Unit 4&5
Unit 4&5
Unit 4&5
Syllabus
Unit No Title & Text
RESILIENCE
Poem
1.1 Don’t Quit – Edgar A. Guest
I 1.2 Still Here–Langston Hughes
Short Story
1.3 Engine Trouble - R.K Narayan
1.4 Rip Van Winkle – Washington Irving
DECISION MAKING
Short Story
2.1 The Scribe – Kristin Hunter
II 2.2 The Lady or the Tiger – Frank Stockton
Poem
2.3 TheRoad not Taken – Robert Frost
2.4 Snake –D.H Lawrence
PROBLEM SOLVING
Prose Life Story
3.1 How I taught My Grandmother to Read – Sudha Murthy
III Autobiography
3.2How frog went to Heaven – A Tale of Angolo
3.3Wings of Fire(Chapters 1,2,3) – A.P.J Abdul Kalam
Tenses
4.1 Present
4.2 Past
IV 4.3 Future
4.4 Concord
English in Workplace
5.1 E-mail - Invitation, Enquiry, Seeking Clarification
5.2 Circular
5.3 Memo
V 5.4 Minutes of the Meeting
PART II – FOUNDATION COURSE - ENGLISH
QUESTION PAPER PATTERN EXTERNAL EXAMINATION – 75 Marks
3. Read the following passage/stanza and answer the questions below: (5x3=15 marks)
[ Unit I-3 questions] PASSAGES / STANZAS from the PROSE texts and POEMS FOR
ANALYSIS to be followed by Questions- factual, inferential and extrapolatory/experiential /
summarising the passage.
5. Read the following passage/stanza and answer the questions below: (5x3=15 marks)
[Unit II – 3 questions] STANZAS / PASSAGES from the POEMS and SHORT STORIES FOR
COMPREHENSION CHECK followed by Questions to include-factual, inferential and
extrapolatory/experiential/ summarising the passage.
[Unit III – 3 questions] STANZAS / PASSAGES from the POEMS and READERS
THEATRE FOR ANALYSIS followed by questions- factual, inferential and
extrapolatory/experiential/ summarising the passage.
******
UNIT - IV
TENSES
Introduction
Tense is an English grammar concept. It represents the form taken by the verb to
comprehend the situation referred to in time. For example, in the sentence, Yash
walked for 2 hours and then he went to sleep, the past tense verb form, walk(+ed)
signals the time of the walk in the past. Tense is used to assign a time factor to the
sentence. Tenses just like time are divided into 3 parts-
Before we start with the More complicated divisions there are three rules we should
keep in mind-
Like- Likes
You, We, They: Like to play outside.
He, She, It: likes to play outside
for example-
for example-
• Past Tense
for example-
• I went to school.
• You worked very hard in exams.
• She did not
• Past Perfect Tense: The past perfect tense is easy to understand and to
use in a sentence. This tense talks about an event which happened in
the past. If two actions happened in the past, the past perfect tense is
used to display the action that took place earlier.
I, he, she, it, we, they - had arrived at the station
for example-
I, he, she, we, it, you, they - had been sleeping on the couch when I
arrived.
for example-
• Future Tense
I, He, she, it, we, you, they - will/shall play the piano tomorrow.
for example-
I, he, she, you, it, they, we- will be arriving at the airport tomorrow.
for example-
for example-
Example:
Rules
Present Tense
Present Tense can be defined as an expression for an activity that is currently in
action or is habitually performed. It is used for a state that generally exists or is
currently ongoing.
• Simple Present
Example: The girl sings a song Example: The girls sing a song
Here the subject is Girls (plural) and no
Here the subject is Girl (singular) and changes have been made with V1 (first
“s” has been added to the verb (sing), form of verb) and the object
followed by the object (song)
• Present Continuous
The first form of verb (V1) here is “eat” and “ing” has been added to it, followed by
the object “food”
• Present Perfect
Singular Plural
Example: He has cleaned the utensils Example: They have cleaned the utensils
Here, “They” is the subject + have
Here, “He” is the subject + has “Cleaned” is the third form of verb and
utensils is the object
“Cleaned” is the third form of verb and
utensils is the object
Singular Plural
Rule: Subject + has been + V1 + ing + Object Rule: Subject + have been + V1 + ing + Object
Example: She has been practising since Example: They have been practising since
morning morning
Here “They” is the subject + have been,
Here “She” is the subject + has been, followed by “ing” added to the the first
followed by “ing” added to the the first form of verb “practise” and then the
form of verb “practise” and then the object
object
Given below are a few examples that may help you differentiate between the four
sub parts of present tense easily:
Rules of Concord
1. Singular nouns should take singular verbs.
Example:
• Emeka needs help.
• Emeka and Kalu need help.
2. All personal pronouns at the subject position except the third-person singular pronouns (he/she/it)
should take plural verbs.
