The Right and Wrong of Writing

The Right and Wrong of Writing The Right and Wrong of Writing The Right and Wrong of Writing By Mark Nichol Who or what determines what is correct form in writing, and what is incorrect? Many nations have an official body that regulates the national language to protect it from extinction or at least from degradation. (France’s Academie Francaise, in particular, seems to exist primarily to prevent pollution of the French language by importation of English words let me know how that works out, mes amis). This paternal protection, however, does not extend to grammar and punctuation and the like. The United States is not among those countries with prose police, but our library and bookstore shelves groan with dictionaries and grammar, usage, and style manuals as well as handbooks that guide us in our use of punctuation and the Internet abounds with more of the same. These resources are not necessarily engrossing reading (unless you’re a word nerd), but they are exemplary models in practicing what they preach, and they are likely to be much more reader-friendly than the dread-inducing language arts textbooks of our schooldays. Why, then, has the quality of writing declined so dramatically that we might benefit from an English Academy one devoted not to language purity (which words we use, and which ones we don’t) but to monitoring the written form of that language? The democratization of publishing is primarily responsible, I think. Because, thanks to the dramatic increase in options for businesses and organizations to disseminate information by way of text online and in print, and because of the ease of self-publishing the same media affords anyone with access to them, more and more people who don’t pay attention to such details are writing and being read, which of course exposes so many more people to the errors. Thus, erroneous usage not just in hyphenation, punctuation, spelling, and other mechanical mistakes but also in infelicities of grammar, syntax, usage, and other more substantial elements of writing is multiplied virally because of the shift in the signal-to-noise ration: Fewer people are reading rigorously written and edited prose, and more people are reading writing crafted with less care. This, I believe, is the culprit in the decline of quality in published writing I’ve observed over the years both as an editor and as someone who takes a busman’s holiday every time I read for information or pleasure. The reason for the decrease in consumption of meticulously produced content is twofold. Fewer people actively seek good writing. But equally culpable are the publishing industries, the erstwhile guardians of good writing, which compromise the quality of periodicals and other publications because they discourage labor-intensive practices necessary for producing high-quality writing, practices inimical to lean-business strategies that result in high profits. This issue brings up a question I’m surprised people don’t ask more often: In the realm of writing, if so many people do something seen as wrong or nonstandard, doesn’t that make it right? After all, that’s how new laws are written and how societal mores changes. And that’s how language changes. So, if the majority of writers write, â€Å"You and me† at the head of a sentence instead of â€Å"you and I† (or reverse their preferences when the phrase is the object of a sentence), why is the former usage considered incorrect and the latter one deemed the acceptable way? The majority seems to beg to differ. Because language doesn’t turn on a dime. For sanity to prevail, there must be a period of time between shifts in rules of usage and punctuation and other elements of writing in which we respond to â€Å"Everybody else does it† the way a parent would react to that type of justification uttered by a willful teenager: â€Å"Well, if everybody else went and jumped off a cliff, would you?† By the same token, we need to scold writers by saying, â€Å"Well, if everybody uses comma splices, does that mean you should, too?† At the risk of seeming like a strict parent, that’s why I’m going to defend my rigor by saying that popular usage is not a standard. It is not a guidebook. And I will follow my own counsel: I will adhere to the rules (unless I have an indefensible reason to break one now and then), and I will exhort others to do the same. 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 General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:75 Synonyms for â€Å"Angry†50 Idioms About Meat and Dairy ProductsPreposition Mistakes #3: Two Idioms

