Using the Spanish Verb Volver

Using the Spanish Verb 'Volver' Although the verb volver typically is translated as to return, it has a wider variety of uses than that simple translation may suggest. Under some circumstances, its meaning can be as varied as to turn (something) over and even to become. Volver Meaning 'To Return' The meaning of to return is the most common, as in the following examples. If the meaning is to return to a specified place, the preposition a typically is used. Note that a variety of ways can be used to translate the verb to English. Pedro volvià ³ a casa de su tà ­a. (Pedro went back to his aunts home.)Volveremos a la ciudad de Panam en el primer ferrocarril transcontinental del mundo. (Well return to Panama City on the worlds first transcontinental railroad.)Volvieron muy contentos de su aventura. (They came back very happy from their adventure.) ¿Cà ³mo vuelvo a mi peso normal? (How can I get back to my normal weight?) Other Meanings of Volver When followed by the preposition a and an infinitive (the verb form ending in -ar, -er or -ir), volver can usually be translated as again: El profesor volvià ³ a preguntar a los estudiantes si el bote estaba lleno. (The teacher asked the students again if the jar was full.)Volveremos a intentarlo. (Well try it again.)Los democristianos vuelven a ganar las elecciones en Holanda. (The Christian Democrats are winning the elections again in Holland.)Si el comandante vuelve a aparecer, vamos a volver a frenarla. (If the commander comes back again, we are going to stop him again.) When used with a direct object, volver can mean to turn something or turn something over: Volvià ³ la pgina y hablà ³ de otro tema. (She turned the page and talked about another subject.)El hombre volvià ³ el rostro en direccià ³n contraria. (The man turned his face in the opposite direction.)Por algo que no puedes cambiar  ¡no vuelvas la vista atrs! (Dont look back for something you cannot change!) In the reflexive form, volverse can mean to become, especially when used to refer to people. Its use in this way doesnt necessarily imply the return to a previous state. Es imposible hablar contigo, te has vuelto muy cà ­nica. (It is impossible to speak with you, for you have become very cynical.)Me volvà ­ vegetariana hace 3 semanas. (I became a vegetarian three weeks ago.)Nos volveremos pobres en menos de un aà ±o. (Well become very poor in less than a year.)En la primera mitad del siglo XX, la ciudad se volvià ³ un centro mundial para la industria. (In the first half of the 20th century, the city became a world industrial center.) Conjugation of Volver Keep in mind when using volver that it is conjugated irregularly. Its past participle is vuelto, and the -o- of the stem changes to -ue- when stressed. Verbs Derived From Volver Several common verbs are made up of volver with a prefix. They all follow the conjugation pattern of volver. Among them are: Devolver can refer to returning to a previous state or returning an item: La noticias le devolvieron su felicidad. (The news brought his happiness back.)La policà ­a devolvià ³ el televisor a la tienda. (The police returned the television to the store.) Envolver is an etymological cousin of the English verbs envelop and involve and can have meanings similar to both of them. Possible translations include to cover, to wrap, to enshroud, and to implicate. Envolvià ³ el regalo de cumpleaà ±os en papel de seda. (She wrapped the birthday gift in silk paper.)La nube envolvà ­a a todo el reino. (The cloud enveloped all of the kingdom.)Ha tenido algunas experiencias que la han envuelto en la controversia. (She has had some experiences that have involved her in the controversy.) Desenvolver usually means to undo an action of envolver. Desenvolvià ³ el regalo de Navidad de su novia. (He unwrapped his girlfriends Christmas present.)Antes de meter el perro en la baà ±era tiene que desenvolver el pelo. (Before you put the dog in the bathtub you have to untangle his hair.) Key Takeaways Volver is a common verb that often means to return. It can also be used to refer to various kinds of change or to repeated actions.Prefixes can be used with volver to form several other common verbs.Volver is a stem-changing verb with an irregular past participle.

