Frankenstein Pursuit Of Knowledge Essay - 1673 Words

Among the many themes explored in Mary Shelley s timeless classic â€Å"Frankenstein†, the one I find to be most relevant and the one that truly resonated with me was the dangers that stem from the pursuit of knowledge. This theme resonated with me for many reasons because, while the pursuit of knowledge has allowed humankind to exert and enjoy unparalleled and unprecedented power over the animal kingdom and the world itself, it’s a seemingly benign aspect of human nature that can paradoxically render humankind obsolete. while exploring the many dangers rooted in the pursuit and frankly the obsession of knowledge one cannot help but see the correlations between Mary Shelley s infamous character, the ‘creature’ and the Industrial Revolution†¦show more content†¦While one can draw a distinction between the knowledge pursued during the Industrial Revolution and the specific and esoteric knowledge employed by Dr. Frankenstein, I will not make such a di stinction in my analysis and utilize the word knowledge in its rudimentary sense. As Shelly writes, â€Å"The labours of men of genius, however erroneously directed, scarcely ever to fail in ultimately turning to the solid advantage of mankind†.(Shelley, 28) It is with this orientation of knowledge, a derivative of the labors of ‘men of genius’, that I will utilize in my analysis. During the previously mentioned inflection point experienced during the 18th and 19th centuries, civilization’s marginal pursuit of knowledge became an obsession of not only the traditionally defined genius, an individual endowed with intellect in each of their endeavors, but of the brief employment of acute genius contained within each human in periods of crisis or enlightenment. While Industry allowed for any person with the capacity of imagination to obsess over the pursuit of knowledge, it also created an artificial partition between mankind and ecology as did Frankensteinâ⠂¬â„¢s creature in Shelley s novel. â€Å"How dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow†(Shelley, 31) writes Shelley as she bestows the reader with an introspective approach to the analysis of theShow MoreRelatedFrankenstein Pursuit Of Knowledge Essay1403 Words   |  6 PagesInformation War: The Truths of Knowledge in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein What exactly is the pursuit of knowledge? One might say that the pursuit of knowledge is when one conducts irregular experiments and actions. One might say that the pursuit of knowledge is the process of the collecting information needed in completing that test. However, the universal truth says that one can never accumulate all the knowledge in the world. However, one might opinion that the pursuit of knowledge is a wonderful thingRead MoreDangers of Acquiring Knowledge Illustrated in Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein1075 Words   |  5 PagesHow Dangerous is the Acquirement of Knowledge? Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein Although Mary Shelly did not have a formal education growing up motherless in the early nineteenth century, she wrote one of the greatest novels nonetheless in 1819, Frankenstein. The novel has been the basis for many motion picture movies along with many English class discussions. Within the novel Shelly shares the stories of two men from very different worlds. The reader is introduced to Robert Walton, the main narratorRead MoreFrankenstein as a Gothic Novel Essay1332 Words   |  6 PagesTragic wanderers, ominous atmosphere, symbolism, and themes: these are elements of a Gothic novel. Though Mary Shelleys Frankenstein, written in the early 19th century, certainly contains many components of a Gothic novel, can it be correctly grouped under that genre? A definition of a Gothic novel; according to Tracy, is a description of a fallen world. We experience this fallen world though the aspects of a novel: plot, setting, characterization, and theme (De Vore, Domenic, Kwan and Reidy)Read MoreAnalysis Of Mary Shelley s Frankenstein And Caleb Williams 1168 Words   |  5 PagesIn A.D Harvey’s article â€Å"Frankenstein and Caleb Williams,† he explains that Mary Shelley’s famous work, Frankenstein; was not intended to be of any actual scientific evidence, but rather written just only with the intention of a gothic horror piece â€Å"we will each write a ghost story† (Frankenstein Author’s introduction vii). Harvey’s target is to reach out to the science community and to sway them to look past the mechanics of how Frankenstein’s monster is created and focus on other points of interestRead MoreFrankenstein and Robert Walton975 Words   |  4 PagesDangerous Knowledge—An Analytical Ess ay on â€Å"Frankenstein† The pursuit of discovery and knowledge are thrilling aspects of human achievement, but can also be very dangerous if not handled correctly. In Mary Shelley’s â€Å"Frankenstein,† Shelley portrays these two aspects of accomplishment as dangerous, destructive, and even fateful. Shelley begins her novel with an ambitious seafarer named Robert Walton. Walton is determined to reach the North Pole, where he may â€Å"tread a land never before imprinted byRead More Frankenstein, Community, and the Individual Essay1697 Words   |  7 Pagescreation and responsibility that lie at the core of Mary Shelleys Frankenstein. It is through these concepts that Shelley explores how society has changed during Romanticism and the Industrial Revolution, with lessening importance on shared knowledge and the public sphere and more emphasis on individual achievement and identity, leading to a fractured and isolated society. In this paper I argue that Mary Shelleys Frankenstein criticizes the impacts of Industrial Revolution and Romantic era-inspiredRead More Isolation in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essays1399 Words   |  6 PagesIsolation in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Mary Shelleys novel, Frankenstein, has several themes imbedded in the text. One major theme is of isolation. Many of the characters experience some time of isolation. The decisions and actions of some of these characters are the root cause of their isolation. They make choices that isolate themselves from everyone else. However, other characters are forced into isolation for reasons that are not in their control. The actions of another cause themRead MoreDangerous Knowledge in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley1074 Words   |  5 PagesFrankenstein is a book written by Mary Shelley in 1818, that is revolved around a under privileged scientist named Victor Frankenstein who manages to create a unnatural human-like being. The story was written when Shelley was in her late teen age years, and was published when she was just twenty years old. Frankenstein is filled with several different elements of the Gothic and Romantic Movement of British literature, and is considered to be one of the earliest forms of science fiction. FrankensteinRead MoreFrankenstein, By Mary Shelley3475 Words   |  14 PagesMary Shelley is best known for her gothic horror classic Frankenstein. Frankenstein has been heralded by many as the first science fiction book, and Frankenstein’s monster had become an integral character in the public’s cultural pantheon. However, Mary Shelley’s novel is also a cautionary tale of the dangers of intellectual curiosity. Robert Walton, the arctic explorer Victor Frankenstein meets in his final days, serves as a cautionary tale. By embarking on his arctic exploration mission, he placesRead MoreRomantic and Enlightenment Ideas in Frankenstein Essay1153 Words   |  5 Pagesmust always be free, and it alone can bring about enlightenment among men (Kant 3). Enlightenment thinking not only influenced philosophy and the sciences, but also literature (especially in Popes Essay on Man). In reaction to Enlightenments strict empiricism, Romanticism was born. In Frankenstein, Shelley argues (1) that Victor Frankensteins role as an Enlightenment hero, not only pulled him out of nature, but made him a slave to his creation; (2) that Frankensteins role as a revolting romantic

Does Media Violence Cause Aggression in Children

Does Media Violence Cause Aggression in Children? Amber Holmberg Psych 204-01 March 23, 2011 The debate whether violence in the media increases aggression in children has been going on for decades. There have been hundreds of studies, experiments and articles supporting and opposing both sides of the argument. This essay is going to examine an article supporting and an article opposing the debate. The articles include â€Å"The Influence of Media Violence in Youth† which supports media violence causing aggression through the use of evidence that includes short and long term effects of media violence, theories as to why media violence causes aggression, factors that influence aggression and ways to counteract the negative effects (Anderson et†¦show more content†¦Social environment (influences from parents, family, and friends etcetera) and the content in the media (the characteristics of the perpetrators, the realism of the violence portrayed, justification of the violence and whether there were consequences) are also factors (Anderson et al., 2003.) At the p resent time it is known there is an importance to all these factors, but the importance and relative influence is largely unknown and more research is needed. What is known is the gender, personality, upbringing, social class and intelligence is irrelevant to how media violence increases aggression, and everyone is susceptible to aggression caused be media violence. The only factor that is relevant and can prevent an increase in aggression is for the parents to educate their children on violence (Anderson et al., 2003.) Over the past couple decades there has been an increase and expansion of new media including more news channels, television programs, movies, video games, music videos and internet that portray anShow MoreRelatedMedia Violence and Its Effect on Children Essay1112 Words   |  5 Pagesthat violence in the country is on the rise. It is easy to see why this is a strong argument among the American people, especially because of the rising popularity of violent video game s and television programs. However, as these violent video games and television shows are creating their own place in our society, the reports of violence among children are escalating. This correlation has been studied extensively in the scientific community in an attempt to discover whether media violence does negativelyRead MoreThe Effects Of Violent Media On Children901 Words   |  4 Pagesviolent media, one controversial issue is whether violet media, like videogames, or comic books have a negative or positive effect on kids. On the one hand, some people argue that they enjoy expressing built up anger and emotions through reading comic books. On the other hand, violent media can effect young children and have them think it’s okay to be violent in real life. My own view is violent media does cause kids to have a mindset that killing or violent actions are okay to do. Violent media isRead MoreTelevised Violence causes Aggression in Young Boys1555 Words   |  7 PagesTelevised Violence causes Aggression in Young Boys Young boys are evidently influenced by things in their environment such as media, peers, and family. Elementary school aged boys are influenced easily because these are critical years in developing their sense of individuality and social skills with their peers. The vulnerably of young boys are a reason why they are a target of the popular culture of displaying television violence because they have rarely encountered it in previous years so theyRead MoreMedia Violence Related to Essay1183 Words   |  5 PagesEXTENT IS MEDIA VIOLENCE RELATED TO AGGRESSIVE AND VIOLENT BEHAVIOR? Essentials of Psychology May 28, 2013 Research project number 05020500 I have chosen to discuss the role that media violence plays in aggression in children, specifically as related to Albert Bandura’s experiments. I specifically chose this topic based on Banduras observations with his famous Bobo doll study (which has been very influential to linking media exposure to violent aggressive behavior in children). In researchingRead MoreVideo Game Violence And Its Effects On Gamers1205 Words   |  5 PagesVideo Game Violence and its effects on Gamers In recent years there has been a significant increase of shooting incidents, specifically in America. When there is a shooting event the media is quick to question if the suspect had a history of playing violent video games. There is already the initial connection between video game violence and aggression; but is this connection scientifically correct? This topic interests me because of the increase in school shootings and violence. I have personallyRead MoreThe Effects Of Media Violence On People1388 Words   |  6 Pagesof Media Violence on People Media violence impacts the physical aggression of human beings. It is one of the many potential factors that influence the risk for violence and aggression. Research has proven that aggression in children will cause the likelihood of aggression in their adulthood. Theories have evolved that the violence present in the media most likely teaches the viewer to be more violent. It is a risky behavior that is established from the childhood. Furthermore, media violence is aRead MoreProtecting Children from Television Violence Essays1405 Words   |  6 PagesSummary #1 Television violence, and media violence in general, has been a controversial topic for several years. The argument is whether young children are brainwashed into committing violent real-world crimes because of violent and pugnacious behavior exposed in mass media. In his article â€Å"No Real Evidence for TV Violence Causing Real Violence†, Jonathan Freedman, a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto and author of â€Å"Media Violence and Its Effect on Aggression: Assessing the ScientificRead MoreDoes Violence Affect Children?1384 Words   |  6 PagesJacob Cleland Composition 2 Wolcott 20 April 2016 Does Violence in Media Affect Children? Violence is an increasing problem in today’s society. An act of violence can hold major consequences for society. With increased access to firearms and explosives in today’s society, it is important to know what exactly can cause a child to become violent in the present and later on in his or her life. Many variables are involved when children are growing up that may lead them to become more violent. TheseRead MoreGame over: the Effects of Violent Video Games on Children Essay1416 Words   |  6 Pageseffects of Violent Video Games on Children Seven hours. That is the amount of hours a day the average American child plays a video games (Anderson 354), and with technology advancing and games becoming more graphic, the concern over a violent game’s effect over a child’s development is growing. What does playing video games for seven hours do to a child’s development? Violent, role-playing video games adversely affects a child’s development and causes aggression in children and adolescents; these gamesRead MoreThe Effects of Media Violence on Children Essay1367 Words   |  6 PagesTelevision.† Television violence had a role in the childs behavior. Media violence can have a lasting impression on children, teenagers and adults not only through television, but also through video games. In the past two decades, there has been a significant increase in violent behavior in the United States (Merino 1). This is the result of exposure to violence. More than half of television programs and video gam es contain some type of violence. Perez Daly says, â€Å"’... children are likely to see 8,000

Facebook and Privacy free essay sample

Faceable and Privacy Link: http://www. Rewritable. Com/archives/ faceable_user_data_analysis. PH Objective Summary: Ex-Apple Engineer, Peter Warden, has collected public fan page data from 215 million Faceable pages, revealing current trends, such as God being the number one most popular fan page among Faceable users in the Southern U. S. , whereas Barack Obama featured heavily for San Francisco users, and Struck was number one in Idaho. Warden plans to release this data to the academic community because he sees great potential in the data that can be extracted from these sites. This process is called data harvesting.The article suggests future academic work in this area is likely to coco impacting on peoples privacy. (FACTS 1 00 words) Response: The ETHICAL issue central to this article is privacy and control. On one hand, Warden claims his intentions are altruistic (helpful to others) and that the data he is making visible here is a matter of public discourse. We will write a custom essay sample on Facebook and Privacy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page However, the FACTS are that individual users who are generating this data have neither been consulted about the data collection nor have they given permission for Warden to use it. Clearly Warden does not VALUE others peoples privacy as much as he WANTS (emotion) to create the website.The argument could be made that once a user becomes a fan of a page on Faceable or, indeed, publishes any content to the internet, that information becomes public. User who have deployed privacy settings to carefully maintain a strong sense of control over their profiles, however, might well feel very ANGRY about this use of their data. Faceable can harvest that data (and does, for targeted advertising purposes) because they have a commitment to those advertisers (emotion)and engineers like Warden can develop data-trawling engines to collect accessible information across a massive dataset.The LAW needs to be such clearer about the rights of consumers, companies and advertisers in these situations. As Faceable is presumably bound by its own set of critically considered ETHICAL guidelines, these are nevertheless underpinned by commercial VALUES and a vested interest (emotion) in ke eping the data of its users from competitors. Warden claims to be operating under his own set Of ethics that privilege (value) the furthering of knowledge. The issue then shifts to the academic community. Warden contends that one of his central motivations for collecting this data was so that he could share it with the academic immunity.

