Language Tip: Use Question Tags to Sound Friendly and Engaging

Question tags are short questions added at the end of a sentence. They help keep conversations natural, check understanding, and make your tone friendly. They’re very common in spoken English.

Structure: Statement + Question Tag
If the sentence is positive → tag is negative.
If the sentence is negative → tag is positive.

Examples:

1. You’re coming to class today, aren’t you?

2. She doesn’t like coffee, does she?

3. It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?

4. They finished the project, didn’t they?

5. You can help me, can’t you?

6. He won’t be late, will he?

7. We should start now, shouldn’t we?

8. You haven’t seen my notebook, have you?

Why it matters:
Question tags make your English more interactive and polite. Instead of sounding blunt or one-sided, they invite the listener to respond and stay involved. They’re especially helpful in group discussions, presentations, and everyday conversations.

AUTHOR

Dr L Suresh

Assistant Professor of English

Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya College of Arts and Science

Coimbatore - 641020

Contact: 9944138137

e-mail ID: sureshenglit@rmv.ac.in

Workplace Phrases

Workplace Phrases

• Touch base
  Meaning: To briefly connect with someone to update or check in.
  Example: “Let’s touch base tomorrow after the client meeting.” 

• In the loop
  Meaning: To be kept informed about something.
  Example: “Please keep me in the loop about the project changes.” 

• On the same page
  Meaning: To have a shared understanding or agreement.
  Example: “Before we start, let’s make sure we’re on the same page.” 

• Take the lead
  Meaning: To guide or manage a task or group.
  Example: “Can you take the lead on the presentation next week?” 

• Think outside the box
  Meaning: To come up with creative or unconventional ideas.
  Example: “We need to think outside the box to solve this issue.”

• Circle back
  Meaning: To return to a topic or discussion later.
  Example: “Let’s circle back to this after lunch.” 

• Ahead of the curve
  Meaning: To be more advanced or innovative than others.
  Example: “Our company is ahead of the curve in adopting AI tools.” 

• Meet the deadline
  Meaning: To finish work by the required time.
  Example: “We must meet the deadline for the quarterly report.” 

• Back to square one
  Meaning: To return to the beginning after a failed attempt.
  Example: “The client rejected our proposal, so we’re back to square one.” 

• At the end of the day
  Meaning: Used to summarize the most important point.
  Example: “At the end of the day, customer satisfaction matters most.” 

• By the book
  Meaning: To follow rules and procedures strictly.
  Example: “The audit must be done by the book.” 

• Up in the air
  Meaning: Uncertain or undecided.
  Example: “The budget approval is still up in the air.” 

Blogger: 

N.Shanmugan

Assistant Professor of English

Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya College of Arts and Science

Coimbatore-20

Formal Vocabulary for Workplace Communication

 Formal Vocabulary for Workplace Communication

📌 Professional Actions

• Facilitate – to make a process easier or smoother
• Coordinate – to organize people or tasks efficiently
• Implement – to put a plan or decision into effect
• Execute – to carry out a task or strategy
• Streamline – to improve efficiency by simplifying

📋 Reporting & Documentation

• Summarize – to present the main points concisely
• Document – to record information formally
• Clarify – to make something clear or understandable
• Verify – to confirm accuracy or truth
• Amend – to make changes or corrections

🗣️ Meetings & Discussions

• Convene – to gather for a meeting
• Deliberate – to discuss carefully before making a decision
• Propose – to suggest an idea or plan
• Recommend – to advise or endorse
• Address – to deal with or speak about an issue

🧠 Analysis & Evaluation

• Assess – to evaluate or judge
• Interpret – to explain the meaning of something
• Review – to examine critically
• Compare – to identify similarities and differences
• Synthesize – to combine ideas into a coherent whole

💬 Tone & Politeness

• Kindly – polite request marker (“Kindly review the attached file.”)
• Appreciate – to express gratitude (“We appreciate your feedback.”)
• Regret – to express apology formally (“We regret the inconvenience.”)
• Ensure – to guarantee or make certain
• Acknowledge – to recognize or confirm receipt

Blogger: N.Shanmugan, Assistant Professor, Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. 

Language Tip: Use Collocations for Natural English

To sound fluent and natural, learn collocations—words that naturally go together in English. Native speakers don’t say “do a mistake” or “strong rain”; they say “make a mistake” and “heavy rain.”

Collocations make your speech and writing sound more authentic and professional.

Examples:

Make a decision (not do a decision)

Do homework (not make homework)

Take a break (not do a break)

Have breakfast (not eat breakfast in formal English)

Catch a cold (not get a cold)

Save time (not keep time)

Keep a promise (not hold a promise)

Break the rules (not damage the rules)

Why it matters: Using correct word combinations shows that you truly understand how English works beyond grammar rules. It helps you sound confident, fluent, and natural in everyday conversations, essays, and interviews.

👉 Tip: Read English articles or listen to native speakers—you’ll start noticing which words “live together.” That’s the secret to mastering collocations!

AUTHOR

Dr L Suresh

Assistant Professor of English

Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya College of Arts and Science

Coimbatore - 641020

Contact: 9944138137

e-mail ID: sureshenglit@rmv.ac.in

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