The 5 Most Common Writing Mistakes of ESL Students

The 5 Most Common Writing Mistakes of ESL Students There are certain mistakes that tend to be made by almost all English learners - and some native speakers - at some time or another. Most of these mistakes can be easily avoided. It is my hope that this article will help you identify these mistakes, and provide the information you need to stop you from making these mistakes when writing online. 1. Use of Indefinite / Definite Articles (the, a, an) Knowing when to use definite or indefinite articles can be difficult. Here are some of the most important rules to remember when using definite and indefinite articles. Indefinite articles are used (a, an) the first time something is presented in a sentence.Use indefinite articles with anything that is not specifically known to BOTH the writer and the reader.Related to the first two: Use a definite article when referring to something that has already been mentioned.Conversely, Use a definite article (the) when referring to an object which is known to both the writer and the reader.Use no definite or indefinite article (nothing, in other words) when speaking in general using a plural with a countable noun, or the singular with a uncountable noun. Here are five examples of these mistakes, in order, for each type listed above. I live in the apartment, close to the supermarket.Id like to go to the good restaurant.I stayed in the hotel near the park. The hotel was very nice, and a park had some wonderful paths.Remember a presentation we went to last week?The apples are generally very tasty in season. Here are the sentences corrected: I live in an apartment, close to a supermarket. (Note that I know the apartment and supermarket, but you, the listener / reader, do not.)Id like to go to a good restaurant.I stayed in a hotel near a park. The hotel was very nice, and the park had some wonderful paths.Remember the presentation we went to last week?Apples are generally very tasty in season. 2. Capitalize I and National Adjectives / Nouns / Names of Languages and the First Word of a New Sentence The rules of capitalization in English are confusing. However, the most common capitalization mistakes that occur are with national adjectives, nouns and names of languages. Remember these rules to help you avoid this type of capitalization mistake. Capitalize ICapitalize nations, national nouns and adjectives - French, Russian, English, Italy, Canadian, etc.Capitalize the first letter of the first word in a new sentence or questionDo NOT capitalize common nouns, nouns are only capitalized if they are the name of somethingCapitalize proper names of people, institutions, festivals, etc. Here is an example that applies to the last two points. I go to university. (common noun - university)BUTI go to the University of Texas. (noun used as proper name) Here are five examples, in order, for each type of mistake listed above. Jack comes from Ireland, but i come from the US.I dont speak chinese, but I speak a little french.where do you come from?He bought a new Bicycle for his birthday.Lets visit maria this afternoon. Here are the sentences corrected: Jack comes from Ireland, but I come from the US.I dont speak Chinese, but I speak a little French.Where do you come from?He bought a new bicycle for his birthday.Lets visit Maria this afternoon. 3. Slang and Texting Language Many English learners, especially young English learners like to use slang and texting language online. The idea behind this is good: learners want to show that they understand and can use idiomatic language. However, using this sort of idiomatic language can lead to many mistakes. The easiest way to deal with this problem is to no use texting language or slang in a blog post, comment or other online written communication. Texting is fine if you are texting, otherwise it should not be used. Any type of longer written communication should not use slang. Slang is used in spoken English, not in written communication. 4. Use of Punctuation English learners sometimes have problems when placing punctuation marks. I often receive e-mails, and see posts in which there are no spaces before or after punctuation marks. The rule is simple: Place a punctuation mark (.,:;!?) immediately after the last letter of a word followed by a space. Here are some examples: They visited Paris,London,Berlin and New York. Id like to have some pasta , and a steak . Simple mistake, simple correction! They visited Paris, London, Berlin and New York. Id like to have some pasta, and a steak. 5. Common Mistakes in English I admit this is actually more than one mistake. However, there are a number of common mistakes made in English. Here are the top three common mistakes in English that are often found in writing. Its or Its - Its it is / Its possessive form. Remember when you see an apostrophe () there is a missing verb! Then or Than - Than is used in the comparative form (Its bigger than my house!) Then is used as a time expression (First you do this. Then you do that.)Good or Well - Good is the adjective form (Thats a good story!) Well is the adverb form (He plays tennis well.) Here are six examples, two for each in order, for each type of mistake listed above. He attributed his success to its appeal to children.I think its time to discuss this question in more detail.The government decided it would cost more money to change policy then to leave current law stand.She can first finish her homework, than go to practice.How good do you speak German?I think hes well public speaker. Here are the sentences corrected: He attributed his success to its appeal to children.I think its time to discuss this question in more detail.The government decided it would cost more money to change policy than to leave current law stand.She can first finish her homework, then go to practice.How well do you speak German?I think hes good public speaker.

