Fundamentals of Gangs Essay -- Gangs Gang Drugs Crime Essays

Fundamentals of Gangs Street gangs are an organization of young people that are usually in their teens and twenties. They join together and claim a territory or neighborhood as their own. They are known for being violent and heavily involved in drug peddling. On the streets graffiti is the means of communication of territorial limits and to challenge other gangs. A challenge can be anything from making a mark on enemy territory or crossing out enemy tag. There are generally 4 types of individuals associated with street gangs. The â€Å"hard-cores† are the members who talk, act, dress, and commit criminal acts as a gang member. The â€Å"Associates† will identify themselves with gang members in there neighborhood, but rarly get involved. the â€Å"Peripherals† are those who identify with gangs for protection or for favors. These are mostly women . They are used to carry drugs or guns for members in return for money or drugs. Than there are the â€Å"gonna-be’s† they are people who aren’t gang members but wear gang clothes and act like gang members. They are sometimes more dangerous than normal members. They are the recruitment pool for new members. The gang warfare of the 1980’s into today, is just as dangerous to join as to be a member. To join one of these gangs one must do all sorts of crazy things to â€Å"prove your loyalty to the gang.† Which could be anything from committing a crime to playing Russian roulette. Crip members initiate into the gang by committing a crime in front of gang witnesses. The initiation process is called â€Å"Loc'ing†-In. Female members have the option to commit a crime or become Sexed-In (Sex with several older members). The most common form of initiation into other gangs is something that they call â€Å"walking the line.† The â€Å"prospect† is instructed to walk between two lines of gang members, with his/her hands behind them, while members beat and kick them. The prospect must repeat this process until they get from one end of the line to the other without falling down. Along with the initiation routines is the memorization of alliance and set history, organization and mythical symbolism that the gangs refer to as â€Å"knowledge.† Some of this knowledge was the explosion of Street Gangs in the Los Angeles area during the mid to late twentieth century. There were three main periods where gangs in Los Angeles grew at a rapid rate. The first of which was... ...nforcement to track and identity. Presently there are about 200 known Crip gangs in Los Angeles and 70 Blood gangs. Both the Crips and the Bloods developed their own distinctive style that would let anyone recognize them at a sight glance. Just by looking at the color of their clothes, or their tattoos they can be easily distinguished. The Crips started using the color blue for their clothing to set them apart from other gangs. Also the Crips began referring to each other as â€Å"Cuzz,† short for cousin. While the bloods wore red, and referred to each other as â€Å"bloods.† A select group of bloods get a tattoo of two burned dots over a single burned dot. This represents a dog’s paw, so they refer to each other as â€Å"dog’s.† A lot of times members of the Crips dislike using words that start with â€Å"B† and bloods dislike using words that start with â€Å"C.† So to a blood a word like cigarette would bigarette.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  These gangs have a long and complex history that came together in the 1980’s to have many riots and gang wars. Many people were killed it was horrible. There history has been filled with a lot of violence. And now what started as a group of people has turned into a way of life.

Mother to Son

Langston Hughes’s poem entitled â€Å"mother to Son† is a poem of nurturing, love, and discussion of thoughts. The mother as the narrator of the poem shares her thoughts about life. She said that life is not an easy journey.   She relates her life to a stair, which was not a crystal or a beautiful and genuine gem. As what she is trying to tell her son, life is a never-ending journey with full of mysteries, fear, struggle, pain, success, and meaning. The mother saw her child giving up on something so she told him not to think about the negativities for it was the challenge of living. From the beginning of the poem, the narrator already took place as the authority and judge. As she stated her case, she already concluded many things around her journey and life. However, every insight that was imposed as personal justifications by using the words â€Å"for me†. It means that the conclusion is an opinionated discussion. Everything is logical but deep. The narrator reaches her hand towards her son as she wanted him to become a better person like the way she treated her life during her childhood until she became an adult. Her transition from being a soft-spoken mother to an imposer and going back to a nurturing and loving mother is a also a significant idea within the poem as she used the word â€Å"son† in the beginning, â€Å"boy† in the middle and â€Å"honey† in the latter part of the poem. The word â€Å"son† showed her literal relationship with her child. As she used the word â€Å"boy† it shows that the narrator became an imposer, but as she went used the word â€Å"honey† she imposed a more intimate relationship with her child – her love, nurturance and acceptance of her son’s weakness. Through this, the relationship of mother and child became an educator and student relationship but soon goes to a more intimate relationship that moulds the mother and the son to be intact. In terms of the symbolisms, elements, and images within the poem, the author used the images that can be seen within the house such as carpet, stair, and floor. It shows the true essence of motherhood because literally or logically speaking, mothers are made to nurture the home and the family. By looking or analyzing the images alone, it can be seen that narrator is a woman or a mother to be specific because it embossed the responsibilities of a woman within the house. There are also ironies within the poem such as dark and light, climbin’ and landin’, and fall and climb. The author showed a balance justification of strength and weakness towards the mother’s personality showing that she was not a perfect person, but trying to become a better one for her child. The author succeeds his attempt to incorporate both negative and positive aspects of life, which is a sensitive issue especially if a child is part of the situation. His attack was simple but complete. He stated everything a mother and child should know within a short poem that distinguishes him to become an effective moralist poet. The passage â€Å"Life for me ain't been no crystal stair† was the main thesis of the poem. At the end of the narrator’s discussion, she showed in what she is trying to say about life by restating the main argument of the poem. This attack shows her responsibility to give her child a goof faith or belief how life is going to be as he went to his own journey. She pushed her son to climb the stair without thinking of the negative aspects of life but always on the positive side of everything because negativities are part of life but it was not the only reason for living. Work Cited Hughes, Langston. Mother to Son. (n.d.) 5 December 2007.

