THE CLASSIFICATION OF SENTENCES 1. The Simple Sentence
A simple sentence expresses a complete thought and has a subject and a verb. It may have a compound subject (more than one) or a compound verb or both.
We appreciate his contributions. Krisdayanti and Reza are good singers. He worked and succeeded with his ideas.
My older brother goes to a college and works part-time. My father and mother speak and write English well.
2. The Compound Sentence
A compound sentence contains two or more independent clauses connected by a coordinating conjunction (and, or, but, so).
# A clause is a part of a sentence that contains a subject and a verb. There are two types of clauses : Independent Clauses and Dependent Clauses
Independent Clauses
The independent clause expresses a complete thought and has a subject and a verb. It can be used alone correctly as a simple sentence.
Example : 1. It rained.
2. It was cold and windy yesterday.
Dependent Clauses
The dependent clause is dependent for its understanding on the independent clause. It cannot be used alone. Subordinating conjunctions are used in the beginning of dependent clause. Example : 1. ………….. because it rained ………
2. ………. although it was cold and windy yesterday ……..
Subordinating conjunctions : because when if before while
after although
3. The Complex Sentence
A complex sentence has one independent clause and one or more dependent clause.
The clauses in a complex sentence can be in any order. If the dependent clause is first, put a comma after it.
Example : 1. If I win the lottery, I will quit my job immediately. 2. After the dance ended, we went home.
Other examples of complex sentence :
1. Many Americans who became famous athletes practiced long hours. Dependent Clause
Write S if the sentence is simple and C if the sentence is compound. Add commas where they are
needed.
____ 1. The summers in the Midwest are hot and humid.
____ 2. Every evening it was too hot to sleep so my sisters and I played outside until after dark. ____ 3. Our parents sat on the front porch and watched us play our children’s games.
____ 4. We played games such as hide-and-seek and tag or we just sat around and told stories. ____ 5. We also caught fireflies in glass jars and watched them shine in the dark like tiny flashlights. ____ 6. My sisters were afraid of most bugs but they loved to catch fireflies.
____ 7. We usually had to go to bed at nine o’clock on really warm evenings we could stay up until ten. ____ 8. Between nine and ten o’clock our mother or our father told us to come inside to get ready for
bed.
____ 9. Sometimes it was still hot in our small bedroom so our parents let us sleep outside in the backyard.
____ 10. In those days, parents didn’t worry about crime and no one locked their front doors at night.
Identify the following sentences as simple, compound, or complex.
____ 1. Many poor boys became famous.
____ 2. Before he assumed his job, he prepared for it very carefully. ____ 3. Jerry made the best of a bad situation.
____ 4. He had a strong personality or he would never have risen to such heights. ____ 5. Clay was a brilliant orator, but Webster was the greatest of them all. ____ 6. Because he had a brilliant mind, Ford planned his horseless carriage.
____ 7. Thomas Edison, who made his first scientific experiment at the age of six, invented many things.
____ 8. Will Rogers enjoyed wealth and fame in abundance.
____ 9. Grant’s tomb, which was built of granite, is located in New York. ____ 10. Grant and Lee were two famous generals.
____ 11. His memoirs, which were finished a week before his death, were sold by Mrs. Grant. ____ 12. U.S Grant served two terms as President, but he died a poor man.
____ 13. Clay was a member of the cabinet before Webster was ever in the Senate. ____ 14. They worked and fought side by side.
____ 15. Although my brothers love fishing, I hate it.
____ 16. If my brothers invite me to go fishing, I will say “No, thanks!”
____ 17. A friend of mine studied Japanese during his vacation because his company is going to send him to Japan to work.
____ 18. After people have been in the jungles of Guatemala, they may find the beaches of Florida little boring.
Sentence Patterns
"Sentence patterns" is just another way talk about the way a sentence is put together; the order of the elements in the sentence; sentence construction. Some sources say there are six English sentence patterns; some say eight. A few sources list even more. Here are the ones we feel are the most common, and the easiest to recognize:
1. Subject + Verb (S-V)
This is the simplest kind of sentence. It consists of a subject, a verb, and possibly some adjectives, adverbs, or prepositional phrases. There are no direct objects, indirect objects, or complements.
Abraham speaks fluently. (subject, verb, adverb)
Many of the class members write well in class. (subject, verb, adverbs) (The "complete" subject is "Many of the class members"--a noun phrase.)
2. Verb + Subject (V-S)
Sentences in English usually have the subject come first, followed by the verb. But when a sentence begins with there is, there was, there are, there were, the verb comes first, followed by the subject. The word There is never a subject!
There is a strange shadow in the woods. (verb, subject--the complete subject is the noun phrase a strange shadow, adverb)
There were no leftovers after the buffet. (verb, subject, adverb)
3. Subject + Verb + Direct Object (S-V-DO)
Andrew composes music. (subject, verb, direct object.)
Matthew helps others in several English practice rooms. (subject, verb, direct object, adverb)
Helen tells jokes to make people smile. (subject, verb, direct object, adverb)
4. Subject + Verb + Complement (S-V-SC)
A complement is a word or group of words that describe or rename the
subject. Complements follow a linking verb. There are two kinds of subject complements: 1) predicate nominative, which is a noun or pronoun that renames or classifies the subject of the sentence and 2) predicate adjective, which is an adjective that describes the subject of the sentence.
Mother looks tired. (subject, verb, complement--predicate adjective)
Some students in the class are engineers. (the noun phrase Some students in the class is the complete subject, verb, complement--predicate nominative)
The men are handsome, the women are clever, and the children are above-average. (compound sentence of three independent clauses, so three subjects, three verbs, three complements--all predicate adjectives)
An indirect object tells for whom or to whom. If the indirect object comes after the direct object (in a prepositional phrase "to ________" or "for _______"), the sentence pattern is shown as S-V-DO-IO. Pronouns are usually used as indirect objects (but not always).
I sent her a birthday present. (subject, verb, indirect object, direct object)
Jay gave his dog a bone. (subject, verb, indirect object, direct object)
Granny left Gary all of her money. (subject, verb, indirect object, direct object)
Granny gave every last asset to Gary. (subject, verb, direct object, indirect object in a prepositional phrase)
6. Subject + Verb + Direct Object + Object Complement (S-V-DO-OC)
This pattern isn't as common as the others, but it is used. An object complement is a word or group of words that renames, describes, or classifies the direct object. Object
complements are nouns or adjectives and follow the object.
Debbie left the window open during the rain storm. (subject, verb, direct object, object complement, adverb)
References
- A Student’s English Grammar Workbook; Chalker, Sylvia -An English Outline; Huddleston, Rodney
-Practical English Grammar; Martinet, Thompson
-Guide To Pattern and Usage in English; A S Hornby
SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
Ciri utama simple present tense adalah penggunaan kata kerja (verb) bentuk pertama , dalam penggunaannya.
