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Unit 3 Use of English Overview Modern business language Grammatical terms Subject and verb agreement Punctuation Some basic grammatical rules Modern business language In any business dealing, positive results can only be achieved through effective use of language. It has become universally accepted that English today should be simple, courteous, relaxed and straightforward. Good communicators go to considerable trouble to become competent users of English, and such skills do bring enormous rewards and satisfaction. Important to ensure language in business communications is correct. Reasons? 1. To establish a relationship : aim for good relationship with people you communicate regularly. 2. To communicate your ideas precisely. 3. To convey a good image of your organisation. Grammatical terms Many people are able to speak and write perfectly well without knowing a lot about traditional rules of English language. However, many people make grammatical errors because they do not understand the rules properly or simply through carelessness. The following slides are alphabetical list of the parts of speech together with other terms you may find useful to know. Adjective A word that says more about a noun, qualifying or describing it. An efficient secretary A fast typist A fair manager Adverb A word that is to a verb like what an adjective is to a noun. It modifies or describes a verb, describing how/ when/ where/ why the action (in the verb) is happening. She thinks logically I walk slowly He screamed loudly Clause A group of words with a subject and a predicate. A main clause stands alone as a sentence. A subordinate clause is incomplete and is used with a main clause to express an idea. Main clause : I like watching television Subordinate clause : when I have time Collective noun A word used in the singular to express many individuals. furniture committee crowd equipment baggage luggage Conjunction A word that links other words (or groups of words) together. and but so then or Infinitive The verb form introduced by the word ‘to’. to walk to go to finish to play Mrs Lim wants to speak to her daughter Interjection A word which expresses exclamation. Ouch! Wow! Gosh! Noun A word used as a name of a person, thing, idea or quality. computer money desk secretary manager frustration street Participle A verb form that can also be used as an adjective to qualify a noun. the laughing policeman the speaking clock the hard-working student Pronoun A word used in place of a noun, to avoid repeating the noun. we hurried they are pleased I need it now this is my computer Preposition A word used in front of a noun or pronoun to show its connection to another word. My mother hid behind the door I left the book at work I wish to speak to you about your report Sentence A group of words that expresses a complete thought. She cried. Mary went to the market. Subject One of two main components of a sentence; this is the person, place or thing that you are speaking about. It may be a noun, pronoun or a phrase used as a noun. The consultant charged a fair price. 24 is a popular TV show. Choosing the right computer can be a difficult process. Verb A word that expresses action or condition. I wish I could go to Edinburgh for my holiday. The computer developed a fault. You will enjoy learning about modern business writing. Subject and verb agreement The order in which we use words contributes as much meaning to a sentence as the definitions of individual words. The first rule of English language is sentence structure. A sentence is a group of words containing a complete expression of a thought or idea. It should contain a subject and a verb. The verb is the part of the sentence that indicates what someone or something is doing – very often it is the word that shows action. E.g: The manager wants three reports. subject verb Subject and verb agreement In this longer sentence you will note that the subject and verb are quite far apart: Analysis of this month’s accounts shows an increase in sales. subject verb Very often in long sentences errors are made with subjects/verb agreement. This happens when the verb ends up quite far from the subject. *Refer to the table on the next slide Subject and verb agreement Wrong Correct The Chairman of the board of directors plan to announce a large profit at the meeting. The Chairman of the board of directors plans to announce a large profit at the meeting. The use of computers in homes have increased in recent years The use of computers in homes has increased in recent years. Our sales of this exciting new product justifies an increased budget. Our sales of this exciting new product justify an increased budget. Communication between people in different countries are made easier with e-mail. Communication between people in different countries is made easier with email. Punctuation The sole purpose of punctuation is to help the reader understand clearly the meaning of what is written. Errors in punctuation can create confusion and lead to failure in communication. All these symbols indicate the end of a sentence. Symbol Name Indicates . Full stop Marks the end of a sentence ? Question mark Used at the end of a sentence which asks a question ! Exclamation mark Used at the end of a word, phrase or sentence which indicates strong emotion Punctuation Commas Usage Example to separate two or more nouns Please order some paper, envelopes and ribbons. to mark off two separate clauses I did not realise it was poor quality, otherwise I would not have bought it. to separate a descriptive group of words The Sales Manager, Ms Winry Rockbell, is in a meeting. to separate a word or group of words A word processor is, in my opinion, from the main part of the sentence all I need for my work. A computer, on the other hand, has many more uses. to mark off words