Search results for 'tag:Expressions tag:Vocabulary' matching tags 'Expressions' and 'Vocabulary'

Need guidance on essay!

Pleasecorrectme — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:46:56 GMT

I am so sorry for the previous posts, I had some problem with the forum, I edited the page and yet it came out as a new post. The paragaphing is all wrong. Sorry! I didn't know how to delete post! Can someone help me delete the previous one?
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Hello everybody! I had written an essay but my english teacher said it was not well written and the essay lack of expressiveness, vocabulary and did not end good.

I hope someone could read my essay and teach me where to add in expressions and more vocabulary... and ... maybe could teach me some vocabs to add in to the essay to improve ^^ ! That will be great ! I would love to improve my vocabulary and the usage of good phrases ! Haha!

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An occasion when you had to put up with someone who was very difficult to get along. ( The storyline was taken from somewhere)

Hello everybody! I had written an essay but my english teacher said it was not well written and the essay lack of expressiveness, vocabulary and did not end good.

I hope someone could read my essay and teach me where to add in expressions and more vocabulary... and ... maybe could teach me some vocabs to add in to the essay to improve ^^ ! That will be great ! I would love to improve my vocabulary and the usage of good phrases ! Haha!

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An occasion when you had to put up with someone who was very difficult to get along. ( The storyline was taken from somewhere)

âLiz, get ready! They are coming at one in the afternoon!â Mum hurried me. I purposely chose my dress slowly. My wonderful aunt and that imbecilic baboon were coming to visit us from Malaysia. That simpleton would be none other than my extremely irksome cousin.
He is fourteen and yet he acted as though he was six years old. Just listening to his voice alone would make me want to puke.

At exactly one in the afternoon, my perfect aunt and that âbaboonâ arrived.

âLizzy! My dear girl, how nice to see you!â My aunt ruffled my hair and passed me a nicely wrapped present. What an aunt! Yon He, my cousin, was standing beside her and smiling sweetly to my mum. Once my mother turned her back, Yon stuck out his tongue at me. How could I spend a whole day with him! I wanted to faint; I needed to find an excuse to get away from him â for a day, at least.

âOh, look whoâs calling,â I increased the decibel count of my voice. The phone on my hand wasnât even ringing. âHi, Jasme! Oh, todayâ¦ Yesâ¦ I am free, no problem. See you there!â I acted.

âStop pretending Liz.â Amazingly, my mother had seen through my act. âWould you like to bring Yon to the nearby mall?â She asked.

âNope, not really,â I replied quickly. All the time, Yon was watching me with his beady eyes. It was not that I was mean or anything, but he was very difficult to get along with.

âAunty, I really hope Liz can bring me to tour around,â he paused for a second. âI really, really hope I can have some time with my lovely cousin.â

He was telling a pack of lies!

For an hour, I tried persuading mother that I had homework to do but she was not convinced. Reluctantly, I bought âbaboonâ out for a walk.

We were passing by a fruit stall while on the way to the mall. I was telling him that Singapore was no different from Malaysia and suggested that he need not come visit that often. Suddenly, the uncle tending the fruit stall interrupted me.

âHey, boy! That will be two dollars!â I managed to stop myself from crushing Yon into powder. While I was talking to him just now, he was busy pinching a mango. After I painfully dug out a two-dollar note and handed to the uncle, Yon actually had the nerve to pass a comment.

âWhat? Two dollars for that soft thing? Malaysiaâs mangoes are so much better and cheaper at only one dollar each!â He said to me after I had paid the badly damaged mango. I forced my anger down.

Next, we passed by a shop selling branded bags. âLook at that Converse bag! I bought one at home for only twenty-five dollars! Itâs selling at forty dollars!â I willed him to shut up, but failed. I could have bit his head off but I knew that the mummyâs pet was going to complain.

âLiz, I want that teddy bear!â Yon whined loudly while pointing to the soft toy on the shelf of a toy shop in the mall. His whine was so loud that I was so sure everyone in the mall could hear him.

âGrow up, Yon, youâre no longer a kid!â I snapped at him. Thereâs no way I am going to use my own money on him again. I saw the direction of his eyes drifted to me. His eyes were getting moist.

âDarn, heâs going to cry.â I thought. âMummy will buy me anything I want in Malaysia! You must buy that for me! I want it and I must have it!â He was stamping his foot on the floor, each step pounded like thunder.

