Tips & Tricks for English Usage English is the language of business management in the world. English is a meant not only for communication, but also national and international commerce. In India, as well English has become a link language now. Factoring this, even the Parliament has recognized English as an official language in addition to Hindi . English usage is an essential part of assessment tests conducted by Employer organizations...Needless to say, one needs to have great skills in English Usage. A good score in English Usage impresses interviewers as well. English Usage section generally covers questions from three major sub sections; Grammar, Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension. We are sharing important tips, tricks and websites which can help you enhance your vocabulary & reading skills. Practice them by heart to enhance your knowledge base. All the best!

Contents

Grammar .................................................................................................................................... 3 Few good websites for you to brush up grammar- ............................................................. 3 Verbal Ability ............................................................................................................................. 4 Few short tricks & websites to learn verbal ability ............................................................. 5 Reading Comprehension ........................................................................................................... 6 Speed reading techniques & important websites ............................................................... 6

Grammar Grammar is a set of rules, which govern any language. And this holds true for English language as well. Obviously, this is the heart of any language. It takes effort and time to excel in grammar, and is the most fundamental block in mastering a language. The questions from this section are invariably part of any aptitude test. Questions based on Grammar covers topics like, Articles, Prepositions, Tense, Gerund, Phrases & Idioms, Parts of Speech etc. Grammar section, in the test, can have following question types:

o Active Passive o Articles o Prepositions o Tense o Sentence Correction o Sentence Formation o Speech o Phrases and Idioms

To solve these questions you need to be well versed with grammar rules. Spend time making notes which will help you in final revision.

Some of the important tricks for improving in grammar are : Master the basics You need to get hold of some books of grammar which can help you master the basics. For example there are books like one authored by Wren and Martin which cover all the topics of Grammar comprehensively.

Read and practice The more you read, the better you get with your grammar too. Functional grammar deals with the way in which words and word order are used in social perspectives to get the message across. You may want to go through the list of commonly made mistakes in grammar.This can be immensely helpful.

Few good websites for you to brush up grammar-

Road to Grammar is a very simple site that teaches you grammar with the help of practice quizzes.

Link: www.roadtogrammar.com Some sample examples on grammar questions can be as follows:

Q. Fill in the blanks of the sentence with the correct set of articles:

Robin Uthappa threw away his wicket with __ injudicious cut at __ ball too close to him, but during his brief stay in __ middle, indicated he is quite comfortable.

a, a, the an, a, the the, the, the the, an, the

Q. Choose the best option from those given below to replace the underlined portion of the sentence: The fact that the terrorists left no pamphlets has laid credence to the apprehension in certain Quarters that it may have been orchestrated to discredit the security forces. A) has layed credence to the apprehension B) was laid credence to the apprehension C) had laid credence to the apprehension D) has lent credence to the apprehension

Verbal Ability

Verbal ability is essentially about having a good vocabulary. A good vocabulary in turn is fundamental to good spoken English and good skills in reading comprehension. Verbal ability section, in the test, can have following question types:

o Analogy o Sequencing o Spelling o Synonyms / Antonyms o Sentence Formation

A few tricks & websites to improve verbal ability

Read Voraciously Reading is the most effective way to get new vocabulary. When you read, you see words being used in context and thats what makes it much more effective than, merely memorizing word lists. Find meanings of the difficult words which you encounter while reading any newspaper, novel, books etc. You need to actively work at reviewing and remembering each of the new word you encounter. Memorize the Word Lists There are some important Word Lists in books like Barrons Guide and the students should try and learn those Word Lists: Use Flash Cards to memorize new words. www.quizlet.com is a great source to find and memorize using flash cards. A flashcard or flash card is a set of cards bearing information, as words or numbers, on either or both sides, used as a learning drill to aid memorization. Word Dynamo www.dynamo.dictionary.com is a Great source of online activities to practice vocabulary. You can learn from thousands of Word Dynamo expert created free study guides from SATs, to language, to vocabulary. Any which way, it is critical for students to have a good vocabulary of at least 1000 good words. Use It or Lose It Dont settle after you learn a new word by reading it or looking it up in the dictionary: these are good starts, but its by using the new words that you truly commit them to your long-term memory. Be creative and try to use your newly learned words in as many ways as possible:

Write them down

Say them aloud

Create sentences with them, mentally or in writing

Try to use them in a conversation

Discuss them with friends Play word games Traditional word games can be great fun. These include scrabble, boggle, and crosswords. There are also many web sites that have word games. Often these sites can hook you up with an opponent, so you don't even need to find people to play with.

Some of the sites for word games are:

Yahoo Games- games.yahoo.com/word/

Crossword Puzzles- www.crossword-puzzles.co.uk/

Some examples on questions in Verbal ability section can be :

Q. Choose the correct options to fill the blank in the sentence given below:

She begged to be allowed to go and her parents finally ......

a. arrogated b. arbores c. acquiesced d. Any of the above

Q What does the word CONSANGUINITY mean?

(A)kinship (B)friendship (C)bloodletting (E)understanding

So just get going on improving your Verbal ability.

Reading Comprehension In general, aptitude tests have 5 -10, questions on Reading Comprehension. Mastering this section is difficult, but not impossible. Try following few tricks to improve your RC score.

Speed reading techniques & important websites

I. Speed reading is a useful and valuable skill- Many people read at an average rate of 250

words per minute. This means that an average page in a book or document would take you 1-2 minutes to read. However, imagine if you could double your rate to 500 words per minute. You could zip through all of the content in half the time. You could then spend the time saved on other tasks, or take a few extra minutes to relax and de-stress. Another important advantage of speed reading is that you can better comprehend the overall structure of an argument. This leads to a "bigger picture" understanding, which can greatly benefit your work and career.

II. Eliminate vocalization or sub-vocalization- As you read (sounding out the words either out loud or in your head). Instead of reading word by word, read in chunks of words, or even full sentences. Don't reread text that you have already read. Doing so will only disrupt your brain's flow and will slow you down.

III. Practice, practice, practice- you have to use your skills on a regular basis

o Choose easy material to start with when you begin speed reading, don't use a challenging textbook.

o An English newspaper should be read daily. Start with the front page and other news which you find interesting. But the objective should be to start studying Editorial section of Newspaper as fast as possible. In fact it may take you a minimum of 3-4 weeks time before you reach a stage that you can start reading Editorial section of the newspaper.

o Check www.wikihow.com to discover various speed reading techniques o www.eyercize.com/practice/read/ is a free online speed reading tool that can help

you become an accomplished speed reader. o www.ireadfaster.com is a speed reader designed to improve online-reading skills. It

flashes the provided text as chunks at a specified rate. It helps to increase your reading speed by practicing your eyes, reducing sub-vocalization and eliminating regressions.

o How to Read Better and Faster by Norman Lewis: This is a book that

teaches readers not just how to read faster, but also techniques

that can help them retain what they have read. Speed reading techniques are not just about counting how many words an individual can read in a minute. To actually read something states that it is important that the person understands what is being read. Some sample examples on Reading Comprehension questions can be as follows: Let us assume that this document is the one on which your comprehension abilities are to be judged. So here come the questions now: Q. Which of the following helps you in improving your vocabulary?

a. RAM Cards b. EPROM cards c. Flash Cards d. IQ cards

The correct answer is Flash Cards. Q .For improving which skill does one need to Eliminate Vocalization ?

a. Verbal ability b. Reading Comprehension c. Grammar d. All of the above.

The correct answer is Reading Comprehension. We hope you find this document useful. Best of Luck.