Search results for 'tag:Genders tag:Conversations' matching tags 'Genders' and 'Conversations'

Re: Essay: what means equality for the British ?

Mister Micawber — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 00:03:37 GMT

.
I have underlined some problem areas.

There is a tension in Western society between people who think that everyone should have legal equality and people who think that we have to make people equal in every way. Most English people share the first view whereas most of the French share the second one.

~~First,~~ English people are more comfortable with social inequality. This difference can find it origin in both their main religions. Most British are Protestants and there is a low power distance between God and themselves. They talk directly with God and know that they have been chosen. Therefore, the concept of inequality is accepted by the majority. On the contrary, most French are Catholics and their relationship with God pass by the Church. The French belief is that âevery man is equal in front of Godâ. So, they have applied that ideal in society and as a result, social equality has become a strong French value.

~~Then,~~ British people consider equality as equality before the law. ~~We can discuss this point considering equality inside education and work.~~ In England, it is enough to provide equal opportunity and equal treatment under the law to people, and to protect everyone's rights. Through work and education, it results as the right for anyone to apply for ~~some~~ studies or ~~some~~ jobs. The selection doesnât depend on origins, race, gender or ~~the~~ belonging to a particular group. It is forbidden by ~~the~~ law. In France, it's the government's job to make sure that everyone is equal; that no one is richer or poorer than anyone else, that no one has more success than anyone else. For instance, when a chief executive wants to fire an employee because of his incompetence, he has to pass by a lot of arguments cause of the French legislation ~~laws~~. ~~Actually,~~ the most productive or skilled employees are not recruited for that reason. Another example can be illustrated by some schools with problems called the ZEP. There are numerous pupils who are not interested in study and who are nothing but trouble for the other. Thus, serious pupils can miss great opportunity to pursue in Higher Schools.
So, ~~several~~ attempts to achieve social equality can end up punishing society's most productive people. ~~In my opinion,~~ most British think that social equality is impossible to achieve, because people have different gifts and abilities, and some have more motivation than others.

Another aspect concerns attitudes towards money which shows that social inequality doesnât mind British people. Indeed, people talk freely about money, and it represents a sign of merit. Those who have a lot of money have more merit than the other. In France, the money subject is taboo during conversation and several taxes exist in order to generate social equality. It provides a social security that French prefer because of their uncertainty avoidance attitude. The French government follows this trend and makes egalitarian laws like welfare or the redistribution of incomes.

To conclude, most British have a very different point of view of equality than the French. They consider that equality before the law is sufficient and doesnât believe in the benefits of social equality unlike the French.

Essay: what means equality for the British ?

learner_of_english — Fri, 30 May 2008 14:25:38 GMT

Hello,

I have to do an essay and I would appreciate if you could tell me if the the sentences are grammatically correct.

The topic is: The British poet and essayist Matthew Arnold (1822-1888) once wrote:
âAs to the duty of pursuing equality, there is no such consent among us. Indeed, the consent is the other way, the consent is against equality. Equality before the law we all take as a matter of course; that is not the equality which we mean when we talk of equality. When we talk of equality, we understand social equality; and for equality in this Frenchified sense of the term almost everybody in England has a hard wordâ.
Discuss this opinion in intercultural terms and illustrate your view with concrete examples :

There is a tension in Western society between people who think that everyone should have legal equality and people who think that we have to make people equal in every way. Most English people share the first view whereas most of the French share the second one.

First, English people are more comfortable with social inequality. This difference can find it origin in both their main religions. Most British are Protestants and there is a low power distance between God and themselves. They talk directly with God and know that they have been chosen. Therefore, the concept of inequality is accepted by the majority. On the contrary, most French are Catholics and their relationship with God pass by the Church. The French belief is that âevery man is equal in front of Godâ. So, they have applied that ideal in society and as a result, social equality has become a strong French value.

Then, British people consider equality as equality before the law. We can discuss this point considering equality inside education and work. In England, it is enough to provide equal opportunity and equal treatment under the law to people, and to protect everyone's rights. Through work and education, it results as the right for anyone to apply for some studies or some jobs. The selection doesnât depend on origins, race, gender or the belonging to a particular group. It is forbidden by the law. In France, it's the government's job to make sure that everyone is equal; that no one is richer or poorer than anyone else, that no one has more success than anyone else. For instance, when a chief executive wants to fire an employee because of his incompetence, he has to pass by a lot of arguments cause of the French legislation laws. Actually, the most productive or skilled employees are not recruited for that reason. Another example can be illustrated by some schools with problems called the ZEP. There are numerous pupils who are not interested in study and who are nothing but trouble for the other. Thus, serious pupils can miss great opportunity to pursue in Higher Schools.
So, several attempts to achieve social equality can end up punishing society's most productive people. In my opinion, most British think that social equality is impossible to achieve, because people have different gifts and abilities, and some have more motivation than others.