Black People and Prejudice Essay Example for Free

Black People and Prejudice Essay â€Å"Ahhhhhhhh!† I squealed and jumped for joy the moment I dropped the phone. I hurrily scurried over to my mom to share the news. â€Å"Mommy, I got my first job!† This was the stepping stone to me being an independent young woman. I was officially employed at Hollister Co. as a sales model. I was ecstatic and excited to make some money at the tender age of 15. My first week was definitely a learning experience; from learning how to maintain a cash registrar to folding tons of polos and jeans. Soon through this journey, it started to become bittersweet. With three months of being employed, my shifts were diminishing from 4 shifts a week to 1 shift a week. As I looked at the schedule postings for the week, I noticed a trend with the scheduling of the shifts. Ironically, most of the employees that were working more hours and more shifts were white females. I figured it might have something to do with the fact that my supervisor is a white surfer-boy who is infatuated with beach-blonde beauties. However that did not stop me from asking him to put me on the schedule more. Sadly, I resent the day I had asked him. Unfortunately, he felt that I didn’t have the â€Å"natural beachy look† that Hollister Co. was trying to perceive. I am of Malaysian decent and have tan skin color. Hearing that definitely bruised my ego and made me self-conscious about my appearance. I felt this was a tactic for me to quit, and so I did. Over the months I begin to realize that ultimately there will be people in the world that have a perspective of life that I cannot seem to change. I had realized that this was not my fault; it was his own personal judgment that led him to think that. I was treated this way because of how I looked not on who I am. Many people have tried to explain the reasoning of why people are prejudiced and discriminate against one another. Two readings that are eye-openers about prejudice are â€Å"Causes of Prejudice† and â€Å"C.P. Ellis.† In the essay, â€Å"Causes of Prejudice,† the author Vincent N. Parrillo explains the reasons for racism and discrimination in the United States. Which brings us to Studs Terkel’s essay â€Å"C.P. Ellis,† he tells us the story of C.P. Ellis, a former Klansmen who claims he is no longer racist. With Parrillo’s essay, we will analyze what caused C.P. Ellis to be prejudice and how he changed. Parrillo’s Causes of Prejudice outlines reasons how and why prejudice exists in today’s society. Parrillo first starts out telling us that prejudice is the rejection of a member of a certain culture, and that ethnocentrism is a rejection of all culture as a whole. He then states that there are four areas of study to consider when dealing with prejudice; levels of prejudice, self-justification, personality, and frustration. This theory is ideal to the root of why and where prejudice starts. He explains that the first level of prejudice is the cognitive level of prejudice. This is a person’s beliefs of a culture. The second level is the emotional level of prejudice. This level includes what kind of emotional response a culture has on a person. These emotions for example can be that of hate, love, fear, etc†¦ The final level, explains Parrillo, is the action oriented level. This is the desire to physically act upon their prejudice feelings toward the person or culture. As stated in the text, â€Å"The emotional level of prejudice encompasses the feelings that a minority group arouses in an individual. Although these feelings may be based on stereotypes from the cognitive level they represent more intense stages of personal involvement† (Parrillo 386). His statement holds true. In the sense of economic competition prejudice occurs frequently. We need to realize that jealousy is an important factor of prejudice. There would still be competitions, hatred, and stereotyping. It is just in our human nature. The story of C.P Ellis begins as he discusses his life as being a white male from a low-income class. His frustrations and misfortunes lead him to become a member of the Ku Klux Klan. His father always told Ellis to stay away from blacks, Jews, and Catholics’ and he obeyed his father’s wishes. In a sense, it seemed as if Ellis truly admired his father. At 17 years old, his father soon passed away and Ellis was forced to work to tend to his family. Ellis discusses his frustrations on having to make ends meet with four children, the eldest being mentally challenged and the struggles he has to endure to make it happen. Ellis begins to blame the black people for his tragedy and his misfortune of not being able to have sufficient funds. In relevance to Parrillo’s essay, he explains that â€Å"frustrations tend to increase aggression toward others† (Parrillo 393). This ties into the anger that Ellis began to direct it towards as he stated, â€Å"I didn’t know who to blame. I tried to find somebody. I began to blame it on black people. I had to hate somebody† (Terkel 400). Ellis believed that blaming others rather than himself was the best way to get over his frustrations. We are then exploited to the self esteem Ellis had and his state of mind when starting his racist rampage. To begin with, Ellis shows throughout the essay that he is weak minded and has very low self-esteem. Ellis