IGNOU BEGAE-182 - English Communication Skills

Section A 1. Write short notes on any four of the following. a) Homophones b) Stress and Intonation c) Style d) Silence and its Role in Communication. e) Macro functions of communication OR 2. a) Substitute the word nice in the following paragraph. Change sentence construction, if necessary. It was a nice morning. We went out for a nice picnic to a nice park near our house. The food was nice and we played nice games. We enjoyed the nice outing. 2 b) What are the different meanings of the word light? Use the word in sentences to bring out the different meanings. Section B 3. Discuss the difference between conversation and other speech events. Give examples. 4. Which mode of communication would you adopt in the following situations? a) The message is urgent. b) The message is important and lengthy. c) The message sent should be available in the records. d) You have to consult your boss, who is out of town, urgently and make a quick decision. 5. Given below are some phrases. How will you make them sound less impersonal? a) The customers will appreciate the fact that the company is giving a 10% discount on computers this month. b) Further to your recent communication, please find enclosed the requested quotation. c) If the customers have any further questions they should contact the company at 9886745612. d) It was discovered that the salary totals were incorrect. e) The list of the names and the number of people attending the course has not been finalized. 6. a) Rewrite these wordy phrases in simpler English. 1) In the course of ... 2) During such time that ... 3) In spite of the fact that ... 4) Anything over and above this ... 5) For a period of 14 days ... 6) Up to a maximum of four people ... 7) It would be appreciated if you would... 8) I am writing with reference to.... 9) At this moment in time ... 10) In accordance with your request … 7. Try to write the following sentences in simpler English: (Any5) a. The duty of a clerk is to check all incoming mail and to record it. b. The current focus of the medical profession is disease prevention. c. A shortage of tellers at our branch office on Friday and Saturday during rush hours has caused. d. Customers to become dissatisfied with the service. e. She has the ability to influence the outcome. f. It is necessary that we take a stand on this pressing issue. SECTION- C Answer any 2 questions from this section. 8. Here is a beginning for a paragraph (of definition). Complete the paragraph by explaining both the positive and negative sides of liberty as you perceive it. In the dictionary, liberty is defined as freedom from external restraints or compulsion. The definition isnot incorrect but is too narrow, because liberty means freedom from having to do something, as well as freedom to do something. In this sense, liberty may be said to possess two sides – a positive and a negative. 9. You have been asked by a Tourist/Travel Magazine to introduce your City/ Town/Village to foreign visitors. Write a physical description, including the location, layout, geographical and architectural features. Some reference to history may be appropriate. Your description must make your area sound interesting and attractive as a tourist destination. Write in 200 words. 10. In what sense is reading called “a psycholinguistic guessing game”? Explain. How is one ‘selective in reading? What are the four levels of comprehension? Mention any two interpretive abilities with examples.

1. What do you understand by the term ‘non-verbal communication’? What are its advantages? 2. Write a short note on Macro functions of communication. 3. How do you differentiate between Group Discussions at Interviews and Group Discussions in General? 4. What are “homonyms” and “homophones”? Explain with suitable examples. 5. What are some of the meeting etiquettes which one must follow while attending a meeting? Also suggest ways to end a meeting. 6. A construction company is planning to cut down several trees in your locality to build new flats. As the President of your Residential Association write a formal letter to the editor of your local newspaper highlighting this issue. 7. You are attending an international Conference in your city. You have just met a participant from the U.S.A. Write a dialogue in turns where both of you get introduced to each other and discuss your expectations from the conference. 8. Write an essay on Barriers to communication. 9. A group of five students have been given the topic “Environment Pollution and ways to curb it” for group discussion. Attempt a group discussion for a set of three students. 10. You have been invited to speak in a webinar for high school students on the topic: “Contribution of Youth in Nation building” Write your speech in around 300 words.