BUB OSBBA 1102 General English: Welcome to the dynamic world of language mastery with “General English” (Code 1102), a pivotal component of the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) program at the School of Business (SOB), Open University of Bangladesh. This course is meticulously designed to empower students with the essential communication skills necessary for success in the contemporary business landscape. In an era where effective communication transcends boundaries and plays a central role in professional achievement, this book serves as a comprehensive guide, offering a structured approach to enhance language proficiency.

Focusing on practical applications, diverse exercises, and real-world scenarios, “General English” aims to equip BBA students with the linguistic tools and confidence needed to excel in their academic pursuits and future careers. Embrace the language development journey, and may this resource be your steadfast companion in honing the vital skill of effective communication.

 

Course Name	Course No.
Index	BUB OSBBA 1102 General-English – Inner
Parts of Speech	BUB OSBBA 1102 General-English – Unit-01
Tense	BUB OSBBA 1102 General English – Unit-02
Sentences	BUB OSBBA 1102 General English – Unit-03
Structure of Sentence	BUB OSBBA 1102 General English – Unit-04
Use of Articles	BUB OSBBA 1102 General English – Unit-05
Gerund, Infinitive, Participle, Modal Auxiliaries	BUB OSBBA 1102 General English – Unit-06
Punctuation	BUB OSBBA 1102 General English – Unit-07
Capitalization	BUB OSBBA 1102 General English – Unit-08
Translation	BUB OSBBA 1102 General English – Unit-09

 

English, a West Germanic language in the Indo-European language family, originated in early medieval England and, today, is the most spoken language in the world and the third most spoken native language, after Mandarin Chinese and Spanish.

English is the most widely learned second language and is either the official language or one of the official languages in 59 sovereign states. There are more people who have learned English as a second language than there are native speakers. As of 2005, it was estimated that there were over two billion speakers of English.

BUB OSBBA 1102 General English

 

 

General English contents

Unit 1: PARTS OF SPEECH

• Lesson – 1.1: Parts of Speech and kinds
• Lesson – 1.2: Noun and kinds
• Lesson – 1.3: Pronoun and kinds
• Lesson – 1.4: Verb and kinds
• Lesson – 1.5: Adjective and kinds
• Lesson – 1.6: Adverb and kinds
• Lesson – 1.7: Preposition and kinds
• Lesson – 1.8: Conjunction and kinds
• Lesson – 1.9: Interjection and kinds

Unit 2: TENSE

• Lesson – 2.1: Definition of Tense and Categories
• Lesson – 2.2: Past Tense
• Lesson – 2.3: Present Tense
• Lesson – 2.4: Future Tense

 

 

Unit 3: SENTENCES

• Lesson – 3.1: Kinds of Sentences
• Lesson – 3.2: Conditional Sentences
• Lesson – 3.3: Asking Questions

Unit 4: STRUCTURE OF SENTENCE

• Lesson – 4.1: Structure of Sentences
• Lesson – 4.2: Sentence errors and faulty arrangements
• Lesson – 4.3: Common errors

Unit 5: USE OF ARTICLES

• Lesson-  5.1: Indefinite Article
• Lesson – 5.2: Definite Article
• Lesson – 5.3: No Article and Exceptions

Unit 6: GERUND, INFINITIVE, PARTICIPLE, MODAL AUXILIARIES

• Lesson – 6.1: Definition of Gerund
• Lesson – 6.2: Definition of Infinitive
• Lesson – 6.3 Definition of Participle
• Lesson – 6.4: Modal Auxiliaries

Unit 7: PUNCTUATION

• Lesson – 7.1: Definition and Kinds
• Lesson – 7.2: The Common Punctuation
• Lesson – 7.3: Terminal Punctuations
• Lesson – 7.4: Pausing Punctuations
• Lesson – 7.5: Other Punctuations

Unit 8: CAPITALIZATION

• Lesson – 8.1 Introduction and Definition
• Lesson – 8.2: Nouns or Naming Words
• Lesson – 8.3: Titles and Designations
• Lesson – 8.4: Various Genres
  Lesson – 8.5: Other Rules

 

 

Unit 9: TRANSLATION

• Lesson – 9.1: Rules and Kinds
• Lesson – 9.2: Literal Translation
• Lesson – 9.4: Idiomatic Translation
• Lesson – 9.5: Passage Translation

 

As of my last knowledge update in January 2022, I don’t have specific information about the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) program at the School of Business (SOB) of the Open University of Bangladesh (OUB). However, I can provide general information about BBA programs.

A Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) program typically offers a comprehensive education in various aspects of business and management. The curriculum may cover subjects such as marketing, finance, human resources, organizational behavior, and strategic management. BBA programs often aim to equip students with a solid foundation in business principles and prepare them for leadership roles in diverse industries. Open University programs, including those in business, often cater to non-traditional students by providing flexible learning options, including distance education.

 

Today is our topic of discussion – Passage Translation

Passage Translation

 

 

What is passage translation?

Passage translation refers to achieving a target text in the target language in paragraph form Some examples of passage translation from both English to Bangla and Bangla to English:

English to Bangla translation in passage form

Students have their own duties. They have duties to themselves, to their parents and relatives, to their country and to society at large. Student life is the seedtime of life. So a student should build up his health, form good habits and behave nicely. One of the surest ways to be good and great in life is to have genuine respect and love for one’s parents and teachers and read the lives of great men.

ছাত্রদের নিজস্ব কর্তব্য আছে। নিজেদের প্রতি, পিতামাতার প্রতি, আত্মীয়-স্বজনের প্রতি, দেশের প্রতি এবং সামগ্রিকভাবে সমাজের প্রতি তাদের কর্তব্য আছে। ছাত্রজীবন হলো জীবনের বীজ বপনের সময়। সেজন্য একজন ছাত্রের উচিত তার স্বাস্থ্য গঠন করা, ভালো অভ্যাস গড়ে তোলা এবং ভালো ব্যবহার করা। জীবনে ভালো এবং বড় হওয়ার নিশ্চিত পথগুলির অন্যতম পথ হলো পিতামাতা ও শিক্ষকের প্রতি অকৃত্রিম শ্রদ্ধা ও ভালোবাসা পোষণ করা এবং মহাপুরুষদের জীবনী পাঠ করা।

I consider that the greatest national sin is the neglect of the masses. No amount of politics would bear any value until the masses in Bangladesh are once-more well-educated, well-fed and well- cared for. They pay for our education, they build our mosques great difficulty and temples, but in return they get kicks. In reality, they are like our slaves. If we want to regenerate Bangladesh, we must work for them.

জনগণের প্রতি অবহেলাকে আমি সবচেয়ে বড়ো জাতীয় পাপ বলে মনে করি। কোনো রাজনীতি থেকেই কোনো ফল পাওয়া যাবে না, যতক্ষণ না বাংলাদেশের সাধারণ মানুষ আবার সুশিক্ষিত হয়, পর্যাপ্ত আহার পায়, এবং যথেষ্ট যত্ন লাভ করে। আমাদের শিক্ষার জন্য তারা অর্থ দেয়, তারা আমাদের মসজিদ আর মন্দির গড়ে দেয়, কিন্তু পরিবর্তে তারা পায় পদাঘাত। বাস্তবিক পক্ষে তারা ক্রীতদাসের মতো। আমরা যদি বাংলাদেশকে পুনর্জাগরিত করতে চাই, তবে তাদের জন্য আমাদের অবশ্যই কাজ করতে হবে।

The child shows the man as the morning shows the day. He is a budding flower. He is the citizen of tomorrow. He is the future bread-earner of the family. A child cannot choose a way. A young man finds great difficulty in picking up his profession. Their tender age and lack of experience create an obstacle in their way.

সকাল যেমন দিনের পূর্বাভাস দেয়, তেমনি শিশুই নির্দেশ করে ভবিষ্যতের মানুষটিকে। সে যেন ফুটনোনুখ পুষ্পকলি। আগামী দিনের নাগরিক সে। ভবিষ্যতে সেই করবে পরিবারের অন্নসংস্থান। একটি শিশু তার পথ বেছে নিতে পারে না। একজন যুবক তার পেশা নির্বাচনের ক্ষেত্রে অসুবিধায় পড়ে। তাদের অল্প বয়স এবং অভিজ্ঞতার অভাব তাদের পথে বাধা সৃষ্টি করে।

The most important thing for a citizen is simply to be a good man. He must try to be honest, just and merciful in his private life. This is his primary duty. The reason is not difficult to understand. The well-being of a state or city mainly depends on the moral character of its citizens.

