Face to Face Conversation (Experiment 10, Communication Skill Practical)

 1. Conversation Between Teacher and Student:

Student:    Good Morning, Teacher.

Teacher:   Good Morning, Shanthi.

Student:    Sir, could you please suggest me how to select books for improving my reading skill? 

Teacher:    First you should select an area you are interested in.

Student:    I like detective stories, especially for its thrilling and suspense.

Teacher:    Then start with  simple detective stories and then go for great writers.

Student:     Which detective story is your favourite one sir?

Teacher:    Undoubtedly, Hound of  Baskervilles.  

Student:    What about reading newspapers sir?

Teacher:    That's also a good idea. You can improve your vocabulary as well.

Student:    But, most of the words we learn from news could not be used in real-life sir.

Teacher: Yes, Of course. Then you can read R.K. Narayan's stories. There you will find real life situations and expressions.

Student:     Thank you so much sir.

Teacher:     Welcome.

2. Conversation Between Conductor and Passenger:

Conductor:    Ticket , Ticket Please.

Passenger:    Two tickets for Hopes College.

Conductor:    I'm sorry. This bus goes to Maruthamalai. Haven't you seen the board?

Passenger:    Oh my God! Sorry sir. I got into the bus in a hurried way. That's why.

Conductor:    Luckily the driver hasn't come. Please get down quickly.

Passenger:    If you don't mind, Could you please tell me where I can find my buses?

Conductor:    Please go to the next platform. Singanallur buses are frequently available. 

Passenger:    Will it go to Hopes College sir?

Conductor:    Yes. But don't go in a hurried way and take a wrong bus again.

Passenger:    Thank you sir. You are so helpful to me.

Conductor: Welcome.

For more face to face conversations, watch this sample video:

Reciting Quotes (Experiment 9, Communication Skill Practical)

 Quotes of Leaders/Scholars/Scientists

1. Dream is not that you see in sleep, dream is something that does not allow you to sleep.

          - A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

2. Learning gives creativity. Creativity leads to thinking. Thinking provides knowledge. Knowledge makes you great.

          - A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

3. To succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal. 

        - A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

4. The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart. - Helen Keller

5. Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.  – Henry Ford

6. Coming together is the beginning, keeping together is progress, working together is success. – Henry Ford

7. What we know is a drop. What we don’t know is an ocean.      - Sir Issac Newton

8. To every action there is always an equal and opposite or contrary reaction.

            - Sir Issac Newton

9. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education   - Martin Luther king

10. Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. 

            - Martin Luther king

11. Be the change that you wish to see in the world.   - Mahatma Gandhi

12. A man is but a product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.

            - Mahatma Gandhi

13. If man neglects education, he walks lame to the end of his life.  – Plato

           

14. I have not failed. I’ve just found thousand ways that won’t work.

            - Thomas Alva Edison

15. A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life. 

            - Charles Darwin

16. Anything that makes weak- physically, intellectually and spiritually, reject it as poison.

        - Swami Vivekananda

17. Arise! awake! and stop not till the goal is reached. - Swami Vivekananda

18. A man is not poor without a rupee but a man is really poor without a dream and ambition.

          - Winston Churchill

19. Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.

         - Winston Churchill

20. Failure comes only when we forget our ideals and objectives and principles.

        - Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru 

21. “The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself.” - Mark Caine

22. “When I dare to be powerful – to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” – Audre Lorde 

23. “Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.”

        – Mother Teresa

24. “Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more

         – H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

25. “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.” – Steve Jobs

Introduce Yourself / Friend / Family (Experiment 8, Communication Skill Practical)

1. Introduce yourself as a candidate appearing for the interview

Ø  Good morning sir. I’m Ranjani from Ram Nagar,  Coimbatore.

Ø  I did my diploma in Computer Engg. stream with an aggregate of 90%.

Ø  My skill sets are C, C++, Java and networking.

Ø  My career objective is to get a platform where my knowledge and skills will work for the growth of the organisation.

Ø  My strength is positive thinking and hard work.  And my weakness is being too generous and helpful to others. Sometimes people take advantage of that.

Ø  My short term goal is to get placed in a reputed company. And my long term goal is making new programmes and applications in my stream.

Ø  I’m a good team worker, communicator and a socially responsible person.

Ø  My interests are browsing, reading books and listening to music.

Ø  I’m a strong believer of the phrase “Action speaks louder than the words".