Suddenly, a hot tiny bubble of anger burst inside me. The mercury shot through the thermometer. I needed to teach this brat who the boss was.

âLook over there!â I pointed, âItâs your favourite Manchester United soccer T-shirt!â I knew he was a huge fan of Manchester United. This ought to do it! As he was blabbering on about how cheap the shirt was in Malaysia, I tiptoed away â my whole body howled with merriment.

After an hour of silence at home, Yon was back â brought back by the police. You should have seen Yonâs face. It was violently red with fear. He was sobbing so much that he could not breathe. I enjoyed watching his face. I even compliment myself for doing such a magnificent job even though I had gotten a hard scolding from my mother after that. That should teach Yon a lesson! I laughed secretly. The scolding I got was worth it. It was amazing to let him be lost in the mall!

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Thanks! I got 19/30 for this T.T ..

Re: Please help me correct it (2)

Clive — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:27:45 GMT

Hi,
Can I write:

(a) Pupils need to know learn on how to express and organize their ideas in writing. Proper usage of the grammar and vocabulary are essentials for them to get ideas perfectly.

(b) Pupils need to be drill to write some interesting, attractive expression in the correct sequence of event. It must be relevant to the topic and verbs given as a guide.

(c) Apparently, those can get the high marks are well-trained and comprehend what are the questions that require the candidates to do. They master the language the language well.

(a) Pupils need to know/learn how to express and organize their ideas in writing. Proper usage of grammar and vocabulary is essential.

(b) Pupils need to be drilled on how to write some interesting, attractive expressions in the correct sequence of events. It must be relevant to the topic, and use the verbs given as a guide.

(c) Apparently, those who can get the high marks are well-trained and comprehend the questions that the candidates are required to answer. They master the language the language well.

Please ask about any edits you don't understand.

Clive

Please help me correct it (2)

Vincent Teo — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:46:24 GMT

Can I write:

(a) Pupils need to know learn on how to express and organize their ideas in writing. Proper usage of the grammar and vocabulary are essentials for them to get ideas perfectly.

(b) Pupils need to be drill to write some interesting, attractive expression in the correct sequence of event. It must be relevant to the topic and verbs given as a guide.

(c) Apparently, those can get the high marks are well-trained and comprehend what are the questions that require the candidates to do. They master the language the language well.

Re: I Teach Online :)

Peaceblinkfriend — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 05:44:25 GMT

Thanks Marianne. Â I think it's a really interesting and informative clip. I was recently given this automated feedback from a vocabulary assessment programme and one of its suggestions was "to learn the fine distinctions of meaning between similar expressions".Â

And you've covered the nuance between 'clever', 'smart' and 'intelligence'. Can't wait to see what follows.

Thanks again

PBF

Re: If I'm used only to Standard English, might I have trouble understanding dialects?

Mr Wordy — Thu, 29 May 2008 14:26:35 GMT

There are some differences in vocabulary and idiom across the British Isles, and you might encounter some regional words and expressions that you're not familiar with. But the core vocabulary and grammar are not hugely different, and you might find that a bigger problem is pronunciation. If you're only familiar with the sort of English spoken by middle class people from the south of England, and you go into a pub in a rough part of Glasgow, say, then you might not even realise that the people there are speaking English at all.

The native speakers I (as a native speaker myself) have most difficulty with are young urban working class people. In this case, vocabulary (lots of "yoof slang" I've never heard of) and pronunciation both cause problems. I might overhear, say, a group of youths chatting in a London suburb and only catch about 50% of it.

There's no need to try to speak regional dialects of British English yourself (unless you're particularly interested in doing so, of course). If you speak something approximating to "standard" British English then you should be able to make yourself understood anywhere in the British Isles.

Argumentative essay 'Against Cosmetic Surgery'

Inka — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:52:47 GMT

Could someone please help me with this argumentative essay? I have to write an argumentative essay against cosmetic surgery. Could someone please look if there are mistakes (grammar mistakes, vocabulary mistakes, logical mistakes), if the text is well-structured, if everything in the text is formal? (if there are informal words, expressions in it I will not get a pass mark)

Cosmetic surgery: the magic potion?

A study by Psychology Today magazine shows that many people are not satisfied with their looks: 60,000,000 do not like their noses; 30,000,000 do not like their chins; 6,000,000 do not like their ears and 6,000,000 do not like their eyes. Unfortunately, science has achieved so far to try to meet our society's unhealthy level of âperfect body'. Cosmetic surgery: the hype of the moment. But is it the magic potion? Certainly not.

