Tuesday, December 17, 2019

A New Cyber Security Initiative For The Army Materiel Command

In 2003, I was recruited to set up and lead a new cyber security initiative for the Army Materiel Command (AMC), a 53 Billion dollar year logistics command that serves as the army version of amazon for the army’s current inventory of weapons, supplies and vehicles. AMC, at this time, had over a 100k workforce spread across 140 locations worldwide. During this timeframe, the Department of Defense was still trying to define Cyber Security and mature the process they had in place. DOD was a large target and AMC ranked high due to the research we performed for the Army and the DoD. The attacks came from all types of hackers ranging from, high school and college kids to state sponsored attacks using everything from off the shelf scripts to specialized tools designed to specifically break down our security systems. At this time my command had one of the worst records in the army for cyber security incidents. These attacks were, due to their ferocity and complexity, having a devast ating impact on our ability to support the war efforts in Iraq and some attacks resulted in exfiltration of sensitive but unclassified data. AMC, during this timeframe, owned 50% of the Army’s computing power and this took the form of workstations, servers, applications and communication circuits so the impact was significant. Coupled with these ongoing attacks, the Army changed the way security incidents were being reported, directing all incidents to be reported to the Chief Of Staff (COS) of theShow MoreRelatedSecurity Command Personal Statement Examples820 Words   |  4 Pagessuch disciplines as: information security, systems administration, developing internal and external web pages, software development, network services, storage services and IT work support for investigations and audits. This experienced is evidenced via assignment with the Army Materiel Command (2001 to 2010) (AMC) as Director of Enterprise Operations, Strategic Planning and Chief Technical Advisor and more recent in the position as the Chief Information Security Officer. My assignments at the USRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesAutotown, U.S.A. Van Gosse and Richard Moser, eds., The World the Sixties Made: Politics and Culture in Recent America Joanne Meyerowitz, ed., History and September 11th John McMillian and Paul Buhle, eds., The New Left Revisited David M. Scobey, Empire City: The Making and Meaning of the New York City Landscape Gerda Lerner, Fireweed: A Political Autobiography Allida M. Black, ed., Modern American Queer History Eric Sandweiss, St. Louis: The Evolution of an American Urban Landscape Sam Wineburg

Monday, December 9, 2019

Charter Schools vs. Traditional School free essay sample

Charter Schools vs. Traditional School Charter schools are defined by the U. S. Department of Education (as cited in Marshall, Gibbs, Greene, Nelson and Schofield, 2001) as â€Å"public schools that are under contract from some public agency† (p. 129). ? Charter schools fit in a niche between private and public schools. They are funded with public money (except for their facilities) and they are an alternative to regular public schools systems. A private group of people can submit and get approved a charter to run their own school.Charter schools receive waivers from public school districts in exchange for promising better academic results. Charters are usually given for 3-5 years, where an eye is kept on academic performance. If academic performance lags behind comparable public schools, then the â€Å"charter† is pulled and the school is closed. Therefore, the reasons for and mission of charter schools may differ by school. State boards of education have remained open to varying philosophies of educational approaches. We will write a custom essay sample on Charter Schools vs. Traditional School or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In many states a charter can be obtained by submitting an acceptable proposal to the state board of education. If the board sees the proposal as a benefit to the current public school system, then it will most likely grant the charter (Marshall, et. al. , 2001). The first charter school law was enacted in Minnesota in 1991 and had the purpose of giving educators the chance to found schools that would operate as non-profit organizations (Wronkovich, 2000).A survey of directors and founders of charter schools (as cited by Fusarelli, 2002) listed several major motives for the establishment of charter schools, including: (a)autonomy in educational programming,(b) a desire to serve a special student population, (c) realization of an educational vision, (d) a desire to provide a better teaching and learning environment, (e) instructional innovation, (f) a desire to involve parents, and (g) the autonomy to develop nontraditional relationships with the community (p. 20).Charter schools are run by independent boards that, because of the lack of government regulation, get a great deal of control in setting the curriculum and teaching methods used in a particular school (Hassel, 1999). Much like traditional public schools, charter schools receive fund ing based on their student enrollment. As long as a charter school fulfills the terms of their contract their charter will not be revoked (Good Braden, 2000). Charters are infrequently revoked because of poor student performance. Only our percent of granted charters have been revoked nationally and that termination usually stems from poor financial management. Similar to traditional public schools, charter schools have to submit a yearly report of finances, and indices of progress toward educational goals and parental and student satisfaction (Fusarelli, 2002). The differences between charter schools and traditional public schools are many. The first major difference is size, as the average enrollment at a charter school is only 300 students.Unlike traditional public schools, charter schools can lengthen the school day, apply a dress code or uniforms, theme the school’s curriculum around a particular subject, and even operate as a single-sex institution (Fusarelli, 2002). Charter schools also can feature non-typical grade configurations, the employment of certified and non-certified instructors and a favorable student-to-computer ratio (Wronkovich, 2000). Advantages and Disadvantages What are the adva ntages and disadvantages associated with charter schools?The answer to the aforementioned question depends a lot on whom you ask. People who favor the formation of charter schools suggest that allowing the school to function without the limitations put on traditional public schools by local and state government will allow educators and administrators the flexibility to create effective education programs for students. They also claim that the risk of having their charter revoked makes the school more accountable to parents, students and the surrounding community (Fusarelli, 2002).Just because charter schools do not have to abide by many state restrictions does not mean that they have unlimited flexibility. Entrepreneurial opportunities that allow educators flexibility run into roadblocks because many states do not fully release charter schools from all state regulations. The potential autonomy within a charter school can also become consumed when people who open charters are ill-prepared for the pressures of running a school on a daily basis (Good Braden, 2000).Accountability is another idea that can be quest ioned. As pointed out by Fusarelli (2002), only 4 percent of charter schools nationwide have their charter revoked and only a minority of that four percent is actually revoked for not meeting academic goals that are set out in the charter. Even though charter school advocates would likely claim this as a victory in their favor, few charter schools actually have concrete plans for demonstrating this accountability (Good Braden, 2000).The idea of competition between charter schools and traditional public schools is one that is often debated. Proponents of charter schools suggest that the existence of charter schools alone can stimulate reform of the public school system. Nathan (1996) proposes that allowing more than one organization the chance to provide public education can create wider educational improvements, not only for those who decide to attend a charter school but also for those who stay in the traditional schools.There is research that backs this claim as public schools in Flagstaff, Arizona, Douglas County Colorado, Battle Creek, Michigan and Boston, Massachusetts took measures after charter schools were formed such as adding magnet schools to their district and creating gifted and talented programs (Wronko vich, 2000). Some say that providing public money to private or parochial institutions would also stimulate improvement in traditional public schools. The difference between private/parochial schools and charter schools, however is that the former desire to select which students they want to serve at whatever cost they deem appropriate. This is something that most schools that receive public funding cannot do, thus subsidizing private and parochial schools would promote unfair competition, which is not the case in funding a charter school. (Nathan, 1996). Opponents of competition in the arena of public education argue that competition does not help public education because â€Å"schools do not operate as markets do† and that funds dedicated to charter schools are funds that are being taken directly away from traditional public schools (Fusarelli, 2002, p. 0). Admissions policies The law states that all the charter schools must conduct fair and open admissions, and recruit all segments of the community they serve. However, the problem arises when the number of students seeking admission is more than the number that can be admitted. In this scenario, many charter schools use a lottery system or keep waiting lists. The school charter will state explicitly how their registration process will go.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Professional sport Essay Example

