1.

American English and Accents

1.1. Comparison in Passage form
Passage in Indian Expressions
About two weeks back, my husband was out of station for a while. I was pushing the babys
pram along the pavement, past a block of flats near the city centre when Bobby said he had to
use the toilet. We went in, but it was so dark we had to use a torch to change his nappy. The
door slammed behind us and locked. It was very quiet and all I could hear was the rumble of
the Lorries outside. I tried to call my mum on my mobile phone, but her line was engaged. I
had to use a hair grip to pick the lock.
Once wed taken care of that, Bobby wanted some sweets or candy floss or even jelly, but we
settled for chips. I tried to pay by cheque, but they wanted cash. Afterwards, we threw the
garbage in the dustbin. We took the decision to walk in the order to save on petrol, and
besides we had a puncture. We had to wait at the railway crossing because of a passing goods
train.
After wed come up in the lift, I walked in through the French windows and kicked off my sport
shoes. I hang my jumper in the almirah, and put my watch on the chest of drawers. My
husband was wearing a vest, so he wasnt bothered by the heat. We had a nice lemon soda
and some biscuCorporation. The tap was dripping, so I took a spanner and gave it a good
whack.

Same passage in American Expressions

About two weeks ago, my husband was out of town for a while. I was pushing the babys
stroller along the sidewalk, past an apartment building downtown when Bobby said he had to
go to the bathroom. We went into a public restroom, but it was so dark we had to use a
flashlight to change his diaper. The door slammed behind us and locked. It was very quiet and
all I could hear was the rumble of the trucks outside. I tried to call my mum on my mobile
phone, but her line was busy. I had to use a bobby pin to pick the lock.
Once wed taken care of that, Bobby wanted some candy or cotton candy or even jello, but we
chose chips. I tried to pay by check, but they wanted cash. Afterwards, we threw the trash in
the trashcan. We made the decision to walk in the order to save gas, and besides we had a flat
tire. We had to wait at the railway crossing because of a passing freight train.
After wed come up in the elevator, I walked in through the French doors and kicked off my
sneakers. I hang my sweater in the closet, and put my watch on the dresser. My husband was
wearing an undershirt, so the heat didnt bother him. We had some lemonade and cookies. The
faucet was dripping, so I took a wrench and gave it a good whack.

1.2. Greetings and Salutations

In India, its very common to address people by title. Men enjoy being referred to as Sir, but
generally speaking, American women think that Maam makes them sound old.
Except in the southern states, the habit has died out in America, and rather than conveying
respect, its rather irritating.
For this generation, in particular, Yes, Maam sound hokey.
Conversely, people do like the sound of their own name, so feel free to establish a professional
rapport with expressions such as, Let me look up for you, Mr. Elwin.

1.3. Dos and Dont of a language

There is a common term in English these days --- political correctness or PC for short --- that
is actually simple good manners and common sense. If you are all well brought up, this will
never be an issue for you. If, for some reason, you absolutely need to refer to race, dont do it
in a derogatory manner. All races are equal. Dont refer to women as inferior. Handicapped
people are people, too. Poor people have the same basic rights as rich people. The only
difference between old people and young people is age. No religion is any better than any
other. People of non-mainstream gender orientations didnt ask to be that way and shouldnt
pay a penalty. It really shouldnt even come up in conversation, unless clearly initiated by the
other person. If someone feels free to share, I m a middle age Baptist from West Hollywood,
you can always say, Really? Now, how are we going to get this mortgage payment
straightened out.

1.4. American Slangs

"If you are in the USA or talking to Americans .............."

U don't open conversation (on telephone) with a "Hello" but with a "Hi".

The telephone is never "engaged", it's always "busy".

U don't "disconnect" a phone, U simply "hang-up".

U never "mess-up" things, U only "screw them up".

U never have a "residence" tel. no., U have a "home" no.

U never have an "office" tel. no., U have a "work" no.

U don't stop at the "signals", but halt at the "lights".

U don't "accelerate", U "step on the gas".

Your tyre never "punctures", U may have a "flat" tire.

The trains have "coaches" or "bogies, no more! But "carriages" or "boxes".

There R no "petrol pumps", but "gas stations".

"I don't know nothing", 2 negatives don't make a positive here.

U no longer meet a "wonderful" person, U meet a "cool" guy

U don't pull the switch down to light a bulb, rather flick it up.

U don't "turn on the heat", U "turn on the juice".

There's no "Business Area" ... only "business districts", and no "districts" but "countries".

No one stays "a stone's throw away", rather "a few blocks away".

There's no "Town Side", it's "Down Town".

In hotel U no longer ask for "bill" and pay by "cheque", rather ask for "check" and pay with
"bill" (dollar).

There R no "soft drinks", only "sodas".

Life's no longer "miserable" it "stinks".

U don't have a "great" time, U have a "ball".

U don't "sweat it out", U "work Ur butt off

Never "post" a letter, always "mail" it and "glue" the stamps, don't "stick" them.

U no longer live in "flats", U live in "apartment".

U don't stand in a "queue", you are in a "line".

U no longer "like" something, U "appreciate" it.

"#" is not "hash", it's "pound".

U R not "deaf", U have "impaired hearing".

U R not "lunatic", U are just "mentally challenged".

U R not "disgusting" U R "sick".

U can't get "surprised" U get "zapped".

U don't "schedule" a meeting, U "skejule" it.

U never "joke", U just "kid".

U never "increase" the pressure, U always "crank" it up.

U never ask for a pencil "rubber" U ask for an eraser.

U don't try to find a lift... U find an elevator.

U no more ask for a route but for a "RAUT"

U don't ask somebody "How r u?" U say "What's up dude?" or U say How U DOIN "

U never go to see a game U go to watch a game.

If U see "World" champions (or Series), read "USA" champions (or Series).

There's no "zero" but "O", no "Z" but "zee".

There's no FULL STOP after a statement, there's a PERIOD.

If someone gets angry at U, U get "flamed".

U Drive Ur car on Parkways and always park your car in the Drive Way!

You do not ask for brinjal ... ask for Egg Plant. Also there are no ladys finger,
Corporation Okra

You do not say "He is a trouble creator". Rather u say "He's a pain in my ass"!

U do not say, its a trivial job, you say its a seat of the pants work.

Well u dont say life is boring u say LIFE SUCKS!!!!!

In short U don't speak English, U speak AMERICAN

2. Effective E-mail Writing
2.1. Popularity of E-mail
Candidates world over are increasingly using E-mail as preferred way to contact due to
various reasons:

Speed It is sent and received in seconds or minutes at the most. Postal mail takes days
and is often called as snail mail in comparison.

Cost Its cheap and simply at a cost of a local call an email can be sent anywhere in the
world.

Accessibility can be sent and received even when on is traveling.

Convenience E-mails are accessible at the click of a button exactly when u want to read
them, can be sent and received at ones own convenient time. No need to bother about time
zones

Environmental friendly travel along telephone lines and dont require the use of paper.

2.2. Candidate Expectations

People are realizing that it is more convenient to write a quick email than to sort through an
IVR, wait in queue and deal with potential transfers between Recruiters common symptoms
of a telephone experience
The instant nature of the e-mail, raises candidate expectations as well. He expects an
immediate response to his email, at the maximum 24 hours.
The candidate is looking for:

A speedy procedure
Proper feedback
More details about the opening, if any
Remember a negative e-mail can be quickly forwarded to many persons, thereby spelling
disaster for a company or brand image. The converse is also true a well handled e-mail may
be a good brand ambassador.

2.3. Composing E -Mails

An e-mail message has two basic parts, the "header" information the body of the message. A
blank line separates these pieces. In most cases, you'll be interested only in the body, or the
actual text of the message. The headers contain items such as "Date", "cc", "bcc", "From", and
"Subject ".

2.3.1. E- Mail Addresses

An e-mail address, like a postal address, contains all the necessary information needed to
deliver a message to someone.
vikas@indosys.com

i. e. it contains username at host server name

E -Mail Address Definition

To Use this option for the primary recipient of the message

Cc Means Carbon Copy. Enter the address of anyone you'd like to receive a
copy of the message
Bcc Blind Carbon Copy. If you want to send a copy of the message to someone without the
original recipients knowledge.
Make sure that the e-mail addresses are complete and accurate or else the people you have
sent the email will never get it.
If a mail bounces back, check to be sure you addressed it correctly.
Subject A good subject description makes the person to whom you're Sending aware of
the nature of your message. Keep the subject line short and relevant, and not vague.

2.4. RESPONDING TO E-MAILS

Remember
Though these e-mails are addressed to us, we are responding to them on the client's behalf.
The candidate should be aware of this.

2.4.1. Responding to E-Mails

Responding to e-mails involves the following steps:

Retrieving the mail from the E-Mail Manager software

Reading the mail
Understanding the candidates query or requirement
Searching the knowledge base for an appropriate response solution.
Composing the reply using the right information (In case you are not able to answer the
mail, then escalate it to your Team Lead.

Checking the mail before sending it

Sending and coding the mail as per client requirement.

2.4.2. Reading and Comprehending E Mails

The first step to handling an e-mail is to read it carefully
Read the question the ENTIRE question
Is there more than one question issue being raised?
Do you understand what the candidate's problem is?
 Do you have an "Idea" of what they are asking about?
Are you sure you understand the question?
If you don't know what the candidate is talking about, respond to them them and ask
them for more information.

If you understand the question, but aren't 100% sure you know the answer, escalate to
your Team Lead.

If you are sure you understand the question and the answer, compose the answer.
Remember, there is nothing more irritating than getting a standard "canned" response
that does not address your question completely. Be sensitive to the fact that sometimes
the candidate will have been through one or more "auto-responders" and is not
interested in a casual or incomplete answer - he wants a SOLUTION to his problem.

2.4.3. Replying to the E-Mail

Remember:

Include original message so that the thread is maintained.

Compose the reply strictly following the E-mail template format as standardized by the
client.

Use the knowledge library quick text that is a resource made from answers to FAQ's
(frequently Asked questions) as a resource.

Customize and personalize the reply as per the candidates E-mail.

2.4.4. Following the E-Mail Template

The Client generally specifies what the E-Mail template should look like however, let us discuss
some accepted norms:

Opening Salutation:
Greeting the candidate.
Depending on how the candidate signs their e-mail, We will address the candidate by name
supplied. If no name is given, just address the person as a candidate of the company.

Initial Greeting:
Thanking and acknowledging the candidate's e-mail.
The Recruiter should always thank the candidate always at the beginning of a reply so the
candidate knows that their business is appreciated.
When we receive an e-mail from a candidate who appears to be very emotional (frustrated or
angry), take sympathy, apologize, tell them that you'll do anything you can to help, thank
them for their unending patience etc. Position it in a way that they believe that you feel their
pain. It may seem silly to you, but it makes a big difference to the candidate. Deal with the
candidate in the manner in which you would like to be dealt with.
Answer:
Replying to the candidate's questions.
The quality of the answer call be evaluated by how concise and how thorough the reply is.
If a candidate e-mails us and that e-mail contains more than one question we need to answer
those questions in the order in which they were asked. If not, it will be difficult for the
candidate to follow the response.
If a candidate sends us an e-mail with several questions and you can answer some or most of
those question, please do. Let them know that you will follow-up with the question(s) that you
were unable to answer and escalate the e-mail.
The candidate would rather get some of the answers from you sooner rather than all of the
answers from you later.
Keep an eye on e-mail history. If you notice that you are going back and forth with a candidate
via e-mail; escalate the situation with a detailed explanation or an attached e-mail history.
Dont continue the ping pong game, as the candidate will only get frustrated with the situation.
Remember the second goal... to address resolve the issue with the first e-mail.

2.4.5. Additional Information:

Offering additional services
Here you can include links to websites and offer future services if there are further questions
or concerns beyond the Recruiters reply.
Something else to keep in mind is following-up with the candidate on outstanding issues make
a big (positive) impact on the candidate they expect you to forget.

