Vacancy Announcement / Invitation

Unit 10 is about two kinds of practical writing: the job advertisement and the invitation. Reading I is a real vacancy announcement from UN Women Nepal for two posts. Reading II has an informal invitation e-mail from Rahim to his friend Pratik and a formal invitation card for a Bratabandha ceremony. The grammar is prepositions of place and time and question tags. In writing you prepare a vacancy advertisement and a message of invitation.

10.1 Reading I: Vacancy Announcement (UN Women Nepal)

What the advertisement contains

UN Women works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls, the empowerment of women, and equality between women and men. UN Women Nepal seeks applications from qualified Nepali citizens.

Item	ICT and Administrative Support	Driver
Duty station	Kathmandu	Kathmandu
Level	General Staff (SB-3)	General Staff (SB-2)
Duration	1 year, may be extended	1 year, may be extended
Closing date	21 Nov. 2021 (midnight New York time)	21 Nov. 2021
Education	secondary education required; Bachelor's in Computer Science an asset	SLC/SEE
Other requirements	network and Microsoft certificates (CCNE, MCSE/MCP); at least 5 years' experience in network administration; MS Office; English and Nepali fluency	valid driving licence; 3 years' experience with an international organisation, embassy or UN with a safe record (an asset); English an asset

How to apply: online, with the UN Women Personal History Form (P11). Applications are treated with strict confidence. Minority groups, indigenous groups, LGBTIQ people and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply.

Vocabulary (Exercise A)

a. announcement b. empowerment c. demonstrable d. licence e. asset

Gap filling (Exercise B)

a. equality b. applications c. completion d. online e. speak (the text says fluency in English is an asset for the driver)

Comprehension (Exercise C) — model answers

a. What do CCNE, MCSE and MCP stand for? Cisco Certified Network Engineer, Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and Microsoft Certified Professional. (The advertisement misprints MCSE as "MSCE".)

b. Where is the duty station for both jobs? Kathmandu, Nepal.

c. Who is UN Women working for? For women and girls — to end discrimination against them, to empower them, and to achieve equality between women and men.

d. Why is the duration only one year? It is a fixed contract so that the organisation can judge the employee's performance (and its own need and budget) before extending it; the advertisement says it can be extended.

e. How is the job made inclusive? It welcomes workforce diversity in gender, nationality and culture, and encourages people from minority and indigenous groups, LGBTIQ people and persons with disabilities to apply.

10.2 Writing I: A vacancy advertisement

What it must give: organisation and address; Vacancy Announcement; post and number of posts; qualifications and experience; skills; salary/benefits (optional); how to apply and documents; deadline; contact.

Model answer — Office Assistant

Shree Bal Kalyan Secondary School Biratnagar-5, Morang

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

The school invites applications from qualified Nepali citizens for the following post.

Post: Office Assistant Number of posts: 1 Type: full time

Requirements: - at least +2 (Class 12) pass from a recognised board; - basic computer skills (MS Word, Excel, e-mail); - good spoken and written Nepali and English; - one year's office experience preferred; - age between 21 and 40 years.

Salary: as per school rules.

How to apply: Submit an application with a CV, copies of academic certificates, citizenship certificate and two passport-size photos to the school office within 15 days of the publication of this notice (by 30 Shrawan 2082). Only shortlisted candidates will be called for an interview.

Contact: 021-5XXXXX, Office hours 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Principal

10.3 Grammar I: Prepositions of place and time

Place

Preposition	Meaning	Example
in	inside	Put the papers in the dustbin.
on	touching the surface	The apple is on the table.
under	below, covered	The baby is under the blanket.
behind / in front of	at the back / at the front	Hide behind the curtain. He parked in front of the house.
between	in the middle of two	between the two boxes
next to / beside	at the side	next to the door
around / through	circling / from one side to the other	through the window

Time

at	on	in
clock times, at the moment, at night, at noon, at lunch	days and dates: on Monday, on 24th May, on our birthdays	months, years, centuries, parts of the day: in May, in the 21st century, in the evening; in a week = after one week

Also: on time (exactly at the right time), in time (early enough), before (earlier than), during (throughout a period), on the phone.

Textbook answers (Grammar I B)

a. at (or in) the lunch break b. on time c. in the evening before you sleep d. on Monday e. in a week f. under the blanket g. behind the curtain h. on our birthdays i. at the moment on the phone j. in the dustbin k. in the 21st century l. in front of the house

10.4 Reading II: Invitation e-mail and invitation card

Rahim's e-mail (informal invitation)

Rahim writes to Pratik. He has enjoyed his summer break. His father has returned after three tough years abroad and has decided to work in his own country: he is starting poultry and vegetable farming next week. The family has arranged an opening ceremony and Rahim invites Pratik to join them at home on 24th May 2023. (The e-mail also says "Saturday"; 24 May 2023 was in fact a Wednesday — a small slip in the text.)

Features of an informal invitation: friendly greeting (Hi Pratik), news first, then the invitation (Would you like to join us…? We'd be delighted to have you…), date, request for a reply, friendly closing (With lots of love).

