SPELLING EASILY CONFUSED WORDS Homophones are words that are pronounced alike but that have different

spellings and meanings, such as course and coarse. The following list consists of homophones and other pairs of words that are frequently misused. n. = noun pro. = pronoun contr. = contraction conj. = conjunction v. = verb adj. = adjective prep. = preposition poss. = possessive adv. = adverb pl. = plural sing. = singular accept: (v.) to receive except: (prep.) not included access: (n.) a way of approach or entrance access: (v.) to gain entrance assess: (v.) to estimate the value of adapt: (v.) to adjust to a situation adopt: (v.) to take in or take a course of action advice: (n.) counsel, information, or suggestions given advise: (v.) to give advice affect: (v.) to influence or have an effect on (most common use) affect: (n.) emotional status (a specialized use in psychology) effect: (n.) the result of an action (most common use) effect: (v.) to accomplish or execute aisle: (n.) a corridor or passageway I'll: (contr.) I will isle: (n.) an island all ready: (n. + adj.) everyone/everything is prepared already: (adv.) at or before this time; previously all right: (n + adj) everything is okay alright: NOT AN ACCEPTED WORD all together: (n. + adj.) all in one place altogether: (adv.) completely, wholly allude: (v.) to refer to elude: (v.) to evade or escape allusion: (n.) a reference illusion: (n.) a false impression

aloud: (adv.) audibly or loudly allowed: (v.) permitted altar: (n.) an elevated place for religious services alter: (v.) to change always: (adv.) constantly; all the time all ways: (adj. + n.) in every way anecdote: (n.) a little story antidote: (n.) something that counteracts poison angel: (n.) a heavenly being angle: (n.) a figure formed by the divergence of two straight lines from one point arc: (n.) a part of a circle arch: (n.) a curved part of a building ascend: (v.) to rise, climb, or go up ascent: (n.) a movement upward assent: (n.) agreement assent: (v.) to agree assistance: (n.) help given assistants: (n. pl.) helpers band: (n.) a group; a belt band: (v.) to form into a group banned: (v.) excluded or prohibited bare: (adj) uncovered, naked bare: (v.) to make naked, to expose bear: (v.) to carry, endure, support bear: (n.) large, furry mammal beside: (prep.) by the side of besides: (adv. and prep.) in addition to boar: (n.) a male hog bore: (v.) to drill into; to mentally tire someone bore: (n.) someone who is mentally tiring boarder: (n.) one who pays for room and meals border: (n.) a boundary

born: (v.) given birth to (always in the passive voice) borne: (v.) carried, supported (always in the passive voice) brake: (n.) a mechanism to stop a vehicle break: (v.) to cause to fall into two or more pieces breath: (n.) air inhaled and exhaled breathe: (v.) to inhale and exhale cavalry: (n.) a military company on horseback. Calvary: (n.) the biblical hill on which Jesus of Nazareth was crucified. canvas: (n.) a kind of coarse cloth canvass: (v.) to search or survey capital: (n.) wealth, assets for investment capital: (n.) a city that is a seat of government; stock capital: (adj.) excellent, top or foremost; punishable by death capitol: (n.) a building occupied by a legislature censer: (n.) a container for burning incense censor: (v.) to prohibit publication censor: (n.) one who prohibits publication censure: (v.) to reprimand or disapprove of censure: (n.) disapproval choose: (v.) to select (present tense) chose: (v.) selected (past tense) chosen: (v.) selected (past participle) cite: (v.) to quote; to charge with breaking a law sight: (n.) something seen; the sense of seeing; a device for aiming a weapon sight: (v.) to look at or aim at site: (n.) a location coarse: (adj.) rough; undefined course: (n.) school subject; path or way complement: (n.) items which complete complement: (v.) to complete compliment: (n.) a statement of praise compliment: (v.) to praise conscience: (n.) what tells you right from wrong conscious: (adj.) awake or alert

council: (n.) a group that deliberates counsel: (v.) to advise counsel: (n.) advice given councillor: (n.) one who is a member of a council counselor: (n.) one who gives advice descend: (v.) to move downward descent: (n.) a going down dissent: (v.) to disagree dissent: (n.) disagreement desert: (n.) a geographical area desert: (v.) to abandon dessert: (n.) food, usually sweet device: (n.) a contrivance devise: (v.) to prepare a method or contrivance do: (v.) to perform due: (adj.) used with Ato@ to specify the cause of some thing; owing dual: (adj.) twofold duel: (n.) a fight between two people elicit: (v.) to bring out, usually a response illicit: (n.) not allowed eminent: (adj.) famous imminent: (adj.) likely to occur soon envelop: (v.) to cover or enclose envelope: (n.) an enclosure used for mailing extant: (adj.) still existing extent: (n.) the degree of something formally: (adv.) in a formal manner formerly: (adv.) at an earlier time forth: (adv., prep.) forward; onward; out fourth: (n.; adj.) the one after the third human: (adj.) pertaining to people humane: (adj.) pertaining to compassion or kindness