কোনো নাগরিকের জন্য সবচেয়ে গুরুত্বপূর্ণ বিষয় হলো একজন ভালো মানুষ হয়ে ওঠা। তাকে অবশ্যই তার ব্যক্তিগত জীবনে সৎ, ন্যায়পরায়ণ এবং সদয় হবার চেষ্টা করতে হবে। এটাই তার প্রাথমিক কর্তব্য। এর কারণ বোঝা কঠিন নয়। কোনো রাজ্য বা নগরের মঙ্গল মূলত নির্ভর করে তার নাগরিকদের নৈতিক চরিত্রের ওপর।

It is very difficult to get rid of bad habits. So we should be very careful that we do not get into bad habits. Idleness is such a type of bad habit. Every boy and girl should be diligent. They should shun idleness. It should be their duty to obey the superiors and carry out their orders.

বদভ্যাস থেকে মুক্ত হওয়া কঠিন। তাই বাল্যকালে আমরা যাতে কোনোরূপ বদভ্যাসে অভ্যস্ত না হই, সেদিকে আমাদের অত্যন্ত সতর্ক থাকা উচিত। আলস্য এরূপ একটি বদভ্যাস। প্রতিটি বালক-বালিকাকে পরিশ্রমী হতে হবে। আলসাকে তাদের পরিত্যাগ করা উচিত। গুরুজনকে মান্য করা এবং তাদের আদেশ পালন করা তাদের কর্তব্য হওয়া উচিত।

 

 

The beauty of the Tajmahal beggars description. It has been called ‘a dream in marble’ and ‘a tear-drop on the cheeks of time. The Tajmahal is best seen in moonlight when the dazzling white of the marble is mellowed into a dream of softness.

তাজমহলের সৌন্দর্য ভাষায় প্রকাশ করা অসম্ভব। একে বলা হয় ‘মর্মর প্রস্তরে নির্মিত এক স্বপ্ন’ এবং ‘কালের কপোলতলে এক বিন্দু নয়নের জল। জ্যোত্স্নালোকে যখন শুভ্র সমুজ্জ্বল মর্মর প্রস্তর স্বপ্নিল পেলবতায় রূপান্তরিত হয়, তখন তাজকে দেখায় সবচেয়ে সুন্দর।

This is our Bengal, our native country. How beautiful, how lovely the country is! The blue sky is over it. In that sky, the sun shines at dawn, stars twinkle Student life in the evening and sometimes the moon smiles. Sometimes the sky becomes overcast with clouds, it thunders with a crash; it blows hard and it rains..

এ আমাদের বাংলা, আমাদের জন্মভূমি। এই দেশটি কি সুন্দর! কি মনোরম। এর মাথার উপরে নীল আকাশ। সে আকাশে ভোরবেলা সূর্য কিরণ দেয়, সন্ধ্যায় তারাগুলি ঝিকমিক করে, এবং কখনো চাঁদের হাসি উছলে পড়ে। কখনো কখনো আকাশ ঘন মেঘে ঢেকে যায়, ঝড় ও বজ্রগর্জন সহ বৃষ্টিপাত হয়।

We cannot all be politicians or lead millions of people. We cannot all be heroes and fight for the freedom of the oppressed. But each one of us can make life happy for all around us. We can all look after our neighbor when he is sick, teach the ignorant, comfort the unfortunate and keep everything around us fresh, clean and tidy.

We can all be kind, patient and loving. We can all be truthful, humble and obedient. These are the greatest things in life because without these the world can never be happy.

