Hyphens Are Chains Linking Phrasal Adjectives

Hyphens Are Chains Linking Phrasal Adjectives Hyphens Are Chains Linking Phrasal Adjectives Hyphens Are Chains Linking Phrasal Adjectives By Mark Nichol Writers frequently neglect to connect two words that together constitute a single grammatical unit modifying a noun that follows them. This error of omission is even more likely when the phrasal adjective consists of more than two words. The following sentences demonstrate such errors, and a discussion and a revision follow each example. 1. Leaders should be demanding reports that provide relevant stakeholders with near real time information. The phrase â€Å"near real time† consists of three terms that combined to describe a type of information, so the phrase should be linked with hyphens: â€Å"Leaders should be demanding reports that provide relevant stakeholders with near-real-time information.† 2. He found himself immersed in an in the trenches position. The position is in the trenches, so those last three words must be hyphenated when preceding the noun: â€Å"He found himself immersed in an in-the-trenches position.† 3. The student had a six-month long affair with his English teacher. Here, the phrasal adjective is incompletely hyphenated, leaving the reader with the impression that a long affair was of a six-month nature. But long is part of the phrasal adjective: â€Å"The student had a six-month-long affair with his English teacher.† 4. Police investigated the much talked about incident. When much precedes an adjective such as needed and the two words precede a noun, much is connected to the next word with a hyphen. The same rule applies when much intensifies an existing phrasal adjective such as â€Å"talked about†: â€Å"Police investigated the much-talked-about incident.† 5. Next, the firm undergoes a revenue recognition transition process. Here, the number of words in the phrasal adjective is the same as the number in each of the preceding examples, but the use of jargon makes the phrasing more dense. The sentence can be corrected to â€Å"Next, the firm undergoes a revenue-recognition-transition process,† but in this case, is better to relax the sentence by starting with the noun and progressing from there: â€Å"Next, the firm undergoes a process of transitioning revenue recognition.† (Take care, however, that the correct meaning of the terminology is preserved in the revision.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:60 Synonyms for â€Å"Walk†The Parts of a WordSentence Adverbs