its: (poss. pro.) belonging to it it's: (contr.) it is; it has later: (adj.) after a specified time latter: (n.) the last one mentioned lead: (v.; pronounced leed) to conduct lead: (n.; pronounced led) the metal led: (v.) past tense and past participle of lead loose: (adj.) not tight loose: (v.) to release lose: (v.) to misplace; to be defeated marital: (adj.) pertaining to marriage martial: (adj) pertaining to war maybe: (adv.) perhaps may be: (v.) possibly may occur meant: (v.) past tense and past participle of mean ment: NOT A WORD passed: (v.) past tense and past participle of pass past: (n.) an earlier time patience: (n. sing.) calm endurance patients: (n. pl.) those under medical care peace: (n.) not war piece: (n.) a portion personal: (adj) pertaining to oneself personnel: (n.) the employees of a company or organization principal: (n.) head of a school; money owned principal: (adj.) chief; most important principle: (n.) a rule or doctrine prophecy: (n.) a prediction prophesy: (v.) to make a prediction quiet: (adj.) not noisy quite: (adv.) completely

right: (adj.) correct, not left write: (v.) to inscribe sense: (n.) ability to think well; meaning; perception sense: (v.) to perceive since: (prep. and conj.) from that time until now; because stationary: (adj.) in a fixed position stationery: (n.) paper to write on than: (conj.) used to compare things then: (adv.) indicating time their: (poss. pro.) belonging to them there: (adv.) in that place; also used as an expletive to begin sentences they're: (contr.) they are to: (prep.) generally indicating direction too: (adv.) excessively; also two: (n. and adj.) the number How to Get Good Marks in Reading Comprehension? Friends, Now a days, almost every competitive exam asking reading comprehension questions. In these type of questions, they will give you a passage / comprehension and will ask you to read that and answer the questions followed by that passage. Actually this Reading Comprehension section is designed to test the ability of the student to read a passage and understand its contents and his ability to draw inferences on the basis of what is read. In simple words, the student's ability to grasp the contents of the passage in a relatively short span of time is what is being tested. The Student is expected to read the given passage, understand its contents well and answer the questions given at the end of the passage. All this to be completed in the limited time that is given. There are two important skills you should develop to do well in reading comprehension. Those are, 1. Reading Rate 2. Understanding of the Passage Lets have a look at each of them individually to get a clear understanding, before we get into the techniques of attempting Reading Comprehension. The reading skill cant be evaluated on a number of words per minute scale, but reading rate can definitely be measured. A person who can read faster can answer more number of questions in the given time than a person with slower reading speed, Other things remaining

the same. It is this reading rate or your speed of reading that you have to aim at improving. There is no overnight solution to this. Constant and extensive reading will improve your reading rate. Check your reading speed today (take any passage, count the number of words, clock the time taken by you to read it and calculate the speed in words per minute) and keep a record of it. Then, keep checking your speed regularly and tabulate the same. Check whether your speed has increased over time with practice. However, do not become complacent if your speed has increased. This brings us to the second point.. i.e., understanding of the passage. A person may be able to read the passage much faster than others but if he is not able to answer the questions pertaining to the passage, then the speed is of no use at all. it is very essential to grasp the meaning of the passage while reading. While you are reading, you should constantly think, evaluate, reason out, judge and co relate with what has already been read. A good vocabulary would enable you understand the nuances and grasp the meaning of various issues discussed in the passage. While an attempt can be made at pointing out various categories of quesiotns that may be asked and give a variety of tips, you will basically have to draw on the resources built by wide and extensive reading and rely on your own vocabulary. No training will possible regarding understanding and analysing the problem. However, we are going to take you through an extensive set of tests followed by this article to ensure that you get thorough practice in Comprehension Reading. In addition to good vocabulary, also needed is the ability to zero in on the central theme of the passage. This can be developed with extensive reading practice as well as proper concentration at the time of reading the passage. You should also consciously develop the habit of correlating each new sentence read with the part of the passage already read and mentally form a linkage of all ideas expressed in the passage while simultaneously weeding out redundant statements. The passage given in competitive exams (especially for bank exams) do not conform to any standards as regards the subject matter or the length of the passage. While the subjects covered can be as wide ranging as Economy, Sciences (like Botony, Zoology, Chemistry, Physics, Astornomy), Social Sciences (like Pshycology, History, Politics, Sociology), Humanities (like Literature, Art, Music) or Current Topics (Social, Political, Economical), the student is not expected to have any prior knowledge of the topics given. The passages will sometimes be very complex in nature while others will be simple in nature and easy to understand. The questions themselves can pertain either to parts directly contained in the passage or related to implications and inferences. Sometimes you may be asked to comment on the tone of the passage or to choose a title for the passage or to identify the main idea in the passage but you are hardly ever asked for your opinion on the passage

