English is Easy

It is a common practice to introduce ourselves at any given occasion or event. It is usually acts like an ice breaker that helps connecting individuals. These situations may arise anywhere between a party, a business meeting or a formal interview. Proper description of self is of great importance to make a or break your image. There are a host of common errors that we make unknowingly that rub in the wrong way with the prospect. You May Also Interested In: 9 Time Idioms For You To Enhance Your English Conversation. Lets study a couple of errors that keep us from distorting our first impression. ‘Myself name is…..’ a very common phrase that a non-English speaker would usually resort to as they would translate its literal meaning from their own language. ‘My my father name is, brother name is….’ Nobody is actually interested in knowing the names of one’s family members, we just need you to talk about our self. However we can always mention the number of people that our family consists of. A sentence in English sentence would usually have an object stated at the end of the sentence whereas an Indian native speaker would keep the verb at the end of the sentence even whilst speaking English. Indians tend to Over use words such as Actually, Basically, Only, Very, etc. These are common words which have unnecessary insertions in our sentences. Ex. there are three members only in my family. Or Basically I work at Infinity Mall. Or Actually my father is a businessman or I am very interested in playing cricket. -Ings are familiar sightings in our speech. I am putting all my effort in my work now. I am having or holding a degree in the science stream. We are having a house also having a big garden and having 2 dogs .Having is usually consumption or possession. We have 2 cars, a house and a big garden. ’I am telling my mother I will become a big man’ is also an incorrect way to convey. Big man may mean by size instead use ‘Successful’. As we speak to the interviewer or host we refer a person as Mr. Salman and which is incorrect, we have to refer to the person as Mr. Khan using their last name instead of their first. Getting excited on the first meeting in business is a sign of being an over-enthusiast that may overwhelm the onlooker. Giving them information about your personal details are a big no-no. One however would be interested in your strengths, your achievements and your accolades in business. The person would not be really interested in knowing about your family member’s achievements or how you met your spouse. Extra sugar in your coffee spoils the flavor of the beans. So is the situation in the introduction. The need to have a sense of confidence in yourself has to be instilled in the prospect. Over selling oneself or boasting about oneself will only spoil the situation. It can only signal that you are in need and are playing around by resorting to a sweet tongue instead of projecting strength in your content of self. You May Also Like: Learning English is an Absolute Must for Survival in Today’s World. Thus we need to create an atmosphere of confidence and balance it with power and impact to ensure that we are heard and understood.

Puns intended! Puns are fun words or phrases used to add humor and intrigue to creative writing. With persistence and luck you might get a fun pun ready to make readers go into stitches of laughter. A touch here, a word there and a line added to the write up makes the reading humorous, interesting, perplexing — you know you’ve been outwitted and punned at. A man who wants a pretty nurse, must be patient. I used to be a banker, but then I lost interest! When you come across an antique shop with a sign,’ Den of Antiquity’, – you’re being got at with a Pun. A Pun is simply, a witty line on word meaning, and the practice of punning can become addictive. A Pun should be greeted with a groan: the better the Pun the louder the groan and laughter following it. Some puns will make you shake your heads in disbelief. Here are some to make a groan man cry. Two antennas met on a roof and got married, the wedding was ok, but the reception was incredible. Sleeping comes so naturally to me, I could do it with my eyes closed. Not to mention this cliff hanger, a Prize winner – ‘Dawn crept slowly over the sparkling emerald expanse of the country golf course, trying in vain to remember where she had dropped her car keys. Punning is a gloriously ancient art and Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift were all masters. Punning has nowadays reached new heights of sophistication with knock – knock jokes and interrogative Puns as riddles…. Who’s there? Not me…. What did one wall say to the other? We’ll meet at the next corner! He was late and hardly had time to be on time for work. So he drove like the devil was at his tail. For sure, a man who drives like hell, is bound to get there. It is better to be late, than be the late Mr. So-n-so. This little tale is full of quirky Puns and an idiom. Idiomatic speech helps to make the language colorful as well as make it smart and sharp. Idioms are expressions peculiar to a language, and must be learnt as a whole sentence to understand them properly. The metaphor enters largely into idiomatic phrases. In fact we speak idiomatically in our everyday lives. You May Also Like: 5 Tips On How To Present Your Visual Presentation “There is no love lost between them” “Hard work is sure to be rewarded in the long run” And when someone is too sweet, without any reason,” I suspect he has an axe to grind.” On the other hand, when someone is kind and sympathetic we would say, “He has his heart in the right place”, and a person being favored by fortune or popularity, “His star is in the ascendant.” Irony is a tongue in cheek humor or criticism. It is a mode of speech in which the real meaning is exactly opposite of that conveyed. When someone is habitually late, the disapproving statement would be, “Think you are a bit early, aren’t you? “Couldn’t you come later than this?” Sarcasm associated with irony. Irony can be funny too. Make a silly statement and you will be reciprocated with a silly, ironical answer. At a beach party, “Are we just going to look at the sea?” A naïve observance. “No, we will jump into the sea and enjoy the party!” An ironical reprove. Hyperbole is an exaggeration, an overstatement. Poetry and prose both become picturesque and often amusing when Hyperbole is used. The playground was crowded with thousands of children on Sunday. The froth in the sea seemed like icing on a cake. She looked so ethereal, so beautiful, so divine in her sparkling robes, as though a celestial being had descended from her heavenly abode. We were all awed. To add to this fun, we have Conundrums. They are riddles that turn on puns. ‘I the woman is always right, and a man is always wrong! Then, if a man tells a woman that she is right. Is the man right or wrong?’ that was funny! Reading literature of this class will always keep you laughing, as with Winston Churchill, P.G. Wodehouse, guessing with Agatha Christie; Stephen Leacock at his hilarious essays and many other prolific great writers who have lead us into the wondrous land of laughter and happiness. It is only fair to conclude with a salute to the master of Puns and Puzzles, Lewis Carroll, the creator of the classic, Alice in Wonderland. He has gifted Punland to English Literature!

