What is plagiarism?

Plagiarism is defined as stealing someone else’s words or ideas and passing them off as your
own. In the context of academic writing, this means quoting someone’s words without
quotation marks, or paraphrasing an idea without including a proper citation.

Plagiarism is also a relevant concern in other contexts outside of academia. You might be aware
of high-profile examples of plagiarism in the worlds of art, politics, and music. It’s not only text
that can be plagiarized, but also creative works like music and images.
Why is plagiarism bad?
Plagiarism is wrong because it doesn’t give credit where credit is due—to the original creator of
the work.
Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty. Whether you’re a student submitting a paper for a
class or a researcher submitting to a journal, the work you submit should be your own. Getting
credit for work you haven’t done impacts your learning and misleads your readers.

That doesn’t mean you can’t use others’ work. Drawing on existing ideas and research is a key part of
academic writing. But it’s important to clearly distinguish your own words and ideas from those of your
sources.

This not only gives proper credit to the works you referenced, but also helps your readers track where
your ideas came from and verify the evidence for themselves.

Consequences of plagiarism
Depending on the context, the consequences of plagiarism range from failing an assignment to
serious legal trouble.
If you’re a student submitting work that you don’t intend to publish, there likely will not be legal
ramifications for plagiarism. However, it can have serious consequences for your education, from a
failing grade to academic probation or expulsion.
If you are seeking to publish your work, plagiarism can damage your reputation and land you in
legal hot water. Not giving the original artist or creator credit could lead to loss of gainful income or
other financial ramifications for them. Stealing intellectual property is against the law if it’s
copyrighted, and often has legal implications even if it isn’t.

Report:
The word ‘report’ is derived from the Latin ‘reportare’ which means to carry back (re = back + portare =
to carry). A report, therefore, is a description of an event carried back to someone who was not present
on the scene. A report may be defined as a formal communication written for a specific purpose,
conveying reliable information to a well-defined audience in a completely impartial and objective
manner. It includes a description of the methods followed for the collection and analysis of data and the
conclusions drawn from them. Reports may be classified into three categories, namely, informational,
interpretive and routine. An informational report contains only the data collected or the facts observed
in an organised form whereas the interpretive report includes the conclusions drawn from the analysis
of data. It may also include recommendations, if required by the primary recipient. A routine report is
usually written in a prescribed form at regular intervals.
(i) A report is a formal statement of facts or information or an account of something.
(ii) It is presented in a conventional form.
(iii) It is written for a specifi c audience.
(iv) It includes information about the procedure of collecting data and the signifi cance of such data.
(v) It contains conclusions reached by the writer.
(vi) It often includes recommendations.

Progress Report:
When a long-term project or work is undertaken, the administration keeps itself informed through
progress reports. These reports also help the officers and workers immediately responsible for the
job to take stock of what has already been done and to relate it to the total amount of time and/or
money available. A student who undertakes a research project, will be required to submit progress
reports periodically. These reports usually include a chronology of the progress made since the last
report or the commencement of the project and indicate further time and/
or money available for its completion. When government departments give work on contract
they insist on such reports from contractors. These enable the government to know whether the
work is progressing according to schedule. If they are prepared at regular intervals, they are
sometimes called periodic reports.

Lab Report:
If you are a student of science and engineering, you will be required to do a number of
experiments in the laboratory to test a theory, verify the modifications you have in mind or to
examine the validity of your research findings. The experiments will demand from you the ability
to choose the right equipment, to arrange various instruments appropriately, to observe and
record processes, reactions and readings faithfully and accurately, and to arrive at valid
conclusions. A laboratory report is an account of these various steps, findings and conclusions
put together in a logical order.

Inspection Reports:
Inspection reports are of two types:
(i) The report which incorporates the result of the inspection of a piece of equipment to
ascertain whether it is functioning properly or requires any repairs or replacement.
This may be done as a matter of routine or on receipt of a complaint.
(ii) The report which indicates the result of inspection of a product as a part of quality
control. Most manufacturing organisations have a quality control section or department whose
duty is to inspect every product with a view to ensuring that it fulfils the required
Specifications.

