A Comma (or Its Absence) Can Change a Sentences Message

A Comma (or Its Absence) Can Change a Sentences Message A Comma (or Its Absence) Can Change a Sentence’s Message A Comma (or Its Absence) Can Change a Sentence’s Message By Mark Nichol Writers are divided in opinion about punctuating introductory words or phrases- and often, they are at war with themselves with the topic. Even adherents of open punctuation will generally insert a comma after an adverb, whether it is transitional, like however, or descriptive, like suddenly, and will follow even a brief modifying phrase such as â€Å"according to the study† or â€Å"contrary to popular belief† with pausing punctuation. But somewhere in between- in the case of a short opening phrase like â€Å"last year† or â€Å"in retrospect†- many people believe a comma setting the phrase off from the sentence’s main clause is unnecessary. For consistency, I advocate generally using a comma regardless of the phrase’s length, but even though I am a close-punctuation adherent, I realize there are exceptions. Consider the use of please, for example. Read this sentence: â€Å"Please sit down.† Now, read this one. â€Å"Please, sit down.† Did you read them differently? I hope so. The intent behind each statement is distinct: â€Å"Please sit down† is an imperative barely tempered by a courtesy term; the person to whom the statement is delivered is expected to comply. By contrast, â€Å"Please, sit down† is an entreaty; the speaker sincerely hopes that the other person will accept the invitation. There’s a difference, too, between â€Å"Of course you would say whatever you thought I wanted to hear† and â€Å"Of course, you would say whatever you thought I wanted to hear.† The first sentence is delivered with some heat; the speaker’s tone is wounded and derisive. The second statement, by contrast, is more measured and reflective. These examples are more subtle than when one decides whether one should punctuate, for example, â€Å"In time you will understand why I acted as I did†: You either agree with me that if one is to punctuate a more extensive introductory phrase (â€Å"When you have time to reflect, you will understand why I acted as I did†)- and most writers will choose to do so- it’s only logical to treat a more concise opening phrase the same way (otherwise, where does one draw the line?), or you don’t agree. But sometimes, what a sentence communicates changes with the mere insertion or omission of a comma, and the writer should be sensitive to such nuances to help the reader read between the lines. Todays video: Calls to Action Pluralizing Compound Nouns Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:4 Types of Gerunds and Gerund PhrasesYay, Hooray, Woo-hoo and Other AcclamationsEnglish Grammar 101: Sentences, Clauses and Phrases

Free Essays on A Great Philosopher King

â€Å"A Great Philosopher King† The Philosopher King in someone who come closest to the form of goodness, goodness itself. The Philosopher King will know what is the best for his or her people because of the desire and love for knowledge. The Philosopher King can view things that ordinary people do not see. The person that I feel that could have come closest to Plato’s theory was a great woman who lived to help others. Mother Teresa who real name is Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, was born in Skopje, Yugoslavia in year 1910. She took her vow in 1928 as a nun, and then she taught in St. Mary’s High School in Calcutta for nineteen years. The suffering and poverty outside of the convert made her devote herself to working among the poor in the slums of Calcutta. Without money she started an open-air school for homeless children. Voluntary helpers, and financial support was given from church organizations, which made it possible for her to extend her work. In Oct. 7, 1950 she received permission to start her own order called â€Å"The Missionaries of Charity,† the primary goal was to love and care for those people that one cares about. She established fifty relief projects operating in India. In these relief projects she helped slum-dwellers, children’s homes, homes for the dying, clinics and a leper colony. The projects have spread in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Italy, Great Britain, Ireland and United States. Mother Teresa has caught the attention of the world; she has received awards for her goodness. In 1971 she received the Pope John XXIII Peace Prize. In 1972 she received the Nehru Prize for her promotion of international peace and understanding. The last award she got was in 1979 the Balzan Prize for promoting peace and brotherhood among the nations. â€Å"I choose the poverty of our poor people. But I am graceful to receive (the Nobel) in the name of the hungry, the naked, the homeless, of the crippled, of the blind, of th... Free Essays on A Great Philosopher King Free Essays on A Great Philosopher King â€Å"A Great Philosopher King† The Philosopher King in someone who come closest to the form of goodness, goodness itself. The Philosopher King will know what is the best for his or her people because of the desire and love for knowledge. The Philosopher King can view things that ordinary people do not see. The person that I feel that could have come closest to Plato’s theory was a great woman who lived to help others. Mother Teresa who real name is Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, was born in Skopje, Yugoslavia in year 1910. She took her vow in 1928 as a nun, and then she taught in St. Mary’s High School in Calcutta for nineteen years. The suffering and poverty outside of the convert made her devote herself to working among the poor in the slums of Calcutta. Without money she started an open-air school for homeless children. Voluntary helpers, and financial support was given from church organizations, which made it possible for her to extend her work. In Oct. 7, 1950 she received permission to start her own order called â€Å"The Missionaries of Charity,† the primary goal was to love and care for those people that one cares about. She established fifty relief projects operating in India. In these relief projects she helped slum-dwellers, children’s homes, homes for the dying, clinics and a leper colony. The projects have spread in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Italy, Great Britain, Ireland and United States. Mother Teresa has caught the attention of the world; she has received awards for her goodness. In 1971 she received the Pope John XXIII Peace Prize. In 1972 she received the Nehru Prize for her promotion of international peace and understanding. The last award she got was in 1979 the Balzan Prize for promoting peace and brotherhood among the nations. â€Å"I choose the poverty of our poor people. But I am graceful to receive (the Nobel) in the name of the hungry, the naked, the homeless, of the crippled, of the blind, of th...

