MMU WEP 2013

Workplace
Spoken
Communication
Skills

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A. Social Interactions Small Talks

Small talks are polite conversations about ordinary or unimportant subjects such as the
weather or sports, especially at social occasions.

Look at the list of topics below. Check () the ones you think are safe topics and put an
(X) to those which are not.

1. _______ someones health

2. _______ vacations

3. _______ families

4. _______ politics

5. _______ someones age

6. _______ religion

7. _______ someones salary

8. _______ someones appearance

9. _______ food

10. _______ the cost of something the other person has

11. _______ why someone is still unmarried

12. _______ a mutual friend

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Openers for Small Talks

Openers are questions or comments that begin a conversation.

Match the openers below with appropriate responses.

Some openers can have several responses.

Openers Responses

1. Whats new? a. Not bad.

2. How are you today? b. Couldnt be better!

3. Good to see you. c. Oh, fine. How about you?

4. Hows it going? d. Very busy.

5. Its been a long time. e. Its good to see you too.

6. Hows the job? f. Yes, it certainly has.

7. How have you been? g. Its been ages, hasnt it?

8. Havent seen you in a while. h. Yes, whats up?

9. Long time no see. i. Good. And you?

10. Hows life? j. Not much.

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Inappropriate Topics and Responses

Inappropriate small talk can make a person feel uncomfortable or angry. Small talk is
appropriate when:

the topics are too personal or embarrassing

the responses are either too short or rude

Explain why the following small talk is deemed inappropriate.

1.

A: Hi there! How are you? I heard about your divorce! Tell me what happened.

B: Well, how did you hear about it? I didnt think the whole world would know.

2.

A: Hi, whats up?

B: Not much with me. But you certainly have changed your style! Your
necktieisnt it too childish for an executive like you?

3.

A: Morning! How is it going?

B: Well, Im surviving. By the way, congrats on your promotion! How much are
they paying you now?

4.

A: Hey, its so good to see you again! How are you?

B: Okay.

A: Thats good. What have you been doing?

B: Nothing.

5.

A: Hello! How are you?

B: Very well, thanks. I heard that you didnt get the scholarship because of your
poor English. Is that true?

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What to Say Some Social Expressions

A. To greet Hello!
How are you?
How do you do?
Good morning Sir/Madam/Miss.
B. I am Zanaria. You can call me Zan.
To introduce My name is Shazwan Azizan and I am with the Human
Resource Division.
Id like you to meet our Director, Mr Albert Harrison.
C. Welcome to our office.
To welcome Please come in. Have a seat.
Its a great pleasure having you here today.
Make yourself at home.
D. To thank Thanks a lot.
Thank you for all your help.
Im grateful to you. Thanks.
I cant thank you enough.
E. Im sorry but I have to go now.
To take leave Please excuse me.
Id love to stay but I cant.
May I be excused, please?
F. To say Goodbye.
goodbye Ciao!
See you again.
Hope well meet again.
G. To request Can you help me with this report?
Can you please type the minutes?
May I borrow a pen, please?
May I use your phone, please?
H. To inquire Excuse me, who is the officer in charge here?
Who should I give these documents to?
Is the office open during lunch hour?
How long does it take to process the form?
I. To clarify Our office is closed on Sundays not on Saturdays.
The Director will be leaving for Germany this month, not next
month.
J. Attention please. There will be a briefing this afternoon in the
To announce Conference Room.
Here are the results for the Inter-Department competition.

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K. To direct/ Send a copy of the letter to the Deputy Director.

instruct Before you fill in the form, read the instructions first.
Go to the third floor, turn left and the Managers office is the
first one on your right.
L. To confirm Yes, she informed me this morning.
Youre right! We did fax the letter to them yesterday.
Its true that were sending the support staff for training next
month.
M. To invite Would you like to join us for lunch?
Id like to invite you for a potluck party this Friday.
Do come with us on the trip this weekend.
N. To accept Oh, Id love to.
Thats a great idea!
Fine by me.
Sure, why not!
O. To decline Im afraid I cant join you.
No, thanks.
Thanks, but no thanks.
Im sorry I cant.
P. To explain The policy is made to uphold the companys
reputation.
It takes at least 7 working days to process
the forms.
The course will cover many interesting topics.
Q. To Okay, you help me with my work, and Ill proofread your
compromise minutes.
Ill prepare the first half and you take the second half.
R. To Congrats! Well done!
congratulate My heartiest congratulations to you.
On behalf of the Management, Id like to congratulate you on
your promotion.
Congratulations!
S. To You look nice today.
compliment That was a wonderful presentation!
Not many people are punctual as you are, you know.
I enjoyed the talk tremendously.

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Activity

The Most Appropriate Response

Match the following opener with the correct response.

a. Oh, I live in Bukit Beruang.

Im in education. What about
1. b. Im with the banking industry.
you?
c. Ive been working for ages!

a. Is he one of your colleagues?

b. There are many portfolios in the

Datuk Johan is the State Exco
2. State.
for Education. Im his P.A.
Oh, Ive yet to meet him in
c. person.

a. My discipline was very good.

Multimedia University is my
3. alma mater too. What was your b. Not that good, Im afraid.
discipline there?
c. I read Law.

a. Auditors are very stingy people!

My husbands with the Internal
4. b. I think Ive met him.
Audit Division.
c. Youre very lucky indeed!

a. Hello and welcome to the office.

b. There are many female staff

5. Hi, Im Azizah, a new staff here. here.

I like you to work here.

c.

a. Hes a very busy man.

6. Is Mr Subramaniam in? b. Who are you?

c. Im afraid hes left for a meeting.

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Activity

Jumbled Up Dialogue

The following four dialogues are in the wrong order. Rearrange them to make a natural
flow of conversation.

Dialogue 1 Order

a That would be nice.

b Thats interesting. My son is an editor with a local daily.

c I believe youre in journalism.

d Really? I suppose Ill meet him?

e Yes, thats right on the editorial side.

f Yes, what about coming round for a drink?

I could introduce you to him.

Dialogue 2 Order

a Im sure. I hope to get back here again.

b Thats a pity. Theres a lot to see.

c Good. Are you here on business then?

d Are you staying long?

e Really? Thats interesting. What line are you in?

f No, just a couple of days.

g Yes, we are thinking of setting up an office here.

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Dialogue 3 Order

a Relax. Take it one at a time. Prioritize your work.

b Sure, why not? What are friends for?

c Im so bogged down with work!

d Hmm, okay. Ill try doing that.

e Dont be so stressed. We are all busy.

f I know. But with so much work to do, I dont even have time to
breathe!

g Could you help me to edit a report?

h Thanks. I owe you one.

i Great! Now, maybe I could help you with something?

Dialogue 4 Order

a Oh, no problem at all! Im after all a tech-savvy person.

b Its a great policy. No more punch clocks!

c How do you find working here?

d Thats great! I wish you all the best!

e A whole lot different from my previous office.

f What do you think of the flexi-hour system?

g Thank you.

h And, what about office communication via e-mail?

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Activity

Starting a Conversation Openers

For each of the situations below, create an opener. Work with a partner.

Situation 1

You are at a restaurant, waiting for your drinks. You recognize the man sitting in front of
you. You think you have met him before but cannot remember when and where. Speak
to him.

Situation 2

You are still at the office during lunch hour. You see an old man sitting in the waiting
room, reading a newspaper. Ask him who he wants to see.

Situation 3

You are sitting next to a woman on a plane to Kota Kinabalu.

Based on the documents she is holding, you know that both of you are attending the
same conference. Strike a conversation with her.

Situation 4

You are at your sons school to meet his class teacher to get feedback on his academic
performance. How would the conversation go?

Situation 5

You are being stopped by a traffic policeman for a traffic offence. Create a dialogue
between the both of you.

Situation 6

You are vacationing in Australia. Unfortunately you are lost in the city. Stop a stranger to
ask for directions.

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Activity

Managing Social Interactions

Working with a partner, write a conversation based on the following situations.

Situation 1

Make yourself a business card. Use your business card to practice introductory
conversations. Tell your partner about your job and find out about his/her occupation.

Situation 2

A is meeting B at one of the Divisions in the Ministry of Education. It is their first

meeting. Prepare a conversation.

Situation 3

You are visiting a client. While you are sitting in his office, one of his colleagues comes
in and starts speaking to you. Create a conversation.

Situation 4

You are sitting next to a guest at your companys Annual Dinner. The person happens to
be a very important man to your company. Start a conversation.

Situation 5

You have just been promoted to a Managerial position. You feel elated and you would
like to share your happiness with your close friends. Invite them for a celebratory dinner.

Situation 6

You meet your former Superior for the first time in six months after he was transferred to
another department. Find out what is happening in his life.

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1. BASIC COMMUNICATION SKILLS

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon completion of this topic you should be able to:

Explain what effective communication means

State benefits of effective communication
Describe various methods of communication in todays workplace
Understand key stages in the communication cycle
Identify potential problems to communication
Discuss ways to improve social skills and interaction

1.1 Effective Communication Skills

Communication is the process of exchanging and sharing of information, ideas, and feelings
by the use of words, letters, symbols, or non-verbal behaviour. In short, it is an attempt to
share an idea between parties.

Communication also relies on two things 50% subject matter, 50% human relationship.
There are four vital steps in effective communication Attention, Apprehension,
Assimilation, Action.

a) Attention We must pay attention to the speaker and his subject matter in order to
understand.
b) Apprehension Fear of subject matter, which is not known to the listener yet.
c) Assimilation The process of adapting and adjusting to the speaker and what the
speaker says.
d) Action The result of the communication is action which indicates whether or not the
communication is successful.

Skill Set Used for Examples

Foundation Basic social Ability to maintain eye contact, maintain

Skills interaction appropriate personal space, understand gestures
and facial expressions

Interaction Skills needed to Resolving conflicts, taking turns, learning how to

Skills interact with begin and end conversations, determining
others appropriate topics for conversation, interacting
with authority figures

Affective Skills needed for Identifying one's feelings, recognising the feelings
Skills understanding of others, demonstrating empathy, decoding body
oneself and language and facial expressions, determining
others whether someone is trustworthy

Cognitive Skills needed to Social perception, making choices, self

Skills maintain more monitoring, understanding community norms,
complex social determining appropriate behavior for different
interactions social situations.

(Canney and Byrne, 2006; Waltz, 1999)

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1.2 Benefits of Effective Communication

There are several benefits of having effective communication skills. By having and knowing
how to use it, one can easily achieve better outcome and results from a two-way
communication. Some of the benefits are:

- enhanced professional image

- quicker problem-solving
- stronger decision-making
- increased productivity
- steadier work flow
- stronger business relationships
- clearer promotional materials
- improved stakeholder response

Communication is deemed important and vital by all organizations since it can make or
break a deal, business, relationship, and others. The effects of poor communication vary.

The basics of communication is that how you say it matters more than what you say. This
simply means that the things that you say or communicate to others, i.e. the content/subject
matter, are not transpired well if the way you say or communicate to others is not effective.
People are not difficult. They only seem difficult to the extent that we do not have the skills to
deal with what they bring to the table. It is our lack of knowledge that makes the situation
difficult. Thus, in communication, skills which are necessary are:

a) Asking questions to get more information or clarification

b) Keeping quiet to allow things to be explained without interruption
c) Speaking to respond to the subject matter
d) Sensitivity or Awareness to be sensitive to the situation or subject matter
e) Listening to listen and understand the subject matter

The composition of communication is 55% Body language, 38% Voice and 7% Words. The
ideal speed in speaking is about 125 words per minute. This is to ensure that the listener is
able to take in what is said without having to ask the speaker to repeat, and the speaker also
does not have to repeat and sound breathless when speaking. Other important things that
need to be focused on are the smile, eye contact, posture, hand movement and tone of
voice.
Smile effectiously (to show amiable)
Eye contact maintain (to focus on speaker)
Posture straight (to show interest, not bored)
Hand movements minimum (to avoid distractions)
Tone of voice the right volume, the right speed, flow smoothly, sound confident,
enthusiastic, alert, calm.

Why does a message become unclear when it is sent by the speaker? There are several
reasons such as:

- the words uttered and the body movements are not congruent
- the words used are too difficult to understand, unfamiliar to the listener, and some
words are abbreviated
- the message is too long at one go (long winded message)
- the speakers appearance (neat or messy)
- the competing environment (noise, crowd, location etc.)

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Why does a message get interpreted wrongly? This is because the receiver could be doing
or experiencing one or more of the following:

- is not listening to the speaker well

- is listening for a different reason
- is distracted by the speakers appearance, tone of voice, body language etc.
- is biased or prejudiced towards the speaker
- is jumping to conclusions
- is not interested or lacks interest in the conversation
- is competing with the environment

Getting the right message is essential to make the communication effective. Therefore, it can
be enhanced by several ways:

Create rapport the interaction between the speaker/listener or sender/receiver must be

mutual and civil enough to get the message across.

a) Understand and utilise the preferred mode there are 3 modes (Listen, See, Touch)
b) Optimise body movements lean forward to show interest, maintain eye contact,
move into immediate circle
c) Verbal nods such as I see, Ermm, Thats right, Okay in order to give signals to
the speaker that the message is understood or followed.

1.3 Understanding Verbal Communication Styles

There are various verbal communication styles which are Passive, Aggressive and
Assertive.

a) Passive

The passive communicator often allows his own rights to be violated by failing to express
his honest feelings. The goal of being a passive communicator is to avoid conflict no
matter what. Also, it is seen as very safe since there is little risk involved. The
characteristics of a passive communicator is that there is little eye contact, often defers to
others opinions, usually has quiet tone, and may suddenly explode after being passive
for too long.

Examples of responses of a passive communicator:

I dont know.

Whatever you think.

You have more experience than I. You decide.

Ill go with whatever the group decides.

I dont care. It doesnt matter to me.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. . . NO!

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b) Aggressive

There are several characteristics of an aggressive communicator. The aggressive

communicator protects his own rights at the expense of others rights no exceptions.
The goal of the aggressor is to win at all costs; to be right. He does not consider those
actions as a risk because this person thinks that he will always get his way if he becomes
aggressive and people will listen to him if he acts aggressively. However, this behavior is
very risky in terms of relationships. The aggressive communicator can be identified by
several key indicators such as, eye contact is angry and intimidating; lots of energy; loud
and belittling; never defers to others, or at least does not admit to; manipulative and
controlling. Thus, he often uses violence or verbal abuse.

Examples of responses of an aggressive communicator:

I dont know why you cant see that this is the right way to do it.

Its going to be my way or not at all.

Youre just stupid if you think that will work.

Who cares what you feel. Were talking about making things work here.

c) Assertive

Assertive communicators usually use balance in his way of communication. He protects

his own rights without violating the rights of others. The goal of the assertive person is to
communicate with respect and to understand each other; to find a solution to the problem.
He takes a risk with others in the short run, but in the long run relationships are much
stronger. The assertive communicator can be identified through some characteristics
such as his eye contact is maintained; he listens and validates others; he is confident and
strong, yet flexible; he is very objective and unemotional; and he presents his wishes
clearly and respectfully.

Examples of responses of an assertive communicator:

So what youre saying is. . . .

I can see that this is important to you, and it is also important to me. Perhaps we
can talk more respectfully and try to solve the problem.
I think. . . I feel. . . I believe that. . . .
I would appreciate it if you. . .
Let me understand your thoughts on this

Assertive communication is the healthiest because boundaries of all parties are

respected. It is easier to problem-solve and surely has fewer emotional outbursts along
the way. However, it requires skills and a philosophy change, as well as lots of practice
and hard work. When both parties do it, no one is hurt in any way and all parties win on
some level.

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1.4 Nonverbal Communication

Effective communication is the combined harmony of verbal and nonverbal actions.

Nonverbal communication consists of body movement, facial expressions and eye
movement. Major areas of nonverbal communication are:

- eye contact
- facial expressions
- gestures
- posture and body orientation
- proximity
- paralinguistics

Eye Contact

The eyes can give clues to a persons thoughts. When someone is excited, his pupils
dilate tofour times the normal size. An angry or negative mood causes the pupils to
contract. Good eye contact helps the audience develop the interest in the speaker.
Eye-contact helps regulate the flow of communication and reflects interest in others.
Direct eye-contact conveys interest, warmth, credibility and concern, but shifty eyes
suggest dishonesty. Downward gaze may be a sign of submissiveness or inferiority.

Facial Expressions

There are 80 muscles in the face that can create more than 7,000 facial expressions.
The facial muscles produce the varying facial expressions that convey information
about emotion, mood, and ideas. Emotional expressions are one primary result of
activity by the facial muscles.

Gestures

Gestures communicate as effectively as words, sometimes even better. Gestures

support the verbal communication. They sometimes detract from what you say. There
are some negative gestures which should be avoided:

- Pointing at people - It is perceived as accusatory.

- Fiddling with your items - It gives the impression that you are nervous.
- Dragging the feet - It implies lethargy.
- Head Down - It suggests timidity.
- Drooping shoulders - It implies weariness and lethargy.
- Weak handshake - It implies meek and ineffectual personality.
- Shifty eyes - It suggests nervousness.
- Arms crossed on the chest - It is a defensive gesture.
- Hands in pockets - Shows disrespect, and that you have something to hide.
- Covering your mouth - It suggests you are lying.
- Shaking feet or legs - It shows indifference and disinterest.

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Posture

Posture plays a big part in first impressions. A person who looks physically healthy
and firm receives positive impression than a person who looks sick and tired. Body
posture can be open or closed. Interested people pay attention and lean forward.
Leaning backwards demonstrates aloofness or rejection.

Some postures to pay attention to:

A head held straight up signals a neutral attitude.

A head down is negative and judgmental.
A head tilted to the side indicates interest.

