Time flies, in a split second it is now the recess week which actually means that we are half way through the semester! This past six weeks in EG1471 has been very meaningful to me. I have learnt a lot from writing to speaking. When writing, I have learnt the techniques and ways to make your essay looks eye-catchy. The ways of using tenses, verb, vocabulary, pronouns, prepositions and article when writing and also the using of different types of sentence structure in an essays. For speaking, I have learnt the correct pronunciations of words which did not came to my mind that I have been mispronouncing it in the past. For example, the word ‘sword’ is pronounce as ‘sort’, ‘salmon’ is pronounce as ‘saymon’ etc.
For the next half of the semester, I will like to improve my writing further. I want to reduce the grammatical mistake I am always making when writing, Other than that, I will want to improve my speaking skills and talk in a more confident tone. Last but not least, I hope to score well for my final English paper to make up for the recent text editing test which I have done badly.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Writting Assignment 1
One of the sub-challenges listed in [1] was overcoming people’s “resistance to new ways of doing things.” Understanding the reasons for resistance will very likely help engineers overcome it. Briefly explain why you think people resist new technology.
According to the article by the National Academy of Engineering (2008), engineering has been a great propelling force of civilization. As the world’s human population grows and the standard of living improves exponentially, technology is progressing towards a more advanced state in order to cater to the ever increasing human needs. Therefore, the human race has been in tandem with learning and upgrading of skills to match the rapid technological advancements. However, most people are not motivated to learn new things or skills. The first reason is their sluggishness. They seem to have this mentality that the technology that they are familiar with will satisfy their current state of work, thus finding it unnecessary to upgrade themselves. Others would feel that learning new technology is a waste of time as they believe that it might not perform better as compared to the old technology that they are currently using. Others would find it embarrassing, being asked to start over again and learn new things at such an old age as compared to young teenagers who are technologically savvy. Peer pressure from bad company would also influence their mindset which leads them to give up on their opportunity to learn and upgrade themselves. Other than anthropogenic factors, environmental and political factors also play a part in discouraging people from upgrading themselves to better meet the demands in their working counter. Certain countries do not have the luxury of having a high standard of living and thus it restricts them from implementing new technology. Even if they choose to invest in better technologies, the cost of sustaining such investments could pose another problem. In addition, these countries might not have the funds to hire skilled technicians to train and educated their citizens. In conclusion, these factors mentioned above contribute largely to the reason why people and countries remain adamant against new technologies. Therefore, engineers should get to the root of the problems mentioned above before attempting to implement new technology for the world.
References
[Online document] Feb 2008. Introduction to the grand challenges of engineering. National Academy of Engineering Retrieved June 3, 2008, from http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/cms/8996/9221.aspx
According to the article by the National Academy of Engineering (2008), engineering has been a great propelling force of civilization. As the world’s human population grows and the standard of living improves exponentially, technology is progressing towards a more advanced state in order to cater to the ever increasing human needs. Therefore, the human race has been in tandem with learning and upgrading of skills to match the rapid technological advancements. However, most people are not motivated to learn new things or skills. The first reason is their sluggishness. They seem to have this mentality that the technology that they are familiar with will satisfy their current state of work, thus finding it unnecessary to upgrade themselves. Others would feel that learning new technology is a waste of time as they believe that it might not perform better as compared to the old technology that they are currently using. Others would find it embarrassing, being asked to start over again and learn new things at such an old age as compared to young teenagers who are technologically savvy. Peer pressure from bad company would also influence their mindset which leads them to give up on their opportunity to learn and upgrade themselves. Other than anthropogenic factors, environmental and political factors also play a part in discouraging people from upgrading themselves to better meet the demands in their working counter. Certain countries do not have the luxury of having a high standard of living and thus it restricts them from implementing new technology. Even if they choose to invest in better technologies, the cost of sustaining such investments could pose another problem. In addition, these countries might not have the funds to hire skilled technicians to train and educated their citizens. In conclusion, these factors mentioned above contribute largely to the reason why people and countries remain adamant against new technologies. Therefore, engineers should get to the root of the problems mentioned above before attempting to implement new technology for the world.
