As we all know, writing an essay is not just about using good vocabulary but also about making sure there are no grammatical errors. There are many kinds of grammatical errors but my common grammar mistake would be structuring of sentences. There are 3 points on structuring of sentences I would like to talk about.
The first point is called sentence fragments and they are incomplete sentences or parts of sentences. For example, because some students work part-time while taking a full load of classes. It is clear that the sentence is not complete, hence, it is not clear for the reader to understand. We can either express a clearer thought to the reader by reforming the sentence, because some students work part-time while taking a full load of classes, they have very little free time. Another way to correct this problem is to remove the subordinator (because) and it goes like this, some students work part-time while taking a full load of classes.
The second point is about run-on sentences that is also essential to writing a good essay. A run-on sentence is a sentence whereby there is no punctuation used when two or more independent clauses are written after one another. For example, My family went to China then they emigrated to Vietnam. We can correct it by saying my family went to China. Then they emigrated to Vietnam. Another way is to use a semicolon to replace the fullstop right in the middle of the sentences in the example. We can also use a coordinator (and) or we can use subordinator (before, After)
The third point is comma splice, it is an error when two independent inclauses are incorrectly joined by a comma without a coordinating conjunction. This is very similar to run-on sentences and to correct this error we can use the same ways used to correct run-on sentences for comma splice errors in sentences.
In brief, to produce a good essay, we must pay particular attention to grammar and not just about using good vocabulary.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Practice for Portfolio_Grammar Exercise:
Practice for Portfolio_Grammar Exercise:
Fill in the blanks with the correct punctuation: comma, semi-colon, colon or full stop. If you use a full stop, remember to change the following word into capital letter.
Passage 1:
Before my friends moved out of the city, they usually recite the advantages of suburban life (1)______ green grass, flowers, swimming pools, barbecues, and so on. Yet after my friends have lived there for a year or so, they realize that suburban life is not so pleasant as they were expecting. What causes this change? Their gardens! They soon learn that one unavoidable part of suburban life is yardwork. After they work all weekend in their gardens, they are much too tired to take a swim in their pools or even to cook some meat on their barbecues. And they have another complaint (2)________ they can’t live in the suburbs without a car. Most of my friends moved to the suburbs to avoid traffic, but now they have to commute to work downtown. They sit on a busy freeway two hours every day.
My opinion about urban life are very different from my friends’(3)______I live downtown, and I love it! Why? Well, first, I love nature (4)_______ flowers, green grass, trees and animals. In the city, I have all the advantages of nature (5)________ I can walk through the public park, smell the flowers, and sit on the grass under the trees. I can visit the animals in the zoo. Yet I have none of the disadvantages (6)_______ I don’t have to do yardwork or feed the animals (7) ______ Also, in the city, I can get everywhere by bus (8)_______ if there’s a traffic jam, I can walk home.
Passage 1.
(1) :
(2) :
(3) —
(4) — / :
(5) :
(6) :
(7) .
(8) ;
Passage 2:
A university is much larger than a college. It is larger for two reasons (9)_____ First (10) _______ a university in the United States usually has several different colleges in it. Sometimes, in a university, each college is called a “school” (11)_______ “The School of Liberal Arts,” “The School of Business,” or “The School of Education.” Second, the university always has programs for advanced or graduate study in a variety of subjects (12)________there may be a medical school, a law school, and other advanced programs.
The university may get money for its expenses from several different sources (13)_______ It may get some money from the state government. If so (14)________ it is a publicly funded university. The university may get money only from private sources (15)________contributions, tuition, investments, and other sources. If this is the case (16) ________ it is a privately funded university. Finally, a university may be funded by a religious group.
Passage 2:
(9) .
(10) ,
(11) :
(12) .
(13) .
(14) ,
(15) :
(16) ,
Adapted from Alice Horning. 1988. “ Higher education in the United States”. Readings in Contemporary Culture. McGraw-Hill, Central Library PE1128 Hor. NUS.
Fill in the blanks with the correct punctuation: comma, semi-colon, colon or full stop. If you use a full stop, remember to change the following word into capital letter.
