Course Project 1 - 718 Words

Bus 379 Course Project March 31, 2013 Task 1 1. National First with an APR of 3.25%(Prime Rate) +6.75%=10% The ERA=(1+10%/2)^2 – 1= 10.25% Regions Best 13.17 APR compounded monthly. The ERA = (1+13.17%/12)^12 – 1= 13.99% 2. I would recommend National First Bank, the ERA with NFB is 10.25% and the ERA with Regions Best is 13.99%. National First Bank is calculated semiannually so it is only twice a year but Regions Best is compounded monthly. The APR with National Best is low even if it is Prime. 3. The loan amount is $6,950,000, interest rate is 8.6% APR over 5 years. To do the calculation we work with (loan amount)*(interest rate)/(years) N=60 I=0.7167 PV= 6,950,000 Payment =x The monthly payment for†¦show more content†¦Most of the time the price of the preferred dividends is higher than the common stock because there is more risk for investors but there is also more payoff if it does well. 4. 1.50 * (1+10%)=1.65 1.65 / (10%-1%)= $18.33 IF the required rate of return increases from 8.1% to 10% then the current share price of common stock with decrease from $21.41 to $18.33. As the price of the stock increases this can be riskier for the investor. But with higher risk the returns should be higher as well with dividends. If the dividends are higher this can boost the confidence of others to buy more stocks as there are good returns with the company. Task 3 1. Annual Rate = 7.5% Current price of bond = $1062 Term 20 years Par value of bond $1000 Annual interest $75.00 Semi-annual interest $37.50 The coupon rate AirJet Parts sets on new bonds would be 6.92% 2. The YTM rate is the rate of return that could be earned if held until the maturity date. The coupon rate is usually a fixed and is the known rate of the bond. 3. The credit risk on a bond is the chances that the company will default on the bond. The amount the investor makes is lower. Inflation rate risk, when inflation goes up, the price of the bond usually goes down. Interest rate risk the price of the bonds changes because of the increase and decrease of the interest rates. 4. File quarterlyShow MoreRelatedCourse Project 11173 Words   |  5 PagesCourse Project – Part I  © The content of this document is the property of Wendell W. Bragg and DeVry University. No portion of this document may be reproduced in any manner except as a homework assignment submission. Duplication, reproduction or display either physically or electronically for any other purpose without the author’s written consent is prohibited. Introduction The Course Project is an opportunity for you to apply concepts learned to a real-life simulation experience. ThroughoutRead MoreCourse Project 11131 Words   |  5 PagesCourse Project-Part 1 Hannah Satterthwaite Professor Gatto DeVry University Finding the Best Loan Options 1. Assuming that AirJet Parts, Inc. is considering loans from National First and Regions Best, what are the EARs for these two banks? National First- (1+.0675/2) ²-1 = .078890625 Regions Best- (1+.1317/12) ¹Ã‚ ²-1= .1399478787 Using the Estimated Annual Rate formula, I found that National First estimated annual rate was 7.9% and Regions Best was 13.995% 2. Based on your calculationsRead MoreAcct 505 Course Project 1651 Words   |  3 PagesACCT 505 Course Project 1 https://homeworklance.com/downloads/acct-505-course-project-1/ COURSE PROJECT 1 INSTRUCTIONS You have just been contracted as a budget consultant by LBJ Company, a distributor of bracelets to various retail outlets across the country. The company has done very little in the way of budgeting and at certain times of the year has experienced a shortage of cash. You have decided to prepare a cash budget for the upcoming fourth quarter in order to show management theRead MoreProj592 Course Project Part 11941 Words   |  8 PagesCourse Project Part 1 â€Å"Consulting Service† PROJ592 Project Cost amp; Schedule Control Table of Contents Executive Summary/Proposal 3 Project Description 4 WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) 5 Capital Cost Estimates 6 Advanced Cost Estimating Technique 7 Cost Assumptions 9 Financial Analysis 10 Schedule 11 Executive Summary/Proposal The Consulting Service Company will lean on its relationships that have been built in the project management industry to take full advantage ofRead MoreEssay on Course Project Wireless World 1 1 1 1507 Words   |  7 Pagesthe salaries of the managers, Initial Investment in Inventory ($20,000), Legal costs ($160) In our analysis of our Cash-flow budget sheet for the upcoming 5 years of our business venture we managed to drive some the necessary information to project our NPV, IRR, Payback Period and our Pro-Forma projections. In our in-depth research of our data we manage to come up with our Net Present Value of our company which was $857,149.53 which indicated a good sign to go through with this venture. TheRead MoreProj595 Course Project Part 12499 Words   |  10 PagesBuilding an Auqaponic Farm: Construction amp; Operation PROJ592 – Project Cost amp; Schedule Control Course Project - Part 1 Executive Summary With a minimal initial investment of $100,000 and a single acre of level ground, a self-sustaining aquaponics based growing operation can be established and become profitably within 6 months. Through continuous year round vegetable and fish production, this operation can conservatively generate $250,000 in annual revenue starting in the very firstRead MoreEssay on FIN364 Course Project Summary 1 648 Words   |  3 Pagesï » ¿ Course Project: Economic Research Objective Each student is to select research question related to money and banking and develop a well written paper that provides insight into the topic. The goal is to obtain a better understanding of the topic, while relating the identified topic or concept with real world scenarios. Guidelines For this project, select one of the following research questions below. If you want to select a topic that does not appear in the list below, please contact me forRead MoreProj 420 Coursework Guide Week 1 - 7696 Words   |  3 PagesCoursework Guide Week 1 - 7 Purchase here http://devrycourse.com/proj-420-coursework-guide-week-1-7 Product Description (PROJ 420 Project Risk Management) PROJ 420 Week 1 Course Project Assignment; Project Topic Proposal and Outline PROJ 420 Week 1 Discussion 1 Why Should We Practice Risk Management PROJ 420 Week 1 Discussion 2 The ATOM Risk Management Process PROJ 420 Week 2 Course Project Assignment; Project Sizing and Stakeholder Analysis PROJ 420 Week 2 Discussion 1 The InitiationRead MoreAcct 212 Course Project610 Words   |  3 Pages212 Course Project Click Link below To Purchase: http://homework-aid.com/ACCT-212-Course-Project-1731.htm?categoryId=-1 This course has two course projects due. The first, Course Project 1, reinforces the basic principles of accounting and application of the accounting information system. It is completed in two parts. The second, Course Project 2, is an opportunity to show the ability to analyze financial statements to arrive at conclusions based upon the analysis. Course Project 1 - OverviewRead MoreEssay on Socs 350 Entire Course Week 1 - 81370 Words   |  6 PagesSOCS 350 Entire Course Week 1 - 8 Purchase here http://chosecourses.com/SOCS%20350/socs-350-entire-course-week-1-8 Product Description (SOCS 350 Cultural Diversity in the Professions - DeVry) SOCS 350 Week 1 Assignment Paper: Let’s Be Lefties for a Day SOCS 350 Week 1 Discussion 1 You Eat What?! SOCS 350 Week 1 Discussion 2 Some of My Best SOCS 350 Week 2 Course Project: Project Proposal SOCS 350 Week 2 Quiz (11 Questions Answers) SOCS 350 Week 2 Discussion 1 Culture is in