আমরা সকলে রাজনৈতিক নেতা হতে পারি না। অথবা লক্ষ লক্ষ মানুষকে পরিচালনা করতে পারি না। আমরা সকলে বীর নায়ক হতে পারি না এবং নির্যাতিতদের মুক্তির জন্য সংগ্রাম করতে পারি না। কিন্তু আমরা প্রত্যেকেই আমাদের চারপাশের সকলের জীবনকে সুখী করতে পারি।

 

 

আমরা আমাদের পীড়িত প্রতিবেশীর সেবা করতে পারি, নিরক্ষরকে শিক্ষিত করতে পারি, হতভাগ্য ব্যক্তিকে একটু আরাম দিতে পারি এবং আমাদের চারপাশের সবকিছুকে পরিচ্ছন্ন রাখতে পারি। আমরা সবাই সদয় এবং ধৈর্যশীল হতে পারি এবং মনের মধ্যে ভালোবাসা পোষণ করতে পারি। আমরা সত্যবাদী, বিনয়ী এবং বংশবদ হতে পারি। এগুলিই জীবনের সবচেয়ে বড় ব্যাপার, কারণ এগুলি ছাড়া পৃথিবী কখনোই সুখী হতে পারে না।

 

Today is our topic of discussion – Literal Translation

Literal Translation

 

 

What is literal translation?

Literal or direct translation or word-for-word translation is a translation of a text done by translating each word separately, without looking at how the words are used together in a phrase or sentence.

For Example:

Source Language:

The cow is a domestic animal. It has two eyes, two ears and a long tail. It is a very useful animal. It helps the farmers to plough the land. It eats grass. It gives us milk.

Translated Language:

গরু একটি গৃহপালিত প্রাণি। ইহার দুইটি চোখ, দুইটি কান এবং একটি বড় গো আছে। ইহা খুবই উপকারী প্রাণি। ইহা কৃষকদের জমি চাষে সাহায্য করে। ইহা ঘাস খায়। ইহা আমাদের দুধ দেয়।

What is literary translation?

It consists of the translation of poetry, theatre plays, literary books, literary texts, songs, rhymes, literary articles. fiction/detective novels, non-fiction stories, short stories, poems, etc. We should not only translate the language itself in these cases, but also, translate the culture in which the story/novel is taking place.

In general, in literary translation we translate messages, not meanings. The text shall be seen as an integral and coherent piece of work. For example, if we translate from Arabic into English or vice versa, we shall take into account that the two realities are very different, their cultures have sometimes opposite views on important matters, as well as differences in scientific and technological development.

 

 

So, the search for equivalent words is more complex. When this is the case, the translator shall find in his own language words that express almost with the same fidelity the meaning of the words of the original language, for example, those related to the cultural characteristics, skills or abilities of that particular culture.

Example:

Source Language:

• Johny, Johny
• Yes, Papa?
• Eating sugar?
• No, papa!
• Telling lies?
• No, papa!
• Open your mouth Ha, ha, ha!

Translated Language

• জনি , জনি
• হ্যাঁ, বাবা?
• চিনি খেয়েছিস?
• না, বাবা!
• মিথ্যা বলছিস?
• না, বাবা!
• মুখ খোল
• হা, হা, হা।

Source Language:

• আমার সোনার বাংলা
• আমি তোমায় ভালবাসি
• চিরদিন তোমার আকাশ
• চিরদিন তোমার আকাশ
• তোমার বাতাস আমার প্রাণে
• ও মা
• আমার প্রাণে বাজায় বাঁশি
• সোনার বাংলা
• আমি তোমায় ভালবাসি….

 

 

Translated Language:

• My Bengal of Gold,
• I love you.
• Forever your skies,
• Your air set my heart
• in tune As if it were a flute.
• My Bengal of Gold, I love you…

 

Today is our topic of discussion – Rules and Kinds

Rules and Kinds

 

 

Definition of translation

Translation is the means of communication. It is the communication meaning from one language to another language. The purpose of translation is to convey the original tone and intent of a message, taking into account cultural and regional differences between a language and other languages. In simplest words, the process of translating words or texts from one language into another is called translation.

Suggestion

In translation tasks, there are two languages used as terms. One is called Source Language (SL) and the other is Target Language or Translated Language (TL). Grammar rules are applied based on the TL, not on the SL

Types of translation

There are various types of translation depending on the texts and the meanings they want to convey to the readers. Such as:

Literal translation

Literal Translation means the translation aims to have as close as possible word-for-word correspondence between original source language of translation to the target language. This approach (when pursued in earnest) is often in contrast to semantic or free translation although in some cases, may produce less natural awkward phrases.