Bentuknya adalah sebagai berikut : S + P (V1) + O + K
Kapan kita menggunakan tense ini dalam percakapan? Yaitu ketika kita ingin mengungkapkan suatu kondisi seperti ini :
1.Suatu kegiatan yang merupakan kebiasaan dan berulang secara teratur. I go to school everyday.
The train leaves every 9 pm.
Tanda waktu yang digunakan adalah every...(day , week , year , month....etc)
2. Suatu kebenaran umum The sky is blue.
Jakarta is in Indonesia.
3. Suatu kejadian yang akan terjadi dengan segera dalam jangka waktu tidak terlalu lama. Dan biasanya berhubungan dengan transportasi umum.
The train leaves tonight at 11 pm. Does class begin tomorrow? The plane arrives at 12 pm.
4.Untuk menyatakan bahwa suatu kejadian sedang berlangsung atau tidak berlangsung saat ini.
I am here now.
They are not here now.
Contoh kalimat (nominal - tanpa kata kerja)
She is a nurse. The apple is red. I am a teacher.
They are not always in the garden. Nikita is a beautiful girl.
Contoh kalimat (verbal - menggunakan kata kerja)
I always go to the gym every morning. She never goes to abroad.
The boy delivers the basket every evening. The students learn English every Saturday. He does not sweep the floor.
Kata keterangan yang sering digunakan dalam simple present tense adalah kata keterangan kekerapan (frekuensi).
Contoh : I always read newspaper every morning.
Coba hafalkan dengan cara sebagai berikut :
Saya mempunyai sifat : Selalu always
Biasanya usually Sering often
Kalimat Negatif Simple Present Tense
Bentuk Negatif, artinya menyatakan TIDAK.
Maka sesuai rumus Simple Present Tense, setelah SUBJECT ditambah DO atau DOES, baru NOT, lalu tambah kata kerja bentuk pertama tanpa S atau ES lagi.
Untuk I, WE, YOU, THEY tambah DO
Untuk SHE, HE, IT, Mufli, Ellen tambah DOES
I do not drink coffee. She does not drink coffee.
John Scoping does not learn english.
Coba perhatikan She does not drink coffee. Drink nya tidak pake S lagi, pindah ke doES. Biasakan saja, Present Simple Tense ini sepertinya rumit tetapi kalau faham maka enak
Kalimat Tanya Simple Present Tense
Kalimat tanya untuk Simple Present Tense sesuai rumus diatas, atau saya tulis lagi seperti ini:
Tanya: DO/DOES + S + V1 ?
Sama saja pasangannya. Untuk I, WE, YOU, THEY gunakan DO. Untuk SHE, HE, IT, Mufli, Ellen gunakan DOES. Contohnya begini:
Kalimat positifnya: I drink coffee.
Kalimat tanya menjadi: DO you drink coffee?
Kalimat positif: She drinks coffee Kalimat tanya: DOES She drink coffee?
Kalimat tanya seperti diatas disebut juga YES/NO Question. Karena jawabannya memang Yes atau No.
Atau bisa bisa dijawab dengan lengkap: “Yes, I do drink coffee”. Dihilangkan DO nya juga boleh, menjadi kalimat positif lagi: “Yes I drink coffee”.
Nah, kalau tadi kan Kalimat Tanya Present Tense yang jawabannya Yes atau No saja. Bagaimanakah kalau pertanyaan yang jawabannya panjang atau yang jawabannya
kalimat? Yah, tinggal tambahkan saja When, Where, Why, Who, What, dsb di depannya. Contohnya begini:
-When Do you drink coffee?
Contoh jawaban: I drink coffee everyday. -What does she drink?
Contoh jawaban: She drinks coffee.
EXERCISES
It is Mohammed’s first week in his English class in the United States, and he is not very happy. In fact, he is quite homesick, and he misses his family and friends a lot. The food does not taste good, and Mohammed can not sleep at night. Besides, everything is so confusing. He likes most of his teachers, but it is too difficult to understand them. Also,
he does not have time to finish his English assignments. Ali, Mohammed’s older brother,
tells him every day that things will get easier, but right now Mohammed does not believe him
Exercise 1 Group Discussion
1. Analyze the paragraph above, what tense is use in the passage? 2. Can you explain the pattern that is used?
3. Find the time expression that is used in the passage? 4. Try to make a sentence from the bold word in the passage.
- Misses - does not have - Does not taste - tells
Exercise 2
In this exercise you have to put the verb into the correct form.
1. Water________ (boil) at 100 degree centigrade 2. The sun ________ (rise) in the west.
3. Mice ________ (catch) cats.
4. Nurses _________ (look) after patients in hospital. 5. Ann _________ (watch) television every evening. 6. Lisa _________ (walk) to school everyday. 7. I __________ (think) he has a good idea. 8. What ___________ (you/do)? I am a lecturer. 9. I ____________ (go) to cinema every Sunday. 10.She always _____________ (read) novel.
11.The swimming bath ________ (open) at 9.00 and ________ (close) at 18.30 everyday.
12.What time __________ (the banks/close) in Britain? 13.He _________ (come) from Scotland.
14.The river Amazon ___________ (flow) into the Pacific Ocean. 15.In Britain most of the shops ________ (close) at 5.30 pm. 16.Tom __________ (play) tennis every Sunday.
17.I have a car but I __________ (not/use) it very often. 18.How many cigarettes ____________ (you/smoke) a day?
References
- A Student’s English Grammar Workbook; Chalker, Sylvia
- An English Outline; Huddleston, Rodney
- Practical English Grammar; Martinet, Thompson
- Guide To Pattern and Usage in English; A S Hornby
- Fundamentals of English Grammar; Azar, Betty Schrampfer
- http://klikbelajar.com/pelajaran-sekolah/pelajaran-bahasa/bahasa-inggris
What is the baby doing?
Narrator : John Wilkins is in the living room. His wife, Mary is in the kitchen. She is calling him
Mrs. Wilkins : Is the baby with you John? He is not in the kitchen.
Mr. Wilkins : He isn’t here, Mary. He is upstairs. Mrs. Wilkins : Please go and see, John. He is very quiet. Mr. Wilkins : All right, Mary.
Narrator : Now Mr. Wilkins is upstairs. Mrs. Wilkins : Is he in our room?
Mr. Wilkins : No, he is not. He’s in the bathroom. Mrs. Wilkins : What’s he doing?
Mr. Wilkins : He’s cleaning his shoes with your toothbrush!
Answer these questions
1. Is John in the living room? 2. Is the baby in the kitchen? 3. Is john’s wife in the kitchen? 4. What is the name of John’s wife?