Nature in Shakespeare’s Sonnets

Nature in Shakespeare’s Sonnets In Shakespeare’s fair youth Sonnets, the speaker uses imagery and metaphors from nature to describe man’s life cycle. While reading the Sonnets, it may seem at first that the main point of the Sonnets is that life’s purpose is to reproduce. However, after reading the fair youth Sonnets, it becomes clear that imagery from nature is used to prove that death is inevitable and should be accepted. The fair youth Sonnets are ordered in a specific way to resemble the life cycle of a man. As the Sonnets progress the overall themes of the sonnets seems to change.This cycle starts off with ‘Sonnet 1’ and ‘Sonnet 3’ and concludes with ‘Sonnet 73’ and ‘Sonnet 74’. Sonnets 1, 3, 7, 15, 60, 73, and 74 are all used to show this life cycle and its progression through life. In ‘Sonnet 1’ and ‘Sonnet 3’ it is clear that the speaker is attempting to get the point acr oss that reproduction is life’s only purpose. However, in ‘Sonnet 16’ – ‘Sonnet 73’ it is obvious that the theme changes drastically. No longer is reproduction the main point, but it changes to death and its inevitability.Throughout the Sonnets, nature is used as a comparison to help the speaker explain life in a way that helps the reader understand the true life cycle of man. It is understandable that death is inevitable for every living thing in nature. Reproduction is also required for every living thing to exist. In Sonnet 1 the speaker wants the reader to know that life is beautiful and reproduction is a result of that; â€Å"From fairest creatures we desire increase/That thereby beauty’s rose might never die/But as the riper should time decrease/His tender heir might bear his memory† (Sonnet 1 L. -3). The beauty of a rose is being compared to the beauty of man’s ability to reproduce and pass on the ‘fairest,â⠂¬â„¢ or beautiful, genes. In nature a beautiful rose can stand out among the brush in a forest, or in a garden a rose can be the most beautiful flower, just the way that man’s beauty will stand out among a crowd. This metaphor is used to explain to the reader that reproduction is necessary to pass on those genes that allow one man to stand out among others in a crowd. According to the speaker, this personal beauty will live on past death through reproduction.Personal beauty is a quality that everyone possesses; however, it is important for the reader to understand that in order for his/her specific beauty to be passed on reproduction is a necessity. The Speaker uses ‘Sonnet 3’ to help the reader understand this requirement; â€Å"Look in thy glass and tell the face thou viewest/Now is the time that face should form another† (Sonnet 3, L. 1-2). The reader is now being told that, when looking in a mirror, it is important to notice the inner beauty that ever yone is gifted with. This inner beauty must be passed on for these ‘beautiful’ genes to continue to exist.The tone of these few lines is a sense of urgency. ‘Now is the time’ that reproduction should happen, otherwise this chance might not appear again within this life cycle. If reproduction does not happen when life is in its prime, then nature will take its toll as man continues the journey through life. After ‘Sonnet 3’ it is clear that the transition from youthful to aged is starting to make its appearance. The speaker’s attitude toward reproduction starts to change after ‘Sonnet 3’ and is quickly switched to life in its prime.It is in the following Sonnets that the main point is no longer reproduction but rather death, and maturing throughout life. Sonnet 7 uses nature imagery to show this maturation, â€Å"When from highmost pitch, with weary car/Like feeble age he reeleth from the day/The eyes, ‘fore duteous, n ow converted are/From his low tract and look another way/So thou thyself out-going in thy noon/unlooked on diest unless thou get a son† (Sonnet 7, L. 9-14). A sunset is now being compared to the way a man’s life starts to fade away.Once the sun sets people stop admiring it as much, just the same way man won’t be admired if kin isn’t produced. Once the sunset reaches its peak, or the point where is finally disappears, it consistently turns darker, this closely relates the way that once life reaches a certain age, it moves faster and faster towards the end. The tone and theme of the Sonnets begin to change from this point on, focusing on the fact that life passes just as quickly as a sunset fades. After a sunset fades the sky suddenly becomes darker; and the darkness progresses as time passes through the night.The sunset is used as a metaphor for the way that a life fades after the peak, or the prime of life. ‘Sonnet 15’ uses a metaphor similar to that of a sunset fading, but this metaphor compares man’s declining quality of life after the