10 Techniques for More Precise Writing

10 Techniques for More Precise Writing 10 Techniques for More Precise Writing 10 Techniques for More Precise Writing By Mark Nichol Here are ten ways to produce more vivid, direct, concise prose by replacing wordy phrases with fewer words and reorganizing sentences. It is not advisable to employ these strategies indiscriminately, but prose will usually be improved by following the recommendations below. 1. Use Active Voice When a sentence includes be or any other copulative verb, such as is or are, recast the sentence to omit the verb. Before: â€Å"The meeting was seen by us as a ploy to delay the project.† After: â€Å"We saw the meeting as a ploy to delay the project.† 2. Avoid Vague Nouns Phrases formed around general nouns such as aspect, degree, and situation clutter sentences. Before: â€Å"She is an expert in the area of international relations.† After: â€Å"She is an expert in international relations.† 3. Use Words, Not Their Definitions Replace explanatory phrases with a single word that encapsulates that explanation. Before: â€Å"The crops also needed to be marketable so that families would be able to sell any yields that exceeded what they personally required.† After: â€Å"The crops also needed to be marketable so that families would be able to sell any surplus.† 4. Avoid Noun Strings Reorganize sentences to eliminate series of nouns used as adjectives. Before: â€Å"The lack of a secure transfer may hamper computer security incident response efforts.† After: â€Å"The lack of a secure transfer may hamper responses to computer-security incidents.† 5. Convert Nouns to Verbs When a sentence includes a noun ending in -tion, change the noun to a verb to simplify the sentence. Before: â€Å"They will collaborate in the creation of new guidelines.† After: â€Å"They will collaborate to create new guidelines.† 6. Reduce Verb Phrases to Simple Verbs Identify the verb buried in a verb phrase and omit the rest of the phrase. Before: â€Å"The results are suggestive of the fact that tampering has occurred.† After: â€Å"The results suggest that tampering has occurred.† 7. Replace Complex Words with Simple Ones Choose simpler synonyms for multisyllabic words. Before: â€Å"The department will disseminate the forms soon.† After: â€Å"The department will pass out the forms soon.† 8. Avoid Expletives Don’t start sentences with â€Å"There is,† â€Å"There are,† or â€Å"It is.† Before: â€Å"There are many factors in the product’s failure.† After: â€Å"Many factors contributed to the product’s failure.† 9. Eliminate Prepositional Phrases Replace â€Å"(noun1) of the (noun2)† phrasing with â€Å"(noun2)’s (noun1)† phrasing. Before: â€Å"The decision of the committee is final.† After: â€Å"The committee’s decision is final.† 10. Reduce Wordy Phrases to Single Words Replace phrases that signal a transition with simple conjunctions, verbs, or other linking words. Before: Due to the fact that the project is behind schedule, today’s meeting has been postponed. After: Because the project is behind schedule, today’s meeting has been postponed. 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 Business Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Mostly Small But Expressive InterjectionsBest Websites to Learn EnglishComma After Introductory Phrases