A very important part of your life is good manners. Etiquette is required, not only for social appeasement but for yourself. To respect yourself. To be a gentle well bred person, to be happy and at peace with yourself, you must use simple auxiliaries and modals in your day to day life. Requests are simply cordial questions. A request is to ask, solicit or beseech to someone for something you require. There is a perceptible difference between requests and permission. Permission is to take one’s consent. It is a formal action, whereas a request is a gentle and casual way to ask. A request can be asked face to face or on phone, while a permission could  be face to face or a written letter. Here are some great tips on how to request someone. Requests are simply cordial questions. A request is to ask, solicit or beseech to someone for something you require. Can you please help me with my homework? Can you come with me to the doctor. Can I please have some coffee? A request is asking for help from someone. A person’s respectable and decent personality shines through, when he politely requests. To express request in a polite manner, use could you or could you please. You May Also Like: How to Wish People For Different Festivals? Could I go for the picnic, please? Could you read the letter aloud in class? Could you please pick up the cakes from the bakery, while coming back home from work? These tips will help you request friends and strangers and get the help you require. We shall now have a look at phrases to ask for permission. ‘May’ is a very formal and polite way to seek permission for something. May I help you?  May I come in, Sir?  May I borrow your pen, please? While walking into a room/ class full of people, we must excuse ourselves and say “Please may I come in? You could also use ‘Can’ while seeking permission from family or friends. Can is an informal way of seeking permission. Can I go for the school picnic? Can I go to the garden? Can I borrow your book? These few phrases will help you seek permissions in English. You may get a Yes or a No as a reply, accept the response gracefully. So the next time you need to request someone or seek permission, do make use of these phrases.  Be kind and polite while speaking. It costs nothing but gains immense respect for you.

Public speaking is usually related to Inform, Persuade or entertain a live audience. The first speaker recorded in books is of Aristotle the great philosopher, astronomer, and teacher thousands of years ago. There is always a diversity in the crowd when it comes to their thoughts playing in their minds. Ex. a woman may be thinking of cooking dinner, a man would be waiting to come back to his family, another may have a parent or a child on their mind, or some business. The task here is to entice an audience and deliver what they have come to you seeking. Our words fill the space with vibrations and can hypnotize an audience at will. Politicians are well aware of this as well as leaders and Public speakers. Following are some tips on Public speaking Plan, Practice and Execute. Without planning no one can help you stand on stage and deliver. An audience expects a level of conviction in you to provide the message to them. So you first need to plan what you have to say. Practice in front of the mirror or in front of your family if you are new in this foray. Then Execute, a seamless execution is when you can create an impression on the audience which can perhaps change their lives or bring them direction. Always dress appropriately. Dress in such a manner that your clothes don’t get attention yet they reflect your standards. Colors that are not too bright yet not too dull to take their attention off you, is the mantra. Have Confidence as you speak. Meditation is an important way to dissolve fear. The clearing of our throat chakras to deliver without hesitation with conviction. There are other methods to dissolve fear like chewing on a gum before going on the stage or saying a short mantra that you believe to be true. Clearing your mind is of prime importance, there are many ways to it we just have to choose which suits us best. Research. Ask questions or feedback from your audience. This will dissolve lethargy and get their minds thinking by racing back to what you said in your lecture or speech. Body language is very important to the orator to keep the audience in a constant state of awareness through your different actions. It is as well as an indicator on judging the audience. The moment you observe the audience is disinterested keep little stories, jokes or proverbs of great men handy to pique their interest. The content of the matter will be in accordance to the audience. Sharing childhood anecdotes or common interactions at school and family will keep your audience in a state of empathy. This will get them your attention as well as focus. Keep Audio Visual aids as a part of the curriculum during your speech. This helps the crowd to know that we are in sync with newer practices, our ideas get more weightage due to technological inference. The dynamics of the strata of society with which you interact also help in determining the structure of language you use. If your audience is comprised of students, you use a languagethat is simple yet lucid. If it’s the lower strata of our society you will use a very basic mode of communication. Thus the content should stay on the same wavelength of the collective mindset of a crowd you are dealing with. Last but not the least, be upbeat and dynamic in what you wish to convey. Do so with all the power that lay within you. Get started!