Plato s Critique Of Democracy - 1768 Words

Plato continually attempted to enter the world of politics, but after being let down time after time and seeing the execution of his beloved mentor Socrates, Plato criticized the regime of his time (Athenian democracy). He sought to draft his own representation of the ideal constitution, outlined and explained in his work Republic. Plato’s critique of democracy is expected since democracy embodies the opposite of his ideal regime: A government controlled and ruled by the uneducated masses that easily slips into chaos and tyranny. According to Plato, democracy cannot function efficiently due to its unnatural, weak leaders, disordered functionality, and its appetitive citizens. He defines his conception of democracy through its deviation†¦show more content†¦Every citizen of his republic plays a role towards the efficient function of the city, either ruler, warrior, or laborer. Democracy defies that rule by allowing variety and liberty, and because of this variety, dem ocracy appears with a certain loveliness which produces the most diverse population. In a democratic city, since it is full of freedom â€Å"embroidered with every kind of character type, would seem to be the most beautiful† (557d, p.228). This seems to be Plato’s only seemingly positive comment on democracy. But he later comments, â€Å"And it would seem to be a pleasant constitution, which lacks rulers but not variety and which distributes a sort of equality to both equals and unequals alike† (558c, p.228). If properly executed, this constitution is seemingly splendid and agreeable. But Plato emphases that this attractiveness of diversity is only temporary: â€Å"Isn’t that a divine and pleasant life, while it lasts?† since (558a, p.228). An excess of freedom produces an excess of opinions, perspectives, and interests. These factions must be appeased, flattered, and indulged by a leader to receive support from the people. The very freedom of demo cracy directly leads to absolutism due to the people’s love of tolerance and eqaulity rather than love of true good. Plato reasons this by dissecting democracy into three parts: first, the class of the idlers or the drones, as said before, labeled as the dominant, controlling class. Second is the wealthy class. InShow MoreRelatedPlato s Critique Of Democracy2140 Words   |  9 Pages Why Plato’s critique of democracy is still relevant today. Democracy is often referred to as the rule of the many, but Aristotle called this definition incomplete. In his book â€Å"Politics†, he explained that in a city if the majorities are aristocrats and if they have political authority, then it is an aristocracy not a democracy. He therefore defined democracy as when â€Å"free people have authority and Oligarchy as when the wealthy have it† (1290b). Plato viewed Democracy as a flawed systemRead MoreComparing Twentieth Century Political Thought Leo Strauss And Richard Rorty1421 Words   |  6 PagesStrauss at the University of Chicago, and was always quick to acknowledge the influence that his former teacher had on his writing. In the following paper I will briefly highlight and critique the fundamental arguments presented by the duo. Certainly, Rorty and Strauss share a degree of commonality in their critique of the Enlightenment. Furthermore, I will assert that Rorty’s ‘pragmatic argument’ a nd Strauss’ ‘esotericism’ share a degree of kinship. However, when it comes to a close examination ofRead MoreAn Analysis Of Euripides The Suppliants 1372 Words   |  6 PagesIn The Suppliants, Euripides wrote, â€Å"The people cannot form proper judgements and therefore cannot rightly direct a state†. Euripides is living in the midst of democracy in Athens; therefore his quote is a critique of what is happening around him. In his quote, he is taking an anti-democratic stance towards the question of who is fit to rule. Euripides believes only one or few people should rule a state, as not all are qualified or have the ‘proper judgement’ to do so. However, people do rule theRead MoreThe Slave By Frederick Douglass972 Words   |  4 PagesConcepts, techniques, and ways of thinking can last much longer than their creators. The philosophy of Plato is an example of that. Its ideas can be found in a speech written thousands of years later. In â⠂¬Å"What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?† Frederick Douglass, a former slave, addresses an audience of white abolitionists on July 5th of 1852. He focuses on the disparity between the American values celebrated on the Independence Day and the issue of slavery. To do so, Douglass raises the questionRead MoreAnalysis Of Plato s The Cave Essay2307 Words   |  10 PagesWithin the ship as presented above, a chaos reigns which is, according to Plato, similar to the situation in a democratic society. The disagreements between the sailors on the ship symbolically represent the instability of a democratic society. The shipmaster symbolizes the masses, something quite powerful and strong, but at the same time and due to his nearsightedness and deafness, easily tricked and seduced by persuasion and lies, having for consequence that unable people govern. A comparison canRead MoreAnalysis Of Plato s The Democratic Man 1865 Words   |  8 PagesBrandon Wilson Professor Evans Intro to Philosophy 4 March 2015 Plato’s Democratic Man Plato describes the degeneration to democracy in Book VIII of The Republic as the relationship between man and the city. There are five stages starting with the first being and aristocracy led by a philosopher king who is wise and makes the decision for all and his soul is considered to be that of gold. Aristocracy stage leads to timocracy which would is the new generation of leaders and their souls are not consideredRead MoreMarx, Mill And Freud s Critique Of Political Economy And The Communist Manifesto Essay1133 Words   |  5 Pagesof Job to Plato) as a comparative yardstick, or point of reference, but without letting them take over the foreground in your paper -- the latter should be reserved for these three figures. Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, and John Stuart Mill are three authors who tackle the topic of freedom in unique ways, but their messages are fundamentally the same and continue the ideas that we encountered in the esoteric texts as well as in The Matrix: . First, we have Karl Marx’s Capital: Critique of PoliticalRead MorePlato s View On Justice1261 Words   |  6 PagesWell-structured societies are built on a foundation of justice that brings unity, development, equality and respect between people. Throughout The Republic, Plato defines justice and its significance to the state and its individuals. In Book I, Thrasymachus and Socrates both provide their views on the definition of justice. The discussion takes place in Cephalus’s residence with his son Polymarchus. Through Plato’s dialogue, the definitions on justice by both Thrasymachus and Socrates will be discussedRead MoreThe And Make A Sacrifice1368 Words   |  6 PagesThe Bible comprises the teachings and deeds of Jesus. After the crucifixion of Jesus, â€Å"the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, ‘Truly this man was God s Son!’† (New Test ament 70). â€Å"Earthquake†, a violent and sudden shaking of the ground, indicates the tremendous power and influence that Jesus’s death had on people. The centurion was â€Å"terrified†, implying that they felt extreme fear caused by Jesus.Read MoreCompare and Contrast Communism, Socialism, and Capitalism2094 Words   |  9 Pagesits early forms the term â€Å"communism† first came into use in France, after 1840; the general idea being that private property is the source of all social ills which can be cured only by a community of goods and interest. In the Greco- Roman world, Plato expounded the idea in his book The Republic in the 4th century and to stoics implied it in their doctrine of natural right or as they called it â€Å"jus natural† which means according to which natured created all men free and equal and private property

Living My Live and Seizing the Day (Carpe Diem) Essay Example For Students

Living My Live and Seizing the Day (Carpe Diem) Essay Seize the day. I believe people are too focused and consumed by the past and the future than to take the time and focus on the present itself. As stated in the poem Carpe Diem, Robert Frost suggested that â€Å"It lives less in the present than in the future always and less in both together than in the past† (lines 20-23). Robert Frost’s perspective within this poem is â€Å"the present is so busy that it distracts people from actually living and taking everything in† (page 3 of the assignment handout) I couldnt agree more, with today’s society we as people are too busy with our daily lives to live in the moment and just enjoy the life we have been given. We only get one life and we are supposed to make the most of it. We try so hard to get to the future as fast as possible while depending on the past as cane to aid us that we never really stop and take a deep breath while taking in today as the only day that matters. Today’s society is almost too overcome with technology to really appreciate the world we live in. Back in the day when there was no televisions, computers or cellphones people communicated with nature and each other verbally and spiritually. They took the time to enjoy the present as it was and used their knowledge they gained to pass on to their children in hopes to better the future. Elderly people use their knowledge to enlighten today’s society on how simple life was and should be but yet we still become too consumed by our over active lifestyles The two lovers in this poem are so in love and determined to be together- as to be caught up in the moment you could say and believe they are happy yet have not realized the true happiness they have gained together that they have not experienced the true happiness they desire due to the fact they are so overwhelmed by their daily strive for better to actually focus on their love as it is today. I think everybody in today’s society live a lifestyle where they do not cherish the present but rather looks to the past hoping for better results in the future. A prime example of this situation is ones who meet and date for a short period and then get married quickly after and then not to long after realize they are not for each other. What happened was these two people were succumbed with the thought of happiness that they truly did not reach the true underlying happiness, as expressed in a different form as Robert says (in lines 15-18) â€Å"That overtaken lovers from being over flooded with happiness should have it. And yet not know they have it. Which is simply saying the two lovers thought they reached the full happiness by the thoughts and emotions they were overcome by but did not really know they were happy cause of the too busy life they were living in pursuit of the future. I myself experience this kind of daily living, when I had my daughter two years ago I could not have been happier to start my life with my baby girl. I was constantly planning and setting up things for her future and figuring out how I wanted to raise her, what I wanted for her to get out of life and before I knew it days, weeks, and months have passed by and all I had was pictures to remind me of what once was. .u89f03dbf03f975e4702544cfe8d4fe62 , .u89f03dbf03f975e4702544cfe8d4fe62 .postImageUrl , .u89f03dbf03f975e4702544cfe8d4fe62 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u89f03dbf03f975e4702544cfe8d4fe62 , .u89f03dbf03f975e4702544cfe8d4fe62:hover , .u89f03dbf03f975e4702544cfe8d4fe62:visited , .u89f03dbf03f975e4702544cfe8d4fe62:active { border:0!important; } .u89f03dbf03f975e4702544cfe8d4fe62 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u89f03dbf03f975e4702544cfe8d4fe62 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u89f03dbf03f975e4702544cfe8d4fe62:active , .u89f03dbf03f975e4702544cfe8d4fe62:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u89f03dbf03f975e4702544cfe8d4fe62 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u89f03dbf03f975e4702544cfe8d4fe62 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u89f03dbf03f975e4702544cfe8d4fe62 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u89f03dbf03f975e4702544cfe8d4fe62 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u89f03dbf03f975e4702544cfe8d4fe62:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u89f03dbf03f975e4702544cfe8d4fe62 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u89f03dbf03f975e4702544cfe8d4fe62 .u89f03dbf03f975e4702544cfe8d4fe62-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u89f03dbf03f975e4702544cfe8d4fe62:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Sex Education EssayShe was growing up so fast before my eyes that within the blink of an eye I was planning her first birthday, I sat there and reflected on the past year and came to the realization that I was to consumed with figuring things out for her future and posting pictures on Facebook for friends and family that I did not take the year I was given already and cherish it day by day and make the most of each day that was presented. I just had her second birthday two months ago and I still sit here looking at her and asking where time went and regret not taking these precious years so far into consideration in depth at the time and just grow with her and receive the utter most enjoyment out of becoming a parent rather than focusing on her future at such on early age. As of today when I reflect I know I should have done a lot of things differently cause she will never experience these great milestones and growing ever again in her life nor will I ever get to hold her as a baby and rock her to sleep or grasp her once tiny little fingers around my one finger. She will never take another first step and I will never hear those mumbled first words that sound like a mixture of a foreign language and an actually word. I was too busy as a parent always focusing on what is to be expected at her age or looking forward to her talking and walking or riding her first bike or telling me how her day was, being consumed by society’s â€Å"rules† as a parent with how to raise them and care for them that I never stopped and just took every day in as it was and just focused on hers and my own utter happiness as a whole. My daughter is my everything and as a single parent I know that not just myself but majority of most single mothers out there, that we are always trying to do better for our child and when time just flies by we sit there and become overwhelmed with sorrow and regret that we never just made everything simple and let things happen on their own. I know I wish I lived in a simpler time and I as a parent didnt have so many worries regarding my child whether it comes to safety, health, and stability. I have questions constantly popping up in my head such as will she be safe outside, will she be able to afford shelter and food, will she be accepted for who she is when she grows up, will the cost of school be too high for her to attend to get a higher education and grow within her career choice. These questions I do not have the answers to and never will but every time I look at her I worry for her well-being especially when the time comes that I am no longer here to help her. When I was growing up the cost of living was lower I never had a cell phone or a social media site. My curfew was when the street lights came on school was easily assessable to all kinds of parents being a kid did not carry so much weight and responsibility being a parent did not carry so much concern. Nevaeh is a piece of me who walks around with my heart on her sleeve and soon will be independent but my job as a parent is to guide, care, and nurture her every step of the way which is my ultimate goal in life. She is the air I breathe but no matter how hard I try to make things simpler, I constantly find myself looking to the past and future and not really cherishing the present still to this day. .u0851be24394b0f971d3b90bd7c7d0f38 , .u0851be24394b0f971d3b90bd7c7d0f38 .postImageUrl , .u0851be24394b0f971d3b90bd7c7d0f38 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u0851be24394b0f971d3b90bd7c7d0f38 , .u0851be24394b0f971d3b90bd7c7d0f38:hover , .u0851be24394b0f971d3b90bd7c7d0f38:visited , .u0851be24394b0f971d3b90bd7c7d0f38:active { border:0!important; } .u0851be24394b0f971d3b90bd7c7d0f38 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u0851be24394b0f971d3b90bd7c7d0f38 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u0851be24394b0f971d3b90bd7c7d0f38:active , .u0851be24394b0f971d3b90bd7c7d0f38:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u0851be24394b0f971d3b90bd7c7d0f38 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u0851be24394b0f971d3b90bd7c7d0f38 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u0851be24394b0f971d3b90bd7c7d0f38 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u0851be24394b0f971d3b90bd7c7d0f38 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u0851be24394b0f971d3b90bd7c7d0f38:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u0851be24394b0f971d3b90bd7c7d0f38 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u0851be24394b0f971d3b90bd7c7d0f38 .u0851be24394b0f971d3b90bd7c7d0f38-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u0851be24394b0f971d3b90bd7c7d0f38:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Holocaust Repirations and Payments EssayThe gift I was given by being able to be her mother is a once in a lifetime chance she will never experience these years again and I will never get to watch her grow from a tiny little dot to a grown women throughout her lifetime. I feel that with me being caught up in daily life and not seizing the day is a shame on my part and after reading this poem I now will try harder to stop and smell the flowers first hand rather than just walk past them per say. Every single individual should take the time to reflect and change certain aspects in their lives because then and only then will we have the true happiness we seek in life. It will not be in the past as the past is made for us to learn from nor will it be in the future as that is only a figment of our imagination but all true happiness lies within the present. What we make of today will be our greater tomorrow. I was given very wise advice growing up and that is to live as today is your last cause you never know what will happen tomorrow. This saying is so true to this poem this young couple to which Age is looking upon are so lost in the thought of the future that they do not know what the present is and never will till it is too late.

