White Smoke 2009 – Computer Make Your Text Grammatically Terrific

October 15, 2008 | Leave a Comment

After several years of research and development on the promising idea of an intelligent writing tool for correcting and enhancing a user’s text, White Smoke 2009 says thet can deliver it. Featuring a grammar checking engine that detects a wider range of errors than any other commercial grammar checker, and a range of other tools to create an all-in-one writing solution, White Smoke 2009 says it is the ideal software application for writers, copy editors and at-home Internet users who are concerned with creating error-free texts.

Community is the Key

“The real secret behind White Smoke’s technologies is our user base. Our users give us constant feedback, and a very wide variety of texts for analysis – without this interaction, our algorithms would not be so advanced,” states Liran Brenner, VP R&D at White Smoke. “Our users make a passionate community, and have stuck with the product throughout its development due to the great potential it brings to written communications. White Smoke’s writing technologies level the playing field, allowing English as a Second Language speakers, and those of us who simply need a good editor for our writing, to confidently write error-free texts.”

White Smoke writing technologies are based on natural language processing (NLP) technology. The program works by analyzing an entire sentence, understanding the structure, and making corrections and suggestions based on a combination of grammar rules and complex statistical models. This approach is unique, and was a factor in leading Business 2.0 to include White Smoke as one of its “31 Best Business Ideas in the World” of 2006. The latest release, White Smoke 2009, is the complete fruition of the White Smoke idea – an intelligent and dynamic tool for writers; a tool that works alongside any text-based application.

Hilla Ovil-Brenner, White Smoke CEO, says, “I am proud to say that White Smoke 2009 is a very mature product for professional writers, and for people who just want to write correct English in their emails and instant messages. Now that we have launched White Smoke 2009 with its advanced grammar checking and style checking features, we hope to reach out to a wider audience, especially writing and copy editing professionals, and writers of English as a Second Language. The new Hi-Tech Writing profile is also aimed at high tech and IT professionals, another niche that needs professional text editing and enhancement. We at White Smoke truly hope to revolutionize written online communications by bringing quality English to everyone.”

White Smoke is a company in the field of English writing technologies with a focus on products that enhance and correct grammar, spelling, and writing style. White Smoke products are based on natural language processing (NLP) technology, featuring unique and patented artificial intelligence algorithms for text analysis. As well as the White Smoke 2009 desktop software, White Smoke makes its technologies available through other channels, such as a browser-based text editor, and specialized OEM versions designed for integration with 3rd party service providers.

See the White Smoke website for further information

Posted by white smoke | Filed Under Accurate Spell Checker, Correct Grammar Software, Grammar Correction, Grammar Software, Intelligent Style Checker, Writing Software, editing, editing proofreading, english learning, english writing, proofreading, proofreading software, punctuation, verb tenses, white smoke, white smoke review, whitesmoke, whitesmoke review, writing, writing proofreading

Word vs. WhiteSmoke 2009 – Which Checks Your Writing Better?

October 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment

	In this world of hyper, text–based communication, it would be true to say “you are what you write.” Email, social media, memos and work presentations, instant messaging – our writing is what goes out into the world and represents who we are.
	WhiteSmoke gives you accurate grammar checking, style checking, and spell checking to make your writing the best it can be. Yet, you still may wonder why you can’t just use MS Word’s built–in grammar checker. Take a look at this example:

The results speak for themselves. With WhiteSmoke, you can be sure your writing is error free.

For a short time, we are offering a very special offer to help you writer better, right now.

SPECIAL LAUNCH
OFFER BONUS!
FREE dictionary+online tutorial+templates!

Posted by white smoke | Filed Under Accurate Spell Checker, Correct Grammar Software, Grammar Software, Writing Software, english learning, esl software, proofreading software, white smoke, white smoke review, whitesmoke, whitesmoke review, writing, writing proofreading

Learning English On Your Own

October 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Learning English On Your Own

First, find out what kind of learner you are. Answer these questions to get an idea of how you learn best.

•    Do you need to “see” it on paper to understand?
•    Do you need to “hear” it to understand?
•    Do you learn better when you are having fun?
•    Do you remember more when you are moving around?
•    Do you need to memorize rules?
•    Do you learn by talking to people?

You can learn more effectively if you understand your strengths and use them to help you. Think about what has helped you in the past.

Use a variety of strategies when studying.

Talk to English speakers, use a textbook, memorize vocabulary, write sentences and paragraphs, listen to various recordings, study grammar, read newspapers, magazines, and books

Don’t forget the 4 skills.

Speaking, Listening, Reading, Writing

Learn with someone.

Find a language-learning partner. If you meet with someone who is also studying English, you can help teach each other.

Organize your studying.

•    Set achievable, short-term goals. (For example: My goal is to finish a book this month; to learn 10 vocabulary words; to be able to tell a story; to be able to ask questions in meetings)
•    Create a study notebook with material that you have studied. Review it every month or two.
•    Study in short intervals. (10, 20, or 30 minutes a day)
•    Tell someone about your study plan, and talk about it frequently.
•    Plan out when, where and how you will study.

Here are 2 study plans you can try:

Plan One: Focus on one skill each week

Skill: Reading

Monday: Read a news article quickly for the main idea.
Tuesday: Define the vocabulary that you don’t understand.
Wednesday: Reread the article, and focus on understanding all of it.
Thursday: Look at individual sentences and grammar.
Friday: Read the article again and summarize it in speech or writing.

Skill: Listening

Monday: Listen to a Podcast or something recorded.
Tuesday: Define the vocabulary that you don’t understand by looking the words up in a dictionary or using context clues.
Wednesday: Listen again and focus on a few specific sentences and phrases. Write them down.
Thursday: Listen to short segments and repeat what the speaker says.
Friday: Listen again without looking at your notes. Stop the recording frequently and summarize what you just heard.

Skill: Speaking

Monday: Think of a topic that you want to be able to talk about. Think about the audience.
Tuesday: Think of vocabulary or ideas that you need to know in order to talk about the topic.
Wednesday: Talk about the topic in short, timed segments. Start with 1 minute, then talk for 2 minutes, then for 3 minutes.
Thursday: Listen or read what someone else has said about the topic. Study some new vocabulary words about the topic.
Friday: Discuss the topic with someone, or record yourself talking about the topic and listen to it.

Skill: Writing

Monday: Think of a topic that you want to be able to write about. Think about the audience.
Tuesday: Think of vocabulary or ideas that you need to know in order to write about the topic.
Wednesday: Try free writing. Don’t worry about vocabulary or grammar. Just write as much as you can for a period of time (10 – 20 minutes).
Thursday: Self edit your writing or ask someone else to read your writing and make comments.
Friday: Add more details and write a final draft.

Plan 2: Focus on all 4 skills each week

Monday: Read an article quickly for the main idea.
Tuesday: Listen to a Podcast or other recording on the same topic that you read about on Monday.
Wednesday: Study vocabulary that is related to the topic.
Thursday: Write your opinion or a summary of the topic.
Friday: Talk about what you read or heard to someone else or to yourself.

Other Ideas for Self-Study

Speaking:
•    Practice telling stories.
•    While you are doing an activity, describe it in English aloud or in your mind. (“I’m sitting on the train, taking my morning commute to work.”)
•    Practice saying tongue twisters quickly. “Six thick thistle sticks.”
•    Find a conversation partner to meet on a regular basis and agree on topics to discuss.
•    Have an English conversation on the telephone.
•    Sing along with an English song and stay with the beat.
•    Think of a topic that you want to talk about and practice speaking about it for two minutes. Record it and listen to yourself.
•    Read children’s books in English aloud.
•    Read news articles or dialogs aloud.

Listening:
•    Listen to any audio and ask yourself, “Who is the audience?”, “What is the main topic?”, “What are some details?” and “What vocabulary words are new to me?”
•    Listen to Online news stories.
•    Watch a movie without subtitles.
•    Listen to an audio book. (You can also read along with the audio, too.)
•    Listen to audio from NPR or BBC and read the transcripts.
•    Listen to music, and while you are listening, try to hear words that have reduced sounds. (For example, “gonna” is a reduction of “going to”.)
•    Listen to podcasts to hear a variety of speech and accents, such as call-in radio programs, interview programs, news shows, quiz shows, sports programs, etc.
•    Go to a lecture or speech in English and take notes.