Important Tips for Reading Comprehension Read LESSON 1 : How to Get Good Marks in sponsored links Reading Comprehension Here Friends, in our last post we've discussed some basic techniques on how to get good marks in Reading Comprehension section of bank and other competitive exams. (you can read that post here). In this post we shall discuss some important points you should keep in mind while dealing with Reading Comprehension problems. What to read first? The given Passage or Questions? There are people belonging to both schools of thought. But it is preferable to read the passage first to get a grasp of the broad ideas the author is trying to communicate and then take up the questions one by one. In the process of going through the passage initially, underline key words and phrases as well as some important points in the passage (for online exam you cant mark anything so better keep important words in your mind instead of writing anywhere). Then, when you go through each question, get back to the relevant portion of the passage, read it more thoroughly this time and then answer the question. As mentioned in our previous post, the following are the major categories of questions that are asked: 1. Main idea of the passage / title for the passage 2. Specific details basically reproducing what is given in the passage 3. Drawing inferences / implications 4. Determining the meaning of words / phrases as used in the passage or by the author 5. Application of the ideas expressed in the passage to other situations Where you have to choose a title for the passage or identify the main them of the passage, check the opening and closing sentences of each paragraph particularly the opening sentence of the first paragraph and the last sentence of the last paragraph. At the same time, be wary about too specific or too broad choices in the multiple choices given. We are planning to give you a number of practice tests on Reading Comprehension as this is one of the crucial area of Competitive Exams. We hope these tests may enable you to get sufficient practice in this important area. Please remember that in this area, unlike in other areas like Maths or Reasoning where you will be able to assess for yourself how much of new knowledge you have added on and how much of improvement in speed you have achieved, there will not be such clear indicators. However, performance in reading comprehension will improve only with practice and that requires a lot of effort and determination on your part. In addition to the online tests you take from this blog, you will have to put in at least 45 minutes of reading practice per day to improve your reading speed and comprehension. You need to take up serious reading material for practice News Papers Editorials, editorials in general magazines like India Today or Business Magazines like Business India or other articles in such magazines, general books on a wide

variety of subjects like Psychology, Sociology, Technology, etc. For each article or part of a book that you are reading , go through the process of reading, writing down from memory a few important points from what you have just read and then checking back with the text whether any important points got left out. This exercise done regularly over a period of time will certainly help you improve your reading speed as well as your ability to understand and retain what you read Prcis Writing Tips for SBI Bank PO Exams Friends, all of you know that SBI has announced its notification for Probationary Officers (PO) recruitment for the year 2013. This exam consists of two sections. 1. Objective Test and 2. Descriptive Test. We've already updated plenty of materials on Objective Section. With a good practice and observation, people can easily do better in Objective Test. So not going to say anything about it now. Lets talk about the Descriptive Section. This section is going to play a crucial role in your final selection of the exam. So, We've planned to give you a complete set of materials on Descriptive Section. This set consists of the topics Comprehension, Short Prcis, Letter writing & Essay. As an initiative of this, today we are starting with short notes on Precis writing. We hope that this surely will help you doing good in upcoming SBI PO Exam's descriptive section .Feel free to use the comments box below if you have any questions / comments... Origin of the word Precis : The word prcis (not Precis, but we actually got used to type it in this way.. so no issues....you should pronounce it as pray-see) is cognate to the word precise coming from a Latin word meaning to cut. It has been variously referred to as abbreviation, subtraction, abstract, summary, and condensation. A precis, then, is a cut version of the original, retaining the main ideas and omitting all or most of the examples and secondary ideas. As we discussed in the above paragraph we can simply say, A precis is a Short Summary. It is not a paraphrase, which merely says in different and simpler words exactly what the passage being paraphrased has to say. A paraphrase may be as long as the passage itself whereas a prcis rarely is more than one-third the length of the original selection and may be only one-fourth as long (for bank exams' descriptive section, its advisible to limit your precis to the 1/3rd of the given paragraph. A precis gives only the "heart" of a passage. It omits repetition and such details as examples, illustrations and adjectives unless they are of unusual importance. A precis is written entirely in the words of the person writing it, not in the words of the original selection. Avoid the temptation of lifting long phrases and whole sentences from the original. It wont help you. And in fact it may lessen your good impression and may lead to less score in the exam.