states, â€Å"The majority of ‘em are low income whites, people who really don’t have a part in something. They have been shut out as well as the blacks†¦So the natural person to hate would the black person† (Terkel 401). Ellis started to hate the fact that he was poor and turned to the KKK. He felt the KKK opened opportunities he could achieve because of the stability and members of the group. Parrillo states that â€Å"self-justification† is lead to believe the main cause of prejudice. He states â€Å"a person may avoid social contact with groups deemed inferior and associate only with those identified as being of high status† (Parrillo 387). We can identify the behaviors and personality Ellis displays is relevant to the same behaviors and personality of his father. Throughout the story, Ellis directed his hatred towards blacks just like his father did. Ellis states â€Å"The natural person for me to hate would be black people, because my father before me was a member of the Klan. As far as he was concerned, it was the savior of the white people† (Terkel 400). We can recognize that his racist ways came from his father who told him what to believe. We can identify this as the â€Å"socialization† factor of prejudice. When one is taught something which they live by all their life they begin to play a role just as the one who taught them those ways. Parrillo elaborates, â€Å"We thus learn the prejudices of our parents and others, which then become part of our values and beliefs. Even when based on false stereotypes, prejudices shape our perceptions of various peoples and influence our attitudes and actions toward particular groups† (Parrillo 394). We can make the connection that Ellis’s father was racist he gained his father’s characteristics as well as his beliefs. This also ties in when he begins to blame black people because he was taught they were the cause of the economic problems he was facing. Ellis states â€Å"If we didn’t have niggers in the schools, we wouldn’t have the problems we got today† (Terkel 402). Here he did not truly experience what he believed but he was told this and began to live by it, which was passed down by his father. Over the time, Ellis and his views about the blacks changed altogether. In the end, Ellis has an epiphany once he realized how much in common he really had with blacks. He soon began to realize that black people were just as normal and looking for the same thing in life. He tells us what he realized later in his life â€Å"As long as they kept low-income whites and low-income blacks fightin’, they’re gonna maintain control† (Terkel 403). The revelation is going to change his life. He refers to they as being the politicians and government. He began to have his own mind set and realize that all are alike and should not be treated differently. Some white people had just as low incomes as some black people, which led him to realize that they were all at the same level. There is no explanation as to why Ellis really decided to all of a sudden change his views. We can relate this to Parrillo’s statement, â€Å"Although socialization explains how prejudicial attitudes may be transmitted from one generation to the next, it does not explain their origin or why they intensify or diminish over the years† (Terkel 394). In conclusion, both Parrillo’s essay and Ellis’s story go hand in hand in showing us the real reason why prejudice and racism still exists today. Vincent Parrillo exemplifies valid points and key notions on why cause a person to be prejudice and racist. C.P Ellis provides an insightful eye and truly gives us hope that maybe people will change their views over the years. Both showed us that prejudice is a prime factor in this society and this is because everyone was born and raised differently. Everyone has their own beliefs and ideas. Value, attitudes, beliefs and culture all are targets of prejudice. Regardless of anything, we will never be able to change that. People just try to persevere to the stereotyping and criticizing of other races and their own. Parrillo, Vincent N. â€Å"‘Causes of Prejudice.† Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing. Ed. Gary Colombo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford St. Martin’s, 2010. 384-398. Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing. Ed. Gary Colombo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford St. Martin’s, 2010. 398-408. 1. Do you have a sufficient number of quoted passages from theoretical essay you have chosen and have you commented sufficiently on each? List the page numbers of the passages below. 2. Do you have a sufficient number of quoted passages from personal essay you have chosen and have you commented sufficiently on each? List the page numbers of the passages below. 3. Explain the order in which you chose to make your points via the passages you quoted. 4. Name three writing errors you are likely to make in your prose and check the rough draft for these. Use the OWL website if necessary to look for examples of how to address these problems. List the likely errors below. Alternating long and short sentences. 5. Read your final draft of the essay aloud so that you do not allow your eyes you’re your brain to self-correct the errors in your essay. List the kinds of errors you found below. Black People and Prejudice. (2016, Dec 23).

