While reading and writing in English has been considered to be important in India, spoken English has, till recently, been given less importance. But as Indians are increasingly being exposed to situations where they have to communicate with people outside their respective regions and their country, fluency and accuracy in spoken English, as well as knowledge of communication etiquette, are becoming valued skills.

A Manual for English Language Laboratories is a textbook that addresses these issues through an activity-based, learner-oriented approach rather than a top-down, theoretical one. The first two chapters provide students with vigorous training in two vital aspects of conversational English: phonetics and role play. The rest of the chapters build on these two elements and discuss scenarios that require different kinds of etiquette, tone and voice modulation. These scenarios range from informal speech, such as giving directions and describing people or things, to more formal English in official or educational settings, such as participating in telephone interviews or debates.

Though written with the course needs of first-year engineering students in mind, the author has used simple language and an approach that will appeal to all readers who need to develop their English language and soft skills.