As we've already mentioned above, a precis is written from the point of the author whose work is being summarized. Don't begin with such expressions as "The paragraph means" or "The author says".. etc... Just begin as though you were summarizing your own writing. How to Write Precis in SBI Bank PO Exam ? Friends, we've already discussed about the basics of Precis writing for bank po exams (you can read that post here). In this post we shall discuss important points / rules which you should follow to write precis. Lets have a look... In writing a precis just proceed as follows : Read Carefully, sentence by sentence, the passage to be summarized. Try to grasp the writer's main point. Spotting the topic sentence will help. As you read, take brief notes to be used in your writing. When you have finally decided what the author's main point is, write it out in your own words. Do not use the wording of the original except for certain key words which you may find indispensable. If you cant translate the idea into your own language, you do not understand them very well. Be especially careful not to rely too much on the topic sentence. Do not add add any ideas or opinions of your own. Revise your writing until you are sure that you have given an accurate summary. Usually you will find your precis is too long, if it is more than one-third the length of the original. Continue your revision until you have reduced the precis to the proper length In this careful revision lies the principal value of the precis as a composition exercise.

Approach to Precis Writing for Bank PO Exams Read basics of Precis writing here. A precis should reduce the lenght of the original passage by at least two - thirds. Every important idea must be retained, preferably in the order in which it appears in the original. Unimportant points, including details, illustrations and anecdotes, should be discarded. A first draft of the precis should be written, then checked to see that it contains the main ideas of the passage. Although you should be as brief as possible, guard against being so condensed that you obscure the point of passage.

Try to capture the tone or feeling of the original, particularly if it is deliberately humorous ironic or biased. Check the draft for expression errors, repetition or vague phrasing; then write a smoother final version.

Important Techniques to Compress the Given Data for Precis Writing Read basics of Precis writing here. good precis is without all superfluities. This is not quite easy to achieve and requires a lot of patience, hard work and practice. Certain devices, like one word substitution, help to reduce words in a precis and assists in compressing it. Something a single word is sufficient fro many. Hence the more one-words you know, the better for you. This requires vocabulary development which extensive reading and god dictionaries and other sources can provide. For clear understanding, have a look at the following examples. One who is not professional - Amateur An assembly of hearers - Audience A battle or match in which neither party wins - Drawn Fit to be eaten - Edible That which cannot be conquered Invincible

Sentences can be compressed in two ways 1. by removing redundancies and ornamental expressions, and 2. by combining a number of sentences into one sentence. Examples : When sorrows come, they do not come alone but in battalions you can compress the above sentence and simplify it as Misfortunes never come alone The thunder-storm continued unabated and did not cease until after it was dawn you can compress the above sentence and simplify it as The thunderstorm continued till dawn I was standing at the gate. it was the time of sunset. At that time a carriage drew up. The carriage contained a gentleman. The gentleman was middle aged. you can compress the above sentence and simplify it as While I was standing at the gate at sunset, a carriage containing a middle-aged gentleman drew up. A paragraph consists of a number of sentences dealing with a single topic or idea. It has thus aunity of purpose and is quite easy to summarize. The first sentence generally states the theme. Each sentence develops the subject in a logical manner. All sentences which elaborate or explain the main idea are omitted while writing a precis. We deal only with the crux of the paragraph.