Biography of Wilbur Wright, Aviation Pioneer

Biography of Wilbur Wright, Aviation Pioneer Wilbur Wright (1867-1912) was one half of the aviation pioneering duo known as the Wright Brothers. Together with his brother Orville Wright, Wilbur Wright invented the first airplane to make the first manned and powered flight possible. Wilbur Wrights Early Life Wilbur Wright was born on April 16, 1867, in Millville, Indiana. He was the third child of Bishop Milton Wright and Susan Wright. After his birth, the family moved to Dayton, Ohio. Bishop Wright has in the habit of bringing his sons souvenirs from his church travels. One such souvenir was a whirling top toy, that sparked the Wright Brothers lifelong interest in flying machines. In 1884, Wilbur completed high school and the next year he attended special classes in Greek and trigonometry, however, a hockey accident and his mothers illness and death kept Wilbur Wright from finishing his college education. The Wright Brothers Early Career Ventures   On March 1, 1889, Orville Wright began publishing the short-lived West Side News, a weekly newspaper for West Dayton. Wilbur Wright was the editor and Orville was the printer and publisher. All his life, Wilbur Wright teamed with his brother Orville to develop various businesses and enterprises. Among the Wright Brothers various enterprises were a printing firm and a bicycle shop. Both of these ventures showcased their mechanical aptitude, business sense, and originality. The Pursuit of Flight Wilbur Wright was inspired by the work of German glider Otto Lilienthal, which  led to his desire to fly and his belief that manned flight was possible. Wilbur Wright read everything available on the then-new science of aviation- including all the Smithsonians technical papers on aviation- to study the projects of other aviators. Wilbur Wright thought of a novel solution to the problem of flight, which he described as a simple system that twisted, or warped the wings of a biplane, causing it to roll right and left. Wilbur Wright made history with the first-ever heavier-than-air, manned, powered flight in 1903. Wilbur Wrights Writings In 1901, Wilbur Wrights article, Angle of Incidence, was published in the Aeronautical Journal, and Die Wagerechte Lage Wahrend des Gleitfluges, was published in Ilustrierte Aeronautische Mitteilungen. These were the Wright Brothers first published writings on aviation. The same year, Wilbur Wright gave a speech to the Western Society of Engineers on the Wright Brothers gliding experiments. The Wrights First Flight On December 17, 1903,  Wilbur and Orville Wright made the first free, controlled, and sustained flights in a power-driven, heavier-than-air machine. The first flight was piloted by Orville Wright at 10:35 a.m., the plane stayed twelve seconds in the air and flew 120 feet. Wilbur Wright piloted the longest flight that day in the fourth test, fifty-nine seconds in the air and 852 feet. Wilbur Wrights Death In 1912 Wilbur Wright died after suffering from typhoid fever.

The use of criminal law in relation to insider dealing in the United Essay

The use of criminal law in relation to insider dealing in the United Kingdom is both draconian and unnecessary. Discuss - Essay Example The proposed criminal laws purport that the act is unfair since an investor who has inside information is highly likely to make more profits as compared to a typical investor. Other scholars claim that unauthorised insider trading tends to increase the cost of capital on the issuers of securities; hence, reducing economic growth (Alexander 2007, pp. 229-230). However, it is undoubtedly that though the set criminal laws are meant to help the investors and ensure economic success, they are unnecessary, draconian, and obviously counter-intuitive. Wagner (2011, pp. 974-975) asserts that the criminal laws are extreme and there is a need to legalise insider dealings to benefit the markets, ensure more transparency, reduce accounting fraud, and act on timely and factual information. Various scholars posit that criminal laws regarding insider trading in the UK are unnecessary and are a burden to some market participants. This is because though such trading has been illegal since the year 1980, it has always been difficult to effectively prosecute persons who have been accused of such dealings. In most cases, the suspects are able to escape arrest or prosecution; thus, the regulators often rely on fines to punish those who are found abusing the market. It is unfortunate though that the fines have always been perceived as inefficient since the perpetrators are able to walk scot-free since they have the necessary resources to cover their fines. In that case, this only increases the rate of misconduct; making the set laws redundant (Ferran 2004, pp. 44-45). The number of insider dealing cases by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK has heightened in the past years. Since the year 2009 to 2013, there have been roughly 23 convictions. For instance, in 2009, Christian Littlewood who was a corporate financier and an insider trader was sentenced to three years and four months in jail. It was believed that the gross profit accumulated from his

