CSEET Reference Reading Material I PDF

CS E ET REFERENCE READING MATERIAL – I Part 1 : Business Communication Part 2 : Legal Aptitude and Logical Reasoning Part 3 : Economic and Business Environment ICSI House, 22, Instuonal Area, Lodi Road, New Delhi 110 003 tel 011-4534 1000 fax +91-...

CS E ET REFERENCE READING MATERIAL – I Part 1 : Business Communication Part 2 : Legal Aptitude and Logical Reasoning Part 3 : Economic and Business Environment ICSI House, 22, Instuonal Area, Lodi Road, New Delhi 110 003 tel 011-4534 1000 fax +91-11-2462 6727 email [email protected] website www.icsi.edu i April, 2024 Price Rs. 1,000/- (Set of 2 Books) (Excluding Postage) © THE INSTITUTE OF COMPANY SECRETARIES OF INDIA All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be translated or copied in any form or by any means without the prior permission of The Institute of Company Secretaries of India. Disclaimer : Although due care and diligence have been taken in preparation of this reference reading material, the Institute shall not be responsible for any loss or damage, resulting from any action taken on the basis of the contents of this material. Anyone wishing to act on the basis of the material contained herein should do so after cross checking with the original source. Published by : THE INSTITUTE OF COMPANY SECRETARIES OF INDIA ICSI House, 22, Institutional Area, Lodi Road New Delhi 110 003 Phones : 011-4534 1000, 4150 4444 Fax +91-11-2462 6727 E-mail : [email protected] Website : www.icsi.edu Laser Typeset by: AArushi Graphics, New Delhi ii  CSEET REFERENCE READING MATERIAL – I Page No. PART 1 : BUSINESS COMMUNICATION 1 PART 2 : LEGAL APTITUDE AND LOGICAL REASONING 175 PART 3 : ECONOMIC AND BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT 431 (FOR MCQS, PLEASE REFER CSEET GUIDE - I) iii iv  Business Communication PART 1 : BUSINESS COMMUNICATION LESSONS 1. Essentials of Good English 9 2. Communication 79 3. Business Correspondence 109 4. Common Business Terminologies 149 1 Business Communication SYLLABUS PART 1 : BUSINESS COMMUNICATION Objective: l To test the knowledge of the candidates pertaining to essentials of English Grammar and critical aspects of Business Communication. Total Marks : 50 S. No. Topic Sub Topic 1 Essentials of Good l English Grammar and its usage-Noun, Pronouns, Verbs, English Adjectives, Adverbs, Prepositions, Conjunctions, Interjection, Voice, Articles, Tenses, Prefix, Suffix, Combination words and Punctuations l Enriching Vocabulary-Choice of words, Synonyms and Antonyms l Common errors in English l Words with multiple meaning l One word substitution l Words frequently mis-spelt l Homophones l Idioms and phrases l Proverbs l Abbreviations l Para jumbles l Sentence completion l Sentence arrangement l Sentence correction l Foreign words and phrases commonly used l Comprehension of passage and art of Summarizing 2 Communication l Concept of Communication, Meaning and Significance of Good Communication l Business Communication - Principles and Process l Means of Communication - Written, Oral, Visual Audiovisual l Choice of Modes of Communication l Communication Networks- vertical, circuit, chain, wheel, star 2  Business Communication S. No. Topic Sub Topic l Commonly used Mediums of Digital Communication - Email, SMS, Voice mail, Multimedia, Teleconferencing, Mobile Phone Conversation and Video Conferencing l Listening Skills-Types, Purpose, Steps to Effective Listening, Barriers to Effective Listening and Ways to overcome the Barriers l Barriers to Effective Communication and Ways to overcome the Barriers 3 Business l Business Letters - Its Essentials, Parts, Types and Salutations Correspondence l Positive Messages, Negative Messages and Persuasive Messages l Business Reports, Inter and Intra-departmental Communication - Office Orders, Office Circulars, Memorandum, Office Notes and Management Information System (MIS) l Concept of Web, Internet and E-correspondence l Intranet- Benefit and Purpose l Email - Features, Procedure to Write a Formal Email and Email Etiquettes l Essential Elements of Email- Subject line, Formal Greeting, Target Audience (Reader), Clarity and Conciseness, Formal Closing, Proof reading and Feedback l Advantages and Disadvantages of Email 4 Common Business l Terms defined under various Laws, Rules and Regulations Terminologies including Financial and Non-Financial terms and expressions. 3 Business Communication CONTENTS LESSON 1 ESSENTIALS OF GOOD ENGLISH English Grammar and its Usage 10 – Parts of Speech in English 10 – Nouns 10 – Kinds of Nouns 11 – Pronouns 11 – Adjectives 11 – Verbs 11 – Adverbs 12 – Preposition 12 – Interjection 13 – Articles 13 – Tenses 14 – Sentence Construction 15 – Prefixes and Suffixes 18 – Combination Words 23 – Punctuations 24 – Uses of Punctuation Marks 24 – Omission of Full Stop 25 – Possession and other kinds of relationship 29 – Crescent brackets 31 Enriching Vocabulary 32 – Introduction 32 1. Choice of Words 33 2. Synonyms 35 3. Antonyms 37 4. Homophone 38 4  Business Communication – Comprehension of Passage and Art of Summarising 67 – Introduction 67 LESSON 2 COMMUNICATION Concept and Significance 80 – Significance of Communication 80 – The Framework 81 – Introduction to Business Communication 82 – 6 Reasons Why Business Communication Is Important 83 – Types of Business Communication 84 – Methods of Communication for Business 87 – Process of Communication 87 – Means of Communication 88 Choice of Modes of Communication 89 – Modes of Communication 89 – Communication Networks-vertical, circuit, chain, wheel, star 92 – Characteristics of Communication Network 93 – Commonly used Mediums of Digital Communication 94 – Outline strategies 96 – Essential Digital Communication Channels for Business 97 – Listening Skills 99 – Performing effectively 100 – Types of Listening Skills 100 – How to practise Effective listening skills 100 – Barriers in Effective listening and Tips to Overcome them 102 – Non-verbal signs of ineffective listening at work 105 – Verbal signs of poor listening skills 105 – Types of Communication Barriers 107 – How to overcome communication barriers 107 5 Business Communication – Conclusion 108 – References 108 LESSON 3 BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE – Introduction 110 – The Essentials of a Good Business Letter 110 – Type of Business Letters 113 – Layout of Letters 113 – Essentials of a Good Business Letter 115 – Business Messages 117 – Business Report Categories 119 – Inter and Intra-Departmental Communication 120 – Management Information Systems (MIS) 126 – Structure of Management Information System 128 – Characteristics of MIS 130 – Basic Requirement of MIS 132 – Limitations of MIS 133 – Concept of E-Correspondence 134 – Introduction 134 – What is Web? 134 – What is Browser? 134 – What is Internet? 135 – What is E-Correspondence? 135 – Concept of Email 136 – History of Email 136 – Features of an Email Account 138 – Electronic Mail System 139 – Proper E-mail Correspondence 140 – Advantages and Disadvantages of Email 142 6  Business Communication – Intranet 144 – Benefits of Intranet 145 – Purpose of Intranet 146 – Extranet 147 – Difference between Intranet and Extranet 147 LESSON 4 COMMON BUSINESS TERMINOLOGIES Ten Basic but Most Important Terms / Words in Business English 150 Other Terminologies 150 7 Business Communication 8  Business Communication LESSON 1 ESSENTIALS OF GOOD ENGLISH 9 Business Communication CSEET Reference Reading Material - I ENGLISH GRAMMAR AND ITS USAGE English language follows a set of rules like all other languages. Broadly speaking, the part of Grammar concerned with changes in the form of words by internal modification or by affixation is known as accidence and the manner in which these words are arranged in the form of a sentence is called syntax. For example, the root word ‘contradiction’ is a noun. It can be changed into different parts of speech. If you say ‘contradict, it becomes a verb and if you say ‘contradictory’ it becomes an adjective. Good dictionaries give all the changes that a root word can undergo. Good to Know!!! Some words may be used as different parts of speech without any change in their form. For example, the word beat remains unchanged in the following sentences; though it is a different part of speech in each sentence : l The angry mob was beating the thief mercilessly. (verb). l The beat of the drum sent people into frenzy (noun) l The beat generation (young people with unconventional dress and behaviour as an expression of social philosophy) has its own ethics. (Adjective) Sometimes it is possible to use the same word, with a slight modification, as a different part of speech: For example, the root word confirm is used here as a noun in the first, as a verb in the second and as an adjective in the third sentence. l We received confirmation of the order in writing yesterday. (Noun) l The party confirmed the receipt of the consignment. (Verb) l He is a confirmed defaulter. (Adjective) PARTS OF SPEECH IN ENGLISH Words are divided into eight classes according to the work they do in a sentence. They are as follows: PARTS OF SPEECH Noun Noun Pronoun Adjectives Verbs Adverbs Prepositions Conjunctions Interjections These word classes are called Part of Speech. They are explained below: Nouns A noun is a “naming word”. It names somebody or something. Rahul took the dog to the park. The car makes a lot of noise. 