Precis Writing Examples for SBI Bank PO Exams Friends, before going to read examples we request you to read the basics of Precis Writing here.. Precis Writing Example: Trees give shade for the benefit of others, and while they themselves stand in the sun and endure the scorching heat, they produce the fruit of which others profit. The character of good men is like that of trees. What is the use of this perishable body if no use is made of it for the benefit of mankind ? Sandalwood, the more it is rubbed, the more scent does it yield. Sugarcane, the more it is peeled and cut up into pieces, the more juice does it produce. The men who are noble at heart do not lose their qualities even in losing their lives. What matters whether men praise them or not? What difference does it make whether they die at this moment or whether lives are prolonged? Happen what may, those who is unprofitable to a man who does not live for others. To live for the mere sake of living one's life is to live the life or dog and crows. Those who lay down their lives for the sake of others will assuredly dwell forever in a world of bliss. Now they will ask you to make a precis out of the above paragraph and put a suitable title for it. Make it the habit of reading twice before going to write precis. First read little slowly because you are new to this para. Later read lil faster and try to pick important points mentioned in the paragraph. What will be the suitable title for our prcis ? Life of trees? Smell of Sandal wood? Death of good men? or Juice of Sugar Cane? See, don't confuse with the lines. Try to pick the soul of the paragraph. About what they are talking of. Now just think of a suitable name for the above para . Good Men Live for Others And now you should write precis... Remember all the points we've discussed in our earlier prcis writing tips. Just pick important points from the given para and write them on your own. All the best. Precis : The character of good men is like that of trees. They live for others and do not lose their qualities even in losing their lives. They always follow the right path. Praise is immaterial to them. To live for one's own sake is to lead the life of beasts. Only those who lay down their lives for others will live forever in a world of bliss. Letter Writing for SBI PO Descriptive Paper - Introduction The key to the success in the era of globalization is communication. And correspondence (letters) is perhaps the most important component of communication. Even in the age of modern technological innovations like e-mail, internet and long distance connectivity, letters still carry the maximum load of personal and business communication. Whatever be the medium of carrying the message, the message has to be properly written to convey the required meaning and complete sense. One has liberty to write personal

letters as one wants, but business or formal letters have to follow some norms in order to make appropriate impact. It is said that letter writing is nothing but an art. Even though letters have transformed into e-mails and SMSs, the art still remains, only the medium has changed. Letters can be broadly classified into formal letters and informal letters. Formal Letters: As the name suggests, formal letters include business letters, official letters, applications, complaints, letter to editors, letters written to people whom we want to convey certain important information. Informal Letters: Informal letters include personal letters, letters that are written to our friends and family. While formal letters follow certain format, one can be flexible while writing informal letters. nonetheless, letter writing is a skill that needs to be honed over time with practice. It is a pleasurable task once you know the basic rules. Letter writing almost embarks you on a journey of words, be it handwritten or typed, this is one activity that helps you communicate so beautifully. There are several types of letters that are being asked for SBI PO Exam. Those are : Application and Appreciation Enquirers and Requests Complaint and Recommendation Sales and Promotion Welcome or Invitation Letters Some times they will ask you to write a letter to your brother / friend by describing something There are two elements to a letter. Format and Body. The format refers to the style in which the letter is written, and the body refers to the content of the letter. Read Basics of Letter Writing Here Personal Letters (or) Informal Letters : These are letters that do not have many rules. Since you are writing to your friends and family, you are free to choose your tone and content. Write your full name and address even if it is an informal letter. Divide your letter in small paragraphs. Keep your writing simple. Make a good choice of words especially if you are writing an apology letter to express your condolences in case of a death. Date: The Date is placed in the top right end of the page. Salutation: On the extreme left side of the page, a few spaces below the date. It can be 'Dear Ram' or 'My Dear Mummy/Ma' (but not mother). Y ou always address your mother, father, brother by a name, not by relationship.

Body: Start a space or two below the salutation. Indent all the paragraphs. Closing: Most people close the letter with phrases like 'Yours affectionately / With love / All the best / Take care' etc. These words should be a few spaces below the last line of the text, on the right side. (Now a days left side closing has also become popular). This is the basic structure of a letter. you can modify it according to the purpose for which it is written and the person to whom it is addressed. Note : If you are writing a letter for job application (formal letter), then you may need to attach your resume along with the letter and also mention the same in it. Furthermore, you try to write as simply and as clearly as possible, and not to make the letter longer than necessary. Remember not to use informal langaute like contractions. Now lets have a look at some Examples of Informal Letters here Format of the Letter

Personal / Informal Letter Writing Examples for SBI PO Exam Friends, Here are some examples of formal letters. A t the end of the letter we'v e included some important tips to follow. Hope this post will be useful for you.. A ll the best :) Note : Please read Letter Writing basics here... before reading this post 1. 2 December, 2013 Dear Dad, Greetings. I am quite comfortable in my new hostel. My roommate is also a vegetarian and non-smoker. So no problems. The place is very hot, so I am planning to buy a cooler. A good cooler costs about Rs. 4000. I know you have spent quite a lot on my education, but this is also a necessary expenditure. I hope you will be able to send me the money by the weekend. Sorry for the trouble. Say hi to mom and didi. Love ............. Note : Dont laugh at above letter. SBI asked this letter in one of its PO Exam's descriptiv e section :) And try to avoid closings like your lov ng son, your caring brother etc.. because these may sound artificial... Now lets hav e a look at another letter... 2 December, 2013 Hi Raj, Long time no see and no talk, and no mails too. What's up man? Very busy in studies or movies? The news is that I am coming to Bombay on the 11th, for three day s and will be staying at the Taj. Keep your evenings free and we will paint the town red. Hope you have saved enough money to take me for outings. Worried? Just joking! At least keep yourself free Take Care Krishna Note: You can use the starting of the above letter (bold) for any informal letter which you are writing to your friend. And you can start anything (which was asked in the exam to convey ) by using T he News is that. These simple points will help you getting good marks in the exam.. In our next post we shall discuss about formal letter writing techniques. All the best.