Chinese Women in late 19th century and early 20th century Essay

Chinese Women in late 19th century and early 20th century - Essay Example The subsequent changes during the late 19th century and early 20th century are perfectly elaborated by Kay Ann Johnson in her book Women, the Family and Peasant Revolution, where she has enlightened the various topics like the traditional Confucian marriage culture and the family crisis of 1920. Johnson talks about the pre revolutionary stage and post revolutionary stage and goes on explaining the role of women in terms of labor.1 She elaborates about the family crisis of 20th century and the family reform in order to acquire the proper family. But in order to get this task executed and to support the family reform, more over through the inspiration offered by Chinese communist Party during revolution. Women started working in various fields so that they can earn as well as save their earnings and thus help in increasing the socio economic status of the family through their contribution. As in once the females start working they will start earning wages and, the socio economic status or power dynamics within the family would automatically elevated to the next level. During the revolutionary period as mentioned above, revolutionary forces accosted a traditional family system which was already criticized, to resolve the issues related with the family reformation. But it was not easy for all the people to cope-up with the situation as the Confucian system was signifying the disintegration and thus was under pres sure. There were many factors causing the variations in family reformation including psychological, economical, intellectual powers which always characterized the downfall of dynasties. But for poor rural women of china the early 20th century crisis bought inexplicit effects for family reform. As a result of this crisis the women were forced to lose their traditional role in society. Thus an increase in poverty and migration was recorded. Hence the women were force to join any industry. In order to fight this family crisis, Chinese came up with an idea of implementing small cooperatives at all villages. The main aim of such cooperatives was to increase the women's active participation in the production so that they can support the economy. The most common tasks were related to handicraft and textile industry which included sewing, weaving and spinning. The reason behind selecting these tasks was that these were practiced traditionally in some parts at home earlier. But some handicra ft work was hampered in recent generations due to the introduction of more efficient, modern and foreign industry. But the women who had retained those handicraft skills were encouraged to provide training to other women in small groups. Hence many women got involved in household production. Moreover women got indulged in manufacturing uniforms, blankets, shoes and socks for red army. 2 Situation Forced Women Into Production One more major reason behind the Chinese women getting involved in production was that the young boys and men were recruited for the army by revolutionaries, moreover by Chinese Communist party. Johnson raised the question against the role of Chinese communist party in fighting for the rights of Chinese women. Johnson states that the Chinese communist party has fought actively in order to accomplish the changes that were vital for its continued survival such as the party encouraged

