UNIT 2

Section A FUNCTION

Seeking Confirmation

Sometimes we want to know the truth behind what we hear or

read. Sometimes we need to confirm or verify the doubts and
thoughts in our minds and so we ask for confirmation. We need to
know exactly what happened, who said something and what is being
planned and for all these matters we need to seek confirmation. In
this unit you will learn some of the ways in which we can ask for
confirmation.

Here is a situation. A high ranking government officer has been shot

dead outside his house in Islamabad. A Newspaper Reporter is asking
the Superintendent Police some questions about the incident. Listen to
their conversation and notice how the reporter is asking questions to
seek confirmation.

Recorded Text 5

Newspaper Reporter: SP Sahib, when exactly was Mr Butt shot?

Superintendent Police: At 8.30 this morning.

NR: Where did it happen?
SP: Outside his house. He was leaving for
work. He turned round to say goodbye to
his wife and at that moment he was fired
upon.

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NR: What weapon was used?
SP: An AK 47.
NR: Was there anyone else in the street at the
time?
SP: Yes, there were a few witnesses.
NR So you have a description?
SP: Yes, a fairly good description.
NR: SP Sahib, it’s unbelievable! How can a man
shoot someone in broad day-light in the
centre of Islamabad and get away with it?
SP: Well, these criminals can do anything. The
man who was wearing a grey Shalwar
Kameez and a black shawl, walked past the
minister's house, took the gun from under
his shawl, fired at the minister
indiscriminately as soon as he came out of
his house and simply walked away. He
didn't run. Those who saw the incident ran
to help the minister. Nobody followed the
man because he had a gun.
NR He just walked away?
SP: Yes, I believe so.
NR: Incredible!
SP: Yes, it is, isn't it?
NR: Do you suspect any one or the motive
behind the murder?
SP: At the moment we are unable to make any
conclusions.
Here are some expressions from the dialogue:

 So you have a description? Confirmation

 He just walked away? Surprise

The reporter did not say or used any question form

 Do you have a description? or

 Have you got a description?

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He did not use the question form. Instead he used a statement form,
because he actually knew the answer. He did not ask a real question
but rather checked or confirmed the information that he already
knew or had guessed.

This brings us to study some more question types. We have finished 8

types of questions in unit 1, we will continue with type 9 questions.

Question type 9

The reporter asked:

 So you have a description? He’s actually asking:

 So do you have a description?
He was actually confirming what he has heard. And when the SP told
him that the murderer walked away, the reporter expressed surprise
and reconfirmed the information and said:

 He just walked away? He’s actually saying:

 Did he just walk away?

Listen to the dialogue again and compare the tone of voice, stress and
intonation of the two questions to understand this point.

Exercise 1 Here are three short dialogues. Notice the questions

being asked. They are actually not real questions but rather '
confirmation seeking’ questions. Rewrite these questions into real
questions using the appropriate question form.

Example:

Inspector: And your identity card, please?

Man: I have lost it.
Inspector: Can I have your ID card, please? Or
Can you give me your ID card, please? Or
Can you show me your ID card, please?

1 A: Your name is Jameel Qureshi?

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 B: Yes.
A: You live near Netti Jetti Bridge?
B: Yes, I do.
A: You are the Managing Director of Allied Fittings Ltd?
B: Yes, l ‘m.

2 A: You worked in Saudi Arabia for three years?

B: That's right. I worked in Jeddah.
A: You were working for the construction company, Al
Jazeera?
B: Yes.
A: You were trained as an Accountant but I see here that
you worked
as a Personnel Manager in Saudi Arabia?

3 A: You played your first Test in 2004?

B: That's right. It was against England in Karachi.
A: And you scored a century in your first Test innings?
B: Yes. I had a lucky start.

Read the following confirmation seeking examples:

A: I was born in 1965.

B: So you are 42 years old? (It is 2007 now).
A: I was born in Loralai.
B: So you are from Balouchistan?

Exercise 2 What kind of expressions or questions will you use to ask

for confirmation about the following information:

1 God! I weigh 85 kilos.

________________________________
_______________________________?

2 I work in a theatre company,

actually I’m an actor.
________________________________
_______________________________?
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3 I am a poet. I write poetry in English.