5. Why is John’s wife calling her husband? 6. Is the baby upstairs or downstairs? 7. Where is the baby?
8. What is he doing?
9. Please retell the story with your own words.
S + to be + V
ingTo be + S + V
ingS + to be + not + V
ing Present Continuous Tensea. Present continuous tense express an activity that is in progress at the
moment of speaking.
Example: - Riya is sleeping right now.
- I need an umbrella because it is raining.
b. The present continuous tense also describes an action or condition that is
currently in progress even if not actually at the moment of speaking.
Example: - Scientists are investigating the ocean for new sources of food.
- Tony is trying to improve his work habits.
Patterns:
Affirmative sentence
Negative sentence
References
- A Studentst’s English Grammar Workbook; Chalker, Sylvia - An English Outline; Huddleston, Rodney
- Practical English Grammar; Martinet, Thompson
- Guide To Pattern and Usage in English; A S Hornby
- Fundamentals of English Grammar; Azar, Betty Schrampfer
- http://klikbelajar.com/pelajaran-sekolah/pelajaran-bahasa/bahasa-inggris
Simple Past Tense
The simple past tense is sometimes called the preterite tense. We can use several tenses to talk about the past, but the simple past tense is the one we use most often.
How do we make the Simple Past Tense?
To make the simple past tense, we use: past form only
or
auxiliary did + base form
Here you can see examples of the past form and base form for irregular verbs and regular verbs: V1 base V2 past V3 past participle regular verb work explode like worked exploded liked worked exploded liked
The past form for all regular verbs ends in -ed.
irregular verb go see sing went saw sang gone seen sung
The past form for irregular verbs is variable. You need to learn it by heart.
You do not need the past participle form to make the simple past tense. It is shown here for completeness only.
The structure for positive sentences in the simple past tense is:
subject + main verb
The structure for negative sentences in the simple past tense is:
subject + auxiliary verb + not + main verb
did base
The structure for question sentences in the simple past tense is:
auxiliary verb + subject + main verb
did base
The auxiliary verb did is not conjugated. It is the same for all persons (I did, you did, he did etc). And the base form and past form do not change. Look at these examples with the main verbs go and work:
subject auxiliary verb main verb
+
I went to school.
You worked very hard.
-
She did not go with me.
We did not work yesterday.
?
Did you go to London?
Did they work at home?
Exception! The verb to be is different. We conjugate the verb to be (I was, you were, he/she/it was, we were, they were); and we do not use an auxiliary for negative and question sentences. To make a question, we exchange the subject and verb. Look at these examples:
subject main verb
+
I, he/she/it was here.
-
I, he/she/it was not there.
You, we, they were not happy.
?
Was I, he/she/it right?
Were you, we, they late?
How do we use the Simple Past Tense?
We use the simple past tense to talk about an action or a situation - an event - in the past. The event can be short or long.
Here are some short events with the simple past tense:
The car exploded at 9.30am yesterday. She went to the door.
We did not hear the telephone. Did you see that car?
past present future
The action is in the past.
Here are some long events with the simple past tense:
I lived in Bangkok for 10 years.
The Jurassic period lasted about 62 million years. We did not sing at the concert.
Did you watch TV last night?
past present future
The action is in the past.
Notice that it does not matter how long ago the event is: it can be a few minutes or seconds in the past, or millions of years in the past. Also it does not matter how long the event is. It can be a few milliseconds (car explosion) or millions of years (Jurassic period). We use the simple past tense when:
the event is in the past
the event is completely finished
we say (or understand) the time and/or place of the event
Here are some more examples:
I lived in that house when I was young. He didn't like the movie.
What did you eat for dinner? John drove to London on Monday. Mary did not go to work yesterday. Did you play tennis last week? I was at work yesterday.
We were not late (for the train). Were you angry?
Note that when we tell a story, we usually use the simple past tense. We may use the past continuous tense to "set the scene", but we almost always use the simple past tense for the action. Look at this example of the beginning of a story:
Exercise
1. Jane Auten (write) ___________ about 6 novels.
2. How did you know the answer? My friend (tell) _________ me. 3. Ann (spend) ___________ a lot of money yesterday.
4. Don (fall) ___________ down stairs this morning and (hurt) _______ his leg. 5. Jim (throw) __________ ball to Ann, who (catch) _______ it.
6. We (see) __________ Ria in a town few days ago. 7. ____________ (go) out last night?
8. ____________ (be) the food good?
9. Patrick and Ria (play) ____________ tennis this morning. 10.I __________ (tired) when I _________ (get) home.
11.She _________ (study) Math when they __________ (call). 12.I was very thirsty. I ________ (drink) the water very quickly. 13.She was not hungry, so she _______ (eat) anything.
References
- A Studentst’s English Grammar Workbook; Chalker, Sylvia - An English Outline; Huddleston, Rodney
- Practical English Grammar; Martinet, Thompson
- Guide To Pattern and Usage in English; A S Hornby
- Fundamentals of English Grammar; Azar, Betty Schrampfer
Past Continuous Tense
The past continuous tense is an important tense in English. We use it to say what we were in the middle of doing at a particular moment in the past.
In this lesson we look at the structure and the use of the past continuous tense, fo llowed by a quiz to check your understanding:
How do we make the Past Continuous Tense?
The structure of the past continuous tense is:
subject + auxiliary verb BE + main verb
conjugated in simple past tense present participle
was
were base + ing
For negative sentences in the past continuous tense, we insert not between the auxiliary verb and main verb. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and auxiliary verb. Look at these example sentences with the past continuous tense:
subject auxiliary verb main verb
+ I was watching TV.
+ You were working hard.
- He, she, it was not helping Mary.
- We were not joking.
? Were you being silly?
How do we use the Past Continuous Tense?
The past continuous tense expresses action at a particular moment in the past. The action started before that moment but has not finished at that moment. For example, yesterday I watched a film on TV. The film started at 7pm and finished at 9pm.
At 8pm yesterday, I was watching TV.
past present future
8pm
At 8pm, I was in the middle
of watching TV.
When we use the past continuous tense, our listener usually knows or understands what time we are talking about. Look at these examples:
I was working at 10pm last night.
They were not playing football at 9am this morning. What were you doing at 10pm last night?
What were you doing when he arrived? She was cooking when I telephoned her. We were having dinner when it started to rain. Ram went home early because it was snowing.
We often use the past continuous tense to "set the scene" in stories. We use it to describe the background situation at the moment when the action begins. Often, the story starts with the past continuous tense and then moves into the simple past tense. Here is an example:
Past Continuous Tense + Simple Past Tense
We often use the past continuous tense with the simple past tense. We use the past continuous tense to express a long action. And we use the simple past tense to express a short action that happens in the middle of the long action. We can join the two ideas with when or while.