References
[Online document] Feb 2008. Introduction to the grand challenges of engineering. National Academy of Engineering Retrieved June 3, 2008, from http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/cms/8996/9221.aspx
W5T2: Common Grammatical Mistakes Made
Identify 1 of your common grammar mistakes and explain how the grammatical structure should be used correctly in 200-300 words. In addition, include a practice exercise or activity related to the grammatical structure.
The most common grammatical mistake I made when writing, is the using of tenses. I always have difficulties differentiating whether the sentence is in the present simple, present perfect, past simple or past perfect. Also, I will tend to make small mistakes in singular and pural form.
For example, “He treat his employees like slave” and “He treats his employees like slaves”. Which sentence do you think is the correct one? The second sentence is correct as the “He” is singular and “employees” is plural hence there should be a “s” behind the “treat” and a “s” behind the “slaves” respectively.
I find that the perfect tense is the hardest to learn as it is rarely used when speaking English. In the past, I do not know the difference between “I have eaten my breakfast” and “I ate my breakfast” as both are referring to the past. So how do you differentiate the different types of tenses to be use when writing?
For example, the sentence: “I have done something wrong". It is using a present perfect tense which means that you just discovered you have done something wrong. As for this sentence: "I did something wrong". It is using a past tense which means u did something wrong in the past. The other perfect aspects such as past perfect, for instances "I had done something wrong" means that you had already did something wrong in the past. Lastly, for future perfect, for example "I will have done something wrong" means that you have not done anything wrong but you are about to do something wrong.
Learning the use of tenses and applying it when writing is different. I find that constant reading and writing is required in order to master the skills of making less error in tenses.
Below is the practice I have taken from ITSELF. Maybe you can have a look and try it out too. Enjoy =)
Practice(ITSELF/Tenses/SELF Worksheets for Verb Tenses
Advanced Level
Rats!
Of all man’s natural enemies, the one which has caused him more trouble than any other must be the common rat. For centuries, man (1) _has been trying_ (try), in vain, to solve the problem of rats. The ancient Egyptians (2) _were_ (be) probably the first people to try to get rid of them with poison, and this method (3) __will still be used__ (still be used) today. This says a great deal about how effective this method (4) __was__ (be). We have set innumerable and ingenious traps, from simple wires to complicated machines which drowned the rats in beer! We (5) ___have used___ (use) gas, water and fire. We have tried to electrocute them and to infect them with specially developed germs. We've even tried to breed super‑cats to kill them. However, we are still losing the battle.
One of the first records we have of the problem of rats was in 1347 when some Italian ships (6) ___has carried___ (carry) rats from the Black Sea back to Italy. Soon, the citizens (7) __were complaining__ (complain) of painful dark marks on their skin. Soon after that, they were dead. This was the beginning of the 'Black Death' which killed 25 million people in only three years. For centuries, the same disease, also called the plague, would wipe out thousands of people from time to time and in different places. Thankfully, this is a problem that man (8) __has to overcome__ (almost overcome). Plague today (9) __is___ (be) not the threat it used to be. Only a few countries in the world (10) _are still having__ (still have) an occasional death caused by the plague. However, the rat is still alive and healthy.
Although the problem of plague has been contained, the rat is still man’s number one enemy. This year, in the United States alone, rats will bite thousands of humans, causing disease, despair and terror. They (11) __will destroyed__ (destroy) well over a billion dollars worth of property. In a world constantly suffering from famine, rats will destroy approximately a fifth of all food crops planted. In India alone, they (12) _will deprive_ (deprive) hungry people of enough grain to fill a train more than 2,000 kilometres long. In all of Asia, rats (13) __ate__ (eat) 48 million tons of rice a year, enough food to feed a quarter of a billion people. Around the world, rats will spread at least 20 kinds of disease, and in several tropical countries their population will suddenly explode and completely destroy the land.
'When we speak of rats,' (14) __explained__ (explain) one leading scientist, 'we are speaking of the most numerous and successful mammal on earth, perhaps including man! When we talk about rat control, we're talking about human survival.'
So why can't man, with all his scientific knowledge, manage to overcome a mere animal like the rat? The answer is simply that the rat isn't a 'mere' animal ‑ it (15) __is__ (be) a very special kind of animal. An average rat can: wriggle through a hole no larger than a S$1 coin; climb a brick wall as if it (16) __is climbing__ (climb) steps; swim for one kilometre and then tread water for three days; chew through lead pipes and metal bars with teeth that can exert an unbelievable 1,691 kilograms per square centimetre; happily leave a building by being flushed down the toilet, and then return the same way; jump from a fifth storey window and run away unharmed; and last but certainly not least, multiply so rapidly that a single pair could have 15,000 babies in one year!!
