why communications skills are so important

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Why communications Skills are so Important

The purpose of communication is to get your message across to others. This is a

process that involves both the sender of the message and the receiver. This process

leaves room for error, with messages often misinterpreted by one or more of the parties

involved. This cause unnecessary confusion and counter productivity.

In fact, a message is successful only when both the sender and the receiver

perceive it in the same way.

By successfully getting your message across, you convey your thoughts and

ideas effectively. When not successful, the thoughts and ideas that you convey do not

necessarily reflect your own, causing a communications breakdown and creating

roadblocks that stand in the way of your goals - both personally and professionally.

In a recent survey of recruiters from companies with more than 50,000

employees, communication skills were cited as the single more important decisive

factor in choosing managers. The survey, conducted by the University of Pittsburgh's

Katz Business School, points out that communication skills, including written and oral

presentations, as well as an ability to work with others, are the main factor contributing

to job success.

In spite of the increasing importance placed on communication skills, many

individuals continue to struggle with this, unable to communicate their thoughts and

ideas effectively - whether in verbal or written format. This inability makes it nearly

impossible for them to compete effectively in the workplace, and stands in the way of

career progression.

Getting your message across is paramount to progressing. To do this, you must

understand what your message is, what audience you are sending it to, and how it will

be perceived, you must also weigh-in he circumstances surrounding your

communications, such as situational and cultural context.



Communications Skills - The Importance of Removing Barriers

Communications barriers can pop-up at every stage of the communication

process (which consists of sender message, channel, receiver, feedback and context-) and have the potential to create misunderstanding and confusion.

To be an effective communicator and to get your point across withou*

misunderstanding and confusion, your goal should be to lessen the frequency of these

barriers at each stage of this process with clear, concise, accurate, well -planned

communications. We follow the process through below:

Sender

To establish yourself as an effective communicator, you must first establish

credibility. In the business arena, this involves displaying knowledge of the subject, the

auidence and the context in which the message is delivered.

You must also know your audience (individuals or groups to which you are

delivering your message). Failure to understand who you are communicating to will

result in delivering messages that are misunderstood.

Message...

Next, consider the message itself. Written, oral and nonverbal communications

are effected by the sender's tone, method of organization, validity of the argument,

what is communicated and what is left out, as well as your individual style of

communicating. Messages also have intellectual and emotional components, with

intellect allowing us the ability to reason and emotion allowing us to present

motivational appeals, ultimately changing minds and actions.

Channel....

Messages are conveyed through channels, with verbal including face-to- face

meetings, telephone and video conferencing; and written including letters, emails,

memos and reports.



L 1109

B.E./B.Tech. DEGREE EXAMINATION, MAY/JUNE 2006.

First Semester

Civil Engineering

HS 1101-ENGLISH

(Common to All Branches of Engineering and Technology Except Marine Engineering)

(Regulation 2004)

Time : Three hours Maximum : 100 marks

Answer ALL questions.

PART A — (10 x 2 = 20 marks)

1. Write a single sentence definition for each of the following in about twenty words.

(a) Battery

(b) Dynamo.

2. Make compound nouns (noun + noun) of the following expressions.

(a) The process of communicating to different places in the world using satellites.

(b) A cylinder that is filled with gas.

(c) A narrow long tube that is made of metal.

(d) A department that assures the quality of raw materials and finished goods in anindustry.

3. Fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions/articles.

Children have been playing ------------------- toys---------------- ages. In fact, --------------very early toys are said — ----------------- be made ---------------- 2000 B.C. ----------------

toy is not simply --------------------- object ------ -------------- amusement; it can beeducative also.



4. Correct the mistakes in the following passage:

The two thieves shaved all the money among themselves without infoi none of there

other two friends whom help is required to loot the money the unsuspected traveller

who travel from Chennai to Vijayawada.

5. Change the following into impersonal passive:

(a) They have successfully installed the new machinery in the factory.

(b) A skilled operator can carry out many operations on a CNC machine

6. Fill in the blanks in the following sentences with the proper forms of the v given in

brackets by adding suitable prefixes/suffixes.

(a) The

(b)

(value).

The -----test.

(c) The ------------------

(answer) by many of the students.

(d) The Manager ordered the immediate

(use) machines.

(time) help given by the coach was very ----------------

(care) ------------------ (listen) succeeded in the liste

— (comprehend) questions were not ---------------------

(remove) ol

Choose the correct meanings for the words in bold type in the folios sentences

from the ones given in brackets.

(a) The unexpected influx of refugees from the border towns severely affe the

already scarce resources of the city.

(light, insufficient, inefficient, poor)

(b) The new material is very ductile and can be easily moulded into shape.

(useful, beautiful, flexible, effective)

(c) The patient was greatly relieved when the doctor informed him that

tumour was not a malignant one.

(malicious, curable, severe, very harmful)

(d) The home team suffered an ignominous defeat in their match agai the

visitors.

(enormous, great, disgraceful, emotional)

Fill in the blanks with the correct forms of the verbs given in brackets.

Computers ------------------ (become) so indispensable today, that everyone of------------------- (think) that computer skills,------------------------- (be) very essent

for any job. So, every year thousands of students ----------------------- (join) the ma

institutes offering computer education.

7.

8.

L Hi



9. Complete the following statements mentioning the conditions in which something will

happen.

(a) If the furnace temperature reaches 400 degree centigrade ------------------------- .

(b) If the raw materials had come in time ---------------------------- .

10. Fill in the blanks with appropriate phrasal verbs using the clues given in '

brackets.

(a) The aircraft will ------------------ ---- fuel in another half an hour, (exhaust)

(b) One should not ------------------

(exceed)

— the stipulated speed limit on this road.

(c) This chapter ---------------------- different kinds of fuel, (consider)

(d) On his father’s death, he

Company, (assumed control)

------------------- the management of the

PART B — (5 x 16 = 80 marks)

11. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:

The launching of the first satellite by the Russians in 1957 began with what was

known as the ‘space race’, the first stage of which culminated with the Americans

landing on the moon twelve years later. A whole range of satellites now orbit the Earth

and are used for a variety of purposes.

LOW ORBIT SATELLITES, the typical height of which varies from 150 to 450

kilometers, are of little use for telecommunications for they are only in line of sight of

each earth station for about 15 minutes. Their rotation period around the Earth is

about one and a half hours and their main use is remote sensing, a field in which

digital processing techniques are proving especially valuable. A low orbit satellite

equipped with a multispectral scanner system (MSS), can observe the Earth in great

detail providing us with extremely accurate information about agriculture, forestry,

water resources and pollution patterns. It also has a multitude of applications in such

fields as weather forecasting, environmental monitoring, geology, oceanography and

cartography. There are important defence implications too, since they can be used to

‘spy’ on the activities of a potential enemy.

Medium altitude satellites are used for telecommunications, especially in countries

which cover a vast geographical area like the earlier USSR. They ‘fly’ at a typical

height of 9,000 to 18,000 kilometers, orbiting the Earth in a period of five to twelve

hours. They are in line of sight of the earth station between two and four hours.

The most important type of satellite for telecommunications is the geosynchronous

or geostationary satellite positioned over the Equator at a height of 35,800

kilometers. Its rotation period is 24 hours, the same as the Earth’s, and consequently,

seen from the Earth, this type of satellite appears to remain motionless in the sky. It

is within line of sight of an earth station for its entire life.

