Have you ever followed instructions for knitting something or read a piece of music? If you have, you have behaved in a similar way to how a computer obeys a program to carry out a particular task. (This sentence establishes the analogy between following instructions and computer programs)Just as (connecting phrase) a knitting pattern is expressed in numbers and a piece of music in lines and dots, so a computer program is written in the form of a programming language. (This explains how programs are similar to instructions)Like the English language (or any other language), there are rules of grammar, and a program's instructions** must be correct in every way.** (This highlights the importance of syntax in programming)There are hundreds of programming languages, but only a few are well-known and widely used. (This introduces the variety of programming languages)The most popular language used in offices is COBOL. (This specifies a common business programming language)This language is used for payrolls and keeping records of goods. (This clarifies the purpose of COBOL)Engineers and scientists use Fortran (another programming language) to carry out calculations. (This explains the use of Fortran in scientific fields)(Although) neither of these two programs is very popular with people working on computers. (This highlights a shift in user preference)Basic is the most (likely a typo, should be "common") language for beginners, but it is not very powerful. (This introduces a beginner-friendly language but notes its limitations)