While we all are a bit nervous when it comes to speaking in English, but it doesn’t last long once you learn the trick that vanishes all your nervousness. English is an easy language once you get a hang of it. The first few times is going to be really tough, but after that I guarantee you, with daily practice you are going to make it. So here are a few tips that will help YOU! Don’t expect to be perfect. So, when I say this, I don’t mean that you lose your confidence and be comfortable with making many mistakes what I  meant by this was to know that you will say something wrong and it’s okay to do that. And learn from them. Start talking to people around you in English. This helps. When you start conversing with your friends or colleagues in English, it will create a big impact in your Life. Start with small words and then slowly start making sentences. Start with daily used sentences “How are you?” , “What is going on?” “Thank you.” Avoid being nervous about your nervousness. Always remember that nervousness is a just a feeling, that it has no control over you. Stop thinking and stressing about  it. The more you think about it, the more controlling it becomes and we don’t want that. So go with the flow. Think about positive things like “I can do it”, “It’s okay to make a mistake”. Trust me, it has helped me a lot through the years. Always be positive. Don’t memorize each and every word. For instance, if you’re talking to someone and you memorize the sequence of how the conversation is going to go, then as you something that was not mentioned when you were memorizing it, then what?? So always understand how the conversation goes and what are the sentences you can say. Be it if you’re talking about your Past, Present or Future. You should always act according to the situation. Improve your Pronunciation. There are many ways you can do it, However the most common reason why someone might find it hard to understand you is not because you have a ‘strong’ accent, but because you’re speaking too fast! Learn to slow down to give the other person time to tune in to your accent, and to understand you more easily. So to do that you can start off by talking to yourself in the mirror. Sounds weird right? But this is going to help you a lot. Once you know the speed you talk to yourself it will be easy to pronounce the words. Think about the person you are most comfortable with. This is my personal experience that we should think about the person we are comfortable with. When told to speak in a group, some closed my eyes and think of their mother or a close friend. And Viola! It helps. 7. Learn some daily used If everything goes wrong, here are some phrases that would help you to start the conversation again. “Sorry, but I didn’t catch what you said.” “Sorry, Let me start again.” etc.. Relax & don’t push yourself too hard. Learning a language is a process that isn’t easy. It is going to take some time. When you have good days, you have bad days too which is totally fine. Pick yourself up in this situation and try harder. These were tips to help you overcome your nervousness while talking in English. Enjoy learning!  

Everyone likes to be appreciated. Something good said about them helps create a positive effect around the person. Also acknowledging someone’s good points helps create an atmosphere of empathy and mutual understanding. Compliments are powerful reminders that words of thoughtfulness are more impactful than false flattery. Today we learn about some magical phrases that are cool and helpful in our everyday life. Phrases are a string of words that are put together to add meaning to a sentence often it is seen carrying a special idiomatic meaning; in this sense it is roughly synonymous with expression. Complimenting someone on their looks or style. Examples – You look great today! You’re looking gorgeous! You look Amazing! When you compliment a subordinate, employee, student or child Examples – I am proud of you! Good Job! Good Effort! Sometimes we are helped by someone who maybe a friend, relative or a stranger we say, Examples – I appreciate your support. I am grateful! Thanks a ton! A gift or a token of appreciation will always beget a compliment. We have to be grateful to their helpful ways and therefore express our appreciation as we say. Examples – Thank you! Ever so grateful Seeing somebody succeed at their work we say,the efforts they put in helps boost their confidence and in turn propels them to consistently work harder. Examples – You are a winner! Great job! Amazing work! When something is done with little effort and the result is exceptional. We say Examples – You’re a natural! For complementing someone’s home, Examples – Nice Apartment! Beautiful Décor!Lovely Furniture / Colours! Complementing someoneon their cooking, Examples – That was Delicious! Did you make it from scratch? You’re a fantastic cook! Compliments on Posession Examples – That’s a cool phone! Nice shoes! You’re jacket looks nice! Using these phrases will bring magic in your and peoples life around you.

