8 ELL Mistakes Youre Probably Making in Your College Essays

8 ELL Mistakes Youre Probably Making in Your College Essays The number of ELL (English Language Learners) attending American colleges and universities is steadily growing. In fact, according to a whitepaper produced by the American Institutes for Research:From 1990 to 2014, the number of international students enrolled in U.S. higher education institutions more than doubled, reaching a total of 1.1 million students in the 2016–17 academic year (Institute of International Education, 2017a). Second-generation Americans, children born in the United States to immigrant parents, currently account for almost 20% of all U.S. college students and 24% of community college students (Community College Consortium for Immigrant Education, 2015).American Institutes for ResearchThe number of ELL writers in the US is steadily growing. Photo by Sean Kong on Unsplash.Mistake #1: Switching tense or incorrect tenseIn my experience as an editor for many ELL clients, a switched tense or incorrect tense were two of the most common mistakes I found. In the En glish language (as with other languages), the tense of a sentence shows the reader whether something occurred in the past, the present, or will occur in the future. In most cases, if a paragraph is written logically, it will consist of verbs that use the same tense. For example, consider the following paragraph:In their study of the migratory habits of birds, the authors explained that birds migrate due to lack of resources. They will move to areas with more resources. The authors note that birds look for food and nesting locations.Notice how the first verb, explained is in past tense and the following verb, migrate is in present tense. The next verb, will move is in future tense. And the last verb is note, which is present tense. Since the writer used three different tenses instead of one, the paragraph is confusing and poorly written. A better way to write it would be:In their study of the migratory habits of birds, the authors explain that birds migrate due to lack of resources, and then move to more fertile areas to compensate. Typically, the birds look for food and nesting locations.Not only is the above paragraph written in all present tense, Ive combined the first two sentences to make it read less choppy. Ive also removed the repetition of resources and authors, which brings us to Mistake #2.Mistake #2: Repeating words excessivelyIts always a good idea for any writer- whether English is your second language or not- to look over paragraphs to ensure that excessive repetition isnt taking place. While your grade might not get dinged for it as a grammar error, it does come across as poor writing.As shown in the example paragraph beneath Mistake #1, the two best ways to deal with this are:Combine shorter sentences that repeat a word.Rewrite a sentence using alternate language to avoid repetition.Mistake #3: Using the wrong prepositionMany prepositional phrases (groups of two or more words that begin with a preposition) are idiomatic expressions, meaning if they are taken literally, they likely wont make sense. A few good examples are:Beside the pointBehind the scenesIn any caseOn account ofTo a certain extentOut of the questionOn the other handOf courseIn no timeIn advance ofAt any rateAt ones disposalBy heartFor a livingAt lastAt a lossThese are only a few of the idioms in the English language that begin with a preposition, but it is obvious how complicated they could be for someone just learning the language to understand. In fact, advanced writing courses often suggest leaving idiomatic expressions out of ones writing completely, since they can be misunderstood by a large percentage of readers (including ELL readers).This confusion is the main reason many ELL college students use the wrong preposition in their writing. Errors like by the other hand instead of on the other hand, at a certain extent instead of to a certain extent, and in any rate instead of at any rate are common among ELL writers- and rightly so. These errors could arguably make more logical sense than the correct preposition, although theyll still sound awkward to the native English speakers ear.Mistake #4: Using incorrect articlesAs a student of the French language, I often struggled with learning articles for nouns because of their masculine versus feminine qualities. Although I havent studied Spanish, Ive read that the language contains nine articles compared to the three used in English. So, I understand how article use can be confusing to an English language learner.Just like Spanish, the English language contains definite and indefinite articles. A and An are indefinite, while The is definite. So, the first step to determining which to use is to determine if the noun that follows needs a definite or indefinite article.Examples:A rainshower always makes the air smell wonderful.The rainshower made the air smell wonderful.In the examples above, the first sentence is referring to any rainshower- or all of them! Rainshowers, in general, alwa ys make the air smell wonderful. However, the second sentence is referring to a specific rainshower- one that happened recently or today. That particular rainshower made the air smell wonderful.Once you have determined whether a definite or indefinite article is to be used, the final step is to look at the noun again and determine if it begins with a vowel (or vowel sound) or consonant (or consonant sound). In the case of indefinite articles, and only indefinite articles, this will determine whether A should be used or An should be used.Keep in mind that the vowels are A, E, I, O and U. Most words will follow the general rule of A before words that begin with a consonant and An before words that begin with a vowel. However, in the rare cases that a word begins with a vowel sound but the letter is actually a consonant (such as hour), use An instead. Likewise, when a word begins with a vowel that sounds like a consonant (such as university), use A instead. This might be a tricky proce ss for some, but eventually, youll memorize that correct article to use in these uncommon situations.Mistake #5: Using a thesaurusWhile a thesaurus can be a handy tool for writing, it can also cause some serious confusion if the writer doesnt understand the connotation of words. For example, a toxic relationship means something very different than a lethal relationship, but toxic and lethal are listed together as synonyms in a thesaurus.One of the hardest steps to take in any language is to understand the connotation of a word. This is because much of a words connotation develops over time and even varies by culture or region. In other words- if youre not sure of both the connotation and denotation of a word, dont use it. If you are an ELL writer, its always a good idea to have a native English speaker look over your writing to ensure that you havent used words that could have the wrong connotation.One of the hardest steps to take in any language is to understand the connotation of a word, especially in academic writing. Photo by Nirma Safitri on Unsplash.Mistake #6: Not getting to the pointMaking definitive statements is part of academic writing and is the result of studying a topic in enough depth to be confident in your knowledge of it. However, due to the difficulty in learning another language- and even more so, academic writing in that new language- making a definitive statement can be a daunting task. However, its an obstacle that needs to be overcome if you want to learn to write well in English.The result of not making definitive statements is a paper full of insinuations and vague suggestions that doesnt get to the point. A professor needs to see a clear thesis statement in your papers introduction, and then clear supporting arguments for that thesis throughout the body of your paper. Even if you feel unsure about your writing abilities, avoid this mistake for a higher grade.Mistake #7: Using the wrong verbalAs you can see from this study guide, ther e are three types of verbals, which are words formed from verbs but used as nouns, adjectives or adverbs. Specifically, these are gerunds, infinitives, and participles.GerundsThe gerund is a verbal that ends in -ing and is used as a noun.Examples:Running is my favorite activity. (Running is the noun; is is the verb)Knowing is always better than guessing. (Knowing and guessing are nouns; is is the verb)She liked dancing. (dancing is the noun; liked is the verb)InfinitivesAn infinitive is a verb with to in front of it. It can be used as a noun, adjective, or adverb in the sentence.Examples:I like to write. (like is the verb; to write is the direct object)They have a suggestion to offer. (have is the verb; to offer is the adjective)She wants to go to Hawaii. (wants is the verb; to go is an adverb)ParticipleA participle is a verbal that ends in -ing, -ed, -d-, -t, -en, or -n and is used as an adjective.Examples:The shouting crowds were out of control. (shouting is used as an adjective m odifying crowds)The fallen soldier is buried in an unmarked grave. (fallen is used as an adjective modifying soldier)Mistake #8: The big oneUltimately, the biggest mistake ELL writers can make is to give up. Even native English speakers must practice diligently to become great writers. With practice, youll find that it gets easier to do without making so many mistakes.

