Category: Grammar

Grammar for better English: A free workshop for adults

Hello! My next Grammar workshop is online. It is happening this December.

Please note: There are no seats available for the 13 Oct or 14 Oct workshops.  

Why have a workshop on grammar? 

Do you want to write emails that are easily understood? Do you want to write reports that are grammatically error-free? And do you want to make more effective presentations at work?

If you answer yes to these questions, then improving your grammar would be the right place to start. A strong foundation in grammar will allow you to express yourself more precisely, concisely, and effectively. It’s as simple as that!

Who is the trainer? 

As a corporate trainer in Delhi NCR for six years, I have conducted business grammar, email writing, and presentation skills courses and workshops at institutions, MNCs, and Indian companies.

I’m interested in creative writing and have written a book Q and the Magic of Grammar. And the next book is Common Indian Errors in Business English. It should be out in a few months.

Who is this for? 

This training is for people who are reasonably fluent at English, but who are making errors in grammar. It is for people who would like to improve their communication skills.

Here’s a short test. If you can correctly answer these three questions correctly, then you are at the right level for this training programme.

Fill in the blanks with the correct tense of the verb in brackets.

  1. Yesterday, I _________ my clients. (to meet)
  2. Nowadays, she ____________ the marketing team in Noida. (to manage)
  3. When we visited Mumbai, we didn’t ________ to the showroom. (to go)

Scroll all the way down for the answers.

If you have any questions about the level of this course, email me at: amalfabian@yahoo.com.

What grammar points will be covered? 

I intend to review the common grammatical errors of Indian speakers. So, I urge you to mentally prepare yourself; we’re going to cover a lot of territory.

We’ll  look at: errors in the use of tense, the use of the article (a, an, the, zero article), use of prepositions, and uncountable nouns (is it etiquette or etiquettes?) .

Of course, we’ll have some time where you can ask my anything about grammar and language learning in general.

Where? 

The venue is the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. Here is the exact venue:

“Willow Hall”

Habitat World, at India Habitat Centre,

Lodhi Road

New Delhi-110003

(Entry from gate number 3 on Vardhman Marg)

 

When? 

It is on the 13th of October. That’s a Saturday.  The day’s training session will be for six hours. (Don’t worry, there will be breaks!) The timings are: 9:30 am to 5:30 pm. Please be on time.

(Please note. There is a workshop on the 14th of October as well, but there are no seats available.) 

How many participants? 

There are limited seats. There will be a maximum of 20 participants.

How much? 

It is for free. There are no charges. Lunch and coffee/tea are complimentary.

Will there be future workshops on writing and speaking? 

This is the first in a series of workshops. Apart from grammar, I intend to conduct workshops on email writing and presentation skills.

What is the next step? 

If you are interested, please email to: amalfabian@yahoo.com confirming your participation.

As there are limited seats, please wait for a confirmation.

Answers: 

  1.  Yesterday, I __met____ my clients. (to meet)
  2. Nowadays, she __manages___ the marketing team in Noida. (to manage)
  3. When we visited Mumbai, we didn’t __go____ to the showroom. (to go)

Learn English with your child

patenting

Learning any language takes time. And that includes English as well.

Many people working in the corporate sector want to learn English words and phrases that are directly related to their work.

They often do not have the time or inclination to strengthen their foundations (grammar, vocabulary, writing skills, reading skills, listening skills, and speaking skills).

Learn with your child

How can you strengthen the foundations of your language?

If you have a child at home, consider yourself lucky. You can learn with her. Together, practise reading from her textbook.

Use the content in the textbook as a launchpad for further learning.

For example, if there is a lesson on food, watch YouTube videos on the topic.

When watching, be sure to be an active listener.

Make a mental note of new vocabulary, grammar structures, and pronunciation. See if you can identify any of the words / grammar that you and your child have come across in the textbook.

After you finish the activity, you could have a conversation about it.

Did you like the YouTube video? Why? Why not? What were the main points? Was there any new information? Were there any words that you want learn more about? Was it easy to understand the accent of the speaker? 

Immersion is key

If you want to learn any language– the secret is immersion. The language needs to be around you all the time.

With your child, set aside some time when both of you speak only in English. For instance, at the dinner table, you could revise the words / grammar that you have together looked at.

Don’t worry if mistakes are made. Making mistakes is a good sign. That means you are engaging with the language. After all, when learning a new language, it is normal to make mistakes. 

Practise, practise, practise. Over time, you and your child will become fluent speakers. 

Be consistent

It is said that the child is the father of man.

I believe that the child is an excellent English teacher for a man or woman. Learning with your child is a fun, natural way to learn anything.

If you choose to learn with your child, make sure that it is a long-term project. Don’t be disheartened if you don’t see immediate results.

Slow and steady wins the race! Always.