prime to that of a plant once it reaches its full potential, â€Å"When I consider everything that grows/holds in perfection but a little moment/†¦ When I perceive that man as plants increase/Cheered and checked ev’n by the self-same sky/Vaunt in their youthful sap, at height decrease† (Sonnet 15, L. 1-8).The speaker shows that once life reaches its highest peak, it must begin to fall towards the end, or death. ‘Sonnet 15’ states that every living thing is perfect at one point in its lifespan. A flower is the most beautiful just at its peak before it starts to wither. Life is most beautiful in its prime; however, once that highest peak or ‘prime of life’ passes then the quality of life begins to decline. Instead of using a plants’ lifespan, or a sunset’s continuing darkness in ‘Sonnet 60’ to compare time passi ng, the speaker uses waves crashing on a beach.Just as waves crashing on the beach are replaced by new ones, the minutes that pass are quickly replaced by new ones. This metaphor helps paint a picture in one’s mind of the way that moments pass just as quickly as they show up; â€Å"Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore/So do our minutes hasten toward their end/Each changing place with that which goes before/In sequent toil all forwards do contend/Nativity, once in the main of light/Crawls to maturity wherewith being crowned/Crooked eclipses ‘gainst his glory fight/And time that gave doth now his gift confound† (Sonnet 60, L. -8). It seems that once the prime of life passes, the days, minutes and seconds pass by much faster than life before the prime. This shows that life is quickly changing and that those days of reproduction are in the past. The tone of the Sonnets has changed from being urgent to calm and peaceful just the way listening to waves cras hing is peaceful. This tone allows the speaker to accept the maturity that man faces as life passes its prime. Death seems to be rapidly drawing nearer.The imagery from nature allows the reader to get a better idea of what life will be like past the prime. According to the speaker life seems to be more peaceful past the prime, this symbolizes that death is being accepted. The tone in ‘Sonnet 73’ and ‘Sonnet 74’ is much different from that in ‘Sonnet 1’ and ‘Sonnet 3’ this shows that the life cycle is getting closer to the end. The tone is now dreary and melancholy as compared to the urgency and eagerness that the first few Sonnets portray.Sonnet 73 and 74 is where the end of the life cycle approaches and death is accepted, â€Å"But be contended when the fell arrest/Without all bail shall carry me away/My life hath in this line some interest/Which for memorial still with thee shall stay† (Sonnet 74, L. 1-4). Within these few lines death has finally been accepted by the speaker. The speaker now admits to being past their prime. Within these few lines there is a slight contradiction to the main point from the first set of sonnets. In the first Sonnets the main point was reproduction and the ability to live past death through offspring.Now the idea is that the speaker will live on through the lines of these Sonnets. This contradiction says that the speaker doesn’t necessarily believe what he is telling the reader. It now seems that the idea of reproduction was never accepted by the speaker. In the earlier sonnets the speaker was stating that to live on one must reproduce, however, in Sonnets 73 and 74 this is not the case. The reader is now being told that even though it is important to reproduce it is not important for the speaker to reproduce. The speaker may feel that he is an exception to the rule.As stated earlier the speaker feels that life is pointless without reproduction, â€Å"Too base o f thee to be rememb’red/the worth of that is that which it contains/and that is this and this with thee remains† (Sonnet 74, L. 12-14). The speaker says here that his body is almost worthless and the only worth he has is his spirit that is now written within the lines of these Sonnets. These Sonnets, which will be read for years to come, will be what keeps the speaker alive, not reproduction. Throughout the Fair Youth Sonnets it is clear that nature is used to help describe the life cycle of man.The tone and literary devices used in the first few sonnets in this selection imply that it is required to reproduce if beauty is to be passed on. Through the middle Sonnets the imagery shows that life is perfect right before and during its prime. After the prime has passed, life starts to fade away and the minutes pass quickly, in the same way that waves crashing on a shore pass and are replaced by new ones. In the later Sonnets the main point is no longer reproduction and its importance for existence but it is accepting death and living life peacefully until the end.

