Wednesday, November 27, 2019
National Plain English Conference Essays
National Plain English Conference Essays National Plain English Conference Essay National Plain English Conference Essay Essay Topic: 9th Grade Dear Fellow Employees, After attending the National Plain English Conference in Washington, D.C. it came to my attention that some of the information obtained with regards to J.C. Penny’s could be highly useful within our own corporation. There is no doubt that after reviewing J.C. Penny’s consumer information guide that J.C. Penny’s has had tremendous and great success. The technique of using simpler and more easily read English by J.C. Penny’s has allowed them to reach markets with customers and internet consumers. The main focus that J.C. Penny’s has had is to identify and answer questions by consumers utilizing some of the following techniques:  ·Ã‚        A step-by-step approach that allows employees the benefit and assumption that consumers are not use to making decisions systematically and that they need guidance and attention.  ·Ã‚        Organizing information to make it easy to find by using illustrations, charts, and paragraphs.  ·Ã‚        Writing for a target audience of an 8th or 9th grade educational level.  ·Ã‚        They realized that booklets can be an effective form of communication.  ·Ã‚        The booklets can be printed and distributed inexpensively and have shown a great response. The greater question is what they use and put into their booklets that allows them such a high success rate. In order to generate and keep the interest of the public the following questions are asked in order to ensure the accuracy and usefulness and importance to the consumer:  ·Ã‚        Are the steps of the decision making process clear and concise throughout the booklet?  ·Ã‚        Are they logically organized?  ·Ã‚        Do the pages entice and invite the reader by using clear headlines, short paragraphs, charts, and meaningful illustrations?  ·Ã‚        Is the plain English being used showing efforts and progress with the customers? I then questioned why they chose booklets. Other options such as banners and signs that are posted in â€Å"proper†areas could be construed as having the same effectiveness. So, why choose booklets?  ·Ã‚        Consumers are familiar with booklets and pamphlets and will readily accept them.  ·Ã‚        Booklets are relatively inexpensive to develop and distribute.  ·Ã‚        Booklets can easily adapt to a wide array of topics and merchandise.  ·Ã‚        They can be added in a variety of ways to retail settings and catalogs. The booklets (guides) seem to have high emphasis on the step-by-step approach. This approach appears to pay off in the long run for the following reasons:  ·Ã‚        Consumer groups and educators purchase and use the guides in their programs, giving credence to the guide’s objectivity.  ·Ã‚        There has been overwhelmingly positive input from focus group sessions and consumer comments. In conclusion, I wish you all the best of luck in utilizing the information and techniques from J.C. Penny’s use of simple English. Please remember your use of it does not have to be in the context of a booklet but can be used in any and all daily business documents and correspondence. Best Wishes, Anjanee S. Balkissoon
Saturday, November 23, 2019
Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid with Personal Pronouns
Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid with Personal Pronouns Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid with Personal Pronouns Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid with Personal Pronouns By Maeve Maddox Among the oldest words in English are the personal pronouns I, you, he, she, it, we, and they. Two of the personal pronouns, you and it, have only one form that is used as either subject or object: See that goat? It bit me. (It is the subject of the verb bit.) I hear a bee. Do you see it? (It is the object of the verb see.) There’s a poisonous spider. Step on it! (It is the object of the preposition on) You agree with Charlie on everything. (You is the subject of the verb agree) That car just missed you. (You is the object of the verb missed.) This information must remain between you and me. (You is the object of the preposition between.) Five of the personal pronouns have two forms each: a subject form (I, he, she, we, they) and an object form (me, him, her, us, them). The most common errors occur when subject and object forms are reversed. Two additional errors that seem to be increasing are 1.) replacing a personal pronoun with a pronoun ending in -self and 2.) using a personal pronoun in a context that calls for a possessive adjective. Mistake #1: Object form used in place of subject form Incorrect: In the next several weeks, my colleagues and me will be discussing the appropriate way to do that. (Jay Inslee, Congressional Record) Correct : In the next several weeks, my colleagues and I will be discussing the appropriate way to do that. The subject forms I, he, she, we, and they are used as the subject of a verb. Here are models of correct usage: We went to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. (subject of the verb went) The children and I had a lovely time. (subject of the verb had) My colleagues and I will be discussing the plan. (subject of the verb will be discussing) Mistake #2: Subject form used in place of object form following a preposition Incorrect: She made each child feel special by taking pictures and spending quality one on one time with they and the dog. (A testimonial written by a person who has an M.A. degree) Correct : She made children feel special by taking pictures and spending quality one on one time with them and the dog. When the object of a preposition is a pronoun, the object form is required. Reminder: Prepositions include such words as with, to, in, on, under, and between. Here are two examples of correct usage: The butterfly alighted on her. (object of the preposition on) She gave the horse to Jack and me. (object of the preposition to) In the sample sentence, a social worker made children feel special by spending time â€Å"with them.