The Benefits and Disadvantages of Free Trade

Overview The World Trade Organization is the sole global body that deals with fairness in trade among nations. It designs rules to ensure that large economies and small economies are at par in economic growth. However, its policies and propositions are not popular with most nations.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Benefits and Disadvantages of Free Trade specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Its aims are to facilitate demand and supply by ensuring that producers of goods and services find a way to export their products and those that do not produce find a way to import what they need. Through its membership, World Trade Organization facilitates two major world forums. The Doha Development Agenda is a trade negotiations forum. It is designed to achieve groundbreaking reforms in the manner in which world economies conduct their trade. The forum’s agenda is to inject revised rules and to improve the internatio nal trade system through systematic introduction of minimal trade restrictions. It was officially launched in Qatar in 2001. Ministers of respective countries tasked with commerce, trade, and sometimes finance attend the forum. Each minister goes to the table to air their countries’ views. The Doha development agenda covers around 20 critical areas of world economy, which include agriculture, services, imports, exports, intellectual property, among others. World Trade Organization’s advocacy for free global trade has not been popular with majority of the nations. Although free trade has many benefits as opposed to closed trade, many countries perceive free trade negatively and bring down any attempts at making the world economy free of national and regional barriers. For example, in 2003 during the talks that were held in Caucun Mexico, the world witnessed massive protests. This was the third ministerial meeting with the same agenda: trying to break the deadlock that h ad been experienced in the last two sittings since the first round in Qatar. The second major forum facilitated by World Trade Organization is the World Trade Forum. This forum seeks common ground on how countries can work together in tackling common global problems that go beyond the need for economic integration. This includes the need for development in major areas such as education. Major economies and their leaders normally attend it.Advertising Looking for essay on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More They review goals and targets such as millennium development goals. This forum is generalist compared to the Doha round of negotiations. However, it is important to note that they both champion for a more developed world, which caters for the need of everyone. The following principles guide WTO. Principle of Non-Discrimination: It requires a WTO member to apply similar trade conditions while transacting with all WTO members. It simply implies that the WTO members should treat other in a favorable manner. In addition, if a favor is extended to one member of the WTO in a certain transaction, similar treatment should happen to any other WTO member in case of a similar transaction. Reciprocity: This principle advocates for nations to do mutual things to each other. For example, reduction of transaction tariffs should be mutual and equal in measure. Markets should be freer on both sides of the spectrum. Barriers restricting such trade should effectively come down to enable more trading for mutual growth and benefits. Predictability: World Trade Organization proposes that any agreements arrived at should be binding and long-term. Any member should not decide arbitrarily to change any terms or conditions. This gives confidence to members, investors, governments and any other stakeholders. It is a good ingredient to promoting healthier relations and growing economies. The subjects that tou ch on this principle include market-opening commitments, tariff rates, and trade barriers. Beneficial to Less Developed Countries: This is a critical principle. However, in recent times and in the past many developed countries have misused this principle. It proposes that underdeveloped countries should enjoy special privileges when dealing with economically strong economies. This will enable them to enjoy greater visibility and flexibility in the marketplace. At the start of the supposed agreement, it helps these economies to adjust to the current economic environment. Adjustments include sensitization of its citizens and structural changes, which may be much easier for the big economies.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Benefits and Disadvantages of Free Trade specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Competitive and Fair: The WTO strongly advises that a fair and level playing field should exist for all nations. Eve ry country should fairly compete and universal human standards upheld. It discourages unorthodox practices such as arbitrary dumping of obsolete products to third world countries. This practice common among the developed countries is inhumane and self-seeking. It also goes against United Nations Charter. Others include unfair export subsidies and cheap products development to gain market share. If free trade is beneficial to nations, why does it face such hostility? Why is it that since its formulation in 2001, Doha round of negotiations did not record any milestones until 2011? Does it mean that since the major economies had been experiencing massive growth in their economies before 2011, they did not find it necessary to include other nations in their trade? These pertinent questions depict large economies as greedy. They also point out the greatest lacuna in these talks where majority of the nations with the vote are large economies that want to shelve the interests of others. Th is paper will analyze the benefits and disadvantages of free trade and look into the reasons why efforts geared towards this are hampered. Additionally, this paper will critically analyze the state of the global economy and reasons for the current state in light of existence of an idealistic free trade among nations. State of the Global Economy Since the World War 2, political disintegration has been on the rise. There is currently more than three times the number of independent countries than there were at the end of the war. Political disintegration has sometimes been credited with innovation as countries strive to come up with ways to fund budgets, increase security, and be relevant to its citizens. Consequentially, political disintegration has led to economic disintegration. Although some economists argue that this leads to innovation in respective countries, as noted above, majority are of the opinion that integration of fiscal, economic, and monetary policies that are geared t owards the benefit of all nations have far-reaching benefits than the former.Advertising Looking for essay on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The global economy can be classified as irregular clusters of self-seeking political and economic integrations, which offer minimal, if any, benefits to the less performing economies. The political and economic integration of Euro Zone is a perfect example. These countries have curtailed sovereign fiscal policymaking and delegated that to the European Union. In future, this was expected to continue until the recent Euro Zone crisis that was brought about by reckless borrowing by some members. There is minimal economic integration world over since most large economies are interested in vesting their interests at the expense of smaller economies. This brings a wedge of sharp mistrust and spawns half-baked integration with minimal benefits. Examples of treaties that may not be effective include NAFTA, COMESA, EAC, among others. The fact that countries can easily pull out of these economic bodies reduces their credibility and waters down their efforts. Hence, the world economy is closel y guarded with minimal freedom to conduct trade. Additionally, there is minimal fairness in the game with countries that can produce goods cheaply illegally exporting these products to countries that produce them at a higher cost. This essentially kills trade. Since the financial crisis started in the United States and quickly spread in other nations, many countries have restrained their need to import in an effort to appear to support their ailing economies. This was particularly informed by falling employment levels in many countries. Many lobbyists would criticize government if it imported any goods or services that could be produced locally. This forestalled growth in free trade and countries continue to be wary. For example, in South Wales, when the government imported police uniforms and firefighters gears from an Australian firm, there was mass ridicule from lobbyists and citizens. This has been the case in United States, Europe and a host of other countries. Hence, these eff orts to concentrate on growing national economies and protecting them have led to the traditional artificial barriers that restrict free trade. Advantages of Free Trade Free trade may not be a fair trade but it has many benefits. Governments erect restrictions that restrict movement of goods and services between countries. Governments do this through use of subsidies and tariffs to hamper free trade. Normally, this is aimed at protecting domestic production from international competition. However, free trade has its benefits. First, it allows countries to specialize in production of goods and services that they have comparative advantage. This specialization brings about efficiency, economies of scale, and increases output, which results in increased production. Second, free trade leads to an increase in productivity and a higher domestic output by increasing efficiency of resource allocation. In addition, it increases competition, which leads to innovative ways of distribution, mar keting, and technology. Third, the increased competition allows goods and services to trade at the lowest costs and gives producers reason to produce quality. Hence, customers experience quality. It also allows customers to have a variety of goods and services. Fourth, free trade results in foreign exchange gains associated with the exchange of hard currency. This exchange allows the domestic country to pay for imports without having to exchange the money, which can be costly at times. Lastly, introduction of free trade generates employment to the domestic population. This is because it allows economic resources to be shifted to the more productive areas of the economy, which leads to more demand for exports. The resultant effect of free trade is economic growth and development. Higher incomes and higher growth rate in economy increases living standards of citizens. Domestic industries increase production levels and enhance efficiency in productivity. Disadvantages of Free Trade Alt hough there are many advantages, many disadvantages are put forth by conservative governments, lobby groups, and some economists to scuttle the efforts towards a free trade. First, free trade creates a domestic dependence on global markets. This creates a domestic economic instability associated with inability to control majority of the markets and prevailing forces such as demand, wars, and recessions. Second, the global market does not offer a level playing field. A country may produce a certain commodity cheaply at a surplus and, to avoid losses, dump it in a country that produced the same commodity at a higher cost. Many countries find it hard to compete when such conditions prevail. Additionally, the nature of goods a country produces may not auger well in trying to find a favorable balance of trade. For example, countries that produce agricultural related commodities experience unfavorable terms of trade. This results in lower export income and subsequently a large national de bt. Third, it is in the interest of nations to protect their upcoming industries. This may not be possible if they are constantly facing competition from already established firms. Hence, developing economies may find it more conducive to close trade and allow growth of its industries. Lastly, there are other disadvantages such as protection from environmental pollution by external firms and protection from a possibility of structural unemployment. Tradeoffs of Integration Introductory Case The European Union is the single biggest economic and political integration since the Soviet Union. Europe had embraced industrial revolution and there was high industrial development across the region prior to the World War II. The war brought the economy of Europe into waste, with many of its industries destroyed. During the period of 1945-1990, many of the countries in Eastern Europe fell into the communist hands of the USSR. United States came in sought to help save the European economy under the Marshall plan; it aided the western part of Europe and helped in building the economy. By the 1980s the communist nations were rapidly falling while the economies of Western European countries were increasingly gaining power, this is attributable to the support of the USA. With the help of America, many of the western nations moved to link together through economic integration. They formed the European Union that increased trade among them through shared infrastructure. They agreed on a common currency (the euro) and made trade agreements that set their economies on the path to recovery. This was unlike the Soviet Union, which had wanted to continue scuttling efforts of recovery in Europe to its advantage. Britain had been weakened by the Second World War hence it could no longer support countries in Europe like Greece and Turkey. It thus sought the intervention of the United States. The united states were strongly opposed to communism and to avoid European economies from falli ng in the hands of the soviet union they provided financial aid and also played a major role in stabilizing the civil wars at the time. America’s intervention through the Truman doctrine saved the nations from soviet communisms in effect saving Europe from foreign policy failures and military humiliation. America believed that once a country falls into communism it would also weaken the neighbors as there would be minimum interaction due to diverging trade systems. Their support was evident when the Soviet Union pressured Turkey over the Dardanelles Strait concessions that would have allowed invasion from the west, through enunciation of the Truman policy. USA helped Berlin with supplies and food when Stalin attempted to barricade West Berlin in a bid to take control. This enabled Europe to maintain control of its cities from the Soviet Union. Were it not for the vast amount of aid America gave to Europe, European economies would have fallen further with the Soviet Union inva sion during the cold war. Tradeoffs of Integration There are two types of integration: economic and political integration. The above case highlights the tricky nature of political and economic integration especially when carried out at the same time. The European Union is a classic case of economic integration with a measured political integration. For example, it is possible to travel from some countries to others without a visa and it is a legal requirement is some countries within the euro zone. Economic integration is a major challenge to the national fiscal policies, the existence of some economies without straining and the entry of new members in the euro zone. These challenges are highlighted below. Social and Political Challenges A close look at Portugal and Spain who were late entrants into the European Union depicts profound developments in those two countries. Since entering euro zone, Spain has recorded a favorable economic climate highlighted by increased trade within E urope, access to European budget, and favorable infrastructure. However, many pundits believe that the inclusion of Spain and Portugal was not purely for economic reasons. The European community strives to ensure that they have a functioning democratic union, with a common military purpose and a common defensive approach. Some economists argue that there cannot be a functioning economic integration without a political integration of some kind. This is because many economic policies are spawned from political decisions. Hence, it follows that many Euro Zone countries do not have the political free will to make decisions as others may have. The attached cartoon depicts a situation where a policymaker is considering two extreme options. The government of Greece had been borrowing money from the European Union members and from its citizens to fund expenditure budgets. It reached a point where the government was unable to meet its obligations and this resulted in a budget and debt crisis . The options were quite limited for the Greece government. This is because they were not allowed to make hard financial decisions independently. Hence, the extreme options were to pull out of the Euro Zone and renege on debt payments to Germany and other big lenders or to abide by the demand from Euro Zone members to cut budgetary spending in exchange for a bailout agreement. The bailout agreement, too, had many obligations. This includes the need to curtail government spending. This means the government will have to cut loose a massive working population from its structure. The other option will be to tax the Greek nationals more to meet the required budgetary requirements. If Greece were independent from Euro Zone, the options would have been limitless. For example, the country’s central bank would have devalued the country’s currency. This would have facilitated more foreign investments and shored up the balance of exchange. Additionally, more money in circulation would have increased peoples spending and hence spurred economic growth. However, all these fiscal decisions are tied to the Euro Zone fiscal structure. It is imperative to note that Greece was considering pulling out of euro zone. This meant that it would treat Euro Zone members as any other country outside euro zone. The reason this was an attractive way out is the short-term benefits. For example, the country would immediately cease from having to consider Euro Zone members in its imports before going for any other option. Hence, the country would import essential commodities cheaply from countries in Asia, Africa, and Americas. Additionally, the country’s fiscal policies would be independent of any rules and regulations. However, Greece would face trade barriers from even the closest neighbor and its exports would face a major lag. Hence, it would be hard to continue exporting goods to immediate neighbors. Additionally, it would be hard for Greece to be reaccepted into eu ro zone. The other countries will build a lasting mistrust in Greece. All these would have political, social, and economic consequences on Greece. Legal Consequences A country that enters into an economic integration has to abide by the rules of the integration. In the case of euro zone, all countries are required to align their agricultural, economic, and industrial legislation with the requirements laid down. Additionally, financial policies of a country must be in line with the European community. It is also mandatory to have certain taxation regimes and to have certain tariffs and subsidies. Additionally, a country aligns its budgetary requirements with those of other countries in the euro zone. A country is also restricted from conducting business with another country if it can conduct that business with a country in the European community. All these are legal consequences that come with integration elsewhere. One of the reasons why trade integration treaties do not work is bec ause most countries do not take the integration seriously. In addition, the structures in place to ensure that these rules are adhered to watered down by the fact that a country has the free will to pull out at any time. Poor Members Poor members are one of the major reasons why economic integration is hard. Poor members feel like they are alienated and are not enjoying similar benefits as the rest. This had threatened the very existence of Euro Zone in the 1980s. These disparities include par capita income, infrastructure developments, education levels, productivity, and employment. All these led to trade imbalances and hence poor countries were feeling the brunt. Efforts were made to harmonize this and some years later a fund specifically designed to address these problems was set up. These structural policies systematically advocated introduction of new provisions that would make social and economic cohesions a common goal. Most integration treaties do not go to that extent. This means that in the end, most poor countries that are hungry for domestic development pull out. Eventually, the ability of the integration to continue working is severely scuttled. Conclusion From the above analysis, it is evident that a country that enters into an agreement with other countries significantly reduces its sovereignty. Depending on the nature and level of integration, a country may also enjoy a number of benefits. Hence, a country trades off by weighing the option of giving up certain privileges to gain some advantages. The treaty has to be formed with good intentions. Failure to do that may result in its immediate crumble. For example, an effort should be made to ensure there is fairness that caters for the poor countries so that all enjoy fruits of integration. This essay on The Benefits and Disadvantages of Free Trade was written and submitted by user 3-D Man to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Columbia essays