Impromptu speaking! Easily an amazing way to give your immediate opinion truthfully. No thinking and manipulating your thoughts to make you socially acceptable. Impromptu speech is a swiftly organized thought stream where you speak on the spur of the moment. 1] To speak impromptu confidently, you need to read a lot. Read widely, voraciously, expansively on various topics. This time read books, novels, do serious reading. Read general knowledge books, information magazines, like the Times Magazine, India Today, National Geographic, Sportsbooks. Read books on management, inspirational books, religious books, thought-provoking books. As you read your knowledge will automatically increase. Read whatever you can lay your hands upon. Then you will be updated about the socio-economic scenario and on several subjects ranging from ancient history – geography to modern technology, religion, fashion, the Arts, etc. The topics are inexhaustible. You need to have an insatiable desire for knowledge. To speak out at an Impromptu event, you need to be a well-read person. 2] When you are speaking impromptu, be smart and alert. Organize your thoughts quickly. Be alert to all the knowledge you have. Understand the topic of discussion or dialogue you are about to participate in. Make it compatible to your train of thoughts. Only then will you be able to speak well, with eloquence and clarity of thought. 3] Before you can start speaking spontaneously, correct your English. The accent, intonation, pronunciation should be just right, otherwise you will feel embarrassed or nervous while speaking. Your English should be good if not perfect. However your knowledge of the information must be immaculate. Never use inverted or translated sentences. Keep your English simple. Try to use good vocabulary to impress but use it prudently. 4] Leave the baggage of nervousness behind. Know yourself, your capacity and your capability. Be confident in the knowledge you have. Do not be susceptible to criticism and learn from your mistakes which you must correct immediately. When you have to speak Impromptu, just stand up boldly and talk. The crucial tip is that till all your thoughts are collected, make witty small talk to hold everyone’s attention. Then begin your speech on the given topic. If you know the extempore subject well, then do not waste time. Go ahead, give it your best. Be ingenious when your grammar is going wrong and convert your sentence formation from complex to compound or simple. Using simple sentences will boost your confidence. 5] The most important factor which helps you to speak intelligently, is to remember and recall all the knowledge you have. When you read, read with interest and try to store the facts in your memory. When you come across some interesting incidents while reading, write them down or take a picture. This will assist you in your future reference. Reread them occasionally, if possible. You May Also Like: Tips to Expand your Vocabulary When you want to do something correctly that makes you happy and proud of yourself, then be assured; you can and will do it. Where there’s a will there’s a way!!! So get up and speak impromptu, to impress yourself not others!