American Dream Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American Dream - Research Paper Example Willy’s destiny, his interactions and his cognitive state illustrates both the desire to achieve the American dream of success and the consequences of failure to achieve the dream. Willy’s life majorly exhibits failure to pursue the dream. He is skeptical of his sons’ pursuit of success, an issue that both his wife and the sons recognize. When Biff comes to visit, Willy disapproves of his failure to achieve success. Biff and his younger brother also discuss their father’s continued complaints of their failure. The sons, as a result, embrace failure and only interact with the American dream in fantasy. Willy is also immersed in fantasy of his children’s successful pursuit of the American dream. He is similarly skeptical about his failure to travel with his brother to Alaska, a move that made his brother successful. Charley, in consolation, offers Willy a job but he refuses on bride (Miller, p. 81- 83; Sinclair, p. 2- 4). The author, in these contexts , negatively evaluates failure to achieve the American dream of success. He demonstrates Willy as an example of this failure as his job is unstable and he fails to raise a successful family. Failure to achieve the American dream is also identified with inappropriate personal initiatives. This is because Willy’s failure cannot be blamed on external forces such as macroeconomic aspects of unemployment. Challenges at his workplace and his failure to seek another employment opportunity, and even accept Charley’s offer for a job identifies personal failure to achieve the American dream (Sparknotes, p. 189). The theme of American dream in the play also identifies a â€Å"gap between reality and characters’ aspirations† (Shmoop, p. 11). Shmoop argues that some characters in play developed a virtual perception of the American dream. While Willy, his wife and his son, Happy believes in the possibility of achieving success, they do not strive towards achieving the dream. As a result, their lives, that majorly rotates around fantasy does not correspond to the fruits of achieving the American dream. This difference further isolates Willy’s family from other characters who are seemingly successful in the pursuit of success. Charley, Willy’s neighbor, is for example successful and is even in a capacity to offer him a job. Charley’s social success is also reflected in his ability to bring up an academically successful child. Ben, Willy’s brother also made ventures into economic success while his successful employer identifies his inability to work and recommends that Willy take a break. The American dream is therefore presented with both positive and negative impacts on the society. While the dream is attainable to those who are able to face the reality of hard work into success, it is a detriment to lazy people who hope that success presents itself (Shmoop, p. 11; Lyceum, p. 4). Yasinski shares the same opinion about t he theme of American dream in the play. According to author, the dream establishes a ground for financial success but is based on two factors that Miller demonstrates. The author first notices that financial success’ aspect of the dream is an open opportunity to every American but can only be achieved through hard work, a fact that distinguishes Willy’s family from others in the play. â€Å"Selfishness and social injustice†

Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Personal Statement Example Other than the passionate desire to study engineering, my environment thus far has extensively molded my aspirations and outlook in life. For instance, my college, St. Joseph’s, sparked an interest in me to study daily applications of engineering. As a result, I have gained a habit of being analytical; evaluating everything I encounter either in secondary information sources, like the Cuban Missile Crisis or in real life, like the basic operation mechanism of a refrigerator. This investigative tendency continues to spur my curiosity in mechanical engineering. I also recognize the fact that, mechanical engineering makes it possible for one to comprehend not only why gadgets work, but also their inherent working mechanism. My home city is also an inspiration, especially given its status as one of the world’s ports. The ability to coordinate all the ships that dock or leave port requires intensive mechanical engineering work and knowledge. Therefore, I acknowledge the impo rtance of the discipline, having had the opportunity to observe it in practical applications. The cultural diversity of Hong Kong also equips me with a unique set of skills, that is, the ability to fit in and interact productively with members of different cultural backgrounds. As a St. Joseph’s graduate, I have had the opportunity to explore diverse activities and not just academics. I developed enthusiasm for cross-curricular activities, given the fact that the college encourages students to be all rounded. Other than representing my college in water polo and tennis, I pride myself in having been a leader of the school’s drama club. This gave me a unique chance to work with numerous schools in successful production of plays meant for the public. While I may not be an excellent dramatist or actor, I gained the position for my ability to direct a team and coordinate creation of functional stage props. The experience was rather exhilarating since I was able to combine m y passion for engineering with artistry and attain an outcome that earned me respect and recognition. It was also intriguing to formulate solutions to deal with basic engineering problems like stability, which are often undermined and mostly studied theoretically. Although it was initially difficult to coordinate the team, it later became an exemplary experience to explore different scientific aspects in dealing with emerging engineering challenges. I learnt that although it is rewarding to get successful outcomes in the end, the teamwork and progress involved in the course of development are highly significant. The Joint Drama Club production also taught me a lot about being a responsible leader and about efficient time management. These are crucial aspects in balancing hobbies and academics, as well as, work in the future. Whenever I watch car rallies like NASCAR’s on television, or even pass by sports vehicle showrooms, I cannot help but imagine myself being actively invol ved in their manufacturing process. Studying a distinguished mechanical engineering program in an overseas university like yours will certainly be a step towards achieving this dream. Personal Qualities, Talent, Accomplishment and Contribution Growing up, I have discovered that communication is extremely important for an engineer. This aspect that is extremely crucial in recognizing success. Nevertheless, I have learnt that communication is not an easy aspect especially when dealing with many people. This needs a lot of self discipline and patience in order to be good in dealing with customers and