Definition and Examples of Hypercorrection in English

Definition and Examples of Hypercorrection in English Hypercorrection (pronounced HI-per-ke-REK-shun) is a  pronunciation, word form, or grammatical construction produced by mistaken analogy with standard usage out of a desire to be correct. In some cases, hypercorrection may be a sign of language change. For example, in Understanding Language Use in the Classroom (2014), Susan Behrens points out that a hypercorrection such as Whom is it? would be rejected by everyone. However, Who did you see? would be rated by many as acceptable, even correct. Examples and Observations [H]ypercorrection crucially is motivated by the relationship between different dialects or languagesor rather by the relationship between these as perceived by their speakers.In many case, speakers focus on differences in prestige. Speakers of less prestigious dialects try to imitate a more prestigious one by adaptations in their pronunciation. . . .As the result of a variety of sound changes and analogical developments, English at a certain stage had two competing forms of the so-called gerund, a form in -ing (as in going) and a form in -en (as in goen). At a later stage, Standard English leveled out the form in -ing at the expense of -en. Many nonstandard dialects generalized -en, instead. This difference has since become one of the major features distinguishing standard from nonstandard English, and the use of the form in -en is often referred to as dropping ones gs. As speakers who drop their gs try to speak the prestige dialect, they replace their -en by -ing. And again, in many cases they go too far and extend their substitution to words like taken (as in I have taking it). (Hans Henrich Hock and Brian D. Joseph, Language History, Language Change, and Language Relationship. Walter de Gruyter, 1996) I heard a good one on the preacher last week. You know somebody got into his barn a while ago, and stole every blessed chicking he had to his name. (Fred Lewis Pattee, The House of the Black Ring: A Romance of the Seven Mountains, 1905) Whomever [W]e saw a t-shirt proclaiming I am for whomever beats Harvard. The whomever usage is nonstandard in this sentence since the pronoun is the subject of the predicate beats Harvard. Such overuse of supposedly correct words, pronunciation, or structure is called hypercorrection. If you dont quite know the way whom should be used, but believe that it is more prestigious than who, you might indeed overuse it. (Susan J. Behrens and Rebecca L. Sperling, Language Variation: Students and Teachers Reflect on Accents and Dialects. Language in the Real World: An Introduction to Linguistics, ed. by Susan J. Behrens and Judith A. Parker. Routledge, 2010)My friend, you are yesterday. Whomever pulled off this caper is tomorrow. (Robert Vaughn as Ross Webster in Superman III, 1983) The Use of I for Me and Whom for Who Perhaps the most common example of hypercorrectness is the use of I for me in a compound subject: between you and I. Other common hypercorrect forms include whom for who, as for like (She, as any other normal person, wanted to be well thought of), the ending -ly where it doesnt belong (Slice thinly), some verb forms (lie for lay, shall for will), and many pronunciations. (W. R. Ebbit and D. R. Ebbitt, Writers Guide. Scott, 1978)She had very little to say to Cathy and I.Whom are we inviting to the party?The phrase between you and I looks like a hypercorrection (and is confidently described as such by some) starting with latter-day harping by school teachers on such supposed errors as It is me. But between you and I is far too ancient and persistent to be any such thing. (A. Sihler, Language History: An Introduction. John Benjamins, 2000) False Plurals [T]he attempt to foist proper Greek and Latin plurals has bred pseudo-erudite horrors such as axia (more than one axiom), peni, rhinoceri, and [octopi]. It should be . . . octopuses. The -us in octopus is not the Latin noun ending that switches to -i in the plural, but the Greek pous (foot). (Steven Pinker, Words and Rules. Basic, 1999) The Grammar of Anxiety Who is to give [schoolchildren] warning signals about the whole Grammar of Anxiety, which springs from the chronic fear of being thought uneducated or banal and coins such things as more importantly, he invited Mary and I, when I was first introduced, and the end result? (Alistair Cooke, The Patient Has the Floor. Alfred A. Knopf, 1986) Virus Theory The key construct of Virus Theory [a term coined by linguist Nicolas Sobin, 1997] is the grammatical virus, which is envisaged as a surface rule that is acquired relatively late (for example during schooling). The effect of a virus is to trigger (or license) a prestige usage that core grammar would not normally be expected to produce. . . .Unlike normal grammatical rules, viruses typically make reference to specific lexical items. Consider, for example, the It was/is I construction that is sometimes found in prestige English usage. The nominative case form of the post-copular pronoun in this construction clearly diverges from the unmarked pattern, according to which post-copular position correlates with accusative case. . . . We can thus infer that the rule that allows It was/is I in prestige varieties is an addition to the basic usage. (Nigel Armstrong and Ian E. Mackenzie, Standardization, Ideology and Linguistics. Palgrave Macmillan, 2013) Labov-Hypercorrection Labov-hypercorrection [is a] secular linguistic term associated with the embedding problem in which style stratification of marker is such that (usually) the second highest status group in a speech community uses higher status variants in formal styles more frequently than the highest status group. This linguistic behaviour can be interpreted as being the result of linguistic insecurity. Labov-hypercorrection should be distinguished from hypercorrection, whch is a feature of the speech of individuals. Labov-hypercorrection is term which is due to the British linguist J.C. Wells, who suggested that it was necessary to distinguish terminologically between individual hypercorrection and group hypercorrection of the type first described by William Labov in his research in New York City. (Peter Trudgill, A Glossary of Sociolinguistics. Oxford University Press, 2003)

