What Makes Grammar a Timeless Subject to Study and Teach

What Makes Grammar a Timeless Subject to Study and Teach Grammar has long been a subject of study- as a companion to  rhetoric  in ancient Greece and Rome and as one of the seven  liberal arts  in medieval education. Although the  methods  of studying grammar have changed dramatically in recent times, the  reasons  for studying grammar have remained essentially the same.   One of the most sensible answers to the question of why grammar matters appears in a position statement on the teaching of grammar in American schools. Published by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), the report is refreshingly free of educational cant. Heres how it begins: Grammar is important because it is the language that makes it possible for us to talk about language. Grammar names the types of words and word groups that make up sentences not only in English but in any language. As human beings, we can put sentences together even as children- we can all do grammar. But to be able to talk about how sentences are built, about the types of words and word groups that make up sentences- that is knowing about grammar. And knowing about grammar offers a window into the human mind and into our amazingly complex mental capacity. People associate grammar with errors and correctness. But knowing about grammar also helps us understand what makes sentences and paragraphs clear and interesting and precise. Grammar can be part of literature discussions when we and our students closely read the sentences in poetry and stories. And knowing about grammar means finding out that all languages and all dialects follow grammatical patterns. (Haussamen, Brock, et al. Some Questions and Answers About Grammar, 2002.) Note: The full report, Some Questions and Answers About Grammar, can be found on the website for the National Council of Teachers of English. Its well worth the read for anyone interested in English grammar. Additional Perspectives on Grammar Consider these explanations from other experts in English and education on why grammar matters: On  the utility and importance of  the study of Grammar,  and the principles of composition, much might be advanced, for the encouragement of persons in early life to apply themselves to this branch of learning... It may indeed be justly asserted, that many of the differences in opinion amongst men, with the disputes, contentions, and alienations of heart, which have too often proceeded from such differences, have been occasioned by a want of proper skill in the connexion and meaning of words, and by a tenacious misapplication of language. (Murray,  Lindley. English Grammar: Adapted to the Different Classes of Learners, Collins and Perkins, 1818.) We study grammar because a knowledge of sentence structure is an aid in the interpretation of literature; because continual dealing with sentences influences the student to form better sentences in his own composition; and because grammar is the best subject in our course of study for the development of reasoning power. (Webster,  William Frank. The Teaching of English Grammar, Houghton, 1905.) The study of language is a part of general knowledge. We study the complex working of the human body to understand ourselves; the same reason should attract us to studying the marvelous complexity of human language... If you understand the nature of language, you will realize the ground for your linguistic prejudices and perhaps moderate them; you will also more clearly assess linguistic issues of public concern, such as worries about the state of the language or what to do about the teaching of immigrants. Studying the English language has a more obvious practical application: It can help you to use the language more effectively. (Greenbaum, Sidney, and Gerald Nelson. An Introduction to English Grammar, 2nd ed., Longman, 2002.) Grammar is the study of how sentences mean. And that is why it helps. If we want to understand the meaning conveyed by sentences, and to develop our ability to express and respond to this meaning, then the more we know about grammar, the better we will be able to carry out these tasks... Grammar is the structural foundation of our ability to express ourselves. The more we are aware of how it works, the more we can monitor the meaning and effectiveness of the way we and others use language. It can help foster precision, detect ambiguity, and exploit the richness of expression available in English. And it can help everyone - not only teachers of English but teachers of anything, for all teaching is ultimately a matter of getting to grips with meaning. (Crystal, David. Making Sense of Grammar, Longman, 2004.) [T]he study of your own grammatical system can be quite revealing and useful, and provides you with insights into how language, your own and others, whether spoken or signed, actually works... With an understanding of how language actually works, and a concise vocabulary to talk about it, you will be equipped to make more informed decisions and choices about grammar and usage, and to tease out linguistic fact from linguistic fiction. (Lobeck, Anne and Kristin Denham,  Navigating English Grammar: A Guide to Analyzing Real Language,  Wiley-Blackwell, 2013.)

