8 Special Little Words in English Grammar

To be accurate, its not the words themselves that are special; its how theyre sometimes used in sentences. Linguists have assigned names to these distinctive (and sometimes controversial) ways of using eight very common words in English: it, there, should, anymore, be, we, they, and eh. For additional examples and more detailed discussions of the terms, follow the links in bold. Dummy ItUnlike an ordinary pronoun, dummy it refers to nothing at all. In sentences about time and weather (e.g., Its six oclock, Its snowing) and in certain idioms (Its obvious youre having a tough time), it serves as a dummy subject. (For a related use of this personal pronoun, see Anticipatory It.)Existential ThereAnother familiar type of dummy subject is the existential there. In contrast to the deictic there, which refers to a place (e.g., Lets sit over there), the nonreferential there simply points out the existence of something (There is a problem with the network).Putative ShouldUnlike the mandative should, which expresses a command or recommendation (e.g., You should stop complaining), the putative should emphasizes an emotional response to a presumed fact (Its sad you should feel that way). Putative should is heard more often in British English than in American English.Positive AnymoreIn Standard English, the adverb anymore is usually limited to negative or interrogative co nstructions (e.g., She doesnt sing anymore). But in some American, Canadian, and Irish dialects, anymore is also used in positive constructions to mean now or at this time (They go to Maryland on their holidays anymore).Invariant BeA feature of African American Vernacular English (AAVE), invariant be is often misinterpreted as an all-purpose substitute for am, is and are. In fact, because invariant be (as in She be busy all the time) has the special function of marking habitual or repeated activities, AAVE makes a distinction that Standard English cant make by verb tense alone. (See No Time Like the Present Tense.)Inclusive WeIn contrast to the exclusive we, which deliberately leaves out the person whos being addressed (e.g., Dont call us; well call you), inclusive we uses a first-person plural pronoun to evoke a sense of commonality and rapport between a speaker (or writer) and his or her audience (We shall never surrender).Singular TheyMost handbooks still decry the use of they, t hem, or their to refer to a singular noun or an indefinite pronoun (e.g., Somebody lost their keys). But this is probably a losing battle: singular they has been in widespread use since the 14th century.Narrative EhThough strongly associated with speakers of Canadian English, narrative eh isnt exclusively Canadian. This little discourse marker or tag (described by one linguist as virtually meaningless) most often shows up at the end of a sentence--like this, eh?