There are no moral absolutes Essay Example for Free

There are no moral absolutes Essay Moral absolutism is the view that morale standards are unchanging and universal. On the opposite side of the spectrum there is a relativist approach. Relativists believe that moral claims are true or false depending on the moral standpoint. These opposing viewpoints can bring about great societal and political debates even in the modern days. Recent examples include the attempt to legalise euthanasia in the UK and the protest to get rid of abortion laws in the Republic of Ireland. Both of these situations are trying to legalise specific forms of murder. An absolutist in this situation will argue that all killing is wrong therefore current laws are right, whereas a relativist would look at specific standpoints, such as quality of life for euthanasia. In this essay I will attempt to explore both sides of the argument coming to my conclusion that relativism is a superior standpoint and that there are no moral absolutes. Some absolutist people disagree with the above statement about moral absolutes. This is because absolutism is a deontological argument which judges the morality of an action based on the actions appliance to rules. For Christians these rules might link back to the Ten Commandments. One of which is â€Å"thou shalt not murder†, this clearly and undeniably is an unbreakable law in the eyes of an absolutist. Another argument for their being moral absolute is that of a criticism to relativist acts. By Relativist thinking it is quite easy to come to the conclusion that slavery was a perfectly moral thing to do. To an absolutist, slavery did not become immoral when it was abolished, it was simply always immoral and being imposed by immoral governments. Per Contra the relativist approach has been backed by many a philosopher including the famous Empiricist, John Locke. Locke believed that absolutes were an abomination from his religious standpoint. He believed this because Absolutism subjected people to abide by absolute rules set by other people at some point. This goes against his belief that all people were created equal by God. By enforcing Absolutism we raise our rule imposing leaders to a God like Status of which no man should be. Furthermore this goes against the fist commandment that men should serve God alone; if we serve a ruler we can then not worship God. Another argument for Relativism is that absolutist moral standards, in some circumstances can lead onto extreme evils. The famous example that illustrates this is that of a crazed axe-murderer coming to your front door and asking you where your children are. Now a relativist could lie based on the circumstances thus saving his children whereas an absolutist must tell the murderer where the children are with full knowledge that they will be killed, thus allowing an even greater evil to be committed, they could even be called an accessory to the murder of their own children. Furthermore there cannot be moral absolutes as eventually they will contradict each other. For example, Jewish doctors in the Holocaust performed abortions to prevent women from being sent to the gas chambers. Two rules here are conflicting. One of which is that Doctors should not perform abortions and another that Doctors should try and save lives. Either way from an absolutist standpoint the doctor will be doing the wrong thing, but a relativist approach allows us to overlook this. On the other hand, there may have to be moral absolutes, because if everything is relativists then how do we decide what rules to abide by. If two tribes cross paths on a Sunday and one of which believes that a sacrifice should be made on Sunday whereas the other tribe does not, if the first tribe then sacrifices a member of the other tribe, it that then morally right or wrong. A relativist would say that it is right for the first tribe but wrong for the second. But how can society work based on right for me, wrong for you system without falling into moral conflict and chaos. Moreover, some relativist arguments when further analysed have absolutist roots, proving there are moral absolutes. For example, the Eskimo practice of leaving female infants out to die as so future male hunters could thrive appeared to be a significant disagreement between their moral systems and ours therefore seeming to deny the universal approach of Absolutism. But when dug deeper, given the hardships of the Eskimos to survive and limited resources for survival, keeping every child puts the whole family at risk. So there is actually a fundamental moral value of preserving life that we share with the Eskimos. The only difference being that they have to make choices based on what they value most (future hunters), these choices we do not have to face. This said the Eskimo example is also a benefactor the relativist approach of situation ethics. Joseph Fletcher, founder of situation ethics argued that in certain situations, absolutist principle have to be put to one side in order to do the right thing. He believed that absolutism didn’t lead to the best of most loving outcome, and the best thing to do may be to break a rule. Utilitarian also reject moral absolutes and focus more on consequences. They believe that the right action is the one that brings the most pleasure and the least pain. Sometimes this may admit Killing in order to save more lives. For Jeremy Bentham, there was no rule he would not break in order to bring about greater happiness. In short if there are no moral absolutes we are left with a Relativist state of mind. This is the belief that moral reasoning is a matter of taste and opinion and is subjective and relative to time and culture. Leading to conclusions such as the killing of Eskimo girls to be morally correct and the act of abortion by a World War 2 doctor also to be moral. Whereas if there are moral absolutes than the same moral rules are applicable all across the world and throughout history. These rules may be some form of innate knowledge or come from the divinity of God and do not change as opinion does. Meaning that if slavery comes back into fashion and is agreed upon to be good, it does not make it morale. In conclusion, I hold a relativist point of view because different cultures have to adapt to live in their surroundings. Extreme measures are often taken for survival which to us in western society would seem abhorrent; however it is for the greater good of future generations. I very much believe that ends justify the means therefore making me a Consequentialist even if rules such as absolutist murder have to be broken. Finally morale absolutes can also seem cruel, for example branding Euthanasia as murder makes people live their final days in unimaginable pain, whereas a relativist approach could give people a dignified end to their life, is that not moral.