Professional sport Paper Professional sport demands that winning is a top priority commercial sport for also-rans would be very difficult to come by in a harsh business world Galigan 2000 Discuss whether the concepts of fair play and sportsmanship still exist in global games. In this essay I intend to, outline certain terms and phrases in the question and quote that have been given, argue or back the quote that is given and answer the question with reference to sporting events. There are three different words that I would like to define. Also-rans : An also-ran is some one who runs the race but has no hope of winning; they consistently come last or close to last in every race. They never get a podium position. They only run/race because they enjoy it, or to give their country status. An example of an also-ran is a sprinter from Yugoslavia called Slobodan Spasic. He races in each championship 100m, but has never placed higher than 6th in a heat of 8. Also-rans seem to usually come from poorer, smaller countries that cannot fund for a large winning sports academy. Sportsmanship : Sportsmanship is The intention to compete within the framework of the rules and the intended spirit of the rules. This would be playing to your own best ability without using any performance enhancing drugs, any special enhancing blood doping techniques or anything that would leave you liable to being banned if you got caught. Gamesmanship : Gamesmanship is The intention to compete to the limit allowed by the rules and beyond, if it is achievable without a penalty. We will write a custom essay sample on Professional sport specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Professional sport specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Professional sport specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer A prime example of this is runners who take steroids to increase muscle density and mass, but try to hide the steroids they have taken with more drugs that make it seem as if everything is ok. With global advertising companies and markets, now virtually ruling the world they can control who makes it and who doesnt in the case of sport. If a company backs a sportsperson enough they will become famous and be at the height of the sport. However, if a company decides not to back a player/sportsperson for any reason, it would seem likely that they would not get recognised in the global sports world. Competitors that we hear about normally are the ones who are the best, can run the fastest or can score the most goals. This is because they have been backed by so many companies to succeed. Sportsmanship as stated above is the intention to compete within the framework of the rules and the intended spirit of the rules. A good example of a sport and team that do this very well is Rugby and the World Cup winning England Rugby team. Rugby is a sport that prides itself on being tough and hard but at the same time being fair. As the old saying goes Football is a gentlemans game played by thugs and Rugby is a thugs game played by gentleman. All rugby teams are expected to play hard, but to play with a huge amount of sportsmanship. Yes there are a number of little spouts of violence now and then but it is totally understandable due to the assertiveness and level of harsh bodily contact needed to play the game. During the 2003 world cup the England Rugby team came under some heavy abuse from the rest of the nations competing. Still, they competed, and fought off all others to become champions, they didnt retaliate or lash out with violence. They didnt use the press to abuse other teams, they played theyre own style of rugby and won the world cup. This is a prime example of sportsmanship in todays sporting environment. My point is that yes fair play and sportsmanship do exist but only in some sports, in which the players have been brought up top abide by the rules and follow the referees decision. In some sports i. e. Football however, this level of sportsmanship is rarely seen. With players diving to receive penalties, arguing with the referee and generally acting around the limit of the rules football is no longer a sport full of sportsmanship. Football has swung more towards the way of the new term Gamesmanship. Running is a sport that I have mixed views about. It is highly committed to clamping down on users of performance enhancing drugs, but the trainers of the competitors have do much access to illegal drugs that are being newly made every day that it is hard for the governing body to keep up. Obviously not all the runners use illegal drugs, but I would imagine that the amount who do is more than we hear about.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