Read the dis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Read the dis - Essay Example Usually Starbucks like firms have both long term and short term strategies to sustain its business in the market. It is difficult for a firm to rely entirely either on short term or long term policies to compete effectively in the market. Judicious implementation of short term and long term policies will help the firm to achieve its objectives and targets. Short term objectives should be specific, time bounded and accountable in order to become effective. Starbucks concentrated heavily on short term strategies to achieve success. Between 1987 through 1990 Starbucks entered new markets, and continued to grow. At the end of 1987, there were 17 Starbucks locations, and by 1990 there were 84. During this four year growth phase Starbucks entered the markets of Chicago, Vancouver, and Portland. In 1988 the company started a mail order catalog for it's fine dark roasted coffee beans and high quality coffee equipment (Kembell) Starbucks never tried to undertake a comprehensive expansion stra tegy. They focused on establishing few more outlets every year rather than establishing numerous outlets at different countries at the same time. This strategy helped them to give more attention to all the newly opened outlets till such outlets became profitable. The above short term strategy of establishing only few outlets every year helped Starbucks to achieve its long term objective of establishing outlets at different parts of the world and manage all of them with success. In other words, the short term strategies of Starbucks are linked to the long term objectives of the firm. They have given priorities to their short term strategy of establishing few outlets at a time and manage them well in order to achieve their long term strategy of establishing as many units in different countries and manage all of them well. Business strategies and functional tactics of a firm have direct relationships. In fact business strategies are usually implemented using different functional tactic s. For example, coffee lovers always like variety while taking a coffee. They don’t like the same taste every time when they take a coffee. Starbucks know this consumer psychology very well and they have introduced many flavors in their coffee products. Starbucks introduced ‘walnut flavor of Colombia Narino Supremo, the creamy sweet Caf Verona and the smooth, buttery Sulawesi† (Kembell) etc as a result of their realization of the above consumer psychology. Some of the other functional tactics employed by Starbucks are the selling of coffee-related products, Expresso machines, stainless steel coffee filters etc. Through the selling of coffee-related products such as brewing equipment and accessories, many consumers can enjoy high quality coffee at home rather than traveling out of their way. The equipment available includes Expresso machines, stainless steel coffee filters, and Starbucks cleaner and canisters. This is another example of how Starbucks is meeting the needs of current customers as well as increasing its attractiveness to potential customers (Kembell) The above functional tactics helped Starbucks to spread the popularity of Starbucks coffee from its outlets to home. Moreover, these strategies helped Starbucks to polish its face more and to popularize its products more in the market. The name Starbucks is currently fixed firmly in the hearts of the coffee lovers because

Verification of MBTI Type Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Verification of MBTI Type - Essay Example The ESFP personality profile was also chosen as the hypothesized one based on the description of the ESFP given by Myers and Briggs – â€Å"Outgoing, friendly, and accepting. Exuberant lovers of life, people, and material comforts. Enjoy working with others to make things happen. Bring common sense and a realistic approach to their work, and make work fun. Flexible and spontaneous, adapt readily to new people and environments. Learn best by trying a new skill with other people.† The test results that came back were ISFP – which matched the hypothesized profile on all but the first variable. The MBTI measures an individual's preferred modes of experiencing stimuli, and responding to them along four dichotomous variables. Each alphabet of the personality profile code stands for the dominant aspect of one variable. The first variable is Extraversion – Introversion; which attempts to understand the direction of focus of the individuals’ attentions. The report shows a preference towards introversion; signifying a tendency to look within and share significant events with a few close people rather than many acquaintances. The results also suggest that the individual would prefer to work alone, and prefer their own space. The hypothesised result on this variable was Extraversion – an assumption not supported by the test results.