In the following example, we have two actions:
1. long action (watching TV), expressed with past continuous tense 2. short action (telephoned), expressed with simple past tense
past present future
Long action.
I was watching TV at 8pm.
8pm
You telephoned at 8pm.
Short action.
We can join these two actions with when:
I was watching TV when you telephoned.
(Notice that "when you telephoned" is also a way of defining the time [8pm].) We use:
when + short action (simple past tense) while + long action (past continuous tense) There are four basic combinations:
I was walking past the car when it exploded.
While I was walking past the car it exploded.
Notice that the long action and short action are relative.
"Watching TV" took a few hours. "Telephoned" took a few seconds.
"Walking past the car" took a few seconds. "Exploded" took a few milliseconds.
Exercise 1: Put the verb in brackets into the Past Continuous Tense
1. We __________ (try) to be as quiet as possible so as not to disturb the dog which __________ (sleep)
2. None of us __________ (swim) for the sea was rough but we _______ (play) ball on the beach instead.
3. The dogs __________ (fight) over a bone and __________ (make) a lot of noise. 4. “What _________(you, do) when I came in?”
5. I ___________ (call) Roger at nine last night, but he ________ (be, not) at home. He ________ (study).
6. I got the package in the mail. When I ___________(open) it, I _______ (find) a surprise.
7. Stanley _________ (climb) the stairs.
8. My brother and sister _________ (argue) about something when I walked into the room.
9. I did not heard the thunder during the storm last night because I _______ (sleep). 10.Tina __________(study) English at this time yesterday.
Exercise 2: Past Continuous Tense vs Simple past tense 1. I _________ (walk) home when I __________ (met) him.
2. She _________ (see) Ryan yesterday but he __________ (not/see). He ___________ (look) the other way.
4. She __________ (go) abroad last year but she _________ (go, not) because she _______ (get) cold.
5. I ___________ (walk) along the street when suddenly I ________ (hear) footsteps behind me.
References
- A Student’s English Grammar Workbook; Chalker, Sylvia
- An English Outline; Huddleston, Rodney
- Practical English Grammar; Martinet, Thompson
- Guide To Pattern and Usage in English; A S Hornby
- Fundamentals of English Grammar; Azar, Betty Schrampfer
Present Perfect tense
Fungsi Present Perfect tense:
1. Ketika suatu kejadian sudah terjadi tetapi periode waktunya belum berakhir.
I have read ten books this month.
I have written the novel these past few months.
2. Ketika tidak diketahui kapan kejadian tersebut berlangsung/sudah berlangsung tapi tidak diketahui kapan waktunya. (unspecified time)
Lina have done her home work.
3. Ketika suatu kejadian baru saja berlangsung dan akibatnya / pengaruhnya masih berlangsung.
My uncle has just arrived this morning.
4. Ketika digunakan untuk menyatakan suatu durasi waktu tertentu.
He has studied in Singapore for two years. She has lived here since 1960.
Pattern of Present Perfect
Positive:
Negative:
Interrogative:
Exercises
S + have/has + V3
S + Have/has + not + V3
I. Choose the best answer
1. My wife … home yet. She never …. Home before midnight and last night
she … in till two o’clock.
a. do not come, comes, did not come b. has not come, comes, did not come c. had not come, came, did not come d. did not come, came, has not come
2. What . ... since you .... here? How many new friends ...? a. has you learned, come, do you made
b. have you learned, came, have you made c. have you learn, come, has you made d. do you learn, come, do you made
3. Last night my roommate and I .. some free time, so we … to a show. a. have, went
b. has, go c. had, went d. had, go
4. Since the classes began, I … much free time, I .. several big test to study for.
a. had, had
b. have not had, have had c. had not, have had d. have had not, have
5. When I … my duty, I … a rest. a. had finished, taken b. had finished, took c. has finished, take d. have finished, took
6. The science of medicine … a great deal in nineteenth century. a. has advanced
b. had been advance c. have advanced d. is advance
II. Complete the sentences with the words in the parentheses
Since computers were first introduced to the public in the early 1980's,
technology (change)__________ a great deal. The first computers (be)
not)___________much memory and they (be, not) __________very powerful.
Early computers were often quite expensive and customers often (pay)
___________thousands of dollars for machines which actually (do)
______________very little. Most computers (be) __________separate, individual
References
- A Student’s English Grammar Workbook; Chalker, Sylvia - An English Outline; Huddleston, Rodney
- Practical English Grammar; Martinet, Thompson
- Guide To Pattern and Usage in English; A S Hornby
- Fundamentals of English Grammar; Azar, Betty Schrampfer
- http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verb-tenses.htm
- http://klikbelajar.com/pelajaran-sekolah/pelajaran-bahasa/bahasa-inggris
Simple Future Tense
The simple future tense is often called will, because we make the simple future tense with the modal auxiliary will.
How do we make the Simple Future Tense?
The structure of the simple future tense is:
subject + auxiliary verb WILL + main verb
invariable base
will V1
For negative sentences in the simple future tense, we insert not between the auxiliary verb and main verb. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and auxiliary verb. Look at these example sentences with the simple future tense:
subject auxiliary verb main verb
+ I will open the door.
+ You will finish before me.
- She will not be at school tomorrow.
- We will not leave yet.
? Will you arrive on time?
When we use the simple future tense in speaking, we often contract the subject and auxiliary verb:
I will I'll
you will you'll
he will she will it will
he'll she'll it'll
we will we'll
they will they'll
For negative sentences in the simple future tense, we contract with won't, like this:
I will not I won't
you will not you won't
he will not she will not it will not
he won't she won't it won't
we will not we won't
they will not they won't
How do we use the Simple Future Tense?
No Plan
Hold on. I'll get a pen.
We will see what we can do to help you.
Maybe we'll stay in and watch television tonight.
In these examples, we had no firm plan before speaking. The decision is made at the time of speaking.
We often use the simple future tense with the verb to think before it: I think I'll go to the gym tomorrow.
I think I will have a holiday next year. I don't think I'll buy that car.
Prediction
We often use the simple future tense to make a prediction about the future. Again, there is no firm plan. We are saying what we think will happen. Here are some examples:
It will rain tomorrow.
People won't go to Jupiter before the 22nd century. Who do you think will get the job?
Be
When the main verb is be, we can use the simple future tense even if we have a firm plan or decision before speaking. Examples:
I'll be in London tomorrow.
I'm going shopping. I won't be very long. Will you be at work tomorrow?
Now, it’s QUIZ time….