Another aspect concerns attitudes towards money which shows that social inequality doesnât mind British people. Indeed, people talk freely about money, and it represents a sign of merit. Those who have a lot of money have more merit than the other. In France, the money subject is taboo during conversation and several taxes exist in order to generate social equality. It provides a social security that French prefer because of their uncertainty avoidance attitude. The French government follows this trend and makes egalitarian laws like welfare or the redistribution of incomes.

To conclude, most British have a very different point of view of equality than the French. They consider that equality before the law is sufficient and doesnât believe in the benefits of social equality unlike the French.

Thank you very much

Sincerely,

Re: Possessive adjectives and pronouns, object pronouns for words such as "person, one, who"

khoff — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 03:06:35 GMT

English really needs another pronoun for cases like this!

Traditionally, if the gender was unknown, the masculine pronoun would be used. In a grammar book from 50 years ago, your examples would most certainly use "his." Today this would still be considered grammatically correct, but might be considered socially incorrect. These days, at least in the U.S., the "best" solution is probably to say "his or her", like this:

The one who had lost his or her identification card, couldn't come in. (This example bothers me a bit, probably because I think it's unlikely that the speaker would know that someone had lost a card and was not allowed to come in but would not know if it was a man or a woman.)

- Each person should take his or her equipment to the bus.

- We don't know the person, but we shall wait for him or her, wearing white shirts and holding daisies in our hands.

In some cases, rewriting the sentence into the plural would be a good choice:

"Passengers should take their equipment to the bus."

"Those who lose their identification cards will not be allowed in." Obviously, this is not always possible if the subject is definitely singular.

We would never use "it" for a person.

However, since our language has no pronoun for "a single person of unknown gender," people have begun to use "they, their, them" in situations like this. (Each person should take their equipment to the bus.) Technically it's not correct to use "they" for a single person, but its gender-neutral property is so useful that it is being used this way more and more. It's much easier than saying "his or her." I can't speak for everyone, but it doesn't offend me, and I would be very likely to say it myself in conversation. It would probably be best to avoid it in very formal writing or on English exams.

(In thinking about this, I'm not sure why the evolution of the language has favored using the plural pronoun as a gender-neutral singular rather than using the gender-neutral but inanimate "it" for people -- but that's definitely what has happened. It would be very common to hear any of your examples with the appropiate form of "their," but never, never with "its.")

Re: can someone please check my job application

Anonymous — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 23:43:55 GMT

Hi All,

Many thanks for replying.I have now amended my application and would really appreciate it if someone could check it for spelling, grammar and punctuation.This application is really important to me and i would appreciate any help at all:

Question 1 - Done

Working with people of different backgrounds, ages, or gender Please describe a situation where you have interacted with people who are different from you in terms of background, age or gender: What was the situation:It seemed a new colleague was having difficulty settling in at work. He chose to sit by himself and appeared reluctant to join in with group activities. What role did you play:During general conversation, he mentioned he is homosexual and finds it difficult interacting with people in case they judge him on his sexuality. I encouraged him to talk to the other colleagues as they were friendly and I drew him into conversations by asking for his opinions and showing an interest in his replies. I made sure that he was fairly treated and was not unconsciously ignored by some members of the team. What happened as a result: He soon became settled and felt comfortable enough to take part in group activities. It has also given him much more confidence in dealing with people. He has now become a valued member of the team and has brought new viewpoints and new skills to the team.QuoteEnd>

Question 2 - Done Please describe a situation where you have had to work closely with others as part of a team: What was the situation:As a team of sales advisors, we are set targets by senior management that we are required to achieve. On this occasion, some team members were absent due to illness, and as a result, our individual target was increased to compensate for the sheared workload. What role did you play:I suggested we have a meeting to examine how best to cope with the additional workloads. I said I would look at sales opportunities to generate leads, as this is one of my strengths, other team members agreed to concentrate on existing customers. I also suggested working late one evening a week, we then discussed who would do each evening and I offered to take the first shift. What happened as a result:The team exceeded the sales target and my manager was so pleased with our efforts that our strategy has been used as an example of good practice for other teams when short staffed. I was praised for setting up the team meetings and my ideas and have learned the benefits of working with team members to solve problems.