Managing employee performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Managing employee performance - Essay Example The paper critically analyses three strategies including policy framework, monitoring and coordinating attendance, and reward system in order to curtail absenteeism. Contrary to common belief, compromising working conditions, low job satisfaction, and ill-treatment are identified to be the main reasons of absenteeism. If left unaddressed, absenteeism leads to loss of money, productivity, stress amongst co-workers and organization as a whole. The paper analyses the way a detailed, updated, and consistent policy framework prevent absenteeism before it develops. However, written policy is the first step which must be preceded with proper communication and consistent policy implementation. Policy framework is further enhanced by monitoring and coordinating attendance. Attendance tracking is identified to be more effective when linked with payroll and HRIS. Keeping and maintaining records is sufficient to keep the employees alert and absenteeism under controlled. Third strategy of reward and incentive is proactive in nature. Offering attractive reward for regular employees and incentive for potential employees who can be regular attendee seems a practical solution. However, some experts are apprehensive of its negative consequences, such as, unproductive attendance. The research and analysis of these strategies and reasons of absenteeism leads to a balanced approach. The paper suggests adopting the combination of different strategies designed in accordance to the specific needs of an organization’s absenteeism problem. 2. Causes of Absenteeism Generally perceived reasons for absenteeism include: sickness, workloads, low compensation, and family issues. However, research shows a different side of the picture. While studying employee opinion about absenteeism issue, several anonymous studies identified that neither low pay, high workloads, less compensation, and poor benefits, nor actual sickness are the causes of absenteeism. In fact, absenteeism is identified to be a symptom of bad working conditions, low job satisfaction, and ill-treatment of supervisors. An effective method to determine the reasons of employees’ absence is to inquire the supervisor for the reasons of absenteeism and the ways to curtail it. Suggestions for possible solutions will be provided by only those supervisors who have actually put some efforts in dealing with the issue (cited in Levine, 1999). It is critical to understand that reasons for absenteeism vary in different organizations. In order to implement any strategy to curtail absenteeism, employers’ must identify the underlying reasons which are leading to absenteeism in their organization. 3. Consequences of Absenteeism Absenteeism at workplace is a troublesome and costly issue, the most perturbing is the fact that approximately 50 percent of absenteeism stems from unacceptable reasons (Gwaltney, 1994, p.24).Major consequences of absenteeism are lost productivity, unreasonable overtime pay, and paid sick leave (Tyler, 1997, p.57).In addition, absenteeism at workplace leads to: lower productivity, compromising work quality, loss of team work, and increased payroll cost in the form of overtime (Miller et al. cited in   Lockhart,2001,p.8). Absenteeism frequently cause last-minute struggle for supervisor to look for replacements (Markowich et

Lean On Me Essay Example for Free

Lean On Me Essay Sometimes it can be difficult to know for certain when you have been victimized and it can be even more difficult to understand why, who, and exactly how you have been victimized. Obviously in cases of bullying, or violence, or rape, the victimization is very obvious, but a film like Lean On Me causes the viewer to question whether or not victims can sometimes go unnoticed. One example that is subtle, but present in the film, is the idea that all of the kids in East Side High School are victims of a larger social and political world that they probably could not fathom even if they had a chance to view it in its entirety. The social class-systems and economic distribution in America, the idea of free markets and of haves and have nots is at the bottom of their difficult and crime-infested existence. The great irony of the movie is, of course, that only by getting an education can the kids at the high school escape their dismal lives and earn something better, but the very decadence and violence of the schools has created an atmosphere where learning is impossible. Everyone, including myself, has probably experienced at least one obstacle, if not many more, to receiving their right to an education. In my own case, I have been victimized not only by school bullies, but by negligent or outright hostile teachers. In one case, I remember having been given a C- on an assignment in Math where the teacher had incorrectly marked many of my answers. The assignment deserved a B but when I asked for the teacher to take another look at the assignment, I was told to accept the grade I had been given, period. That is a kind of victimization which is very slight compared to the vents portrayed in the movie Lean on Me,but it is an example of how sometimes victimization can go unnoticed. People that I have known have experienced much more extreme victimization, whether it be a female friend who is in an abusive relationship, or a close friend of mine whose own family continuously criticizes him while relying on him to run errands and help with financial obligations. Victimization seems to follow a pattern where one person or group of persons takes advantage of someone whom they perceive to be weaker, or of lesser consequence than themselves. If you are a victim, that probably means that the person or group who is victimizing you has decided that you are of lesser power and importance than they are themselves. While it is a common belief that victims are the innocent party, it is entirely possible for somebody to be a victim while at the same time victimizing others. One good illustration from Lean on Me is the school drug-dealers whoa re making victims out of the people they deal drugs to, but they are also victims themselves of the same social injustices and social inequalities that plague the others. Because you are most likely to be noticed first as a perpetrator of crime than as a victim in most cases, this kind of victimization goes unnoticed. Many forms of victimization rest on the fact that the victims are usually not regarded at large as being valuable or desirable. In many cases they also view themselves this way: as of little or no importance. The best remedy I can think of for victimization is self-empowerment. That doesnt mean violence, but it does mean that because victimization implies that one is viewed as being weaker or of lesser value the natural response to remedy victimization would be the demonstration that either or both of these assumptions are false. In the case that I related about my own math grade, the proper response would have been to seek out whatever official protocol the school offered to challenge an illigitimate grade and maybe through this means I could have had the grade changed, which, in turn would have demonstrated to the teacher that I was not of lesser consequence than the teacher themself. In the case of Lean On Me, of course, the sense of self-empowerment came through learning adn self-discipline, which is the very best method to address victimization and prevent future victimization.