Economi politic Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Economi politic - Term Paper Example Media freedom is deemed as a critical aspect in the development of developing democracies in the wake of social awareness and reforms. Indonesia has received a fair share of mass media revolutions that dates back to its rich history of authoritarian rule to the current state. This paper seeks to explore the development of mass media since independence focusing on the factors that promote media freedoms to encourage democratic growth. For one to understand the extent of mass media freedom in the present day, it is important to examine the history of media broadcast since Indonesia gained its independence. The relationship between the government and the media in Indonesia can be described as axiomatic with the media being on the receiving end. The media in Indonesia has always been at the heart of major transitions in the political arena. After independence, the media became organs for various political parties and their agenda, which saw an increased political biasness among media ins titutions. As such, the media were illustrated as pawns controlled by the political parties since they picked sides. A journalistic agency was established to remedy the media involvement in the prevailing politics and instil professionalism among the stakeholders. Although the gesture was noble, nothing much was achieved and consequently, most newspapers were easily described as political mouthpieces in the 1950s.1 Notably, President Sukarno abandoned liberal democracy to adopt a guided system that sought to influence the media and direct their activities. In its regulations, the regime alienated the opposition and propagated its political manifesto through the media. The year 1965 saw the ascent of General Suharto to power with the seizure of the only legal radio and television station in Indonesia. His government enforced stricter regulations that monitored and controlled the press and their organisation through the department of information. The government demanded mandatory memb ership to the PWI thus crushing the remains of press freedom at the time. Newspaper editors and journalists would receive threats after publishing investigative articles against the government or the Suharto’s family. In addition, bribery was a common occurrence for individuals seeking favourable article publications to boost their image. The threats and corruption served to impede press freedom, integrity as well as the quality of information disseminated.2 Some journalists stood their ground and formed a new organisation, which sought a difference from their government-controlled counterparts. This followed the closure and revocation of licenses of major publications by the government after they published articles criticising the government. The new organisation had not political affiliations whatsoever and focussed on freedom of the press an aspect that did not go down well with the government. Consequently, members of the new organisation faced arrests, discriminations, a nd victimisation for their work. Protesters and demonstrators derived from various non-governmental organisations and the society demanded reforms after the publication of provoking articles. The collapse of the oppressive regime marked the introduction of reforms that have allowed significant strides in media freedom. Presently, press freedom in Indonesia is considered as the most vibrant

Should there be a death penalty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Should there be a death penalty - Essay Example He goes to work as Sam’s lawyer so he can be with him through his final appeals. Sam is a very bad man. He has killed several people. He is a terrible racist and was a member of the KKK. Despite all of this, the book does a wonderful job showing us his humanity. Even though he has killed, the irony of the story is the fact that he didn’t kill the girl they are executing him for. This book caused me to view inmates on death row as humans, not just criminals. The scary thing about the book is that even though I feel Sam was a horrible person, I question the rights of the state to take his life. If it really is about protecting society, then let him stay in jail forever. The book also helped me see how there might bee mistakes made along the way that would send an innocent person to the death chamber. It is true that Sam was guilty of many crimes, but not guilty of the crime for which he was executed. I found myself wondering how often this happened in America and other places where criminals are executed. I came away from the book feeling that no one should be executed because the likelihood of making a mistake was too

Discussion Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Discussion - Dissertation Example More or less, the same preference patterns are noted among G8 students from both genders. In addition, the same pattern of preferences has been found for the overall sample. Academic achievement also comes into play, and has been emphasized by Nolting (2002) who said that it goes up when students are actually aware of what learning style suits them best, as well as by Bahar (2009) who further noted that achievers displayed the key traits of independence, competitiveness, competence and participation. Wallace, meanwhile, found that students benefited a lot more when they worked alone as compared to when they worked within a group – provided, of course, that these students actually knew how to work effectively on their own. Still another study by Yazicilar et al (2009) focused