Page 385 - Effective Communication Soft Skills Strategies For Success by Nitin Bhatnagar, Mamta Bhatnagar

Model Question Papers | 373

tion related predispositions. The notion behind these alternative approaches is that, genetics
may predispose a person to certain traits, but environment factors increases or reduces the
development of these traits. For example, in the case of social—communicative anxiety,
evidences exists that, individual’s anxiety may be shaped by the kind of reinforcements they
received for communicating with children, the level of social skills they were taught and the
adequacy of the models of communication to which they were exposed. Besides the hered-
ity factors, differences in culture is also responsible for individual differences in communi-
cation. The cultural construal decides how skilled individuals are in communication. The
cultural differences in communication skill are known as the intercultural communication
competence. People with higher levels of intercultural communication competence interact
more effectively with people from different cultures.
b. If prepositions give our English a ‘propah’. Modals are auxiliary (that is, helping) verbs
that indicate the mood of a speaker, e.g.,‘Can I come in?’ is more informal, but ‘May I
come in?’ is very formal.
Similarly, ‘it may rain’ indicates a strong possibility but ‘there could be water on the Mars’
indicates a dim chance about which the writer is not very sure.
These different shades of meaning are conveyed through the use of such modals as ‘may’, ‘can’,
‘could’, etc. Effective use of modals, in brief, is essential for efficient written communication.
Let us look at some examples of use of modals. All these examples relate to the academic
context.

‘Can’ means i. have the ability
‘She can teach the sciences as well as English.’
ii. permission you can’t go out this evening
iii. possibility
‘The student can improve if he works hard.’
iv. request
‘Can I come in?’
‘Could’ means i. past ability
‘Raman could tackle any difficult sum by the time he was ten years old.’
ii. polite request
‘Could you attend the meeting please.’
iii. dim possibility
‘Our student could top the merit list nest year.’
‘Be able to’ means Ability in the present (‘be’ changes to ‘am’, ‘is’, ‘are’) or past (‘be’ becomes
‘was’, ‘were’) or future (‘will be’, ‘shall be’) The child was able to adjust to
the school within a week. We are able to provide a computer per student
‘They will be able to lift the elocution trophy this year.’
‘Must’ means Indicates compulsion.
‘You must attend the lectures regularly.’
Have to’ means Indicates compulsion, but it is less obligatory.
‘You have to stand up and greet the Dean when he enters the classroom.’

Bhatnagar_Model Question Paper.indd 373 2011-06-24 3:12:38 PM