Uruguay :: History

Uruguay Uruguay republic, in east central South America, is the second smallest country on the continent. This country is bounded on the north by Brazil, on the east by Brazil and the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Atlantic Ocean and the Rà ­o de la Plata, and on the west by Argentina. The Uruguay River forms Uruguay's western boundary in full. Uruguay's land mass in whole is a small 176,215 sq km. Uruguay's capital city is Montevideo which is the main port, and economic center of the country. The currency of Uruguay is the peso uruguayos (7.97 peso uruguayos equal U.S.$1). This country's main sport entertainment is soccer. In 1516 Uruguay was discovered by the Spanish explorer Juan Dà ­az de Solà ­s. He was killed that same year by the Charrua, a local native tribe. Future attempts to colonize the territory during the 16th century were discouraged by this native tribe also. In 1624 the first permanent settlement was made by the Spanish on the Rà ­o Negro at Soriano. Between 1680 and 1683, Portuguese colonists in Brazil established several settlements along the Rà ­o de la Plata opposite Buenos Aires. However, the Spanish didn't make any attempts to remove the Portuguese until the year of 1723, when the latter began fortifying the heights around the Bay of Montevideo. A Spanish expedition forced the Portuguese to abandon this site, and there the Spanish founded the city of Montevideo in 1726. In present times, Uruguay has 660 km of coastline along the Atlantic Ocean and its bay, the Rà ­o de la Plata. The country also has an additional 813 km of frontage along its boundary rivers, including the Uruguay River. Uruguay's terrain varies for the different areas of the small country. In the southern areas of Uruguay the land consists of grassy plains, and the marshlands along the country's Atlantic coast. In the northern areas of Uruguay, not to mention the northwest area, there is a low plateau called the Cuchilla de Haedo. Uruguay's climate is a very temperate one. The average temperature for the warmest months 71 ° F, and for the coldest month, June, 50 ° F. Rainfall is also very well distributed along the year, and averages about 35 in a year. During the winter months cold storms blow from the southwest, yet frost is almost unknown in most parts of this country. This country has some resources that contribute to their money intake.