2.4.6. Before Sending

Re-read the question ... just to make sure that your answer makes sense and that you have
addressed all the questions.
Role-play: "If I were this candidate, would this answer make me very satisfied?
If you are unsure, double check guesses can lead to disasters
Check for LOGIC, SPELLING and GRAMMAR

Send and Code

Send the mail and code using the Client's specific instructions.
It helps the client to see what-kind of mails and queries are coming in, so that they can
manage mails in a better fashion.

2.4.7. Effective Writing and E-Mail Etiquette

As Business e-mail messages becomes even more pervasive, basic etiquette in how we write,
takes on new meaning. There is nothing worse than creating a poor first impression. Here are
some tips:

Put yourself in the reader's seat

Put the most important/positive line on the top. Start with good news first!
 Structure logically
Pay attention to the candidate's needs -- stated and unstated
Avoid Poor Grammar and spelling typos:
It is very irritating to receive e-mails, with poor grammar, or no grammar at all.
Always make an effort to do a spell check prior to sending the message.
Remember, you are aiming to be understood, not to be misunderstood.
Write Short Paragraphs. Use simple everyday words. Avoid useless and unnecessary
words.

Have you received mails, which ramble on from line to line?

No punctuation, no paragraph breaks, no paragraph headings? Whenever you receive
such a mail, you go to the next mail with a promise to come back to this one later.

No guesses to what happens later. Writing short paragraphs ensures quicker action.
Replies should be concise and to the point.
Too Much Punctuation!!!
Don't get caught up in excessive punctuation.
Use the active voice
Wait When You Are Angry, upset:
When you write a letter, you have time to review it before mailing or faxing it. When you
write e-mail, you key in the words and hit the send button, all in one go.

Remember: If you write when you are angry, your words will reflect your feelings.
Avoid abbreviations or emotions
Review your letter and correct mistakes
Read over your e-mail before sending it. Although e-mail is a more informal method of
communication than writing a letter, be sure you make your points clear and concise.
Use a spell checker if available.

2.4.8. Some Definite Donts

Never send e-mail in all UPPER CASE. Use of upper-case words is the equivalent of
shouting in some one's ear.

Never make a comment about grammar or punctuation. Nobody wants to feel like they
are exchanging e-mail with their eighth-grade English teacher.

2.5. International E-Mail Etiquette

Over 100 countries are using e-mail today, and it is no wonder, as using e-mail for
international communications means no international phone bills, no waiting for letters to cross
the globe, and no embarrassing phone calls at midnight. However, it is necessary to keep the
following cultural nuances in mind when sending e-mail abroad. .
 Patience: At times you will send an e-mail that will arrive during your recipient's off
work hours, or on a holiday you don't know about, and won't be responded to for a few
days. Be patient before re-transmitting the same message or sending a follow up
message.

Date/time: When sending an international e-mail that includes dates and time, be sure
to translate using date and time conversions for the appropriate country.

Sarcasm/humor: Be cautious when using humor and sarcasm in international mails.

Different countries and cultures have different perceptions of what is funny or
appropriate.

Many points have been missed and international contacts lost due to misunderstanding of
humor.

Contact information:
Always provide proper international dialing telephone codes and contact information
when sending e-mail overseas.

Monetary translation: When using currency figures, be sure to use either countries
currency or the terminology used in the country the financial dealing takes place.

AHT (Average Handling Time): The average time a CSR takes to send a response to an
email.

Auto responders (Mail bots)

Automated programs, which are established to return a prewritten message upon receipt
of email. Program will grab the return address from the "header" of the message.
Typically, these programs will send out the canned message within seconds of receipt.

Aliasing (redirecting)
Using a fictitious address with which to send and receive e-mail. Typically done to avoid
having people write to long "real" e-mail addresses or if underlying e-mail address is
subject to change. Provides a permanent address to the world.

Backlog: E Mails that have been received but not yet processed
Bounced Message: A return, cannot deliver e-mail message.
CPH: Completes Per Hour
Detect: An error or an undesired result that is different from the planned or expected
outcome.

E-mail Acronyms: When sending off a quick message, these acronyms can help. Do not
overuse.

2L8 too late

AAMOF as a matter of fact

AFAIK as far as I know

B4N bye for now

BTW by the way

 CMIIW correct me if I'm wrong

CUL see you later

FWIW for what it's worth

IAC in any case

I KWUM I know what you mean

IMHO in my humble opinion

IOW In other words

KWIM know what I mean

LOL laughing out loud

NBIF no basis in fact

OTOH on the other hand

ROTFL rolling on the floor laughing

RTFM read the f." '" manual

SIC special interest group

TIA thanks in advance

TNX thanks

TTFN ta ta for now

EMOTIONS

Also referred to as smiley, these symbols help convey the tone, or emotions on an online
message, Examples:
: -) happy
:) smile
:-( Sad
;-) wink
:-0 shocked, surprised
:-> Devilish
:/ hmmm
S-) just won the lottery

Encoding:
A method of sending binary (non-text files) with e-mail messages, Common encoding options
include: Mime, Bin Hex, UUencode, etc. Sender and receiver must both use the same method.

FAQ:
Frequently Asked Questions: Usually, this is a document that lists frequently asked questions
on particular topic and gives answers to the questions.

Flame:
All angry or rude e-mail messages, often posted as a public response on a discussion group
you become the target of a flame, avoid responding or you might incite a flame war.

Header:
The first part of a received e-mail message which contains information about the routing of the
message while traversing the Internet. Much of this may not be displayed if the e-mail
software program keeps it hidden (usually an option).

IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol): A method to access and manipulate e-

mail that is stored remotely on another computer. Messages do not get transferred to the
users computer, making it easier to manage e-mail when accessing from multiple
computers.

Lurk:
To observe an online discussion without participating. Good idea when first joining a mailing
List.

Mailer Daemon:
Program used in the management of e-mail messages. Not generally encountered by a user
unless the user gets a bounced message

MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions): A structured formal for messages

which allows a single message to contain many parts.

Moderator:
Someone who controls the postings of messages in a Mailing List to ensure conformity with the
topic and list policies.

Monitoring:
Reviewing the style, format, professionalism, knowledge and accuracy of information as it is
provided by CSRs to end-users. For e-mails, this is usually reviewing the CSR's written
responses to candidate inquiries.

Netiquette:
Network Etiquette. Acceptable practices of using various Internet resources. Example: DONT
USE ALL CAPS. IT APPEARS AS IF THE WRITER IS SHOUTING.
There are many definitions for "mail server". It can be a host computer that uses the SMTP
protocol, or simply software that uses the SMTP protocol. In some cases, it refers to a host
system that holds a message store.

Service level Agreement (SLA):

Written contracts or agreements with suppliers of products or services. These usually consist of
agreed upon measurement of actual performance.

Signature Line:
A set of 4 - 8 lines of text placed at the end of a mail message to provide the reader with the
author's contact information, favorite quote, special of the month, auto responder/web site
address etc. The signature line is composed and placed into the e-mail software's signature file
for automatic appending.

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol): The most common protocol used for
transferring e-mail across the Internet.

Scope of Work (SOW):

A definition of requirements created by a client that clearly delineates the work product to be
delivered by the Call Center.

SPAM:
To send unsolicited commercial e-mail, usually in large amounts and indiscriminately, to
discussion groups or subscriber bases.

Target:
Typically a quantification of a requirement (e.g., respond to 95% of e-mails within 24 hours of
receipt.

Thread:
A written conversation on a particular topic in a larger group discussion.

2.6. Some useful websites E-Mail Glossary"

http://everythingemail.net/email_glossary.html
Technical terms used in Internet Mail
http://www.imc.org/terms.html
Beginner's guide to effective email
http://www.webfoot.com/advice/email.top.html
Information on MIME
http://www.zdnet.com/pcmag/issues/1601/pcmg0033.htm
What readers hate
http://www.thebee.com/bweb/itnfo43.htm
Netiquette
http://www.logan.net/help/netiquette.html
Beginning E Mail
http://email.tqn.com/internet/email/msub10.htm

2.7. Defensive and Offensive Techniques

It is often very easy to misunderstand and to be misunderstood in chat. There are no vocal or
visual clues to lend context to what is said. Without these clues, many things that are said
innocently or as teasing can be taken as offensive. Your best defense in chat is to make sure
you always include a smile or some other way to indicate that you are not being sharp or short
or angry. If in doubt, always assume the other person is being friendly and/or teasing (at least
until you KNOW better).
If you are just dealing with someone who is in disagreement over a comment of yours, you
can remedy the situation very cleanly by being polite and asking them why they disagree.
Now, if you are in the wrong over your comment, then be cordial and quick to apologize about
what was said. These are two ways to effectively diffuse a potential flame war between you
and other chatters over something very trivial.
Sometimes, when dealing with the perpetrator or perpetrators, it's a good thing to have a
quick and reflexive wit or a very good humorous mind. Spur of the moment humorous
comments will sometimes shut people up and at other times it will just aggravate them,
making the whole situation even worse than before. Don't sink to their level if they use a lot of
profanity, very vulgar references, and mama jokes.

2.8. Common Courtesies

There are common courtesies to follow when in chats. Following them will put you, in other
chatters' eyes, as being cordial, polite, and a nice person. Some of those courtesies are as
follows:
Don't type all in CAPS. That is considered as shouting.
Be kind to people who are new to chat. Be friendly and welcome them.
Be respectful of other views or opinions. It often pays to listen more than chat.
Don't be bossy or monopolize the chat.

2.9. Final Notes

Chats are fun to be in, especially if they involve a special topic you're interested in or if you're
just looking for a nice conversation without all the in-your-face hassle. Just remember how to
behave yourself while in them and you'll do just fine. Just remember to have fun, enjoy the
discussions, and watch out for them 'darn typos!!'
3. English Writing Skills

Learning Objectives
After completing this module, you will be able to:

Recognize and avoid common grammatical errors

Recognize and avoid common punctuation errors
Recognize and avoid common spelling mistakes
Use an effective business writing style

3.1. SUBJECT / VERB AGREEMENT

Basic Principles:
Rule: Singular subjects need singular verbs; plural subjects need plural verbs.

Examples:
My brother is a nutritionist.
My sisters are mathematicians.

Bad subject/verb agreement with contractions

Wrong: She don't like loud concerts Right: She doesnt like loud concerts.
Wrong: Wasn't you there at the party? Right: Werent you there at the party.
_______________________________________________________________________

Using wrong verb with "have"

Wrong: The boys should have went. Right: The boys should have gone.
Wrong: We should have knew. Right: We should have known.

Choosing subject incorrectly

Wrong: The box of chocolates were on the table. Wrong: Singular subject, plural verb
Right: The box of chocolates was on the table. Right: Singular subject, singular verb
The subject is box, not chocolates. The phrase of chocolates just describes the box.
_________________________________________________________________________

Some examples
Anyone, everyone, someone, no one, nobody are always singular and, therefore, require
singular verbs.
Examples: Everyone has done his or her homework.
Somebody has left her purse,

All, some - are singular or plural depending on what they're referring to

Examples: Some of the beads are missing.
Some of the water is gone.

None can be either singular or plural

Examples: None of you claims responsibility for this incident?
None of you claim responsibility for this incident?
None of the students have done their homework.

Each, everyone and everybody are always singular.

Examples: Each of the students is responsible for doing his or her work in the library.
Everyone has finished his or her homework.

Together with, as well as, and along with are not the same as and
Examples: The mayor as well as his brothers is going to prison.
The mayor and his brothers are going to jail.

Neither and either are singular and require singular verbs.

Examples: Neither of the two traffic lights is working.
Which shirt do you want for Christmas? Either is fine with me.

When nor or or is used the subject closer to the verb determines the number of the verb.

Examples:
Either my father or my brothers are going to sell the house.
Neither my brothers nor my father is going to sell the house.
Are either my brothers or my father responsible?
Is either my father or my brothers responsible?

Words such as glasses, pants, pliers, and scissors are regarded as plural unless they're
preceded the phrase pair of
Examples:
My glasses were on the bed.
My pants were torn.
A pair of plaid trousers is in the closet.