The Great Man Theory of History as evidenced in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Self-Reliance Essay Example

The Great Man Theory of History as evidenced in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Self-Reliance Essay Applying the Great Man theory of History as a subtext to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s classic essay Self-Reliance makes for an interesting synthesis. The Great Man theory was brought into public discourse by Thomas Carlyle in the 1840s. But most of the later commentators pointed out to some of the misassumptions and flaws in the theory. Chief among them was Herbert Spencer who viewed that great individuals were products of their culture, history and environment and the inverse is seldom true. Yet the idea of the Great Man holds an intuitive appeal to readers. As people sharing a sense of community we are all looking for leaders and role models to provide us guidance. It is this intuitive appeal for leadership that sustains the value of the Great Man Theory, although it had somewhat become unfashionable in the last century. Great men are thought to be path-breakers and independent thinkers. (James, p.114) In Emerson’s text, we find a powerful invocation of individuality. He attacks acts of token conformity that we all display due to pressures of society. As his famous quotation from the text mocks, â€Å"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines†. (p.25) A man who succumbs to the habits of conformity loses the spontaneity and the open-mindedness that are the hallmarks of a man living to his full potential. It is in identification of these exceptional qualities that Emerson cites Plato, Moses and Milton among his Great Men. We will write a custom essay sample on The Great Man Theory of History as evidenced in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Self-Reliance specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Great Man Theory of History as evidenced in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Self-Reliance specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Great Man Theory of History as evidenced in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Self-Reliance specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Emerson’s litany of great men contains several luminaries across the span of two millennia of European civilization, including â€Å"Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton†. (p.44) But these people did not become legends through dint of birth, privilege or fortune. Most of them were vilified and ostracized during their own life times. Some of them even lost their lives for the cause they believed in. This is the uttermost expression of individuality and originality. These great men refused to bow to pressures of conformity due to the profound faith they held in their convictions. Though great men are mostly misunderstood during their own lifetimes, they grace humanity through the wisdom and legacy they leave behind. In this context, Emerson asks, â€Å"Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? †¦every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.†(p.32) At the center of Emerson’s thesis are three ideas: distrust of social norms, recognition of genius in oneself, and the value of self-worth. These are also the virtues of Great Men as indicated in the theory. (Frinin, p.96) For example, great individuals that shaped the course of civilization were men of strong motivation, exemplary vision and self-belief. Of these characteristics, it is self-belief that enables and supports the other two. Since self-belief springs from individuality, Emerson’s assertion that â€Å"envy is ignorance, imitation is suicideâ€Å" is particularly prescient. When we analyze the lives of great men of history, we see how this attitude was manifest in all key moments in their lives. Whether we take rulers like Napoleon Bonaparte or Queen Elizabeth, or we consider the lives of scientists, philosophers and intellectuals, they are all united in belief in their convictions. Speaking for himself, Emerson writes, â€Å"My life is not an apology, bu t a life. It is for itself and not for a spectacle. I much prefer that it should be of a lower strain, so it be genuine and equal, than that it should be glittering and unsteady.† (p.26) Courage is another virtue of the great men of history according to the theory. (Frinin, p.96) Congruent with this, Emerson’s text alludes to the centrality of this virtue for living a great life. In a strong endorsement for practicing valor in our everyday lives, Emerson writes â€Å"the sinew and heart of man seem to be drawn out, and we are become timorous desponding whimperers. We are afraid of truth, afraid of fortune, afraid of death, and afraid of each other.† (p.45) If courage is the state of not being afraid, it naturally follows that we express our thoughts in a honest manner. When it comes to self-expression, Emerson condemns half-measures or half-truths. He says, â€Å"We but half express ourselves, and are ashamed of that divine idea which each of us represents†¦but God will not have his work made manifest by cowards.† (p.11) Hence, while being courageous in our dealings with society is rewarding, the failure to upkeep it will not even bring us f orgiveness from God. Emerson thus swiftly links human action and divine sanction. Works Cited: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance, A Classic Essay by Emerson. Excerpted from Essays, First Series. Published August 1st 2007 by Arc Manor. James, W. 2005 [1880]. Great Men and Their Environment. Kila, MT: Kessinger Publishing Grinin, Leonid 2010. The Role of an Individual in History: A Reconsideration. Social Evolution History, Vol. 9 No. 2 (pp. 95–136).

Costa Del Sol Essays - Andalusia, Ethnic Groups In Europe

Costa Del Sol Essays - Andalusia, Ethnic Groups In Europe Costa Del Sol Costa Del Sol It is possible that the Neolithic revolution, the discovery of agriculture the passage of nomadic to sedentary peoples, reached Europe by way of Africa through what is known today as Andalusia. This historical center of influence, an east - west displacement, from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic began with a revolution that introduced the usage of metals and the arrival of colonizers from the east. A confluence of fertile lands, of metallurgy and fishing activities took place in this westernmost area that the Tartars once inhabited. This mysterious civilization that lived in the southern Iberian peninsula since the bronze ages, established the first known monarchy in western Europe. The Tartars, an agricultural and cattle raising people, also worked the gold mines while their ships traded with Great Britain from the west and received the Phoenicians from the east. This marked the beginning of a complex geographical position between two oceans and two continents. Rome took up residence on these shores after realizing that this region could become the open door for a threat from Cartage. Roman legions appeared for the first time in the 3rd century BC. The exuberant province of Btica would become for the next seven centuries part of the great civilized world, contributing to the empire materials such as metals, wine, oil, wheat, philosophers, writers and the first two emperors born outside of the Italic peninsula.: Trajano and Adriano. Other peoples appeared from the north. From the shores of the Rin descended the Vandals in 411 AD. They settled in the valley of the Guadalquivir river and in northern Africa and for half a century united the shores of the two continents. Before being expelled by the Visigoths they had given a new name to the region of Europe: Vandaluca. Since the arrival in 711 of Islam this region enjoyed wonderful times. The Caliphate of Crdoba during many years was the most sophisticated state in all of Europe. The Arabs contributed new techniques to agriculture, botany and science, poetry and intellectual development during a period of eight centuries. Their political breakdown was taken advantage of by the Christian Kingdoms from the north of the peninsula accelerating the capture of the Iberian peninsula. In 1236 Crdoba fell. Sevilla followed in 1248. The last bastion, the Kingdom of Granada, was conquered by the Catholic Kings in 1492. that same year Columbus set sail from the Andalusian port of Palos in Huelva, to discover America. The center of global economic and political movement was displaced. An Andalusian town took notice of this crucial moment achieving its greatest glory shortly afterwards for the following 150 years. Known as the spot where the heart of Europe beats, Sevilla became the neurological center of the Spanish empire. Her port received ships loaded with gold and silver from America, and from there minted coins were circulated throughout other European nations. A little later Cdiz would continue this Andalusian leading role in its relations with the Indies. Sanlcar de Barrameda, a neighboring village became the port from where the first round the world voyage was initiated. Romantic travelers would later recall such splendors with archeological remains of demolished towers, hidden patios in ancient homes and stately palaces. The myth of figures such as Carmen and the figure of Don Juan, generous bandits, brave bullfighters and oriental exoticism arose; images constructed by foreign eyes that today still endure. Recent Andalusian history is tied to a turbulent 19th century that started off with the War of Independence and the approval of the first Spanish Constitution in the courts of Cdiz in 1812. Efforts to modernize and industrialize the economy were marked by massive exploitations of mineral

How to Get a Pell Grant Apply and Win

How to Get a Pell Grant Apply and Win SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You may have heard of Pell Grants, which can be really importantin helping students fund their college educations. Although the Pell sounds enticing, figuring out how to actuallygeta Pell Grantmay be overwhelming. How do you know if you're eligible? Where do you apply? How do you keep track of your application? As it turns out, getting a Pell Grant isn'ttoo difficult if you know where to begin.Follow the steps in this guide to optimize your chances of receiving Pell Grant money. Step 1: Determine Whether You're Eligible to Apply for Federal Aid Because the Pell Grant is a federal student aid program, you need to meet all federal requirements in order to be eligible.The major requirements are that you must: Have a high school diploma or GED Be a citizen or US national Be enrolled, or accepted to enroll, in a school that participates in the Pell Grant program There are other federal requirements that you must meet in order to be eligible, however; you can get more detailed information here. Make sure you have all these requirements locked down before you apply, or else you risk delaying your application. Step 2: Determine Whether You Meet Specific Pell Grant Requirements The Pell Grant is primarily meant to help low-income students pay for college. As a result, most recipients are students who do not already have a bachelor's or vocational degree. Check out our Pell Grant eligibility guide for more information. You also need to meet certain financial requirements to be considered eligible for the Pell, which are addressed in the next section. Step 3: Estimate Your Own Financial Need to Determine Eligibility When you apply for the Pell Grant - which happens when you submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA - the Department of Education will generate a number called the Expected Family Contribution, or EFC. The EFC determines whether you're financially eligible to receive the Pell Grant. For the 2015-2016 academic year, the EFC cutoff is $5081. So, if your EFC is at or below $5081, you will receive some Pell Grant money.You can use your family's financial information (your parents may be able to help with this) to estimate your EFC before you even apply for the Pell Grant. If you aren't feeling up to estimating your Pell Grant by calculating your EFC, you can use these very general guidelines: Most Pell Grant awards are granted to students whose families make less than $30,000 per year 25%-35% of Pell Grant awards are granted to students whose families make between $30,000-$60,000 per year The smaller your EFC, the more Pell Grant money you're likely to receive; you're also likely to get a larger award if you're a full-time student.For the 2013-2014 academic year, the average Pell Grant award was $3541. Gatheringpieces of your family's financial info is an important part of applying for the Pell Grant. This step could be streamlined with the help of a patient parent. Step 4: Apply for Federal Aid via the FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid You apply for federal aid by submitting a FAFSA, a form that you have to submit annually if you want to be considered for any aid, including the Pell Grant.If you estimated your EFC and think you'll receive Pell Grant money,you're probably excited to submit the application. But what if youdon'tthink you'll be eligible for the grant? Should you still apply? The short answer is: yes. It's totally free to apply for the Pell Grant, and you may be losing out on valuable aid by skipping on the application.Many states, colleges, and universities also use information generated from the FAFSA to award their own financial aid. It's in your best interest to submit a FAFSA even if you don't think you'll get the Pell. Check out the online version of the FAFSA - it's the fastest way to submit your application. Most students submit their FAFSAs soon after they get their acceptance letters. The federal aid deadline for the 2015-2016 academic year is June 30, 2016, but don't wait that long to submit your FAFSA;you may be missing out on aid opportunities that exhaust quickly if you apply too late. You can get more information about submitting a federal aid application here. Step 5:Manage Your FAFSA After you've submitted your FAFSA, you'll receive what's called a Student Aid Report, or SAR. This official report will have all the information you need about your aid eligibility. The school(s) you listed on your FAFSA will also have access to your SAR. If you submitted your application electronically and don't get a SAR within 3 days, there may have been an error in processing your FAFSA. Fortunately, it's pretty easy to check the status of your application online. Your school will put together a financial aid package based on your SAR. It may include Pell Grant money in addition to other forms of aid, like student loans or work-study. The electronic version of the FAFSA is, as you canimagine, much easier to manage than the paper version What's Next? If you're already looking at how to get a Pell Grant, you may already know about the program; if not, you can read about everything you need to know in our Pell Grant guide. Eligibility requirements for federal aid in particular can be difficult to navigate. If you could use a step-by-step outline for determining Pell Grant eligibility, I have good news for you. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Effects of Globalisation on Bolivia in the last 5 years PowerPoint Presentation