Subject-Verb Agreement on SAT Writing Strategies and Practice

Subject-Verb Agreement on SAT Writing Strategies and Practice SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Subject-Verb Agreement may be the most tested grammatical rule on the SAT. Therefore, just by mastering this rule and its applications, you will be well on your way toward achieving a ridiculously good score on the SAT Writing. While the rule itself is relatively simple, the questions related to it can be challenging and a bit tricky. In this article, we’ll teach you how to become a master of all things subject-verb agreement on the SAT. In this post, I’ll do the following: Give you a clear understanding of subject-verb agreement. Explain why and how subject-verb agreement questions on the SAT can be tricky. Offer general strategies that can help you correctly answer subject-verb agreement questions. Provide you with practice questions so you can test what you’ve learned. Review: What's a Subject? Simply, a subject is the noun which corresponds with a verb in a sentence. In a sentence where there is an action, the subject is the noun which is doing the action. Here is an example: Justin saved the world. Justin is the subject because he did the saving. In a sentence where there is a description, typically using a form of the verb â€Å"to be†, the subject is the noun which is being described. Consider this beautifully written sentence: Justin is amazingly humble. Justin is the subject because he is the person who is amazingly humble. Now that we have a basic understanding of a subject, let's define this ubiquitous SAT grammar rule. What Is Subject-Verb Agreement? Subject-verb agreement is a rule stating that all subjects must agree with their verbs in number. Singular subjects take singular verbs. Plural subjects take plural verbs. Most of the subject-verb agreement questions on the SAT deal with verb forms in the third-person singular form (he/she/it/one) and third-person plural forms (they). In the present and present perfect verb tenses, third person singular verb forms end in an â€Å"s†. Third person plural verb forms do not. Let's check out an example sentence to give you a better understanding of this rule: The celebrity chef cook lobster and foie gras. This sentence probably already "sounds" wrong to your ear, but let's break down exactly why. The subject of this sentence is "chef". Obviously, because we are only talking about one chef, the subject is singular. Therefore, the verb should be in the singular form. However, "cook" is the third-person plural form of the verb so this sentence is incorrect. Here is how the sentence should read: The celebrity chef cooks lobster and foie gras. Here's another basic example: The gymnasts performs incredible feats of strength. In the above sentence, the subject is "gymnasts" because they are doing the performing. "Gymnasts" is plural so the verb should be in the plural form. However, "performs" is in the singular form. This is the corrected sentence: The gymnasts perform incredible feats of strength. This rule is relatively basic and easy to comprehend, right? Some of you may be thinking that all subject-verb agreement errors on the SAT will be as simple to detect as they were in the example sentences above. However, in traditional SAT fashion, sentences on the SAT are intentionally deceptive and questions related to subject-verb agreement can be rather challenging. Subject-Verb Agreement questions can deceive you Why Are These Questions Tricky? Generally, questions related to subject-verb agreement on the SAT can be difficult because the subject is usually not placed directly in front of the verb. This problem appears in two ways: Interrupting Phrases, and inverted sentences where the subject follows the verb. Common Trap #1: Interrupting Phrases Interrupting phrases are phrases thatseparate the subject from the verb. Such phrases make locating the subject and determining whether the verb should be singular or plural more difficult. There are specific types of interrupting phrases and we'll take a closer look at a few of them. You don't know need to know all of the specific grammar terms, but it's important to recognize how they influence subject-verb agreement questions. Non-Essential Clauses Non-essential clauses are phrases describe a noun, often the subject of a subject-verb agreement question on the SAT. Non-essential clauses are surrounded by commas. These clauses can be removed without creating grammatical errors or changes in the meaning of a sentence. Take, for example, this sentence: My doctor, who is very unfriendly, spoke to me for less than a minute. The phrase in bold is a non-essential clause. It is separated by commas and removing the clause does not create an error or change the meaning of the sentence. The phrase is only used to provide descriptive information about the subject. See: My doctor, who is very unfriendly, spoke to me for less than a minute. A non-essential clause often starts with a relative pronoun (which, who, whose, or where), but it doesn't in a phrase known as an appositive. An appositive functions like a non-essential clause, but it doesn't have a verb. Here is an example: My doctor, a very unfriendly man, spoke to me for less than a minute. Again, the phrase provides information about the doctor, but it can be removed and will not create any errors or change the meaning of the sentence. So, how will knowing about these phrases help you correctly answer SAT questions related to subject-verb agreement? I'll explain. Non-Essential Clauses and Appositives on the SAT On the SAT, these phrases will be placed between subjects and verbs to trick you into thinking a subject is singular or plural. Look at this example of an incorrectly written sentence in which I've underlined the subject and bolded the verb: My math teacher, who is extremely demanding and yells at all the students, give too much homework. The subject is singular and the verb is in the plural form. However, there is a non-essential clause separating the subject from the verb so it is more difficult to locate the error in subject-verb agreement. Also, on the SAT, there will often be a plural noun in the non-essential clause placed right next to the verb in such a sentence. Many test takers will incorrectly assume that "students" is the subject,especially if you read the question quickly in one go. Here is the corrected version of the above sentence: My math teacher, who is extremely demanding and yells at all the students, gives too much homework. So, how do you avoid falling into this common trap that the SAT will set for you? Strategy For these types of questions, always cross out appositives and non-essential clauses. Doing so will make it easier to notice any issues with subject-verb agreement. The resulting sentence should be grammatically correct. Let's do this with the incorrectly written version of our previous example: My