English skills

Communicative English – Course Module 1

Concept of the First, Second, and Third Person in the English Language

Person	Singular	Plural
First	I	We
Second	You	You
Third	He She It	They

First-person refers to the person who speaks to someone. The second person refers to the listener. The third person refers to the person or thing, which the first and second person talk about. The term person’ includes nonliving things too.  

                                              The subject

Concept of the Subject  (In the English language the term ’subject’ has many meanings)                                                  

When we speak or write, we always speak about some person or thing.  The person or thing (Physical and Virtual things) we speak about is called a subject. Generally, the subject comes first in a sentence.

e.g.

Bill is a student.

The plane arrived late.

The old building is a museum.

These four books are mine.

The climate of Alaska is very cool.

The president of India is coming today.

The Chinese team played well.

Students are busy.

Jim and Shane came late to the class.

NOTE: 1.  In imperative sentences the subject is left out

               Come here. (generally, we say ‘You come here’)

               Sit down (generally we don’t say ’you sit down’)

             2. ‘It’ and ‘There ‘ are called dummy subjects. They are used in sentences that do have subjects of their own.  They are used to balance the sentences.

                  It is too hot here.

                 There are 100 students in the class. It is time for prayer.

             3. All the subjects have their PRONOUNS.

Subject-Verb Agreement

In a sentence every subject is followed by a verb (A verb is an important word in a  sentence) wrong choice of a verb in a sentence would make the sentence look funny.

e.g.

She is a teacher  (She = subject, is = verb)

They are my friends (They = subject , are = verb)

Mary works for a Bank (Mary = subject, works = verb)

We talk about hundreds of subjects in our day-to-day conversations, now a question arises how to find the suitable verbs for each subject? To solve this problem it’s a good idea to convert the subject into its pronoun form mentally before speaking or writing and reconvert them into their original form during the speech or writing. This conversion would help us to choose a suitable verb for any subject under the sun.

Alternative Explanation:

The subject list is endless , It would be a good idea to just remember subject pronouns because they are limited in numbers, besides it’s easier to learn to make sentences with the subject pronouns or just say ‘pronoun’ than the actual subjects. The following table displays the pronouns of all the subjects (Things people animals etc.), that exist in this world.

SUBJECT PRONOUN (We will refer to ‘subject pronoun’ as just subject in the future.)

Person	Singular	Plural
First	I	We
Second	You	You
Third	He She It	They

Things (factors) that affect your English Skills

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Subject-verb agreement is essential for making sentences

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For English Language Practitioners

Speed up your English-learning skills by learning the components of communicative English

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Introduction to Passive Voice

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English Skills – 22 Feb 2023 – Being Verbs in English

Introduction to Verbs in English and basics of sentence making 2 (using being verbs)

The verb is an important word in a sentence

Verbs may be used as a main verb, or an auxiliary verb =Helping verb = supporting verb

She is a teacher (Is = the main verb)

She is teaching English (Teaching = a main verb and is = a helping verb)

There are three main verbs in English:

a. Being verbs

e.g. am, is, are, was, were, shall/will + be

Denote the existence or non-existence of someone or something (Physical and Virtual)

b. Action verbs

Describe actions: e.g. Read, walk, watch, etc. They have five forms, name Present, Past, Past participle, Present participle, and future form

c. Modal verbs or Modals

These verbs are used for expressing possibility, probability, permission, etc.

e.g. Can I sit here?

Being Verbs   – Am is are

1. Structure – Statement/information/message/declarative question etc.

Person	Singular	Plural
First	I + am	We + are
Second	You + are	You + are
Third	He/she/it + is	They + are

Model sentences

I am Shane.

I am 32. (age)

He is married.

We are classmates

She is my cousin.

The weather is fine.

It’s very playful (it= a puppy)

2. Structure – ‘yes/no‘ question

Person	Singular	Plural
First	am + I	are + we
Second	are + you	are + You
Third	is + (He/she/it)	are + They

Model sentences

Are you Clara?

Is she busy now? 

Am I late today?

Is Joe in the office?

Are they ready to come?

3. Structure – Negative sentence

Person	Singular	Plural
First	I + am + not	We + are + not
Second	You + are + not	You + are + not
Third	He/she/it + is + not	They + are + not

Model sentences

He is not Jim. 

I am not a student.

They aren’t Indians.

The president is not in the Capital

We are in the office.

NOTE:  are not = aren’t  and is not = isn’t

4. Structure – ‘yes/no’ negative question

Person	Singular	Plural
First	am + I + not	are + we + not
Second	are + you + not	are + You + not
Third	is + (He/she/it) + not	are + They + not

NOTE:  are we not = aren’t we, are you not = aren’t you, is he not = isn’t he, are they not = aren’t they

Model sentences

Aren’t you Lee?

Isn’t she an American?

Aren’t they busy?

Isn’t it right?

Isn’t he the manager?