The Civil War - 1178 Words

The Civil War During both the civil war and civil war reconstruction time periods, there were many changes going on in the Union. The Emancipation Proclamation, as well as legislation such as the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth amendments, was causing a new awakening of democracy; while the renouncing of secession by the South marked a definite triumph for Nationalism. As well, the government was involved in altercations of its own. During reconstruction, the legislative and executive branches eventually came to blows over the use of power. The nation was being altered by forces which caused, and later repaired, a broken Union. The first of these forces, was the expansion of democracy. As early as 1862,†¦show more content†¦Congress and the president began dueling over power distribution starting at about the time of Andrew Johnson s presidency. Johnson became president after Lincoln s death and immediately set the tone for the rest of his dealings with Congress. His plan for reconstruction was much to relaxed for radical Republicans in Congress, and Johnson lacked the diplomatic abilities of Lincoln. Johnson did prescribe loyalty oaths for southern whites if they were to receive pardon and amnesty, he did exclude high confederate officials from that allowance, and he did require a state convention of state leaders loyal to the Union to elect new congressional delegates. Johnson did not, however include some provisions being called for by Congress. His plan recommended, but did not require, the repeal of secession ordinances and repudiation of secession, repudiation of the Confederate debt, and the ratification of the thirteenth amendment. These points absent from the Johnson program were the instigation congress needed to take charge of reconstruction. The first step by Congress, against Johnson, was taken in December 1865. Under Johnson s program, southern representatives had been elected to Congress. A majority of congress voted to refuse accepting the delegates, and appointed a committee to begin work on reconstruction. In 1866, Congress overrode a presidential veto for theShow MoreRelatedThe War Of The Civil War921 Words   |  4 PagesThere are no doubts that acts of war can have a negative impact on the individuals involved. There are countless stories of the soldiers’ experiences in the war, and how it affected their lives, families, and attitudes. However, there is a large demographic that is hardly accounted for: children, specifically during the Civil War era. Understanding the children that lived in the time of the Civil War is important because it affected their future careers, shaped their attitudes towards race, and affectedRead MoreCivil War And A Revolution1196 Words   |  5 Pagesthat a civil war is going on there. On the other hand, others argue that it is a revolution against oppression that has been brutally responded to. Evaluating the situation in Syria requires solid understanding of specific terms of a civil war and a revolution. Also, is there a general consensus on what a civil war or a revolution is? Can the situation in Syria simply be classified into one of these two? The first important thing to know is that there is no single definition of a civil war that historiansRead MoreThe War Of The Civil War964 Words   |  4 Pageswasn’t one sole cause of the Civil War but there were many events that took the country to war and put brother against brother and states against states. Abraham Lincoln wanted to preserve the union and that could only be attained by civil war. Slavery which was an underlying cause for the war played its role in the division that divided the North against the South. Ultimately the preservation of the union, slavery and the consequences and conflicts leading to the Civil War all rested on President Lincoln’sRead MoreThe War Of The Civil War1522 Words   |  7 PagesCosts The war produced about 1,030,000 casualties, including about 620,000 soldier deaths—two-thirds by disease, and 50,000 civilians. The war accounted for roughly as many American deaths as all American deaths in other U.S. wars combined. Based on 1860 census figures, 8% of all white males aged 13 to 43 died in the war, including 6% in the North and 18% in the South. Union army dead, amounting to 15% of the over two million who served, was broken down as follows: Notably, their mortality rateRead MoreThe War Of The Civil War1540 Words   |  7 PagesOver the course of the Civil War, approximately three million men (and a handful of women disguised as men) served in the armed forces. By comparison, before the war, the U.S. Army consisted of only about 16,000 soldiers. 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In the four deadly years of war, over six-hundred thousand Americans were killed. Many disputes that led to the civil war. These conflicts started under President James Buchanan who was a Democrat elected in the election of 1856. The issue of slavery, states’ rights, the abolitionist movement, the Southern secession, the raid on Harper’s Ferry, the election of Abraham Lincoln all contributed to the start of the civil war. The civil warRead MoreThe War Of The Civil War Essay1444 Words   |  6 PagesThe story of this outlaw originated during the Civil War years, Apr il 12,1861-May 9, 1865. The War were the rich sat and watched, while the poor died. A War that wanted to keep black people as slaves permanently by the South (Confederates). Newton Knight quickly grew unhappy with the situation that the people of Jones County, where he was originally from were in. He also did not approved of slavery at all. Newt was the Outlaw who freed Jones County s people, whites and blacks alike when they mostRead MoreThe War Of The Civil War1284 Words   |  6 PagesEnglish 30 January 2015 The Civil War There are many facts most people generally do not know about the Civil War, so much research is needed to improve one’s knowledge about the Civil War. Authors such as: Robert G. Lambert, Rustle B. Olwell, and Kay A. Chick were all helpful in this research. Many people think that everyone on the Union side of the war believed that blacks should be equal to whites. Most people also think that everyone on the Confederate side of the war believed in slavery. SomeRead MoreThe War Of The Civil War1723 Words   |  7 PagesThe Civil War is by far the bloodiest war in American history. In the four deadly years of war, over six-hundred thousand Americans were killed. Many disputes that led to the civil war. These conflicts started even before the presidency of James Buchanan, who was a Democrat elected in the election of 1856. The issue of slavery, states’ rights, the abolitionist movement, the Southern secession, the raid on Harper’s Ferry, the election of Abraham Linc oln all contributed to the start of the Civil War