10 Lesson 1 - Essentials of Good English Business Communication Look at the example above. A noun is a name of a person (Rahul), animal (dog), place (park), thing (car) or idea (noise). Kinds of Nouns Nouns may be divided into (a) common nouns and (b) proper nouns. Common nouns are the names given in common to all persons, places or things of the same class. For example, bank, shop, market, etc. Collective noun : Common nouns include another class known as collective nouns. A collective noun names a group of people, animals or things regarded as a whole., e.g., batch, company, university, crowd, flock, etc. Proper nouns are the names of particular persons, places or things. For example, India, Larsen and Toubro, Delhi, January, etc. Pronouns Pronouns are used in place of nouns. Pronouns may be Personal and Relative. Personal Pronouns : To represent a person or things., e.g., I, we, you, she, he, it, him, us, them, etc. Relative Pronouns : The most common relative pronouns are whom, which and that. A relative pronoun acts as a pronoun and as conjunction at the same time. This is the boy who saved my life. Possessive Pronouns : These show possession, e.g., mine, ours, yours, their, its and hers. Adjectives A word used to describe or point out, a person, animal, place or thing which the noun names, or to tell the number and quantity is called an Adjective. Rani is a clever girl (Girl of what kind?) He gave me six books (How many books?) Two or more words can be joined with a hyphen to form a Compound Adjective, e.g., government- financed project. Verbs A verb is a word that tells or asserts something about a person or thing. Verb comes from Latin Verbum, meaning a word. It is so called because it is the most important word in the sentence. A verb may tell us : 1. What a person or thing does; as Rohit runs. The bell rings. 2. What is done to a person or thing; as Ram is beaten. The door is broken. 11 Business Communication CSEET Reference Reading Material - I 3. What a person or thing is, as The boy is hurt. The chair is broken I feel sad. Hence, a verb is a word used to tell or assert something about some person or thing. Adverbs While Adjectives qualify or add to the meaning of nouns, adverbs modify the meaning not only of verbs, but also of adjectives, prepositions, conjunctions, etc. The following sentences illustrate the varied use of adverbs: Small investors find it very difficult to invest wisely. (The first adverb very modifies the adjective difficult, and the second adverb wisely modifies the verb invest). The CEO is an exceptionally sharp manager. (The adverb exceptionally modifies the adjective sharp). The cash counter is right behind you. (The adverb right modifies the prepositions behind). We have given this book to you only because you are a good reviewer. (The adverb only modifies the conjunction because). Preposition A Preposition, by definition, is placed before a noun or its equivalent in order to show its relationship in terms of time, place, etc.: The space above the room houses the conference facility. (The preposition above explains the relationship between the room and the conference facility). There are hardly any rules governing the use of prepositions, some people feel that it is inelegant to put them at the end of a sentence since they are basically used as link-words. However, as Fowler points out, “Almost all our great writers have allowed themselves to end a sentence or a clause with a preposition.” The thumb-rule is that the sentence should read well. It is largely the usage that determines the choice of a preposition. Americans tend to drop them but it is largely colloquial. A wrong preposition certainly changes the intended meaning. Therefore, we have to learn the use of prepositions carefully. All standard dictionaries list the root word along with different prepositions or adverbial phrases and also show the difference in meaning. For example: The root word get conveys italicised meanings when used with: …about, move or spread …across, be understood …ahead, make progress 12 Lesson 1 - Essentials of Good English Business Communication …along, manage …at, gain access to …away, escape …over, forget …round, persuade Conjunction Conjunctions join words or even sentences conveying related ideas. Two commonly used conjunctions are: l and l but. We received your letter and telegram but regret our inability to attend the meeting. Conjunctions may also be used in pairs, e.g. neither-nor, either-or, not only-but also, both-and, whether- or etc. Such conjunctions are known as Correlative Conjunctions. Interjection Interjections are words which are used in a sentence to express strong emotion or feeling. They may not form a part of its grammatical structure. Some of the common interjections are: Hi !, Alas !, Oh!, etc. Types of Voices As a general rule, we should use Active Voice in our sentences. Such sentences are shorter, direct and emphatic. For example: Please place the order within sixty days of the receipt of the quotation. An exception is however made when sending out negative messages or fixing responsibility. For example, out of the two responses given below, the latter is likely to be received better: You have failed to place the order in time. Unfortunately the order has been delayed. Passive Voice is also found more suitable while drafting legal formulations as no identifiable subject can be mentioned. For example: Follow the traffic rules, while driving. (Active Voice) The traffic rules should be followed while driving. (Passive Voice) Articles The words a or an and the are called Articles. They come before nouns. A or an is called the Indefinite Article, because it usually leaves indefinite the person or thing spoken of; as, 13 Business Communication CSEET Reference Reading Material - I A doctor; that is, any doctor. The is called the Definite Article because it normally points out some particular person or thing; as, He saw the doctor; meaning some particular doctor. The indefinite article is used before singular countable nouns, e.g.,A car, an apple, a table. The definite article is used before singular countable nouns, plural countable nouns and uncountable nouns,e.g., The pen, the milk, the idea. The article ‘an’ is used when the noun to which it is attached begins with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o and u). It is the vowel sound and not the vowels that determines the use of ‘a’ or ‘an’. Vowels with consonant sound take ‘a’ and not ‘an’. For example, Bring me an apple. He walks like an Egyptian. She has planted a eucalyptus tree. He is an honest man. He has joined a union. I have lost a one-rupee note. Usage Usage implies the manner in which the native speakers of a language use it. The “body of conventions governing the use of a language especially those aspects not governed by grammatical rules”, “habitual or customary use”often lays down new standards of acceptance. For example, ‘It is me’ is generally accepted on grounds of usage even though ‘It is I’ is considered grammatically correct. Usage may be learnt by reading standard texts and listening to educated speakers of a language. Tenses “In Grammar – a set of forms taken by a verb to indicate the time (and sometimes the continuance or completeness) of the action in relation to the time of the utterance”; is the meaning that the Concise Oxford Dictionary assigns to the word ‘Tense’. The word tense comes from Latin word tempus, meaning time. Read the following sentences. 1. I write this letter to my mother 2. I wrote the letter yesterday. 3. I shall write another letter tomorrow. In sentence 1, the verb write refers to the present time. Hence a verb that refers to the present time is said to be in the Present Tense. In sentence 2, the verb wrote refers to the past time. Hence it is said to be in Past Tense. 14 Lesson 1 - Essentials of Good English Business Communication In sentence 3, the verb shall write refers to a future time. Therefore, it is said to be in the Future Tense. Read these sentences : 1. I read a book. (Simple present) 2. I am reading a book. (Present continuous) 3. I have read a book. (Present Perfect) 4. I have been reading a book. (Present Perfect Continuous) The verbs in all of these sentences refer to the present time, and are therefore said to be in the present tense. In sentence 1, however, the verb shows that the action is mentioned simply, without anything being said about the completeness or incompleteness of the action. In sentence 2, the verb shows that the action is mentioned as incomplete or continuous, that is, as still going on. In sentence 3, the verb shows that the action is mentioned as finished, complete or perfect, at the time of speaking. The tense of the verb in sentence 4 is said to be Present Perfect Continuous, because the verb shows that the action is going on continuously, and not completed at this present moment. Thus we see that the tense of a verb shows not only the time of an action or event, but also the state of an action referred to. Just as Present Tense has four forms, the Past Tense also has the following four forms : 1. I jumped from the window. (Simple Past) 2. I was jumping from the window. (Past Continuous) 3. I had jumped from the window. (Past Perfect) 4. I had been jumping from the window. (Past Perfect continuous) Similarly, the Future Tense has the following four forms : i. I shall/will jump (Simple Future) ii. I shall/will be jumping. (Future Continuous) iii. I shall/will have jumped. (Future Perfect) iv. I shall/will have been jumping. (Future Perfect Continuous) Hence, we may define Tense as that form of a verb which shows the time and the state of an action or event. Sentence Construction Various Purposes of a Sentence A group of words, which makes complete sense, is called a sentence. Grammar also lays down rules for arranging words in a certain order to form meaningful sentences. Sentences may be formed to: l Make a statement : The government has decided to disinvest its stake in Air-India. 