DOES THE PRACTISE OF HRM GIVE ORGANISATIONS A COMPETITIVE EDGE Essay

DOES THE PRACTISE OF HRM GIVE ORGANISATIONS A COMPETITIVE EDGE - Essay Example Business organizations has been apt in declaring their commitment in treating employees as valued assets and a source of competitive advantage yet empirically "organisational reality appears 'hard' with an emphasis on the quantitative, calculative, and strategic aspects of managing a head count" (Gill 1999). Empirical evidences on the effectiveness of human resource management as a source of competitive advantage have been widely documented. During 1995, the study of Huselid conducted in almost 1000 US players in various industries concluded that "the magnitude of the returns for investments in high performance work is substantial." Furthermore, "a one percent standard deviation increase in such practices is associated with 7.05% decrease in labour turnover, and on a per employee basis US$27, 044 more in sales, and US$18,641 and US$3,814 more in market value and profits, respectively" (Huselid 1995). This study has been one of the earliest and most extensive works linking HRM to actual business performance. The findings has been strongly supportive on the view that HRM provides companies with competitive edge because HR practices increased employees' trust, job satisfaction, and commitment while eliminating work intensification and reducing stress. In the United Kingdom, wide array of case studies have also been documented which strongly links HRM to organisational performance. In 1997, Patterson et al released the results of their survey utilizing 67 manufacturing industries. This has been published by the Institute of Personnel Development which is currently known as CIPD and highly quoted for its enlightening insights. The study has put forward the "importance of HRM as a driver of, and contributor to, improved performance" (Patterson et al 1997). It is also interesting to note that this study asserts that "HRM had a greater impact on productivity and profits than of other factors including strategy, research and development, and quality" (Patterson et al 19997). Going further, Patterson et al, uncovers that while 8% in variations from profitability is explained by R&D, 17% is explained by HRM practices. This is highly significant compared to the 2% and 1% garnered by the strategy and quality, respectively. The study of Guest et al in 2000 also stresses the importance of human resource management practices in organisational performance. This research links specific human resource practices like job security, recruitment and selection, and training and development with performance outcomes including financial performance, quality, and productivity. It has been uncovered that 70% of the chief executives interviewed for the study asserts that their business strategy relied a lot on people as a source of competitive advantage (Guest et al 2000). On the other hand, less than half of them "felt that 'people issues' are more important than financial and marketing issues" (Guest et al 2000). This particular research opens an important field for further queries. Even though it concluded that HRM is positively correlated with performance, it has also been observed that only a small proportion of the companies considered do practice more than

Horaces Blockades -- To Rent or Buy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Horaces Blockades -- To Rent or Buy - Case Study Example Horace makes the bid but he is faced with the dilemma on whether to sell rent the contract, lease it or to buy more barricades since his barricades were already on another construction contract. The report compares benefits of renting the contracting to buying more barricades. After looking at the problem which causes the dilemma, the report provided some recommendations that. Horace should purchase new barricades to complete the contract by himself (Migliaccio, 2011). Horace’s dilemma on whether to purchase barricades or to rent the contract seeks for critical considerations. The main idea in this case is to avoid incurring loses while the company’s goal is to make profits. Horace estimates that the participating team takes five days to remove the barricades. After that, they should reset the barricades at the next construction site. If Horace charges $85 per hour for his team that is comprised of eight people, and with a working rate of 8 hours each day, his total payments would be $992,800 for the total period of construction. While the total expenditure for the project is above this, he should chose to avoid much expenditure by choosing to either rent or purchase (Migliaccio, 2011). The total cost for the project after purchasing is $1,109,675 while the cost after renting amounts to $992,800. The correct bid for Horace should be placed with a profit of 7% on the cost of purchase. This will make a total profit of $77,677.95. The total pay therefore shall be; After placing the bid and qualifying for the contract, Horace should now consider renting the barricades. Since the rental costs include replacement and repair for the damaged barricades during the rental period, Horace shall therefore have much profit; gotten from, the total pay minus the total expenditure on renting; Migliaccio, G. C., National Research Council

Recommendation and advice for sher holder in companies Research Paper

Recommendation and advice for sher holder in companies - Research Paper Example Following the same pattern, the dividend yield has also shown sign of improvement. Evaluating the financial outlook of Morrisons from investor’s point of view, it would be most prudent to invest in it, and the current shareholders of the company should hold their investment in the company as it promises to reap more benefits in the future. The fact that the investors should further invest or hold their investments in Morrisons is advocated by the fact that the company offered notable dividend of 8.20 per share. The dividend offered by the company during the current financial year is almost 41% higher than the one offered in the prior year. Selling stakes in Morrisons at this point of time when the company is offering attractive dividends to its shareholder, would be reckless and not at advisable. As quite obvious from the gearing ratio of the company, the operations are now more driven by the capital raised through issuance of share in the capital market, rather than acquiring financings from institutions. This shows that the investors have confidence in the company and are ready to bear the risk. The prospective and current investors should also analyze that the company is making the best use of its capital which is represented by the inclining return on equity (ROE) and return on capital employed (ROCE).