Analysis of Trust and Equity in Law Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Analysis of Trust and Equity in Law - Case Study Example In order to understand the term trust well, one has to understand some technical terms such as resulting trusts, an express trust, fiduciary, fixed trust, beneficiary, charitable trust, personal remedies, and constructive trusts. Trust is always a unique creation of the common law. When a trustee is transferring property to a beneficiary he may be bound by numerous duties which may be either imposed by general principles of equity, by statute or by the trust instrument and there are always serious impacts to the trustee who may either neglect his duties or breach the terms contained in the contract. When establishing a trust, there must be certainty and clarity. It is very necessary to be clear as to who the property is transferred to. There should also be the establishment of the rights of the beneficiary with certainty so that in case the trustee fails to carry his duties, the trust should be enforced. There must be different types and levels of formality when dealing with differen t and various types of property. It is very important for the trustee to be invested properly with the title to the trust property that he wishes to transfer. This is because he is the owner of the property. Unless the trustee does so, the trust is considered as incomplete and the beneficiaries may have no claim over the property. This fact is well illustrated in case Milroy v Lord (1862). In special instances where the property has to be transferred to the beneficiary, the trustee needs to closely examine the particular type of trust that he wants and wishes to transfer so that he can determine what needs to be done in order to transfer the property effectively. If the trustee of the property has a title, there is no need of any formality in the transfer. For an effective declaration to take place is only some clear evidence of irrevocable and present declaration of trust. This evidence may take any form. It is a condition that for a declaration of a trust to be effective, there mu st not be a failed attempt by the owner of the property to create the trust by transferring the property to the beneficiary. In the case, Paul v Constance [1977] 1 WLR 527, Mr. Constance who was deceased was operating a bank account in his own name. In many instances, he heard as saying to his de facto partner Mrs. Paul that the money he had was his as well as hers. By that time, Mr. Constance was still legally married to Mrs. Constance, who was the defendant in this case. Constance later died intestate and all his assets including the bank account passed to his wife. With this statement, it was not sufficient enough that there was a trust which had been created.  Ã‚  