15 Business Communication CSEET Reference Reading Material - I l Pose a question : Would this step enable them to turn this PSU around? l Give a command : Bring about a change of ownership. l Make an exclamation : What a way to bridge the fiscal deficit! A sentence consists of two parts: Subject : The part which names the person or thing we are speaking about is called the subject of the sentence. Predicate : The part which tells something about the subject is called predicate. A Phrase is a group of words, which neither has a finite verb nor makes any sense by itself. Depending on its place in the sentence, it may be a: l Noun l Adjectival or l Adverbial Phrase. Examine the following pair of sentences. (i) Raj is a wealthy man. (ii) Raj is a man of great wealth. In the first sentence, the word wealthy described the noun Raj. In the second sentence of great wealth also tells us what sort of man Raj is. It qualifies the noun just as an Adjective does. Hence, it is called an Adjective Phrase. Adverb Phrases Just as the work of an Adjective is often done by a group of words called an Adjective Phrase, so the work of an Adverb is often done by a group of words. Examine the following pair of sentences. (i) He answered rudely. (How?) (ii) He answered in a very rude manner. (How?) Since the phrase very rude manner does the work of an Adverb, it is called an Adverb Trial Phrase. Noun Phrase A Noun Phrase is a group of words that does the work of a Noun. For example, (i) My demat account has been closed. (ii) To win a prize is my ambition. In the above sentences, italicized phrases are noun phrases because they are doing the work of a noun. Types of Sentences The basic knowledge of grammar helps us understand different sentence structures or patterns so that we can communicate in a clear, concise and correct manner. A group of words that form a part of a sentence, and has a subject and a predicate of its own, is called a clause. 16 Lesson 1 - Essentials of Good English Business Communication The clause that makes good sense by itself, and hence could stand by itself, as a separate sentence is called a Principal or Main Clause. A clause which cannot stand by itself and makes good sense but not complete sense is called a Dependent or Subordinate Clause. A sentence which has only one finite verb and one independent clause is called Simple sentence. For example, This courage won him honour. A compound sentence is made up of two or more independent clauses. For example, Night come on and rain fell heavily and we all got very wet. A complex sentence has an independent clause and atleast one dependent clause. For example, The human brain never stops working until you stand up to speak in public. Sentences can be constructed using different structures or patterns. The simplest sentence may have: – a noun or a pronoun in the beginning, – a verb in the middle, – another noun or its equivalent in the end. For example The budget affects the stock market. This sentence structure may also be shown as: Subject + verb + object The structure of an imperative sentence is different. Here the subject is understood. For example, Mail this letter, is the shorter form of (You) mail this letter. It is important to use varying sentences structures in your writing so that the interest of the reader is not lost. Sentence Construction is based on the kind of writing in question. Sentences are also constructed on the basis of complexity of writing. Loose sentences are suited to simple style of letter writing and are closer to the spoken form. They begin with the main statement and develop it to its logical conclusion. For example The Reserve Bank of India intervened in the forex market as there were strong rumours about an intense speculative activity caused by the spurt in imports. Periodic Sentences are decorous and emphatic but more difficult to write. The order is reversed and the main statement is made at the end. 17 Business Communication CSEET Reference Reading Material - I For example As there were strong rumours about an intense speculative activity caused by the spurt in imports, the Reserve Bank of India intervened in the forex market. Sentence Construction on the basis of Length The length of a sentence is also an important factor in sentence construction. Shorter Sentences are easier to write as well as understand. But a long sequence of short sentences may not make very pleasant reading: Thank you for the order. The goods will be sent soon. The duplicate copy of the bill is enclosed. The payment must be made early. Longer Sentences are prone to grammatical errors and need careful thought and planning. Such efforts at constructing marathon sentences should be avoided. It may be a good idea to mix the shorter and longer sentences to sustain the interest of the reader. For example The conference opens on the tenth of June in Simla. More than two hundred company secretaries will take part. The purpose is to deliberate on the merits of the new Companies Act, 2013 and propose amendments. The discussions are likely to go on for three days. Paragraph Construction The construction of a paragraph is equally important. If a good sentence should focus on a single thought, a good paragraph should restrict itself to a single topic or idea. The topic sentence of a paragraph sums up its central idea and develops it further. It is usually at the beginning or the end of the sentence; though, in some cases, it can be written somewhere in the middle too. Shorter paragraphs should be preferred because they enable the reader to follow the writer’s plan. Prefixes and Suffixes An affix “is an addition to the base form or stem of a word in order to modify its meaning or create a new word”. (The Concise Oxford Dictionary, Tenth Edition). Prefix If the affix or addition to the root word comes at the beginning, it is called a prefix. The word ‘prefix’ in itself is an apt example of a prefix as it is made up of the root word ‘fix’-’to join or fix’, with the affix ‘pre’- meaning ‘before’, added to it. 18 Lesson 1 - Essentials of Good English Business Communication Groups of Prefixes Prefixes fall into a number of distinct groups such as: Supportive Prefixes Opposing Prefixes Negative Prefixes Reversative Prefixes Groups of Prefixes Derivative Prefixes Place Prefixes Size Prefixes Time Prefixes Number Prefixes Class Changing Prefixes Miscellaneous Supportive Prefixes are prefixes that support or are for the root word. *Pro is used with the meaning favouring/supporting as the prefix. Pro, as a prefix has other meanings too, such as ‘in substitute of’ or ‘before in time, pace or order’. Examples of Pro as a supportive prefix are Pro-choice, Pro-market, Pro-life. Opposing Prefixes are prefixes that are opposed to the action denoted by the root word. Anti (against) - antibody, antibacterial, antibiotic, anticlockwise, antidote, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, etc. (Spurious) - antihero, antiChrist, antiself (affected person) Contra (against) - contraception, contraindicate, contravene, contramundum (Contrasting) - contraflow, contra-active, contradict, contradistinction Counter (opposition/retaliation) - counteract, counter-example, counter- attack, counterblast, counterbalance, counterclaim, counterculture, counter-in-surgency, countermeasure, counterproductive, etc. Negative Prefixes are prefixes that denote the absence of distinguishing features of the root word. (The prefixes marked with * can convey different meaning besides those specified herein.) *a (not, without) - amoral, ahistorical, atheist, asymmetric *an (not, lacking) - anaesthetic, anaemic, anaerobic *dis (not) - disloyal, disable, disarm, dishonest, distrust, disadvantage 19 Business Communication CSEET Reference Reading Material - I *in (not) - injustice, inactive, inconsiderate, inconsonant, incomprehensible, incomplete, incompetent, inconsecutive *il (this is another variation of the prefix ‘in’ and is used before a word beginning with ‘I’) - illegal, illiterate, illegible, illegitimate *im (this is a variation of the prefix ‘in’ which is used before a word beginning with ‘b’, ‘m’ or ‘p’.) - imbalance, immaterial, immeasurable, immobile, immovable, impassable, impatient, impossible, imperfect *ir (this too is a variation of the prefix ‘in’ which is used before a word beginning with ‘r’) - irreplaceable, irregular, irresistible, irrational, irrecoverable, irreconcilable, irredeemable, irreducible non (not) - non-aggressive, non-interference, nonconformist, nonentity, nonsense, nontoxic, non- stop (not-regarded as) - non-person, non-event * These prefixes also have other meanings in which they can be used in, besides those specified herein un (not) - unproductive, unacademic, unselfish, unavoidable, unaware, unbearable, unbroken, unburnt Reversative Prefixes are prefixes that denote the act of undoing the previous act that the root word denotes as being done. de* (reverses the meaning) - decriminalise, dehumidify, deselect, decontaminate dis* (reverses the meaning) - disqualify, dishonest, disinvite un* (reverses the meaning) - untie, unscramble, unlock Derivative Prefixes are those that denote the meaning of removing something or depriving something or someone. de (remove something)-debug, defrost de (depart from) - deplane, detrain, decamp dis (remove something) - disarm, disillusion, disambiguate un (remove something) - unleaded, unmark, unhouse, uncap, uncover Pejorative Prefixes are those that express contempt, disapproval, bad or wrong. mis (badly/wrongly) - miscalculate, misgovern, misspell, mismanage, misalign, misapply, misbelief Place Prefixes are prefixes that indicate a place or placing of things, situation, etc. ante (before) - antecedent, antechamber, anteroom circum (around) - circumvent, circumnavigate, circumlocution, circumbulate, circumlunar cis (on this side) - cisalpine, cisatlantice, cislunar extra (outside/beyond) - extracurricular, extrasensory, extraordinary, extraterrestrial fore (front/before) - forefinger, forecourt, forearm, forebear, forebrain, forecheck, forefront, foregather in, il, im, ir (in) - indoors, in-patient, inside, indebt inter (between) - interbreed, interfere, interject, interracial, international, interdisciplinary, internet intra (inside/within) - intravenous, intramural, intranet intro (inwards) - introvert, introspect 20 Lesson 1 - Essentials of Good English Business Communication post (after/behind) - post meridiem (P.M.) postpone, postgraduate, posthoc, postscript pre (before)- prearrange, preface, precaution, prefabrication, preamble