Business Letter Writing Tips Before reading this post, please read our basics of letter writing here Business letters are formal letters. In business or formal letters, one has to be quite particular about both format and the body. A business letter may contain some or all of the following elements. Letter Head Usually printed on the top center portion of the page containing the address of the Business house. In the absence of the letter head, write your address on top of the date line. 1. Your Address: The return address should be written in the top right-hand corner of the letter. 2. The Address of the person you are writing to: The inside address should be written on the left, starting below your address. Date ............. Different people put the date on different sides of the page. Y ou can write this on the right or the left on the line after the address you are writing to. Write the month as a word. Subject..................... To indicate the 'subject' of the letter, write 'subject' between the inside address and salutation, or in the middle of the page. Subject line is useful in business letters as it indicates the main purpose of the letter. Reference............... Used when referring to an earlier communication; should be placed below the subject Salutation or Greeting 1. Dear Sir or Madam: If you don't know the name of the person you are writing to, use this. It is always advisable to try to find out a name. 2. Dear Miss Sharma: If you know the name, use the title (Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms, Dr etc.) and the surname only. If you are writing to a woman and do not know if she uses Mrs. or Miss, you can use Ms, which is for married and single women. Leave one or two spaces between the inside address and salutation. Body Indent all paragraphs. A business letter should be simple direct to the point (no need to enquire about the person's health and the weather conditions in his home town :P), precise and yet complete in all the respects. It should contain all the necessary informatin that the recieving party needs, so that the necessity of any further clarification should not arise. No slangs or short forms should be (hi dude, how r u bro etc). The language should be formal, but avoid all hackneyed phrases.

First Paragraphs The first paragraph should be short and state the purpose of the letter - to make an enquiry, complain, requrest something etc. The paragraph or paragraphs in the middle of the letter should contain the relevant information behind the writing of the letter. Most letters in English are not very long. So keep the information to the essentials and concentrate on organizing it in a clear and logical manner rather than expanding too much. Last Paragraph The last paragraph of a formal letter should state what action you expect the recipient to take to refund, send you information etc. Closing should be one line below the text followed by signatures and then the name written below, along with designation, if necessary. 1. Yours faithfully: If you do not know the name of the person, end the letter this way 2. Yours sincerely: If you know the name of the person, end the letter this way Note : Your's Faithfully and Your's Sincerely are wrong expressions. 3. Your Signature : Its not advisable to write your name and details in competitive exams. In the letter itself they clearly mention NOT TO USE Y OUR NAME and OTHER DETAILS. Even if they don't ask, its better not to use your details. Just put xxxxxxxxxxx instead of your details. SBI PO Descriptive Paper Essay Writing - Introduction In real life situations we express our feelings, ideas and thoughts largely through the spoken medium where as in academic situations expressing and thinking is done mainly through writing. The ability to collect, select, arrange and use information is developed through essay writing. While writing an essay aspirants are constantly judging, analyzing, self examining and self correcting. Thus writing an essay can be looked at as an exercise in thinking and self understanding. This is the main reason why they ask you to write essays in bank exams' descriptive paper. The word "essay: means to try, to attempt. When you write an essay, you attempt to explain the topic to the best of your knowledge and ability. It is the similar to the exercise of expansion of the topic (simply we can say that this is just the opposite of precis writing). Essays can be classified as Narrative, Descriptive, Expository, Reflective and Imaginative. Narrative Essay A narrative essay is a narration of some event or incident. The narrative can cover historical events (the 1857 mutiny); social events (a marriage or festival); incidents like an accident or earthquake; a journey or a story.

