Video - How to Write an Effective Essay

Parts of a Paragraph - English Academic Writing Introduction

Practice - Chapter 11

1-Parallelism
A. Read the following sentences below that have problems with parallelism. How would you correct the problem?
The Biology class and the class about history are my favorites.
Suggested Answer:_______________________________________________________

Working two jobs and to get enough sleep are difficult to accomplish.
Suggested Answer: ______________________________________________________

Her dress was beautiful, and it cost a lot.
Suggested Answer:_______________________________________________________

His feet were tired and they swelled after a long day on the job.
Suggested Answer: ______________________________________________________

Alexander Graham Bell was the man who invented the telephone and he invented the phonograph, too.
Suggested Answer: ______________________________________________________

My sister is hoping to finish her degree quick and easily.
Suggested Answer:_______________________________________________________

The playful dog and the cat that was feisty didn’t get along well.
Suggested Answer: ______________________________________________________

Mary wanted to paint her office, to add some new draperies, and the carpet need cleaning.
Suggested Answer: ______________________________________________________

When Friday rolls around, do you go to the mall, head for a bar, or are you going to work?
Suggested Answer: ______________________________________________________

Last year, my brother dropped out of school, was looking for work, and needed a place to stay.
Suggested Answer: ______________________________________________________

He watched the latest version of King Lear, studied for his math test, and was talking on the phone.
Suggested Answer: ______________________________________________________


B. Which of the following paired sentences are parallel Write True or False?

_________ She likes to listen to music and reading the latest novels.
_________ She likes listening to music and reading the latest novels.

_________ He spent his time studying Spanish, working at the convenience store, and jogging every afternoon.
_________ He spent his time studying Spanish. working at the convenience store, and he jogged every afternoon.


_________ The dog was excited: running, barking, and he chased after the boys.
_________ The dog was excited: running, barking, and chasing after the boys.

_________ The apartment was filled with old newspapers, broken bottles, and the ashtrays were overflowing.
_________ The apartment was filled with old newspapers, broken bottles, and overflowing ashtrays.


2- Fragment Sentences


A. Write F(Fragment) or S(Sentence)

When you get a new puppy. _________
Since I have to be home early. _________
Where are you going? _________
When you can, come over. _________
As long as we have plenty of room. _________
The team practices whenever the weather allows. _________
Because I overslept. _________
Whatever you decide. _________
While you are here. _________
Where the road ends. _________
Because Tom has a cold. _________
Until someone rescued them. _________
Unless Pam answers your letter. _________
Adam needs money so that he can call home. _________
If it is all right with everyone else. _________
I read the book yesterday evening after dinner. _________
While reading the book yesterday evening after dinner. _________
There is the car which ran into me on the street. _________
Which ran into me on the street. _________
For example, that man over there. _________
The woman who talked to you in the corridor is my English professor. _________
Who talked to me in the corridor. _________
Who talked to you in the corridor? _________
Considering all the factors in this case, I think that he is guilty. _________
Considering all the factors in this case. _________
That he is guilty. _________
Which was a stupid thing to do. _________
Consuming illegal drugs can be very risky. Especially hard drugs like heroin or crack cocaine. _________

3- Choppy Sentences

A. Write a correct sentence

She took dance classes.
She had no natural grace or sense of rhythm.
She eventually gave up the idea of becoming a dancer.

Sentences:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bears emerge from hibernation in the spring.
They wander through wetlands.
They feed mainly on grasses.

Sentences:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Jesse Ventura has denied an interest in running for the senate.
Ventura is the former governor of Minnesota.

Sentences:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


The boy asked his father a question.
The boy is five years old.
The question was about death.

Sentences:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


My aunt is very strict with my cousin. She expects her to study all the time.

Sentences:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


I was exhausted. I stared at the page. I was unable to comprehend a single word.

Sentences:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


4- Run-on sentence and comma splices:
Run on His friends played golf then they moved to USA and played Basketball .
Comma splice His friends played golf, then they moved to USA and played Basketball .