My Personal Learning Styles Free Essays

My Personal Learning Style Learning has been going on since the beginning of human kind and is still going on in today’s world. While in the beginning they did not study how they learned they still accomplished many things. Now we study how we learn so that we can hopefully learn more efficiently to accomplish things beyond our wildest dreams. We will write a custom essay sample on My Personal Learning Styles or any similar topic only for you Order Now Today I took to learning style quizzes in hopes of learning more about my personal learning styles so that I may improve myself. Today in this essay we will explore learning styles that equate with a preferred bodily sense through which one receives information. The three that are the most popular and explored are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. Gaining knowledge about things that connect to the real world that we walk in everyday is of great interest to me. In saying that, I chose to pursue a degree in Public Health, because it something I see every day and became very intrigued by. My chose to obtain a degree also came out of wanting to better myself and the people around me. A very important reason that I wanted to acquire my degree is so that I could be more financially capable to providing a comfortable life for my family. Finishing a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health would also give me a great deal of pride in myself. The two quizzes that I took today were the Felder and Soloman Quiz and the Learning Styles Quiz. They both gave me some good insight to how I learn and suggestions to help me learn more efficiently in any leaning environment. The results from the Felder and Soloman quiz showed me that I was reflective, sensing, verbal, and sequential which seemed to very accurate (Felder Soloman, n. d. ). As a reflective learner I prefer to think it through quietly, working alone, and taking notes while listening to lectures (Felder Soloman, n. . ). Being a Sensor tells me that I tend to enjoy learning about facts to the real world, solving problems with well-established methods, and I am patient with details (Felder Soloman, n. d. ). Verbal learning is something I have always enjoyed I just get more out of words–written and spoken explanations (Felder Soloman, n. d. ). Writing out or seeing steps in my head while trying to process information points to sequential learning where the learner tends to follow logical stepwise paths in finding solutions (Felder Soloman, n. d. ). The learning styles quiz focused on visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning styles which made it very straight forward. After taking this quiz the results showed me to be more of an auditory learner with sixty-four percent. As far as visual and kinesthetic learning both of the percentages were at eighteen percent so I definitely lean towards one method. As an auditory learner you prefer to learn by listening and often recall the words you’ve heard in your mind (Penn State, 2010). This quiz brought to my attention that while taking a written test, I am slow because of speaking to myself as you read (Penn State, 2010). The results of the quizzes that I took were very enlightening to me since I was of the belief that I really did not lean towards one learning style. Felder and Solomans’ quiz was the best out of the two that I experienced today because it was so full of information. I especially like that it gives you helpful tips on how to learn better with the learning styles that you have. Taking the quizzes today helped me better understand my learning style which I know will help me down the line while trying to learn anything. Basically what this essay boils down to is everyone has different ways of learning whether it is auditory, sensing or reflective. Knowing how I learn can be a very helpful tool in my success to completely my degree. Taking a quiz to learn about my learning style proved to be very insightful into my tactics taken while studying. In the end knowledge is power and knowing how to pour it into your mind with understanding is priceless. References: http://www. engr. ncsu. edu/learningstyles/ilsweb. html http://www. howtolearn. com/learning-styles-quiz How to cite My Personal Learning Styles, Essay examples