Some words end in -s and appear to be plural but are really singular
Examples:
The news from the front is bad.
Measles is a dangerous disease for pregnant women.

On the other hand, some words ending in -s refer to a single thing but are plural.
Examples:
My assets were wiped out in the depression.
The average worker's earnings have gone up dramatically.
Our thanks go to the workers who supported the union.

3.2. The Grammar Gorillas

Follow the link given below and learn about the parts of speech.

http://www.funbrain.com/grammar/index.html

Our friends, the Grammar Gorillas need help identifying parts of speech. If you click on the
right word in the sentence, our friends get a banana. And you know a gorilla with a banana is a
gorilla with appeal. Try the advance level.

Help Regan the Vegan make fresh salad. Choose the correct word to complete each sentence.

3.3. Word confusion

Help Regan the Vegan make fresh salad. Choose the correct word to complete each sentence.
http://www.funbrain.com/whichword/index.html
3.4. 2 Bee or Nottoobee

2Bee and Queen Nottoobee need flowers to make honey. Help them find flowers by choosing
the correct verb to complete the sentences.
http://www.funbrain.com/verb/index.html

3.5. ARTICLES
Articles must always agree with the noun. The articles in grammar are:
"A", "An", and "The"
A and an are used if the noun can be counted

Examples:
I ran into a post. (How many posts did you run into? Just one. Therefore, use a.)
I ate a piece of cake.
I saw an eagle.

Use 'a' with nouns starting with a consonant (letters that are not vowels)
An with nouns starting with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u)

Examples:
A boy
An apple
A car
An orange
A house
An opera
The is used when the noun cannot be counted.

Examples: I ran into the water. (How many waters did you run into? The question doesn't
make any sense because water is not countable. Therefore, use the
I ate the rice.
I saw the milk spill.

The definite article is used before singular and plural when the nouns when the noun is
particular or specific.

Examples:
A dog (any dog)
The dog (that specific dog)
A book (any book)
The book (that specific book)

3.6. PUNCTUATION
3.6.1. The Apostrophe
The apostrophe is used:

To create possessives
Examples:
The mayor's car My father's moustache
Pedritos sister Joe Kennedy's habCorporation
The boy's hat The boy's hats (one boy possesses more an one hat)
Charles's car OR Charles' car
Dumas second novel Jesus birth
Socrates ideas Illinois' legislature

To show contractions
Examples:
I have been working on the railroad. = I've been working on the railroad.
I am a student here = I 'm a student here.

To create some plural forms

Examples:
The word Mississippi has four ss.
She got three A's and two B's last semester.

If you can split the word up into two words and the sentence still makes sense, use an
apostrophe.

"It's" and "Corporation " "They're" and "their"

"You're" and "your" "Who's" and "whose

Examples:
One boy's hat
Two boys' hats
Two women's hats
Two actresses' hats
Two children's hats
The Smiths' house
One woman's hat
One actress's hat
One child's hat
Ms. Smith's house

3.6.2. Comma
Rule 1: Use a comma to set off the elements of a series (three or more thing), including
the last two.
Examples: The beads Marla used are red, yellow, and blue.

Rule 2: We do not use a comma to separate items in a list when we are listing adjectives
that each belong to a different category, and are all positioned right before the noun.
Examples: Marla used big green square beads.

Rule 3: Use a comma to set off introductory elements.

Examples: Slowly, she became conscious of her predicament

Rule 4: Use a comma 'to include a phrase which can be removed from a sentence
without changing Corporation meaning or making it ambiguous (also called as interrupters).
Examples: Robert Frost, perhaps Americas most beloved poet, died when he was 88.

Rule 5: Use a comma to set off states and countries, years (in a full date), titles etc.
Examples: The conference was originally set for Geneva, Switzerland, but was then
rescheduled for Calcutta, West Bengal.
Their wedding date was set for August 5, 2000, in the college chapel in Gurgaon, Haryana.
Tashonda Klondike, Chair of the Parliamentary Committee, submitted the committee's final
report.
We met in December 1985 in Chandigarh. (no comma)

Rule 6: Use a comma to set off quotations.

Examples: "I'm so tired," Melissa said.

3.6.3. Period
Rule 1: A Period is used to indicate a full Stop at the end of a sentence or abbreviation.
Examples: The girl went to the market.

Examples:
Dr. (Doctor) Etc. (etcetera)
Mr. (Mister) Co. (Company)

Rule 2: If the last word in the sentence ends in a period, do not follow it with another
period.
Examples:
Please shop, cook, etc. I will do the laundry.
I know that M.D. She is my sister-in-law.

Exceptions-universally understood abbreviations. These do not require a period.

Examples:
Influenza memorandum
DNA RNA

3.6.4. The Question Mark

Question mark is placed at the end of a sentence to indicate a question. Use a question mark
only after a direct question.
Examples:
Will you go with me?
I asked if he would go with me.
3.6.5. Exclamation Marks
Use exclamation marks to show emphasis or surprise.
Do not use the exclamation point in formal business letters.

3.6.6. Semi Colons

A semicolon indicates a degree of separation greater than that of a comma, but less than that
of a period. If the two clauses arent independent, we cannot use a semicolon.
The "Furthermore Test" is used to determine if the semicolon can be used. Add the word
furthermore when you want to join two independent clauses. It makes sense, and then we can
use a semicolon.
Examples:
Mama Napoli adds basil to her sauce to mellow the flavor; she adds paprika for zest.

Examples:
Mama Napoli adds basil to her sauce to mellow the flavor; furthermore she adds paprika for
zest.

3.6.7. Hyphens
Use hyphens to connect words to make adjectives, to write the numbers twenty-one through
ninety-nine, to show word breaks at the end of typewritten lines, and to spell certain
compound words.
Examples:
Mother-in-law twenty-one
Co-director ninety-nine
Forty-seven

3.6.8. Parenthesis
Parenthesis is used to insert information into the middle of a sentence that is sort of related to
the sentence but not that important.

Rule 1: Don't put a comma before an opening parenthesis. Punctuate the stuff inside
parenthesis as you normally would. If the stuff inside parenthesis has an end mark, put it
inside the parenthesis if it belongs to there ... and outside the parenthesis if it belongs to the
sentence as a whole.
Rule 2: Use parentheses to enclose words or figures that clarify or for an aside.
Examples: I expect five hundred dollars ($500).

3.6.9. The Colon

The colon comes at a point in the sentence where the sentence could come to a complete stop.
Rule: Use the colon after a complete sentence to introduce a list of items when introductory
words such as namely, for example, or that is do not appear.
Examples:
You may be required to bring many items: sleeping bags, pans and warm clothing.
I want the following items: butter, sugar, and flour.
A colon usually means, "here it is", or "here they are.

3.7. TENSES
Tense shifts are improperly switched tenses of the verbs midway through a sentence. We must
pay attention to the consistency of the verbs and make sure all verbs are in the same tense.

Examples:
The show opened with a big musical number that involves fireworks.

A tense shift has occurred in this sentence. Notice the verbs opened and involves. They are not
the same tense. Opened is past tense, and involves in present tense. There are two ways we
can correct this. We can make both verbs past tense, or make both verbs present tense.
Examples:
The show opens with a big musical number that involves fireworks.
The show opened with a big musical number that involved fireworks.
Both of these examples are correct. The verb tenses are the same in each sentence.

3.8. ACTIVE Vs PASSIVE VOICE

Use the active voice. It is
Specific
Personal
Concise
Emphatic
Use passive voice only:
To avoid personal messages
To stress the object of the action when the doer isnt important

Rule 1: Use concrete rather than vague language.

Examples:
Vague The weather was of extreme nature on the West coast.
Concrete California had very cold weather last week.
Rule 2: Use active voice whenever possible. Active voice means the subject is doing the
verb.
Examples:
Active Barry hit the ball.
Passive The ball was hit. (Notice that the responsible party may not even appear when
using passive voice)

Rule 3: Avoid overusing there is, there are, it is, It was etc.
Example 1: There is a case of meningitis that was reported in the newspaper.
Correction: A case of meningitis was reported in the newspaper.
Even Better: The newspaper reported a case of meningitis. (Active voice)

Example 2: It is important to signal before making a left turn.

Correction: Signaling before making a left turn is important OR Signaling before a left turn is
important.
Even Better: You should signal before making a left turn. (Active voice)

Example 3: There are some revisions which must be made.

Correction: Some revisions must be made.
Even Better: Please make some revisions. (Active voice)

Rule 4: Avoid using two negatives to make a positive because they cause too much
confusion.
Example: He is not unwilling to help.
Correction: He is willing to help.

Rule 5: Use similar grammatical form when offering several ideas. This is called parallel
construction.
Correct: You should check your spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Incorrect: You should check your spelling, grammar, and punctuating.

3.9. PREPOSITIONS
Prepositions show relationships between other words, usually nouns. They show how words
relate in terms of time and space.
Examples (space): Darla will find her missing watch among the turkeys.
(time): Mildred always finishes her meatloaf before Mark.
List of common prepositions
About By On According to
Above Down Out Because of
Across During Outside By way of
After Except Over In addition of
Against For Since In front of
Around From Through In place of
At In Throughout In regard of
Before Inside Till In spite of
Behind Into To Instead of
Below Like Toward On account of
Beneath Near Under Out of
Beside Of Up
Besides Off Upon
Between With
Beyond Without

Rule 1: Between refers to two. Among is used for three or more.

Examples:
Divide the candy between the two of you.
Divide the candy among the three of you.

Rule 2: Into implies entrance, in does not.

Examples:
Sally walked into the house.
Sally was waiting in the house
Cut the pie into six slices. (The knife enters the pie)

Ending Sentences with Prepositions

Ending sentences with a preposition is an acceptable error. Remember to avoid this in formal
writing.

Examples:
I have a window that I like to lean out of.
This sentence ends in the preposition "of". Switch the sentence around to avoid ending it with
a preposition.
Examples:
I like to lean out of this window.

3.10. Capitalization
Rule 1: Capitalize the first word of every sentence
Rule 2: Capitalize names of specific persons, places, and geographical locations but not
directions.
Examples:
My brother Charlie, who used to live in the Middle East and writ books about the Old West,
now lives in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
They moved up north, to the southern shore of Lake Erie.

Rule 3: Capitalize the first word of a quoted sentence.

Examples:
He said Treat her as you would your own daughter.
Look out! she screamed. You almost ran into my child.

Rule 4: Capitalize titles

Example: War and Peace

Rule 5: Capitalize the first word of a salutation and the first word of a complimentary
close

Examples: My dear Mr. Smith:

Very truly yours

Rule 6: Capitalize names of days of the week, months, and holidays, names of historical
events, names of religions and religious terms, but not seasons.
Examples:
Valentines Day, which is always on February 14, falls on Saturday this year.
Next fall, before the winter storms begin, were heading south.

Rule 7: Capitalize the names of nations, nationalities, languages, and words based on
such words.
Examples:
Somalia, Swedish, English muffin, Irish stew, Japanese maple, Jews harp, French horn
Rule 8: We usually dont capitalize white and black.
Examples:
There are very few blacks in this predominantly white community.

Rule 9: Capitalize titles when they precede names.

Examples:
Dean Arrington introduced President Carter to Secretary Boggles worth

usually not after a name . . . .

Joe Chuckles, who was chairman of the board of directors in 1995, has since retired.

3.10.1. RUN ON SENTENCES

A run-on sentence is when two sentences, or complete thoughts, are put into one sentence
without the proper punctuation between them.

Examples:
I usually eat too many candy corns on Halloween and get stomachache how about you?
I usually eat too many candy corns 0n Halloween and get a stomachache. (This is a complete
thought.)
How about you? (This is another complete thought)

Since these two sentences do not have the proper punctuation between them, they are a run-
on sentence. The easiest way to fix this error is to break the sentence in two.

Examples:
I usually eat too many candy corns on Halloween and get a stomachache. How about you?

Avoid run-on sentences. They are grammatically incorrect, and hard to read and understand.

