about something)

 strong resistance

Strong + senses

 a strong smell

 a strong taste

Collocations With The Word “DEEP”

The word deep is used in these expressions:

 in deep thought

 in deep trouble

 in a deep sleep (when the person won’t wake up easily)

Collocations With The Word “HEAVY”

Heavy is used for some weather conditions…

 heavy rain

 heavy snow

 heavy fog

The word heavy is also used for people with bad habits:

 a heavy smoker

 a heavy drug user

There’s also the expression “a heavy sleeper” – that’s not someone who sleeps a lot; instead, it’s a person who
doesn’t wake up easily when sleeping.

The word heavy is also used in collocations with two unpleasant things: TRAFFIC and TAXES!

 heavy traffic

 heavy taxes

Common Collocations with “Break”

 the news to someone

 someone's heart

 a promise

 a record

 the rule
 51 | P a g e

 a habit

 the ice

 the law

 a leg

 free

Common Collocations using “Catch”

o fire
o a bus
o a ball
o a cold
o a chill
o the flu
o a thief
o a glimpse
o some rays
o one's breath
o someone's eye
o sight of (something)
o someone's attention

Fill in the blanks with appropriate collocations:

1. He is the boss. He exerts absolute ______

2. I think we need to adopt a firm ______ in these negotiations.

3. I'm afraid I've developed a deep ______ to this topic.

4. He was presented with a Golden Globe, the highest ______ you can receive in our profession.

5. What we need to do is to raise consumer ______ of our product.

6. She has done well to get to her present job. She comes from a deprived ______ .

7. We need to maintain the delicate ______ between the need for quality and the need for quantity.

8. I think that this new development casts doubt on the ______ of this document. It may be a forgery.

9. He was elected in a secret ______ .

10. They have announced an immediate ______ on the import of British beef.
 52 | P a g e

o Some Advanced Collocations

o apologize profusely
arouse suspicion
attainable goal
avid golfer
boost someone’s confidence
breach of contract
break down barriers
bulk purchase
bubble burst
careful consideration
casual acquaintance
catch a glimpse
categorically deny
cause for concern
cautiously optimistic
chair a meeting
clearly defined
comparative advantage
compelling argument
constant companion
conventional wisdom
cool head
cordially invite
corrective measures
deep thought
deeply regret
delicate balance
detailed information
drop out of school
exercise caution
face the facts
fail miserably
fighting chance
file for bankruptcy
first-hand account
freely admit
fully appreciate
further discussion
gainfully employed
gently remind
great admiration
growing concern
harsh criticism
heartfelt apology
heated debate
hidden agenda
hold a grudge
humble beginnings
immediate impact
inclement weather
independently operated
irreparable damage
issue a statement
kindly provide
lengthy process
 53 | P a g e

light lunch
meaningful way
media coverage
meet criteria
menial job
mild winter
mildly surprised
mutual understanding
mutually beneficial
narrow margin
painful memory
parent company
pique someone’s interest
pleasantly surprised
power struggle
rough estimate
quick glance
root cause
run smoothly
run the risk
settle a dispute
shake someone’s confidence
shake someone’s head
sincerely hope
sound advice
sound judgement
steady income
stiff competition
strictly forbidden
straight answer
take out a loan
tangible results
technological advances
total shock
unsolicited advice
unsubstantiated claim
utter disbelief
vaguely familiar
voice someone’s opinion
vast majority
waive a fee
welcome change
wide awake
wise choice
wreak havoc
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6. One-word substitution

One word Substitution is one of the integral parts of vocabulary. It simply means that a sentence has to be
replaced with a single word.

For example: A hater of womankind – Misogynist

LIST OF ONE-WORD SUBSTITUTES

One who is out to subvert a government Anarchist

One who is recovering from illness Convalescent
One who is all powerful Omnipotent
One who is present everywhere Omnipresent
One who knows everything Omniscient
One who is easily deceived Gullible
One who does not make mistakes Infallible
One who can do anything for money Mercenary
One who has no money Pauper
One who changes sides Turncoat
One who works for free Volunteer
One who loves books Bibliophile
One who can speak two languages Bilingual
One who loves mankind Philanthropist
One who hates mankind Misanthrope
One who looks on the bright side of things Optimist
One who looks on the dark side of things Pessimist
One who doubts the existence of god Agnostic
One who pretends to be what he is not Hypocrite
One incapable of being tired Indefatigable
One who helps others Good Samaritan
One who copies from other writers Plagiarist
One who hates women Misogynist
One who knows many languages Polyglot
One who is fond of sensuous pleasures Epicure
One who thinks only of himself Egoist
One who thinks only of welfare of women Feminist
One who is indifferent to pleasure or pain Stoic
 55 | P a g e

One who is quite like a woman Effeminate

One who has strange habits Eccentric
One who speaks less Reticent
One who goes on foot Pedestrian
One who believes in fate Fatalist
One who always thinks himself to be ill Valetudinarian
A Government by the people Democracy
A Government by a king or queen Monarchy
A Government by the officials Bureaucracy
A Government by the rich Plutocracy
A Government by the few Oligarchy
A Government by the Nobles Aristocracy
A Government by one Autocracy
Rule by the mob Mobocracy
That through which light can pass Transparent
That through which light cannot pass Opaque
That through which light can partly pass Translucent
A sentence whose meaning is unclear Ambiguous
A place where orphans live Orphanage
That which cannot be described Indescribable
That which cannot be imitated Inimitable
That which cannot be avoided Inevitable
A position for which no salary is paid Honorary
That which cannot be defended Indefensible
Practice of having several wives Polygamy
Practice of having several husbands Polyandry
Practice of having one wife or husband Monogamy
Practice of having two wives or husbands Bigamy
That which is not likely to happen Improbable
People living at the same time Contemporaries
A book published after the death of its author Posthumous
A book written by an unknown author Anonymous
A life history written by oneself Autobiography
A life history written by somebody else Biography
People who work together Colleagues
 56 | P a g e

One who eats too much Glutton

That which cannot be satisfied Insatiable
One who questions everything Cynic
A flesh eating animal Carnivorous
A grass eating animal Herbivorous
One who lives in a foreign country Immigrant
To transfer one's authority to another Delegate
One who is a newcomer Neophyte
That which is lawful Legal
That which is against law Illegal
One who is unmarried Celibate
A game in which no one wins Draw
A study of man Anthropology
A study of races Ethnology
A study of the body Physiology
A study of animals Zoology
A study of birds Ornithology
A study of ancient things Archaeology
A study of derivation of words Etymology
Murder of a human being Homicide
Murder of a father Patricide
Murder of a mother Matricide
Murder of an brother Fratricide
Murder of an infant Infanticide
Murder of self Suicide
Murder of the king Regicide
To free somebody from all blame Exonerate
To write under a different name Pseudonym
A thing no longer in use Obsolete
A handwriting that cannot be read Illegible
. Words written on the tomb of a person Epitaph
One who is greedy for money Avaricious
Something that cannot be imitated Inimitable
One who doesn't know how to read and write Illiterate
A person's peculiar habit Idiosyncrasy
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An animal who preys on other animals Predator

Violating the sanctity of a church Sacrilege
One who can throw his voice Ventriloquist

Choose the option which describes the closest meaning for the expression given.

1. A speech made without preparation

Impromptu, improvisation, unprepared, extempore, None of these

2. Person sent on an official mission

Agent, delegate, herald, emissary, None of these

3. Existing forever, without any beginning or end

Ageless, Indefinite, Eternal, Never-Ending, None of these

4. One who is always trying to escape situations:

Rescuer, avoider, evader, escapist, None of these

5. Inability of a person to do without alcohol

Addiction, problem drinking, alcoholic, dipsomania, None of these

6. Something very hard or impossible to read

Crabbed, Illegible, Scrawled, Hieroglyphic, None of these

7. The act of killing human beings

Slayer, Homophobia, Assassin, Homicide, None of these

8. Something which is against the legal system

Prohibited, Unlicensed, Unauthorized, Illegal, None of these

9. Something that spreads through actual contact

Contagious, Jumping, Poisonous, Transmissible, None of these

10. Counterfeiting a document

Fabrication, imitation, sham, forgery, None of these

11. An expert of art and antiques

Appreciator, critic, connoisseur, arbiter, None of these

12. Inscription on a tomb:

Epigraph, epitaph, legent, commemoration, None of these

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13. One who leaves one's own country to settle elsewhere

Pilgrim, emigrant, refugee, expatriate, None of these

14. A man whose manners are more like a woman

Feminine, womanish, effeminate, epicene, None of these

15. A stereotyped expression

Cliché, proverb, idiom, buzzword, None of these

16. Of unknown authorship:

Pseudo, incognito, anonymous, unidentified, None of these

17. A substance in the blood tending to neutralize matter that is harmful

Antidote, Antibiotic, Antiseptic, Antibody, None of these

18. One who firmly believes in fate or destiny

Gratis, Dermatologist, Fatalist, Honorary, None of the above

19. That which cannot be corrected

Unintelligible, Indelible, Illegible, Incorrigible, None of the above

20. A hater of knowledge and learning:

Bibliophile, Philologist, Misogynist, Misologist, None of the above

21. One who abandons his religious faith

Apostate, prostate, profane, agnostic, None of the above

22. One who tends to take a hopeless view of life

Magnate, Creator, pacifist, optimist, None of these

23. The practice of having more than one husband

Polyandry, polygamy, bigamy, debauchery, None of these

24. Science of the races of mankind

Genealogy, Epistemology, Ethnology, Sociology, None of these

25. That which cannot be called back

Irresponsible, Irrevocable, Irredeemable, incalculable, None of these

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7.Idiomatic Expressions

An idiom in English language is a common word or phrase which has a meaning that differs from literal meaning
of the words used therein. For example when we say “Spilled the Beans”, the idiomatic expression is about
divulging a secret or information which was not intended to be so. However, the literal meaning is about beans
which spilled over from either a pot or jar.

Usage: Language is a tool of expression and idioms help in beautifying one’s expression. It is called figurative
speech and helps to communicate in a style which is both impressive and effective.

Application: Knowledge and usage of idioms will help students who aspire to succeed in Campus Placements
and Jobs in communicating effectively during the selection process and work place communication.

Examples of idioms and their meanings:

Idiom Meaning
Dig in one’s heels Stubbornly refuse to agree to something
Hit the roof Become extremely angry
Eat like a bird Eat very little
Dead on one’s feet Totally exhausted
Work the oracle To produce the desired result
Daggers drawn Ready to fight at any moment
Blow the whistle To report dishonest or illegal activities
The burning question A question that is of great interest to many people
A new departure A change, something completely different
Make the grade To do well as is required
Play a second fiddle To have a lower or less important position
Sink (our , their) differences To forget past animosities or disagreements and come
together
An olive branch A sign of desire for peace
Set one’s sights on (something) To try to get, achieve

Study Material
1. Acid Test:

Meaning - Acid test proves the effectiveness of something.

Example - I practiced hard at the dance sessions but the acid test will come when the master will assess our solo
performances.

2. Cut the ground from under feet :

Meaning - When you cut the ground from under someone's feet, you do something which weakens their position.

Example - When team India hit more than 350 runs in the ODI, they cut the ground from under the opponent's
feet.
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3. Deliver the goods -

Meaning - Do what is expected or promised.

Example - I have given my car to a new mechanic for repair, hope he delivers the goods.

4. Fine-tooth comb -

Meaning - Examining something carefully to not miss out any details.

Example - The boss examined my report with a fine tooth comb before submitting it to the senior management.

5. Explore all avenues

Meaning - Trying out every possibility to get a result.

Example - It is a difficult thing to do but if we really want it done, we must explore all avenues.

6 . Get ducks in a row -

Meaning - Getting your things well organized.

Example - To ensure a successful product launch, we must get our ducks in a row.

7. Keep your fingers on the pulse -

Meaning - Being constantly aware of the most recent developments.

Example - An entrepreneur must keep his fingers on the pulse of the market to be successful.

8. Think on your feet -

Meaning - Adjusting quickly to changes and making fast decisions.

Example - A good sales man must be able to think on his feet to close the deal.

9. Tricks of the trade :

Meaning - Clever or expert way of doing something.

Example - Being into the construction business for last 10 years, I know all tricks of the trade.

10. Work like a charm -

Meaning - Works very well or has the desired effect.

Example - I had cloves from my sore throat and they worked like a charm.

11. Back-room boys -

Meaning - People who perform important work but have no contact with the public.

Example - Our back room boys deserve an applause for the success of this advertisement.

12. Dead wood -

Meaning - People or things which are no longer useful or necessary.

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Example - The company bought in a lot of new computers. They no longer want the dead woods.

13. Get the axe -

Meaning - lose the job.

Example - The projects team was undergoing a major restructuring, recruitment executives were the first to get
the axe.

14. Plum job -

Meaning - Desirable position which is well-paid and considered relatively easy .

Example - This looks like a plum job but it has its own bunch of complications.

15. Golden handshake -

Meaning - Big sum of money given to a person when they leave a company or retire.

Example - The management of various PSUs wanted to cut down on the man power. They offered a golden
hand shake to many of their aged employees.

16. With bells on -

Meaning - When you are delighted and eager to go somewhere, you are said to go with bells on.

Example - The new year party at the beach is most awaited. I will be there - with bells on.

17. Get a grip on yourself -

Meaning - Controlling your feelings to deal with a situation.

Example - Reema saw her jwellery and cash missing from the almirah. After the initial shock, she got a grip on
herself and called up the police.

18. Hang on by fingernails -

Meaning - Continuing to do something in a very difficult situation.

Example - The market of watches has suffered a big loss after the arrival of mobile phones. The survivors are
just hanging on by their fingernails.

19. Pull out all the stops -

Meaning - Doing everything you can to make something successful.

Example - The deadline for the project is fast arriving; we have pulled out all the stops for timely completion.

20. Buckle down -

Meaning - Doing some hard work with determination and full attention.

Example - Getting through the exam for civil services is possible when you have buckled down yourself.
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21. Make headway -

Meaning - Progress in what you are trying to achieve.

Example - The police have made a headway with their investigation in the terror attack on the city last friday.

22. Sink your teeth into -

Meaning - doing something with a lot of energy and enthusiasm.

Example - Marie joined the badminton coaching classes. She sank her teeth into the practice sessions.

23. Stand one's ground -

Meaning - Maintaining your position.

Example - He stood his ground in support of his friend inspite of several family interferences.

24. Close to home -

Meaning - A comment which is true and makes you uncomfortable is close to home.

Example - Tom's comment about his friend's unethical activities was quite close to home. He looked quite
embarassed.

25. Carry the torch for -

Meaning - Having strong feelings for someone who can not be yours.

Example - He has been carrying a torch for Mamta, who is now married to Nitin, since they studied together in
college.

26. Fish out of water -

Meaning - Feeling uncomfortable in unfamiliar surroundings.

Example - Being a french, I felt like a fish out of water in the group of Japanese

27. Bee in one's bonnet -

Meaning - Carrying an idea which constantly occupies your thoughts.

Example - She is not happy in Africa. She has a bee in he bonnet about moving to Dubai.

28. Have your heart in the right place -

Meaning - Refers to a person with good intentions; even though the results are not that impressive.

Example - The dinner she had cooked wasn't the best but she had her heart in the right place.

29. Beard the lion in his den -

Meaning - Challenge someone in his own area.

Example - If he doesn't come to see me today, I'll have to beard the lion in his den.
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30. Keep a stiff upper lip -

Meaning - Refers to a person who doesn't show off his emotions.

Example - He heard the news about his father's demise but kept a stiff upper lip.

31. Go bananas -

Meaning - Refers to someone who behaves in a crazy way out of emotions.

Example - Your decision to go abroad for a year will make your family go bananas.

32. Hard as nails -

Meaning - Refers to a person without sentiments and sympathy for anyone.

Example - He has become as hard as a nail after his brother was brutally murdered.

33. Lick one's wounds -

Meaning - Trying to regain their confidence or boost up the spirits after a defeat.

Example - Raja is licking his wounds after being dropped from the Indian Cricket Team.

34. Proud as a peacock -

Meaning - Refers to an extremely proud person.

Example - His son is has finally become a doctor. He is as proud as a peacock.

35. Look on the bright side -

Meaning - View an unpleasant situation in a positive light.

Example - You met with an accident but look on the bright side - you managed to get away just with some
bruises.

36. Swallow one's pride -

Meaning - Accepting something humiliating or embarrassing.

Example - When his son was caught cheating in the exam. He had to swallow his pride and meet the principal.

37. Makes your flesh crawl -

Meaning - Something that makes you feel disgusting or nervous.

Example - The sight of the accident made my flesh crawl.

38. Blow up in face -

Meaning - Refers to a situation when a plan or project suddenly fails.

Example - It was difficult to get a place in the train to Mumbai. It blew up in the face when a train de-railed and
blocked the track.

39.Cake not worth the candle -

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Meaning - Refers to something in which result vs efforts are too less.

Example - He worked very hard to organize the party but very few guests walked in. The cake wasn't worth the
candle.

40. Cut one's own throat -

Meaning - Doing something that will cause your own failure.

Example - Raghav is not sincere in the class since the beginning. He is cutting his own throat.

41. Go up in smoke -

Meaning - Something that ends before getting a result.

Example - With a vigilant police force around the town, the plan of antisocial elements to cause chaos went up
in smoke.

42. Live on the breadline -

Meaning - Having very little income.

Example - The partition of the country has left many people on the breadline.

43. Make or break -

Meaning - Circumstances causing total success or total ruin.

Example - The huge investment in this big project with make or break him.

44. Rags to riches -

Meaning - Becoming very rich while starting very poor.

Example - His innovative ideas in business got him from rags to riches.

45. Miss the boat -

Meaning - Failing to take advantage of an opportunity because of slow actions.

Example - I managed to get a discount of 10% but could not get an early bird offer. Reaching late made me
miss the boat.

46. Sink or swim -

Meaning - fail or succeed.

Example - The test will decide if he sinks or swims.

47. Keep up appearances -

Meaning - Maintaining an outward show of prosperity or well-being while hiding your difficulties

Example - Keeping up the appearances was important for him to secure the new big projects.

48. Have the world by its tail -

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Meaning - Very successful person who can shoose from a lot of opportunities.

Example - Being the pioneers in the pharmaceutical industry, they are now having the world by its tail.

49. Live beyond means -

Meaning - Spending more money than you can afford.

Example - He has a habit of living beyond his means. Most of the times, you will find him borrowing the money
from his friends.

50. Live in an ivory tower -

Meaning - Living a lifestyle that saves you from the real world problems.

Example - Her inexperience in dealing with tough situations is because she has lived in an ivory tower

Assessment
Read the paragraph and write meanings of the idioms used in the table given below:

First Day in College

It was the first of the college and Ravi was on cloud nine. He got up from his bed in flash of a second and
suddenly was a bundle of nerves. However, he got ready, travelled to the college and felt like a fish out of water
upon entering the main gate. He was ushered into the seminar hall where many new comers were seated and
found that everyone was on edge. He looked around for a familiar face and found Mohan, his classmate of 12 th,
sat next to him and felt at home. They started talking in low voices when a voice on the mike said “good morning
and welcome to all”. The person who spoke seemed friendly and provided information about the college and
curriculum. It lasted for an hour and when it ended Ravi seemed to have come out of his shell. He along with
others was taken on a tour of the college and allowed some free time thereafter.

Idiom Meaning
On cloud nine
Bundle of nerves
Felt like a fish of water
On edge
Felt at home
Come out of shell

Write a paragraph of not less than 300 words about “The most Difficult Situation” in your life. Use the
idioms given below:

Take the bull by the horns

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Press the panic button

Put on my thinking cap

Kept my chin up

Came out with flying colours

Hit the nail on the head

Burn the midnight oil

Gave an account of

Write your answer to the questions in the space provided

1. You went into a store and looked at something interesting. The shopkeeper said “it is up for grabs”
What does it mean?