Write a critique on a Film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Write a critique on a Film - Essay Example White (Tom Hanks) who is the band’s second manager, Faye Dolan (Liv Tyler) Jimmys girlfriend and the bands "costume mistress", Tina (Charlize Theron) Guys girlfriend, Guy Patterson (Tom Everett Scott) the drum player in the band and Steve Zahn (Lenny Haiser) the guitarist and backing vocals of the group. In the year 1964, Guy Patterson (Tom Everett Scott) is a jazz drummer working at his family’s Erie, Pennsylvania Appliance store. Because the regular drummer of the band (Giovanni Ribisi) has broken his arm, Lenny Haise (Steve Zahn) and Jimmy Mattingly (Johnathon Schaech) approach Guy Patterson to ask him to sit in with their band at the annual Mercyhurst College talent show (Maslin, 1). During rehearsals, the group carefully rehearses a sensational ballad titled â€Å"That Thing You Do.† Faye Dolan (Liv Tyler), Jimmy’s girlfriend suggests that the group call themselves â€Å"The Oneders†. She is inspired by Guy’s great performance at the rehearsal. After a brilliant rehearsal, Guy messes up in the talent show by playing a faster tempo for â€Å"That Thing You Do! than in rehearsals. The audiences react negatively to the song, but Oneders eventually emerge the winner of $100 top prize. After the talent show, the group started playing gigs, they pl ayed at a local pizza parlor as their first gig. Maslin (1) reveals how they started selling a single of â€Å"That Thing You Do! with the help of Guy’s Uncle Bob (Chris Isaak). The single attracted the attention of Phil Horace (Chris Ellis) the local manager. Horace signs the group to bigger gigs and they are given airplay of the single. The band is offered a contract with Play-Tone Records by Mr. White (Hanks), they sign the contract and change their famous band name to â€Å"The Wonders† in order to avoid confusions. The group then is faced with internal disagreement which leads to their fall. Jimmy

INFORMATION SOCIETY & INFORMATION ECONOMY Essay - 1

INFORMATION SOCIETY & INFORMATION ECONOMY - Essay Example These channels have been reported to have coverage to 33.3 million to 47.8 million households from year 1997-2002. They are available through cable, satellite and digital platforms. Transnational channels allow companies to have a platform where they can expand their sales and brands internationally (Collison 2002; Chalaby 2003). The study aims to comprehensively review what transnational television is, its benefits, challenges and impact on globalisation, specifically in the United Kingdom. It will also critically analyze transnational television-related literatures available in peer-reviewed journals. Lastly, the study will review convergence theories that will help provide a deeper understanding of the phenomenal widespread of transnational television. The United Kingdom has seen dramatic changes in television since the 1980s, from the increase in demand for televisions to the increase in the number of networks and programmes (OECD 1997). Changes and transformation in media, specifically television, is commonly characterised by the following: emergence of megaglobal companies which resulted from acquisitions and mergers; privatization of media companies; less restriction on foreign ownership; corporate investments on new advancements in technology such as satellite and cable; and transnationalisation of advertisements (Jin 2007). Acquisitions and mergers are commonly demonstrated by large companies who have the means to expand. Instead of forming and constructing their own, they just merge or acquire and use the machinery and technology of smaller companies. Digital Revolution. The Digital revolution started in 1984 when Apple introduced Mac to the world, commonly characterised by the user-friendly graphics and unique page design and layout tool. The focus in terms of information infrastructures has been on broadband satellite systems, one of which is