Festivals are time for meeting, eating and celebration. Festivals could be religious, state festivals or national festivals. Have you ever been confused on the right words to use while greeting someone? I once called up my friend who is a Muslim to wish him ‘Happy Muharram’. He explained to me that Muharram is celebrated as a mark of respect to Hussein ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad who was martyred. I too have faced similar situations when my friends have wished me for Good Friday which commemorates the death of Jesus Christ. Sometimes we could be confused if we should wish people or not. Even if we know and want to wish people, we struggle to use the right words as greeting or wishing each other varies from celebration to celebration. Today, let us look at how to wish people for festivals. India is a diverse country with many religion and culture and we love our country for this wonderful and colourful nature. Wishes and greetings can be passed to each other in many ways. Digital, through instagram, Sms, mails, whatsapp and ofcourse pick up the phone and wish, what better still if you directly meet and greet face to face. The most colourful festival of India is Holi, you can feel the colours in the air, and people chanting Happy Holi, to each other, and along with this tag of happy holi you may add further ‘Let this holi bring plenty of colours in your life” or May God make your life as bright as the holi colours, or May your life has rain-bow colours. Navroz Mubarak or Happy Navroz, is wished during the parsi New year and add on line can go as May each day of the new year you celebrate with happiness and vigour. You May Also Like: 5 Tips to Improve Your Spoken English The festival of Eid is celebrated after the ongoing fasting period of Ramzaan. Eid Mubarak is commonly said with an embrace or hug. You can use the Arabic word of Mamrookh. May you always stay blessed. May God grant you blessings in all your endeavours. Ganesh Chaturti, Happy Chaturti  or ganpati bappa moriya as a way of greeting , but ofcourse why not with some showers of Ganpati bappa, you may add, may this festival bring in lots of prosperity into your lives or better still May bappa fulfil all your desires, and wishes . For Onam, happy onam, is what is usually heard as wishes, but wish a keralite with “Onam Aashamsakal” and again to spice it up you can add on may this festival of harvest bring in abundance of prosperity into your lives. Guru Nanak jayanti this festival is celebrated as the birthday of the first sikh guru, with a happy guru nanak jayanti you can even say Gurpurab di lakh lakh wadaii… Easter, is the  festival celebrated after  Christ was crucified and was risen, it is celebrated by distributing Easter eggs, with happy Easter greetings…you can greet further with may this Easter bring in new blessed beginnings into your lives., or May this Easter give you a fresh new  happy start. Deepavali, festival of lights is greeted with happy diwali, you can line it up with – May this deepavali lighten up your lives or may your life brighten up with lots of fresh blessed happenings. Makkar sanskranti is also known as the festivals of kites, India being an agricultural country, most of our festivals are relate to the harvest time, makkar sanskranti is one of them..With a happy makkar sanskranti, til laddos are made and distributed among friends and families, with a tag line til gul ghya aani goud goud bola meaning eat til sweets and speak sweetly. Mahavir jayanti is the birthday of king Mahavira, it is a very beautiful festival celebrated by the jains..On this day you greet each other by asking for forgiveness for the wrong doings to each other and a good way to reconnect and say sorry if you have hurt any one Christmas, the birthday of Christ, goes with wishing Merry Christmas. Why not say it with a small pray. May the Lord bestow you with health wealth and prosperity. For National festivals such as Independence day and Republic Day, each national should wish each other with Happy Independence to each other, it brings out the patriotism and unity among the nationals. Here we have mentioned just some festivals of our country, but there are many more, and festivals bring happiness, it is also better to use this wishing or greeting during the festival time with small good wishes and small prayers. Happiness multiplies and a sense of brotherhood shall prevail among all. I come to the end of this beautiful topic, hope you may have learnt how to wish others on different festivals.

Mobile or cell phones have a dualistic reputation. Some people may despite it and see it as a waste of time. However their importance cannot be denied when it comes to connecting the world at the disposal of your fingertips. Cell phones are common and is used everywhere in your personal space, workplace or public place, it’s the world in you’re pocket. However, the major concern being is ‘How much is too much?’ Work ethics demand a certain degree of responsibility. The employee may or may not have the freedom to use their device based on the company’s norms. However, if the company has not put restrictions, it is the deemed responsibility of the individual to comply with their morals when using the phone. You May Also Like: Importance of Using Proper Pronunciation Following are some ways to handle your phone with the responsibility when at work and other places. Always keep your phone on silent or vibrate mode. Loud ringtones are an absolute no-no, its only a nuisance to your co-workers and boss. The office is a compact place with cabins and partitions. Sounds travel within the environment. During meetings and presentations make sure to provide your undivided attention to the other person, cell phone beeps, alarms, calls and notifications will distract you. This will lead to an embarrassing situation for you and your company. Thus it is necessary to keep your phone on voicemail, silent or airplane mode. Keep your office number handy with your family so that they will have an alternative number in case of emergencies. Keep your family and friends informed that casual calls are not entertained and do not bide with the office decorum. Avoid texting and social media posts during office hours. Selfies don’t go down well too with office etiquettes. It is important to respect people around you when you are in their proximity, go to a private corner and take your call if needed. Reduce the pitch and tone of your voice. Do not be abusive or sarcastic while speaking as there are people who are passing by you who can feel your impoliteness. A Bluetooth earpiece would not be advisable as we invariablytend to speak In case you need a ringtone keep it professional and only slightly audible your ears. At a Business lunch a cell phone should not play a part in the ambience. Do not read your messages or social media tweets under the table, do not check scores on your laptops. This may come as discourteous to the speaker. Never use your cell phone in the restroom. Sometimes too much usage may disrupt productivity of an individual. Being cautious about your moves is always advisable. Try not to use your camera, microphone or recorder at work, as you can accidentally pick up something of high importance concerning the confidentiality of the organization you are working in. Work as a team player who has mutual respect for another individual. These etiquettes are appreciated in every workplace.