Descriptive Essay A descriptive essay deals with the description of a place or a thing. It can describe a historical building (Lal Quila or Charminar); a city or town (Hyderabad or Delhi); a botanical garden or a Zoo etc Expository Essay An Expository essay consists of an explanation or exposition of a subject it can be an exposition of a scientific process (how computers work)l a biological phenomena (how our respiratory system works); or a literary topic (all that glitters is not gold). Reflective Essay A reflective essay, as the name suggests, is a reflection or thoughts on some subject. It can contain arguments, debate and discussion which could also be abstract in nature. It may deal with philosophy or theology (science and religion), social or political problem (is democracy suitable for india); abstractions (does God exist) or general thought provoking subjects. Imaginative Essay In imaginative essay you have to imagine a position or situation such as 'if I were the prime minister; or if all the motor cars are banned, autobiography of a washing machine etc. How to Write Essays for Bank and Other Competitive Exams Before reading this post, read Introduction of Essay Writing Here. write a good essay, you must first plan it properly. In descriptive and narrative essays, you can describe or narrate things in a chronological manner. If it is an exhibition you are describing, after a short introduction, start with the entrance and proceed as you would go along; different stalls, decor and display, any eye catching or exciting thing, people, your feelings of happiness or boredom etc. If it is a train journey follow the chronology, how it started, what you felt, how you enjoyed and how it ended. While writing expository essay, you must link logically all the different aspects of the process or phenomena that you choose to describe. In the reflective essay, adopt a balanced approach. If you are writing an essay on "Should India make an atom bomb" take a stand for or against. Put your explanation in a logical manner, show awareness of the opinion of the opposing side (as in a debate); counter the opposing arguments "to justify your stand and come to conclusion that supports the stand you have taken. In an imaginative essay, let your imagination take over, because you have no experience of the situation or position you have taken. Be consistent in your explanation and logical in your arguments. As we have already discussed, writing an essay is not merely adding one sentence to another. You may write very good sentences, but the problem is how to arrange them logically. The best solution to this problem is to look at sentences as parts of the overall plan of an essay. In other words, instead of beginning with sentences, we should think of

the entire essay and then break it down into paragraphs and then into sentences. Thus essay writing is a systematic process involving the following steps. Preparation ---------> Planning -------------> Drafting Essay Writing Tips for Bank Exams Descriptive Paper Preparation Friends, this is the Lesson III of our Essay Writing for Competitive Exams' Descriptive Papers series. Preparation: Any piece of composition has a topic, a purpose, a point of view, and an intended reader. When we write an essay we have a definite purpose like narrating, persuading, or writing an exposition. Our reading, experiences and imagination help us develop an approach which decides the treatment given to a topic of the essay. By keeping the reader in mind we decide the appropriate organization and style. The following are the major activities performed at this stage of essay writing. Defining the Topic : Asking different questions about the topic helps define the topic and understand its different aspects. Look at the following questions that we may ask ourselves about the topic 'Empowerment of Women'. 1. What is meant by 'empowerment?' 2. What are the weaknesses and strengths of the female sex ? 3. Do women need generous help from men? Here Question 1 demands definition, question 2 expects a list of characteristics and question 3 introduces an argument. Generating Ideas : Answers to these questions provide us ideas. The more questions we ask ourselves the more ideas are generated. List all these ideas as they occur to you. For jotting down, you can use tree diagrams, tables or columns. Look at the following example relevant to the topic "Pollution".

Essay Writing Tips for Bank Exams Descriptive Paper - Planning This is the Lesson IV of our Bank Exams Descriptive Paper Writing (Essays) Lesson Series. Before reading this article, it is advisable to read previous lessons first. In our previous post we have discussed about Preparation of Essay. In this post we shall discuss about Planning. Planning The ideas thus generated need to be logically arranged. Main ideas and supporting (subordinate) ideas need to be properly grouped together. Identify main ideas and group the relevant ideas around each of them. Develop each main idea into an independent paragraph. This exercise will help you decide on how many paragraphs your essay will have. While planning you can use tree diagrams, a table / column or note form as follows. Topic : English in the 21st Century Introduction : English as the world language Spread of English - an overview Facts about English : Users of English English as a window to the world Literature Culture Ideas Use in business, trade and industry Information Technology : Dominance of Information Technology Role of English in IT Conclusion Essay Writing Tips for Competitive Exams - Drafting In our last posts we have discussed the basic concepts of essay writing. So it is advisable to read those posts before reading this last post. In our previous posts, we have discussed about Preparation and Planning our Essay Writing.. In this post we shall discuss about the final stage of letter writing. Drafting Having outlined your ideas as mentioned in above posts, you are now well equipped for writing the essay. You have to execute your plan through paragraphs. Each paragraph normally deals with one key point and the supporting information or ideas as pointed out earlier. As long as you observe this principle, your sentences will be automatically linked to each other. A few paragraphs and an appropriate introduction and conclusion make a good essay.