Inventory Reports:
It is customary for every organisation to take stock of equip ment, furniture, stationery, etc. at regular
intervals. The person who checks the stock fi lls in his fi ndings in a prescribed form.

Annual Confi dential Reports on Employees:

Most organisations make a periodic evaluation of the performance and general conduct of
their employees. The assessments thus made are used at appropriate times for rewards such as
increments, promotion, transfer to more responsible jobs, etc.
Three Stages of Effective Writing:
Step One: Prewriting
Step Two: While-writing
Step Three: Post-writing

Prewriting
• Preparation
• Brainstorming
• Visualization
• Background research

Writing
•Organizing your ideas gathered through brainstorming
•Outlining your writing
•Writing the first draft

Post-Writing:
•Revise your first draft from the reader’s point of view, not the writer’s.
Proofread your final copy(hardcopy) very carefully to make it mistake free.

Different parts of report

•Front matter
•Body part ( Main report)
•Back matter

Front Matter
1. Cover
2. Frontispiece
3. Title page
4. Copyright Notice
5. Forwarding Letter
6. Preface
7. Acknowledgements
8. Table of Contents
9. List of Illustrations
10. Abstract and Summary

Body Part
1. Introduction
2. Discussion or Description
3. Conclusions & Recommendations

Back matter
[Link] / Annexure
[Link] of References
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]

Preface:
The preface introduces the report (not the subject-matter of the report) and offers it to the reader.
It contains almost all information which is given in the ‘introductory’ type of letter of transmittal.
The preface should not be confused with the foreword. Whereas the former is written by
the author himself, the latter is customarily written by an authority or expert in the fi eld
commending the work done. Day-to-day reports rarely have a foreword.

Abstract and Summary:

Most reports contain a synopsis which is called an abstract or a summary. Although some people
regard these two terms as different names for the same element, a distinction between them is
made by discriminating writers.
The main difference between them is that of function. An abstract tells in concentrated form
what the report is about whereas, a summary gives the substance of the report. In fact, a
summary presents the reports in a nutshell, without any illustrations and explanations. A
reader who is interested in knowing only the extent of coverage will be satisfi ed with the
abstract. But if he also wants to know the method of analysis, the signifi cant fi nd ings, the
important conclusions and the major recommendations, he will need a summary.
By its nature an abstract is shorter than a summary. There is no fi xed rule about its length.
It is however, generally agreed that the length of the abstract should be about two to fi ve per cent
of the original whereas that of the summary between fi ve and ten per cent.

Bibliography:
A bibliography is a serially numbered list of published and unpublished works which are
consulted before or during the preparation of a report. It is distinct from the list of References in
several respects:
(i) The bibliography lists the works which the author has read and to which he is
indebted for ideas or information in general terms, whereas, the purpose of the list of
references is to point out the specific location of an idea or a piece of information in the
original source.
(ii) The bibliography may contain works recommended for further study, whereas,
the reference does not perform any such function.
(iii) The bibliography may be annotated, that is, it may indicate briefly the content
and usefulness of the works cited; whereas, the references indicate only the sources.
When some authors give more details in the latter they term it as ‘Notes and
References’. (iv) The bibliography may be ‘select’ or ‘selected’ including only the more
relevant of the works consulted, whereas, the references are always complete.

Glossary
A glossary is a list of technical words used in the report and their explanations. If, however, the number
of such words is small, they are generally explained in the footnotes.

Index
The index is intended to serve as a quick guide to the material in the report. It enables the
reader to locate easily any topic, sub-topic or important aspect of the contents. There is a need
for giving an index only in bulky reports where the Table of Contents cannot do this job.
Entries in the index are made in alphabetical order and cross-referenced. All page numbers on
which information about an entry is available are mentioned against it.
Aspiration:
The English words beginning with the consonants p, t, k and also ‘c’ (when pronounced like k the) they
are pronounced with a ‘h’ sound. In phonetics this is known as aspiration.

