General English Language Skills-1 T-1

Syllabus topics (RTMNU)

• 1.1 Listening vs Hearing, Types of Listening [Listening to pre-recorded audios/ YouTube Videos on Interviews/ Conversations/ Motivational Speech]
• 1.2 Situational Communication: Introducing Oneself, Introducing Others, Congratulating, Apologizing, Welcoming, and Greetings
• 1.3 Reading Skills: Comprehension Passages [Skimming and Scanning]
• 1.4 Writing Skills: Diary Entry and Paragraph Writing

1.1 Listening vs Hearing, Types of Listening

Hearing is a physical process. Sound waves reach our ears and we notice the sound. It happens on its own, even when we do not want it. For example, we hear the noise of traffic.

Listening is a mental process. We pay attention to the sound, understand its meaning and respond to it. Listening needs effort and concentration. For example, a student listens to the teacher to understand a lesson.

Types of Listening

• Active listening: full attention, eye contact, nodding, asking questions and giving feedback.
• Passive listening: listening without responding, e.g. listening to the radio while working.
• Informational (comprehensive) listening: listening to learn facts, e.g. a lecture or news.
• Critical (evaluative) listening: judging what is said, e.g. listening to an advertisement or a political speech.
• Empathetic listening: listening to understand another person's feelings, e.g. a friend sharing a problem.
• Appreciative listening: listening for pleasure, e.g. music, poetry or a motivational speech.
• Discriminative listening: noticing differences in sound, tone and pitch.

Tips for good listening (for interviews, conversations and speeches): remove distractions, look at the speaker, do not interrupt, note key points, ask questions at the end.

1.2 Situational Communication

Situational communication means using the right words for a particular situation. Polite and suitable language makes a good impression.

• Introducing oneself: "Good morning. I am Riya Patil. I am a first-year B.A. student from Nagpur."
• Introducing others: "Sir, may I introduce my friend Aman? Aman, this is Prof. Deshmukh, our English teacher."
• Congratulating: "Congratulations on your success!" Reply: "Thank you so much."
• Apologizing: "I am sorry for coming late." Reply: "That's all right."
• Welcoming: "Welcome to our college. Please come in and have a seat."
• Greetings: Formal – "Good morning / Good afternoon / Good evening." Informal – "Hi! How are you?" Reply – "I'm fine, thank you."

Sample dialogue (introducing others):

Rahul: Hello Neha! Meet my cousin Sameer. He has just joined our college.

Neha: Hi Sameer, nice to meet you. Welcome!

Sameer: Nice to meet you too, Neha. Thank you.

Do's: smile, use polite words (please, thank you, sorry), use a formal tone with elders and teachers. Don'ts: do not use slang in formal places, do not interrupt.

1.3 Reading Skills: Comprehension Passages (Skimming and Scanning)

Reading comprehension means reading a passage and understanding its meaning so that we can answer questions on it.

• Skimming: reading quickly to get the main idea or general sense. We read the title, the first and last lines of paragraphs and key words. Example: looking over a newspaper article to know what it is about.
• Scanning: searching quickly for one particular fact, such as a name, date or number. We do not read every word. Example: finding a train time in a timetable or a word in a dictionary.

Steps to solve a comprehension passage:

1. Skim the passage once for the main idea.
2. Read the questions carefully.
3. Scan the passage to find the exact lines for each answer.
4. Write answers in your own words, in complete sentences.
5. For a title, choose a short phrase that shows the central idea.

1.4 Writing Skills: Diary Entry and Paragraph Writing

Diary Entry

A diary entry is a personal record of the day's events, thoughts and feelings. It is written in the first person ("I"), mostly in the past tense, in an informal style.

Format: Day and date (and time) at the top, then "Dear Diary", the body, and the writer's name or initials at the end.

Model diary entry:

Monday, 15 July 2025, 9:30 p.m.

Dear Diary,

Today was my first day in college. I was nervous in the morning, but my classmates were friendly. Our English teacher asked everyone to introduce themselves. My voice shook a little, yet I managed it. I have decided to speak more in class from tomorrow. I feel happy and hopeful.