Suggestion: Follow the parts of speech and subject-verb agreement pattern depending on the sentence structure. For instance, consider to maintain simple, complex, and compound target language structure; also maintain assertive, affirmative, negative, imperative, optative, interrogative, exclamatory target language structure.

Examples: English to Bengali

Source Language: Honesty is the best policy

Translated Language: সততাই সর্বোৎকৃষ্ট পন্থা।

Source Language: Man is mortal

Translated Language: মানুষ মরণশীল।

Comment:

In English, article ‘the’ is used before superlative degree. But, the target language (Bengali) do not use articles in such cases. That’s is why the translation followed the target language grammar pattern.

Source Language: I eat rice.

Translated Language: আমি ভাত ভাই।

 

 

Comment:

In English, verb is placed after subject and before predicate. But in target language (Bengali), verb is used at the end. That’s is why the translation followed the target language grammar pattern.

Source Language: Have you finished reading the book?

Translated Language: তুমি কি বইটা পড়ে শেষ করেছ?

Comment:

The target language interrogative sentence structure is maintained in the translation.

Source Language: Obey your parents.

Translated Language: মা-বাবাকে মান্য করো।

Comment:

The target language imperative sentence structure is maintained in the translation.

Source Language: I go to school every day.

Translated Language: আমি প্রতিদিন স্কুলে যাই।

Source Language: He knows English well.

Translated Language: সে ভালো ইংরেজি জানে।

Comment:

In English, adverb of time/manner is used at the end of a sentence. But in Bengali, adverb of time/manner is used before predicate, and therefore the translation follows the target language grammar rules.

Source Language: The moon is up. Translated Language: চাঁদ উঠেছে।

Source Language: Birds fly in the sky. Translated Language: পাখিরা আকাশে উড়ে।

Comment:

In English, preposition changes the meaning of a verb. But in Bangla, it is not at all necessary to use. Therefore, the translation followed the grammar pattern of the target language.

Literary translation

Literary translation means the translator aims to convey the author’s intention of the text (what the author was intending to communicate) as faithfully as possible into another language but the sentence structure changes and word-to-word translation is not maintained.

Example:

Source Language: Twinkle, Twinkle little star.

Translated Language: ঝিলমিল ছোট তারা।

 

 

Idiomatic translation

Idiomatic translation means that the translation will bring the original source language into contemporary language expression.

Example:

Source Language: It is raining cats and dogs.

Translated Language: মুষলধারে বৃষ্টি পড়ছে।

Source Language: Too many cooks, spoil the broth. Translated Language: অধিক সন্ন্যাসীতে গাজন নষ্ট।

 

Today is our topic of discussion – Other Rules

Other Rules

 

 

Other Rules

The main function of capitalization is to focus attention on particular elements within any group of people, places, or things. We can speak of a lake in the middle of the country, or we can be more specific and say Lake Michigan, which distinguishes it from every other lake on earth.

Capitalization reference list:

a. Brand names

b. Companies

c. Days of the week and months of the year

d. Governmental matters Congress (but congressional), the U.S. Constitution (but constitutional), the Electoral College, Department of Agriculture. Note: Many authorities do not capitalize federal or state unless it is part of the official title: State Water Resources Control Board, but state water board; Federal Communications Commission, but federal regulations.

e. Historical episodes and eras the Inquisition, the American Revolutionary War, the Great Depression

f. Holidays Victory Day, Independence Day.

g. Institutions Oxford College, the Juilliard School of Music

h. Manmade structures the Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower, the Titanic

i. Manmade territories Berlin, Montana, Cook County

j. Natural and manmade landmarks Mount Everest, the Hoover Dam

k. Nicknames and epithets Andrew “Old Hickory” Jackson; Babe Ruth, the Sultan of Swat

l. Organizations American Center for Law and Justice, Norwegian Ministry of the Environment

 

 

m. Planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, but policies vary on capitalizing earth, and it is usually not capitalized unless it is being discussed specifically as a planet: We learned that Earth travels through space at 66,700 miles per hour.