Hoi Polloi

Hoi Polloi Hoi Polloi Hoi Polloi By Maeve Maddox A reader has asked me to write about the word hoi polloi: I get so tired of intelligent people using this to mean the exact opposite. Hoi polloi is an English word that derives from a Greek phrase meaning â€Å"the many† or â€Å"the majority [of citizens].† Its English meaning is â€Å"the masses† or â€Å"the general public.† It’s often used in the pejorative sense of â€Å"the vulgar, unthinking masses.† The error the reader has in mind is the spreading tendency of many speakers (including intelligent ones) to use hoi polloi as if it means, â€Å"the social elite† or â€Å"influential rich people.† For example, So it’s official: Hollywood’s hoi polloi (e.g. Miramax movie mogul Harvey Weinstein) are coming out against firearms ownership and swearing off movies that rely heavily on gunplay. As Harvey Weinstein has a net worth of $200 million, the writer apparently believes that hoi polloi means â€Å"influential rich people.† In ancient Greek, hoi polloi meant â€Å"the many.† Its complementary term was hoi oligoi, â€Å"the few.† The term reflected a fact of social and political division. From the Greek word oligoi, we get the English word oligarchy, â€Å"government by a small group of people.† Classical scholar John Dryden introduced the expression into English in 1668. For him, the hoi polloi were people who lacked literary discernment. The expression quickly became a useful way for speakers to distinguish â€Å"Us† from â€Å"Them.† Because â€Å"Us† is always more educated and informed than â€Å"Them,† hoi polloi came to mean â€Å"the uneducated majority† or â€Å"the great unwashed, vulgar, unthinking public.† Nowadays, although political power still belongs to the hoi oligoi, the hoi polloi are better educated than they were in Dryden’s time, and they don’t like being called hoi polloi. They also possess a power that earlier generations lacked: the power to redefine words. One factor contributing to the association of hoi polloi with â€Å"snooty rich people† could be the similarity with â€Å"hoity toity,† an expression that conveys contempt for someone seen as â€Å"putting on airs.† The two expressions are often juxtaposed for humorous effect, as in the title of the Roseanne episode called â€Å"Hoi Polloi Meets Hoiti Toiti† (Roseanne, Season 9, Episode 8). In this episode, Roseanne and her family visit â€Å"uppity-high-society people† on Martha’s Vineyard. Although wealthier and more refined in manners and speech than the Conners, the wealthy Wentworths are clearly their moral inferiors. Note: Roseanne is a television comedy series featuring a working class family, the Conners, who are portrayed as being vulgar in speech and manners, but morally superior to better-educated, more affluent characters they encounter. Another factor contributing to the shift in meaning of hoi polloi may be that the referent is not always clear from context. For example, in a Three Stooges episode called â€Å"Hoi Polloi,† a well-dressed man bets a colleague that he can take a man from â€Å"the lowest strata of society† and turn him into a gentleman. He experiments with the Stooges. He fails to civilize them, but the fancy people descend to the Stooges’ brutish behavior. At episode end, Moe looks disdainfully at the crowd of elegantly dressed men and women who are slapping, punching, and gouging one another and says, â€Å"This is our punishment for associating with the hoi polloi.† New meanings of hoi polloi include, â€Å"people who are not like us,† â€Å"people we don’t like,† and simply, â€Å"people who don’t know what we know.† For example, in a forum for equestrians, a member referred to people who are ignorant of the rules of dressage as â€Å"the hoi polloi.† The definition of hoi polloi in The Urban Dictionary indicates the aversion in which this word is held: hoi polloi: A stupid term used by pseudo intellectuals with unjustified superiority complexes. Many bloggers ridicule speakers who precede hoi polloi with the definite article: Clearly Lois is using words though ignorant of their meaning. â€Å"Hoi† is the definite article, meaning â€Å"the†. When the uneducated Lois says â€Å"the hoi polloi† she is saying â€Å"the the many†. She makes a fool of herself on many levels. Dryden knew that â€Å"hoi† means â€Å"the† in Greek. He even wrote the expression in Greek letters, confident that his target audience could read it. However, because he was using the word in an English sentence, he introduced it with the English definite article: â€Å"If by the people you understand the multitude, the ÃŽ ¿Ã¡ ¼ ± πΠ¿ÃŽ »ÃŽ »ÃŽ ¿Ã¡ ½ ¶.† Suggesting that English speakers who say â€Å"the hoi polloi† are â€Å"ignorant† may bathe critics in feelings of superiority, but the criticism is itself a sign of absurd pedantry and, dare I say, ignorance of how language works. Many English words incorporate a foreign element that means the without raising questions of tautology. For example, the al in algebra, alchemist, and Alcatraz â€Å"mean† the in Arabic. No one suggests that writing â€Å"the alchemist† is the same thing as writing â€Å"the the chemist.† As far as I know, no one ridicules people who refer to the La Brea tar pits in Los Angeles for â€Å"really† saying â€Å"the the tar tar pits.† (La and Brea are Spanish for the and tar.) Hoi polloi is an English word in transition. English speakers will determine whether the word retains the meaning of â€Å"the masses,† morphs into a term for â€Å"snooty rich people,† or falls to the wayside along with other words that usage has voted out as being culturally offensive. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:The Meaning of "To a T"Confusing "Passed" with "Past"How to Style Legislative Terms

UK Film Industry in 2007 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

UK Film Industry in 2007 - Essay Example 2. Weaknesses - Funding is the most pressing problem in production. Most companies rely on public funding which is very limited. Distribution as a means to cover costs and acquire profit is not significantly considered. What happens is, initially, rights are often pre-sold in order to get the film made resulting to no proportionate rewards for the producers in the event of a success (Is There a British Film Industry). Thus, UK films may be a success at the box office, but little of the revenue reaches the producer and the net profit is too minimal to re-invest into another production (UK Film Industry Structure). Continuing the cycle is very difficult 3. Opportunities - The opportunity to become the second largest producer of films, after the U.S. is open for the UK Film Industry to take on as a challenge. The chance is there primarily because of the talent pool or the expertise, the technology or the facilities, the English language, the worldwide economic positioning of the country and the inward investment prospects for the Industry. 4. Threats - Film Piracy takes away earnings of producers which hinders production of more movies. Another threat is not keeping up with the Global Market. Policies on Global Distribution to generate funds for production should be highlighted. Otherwise, the Industry will not be able to keep up with other Film Industries. B. The Exhibition Sector 1. Strengths - Exhibition Facilities are ample and technology used is of high caliber. There are currently over 2,000 cinema screens in the UK as compared with 1,800 in Japan but 4,500 in France (UK Film Industry Structure). 2. Weaknesses - This sector is not getting enough support and encouragement from the government and the public sectors. The role of distribution and exhibition has been given insufficient attention in that there have been times when more interest and a wider availability of British films were more evident in the major cities of other countries, like Paris, than in Britain (Harvey and Dickinson). 3. Opportunities - To gain economic viability, Cinemas need not be biased in favor of foreign films particularly U.S. films, but instead maintain a balance of locally made and foreign films to be shown. This could be realized by more media exposure of locally made films, public education, and government support through incentives. 4. Threats - Film Piracy is again a major threat to the exhibition sector because it lessens theatre or cinema attendance, thus affecting company earnings. Another threat is the total dependence of this sector to foreign movies. If efforts are not made to support the showing of locally made films in cinemas, it could eventually lead to a domination of foreign films and a loss of a national identity in the film industry. Analysis There is no doubt that the Film Industry has a great impact on the UK economy. A 2005 Oxford Economic Forecasting Report on the economic contribution of the UK film industry showed that the UK Film Industry in 2004 directly employed 31,000 people and supported a total of 97,500 jobs, contributed 3.1 billion to UK GDP and around 850 million to the Exchequer, put in 800 million to the UK economy via the boost to tourism, and added over 300 million to the turnover of the video/DVD retail and rental