The Benefits of E

The Benefits of E Abstract In this paper, a critical review of e-contracting is conducted. This is achieved conducting a background analysis of the concept of e-contracting in which the benefits associated with e-contracting are highlighted. The method used to achieve this is literature review. The author asserts that there are a number of challenges associated with e-contracting.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Benefits of E-contracting specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As a result, it is vital to minimize these challenges so as to achieve the benefits of e-contracting. The author identifies a number of e-contracting challenges on which he formulates a set of hypothesis. Some of the challenges which the firm evaluates relates to modeling and representing contractual relationship, negotiation, monitoring, and contract management. Finally, a conclusion of the entire study is given together with a recommendation for further research to be conducted in order to seal the existing gaps. Introduction According to Grefen (2010, p.19), contracts form the basis upon which businesses establish formal relationship with various stakeholders. Traditionally, physical documents such as papers were used as evidence of an existing contract between two or more parties. However, the 21st century has witnessed rampant technological growth (Angelov, 2005. p.54). Some of the technological fields which have witnessed rampant growth include software development and telecommunication. Currently, communication is not limited by geographical and time constraints. Due to technological advancement, it is possible to exchange information more easily and rapidly. The high rate of technological innovation has led to emergence of electronic commerce which entails undertaking all business processes electronically. As a result of growth in electronic modes of collaboration between firms, business contracting has also been affected thr ough emergence of a new modes of collaboration referred to as electronic contracting [here after referred to as e-contracting] (Angelov, 2005. p.54). E-contract refers to a contract which is designed and executed through a software system. In e-contracts, business contracts are designed using computer programs which make it possible to automate the respective business processes. It is possible to map e-contracts to other related computer programs.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, e-contract programs cannot be able to deal with complex relationship arising between the various parties to the contract. The concept of e-contracts is similar to that of traditional contracts.In e-contracts, the vendors offers their product and the respective terms such as price to potential buyers. On the other hand, the buyers evaluate the terms, and negotiate the price . After this, they are able to order the particular product or service and make payments. However, all these activities are conducted electronically. In an effort to improve their operational efficiency, firms in different economic sectors such as the construction industry are increasingly incorporating e-contracting in their operation. This arises from the benefits associated with e-contracting. However, there are a number of challenges associated with e-contracting. In order to gain insight on these challenges, the researcher identifies and analyses some of these challenges. To evaluate e-contracting challenges effectively, the researcher have adopted a number of null hypothesis. All the hypotheses are based on the various elements of a contract as outlined below. Modeling and representing business contractual relationships using e-contracts is a challenging task. There are a number of hindrances which affect e-contract negotiations. Monitoring e-contracts is challenging compared to monitoring physical contracts. There are a number of issues which hinder e-contract management. By understanding these challenges, this paper will contribute towards management teams of firms which have adopted e-contracting developing strategies aimed at eliminating challenges. This arises from the fact that they will appreciate the effects of these challenges on their contractual relationship. For example, poorly developed e-contract can result into financial and legal implications on the parties to the contract. Therefore, understanding the contract will culminate into improvement of the firms’ overall operational efficiency, for example by strengthening contractual relationships. Background and history of e-contracting Through e-contracting, a firm is able to undertake a number of activities associated with contracting purely in an electronic environment. For example, the parties to the contract are able to undertake negotiations via electronic communication methods. Upon the parties to the contract coming to a consensus and a contract being established, each of the parties to the contract manages the various activities electronically.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Benefits of E-contracting specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For example, the parties may incorporate online collaboration systems in various communication processes such delivering contractual notices. In addition, e-contracting enables the collaborating parties to undertake necessary contractual amendments. This makes the process of contracting to be more efficient. According to Camarinha-Matos, Afsarmanesh and Ollus (2008. p. 193), traditional contracting involves human actors and is considered to be slow while e-contracting is faster and cost effective. E-contracting does not result into changes of the businesses processes. It is only the efficiency of the contracting process which is improved. E-con tracting mainly involves two main processes which include contract formation or establishment and contract enactment. According to Xu and Vrieze (2010, p. 3), contract formation involves a number of activities which include identification, negotiation, checking, and validation of all the contractual parties. On the other hand, contract enactment or performance involves monitoring contract performance. Grefen (2010, p.19), asserts that there has been emergence of new business settings over the past few years which require new contracting paradigm. To align themselves with the changes in the environment, firms are considering incorporating e-contracting in their operation. E-contracting process is distinct with regard to the result. This arises from the fact that e-contract is developed as a semi structured document which can be in various formats such as Microsoft Word, XML, or PDF formats. Some of these include XML based words, clauses and sentences. In addition, e-contracts are com posed of semi-structured information. In addition, some electronic contracts attain legal status through digital documents. According to Xu (2004, p.3), legal e-contracting is aimed at establishing a contractual document which addresses the intentions of all the parties.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Xu and Vrieze (2010, p. 3), es of these aspects relate to development of the first contract models and frameworks. In addition, Legal and regulatory frameworks were also instituted. This period also saw the development of concepts such as the digital signature, certificate authority and certificate mechanisms. Other es of these protocols include the Transport Layer Security and the Secure Socket Layer (O’Shea et al, p. 14). In addition, lack of effective encryption and decryption by the parties involved can result into the transmission being hacked. In addition, some of the e-contracting negotiation platforms such as the email do not offer a comprehensive system which can be used in auditing electronic records. This means that the evidentiary value of e-documents and records is diminished. The resultant effect is increased inefficiencies with regard to disclosure process if a dispute occurs (O’Shea et al, p. 14). This illustrates the fact that each of the e-contracting stages results into emergence of security and legal risks. An example of industries which have increasingly incorporated the concept of e-contracting in their operation is the construction industry. In order to minimize the associated risks, it is vital for the management teams of these firms to take into account the associated risks. To eliminate these risks, construction companies should ensure that their e-contracting system is well configured. This can be achieved by considering a number of security goals which include confidentiality, integrity, authenticity, availability and cryptographic non-repudiation. Confidentiality will entail ensuring that only authorized parties can read the details of the contract. The integrity of the e-contracting system entails ensuring that the e-contract documents are not modified, deleted or duplicated. On the other hand, authenticity entails ensuring that individuals who have access to the e-contracting system are the real parties to the contract. Availability entails ensuring that the parties to the contract can access the e-contracting systems and other e-contract documents (O’Shea et al, p. 14). E-contracting challenges on monitoring Contract monitoring refers to the process of analyzing the activities conducted by the parties to the contract. This aids in detection of any possible contract violations (Meersman Tari, 2007, p. 303). According to Camarinha-Matos, Pereira and Ribiero, (2010, p. 85), it is necessary for the parties to the contract to closely watch the activities of the collaborating parties. This will aid in ensuring that the activities by the parties are according to the stipulations of the contract. Contract monitoring can be classified into two. These include proactive monitoring and reactive monitoring. In the proactive monitoring, it is possible to identify any anomalies and take necessary actions to avoid their occurrence. In reactive monitoring, the parties responsible for the occurrence of the anomalies are identified. In this case, compensation to the affected party is necessary. One of the purposes of electronic contract is to clearly distinguish what is expected from the collaborating parties (Xu Vrieze, p.4). In addition, the contract also stipulates the acceptable behavior. During the contract fulfillment phase, messages related to the contract are transmitted through the established network. These messages can be used as a source of additional information to aid in pro-active monitoring. However, e-contract monitoring is challenging since most of the networks being used in the e-contracting process of on automation of the entire process instead on developing services which would aid in supporting contract fulfillment. Some of the services considered to support contract fulfillment include monitoring. Lack of these services limits the effectiveness of creating a trustworthy electronic commerce environment. E-contract challenges on contract manageme nt Over the past few decades, the concept of contract management has increasingly become prominent. This is mainly so amongst project oriented companies such as construction firms. Demand for contract management has resulted from the fact that the business environment is experiencing rapid changes. As a result, it has become paramount for firms to be effective and efficient in how they manage their contracts. In an effort to move with the market changes, firms are incorporating e-contract management systems. An effective electronic contract management system should have the capacity of supporting the firm’s networking development. In addition, the system should be effectively distributed and connected to the internet. Camarinha-Matos, Afsarmanesh and Ollus (2008. p. 193), asserts that the system should support end to end integration. In addition, other features which should be ensured include flexibility, security and accessibility. This will increase the systems efficiency i n handling complex contracts. According to Xu and Vrieze (2004, p.5), there are various aspects associated with contract management. Xu and Vrieze are of the opinion that contract management should involve establishment of a single repository. In addition, contract management also involves tracking the performance of each contractual partner. This should be achieved through incorporation of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The information obtained should be used to determine the necessary improvement actions and establishment of ranks. In addition, contract management also entails informing and reminding the partners on the milestones. Contract management entails ensuring that parties to the contract honors the contract terms (Betts, 1999, p.76). Through contract management, a firm is able to save on its operating costs. Despite the fact that e-contracting is considered to be cheap, there are some challenges which may result. This is mainly experienced if the firm has entered into a number of contractual agreements with firms which have adopted different electronic commerce standards. In such a case, it becomes difficult for the firm to manage the contract. This arises from the fact that the firm will be required to monitor the operations of every party which is a daunting task. In addition, the firm may not be able to maximize the expected benefit in the contractual relationship. This arises from difficulties in its effort to minimize potential costs and determining the cost of the contract violation. According to Xu and Vrieze (2004, p.6), multiparty contractual relationships may result into loss of variable information. In addition, e-contracts involving a large number of parties result into increment in the degree of complexity. This arises from the fact that the large number of collaborating parties makes the relationships to be hidden. In addition, it becomes difficult to manage e-contracts involving multiple partners with regard to modeling the contra ct and identification of responsible parties. Xu and Vrieze (p. 6) further assert that multi-party e-contracting is challenging with regard to provision of extra services such as monitoring. Conclusion As a result of technological innovation, firms are increasingly being pressurized to improve their operational efficiency. One of the technological innovations which have affected firms entails the emergence of electronic commerce. In an effort to attain their profit maximization objective, firms are integrating online services in their operation. E-commerce has also affected other business processes such as contracting. This is evident in the fact that firms in different economic sector are increasingly incorporating the concept of e-contracting in their operation. Through e-contracting, firms are able to enter into business contract with various parties electronically. The shift is also associated with the benefits resulted from e-contracting. For example, through e-contracting, a f irm can be able to minimize the costs involved in contracting. Additionally, electronic contracts result into reduction in paper work. A firm’s operational efficiency is significantly improved as a result of incorporating electronic contract. This arises from the fact that human errors which may occur during traditional method of contracting as eliminated. Electronic contracting also minimizes risks associated with contractual agreement established over public networks for example the internet. This arises from the fact that issues such as confidentiality, authenticity, integrity and security of the contract may be compromised. It is also possible to re-use content after the contract is closed in addition to provision of a machine-processible document. E-contracting will also result into improvement of business relationships thus minimizing legal and financial risks. The resultant effect is that e-commerce will be greatly enhanced. Through e-contracting, there is a high proba bility of firm’s improving their productivity and hence their competitiveness. Despite these benefits, there are a number of challenges associated with e-contracting. This means that it is necessary for firm’s to consider ways on how to eliminate these challenges. These challenges are related to technical, legal and business perspectives. For instance, for e-contracts to be effective, it is necessary for there to be effective modeling and representation of the contractual relationship. This presents a challenge to most firms since they may not be acquainted with e-contract modeling knowledge. In addition, firms may be required to have the necessary web-technology. E-contracting is also faced with a challenge with regard to negotiation. Contract negotiations ensure that all the parties to the contract are acquainted with sufficient understanding of their obligations to the contract. Contract negotiation may be compromised for a number of reasons. One of them arises from the fact hat there are various electronic platforms upon which e-contracting negotiations can be conducted. Some of these platforms such as the email may pose a threat to the contract with regard to confidentiality. This is mainly so if the security protocols are not well configured. Therefore, e-contract negotiations require the support of other technologies in order to improve security, confidentiality, integrity and authenticity of the contract. The success of an e-contract is also determined by the efficiency with which the collaborating parties monitor the activities of the parties involved. However, monitoring e-contracts may not be effective due to lack of the necessary support services. E-contract management is also challenging if the parties to the contract have adapted different e-commerce standards. In order to deal with the challenges associated with e-contracting, it is necessary for further research to be conducted. These studies should focus on the best way to seal t he challenges associated with e-contracting. In order to succeed in their e-contracting processes, firms should continuously evaluate the external environment in order to identify possible technological changes. This will enable them to update their e-contracting systems appropriately hence improving their operational efficiency. The resultant effect is that the firms will be able to maximize on the benefits associated with e-contracting. Reference List Angelov, S., 2005. Foundations of B2B electronic contracting. Eindhoven: Technische Universiteit. Burgwinkel, D., 2002. Decision support in electronic contract management: preceding of  the international conference on decision making and decision support in the internet age. Oxford: Oxford University. Betts, M., 1999. Strategy management of IT in construction. New York: Blackwell. Camarinha-Matos, Afsarmanesh, H. Ollus, M., 2008. Methods and tools for  collaborative networked organization. New York: Springer. Camarinha-Matos, L. , Pereira, P. Ribiero, L., 2010. Emerging trends in technological  innovation. New York: Springer. De Marco, T.1990. Controlling software projects: management measurement and  estimation. NY, Yourdon Press. Gardner, A., 1987. An artificial intelligence approach to legal reasoning. Massachusetts: MIT Press. Grefen, P., 2010. Mastering e-business. Massachusetts: Taylor and Francis. Howard R., 1998. Computing in construction: pioneers and the future. New York: Butterworth-Heinemann. Lee, R., 1998. Towards open electronic contracting. EM – Electronic Markets. Vol. 8, issue 3,   pp. 3-8. Marjanovic, O. Milosevic, Z., 2005. Towards formal modeling of e-contracts. Sydney: University of New South Wales. Milosevic, Z. Bond, A., 1995. Electronic commerce on the Internet: what is  still missing. Honolulu, Hawaii: INET95. Meersman, R. Tari, Z., 2007. One the move to meaningful internet systems. New York: Springer. O’Shea, K. et al., 2008. E-contracting: security and le gal issues. Queensland: Queensland University. Roddick, J., 2006. Advances in conceptual modeling-theory and practice. New York: Springer. Sommerville, J. Craig, N., 2006. Implementing IT in construction. Washington: Taylor and Francis. Sun, M. Howard, R., 2004. Understanding IT in construction. New York: Routledge. Teamwork and Online Collaboration Solutions, n.d. eTenderer: a revolutionary online  procurement system. Web. Web. Xu, L., 2004. Monitoring multinational party contracts for e-business. Sydney: Paul de Vrieze. Xu, L. 2004. Monitoring Multi-party Contracts for E-business. Tilburg: University of Tilburg. Xu, L. 2004b. A Multi-party contract model. Tilburg: University of Tilburg. Xu, L. Vrieze, P., 2000. E-contracting challenges. Sydney: CSIRO ICT Center.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Government Sales and Auctions