_____________________________________________________________?

4 I am leaving my job and going back to Quetta for good.

_____________________________________________________________?

Exercise 3 Suppose some one gives you the following information

and you are surprised. How will you express your surprise and ask
for confirmation? It will be useful for you if you do this exercise with
a friend.
A: Last year I visited Britain, France, Italy, Germany, India,
Malaysia and the United States.
You: You visited seven countries! (in a surprised voice)

1 A: I have 18 children.
You:
_______________________________________________________?

2 A: He has six fingers in his left hand and seven in right

hand.
You:
_______________________________________________________?

3 A: I had walked all the way from Murree to Islamabad.

You:
_______________________________________________________?

We are going to learn the last type of question.

Question type 10

Read these examples:

A: She's a beautiful girl, isn't she?

B: Yes, she is.

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A: It’s such a pleasant weather, isn't it?
B: Yes it is.

These questions are called tag questions. We often use tag questions
to seek agreement or confirmation. For example, I might say:

 It's a lovely day, isn't it?

I expect the person I am talking to agree with me and say:

 Yes it is

Or, if I say:

 It wasn't a good film, was it?

I expect the answer:

 No it wasn't

You must have noticed that sometimes, the tag question is in negative
(isn't it) and sometimes it is in positive (was it). Let us tell you the
rules about how tag questions are formed:

Positive Statement (+) Negative Tag (-)

 It is a lovely day, isn't it?

 It’s such an expensive gift, isn’t it?

Negative Statement (-) Positive Tag (+)

 It wasn't a good film, was it?

 He’s not a good man, is he?

If the statement is positive (+), then the tag is negative (-)

You like ice-cream, don't you?
(+) (-)
If the statement is negative, (-) then the tag is positive (+)

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 You don't like ice-cream, do you?
(-) (+)

Exercise 4 Choose the correct tag to finish the sentence.

1 Tahir is an accountant, __________________?

aren't she? doesn't she? isn't she? She isn't?

2 I am a good worker,____________________?
I am? do I? amn't I? aren't I?

3 Arifa is a grandmother,_________________?
she isn't? isn't she? she is? doesn't she?

4 Kamran is a doctor, ______________________?

he is? is he? doesn't he? isn't he?

5 Jaawad and Ali are students, _______________?

aren't they? are they? isn't he? isn't they?

6 I'm here,_________________?
am I not? am not I? amn't I? aren't you?

7 You and I are busy right now, _______________?

aren't I? aren't we? we aren't? aren't you?

8 It's windy today, _______________?

am I? aren't they? isn't it? isn't he?

Exercise 5 Complete the following statements adding an

appropriate tag question. Notice carefully if the statement is in
positive or in negative.

1 He didn't steal the money,

_______________________________________?
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2 He failed the exam,
_______________________________________?
3 He won't come here to live,
_______________________________________?
4 You have started you new job,
____________________________________?
5 You don't live here,
________________________________________?

Section B STRUCTURE

The Present Perfect Tense

In this unit we are going to study the Present Perfect Tense. Before we
learn the rules, let us listen to a dialogue between Mr and Mrs Illahi
Buksh who are about to go on holiday. They are standing outside their
front door and talking to each other. Listen to their conversation.

Recorded Text 6

Mr Illahi Buksh: Have you switched off the gas?

Mrs Illahi Buksh: Yes, I've switched off the gas and I've switched off
all the lights. I've unplugged everything in the
kitchen.
Mr IB: What about the windows?
Mrs IB: I've shut and locked all the windows. I've left a
spare key with Mrs Karim next door. She'll check
the house every day. Such a nice woman! Her
husband has lost his job, you know. Now, let's see.
Have I forgotten anything? I hope not.
Mr IB: I've put the suitcases in the car. Come on, let's go.
Mrs IB: I hope I haven't forgotten anything.
Mr IB: Stop worrying now!

Exercise 6 Imagine you are Mrs Illahi Buksh. Mr Buksh asks you
whether you have done the following things. Answer his questions.

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Mr IB: Have you switched off the gas?
Mrs IB: Yes, I've switched off the gas.
Mr IB: Have you switched off the lights?
Mrs IB:
________________________________________________________.
Mr IB: Have you unplugged everything in the kitchen?
Mrs IB:
________________________________________________________.
Mr IB: Have you closed the windows?
Mrs IB:
________________________________________________________.
Mr IB: Have you locked the back door?
Mrs IB:
________________________________________________________.
Mr IB: Have you given anyone a spare key?
Mrs IB:
________________________________________________________.
Mr IB: Have you forgotten anything?
Mrs IB:
______________________________________________________.