Effects of Globalisation on Bolivia in the last 5 years - PowerPoint Presentation Example In the 2009 elections, he again came in to power by winning the election with a huge margin and now making attempts to change the system of his country. Figure 1: Map of Bolivia Source: Central Intelligence Agency. The World Fact Book, 2011 Bolivian Economy: Bolivia is among the poorest and the most undeveloped country in the Latin American region. There was a devastating economic crisis in Bolivia in the early 80s but then the economic reforms were made which improved the economy as well as reduced the poverty in the country. In the time period between 2003- 2005, there was political disturbance in the country along with racial clashes mainly on the issue of export of natural gas to northern hemisphere region. In 2005, newly elected government passed the hydrocarbon law according to which the royalties were raised significantly resulting in the withdrawal of all the local companies from the sector and foreign companies started to operate in the country. In 2008 due to higher rates o f oil and gas, the surplus was significantly higher but in the later years, the economy started to decline due to following factors; i. Global Recession. ii. Decreased prices of oil and gas worldwide. iii. Poor infrastructure of the country. iv. Economic sanctions imposed by USA on Bolivia. a. GDP: Figure 2: GDP from 2000-2009 Source: Index Mundi, 2008. b. Exports and Imports: The main exports of the country include natural gas which constitutes the main financial reserve of the country and apart from this; the other exports include soybeans, crude petroleum, zinc ore and tin. Major countries which are involved in importing these items from Bolivia are Brazil which constitutes the largest export partner of Bolivia followed by USA, Japan, Columbia, South Korea and Peru. Main imports of the country include petroleum products, paper and plastics, aircrafts and their parts, ready to serve foods, automobiles and insecticides. The main partners in imports are Brazil, Argentina, USA, Chile and Peru. Figure 3: Exports of Bolivia Source: www.amchambolivia.com Figure 4: Imports of Bolivia Source: Index Mundi, 2008. c. Investment Opportunities: Direct Foreign Investment (DFI) is the main contributor to the growth in the private investment sector in the country. It has grown from 169 million US$ to about 1,000 million US$ in just seven years from 1992 to 1999. It represents about 10% of the GDP. The rapid increase in DFI in these years was basically due to process of privatization which was completed in 1999 and afterwards the DFI started to fall. In addition to this, the economic conditions got better in the neighboring countries and as a result, the DFI fell further in the years after 1999. The government from 2005 is working to have good economic conditions which support the interests of foreign investors. As a result of this commitment, irrespective of the social and political unrest in the country, GDP has grown to about 4% in last seven quarters. The overall deficit had narrowed and there was a surplus of 4.2% in 2006, the main reason for this improvement is the government policy about the hydrocarbon sector increasing its exports. Other factors include better revenue system as well as reform in

Open topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Open topic - Essay Example Democracies can either be direct or representation. In direct democracy, the public is allowed to directly participate in their government. In representative democracies, citizens are always allowed to elect representatives who will represent them in the decision making processes. Despite being popular, democracy cannot be referred to as the best form of governance. This paper aims at proving that democracy has greatly failed as a form of governance. Democracy can be said to be faulty in the sense that it is a form of governance that it is always determined by what the majority wants and not what is good for the country. The question here is what will happen in a situation where the majority is wrong. This will mean that whatever will eventually take place will not be the best thing for the country at large. The majority can always be wrong as a result of misinformation or being fed with completely wrong information by influential figures for their own selfish gain. This will definit ely lead to a governance error that might haunt the country for decades affecting even generations that were not part of the faulty decision making (Diamond and Plattner 184). Democracy can also be said to be a highly expensive form of governance. There are a lot of resources that always go to literal waste during democratic processes. A country always spends a lot of money just trying to make sure that democratic elections are always free, fair, and accurate. Despite all these efforts, there are always complaints about elections not being free and fair. This would raise the question of whether democracy is really governance by the people as is commonly referred to. Other resources also go to waste in the form of resources used during election campaigns. These resources are usually used for the purpose of influencing the choices of the public during political elections. The resource used during the political campaign would rather be used for other activities that are much more profi table and productive. In comparison to a monarchy form of governance, democracy would be definitely unreasonable expensive. Democratic processes can also be said to be faulted by baseless preferences of leaders. Democratic elections involve a battle for supremacy of races, ethnic groups, religions and many other forms of grouping. People will always vote for certain candidates on the basis of their ethnicity, race, religion, and not their capability to be good leaders. This leads to situations where the ethnic, racial, or religious groups with the highest number of citizens always carry the day. The obvious result of such an election is a government that lacks diligence and expertise. As much as one group might pride of being successful during the elections, the consequences of having incompetent leaders will be faced by the whole country( Adler and Weismann 221). Democracy can lead to the imbalanced development in a country. Since the leaders are always elected by the majority, the y will always strive to those who voted for them at the expense of those who did not vote for them. For instance, if a leader was highly voted for in a certain region of the country and rejected in others, they will always tend to favor those who voted for them when it comes to developmental projects. This is mainly due to human nature, which makes it almost impossible for a person to respond to bad deeds with good ones. In the same manner, it will be

Ethical Theories Essay Example for Free

Ethical Theories Essay Moral dilemmas are a part of daily life and the solutions presented to them are usually dependent on the ethics that govern the individual facing them. Every person at one point in time has been faced with a moral dilemma. This can be described as the values which are used to determine the right way to handle a situation and the wrong way to go about it. Each society and community has its own moral index and in some societies, an action may be viewed tolerable or right, while the same action in another community would be viewed as intolerable and frowned upon. The moral index of a society usually goes hand in hand with religious beliefs and communities which are religiously inclined to have strict rules on what is suitable behaviour and what is not. Societies which have more secular values usually tolerate extreme or eccentric behavior. The difference in opinions of different people in what is normally right and wrong has led to the development of various ethical theories. Two of these theories are utilitarianism and duty ethics. An example of a situation which brought about different ethical stand points is the Firestone Company tire recall in 1999 and 2000. The company had discovered that its newly designed firestorm Radial ATX, ATX II and Wilderness AT tires were defective back in 1996, after 8 of the 18 times were singled out after they failed a test that tested the endurance of tires under high speed. Of the 14. 4 million tires sold approximately 6. 5 million tires had to be recalled due to defects in the details which involved the tread and one steel belt separating from the other steel belt and carcass The details has led to serious and even fatal accidents as the cars overturned when the accidents occurred while they were in motion. In an attempt to show difference between utilitarianism and duty ethics we shall consider an engineer working for the company at the time and the stand he or she would take if they subscribed to utilitarianism or duty ethics Utilitarianism can be described as an ethical theory that proposes that the action that brings good or favorable consequences to the majority is not subject to whether it is right or wrong meaning it is not subject to questioning. (Fredrick,2003) This theory was greatly championed by utilitarians such as John Stuart Mill. This theory advocates for actions that produce happiness to the greatest or largest number of people. In an ideal situation this may be possible but usually any action can produce happiness to many or a few people depending on the action. The theory does not usually advocate for the use of ethically correct actions at all times and thus actions which may be viewed as wrong sometimes bring happiness to a large group of people but the actions still remain morally wrong. An engineer subscribing to the utilitarianism way to life would have supported the company stand and the action it took. The company discovered that some tires were defective and did not recall the rest of the tires that had already been sold. This lead to accidents which caused suffering and death and it was not until an investigation into the cause of the accidents that finally forced the Firestone Company to admit liability and recall the tires. The company did not recall the tires because it feared the losses that it would face incase the tires were all defective. The company chose to protect their profits margins at the expense of their clients. (Little, 2003) As an engineer with a utilitarianism view point this action would be the best because recalling would mean great losses and downsizing in terms of job which would mean unemployment for many people working at the company affecting both them and their dependants. The duty ethics proposes that the action taken in any situation should be just and honest and respectful to all persons involved. This ethical principle advances for the upholding of principles regardless to the wrong consequences whether they will be good or bad. (Graham,2004) An engineer working for the Firestone Company would have chosen to recall all the defective tires and conducted a through investigation to the causes of the defaults without external pressure or the threat of law suits as inducement. The engineer moral compass would have guided them to make such a stand regardless to the fallout which is this case would have resulted in major losses to the company. As per the requirements of the engineering profession, this mechanical engineer was ascribed to some basic fundamental ethics and the relevant professional codes of conduct while in the jurisdiction of their duty. These are guidelines aimed at providing safety standards for the engineers while at work and the common good of the society. However, the same was objectively inadequate in the Firestone’s case. As a basic requirement, they should exercise their professional skills and also knowledge in providing contentment in the general human life. Impartiality and honesty should prevail in their service where fidelity to the public should never be compromised above that of clients and also employers. Elsewhere, engineers should pursue a continued development in their profession and bring service to their different clients without any conflict. These are the basic fundamentals of mechanical engineers whose proficiency is provided by the support of the canons of mechanical engineering. In conclusion the moral stand point taken by any individual should always be after requiring all the necessary information. This is because in every decision made, there are always individuals who love and those who benefit. As in the Firestone, the recalling decision would have resulted in loss. After careful evaluation one should decide on the decision that brings minimal losses in the involved activity.