Government Sales and Auctions What does the U.S. government have going for it when it comes to public sales and auctions? Diversity. From Treasury bills to wild horses and houses, you name it and a government agency probably sells it.Best of all from the consumers standpoint, the government is not out to make a profit, so most items are sold at or below cost or fair market value.Plus, purchasing from the government helps to defer ​the  cost of running the government, which saves taxpayers dollars. Personal Property Sales Some of the best buys available can be found in government sales of personal property. Boats, cars, planes, jewelry, mineral rights, animals and more. Be sure to visit the GSAs Auction SuperSite. Auto Sales Its easy and economical to purchase a pre-owned vehicle from the U.S. government. Join the thousands of people who buy at government auto auctions. Real Property/Real Estate Houses, land, apartments and commercial buildings, farms and ranches. Includes links to information on buying homes from HUD. Into the money market? Financial Assets Treasury bonds, savings bonds, securities, etc. Miscellaneous Sales and Auctions Stamps, coins, jewelry, collectables, souvenirs and more. Buying Advice Before you whip out the plastic, there are  some important basic tips and information you need to know about buying merchandise or property in government sales and auctions: Guide to Federal Government Sales This document from the General Services Agency (GSA) delivers the factual information you need to participate in the Federal Government’s various sales and auction programs. It also helps combat the many misleading advertisements that offer to sell consumers inside information about Federal Government sales and auctions. Buying Raw Land As the Interior Department says, homesteading is a thing of the past, and you will not find free land or land for A-Dollar-an-Acre, but the federal government does sell land. Lands identified as excess to the publics and Governments needs or more suited to private ownership are sometimes offered for sale. The federal lands sold by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) are generally unimproved rural woodland, grassland or desert parcels located mostly in the western states. The parcels are typically not served by utilities like electricity, water or sewer, and may not be accessible by maintained roads. In other words, the parcels for sale are truly â€Å"in the middle of nowhere.† Buying Used Government Property When items are no longer needed by the federal government, The General Services Administration (GSA) stretches your tax dollar by offering them for sale to the public. GSA sells a wide variety of items that would interest both individuals and businesses. Look here for details and addresses of GSA sales facilities across the nation. How to Buy Surplus Military Property Various commercial firms sell literature regarding the sale of Department of Defense (DoD) property and/or advertise sales of DoD property, and suggest that DoD sells real estate, jeeps, confiscated and seized properly. DoD does not sell these items. The type of property DoD does sell, how it may be purchased is explained in this pamphlet.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Love and Morality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Love and Morality - Essay Example The story is based on two individuals who have different and separate lives but who have not experienced true love until they meet one another while on vacation in Yalta; this puts them in a state where they are obligated to choose between continuing their lives as they were before they met when they separate or find a means of exploring their love further, which leads to the development of an affair as both characters are married. It is through the decision to continue the affair that the story shows that true love cannot be ignored by those affected by it. The story brings to light the characteristic that true love is unexpected and cannot be planned ahead of time. This is seen in various parts of the story whereby neither Gurov nor Anna expect to fall so deeply for one another as shown in statements such as â€Å"A month or so would pass and the image of Anna Sergeyevna, it seemed to him, would become misty in his memory, and only from time to time he would dream of her with her touching smile as he dreamed of others† (146.) Gurov assumed that he would be able to easily forget the woman he met while on vacation once he got back to his normal routine but soon found out that this was not possible and to his surprise as time passed on he found he was still not able to stop thinking about Anna. This is seen in the statement, Both characters had gone to Yalta on vacation with no expectations of finding love but as a result of circumstantial meeting ended up finding an individual that they could see themselves spending their entire lives with. The correlation between love and morality also plays a part in the story as well; both Anna and Gustov married young and were in a relationship for a number of years before they met, but this fact does not stop them from falling in love. It is also seen that they are in fact not in love with their spouses when Chekhov states that

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Holocaust-WW2 Related Events (American History) Research Paper

Holocaust-WW2 Related Events (American History) - Research Paper Example They did not have any proper policy to run such a huge rescue operation. Moreover, it was really difficult for the refugees to get into the United States as the refugee policy of the country was such that refugees were unable to get entry visas. Such a policy was made by the US because of anti-Semitism, isolationism, economic depression and xenophobia. (THE UNITED STATES AND THE HOLOCAUST, n.d.) When the Jews in Europe were getting victimized by the Nazis, American Jews were not able to stand beside their European counter part. This is because most of the American Jews were settled in the country for a very short period of time. They did not have enough power to stand up against American government as there was hardly any unity among the American Jews. No major American Jewish community was there in between 1930 to 1940, though there were many small ones. The Jewish Labor Committee was ready to talk to the Nazi government regarding the holocaust. American Jewish Committee which was mainly formed of Americanized German Jews decided to deal the issue politically and quietly. There was not any Jewish group which could raise its voice against the government. There was no channel through which the president of American Jewish Congress, Rabbi Stephen S. Wise could contact the president Roosevelt; and the American Jews were not ready to help him in this regard. These were the main reasons behind the inability of the American Jewish to pressurize the Roosevelt administration (American Jewry and the Holocaust,

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Women During the Civil War Essay Example for Free

Women During the Civil War Essay Women during the Civil War helped as nurses, cooks, solider, and spies. Women in the North also worked for the United States Sanitary Commission. â€Å"The primary national relief organization, coordinating donations to the Union. † The role southern women played during the Civil War was also to cook, be spies, the duties of the man while in his absence. â€Å"Women worked in munitions plants, as clerks in government offices, and as a sales force in retail businesses. † Clara Barton a famous Civil War nurse, she followed the troops into battle and worked alongside doctors. Barton later founded the American Red Cross (Schultz, 2012). The war affected both the women on Union and the Confederate side because in the absence of the men, women had to ensure all the duties were completed. Black slaves fighting during the Civil War concerned many individuals. People were fearful of the idea of arming a Black man. In case they would revolt back and kill for their freedom. People feared the idea of the black slaves willing to do anything to become free. Black slaves played a huge role in the American Civil War this was mainly because slaves were a large population of the South. Nearly 3. 5 million people in the Confederate side were slaves (Schultz, 2012). Black slaves were offered an opportunity to become free by serving in the war, but this enticement was only offered as a last resort, because of the desperate need of men to fight the war. The only down side to this was that even freed many blacks were not equal to white men. Black solider rarely ever became officers and the only time they command white men was when their whiteness was not so evident (The Civil War,2013) They were not given equal pay, or allowed to vote. While many slave owners did not want to arm black slaves they desperately needed help in fighting.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

A Critique of The Giver :: Giver Essays

A Critique of The Giver The purpose of this book was to show us a possible version of a "Utopia". It was a fantasy oriented book, that was suppose to make you think about the possibilities for the future. The setting is a supposedly perfect society where everyone is taken care of and no one is different. The author Lois Lowry does a fine job portraying this supposedly "ideal" society. This book began with a description of sameness and release the two general principles the society functions on. It then continues while Jonas (the main character) waits to receive his assignment in the community. Waiting to find out what his assignment is, and what it entails doing are rises in action. The climax is when the plan to escape the society is being conceived and the actual escape itself. The falling action is when he is escaping from the search planes and trying to keep himself and Gabriel alive. The ending is when he feels triumph at the top of the hill and then sleds down it to his new family, his first memory that belongs to him. There were many characters in this book the main one being Jonas. Jonas is a child in this supposed "Utopia" who ends up with the most important assignment of all the "Receiver of Memory". The Receiver holds all the memories of the whole community so the community does not have to be bothered with feelings and the emotional baggage that comes with them. Jonas's trainer the "Giver" is a old man who passes the memories on to Jonas and eventually thinks of the plan to escape. The Giver also adopts Jonas and Rosemary as his own kids in a way. He had a previous "Receiver" named Rosemary who applied for and received release. Release is the term for death in this community. So when Rosemary was released her memories went back to the community. Jonas and the Giver were talking about this when the Giver got the idea of how to get Jonas away from the community and get the community back its emotions and feelings. Gabriel was a another influential character he was a baby staying with Jonas's family till he was

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Typography

Typefaces vary greatly – they have different looks and deferent meanings for people. Certain typefaces are very formal and elegant; others are casual and relaxed. Some typefaces suggest antiquity; others are very modern. The point is that, Just as the size of the television screen affects television programs, so do the typefaces chosen affect how people will Interpret a given message. † (Berger 2008) Here are 4 example of typography that I will explore In the essay. First, we have the phase Happy Birthday. This example of happy birthday is a happy feeling for a hill's birthday.It gives the impression of fun, excitement. The use of purple let you know that this will be a little girl's party. You can use bright purple when promoting children's products. â€Å"We are affected by the size of a given typeface because size affects the way we respond to the design of individual letters† (Berger 2008). This is why I decided to use a large type size for this phase. Happy B irthday Magnolia Grove Bed ; Breakfast Jackson, Mississippi This example Is a way to combine typefaces with similar proportions. â€Å"ProportionsInvolves how they relate to one another In general, relative to the size or area of the visual field being 200). Here, two hard-w;irking typefaces assigned supporting roles: the Brush Script MET that serves as the spotlight by appearing big and the Basketballs Old Face serves for text. Love is patient and kind This example of script font is elegant and formal. This typography is a design that you would use for a wedding. Script fonts are usually use for formal invitation such as wedding invitations such as wedding, formal dinner parties or in my case I use this font when I am scrapbook.This typography has a feminine feel to me Mexico This example really reminds me of a Mexico. The bold color of red Is an example of all the bright and bold colors of Mexico. Why is typography important? Typography has many advantages and its use has Decode Important Tort various communications on a global level. Learn more auto why the use of type is a staple in everyday life and how its use is something on which we all rely. Reference Berger, A. (2008). Seeing is Believing: An Introduction to Visual Communication (3rd deed. ). New York: McGraw-Hill

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Deception in the Twelfth Night Essay