Ø  I regard my father as my true source of inspiration.  He is the most honest person I have ever seen.

Ø  That’s all about me. Thank you sir.

2. Introduce your Friend

Ø Good Morning Madam.

Ø I am so delighted to introduce my friend Kalpana to you.

Ø She is my close friend.

Ø She is residing at Saibaba colony.

Ø She studied with me in the same class during my school days.

Ø Her father is Mr. Ravi chandran, working as a teacher at Govt. school.

Ø Her mother is also a teacher. She is working at a private school.

Ø My friend has no brothers and sisters.

Ø She is good at Chess.  I have played with her many times.

Ø She is also fond of reading books.  Whenever I have doubt, I ask my friend.

Ø Whenever I plan for shopping, I go with her.

Ø She is a role model to others in character, discipline and study.  I am so proud of having such a friend.

Ø Thank you.

3. Introduce your Family

Ø  I am so pleased to introduce my family members to you.

Ø  My father’s name is Dhanapal. 

Ø  He is working as a supervisor at Ramlinga Spinning Mill, Aruppukottai.

Ø  My beloved mother is Meenakshy. 

Ø  She is a home-maker. 

Ø  She is good at cooking and her hobby is watching T.V. serials.

Ø  I have only one brother.  His name is Arun. 

Ø  He is doing his diploma in Civil Engineering at Hindustan Polytechnic College, Coimbatore. 

Ø  He is an average student but he is a good cricket player.

Ø  Our family is an ideal family. I love all my family members.

Ø  We enjoy friendly relationship with our neighbours and relatives.

Ø  That’s all about my family.  Thank you. 

To watch a standard self introduction video from Wipro:

Making Polite Expressions (Experiment 7 - Communication Skill Practical)

 

Communication Skill Practical Experiment 6 (Frequently Mispronounced Words)

 

To know more mispronounced words, watch this video:

Communication Skill Practical Experiment 5 (Reading English Newspapers)

To learn more about Intonation, watch this video

To improve your reading skill, watch this video and practice accordingly:

To learn newspaper reading, watch this video:

When I Have Fears by John Keats Questions and Answers (Communication English - 1)

 

1.    Explain by listing out the fears that Keats refers to in his poem.

Keats had so many fears before his death and they are clearly expressed here in this poem that was written few years before his death. The first fear of Keats is about his poetic achievements. He longs to produce ‘high-piled books’ of poetry but he is afraid that death may be a hindrance on his way. His second fear is that death may prevent him from seeing his ladylove for ever. The third fear of Keats is about the impermanency of his fame and love. According to him, it is nothingness that overrules everything and swallows everything at the end. Thus his fears are connected with his longings and lack of chances for the fulfillments.

2.    Explain nihilism expressed at the end of Keats’ poem.

Nihilism refers to the rejection of all religious and moral principles and is centered on the belief that life is meaningless and all values are false. It is an extreme form of pessimism. The concluding lines of Keats’ poem too express the same idea. The first part of the poem reveals his disappointment in love and his unfulfilled desires of poetic achievements. But at the end, he says that he will stand alone on the shore of wide world and think like this only till all love and fame disappear by sinking into nothingness. He means that we think of love and fame to be more valuable than anything but we have them only to lose it to be swallowed by nothingness.

3.    Justify “When I have Fears” as an autobiographical poem.

John Keats, an aspiring Romantic poet died of tuberculosis at the young age of 25. This poem was written just few years before his death and reveals all the depressions and fear he had. At the age of 8, he lost his father and at the age of 14, he lost his mother. His brother Tom Keats also died three years before his death. In the third stanza, he refers to his fear of not meeting again his ladylove – “fair creature of an hour”. In real life, after his brother’s death, he moved to his friend Charles Brown’s house where he met and fell deeply in love with Fanny Brawne. On doctor’s advice, when he left for Rome, he permanently left her without any chance of meeting her again. Thus the poem is a typical autobiographical one.

4.    How does Keats’ poem excel in form and images?

John Keats has written his poem “When I Have Fears” in the form of Shakespearean sonnet in 14 lines. It is beautifully written with the rhyme scheme –abab cdcd efef gg and  three quatrains followed by the rhyming couplet. The poem is also very rich in images such as ‘teeming brain’, ‘high -piled books’ and ‘rich garners.’ He compares his poetic ideas to fully ripened grain, and his books carrying those ideas to granaries. He also personifies night to have a starry face, and beholds the high romance of huge clouds in  the sky.  The time he spent with his lady love is only for a short duration in his life and therefore he aptly calls his sweetheart as a ‘fair creature of an hour.’