3 L 1109



A communication satellite is, in essence of microwave relay station wh: receives

signals in a given frequency band and retransmits them at a differ* frequency to

avoid problems of interference between the weak incoming sigx and the powerful

retransmitted signal. The equipment which receives a sign amplifies it, changes its

frequency and then retransmits it, is called transponder. A satellite can handle large

amounts of traffic which it can sei over vast areas of the Earth. It therefore

represents a relatively cheap way transmitting information over long distances. For

countries which do n already have sophisticated cable or microwave networks the

use of a satelli can be extremely beneficial as it can be used in their place.

The first satellite were seen as a way of communicating with people who live in

isolated areas of the world. As a result, earth stations began to appear in tlj remotest

parts of the globe. The cost of satellite communication began to fa steadily and,

consequently, satellites have to compete with submarine cable as a way of linkingcontinents cheaply. With the arrival of optical underse cables, however, a more

balanced intercontinental circuits between the two ar likely. Satellites were soon

used to broadcast TV programmes ‘live’ from on side of the Earth to the other, and

then to link up computer terminals ii different parts of the world. The use of digital

transmission and multiplexing techniques has led to an enormous increase in the

capacity of satellites.

The international organization INTELSAT was created in 1964 to provide

international communication services by satellite. In 1983 it operated and owned 16

space crafts in geosynchronous orbit representing an investmen: over three billion

US dollars. In 1983 it handled two thirds of all international telephone and data

communications and transmitted virtually all live international television

broadcasts. 109 nations are members of INTELSAT Between 1979 and 1983

INTELSAT’S traffic doubled, yet its communicationi charges decreased, despite a

73% rise in the worldwide cost of living indez during that period.

(i) For each of the following pick out the correct response from the option given,based on the passage. ( 4 x 1 =

4

(1) The main use of the low orbit satellites is

(A) spying

(B) remote sensing

(C) weather forecasting

(D) environmental monitoring.

(2) A communication satellite is better than other communicati:-

means, because

(A) it is reliable

(B) it is quick

(C) it is cost-effective

(D) it is sophisticated.



(3) Communication satellites are not merely used for

(A) broadcasting TV programmes ‘live’ from one country to another

(B) linking computer terminals all over the world

(C) sending messages from one part of the world to another

(D) spying defence installations of other countries.

(4) Satellite communication was first used for

(A) testing the advances in electronics

(B) contacting people living in isolated areas

(C) improving relations between the nations

(D) reducing the cost of communication.

(ii) Say, on the basis of the passage, if the following statements are true or false:

(6 x1 = 6)

(1) Geosynchronous satellites are stationary and motionless.

(2) Low orbit satellites can be seen by earth stations once in every 15 minutes.

(3) Medium altitude satellites are positioned at a height of 9000 to 18000 KMs.

(4) A transponder strengthens the weak signals received from the earth.

(5) International communication through satellites came into effect in 1983.

(6) Optical fibre cables reduce the load on satellite communication.

(iii) Pick out from the passage, the single words that mean: ( 6 x 1 = 6)

(1) reaching the highest point of some activity

(2) possible future effects or results

(3) exact

(4) as a result

(5) to be all alone

(6) act of getting in the path of something.

5 L 1109



Two groups of sentences are given. The sentences are not in the proper ord Choose

any one group of sentences and rearrange them in the proper ordi Write the first

few words of each sentence in your answer. (Don’t give just t. number of sentences).

(a) (i) For example, more than two decades ago, Eye surgeons realized tlvalue of laser to treat eye defects.

(ii) Where the cancer can be directly and accurately attacked last treatment

does well.

(iii) It is so fine that only the target is attacked and its intensity i enough to

destroy harmful cells.

(iv) Thus early cancer of the cervix has been widely and successful] treated.

(v) It is valuable because the beam can be focussed to spot one fiftieth the

thickness of a human hair.

(vi) For cancer treatment the diseased cells must be killed while ther

healthy neighbours are left unharmed.

(vii) This type of cervix cancer is easy to reach.

(viii) Today the use of laser for treating eye defects has incre enormously.

(ix) When the laser strikes that inaccessible spot, it releases a chemi that

kills these cells.

(x) While military scientists test lasers against satellites, surgeons usd

them as accurate scalpels.

(xi) Now its pin-point blasting power is used to destroy harmful can cells.

(xii) For cancers that are less accessible, through a new technique, patient

is injected with a chemical that attaches itself to the c cells.

Or

(b) (i) They are better at sports than right-handed people.

(ii) However, they are not as good at mathematics and languages.

(iii) Left-handed people can do certain things better than right-hanrt*

people.

(iv) The reason for this lies in the construction of the brain.

(v) Therefore, left-handed people are better at music, sports and d"

6 L 11



(vi) The left controls reasoning or logical thinking.

(vii) In left-handed people, the right hemisphere of the brain is highly-developed.

(viii) They are better at music and dance too.

(ix) But right-handed people are better at mathematics and languages.

(x) So the right-handed people are better at mathematics andlanguages.

(xi) On the other hand, the left hemisphere is highly developed in right-handed persons.

(xii) The brain’s right hemisphere controls ability in sports, music and dance.

13. (a) Write a letter to your friend in a village about your experiences in theEngineering College. Tell him how you got admission and who guided youin your choice of college and branch. Inform him the value of your branchand also of the kind of teaching you are getting in your college and howit is different from your school education. Also tell him how you like yourcourse and what your future plans are. Assume suitable names andaddresses.

Or

M/s Infosys Technologies, Bangalore are offering educationalscholarships to students of engineering based on their merit and

performance in extra-curr icular activities. You want to apply for this andyou require copies of your certificates and a letter of recommendationfrom your Principal regarding your achievements in extra-curricularactivities. Write a letter to your principal, requesting him to permit youto take photocopies of the certificates, you had submitted to the college atthe time of admission. You require them to be sent with your scholarshipapplication. Also ask him to issue you a letter of recommendation aboutyour extra-curricular activities.

Describe an ordinary bicycle and point out why its use has to be popularised in today’s world. Highlight its advantages over powered vehicles. Limit your answer to about 200 words.

Or

(b) Describe the interior of a crowded bus as seen from its inside. Highlight its

conveniences in a state like Tamil Nadu and also point out the disadvantages ofthis mode of transport. Limit your answer to about 200 words.

(b)

14. (a)

7 L 1109



15. (a) Today, the use of cement has increased enormously. Building activitie have gone upmany fold, thanks to the liberal sanction of house buildin loans by variousagencies. Naturally, the demand for cement is high these industries- are makinggood profits. But, not many people know a the manufacture of cement from ricehusk; that is equally strong 23cement. An equal weight of rice husk and limesludge (i.e. the waste lin~r sediment that is available in plenty in sugar and otherindustries) art mixed thoroughly so that it becomes a paste. This mixture is madeinn cakes of desired shape and manageable size and these cakes are dr.completely in sunlight. Once they are dry, they are burnt in the open a the ash iscollected. This ash is ground to a fine powder and what obtained is rice huskcement.

Transform the above information into a flow chart.

Or

(b) Mr. Raghuraman considers himself a good manager of his money affr He prepares a definite budget for his salary of Rs. 20,000/- and sticks tc as far as possible. This is how he spends his salary for food, provisio and milk heallocates Rs. 8,000/- for rent he allocates Rs. 3,000 - Transport charges take upRs. 1,000/- of his salary. For entertainme electricity and newspapers his budget provision is Rs. 2,000. For b ready for guests and visitors and for theirhospitality he has earmar Rs. 2,000/-. He saves Rs. 3,000/- through his P.F.and keeps the rest reserve.