on 5th grade students in order to correlate academic achievement and retention based on whether or not they received varied educational intervention depending on their learning style preference. This study , in turn, found that said treatment would have a marked impact on academic achievement among students. ... tyle as part of cognitive style and stated that â€Å"learning style, as one aspect of cognitive style, refers to a person’s characteristic style of acquiring and using information in learning and /or solving problems† (p.145). The outcomes above suggest that the quad learning style is preferred by high achievers, whereas low achieving students are more inclined to use multi-learning styles. Research Question 2 Are their differences in reading achievement of students due to their learning style preference? To answer this question, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) analyses were carried out. This is to ascertain the influence of gender and each of the learning style types (VARK7G and multi-single) on the two dependent variables, RAAF and FT scores. The same procedure has also been carried out to determine the effect of grade level and learning styles category on reading achievement between males and females. Analyses of variance were carried out as a post hoc te st to MANOVA. To control for Type 1 error, the Least Significant Differences procedure was carried out. One finding from these is that there were significant differences for both gender and grade level on RAAF. No such differences were observed on VARK7G learning style categories in relation to the RAAF scores and FT scores. Moreover, there was a significant interaction between grade and gender on the reading achievement variables. A significant interaction between gender and learning styles VARK7G on the dependent variables. Moreover, the ANOVA outcomes indicate that there were significant gender differences on RAAF and FT scores. Moreover, there was a significant interaction effect between grade and gender on RAAF. Gender and learning style (VARK7G) likewise exerted a significant effect on RAAF. The

Watson and the Shark Painting Analysis

Watson and the Shark Painting Analysis John Singleton Copley (1738 1815), was an American painter born in Boston, Massachusetts. From the time Copley began to paint at the age of fifteen, many people throughout Massachusetts admired his paintings; also, people from other colonial cities recognized his portrait paintings. A big inspiration and benefit to him was his stepfather, Peter Pelham, a successful English engraver, painter, and teacher[1]. At the age of twenty-one Copley left Boston to travel around Europe to learn more about the art of painting. First, he went to London where he met Benjamin West, a respected painter around Europe and an established painter in the Royal Academy. While in London, he learned different techniques from West. These techniques seemed common in London, but were unknown in America. Copley wrote in a letter back home to his stepfather telling him about a simple technique he had learned â€Å"†¦Before painting, make drawings.†[2] From there Copley moved on to Paris where his confidence grew even more as he saw firsthand paintings from the best known painters in Europe at the time. As he got the chance to see works from his two favorite artists, Poussin and Rubens, Copley started sketching every time he saw something he thought was a beautiful form.3] When he arrived in Rome, Copley would rise early in the morning and sketch reliefs and antique statues at the French Academy. Although confident about his abilities to sketch and paint, he worked humbly on all the details of his painting projects. At the end of his stay in Rome, Copley faced a hard decision; return to America, the country he was born in and loved, or move to London where his art career would flourish. At this time, the American Revolution had started and he feared for the wellbeing of his family back in Boston. Although the fear for his family was strong, Copley decided that moving to London would be the only place where he could sell his historical paintings, for which he had been working on tirelessly around Europe. While he was trying to make this hard decision, his family was already on a ship to London unbeknownst to him.[4] This painting is the story of Brook Watson, which took place in Havana harbor, Cuba around 1749 when he was only fourteen years old. Watson, an orphan was working as a crewmember on a trading ship. While he was swimming alone out in the harbor early in the morning, a shark attacked him. His shipmates ran to his rescue, but not before the shark attacked him at least two times. According to tales, Watson and Copley met while they were traveling from Boston to England in 1774. However, history says that Watson never traveled that year. Copley must have heard the story and its details from Londoners who might have been Watsons political followers.