sop - hrd – fluency in english – v2 – 2008 12 03
(ver. 02:12/2008)
(In mid-2006, I prepared this write-up for the benefit of few staff who wanted to improve their fluency in English language. Before posting on the blog in December 08, the content has been slightly modified to cover ‘Online Dictionary’,…. I am sure, a careful read might throw up some errors in my writing as well, but that does not deter me. For, learning is a life long exercise. And, it is fun too.)
SCOPE & OBJECTIVE:
The ability to communicate clearly and effectively is an essential quality every person must possess, and continually improve upon it. Individually, no one will be able to learn every aspect of any subject; one has to work with others as a team; even Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam would have not risen to this level, had he not worked with a team; that is, even Dr. Kalam did not achieve everything all by himself.
All of us have to grow in our respective area of work/profession from a Dependent level to an Independent level, and then to an Interdependent level. For this, communication (read, write and speak) is imperative. A poor communication skill will be a handicap; but, it can be overcome.
This write up has been prepared for the benefit of those who would like to improve their fluency in English language. Depending upon the proficiency of the reader, he/she can decide to choose/skip certain steps.
This write up contains only a few tips; it is not an exhaustive treatise on this subject.
RESPONSIBILITY:
Self. We have to motivate ourselves into this activity. We should not expect others to motivate us.
SYSTEM/PROCEDURE:
Few tips on ‘how one can improve one’s fluency in written and spoken English’ are provided below.
Audible Reading:
Read audibly for 10 minutes each day for six months. Choose the reading matter of your interest. Ensure that the language is good because the whole idea is to improve our language.
Also develop a habit of reading (not audibly) a book or magazine of your interest before going the bed each day.
Purpose of audible reading:
Our ear will get used to our own voice while speaking English and will therefore, prevent us from being ‘too conscious’ while speaking. This will also help in improving our pronunciation and diction.
Disadvantage of audible reading:
‘Audible reading’ limits one’s reading speed. Hence, practice ‘audible reading’ for only 10 minutes each day. And, do discontinue this exercise after six months.
Cassette Recording:
Once a week or once in ten days, record (for about 5 minutes) the matter that you read audibly. Also record the date of your recording. Re-play the last recording each time. At the rate of ‘one recording of 5 minutes duration’ each week, a sixty minutes cassette will last for three months. When we replay the entire cassette after it is full, we can assess for ourselves, the definite improvement in our reading, pronunciation, diction, …. This exercise may be discontinued after six months.
Purpose:
We can find out for ourselves how we sound to others when we read/speak, (i.e. the clarity, pronunciation, diction, pace, …). And accordingly, we can take necessary corrective steps.
Writing:
Write one page each day. Read a complete sentence and then write. (That is, do not read one or two words and write.) After completing the page, read the written matter. Date each page whenever we write, so that it will auto-prompt us to be regular, if we are not.
Purpose of this exercise:
To improve one’s command over the use of prepositions, punctuations, phrases, correct spelling, writing speed, etc. This will also improve one’s flow-of-writing (along one’s train of thought) as well as one’s handwriting. This exercise may be stopped after one year.
Listening:
Listen to `NEWS’, watch `CARTOON NETWORK’, watch good English serials on TV, etc. In case of any flaw in our pronunciation or language, we can notice it for ourselves and can correct accordingly.
Cartoon Network and English Serials will also give us exposure to `spoken language’, especially the typical phrases that are used while speaking.
Speak:
Speak in English with our friends and colleagues without any hesitation. Do not be conscious of making mistakes. A true friend or a true colleague will not make fun of us if we make a mistake; instead they will co-operate with us.
As we speak, the fear of making a mistake will vanish and, over a period of time, we will be at ease with English language as much as we are with our mother tongue.
Use ‘Active’ Sentences:
Active sentences are more effective than passive sentences. We can see for ourselves from the following examples of active and passive sentences.
Passive Sentence: ‘The rat was killed by the cat’.
Active Sentence: ‘The cat killed the rat’.
Though both these sentences are grammatically correct, the active sentences are effective. We must note that our aim is towards an ‘effective communication skill’; not just ‘communication skills’.
Visit Book Shops, Book Exhibitions:
Make it a habit to visit a good book shop (like Walden, Crossword, Odyssey, …) once a month, even if we do not plan to buy a book. We can know the variety of books available, the new arrivals, the best sellers, … and we may develop an interest in some book(s). It also automatically pre-empts any mental inertia in us.
Dictionary & Note Book:
We must keep a good dictionary within our reach while reading. Also buy a good quality note book.
Reader’s Digest has a book titled ‘Word Power’ where every word is used in various sentences to explain its different meaning in different contexts. If one can afford it, it is definitely worth the money. It had cost Rs 1299.00 in late 90s. Can be purchased by VPP.
While reading or listening to others, we will come across words whose meaning we may not know. There will be words that will be useful to us in our personal/official life; there will also be other words that may not be useful to us. Words, whose usage we come across frequently, are the useful words as far as we are concerned. Refer the dictionary for its meaning.
If we find the word interesting and useful to us, write in our note book, the sentence where we came across the word, its meaning and its proper pronunciation. One or two words a day is good enough.
Date all entries in the note book. If our pace of learning new words gets slow later, the date will auto-prompt us.
While speaking or writing, our stock of words will come to our mind/tongue automatically; that is, we do not have to consciously remember each and every word. Over a period a time, we will be surprised to notice the increase in our stock of words. We will thus be able to read, write and speak fluently and effectively.
Those who have access to internet can add to the ‘favourites’ an Online Dictionary. Most online dictionaries also have audible pronunciation feature that is represented by a speaker symbol. We can hear the pronunciation upon clicking the speaker symbol. Normally, two types of pronunciation would be available --- British pronunciation and American pronunciation. These are represented by their respective national flag symbols beside the speaker symbol.
All the best.
VERSION & AMENDMENTS:
Ver. 02:12/2008 Second version.
Ver. 01:05/2006. First version.
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