Some negative postures should be avoided:

Rigid Body Posture - Anxious/Uptight

Hunched Shoulders - Lacks interest/Feeling inferior
Crossed Arms - Protecting the body/Negative Thoughts

Proximity

Proximity is the distance people maintain between themselves while talking.

Therefore, there is a recommended zone or distance for any occasion.

Space/Distance is used as an indicator of intimacy. The more we get to know each

other the more we are permitted into each other's personal space. Space/Distance
also is used as an indicator of status. Executives, presidents of colleges, government
officials have large offices with big space, but secretaries have small space.

Paralinguistics

Paralinguistics are what accompany your words to make up for its true meaning.
Paralanguage refers to the vocal aspect of communication. Components of Para
linguistics are:

-Rate of speed - When a speaker speaks too fast, he is seen as more competent, but
not necessarily effective.

- Pitch - Pitch should be changed in accordance with the context of spoken words.

- Volume - It refers to how loudly we speak. Loud people are perceived as aggressive
or over-bearing. Soft-spoken voices are perceived as timid or polite.

Fillers - Words like umhh, ah, aaa, are used to gather thoughts.

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1.5 The Communication Cycle

Effective communication is a two-way process, perhaps best expressed as a cycle. Signals

or messages are sent by the communicator and received by the other party. He sends
back some form of confirmation that the message has been received and understood: this
is called feedback.

Message

SENDER RECEIVER

Feedback

The Stages of Communication Process

SENDERS ACTIVITY RECEIVERS ACTIVITY

Impulse to communicate Decoding the Message
Encoding the Message Feedback
Relay of Message

Impulse to communicate
Deciding to communicate and deciding what to communicate is the first stage of the
process.
Messages should ideally be reviewed and put into some working order in the brain
before mouth, body or machinery are used to articulate and present the idea for
someone elses benefit.

Encoding the message

At this stage, the sender puts his message into words, gestures and expressions in
the form that both sender and receiver understand.
We have to bear in mind however, that a symbol that we use and understand may be
ambiguous (have more than one possible meaning) or mean something different to a
person of different age, nationality, experience or beliefs. Just because we
understand what we mean, it does not necessarily mean that someone else will.

Relaying the message

Once the idea has been encoded as a message, the sender needs to choose how to
transmit, or get it across to the receiver. The particular route or path, via which the
message is sent, connecting the sender and receiver, is called the channel of
communication. (eg. a notice board, newspaper column, online bulletin board).
The tool which is used to communicate is called the medium which often takes the
form of:
i. Visual communication eg. gesture, chart, picture or screen display;
ii. Written communication eg. a letter, memorandum, note, report or list; or
iii. Oral communication which includes both face-to-face and remote communication
eg. by telephone or television.

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Choice of medium
The choice of medium will depend on such factors as:

the Time, depending on its urgency.

the Complexity, which medium will enable it to be most easily understood.
the Distance, the message is required to travel and in what condition it must arrive.
the need for a written record, eg. for legal documents.
the need for interaction, immediate exchange or instant feedback.
the need for confidentiality or conversely, the spreading of information widely and
quickly.
Sensitivity to the effect of the message on the recipient: the need for personal
involvement, persuasive power or impersonality.
Cost, for the best possible result at the least possible expense.

Decoding the message

The first step in communication from the receivers point of view is the decoding of the
message i.e. understanding what it says. The receiver must
grasp the meaning of the words or symbols used by the sender.
interpret the message as a whole. What it says is not necessarily what it means.
Reading between the lines or inferring may be necessary to establish the underlying
meaning of the message.

Giving feedback
Feedback is the reaction of the receiver which indicates to the sender that the
message has (or has not) been successfully received, understood and interpreted.
There are 2 types of feedback negative & positive.

Positive feedback
i. Action taken as requested
ii. A letter/memo/note sent confirming receipt of message, or replying to
question/invitation etc.
iii. Smile, nod, thumbs up.

Negative feedback
i. No action, or wrong action taken
ii. No written response at all or written request for more information, repetition etc.
iii. Silence, gesture, blank look, shrug.

Feedback is vital to success in communication because there are so many potential barriers
and breakdowns to guard against.

1.6 Potential Problems in Communication

Two technical terms used to describe problems or breakdowns, which occur in

communication, are:
i. Distortion;
ii. Noise

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Distortion
Distortion refers to the way in which the meaning of a communication is lost in
handling i.e. during the encoding and decoding stages of communication.

Noise
Noise refers to distractions and interference in the environment in which
communication takes place, obstructing the process of communication by affecting
the accuracy, clarity or even the arrival of the message.
a. Physical noise, e.g. other people talking, passing traffic.
b. Technical noise, e.g. bad handwriting, crackles on a telephone line.
c. Social noise, e.g. interference created by differences in personality/culture or
outlook of the sender and recipient.
d. Psychological noise, e.g. excessive emotion (anger, fear), prejudice or
nervousness can also interfere with effective transmission of a message.

The problem of noise can be reduced by redundancy: using more than one
channel of communication so that if a message fails to get through one channel,
it may succeed by another.

Personal differences
There are many factors in an individuals personality, mentality, experience and environment
which can cause distortion or noise in the communication process. For example,
Racial, ethnic or regional origins:
Religious beliefs and traditions.
Social class and socio-economic.
Education and training.
Age.
Sex.
Occupation
Personality traits and types- a wide range of characteristics which shape attitudes
and behaviour: introvert/ extrovert, stable/neurotic, active/passive etc.
Intelligence- in terms of mental ability and understanding, linguistic or numerical
ability.

Perception
Perception is the process by which the data gathered by the senses is selected,
sorted, organized and interpreted by the brain in order to form meaningful and
coherent messages or information.

Selective perception
The sub-conscious mind decides which stimuli/information are (subjectively)
relevant and which are irrelevant and can be safely ignored.
When we focus on selected stimuli, we say we give them our attention.
This is important for the communicator:
1. as listener and reader, because of the need to minimize potential distractions
and to be aware that some parts of a message may be ignored thus,
distorting the overall meaning.
2. as creator and sender, because the need to attract and hold the recipients
attention to the key points and meaning of the message.

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2. COMMUNICATING IN A WORKPLACE

2.1 Group Dynamics

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Upon completion of this topic you should be able to:
Use theories of interpersonal communication to explain and evaluate their own
behaviour in interpersonal relationships.
Identify and explain the necessary roles within groups and organizations.
Identify, evaluate and suggest solutions to problems encountered in a large group
communication context.

What is a Team?
A group of people with a full set of complementary skills required to complete a task, job, or
project. Team members operate with a high degree of interdependence, share authority and
responsibility for self-management, are accountable for the collective performance, and
work toward a common goal and shared rewards. A team becomes more than just a
collection of people when a strong sense of mutual commitment creates synergy, thus
generating performance greater than the sum of the performance of its individual members.
Read more: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/team.html#ixzz1pG1DzZju

Why Does The Team Exist?

Team is set up with the objective of achieving a task or set of goals which cannot be
achieved by an individual. A team is an association of people who gather together to achieve
a common, shared measurable collaborative result. As a member of a team, you contribute
your perspective and expertise to help the team achieve its urgent shared purpose. Your
success as a team member will be defined by the teams overall success. The rewards of
teamwork are determined by the teams achievement.

In forming and managing a group, there are some undercurrent issues that need to be
looked into in order to enhance the dynamics of the group and achieve more success. Team
members need to be aware of these issues so that they understand their role and
responsibilities.

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The Undercurrent Issues

Team Member Identity

Am I an insider or outsider?
Do I belong in this team?
Do I fit in, can I fit in?
Who has influence, will I have any influence?
Will I be allowed to participate, will I want to?
How can I build relationships with other members?
Will we become a cohesive, successful team?

Team Relationships
Will this be a friendly team?
Will it be strictly task oriented?
Will we get along, will we like each other?
Will position or rank get in the way of progress
Will we build trust and be open or totally guarded?
Will we grow to be successful or become dysfunctional?

Organisational Conflict
Where will my loyalties lie?
Where will my loyalties be perceived to lie?
Will there be conflicts between my department and the team?
How will my department co-workers react?
Will the team suffer because of my departmental objectives?
Can I influence others to minimize this risk?

4 Stages of Team Growth

We need to further enhance our abilities to work within groups and understand group
dynamics within our organizations if we want to be successful. Groups typically experience
the following processes and phases when they come together and the understanding of
these processess and phases is helpful for you and your organization to work through
planning, conflicts and emerge a stronger, more cohesive organizations. The processes are
forming, storming, norming and performing.

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a) Forming
During this crucial stage it is normal that little progress will be made towards achieving the
goal that brought the team together in the first place. Moreover, individual team members will
be looking towards the team leader for direction and guidance so it is important that he or
she recognises this as normal.

These are some issues that need to be recognised by the members:

Eagerness to impress
Feeling good about being chosen as team member
Feeling of belonging not quite there
Nervousness, maybe even fear of what needs to be done
Continued concern over roles and contribution
Trying to define the objectives
Trying to define roles
Digression
Trying to solve the group's problems
Blaming others outside the team for lack of progress
Blaming the organization for lack of conflict resolution

b) Storming
This is the most aptly named stage. Individuals become increasingly impatient due to lack of
progress and can be fearful of the organization and management. Co-operation can take
second place to team members trying to push forward individually trusting more in their own
skills and attributes.

At this stage, these are issues that members especially the leader needs to be aware of:
Significant swings in attitude
Lack of individual contribution
Some members may seem to panic
Arguments and internal conflict ensues
Dominant members seem to take control
Team may even begin to split
Disrespect for other team members or team leader
Placing the blame on other team members
Doubting the validity of the team's purpose and goals

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As team leader, the key, massive point here is that as tough as this stage is, it is still normal
that little real progress is being made. However, also recognise that underneath it all team
members are beginning to come together.

c) Norming
This is the turning point of the team building as competition becomes co-operation, team
members begin to value contribution of others, personal conflicts are minimized, ground
rules are established and agreed to, roles and responsibilities are clearly defined and agreed
to.
At this stage, members will become aware of:
A huge sense of relief
Growing belief in the team and its purpose
Individuals begin to believe in their worth
Constructive criticism
Less suspicion of others, more confidence
A 'Team' sense of purpose
Willingness to resolve problems and issues

The team's ground rules must be maintained, continue to support the team as real progress
is made, continue to keep this 'cohesiveness' and sense of belonging, communicate
significant achievements. Above all continue to help members work out any issues they may
still have so that the team as a whole move to the fourth stage.

d) Performing
At this stage, the team is acting as one, working as one, but individuals and their
contributions are valued. The objectives of the team are clear, and members fully
understand their individual roles and the roles of others. This is the stage where problems
are being solved and actions implemented.

At this stage, members and leader are aware of:

Sense of achievement
Sense of belonging
Individual growth through contribution
Proactive approach to solving team problems
Structured problem solving and decision making
Members also recognize they have gone through these stages
Strengths AND Weaknesses accepted
Real results

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When a team has gone through all these processes and phases, the team is performing
successfully, every task is completed and every goals is achieved by one cohesive unit with
a common sense of purpose.

Characteristics of Effective Teams

Some characteristics of effective teams are clear direction and responsibilities,
knowledgeable members, reasonable operating procedures, good interpersonal
relationships, shared success and failures, and good external relationships.

Clear direction.
Clear direction means that the team is given a clear and distinct goal. The team may be
empowered to determine how to achieve that goal, but management, when forming the
team, generally sets the goal. A clear direction also means that team outcomes are
measurable.

Clear responsibilities.
Clear responsibilities means that each team member understands what is expected of her or
him within the team. The roles must be clear and interesting to the team members. Each
team member needs to be able to rely on all the other members to carry out their roles so
that the team can function effectively. Otherwise, one or two team members come to feel
that they are doing all the work. This is one of the reasons so many individuals are initially
reluctant to join teams.

Knowledgeable members.
An effective team will be comprised of individuals who have the skills and knowledge
necessary to complete the team's task. Cooperation is essential at an early stage in
inventorying the skills and knowledge each member brings to the team, and working to
determine how to utilize those skills to accomplish the team task.

Reasonable operating procedures.

All teams need a set of rules by which they operate. Sports teams for example, operate
according to a clearly laid-out set of rules about how the game is played. Similarly, work
teams need a set of procedures to guide meetings, decision making, planning, division of
tasks, and progress evaluation. Setting, and sticking to, procedures helps team members
become comfortable relying on one another.

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Interpersonal relationships.
Teams are composed of diverse individuals, each of whom comes to the team with his or her
own set of values. Understanding and celebrating this diversity helps to make a stronger,
more effective team.

Sharing success and failures.

Everyone wants to feel appreciated. Within a team, members should be willing to express
their appreciation, as well their criticisms, of others' efforts. Similarly, the organization must
be willing to reward the team for successful completion of a task and hold all members
responsible for failure.

External relationships.
In the process of building a strong team, groups external to the team are frequently ignored.
In order for the team to successfully complete its task, it cannot operate in isolation from the
rest of the organization. Teams need help from people within the organization who control
important resources. Establishing clear lines of communication with these people early on
will facilitate the completion of the team's task.

Selecting the team members

Forming an effective team is more complex than simply throwing a group of people together,
assigning them a task, and hoping for the best. Potential team members need to be
interviewed and their skills and knowledge should be assessed. Issues to consider in
selecting team members include: the individual's motivation with respect to both the team
and the task at hand; the attitudes and goals of potential team members; potential problems
with intragroup relationships; and potential problems with relationships with external groups.

2.2 DOWNWARD AND UPWARD COMMUNICATION

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Upon completion of this topic you should be able to:
Apply suitable communication styles in sending messages
Identify appropriate communication channels to be utilised at work
Identify the communication barriers and apply the techniques to overcome the
barriers

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WHAT IS DOWNWARD AND UPWARD COMMUNICATION?

Downward communication is the occurrence of the employer or someone at the top or an
organization sending a message to someone at the bottom of the organization. In other
words, downward communication occurs when information is released by a superior and
travels down the chain to the least trained member of the group. An example of such could
be a memo. Management could release a memo on new rules about internet access. The
memo being passed down the chain of command is an example of downward
communication. Upward communication occurs when individuals at the lower part of an
organisation communicate with individuals at the higher level of the organisation.

CHANNELS IN DOWNWARD AND UPWARD COMMUNICATION

It is very important to understand and be aware of the different channels used on
organisations when communicating information. There are certain channels which are
appropriate for downward communication as there are for upward communication. Basically
there are two types of channels that are formal and informal channels.

Formal channels are structured and officially recognized by the business or organisation. An
employee turning in a project to the manager or supervisor, for example, is using a formal
channel of communication. For closed-loop organisations, their focus is specifically on
completing the communication process so that they will receive the desired feedbacks. They
work to make sure that information through formal channels is accurate, specific, and
understood. Informal channels, however, are used for a more personal information and it
travels through a less structured path. This is where the term grapevine is often used to
describe an informal channel in which employees learn or receive an information informally
and unofficially usually through gossip and rumour). Instant messaging is also an informal
channel that employees may be able to use. Informal channels generally cannot be
controlled, though, which can pose problems. However, formal channels can be controlled,
as management and head supervisors often determine how the channels work.

TYPES OF DOWNWARD COMMUNICATION

Giving Orders
As a manager, you give general direction and specific orders to your employees. You want
those directives to be understood and followed. This is not the time when you want dissent

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and debate. You already sought input from others and decided what you want done. So you
issue a directive to your employee(s).

Ways to give orders that get followed:

Avoid any of the trigger phrases, such as You need to start You should You are
wrong about You are making a mistake on Why dont you fix your... Click here
for a more complete list of trigger phrases.
Be respectful and yet clear and direct, do not suggest direction, but give direction. Be
clear about your expectations for results and for completion dates.
Make sure the employee understood the direction; ask her to summarize what she
understood you want done.
Ask for a completion date. If the employee cant give you a date now, because she
needs to do additional fact finding, then ask her for a date when the fact finding will be
completed.
If you notice any hesitation from the employee, ask her whats on her mind, tell her you
sense hesitation or concerns and now is the time to clear them up.

Giving Recognition
Giving recognition needs to be an ongoing activity. The reasons go beyond people's need or
desire for recognition. An employee needs to know when he or she hits the mark and is
doing things right. A manager needs to let employees know what behaviors are wanted and
expected.

Both employees and managers benefit from this form of downward communication.
Most managers enjoy giving positive feedback to their employees. With a few exceptions,
people like seeing the satisfaction that others get when they get acknowledged for a job well
done.

A few pointers on how to give positive feedback.

Be forthright about it; do not give recognition as a way to manipulate the employee.
Give recognition right after the performance that merits the acknowledgement.
Recognise specifics, not generalities. Link the employee's accomplishments to the
contributions made to the goals of the department or company.
Adjust the recognition to the deed, the bigger the accomplishment, the bigger and more
public the recognition. Always ask if this is ok with the employee, sometimes employees
do not like public recognition. Still, the mere act of asking them about it is enough for

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them to know that their performance deserved it. They may tell you to skip the public part
altogether, so given them recognition in private.
Take note (literally) of the accomplishments of each employee, so you dont forget to
include them in their performance evaluations. The evaluation can be used to reward
employees with raises and promotions in due time.

Correcting Behaviour
As soon as you see an employee deviating from performance expectations, take the time to
give feedback to the employee so the undesirable behavior doesnt repeat and become
ingrained. When left unattended, even the smaller infractions can creep up and become
performance issues later on.

Case in point: When an extremely sharp manager began reporting to me a few years ago, I
gave him full authority to order items that he saw fit to get a critical project completed.
His first purchase was an office chair that was just a bit more expensive than all the other
chairs in the department. Since it wasnt extravagant, just a tad more expensive, I didn't tell
the employee anything, I let it go.
Next, he bought multiple screens to monitor the availability of a system he was
implementing. I thought it was excessive but given that the system was highly complex, I let
it go again. Over and over, I ignored individual purchases that by themselves did not amount
to much.