Examples
• I love delicious meals.
• We love delicious meals.
• They love...
• You love...
The words underlined above are the personal pronouns that must take plural verbs in sentences. On the
other hand, the third-person singular pronouns(he/she/it), which occupy the subject position in a
sentence, must take singular verbs.
Examples
• He loves delicious meals.
• She loves delicious meals.
• It loves...
'Loves' is the singular form of 'love' and goes with a singular noun or pronoun as shown in the sentences
above.
Note: In English language, most nouns form their plural by the addition of 's', 'es', 'ies', 'ves' whereas
verbs form their singular form by the addition of 's'. Hope you got the difference?
3. The base form of any lexical verb coming after the primary auxiliary verbs (has, have, be, is, was, had,
were etc.) should be in its past participle form.
Examples
• I have rung the bell.
• He has rung the bell.
• The bell was rung by him.
• The battle has just begun.
• Let the song be sung.
4. If singular subjects are joined by either of the correlative conjunctions('either or' and 'neither nor'), the
subject is considered singular, and as such, the verb will also be singular.
Examples
• Either Emeka or Emma is coming.
• Neither the teacher nor the principal has a pen.
5. Nouns that traditionally end in 's' should take a singular verb.
Examples
• Measles is a deadly disease.
• Mathematics is simple but difficult subject to many.
6. There are some cases where nouns which do not end in 's' are considered as plural nouns. In this case,
such nouns should take plural verbs in sentences.
Examples
• The rich also cry.
• The Police are investigating the case.
• Nigerian Clergy are very honest.
7. If the two nouns or items joined are closely related and always used together, the subject is considered
singular, and the verb also becomes singular.
Examples
• Eba and egusi soup is very delicious.
• Bread and butter is my favourite lunch.
• Rice and beans is very delicious too.
8. In a case where one of the two items joined is singular while the other one is plural, the verb will
maintain agreement with the item closer to it.
Examples
9. When making use of semi-conjunctions, the verb maintains an agreement with the first item
mentioned. If the first item is a singular noun, the verb automatically becomes singular irrespective of the
form of the second item and vice versa. Semi-conjunctions are words that are used as conjunctions but
are not actually conjunctions. Semi conjunctions include: followed by, as well as, as much as, along with,
together with, no less than, including etc.
Examples
• Emeka as well as his friends are intelligent.
• The man's sons together with the man are notorious.
• The rich including the manager were there before I left.
UNIT V
Circular Letter
Before heading to read a circular letter sample. Let's discuss what a circular letter is. A circular letter is
usually written by a company or an organization to deliver messages, notices, new policies, new rules, etc.
so that the recipients are aware of the matters being delivered. In some cases, one can also write a
personal circular letter. Sometimes this circular letter is addressed to external parties which can be a
person or an organization. In this case, the writer should make sure that this letter reaches the recipients.
For that reason, an organization usually makes a track of all letters being sent. For your reference, we
provide you with one sample of circular letter.
...................................
...................................
Salutation..................
Body
Sincerely,
signature
................
Full Name
Position
Number: .............................../2021
Body
Place, date
signature
................
Full Name
Position
A Circular Letter Sample Announcing A New Company Plan
To : All Employees
From : Danny Williams
Our success to become a part of Altair Industries last year is something that we need to review in the
hope that we can enthuse ourselves in setting our next goals in future. Therefore, I herewith would like to
share with you my thought and plans about the area I believe are important to all of us in years ahead.
Productivity
I am sure that you are all aware of the effort throughout our country to improve productivity. Over the
past few years, we have made heavy capital investment to improve our position. Productivity, however,
depends not only on the acquisition of more efficient equipment but also on the commitment of each
employee to see creative ways in using resources most efficiently.
You may be aware that our Target Sales program has helped us improve our sales by over 15 percent.
Although that result is gratifying, it is not large enough. Moreover, I m sure there are a lot things we can
do to improve our position. Therefore, I am setting a goal of 25 percent increase in sales for this next year.
I hope you share the excitement I feel as we implement these plans. Indeed, you must actively participate
in achieving this goal if they are to have a chance for success.
Benchmarker Inc.
17 Orchard Road
Beechwood, OH 45432 Phone (1) 12345
December 2, 2019
Dear Sir,
We are pleased to inform you that we are going to move from old premises at No. 17 Orchard Road to
No. 115 Orchard Road due to our needs of larger spaces for increasing orders from our customers.
In the last five years , we have grown well with your relation and cooperation. Therefore, we request that
you send all your communications as of January 1, 2020 to our new address.
We believe that the new place will be more beneficial for you.
Yours faithfully,
George Williams
[Letter Head]
[Date]
[Recipient’s Name]
[Recipient’s Title]
[Company’s Name]
[Company’s Address]
Dear Sir,
We are pleased to inform you that we are going to move from old premises at [Old Address] to [New
Address] due to our needs for larger spaces for increasing orders from our customers.