Columbia essays Columbia was one of the three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Columbia in 1830. A fourty year insurgent campaign to overthrow the Columbian government escalated during the 1990s, under girded in part by funds from the drug trade. Although the violence is deadly and large swaths of the countryside are under guerilla influence, the movement lacks the military strength or popular support necessary to overthrow the government. While Bogota continues to try to negotiate a settlement, neighboring countries worry about the violence spilling over their borders. This is the country named for Christopher Columbus it is in the Northwest corner of South America. It is a Andean and a Caribbean nation and the only one on the continent with Atlantic and Pacific coastlines. The population of this country which is roughly three Columbia is Spanish. There are many diffent ethnic groups here, the main six are the Mestizoes which cover fifty-eight percent, the Whites which cover twenty percent, the Mulattoes which cover fourteen percent, the Blacks which cover four percent, the mixed black and Amerindians which cover two percent, and last but not least the Amerindians which cover one percent. ...

How to Keep Up With College Reading

How to Keep Up With College Reading The level of out-of-class reading required in college can be pretty intense. If youre new to college, your reading load is likely significantly higher than what you experienced in high school; if youre a senior in college, the level seems to go up each year, just as you think youve adjusted. Regardless of your specific situation, knowing how to keep up with college reading can be a serious challenge. Fortunately, theres no right way to stay on track with your reading load. A manageable solution comes from finding something that works for your own learning style - and from realizing that being flexible is part of any long-term solution. Figure Out How You Best Make Progress on Your Reading Completing your assigned reading is more than just scanning your eyes across the page; its understanding and thinking about the material. For some students, this is best accomplished in short bursts, whereas others learn best by reading for longer periods of time. Think about and even experiment with what works best for you. Do you retain more by reading in 20-minute periods? Or do you learn better by spending an hour or two really diving into the reading and not doing anything else? Similarly, do you need to have background music on, be in a loud cafe, or have the quiet of the library? Each student has his or her own way of doing homework effectively; figure out which way is best for you. Schedule Reading Time Into Your Calendar Most students are great at scheduling things like club meetings, football games, classes, and other activities into their calendars. Additional things, like homework and laundry, often just get done whenever possible. This kind of loose scheduling with reading and assignments, however, can lead to procrastination and last-minute cramming. Consequently, write down (and make sure you keep) time in your schedule to do your reading each week. If you can make an appointment to attend a club meeting, you can certainly make a similar appointment to get your reading done. Read Effectively Some students take notes; some students highlight; some students make flashcards; others have their own system that works for them. Doing your reading involves more than just getting from page 1 to page 36; it involves understanding what youre reading and, possibly, having to use that knowledge later (like during an exam or in a paper). To prevent yourself from having to reread later, be effective during your first read-through. Its much easier, after all, to go back through your notes and highlights for pages 1-36 than it is to completely reread all 36 pages before your midterm. Acknowledge That You Can't Get Everything Done All of the Time Its a harsh reality - and great time management skill - to realize that doing 100% of your reading 100% of the time is nearly (if not actually) impossible in college. Its important to learn what you cant get done and then to go with the flow sometimes. Can you work with other students to break up the reading, and then discuss in a group later? Can you let something go in a class youre already doing well in and focus more on a class youre struggling in? Can you skim materials for one course, thereby allowing yourself to read materials for another course with more time and attention? Sometimes, you just cant get all of your college reading done, no matter how hard you try or how good your intentions are. And as long as this is the exception and not the rule, learning how to be flexible with and adjust to what youre realistically able to accomplish can, in fact, lead to you being more effective and productive with what youre able to do.

Green Thumbs in the Family Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Green Thumbs in the Family - Essay Example This paper will study the connections between these aspects of the plant and how exactly they correlate to both the Younger family and their internal dynamics. The significance of the flower pot can be seen as an encompassing support. It is what keeps the necessary components together for the continuation of life. This directly parallels the family unity that all the characters exhibit to different degrees in varying ways from Walter's need to provide stable income for the family to Beneatha's drive to become a doctor, thus helping other people while providing security for her own. The most direct representation of this surrounding support can be found in two main examples, however: Walter Sr.'s insurance money and Lena's purchase of a new house for the family. The first of these is a result of a lifetime of hard work to support his family - and, despite to what extent the work may have killed Walter Sr., his efforts have extended beyond his own lifetime to support the family after his passing. The example of the new house is Lena's own contribution to nurture and provide for the family, for they have essentially overgrown their current ab ode and must be transplanted into a new vessel. This proves to be an additional aspect of the flowerpot's symbolism, for it allows the life within to be easily transported to new environments. It is the support of the external flowerpot that contains the spirit of the earth inside - the full combination of heritage and environment which allows life to thrive. The earth within the Youngers' vessel contains the soil from everyplace they have ever been: from Africa to Southern America to Chicago. These aspects are paralleled through the characters. Beneatha carries a fascination of Africa, Lena carries all the memories of the South and it's racism. And as much as Beneatha rails against assimilation (ignoring the hypocrisy of her own plans to study Western medicine), both she and her brother Walter have done so to an extent. Lena is correct when she observes that her two children talk about things her and her husband never thought about - for their concerns are the concerns of a new day and a new environment. It is important to always remember the soil that initially nurtured one's life yet is also inevitable that some of the soil must be replenished, for whatever reason. Lif e needs a replenishment of nutrients; these come from what is most conducive to the current environment. Thus, the family must use the surrounding support of their heritage and family (the pot) to contain and combine the influx of new conditions ('assimilation' of new and old soil) in order for the life of the family to thrive. There are two quotes from Lena in Act Two, Scene Three, where she first explains her actions with the plant as that she is "Fixing my plant so it won't get hurt none on the way" and then defending her plant by claiming that "It expresses ME!" Lena's consistent overtures to gardening (and the family's acknowledgement of it through their gardening gifts to her) are fitting, as she has nurtured the life of her family for so long. Yet her identification with it is somewhat incomplete, as revealed by her connecting her own children with it in Act One, Scene

Project Management - Scheduling, Resources, and Budgeting (U3DB) Essay

Project Management - Scheduling, Resources, and Budgeting (U3DB) - Essay Example For example, when individual activities are assigned relevant human, material or other resources, they are treated independently and concurrency of resource usage is not assumed. It is only when resources are placed alongside activities inside the schedule that their over or under utilization becomes evident. Scheduling alternatives present varying levels of resource usage and optimization. In this phase, over or under-allocated resources can be identified and their usage smoothed out using techniques such as resource levelling (Heldman, 2005, p. 271). Resource scheduling is also important in that it can determine whether the project can be completed within the specified end date in the schedule. The project manager may not have enough resources to finish tasks on the critical path in time despite optimization in allocation. Tradeoffs between costs and time of completing the project have to be taken using techniques such as crashing. Important budgetary and business decisions can be taken including hiring of additional sources, outsourcing or negotiating a reduction in the scope of the project (Richman, 2002, p. 117) . Multi-project resource scheduling requires project management capabilities at a different and a more complex dimension. Lead project managers typically take an enterprise level view of the project rather than at each individual project within it. Project control also takes a new dimension with individual project managers taking larger responsibility for their own domains and coordinating through effective communication with the core group managing the project (Barkley, 2006, p. 62). For example, if 5 aircrafts are being manufactured for a single airline simultaneously in a manufacturing facility, each aircraft unit would be a separate project together forming one larger multi-project for that order. Outsourcing can also take place in various forms. It can be inter-departmental