Mary Shelleys Frankenstein :: essays research papers

BIRTH AND CREATION: One of the main issues in the novel, and also in Victor Frankenstein's mind. One of the reasons for creating his monster, Frankenstein was challenging nature's law of creation. That is, to create a being, male sperm and female egg must be united etc.. He was also fraught with the mystery of death and the life cycle. He created something in defiance of our understanding of birth and creation. However the similarity of Frankenstein's creation and a baby's creation is that both need to be held responsible for, and consequences dealt with, from the moment of birth. Frankenstein failed to do this with his creation. ?Whence did the principle of life proceed ?To examine the causes of life, we must first have recourse to death? ?I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body? ALIENATION: Alienation is spoken of frequently throughout the novel. Felt by both Frankenstein and his creation. The monster is deserted by the very person who brought him into the world, thus leaving him completely and totally isolated. Frankenstein feels alienated, because he is burdened with the secret that he has let loose a monster on society and is the real reason for his loved ones deaths. He alienates himself because of his feelings of guilt, shame and hatred of himself for committing such a sin. The monster only realises his feelings of alienation after observing the cottagers for such a long time, comparing their lives to his own, extending his knowledge and then finally setting himself up for rejection when going in to the cottage, believing that they will accept him. Both eventually deal with their alienation by blaming the other and setting out to get revenge. ?All save I, were at rest or in enjoyment?, Monster (138) ?My protectors had departed, and had broken the only link that held me with the world?, Monster (140) ?I, the miserable, and the abandoned, am an abortion, to be spurned at, kicked, and trampled on.? Monster (224) ?Noone can conceive the anguish I suffered?. Frankenstein (78) ?I shunned the face of man?, Frankenstein (93) ?I feel as if I was walking on the edge of a precipice, towards which thousands are crowding, endeavouring to plunge me into the abyss?. Frankenstein (96) THE MONSTROUS AND THE HUMAN: The only difference between the monster in this novel, and humans, is the appearance, although it is a great difference there are greater similarities; brain, way of thinking, emotions etc.

Crime and Victimization Essay

Crime is an unfortunate part of many people’s lives – both for the victim of the crime and also the suspect. There are many theories as to why crimes happen, who commits the crimes, and why crimes happen to certain people. Not all crimes can be solved, or questions answered but these theories give a peek into the thinking or background behind some crimes that are committed. Social process theory believes that individuals are socially conditioned into or against crime (Siegel, â€Å"Social Process Theory†). Negative family relationships, limited education or association with others who have little or not respect for the law, can have a significant impact on a person’s life. The case of Christopher Newsom and Channon Christian, is a perfect example of this theory. Christopher and Channon, both 21, were on a date in January 2007, in Knoxville, Tennessee when they were carjacked and abducted late at night. They were taken to the house of a man named, Lemaricus Davidson where they were tortured and eventually killed. This terrible murder was not only the act of Lemaricus Davidson, but four additional individuals: Letalvis Cobbins, George Thompson, Eric Boyd and Vanessa Coleman (Channon Christian, Christopher Newsom murders). Social process theory believes if a person associates with criminals, they are more likely to engage in criminal activity themselves. Over a period of hours, these five individuals slowly tortured Christopher and Channon. They suspects were all involved in this horrific crime and did not attempt to stop each other. With various local, state and federal organizations/agencies, depending on the crime(s), one or more organization/agency can be involved. A majority of routine traffic stops and arrest and done by local law enforcement. Sometimes, if a pursuit entails, more than one agency may be involved, especially if the pursuit crosses into another county or state lines. More serious crimes, involve federal agencies. This type of crime would involve acts of terrorism, money laundering, drug trafficking or serial murders. One recent crime would be three murders in Cleveland, Ohio by a convicted sex offender (Associated Press). In this case, because of the number of victims and the possibility of additional victims, both the local Cleveland Police Department and the FBI are involved in this case. Cleveland PD is involved, because the crimes happened in their jurisdiction. The FBI is involved in this case as well, because they are dealing with a serial killer and there are potentially additional victims that have not yet been discovered. In a case like this, the various organizations/agencies work together to try to solve the crime and gather evidence. Just by reading your local newspaper, you will find that a number of crimes happen in your own community. Recently, in a local community in Virginia a 25-year-old man was charged with murder and robbery, when he shot a 55-year-old man who was out walking his dog around 9:40 PM. Police report that the victim was approached by the suspect, shot the victim and robbed him and then fled the scene. Police were given the description of the man they saw fleeing the scene. It was also reported that the gun used in this crime was stolen from a car in a local neighborhood (Aric Alexander Smith). Not all crimes are preventable; sometimes criminals are determined to commit a crime for one reason or another. In this case, it may not have been preventable but steps could have been taken to possibly deter activity like this. Sometimes, increased patrols can deter car breakings and confrontations just simply because there is a visual presence of law enforcement. Many neighborhoods have adequate lighting with the idea of a better-lit area may have less criminal activity. Law enforcement also educates the community on how to protect themselves and their home when walking late at night, going on vacation and some even offer self defense classes (Siegel and Worrall, 99). Crime is an ugly side of our society, but measure can be taken to possibly avoid certain situations or to make oneself less likely to become a victim. There are many tips and suggestions on things such as even visiting an ATM or going to the bank, to make yourself not stand out or become a victim of a robbery – be prepared when going to an ATM, make sure you don’t have to dig  in your pockets or your purse; use an ATM in a well lit area; be aware of your surrounding. Simple things like this could help one’s chances of becoming a victim. Not all crime is avoidable, but we can do what we can to try and make it less likely to happen. References Siegel, Larry J. (N. D. ) Social Process Theory. www. NCJRS. gov. Retrieved July 27, 2013, from https://www. ncjrs. gov/App/publications/abstract. aspx? ID=185186 Associated Press. (July 21, 2013) Three Ohio Murders. www. foxnews. com. Retrieved July 27, 2013 from http://www. foxnews.com/us/2013/07/21/three-bodies-found-wrapped-in-plastic-in-cleveland/ (February 21, 2013). Aric Alexander Smith. www. wusa9. com. Retrieved July 27, 2013, from http://www. wusa9. com/news/article/244584/256/Aric-Alexander-Smith-Charged-With-Murder-Robbery-In-Shooting-Death-Of-Gregory-Lee-Holley-Sr-In-Woodbridge-Va Siegel and Worrall. 2013. Essentials of Criminal Justice. (N. D. ) Channon Christian, Christopher Newsom murders. www. knoxnews. com. Retrieved July 27, 2013, from http://www. knoxnews. com/news/news/local/channon-christian-christopher-newsom-murders/

How does Arthur Miller present the flaws and limitations of the American Dream in ‘Death of a Salesman’ Essay

The American Dream is an object of desire for many Americans as it is what they strive for their whole life. The American Dream is based mainly on wealth and materialism. The sense of freedom is what people are striving for. Freedom from bills and debt is what Willy Loman is striving for in ‘Death of a Salesman’. The American Dream is seen as a perfect life, which consists of a house with a white picket fence and perfect family: husband, wife, two children and a dog all living happily and comfortably without any financial troubles. But very few Americans achieve that goal in their lifetime, because there’s also competition if everyone’s aiming for it. Every person is competing with their friends and neighbours. These flaws show through in ‘Death of a Salesman’ as Willy tries to get to grips with his life and trying to pay off his house. ‘Death of a Salesman’ has been used by Arthur Miller to show what the American Dream is really like. The play is based around an average family man, Willy Loman, who has struggled all his life to make something of it; to strike it lucky, but his chance never came. He is presented as a ‘normal’ character; the average ‘middle American’, who wants to pay off all his debts and bills. This shows the lack of contentment in his life. He’s not content having a roof over his head, or having a job, because he wants more. Willy wants to achieve more, just like his brother, Ben, who struck it lucky, because he happened to get lost and stumble upon some diamond mines, but Willy blames himself for not going to explore the world with him, ‘There’s just one opportunity I had with that man†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Willy regrets not going with his brother, but what he doesn’t realise is that he was too young to go with him; he was only 3 years old, when his brother left, whereas Ben was 17. But, despite this fact, he still admires his brother. Yet, there’s barely any mention of his father, who earned his living and fulfilling the American Dream by working hard. Willy has a very flawed way of trying to fulfil the American Dream. He does everything the wrong way and what he doesn’t realise is that it takes some hard work. This may be the reason as to why there’s a feeling of failure in the play. Both, Willy and his sons Biff and Happy are failures in achieving in what they wanted and this shows how Arthur Miller is presenting the flaws of the American Dream, because it can really take its toll on people’s lives and practically ruin their relationships with other people, such as their friends and neighbours. Willy has constantly been competing with his neighbour, Charley. However, Charley is running his own business, whereas Willy is still in the same job that he’s been in for years. Selling. The character of Willy Loman is perfect for presenting the flaws of the American Dream, because he’s just an average man; an average ‘Joe Bloggs’ and basically a nobody, because he hasn’t achieved the things that he wanted to achieve. He continues dreaming of making it big and he keeps on chasing this dream, because there’s a feeling of hope in him, everytime his sons go for a job interview or have an appointment with their boss. He refuses to listen to what his sons have to say, because it’s not what he wants to hear. So, instead he just fills their mouth with words or keeps on interrupting them. Willy holds a lot of false hope of something that he won’t be able to achieve and this is reflected within the play and its setting. The play is set in Willy’s house and this is one of the main reasons as to why there is a lack of contentment in the play, because he hasn’t been able to pay off his mortgage for the house. The setting gives off a boxed in feeling, because of the towering apartment buildings and the lack of greenery is a representation of a metaphor, as nothing can flourish or grow. This is why it is regarded as a limitation of the American Dream, which Arthur Miller presents in the play and through Willy. The lack of contentment is also shown through both sons. Happy’s name is pretty ironic, because his life doesn’t seem to be happy, even though he pretends to be. Both, Biff and Happy have a vengeful streak in them as they both take revenge on their bosses in one way or another. Happy has a tendency to sleep with his boss’s girlfriends/fiancà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s/wives, whereas Biff steals from his boss. But the reason they are like this is because their father has made them think they can do anything and get anywhere without qualifications, ‘You filled us up with hot air!’ however, Biff seems to go against his father, probably due to the fact that he knows about his father’s affair. He has always gone against his father’s wishes, such as wanting to work with his hands rather than work in an office job. But, Willy is still very stubborn and proud. He doesn’t realise his children are happy doing what they want. This is why his pride has got in the way of him not being able to achieve anything. He has also made his sons proud; too, by making them think that it’s their personalities that will get them a successful job. This represents another limitation of the American Dream; people have to work hard to get where they want. Bernard, Biff’s high school friend, is an example of a hard working person because he worked hard to get where he wanted and yet he never mentioned it to Willy, ‘The Supreme Court! And he didn’t even mention it!’ This shows that Bernard isn’t the type to boast about how well he’s doing even though he climbing the ladder towards the American Dream. He’s overtaken Biff and Willy regrets that, but isn’t quite sure who to blame. Himself or Biff? Willy is blinded by false hope and great aspirations of striking it rich, but he’s doing all this for his children, so that they don’t have to struggle the way he did. But Bernard and Charley show that people have to do things themselves to achieve what they want to achieve, because Bernard is a top lawyer and he did this without anyone’s help. He doesn’t need Charley to provide for him, nor is he working for him either. The only things that Willy has ever been able to achieve in his life are solid material goods, such as his house, fridge, car and vacuum cleaner. But he doesn’t think that it’s enough, so he decides to go and crash the car and kill himself, just because he wants his children to lead a comfortable life. His death brings in money for his children, but it shows what lengths Willy went to just so that his children could lead the perfect life of an American Dream.