[5] Watson and the Shark is a large oil painting on canvas measuring 183.51 x 229.55 cm (fig. 1). Copley decided to depict the dramatic scene where Watson was about to be attacked for the third time by a shark. This painting is a work during Copleys English period; it was such a great success from the beginning that it was put on display at the Royal Academy in 1778. Watson, who is naked in this painting and the shark attacking him are in the foreground (fig. 1). The shark has already devoured Watsons right leg, as we can see from figure 1 Watsons right leg is missing from the knee down. The shark is turning toward Watson, with its mouth wide-open and sharp teeth suggests that he is not satisfied, and is returning to finish what he has started.[6] Besides Watson, in a small boat, two of his shipmates are reaching to grab him and pull him on the boat. One of them is trying to fight off the shark by plunging a harpoon at the monster from the bow of the boat. A rope thrown at him is dangling useless in the water. This painting has captured a moment of fear and sadness in the faces and eyes of every man on that boat. The quiet waters of the harbor serve Copley in the composition of the painting to bring the viewers attention to the action. Copleys placements of elements in the painting allow the viewer to trace the action. The boat is coming from the harbor toward the shark. The movement of the shark that is taking a turn and a part of his body is outside the painting. We can clearly follow the movement of the harpoon that the sailor is plunging toward the shark. In addition, the movement of the men toward the boy makes the scene even more tragic. (Fig. 1). Watson and the Shark, even though off center, are the focal points in this painting. The artist has successfully made this a tragic scene, by making Watson appear as he is frozen in the moment, portraying him exactly the way he was in those moments struggling for his life. The shark with his mouth wide open and his sharp teeth painted in detail make the scene even more dramatic to the viewer. The artist has portrayed Watson naked in the water helpless on his back, which shows him as very vulnerable. His has a freighted look in his face, with his mouth and eyes wide open looking directly at the shark, which seems to represent the evil predator, and one hand up as if he is reaching for help from the heavens. The artist has painted the sun rising in contrast with the situation, but has also put the light on Watson the shark and the crewmembers trying to get him out of there. The predominant color is sea green with some brighter colors in the background. These somber colors contribute in depicting these tragic moments in this scene. Sadness is all over the faces of men in the boat. The composition is centered at the man in the middle of the boat. All around him there is action. Lines seem to be less important than shapes for the artist in this painting. The artist has been very careful in painting the men on the boat and depicting their actions, so that the story and individual actions of each man in this scene would be very clear to understand to the viewer. However, the most details have gone to portray the situation in which Watson is in, and to show his vulnerability. While most reviews around this painting describe it as a painting that is describing a historical event, Irma Jaffe mentions in her journal, John Singleton Copleys ‘Watson and the Shark,† that people have missed one very important aspect of Copleys life; his religious life. As Jaffe points out, Copley was a very religious man, he went to church every Sunday and religion had played an important role in Copleys view of himself as well as an artist. She says that this painting is about â€Å"resurrection and salvation†[7] In her journal, she takes on the symbolism of the shark as a monster as described in the Bible and the symbolism of water as a life-giver and a trial in the Bible. Jaffe then analyzes all the other elements. It is noticeable that Copley has taken poses from earlier sculptures and put them in his painting. He has taken them and put them in different positions to accomplish his final painting. Copley made the effort to paint every detail. The shark has very detailed features; his teeth and eyes were painted in detail to show the true nature of this evil creature. Watsons hair, his eyes, and his facial expression were painted in detail. Copley really wanted the viewer to get involved in the tragic story that had happened to his patron, Brook Watson. [1] Rebora, Carrie.John Singleton Copley in America. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1995. p. 79. [2] Plate, Robert.John Singleton Copley Americas First Great Artist. United States of America: David McKay Company, Inc., 1969. p. 100. [3] Plate, Robert.John Singleton Copley Americas First Great Artist. United State of America: David McKay Company, Inc., 1969. p. 101. [4] Plate, p. 105-109 [5] Jeffery, Margaret. A Painting of Copleys English Period.Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New Series1.4 (1942): 148. Web. 03 Mar 2010. [6] Jeffery, p. 148 [7] Jaffe, Irma B. John Singleton Copleys Watson and the Shark.American Art Journal9.1 (1977): 15-25. Web. 03 Mar 2010.

