CRDI312 TECHNICAL ENGLISH
Finding Nouns, Verbs and Subjects
WEEK 2
REVIEW ENGLISH LANGUAGE RULES
Finding Nouns, Verbs and Subjects Noun is a word or
set of words for a person, place, thing or idea.
Proper nouns are always capitalized. They name specific
people, places, and things (e.g. Joe, Chicago, Academy
Award).
Finding Nouns, Verbs and Subjects
Common nouns are words for a general class of people,
places, things, and ideas (e.g. man, city, award,
honesty). They are not capitalized.
Compound noun is a noun of more than one word (e.g.
tennis court, gas station)
Finding Nouns, Verbs and Subjects Verb is a word or
set of words that shows action (runs, is going, has been
painting); feeling (loves, envies); or state of being (am,
are, is, have been, was, seem).
Finding Nouns, Verbs and Subjects Linking verbs
are state-of-being verbs. They include all forms of the
verb to be (be, being, been, am, is, are, was, were),
plus such words as look, feel, appear, act, go, followed
by an adjective. e.g. We feel fine.
Finding Nouns, Verbs and Subjects Helping verbs
are so named because they help clarify the intended
meaning. Many verbs can function as helping verbs,
including is, shall, must, do, has, can, keep, get, start,
help, etc.
Finding Nouns, Verbs and Subjects Gerunds
are also called verbal nouns, because they are
formed when verbs have -ing added to them and are
used as nouns.e.g. Walking is great exercise. (The –
ing word, the gerund, is the subject of the sentence.)
Finding Nouns, Verbs and Subjects Subject
is the noun, pronoun or set of words that performs
the verb. e.g. The woman hurried.
To find the subject and verb, always find the verb
first. Then ask who or what performed the verb. e.g.
The jet engine passed inspection.
Any request or command, such as Stop! or Walk
quickly, has the understood subject you, because if we
ask who is to stop or walk quickly, the answer must be
"you.“ e.g. (You) Please bring me some coffee.
Subject-Verb Agreement Rule.
A singular subject (she, Bill, car) takes a singular verb
(is, goes, shines), whereas a plural subject takes a plural
verb. e.g. The list of items is on the desk.
Subject-Verb Agreement Exceptions :
a. The first person pronoun I takes a plural verb (I go, I
drive).
b. The basic form of the verb is used after certain main
verbs such as watch, see, hear, feel, help, let, and make.
e.g. He watched Ronaldo score the winning goal.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Two singular subjects connected by or,
either/or, or neither/nor require a singular verb.e.g.
My aunt or my uncle is arriving by train today.
The verb in an or, either/or, or neither/nor sentence
agrees with the noun or pronoun closest to it.
Subject-Verb Agreement
e.g. Neither the plates nor the serving bowl goes on
that shelf.
Parentheses are not part of the subject. e.g. Joe (and his
pal Ben) was always welcome.
Irregular Verbs
Verbs are either regular or irregular. We call a
verb regular when we add ed (wanted, looked) or
sometimes just d (created, loved) to form what are
called the simple past tense and the past participle .
Irregular Verbs
A regular verb's simple past tense and past participle
are always identical. Irregular verbs form the simple
past tense and the past participle in any number of
unpredictable ways.
Irregular Verbs
Some irregular verbs, like let, shut, and spread, never
change, whether present or past. Others, like feel and
teach, become modified versions of themselves
(felt, taught) to form both the past tense and
the past participle.
Irregular Verbs
Still others, like break and sing, change toNform the
past tense (broke, sang) and change again to form the
past participle (broken, sung). And then there are a few
really weird ones, like go: its past participle (gone) is
recognizable enough, but its simple past tense is a
strange new word (went).
Clauses and Phrases
A clause is a group of words containing a
subject and verb. An independent clause is a simple
sentence. It can stand on its own.
e.g. She is hungry. A dependent clause cannot stand on
its own. It needs an independent clause to complete a
sentence.
A clause is a group of words containing a
subject and verb. An independent clause is a simple
sentence. It can stand on its own.
e.g. She is hungry. A dependent clause cannot stand on