The character of Scrooge Essay Example for Free

The character of Scrooge Essay He asks the ghost: Tell me if Tiny Tim will live if these shadows remain unaltered by the future, the child will die. This shows that Scrooge feels guilty for not giving his clerk more money as he witnesses their way of life. The ghost then takes Scrooge to visit his nephew Fred on Christmas day. Fred is having a splendid time and is celebrating a more modern Christmas with fun, laughter, drinking booze and playing games such as: similes and yes or no. It is less religious as they have more money and a bright, dry gleaming house However, they still have strong moral values like the Cratchits. Dickens suggests that Scrooge is missing out on the fun and games by saying, that the consequence of his taking a dislike to us and not making merry with us, is, as I think, that he loses some pleasant moments, which could do him no harm. This suggests that Scrooge starts to feel a bit of remorse, since he turned the invite down. Scrooge is forced to realise that he has missed a chance to be merry with the only family he has left in the world. Finally, the ghost shows Scrooge two personifications of the social situation in the form of two children: Ignorance (a boy) and Want (a girl), who symbolise mankinds downfall. Dickens uses this personification to emphasise the point of mankinds destruction, for instance the spirit says, Most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which Doom This signifies if people continue to ignore the poor, society will crumble. In this stave Scrooge feels new emotions such as regret for not paying his clerk Bob Cratchit enough money, since he lives in poverty with a huge family and a crippled son, and more regret for not attending the invite from Fred. Also, he feels a lot sadder and some happiness for Freds games and the laughter, Scrooges family had without him. The ghost of Christmas yet to come represents death and judgement, this ghost is also known as a phantom because it is wearing a black cloak which conceals its face and it doesnt say a word to add to the morbid atmosphere. They visited a house where there was one little knot of business men with a lady trying to sell some of Scrooges possessions, he sees nobody is upset by his death, but instead raiding his hose and selling off his property. I hope he didnt die of anything catching Eh? Dont you be afraid of that. This shows that people are joking over his death and no-one cares about his departure from the face of the earth. He is very upset that no-one cares about his death, all they can do is laugh and attempt to make a profit from his belongings. Scrooge asks the spirit If there is any person in the town, who feels emotion caused by this mans death Show that person to me, spirit They go to the Cratchits house, but The only emotion that the ghost could show him, caused by the event, was one of pleasure. This emphasises that no-one liked him and cared about him at all, so they were not sad to witness his death. After a while, they return to the Cratchits house where Bob has just returned from work. Dickens makes Scrooge feel miserable, regret and guilt that he did not offer his help to save Tiny Tim from dying, by making the Cratchit family more depressed, for instance, My little, little child! Cried Bob. My little child! He broke down all at once. This makes the reader feel sympathy for the Cratchits and anger towards Scrooge, as he did not help a poor family at need. Also, it makes Scrooge feel terrible and he realises that he must change his ways and become a better person, to stop these perceptions from happening. Stave four is a particularly religious section of the book, as it deals with Scrooges redemption and moral reformation. The language used by Dickens is similar to that used in a religious teaching, for example: Oh cold, cold, rigid, dreadful death, set up thine altar here. This biblical language is meant to make us aware that as readers we are being taught a moral lesson. All Christians believed strongly in heaven and hell; the thought of spending the rest of eternity in hell, frightened most Christians, so even the meanest of people would consider changing their ways to go to heaven. In stave five, Scrooge awakens on Christmas day as a changed man. He buys the largest turkey in town and donates it to the Cratchits. Ill send it to Bob Cratchits! This shows that Scrooge has finally reformed and he is now a better man, as he is being a lot more generous. Dickens shows that Scrooge has learnt his moral lessons and is not going back to his old ways, he does this by this continual joy, care and generosity, throughout the character of Scrooge in stave five, for example: Heres the turkey. Hallo! Whoop! How are you! Merry Christmas! This again emphasises that Scrooge has realised and acknowledged his faults and changed them; plus he donates lots of money to the poor, Scrooge says, not a farthing less This once more shows Scrooges generosity, the poor and the two gentlemen were very grateful. He also celebrates a lovely Christmas with his nephew; Dickens shows this by saying, Wonderful party, wonderful games, wonderful unanimity, won-der-ful happiness This stresses the changes Scrooge has made and that he is having a magnificent time with his family, at last. The next morning Scrooge was at his office ready to meet Bob Cratchit and give him a pay rise, he says Ill raise your salary, and endeavour to assist your struggling family And thats exactly what Scrooge did, he did not just raise Bobs salary, but he became like a second father to Tiny Tim, who did not die. There are many references to heaven in this stave such as: I am as happy as an angel, He went to church and God bless us, every one! in contrast to the references to hell when he was parsimonious, mean-spirited and had a cold heart, for instance, It is doomed to wander through the world , ages of incessant labour by immortal creatures, for this earth must pass eternity and dark master! This creates the impression that Scrooge was going to hell in stave one because he was stingy, cruel and uncharitable. Dickens teaches a social lesson to us, near the end of the book, so we remember it. He tells us not to worry if people laugh at the sudden change in you as long as you are doing good deeds that is all that matters, for instance, Some people laughed to see the alteration in him, but he let them laugh His own heart laughed: and that was quite enough for him. This puts emphasis on Scrooges reformation and confirms that Scrooge has changed for the better and for good. A Christmas Carol is an inverted tragedy, since it has five staves similar to the five acts of a Shakespeare play; but Scrooge begins a cold-hearted, cruel, spiteful and uncharitable and ends a loving, caring generous man with a stronger, warmer heart, especially to the poor and needy. Through the character of Scrooge, Dickens hoped to change the views of society by showing the rich people, who would have read the book that they were Scrooge (not sharing their wealth; being grumpy and cold-hearted). It reflects that money does not lead to happiness, but living a high-quality Christian, moral life does. As the book continues on, Scrooge becomes more and more enthusiastic to learn his moral lessons, for example: As I know your purpose is to do me good, and as I hope to live to be another man from what I was This shows his eagerness to gain knowledge of his moral and social lessons and his acceptance of his faults. Christianity was a vast issue in the 1840s, and the idea of burning in hell would have made a lot of people change their miserable, tight-fisted ways. This Christian theme is set throughout the book and if you repent your ways you will be saved (go to heaven). Dickens uses Christmas because it is an occasion when generosity, exuberance and affection should be in our hearts as a time to convey this message of charity.

Edvard Munch :: essays research papers fc

Robertson 1 It is a cold and damp day as I head to the news station. The wind outside has gusto and with each passing step I keep thinking to myself that any second I could scream because the wind is so fierce. The rain is pouring down and my umbrella seems to be malfunctioning due to a lack of strength in my wrist to hold it up. I am late, and afraid of what the boss will say. Today is a day that everyone in the studio has been talking about, today is the day that I meet the Norwegian artist we know as Edvard Munch. I step inside the building and am approached by my boss refusing to know, "Why did you insist to be late today, out of all days, do you know how many art critiques are watching?" I feel ashamed, but it is only a second before my moral is lifted and I am met by a man of great size. A man that is most known for his work on "The Scream" and here standing before me is Edvard Much. I approach Mr. Munch and shake his hand, it is a bit clammy and very cold and hard. I guess it will take technology longer than we think to get this reincarnation thing down right. He smiles, although I am not so sure that I wanted him to, I have never seen someone whose teeth were as awfully stained as his, but then again, death will do that to you. Kelly: Hello sir, I am glad to meet you, so glad that you could grace us with you presence. Please have a seat, they will be doing a countdown any minute before we go on, your not nervous are you? Edvard: Grace? Your scientists were the ones that thought it would appease society to see someone reincarnated, I was having a joyous time up in Heaven with all the oils, and the canvases, and the lights and darks. Nervous, not at all. I don't get nervous anymore, not ever since the time that I put out my first piece of artwork. Robertson 2 Camera man: And three, two, one. Alright, your on. Kelly: Good morning art critiques all across America. I am Kelly Robertson doing a special report today with Edvard Munch. Yes, that is right, we are the first to try reincarnation for the first time at the station and successfully manage to succeed.

The Glass Menegerie vs August Osage County

Patel 1 The More Dysfunctions, The More Escapes The Wingfields and Westons are both inimitable families who carry distinctive traits and characteristics. In the play, The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams portrays a southern family in the 1930's trying to deal with life's pressures, and their own fears after their husband and father deserts them. In the play, August: Osage County, Tracy Letts depicts a large eccentric family who come together after the death of the patriarch, Beverly, and try to triumph over the obstacles in life.Unhealthy and detrimental relationships among family members are ample between the two families. The Wingfield and Weston families are both trapped by their own dysfunctions, which force them to be confined in their own homes, ultimately causing the abandoned matriarchs to either face the truth or continue to run from it. First, the Wingfields and Westons are both abnormal families who share a lot of the same dysfunctions as one another. Each member of the Wingfield family has their own issues and problems.Laura has a slight physical disability, but her mind is significantly more crippled. Laura is very weak and open to attack; she is unable to defend herself from the truths of life. Amanda attempts to portray herself as a loving mother, doing everything she can for her children, and caring nothing for herself, Patel 2 when in fact, she is quite selfish, demanding and disrespectful. Amanda disrespects Tom, as she says,†What is the matter with you, you-big-big-idiot! (Williams 21) Amanda claims that she devotes her life to her children, and that she would do anything for them, but is very suspicious of Tom’s activities, and frequently pressures Tom, trying to force him in finding a gentleman caller for Laura, believing that Laura is lonely and needs a companion. Tom resents his mother greatly, not only because she always gets her way with him, but because she is so suspicious of his activities, causing a limited trust bet ween them. The Weston family has their dysfunctional issues as well.Everybody in the family is constantly worried over the fact that the patriarch, Beverly, has mysteriously disappeared which is than discovered to be a suicide. The pill popping and unstable mother, Violet, does not make the situation any better. She is a drug addict who frequently disrespects people in spite of their attempts to help. As well, she shows a great lack of respect over the passing of her husband. Many family members, especially Barbara Fordham, the eldest daughter, is stressed over Violet’s condition and often tries to stop her addiction.Barbara confronts her mother about the situation and asks for the pills by saying, â€Å"Gimme those goddamn pills-â€Å" (Letts 96) There is no admiration between any of the family members, therefore resulting in conflict and argument on a frequent basis. Patel 3 Furthermore, both families are confined in their homes and are forced to see and talk to one anoth er. The Wingfields constantly give the impression of being discontented with each other. No adoration is being recognized, nor appreciation of one another. They cannot escape their run-down apartment due to their financial crisis.Tennesee Williams depicts the prison-like atmosphere of the apartment, as he writes, The Wingfield apartment is in the rear of the building, †¦ one of those vast hive-like conglomerations of cellular living-units that flower as warty growths in overcrowded urban centers of lower middle-class populations and are symptomatic of the impulse of this largest and fundamentally enslaved section of American society to avoid fluidity and differentiation and to exist and function as one interfused mass of automatism. (Williams 3)Due to the shortage and scarcity of money, the Wingfields cannot have a great life style. The condition of their apartment resembles their torn apart family. The fire escape is the closest way for the Wingfield family to escape. The fire escape gives Tom the opportunity to abandon the apartment and get away from his nagging mother. Amanda sees the fire Patel 4 escape as an opportunity for gentleman callers to enter their lives. Laura’s view is different from her mother and her brother; her escape seems to be hiding inside the apartment.Also, the Westons are trapped in their homes and can’t seem to escape. They don’t all live together, but are brought together as one due to the death of the patriarch, Beverly. Every member of the Weston family has their differences. They endure many problems as they live with one another. An indication of incarceration is when Violet tapes the shades and lets nobody opens them. Charlie questions Mattie Fae about the situation, â€Å"This business with the shades, taping the shades? † (Letts 20) As soon as the family members see that they can break away from the house, they leave as soon as they can.Even though the family is brought together, they are all happier with their individual lives away from the family. Lastly, facing the truth can be challenging and exigent for certain people. In this case, Amanda Wingfield is not aware of the truth and repeatedly nags and aggravates her children. Amanda stipulates Tom to comb his hair, as she says, â€Å"Comb your hair! You look so pretty when your hair is combed. † (Williams 38) Amanda mainly bothers Tom about finding a gentleman caller for Laura, she feels that Laura is lonely and needs a companion in order to be happy and pleased in life.Also, she Patel 5 thinks that Laura will not be secure and protected in the future if she does not find a companion. Amanda often fantasises about her past, and uses it to escape reality. She constantly reminds Tom and Laura of the time she received seventeen gentleman callers. As opposed to Violet, who is aware of the truth, but continues to run from it. There are several things that Violet knows, but doesn’t mention to the other members of the family. Violet is aware of the fact that Barbara and Bill’s marriage is ruined and the chances of getting a divorce are high.Also, she knows that Beverly had an affair with Mattie Fae and they had a son, Little Charles. Violet tells Ivy the truth about her and Little Charles, as she utters, â€Å"Little Charles and you are brother and sister. I know that. † (Letts 133) Violet escapes from the truth by taking pills and drinking alcohol. She doesn’t want to tell anybody about the past because she doesn’t want to cause more nuisances in the family household. Thus, it is clear that the Wingfield and Weston families have their similarities and differences as well.Each family has their own issues and challenges; they handle it in various ways. Each family member approaches certain situations differently. Each of the two families has many disagreements and conflicts, and they all find a common route to get out of it. The Wingfield’s and Westonsâ₠¬â„¢s have many dysfunctions, which lead them to be incarcerated in their households, eventually, Patel 6 forcing the remaining mothers to make a decision in either facing the truth or running away from it.