To begin with, there is no point in cutting into a healthy body. How small the operation might be, for example cosmetic nose surgery, there is always a chance something goes wrong. The numbers are very alarming: in 20% of all cases, the patient has to recover from the damage he experienced. Although serious risks such as blindness and heavy lung problems are rather rare, less serious risks may not be concealed: chronic pain, allergic reaction, delayed or prolonged healing, ... In any case, cosmetic surgery is far from pain free.

And what is more: a number of surgeries have already failed. âThe magic potion' caused a many people to die because of operations that were far from needed. To take one example: the 36-year old housewife Lorraine Batt, mother of three young children, came to an untimely death as the result of surgery that would make her belly more pretty to look at. Such tragic events are a strong warning that our society has to move into a less appearance-focused one.

In addition, the long-term consequences are often not taken into account. In fact, it is useless to go through a facelift. That is to say: the only thing such a cosmetic surgery does, is to make you younger for a few years. Life goes on and afterwards, the wrinkles come back. It is as unnatural to try to possess eternal youth, as it is to oppose the ageing process. Silicones implants have to be replaced within fifteen years. That seems to be a long time, but the fact that this implies a new surgery, is often forgotten.

Moreover, is it morally right to change the body you are given and transform it into âsomething' you are not? Every single person is unique and that is what makes life so special. Of course some do more resemble (twins and look-alikes), but nobody feels quite the same as you do. The outside appearance is the representation of the inner-self. Therefore, drastically redesigning your looks causes strange effects, take for instance Michael Jackson. If your personality is lacking, your appearance will also lack. This goes hand in hand, cosmetic surgery does not make you a different person.

A common ground to go through this procedure is to make oneself more confident, comfortable and stronger than others. Some youngster see plastic surgery as a quick fix for their physical, and their emotional problems. On the contrary, cosmetic surgery cannot produce miracles, and if teenagers keep thinking in that way, our society is facing an unhealthy future. Cosmetic surgery should not be the option, and it can definitely not be taken lightly. It will change the patient's life, and in ways they may not have expected, which is shown in the paragraphs above.

As wonderful as this piece of modern medical technology may sound, it turns out that cosmetic surgery is not at all that advantageous. That is why the ideal body image has to be thrown away, and has to be replaced by the idea that everyone is special human being, with his/her shortcomings.

Re: Differences between English and your native language

Cool Breeze — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 16:49:42 GMT

Finnish is extremely rich in compounds. This because all concepts are written as one word. Therefore all of these examples are compounds in Finnish: a collection of butterflies, a heap of sand, a bottle of beer, a department store, foreign policy, air force, labour permit, night train etc. Since countless nouns can be added after "a collection of" and after similar expressions, there is no limit to compounds and it would be impossible and pointless to try to include them in a dictionary.

Another convenient thing is that it is always possible to form an adjective and a noun from a place name. There must be more than a million towns and villages in the world, which means that in the Finnish vocabulary there are more than a million words to denote people who live in these places. Even if a person has never heard the name of a foreign village, he knows what to call a person who lives there. English is extremely awkward in this respect. If you live in New York, you are a New Yorker. Those who live in London are Londoners, but those who live in Moscow are Muscovites and those who live in Grantham are Granthamians. I wonder what to call anyone who lives in Uppsala or Kauniainen?

Cheers

Re: Two question about "where"

Velimir — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 13:27:21 GMT

Hello Ant 222,

I wouldn't say that the answer on your question is so clearcut,that's all.What I'm saying is that grammar speed up the process of the acquisition of the language.And it is beyond doubt.One reason I often come across in discussion on this issue is that a native learner may never learn grammar and still you will never have his/her grasp of language,and you can learn grammar as much as you want.Such comparison is ridiculous.Put somebody in the situation to live the language,to make for living surrounded with that language,to ask for a glass of water,or a piece of bread,and I bet he'll learn the hardest chinese dialect in no time,along with the whole trillion symbols of alphabet if needed.But people like to make things complicated when they are not. I've read an interesting sentence in one post on the forum nearby:

"Chomsky suggested that children have a built-in mechanism, which he called the Language Acquisition Device, or LAD, which pre-programs them to develop grammar based on the linguistic input they receive."

