Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Writing Memoranda

Writing a memorandum or several memoranda may be part of your job function if you are employed at an organization. The section below seeks to provide information about the format and uses of a memo. The information has been taken from http://www.writing.engr.psu.edu and modified. To view the content in its original form you may click on the link.

Read the information below then complete the exercise that follows.


Company Name       (This part may be centre aligned)
Company Address   (This part may be centre aligned)

To:        Recipient of Memo

From:    Writer of Memo (Writer's Initials)

Date:      Month Day, Year Subject:

Subject:  Title of Memo in Initial Capitals

Organizations use memos to make requests, to give announcements, and sometimes to communicate reports. Memos that make requests or announcements are read quickly. For such memos, get to the point in the first paragraph--the first sentence, if possible. In other words, state what you want up front. In the format suggested here, you should single space your memos and use a serif typeface.

Skip a line between paragraphs. In memos that make requests or announcements, keep the sentence lengths and paragraph lengths relatively short. Sentences should average fewer than twenty words, and paragraphs should average fewer than seven lines. Also, keep the total memo length to under one page, if possible.

Sometimes companies use memos to communicate short reports (two pages or more). For these types of memos, the format changes. For instance, you often include illustrations, attach appendices, and break the memo's text into sections. If references arise in the memo, you include a list at the end. In memos that act as reports, the style changes as well. For instance, the sentences and paragraphs are typically longer than in memos that simply provide announcements or make requests.

For all types of memos, space your memo on the page so that it does not crowd the top. Also, send copies to anyone whose name you mention in the memo or who would be directly affected by the memo. Finally, remember that final paragraphs of memos that make requests or announcements should tell readers what you want them to do or what you will do for them.

Attachments.

Copy to:
Name to Receive Copy
Name to Receive Copy

*Initials should be written in ink


Exercise A ( Early Childhood)

Read the following scenario then write a suitable memo.

Ricardo Giles, a child at Miracle Basic school, was playing with his classmates when he pushed off the monkey bar and broke his arm. The child told his parents that he was regularly picked on by the two boys, Mark Morris and Carl Thompson, who had pushed him off the monkey bar. Richard's parents visited the principal, repeated what their son said and threatened to sue the school for its continuous negligence that resulted in their child's injury. As a result of the meeting with Richard's parents, the principal asks you as the form teacher to write a report of the incident and also to respond to Richard's claim of repeated ill treatment by the two boys.

Write the report to be submitted to the principal.


Exercise A (Allied Health)

Read the following scenario then write a suitable memo.

You are an employee at Universal Health Care and currently you are assigned to work the night shift at a retirement home. Ricardo Giles, a geriatric patient under your care, broke his arm when he fell while you were helping him to bathe himself. Matron Carline Hinds, your supervisor, asks you to write a report of the incident. 

Write the report to be submitted to the matron. The report should be detailed and should include:

  1. The first aid rendered.
  2. The medical condition of the patient (prior to the accident).
  3. What you intend to do to prevent a recurrence of the incident.

Friday, February 3, 2012

Playing With Parts of Speech

Learning about the various parts of speech can be a daunting task for some people. Fortunately, there are a number of websites that provide some useful information on them. I have included below some links to websites that can help you understand the parts of speech.

Actden.com

When you click on the link above it will take you to the main page on actden.com that provides information on the parts of speech and punctuation.

grammar.ccc.commnet

Clicking on the link above takes you to the menu page. Select the appropriate option to view the notes and/or complete the activities.

In addition to this some persons have an aversion to taking tests. So below I have identified some websites that tests your knowledge of the parts of speech in a fun way. Hope you enjoy them!

Noun Game (from softschool.com)

Pronoun Game (from softschool.com)

Verb Game (from softschool.com)

Monday, June 29, 2009

Grammar Exercises

Here are some links to some websites that have some interesting grammar exercises that you can try. If you experience any difficulty with any of the links send me an email at marvin.williams9@gmail.com . You can use the email login on the right hand side of this blog page. englishgrammar101.com englishpage.com

Monday, June 22, 2009

Basic English Grammar

Often times learners experience challenges when writing English because they have not mastered the basic grammar constructs. In this section I will attempt to present my own way to view the basic structure of the English language

Backbone

  1. Noun (identifies persons, places, animals and things)
  2. Pronoun (used instead of nouns)
  3. Verb (denotes actions or links subject to predicate)

Adds More Information

  1. Adjective ( provides more information to nouns and pronouns)
  2. Adverb ( provides more information about verbs, adjectives and other adverbs)

Connectors

  1. Conjunction (joins phrases or sentences)
  2. Preposition (connects persons or objects with their location)

Unique Expressions

  1. Interjection

This can be used by the learners as a checklist to gauge their level of competence in the use of English. The first section includes the most important grammar constructs. Learners should be encouraged to master the elements in this section first as their first step in the journey to master the use of English.