Exercise (All tenses): Choose the best answer from the questions below. 1. I ……….. to the cinema yesterday.
a. go c. goes b. went d. gone
2. My friend ………….to music every evening.
a. listen c. listened b. listening d. listens
3. They………….their car. It looks new again.
a. have cleaned c. has cleaned b. cleans d. cleaned
4. Listen! Mr Jones………… the piano.
a. played c. is playing b. play d. plays
5. She………….her left arm two weeks ago.
a. broke c. break b. breaks d. broken
6. We…………..a test at the moment.
a. write c. have written b. are writing d. wrote
7. Ken and Emily often …………lunch at school.
a. has c. had
b. have d. are having
8. He…………. his money. So he can't buy this hamburger.
a. loses c. has lost b. lose d. is losing
9. We………. TV when it started to rain.
a. watched c. were watching b. watches d. watch
10. I………..to visit you yesterday, but you……….. not at home.
a. want, are c. want, were b. wanted, are d. wanted, were
11. Look! It…………, so we can't……….to the beach. a. is raining, went c. rains, go
12. There are a lot of clouds! It……….. soon.
a. rained c. was raining b. is going to rain d. rains
13. The sun…………. in the East.
a. rise c. rose b. rises d. risen
14. I………….. for my girlfriend for two hours. a. have been waiting c. waited
b. has been waiting d. wait
15. After Larry………… the film on TV, he decided to buy the book.
a. sees c. had seen b. is seeing d. see
16. Wait a minute; I………… this box for you.
a. carried c. carry b. will carry d. carries
17. I………… in love three times in my life.
a. am c. have been b. was d. has been
18. ………….me last night?
a. Were you call c. Did you call b. Was you call d. Do you call
19. I was at the club yesterday, but I …………..you.
a. don’t see c. doesn’t see b. didn’t see d. didn’t saw
20. I ………… a shower when you called.
a. was taking c. take
b. am taking d. were taking
21.Mr. Ray ……….. Chemistry at the local high school last year.
a. teach c. taught b. teaches d. is teaching
22. I ………… a shower when you called.
a. was taking c. take
23. When I first saw her, she………….. on the balcony.
a. stands c. is standing b. was standing d. has stood
24. He often ……… to school with his friends.
a. goes c. went b. go d. is going
25. What …….. you …….. last week
a. do, buy c. have, buy b. does, buy d. did, buy
26. …… he ……. to your party tomorrow?
a. Will, come c. Do, come b. Does, come d. Has, come
27. They have already ……… that movie.
a. seeing c. seen b. see d. saw
28. Andi: ………..? Roni: No, I don’t
a. Did you smoke c. Are you smoking b. Do you smoke d. Do you smoking
29. Now, she ………….. lunch.
a. has c. had
b. is d. is having
30. When telephone ………., my mother was cooking.
a. rings c. rang b. is ringing d. ring
31. Shhh! The baby ……….. . The baby ………. for ten hours every night.
a. is sleeping, sleeps c. was sleeping, sleeps b. is sleeping, sleep d. was sleeping, sleep
32. A: ………. in France before? B: Yes, I have. I ……….. in Paris two months
ago.
a. Have you ever been, was c. Did you be, was b. Have you ever been, am d. Did you be, am
33. She and her mom …………. shopping right now. a. is going c. was going
b. are going d. were going
a. have been c. is b. has been d. was
35. Last night I had a good night’s sleep. I ……….. nine hours
a. sleep c. am sleeping b. will sleep d. slept
36. Alice ……… the bus to school every day. She usually ………. instead.
a. didn’t take, walked c. don’t, take walks b. Doesn’t take, walks d. Doesn’t take, walk
37. Right now Andi ………. An article in the magazine, but she ……….. it
a. is reading, isn’t understand c. is reading, doesn’t understand b. is reading, isn’t understanding d. is reading, not understand
38. I ………. a letter to my folks after I finished studying yesterday evening.
a. wrote c. am writing b. write d. have written
39. They ………… in a couple of hours. a. will eat c. were eating b. eat d. ate
40. My aunt and uncle………. in the same house for twenty five years.
References
- A Student’s English Grammar Workbook; Chalker, Sylvia - An English Outline; Huddleston, Rodney
- Practical English Grammar; Martinet, Thompson
- Guide To Pattern and Usage in English; A S Hornby
- Fundamentals of English Grammar; Azar, Betty Schrampfer
Skill 1:
How to prepare an effective presentation
Classifications of Presentations
In contrast to public speaking of a general nature, most presentations centre around three specific classifications:
1. To inform the audience of selected facts or figures of a given event 2. To motivate a group to take a recommended course of action 3. To persuade an audience to your point of view
4. Presentation combinations
1.To inform
Your objective in such a talk would be, primarily, to remain as neutral as possible, that is, to be factual, offer the benefits of your new proposal or plan, and keep your commends to the point.
Some sample topics of informative talks include:
♦ Research proposals ♦ Research reports
♦ Revision of previous research ♦ Research findings
♦ Budget proposals
2.To motivate
In this type of talk, you are recommending that your audience follow a certain course of action. For example, you want your friends (colleagues) to support the research
Some sample topics of motivational talks include:
♦ The need for greater support on your research activity ♦ The need for greater involvement for your research activity ♦ Prevention is everyone’s job
♦ Why “they” need help
♦ How we can achieve an extra 10 percent in fund raise
3.To persuade
Persuading goes beyond the motivational talk of recommending; here you are trying to convince your audience of your point of view-and move them to action. For
example, a persuasive talk on “Ten easy step for study” will really not be successful,
unless at the conclusion of your talk you have convinced your audience to have better scores and to finish your study using your ten easy steps.
Audience attitude toward your talk can range from passive to extremely negative. You may be confronted with vocal objections or skeptical audience feedback.
Examples of persuasive talks include:
♦ Advantage of the new word processing system-why we need it
♦ Why the new institution reorganization is necessary ♦ The need for better academic community relations ♦ Selling the new product plan
4. Presentation combinations
Note that all three types of talks can run in parallel. To illustrate, let’s take the
case of a student union that wishes to achieve a 90 percent voluntary student
contribution rate to this year’s United Way campaign. (For whatever reason, last year’s
How to build your framework: Five key areas
Regardless of the type of presentation you plan to give, it is important that your talk has structure. Successful presentations incorporate five important categories in their framework: preplanning, attention, interest, desire, and action. Each of these five areas has corresponding key points of emphasis that not only provide your talk with the necessary structure, but also provide a smooth transition from one segment of the presentation to the next.
These five categories are also an integral part of the main elements of an effective presentation. In other words, each of categories has a direct relationship to a corresponding main element. For example:
Category Presentation Element
Preplanning Covers all five elements (Power Opener, Connector, Main Body, Power Close, and Audience Question)
Attention Correlates with the Power Opener, which secures early attention from audience and builds early rapport. Concludes with the Connector, which bridges the Power Opener to the Main Body. Interest Begin with reinforcing the Connector and develops into the Main
Body of the presentation.