Here is a brief overview of the form and function of the

present perfect tense:

1 The present perfect is used when the time period has not
finished.
Example: I have seen three movies this week (This week has
not finished yet.)

2 The present perfect is often used when the time is not

mentioned.
Example: Junaid has failed his exam again

3 The present perfect is often used when the time is recent.

Example: Maria has just arrived in Pakistan
4 The present perfect is often used with for and since.
Example: They have lived here for 20 years.
They have lived here since 1985
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5 The present perfect simple is formed with the auxiliary verb
followed by the past participle

Present Perfect Simple = Auxiliary Verb + Past Participle

has / have + the third part of a verb (went, gone)
Examples:
 He has gone
 They have eaten their dinner
 I have done my homework
 I haven't done my homework (Negative)
 Have you done your homework? (Question)

Exercise 7 Naheed is a Personal Secretary working for Lakhani

Group of industries in Karachi. Every morning before Mr Lakhani
comes to the office, she checks her boss's diary to make sure what are
the official appointments, meetings, etc, scheduled. The things that Mr
Lakhani has done are marked with a tick ( ). Let us try and see how
Ms Naheed is confirming or making statements about what her boss
has done or not done. Follow the example and then construct similar
statements using the present perfect tense.

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Examples:

 He has telephoned Peshawar

 He hasn't telephoned Lahore yet

Exercise 8 Read the information given in the diary page again.

Construct at least five questions and five answers about what
Naheed’s boss has done and what he has not done yet. Follow the
example given below.
Example:

Question: Has he telephoned the Peshawar office?

Answer: Yes. he has.

1 Q: ______________________________________________?
A: ______________________________________________.

2 Q: ______________________________________________?
A: ______________________________________________.

3 Q: ______________________________________________?
A: ______________________________________________.
4 Q: ______________________________________________?
A: ______________________________________________.

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5 Q: ______________________________________________?
A: ______________________________________________.

Exercise 9 Taimur is a young teenaged boy who has just finished

his final exams and has long holidays. . He
is at home and feels very bored. He
does not know what to do. His mother
suggests a number of things for him to do
but he is not interested. Let us read what
his mother is suggesting to him
and his answers to her suggestions.
Example:

Mother: Why don't you read this interesting novel?

Taimur: I've already read it.

Now suppose you are Taimur. What answers will you give to the
following suggestions in the same way as in the example? Use the
present perfect tense.

Mother: Why don't you ask Salim to come over?

Taimur:
______________________________________________________.
Mother: Why don't you play cricket with the boys from the
neighbourhood?
Taimur:
_______________________________________________________.
Mother: Why don’t you switch on the computer and go on the
internet?
Taimur:
_______________________________________________________.

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Section C READING

Synonyms and Antonyms

What are Synonyms and Antonyms?

Synonyms are words with similar or identical meanings. Antonyms

are words with opposite meanings.

Read some examples of synonyms:

 baby and infant

 student and pupil
 pretty and attractive
 smart and intelligent
 sick and ill
 funny and humorous
 died and expired

The elephants are huge!

The elephants are
enormous.

Read some examples of antonyms:

 dead and alive

 near and far
 war and peace
 tremendous and awful

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 Ugly
Pretty

Happy Sad

Cold Hot

Big Little

Kind Mean

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 Start
Finish

Lose Find

Exercise 10 Here is a synonym exercise. In each sentence there is

word printed in bold followed by three choices (a-c). Choose the
choice which is closest to the meaning of the bold word.

1 That is a giant ant!

a monster
b huge
c pretty

2 I hate watching scary movies.

a like
b dislike
c despise

3 We are studying about insects in school right now.

a bugs
b centipedes
c spiders

4. I could see the candle's flame in the darkness.

a light
b match
c fire

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Exercise 11 Choose the correct antonym of the word printed in bold
in each sentence.

1 We are certain that he is a dishonest salesman.

a great
b successful
c truthful

2 She always pays attention when others are speaking.

a often
b usually
c never

3 It’s important that we make a thoughtful decision.

a quick
b foolish
c wiser

4 Ruby loves to sing and she has a very weak voice.

a soft
b low
c strong

Exercise 12 Read this short paragraph. There are four words that are
printed in bold. Then read the list of words that are given in the box.
Substitute each bold word in the paragraph with its closest synonym
or a word that means nearly the same.

