Shakespeare and English

April 23 is celebrated as St. George's Day in England, the day of the birth and death of William Shakespeare. On the same day a very special function “William Shakespeare Haazir Ho" was celebrated by the English Language Teaching Institute of Symbiosis (ELTIS) at Pune.

A courtroom drama was held in the Symbiosis Vishwabhavan Auditorium at 6:30 pm. Shakespeare’s role was played by Mr. Vinay Hardikar of the Cultural NGO “Shakespeare Sarvansathi”.

The evening witnessed an unusually built-up scene of Shakespeare facing a trial where he was charged of various allegations by George Bernard Shaw, Leo Tolstoy, The Feminist Forum, Theatre Lovers’ Association and his very own characters Hamlet and Othello. They covered almost all possible allegations that were ever faced by Shakespeare.

The Judge Ms. Mahruk Bharucha gave the final judgment, honourably acquitting Shakespeare. This very unconventional concept received lots of applauder for its out-of- the-box concept and portrayal of the same. Some pictures from the same.

Letter Writing Skills: 5 things to Remember

If you are one of the many people for whom writing has never been a major concern, you should know that a lack of writing skills is a greater handicap with every passing year. Spending some time to improve your writing can result in a marked improvement in your hire-ability and promotional prospects. There’s no substitute for practice, but here are a few pointers to put you on the right track.

1.      Less is More

It may sound peculiar, but as written conversations are becoming more and more important part of industry, it is very vital to be to-the-point and precise. These days no one has time to read stories and elongated sentences. You should be accurate and to the point. That way it is easier for you to get another person’s attention and be clear with your intentions.

2.      Remember the 5 W’s (and the H)

Whenever you are addressing someone, always remember to attend to all the points.  Consider the when, where, who, why, what and how steps. Once you know you have covered all these six points, you can be certain.

3.    Be professional, not necessarily formal

People tend to go out of their way to be formal in their business communication that after a while becomes unnecessary and annoying. Be formal and crisp in your writings. The chair tends to ignore the pointless jargon and the standard of your letter falls. So the best thing is using a plain language and avoiding unnecessary comments as it becomes obvious to a trained-eye that the wrier has nothing to say.

4.      Let the Subject be clear

Your subject should be short, clear and provide all the information needed. Writing stories for your subject will not be a good idea. Writing just a word won’t be a good idea either. The heading is a swift way of informing the reader of what the letter is all about. At one glance, the reader knows what the formal letter is about. It can either be centered or justified left, depending on what works best for you.

5.      Write once, check twice

Yes, this is as straight forward as it seems. Any letter that has to be sent should always be proofread at-least twice. You don’t want to get embarrassed and make a fool of yourself because of some minor errors and typos. Be clear. Don’t use high ‘fundo’ words. The brain is tricky and will ignore errors that it’s just made; always give yourself time to set your writing aside and come back to it later.

Happy writing!!

Dress to impress on the First Day at Work

Getting your first job can be strangely unsettling. Gone are the desperate days of applying for positions for which you are far from qualified, but the real challenge has only just begun: you may have got your foot in the door, but it's what is on that foot that counts now. When it comes to a new job, the interview isn’t the only place to which you should consider wearing a suit and tie. While the dress code at your new workplace may range from casual to business formal, your objective on the first day is to make a good impression on your new co-workers – and, most importantly, your superiors.

Making the right impression at work isn't hard if you keep in mind three basic points when buying clothes for the office: 

1. Presentation counts. 

2. Casual shouldn't mean slovenly. 

3. Dress as you want to be seen: serious, professional, upward-bound and ready to meet clients. 

If you want to be a manager, check out what the successful managers wear. Check out the rising stars in the office. They don't show up for work in their casuals even on Fridays.

If your office has a written dress code, your problems are solved, and you can dress according to it. If necessary, go shopping with the dress code in hand and pluck appropriate stuff from the rack. But many offices don't have written standards, and it's upto you to get it right. So, here's a rule of thumb: Understated elegance beats flash and trash five days a week. That means men shouldn't dress like aspiring rock stars and women should avoid the Lady Gaga or Paris Hilton look. 

