General English and Introduction to Literature

1. Write the note of Jawaharlal Nehru?

Jawaharlal Nehru (also referred to as Pandit Nehru) (November 14 1889 - May 27 1964) was the leader (prime minister) of India for 17 years immediately after 1947, when India became independent. He was born in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India. He died of a heart attack in New Delhi.

Born: November 14 1889, Prayagraj

Nationality: India, British

Died: May 27 1964, New Delhi

Children: Indira Gandhi

Political Apprenticeship

On his return to India, Nehru at first had tried to settle down as a lawyer. Unlike his father, however, he had only a desultory interest in his profession and did not relish either the practice of law or the company of lawyers. For that time he might be described, like many of his generations, as an instinctive nationalist who yearned for his country’s freedom, but, like most of his contemporaries, he had not formulated any precise ideas on how it could be achieved.

Nehru’s autobiography discloses his lively interest in Indian politics during the time he was studying abroad. His letters to his father over the same period reveal their common interest in India’s freedom. But not until father and son met Mahatma Gandhi and were persuaded to follow in his political footsteps did either of them develop any definite ideas on how freedom was to be attained. The quality in Gandhi that impressed the two Nehrus was his insistence on the action. A wrong, Gandhi argued, should not only be condemned but be resisted. Earlier, Nehru and his father had been contemptuous of the run of contemporary Indian politicians, whose nationalism, with a few notable exceptions, consisted of interminable speeches and long-winded resolutions. Jawaharlal was also attracted by Gandhi’s insistence on fighting against the British rule of India without fear or hate.

Nehru met Gandhi for the first time in 1916 at the annual meeting of the Indian National Congress (Congress Party) in Lucknow. Gandhi was 20 years his senior. Neither seems to have made any initially strong impression on the other. Gandhi makes no mention of Nehru in an autobiography he dictated while imprisoned in the early 1920s. The omission is understandable, since Nehru’s role in Indian politics was secondary until he was elected president of the Congress Party in 1929, when he presided over the historic session at Lahore (now in Pakistan) that proclaimed complete independence as India’s political goal. Until then the party’s objective had been dominion status.

Nehru’s close association with the Congress Party dates from 1919 in the immediate aftermath of World War I. That period saw an early wave of nationalist activity and governmental repression, which culminated in the Massacre of Amritsar in April 1919; according to an official report, 379 persons were killed (though other estimates were considerably higher), and at least 1,200 were wounded when the local British military commander ordered his troops to fire on a crowd of unarmed Indians assembled in an almost completely enclosed space in the city.

When, late in 1921, the prominent leaders and workers of the Congress Party were outlawed in some provinces, Nehru went to prison for the first time. Over the next 24 years, he was to serve another eight periods of detention, the last and longest ending in June 1945, after imprisonment of almost three years. In all, Nehru spent more than nine years in jail. Characteristically, he described his terms of incarceration as normal interludes in a life of abnormal political activity.

His political apprenticeship with the Congress Party lasted from 1919 to 1929. In 1923 he became general secretary of the party for two years, and he did so again in 1927 for another two years. His interests and duties took him on journeys over wide areas of India, particularly in his native United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh state), where his first exposure to the overwhelming poverty and degradation of the peasantry had a profound influence on his basic ideas for solving those vital problems. Though vaguely inclined toward socialism, Nehru’s radicalism had set in no definite mold. The watershed in his political and economic thinking was his tour of Europe and the Soviet Union from 1926–27. Nehru’s real interest in Marxism and his socialist pattern of thought stemmed from that tour, even though it did not appreciably increase his knowledge of communist theory and practice. His subsequent sojourns in prison enabled him to study Marxism in more depth. Interested in its ideas but repelled by some of its methods—such as the regimentation and the heresy hunts of the communists—he could never bring himself to accept Karl Marx’s writings as revealed scripture. Yet from then on, the yardstick of his economic thinking remained Marxist, adjusted, where necessary, to Indian conditions.

2. Explain the direct and Indirect Speech?

Direct speech

Direct speech can be used in virtually every tense in English. You can use it to describe something in the present tense – to express something that is happening in the present moment or make it feel like it is happening right now.

For example:

“While she’s on the phone, she’s saying to him, “I’m never going to talk to you again.”

You can also use direct speech in the past and future tenses. You’ll often come across direct speech in the past tense to describe something that has already happened. Most written forms of English will use direct speech in this way.

For example:

“He said to her, “I’ll catch the last train home.”

Direct speech can be used in the future tense too, to create a feeling of anticipation or expectation. It can also be used to express something that you plan to say to someone.

While you might not come across these informal or professional forms of written English, you will probably see this commonly in creative forms of writing, such as a story or novel.

For example:

Before I go away I’ll tell him, “I’m never coming back.”

Direct speech isn’t always a description of what someone may have spoken. You can also quote from other texts in a similar way, by using inverted commas before and after the quote. Here, instead of using the verb “to say”, you might want to use a different verb instead, such as “to write”, “to state” or “to describe”.