3.10.2. MISPLACED AND DANGLING MODIFIERS

Rule 1: If you start a sentence with an action, place the actor immediately after.
Incorrect: While walking across the street, the bus hit her.
Correct: While walking across the street, she was hit by a bus. OR
She was hit by a bus while walking across the street.

Rule 2: Place modifiers near the words they modify

Incorrect: I have some pound cake Mollie baked in my lunch bag.
Correct: In my lunch bag, I have some pound cake that Mollie baked.

3.10.3. WRITING NUMBERS

Rule 1: The numbers one through ten should be spelled out; use figures for numbers
greater than ten.
Examples:
I want five copies.
I want 15 copies.

Rule 2: With a group of related numbers where one number is above 10 in a sentence,
write them all in figures. Use words if all related numbers are 10 or below.
Correct: I asked for 5 pencils, not 50.
My two cats fought with their one cat.
Incorrect: I asked for five pencils, not 50.

Rule 3: Always spell out simple fractions and use hyphens with them.
Examples: A two-thirds majority.

Rule 4: A mixed fraction can be expressed in figures unless it is the first word of a
sentence.
Examples: We expect a 5 1/2 percent wage increase.
Five and one-half percent was the maximum allowable interest.

Rule 5: Use the simplest way to express large

Examples: 4 million dollars OR $4 million OR four million dollars (not $4, 000, 000)
Be careful to be consistent within a sentence.
Correct: You can earn anywhere from $500 to $5,000,000.
Incorrect: You can earn anywhere $500 to $5 million.

Rule 5: Hyphenate all compound numbers from twenty-one through ninety-nine.

Examples: Forty-three people were injured in the train wreck.

Rule 6: Do not hyphenate one hundred, two hundred

3.11. Words That Sound Alike

Their There They're
Their implies possession. Example: They picked up their books.
There refers to a place. Example: The car is here, not there.
Theyre is a contraction of "they are." Example: They're eating lunch
Corporation It's
Corporation implies possession. Example: The dog wagged Corporation
tail.
It's is a contraction of "it is." Example: It's a snowy day in Colorado.
Were Where We're
Where refers to a place. Example: Where did you put the gas bill?
Were is a verb. Example: The kids were screaming all day.
Were a contraction of "we are." Example: We're all going skiing.
Your You're
Your implies possession. Example: Your printer isn't working
Youre a contraction of "you are." Example: Please tell me why youre crying.
To Too Two
To is a preposition. Example: He handed the football to me.
Too means also or very. Example: It's too hot on the beach
Two is 2. Example: We spent two hours waiting in line.
Than Then
Than is used in comparisons. Example: I am smarter than most people.
Also, Than indicates degree. Example: Do more than ten sit ups.
Then indicates something in the past. Example: Back then, we had no TV.
Also, Then indicates order. Example: First delete the file, then reboot your Computer.
Also, Then can mean "in that case." Example: when I see it, then Ill believe it.
Accept Except
Accept is a verb meaning to receive or agree. Example: He accepted the bride.
Except is a preposition meaning "all but" Or "other than" Example: Everyone came, except me.
Amount Number
Amount is used to indicate a total sum of things. It is usually used to refer to items that cannot
be counted. Number is used to refer to items that can be counted.
The amount of food consumed is amazing. (Food cannot be counted)
The number of hamburgers consumed is amazing. (Hamburgers can be counted.)
Angry at, You are angry with a person and angry at a thing.
with
Because Do not use because to introduce a noun clause.
Awkward because I had too much to do is the reason my paper is late.
Better My paper is late because I had too much to do.
 (Because introduces an adverb clause.)
Awkward the reason I left is because I was tried
Better I left because I was tried.
Being This completely acceptable present participate is most safely used as part of the
main verb. Used as a modifier it creates extremely awkward sentences. Being as
and being that are not satisfactory substitutes for since or because.
Beside, Beside means at the sides of. Besides means in addition to.
Besides
Larry's dog rode beside him in the front seal.
There are other rewards besides the money.
Between Between cannot be followed by a singular noun.
each
Substandard Between each bite, he sipped his cocoa.
Standard Between bites, he sipped his cocoa.

Substandard Between every page, Jack inserted a paper.

Standard Between all the pages, Jack inserted a paper.
Different In most situations different from is better usage than different than. However,
from there are some situations in which than must be used to avoid awkward
expressions.
Gils book is different from ours.
The school is much different than it used to be.
Fewer, Fewer is used to describe things that can be counted.
less
Less refers to quantity or degree.
Jack has fewer colds than he used to have.
There is less snow today than yesterday.
This lamp gives less light than the other.
Good, Good is used only as an adjective to modify nouns and pronouns. Well is an
Well adjective when it means in good health, of good appearance, or satisfactory.
Well is used as an adverb to modify an action verb when it means that the action
was performed properly or expertly.
Mrs. Thatcher looks well (adjective)
That hat looks well with that dress (adjective)
The car runs well now. (Adverb)

Hanged, Criminals are hanged. Things are hung on the walls, hooks, or elsewhere.
hung
The mob hanged the horse thief.
The doctor's diplomas hung on his office wall.
Imply, A speaker or writer suggests or implies something. The reader, listener, or
infer observer concludes or infers something based on what sees and hears.
 The speaker implies that we are lazy.
I infer that you disagree with the speaker.
In, into In means inside something. Into tells of motion from the outside to the inside of
something.
Substandard The books fell in the mud.
Standard The books fell into the mud.
Substandard Jane ran in the house.
Standard Jane ran into the house.
Ingenious, Ingenious means clever and resourceful. Ingenuous means frank and honest.
Ingenuous
Lay, lie The verb lay means to put or place something. The verb lie has many
meaning, all of them having in common the idea of being in a horizontal
position, or to remain, or to be situated.
Lie is always an intransitive verb. It never has an object.
La is a transitive verb. It almost always has an object. The principal parts of
these verbs are as follows:
Present Past Past participle
Lay laid laid
Lie lay lain
Lend, loan Lend is a verb: please lend us a hand.
Loan is a noun. If we can get a loan from the bank, we can stay in
business.
When could have, might have, must have, and similar phrases are spoken, they
usually come out as contractions: could've, might've and so on. Because the
contracted form 've sound like of, some persons write mistakenly could of,
might of, must of.
Substandard Someone might of seen you.
Standard Someone might have seen you.

3.12. Syllables
To understand word stress, it helps to understand syllables.
Every word is made from syllables.
Each word has one, two, three or more syllables.
Word Break-up of word Number of syllables
Dog Dog 1
Green Green 1
Quiet Qui-et 2
Orange O-range 2
Table T-able 2
Expensive Ex-pen-sive 3
Interesting In-ter-est-ing 4
Realistic Re-a-lis-tic 4
Unexceptional Un-ex-cep-tio-nal 5

Notice that (with a few rare exceptions) every syllable contains at least one vowel (a, e, i, o or
u) or vowel sound.
There are some rules about which syllable to stress. But the rules are rather complicated!
Probably the best way to learn is from experience. Listen carefully to spoken English and try to
develop a feeling for the "music" of the language.
When you learn a new word, you should also learn Corporation stress pattern. If you keep a
vocabulary book, make a note to show which syllable is stressed. If you do not know, you can
look in a dictionary. All dictionaries give the phonetic spelling of a word. This is where they
show which syllable is stressed, usually with an apostrophe (') just before or just after the
stressed syllable. Look at (and listen to) this example for the word plastic. There are 2
syllables. Syllable # 1 is stressed.

3.12.1. "Rules for Syllable Stress in English"

There are two very simple rules about word stress:
One word has only one stress.
(One word cannot have two stresses. If you hear two stresses, you hear two words. Two
stresses cannot be one-word. It is true that there can be a "secondary" stress in some words.
But a secondary stress is much smaller than the main [primary], stress, and is only used in
long words.)
We can only stress vowels, not consonants.
Here are some more, rather complicated, rules that can help you understand where to put the
stress. But do not rely on them too much, because there are many exceptions. It is better to
try to "feel" the music of the language and to add the stress naturally.

Stress on first syllable

Rule Example
Most 2-syllable nouns CHIna, TAble, Export
Most 2-syllable adjectives SLENder, CLEVer, HAPpy

Stress on last syllable

Rule Example
Most 2-syllable verbs To exPORT, to deCIDE, to beGIN

Stress on penultimate syllable (penultimate = second from end)

Rule Example
Words ending in ic GRAPHic, geoGRAPHic,
Geologic
Words ending in sion and -tion teleVIsion, revelation

Stress on ante-penultimate syllable (ante-penultimate = third from end)

 Rule Example
Words ending in cy, -ty, deMOcracy , dependability
phy and gy phoTOgraphy, geology
Words ending in al CRItical, geological

Compound words (words with two parts)

Rule Example
For compound nouns, the stress is on the first part BLACKbird, GREENhouse
For compound adjectives, the stress is on the second part bad-TEMpered, old-FASHioned
For compound verbs, the stress is on the second part to underSTAND, to overflow

3.12.2. "Why is Syllable stress Important in English?"

Word stress is not used in all languages. Some languages, Japanese or French for example,
pronounce each syllable with eq-ual em-pha-sis.

Other languages, English for example, use word stress.

Word stress is not an optional extra that you can add to the English language if you want. It is
part of the language! English speakers use word stress to communicate rapidly and accurately,
even in difficult conditions. If, for example, you do not hear a word clearly, you can still
understand the word because of the position of the stress.

Think again about the two words photograph and photographer. Now imagine that you are
speaking to somebody by telephone over a very bad line. You cannot hear clearly. In fact, you
hear only the first two syllables of one of these words, photo. Which word is it, photograph or
photographer? Of course, with word stress you will know immediately which word it is because
in reality you will hear either PHOto or phoTO. So without hearing the whole word, you
probably know what the word is (PHOto...graph or phoTO...grapher. It's magic! (Of course,
you also have the 'context' of your conversation to help you.)

This is a simple example of how word stress helps us understand English. There are many,
many other examples because we use word stress all the time, without thinking about it.

Exercises:
Put the following words into the proper category based on the syllable count intonation. Count
the number of syllable and decide which one is stressed.
Words No. of Syllable Stressed Syllable
Competitor
Business
Mistake
Spend
Calculate
Argentina
Production
Spent
Wall street
Privacy laws
January
Terminated
Analysis
Laboratory

3.12.3. Liaisons and Glides

As you know words are not pronounced one by one. Usually, the end of one word is attached
to the beginning of the next word. Part of the glue that connects sentences is an underlying
hum or drone that only breaks when you come to a period and sometimes not even then. You
have this underlying hum in your own language that makes you sound like a native speaker.
This chapter is going to introduce you to the idea of Liaisons; the connections between words,
which allows us to speak in sound groups rather than in individual words.

Exercise: Spelling and Pronunciation

Read the following sentences. The last two sentences above should be pronounced exactly the
same; no matter how they are written. It's the 'sound' that is important, not the spelling.
The D.
I think the D.
I think the D likes it.
I think that he likes it.

Words are mainly connected in four different ways:

1 Consonant / Vowel
2 Consonant / Consonant
3 Vowel / Vowel
4 T, D, S, or Z + y

Liaison Rule 1: Consonant I Vowel

Words are connected when a word ends in a consonant sound and the next word starts with a
vowel sound, including the semivowels W, Y, and R.

Exercise: Word Connections

two 'years' ago [too 'yir' zgo]
a principle of 'bu'siness [a prinsplv 'biz'ness]
Im in a meeting [ai min 'mee'ding]
Its on your desk [Corporationanyr desk]

In the first example, the word year ends in a consonant sound [z], and ago starts with a vowel
sound [], so yirgo just naturally flows together.
Exercise: Spelling & Number Connections.
You also use liaisons in spelling and numbers:

l, m, n, o, p, q ella meno pee kyu

May eh may 'why'
half ay chay yel lef
Peterson pee ee tee ee are esso wen
Valencia vee ay all ee en cee eye ay
WalMart dubya ayel emay are tee
Pearl Harbor pee ee ay areI, ay chay are bee oh(w)'are'.
Los Angeles eh lo(w) 'ess', ay yen 'gee' ee elly ees'
880 ay day dee
(661) 254-9090 sick sick swun, too five 'for', nyno ny'no'
510-02-5088 fy Vwunoh, oh too, fy voh ay date
2: 15 pm too fifteen pee(y) em
8:30 ay(t)'thir'dee
400,000 'for' hundr'd 'th'ae'o'znd
6 1/3 sicks' n' th'rd

Exercise: Consonant / Vowel Liaison Practice

Reconnect the following words. On personal pronouns, it is common to drop the H.