Discourse on Modernization Essay Example for Free

Discourse on Modernization Essay The discourse on Modernization was resisted by the Communists led by the USSR through a policy of isolation and xenophobia. The improvement of quality of life Modernization would bring was a threat to their hold on nations. Hence it was against the best interest of Communist governments that their holdings obtain genuine modernization. One major example was the Iron Curtain. Movement of people, goods and information was severely restricted along the east-west Germany border especially during the 50s and 60s. Starting with their refusal to accept Marshall plan aid after World War II, the nations falling under the Iron Curtain refused to have dealings with the west. By breaking contact with the West, they were able to limit the common people’s consciousness the people did not have a basis for comparison to realize how oppressive their lives really were. Another example was the foundation or support of various communist movements all over the World. Many of these organizations received financial and logistical support from the COMINTERN or the KGB. These organizations promoted the Communist ideal often with a nationalist or self-determinist bias. They tried to disparage Western Aid as a form of Imperialism to limit modernization it their respective countries. Shortcoming of the â€Å"modernization theory†: Dichotomy of the â€Å"traditional† and â€Å"modern† 5. Cultural Imperialism The Third World in the 1960s: Stagnation of the economic development; political instability Dependency Theory: Emerged in Latin America in the late 1960s Grounded in the neo-Marxist political-economy approach TNCs in the North exercise control, with the support of their respective governments, Over the developing countries by setting the terms of global trade ? developing nations remain â€Å"peripheral† Cultural Imperialism: The cultural aspects of dependency theory Ex: Herbert Schiller (1969) Mass Communications and American Empire US-based TNCs undermine cultural autonomy of the South US communications technology and investment, coupled with the new demand for media products, nessitate large-scale imports of US media products Consumerism is emphasized at the expense of community values

The Challenge of Good Advice :: Personal Narrative, Autobiographical Essay

The Challenge of Good Advice Good advice is in the eye of the beholder. Advice needs to be relative to the situation. If something is missing from advice the whole topic may be dismissed. If there is too much some info may be missed because some is forgotten or attention diverted. For advice to be good options should present themselves. I won't want to be told there is only one way to do something. No straight forward answer should ultimately clinch it for me. I'd want insight from a variety of sources. Such as verbal and non-verbal, sentences and actions. Cautioning against something too much may have the reverse effect, every once in a while I've been known to see what will happen, even if guided to do otherwise. The same advice given to two different people may trigger different actions. My mother has said this to me "Save your money for something you really want" when I was young, like age 9, I ignored this advice because I wasn't ready for it and I "wanted" candy. My age, 18, allows me to listen better save it for college or to buy a car. The older I got the more willing I was to accept advice. It all depended on what I was thinking and feeling at a particular time or age. Or 18 year olds, like some of my friends could disregard the advice as well and just "want" to party. To me good advice comes from someone I respect or even want to be like. However, if that person is on the wrong track with advice then they could lead me astray. Their so-called good advice may be the worst advice I could ever receive. Taking advice has to be a judgment call as well as a learning process. If I were to choose the wrong path it would be no one's fault but my own. I usually want drawn out examples of situations in order to choose what advice is good for me and what is not. Yet my brother wants advice straight to the point and easy to refer back to. Then sometimes I want a little of both. To me the somewhat drawn out examples help me to choose the path to go. With more examples I'm bound to remember at least one if not more. The short, but not always sweet, explanations may leave room for interpretation which occasionally have led me to the eve of destruction.