Managerial Accounting 2014 Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Managerial Accounting 2014 Assignment - Essay Example long with the most ancillary objectives of storage and transportation of oil, gas, coal and related consumable and disposable fuel products (Bhattacharyya, 2007). They also include those companies which offer various oil and gas products, consultancy and related services. Thus, to fulfill the objectives of this report in the most suitable order, the company selected for the analysis is Chevron. Chevron Corporation  is among one of the huge Multi-National Companies of the world operating in an energy, oil and gas sector, having it’s headquarter in San Ramon, California. Chevron is currently active and operating among more than 180 countries on a global basis. The wide variety of its dynamic operation in the ever emerging fields of energy and oil sector makes the company highlighted in recent news and developments related to energy industry. In particular, Chevron is basically engaged in every aspects and activities related to oil,  gas, fuel and geothermal  energy framework of industries, which also includes, in depth scale of exploration  and  production activities coupled with oil refining features, storage, marketing, transportation; production and sales of various chemicals and  finally the power generation facets (Chevron Policy, 2014). As of 2013, the company is ranked third in position in the  Fortune Global 500 list among worlds humongous compan ies in energy, gas and oil sector (Fortune, 2014). The latest environmental report of Chevron disclosing the comprehensive and detailed version of its Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions during the year 2013, included under the broader framework of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) covers the period up to December 31, 2013. From the point of view of major shareholders and a prospective shareholders of a company, it is very essential aspect to know about the company responsibility towards the environment and how it confronts those responsibilities on an active and transparent basis, in which the investment of