2. An elderly person you know counseled two people who were not on good terms to “bury the hatchet”
Did he tell them to continue in the same fashion?

3. You were selected in a company during campus placement but kept attending more interviews. Your
friend remarked you are on a “wild goose chase” Did he ask you to chase some fortune 500 companies?

4. The formula for my success is “Meet people half way” What is it?

5. You are “fit like a fiddle” said the doctor. Are you happy?
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8.Phrasal verbs

The concept of phrasal verbs is a rather simple one. A verb plus one or two participles, either an adverb or
preposition combined together to form a phrasal verb. Phrasal verbs are an essential part of English language
and they are important for you to know and understand. Phrasal verbs are commonly used at the office, in the
household and in everyday conversation.

Phrasal Verb Common Definition

Aim At To point a weapon at someone or something.

Ask For To request something.

Ask Out When you ask someone to go with you to a certain place or for a special occasion, to spend
time together and have fun. If one or both parties involved are interested in a romantic way,
then it is considered a date.

Back Down To withdraw your position in a fight, argument, plan, etc.

Back Off When you leave an emotional situation, or to allow someone to handle something alone.

Back Up To walk or drive a vehicle backwards.

Beat Up When someone punches, kicks, or hits someone repeatedly using fists or with an object.

Beef Up To make changes or an improvement.

Believe In To feel confident about something or someone.

Bite Off To use your teeth to bite a piece of something.

Blow Away When the wind moves an object or person from where it was.

Blow Off When the wind removes something from its place.

Blow Out To extinguish or make a flame stop burning.

Blow Up To make something explode.

Boil Down To To have determined or analysed the solution or reason for something.

Break Down When someone loses self-control and is emotionally and/or mentally agitated. This meaning
has a noun form for a situation where someone loses self-control.

Break In To enter a place illegally and with the use of force.

Break Off To remove a part of something with force.

Break Out To escape from a place, situation or way of life.

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Break To make a way through a barrier or a surface.

Through

Break Up To stop a fight.

Bring Back To return something you’ve borrowed.

Bring Over To bring someone or something from one place or area to another.

Bring Up To bring something from a lower level/place to a higher level/place.

Brush Off To remove something (dust particle, insect, etc) with your hand.

Brush Up To practice and review your knowledge or a skill that you haven’t used in a while.

Build In/Into To add a fixture or component to a certain area or place through construction.

Bump Into When you meet people by accident or unexpectedly.

Burn Down When someone uses fire to destroy a structure.

Burn Out When a candle stops burning because there is nothing left to burn.

Burn Up To destroy something with heat or fire.

Burst Out To suddenly do or say something.

Butt In To interrupt a conversation or activity.

Call Back To call someone again.

Call In To request that someone come and help.

Call Off To cancel an event that has been previously planned.

Call Up To be chosen to take part in a military mission.

Calm Down To become less violent, nervous, excited or angry.

Care For To nurture or take care of someone or something.

Carry Away To do something out of the ordinary due to strong emotions.

Carry On To continue doing something or to continue on in life despite an obstacle.

Carry Out To move something or someone from one place to another using your arms or an object.

Catch On To understand or realize something.

Catch Up To move faster to reach someone or something that is ahead of you.

Cheat On When you are emotionally and/or sexually unfaithful to your girlfriend/boyfriend or spouse.

Check In To register at a hotel or airport upon arrival.

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Check Out To leave a hotel or other form of an accommodation after your stay there.

Chicken Out To refrain from doing something because of fear.

Chop Up To cut something into pieces with a knife.

Clean Out To clean or clear the inside of something thoroughly.

Clear Out To remove things completely from an area or place.

Clear Up To do something to solve a problem or a misunderstanding.

Clog Up When something in a drain or valve prevents the flow of water or other liquids

Close Down When the activities or services of a business permanently end.

Close Off To block an entrance or pathway.

Come About When something happens or occurs.

Come Across The way other people perceive something or someone.

Come Apart When something breaks or separates piece by piece.

Come Back To return to a place.

Come Down To move from a higher to a lower position or from north to south.

Come Down When a situation is reduced to a certain outcome.

To

Come Down When you start to experience the symptoms of a disease or illness.
With

Come In When someone or something enters a place, building, or room.

Come Off When something is removed or breaks off from where it was originally attached to.

Come On To appear on television or be heard on the radio.

Come Out To leave a place.

Come Over To make a visit.

Come When someone or something expected arrives.

Through

Come Up When something appears or happens, either expected or unexpected.

Come Up When you think of a solution, idea, plan, or excuse.

With

Con Into To persuade someone to do something through lies and deception.

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Con Out Of To persuade someone to give or do something through lies and deception.

Cool Off To lose temperature.

Count On To rely on someone for support when you need it most.

Count Up To count all of something or people in a group.

Cover Up To use something to conceal something else.

Crack Down To take more action than usual against wrongdoing.

Cross Off To remove or delete someone or something from a list.

Cut Back When you spend less money on something.

Cut Down To do less of something or to use something in smaller amounts.

Cut Off To completely remove or separate a part of something by cutting it with something sharp
like a knife or a pair of scissors, etc.

Cut Out To remove something using a knife or a pair of scissors.

Cut Up When you use a knife or scissors to cut something into several pieces.

Deal With When you do everything, you must do to solve a problem or complete.

Do Away To dispose of something.

With

Do Over To do something again in order to improve or correct mistakes.

Do With To make a connection between two or more things.

Do Without To manage well without something or someone.

Doze Off To go to sleep unintentionally.

Dress Up To wear formal clothes, or a costume for a special occasion.

Drop In To visit someone unexpectedly or without making arrangements first.

Drop Off To gradually decline/become less.

Drop Out To quit a school program or training course.

Dry Off To dry something or a surface quickly.

Dry Out To remove water or other liquid from a container.

Dry Up When all the liquid and/or moisture evaporates.

Eat Up When someone consumes all their food.

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Empty Out To remove everyone or everything from a space.

End Up The end result of something planned or unplanned.

Fall Apart When something breaks all at once or piece by piece.

Fall Behind To move slower than others.

Fall Down To fall to the ground.

Fall For When you have an intense attraction to something or someone.

Fall Off When something drops to a lower level.

Fall Out To fall from or through something.

Fall Over When someone or something falls from an upright position to the ground.

Fall Through If things do not go as planned, or if a plan, deal or agreement fails.

Feel Up To When you have/don’t have the energy and confidence to do something.

Fight Back When you defend yourself/resist an attack or make an effort against an opponent in a com-
petition.

Figure On To expect or plan for something.

Fill In To add personal information in the blank spaces of an official document.

Fill Out To complete a form.

Fill Up To fill something completely.

Find Out To become aware of something or someone.

Fix Up To make plans or arrangements with someone or for others.

Flip Out To become very mad or lose control over your emotions.

Float Around When an object or a person is near, but you cannot pinpoint the exact location.

Follow Up To find out more about something or take further action in regard to it.

Fool Around To waste time doing unimportant or silly things.

Freak Out When someone becomes irrationally upset or angry, sometimes to the point of confusion.

Get Ahead To become successful in the professional environment or make consistent progress in life.

Get Along To have good interactions with others.

Get Around To do something that needed to get done at an earlier time.

To
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Get Away To escape from something.

Get Back To return to a place.

Get Back At To get revenge.

Get Back To When you talk to someone at a later time either because you are busy, or you have obtained
additional or new information.

Get Behind To learn, work, or progress more slowly than others.

Get By To pass someone or something.

Get Down To move to a lower place or level.

Get In To arrive or enter a place, room, building, etc.

Get Off To leave a form of transportation, except a car.

Get Off On To be excited or to truly enjoy doing something.

Get On When you move your body and either stand, sit, lie, kneel, etc. towards something (non-
separable).

Get Out To leave or escape.

Get Out Of To receive a benefit and/or satisfaction from doing something.

Get Over To move past an obstacle to the other side.

Get Over To finish something that needs to get done.

With

Get Through When a message, meaning, or idea is understood or accepted.

Get To To arrive to or assist someone to a place.

Get Together To meet and spend time together.

Get Up To move to a higher level/position.

Give Away To give something for free or without expecting anything in return.

Give In To surrender to something.

Give Out To distribute something.

Give Up To stop doing something without completing it.

Go About To take the necessary steps to get something done.

Go After When you do your best to get something no matter how difficult it is.

Go Ahead To proceed to do something that you were hesitant about.

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Go Along to accept or agree with a decision, rule, opinion, etc.

With

Go Around To follow a circular path.

Go Away To move or travel from one place to another place.

Go Back To return to a place, time, activity, or a person.

Go Back On When you fail to fulfil a promise, you made to someone.

Go Beyond To be more than or better than what is normal or expected.

Go By To pass someone or something quickly.

Go Down To move to a lower position, place, price, level, etc.

Go For To try to obtain.

Go In To enter a place, building, room, etc.

Go In For To enter a place or area for a specific reason.

Go In/Into To enter a place, room, building, etc. usually through a door.

Go Off To leave unannounced.

Go On When something takes place.

Go Out To leave a place or area you’re in.

Go Over To review something.

Go Through When you make a decision to do something, and actually do it.

With

Go Up To move or extend to a higher level or farther North.

Go With To accompany someone to a place.

Goof Around To waste time doing silly or unimportant things.

Gross Out To be disgusted with someone or something.

Grow Out Of To become too big or too tall for your clothes.

Grow Up When you physically change from a child to an adult.

Hand Back When you return something to the person who owns it after the person has given it to you

Hand In To give something to a person of authority.

Hand Out To distribute something free to other people.

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Hand Over To give upon request or demand.

Hang To spend time in a place or an area.

Around

Hang On When you hold something, often for support of comfort.

Hang Out To hang something, usually wet clothes, to dry.

Hang Up To hang clothes or an object on a hook, hanger or rod.

Have On To wear clothing, cosmetics, perfume, etc.

Head Back To go to a place where you’ve been before or where you started from.

Head For When a situation becomes more likely.

Head To- To move in the direction where someone or something is.

ward

Hear About When you learn details about something or someone.

Hear Of When you learn about something or someone.

Heat Up To make something warmer or cause a rise in temperature.

Help Out To assist people with something.

Hit On To suddenly have a solution to a problem or an interesting idea.

Hold Against When you don’t forgive or have little respect for someone because of something they did.

Hold Off To delay something.

Hold On When you wait for a short time.

Hold Out To extend your hand or an object in front of you.

Hold Up To hold someone or something up in the air.

Hook Up When you connect two electrical devices together.

Hurry Up To do something quickly.

Keep At To continue doing an activity even though it may be difficult.

Keep Away To avoid getting close to someone or something.

Keep Down To make sound, music and noise minimal.

Keep From To stop yourself or other people from doing something.

Keep Off To avoid discussing a particular subject or topic.

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Keep On To continue doing something.

Keep To When you don’t share information.

Keep Up To continue to do something.

Kick Back To illegally pay extra money to someone as part of the price.

Kick Out To force someone to leave an organization or place.

Knock Off To use force to cause someone or something to fall from its place, whether intentionally or
accidentally.

Knock Out When someone is struck hard enough to cause them to lose consciousness.

Knock Over To make contact with something or someone in such a way it or they fall.

Know About To have knowledge of or be familiar with something.

Lay Down To place something on a surface or an object.

Lay Off When a company or business ends a worker’s employment.

Lead Up To When a period of time or a series of events cause an event, situation or conversation to
happen.

Leave Be- When you don’t take something or someone with you when you leave.
hind

Leave Off To accidentally or intentionally not include a person or thing on a list.

Leave Out To not include someone or something.

Leave Over When you have a portion that still remains from something after you have used or eaten the
rest of it.

Let Down To disappoint someone.

Let In To allow someone or something to enter a place.

Let Off To allow someone to leave a car, bus, train etc.

Let On To tell something that is a secret or private.

Let Out When you give permission for someone to leave or be released from a place.

Let Up When someone or something becomes less intense or strong.

Lie Around To be lazy or to not do anything.

Lift Up To raise someone or something to a higher level.

Light Up To illuminate something.

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Lighten Up When a conversation is changed or a person changes to become less serious.

Line Up To form in a row one after another or side-by-side.

Live With To share the same residence.

Lock In To secure people or things behind a closed door.

Lock Out When you don’t have the key or passcode to enter a secured place.

Lock Up When you shut the windows and doors of a place or building.

Look Around To turn your head to see what or who is around you.

Look At To divert your eyes to someone or something.

Look Down When you consider someone or something as unimportant or with little to no value. The
On opposite of yesterday’s phrasal verb.

Look For- To anticipate a future event because it either makes you happy and/or you benefit from it.
ward To

Look Into To investigate or get more facts about something.

Look Out To remain alert.

Look Over To examine or inspect something or someone.

Look Up When a situation becomes better.

Look Up To This particular phrasal verb is used to say you view someone with respect and/or admiration.

Luck Out To have exceptionally good luck.

Make For To go in a certain direction, typically in a hurry.

Make Of To understand the meaning of something.

Make Up To invent a story.

Mess Up When something is dirty or unorganized.

Mix Up To put or combine different things together so they’ll merge successfully.

Monkey To try to play with or repair a device that you have no true knowledge about.
Around With

Move In When you bring your personal belongings and stuff to a new place where you will live.
Yesterday’s phrasal verb, Move Out, has the opposite meaning.

Move Out When you permanently remove all your belongings and personal items from a place where
you live or stay.
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Narrow To reduce the number of options or possibilities.

Down

Pay Back When you return money that you owe someone.

Pay For To purchase merchandise.

Pay Off To repay money that is owed to a person or entity.

Pay Up To pay all the money that is owed or asked for.

Pick On To tease and/or criticize someone over a period of time.

Pick Out When you are able to recognize something or someone from a group.

Pick Up To get someone or something from somewhere.

Pile Up To put things in a pile or heap.

Piss Off [Informal] To be angry about something.

Plan Ahead To prepare for a future event or situation.

Plan For To prepare for a big event or expectation in the future.

Plan On When you have the intention to do something.

Plug In To connect an electrical device to an electrical outlet.

Plug In/Into To connect an electrical appliance/machine to another piece of equipment or to a power

source.

Plug Up To block a narrow passage such as a hole, drain, or pipe so that nothing can flow through.

Point Out To make someone aware of something.

Point To When you aim at something or someone using your finger or hand.

Print Out To produce a hard copy of a computer document.

Pull Off To succeed in doing something difficult or tricky.

Pull Out When something or someone leaves a place.

Pull Over To drive your vehicle to the side of the road to stop.

Pull Through To recover from an injury or illness.

Punch In To enter data or record time on a device.

Punch Out To record the time, you leave the workplace using a special clock.

Put Away To place something where it cannot be seen or isn’t in the way of other things.
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Put Back When something is causing a project to slow down.

Put Down To place something on a surface or an object.

Put In When you invest or make a deposit. In this example, the amount almost always separates
the verb.

Put Off To become offended by someone or something.

Put Out To extend a part of your body.

Put Past To not be surprised by a person’s actions. [Always used with the negative]

Put To To cause someone or something to be in a certain state or to do something extra.

Put Together To assemble or connect the parts of something.

Put Up To move an object to a higher level.

Put Up To To encourage or persuade someone to do something.

Put Up With To tolerate or accept something that you’d rather not.

Ring Up To call someone on the phone.

Rip Off When someone asks for a price for something that is too high, when someone cheats or
steals.

Rip Up To tear something (i.e. paper, cloth, etc.) into pieces.

Rule Out When someone or something is excluded as a possibility.

Run Across To move or run from one side to the other.

Run Around To go from one place to another in a hurry.

Run Down To hit someone or something with a vehicle.

Run Into When something collides with another object by accident.

Run Out When people exit a place very quickly. Run In/ Run Into is the opposite of this meaning.

Run Over When someone is injured or killed by a vehicle.

Run Up To run from a lower elevation or level to a higher elevation or level.

Screw On To ensure the top of a container/bottle is sealed.

Screw Out Of To cheat or deceive someone.

Screw Up To make a mistake or do something really bad.

See About To seriously think about doing something.

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Sell Out When all the inventory of a particular product has been purchased.

Set Up To organize or plan for an activity/event to happen.

Settle Down To begin living a stable and routine life.

Settle For To accept something even though it’s not what you want or need.

Shake Up To mix something in a container by shaking it.

Show Off To overly display your skills or what you have.

Shut Off To stop the operation of an electrical or mechanical device.

Shut Up To stop talking.

Sign In To write your name on a list to indicate the day and time you arrived at a certain place.

Sign Out To write your name on a list to indicate the day and time of your departure.

Sit Down To change from a standing to a sitting position.

Slow Down To do something slower.

Sneak To enter a place quietly to avoid being seen or heard.

In/Into

Sneak Out To leave a place without being noticed.

Sort Out To arrange or separate things into groups according to similarities.

Space Out When someone’s attention is not in the present moment. [Adj.] {spaced out} To describe a
person whose attention isn’t in the present moment.

Stand To stand in one place or area when you should be doing something.
Around

Stand For To support or represent an idea, belief, etc.

Stand Up To rise from sitting or lying down to a vertical position.

Start Off The beginning of an event, activity or time period.

Start Out To begin a trip or venture to some place.

Start Up To start something.

Stay Off To avoid discussing a certain subject or topic.

Stay Out To spend time out of your own home.

Stay Up To remain in a place that is higher than ground level.

Step On To place your foot on something or someone.

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Stick Around To stay in a place or with someone for any period of time.

Stick Out To extend something outward.

Stick To When something is attached to another by some form of adhesive.

Stick Up To use a weapon, especially a gun, to rob someone.

Stick With To continue to use or do something.

Stop Off To make a quick stop on your way to a destination.

Stop Over To visit someone for a short period of time.

Straighten To make something straight.

Out

Stress Out To feel very worried, nervous or anxious.

Switch Off When you move something from the ‘on’ state to the ‘off’ state. Synonymous with “Turn
Off.” Yesterday’s “Switch On” is the opposite.

Switch On When you move something from the ‘off’ state to the ‘on’ state. Synonymous with “Turn
On,” while “Switch Off” is the opposite.

Take Apart To disconnect or separate the parts of an object.

Take Back To return something or someone.

Take In To be successfully tricked or deceived by someone.

Take Out To remove an object from an area, place or container.

Take Out On To direct your anger towards someone or something when you’re really upset about some-
one or something else.

Take Up On When you accept an invitation or offer from someone.

Talk Down To talk to someone as if they are less intelligent than you by conveying a tone of voice or
To attitude that says so.

Talk Into To convince someone to do something.

Talk Out Of To convince someone not to do something.

Talk To To have a conversation with someone.

Tear Down To deconstruct a building or home.

Tear Off To remove with force.

Tell Apart To be able to differentiate something or someone from something or someone else.

Tell On To inform an authoritative figure about what someone else did.

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Think About To consider something prior to making a final decision.

Think Ahead To think and plan carefully for a future situation or event.

Think Up To use your imagination to create a plan, idea, or a solution.

Throw Away To dispose of something, you no longer find useful in a waste bin, trash, etc.

Throw Out When you get rid of something by putting it in a trash can, bin, etc.

Throw Up To vomit or puke.

Track Down To locate someone or something after a long search

Trade In To exchange something old for something new.

Trick Into To convince or persuade someone to believe something untrue or to do something for you.

Try On To see how something fits or looks before purchasing.

Try Out To show that you are qualified to do something.

Turn Around When someone or something moves until it faces the opposite direction.