n. Races, nationalities, and tribes Eskimo, Navajo, East Indian, Caucasian, African American (Note: white and black in reference to race are lowercase)

o. Religions and names of deities Note: Capitalize the Bible (but biblical). Do not capitalize heaven, hell, the devil, satanic.

p. Special occasions the Olympic Games, the Cannes Film Festival

q. Streets and roads Topkhana Road, Jasimuddin Road

Lowercase reference list

a. Here is a list of categories not capitalized unless an item contains a proper noun or proper adjective (or, sometimes, a trademark). In such cases, only the proper noun or adjective is capitalized.

b. Animals antelope, black bear, Bengal tiger, yellow-bellied sapsucker, German shepherd

c. Elements Always lowercase, even when the name is derived from a proper noun: einsteinium, nobelium, californium

d. Foods Lowercase except for brand names, proper nouns and adjectives, or custom-named recipes: Tabasco sauce, Russian dressing, pepper crusted bluefin tuna, Mandy’s Bluefin Surprise

 

 

e. Things in the space Never capitalize the moon or the sun

f. Medical conditions Epstein-Barr syndrome, tuberculosis, Parkinson’s disease

g. Plants, vegetables, and fruits poinsettia, Douglas fir, Jerusalem artichoke, organic celery, Golden Delicious apples

 

Today is our topic of discussion – Various Genres

Various Genres

 

 

Various Genres

The titles of compositions such as books, plays, films, songs, poems, essays, normally are always capitalized. Names of each of the books, plays, films, songs, poems, essays’ titles begins with capital letter is the mostly common rule throughout the world, especially in English grammar. The words (can be noun, verb, adjective and adverb) begins with capital letters except prepositions and articles.

Examples:

The Planet of the Apes (The words “of” and “the” are not capitalized)

The God of Small Things (Here “the” is capitalized because the title begins with it)

The following rules for capitalizing composition titles are virtually universal.

• Capitalize the title’s first and last word.
• Capitalize all adjectives, adverbs, and nouns.
• Capitalize all pronouns (including it).
• Capitalize all verbs, including the verb to be in all forms (is, are, was, has been, etc.) .
• Capitalize no, not, and the interjection O (e.g., How Long Must I Wait, O Lord?).
• Do not capitalize an article (a, an, the) unless it is first or last in the title.
• Do not capitalize a coordinating conjunction (and, or, not, but, for, yet, so) unless it is first or last in the title.
• Do not capitalize the word to, with or without an infinitive, unless it is first or last in the title.

 

 

Otherwise, styles, methods, and opinions vary; for instance, certain short conjunctions (e.g., as, if, how, that) are capped by some, lowercased by others.

A major bone of contention is prepositions. The Associated Press Stylebook recommends capitalizing all prepositions of more than three letters (e.g., with, about, across). Other authorities advise lowercase until a preposition reaches five or more letters. Still others say not to capitalize any preposition, even big words like regarding or underneath.

Hyphenated words in a title are also a problem nowadays. There is no fixed rules, to capitalize the first element always, even if it would not otherwise be capitalized, such as to in My To-go Order (some would write My To-Go Order).

Some writers, editors, and publishers choose not to capitalize words following hyphens unless they are proper nouns or proper adjectives (Ex- Marine but Ex-husband). Others capitalize any word that would otherwise be capped in titles (Prize-Winning, Up-to-Date).

Many books have subtitles. When including these, put a colon after the work’s title and follow the same rules of composition capitalization for the subtitle.

 

 

Example:

The King’s English: A Guide to Modern Usage (Note that A is capitalized because it is the first word of the subtitle.)

 

Today is our topic of discussion – Nouns or Naming Words

Nouns or Naming Words

 

 

Nouns or Naming Words

RULE 1:

Proper nouns are needed to capitalize. Here are some examples of capitalizations of the proper nouns:
Kazi Nazrul Islam Rabindranath Tagore T.S. Eliot

RULE 2:

Capitalize the nicknames of all cases.

Examples:

Meet my brothers, Junior and Scooter. I just met two guys named Junior and Scooter.