For men the best traditional or classy attire includes: 

A button-down shirt

Polished shoes

A blue, black, grey or white shirt

Trousers that complement them

You can't go wrong with a conservative tie

Don't forget the socks

Blue and white shirts have been around since time began, or so it seems, but there's also a room for the occasional yellow, pink or black shirts. However, if you don't know what you're choosing as a combination, stick with blue and white shirts, otherwise you're almost certain to make goof ups. 

For women, the traditional professional look includes: 

-A skirt that hits just above the knee with a formal shirt, trousers and of course a traditional attire. 

-Simple jewellery. Avoid heavy jewellery, remember you’re not going for a party but it’s the 1^st day at work.

- Just a hint of makeup. Skip the perfume, especially during a job interview or the first few days at a new job. If you use perfume thereafter, go easy on the saucy splash, because you can bet that some hyper-sensitive soul will complain bitterly about headache, nausea or a general outbreak.

- Polished flats or moderate heels. 

Your first day at job is an important occasion. Just like at interview, dressing conservatively on your first day of work ensures that you make a good impression on the people that have the most say in your future success.

Common English Phrases for Non-native Speakers of English

The best way to get accustomed to English is not just by listening and understanding it, but also speaking. It is a very important part of the learning process.

Here are some phrases that are used widely in speaking:

·         Yes

·         No

·         Please

·         Excuse me

·         Good Morning / Good afternoon / Good evening

·         Thank you

·         You are welcome

·         When?

·         Where?

When you greet someone, these phrases can be very helpful:

·         Hello

·         How are you? I am fine, thank you.

·         What is your name?

·         My name is ___________.

When you don’t understand where the conversation is leading, these phrases can come to your rescue:

·         Do you speak Spanish/ German / French?

·         Excuse me for my poor English.

·         Pardon me. ( This usually means, could you repeat yourself)

·         I don’t understand.

·         Can you please speak slowly?

Some pleasant gestures:

·         Hello, how do you do?

·         It was nice meeting you.

·         Have a good day!

·         Very well...

·         Pleased to meet you.

While having a telephonic conversation:

·         Hi – Hello – Hello, how are you?

·         This is …. (your name)

·         May I speak to ….?  / Is …. (the person’s name) available?

·         May I leave a message, please?

·         I am sorry.. I can’t hear you.

·         Who am I speaking to?

These phases are used in our everyday conversations. They help you communicate with people.  The best part is it does not leave you lost in the middle of a conversation.

Hearing is a very important part of learning a language. Do you know why it is hard for deaf people to speak? It is because they are not familiarized with what to say. You listen and interpret what to speak. That is the mechanism. So when you don’t listen, it becomes hard to learn to speak.

 Why is it easier for us to speak our mothertongue / first language but not a foreign/second language? It is because we do not hear it enough. Thus, practicing is not enough. You must observe and hear how English speakers use language.

Most common errors that beginners make are:

·         Definite and indefinite articles

“The”, “A” and “An” are normally non-existent in other languages but it is a major part of English.  This aspect of English can be very confusing to foreigners, as dictionaries and other reference resources rarely explain whether a noun needs an article or not. While there is no irrefragable rule, there are some guidelines.

·         Count nouns and non-count nouns

Nouns that can be counted (count nouns) and those that cannot be counted (non-count nouns) are handled very differently. In many cases, count nouns and non-count nouns are easily distinguished but sometimes it can be hard to understand how to deal with them. For example,

Ø  Count nouns :

a pencil: three pencils

a frog: three frogs

Ø  Mass nouns are uncomfortable with numbers:

an air: three airs (No, “How much air”)

a misery: three miseries (No, “How much misery”)

a research: three researches (No, “How much research”)

·         Prepositions

Prepositions are used in many contexts in English and can produce many variations of meaning. The choice of which preposition to use in verbal phrases and other situations can be hard sometimes for beginners. It only comes from excessive practice and understanding.

When you have these tips handy, it will be much easier for you to converse with people and be grammatically correct. Have a good time learning English.