Question 3 - Done Please describe a situation where you have taken steps to improve your skills and / or learn new things: What was the situation:I made a decision to start a website design company. I felt confident of my skills and knowledge of website design, but I had limited skills and experience in business marketing and consequently found it difficult establishing a customer base. What role did you play:I researched marketing techniques on the internet and managed to teach myself the basics, but I decided I would benefit from further tuition. I decided to contact my local chamber of commerce who arranged for me to attend a business marketing course. A key marketing techniques I learned was to contact potential customers directly, rather than expecting them to contact me. I decided to contact my local chamber of commerce who arranged for me to attend a business marketing course. I made notes of all suggestions and idea that was discussed. A particular suggestion I liked was to contact potential customers directly, rather than expecting them to contact me. What happened as a result: I contacted a local surveying company to arrange a sales meeting and the result of a successful presentation, I managed to secure a sale. Using my newly acquired skills, I built relationships with new customers and further developed my business. I learned that asking questions is a key element of learning. Question 4 - Done

Please describe a situation where you have had to remain calm and controlled in a stressful situation: What was the situation:Whilst driving home from work at rush hour, I witnessed a cyclist get his front tyre caught in a tram track resulting in him being thrown from his bike. The cyclist had landed in a dangerous position and could potentially be further injured. What role did you play:I pulled my car over to a safe location and I assessed the situation. I managed to stop traffic in both directions with my own safety being of main concern. I phoned for an ambulance and checked the welfare of the man. I was under pressure from inpatient drivers who were sounding their horns and wanted us to move. I blocked this distraction and refused to move the patient to prevent further injury. What happened as a result:Because of my prompt response and refusal to allow anyone to move the man off the road, I prevented any further injury being caused. An ambulance came and took the man away by structure.

Question 5 - Done

Please describe a situation where you have had to work on your own in accordance with guidelines: What was the situation:

During the purchase of my family home, I received a letter from our solicitors stating that a previous loft conversion did not meet current fire regulations. Our solicitor said we can still go ahead with the purchase, providing that relevant alterations are made. What role did you play:The project involved installing a new loft window which required me to research and follow strict guidelines set by the City Council. I was under pressure to complete this project as a surveyor was scheduled to assess the work on a particular date. I found myself working evenings and weekends on my own to compensate for this tight deadline. What happened as a result:

The work passed the evaluation and I now live in the house with my family and in peace of mind that the house is fully compliant with all safety regulations.

Question 6 - Done

Please describe a situation where you have had to change the way you do something following a change imposed by someone in authority: What was the situation:At my current employment, I am required to sell products to customers. A business decision was made to change my job role from inbound sales to outbound sales. What role did you play:I conducted research about my new role by asking people in my organisation who do a similar role for there views and day to day working life. I found that it is more beneficial to contact customers directly and up sell a product that they may not currently be aware of. I adjusted my existing sales techniques to adapt my new job role. I shared my research with sceptical colleagues and I helped them see the benefits of the change. What happened as a result:I was given an opportunity to develop my skills and progress my career. The hand over of job roles was successful and I am now achieving a much bigger volume of sales.

can someone please check my job application

Anonymous — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 23:12:22 GMT

Hi All,

I would be extremely greatful if you could proof read my job application.

I am limited to 150 words per question.

Question 1

Please describe a situation where you have interacted with people who are different from you in terms of background, age or gender: What was the situation:It seemed a new colleague was having difficulty settling in at work. He chose to sit on his own and appeared reluctant to join in with group activities. This made other team members feel unmotivated also. What role did you play:I introduced myself and asked him to join me on a project. During conversation he mentioned that he is homosexual and finds it difficult interacting with people in case they judge him on his sexuality. I introduced him to colleagues and I reassured him that we work in a fair and ethical organisation. I further asked him to assist me with my next project to which he was delighted. What happened as a result:He shortly became settled and felt comfortable enough to take part in activities and speak to others. As a result, all new entrants are now individually introduced to each team member to help them settle in which ultimately helps us work better as a team.