Perhaps the best example of how 'special' these creatures (17) __are_ (be) is found on the island of Engebi, in the Western Pacific. For many years, the United States tested its nuclear weapons on this island. The rat was “completely” destroyed by repeated nuclear explosions. A few years after the explosions (18) _stopped__ (stop), scientists visited the island and found it was alive with rats. The rats were not injured or weakened in any way. On the contrary, their life spans were longer and, if anything, they were larger and stronger than other rats. It (19) _seems_ (seem) that the most deadly weapon that people can create actually (20) __improves__ (improve) the health of our oldest enemy!
In addition to all these physical qualities, we also have the problem that rats are rather good at (21) _not getting caught_ (not get caught). They seem to have an almost supernatural ability to sense when food (22) __is poisoned_ (be poisoned) (even as little as one part in a million) and a suspicious rat will starve before it (23) _eats__ (eat) poisoned food. They also seem to be able to recognize a trap with no real difficulty.
To overcome these abilities of the rat, we now use a huge variety of weapons, both sophisticated and simple. We (24) _are experimenting_ (experiment) with chemicals, radiation, high‑frequency sound, and even super‑glue! There is now a machine on the market which (25) __claimed__ (claim) to grab the rat, electrocute it and neatly seal it in a plastic bag. However, the simplest method (26) __is__ (be) probably also the oldest, a strong wooden club. It (27) __proves_ (prove) very effective in Bombay, India. Every night, the rat‑catchers take to the streets armed with such a club. They find a rat with the beam of their torch, crack it over the head, pick it up with their toes and drop it into a sack. In total, they (28) __kill__ (kill) 4,000 a night, which (29) __is__(be) a mere drop in the ocean. One thing (30) __looks__ (look) certain, we had better find a way to defeat these small brown creatures soon, or it may be too late. In the age‑old battle between rats and people, the rats are perhaps beginning to win!
Reference
[Online document] SELF Worksheets for Verb Tenses. Retrieved September 10, 2008, from http://courses.nus.edu.sg/courseware/ITSELF
The most common grammatical mistake I made when writing, is the using of tenses. I always have difficulties differentiating whether the sentence is in the present simple, present perfect, past simple or past perfect. Also, I will tend to make small mistakes in singular and pural form.
For example, “He treat his employees like slave” and “He treats his employees like slaves”. Which sentence do you think is the correct one? The second sentence is correct as the “He” is singular and “employees” is plural hence there should be a “s” behind the “treat” and a “s” behind the “slaves” respectively.
I find that the perfect tense is the hardest to learn as it is rarely used when speaking English. In the past, I do not know the difference between “I have eaten my breakfast” and “I ate my breakfast” as both are referring to the past. So how do you differentiate the different types of tenses to be use when writing?
For example, the sentence: “I have done something wrong". It is using a present perfect tense which means that you just discovered you have done something wrong. As for this sentence: "I did something wrong". It is using a past tense which means u did something wrong in the past. The other perfect aspects such as past perfect, for instances "I had done something wrong" means that you had already did something wrong in the past. Lastly, for future perfect, for example "I will have done something wrong" means that you have not done anything wrong but you are about to do something wrong.
Learning the use of tenses and applying it when writing is different. I find that constant reading and writing is required in order to master the skills of making less error in tenses.
Below is the practice I have taken from ITSELF. Maybe you can have a look and try it out too. Enjoy =)
Practice(ITSELF/Tenses/SELF Worksheets for Verb Tenses
Advanced Level
Rats!
Of all man’s natural enemies, the one which has caused him more trouble than any other must be the common rat. For centuries, man (1) _has been trying_ (try), in vain, to solve the problem of rats. The ancient Egyptians (2) _were_ (be) probably the first people to try to get rid of them with poison, and this method (3) __will still be used__ (still be used) today. This says a great deal about how effective this method (4) __was__ (be). We have set innumerable and ingenious traps, from simple wires to complicated machines which drowned the rats in beer! We (5) ___have used___ (use) gas, water and fire. We have tried to electrocute them and to infect them with specially developed germs. We've even tried to breed super‑cats to kill them. However, we are still losing the battle.