Passage 1:
Before my friends moved out of the city, they usually recite the advantages of suburban life (1)______ green grass, flowers, swimming pools, barbecues, and so on. Yet after my friends have lived there for a year or so, they realize that suburban life is not so pleasant as they were expecting. What causes this change? Their gardens! They soon learn that one unavoidable part of suburban life is yardwork. After they work all weekend in their gardens, they are much too tired to take a swim in their pools or even to cook some meat on their barbecues. And they have another complaint (2)________ they can’t live in the suburbs without a car. Most of my friends moved to the suburbs to avoid traffic, but now they have to commute to work downtown. They sit on a busy freeway two hours every day.
My opinion about urban life are very different from my friends’(3)______I live downtown, and I love it! Why? Well, first, I love nature (4)_______ flowers, green grass, trees and animals. In the city, I have all the advantages of nature (5)________ I can walk through the public park, smell the flowers, and sit on the grass under the trees. I can visit the animals in the zoo. Yet I have none of the disadvantages (6)_______ I don’t have to do yardwork or feed the animals (7) ______ Also, in the city, I can get everywhere by bus (8)_______ if there’s a traffic jam, I can walk home.
Passage 1.
(1) :
(2) :
(3) —
(4) — / :
(5) :
(6) :
(7) .
(8) ;
Passage 2:
A university is much larger than a college. It is larger for two reasons (9)_____ First (10) _______ a university in the United States usually has several different colleges in it. Sometimes, in a university, each college is called a “school” (11)_______ “The School of Liberal Arts,” “The School of Business,” or “The School of Education.” Second, the university always has programs for advanced or graduate study in a variety of subjects (12)________there may be a medical school, a law school, and other advanced programs.
The university may get money for its expenses from several different sources (13)_______ It may get some money from the state government. If so (14)________ it is a publicly funded university. The university may get money only from private sources (15)________contributions, tuition, investments, and other sources. If this is the case (16) ________ it is a privately funded university. Finally, a university may be funded by a religious group.
Passage 2:
(9) .
(10) ,
(11) :
(12) .
(13) .
(14) ,
(15) :
(16) ,
Adapted from Alice Horning. 1988. “ Higher education in the United States”. Readings in Contemporary Culture. McGraw-Hill, Central Library PE1128 Hor. NUS.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Portfolio 1
I would say Article 1 has the most important idea to the engineering profession and that would be to acquire skills and knowledge to improve the life of people and also to meet society needs.
For instance, engineering has many fields and they are biomedical engineering and many others and they need to be extremely clear about their respective fields so as to provide a better living standard for the people.
In the past, engineering had always been a course with majority of men but in the modern era now, the ratio of ladies and men are quite close. I would say previously engineering always improve the living standards of people biasing towards male but now because we have a 50:50 ratio of male and female, the challenges faced by the females will be taken note and will be reacted upon to be overcome.
Meeting society needs is important to the engineering profession but must bear economic considerations in mind. Another thing about meeting society needs, it should target generally and not just a selective group of people. For instance, the car that is invented not to pollute the air, it targets the rich who own cars because the new invention is too expensive.
To conclude, there are so many things about improving the life of people, be it health, computer or machines to replace labour, we need engineers of their respective field to be professional enough to overcome challenges to meet the needs of the society.
For instance, engineering has many fields and they are biomedical engineering and many others and they need to be extremely clear about their respective fields so as to provide a better living standard for the people.
In the past, engineering had always been a course with majority of men but in the modern era now, the ratio of ladies and men are quite close. I would say previously engineering always improve the living standards of people biasing towards male but now because we have a 50:50 ratio of male and female, the challenges faced by the females will be taken note and will be reacted upon to be overcome.
Meeting society needs is important to the engineering profession but must bear economic considerations in mind. Another thing about meeting society needs, it should target generally and not just a selective group of people. For instance, the car that is invented not to pollute the air, it targets the rich who own cars because the new invention is too expensive.
To conclude, there are so many things about improving the life of people, be it health, computer or machines to replace labour, we need engineers of their respective field to be professional enough to overcome challenges to meet the needs of the society.
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