Turn Down To decrease the temperature, sound, etc.

Turn In To give someone or something to the police or someone of authority.

Turn Into To transform.

Turn Off To stop a device from functioning.

Turn On To cause someone to feel interested and/or attracted.

Turn Out To attend an event, meeting, etc.

Turn Over To move an object so that the part that is on top becomes the bottom and vice versa.

Turn Up To increase the controls of an electronic or mechanical device.

Use Up To completely consume or use all of a supply.

Wake Up When you are finished sleeping.

Wash Off To remove dirt or unwanted markings with soap and water.

Wash Up To clean your face, hands, body, etc.

Watch Out To be aware of someone or something.

Wear Down To make the surface or top of something disappear due to friction.

Wear Off To decrease or disappear gradually.

Wear Out When something is damaged or weakened from use and age.
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Wind Up To operate a mechanical device by turning its handle.

Wipe Off To completely remove or clean something from a surface or location.

Wipe Out To clean the inside of something.

Wipe Up To remove liquid from a surface using a sponge, towel or cloth, etc.

Work In To make time in a busy schedule for a person or an activity.

Work Out When a situation, event, plan, or idea is successful.

Work Up To gradually improve at or make progress in something.

Wrap Up To cover something with some kind of special paper.

Zip Up To close an item that has a zipper.

Assessment
I. Fill in the blanks with appropriate phrasal verbs.

1. I'm tired and stressed and the kids have been _________________ all day. They don't seem to know how to
behave properly.

2. I met Ravinder in the supermarket. He was _________________ you and I said you were fine and really
happy about this new job you've got.

3. I'll _________________ (your boss) for dinner tonight if he isn't busy. It will make a good impression, don't
you think?

4. If your boss accuses you of missing yesterday's meeting on purpose, I will _________________ (you) by
saying you had to do something for me.

5. I can hardly read this document. Go and _________________ (it) so it is at least twice the size.

6. These statistics are too confusing. We need to _________________ (them) down into the four different sea-
sons of the year for a clearer picture.

7. If someone phones me while I am in the meeting, I will have to _________________ for a few minutes as I
am expecting a really important call.

8. After the First World War, the Austro-Hungarian empire was _________________ into several pieces.

9. Sales are up 10% on this period last year. We need to _________________ that if we are to save this company.

10. When I told her about her mother's illness being incurable, she _________________ tears.

11. He _________________ the police inspector by buying his wife a nice present and complimenting his car,
hoping it would help his son who was being held in custody.
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12. The trade union leader may be a problem with these new conditions but Mr. Kapoor seems to think he can
be _________________ with a few thousand dollars.

break off butter up

break into ask after
back up ask over
break down blow up
act up build on
buy off break up

II. Fill in the blanks with appropriate phrasal verbs.

1. Akshay. You're not doing anything! Help me _________________ these leaflets in the street for half an hour,
please.

2. _________________ mum! I will be with you in a moment. I just have to finish this e-mail.

3. I thought he was deadly serious when he said he used to be a woman - but he was just _________________
(me).

4. Amitabh never told me about his party. I _________________ it from his sister.

5. I remember when I met my wife for the first time. We _________________ immediately as if we had known
each other for years.

6. Once you get in his office and are speaking to him, don't ______________! Tell him everything you have
always complained about. It will be your big chance.

7. And if he offers you that old 2% pay rise again, _________________ for a better deal or say you'll leave.

8. Don't give up so easily on that jigsaw. _________________ (it) as long as necessary.

9. My doctor told me to _________________ high salt food for a few months to help my cholesterol levels.

10. The company had been losing money for two years and it was no surprise when they had to
_________________ half the workforce.

11. Don't touch the dog while it's eating. Just _________________ (it) until it finishes.

12. When you write up the contract, _________________ any mention of advertising costs. We will discuss
that at a later date.

13. He knew about the surprise party all the time, but he never ______________, acting really surprised when
we jumped out.

14. She always intended to marry a millionaire and _________________ him.

15. You shouldn't _________________ to the future so much. Just concentrate on what you are doing now.

16. I have no idea what this word means! I will have to _________________ (it) in the big dictionary.
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hold out hear about

hold back lay off
leave alone let on
look ahead hand out
leave out keep off
hang on look up
hit if off keep at
live off have on
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9. Verbal Analogy

The dictionary meaning of Analogy is a similarity between like features of two things on which a comparison
may be based. When Analogy is used as logic, it becomes reasoning in which one thing is inferred to be similar
to another on the basis of known similarities between them. Analogy and Analogical Reasoning help in sup-
porting arguments or conclusion that similarities exist between two things or objects.

Importance

Analogy plays an important role in problem solving, decision making, creativity and innovation. Analogy exists
wherever logic is required. It also plays a significant role in identification of places and objects such as face
recognition and face perception as well.

Relationship Varieties:

In order to determine analogy or similarity between things or objects, there is a need to understand the method
of determining their relationship. They can be on the following basis:

1. Function - Knife: cut:: needle: stitch

2. Characteristics / Quality - Flower: Fragrance::Sugar: Sweetness

3. Synonyms - Abstain: Avoid::Begin: Commence

4. Antonyms - Ascend: Descend::Sober: Intoxicated

5. Gender / Relationship - Man: Woman::Lion: Lioness

6. Causes / Effects - Wind: Ruffle::Fire: Burn

7. Material / End Product - Iron Ore: Steel:: Paddy: rice

8. Tools / Profession - Chisel: Carpenter::Scalpel: doctor

9. Size / Part / Whole - School: Class::Department: Section

10. Process / Sequence - Proof Reading: Printing::Cutting: Stitching

Some more examples of different types of Verbal Analogies:

Pairs of words in verbal analogies can be related in many ways, including the following types:
Type of Analogy Examples
things that go to-
bat/ball, bow/arrow, salt/pepper, bread/butter, fork/knife
gether
big/small, stop/go, hot/cold, tall/short, wide/narrow, early/late, graceful/clumsy,
opposites
laugh/cry, dark/light, sharp/dull
big/large, stop/halt, cold/icy, thin/slim, small/tiny, sad/unhappy, show/reveal,
synonyms
hide/conceal, hint/clue
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object and clas- green/color, ants/insect, rabbit/mammal, table/furniture, pants/clothing, 3/odd

sification number, apple/fruit, lunch/meal, uncle/relative, sandal/shoe, spring/season
object and group whale/pod, kitten/litter, bird/flock, cow/herd, lion/pride, wolf/pack
object and re-
plant/sprout, butterfly/caterpillar, cat/kitten, mother/baby, dog/puppy
lated object
object and a grass/green, sponge/porous, marshmallow/soft, elephant/big, desert/dry,
characteristic gold/shiny, party/happy, skunk/smelly, ball/round
object and loca-
car/garage, stove/kitchen, tub/bathroom, fire/fireplace, lion/zoo, eraser/pencil
tion
object and part
hand/fingers, book/pages, foot/toes, fireplace/bricks, year/month, turtle/shell
of the whole
object and func-
pen/write, knife/cut, shovel/dig, book/read
tion
performer and
teacher/teach, movie star/act, artist/paint, fish/swim, bird/fly
action
verb tenses eat/ate, win/won, buy/bought
cause and effect plant/grow, fire/burn, trip/fall, spin/dizzy
problem and so-
hungry/eat, thirsty/drink, itch/scratch, broken/repair, tired/sleep
lution
degrees of a
big/enormous, cold/freezing, hot/burning, wave/tsunami, small/miniscule
characteristic

Assessment

I. In each of the following questions find out the alternative which will replace the question mark.

1. Cup : Lip :: Bird : ?

A. Bush B. Grass C. Forest D. Beak

2. Flow : River :: Stagnant : ?

A. Rain B. Stream C. Pool D. Canal

3. Paw : Cat :: Hoof : ?

A. Lamb B. Elephant C. Lion D. Horse

4. Ornithologist : Bird :: Archealogist : ?

A. Islands B. Mediators C. Archealogy D. Aquatic

5. Peacock : India :: Bear : ?

A.Australia B. America C. Russia D. England

6. Reason : Sfbtpo :: Think : ?

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A. Sghmj B.Uijol C. Uhnki D. Ujkpm

7. Carbon : Diamond :: Corundum : ?

A. Garnet B. Ruby C. Pukhraj D.Pearl

8. Nation : Antino :: Hungry : ?

A. Hnugry B. Uhngyr C. Yrnguh D. Unhgyr

9. Architect : Building :: Sculptor : ?

A. Museum B. Stone C. Chisel D.Statue

10. Eye : Myopia :: Teeth : ?

A. Pyorrhoea B. Cataract C. Trachoma D. Eczema

11. Conference : Chairman :: Newspaper : ?

A. Reporter B. Distributor C. Printer D.Editor

12. Safe : Secure :: Protect : ?

A. Lock B. Sure C. Guard D. Conserve

13. Master : OCUVGT :: LABOUR : ?

A. Ncdqwt B. Nderwt C. Nberwt D. Nedrwt

14. Microphone : Loud :: Microscope : ?

A. Elongate B.Investigate C. Magnify D. Examine

15. Melt : Liquid :: Freeze : ?

A. Ice B. Condense C. Solid D. Forc

16. College : Student :: Hospital : ?

A. Nurse B. Doctor C. Treatment D. Patient

17. Tree : Forest :: Grass : ?

A. Lawn B. Garden C. Park D. Field

18. South : North-West :: West : ?

A. North B. South-West C. North-East D. East

19. Cloth : Mill :: Newspaper : ?

A. Editor B.Reader C. Paper D.Press

20. Country : President :: State : ?

A. Governor B. M.P C. Legislator D. Minister

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21. Race : Fatigue :: Fast : ?

A. Food B. Laziness C. Hunger D.Race

22. Peace : Chaos :: Creation : ?

A. Build B. Construction C. Destruction D.Manufacture

23. Tiger : Forest :: Otter : ?

A. Cage B. Sky C. Nest D.Water

24. Poles : Magnet :: ? : Battery

A. Cells B. Power C. Terminals D. Energy

25. Cassock : Priest :: ? : Graduate

A. Cap B. Tie C. Coat D.Gown

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10.Sentences

Grammatically correct communication is of utmost importance to a career professional. A professional however

sound in technical or business skills will not get his due if his communication is faulty or doesn’t create the
right impact. As the level of responsibility and designation keep rising, one needs to develop the ability to
correct the correspondence, proposals and presentations of his team. Hence, it is pertinent that students learn
Sentence Correction and Spotting Errors as a part of preparation for Job Readiness.

Implication

Organizations all over the world look forward to build teams which can communicate well with their clients
and customers in a clear and correct manner. The ability to do so is tested through Verbal Ability of which
Sentence Correction and Spotting Errors is a part.

Method

The test comprises of sentences which have built –in errors which either need to be corrected by choosing the
correct answer from the given choices or indicating the type or location of the error. The errors can be of various
types:

1. Those involving Parts of Speech.

2. Tenses, Articles etc.

3. Subject Verb Agreement.

4. Direct, Indirect Speech.

5. Active, Passive Voice.

6. Sentence Structure or arrangement of words.

7. Contradiction in ideas or theme.

I. a. Adjectives

Success in CAREER and LIFE is about staying AHEAD in Academics; Interviews and Profession. The meas-
ure of PROGRESS and QUALITY of work is PROJECTED through assigning VALUE to ACHIEVEMENTS;
LIKES; DISLIKES; HABITS and PERSONAL QUALITIES

The above is expressed through ADJECTIVES and ADVERBS. Adjectives are of use in INTERVIEWS to
describe PROJECTS, TECHNICAL SKILLS, EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES and PERSONAL
TRAITS. They can be used in PERSONAL LIFE to convey PREFERENCES, EMOTIONS, LIKES, DIS-
LIKES, TRAVEL etc

Adjective:

1. A describing word.
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2. Describes Quality or Quantity of a Noun or a Pronoun.

3. Placed before a Noun or Pronoun which is described.
4. Multiple Adjectives can be used in a sentence.

The simplest definition of an adjective is that it is a word that describes or clarifies a noun. Adjectives describe
nouns by giving some information about an object’s size, shape, age, colour, origin or material.

5. Size: A small team of three.

6. Shape: The spherical container.
7. Age: The latest technology.
8. Colour: The red wire.
9. Origin: The Indian scientist.
10. Material: The glass ceiling.
11. Opinion: A wonderful team.
12. Observation: Practical knowledge.
13. Purpose:Development of technology.

Identify the Adjectives used:

i. Talking about a project:

“I took up a project on “Android in Space Technology” during my second semester of 3 rd year
engineering. My close friend, XYZ helped me in conceptualising it and we completed the project in an
excellent manner. Our efforts paid a rich dividend when the project was selected for presentation in an
inter college competition. Our dedicated preparation well thought out lay out, confident delivery and
comfortable interaction with the audience secured us the coveted first position.
Our Principal who is an expert on Android, honoured us by saying that our project was the best
ever since inception of the college”.

ii. Describing Self in an Interview:

“I am passionate about Technology and chose Engineering. My creativity helped me in devising
simple electronic gadgets for use by common people at a low cost. The first gadget I created was a
battery-operated motor driven kitchen knife which saved a lot of time and energy of home makers.
Placed in a plastic jar, the knife could cut up to 1 kilogram of vegetables in five minutes in the required
sizes and shapes. I created the above in my 2nd year engineering and had three successful designs oper-
ating successfully by the time I completed the third year. I used to work on the ideas during my spare
time and could attend to my studies also very well.
My love to be in a team made me an excellent team player and I became an effective leader as
well”

Activity – Match Maker

Can a match made in heaven happen in an English class? Each person in class will play matchmaker
for an unattached friend or family member. Each person starts by making a list of adjectives which describe
his/her single friend. The adjectives should describe appearance and personality (both good and bad), and stu-
dents should also list likes and dislikes for their friend. Then, students go around the room asking questions
about their classmates’ single friends. The matchmaker’s goal is to find someone who is similar to his friend
and who he/she thinks would be a good match. When students think they have found one, they should show you
the two profiles and see if you agree.
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Words to describe yourself on social media, resume, introductions and job interviews
Learning how to describe yourself accurately is something we usually have to put some effort into. This seems
to be especially true in most western cultures, where being honest about our skills, qualities, and attributes can
be confused with being arrogant, "blowing your own trumpet," and being excessively self-indulgent. If we do
learn to describe ourselves, we can become being our own confidence guru and simply acknowledge and ap-
preciate our own positive qualities.

Adjectives for resume

Inventive Exciting Thoughtful Cheerful Compassionate
Consistent Practical Proactive Candid Precise
Productive Professional Meticulous Forgiving Incredible
Quick Balanced Achiever Industrious Mediator
Knowledgeable Leader Diplomatic Responsive Independent
Logical Initiator Original Cooperative Emotional
Outgoing Particular Patient Active Positive

Adjectives for job interview

Responsible Thorough Assertive Attentive Traditional
Creative Direct Broad-Minded Committed Unique
Confident Conscientious Dynamic Customer-Oriented Innovative
Observant Persistent Mature Methodical Trustworthy
Unconventional Reliable Objective Tenacious Eclectic
Respectful Sociable Resourceful Realistic Imaginative

Adjectives for Social media

Direct Enthusiastic Spontaneous Self-Aware Playful
Intense Adventurous Light-hearted Easy-Going Intellectual
Communicative Passionate Strong-Willed Responsive Big-Hearted

Degrees of comparison:

(1) Positive: The Positive degree denotes mere existence of quality. It is used when no comparison is made.
Example: Team A’s presentation was good.
(2) Comparative: The Comparative degree is used to compare the same quality between two persons or
things.
Example: Team B’s presentation was better than Team A’s.
(3) Superlative: The Superlative degree is used when more than two persons or things are compared. It
singles out one from all the rest.
Example: Team C’s presentation was the best of all.

Assessment
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Fill in appropriate adverbs in its degree of comparison for the expressions given. Examples have been
given for a few as assistance or guide

Expression Positive Comparative Superlative

Mind Sharp Sharper Sharpest
Body Strong Stronger Strongest
Country Progressive More Progressive Most Progressive
People
Knowledge
Travel
Studies
Movies
Food Tasty Tastier Tastiest
Clothes
Friendship
Space Research
Technology Advanced More Advanced Most Advanced
Social Networking
Family Ties
Society
Festivals
Customs
Boundaries
Theme Appropriate More Appropriate Most Appropriate
Style
Brand
Model
Make
Automation
Development
Childhood
Adulthood
Old Age
Brand-Ambassador
Leader
English
Vegetables
Rainfall
Sunshine
Landlord
Mountaineering
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II.b Adverb

An adverb is a word that describes - or modifies a VERB, an ADJECTIVE or another ADVERB.

Eg.: Verb – We meticulously developed the project. (develop – verb / meticulously – adverb)

Adjective – Our team is extremely industrious. (industrious – adjective / extremely – adverb)

Adverb – The train moved very slowly. (very – adverb / slowly – adverb)

Adverb of Manner (How Something is done) - We quickly finished our project.

Adverb of Time: (When something is done) – I attended a seminar on hacking last week.

Adverb of Place: (Where something is done) – The team came here to select our project.

Adverbs of Frequency: (How often something is done) – I read newspaper regularly to upgrade my
knowledge.

Adverbs of quantity: (How much)- e.g. I possess five Parker fountain pens

The Adverb questions

Now that you know the answer to the question, what is an adverb? there are a few questions that you should
memorize. Knowing these adverb questions will help you know
for certain whether any word is acting as an adverb.

Adverbs answer one of these adverb questions.

1. How? (happily, really, quiet, peacefully...)

2. When? (tomorrow, now, yesterday, never...)

3. Where? (here, there, everywhere...)

4. To what extent? (very, so, too, quiet, rather...)

5. Why? (because he wanted soup) Adverbs that answer this ques-

tion are typically adverbs that are made up of more than one word,
such as an adverb clause.

Activity
1. Stephen Says:“Stephen” adds an adverb to the verb. The command could then be, “Walk forward crazily
four steps.” Put up a list of adverbs on the board to give students some help when they first begin playing.
As they become better at thinking of adverbs, remove the list from the board. Have a student volunteer to
write the list of adverbs on the board. When the game is over, students can copy the sentences down and
circle or highlight the adverb in each one.
2. Adverb Acting: Start by helping your students remember what adverbs are and some examples of adverbs.
Help them write down 20 different adverbs, one on each flashcard. If they need more ideas, you can suggest
examples such as “slowly”, “easily”, and “often”. Put the 20 flashcards into one of the paper bags. Take
the strips of paper and have your kids write one sentence on each piece of paper about tasks they do
throughout the day. For example, “I get ready for school in the morning.” Place the strips of paper into the
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other bag. Next, have your students choose one flashcard and one slip of paper from each of the bags
without showing you. Ask them to act out the sentence while incorporating the adverb. For instance, they
could act out getting ready for school quickly or slowly. Try to guess what action and adverb they are
acting out. When you have gone through all the cards, you can add new or more complex adverbs for an
additional challenge. What You Need:20 small slips of paper, 20 flashcards, 2 paper bags, Pen.

Identify Adverbs used in the following examples:

I. Why do you think you are suitable for this job?

I am quite ambitious, and this job would be a great opportunity for me to apply my skills. My passion
to contribute to my team’s success gives me a lot of confidence that I will bring excellent results on the job
and to the team which I will be a part of. I suit the job perfectly because of my multitasking abilities and
leadership skills. I led a team of four in a Mathematics Olympiad Competition to the top position which
won us a prize money of fifty thousand rupees. I put the money in a trust managed by our family and used
the interest towards educating children from the economically backward sections of the society. I learned
that your company is in the forefront in Corporate Social Responsibility and I will be able to contribute in
the aspect as well.