Indirect speech

Indirect speech is used to report what someone may have said, and so it is always used in the past tense. Instead of using inverted commas, we can show that someone’s speech is being described by using the word “that” to introduce the statement first.

For example:

“She said that she was not hungry.”

You can use different verbs to express what is being reported – while “to say” is quite commonly used, you might also want to use “to tell”, to describe something that has been told to you.

For example:

“He told me that he didn’t have enough money.”

3. Explain the uses of Verb? 

Explain means make something clear or easy to understand (MW), and that’s what I want to do in this lesson. I use colors and example sentences to help you understand exactly how to use the verb explain.

The verb explain is not followed by an object pronoun. It can’t be followed by a pronoun like me, him, her, you, or us that is the object of the verb or the pronoun that receives the action of the verb. That’s why “Can you explain to me …?” is wrong.

The verb explain has a very specific sentence pattern. Remember this when you want to use explain in a sentence.

You explain something TO someone.

-or-

You explain TO someone something.

I explained the problem to my friends.

Can you please explain the difference between borrow and lend?

The teacher explained the game to the children.

I understand now. She explained it to me very clearly.

If you are not explaining anything to anyone, then you can use explain by itself.

Something could also be a clause with a wh- question word.

He tried to explain how to play cricket to me, but I still don’t understand.

Can you please explain what “a clause” is?

My mom explained to us how to use the washing machine.

I will try to explain when to use the present perfect.

Something could also be a clause with that.

They explained that they were getting a divorce.

I explained to everyone that I will check my email while I’m on vacation.

I explained to him he needed to work harder.

That can be left out of the sentence.

Now you know how to use the verb explain in an English sentence!

4. What are the Communication Skill in English Conversation? 

Reading, writing, speaking, and listening are basic communication skills necessary for effective communication in any environment, particularly the workplace. In a recent study, researchers examined the relationships between these four skills through TOEIC® test scores and found some interesting results.

As it turns out, these skills are not as closely related as you might think. In fact, the moderate correlations between the different scores were so limited that the researchers concluded it is “not sufficient for one skill to serve as a valid surrogate for another skill” (Liu, Costanzo, 2013). In other words, strength in one skill can’t accurately predictability level in another.

However, this isn’t to say that these skills are completely unrelated. While none reached the level of equivalence (statistically set at a correlation of 0.866), the scores on Listening and Reading tests came pretty close with a correlation of 0.726. Listening and Speaking scores followed at 0.634, with Speaking and Writing scores at 0.592. The matches between Reading and Speaking (0.537) and Listening and Writing (0.535) scores were found to be less closely linked.

So what are the practical takeaways from this data? Firstly, the study validates the idea that it’s necessary to assess all four skill areas to have a complete picture of English proficiency.

Secondly and less obviously, the researchers believe that the relatively high correlation of Listening scores with both Reading and Speaking scores indicates that “listening is fundamental and is integrated with all other components” (Liu, Costanzo, 2013) when it comes to learning a foreign language. This means that one of the best ways to bolster language learning is to listen.

5. What are the composition of letter writing? 

Knowledge of business letter etiquette is essential for anyone in or entering the workplace. Professional types of correspondence such as letters of application, sales letters and letters of reference differ from friendly letters in that they must follow a specific format and should never include informal or slang language. The seven parts of a business letter include: the heading, date, address of recipient, salutation, body, complimentary close and signature.

Heading

Most professional business correspondence is printed on a letterhead template. A letterhead contains the company name, address and contact information. An individual may also create a letterhead that contains his name and personal contact information. While some individuals may choose not to create a formal letterhead, it is always necessary to include a header with the sender's information.

Date

Simply put, the date is the day the letter is sent. The most commonly used date format is: June 21, 2011. Do not abbreviate the month and always include all four digits of the year.

Address

This is the address of the recipient. If applicable, the first line in the address block should include the recipient's name and title, and the second line should state the recipient's company or business. The third and fourth lines are designated for the actual address. For example:

Mr. John Doe, Director of Sales The Sales Firm 123 Main Street Townsville, AR 45678

Salutation

Different circumstances determine which salutation or greeting is most appropriate. Use "Dear" when the recipient's name or title is known. Examples include "Dear Mr. Doe" or "Dear Sales Director." When the name or title is unknown, use "To Whom It May Concern." Always punctuate the salutation of a business letter with a colon instead of a comma.

Body

The body is the longest part of a letter and is usually divided into three subcategories: introduction, main content and summary. The introductory paragraph states the purpose of the letter. The main content conveys all necessary detailed information and has no set length requirements. The last paragraph summarizes the information provided, restates the letter intent and offers either instructions or an inquiry regarding follow-up correspondence.

Complimentary Close

The complimentary close is a word or short phrase that basically means "goodbye." "Sincerely" is the most common closing remark. Others include "cordially," "best wishes," and "best regards." The complimentary close can vary in degrees of formality and is dependent upon the relationship between the sender and recipient.

Signature

In letters that are sent via email, the signature is simply the sender's name and title typed immediately below the complimentary close. When a letter is mailed, faxed or hand-delivered, however, there should be a large enough space below the closing and above the typed name and title for the sender to provide her written signature.