What is Intonation? Intonation is a pattern of changing pitch during an utterance (a phrase, clause,
sentence) to convey linguistic information. The variations taking place in the pitch of the voice in
connected speech. The pattern of changing pitch is perceived as the melody - falling or rising intonation.

Types of Intonation :
Correct intonation depends on four things: pitch, stress, rhythm (including speed), the speaker’s
intention or mood.

There are two basic patterns of intonation- falling and rising intonation.
• Falling Intonation: The pitch begins to fall on the accented syllable and it continues to fall till the
end of the tone unit.
assertions, matter-of-fact statements
• Rising Intonation: The pitch begins to rise on the accented syllable and it continues to rise till the
end of the tone unit.
questioning, uncertain statements, continuation

Functions of intonation in English:

Intonation and stress work together to express meaning. Intonation makes it easier for a listener to
understand what a speaker is trying to convey. The following are often cited as important functions of
English intonation:
a. the attitudinal function;
b. the accentual function;
c. the grammatical function;
d. the discourse function of intonation.

Business Letter vs Personal Letter:

When you enter a profession, you will be writing letters to other firms and companies, customers,
suppliers, associate organisations, government officers, credit agencies, employees, etc. Such letters
are called business letters. Their aim is to achieve a definite purpose such as selling a product, making
an enquiry, seeking information or advice, mollifying the injured feelings of a customer, creating
goodwill, etc. A business letter must therefore appeal to the reader’s interest and induce in him the
proper mood. To achieve this, it should have the necessary built-in attraction. It should open the mind
of the reader to the message. There is one sure way of doing it: place yourself in the position of your
correspondent and anticipate his feelings and reactions.

A letter is really ‘a piece of conversation by post’. If you think for a while, you will recall that
you started ‘conversing’ with your friends and relations ‘by post’ at a very young age. And you
will continue to write letters throughout your life. Such letters are called personal letters. The
objective of a letter of this type is to establish a personal contact or to keep alive a personal
relationship. It is a means of contact between you and your reader and has a certain intimacy,
even ‘privacy’ about it. A personal letter must, therefore, evoke in the reader the sensation of
an actual meeting. It must be frank and intimate, lively and interesting, and should be written
in an informal style. Formality has no place in personal letters. Do not write to your friend or
relative as though they are the audience you are addressing.

Complete-block Style: All parts of the letter, except the printed letter head, are aligned with the
left margin. A letter in this form saves more time because indentation is not required for any
part. But some correspondents do not like it because it appears imbalanced and heavy on the
left side. Generally, open punctuation is followed in this form as shown in Exhibit 9.3.
INVITING QUOTATIONS
You may write letters to organisations and individuals on a number of subjects, but perhaps
the most common of all will be the letter of enquiry in which you ask them to quote their
rates and terms of payment for the goods your fi rm or company wishes to buy from them. It
is customary for a business organisation to invite quotations from several sellers before
placing an order. The purpose is to fi nd out the cheapest and best source of supply of goods
Required.

PLACING ORDERS
After you accept a quotation, the next step is to order the goods.

INVITING TENDERS
While quotations are generally sought from a few selected sellers, notices regarding tenders are
advertised in newspapers, magazines, etc., inviting prospective sellers of services and goods to
quote their rates for doing a job or supplying goods specified in the notice. When a tender is
accepted, the successful tenderer has to sign a contract to do what he has promised. A tender is
generally invited for a job whose execution is spread over a period of time, or needs adequate
prior preparation. It may be the construction of a road, building, bridge or bulk supply of goods
or rendering of service.