One of the first records we have of the problem of rats was in 1347 when some Italian ships (6) ___has carried___ (carry) rats from the Black Sea back to Italy. Soon, the citizens (7) __were complaining__ (complain) of painful dark marks on their skin. Soon after that, they were dead. This was the beginning of the 'Black Death' which killed 25 million people in only three years. For centuries, the same disease, also called the plague, would wipe out thousands of people from time to time and in different places. Thankfully, this is a problem that man (8) __has to overcome__ (almost overcome). Plague today (9) __is___ (be) not the threat it used to be. Only a few countries in the world (10) _are still having__ (still have) an occasional death caused by the plague. However, the rat is still alive and healthy.
Although the problem of plague has been contained, the rat is still man’s number one enemy. This year, in the United States alone, rats will bite thousands of humans, causing disease, despair and terror. They (11) __will destroyed__ (destroy) well over a billion dollars worth of property. In a world constantly suffering from famine, rats will destroy approximately a fifth of all food crops planted. In India alone, they (12) _will deprive_ (deprive) hungry people of enough grain to fill a train more than 2,000 kilometres long. In all of Asia, rats (13) __ate__ (eat) 48 million tons of rice a year, enough food to feed a quarter of a billion people. Around the world, rats will spread at least 20 kinds of disease, and in several tropical countries their population will suddenly explode and completely destroy the land.
'When we speak of rats,' (14) __explained__ (explain) one leading scientist, 'we are speaking of the most numerous and successful mammal on earth, perhaps including man! When we talk about rat control, we're talking about human survival.'
So why can't man, with all his scientific knowledge, manage to overcome a mere animal like the rat? The answer is simply that the rat isn't a 'mere' animal ‑ it (15) __is__ (be) a very special kind of animal. An average rat can: wriggle through a hole no larger than a S$1 coin; climb a brick wall as if it (16) __is climbing__ (climb) steps; swim for one kilometre and then tread water for three days; chew through lead pipes and metal bars with teeth that can exert an unbelievable 1,691 kilograms per square centimetre; happily leave a building by being flushed down the toilet, and then return the same way; jump from a fifth storey window and run away unharmed; and last but certainly not least, multiply so rapidly that a single pair could have 15,000 babies in one year!!
Perhaps the best example of how 'special' these creatures (17) __are_ (be) is found on the island of Engebi, in the Western Pacific. For many years, the United States tested its nuclear weapons on this island. The rat was “completely” destroyed by repeated nuclear explosions. A few years after the explosions (18) _stopped__ (stop), scientists visited the island and found it was alive with rats. The rats were not injured or weakened in any way. On the contrary, their life spans were longer and, if anything, they were larger and stronger than other rats. It (19) _seems_ (seem) that the most deadly weapon that people can create actually (20) __improves__ (improve) the health of our oldest enemy!
In addition to all these physical qualities, we also have the problem that rats are rather good at (21) _not getting caught_ (not get caught). They seem to have an almost supernatural ability to sense when food (22) __is poisoned_ (be poisoned) (even as little as one part in a million) and a suspicious rat will starve before it (23) _eats__ (eat) poisoned food. They also seem to be able to recognize a trap with no real difficulty.
To overcome these abilities of the rat, we now use a huge variety of weapons, both sophisticated and simple. We (24) _are experimenting_ (experiment) with chemicals, radiation, high‑frequency sound, and even super‑glue! There is now a machine on the market which (25) __claimed__ (claim) to grab the rat, electrocute it and neatly seal it in a plastic bag. However, the simplest method (26) __is__ (be) probably also the oldest, a strong wooden club. It (27) __proves_ (prove) very effective in Bombay, India. Every night, the rat‑catchers take to the streets armed with such a club. They find a rat with the beam of their torch, crack it over the head, pick it up with their toes and drop it into a sack. In total, they (28) __kill__ (kill) 4,000 a night, which (29) __is__(be) a mere drop in the ocean. One thing (30) __looks__ (look) certain, we had better find a way to defeat these small brown creatures soon, or it may be too late. In the age‑old battle between rats and people, the rats are perhaps beginning to win!
Reference
[Online document] SELF Worksheets for Verb Tenses. Retrieved September 10, 2008, from http://courses.nus.edu.sg/courseware/ITSELF
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