Tell him about it. ['tell'im bow dit]

a factor of a million [a faektro rv mily'n]
Bob insisted on it. [babin sist danit]

Practice Lesson:
1. basic economics
_______________________________________________
2. national average
_______________________________________________
3. more efficient
_______________________________________________
4. an excellent idea
________________________________________________
5. over an acre
_______________________________________________
6. to move out
_______________________________________________
7. cooked in an oven
______________________________________________
8. monoclonal antibodies
_______________________________________________
9. not an option
_______________________________________________
10. decide on an alternative
_________________________________________________

Liaison Rule 2: Consonant I Consonant

Words are connected when a word ends in a consonant sound and the next word starts with a
consonant thats in a similar position. What is a similar position? Let's find out.

Exercise: Consonant / Consonant Liaison

Say the sound of each group of letters out loud (the sound of the letter; not the name: [b] is
[buh] not [bee]. There are 3 general locations - the lips, behind the teeth, or in the throat. If a
word ends with a sound created in the throat and the next word starts with a sound from that
same general location, these words are going to be linked together. The same with the other 2
locations. Repeat after me.
Behind the teeth In the throat At the lips
Unvoiced Voiced Unvoiced Voiced Unvoiced Voiced
T D K G P B
Ch J H - F V
- L - Ng - m
4. Mouth Exercises

Practice these sounds, feel the complete muscular movement for each sound. Pronounce them
more than you would in ordinary speech:

OOKT OHKT AWKT AYKT EEKT

OOGD OHGD AWGD AHGD EEGD
OOPT OHPT AWPT AHPT EEPT
OOBD OHBD AWBD AHBD EEBD
OOMD OHMD AWMD AHMD EEMD
OOLT OHLT AWLT AHLD EELT
OOLD OHLD AWLD AHLD EELD
OOLZ OHLZ AWLZ AHLZ EELZ
5. Introduction to American Plosives & sounds
of different letters
5.1. Sounds of different letters i.e. P; T; K;
There are certain letters in Consonantal Structure which needs to be stressed upon to get the
right American sounds and these letters come under the umbrella of Plosive Sound. Important
Plosive sounds are P, T & K.

5.1.1. P Sound
Mouth Formation
Upper lips make a slight contact with the lower lips and with the release of the contact we find
a controlled gush of air which accompanies it. Tongue plays no major role in American P.
American P is different from the Indian PH Sound, which is very heavy. In former, we find a
control gush of air whereas in latter there is a burst of air.

Passage Reading
Read the passage with the right P sound.
1) Pauline, Peter and Patrick were all perfect in their professional college. Patrick pretty much
knew it all. Pauline and Peter picked up their degrees prior to Patrick.
Pave our path for prosperity was their pledge.
Patrick and Pauline would dream of places where they could procure peace and harmony.
People would always pity the poor kids, for how much they would pressurize themselves in
their studies.
2) A pilgrimage pondered and wandered.
Plowing through peals of apples,
Polishing and picking and poking,
Hoping to find one promising.

Tongue Twister
A peck of pickled pepper Peter Piper picked,
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper,
Wheres the peck of pickled pepper Peter Piper picked.

Exercise:
Practice these words with right P Sounds.
Paul Plymouth Pittsburg Poker
Pamela Patricia Providence Payment
Program Papa

5.1.2. T Sound
Mouth Formation
In American T the tip of the tongue hCorporation the upper palate and releases a control gush
of air at the same time. This results in the formation of a hissing sound which finally leads to
the creation of American T Sound.
Here are four simple T rules:

T at the beginning of a word is a sharp T.

Exercises:
It took ten times to try the telephone.
Stop touching Teds toes.
Turn towards Stella and study her contract together.
Tell Tyler to take two turns this time.
Tina tried to tame Teds tiger on Tuesday.

T in the middle position, between two vowel sounds should be pronounced as a soft D.

Exercises:
What a good idea.
Get a better water heater.
Put it in a bottle.
Betty bought a bit of better butter.
Go get a letter opener.

T at the end of a word is a held T.

Exercises:
Take it.
Its what they want to get.
Put them back in the pot.
What did you find at that site?
She hit the hot hut with her hat.

T becomes N or remains silent if its after N in a word.

Exercises:
Internet = Innernet.
Percentage = Percennage
Printer = prinner
Twenty = Twenny
Enter = Enner

Sentences:
He interrupted twenty interviews in Toronto.
There were a large percentage of international students.
He wont even interfere with the interaction.
Hes at the Intercontinental Hotel.
He wasnt even helping was he?

T Passage
1) Trevor, Todd and Teresa would tie up together every night, and go out for the movies. Their
favorite movie was The teacher taught the truth to Tony.
Todd and Teresa were quite fond of tourism, in fact they thought of touring together to twenty
different tourist spots.
Trevor, however was a typical untidy person, so for him packing for tour seemed terrible.

Tongue Twister
Tick tock, tick tock, the clock ticked
A timeless ticking and tricking
A tremendous effort, but time
Always won what mattered

Truly rural, purely plural, truly rurally, purely plurally

Thirty thrifty three toms watched the tower.

5.1.3. K Sounds
Mouth Formation
American k sounds is different from heavy KH sound. American K sound can be explained
with the presence a small h sound next to K i.e. Kh sound.
Passage Reading
Read the following passage with the right K sound.
1) Catherine, Katy and Kelly were quite close when it came to being companions. Kelly and
Katy, could not keep a secret, they couldnt care much for privacy.
Catherine, kept a close contact with Katys brother, cooper, who stayed in California. Cooper
co-operated a lot to cope with Catherines habit of cake baking.
She would bake a cake for Cooper and Kelly, but would fall short to keep a slice of cake for
Katy.
2) The Kite that beat the kite,
That was the other kite.
That shifted kites to the other kit.
That was a kittens ball of kitty wool.

Tongue Twister
Coughing through the corridor
Carefully coping
With clusters of people
What a cold I have

5.2. V & W Sounds

V is a true consonant, because the lips come in contact with the teeth. W is a glide or semi-
vowel; because of the lips dont come into contact.

5.2.1. V Sounds
Vision View Vulnerable Vacant Vagabond Vial Validate Valid Virtual Value Valid Valentine
Victory Vamp Vampire Vanish Vanilla Vacant

Pivot Heave Venice Vehicle Prove Envelope

Revive Provision Veal Invade Invest Revision Divide Vision Violate Connive Deviate Version

Exercise:
Victor Vickerson voted to review the very vilest version of the veto to avoid a controversy.
Even Evan reviewed Virginias available provisions for the vacation as inevitably devoid of
value.
Evan eventually arrived at the village and saved the day with vast amounts of venison & veal.

5.2.2. W Sounds
Wine Window Wide Wilt Went Where When Wizard Wellington Willful Wonderful Winner Dwell
Twist Tweezes Swindle Wild Whichever
Sweat Owlish Own Flower Wild Wash
Owlish Brew Question Width Waiter While
Whirl Winter Wager Wafer Wag Whisker

Exercise:
Where were we in the World War I? On one wonderful Wednesday, we were wandering in
Westwood with a wonderful woman from Wisconsin, whose name was Wanda for weeks, and
we were wondering when we would wear out our welcome. Ive been waiting since winter.

5.3. TH; R sounds

5.3.1. TH sounds
Can be categorized into 2 parts:
Breeze of Air or Unvoiced TH sound
The unvoiced TH is like the S between the Teeth. Most people tend to replace the unvoiced TH
with S. Instead of Thing, they say sing.

Exercise:
Thursday
Throw
Thelma
Thomas
Thank you

Buzzing sound or voiced TH sound

The voiced TH is like a D, instead of being in back of the teeth, Corporation 1\4 inch lower and
forward between the teeth. Most people tend to replace the voiced TH with a Z sound.

Exercise:
That
Them
Those
Brother
Father

5.3.2. R Sounds
The American R is like a vowel because it does not touch anywhere in the mouth. In Korean,
Japanese, Spanish, Italian, Greek & many other languages, the R is a consonant because it
touches behind the teeth. The American R is produced deep in the throat.
Like the French R and the-German R, the American R is in the throat, but unlike those two
consonant sounds, it doesn't touch. Let's contrast two similar sounds: [a] and [r].
Hold your hand out in front of you, with your palm up, like you are holding a tray on it. Slightly
drop your hand down, and say ah, like you want the doctor to see your throat. Now, curl your
fingers up slightly, and say [r]. Your tongue should feel in about the same position as your
hand.

CAR CANDIDATE LEATHER

CARE HIGHER LATHER
DARE BLOWER PAVER
DEER POWER PACER
DEAR DEVOUR MOVER
BEER HOUR SHAKER
TEAR PAMPER GREATER
TYRE PAPER LOWER
BORN CARETAKER POKER
YEAR PRAYER TESTER
LAYER SNIPER MAILER
HAIR SNIPPER GOAFER
WATER HYPER MUFFLER
NEAR SHOWER DREAMER

5.4. S or Z Sounds
The sound of the letter S is [s] only if it follows an unvoiced consonant. Otherwise, its a Z in
disguise. When an S follows a vowel, a voiced consonant or another S, it turns into a [z]. The
following exercise will let you hear and practice S with Corporation dual sound. There are many
more Z sounds in English than S sounds.
When S Becomes Z
Under Contrast, in the list that follows, notice how the voiced word is drawn out and then
repeat the word after me. Both Voiced and unvoiced diphthongs have the underlying structure
of the tone shift, or the double stair step, but the shift is much larger for the voiced ones.

price prize
peace peas
place plays
ice eyes
hiss his
close to close
use to use
rice rise
pace pays
lacey lazy

"Corporation So Sad"
Repeat the S sounds in the paragraph below.
Corporation so sad. Sally stole Sammy's snake skin suit and sold it to a salesman from
Sonoma. Sid, the salesman, suggested that Sally stop stealing, but Sally simply said, "So!" Sid
sighed sadly, and stomped off to search for a more suitable subject.

"Allz Well That Endz Well"

Repeat the Z sounds in the paragraph below.

Zero Zippers is a zillion dollar organization near the Osgood zoo in Zimbabwe. It zigzagged
through an embezzlement scandal and zipped past all reasonable expectations. Zero was in
the most desirable zip code in the business zone, but the end result was zilch. As the founder's
motto was Easy come, easy go! no one resented the bizarre disaster.

Finding S and Z Sounds

Go through the paragraph and highlight the seven [s] sounds and the thirteen [z]sounds.
There was a time when people really had away with words: They said and did whatever they
could, so that each little thing would then be good and clear, both at home and all over the
world. They knew that it was very important to use just a few short words because most of the
long ones were too hard. The only other thing about words is the number of children who are
called names, even if they know how to use it in a sentence. By the way, many more families
have been after their children to talk right. Well, how about yours?

5.5. Vowel Sounds

Vowel sounds are made by slight changes in the position of the tongue and lips and tensing or
relaxing of the muscles of the mouth. One important characteristic of American English vowels
is the open quality that is the result of the position of the tongue.
Vowel sounds are made by slightly changing the size, shape, and tension of the muscles of
your mouth and lips. A very small change can result in an entirely different sound.

Types of Vowel Sounds:

Vowels may also be described as front, central, or back.
When the tongue is raised or arched in the front of the mouth, it is a front vowel.
When the tongue is raised or arched in the center, it is a central vowel.
When the tongue is raised or arched in the back, it is a back vowel.