In the last [Number] years , we have grown well with your relation and cooperation. Therefore, we
request that you send all your communications as of [Date] to our new address.
We believe that the new place will be more beneficial for you.
Yours faithfully,
[Your Name]
[Your Title]
The design must be submitted to the Dining room manager on July 15, 2020. Everyone is invited to send
more than one design. The best 3 selected designs will be used in our dining room in a monthly turn.
Everyone whose designs selected will be rewarded by the Hotel Director.
Circular Letter
Number: __________________
In order to increase the safety and security of our campus, we herewith announce that all of University of
Saint Barbara students abide by the following rules and obligations:
1. ........................
2. ………………….
3. ………………….
4. ………………….
5. ………………….
There will be official staff assigned to make sure all parties obey these rules and obligations. Firm actions
will be taken to those who do not obey or violate obligations mentioned above. If there is something you
need to know pertaining to these new rules and obligations, please contact the official staff on duty at
(345) 67890.
Noah Williams
Rector
*****************************************************************************
Memorandum
A memo (also known as a memorandum, or "reminder") is used for internal communications regarding
procedures or official business within an organization. Unlike an email, a memo is a message you send to
a large group of employees, like your entire department or everyone at the company. You might need to
write a memo to inform staff of upcoming events or broadcast internal changes.
What is a memorandum?
A memorandum, or memo, is a document shared with a group of people to disperse information on a task,
project, event, or other.
The purpose of a memo is to bring immediate attention to that information in a quick and brief manner.
Memorandums are shared to inform readers about new information and have applications for different
communities and businesses.. Businesses can use memos to relay information involving newly updated
policy, changes in procedure, or persuade employees to take an action, such as attend an upcoming
meeting, convention, or a celebration for organizational milestones."
MEMORANDUM
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
I'm writing to inform you that [reason for writing memo].
As our company continues to grow … [evidence or reason to support your opening paragraph].
Please let me know if you have any questions. In the meantime, I'd appreciate your cooperation as
[official business information] takes place."
Header: In your header, you'll want to clearly label your content "Memorandum" so your readers know
exactly what they're receiving. As previously mentioned, you'll want to include "TO", "FROM", "DATE",
and "SUBJECT". This information is relevant for providing content, like who you're addressing, and why.
Paragraph One: In the first paragraph, you'll want to quickly and clearly state the purpose of your
memo. You might begin your sentence with the phrase, "I'm writing to inform you … " or "I'm writing to
request ... ".
Paragraph Two: In the second paragraph, you'll want to provide context or supporting evidence.
Paragraph Three: In the third paragraph, you'll want to include your specific request of each employee
— if you're planning a team outing, this is the space you'd include, "Please email me with questions.
Memo Examples
Different industries or situations will require slightly different memos. Certain ones will need to be
longer or shorter, others may not have a timeline, and some will have extensive background information.
The format of your memo should change to fit the message you want your employees to receive.
Launch Delay Memo
The objective of this memo is to announce that the launch of a product will be delayed. The introduction
includes the new date, so a timeline or long overview isn’t necessary. This format of this memo could be
applied to other situations where a simple, but important, change is occurring. What We Like: The launch
memo provides readers with insight behind product launch delays, which can alleviate some frustration
that customers or employees may otherwise feel if they were not informed."
***********************************************************************************
There are a few tips you have to keep in mind when you sit down to write emails. Emails can be casual or
professional, just like informal and formal letters. The format of the email changes according to the kind
of email you are writing. However, accurate grammar and spelling are aspects that are to be taken
seriously.
• Make sure you type in the right email ID. Always check with the receiver for the exact email
address because even a full stop that is not part of the email address can land your email with the
wrong person, or the mail would simply bounce.
• The Subject line is the next most important factor you should carefully consider because that is
the first thing anyone receiving the email would see. It also determines if the receiver would want
to open the mail. ‘The from line is what recipients use to determine whether to delete an email.
The subject line is what motivates people to actually open the email.’ said Loren McDonald.
Spend double the time you spend on drafting the body to draft the subject.
• See to it that your Salutation or Greeting is appropriate to the receiver/s. The greeting builds a
rapport.
• The Body of the email states what the email is about. Be clear with what you want your receiver
to know. Make sure you have everything you want to convey drafted in simple terms. Do not use
colloquial language or long unwinding sentences. Try not to repeat words or use cliched terms.
Make your message positive, even if you’re turning down an offer. If you have to follow, do it
before they remind you to. Keep it short. Use standard font style and size. Do a final
spelling/grammar check/proofread.
• Finally, Sign off the email on a polite note and proofread it before hitting send. The closing
should feel genuine; only then will the receiver want to respond.