math teacher, who is extremely demanding and yells at all the students, give too much homework. Crossing out the non-essential clause leaves us with "My math teacher give too much homework." The subject-verb agreement error in that sentence is easy to spot. Here is another type of interrupting phrase, probably the most common on the SAT: the prepositonal phrase. Prepositional Phrases Quick Review: prepositional phrase begins with a preposition. Prepositions provide additional details about nouns and often answer the questions "Where?", "When?", or provide descriptive information. Here is a chart showing examples of commonly used prepositions: http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-a-preposition-definition-uses-examples.html On the SAT, prepositional phrases are often inserted between subjects and verbs to make errors in subject-verb agreement less noticeable.Take a look at this incorrectly written sentence with the prepositional phrase underlined: Changes for the new and improved SAT is going to be implemented soon. The subject of the sentence is "changes" and the prepositional phrase provides descriptive information about the changes. Because the subject is plural, the verb should be in the plural form. Once again, notice how the SAT can trick you by putting a singular noun, SAT, right before the verb, "is." If you go by ear, you're likely to fall prey to this trap. Here is the corrected version of the sentence: Changes for the new and improved SAT are going to be implemented soon. The approach you should take with sentences that contain a prepositional phrase is very similar to the one you should use with non-essential clauses and appositives. My ghost writer. He knows his SAT grammar. Strategy Cross out the prepositional phrase and the resulting sentence should be grammatically correct. Also, doing so will make it easier for you to identify the subject and ensure that the subject and verb agree. The subject will never be contained within a prepositional phrase. Let's use the cross out method with the above incorrectly written sentence: Changes for the new and improved SAT is going to be implemented soon. The subject-verb agreement error is much more obvious. Hooray! Interrupting phrases are not the only tactic the SAT uses to complicate subject-verb agreement questions. Common Trap #2:Sometimes the Subject Will Follow the Verb Occasionally, the normal word order of a sentence will be changed so that a prepositional phrase appears at the beginning of a sentence and the subject will follow the verb.In these sentences, it can be difficult to identify the subject and determine whether there is an error in subject-verb agreement. Take, for example, the following sentence with the prepositional phrase underlined and the verb in bold: On my forehead resides five unsightly pimples. We know that a subject cannot be contained within a prepositional phrase and the subject must correspond with the verb. What is doing the residing? The pimples. And "on my forehead" provides information about where the pimples are located. Because the subject is plural, the verb needs to be in the plural form: On my foreheadreside five unsightly pimples. The correctly written sentence may sound more awkward to you because the noun "forehead" is singular and it is placed right next to the plural form of a verb. That is why you should focus on the rules and not rely on what sounds right. In rare cases, the verb comes before the subject but is not preceded by a preposition.What? How is that possible? Check out this sentence with the subject underlined and the verb in bold: Eating Hot Cheetos is fun, but less fun is its consequences. In the sentence, what is less fun? The consequences. Therefore, "consequences" is the subject which corresponds with the verb. There is an error in subject-verb agreement. The sentence should read like this: Eating Hot Cheetos is fun, but less fun are its consequences. The order of the words has been changed, but this sentence is saying that "The consequences are less fun." So, how should you tackle sentences in which the subject follows the verb? Strategy In these sentences in which the subject follows the verb, simply rearrange the sentence so that it follows the normal structure of subject then verb. This will enable you to more easily spot errors in subject-verb agreement. If you did that in the incorrectly written example above, you would be left with "its consequences is less fun". The subject is right in front of the verb and the error is obvious. Application: Real SAT Example So, we’ve established that subject-verb agreement questions can be tricky because the subject is often not placed directly in front of the verb. Let’s see how this plays out with an actual SAT question. First, let's look at a sentence with an interrupting phrase. The subject of this sentence is â€Å"research†. The phrase â€Å"by several scientists† is a prepositional phrase providing descriptive information about the research. Therefore, the subject is singular and the verb should be in thesingular form. If you get rid of the prepositional phrase, the sentence reads "research suggest". B is the answer; the word should be â€Å"suggests†. There are additional situations which complicate the most basic questions that test subject-verb agreement. Now we'll take a look at some of these specific situations. More grammar fun. Get excited!!! Common Trap #3: Compound Subjects If the subject is two singular nouns connected by â€Å"and†, then the verb should be in the plural form.Here is an elementary sentence illustrating this rule: Justin and the SAT are friends. The subject is both Justin and the SAT so the verb needs to be in the plural form. Here is a more difficult SAT-style example in which a prepositional phrase is also placed at the beginning of the sentence: Under my bed exists a pen and a Taco Bell receipt from 1994. So, where is the subject? "Under my bed" is a prepositional phrase - that's not the subject. What exists? Both a pen and a Taco Bell receipt. We can rearrange the sentence order so that the sentence reads that "A pen and a Taco Bell receipt exists". Because there is a compound subject, the verb should be in the plural form. This is the corrected version of the sentence: Under my bed exist a pen and a Taco Bell receipt from 1994. Application: Real SATExample Here is an example of an actual SAT subject-verb agreement question that uses a compound subject. The subject is both the time and the place. Therefore, the verb should be in the plural form. Also, there is an additional error in the sentence in that â€Å"to approving† should be â€Å"to the approval†. The correct answer is C. Collective Nouns Another unique situation that affects subject-verb agreement involves the use of collective nouns.Collective nouns are singular nouns that refer to groups of people. On the SAT, these nouns, if used in the singular form, should be used with singular