Deception is seen widely throughout the play Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. Many characters are very clear about who they are and what their motives are, while some are more manipulative. Deception is shown through the clearness of Orsino’s character and the way Viola (Cesario) deceives people to play a man. Orsino is a character in the Twelfth Night that is considered much understood. He is very upfront about his actions and motives. This is portrayed in the way that Orsino loves Olivia and the way he will do anything it takes to get her to be with him. He makes it very clear that there is only one thing that he wants: to be with Olivia. As Orsino states his love in the play, â€Å"Oh, when mine eyes did see Olivia first, methought she purged the air of pestilence. That instant was I turned into a hart, and my desires, like fell and cruel hounds, e’er since pursue me† (1. 1. 20-24). He is very upfront about who he is; as the count, he is better than the people around him and gets what he wants. The way that Olivia thinks so highly of him as a Duke, demonstrates how he is better than the people around him: â€Å"Yet I suppose him virtuous, know him noble, of great estate, of fresh and stainless youth. In voices well divulged, free, learned, and valiant; and in dimension and the shape of nature, a gracious person† (1. 5. 260-64). Orsino is a noteable character who is straightforward and determined to get what he wants. Viola (Cesario), on the other hand, is completely deceptive of who she is. Although she deceptively dresses as a man, Viola does it so that she can stay alive in Illyria. The Captain is the only one who really knows what Viola is doing. As the Captain says, â€Å"Be you his eununch, and mute I’ll be. When my tongue blabs, then let mine eyes not see,† (1. 3. 65-66) which he also knows the reasons of doing. Throughout the entire play, Viola has to lie about who she is, but hints about her secret occasionally, like when she speaks with Orsino: â€Å"I am all the daughters of my father’s house, and all the brothers, too—and yet I know not†.   Viola is a main example of a character that is deceptive by their appearance in the Twelfth Night. Deception is being deceived or mislead by false appearances or statements. There are different kinds of deception in the Twelfth Night, by appearance or by Shakespeare’s word choice. Deception by appearance is an easily seen trait throughout different characters in the play. Orsino is a great example of someone who is the opposite of deceptive, whereas Viola is one of the most deceptive by her appearance and can be seen throughout the play the Twelfth Night.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Find out What Marine Conservation Is

Find out What Marine Conservation Is Marine conservation is also known as ocean conservation. The health of all life on Earth depends (directly or indirectly) on a healthy ocean. As humans began to realize their increasing impacts on the ocean, the field of marine conservation arose in response. This article discusses the definition of marine conservation, techniques used in the field, and some of the most important ocean conservation issues. Marine Conservation Definition Marine conservation is the protection of marine species and ecosystems in oceans and seas worldwide. It involves not only protection and restoration of species, populations, and habitats but also mitigating human activities such as overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution, whaling and other issues that impact marine life and habitats. A related term you may encounter is marine conservation biology, which is the use of science to solve conservation issues.   Brief History of Ocean Conservation People became more aware of their impacts on the environment in the 1960s and 1970s. Around this same time, Jacques Cousteau brought the wonder of the oceans to people through television. As scuba diving technology improved, more people took to the undersea world. Whalesong recordings fascinated the public, helped people recognize whales as sentient beings, and led to whaling bans. Also in the 1970s, laws were passed in the U.S. regarding protection of marine mammals (Marine Mammal Protection Act), protection of endangered species (Endangered Species Act), overfishing (Magnuson Stevens Act) and clean water (Clean Water Act), and establishing a National Marine Sanctuary Program (Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act). In addition, the  International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships was enacted to reduce ocean pollution. In more recent years, as ocean issues came to the forefront, the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy was established in 2000 to develop recommendations for a new and comprehensive national ocean policy.  This led to the creation of the National Ocean Council, which is charged with implementing the National Ocean Policy, which establishes a framework for managing the ocean, Great Lakes, and coastal areas, encourages more coordination between the Federal, state and local agencies charged with managing ocean resources, and using marine spatial planning effectively. Marine Conservation Techniques Marine conservation work can be done by enforcing and creating laws, such as the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act. It can also be done by establishing marine protected areas, studying populations through conducting stock assessments and mitigating human activities with the goal of restoring populations.    An important part of marine conservation is outreach and education. A popular environmental education quote by conservationist Baba Dioum states that In the end, we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we are taught. Marine Conservation Issues Current and emerging issues in marine conservation include: Ocean acidificationClimate change and warming ocean temperatures.Sea level riseReducing bycatch in marine fisheries and entanglements in fishing gear.Establishing marine protected areas  to protect important habitats, commercially and/or recreationally-valuable species and feeding and breeding areas.Regulating whalingProtecting coral reefs through studying the problem of coral bleaching.Addressing the worldwide problem of invasive species.Marine debris and the issue of plastics in the ocean.Dealing with the problem of shark finning.Oil spills (an issue the public became well aware of thanks to the Exxon Valdez and Deepwater Horizon spills).The ongoing debate of the appropriateness of cetaceans in captivity.Studying and protecting endangered species (e.g., North Atlantic right whale, vaquita, sea turtles, monk seals and many other threatened and endangered species). References and Further Information: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Story: Marine Conservation. Accessed November 30, 2015.ScienceDaily Reference. Marine Conservation. Accessed November 30, 2015.U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy. 2004. Review of U.S. Ocean and Coastal Law: The Evolution of Ocean Governance Over Three Decades. Accessed November 30. 2015.  U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy. About the Commission.  Accessed November 30, 2015.The United States Environmental Protection Agency. Ocean Dumping Timeline. Accessed November 30, 2015.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Saying That in Spanish

Saying That in Spanish That is one of those words in English that has no straightforward answer to the question: How do you translate that to Spanish? More so than most words, translating that to Spanish requires you to understand how it is used in a sentence and what it means. A quite common word, it can function as a pronoun, conjunction, adjective or adverb - or be part of phrases where its meaning is less than clear. That as an Adjective When that is used an adjective, it most often is used to point to a particular thing or person. In such cases, it functions as a demonstrative adjective. The most common demonstrative adjectives used for that are ese (masculine), esa (feminine), aquel (masculine) and aquella (feminine). Generally, objects referred to with ese or esa are not as far away in space or time as ones accompanied by aquel or aquella. Im going to buy myself that car. Me voy a comprar ese coche.That car (over there) is better than yours. Aquel coche es mejor que el tuyo.I want that computer!  ¡Quiero esa computadora! Less frequently, that can be used to refer to someone or something that was mentioned earlier. Using dicho or dicha is a possible translation: At the end of the video one can observe that that woman (the one mentioned earlier) is betrayed before her very eyes. Al final del video se puede observar que dicha mujer es traiconada ante sus propios ojos.I would like to acquire that car (that weve been talking about). Me gustarà ­a adquirir dicho coche. That as a Subject or Object Pronoun Usually, when that is used as subject or object pronoun, it is used much the same way as the demonstrative adjectives discussed above, except that it stands by itself without the noun, becoming a demonstrative pronoun. The forms are the same as the adjectives listed above, although an  orthographic accent is used used by some writers even though it is not not strictly necessary. Im going to buy myself that. Me voy a comprar à ©se.That (over there) is better than yours. Aquà ©l es mejor que el tuyo.I want that!  ¡Quiero à ©sa! If that refers to a sentence, a thought or something that is unknown (and therefore its gender not known), eso (no accent) is used: That is a good idea. Eso es una buena idea.What is that?  ¿Quà © es eso?All that cant be free. Todo eso no puede ser gratis. In many cases, that as a subject pronoun doesnt have to be translated at all, especially where it could be used as well. For example, thats impossible could usually be translated as either eso es imposible or merely es imposible. That as a Relative Pronoun When that is used as a relative pronoun, it introduces a phrase or clause that provides more information about a noun, which it follows. This concept is probably easier to understand with examples, where that is generally translated by the Spanish que: This is the house that youre looking for. Ésta es la casa que buscas.She is the student that knows nothing. Es la estudiante que sabe nada.El Bulli is a restaurant that is found in Girona. El Bulli es un restaurante que se encuentra en Girona. If that can be replaced by who or which with little change in meaning, it is probably functioning as a relative pronoun. If the relative pronoun that is used in an English sentence that ends in a preposition, you may need to use the relative pronoun el cual or its variations (la cual, los cuales or las cuales, depending on number and gender) following a Spanish preposition: Its the juice  that you couldnt live without. Es el jugo sin el cual no podrà ­as vivir.She is a woman that many dont pay attention to. Es una mujer a la cual muchos no le ponen atencià ³n. That as a Conjunction Although that may not seem like a conjunction, it often functions as one (a subordinating conjunction, to be precise) when it follows a verb. Typically, que can be used in translation: The boss said that he is happy with my work. El jefe me dijo que est contento con mi trabajo.I understand that I cant be forced to sign this document. Comprendo que no se me puede forzar a firmar este documento.He knows that we know that such an aspiration is stupidity. Él sabe que nosotros sabemos que tal pretensià ³n es una estupidez. That as an Adverb Usually, that as an adverb is the rough equivalent of so and can be translated as tan. He isnt that smart. No es tan inteligente.Yes, its that important to wash your hands. Sà ­, es tan importante lavarse los manos. That in Phrases and Idioms In phrases and idioms, the translation of that is often unpredictable. There are probably too many such phrases to be memorized; it is probably better to try to think of what the phrase means and translate accordingly. Here are some examples of how you might translate phrases using that: And thats that!:  ¡Y eso es todo!At that: He is a writer, and a good one at that. Es escritor, y adems de los buenos.Despite that: They charged for Ubuntu despite that it is free. Cobraron Ubuntu a pesar de que es gratis.How to you like that?:  ¿Quà © te parece?In order that, so that: We need your help in order that the campaign be successful. Necesitamos su ayuda a fin de que la campaà ±a tenga à ©xito. Evil exists so that people can appreciate what is good. El mal existe para que las personas puedan apreciar lo que es bueno.Like that: Why do politicians talk like that?  ¿Por quà © hablan asà ­ los polà ­ticos?That I know of: Nobody has cloned me that I know of. Que yo sepa nadie me ha clonado.That is to say: Excel 2007 didnt know how to multiply. That is to say, it made mistakes. Excel 2007 no sabà ­a multiplicar. Es decir, se equivocaba.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Will significant peace wver prevail between Palestine and Israel Essay