Desire Starts with a reinforcement of the Main Body (fact, figures, and content) and pave the way for the Power Close.
Action Focuses on the Power Close (or what the speaker expects the audience to do) and concludes by setting the state for Audience Questions that will follow the presentation.
1.Preplanning
The following are the key point emphasis before you begin to prepare your actual presentation:
♦ Nature and size of the audience ♦ Audience expectation
♦ “WIFM” (What’s in it for me?)
♦ Any special factors (cautions) involved
2. Attention
Since the first few moments of your presentation are critical to its success-or failure-you should plan to introduce an early attention-grabbing statement within the first minute of the presentation. This kind of statement can be relatively short, perhaps three to five minutes.
The following are the key point emphasis on grabbing audience’s attention: ♦ Securing early attention
♦ Establishing rapport
♦ Highlighting purpose of presentation ♦ Building anticipation for balance of talk
3. Interest
It is not enough to grab your audience’s attention: you must also plan to keep it.
Here are ten suggestions for maintaining and heightening audience interest:
♦ Use traditional phrases to move from one key points to another ♦ Emphasize the benefits or positive aspects of your presentation ♦ Heighten audience awareness
♦ Bridge into the main body of your talk using connectors (See Chapter 2)
♦ Keep sentences short and crisp
♦ Use benefit statement whenever possible
Note:
♦ Always reinforce WIFM when you have opportunity
♦ Modulate your voice frequently (speak softly, then louder, etc) ♦ Pause occasionally for greater effect
♦ Use audiovisuals to their fullest extent
4. Desire
At this point, if the attention and interest phrase were handled properly, the desire
phase should flow naturally. Here you concentrate on building the audience’s
commitment to do what you are recommending. It consists of expending on the key
points covered in the interest phase, and then, to „drive the point home’ effectively, by
furnishing as many examples as possible. Following this would be a refocusing on the benefits involved and then developing another interconnecting statement to lead smoothly into the concluding action phase.
The following are the key point emphais on building the audience’s commitment: ♦ Explanation by example
♦ Re-focus on features/benefits involved
♦ Bridge into closing remarks
5. Action
You can now effectively close your presentation following the steps below:
♦ Summarize the main points of your talk
♦ Clearly tell the audience what is requested of them (obviously, this will vary,
depending on the nature of your talk)
♦ Close with the final benefit statement that will leave everyone in a good psychological frame of mind.
Note:
Use the Promoting Desire (Form 5) and Moving Your Audience to Action
(Form 6) on the Appendix to help you build the audience’s commitment and
Skill 2:
POWER OPENING: Starting a Presentation
How to create a power opener
The power opener is the initial element that develops the early attention required from the audience. Acting in tandem with the speaker’s introductory comments, it also sets the stage for informing the audience of the top of the talk, the length of time for presentation, the purpose of the talk, the benefit, the structure and the time when audience could ask questions.
Regardless the topic selected, an effective opener should consists of several connecting sentences (or thoughts) which have been designed to spotlight the purpose of the talk, and correspondingly, to develop attention for the topic being delivered. While there is not set formula that covers all situations, a power opener should generally contain the following elements:
♦ An attention-getting statement early in the talk
♦ Key points highlight of your talk
♦ Selected words and gestures to help establish initial rapport with the audience ♦ Use WIFM that the audience will easily relate to
♦ A buildup of anticipation and a sense of excitement for the balance of the talk.
Sample Power Opening Techniques
1. Common power opener
“Hello, I am John William-the Human Recourses Development Manager, and I’d like to talk to you today about the new Appraisal System that will be implementing later this
year. The reason is of course, you’ll be responsible for making the system work.”
“I’ll take about 15 minutes of your time and I’ll be showing you some diagrams and some
other information on the flipchart over there. Some information is rather complex, so I
I’ve divided the information into four main parts. Firstly, why a new appraisal system when you’ve already had the old one. Secondly, who is responsible for the different stages of the operation. Thirdly, what happens in the interviews; in other words, content.
And finally, how are the interviews reported back to your managers.”
“O.K. So, that’s why, who, what, and how. First of all then the way-why the new
appraisal system…….”
2. Power opener based on a real-world situation
“Good morning, everyone. I appreciate the fact that 100 percent of our surprising
members is present as requested, and that most of you even arrived a few minutes early.
That’s a good sign, since it shows your commitment to this organization …… a faith in
our common future that is now in serious jeopardy unless we all pull together for the next
few months.”
“Well, as most of you have realized that our annual budget for education has been decreasing due to the fact that many students have come to us for aids. So, this presentation will be focusing on fund raising activities, and will be divided into how, who, and when to put them into reality. I might take fifteen minutes or so to present to you, and I would really appreciate if you could hold your questions till I finish my
presentation.”
“O.K. then, let’s works together to make them happen……..”
3. Power opener based on shock value
“Good morning, I’m here today as a representative of the Inter-city Blood Bank, whom most of you know, supplies over 70 percent of needed fresh blood supplies to the major hospitals within the country.
“What you may not know is that, due to vacations and holidays, many of our regular
today at least 30 percent of you will have one member of your household requiring a
transfusion of some type within the next three to four weeks.”
“By way of example, since there are fifteen people in the first row, at least five of you will be affected by this. Hopefully, your family will have this life-saving blood when it’s
needed ……(pause) but there’s a good chance that some people will now die, due to the lack of it!”
Five tips for using traditional phrases
Remember that the primary purpose of a connector is to maintain and build on audience interest, so that upo approaching the main body of your talk, strong communication bridges have already been built. To do this effectively, here are a few key tips:
1. Always try to keep the connector short
The best connectors are never more than a brief paragraph of three or four sentences.
2. Use of humor or shock value is ideal as a connector, provided what you say is a appropriate to the situation
Do not use humor in a talk based around an academic or a grave business situation, tough.
3. Statistical connectors are usually very desirable
Remember that the purpose of a connector is to build on audience interest; and it will aid in developing further interest by starting that “65 percent of a new research findings will be …..,” for example.
4. Use attention-getting connectors wherever possible
Some examples that are sure to “do the trick” are
♦ “So, in the next five minutes, I intend to show each of you……..”
♦ “Yes, this product will become an industry leader, and I intend to do so by ………..” ♦ “By the way, you have every right to doubt my word, but………..”
5. Use nonverbal gestures when employing connectors You can heighten emphasis even further, by:
♦ Pausing for effect in middle of connector ♦ Using your hands to make a point
♦ Bringing body language into play; shifting your position from one side to another, taking off your glasses (if you wear them) and carefully placing them on a table in front of you.