Biblical Creationism versus Scientific Origin Essay -- Science Religio

Commonly, religious discussion turns to the subject of origins. There are two reasons for this: firstly, there are those with a literal or semi-literal interpretation of the Bible (or other relevant holy book) who remain convinced that the world was created in the recent past looking more or less as it does today. Obviously, this issue must be resolved before the existence or nature of the deity can even begin to be discussed! Secondly, even those with the more common, nonliteral interpretation of the creation story often use arguments that aren't valid to insist on direct interference by a deity at one or more points in the past. And while thanks to its flexibility this "tinkering" God theory cannot be ruled out to the same degree as literal interpretation story potentially can, its proponents should still be aware that there's little justification from the evidence for it, and that the majority of the story of our origins can now be explained in a secular manner. The basic idea: scientific knowledge, as we know it, is not incompatible with a creator. But it most certainly does not require one. I think it would be prudent to define a few terms first. Evolution: The change in life over long time scales by descent with modification through natural selection, except when used in astronomical context (where it refers to slow changes in stars and galaxies.) Creationism: Specifically, I use this to mean Christian young-earth creationism; the belief that Earth was created in 6 literal days as written in Genesis 1. Taxon: a division of life: kingdom, phylum, class, species, etc, or an example of such a division (Animals, Chordates, Mammals, Humans, etc) Geological Epochs: Precambrian (4500-545 Mya): Primordial epoch; from th... ...by not giving it an opportunity to form crystals. Once an opportunity occurs, the water will almost instantly transform into ice, perhaps shattering the container it is contained within as it expands. Something like this happens, but at the quantum level, rather than the chemical bond level: in this case, the so-called strong nuclear force separates from the electromagnetic and weak nuclear forces (all three had formerly been the same entity), causing space to exert a fantastically powerful repulsive force that inflates the universe by a factor of about 10^20 in about 10^-32 seconds. This force then dies off, leaving the universe to expand at a roughly constant rate through the present day. That's the outline of the theory, and it agrees very well with the observations above. You're free to form your own philosophical interpretation of the origin of the universe.