Why Error Correction Is Necessary Essay

Why Error Correction Is Necessary Essay Correction is necessary. The argument that students just need to use the language and the rest will come by itself seems rather weak. Students come to us to teach them. If they want only conversation, they will probably inform us or, they might just go to a chat room on the Internet. Obviously students need to be corrected as part of the learning experience. However, students also need to be encouraged to use the language. It is true that correcting students while they are trying their best to use the language can often discourage them. The most satisfactory solution of all is make correction an activity. Correction can be used as a follow-up to any given class activity. However, correction sessions can be used as a valid activity in and of themselves. In other words, teachers can set up an activity during which each mistake (or a specific type of mistake) will be corrected. Students know that the activity is going to focus on correction, and accept that fact. However, these activit ies should be kept in balance with other, more free-form, activities which give students the opportunity to express themselves without having to worry about being corrected every other word. It is to S.P. Corder that Error Analysis owes its place as a scientific method in linguistics. As Rod Ellis cites (p. 48), it was not until the 1970s that EA became a recognized part of applied linguistics, a development that owed much to the work of Corder. Before Corder, linguists observed learners errors, divided them into categories, tried to see which ones were common and which were not, but not much attention was drawn to their role in second language acquisition. It was Corder who showed to whom information about errors would be helpful (teachers, researchers, and students) and how. There are many major concepts introduced by S. P. Corder in his article The significance of learners errors, among which we encounter the following: 1) It is the learner who determines what the input is. The teacher can present a linguistic form, but this is not necessarily the input, but simply what is available to be learned. 2) Keeping the above point in mind, learners needs should be considered when teachers/linguists plan their syllabuses. Before Corders work, syllabuses were based on theories and not so much on learners needs. 3) Mager (1962) points out that the learners built-in syllabus is more efficient than the teachers syllabus. Corder adds that if such a built-in syllabus exists, then learners errors would confirm its existence and would be systematic. 4) Corder introduced the distinction between systematic and non-systematic errors. Unsystematic errors occur in ones native language; Corder calls these mistakes and states that they are not significant to the process of language learning. He keeps the term errors for the systematic ones, which occur in a second language. 5) Errors are significant in three ways: to the teacher: they show a students progress to the researcher: they show how a language is acquired, what strategies the learner uses. to the learner: he can learn from these errors. 6) When a learner has made an error, the most efficient way to teach him the correct form is not by simply giving it to him, but by letting him discover it and test different hypotheses. (This is derived from Carrolls proposal (Carroll 1955, cited in Corder), who suggested that the learner should find the correct linguistic form by searching for it. 7) Many errors are due to that the learner uses structures from his native language. Corder claims that possession of ones native language is facilitative. Errors in this case are not inhibitory, but rather evidence of ones learning strategies. The above insights played a significant role in linguistic research, and in particular in the approach linguists took towards errors. Here are some of the areas that were influenced by Corders work: STUDIES OF LEARNER ERRORS Corder introduced the distinction between errors (in competence) and mistakes (in performance). This distinction directed the attention of researchers of SLA to competence errors and provided for a more concentrated framework. Thus, in the 1970s researchers started examining learners competence errors and tried to explain them. We find studies such as Richardss A non-contrastive approach to error analysis (1971), where he identifies sources of competence errors; L1 transfer results in interference errors; incorrect (incomplete or over-generalized) application of language rules results in intralingual errors; construction of faulty hypotheses in L2 results in developmental errors. Not all researchers have agreed with the above distinction, such as Dulay and Burt (1974) who proposed the following three categories of errors: developmental, interference and unique. Stenson (1974) proposed another category, that of induced errors, which result from incorrect instruction of the language. As most research methods, error analysis has weaknesses (such as in methodology), but these do not diminish its importance in SLA research; this is why linguists such as Taylor (1986) reminded researchers of its importance and suggested ways to overcome these weaknesses. As mentioned previously, Corder noted to whom (or in which areas) the study of errors would be significant: to teachers, to researchers and to learners. In addition to studies concentrating on error categorization and analysis, various studies concentrated on these three different areas. In other words, research was conducted not only in order to understand errors per se, but also in order to use what is learned from error analysis and apply it to improve language competence. Such studies include Kroll and Schafers Error-Analysis and the Teaching of Composition, where the authors demonstrate how error analysis can be used to improve writing skills. They analyze possible sources of error in non-native-English writers, and attempt to provide a process approach to writing where the error analysis