SKILL 3
THE MAIN BODY:
Guidelines for preparing your presentation
Selling the primary theme of your talk
With the completion of both the power opener and connector, your presentation is now ready to progress into the main body of your talk. This is a crucial phase, since you are now know more about what is being presented. In essence, the main body is a completion of the key points you wish to present. Depending upon the type of presentation, the main body can vary in length from just a few moments to over one hour. Note the multiple purposes it serves:
♦ It provides a smooth entry into the main reason for your talk, offering (where
appropriate) pertinent examples, facts, and figures.
♦ It reinforces your viewpoint to the audience with emphasis on key points
♦ It demonstrates a clear rationale for the presentation itself by working though the
communication process in a clear, orderly fashion.
Here is the presenter’s talk would look when broken down into key summary points
and descriptions of visual aids:
Summary Points Visual Aids
Transparency 4:
PROPOSED REVISIONS
♦ Use of performance criteria ♦ Major job classifications ♦ Highly participate ♦ Exception report
Transparency 5:
PROPOSED REVISIONS Main body:
PROPOSED REVISIONS Performance Criteria
♦ Defined for each major job description ♦ Mutually Participative
♦ Exception report to smooth out disagreement ♦ Areas of improvement to be jointly
determined
compensation (Continued)
♦ Improvement areas
♦ Performance and compensation
♦ A fairer system for all
♦ No more “short in the dark!”
♦ End of “hit or miss” method
Skill 4
POWER CLOSES:
How to gain the commitment of your audience
This chapter focuses on the key aspect of how to close your talk in the most effective manner. You will learn the simplified three step sequence, which can turn an ordinary end of presentation into one that the audience will remember, and pave the way for commitment for all those who heard the presentation.
How the applied closing technique works
By the time you reach your closing, you should have received some forms of commitment from the audience, or an indication that your message has been not only heard, but also accepted. As a result, your audience should now be:
♦ informed of a particular situation (and in a position to do something about it)
♦ persuaded by your talk to take some form of action
♦ reinforced by a current attitude (whether positive or negative) ♦ stimulated to enter into type of behavior change
♦ motivated to take or develop a new course of action
There are three steps of closing technique involved: Step 1: Rephrasing of key points
To help build the proper power close, the speaker needs to reinforce positively the main elements of the presentation-with special highlighting of the key points that each person in the audience should remember after the presentation has concluded.
Using audiovisual aids during rephrasing can be extremely effective; for example displaying your summary points on the slides, overheads, or flipcharts.
Sample rephrasing technique
♦ The system supplies every manager (and supervisor) with a more effective performance
measurement tool and a built-I mechanism for more effective employee coaching where required.
♦ It is perceived as a much fairer system than the current one, the purposed system should
provide a definite boost to employee morale.
♦ The revised system not only provides for continuity on a six-month basis, but also
supplies an easy to use coaching tool to improve employee performance between formal appraisal periods.
♦ The new system is highly flexible, such that performance criteria can be modified
where necessary and mutually participate with both supervisor and employee working closely together for the common good.
Step 2: Power close summary
With the completion of the rephrasing, the speaker is now ready to highlight the power close summary. The important of this step cannot be overemphasized. If it is done correctly, at the conclusion of the presentation, the audience probably remember both the rephrasing of key points and the power close summary, and perhaps very little of the
presentation’s other parts.
Sample power close
“Apparently, the amount of time and effort that went into the revised performance
appraisal system is now ready to pay-off. All that is required to implement it, is a three quarter affirmative majority vote from the management committee. Once approved, the
system should be fully operational within three to four weeks.”
Step 3: Use a benefit statement
Let’s take a look at how the speaker connects his power close summary with a final
benefit statement that triggers an action request. Sample use a benefit statement
“By approving the plan now, we are assured of implementing one of the finest
performance appraisal systems available today and having it completely installed before
Tips for using power closes
To strengthen your power close, keep the following tips in mind: 1. Always bridge the power close from the main body.
2. Built your power close around something the audience will easily relate to. 3. Increase use of nonverbal communication aids.
4. Use your voice to its best advantage.
Creating your own power close
Here is an example of how to summarize a closing
Summary Points Visual Aids
Transparency 6: BENEFITS OF PROPOSED SYSTEM
♦ Simpler, easier to implement
♦ Performance measurement
♦ More effective coaching
♦ Fairer system than before
Transparency 7: BENEFITS (Cont’d)
♦ More help morale
♦ Link performance and compensation
♦ Highly participate
Transparency 8: NEED TO DO
♦ Vote yes as a committee
♦ ¾ majority required
♦ Can install in next 4 weeks
Transparency 9: SUMMARY
♦ More quickly, or we miss the chance Power Close:
BENEFITS OF REVISED SYSTEM Performance Criteria
♦ More effective performance
measurement
♦ Much fairer system ♦ Definite morale booster ♦ Provides direct line between
performance and compensation
WHAT’S NOW REQUIRED
♦ ¾ Affirmative majority vote ♦ System can be operating within a
month
SUMMARY
♦ We need it ♦ It’s here
Skill 5
ANTICIPATING AUDIENCE QUESTIONS:
How to handle audience questions
This chapter you will find key strategies for handling questions from the audience and
three ways to “break the ice” when you meet with a non-responsive group. In addition, you will see why writing anticipated questions in advance on index cards could prove an invaluable aid in your preplanning strategy.
How to anticipate questions or objections
In order to give a successful presentation, it is essential that every conceivable type of questions or objections that might be raised by the audience is anticipate in advance of the presentation.
Preplanning Strategy
♦ List all possible questions you think might be asked by the audience and corresponding
answers that can be used
♦ Put the questions and answers on index cards. Remember when using index cards, that is usually best to place one question and answer per card.
♦ Review each question and answer with an associate prior to the talk. ♦ Be flexible, liberally add any additional questions and answers to the list.
Here is an example of index cards.
At conclusion of presentation
♦ Solicit questions from audience, but always let the group know if there are any kinds of
constraints or time limitations.
♦ As a courtesy to the audience, if a time constraint arises during questioning, specify
how many additional questions you can answer before time runs out.
♦ If time does run out before all questions are answered, try to remain after the presentation has formally concluded and speak individually to people who may still have questions.
The ice breakers: What to do when no questions are asked Here are three simple strategies:
Ice breaker 1: The open-ended question
With this method, you casually state an open question that members of the audience are sure to have an opinion on, wait briefly for a response, and then answer it yourself. By offering your opinion, you also will invite reaction from your audience.
Ice breaker 2: Motivate audience response
Ask the same type of general question, then motivate audience interest through an
actual involvement step ……. Such as a voice vote, show of hands, etc.