Riya

Paragraph Writing

A paragraph is a group of sentences about one main idea. It has three parts:

• Topic sentence: gives the main idea.
• Supporting sentences: give details, reasons and examples.
• Concluding sentence: sums up the idea.

Qualities: unity (one idea only), coherence (logical order and linking words like first, also, however, finally), brevity and correct grammar.

Model paragraph – The Value of Time: Time is the most precious thing in life. Money once lost can be earned again, but lost time never returns. A student who plans the day can study, play and rest properly. People who waste time often feel stressed before exams. Therefore, we should use every hour wisely.

Likely exam questions

1. (Long, SAQ (about 50 words, 5 marks)) Distinguish between hearing and listening. Explain any three types of listening.
2. (Long, SAQ (about 50 words, 5 marks)) Write a diary entry on your first day in college in about 50 words.
3. (Short, VSAQ (1 mark)) What is skimming?
4. (Short, VSAQ (1 mark)) Which reading technique do you use to find a date in a passage?
5. (Short, VSAQ (1 mark)) Write one sentence you would use to congratulate a friend.

Syllabus topics (RTMNU)

• 2.1 Dead Man's Painting – Sudha Murty
• 2.2 Crime and Punishment – R. K. Narayan
• 2.3 On Saying Please – A. G. Gardiner
• 2.4 The Romance of a Busy Broker – O. Henry
• Applied Language: Words and Sentences – Word classes, Sentence structure, Direct and indirect object (Ref: Oxford Practice Grammar, 2nd ed., 1999)

2.1 Dead Man's Painting – Sudha Murty

About the author: Sudha Murty (born 1950) is a well-known Indian writer, engineer and social worker. She writes in Kannada and English. She has long been chairperson of the Infosys Foundation. Her stories are simple and carry clear moral lessons. "Dead Man's Painting" is one of her stories for young readers, written like a folk tale.

Summary (in our own words): Raghupati is a rich landlord. His first wife dies, and his son Sahadeva grows up spoilt and selfish. Raghupati marries again. His second wife, Arundhati, is kind, and she has a son, Janardan. Sahadeva hates them both. When Raghupati is dying, he writes a will. To Sahadeva he gives the big house and fertile fields. To Arundhati and Janardan he gives only a broken outhouse and dry land. He gives Arundhati a framed portrait of himself and tells her to take it to the wise minister Krishnakant when Janardan turns eighteen.

Arundhati lives in poverty but keeps the painting safe. Years later she takes it to Krishnakant. He finds a secret letter hidden behind the portrait. It says that the small house has ten golden bricks. Krishnakant makes a clever plan. He calls Sahadeva and some wise men, talks to an "empty chair" and says that Raghupati's ghost visited him. Because he describes Raghupati's looks correctly (he had seen the portrait), everyone believes him. Sahadeva says before witnesses that he has no claim on the outhouse or anything in it. The house is pulled down and the ten golden bricks are found. They now belong to Arundhati. Justice is done.

Themes: wisdom and presence of mind; justice for the weak; greed is punished; a parent's love and foresight.

Characters:

• Raghupati – wise, far-sighted father who protects his second family secretly.
• Sahadeva – spoilt, greedy and jealous elder son.
• Arundhati – patient, good-natured, trusting widow.
• Krishnakant – clever, honest minister who uses wit, not force.

2.2 Crime and Punishment – R. K. Narayan

About the author: R. K. Narayan (1906–2001) was one of the first great Indian writers in English. Most of his stories are set in the imaginary town of Malgudi. His style is simple, with gentle humour and irony.

Summary: A poor school teacher gives private tuition to a clever but naughty boy of rich, educated parents. The parents want the boy to get a double promotion. They follow modern ideas of child psychology and are against any punishment. To them the boy is an angel; to the teacher he is a little monkey. One day the boy keeps giving a wrong answer to a simple sum on purpose. The teacher loses his temper and slaps him. The boy threatens to tell his parents. Now the teacher is afraid. The boy blackmails him: the teacher must stop the lesson, play games with him, act as a station master, tell stories and run round the garden. When the parents come, the teacher decides to confess. But when the father asks about the test, the boy's eyes beg the teacher not to tell the truth about his poor preparation. The teacher says the boy is doing well. Each hides the other's secret.