can help achieve better writing skills. These studies, among many others, show that thanks to Corders work, researchers recognized the importance of errors in SLA and started to examine them in order to achieve a better understanding of SLA processes, i.e. of how learners acquire an L2. STUDIES OF L1 INFLUENCE ON SLA Various researchers have concentrated on those errors which demonstrate the influence of ones native language to second language acquisition. Before Corders work, interference errors were regarded as inhibitory; it was Corder who pointed out that they can be facilitative and provide information about ones learning strategies (point 7, listed above). Claude Hagà ¨ge (1999) is a supporter of this concept and he mentions it in his book The child between two languages, dedicated to childrens language education. According to Hagà ¨ge, interference between L1 and L2 is observed in children as well as in adults. In adults it is more obvious and increases continuously, as a monolingual person gets older and the structures of his first language get stronger and impose themselves more and more on any other language the adult wishes to learn. In contrast, as regards children, interference features will not become permanent unless the child does not have sufficient exposure to L2. If there is sufficient exposure, then instead of reaching a point where they can no longer be corrected (as often happens with phonetics features), interference features can be easily eliminated. Hagà ¨ge stresses that there is no reason for worry if interference persists more than expected. The teacher should know that a child that is in the process of acquiring a second language will subconsciously invent structures influenced by knowledge he already possesses. These hypotheses he forms may constitute errors. These errors, though, are completely natural; we should not expect the child to acquire L2 structures immediately (p. 81). In addition to studies of L1 transfer in general, there have been numerous studies for specific language pairs. Thanh Ha Nguyen (1995) conducted a case study to demonstrate first language transfer in Vietnamese learners of English. He examined a particular language form, namely oral competence in English past tense making. He tried to determine the role of L1 transfer in the acquisition of this English linguistic feature as a function of age, time of exposure to English, and place and purpose of learning English. The influence of L1 on L2 was also examined by Lakkis and Malak (2000) who concentrated on the transfer of Arabic prepositional knowledge to English (by Arab students). Both positive and negative transfer were examined in order to help teachers identify problematic areas for Arab students and help them understand where transfer should be encouraged or avoided. In particular, they concluded that an instructor of English, whose native language is Arabic, can use the students L1 for structures that use equivalent prepositions in both languages. On the other hand, whenever there are verbs or expressions in the L1 and L2 that have different structures, that take prepositions, or that have no equivalent in one of the languages, instructors should point out these differences to their students. Not only was L1 influence examined according to language pair, but according to the type of speech produced (written vs. oral). Hagà ¨ge (p. 33) discusses the influence of L1 on accent; he notes that the ear acts like a filter, and after a critical age (which Hagà ¨ge claims is 11 years), it only accepts sounds that belong to ones native language. Hagà ¨ge discusses L1 transfer in order to convince readers that there is indeed a critical age for language acquisition, and in particular the acquisition of a native-like accent. He uses the example of the French language, which includes complex vowel sounds, to demonstrate that after a critical age, the acquisition of these sounds is not possible; thus, learners of a foreign language will only use the sounds existing in their native language when producing L2 sounds, which may often obstruct communication. STUDIES OF CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK Corder elaborated on Carrolls work to show that the most efficient way to teach a student the correct linguistic form is to let him test various hypotheses and eventually find the right form (point 6, listed above). In these steps, Hagà ¨ge points out the importance of self correction (p. 82-83). According to Hagà ¨ge, it is useful to always perform an error analysis based on written tests administered by the teacher, but without informing the student of the purpose of the test. On that basis, self-correction is preferable to correction by the teacher, especially if the latter is done in a severe or intimidating way. Self correction is even more efficient when it is done with the help of childrens classmates. According to teachers, the younger the children, the greater the cooperation among them and the less aggressive or intimidating the corrections. Hagà ¨ge dedicates a section in his book to the importance of treating errors in a positive way. In this section, titled The teache r as a good listener, he notes that it is useless, if not harmful, to treat errors as if they were diseases or pathological situations which must be eliminated, especially if this treatment becomes discouraging, as occurs when teachers lose their patience because of childrens numerous errors. This, of course, does not mean that corrections should be avoided; after all it is the teachers duty to teach the rules of the L2. But the correction of every error as soon as it occurs is not recommended. The justification that Hagà ¨ge offers is the following: the linguistic message that the child tries to produce is a sequence of elements which are interdependent; immediate corrections which interrupt this message tend to produce negative consequences, even to the less sensitive children; such consequences include anxiety, fear of making an error, the development of avoidance strategies, reduced