verbs.Examples of collective nouns include team, band, company, and committee. Keep in mind that subject-verb agreement questions with collective nouns are rare, but I have seen this type of question on actual SATs. This is what the sentence would look like: After losing by thirty points, the basketball team have decided to fire its coach. Even though there are multiple people on a team, the subject is referring to one team. Therefore, the subject is singular and the verb should be in the singular form. This is corrected version of the sentence: After losing by thirty points, the basketball team has decided to fire its coach. Other Singular Subjects That Can Be Tricky Aside from collective nouns, there are other specific types of subjects that may intuitively appear to be plural but are singular and require a singular verb. Each=Singular The word â€Å"each† implies that you’re referring to each thing individually so you should use a singular verb when â€Å"each† is the subject.This is an example of an incorrectly written sentence using "each" as the subject: Each of the members of the team are athletic. Keep in mind that "of the members" and "of the team" are prepositional phrases. After removing the prepostional phrases, the sentence reads "Each are athletic." Each is our subject so the verb should be singular. This is the correct version: Each of the members of the team is athletic. Every=Singular Similarly, the word â€Å"every† implies that you’re referring to each thing individually. Think of the word â€Å"every† as implicitly stating â€Å"every one†. Here is an example of this rule in effect: Every person in each of my classes are intelligent. Although all of the students are intelligent, this sentence is stating that every single student is intelligent. Also, the use of the singular noun "person" further indicates that the subject is singular and requires a singular verb. Remember that "in each of my classes" is a prepositional phrase. This is how the sentence should look: Every person in each of my classes is intelligent. Gerunds When Used as Subjects=Singular A gerund is a verb which is used as a noun and ends in â€Å"ing†.When a gerund is being used as a subject, then the subject is singular.Look at this example: Remembering the names of all of the Kardashian sisters are easy. To determine the subject, think about what is easy. Also, we know that "of all of the Kardashian sisters" is a prepositional phrase which we can cross out and will not contain the subject. Therefore, we're left with "Remembering the names are easy". Even though "names" is plural, "the names" is not the subject and simply provides additional information about what we're remembering. The subject is "Remembering", a gerund which requires a singular verb. So, here is the corrected version: Remembering the names of all of the Kardashian sisters is easy. Who is this? Application: Real SAT Example It's time to take a look at an actual SAT subject-verb agreement question that includes one of these uniquely singular subjects. The subject is the gerund â€Å"storing†, which is singular. Therefore, the verb should be â€Å"increases† and the answer is B. Also, because â€Å"delays† is singular and shares the same subject, you should know that any verb which corresponds with the same subject should be in the singular form as well. Now that we've looked at various types of subject-verb agreement questions, let's go over strategies you can use on your SAT to help determine if you're encountering a subject-verb agreement question and ensure that you answer the question correctly. Want to learn more about the SAT but tired of reading blog articles? Then you'll love our free, SAT prep livestreams. Designed and led by PrepScholar SAT experts, these live video events are a great resource for students and parents looking to learn more about the SAT and SAT prep. Click on the button below to register for one of our livestreams today! General Strategies for SAT Subject-Verb Agreement Look For Errors in Subject-Verb Agreement When a Verb is Underlined In any of the subsections (sentence improvement, identify the error, paragraph improvement), if a verb is underlined, make sure that there are no errors in subject-verb agreement. Always Identify the Subject Both subjects of sentences and subjects of clauses must agree with their verbs. For each verb, find the noun which corresponds with that specific verb.Then, determine whether that subject is singular or plural and make sure that the subject and verb agree. The Subject is Never Part of a Prepositional Phrase Be aware that the subject will not be part of a prepositional phrase.Most subject-verb agreement questions on the SAT separate a subject from a verb with a prepositional phrase. Cross Out Interrupting Phrases The SAT tries to deceive you by placing long phrases in between the subject and the verb. Often, the number of the noun closest to the verb will not match the number of the subject. By crossing out the interrupting phrase, you will have an easier time identifying the subject and determining whether there is an error in subject-verb agreement. Be Able to Recognize the Common Tricks Knowing the common tricks the SAT uses on questions that test your knowledge of subject-verb agreement can be helpful. The better you know these tricks, the more quickly you’ll be able to identify them and correctly answer subject-verb agreement questions. Additional Practice Hopefully, by this point you thoroughly understand subject-verb agreement and how to correctly answer any subject-verb agreement question that may appear on the SAT. I've created some practice problems to test you on what you've learned. Remember to use the general strategies I referenced above. If you're not having fun, you're not doing it right. 1. Every summer in Los Angeles (A) the sound of children yelling(B) at the beach on a weekday indicate(C) that it is summer vaction (D). No error (E) 2. The selfie, which is(A) a photograph taken(B) by many narcissistic people, is(C) extremely popular on various social networking websites (D). No error (E) 3. An effective and helpful(A) tutor demonstrates(B) exceptional knowledge, is responsive to the needs(C) of her students, and listen(D) to them carefully. No error (E) 4. Extremely careful analysis(A) of handwriting samples show(B) that creative people are more likely to write(C) rounded letters (D). No Error (E) 5. Playingsports(A) such as basketball, football, or baseball allow(B) children to learn teamwork(C) and develop(D) coordination. No error (E) Answers:1. C, 2. E, 3. D, 4. B, 5. B What's Next? If you want to know everything that is tested on the SAT Writing section, read our article about what's actually on SAT Writing. After you have mastered the basic questions, study the hardest SAT Writing questions. Finally, if you're aiming for an 800 on SAT Writing, find out how to get a perfect scorefrom a perfect scorer. Want to improve your SAT score by 240 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Writing and grammar lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Author Technique Questions in SAT Reading Strategies