Themes: over-protective parenting spoils a child; the helplessness of a poor teacher; irony of "crime" (the slap) and "punishment" (the teacher being blackmailed).

Critical points: humour and irony; realistic characters; the title is ironic – the teacher commits the "crime" and the child gives the "punishment".

2.3 On Saying Please – A. G. Gardiner

About the author: A. G. Gardiner (1865–1946) was an English journalist and essayist. He wrote under the pen name "Alpha of the Plough". This essay is from his collection Leaves in the Wind (1919).

Summary: A lift-man in a London office threw out a passenger who asked for "Top" without saying "please". The lift-man was fined, because the law does not allow us to use force for bad manners. Gardiner says the law cannot punish bad manners, yet bad manners hurt us and spread bad temper. Small words like "please" and "thank you" make life smooth. He gives the example of a polite bus conductor who stays cheerful with everyone and so spreads good temper. If we reply to rudeness with rudeness, the bad mood passes from person to person.

Message: Courtesy is the small change of social life. Good manners are not compelled by law but they make the world a pleasanter place.

2.4 The Romance of a Busy Broker – O. Henry

About the author: O. Henry was the pen name of William Sydney Porter (1862–1910), an American short-story writer famous for surprise endings. This story appeared in The Four Million (1906).

Summary: Harvey Maxwell is a New York stockbroker. Pitcher is his clerk and Miss Leslie is his young stenographer. Maxwell is so busy with buying and selling shares that he behaves like a machine. In a short break he decides to propose to Miss Leslie. He rushes to her and asks her to marry him. She is surprised and then cries softly: they were married the evening before, at the Little Church around the corner. Work had made him forget his own wedding.

Themes: the machine-like rush of modern business life; work taking over personal life; love.

Device: surprise (twist) ending and humour.

Applied Language: Words and Sentences

Word classes (parts of speech): noun (book), pronoun (she), verb (run), adjective (tall), adverb (quickly), preposition (on), conjunction (and), determiner (the, this) and interjection (Oh!).

Sentence structure: a sentence has a subject and a predicate. Common patterns: S + V (Birds fly.), S + V + O (Ravi reads books.), S + V + C (She is a doctor.), S + V + O + O (He gave me a pen.), S + V + A (They live in Nagpur.).

Direct and indirect object: the direct object receives the action (what?); the indirect object is the person for whom or to whom it is done (to whom?).

• She gave her friend (IO) a gift (DO).
• The teacher told us (IO) a story (DO).
• Father bought me (IO) a bicycle (DO).
• The same idea with "to/for": She gave a gift to her friend.

Likely exam questions

1. (Long, SAQ (about 50 words, 5 marks)) How did Krishnakant help Arundhati get justice in 'Dead Man's Painting'?
2. (Long, SAQ (about 50 words, 5 marks)) Why is the title 'Crime and Punishment' ironical? Explain with reference to R. K. Narayan's story.
3. (Short, VSAQ (1 mark)) Why was the lift-man fined in 'On Saying Please'?
4. (Short, VSAQ (1 mark)) What had Harvey Maxwell forgotten when he proposed to Miss Leslie?
5. (Short, VSAQ (1 mark)) Identify the indirect object: 'The teacher gave Rohan a prize.'

Syllabus topics (RTMNU)

• 3.1 Ode on Solitude by Alexander Pope
• 3.2 The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
• 3.3 On Killing a Tree by Gieve Patel
• 3.4 The Weaver Bird by Kofi Awoonor
• Poetic Devices: Alliteration, Repetition, Enjambment, Assonance (Life Skills: Contentment, Decision Making, Environment Consciousness, Equality)

3.1 Ode on Solitude – Alexander Pope

About the poet: Alexander Pope (1688–1744) was a major English poet of the eighteenth century (the Neo-classical or Augustan age). He is famous for The Rape of the Lock and An Essay on Man. Pope said he wrote "Ode on Solitude" when he was only about twelve years old.

Summary: The poet describes a happy man. This man is satisfied with a few acres of land left by his father. He breathes his native air on his own ground. His cattle give him milk, his fields give bread, his sheep give wool for clothes, and his trees give shade in summer and fire in winter. He lives quietly, with good health and peace of mind. Days and years pass calmly. He sleeps well at night and enjoys study, rest and innocent pleasures. In the last stanza the poet wishes to live like this, unseen and unknown, and to die without anyone mourning, with no stone to mark his grave.