Convey the above information in a pie-chart.

8 L 11



L 1111

B.E./B.Tech. DEGREE EXAMINATION, MAY/JUNE 2006.

Second Semester HS 1151 — ENGLISH — II (Common to all

Branches except Marine Engineering) (Regulations 2004)

Time : Three hours Maximum : 100 marks

Answer ALL questions.

PART A — (10 x 2 - 20 marks)

1. Match the words in Column „A‟ with their meanings in Column „B‟: (4x | = 2)

A B

(a) indispensable (i) a reciprocal action or effect

(b) repercussion (ii) necessary

(c) afforestation (iii) nourishment

(d) nutrition (iv) expansion of forests.

2. Fill in the blank spaces below with the appropriate forms of the words :

Noun Adjective Person concerned

(a) ecology ecological ---------------------------

(b) nature natural ---------------------------

(c) history ------------------------------

(d) environment environmental —

historian

3. Add suitable prefixes - hyper, ultra, sub - to the following words to match the

meanings given against them :

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

• continent

■ sen

sitive

• marine

(4 x | = 2)

large land mass, not large enough to be

called a continent

abnormally or excessively sensitive

a very bright blue colour

abnormal blood pressure



4. Make sentences expressing purpose using the hints below : ( 2 x 1

=

Example : aerial - receive broadcast signals

An aerial is used to receive broadcast signals.

(a) an experiment: demonstrates a principle

(b) a flowchart: represents a process as a series of steps.

5. Fill in the blanks with two forms of the nouns given, the first one referrinran action and the second one to a substance :

Verb Noun 1

(a) explode ------------------

(b) absorb ------------------

Noun 2

Rewrite the following expressions as shown in the given example : (4 x -=•

Example : The pipe is three feet long

Answer : a 3-foot long pipe

(a) a flask with a capacity of 5 litres

(b) a lamp of a power of 40 watts

(c) a conference lasting for three days

(d) an expedition of three weeks

Select any TWO from the words given in the box and use them as nouns

verbs in separate sentences : (4 x-j-

e.g. project

(a) The project (N) was implemented last year.

(b) The picture was projected (V) on the screen

object, conduct, subject

Fill in the blanks in the following sentences using suitable tense form verbs

given in brackets : (4x t

(a) The film director -

(b) My grandparents

(c) My aunt ------------

(d) Water ---------------

(meet) the child-

star two year;

(arrive) last Sunday.

(boil) at 100 degrees Celsius.

IS!



9. Fill in the blanks in the following passage with suitable prepositions :

( 4 x 1 = 2 )

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the science --------------------------------- ; ---- developing

computers that can learn and follow instructions -----------------------*- ------------------

great accuracy and speed. An example ------------------------------------ AI is the use--------------------------- expert systems.

10. Edit the following by correcting the mistakes in grammar, spelling and punctuation :

(8x | =2)

cycling genrates no noise pollution and emision many of us who use scooters and

cars for short trips may start walking or bicycling if the suroundings were more

plesant and the roads safer and more convenient.

PART B — (5 x 16 = 80 marks)

11. Read the passage and answer the questions that follow it:

Dried food

Centuries ago, man discovered that removing moisture from food helps to

preserve it, and that the easiest way to do this is to expose the food to sun and wind.

In this way the North American Indians produce pemmican (dried meat ground into

powder and made into cakes), the Scandinavians make stockfish and the Arabs

dried dates and ‘apricot leather’.

All foods contain water - cabbage and other leaf vegetables contain as much as

93% water, potatoes and other root vegetables 80%, lean meat 75% and fish

anything from 80% to 60% depending on how fatty it is. If this water is removed, the

activity of the bacteria which cause food to go bad is checked.

Fruit is sun-dried in Asia Minor, Greece, Spain and other Mediterranean

countries, and also in California, South Africa and Australia. The methods used

vary, but in general, the fruit is spread out on trays in drying yards in the hot sun.

In order to prevent darkening, pears, peaches and apricots are exposed to the fumes

of burning sulphur before drying. Plums, for making prunes, and certain varieties of

grapes for making raisins and currants, are dipped in an alkaline solution in order

to crack the skins of the fruit slightly and remove their wax coating, so increasing

the rate of drying.

Nowadays most foods are dried mechanically. The conventional method of

such dehydration is to put food in chambers through which hot air is blown at

temperatures of about 110° C at entry to about 43°C at exit. This is the usual

method for drying such things as vegetables, minced meat, and fish.

Liquids such as milk, coffee, tea, soups and eggs may be dried by pouring

them over a heated horizontal steel cylinder or by spraying them into a chamber

through which a current of hot air passes. In the first case, the dried material is

scraped off the roller as a thin film which is then broken up into small, though still

relatively coarse flakes. In the second process it falls to the

3 L 1111



ottom of the chamber as a fine powder. Where recognizable pieces of meat a

egetables are required, as in soup, the ingredients are dried separately a: then

mixed.

Dried foods take up less room and weigh less than the same food pack-: in

cans or frozen, and they do not need to be stored in special conditions. F; these

reasons they are invaluable to climbers, explorers and soldiers in bat:, who have

little storage space. They are also popular with housewives beca it takes so little

time to cook them. Usually it is just a case of replacing dried-out moisture with

oiling water.

(i) Write the response which best reflects the meaning of the ten

( 6 x 1 =

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

The open-air method of drying food.

(A) is the one most commonly used today

(B) was invented by the American Indians

(C) has been known for hundreds of years

(D) tends to be unhygienic.

Bacteria which cause food to go bad

(A) cannot live in sunlight

(B) are killed by drying

(C) are in no way dependent on the water content

(D) have their activity greatly reduced by

drying.

Fruit is sun dried

(A) always by the same method

(B) generally on trays

(C) in every country in the world

(D) by spreading it out under glass

panels.

Sulphur fumes are used before drying some fruits

(A) to dry them more quickly

to preserve their colour

to prevent the skin from cracking

to kill off bacteria.

Powdered coffee is made

(A) by spraying the liquid over a cylinder

in one of two different ways

(B)

(C)

(D)

(B)

(C)

(D)

L 111]



(6) If soup requires recognizable pieces of meat, they are

(A) treated separately

(B) allowed to fall to the bottom of the drying chamber

(C) mixed in later as a fine powder

(D) sold separately in sealed plastic bags.

(ii) State whether the following statements are True or False : ( 4 x 1 = 4)

(1) The water content is greater in green vegetables than in lean meat.

(2) Nowadays vegetables are most commonly dried on horizontal cylinders.

(3) Dried foods are used by soldiers and climbers.

(4) Housewives like dried foods because they taste better.

(iii) Choose the definition which best reflects the meaning of the word as it is used

in the text : ( 6 x 1 = 6)

(1) expose to

(.A) dried Iish

(B) salted fish

(C) cooked fish

(D) stored fish

(3) checked

(A) looked over

(B) supervised

(C) stopped

(D) verified

(4) prunes

(A) dried sulphur

(B) dried plums

(C) types of grape

(D) fruit cuttings

5 L 1111



dehydration (A)

heating

mechanization

(D) drying

invaluable

worthless

useful

(D) free of charge

Read the following advertisement published in ‘The Hindu’ dated 20.-: and

write a letter of application. Prepare the resume that needs tc enclosed

with the letter of application.

Godrej Company requires PRODUCTION MANAGER for its factorr near

Chennai.