Will significant peace wver prevail between Palestine and Israel - Essay Example The peace process is usually used to describe various paths taken in order to secure lasting peace to the conflict. Indeed, over the years, various attempts have been made in securing lasting peace and these include the Rogers peace plan and the Saddat initiative (1970 – 1972), Madrid Conference (1991), Oslo Accords (1993), Hebron Agreement (1997), Wye River Memorandum (1998), Camp David 2000 Summit (2000), Clinton’s â€Å"Parameters† and the Taba talks (2000 – 2001), Beirut Summit (2002), the â€Å"Road Map† for Peace (2002 – 2003), Israel-Hamas ceasefire of 2008 (2008), the 2010 direct talks (2010) and other alternative peace proposals. Despite these efforts, the prospect of everlasting peace is still far from realization. The major obstacle in achieving significant peace in the Israelis-Palestinian conflict is the lack of good will among leaders of both sides. Most often, promises to carry out peace deal were not kept by the Israeli as wel l as the Palestinian leaders. Furthermore, peace negotiations have been interrupted by outbreaks of hostilities between both sides. Other issues that stand against lasting peace in the conflict are related to borders and division of the land, Palestinians’ concern over Israelis settlements in the West Bank, the status of Jerusalem, Israelis’ concern over security, terrorism, safety and violence, right of return of Palestinian refugees living in the Palestinian Diaspora and the emotional bitterness among Israelis and Palestinians. The key issue on the Israelis side that hampers lasting peace is security concern.

Friday, November 1, 2019

Journal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 33

Journal - Assignment Example He tries to show that one does not need to live in denial, but can accept his/her condition by living positively. The writer of this book shows that cancer patients can do what cancer-free people can do. A cancerous patient does not need to feel that it is the end, but another challenge of life. Hitchens points out that a patient needs to take medication very seriously. He argues that a chemotherapy, radiation or surgeries are the main treatments that a cancerous patient may encounter (Hitchens 619). Hitchens argues that people do not have cancer, but rather battle cancer. The author implies that the treatment of cancer is a process, and a patient must follow in order to be healthy. Hitchens is a good example of persons battling with cancer. With a positive mentality, Hitchens shows that a cancerous person can easily recover. It shows that cancerous patients must have hope and get the required treatment. Cancer patients should not think that they cannot enjoy life just as cancer-free

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Reality and Knowledge in Plato's Myth of the Cave Essay

Reality and Knowledge in Plato's Myth of the Cave - Essay Example Therefore, analyzing philosophic ideas of the rationalists and empiricists, dualists and monists, idealists, materialists and pragmatists begins with perception or rejection of Plato’s ideas of reality and knowledge. The expression that philosophy is a footnote to Plato does not necessarily mean that the philosophers continue Platonic traditions or agree with Plato’s ideas. However, in my opinion, it is Plato who we think of first when we start dealing with philosophic issues. The tendency to incline to the ideas regarding the nature of knowledge and reality can be found in thinking of many European philosophers. Furthermore, it would be wrong to associate every philosopher with Plato, as there are many great thinkers whose ideas were not based on Plato’s teaching or are contrary with them. Of course, Plato is one of the greatest philosophers standing in line with Aristotle, Socrates, Hume, Locke, and Kant. Nevertheless, power of Plato’s thought like nobod y else’s is so great that his ideas can be traced in others thinkers’ philosophy, especially when to speak about European philosophy. Intellectual tradition started by Plato has never ceased to prosper. Europeans are the first and the most frequently said to be referring to Plato’s philosophy, because his thinking seems to be the closest to this particular group of people. The meaning of the statement that philosophy is a footnote to Plato is nothing else, but a metaphor which means that power of his thinking can be neither denied nor rejected, because it has been interwoven into the philosophical tradition of many other great philosophers. Therefore, today it is difficult to discern the ideas regarding, for example, knowledge and reality and classify them into Platonic and non-Platonic. It is difficult to say exactly which philosopher was influenced by Plato and which was not. My understanding of knowledge and reality is that reality is limited to the point wha t we can comprehend and see on basis of our senses usage. To put it simply, if we see a beggar on the street, we conclude him to be a poor and miserable man because of his real physical appearance. However, this person can be a great thinker the same as the worst conman, but we do not know as our knowledge is limited by what we can only see on the surface. The knowledge about this man as well as about different things in the world is hidden. We can discover the knowledge only when we strive for such discovery and keep searching even at times it seems pointless. I agree with Plato that people must try to rise above their limited knowledge to learn more and to attain the highest form of knowledge. At the same time, I think that one type of knowledge can be perceived and explained differently as we have ability to compare things. Our experiences and knowledge of something is relative: for example, if we’ve tried a very delicious cake, we tend to think it’s best in the wor ld. But when we continue tasting more and more delicious cakes, we understand that the first one was not the best one. The same can be claimed about anything which exists in reality. Besides, I’d like to conclude that real knowledge and true wisdom comes with life-long learning. To start, the allegory of the cave also referred to as Plato’s Myth of the Cave is the allegory used by the Greek Philosopher Plato in his work The Republic. Plato basically uses this allegory to illustrate the nature and wanting of education. He describes the interacting phenomena of

Sunday, October 27, 2019

The Role Of Social Media In Public Relations

The Role Of Social Media In Public Relations Technology in this age is putting a spin on how an organization establishes and cultivates an ongoing mutually beneficial relationship with its publics. Social media is an evolving, ever present catalyst in the communication realm of public relations. Public Relations in its earliest years, the era of Antiquity, acknowledged the importance of public opinion, but their scope was limited to an arms reach of their publics. Social media has become both a window and a bridge to the public relations practitioners, by enabling them to interconnect the internal objectives of the organization with the constant changing externalities. In the arena of public relations, an array of hats is essential to effectively carry the overall message of an organization into a stage of visible outcome. An organizations public relations department amongst many other tasks must build awareness, research and analyze public attitudes and perceptions, strategize, and implement crisis plans. Social media provides a way for organizations to do these things on a scale not known in earlier times when messages had to first bypass the filter of the media gatekeepers. As stated by Rupert Murdoch, Technology is shifting the power away from the editors, the publishers, the establishment, and the media elite. Now its the people who are in control (p. 1). Social media as defined by Wikipedia is an umbrella term for the various activities that integrate technology, and social interaction (p. 1). This includes internet forums, weblogs, social blogs, wikis, podcasts, pictures, and videos. Forrester, The Growth of Social Technology Adoption estimated in 2008, that 3 out of 4 Americans use social technology. It is this type of growth that makes it an inevitable, essential tool in creating a survivable existence. In the world of public relations, building awareness and brand reputation are cohesive. Social media is not only being used for its direct to audience approach, but also as an effective generator of media relations. Both awareness and reputation come on the tail of an organizations integrity. In order for an organization to build a positive reputation, it must nurture relationships. It is not science that viable relationships come from a foundation of trust. The trust that social media provides is authenticated by the fact that it allows for the relationship to be carried out in a two-way process. This type of communication permits an organization to truly listen to their publics needs and opinions, giving the organization an open opportunity to be actively responsive. Before social media, the standard press release into traditional industrial media was a shot in the dark towards reaching the true potential of interest. It is important to understand the many different branches to which an organization may utilize in building awareness and how. Through internet forums or social networking sites, such as MySpace, Facebook, and LinkedIn, to name a few, as well as blogs, make an organization able to centralize their audience. Instead of talking at the masses, they are able to talk with a selected tuned in, interested community. It is in these communities where a considerable buzz of web chatter stirred, enters the web world and reaches the eyes and mouths of influential mediums that were otherwise unlikely to be reached by just any Joe before. In social media, ideas can spread like a wild fire, through an effect called push and pull. According to Oden 2009, in the push aspect there is instigation of a new concept in social media situations, providing useful information and provoking discussions about it (p. 2). This creates an influence of pull which is the drive of traffic from people searching for more information. A common threaded resource between the push and pull theory is what is called Really Simple Syndication (RSS). RSS is a jeweled technology in the search and sift element of both public and media relations. On the side of the public relations, RSS is useful in recognizing content analysis, by keywords or concept references. This type of insight gives public relations a heads up into their competition and identifies their own strengths and weaknesses accordingly. On the side of media relations, journalists are able to receive content that is in relevance to their interests or beat. The research that takes place within the public relations department is essentially the bones of the overall success of an organization. It is a stage that is unending, and social media provides a platform for which information is delivered in real time format. Another dynamic of research affected by social media is the scale upon which surveys are able to be given. Not only do social media make it possible for samples to be gained on a global level, through certain software, presentations are part of digital exhibits and interactive sites record message resonation. Although, some may view this open door to the world mentality overwhelming, it is a way for an organization to see where their message may penetrate beyond their eyes conception. After the research, an organization must take all those pieces of information to organize, strategize, and implement into a plan. In the text Using Public Relations Research by Glen Broom and David Dozier (2009) Strategic planning is deciding where you want to be in the future and how to get there. It sets the organizations direction proactively, avoiding drift and routine repetition of activities. The quality of content is a core value in success, so developing a strategy that engages people is important. When formulating a strategy through social media the five Ws serve as an outline. Who are you trying to reach? What are you trying to accomplish? Where are these people online? When and how is the best time to reach them? Why will they care about what you have to say? In order to create a credible presence, the content must be consistent. Tactics that reinforce the strategy of an organizations power in the clutter of information is redundancy. Using multiple communication channels within social media, such as blogs and podcasts, fights entropy. Also, increasing the channels a message is delivered optimizes the search engine visibility. It is through search engine optimization that an organization leaves its footprints in the virtual world. However, these virtual footprints can have adverse affects in the light of a crisis. A constant flow of information circulating can lead to misinformation, and in turn misunderstanding (McLintic 2009). A good crisis management plan must involve actively monitoring the web for any content that could be damaging to the organizations image and reputation. Social media gives organizations a way to be transparent in their management. With a constant flow of communication between an organization and its public, it is much easier to indentify and diffuse a small problem that couldve escalated to a bigger one (Hall 2009). As with any situation, it is ideal to be proactive rather than reactive in nature. There are certain methods of preparation that can greatly change the outcome of a crisis. Through anticipation, an organization can take a front line approach to crisis planning. One way that a crisis can be redirected, is by the purchase of generic crisis terms that ensure search engine positioning of the public to landing pages set in place to address issues, before they link to others that could possibly reinforce negativity. Before venturing off deep into the social media dimension, it is a good idea to benchmark the current position of the organization, so that there is a clear start of measure on the ROI. A few simple markers Chris Lake suggests in his article 10 Ways to Measure Social Media Success would be to make a note of the obvious numbers, (facebook fans, twitter followers, dig links, etc). Make a note of the less obvious benchmarks, (SEO rankings, customer satisfaction scores). Make a note of ROI benchmarks, such as how much is being paid to acquire customers via other marketing channels. However, reality is, social media humanizes a process that was once broken down so analytically. In order to measure the success of social media, you must come to the realization that there is no true assessment by which impact can be calculated. Although, it should not go without saying that it stands as an effective means to communicate to millions, far below the cost of any other form of media. The relationship it assists in building is priceless, and retention is a pretty effective bottom line tool of evaluation. In every new media there has been resistance to change. As a product of generation Y, I have been witness to the crossover over in media convergence, and I see a world of possibilities as it evolves. In the world of PR, I feel social media is an undeniable asset to an organizations ability to connect in ways that attributes to immeasurable value in what they strive to represent and stand for. Social media is a hub to the PR obligations. To underestimate its power to redefine and shift the foundation, by which PR once stood upon as news beggars, is to remain oblivious to the treasure bestowed at our fingertips.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Essays --