The role of knowledge management in innovation Essay -- Analysis, Mari

This article has been written by Marina du Plessis in 2007. The author intends to make clear the role of knowledge management in innovation as an assist to addressing this complexity and clarify the role of knowledge management in innovation as an aid to addressing this complexity. This is a viewpoint paper which is based on literature research and personal experiences and interpretation from the author. She uses the simple sentences and easy to be understood even for the first timer reader. Furthermore, the arrangement of the content is such an empirical paper that may attract readers to read the article. As the other empirical paper, this study also provides abstract that summarises the whole content of this research paper. According to the author, Plessis (2007), the complexity of innovation has increased by growth in the amount of knowledge available to organizations as basis for innovation. This statement is agreed by other researchers, Adams and Lamont (2003); Cardinal et al., (2001); Darroch and McNaughton (2002); Pyka (2002) and Shani et al., (2003) who state that innovation is really dependent on the availability of knowledge and therefore the complexity created by the blast of richness and reach of knowledge has to be identified and managed to ensure successful innovation. Besides that, in a previous study that has been conducted by Ruggles, R. & Little R. (1997), they also have the positive opinion about knowledge management and innovation when they assert that innovation as one end to which knowledge management can be applied. Additionally, innovation has been demonstrated to be a key value creator for organizations, in both times of cost cutting and in times of growth. As such, it stands out as one excellent objectiv... ... teams or learning-by-doing capabilities, which leads to new product and process innovations. Besides that, explicit knowledge is also an important component of innovation. Rodan (2002) in his case study asserts that if one views the conï ¬â€šuence of tacit and explicit knowledge elements that create a new idea as probabilistic, increasing the opportunities for the said conï ¬â€šuence of knowledge elements should raise the frequency of new combinations occurring, thus positively impacting innovation. As a conclusion, it is clear that knowledge management plays a vital essential role in innovation. Therefore, it is very crucial for both knowledge management professional and innovation to understand the systematic relationship between these concepts and the value that it can generate in respect of creating and maintaining sustainable competitive advantage for organisation.

History of Ergonomics Essay

Ergonomics refers to the study of the interaction between humans and the environment. This study is aimed at understanding mechanisms that are necessary in order to improve the working conditions of humans. Such working conditions include health, performance and comfort. The study is intended at enhancing strategies that optimize the performance of humans at work. This implies that it focuses on techniques that are required to restructure office etiquette and procedures in order to improve the overall productivity. However, ergonomics is not necessarily limited to office environment as it also encompasses other fields of human life. In a practical perspective, ergonomics is a science concerned with the design of office equipments and artifacts in order to improve the comfort of workers and improve the overall productivity and effectiveness (Gilmore et al. , 1998). An ergonomicist is interested in the study of the interaction between humans and the tools they use in their working environments. The study of ergonomic includes the design of office equipments and space, and the positioning of switches in control rooms. It additionally includes the study of the interaction of the human behavior and their surrounding. This study originated form Greece where the term ergonomics was derived from ergon meaning work and nomos meaning natural law in Greek. Later on a 19th century sociologist Fredrik Taylor invented the term ‘Scientific management’ to gain maximum results in the factory work. Since then, the practice of ergonomics has tremendously developed over time. As the age of space approaches, new factors continue to emerge such as weightlessness and gravitational force. As the modern world progresses into the future, the field of ergonomics continues to become more sophisticated. In the United States, an army personnel known as Alphonse Chapanis in 1943 explained that plane accidents caused by pilot errors could be significantly be reduced by using a more simple and rational cockpit instead of the common control layout (Jubel, 2007). Institutional ergonomics is concerned with the socio-technical aspects of the work environment which refers to the amalgamation of structure, process and organizational strategies. Cognitive ergonomics deals with the psychological perspectives of the workplace which involves the study of ideas, opinion and memory. In academic viewpoint, the study of ergonomics would comprise the knowledge of psychology, engineering and health science. It is therefore necessary for an ergonomicist to possess a bachelors or masters degree in these disciplines. The practice of ergonomics can find use in several aspects of human life such as workplace, home setting, education and sports. The practical study of ergonomics involves the design of working equipments such as computer chairs or keyboards. Other ergonomic discipline involves the study of the environment of the world as is referred to as quantum ergonomics (Gilmore et al. 1998). History of ergonomics In the United States, the field of ergonomic is believed to have originated during the period of the Second World War (Wickens & Hollands, 2000), even though developments that led to its inception can be traced back to the 20th century. Before the Second World War, the main focus of the work place was designing humans to adapt to the machines used at