Eventually, I got a call from my boss asking me explain why the managers office looked "so
luxurious and inappropriate, like some kind of command center." I tried to explain my
rationale. My boss asked me why I didnt stop the managers purchases as they were taking
place.

I realised I made the mistake of not correcting unwanted behaviour early in the working
relationship with my employee. Don't make the same mistake.

Giving Information
Information flowing top down to employees is never enough, so make a point to spread
information as often as possible and using as many channels as you can think of. You can
use emails, department meetings, staff meetings, blogs, and other internal collaboration
tools that your company may have.

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Be open to employees asking you for additional information on subjects that are important to
them. Be open to discussing their concerns and their ideas. In times of crisis, you may think
that your duty is just to keep the staff informed, but this may be a perfect opportunity to find
out if employees have ideas on how to deal with the crisis at hand.

Proactively share with employees information that you are private too. Why? This is because
employees will understand the bigger picture of their work and know they are being kept
informed of matters that affect their daily lives.

Getting Information
You may not view getting information as downward communication; after all, the
information is flowing upward. The reason why its being discussed in this context is because
the manager seeking information initiated this interaction, so the dynamics of power are in
full effect.

In the same way you as a leader provide information to your employees, there will be times
when you need to get information from them. This could be in the form of reports, answers,
explanations, statuses, advice and information.

You may be tempted to bypass the organisation structure and use your grapevine network,
but doing so undermines your authority with those employees that report directly to you. You
risk losing their trust and confidence. You also risk getting inaccurate information, since the
person may not have the complete picture or may have an agenda about the subject.

Use the reporting structure to gather information and when you get information from other
channels, bring it out in the open with the rest of the organization. Foster a culture of
openness and directness.

Giving Performance Appraisals

A key component of effective performance appraisals is on-going feedback to the employee
regarding his or her performance. Provide good and bad feedback often, its one of the most
effective ways to ensure that employees perform to expectations and grow to become the
best employees that they can be.

The performance discussion cannot take place in the vacuum; it has to take place
against a context of expectations.

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Do not skip over the areas where the employee needs to improve, do not minimize the
performance problems.
Just be clear but kind, most employees dislike performance evaluation time. Avoid
offending or attacking the person, just focus on the performance that needs to be
improved.
Conversely, do not skip over areas where the employee excelled. You need to let the
employee know what behavior and performance needs to be repeated or increased.

TYPES OF UPWARD COMMUNICATION

Giving One Time Oral or Written reports

As an employee, one of your goals may be to give reports that are complete, clear and
useful. Reports that make you look competent and professional. The key to a good report
(whether its a verbal report or a written one) is that it addresses the concerns of the people
receiving the report. You can have the greatest presentation and content, but if the report
doesnt answer the specific questions and concerns of your readers or audience, the report
will be lacking.

The best way to ensure your report is on track is to have a preliminary discussion with your
manager, half way between start and completion of the report, to ensure that you have
understood the concerns of the people asking for the report. This is crucial. The
conversation needs to be at the half way point, because at the start you may not have
enough insight to ask the right questions and your boss may not have all the information to
answer them.

Reporting Periodic Project Statuses

This is a sub-category of Giving Oral or Written Reports but Project Status reporting
deserves its own discussion, because the reporting is done periodically. These days most
managers are too busy to receive periodic status updates, unless the updates are
significant. If not much has happened since the last time you provided a status report, its
best not to spend too much time preparing and giving one. This is assuming you are on
schedule against a completion date. If there is nothing to report because you havent
completed what needed to be done, they you do need to provide a full report as to the
reasons why you are delaying the work.

So, dont give statuses for the sake of giving them. Give them when its needed. If your boss
insists that you to provide a status on a periodic basis, follow the rule above. Make a note on

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the status that there is no change from the previous period, that way your boss doesnt have
to read the last status to figure out if there was any change.

Reporting Problems, Concerns and Complaints

This seems very straightforward, but there are potential pitfalls about reporting problems:
To describe problems in detail and skip providing any possible solutions.
To report the problem to the bosss boss, creating a went around his/her boss
awkwardness.
To report the problem in the wrong place or the wrong time, e.g. An employee reports his
need for additional training at a full departmental staff meeting. In that example, the
employee's training is a individual matter, not a group issue.

Try to avoid these no-nos, instead, bring problems to the attention of your boss and bring up
also the potential solutions; share your concerns privately unless is a group concern. Do it
when you boss is available to talk, not when he is a rush out to some meeting. Avoid
adopting a powerless attitude, have confidence in your approach, it will come through and
make a big difference on how your message is received.

Giving Information
You may be privy to information that falls outside of the normal day of work, it could be a
rumor or verified information about something your boss needs to know. What to do? It is
fine to provide information as long as its verified, otherwise you are going on a very slippery
downhill: turning into an ear for your boss.

It may be appealing to be a trusted confidant, but the risks that go with that role may not be
worth it.

Asking for something

You may want to ask for a raise for yourself or one of your employees. You may need
additional resources (money, staff, authority, access to information) to complete your project
or you may want to ask your boss to stop inviting out to social events or to stop putting you
down in front of other staff and clients. Whats the right way to approach your boss and ask
for these things?

This is perhaps the most difficult area of upward communication: To ask your manager for
something. Some people prefer to skip the exercise altogether and live with the
consequences of not asking and not getting what they want.

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While we cannot possibly do justice here to the subject of making requests of your manager,
let's touch on some of the basics dos:
Prepare what you are going to say
Describe with clarity what you need
Describe why you need it
Describe the consequences of not getting it
Describe the cost, both one time and ongoing

Floating Suggestions and Ideas

Lots of people have great ideas, but few get to see their ideas be accepted and
implemented. Most organisational cultures dont welcome change, and even when the
culture fosters innovation, people as individuals resist change. Its just human nature.

To heighten the odds of your idea getting considered by your manager, make sure that you
describe:
How the solution will benefit the company
How the proposed solution is more cost effective than the existing solution
The likelihood of a successful transition from the existing solution to the new one
How to pull it off with the least amount of pain during the transition
Include a plan B, should the solution doesnt work as planned

DOWNWARD AND UPWARD MISCOMMUNICATION

All downward and upward communication take place in a framework of authority and power
of one person (a manager) over another (an employee). Because of these power dynamics,
the potential for miscommunication is high.

Miscommunication occurs due to the barriers of communication such as personal, physical,

semantic and organisational barriers.

Personal Barriers:
Personal barriers have a strong effect on communication. Personal barriers are as follows:
a. Emotion
It can affect the development of an idea, method of transmission and decoding process.
Emotional biases restrict people to understand the real meaning.

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b. Difference in perception
Different peoples perceptions is different. Thus the sender may encode the message in
his/her own way but the receiver can explain it differently due to difference in perception.
c. Listening
Another personal barrier is problem in listening skill. That is only due to listening
problem message can be misinterpreted.
d. Psychological distance
Like perception attitude and overall psychological frame of mind varies from man to
man. As a result same message can be viewed differently in different people.

Physical Barriers:
Physical barriers are the external forces that create adverse effect on communication
process. Physical barriers are:
a. Noise
It is very common type of physical barrier. Due to noise the receiver may failed to
receive the actual meaning.
b. Geographical distance
Sometimes geographical distance makes it difficult to have immediate feedback. As a
result communication process is not completed.
c. Incorrect choice of medium:
Choice of medium depends on the nature of the message. The message can be
distorted due to incorrect choice of medium.

Semantic barriers:
Semantic barriers are also known as language barriers. Two people both speak in same
language, but still there may be language barriers between them. Semantic barriers are as
follows:
a. Use of wrong words
Depending on the education and knowledge level of the receiver proper words should
be used. Language of a farmer and language of an economist are not same. Thus use
of improper or wrong words is barriers to effective communication.
b. Use of colloquial language
Use of colloquial language not only changes the original meaning, it may lead to serious
misunderstanding.
c. Use of jargon
Use of jargon or technical words with the people of different profession can create
confusion.

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d. Symbols:
People of different geographical region or from different culture use different kinds of
symbols. In real world it is also observed that same symbol has different meanings in
different countries.

Organisational barriers:
Business communication is also influenced by organisational barriers. Major organisational
barriers are:
a. Information overload:
Individuals capacity is limited, thus when too much messages need to be answered in
the same time then it creates overload and communication failed.
b. Message complexity:
Sometimes due to the very nature of the subject matter messages become complex and
complicated.
c. Message competition:
In a big organisation often messages compete each other for attention. A manager can
face problem if he asked something over telephone while he/she is writing a report.
d. Status:
In an organisation, employees of lower status sometimes face problem to communicate
negative news to the top management. As a result communication gap is created.
e. Lack of trust:
It is another organisational barrier to effective communication. For successful
communication there should be a trusting environment within the organisation.
f. Unethical communication:
Unethical communication seriously damages the goodwill of the organisation. Thus,
messages should be ethical and credible.

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3. TELEPHONE ETIQUETTE

A GUIDE FOR MAKING PHONE CALLS:

1) Plan your calls.

Have all the information at hand.
Check to see whether the timing is convenient.

2) Identify yourself.
State your first and last name clearly.

i. My name is Riza.

ii. This is Riza Kassim.

3) State the purpose of your call.

State the reason immediately:

i. " I have three questions to ask about... or

ii. I need an answer on project X ...".

4) Ask if it is a convenient time to talk.

If you want to talk to someone at length, schedule a mutually-convenient time for a
phone appointment.
Then make the call at the agreed-upon time and stay within limits of the time set.

5) Be courteous.
Your tone of voice carries a lot of weight in a phone call.
Smile while you speak.

6) Leaving messages.
State your first and last name, telephone number and reason for your call.
Be specific with your messages.
i. Vague = "Ask him to ring me back".
ii. Specific = "When do you think hell be able to return my call?"
Ask questions to make sure youve been understood, especially if critical action is
required.
If calls are contractual or complicated, confirm later in writing.
If you promise you'll call at a certain time, do so.
If you need to delay the conversation, call to postpone it. Do not make others wait
around for your call.

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A GUIDE TO ACCEPTING PHONE CALLS:

1) Be prepared for calls

Make sure that you

i. have a note pad and pens available.
ii. have necessary information or answers to frequently-asked questions at hand.
iii. are aware of your company/departments current policies and procedures.

2) Answering calls

Answer all calls promptly, ideally within three rings. Answering a phone too fast can
catch the caller off guard and waiting too long can make the caller angry.
Identify your work area, Example:
i. "Telecommunications Department, Joan Lee speaking." or
ii. Good afternoon. RHB bank. May I help you?
a. Smile as you answer a phone call.
b. Speak clearly and distinctly in a pleasant tone of voice.
c. Keep the phone two-finger widths away from your mouth.
d. If the caller has reached the wrong department, be courteous. If possible, find out
where they should call/to whom they should speak.
e. When the called person is not in, the following responses should be used to protect
the privacy of the staff and to give a more tactful response:

What You Mean: Tell the Caller:

"He is not in the office at the moment.

"He is out."
Would you like to leave a message?"

"I don't know where he is." "He has stepped out of the office. Would
"He is in the men's room." you like to leave a message?"

"He hasn't arrived yet."
"She took the day off."
"I expect him shortly. Would you like to leave a
message?"
"She is out of the office for the day. Can
someone else help you or would you like to
leave a message?"

"He doesn't want to be

"He is unavailable at the moment. Would
disturbed."
you like to leave a message?"
He is busy.

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3) Clarify the caller's need/issue

Listen attentively.

Do not interrupt the caller. Allow him to finish speaking before you attempt to assist.

Treat all callers with respect.

Speak distinctly at a moderate pace, with enough volume to be heard clearly.

Ask relevant questions.

Summarise customers' requirements to ensure you have interpreted them correctly.

Advise the caller of the course of action to be taken and seek agreement.

4) Provide accurate information

All information given must be accurate.

Don't give important information when the caller doesn't appear to be listening.
Instead, use an introductory phrase to get the caller's attention:

i. "Sir?" "Madam?"

ii. "Excuse me"

Repeat, or spell out information esp. names, addresses, numbers, and dates.
Be specific.
i. Vague = "We'll be open again tomorrow,"

ii. Specific = "We'll be open from 8am-5pm tomorrow."

For confusing numbers,

i. "That's 30: three-zero" or

ii "13: one-three."

If unsure of correct response, seek advice from the appropriate person.

5) Use appropriate language

Use everyday language. Do not use abbreviations or jargon that customers may not
be familiar with.

When you must use a term callers may not understand, explain it: "You will need to
fill out a post-census withdrawal form - that is the blue, two page form required for all
late withdrawals from classes."

Be articulate and sound warm.

Do not speak too slowly or too quickly.

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6) Response time

Answer all calls promptly within three rings.

Give priority to phone callers; reception customers can see that you are engaged on
a call.
Follow up queries and respond promptly.
To avoid unnecessary customer delays, handle as much of the transaction as you
can yourself.
If you have a client at the counter, do not spend over two minutes on a phone call
with a detailed query; instead offer to place them on hold.
When putting a caller on hold, always ask permission. Examples: "Would you mind
holding while I get your file?" "Can you hold briefly, while I see if Mr Tan is
available?"
If the caller waits, give progress reports every 30 seconds or so. This lets the caller
know that he has not been disconnected or forgotten.
When you return to the line, thank the caller for waiting.

7) Taking a message
A complete message includes the following:
i) Name of the caller (check the spelling) and his/her company
ii) Date and time of the call
iii) Callers telephone number-even if the person being called
already has the number
iv) Any other information the caller gives you
Repeat the message to the caller to make sure you have taken the message
correctly.
Ask for a time that they are available to receive the return call.
Place the message slip in the called person's inbox or in a conspicuous place in their
office
Include your initials on the message slip.

8) Ending the call.

Before hanging up, be sure that you have answered all the caller's questions.
Always end with a pleasantry:"Have a nice day" or "It was nice speaking with you".
Let the caller hang up first.

9) Personal calls
Keep to a minimum.
Keep calls brief.

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A GUIDE FOR HANDLING DIFFICULT CALLERS:

Handling rude or angry callers

1) Stay calm, diplomatic and polite.

Take it professionally, not personally.
Focus on the problem, not the person.
Show that you care.

2) Listen to understand.
Hear him out.
When necessary, interrupt gently.

3) Show empathy.
Apologise for the specific inconvenience.
Reflect feelings first, then restate facts.
Always show willingness to resolve the problem or conflict.

4) Identify needs and wants.

Ask questions.
Verify understanding.

5) Offer options.
Tell him what you can do, not what you cant.
Keep offering possible solutions in strictly factual terms.

6) Find a positive solution.

Reconfirm what you will do and what the caller will do.

7) Thank the person for calling.

Ask if you can help in any other way.
Encourage the caller to call for help at any time.

8) Follow up on any commitments.

Youll be known as someone who is more professional in your telephone service
approach.

Handling non-stop talkers

1) Hear the caller out first.

2) Interrupt when the caller begins to repeat the story.

To do this, catch the callers attention by using his or her name.
Encik Haris, excuse me for interrupting, I would like to give you some information
that can clear up the situation.

3) Ask closed-ended questions that require short answers.

Avoid questions that start with why, how etc.

4) Speak slightly faster.

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5) Summarise the action to be taken.

6) Close professionally.
Thank you for calling. We will call you in three days time to inform you about the status
of your application.

USEFUL TELEPHONE VOCABULARY & PHRASES

Making a call Hello/Good morning/Good afternoon

This is Nadia Radzi speaking.
Could I speak to .......... please?
I'd like to speak to .......... please.
I'm trying to contact ..........

Giving more information I'm calling from Melaka / Kuantan / Kementerian

Pendidikan
I'm calling on behalf of

Asking for someone Could I speak to . from Human Resource,

please?
I'd like to speak to .., please.
Could you put me through to .., please?
Is .. in?
Could I speak to someone who
Can I have extension 321, please?

Answering a call & Good morning/afternoon/evening.

introducing yourself
York Enterprise, Elizabeth Chan speaking.
This is Dinesh speaking. May I help you?
Dinesh speaking. Can I help you?
Hello, this is Anwar Zain from Jabatan Perikanan.
Who's calling, please?

Asking for a Who's calling/speaking, please?

name/information May I know whos calling/speaking?
Can I ask who is calling, please?
May I know whos on the line?
Where are you calling from, sir/madam?

Asking the caller to Hold the line, please.

wait/putting someone on Could you hold on, please.
hold
Can you hold on a moment?
Just a moment, please.
One moment, please. I'll see if Cik Rina is available.

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Connecting/putting Thank you for holding.

someone through The line's free now. I'll put you through
I'll connect you now / I'm connecting you now.

Giving negative I'm afraid ..is not available at the moment.

information I'm afraid Mr Martin isn't in at the moment.
I'm sorry, he's in a meeting at the moment.
I'm sorry. He's out of the office today
I'm afraid he's on another line at the moment.
I'm afraid the line's engaged/busy. Could you call
back later?
I'm afraid we don't have a Mr/Mrs/Miss ... here.
I'm sorry. There's nobody here by that name.
Sorry. I think you've dialled the wrong number.
I'm afraid you've got the wrong number.

Telephone problems The line is very bad. Could you speak up, please?
I'm sorry, I can't hear you very well. Could you
speak up a little, please?
Could you repeat that, please?
I'm afraid I can't hear you.
Sorry. I didn't catch that. Could you say that again,
please?
I'm sorry, I don't understand. Could you repeat that,
please?
Could you spell that, please?