its own. It needs an independent clause to complete a
sentence.
Clauses and Phrases
Dependent clauses often begin with such words
as although, since, if, when, and
because.
e.g. Although she is hungry (dependent),
she will give him some of her food
(independent).
Clauses and Phrases
A phrase is a group of words without a subject-
verb component, used as a single part of
speech.
e.g. Best friend (phrase acts as a noun)
Needing help (phrase acts as an
adjective)
Pronouns
A pronoun (I, me, he, she, herself, you, it, that,
they, each, few, many, who, whoever, whose,
someone, everybody, etc.) is a word that takes
the place of a noun.
In the sentence Joe saw Jill, and he waved
at her, the pronouns he and her take the
place of Joe and Jill, respectively.
Pronouns
•There are three types of pronouns : subject (I,
he, she, we), object (me, him, her, us,)
or possessive (mine, his, hers, ours).
•The possessive pronouns yours, his, hers,
its, ours, theirs, and whose never need
apostrophes.
Pronouns
•The only time it's has an apostrophe is when it
is a contraction for it is or it has. The only
time who's has an apostrophe is when it
means who is or who has.
•Pronouns that end in -self or -selves are
called reflexive pronouns.
Pronouns
There are nine reflexive pronouns: myself,
yourself, himself, herself, itself, oneself,
ourselves, yourselves, and themselves.
Reflexive pronouns are used when both the
subject and the object of a verb are the same
person or thing. e.g. Joe helped himself.
Who vs. Whom
•The pronoun who is always subjective.
Use who wherever you would use the subjective
pronouns I, he, she, we, or they.
e.g. Who wrote the letter?
•The pronoun whom is always an object.
Use whom wherever you would use the objective
pronouns me, him, her, us, or them.
e.g. Whom should I vote for?
Who, That, Which
Who and sometimes that refer to people. That
and which refer to groups or things.
e.g. Anya is the one who rescued the bird.
Lokua is on the team that won first
place.
She belongs to a great organization,
which specializes in saving endangered
species.
Adjectives and Adverbs
An adjective is a word or set of words that
modifies or describes a noun or pronoun.
Adjectives may come before the word they
modify.
e.g. That is a cute puppy.
Adjectives may also follow the word they modify.
e.g. That puppy looks cute.
Adjectives and Adverbs
An adverb is a word or set of words that modifies
verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. Adverbs
answer how, when, where, why, or to what
extent, how often or how
much (daily, completely).
e.g. He speaks slowly (tells how)
He speaks very slowly (the adverb very
tells how slowly)
Adjectives and Adverbs
Many adverbs end in -ly, but many do not.
Generally, if a word can have -ly added to its
adjective form, place it there to form an
adverb.
•e.g. She thinks quickly.
•The word good is an adjective, whose
adverb equivalent is well.
Adjectives and Adverbs
•Adjectives come in three forms or degrees such
as the normal or usual (positive),
comparative and superlative degrees, which
are used for comparison, as in the following
examples:
Positive Comparative Superlative
sweet sweeter sweetest
bad worse worst
efficient more efficient most efficient
Prepositions
A preposition is a word or set of words that
indicates location (in, near, beside, on top of)
or some other relationship between a noun
or pronoun and other parts of the sentence
(about, after, besides, instead of).
Prepositions
A preposition is not a preposition unless it
goes with a related noun or pronoun, called
the object of the preposition.
e.g. Let's meet before noon.
(Before is a preposition and noon is its
object)
Effective Writing
•Use concrete rather than vague language.
•Use active voice whenever possible. Active
voice means the subject is performing the verb.
Passive voice means the subject receives
the action.
e.g. Barry hit the ball. (Active)
The ball was hit. (Passive)
Effective Writing
•To avoid confusion, don't use two negatives to
make a positive without good reason.
e.g. They are not unwilling to help.
Better: They are willing to help.
Effective Writing
•Use consistent grammatical form when offering
several ideas. This is called parallel
construction.
e.g. I admire people who are honest,
reliable, and sincere.
The adjectives are used to show consistency.
Punctuation Rules