Trade Reform, Adjustment, and Growth

Trade Reform, Adjustment, and Growth The Focus of the Article Economic analysts compare and contrast the economic growth of one nation with another one with the objective of deriving plausible explanation of their contrasting growth performance and apply the robust findings as recommendations to the developing countries. The contrasting variable that the analysts have identified is the â€Å"openness to the international trade† (Greenaway, Morgan Wright 1547).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Trade Reform, Adjustment, and Growth specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More There is positive correlation between the open trade and the economic growth as empirically demonstrated in the developed countries. This finding has triggered trade reforms in the developing countries with the World Bank initiating and supporting the trade reforms through its Structural Adjustment Programme. The political will is necessary for proper implementation of the policies in tra de reforms given the rationale that â€Å"†¦there appears to be long term association between performance and openness and if an economy is presently relatively closed, then liberalization is a necessary bridge to becoming more open† (Greenaway, Morgan Wright 1547). Hence, one of the integral factors to openness is the liberalization of the trade. Different economic analysts have used different strategies and models to elucidate the impact of trade liberalization to the growth of the economy. The biggest challenge is the identification of the empirical model that will give robust evidence because liberalization is very controversial in the view of economic and trade reforms. The economic analysts can use one or multiple approaches in the identification of the trade liberalization. Policy accounts is the basic measure of identifying liberation in terms of the policies but it has a setback of poor implementation of policies thus require the back up from other measures. A relative price change is another measure that has a unit of trade regime bias, which can substitute trade liberalization with time. The output-based measure is very broad and can integrate more unnecessary indicators. Many economic analysts have failed to present the tangible dynamics of the liberalization because â€Å"†¦there are no straight forward indicators of liberalization. For these reason a number of analysts have used multiple criteria to identify liberation episodes, some formulaically some judgmentally† (Greenaway, Morgan Wright 1550).The use of multiple criteria approach gives a clear view of the liberalization intricacy. The Evidence The empirical evidences have proved that the economic growth depends on the liberalization, exports, and trade orientation. In the case of liberalization, the assessment and evaluation has been approached in two ways, amidst challenges such as pre-existing policies, other policy shifts, and the nature of the economy. Cross-cou ntry is the first approach that has been used by the inter alia World Bank and has two aspects of assessment: ‘with-without’ and ‘before-after.’Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Assessment using ‘with-without’ entails taking of case and control studies of a sample of countries and doing comparative studies to ascertain whether there is significance difference in economic growth thus attributing to the trade reforms. ‘Before-after’ assessment is similar to the ‘with-without’ except that it has a range of time in terms of years before and after assessment. Time series is the second approach that uses economic parameters such as structural adjustment loans, investment, and exports in the analysis of liberation. These studies have confirmed that, â€Å"liberalization is a panacea; its result into a more rapid growth of exports, more rapid growth of real GDP †¦without serious transitional costs in unemployment, and †¦without significant effects on the government’s fiscal position† (Greenaway, Morgan Wright 1552). The ambiguity of the correlation between trade reforms and economic growth challenge the above conclusion that the liberation is a panacea of economic growth. The inconsistency and ambiguity of the results proving correlation of trade reforms and economic growth can be attributed to the over ambitious program design, low supply elasticity, and poor implementation of the programme and the use of varied measures and models. To find the consistent and robust results, varied measures of liberalization, large sample of countries and a standard core growth model was used. The results obtained show that â€Å"the growth enhancing effects of liberalization are unlikely to be instantaneous: a clear evidence of a J curve effect which is consistent across samp les and measures of liberalization† (Greenaway, Morgan Wright 1558). For the economic growth to be exponentially significant, it requires a long-term period of years. The Implications The studies of trade reforms and economic growth have empirically proved that liberalization and openness have long-term significant impact on the growth of the economy. The identification of factors that constitutes liberalization and assessment of liberalization impact on the economic growth has been so controversial and ambiguous. The ambiguity and controversy was due to the inconsistent results from different economic analysts that made it difficult to give conclusive results. The inconsistency of the results was attributed to the differing measures and models of evaluating and assessing liberalization. This study obtained robust and consistent results because it utilized variable liberalization measures and standard core growth model. The study have conclusively shown that the trade policie s and reforms necessary for economic growth are intricately linked to the openness, liberalization and other confounding factors such as communication, technology and transportation. Greenaway, David, Wyn Morgan and Peter, Wright. â€Å"Trade Reform, Adjustment andAdvertising We will write a custom report sample on Trade Reform, Adjustment, and Growth specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Growth: What Does the Evidence Tell Us?† The Economic Journal 108 (1998): 1547-1561

