English Language is a compulsory paper of BA/BSc/Associate Degree in Arts/Science program of Punjab University. Generally, students find it difficult to pass the paper of English. The result statistics of Punjab University show that the majority of the failed students in bachelor exam are those students who generally pass all other papers but do not pass only the English paper.

What is the reason for this failure? The answer mostly is that these students do not make preparation in proper lines. Remember, and there is no shortcut to success, and hard work is always a key to success. However, despite hard work, some students may fail the paper. This means there are certain strategies which every student should know to maximize the output of their efforts.

This article explains all these basic tips of success in English Language paper. Students must focus on them while preparing themselves for the paper.

The first thing you require is to understand the syllabus and format of the paper. Let’s start with understanding the format and syllabus of the paper:

As the new syllabus divides course contents equally into two papers for Part-I and Part-II, the preparation for each paper has now become comparatively easier than in the past.

   Paper-I

The Paper-I includes questions on poetry and short stories. Read the short stories and one-act plays to understand the story. You will be asked questions on these stories. Some questions can also be prepared from the guidebook having solved questions.

Read the poems thoroughly in order to understand their meaning. You must be able to explain the verses of a poem in your own words correctly. You must know the name of the poem as well as the name of the poet. You will write these names when explaining the given verses of poetry. Familiarize yourself with the poems so much that by reading only the verses in the paper, you should get the idea of the name of the poem and the name of the poet.

You will be given a paragraph for Precis and Comprehension. You will have to re-write the given paragraph in a shortened and comprehensive form. You will also answer the questions given at the end of the paragraph. Do practice a few such paragraphs from grammar guides.

For translation from Urdu to English, you should understand the basic rules of tenses. Study the tenses to learn which form of verb and helping verb will be used in English for a specific sentence in Urdu.

   Paper-II

The Paper-II includes two main course books: A Selection of Modern Essays and The Old Man and the Sea. A Selection of Modern Essays is a collection of short lessons. Read the lessons to understand them and answer the questions given at the end of each lesson. You will be asked these questions in the paper. You can also prepare these questions from a guidebook.

The Old Man and the Sea is an interesting novel. Read the whole novel at least once to understand the story. If you don’t have enough time to read the whole novel, it is better to read its summary from a guide. You will be asked questions on various parts of this story, e.g., "What did the old man eat to restore his energy?" You can answer this question if you have read and understood the story.

Essay question requires writing a comprehensive essay of 300–350 words on a topic. You are given a wide choice of topics for the essay. You have to make an outline. An outline is a sketch of main ideas of the essay. Write your essay in many paragraphs. The first paragraph should be an introductory paragraph. The next paragraph should elaborate the topic. The last paragraph should give a conclusion by summarizing the essay.

Sentence-correction questions: These sentences have errors of verb, preposition, singular or plural nouns, etc., which need correction.

For letter writing or application writing, you should learn the correct structure of writing a letter or an application. Correct structure of a letter and application has its marks.

General Guidelines for the Paper:

1. Your sentences should have no grammatical errors.
2. Learn the basics of English grammar.
3. Learn the basic rules of English Tenses. You will need them for translation questions as well as for overall English writing.
4. Increase your vocabulary.
5. Write short sentences. Short sentences have less chance of errors in them.
6. Learn the correct spelling of words.
7. Learn three forms of verbs with regard to their correct usage in sentences.
8. Learn the frequently used idioms and phrasal verbs.

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