out (outside)-outdoor, out-patient, outhouse (surpass)-outrun, outdistance, outbid, outnumber over (outer/above)-overthrow, overshadow, overcoat retro (backwards)-retrograde, retrospection, retrospect sub (below)-subway, subsoil, subconscious, submerge (secondary)-sub-inspector, sub-editor, sub-committee, subtitle, sublet (below the norm)-substandard, subhuman super (above)-superstructure, superimpose (beyond the norm)-superhuman, superstar, superpower (excessive)-superconfident, supersensitive, supernatural supra (above)- suprasegmental, supranational sur (above)-surcharge, surtitle, surtax trans (across)-transatlantic, transnational, transcontinental ultra (beyond/extreme)-ultraviolet, ultra-thin, ultra-modern, ultramarine, ultramicroscopic, ultrasonic, ultra vires under (below/too little/subordinate)-underground, undercharge, underpay, undercook, undersecretary underclass, underrepresent, undersell, undersigned Size Prefixes denote size. They are - mega (very large)-megaphone, megastar, megalith, megawatt midi (medium)-midi-computer, midibus mini (small)-minibus, miniseries, minicab, minimarket Time Prefixes denote time. They are - ante (before)-antenatal, antedate ex (former)-ex-wife, ex-president, ex-student fore (before)-forenoon, foresee, foretell, forecast neo (new, recent)-neo-conservative, neoplasia, neophyte post (after)-post-war, post-modernism, postdate pre (before)-prepay, pre-existing, predate, preschool re (again)-reprint, reapply, replay, renew Number Prefixes are those that denote number. They are - mono (one/single)-monorail, monochrome, monopoly uni (one)-unidirectional, unilateral, unicycle, unity bi (twice/double)-bicycle, bilateral, bilingual di (two, twice)-dioxide, dichromatic duo/du (two)- duologue, duplex tri (three)-triangle, triplicate, tripartite quadri/quadr (four)-quadrilateral, quadrangle tetra/tera (four)- tetrachloride, terameter penta/pent (five)-pentagon, pentacle sex (six)-sextant, sextile, sextuple hexa/hex (six)-hexapod, hexagram hepta/hept (seven) heptagon, heptameter octo/oct (eight)-octopus, octuple deca/dec (ten)- decade, decalogue, decinialdeci (a tenth)-decibel, decimal demi (a half)-demigod, demitasse hemi (half)-hemisphere, hemistock 21 Business Communication CSEET Reference Reading Material - I semi (half)-semiconductor, semidetached hecto/hect (hundred)-hectogram, hectare kilo (thousand)-kilogram milli (thousand)-millisecond, millipede mega (a thousand)-megahertz, megabuck, megabit poly (many)-polytechnic, polygon Status prefixes are those that denote a status. co (joint)-copartner, coauthor, cofounder pro (deputy)- proconsul, pro-vice chancellor vice (deputy)-vice president, vice admiral, vice chancellor Class Changing Prefixes have the effect of changing the word class, like making transitive verbs from nouns, adjectives, an intensifying force of the verbs used, etc. be-besiege, bewitch, besmear, bewail, belittle, befoul, beribboned en/em-encode, endanger, ensure, enlist, enroll, embark, embitter, enrich Miscellaneous : Some of the common prefixes that do not fall into the above categories are eco (abbreviation of ecology)- eco-friendly, ecosystem Euro (abbreviation of European)- Eurorail, Eurocurrencies para (ancillary)- paramilitary, paralegal, paramedic para (beyond)- paranormal quasi (like)- quasi-intellectual, quasi-judicial self- self-motivating, self-denial, self-satisfaction. Suffix It is a morpheme (minimal meaningful language unit) added at the end of a word to form a derivative. In other words, an addition to the end of a word to form a derivative of the root word is a suffix. Groups of Suffix : Suffixes fall into the following categories: – Noun Suffixes – Adjective Suffixes – Verb Suffixes – Adverb Suffixes Noun Suffixes are as follows: acity (indicates a quality and state of being)-audacity, capacity ant (denoting attribution of an action or state)-appellant, informant, arrogant, (denoting an agent)- deodorant, oxidant al (verbal action)-betrayal, dismissal, deferral age (denoting an action or its result/function/state or condition/set of place or abode/aggregate number of) leverage, spillage, homage, bondage, baggage, postage, vicarage, mileage ation/ion (denoting an action or its result)-collaboration, exploration, evolution, exaltation, inhalation, communion, oblivion, objection cle, cule, ule (indicates small size)-miniscule, particle, molecule, capsuleic-lyric, mechanic ist (denotes a member of a profession, who uses something, etc.)-dentist, flautist, novelist, atheist ity (quality/condition/degree of)-responsibility, technicality, publicity, humility 22 Lesson 1 - Essentials of Good English Business Communication ling (smallness or lesser stature)-duckling, seeding, hireling ment (means or result of an action)-arrangement, embarrassment, curtailment, bewilderment ness (a state or condition)-usefulness, carelessness, willingness, kindness,wilderness ship (quality or condition, status, tenure, skill, etc.)-scholarship, companionship,citizenship, workmanship, membership tude (indicates condition or state of being)-exactitude, longitude. Verb Suffixes are as follows: fy/ify (indicates or becoming)-beautify, purify, gratify, electrify, pacify, personify ise, ize (quality, state or function)-capitalize, modernise, popularise, terrorise, expertise Adjective Suffixes - Some of them are as follows: able/ible (inclined to, capable of, causing)-audible, uncountable, readable, reliable, terrible, peaceable, profitable al/ial (kind of)-tidal, accidental managerial, musical ed (having, affected by)-cultured, heavy-handed, talented ful (having the qualities of)-sorrowful, powerful, careful, resentful, fretful, forgetful ic-Arabic, aristocratic, dramatic less (free from, without)-careless, harmless, restless, flavourless oid (resemblance)-ovoid, humanoid some (a tendency)-meddlesome, awesome y (having quality of/inclined to)-messy, funny, sleepy, choosy Adverb Suffixes : Some of them are as follows: ly (forms adverbs from adjectives)-amiably, candidly, surprisingly, greatly wise (of manner or respect or direction)-clockwise, notewise, taxwise, anticlockwise. Combination Words These are word elements or combining forms that can be combined with other words that already exist to form new words. These combining forms have a singular form and a clear and consistent meaning, which is probably because they are of fairly recent origin. Many of them are also technical and therefore their meanings are less susceptible to change. Most combining forms are of Greek or Latin origin. Some of them are: arch (chief)-archbishop, arch-rival auto (self)-autograph, autopilot bio (life)-bio-diversity, biology, biography crypto (concealed)-crypto-farest, cryptogram, cryptocrystalline, cryptonym mal (improper/inadequate/faulty)-malpractice, malnutrition, malpractice, maladminister, maladjusted, maladaptive, malfunction, maltreat macro (large)-macro-organism, macroeconomics 23 Business Communication CSEET Reference Reading Material - I micro (small/minute)-micro-organism, micro-computer, microsurgery, microgram, microscope mid (middle)-midfield, midair, midway, midsection, mid-afternoon, midwinter, midnight tele (at a distance)-telescope, television, telephone, telephoto, telecommunications. Punctuations The marks, such as full stop, comma, inverted commas, hypen and brackets are used in writing to separate sentences and their elements and to clarify meaning, are called punctuation marks. The importance of punctuation in writing can be compared to the importance of pause, intonation and emphasis used in the spoken word. Therefore, one can state that the chief purpose of using punctuation is to make the meaning of a written passage clear. The punctuation marks remove ambiguities, if any. Punctuation can also serve other purposes such as: – introducing delicate effects in style. – altering the flow of a sentence. – highlighting certain words. – bringing about modulations in sentence. Some aspects of punctuations are rule-governed, i.e., those that you have to follow, but usage of some becomes a matter of choice and judgment. The various punctuations used in the English language are: – capital letters – colon – underline – space – full stop – dash – quotation marks – italics – hyphens – stroke – bold emphasis – apostrophe – asterisk – ellipsis – question mark – semicolon – paragraph – comma – abbreviations – numbers – brackets – exclamation mark Uses of Punctuation Marks Let us see how some of these punctuation marks are used. Space is the most basic form of punctuation which separates words, sentences, paragraphs and chapters. Usually one alphabet space is used between words and punctuation, and also after sentences, unless it is the last sentence of a paragraph, when the rest of the space on that line is left blank. Space of one line or more is left between paragraphs to distinguish them and at times a slight indention is also used on the first line to distinguish the beginning of a new paragraph. The amount of spacing used would depend on individual style and taste or a pattern followed in an organisation or the type of writing, e.g., a letter, a presentation, a book, etc. 24 Lesson 1 - Essentials of Good English Business Communication The Full Stop (.) also known as a stop, point or period (in American English) is used to end a declarative sentence, a sentence which is not a question or an exclamation. Full stops are also used to end a request politely framed as a question such as: Would you kindly fix an appointment with Mr. Sharma. A full stop may also be used after initials or after a shortened form of a word to indicate an abbreviation. For example Mr. Prof. Etc. B.A. Fig. a.m. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam However, increasingly the full stop after initials of names is being done away with, though both usages are correct. A full stop is also used at times to denote abbreviated numerals, such as a date or a number, though at times full stop, slash or hyphen is also used to denote date, such as: 10.11.19, 10-11-19, 10/11/19 However this can be interpreted in two ways as 10th November 2019 by the Britishers and 11th October 2019 by the Americans. Therefore, it is advisable to always write the month and the date in words, e.g. 10th November 2019 or 10 November 2019 Full stop is also used before decimal and between units of money: 10.50 per cent; Rs. 33.50 Omission of Full Stop In the following cases the full stop is omitted: – after addresses that head letters and on the envelopes – after dates – after name that ends letters – after title of books, newspaper headlines, chapter headings, sub-headings, page numbers – after acronyms which are pronounced as one word. For example: AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) GST (Goods and Services Tax) – in between alphabets of the abbreviations that are a series of letters. For example: WTO (World Trade Organisation) GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) – in shortening of words where the first and last alphabets of the word are present. Mr., Mrs., Dr., Rd., Ltd. 25 Business Communication CSEET Reference Reading Material - I though it is correct to use a period after these words, the general practice today is to omit the full stop. – space is used for the initials of personal names instead of a full stop. A K Singh, D S RAJAN – abbreviations for measures, chemicals elements, etc. are used without a full stop. Kg (Kilogram), s (Second), Hz (Hertz) Sq (Square), km (Kilometer), m (minute) amp (ampere), O (oxygen), H (Hydrogen) – If a sentence ends with an exclamation mark, question mark, or an abbreviation that is followed by a period for the abbreviation the full stop is not used. Comma (,) is easily the most important punctuation mark within a sentence. Commas separate or enclose subordinate clauses and phrases in sentences. Its most typical use is to separate two main clauses that are linked by a conjunction. Here the comma mark appears just before the conjunction. The house was almost in ruins, but the tree-studded avenue was lovely. He is not rich yet he is very generous. Uses of Comma Some other uses of comma are as follows: – To separate main clauses even when they are not linked by a conjunction: The higher the price, the better the quality of goods. – Before tags/questions and comments: You were late for the meeting, weren’t you? (tag) I was just joking, you see. (comment) – To denote words left out: Romeo loved Juliet; Majnu, Laila.(Here the comma denotes the word loved.) – Enclose additional thoughts, qualification or information. Here the commas are used in pairs and they separate parenthetical elements in a sentence. My son, Ajith, is the head boy of the school. The movie was, I believe, well picturised. – To set off direct speech: To quote Confucius, “He who learns but does not think, is lost. He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger”. – “I’m tired”, he replied, “However, I will complete the work before leaving”. – To set off comparative or contrasting statements. The more he kept repeating that he did not steal the chain, the less the police believed him. – To separate adjectives, numbers into units, names, and title or honour, or degree, day, month and year in a date, etc: l He is a smart, reliable, sincere and hard-working student. 26 Lesson 1 - Essentials of Good English Business Communication l 1,25,000. l Angelina Thomas, B.A., M.A., Ph.D. l Shri Ram Nath Kovind, The President of India. Hyphen (-) is used between words to clarify meaning. It also links words to form a compound word. The use of hyphen varies in different places; therefore there are no complete set of rules that can be applied to the use of hyphen. Therefore, only some general guidance on the use of hyphens is given here. It is advisable to consult a good dictionary when one is in doubt to find out whether the word to be used should be hyphenated or not. A hyphen is usually used in these cases: – After a few prefixes or other word elements. – ex-partner, half-truth, quasi-judicial, semi-government, self-appointed. (We have already read about prefixes). – Before a few suffixes where the last alphabet of the first word and the first alphabet of the second word are the same, in order to avoid an unattractive sequence. Bull-like, get-together, profit-taking, self-financing, water-resistant. – When the main part of a word begins with a capital letter. un-American, neo-Darwinism, neo- Nazism, anti-Indian. – When the prefix is repeated. Sub-subcommittee. – When a noun and a verb are combined to form a word. hand-operated, hand-pick, hand- held. – When an adjective and a noun are combined to form a word. blue-pencil, loose-leaf, long-grained open-air, simple-minded, middle-aged, community- oriented, high-fibre. – When two adjectives are combined to form a word. old-fashioned, short-sighted, red-blooded. – When compound words express an ‘and’ relation. bitter-sweet, deaf-mute, socio-economic, secretary-treasurer. – When compound numbers between 21-99 are spelt out. This practice is gradually fading. fifty- five(55), six hundred and thirty-one(631). – It is also used to link the starting and ending point of a series. The Delhi-Jaipur Highway. – When a word has to be broken at the end of a line of print or writing. – To avoid confusion or ambiguity. an Indian-history teacher/an Indian history-teacher. – To prevent confusion between a new formation and a conventional word with the same prefix. re-creation (recreation), re-formed (reformed). 27 Business Communication CSEET Reference Reading Material - I Semi colon (;) is used to separate two or more independent clauses that are placed together and which are of equal importance in the sentence. The use of semicolon emphasises or adds weight to the second clause. To err is human; to forgive divine. Semi colons are also used to: – join words, group of words, sentences. – separate word groups that already contain commas: Those present at the function included Mr. and Mrs. Jain, their children Usha, Amit and Raghu; Paul and Joe Thomas; Raj and Ravi Malhotra; Colonel and Mrs. James, and their children Jyotsna, Julie and James Junior; etc. – To provide pauses before certain adverbs such as none the less, however, etc. He worked very hard; however, he did not succeed in his endeavour. – To emphasise contrasts: It is a superb car; however, it is very expensive to maintain. Colon (:) is a punctuation mark that has three major functions: – To introduce some kind of explanation. They did not sleep last night: they must be tired. – To introduce examples. Today they face another threat to their survival: starvation. – To introduce quotations or direct speech. Functions of Colon Some of the other functions of the colon are: – To point the reader’s attention forward. This function can be best explained through the words of the grammarian Henry Fowler. He says that the function of a colon is “that of delivering the goods that have been invoiced in the preceding words”. What he meant by goods here might be a conclusion, summary, a list or a contracting statement. – To introduce a number of items listed separately. The conference hall facility has everything: furniture, mikes, amplifier, projector, screen, generator backup, catering, dining hall and even a huge parking lot. – To present a conclusion. After sixty years in the business, Mr. Rajan realised that there was only one certainty in life: the inevitability of change. – To introduce a question. They all agreed that the essential issue was simply this: Will making an investment in Sweatland Limited be a mistake or not? – To link contrasting statements. Man proposes: God disposes. 28 Lesson 1 - Essentials of Good English Business Communication – To substitute a conjunction. Another Monday morning: and it is pouring. – After headings in correspondence. Subject: Reference: – To introduce subtitles. Credit cards: Power of Plastic; Past Promises: Failure to deliver. – In bibliographical references, colon can be used after the place of publication. (Delhi: 2010). An Apostrophe (’) is used (i) to denote possession and other kinds of relationship. This is Walter’s book. (ii) contractions of words. It was the court’s order. Isn’t (is not) it a great day? Can’t (cannot) you come today? O’er (over) the hills. Possession and other kinds of relationship When apostrophe is used to denote possession and other relationships, the basic rules to remember are: – The apostrophe comes before the ‘s’ if the noun is singular. The girl’s dresses (dresses belonging to one girl). – The apostrophe comes after the ‘s’ if the noun is plural. Girls’ dresses (dresses belonging to many girls). However, possessive personal pronouns ending in ‘s’, e.g. its, ones, theirs, etc. do not take on an apostrophe. – Indefinite pronouns, except for ‘each’ take on an apostrophe, anyone’s, either’s, one’s, someone’s nobody’s,etc., when denoting possession or some relationship. – In contractions of words, the use of an apostrophe is required. Though words are generally contracted in informal writing and speech, it should be avoided in formal writing. – The apostrophe takes the place of the missing letter or letters. is not-isn’t (o is the missing letter) The apostrophe is also found in the contraction of some single words. – ‘of ’ is sometimes contracted especially in certain phrases: will-o’-the-wisp, seven o’clock – certain words that are in common use: ma’am (madam) – The apostrophe is at times used to denote the omission of part of some number: the swinging ‘60s (1960s). 29 Business Communication CSEET Reference Reading Material - I Generally, nowadays the use of an apostrophe in these cases is omitted. – To denote certain names especially of Celtic origin: O’ Connor, O’ Sullivan. It comes from the Irish O’-which means a grandson or descendant. Mc’ Donald. Here again, Mc is the contraction of Mac which means ‘son of.’ – It is important to remember that ‘its’ and ‘it’s’ are differently used. ‘Its’ is a personal pronoun and does not need an apostrophe. Whereas ‘it’s’ is a contraction of either ‘it is’ or ‘it has’ and therefore it takes an apostrophe. The child wants its (personal pronouns) toy. It’s (it has) been a wonderful day. Quotation Marks (“ ”/‘ ’) also known as quotes or inverted commas are used to enclose material that is introduced into a text from outside it, such as quotations or words used by other people. For example The motto of the market was “Let the buyer beware”; now it is “Customer is king.” There are two types of quotation marks single and double. One can use either single or double quotation marks in enclosing introduced material. However, if you begin the quotation using double quotation marks, you have to close it also with the same and vice versa. Both quotation marks are used in a single sentence when another quotation is inserted in the main quotation. For example She asked, “Did he say ‘diseased’ or ‘deceased’?” Some of the other functions of quotation marks are: – to enclose cited words or expressions: What is the difference between an “order” and a “decree”? – to enclose expressions that the author does not take responsibility for: In ‘good old days’ the women in this village walked several kilometers to fetch drinking water. Brackets also known as parentheses are of two kinds:- l Crescent shaped ( ) l Square shaped [ ]. Brackets are used to enclose certain contents, which the writer sets out apart so that the flow of the sentence is not interrupted. The contents set apart may be in the form of added information, like an explanation, an after thought, a clarification, a comment, an illustration, or an expression of doubt, etc. For all these only round or crescent shaped brackets are used. A number of (unsuitable) candidates had sent in their applications. 30 Lesson 1 - Essentials of Good English Business Communication On the basis of their usage, brackets have been divided into three types. They are: Crescent brackets Crescent brackets are used in the following: – to enclose an abbreviation that is subsequently used in the text, e.g. The Department of Company Affairs (DCA) issued a circular on the matter. – to enclose a translation or equivalent expression, e.g. The agreement was void ab initio (from the beginning). – to enclose references from other topics in a text, e.g. For example As depicted in (Fig. 1.1) it is obvious that the process of communication is quite complex. – To enclose bibliographical references (square brackets can also be sometimes used in such cases). Square Brackets are used to enclose words that are not usually intended to be the part of a sentence, but only as an editorial or authorial interjection. They are also used at times to enclose parentheses within another parentheses. For example I appreciate it [the honour], but I must refuse. We have not received [Sic] your letter (editorial interjection). Sarah and Tanisha [Sarah’s sister (as mentioned earlier)], went for a movie. Other Brackets : The other types of brackets are: *Brace brackets { } Example: Select your animal {goat, sheep, cow, horse} and come to the market. *Angle brackets Example: I found it on Games.com. These brackets are used only in specialised texts, mathematics and technical works. Summary of Punctuations Full Stop (.) Comma (,) Hyphen (-) Semi colon (;) Colon (:) Apostrophe (’) Quotation Marks (“ ”/‘ ’) Crescent brackets () Square Brackets [] Brace brackets {} Angle brackets ********** 31 Business Communication CSEET Reference Reading Material - I ENRICHING VOCABULARY Introduction Vocabulary is a person’s own knowledge of words. It may be anyone, not necessary to be a just language user and it is really very useful to have a good vocabulary because today we can’t keep up without any good treasury of words in our minds. There are really many benefits that an enriched vocabulary can give to someone. The biggest benefit is the impact on others. When you use a language with good words, it makes a positive impact on others. There are many reasons why it is important to enrich your list of vocabulary words. Some of them are as follows: l Building your vocabulary is important in reading comprehension. l Building your vocabulary will improve your communication skills- verbal and written communication skills will improve and you may be able to better understand another individual. l Building your vocabulary may help improve your personal life, social life and professional life. Good to know!!! We should know the exact meaning of the words we propose to use. Many words, which are listed as synonyms or words with the same meaning have subtle differences. Consulting a good dictionary regularly helps in building a good repertoire of vocabulary. It is equally important to learn in what context a particular word can be used and what is its exact meaning, e.g., “erudite” means “having or showing knowledge or learning”. You can say Mr. X was an erudite speaker, but you cannot say that Mr. X’s speeches were erudite. To enrich one’s vocabulary following topics are discussed in details below: Choice of words Synonyms Antonyms Homonyms Homophones Vocabulary topics Single Word for Group of Words (One word substitution) Words frequently misspelt Idioms and Phrases Proverbs Foreign words and phrases commonly used Abbreviations 32 Lesson 1 - Essentials of Good English Business Communication 1. Choice of Words The words you would choose to communicate with someone depend on the following factors: l The range or repertoire of your vocabulary - Unless you know a word, you would not be able to use it. l Your audience or person you are communicating with - Firstly, you must assess the literacy level of the audience or person. Then try to find out what kind of situation you are in – whether the audience or person is senior or junior to you; whether you are formal or informal with them, etc., these considerations will help you greatly in the choice of words. You could hardly use slang or a code word in describing a colleague in an official memo, Can you? l Type of communication - Whether it is formal or informal, oral or written, these factors will also influence your choice of words. l The message you intend to convey - The urgency, disappointment, the level of accuracy required, etc. can also be conveyed through the apt words. Therefore, these too will influence your choice of words. l Context and usage - Certain words can only be used in a particular context, and if they are used otherwise, they would convey the wrong sense; hence influencing the choice of words. l Regional or national differences in language or connotation also influence your choice of words - ‘Liberal’ in Britain has a positive meaning. It means generous and open minded, whereas in America it is used as a term of political abuse. l Improving Vocabulary – Try and understand the root/etymology of the words. Good dictionaries give all the changes that a root word can undergo. To choose words that communicate clearly and with the appropriate tone, you should learn everything possible about those with whom you wish to communicate and take into account any prior correspondence with them. Then you should word your message so that it is easy for them to understand it and respond favorably. Tailoring your message to your readers is not only strategically necessary, it is also a sign of consideration for their time and energy. Everyone benefits when the message is clear and appropriate to the correspondent’s situation. Adaptation - The Best Strategy for Effective Wording As with every other element of your messages, your choice of words needs to be guided by the audience and its purpose. For example, knowing that your writing should be “clear and concise” is not enough; What this means will depend a great deal on the situation. As we have suggested above, what is clear for one person may not be clear for at all for another. People occupy different language domains, and anything outside their domains will not be clear unless it is explained in their language. As for conciseness, you must be careful not to sacrifice effectiveness for brevity. if you cut your communications too short for your readers- for example, by omitting important details in a persuasive message or critical information in a report- you have written an incomplete, not a concise message. Tips for choosing the right words However, some general points to remember in communication are: l Simplicity : Simple language produces the best and the quickest response from everyone. 