A. Mention the 4 ways to correct these two sentence errors, also apply them to the example:

1. Add a __________:
His friends played golf Then they moved to USA and played Basketball .
2. Add a __________:
His friends played golf then they moved to USA and played Basketball .
3. Add a __________:
His friends played golf then they moved to USA and played Basketball .
4. Add a __________:
His friends played golf ________ they moved to USA and played Basketball .
__________ his friends played golf, they moved to USA and played Basketball .

B. Some of the following sentences are run-ons or comma splices, and some are correct. Check each sentence. If it is incorrect write RO or CS in the space at the left. If it is correct, leave the space blank. Then, on a separate sheet of paper, correct the incorrect sentences.

1) _____ An encyclopedia is a valuable source of information it contains summaries of every area of knowledge.
2) _____ Because of the rapid expansion of human knowledge, it is difficult to keep encyclopedias current.
3) _____ A printed encyclopedia becomes out of date almost as soon as it is published also it is quite expensive to purchase.
4) _____ Online encyclopedias are available to everyone with access to the internet.
5) _____ If you cannot find any information on a subject, you can always ask a librarian to help you, they are paid to assist students.

5-Stringy sentences (excessive coordination or subordination)
Examples:
Many students attend classes all morning, and then they work all afternoon, and they also have to study at night, so they are usually exhausted by the weekend.
Many students attend classes all morning and work all afternoon. Since they also have to study at night, they are usually exhausted by the weekend.
Practice:

A. Select True or False for each statement.

1) Fashions in children's books have changed considerably, and what was popular one hundred years ago is not popular now, for tastes have changed, and the production techniques have also changed.
True_____ or False_____

2) One hundred years ago, children's books were usually printed in black and white, and they had simple illustrations (often very good), and they told stories with strong and simple moral messages.
True_____ or False_____

3) By the 1950s, children's books were more colorful and more varied in content.
True_____ or False_____

4) In the 1950s and 1960s, children's books by authors like Dr. Seuss began taking on serious social themes, and they did so without becoming too heavy-handed, but they also were quite imaginative, and the illustrations became more and more imaginative.
True_____ or False_____

5) During the 1960s and 1970s, books by writers and illustrators like Maurice Sendak expanded most people's notions of what children's books should be like because they openly probed psychological experiences and fears that had been approached only indirectly before.
True_____ or False_____

6) In addition, many well-known writers, like the poet Donald Hall, began paying attention to children's books, and many of their books were quite successful, and some even won awards, and these awards included the most important ones, the Newbury and Caldicott awards.
True_____ or False_____

7) In the 1990s, celebrities began writing children's books, and some of them were well done, but others were, at best, only passable, and many of the celebrities did not do the writing all by themselves.
True_____ or False_____

8) Among the celebrity authors, several-including Jamie Lee Curtis, Carl Reiner, and Maria Shriver, wrote works that were critically applauded, but others' books, including Madonna's, have not been well-received.
True_____ or False_____

9) Recently, children's books have become even more colorful, and more expensive, and they display varied gender and social roles that children may adopt later in life or that they may see in the adults around them, as well as including more social problems.
True_____ or False_____

10) The number of children's books published each year continues to increase, so that today's parents (and children) have an extraordinary number of choices, and they are often available at a discount, so most families can afford to give children varied reading experiences, yet not all families choose to do so.
True_____ or False_____

Pollution – Causes and Effects-

Nowadays, pollution is a very harmful and serious problem, which most people do not care. Nevertheless people should contribute on the prevention and solve this situation, but if the situation continues, the planet will no longer be habitable for neither animals nor people. There are several kinds of pollution; for example, the most common are air, water, and land pollution; it is important than every human beings have in mind the consequences if the pollution grows more each days and the future of children who would be starting their lives.