The Recreation Center Every university has a recreation center because they care about their students’ health and they encourage them to be healthy. Therefore, being healthy is one of the factors that help the people especially collage students to be more organized and focused in their work. Thus, many universities are keen to provide the best recreation they could have, and they care about the students’ opinion about the recreation center. I am going to evaluate some parts of the recreation center of the university of south Alabama, which include the indoor soccer field benches, the swimming pool, the locker room and the parking lots. First of all, the indoor soccer field or the futsal needs sufficient benches. Therefore, the benches for the subs and the audience or fans are very small and tight. At the same time, the indoor soccer field of the university of south Alabama is one of my favorite fields because its size is sufficient, and I like the shape of the two goals. However, There are many students who come to play or even watch the games but they cannot find a seat. I went to the indoor soccer field three times, and I saw this thing happen two times of the times I went. Moreover, sometimes they stood in front of the glass (there is a wall-glass between the indoor-soccer field and the benches) to watch the match because the location of the benches is not suitable. The seats are just less than the half of the soccer field’s length. Therefore, there is a wall on the left that block the view of the other half of the soccer field. The people who are responsible for the recreation center should be aware of that, and try to provide everything that will make the indoor soccer field appears in a pleasant manner. Second of all,... ...games, the parking lots cannot fit all of the students who want to exercise regularly. I’m one of the students who like to keep myself being healthy and play many kinds of sports, however sometimes when I go to the recreation center I cannot find a park for my car. Therefore, I end up with being in a hookah place instead of the recreation center. They should expand the parking lots to equalize the actual number of the students who are playing at the recreation center regularly. All in all, the recreation center is a very important place for the collage students to utilize from their free time in a good way. The recreation center needs the above things to be fixed in order to have an integral recreation center such as belchers for the indoor soccer field, lockers room and the parking lots for the whole recreation center and the diving board for the swimming pool.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

A View from the Bridge: Relation Ship Between Eddie & Catherine

Eddie and Catherine are two important characters form the play â€Å"A View From The Bridge† by Arthur Miller. The play takes place in Brooklyn around 1950’s. Catherine is an orphan who grew up with her aunt and her aunt’s husband. She sees them as her parents. Eddie who is her aunt’s husband is like a real father to Catherine. Eddie and Catherine’s relationship changes from father and daughter to woman and man throughout the play. This change affects everybody around them and causes problems which ends tragically. In the play there are several main stages that show us the changes in Eddie and Catherine’s relationship.These stages are usually small incidents but each of them develops a new point to the relationship. The first point is on page 6 where Eddie starts commenting on Catherine’s skirt then goes on to criticize her walk and her actions. In that conversation Catherine says, â€Å" â€Å"Eddie, I wish there was one guy you cou ldn’t tell me things about! † This dialogue shows that Eddie has been overprotective before and Catherine has realized it. She does not say it seriously but rather, a joke; however she is actually trying to express that he’s being too overprotective.The device of depicting Italian and Sicilian immigrants, enables Miller to make them more or less articulae in English. Only Alfiery is a properly articulate, educated speaker of American English: for this reason he can explain Eddie’s actions to us, but not Eddie, who does not really speak his language. Eddie, who does not really speak his language. Eddie uses a naturalistic Brooklyn slang. His speech is simple, but at the start of the play is more colourful, as he tells Catherine she is â€Å"walkin’ wavy† and as he calls her â€Å"Madonna†Catherine’s speech is more often in grammatically standard forms, but not always. Her meekness is shown in the frequency with which her speeches begin with â€Å"Yeah†, agreeing with, or qualifying, Eddie’s comments. Rodolpho speaks with unnatural exactness. The words are all English but the phrases are not always idiomatic. He recalls vivid details of his life in Sicily, and he is given to poetic comparisons as when, on page 46, he likens Catherine to â€Å"a little bird† that has not been allowed to fly.Marco has to think before he can speak in whole phrases or sentences: this means he says little, which reinforces two ideas: that Marcois thoughtful, and that he is a man of action, rather than words. e Eddie Carbone is the tragic protagonist of â€Å" The view from the bridge†. He is constantly self-interested, wanting to promote and protect his innocence. Eddie creates a fictional fantasy world where his absurd decisions make sense, where calling the Immigration Bureau in the middle of an Italian community that prides itself on protecting illegal immigrants has no repercussions.In Eddieâ€℠¢s world, he imagines protecting Catherine from marriage or an male relationship and wants her for himself. While Eddie wavers and switches between communal and state laws and cultures, his motivations do not change. Eddie constantly looks out for himself at the expense of others and is ruled by personal love and guilt. There are several moments in the text where the audience is given clues that Eddie’s love for Catherine may not be normal. For example, when Catherine lights Eddie’s cigar in the living room, it is an event that gives Eddie unusual pleasure.This possibly warm and affectionate act between niece and uncle has phallic suggestions. Depending on interpretation by the actors, this moment many have more or less sexual undertones. Eddie’s great attention to his attractive niece and impotence in his own marital relationship immediately makes this meaning clear. Although Eddie seems unable to understand his feelings for his niece until the end of the play, other characters are aware. Beatrice is the first to express this possibility in her conversation with Catherine.Alfieri also realizes Eddie’s feelings during his first conversation with Eddie. Eddie does not comprehend his feelings until Beatrice clearly articulates his desires in the conclusion of the play,† You want somethin’ else, Eddie, and you can never have her! † Eddie does not realize his feelings for Catherine because he has constructed an imagined world where he can suppress his urges. This suppression is what devastates Eddie. Because He has no outlet for his feelings, even in his own conscious mind, Eddie transfers his energy to hatred of Marco and Rodolpho nd causes him to act completely irrationally. Eddie’s final need to secure or retrieve his good name from Marco is a result of Eddie’s failure to protect Catherine from Marco. Eddie believes he will regain his pride in the community, another wholly self-interested act. Eddie e scaped restraint because he escaped all thoughts of other people or the community at large. Eddie’s â€Å"wholeness† is a whole interest in himself. Eddie’s tragic flaw is the bubble, the constructed world he exists within, but is unable to escape or recognize.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