TITLE OF TALK: Proposal Increase Productivity DATE TO BE GIVEN: 1/10/02
ANTICIPATED QUESTIONS: “A planned reduction of 20% in our
overtime expense sounds like a fine idea-but just how do you intend doing
this? In my opinion, it’s far easier said than done!”
PLANNED RESPONSE: “Can be done in three steps:
1. Analysis of peak workloads (where heaviest overtime occurs) during past 3 months.
2. Heavier use of part time temps to fill unexpected demand.
Ice breaker 3: Secure an active response
Follow the same procedure as Ice breaker 2, but secure involvement with a participant. Using firm eye contact, ask a general question from someone in the audience who has been an active listener (as evidence by their verbal and/or non-verbal language during your presentation).
The “paraphrase” strategy
The cardinal rule in answering any question is to paraphrase (either completely or partially) before responding directly to the question itself. This method gives the speaker on immediate dual advantage:
1. It enables everyone in the audience to understand fully what has been asked, thus
avoiding any potential type of confusing or misunderstanding on anyone’s part.
2. By paraphrasing, the speaker is automatically given a few extra seconds to plan for the answer.
Here’s a technique rarely found in text or workbooks. It applies to situations where you (the speaker) have forgotten what was asked, or are absolutely certain of the correct answer.
Technique 1: Rephrase question
After the question has been asked, request person to “Please rephrase the question so
that it will be clear to everyone in the room.”
Technique 2: Repeat question This skill comes into play when
a) the speaker needs additional time to respond, or
b) the benefit of group thinking would be highly beneficial before the official response from the speaker.
Possible audience questions Appropriate responses 1. The proposed plan looks okay, but why
must we vote on it now? How about holding off a decision until we meet again I three weeks?
We have all agreed to the necessity of having the new system operational within 3 to 4 weeks. In order to do that, we need your decision today. If any of the facts are
still unclear, I’ll be happy to review them
with now.
2. Are you certain that our key supervisor will accept a new plan?
Skill 6
BODY LANGUAGE
How your actions affected your words
In this chapter you will learn how tou cab exhibits some of the skills in your presentations, without changing your personality or style of delivery.
How to identify 11 keys presentation traits found is successful speakers There are 11 traits exhibited by most professional speakers:
1. Strong presence
The presenter easily relates to the needs and desires of those listening to his or her words. Not only does the speaker do this quite naturally, but also the effect is one of creating interest and solidarity from the audience as a whole. The speaker easily commands the respect of the audience with a natural combination of flair, poise, authority, and a delicate sense of timing.
2. Audience empathy
For whatever reason, you couldn’t help but like the speaker. From the very first words spoken, the presenter seemed to form a natural, close bond with the audience. It made people relax more, feeling that they were more in place of a trusted fried, rather than someone that had never heard speak before. And (the most amazing part of all) this empathy with the audience appeared to develop in a low-keyed natural manner.
3. An effective opening
While you may not remember especially what was said, you can easily recall that it immediately caught your attention and left you wanting to hear more. This feeling stays with you throughout the entire presentation.
4. Good eye contact
The speaker’s eyes seemed to shift from one side of the room to the other in an
he was looking specifically at you. Naturally when this occurred, you paid even greater attention to what was being said. Interestingly enough, you got the distinct impression that others in the audience had the same impression.
5. Sincerity
From the moment the talk began, you sensed a deep sincerity on the part of the speaker. This genuine commitment to the topic seemed to permeate the room and in turn, helped to foster a strong bond between the audiences and presenter. A genuine honestly seemed to exude from the speaker throughout the entire presentation.
6. Enthusiasm
The high level of enthusiasm generated by the speaker rapidly became contagious throughout the room. This action not only raised your own excitement level but made you want to listen attentively to everything that was being said.
7. Effective gesture
All body gesture made by the presenter appeared to enhance the talk greatly. These included use of hands, facial gestures, and the occasional shifting of the body itself to reinforce the point being made at that moment.
8. No apparent nervousness
Not only didn’t the speaker appear nervous, he actually seemed to be enjoying
himself throughout the entire talk. Of all the successful speaking traits shown by professional speakers, this probably the deepest impression upon you.
9. Good voice control
You were aware that the presenter’s voice had a very pleasant tone throughout the
talk. The occasional use of pauses, careful voice modulation, and deliberate pacing seemed to blend perfectly with the presentation and appeared quite natural.
The speaker’s clothing appeared to reinforce what the speaker’s message was, yet
nothing the speaker wore distracted from the presentation being made.
11. Persuasive close
The close was introduced as smoothly an as effectively as opening. At the conclusion of the talk, you remembered not only what the speaker had said, but also felt a high degree of commitment to those points that were made.
Eight body language signals to avoid
1. Arms clasped or folded tightly around chest (makes you appear unsure and defensive) 2. Drumming fingers on podium or table (highly distracting to audience)
3. Slumped shoulders during presentation or slouching (carries the appearance of defeat) 4. Inadvertent tugging at ear or jingling coins in pocket (confuses/distracts people
listening to your talk)
5. Keeping a tight grip on podium “until knuckles turn white” (a sure sign that you are in deep fear/distress)
6. Constantly pointing finger at audience to make a point (OK used sparingly-any more appears dictatorial)
7. Heavy use of pause (used in moderation a pause in quite effective …. Too many destroys the talk)
Interpretation of nonverbal signs
While there is no uniform consensus from the experts, the majority generally agrees on the meaning of the following nonverbal clues:
Speaker tips:
♦ Remember that most of the meaning of your words is conveyed not
by what you say, but by how you looked when you said it.
♦ While all presentation traits are important, in order to have a really
Skill 7
AUDIOVISUAL AIDS:
To enhance your presentation
Effective presentations can be greatly enhanced by the use of audiovisual aids; i.e. flipcharts, blackboards, sliders, overhead projectors. This chapter will only focus on the one type of aids available, overhead projectors.
Overhead Projectors
The overhead projector is, perhaps one of the most common types of hardware in use today, due to its wide availability and simplicity of operation. It is use mainly with two types of transparencies:
1. The prepared version, which is either completed in advance by the presenter, or prepared commercially through an outside source.
2. The “Do-it-yourself” type which is accomplished through writing on a single blank acetate sheets or drawing on a supplied acetate roll attached to the projectors.
Advantages
♦ Usually very reliable to operate-even over extended period of time
♦ In most cases, easy to transport from one location to another ♦ Widely available
♦ Very simple to operate
♦ Usually, room light do not have to be drastically dimmed ♦ Transparencies can be quickly prepared for projector use
Disadvantages
♦ Some projects can be bulky to carry
♦ Overhead projector transparencies can be difficult to store (due to their relatively large
size)