The land pollution is the degradation of Earth’s land surfaces; it is caused by human activities like exploitation of minerals, inadequate agricultural, and urban and industrial wastes. Some statics from the green students in the USA says that every year one American produces over 3285 pounds of hazardous waste and, over 80% of these items in landfills can be recycled, but they’re not. In other words, the major sources of this problem are because people do not care about the end of their wastes or activities as a result of the Urbanization and Industrialization (wikipedia); as a consequence, people, who live or work in nearby areas, could suffer from health-problems like deformities, cancers, respiratory and skin problems and it can lead to birth defects (buzzle and earthplatform).

Second type is Air pollution, that includes all contaminants found in the atmosphere, which dangerous substances can be either in the form of gases or particles. Every day, the average person inhales about 20,000 liters of air, according to "Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1985"; therefore, every time we breathe, we risk inhaling these dangerous chemicals and contaminated gases. Air pollutants have sources that are both natural and human; however, most of this pollution is the result of human activity such as: excessive burning of fossil fuels, automobiles combustion and the utilization of agrochemical substances and aerosols. Air pollution has several bad effects over human health since it increases the appearance of diseases like: bronchitis, lung cancer, and heart disorders; plus, it affects the survival of both plants; because, their leaves become deteriorate and animals because they suffer diseases and die.

The water covers over 70% of the Earth’s surface, and it is a very important resource for the different species in the earth and the environment. However the pollution affects drinking water, rivers, lakes, and oceans all over the world. This type of pollution may not damage our health immediately but can be dangerous with the pass of the time causing diseases like colera, hepatitis illness that cause the death; also the acid rain can cause harm the health of marine life in the rivers and lakes as a result can produce a disrupting the growth of photosynthetic plants, micro-organisms and other aquatic organisms that depends on this natural environment to survive created some extinctions of the species. These consequences start due some chemical pollution cause mainly to the technologies development that occurred with the pass of the time, the oil and petrol from the ships.

People know those problems about pollution, and most of us understand the harmful effects; however, we sometimes think that those consequences could never affect us, so we continue contaminating; destroying ourselves and also the environment, which nowadays is less habitable than before. The solution is people understand the consequences of pollution to start taking actions to stop it, like recycling, reusing and reducing waste. In conclusion, those actions (3R) could help us to decrease pollution levels in water, air and land.

Work Cited

Wikipedia. “Land Pollution”. Was modified on 01/12/10. Taken the 06/12/10 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_pollution.

Wikipedia. “Air Pollution”. Was modified on 10/12/10. Taken the 09/12/10 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_pollution.

Buzzle.com. “Land Pollution”. Taken the 06/12/10 from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/land-pollution.html.

EarthPlatform.com. “Land Pollution”. 2010. Taken the 06/12/10 from http://www.earthplatform.com/c/pollution/land.

GreenstudentU.com. “Pollution”. 2008-2010. Taken the 06/12/10 from http://www.greenstudentu.com/encyclopedia/pollution.

“Water Pollution”. Taken the 06/12/10 from http://library.thinkquest.org/26467/water_pollution.htm.

The Guides Network. “Water Pollution Guide”. 2003-2010. Taken the 06/12/10 from http://www.water-pollution.org.uk/health.html.

Tom Soncha. “Air Pollution Cause and Effects”. 09/11/2007. Taken the 09/12/10 from http://healthandenergy.com/air_pollution_causes.htm.

Caroline, David, Michael, Mindy, Neil, and Vikas. ThinkQuest.com. “Air Pollution”. 1999. Taken the 09/12/10 from http://library.thinkquest.org/26026/Environmental_Problems/air_pollution.html.

Marijuana Legalization

For the last years a lot of countries had debated about the convenience of the marijuana’s legalization, the last place to decide was California, US, where people voted NO, but in countries like Netherland people said YES. This controversial matter has divided people in two groups, one of them says that marijuana’s legalization is a “crazy” idea because they think it could cause more corruption; and, the security will decrease with the approval; however, the other group thinks this approval could be the best resolution to avoid the abused use of this drug, decrease narcotrafic business, and it provides better treatments in the medical area; therefore, the marijuana’s legalization has more benefits than disadvantages.