For more information and advice, visit: British Council LearnEnglish Kids.

Do you have plans for your child to study abroad? This is a post on how to help her succeed in international English exams. 

3 or 4 common punctuation errors

Three exclamation marks in the sky

For some reason, I’m a fan of punctuation marks. And to my dismay, I find that they are misused many a times in business writing.

Misused punctuation marks 

1. Semicolon

The semicolon is used to divide two sentences that are in some way related to each other. The key word is ‘sentence’. There has to be a sentence on both sides of a semicolon. Here are two examples:

I enjoy punctuation; the semicolon is my favourite mark. (correct usage)

I enjoy punctuation; the semicolon. (incorrect usage)

When you use a semicolon, think about whether it divides two sentences or not. What is a sentence? I hear you ask. A sentence is a group of words that:

a. has a subject and a verb;

b. makes complete sense on its own.

2. Exclamation marks!

Note that I used just one exclamation mark for the sub-heading. One exclamation mark is more than enough.

Do not write: !!!

Of course, in informal communication, you can use a series of exclamation marks. On WhatsApp, you can type: I passed the test!!! But, even here, the value of your exclamation marks starts to fall if you use too many of them. 

Using too many exclamation marks dilutes the impact of your message. From now on, be mindful when using these marks. 

Why do women use exclamation marks three times as much than men? Find out. 

3. The use of the dash and colon

There are many uses of these punctuation marks, but I have one particular use in mind. When introducing a list, many people in India start with :–

That is redundant, and a bit heavy.

Either go with the colon (:), or go with the dash (–). Why go with both? That makes your writing unnecessarily heavy.

And that’s a wrap

When writing, be aware how you use these marks. 

Read this post on how to use other punctuation marks. 

Have you ever asked yourself: when should I use a semicolon? 

When it comes to punctuation, keep it light.

Just like in design: less is more. 

Image credit: Grok

Since vs. for

 

since

 

At times, I have heard: “I’ve been working here from 2015.”

Actually it should be: “I’ve been working here since 2015.”

Or one can say: “I’ve been working here for two years.”

Here is how since and for are used:

since + point in time       (since 1906)

for + period of time        (for 10 years)

We do use from with time expressions, but in a different sense. Here are some examples:

The conference starts from tomorrow. 

The shop is open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. 

And yes, by now you know why the ad is correct: Trusted since 1906.

In fact, from now on, you know the difference between since and for.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Uncountable nouns

Fruits

On a chilly winter evening in New Delhi, I saw this sign blazing in the dark. ‘Fruit’ is an uncountable noun. And if the owner wished to be grammatically correct, the sign should have read “Shakti Fruit.’

But what are uncountable nouns?

Uncountable nouns are nouns that cannot be counted.

They can be either abstract nouns (love, peace) or concrete nouns (sugar, furniture).

Here are the main points you need to keep in mind:

a. With an uncountable noun, we do not use an ‘s’. And so, we cannot have ‘fruits’.

b. We cannot use indefinite articles (a,an) with uncountable nouns.

We should not say: a fruit.

Let’s look at some common errors made with uncountable nouns:

  1. “Can I ask for an advice?”

This is incorrect. Advice is uncountable.

You should say: “Can I ask for some advice?”

2. The ten equipments are in the storeroom.

Equipment is uncountable.

Instead, we say: The ten pieces of equipment are in the storeroom.

3. She knows a lot about Japanese business etiquettes.

You guessed it… Etiquette is an uncountable noun.

The sentence should read: She knows a lot about Japanese business etiquette.

And now, I’m sure that you can identify the grammatical error in this photo:

equipments

For more on Indian common errors, check out my book.

Watch this video for more on uncountable nouns.

When do I use an apostrophe?

apostrophe

This message is from my local gym. What caught my eye was the unnecessary apostrophe in ‘Saturdays’.

Apostrophes are terrible easy to use. And yet, there are often misused. As in most things in life, you just have to be clear as to how to use them. Let’s find out.

3 ways to use an apostrophe

1. To show possession 

girl’s (singular)     girls’ (plural)

2. After time expressions

One week’s time

Two weeks’ time (note that the apostrophe in this case comes after the ‘s’)

3. For informal speech 

do not   becomes  don’t 

I am becomes I’m 

you are becomes you’re 

Pay attention when you see: it’s

It’s can be ‘it is’ or ‘it has’. It depends on the context.

Look at these two examples:

a. It’s raining! (It is)

b. It’s been nice speaking with you. (It has)

And that’s all

If you wish to write anything in its plural form, such as protein shakes, push-ups, and Saturdays, there is no need to add an apostrophe. Don’t do it.

And yes, there are exceptions. We use apostrophes when we talk of minding your P’s and Q’s. But, I think you knew that already…

Not sure about its vs. it’s?