The 13 vowel sounds are

EE U UR
I AH OO AI
AY EH OY OW
AE A

5.5.1. EE Sounds
EE is one of the most difficult vowels to master. It sounds a lot like to many non-native
speakers. The position of the tongue is very similar to where it is for the I sound. The EE,
however, is a tense sound. That means the muscles of your mouth are tense. And it tends to
be a little longer than the I. EE sounds like the name of the letter e.
Instructions to make this sound: Is your tongue very high and flat in. the front of your mouth?
Are the muscles of your mouth tense? Try smiling as you make this sound it helps to tense the
muscles of your mouth and to keep your tongue high.

Common spellings:
E as in she,
EA as in easy,
EE as in feet,
EO as in people,
I as in visa,
IE as in field
Y as in busy
Each = keep each piece
Eat = eat dinner early
Evening = the evening
Cheap = very cheap material
Secretary = Lee's secretary is busy
Isn't he teaching history at the university?
Take the freeway or Fifth Street directly to the beach.

5.5.2. I Sound
The I sound is most often confused with EE by English-as-a-second-language students.
Remember, this sound is relaxed. That means the muscles of the mouth are relaxed, not
tense.
Instructions to make this sound: Is your tongue high in your mouth but are the muscles of
your mouth relaxed? Be sure this does not sound like the name of the letter "e."
Common problems: Using an EE sound so it sounds like eat.
Common spellings: E as in exist, I as in hit, O as in women, U as in busy, UI as in
guitar, Y as in system.

Example:
It = complete it
Is = this is it
Live = live near the beach
Winter = every winter
Position = a position in the company
Bills physician reports his condition is serious
Cindy lives in a very distant city, doesnt she?

5.5.3. AY Sounds
AY is a tense sound. That means the muscles of your mouth are tense. It may help to
prolong it and end with an EE sound. It sounds like the name of the letter a.
Instructions to make this sound: Is your tongue somewhat raised? Are the muscles of your
mouth tense?

Example:
Age = at age eighty
H = say aH
Eight = eight payments in April
Date = able to make a date
Later = will rain later
They = they may stay anyway
Set the cake on the left side of the table, okay?
A neighbor explained the parade was delayed.

5.5.4. EH Sounds
The EH sound is relaxed. That means the muscles of the mouth are relaxed, not tense.
Instructions to make this sound: Is your tongue high in your mouth but are the muscles of
your mouth relaxed? Be sure this does not sound like the name of the letter e.
Instructions to make this sound: Is your tongue slightly raised? Are the muscles of your mouth
relaxed? Be sure this does not sound like the name of the letter a.
Using an AY sound
So pen sounds like pain.

Common Spellings:
A as in any
AI as in said
EA as in sweat,
E as in et cetera,
EO as in jeopardy
IE as in friend
Edge = check the edge
Every = yes, every second
Men = many men attend
Best = best available
Sell = when to sell
Beth remained until Wednesday to attend the ballet.
The Mets best baseball player was traded already.

5.5.5. AE sounds
A.E is the ugly American sound -- not very pleasant to listen to and it is another difference
between American and British English. British speakers tend to use the A (ah) sound in
words which American- pronounce with AE.
Instructions to make this sound: Is your mouth open wide? Is your tongue lying on the floor-
of your mouth? Are the muscles of your mouth tense?

Example:
An = has an apple pie
Asked = asked her address
Action = no action at the auction
Lacks = lacks an answer
Salad = toss the salad
Lap-top computers have obvious travel advantages.
The Stanford grad, wants to be on the fast track.

5.5.6. UR Sounds
The UR is difficult to make because it has an R sound in it. And to make it harder, non-native
speakers can be confused by the multiple ways to spell this sound.
Don't try to change the vowel sound to match Corporation spelling. The words her, sir,
fur, were and earth all have the same vowel sound in spite of their different spelling.
Instructions to make this sound: Is your tongue raised high at the entrance of your mouth? Be
sure that you hear an R sound.
The UH is a very easy sound to make. Open your mouth just a little. Don't move your tongue
or lips. Say uh. Easy, right?
The problem occurs when people try to pronounce this sound as it is spelled -- and it is spelled
at least ten different ways! So just remember to try to pronounce it the same uh --
regardless of how it is spelled.
Instructions to make this sound: Is your mouth slightly open? Are your lips and the muscles of
your mouth relaxed? Is your tongue resting on the bottom of your mouth?

Common problems:
Because this sound has so many different spellings, people tend to pronounce the words like
they are spelled.

Common spellings:
A as in about,
Al as in bargain,
E as in "system,"
EI as in "foreign,"
I as in "engine,"
IO as in "region,"
As in "color,"
OU as in "famous,"
U as in "but"
Early = an early bird
Urgent = an urgent matter
Work = work later than before
Yesterday = yesterday afternoon
Were = they were certain
Dollar = a dollar thirty
Theyll defer the merger for another term.
Her brother entertained in the center theater.

5.5.7. AH Sounds
The AH vowel sound is often difficult for non-native speakers. This is the sound you make
when a doctor asks you to open your mouth and say ah. (It has pronunciation variations in
different regions of the United States!)
Instructions to make this sound: Is your mouth open wide? Is your tongue lying on the floor of
your mouth? Are the muscles of your mouth relaxed?

Example:
On = off and on
All = offer it all
Cough = cough drops
Faucet = the hot water faucet
Draw = draw an object
A tax audit cost John more than a hundred dollars.
August property sales topped past profCorporation
About = about a month
Of = a ton of machinery
Husband = a young husband
But = but it was funny
None = none on campus will come.
Cover = run for cover
Publicity showed the ugly conditions in the slums.
What American customs do visitors find annoying?

5.5.8. U Sounds
When people have trouble pronouncing the U sound, it is usually because they are mixing it up
with OO.
The U sound is tense. That means the muscles of your mouth are not relaxed. It tends to be
longer than the OO, too. Instructions to make this sound: Are your lips rounded? Are the
muscles of your mouth tense?

Common Problems & spellings

Using an OO sound so pool sounds like pull.

Common spellings:
EU as in "sleuth"
EW as in "grew"
As in "into"
OE as in "canoe"
OO as in "food"
Ou as in "group"
OUGH as in "through"
U as in dirty
DE as in "sue"
UI as in "suit"

Example:
Fool = a stupid fool
Pool = into the pool
To = to improve the soup
Knew = knew the crew
Through = flew through the clouds
We had cool weather and a smooth cruise in June.
Move to a good neighborhood with good schools.

5.5.9. OO Sounds
People have trouble pronouncing the OO sound; it is usually because they are mixing it up with
U. The OO sound is "relaxed."
That means the muscles of your mouth are not tense. It tends to be shorter than the U, too.
Instructions to make this sound: Are your lips somewhat rounded? Are the muscles of your
mouth relaxed?

Common problems:
Using a U sound so that "full" sounds like "fool."

Common spellings:
OO as in "book"
OO as in woman"
U as in "pull"

Example:
Would = understood you would
Full = a full moon
Pull = push or pull
Look = look at a good book
Should = should say goodnight

The rookie football player misunderstood the rules.

We took pudding and sugar cookies to the room.

5.5.10. O Sounds
The O sound requires your lips to be rounded into a circle, like the shape of the letter "O." It
sounds like the name of the letter "O.
It is a complete "O" sound.
Instructions to make this sound:
Is your lips rounded?
Is your tongue somewhat raised in the back of your mouth?
Are the muscles of your mouth tense?
Over = over before you know it
Open =open or close
Most = most of the coast
Phone = a modern cordless phone
Note = a note on the door
So = and so it goes
The CFO reported low corporate growth this quarter.
Let's focus on your cooperation and performance.

5.5.11. AI Sounds
The AI sound starts with the A ("ah") sound and moves into an EE sound.
The key is to make sure you this sound ends with the tense EE ("ah-ee"). If you don't, it
sounds like "ah." AI sounds like the name of the letter I
Instructions to make this sound: Can you hear two sounds? The AI sound moves from an A
sound to an EE sound.

5.5.12. OW Sounds
Make sure you begin with the open mouth A (ah) sound and end with the tense U -- with
your lips rounded. If you have trouble pronouncing this sound it is often because you don't end
up with the U. This is an especially difficult sound for Chinese speakers when it occurs in front
of an N sound: down, brown, town, around, found.
Instructions to make this sound: Do you hear two distinct sounds of AH and U. The sound
moves from A to U.

Example:
Out = go out now
Downtown = bought it downtown
Crowd = the crowd applauded
Mouse = found a mouse
Now = shou1d we announce it now
Allow = the county will allow
How about going downtown now?
He caught a rebound in an astounding foul play.

5.5.13. OY Sounds
Make sure you begin with the O sound and end with the tense EE (oee).
If you have trouble pronouncing this sound it is often because you don't end up with the EE.
French speakers often pronounce this sound like wah.
Instructions to make this sound: Do you hear two distinct sounds of O and EE. The sound
moves from O to EE.

Example:
Oil = employed by an oil company
Noisy = noisy employees
Join = join the union
Enjoy = enjoy the voyage
The invoice was soiled but not destroyed.
They found the boy's noise annoying.
6. American Intonation

One way to have an accent is to leave out sounds that should be there. Indians bring a rich
variety of voiced consonants to English that contribute to the heavy, rolling effect.
American Intonation Dos and Donts

Dont speak word by word.

Example: Callers like options.
If you speak word by word with no links or contradiction, you'll end up sounding mechanical.
You've noticed the same thing happening in your own language: When someone reads a
speech, even a native speaker sounds stiff, quite different from a normal conversational tone.

Connect words to form contradiction and sound Groups.

Example: kaallr zly Kaapsh 'nz
This is where you're going to think of things a little differently. Fortunately, for Indian
speakers, this is not at all a challenging aspect. Instead of thinking of each word as a unit,
think of sound unCorporation. These sound unCorporation may or may not correspond to a
word written on a page. Native speakers don't say He got a piece of pie, but [He gada peesa
pie]. Sound unit makes a sentence flow smoothly. You'll notice that there are lots of sentence
where we find a presence of contradiction and the purpose is that to get you comfortable
contracting your own speech. In conventional writing, of course, avoid using contradiction, but
when speaking, contract almost all pronouns and helping verbs.
Use staircase Intonation to stress Important Information.
Example:
Kaa Kaap
Lr Sh'nz
zly

Let those sound groups floating on the wavy river in the figure flow downhill and you'll get the
staircase. Staircase intonation not only gives you that American sound, it also makes you
sound much more confident.

6.1. Staircase Intonation

In saying your words, imagine that they come out as if they are sliding down a flight of
staircase; Every so often, one jumps up to another level, and then starts down again.
Americans tend to stretch out their hands longer than you may think is natural. So to lengthen
your vowel sound, put them on two stair steps instead of just one.

Example: We're Here

We He
 re re

If you don't double your words, you'll sound clipped, hard to understand or even cranky:

No
Clipped

No
Ou

Standard American

Note: Certain consonants act like a "Lock" at the end of a word by locking in the air flow. When
you have a one-syllable word ending in an unvoiced consonant P, F, S, SH, T, CH, K, and H
-the vowel is said quickly and in a single stair step. In all other case when a word end in a
vowel or a voiced consonants -- B, V, Z, ZH, D, TH, G etc - the vowel is on a double stair step,
because the airflow is "'unlocked".

Seed
Unvoiced

See
eed
Voiced

There are two main consequences of not doubling the second category of word: Either your
listener will hear the wrong words or even worse, you will always sound upset. In English the
words - Cur, Clipped, Terse and Abrupt all literally means short. When referring to a person or
to speech, they take on the meaning of upset or rude.
Example: In the expression, "His Curt reply", "Her terse response", "He was very short with
them", all indicates a negative situation.

6.1.1. Staircase and Pitch Change

What is intonation in American English? What do Americans do? We go up and down staircase.
We use higher notes for stressed words and a lower note for unstressed ones.

We Up Stair
Go And Steps
down
6.1.2. Three Ways To Make Intonation
We've talked about where to use intonation, but exactly how do you change your voice on a
particular word or syllable? There are three ways to stress a word.