like ‘therefore’, ‘however’, ‘consequently’, ‘unfortunately’ at the beginning or in the middle of sentences Unfortunately, I have an appointment on Friday. I can, however, see you on Thursday. Punctuation Semi-colons It is possible to write perfect English without using any semi- colons but they can sometimes be useful. Semi-colons represent a pause longer than a comma and shorter than a full stop. They are used to separate two parts of a sentence where a comma would be insufficient. “We must buy the new book; it will be very valuable for reference purposes.” A semi-colon is also used to separate items in a list which already contains commas. “Three new employees will be needed in personnel, purchasing and sales; one in marketing; two in administration and one in computing.” Punctuation Colons Most commonly used to indicate that something will follow, for example a list or a quotation. Many qualities are required: tact, diplomacy and patience. Confucius said: ‘Success can only be achieved through thorough preparation. Without preparation there is sure to be failure.’ Punctuation Hyphens and dashes Hyphens are mainly used in compound words, where two or more words are treated as one. For example: Self-centred User-friendly Large-scale Up-to-date Self-taught One-to-one Career-minded Punctuation A dash is used to show a change in thought in a sentence, or as an alternative to brackets. Sometimes a dash is useful because it adds more emphasis than a comma would add. For example: Communication is a two-way process – listening is just as important as speaking. Staff attended the anniversary celebration from all over the world – it was great to meet them all. Today’s employers are looking for real people with real abilities – not robots! Punctuation Apostrophes Used to indicate: Omission of a letter or letters It’s important that you don’t forget your textbook for all lessons. (It is) (do not) Singular possession or ownership The car belonging to the director - the director’s car Plural possession or ownership The cars belonging to the directors – the directors’ cars Some basic grammatical rules Split infinitives Avoid placing an adverb between to and the verb which follows. Wrong Correct To quickly go To go quickly To cautiously enter To enter cautiously To carefully contemplate To contemplate carefully Some basic grammatical rules Participles Phrases using participles can act as adjectives and must be attached to the correct noun or pronoun. Walking into the room, the light was bright. Walking into the room, she found the light was bright. √ Some basic grammatical rules Singular collective nouns When thinking of the group as a whole, use a singular verb. A committee of eight members is to be formed. When thinking of individuals forming the group, use a plural verb. The committee were talking quietly among themselves. Some basic grammatical rules Prepositions Avoid ending a sentence with a preposition. Is there a book which I can find this information in? Is there a book in which I can find this information? √ Some basic grammatical rules Either/neither/every All these words take singular verbs Neither of the applicants are suitable. Neither of the applicants is suitable. √ Either one of the girls are willing to help you. Either one of the girls is willing to help you. √ Every student in the class have a computer. Every student in the class has a computer. √ Some basic grammatical rules Each When each precedes the word to which it refers it should be followed by a singular verb. When each follows the word to which it refers it should be followed by a plural verb. Each of the students have six books. Each of the students has six books. √ The students each has six books. The students each have six books. √ BACK Do you use expressions like return back or exchange back? If so, you don't need the word 'back'- it's completely redundant! BATHE/BATH In England I often have a bath (in the bathtub) but in Singapore I mostly take a shower (standing up underneath a shower). I often hear people saying they are going to have a bath or they are going to bathe, when really they don't even have a bathtub. So how? In this case we should use the word 'shower'. BECAUSE, ALTHOUGH, SINCE, UNLESS, IF, WHEN When you start a sentence with any of these words, remember to attach an independent clause to it so that it becomes a complete sentence. We cannot have a sentence like 'Because it is raining.' This is a simple clause, but it is not complete until you attach an independent clause to it. For example, 'Because it is raining, I must take my umbrella.' The same goes for the other words mentioned in the heading. For example, 'Although I found the course hard, I still passed.' (Note that we don’t need the word but when we use although - use a comma instead!) BETWEEN OR TO 'Between' must be followed by 'and"'. 'From'must be followed by 'to'' For example: There were between 200 and 300 people at the concert‘. The seminar will be conducted from 0930 to 1730. BORED/BORING I often hear people use boring instead of bored. One workshop participant was blatantly honest with me when she said 'My boss made me come here but I didn't want to attend because I think I'm going to be very boring.’ Hmmm . . .. I think she meant she thought she was going to be very bored. She could only be bored if I was boring! For example: The lecture is boring so I am bored. BRING AND FETCH Use bring when the other person is at a different point to you and you want them to get you something. For example: Please bring me the book when you come over to my place later. Use fetch when the other person is at the same point as you are. For example Please fetch me a cup of coffee from the canteen. Now the other person will have to physically go to the canteen, get the coffee and bring it back to where you are. Fetch is commonly used with dogs when we throw a stick . . .