Oceans and Atmosphere Worksheet Essay

The Oceans 1. What is the composition of seawater? The salinity of seawater ranges from 3.3 to 3.7%. When seawater evaporates it leaves behind sodium chloride, better known as table salt. The other components of seawater are acquired through various methods. One of which is weathering. Chemical weathering of rock releases soluble such as salts of sodium, potassium, and sulfur. 2. What are the three major layers (zones) found in the ocean? Describe each layer briefly. The three layers of the ocean are the surface layer, the thermocline, and the deep zone. The surface layer goes up to 100 meters deep and consists of low density, warm water. In the thermocline temperatures decrease rapidly as it extends to depths of 1500 meters. The deep zone maintains a cold temperature of about -2 degrees Celsius and extends to the ocean floor beyond the thermocline. 3. What is an ocean current? Surface ocean currents are caused by winds. Wind presses on the ocean’s surface and forces the water to move along with it. These currents range from 50 to 100 meters in depth and are contained to the surface layer. Deep ocean currents are caused by several factors including temperature and salinity, which accounts for the water’s density. 4. How do oceans regulate climate? There are several ways in which the oceans regulate the climate. The oceans act as a sink for excess carbon dioxide which helps to regulate the greenhouse effect. Also there is a heat exchange that occurs within the ocean that is extremely important. Water can be heated more efficiently by the sun’s rays rather than land. The sun’s ray’s can penetrate much further into the water. Water has a higher heat capacity than land. Latent heat also plays a role, as water is frozen heat is released and as water in unfrozen heat is absorbed. 5. What causes a change in sea level? The changes in sea level can be contributed to the addition or subtraction of water to the oceans. The additions come from the melting of stored water that come in the form of glaciers and ice caps during times of global warming. Subtraction comes from the removal of water to land based frozen forms during times of global cooling. 6. What causes ocean tides? Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of both the moon and the sun. The moon being closer has a greater effect on tides. Water on the side of Earth closest to the moon bulges toward the moon. There is also a bulge away from the moon on the opposite side of the Earth. 7. What is the relationship between plate tectonics and the ocean floor—seafloor spreading, for example? 8. What are different ways that earth materials are moved around in the oceans? Surf is a powerful force. It causes erosion and moves sediment from one location to another. Currents are another manner in which materials are transported through the ocean system. There is a longshore current and a beach drift responsible for disturbing and transporting materials. 9. What are the different types of shorelines? Describe each type briefly. There is a rocky coast, lowland beach and barrier island, as well as coral reef. A rocky coast describes the most common type of costal area. This is where there are vertical wave cut cliffs and horizontal bench cut cliffs. The erosion undermines the cliffs and sends the resulting debris into the ocean forming rough outcroppings. Beaches are not only the sand areas on land they extend into the sand in the surf zone. During low tide, sands are sometimes blown onto land creating dunes or barrier islands. A coral reef is formed in an area where temperatures exceed 18 degrees Celsius but do not exceed 30. Also they are formed only at or above sea level. Coral is a limestone reef formed by a colony of organisms which secrete calcium carbonate as their skeletal material. 10. Why do waves change as they approach shorelines? A wave changes as it approaches shore due to the fact that a wave exists not only on the surface but also below water. As a wave approaches shore it comes into contact with the shallow sea floor and this begins to distort the loop shape of the water movement. It causes the wave height to increase while the wavelength shortens. Atmosphere 1. What is the composition of the Earth’s atmosphere? Air is what envelopes the Earth. Air is invisible and typically odorless. Air has two highly viable components that are aerosols and water vapor. Aerosols are liquid and solid particles so small that they remain suspended. Water vapor in air is expressed in terms of humidity. When ignoring aerosol and water vapor these gasses, termed dry air, are present and known as nitrogen, oxygen, and argon. There are more gases that make up a very minute portion of the atmosphere but play a vital role known as carbon dioxide, neon, and six others. 2. What are the four major layers of the Earth’s atmosphere? Describe each layer briefly. There is the Troposphere, the Stratosphere, the Mesosphere, and the Thermosphere. The Troposphere contains 80% of all actual mass of the atmosphere. It is also the layer where all weather phenomenon take place. Most all heat absorbing gases reside here. The Stratosphere contains 19% of all atmospheres mass. The Mesosphere and Thermosphere together contain only 1% of the atmospheric mass. The thermosphere absorbs short ultraviolet wavelengths. The Mesosphere absorbs medium wavelengths. The Stratosphere absorbs long wavelengths. 3. What is the greenhouse effect? The greenhouse effect is how the Earth’s surface is heated. Greenhouse gasses such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane absorb some of the outgoing infrared terrestrial radiation and prevent it from escaping. 4. How would you describe the ozone layer? Why is the ozone layer important? The ozone layer is a protective area in the outer three layers of the  atmosphere that protect the earth from harmful radiation by blocking particular wavelengths. 5. What is the relationship among the Earth’s atmosphere, the sun, and the rotation of the Earth? The sun heats the Earth’s atmosphere and makes it a habitable planet. The earth is a sphere so the sun cannot warm every place on earth at once. This issue is solved by the earth’s rotation and its rotation around the Sun. 6. What is the Coriolis effect? The Coriolis effect causes anything that moves freely with respect to the rotating earth to veer off a straight path. This can be demonstrated through long range missile launches that have been known to land far from their intended targets due to the earth’s rotation. 7. How would you define climate? Climate is an average of weather patterns over a long period of time, generally on a regional or global scale. 8. How does the atmosphere regulate climate? Atmosphere regulates climate through weather patterns created through the greenhouse effect. This process creates heat within water vapors and other gasses that are the main contributing factors in weather. Also the filtration of wavelengths by the upper atmospheres keeps the earth’s climate at a more even temperature. 9. What are the six global climate zones? What are the main climate effects on people and the environment? The six climate zones are tropical, dry, temperate-humid, cold-humid, polar, and highland. Each zone is driven by solar energy which drives temperature, seasonality, precipitation which in turn fosters vegetation, . These factors make a zone habitable or non habitable. 10. How do the oceans and the atmosphere interact? The oceans provide a great deal of moisture for the atmosphere. This moisture is a main component in heat exchange which leads to weather patterns. Water is in constant motion and plays a vital roles in the regulation of the atmosphere.