Hybrid Brand Strategy Report Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hybrid Brand Strategy Report - Research Paper Example Horticultural products, therefore, demand quick marketing and a relatively short supply chain (Tollens et al. 2000). Branding has for a long time been known to be a rather effective instrument in creating consumer loyalty for new and existing products. A branded product has 65% chance of fetching high market in the prime market and 78% in restaurants (Brakus et al. 2009). For a product with a strong brand name, consumers tend to pull towards it. The low-grade horticultural products can be distributed to hotels and institutions (Sprott et al. 2009). There is, therefore, the need to develop a brand for horticultural products such as fruits and vegetables. This is because with the target market involving the five-star hotels, and prime shopping centers, having branded products is more profitable that having unbranded commodities (He et al. 2012). Auxiliary brand affiliation is characterized as interfacing a brand with some other business that may influence the production of new brand relationship with the organizations additionally impact existing affiliations (French & Smith 2013). It is more like a component of showcasing marking. Brand picture, brand mindfulness, and brand importance have their immediate effects on brand value. Brand affiliation transmits the value of different organizations to the brand in thought. Customers judge the brand esteem on the premise of brand components that are related straightforwardly and principally with the hidden item, for the case, physical highlights, bundling and hues, and instrumental qualities (Severi & Ling 2013). Be that as it may, these judgments can likewise be taking into account auxiliary or aberrant affiliations, which allude to affiliations identified with organizations instead of specifically associated with judge an item. These organizations incorporate different organiza tions, their nations of the root, circulation channels, representative, and brands (Chen 2001). The association of brand to the

England :: essays research papers

England is a very small country with a huge population. This report will tell you some features and facts about this country. I will be talking about its people, it’s government, it’s industry, it’s resources, it’s land, and finally it’s religion. The reason I said England has a big population is because they have about 47,505,000 people living there. The numbers speak for themselves. Most of England’s population is descendants of the original inhabitants. There are Saxons, Angles, Jutes, Scandinavians, Norman French, Scots, Welsh, and Irish. Now commonwealth immigrants are coming from southern Asia. Since there are so many different kinds of people there has been a lot of fighting between them. England’s economy is very strong because of an excellent school system. Their school system is much like ours except they only have to attend school from ages 5 through 16. Although they don’t go to school as long as us they learn things at a faster rate and school involves harder work. The English also play sports. They are very good at soccer, Rugby and cricket. If you don’t know what cricket is its kind of a mix between bowling and baseball. England’s government also has a few similarities with ours. Even though there government is a monarchy and ours is a republic. Their current leader is Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen of England is more of a symbol than a ruler. The actual ruler is a cabinet of people. The head of the cabinet is the Prime Minister. England also has a law making body, which passes all the laws. They are like our congress. The capital of England is London and the government buildings are located in a region of London call Westminster. The center of England’s industry is based on its coal mining and natural gases. They also do things with nuclear energy. Although all these things make England most of its money agriculture and fishing does bring in some doe. They produce milk and other dairy products, and they farm vegetables and meat. Since England is an island there is a lot of water to fish so they have an abundance of resources in the ocean. Speaking of resources England has three main minerals coal, iron ore, and petroleum. As I said up in my last paragraph England gets a lot of seafood. The main ports are in Liverpool, Hull and Bristle. There aren’t many places ships can come in because of the rocky coastline.