Theme: contentment and the simple, self-sufficient life; solitude brings peace; fame and wealth are not needed for happiness.

Form: five quatrains (four-line stanzas), rhyme scheme ABAB, the fourth line shorter.

Life skill – Contentment: being happy with what we have reduces stress and greed.

3.2 The Road Not Taken – Robert Frost

About the poet: Robert Frost (1874–1963) was an American poet who won four Pulitzer Prizes. He wrote about rural New England life in simple language with deep meaning. The poem was published in 1916 in Mountain Interval.

Summary: A traveller comes to a place in a yellow (autumn) wood where the road divides into two. He cannot travel both. He looks down one road as far as he can. Then he takes the other, which seems a little less used, though in truth both are almost equally worn. He keeps the first for another day but doubts he will ever return. He says that years later he will tell, with a sigh, that he took the road less travelled and that this choice made all the difference.

Theme: choices in life; every choice shuts out another; we often give meaning to our choices later.

Form: four stanzas of five lines, rhyme scheme ABAAB; the two roads are a metaphor for life choices.

Life skill – Decision Making: think about the options, choose, accept the result and do not live with regret.

3.3 On Killing a Tree – Gieve Patel

About the poet: Gieve Patel (1940–2023) was an Indian poet, playwright and painter from Mumbai, and a doctor by profession. The poem comes from his first collection, Poems (1966).

Summary: The poet says a tree cannot be killed easily. A simple cut of a knife will not do it, because the tree has grown slowly for years by eating the earth and drinking sunlight and air. Cut branches and bark heal, and new green twigs grow again. To kill it, the root must be pulled out of the earth and left in the sun and air. Then it scorches, chokes, browns, hardens, twists and withers, and only then "it is done".

Theme: the strength and will to live of nature; man's cruelty to trees. The poem uses irony – it seems to give instructions for killing a tree, but it actually makes us feel the pain of the tree.

Devices: free verse, personification (the tree "eats" and "feeds"), irony, a list of strong verbs at the end.

Life skill – Environment Consciousness: protect trees; cutting them destroys years of life.

3.4 The Weaver Bird – Kofi Awoonor

About the poet: Kofi Awoonor (1935–2013) was a Ghanaian poet, novelist and diplomat. He drew on the Ewe oral tradition. He was killed in the Westgate shopping mall attack in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2013.

Summary: The weaver bird builds its nest in "our house". The people do not drive it away. It lays eggs, settles and slowly takes over. It changes the house and the customs of the people. Now the people look for new homes and try to rebuild their old shrines, which the bird has made unclean.

Theme: the poem is an allegory of colonialism. The weaver bird stands for the European colonisers (and missionaries) who came as guests, were welcomed, and then took over the land, religion and culture of Africa. It shows loss of identity and the wish to win it back.

Devices: symbolism, allegory, irony, free verse.

Life skill – Equality: no group should dominate another; all people deserve equal respect for their land and culture.

Poetic Devices

• Alliteration: repetition of the same consonant sound at the start of nearby words. Example: "peter picked peppers"; Pope's "sound sleep".
• Repetition: repeating a word or line for emphasis. Example: Frost repeats "Two roads diverged".
• Enjambment: a sentence runs on from one line to the next without a pause at the line end. Common in "On Killing a Tree".
• Assonance: repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words. Example: "the light of the fire is a sight".

Likely exam questions

1. (Long, SAQ (about 50 words, 5 marks)) Describe the life of the happy man in Pope's 'Ode on Solitude'.
2. (Long, SAQ (about 50 words, 5 marks)) What does the weaver bird symbolise in Kofi Awoonor's poem?
3. (Short, VSAQ (1 mark)) What must be done to kill a tree, according to Gieve Patel?
4. (Short, VSAQ (1 mark)) Define enjambment.
5. (Short, VSAQ (1 mark)) Which life skill is taught by 'The Road Not Taken'?