Cloud computing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cloud computing - Research Paper Example It is clear that organizations are moving to this direction as data storage for the future. Cloud computing is one of the most essential concepts that will continue to play a dramatic role in the modern century. Cloud computing is undoubtedly a vital components for organization as it upholds security, embeds flexibility and allows corporations to implement a modern IT system. In essence, cloud computing is a cluster of servers that function together. Moreover, number of characteristics that define cloud data, applications services and infrastructure. For instance, cloud services can be remotely hosted. In addition, they are ubiquitous, meaning Services or data are available from anywhere. When it comes to cloud computing, many flavors are present. Research shows that cloud computing is beneficial to most companies because it is cost efficient, offers unlimited storage and is easy to maintain and upgrade. Another great feature of the cloud is the fact that it can provide services for end-users. One of the notorious services is known as Platform as Service(Paas). In the PaaS model, cloud providers deliver a  computing platform  typically including operating system and programming language. MVC framework is a prime example of this service. Moreover, Infrastructure as Service or (IaaS) or IaaS clouds often offer additional resources such as virtual machines, storage capacity, security and end-to-end logical network model. Lastly, Software as Service (SaaS) can be beneficial because of a software deployment where an application is hosted as a service. A great example of this is Salesforce 2.0 in the e-commerce realm. A great benefit of cloud computing is the fact is the fact that it takes high energy costs. In addition, the traditional mainframe networks take too much space. Furthermore, the heat that is generated through these servers must be cooled. In fact, recent studies have found that organizations achieved on average an 18% reduction in their budget

Office of Strategic Services Essay Example for Free

Office of Strategic Services Essay The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was created on June 13, 1942 by President Franklin Roosevelt after he decided that he needed a new and different form of espionage group modeled after a British Intelligence agency. The primary reason for the OSS was to gather enemy information, carry out sabotage operations, distribute propaganda to attack the enemies and plan out special operations for different agencies. Willam J.  Donovan was the head of OSS appointed by President Roosevelt, who soon began to recruit everyone he thought was necessary for the job including, consulting, British spy-master Lan Fleming, author of the popular series James Bond. Donovan was born on January 1, 1883 and was a very successful man outside of all of his military duty. He was a lawyer and intelligence officer outside of the battlefield but also was a Colonel during WWI and reached Major General during WWII. Donovan was also named the Coordinator Of Information (COI) and received multiple medals for all of his service including: Distinguished Service Medal, three Oak Leaf Cluster Medals, a Medal of Honor (MOH) and three Purple Hearts. Donovan died on February 8, 1959 and is now a part of the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame. The OSS was formed from the COI but half of its members stayed to work with the government for the Foreign Information Service (FIS). When the OSS first began, many people didnt like the group because they thought it to be taking over and it was actually banned from all Japanese intercepts and was only allowed to certain German intercepts under FBI terms. The Counterintelligence unit (X-2) was only allowed to operate in the Eastern Hemisphere where the FBI was operated in the Western Hemisphere. However, the British Intelligence services were very helpful to the OSS, understanding what they were going through, British Intelligence helped with OSS training, information and experience. The OSS was separated into three different branches, The Research and Analysis Branch, The Moral Operations Branch and The Labor Division. The Research and Analysis Branch was responsible for employing academics for plan strategies for future invasions. The Moral Operations Branch was responsible for producing all of the propaganda used to attack enemies and The Labor Division was responsible for discouraging activity within trade unions. There were also three, main functional branches which were made of the Special Operations (SO), the Secret Intelligence (SI) and the Counterintelligence (X-2). Weapons and spy gear were a big part of the OSS and all of their success. Donovan created in-house capability to fabricate tools and weapons but by the end of the war there were multiple labs which created mass-productions of weapons and spy gear for all of the OSS to use. There was a Research and Development Branch which was the main-inventing station for all weapons and gadgets. Stanley P. Lovell was in charge of the Research and Development Branch. The OSS is now the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and has the most responsibilities that the OSS did during WWII. The functions of the OSS were split between the Department of State and the Department of War. The State Department received the Research and Analysis Branch of OSS which was renamed the Interim Research and Intelligence Service and the War Department took over the Secret Intelligence (SI) and Counter-espionage (X-2) Branches. The OSS was dissolved September 20, 1945 by President Truman. Over the years, the OSS conducted successful espionage and sabotage operations in Europe and Asia along with employing almost 13,000 men and women.