Leaving/taking a Can I leave/take a message?

message Would you like to leave a message?
Can I leave/give him a message?
Could you tell him/her that I called?
I'll tell Mr Jones that you called.
Could you ask him to call me back?
Would you like him to call you back?
I'll ask him/her to call you as soon as possible.
Could you give me your name and number, please?
Could you spell that please?

Ending a call Thank you for calling. Goodbye.

Thanks for your help. Goodbye.
Have a nice day. Bye.

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4. HANDLING CUSTOMERS AND COMPLAINTS

Introduction

In our daily lives, we deal with people at our workplace. Different people have different
behaviours. One of the most difficult situations for employees is dealing with customers who
are angry, rude, negative, complaining or aggressive people. These are just a few of the
types of potentially difficult interactions. From time to time, you will also be called upon to
help customers who can be described in one or more of the following ways:

Lack knowledge about your product, service, or policies.

Dissatisfied with your service or products.
Demanding.

If we take a look at each category above, we may find it difficult to handle which depend on
our knowledge, experience, and abilities. A key to successfully serving all type of customers
is to treat each person as an individual. We should avoid stereotyping people according to
their behaviour. Avoid mentally categorise people (put them into groups) according to the
way they speak or act or look and treat everyone in a group the same way. If you
stereotype people, you will likely damage the relationship between the customer and the
provider. Ultimately, you will deliver successful service through your effective communication
skills, positive attitude, patience, and willingness to help the customer. Your ability to focus
on the situation or problem and not on the person will be a very important factor in your
success. Making the distinction between the person and the problem is especially important
when you are faced with difficult situations in the service environment. Although you may not
understand or approve of a persons behaviour, he or she is still your customer. Try to make
the interaction a positive one, and if necessary ask for assistance from a co-worker or refer
the problem to an appropriate level in your operational chain of command. In this topic, we
will be learning several strategies on how to effectively deal with difficult customers.

Handling emotional customers

One has to remember when dealing with people who are behaving emotionally (e.g.,
irritated, angry, upset, crying, or raising their voice) that they are typically upset with the
structure, process, organisation, or other factors over which you and/or they have no control.
They are usually not upset with you (unless you have provoked them by exhibiting poor
customer service skills or attitude). Before you can get your customer to calm down, listen,
and address the situation, you must first deal with her or his emotional state. Once you do
this, you can proceed to use problem-solving strategies to assist in solving the problem. Until
you reduce the customers emotional level, he or she will probably not listen to you or be
receptive to what you are saying or your attempts to assist. In some cases, she or he may
even become irritated because you seem non-empathetic or uncaring. You need to
demonstrate patience and willingness to listen calmly to what the customer has to say
without interrupting or interjecting your views. If your customer perceives that you are not
attuned to his or her emotional needs or thinks that you are not working in his or her best
interest, you become part of the problem, rather than part of the solution.

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How to deal with Difficult Customers?

We have to be very careful when dealing with angry or dissatisfied people. For you to
effectively serve an angry or dissatisfied customer, you must move beyond the emotions to
discover the reason for his or her anger/dissatisfaction. Here are some possible tactics:

Be positive
Even though angry customers drain your energy, dont get drawn into mirroring their anger
or agreeing with their putdowns of your company, competitors, peers, products, or services.
This only fuels the fire. If appropriate, smile and interject positive comments into the
conversation as you listen, and try to determine an effective course of action.

Acknowledge the customers feelings or anger

You cannot and should not try to deny the customers anger. Doing so could result in a
serious confrontation. Instead of saying, You really dont have to be upset, try, I can see
youre upset. I want to help solve this problem, so could you please help me understand
what has happened? By taking this approach, youve acknowledged the customers
feelings, demonstrated a willingness to assist, and asked the customer to participate in
solving the problem.

Reassure
Reassure the customer. Indicate that you understand why he or she is angry and that you
will work to solve the problems. Statements such as these can help ease the frustration of
your customers: Im going to do my best to help resolve this quickly, I can assure you that
this will be resolved by Monday, You can rest assured that I am going to make this a
priority.

Remain objective
As mentioned earlier, becoming part of the problem is not the answer. Even if the customer
raises his or her voice or uses profanity, remain calm. This may be difficult, but it will help
keep the situation from escalating. If necessary, count to ten in your head and take a deep
breath before responding. Remember, angry customers are usually angry at the
organisation, product, or service that you represent, not at you. If they do not settle down,
calmly but assertively explain that although you want to assist, you cannot do so until they
help by providing information. If possible, suggest moving to a private area, away from other
customers and ask for help from a supervisor or team leader, if appropriate.

Determine the cause

Through a combination of asking questions, listening, feedback, and analysing the
information you receive, try to determine the cause of the problem. The customer may
simply have misunderstood what was said. In such an instance, a clarification may be all that
is required. Try something like, There seems to be some confusion. May I explain? or
possibly, It appears that I was unclear. May I explain?

Listen actively
Take the time to listen actively. Often, when people are upset, all they want to know is that
youre willing to attend to their concerns.

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Reduce frustrations
Dont say or do anything that will create further tension. For instance, dont transfer a caller
to another extension if the customer told you he or she has already been transferred several
times, or interrupt to serve another customer (especially for a telephone caller), or put the
person on hold repeatedly to handle other customers or tasks.

Dont make excuses

Typically, customers are not interested in why they did not get the product or service they
wanted or thought they paid for; they just want the problem solved (in their favour). Look for
ways to correct a mistake rather than cover it up.

Negotiate a solution
Elicit ideas from the customer on how to solve the problem. If the customers suggestions
are realistic and feasible, implement them or negotiate an alternative. By using customers
suggestions, you are likely to gain their agreement. Also, if something goes wrong later, they
may be less likely to complain again since it was their idea in the first place.

Take appropriate action

After you have gathered all pertinent information you need to make a decision, work with the
customer to satisfy his or her needs.

Conduct a follow-up
Dont assume that the organisations system will work as designed. If there is a breakdown,
the customer has your name and may complain to your supervisor or the customer may not
complain but he/she may go to a competitor. Either way, you lose. Once an agreed-upon
solution has been implemented, take the time to follow up to ensure that all went well.
Whatever it takes, do it to ensure customer satisfaction.

Activity 1: Work with a partner/in a group. Discuss situations in which you had to deal with
an angry person. Think about what made the person angry and what seemed to reduce
tension. Make a list of these factors and be prepared to share your list with the class.

The results from this discussion may help to develop strategies on how to calm angry people
in the future.

Activity 2: Take a few minutes to think about your organisation. Look for factors that might
contribute to customer dissatisfaction. Make a list of them, and then list some strategies for
eliminating or reducing them.

Activity 3: Work with a partner/in a group. Develop a list of rude comments that a customer
might say to you along with responses that you might give.

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Workplace
Writing
Skills

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EMAILS

Introduction: The Writing Process

Phase 1: Analysis, Anticipation and Adaption

Do I really need to write the e-mail or memo? will a phone call do? What is
the common way of getting the message across in your organisation? Is a
permanent record necessary?

Why am I writing? decide your goals

How will the reader react? Visualise the reader.

Drafting: Research, Organisation and Composition.

Phase 2: Gather and review any information you may have on your subject:

Refer previous e-mails, meeting minutes or notes.

Make an outline on the points you want to cover.

If you are responding to a message, write the notes on the document

you are answering.

Phase 3: Revision, Proofreading and Evaluation

Revise for clarity

Check whether the ideas are clear from the receivers perspectives

Improve context and explanation if the e-mail is a forwarded message

Proofread for correctness

Check the sentences to ensure they are correctly punctuated and

grammatically correct.

Check for spelling errors and typos.

Plan for feedback

Check whether the expected feedback obtained meets the needs.

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EMAIL GUIDELINES

Non-Executive Staff HCM

To :

From : Sarah Abdullah < sarah.abd @mmu.edu.my

Date : 15 January 2013

Subject : E-mail Writing Guidelines

Dear All,

Please note and follow the guidelines below concerning the writing of e-mail messages:

1. Subjects

Give the message a subject /title. E-mail messages without a subject may not be
opened because of a fear of viruses especially note that is very easy to forget to type
this important information.

2. Subject contents

Keep the subject short and clear but avoid such headings as :

Good news, Hello Message from Mary. These headings are common in messages
containing viruses. Short but specific headings are needed.

e.g : Request for filling up the 2012 Survey

HCM WEP sessions

3. Greetings

Start the message with a greeting so as to help create a friendly but business-like tone.
The choice of using the other name versus the surname will depend on who you are
writing to. If you have communicated with the receiver previously and he / she is at a
similar level to you, then the use of the first name would be appropriate. If the receiver is
more senior to you, or if you are in doubt, it would be safer (particularly in the first
communication ) to use the persons surname / family name together with a title.

e.g.: Dear Mr. Willis

Dear Ms. Jolie

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4. Purpose

Start with a clear indication of what the message is about in the first paragraph. Give full
details in the following paragraph (s). Make sure that the final paragraph indicates what
should happen next. E.g.: I will send a messenger to your office on Tuesday morning to
collect the faulty goods. Please let me have your order by the beginning of the month.

5. Action

Any action that you want the reader to do should be clearly described, using politeness
phrases. Subordinates should use expressions such as Could you or I would be
grateful if.. Superior staff should also use polite phrases, for example, Please

6. Attachments

Make sure you refer, in the main message, to any attachments you are adding and of
course make sure that you remember to include the attachment(s). As attachment can
transmit viruses, try not to use them, unless you are sending a complicated document. If
you use an attachment, make sure the file name describes the content, and is not too
general; message.doc is bad, but 2012 Participation Survey.doc is good.

7. Endings

Make sure that you include Thank you in your e-mail. End the message in a polite way.
Common endings are: Yours Sincerely, Best Regards, Best Wishes, Regards.

8. Names

Include your name at the end of the message. It is most annoying to receive an e-mail
which does not include the name of the sender. The problem is that often the email
address of the sender does not indicate exactly who it is from, e.g.:
tallguyandhandsome@yahoo.com

Please follow these guidelines with all emails that you send.

FAX MESSAGES

A fax message is often sent when particular official correspondence needs to be sent or
received urgently and it is not possible to send the documents via e-mail. In some cases, a
fax may have been requested.
The message usually has a cover page containing the following information:
name and fax number of the recipient
date
name and fax number of the writer
number of pages
The cover page also usually contains a short message.
Any document (e.g. report, letter, purchase order) that you are sending follows the cover
page.

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FAX MESSAGE
To: Jenny Smith Fax Number: 0335 294762
From: Jamie Fraser Fax Number: 0227 664290
Date: 29 November 2007 Number of pages: 4 (including this page)
Subject: Amendments to the report

Jenny,
I have had a look through your report, as requested.
I agree with most of it. However, I would propose making some slight changes to some sections.
I have indicated the suggested changes in the sections attached.

Regards,
Jamie

NOTICES / ANNOUNCEMENTS

People write announcements for many reasons. Some types of announcements that people
write include public service announcements, high school graduation announcements, college
graduation announcements, engagement announcements, marriage and wedding
announcements, pregnancy announcements, birth announcements, adoption
announcements, baptism announcements, save the date announcements, moving
announcements, business announcements, job announcements, promotion announcements,
retirement announcements, and funeral announcements.

No matter which kind of announcement you need to write, you will find the following tips
useful. Remember to tailor the tips to the specific announcement you need to write, and get
on your way.

Tips on How to Write an Announcement:

1. Be direct and concise in your announcement. Your reader will be able to understand the
information quickly and can refer back to it easily.
2. Write a short, friendly announcement that's to the point when you're sharing positive
news. Written in the right tone, an announcement can show a wish to keep up a business
or personal relationship. It can also build on positive feelings like confidence, allegiance,
and helpfulness.
3. Recognise what others have achieved in your announcement, and motivate your reader
to reach similar goals.
4. Present your information in a plain and complete way, so your reader will understand you
the first time (and not ask questions later).

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5. If the news you are announcing is bad, write it in a direct statement. Add a message of
understanding and optimism to your announcement, in a respectful tone.

Sample of Announcement / Notices

New Acquisition Announcement

Dear Customer:

It is with pride that ABC Widgets announces our recent purchase of XYZ Industries. This
acquisition of one of the nation's most respected manufacturers of sprockets will not only
help ensure we have a reliable supplier for this necessary component of an efficient widget,
it also adds an additional 5,000 employees to the ABC Widgets family.

For the past ten years, our goal at ABC Widgets has been to manufacture and distribute the
most reliable widgets in the industry. We value your ongoing business and continued faith
in our company, and recognize that as proof that you have trust in our abilities to meet our
objectives.

If you have any questions, please contact your sales representative.

Task 1:

The Bateman Hotel is an old building and some of the electrical wiring is going to be
replaced. While work is being carried out, the entire hotels electricity will be cut off. As
the hotel cannot operate without electricity for a long period of time, it has been decided
that the work will be carried out over two days -26 and 27 May. On these days, there will
be no electricity in the hotel between 0930 and 1130 and then again between 1430 and
1630. This should cause few problems as not many guests will be in the hotel during
those times.

Mr David Robinson asks you to write a notice which can be left in all the rooms and
displayed around the buildings. Here are his notes:

Say sorry to guests

Its only for two days tell them times- say why its needed

Remind them that nothing electrical will work (lights, kettle, hairdyer,
etc)

No hot water better not use bath or shower

Limited room cleaning no vacuum cleaners

Well supply free tea and coffee in the lounge from flasks

Lifts wont work well help anyone to use stairs if necessary

Fire alarm will still work different system

Write the notice.

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BUSINESS LETTERS

Principles to Keep in Mind

1.0 Business writing is different

Writing for a business audience is usually quite different than writing in the humanities, social
sciences, or other academic disciplines.

Business writing strives to be crisp and succinct rather than evocative or creative; it stresses
specificity and accuracy. This distinction does not make business writing superior or inferior
to other styles. Rather, it reflects the unique purpose and considerations involved when
writing in a business context.

When you write a business document, you must assume that your audience has limited time
in which to read it and is likely to skim. Your readers have an interest in what you say insofar
as it affects their working world. They want to know the bottom line: the point you are
making about a situation or problem and how they should respond.

Business writing varies from the conversational style often found in email messages to the
more formal, legalistic style found in contracts. A style between these two extremes is
appropriate for the majority of memos, emails, and letters. Writing that is too formal can
alienate readers, and an attempt to be overly casual may come across as insincere or
unprofessional. In business writing, as in all writing, you must know your audience.

In most cases, the business letter will be the first impression that you make on someone.
Though business writing has become less formal over time, you should still take great care
that your letters content is clear and that you have proofread it carefully.

2.0 Pronouns and active versus passive voice

Personal pronouns (like I, we, and you) are important in letters and memos. In such
documents, it is perfectly appropriate to refer to yourself as I and to the reader as you. Be
careful, however, when you use the pronoun we in a business letter that is written on
company stationery, since it commits your company to what you have written. When stating
your opinion, use I; when presenting company policy, use we.

The best writers strive to achieve a style that is so clear that their messages cannot be
misunderstood. One way to achieve a clear style is to minimize your use of the passive
voice. Although the passive voice is sometimes necessary, often it not only makes your
writing dull but also can be ambiguous or overly impersonal. Heres an example of the same
point stated in passive voice and in the active voice:

PASSIVE: The net benefits of subsidiary divestiture were grossly overestimated.

[Who did the overestimating?]

ACTIVE: The Global Finance Team grossly overestimated the net benefits of
subsidiary divestiture.

The second version is clearer and thus preferable.

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Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. What if you are the head of the Global Finance
Team? You may want to get your message across without calling excessive attention to the
fact that the error was your teams fault. The passive voice allows you to gloss over an
unflattering pointbut you should use it sparingly.

3.0 Focus and specificity

Business writing should be clear and concise. Take care, however, that your document does
not turn out as an endless series of short, choppy sentences. Keep in mind also that
concise does not have to mean bluntyou still need to think about your tone and the
audience for whom you are writing. Consider the following examples:

After carefully reviewing this proposal, we have decided to prioritise other projects
this quarter.
Nobody liked your project idea, so we are not going to give you any funding.

The first version is a weaker statement, emphasizing facts not directly relevant to its point.
The second version provides the information in a simple and direct manner. However, you
dont need to be an expert on style to know that the first phrasing is diplomatic and respectful
(even though its less concise) as compared with the second version, which is unnecessarily
harsh and likely to provoke a negative reaction.

4.0 Business letters: where to begin

Reread the description of your task (for example, the advertisement of a job opening,
instructions for a proposal submission, or assignment prompt for a course).

Think about your purpose and what requirements are mentioned or implied in the
description of the task.

List these requirements.

This list can serve as an outline to govern your writing and help you stay focused, so try
to make it thorough.

Next, identify qualifications, attributes, objectives, or answers that match the

requirements you have just listed. Strive to be exact and specific, avoiding vagueness,
ambiguity, and platitudes. If there are industry- or field-specific concepts or terminology
that is relevant to the task at hand, use them in a manner that will convey your
competence and experience.

Avoid any language that your audience may not understand. Your finished piece of
writing should indicate how you meet the requirements youve listed and answer any
questions raised in the description or prompt.

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5.0 Planning to Write

Before you begin writing your message, you need to think carefully the contents of the
message. It is good to ask a few basic questions:

The 5Ws:

a) who You need to know whom you are writing to. This will determine what to include in
the document, and how the message should be written.
b) when Time is important. This is because the message that you send will not get read
immediately. It may take days to get a reply. So choose how you would want to transmit
your written message so that it gets read quickly.
c) what Details are important, so ask yourself what should be included in the content,
what kinds of sentence structures or styles to use, and so on.
d) where The information that you are looking for should come from somewhere. You
could also ask questions like where an event is taking place.
e) why Is there a reason to write the message? You have to know the purpose of writing,
or else dont write.

