Introduction to Business Communication
Subtopics
2. Identify the difference between adverbs and adjectives. |
3. Identify the categories of pronouns and uses of reflexive pronouns. |
4. Identify features of prepositions and uses of prepositional phrases. |
5. Identify types of conjunctions. |
6. Use a verb that correctly agrees with the subject of a sentence. |
7. Describe the types of verbs and demonstrate the six tenses. |
8. Use irregular verbs and their different forms properly and distinguish between transitive and intransitive verbs. |
9. Identify subjects, predicates, verbs, adverbs, pronouns, direct and indirect objects, and prepositional and infinitive phrases in sentences. |
10. Select pronouns properly and use them correctly in a sentence. |
11. Correctly use a possessive noun in a sentence. |
12. Create the plural form of a noun. |
13. Identify and correct misplaced and dangling modifiers. |
14. Describe and write the four kinds of sentences—declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory. |
15. Recognize types of sentence fragments, run-on sentences, and double negatives. |
16. Recognize and correct problems in grammar and usage including, but not limited to, completeness, agreement, reference, and form. |
17. Write clear, descriptive sentences in a variety of sentence patterns (e.g., simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex). |
18. Write logical, coherent phrases, sentences, and paragraphs, incorporating correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation. |
1. Determine appropriate use of periods, question marks, and exclamation points. |
2. Explain the use of commas, colons, and semicolons. |
3. Recognize and correct problems in punctuation including, but not limited to, commas, semicolons, and apostrophes. |
4. Use apostrophes to indicate contractions and possessive constructions. |
5. Use quotation marks to set off the words of a speaker or writer and to set off titles of short works and use punctuation with quotation marks. |
6. Define the grammatical rules that govern the use of special punctuation marks such as the dash, hyphen, and parentheses. |
7. Use appropriately ellipsis, italics, and underlining. |
8. Identify how to capitalize sentences, proper nouns, abbreviations, adjectives, and titles correctly. |
9. Write and use numbers according to standard practice in a sentence. |
1. Illustrate the ability to correctly spell the words regularly used in writing. |
2. Illustrate the ability to use a dictionary and thesaurus as an aid to spelling, pronunciation, and meaning. |
3. Identify prefixes and suffixes. |
4. Explain plural spelling rules. |
5. Apply spelling rules to homonyms and commonly confusing words such as effect and affect. |
6. Find silent letters in a word. |
7. Recognize letter patterns in words. |
8. Demonstrate application of spelling rules such as i before e, silent e, words ending in y, etc. |
1. Proofread a paragraph and identify spelling, grammatical, and punctuation errors. |
2. Proofread written communications with errors, using proofreader’s marks. |
3. Compare drafts to final documents and make editorial changes. |
4. Proofread and edit business documents to ensure they are clear, correct, concise, complete, consistent, and courteous. |
5. Review sentence structure and the style of writing. |
6. Review and edit for the effectiveness of word choices. |
1. Deduce the meanings of words and idiomatic phrases. |
2. Recognize how word selection and usage affects communication. |
3. Recognize slang, jargon, and clichés. |
4. Recognize common errors in word usage. |
5. Use proper sentence structure. |
6. Illustrate the proper way to divide words. |
7. Identify homophones. |
8. Create new words using root words. |
9. Illustrate the ability to use a dictionary and thesaurus as an aid to spelling, pronunciation, and meaning. |
10. Use contextual clues to recognize word meaning. |
1. Use bias-free language (e.g., gender, race, religion, physical challenges, and sexual orientation) |
2. Illustrate sensitivity to audience needs and desires. |
3. Differentiate between pronunciation and enunciation. |
4. Correctly choose and pronounce words used in verbal communication. |
5. Provide a clear description of a simple system or process or give clear, concise directions. |
6. Use proper techniques to make an oral presentation. |
7. Express opinions and discuss issues positively and tactfully. |
8. Identify major listening barriers and effective active listening techniques. |
9. Ask questions to clarify information. |
10. Interpret nonverbal cues in messages. |
11. Follow spoken directions. |
12. Listen objectively and record major points of a speaker’s message. |
1. Read and follow directions. |
2. Demonstrate reading comprehension by restating or summarizing. |
3. Differentiate between fact and opinion. |
4. Determine if a text is descriptive, informative, instructional, or persuasive. |
5. Summarize the important points of a document. |
6. Identify and explain enhancements such as graphs, charts, tables, and illustrations/photographs for visual impact. |
7. Interpret information from articles, manuals, etc. |
8. Select the appropriate reading method (e.g., skimming, scanning, speed-reading, and in-depth reading) for a particular situation. |
9. Identify factors that affect readability of text (e.g., sentence length, word selection, and type size). |
10. Investigate the need for various reading skills in the workplace such as reading for information, summarization, drawing conclusions, making judgments, and following directions. |
11. Evaluate the quality and reliability of source information. |
12. Analyze information presented in a variety of formats such as tables, lists, and figures. |
13. Use note-taking skills that incorporate critical listening and reading techniques. |