•Use a period at the end of a complete
sentence that is a statement.
•If the last item in the sentence is an
abbreviation that ends in a period, do not
follow it with another period.
e.g. This is Alice Smith, M.D.
Punctuation Rules
•Question marks and exclamation points
replace and eliminate periods at the end of a
sentence.
•Commas customarily indicate a brief pause;
they're not as final as periods.
Punctuation Rules
•Use a colon rather than a comma to follow the
salutation in a business letter, even when
addressing someone by his or her first name.
(Never use a semicolon after a salutation.) A
comma is used after the salutation in more
informal correspondence.
Formal: Dear Ms. Rodriguez:
Informal: Dear Dave,
Punctuation Rules
•Quotation marks are often used with
technical terms.
e.g. It's an oil-extraction method known
as “fracking.”
Fracking is the hydraulic fracturing of
bedrock.
Punctuation Rules
•Use the apostrophe to show possession. To
show possession with a singular noun, add an
apostrophe plus the letter s.
•Regular nouns are nouns that form their
plurals by adding either the letter s or es (guy,
guys; letter, letters; actress, actresses; etc.).
To show plural possession, simply put an
apostrophe after the s.
Punctuation Rules
e.g. two actresses’ roles
(actress + es + apostrophe)
•Irregular nouns become plural by changing
their spelling, sometimes becoming quite
different words. Write out the entire irregular
plural noun before adding an apostrophe or
an apostrophe + s.
Punctuation Rules
e.g. two children’s hats (children +
apostrophe + s)
•Hyphenate all compound numbers
from twenty- one through ninety-nine.
e.g. thirty-two children
•Hyphenate all words beginning with the
prefixes self-, ex- (i.e., former), and all-.
e.g. self-assured, ex-mayor, all-knowing
Punctuation Rules
•Use a question mark only after a direct
question.
•Use an exclamation point to show emotion,
emphasis, or surprise.
Capitalization Rules
•Capitalize the first word of a document and the
first word after a period.
•Capitalize proper nouns and adjectives derived
from proper nouns.
•Always capitalize the first word in a complete
quotation, even midsentence.
e.g. Lamarr said, "The case is far from over,
and we will win."
Confusing Words and Homonyms
•Homonyms are words that are pronounced the same
but which are spelled differently and have different
meanings.
•There are some homonyms which are commonly
confused. There are other words which are not
really homonyms because they are not pronounced
the same but are pronounced in a similar way. Here
are some words whose meanings are commonly
confused:
Confusing Words and Homonyms
•accept/except
accept - to take or agree.
except - something different.
•affect/effect
affect - to change something.
effect - the result.
Confusing Words and Homonyms
•cite/site/sight
cite - to refer to or name someone or something.
site - place or location.
sight - what is seen.
•principle/principal
principle - fundamental rule or doctrine.
principal - as an adjective, main. as a noun, the
head of a school.
Confusing Words and Homonyms
•soul/sole
soul - spirit.
sole - the only one.
•stationary/stationery
stationery - writing paper.
stationary - stable and unmoving.
•weather/whether
weather - climate outside.
whether - word showing an alternative.
Confusing Words and Homonyms
•where/were
where - what place.
were - past plural form of the verb to be.
•whose/who’s
whose - relative pronoun referring to a person
or thing.
who’s - the contraction for who is.
Writing Numbers individuals in management positions wanting you
•Spell out all numbers beginning a sentence. to address them by their first name.
e.g Twenty-three hundred sixty-one victims
3. Adjust your tone
were hospitalized.
It can be challenging to gauge the correct tone in
•Hyphenate all written-out fractions.
your writing, but you can also prevent
e.g. We recovered about two-thirds of the
misunderstandings with a few adjustments.
stolen cash.
Expressions of gratitude can show that you
•For clarity, use noon and midnight rather
appreciate a recipient's time and consideration. If
than 12:00 PM and 12:00 AM.
you're uncertain about your tone, consider asking
WEEK 3 a colleague to proofread your email or message
COURTESY AND ETIQUETTE IN and offer advice before you send.
CORRESPONDENCE AND COMMUNICATION