II. Tell me about your working experience on the project.

Ours was a small team of three students. We worked pretty diligently to finish our work perfectly and
flawlessly. We, as a team have demonstrated excellent team management skills and internal and external
communication skills which raised our confidence. This in turn improved efficiency and accountability both
individually and as a team. I am quite sure that the experience will help me when I get into a job enhance
my contribution immensely.

Engineering has taught me the ability to manage both small and big teams effectively. Success in the
project was a direct result of the above and I wish to take it forward into my job also. I and my team were
required to work against time many a times and challenges were plenty. Notwithstanding the above, we
maintained our cool and came out as winners.

Activity: Grand design

In pairs, describe your ideal house to each other. Now imagine that your friend and you just won the
lottery together and can buy your dream house. With your partners, you have to write a detailed description of
your ideal home, using prepositions of place, to give to an interior designer. You can either limit this to one or
two rooms or design an entire house prepositions of place. As you are designing the house together, you may
have to make compromises:

Student A: There is a 50-inch TV screen on the ceiling in the bedroom

Student B: I like the idea of a 50-inch screen, but I would prefer it on the living room wall

Once finished, the pairs can join another pair. The first pair can describe their dream house and the other pair
can sketch it. How accurate will they be in drawing each other’s houses?

1. Draw My Directions
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Drawing is a simple way to engage students’ bodies as well as their creativity when they’re learning about
prepositions. In this exercise, you will give instructions for drawing a picture without telling your students the
object they are drawing. As you give the instructions, you should use prepositions to describe each piece of the
picture in relation to the other. Students will not be able to see the picture you are describing.

For example, if you wanted students to draw a simple house, you might give these instructions:

Draw a large square on the bottom half of your paper. Draw two small squares inside the large square at the top.
The small squares should be opposite each other. Draw a rectangle under one of the small squares. Draw a
triangle on top of the large square. Draw a small circle inside the rectangle. It should be in the middle of the
rectangle and to one side Finally, draw two lines through each small square dividing it into four smaller squares.

After you give the directions, hold up your picture so they can see what they were drawing was a house, and let
students see how close they got to the original picture.

You can do a more complicated version of this activity by collecting several pictures from magazines. Match
each student with a partner and have the two sit back to back. One person will describe the picture without
telling the other what it is, while their partner draws following the directions they hear. Be sure to give each
student a chance to describe and draw using a different picture each round.

2. Preposition Simon Says

Have all of your students stand and choose one object that everyone has and can use while playing. You might
choose a pencil, a book or their desk chair. Play the game as you normally would, but with each instruction use
a preposition to describe where the player is in relation to the object you are using.

For example, you might give instructions like the following:

Stephen says stand on your chair.

Stephen says put your hand under your chair.

Stephen says hold your chair in front of you.

Just like in the standard game, if a person follows a command that is not preceded by “Stephen says,” they are
out. Also, if they do the wrong motion (e.g. put their hand on the chair when you tell them to put it under the
chair), they are also out. The last person standing wins the game.

Assessment

Substitute the underlined words or group of words with appropriate Adjectives and / or Adverbs and
rewrite the paragraph. Use helping / auxiliary verbs where required.

It has been a matter of serious contention over pros and cons as to who should run the race in the
presidential elections. There were many candidates who qualified as per the criteria and narrowing the number
to the barest minimum as per the electoral norms was a nightmarish experience. Mr Roy, who was of sharp
mind came up with a bright idea. He suggested that the candidates be put through question and answer session
which will serve as the ultimate test of their capability.
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Clues:

1. How do presidential candidates discuss matters of national interest?

2. What does the media do when they speak to the above candidates?

Fill the blanks with appropriate Adjective / Adverb. Please note that choices have been provided for
the first five examples as assistance. Thereafter, you need to work on your own.

1. He has a _______________ mind (sharp, sharply)

2. The train is running _______________ (slow, slowly)

3. He is a _______________paid employee (very, much, low, lowly, less)

4. I have read _______________books _______________what the library has (much, more, than, that)

5. I live in a colony that is _______________ (cleanly, very, much, clean, cleaner, than)

6. Life is a _______________teacher. It doesn’t differentiate between _______________people and the

poor

7. Sam and Paul are _______________friends. They studied together in a _______________college of

the town.

8. Job readiness skills are _______________in nature. They belong to a _______________category.

9. I found the assignment to be _______________satisfying. I became a _______________professional

once I completed it.

10. I visited USA in the summer holidays. It was the _______________trip of my life.

11. Virgin Atlantic has planned a commercial space shuttle. It is the _______________and is becoming
_______________popular among the space travel enthusiasts.

12. “Do you know that the world is technologically developing _______________ “? I am amazed at the
_______________at which it is moving ahead.

13. Villages are the _______________ places on this Earth. People in the villages are
_______________and _______________.

14. I aspire to be a _______________in a Fortune 500 company.

15. Examinations are a cakewalk for the _______________ and for others they are a _______________.

Identify the Adjectives, Adverbs and their type used in the following sentences:

1. I am adept in technology and finished the project quickly.

2. It was a matter of time before I grasped the topic sharply and went into its depth.

3. I loved trips to our ancestral home during our childhood and travelled very often.

4. Life is a mixture of fun and work. Last sixty years of my life has experienced it in great measure.
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5. It was a cyclonic storm and a thick black blanket of clouds engulfed the sky.

6. Rainy season is favorite among all seasons. Torrential rains which pour down at nights keep me awake
for hours and leave me in a pleasant mood.

7. “Where are you going Appa?” the little boy asked his father. The boy was all dressed up in a colorful
silk dress and wanted his father to take him out for a few hours.

8. “Oh! A million dollars is quite a huge amount of money” the man exclaimed. “I will build a revolving
circular house with that money” he concluded.

9. “I would like to wear Bengal cotton during summers. It is the coolest choice” my friend told me.

10. The truck carries twenty bales of yarn to the mill to produce cotton.

11. “I am sixteen going to be seventeen” is a popular song from the movie The Sound of Music.

12. “Did you go there in recent times?” my mother asked me talking about my old school.

III.c. Conjunctions and Prepositions

The strength of a Chain depends on each of its links and upon how well and strongly they are positioned and
connected to each other. If Construction of SENTENCES and Conveying the INTENTION is taken as the Chain,
Preposition shows the relationship between the nouns, pronouns
and the other elements of a sentence, and Conjunction is the one
that connects the smaller segments within the sentence, or two or
more sentences into a single sentence making it more meaningful
and holistic.

Usually, Conjunctions are used to the minimum or incorrectly

for the reason that making two sentences seems to be easier than using something which one is not familiar
with. Similarly, Prepositions seem to be difficult to deal with because of their variety and hence are not learned
in depth or used correctly.

Our lives are filled with people, things and activities which have relation to each other and are dealt with more
than one at a time; for example; singing while cooking. In an interview when describing a phase of academics
or projects, if a variety of activities a student is engaged in need to be expressed correctly both conjunctions and
prepositions are required; for example; attending GATE coaching classes and CRT one after the other.

Conjunction:

1. Used to connect clauses or sentences or to coordinate words in the same clause (e.g. and, but, if).

2. Action or an instance of two or more events or things occurring at the same point in time or space.

3. Condenses sentences and avoids repetition of words

Coordinating: Coordinating conjunctions connect two words or groups of words with similar values. They
may connect two words, two phrases, two independent clauses or two dependent clauses.
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For example, in each of the following sentences the coordinating conjunction “and" connects equal words
or groups of words:

Connects two words: Joe and Roy stayed up all night practicing their guitars.

Connects two phrases: The squirrel scurried up the tree trunk and onto a low branch.

Connects two clauses: Several seniors sat with their backs to us, and I could almost hear them discussing
about the freshers welcome party.

There are only seven coordinating conjunctions in the English language, and they are often remembered by
using the acronym “FANBOYS": For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So

Subordinating: Subordinating conjunctions connect two

groups of words by making one into a subordinating clause.
The subordinating clause acts as one huge adverb, answering
the questions “when" or “why" about the main clause, or im-
posing conditions or opposition on it. There are many subor-
dinating conjunctions, so keep in mind that this list doesn't
include all of them! A WHITE BUS is a way to help you
memorize some subordinating conjunctions.
A WHITE BUS: Although, Whenever, However, If, Though, Even if, Because, Unless, Since

Here are some examples of subordinating conjunctions changing a clause into adverbial subordinating
clauses in different ways:

o I can go shopping after I finish studying for my exam. (when)

o Because the night was young, Gertrude decided to take a walk. (why)
o I’ll give you a dime if you give me a dollar. (condition)
o Although he never figured out why, Hanna winked on her way out the door. (opposition)

Note: The subordinating conjunction does not always come between the two clauses it connects. Often, it
comes at the beginning of the first clause.

Correlative: Correlative conjunctions are always used in pairs. They are similar to coordinating conjunc-
tions because they join sentence elements that are similar in importance.

The following are some examples of coordinating conjunctions:

1. Both, and: Both Ray and Sam made the varsity team this year.
2. Neither, nor: Neither Ray nor Sam made the varsity team this year.
3. Not only, but also: Not only did Ray make the varsity team, but he also become one of the strongest
players.

Connection Function Words Used

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Parallel words, Phrases and Coordinating and, but, or, nor, for, so yet
Clauses
Parallel words, Phrases and Correlative both/ and, either/ or, neither/ nor , whether/or, not only
Clauses / but also
Dependent and Independent Subordinating while, since, if, although, because, before, after
Clauses

Activity - Peculiar Paragraph

Have each student write one sentence on absolutely any subject. Have students write their sentences on sentence
strips to make the sentences easier to manipulate. Then, divide students into groups of ten, and let each group
combine their sentences together to form a paragraph. They will need to insert conjunctions -- both coordination
and correlative -- to create these paragraphs, but they should not include any other pieces of information. When
they finish, let them read their peculiar paragraphs aloud.

Assessment
Fill the blanks with appropriate conjunctions:

1. I was interested in Mechanical Engineering _______________ not in Computer Engineering.

2. My friend is planning to go abroad _______________ he secures merit scholarship.
3. Ravi started working while he was studying _______________ he had to support his family and earn
to pay the fees for his studies.
4. Ravi studies well _______________ he is from a remote village.
5. I have won the State Level Mind Kraft competition _______________has been selected for the National
level _______________

Point out the Conjunctions in the following sentences, and state whether they are coordinating or subor-
dinating:

1. You will not succeed unless you work harder. - ________________

2. I waited till the train arrived.- ________________
3. You will get the prize if you deserve it.- ________________
4. Do not go before I come.- ________________
5. Since you say so, I must believe it.- ________________
6. I shall be vexed if you do that.- ________________
7. I did not come because you did not call me.- ________________
8. He is richer than I am.- ________________
9. Catch me if you can.- ________________
10. He deserved to succeed, for he worked hard.- ________________

Choose the conjunction that fits best.

1. I will go to the concert, but ________________ you go as well. (only if, unless, only but)
2. I brought along a sandwich, ________________ I get hungry. (therefore, in case, only if)
3. ________________ she calls me, I feel very happy. (Therefore, So that, Whenever)
4. Take this photo, ________________ you can remember me. (while, so that, although)
5. I will not talk to him ________________he apologizes for what he did. (until, while, because)
6. I'll find you, ________________you are. (where, wherever, therefore)
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7. She spoke ________________she knew what she was talking about, but she didn't. (until, although, as
if)
8. ________________the police arrived, we had to end the party. (Until, Once, Although)
9. I couldn't figure out ________________he said what he said. (why, once, because)
10. I bought you a birthday card ________________I like you. (while, because, why)

III.d. Preposition
“Vampires! Zombies! Werewolves!” “Where?!” “Behind you!”

Thank goodness for prepositions. Imagine not knowing where the danger lay….

Prepositions tell us where or when something is in relation to something else. When monsters are approach-
ing, it’s good to have these special words to tell us where those monsters are. Are they behind us or in front of
us? Will they be arriving in three seconds or at midnight?

Prepositions often tell us where one noun is in relation

to another (e.g., The coffee is on the table beside you). But
they can also indicate more abstract ideas, such as purpose
or contrast (e.g., We went for a walk despite the rain).

Types of Prepositions

There are various types of prepositions described below

with proper definition and examples:

1. Simple Preposition: They are used in the simple sentences. Some of the simple prepositions are in, on, at,
to, from, with, by, about, over, under, off, of, for, etc. For example:
o I am not going over the bridge.
o She is waiting in the park.
o Dad is going to the market.

2. Compound Preposition: Compound prepositions are used to join two nouns, pronouns or phrases. Some
of the compound prepositions are about, across, among, beside, before, above, along, inside, between,
around, behind, below, beneath, etc. For example:
o My city is located between two mountains.
o I will finish the lunch before her.
o I want to know about him.

3. Prepositional phrases: Prepositional phrases are groups of words having prepositions indicating relation-
ships among various elements in the sentence. Some of the phrase prepositions are according to, an account
of, in spite of, in front of, for the sake of, in order to, by means of, with reference to, in addition to, due to,
etc.
o I returned home due to condolence in the college.
o According to me, there were three mango trees in the garden.
o I work hard in order to maintain my position in the class.
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4. Participle Preposition: A participle preposition is a participle (like an, ed, or ing verb) which acts as a
preposition such as assuming, consid-
ering, barring, given, concerning, not-
withstanding, pending, during, re-
garding, respected, provided, etc. For
example:
o I get sick during summer season.
o I would like to speak regarding
healthy food.
o My project work is still pending.
o I think I can pass the exam easily
considering my hard work.

5. Double Preposition: Double preposi-

tions are words having two preposi-
tions (joined together to make a whole
new one) such as into, onto, outside
of, out of, within, from behind, be-
cause of, etc. For example:
o We need to solve three questions
out of
o We won the game just because of
o I need to complete my project
within four days.

6. Other Types of Prepositions: Fol-

lowing are other types of prepositions:
a) Preposition of Place: Prepositions
of place are used to show the place
where something is located such as
at, in, on, while, during, near, over,
under, between, behind, etc. For
example:
o Dog is on the floor.
o My home is near to the office.
o My home is behind the metro station.
o Mom is in the room.

b) Preposition of Time: Prepositions of time are used to indicate time of an action or time relationship
between nouns in the sentence. Such as at, to, in, etc. For example:
o I go to school daily at nine o’clock.
o My result gets declared in March.

c) Preposition of Direction: Prepositions of direction are used to indicate direction of someone or some-
thing in the sentence such as over, under, to, on, into, in, onto, right, left, etc. For example:
o It's time to go to school.
o The train is going into the tunnel.
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o We are going over the bridge.

Ending a Sentence with a Preposition

The old claim that it’s wrong to end a sentence with a preposition has been utterly debunked. It’s not true
and it never was true. Writers who always insist that a preposition can’t end a sentence often end up with stilted
and unnatural sentences:

o There’s no one else to hide behind. (Grammatically correct and natural)

o There’s no one else behind whom to hide. (Grammatically correct, but unnatural)
o Where did you come from? (Grammatically correct and natural)
o From where did you come? (Grammatically correct, but unnatural)

That said, it is sometimes more elegant to move a preposition to an earlier spot in a sentence, especially in
very serious and formal writing. But if you do move the preposition, remember to delete it from the end.

o Correct: This is something we must meditate on.

o Correct: This is something on which we must meditate.
o Incorrect: This is something on which we must meditate on.

There are several prepositions in the English language, all of which are used to show the relationship be-
tween ideas. One good way to remember prepositions is to think about anywhere a mouse can run. A mouse
can run up, over, down, under, to and from. Those are all prepositions. While this rule doesn't catch every
preposition, it certainly can help you identify quite a few of them. The following list of 75 prepositions can also
help you to understand exactly where a preposition is, how to find them and just why they are so important.

Aboard Can't climb aboard without a preposition

About Can't make much excitement about nothing without about
Above Can't go above and beyond the call of duty without the preposition above
Absent Can't be absent from collage either!
According to How could you mention a source without "according to"?
Across Guess you can't sit across from anyone at family dinner
After No more after-parties without the word after
Against You'll have to agree to everything if you can't vote against things
Ahead of No one will ever again be ahead of their time without the preposition ahead.
Along You need along to signify that you are going along for the side
Alongside You also need alongside to describe where you are, alongside your best friend.
Amid Amid all the chaos, the preposition amid stands out.
Amidst Amidst the rubble, you have the word amidst.
Among The preposition among allows you to be among friends.
Anti Anti-matter and anti-establishment both depend on the preposition anti
Around Around is a pretty important preposition if you are around town.
As As long as prepositions exist, sentences make sense.
As far as As far as we're concerned, as is a pretty important preposition
As well as Knowing prepositions as well as their meanings is important.
At You'll need to describe the time at which you'll arrive.
Atop How could you be atop a high mountain without atop
Before Mind before matter is the key to learning prepositions such as before.
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Behind Falling behind on your prepositions, such as behind, would be bad.

Below There are prepositions above and below the preposition below.
Between No more secrets between you and me without the preposition between.
But What would a toddler whine about if they couldn't say 'But mommy!'
By It would be hard to get by without the preposition by
Considering Considering all these great prepositions, wouldn't you be sad if you didn't have this list
Down Without down, the famous rule of gravity that what goes up must come down wouldn't
have a lot of meaning.
During We've added before and after to the list, during completes the trifecta
Except We can't name all the prepositions except for except!
Excluding Excluding excluding would also be a terrible mistake!
Following Following right along with our pattern, following is the next preposition on the list.
For If it weren't for the preposition for it would be hard for you to talk.
From Prepositions such as from are far from unimportant
In In case you didn't know, in is a preposition also!
In addition to In addition to is a lovely addition to the preposition list.
In case of In case of emergency, you can always use a preposition to get help.
Inside Now you have the inside track on prepositions!
Into Without the preposition into, you couldn't get into trouble.
Like Like is, like, the most, like, overused preposition on, like, the planet.
Mid Mid is a good preposition to be midway through the list- of course, it isn't quite mid way
but we're close!
Near Without near, we wouldn't be able to tell you that you are near to the end o the list
Next Next is a good preposition to be the next item on the prepositions list!
Next to Next to the preposition, next, 'next to' may be the most important word
Notwithstand- Notwithstanding the importance of prepositions, this list is still fun
ing
Of Without Of, we wouldn't have Of Mice and Men (or, well, any other sentence or title that
uses "off")
Off The name of a popular bug spray, Off! Is also a great preposition.
On On the same topic, the preposition on is the opposite of the preposition off
On account of On account of prepositions, such as on account of, we can communicate.
On behalf of On behalf of English speaker's everywhere, we say that prepositions are great.
On top of On top of all the other wonderful prepositions, we also have 'on top of'
Onto Onto the next preposition, which is onto.
Opposite Is there an opposite to the preposition opposite?
Outside Without prepositions, you could never think outside the box.
Outside of You could also never colour outside of the lines.
Over The preposition over is required to think things over.
Owing to Owing to prepositions, we are able to communicate.
Past Don't look past the preposition past.
Per Per our instructions, the preposition per should be learned.
Plus Plus is a preposition plus a math word!
Prior to Prior to learning prepositions, such as prior to, communicate was way less fun.
Regarding Movies such as Regarding Henry take advantage of the preposition regarding.
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Round Without a preposition, such as round, you couldn't go round the town.
Save You also couldn't Save the Wales without the preposition save
Since Since you asked, since is also a preposition
Than There are few prepositions greater than than
Through When Alice went through the looking glass, she used a preposition.
Throughout Throughout history, the preposition throughout has been used.
To Without "to," Shakespeare could not have asked his famous question- to be or not to be.
Until Until you read his list, you may not have known that until was a preposition.
Up Up up and away is a cry you couldn't say without prepositions.
With With or without your consent, prepositions will keep on directing sentences.
Within Within the confines of many sentences, you are likely to find the preposition within.
Without Without the preposition without, you'd be without a clue.