Financial Manager Career Data Analysis Essay -- essays research papers

As the economy expands and employment opportunities increase, the need for workers with financial expertise will go up. I will enter the workforce at an excellent time to pursue a career as a financial manager. The information I have acquired concerning this field including opportunities, salary, and working conditions will justify my decision to obtain a position as a financial manager for a major corporation. The opportunities available to someone with a degree in finance are limited to only a few facets of the business world, but according to Job Outlook 2004, a finance degree is one of the top ten degrees in highest demand. Employers are starting to seek graduates with a master’s degree as well as a bachelor’s degree, which makes competition tough among applicants. Technology plays a major role in the financial world and applicants that possess strong computer skills will have a better chance of being hired in their desired field. In the Occupational Outlook Handbook, it says that financial managers must possess critical thinking skills and work well in a team environment. We are part of a global economy, which means that it is essential for applicants to have knowledge of international finance, and be willing to travel to other business markets around the world. In addition to business travel, financial managers are expected to work between 50-60 hours a week as an entry-level associate, and are required to attend office meetings. Up to date information is critical, th...

Beauty Contests Are Harmful

The old saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In other words, someone or something that is considered attractive to one person may not necessarily appeal to another. If we lived in a perfect world, maybe everyone would follow the wise words of this old saying and admit that evaluating beauty is a subjective practice. However society that does exist feels some strong compulsion to turn every aspect of people’s lives into a competition. In my opinion, the prize of Beauty Queen in one competition society could live without. Beauty contests are an unnecessary element in society simply because they set unrealistic beauty standards for an audience of easily influenced young girls, they encourage judging on appearance, rather than on a person's character, and mainly because they objectify women. Beauty contests are well promoted by the media, with television and images, which influence young women’s opinions on appearance. The participants of these contests are poor role models for these girls as they set impractical body weight, breast size and clear skin standards. This sets an ideal female body, which only a minority of women can realistically aspire. This adds pressure on all women to conform which can then become incredibly harmful to young women by encouraging dieting, eating disorders and cosmetic surgery, or simply making them feel inadequate and ugly. An article, titled â€Å"Thoughts about Miss Teen USA,† out of a local American magazine was written by a young teen in 2005, who had just watched ‘Miss Teen’ on NBC. Her recap of the contest was; â€Å"White teeth. White teeth. Prom-style dress. Blonde. White teeth. Blonde. Chandelier earings. Tan. Blonde. Tan. Strapless gown. † Followed by â€Å"That’s all you need to know† This certainly does not promote the contest in fact quite the contrary. The statement made by this young teen is not one that is from a minority. She is one of thousands that view this as the â€Å"norm† for a woman of beauty. It is not healthy for a young teen to think there is one type of beauty or one type of accepted body. It is harmful and could lead to both physical and emotional damage. Secondly, beauty contests further the belief that looks are superior to a person’s abilities, feelings and heart. These women are judged solely on the bases of physical appearance. The existence of talent just does not work simply because an â€Å"ugly† person just won’t win! Judging women but not men, primarily on their looks contributes to the subjugation of women because other qualities, such as intelligence, are not seen as part of ideal femininity and therefore not as things to which women should aspire. Miss USA 2002 went to a tall blonde ditzy Ohio woman, who was won over by the crowd when she made her statement that education was important and that you can tell if someone has an education by looking at them. The irony in the statement being that beauty contests are not shallow and are not just based appearance. Beauty being seen as a high priority to men and women all over the world is harmful because it discourages women to be different and to show women are not â€Å"just a pretty face. † Lastly, beauty contests strongly promote the negative aspect that women are seen as objects of sexual interest. These contests fail to challenge harmful political attitudes to women. They do nothing to aid the liberation of women, in fact by promoting looks as the most important feminine quality, they harm women’s liberation in general. On the 17th of February the Campus National Organisation for Women protested the Miss UF Beauty Pageant. They handed out 300 protest flyers which stated their disgust with Florida Blue Key and the University of Florida for holding a sexist pageant where women must be inspected in swimsuits and parade around in evening gowns in order to be awarded scholarship money. This shows how beauty contests encourage women to see themselves as an object (like a car) to be judged by men. Beauty contests hurt women by treating them as objects held up to a strict standard of â€Å"beauty,† a standard that is painful, time-consuming, and expensive for women to try to achieve. In a high percentage of Hollywood films, even those in which the woman should be portrayed as a strong willed, independent heroine, usually feature women being played off solely as sex objects. Though there is nothing wrong with a woman being classified as â€Å"sexy† it should not be the entire package. One made of uniqueness, intelligence and charm is what should be promoted. Movies such as; Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Charlies Angels, send the same message to the young men and woman, that beauty contests do, which is that only one kind of women’s body is acceptable. This is harmful to a majority of women as beauty contests are encouraging men to treat them as an object rather than woman with opinions and uniqueness. Beauty contests are an unnecessary element in society because they set unrealistic beauty standards for an audience. There are contests out there, which attempt to create a judgment of well-balanced people. These sorts of competitions are trying to promote the intelligence mixed with beauty side, which should be heavily commended. However, contests in which beauty is emphasised as a solitary basis for winning, like beauty contests, are dangerous and harmful to society.

IRVING Surname Meaning and Family History

The Irving surname generally  originated as a geographical surname, indicating someone who was from Irving, the name of a historic parish in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, or from Irvine in Strathclyde, Scotland.   It may also be a variant of Irvine, a habitational surname for someone from Irvine in Ayrshire, which is named for the  river Irvine that originates in Ayrshire and flows through Dumfriesshire, from the Welsh ir, yr,  meaning green or fresh, and afon, meaning water.   Surname Origin: Scottish, English Alternate Surname Spellings: IRVINE, IRVIN, IRWIN, IRWINE, URVINE, ERWIN, ERWINE, ERVING Where in the World is the IRVING Surname Found? While it originated in Scotland, the Irving surname is now most prevalent in the United States, according to surname distribution data from Forebears. However, it is more common, based on percentage of population, in Jamaica, followed by Micronesia, Isle of Man, Scotland, New Zealand, Taiwan and England. Within Scotland, Irving is still most common in Dumfriesshire, where it originated, ranking as the 3rd most popular surname in that area at the time of the 1881 census. The Irving surname is also popular in the Cumbria and Northumberland counties of England, according to  WorldNames PublicProfiler, followed by the Dumfries and Galloway council district in Scotland. It is also more common in Canada than in the United States, especially in Nova Scotia.   Famous People with the Last Name IRVING Sir Henry Irving -  British stage actor during the Victorian eraT. B. (Thomas Ballantyne) Irving  - publisher of the first American English translation of the QuranThomas Irving - Union navy sailor during the U.S. Civil War; recipient of the Medal of Honor for helping to rescue his grounded shipEdward Irving - Scottish clergymanWashington Irving - American author  best known for his short stories Rip Van Winkle (1819) and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1820). Genealogy Resources for the Surname IRVING Clan IrwinLearn about the history of this ancient Scottish border clan, plus upcoming events and tours. Clan Irwin Surname DNA StudyTradition recorded in the 17th century claims that the Irvines or Irvings of Eskdale and Bonshaw (in Dumfriesshire, in the Scottish Borders),  Castle Irvine (in Co.  Fermanagh,  in Ulster), Drum and Marr (in Aberdeenshire), Mearns (Kincardineshire), Orkney and Perthshire were all descended from a single ancestor, who was also the progenitor of the kings of Scotland from 1034 to 1286.  This study, with over 400 members, aims to use Y-DNA testing to sort out the various family branches. Most Common Scottish Surnames and their MeaningsCampbell, Stewart, Wilson, Reid, MacDonald... Are you one of the millions of  individuals of  Scottish ancestry sporting one of these top common last names from Scotland?   Irving Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as an Irving  family crest or coat of arms for the Irving surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. FamilySearch - IRVING GenealogyExplore over 400,000 historical records and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Irving surname and its variations on the free FamilySearch website, hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. IRVING Surname Family Mailing ListsRootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Vanderbilt surname. DistantCousin.com - IRVING Genealogy Family HistoryExplore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Irving. The Irving Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the popular last name Irving from the website of Genealogy Today. ----------------------- References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998. Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997. Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997. Back toGlossary of Surname Meanings Origins