Writing:
•    Write a journal in English. Write about anything.
•    Write a short story.
•    Write to-do lists in English. (example: “Call Tom.”)
•    Write emails to friends who speak English.
•    Write a blog in English, or post comments on someone else’s blog.
•    Write sentences for new vocabulary words. Ask someone to edit them for you.
•    Translate short articles from your native language to English.
•    Watch a movie or read something and write a summary.
•    Practice “free-writing” which is writing without caring about grammar, vocabulary or structure. Time yourself and write for 10 minutes without stopping.

Reading:
•    Read books/journals that are related to your job/career.
•    Read fiction that has been recommended for young adults. Keep a journal of short summaries of what you’ve read.
•    Read a blog.
•    Read “easy readers” with audio CDs. These are available at bookstores and Online.
•    Read “extensively.” This means reading for fun. You shouldn’t worry about the vocabulary or grammar. In fact, don’t worry about understanding everything. Just keep reading as much as possible.
•    Sometimes read “intensively.” Read carefully for understanding. Look up the words you don’t understand, and try to get a full understanding of the text.

Pronunciation:
•    Look at yourself in the mirror when pronouncing words to see if you are opening your mouth.
•    When you make vocabulary flashcards, be sure to write the pronunciation of the letters and the word stress.
•    Create a list of words with the same stress patterns. Practice pronouncing these one after the other. (For example: partner, income, power, exit)
•    When practicing a sound, practice many words with the same sound.
•    Ask a friend if you’re pronouncing a word correctly.
•    Do a “shadowing” activity: Listen to natural speech and repeat what you hear without stopping the audio. Copy the pauses, stress and intonation.
•    Put a rubber band around your thumbs and pull it apart when pronouncing stressed vowels. This will help you to pronounce the vowels more clearly.

Vocabulary:
•    Keep a vocabulary spreadsheet of new words and examples of how they were used, including the context.
•    When you learn a new word, try to use it 3 times in one day.
•    Learn all the forms of a word (verb, noun, adjective, adverb). You get four words for the price of one!
•    Divide your vocabulary into active and passive lists. (Active: words you’ll use; Passive: words you’ll hear but will not use)
•    Do an Internet search for the word (if it’s a phrase, put quotations around the phrase). Look at how the word(s) are used in a sentence. (Tip: If you do the search on Google News, you’ll get examples from published sources.)

Answer these questions to help yourself get started on a self-learning program:

What is your first goal? I will be able to ______________________________________by (deadline) .

When will you study?

How will you study?

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TESL/TEFL qualifications

October 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment

What training or qualifications do I need?

As with any job, the more you have to offer in terms of qualifications and experience, the better your chances of landing a well paid job with opportunities for advancement.

However it is also true that requirements vary from country to country and even from school to school.

For example, there are small schools with one classroom and a few students and there are universities with several campuses and thousands of students. There are entry level jobs and there are advanced DoS jobs.

Likewise, there are countries where certain qualifications are required to satisfy the visa regulations and they are not so much a requirement of the institute that hires you. For example, you will need to hold a degree if you want to obtain your work visa and work legally in many in Asian countries.

No Qualifications

Although there are jobs available to teachers with no qualifications whatsoever, we would not recommend this approach.

Firstly it is unfair to your students who will be expecting a professional, well trained teacher who will be able to help them learn English. They are most likely paying a lot of money to learn and they should be respected for this.

Secondly it is unfair to yourself. You will almost certainly flounder and find problems if you do not have even a basic grasp of teaching technique and subject matter. If you have training, you will find the work much easier and much more enjoyable.

On another tack, many schools who employ teachers without qualifications are likely to be breaking the law as most countries have minimum legal requirements for teachers. This being the case you will not only be paid less but be also employed illegally and if discovered you will at best be forced to leave the school and possibly the country and at worst be imprisoned.

Jobs like this are found by knocking on doors. It’s unlikely that you can apply for work and be offered a position unless you’ve got more than a scrap of paper from your high school.

Degree

With a university degree you can get offered a job at the lower end of the market in one of the less prestigious countries. Whether you’ll be employed without a TESL/TEFL Certificate will depend on the needs and desperation of the employer. In other words, with two untried candidates, the Certificate holder will get the job.

Remember, although you can probably find work with just a degree, we would always recommend getting some kind of training – however basic – before starting work. A simple introductory course (such as an online course) will make your teaching so much better and you’ll be so much more confident in class that it will make all the difference in the world to your first year’s teaching.

Degree + TESL/TEFL Certificate

A Degree and a TESL/TEFL Certificate is generally accepted to be the minimum entry level requirement for a new teacher. You can find work in most places and a lot of the jobs advertised will need these as basic requirements. But, there are Certificates and there are Certificates.

There is currently NO independent board of accreditation or assessment for Certificates. This means that each institute, school, or organization recognizes their own Certificate and accreditation comes from good practice, professional standards and reputation.

Online TESL/TEFL Certificates

Online courses offer a great training opportunity at entry level. They can provide a thorough grounding in a new career and the right tools to approach a new profession within a manageable amount of time and finances.

No matter what traditional in house course providers say to discredit online courses, the truth of the matter is that there has been a dramatic change in attitude towards online certification in the last ten years and online training is here to stay, so much so that even Cambridge University – traditionally a stronghold of in house training is changing their courses to meet the ever growing demand for online training.

But the change does not only come from the course provider’s side. More and more schools around the world recognize the value of online certificates issued by professional organizations like ICAL, and employers no longer discriminate between Certificates obtained through traditional institutes and those online.

Just be careful who you choose as your course provider (and this applies whether they are online or not) and make sure what they offer is of good standard. You can find quality online courses that will give you not only a widely accepted Certificate but also, and perhaps more importantly, will prepare you for the job.

If at all unsure which way to go, check first with the school owner.

The bottom line is that it is the employer who chooses, so if you are at all uncertain about the course to take, check out the requirements in the jobs on offer and, if need be, contact your agent or prospective employer and ask them what they are looking for.

In House Courses

There are many traditional in house courses offered by various English language schools around the world. Attendance is compulsory and fees are relativley high, certainly much higher than the fees for online courses. Some contact hours (classroom presentation & observation) are usually part of a typical in house training course.

CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) is a Certificate awarded by Cambridge ESOL.

It is a fairly intensive certificate program in terms of finance, workload and commitment, and a bit of an overkill if you are on a gap year or just trying out teaching for a while.

Unless your intention is to remain within the ESL industry and build a career for yourself in this field then you could quite happily opt for a basic TESL/TEFL Certificate.

As mentioned above, in most places the basic requirements for entry level teaching positions are a degree plus a TESL/TEFL certificate – not necessarily a CELTA.

CELTA is undoubtedly a popular qualification especially in Europe, but has far less clout in other parts of the world like Asia, for example.

CELTA is offered by English language schools selected and monitored by Cambridge University, who runs the course. In theory the schools should get annual check ups and approval from Cambridge but in practice once they have become an approved Cambridge Center they pretty much run the course as they wish and standards do vary, so much so that poor standards are a recurrent complaint from teachers taking the CELTA course in various centers around the world.

Trinity TESOL Certificate is issued by Trinity College. It doesn’t have the external assessment that CELTA has, but it is still fairly well regarded in the ELT community.

Trinity is less recognized than the CELTA so a few jobs might not be open to Trinity certificate holders, but there are still plenty of schools which accept this certificate. Though this certificate is far more known in Europe than elsewhere.

Both CELTA and Trinity are demanding in terms of finances, time and commitment.

Online or In House

There are quite a few good courses (and several bad ones!) both online and in house to choose from. As for which would be the best course for you it really depends on how much time, money, and commitment you are prepared to invest.

Whether you are considering a traditional in house course or training online start by asking a few providers for their course syllabus and compare them. Check their tutors’ credentials. Make sure the course requires some actual work on your part and it is not based on “Yes or No” answers or “Read This Unit and Summarize It” type of coursework. Try and find out what other students who have taken the course say about it. Basically do as much research as you can.

