Definition of Reading

Definition of Reading

"Reading" is the process of looking at a series of written symbols and getting meaning from them. When we read, we use our eyes to receive written symbols (letters, punctuation marks and spaces) and we use our brain to convert them into words, sentences and paragraphs that communicate something to us. Reading can be silent (in our head) or aloud (so that other people can hear).

Reading is a receptive skill - through it we receive information. But the complex process of reading also requires the skill of speaking, so that we can pronounce the words that we read. In this sense, reading is also a productive skill in that we are both receiving information and transmitting it (even if only to ourselves).

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Business Letter

Business Letter

 

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How to write a business letter

What kind of letter is it?

A business letter is a letter written in formal language. There are many reasons to write a business letter. It could be:

• to request direct information or action from another party,
• to order supplies from a supplier,
• to identify a mistake that was committed,
• to reply directly to a request,
• to apologize for a wrong
• or simply to convey goodwill.

Elements of a business letter

The parts of a business letter are as follows:

• Sender's address
• Date
• Inside address
• Attention line
• Salutation
• Body of the letter
• Complimentary close
• Signature
• Enclosure

Positions of the elements

Styles of business letters are of two main types:

1. Full block style:
   In this type you align all elements on the left margin.
2. Modified block:
   In this style, some elements are on the left page margin.

The following is an example of the modified block style.

Example

[SENDER'S NAME] [SENDER'S ADDRESS] (optional[SENDER'S PHONE] (optional[SENDER'S E-MAIL] [DATE] [RECIPIENT W/O PREFIX] [RECIPIENT'S COMPANY] [RECIPIENT'S ADDRESS] (Optional) Attention [DEPARTMENT/PERSON], Dear [RECIPIENT], [CONTENT.] [VALEDICTION (Sincerely, Respectfully, Regards, etc.)], [SENDER] [SENDER'S TITLE] Enclosures ([NUMBER OF ENCLOSURES])

Punctuation

Generally speaking, a comma follows the salutation/greeting, but in the United States a colon is often preferred. The valediction/closing is followed by a comma.

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Advice

Asking for and Giving advice 

 

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Expressions

Asking for advice:

• I've got a bad toothache. What do you suggest?
• What do you advise me to do?
• What should I do?
• What ought I to do?
• What's your advice?
• If you were me what would you do?

Giving advice

• If I were you, I would go to the dentist.
• Why don't you go to the dentist?
• You'd better brush your teeth regularly.
• You ought to/should avoid eating sweets.
• If you take my advice, you'll go to the dentist.
• It might be a good idea to brush your teeth on a regular basis.
• I advise you to brush your teeth on a regular basis.
• Have you thought about seeing a dentist.

Declining to give advice

• I don't know what to advise, I'm afraid.
• I wish I could suggest something, but I can't.
• I wish I could help.
• I'm afraid I can't really help you.

Things to remember about asking for and giving advice:

1. "Advise" is a verb.
Example:
"I advise you to learn English. You will undoubtedly need it in your higher studies"
2. "Advice" is a noun.
Example:
"My father gave me this piece of advice when I was young: never give up"
3. "Ought to" has nearly the same meaning as "should". The only difference is that "ought to " refers to a moral or external obligation but should is more of an advice.
Example:
"You ought to stop smoking."
"You should stop smoking."
4. "You'd better" is the short form of "you had better"
Example:
"You'd better see a doctor!" = "You had better see the doctor"

Study the dialogue:

Student:	I'm terrible at English and I think I should do something about it. What do you advise me to do?
Teacher:	I think you should try this website. It's a fantastic website for beginners.
Student:	I've heard about it, but what do you think I should start with?
Teacher:	You'd better start with the lessons.Then, try the exercises.

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Opinion

Expressing Your Opinion 

 

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How to express your opinion

Expressing opinion

I think...
As far as I'm concerned,..
To my mind,...
According to me,...
As I see it, ...
It seems to me that...
In my point of view / my opinion,....
From my point of view...
I am of the opinion that...
I take the view that. ..
My personal view is that...
In my experience...
As far as I understand / can see/see it,...

Agreeing or disagreeing

Agreeing with an opinion:

I agree with this opinion.
I completely agree with this view.
This is absolutely right.
I couldn't / can't agree more.

Partial agreement:

I agree with this point of view, but...
This idea is right, but...
I agree with you, but...

Disagreeing with an opinion:

I'm afraid. I can't agree with you.
I disagree with you.
I don't agree with you.
I'm not sure I agree with you
I think you're wrong

How To Express Your Opinion,Click Here !!!!

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Modals

Modal Verbs And Their Meaning 

 

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What are modal verbs?

Modals (also called modal verbs, modal auxiliary verbs, modal auxiliaries) are special verbs which behave irregularly in English. They are different from normal verbs like "work, play, visit..." They are used to indicate modality. They give additional information about the function of the main verb that follows it. They have a great variety of communicative functions.