Critical analysis of the Lottery Essay

Overall Shirley Jackson discusses the movement of the setting, the unusual foreshadowing, and the outermost symbolism in â€Å"The Lottery† to give an overall point of view of the story. Even though a small village made seem peaceful, and a good place to raise a family, it is not always what it seems to be. The reader is about to enter a world with ritualistic ceremony and religious orthodoxy in â€Å"The Lottery.† The Lottery takes place on a clear and sunny summer morning around June 27 in a small village with about three hundred villagers gathering together in the central square for the annual lottery. As a child Shirley Jackson was interested in writing; she won a poetry prize at age twelve, and in high school she keeps a diary to record her writing progress. In 1937 she entered Syracuse University, where she published stories in the student literary magazine. Despite her busy life as a wife and a mother of four children, she wrote every day on a disciplined schedule. â€Å"The Lottery† is one of Jackson’s best-known works. In â€Å"The Lottery† Shirley Jackson will discusses the movement of the setting, unusual foreshadowing and outermost symbolism to give us an overall point of view from the story. When one thinks of a lottery, one imagines winning a large sum of money. Shirley Jackson uses the setting in â€Å"The Lottery† to foreshadow an ironic ending. The peaceful and tranquil town described in this story has an annual lottery every June 27 early part of 1800’s in a small village with 300 people (456). Setting is to describe time and place of the story. The story occurs â€Å"around ten o’clock† (456). This is an unusual time because in most towns all the adults would be working during mid-morning. In the lottery an ironic ending is also foretold by the town’s setting being described as one of normalcy. The town square is described as being â€Å"between the post office and the bank† (456). Every normal town has these buildings, which are essential for day-to-day functioning. Throughout the story little parts of setting are being told, to give a clearer picture for a better understanding of the story. Jackson foreshadows a surprise ending. Foreshadowing is to hint of something  that would follow with the story. As the story continues the reader is told that school has let out for the summer, and yet the â€Å"feeling of liberty sits uneasily with the children† (456), which is strange, for no normal kid would be anything less than ecstatic over summer break. Finally, the children are said to be building â€Å"a pile of stones in one corner of the square† (456), which is a very strange game for children to play. All of these hints indicate that something strange and unexpected is going to happen, and they all will make sense once we discuss the story’s final outcome. Symbolism is also a strong element of the story. The introduction of the black box carried by Mr. Summer (456) is a key turning point showing symbolism, which is anything in a story that represents something else, giving the awful ominous answers to all those foreshadowing hints. When the black box is brought in, it’s said to be a tradition that no one liked to upset. The villagers kept their distance from the box, as though they feared it (461). More and more the town’s peculiarity begins to become apparent. For an example, the names of certain residents hit at the irony and unfavorable events to come. From the author’s extravagant detailing of the town, one would expect this â€Å"lottery† to be a chance for one lucky family to win some money. Instead, the winner’s â€Å"prize† is death-by stoning In the story Tessie won the prize when Bill, her husband, forced the paper out of her hand (461). The portrayal of the residents at the end of the story is disturbing–they go about killing the â€Å"winner† ritualistically, trying to â€Å"finish quickly.† (461). They show no empathy at all–they’re simply following an ancient ritual. Overall Shirley Jackson discusses the movement of the setting, the unusual foreshadowing, and the outermost symbolism in â€Å"The Lottery.† The lesson in this story hits pretty hard. The Lottery’s relationship to real life is that sometimes we are presented with traditions that have been adhered to for as long as anyone can remember, and we forget the reason these customs were created in the first place. The problem is that circumstances can change and make these traditions outdated, useless, and even harmful. Overall the main point of the story is that ignorant and indulgent believers can bring death to an innocent person, so therefore we must re-evaluate our traditions; otherwise we’re just letting ourselves be stoned.

Milton and Our First Parents Essay

Milton and Our First Parents Essay Free Online Research Papers Milton and Our First Parents Essay John Milton’s character of Satan is quite unique compared to most classical literary portrayals; he does not fit the classical caricature of, for example, Dante’s gargantuan three-headed demon, or the contemporary view of the fiery nymph equipped with horns and goats’ feet. He seems rather a dynamic character with whom it is easy to sympathize, harshly cast out of heaven because of his poorly constructed violent and prideful nature. He is in some sense heroic, and thus quite sophisticated and charismatic. In the human world, it is certainly this sort of man that is most easily able to tempt and win over a vain woman- and then our author introduces the nature of Eve. Milton’s portrayal of Eve in Paradise Lost as a quietly vain and ambitious being indicates her character weakness and subsequent pivotal role in the Fall. Despite the differences in ambition and obedience between our two first parents, they are similarly both portrayed as extremely majestic beings. They are naked and ignorantly happy; they cannot progress in knowledge in their state, but they are blissfully enjoying the emotional and sensuous joys of their innocent condition. Even Satan, having greater knowledge than Adam and Eve, looks upon them with envy and mourns his fallen state: â€Å"Invincible: abashed the Devil stood, / And felt how awful goodness is, and saw / Virtue in her shape how lovely, saw, and pined / His loss†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (108). Especially in Book IV, Milton focuses most of his attention on depicting the attributes and desires of Eve. There are two central characteristics of Eve on which he concentrates; both have to deal with her intrinsic womanhood. The first is her inherent inferiority to Adam- she can only contact God through her husband, and her only purpose for existence is dependent on him: â€Å"O thou for whom / And from whom I was formed flesh of thy flesh, / And without whom am to no end†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (97). And again, to Adam, â€Å"My author and disposer, what thou bidd’st / Unargued I obey; so God ordains, / God is thy law, thou mine: to know no more / Is woman’s happiest knowledge and her praise† (102, italics added). If one defines sexist as simple gender inequality, it is evident that Milton is certainly sexist in this portrayal. It is obvious that through these passages, he is creating a hierarchy congruent with the general views of 17th century Europe- man seemingly ca n exist and function without woman, but woman is a byproduct of and has no existence without man. The second peculiar characteristic of Eve is her vanity. From the outset of Book IV, we are treated to an account of Eve recollecting her creation. She peers into a lake in Eden and sees her reflection- at first she is captivated by its beauty without knowledge of what it actually is, but she is soon informed and not only loves it, but is tempted to turn back to the lake when she sees Adam’s inferior beauty. The fact that Milton initiates his character sketch of Eve with a description of her vanity indicates its importance and subsequent role in the Fall. John Milton wrote his epic poem at least in part in attempt to describe the rationale for evil in the world and the fallen state of the human race; Eve here seemingly represents the female gender as a whole and Milton is representing the general vanity of women. From vanity comes ambition- such is the case when Eve has her dream at the beginning of Book V. She dreams that she is guided to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and by doing so, she becomes a goddess and ascends to heaven. Vanity often consists of viewing oneself as greater than one actually is, and Eve’s approval and excitement about the dream here indicates her ambitious desire to be a goddess. Again, the contrast between the two genders is amplified by Adam’s disapproval and disturbance with the dream. Milton paints a clear portrayal of our first mother- her excitement with the notion of disobeying God indicates her spiritual inferiority to Adam; her weakness of vanity stamps a further convincing argument on her potential to fall to this character flaw and disobey God. Surely, if Satan were to choose someone to tempt to partake of the fruit and initiate the Fall, these attributes would prove quite convincing in his choice to select Eve as his tool to frustrate the happiness of God’s creation. Research Papers on Milton and Our First Parents EssayComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenMind TravelThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseWhere Wild and West MeetBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XRelationship between Media Coverage and Social and19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraAnalysis Of A Cosmetics Advertisement