†Misake #3 Subject form used in place of object form following a transitive verb Incorrect: Rodgers then followed she and her daughter out of the grocery store. (New York Daily News) Correct : Rodgers then followed her and her daughter out of the grocery store. When the direct object of a transitive verb is a pronoun, the object form is required. Here is an example of correct usage: The supervisor commended him for his contribution. (direct object of the verb commended.) The transitive verb followed requires the object form her. Mistake #4 Subject form used in place of the corresponding possessive adjective Incorrect: Susan announces she and her husband’s plans to divorce in front of Atticus’s family. (Downtown Abbey site) Correct : Susan announces her and her husband’s plans to divorce in front of Atticus’s family. Note: The personal pronouns have corresponding possessive forms. The possessive adjective forms are my, your, his, her, its, our, and their. They stand in front of the noun that is â€Å"possessed.†For example: Jack is his friend. (possessive adjective that corresponds to personal pronouns he and him) Sally is her friend. (possessive adjective that corresponds to personal pronouns she and her) She is a subject form and cannot be used as a possessive adjective. Susan announces plans for the impending divorce. They are â€Å"her husband’s plans.†They are â€Å"her plans†as well. Mistake #5 Reflexive pronoun used in place of personal pronoun Incorrect: Both my wife and myself felt so much happier after watching this movie. Correct : Both my wife and I felt so much happier after watching this movie. Pronouns that end in -self or -selves are called â€Å"reflexive pronouns†or â€Å"emphatic pronouns.†Here are examples of their correct use: The boy cut himself with the hedge clippers. (reflexive pronoun) The mayor herself delivered my newspaper today. (emphatic pronoun) There may be occasions when the emphatic form is wanted for a rhetorical flourish, but in ordinary speech, replacing a personal pronoun with one ending in -self or -selves is nonstandard usage to be avoided. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Common Mistakes category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Writing Prompts 101For Sale vs. On SaleForming the Comparative of One-syllable Adjectives
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Beethoven Interpretations Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Beethoven Interpretations - Research Paper Example Beethoven was showing signs of romanticism in his middle period. Beethoven left the sonata form but the freedom he gave each movement is typically Romantic. The Piano Sonata N ° 27 is a beautiful piece of music which has been interpreted in many different ways. The Sonata has three movements: adagio sostenuto, allegretto and presto. It can take anywhere from 12 minutes to 15 minutes to perform depending on the interpretation. Beethoven composed it in 1801. He personally put the title as Quasia una fantasia or almost a fantasy. This means that it can be played as the artist sees fit. In listening to the difference of performance, it can be said that Beethoven's title is more accurate than Moonlight Sonata. A fantasy gives more freedom to perform the music as the performer wants. The name "Moonlight Sonata" was given as a publishing trick. Some say it was given after Beethoven's death. Others say Beethoven gave it as a tribute to his student, Guicciardi. Beethoven had fallen in love with her, a countess. He knew he could never marry someone of that social class. It is unlike him to have been so open as to name a sonata after someone who was paying the bills. This sonata was composed in his middle period. He was not composing romantic music. The title was misplaced (5). His music was steadily leaving the classical form (Waltz). In this Sonata, you see a difference between each performer, which is contrasting. Beethoven would have been heavy in his interpretation. He was already affected by his deafness. The loud pounding of the keys in the last movement enabled Beethoven to hear the vibrations. I listened to many different interpretations in order to get the right feeling for the Sonata. In my research, I saw that the Moonlight Sonata was one of his most famous sonatas. I was surprised at seeing that it could be played so differently by such artist. I chose two artists to explain the three movements (the whole Sonata) in order to have a comprehensive feeling of the dynamics and tempo: Bareboim and Gould. Their interpretation is so different. Then I chose two other artists in order to compare their first movement: Horowitz and Brendel in addition to Bareboim and Gould. I think my favorite of them all was Gould because I felt he was the closest to how Beethoven would have liked the Sonata to be played. In terms of the first movement, I felt it was a classic to hear Horowitz. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpOb5NxtG-w Baremboim played the first movement with emotion and slowly. He was sad or pensive. His expression was sad. The dynamics were softly played piano. There was, too, much of a difference with the two hands. The bass continued to have the same level of sound during the whole movement and the treble would have crescendos and be too loud. He used a little bit of the rubatto effect. The timing of the first movement was 6.55. Only towards the end did the two hands converse with each other. The end was slow. There was too much confli ct between the three note motif and the left hand. His left hand dominated the right only one time during the movement. Towards the end of the movement, he increased in volume and there was a slight crescendo of the left hand which tapered off in the final measure. His bass and treble were blended and not articulate. The Allegretto of the 2nd movement was still slow. It was happy.Â
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