Use of modal verbs:

Modal verbs are used to express functions such as:

1. Permission
2. Ability
3. Obligation
4. Prohibition
5. Lack of necessity
6. Advice
7. possibility
8. probability

Remember

Modal verbs are followed by an infinitive without "to"

Examples:

• You must stop when the traffic lights turn red
• You should see to the doctor
• There are a lot of tomatoes in the fridge. You need not buy any.

Exception:

• You ought to go to the doctor

A list of modals

Here is a list of modals:

Modal Verb	Meaning	Expressing	Example
must	to have to	100 % obligation	I must stop when the traffic lights turn red.
	to be very probable	logical conclusion (deduction)	He must be very tired after such enormous work
must not	not to be allowed to	prohibition	You must not smoke in the hospital.
can	to be able to	ability	I can swim
	to be allowed to	permission	Can I use your phone please?
	it is possible	possibility	Smoking can cause cancer !
could	to be able to	ability in the past	When I was younger I could stay up all night and not get tired..
	to be allowed to	more polite permission	Excuse me, could I just say something?
	it is possible	possibility	It could rain tomorrow!
may	to be allowed to	permission	May I use your phone please?
	it is possible, probable	possibility, probability	It may rain tomorrow!
might	to be allowed to	more polite permission	Might I use your phone please?
	it is possible, probable	weak possibility, probability	I might come and visit you in America next year, if I can save enough money.
need	necessary	necessity	Need I say more?
need not	not necessary	lack of necessity/absence of obligation	I need not buy any tomatoes. There are plenty in the fridge.
should/ought to	used to say or ask what is the correct or best thing to do	50 % obligation	I should / ought to see a doctor. I have a terrible headache.
	to suggest an action or to show that it is necessary	advice	You should / ought to revise your lessons
	to be very probable	logical conclusion (deduction)	He should / ought to be very tired after such enormous work
had better	to suggest an action or to show that it is necessary	advice	You 'd better revise your lessons

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Shall and Will

Shall and Will

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What is the difference between shall and will?

Shall is not used often in modern English especially in American English. In fact, shall and will have the same meaning and are used to refer to the simple future. They are use as follows:

• will is used with all persons
  

  I, you, he, she, it, we, they	will	go there

• shall is used with the first person singular and plural
  

  I, we	shall	go

• The short form of will and shall is 'll
  

  I, you, he, she, it, we, they	will or 'll	call you

  
  

  I, we	shall or 'll	call you

• In the negative, the short forms of will not and shall not are won't and shan't respectively
  

  I, you, he, she, it, we, they	won't	give up

  
  

  I, we	shan't	give up

Uses of shall

It should be noted that shall is often used to make suggestions, offers or ask for advice. It is used in questions as follows:

• Shall we stay or go out?
• Shall we dance?
• Shall I get his phone number if I meet him?
• What shall I do to get rid of my acne?

As said above shall is used with first person singular and plural (I and we.) But there is a very special use of shall with other persons to make a promise, command or threat as noted below:

• You shall not get in! (Command)
• You shall pay for it. (Threat)
• You shall get your money back soon. (Promise)

In American English shall is mainly used in formal or legal documents:

• You shall abide by the law.
• There shall be no trespassing on this property.
• Students shall not enter this room.

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Linking Words

Linking Words

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Linking words

Like other languages, English has a lot of cohesive or transitional devices and linking words that can be used to express and join ideas.

1. Expressing addition

To add information, you can use these expressions:

Examples:

in addition, - as well as - moreover - what is more - not only...but also... - furthermore - besides - also - too - and...

• If the project fails this will have terrible consequences not only on our department, but also on the whole organization
• John's grades are terrible because he has been so lazy these days. In addition to this, his relationship to his parents got worse.
• The report is badly written. Moreover, it's inaccurate.

2. Expressing contrast

To express contrast, you can use these expressions:

Examples:

although - even though - in spite of / despite - however - yet - nevertheless - nonetheless - on the contrary - whereas - on the one hand ...but on the other hand... - conversely - but...

• Brain drain has terrible consequences on the developing countries. Nevertheless, nothing has been done to solve the problem or at least reduce its negative effects.
• In spite of / despite Fred's old age, he goes jogging every morning.
• Although she's very nice, her classmates hate her.
• They have got two children, a boy and girl. The boy looks after his father whereas the girl looks after the mother.

3. Expressing cause and effect

To express cause and effect, you can use these expressions:

Examples:

consequently - as a consequence - as a result - therefore - because of this - for this reason - because - since - as - for - due to - owing to

• She remained silent, for she was so depressed to talk.
• We can't go to Sue's party because we'll be busy working on our project.
• The plane was delayed because of the foggy weather.
• He had spent most of his time hanging around instead of revising his lessons. Consequently, he had a lot of trouble answering the exam questions.

 

5. Expressing purpose

To express purpose use the following words:

Examples:

in order to - in order not to - sa as to - so as not to - to - not to

• She wakes up early in order to be on time to work.
• They visited him so as to offer their condolences for the death of his wife
• He helped the new policewoman so as not to fail in her first mission.

4. Summarizing

To summarize, you can use the following expressions:

Examples:

in conclusion - to conclude - to sum up - in a nutshell - in brief - in short - all in all - everything considered...

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