The Complete Guide to SAT Grammar Rules

The Complete Guide to SAT Grammar Rules SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Even though the English language is complex, the SAT tests a specific set of grammar rules. Furthermore, it tests these rules the same way, over and over again. In this complete guide, we've compiled acomprehensive list of SAT grammar rules you need to know to ace the SAT Writing and Language section. If you master all these rules and practice them with realistic questions, you'll have a huge advantage on SAT Writing and Language. Unlike other guides, oursfocuses on providing you with lots of examples to help you understand how the grammar rule will show up on the SAT. After all, you need to master the SAT format to do well on the SAT! Concision and Redundancy There are times when saying something twice is needed: for emphasis, to review a difficult topic, or to explain something more clearly.The SAT, however, is all about being as succinct and to the point as possible. Your ability to edit the fat out of sentences is tested in three ways:fixing overly wordy phrases, finding redundancies, and combining two simple sentences into a more complex one. Overly WordyPhrases The SAT deeply believes in Shakespeare's maxim that â€Å"brevity is the soul of wit†: if you can say the same thing with fewer words,do it. It’s tempting to think that when a sentence uses a multi-word phrase where a single word will do, the sentence sounds formal or more academic. But this is not the case.Often, one word is better than many words(examples 1 and2). Sometimes, a sentence might use words that don’t serve any purpose and don’t even need to be replaced but rather deleted altogether (examples 3 and4). Examples Error:Thinking in a manner more general, we can say that good schools enable people to learn more. Fix:Generally, we can say that good schools enable people to learn more. Error: The company might not be awarded the contract because it lacks production facilities, making ita worse choicefrom a theoretical way of speaking. Fix: The company might not be awarded the contract because it lacks production facilities, making ita worse choicetheoretically. Error: Although hesitant to challenge herself at first, the student decided to enroll in threeAP courses, twohonors courses,and an intensive art course on top of that. Fix: Although hesitant to challenge herself at first, the student decided to enroll in threeAP courses, twohonors courses,and an intensive art course. Error: When the audience stood to applaud the speaker, it was clear that her words had hada marvelous, even stupendous, effecton the crowd. Fix: When the audience stood to applaud the speaker, it was clear that her words had hada marvelous effecton the crowd. Redundancy If a sentence expresses the same bit of information two or more times,it’s considered redundant.Pick the best way of stating the necessary fact and delete the repetition. Examples Words or phrases that mean the same thing as each other are underlined. Error: The stock market mightrepeatits drop and rise patternagain, warns the financial forecast. Fix: The stock market mightrepeatits drop and rise pattern, warns the financial forecast. Error:Soona relative calm period followedquicklyafter the brunt of the cyclone had passed. Fix:A relative calm period followed quicklyafter the brunt of the cyclone had passed. Error: Management was surprised to seeabiannualuptick in salestwice each year. Fix: Management was surprised to see a biannual uptick in sales. Combining Simple Sentences Sometimes, in order to write with concision, you have tocombine simple or related sentences into one.Don’t worry about keeping word order, as this kind of revision often requires you to shift things around. To combine sentences correctly, ask yourself the following questions: Is there a person, place, thing, or concept that both sentences are talking about?If so, you can make one sentence into a dependent clause of the other through the repeated noun (example 1). Is there a chronological sequence that the two sentences are describing?Then you can make one into a dependent clause of the other using prepositions such asbefore, after,andfollowing(example 2). Does one sentence define the other?Combine them by inserting whatever is being defined into the defining sentence (example 3). Examples The nouns, chronology, or definitions used to combined the sentences are underlined. Error: The voting rate has not decreased amonguneducated citizens.Uneducated voterscontinue to vote for better schools. Fix: The voting rate has not decreased amonguneducated citizens, whocontinue to vote for better schools. Error: Young musicians are encouraged to perfect their techniques and skills through their conservatory training.After this, they can start their careers in small, local orchestras. Fix:After perfecting their techniques and skills through their conservatory training, young musicians can start their careers in small, local orchestras. Error: The conclusion scientistscame to is the idea that instead of being made up of particles, matter is actually made out of one-dimensional objects called strings.This is string theory. Fix:The conclusion scientistscame to is string theory, the idea thatinstead of being made up of particles, matter is actually made out of one-dimensional objects called strings. Redundancy: good for mountain climbing, bad for writing. Idioms and Conventional Expressions The SAT tests your knowledge of common English usage, includingtwo types of idioms. First, there areexpressions that mean something different from the actual words being used(such asraining cats and dogsorkick the bucket). Secondly, there areshort phrases or groups of words thatalwaysgo together(such asstumble onorkeep at bay). You'll also be asked to distinguish amongfrequently confused homonyms- that is, words that sound like each other but are used in different circumstances as they mean different things. One common example isbearvsbare. Verbal Phrases The SAT particularly loves one type of idiom called verbal phrases, which areverb + preposition pairs,andwants to check that you know for sure which preposition is correct. Examples Error: The show wasfollowed onan encore. Fix: The show wasfollowed byan encore. Error: She isresponsible ofreturning her library books. Fix: She isresponsible forreturning her library books. Error: One shouldrefrain fortexting while driving. Fix: One shouldrefrain fromtexting while driving. PrepositionalIdioms These are just like verbal phrases except they don’t involve verbs; rather, they're groups of words thatalwaysend on a specific preposition. Examples Error: The translucent sculptureused light as ameans throughconnecting viewers standing across from each other. Fix: The translucent sculptureused light as ameans ofconnecting viewers standing across from each other. Error:In accordance tothese findings, future research will focus on analyzing the effect of facial expressions on mirror neurons. Fix:In accordance withthese findings, future research will focus on analyzing the effect of facial expressions on mirror neurons. Commonly Confused Words English hasa lot of words that sound similar to each other but mean very different things.Here is averyincomplete list of examples of these words (you can find more by searching for â€Å"commonly confused words† on Google): Accept:to receive(verb)Except:with the exclusion of(preposition) Affect:to influence(verb);emotional response(noun)Effect:result(noun);to cause(verb) Beside:close to; next toBesides:except for; in addition to Complement:something that completes(noun);to pair well with(verb)Compliment:praise, flattery(noun) Eminent:prominentImminent:about to happen Precede:to come beforeProceed:to continue, to keep going Sight:scene, view, picture, being able to seeSite:place, location; a web pageCite:to quote, to point to evidence Then:an adverb denoting timeThan:a conjunction used in comparisons Examples Error: After losing his hearing, Beethoven had to rely on his imagination to hear his music, ratherthenlistening to musicians perform it. Fix: After losing his hearing, Beethoven had to rely on his imagination to hear his music, ratherthanlistening to musicians perform it. Error: Despite hours of work, the web administration team was unable to restore thesightafter the denial of service attack. Fix: Despite hours of work, the web administration team was unable to restore thesiteafter the denial of service attack. Error: The presidential candidate used rhetorical flourishes to greataffectin his speech and received a standing ovation. Fix: The presidential candidate used rhetorical flourishes to greateffectin his speech and received a standing ovation. Language Formality When writing for school, work, or publication in a news or scientific journal, you have to use formal English.This means you need toavoid slang and words and phrases that sound too casual.It’s important to keep each sentence at the same language elevation. Examples Error:A bunchof guys doing experimentswas able to synthesize a lithium-ion battery smaller than a grain of sand. Fix:A team of researcherswas able to synthesize a lithium-ion battery smaller than a grain of sand. Error: In 1559, at London’s Westminster Abbey, Elizabeth Tudor, the 25-year-old daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn,got to becomeQueen Elizabeth I. Fix: In 1559, at London’s Westminster Abbey, Elizabeth Tudor, the 25-year-old daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn,was crownedQueen Elizabeth I. Inappropriate informality won't get you into the duke's exclusive club either. Conjunctions and Conjunctive Adverbs Conjunctions and conjunctive adverbsare words that explain how two clauses in a sentence, or how to two or more successive sentences, relate to one another. The SAT checks your ability to use conjunctions and conjunctive adverbs toclarify cause and effect or logicwithin sentences. Explanation Some conjunctions link events in a cause-and-effect relationship to point outwhat happened as a result of something else.Here are some examples of these words, along with their meanings: Because:what has just been said is true as a consequence of what is about to be said Thereforeandhence:it follows from what has just been said that For exampleandfor instance: here is evidence that backs up the previous argument Whereby:by which; using theidea/principle/concept just mentioned; by means of Consequently:directly following the thing that has just been described Examples The incorrect conjunctions are in bold, while the correct ones are underlined. Error: Recent advances in medicine include a new MRI technique for detecting heart damage in chemotherapy patients.However,doctors will be able to see heart defects earlier and more effectively. Fix: Recent advances in medicine include a new MRI technique for detecting heart damage in chemotherapy patients.Consequently, doctors will be able to see heart defects earlier and more effectively. (Doctors can see better as a result of the new MRI test.) Error:Not onlyhave archaeologists in Britain unearthed several well-preserved Bronze Age dwellings, we are getting new insight into domestic life 3,000 years ago. Fix:Becausearchaeologists in Britain have unearthed several well-preserved Bronze Age dwellings, we are getting new insight into domestic life 3,000 years ago. (We are getting insight as a result of dwellings being unearthed.) Error: Foreshadowing, a literary techniquewhenan author hints at what will happen later in the text, is a useful tool for setting the right atmosphere. Fix: Foreshadowing, a literary techniquewherebyan author hints at what will happen later in the text, is a useful tool for setting the right atmosphere. (An author hints by means of foreshadowing.) Contradiction or Digression Other conjunctions can be useful for describing anegative or opposing relationship between events.These words can explain that something happened despite something else, or even though common sense would have not predicted it. They can also indicate that the argument is shifting to a different point. However:introduces a statement/idea that contradicts what has just been said On the one hand, on the other hand:presents two ideas that oppose each other (thesealwaysgo together) But:despite what has just been said, here is information to the contrary Nevertheless:in spite of what has just been said Aside from:the example that follows is an exception to what is being discussed Whileandwhereas:in contrast or comparison with the fact that Examples The incorrect conjunctions are in bold, while the correctones are underlined. Error: The pianist had not had nearly enough time to study and practice the sonata,andshe played it flawlessly. Fix: The pianist had not had nearly enough time to study and practice the sonata,butshe played it flawlessly. (The flawlessness happened despite the lack of practice time.) Error:Just ascrayons are a medium generally reserved for young children, professional artists have used them to great effect. Fix:Thoughcrayons are a medium generally reserved for young children, professional artists have used them to great effect. (That professional artists have used crayons contrasts withthe fact that crayons are usually for children.) Similarity and Emphasis The final category of conjunctive adverbs connects things that areequal or similar,or adds examples that emphasize the direction of the argument. Moreover:as an additional- potentially more convincing or important- matter Just as:in comparison to; similar to Likewise:in the same way; also Not only, but also:presents two ideas that support and emphasize each other (thesealwaysgo together) Examples The incorrect conjunctions are in bold, while the right ones are underlined. Error: Investing money is one way to plan for the future.Hence,another good long-term planning option is to take advantage of a retirement savings account. Fix: Investing money is one way to plan for your future.Likewise, another good long-term planning option is to take advantage of a retirement savings account. (The word â€Å"another† means that two similar things are being discussed.) Error: Dressing to attract attention can affect the way people perceive you.Nevertheless,it can be inappropriate depending on the context. Fix: Dressing to attract attention can affect the way people perceive you.Moreover, it can be inappropriate depending on the context. (The inappropriateness is an additional, more significant effect of attention-getting clothing.) Honestly, this is in no way connected to conjunctive adverbs. However, look- cute! Punctuation There are manypunctuationrules in English, but, fortunately, the SAT doesn’t test all of them. Instead, the test focuses on several specific types. Punctuating Modifiers Phrases that modify or describe a part of a sentence arepunctuated differently depending on whether they are an essential or nonessential part of the sentence. If the sentence needs the modifier in order to make sense, the modifier isrestrictiveanddoesn’tget surrounded by commas.If you can easily take out the modifier without losing the sentence’s meaning, the modifier isnonrestrictiveand should be surrounded by commas like this: Put one comma rightafteramodifier that starts a sentence. Put one comma rightbeforea modifier that ends a sentence. If the modifierappears in the middle of the sentence,surround itwith commas on both sides. Examples Incorrect and correct punctuation areunderlined. Error:US President, Barack Obama,will meet with his counterparts from the European countries for the multinational summit. Fix:US President Barack Obamawill meet with his counterparts from the European countries for the multinational summit. (Since â€Å"Barack Obama† is key to the sentence's meaning,no commas are needed.) Error:The daisy, a perennial plant, sometimes known as bruisewort,grows low to the ground. Fix:The daisy, a perennial plant sometimes known as bruisewort,grows low to the ground. (The modifier just needs to be surrounded by commas and doesn’t need any commas inside it.) Error:Started on a whim by an eccentric resident;the project to clean up the abandoned lot soon became a popular neighborhood pastime. Fix:Started on a whim by an eccentric resident,the project to clean up the abandoned lot soon became a popular neighborhood pastime. (The modifier should be set off by a comma, not a semicolon.) Error: This last part of the minuet should be playedwith steadily increasing volume, or crescendo;until the final chord. Fix: This last part of the minuet should be playedwith steadily increasing volume, or crescendo,until the final chord. (â€Å"Crescendo† is beingdefined, so it needs to be set off by commas, not semicolons.) Using Dashes Think of dashes as being kind of like parentheses.Dashes separate out a sentence piece that is explanatory but not crucial,like an aside or something muttered under your breath. Sometimes this piece is a digressive thought; sometimes it's a list of examples. Typically, the phraseinside the dashes has commas in it, so dashes are the best way to set it off from the rest of the sentence.If the phraseis in the middle of the sentence, it must be surrounded by dashes onbothsides. Examples Incorrect and correct punctuation areunderlined. Error: The hairstylist picked up thescissors- the kind that usually sit in the jar of blue liquid,and started to snip bits of hair off his client’s head. Fix: The hairstylist picked up thescissors- the kind that usually sit in the jar of blue liquid- and started to snip bits of hair off his client’s head. Error: The best hotel concierges havemany skills: knowledge of foreign customs, the ability to speak several languages, and a charming manner,that put even the most diffident guests at ease. Fix: The best hotel concierges havemany skills- knowledge of foreign customs, the ability to speak several languages, and a charming manner- that put even the most diffident guests at ease. Error: After readers foundthe errors, all 243 of them- the publishing company was forced to issue a reprint of the book. Fix: After readers foundthe errors- all 243 of them- the publishing company was forced to issue a reprint of the book. Punctuating â€Å"Such As† The phrasesuch asintroduces a series of examplesto back up a point that’s just been made. The correct way to punctuate it is to put a comma beforesuch as,and then no comma before the first list item or example. Examples Incorrect and correct punctuation areunderlined. Error: Teachers give out a variety ofhomework assignments, such as, worksheets,hands-on projects, and online quizzes. Fix: Teachers give out a variety ofhomework assignments, such as worksheets,hands-on projects, and online quizzes. Error: The antique book shop also sold otherpaper ephemera such as, mapsand newspapers. Fix: The antique book shop also sold otherpaper ephemera, such as mapsand newspapers. Formatting Lists A list is a series of people, ideas, objects, actions, or conditions that follow one another, play the same role in the sentence, and aretypically separated by commas.In fact, that last sentence has two lists: â€Å"people, ideas, objects, actions, or conditions† and â€Å"follow one another, play the same role in the sentence, and are separated by commas.