Environmental Issues Essay

The environmental issues in India become more serious every day and she is turning into a bit of a mess on this front but with over 1 Billion people most of which in dire poverty, it’s hardly surprising. The recent boom in its industries, little or no environmental education, infrastructure nearly at bursting point not to mention the huge deforestation that’s going on. If you think your country has some problems then you are about to be a bit of a shock because I’m sure nothing compares to some of the environmental issues in India. A whopping 65% of the land in here is degraded in some way, shape or form and the endless government policies do little to curb the damage. In fact, there is no shortage at all of government legislation protecting the environment but unfortunately it is never enforced due to flagrant abuse of power, corruption and lack of resources. If you have ever been to India you have undoubtedly noticed the serious little problem that they have in India. No, it’s not like here in the UK where a can of coke and crisp packet on the floor are a litter problem. India’s litter problem is almost a bit disturbing. The attitude is to just throw it on the floor, there are no bins, just drop it. That’s 1 Billion people disposing of their rubbish on the floor, every day. The scope of the problem is almost unimaginable and of course, it takes generations to change a habit like that but no one is starting. What they need here is education and that is what is seriously missing. With regards to environmental issues in India, India appears to be digging its own grave deeper and quicker than the rest of us, nearly 30% of India’s gross agricultural output is lost every year due to soil degradation, poor land management and counter productive irrigation. The wetlands and lakes are also being hit hard. Mainly by the industrial boom that hit India a decade ago, the main problems being improper disposal of industrial waste like chemicals etc. India’s 7516 km of coastline have also come under attack from this environmental sabotage, overfishing remains a huge problem due to lack of legislation enforcement. Raw sewage from an awful lot of people is pumped endlessly into the ocean along with other industrial waste and chemicals. Hundreds of miles of coral and other sea life are slowly being destroyed due to offshore drilling. Tourist centres such as Goa suffer due to badly managed development and excessive tourism, again resulting from the lack of legislation and policy enforcement. The main environmental issues in India The Environmental issues in India are huge. Whether it’s the rapidly dropping water tables, mass deforestation, land degradation or river contamination, India has it all and on a massive scale. Water resources Perhaps the largest of the environmental issues in India facing the people of India is inadequate or lack of access to vital fresh water resources. As India’s industries get bigger so will the amount of water they require and the amounts are already beginning to spiral. As an example I use the Coca cola factory which was accused for years of messing up an entire eco system. By simply diverting all the water to their factory, millions of people went without. The company are also accused of causing huge droughts and contamination to a massive area by exploiting an excessive amount of ground water and then replacing it with toxic discharge. Of course, Coca Cola is a big famous company and that is why this came to news but I have no doubt that there are a million examples of similar things happening all over India. Years of exploitation and extraction of groundwater in India has caused the national water table to suddenly and very dramatically drop. Considering that 85% of rural drinking water and 55% of urban water comes from underground sources, this seems to me a very urgent problem as literally hundreds of millions of people could be left without water†¦ does it even bear thinking about! The rivers are on the front line of pollution in India. Millions of people depend on them for their livelihoods but they are slowly being polluted and destroyed by sewage, chemicals and other agricultural and industrial waste. These are some of the most polluted rivers in the world but little seems to be to stem the incessant destruction. Deforestation The story of deforestation is another of the highly serious environmental issues in India. It is predicted that almost 5. 3 Million hectares of forest have been destroyed since the independence. Most of it being chopped down for housing, industrialisation and river projects. It is estimated that the number of Mangrove Forests have more than halved in the last 20 years. The government soon recognised the importance that these forests hold for the conservation of soil and put forward a range of polices trying to curb the destruction; of course, nothing has really changed and thousands of acres are destroyed every year with nothing in the way of ‘replacement’. Poor management and abuse of power are again the increasingly sad cause behind the mass deforestation of India, some call it greed. Protected areas are largely declassified so that commercial activities can take place but new areas are not reclassified. Poaching is another factor, people actually coming in and steeling trees and one of the final blows to the forest of India who already seem to have lost the battle is the invasion of foreign tree species such as Eucalyptus etc. Air Pollution India now has one of the worst qualities of air in the world. Without a doubt the main contributor of air pollution in India is the transport system. In the big cities like Delhi and Mumbai, millions of old and very dirty diesel engines churn out millions of tonnes more sulphur than their western equivalents partly because of being old and partly because of the diesel. As a result, the asthma rate for children in some of the larger cities is now at %50 and rising fast. Because of the varied causes and consequences surrounding this topic, I’ve devoted a whole page to India air pollution. Plastics and other waste I have already touched on the massive problem of waste disposal but I intend to go into it more here. It seems that some areas are simply fed up with the lack of Government intervention and are using there initiatives. As an example I use some of the towns and villages in Kerala who are seeing a return to the old paper bags from plastic ones. As I am sure you know, plastic isn’t in any urgency to degrade but the people of India don’t seem to recognise this as they throw every unwanted item onto the floor wherever they are. Of course, the victims of this environmental issue in India are the future generations and the animals. The holy cows that are so integral to Indian life are slowly being killed from the huge amount of plastic bags they consume that eventually rap around their insides.