5.    Why is Keats’ poem described as a poem of life and death?

“When I have fears” written by Keats reveals his deep longings for life and at the same time expresses his fears about the early arrival of death which is an obstacle on his way. Keats had already produced great poetry such as Ode on a Grecian Urn, Ode to a Nightingale, Endymion and The Eve of St. Agnes but his ambitious spirit still longed to accomplish ‘high-piled books’.  Thus the first half of the poem reveals how much he values life. But the end of the poem reveals his realization of truth that all our achievements are of no avail because death makes everything into nothing. Thus throughout the poem, longing for life and fears of death are vividly expressed by the poet.

On His Blindness by John Milton Questions and Answers (Communication English - I)

1.    How does Milton arrive at the conclusion – “They also served who only stand and wait.”?

As found in the Bible, God has thousands of Angels to carry out his commands without rest. Angels are sent by God to take his message, to protect virtuous people in danger and to execute his judgments. For example, in Luke 1, God sends the Angel Gabriel to Mary to inform her birth of Son of God. In Daniel 6:22, God sends an angel to protect Daniel from the lion’s den. Milton, with the loss of eyesight, feels sorry that he could not serve like these angels. But he consoles himself by saying that he is one of those angels who stand and wait. As his Patience says, they also serve God.

2.    Why does Milton compare himself with one of the servants found in the biblical story?

The parable of the Bags of Gold is found in the Bible, in Matthew 25:14-30. A master gives five bags of gold to his first servant, two bags to his second servant and one bag to his third servant, before his journey. The first two servants doubled the money by investing but the last servant dug a hole and hid the one bag of gold in the ground.  On his return, the master appreciated the first two but rebuked the last one. Milton compares himself with the last servant. He does not use his Master’s gift and may be scolded by God. He couldn’t use the talent (writing skill) given by God due to loss of eyesight.

3.    Justify  “On His Blindness”  as  an autobiographical poem.

Milton became completely blind in 1652 and the poem “On His Blindness” was written after his blindness. The loss of his eyesight is attributed to his restless late night work to serve the Commonwealth Government. The first line of the poem reveals this. Now he feels upset, depressed, frustrated and helpless for being left in the dark wide world. His talent of writing great works remains useless. He is also worried that God may scold him for not using God’s gift. Thus the whole poem deals with the experiences of Milton after blindness and remains a typical autobiographical poem.

4.    Explore Milton’s complaints and religious faith in the poem.

Milton’s chief complaint is that God has taken away his eyesight when he is ready to serve and present his true account. He indirectly blames God why He has made him useless. To him, to hide his talent is death. However his wavering mind soon settles in. Patience starts flowering and his religious faith is strengthened in course of the poem. He thinks that he may not be one of those angels who are serving now but he is definitely one of those angels who stand and wait patiently for the command of God to serve. It is this religious faith that made him to produce the great epics “Paradise Lost” and “Paradise Regained” after the loss of eyesight.

5.    Explain the personification of Patience in the poem.

The act of giving human quality or characteristic to something non-human is called personification. In the poem, On His Blindness, Patience is personified. When Milton grows upset and frustrated and goes almost to the verge of losing faith in God, suddenly he hears the voice of Patience within him. Patience says that God is omnipotent and he does not need anybody’s service. He never expects man to return his own gifts offered to him. It says that one who patiently accepts his present burdensome state also serves God – “Who best bear his mild yoke, they serve him best.” It is Patience that seeds faith into the heart of Milton and makes him realize the grandeur of God.

Of Parents and Children by Francis Bacon Questions and Answers (Communication English - I)

     

1. Bring out the observations of Bacon on the duties and responsibilities of Parents towards Children.

Bacon says that some parents are not liberal in providing pocket money to children.  But it is ‘a harmful error.’ It makes them join with bad company and become immoral. Therefore parents should not tighten their purse but keep the children under their control.  He also says that it is the duty of the parents to choose a career themselves for their children. Another responsibility of the parents is not to treat children with partiality.