† See what I did there? Punctuation rules for lists are as follows: They should beseparated by commas,with a comma coming before the â€Å"and† or â€Å"or† that precedes the last list item:dogs, cats, gerbils, and fish. If one of the list items has a comma within it, then all the list items should beseparated by semicolons instead:shaggy, purebred dogs; white cats; soft, cuddly gerbils; and fish. Examples Incorrect and correct punctuation areunderlined. Error: The market stall sold ripeapples, cherries; andsometimes even apricots. Fix: The market stall sold ripeapples, cherries, andsometimes even apricots. Error: The class focused on programminglanguages, such as Python; algorithms; anddocumentation. Fix: The class focused on programminglanguages, such as Python, algorithms, anddocumentation. Using Colons Colons are used in two different ways. First, they can indicate thata list is coming up,and that after the list the sentence will end: Here is my list of acceptable pets: dogs, cats, gerbils, and fish. Second, they are used to indicate that anexplanation, a definition, or an example of what has just been saidis coming: My search for the perfect pet came down to man's best friend: a dog. Examples Incorrect and correct punctuation areunderlined. Error: It’s easy to explain why many 12th graders start taking school less seriouslytoward the end of the year; senioritis. Fix: It’s easy to explain why many 12th graders start taking school less seriouslytoward the end of the year: senioritis. ("Senioritis" is the defined term.) Error: The more I cook at home, the more kitchen techniquesI learn, knife skills,mise en place, and cooking several dishes simultaneously. Fix: The more I cook at home, the more kitchen techniquesI learn: knife skills,mise en place, and cooking several dishes simultaneously. (â€Å"Learn† introducesa list.) Error: Consider lobsters,for example, with age,they only get stronger and more fertile. Fix: Consider lobsters,for example: with age,they only get stronger and more fertile. ("Example" introducesan explanation.) Using Semicolons Semicolons have two basic functions. First, in lists theyseparate items that have commas: We atemushrooms, which had been picked in a nearby forest; herbs, nuts, and berries foraged from a public park; and homegrown apples. Second, theyfix run-on sentencesby separating two independent clauses without a conjunction: Jim rode his bike; Mary walked. Examples Incorrect and correct punctuation areunderlined. Error: The State Department completed threeassignments: diplomatic talks, led by an expert in armscontrol, a bilateralmeeting, chaired by an assistantdirector, anda state visit. Fix:The State Department completedthreeassignments: diplomatic talks, led by an expert in armscontrol; a bilateralmeeting, chaired by an assistantdirector; anda state visit. (Two of the three list items have commas in them, so they are separated by semicolons.) Error:The architect worked on the model allnight, he wasbleary-eyed during the presentation. Fix:Thearchitect worked on the model allnight; he wasbleary-eyed during the presentation. (These are independent clauses, so they should be connected bya semicolon.) Semicolon, meet semi-cake. Sentences Sentences are made up of groups of words that are called clauses.There are two types of clauses: independentand dependent. An independent clausecan function as a complete sentence because it has a subject-verb pair and does not start with a word or phrase that makes the clause dependent, such aswhenorbecause. Meanwhile,a dependent clausemustbe attached to an independent clause to be part of a complete sentence. The SAT tests three different types of clause-related situations:fixing sentence fragments, splitting up run-on sentences, and using a dependent clause as the subject of a sentence. Sentence Fragments A sentence fragment isa sentence made of anything less than an independent clause.To fix it, we either connect the fragment to an independent clause (examples 1 and 2), or add the missing subject or verb (example 3). Examples In these sentences,subjects are underlined and verbs are inbold. Error: To boost the number of women in STEM fields, including electrical, chemical, and industrial engineering. Fix: To boost the number of women in STEM fields, including electrical, chemical, and industrial engineering,senior female executivesalsoactas mentors to young women. Error: From diving hard for every attempted shot to deftly throwing the ball to the most open defender. Fix: From diving hard for every attempted shot to deftly throwing the ball to the most open defender, thegoaliewas savingher team at a time when they needed her. Error: For the sake of a better experience at school, asking his adviser for a new room assignment. Fix: For the sake of a better experience at school, thefreshmanaskedhis adviser for a new room assignment. Run-on Sentences A run-on sentence is made ofmultiple independent clauses joined by only a comma or no punctuationat all. To find the correct answer on the SAT, look for an answer choice that uses one of these three fixes: If one independent clause is an explanation or definition of the other, adda word such asbecauseorwhichto the beginning of the explanation (examples 1 and2). If neither independent clause defines or explains the other, combine them with either a comma + conjunction (such asandorbut),orwith a semicolon (examples 3 and4). Alternately, split them up into two separate sentences (example 5). Examples The separation between the two independent clauses is marked with|, while the correction is underlined. Error: The dog Mary wants to put in the dog show is a beagle,|it is a medium-sized member of the hound family. Fix: The dog Mary wants to put in the dog show is a beagle,whichis a medium-sized member of the hound family. Error: The deli had no milk left after a rush of morning customers,|the owner rushed to order more. Fix:Becausethe deli had no milk left after a rush of morning customers, the owner rushed to order more. Error: My favorite Mediterraneanspreadishummusitisvery garlicky. Fix: My favorite Mediterraneanspreadishummus, asitisvery garlicky. Error: Air plants like the Tillandsia species are tolerant of a wide range of climates,|they thrive in room temperatures. Fix: Air plants like the Tillandsia species are tolerant of a wide range ofclimates; theythrive in room temperatures. Error: Deciding which play to put on is only the first step,|even a great script won’t succeed without a well-selected cast and a set design that works with the director’s vision. Fix: Deciding which play to put on is only the firststep. Evena great script won’t succeed without a well-selected cast and a set design that works with the director’s vision. DependentClauses as Sentence Subjects Sometimes, instead of having a simple noun for a subject, a sentence canuse a whole dependent clause as a subject. When this happens,treat the dependent clause as a singular noun. For instance, in the first example, the clausewhoever came up with the idea to put solar panels on rooftopsis the subject of the sentence. Youcan tell by using this trick:replace the clause with a singular noun, such asAlbert Einstein,to see whether the sentence still works. When we do this here, we can see thatAlbert Einstein are geniusesdoesn't work; therefore, the verb needs to be singular to match the subject. Examples The subordinate clause that is the subject is underlined, whilethe verb it's doing is bold. Error: Whoever came up with the idea to put solar panels on rooftops are geniuses. Fix:Whoever came up with the idea to put solar panels on rooftopsisa genius. Error: That cleaning a kitchen is a repetitive chore which makes it especially thankless. Fix:That cleaning a kitchen is a repetitive choremakesit especially thankless. Does his over-reliance on your milk and cookies make hima dependent Claus? Faulty Modifiers A modifier is a word or phrase that describes (i.e., modifies) something. There are two kinds of modifier problems tested on the SAT: dangling modifiers and misplaced modifiers. Dangling Modifiers A dangling modifier is a descriptive phrasethat begins a sentence, has a comma after it, and has the noun it describes not placed right after the comma. In the first example below, the modifier coating the sidewalk is supposed to describe the snow. However, since we is the first word after the comma, the sentence makes it sound like we are the ones coating the sidewalk. Examples Modifiers are underlined, while the nouns being correctly and incorrectly modified are in bold. Error: Coating the sidewalk, we trudged through the heavy snow. Fix: We trudged through the heavy snow coating the sidewalk. Error: Long and tangled, it was difficult to comb the child's hair. Fix: Long and tangled, the child's hair was difficult to comb. Error: Exhausted and weak, the soldiers' uniforms were covered in frost. Fix: Exhausted and weak, the soldiers were covered in frost. Misplaced Modifiers A misplaced modifier is a descriptive phrasethat's not close enough to the thing it's supposed to bedescribing, making it sound like it'sreferring tothe wrong thing. In the first example below, the modifier on the sale rack is supposed to show where the jacket is hanging. However, since it's been placed next to too small, the sentence seems to say that it's the way the jacket was hanging that is too small (instead of the jacket itself). To correct it, we move the modifier closer to the noun it describes. Examples Modifiers are underlined, while the thingsbeing correctly and incorrectly modified are in bold. Error: The jacket was too small on the sale rack. Fix: The jacket on the sale rack was too small. Error: Ray wore his one-collared shirt to the job interview, which was stained with mustard. Fix: Ray wore his one-collared shirt, which was stained with mustard, to the job interview. Error: She handed out brownies to children wrapped in foil. Fix: She handed out brownies wrapped in foil to children. There I was, just dangling in the breeze like a modifier ... Parallel Construction To use parallel construction is to writea list in which all the items have the same grammatical format.For example, if two things in a list are verbs ending in -ing, the third item should also be a verb ending in -ing. If oneitem in a list is aprepositional phrase,then the second item should also be a prepositional phrase. Examples Words or phrases that are already parallel are in bold, whereas those that need to be corrected to parallel are underlined. Error: The couple bought the concert tickets, arrived at the theater, and they sat down in their seats. Fix: The couple bought the concert tickets, arrived at the theater, and sat down in their seats. Error: Painting your bedroom requires picking a color, measuring the walls, get the right tools, and buying paint. Fix: Painting your bedroom requires picking a color, measuring the walls, getting the right tools, and buying paint. Error: The workshop had a whiteboard on one wall,a set of shelves against another wall, and a third wall had many drawers for tools. Fix: The workshop had a whiteboard on one wall,a set of shelves against another wall, and many drawers for tools along a third wall. Error: Her essay focused on characters' reactionsto bad news and showing how these characters handled success. Fix: Her essay focused on characters' reactions to bad news and showed how these characters handled success. Set up parallel tracks so your sentence train can roll safely on its way. Plurals and Possessives The SAT will test your understanding of how to make nouns plural (when there is two or more of something) and how to make them possessive (when you have to explain that something belongs to something or someone else). To make a plural nounthat doesn't own anything, add s to the end of asingular noun: one student, but three students To make a possessive singular noun, add apostrophe + s to the end of a singular noun: the pencil that belongs to one student= the student’s pencil To make a possessive plural noun, add an apostrophe to the end of a plural noun: the classroom that belongs to three students = the students’ classroom Examples Error: Every morning, many hawk’s circled the field, looking for prey. Fix: Every morning, many hawks circled the field, looking for prey. Error: The more I read the novel, the closer I felt to the authors’ point of view. Fix: The more I read the novel, the closer I felt to the author’s point of view. Error: Art Deco furniture is marked by the artists use of geometric shapes, curves, strong colors, and new materials, such as plastics. Fix: Art Deco furniture is marked by the artist’s use of geometric shapes, curves, strong colors, and new materials, such as plastics. That man and that jacket belong to that dog- they are that dog's belongings. Pronouns A pronoun is a part of speech stands in for anoun. For example, the pronoun she can stand in for the woman or Queen Elizabeth. But unlike nouns, pronouns change their form if they're used in different ways.These are the ways that pronouns are tested on the SAT. Subject vs Object Pronouns Nouns and pronouns can be either the subjects or the objects of verbs. Subjects do verbs and objects have verbs done to them. For instance, in the sentence, "A dog chases its tail,"dogis the subject noun, chasesis the verb that it's doing, and tail is the object noun. Unlike nouns such asdog or tail, pronounschange form depending on whether they're subjects or objects. For example, in the phrase she likes him, the woman is the subject, so the pronoun is she. On the other hand,in the phrase he likes her, the woman is the object, so the pronoun changes toher. Subject Pronouns Object Pronouns I me you you he him she her it it we us they them If you’re trying to figure out whether to use a subject or object pronoun when dealing with a compound noun, one trick is to take out the other noun and try the sentence with just the pronoun- you’ll quickly know which is right. In the first example below, me ate dinner is clearly wrong. In the third example as well,sold cookies to I is obviously incorrect. Examples Error: Me and my parents ate dinner. Fix: My parents and I ate dinner. Error: The tourists asked my friends and I for directions. Fix: The tourists asked my friends and me for directions. Error: The Girl Scouts sold cookies to my sister and I. Fix: The Girl Scouts sold cookies to my sister and me. Who vs Whom Whois a relative pronoun which can start either a dependent or independent clause within a sentence.Whois used when the pronoun is the subject doing the action, whereaswhom isused when the pronoun is the object of the action. What's tricky about whois that figuring out whether to use its subject or object form doesn't depend on its antecedent. Instead, you have to see what rolewho is playing inside its own clause. For instance, in example 1, even though people is an object of the verb benefits, inside the clause who understand the tax code,who is the subject of the verb understand.On the other hand, in example 2, even though skydivers is the subject of the sentence, in the clause whom many people greatly admire, whom is the object of the verb admire. One trick is to replace the who or whom with I or me to see whether you need the subject or object form.In this case, me understand the tax codedoesn’t work, and neither does many people greatly admire I. Examples Subjects are bold, verbs are in italics, and objects are underlined. Error:The essay points out that the reduction in taxes only benefits those people whom understand the tax code. Fix:The essay points out that the reduction in taxes only benefits those people who understand the tax code. Error: Skydivers, who many people greatly admire, tend to be comfortable with risk-taking and in excellent physical shape. Fix: Skydivers, whom many people greatly admire, tend to be comfortable with risk-taking and in excellent physical shape. Pronouns and Antecedents Ifthere is a pronoun, it should be obvious what noun the pronoun is referring back to.If it's unclear which noun a pronoun is referring to, or if a pronoun has no antecedent, the sentence needs to be rewritten in one of two ways: either the pronoun can be replaced with a noun, or the phrase can be simplified. For instance, in example 1, this could refer either to Industrial Revolution, resistance group, mechanization, or labor force, so a noun is added. Meanwhile, in example 3, there is no antecedent for them, so the sentence has to be rewritten. Examples The unclear pronouns are in bold, while corrected pronouns and antecedents are underlined. Error: During the Industrial Revolution in England, a resistance groupsprang up to protest the mechanization of the labor force. Workers associated with this began to break and burn factory machinery to protest what they saw as unfair treatment. Fix: During the Industrial Revolution in England, a resistance groupsprang up to protest the mechanization of the labor force. Workers associated with this factionbegan to break and burn factory machinery to protest what they saw as unfair treatment. Error: The files arranged by the temporary workers were out of order, so management sent them back to the main office. Fix:The files arranged by the temporary workers were out of order, so management sent the filesback to the main office. Error: The amount of entertainment available is increasing steadily; soon there will be more than 5,000 shows for them to distribute to subscribers. Fix: The amount of entertainment available is increasing steadily; soon there will be more than 5,000 shows for distribution to subscribers. Pronoun and Antecedent Agreement Pronouns have to match their antecedents in various ways. This means that when we use pronouns more than once in a sentence, we have to use the same personthroughout.