His father, a former professor, taught him a few things, but he was
mostly self-educated. His natural curiosity soon led him to start
experimenting with electrical and mechanical things at home. He left
numerous inventions that improved the quality of life all over the world.
Sometimes he worked so intensely that his wife had to remind him to
sleep and eat.

researching, many, passionately, inquisitiveness

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Read this short biographical account of Bapsi Sidhwa a noted Pakistani
writer who writes in English.

Bapsi Sidhwa is the author of four

internationally acclaimed novels. Her works
have been widely applauded and has gained
her a much admired status in the galaxy of
writers from the sub continent who write in
English. She lives in Houston, Texas, but was
born in Karachi, Pakistan, and raised in
Lahore. She graduated from Kinnaird College
for Women, Lahore, and began writing in her
twenties after the birth of two children.

In 1978, at a time when publishing in English was practically nonexistent

in Pakistan, Sidhwa self published her first novel ‗The Crow Eaters’.
Since then, ‗The Crow Eaters’ has been published and translated in
numerous European and Asian countries and enjoys a plentiful readership
who takes pride collecting her various novels. While ‗The Bride’ ’was the
first novel Sidhwa wrote, it was the second to be published. ‗Cracking
India’, Sidhwa's third novel, was declared a New York Times Notable
Book for 1991, for which she triumphed to win the LiBerature Prize in
Germany and was termed as a successful writer and was victorious to
create a place for herself in a larger market.

Sidhwa held a Bunting Fellowship at Radcliff, Harvard in 1986, and was a

visiting scholar at the Rockefeller Foundation Center, Bellagio, Italy, in
1991. She was honoured with Sitara-i-Imtiaz, Pakistan's highest national
tribute awarded in 1991, and was also decorated with the Lila Wallace-
Reader's Digest Writer's Award In 1994.

Sidhwa has worked on the advisory committee of Prime Minister Benazir

Bhutto on Women's Development, and has taught at Columbia University,
University of Houston, and Mount Holyoke College, USA.

Reviewers have praised Bapsi Sidhwa's luminous prose that adds

brilliance and sparkle in her writings. Her style of writing is earthy but

68
also both delicate and precise with specific and explicit words chosen as
carefully as pieces of inlay accurately placed in a marble wall.

Exercise 13 You must have noticed quite a few words that are given
in bold in the above extract. Read more carefully and you would notice
that each bold word has at least two synonyms around it. Identify
those similar words or synonyms.

Example:

 acclaimed
applauded
admired

Section D WRITING

Informal letters

Read the letter from Ahmed to his friend Hamid.

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 The Address

Ahmed has written this letter so he is the sender, Note carefully the
position of Ahmed's or the sender’s address.

 The sender's address should be put in the top right-hand corner

of the letter. Every letter must have the sender's address.

Now look closely as how each item in the address is written:

 The house number: House 51/4

 The street number or name (if any) : Naurus Colony
 The town or city : Rawalpindi
 The name of the country: Only put the name of
the country
if you are sending the letter abroad. If it is sent within the country,
there is no need to write the country’s name.
 The date follows after the full address is complete.

Personal letters, also known as friendly letters, normally have five

parts:

1. The Heading: This includes the address, line by line, with the last
line being the date. The heading is indented in the right side of the
page. If using preaddressed stationery, just add the date.

2. The Greeting or Salutation: The greeting always ends with a

comma. The greeting begins with the word "dear" and using the
person's given name or relationship.

 Formal: Dear Uncle Shahid,

 Informal: Hi Ruby, Hello Vicky,

3. The body: Also known as the main text, it includes the message you
want to write. Normally in a friendly letter, the beginning of
paragraphs is indented. If you don’t want to indent, make sure to skip
a space between paragraphs. Also leave out a line after the greeting
and before the close.

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4. The complimentary close. This short expression is always a few
words on a single line. It ends in a comma. It should be indented to the
same column as the heading. Skip one to three spaces (two is usual) for
the signature line.

5. The signature line. Write or type your name. The handwritten

signature goes above the typed name. If the letter is quite informal,
you may omit the signature line as long as you sign the letter.