work basically referred to trial and error method as opposed to designing the machines used at work to match the requirements of humans. This can be observed form the study conducted by Taylor in which the selection criteria, time and motion studies, training and work rest programs were examined (Taylor, 1911). This study of time and motions was expounded by Frank and Lillian Gilbreth (Gilbreth & Gilbreth, 1917). Majority of the ergonomic developments were necessitated by military requirements. With the commencement of the First World War, which was the first conflict where airplane was used in combat, there emerged the need to adequately train pilots new mechanisms of war. This necessitated the development of new aviation technologies based on psychology. In addition these trends prompted the emergence of aeromedical research studies. Even though progress was made during this period, the momentum for developing and exploring the discipline further was no achieved since there was lack of vital technological advancements and personnel due to the ongoing Second World War (Meister, 1999). The period between the First World War and the Second World War recorded a significant decline in research, however, some success were realized during this period. Aeromedical research work did not stop during this time which realized advances in several laboratories built across the United States such as the Brooks Air Force Base located in the city of Texas and the Wright Field situated in Ohio. These laboratories were significant in the development of ergonomics. Their study was focused on identification of attributes of successful pilots and establishing the impacts of environment stressors on the performance and productivity of flights. Furthermore, the study of anthropometry which is a field concerned with the measurement of the human body was considerably employed in designing airplanes during this period. Other researches were also being done in the private sector such as the automobile behavioral studies (Forbes, 1939). The emergence of the Second World War, and its accompanied needs, formed the driving force behind the development of the field of ergonomics. First, the demand of mobilizing and recruiting substantial numbers of people both men and women made it very difficult for individuals to specialize in a particular job. Therefore, there was a shift in focus where individual’s capability was designed in order to reduce the negative impacts of their shortcomings. Secondly, the period of the Second World War witnessed the turning point in terms of technological advances. The rapid development of technology outpaced the capability of human to adapt and offset poor designs. This was particularly observed in airplane accidents experienced by vastly trained pilots as a result of problems witnessed with the configuration of the control systems and the instrument displays (Fitts & Jones, 1947). In addition, enemy targets were unfortunately missed by machine controlled radars (Wickens & Hollands, 2000). Psychologists were employed to experiment and study these emerging issues by employing laboratory mechanisms in order to solve these problems. As a result, the discipline was ergonomics emerged despite the fact that the people involved in its development failed to realize it during this period (Meister, 1999). The two subsequent decades immediate after the Second World War witnessed a growing military research catalyzed largely by the emergence of the cold war. Military research institutions developed during this war were enlarged and new ones created. The private sectors also continued to develop ergonomic groups mainly in aviation and communication, and digital Industry. The Human Factors Society, a professional body mandated to study ergonomics in the United States was established in 1957 and had an approximate of 90 members then who attended the first inaugural meeting. This name was later abolished in 1992 and replaced with the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. Currently, this society boasts of over 4500 people, majority of who are participants in the technical groups established under this society, student bodies and attend the yearly meetings. Beginning in the 1960s, the field of ergonomics continued to expand especially in the previously identified areas. This development expanded into new fields such as computer architecture and software, nuclear weaponry, internet technology among others. In the recent past, new areas of study have emerged which includes neuroergonomics and nanoergonomics (Jubel, 2007). Conclusion A persistent premise that has been developed over several decades is the ever increasing center of influence that ergonomics has attempted to encompass, as technological advances continue to emerge. What simply began as a mere detachment of experimental psychology focusing on the interaction and relationship of people with machines in the work place has tremendously expanded to cover almost all aspects of interaction of individuals and their environment. Several researchers have hypothesized about the future of human factors and ergonomics. With the speedy technological advances in such areas as biotechnology and nanotechnology, it would be very exciting to speculate the emerging problems that ergonomics would be called upon to solve in the future (Vicente, 2008). In the today’s modern world, as it was the case during its inception, human factors and ergonomics has still remained a multi disciplinary field of study. In the United States for instance, this discipline has expanded from behavioral sciences including empirical psychology, and some engineering fields of study. Among the countries in the European block, the discipline of human factors and ergonomics has found its stronghold in physical science disciplines such as human physiology. Currently, people from diverse educational backgrounds and disciplines varying from physiology, engineering and psychology have focused their exclusive skills and knowledge in the study of the interaction and relationship of people with systems.