Question 2

Please describe a situation where you have had to work closely with others as part of a team: What was the situation:As a team, we are set sales targets by senior management that we are required to achieve. On this particular occasion, our team was suffering from staff absences, resulting in our individual targets being increased due to sheared workload. What role did you play:I decided to stay after work and assist a colleague who was not performing as required. I doubled up with him and listened to an example of his work. As a result, I spotted a sales opportunity that he missed. I highlighted this problem and gave him necessary feedback based on my experience. What happened as a result:He took my advice and integrated it into his sales technique which proved successful as he achieved his target that day. This resulted in our team achieving target to which my manager was delighted, she really appreciated my support. I am now regularly asked by management to assist colleagues who are not performing well.

Question 3 Please describe a situation where you have taken steps to improve your skills and / or learn new things: What was the situation:I made a decision to start a website design company. I felt confident of my skills and knowledge of website design, but I had limited skills and experience in business marketing. Because the website design industry is a competitive market, I faced difficulty establishing a customer base. What role did you play:I decided to contact my local chamber of commerce who arranged to meet me in person. During the consultation, I was given suggestions and objectives to follow, one of which was to contact potential customers directly, rather than expecting them to contact me. What happened as a result: Taking advice given to me, I contacted a local surveyors company to arrange a sales meeting. As the result of a successful presentation, I managed to secure a sale. Using my newly acquired skills, I built relationships with new customers and further develop my business. I learned that asking questions is a key element of learning. Question 4

Please describe a situation where you have had to remain calm and controlled in a stressful situation: What was the situation:Whilst driving home from work at rush hour, I witnessed a cyclist get his front tyre caught in a tram track resulting in him being thrown from his bike. The cyclist had landed in a dangerous position and could potentially be further injured. What role did you play:I pulled my car over in a safe location and I assessed the situation. I managed to stop traffic in both directions with my own safety being of main concern. Whilst checking the welfare of the man, I was under pressure from inpatient drivers who were sounding there horns and wanting us to move. I blocked this distraction and refused to move the patient to prevent further injury. What happened as a result:

Because of my prompt response and refusing to allow anyone move the man off the road, I preserved any further injury being coursed. An ambulance came and took the man away by structure. The traffic congestion was shortly cleared.

Question 5

Please describe a situation where you have had to work on your own in accordance with guidelines: What was the situation:

During the purchase of my family home, I received a letter from our solicitors stating a previous loft conversion did not meet current fire regulations. Our solicitor asked if we wanted to go ahead with the purchase with the condition that alterations would be made. What role did you play:The project involved installing a new loft window which required me to research and follow strict guidelines set by the City Council. As I was working to a tight deadline, I was found myself working evenings and weekends my own. I was under pressure to ensure the work I was doing was safe as I intended to move in with my partner and son in shortly after. What happened as a result:

I now live in the house with my family and in piece of mind that the house is fully compliant with all safety regulations. I learned new skills including working by myself for long periods of time.

Question 6

Please describe a situation where you have had to change the way you do something following a change imposed by someone in authority: What was the situation: In my current role as a sales person I am required to follow regulations set by Ofcom. Due to changes in compliance, a sudden business decision was made to withdraw a product from my sales portfolio. A replacement product was shortly introduced. What role did you play:I conducted research on the replacement product, focusing on the features and benefits. I then adjusted my existing sales pitch and techniques to adapt to the changes. My colleagues were sceptical about the change, but I supported it because I found the new product was actually more beneficial for customers. I shared my research with sceptical colleagues and helped them see the benefits of the change. What happened as a result:

I spoke to a customer about a particular feature that would benefit her the most, she was impressed and agreed to place an order. Ultimately I managed to adapt to the change without any inconvenience and my performance was not affected.

Manny thanks in advance,

Simon

Re: Gramatical Mistakes Common to Chinese English-speakers

Goodman — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 00:22:42 GMT

Hblaw wrote:

Hi all,

My native language is Chinese and I am learning English as a foreign language. I am wondering if you could name a few mistakes that are commonly seen in Chinese people who speak/write English as a second language, so that I can be more conscious in avoiding them in the future.

Any advice (relating to gramma) will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Best Regards,

- HBLaw

Well, I think this is right up my alley, so to speak. Speaking from experience, the most common problem for Asian learners, including Chinese are the followings:

In writing:

Capitalization

Third person/ singular rule

Gender (he/ she)

Space

Punctuations

Incorrect choice of word

Grammar Structure

Speech-wise:

Awkward Accent

Frequent Iteration

Unclear or incorrect pronunciation

Change of gender in mid conversation, i.e. switching he to she or vise versa.