Although I don't know the context of this sentence,I understand that children have a knack for languages and all other mankind doesn't.That is,children have one device for automatic learning and when they grow up that LAD gadget break down and they are not able to automatically learn anymore,and they have to fetch grammar if they want to learn a language.
Here goes a few trillions of smiling smilies.That would make learning of language very much similar to "Star Wars" or so.I would say that people enjoy making miracles out of everything.Let me be allowed to advise you not to fall for that kind of reasoning.I mean "Look at me,I'm a miracle,I speak english gorgeuously and I don't have to learn grammar",that kind of reasoning.

As to the learning of a second language,I believe that circumstances in which the learner lives make a difference.First of all,the need to use the language daily,how much you read,how much you listen the language,which depends on his/her place of living,job, his/her affinities i.e personality,lifestyle etc.So,your learning situation and my learning situation are two different situations.More or less different.An immigrant who lives in the USA and is exposed to the english language daily,will need less grammar stuff to learn,and I need more to know about it.It is simple as that.And although,the learning of a language is pretty specific,still it doesn't mean that you don't need grammar at all.I mean you may not need a spade to dig a hole,you can dig it with your fingers,but you'll certainly find a spade helpful.If you know what I mean.Grammar gives the basis i.e the logic for learning.What grammar does is the analysis of the mechanics of a language(i.e cutting into pieces)and then put it together in the way which will make it easier to you to learn.By the way,I remember it from high school that analysis and synthesis are scientific methods in acquiring (any) knowledge.If you give proofs that it is just a useless entertainment for idle men then you'll make a scientific breakthrough,and not only in the field of language.Here goes one smiling smiley.

I think that if an ESL learner avoided confusion caused by different terminology for the same concepts (which is a major problem)and occasionaly manage to find some help when he is baffled(as it is possible from this forum for example) he'll find grammar helpful,and will not shy of it.And there is no reason for that since in essence it is not difficult,so you can read it even if you don't see its real value,and don't worry about your health,it will not put some special strain on your brain.Only when you read it and understand it you will know whether it is worth reading.
I think that Quirk gave neatly arranged structure for a correct acquisition of a language i.e its vocabulary. One can learn the bulk of the english language with the help of his grammar,of course paralelly with learning the vocabulary.Let's say 90% of it,and if somebody want to split hairs he may freely turn linguist,or if he want to learn some expression of Texas shepherds which he didn't understand and it gave him a headache,or solve logical puzzles in your leisure time,he can post a question on some forum.Or something.

Best regards

Velimir

Re: Two question about "where"

Velimir — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 13:27:00 GMT

Hello Ant 222,

I wouldn't say that the answer on your question is so clearcut,that's all.What I'm saying is that by using grammar you speed up the process of the acquisition of the language.And it is beyond doubt.One reason I often come across in discussion on this issue is that a native learner may never learn grammar and still you will never have his/her grasp of language.Such comparison is ridiculous.Put somebody in the situation to live the language,to make for his/her living surrounded with that language,to ask for a glass of water,or a piece of bread,and I bet he'll learn the hardest chinese dialect in no time,along with the whole trillion symbols of alphabet if needed.But people like to make things complicated when they are not. I've read an interesting sentence in one post on the forum nearby:

"Chomsky suggested that children have a built-in mechanism, which he called the Language Acquisition Device, or LAD, which pre-programs them to develop grammar based on the linguistic input they receive."

Although I don't know the context of this sentence,I understand that children have a knack for languages and all other mankind doesn't.That is,children have one device for automatic learning and when they grow up that LAD gadget break down and they are not able to automatically learn anymore,and they have to fetch grammar if they want to learn a language.
Here goes a few trillions of smiling smilies.That would make learning of language very much similar to "Star Wars" or so.I would say that people enjoy making miracles out of everything.Let me be allowed to advise you not to fall for that kind of reasoning.I mean "Look at me,I'm a miracle,I speak english gorgeuously and I don't have to learn grammar",that kind of reasoning.

As to the learning of a second language,I believe that circumstances in which the learner lives make a difference.First of all,the need to use the language daily,how much you read,how much you listen the language,which depends on his/her place of living,job, his/her affinities i.e personality,lifestyle etc.So,your learning situation and my learning situation are two different situations.More or less different.An immigrant who lives in the USA and is exposed to the english language daily,will need less grammar stuff to learn,and I need more to know about it.It is simple as that.And although,the learning of a language is pretty specific,still it doesn't mean that you don't need grammar at all(as an ESL learner)since it gives the basis i.e the logic for learning.What grammar do is analysis of the mechanics of a language(i.e cutting into pieces)and then put it together in the way which will make it easier to you to learn.By the way,I remember it from high school that analysis and synthesis are scientific methods in acquiring (any) knowledge.If you give proofs that it is just a useless entertainment for idle men then you'll make a scientific breakthrough,and not only in the field of language.Here goes one smiling smiley.