RULE 3:

Capitalize relations when they are used alone in place of a personal name.

Example:

I found out that Mom is here.

However, these relations are not capitalized when they are used with possessive nouns or pronouns, or when they follow the personal name, or when they do not refer to a specific person.

Examples:

My mom is here.

Joe’s grandpa looks well.

The James brothers were notorious robbers.

There’s not one mother I know who would allow that.

RULE 4:

Capitalize specific geographical regions but do not capitalize points of the compass.

Examples:

We had three relatives visit from the West. Go west three blocks and then turn left. We live in the southeast section of town.

Most of the West Coast is rainy this time of year. (Referring to the United States) The west coast of Scotland is rainy this time of year.

Some areas have come to be capitalized for their fame or notoriety:

Examples:

I’m from New York’s Upper West Side. I’m from the South Side of Chicago.

You live in Northern California; he lives in Southern California.

 

 

RULE 5:

In general, do not capitalize the word ‘the’ before proper nouns.

Examples:

We visited the Grand Canyon. They’re fans of the Grateful Dead.

In special cases, if the word the is an inseparable part of something’s official title, it may be capitalized.

Example:

We visited The Hague. We want to visit the USA.

In the first sentence the is capitalized beause it is part of the name while in the second sentence the is not part of the name of USA.

RULE 6:

Capitalize art movements.

Example:

I like Surrealism, but I never understood Abstract Expressionism.

 

 

RULE 7:

Do not capitalize the first item in a list that follows a colon.

Example:

Bring the followings: paper, a pencil and a snack.

 

Today is our topic of discussion – Introduction and Definition

Introduction and Definition

 

 

Introduction and Definition

Capitalization is the writing of a word with its first letter in capital letter and the remaining letters in smaller letters.

Examples:

a. Binoy lives in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.

b. I got up early in the morning. Then I went to the market.

The basic rule is to begin a sentence in capital letter all the time. However, it becomes more complex when using numbers, abbreviations, proper nouns, and so on mix together while writing any paragraph or story or anything. Here are some basic rules of capitaliztion in English language.

RULE 1:

The most basic rule of capitalization is to capitalize the first word of a sentence.

Example:

a. Radhika received a gift from the President of Bangladesh.

b. This is a public place and you should behave yourselves.

RULE 2:

Capitalize the pronoun “I” always no matter wherever it is used in a sentence.

Example:

a. I invited him to come to my house.

b. I do not know him but I will receive him from the airport.

RULE 3:

Capitalize the first word of a quoted sentence.

Example:

The father said to the teacher, “Teach my daughter treating her as your own daughter.”

 

 

RULE 4:

Capitalize the days of the week, the months of the year, and holidays, but not the seasons. However, seasons are capitalized when used as a proper title. Some examples are given below:

• I will attend that conference in the fall.
• I have registered for three classes for Spring Semester 2013.
• We celebrate Valentine’s Day on 14 February.

RULE 5:

Capitalize members of national, political, racial, social, civic, and athletic groups.

Example:

“Texas Longhorns”, “Libertarians”. “Chinese” etc.

RULE 6:

Capitalize words derived from proper nouns. For example: Binoy loves English and math. Here English is capitalized because it comes from the proper noun England, but math does not come from mathland. That means math does not refer to any proper noun rather it is merely a subject.

 

 

RULE 8:

Capitalize the names of specific course titles. For example: Ron likes World History.

 

Today is our topic of discussion – Other Punctuations

Other Punctuations

 

 

Other Punctuations

Quotations marks (” “) are a pair of marks which is used primarily to mark the beginning and the end of a passage attributed to another and repeated word for word. It is also used to indicate meanings and the unusual or dubious status of a word.

• “Don’t go outside,” she said.
  Single quotation marks (”) are used most frequently for quotes within quotes.
• Marie told the teacher, “I saw Marc at the playground, and he said to me ‘Bill started the fight, and I believed him.”

Parentheses, braces and brackets

Parentheses, braces and brackets are the symbols used to contain words that are a further explanation or are considered as a group. Parentheses (()) are curved notations used to contain further thoughts or qualifying remarks.
However, parentheses can be replaced by commas without changing the meaning in most cases.