Assessment
Fill the blanks with appropriate Prepositions:

1. My project bagged the First Place in ‘Inter-college Tech Fest’ _______________its simplicity and ap-
plicability.
2. I did a thorough study of the journals _______________I even started working on the project.
3. _______________of my busy schedule at the college, I could make time _______________the project
_______________my dedication.
4. I had to work _______________all kinds of distractions _______________I had to complete the project
_______________the exams.
5. I put-in all my efforts _______________it and enjoyed the experience _______________ .
6. Is your brother _______________home?
7. There is no unity _______________the leaders.
8. He is a man _______________humble origin.
9. The village is 5 miles _______________the highway.
10. He is _______________to Mumbai.
11. The boy was beaten _______________a stick.
12. He discussed the problem _______________his parents.
13. John was punished _______________his father.
14. Can you finish the work _______________tomorrow?
15. He has been absent _______________last week.

Identify “Conjunctions and Prepositions” used in the following examples:

1. “Experience as an Intern during your 3rd year B.Tech”

“I got an opportunity to pursue internship during 3/2, in DRDO. I was assigned to work under one of the senior
scientists there and had to prepare various 3D designs for missiles by using AUTO CAD 3D, for the given
data/dimensions. Apart from this, I was also assigned to compile the data and give a presentation about the
advantages and disadvantages of the designs.
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I was good as far as designing was concerned but, when it came to presentation, I used to feel nervous. How-
ever, I am confident now.”

2. “Describing a project during an INTERVIEW”

“I worked on a project on “Automation on curbing of traffic violation” during my fourth-year engineering. In

this project, I worked on devices and embedded sensors that get activated due to pressure and heat of the vehicle.
This device works on either of the sensors or on both the sensors. The aim was to develop an error free sys-
tem/device. To my astonishment, the project was selected and implemented in the towns as the first phase of
implementation by the government.”

Let us recapture:

Conjunctions
Junction or Connection
Combines two or more sentences into one
Tests user’s imagination
Maintains flow of ideas without a break or full stop
Condenses script or content. Certain conjunctions can be dis-
pensed with by writing or speaking two separate sentences.
Prepositions
Pre-positioned or positioned before
Talks about relation of a noun or pronoun
with something else
Higher degree of difficulty than Conjunction
Tests one’s imagination for deciding relation-
ship; on, upon, over, on my own, by myself
Sentence can’t be completed unless preposi-
tion is placed.

III.e. Verb
A verb is a word that expresses an action or a state of being.

As you can see from that definition, there are two main categories of verbs: action verbs and state of
being verbs (also known as linking verbs). Because action verbs and linking verbs are strong enough to be used
in sentences all by themselves, they are called main verbs.

 I love cheese. I turned the page. (action verbs)

 I am a student. I turned blue. (linking verbs)

But wait! There is also a third category of verbs which doesn't get any glory. They are the helping verbs. The
reason that helping verbs don't get any of the fame that action and linking verbs get is because they don't stand
alone as main verbs.

Helping verbs always help either an action verb or a linking verb.

 I will play the guitar. (will = helping verb, play = action verb)
 I will be an actor. (will = helping verb, be = linking verb)

Some verbs can function as main verbs or helping verbs, but they will only do one job at a time in a sentence.

 I have a pet. (have = main verb, action verb)

 I have been watching a great play. (have = helping verb)
 I am a teacher. (am = main verb, linking verb)
 I am cooking dinner for my family. (am = helping verb)

Let's look at some examples of verbs!

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Action verb with no helping verb I ate five pizzas!

Helping verb helping an action verb Now, my stomach will hurt for an hour.

Two helping verbs helping an action verb Actually, my stomach will be hurting for a few days.

When you have a helping verb along with an action or linking verb, all of those verbs together are called
a verb phrase.
Here are some examples of sentences with verb phrases.
helping verb Will Exam-

main verb (action verb) Eat

verb phrase will eat

ple: Now, I will eat fruits and veggies.

Example: I have been feeling great!

helping verbs have been

main verb (linking feeling

verb)

verb phrase have been feel-

ing
Helping Verbs:These do just what their name implies.
They help the main verb in the sentence by telling us more about its tense and the subtleties of its meaning.
The main verb will be either an action verb or a linking verb. You'll find more on those verbs below.

The helping verb(s) and the main verb come together to form a verb phrase. Here is a list of 24 common help-
ing verbs.

be am is are
was were been being
have has had could
should would may might
must shall can will
do did does having

Action Verbs: As their name implies, action verbs show action. Keep in mind that action doesn't always
mean movement.
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Sania thought about bears.

In this example, the verb thought doesn't show movement, but it is still an action verb. There are many, many
action verbs. Here's a small list of verbs that show action.

clean cut drive eat

fly go live make
play read run shower
sleep smile stop sweep
swim think throw trip
walk wash work write

Linking Verbs: You can call these either linking verbs or intransitive linking verbs.

 Lara became a famous equestrian.

Became is a linking verb. It is linking the subject Lana with the noun equestrian.

They link the subject of a sentence with a noun or adjective. If you count all of the forms of to be as one word,
there are 13 linking verbs. Memorize these!

Forms of be be, am, is, are, was, were, been, being

Other Linking Verbs appear, become, feel, grow, look, seem, remain, smell, sound, stay, taste, turn

What is a verb? Got it all? Here's a summary.

 There are three categories of verbs (action, linking, helping).

 Only two can be main verbs (action, linking). Main means that the verb is strong enough to be the only
verb in the sentence.
 Helping verbs are not main verbs. They help action and linking verbs.
 A helping verb and a main verb working together are called a verb phrase.

Verbs: the three basic forms

Main verbs have three basic forms: the base form, the past form and the -ed form (sometimes called the ‘-
ed participle’):

base form: used as the infinitive form, with to or without to (Do you want to come with us? I can’t leave now.)
and for the present simple (I always read before I go to sleep every night.) except third person singular, which
uses the -s form (She works at the university.)

past form: used for the past simple (He opened the door and went out.)

-ed form: used after auxiliary have and be (I’ve always wanted a piano and I was givenone last week.).

Here are some examples

Base form Past simple -ed form

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open opened opened

love loved loved
watch watched watched
swim swam swum
go went gone
make made made
put put put

a) Some verbs have a similar pronunciation but a different meaning:

We love to just lie on the beach.

Not: We love to just lay on the beach.

Lie/lay/lain is used without an object. Lay/laid/laid must have an object: e.g. I’ll lay the table then we can
eat.

Other verbs like this are: affect/effect, bare/bear, fine/find, note/notice, raise/rise.

b) Sometimes a verb is confused with another word which sounds similar but is from a different word
class:

I don’t want to lose contact with my school friends.

Not: I don’t want to loose contact with my school friends.

(Lose is a verb. Loose is an adjective, e.g. These shoes are too loose; I need a smaller size.)

Other pairs like this are: advise (verb)/advice (noun), practise (verb)/practice(noun).

c) We always need an e in the -ed form (past simple and -ed form) of regular verbs:

I don’t know what happened at the last meeting.

Not: I don’t know what happend at the last meeting.

Other verbs which are often misspelt in this way are: bother, complain, consider, join, recover, remain.

Regular verbs:Most verbs in English are regular. Regular verbs add -ing to the base form to make the -
ing form, and -ed to the base form to make the past simple and the -ed form.

base form -ing form past simple -ed form

look looking Looked looked
listen listening Listened listened
play playing Played played
work working Worked worked
Irregular verbs: Irregular verbs follow the same rules as regular verbs for the present simple but have different
forms for the past simple and the -ed form.

 Some irregular verbs have the same form for the base, the past simple and the -ed form, e.g. hit, hit, hit;
let, let, let; put, put, put.
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 Some irregular verbs share a form for the past simple and -ed form which is different from the base
form, e.g. bring, brought, brought; feel, felt, felt; have, had, had.
 Some irregular verbs have a base form which ends in -d and a past simple and -ed form which end in -
t, e.g. bend, bent, bent; build, built, built; send, sent, sent; spend, spent, spent.
 Some irregular verbs have a different form for the base form, the past simple and the -edform, e.g. drink,
drank, drunk; go, went, gone; take, took, taken.

Here is a list of the most commonly used irregular verbs

Base Form Past Tense Form Past Participle

say Said said
make Made made
go Went gone
take Took taken
come Came come
see Saw seen
know Knew known
get Got got/gotten (US)
give Gave given
find Found found
think Thought thought
tell Told told
become Became become
show Showed shown
leave Left left
feel Felt felt
put Put put
bring Brought brought
begin Began begun
keep Kept kept
hold Held held
write Wrote written
stand Stood stood
hear Heard heard
let Let let
mean Meant meant
set Set set
meet Met met
run Ran run
pay Paid paid
sit Sat sat
speak Spoke spoken
lie Lay lain
lead Led led
read Read read
grow Grew grown
lose Lost lost
fall Fell fallen
send Sent sent
build Built built
understand Understood understood
draw Drew drawn
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break Broke broken

spend Spent spent
cut Cut cut
rise Rose risen
drive Drove driven
buy Bought bought
wear Wore worn
choose Chose chosen

Assessment
Fill in the blanks with appropriate action verbs. Each question is followed by three suggested answers.
Choose the most appropriate one.

1. The wrestler _______________ his muscles. (flexed / shook / snapped)

2. She _______________ her fingers impatiently. (craned / snapped / flexed)
3. Can you _______________ your breath for five minutes? (hold / catch / pick)
4. The little woman _______________ her neck to see over the big buy standing in front of her. (clenched /
craned / tapped)
5. She _______________ her fists angrily. (tapped / clenched / scratched)
6. Unable to find a solution to the problem, he _______________ his head. (shook / scratched / wiped)
7. Although I didn’t understand a word, I _______________ in agreement. (nodded / shook / rubbed)
8. He _______________ it out in the gym. (sweated / shivered / blushed)
9. She was so tired that she _______________ in her armchair. (sweated / dozed / fainted)
10. She _______________ with embarrassment. (blushed / trembled / startled)

Fill past simple in the blanks:

1. He _______________ (bring) some food to the party.

2. She _______________ (hear) someone call her.
3. My mother _______________ (read) this book in her school days.
4. I _______________ (speak) German to the students.
5. I am hopeful that he _______________ (understand) what I said.
6. My friend _______________ (forget) correct address of the examination center.
7. He _______________ (graduate) from college in June.
8. They _______________ (lose) match yesterday.
9. My team _______________ (win) the 500m swimming competition.
10. My brother _______________ (present) a cycle to me for Diwali.
11. I _______________ (am) a teacher in this college.
12. He told me that he _______________ (know) the answer.
13. We _______________ (live) in Canada for ten years.
14. They _______________ (help) the lady by lending some money.
15. The problem _______________ (accentuate) because of his ignorance.
16. I _______________ (sleep) in the barn to take care of the cattle.
17. The customer _______________ (escalate) the issue to the manager.
18. Those who _______________ (choose) to be silent were sent out of the room.
19. Poverty was _______________ (eradicate)from the country in a systematic manner.
20. The river _______________ (change) its course due to flash floods.
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21. The duo _______________ (walk) to safety with great difficulty.

22. Strong winds _______________ (surround) the ship.
23. The letter was not _______________ (read) by the Principal.
24. He _______________ (propound) the theory of relativity.
25. The accused _______________ (bear) no grudges against the complainant.

Change the verb into past participle:

1. Vishnu didn’t opt for English. He had _____________________ (study) it in High School.
2. The protestors have _____________________ (have) enough and left in a state of disappointment.
3. She had been _____________________ (give) a weekly off due to her excellent work.
4. He has _____________________ (begin) living in the new house.
5. They have _____________________ (protect) this monument for four hundred years.
6. I have never _____________________ (entertain) such a large audience before.
7. He has _____________________ (take) sick leave last week.
8. The train had _____________________ (leave) the platform by the time we reached.
9. The boy had _____________________ (fall) off the bicycle and hurt himself.
10. I had never _____________________ (feel) so tired.
11. I had _____________________ (construct) this house a decade ago.
12. This project has _____________________ (go) beyond the budget.
13. The migratory birds have _____________________ (fly) into Bharatpur.
14. The man has finally _____________________ (arrive).
15. His face had _____________________ (turn) blue with injury.
16. I have _____________________ (come) to a decision at last.
17. They have _____________________ (buy) at last understood the concept.
18. His son has _____________________ (get) admission into a business school.
19. He had _____________________ (climb) the peak before but went on the expedition again.
20. Has he _____________________ (decide) to go with us to the party?
21. Which programme has the university _____________________ (offer) you?
22. I have _____________________ (apprise) him of the dangers involved in the expedition.
23. I have never _____________________ (venture) into such an adventure before.
24. He has _____________________ (bear) the entire loss to bail out his friend.
25. Life has _____________________ (deal) a surprise for him.

Directions: Identify errors in usage of verbs in the following paragraph and rewrite after incorporating
necessary corrections. Please pay attention to other grammatical errors as well.

Project on contemporary technical matters interest me a lot and I decide to do a project on mobile applica-
tions. I go to my HoD and ask for permission to went to a mobile applications Company for internship. He
agree and I went to Mumbai for three weeks. The city was very big and dynamic and have a lot of visitors like
me. The biggest problem I have was with food. The company offer me a working place and access to their
Network team. The team welcome me and explained various mobile applications, tools and technology. It is a
learning experience for me and I return fully satisfied.

III.f. Tenses
Tenses are an essential part of English Language Grammar. They talk about a period of time at which
events, actions took place, usually take / are taking place or will take place. They are broadly classified into
three time periods namely Past, Present and Future. The three periods are governed by a set of uniform rules
so that every user communicates in a manner that others understand their intention and respond correctly.
 112 | P a g e

It is of utmost importance to note that a slight mistake in the usage of tense can change meaning of the com-
munication entirely; for example, let us say that during an interview a candidate was asked to talk about his
happiest moment in life and he started by saying “when I am in tenth class ……”. Is there anything wrong
with it? Yes, there certainly is. He was supposed to talk about his experience in past tense whereas; he started
off in present tense. He should have started by saying “when I was in tenth class …...”. Imagine the impres-
sion that the interviewer would have formed about the candidate when the tense was used wrongly and the
result that ensued.

Similarly, let us imagine that the candidate was asked to explain his goals and he should explain them in fu-
ture tense and to be able to do so in an impressive manner he should be fully conversant with tenses. The
question is how do we learn tenses and be able to use them confidently both in our personal and professional
lives and most importantly during interviews?

The easiest way is to start by learning the Types, Structure and Forms of Tenses.

A form is of three types: Affirmative and Negative and Question

Present Tense

a) Simple Present:

Affirmative: Subject + base verb + (s/es)

I work we work
you work you work
it/he/she works they work

Negative: Subject + aux verb ‘do’ + not + base verb

I do not work We do not work

You do not work You do not work
it/he/she does not work They do not work

Question: aux verb ‘do’ + subject+ base verb

Do I work? Do we work?
Do you work? Do you work?
Does it/he/she work? Do they work?

Construct sentences in Simple Present using the base verbs given below.

Eat, Sleep, Study, travel

Uses of Simple Present:

o Something we do as a routine or out of habit

I exercise every morning
o Situations or truths which are permanent
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The Sun rises in the East

o Running commentary of an event
The teacher goes to the board and explains a difficult concept
o To give directions and instructions
Go straight for one hundred yards and then turn right
o Newspaper headlines
India clinches the series
o To tell stories
I open the door with great curiosity only to see a lone dog wagging its tail

b) Present Continuous

Affirmative: Subject + aux verb’be’ + base verb + ing

Negative: Subject + aux verb ‘be’ +not + base verb + ing

Question: aux verb’be’+subject+base verb+ing

Examples:

Person Affirmative Negative Question

I I am writing I am not writing Am I writing?
You You are writing You are not writing Are you writing?
He/She/It He is writing He is not writing Is he writing?
We We are writing We are not writing Are we writing?
They They are writing They are not writing Are they writing?

Contracted Form

Person Affirmative Negative Question

I I’m writing I’m not writing Same as Regular Form
You You’re writing You’re not writing -do-
He/She/It He’s writing He’s not writing -do-
We We’re writing We’re not writing -do-
They They’re writing They’re not writing -do-

Main uses of Present Continuous Tense:

o To talk about something which is in action at the time of speaking

Please answer the call. I am preparing for an exam.
o To talk about something which is temporary in nature which may not necessarily be happening
at the time of speaking
I am reading the sports section.
o To bring out certain habits or actions that happen frequently
He is always shuffling his books
o To give background information while narrating a story
There I’m watching cricket intently when my teacher calls my name
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o To describe developing situations

It’s becoming warm day by day.
o To refer to some action which happens regularly at that point of time
Satya is usually sleeping at this time

c) Present Perfect: We relate past to the present by using Present Perfect Tense.

Affirmative: Subject+ aux verb ‘have’ + past participle

Negative: Subject+aux verb’have’+not+past participle

Question: Aux verb’have’+subject+past participle

Examples: (blank columns are to be filled by the students)

Person Affirmative Negative Question

I I have eaten I have not eaten Have I eaten?
You
He/She/It
We
They

When is it used?

o Actions / state that happened in the past without referring to any particular time.
I have visited London
o Completed past actions carried out in an unfinished time at the time of speaking
I have read the complete book today
o Actions that happened in the past and are still true at the time of speaking
I have not eaten a banana for a long time.
o Describing past actions with present results
I have forgotten Ravi’s phone number. Can you give it to me?

d) Present Perfect Continuous: This is also used to relate past actions to the present. This is true for
some time in the past and likely to continue in future.

Affirmative: Subject + aux verb ‘have’ + been + base verb+ing

Negative: Subject + aux verb ’have’ + not + been + base verb+ing

Question: Aux verb ’have’ + subject + been + verb+ing

Examples: (blank columns are to be filled by the students)

Person Affirmative Negative Question

I I have been learning Eng- I have not been learning Eng- Have I been learning Eng-
lish lish lish?
You
He/She/I
t
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We
They

Usages:

o To talk about an incomplete and continuing activity when the speaker wants to say how long it
has continued
I have been learning music for the last two years.
o To talk about a recently finished unfinished activity which has present result
I have a sour throat because I have been singing for many hours

Past Tense

a) Past Simple: The form differs depending upon whether the verb is regular or irregular.

Regular Verbs

Affirmative: add –d or –ed to the base form of the verb; Walk – Walked; Close - Closed

Negative: add ‘did not’ or didn’t before the base form

Question: add ‘did’ plus subject before the base form

Write five sentences of each form using regular verbs of your choosing

Irregular Verbs: (blank columns to be completed by the students)

Base Form Past Simple Base Form Past Simple

Eat Ate Run Ran

Uses:

o To talk about a past action when the time is given

I ate in a restaurant yesterday
o To ask about the time at which something happened
When did you see him last?
o To talk about an action which took place but not mentioned while speaking
I left my village long time ago

b) Past Continuous

Affirmative: Subject + was/were + base verb + ing

Negative: Subject + was/were + base verb + ing

Question: Was/ were + subject + base verb + ing

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Uses:

o For interrupted past actions

My friend waved at me when I was boarding the train
o To mention about actions / state without any mention of time. It usually talks about gradual de-
velopment that took place in the past
The tides were rising ominously
o To denote an action which started before a particular time and probably continued thereafter
I was addressing foreign delegates at ten o’clock

c) Past Perfect: It is past equivalent of the Present Perfect

Affirmative: Subject + had + past participle

Negative: Subject + had + not + past participle

Question: Had + subject + past participle

Construct sentences using the above forms and verbs chosen by you.

d) Past Perfect Continuous

Affirmative: Subject + had + been + base verb + ing

Negative: Subject + had + not + been + base verb + ing

Question: Had + subject + been + base verb + ing

It is used to talk about two aspects; about longer actions or situations in the past that had been happening up to
the past moment we are relating to.