Some people say that narcotrafic will be similar whether the marijuana will be legalized or not, they explain that the providers will be the same, what tells us that narcotrafic will be always present; however, they are wrong because if marijuana is legalized governments have to regulate this activity, they must control the marijuana’s distribution around the country, so people will not want to buy illegal marijuana if they can buy it in the legal way; it could cause prices on illegal marijuana decrease and this activity will left to be rentable for narcotrafic. This model was implemented in Netherland since many years and marijuana’s narcotrafic disappears in this country (Ministerie VWS).

The marijuana has become very successful in the medicine field because of its therapeutic advantages above other drugs. It is actually one of least toxic drugs available, which can safely be combined with any mediation and has a wide range of application healing. Following a referendum in California on November 8, 1996, proposition 215 was adopted authorizing physicians to prescribe marijuana, as well as nurses, responsible for a number of patients, to cultivate this plant by strict therapeutic purposes only. It’s into a force at the federal level is pending approval by the U.S. Congress, according to the Article: “Usos medicinales del Cannabis”. People that denied the legalization of this healing drug, are “running over” all the people with diseases such as: Glaucoma, Asthma, Epilepsy, anorexia, depression and different types of synchronous pain; because all of them use this drug for healing purposes such as: pressure overrides, preventing nausea, stimulation of appetite, it helps invigorates the patient, as a relaxant, plus, for the mitigation of Childbirth, menstruation and chemotherapy pain.

In “Marijuana’s legalization issue”, an important benefit for modern cultures and societies, it’s the huge amounts of dollars that governments invest every year to avoid the consume and also the distribution and business around marijuana, after the possibility to the legalization, for sure the governments will save these resources, so they can invest in social problematic and increase the quality of social life style. As a result, they also can implement to avoid the temptation to look for the prohibit customs that teenagers and childhood usually use to practice nowadays, this temptation to practice and try what all society hide for them, what is bad, what they want to know and their parents avoid to them; without any doubt with the legalization the “taboo” about the looking for the prohibit things is solved, and the marijuana will appear like something normal like cigarettes and a bottle of alcohol; of course they are all vicious, that are never recommended.

Finally, it’s known that drugs are not good whichever the kind could be, bus also we all have to accept that marijuana is now part of our society, accept that no matter if the person who smokes marijuana is 15, 20, 25 or 35 years old, everybody is susceptible to get the vicious and be consumed by the marijuana; that’s why its legalization is necessary and should be done as soon as possible because it’s not just the best way to combat the marijuana, maybe it’s the only one way to avoid it!


Work cited

Tweede Kamer, Ministerie VWS, “El mantenimiento de la Ley del Opio / El cultivo de marihuana holandesa”, 1995, taken the 11-24-2010 from http://www.drugtext.org/library/reports/wvc/drugnota/4/s56.htm

Joe Messerli, Balanced Politics, “Should marijuana be legalized under any circumstances?”, 4-20-2010 taken the 11-25-2010 from http://www.balancedpolitics.org/marijuana_legalization.htm

Blind Side

When we are born, we cannot choose our family. In some cases we can be born in a family with a lot of money and amenities, but sometimes we can be born in a poor family, which has a lot of economical problems and little amenities. In any case, in our life we must have education, job, survival and overcoming chances and whatever the family where we are born, anybody has abilities and quality to develop in his/her life. Some of these people have the same or similar features, but in most of the cases economical social class does influence the aspects on each person.

One of different feature is the education, because poor people cannot choose the school of their children, so they have to study in the best case at public school, but sometimes poor children cannot study because they have not money to go to school and these children have to work. On the other hand, families with money can choose the best school for their children; these children can learn several languages, technical knowledge and other, so the education quality is better than public school.

Talking about jobs, a lot of people think that a good job is the best way to increase the personal growing, especially after have a difficult childhood or adolescence. People who live in a problematic and poor society, like Michael’s at the beginning of his life, have to choose to look for a honest work, or to start selling drugs and be in the police’s eye all the time; is in that the time when they all need a hand to avoid the worse thinks, like fall in drugs, that’s why a job helps.