The first is to just get louder or raise the volume.

The second way is to stretch the word out.
Third way, which is the best, is to change the pitch.

6.1.3. Voice Quality

In American English, deep resonant voice is considered attractive, competent and professional.
In my observation, when people speak a foreign language, they tense up their throat, so their
whole communication style sounds strained. The Indian speaker's voice is also generally higher
pitched than would be considered desirable.

6.2. Intonation and Phrasing

In addition to the intonation of a statement, there is another aspect of speech that indicates
meaning -- Phrasing
This is an extremely important aspect of intonation, as it goes beyond what you are trying to
say -- it dictates how your listener will relate to you as an individual if you will be considered
charming or rude, confident or nervous, informed or unfamiliar.
An extremely important part of intonation is inside a one-syllable word. Intonation in a one-
syllable word? Isn't that a contradiction in terms? No, we put in little sounds that are not in the
written language, but that convey a great deal of information in terms of who we are.
Have you ever caught just a snippet of a conversation in your own language, and somehow
known how to piece together what came before or after the part you heard? This has to do
with your natural understanding of phrasing. In a sentence, phrasing tells you where the
speaker is at the moment, where he is going, and if he is finished or not. Notice that the
intonation stays on the nouns.
1. Statement
Stress the nouns and let the tone fall at the end of the sentence.
"Dogs eat bones."

2. First half, second half

The first half of a sentence usually sets up the second half
Dogs eat bones, but cats eat fish.

3. lntro Phrase
When you want to preface your statement, use a rising tone.
As we all know, dogs eat bones.

4. Listing
With more than one item in a list, all but the last one have a rising tone.
"Dogs eat bones, kibbles and meat."

5. Question
A regular question goes up (compared with a statement), but drops back down at the end.
Do dogs eat bones?

6. Repeated Question
A repeated, rhetorical or emotional question goes up, and then up again at the end.
"Do dogs eat bones?!"

You'll notice, of course, that the dogs-eat-bones sentence uses simple nouns and simple
verbs. An extremely important part of intonation is compound nouns and complex verb tenses.

6.3. Compound Noun Intonation

One of the first things you-learn about intonation is that nouns carry the new information, and
consequently, they carry the stress in a sentence.

Dogs eat bones.

But what if you have an adjective with the noun, or two nouns together -- on which word do
you stress?
In this case, you have to make a simple decision: Either stress on the first word or the second
word (rarely both). How do you know which one to stress? Well, if it is a description (with no
contrast), skim over the adjective and stress the noun:
"A nice guy"
"A big house"
"A good idea"

If you have two nouns that form a compound noun, stress the first word:
A hot dog
A notebook
A picture frame
This will explain why we say:
He lives in a-white house.
He lives in the White House.
After you have mastered first-word or second-word stress, you can go on the more complex
intonation:
It's a pot.
It's new.
It's a new pot.
It's brand new.
It's a brand new pot.
It's a teapot.
It's a new teapot.
It's a brand new teapot.
It's a teapot lid.
It's a new teapot lid.
It's a brand new teapot lid.

6.4. Complex verb Intonation

One of the most interesting thing about English is that you can have a simple sentence such as
"Dogs eat bones" And the same sentence with a much more complex verb tense, but you will
keep the same intonation pattern:

"The dogs will have eaten the bones."

Because they are both Noun-Verb-Noun sentences with no contrast, you automatically stress
the noun each time. The verb is said very quickly and without much stress at all. Furthermore,
the natural make the sound very different from the spelling:
"Dogs eat bones."
[dag zeet bounz]
"The dogs will have eaten the bones."
[the dag z'l'veetn the bounz]

When you switch to a Pronoun- Verb-Pronoun sentence, the liaisons are the same, but the
main verb is stressed.
"They eat them."
[they ee dm.]
"They will have eaten them."
[they Iv ee(t)n'm.]

Contrast
Once the intonation of new information is established, you'll soon notice that there is a pattern
that breaks that flow. When you want to emphasize one thing over another, you reflect this
contrast with pitch change. Notice how the intonation indicates contrast:

Bob studies English.

Bob studies English, but he doesn't use it.
If a person consistently stresses "contrast words" as opposed to "new information words", he
can end up sounding permanently argumentative:
"I said it is good."
"He doesn't like it. Where are you going?"
Additionally, mixed messages occur when modals or verbs of perception are stressed -- you
end up with the opposite meaning!
"People should exercise more, but....."
"They would help us, if. . ."
"It looks like Channel, but at that price, it's a knock-off."
"He seems like a nice guy, but once you get to know him."

Exercise:
A good exercise to demonstrate the variety of meaning through intonation changes is to take a
single sentence, try stressing each, word in turn, and see the totally different meanings that
come out.
1. I didn't say he stole the money.
2. I didn't say he stole the money.
3. I didn't say he stole the-money.
4. I didn't say he stole- the money.
5. I didn't say he stole the money.
6. I didn't say he stole the money.
7. I didn't say he stole the money.

Once you are clear on the intonation changes in the seven sentences, you can add context
words to clarify the meaning:
1. I didn't say he stole the money, someone else said it.
2. I didn't say he stole the money, that's not true at all.
3. I didn't say he stole the money, I only suggested the possibility.
4. I didn't say he stole the money, I think someone else took it.
5. I didn't say he stole the money, may be he just borrowed it.
6. I didn't say he stole the money, but rather some other money.
7. I didn't say he stole the money; he may have taken some jewelry.
7. Telephone Dialogues
Here we will go over several common scenarios in business situations, involving business
etiquette, telephone terminology and disputed resolution techniques.

7.1. Clarifying Doubts

Recruiter: Thank You for calling ABC Insurance. This is Betty. How may I help you?
Caller: Yes, hello, Hello? Is this an actual person? Not a machine?
Recruiter: Yes, how may I help you?
Caller: Well, I have an insurance policy with you and I had a fender bender yesterday, and I
can't tell if I'm covered or not.
Recruiter: Do you have your policy number?
Caller: Yes, it's "S23859".
Recruiter: Are you Mrs. Wilkins?
Caller: Yes, dear. I am. Am I covered? Will there be any charges?
Recruiter: Let's see here __it looks like you have full coverage and not just PL & PD, so if you
take the car to your mechanic for an estimate, and then submit the bill to us, you will be
reimbursed in full.
Caller: Oh, thank you! That's just wonderful.
Recruiter: You're very welcome. At this time, would you be interested in adding a life
insurance policy to your portfolio.

7.2. Allaying confusion

Recruiter: Thank you for calling ABC Corporation. This is Betty. How may I help you?
Caller: What is wrong with you people over there?! Can't you mail out a simple order? Do I
have to spend my life tracking down every little thing you're suppose to send me? How can I
run my business if you don't keep up your end?
Recruiter: I'm sorry you're having difficulty with an order, sir. Could you tell me specifically
what happened?
Caller: Again?! Don't you keep records over there? I've called sixteen time about this and you
don't even remember!
Recruiter: Sir, if I could get your 'name and candidate ID number, I could look up.
Caller: How many times do I have to tell you??!! It Edgar Smythe. S-M-Y-T-H-E. I ordered a
glass figurine on the 8th and it still isn't here!!
Recruiter: I do apologize for that, Mr. Smythe. I'm showing that it was shipped on the
morning of the 9th. I have a tracking number here let me see, it says that Joey Smythe signed
for it on the 10th.
Caller: What!!!? Joey signed for it? That Kid! He never even mentioned it. Well, I guess I owe
you an apology! I kind of went off on you there.
Recruiter: That's all right, sir. I understand how frustrating it can be. Is there anything else I
can do for you today?
Caller: No, and thanks for getting that out on time.
Recruiter: Thank you for using ABC

7.3. Dispute Resolution

Recruiter: Thank you for calling ABC Corporation. This is Betty. How may I help you?
Caller: I'm really upset that I can get this $200 bill taken care of. I've spoken with three
different people there, and each one has said that it's been entered into the computer as paid,
and then I get another bill in the mail. And there are all kinds of penalty fees and, interest
tacked on. I'm really ticked off and thinking about canceling my account with you people.
Recruiter: I'm really sorry that this has caused you so much trouble. Let me look into it and
take care of it right away. Now, I know that you've been through this a couple of times now,
but if I could get your account information one more time, I'll be able to take care of this for
you.
Caller: That's OK. My number is 5438-0394-8251.
Recruiter: What's the name on the account?
Caller: Gennifer Wilson with a G.
Recruiter: OK, Ms. Wilson, I see what the problem is. You have two accounts and apparently
the money was applied to your other account. I've now credited your main account. I've now
credited your main account with $ 200, and the next billing cycle should reflect this change. Of
course, the amount will be deducted from your other account, as is was improperly credited.
Does this take care of it for you, Ms. Wilson?
Caller: Well, I hope so. What's your name, again? Ah, Betty. What your: direct number in
case the bill is wrong?
Recruiter: We don't have direct numbers, and any Recruiter can take care of this for you, but
I'm the only Betty here, so you can ask for me. Is there any thing else I can do for you today?

7.4. Technical Explanation

Recruiter: I think that we've found the problem. Sometimes when you use a different size
paper in the fax machine, it jams up. What size paper are you using?
Caller: The usual A4.
Recruiter: A4? Isn't that a little longer and narrower than 8 1/2 by 11?
Caller: I'm not sure; it's what we use in France
8. Candidate Service
8.1. The three Rs
Respect
Responsiveness
Responsibility

8.2. Candidate perception

Factors which may, Influence the candidates' Perception
Instructions: Examine the word lists below.
1. Tone, down negative thought:
2. Intensify positive thoughts

I feel

Disappointed Dissatisfied Discourage Defeated

Frustrated foiled Stalled Exasperated
Irritated Annoyed Peeved Mad
Angry Upset Furious Enraged
Stunned Appalled Shocked Outraged
Puzzled Mixed Up Confused Jumbled
Perplexed Stumped Baffled Mystified
Tired Exhausted Drowsy Sleepy

I feel
Pleased Glad Cheerful Happy
Excited Joyous Thrilled Ecstatic
Alive Energetic Radiant Exuberant
Content Calm Peaceful Tranquil
Secure Confident Bold Courageous
Useful Productive helpful Resourceful
Creative Inventive Ingenious Brilliant
Thoughtful Generous Bighearted Noble
INTENSITY OF WORDS == EMOTIONAL INTENSITY

8.3. THE THREE GOALS OF LISTENING

8.3.1. Hear the candidate
Acknowledge Noise, distractions, concentration
Alleviate Block out noise, focus on the point, put worries aside until later

8.3.2. Understand the candidate

Analyze Main points, support points, candidate details
Clarify Ask questions when candidate's words are vague or unclear

Analyze
Instructions: You will hear the facilitator speaking to the class as if he or she is a candidate
who is explaining something to you, the Recruiter, Answer the three questions below in the
space provided.
What was the main reason the candidate called?
What is her secondary need?
What information provided by the candidate is not directly related to the problem?

STOP HERE.

CLARIFY
Instructions: The facilitator will read a series of candidate statements. Ask candidate a series
of clarification questions related to the problem.

8.3.3. Relates to the Candidate

Paraphrase Restate the candidate need or concern into own words
Empathize Establish rapport, response to words & emotions, convey understanding,
agreement, use attentive words, and avoid filler

Paraphrase

Instructions: Read the statements below and circle the letter of the response that most
effectively paraphrases the candidates statement.
1. "I like the idea of having a password to access my account. I just cant seem to remember it
and end up not using my Internet access.
You're afraid that you cant remember your password, right?
So, a password that you can remember might work for you?"
"It sounds like you are interested in having an Internet account.

2. I don 'think an Internet account will work for me. I am concerned about my privacy and
security when sending an email.
"It sounds like you are looking for security and privacy in your email correspondence.
You don't think the Internet is secure?
So, you're not interested in hearing about our unlimited internet access.

