FUNCTIONAL ENGLISH

What is Functional English

 Functional English is usage of the

English language required to
perform a specific function.

 A good command of English is

often required for academic and
career progression.
Functional English is used in various
situations like …
 Greeting Friends, elders, superiors, strangers
 Introducing self & others
 Making Telephone calls or answering them
 Asking for or giving information
 Asking for things in shops, counters &
restaurants
 Describing things, people, places or processes
 Expressing opinions or reactions to
programmes, plays, books or films
Functional English is used in various
situations like…

 Participating in discussions & debates

 Giving or receiving Instructions
 Narrating anecdotes, stories & discussing
them
 Carry on sustained conversation with
friends or strangers
 Giving a report of an event
Features of Functional English

Functional English is related to spoken

form

 Spoken language is less structured, a little

loose,
 We don’t have to be sticklers for too correct
grammar
 Spoken language is more informal, more
spontaneous like yeah for yes
 Speaking is processed in real time
 Speaking depends on intonation, stress, facial
expression, body language, speed of delivery
Objectives:

To make us aware that as engineers we

will later be dealing with all kinds of
people, clients, colleagues senior or
junior, friends & strangers. In all these
kinds of professional or social
encounters, it is our conversational
skills & emotional Intelligence that will
play a key role in executing our work
& contribute to our success in the
chosen profession.
 Objectives of Learning
Functional English
 Ability to respond quickly and accurately in
speech situations
 Knowledge of sufficient vocabulary to use
with grammar patterns.
 A practical command of the four skills of the
language with special emphasis on oral
skill.
 Accuracy in both pronunciation and
grammar
 Automatic control of basic structures and
sentence patterns.
Learning Techniques and
Activities

 Dialogues
 Role plays
 A situational presentation of
new sentence patterns.
 Drills to practice the patterns.
3 Things a Speaker needs to keep in
mind
 Why am I speaking? (Purpose)
For Ex: Am I requesting?
Am I complaining?
Am I telling a story?
Am I instructing?

 Who am I speaking to?

For Ex: A stranger, a friend, a superior

 The setting
For Ex: Is it a formal or informal setting?
Office or at home
For Interactional Function, a Speaker
needs…
 Use of correct sounds (pronunciation, intonation &
stress)
 Use of correct structures (syntax)
 Acceptable degree of fluency (vocabulary & grammar)
 Transactional & interpersonal skills
 Taking short & long turns while speaking
 Management of interaction
 Negotiating Meaning
 Listening skills
 Using formulaic language (stock sentences)
 Wow, that’s a great outfit you are wearing,
 Oh! Really….
 That’s too bad. / Sad….
Things that matter while
conversing

 Clarity
 Voice modulation
 Facial Expression
 Body language
 Positioning
 Speed of delivery
Conversational Skills
In a conversation, a speaker needs to know

 When to initiate a conversation,

 How to maintain a conversation,
 How to close the conversation
Initiating an conversation
What do we do for Initiating an
conversation?

 Greetings
 Introductions
 Attention getting
 Acknowledging presence
 Example

Anusha: Hello Nalini, How are you?

Nalini: Am good, how are you?
Anusha: Fine
Nalini: And how’s you project coming along?
Anusha: It’s progressing well, thanks. Hey look,
there’s Deepak. Deepak, hi, how are things?
Deepak: Things are just great, oh hello, Anusha.
Haven’t seen you for ages, where have
you been?
Anusha: Was out of station the whole of last
week. Went to attend my cousins wedding,
Deepak: I see.
 What do we do to maintain a
conversation?

 Asking questions?
 Responding
 Giving Information
 Explaining
 Encouraging
Maintaining a Conversation

An Example:
Kishore: Ramesh! How nice to hear from you.
Have you had a good holiday?
Ramesh: Had a wonderful time. I went away
actually
Kishore: Oh, did you? Where?
Ramesh: Guntur
Kishore: How nice!
Ramesh: We went to see my parents
Kishore: Really, where do they live in Guntur?
Ramesh: In a small village near Guntur actually,
it’s a place called Vadlamudi.
 What do we do to close a
Conversation?

 Announcing departure
 Reason
 Thanking
 Apologies
 Saying goodbye
 Closing a Conversation

An Example:
Anusha: Gosh! It’s almost eleven, I really must
go.
Nalini: Are you sure, you don’t want to join me
for lunch?
Anusha: I have a meeting with my team at 12.
Nalini: Well, it has been nice talking to you, that
too after such along time. We hardly meet
these days. Anyways keep in touch
Anusha: I sure will. Sorry to rush off like this. Bye
Nalini : Bye
Stock Expressions

