Introduction: I look forward to have a fruitful and meaningful interaction with each one
of you during the term. This will however depend on your active participation and
attention during the class sessions and an active follow up afterwards.
Course Description: This course lays the foundations for advanced courses in
communication. The topics included emphasize vocabulary development and the
understanding of grammatical rules. The course aims to inculcate a simpler, more
informative and expressive business like writing style in the participants and written
communication.
Course Objective: To make students proficient in the use of English language as applied
to business environment.
Teaching Methodology & Requirements: Please arrive and leave on time. Class will
begin promptly five minutes after the hour and will end exactly on the hour. Late arrivals
and early departures disrupt class and ruin the presentations of others. They are
unprofessional.
Do your own work. Plagiarism and cheating will lead to dismissal. Do not copy the work
of others. Do not use others to do your work. Do not pass off work done in past semesters
as work done for this course. Assignments must incorporate lessons taught in class.
Personal assignments must be produced individually. Group assignments must be
produced by the members of the group. Students will be expected to read assignments in
advance of their discussion in class. Class time will be used to emphasize and clarify
some text material, but additional topics will be discussed as well. This will not be a
lecture-only course. You will be asked to discuss what you have read. While you should
expect to be frequently called on in class, you should also voluntarily discuss and ask
questions. READ AND BE PREPARED TO DISCUSS ALL DISCUSSION
QUESTIONS AND/OR CASES AT THE END OF EACH CHAPTER.
Class meetings will NOT cover everything in the text. Separate instructions will be
provided for assignments. All written assignments must be handed in at the beginning of
class on the due dates. They will not be accepted after the class has begun. All
assignments not completed on time (not handed in before class has begun) will receive a
zero. Check the schedule for due dates. It is essential to keep current with the chapter
assignments. Classroom conduct is predicated on the assumption that you have read the
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relevant material. You are most welcome to ask questions in class dealing with any
material being presented, and to take an active role in class participation.
Code of Conduct
Class will begin on the specified time and late arrivals will be marked absent.
Once a student has been marked absent, his record will not be changed.
Plagiarism and cheating will result in a zero for the assignment and a repetition of the
offence will result in dismissal from the class. Students are expected to be prepared for
any surprise written or oral quiz, test or presentation the teacher might choose to give.
Assignments submitted late will not be expected. Students will not approach the teacher
for help, with reference to any assignment, on the day of its submission.
Students are expected to maintain a cordial, disciplined and respectful attitude in the class
as any sort of miss behavior or indiscipline will not be tolerated. The teacher's decision,
with reference to marks, will be considered, final.
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the class and the students are asked to write the summary of the article. Each student will
read out his/her work and the best summary is selected by the class.
Home Assignment - Students read exercises 2 20 and are given a test in the class. This
tests their basic tenses (present and past).
TEXT Oxford Practice Grammar by John Eastwood (Second Edition)
SESSION 2:
An activity is conducted in order to judge the students ~ ability to listen and speak in
English. Students are asked to name the qualities they expect to find in an ideal teacher.
A list of 10 qualities is finalized and written on the board.
Each student is asked to rank the qualities in the order of their importance. Then students
are then, paired up and asked to reason with each other until they come up with one list.
This done, two pairs are grouped together and asked to come up with one list. This
process is repeated until the entire class has a common list.. This activity gives the class
an opportunity to express their ideas freely and fully, which increases their verbal
competence in English. Students will also be introduced to the concept of subject- verb
agreement and practice exercises are done to reinforce the concept.
Home Assignment - Students read exercises 21 30 and are given a test in the class. This
tests their basic tenses (future).
SESSION 3:
Home Assignment - Students read exercises 104 109 and are given a short test in the
class. This tests their knowledge of adjectives and adverbs.
They are asked to bring 4 pictures and asked to write their detailed description and to
underline all the adjectives and adverbs used.
SESSION 4:
Students are explained the concept and usage of prepositions .
Home Assignment - Students read exercises 21 30 and are given a short test in the
class. This tests their basic tenses (future).
Students are also asked to select a story in a newspaper for one week and to collect
information about it and to give a presentation on it in the next week.
SESSION 5
Active and Passive Voice are discussed an practice exercises are conducted. Chapter 22,
ex 39, 40.(Communication Activity) Students are divided into groups of three, and each
group is shown pictures of different scenarios and asked to write a short story based on
it. After 15 min, each ,group reads out its story and the 3 best stories are selected and the
respective groups areawarded the first, second and third position.
Home Assignment - Ex 41, 42, 43and 44. Students are asked to give a presentation on the
chapters in the next class.
SESSION 6:
Discussion on adjectives definition and usage; chapter 9;-exercise no 7,8,9,10,11,12
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(Wren and Mart in) and chapter 3 page 15 (Thomson and Martinet).
Discussion on adverbs- Chapter 34,35 and 36, pg. 118 (Wren and Martin) ch 8, pg. 63-
76 (Thomson and Martinet).(Communication activity- Descriptive Writing)
The concept of descriptive writing is introduced and students are taught to describe
people, things and places. Students are divided into groups of three and each group is
shown a picture and asked to describe it in 10 lines using as many adverbs and adjectives
as possible.
Home Assignment- Students are asked to bring four pictures and asked to write their
detailed description and to underline all the adjectives and adverbs used.
SESSION 7 & 8:
Students present their assignment-in-class.
Discussion on prepositions. Ch-Jg-;page-12?-(Wren an~ Martin) chapter 9, pages-7.7-90
(Thomson and Martinet).Discussion on articles, ch14, p~ 37 (Wren and Martin)~chapter
1, pg. 1-6 (Thomson and Martinet). I
Home Assignment- Students are asked to describe a situation or tell a story in 300 word,
and each sentence must start with an article.
Home Assignment- Students are asked to write an incident first in the present
tense then in the past tense and to prepare a presentation on the chapters
covered.
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SESSION 15 & 16:
MARKS DISTRIBUTION
Class participation - 30 % (tests, quizzes, debates,. presentations etc)
Mid - term examinations- 30%
Final Examinations- 40%
REFERENCE BOOKS
1. A Quick English Reference- by J.S. HOOPER.
2. Values And Voices, A College Reader - Third Edition -by Betty Renshaw, Anne Mills
King and
Sandra Kurtinitis.
3. New English Second and Third - by Rhodri Jones.
4. Modem Business English, McGraw- Hill International Editions - Price .R. Voiles.
5. A Practical English Grammar, Third or Fourth Edition - Thomson and Martinet.
6. English For Business - Wferrier Mavor.
7. Synonyms and Antonyms- by C. Anand.
8. Grammar, Longman English Guides - by S.H. Burton.
9 Handbook of Good English - by Edward .D. Johnson.
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10. English Grammar And Usage - Second Edition, Federal Publication.
11. The Heinrnann Elementary English Grammar- by Digby Beaumont.
12. Instant Vocabulary - Ida Ehrlich.
13. Grammar In Use - Reference and Practice For Intermediate Students of English - by
Raymond
Murphy and Roann Altman.
14. A Reference Grammar for Students of English - by RA.Close.
15. Grammar Is Great - by Peta. L. Nelson.
Please Note: In the unlikely event of an unplanned absence by the instructor, the
material to have been covered during that class meeting will be shifted to the next
meeting. If a test was scheduled for that class meeting, the test will be given during the
next class meeting. In the event of any necessary planned absences, information on
schedule changes will be provided in advance.