3. I like the idea of having a new product every two years, I am afraid it may cost too much.
It sounds like you're interested in our Membership Program
So you think our services are two expensive?
You're concerned that the charges for the membership program will be more than you'd like
to spend. Is that correct?

EMPATHY

Instructions: For each candidate statement below work with a partner. Write an empathetic
response to the candidate.

John Peters: I can't believe I forgot to connect the monitor to the PC. How stupid of me!

Vera Ingram: Ive tried setting up the printer several times. I know Im doing it right, but its
not working!

Lee Chen: I think this Best Value Program is wonderful.

8.4. Six Steps for Handling Challenging Candidates

8.4.1. Dont Get Hooked; Stay Calm.
Use the STOP technique:
Signals:
Be aware of the signals your body sends that indicate youre getting hooked into the
candidates anger.
Take control:
Halt your own anger before you really do lose control.
Opposite:
Breathe deeply, smile, relax and focus on feeling all tension being drained from your body,
from head to toe
Practice:
Practice not allowing the candidate to hook you into an emotional response or otherwise
provoke you. With practice, you can treat challenging candidates objectively and avoid getting
hooked.

8.4.2. Let the Candidate Vent

Listen carefully, take a few notes, and dont interrupt, even if you already have the solution. If
you interrupt, the candidate may lose his place and have to start over again, from the
beginning. The candidate has called to have his or her say, and wont be satisfied until you
grant that wish. Period.

8.4.3. Empathize with the Candidates Emotions

After you have allowed the candidate to vent:

Paraphrase the candidate's concerns and focus on the candidates emotions, even if you
already have the solution to candidate's problem.

Show empathy sincerely. For example, you might say:

That must have been annoying, Mr. Jaarez.
I can certainly understand you frustration.
Id call, too if that happened to me, Mrs. Ortiz.

Get agreement from the candidate that you understand correctly so far.

Ask the candidate to tell you more

Thank the candidate for his or her feedback

(Ex. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Mr. Harris.)
At this stage, the candidate is not ready to hear a solution yet. You must deal with the
candidates anger before you can start to work on the solution. Remember emotions first.

8.4.4. Avoid Trigger Words and Phrases.

Trigger words and phrases are those that seem to make candidates angrier, not less. Why?
Because they demonstrate to candidates that your focus is on policies and procedures, instead
of where it belongs: on them.
Examples include:
Avoid Trigger Phrases Instead, say.
Im sorry, but.. What I/we can do is.
I dont know. That's a good question I'll find out for you May I put
you on hold while I get that information
Its company policy, sir/maam.
You should have.
I suppose I can, but that would require
too much paperwork.
That's incorrect. Someone gave you
the wrong information. Who told you
that?
I cant do that.
I'm not responsible for what other
people promise.
That's a tough one. Lets see what we can do (Avoid
using sir or ma'am.)
I have updated information for you
I'll need a couple of minutes to help you with that.
The person who helped you before must not have
had complete information available. The information
you need is.
The best way for me to help you is to put in touch
with/direct you to.
Thank you. I appreciate your feedback on what we've
been doing right and wrong.

8.4.5. Gently Set LimCorporation with Abusive Candidates.

Instead of telling the Candidate to calm down:
Inform him or her that you want to help, but that you are not required to listen to abusive
language. Politely ask the candidate to continue, but without the profanity.

8.4.6. Delay Action Momentarily

In some cases, it may help if you tell the candidate you need a few moments to consult with a
supervisor or manager regarding the candidate concern. A few moments delay will give you a
chance to regain your composure if youre starting to get hooked by the candidates emotions,
and it will make the candidate feel better that his her problem is being taken care to the higher
authority. It sends the message that the candidate is being taken seriously.
9. Call Structuring
We have used the phone all our lives. Is there something wrong with the way we use it. Why
do we need to know how best to use it?
That's right. We probably grew up with the phone and take it for granted.
But, some of the reasons why we should pay attention to it are:
It is one of the most important and convenient ways to do business today.
You can access more people and more information than ever before.
You can buy almost anything or do any transaction over the phone.

Candidates want to do more and more business over the phone because:
Its convenient
Its quicker
Its easier
It saves time
It saves money

This is the GOOD news

The BAD news is that in a single year 18,200,000 Candidates were LOST due to poor telephone
service.
And the WORSE news is that WE as people handling those phones were perhaps responsible
for it!
So, can we afford to loose candidates because we did not handle the phone properly?

9.1. Inbound call

Opening a Call
Good Morning, this is Mary. How may I help you?
Hi! This is Mary. How may I help you?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Developing a Call
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Proposing a Solution
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Gaining Agreement
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Closing
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Handling Incoming Calls

Why would some one call you?

Because:
For information about products or services, to buy those products or services or to do routine
transactions with your organization.
They have a problem/issue that needs resolution. No one calls you out of idle curiosity.
They expect that the right person would answer the call promptly, that it will be treated with
emergency and that it will get them the desired result / action.
And all this should happen in a hassle free manner.
When candidates call us, things we do or do not do would ensure whether they have a good
experience and get the solution they were looking for or not.

9.2. Outbound call

The outbound call structure is slightly different. In incoming call, the first half of the call
belongs to the candidate whereas in outbound calls, the first half belongs to the Recruiter.
Opening the call:
Hi! This is Mary calling from INDOSYS CORPORATION. Can I speak to Mr. George Smith
please?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Identifying the candidate
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Stating the purpose of the call:
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Listening to the candidate:
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Negotiating and striking the deal:
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Closing:
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Handling Outbound Calls

When initiating a call, get as much information as possible about the candidate prior to
making the call.

Announce yourself giving details like your name, company and purpose of the call.
Identify the person you want to reach.
If you cant reach the person, find out when they may be available so that you can call
again, your name and the likely time when you will call again.

Since the listener doesn't have the benefit of being able to see you, choose your words
carefully.

Use words that will put listener in the picture.

Avoid ambiguous words that can lead to confusion.
Spell difficult or confusing words.
During the conversation, check from time to time for listeners understanding.
Repeat and check for names, phone numbers, instructions & directions.

While making a call

Feel positive
Be alert
Tune in to the candidate to understand their needs
Avoid distractions
Focus only on your call
Have all candidate details ready
Speak clearly and plainly
Check for understanding

Building Rapport over the phone

Answer the phone promptly

Smile and give a genuine greeting
 Treat the caller as a special individual
Giving undivided attention to the caller
Showing empathy to their situation
Providing them a prompt and desirable solution
Thanking them
Following Up
Delivering what was promised

9.3. Conference call

When a complaint cannot be resolved by the Recruiter and needs to be escalated to some one
more senior or a technical expert, using a conference call is the most efficient use of time. It is
referred to as "soft" transfer. It accomplishes two objectives: the candidates problem is
resolved in the same call and the Recruiter also learns how to handle that problem in future.
If a problem requires an immediate resolution and you have to place a conference
call, do the following:

Place the candidate on hold. However, before doing that, ask permission to do so and tell
them the reason for putting them on hold.

Call the professional and ensure that he or she is the correct person to handle the call
Give the professional a description of the problem and callers name.
Conference the candidate in, introduce them to the professional and give the professional
the information the candidate has provided to you.

Once the problem has been resolved, thank the professional for his assistance.
Break the conference and close the call by thanking the candidate for his cooperation.

9.4. Hold procedure

Being put on hold is perhaps the biggest frustration of any caller. Calls abruptly put on hold,
for minutes on end leave a caller wondering if the person on the other side is really concerned
about him. When you do have to put a caller on hold
Please ask them if they are able to hold.
Tell them the time you expect to take so that they are not left wondering about how long they
have to hold.

Thank them for holding on.

Is it OK for you to hold on? It'll take me 2 minutes to gather the information you want.
And then Thank you for holding on.
9.5. Transferring call
When your phone rings and you realize that the call is actually for some one else

Tell the caller who is the correct person and offer to find out if they are present.
If the person is available, inform the caller that you are transferring the call to them.
Also give the caller the extension number of the person in case the transfer fails.
While transferring a call, pass on the full details of the caller and situation so that the caller
does not have to repeat herself again.

If the person is not available to take the call, offer to take a message.
Remember not to ask the candidate to can back again because you don't know how to
transfer the call. If you really don't know, please find out how to do it. NOW!

"Hello, can I talk to Andrea?"

"Oh, you've got the wrong extension. She is in the training department. "
"Oh sorry, could you please transfer the call to her?"
"I don't know how to transfer the call. Can you please call the board number again and ask for
her"
Or
"I am not sure I can transfer this correctly. Anyway, I'll try and if it gets disconnected, please
call again."

Is this the correct way to handle the call or is there a better way of doing it.

The Better Way

"Good morning, Gabriela"
Can I talk to Andrea?"
Sure. Andreas extension is 250 and I'll transfer the call to her. May I know your name and
contact number please, just in case the call gets disconnected.
"My name is Mick and my number is 636-812-4000"

If Andrea is available, tell her that it is Mick on line for her. After confirming Andreas
availability inform Mick that you are transferring the call to her.
"Andrea, Hi this is Gabriela. Mick wants to talk to you and I'll just transfer the line.
Mick, I am transferring the call to Andrea. Bye"

If Andrea is not available, offer to take a message.

"Mick, Andrea is currently not available to take your call. Would you like to leave a message
for her or is there anyone else you would like to speak to?"
If Mick does leave a message, make sure that you take the details correctly and pass it on to
Andrea.

Ways to give callers a BAD experience

Make them wait in a queue

Pass them from department to department or person to person
Make them repeat their story each time you transfer them
Get them disconnected because you didn't know how to transfer the call.
Put them on hold and force them to listen to music
Treat them as nobody
Tell them Corporation not your fault/job/problem
Don't give them a satisfactory solution
Forget to follow up

Ways to give callers a GOOD experience

Don't make them hold on for an eternity

Treat them as individuals and make them feel that they are important to you
Listen to them
Show understanding and empathy
Deal with their call efficiently
Accept responsibility
Respond promptly and give them the result/action they want
Make a follow up call
Exceed their expectation

Answering the Phone

A few things that you can do to give callers a positive experience while answering the phone:

Always answer a call promptly at the first ring.

Stop doing any other work that you were doing and prepare to answer the phone
Have a pen and paper ready to take notes or if doing it over the computer, make sure you
can access the right screens and fields

Stop chewing gum or anything else. It is not only bad manners, it also makes your voice
unclear to the caller

Pick up the phone and announce yourself clearly

Announcing Yourself
"Hello'
"Is that INDOSYS CORPORATION"
"Yes"
"Can I talk to Gabriela Please?"
"This is Gabriela Speaking"
So, just saying "hello" can waste time.
Announce yourself with a greeting, the name of your company or department and your own
name.

"Thank you for calling INDOSYS CORPORATION. Gabriela Speaking"

Or
"Good morning Candidate Service, Gabriela on line"
And remember, SMILING when you announce yourself means that the candidate hears it too
and it makes you sound as if you are pleased to receive the call. Which you should be!!!

Announcing Yourself - If it is someone else's phone.

Let the caller know that you are answering on some one else's behalf. "
Good morning, Andrea's phone, Gabriela speaking."

Taking Message
Take the message clearly and establish details like
Name of the caller
Their organization
Their contact details
Message, if any
Specific action required

Write down the message clearly and deliver it with your name and date and time of call
mentioned clearly.
If necessary, follow up to give the candidate a status report
Andrea has been delayed and I don't think she'll be available today. Would you like to speak
to anyone else?

When the call is not for you,

Don't put the blame elsewhere.
This is not Andreas phone, you've got the wrong extension - implies that it is the callers fault
that he has got your number.

This is not Andrea's phone, I think you have been transferred to the wrong department -
implies that the person who transferred the call is at fault.

This approach does not really help the candidate. Instead,

If it is for a specific person, transfer the phone to them.
Or else, establish what the caller requires and transfer the call to the person concerned.
If the person concerned is not available, please take a message for them.
10. Annexure 1: Abbreviation & Glossary
10.1. Abbreviations, Definitions, and Acronyms
Abbreviation Description

10.2. Glossary