Higher Level Qualifications

As mentioned above, the Certificate is the basic qualification for teaching English. If you’ve been in the game a few years and fancy climbing higher on the ladder to fame, success and fortune, then you should think about a higher qualification.

The Diploma is one option along with the MA, which is a university degree course. Both these should only be undertaken by experienced and previously well qualified teachers.

Diploma

A diploma is the next level up from a Certificate. If you have substantial experience of teaching English to speakers of other languages or are looking at professional development then you may want to consider getting a diploma.

TESL Diplomas are usually offered by universities.

MA TESOL

Usually an MA TESOL is a course for experienced TESOL professionals or for people who already have an understanding of the subject but wish to further their knowledge.

MA programmes are designed for students who plan to teach in the UK and the USA, or who plan to do research on the teaching, learning or assessment of English as a second or foreign language.

In the US you would need an MA to meet the licensing requirements for teaching in any public school. Many private schools also list it as one of their requirements for employment.

To enroll in a MA TESOL program you will normally need a first degree or equivalent and two years experience of teaching English as a second or foreign language. If your first language is not English, you will also be asked to provide evidence of your competence in English.

Posted by white smoke | Filed Under Writing Software, english learning, english writing, white smoke, whitesmoke, writing

English Tips for ESL Learners

October 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment

English can be a challenging second language. It’s a big language with a daunting amount of vocabulary. Much of that vocabulary is confusing or contradictory, with homonyms that sound the same but are spelled differently, and inconsistent spelling rules. Regular verbs in English are fairly simple to conjugate, but there are many, many irregular verbs. When the rules and exceptions have been mastered, you still must learn English idioms, phrases which mean more than the literal translation of their words.

English Vocabulary

English is a living and evolving language with a rich, diverse history. Much of English has its roots in Latin, and this gives the language a certain order and predictability. English, however, has borrowed from dozens of languages over the years. This wealth of diversity makes the study of English an endlessly fascinating challenge.

Homonyms

One of the toughest challenges in building an English vocabulary is differentiating between homonyms, words which sound the same but have a different meaning. Sometimes the spelling is the same. A “vault” is a safe or strongbox. “To vault” is to jump over something.

Often homonyms are spelled differently. Here is a list of a few common homonyms. There are many more.

It’s – It is.
Its – Belonging to it. This is an exception to the usual rule about using an apostrophe to indicate possession.

Led – Past tense of the verb “to lead.”
Lead (pronounced “led”) – a soft, heavy grey metal.

Break – To badly damage something; a gap or interruption.
Brake – To stop.

Higher – With more height.
Hire – To employ.

Peace – The opposite of war or strife.
Piece – Part of something.

Spelling Rules

English spelling can be distressingly inconsistent. “Stuff,” “tough,” and “Ralph” all end with the same sound. “Ambitious,” “vicious,” and “shoes” just about rhyme, while “tough” and “plough” sound very different. To make matters worse, spellings vary in different parts of the world. “Plough” is the British spelling for a farming implement that would be called a “plow” in the United States.

Here is an example of a mnemonic device for remembering spelling.

I before E, except after C,
or when sounded like “ay,” as in “neighbor” and “weigh.”

This covers many situations.

I before E – this covers words like “relief” and “grieve”

except after C – this covers words like “conceive” and “receipt”

or when sounded like “ay,” as in “neighbor” and “weigh” – this covers words like “freight”

However, there are still exceptions. The past tense or plural form of words ending in “cy” will be “cied” or “cies.” Examples include “fancied” and “emergencies.” There are many other exceptions, including “conscience,” “ancient,” “glacier,” and “society.”

Plurals

The rules in English for creating the plural form of nouns are fairly simple. Add an “s” to the end of the word. If the word ends in “y,” change the “y” to “ies.” If the word ends in “f,” change the “f” to “ves.” There are, however, many exceptions. Here are a few examples.

Singular    Plural
mouse    mice
moose    moose
goose        geese
cow        cows or cattle
child        children

Verbs

The English language has many irregular verbs. The most significant example is the verb “to be.”

I am hungry.
You are hungry.
He is hungry.
I will be hungry.
Yesterday I was hungry.

Many verbs have an irregular form in the past tense. Here are some common examples.

Present    Past
catch         caught
come        came
do        did
fly        flew
freeze        froze
get         got
hide         hid
send        sent
sleep        slept
take        took
tell        told

Idioms

An idiom is a common figurative expression. An idiom will usually be recognized immediately by a native English speaker, but the meaning may not be clear to someone from another culture. Here are some examples of common English idioms.

A bit much – excessive; too much

A little bird told me – someone told me, and I don’t want to say who

A penny for your thoughts – what are you thinking about?

About-face – a complete change of direction or opinion

Made of money – has plenty of money

Make a mountain out of a molehill – make a small problem seem much bigger
Much ado about nothing – a lot of fuss about something insignificant

Packed like sardines – extremely crowded

Pain in the neck – something annoying

Paint the town red – go out partying and drinking

Put your foot in your mouth – say something inappropriate or embarrassing

Tall order – something difficult to achieve

Tall tale – a story that is exaggerated and untrue

Think outside the box – think creatively, without limitations

Tongue in cheek – something spoken “with tongue in cheek” is not meant to be taken seriously

Baby boomer – an American or Canadian born just after World War II

Egg on your face – you look foolish or embarrassed

Elbow grease – hard physical work

Posted by white smoke | Filed Under Accurate Spell Checker, Correct Grammar Software, Grammar Correction, Grammar Software, Intelligent Style Checker, Writing Software, editing, editing proofreading, english learning, english writing, esl software, grammar checker, proofreading, punctuation, verb tenses, white smoke, white smoke review, whitesmoke, whitesmoke review, writing, writing proofreading

English learning article summary

October 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment

This is some 10 language experts and experience in the successful experience. Methods – is the best suited to their own!
Hu Zhuanglin
* I think learning English in normal circumstances the rules can be described as follows: “Motivation + interest” – the determination to persevere — —- effective.
* We should cherish the classroom teaching and learning opportunities for the teachers guide, we must seize the “Acquisition” the opportunity to English, the latter referring to learn on their own initiative listening to the radio listening to recordings and watching TV to see the video, reading novels to read, and English-speaking persons Oral and written exchanges with.
* Britain and the United States imitate the tone of voice, but not blindly pursue foreign cavity-yang stressed that the focus should be on the correct pronunciation, Enunciation clear, natural expression. Bold mouth, and sometimes can not recite, as well as self-words.
* Those who do not read the entire sentence affect the whole effect of the new term, multi-check: to understand its meaning and usage.
* Do anything to control their laws, learning English is the same, so plain to see 12 of the grammar book Why not »
Wang Zuoliang
* The culture of language learning, language will also learn better.
* The language of charisma, style is worthy of study, mainly because of a big behind the spiritual world: but they must also integrate the arts together, the language of the same ideological vision is promote each other.
* Style, study style, there are practical purposes, it can make us better observe the performance of English, English to see the strengths, weaknesses and learning English when we should pay special attention to the local or vigilance. On the one hand it is not difficult to use English because the one hand, but the careless or too careless in front of the user full of traps.
Zhou Jue-liang
* The translation of the steps I have the following views (1). First translated word for word, not less out something, do not avoid certain translation cavity. (2). Original cast aside, just asked, according to the original style (concise, Chen Yu, Qiaopi, etc.) asked to amend text. At this time will find that many issues, the context is often echoed linked issues and the overall style. (3). To the original, take a look at the meaning of no. (4). Take days or even weeks later to see. At this time of the original memory has been blurred. In the second stage of amending the original text had also because most remember that when Shun also feel that in many places, now passed, the need to edit the text. At this time the word more often to increase or reduce these characters to make meaning clear. After this time, changes in general that can be asked to come up with the.
* To understand a country’s culture should read more history, literature, including poetry and prose works. China’s ancient children into private school to study, began reading “Three Character Classic,” <<Qian Ziwen >>,<< Bai Jiaxing>>, in addition to reading <<1000 poem>> or <<poetry 300 >>, Which is to be kept in contact with children at an early stage of China’s traditional culture meant. We read poetry at the British, and similar purposes.
Qi Xin
* English is the thinking of many English learners are to achieve a state, because this is fluent in English to express ideological foundation. For a living in non-English-speaking environment in the Chinese students, to do some or all of English do have to think very difficult, but is not elusive. From our own experience in learning English, I have to adhere to a lot of reading is to achieve this goal one of the most effective way.
* First moderate degree of difficulty to select the text books: general to each page (the 32) more than eight words not suitable. This was followed by the reading: should be like reading Chinese novels as fast here, not Modu, Cha Zidian, not through an interpreter to understand the original meaning. Met did not know the words, according to the context to speculate. The third is to adhere to every day reading, but also to their own daily requirements must be completed reading tasks. If maintained, in the past months, after six months, will see the results.
Hu Wenzhong
* No shortcut to learning English. Only a lot to learn English practice, and listen more to say more and more and more reading writing. Do not be misled by commercial advertising.
* For junior high school-level English learners of English summary, I highly recommend reading material, reading material to the plain, stronger narrative, read some of the speed as quickly as possible, reading the better. This is learning English amounts of a good way.
* English-speaking one should not fear making mistakes, not afraid of the others joke. To fight for every opportunity to speak English, and foreigners speaking, and students say, and colleagues say that there is really no way to the time and their own stresses. For example, can themselves want to say recorded, and then listen to Add up their own.
* To use from, the use of English Dictionary. If Reading: Reading with relish, that learning English has been on the road.
* English is the basis for a better future, read (Note not skip or skim) a plain English grammar book will make you feel a Huorankailang.
Ding to the Road
* To focus on writing exercises. Emphasize listening and speaking, listening, speaking leader, is right; regular reading, a lot of reading, it is also necessary. But the row in the “four” at the end of the “write” Do not think it dispensable. “Writing” in the process of learning English are particularly important and irreplaceable role. As long as it is to write an essay, you must Reflections on the content and viewpoint, organization materials, arrangements levels, as appropriate words, this is an excellent exercise. And write the language of the correctness and accuracy of the expression of the requirements to be higher than the spoken language, because they can consider and modify. To improve the quality of this language is very useful.
* Should be concerned about Chinese culture. Chinese people should be concerned about China’s culture, majoring in English or other foreign languages more attention should be paid to friends of the Chinese culture of learning and studying, because in a lot of time on foreign languages, may ignore the study of Chinese culture, the results of the study National language and cultural characteristics of the situation know that much, and the cultural characteristics of China know little of it. Chinese culture goes back to ancient times, there are many valuable elements, we should treasure this legacy, and strive to be carried forward.
Zhang set
* Language-do not listen, do not read-write, is in bad. Now, only know how many students wearing headphones to listen to English, English Maitou read books, do not open read, recite Mingpian, famous, the opening practice of not speaking English, nor hands written exercises, to write articles in English. Only language the “enter” (through listening, reading absorption language), no language of “exporting” (through oral and written expression of ideas, applications to learn the language), is in bad language.
* Language students inseparable from culture. Linguistics English-speaking countries through culture, through language and cultural learning to listen to read a wide range of books and articles (history, literature, biography, science and technology, economic, political, military, etc.), while enhancing the language level of growth in all kinds of knowledge and Learn the essence of another culture
MEI Ren Yi
* To learn English well, it is necessary to the language itself and language conveyed by the various cultural and information of interest. When you read or heard others use simple English to express the profound ideological, very excited and immediately remember, which means you have an interest in the language. No such interest in learning the language difficult to tap.
* Learning English from the beginning to attach importance to voice, tone. Pronunciation, intonation, accent, pause, not seeking perfection, but basically correct. Otherwise, it will affect the hearing and spoken language, which is the language of the exchange loss of function.
* Summary of the book very useful to lay a good foundation, to read more. First, the number should be, at least read 40. The second is to repeat reading, selected from 10 to 15, read three times, read many of the problems in India in the brain. Imagine, people can use terms from 1500 to 2000 to write dozens of books, if we can master these expressions of living, to express how much!
* Based on the late stage, or high-grade, we must strive to recite Mingpian, for instance, carry 50-100 chapter. Whether from language or content, this is best. Beishu, to the understanding of Western culture, the language used in research are beneficial.
Wu Bing
* Learning a foreign language and learning any knowledge, is not opportunistic. First the spirit of hard to have the determination and perseverance.
* The language is spoken, so the start to lay a good foundation for the voice. The correct pronunciation, others can understand you, but also for you to “listen” to learn new knowledge.
* We often say that the “English basic skills,” including listening, speaking, reading and writing these four related aspects of their study to try to balance development, if one of the poor, will be the overall impact of raising the level of foreign languages. Now only one TV channel has many “listening” program, can be “read” the book more. As for the “say” and “write” can practice their own. No one dialogue, you can use English with their own ways of thinking said. “Write” This can to improve the diary, remember one thing one day, you can write “listen” to “read” to have, and this review from the “listen” and “Reading” in the language of access to knowledge.
* Learning a foreign language “to understand the” does not mean that “the master.” If the Chinese people, she understood the word and he is not difficult, but it is often used wrong, so often to practice, more training, repeatedly practicing.
* Language and culture are closely linked, the English-speaking countries do not understand the history and culture, even to speak English, in the exchange of best of misunderstanding and other difficulties.
* In addition to learning English are willing to work hard, we must also use their brains English summary characteristics, compare the English and Chinese, “the same” and “differences.” See “and” help to improve the efficiency of learning, however, need to study and master’s or “differences” part.
* To learn English well, went out??ground search of foreigners to prepare for beginners: a single language, the use of bilingual dictionaries, most often convenience only Chinese and English to explain not only more accurate, but also through the English interpretation Also review common terms and expressions, can be described as “Yijianshuangdiao.”
Chen Lin
* No language environment in the circumstances, the foreign language is not possible, “Acquisition” (but as a means of teaching, we must try to create Acquisition Environment), can only “study.” We must work hard. I have always advocated “back.” Not only children, more adults to back. Let us look at Zheng Banqiao “Zixu” said: “People reading a good mind that the Panchiao, not only non-good in mind that the core is a good ear. Panchiao, each reading a book, will be 10 million times. Zhou, immediately, at the end of Fresh or forgotten when the Bi, or the passenger does not listen to his language, and since forgotten their language, are also credited on Mosong. Mandrax of a reporter between «” generation master even so, let alone my generation ordinary people, not to mention he’s back Probably not a foreign language.
* General learning a foreign language, all know that the so-called “Intensive” and “Extensive Reading.” As everyone knows, in listening, speaking and writing that the other three “will”, also should be fine and the Pan-work. Suo said the La more: a fine listen and Fanting, refined and Pan said that the fine writing and the Pan-written. Pan-two fine efforts complement each other, one can not do.
* Language learning, reading, listening, speaking, writing four, solid work can focus on the needs, but it is good to have complete control. 16th century British philosopher Francis Bacon once said: “enrich people reading, talking smart people, people in mind to write accurate” (including chat here listening and speaking). Can see and learn reading, listening, speaking, writing a language, not only is the ability to master language as a tool of the problem, more related to the quality of a person.
Liu Chengpei
* English in the success or failure depends largely on the number of our contacts in English and what kind of English. Read the language of the most readily available, so we should study more, read all kinds of useful books, books.
* Reading and dictation Xuewai Yu is the most effective training methods, we must adhere to the basic stage. We can not be because of all the existing English language test does not test these two give up.
* Do not belittle the world famous English shorthand for this. Reading the basis of its three stages, 40 will experience is how to learn English is one thing.
* Institute of English at an early stage – from the British. This is because most of English-Chinese dictionaries do not explain Meaning, only to the words, and the two language vocabulary is not completely equal.
East Asian crisis
* Learning English is to learn English unique way of expression. Mr. Lv Shuxiang said, English is English, Chinese is Chinese. This reference to a sharp, meaning warned Chinese students, it is necessary to distinguish between English and Chinese way of expression, should not be confused with them. Mr. Lin Yutang has also repeatedly stressed that the performance of English law, the witty and interesting, in English only, “Wen-Hua”, not “flower.”
* Since reform and opening up, learning English more and more people are learning the objective conditions continue to improve. However, the study of people in there are still a subjective issue, that is not unique to consciously pay attention to the English expression, the results of their grasp of English is not high quality, or can be said that many illnesses.
* Members to learn that “authentic” English. English is the so-called authentic English unique way of expression. From this point of view, authentic English is not far from the mysterious things in our day-to-day contact with the English, there is, in many texts, there is, in many recordings, there is, and so we have to find,

Posted by white smoke | Filed Under english learning, english writing, white smoke, whitesmoke, writing

Effectiveness of a Remedial Programme on Grammatical Errors in Writings of Engineering Students

October 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Chapter 1

Introduction

The present study is an attempt to find out the factors that mar the ESP students’ use of English language for academic / professional purposes. The study consists of a remedial programme that is designed to rectify some typical grammatical errors in the writings of a group of students learning English for a specific purpose. It aims at providing a specially designed remedial programme to be helpful in making the ESP students more efficient in receiving and reproducing their domain knowledge with the help of accurate and appropriate linguistic expressions.

This introductory chapter opens with a discussion of the present study’s aptness within the contexts of Gujarat and regional students. Basically the whole study aims at discussing the problem in terms of English as a second language. It is followed by definition and division of types of error, the need of error analysis and some basic discussion about remedial programmes in general.

1.1 Problem Statement

The problem statement for this research is: “Effectiveness of a remedial programme on grammatical errors in writings of engineering students”.

1.2 Definition of terms:

a. Effectiveness: It is a qualitative measure of success of a pre decided target.

b. Remedial programme: Remedial programme is a solution to a problem that has been observed and analyzed. A remedial programme is especially designed to correct the very specific drawback which has been recognized during the study. So at the end if the programme achieves the target, i.e. correction of the errors, it is successful.

c. Grammatical errors: Grammatical errors are a specific type of errors where there are problems with the basic structure of sentence formation, or sequence of the words in a sentence, due to which, the communication is marred.

d. Writings: Writing is one of the output skills, and those who learn English as a second language, use this skill as their basic expression of a language. Therefore, here too the source of data would be the writings of students only.

1.3 English in Gujarat

When a foreign language is used in a multilingual country like India, it has a very sensitive and complex role to play. English, being a global language, is an essential part of languages used in Gujarat as well, like any other region in India.

But, in order to recognize the status or role of English language in culture and education exchanges in Gujarat or any other region, first we have to see whether it plays the role of a second language or a foreign language only. In the introduction to “Reading in English Language Teaching in India”, S. Kudchedkar explains the same as under:

“Even when a language does not function as the mother tongue of any section of the population of the country, it may, none the less, fulfill such an important role within the country that it can be termed a second language. When a language has no such role to play, but is studied purely from a cultural or a humanistic point of view by those interested in its literature or culture, or from a utilitarian point of view by those who require it for purposes such as business relations or studies abroad, it may be termed a foreign language. In case of a second language, there is bound to be far more exposure to the language, there is bound to be far more exposure to the language in the environment, greater motivation to learn and greater justification in a compulsory subject of study.” (‘Introduction to Readings in English Language Teaching in India’, page. 3)

In India English is taken more as second language rather than a foreign language. It may be the third or the fourth language introduced to the children in the school. All these considerations affect the English language performance of Gujarati students.

Looking at it from a learner’s point of view, the exposure to English is there to a great extent – Newspapers, Sign boards, Television, Radio, and Internet etc. It acts as a link-language that link us with outside cultures.

All these considerations will affect the proficiency with which Gujarati students use English language.

In a highly culture bound region like Gujarat, where the speakers of other regional language are very less in number, an exposure to any other language but Gujarati doesn’t become a die hard necessity for majority of population. The same is the case with any other traditional sosociety of India. Metropolitan city where all cultures co-exist, the exposure to other languages is easily available and at the same time the degree of necessity also differs. So actually, language learning can’t be totally detached from the surrounding of the learner. When the real exposure is not there we try to compensate this limited exposure with fake classroom situation. However, now it is being thought very seriously to introduce English language to the Gujarati learners at least as a second language through curriculum, so that the use of the English language can become more efficient.

1.4 Error and Mistake

In order to analyze learners’ errors in a proper perspective, it is crucial to make a distinction between a “mistake” and an “error”. According to Brown (2000), a “mistake” refers to a performance error in that it is a failure to utilize a known system correctly, while an “error” is a noticeable deviation from the adult grammar of a native speaker, reflecting the interlanguage competence of the learner. This recognition process is followed by the error description process. We compare learners’ sentences with the correct sentences in target language, and find out the errors. The differences between these two in detailed can be described as under:

Errors are result of ignorance. Whereas mistakes are result of stress.
Errors of a learner have a definite pattern, whereas mistakes do not occur in pattern.
Errors can’t be rectified by its doer, mistakes can be.

1.4.1 Significance of Error Analysis in Language Teaching and Learning

In order to teach a language, it is necessary to understand the process that goes on in the mind of the learner. Error analysis is a part of this process.

Significance

As Corder has pointed out, there is a vital difference between ‘errors’ and ‘mistakes’. He labels ‘mistakes’ as ‘performance errors’, which are like slip of pen. The learner himself can correct it later on, because they are not the results of unawareness, whereas, genuine errors are due to ignorance of rules. The learner can’t correct it by himself. They show the learner’s “transitional Competence”.

Error analysis is essentially significant because, as Jack Richards refers to Corder’s observation: “Learner’s correct sentences do not necessarily give evidence of the rules of the new language and the rules he has developed at given stages of his language development”. This can be done only by the errors he makes. And after knowing this only one can proceed in teaching. So, errors, and its analysis both are an inevitable part of teaching & learning.

1.4.2 Types of Errors

The errors can be divided as under:

1. Area: This means an error related to some specific area of language. It can be subdivided into:

a. Phonological error: These are the errors related to pronunciation. E.g. in a word like ‘river’ the last ‘r’ should not be pronounced fully. If this is done, it’s a phonological error.

b. Lexical error: These are the errors related to words. E.g. ‘air-conditioned room’. Here, ‘ed’ is not required. So this is a lexical error. It’s a use of wrong lexical items.

c. Grammatical error: These are errors due to problem with syntax. It is related to the sentence structure. E.g. “I prefer tea than coffee.” Here, underlined part is incorrect. There should be ‘to’ instead. So there is a grammatical error.

d. Semantical error : These errors are due to the ambiguity of meaning. E.g. “She is like ice-cream.”Here, meaning is not clear. This is called Semantical error.

e. Spellings: Due to incorrect spellings, the meaning is either not clear or is totally changed. E.g. “He is my sun.”

2. Form: These errors can be subdivided into:

a. Error of addition: When there is unnecessary addition of characters or items, this type of error arises. E.g.” He faced a one problem.” Here the word ‘one’ is added unnecessarily.

b. Error of omission: This occurs due to dropping the necessary items. E.g. “My father name is XYZ.” Here an apostrophe to the word ‘father’ is dropped though required in order to clarify the meaning.

c. Error of selection: An improper selection from the existing options is the cause of such errors. E.g. “One day the king is going for hunting.” Here, from all existing tenses, only present progressive is selected, which is an improper selection in this contexts.

d. Error of order.: These errors occur due to incorrect order of words. E.g.”When

I shall meet you?’” here, the underlined parts have been placed in an incorrect order.

3. There can be interlingual error that arises due to L1 influence. E.g. a Gujarati learner of ESL would ask: “Where going you are?’ instead of “ Where are you going?”

4. Similarly, there can be intralingual errors that occur within the target language due to incomplete knowledge of rules, or ignorance of exceptions. E.g. “Does she still sings?”

5. Comprehensibility: These errors can be subdivided into:

a. Global error – in which meaning is not clear at all. E.g. “I hope you won’t mind if I sit here.” “Yes yes.”

b. Local error – where meaning is clear, but still it is an incorrect expression. E.g. “My girlfriend is a beautiful.”

The treatments to the errors made by learners may take many different shapes. However, remedial teaching is the most appropriate and widely used treatment.

1.5 Remedial Teaching

A remedial programme is a specially designed alternative strategy based on the need analysis carried out by observing the learner’s deviated behaviour, in order to put it on a right track.

The concept of remedial teaching is not new in the history of teaching – learning.

As they say, “To err is human…”, errors are considered to be a natural human behaviour. However, as far as the teaching of any domain is taken into account, the earlier remedial programmes do not show the same gentle attitude as the saying towards the error done by learners. Earlier, it was believed that errors are like diseases, which need to be cured. So, the remedial programmes that people like T. Wood prepared for their students were nothing but a tedious series of mechanical practice. These programmes treated errors as sins, and as a result, the doer of the sin i.e. the learner, was insulted.

This attitude to the errors was built up on the basis of structural approach to language teaching that projected the process of teaching merely a matter of habit formation. So, they insisted upon drilling and mechanical practice, which they thought would solve the problem. But as we now know, learning – whether it be language learning or anything else – is more of a trial and error, as suggested by the cognitive school of teaching. Unlike the behaviouristic school, they said that drilling is not ALWAYS a strategy that can lead to correct learning. From this came into existence the functional approach, that projected the use-oriented teaching. They emphasized the practical implementation of the learning items. Under the influence of this approach, the concept of errors, treatment to it, the nature of remedial programmes, everything went under a drastic change.

Later on, however it was realized that errors are not essentially useless. Even they can be exploited in order to learn correct things. A positive connotation to the term ‘error’ came into existence and that played a role in redefining the remedial programmes. They are no longer a set for practicing correct behaviour; they are now different, alternative strategies to teach. Earlier remedial classes meant the same for all who err. Hundred students can sit and practice the correct behaviour at a time. But now it has become more individualistic in nature. Today’s remedial programmes are specially designed keeping in mind the needs, abilities and weaknesses of individual learner.

Thus the base of remedial programmes is in need-analysis. The learners’ scope of using the taught item, his ability, his requirement etc. would define the course of remedial programme. This leads to the fact that the factors mentioned above may vary from learner to learner. If we consider the issue in terms of language teaching, it becomes more vital, because language is a medium to express the thoughts and knowledge that an individual possesses.

When we talk of need-analysis, one more thing that comes to the mind is ESP (English for Specific Purposes) which also has its base in need-analysis. English language, when learnt for a specific purpose, is more important as a medium of receiving and reproducing the knowledge of the other domains of curriculum under study, than a separate subject to study. So, its role in curriculum is important and at the same time, a crucial one. Unlike those who learn a language with a view to study the linguistic features and literary values, the others – i.e. Students learning English for a specific purpose – are many, and increasing rapidly in numbers. To them language is primarily and basically, a tool to use for the sake of communication. They need to learn it in order to exploit and express something altogether different from linguistic features of language.

As a teacher in English, for the students of technical education, namely Engineering discipline the researcher observes that the students who learn English for a specific purpose are almost poor at receiving and reproducing their domain subject knowledge through English; though the same process can be done in a brilliant way if they use their vernacular language. Sometimes their use of English language is so poor that they are not able to fulfill even the basic purpose of communication. This leads to a complete failure as a professional.

This research work aims at identifying and rectifying the errors in the use of English language by the students of Engineering discipline for whom English is a tool / medium. Here, the writing has been focused, because they are the students for whom English is a second language. So, their first output of learning a language would be in the form of written answers. And if they err here, the error would be fossilized and transferred to their speech, too. In order to solve the problem from the grass root level, an extensive remedial programme to correct errors has been implemented.

Since language is more of a medium and less of content for them, they need to pay special attention to the basic structures of language which can provide them with a format in which they may put the content they have. So, for them the most appropriate and accurate language structures are as important as specific terminology at their field in order to communicate effectively. So, this research has focused only basic grammatical errors in their writing, which, if corrected, can provide them with an accurate frame to their domain knowledge. In grammar, too, the chunks that are of frequent use to the discipline in which the students are pursuing their degree in Engineering, have been taken up for the remedial teaching content, So that it can be directly helpful to them.

Conclusion

Thus, it takes a shape of an experimental research in which the grammatical errors in the writing of the Engineering students have been identified, treated and tested in order to rectify through the remedial programme.

The research is divided into five major chapters. Apart from the first introductory chapter, the other chapters are as under:

2. Review of related literature

3. Research design, tools and procedures

4. Observations / findings / analysis

5. Conclusion

- References

- Appendix.

Posted by white smoke | Filed Under Writing Software, english writing, white smoke, whitesmoke, writing

How to Write a Resignation Letter

October 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Introduction

(Creative Commons photo by Jessica DeWinter)

When it’s time to move on from your job you want to leave behind the best impression of yourself, and you can do that by writing a good resignation letter. When memories of your employee behavior begin to fade, the solid presence of your professionalism will remain on file, serving as a cue for a good recommendation should a prospective future employer request a reference.

If you’ve never had to write a letter of resignation, you may be wondering exactly what information should be covered. The following sections will help you put together a top-notch letter, so you can leave your job in style, no matter what your feelings and situation were during the time of your employment.

Step 1: Tone and Purpose

The most important aspect to consider when you sit down to write your resignation letter is the tone you want to set.

Keep your tone professional and your purpose in sight at all times, even if you’re thinking of all the places you can tell your boss to shove that job in this letter.
Leaving behind a negative impression means you sacrifice being able to use both your boss and your former co-workers as references on your resume. When the dust clears you want to still see the bridge standing between you and your old employer.

Step 2: When and Why

(Image by someecards.com)

The overall purpose of your resignation letter is not to criticize, but to announce your departure from the company. The two most important details you need to include are:

The fact that you are leaving
Your date of departure

It is important that you look over your contractual agreement and any employee guides to determine how much notice you need to give before resigning. Most employers require that you give them at least two weeks notice prior to leaving, so they have time to find a replacement.

Do You Have to Tell Them Why?

It is more important to tell them when you’re leaving than it is to tell them why, but you are welcome to offer details in a professional manner. For example:

New Opportunities: If you’re leaving because you’ve obtained a new job or are returning to school, simply mention that you have new opportunities to explore.
- Refrain from mentioning whether you were offered more money, or a better position.
Personal Reasons: Whether it’s an illness or a family relocation, quickly explain that you cannot continue in the job, without going into extraneous detail.
Do not talk about any negative experiences you encountered, whether it was a co-worker who made coming to work each day miserable, or a bad boss. Say nothing more than that you’ll be moving on.
- If you are leaving because you were mistreated on the job, you may want to consult a lawyer before submitting your letter.

An Attitude of Gratitude

Telling them why you’re leaving isn’t important at all compared to maintaining the proper attitude.

Even if it means biting your tongue, thank them for the experience.
Mention a few things you are grateful to have learned or experienced while working for the company.

Step 3: The Layout and Structure

There is no official layout for a resignation letter, but to maintain professional appearance, you’ll want to use business letter format.

Step by Step Layout

(Creative Commons photo by Dplanet::)

Start out by typing the date in the upper left-hand corner.
Return twice and add your supervisor’s name.
On the next line add your supervisor’s title.
Hit return and type the company address.
Return twice and begin with a formal salutation followed by a colon.
Begin by stating that you are resigning and emphasize the date it will go into effect.
If you wish to disclose a reason, do so next. (Remember, this isn’t necessary.)
Be sure to thank them for employing you.
List any skills you obtained during your employment with them.
Offer your services to make the transition period smooth for the company.
Express your best wishes to the company.
End with a formal farewell followed by a comma.
Return four times and type your name.

Sample Letter

The end result should look similar to this example letter:

May 22, 2008

John Boss
Senior Editor
Bean Publishing
1234 W. Huffington Ave.
Sonesville, MA 12345-6789

Dear Mr. Boss:

This letter is to inform you that effective as of June 5th I will be leaving my position as proofreader for Bean Publishing. I have accepted an editorial position with the Rose Corporation. I am grateful for having had the opportunity to work for Bean Publishing. The hands-on experience and training I received have increased my excitement and passion for the publishing industry.

If there is anything I can do to help make this transition go more smoothly, please don’t hesitate to ask. I really enjoyed my time working for Bean Publishing, and hope the company continues to enjoy success and prosperity.

Sincerely,

(Handwrite Your Signature Here)

Your Name in Print

Proofreading

Remember this is the mark you’re leaving with the company, and the more positive and professional it is, the better it will reflect on you in the future.

Proofread your resignation letter for grammar, punctuation and spelling errors.
Make sure the overall tone is polite.

Step 4: Things Not to Disclose

Keep in mind that anything you say in your resignation letter could come back to haunt you later. While some of these cautions might seem obvious as you read over them, you’d be surprised the types of things we consider when leaving a job.

(Creative Commons photo by Tim Snell)

In some situations, such as a move to a direct competitor, it may be wise not to disclose where you will be employed next.
Avoid mentioning your future salary.
Don’t name your future boss.
Don’t apologize for things not working out.
Never ask your boss to give you a reference in your resignation letter.
Leave out any emotional feelings about the company, your co-workers and your boss.
Check that you’re not complaining about your treatment or job duties.
Don’t give your opinions about how things could have been different, or how they could run the company better.

Step 5: Delivery

As soon as you finish writing your letter, you’ll want to seal it in an envelope and deliver it promptly and personally.

TIP: Never send a resignation letter via email!!

Hand your supervisor your letter, explaining what it’s for.
Your boss may want to discuss your resignation.
Just like your letter, keep your talk professional. You want to leave your boss and the rest of the company with a good impression.
- You never know when another position in the company might open up that you’d like to apply for.

NOTE: You may be asked to leave immediately after handing in your resignation, instead of working for a final two weeks. Just in case, be prepared to go before you deliver your letter.

Conclusion

Even if the employment experience wasn’t the best, the only thing you really want to leave behind when you go is a good impression. If you’ve taken the time to craft a professional resignation letter without any drama or emotion, your employer is going to be more likely to give you an unbiased recommendation if asked for a reference. Besides which, you also never know what the future holds. You may want to apply for another position in the company, or even ask for your old job back if things don’t work out. Leaving on a positive and professional note is the only way to go!

Contributed to Mahalo.com by Jenny Hudock

Posted by white smoke | Filed Under Writing Software, english writing, white smoke, whitesmoke, writing

Proofreading and Copy Editing

October 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Proofreading

Proofreading consists of reviewing a document for typographical, spelling, punctuation, and formatting errors. This may be done either against an original document or “blind”. Many proofreaders are also required to take on some light copy editing duties, such as checking for grammar and consistency problems. Proofreading is usually the final check of the work before publication.

Copy Editing

The copy editor’s job is summarized in the Five Cs: to make the copy clear, correct, concise, comprehensible, and consistent. It encompasses proofreading and requires a formidable command of the language, a great eye for detail, broad general knowledge, and sharp critical thinking skills. A major part of the copy editor’s job is to preserve the author’s voice or style while making any necessary changes to the text.

The copy editor is expected to ensure that the text flows, that it is sensible, fair, and accurate, and that it will provoke no legal problems for the publisher. Newspaper copy editors are sometimes responsible for choosing which news service wire copy the newspaper will use, and for rewriting it in accordance with house style. Often, the copy editor is the only person other than the author to read an entire text before its publication. Newspaper editors often regard copy editors as the newspaper’s last line of accurate defense.

A copy editor may abridge text, by “cutting” and “trimming” it, to reduce the length of a novel or an article, either to fit broadcast or publishing limits or to improve its meaning. This may involve omitting parts of the text, but sometimes it is necessary to rewrite uncut parts to bridge the missing details and plot; some abridgements are only slightly shorter than the originals, but others may be much abridged, particularly when a literary classic is abridged for the children’s market.

Interestingly, there is no agreement on the form of the term; it is spelled as one word (copyediting), two words (copy editing), or hyphenated (copy-editing). All are correct, the hyphenated version being more prevalent in the United Kingdom.

Posted by white smoke | Filed Under Writing Software, editing, editing proofreading, english writing, proofreading, proofreading software, white smoke, whitesmoke, writing proofreading

Simple Proofeading Test Helps You Master Basic Business-Editing Skills

October 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Introduction

Let’s begin by recalling Mark Twain’s famous words: “To err is human, to forgive devine.”

Trouble is, Twain never wrote those words. Alexander Pope wrote these words: “To err is human, to forgive divine.”

Oops! The writer made two mistakes in a single sentence. It happens. The world doesn’t come to an end when it happens, a very good thing.

Regardless, “catching” this kind of mistake is an important business-proofreading skill. Credit was given where credit wasn’t due — to Twain instead of Pope. Meanwhile, the quote itself was wrong, having used “devine” instead of “divine.” Check quotations closely for mistakes in attribution and wording. It’s common business courtesy.

It is vital that you check carefully for mistakes involving names and quotations.

When Is A ‘Mistake’ Not A Mistake?

Knowing when to let a “mistake” fall through the cracks is another important skill. It’s possible that, in the eyes of the intended audience, a “mistake” is not a mistake at all.

Proofreading and editing errors are virtually inevitable. I’ve been an editor for more than 20 years and have witnessed thousands and thousands of errors. No editor gets it write — I mean, right — all of the time. There are simply too many things about which an editor needs to be right. One of them, reportedly, is never to end a sentence with a preposition.

This often leads to formal, semi-awkward constructions such as this: “There are simply too many things about which an editor needs to be right,“ instead of “There are simply too many things an editor needs to be right about.“

Lots and lots of spoken sentences and written sentences end with prepositions. Plenty of highly skilled business editors would let the preposition “mistake” stand, instead of rewriting the sentence to make it more formal. In many, many writing contexts, rigid adherence to a formal style becomes a deal-breaker for members of the audience. Comprehension is a key. So is knowing the reader.

If you’re a business person — and if your target audience is auto mechanics who know the language of the trade and drink four tavern beers nightly after work to cool off — do you want your ad or web copy to sound as though it’s targeted to martini-sipping members of country clubs?

It is possible to love language and not be offended by informality, an outcome many purists would have you believe impossible. They would have been pleased had Capt. James T. Kirk of the starship “Enterprise” said “to go boldly where no man has gone before,” as opposed to “to boldly go where no man has gone before.”

“To boldy go” is a split infinitive, an alleged no-no. Hollywood let Kirk get away with it, a good call.

Below you’ll find three proofreading tests. They are not designed to be “tricky.” The purpose of the tests simply is to raise awareness and help web authors improve their skill sets. More and more business people are taking advantage of online publishing opportunities. At the same time, web authors with no publishing experience are creating eBooks and information products.

Use this Proofreading Knol to expand your knowledge base. Whether the tests below are “too hard” or “too easy” is your call. In any event, they are designed to help improve business communications.

Take Proofreading Test No. 1

Here is a simple test I created when I was a Moderator at the Warrior Forum, an online business community, to help members improve their proofreading skills. Assume each italicized sentence below is for a general audience, is punctuated properly and is factually correct — but has at least one mistake. Answers are at the bottom of this Knol.

So, what’s wrong with this sentence?

Editors strive to acommodate other editors.

And what’s wrong with this sentence?

Your in for a rough ride if you call yourself a writer but don’t take the trade seriously.

What’s wrong with this sentence?

Rising gasoline prices have a huge affect on disposable income.

How about this one?

Click hear right now and start making money right away. You can’t loose!

And this one?

Mickey Mantle hit one of the the longest homers ever, a 565-foot blast.

Mistakes routinely show up on business websites. Many of them could be eliminated if owners raised their level of awareness and devoted a few extra minutes to proofreading.

Take Proofreading Test No. 2

Proofread this short article I wrote as part of the skill test for Warrior Forum members. Answers are at the bottom of this Knol.

Steven was waiting with baited breath. Would Tiger Woods sink that tricky put on the 18th green to force a Monday morning playoff with Rocco Mediate?

Tiger is the most dominant gofer in the world. His mere presents in the field raises the steaks for other competitors, almost all of whom know their playing for second place.

Steven marveled at Tiger’s toughness under pressure; it was as though Tiger could force a ball into the whole through shear use of willpower.

The ball reached the cup. For an instant it appeard as though it would lip out. The crowd rose to it’s feet and erupted when it dropped. Steven’s Dr. Pepper slipped from his hand when he jumped out of his recliner and stood to applaud.

Thank heaven for Du Pont stainmaster, he thought. Like Tiger Woods, it is the best.

Steven wondered how he’d make the time to watch the 18-hole playoff Monday between Tiger and Rocco. It was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. in the morning California time, noon on the east coast.

Take Proofreading Test No. 3

Here is the final part of the test given Warrior Forum members. Answers are at the bottom of this Knol.

Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings are my favorite meal. I’ve been known to eat too entire plates!

I have many happy memories of the flavors of Thanksgiving. Dripping with gravy, Mom served dinner every year.

“Forgot those roles in the oven,” she’d say. She always forgot about the rolls, and it became a family joke.

“Don’t forget about the rolls, Mom!” we’d squeel. She’d just beam. Nothing was better than having the entire family home for for Thanksgiving.

Mom was such a card. “You’re only allowed to have to rolls, Patrick,” she’d admonish. “Save some for your brothers and sister.”

My favorite dish was stufffing; my sister just loved Turkey, and my brothers couldn’t get enough of the mashed potatos.

After dinner my brothers and I would go outside. We through the football back and forth until the meal began to ware off, and then we’d go back inside and start eating all over again.

One of the great mysteries about my younger brother was that he’d drink Diet Coke with his meal. That didn’t make much cents to me, considering it already was a 9,000-calorie day.

No matter. It made for a laugh or too every year.

Nothing ever will top Thanksgiving diner in my family.

Answers For Test No. 1

Editors strive to acommodate accommodate other editors.

Your You’re in for a rough ride if you call yourself a writer but don’t take the trade seriously.

Rising gasoline prices have a huge affect effect on disposable income.

Click hear here right now and start making money right away. You can’t loose lose!

Mickey Mantle hit one of the the the longest homers ever, a 565-foot blast.

Test No. 1 Notes

1.) Accommodate commonly is misspelled. It has a double “c” and a double “m.”
2.) “your” for you’re is a common mistake. So is “you’re” for your.
3.) “affect” for effect is a common mistake.
4.) “hear” for here is a common mistake. So is “here” for hear. Same is true of “loose” for lose and “lose” for loose. The mind reads what it wants to read, which is why it’s important to proofread slowly.
5.) Very easy to miss double occurrences of words: the the.

Answers For Test No. 2

Steven was waiting with baited bated breath. Would Tiger Woods sink that tricky put putt on the 18th green to force a Monday morning playoff with Rocco Mediate?

Tiger is the most dominant gofer golfer in the world. His mere presents presence in the field raises the steaks stakes for other competitors, almost all of whom know their they’re playing for second place.

Steven marveled at Tiger’s toughness under pressure; it was as though Tiger could force a ball into the whole hole through shear sheer use of willpower.

The ball reached the cup. For an instant it appeard appeared as though it would lip out. The crowd rose to it’s its feet and erupted when it the ball dropped. Steven’s Dr. Dr Pepper slipped from his hand when he jumped out of his recliner and stood to applaud.

Thank heaven for Du Pont DuPont stainmaster Stainmaster, he thought. Like Tiger Woods, it is the best.

Steven wondered how he’d make the time to watch the 18-hole playoff Monday between Tiger and Rocco. It was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. in the morning California time, noon on the **east coast.

** One could argue that “east coast” should be “East Coast,” but this is a style call and may vary from website to website.

Test No. 2 Notes

1.) “Baited” and “bated” often are confused. Please enjoy looking them up.
2.) Lots of people forget the second “t” in putt.
3.) It’s often hard to “catch” a spelling mistake such as “gofer” for golfer. The mind reads what it wants to read, which is why it’s important to proofread slowly.
4.) Very easy to miss mistakes such as “presents” for presence and “steaks” for stakes and “their” for they’re and “whole” for hole and “shear” for sheer.
5.) “appeard” for appeared is another example of why it’s important to proofread slowly.
6.) “it’s” for its is a common mistake. Looking it up will help you.
7.) Dr Pepper dropped the period after “Dr” in the 1950s.
8.) DuPont Stainmaster. Getting names right is important.
9.) 9 a.m. in the morning is redundant.

Answers For Test No. 3

Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings are is my favorite meal. I’ve been known to eat too two **entire plates!

I have many happy memories of the flavors of Thanksgiving. Dripping with gravy, Mom served dinner every year. Mom served dinner, dripping with gravy, every year.

“Forgot those roles rolls in the oven,” she’d say. She always forgot about the rolls, and it became a family joke.

“Don’t forget about the rolls, Mom!” we’d squeel squeal. She’d just beam. Nothing was better than having the entire family home for for for Thanksgiving.

Mom was such a card. “You’re only allowed to have to two rolls, Patrick,” she’d admonish. “Save some for your brothers and sister.”

My favorite dish was stufffing stuffing; my sister just loved Turkey turkey, and my brothers couldn’t get enough of the mashed potatos potatoes.

After dinner my brothers and I would go outside. We through threw the football back and forth until the meal began to ware wear off, and then we’d go back inside and start eating all over again.

One of the great mysteries about my younger brother was that he’d drink Diet Coke with his meal. That didn’t make much cents sense to me, considering it already was a 9,000-calorie day.

No matter. It made for a laugh or too two every year.

Nothing ever will top Thanksgiving diner dinner in my family.

** One could argue that “people don’t eat plates; they eat food.” But is this a “mistake” worth correcting if readers won’t be confused?

Test No. 3 Notes

1.) Subject and verb agreement: “Thanksgiving dinner . . . is my favorite meal.
2.) Lots of “two, to, and too” mistakes out there. These rankle audiences of all types. Even grade-schoolers know these rules.
3.) “Dripping with gravy, Mom served Thanksgiving dinner” means that Mom herself was dripping with gravy — not the meal.
4.) Very easy to miss “roles” for rolls and “through” for threw and “ware” for wear and “cents” for sense. It’s also easy to miss common misspellings such as “squeel” for squeal and “potatos” for potatoes. Ask former U.S. Vice President Dan Quail — I mean, Quayle.
5.) Very easy to miss double occurrences of words such as for for.
6.) “Stufffing”: Very easy to miss an extra letter in a word such as stuffing.
7.) “diner”: Very easy to miss a word that needs an additional letter.

About Patrick Pretty: “Patrick Pretty” is a longtime writer and editor, and owner of the Patrick Pretty line of digital information products. Patrick has worked in offline publishing for more than 20 years. He embraced the power of the Internet for online pursuits in 2005.

Posted by white smoke | Filed Under Writing Software, editing, editing proofreading, english writing, proofreading, proofreading software, white smoke, whitesmoke, writing, writing proofreading

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Learning English On Your Own

First, find out what kind of learner you are. Answer these questions to get an idea of how you learn best.

Use a variety of strategies when studying.

Don’t forget the 4 skills.

Learn with someone.

Organize your studying.

Here are 2 study plans you can try:

Plan One: Focus on one skill each week

Skill: Reading

Skill: Listening

Skill: Speaking

Skill: Writing

Plan 2: Focus on all 4 skills each week

Other Ideas for Self-Study

English Vocabulary

Homonyms

Spelling Rules

Plurals

Verbs

Idioms

Introduction

Step 1: Tone and Purpose

Step 2: When and Why

Do You Have to Tell Them Why?

An Attitude of Gratitude

Step 3: The Layout and Structure

Step by Step Layout

Sample Letter

Step 4: Things Not to Disclose

Step 5: Delivery

Conclusion

Proofreading

Copy Editing

Introduction

When Is A ‘Mistake’ Not A Mistake?

Take Proofreading Test No. 1

Take Proofreading Test No. 2

Take Proofreading Test No. 3

Answers For Test No. 1

Test No. 1 Notes

Answers For Test No. 2

Test No. 2 Notes

Answers For Test No. 3

Test No. 3 Notes

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