Example: Before leaving my village, I had been leading a frugal life

Future Tense

It has seven most common forms

1. Future Simple

2. Future Continuous

3. Future Perfect

4. Future Perfect Continuous

5. Be Going + Infinitive

6. Present Simple

7. Present Continuous

a) Future Simple

Affirmative: Subject + shall / will + base verb

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Negative: Subject + shall / will + not + base verb

Question: Will / shall + subject + not + base verb

Contractions: I’ll, you’ll, shan’t, won’t etc

Uses:

o For future facts and things which are certain

Examinations will commence on 27 July.
o In making promises
I’ll complete the task by tomorrow
o To make predictions
It’ll be a freezing winter
o Decisions taken on the spot
I’ll rest now
o For threats
You’ll have a difficult time if your do not pay heed to my instructions

b) Future Continuous

Subject + shall / will + be + base verb + ing

Fill-in the blank columns with sentence structure for Future Continuous using base verb ‘come’

Person Affirmative Negative Question

I
You
He/She/It
We
They

Uses

o To convey that some action will be in progress at a particular time in future

I’ll be flying over the Himalayan ranges by this time tomorrow
o To predict the present / guess what we think might be happening now
Satya will probably be having dinner now
o To ask politely about other people’s plans without intending to influence them
Will you be joining me for lunch tomorrow?
o To refer to future plans / events which have been fixed
Satya will be travelling to UK next week to take guest lecturers in London Business School

c) Future Perfect

Subject + will + have + past participle

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Fill-in the blank columns with sentence structure for Future Perfect using base verb ‘travel’

Person Affirmative Negative Question

I
You
He/She/It
We
They

Uses: It is used to say that something will have been done by a certain time in future

Example: I will have travelled to UK by next Monday

d) Future Perfect Continuous

Subject + will + have + been + base verb + ing

Fill-in the blank columns with sentence structure for Future Perfect Continuous using base verb ‘work’

Person Affirmative Negative Question

I
You
He/She/It
We
They

Use: To talk about how long something would have continued by a certain time

Example: By the time I retire, I will have been working for forty years.

e) Be Going + Infinity (Going to future)

Person Affirmative Negative Question

I I am going watch a
movie next Sunday

You

He/She/It

We

They
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f) Present Simple

Structure is same as given in the Present Tense

Uses:

o To talk about a formal situation

My new role commences next week
o For time tables and schedules
The bus to New Delhi leaves at 9 a.m.
o As an impersonal tone
We start trekking tomorrow

g) Present Continuous

Uses:

o For definite arrangements

We are travelling to Goa in December
o For decisions and plans without a time frame
I am going to pursue higher studies

Assessment
Tick mark the sentence which is grammatically incorrect.

1. I have been teaching in this college for the last twenty years.
2. I will have been teaching in this college for twenty years by the time I complete fifty years of age.
3. I teach in this college for twenty years.
4. I will teach in this college for twenty years.
5. The college bus had left by the time I finished my work.
6. I had taught in this college for twenty years.
7. I have decided to pursued PhD next year.
8. I am going to pursued PhD next year.
9. Life has been treating me well.
10. Life treated me well.

Fill in the blanks to complete the sentences correctly. Choices have been provided for sentence having
more than two blanks.

1. I ______________ been to college since yesterday.

2. I ______________ go to college yesterday.
3. ______________ you ever taught English?
4. ______________ I ______________ to be a teacher immediately after graduation, I would
______________ in a senior position by now.
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A. Have B. Had C. Been D. Be E. Being

5. I ______________ completed the assignment by the time I ______________ college tomorrow.

A. Shall B. Will C. had D. have E. Reached F.

Reach

Fill the box / boxes with the correct tenses.

1. I (learn) ______________ English for seven years now.

2. But last year I (not / work) ______________ hard enough for English, that's why my marks (not /
be) ______________ really that good then.

3. As I (pass / want) ______________ my English exam successfully next year,

I (study) ______________ harder this term.

4. During my last summer holidays, my parents (send) ______________ me on a language course to

London.

5. It (be) ______________ great and I (think) ______________ I (learn) ______________ a lot.

6. Before I (go) ______________ to London, I (not / enjoy) ______________ learning English.

7. But while I (do) ______________ the language course, I (meet) ______________ lots of young peo-
ple from all over the world.

8. There I (notice) ______________ how important it (be) ______________ to speak foreign languages
nowadays.

9. Now I (have) ______________ much more fun learning English than I (have) ______________ be-
fore the course.

10. At the moment I (revise) ______________ English grammar.

11. And I (begin / already) ______________ to read the texts in my English textbooks again.

12. I (think) ______________ I (do) ______________ one unit every week.

13. My exam (be) ______________ on 15 May, so there (not / be) ______________ any time to be lost.

14. If I (pass) ______________ my exams successfully, I (start) ______________ an apprenticeship in

September.

15. And after my apprenticeship, maybe I (go) ______________ back to London to work there for a
while.

16. As you (see / can) ______________, I (become) ______________ a real London fan already

III.gSubject verb agreement

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The three main aspects of a sentence are Subject or the Doer, Verb or the Action and the Object or with whom
or with what the actions are performed.

In order to understand Subject Verb Agreement, there is a need to know the Types of Person both in Singular
and Plural versions.

Person Singular Plural

First I We
Second You You
Third He,She,it They

When the subject is Third Person Singular, some changes occur in Base Verb (V1), auxiliary or helping verbs
in the following manner.

Subject -Singular; Verb – Present Tense

Person Be Form Do Form Have Form

First – I am do have
Second - You are do have
Third – He, She, it is does has

Subject - Plural; Verb – Present Tense

Person Be Form Do Form Have Form

First - We are do have
Second - You are do have
Third - They are do have

Subject – Singular; Verb – Past Tense

Person Be Form Do Form Have Form

First - I was did had
Second - You were did had
Third – He, She, It was did had

Subject – Plural; Verb – Past Tense

Person Be Form Do Form Have Form

First - We were did had
Second - You were did had
Third - They were did had

Rules:
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1. Numbers - Whenever a subject is referred to in a number, it must agree with the verb.

The cat mews when he is angry. The cats mew when they are angry.

2. The words that come between the subject and verb don’t affect the agreement.

The train running on a parallel track is colorfully decorated.

3. The agreement doesn’t get affected by prepositional phrases between the subject and verb.

The achievements of the team are praiseworthy.

4. The subject will always be placed after the verb, when sentences start with "there" or "here”.

Here is the food you ordered.

5. Subjects usually come after the verbs in interrogative sentences.

Where is the lion you spotted in the jungle?

6. Subjects joined by "and," require a plural verb form.

Physics and Chemistry are my favorite subjects.

7. When two subjects which refer to the same person or thing are separated by "and" verb will be
singular

Idli and sambar is my favorite dish.

8. The verb is singular if one of the words "each," "every," or "no" comes before the subject.

No child or woman is allowed to pedal the boat in mid-stream.

Every student and parent are required to attend the orientation programme.

9. The verb is singular If the subjects are both singular and are connected by the words "or,"
"nor," "neither/nor," "either/or," and "not only/but also"

Neither Rajesh nor Ramesh is to be blamed for the incident.

10. The verb form used for units of measurement or time is usually singular

It was ten in the morning when I woke up.

Four kilograms of cooking oil was used in the dish.

11. The verb is plural if the subjects are both plural and are connected by the words "or," "nor,"
"neither/nor," "either/or," and "not only/but also".

Neither motor cycles nor autorickshaws are allowed on the Outer Ring Road.

12. When one subject is singular, and one plural and they are connected by “or," "nor," "nei-
ther/nor," "either/or," and "not only/but also", verb form of the subject that is nearest the verb
is used.

It is either the chocolate or the juices that are responsible for my bad stomach.
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Neither the residents nor the nonresident is in favor of the new policy.

13. Singular verbs are used for indefinite pronouns.

Nobody wants to leave the room

14. When two infinitives are separated by "and" plural form of the verb is used.

To sing and to play drums require great coordination.

15. Singular verb form is used for collective nouns like "herd," "senate," "class," and "crowd,"

The battalion is marching.

16. Titles of books, movies, novels, etc. are treated as singular and take a singular verb.

The Shakers and Movers is an interesting movie.

Practice Exercise

1.The price of these clothes ______________ very reasonable.

2. The groceries bought from the shop ______________ on top of my desk.

3. The two medals I won ______________with a friend of mine.

4. Potatoes and wheat ______________our staple food.

5. The train to Delhi ______________arrived on platform number two.

6. Collecting stamps ______________ one of his childhood hobbies.

7. Neither a movie nor drama ______________of interest to him.

8. Everyone on the train ______________ to sit while passing through the tunnel.

9. Pins and Needles______________ an interesting movie.

10. I have a few friends who______________ excellent sportsmen.

11. Many a countryman ______________ taken the oath.

12. Kheer made out of resins and milk ______________ my favorite sweet.

13. I and he ______________ to London very often.

14. Bags and bags of grain ______________stored in the godown.

15. The last twenty miles of the marathon ______________ a bi challenge for me.

16. Waking up early in the morning ______________ builds my confidence,

17. He ______________ a chequered career.

18. The poor ______________ a lot of suffering.

19. Considering the options, taking a decision ______________ the most difficult part of it.
 124 | P a g e

20.Intelligent students who study hard and ______________ full marks selected.

21. Hyderabad and Secunderabad, called the Twin cities ______________ as feeders of manpower to MNCs
and ______________ a lot of revenue.

22. One of these most intelligent students whose example ______________ being followed ______________
Ram

III.g.Articles, Active, Passive Voice and Direct, Indirect Speech

Communication largely depends on ‘Intention’. The intention is made clear by using the right words, refer-
ences, emphasis and structure.

All the above are made possible by the right usage of Articles, Active, Passive Voice and Direct, Indirect
Speech.

Articles

We use ‘a’ ‘an’ and ‘the’ very often in our speech as well as writing. They are called Articles and are
prefixed with Nouns.Articles are divided into two types: Definite and Indefinite

‘The’ is called as ‘Definite’ Article whereas ‘a’ and ‘an’ are called as Indefinite Articles.

Definite Article: Usage-

o When we talk about a particular Noun or about the one which was already referred to:
The movie is good for children
The town is very neat and clean
The boy is intelligent
o When a singular Noun is meant to represent a whole class:
The dog is a faithful animal
The man is different from a woman
o Before some names of places; proper Nouns:
Oceans and seas, Rivers, Canals, Deserts, Groups of Islands, Mountain ranges, Names of countries
which include Republic and Kingdom
o Before names of certain books
The Mahabharata, the Vedas
o Before names of things which are unique
The Sun, the Earth
o Before a Proper Noun when it is qualified by an Adjective
The inimitable Chanakya
o With superlatives
The tallest, the brightest
o With ordinals
I was the first resident of this colony
o Before musical instruments
I can play the guitar
o Before an Adjective when the Noun is understood
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The intelligent will have no problem in understanding my statement

The poor have limited access to education
o Before a Noun to give it the force of a superlative
He is the man
This is the place
o As an Adverb with comparatives
The less the better

Indefinite Article

Usage of the indefinite articles ‘A’ and ‘An’ depends upon sound; Vowel or Consonant.

‘An’ is used for vowel sounds and ‘A’ for consonant sounds.

Examples:An elephant, A river

Exceptions to the above rule will be covered and practiced in the class.

Active and Passive Voice

1. Satya teaches English

2. English is taught by Satya

Q. What is the difference between the above sentences?

A. In the first sentence, the subject does something and the verb is in Active Voice.In the second sentence,
something is being done by the subject and the verb is in Passive Voice.

Active Voice Passive Voice

Hari is reading a book A book is being read by Hari
I learnt English English was learnt by me
I will secure first rank First rank will be secured by me

(It may be noted that a verb in Active Voice cannot be changed to Passive Voice when there is no object)

Example: Forming Passive Voice with the help of suitable tense of the verb followed by the past participle

Tense Active Voice Passive Voice

Simple Present Eat Is eaten, are eaten
Present Continuous Am eating, is eating, are eating Is being eaten, are being eaten
Present Perfect Has eaten, have eaten Has been eaten, have been eaten
Simple Past Ate Was eaten, were eaten
Past Continuous Was eating, were eating Was being eaten, were being eaten
Past Perfect Had eaten Had been eaten
Simple Future Will eat, shall eat Will be eaten, shall be eaten
Can / may / must Can eat, may eat, must eat Can be eaten, may be eaten, must be eaten
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Direct and Indirect Speech

The above is used to report what was said by a speaker.

The difference between both is that Direct Speech is reproduced exactly as the speaker said whereas Indirect
Speech is reproduced as reported by someone else. Example:

Direct: The farmer said “I have a bumper crop this year”

Indirect: The farmer said that he has a bumper crop this year.

Rules:

o All Present Tenses are changed into corresponding Past Tense when the reporting verb is in the
Past Tense
A simple Present becomes a simple Past
A Present continuous becomes a Past continuous
A Present Perfect becomes a Past Perfect
o Tense may not change if it is still relevant or is a universal truth
He said “I know the truth”
He said that he knows the truth
o Pronouns of the Direct Speech changed where necessary
o Expression of nearness or time undergo a change (dealt by examples in class)

Assessment
Fill the blanks with appropriate articles

1. _______________ serpent crawled under my bed and I jumped with terror. _______________ serpent
then slid under _______________ bed and moved away without causing any harm.
2. A motorcade passed by my house upon which rode many gymnasts. _______________ motorcade
also carried _______________ flag which had _______________ insignia of two lions and
_______________ sword.
3. Life is _______________ mystery for _______________ ordinary and _______________ opportunity
for _______________ extraordinary.
4. _______________ jungle contains many types of animals and _______________ particular species of
nocturnal predator. _______________ species is known for its fearsome teeth and _______________
pair of clasps like arms.
5. We are _______________ invincible pair of mountaineers. We climb is twenty meters in
_______________ hour.
6. Yesterday I went to watch _______________ One Day International cricket match.

The paragraph given below contains both Active Voice and Direct Speech. Change its voice and speech
to Passive and Indirect.
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Arnold plucked an apple from a tree. Owner of the shouted at him and said “do not pluck apples from my or-
chard. I’ll call police”. Arnold threw the apple into a basket and said “I’m sorry. I’ll not repeat it”. The farmer
looked at Arnold understandingly and said “it is alright. You may take the apple”

Change the voice and speech of the following and write your answers in the space provided for the pur-
pose. Please change both where required.

“I promise you father, I will work like never before and top the university” Raju said to his father.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The news reader said that the rains that battered the coastal regions had then moved towards the west.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------

Chairman of XYZ Technologies said “the new technology is being implemented by our company to great ef-
fect”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--

“One needs presence of mind and intelligence to score high percentile in GMAT” the faculty told the class.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Assessment

You have been recently appointed as a reporter with a travel magazine and were asked to interview few travel
enthusiasts. You went about your job seriously and came up with an interesting report and submitted it to edi-
tor of the magazine.

Please write a report an appropriate voice and speech. You may imagine the places, names and dialogues to
suit your report. Rewrite the following changing the active sentences to passive and passive sentences to ac-
tive.
 128 | P a g e

Rewrite the sentences changing the voice.

1. The thieves have been punished by the court.

2. The marvelous performance delivered by the troupe enthralled us.

3. He has been invited to their house.

4. We have shipped your consignment.

5. The girl recited the poem very well.

6. The guests enjoyed the dinner.

7. The child impressed everyone with his intelligent answers.

8. A girl from California won the first prize.

9. The readers like the latest book of the author.

10. They are painting the house.

11. The car has been fixed by the garage.

12. She accepted their invitation with great happiness.

Rearranging Jumbled Words into Sentences

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Jumbled Sentences are a must for good English. This is usually known by many names like rearranging of
words, rearranging sentences jumbled words, word order exercises, make a sentence with the word, put
the words in the correct order to make sentences, sentence order, sentence formation

Exercise:

Look at the words and phrases below. Rearrange them to form meaningful sentences to make readable passage.
Write the correct sentences in the space provided.
1.
(a)love / of others / good manners / and / win the / respect
(b) when / best / they can / one is / be learnt / young
(c)saves us / turns away / soft answer / anger and / a / a pitfall / from many
(d)who is / stranger / respectful / a person / even / like
(e) sure / in life / they / passport / are a / for success

2.

(a) in / we / of / science / the age / live

(b) (b) and space / conquered / air time / we have / help of / with the / scientific inventions
(c) (c) inventions / armed / which are / has / miracles / science / man with / not less than
(d) (d) deadly weapons / but / science has / of warfare / also given / man
3.

(a) full/ hearing/ she/ born/ and/ sight/ was/ with

(b)to/ the/ see/ enabled/ fever/ hear / or/ her/ brain
(c)at/ software/it/peak/India/is/in/revolution
(d)television/have / the /even/ computers/ replace

4.

(a)a/ every/ commodity/computers/in/home/common/ are

(b)phones/well/ones/near/keep/and/cell/connected/loved
(c)a/are/source/they/of/also/entertainment
(d)easily/convenient/accessible/they/and/are

5.

(a) have/making/humans/heed/times/ pre-historic/the drawings/since

(b) earliest/were/the/pointed/drawing tools/ sticks/stones/or
(c) Today/variety/have/wide/we/a/of/ colours/pencils/and/pens
(d) an/is/drawing/activity/artistic

6.
(a) very important / facial expressions/to us / are
(b) someone / easier / can see / you / it is / to understand
(c) to tell apart/are easy/happy/and sad faces
(d) there/we can mould/of other ways/dozens/ our faces/ar

Error Identification
Directions: The statements or sentences given below are incorrect in which errors have been intentionally in-
troduced. You are required to do the following:
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A. Identify the errors and underline them in the statement or sentence.

B. Choose the statement or sentence which is written correctly.

Q1. I studied in a English Medium School at Halifax during 1992 to 2002.

A. I studied in a English Medium School in Halifax during 1992 to 2002.

B. I studied in an English Medium School at Halifax from 1992 to 2002.

C. I studied in an English Medium School in Halifax from 19912 to 2002.

D. No error.

Q2. The cyclonic storm of 2012 have a devastating effect on the coastal villages of the state. Mr Harry a farmer
who cultivate a large coconut plantation suffers a great loss.

A. The cyclonic storm of 2012 had a devastating effect on coastal villages of the state. Mr Harry a farmer
who cultivates a large coconut plantation suffered heavy loss.

B. The cyclonic storm of 2012 had a devastating effect on the coastal villages of the state. Mr Harry a
farmer who cultivates a large coconut plantation suffered heavy loss.

C. The cyclonic storm of 2012 had a devastating effect on coastal villages of the state. Mr Harry who
cultivates a large coconut plantation suffered heavy loss.

D. No error.

Q3. The parent said “Principal will address the students tomorrow”. Choose the correct form of indirect speech.

A. The parent informed me that the Principal would address the students on the next day.

B. The parent said “the principal told him that he would address the students the next day”.

C. The parent said that Principal told him he will address the students tomorrow.

D. No error.

Q4. “Is there any milk left in the bowl? I will have it in the morning” my younger brother asked me. Spot the
error in the sentence and choose the correct form of indirect speech.