6.0 The 4-point Plan for Successful Structuring

The four-point plan illustrated in the diagramme below shows a simple framework to help
you organise all your written business communication.

1 Opening or introduction Why are you writing the message?

(background and basics) - response to previous document?

- need to make an inquiry?

2 Details Ask for information. / Give instructions.

(facts and figures) Give details.

Organise details in paragraphs.
Paragraphs need to flow logically.

3 Response or action What action do you want to take?

What action do you want the reader to take?
Is there a deadline?

4 Close Do you need a summary, or conclusion, or just a

simple close?

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7.0 Parts of the letter

Companys name,
address, telephone & Letterhead/Senders address
fax numbers

day/month/year Date ___________________

A filing reference Ref: ___________________

Recipients name, Recipients name _________

designation, full Designation/Post _________
postal address, town Address _________________
in CAPITALS _________________________

Dear Sir/Madam etc Salutation

In capitals & no SUBJECT HEADING

underlining or initial
capitals with
underlining. Main body of Letter_______________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
One new idea per ________________________________________________
paragraph & one line ________________________________________________
space between ________________________________________________
paragraphs.
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
Match:
Dear Sir/Madam + Complimentary Close
Yours faithfully
Dear Mr .. + Yours
sincerely Senders Name
Position/Department
Attachment(s)
Enc= 1 Enclosure
Encs= > 1

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8.0 Sample of Business Letters

1. Meeting confirmation

Writing a reply to a request for an interview or meeting appointment may come in the form
of an e-mail or actual letter. This kind of letter, which acknowledges the senders request for
a meeting, finalises the date, venue, and attendees to the meeting requested for. It must be
concise yet complete in details. If the correspondence is to be given to people outside the
company where one belongs, it should come in letter format, even if it is sent through email.
The sample letter of reply below is written in formal, straightforward manner

Sample of Confirmation Letter

Jess S. Lucas
Senior Director
PowerHouse Group
18344 Hallmark East, Level 10
Irvine, CA

20 December 2012

MR.MARK KINER
Principal
Kiner Design Group
17992 Mitchell South, Suite 110
Irvine, CA

CONFIRMATION OF MEETING

Dear Mark:

Further to our telephone conversation, I am writing to confirm our meeting on June 6, at

10:30 a.m. at the SM Corporate Office located at the 10th Floor of SM One E-comCenter,
Harbor Drive, Mall of Asia Complex, Honolulu, HI. Elena Tronco, our Senior Manager,
will be joining us.

Until then, please call Jenny, our administrative assistant, at 632-857-0106 if you need
more information, or if there is a need to change the date and/or time or our meeting. I am
optimistic about what we can accomplish together.

Sincerely,

JESS C. LUCAS
Executive Vice President
SM Group of Companies

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2 Confirm an order letter

Perhaps you have placed an order through the phone or online, and after a couple of
hours or days of waiting, you still have not received any confirmation of your order.
When this happens, you may find the need to write a letter which confirms your order.
This will also serve as a reminder to company about your business transaction. The
purpose of writing a confirmation letter for an order you have placed is also to clarify
details or specifications which are integral in the product that you need. This becomes
useful when you are ordering different kinds of customised products. Also, when you are
ordering products or materials using promotions or discounts, you, too, have to indicate
them in your confirmation

Camille Jones
Store Manager
Perkasa Holdings
54, Jalan Semantan
31300 Kuala Lumpur

April 27, 2012

Toys Inc
Jalan Maarof
43100 Bangsar
Kuala Lumpur

Dear Maam:

CONFIRMATION OF ORDER NALA TALKING DINO

I would like to confirm the placement of my order for 3 sets of the Nala Talking Dino
Dolls which are priced at RM50 each, my bill having a total sum of RM250. I placed the
order by making a phone call through your Customer Hotline (1 800 -88-8888). The sales
agent who took my order is named Melissa Jeans and the transaction was made yesterday,
April 26 with transaction number 479099912.

I am expecting to have the toys delivered to my address at Perkasa Holdings, 54,Jalan

Semantan, Kuala Lumpur within seven days through your speed delivery promo, which
states that failure to deliver the products on time would translate to a twenty ringgit
discount on our next purchase from your store.

Thank you for taking time to read my letter. Should you need more information my
number is (03) 83125838. You may also email me at clairehopkins@perkasa.holdings.my

Yours sincerely,

Claire Hopkins

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3. Letter of Complaints

Perfect Ten Event Management

34 Jalan Makmur
33000 Ipoh
Perak
Tel 05 456 8967
Fax 05 456 6745

1 August 2012

Freddie Tan Wei Chong

Sales Manager
Executive Educational Products Inc
456 Jalan Siantan
89600 Johor Baru
Johor

Dear Mr Chong

DELIVERY OF EFFECTIVE LETTER WRITING 35 COPIES

With reference to our order of 01 July 2012 for the above title, I would like to draw your
attention to our instructions that the books be delivered before 8 August to be used for a
training programme. As time is running out, we are concerned about the delivery of these
books.

In the last two weeks, I have tried repeatedly to contact you by telephone and email but
there have been no replies.

I must ask you to treat this matter as urgent and despatch the books as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely

Kenneth
Kenneth Chan
Director

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4. Letter of Enquiry

Enquiries for information about goods or services are sent and received in business all
the time. In your letter, remember to state clearly exactly what you want information/ a
catalogue/ a price list/ a quotation? Keep your enquiry brief and to the point.

Samantha Brown
MarryBrown Company
34 Windsor Avenue
Bolsover Avenue
Chesterfield
S44 2JL

20 January 2013

Nautilus Cruises
Nautilus House Temple Street
London

Dear Sir :

ENQUIRY ON LUXURY CRUISES

We will be having a year-end Annual Dinner for our staff. This year, the theme is
Ocean Blue. It has been recommended that your company can hold an event on
your luxury cruise.

We are also celebrating our 10th year anniversary of our company on December 12th.

Please send us a copy of your current brochure showing the cost of your cruises
together with departure dates.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Yours faithfully

SAMANTHA BROWN
ASSISTANT MANAGER

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5. Letter of Acknowledgement

This letter is sent to acknowledge receipt of something when a written record is

appropriate. An acknowledgement may also be sent to acknowledge receipt of another
letter or document which requires further attention.

Stardust Photo Studio

RM 9B No 3 Building
1234 Yu Yao Road
Shanghai
China

25 January 2013

Mr Chia Lye Ann

3001 Caobao Road
Xuhui District
Shanghai 234399

Dear Mr Chia

ACKNOWLEDGEMNT OF LETTER

Thank you for your letter of 22 January addressed to our General Manager, Mrs
Ho Hei Ying

Mrs Ho is overseas on business and will not be in the office until 4 th June. I shall
be in contact with Mrs Ho and shall inform her about your letter, which is sure will
receive her prompt attention.

Please let me know if I can be of any help.

Yours sincerely

Lakhvinder Kaur
PA to Ho Hei Ying
General Manager

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9.0 Useful Phrases for Letter Writing

The Start
Dear Sir or Madam (use if you don't know who you are writing to)
Dear Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms (use if you know who you are writing to, and have a formal
relationship with (use Ms for women unless asked to use Mrs or Miss)
Dear Mr Frank (use if the person is a close business contact or friend)

The Reference
With reference to your advertisement in the Times/your letter of 23 March/your phone
call today,
Thank you for your letter of March 5 .
With reference to your letter of 8 June, I ...
I am writing to enquire about ...
I wish to draw your attention to the ..
I refer to your letter of [date] concerning
After having received your address from ... , I
I received your address from ... and would like ...
We/I recently wrote to you about ...
Thank you for your letter of 8 May.
Thank you for your letter regarding ...
Thank you for your letter/e-mail about ...
In reply to your letter of 8 May, ...
I apologise for the delay in replying

The Reason for Writing

I am writing to enquire about /apologise for/confirm/complain
I wish to inform you that
Further to our telephone conversation of [date] I am writing to inform you that
I am writing to confirm our telephone conversation of [date]
I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with
I would be grateful if you could forward me a [price list, catalogue]

Requesting
Could you possibly .?
I would be grateful if you could
Please look into this matter as soon as possible.

Complaining
I am unhappy with
This situation is causing us a great deal of inconvenience.
This service is well below the standard expected.
I am sure you would wish to know about this.
I am sure you will wish to look into this and find out what happened.

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Agreeing to Requests
I would be delighted to
Thank you for enquiry. We will be glad to
We regret the inconvenience caused and will resend the faulty products as soon as
possible.

Giving Bad News

Unfortunately
I am afraid that
We regret to inform you that

Enclosing Documents
I am enclosing
Please find enclosed
Enclosed you will find

Closing Remarks
Thank you for your help. Please contact us again if there are any problems.
If you require any further information, feel free to contact me.
Please advise as necessary.
Should you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Once again, I apologise for any inconvenience.
I would appreciate your immediate attention to this matter.
I trust that you will give this matter your urgent attention.
I would be most grateful if you would look into this matter as soon as possible.
Please let me know as soon as possible what action you propose to take.

Reference to Future Contact

I look forward to hearing from you soon.
I look forward to your reply.
I look forward to hearing from you.
I look forward to seeing you.
We look forward to a successful working relationship in the future.
We hope that we may continue to rely on your valued custom.

The Finish
Yours faithfully (If you don't know the name of the person you're writing to)
Yours sincerely (If you know the name of the person you're writing to)
Best wishes or Best regards (If the person is a close business contact or friend)

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Grammar
for
Workplace

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The Parts of Speech

Traditional grammar classifies words based on eight parts of speech: the verb, the
noun, the pronoun, the adjective, the adverb, the preposition, the conjunction, and the
interjection.

Each part of speech explains not what the word is, but how the word is used. In fact,
the same word can be a noun in one sentence and a verb or adjective in the next. The
next few examples show how a word's part of speech can change from one sentence to
the next, and following them is a series of sections on the individual parts of speech,
followed by an exercise.

Books are made of ink, paper, and glue.

In this sentence, "books" is a noun, the subject of the sentence.

Deborah waits patiently while Bridget books the tickets.

Here "books" is a verb, and its subject is "Bridget."

We walk down the street.

In this sentence, "walk" is a verb, and its subject is the pronoun "we."

The mail carrier stood on the walk.

In this example, "walk" is a noun, which is part of a prepositional phrase describing

where the mail carrier stood.

The town decided to build a new jail.

Here "jail" is a noun, which is the object of the infinitive phrase "to build."

The sheriff told us that if we did not leave town immediately he would jail us.

Here "jail" is part of the compound verb "would jail."

They heard high pitched cries in the middle of the night.

In this sentence, "cries" is a noun acting as the direct object of the verb "heard."

The baby cries all night long and all day long.

But here "cries" is a verb that describes the actions of the subject of the sentence, the
baby.

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1. WHAT IS A NOUN?

A noun is a word used to name a person, animal, place, thing, and abstract idea. Nouns are
usually the first words which small children learn. The highlighted words in the following
sentences are all nouns:

Late last year our neighbours bought a goat.

Portia White was an opera singer.

The bus inspector looked at all the passengers' passes.

According to Plutarch, the library at Alexandria was destroyed in 48 B.C.

Philosophy is of little comfort to the starving.

A noun can function in a sentence as a subject, a direct object, an indirect object, a subject
complement, an object complement, an appositive, an adjective or an adverb.

Noun Gender

Many common nouns, like "engineer" or "teacher," can refer to men or women. Once, many
English nouns would change form depending on their gender -- for example, a man was
called an "author" while a woman was called an "authoress" -- but this use of gender-
specific nouns is very rare today. Those that are still used occasionally tend to refer to
occupational categories, as in the following sentences.

David Garrick was a very prominent eighteenth-century actor.

Sarah Siddons was at the height of her career as an actress in the 1780s.

The manager was trying to write a want ad, but he couldn't decide whether he was
advertising for a "waiter" or a "waitress"

Noun Plurals

Most nouns change their form to indicate number by adding "-s" or "-es", as illustrated in the
following pairs of sentences:

When Matthew was small he rarely told the truth if he thought he was going to be
punished.

Many people do not believe that truths are self-evident.

As they walked through the silent house, they were startled by an unexpected echo.

I like to shout into the quarry and listen to the echoes that return.

He tripped over a box left carelessly in the hallway.

Since we are moving, we will need many boxes.

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There are other nouns which form the plural by changing the last letter before adding "s".
Some words ending in "f" form the plural by deleting "f" and adding "ves," and words ending
in "y" form the plural by deleting the "y" and adding "ies," as in the following pairs of
sentences:

The harbour at Marble Mountain has one wharf.

There are several wharves in Halifax Harbour.

Warsaw is their favourite city because it reminds them of their courtship.

The vacation my grandparents won includes trips to twelve European cities.

The children circled around the headmaster and shouted, "Are you a mouse or a
man?"

The audience was shocked when all five men admitted that they were afraid of mice.

Types Of Nouns

There are many different types of nouns. As you know, you capitalise some nouns, such as
"Canada" or "Louise," and do not capitalise others, such as "badger" or "tree" (unless they
appear at the beginning of a sentence). In fact, grammarians have developed a whole series
of noun types, including the proper noun, the common noun, the concrete noun, the abstract
noun, the countable noun (also called the count noun), the non-countable noun (also called
the mass noun), and the collective noun. You should note that a noun will belong to more
than one type: it will be proper or common, abstract or concrete, and countable or non-
countable or collective.

If you are interested in the details of these different types, you can read about them in the
following sections.

Proper Nouns

You always write a proper noun with a capital letter, since the noun represents the name of
a specific person, place, or thing. The names of days of the week, months, historical
documents, institutions, organisations, religions, their holy texts and their adherents are
proper nouns. A proper noun is the opposite of a common noun

In each of the following sentences, the proper nouns are highlighted:

The Marroons were transported from Jamaica and forced to build the fortifications in
Halifax.

Many people dread Monday mornings.

Beltane is celebrated on the first of May.

Abraham appears in the Talmud and in the Koran.

Last year, I had a Baptist, a Buddhist, and a Gardnerian Witch as roommates.

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Common Nouns

A common noun is a noun referring to a person, place, or thing in a general sense --

usually, you should write it with a capital letter only when it begins a sentence. A common
noun is the opposite of a proper noun.

In each of the following sentences, the common nouns are highlighted:

According to the sign, the nearest town is 60 miles away.

All the gardens in the neighbourhood were invaded by beetles this summer.

I don't understand why some people insist on having six different kinds of mustard
in their cupboards.

The road crew was startled by the sight of three large moose crossing the road.

Many child-care workers are underpaid.

Sometimes you will make proper nouns out of common nouns, as in the following examples:

The tenants in the Garnet Apartments are appealing the large and sudden increase
in their rent.

The meals in the Bouncing Bean Restaurant are less expensive than meals in
ordinary restaurants.

Many witches refer to the Renaissance as the Burning Times.

The Diary of Anne Frank is often a child's first introduction to the history of the
Holocaust.

Concrete Nouns

A concrete noun is a noun which names anything (or anyone) that you can perceive
through your physical senses: touch, sight, taste, hearing, or smell. A concrete noun is the
opposite of a abstract noun.

The highlighted words in the following sentences are all concrete nouns:

The judge handed the files to the clerk.

Whenever they take the dog to the beach, it spends hours chasing waves.

The real estate agent urged the couple to buy the second house because it had
new shingles.

As the car drove past the park, the thump of a disco tune overwhelmed the string
quartet's rendition of a minuet.

The book binder replaced the flimsy paper cover with a sturdy, cloth-covered
board.

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Abstract Nouns

An abstract noun is a noun which names anything which you can not perceive through your
five physical senses, and is the opposite of a concrete noun. The highlighted words in the
following sentences are all abstract nouns:

Buying the fire extinguisher was an afterthought.

Tillie is amused by people who are nostalgic about childhood.

Justice often seems to slip out of our grasp.

Some scientists believe that schizophrenia is transmitted genetically.

Countable Nouns

A countable noun (or count noun) is a noun with both a singular and a plural form, and it
names anything (or anyone) that you can count. You can make a countable noun plural and
attach it to a plural verb in a sentence. Countable nouns are the opposite of non-countable
nouns and collective nouns.

In each of the following sentences, the highlighted words are countable nouns:

We painted the table red and the chairs blue.

Since he inherited his aunt's library, Jerome spends every weekend indexing his
books.

Miriam found six silver dollars in the toe of a sock.

The oak tree lost three branches in the hurricane.

Over the course of twenty-seven years, Martha Ballad delivered just over eight
hundred babies.

Uncountable Nouns

A non-countable noun (or mass noun) is a noun which does not have a plural form, and
which refers to something that you could (or would) not usually count. A uncountable noun
always takes a singular verb in a sentence. Uncountable nouns are similar to collective
nouns, and are the opposite of countable nouns.

The highlighted words in the following sentences are non-countable nouns:

Whole groups made of similar items

baggage clothing equipment furniture garbage jewelry

Fluids , gas

Joseph Priestly discovered oxygen.

Water coffee gasoline blood steam smog pollution

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Solids
Ice bread butter cheese gold iron silver wood cotton

Particles

rice chalk corn dirt dust flour salt sugar sand wheat

Abstractions

Beauty confidence courage fun happiness honesty

Collective Nouns

A collective noun is a noun naming a group of things, animals, or persons. You could count
the individual members of the group, but you usually think of the group as a whole is
generally as one unit. You need to be able to recognise collective nouns in order to maintain
subject-verb agreement. A collective noun is similar to a non-countable noun, and is roughly
the opposite of a countable noun.

In each of the following sentences, the highlighted word is a collective noun:

The flock of geese spends most of its time in the pasture.

The collective noun "flock" takes the singular verb "spends."

The jury is dining on take-out chicken tonight.

In this example the collective noun "jury" is the subject of the singular compound verb "is
dining."