Complete Parts of Speech for SAT Writing and ACT English

Complete Parts of Speech for SAT Writing and ACT English SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips â€Å"Parts of speech† is a fancy way of saying that every word in the English language can be put into one of eight categories, depending on how it is used. Of these eight parts of speech, only 7 are tested on the Writing SAT and on ACT English. Understanding the different parts of speech is absolutely essential to having a firm grasp of English grammar, and in succeeding on the SAT and ACT. Unfortunately, nowadays many schools no longer focus on teaching this type of grammar. Are you a bit unsure about what, exactly, a preposition is, or can’t tell the difference between an adjective and adverb? Feeling a bit rusty after learning this years ago?This article will provide the foundational information you need before moving on to more complex grammatical concepts.I'll also go over a few important SAT/ACT grammar rules. How Should You Use This Guide? This guide is designed to help you brush up on the basics before you tackle some of the more complicated grammar guides that we have written for the SAT and ACT. Many of the concepts covered here are things you'll already know if you've studied grammar in school. Even if you haven't, many (but not necessarily all) of them will seem natural to native English speakers. However, if you haven't studied grammar extensively, you can use this as a reference to help understand the basic ideas that our other guides will not cover. Check back here if you come across some terms you're unfamiliar with, or if you need to remind yourself of what something means. Many of the concepts in this guide are not directly tested on the ACT and SAT.Instead, these concepts are building blocks that are important for understanding thewhy? behind the concepts that are tested. Therefore,do not worry about memorizing the names of the grammar terms in this guide, just use the concepts. What Parts of Speech Are on SAT Writing and ACT English? The seven parts of speech that are tested on the SAT and ACT are: nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions and conjunctions. Once you understand the different rules for each Part of Speech, you will see that these are relatively straightforward concepts, and they can be used to help you understand more difficult concepts. Nouns Nouns are words that arepeople, places, things,orideas. If you are not sure if something is a noun or not, try putting "a" or "the" in front of it and see if it sounds correct. If it does, then it's probably a noun. Examples "A cat" and "the cat" sound correct. Therefore, "cat" is a noun. "A him" and "the him" sound incorrect. Therefore, "him" is not a noun. Categories of Nouns Common Nounsrefer to non-specific people, places, or things. Proper Nouns refer to specific people, places, or things. Examples Common nouns: girl, city, bridge, university, company Proper Nouns: Mary, San Francisco, Golden Gate Bridge, University of Notre Dame, PrepScholar Concrete Nounsare people, places, or things that you can physically touch. Abstract Nounsare thoughts, subjects, games, or ideals. These are things, but they cannot be touched. Love is an abstract noun. Examples Concrete nouns: water, air, street, person, concrete Abstract nouns: freedom, love, justice, hockey, biology Uses of Nouns Nouns have several possible functions in a sentence. They can be used as the subject, predicate nominative, appositive, direct object, indirect object, or object of the preposition. There are other uses for nouns, but we won't go into them now. Note:Remember that it is not important that you know the names of these functions. But it is important to understand how nouns can be used, so you can recognize when one is being used incorrectly. Subject The subject of the sentence is the person or thing that is doing the action of the verb. Example Mary went to the store. Maryis the subject of the sentence because she is doing the action. Predicate Nominative A predicate nominative comes after a linking verb (see the verb section for more info) and re-states the subject of the sentence. Example Mary is a great friend. Maryis the subject.Friendis the predicate nominative. In this sentence, Mary and friend are the same thing, or Mary = friend. Appositive An appositive is a noun that re-states or gives more information about another noun in a sentence. Unlike a predicate nominative, it does not come after a linking verb. Instead, it's usually right next to the noun it's describing, and is set off by commas. Because appositives are set off by commas from the rest of the sentence, it usually works to remove the appositive and still have a grammatically correct sentence. Example My friend, Mary, is an exceptional human being. Here, Mary is an appositive because it gives more information about who the friend is. If you remove the appositive the sentence still makes sense: My friend is an exceptional human being. Direct Object A Direct Object is a noun that receives the action of a transitive verb (more on these here) Example I got a perfectscoreon the SAT. Ask yourself: I got what? Got ascore. Therefore,score is the direct object. Indirect Object An Indirect Object is a noun that receives the Direct Object. Being the indirect object of brownies is always a good thing. Example I madeKim some brownies. Ask yourself: I made what?Brownies.Therefore,brownies is the direct object. Who received the brownies?Kim. Therefore,Kim is the indirect object. Object of a Preposition All prepositional phrases consist of at least a preposition (see below) and a noun. The noun that comes after a preposition is called the object of the preposition. Example I got a perfect score on the SAT. Here, the preposition ison.On what? On theSAT.Therefore,SAT is the object of the prepositionon. Forming the Plural of Nouns This is another concept that is not directly tested on the SAT and ACT, but occasionally you will need to recognize if a noun is singular or plural in order to match it with the correct verb. Most nouns form the plural by adding-s. Examples cat +-s= cats donkey +-s= donkeys Add-esif the noun ends in -s, -x, -z, -sh, or -ch. This is simply because of pronunciation - it's really difficult to make these sounds followed by "-s" Examples fox +-es= foxes buzz +-es= buzzes brunch +-es= brunches If the last two letters of a noun are a consonant followed by -y, drop the -y and add-ies Examples pony→ ponies fly→ flies Some nouns that end in -f or -fe form the plural by dropping the -f/-fe and adding -ves. Once again, this is all about ease of pronunciation, as it's really difficult to make the -fs sound at the end of a word. Examples leaf→ leaves life→ lives Some nouns form the plural irregularly. Unfortunately, there are no rules for how to form these, and you just have to memorize these words. Fortunately, most of these words are quite common and you should know most of them already. Examples mouse→ mice child→children man→men goose→geese foot→feet Some wordsdon't change at all in the plural. Examples deer→deer fish→fish sheep→sheep NOTE: NEVER FORM THE PLURAL BY ADDING -'S (apostrope +s).This should only be used for showing possession. The people of Leeds are appropriately passionate about misused apostrophes. Forming the Possessive of Nouns The possessive is how we showownership. To form the possessive of a singular noun, always add -'s. Examples Bob's,mouse's, donkey's To form the possessive of a plural noun that ends in -s, just add an apostrophe. Examples purses', monkeys', dogs' To form the possesive of a plural noun that is irregular and does NOT end in -s, add-'s. Examples children's, women's, mice's Special Types of Nouns Are you a grammar pro? If you already knew all of the above about nouns, here are a few special categories of noun you may have been unaware of! Gerunds The-ing form of a verb can be used as a verb as long as it has a helping verb. But did you know that if it's standing on its own, it's called agerundand is used as a noun? Example Baking is a pleasurable hobby. Here,bakingis a noun and is the subject of the sentence. Infinitive as a Noun Similarly, the infinitive form (the "to" form) can be used as a noun. Example He likesto run. Here, "to run" is the direct object of the verb "likes". Therefore, it is being used as a noun. This man loves to run...for president. Pronouns Pronouns are words that can replace nouns. Unlike nouns, pronouns have different cases. What Is a Case? This means that the form the pronoun takes can change depending on what purpose it has in the sentence. Above, we saw that nouns can be used either as a subject/nominative, or as several different types of objects.Personal pronounshave one form when they are used as a subject or predicate nominative, and another form when used in any of the object functions (direct object, indirect object, or object of preposition). NOTE: This actuallyis tested on the ACT! Personal Pronouns Nominative case (subject) Singular Plural First Person I We Second Person You You Third Person He, She, It They Objective case Singular Plural First Person Me Us Second Person You You Third Person Him, Her, It Them What Do These Charts Mean? The nominative case forms should ONLY be used when the personal pronoun is being used as the subject of a clause or as the predicate nominative. (Don't remember what these are? Check out the Noun section above!) Examples She and I went to the store. Michael and he are my best friends. Many people would say â€Å"Michael and him†, but this is incorrect because â€Å"he† is a subject of the clause and therefore must be in the nominative case. When you are not sure, try crossing out the other subject. You would never say, â€Å"Him is my best friend.† Example The winner of the race was he. This construction does not sound correct to most people, but it is. Try flipping the sentence around: He was the winner of the race. This is an example of a personal pronoun being used as aspredicate nominative. The objective case of pronouns should be used for direct objects, indirect objects, and objects of prepositions. Examples He gave her and me great presents. He gave us a great present. The presentation will be given by Tom and me. She loves him.I don’t like you. For more on how to use pronouns in different cases, see our guide. Non-Personal Pronouns These include but are not limited to: this, that, both, some, few, many, either, which, who, and one. These pronouns do not change form between the nominative case and the objective case. Some people do not think that these pronouns look correct standing on their own, but they are. Examples I have two dogs. Both are very lucky. This rose is beautiful. This is my favorite flower. Many people went to search for the treasure. Only some returned. These pronouns can be tricky to use with verbs because it is not very obvious whether they are singular or plural.A good way to figure this out is to try to add the word â€Å"one† after the pronoun. Does it make sense? If so, use a singular verb. Examples This (one) is my favorite. CORRECT That (one) is my sister. CORRECT Few (one) succeeds. INCORRECT If adding â€Å"one† does not work, mentally add â€Å"of them†. If this makes sense, use the plural verb. Examples Many (of them) try to get a perfect SAT score. (CORRECT) Few (of them) succeed. (CORRECT) Exception: The pronoun "one" is always singular, even though "one of them" sounds correct. Always use a singular verb. Forming the Possessive of Pronouns The possessive forms of the personal pronouns are: Singular Plural First Person mine ours Second Person yours yours Third Person his, hers, its theirs Because these are pronouns (not adjectives), they can be used independently. Examples Hers is the chocolate dessert. That report card is yours. Theirs beat out ours. Main Rules for Pronouns on the SAT and ACT The SAT and ACT both frequently test pronouns. Here is a brief summary of what you are most likely to see tested. For more detail, see our article on pronouns on the ACT English and SAT Writing. Rule 1 Always make sure a pronoun has a clear antecedent. The antecedent is the noun that the pronoun is replacing. If there is not an obvious antecedent for the pronoun either in the same sentence, or a sentence very nearby,it is considered an error. Example Mary and Eileen both like strawberries, but she likes them more. This would be considered incorrect because it is not clear who "she" is referring to. Sometimes the antecedent will be in a previous sentence. In this case, it should also be very clear. Example John Wallach, an award-winning journalist who covered conflicts in the Middle East for two decades, founded Seeds of Peace in 1993. He chose the campsite because it is a beautiful natural setting far from the places of conflict. It remains unaffiliated with any nation, organization, or peace group, and although countries may select their campers, they cannot pay for the camp. Here it appears that â€Å"it† refers to â€Å"campsite† in the previous sentence - really it should refer to â€Å"Seeds of Peace† in the first sentence. This would be considered an unclear and incorrect use of a pronoun. Rule 2 Pronouns should always be consistent. For example, if you are using second person pronouns in a sentence, you should use them all the way through the sentence. Examples Before one starts a new class, you should always read the syllabus. INCORRECT Before you start a new class, you should always read the syllabus. CORRECT Before one starts a new class, one should always read the syllabus. CORRECT Before people start a new class, they should always read the syllabus. CORRECT Rule 3 Pronouns should alwaysmatch their antecedents in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural). For more examples of this rule, see our guide. Examples The boys all asked her out, but she didn’t like him. INCORRECT They boys all asked her out, but she didn’t like them. CORRECT One of the children painted this portrait. Art is a great talent of theirs. INCORRECT One of the children painted this portrait. Art is a great talent of his or hers. CORRECT Each of the actresses was considered most beautiful when they were in their prime. INCORRECT Each of the actresses was considered most beautiful when she was in her prime. CORRECT Verbs Verbs are words that show actions or states of being. For a more complete guide on how to use verbs on the SAT and ACT, read our grammar guide. Types of Verbs Linking verbs are verbs that show a relationship between the subject and the predicate nominative or predicate adjective. We can think of them as an equals sign. The most common linking verb is the verb â€Å"to be.