The invitation card (formal invitation)

Detail	On the card
Hosts	Mr. Bikas Prasad Joshi and Mrs. Honey Joshi
Occasion	Bratabandha ceremony of their grandson, Mr. Sangam Joshi (son of Manjit and Salina Joshi)
Venue	Yak Palace, Kali Marg, New Baneshwor
Date and time	14th February 2023, 5 p.m. onwards
RSVP	9876543210

Formal language: cordially request your presence on the auspicious occasion of…; written in the third person; R.S.V.P. = French répondez s'il vous plaît, "please reply".

Vocabulary (Exercise A)

a. occasion b. cordially c. poultry d. tough e. abroad f. delighted

Multiple choice (Exercise B)

a. iii b. iii c. iii (Manjit Joshi is Sangam's father) d. iii early evening (5 p.m.)

Comprehension (Exercise C) — model answers

a. Who wrote the e-mail to whom? Rahim wrote it to his friend Pratik. b. When is Rahim's father starting his business? Next week. c. Do you like his father's decision? Why? Yes. He will live with his family, create work in his own country and use the land productively. d. What is the card for? To invite guests to the Bratabandha ceremony of Sangam Joshi. e. Where is the party? At Yak Palace, Kali Marg, New Baneshwor. f. What does R.S.V.P. mean? "Please reply" — guests should tell the host whether they will come.

10.5 Grammar II: Question tags

A question tag is a short question added to a statement to check it or ask for agreement.

1. Positive statement → negative tag; negative statement → positive tag.
2. Use the same helping verb (is, has, can, will, had…); if there is none, use do/does/did.
3. Use a pronoun, never a name: Abdul will buy a car, won't he?

Special case	Tag
I am …	aren't I?
Let's …	shall we?
imperative (Open the door)	will you? / won't you?
never, hardly, nobody, nothing (negative meaning)	positive tag: They hardly attend, do they?
nobody, someone, everyone	they: Nobody has solved it, have they?
has = possess	doesn't she? (hasn't she? is old-fashioned British)

Textbook answers

Grammar II B (corrections): a. hasn't he b. aren't they c. won't he d. doesn't she e. hadn't she f. aren't they g. do I h. shall we i. aren't I

Grammar II C: a. didn't she b. hasn't he c. can he d. hasn't she e. doesn't she f. isn't he g. aren't I h. aren't they i. haven't we j. will she k. have they l. do they

10.6 Writing II: A message of invitation

Model answer — inviting a friend to a celebration

Dear Sushma,

I have great news! My uncle has been selected as an engineer in the Department of Roads after passing the Public Service Commission exam. To celebrate his success, our family is holding a small party at our home in Chabahil on Friday, 10 Bhadra, from 6 p.m. onwards. There will be dinner, music and lots of fun.

I would be very happy if you could join us. Please let me know by Wednesday whether you can come.

With love, Anisha

Accepting / declining (Speaking and Extra bit): Sure, I'd love to. / Thank you so much for the invitation. I'll be there. — I'd love to, but I have an appointment. / I wish I could, but I have other work. / I'm afraid I don't have time.

10.7 Pronunciation and project work

Ending	Sound	Words
-tion	/ʃən/	occupation, action, revolution
-sion after a consonant or ss	/ʃən/	mission, suspension, comprehension
-sion after a vowel	/ʒən/	collision, decision, explosion, infusion

Project work: design an attractive birthday invitation card with occasion, date, time, venue and RSVP.

Chapter summary

• A vacancy announcement gives organisation, post, requirements, duration, deadline and how to apply.
• UN Women Nepal: ICT and Administrative Support (SB-3) and Driver (SB-2), Kathmandu, one year, closing 21 Nov. 2021; inclusive.
• Informal invitation: friendly, first person; formal card: third person, cordially request your presence, RSVP.
• at times, on days/dates, in months/years/parts of the day; on time / in time.
• Question tags: opposite polarity, same auxiliary, pronoun; aren't I, shall we, positive tag after never/hardly/nobody.

Practice questions

Reading

1. Answer from the texts. [5]aWhat is the closing date of the vacancy?bWhich form must support the application?cFor how long was Rahim's father abroad?dWhose grandson is Sangam?eAt what time does the Bratabandha party start?

Answers — Reading

1. (a) 21 November 2021 (midnight New York time). (b) The UN Women Personal History Form (P11). (c) Three years. (d) Mr. Bikas Prasad Joshi and Mrs. Honey Joshi's. (e) From 5 p.m.

Grammar

2. Fill in with at, on or in. [5]aI was born ___ 2069 BS.bWe meet ___ Sundays.cThe shop opens ___ 9 a.m.dShe is ___ the kitchen.eMy book is ___ the table.
3. Add question tags. [5]aYou are tired, ?bShe doesn't eat meat, ?cLet's go, ?dHari can swim, ?eNobody came, ___?

Answers — Grammar

2. (a) in (b) on (c) at (d) in (e) on

3. (a) aren't you (b) does she (c) shall we (d) can't he (e) did they

Writing

4. Your school needs a Computer Teacher. Write a vacancy advertisement. [5]
5. Write an invitation card for your sister's wedding. [5]

Answers — Writing

4. School name and address, Vacancy Announcement, post and number, qualification (e.g. Bachelor's in Computer Science/IT), experience, skills, documents, deadline, contact, signed by the principal.

5. Hosts (parents) in the third person, cordially request your presence on the auspicious occasion of the wedding of their daughter … with …, date, time, venue, RSVP with phone number.