Syllabus topics (RTMNU)

• 1. Time Management
• 2. Patience
• 3. Concentration
• 4. Self-discipline

1. Time Management

Meaning: Time management is planning and controlling how we spend our time so that we finish important work on time without stress.

Why it matters: better marks and work, less stress, more free time, a good reputation.

Tips / steps:

1. Set clear goals (daily, weekly).
2. Make a to-do list and a timetable.
3. Prioritise: do urgent and important work first (the Eisenhower matrix: urgent/important, important/not urgent, urgent/not important, neither).
4. Break big tasks into small steps.
5. Avoid procrastination (delay) and time-wasters like too much phone use.
6. Take short breaks and get enough sleep.

Example: A student with exams in 30 days makes a plan: two units a week, revision in the last week, one hour daily for practice questions.

2. Patience

Meaning: Patience is the ability to wait calmly and to accept delay, trouble or pain without getting angry or upset.

Importance: it helps us make better decisions, keeps relationships good, and helps in learning skills that take time.

How to develop patience:

• Take a deep breath and pause before reacting.
• Remember that good results take time (a seed takes time to become a tree).
• Listen to others fully before replying.
• Practise waiting – in a queue, in traffic – without complaint.
• Focus on what you can control.

Example: A customer-care worker stays calm with an angry caller and solves the problem politely.

3. Concentration

Meaning: Concentration is the ability to fix the mind on one task or subject without being distracted.

Distractions: mobile phone, noise, worry, hunger, lack of sleep, doing many things at once.

Ways to improve concentration:

• Study in a quiet, clean place; keep the phone away.
• Work in short focused blocks (for example 25 minutes) with short breaks.
• Do one task at a time.
• Meditation, yoga and exercise.
• Eat healthy food, drink water and sleep 7–8 hours.

Example: Arjun in the Mahabharata saw only the eye of the bird when aiming – a famous Indian example of concentration.

4. Self-discipline

Meaning: Self-discipline is the ability to control one's feelings, habits and actions and to do what is right even when we do not feel like doing it.

Features: regular habits, self-control, punctuality, commitment to goals.

How to build self-discipline:

1. Know your goal and why it matters.
2. Start with small daily habits (wake up on time, study at a fixed hour).
3. Remove temptations.
4. Keep promises to yourself; track your progress.
5. Reward yourself for success; learn from failures.

Do's and Don'ts: Do follow a routine and be punctual. Don't wait for "the right mood" to begin work.

How the four skills are linked

Self-discipline helps us follow a time plan. Concentration helps us use that time well. Patience keeps us going when results are slow. Together they lead to success in studies, jobs and relationships.

Interpersonal skills in daily life – short case studies

Case 1 (Time management): Sneha has college till 1 p.m., a part-time job in the evening and an assignment due on Friday. She writes a weekly timetable. She uses the bus journey to revise notes and keeps one hour every night for the assignment. She finishes it on Thursday. Planning gave her extra time instead of stress.

Case 2 (Patience): Rohit is learning to speak English. In the first month he makes many mistakes and feels like giving up. His teacher tells him to practise a little every day. After three months he can speak with confidence. Patience turned slow progress into success.

Case 3 (Concentration): Priya studies with her phone beside her and checks messages every few minutes. In two hours she reads only five pages. The next day she switches off notifications and studies in 25-minute blocks. She reads twenty pages. Removing distractions improved her focus.

Case 4 (Self-discipline): Kunal decides to exercise every morning. On cold days he does not feel like it, but he keeps his promise. After two months he is fitter and more confident. Small daily discipline built a strong habit.

Useful words for answers

• Prioritise – to put the most important work first.
• Procrastination – the habit of delaying work.
• Distraction – something that takes our attention away.
• Punctuality – being on time.
• Self-control – controlling one's own feelings and actions.

Likely exam questions

1. (Long, SAQ (about 50 words, 5 marks)) What is time management? Give any four tips for managing time well.
2. (Long, SAQ (about 50 words, 5 marks)) Explain the importance of self-discipline in a student's life.
3. (Short, VSAQ (1 mark)) Define patience.
4. (Short, VSAQ (1 mark)) Name any two things that disturb concentration.
5. (Short, VSAQ (1 mark)) What is procrastination?