The steering committee meets every Wednesday afternoon.

Here the collective noun "committee" takes a singular verb, "meets."

The class was startled by the bursting light bulb.

In this sentence the word "class" is a collective noun and takes the singular compound verb
"was startled."

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2. WHAT IS A VERB?

The verb is perhaps the most important part of the sentence. A verb or compound verb
asserts something about the subject of the sentence and express actions, events, or states
of being. The verb or compound verb is the critical element of the predicate of a sentence.

In each of the following sentences, the verb or compound verb is highlighted:

Dracula bites his victims on the neck.

The verb "bites" describes the action Dracula takes.

In early October, Giselle will plant twenty tulip bulbs.

Here the compound verb "will plant" describes an action that will take place in the future.

My first teacher was Miss Crawford, but I remember the janitor Mr. Weatherbee more
vividly.

In this sentence, the verb "was" (the simple past tense of "is") identifies a particular person
and the verb "remember" describes a mental action.

Karl Creelman bicycled around the world in 1899, but his diaries and his bicycle were
destroyed.

In this sentence, the compound verb "were destroyed" describes an action which took place
in the past.

3. WHAT IS A PRONOUN?

A pronoun can replace a noun or another pronoun. You use pronouns like "he," "which,"
"none," and "you" to make your sentences less cumbersome and less repetitive.

Grammarians classify pronouns into several types, including the personal pronoun, the
demonstrative pronoun, the interrogative pronoun, the indefinite pronoun, the relative
pronoun, the reflexive pronoun, and the intensive pronoun.

Personal Pronouns

A personal pronoun refers to a specific person or thing and changes its form to indicate
person, number, gender, and case.

Subjective Personal Pronouns

A subjective personal pronoun indicates that the pronoun is acting as the subject of the
sentence. The subjective personal pronouns are "I," "you," "she," "he," "it," "we," "you,"
"they."

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In the following sentences, each of the highlighted words is a subjective personal pronoun
and acts as the subject of the sentence:

I was glad to find the bus pass in the bottom of the green knapsack.

You are surely the strangest child I have ever met.

He stole the selkie's skin and forced her to live with him.

When she was a young woman, she earned her living as a coal miner.

After many years, they returned to their homeland.

We will meet at the library at 3:30 p.m.

It is on the counter.

Are you the delegates from Malagawatch?

Objective Personal Pronouns

An objective personal pronoun indicates that the pronoun is acting as an object of a verb,
compound verb, preposition, or infinitive phrase. The objective personal pronouns are: "me,"
"you," "her," "him," "it," "us," "you," and "them."

In the following sentences, each of the highlighted words is an objective personal pronoun:

Seamus stole the selkie's skin and forced her to live with him.

The objective personal pronoun "her" is the direct object of the verb "forced" and the
objective personal pronoun "him" is the object of the preposition "with."

After reading the pamphlet, Judy threw it into the garbage can.

The pronoun "it" is the direct object of the verb "threw."

The agitated assistant stood up and faced the angry delegates and said, "Our leader
will address you in five minutes."

In this sentence, the pronoun "you" is the direct object of the verb "address."

Deborah and Roberta will meet us at the newest caf in the market.

Here the objective personal pronoun "us" is the direct object of the compound verb "will
meet."

Give the list to me.

Here the objective personal pronoun "me" is the object of the preposition "to."

I'm not sure that my contact will talk to you.

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Similarly in this example, the objective personal pronoun "you" is the object of the
preposition "to."

Christopher was surprised to see her at the drag races.

Here the objective personal pronoun "her" is the object of the infinitive phrase "to see."

Possessive Personal Pronouns

A possessive pronoun indicates that the pronoun is acting as a marker of possession and
defines who owns a particular object or person. The possessive personal pronouns are
"mine," "yours," "hers," "his," "its," "ours," and "theirs." Note that possessive personal
pronouns are very similar to possessive adjectives like "my," "her," and "their."

In each of the following sentences, the highlighted word is a possessive personal pronoun:

The smallest gift is mine.

Here the possessive pronoun "mine" functions as a subject complement.

This is yours.

Here too the possessive pronoun "yours" functions as a subject complement.

His is on the kitchen counter.

In this example, the possessive pronoun "his" acts as the subject of the sentence.

Theirs will be delivered tomorrow.

In this sentence, the possessive pronoun "theirs" is the subject of the sentence.

Ours is the green one on the corner.

Here too the possessive pronoun "ours" function as the subject of the sentence.

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4. WHAT IS AN ADJECTIVE?

An adjective modifies a noun or a pronoun by describing, identifying, or quantifying words.

An adjective usually precedes the noun or the pronoun which it modifies.

In the following examples, the highlighted words are adjectives:

The truck-shaped balloon floated over the treetops.

Mrs. Morrison papered her kitchen walls with hideous wall paper.

The small boat foundered on the wine dark sea.

The coal mines are dark and dank.

Many stores have already begun to play irritating Christmas music.

A battered music box sat on the mahogany sideboard.

The back room was filled with large, yellow rain boots.

An adjective can be modified by an adverb, or by a phrase or clause functioning as an

adverb. In the sentence

My husband knits intricately patterned mittens.

for example, the adverb "intricately" modifies the adjective "patterned."

Some nouns, many pronouns, and many participle phrases can also act as adjectives. In the
sentence

Eleanor listened to the muffled sounds of the radio hidden under her pillow.

for example, both highlighted adjectives are past participles.

Possessive Adjectives

A possessive adjective ("my," "your," "his," "her," "its," "our," "their") is similar or identical to
a possessive pronoun; however, it is used as an adjective and modifies a noun or a noun
phrase, as in the following sentences:

I can't complete my assignment because I don't have the textbook.

In this sentence, the possessive adjective "my" modifies "assignment" and the noun phrase
"my assignment" functions as an object. Note that the possessive pronoun form "mine" is not
used to modify a noun or noun phrase.

What is your phone number?

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Here the possessive adjective "your" is used to modify the noun phrase "phone number"; the
entire noun phrase "your phone number" is a subject complement. Note that the possessive
pronoun form "yours" is not used to modify a noun or a noun phrase.

The bakery sold his favourite type of bread.

In this example, the possessive adjective "his" modifies the noun phrase "favourite type of
bread" and the entire noun phrase "his favourite type of bread" is the direct object of the verb
"sold."

After many years, she returned to her homeland.

Here the possessive adjective "her" modifies the noun "homeland" and the noun phrase "her
homeland" is the object of the preposition "to." Note also that the form "hers" is not used to
modify nouns or noun phrases.

We have lost our way in this wood.

In this sentence, the possessive adjective "our" modifies "way" and the noun phrase "our
way" is the direct object of the compound verb "have lost". Note that the possessive pronoun
form "ours" is not used to modify nouns or noun phrases.

In many fairy tales, children are neglected by their parents.

Here the possessive adjective "their" modifies "parents" and the noun phrase "their parents"
is the object of the preposition "by." Note that the possessive pronoun form "theirs" is not
used to modify nouns or noun phrases.

The cat chased its ball down the stairs and into the backyard.

In this sentence, the possessive adjective "its" modifies "ball" and the noun phrase "its ball"
is the object of the verb "chased." Note that "its" is the possessive adjective and "it's" is a
contraction for "it is."

Demonstrative Adjectives

The demonstrative adjectives "this," "these," "that," "those," and "what" are identical to the
demonstrative pronouns, but are used as adjectives to modify nouns or noun phrases, as in
the following sentences:

When the librarian tripped over that cord, she dropped a pile of books.

In this sentence, the demonstrative adjective "that" modifies the noun "cord" and the noun
phrase "that cord" is the object of the preposition "over."

This apartment needs to be fumigated.

Here "this" modifies "apartment" and the noun phrase "this apartment" is the subject of the
sentence.

Even though my friend preferred those plates, I bought these.

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In the subordinate clause, "those" modifies "plates" and the noun phrase "those plates" is
the object of the verb "preferred." In the independent clause, "these" is the direct object of
the verb "bought."

Note that the relationship between a demonstrative adjective and a demonstrative pronoun
is similar to the relationship between a possessive adjective and a possessive pronoun, or to
that between a interrogative adjective and an interrogative pronoun

5. WHAT IS AN ADVERB?

An adverb can modify a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a phrase, or a clause. An

adverb indicates manner, time, place, cause, or degree and answers questions such as
"how," "when," "where," "how much".

While some adverbs can be identified by their characteristic "ly" suffix, most of them must be
identified by untangling the grammatical relationships within the sentence or clause as a
whole. Unlike an adjective, an adverb can be found in various places within the sentence.

In the following examples, each of the highlighted words is an adverb:

The seamstress quickly made the mourning clothes.

In this sentence, the adverb "quickly" modifies the verb "made" and indicates in what manner
(or how fast) the clothing was constructed.

The midwives waited patiently through a long labour.

Similarly in this sentence, the adverb "patiently" modifies the verb "waited" and describes the
manner in which the midwives waited.

The boldly spoken words would return to haunt the rebel.

In this sentence the adverb "boldly" modifies the adjective "spoken."

We urged him to dial the number more expeditiously.

Here the adverb "more" modifies the adverb "expeditiously."

Unfortunately, the bank closed at three today.

In this example, the adverb "unfortunately" modifies the entire sentence.

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6. WHAT IS A PREPOSITION?

A preposition links nouns, pronouns and phrases to other words in a sentence. The word or
phrase that the preposition introduces is called the object of the preposition.

A preposition usually indicates the temporal, spatial or logical relationship of its object to the
rest of the sentence as in the following examples:

The book is on the table.

The book is beneath the table.
The book is leaning against the table.
The book is beside the table.
She held the book over the table.
She read the book during class.

In each of the preceding sentences, a preposition locates the noun "book" in space or in
time.

A prepositional phrase is made up of the preposition, its object and any associated
adjectives or adverbs. A prepositional phrase can function as a noun, an adjective, or an
adverb. The most common prepositions are

"about," "above," "across," "after," "against," "along," "among," "around," "at,"

"before," "behind," "below," "beneath," "beside," "between," "beyond," "but,"
"by," "despite," "down," "during," "except," "for," "from," "in," "inside," "into,"
"like," "near," "of," "off," "on," "onto," "out," "outside," "over," "past," "since,"
"through," "throughout," "till," "to," "toward," "under," "underneath," "until,"
"up," "upon," "with," "within," and "without."

Each of the highlighted words in the following sentences is a preposition:

The children climbed the mountain without fear.

In this sentence, the preposition "without" introduces the noun "fear." The prepositional
phrase "without fear" functions as an adverb describing how the children climbed.

There was rejoicing throughout the land when the government was defeated.

Here, the preposition "throughout" introduces the noun phrase "the land." The
prepositional phrase acts as an adverb describing the location of the rejoicing.

The spider crawled slowly along the banister.

The preposition "along" introduces the noun phrase "the banister" and the prepositional
phrase "along the banister" acts as an adverb, describing where the spider crawled.

The dog is hiding under the porch because it knows it will be punished for chewing
up a new pair of shoes.

Here the preposition "under" introduces the prepositional phrase "under the porch,"
which acts as an adverb modifying the compound verb "is hiding."

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The screenwriter searched for the manuscript he was certain was somewhere in his
office.

Similarly in this sentence, the preposition "in" introduces a prepositional phrase "in his
office," which acts as an adverb describing the location of the missing papers.

7. WHAT IS A CONJUNCTION?

You can use a conjunction to link words, phrases, and clauses, as in the following example:

I ate the pizza and the pasta.

Call the movers when you are ready.

Co-ordinating Conjunctions

You use a co-ordinating conjunction ("and," "but," "or," "nor," "for," "so," or "yet") to join
individual words, phrases, and independent clauses. Note that you can also use the
conjunctions "but" and "for" as prepositions.

In the following sentences, each of the highlighted words is a co-ordinating conjunction:

Lilacs and violets are usually purple.

In this example, the co-ordinating conjunction "and" links two nouns.

This movie is particularly interesting to feminist film theorists, for the screenplay was
written by Mae West.

In this example, the co-ordinating conjunction "for" is used to link two independent clauses.

Daniel's uncle claimed that he spent most of his youth dancing on rooftops and
swallowing goldfish.

Here the co-ordinating conjunction "and" links two participle phrases ("dancing on rooftops"
and "swallowing goldfish") which act as adverbs describing the verb "spends."

Subordinating Conjunctions

A subordinating conjunction introduces a dependent clause and indicates the nature of

the relationship among the independent clause(s) and the dependent clause(s).

The most common subordinating conjunctions are "after," "although," "as," "because,"
"before," "how," "if," "once," "since," "than," "that," "though," "till," "until," "when," "where,"
"whether," and "while."

Each of the highlighted words in the following sentences is a subordinating conjunction:

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After she had learned to drive, Alice felt more independent.

The subordinating conjunction "after" introduces the dependent clause "After she had
learned to drive."

If the paperwork arrives on time, your cheque will be mailed on Tuesday.

Similarly, the subordinating conjunction "if" introduces the dependent clause "If the
paperwork arrives on time."

Gerald had to begin his thesis over again when his computer crashed.

The subordinating conjunction "when" introduces the dependent clause "when his computer
crashed."

Midwifery advocates argue that home births are safer because the mother and baby
are exposed to fewer people and fewer germs.

In this sentence, the dependent clause "because the mother and baby are exposed to fewer
people and fewer germs" is introduced by the subordinating conjunction "because."

8. WHAT IS AN INTERJECTION?

An interjection is a word added to a sentence to convey emotion. It is not grammatically

related to any other part of the sentence.

You usually follow an interjection with an exclamation mark. Interjections are uncommon in
formal academic prose, except in direct quotations.

The highlighted words in the following sentences are interjections:

Ouch, that hurt!

Oh no, I forgot that the exam was today.
Hey! Put that down!
I heard one guy say to another guy, "He has a new car, eh?"
I don't know about you but, good lord, I think taxes are too high!

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Review: Parts of Speech

Identify the part of speech of the highlighted word in each of the following sentences:

1. The clown chased a dog around the ring and then fell flat on her face.
1. Verb
2. Noun
3. Pronoun
4. Adjective
5. Adverb
6. Preposition
7. Conjunction
8. Interjection

2. The geese indolently waddled across the intersection.

1. Verb
2. Noun
3. Pronoun
4. Adjective
5. Adverb
6. Preposition
7. Conjunction
8. Interjection

3. Yikes! I'm late for class.

1. Verb
2. Noun
3. Pronoun
4. Adjective
5. Adverb
6. Preposition
7. Conjunction
8. Interjection

4. Bruno's shabby thesaurus tumbled out of the book bag when the bus suddenly
pulled out into traffic.
1. Verb
2. Noun
3. Pronoun
4. Adjective
5. Adverb
6. Preposition
7. Conjunction
8. Interjection

5. Mr. Frederick angrily stamped out the fire that the local hooligans had started on his
verandah.
1. Verb
2. Noun
3. Pronoun
4. Adjective
5. Adverb
6. Preposition
7. Conjunction
8. Interjection

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6. Later that summer, she asked herself, "What was I thinking of?"
1. Verb
2. Noun
3. Pronoun
4. Adjective
5. Adverb
6. Preposition
7. Conjunction
8. Interjection

7. She thought that the twenty zucchini plants would not be enough so she planted
another ten.
1. Verb
2. Noun
3. Pronoun
4. Adjective
5. Adverb
6. Preposition
7. Conjunction
8. Interjection

8. Although she gave hundreds of zucchini away, the enormous mound left over
frightened her.
1. Verb
2. Noun
3. Pronoun
4. Adjective
5. Adverb
6. Preposition
7. Conjunction
8. Interjection

9. Everywhere she went, she talked about the prolific veggies.

1. Verb
2. Noun
3. Pronoun
4. Adjective
5. Adverb
6. Preposition
7. Conjunction
8. Interjection

10. The manager confidently made his presentation to the board of directors.
1. Verb
2. Noun
3. Pronoun
4. Adjective
5. Adverb
6. Preposition
7. Conjunction
8. Interjection

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11. Frankenstein is the name of the scientist, not the monster.

1. Verb
2. Noun
3. Pronoun
4. Adjective
5. Adverb
6. Preposition
7. Conjunction
8. Interjection

12. Her greatest fear is that the world will end before she finds a comfortable pair of
panty-hose.
1. Verb
2. Noun
3. Pronoun
4. Adjective
5. Adverb
6. Preposition
7. Conjunction
8. Interjection

13. That suitcase is hers.

1. Verb
2. Noun
3. Pronoun
4. Adjective
5. Adverb
6. Preposition
7. Conjunction
8. Interjection

14. Everyone in the room cheered when the announcement was made.
1. Verb
2. Noun
3. Pronoun
4. Adjective
5. Adverb
6. Preposition
7. Conjunction
8. Interjection

15. The sun was shining as we set out for our first winter camping trip.
1. Verb
2. Noun
3. Pronoun
4. Adjective
5. Adverb
6. Preposition
7. Conjunction
8. Interjection

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16. Small children often insist that they can do it by themselves.

1. Verb
2. Noun
3. Pronoun
4. Adjective
5. Adverb
6. Preposition
7. Conjunction
8. Interjection

17. Dust covered every surface in the locked bedroom.

1. Verb
2. Noun
3. Pronoun
4. Adjective
5. Adverb
6. Preposition
7. Conjunction
8. Interjection

18. The census taker knocked loudly on all the doors but nobody was home.
1. Verb
2. Noun
3. Pronoun
4. Adjective
5. Adverb
6. Preposition
7. Conjunction
8. Interjection

19. They wondered if there truly was honour among thieves.

1. Verb
2. Noun
3. Pronoun
4. Adjective
5. Adverb
6. Preposition
7. Conjunction
8. Interjection

20. Exciting new products and effective marketing strategies will guarantee the
company's success.
1. Verb
2. Noun
3. Pronoun
4. Adjective
5. Adverb
6. Preposition
7. Conjunction
8. Interjection

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The Structure of a Sentence

Remember that every clause is, in a sense, a miniature sentence. A simple sentences
contains only a single clause, while a compound sentence, a complex sentence, or a
compound-complex sentence contains at least two clauses.