Family and Kinship in Japan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Family and Kinship in Japan - Essay Example The sayings, or â€Å"Analects† of Confucius were written some 500 years BC and they contain many references to the duties of parents and children, in particular stressing the duty of the young man to respect his elders (Confucius and Leys, 1997, p. 4). In those days peasant families had no social security systems or means of supporting themselves in old age, and so children were expected to provide for their parents. Japanese culture is no longer based on a peasant, agricultural economy, but in the urban centers there is still an expectation that children should respect their elders, and a collectivist approach to society which involves each family unit being responsible for their own members. With the rise of industrial society in Japan male and female roles continued to be quite clearly segregated, so that women maintained the role of homemaker and provide care for the elders, while the men are expected to work long hours with a few holidays. A relic of older times can be seen in the way that Japanese religion has a place for ancestor worship. The Japanese Shinto religion involves interactions with kami or spirits, and these can include the ghosts of ancestors who have died. Hori noted in the 1960s that this practice is â€Å"even today, widespread and important† (Hori, p. 32) but points out at the same time that there is a difference between this kind of lowly household deity and the more absolute deities of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Japanese religious beliefs are syncretistic, drawing on many different sources for inspiration so that the same family can have a Shinto New Year celebration, a Buddhist funeral and a Christian wedding ceremony, without seein g any conflict between the underlying world views. This makes it rather difficult for researchers to work out how deeply embedded any cultural phenomena in modern Japan actually are.

How a person should be internationlly Research Paper

How a person should be internationlly - Research Paper Example The idea of an international person is derived from international law. In other words, it is a person who is subject to international law. Furthermore, an international person has powers established in international law; they enjoy the rights, duties and powers established in international law. They also have the ability to act on the international plane (definitions.uslegal.com/i/international-person). This is clearly illustrated in the Kiobel v, Royal Dutch Petroleum Co. 2010 as the court described an international person as a person subjected to the international law. A person internationally should be understanding, patience, and accommodative to all the cultures and interests of people (Boas, 155). Other sources imply that to become a person international is more about applying cross-continental wisdom and kindness. It involves the ability to apply basic human goodness on a boarder spectrum, all around the world. Moreover, someone who has travelled to a lot of places has an outl ook, which is not limited by national boundaries, is tolerant and accepting all cultures and is adaptable, to an extent, to many cultural surroundings. Others say one can become a person internationally, by being a person of the people by either being an activist or a leader (roots-int.com/S-T/14/nora-e.html>.) Being an activist of human rights, disabled people or other issues that are sensitive in the world of today. Some of the people who have become person internationally include; Political leaders, some sportsmen and women, some celebrities, human right laws among other professions. The biggest role models internationally include; President Obama, Nelson Mandela, Oprah Winfrey, Micheal Jackson to name just a few. The fact that these people relate to people from all walks of life make them people who are known internationally. Being an international person is beneficial as the idea of internationalizing the world because of unification. Internationalizing promotes world peace, it makes one understand the language, religion and culture of other people thus resulting to a unified group of people (roots-int.com/S-T/14/nora-e.html>). . Ways to become an international person. They are many ways to become an international person; one can be an international student, an international business person, and international programs. Here is a case study of Martin who has become an international person through being a student. Martin joined J.F Oberlin as an exchange student he was interested in Japanese traditional things and culture, he had heard about how great Japan is and this made him curious to know about Japanese culture. Martin’s homeland is Slovakia where he studied Marketing in University of Silesia, he joined Japan as he thought of it as an exotic country and he expected so much difference with Asian countries. For martin, going for studies in Japan would make him an international person as he saw it as a good environment for studying as he would lear n different languages. Being an international person by studying out of the home country has many advantages compared to studying in home universities. First, as an international student Martin is bale to learn about other countries’ culture as well as Japan. At J.F Oberlin martin is able to meet people from other countries like China, Korea, America as