Are Zoos Cruel or Educational Essay

Zoos are cruel because of recent incidents that have happened creating the deaths and injuries of some animals. In the 2005 DreamWorks move, Madagascar, a group of zoo animals wanted to leave the zoo for a day to explore New York little did they know there one day escape turned into an adventure greater than they could have every imagine. While exploring New York they were accidentally shipped to the island of Madagascar. Though they were among other animals that look like them, the four friends found themselves totally out sync with the real world. Living in the zoo sheltered them from their ability to live in their natural habitat. Although zoos are educational, animals are held in captivity unable to live and thrive in their natural habitat. Zoo keepers, scientist and animal groups continue to debate the issue with zoos being either place of education and entertainment or unnecessary prisons. While some people argue that zoos play an important role in conservation and research, others counter that they do more harm than good. Zoos have been entertaining people with exotic animal collections since 1250 BC with Egyptian records describing different species of animals in captivity behind bars (Nationalgeographic. com). The Imperial Menagerie in Vienna, Austria was the first modern zoo established in 1752. There are thousands of zoos around the world today. Overtime, zoos have improved the environment for zoo animals from steel bar enclosures and cold cement cages to illusions mimicking the animals’ natural habitat with moats and ditches that separate the animals from people who visit the zoo. Zoos are going beyond keeping animals alive in captivity. They have become more involved in conserving wild animals, reintroducing endangered species, and restoring habitats (Nationalgeographic. com). So why do scientist and animal groups believe that zoos are far from entertaining and educational? While conditions have improved for zoos by creating a natural habitat for animals critics continue to argue that the spacing available is not enough. Animals like zebras, giraffes and gazelles were designed to run across miles of open terrain, not live out their lives in captivity. Despite a zoo’s best efforts, its animals often are deprived of privacy, confined to inadequate spaces and unable to engage in natural hunting and mating activities. Forced to live in man-made constructs, many animals began to display obsessive, repetitive behaviors (Fact Sheet on Zoos). David Hancocks, a zoo consultant and former zoo director, describes the natural-looking zoo inhabit as mere illusions, arguing that they’re not much of an improvement in terms of space (www. time. com). Many captive animals exhibit signs of severe distress: People have witnessed elephants bobbing their heads, bears pacing back and forth and wild cats obsessively grooming themselves (www. time. com). This display of behavior has caused some animals to act out either among themselves or humans. SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau was killed on February 24, 2010 after being attacked by the killer whale â€Å"Tilikum† at Shamu Stadium in Orlando, Florida during a live performance. The whale dragged her underwater, toying with her until her death. Brancheau was described as one of the best in her profession. So what went wrong? Until behavior records are closely examined as to what led the whale to kill the trainer the question remains (www. time. com). In December 2007, â€Å"Tatiana, a 4-year-old Siberian tiger, escaped from its enclosure at the San Francisco Zoo and killed one teen and injured two others on Christmas afternoon† (Chua-Eoan). There have been many articles about zoos keepers neglecting animals and displaying other acts of mistreatment. The most recent article comes from a zoo director being charged with animal cruelty. Meghan Mogensen, 27 year old zoo director allegedly drowned a wounded wallaby in a bucket of water after suffering from an eye injury in his pen at the zoo (Daily News). In conclusion, although zoos have created natural-looking environments for animals, in my opinion, I believe it is cruel to house animals in captivity. The incidents mentioned above is proof to why animals need to be able to hunt and roam in the wild which cannot be created by a zoo. There is no reason why innocent lives are continually lost for the sake of research, education, or entrainment. So what is your opinion on zoos?