a. Paragraph Writing : Each paragraph will have a beginning, a middle and an end. Generally you should begin a paragraph with a topic sentence. Supporting information or ideas can be given in the succeeding sentences either in a parallel manner or linked to each other in a chained manner. Read the following Paragraphs 1. 'Road accidents are common in India. Recently, 50 people were killed in an accident on Pune - Bangalore highway. Last year a bus collided into a truck taking the life of 30 passengers. In 1996 a bus carrying 60 passengers plunged into a river leaving nobody alive. Thus, road accidents are fatal'. Look at the arrangement of sentences. The main idea or key point is stated in the first sentence. The remaining sentences give an example each illustrating the topic. Though the examples are not related to each other, they are linked in a parallel manner to the topic sentence. 2. Road accidents are common in India. Indian Roads are mostly responsible for accidents. Accidents take place due to bad roads and reckless driving. Drivers are normally less paid and some have bad habits. Drinking is one of the major causes of accidents. Whatever the reasons, road accidents are fatal. Look at the last and the first words of each sentence in this paragraph. The repetition of words helps establish a link between the sentences. It also indicates that the same idea is continued or extended in the succeeding sentence. This kind of linkage is called chaining b. Introduction and Conclusion: Introduction is one of the most challenging sections to write. It has to catch the attention of the reader, establish a relationship with him / her, introduce the topic, set the tone and, by doing that, control the reader's expectations. Let us consider a few examples. 1. The essay entitled 'An Ascendancy of Man' written by Paul R. Ehrlich begins with the following sentence : "The most starting terrestrial event in the two-billion year history of life on the earth has been the rise of the species 'homo sapiens' to its present position of global pre-eminence...' 2. Jane Austen begins her books Pride and Prejudice with the following sentence: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in a possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife". Both the introductions not only catch the attention of readers, but also state the topic. Apart from being statements of irrefutable facts, they are put in carefully selected words Each one of these beginnings very effectively indicates what is going to follow. Concluding an essay is equally challenging. It has to appropriately summarize the essay or highlight the main points. At the same time it is advisable to make the conclusion interesting. An essay can also be concluded with a moral or a striking contrast with something that has gone before in the essay. Look at some examples given below.

1. The essay 'All About a Dog' by A. G. Gardiner portrays the character of an ill-mannered bus conductor, Being a witness to his rude behavior, the author gives him a piece of advice, and the essay is concluded as follows " "He took it very well, and when I got off the bus he said 'Good night' quite amiably". 2. Violet Markham in ' Women in Our Changing Society' writes about the emancipation of women and mentions, in this connection, different milestones / landmarks in history. She sums up this essay as follows : 'One after another the barriers about her had fallen. Today she is a free agent as never before'. Both these conclusions adequately summarize the essays. In almost a scientific manner, a cause and effect relationship is established. We seen the conclusion as a natural outcome of whatever happened before How to Score Maximum Marks in Essay Writing ? Choosing the topic: In SBI PO you will be given 3 topics and you have to chose one among them. One of them will be related to Economy / Financial issues or something very close to it which we can attempt only if we have proper idea / knowledge on it. One among the remaining two will be related to social causes like Dowry, Unemployment, Women empowerment e.t.c. And the third one will be very very general topic like reading books, role of newspaper, television impacts e.t.c. Well choosing first type of the topic that I mentioned above is not at all very good idea unless one has COMPLETE knowledge on it. 2) Introduction and Conclusion: These are the very important parts of any essay. Y our introduction should be aweinspiring and it should be not more than three lines. Starting with a related quote is always a plus point. And conclusion must be very clear, precise and it must be related to what you have stated in the whole essay. 3) How to start: Pick any general topic (Because we can cover a lots of matter when we pick up a general topic). Think about the topic for few minutes. Make few questions on your topic like HISTORY / PRESENT USAGE / CAUSES / REASONS / ADVANTAGES / DIS ADVANTAGES / SOCIETY POINT OF VIEW e.t.c and finally your perception on it. These keywords that I've given can be any depending on the topic. Your body of essay should be minimum 2 paragraphs, 3 is preferable.

4) Be creative: One thing what you have to understand is, the evaluator evaluates many papers and all what he come across are very common thoughts and views from maximum papers on any particular topic. You should be ahead of them, so be creative, state your view from a different perception and in a organized and coherent way. This will surely fetch you good marks. All the best :)