Courtesy in Business Communication 4. Be respectful on the phone

Courtesy in business communication involves Before a conversation, consider disclosing any
showing respect to others in the workplace. information pertaining to the privacy of the
This means that you need to be sincere and conversation. During the conversation, try your
polite through written or in-person best to actively listen. Treat the person as though
communication. they were in front of you by listening carefully
and taking notes on the details they provide.
Communication Etiquette
Also, try to be conscious of the volume at which
Good communication etiquette includes
you speak.
behavior and strategies that can help you relay
information clearly while maintaining positive
relationships with your supervisors, colleagues 5.Consider timing
and clients. The time at which you make a call or send an email
can affect how the recipient receives it. If you know
Good Communication Etiquette
the person is likely busy later in the day, they may be
Proper communication can ensure that
more receptive to communication in the morning. If an
employees interpret the meaning of your
email or phone call later in the day is
message as intended. It can also label you as
necessary, consider sending a notice to the person
an effective communicator who possess
asking whether it would be acceptable to email
leadership qualities and potentially leading to
or call at a certain time.
greater professional opportunities in the future.
6.Try being concise but thorough
Tips on Communication Etiquette
Time is often a precious commodity, so you can value
1.Determine the correct medium
your colleagues' time by communicating details
If you have only a quick update to convey
concisely. It may help to arrange information under
to your supervisor, a text message or instant
headings or in list form, which are easier to scan and
message may be optimal, as the subject isn't
navigate than complete paragraphs. Structuring your
time-sensitive or detailed. If you outline major
emails in this way can ensure others receive your
changes to a project, email or video calls
message as quickly and clearly as possible.
might be the preferred mediums.
7.Practice proper video call etiquette
Before a call starts, consider testing your
2. Decide on the level of formality
audio and video capabilities, as ensuring
The required formality depends on the person
proper functionality can prevent delays or
you are addressing. Some organizations with
false starts. During the call, remember to mute
relaxed working environments may prefer a more
your microphone when you're not speaking since
informal manner of communication, with some
your audio could interrupt other participants on
the call.
8.Proofread your writing
When you've finished writing an email, text
message or instant message, consider reading it
again and checking for errors. Proofreading is
vital when writing from your phone, which may
autocorrect some words. While proofreading, also
check that you’ve included the correct recipients
and provided the necessary attachments.
9.Constructively criticize
If you provide constructive criticism to a colleague, it
may be best to do so in person in a private setting. If
you cannot arrange a face-to-face meeting, a video or
telephone call is suggested for a more personal setting
than an email or text message. When giving
constructive criticism, try to focus on how the
recipient can improve their work, rather than what
the person did incorrectly.
10.Acknowledge others
When you receive messages from others try to
respond in order to confirm your understanding. If
the communication regards an ongoing task in which
you're involved, acknowledging the message can
suggest that you clearly understand updated
information. An expression of thanks can show you
appreciate the sender providing the information.
WEEKS 4 AND 5
PARTS, CHARACTERISTICS
AND PHONETICS OF REPORTS
Types of Communication
1. Formal Communication
Formal communications are the one that flows
through the official channels. It may take place
between a superior and a subordinate, a
subordinate and a superior or among the same
employees or managers. These
communications can be oral or in writing and
are generally recorded and filed in the office.
Formal communication may be :
 Vertical Communication is one that flows
vertically upwards or downwards through
formal channels. Upward communication refers
to the flow of communication from a subordinate
to a superior whereas downward communication
flows from a superior to a subordinate.
 Horizontal or lateral communication takes
place between one division and another.
2. Informal communication
Informal communication takes place without
following the formal channels of communication.
Informal communication spreads throughout the
organization and in all directions without any regard
to the levels of authority.
3. Unofficial Communication
Unofficial communication refers to employee
communication outside of the workplace on matters
unrelated to work.
The 7 C’s of Communication
1. Concise
•able to convey your messages in shortest
possible words.
•do not use vague words
•message is clearly sent to everyone.
2. Clear
•able to emphasize a specific message or a
goal at that time.
•clear about your ideas.
•the understanding of ideas becomes easier as
the meaning of the words is enhanced.
3. Correct
•correct communication of thoughts and ideas is
also an error-free form of communication.
•the names and titles that you have mentioned
should be correct.
4. Concrete
•the idea of being clear and particular
•supported by figures and facts thus it gives your
ideas a boost.
•are little to none chances that your message is
misinterpreted.
5. Complete
•the audience has everything that they want to be
informed.
•includes all the facts and figures in the sentences.
•leaves no room for doubt in the mind of the
readers and audiences.
6. Courteous
•show respect to your reader by having courteous
communication.
•sending the message should be polite, sincere,
enthusiastic, and reflective.
7. Coherent
•all the points that have been mentioned should be
relevant to the topic and connected.
•the flow and tone of the communication should
also be consistent.
Parts of a Report
1. Introduction
The introduction contextualizes the report by
tying it to a problem or an assignment, states
the purpose of the report, previews the report’s
contents and organization and establishes the
tone of the report.
alphabet - is used by professional
communicators, especially police, military and
other emergency and armed forces, to identify
letters precisely, either when communicating
initials, abbreviations or spellings of words.
Phonetic Spelling Alphabet
A - Alpha J - Juliet S - Sierra
B - Bravo K - Kilo T - Tango
C - Charlie L - Lima U - Uniform
D - Delta M - Mike V - Victor
E - Echo N - November W - Whisky
F - Foxtrot O - Oscar X - X-ray
G - Golf P - Papa Y - Yankee
H - Hotel Q - Quebec Z - Zulu
I - India R - Romeo

2. Body of the Report Phonetic Spelling Alphabet

It consists of the major sections that present, A - Alpha J - Juliet S - Sierra
analyze, and interpret the findings gathered as B - Bravo K - Kilo T - Tango
part of your investigation. These sections contain C - Charlie L - Lima U - Uniform
the detailed information necessary to support D - Delta M - Mike V - Victor
your conclusions and recommendations. E - Echo N - November W - Whisky
F - Foxtrot O - Oscar X - X-ray
G - Golf P - Papa Y - Yankee
3.Summary,Conclusions and Recommendations
H - Hotel Q - Quebec Z - Zulu
• Summary: The findings paraphrased from the body
and stated in the order in which they appear in the
body.
• Conclusions: The analysis of what the findings mean.
In other words, answers to the questions that led to
the report.
• Recommendations: Opinions, based on reason and
logic, about the course of action that should be
taken.

Characteristics Of A Good Report

• Precision
• Accuracy of Facts
• Relevancy.
• Simple Language
• Conciseness
• Grammatical
• Unbiased Recommendation
• Clarity
• Presentation
• Complete Information

Phonetic Language
The phonetic language - also known as the
'spelling alphabet' or the NATO phonetic