Postscript. If your letter contains a postscript, begin it with P.S. and

end it with your initials. Skip a line after the signature line to begin the
postscript.

Format for a Friendly or Personal Letter

The following picture shows what a one-page friendly or personal

letter should look like. The horizontal lines represent lines of type.

Punctuation in Informal or Personal letters

Notice the punctuation in the address of the above letter. Each line
ends with a comma except the last line before the date which ends
with a full stop.

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Use commas after the greeting or salutation in a personal letter and
after the complimentary closing in all letters.

 Greeting: Dear Faraz,

My dearest Eman,

 Closing: Sincerely,
Truly yours,

Exercise 14 Anjum Saleemi has written three personal letters to

friends in Pakistan. In each letter he has written his address
incorrectly. Can you spot the mistakes in each letter and then write out
the address correctly?

1 Anjum Saleemi, 2 Karachi,

Nazimabad, Nazimabad 4,
House 7, House 7,
Karachi. Pakistan
l4 February 2005.

3 House 7.
Nazimabad 4.
Karachi
Pakistan
I4February 2005

The Date

There are many ways of writing the date; the first two are probably the
most common ways.

 14 February, 2005
 14th February, 2005
 14 Feb. 2005
 February 14th 2005
 14/2/05
 14. 2. 05

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 Greetings and Closings

In a personal letter we can start with:

 Dear +first name (informal, to a friend) or

 Dear + Mr Shah ( family name)

 Dear Mrs Shah
 Dear Miss Shah
 Dear Dr Shah
 Dear Professor Shah

We can end a personal letter in a number of ways:

 Love, (very informal, to a relative or very

Saira close friend, especially from a girl or
woman to another girl or woman
who is a close friend)

 Yours, (informal, to a friend or close acqu-

Saira aintance)

 Yours sincerely, (slightly more formal, to someone

Saira you do not know very well)

Exercise 15 You want to write to the following people. How would

you start and end each letter?

1 Ali Rasheed (A close friend whom you have

known for many years.)

2 Amjad Butt (One of your professors at college.)

3 Ayesha Rehman (The mother of a close friend of Yours.)

4 Khalid Qayyum (Your family doctor.)

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 Opening Sentences

If someone has already written to you, this is a common way of

starting a letter. We can say:

 Many thanks for your letter

 Thanks for your letter
 Thank you for your letter.
 Thank you very much for your letter
 Thank you so much for your letter

If you have heard some good or bad news from someone, you can also
say:

I was delighted to hear that ....

happy
thrilled
pleased
sorry
shocked
amazed

Exercise 16 Look at the phrases 1-11 and match them with a purpose
A-K

Phrases Purposes
1 That reminds me,... A. to finish the letter
2 Why don't we... B. to apologize
3 I'd better get going... C. to thank the person for
4 Thanks for your letter... writing
5 Please let me know... D. to begin the letter
6 I'm really sorry... E. to change the subject
7 Love, F. to ask a favour
8 Could you do something for G. before signing the letter
me? H. to suggest or invite
9 Write soon... I. to ask for a reply
10 Did you know that.. J. to ask for a response

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 11 I'm happy to hear that... K. to share some information

Exercise 17 Choose one of the three subjects and write a letter to a

friend or family member.

1 Write a letter to a friend you haven't seen or spoken to in a long

time. Tell him / her about what you have been doing and ask them
how they are and what they have been up to recently.

2 Write a letter to a cousin and invite them to your wedding. Give

them some details about your future husband / wife.

3 Write a letter to a friend you know has been having some

problems. Ask him / her how she / he is doing and if you can help.

Section E LISTENING

Listening to a Lecture and Taking Notes

Listening is an active process that needs our concentration.

Listening to a lecture and taking notes require you to actively listen
and participate. If you are good at taking notes then you will
understand and remember the content of lectures fairly well. You have
to listen to lectures especially at the college level. They can provide
you with most of the material you'll need for the tests and exams. A lot
of students think that lectures are often more valuable than the
textbook since the lecturer is usually explaining in great detail. So
listening to a lecture and taking notes will be really beneficial in the
long run.