2. Bacon wants the parents to choose a profession for their children. Do you agree with this? Explain your views.

Bacon says that parents should choose a profession and course of study for their children. He may be right if he thinks that children are immature and not able to have long term assessments and perspectives of their job. But he also says that parents should not choose a career for their children keeping in mind the interest and nature of the children.  We are to disagree with the writer here since modern children do not continue their study or career if it is against their choice and being forced upon them. In fact, they learn more than their parents and have their own choices in opting their study and profession.

3. What are the similarities and dissimilarities between humans and animals according to Bacon?

According to Bacon, both humans and animals may be similar in nature in reproduction and in taking care of their children. But there are major dissimilarities between them. Humans are bestowed with great thinking. It is only humans who have produced great literature and scientific inventions, not animals. Humans may not be able to fly with wings like birds but they fly better by airplanes and even launch satellites. They may not swim like fish and whales but learnt by their merit to swim by submarines. Thus, memory (great thinking), merit and noble works belong only to humans, not to animals.

4. What are the disadvantages of having children as said by Bacon?

Married men with children have a lot of commitments and responsibilities. They are left with no free time for making great achievements. Therefore, Bacon says that noblest works and great achievements have always emerged only from childless men. The word posterity refers to future generations. Bacon says that impotent men who could not make future generations generally make great treasures potentially for future generations. His view is autobiographical as Bacon himself was a childless man and at the age of 40, he had married a 14-year-old girl.

5. How does Bacon criticize the unequal affection of parents towards their elder and younger children?

Bacon says that the favours of the parents generally go to the eldest children and the youngest ones lose a lot. Though treated by parents partially, it is only the youngest children who prove to be the best of all other children. Not only parents, but also schoolmasters and servants show partiality in treatment between brothers. It greatly affects them in the later part of their life. Bacon asks people to take Italians as role models because Italians treat equally both their own children and the nephews. It is to be noted that Bacon, being youngest son, inherited only a meager share in his own life.

A Snake in the Grass by R.K. Narayan Questions and Answers (Communication English I)

1. Explain the irony at the end of the Snake in the Grass.

The servant Dasa claimed to have caught the snake in a water-pot.  Before leaving, he said that he would hand over the pot to the snake-charmer living nearby.  Everyone in the family admired him.  Before Dasa returns, the family could see a cobra emerging from a hole in the compound wall. Whether there were really two snakes or Dasa had cleverly cheated them all is a mystery. It is not answered in the story.  This is the irony at the end of the story.

2. Elucidate the narrative skill of R.K. Narayan with reference to the short story you studied.

R. K. Narayan is best remembered for his narrative skill and dealing with real life Indian scenes in his works. He begins the story with the entry of snake into the compound to draw the interest of the readers. How the family got scared of the snake, the  servant’s indifference and the neighbours search to catch  the snake are beautifully narrated.As in his other stories, the ending is with inconclusive notes – whether Dasa really caught the snake? Humour and suspense are maintained from the beginning to the end.

3. Bring out the features of the character Dasa.

Dasa is an old servant in the family. He is lazy, insincere, indifferent and irresponsible in his work. He is found sleeping when the snake is reported to have entered the compound. Neighbours also accuse him in their words – “You have the laziest servant on the earth.” But he is clever and cunning. He knows very well that he will be dismissed from the job if the snake is not caught. So he convinces everyone to have caught the snake in a pot. Thus he becomes the hero of the day. His character is typically of Indian servants.

4. What superstitions or rituals are indicated in the story?

A beggar woman at the gate says that Only God Subramaniya has entered the house in the form a snake, and suggest not to kill the snake.  Mother accepts this and remembers the forgotten abhishekam to God. Abhishekam to God is a typical Indian ritual done as a token of thanks to God for his grace in a difficult situation, though it’s impact on the expected events is still not scientifically proved. Again, killing a snake, especially a cobra is a sin in Indian context. That is why, the servant goes to leave the snake to the snake-charmer.

5. Bring out the humour in the story Snake in the Grass.

When the whole family is worried about the snake, the servant is found to be sleeping. They wake him up and reports of the snake. But he simply says, “there is no cobra.” and tries to settle the matter with these words. It really produces humour. The way in which the  college-boy of the house works out the snake-bite per day as 83  alarms everyone and makes them sweat a lot in search. Dasa’s pretension to have caught the snake and his behavior as the champion both make fun of the situation, especially when another snake appears on the compound wall.