Check Some Catchy Hooks for an Essay

Check Some Catchy Hooks for an Essay First, what is an essay hook? It is the first words or sentences of your essay. This helps quickly grab attention of the reader, and serves as an introduction to your text. After reading the first words, your reader will decide whether they want to read further or not. If you ask yourself Who could write my essay for me?, you can be sure that our writers will give you a hand. Also our experts have compiled a list of simple tips to help you write perfect college essay hooks. Start with a Quote Literary quotes are good hooks for essay about a book, a story or a particular author. Thanks to quotes, your essay looks fresher, and your words gain more confidence. Also you can use quotes from famous personalities. The main thing is to make sure that your quote matches the subject and style of your text. So you can reinforce your point of view with an additional argument. Use Anecdotes This type of essay hooks is used less often, as many are afraid to start with a funny story. However, a good joke doesn’t mean that all your text should be fun. A little bit of humor will surely grab the attention of the readers, so you can quickly interest them. Start with a Question The correct question will immediately generate the interest. Therefore, this is one of the best hooks for an essay. The curious reader will want to read on to find out the answer. Avoid questions that can be answered with a simple, unambiguous answer (yes or no). Your goal is to encourage the reader to reflect, providing him with arguments that will help find an answer. Expose a Misconception This is one of the best essay writing hooks. People like to learn something new and to be surprised. Start with an assertion that is a commonly recognized fact, and then disprove it. Now all the attention of your reader will be directed to your arguments. Conclusion Choose essay hooks depending on the topic of your essay and its style. If you prefer an emotional and imaginative style, jokes and live scenes will suit you. If you are dealing with a serious issue, start with a misconception revealing or an important question. If you write about literature, start with a quote of the particular author. A good hook is just the beginning. If you find it difficult to write an essay on your own, asking yourself Who could write my essay for me?, our qualified team are always ready to help.

Listening to Podcasts in German

Listening to Podcasts in German We discovered Annik Rubens and her five-minute Schlaflos in Mà ¼nchen podcasts first, and then it was about an hour with a Swiss-German dee-jay at jradio.ch in Zurich. (Cool to hear Schwytzerdytsch, the musics cool, but in English.) The variety of topics and sheer numbers of podcasts in German is amazing for such a relatively new phenomenon! People all around the world- including Austria, Germany, and Switzerland- are producing their own mini-radio shows on topics from art culture to porn, from daily life to rock, or world news politics. There are podcasts in German dialects and even kidspods for young listeners (Hà ¶rkultur fà ¼r Kinder). Youll find pro versions and podcasts by just plain folks. PodcastenaufDeutsch What is podcasting? Heres a definition in German: Der Begriff Podcasting meint das automatische Herunterladen von Audio-Dateien aus dem Internet. Meistens handelt es sich dabei um private Radio-Shows, die sich einem bestimmten Thema widmen. - podster.de (See the English explanation in the next paragraph.) Audio on the web is nothing new. However, das Podcasten is a new way of approaching online audio (and video). It really seems to be a good thing for language-learners. The term podcast is a play on words that mixes broadcast and iPod to come up with podcast. A podcast is a lot like a radio broadcast, but with some crucial differences. First of all, a podcaster doesnt need a real radio station. Anyone with basic recording and computer skills can produce a podcast. Second, unlike radio, you can listen to a podcast at any time and in any place. You can click on a podcast and listen to it immediately (just like streaming audio), or you can save it to your computer (and/or iPod) for later. Some podcasts require a free subscription and/or special podcast software (i.e., iTunes, iPodder, Podcatcher, etc.), but most podcasts can be heard using a normal Web browser set up for MP3 audio. The advantage of subscribing is that youll get your chosen podcast on a regular basis, just like a newsletter.  A lot of the podcasting software and services are free. You dont have to pay for anything unless you want to. The free iTunes software from Apple (for Mac or Windows) has support for podcasts and is perhaps the easiest way to subscribe to podcasts in German or other languages. How to Find German Podcasts The best way is to use iTunes or some other podcast directory. Podcast.net lists over 20 podcasts in German. Thats where I found Annik and Schlaflos in Mà ¼nchen, but shes also listed in iTunes and other directories. (Some podcasts listed under Deutsch may actually be in English, because its up to the podcaster to select the category.) Of course, there are also German podcast directories, including das deutsche Podcasting Portal - German podcasts. The iPodder.org site has a page for podster.de, but you need to download the free Juicer client (Mac, Win, Linux) to use it. You can also use Google.de or other search engines to find podcasts in German. Some Selected Podcast Sites in German Most podcasters have a Web site related to their podcasts, often with a forum for feedback and comments. Most will let you stream their MP3 podcasts, but if you want to subscribe, try one of the podcast clients such as iPodder. Annik Rubens: Schlaflos in Mà ¼nchen 3-5 minute daily podcasts1st Intergalactic Podcast Ralfs tgliche handvoll Minà ¼tchen à ¼ber einfach allesAudibleBlog.de Topics: Large variety (business, Kinder, usw.) DIE ZEIT and audio highlights (3-12 min.) from audible.deGnak Podcast Verschiedenes von Nicole Simone in Là ¼beck