Sales and Circular Letters:

A sales letter is one of the important instrument of sales promotion, despite unprecedented
advancements in advertising through the print and electronics media. To be effective it should catch
the attention of the reader, excite his interest and curiosity and induce him to buy the goods or
services offered. It should begin with an attention catching device and end with an inducement for
action. The main body of the letter should provide convincing arguments and evidence to vouch for
the quality of the product. There are sundry ways of catching the attention. Some of these are:
making a startling statement, special appeals or offers; relating an anecdote or a story; providing
evidence; and asking rhetorical questions. The main body should draw attention to central features
and facilities offered such as trial offers, guarantees, free samples, etc. The last part of the letter
should clinch the issue by prompting action with inducements such as limited time/quantity offer,
special bargain offer, convenience in ordering, prizes and extra items offer, etc.
A circular letter is written to transmit a message to a number of persons simultaneously. As the
message does not need to be created again and again, it save time, money and effort. It structure is
the same as that of other business letters and the style persuasive or expository. When a formal
message has to be conveyed at the same time to a number of people usually
belonging to a close group within the same organisation, it may be decided to choose letter as a
medium. Such a letter is called a circular or a ‘circular letter’.

Claim and Adjustment Letters:

Despite utmost care and precaution in business transactions, mistakes do occur because of human
frailty, wrong interpretation of message or misunderstanding of intentions. A claim or complaint
letter is written to bring the mistake or damage to the notice of the supplier or provider and to ask
for rectifi cation and compensation. An adjustment letter is a response to a claim letter. In writing
both these types of letters utmost tact and courtesy is required. Only a few can accept their
mistakes with grace and be generous with offering proper adjustment.

Credit and Collection Letters:

In the world of business the term credit refers to ‘promising payment in future’ and collection means
‘obtaining payment from the debtor’. Letters written for these purposes are known as credit letters and
collection letters respectively. There are three types of credit letters: requesting credit, granting
credit and refusing credit. In the first type, the writer has to establish his financial credibility by
providing credit references and other relevant details. The second type, should clearly state the terms
and conditions of offering credit. The letter for refusing credit should be tactfully worded. It should
not merely explain the reasons for the refusal but also suggest cash sales, besides offering credit in
future on meeting essential conditions.
A letter written to collect the amounts due from the customers should be carefully worded. It should
not assign motives to the debtor nor injure his feelings. To elicit the desired response one may
appeal to the customer’s sense of fairness, good intentions or self-interest. Sometimes it may be
advisable to excite in him the emotions of sympathy and fear. For the recovery of debt the following
steps are suggested: routine remainder to pay the amount mentioned in the monthly statement of
accounts, writing a formal follow-up letter, reminding through a letter by name, speaking on the
phone, sending a telegram and fi nally a letter giving notice for legal action.

Main features of a paragraph:

A paragraph is the primary unit of discourse level writing consisting of several sentences concentrating
on a topic.
• A form of writing
• Written in a single para
• Consisting of several sentences
• One paragraph one idea
• Coherence main idea & related sentences, unity
• Cohesion linking the sentences
• Linkers

Dialogue

Does your character use slang, jargon, or acronyms?

As a writer, you’re probably used to talking about your WIP or MS. You know
about NaNoWriMo and ARCs. But a non-writer isn’t going to know that you
mean work-in-progress and manuscript. They won’t know that NaNoWriMo
is short for National Novel Writing Month and that it takes place in
November. They won’t know that ARCs are advanced reader copies given
out before a book is available for sale in the hope of building reviews and
word of mouth.
Every sub-group has their own terminology—teachers, nurses, police, artists,
surfers, and swing dancers. Sometimes their unique vocabulary even varies
by what part of the world the group is located in. Worse, it changes over
time. Surfers don’t talk about “hanging ten” anymore.
Use slang, jargon, or acronyms with a very light hand because your reader
probably won’t understand them. Whenever possible, make sure you clarify for
them.

Genre :

Genre is the classification and organization of literary works into the following categories:
poetry, drama, prose, fiction, and nonfiction. The works are divided based on their form,
content, and style. While there are subcategories to each of these genres, these are the
main categories in which literature is divided.