Subject: Congratulations!
Dear (Name),
My heartfelt congratulations to you. I was glad to see your name on the merit list. All your efforts were
definitely not in vain. I bet everyone at home is so proud of you.
You have truly honoured the family name, and I am happy that you would get to take up the course in
architecture that you had been waiting for. I am waiting to meet you in person to convey all my love and
appreciation.
Regards,
Your name
2. Email about Your Trip
My dear (Name),
I am very excited to write to you about the long tour I will be going on along with my parents. We will be
leaving on the 25th.
We will be away for three months. We are going to San Francisco for an official meeting my father has to
attend. We would then be travelling to New York to visit our cousins. We would stay there for a month.
After that, we will be going to Paris. It has always been my dream to visit Paris at least once in my
lifetime, and my parents have finally agreed to take me there. I will definitely write to you all about my
trip – all the different places we visit, the variety of food we eat and the people we meet.
It would have been even more special if you had come along with me. We will make sure we plan out a
trip once I am back home.
Your name
Dear Sir,
I have passed the B.Sc. degree examination with Electronics as the main subject. I intend to have a course
in Computer Science and would like to know the details of the courses taught at your institution. Could
you please send me a copy of your prospectus?
Yours faithfully,
Your name
Dear Team,
I am pleased to introduce you to (Name), who is starting today as our Customer Service Representative.
She will be providing technical support and assistance to our users and making sure they enjoy the best
experience with our products.
Feel free to greet (Name) in person and congratulate her on the new role!
Best regards,
Your name
Designation
Subject: Resignation
Dear Sir/Ma’am,
I am planning to pursue my higher studies in the coming academic year, and hence I would like to inform
you of my intention to resign from the post of (Designation) at (Name of the Institution), effective three
months from now.
I appreciate the opportunities for growth and development you have provided during my association with
(Name of the Institution). It was indeed a privilege working here, and it was a valuable work experience
which has helped me grow personally and professionally to a great extent.
Yours sincerely,
Your name
Dear Team,
Our company is growing, and there is a good inflow of projects every week. This has been possible with
your dedicated and timely teamwork. In order to keep up with this, we have decided that the working
hours would be advanced by 30 minutes. The revised time would be 8:30 am to 5 pm. This will be in
effect from July 5, 2021 (Monday). It would be appreciated if all of you keep up with the timing and
abide by it.
Your name
Designation
Minutes of Meeting
What are meeting minutes
Meeting minutes are a written record of the decisions that are made over the course of a meeting. They
are applicable to any kind of group within a company, including boards of directors, leadership teams,
and investors. They can also be referred to as ‘minutes of meetings’ (MoM).
Why are they called meeting minutes
One interesting fact about meeting minutes is that the term “minutes” has nothing to do with time. In fact,
it comes from the Latin term “minutia” (which means trifles or details). The term “meeting minutes” first
appeared in the 18th century, directly from the Latin “minuta scriptura,” meaning “small notes.” In other
words, meeting minutes are the details (or short meeting summary) of what happened during a meeting.
How to write meeting minutes following best practices
Below are 8 tips to take better meeting minutes, including best practices for both the planning phase and
the sorting stage after the meeting ends.
• Plan a meeting outline in advance
• Record the date, time, and names
• Write down the meeting purpose
• Use the agenda to track key points discussed
• Keep track of action items
• Decide on the next meeting date
There are three other main items that should be included in your minutes:
• What was achieved during the meeting.
• Decisions that were made at the meeting. Your minutes will serve as a written record that these
decisions were made.
• Any actions that were agreed. In this case you should include the action itself, who it was
assigned to, and the date it should be completed by.
Following is a model Minutes:
[Title of meeting]
Attendance:
• [name of the participant]
• [name of the participant]
• [name of the participant]
Welcome Address:
Next steps:
• [action to be taken prior to next meeting]
Vote of thanks
Signature
Example
Library Committee
Purpose: To discuss about the purchase of new books based on the updated syllabus.
Venue: Library
Date: 25.02.2024
Time: 11:00 am
Members Present:
1) Principal
2) Librarian
3) Member1
4) Member2
5) Member3
6) Member4
7) Member 5
Agenda:
To discuss about the availability of books as per the new requirement.
To utilize the allotted budget for the purchase of new books
Welcome Address: The Librarian welcomed the Principal and other members of the committee and
summed the details of previous meeting and presented the agenda.
Proceedings:
Member representative from the department of Commerce suggested to visit the book fair to purchase
books.
Member representative from the department of Biochemistry said that they can also avail online purchase
facility to buy foreign author books.
Action Taken: Listening to various suggestions, the committee decided to visit the book fair for bulk
purchase
Vote of Thanks: The meeting came to an end with the vote thanks by the member representative from
the department of Tamil.
♪♫♫♫♪