† Examples I am a human being. I = human being The cake smells delicious. cake = delicious Action verbs are verbs that show an action. Many (but not all) of these verbs will take direct objects. A verb that takes a direct object is called a transitive verb; a verb that does not is called intransitive. Remember, you do not need to know these terms for the test. Examples The car rolled backwards. (No direct object) I ate wonderful toast. (I ate what? I atetoast.Toast is the direct object.) Conjugating Verbs Most verbs follow a simple pattern in the present tense: Present tense Singular Plural First Person (I) walk (we) walk Second Person (you) walk (you) walk Third Person (he/she/it) walks (they) walk Notice that only the third person plural (he/she/it) is different.This will become very important on the ACT and SAT because of†¦ Subject-Verb Agreement When you have a singular noun or pronoun as the subject of a clause, it must be matched by a singular verb. When you have a plural noun as the subject of a clause, it must be matched with a plural verb. While subject-verb agreement seems simple in theory, the SAT and ACT will try to trick you on this by adding extra words and phrases to sentences. This can make it more difficult to see if the verb works with the subject, as opposed to another noun in the sentence. Examples My sister, despite having to carry three children, walk five miles every day. The test will try to trick you with questions like this by putting a plural noun that is NOT the subject next to a plural verb.To avoid falling for this, find the verb, and then ask yourself, â€Å"who is doing this action?† In this case, who is walking five miles? It is my sister, which is a singular noun. Therefore the sentence should read, â€Å"My sister, despite having to carry three children, walks five miles every day. Maria and Joe likes to dance. Here you have two subjects: Maria and Joe. Therefore you need the plural form of the verb. Correct: Maria and Joe like to dance. Verb Tense Tense tells when the action of a verb is taking place. The present tenses tell about things that are happening now: Present no helping verb he sings Present Perfect to have + past participle he has sung Present Progressive to be + present participle he is singing The past tenses express actions that have already happened. Past no helping verb he sang Past Perfect had + past participle he had sung Past Progressive to be + present participle he was singing The future tenses express actions that are going to happen. Future will or shall + verb he will sing Future Perfect will have + past participle he will have sung Future Progressive will + be + present participle he will be singing You should always try to keep tenses consistent in one sentence. This is something the SAT and ACT will frequently test. Example After Mary had eaten the soup, she eats the main course. This sentence matches past perfect with present, and therefore would be considered incorrect. Instead try: After Mary had eaten the soup, she ate the main course. This matches past perfect with past, which is ok for showing progression of time within a sentence. Example The olive oils we tasted yesterday are delicious. This sentence mixespast tense (tasted) with present tense (are). This would be consideredincorrect. The better way would be: The olive oils we tasted yesterday were delicious. Adjectives What Are Adjectives? Adjectives are descriptive words that modify nouns and pronouns. Types of Adjectives Like nouns, adjectives can be common or proper.Some common adjectives include beautiful, short, angry, obese.Proper adjectives are formed from proper nouns. Like proper nouns, they must be capitalized. Examples I like Mexican food. He plays the French horn. Possessive Adjectives These adjectives are formed from the personal pronouns and are used to describe objects that belong to a certain person. Personal Pronoun Possessive Adjective Personal Pronoun Possessive Adjective I/me my we our you your you your he/she/it his/her/its they their Unlike the possessive pronouns discussed above, these possessive adjectives must be used with a noun. Examples That car is mine. vs. That is my car. Running is a great skill of his. vs. Running is his great skill. Ours constantly leaks. vs. Our faucet constantly leaks. Demonstrative Adjectives Demonstrative adjectives include this, that, these and those.When these words are used as adjectives instead of pronouns, they must be modifying a noun. Examples That is the person I hate. vs. I hate that person. These are my best friends. vs. My best friends are these people. Adjectives Formed From Verbs Adjectives that are formed from verbs are calledparticiples. The present participle is formed by adding -ing to a verb stem.The past participle is formed by adding -ed to a verb stem. Examples The burned chicken did not taste very good. The chirping birds woke him up. Adjectives Formed from Nouns Sometimes you will see a noun being used as an adjective: Example The basketball player is tall. Normally, basketball is a noun. But here it is being used as an adjective to tell you what kind of player the person is.You will occasionally see this on the SAT or ACT, usually to describe a person by his or her profession. Remember that when a noun is being used as an adjective, there is no need to put a comma in between it and the noun it is describing. Examples The basketball, player is tall. INCORRECT The basketball player is tall. CORRECT Uses of Adjectives Adjectives are usually used to describe nouns, and are usually placed before the noun they describe. Example The beautiful girl walked down the street. If more than one adjective precedes a noun, they should be separated by a comma if the order of the adjectives is not important. Example The slobbering, feisty dog wagged his tail. The feisty, slobbering dog wagged his tail. If you have a sentence in which the order of the adjectives IS important - meaning if you reversed them, the sentence would not make as much sense - then do not use a comma. Examples She went to the store to purchase spreadable chocolate frosting. CORRECT She went to purchase chocolate, spreadable frosting. INCORRECT - ORDER MATTERS Do not sit in the broken wood chair. CORRECT Do not sit in the wood, broken chair. INCORRECT - ORDER MATTERS Adjectives are also used as predicate adjectives.Like predicate nominatives, this means they come after a linking verb and they describe the subject of the sentence. Examples The cake smells delicious. Delicious describes cake. That runner is very fast. Fast describes runner. Adverbs What Are Adverbs? Adverbs are words that describe or modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. Note: Use of adverbs vs. use of adjectives is tested on the SAT and ACT.Therefore, it's important to be able to understand what the adverb or adjective is modifying, to make sure that it is being used correctly. Examples He ran quickly down the street. Quickly describes how he ran. (Adverb describing verb) She was very happy with the present. Very describes how happy the girl was. (Adverb describing adjective) Stop talking so loudly! So describes how loudly the person is talking. (Adverb describing adverb) How Are Adverbs Formed? Many adverbs are simply formed by adding the ending -ly to an adjective Examples careful → carefully easy → easily quiet → quietly However, some adverbs are formed irregularly: Adjective Adverb good well fast fast hard hard late late early early daily daily straight straight wrong wrong OR wrongly Example The good girl drives very well. Good is an adjective describing the noun girl; well is an adverb describing the verb drives. This is one of the most commonly confused adverbs, so make sure to memorize it. Remember if you see good in a sentence, it must be describing a noun, not a verb. Examples I did good on the test. = INCORRECT I did well on the test = CORRECT I daily receive a daily newspaper. The daily Daily. Of course, nobody would really speak this way because it’s redundant. But it shows that daily can be an adverb describing the verb receive, and also an adjective describing the noun newspaper. Example He woke up late and then had to take a hard test. Late is an adverb describing the verb woke up; hard is an adjective describing the noun test. Example The late boy worked hard on the test. Late is an adjective describing the noun boy; hard is an adverb describing the verb worked. Challenge question: what is the error in this sentence? Because our casserole was smelling surprisingly badly as it baked, the food science teacher A came over to ask us what we had put in it. No error. B C D E The answer is (A). Why? This could be confusing because â€Å"badly† is a correctly formed adverb. However, we don’t need an adverb, we need an adjective. â€Å"was smelling† is here used as a linking verb, and therefore we need a predicate adjective to tell us what it smelled like. â€Å"Surprisingly† is ok as it is because it is an adverb that should be modifying an adjective. Here is how it would look when corrected: â€Å"Because our casserole was smelling surprisingly bad as it baked†¦..† If left as is, badly would have to be describing â€Å"was smelling†, which would imply that the casserole has a poor sense of smell. Prepositions What Are Prepositions? Prepositions are words that show where someone or something is, or tells when something is happening. They can also be used to show a few other relationships, such as to whom you give something, or if you do something with or without something else. Common Prepositions Here are some of the most common prepositions in the English language: about above across after against along amid among around at atop before behind below beneath beside between beyond but (meaning except) by concerning down during except for from in inside into like near of off on onto out outside over past regarding since through throughout to toward under underneath until up upon with within without Prepositional Phrases A prepositional phrase is a phrase (group of words) that includes AT LEAST a preposition and a noun or pronoun, which is known as the object of the preposition. It is not important to know this terminology, but this is an important concept to understand. When using a pronoun as part of a prepositional phrase, make sure that it is in the objective case. Examples Give the cake to me! CORRECT Give the cake to I! INCORRECT Usually this kind of mistake will sound incorrect to native English speakers - hopefully the above example did. But some are trickier, usually those involving I vs. me as part of a compound object. Examples He went to the mall with Sarah and I. INCORRECT He went to the mall with Sarah and me. CORRECT The report was given by him and I. INCORRECT The report was given by him and me. CORRECT If you're having problems, try taking out the other part of the compound object. This can help make the correct form of the pronoun more obvious. Example He went to the mall with Sarah and me. CORRECT Often the SAT and ACT will add unnecessary prepositional phrases to sentences to try to make errors less obvious. Feel free to cross out prepositional phrases in order to make sentences easier to analyze. Here is an example SAT question. Identify the error in this sentence: Anne Tyler’s novel The Accidental Tourist features a character whose obsession with saving A B C time and money are absurd, yet somehow plausible. No error. D E Now look with a prepositional phrase crossed out: Anne Tyler’s novel The Accidental Tourist features a character whose obsession with saving A B C time and money are absurd, yet somehow plausible. No error. D E After crossing out the prepositional phrase, it becomes much more obvious that â€Å"obsession are absurd† is incorrect. Prepositions in Idioms Many prepositions have to be used in a certain way with certain phrases. This is not because one preposition is grammatically more correct, but because certain phrases in English are idiomatically correct because they have always been said a certain way. For example, we would say: â€Å"She fell in love with him.† We would never say, â€Å"She fell towards love at him.† We would say, â€Å"He is hard at work.† We would never say, â€Å"He is hard in work† with the same meaning in mind. For a full breakdown of the how the SAT uses idioms, see this guide. Conjunctions What are Conjunctions? Conjunctions are words that link ideas together. There are three main types of conjunctions: coordinating, subordinate, and correlative. Coordinating Conjunctions Coordinating conjunctions are probably the conjunctions that you are most familiar with. There are seven: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so. You can remember these with the acronym FANBOYS: F for A and N nor B but O or Y yet S so Coordinating conjunctions can be used to join similar words, phrases, or clauses. The most commonly used conjunction is â€Å"and." Examples Joining words: John and Kim went to the store. Joining phrases: The mouse ran out the door and through the garden. Joining clauses: The mouse ran out the door, and I followed it. Joining clauses: I love him, but he hates me. A different kind of fanboys (and girl) Coordinating conjunctions can also be used to join two independent clauses. An independent clause is something that can stand on its own as a sentence. Example subject+verb +CONJ + subject+ verb The professor paced, but the student sat quietly. â€Å"The professor paced† and â€Å"The student sat quietly† could both be independent sentences. Subordinating Conjunctions Subordinating conjunctionsare used tojoin a dependent clause to an independent clause.Anindependent clauseis a clause that can stand on its own as a sentence - it expresses a complete thought. Asubordinate clauseis a clause that cannot be a sentence on its own. Usually, asubordinate clausewill describe either thebackground circimstancesof the independent clause or willgive more detailabout one part of the independent clause. There are a lot of subordinate conjunctions, but some of the more common ones include: after although because even though if once since though unless until when whenever where wherever while You can use the following structures to form sentences with dependent and independent clauses: (subordinating conjunction + dependent clause) , (independent clause). Example Since she loved chocolate, she ate the whole box of candy. (independent clause) + (subordinating conjunction + dependent clause). Example She ate the whole box of candy because she loves chocolate. Sometimes, a subordinate conjunction and dependent clause can come in between parts of the independent clause. Example Sonja, because she loves chocolate, eats it every chance she gets. Correlative Conjunctions These are very similar to coordinating conjunctions, but they must always be used in pairs.These pairs are worth memorizing because occasionally the SAT and ACT will test these to see if you know which words belong together. both...and either...or neither†¦nor not only...but also whether...or Examples Both my sister and I went to the park. Do you either want to go dancing or go to the gym? The soup contains neither onions nor garlic. Best Overall Tip for Conjunctions The SAT and ACT like to test parallel structure in sentences. When two or more things are linked by a conjunction, remember that they should have the same general structure. For more information on parallel structure and how it is tested, see this post. Examples Mike likes biking and to swim. INCORRECT Mike likes biking and swimming. CORRECT Mike likes to bike and to swim. CORRECT She searched outside and under the stairs. INCORRECT She searched outside the house and under the stairs. CORRECT What’s Next? You’ve refreshed the basics of grammar, so now it’s time to dive into the harder concepts: See this guide for all the other grammar rules tested on the ACTand on the SAT. Want to know what you are up against? Here is exactly what you will find on the Writing SAT and on ACT English. Want some pointers as you study? Check out 8 key strategies for doing well on SAT Writing, and 5 critical concepts you need to master for ACT English. Aiming high? Read our famous guides for a perfect 800 on SAT Writing and a 36 on ACT English. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: