In
the era of globalization, working professionals need to enhance their English
communication skills and other soft skills in order to cope with the
increasingly tough competition in the job market. Multinational corporations
(MNCs) and major information technology (IT) companies in India recruit engineering
candidates who have good English communication skills. In this highly
competitive world, proficiency in English is considered one of the
employability skills. In other words, English language skills are considered
‘life skills’ or ‘survival skills’ in the twenty-first century.
The
employers are looking for professionals who are able to think critically, solve
problems, communicate clearly, be creative and work in a team in order to get
placed in a reputed company. In this decade of cut throat competition where
many job seekers are struggling to get a job, some people find a way to enter
the professional world not because of their degree or technical expertise, but
because of their communication and interpersonal skills, often referred to as
"soft skills."Varun
Aggarwal,
Director, Aspiring
Minds Computer Adaptive Test (AMCAT) in one of the interviews
given to Business Standard said, “Recruiters and HR managers around the world
report that candidates with English skills above the local average stand out
from the crowd and garner 30-50 per cent higher salaries than
similarly-qualified candidates without English skills. The trends in India are
no different, with English fluency being one of the key qualities recruiters
look for during the interview process.”
If
we observe the career path of the most successful people closely, we realize the
importance of English communication skills and other soft skills become more
valuable as you move up the career ladder in an organization. Most people
prefer to go to a doctor who not only has expertise in the field but also takes
time to talk to his patients and treats them well. The same thing is true for
other professions as well.
It
is an era of innovation where every person enters the corporate world after
completing his/her formal education. Hence, he/she has to ensure that he/she is
equipped with all the tools to fight the battle in the professional ground.
Striking a perfect balance between technical education & soft skills is the
need of time. Soft skills are nothing but personal qualities and attitudes that
help employees work well with others and encourage productivity within the
workplace. Such skills include effective communication skills, interpersonal
skills, cooperation, flexibility, ability to prioritize, creativity, leadership
skills, organizational skills and so on.
Hence, proficiency in English
Communication Skills has become a sine qua non for professionals to create a brand
value of their organization. Your professional image is often impacted by your communication skills
as effective communication skills in English epitomize intelligence, professionalism
and competence.
The difference between the forms and meanings of the simple
past and the present perfect is often confusing for learners.Both deal with finished action but there is
slight difference in the meaning.
We use past tense form of the verb in simple past. For
example,
·Regular verbs – completed, played etc.
·Irregular verbs – saw, sang, spoke etc.
The past simple is used to express the following meanings in
English.
1. We use the past simple to talk about an action finished in
the past.
For example,
1.Ramesh played
football yesterday.
2.He went to
Goa on Monday.
2. We can also use simple past to talk about habits in the
past.
For example,
1.I played
football everyday when I was in school.
2.I did my
homework everyday when I was in school.
The form of the verb in the present perfect is as follows
Have/has + Past Participle
of the verb.
•I/we/you/they/plural
noun + have + Past Participle of the verb.
•He/she/it/singular
noun + has + Past Participle of the verb.
We use present perfect to
talk about an action completed in the past but that action is connected with
the present time in meaning.The present
perfect is used to express following meanings in English.
1. Perfect of Result
The
Present Perfect is used to talk about an action finished in the past but its
result is seen in thepresent time.
For
example,
She has cleaned this room.(Result: The room looks clean now.)
2. Perfect of current
relevance.
The present perfect is used to talk about an
action took place in the past and it is still true.
For example,
He has
gone to America. (Current relevance:He went to America and is in America now.)
3. Perfect of experience
The present perfect is also used to talk
about an event that happened at least once until now.
For example,
Mehar has been to Goa once. (She has experience of visiting Goa at least
once until now. She is not
in Goa now.)
4. Perfect for recently
finished action
The present perfect is used to talk about
an action completed recently.
For example,
I have
just had lunch.
We can use adverbial
indicating past time in a simple past sentence. For example,
He went to Delhi on Tuesday.
However, we cannot use adverbial
indicating past time in a present perfect sentence.
* He has gone to Delhi on Tuesday.
The above sentence is
wrong.The correct sentence would be
He has gone to Delhi.
The difference in meanings
of the present perfect and the simple past can be understood from the
followingexamples.
1.A.I have
lost my key. (I can’t find it now.)
B. I lost my key last week. (and found it
yesterday)
2.A. Bill has gone to Goa. (He is in Goa
now.)
B. Bill went to Goa on Monday. (and
has come back today by plane.)
Thus, both the past tense and the present perfect talk about
finished actions. We use the simple past when we cant to talk about actions
completed in the past.However, we use
the present perfect when we want to connect the finished actions with the present
time in meaning.
The debate between education and experience is quite old. It is very difficult to say what is more important – education or experience, as they both have their own place in a person’s career ladder.
It is said that experience is the best teacher. There is no other great teacher as that of life. It teaches us practical realities of the world. However, having mere experience has limitations. A person with only experience and no education reaches the saturation point in his career very soon.
A professional qualification supports the inherent skills of a person to do his job effectively. It is a very essential to have a formal degree. Most employers prefer candidates with college degrees as they associate formal education with essential characteristics as that of good interpersonal skills, intelligence, good analytical skills, organizational skills etc. Formal education helps employees improve their potential in future.
However, people with mere degrees and no experience may find it difficult to handle the pressure at work and do their job successfully. It is good to have hands on experience of a job along with a professional degree.
Nobody is born with experience. One has to begin somewhere. A fresher may not have any work experience when he/she begins to work. He tries to apply what he has learnt in college while working for the first time. Here, he learns to put theory into practice. The biggest lesson one learns in his previous years of work is the difference between theory and practice. Experience changes people a lot after they start working. It helps them develop and grow not only professionally but also personally. They realize the importance of good communication skills at work and try to improve their communication skills. They also realize the need to keep their subject knowledge updated.
Thus, experience is nothing but education obtained outside the classroom. Whatever we learn outside our classroom trough trial and error is our experience. Both teach us but with a difference. Formal education paves way to experience and both further pave way to a successful life. They help us achieve our full potential as human beings. We need to strike a fine balance of education and experience to lead a successful and happy life. Most employers prefer to hire candidates with fine balance of education and experience.
Furthermore, one should concentrate on identifying and developing the required qualities that help him to achieve his full potential in his career and life. These qualities include intelligence, wisdom, good interpersonal skills, communication skills, analytical skills, organizational skills etc. He should ask himself whether the required competencies can be obtained through the process of earning a degree or can be acquired through experiences.
Education and experience are means to obtain these qualities. Developing these qualities is more important and not the means.
Thus, both formal education and experience play a very important role in a person’s career and life. They help him develop the inherent qualities in him which help him achieve his full potential as a human being. They both have their own distinct place in their life.
Simple past tense is used when we want to refer to an action or event completed in the past. For example, a. I watched TV yesterday.
b. My friend called me yesterday.
c. He went to Mumbai on Monday.
d. I saw him at the supermarket.
Past tense form of the verb is used in past simple. For example, Regular verb: watch – watched
call – called Irregular verbs: go – went
see – saw
Past continuous is used to refer to an action or activity going on at a specific time in the past.
For example, a. I was watching TV at 9.30 pm yesterday.
b. They were dancing at 10 o’clock.
c. You were shopping.
d. He was helping me.
We use ‘was / were + -ing form of the verb’ in past continuous. For example,
I/He/She/It/Singular noun – was watching
We/ You/ They/ Plural noun- were watching
Using tenses alone is very easy. Challenge lies in using different tenses in context with each other. Consider the following example situation.
“ I started watching TV at 9 pm and finished it at 10 pm. I watched TV
from 9pm to 10 pm. I was watching TV at 9.30 pm. My friend called me
at 9.30 pm., i.e., the action of watching TV was already in progress
when my friend called me.”
So here we have two actions:
a. I was watching TV at 9.30 pm.
b. My friend called me at 9.30 pm.
We can combine these two sentences by using the connectors when or while. For example,
a. When my friend called me, I was watching TV.
b. My friend called me while I was watching TV.
Thus, the connector ‘when’ is used with simple past and the connector ‘while’ is used with past continuous.
Exercise:
Fill in the blanks in the following sentences with the appropriate form of the verb given in the bracket.
1. I _____ (go) to bed late last night.
2. When I arrived at the office, Jane and Paul ________ (work) at their desks.
3. I _____ (open) the window because it was hot.
4. The phone _______ (ring) while Sue _____ (cook) the dinner.
5. What ______ (you/do) at 6 o’clock last Sunday morning.
Language teaching practice often takes into consideration the first language interference as the reason of many errors made by learners while learning English as a second language. They tend to superimpose their first language habits onto the second language consciously or unconsciously. Of course, the first language influence is not the only reason for the mistakes committed by the second language learners of English. Thus, all learners of English make some mistakes while learning English as a second or foreign language. These mistakes happen in the area of grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation.
Let’s discuss some of the commonly made mistakes that learners make while learning English as a second or foreign language.
1.* He is angry on me.
In English you are not angry on somebody, you are angry with somebody.
So the correct sentence would be,
He is angry with me.
2.* Mary is married with John.
It is not married with someone but married to someone. So the correct sentence would be,
Mary is married to John.
3.* I called him yesterday night.
It is not yesterday night but last night. So the correct sentence would be,
I called him last night.
4.* Tina spoke to me today morning.
It is not today morning but this morning. So the correct sentence would be,
Tina spoke to me this morning.
5.* I am agree with you.
The correct sentence is,
I agree with you.
6.* He play football everyday.
We are suppose to use –s form of the verb (plays) with third person singular in simple present. So the correct sentence would be,
He plays football everyday.
7.* I didn’t spoke to him.
When we make negative of the past simple, we use did and the base form of the main verb (not the past tense form). The correct sentence would be,
I didn’t speak to him.
8.* I am teaching from 2004.
To talk about an activity started in the past and still going on, present perfect continuous (have/has + been + -ing form of the verb) is used. And the preposition since is used before the starting point and not from. The correct sentence is
I have been teaching since 2004.
9.* I am studying from two hours.
To talk about an activity started in the past and still going on, present perfect continuous (have/has + been + -ing form of the verb) is used. And the preposition for is used before duration and not from. So the correct sentence would be
I have been studying for two hours.
10.* I am understanding you.
The state verbs are not used with –ing form. So instead of the present continuous, present simple is used for these verbs. So the correct sentence is
I understand you.
Non-native speakers of English often consider it their right to take liberty with the language as long as the intended meaning is conveyed to the receiver. But the intended meaning can be communicated more effectively if one speaks the language appropriately. The abovementioned errors can be avoided if one is aware and careful while speaking English. No matter how good one is at English, there is always a scope for improvement.