A. I was asked by my brother if there was any milk left in the bowl. He also told that he would have it the
next day.

B. I was asked by my brother if there was some milk left in the bowl and was told that he would have it
the next day.

C. My brother enquired if there was some milk left in the bowl

D. My brother wanted to know if there was some milk left in the bowl.

E. My brother wanted to know from me if there was some milk left in the bowl.

Q4. If Hari had study hard he will have passed the exam.
 131 | P a g e

A. If Hari has studied hard, he would have passed the exam.

B. If Hari Study hard he will pass the exam.

C. If Hari had studied hard, he would have passed the exam.

D. If Hari had studied hard, he would have passed the exam.

E. No error.

Q5. It was pitch dark night and I heard loud thunder when I was fast asleep and woke up. There was nothing I
could see through the window. I opened the door and went outside and felt a burst of wind on my face.

A. I woke up from deep sleep on hearing loud thunder. I looked outside through the window but could see
nothing as it was pitch dark. I opened the door, went outside and felt strong wind on my face.

B. On hearing loud thunder, I woke up from deep sleep, looked through the window and couldn’t see
anything as it was a pitch dark night. I opened the door, went outside and felt heavy wind on my face.

C. I heard loud thunder on a pitch dark night and woke up from fast sleep. I looked through the window,
could see nothing, opened the door and went outside. I felt strong wind on my face.

Point to note: Usage of Active and Passive Voice.

Identify the incorrect part by marking the number associated with it. If you think the sentence is correct
tick mark “no correction”

1. As I step into the room (1) I saw a snake coiled near the bed (2) with its hood raised ready to strike.

a) 1 b) 2 c) 3 d) no correction

2. Digital education has revolutionized (1) the field of education (2) and spreading awareness amongst
Indians (3)

a) 1 b) 2 c) 3 d) no correction

3. No man is perfect (1) said the scholar (2) in his address to a distinguished audience.

a) 1 b) 2 c) 3 d) no correction

4. As I fall down from the cycle (1) my father picked me up (2) and asked me to continue to cycling
without giving up(3)

a) 1 b) 2 c) 3 d) no correction e) 1 and 3

5. Corruption is a social evil (1) if not weeded out from the roots (2) will destroy the very fibre of the
society(3)

a) 1 b) 2 c) 3 d) no correction
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Sentence Correction

Given below are pairs of sentences in which one is correct and the other incorrect. Mark the sentence
which according to you is correct.

1. When he parted with his sister, there were tears in his eyes.

When he parted from his sister, there were tears in his eyes.

2. The Inca civilization has been in exercise for centuries.

The Inca civilization has been in existence for centuries.

3. Police are not allowed to enter into the University Campus.

Police are not allowed to enter the University Campus.

4. I found him leaning on the chair

I found him leaning over the chair

5. His house is very different and superior to your house.

His house is very different from and very superior to your house.

6. None except the brave deserve the fair.

None but the brave deserve the fair.

7. He married with a poor girl.

He married a poor girl.

8. I told him on his face that he could not pass.

I told him at his face that he could not pass.

9. The frustrated man jumped in the river.

The frustrated man jumped into the river.

10.I have learnt this lesson word by word.

I have learnt this lesson word for word.

11. I saw him sitting besides the minister.

I saw him sitting beside the minister.

 133 | P a g e

12. The tired traveler was sitting under the shade of the tree.

The tired traveler was sitting in the shade of the tree.

13. The pick-pocketer mixed among the crowd which was coming from the station.

The pick-pocketer mixed with the crowd which was coming from the station.

14. Content yourself with what you have and do not strive about the impossible.

Content yourself with what you have and do not strive for the impossible.

15. William Wordsworth generally went to the countryside to commune of nature.

William Wordsworth generally went to the countryside to commune with nature.

16. I will leave no stone unturned to come to your expectations.

I will leave no stone unturned to come up to your expectations.

17. Can I depend upon you for this work?

Can I depend on you for this work?

18. The employer is satisfied by the work of Mr.Kumar.

The employer is satisfied with the work of Mr.Kumar.

19. The American Congress corresponds with the British Parliament.

The American Congress corresponds to the British Parliament.

20. I shall stand by you in thick and thin.

I shall stand by you through thick and thin.

21. The delegates discussed about the problem in length.

The delegates discussed the problem at length.

22. Nothing can absolve you your responsibility.

Nothing can absolve you from your responsibility.

23. A horse of a broken leg cannot run.

A horse with a broken leg cannot run.

24. The question of how many souls exist on heaven is academic.

The question of how many souls exist in heaven is academic.

25. They acquitted him for murder.

They acquitted him of murder.

26. He lives on begging.

 134 | P a g e

He lives by begging.

27. This is the central city in the whole area.

This is the central city of the whole area.

28. She was eating her heart for a soldier who was away at the war.

She was eating her heart out for a soldier who was away at the war.

29. My inquiry for his health was never answered.

My inquiry about his health was never answered.

30. Were there many people in the meeting?

Were there many people at the meeting?

31. I am sorry, I will not be able to reach there in time.

I am sorry, I shall not be able to reach there in time.

32. You shall know the result tomorrow.

You will know the result tomorrow.

33. I will forgive him if he will tell me the truth.

I shall forgive him if he tells me the truth.

34. If you do not work hard, you will fail.

If you do not work hard, you shall fail.

35. I will be drowned and nobody shall save me.

I shall be drowned and nobody will save me.

36. If you do not change your habits, you will be dismissed from service.

If you do not change your habits, you shall be dismissed from service.

37. Unless you speak the truth, I shall not pardon you.

Unless you speak the truth, I will not pardon you.

38. We will see the Grand Canyon during the coming holidays.

We shall see the Grand Canyon during the coming holidays.

39. I will be thankful to you for your kindness.

I shall be thankful to you for your kindness.

40. “Tomorrow will be a function,” said Rocky to me.

“Tomorrow shall be a function,” said Rocky to me.

 135 | P a g e

41. Shall he appear in the examination this year?

Will he appear in the examination this year?

42. As soon as the chief guest will reach here, all of you will stand.

As soon as the chief guest reaches here, all of you shall stand.

43. Our teacher shall be on leave tomorrow.

Our teacher will be on leave tomorrow.

44. We shall certainly catch the bus.

We will certainly catch the bus.

45. We shall never deceive you.

We will never deceive you.

46. Had you been to Konemara, I had also gone there.

Had you been to Konemara, I would have also gone there.

47. These news were broadcasted from All India Radio yesterday.

This new was broadcast from All India Radio yesterday.

48. Ten were killed and one taken prisoner

Ten were killed and one was taken prisoner

49. All that is typically human was due to language.

All that is typically human is due to language.

50. The patient died before the doctor arrived.

The patient had died before the doctor arrived.

Practice Exercise

The following sentence may contain an error. You have to find that part of the sentence which contains
the error. If there are no errors, choose E as your answer.

1. I have been living in this city since last several years but have never experienced any problem.

a) have been living

b) in this city

c) since last several years

d) have never experienced

e) No error
 136 | P a g e

2. There was a big argument about if we should move to a bigger house.

a) There was

b) argument about

c) if we should

d) move to

e) No error

3. I found this bangle while digging in the backyard. I don’t know who it belonged to.

a) I found

b) while digging in

c) in the backyard

d) who it belonged to

e) No error

4. The judge paid a lot of attention to that the master had abused the boy both physically and emotionally.

a) The judge paid

b) a lot of attention

c) attention to that

d) master had abused

e) No error

5. By next Christmas, we will have been here for eight years.

a) By next Christmas

b) will have been

c) here

d) for eight years

e) No error
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Sentence Completion
Sentence Completion is a test of grammar and vocabulary. It is also widely used in personality assessment. The
test is in vogue for many centuries in the past. It can be administered in simple sentences of one stem or idea or
can be a long one consisting of many stems.

Implications:

What does it mean to a student of engineering? It directly points towards employability and an ability to con-
struct ideas or imagining the missing pieces of information. While in a discussion or writing a mail, proposal it
is necessary to put ideas into cohesive sentences which require a fair amount of mastery over grammar and
vocabulary. That’s the reason for including Sentence Correction in Verbal Ability.

Method:

The method is to express an idea with a blank space or spaces and ask the students to choose the right word
from the choices given to be filled into the blank space or spaces. The idea is to test whether a student is capable
of finding the right choice or not. The exercise is based on the ability to understand the idea being expressed
and fit the missing link by the correct word.

Requirement:

It calls for an ability to understand the central idea, try to complete the idea in own word or words and then
choose the right word or words from the choices given. It is a general practice by students to look at the choices
first and then try to select what they think is the most suitable one. However, this can go wrong many a times.
The best way is to read the entire sentence, understand the central theme, figure out the right word and look for
similar meaning words from the given choices.

Choose the correct option and complete the given sentences.

Q1. Grace is not all that worried about taking the exam again as she is confident of her capabilities, but asks
how .....................thousands of students to take the re-exam.
(a) the officials are going to force
(b) she is going to enroll
(c) fair it is for the officials to ask
(d) officials are going to suspend
(e) All are correct

Q2. Our services help clients to identify key groups .......................... to realise a desired outcome.
(a) to consistently raise queries
(b) to effectively influence their behaviour
(c) to reduce the price of the commodities
(d) to ultimately study the demands of customers
(e) All are correct

Q3. A drama unfolded late on Tuesday after three persons allegedly slashed the arm of a police constable with
billhooks ........................... after they stole a mobile phone.
(a) when he tried to prevent them from fleeing
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(b) when he tried to shoot them

(c) when thieves tried to shoot police
(d) when people in the street started shouting
(e) All are correct

Q4. The foul smell of garbage being burnt ................ Green Park, say regular walkers and visitors to the larg-
est green lungs in the city.
(a) discontinue to infect
(b) starts to clean
(c) relocates people
(d) continues to plague
(e) All are correct

Q5. Passengers reaching the three major airports in Hudson Bay will soon ...................... criss-crossing the
State.
(a) have the chance to drop their baggage at
(b) have the option to interchange the flights
(c) have the chance to cruise through the canals
(d) None of the above
(e) All are correct

Q6. The boat will be completely solar powered ..................... of oil spill or other forms of pollution
(a) so that there won't be any doubts
(b) so there will not be any need of sailor
(c) so that there will not be any complaints
(d) so that there will be a doubt
(e) All are correct

Q7. The Department of Higher Education ..................... of degree college lecturers and university professors.
(a) has proposed to increase the fees
(b) has proposed to increase the retirement age
(c) has proposed to increase the number of working hours
(d) has proposed to suspend the team
(e) All are correct

Q8. India currently meets almost 90% of its annual requirement of solar panels through imports,
............................
(a) accelerating the growth of exports
(b) demolishing the structure of development
(c) increasing the activity of manufacturing at domestic level only
(d) impeding the growth of a nascent domestic solar manufacturing sector
(e) All are correct

Q9. On the Vango Airlines flight to Honululu, .................... at takeoff — loosened my seat belt fully before I
could buckle it.
(a) i did the same i used to do
(b) i did the opposite of what I usually do
(c) i did what was commanded to me
(d) i didn't do what was instructed to me
(e) All are correct
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Q10. Shopkeepers ........................., but they didn’t nag me or block my way if I moved on without buying
something.
(a) joined me in the game of endless bargaining
(b) opposed me in the game of selling
(c) helped me in reducing my burden
(d) None of the above
(e) All are correct

Q11. The gender pay gap is -------------------- of many industries, from banking to Hollywood.
(a) is a fortunate feature
(b) is an unfortunate feature
(c) is a highly commendable step
(d) is a highly criticized thing
(e) All are correct

Q12. The courier company truck .............. belonging to several jewelers from A to B at the time of the inci-
dent.
(a) was loaded with fruits
(b) was crossing the road
(c) was transporting consignment
(d) was actually punctured
(e) was about to crash

Q13. Preliminary investigation has revealed that she ............ with terminal illness since the past two-and-a-
half-years.
(a) was suffering
(b) was in a relationship
(c) was about to fall in love
(d) was taken into custody
(e) was assaulted

Q14. The body was taken into custody and police stations of nearby districts ............... the identity
(a) were commanded to reveal
(b) were commanded to conceal
(c) were forced to hide
(d) were ordered to trace
(e) were reluctant to know

Q15. We need data so that various government schemes for different categories .............. smoothly.
(a) can be implemented
(b) can be debarred
(c) can be executed
(d) can be resolved
(e) can be entered into
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Q16. She added that too much information was being sought in the form and the school could not ..............
(a) find that the students are doing well or not
(b) understand the purpose behind it
(c) discover the reason of mismanagement
(d) understand the politics behind it
(e) analyse the reason of doing so

Q17. The government has reached out to parents to convince them to stay back in Detroit for the .............. and
send their child to school.
(a) entire spring season
(b) whole period of exam
(c) entire duration of the campaign
(d) payment of full fees
(e) development of their child

Q18. The woman .............. on the shoulder and left arm, they said, adding that she was taken to a hospital and
discharged after her wounds were stitched.
(a) has retained marks
(b) has sustained injuries
(c) has made tattoo
(d) has applied ointment
(e) has shown tattoo

Q19. Hot days of the season are here and owners of pets should make themselves ................... that summer
can pose for their animals.
(a) avail the opportunities
(b) aware of some of the dangers
(c) aware of the pressures
(d) alert of the happenings
(e) account for the diseases

Q20. Dogs and cats ................, so make sure they have plenty of clean and fresh water to drink.
(a) get hungry quickly
(b) make more sounds
(c) sleep more
(d) run fast
(e) dehydrate quickly
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Paragraph Writing
A paragraph is a series of sentences that are organized and coherent and are all related to a single
topic. Almost every piece of writing you do that is longer than a few sentences should be organized
into paragraphs. This is because paragraphs show a reader where the subdivisions of an essay begin
and end, and thus help the reader see the organization of the essay and grasp its main points.

Paragraphs can contain many different kinds of information. A paragraph could contain a series of
brief examples or a single long illustration of a general point. It might describe a place, character, or
process; narrate a series of events; compare or contrast two or more things; classify items into cate-
gories; or describe causes and effects. Regardless of the kind of information they contain, all para-
graphs share certain characteristics. One of the most important of these is a topic sentence.

Paragraph Structure

Most paragraphs in an essay have a three-part structure—introduction, body, and conclusion. You
can see this structure in paragraphs whether they are narrating, describing, comparing, contrasting, or
analyzing information. Each part of the paragraph plays an important role in communicating your
meaning to your reader.

Introduction: the first section of a paragraph; should include the topic sentence and any other sen-
tences at the beginning of the paragraph that give background information or provide a transition.

Body: follows the introduction; discusses the controlling idea, using facts, arguments, analysis, ex-
amples, and other information.

Conclusion: the final section; summarizes the connections between the information discussed in the
body of the paragraph and the paragraph’s controlling idea.

Coherence

In a coherent paragraph, each sentence relates clearly to the topic sentence or controlling idea, but
there is more to coherence than this. If a paragraph is coherent, each sentence flows smoothly into
the next without obvious shifts or jumps. A coherent paragraph also highlights the ties between old
information and new information to make the structure of ideas or arguments clear to the reader.

Along with the smooth flow of sentences, a paragraph’s coherence may also be related to its length.
If you have written a very long paragraph, one that fills a double-spaced typed page, for example,
you should check it carefully to see if it should start a new paragraph where the original paragraph
wanders from its controlling idea. On the other hand, if a paragraph is very short (only one or two
sentences, perhaps), you may need to develop its controlling idea more thoroughly, or combine it
with another paragraph.

A number of other techniques that you can use to establish coherence in paragraphs are described be-
low.

Repeat key words or phrases. Particularly in paragraphs in which you define or identify an im-
portant idea or theory, be consistent in how you refer to it. This consistency and repetition will bind
the paragraph together and help your reader understand your definition or description.
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Create parallel structures. Parallel structures are created by constructing two or more phrases or
sentences that have the same grammatical structure and use the same parts of speech. By creating
parallel structures you make your sentences clearer and easier to read. In addition, repeating a pattern
in a series of consecutive sentences helps your reader see the connections between ideas. In the para-
graph above about scientists and the sense of sight, several sentences in the body of the paragraph
have been constructed in a parallel way. The parallel structures (which have been emphasized) help
the reader see that the paragraph is organized as a set of examples of a general statement.

Be consistent in point of view, verb tense, and number. Consistency in point of view, verb tense,
and number is a subtle but important aspect of coherence. If you shift from the more personal "you"
to the impersonal “one,” from past to present tense, or from “a man” to “they,” for example, you
make your paragraph less coherent. Such inconsistencies can also confuse your reader and make
your argument more difficult to follow.

Use transition words or phrases between sentences and between paragraphs. Transitional ex-
pressions emphasize the relationships between ideas, so they help readers follow your train of
thought or see connections that they might otherwise miss or misunderstand. The following para-
graph shows how carefully chosen transitions (CAPITALIZED) lead the reader smoothly from the
introduction to the conclusion of the paragraph.

I don’t wish to deny that the flattened, minuscule head of the large-bodied "stegosaurus" houses little
brain from our subjective, top-heavy perspective, BUT I do wish to assert that we should not expect
more of the beast. FIRST OF ALL, large animals have relatively smaller brains than related, small
animals. The correlation of brain size with body size among kindred animals (all reptiles, all mam-
mals, FOR EXAMPLE) is remarkably regular. AS we move from small to large animals, from mice
to elephants or small lizards to Komodo dragons, brain size increases, BUT not so fast as body size.
IN OTHER WORDS, bodies grow faster than brains, AND large animals have low ratios of brain
weight to body weight. IN FACT, brains grow only about two-thirds as fast as bodies. SINCE we
have no reason to believe that large animals are consistently stupider than their smaller relatives, we
must conclude that large animals require relatively less brain to do as well as smaller animals. IF we
do not recognize this relationship, we are likely to underestimate the mental power of very large ani-
mals, dinosaurs in particular.

Some Useful Transition Markers

To show addition:
again, and, also, besides, equally important, first (second, etc.), further, furthermore, in addi-
tion, in the first place, moreover, next, too
To give examples:
for example, for instance, in fact, specifically, that is, to illustrate
To compare:
also, in the same manner, likewise, similarly
To contrast:
although, and yet, at the same time, but, despite, even though, however, in contrast, in spite
of, nevertheless, on the contrary, on the other hand, still, though, yet
To summarize or conclude:
all in all, in conclusion, in other words, in short, in summary, on the whole, that is, therefore,
to sum up
To show time:
after, afterward, as, as long as, as soon as, at last, before, during, earlier, finally, formerly, im-
mediately, later, meanwhile, next, since, shortly, subsequently, then, thereafter, until, when,
while
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To show place or direction:

above, below, beyond, close, elsewhere, farther on, here, nearby, opposite, to the left (north,
etc.)
To indicate logical relationship:
accordingly, as a result, because, consequently, for this reason, hence, if, otherwise, since, so,
then, therefore, thus

Types of paragraphs

There are four types of paragraphs: descriptive, narrative, expository and persuasive.

Descriptive paragraph: This type of paragraph describes something and shows the reader what a
thing or a person is like. The words chosen in the description often appeal to the five senses of touch,
smell, sight, sound, and taste. Descriptive paragraphs can be artistic and may deviate from grammati-
cal norms. For example:

The lights grow brighter as the earth lurches away from the sun, and now the orchestra is playing
yellow cocktail music, and the opera of voices pitches a key higher. Laughter is easier minute by mi-
nute, spilled with prodigality, tipped out at a cheerful word. The groups change more swiftly, swell
with new arrivals, dissolve and form in the same breath; already there are wanderers, confident girls
who weave here and there among the stouter and more stable, become from a sharp, joyous moment
the center of a group, and then, excited with triumph, glide on through the sea-change of faces and
voices and color under the constantly changing light.