Author Technique Questions in SAT Reading Strategies SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Author technique questions are some of the rarer questions you will see on the SAT Reading section. In this article, I’ll go through what these questions look like and how to solve them step by step. Note: The advice in this article is still relevant for the current SAT (March 2016 and beyond); however, some of the examples have not yet been updated for the new test. What is an Author Technique Question? Author technique questions will ask about the author’s tone or the passage's mood in a Reading passage.These types of questions are relatively rare on the SAT, but they do come up at least a couple of times per test. Here’s an example: The author mentions "sharpener shavings" (line 10) in order to portray a mood of A. unrestrained joyB. sentimental reminiscenceC. bitter disappointmentD. cautious optimismE. dark foreboding Author technique questions are a subset of inference questions. This is because you have to understand the information in the passage and then take it a step further to make an inference about what feelings the author has toward the subject (tone) or what feelings she is trying to instill in the reader through her writing (mood). However, as with all other SAT Reading questions, you should still be able to find clear evidence for your answer in the passage. How Do I Solve These Types of Questions? Step 1: Carefully Read the Question First, read the question and figure out what it’s asking.If it asks for tone, it wants the answer that best describes the feelings the author has toward her subject.If it asks for mood, it wants the answer that best describes the feeling the specified part of the passage conveys to the reader. Step 2: Read the Lines Referenced in the Question Go back to the passage and look over the lines the question is referencing.I would recommend reading the whole paragraph around whichever line is referenced in the question so you get a full picture of the tone or mood in that section of the passage. Step 3: Think about the Tone or Mood Before you read the answer choices, think for yourself about what the general tone or mood of that section of the passage is.For questions like the example question above, look at where and how the phrase mentioned in the question is used and to what effect. Try to find key descriptive words that indicate the tone or mood and imply connotation. It's often helpful to identify positive or negative connotation for the tone or mood first in order to eliminate a couple of answers that definitely don't fit. Step 4: Go Through the Answer Choices, and Eliminate 4 Once you have a preliminary idea of the tone or mood in the passage, look at the answer choices.Eliminate any that obviously don’t fit based on your judgments about connotation.Then, look at the remaining choices and get more specific with your assessment so you can get rid of four choices.Try to find approximate synonyms for the answer choices in the passage - you should be able to come up with direct evidence for your answer. Now that we know the steps, let’s try and solve a question for real! SO PUMPED. Author Technique in Action Ready? Ok, here’s the question: The author's overall tone in this passage is best described as one of A. jubilationB. frustrationC. curiosityD. appreciationE. uncertainty First, we'll read the question over carefully. This is a tone question, and it’s going to be asking about the passage as a whole.We need to look for the author’s treatment of the subject of the passage and how she feels about it. Now let’s read over the passage: In between school days, we gathered hazelnuts, fished, had long deer-hunting weekends, went to powwows, beaded on looms, and made quilts. I did not question the necessity or value of our school education, but somehow I grew up knowing it wasn't the only education I would need. I'm thankful for those experiences of my Anishinaabe heritage, because now I now by heart not only the national anthem, but the ancient song of the loon. I recognize not only the alphabet and the parts of an English sentence, but the intricate language of a beaver's teeth and tail. The author is talking about her experiences growing up and learning skills relevant to her heritage that she wouldn’t otherwise have learned in school or anywhere else.What might the tone of the passage be? Well, the author definitely seems to have a positive impression of these experiences. We see direct evidence for this when she says â€Å"I’m thankful for those experiences of my Anishinaabe heritage.† It sounds likeshe is grateful for the opportunity she had to learn the skills described in the passage and proud of her heritage.Now that we have our basic idea of the tone, let’s see which answer choices we can eliminate. Choice A: jubilation The author is pleased with her learning experiences, but saying she has a tone of jubilation seems a little extreme.Do we see any words in the passage that indicate jubilation or uncontrolled joy? No, the tone is definitely more measured (calm) than that. Eliminate this one! Choice B: frustration This seems wrong right away because frustration has a negative connotation.The author is not frustrated with the learning experiences she had as a result of her heritage - she says herself that she is thankful for them. There's nothing in the passage that indicates frustration on the part of the author. Cross it out! Choice C: curiosity This could be a tricky one.The author does betray a curious personality because she is interested in learning about a variety of different things.However, even if curiosity might describe the author accurately, it doesn’t describe the tone of the passage. The feelings she presents toward the subject of the passage are nostalgia and gratefulness, not curiosity about her experiences. Get rid of this one too! Choice D: appreciation This choice matches with what we originally thought about the tone.The author even says â€Å"I’m thankful for those experiences† when referring to the descriptions of her childhood in the passage.She clearly appreciates having learned about her heritage and the skills that go along with it in tandem with her standard education. Keep this one! Choice E: uncertainty This answer doesn’t fit with the tone. It has a slightly negative connotation, and there's no evidence for any uncertainty in the passage. The author's feelings about her experiences are clearly stated. This one's wrong! Looks like Choice D is our answer! Did you know loons have red eyes? As if the sound of their "ancient song" wasn't creepy enough. You’ll notice that the key here was to look for direct evidence of tone in the passage.Tone and mood questions trip people up because