A. The Simple Sentence

The most basic type of sentence is the simple sentence, which contains only one clause. A
simple sentence can be as short as one word:

Run!

Usually, however, the sentence has a subject as well as a predicate and both the subject
and the predicate may have modifiers. All of the following are simple sentences, because
each contains only one clause:

Melt!

Ice melts.

The ice melts quickly.

The ice on the river melts quickly under the warm March sun.

Lying exposed without its blanket of snow, the ice on the river melts quickly under
the warm March sun.

As you can see, a simple sentence can be quite long -- it is a mistake to think that you can
tell a simple sentence from a compound sentence or a complex sentence simply by its
length.

The most natural sentence structure is the simple sentence: it is the first kind which children
learn to speak, and it remains by far the most common sentence in the spoken language of
people of all ages. In written work, simple sentences can be very effective for grabbing a
reader's attention or for summing up an argument, but you have to use them with care: too
many simple sentences can make your writing seem childish.

When you do use simple sentences, you should add transitional phrases to connect them to
the surrounding sentences.

B. The Compound Sentence

A compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses (or simple sentences)
joined by co-ordinating conjunctions like "and," "but," and "or":

Simple

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Canada is a rich country.

Simple

Still, it has many poor people.

Compound

Canada is a rich country, but still it has many poor people.

Compound sentences are very natural for English speakers -- small children learn to use
them early on to connect their ideas and to avoid pausing (and allowing an adult to interrupt):

Today at school Mr. Moore brought in his pet rabbit, and he showed it to the class,
and I got to pet it, and Kate held it, and we coloured pictures of it, and it ate part of
my carrot at lunch, and ...

Of course, this is an extreme example, but if you over-use compound sentences in written
work, your writing might seem immature.

A compound sentence is most effective when you use it to create a sense of balance or
contrast between two (or more) equally-important pieces of information:

Montal has better clubs, but Toronto has better cinemas.

C. Special Cases of Compound Sentences

There are two special types of compound sentences which you might want to note. First,
rather than joining two simple sentences together, a co-ordinating conjunction sometimes
joins two complex sentences, or one simple sentence and one complex sentence. In this
case, the sentence is called a compound-complex sentence:

compound-complex

The package arrived in the morning, but the courier left before I could check
the contents.

The second special case involves punctuation. It is possible to join two originally separate
sentences into a compound sentence using a semicolon instead of a co-ordinating
conjunction:

Sir John A. Macdonald had a serious drinking problem; when sober, however,
he could be a formidable foe in the House of Commons.

Usually, a conjunctive adverb like "however" or "consequently" will appear near the
beginning of the second part, but it is not required:

The sun rises in the east; it sets in the west.

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D. The Complex Sentence

A complex sentence contains one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.
Unlike a compound sentence, however, a complex sentence contains clauses which are not
equal. Consider the following examples:

Simple

My friend invited me to a party. I do not want to go.

Compound

My friend invited me to a party, but I do not want to go.

Complex

Although my friend invited me to a party, I do not want to go.

In the first example, there are two separate simple sentences: "My friend invited me to a
party" and "I do not want to go." The second example joins them together into a single
sentence with the co-ordinating conjunction "but," but both parts could still stand as
independent sentences -- they are entirely equal, and the reader cannot tell which is most
important. In the third example, however, the sentence has changed quite a bit: the first
clause, "Although my friend invited me to a party," has become incomplete, or a dependent
clause.

A complex sentence is very different from a simple sentence or a compound sentence

because it makes clear which ideas are most important. When you write

My friend invited me to a party. I do not want to go.

or even

My friend invited me to a party, but I do not want to go.

The reader will have trouble knowing which piece of information is most important to you.
When you write the subordinating conjunction "although" at the beginning of the first clause,
however, you make it clear that the fact that your friend invited you is less important than, or
subordinate, to the fact that you do not want to go.

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Task 1
Identify the subject and verb for each sentence. (Underline the subject once and
underline the verb twice)

1. Susan smiles.
2. Adrian was an engineer.
3. Maryam and her family live in the city.
4. My sister ate some biscuits.
5. The school children are standing at the bus-stop.
6. English is an interesting subject.
7. The clerk types the report.
8. The girl scolded her sister.
9. Jenny spilled water on the floor.
10. All teachers believe that their students can learn.

Task 2
Rearrange the words below to make simple sentences.
1. loves the view. Jim

_________________________________________________________________________
2. in the library. The students are studying

_________________________________________________________________________
3. Harry Ahmed engineers. are

_________________________________________________________________________
4. are working in the workshop. The technicians

_________________________________________________________________________
5. and healthy deserves Everyone a happy life.

_________________________________________________________________________
6. nowadays. are getting Traditional popular weddings

_________________________________________________________________________
7. food Nutritious to stay healthy. helps the body.

_________________________________________________________________________
8. very Most are toddlers active.

_________________________________________________________________________
9. in Europe Using is easier. public transport

_________________________________________________________________________
10. are there. very friendly People

_________________________________________________________________________

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Task 3: Combine the simple sentences below using and, or, but, so to make
compound sentences.

1. History is an interesting subject. Not many students like it.

_________________________________________________________________________
2. The bus driver was hungry. He stopped for his meal.

_________________________________________________________________________
3. She has to walk quickly. She will be late for class.

_________________________________________________________________________
4. Noreen loves swimming. She seldom has time for it.

_________________________________________________________________________
5. Rooney has to take the offer. He will be jobless.

_________________________________________________________________________
6. Ahmed did not close the door. The mosquitoes got in.

_________________________________________________________________________
7. The supervisor prepared the report. His clerk typed it.

_________________________________________________________________________
8. Lisa has never been to KLCC. She is going this weekend.

_________________________________________________________________________
9. English is difficult to learn. It is an international language.

_________________________________________________________________________
10. Shareen was angry. She left the room.

_________________________________________________________________________

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ACCURACY IN WRITING: THE ENGLISH TENSES

1.0 Introduction
English is a unique language. It uses tenses to describe when an action or a situation takes
place. Unlike Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin or most other foreign languages, sentences used
in the English language is time-specific. Actions that happen now, a few minutes ago and
two hours later use different verb forms. That is why you cannot say: I go yesterday.
Instead, you say: I went yesterday.

English tenses are divided into three broad categories:

1. Simple
2. Continuous/Progressive
3. Perfect

2.0 The Simple Present Tense

The simple present tense is also known as the present simple. It is used to show:

Simple Present timeline

(a) Habitual actions

1. I brush my teeth twice a day.

2. We go to the movies on Saturdays.

(b) Universal truths or facts

1. Water contains oxygen.

2. Our planet revolves around the sun.

Words in bold are verbs (action words). If the noun is singular, you need to add the letter -s
or -es. However, you and I are followed by a singular verb, so do not add the letter -s.

2.1 Spelling Rules for Verbs (Simple Present) and Plural Nouns
Most verbs in the simple present tense, and plural nouns end in -s, but some end in -es.
How would you determine which one to use? Here are some of the rules:

Ending Plural form

-ch catches, watches
-sh washes, dishes
-s misses, kisses
-x fixes, mixes
-y flies, tries
-ay, -uy, oy pays, buys, toys

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There are other examples as you learn more words. The rules are the same though.

3.0 The Simple Past Tense

As the name implies, the simple past tense is used to express actions that happened in the
past.

Simple Past timeline

Past actions

1. I was at the mall at 5:00pm. - [It's 6:00pm now, and you're somewhere else.]
2. The children were so excited that they jumped when they saw the new bus.
3. They were at the park when you called.

Words in bold are verbs. However, unlike the simple present tense, the verb forms vary.

was, were: auxiliary or helping verbs; also known as verb to be

jumped, saw, called: action verbs

Most action verbs in the past tense form contain the -ed suffix. Verbs with -ed are called
Regular Verbs. (e.g: jumped, called)

There are also many other verbs in the past tense form that do not have the -ed suffix.
Instead their spellings change. These verbs are called Irregular Verbs. (e.g.: saw)

4.0 The Simple Future Tense

Future actions are expressed by using the future tense. There are two verbs commonly
associated with this tense:

will
be going to

Is there a difference between the two? Yes, but the difference is not clearly defined.

Simple Future timeline

(a) will is used to express promises or guarantees

1. Dont worry, I will be on time.

2. You will receive a salary of RM1,600 once you start work.

(b) going to is used to express plans

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1. They are going to have a picnic this weekend. Its just a plan; it might not happen.
2. Our neighbour is going to paint her house next year.

(c) will and going to are used to make predictions

1. I think it is going to rain in a while. or I think it will rain in a while.

2. It is going to be a baby boy. or It will be a baby boy.

5.0 The Present Continuous Tense

The present continuous tense is also known as the present progressive tense. Continuous
actions always begin some time in the past and continues in the present and maybe in
the future, too.

Present Continuous timeline

(a) Now, present, current on-going actions

1. They are washing the car (now).

2. I am driving (now), so I cant talk over the phone.

(b) Longer continuous actions but not doing them at this moment

1. Im studying to be an accountant.
2. Im reading another Harry Potter series.
3. He is learning to play the guitar.

In all the three examples above, the speaker could be talking to you in the park (for
instance). He is not studying, reading or learning at that time. Here, all three actions are part
of a longer, continuous process.

(c) Future actions

Future actions can also be expressed in the present continuous:

1. We are attending our Convocation soon.

2. My parents are leaving for Korea in a months time.
3. They are watching football with their friends tonight.

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6.0 Past Continuous Tense

The past continuous or past progressive tense is used to express actions that happened in
the past and continue in the past till now.

Past Continuous timeline

(a) Interrupted actions

Two actions happened in the past. The first action is interrupted by the second. The word
when and while are used to show interruption. Take note that the second action requires a
verb in the past tense form.

1. The kids were playing when their teacher called them in. [Now, the kids are in
class.]
2. It started to rain while we were walking in the park. [Now, we are not walking
anymore.]

(b) Parallel actions

Simultaneous actions that happened in the past.

1. The baby was crying while his mother was cooking in the kitchen.
2. The man was slouching on the couch, (was) eating his chips and (was) watching
television when I came.

Take note that in Example #2, the verb was is omitted from eating and watching. This is
because both these verbs have the same function in the sentence, and they refer to the
same man.

7.0 Present Perfect Tense

When the present perfect is used, it indicates a completed action in the past before now.
Duration and time expressions like for two days, yesterday and recently are not
important and not needed. What is important is that the action is done.

Present Perfect timeline

Completed actions in the past

1. They have eaten. [ So they are not hungry now.]

2. Ive peeled the oranges and (have) cut them for you. [So it's easier for you to eat
it.]

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3. Marlina has returned the book to me. [So I now have the book.]

Notice that there is an effect of the action. In Example #1 for instance, because they have
eaten, the effect is they are not hungry now. The time they ate is not important. Use
has/have followed by the past participle not the simple past form of the verb. That
means, it is incorrect to say:

1. I have ate.
2. I ate already.

You may also add the word already to emphasise the action. Here are modifications to the
examples above:

1. They have already eaten.

2. Ive already peeled the oranges and (have) cut them for you.
3. Marlina has already returned the book to me.

9.0 The Present Perfect Continuous Tense

The present perfect continuous shows actions that occur in the past but continues up till
now. In other words, there is a duration or a period of time. The words for, since and
when are used to indicate duration. Look at the examples given below:

Present Perfect Continuous timeline

Past actions till now

1. He has been staring at that girl for 5 minutes.

2. Youre late. We have been waiting since 10:00 am.
3. Lately, Ive been eating takeaways (or takeouts) as my parents are away.

Take note that in the present perfect continuous tense, you have to use the phrase
has/have been followed a verb with -ing. In addition, notice that the word lately is
also used as well to show duration.

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10.0 The Past Perfect Tense

The past perfect tense expresses an action in the past that ended before another action in
the past. In short, it is the past in the past action.

Past Perfect timeline

One action happens before another in the past

SCENARIO:
Youre now at the bus station but the bus isnt there anymore, so you ask the porter. He
informs you that the bus is gone. He says:

The bus has just left when you arrived. [The porter is saying it now.]

Later, you go home and tell this to your mom:

Mom, the porter said that the bus had just left when I arrived.

Use had followed by the past participle form of the verb when you write a sentence in the
past perfect tense.

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EXERCISES TENSES

Task 1
Circle the correct tense in the article below.

PETALING JAYA: It's ridiculous. Forget Indonesia!

That is the rallying cry of many employers who 1.(were/are) frustrated with the fluid domestic
worker situation with the republic.
The last straw 2.(is/was) news that the fresh batch of 106 Indonesian maids headed here
would only carry out one task for their bosses.
Reacting to the shocking news from Jakarta, employers and the associations involved
3.(called/have called) for an end to negotiations with the republic over domestic workers.
It's ridiculous. Either we change our lifestyles to live without them or we start hiring from
other countries, Malaysian Maid Employers' Association (Mama) president Engku Ahmad
Fauzi Engku Muhsein 4.(had told/told) The Star yesterday.
It 5.(has been/was) reported yesterday that the fresh batch of Indonesian maids would be
trained in four household chores cooking, babysitting, taking care of the elderly and
housekeeping but 6.(provide/will provide) only one of these tasks for their employers.
The report 7.(is stating/stated) that the workers were undergoing four skills training courses
for 21 days and must be paid at least RM700 a month by their Malaysian employers.
The decision 8.(took/was taken) at a meeting of the Malaysia-Indonesian joint task force for
the deployment, placement and protection of Indonesian domestic workers in Jakarta on
Thursday.
Indonesia's Labour Placement Development director-general Dr Reyna Usman 9.(was
saying/had said) that the deal concluded by the joint task force was to prevent a recurrence
of the problems affecting maids and employers.
Expressing dismay over the decision, Engku Ahmad Fauzi 10.(is questioning/questioned)
the basis for it and said employers were disappointed over how the matter had been
handled.
The decision has only added to the frustrations of families who 11.(are waiting/have
waited) so long to resolve their need for domestic help.
If we need help to cook, clean and look after the children, do we have to hire three maids?
he 12.(asks/asked.)
Malaysian National Association of Employment Agencies (Pikap) president Datuk Raja
Zulkepley Dahalan described the decision as extreme.

Adapted from
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/3/17/nation/20120317072423&sec=nation

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Task 2
Use the words in the parenthesis and fill in the blanks correctly.

1. You look really great! ______________________________ (you, work) out at the

fitness center recently?

2. A: What ______________________________ (you, do) when the accident occurred?

B: I ______________________________ (try) to change a light bulb that had burnt

out.

3. I ______________________________ (have) the same car for more than ten years.
I'm thinking about buying a new one.

4. If it __________________________ (snow) this weekend, we _________________ (go)

skiing near Lake Tahoe.

5. A: What do you call people who work in libraries?

B: They ______________________________ (call) librarians.

6. I came to England six months ago. I started my economics course three months ago.

When I return to Malaysia, I ______________________________ (study) for nine

months and I ______________________________ (be) in England for exactly one year.

7. Salman (arrive) ______________________________ in Melaka a week ago.

8. Jennifer ______________________________ (live) in Berlin for more than two

years. In fact, she ______________________________ (live) there when the Berlin

wall came down.

9. If Gopal _____________________ (keep) drinking, he ________________________

(lose, eventually) his job.

10. The Mayan culture ______________________________ (disappear, virtually) by

the time Europeans first ______________________________ (arrive) in the New

World.

11. Shhhhh! Be quiet! Johan ______________________________ (sleep).

12. It ______________________________ (rain) all week. I hope it stops by Saturday.

because I want to go to the beach.

13. Listen Dina, I don't care if you ______________________________ (miss) the bus

this morning. You______________________________ (be) late to work too many

times. You are fired!

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14. I am sick of rain and bad weather! Hopefully, when we ________________________

(wake) up tomorrow morning, the sun __________________________(shine).

15. I have not travelled much yet; however, I __________________________ (visit) the

Grand Canyon and San Francisco by the time I leave the United States.

16. I ______________________________ (see) many pictures of the pyramids before I

went to Egypt. Pictures of the monuments are very misleading. The pyramids are

actually quite small.

17. In the last hundred years, travelling ______________________________ (become)

much easier. In the 19th century, it (take) ______________________________ two

or three months to cross North America by covered wagon. The trip

______________________________ (be) very rough and often dangerous. Things

______________________________ (change) a great deal in the last hundred and

fifty years. Now you can fly from New York to Los Angeles in a matter of hours.

18. Amrans English ______________________________ (improve, really), isn't it? He

______________________________ (watch) American television programmes and

______________________________ (study) his grammar every day since he first

arrived in New York. Soon he will be totally fluent.

19. When I ______________________________ (arrive) home last night, I discovered

that Melanie ______________________________ (prepare) a beautiful candlelight

dinner.

20. If you ______________________________ (need) to contact me sometime next

week, I ______________________________ (stay) at the Sheraton in Langkawi.

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For each of the following tasks, circle / underline the errors and correct them.

Task 3A
For each of the following tasks, underline the errors and correct them.

Dear Mr Tan

Application for the Post of Administrative Assistant

With reference to your advertisement in The Sun on 28 March 2012, I wished to be

consider for the post of administrative assistant. I am believe that my Diploma in
Business Administration and my one year working experience a an administrative trainee
at Sunrise Resources provide me with the experience, knowledge and skill necessary for
this position.