• John and Jane (who were actually half brother and sister) both have red hair.

Braces ({}) are used to contain two or more lines of text or listed items to show that they are considered as a unit. They are not commonplace in most writing but can be seen in computer programming to show what should be contained within the same lines. They can also be used in mathematical expressions. For example, 2/1+ [23-3]) =x.

Brackets are the squared off notations ([]) used for technical explanations or to clarify meaning. If you remove the information in the brackets, the sentence will still make sense.

• He [Mr. Jones] was the last person seen at the house

Apostrophes

The apostrophe (‘) is used for several purposes, like-

• The marking of the omission of one or more letters (as in the contraction of do not to don’t).
• The marking of possessive case of nouns (as in the eagle’s feathers, or in one month’s time).
• The marking of plurals of individual characters (e.g. p’s and q’s).

Dash and the Hyphen

Two other common punctuation marks are dash and hyphen. These marks are often confusing to each other due to their appearance though they are very different in action.

A dash is used to separate words into statements. There are two common types of dashes: en dash and em dash.

• En dash: Twice as long as a hyphen. It is a symbol (–) that is used in writing or printing to indicate a range, connections or differentiations, such as 1880-1945 or Princeton-New York trains.
• Em dash: Longer than the en dash. It can be used in place of a comma, parenthesis, or colon to enhance readability or emphasize the conclusion of a sentence. For example,

 

 

She gave him her answer — No!

Whether you put spaces around the em dash or not is a choice of style. Just be consistent.
A hyphen is used to join two or more words together into a compound term and never separated by spaces.
For example: part-time, back-to-back, well-known etc.

Ellipsis

Often you see a sentence concluding with three dots, it indicates that only one part of the sentence or text has been quoted or that it is being left up to the reader to complete the thought.

As example:

• The Lord’s Prayer begins, “Our Father which art in Heaven…”
• He is always late, but you know how I feel about that….

Slashes

The slash is a punctuation mark used in English. An explanation of what a slash means in a text depends on the context. Slashes can mean many different things, depending on how they are used.

• To separate lines in prose

A slash can show a line break in a poem, song, or play; usually, if several short lines are being written together on one long line. For example: Mary had a little lamb/ little lamb, little lamb/ Mary had a little lamb.

• To indicate “Or”

Often, when a slash is used in a formal or informal text, it is meant to indicate the word or. The
examples below illustrates this meaning of the forward slash. When leaving the classroom, the teacher noticed that a student had left his/her backpack. If/when Mary ever shows up, we can all head out to the party together.

 

 

To denote dates and fractions

One of the most commonly recognizing usages of the forward slash is to indicate dates and fractions: ½

 

Today is our topic of discussion – Pausing Punctuations

Pausing Punctuations

 

 

Pausing Punctuations

Commas (.)

The comma is used to show a separation of ideas or elements within the structures of a sentence. Additionally, it is used in numbers, dates, and letter writing after the salutation and closing.

• Direct address: Thanks for all your help. John.
• Separation of two complete sentences: We went to the movies, and then we went out to lunch.
• Separating lists or elements within sentence: Suzi wanted the black, green, and blue dresses.

Whether to add a final comma before the conjunction in a list is a matter of debate. This final comma is known as an Oxford or serial comma. It is useful in the complex series of elements or phrases but is often considered unnecessary in a simple series such as in the example above. It usually comes down to a style choice by the writer.

 

 

Colon and semicolons (:), (;)

We use colons to introduce lists:

There are three main reasons for the success of the government: economic, social and political.

We also use colons to indicate a subtitle or to indicate a subdivision of a topic:

Life in Provence: A Personal View

We often use colons to introduce direct speech:

Then he said: ‘I really cannot help you in any way.”

We commonly use a colon between sentences when the second sentence explains or justifies the first sentence:

Try to keep your flat clean and tidy: it will be sold more easily.

We use semi-colons instead of full stops to separate two main clauses. In such cases, the clauses are related in meaning but are separated grammatically.

 

 

Spanish is spoken throughout South America; in Brazil, the main language is Portuguese, Semi-colons are not commonly used in contemporary English. Full stops and commas are more common.