33 Business Communication CSEET Reference Reading Material - I But one must try not to sacrifice precision or dignity. However, there are occasions when easy comprehension must take a back seat. At times, long and unusual words have to be used because they are more precise. For example, legal language is far from simple. Hence the legal draftsman has to keep the complexity of the situation in mind. He may end up using complex language. Using familiar words does not mean using colloquial English. Colloquial English is perfectly polite and acceptable in informal conversation, but is avoided in formal writing. For example, haven’t, won’t and can’t have no place in prose, unless you have reproduced the text of a conversation. Apart from colloquialism, there is no set rule for using familiar words. The important thing is to avoid a show of pedantry (an ostentatious and inappropriate display of learning) and undesirable complexity. l Use familiar words : Use familiar words i.e., the words with sharp and clear meanings in the mind. As words which are familiar to some people may be unfamiliar to others, so you will need to select familiar words with care. Specifically, using familiar words means using the language that is used by most of us in everyday conversation. We should avoid stiff, more difficult words that do not communicate so precisely or quickly. For example, instead of using the more unfamiliar word endeavor, use try. Instead of using terminate use end. The suggestion to use familiar words does not rule out the use of some more difficult words. You should use them whenever their meanings fit your purpose best and your readers understand them clearly. The mistake that many of us make is to overwork the more difficult words. We use them so much that they interfere with our communication. A good suggestion is to use the simplest words that carry the meaning without offending the readers’ intelligence. l Jargon : Jargon is a language that is unique to a particular field of knowledge, e.g., science, technology, art, trade or a profession. There is for instance legal jargon, military jargon, and political jargon. For e.g. the word ‘Operation’ takes on different meanings depending on the context in which it is used. Should we avoid all jargon in our writing? The question is not easy to answer. Jargon has two parts: One is the private language that only the persons in that particular field can understand. The other is wider acceptance of certain words and phrases in the general language used by the public. There cannot be any objection if this kind of jargon is used in writing. l Avoid using superfluous words/Verbosity : Verbosity (an expressive style that uses excessive or superfluous words) or using more words than necessary is a common weakness. The speaker/ writer uses more words than needed in the hope of diverting/retaining audiences. This tendency is seen in writing too. It has been well defined as an extension of Parkinson’s Law-words increase in number to fill the quantity of paper available. More words do not necessarily lead to greater clarity. Nor do difficult and high sounding words lend weight to the argument. They obscure meaning and tire the reader out. l Choose short words : According to studies of readability, short words generally communicate better than long words. Of course, part of the explanation is that short words tend to be familiar words. But there is another explanation i.e. heavy use of long words, even long words that are understood, leaves an impression of difficulty and hinders communication. 34 Lesson 1 - Essentials of Good English Business Communication The suggestion that short words be chosen does not mean that all short words are easy and all long words are hard. Many exceptions exist. Thus, you should concentrate on short words and use long words with caution. Use long words only when you think your readers know it. l Select words for precise meaning : Writing requires considerable knowledge of the language being used. But beyond basic familiarity with vocabulary, good writers possess a sensitivity to words’ shades of meaning. Knowledge of language enables you to use words that carry the meaning you want to communicate. For example, fewer and less means the same to some people. But careful users select fewer to mean “smaller numbers of items” and less to mean “reduced value, degree or quantity”. Similarly, careful writers use continual to mean “repeated but broken succession” and continuous to mean “unbroken succession”. l Use Gender-neutral words : All too prevalent in today’s business communication are words that discriminate by gender. Although this form of discrimination can be directed against men, most instances involve discrimination against women because many of our words suggest male superiority. This problem has evolved because our language developed in a society in which it was customary for women to work in the home and for men to be breadwinners and decision makers. As a result, our language displays this male dominance. For the reason of fair play and to be in step with today’s society in which gender equality is the goal, you would do well to use gender-neutral words. For example, the word Chairman refers to both sexes, yet it does not sound that way. More appropriate and less offensive substitutes are chair, presiding officer, moderator and chairperson. In business today, men and women, the young and the old and people of all races work side by side in roles of mutual respect. It would be unfair to use words that discriminate against any of them. 2. Synonyms Synonyms are words that have very nearly the same meaning, for example: (i) easy, simple, light, effortless, facile, smooth. (ii) effort, exertion, pains, trouble, (iii) elastic, flexible, supple, springy, resilient. It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to find two words in English which have exactly the same meaning and usage. Words that seem to be identical on a closer examination can be distinguished by some shade of meaning or some manner of usage. Therefore, most of the time they cannot be interchanged. Finding and knowing synonyms is helpful in the sense that it enhances your vocabulary by increasing your stock of words. Moreover, it helps you to pick and choose the appropriate word which alone can convey the proper meaning. Begin, commence, start and initiate, are all synonyms which mean ‘to set something going or in progress’. Begin is the most common word, commence is used on formal occasions, for court proceedings, religious and other ceremonies and military operations; start suggests a setting out from a particular point on a journey, course, etc., often but not necessarily after an action or waiting; initiate implies taking of the first step or steps as in a process. 35 Business Communication CSEET Reference Reading Material - I You can say: They started from their home. The ship has set out on its voyage. If you use any other synonym in the place of ‘set out’ it would take on a different meaning. Two words may look alike and yet there may be a slight shade of difference in their meaning. Some examples – Word Synonym Word Synonym Adept proficient, skilled Abstain refrain, withhold Abridge shorten, curtail Abundant plentiful, ample, copious Accessory additional, auxiliary Achieve accomplish, execute, gain Adept proficient, skilled Adequate sufficient, satisfactory Adherent follower, disciple Admiration praise, approbation Brisk lively, agile Callous hard, unsympathetic Cordial gracious, congenial Captious censorious, hypercritical Cogent valid, convincing Deteriorate degenerate, decline Dexterity skill, deftness Didactic moralising, preach Effete exhausted, worn-out Ephemeral transient, short-lived Extravagant excessive, wasteful Fabricate concoct, contrive Fatal deadly, disastrous Fastidious messy, fussy Gaiety festivity, merriment Gigantic colossal, huge Hazardous dangerous, risky Inadvertent careless, unplanned, unintentional Insidious astute, cunning Judicious sensible, prudent, wise Malice ill will, spite Morbid morose, sickly Negligent careless, lax Obtuse dull, stupid, blunt Onerous burdensome, oppressive Panegyric eulogy, encomium Penury want, poverty Reticent silent, reserved Ruinous destructive, wreckful Sterile barren, infertile Thrive prosper, flourish Urbane cosmopolitan, suave, cultured Wholesome healthy, sound, healing Yearn crave, pine Zenith summit, culmination 36 Lesson 1 - Essentials of Good English Business Communication 3. Antonyms Antonym is a word opposite or contrary in meaning to another word. As has already been noted that there are no true synonyms, that is, no two words mean exactly the same thing. There is often some shade of difference in the meaning. In most cases exact meaning or appropriateness of a word depends upon the context in which it is used. It being so, a word may have more than one antonym. Example : The antonym of soft that comes at once to mind is hard. But there are many other possibilities. Soft drinks against hot drinks Soft colour against bright colour Soft tones against weird tones Soft texture against rough texture Soft light against glaring lights Similarly the opposite of A slender cane would be a thick cane, A slender man would be a fat man, A slender chance would be a bright chance. Some examples of Antonyms: Word Antonym Word Antonym Ability Inability Able Unable Abnormal Normal Accurate Inaccurate Bankrupt Solvent Economical Extravagant Diligent Dilatory/lazy Economical Extravagant Emigrant Immigrant Explicit Implicit Exit Entrance/Enter Fact Fiction Flattery Criticism Flexible Rigid Fresh Stale Genuine Spurious Growth Decline/Stagnation Haste Slowness Hope Despair Humble Proud Idle Busy Import Export Inferior Superior Loud Quiet/Soft Meager Plentiful Narrow Broad Native Foreign Omission Addition/Inclusion Oral Written Original Duplicate Outward Inward Peace War Quick Slow 37 Business Communication CSEET Reference Reading Material - I 4. Homophone The word, homo, means “same,” and phone means “sound.” Homophones are two words that sound the same, but have different meanings. For example, the words two – too, ate – eight, there-their, in- inn, ring-wring or more difficult, like principal-principle, stationary stationery, except-accept. These are called homonyms. These words have to be cautiously used while writing. Some more examples: (1) Access, Excess Access : The workers could access the manager freely. (approach) Excess : The production is far in excess to the target. (more than) (2) Advice, Advise Advice is a noun the end-sound is-s. Anyone can offer advice. Advise is a verb and the end sound is-z. My father advised me to work hard. (3) Ate, Eight Ate is the simple past tense of the verb “to eat.” I ate an entire pizza and now I’m really full and tired. Eight is noun, the number after seven and before nine. Charles will wake up at eight o’clock tomorrow morning. (4) Bare, Bear Bare (adjective): If something is bare, it means that it’s not covered or not decorated. Tom likes to walk around his house in bare feet. He says it’s more comfortable than wearing shoes. Bear (noun): A large mammal. When you go camping, you should be careful to not leave any food or anything with a scent in your tent because they can attract bears. (5) Cell, sell Cell (noun): A cell is a small area or room, usually in a prison. A cell can also be one of the smallest divisions of a living organism. The prisoner spent 10 years in his cell. To sell (verb): To exchange a product or service for money. Like “buy,” it was probably one of the first verbs you learned. We would like to sell our car, but we don’t think we’d get very much money for it. 5. Homonym There’s another word that begins with homo-, which speakers often confuse with homophone is known as homonym. Again, the word homo- means “same,” but – nym means “name.” A homonym is a single word (with one spelling) that has more than one meaning. An example of a homonym is the word “bear.” You probably know about the animal called a 38 Lesson 1 - Essentials of Good English Business Communication “bear,” but the word “bear” can also be a verb that means to tolerate. For example, “I’m so nervous about watching this game, I can’t bear to watch the last minute!” Some more examples: Address – Address I can give you the address of a good attorney. That letter was addressed to me. Band – Band The band was playing old Beatles songs. She always ties her hair back in a band. Bat – Bat I am afraid of bats. It’s his first time at bat in the major leagues. Match – Match If you suspect a gas leak do not strike a match or use electricity. Her fingerprints match those found at the scene of the crime. Mean – Mean What does this sentence mean? He needed to find a meaning between frankness and rudeness. Right – Right I’m sure I’m right. Take a right turn at the intersection. 