Development of the American Identity Between 1750 and 1776 free essay sample

In what ways and to what extent did the â€Å"American identity† develop between 1750 and 1776? Though the American colonists had not achieved a true, uniform sense of identity or unity by 1776, on the eve of Revolution, the progress towards unity and the inchoate idea of an â€Å"American† between 1750 and 1776 is inevitable in both existence and significance. Previous to the French and Indian War, America as a whole had been, more or less, loyal mercantile-based, and subservient to the British crown as British colonists in the New World; however, the Americans sense of unity kindled and proliferated with the increased tax burdens and coercive Parliamentary decisions, while even until 1776, Americans, in a broad scope, retained more so their â€Å"British† identity rather than a truly American one. Throughout the time period from 1750 to 1776, Americans undoubtedly developed a stronger, not solidified, sense of unity against a common enemy, the British. Even during the 1750s, when no particular duties or grievance troubled the American colonists (from the British), Benjamin Franklin proposed the Albany Plan of Union in order to secure the Iroquois loyalty and raise inter-colonial unity/agreement. Through political cartoon such as the famous Join, or Die fragmented snake, Ben Franklin hinted at the fact that, against a common enemy (in this case, the French and Huron Indian tribes), unity was of necessity in order to strengthen America as a whole (Doc. A). Furthermore, Ben Franklin expressed his opinion or unity at the Albany Congress, where a plan of, long-term unity was suggested. Though the colonies and the British crown both disapproved of the plan, the Albany Plan of Union was an important step towards unity, especially so early on in the existence of the American colonies. Although the first years of the period 1750-1776 were not as filled with ideas of unity, a chain reaction of direct taxes, strict Parliamentary Acts, and martial order shocked the American colonists into taking further steps towards unity. In a sense, the Proclamation of 1763 initiated the American process towards unity. By suddenly ending â€Å"salutary neglect†, the British Parliament had, unknowing, prompted the beginnings of the Americans grievances. Though not much protest occurred in response to the Proclamation (most colonists moved West anyways), the Act itself would set a precedent for Americans sense of anxiety. The first direct tax on the American colonies, the Stamp act, contributed significantly to the beginnings of pre-Revolutionary unity. With the rallying battle cry, â€Å"No taxation without representation†, the American colonists proceeded to call together the Stamp Act Congress. Not only was this event significant due to the fact that it was another group meeting, automatically signifying at least some unity, but major proponents of Revolution, such as Samuel Adams, started new efforts towards uniting colonists against Britain, such as the Sons of Liberty. The following several years, though not marked with tremendous amounts of unification, definitely contributed to a growing sense of anxiety and oppression amongst the American colonists. With more direct taxes such as the Tea Acts, Coercive Acts, and Quartering Acts. Grievance after grievance, the number of â€Å"unreasonable† British actions inevitably forced the Americans into a dilemma. While some colonists, such as Richmond Henry Lee, equated such acts to the British desire to â€Å"ruin† the colonies, others, such as Mather Byles, believed that a radical revolt in response to direct duties would be worse than no revolt at all (Doc. C and Doc. D). By observing those two significantly contrasting opinions regarding the idea of revolution and mistrust of the British empire, the idea of pervasive colonial unity can be refuted; however, the existence of uniformity of ideas, even if they existed only within select groups (such as the Tories, true blues, or neutral/timid), proves the moving of fragmented America into a more-unified America. Edmund Bunke sympathizes, in ideology, with Richard Lee by claiming that the colonies, merely by nature and geography, shouldnt coalesce and put up with British coercion. Doc. B). By expressing similar ideas with Lee, the existence of ideological unity between some colonists is undeniable. By the end of the pre-Revolutionary period, enough grievances, such as the Boston Massacre, had prompted Americans to agree that a Declaration of Independence was the wisest course of action. Though the Declaration was, more or less, a culmination of the growing unity in America, loyalist factions, especially those of the upper class, prevented the development of complete inter-colonial unity. Although the development of unity amongst certain colonists was apparent between the years 1750 and 1776, the development of unique â€Å"American† identity was not quite as prominent. Since 1750, the Americans had never explicitly asserted a desired separation from the mother country and establish themselves as â€Å"Americans†, but expressed a desire to â€Å"go back† to the way it was. In the Declaration for causes of Taking up Arms, the states, as a whole, even include that there is no â€Å"ambitious design of separating from Great Britain . . . and establishing independent states† (Doc. Even in such a rebellious declaration, the Americans did not profess a desire to unify and revolt as Americans, but more as fellow-subjects that were dissatisfied with certain Parliamentary actions. Though the development of an â€Å"American† identity can be argued for, even that potential â€Å"identity† was limited to radical areas. By observing the chart portraying contributions for the relief of Boston, an unevenness of involvement in the Revolution reflects the sentiment that many colonists had no true sense of American identity.