What is note taking? Note taking involves listening to the lecture and
summarizing in your own words what is said during the lecture. In
most lectures, you cannot write down everything that is said, nor
should you strive to do so. Remember, your task should be to note
down the essential and key points and not just to receive it passively
without understanding it.
Although you cannot write as quickly as the lecturer talks, you can
think faster. Good notes depend on fast thinking and concentration,
75
not on fast writing. Your aim should be to select, summarize, classify,
and organize. Taking notes helps you focus! Speakers tend to repeat
and summarize their points often during the lecture. You can use such
times to write down your ideas while keeping one ear open for any
new point. If you miss a point, leave some space and consult with
another student or the professor after class.

Here are some useful tips that can help you become an effective
listener and note taker:

Before you listen to the lecture:

 Develop a proper mind-set toward listening that is prepare

yourself towards listening to the lecture
 Enhance your physical and mental alertness by sitting in the
front and/or center of the room, and develop an eye contact
with the speaker
 Choose a nice looking notebook that will encourage you to take
notes
 Number the pages or important points
 Do some prior reading, if you can, about the topic being
presented in the lecture

While you listen to the lecture:

 Pay attention to the speaker for verbal, postural, and visual

clues to what's important
 Resist distractions or boredom
 Label important points
 If your lecturer has an accent you find hard to understand or
has mannerisms you find distracting, relax and attend even
more carefully to the content of the lecture
 When possible, translate the lecture into your own words, but if
you can't, don't let it worry you
 Be consistent in your use of abbreviation, etc.
 Add visual clues to identify parts of your notes - for example,
using underlining, asterisks, arrows, boxes, bubbles, colour
highlights etc.

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  Ask questions if you don't understand
 Add your own ideas and reflections, keeping them separate
from those of the speaker
 Watch out for points that are emphasized or repeated by the
lecturer, these are likely to come in your tests or exam
 Instead of closing your notebook as soon as the lecture finishes
and getting ready to leave, listen carefully to information given
toward the end of class; sometimes the lecturer summarizes or
highlights main points; or may give possible questions, etc.

After you listen to the lecture:

 Review your notes

 Fill in missing points or misunderstood terms from text or other
class fellows
 Edit your notes, labeling main points, remember clues and
questions that may need further answers
 Make up your own possible test questions

Remember!

 to identify as early as possible the main purpose of the lecture

 to differentiate between main points and supporting details
 to review your notes
 to ask lots of questions during and after lecture
 to be selective in what you write, you don't have to write
everything down!

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 Recognising lecture structure and taking notes

The list below show some of the most common signals used in lectures
to indicate lecture structure. But in this unit we will only give you
practice in understanding only six signals. If you follow the guidelines
and listen to the recorded texts carefully then you will be able to take
notes efficiently.

1 Introducing
2 Giving background information
3 Defining
4 Enumerating/Listing
5 Giving examples
6 Showing importance/Emphasising
7 Clarifying/Explaining/Putting it in other words
8 Moving on/Changing direction
9 Giving further information
10 Giving contrasting information
11 Classifying
12 Digressing
13 Referring to visuals
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14 Concluding

1 Introducing

At the beginning of a lecture, the lecturer will give you some idea
about the structure of the lecture. Listen for these introductory signals
as it will help you understand what the lecturer is saying.

 What I intend to say is……………..

 What I'd like to discuss……………
 What I intend to explain………….
 In my talk today………………….
 My topic today is………………..
 Today, I'm going to talk about….
 In this talk, I would like to concentrate on….
 The subject of this talk is……………………
 The purpose of this talk is to…………………

Exercise 18 You are going to listen to Mrs Waseem lecturing about

‘Women's rights in Pakistani society’. Listen to the lecture and note
down the introductory statement that she uses to introduce the topic
of her lecture.

Recorded Text 7

Mrs Waseem:

‘Women's rights in Pakistan'

is a big question often raised
in the West. It is believed that
women have no rights or
privileges in the male
dominated society of Pakistan. Before I discuss whether women have
rights in Pakistani society or not, I would first of all intend to explain
the structure of the Pakistani society’.

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2 Giving background Information

The lecturer will often either refer back to a previous lecture or gives
you some background information. Normally the lecturer uses these
expressions:

 As we know…………………
 As we have already seen…..
 As we have all read…………
 It's clear that…………………
 It goes without saying……...
 We all understand……..…..
 It is understood…………..
 You'll remember …………..