Nouns

Below is a link to EnglishClub.com that provides a simple definition for a noun.
Noun Definition

It attempts to add a little more explanation than the one that most learners know ( 1.e. nouns are names of persons, places, animals and things). It also points out that the commonly recited definition often inadequately explains certain nouns. The problem is how to correctly identify "things". The concrete nouns/things, such as car or boat, tend to be easy to identify. However the abstract nouns/things, such as determination or idea, tend to be difficult to identify.

The following tip may be useful: "Anything that can be quantified is a noun". Let me explain further. If you can use the following words to pluralize the word then it is a noun.

  • a, an
  • some, any, no
  • a lot of, few, most
  • one, two, three etc
  • much, many
  • several

The list above is not exhaustive and other words could be used as well. This tip is useful mostly native speakers of English. It presumes that you have adequate exposure to English so that you can rely on the ability to recognize what sounds right. For example state which of the following are nouns.

  1. concept
  2. trip
  3. speak
  4. love

Hint: Try and apply the words from the first list and then see if it "sounds" right.

The nouns from the list are concept (a concept, two concepts), trip (several trips), love ( a lot of love). For native speakers applying the words from the list to the word "speak" should sound ackward ( a speak?, two speaks, much speak?) Of course it is possible to say "many speak" but that is when many is a pronoun. Despite the last observation, the tip is simple and very useful.

There are several groups that nouns may be placed in, depending on the property being highlighted. Below are some the groupings that exist for nouns (Click on the link for additional information from the EnglishClub.com):

Verbs

Below is a link to a wonderful site that provides a wide range of useful information on verbs in what I believe is a colorful and fun manner. Enjoy!

Verbs

Monday, June 15, 2009

Reading is FUN-damental!

One of the most important and useful skill you can ever acquire is reading. The moment you can read effectively with adequate comprehension skills you have freed yourself from total dependence on face to face contact with your teacher! You can learn from printed media like books and of course, online blogs like this one!. Test your reading comprehension skills by clicking on the link below:

BrookDale Reading Comprehension Test

If the exercise was too difficult for you then you may have a problem with either your reading and/or your comprehension. If you were unable to pronounce (i.e. say corectly the words in the passages) the words you may have fundamental reading problems. Test your reading ability by clicking on the link below and try the exercises provided by DR. Rong-Chang Li (click here to view his website)

Reading Exercises For Students Learning English As A Second Language

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Business Letter Writing(Level III)

123 Reuben Crescent
11 Green Street        
Kingston 13      
        

October 4, 2008 

Mr. John Learner
Human Resource Manager
Carib Builders Limited
26 High Boulevard
Mandeville
Jamaica



Dear Mr. Learner:

Writing a business letter can be a daunting task to anyone who is unfamiliar and uncomfortable with formal correspondence. However business letters can be broken down into simple separate elements.

The first element of a business letter is the sender's address. In  a fully blocked format this, and all other elements, are written on the left with no indentation. The second element is the date. It is important to note that elements are separated by a blank line.

The third element is the address of the business to which you are writing. In this section be sure to include the name and position of the person to whom you are corresponding. Otherwise you will be forced to open with a salutation(the fourth element) of Dear Sir/Madam. This should be avoided at all cost.

The fifth element is the body of the letter. In this section you express your main ideas in a clear, concise manner. Remember that the fully blocked format does not include any indentation. Therefore blank spaces are used to separate paragraphs. Please see below the final element.


Sincerely,

________________
Marvin Williams (Mr.)
Instructor

Click here to view another sample of a business letter.There's also a sample complaint letter. Follow this link to further reading on writing letters of complaint.

Speaking Without Words

There are several different ways of communicating one's feelings, ideas and intentions. The most commonly used form is verbal. Most persons communicate orally their messages and this is not surprising. Before the print and telecommunications media came into prominence information was passed and preserved orally in the forms of stories told from generation to generation. Next came hieroglyphics where pictures were drawn to depict a story. These two forms of communication are examples of non-verbal communication. Non-verbal communication is communication that is done without the use of spoken words. These include:
  • Body Language
  • Vocal Elements such as quality, pitch, tone etc.
  • Space
  • Physical Characteristics and Appearance
  • Symbols

Non-verbal communication serves to:
  • Support or reinforce verbal messages
  • Contradict/invalidate verbal messages
  • Replace or substitute for verbal messages
  • Regulate verbal messages
  • Change the flow of verbal messages

Non-verbal cues are powerful tools of communications. However many non-verbal cues are culturally based and as such their meaning may be misunderstood by someone outside of the culture from which it derives its meaning.

It is important to recognize the message that is sent beyond the spoken words. "Reading between the lines" is a communication skill that is well worth mastering. It could be the difference between failure and success!
To read an exerpt on non-verbal communication from your learner guide click here