Narrative paragraph: This type of paragraph tells a story. There's a sequence of action or there's a
clear beginning, middle, and end to the paragraph. For example:

It's been almost ten years since I first ran for political office. I was thirty-five at the time, four years
out of law school, recently married, and generally impatient with life. A seat in the Illinois legislature
had opened up, and several friends suggested that I run, thinking that my work as a civil rights lawyer,
and contacts from my days as a community organizer, would make me a viable candidate. After dis-
cussing it with my wife, I entered the race and proceeded to do what every first-time candidate does:
I talked to anyone who would listen. I went to block club meetings and church socials, beauty shops
and barbershops. If two guys were standing on a corner, I would cross the street to hand them campaign
literature. And everywhere I went, I'd get some version of the same two questions.

Expository paragraph: This type of paragraph explains something or provides instruction. It could
also describe a process and move the reader step by step through a method. This type of paragraph
often requires research, but it's possible that the writer is able to rely on his or her own knowledge
and expertise. For example:

All toilet flush tanks work about the same. When the toilet is flushed, the trip handle lifts the tank
ball, opening the outlet and letting water flow into the bowl. When the tank is nearly empty, the ball
falls back in place over the outlet. The float falls with the water level, opening the water-supply inlet
valve just as the outlet is being closed, and the tank is refilled through the filler tube. Water also
flows through the bowl refill tube into the overflow pipe to replenish trap-sealing water. As the water
level in the tank nears the top of the overflow pipe, the float closes the inlet valve, completing the
cycle.
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Persuasive paragraph: This type of paragraph tries to get the reader to accept a particular point of
view or understand the writer's position. This is the type of paragraph that many teachers focus on
because it's useful when building an argument. It often requires the collection of facts and research.
For example:

Immigration contributes to the overall health of the American economy. Despite recent concerns
related to the costs created by illegal and some legal immigration to the United States, this country
has largely benefited from the skills, talents, and ambition that immigrants bring with them. Ameri-
can businesses gain from a good source of affordable labor, while town and cities are revitalized by
immigrant families who strengthen communities through civic participation the generation of new
economic activity. The United States must continue to welcome new arrivals and help those who al-
ready here; otherwise, the country will lose the advantages it has over other industrialized countries
who compete against us in the global marketplace and seek to recruit from a vast pool of unskilled
and skilled global workers.

Activity: Write a paragraph on any one of the topics given below.

1. Life in a big city

2. Books are our best friends
3. Has technology in the present era made people lazy?
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ESSAY WRITING

An essay is generally a short piece of writing outlining the writer’s perspective or story. It is often con-
sidered synonymous with a story or a paper or an article. Essays can be formal as well as informal. For-
mal essays are generally academic in nature and tackle serious topics.

Types of Essays
The type of essay will depend on what the writer wants to convey to his reader. There are broadly four
types of essays. Let us see.

1. Narrative Essays: This is when the writer is narrating an incident or story through the essay. So,
these are in the first person. The aim when writing narrative essays is to involve the reader in
them as if they were right there when it was happening. One must make them as vivid and real as
possible. One way to make this possible is to follow the principle of ‘show, don’t tell’. You must
involve the reader in the story.

2. Descriptive Essays: Here the writer will describe a place, an object, an event or maybe even a
memory. But it is not just plainly describing things. The writer must paint a picture through his
words. One clever way to do that is to evoke the senses of the reader. Do not only rely on sight
but also involve the other senses of smell, touch, sound etc. A descriptive essay when done well
will make the reader feel the emotions the writer was feeling at the moment.

3. Expository Essays: In such an essay a writer presents a balanced study of a topic. To write such
an essay, the writer must have real and extensive knowledge about the subject. There is no scope
for the writer’s feelings or emotions in an expository essay. It is completely based on facts, statis-
tics, examples etc. There are sub-types here like contrast essays, cause and effect essays etc.

4. Persuasive Essays: Here the purpose of the essay is to get the reader to your side of the argu-
ment. A persuasive essay is not just a presentation of facts but an attempt to convince the reader
of the writer’s point of view. Both sides of the argument have to presented in these essays. But
the ultimate aim is to persuade the readers that the writer’s argument carries more weight.

Format of an Essay

There is no rigid format of an essay. It is a creative process so it should not be confined within bounda-
ries. However, there is a basic structure that is generally followed while writing essays. So, let us take a
look at the general structure of an essay.

Introduction

This is the first paragraph of your essay. This is where the writer introduces his topic for the very first
time. You can give a very brief synopsis of your essay in the introductory paragraph. Some paragraph
writing skills can be a help here. Generally, it is not very long, about 4-6 lines.

There is plenty of scopes to get creative in the introduction of essays. This will ensure that you hook the
reader, i.e. draw and keep his attention. So to do so you can start with a quote or a proverb. Sometimes
you can even start with a definition. Another interesting strategy to engage with your reader is to start
with a question.
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Body
This is the main crux of your essays. The body is the meat of your essay sandwiched between the intro-
duction and the conclusion. So, the most vital and important content of the essay will be here. This need
not be confined to one paragraph. It can extend to two or more paragraphs according to the content.

Usually, we have a lot of information to provide in the body. And the mistakes writers generally make is
to go about it in a haphazard manner which leaves the reader confused. So, it is important to organize
your thoughts and content. Write the information in a systematic flow so that the reader can compre-
hend. So, for example, you were narrating an incident. The best manner to do this would be to go in a
chronological order.

Conclusion
This is the last paragraph of the essay. Sometimes a conclusion will just mirror the introductory para-
graph but make sure the words and syntax are different. A conclusion is also a great place to sum up a
story or an argument. You can round up your essay by providing some moral or wrapping up a story.
Make sure you complete your essays with the conclusion, leave no hanging threads.

Tips for Essay Writing

 Give your essays an interesting and appropriate title. It will help draw the attention of the reader
and pique their curiosity

 Keep it between 300-500 words. This is the ideal length, you can take creative license to increase
or decrease it

 Keep your language simple and crisp. Unnecessary complicated and difficult words break the
flow of the sentence.

 Do not make grammar mistakes, use correct punctuation and spellings. If this is not done it will
distract the reader from the content

 Before beginning the essay organize your thought and plot a rough draft. This way you can en-
sure the story will flow and not be an unorganized mess.

Activity: Write an Essay on any one of the topics given below.

1. Will newspapers go out of business or become only digital?

2. Does social media negatively impact teenagers’ social lives?
3. Online education is just as good as classroom learning. Do you agree or disagree?
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Business Letter Writing

E-mail may be the quick and convenient way to relay daily business messages, but the printed busi-
ness letter is still the preferred way to convey important information. A carefully crafted letter pre-
sented on attractive letterhead can be a powerful communication tool. To make sure you are writing
the most professional and effective letter possible, use the business letter format and template below
and follow these basic business letter-writing.

Parts of a Business Letter

This resource is organized in the order in which you should write a business letter, starting with the
sender's address if the letter is not written on letterhead.

Sender's Address

The sender's address usually is included in letterhead. If you are not using letterhead, include the
sender's address at the top of the letter one line above the date. Do not write the sender's name or ti-
tle, as it is included in the letter's closing. Include only the street address, city, and zip code.

Date

The date line is used to indicate the date the letter was written. However, if your letter is completed
over a number of days, use the date it was finished in the date line. When writing to companies
within the United States, use the American date format. In UK , "dd.mm.yy" format is also used,
such that 31 July 2017 could be written as "31.07.17". (The United States-based convention for for-
matting a date places the month before the day. For example: June 11, 2001. ) In India, we follow
British style broadly. Write out the month, day and year two inches from the top of the page. De-
pending which format you are using for your letter, either left justify the date or tab to the center
point and type the date.

1. Inside Address

The inside address is the recipient's address. It is always best to write to a specific individual at the
firm to which you are writing. If you do not have the person's name, do some research by calling the
company or speaking with employees from the company. Include a personal title such as Ms., Mrs.,
Mr., or Dr. Follow a woman's preference in being addressed as Miss, Mrs., or Ms. If you are unsure
of a woman's preference in being addressed, use Ms. If there is a possibility that the person to whom
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you are writing is a Dr. or has some other title, use that title. Usually, people will not mind being ad-
dressed by a higher title than they actually possess. To write the address, use Indian Post Office For-
mat which is given on the following website: www.indiapost.gov.in. For international addresses,
type the name of the country in all-capital letters on the last line. The inside address begins one line
below the date. It should be left justified, no matter which format you are using.

Salutation

Use the same name as the inside address, including the personal title. If you know the person and
typically address them by their first name, it is acceptable to use only the first name in the salutation
(for example: Dear Ravi ). In all other cases, however, use the personal title and last/family name
followed by a colon. Leave one line blank after the salutation.

If you don't know a reader's gender, use a non-sexist salutation, such as their job title followed by the
receiver's name. It is also acceptable to use the full name in a salutation if you cannot determine gen-
der. For example, you might write Dear Parmeet Singh if you were unsure of Parmeet's gender.

Body

For block and modified block formats, single space and left justify each paragraph within the body of
the letter. Leave a blank line between each paragraph. When writing a business letter, be careful to
remember that conciseness is very important. In the first paragraph, consider a friendly opening and
then a statement of the main point. The next paragraph should begin justifying the importance of the
main point. In the next few paragraphs, continue justification with background information and sup-
porting details. The closing paragraph should restate the purpose of the letter and, in some cases, re-
quest some type of action.

Closing

The closing begins at the same vertical point as your date and one line after the last body paragraph.
Capitalize the first word only (for example: Thank you) and leave four lines between the closing and
the sender's name for a signature. If a colon follows the salutation, a comma should follow the clos-
ing; otherwise, there is no punctuation after the closing.

Enclosures

If you have enclosed any documents along with the letter, such as a resume, you indicate this simply
by typing Enclosures below the closing. As an option, you may list the name of each document you
 149 | P a g e

are including in the envelope. For instance, if you have included many documents and need to ensure
that the recipient is aware of each document, it may be a good idea to list the names.

Typist initials

Typist initials are used to indicate the person who typed the letter. If you typed the letter yourself,
omit the typist initials.

Format and Font

1. Block Format

When writing business letters, you must pay special attention to the format and font used. The most
common layout of a business letter is known as block format. Using this format, the entire letter is
left justified and single spaced except for a double space between paragraphs.

2. Modified Block

Another widely utilized format is known as modified block format. In this type, the body of the letter
and the sender's and recipient's addresses are left justified and single-spaced. However, for the date
and closing, tab to the centre point and begin to type.

3. Semi-Block

The final, and least used, style is semi-block. It is much like the modified block style except that
each paragraph is indented instead of left justified. Keep in mind that different organizations have
different format requirements for their professional communication. While the examples provided
here contain common elements for the basic business letter (genre expectations), the format of your
business letter may need to be flexible to reflect variables like letterheads and templates.

If your computer is equipped with Microsoft Office 2000, the Letter Wizard can be used to take
much of the guesswork out of formatting business letters. To access the Letter Wizard, click on the
Tools menu and then choose Letter Wizard. The Wizard will present the three styles mentioned here
and input the date, sender address and recipient address into the selected format. Letter Wizard
should only be used if you have a basic understand of how to write a business letter. Its templates are
not applicable in every setting. Therefore, you should consult a business writing handbook if you
have any questions or doubt the accuracy of the Letter Wizard.
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Font

Another important factor in the readability of a letter is the font. The generally accepted font is
Times New Roman, size 12, although other fonts such as Arial may be used. When choosing a font,
always consider your audience. If you are writing to a conservative company, you may want to use
Times New Roman. However, if you are writing to a more liberal company, you have a little more
freedom when choosing fonts.

Punctuation

Punctuation after the salutation and closing - use a colon (:) after the salutation (never a comma) and
a comma (,) after the closing. In some circumstances, you may also use a less common format,
known as open punctuation. For this style, punctuation is excluded after the salutation and the clos-
ing.

Business Letters: Accentuating the Positives

Your letters will be more successful if you focus on positive wording rather than negative, simply
because most people respond more favourably to positive ideas than negative ones. Words that affect
your reader positively are likely to produce the response you desire in letter-writing situations. A
positive emphasis will persuade the reader and create goodwill. In contrast, negative words may gen-
erate resistance and other unfavourable reactions. You should therefore be careful to avoid words
with negative connotations. These words either deny—for example, no, do not, refuse, and stop—or
convey unhappy or unpleasant associations—for example, unfortunately, unable to, cannot, mistake,
problem, error, damage, loss, and failure.

When you need to present negative information, soften its effects by superimposing a positive pic-
ture on a negative one.

1. Stress what something is rather than what it is not.

2. emphasize what the firm or product can and will do rather than what it cannot.

3. open with action rather than apology or explanation.

4. avoid words which convey unpleasant facts.

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Compare the examples below. Which would be more likely to elicit positive reader response?

Negative: In response to your question about how many coats of Chem-Treat are needed to cover
new surfaces: I regret to report that usually two are required. For such surfaces you should figure
about 200 square feet per gallon for a good heavy coating that will give you five years or more of
beautiful protection.

Positive: In response to your question about how many coats of Chem-Treat are needed to cover
new surfaces: One gallon is usually enough for one-coat coverage of 500 square feet of previously
painted surface. For the best results on new surfaces, you will want to apply two coats.

Negative: Penquot sheets are not the skimpy, loosely woven sheets ordinarily found in this price
class.
Positive: Penquot sheets are woven186 threads to the square inch for durability and, even after 3-
inch hems, measure a generous 72 by 108 inches.

Negative: We cannot ship in lots of less than 12.

Positive: To keep down packaging costs and to help customers save on shipping costs, we ship in
lots of 12 or more.

In addition, you should reemphasize the positive through embedded position and effective use of
space.

Embedded Position

Place good news in positions of high emphasis: at the beginnings and endings of paragraphs, letters,
and even sentences. Place bad news in secondary positions: in the center of paragraphs, letters, and,
if possible, sentences.

Evaluate the examples below to determine whether or not they present negative information favora-
bly.

1. To make the Roanoke more stable than other lamps of this size, our designers put six claw
feet instead of the usual four on the base and thus eliminated the need for weighting. Claw
feet, as you know, are characteristic of 18th-century design.
 152 | P a g e

2. No special training programs are normally offered other than that of the College Graduate in
Training rotational training period. We do not expect our employees to continue their educa-
tion, but we do have an excellent tuition refund program to assist in this regard (see Working
with General Motors, page 8). Where an advanced degree is essential, individuals are re-
cruited with those particular advanced degrees. Both Butler and IUPUI offer courses leading
to an MBA degree.

3. With our rigid quality standards, corrections of Adidas merchandise run less than .02 percent
of our total line. Because of an oversight in our stitching department, a damaged needle was
inadvertently used and caused the threads to come loose in these particular bags. Since we
now have a check on all our machine needles before work each day, you can be assured that
the stitching on our Adidas carrying bags will last the lifetime of the bags. Thank you for
calling our attention to the loose stitching.

4. We are sorry that we cannot furnish the club chairs by August 16.

5. I have no experience other than clerking in my father's grocery store.

6. ABC Dog Biscuits will help keep your dog from getting sick.

Tone of letter

Fortunately, you can use the same kind of tone for most business messages. "The business writer
should strive for an overall tone that is confident, courteous, and sincere; that uses emphasis and sub-
ordination appropriately; that contains non-discriminatory language; that stresses the "you" attitude;
and that is written at an appropriate level of difficulty" (Ober 88). The only major exceptions to these
guidelines are when you need to write a negative business message, such as when you deny a job of-
fer or a customer request.

Here are some general guidelines to keep in mind when considering what kind of tone to use in your
letters and how to present information in that tone:

 Be confident.

For example:

Not: You must agree that I am qualified for the position.

But: My qualifications in the areas of accounting and customer service meet your job require-
ments.
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 Be courteous and sincere.

For example:

Not: You didn't read the instructions carefully, thus your system has shut down.

But: The system may automatically shut down if any installation errors occur.

 Use appropriate emphasis and subordination. To subordinate an idea, place it in a com-

pound sentence.

Emphasis: Smoking will no longer be permitted in the building. The committee on employee
health and safety reached this decision after considering evidence from researchers and phy-
sicians on the dangers of second-hand smoke.

Subordination: The committee on employee health and safety has finished considering evi-
dence, and they have reached the decision that smoking will no longer be permitted in the
building.

 Use non-discriminatory language.

a. Use neutral job titles:

Not: Chairman

But: Chairperson

b. Avoid demeaning or stereotypical terms

Not: After the girls in the office receive an order, our office fills it within 24 hours.

But: When orders are received from the office, they are filled within 24 hours.

c. Avoid words and phrases that unnecessarily imply gender.

Not: Executives and their wives

But: Executives and their spouses

d. Omit information about group membership.

Not: Connie Green performed the job well for her age.

But: Connie Green performed the job well.

e. If you do not know a reader's gender, use a non-sexist salutation.

Not: Dear Gentlemen:

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But: To Whom it May Concern:

f. Do not use masculine pronouns.

Not: Each student must provide his own lab jacket.

But: Students must provide their own lab jackets. Or Each student must provide his or her
own lab jacket.

 Stress the benefits for the reader.

Not: I am processing your order tomorrow.

But: Your order will be available in two weeks.

 Write at an appropriate level of difficulty.

Not: Thank you for offering me the position as General Manager at Simon's Inc. Unfortunately, I am
unable to accept the position. I did not think that the position you offered me would utilize my com-
munication and customer-service skills to the degree that I wanted. Therefore, I have accepted a po-
sition as Assistant Director at a different company

But: Thank you for offering me the position as General Manager at Simon's Inc. I appreciate your
prompt and generous offer. Unfortunately, I am unable to accept the position. I have accepted a dif-
ferent position that will allow me to utilize my communication and customer-service skills.

In some negative messages, you may need to address faults or issues concerning an individual. When
writing messages such as this, maintain a professional tone that does not attack the individual but
that makes your position on the issue clear.

For example:

Not: I do not understand why you made such discriminatory remarks.

But: Discriminatory remarks are not tolerated in this organization.

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Block Format

123 Winner's Road

New Employee Town, PA 12345

March 16, 2001

Ernie English
1234 Writing Lab Lane
Write City, IN 12345

Dear Mr. English:

The first paragraph of a typical business letter is used to state the main point of the letter. Begin with
a friendly opening; then quickly transition into the purpose of your letter. Use a couple of sentences
to explain the purpose, but do not go in to detail until the next paragraph.

Beginning with the second paragraph, state the supporting details to justify your purpose. These may
take the form of background information, statistics or first-hand accounts. A few short paragraphs
within the body of the letter should be enough to support your reasoning.

Finally, in the closing paragraph, briefly restate your purpose and why it is important. If the purpose
of your letter is employment related, consider ending your letter with your contact information.
However, if the purpose is informational, think about closing with gratitude for the reader's time.

Sincerely,

Lucy Letter

Practice letter

Topic 1 : Write a letter to the supplier who supplies you pens for sell. Write a letter complaining
about damaged product you have been getting for two months.
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sTopic 2 : Write a letter to your bank to issue new ATM card as older one has worn out.

Topic 3: write a letter to the management of college to take permission to join internship in DRDO
for two months.
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Topic 4: Write a letter to Amazon to complain about a faulty electric kettle you have received.

Topic 5 : Write a letter to Mr XYZ of Expedient Tech Inc requesting for user feedback on the mobile app your
team developed and sent to them recently.

Information:

1. Mobile App for Satellite Imagery

2. Developed on ------- technology -- platform
3. Specifications finalized during a meeting on 12 Apr 2019 in Texas.
4. App developed, tested and sent on 02 Jun 2019.
5. User feedback expected on 01 Jul 2019 but not received.

Enclosures:

1. Minutes of the meeting.

2. Project milestones.
3. Highlights of the Review Meetings