(To clarify: 1st person means I or we, 2nd person means you, and 3rd person means he, she, it, or they.) This also means that plural nouns are matched withplural pronouns, and singular pronouns refer back to singular nouns. Examples Mismatched pronouns and antecedents are in bold, while matching pronouns and antecedents are underlined. Error: If a person wants to succeed in corporate life, you have to know the rules of the game. Fix: If a person wants to succeed in corporate life, she has to know the rules of the game. Error: Like its distant oceanic relatives whales, hippopotamuses can alter their density to sink or float in water. Fix:Like their distant oceanic relatives whales, hippopotamuses can alter their density to sink or float in water. Error: After acquiring several new companies, the multinational corporation moved their headquarters to a state with more favorable tax loop holes. Fix:After acquiring several new companies, the multinational corporation moved its headquarters to a state with more favorable tax loop holes. That vs Who The basic concept behind these relative pronouns is simple: who is the pronoun for a person or people, and that is the pronoun for everything else. Examples Mismatched relative pronouns are in bold, while matching pronouns and antecedents are underlined. Error: Coaching can be difficult for peoplethat have a hard time planning strategy on the field. Fix: Coaching can be difficult for people who have a hard time planning strategy on the field. Error: The scientific establishment who rejected Giordano Bruno’s theory that the earth revolves around the sun later had to acknowledge its mistake. Fix: The scientific establishment that rejected Giordano Bruno’s theory that the earth revolves around the sun later had to acknowledge its mistake. Error: The decision was made bythe director, wantingto organize the group in a more efficient way. Fix:The decision was made bythe director, who wanted to organize the group in a more efficient way. Indefinite Pronouns Indefinite pronouns refer to a person, place, or thing that is unknown or unspecified.Many indefinite pronounsthat seem like they're referring to multiple things or people are actually singular. This means that they use singular forms of verbs: everyone is instead of everyone are (examples 1 and 2).This also means that any nouns that refer to them alsohave to be singular and not plural: no one wants to be a dropout instead of no one wants to be dropouts (examples 3 and 4). Person Place Thing everyone everybody everywhere everything someone somebody somewhere something anyone anybody anywhere anything no one nobody nowhere nothing each (of these) either (of these) neither (of these) Examples Pronouns and matching verbs or nouns are underlined, while mismatched verbs or nouns are in bold. Error: On big-budget movies, each of the actors have large, well-decorated trailers. Fix: On big-budget movies, each of the actors has a large, well-decorated trailer. Error: Every one of the experts invited to speak at the conference were unable to make it. Fix: Every one of the experts invited to speak at the conference was unable to make it. Error: Anyone thinking about becoming writers must be excellent readers. Fix: Anyone thinking about becoming a writer must be an excellent reader. Error: Either of these desks would be great surfaces to work on. Fix: Either of these desks would be a great surface to work on. Its/It’s,Their/They’re/There, Your/You’re, Whose/Who’s The different forms and abbreviations of these pronouns are frequently mixed up, but they're something you simply have to memorize.Here are some tricks to use if you're stuck: Take the abbreviation apart: does it is, you are, they are, or who is work in the sentence? Then use it’s, you’re, they’re, or who’s. If the sentence is trying to say that something belongs to something else, use its, your, their, or whose. If the sentence is trying to point to a specific or vague place, use there. Pronoun Definition Examples its belonging to it the puppy’s toy =its toy the leg of the table =its leg it’s it is the sky is cloudy =it is cloudy = it’s cloudy the book is long = it is long =it’s long their belonging to them the sisters’ bedroom =their bedroom the color of walls =their color they’re they are flowers are blooming = they are blooming = they’re blooming friends are great = they are great = they’re great there in/on that place existing somewhere in the world exist many trees= there are manytrees the pants are on the shelf = the pants are there your belonging to you this is my dinner, and this is your dinner you’re you are you are delighted = you’re delighted you are a student = you’re a student whose belonging to whom? I don’t know who owns this house = whose is this house? who’s who is who from the team is coming? = who’s coming? Examples Incorrect forms of these words are underlined, while the correct ones are bold. Error: Who could have known that Da Vinci’s most mysterious painting would become his most famous, with it’s unique half-smile forever expressing some unknowable emotion. Fix: Who could have known that Da Vinci’s most mysterious painting would become his most famous, with its unique half-smile forever expressing some unknowable emotion. Error: Your just like all the other Americans visiting England who think that cricket is closely related to baseball. Fix: You’re just like all the other Americans visiting England who think that cricket is closely related to baseball. Error: Having several books to return to the library, Maria checks they’re due dates to make sure she won’t have to pay any fines. Fix: Having several books to return to the library, Maria checks their due dates to make sure she won’t have to pay any fines. Error: Dismayed that no one agreed with his argument, the city councilman asked, â€Å"Whose with me on this?† Fix: Dismayed that no one agreed with his argument, the city councilman asked, â€Å"Who’s with me on this?† Error: Every study we have come across suggests that bicycles are an excellent way to get around: there economical, good for public health, and environmentally friendly. Fix: Every study we have come across suggests that bicycles are an excellent way to get around: they’re economical, good for public health, and environmentally friendly. Feeling overwhelmed by grammar is apparently part of the human condition. Here's a grammar book from 1526. Just imagine all those monks having to study pronouns in Latin ... Verbs There are twomain issues with verbs tested on the SAT: verb tenses and subject-verb agreement. Verb Tense There are ninebasic verb tenses, threefor each time period (present, past, future). Below are the basic tenses formed from the verbto sing.As you can see, some of the verb tensesare created by adding forms of the verbs have, be,and do. Time Period Verb Forms Present Simple Present: They sing.Present Continuous: They are singing.Present Perfect: They have sung. Past Simple Past: They sang.Past Continuous: They were singing.Past Perfect: They had sung. Future Future: They will sing.Future Continuous: They will be singing.Future Perfect: They will have sung. Generally, the idea is to keep verbs in a single sentence in the same time period, especiallyif a sentence is describing things that happen during the same time period (example 1). If a sentence contains a shift in chronological time, verb tenses should shift to account for the change in time (example 3). Examples Verbs in the same tense are underlined, while verbs in the wrong tense are in bold. Error: According to the cardiologist, since the patient’s arteries are (present)dangerously clogged with cholesterol deposits, the medical team had (past)to check for elevated blood pressure and other heart attack risks. Fix: According to the cardiologist, since the patient’s arteries are (present)dangerously clogged with cholesterol deposits, the medical team has (present)to check for elevated blood pressure and other heart attack risks. Error: Even though office hours had been(past) over for some time, the professor and her student are continuing (present)their productive work on the research project. Fix: Even though office hours have been(present) over for some time, the professor and her student are continuing (present)their productive work on the research project. Error: If the pace of technological advancements continues (present), in the future we ride(present) self-driving cars. Fix: If the pace of technological advancements continues (present), in the future we will ride(future) self-driving cars. Subject/Verb Agreement Nouns and verbs are both parts of speech with numbers and are written differently if they refer to just one thing or multiple things. One dog runs fast, for example, but two dogs run fast. Subject/verb agreement just means that the noun and verb have the same number (singular or plural).One point to remember is thatcollective nouns are singular (a â€Å"crowd of people laughs† instead of â€Å"crowd of people laugh†). A collective noun is a noun that stands for a group of things but is grammatically treated as a single unit (i.e., a singular noun). Examples Matching subjects and verbs are underlined, while verbs that don't match subjects are in bold. Error: A recent survey found that the furniture in most people's homes are mostly made of wood. Fix: A recent survey found that the furniture (singular) in most people's homes is (singular) mostly made of wood. Error: There isa beaker and three pipettes on the top shelf of the cupboard. Corrected: There are (plural) a beaker and three pipettes (plural) on the top shelf of the cupboard. Error: I am trying to read the name of the store across the street, but a crowd of people keep getting in the way. Fix: I am trying to read the name of the store across the street, but a crowd (singular) of people keeps (singular) getting in the way. After a poorly verbed pitch, the batter verbed the ball to midfield. The shortstop verbed to the left, verbing the ball just in time to verb the runner out. Illogical Comparisons There are two different kinds of comparisons that break the rules of logic. The first relies on the idea that you can only compare things that are alike in some way.One trick to spotting illogical comparisons is that they tend to happen when a sentence is comparing something that belongs to someone or something else by using the comparison word than. You have to make sure that the two things on either side of thethan are in the same category (examples 1 and 2). For instance, you can compare apples and oranges because both are fruits. But if both Stanley and Cora have apples, you can't say the following: I like Stanley's apples better than Cora. You'd have to say this: I like Stanley's apples better than Cora's apples. Or, more simply, this: I like Stanley's apples better than Cora's. The second kind of illogical comparison that the SAT likes to test is the notion that you can't compare something toallthings of that type.Instead, you can onlycompare that thing toall other things of that type (example 3). Examples The two things that each sentence is comparing are underlined. Error:Some regulators believe that new drugs should have to go through an even more rigorous testing process than patients who prefer the one currently in place. Fix:Some regulators believe that new drugs should have to go through an even more rigorous testing process than the one currently in place, which patients prefer. Error:Charles Dickens's epic novels, which are almost universally admired by readers and critics alike, are more sweeping than Jane Austen, who writes novels of manners. Fix:Charles Dickens's epic novels, which are almost universally admired by readers and critics alike, are more sweeping than Jane Austen'snovels of manners. Error: For astronauts, the moon is easier to get to than any space object. Fix:For astronauts, the moon is easier to get to than any other space object. You can compare the polar bear to the girls, but you can't compare the polar bear's favorite toy to the girls. Unless that is one extremely dangerous zoo. The Bottom Line: All SAT Grammar Rules You Should Know Here is a quick summary of all the SAT grammar rules we talked about in this article: Concision andRedundancy- the SAT is all about being as succinct as possible Overly WordyPhrases - often, one word is better than many;sometimes, extra wordsshould just be deleted Redundancy- if a sentenceexpresses the same bit of information two or more times,delete the repetition Combining Simple Sentences- make one sentence into a dependent clause of the other through arepeated noun,using prepositions such asbefore, after,orfollowing,orby inserting whatever is being defined into the defining sentence Idioms and Conventional Expressions Verbal Phrases- verb + preposition pairs thatalwaysgo together PrepositionalIdioms- groups of words thatalwaysend on specific prepositions Commonly Confused Words- English has a lot of homonyms (words that sound similar to each other but mean very different things) Language Formality- avoiding slang and words/phrases that sound too casual Conjunctions and Conjunctive Adverbs- words that explain how two clauses in a sentence or successive sentences relate to one another Explanation- conjunctions such asbecause, consequently,andfor examplelink events in a cause-and-effect relationship Contradiction or Digression- conjunctions such ashowever, but,andneverthelessdescribe a negative or opposing relationship between events Similarity and Emphasis- conjunctions such asmoreoverandlikewiseconnect things that are equal or similar, or add examples to an argument Punctuation Punctuating Modifiers- if the sentence needs a modifier in order to make sense, the modifier doesn’t needcommas, but if you cantake out the modifier without losing any meaning, the modifier should be surrounded by commas Using Dashes- separate out a word/phrase/clause that is explanatory but not crucial Punctuating â€Å"Such As†- put a comma beforesuch as(and no comma after it) Formatting Lists- list items aretypically separated by commas,with a comma before theandororthat precedes the last list item Using Colons- indicates a list is coming up and that after the list the sentence will end; also used to introduce an explanation, definition, or example Using Semicolons- separates list items that have commas; fixes run-on sentences by separating two independent clauses without a conjunction Sentences- made up ofindependentand dependent clauses Sentence Fragments- sentences made of anything less than an independent clause Run-on Sentences- multiple independent clauses joined by only a comma or no punctuation at all DependentClauses as Subjects- if a sentence uses a whole dependentclause as a subject, treat the dependent clause as a singular noun Faulty Modifiers- words or phrases that describe something Dangling Modifier- a descriptive phrase that begins a sentence, has a comma after it, and has the noun it describesnotplaced right after the comma Misplaced Modifier- a descriptive phrase that's not close enough to the thing it's describing, making it sound like it'sreferring tothe wrong thing Parallel Construction- a list in which all the items have the same grammatical format Plurals and Possessives- plural iswhen there are two or more of something;possessiveis when something belongs to something else Plural Noun- add s to the end of asingular noun Possessive Singular Noun- add apostrophe + sto the end of a singular noun Possessive Plural Noun- add an apostrophe to the end of a plural noun Pronouns- parts of speech that stand in for anoun (its antecedent) Subject vs Object Pronouns- pronounschange form depending on whether they're subjects or objects in a sentence Who vs Whom- whois the subject form;whom is the object form Pronouns and Antecedents- it should be obvious which noun eachpronoun is referring to Pronoun and Antecedent Agreement- pronouns have to match their antecedents' person and number That vs Who- who is for a person or people; that is for everything else Indefinite Pronouns- pronouns such as everyone that seemplural but are actually singular Its/It’s,Their/They’re/There, Your/You’re, Whose/Who’s- you have to memorize these homonyms Verbs- the SAT tests tense agreement and subject-verb agreement Verb Tense- keep verbs in a single sentence within the same time period: present, past, or future Subject/Verb Agreement- anoun and itsverb must have the same number (singular or plural) Illogical Comparisons- you can only compare things that are alike in some way, and you can't compare something toallthings of that type What's Next? Knowing the grammar rules is just the beginning. Check out our complete guide to SAT Writing for a comprehensive take on all the topics andstrategies you need to know for the SAT. Excelling on SAT Writing also requires a lot of practice,so make sure you use our complete list of official and high-quality unofficial SAT practice testsin your prep. Want an 800 on SAT Reading and Writing? First, getour comprehensive advice on how to study for the SAT. Then,read our detailed guides onhow to get a perfect Writing scoreand how to get a perfect Reading score. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep classes. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our classes are entirely online, and they're taught by SAT experts. If you liked this article, you'll love our classes. 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