To impart basic skills of communication in English through intensive practice to the first year UG students of Engineering so as to enable them to function confidently and effectively in that language in the professional sphere of their life.

The student must have some basic command of English that is must be able to :

1. Write reasonably grammatically
2. Understand ( if not use ) at least some 2500 general purpose words of English to express himself in writing and 1500 words to talk about day-to-day events and experiences of life.
3. Understand slowly-delivered spoken material in Standard Indian English , and
4. Speak reasonably clearly ( if not fluently ) on routine matters with his fellow students.

• The topics must be conveyed through plenty of examples. Lecture classes must be conducted as lecture-cum-tutorial classes.
• It is a course that aims to develop skills. It is therefore “practical” in orientation. Plenty of exercises of various kinds must be done by the students both inside and outside the classroom.
• The teacher must not depend on a single or a set of two or three text books. He must choose his materials from diverse sources.
• Keeping in view the requirements of his students , the teacher may have to prepare some teaching and exercise material.
• For practice in listening , good tape recorders can be used if the more advanced facilities ( for example , language laboratory ) are not available. In fact they can be used very fruitfully.
• The teacher must function as a creative monitor in the class-room.
• Minimum time should be spent in teaching phonetic symbols , stress , intonation , etc. The aim should be to enable the students to find out for himself the correct pronunciation of a word from a learner’s dictionary. In teaching speaking, emphasis should be on clarity , intelligibility and reasonable fluency rather than on “ correct “ pronunciation of words. Classroom presentation and group discussion sessions should be used to teach speaking.

Communication as sharing; context of communication; the speaker / writer and the listener / reader; medium of communication; barriers to communication; brevity, clarity and appropriateness in communication.

Writing

Selecting material for expository, descriptive , and argumentative pieces, business letters; formal report; summarizing and abstracting ; expressing ideas within a restricted word limit; paragraph division; the introduction and the conclusion; listing reference material; use of charts, graphs and tables ; punctuation and spelling; semantics of connectives, modifiers and modals; variety in sentences and paragraphs.

Reading Comprehension

Reading at various speeds ( slow , fast , very fast ) ; reading different kinds of texts for different purposes (for example , for relaxation , for information , for discussion at a later stage , etc.) ; reading between the lines.

Speaking

Achieving desired clarity and fluency ; manipulating paralinguistic features of speaking ( voice quality , pitch , tone , etc. ) pausing for effectiveness while speaking ; task-oriented , interpersonal , informal and semiformal speaking ; task-oriented, interpersonal , informal and semiformal speaking; making a short , classroom presentation.

Group Discussion

Use of persuasive strategies including some rhetorical devices ( for emphasizing , for instance; being polite and firm; handling questions and taking in criticism of self; turn-taking strategies and effective intervention ; use of body language. Telephonic Conversation.

Listening Comprehension

Achieving ability to comprehend material delivered at relatively fast speed; comprehending spoken material in Standard Indian English, British English and American English ; intelligent listening in institutions such as an interview in which one is a candidate.

Grammar – Correction of sentence, Vocabulory / word formation, Single word for a group of words, Fill in the blank, transformation of sentences, Structure of sentences – Active / Passive Voice – Direct / Indirect Narration ( 5 lectures)

Essay – Descriptive – Comparative – Argumentative – Thesis statement- Structure of opening / concluding paragraphs – Body of the essay ( 7 lectures)

Reading Comprehension – Global – Contextual – Inferential – Select passages from recommended text ( 8 lectures)

Business Correspondence – Letter Writing – Formal. Drafting. Biodata- Resume′- Curriculum Vitae ( 7 lectures)

Report Writing – Structure , Types of report – Practice Writing ( 8 lectures).

Communication / Public Speaking skills , Features of effective speech, verbal-nonverbal
( 7 lectures)

Group discussion – principle – practice ( 6 lectures)

1. Mark MaCormack : “Communication”
2. John Metchell “ How to write reports”
3. S R Inthira & V Saraswathi “ Enrich your English – a) Communication skills b) Academic
skills “ Publisher CIEFL & OUP
4. R.C. Sharma and K.Mohan , “Business Correspondence and Report Writing “ , Tata McGraw Hill , New Delhi , 1994
5. L.Gartside , “Model Business Letters” , Pitman , London , 1992
6. Longman , “Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English” ( or ‘Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English’ , OUP , 1998.
7. Maxwell Nurnberg and Rosenblum Morris , “All About Words” , General Book Depot, New
Delhi , 1995
8. A Text Book for English foe Engineers & Technologists
9. Written Communication in English by Sara-Freeman – Orient Longman
10. English skills for Technical Students by British Council
11. The Young Writer’s TheraurusS by A.J.Koutsoukis – Orient Longman
12. Communicating at Work by Alder & Elmhorst – McGraw-Hills International
13. Succeeding Through Communication – Subhash Jagota, EXCEL BOOKS
14. Art of Effective Communication – Charles J Margerison, EXCEL BOOKS
15. Communication Skill For Effective Management – A.Ghanekar.EPH
16. Communication Skill – L.M.Shaikh.EPH
17. Communication Skill for Technical Students – Faratullah, Orient Longman
18. English Skills for Technical Students – Orient Longman
19. English Online – Jayasree Mohan Raj, Orient Longman
20. Spoken English – R.K.Bansal, Orient Longman
21. English for Engineers & Technologists Vol.1 & 2 – Orient Longman
22. Speak English (with Audio Cassettes Vol.1 – Vol.8) – Don Dallas,Orient Longman