Expressions of politeness:
 If it is not inconvenient
 If you don’t mind
 I don’t know if you will agree with me
 I would be happy.
 Some polite question forms:
 Would you mind…?
 Would you mind helping…?
 Would you like to have…?
 Could I speak to …please?
Stock Expressions
 Suggestion : Would you like me to get you the
newspaper?
 Request : Could you open the window please?
 Offering Help : Would you like me to carry your bag?
 Inviting : Would you like to join us for tea this evening?
 Permission : May I use your phone?
 Excuse me sir, would you mind if I came an hour late…
 Apologizing : I am extremely sorry for my assistant’s
behavior
 Complaining : I am sorry to bring to your notice…
 I am afraid the machine is faulty…
 Agreeing : Yes, I can see your point of view…
 Disagreeing : Well, I don’t quite see it that way…
 Taking the initiative : May I suggest…
How about…
 Introducing People
 What's your name?
 Who are you?
 My name is ...
 I am ...
 My friends call me ...
 You can call me ...
 Haven't we met
(before)?
 Yes, I think we have.
 No, I don't think we
have. I think we've
already met.
 I don't think we've met
(before).
 This is ...
 Meet ...
 Have you met ...?
 Yes, I have.
 No, I haven't.
 Yes, I think I have.
 No, I don't think I
have.
 Hello, ... (name)
 Nice to meet you.
(informal)
 Pleased to meet you.
 How do you do?
(formal)
 Nice to see you.
 Nice to see you again.
 Say Goodbye

 Good bye.
 Bye. / See you.
 See you later.
 See you soon.
 See you tomorrow.
 See you next week.
 Good night.
 Health
 How are you?  What's wrong with
 How are you today? you?
 Fine, thank  What's the matter
you/thanks. with you?
 Not too bad.  Are you all right?
 Very well.  I'm tired .
 I'm okay / all right.
 I'm exhausted .
 Not too well,
actually.  I've got a cold.
 Stating your Opinion
 It seems to me that ...
 In my opinion, ...
 I am of the opinion that .../
I take the view that ..
 My personal view is that ...
 In my experience ...
 As far as I understand / can
see, ...
 As I see it, ... / From my
point of view ...
 As far as I know ... / From
what I know ...
 I might be wrong but ...
 If I am not mistaken ...
 I believe one can (safely)
say ...
 It is claimed that ...
 I must admit that ...
 I cannot deny that ...
 I can imagine that ...
 I think/believe/suppose ...
 Personally, I think ...
 That is why I think ...
 I am sure/certain/convinced
that ...
 I am not sure/certain, but ...
 I am not sure, because I
don't know the situation
exactly.
 I am not convinced that ...
 I have read that ...
 I am of mixed opinions
(about / on) ...
 I am of mixed opinions
about / on this.
 I have no opinion in this
matter.
 Outlining Facts
 The fact is that
 The (main) point is that ...
 This proves that ...
 What it comes down to is that ...
 It is obvious that ...
 It is certain that ...
 One can say that ...
 It is clear that ...
 There is no doubt that ...
 Expression of Agreement
 There are many reasons for ...
 There is no doubt about it that ...

 I simply must agree with that.

 I am of the same opinion.

 I am of the same opinion as the

author.
 I completely/absolutely agree with the
author.
 Qualified Disagreement

 It is only partly true that...

 I can agree with that only with
reservations.
 That seems obvious, but ...

 That is not necessarily so.

 It is not as simple as it seems.

 Under certain circumstances ...

 Disagreement
 There is more to it than that.
 The problem is that ...
 I (very much) doubt whether ...
 This is in complete contradiction to ...
 What is even worse, ...
 I am of a different opinion because ...
 I cannot share this / that / the view.
 I cannot agree with this idea.
 What I object to is ...
 Unlike the author I think ...
 Linking Arguments
 First of all, I think ...
 Not only that, but I also
think that ...
 Not only are they ..., they
are also ...
 They are not ..., nor are
they ...
 There are
various/several/many
reasons for this.
 First, ... / Firstly, ...
 Second, ... / Secondly, ...
 Moreover, ... /
Furthermore, ... / In
addition, ...
 Another significant point is
that ...
 Finally, ...
 That is why ...
 After all, ...
 The reason is that ...
 In that respect ...
 The result of this is that ...
 Another aspect/point is
that ...
 It is because ...
 Although it is true that ... it
would be wrong to claim
that ...
 That may sometimes be
true, but ...
 One could argue that ...,
but ...
 On the one hand, ... On the
other hand, ...
 Providing Examples

 Take for example (the case of) ...

 Look at ...
 For instance ... / For example ...
 Let me give you an example.
 Additions and Conclusion
 Most probably ...
 It appears to be ...
 It is important to mention that...
 As I already indicated ...
 In other words, ...
 I am most concerned about ...
 I should like to repeat once again that ...
 I should like to emphasise that ...
 I would (just) like to add ...
 So all in all I believe that...
 (In) summing up it can be said that ...
 Weighing the pros and cons, I come to the
conclusion that ...
 Conjunctions
 but / still / however  or
 especially / mainly /  as soon as
particularly
 as long as
 before
 finally / eventually
 as / because / since
 so that  in spite of / even so / all
the same
 then / after that
 that's why / so  perhaps ...
 either ... or  above all
 after all  neither ... nor
 after  because
 of course  first of all
 though / although / even  for example / for
though instance
 Weather
 What's the weather like  sunny
today?  cloudy
 What will the weather  overcast
be like tomorrow?  foggy
 Nice day today, isn't it?  stormy
 What awful weather!  windy
 What a lovely day!  cold
 It's raining.  warm
 It's snowing.  hot
 It's …  Yesterday it was …
 Tomorrow it will be …
Learning Outcomes
Should be able to initiate, sustain &
effectively terminate a conversation
Should be able to persuade & convince
other’s with your point of view
Should narrate & make a factual oral
report of an incident
Should be able to conceptualize & speak of
hypothetical scenarios.
Thank Q