I think that if an ESL learner avoided confusion caused by different terminology for the same concepts (which is a major problem)and occasionaly manage to find some help when he is baffled(as it is possible from this forum for example) he'll find grammar helpful,and will not shy of it.And there is no reason for that since in essence it is not difficult,so you can read it even you don't see its real value,and don't worry about your health,it will not put some special strain on your brain.Only when you read it and understand it you will know whether it is worth reading.
I think that Quirk gave neatly arranged structure for a correct acquisition of a language i.e its vocabulary. One can learn the bulk of the english language with the help of his grammar along with learning the vocabulary.Let's say 90% of it,and if somebody want to split hairs he may freely turn linguist,or if he want to learn some expression of Texas shepherds which he didn't understand and it gave him a headache,or solve logical puzzles in your leisure time,he can post a question on some forum.Or something.

Best regards

Velimir

Re: Please help me with the essay! I need some comment! Thank you!

julielai — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 17:51:16 GMT

It's not the vocabulary that matters here. The problem is that the story moves at one pace. Slow down and dwell on the experience of cigarette smoking more -- the pleasure, the discomfit and (deep down) the guilt. When Julie gets home and argues with her mom, she really feels guilty, but she does not want to admit it (slow down again) -- until she gets back to her room (that's when she realizess she shouldn't chosen the wrong course of action.)

Pleasecorrectme wrote:

How can i make it sound more realistic and with more feelings. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Suddenly, I realised I had lost my way

I was looking down at my toes. âJulie! Care to try?â Before I could reply, Nana stuffed a stick into my mouth. âDonât do that!â Frowning, I pulled the cigarette out. Nana looked very hurt. âWhy?â She asked. Nana is my fifteen-year-old friend; we had been friends since we were nine. âJust a puff will do, please,â I shook my head firmly. âHow can you do this to me?â She cried.

âFor the eight years of my life, I treated you as my sister. We eat together, share secrets together and celebrate birthdays together! I am so disappointed in you, Julie!â I thought of the beautiful memories I had with her. âFine, just a puff will do,â Nana brightened up. The experience was fun. Smoke choked my windpipes and I could not breathe. It was simply exciting! I smoked one more puff and returned it back to Nana. I was having the fun of my life. I felt so free and happy.

It was midnight when I returned home. âJulie! Where have you been? Iâve been calling you since seven!â Mother stared right into my eyes. I got angry. âJust shut up will you!â I looked away from Motherâs eyes. Mum was stunned. She stood rooted as if she was a tree. There was no expression on her face. Her mouth was slightly opened, here eyes were completely blanked. Immediately, I stomped up the stairs to my room.

âWhatâs the big deal? I came home only at 12! Did mum have to shout at me like this?â I was getting very angry. I slammed the door shut, stamped my feet loudly. How could Mum screamed at me like this? She is always nagging non-stop and I always hated it. I hate everyone! I hate my mother! I will never call her Mum ever again!

Suddenly, I saw my photo album lying on the floor. It was brown and square. It looked like a brown tile. I picked it up unknowingly and flipped through the page. There was one picture with mother and me, I had this huge smile over my face and my eyes became two lines. We looked so happy. That picture was dated February, 1998. The next picture was Nana and me, we hugged an enormous teddy bear, and we laughed and squeezed the bear tighter. We looked so innocent then. That picture was dated July, 1999. Tears were dripping from my eyes as happy memories flushed into me.

I felt happy at that moment. I was loved and cared for. Suddenly, I realized I had lost my way. I was walking in the wrong direction. I had to turn back immediately. I remembered the times I had with Mother, I was wrong to shout at her. I shot down the stairs and saw mother sitting on the chair. There were piles of tissue on the table. I was heartbroken.

I ran across the room and stopped. âMum, Iâmâ¦â I paused, âIâmâ¦â Before I could continue, my eyes were blurred with tears. I choked on my saliva. Mum looked up. She stood up, walked towards me and placed me under her arms. âJulie, everyone makes mistake sometimes, nobody is perfect, and the most important thing is that you learn from it.â I cried even harder but at that time, I knew I was walking in the right direction.

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