6. Single Word for Group of Words – One word substitution The skill to substitute a single word for many helps the speaker/writer express himself/ herself better. Some examples are: Greed - Inordinate desire to gain and hoard wealth Avarice That which cannot be taken by force Impregnable One who learns a subject as a hobby Amateur That which can be easily broken. Fragile To show indecision/to sway to and fro in a decision Vacillate Pleasant sound Euphony Deliberate killing of whole community or race Genocide The place where an aeroplane is housed Hangar A person who is dissatisfied and is inclined to rebel Malcontent To pretend to be sick in order to avoid work Malinger One of a race or tribe who has no fixed location and wanders from place to place Nomad The study or collection of coins, bank notes and medals Numismatics 39 Business Communication CSEET Reference Reading Material - I A blood feud started by murder-seeking vengence Vendetta A person who deliberately damages private or public property Vandal 7. Words Frequently Misspelled According to the Oxford Dictionary, spelling is hard and misspellings are not only common, but also awkward in professional contexts. When you receive an email or document with spelling errors, it is difficult to trust the person sending it. Correct spelling used in written communication shows the attention as well as level of education of the person sending it. There are a lot of tricky spelling rules in the English language. Following is a list of some of the most commonly misspelled words. Some examples: Correct word Commonly misspelt as absence abcense, absance accommodate accomodate achieve acheive calendar calender liaison liason receipt reciept tomorrow tommorow, tomorow Spellings and Pronounciation English is an infamously difficult language to spell and pronounce. Students are often bewildered by the seemingly anarchic sound/spelling system of English. There often seem to be more exceptions than the rules, and the mastery of accurate spelling and pronunciation appears a daunting and demotivating task. Though there is a relationship between a sound and the way it is expressed in writing, the same sound is often conveyed through different spellings. For example The sound in the middle of words ‘steep’ and ‘breach’ is the same and phonetically shown as [i] in the dictionary. The letter ‘a’ may be pronounced in several different ways. In words like brag, flap, grab, have, etc, the sound is phonetically shown as [ae], in barge, false, half, ask, etc. as [a:], in words may, tray, stay, way, etc. as [ei], and in call, flaw, raw, talk, etc. as [o:]. Good dictionaries also have a phonetic chart, which helps to learn the correct pronunciation of different words. 40 Lesson 1 - Essentials of Good English Business Communication Specialized dictionaries of pronunciation are also available for consultation. Spelling Errors Adequate care should be taken to spell words correctly in all communications so that you are able to communicate effectively and impressively. Spelling errors are common when : (i) certain alphabets/letters are repeated in a word. For example, tomorrow, occasion, beginning, profession, etc. (ii) one has to sometimes choose between ‘ei’ and ‘ie’. For example, receive and believe. It is interesting to note that we always use ‘ei’ after ‘c’ (conceive, deceive, perceive, etc.) and ‘ie’ in the rest (achieve, chief, convenience, etc.) (iii) ‘e’ can be either dropped or retained when changing the root word. For example, true changes into truly but sincere changes into sincerely. (iv) an extra letter at times alters the meaning of the word. For example, lose and loose. (v) when noun and verb forms of the same word have different spellings. For example, advice/ advise or practice/practise. (vi) words have the same pronunciation but different spellings. For example, whether/weather, brake/ break, there/their. (vii) when a choice has to be made between ise(merchandise, enterprise, franchise, etc.) and ‘ize’ (size, prize, etc.). Some words are spelt differently by the Britishers and Americans, the latter prefer ‘z’ over ‘s’, e.g. criticise/criticize, realise/realize, recognise/recognize, etc. Though both the spellings are acceptable, one should stick to either ‘s’ or ‘z’ for the sake of consistency. (viii) when a word similarly spelt has two variants with different meanings in past and past participle forms. For example: Lie-lied-lied Lie-lay-laid. Stress and Rhythm A syllable is the minimum rhythmic sound of a spoken language. A word may have one or more syllables. For example, there is only one syllable in fame, name, claim, train, etc., two in address, confess, redress, transgress, and three in credentials, sacrifice, tarpaulin, etc., four in retribution, satisfaction, transatlantic and even five in words like conglomeration. Good to know!!! Dictionaries generally show the main stress marks by putting the symbol /’/ above and before the stressed syllable e.g. re’port. It is also important to know that the same word when used as a noun, is stressed differently e.g. ‘re port. Only one syllable in a word carries the main stress; other syllables are unstressed. In order to achieve good and clear speech, we must learn to recognize the stressed syllable in a word. 41 Business Communication CSEET Reference Reading Material - I Abbreviations Abbreviations are the shortened form of a word, phrase or text. Usually one uses abbreviations of words or names in private letters, while taking notes in between lectures or noting down some important points, thoughts, etc., as a means of saving time and also to be able to understand text at a later time. However, in formal writing it is best to use only well-known abbreviations that are understood by all and are infrequent practice. For example: Etc. is the widely used abbreviation for ‘etcetera’, whereas someone may be in the habit of using ‘eta’ as an abbreviation for the same word, which only that person would understand to mean ‘etcetera’. Hence, such practice in formal writing should be avoided. Types of Abbreviation – the first letters of two/three words or names are used to form an abbreviation. For example: M.A. (Master of Arts) P.M. (Post Meridiem) BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) In the examples given above abbreviations can be used without the full stop also, according to the emerging trend. Ms (Manuscript) However, a shortening of a word can be used with a full stop at the end Prof., Capt., Maj., Gen. – Acronyms are words formed from the initial letters of other words. UNICEF (United Nations International Children Emergency Fund) FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) Note that these acronyms do not take on full stops in between and are frequently pronounced as a word. Some abbreviations can be used with or without a full stop at the end, e.g. – the first and last letters of a single word. Mr./Mr (Mister) Dr./Dr (Doctor) – Scientific terms Weights and measures are used both in full form as well as in abbreviated form. Kg, lb, m, amp, ft, yd, mph. – Chemical symbols Abbreviated words are also used as chemical symbols, such as: Ca (Calcium), H (Hydrogen), NaCl (Sodium Chloride), H2O (Water). 42 Lesson 1 - Essentials of Good English Business Communication Plural in Abbreviations – The general rule to make an abbreviation plural is to repeat the same alphabet, such as: P-page, pp- pages – It can be made plural by adding an ‘s’ if the abbreviation is of more than one alphabet, such as: MAs, MPs, Capts However, there are some exceptions to these rules, e.g.: – ’Mr.’ which is ‘Messrs’ in plural and cannot obviously become Mrs. – Abbreviations of scientific terms denote both singular and plural in the same form, for example: 1Kg. 4Kg., etc. – To introduce a possessive relationship in an abbreviation apostrophe ‘s’ is added to the abbreviation. For example: M.P.’s or MP’s - These should not be mistaken as the plural of MP. Idioms and Phrases A simple word like go is a part of a child’s vocabulary, so much so that the primitive bushman had an equivalent for it in his language. But look at the following sentences: (i) Ever got a Mumbai number at first go? (ii) He is always on the go. ‘Go’ is no longer a simple word from a child’s vocabulary. Take ‘fall’-the sparrow’s fall, and the Roman Empire’s fall, and so on. Now combine ‘go’ with another simple word ‘down’. Look at ‘the boxer going down on the first count. In the company of ‘down’, ‘go’ has changed beyond recognition. There is more to it. Think of Churchill who would go down in history as the man who saved England from total collapse. This time