Exercise 19 Continue listening to Mrs Waseem’s lecture and notice

how she is giving background information about ‘Women’s rights in
Islamic society’. She uses at least four expressions which signal that
she is giving background information. Write those expressions.

Recorded Text 8

Mrs Waseem:

‘It's clear that Pakistan is an Islamic state, where people, not only take
pride in the Islamic value system but are ready to sacrifice for the
sanctity of Islam. It goes without saying that Islam has accorded a
highly respected social position to women. Islam acknowledges the
rights and privileges of the women in society. Likewise, Islam does not
impose any restrictions that may hamper the social growth and
development of the woman. It is understood that a woman is an equal
and important member of society and you’ll remember that women
have always played a vital role in building the Pakistani society on
healthier and stronger foundations’.

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3 Defining

In a lecture, it is often necessary to define the terms that will be used.

The lecturer may use some of these expressions to define terms:

 Is called………..
 Is known as…….
 May be defined as………
 This term is used generally to mean……….
 The term refers to………..

Exercise 20 Let us continue listening to Mrs Waseem’s lecture. As

you listen, concentrate on the two terms that she defines and then
write those terms and their definitions.

Recorded Text 9

Mrs Waseem:

‘Women in Pakistan have been constantly complaining of being

isolated from the mainstream of society. By ‘mainstream of society’ I
mean a typical conventional society that conforms to certain value
system and which has a majority following. Women feel disillusioned
on being maltreated by the typical patriarchal set up in Pakistan. The
term ‘patriarchal’ is used to define a social system which is male
dominated.

4 Enumerating/Listing

The lecturer will often be explicit about the order in which new points
will be presented. To make the order clear they use various
connectives, such as:

 Firstly…..
 Secondly…….
 Next………….
 Thirdly………
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  Lastly……….
 Finally………

Exercise 21 Let see what words Mrs Waseem uses to list new
points. Listen carefully to the recorded text and write down these
words.

Recorded Text 10

Mrs Waseem:

‘That brings me to itemize the different social status and roles women
play in different provincial set ups. As we have already seen that
Pakistani women live in
the most diversified tribal,
feudal or urban
environments. She can be
a highly qualified and
self-confident professional
or a bold peasant toiling
along with her men-folk.
Firstly in the areas like
NWFP and Balochistan,
life is governed and regulated by strict tribal beliefs. A woman has no
say in any aspect of her life, including her marriage. Secondly, in the
populated provinces of Sindh and Punjab, women’s roles are
dominated by the feudal system. But in all these set ups, women
strongly claim that the society usually adopts a hostile attitude
towards them’.

5 Giving Examples

In lectures, it is common to support generalisations with examples.

These signals can help you to understand the examples that are going
to follow:

 For example……….
 For instance……….
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  such as……………
 Let me give you some examples…..

Exercise 22 Listen to the recorded text and list the words that Mrs
Waseem uses to indicate that an example will follow.

Recorded Text 11

Mrs Waseem:

‘However their development in society is hindered due to many

factors. For example most of
women in rural areas have
to bear double burden of
domestic and outside
work. For instance they are
the first to rise and last to bed.
Let me give you some more
examples of rural working
woman who contributes
immensely to the society,
such as……’

6 Showing importance/Emphasising

When you are taking notes, you cannot write down every word. You
need to distinguish between important and less important
information. The lecturer can use these signals to draw your attention
to the important points.

 I want to stress………..
 I want to highlight……….
 I'd like to emphasise……….
 It's important to remember………
 We should bear in mind …………
 The crucial point is……………….
 The essential point is……………
 The fundamental point is…………
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Exercise 23 This is the last exercise of the unit. Listen to the recorded
text and notice that Mrs Waseem uses quite a few expressions that
indicate that she is emphasising, highlighting or stressing a point.
Make a list of all those expressions.

Recorded Text 12

Mrs Waseem:

‘We should bear in mind that numerically women in Pakistan are

almost equal to men. I want to stress the point that they are not only
numerically equal but they are equal in potential as the men. The
fundamental point I would like to stress is that women are not
prohibited from working in any field. It's important to remember that
although the conditions of women in urban areas are better than those
of the rural women, yet the old socio cultural traditions and religious
restraints have hindered the independent and free movement of the
women whether they belong to the urban set up or the rural one.
Please bear in mind that Pakistan is the first country in the Muslim
world that has elected a woman as its prime minister twice’.

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