In order to trying to survive, if we walk the line, step by step we can find the self-improvement, that because after you take the decision to choose the correct way, perhaps then you think ideas to study, to practice a sport, to go to the gym and maybe start thinking in a better job opportunity with the experience and skills you have acquired. It’s important to mention that personal growing is not exactly to be rich and a highly studied person, personal growing for some people is to get away of vicious and forget corrupt life.

In conclusion, poverty and rich people are not so different; they both have the capacity to become a very educated and polity people, the different is the opportunities that rich people have over the poor people to really succeed in this world, because nowadays it doesn´t matter if you are intelligent, what matters it´s you are rich or poor.

Weapons of Mass Destruction

Before cold war started, people just knew about nuclear weapons when they refer to weapons of mass destruction (WMD). After this war, people could link nuclear and chemical dangers with WMD. Nowadays people associate nuclear, chemical, and biological dangers with these words since the anthrax attacks in 2001 (Weapons of mass destruction, Wikipedia).

Weapons of mass destruction are increasing since II world war when USA used two nuclear weapons against Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, but the greatest proliferation of WMD, which “can kill and bring significant harm to a large numbers of humans (and other life forms) and/or cause great damage to man-made structures (e.g. buildings), natural structures (e.g. mountains), or the biosphere in general” (Weapons of mass destruction, Wikipedia), was not until 1990’s because some states and terrorist groups developed several WMD as David P. Fidler, who works in American Society of International Law, wrote. Countries suggest increase more WMD to confront terrorist weapons, so “this development suggests that the need for international law in connection with the WMD threat may be higher now than in previous historical period” (David P. Fidler). Unless this happen, the world will fight without control, and most of people can die or countries, where we live, can be destroyed.

Work Cited
David P. Fidler. American Society of International Law. “Weapons of Mass Destruction and International Law”. February, 2003. Taken the 09/11/10 from http://www.asil.org/insigh97.cfm.

Wikipedia. “Weapon of mass destruction”. Taken the 09/11/10 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weapon_of_mass_destruction.

Globalization of Infectious Diseases

In these days, there are three most common viruses in the world. The first one is the AIDS/HIV; which infected around 33. 4 million people (approximate 9% are children) in 2008 (UNAIDS) this kind of virus is transmitted by sexual contact and blood transfusions; it does not exist any cure. Second one is the West Nile Virus, is newer but not less dangerous than AIDS; because since 1999 it has taken over 500 deaths in the Caribbean, North, and Central America (NBII). One of the advantages of this disease is that is that the only way to be transmitted is by a mosquito bite, so it is easier to control. The last one is the swineflu, which is the newest pandemic; we had more than 718 confirmed cases that had been blamed for 27 deaths in 2009 (CNN). It starts with a common cold, which is converting in a stronger flu producing death; the most known case was president Oscar Arias. In conclusion, the mentioned diseases are so harmful because they caused a lot of death could be avoided with prevention.

Works Cited
1. World Health Organization (UNAIDS). “Global Facts and Figures”. 2009

2. NBII. “West Nile Virus”. Taken from http//west nilevirus.nbii.gov/02/06/2006.

3. CNN.com/world. “Costa Rica president sick with swine flu”. August 12, 2009. Taken htpp//edition.cnn.com/2009/world/American/08/11/costarica.president.h1n1.flu/index.html

Disadvantages of Immigration

Immigrants cause several disadvantages on countries where they arrived. One of them is greater poverty because immigrants’ income is usually lower than natives; therefore, more vulnerable to be affected by downturns in the economy (newbatch). This information is reflected in immigrants’ children poverty rates, which have increased between 1970 and 2000 in 10%, and poor children of native just increased 0.6% (Poverty Grows Among Children of Immigrants in US). Many immigrants cannot study because of education cost, so they receive low education than native, same happen with the health, that in many cases is impossible to pay social security packages. Because of the information above it is desirable to reduce as much as possible the number of immigrants to arrive from foreign countries.