Mixed grammar

Re: pronunciation of Girlfriend & boyfriend.

Slider — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 15:35:51 GMT

Newbie2007 wrote:

Thanks for your reply.

However, If I want to say :

I went out for dinner with a friend who is female.

I went out for dinner with a friend who is my lover.

In which case girlfriend should be used ? And can I say in other words ?

Generally, #2 would be the case in which "girlfriend" should be used. Again, it all depends on whether you are a male or a female.

From a man's standpoint, if I were taking out a girl who was my lover, I would say, "I went out for dinner with my girlfriend."

If I were taking out a girl who was NOT my lover, I would simply say, "I went out for dinner with a friend." I would leave it up to the person I was speaking with to ask if she was a female friend. If I HAD to make a distinction, I suppose I could say "a female friend," but I usually just leave it out the "female" part because it tends to sound awkward. I settle for "friend" because the gender of my dinner partner will probably come out later in the conversation when I say something like "she had a good time," or "she enjoyed the meal."

In contrast, if I went out with a male friend of mine, I would probably say, "I went out for dinner with a buddy of mine." The word "buddy" is a slang term that is used fairly often among men.

Re: Which language is most difficult language for people to learn?

Hoa Thai — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 12:43:06 GMT

CalifJim wrote:
I read somewhere that Mario Pei, the linguist, tried to learn a different language every year. He supposedly claimed that Vietnamese was the most difficult.

CJ

I disagree with the linguist Mario Pei not because I am a Vietnamese. It is because I have seen, in my country, a couple of TV hosts and many shop owners speak our language fluently and write better than most of our people do. Amazingly, all of them have lived in Vietnam for only a few years. For instance, Joe Ruelle, who has been in Vietnam for only 3 years or so, has his own blog written in perfect Vietnamese and speaks the language without a foreign trace. People say that Joe is a Vietnamese who had plastic surgery in order to look like a Canadian!

For me, after years of learning French, English, Japanese, and Korean in that order - I find that:

1. Korean is the easiest to learn. After learning its unique phonetic vowels and consonants, one can arrange them together to form / spell various monosyllabic words; and string the words together, using a few grammar rules, to make sensible sentences. After two years learning the language, I now can comfortably watch KBS TV- programs.

2. French is second. Its grammar is structural and without exceptions. Spelling the words is as they sound. The hardest part is to memorize the gender of its vocabulary (i.e., masculine vs. feminine).

3. English is next. This multi-syllable language has the richest dictionary in the world with all of the borrowed words from a score or more foreign languages, including Latin / French / German / Japanese / Vietnamese, etcâ¦you name it. It also has too many exceptions in both grammar and pronunciation, along with its homophones and all of its nym's (homonym, capitonym, etcâ¦) that give Spelling-Bee contestants nightmares.

4. Finally, Japanese is the hardest with its two syllabaries: hiragana and katakana, plus about 8000 kanji's. This multi-syllable ideographic language is too culturally, hierarchically, and gender sensitive. I was told, one needs to know about 2000 kanji's to reach college-level proficiency and 2000 more or so to be considered as a scholar. In number, those are not huge compared to hundred-thousands in English but they take a decade or more to learn! Thus, the language is VERY difficult.

After 2 years learning the language, I can only manage to limitedly engage in daily, social conversation and no more. Now my Japanese friends rather use their broken English to talk to me! I owe them a lot since they have to deal with the language, to them, is the most difficult one in the world.

Having said that, I must say all languages are equally difficult for foreigners, who are not familiar with the cultures in which they are used, to learn. Absorbing literal meanings might be manageable, but understanding the deep connotation is often impossible.

CIAO,

Hoa Thai

Re: chew the fat

Mister Micawber — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 06:56:24 GMT

It makes no difference who the conversation is held with-- it depends on who you are uttering the sentence to. If I am talking to any familiar acquaintance or in any informal situation, I can tell him, 'I chewed the fat with President Bush last week'. Chew the rag is synonymous, and there is no gender difference-- English has very few gender-limited expressions.

Re: sibling

Grammar Geek — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 15:50:29 GMT

Hmm. I've become perfectly happy using "they" for a singular, don't-know-the-sex person. I'm okay with "Happy is he who keeps a fully stocked refrigerator" with the use of "he" for a generic person.

But how do you feel about using "he" when the actual topic of the conversation is that person's gender? I think you need to use the longer, but not inaccurate "that person."