motivation for participation in the classroom, lack of interest for learning, reduced will for s elf correction, and lack of trust towards the teacher. Esser (1984, cited in Hagà ¨ge) also made a similar point: repetitive and immediate corrections, he noted, may cause sensitive children to develop aggressive behavior towards their classmates or teacher. Thus, Hagà ¨ge concludes, correction must not be applied by the teacher unless errors obstruct communication. This is the main criterion for error correction (i.e. obstruction of communication) presented by Hagà ¨ge; however there have been studies which examined such criteria in greater detail, such as Freiermuths L2 Error Correction: Criteria and Techniques (1997). Freiermuth accepts Corders view (point 6) and proposes criteria for error correction in the classroom. These criteria are: exposure, seriousness, and students needs. In the case of exposure, Freiermuth claims that when a child creates language (for example, when he tries to express an idea by using a linguistic form he has not yet acquired), he will most likely make errors; correcting these errors will be ineffective because the learner is not aware of them. Thus, error correction would result in the acquisition of the correct form only if the learner has been previously exposed to that particular language form. As regards the seriousness criterion, Freiermuth claims that the teacher must determine the gravity of an error before deciding whether he should correct it or not. Here Freiermuth sets a criterion which agrees with that of Hagà ¨ges: the error, he states, must impede communication before it should be considered an error that necessitates correction. But what constitutes a serious error? Which errors are those which should not be corrected? As an examples of non-serious errors, Freiermuth mentions those errors which occur due to learners nervousness in the classroom, due to their stress or the pressure of having to produce accurately a linguistic form in the L2. These errors can occur even with familiar structures; in that case, they are not of serious nature and are similar to what Corder called mistakes. Here again we see Corders influence in error analysis, and in particular in the distinction between errors and mistakes. Freiermuth goes on to suggest a hierarchy of errors (accor ding to seriousness) to help teachers decide which errors should be corrected: Errors that significantly impair communication [are] at the top of the list, followed by errors that occur frequently, errors that reflect misunderstanding or incomplete acquisition of the current classroom focus, and errors that have a highly stigmatizing effect on the listeners. He also clarifies what can cause stigmatization: profound pronunciation errors, or errors of familiar forms. Another important criterion that must be considered by the teacher is individual students needs. The importance of this factor is mentioned in Corder, who in turn notes that this idea had been suggested previously by Carroll (1955, cited in Corder 1967) and Ferguson (1966, cited in Corder 1967). Each student is different and thus may react differently to error correction. We infer from Freiermuths claim that the teacher must perform two main tasks: first, assess some specific character traits of students, such as self-confidence and language acquisition capability. Freiermuth agrees with Walz (1982, cited in Freiermuth) that self-confident, capable students can profit from even minor corrections, while struggling students should receive correction only on major errors. This claim agrees with Esser and Hagà ¨ges claim that repetitive corrections are likely to decrease motivation; it is reasonable to accept that students who lack self-confidence will be stigmatized to a greater degree than confident students. The teachers second task, according to Freiermuth, is to listen to learners L2 utterances in order to determine where errors occur (i.e. which linguistic forms cause students difficulties), their frequency, and their gravity (according to the severity criteria mentioned above). Then the teacher can combine the outcome of these tasks and decide on correction techniques for individual students. A different approach to error correction was suggested by Porte (1993), who stressed the importance of self-correction. Porte refers to Corders distinction of errors and mistakes and points out that many students do not know the difference. It is important, Porte notes, that students know how to identify an error in order to avoid it in the future. She agrees with Corder that it is more efficient for learners to correct themselves than be corrected by the teacher, and goes on to suggest a four-step approach for self-correction. This approach consists of questions that the teacher provides to students. After writing an essay, students should read it four times, each time trying to answer the questions included in each of the four steps. Thus, in each re-reading task (each step) they concentrate on a different aspect of their essay. In brief, the first task asks them to highlight the verbs and check the tenses; in the second task students concentrate on prepositions; the third task req uires them to concentrate on nouns (spelling, agreement between subject and verb); finally in the fourth task students should try to correct potential personal mistakes. Porte also offers some clarification of what is meant by personal mistakes, in order to help the students identify them. The studies mentioned above are only a few examples that demonstrate how S. Pit Corders work influenced the area of error analysis in linguistics. The concepts that Corder introduced directed researchers attention to specific areas of error analysis; they helped linguists realize that although errors sometimes obstruct communication, they can often facilitate second language acquisition; also they played a significant role in training teachers and helping them identify and classify students errors, as well as helping them construct correction techniques.