Works cited
1. Van Hook, Jennifer. Poverty Grows Among Children of Immigrants in US. December, 2003. Retrieved on October, 10, 2010. From http://www.migrationinformation.org/USfocus/display.cfm?ID=188

2. Immigration Policy Issues. May, 2010. Retrived on October, 10, 2010. From http://www.newsbatch.com/immigration.htm

Overcoming poverty

Nowadays a lot of people have overcome poverty, even though they had many socioeconomic problems, they can success their difficulties; for example, when my cousin was in her last year of high school she was pregnant with her first child, whose name is Michelle, so she left the school and lost the course. Two years later, at the moment when she returned to study she was pregnant with her second and last child, whose name is Mario, so she had to suspend her studies again. After Mario was born, her boyfriend left her, and she has neither work nor money, but she couldn’t find a job because she didn’t have any academic degrees. She was in a critical economic situation that affected her and her children, any organization wanted to help her, these organizations said she had to wait because several people were before than her. Yet any person or organization helped her, she found a part-time job, which helped her to get money and at nights, while children was sleeping, she studied to the MEP (Ministerio de Educación Publica) tests. After a great effort, she passed little by little every exam, so now she has a high school degree, then she found a great job at the PANI, and her children are growing up in their own house. Today she can say that she overcame her problems, it was so difficult; however, with God and much effort all is possible.

Global Warming

Nowadays most of people know and understand the global warming, but nobody do anything to fix it. In the last years the effects of this problem have increased, yet goverments around the world have wanted to stop it because developed countries promised $4000 million to combat global warming as La Nación wrote in the article “Calentamiento global afectará directamente a Costa Rica“; even though they have invested that money in reforestation, renewave energy and biofuels, these measures are not enough. I think that is very difficult to get the goal to reduce global warming 2 Celsius by 2020; moreover, according to Ronald van der A, who is a senior project scientist at the Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute in the Netherlands, in the article “The Ozono Hole Has Decreased by 30%”, the hole in the ozone layer is decreasing over previous years. This is a great report because it is the requiered force to continue with the fight again the global warming.


Works Cited
Alejandra Vargas y Pablo Fonseca, “Calentamiento Global afectará directamente a Costa Rica”, http://wvw.nacion.com/ln_ee/2007/noviembre/27/aldea1330867.html, 2007, November 27.

Sten Anitei, “Ozone Hole Has Decreased by 30%”, http://news.softpedia.com/news/Ozone-Hole-Has-Decreased-by-30-67580.shtml, 2007, October 4th.

Domestic Violence

Nowadays, domestic violence is one of the big problems of our society, and this problem affects all kinds of people and social classes.
Some international organizations expressed their concern about this issue; because, this problem violates the international agreements on human rights; in addition, the Population Reference Bureau webpage wrote “Domestic violence is increasingly recognized as a critical public health problem by organizations like the Pan American Health Organization and the Inter-American Commission of Women of the Organization of American States and as a serious violation of basic human rights under international treaties”.
Most of countries in Latin America, included Costa Rica, have done more laws against domestic violence; nevertheless, some surveys in these countries “Indicate that an estimated 10 percent to 50 percent of women report being physically assaulted by their male partner” (Population Reference Bureau).
This trouble increases when the victim does not tell anything about her/his situation, then anybody knows the problem, and the police cannot do anything, so the violence cycle continues.
In conclusion, in recent years domestic violence has been increasing and nowadays it is a “critical public health problem”, although Costa Rica and other countries have increased laws and punishments, these measures are not enough, so governments have to create best polices to stop this trend to violence.


Works Cited
“Domestic Violence and Abuse”. HelpGuide.org. Sep. 15, 10. http://helpguide.org/mental/domestic_violence_abuse_types_signs_causes_effects.htm

“Domestic Violence: An Ongoing Threat to Women in Latin America and the Caribbean”. Population Reference Bureau. Article by Liz Creel with special reporting by Sara Lovera and Miriam Ruiz. Sep. 15, 10. http://www.prb.org/Articles/2001/DomesticViolenceAnOngoingThreattoWomeninLatinAmericaandtheCaribbean.aspx