Qualifications — Graduate in Mechanical Engineering

Work Experience — Two years experience in a Product: ■

Department of manufacturing plan:

preferably steel furniture manufacturing.

Send your application to the following address

The Executive Director.

Godrej Company Limited.

45, Greams Road,

Chennai — 600 035

Write a letter of complaint to the editor of a newspaper about scar::' water

in Chennai. Your letter should also suggest suitable solutias tackle the

problem of scarcity of water in the city.

Write a set of eight instructions that people could follow to keej College

Campus clean.

Write a set of eight important instructions that will help to contrc 1

pollution in cities.



14. (a) Imagine that you have to conduct a two-day conference in your college.

Prepare a checklist of eight important activities that you would like to do for

the smooth conduct of the conference. Give a suitable title for the checklist.

Or

(b) Imagine that you are the Branch Manager of State Bank of India. You have been

asked to attend a one-day training programme in Delhi. Prepare a checklist of

eight important items that have to be checked just before starting the journey

for the training programme.

15. (a) Write two paragraphs, one, on the importance of forest resources and the

other on the measures that you would recommend to preserve forest

resources. (200 words).

Or

(b) Write two paragraphs each not exceeding 200 words comparing the human brain

with a computer.

7 L 1111



CONTENTS

TECHNICAL ENGLISH(Common to all branches of B.E. / B.Tech)

Unit -1 Focus on Language

Word formation with prefixes and suffixes - synonyms and antonyms - compounds

- subject - verb agreement - tenses (simple present, continuous, present perfect,

smple past, past continuous, past perfect future) - impersonal passive -

comparative adjectives - purpose and functio' and effect - imperatives - gerund -

preposition

Unit - il Reading I

Predicting the content - skimming the text for the gist - identifying the topic -

guessing the meaning of words from contexts - scanning for information -

transfer of information - cloze reading.

Unit - III Reading II

Note - Make, guide and open: providing a suitable title - identifying m

supporting ideas - listing ideas using a numbering scheme - understa'

organization of text - understanding discourse coherence - sequencing of s

Unit-IV Writing I

Writing definitions and descriptions - paragraph writing (topic sentece an: unit,

coherence and use of cohesive expressions) - Formal letters: permission for

practical training, application for job with biodata, letter to ~r of a newspaper). -

Business letters: calling for quotation, asking for cla placing order, letter of

complaint - sending an E-mail

Unit-V Writing II

Making recommendations by using modal auxiliary verbs like should, rmsd to etc.

- preparation of checklists - giving instructions - essay writing.



INDEX

Ex.

No.

Date Topic Mark Teacher's

Signature



FOCUS ON LANGUAGE

I Word Formation with Prefixes and Suffixes

WORD FORMATION

Primary Words-Those not compounded or derived or developed from other words.

e.g. Good, house, red ,hope, beauty etc.

Compound Words- Those formed by joining two or more simple words, e.g.

undertake, moonlight, man-of-war

Primary derivatives- Those formed by making some change in the body of simple

words.

e.g. bond from bind, breach from break etc.* The past tenses of primary words formed by some change in the body of the word

are not usually referred to as derivatives.

Secondary Derivatives -Words formed by additions are called Secondary

Derivatives

An addition to the beginning of a word is a PREFIX and an addition to the end is a

SUFFIX.

SECONDARY DERIVATIVES

PREFIXES (A few examples) English

Prefix Meaning Examples

A- On, in / out, from Asleep , ashore, / arise awake, alight

Be- by Beside, besmear

For / Fore Thoroughly / before Forgive / forbear/ forecast, foretell

In- in Income, inland, inlay

Mis- wrong Misjudge, mislead

Over- Above, beyond Overflow, override

To- this To-night, to-day, to-morrow u„-

Not / to reverse an action Unkind, unhappy / untie, unfold

Under- Beneath, below Undergo, underground, undersell

With- Against, back Withdraw, withstand, withhold



Latin

Prefix Meaning Examples

Ab / a / abs from, away Abuse, abstract, avert

Ad/ac/ af/ ag /al/ an/ ap/ ar/ as/at/a to Adjoin, accord, affect, aggi

allege, announce, appoint, £

assign, attach, avail Ambi/ amb/ am On both sides,

around

Ambiguous, ambition, ampi

Ante/anti/an before Antedate, anticipate, ancestt

Bene- well Benediction, benefit

Bis / bi / bin Twice, two Biscuit, binocular, bisect

Circum/ circu around Circumnavigate, circumfera

circuit Con / col/com/ cor With, together Contend, collect, combine, a Contra/counter against Contradict, counteract, coud

De- down Descend, dethrone, depose

Dis/ dif /di apart Disjoin, differ, divide

Demi half demigod

Ex /ef /e Out of Extract, effect

extra Beyond,

outside, of

Extraordinary, extravagant 1

In/ il/im/ ir /en / em / In, into / not Invade, illustrate, immerse, denact, embrace/insecure, ilid

imprudent, irregular Inter/intro/enter Among,

within

Intervene, introduce, enterjJ

Male/mal 111, badly Malevolent, malcontent Non not nonsense

Ob/oc/of In the way

of,against

Object,occupy,offend

pen almost Penultimate, peninsula

Per / pel through Pervade,pellucid

_ _ ...... after Postscript, postdate, postp: ■ Pre- before Prefix,prevent,predict

Pro/ por / pur for Portray,pronoun,pursue

Re- Back, again Return,reclaim,refund.reofni

retro backwards Retrospect,retrograde

Se apart Separate, seduce

semi half Semicircle,semicolon Sub/suc/suf/sug/sum/sup/sur/sus under Subdue, succeed, suffer.s

mon,

cnner nhnv Superfine, superfluous

Trans/tra/tres across Transmit, traverse, tresniiii

Vice- In place of Vice-principal

•J



Greek Prefixes

Prefixes Meaning Examples A1 an Without, not Atheist, anarchy, apathy amphi Around, on both sides Amphitheatere, amphibious ana Up, back Anachronism, analysis

Anti /ant against Antipathy, antagonist Arch/archi chief Archbishop, architect auto self Autocrat, autobiography cata down Cataract, catastrophe, catalogue di twice dilemma dia through Diameter, diagonal dys badly Dyspepsia, dysentry En/ em in Encyclopaedia,emblem epi upon Epilogue, epitaph eu well Eulogy, euphony Ex/ec Out of Exodus, eccentric hemi half Hemisphere homo like Homonym, homogenous hyper Over, beyond Hypertension, hyperbole hypo under Hypothesis, hypocrite mono Alone, single Monoplane, monopoly pan all Panacea, panorama, pantheism para Beside, by the side of Parallel, paradox, parasite peri round Perimeter, periscope Philo/phil love Philosophy, philanthropy pro before Prophesy, programme Syn/ sym/

syl/ sy With, together Synonym, sympathy, syllable, system

ultra excessive Ultra sonic, ultraviolet, ultramodern

Exercise 1

1. Change the following words into their opposites by adding suitable

prefixes:

a) Ability

b) violence

c) fortune

d) legal

3



e) like

f) regular

g) moral

h) suitable

2. Form the antonyms of the following words by adding suitable negatr

prefixes:

a) conventional

b) Nutrition

c) humanize

d) sufficient

e) relenting

f) sensitive

g) advantage

h) purity



4. Add suitable prefixes to the following words to match the meaning given

against them:

■ standard — not having the required quantity

• sonic — having a speed greater than sound

— active — too active

-natural — that cannot be explained by laws of science

-impose — to put one image on top another

atomic — smaller than an atom

marine — a bright blue colour

SUFFIXES

LATIN AND ENGLISH SUFFIXES

OF NOUNS

Type Suffixes Examples Denoting agent or doer -er/ -ar/ -or/ -yer/ emperor, saviour,amateur,

-er/ -eer,-ier,-ary Interpreter, painter, lawyer, sailor, beggar

-ster Spinster, gangster -ter Daughter, father -ain-an,-en,-on Chieftain, artisan, citizen,

surgeon -ate, -ee,-ey,-y Advocate, trustee, attorney, deputy

Denoting state, action,

condition, being Freedom, wisdom, martyrdom “UUlll

-hood/ -head - - * — ̂ -- - Childhood manhood Godhead

-lock/-ledge Wedlock, knowledge -ness Darkness, goodness, sweetness -red Kindred, hatred -ship Hardship, friendship, lordship -th Health, stealth, growth -age Bondage , marriage, breakage,

leakage

5



Type Suffixes Examples -ance/ -ence Abundance, assistance, excellence

-cy Fancy, lunacy, accuracy -ion Action, union -ice/ -ise Service, cowardice, exercise -ment Punishment, judgement -mony Testimony, matrimony -tude Magnitude, gratitude -ty Cruelty, frailty -ure Pleasure, censure -y Misery, victory

Forming Diminutives -el / le Satchel, kernel -en Maiden, kitten, chicken | -let leaflet -ling Weakling, duckling -ock Hillock, bullock

-cule /,-ule,/ - cel/ -sel/ -el, -/le

Minuscule, globule, parcel,damsel, chapel, circle

-et, ette Owlet, trumpet, cigarette, coquette

Denoting place -ary,-ery,-ry Dispensary, library, nunner- -ter,tre Cloister, theatre

OF ADJECTIVES

Suffix Meaning denoted Examples -ed having Gifted, talented, leame:

-en Made of Wooden, woollen, go'

-fill Full of Playful, fruitful, joyfu.-ish Somewhat like Reddish, girlish

-less Free from, without Fearless, hopeless ,s

-ly_ like Godly, sprightly

-some With the quality of Wholesome, quarrels :q

-ward Inclining to Forward, wayward

-al National, regal, mort^

-an /- ane Human, mundane

-ar Familiar, regular

-ary Contrary, necessary

-ate Fortunate, obstinate

-ble/- ible /able Feeble,sensible

-esque Picturesque , grotesq _e

-id Humid, vivid

-ile Servile, fragile, juvenufc I

-me Feminine, canine.

-ive Active, sportive

-lent Corpulent, turbulent

-ose/ -ous Verbose , dangeroi^



OF VERBS

-ate Assassinate, graduate

implicate -esce Coalesce, acquiesce -fy Simplify, purify,terrify ,

- ish Publish, punish,banish

OF ADVERBS

Suffixes Meaning Examples -ly like Boldly, wisely -ward/ wards Turning to Upwards, homeward,

backwards -way/ -ways Anyway, always - wise Manner, mode Likewise, otherwise

GREEK SUFFIXES

Suffix Examples -ic / ique Angelic, phonetic, unique -ist Artist, chemist -isk Obelisk, asterisk -ism, -asm Patriotism, enthusiasm -ize Civilize, criticize -sis,-sy Crisis, analysis, heresy

-e/-y Catastrophe, monarchy, philosophy.

EXERCISE 2

I Form adjectives form the following nouns by adding suitable suffixes :

1. Circumstance

2. Habit

3. Miser

4. Labour

5. circuit

7



II Form Verbs from:

1. Friend

2. Bath

3. Fertile

4. Clean

5. sweet.

6. Critic

III Form nouns from:

1. Sustain

2. confess,

3. attach

4. attain

5. fortify

6. oblige

7. give

8. cruel

9. hate

10. govern

11. sweet



IV Form Adjectives from:

1. Muscle

2. Hazard

3. Worth

4. Quarrel

5. Admire

6. Thirst

7. God

Fill in with suitable words to form different parts of speech

Noun Verb Adjective Adverb

Application

Electric

Industrialize

Dramatically

pure

reliability

destruct

rleviomlv

develop

exhibitive

enviously

VII Make nouns from the verbs given below by adding suitable suffixes:

1) improve

2) vibrate

3) maintain

4 refer

9



VIII Form adjectives from the nouns by adding suffixes like „ -al‟ and „ icaP:

1) physics

2) nature

3) tradition

4) season

5) biochemistry

6) environment

7) technology

8) reason

IX. Make nouns from verbs given below by adding suitable suffixes:

(-tion, -ment, -ence, -ance)

1) cultivate

2) invest

3) accept

X Complete the following table in an appropriate manner:

NOUN VERB ADJECTIVE ADV

derive

generation

developmental

devioush

recovery

rely

exhibit

destructible



NOUN VERB ADJECTIVE ADVERB

solution

environmental

reflectively

fractionally

verb

regrettable

require

peacefully

experiment

conclusive

favourite

laboriously

intensify

operative

system

clear

signify

vibrantly

informative

dispose

continuous

motivation

speculatively

explode

critic

stagnation

11



* The longest word in English is “Antidisestablishmentarianism”. It has prefixes-

„anti‟ and„dis‟ and three suffixes- „ment‟/arian‟ and „ism.



SYNONYMS AND ANTONYMS

Synonyms are words or expression that has the same or nearly the same meaning

as another in the same language.

For e.g. big and large , small and tiny

A large box will hold all the books. („Big‟ can be used here instead of

„large‟)

The smallest detail was taken into consideration. („Tiniest‟ can be substituted for

„smallest‟ here)

However, synonyms cannot always be substituted because though they may mean

the same ,there is a slight difference in usage.

For e.g. „begin‟, „start‟ and „commence‟ are synonyms.

However, You can “start the car” but you cannot “begin the car” or “commence

the car”.

Exercise 3

1. Give two sentences using the words “begin” and “commence”.

2. Match the words in Column „A‟ with their meanings in column „B‟

A B objective severe

hazard aim

spell choice

stringent A condition caused by magical powers

core Something that rouses people to activity

stimulus Innermost part

option danger

13



countless

tranquil

B

generate

Extended walking

produce numerous

trekking Calm, peaceful

amalgamation Giving out rays

chip Bringing together

radiation Getting completely exhausted

depletion Device composed of silicon

B

contamination intensify

fission misuse

aggravate Division of the atom

abuse pollution

panorama Probe, measure

gauge enthusiasm

transact View,scene

zeal Conduct, perform

B

prevalent Naturally skilled worker

radical existent

artisan extreme

coagulum The make-up of a page

extraction Being out of date

layout Being placed under water

obsolescence Obtaining juices by pressing, cr

submergence Thick, sticky ,solid mass



A B

proposition possibility

prospect Idea, plan

A set of rules A set of rules

inedible forbid

afforestation importance

regimen Unfit to eat

primacy friendliness

bonhomie Expansion of forests

A B vandalism occupation

vocation violence Renowned illness Globe calculate

disadvantage

drawback upkeep

estimate famous

ATM 1 UfN x IVn

An antonym is a word that means the opposite of another word.

For example, „rich‟ and „poor‟ are antonyms. „Old‟ has two antonym s

=‟young‟ and „new‟.

Very often, adding a prefix to the word can form the antonym of a word:

For example- the addition of „un‟ to „happy‟ gives us “unhappy” the antonym of

“happy”.

15



Exercise -4

Write the antonyms of the following words :

remember

fragment

objective

Brief

Ambiguity

Gentle

Hidden

Early

Freedom

Descent

Formal

Inferiority

understand



Exercise 5

Match the words with those which is opposite in meaning to the given word :

A B

crude usefulness Harmony classified

Miscellaneous discord

Futility refined

Cursory Frugal

Mortal friendly

Hostile prosperity

• Simple Adversity

Extravagant thorough

Ponderous immortal

A B Frugal submit

Maverick mobile

retaliate corrupt

Intentional contraction

Stationary exit

Expansion conformist

converge expensive

horizontal diverge

blunt vertical

Entrance sharp

17



Cheap

B

destruct

light artificial

natural modem

scrupulous incapable

capable extinguish

visible increase

decrease limited

traditional unscrupulous

construct costly

adequate manual

B

permit invisible

value insufficient

represent stop

visible misrepresent

rise devalue 1

improve illogical

sufficient fall

logical deteriorate

toxification unfortunate

fortunate detoxification



Ill EXPANDING NOMINAL COMPOUNDS

A nominal compound is a group of two or more words forming a single

unit.

Nominal compounds are usually formed by bringing together an adjective and a

noun.

For example- blackboard, wet steam, cooling towers and so on. Very often nouns

and gerunds too are combined with the nouns but here they take on adjectival forms. For

example - steel bar, grease gun , running water ,walking stick and so on.

Expansion of nominal compounds are done in order to make their meaning

clearer.

For example - “Temperature drop” can be expanded to “Drop in temperature”.

However, it is important that the most suitable words are used for the expansion.

Exercise 1 Expand the nominal compounds given below in order to bring out their«

meaning:

1. Spark plug -

2. Petrol engine -

3. Machine testing conditions

4. Condenser extraction pump

19



5. Cylinder condensation losses

6. Heat content

7. Steam consumption

8. Heat treatment

9. Cooling towers

10. Butt weld

11. Friction losses

12. Water tube

13. Turret lathe

14. Generator power output

15. Mercury thermometer

16. Concrete structure

17. Cylinder walls

18. Stop valve

19. Nickel alloy

20. Roller mill

21. Power cable



22. Cylinder head design

23. Workshop machinery

24. Gear mechanism

25. Lock nut

26. Silver extraction

27. Space travel

28. Telephone operator

29. Information centre

30. Computer network

31. Tax exemption

32. Powerhouse

33. Resources utilization

34. Calculation speed



SUBJECT ~ VERB AGREEMENT

There are three persons in English - The First -1., We The

Second - You

The Third - He, She, It, They, Ram, Gopi, Sarala

„s‟ is added to any English main verb if the subject is in third person in

number and the verb in the Simple Present Tense.

THE VERB MUST AGREE WITH ITS SUBJECT IN NUMBE

PERSON

The following rules will guide subject-verb agreement:

1. Two or more singular subjects connected by „and‟ us verb in the

plural.

e.g. Ram and Shyam are here.

Fire and water do not agree.

Sita, Gita and Radha go to the same school.

a) However, if the two singular nouns refer to the same thing then

the verb is singular.

e.g. The director and actor is dead.

The politician and playwright has won the aware



By the death of Gokhale a great statesman and patriot was lost to India.

b) If two subjects together express one idea, the verb may be singular . The

horse and carriage js at the door.

Slow and steady wins the race.

c) If the singular subjects are preceded by „each‟ or „every‟ the verb is usually

singular.

e.g. Each girl and boy was given a book.

Every man, woman and child has to be vaccinated.

Each village and town has its own problems.

2) When two or more singular subjects are connected by „or‟, „nor‟,

„either...or‟, „neither...nor‟ the verb is in agreement with the subject

nearest to it.

e.g. No nook or comer was left unexplored.

Neither he nor I was present.

Either Robinson or Usha has attended the seminar.

3) However, when the subjects are joined by „or‟ ,‟nor‟ are of different

numbers, the verb must be in agreement with the nearest subject.

e.g. Neither the Principal nor the teachers were present.

Ram or his friends have done this.

4) When the subject joined by „or or „nor‟ are of different persons then the

verb agrees in person to the subject nearest to it.

e.g. Either he or I am mistaken.

Neither she nor her children watch television.

23



5) A collective noun takes a singular verb when the collection is thought of as

a whole; a Plural verb when the individuals of which it is composed are

thought of:

e.g. The Court has adjourned for the day.

The military were called out.

6) Some nouns plural in form but singular in meaning take a singular verb.

e.g. The news is true .

Politics is a way of life with him.

7) When two subjects are joined by the following conjunctions, the verb

agrees „with‟ the first subject („together with‟, „in addition to‟, as well as,

along with).

e.g. John, as well as James, deserves praise.

Ram, as well as Shyam and Gopi, is fond of spicy food.

8) When the subject of the verb is a relative pronoun , the verb agrees with

the antecedent of the relative pronoun.

e.g. I, who am your friend, will stand by you.

9) When the plural noun denotes a specific quantity, amount or distance

considered as a whole, the verb is singular .

e.g. Ten thousand rupees has to be paid in advance.

10) When the subject happens to be a nominal group such as “One of the...”,

“Two of the...” etc. the verb is in agreement with the first subject.

e.g. One of the boys has won a prize.

24



However when the phrase „one of the „ is followed by relative pronouns such as

„who‟, „which‟, „that‟ the verb is plural ,as the verb is to agree with the immediate

antecedent.

e.g. Lalitha is one of the girls who have been selected in the campus

interview.

11) „A number of‟, „Some of, ‟most of, „a lot of% „a great deal or, „plenty of, „lots

of, „one third of „(all fractions) take the plural verb when they refer to

number of persons.

e.g. Some of the boys are very intelligent.

Lots of people have been killed.

Exercise 2

In each of the following sentences supply a verb in agreement with the subject.

1. Two and two __________ four.

2. The great poet and novelist __________ dead..

3. I as well as Shyam ___________ to go.

4. Two-thirds of the city ___________ in ruins.

5. “Tom Brown‟s Schooldays” __________ highly interesting.

6. Each of the boys ____________ rewarded.

7. She is one of the best mothers that ______________ ever lived.

8. Rama, and not you, ___________ has won the prize.

9. The quality of mangoes ______ not good.

25



10. Mathematics ____ a branch of study in school.

11. The chief with his followers _____________ present here.

12. The cost of all articles ___________ risen.

13. Which one of these umbrellas ___________ yours.

14. The horse and trap ____________ been waiting for a long time.

15. Every leaf and every flower ____________ stripped off the tree.

16. Five rupees _____ an excessive price for this pen-knife.

17. He and I ___________ well.

18. Either Abdul or Amit _______ stolen the watch.

19. He and his friend __________ arrived.

20. Each of the sisters _______ clever.

21. Neither of them ______ remarkable for precision.

22. The formation of paragraphs ____________ very important.

23. A good man and useful citizen ___________ passed away.

24. One of the arguments he offered ___________ (seem, seems) especially

convincing.



TENSES

Tense is the form in which a verb is placed in a sentence. It shows the time of

action and the state of action. There are three main divisions of tense in English. They

are Present, Past and Future. Each of these has four forms of its own.Thus we get twelve

tense forms which an English Verb can assume. In case the verb is a transitive one taking

an object, we get eight tense forms in the passive voice. There are four tense forms

which do not have corresponding tense forms in the passive voice. The following table

shows these tense forms in terms of sentences. The verb “write” is used.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB „WRITE‟

Active Passive

Present Tense :

1. She writes poetry (Simple present) 1. Poetry is written by her.

2. She is writing Poetry 2. Poetry is being written by her.

(Present continuous)

3. She has written Poetry 3. Poetry has been written by her.

(Present perfect tense)

4. She has been writing Poetry 4. No form.

(Present perfectContinuous tense)

27



Past Tense :

1. She wrote poetry.(Simple past)

2. She was writing poetry (Past

continuous tense)

3. She had written poetry (Past

perfect tense)

4. She had been writing poetry (Past

perfect continuous Tense)

1. Poetry was written by her

2. Poetry was being written

3. Poetry had been written by

4. No form.

Future Tense:

1. She will write poetry.

(Simple Future tense)

2. She will be writing poetry. (Future

continuous Tense)

3. She will have written poetry.

(Future perfect ense)

4.She will have been writing poetry.

(Future perfect continuous tense )

1. Poetry will be written by her.

2. No form.

3. Poetry will have been written

by her

4. No form.



1) TENSES AND THEIR USES

The Simple Present expresses

1. a habitual action.

e.g. (a) He gets up at 5 O „ clock in the morning every day.

2. General truths.

e.g. (a) The sun rises in the east, (b) Two and two make four.

3. an action in progress at the time of speaking, e.g.

(a) See how it rains! (b) There he goes!

4. a historical past in a narrative.

e.g. (a) Kovalan leaves Madhavi and comes home.

He and his wife Kannaki leave for Madurai.

5. the future events aspart of a programme already time-tabled, e.g.

(a) They go to UK next month.

(b) The Charminar leaves at 8.30 tonight

The following verbs are usually used in simple present tense..

(e.g) See, hear, smell, notice, recognize, appear, look, seem, want, wish, desire, feel,

like, love, hate, hope, refuse, prefer, think, suppose, believe, agree, consider, trust,

forget, remember, know, imagine, understand, mean, mind, own, possess, belong to,

contain, consist of etc.,

29



The Present Continuous tense denotes

1. an action going on at the time of speaking, e.g.

(a) It is raining, (b) They are dancing.

2. an action temporary not actually happeneing at the time of speaking, e.g.

(a) I am presently reading. The Alchemist.

3. a planned action that is to take place in the near future e.g. (a) His wife is

coming back tomorrow.

(b) We are going to the Cinema tonight.

4. a habitual action that persistently continues, e.g. (a) She is always lying.

(b) You are being stupid.

The Present Perfect tense denotes .

1. an action completed in the near past, e.g. (a) He has just left.

(b) The clock has just struck five

2. a past action whose time is not definite, e.g. (a) Have you read „Leaves of

Grass‟?



3. a past action or event whose effect is felt in the present, e.g. (a) They have

done their work.

(b) She has got an „A! in Chemistry..

4. an action beginning at some time past continuing to the present, e.g. (a) I

have known him for ten years now.

(b) We have met for a long time.

The following adverbs usually go with present perfect tense

e.g. just, often, never, ever, so far, till now, yet, already, since, today, this week,

this month, etc.,

Present Perfect Continuous tense denotes

(1) an action beginning at a point of time in the past and still continuing.&

e.g. (a) It has been raining since last evening.

(b) They have been raising the building for months on end now. Simple

Past tense denotes

1. a completed past action.

e.g. (a) He returned yesterday.

(b) I received your letter last Friday.

2. a habitual action in the past.

e.g. (a) He worked for 12 hrs. a day in those days.

(b) She always walked to the station.

31



Past Continuous tense denotes

1) an action that is going on at some time in the past. The time of need not

necessarily be indicated.

e.g. (a) It was getting darker as we went on talking.

(b) They were working in the garden all morning.

2) Simple past and past continuous are used together when the speaks of

two actions in the past, the second one taking place middle of the first

continuing action.

e.g. (a) It was still raining when we set out.

Past Perfect tense denotes

1. an action completed before a certain moment in the past, e.g. (a) I had

just then arrived.

(b) He had lost his book and had to borrow a copy of the book friend.

2. two actions in the past, the earlier one being placed in the past perf and

the following one in the simple past.

e.g. (a) The train had left before we reached the station.

3. Past Perfect in Indirect Speech: A Present Perfect tense in the dir speech

changes



To a Past Perfect Tense

e.g. (a) She said, “ I have been in the states for ten years”.

She said that she had been in the states for ten years.

Even the simple past changes to past perfect tense usually.

e.g.(a) He said, “ I knew her well”.

He said that he had known her well.

Past Perfect Continuous tense denotes

(i) an action beginning before a certain point in the past and continuous upto that

time.

e.g. (a) At that time, they had been living in London for about ten years.

(b) When I visited the school at my own town last year, my English teacher

had already been there for twenty years.

Simple Future tense denotes

1) an action that is to take place in future, e.g. (a) He will meet me tomorrow.

(b) I shall return your book this week end.

Note: These forms express pure future without involving any intention.

33



Future Continuous tense denotes

1. an action going on at some time in future, e.g. (a) She will be

still reading the book.

(b) When we come back home our children will be watching T Note:

This tense is also used for future events planned, e.g. (a) They will be

staying here till Sunday.

(b) Our uncle will be visiting us next week.

Future Perfect Tense denotes

1. the completion of an action by a certain time in the future.

e.g. (a) I think that you will have repaid your arrears by the time I m next

week.

Future Perfect Continuous Tense denotes

1. an action still going on over a period of time that will end in the fu e.g. (a) By

next January, they will have been living in Chennai for fi\ (b) When they

complete repaying the house loans sometime next they will have been living in

the house for fifteen years.



EXERCISE I

Fill in the blanks each with the correct form of verb in brackets.

1. She __________ (dance) in competitions.

2. The last train ____________ (leave) at midnight.

3. He ______ {live) beside the sea.

4. The aeroplane ________ (fly) at 2,000 metres.

5. She always __________ (lose) her glasses and ___________ (ask) me to look for

them.

6. A woman ________ (wave) from the attic and a fireman _____________ (go) up a

ladder to help her.

7. He usually _________ (speak) so quickly that I __________ (not understand) him.

8. The children ________ (be) frightened because it _______ (get) dark.

9. When I _________ (look) for my passport, I _______________ (find) this old

photograph.

10. Here are your shoes; I _________ (clean) them.

11.1 can‟t go out because I ___________ (not finish) my work.

12. The actors __________ (arrive) yesterday and __________ (start) rehearsals early

this morning.

13. 1___ (meet) him last June.

35



15. We _______ (walk) for three hours.

16. She _______ (drive) the same car since 1975.

17. We _______________ (face) terrible weather since last month.

18.1 _________ (know) the result in a week.

19. Perhaps he _________ (arrive) in time for lunch.

20. We have just got to the top in time. The Sun _____________ (rise) in a

21. In a few days time we _____________ (fly) over Egypt.

22. By this time next year I ____________________ (earn) my own living.

23. By the end of the term he ___________________ (read) all the twelve v

24. When you come back I _________________ (finish) all the house work

25. By next winter they ___________________ (build) four houses in that

Exercise II

Fill in the blanks each with the correct verb form given in brackets:

1. The old beggar______________ (bit) by a mad dog. He _______________

hospital at once. He __________________________ _ (treat) for it

__________ (discharge) from the hospital.

2. When Ramanujam _________________ (be) twenty two years ol

________ (take) a clerical position in the Madras Port Trust office to si

his mother who ________ _(live) with him. While he ____________ (work) as a

he ___________ (continue) to work on Mathematical numbers an

(do) not want to sto even (eat).



3. I ___________ (come) in very last night and unfortunately the dog

___________ (wake) up and ___ __________ (start) to bark. This __________ (wake)

my mother who ________ (be) upstairs.

4. A decade ago the most vehement opposition to

computerization ______________ (come) from people who ______________ (believe)

that it ________ (will) lead to unemployment. The hue and cry __________ (be) based

on the argument that computers ____________ (will) aggravate the unemployment

situations by taking jobs away from human beings.

5. The India Mark II __________________ (be) a deep - well hand pump

________ (use) in villages all over the world. It ____________ ( do) not look very

special but it ___________ (change) the lives of millions of people. That is why

it _____________ (call) the „miracle‟- pump.

6. Two centuries ago, an English Judge in India _________________ _(notice) that

several words in Sanskrit closely ____________ (resemble) some words in Greek

and Latin. A systematic study _____________________ (reveal) that many modern

languages _________ (descend) from a common parent language. For example,

the Sanskrit word for father „Pita‟ ______________ (be) quite like the Latin word

„Pater‟ meaning „father‟.

7. The day ___________ (start) terribly. My alarm did not go off and I

______ (leave) the house with only one hour to spare before the flight

________ (be) due to take off. Luckily there was very little traffic and I

_______________ (arrive) at the airport with 30 minutes to spare. I

_______ (check) in at the gate and shouted for a coffee. I ___________ (sit) down, the

announcer ___________ (call) my flight. I ____________ (drink) my coffee quickly,

too quickly infact as I spilt some on my shirt.

37



w) him quite well when I (be) young.

8. After the bee _____________ (take) a decision they fly to the spot to set

house. Of the two sites, bees ______________ (identify) they choose the one

at a longer distance. Once the bee ______________ (go) inside the chamber

ground it ______________ (march) up and down, measuring the volume

potential home site. After the messenger bee __________________ (inform) tht

worker bees of the position of the food source they ______________ (leave)

hive.

Exercise III

Put the verbs given in brackets in the following in their correct tense In some

cases more than one answer is possible.

1. He suddenly ________ (remember) that he _________ (lock) the gate that e\

2. It ______ (be) raining since morning.

3. If I _____ (work) hard, I __________ (succeed).

4. At this moment I ________ (do) an exercise on tenses.

6. That silly girl always _________ (make) stupid remarks.

7. He _______ (work) for four hours when I ____________ (arrive) here.

8. He told me that he ________ (help) me if he __________ (can).

9. “I _______ (be) happier if I ___________ (have) no money”.

10.1 wish the train

before dark.

(not, arrive) so late so that I (get) h



11. If he ________ (arrive) tomorrow he will be in time for the interview.

12. If you_____________ ( be) less lazy, you would make more progress.

13. The politician __________ (declare) that his party __________ (stand) for peace

and security.

14. Why do you always __________ (make) such idiotic mistakes?

15. You _____ (spill) the tea if your hand _____ (shake) as it ____________ (do) now.

16. No sooner I ________ (reach) the college, than the bell __________ (ring).

17. Even the best of students ________ (make) such mistakes.

18. Where _____ (be) you this morning? I __________ (ring) you up several times?

19.1 _______ (lose) my pen, please help me and find it.

20. After she _______ (work) at the college for two years, she ___________ (decide)

to give up teaching

39



IMPERSONAL PASSIVE

In the Impersonal voice, the agent (With „by‟) is omitted.

Rule:

Active Voice: Subject+ Verb+ Object + Other words.

Passive Voice: Object+ Verb+ Past participle+ Other word:

Examples: 1. They sell mangoes here.Mangoes are sold here.

2. They opened the shop only last week. The shop was opened only

last week.

The Impersonal Passive voice has the following uses

1. When there is no mention of the doer of the action, e.g.

(a) The rubbish has not yet been collected.

(b) Your chest will be x -rayed.

(c) The clothes will be washed every day.

2. When the doer is not known.

e.g (a) The leader has been murdered (b) Her car has been stolen.

3. When the subject of the verb happens to be „people‟.

e.g. (a) He is expected to be on time.

(b) English is spoken all over the world.



4. When the subject of the verb is the indefinite pronoun ‟one‟.

e.g. (a) A terrible accident of this kind is witnessed every day.(A terrible accident of this kind is witnessed every day by some one.)

5. When the action is more important than the doer of the action.

e.g. (a) The bungalow at the street end has been sold for 50 lakhs.

(b) A new Dental College has been raised.

6. When the speaker is not mentioned for the psychological reason.

e.g. (a) Late comers will be fined.

(b) Strikers will be dismissed.

The Impersonal passive form is made use of in Lab test reports, project

reports, and other research papers such as Dissertation, Thesis etc.,

Note: We can adopt the Impersonal Passive form as one of the ways of providing

technical information in writing.

Imagine that you have completed the following lab test. Attempt a report.

1) Estimate the amount of calcium present in the volume of the given solution

2) Make up the given solution of calcium salt to 100 ml., in a standard flask.

3) Pipette out 20ml. of the solution into a 500 ml. beaker.

4) Add a few drops of methyl orange and ammonium hydroxide till the solution

turns yellow..



5) Add 20 ml. of ammonium oxalate solution with a few dro] hydrochloric

acid.

6) Heat the whole of the solution for 30 minutes and allow it to settle.

7) Filter the ammonium oxalate in a crucible ( a pot in which meta heated)

8) Heat the precipitate in a hot air oven at 100-115 C.

9) Cool and weigh the precipitate.

10) From the weight, calculate the amount of calcium by the us~_al forn

ANSWER:

The amount of calcium present in the volume of the given so should be

estimated.The given solution of calcium sal: should be made 100 ml. in a

standard flask.20 ml. of the solution should be pipetted out 500 ml. beaker. A few

drops of methyl orange and ammonium hydr should be added to the solution till

it is turned to yellow 2 . :: am me oxalate solution should be added to a few

drops of hydrochloric a::d whole of the solution is heated for 30 minutes and

allowed to settle ammonium oxalate should be filtered .in a crucible. The

precipitate shoo heated in a hot oven at 100-115 C. The precipitate should be

cooled, amount of calcium should be calculated from the weight taken



EXERCISE: I

Change into Impersonal passive form:

1) We have introduced several innovations in the design of the latest

automobile .(Nov.1994)

2) They have made a mistake in passing these orders. (NOv.,94)

3) The Police have arrested yet another fraudulent finance company

proprietor. (Apr.,99)

4) The writer has focused attention on the emerging trends of technology.

(M.Q.P.2001)

5) A skilled operator can carry out many operations on the lathe. (M.Q.P.

Apr.,2001)

6) You can lubricate low-speed bearings with grease. (Apr., 2000)

7) We can cast this type of metal into very complicated shapes.

(Apr.,2000&2001)

43



8) They constructed this house forty years ago. (Nov.,1999)

9) We boil a little water in a can untill the steam fills the can.

10) We clamp the two metal plates together. (Oct.,97 &No

11) I took 20ml., of solution in a test tube. (Apr., 1998)

12) We use the community - type hybrid solar cooker for c large

quantity of food. (Apr, 1995)

13) They made expeditions into the middle and west of the c often

under the most difficult conditions. (Apr., 2001)

14) You must take care not to damage the machinery. (M.Q.P 94,96

&97., Oct., 98)

15) This will prevent damage to the shaft. (Nov., 1999)

why communications skills are so important

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