they seem like they are ambiguous and subjective.Remember that SAT Reading can’t ask you any questions where the answers aren’t concretely supported in the text. For tone and mood questions, always look for keywords in the passage that point to the author’s feelings or the feelings she is trying to instill in the audience.Often you will find close synonyms for the correct answer choice like we did above with â€Å"thankful† and â€Å"appreciation†. You should at the very least be able to determine positive or negative connotation in the tone or mood, which usually helps to eliminate two or three incorrect answer choices. Summary Author Technique questions ask about tone and mood in an SAT Reading passage. To answer an author technique question, you should: 1. Read the question carefully2. Read the lines referenced in the question3. Make a preliminary judgment about the tone or mood4. Read the answer choices, and eliminate four based on the evidence in the passage Remember, even though tone and mood may seem like subjective things, on the SAT there is no ambiguity in answers.Look for direct evidence that points to your answer choice - if you can find it, you will get these questions right every time! What's Next? Want more skills-focused SAT Reading articles? Start with these articles on inference questions and big picture questions, or jump right into our ultimate guide to SAT Reading! What's the best way to get information out of a passage on SAT Reading? Find out the best way to read the passage and what's actually on SAT Reading. Learn the strategies you should be using to score an 800 on SAT Reading. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Reading lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Personal project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal project - Essay Example The mission of the company Beautiful World, describes how the company aims to server its key stakeholders who may include customers, investors, employees and the general society. The company’s mission therefore focuses on recognizing the various talents that are available all over the world and offering the opportunities to those talents. The company therefore has the simple mission of offering responsible shopping with the intention leading to a highly conscious consumer practice. Furthermore, the company focus on various educational seminars that would compound leading talented artists to improve the economic status of the world through collaborative efforts. Finally, the company also aims towards building benevolent strategic plans that are centered on appropriate values, awareness, and social impact. The vision of the company on the other hand tends to declare the aspirations and purpose of the company. The company’s vision is therefore to connect individuals to a world that is beyond their reach and imagination, through the collaboration of diligent groups of artisans found in some of the world’s most impoverished regions. In addition, the company focuses upon developing modern and conscious design products which allow the artists to gain access to broader markets thus alleviating their economic status, consequently improving the general quality of their lives. Furthermore, the company also aims to connect the various talented artists through developing different models that can allow them to share their stories so that to ensure that every piece of art purchased matters to the buyers. Comparatively, Beautiful World has various set of objectives and strategies that could help them to attain their mission and vision. For instance, the company establishes a platform for responsible shopping through the creation of the market

Immortality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Immortality - Essay Example The influence of immortality has had a basis in human society for thousands and thousands of years. Whereas many people will fantasise about the idea that our physical bodies may surpass their lifespan, it is now universally accepted that no one can live forever (in the physical sense); yet the debate as to whether there is some essence, namely the human soul, that 'lives on' after our physical body has passed away continues to fuel much debate. Thousands of years ago the search for the Philosopher's Stone, a red coloured compound which was believed to greatly prolong human life, as well as turn metal into gold (and thus bring wealth as well as long life), became the holy grail of the medieval world. Buddhism in particular places much emphasis on the belief that our 'essence' moves from creature to creature through reincarnation, that we are reborn into a new body each time our physical one dies, and that our actions in the last body determine which new body we are put into. Christia nity, unlike Buddhism believes that our actions in this life determine whether we spend the rest of eternity in Heaven of Hell. There are many people who will then go on to argue that if a person does not go to Heaven or Hell, they will become trapped in Limbo, wandering 'in between' the astral planes. Christian beliefs seem to have derived a lot from the teachings of Plato, be it that the changed Gods to God. The fact that immortality has played such an integral role in society and religion raises many questions. It begs an answer to the question 'what is motivating people to look for things (namely religious beliefs and actual objects, such as the Philosopher's Stone), that will secure their immortality Why do people want to live forever' Moving on from this question then we can ask 'are religious systems and people in powerful positions manipulating people's belief (particularly in the immortality of the soul, and hence the fate of it after death), in immortality to control their actions' A King, for example in medieval England could use the Church as a vehicle for ensuring that all his subjects obey his every order. Yes, it was believed that a King had 'divine right,' but were these 'rights' believed to be from God or were they a creation of the Monarchy, or an age old belief that the monarchy had corrupted The King could easily have, and did, punish heretics, using their deaths as a warning to others that if they too committed heresy their souls would be damned to hell, because an insult to the King is an insult to God himself.It follows from this that I am sceptical of the idea that the soul will ascend or descend to its Christian resting place. Whilst I too humour the idea of the soul, I find myself drawn towards the idea of reincarnation. Perhaps it is my ego, yet as I sit and think, I cannot help but recall the teachings of Hume. He stated that we could never know our 'true self,'1 be that our soul or something else, because all we can ever experience (Hume was a renowned advocate of Empiricism2), is our perceptions. I am aware that I am constantly in a 'perceptive state' (thinking, reasoning, unconsciously or consciously), I cannot see how