Marks and Spencer Sustainability Analysis Free Essay Example, 1000 words

Transportation M&S relies on vans for major transportation services. Coyle et al. , (2002) state that the company partnered with Joint Retail Logistics to produce and assemble a light weight automobile to cut down fuel consumption by 16%. The move to manufacturing a vehicle is sustainable and can help the company to minimize the trips if the vehicles deck is increased by 70%. It can also improve transportation by using trucks or Lorries to carry bulky loads and minimize the cost and fuel. Reverse Logistics and Sustainability In 2012, Muthu (2015), explains that the Marks & Spencer organized a popular event in partnership with Oxfam referred to as Shwopping. The primary purpose of this event is to encourage its consumers to donate second-hand clothes for reuse or to be remodeled. M&S alongside other companies engage reverse logistics from a green perspective to control the flow of products meant for manufacturing, reuse or disposal (Muthu, 2015). The company also recycles plastic bags and boxes to make tissue papers that are sold in stores. It also promotes organic farming by converting the organic waste from fruits and vegetables into renewable energy. We will write a custom essay sample on Marks and Spencer Sustainability Analysis or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Quality Management System M&S were extensive and cautious global retailers that ensured â€Å"Quality, Value and Service, † (Williamson, 2004). The company’s implementation of the ISO 14001 in 2007 resulted in the establishment of Plan A as a sustainability strategy. The plan was established as an economic and environmental approach consisting 100 goals that are set to be realized by 2015. Brokaw (2012) note that successful implementation of plan A enabled M&S to reduce total carbon emissions by 23%, increase energy efficiency by 31%, shrink waste by 28%, decrease water consumption by 27% and decrease plastic carrier bags by 80%. Kelly (2006) state that M&S actively takes part in initiatives such as Back To Work Program in which M&S provide employment opportunities for disadvantaged people such as the elderly and disabled. Operation Strategy and Sustainability M its base of product users maintain a conscious environment with high alerts and murmurs concerning global warming caused by the emission of greenhouse gasses. Its reliance on Plan A operation and sustainability policy have resulted in some explicit business benefits for M&S (Yudelson, 2009). Conclusion Conclusively, the paper established that M it is a sustainable company.