5. Structure – ‘wh’ question

Person	Singular	Plural
First	‘wh’+ am + I	‘wh’ + are + we
Second	‘wh’ + are + you	‘wh’ + are + You
Third	‘wh’ + is + (He/she/it)	‘wh’ + are + They

‘Wh’ indicates ‘wh’ question words  like when, what, where, why, etc. ‘wh’ question needs a full answer

Model sentences

Where is she?

How are you? 

What is he?

Who are they?

Why is she late?        

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English Skills – 11 Feb 2023 – Develop your Fluency in four weeks

Follow these steps to develop your fluency in English – Click on the image

• Skip the Ads and play the ‘conversation’ video clip.
• Watch the first 3 minutes and 20 seconds, if it appeals, continue
• Divide the video clip into three or four or five parts depending on the duration
• Watch the first part
• and watch the first part the second time (watch only the subtitles). Regulated the speed with the mouse.
• Watch the first part a third time (with the sound muted). Say the dialogue along with the characters, (do not memorize the dialogue) and make gestures as the characters do. play till you are comfortable with the first part.
• Play the other parts of the video clip, it may take one week, but it’s worth doing it.
• Follow or subscribe to the channel to watch other video clips, and make it a habit for the following six months. These video clips are more suitable for beginners.

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English Skills Blog – 6 Feb 2023 – Modal Verbs in English

Using modal verbs (e.g. can) is the First Step to start speaking in English

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English Skills Blog – 4 Feb 2023, Instant communication phrases

Phrases are the sentences used to communicate instantly, they aren’t based on grammar rules and they don’t have any standard structure too. Phrases are frequently used by native speakers, knowing about 1000 phrases would make you fluent in English.

Ready to use – Appointment-making phrases

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Making an appointment directly

May I see you on Monday?

Could I/we meet you this evening?

Are you available at your office/clinic this evening for a consultation?

I would like to have an appointment regarding some financial issues with my business, what time are you available?

Making an appointment directly (semi-formal)

Could I meet you this evening?

Is it OK if I see/meet you on Monday/this evening?

Can we meet at Robinson Square……this evening/tomorrow morning?

Is it Ok for you If I meet you at Ruby Park tomorrow afternoon at 2?

How about meeting at Central Square tonight at 9?

May/shall I drop by your office while returning home today evening?

Can I/we expect you at Elizabet’s party tonight?

I wonder if you could spare a few minutes this evening for me to discuss my new business Plans?

Making an appointment through Secretary/receptionist/personal assistant

I would like to see Doctor Sen for consultation this evening, is he available?

Could I expect an appointment with the Attorney tomorrow evening, with regard to ………?

Is it possible to see/meet the chairman tomorrow afternoon?

Can I meet the President today at 6 p.m.?

Is the Lawmaker available today at 7 p.m.?

Can I have an appointment with the auditor on Thursday evening?

Conceding or accepting an appointment

Yes, you can see/meet me this evening I am available till 7.

You are welcome, Please try to come/drop by  7 p.m.

Yes, I will be here till 8 p.m.

Yes, I am available you can see/meet me this evening.

I think Saturday will be OK, because, I am away on a business tour.

Sure,  you can come any time between 5 and 7 p.m.

Yes, tomorrow evening is perfect.

Yes, tomorrow morning is fine.

What time would you like to drop by?

Declining/deferring an appointment politely – A

Sorry, the Attorney is away on vacation

Sorry, He/she won’t be back until 2^nd June.

We are extremely sorry to say that the doctor is not available this week for appointments.

I am afraid (= sorry) he may not be available tomorrow evening, however, you can see him the day after tomorrow.

I wish I could see you, but I have to leave for London tonight, Is Monday 2^nd Jan OK for you?

I wish I could give you an appointment, but I have to be in New York for some important work.

I am afraid I won’t be available tomorrow, Is Friday evening OK?

I am really sorry I am unable to attend the office at 4 p.m. today, Is tomorrow OK for you?

Oh………7p.m. …. It’s difficult for me to come will 8 p.m. be OK?

I am afraid it’s not possible today.

Oh, Thursday it’s a very busy day for me, I would rather prefer Saturday, Is it OK?

I need to advance my appointment on Monday (by one day) is it possible?

Canceling an appointment politely – B

I am sorry I have to cancel my appointment due to an emergency meeting at Margret’s

I am extremely sorry to cancel my appointments due to heavy rains and floods in and around the town.

Sorry I made a mistake which conceding an appointment actually I am away at a meeting tomorrow, will Monday be OK for you?

Sorry, I am not available tomorrow, shall I reschedule the appointment for Sunday evening?

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Sentence-making basics 4

Upskill Bulletin 3/3/2023

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Sentence-making basics 3

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Sentence making basics 2

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Sentence-making basics 1

Upskill Bulletin 27 Feb 2023

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English UpSkill Bulletin 21 February 2023

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have and have to

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English UpSkill Bulletin 14 February 2023

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English UpSkill Bulletin 12 February 2023

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A word a day will make your day 12/2/2023

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Communicative English – Introduction

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