Task 3B

We currently are having a special promotional offer for customers who will buy any of our
premium water filters before 30 April 2012. They are receiving free gifts, including free
carbon filters and free cleaning service. Details can be found in the catalogue. We also
provided free delivery service within the Klang Valley.

Task 3C

Dear Ahmad Nazrin

Thanks for your e-mail.

Im glad that the problem in your office settle already. If you needed further help, I know
of a good consultant who may be able to assist. Dont worried. His charges are low. He is
helping me to do trouble-shooting in my company for the past three years.

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SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

1.0 Introduction
A sentence in the English language must have a subject and a verb. In addition, it is
important to know that the subject must always agree with the word in order to ensure
correct grammar use.

Basic principle: Singular subjects need singular verbs;

Plural subjects need plural verbs.

Below are the several guidelines to help your subjects and verbs agree.

When the subject of a sentence is composed of two or more nouns or pronouns

connected by and, use a plural verb.

She and her friends are at the fair.

When two or more singular nouns or pronouns are connected by or or nor, use a
singular verb.

The book or the pen is in the drawer.

When a compound subject contains both a singular and a plural noun or pronoun
joined by or or nor, the verb should agree with the part of the subject that is nearer
the verb.

The boy or his friends run every day.

His friends or the boy runs every day.

Doesn't is a contraction of does not and should be used only with a singular subject.
Don't is a contraction of do not and should be used only with a plural subject. The
exception to this rule appears in the case of the first person and second person
pronouns I and you. With these pronouns, the contraction don't should be used.

He doesn't like it.

They don't like it.

Do not be misled by a phrase that comes between the subject and the verb. The verb
agrees with the subject, not with a noun or pronoun in the phrase.

One of the boxes is open

The people who listen to that music are few.
The team captain, as well as his players, is anxious.
The book, including all the chapters in the first section, is boring.
The woman with all the dogs walks down my street.

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The words each, each one, either, neither, everyone, everybody, anybody, anyone,
nobody, somebody, someone, and no one are singular and require a singular verb.

Each of these hot dogs is juicy.

Everybody knows Uncle Selvam.
Either is correct.

Nouns such as civics, mathematics, dollars, measles, and news require singular
verbs.

The news is on at six.

Note: the word dollars is a special case. When talking about an amount of money, it
requires a singular verb, but when referring to the dollars themselves, a plural verb is
required.

Five dollars is a lot of money.

Dollars are often used instead of rubles in Russia.

Nouns such as scissors, tweezers, trousers, and shears require plural verbs. (There
are two parts to these things.)

These scissors are dull.

Those trousers are made of wool.

In sentences beginning with there is or there are, the subject follows the verb. Since
there is not the subject, the verb agrees with what follows.

There are many questions.

There is a question.

Collective nouns are words that imply more than one person but that are considered
singular and take a singular verb, such as: group, team, committee, class, and family.

The team runs during practice.

The committee decides how to proceed.
The family has a long history.
My family has never been able to agree.

In some cases in American English, a sentence may call for the use of a plural verb
when using a collective noun.

The crew are preparing to dock the ship.

This sentence is referring to the individual efforts of each crew member.

Expressions such as with, together with, including, accompanied by, in addition to, or
as well do not change the number of the subject. If the subject is singular, the verb is
too.

The President, accompanied by his wife, is traveling to India.

All of the books, including yours, are in that box.

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Task 1:
Circle the correct form of the verb.

1. Every university student (needs, need) to dedicate time for studying.

2. Some of the students (has, have) come from as far as Russia.
3. Of all university courses, Mathematics probably (produces, produce) the most fear.
4. Everything (seems, seem) better after a good night sleep.
5. The Senate ethics committee (investigates, investigate) moral charges.
6. Each of the presentations (was, were) great.
7. Most of the project (has, have) been completed.
8. A large number of college lecturers (has, have) Masters degree.
9. President Obama, along with his support staff and news reporters (visits, visit) many
key cities around the world every year.
10. Neither the students nor the teacher (was, were) able to find the solution
immediately.

Task 2:
Circle the correct answer.

1. Either the physicians in this hospital or the chief administrator (is/are) going to have
to make a decision.
2. (Is/Are) my boss or my sisters in the union going to win this grievance?
3. Some of the votes (seems/seem) to have been miscounted.
4. The tornadoes that tear through this county every spring (is/are) more than just a
nuisance.
5. Everyone selected to serve on this jury (has/have) to be willing to give up a lot of
time.
6. Aidil Zafuan, together with his teammates, (presents/present) a formidable opponent
on the football field.
7. She seems to forget that there (is/are) things to be done before she can graduate.
8. Three-quarters of the student body (is/are) against the tuition hike.
9. A high percentage of the students (is/are) voting for the new school.
10. Some of the grain (appears/appear) to be contaminated.

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Task 3:
Circle and correct the ten subject-verb agreement errors in the letter below.

Dear Sir/Madam

I wishes to apply for the position as IT consultant, as advertised on your website on 19

February 2011. I am very interested in this position and believes that my education and
employment background is appropriate for this position.

I have worked in various IT implementation and projects across multiple regions

including Malaysia, India, Singapore and Thailand. I were involved in full system
development life cycle processes for the above projects and obtained in depth insurance
domain knowledge along the way.

My responsibilities includes gathering user requirements, writing functional and technical

specifications, designing, coding, system roll-out, stressed testing, support and
maintaining the applications developed. I have strong background in software
development and insurance domain knowledge and believes that these skills would
benefit in pursuing the mentioned position.

I am also experienced in areas such as writing proposals and solutions, performing

proof of concept, leading development progress and conducting technical, system and
end user training.

My qualifications makes me well suited to become an IT consultant in your company. I

would appreciate the opportunity to discuss this position with you, and looks forward to
answer any questions you may have and to see if you need any other information from
me.

Thank you for your consideration.

Enclosed are a copy of my resume, which explain in detail my qualifications for the
position.

Yours sincerely

Sarasvanan Pravar

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SPELLING & PUNCTUATION

The Comma

Comma usage is in some respects a question of personal writing style: some writers
use commas liberally, while others prefer to use them sparingly. Most modern North
American style guides now recommend using fewer commas rather than more, so when
faced with the option of using a comma or not, you may find it wise to refrain.

For instance, the use of a comma before the "and" in a series is usually optional, and
many writers choose to eliminate it, provided there is no danger of misreading:

We bought scarves, mittens and sweaters before leaving for Iceland. (comma
unnecessary before "and")
We ate apples, plums, and strawberry and kiwi compote. (comma needed before
"and" for clarity)

Comma Usage

1. Use a comma before a co-ordinating conjunction that joins independent clauses

(unless the independent clauses are very short):

I wrapped the fresh fish in three layers of newspaper, but my van still smelled like
trout for the next week. (commas with two independent clauses)
She invited him to her party and he accepted. (comma unnecessary with short
clauses)

2. Use a comma after an introductory adverb clause and, often, after an introductory
phrase (unless the phrase is very short):

After the hospital had completed its fund-raising campaign, an anonymous donor
contributed an additional $10,000. (after introductory adverb clause)
From the east wall to the west, her cottage measures twenty feet. (after introductory
prepositional phrase)
In the bottom drawer you will find some pink spandex tights. (no comma with short,
closely related phrase)

3. Use a comma to separate items in a series:

Playing in a band can be exciting, but many people do not realize the hardships
involved: constant rehearsals, playing until 2 a.m., handling drunken audience
members, and transporting heavy equipment to and from gigs. (the comma
preceding "and" is optional unless needed to prevent misreading)

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The Semicolon

You will usually use the semicolon to link independent clauses not joined by a co-
ordinating conjunction. Semicolons should join only those independent clauses that are
closely related in meaning.

Abdominal exercises help prevent back pain; proper posture is also important.
The auditors made six recommendations; however, only one has been adopted so
far.

Do not use a semicolon to link a dependent clause or a phrase to an independent

clause.

[WRONG] Although gaining and maintaining a high level of physical fitness takes a
good deal of time; the effort pays off in the long run.
[RIGHT] Although gaining and maintaining a high level of physical fitness takes a
good deal of time, the effort pays off in the long run.

Generally, you should not place a semicolon before a co-ordinating conjunction that
links two independent clauses. The only exception to this guideline is if the two
independent clauses are very long and already contain a number of commas.

[WRONG] The economy has been sluggish for four years now; but some signs of
improvement are finally beginning to show.
[RIGHT] The economy has been sluggish for four years now, but some signs of
improvement are finally beginning to show.

It may be useful to remember that, for the most part, you should use a semicolon only
where you could also use a period.

There is one exception to this guideline. When punctuating a list or series of elements in
which one or more of the elements contains an internal comma, you should use
semicolons instead of commas to separate the elements from one another:

Henry's mother believes three things: that every situation, no matter how grim, will be
happily resolved; that no one knows more about human nature than she; and that
Henry, who is thirty-five years old, will never be able to do his own laundry.

Writers often confuse the colon with the semicolon, but their uses are entirely different.

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When to Use a Colon

The colon focuses the reader's attention on what is to follow, and as a result, you
should use it to introduce a list, a summation, or an idea that somehow completes the
introductory idea. You may use the colon in this way, however, only after an
independent clause:

He visited three cities during his stay in the Maritimes: Halifax, Saint John and
Moncton.
Their lobbying efforts were ultimately useless: the bill was soundly defeated.
My mother gave me one good piece of advice: to avoid wasting time and energy
worrying about things I cannot change.

When Not to Use a Colon

You should not place a colon between a verb and its object or subject complement, or
between a preposition and its object:

[WRONG] His neighbour lent him: a pup-tent, a wooden canoe, and a slightly
battered Coleman stove. (colon between verb and objects)
[RIGHT] His neighbour lent him a pup-tent, a wooden canoe, and a slightly battered
Coleman stove.
[WRONG] Her three goals are: to improve her public speaking skills, to increase her
self-confidence and to sharpen her sales techniques. (colon between verb and
subject complement)
[RIGHT] Her three goals are to improve her public speaking skills, to increase her
self-confidence and to sharpen her sales techniques.
[WRONG] We travelled to: London, Wales and Scotland. (colon between preposition
and objects)
[RIGHT] We travelled to London, Wales and Scotland.

End Punctuation

The punctuation marks that signal the end of a sentence are the period, the question
mark and the exclamation mark.

You use the period, by far the most common of the end punctuation marks, to
terminate a sentence that makes a statement. You may also use periods with
imperative sentences that have no sense of urgency or excitement attached:

Without a doubt, Lady Emily was much happier after her divorce.
Turn right at the stop sign.
Bring me a cup of coffee and a cheese danish.

When you want to express a sense of urgency or very strong emotion, you may end
your imperative sentences and statements with an exclamation mark:

Look out below!

Leave this house at once!
I hate him!

Exclamation marks are, however, rare in formal writing. Use them sparingly, if at all.

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You should use the question mark at the end of a direct question:

Who's on first?
Where is my flowered cape?

Be careful not to use a question mark at the end of an indirect question. Indirect
questions are simply statements, and therefore end with a period:

I wonder who was chosen as Harvest King in the county fair.

She asked if she could play pinball.
The teacher asked who was chewing gum.

The Apostrophe

You should use an apostrophe to form the possessive case of a noun or to show that
you have left out letters in a contraction. Note that you should not generally use
contractions in formal, academic writing.

The convertible's engine has finally died. (The noun "convertible's" is in the
possessive case)
I haven't seen my roommate for two weeks. (The verb "haven't" is a contraction of
"have not")

To form the possessive of a plural noun ending in "s," simply place an apostrophe after
the "s."

He has his three sons' futures in mind.

In many suburbs, the houses' designs are too much alike.

Possessive pronouns -- for example, "hers," "yours," and "theirs" -- do not take
apostrophes. This is the case for the possessive pronoun "its" as well: when you write
"it's" with an apostrophe, you are writing a contraction for "it is."

The spaceship landed hard, damaging its radar receiver. ("its" is the possessive
pronoun)
It's your mother on the phone. ("it's" is the contraction of "it is")

The Dash

As noted in the section on commas, you can use a dash at the beginning and end of
parenthetical information. Usually, you will use dashes when you want to emphasise the
information, but you might also use them if the parenthetical information is too long or
abrupt to be set off with commas.

I think you would look fine wearing either the silk blouse -- the one with the blue
pattern -- or the angora sweater. (abrupt interruption)
The idea of returning to the basics in the classroom -- a notion which, incidentally,
has been quietly supported for years by many respected teachers -- is finally gaining
some currency with school administrators. (lengthy interruption containing internal
commas)

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You can use a dash to conclude a list of elements, focusing them all toward one point.

Chocolate, cream, honey and peanut butter -- all go into this fabulously rich dessert.

Dashes also mark sharp turns in thought.

We pored over exotic, mouth-watering menus from Nemo Catering, Menu du Jour,
Taste Temptations, and three other reputable caterers -- and rejected them all.

Task 1

Insert the necessary punctuation marks in this passage.

At the meeting today the Chairman Mr Graham Bell suggested that a training course should
be held for all sales staff members agreed that a two day seminar would be most appropriate
it will be held in October. It is therefore important that you and I should meet to decide on
topics suggestions for speakers will also be needed of course your expertise and help in
making the necessary arrangements will be very valuable please let me know when it will be
convenient for us to meet any afternoon next week would be suitable for me.

Task 2

Insert capital letters, full stop, commas and colons in the following passage.

The unit of the book on meetings that is Unit 13 includes the following Notice Agenda
Chairmans Agenda Minutes and a series of practical assignments more practical
assignments on meetings as well as many other topics are included in a separate section
minutes should of course be written in third person and past tense they are an important
record of what happened at a meeting

1.0 Correct Spelling

I don't give a damn for a man that can only spell a word one way.

Mark Twain

Poor spelling, just like grammar, can cause confusion and undermine the credibility of our
writing. We cant just rely on spell-checkers because some words have more than one
spelling and each may have a different meaning.

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Words with more than one acceptable spelling

Some words have two or more ways to be spelled that are acceptable. We need to
determine which spelling we will use in our writing. Table 10 is a list of some of these words
that we might encounter.

Table 10: Some words with more than

one acceptable spelling.

aught, ought

ambiance, ambience

caulk, calk

fascia, facia

forego, forgo

gray, grey

grill, grille

guage, gage

moulding, molding

Words that are often misspelled

In spite of the spell-checkers we have in Word processors, we still manage to misspell

words. The words in Table 11 are taken from Dictionary.com's list of the 100 most commonly
misspelled words.

Table 11: Words that are commonly misspelled.

acceptable

accommodate

changeable

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committed

definite(ly)

exceed, often spelt like "precede" and "supersede"

guarantee, not spelt like warranty

hierarchy

independent

indispensable

its/it's: The apostrophe marks a contraction of "it is."

liaison

misspell

noticeable

occurrence

precede

relevant

schedule

supersede

threshold

vacuum

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Words that sound the same but have different spelling and meaning

Then of course there are those words that sound the same but have different meanings.
Here are some of the more common ones.

all ready/already

all ready: used as an adjective to express complete preparedness

already: an adverb expressing time

At last I was all ready to go, but everyone had already left.
all right/alright
all right: used as an adjective or adverb; older and more formal spelling, more
common in scientific & academic writing:

Will you be all right on your own?

alright: Alternate spelling of all right; less frequent but used often in journalistic and
business publications, and especially common in fictional dialogue:

He does alright in school.

all together/altogether
all together: an adverb meaning considered as a whole, summed up:

All together, there were thirty-two students at the museum.

altogether: an intensifying adverb meaning wholly, completely, entirely:

His comment raises an altogether different problem.

anyone/any one
anyone: a pronoun meaning any person at all:

Anyone who can solve this problem deserves an award.

any one: a paired adjective and noun meaning a specific item in a group; usually
used with of:

Any one of those papers could serve as an example.

Note: There are similar distinctions in meaning for everyone and every one
anyway/any way
anyway: an adverb meaning in any case or nonetheless:

He objected, but she went anyway.

any way: a paired adjective and noun meaning any particular course, direction, or
manner:

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Any way we chose would lead to danger.

awhile/a while
awhile: an adverb meaning for a short time; some readers consider it nonstandard;
usually needs no preposition:

Won't you stay awhile?

a while: a paired article and noun meaning a period of time; usually used with for:

We talked for a while, and then we said good night.

lead, led
lead: noun referring to a dense metallic element:

The X-ray technician wore a vest lined with lead.

led: past-tense and past-participle form of the verb to lead, meaning to guide or
direct:

The evidence led the jury to reach a unanimous decision.

maybe/may be
maybe: an adverb meaning perhaps:

Maybe we should wait until the rain stops.

may be: a form of the verb be:

This may be our only chance to win the championship.

Task 1

Fill in the blanks with the correct word.

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1. adverse vs. averse

Who isn't _______ to getting _______ reactions to their ideas?

2. assure, insure, and ensure

I _______ you that we have _______ the grounds to _______ that we will be
protected in case of a lawsuit stemming from an accident.

3. compliment vs. complement

The antique silver was a _______ to the beautifully set table.

4. concurrent vs. consecutive

The _______ strikes of several unions crippled the economy.
The union called three _______ strikes in one year.

5. discreet vs. discrete

The functional specifications consist of four _______ units.
He told me the news but asked me to be _______ about it.

6. all ready vs. already

The order had _______ been shipped.
The order is _______ to be shipped.

7. all together vs. altogether

Put the bills _______ on the desk.
It cost over a thousand dollars _______.

8. anyone vs. any one

Show me _______ person who likes sardines, and I'll give you ten bucks.
_______ who likes sardines is crazy.

9. anyway vs. any way

_______ you slice it, the project was a success.
_______, Nick doesn't want to go to Paris.

10. awhile vs. a while

I slept for _______.
I slept _______ before dinner.

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