IT Changes Work Environments

Initially there Was some debate as to how large Of a processor was needed to improve liability and also increase the service life of the system, we, the working group decided that mezzo upgrade should be sufficient for the systems roles and responsibilities, I know a mezzo processor. Mr.. Moor's law has and technological advances have really improved the corporate world. These advances have steam-lined international business as well as domestic. Communications have been made simpler with conference calls, emails and even online chat rooms.A company that may have a great IT concept may develop it and introduce it to a market but it will only be a short time before a impetigo company will be working on a similar concept. This has had a hand in the growth of Technology as well; it is those competitive natures that keep pushing new ideas and concepts. The main thing took away from the stages of growth is that timing is everything. If you enter too soon it can be very costly because you a re the first one to try it so you will make mistakes and to fix those mistakes can be very expensive.Not only can it be very expensive but as you are pioneering new technology everyone else is sitting back learning from your mistakes and successes at a fraction of the price. They save money and you pay the price. However if you get in too late your technology becomes out dated and you lose consumers who want a company on the cutting edge of technology. I work for US Bank and we were one of the last major banks to upgrade our Tam's with the image scan of the checks and money. We got so many complaints about why aren't our Tam's up to date.We probably lost a lot of customers over it as well. Every business wants as much market share as possible because more market share means more profit, more control, and less competition. Time ND experience have shown that standardization will bring more consumers to the market. No matter what the business is, it needs a way to operate and communica te with other businesses and consumers. According to an article by The International Journal Of Electronic Commerce, standardization in IT is critical in order for a business to make the most out of its time and resources.This article goes on to explain how â€Å"proprietary' and â€Å"open† standardization zone in on whether a business is more concerned with increasing its market share (proprietary) or more concerned with keeping its fixed share (open) but t the same time, increasing the size of the whole market. Cloud computing was a major thing for me to learn and was able to understand it more after a while. Cloud computing is the ability to store and access data and programs over the internet. Everyone wants access to their data and have immediate access to their files anytime and nap. Here. At a previous employer, our network was shared by all of our divisions in California as well as associated companies. Telecommuters were also able to share equally in the network. T his network of computers made up the cloud. When the web browser was own, we had limited or no access to our files let alone the internet. I tried not to work from home, but sometimes I was able to access my Web e-mail. Web email as well as yahoo, hotmail, and g-mail are forms of cloud computing. Organizations can rent software instead of purchasing the product.A business and their employees can run their computer tools online and process their work and file saving using their web browser. The benefit is the reduced cost for everyone involved. The downside of this concept is that the organization has to place trust in this software vendor. While reading arioso articles about AAAS, realized the software that currently use fall into this category. Sharpening is used to store and track electronic documents and images by different users. It is also password protected preventing access to people outside the organization.We search for the news in a particular manner, we seek information i n a faster method for today's standards and the internet has changed our way of discovering the news. Most of the news today is delivered through various outlets and news medias that changed the way they see the world. In the past, the world depended on the news from newspapers or word of mouth, UT primarily they would try to find information from the source. It time people found this inefficient and troublesome to their way of managing information as we see the future developed in a different manner.Information now is provided in an instant with such APS as twitter or news cast feeds that can be shared by a simple text. It is a new world of technology that has inevitably changed the way we live and see the material world at an instant. As life has see a major change we see that the news and other hard books have changed. Now we get books from Kindles and other material such s being Pads provided the information as the facts that change how we get information that we can changed the world of people, and the information as seen as being drastic change.It is important to see that you can view the aspiration of others. Learning and being part of something the can guide information towards the right direction you are able to see a good point and see that you can make it better. The data mining point of view comes from the aspect that certain changes in data are always developed. I see that certain changes in data come from different companies such as Amazon, Google, faceable, and other operating systems that use search as a primary source of work.I see that certain changes of the group of people come from the different areas of changes that can be ineffective in certain changes. In having read the article of Big Data we see that the new ways of collecting it comes from an easier method-?the consumer. When we go online our best way to find things are to search and find the best way through various inputs such as realizing the inclination of things and seeing that c ertain materials can be found through various inputs, as we will see that Google began this improvement of search engines that ignited the idea of advertising.Now business see that been able to utilize the information to have business grow their volume in the production of things, but we will see that changes in the person can have a big understanding in the aspect of learning. In retrospect, the interesting parts of this course was able to recognize the different changes in the technology world and how IT is making efficient work but scarce labor. The way see technology trending is how can we make our lives more convenient while saving time and money?Convenience to most people is how We can be productive on our smart phones and laptops by utilizing the internet. Some examples include cloud computing, online banking and depositing checks with a picture, shopping online, working from home, communicating with friends and family through social media, taking classes online, sending emai ls, games, movies, TV shows, etc. Time is money, so many people are willing to pay a premium for hi-tech devices. With Artificial Intelligence, people can rely on robots to get work done. Although robots are very expensive to buy, they can be cheaper than paying labor costs.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Observation, use your 5 senses to describe a scene.

Observation, use your 5 senses to describe a scene. I‚m sitting at an outdoor cafÂÆ'Â © in Skopje, Macedonia, having Turkish coffee with my friend, Adelina. The coffee is strong and thick, has the consistency of mud, but it is really sweet. Its late afternoon, but I still feel drunk and a little dizzy from all the ouzo and wine we had drank the night before. It‚s pretty windy but still warm. Every couple of minutes or so, a cool breeze hits us from where the river runs through the heart of the city about a block away and fills the area with the smell of wild flowers and fresh coffee for a few seconds, then it clears and we‚re back to the regular smell of diesel engines and cigarette smoke that you would expect to smell in a European city.If I try real hard, I can sometimes focus my attention to the sound of the wind blowing through the trees or leaves sweeping across the ground instead of loud buses, cars honking their horns and people yelling and speaking in a strange language.English: Turkish coffee at Cairo HiltonI lo ok at Adelina, and I can see that she is enjoying herself as well, even though we‚re not talking. We‚re both just sitting here, enjoying our surroundings and each other‚s presence. She hasn‚t stopped smoking since we sat down. She uses the last of the cigarette she smokes to light the next one before she puts it out. Her hair is a mess, and her sunglasses have definitely seen better days, they look like someone must sat on them and. She looks funny, but beautiful and perfect at the same time.There are pigeons everywhere‚…on the sidewalk, on the floor, in the trees and in the bushes behind me. I wonder if this is really their city we‚re in, and they‚re just gracious...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Naked Economics Essays

Naked Economics Essays Naked Economics Paper Naked Economics Paper Essay Topic: Economics Chapter 1: The Power of Markets 1. What are the two basic assumptions that economists make about individuals and firms? The two basic assumptions that economists make about individuals and firms are that they attempt to maximize their utility using the available resources and that they want to make the most amount of profit possible. 2. What is the role and significance of prices in the market economy? Prices in the market economy are extremely useful because they help gauge what consumers want and how badly they want it. High prices indicate strong consumer desire for that product while low ones indicate little interest. 3. What’s so great about a market economy anyway? A market economy is so good because it corresponds with normal human behavior and allows for optimum allocation of resources. It may not be completely fair, but it is the most stable and best option compared to a communist system. Chapter 2: Incentives Matter 4. Explain how each of the following relates to efficient outcomes in a market economy: adverse selection, â€Å"perverse incentives†, principal-agent problem, and the prisoner’s dilemma. Adverse selection hinders efficient outcomes in a market economy because it involves one party in an economic action having less information than the other, therefore it might agree to buy a certain product or service and pay for more than what it gets (or vice versa if seen from the ignorant seller’s perspective). The avoidance of negative perverse incentives leads governments into better policy making and achieving the desired economic effect and increase in efficiency. If the principal-agent problem is addressed correctly, business managers and employees will strive to improve the product or service and achieve economic growth in the long run because it is beneficial to them, not only the owners. The prisoner’s dilemma will probably lead to an inefficient outcome in which both parties involved will not achieve maximum profit. The only time this isn’t the case is when agreements and communication exist between the parties and they both agree on an action and thanks to that, achieve higher profits. This though is normally prohibited by government in order to prevent monopoly power. Chapter 3: Government and the Economy 5. In your own words, explain what an externality is. An externality is the cost or benefit that the production, selling, use, or even existence of a product or service has positive or negative effects on people that were not involved in the transaction. 6. Besides addressing externalities, what other important and beneficial roles does government play in our market economy? Government tries its best to reach a more equitable income distribution through the use of taxes, provides for public services that would otherwise be produced inefficiently if produced privately, and provides a law system which also prevents monopolization of industries and coalitions between powerful firms to protect consumers from monopoly prices. Chapter 4: Government and the Economy II 7. What are the main reasons why government should only take a limited role in a market economy? Government should only take a limited role in a market economy because if let to function freely, a market economy will achieve considerably efficient outcomes and only need few regulations and assistance with public goods in order to maintain competition and fairness. These functions should be executed with moderation because excessive control and regulation of the market will lead to inefficiency and maybe even market failure.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

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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