A Character Analysis of Pearl in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Lett

A Character Analysis of Pearl in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter Word Count Includes Outline at the End of the Paper The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a book of much symbolism. One of the most complex and misunderstood symbols in the book is Pearl, the illegitimate daughter of Hester Prynne and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Throughout the novel Pearl develops into a dynamic symbol; one that is always changing. In the following essay, I will explore Hawthorne's symbolism of Pearl from birth, age three, and age seven. Also, I will attempt to disprove the notion that Pearl is branded with a metaphorical scarlet letter "A" representing amorality; instead she represents the immorality of her mother's adultery. In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne, for her sins, received a scarlet letter "A" which she had to wear upon the "breast of her gown"(Hawthorne 39). It was the Puritan way of treating her as a criminal for the crime of adultery. The Puritan treatment of Hester did not stop simply with the assignment of the letter. As she walked through the streets, she was looked down upon as if she were some sort of evil spirit among them, being punished for some ghastly crime. This gave Hester much mental anguish and grief. On the other hand, God's treatment of Hester for her sin was quite different than the scarlet letter. He gave Hester the punishment of rearing a very unique child whom she named Pearl. "But she named the infant "Pearl," as being of great price, --purchased with all she had, --her mother's only treasure!"(Hawthorne, 62). Hester named her daughter Pearl because she had to give up everything, including freedom, for her. This punishment handed down from God was a constant mental and physical reminder to Hester of what she had done wrong. There was no escaping it. In this aspect, Pearl symbolized God's way of punishing Hester for the sin of adultery. Even when she was just a baby, "her infant's eyes had been caught by the glimmering of the gold embroidery about the letter" (Hawthorne 67). From birth, Pearl seemed to be attracted to the scarlet letter "A" that clung to her mother's chest. In one specific incident when Pearl was a baby she reached up smiling to touch the scarlet letter on Hester's dress as she stooped over her cradle. This gesture by the baby mortified Hester because of Pearl's innocent recognition of the underl... ...final note, Pearl was more than her mother's only treasure or sometimes headache; she was her mother's only source of survival. Thesis: In the following essay, I will explore Hawthorne's symbolism of Pearl from birth, age three, and age seven. I.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Describe the basic foundation for the novel   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A. Hester received the scarlet letter   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  B. Punishment by the Puritans   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  C. Punishment by God II.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pearl at birth   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A. Pearl's attraction to the letter   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  B. Hester's shame of the letter   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  C. Hester's realization of Pearl's odd expression III.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pearl at age three   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A. Same attraction to the letter   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  B. Pearl associated the letter with a game   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  C. Reappearance of Pearl's odd expression IV.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pearl at age seven   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A. Bolder acts towards the letter   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  B. Pearl's association of Dimmesdale with the letter   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  C. Pearl's association with the letter V.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A. Pearl's sources of symbolism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  B. Pearl as the scarlet letter   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  C. Pearl as her mother's source of survival Works Cited Hawthorne, Nathaniel., et al., eds. The Scarlet Letter. 3rd ed. New York: Norton, 1988.