Listening, Learning and Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Listening, Learning and Communication - Essay Example There is such a thing as ineffective communication, which instead of creating a fine relationship with others, it creates tension between people who are trying to create connection with their fellowmen. This is where communication roadblocks enter the discussion. These roadblocks are usually encountered because of the differences of each human individual. It could be noted that because of the differences of each person, the receiving and giving of message through words and action between people may not be that common enough to easily understand. Within the paragraphs that follow, the said twelve roadblocks shall be discussed clearly as based from the sensation, perception and attention practice that had been performed by the author of this paper. The roadblocks mentioned earlier could be identified to fall into three major divisions. These include judging, sending solutions, and avoiding other's concerns. These three divisions are then subdivided into few more 12 subsections. At some point, these destructive procedures of communication at times happen when two persons are in a discussion that is involving problems or personal troubles. Because of the tension that is usually built up due to the problem being talked about, the sense of right reasoning is usually lost because of the lack of understanding that exists due to the tension. To be able to understand everything, the twelve roadblocks should be discussed herein in a clearer pattern: Judging Criticizing This is the way by which a person intends to manipulate the thinking of the other person through questioning the attitudes of the other. Not only that, the situation usually aggravates the questioning of the attitude of the other towards the other person. Robert Bolton comments on the matter saying: "Many of us feel we need to be critical, or other people will never improve we make a negative evaluation of the other person, for his or her actions, or attitudes." (Burtis, 2005, 18) The attitude of man to even aggravate the situation being faced by the other because of some emotional attachment to the issue makes this particular roadblock an effective way of stopping or heating up a particular conversation. Name-calling At some point, when people get pissed off because of a heated conversation, they tend to course the other or at times they name-call the others with insulting titles that makes it hard for the other party of communication to understand clearly what is happening. The result then leads to a more aggravated heated conversation. Bolton further adds, "Name calling and labeling usually have negative overtones to both the sender and receiver. Labeling prevents us from getting to know ourselves and other individuals." (1999) Diagnosing At some point, when people argue over something, they become too much sensitive with how the other reacts upon a certain situation or how a person intends to talk back to them. The sensitiveness results to diagnosis of the reaction of the other and the way of speech that he or she uses within the conversation. Instead of simply listening to what the person says, reading between the lines becomes another way of decoding the bodily message of the person who is speaking. Another comment from Bolton reads: "We analyze