Descriptive English SBI PO Bank Exam

Test of English is an important section in the written Test of Bank exam
DESCRIPTIVE ENGLISH PAPER CONSISTS OF THE FOLLOWING

1. PRECISE WRITING 
2. LETTER WRITING
3. COMPOSITION/ ESSAY  

Precise writing

Writing a precis means making an intelligent summary of a long passage. To write a precis one should have a clear understanding of the passage: only then well one be able to include all the essential points  

Some general considerations :

•  A precis should be in the language of the precis-writer. The original passage is not to be reduced in length by just removing unimportant or unnecessary sentences and by reproducing the rest as the precis. It should be a brief gist or summary of the passage expressed in the writer’s own words.
•  A precis should be full i.e. it should contain all the essential thoughts, ideas or fact in the original passage. It should not contain repetitions or observations that are not relevant to the main theme of the original.
•  A precis is always written in Reported Speech. The passage given may be a speech made by a person in Direct Speech, but the precis is to be in Reported Speech and in the Third Person and in the Past tense.
•  Unimportant things like the names of people and places and dates should not figure in it.

Letter writing

How to Write a Letter

 The key to how to write a letter whether it is in formal, personal or cover format is to communicate in the clearest way possible

1. Plan before you write, think about what you want to say in and put it down 

2. You should start with a greeting which should begin on the left side of the page. The most widely used opening is "Dear" followed by the person's first name (if it is someone that you know) or surname (if it is someone that you are not particularly familiar with) followed by a comma. If you are composing something very formal to someone that you don't know then "Dear Sirs," would be the correct greeting. For a more casual greeting, you might decide to use "Hello (name)", or "Hi (name)". 

3. The opening paragraph should be tailored depending on the recipient. If the format is personal, you might decide to begin with something informal such as, "How's it going?" or a simple "How are you?". If it is a more formal type, you should be direct in your opening paragraph and explain why you are writing. You should summarise the purpose and write in a clear manner so that the reader will be able to understand you.

4.The body in most cases should be the most unique section. The two most important features of the body are that you write in a clear and concise way and that you ensure that each paragraph is engaging.

5. You should use the closing paragraph to indicate the type of response you are looking to obtain. If you would like a response, you may decide to include something like, "I look forward to your response" or, if you prefer a phone call/email, write "Please feel free to contact me via email/telephone".

6. You should include an expression to say farewell (also known as a valediction or complimentary close) for example "Thanks", "Cheers", or "Talk soon" selecting the correct farewell depending on the level of formality. This closing should be aligned to the left of the page and you should sign your name underneath, then print your name under your signature

Composition/essays 

The Five Paragraph Essay

  Paragraph 1: Introduction

  Paragraph 2: Body 1

 Paragraph 3: Body 2

 Paragraph 4: Body 3

 Paragraph 5: Conclusion 

The Introduction

 The principle purpose of the introduction is to present your position

The Body Paragraphs

The middle paragraphs of the essay are collectively known as the body paragraphs and, as alluded to above, the main purpose of a body paragraph is to spell out in detail the examples that support your thesis.
For the first body paragraph you should use your strongest argument or most significant example unless some other more obvious beginning point (as in the case of chronological explanations) is required. The first sentence of this paragraph should be the topic sentence of the paragraph that directly relates to the examples listed in the mini-outline of introductory paragraph.

The Conclusion

Although the conclusion paragraph comes at the end of your essay it should not be seen as an afterthought. As the final paragraph is represents your last chance to make your case and, as such, should follow an extremely rigid format.