Success Through a Foreign Language

SUCCESS THROUGH A FOREIGN LANGUAGE These are a couple of readings that I have been asked to do for our friends from Russia who visited with us as a part of the Children of Chernobyl Program. I'm going to read a short selection from a motivational book called â€Å"Insight†. This particular reading has to do with the importance of understanding and using foreign languages that might be appropriate to the Russian students, because, certainly, we're living in a world that is getting smaller and smaller and we're going to have to be able to communicate in more than one language if we are going to be successful.The second reading is from †¦ it's the first chapter of a book by Jane Carlson who is the President of Scandinavian Airlines. It's called â€Å"Moments of Truth† and it is a handbook, or manual, for people who are interested in doing a better job of customer service. Scandinavian Airlines has a great reputation for wonderful customer service. Those are the two re adings. The first one is called â€Å"Success through a Foreign Language†. Every year an industrial manufacturer in Virginia grudgingly shells out the cash to send two employees to a language school to learn French.The employees have the technical and managerial abilities for the job but they lack the necessary foreign language skills. The practice of paying for the foreign language training of otherwise qualified employees is common among many employers. Increasingly, however, employers are avoiding this extra expense by emphasizing the requirement for foreign language skills during the hiring process. Richard Moore, Vice-President of the Arlington-Virginia Branch of John and Snow Incorporated, a public health consulting firm, admits that he gives preference to people who know a foreign language, even if the language isn't required for their job.This new trend toward emphasizing foreign language skills is opening doors for many individuals who have risen to the challenge. Wh en they are seeking a new job or advancement at their current company, bilingual and multilingual individuals often have the competitive edge. In fact, in some cases, the need for foreign language speakers is so great that companies go to the language departments, rather than the business departments, of universities, to recruit upcoming graduates.For example, recently 30 Boston University students from the Schools Spanish Program were recruited for jobs in Venezuela. This doesn't mean that you must have a foreign language major to benefit professionally. In fact, despite popular belief, in a business situation, you don't even have to be fluent in a foreign language. According to Lorraine Smith, President of the Language Exchange in Washington, D. C, even knowing a little of a foreign language puts a foreign individual at ease, and consequently, increases the communication and negotiation potential of the situation.Smith points out that from both the foreigner's and your supervisor' s prospective any level of a foreign language proficiency shows a bit more of a commitment to the client and to your business. More than 50 % of the students at the Language Exchange are learning a foreign language for their careers. More than 75 % of the students studying Russian, Spanish or French cite â€Å"career success† as their language learning incentive. However, at the University level, the number of individuals learning a language for career success is much smaller.According to Professor Jeff Delusio this is because younger students expect others will know English. But the Survey Business Person knows that this isn't always true and even when it is the case, by relying on another's language abilities you are abdicating control of the situation. Robert Taylor, President and Co-Founder of Taylor Associates International, Washington, D. C, based Health-care management consulting firm that operates primarily in foreign countries, finds that in his dealings in countries in the Middle East and the South Pacific relying on the natives' English is problematic for other reasons as well.We are unable to ask questions in the way we truly intend, he says. In addition, it's difficult to pick up subtleties of communication. Taylor hasn't found the use of interpreters to be the answer in these situations either. In fact, most linguists and business people agree with him that the potential for miscommunication is great when using interpreters. Not only have most foreign interpreters learnt British English, but also they are often faced with time constraints in order to keep the conversation flowing.As a result, they tend to encapsulate their translations opening the door for more errors. Having an edge in the international market place means meeting its language needs and staying current with the global changes. Currently, Taylor Associates lacks French and Spanish speakers – a fact that has lost it valuable business opportunities in several rapidly d eveloping foreign markets. For example, without French-speaking employees the doors have been closed to the company in the countries of North Africa where there's a strong market for health systems analysts.Similarly, lacking Spanish-speaking employees, Taylor Associates has lost out in Latin America where public health systems are developing at a swift rate. John Snow, on the other hand, owes much of its success to a ready supply of foreign language speakers. The company's combination of expertise in the growing field of public health and the Spanish and French-speaking employees has allowed it to bring its business to approximately 30 countries. Some professional areas have stronger language needs than others, and for certain languages all of the others.For instance, Japanese, Chinese and other Asian languages are in high demand in sales, marketing and trade specialties. And Spanish speakers are needed in development agencies, health-care professions and environmental organization s. With the end of the cold war, Russian and German have become the two fastest-growing foreign languages studied in America. Generally, Russian and German, along with other languages spoken in Eastern European countries, are in great demand in areas of economics and policy consulting by governments, research institutions and large American corporations eager to enter this new market.The Eurasia Foundation in Washington, D. C, a newly-established and independent Government-supported organization, arranges grants for economic and democratic reform in the former Soviet Union. Russian and other Newly Independent State Languages are in demand both for employees of the organization and for recipients of its grants, including the United States and other Western non-profit organizations and businesses. Jim Casual, program officer at Eurasia Foundation, sees a dramatic growth in private industry in these countries and predicts it will only get better.With this upswing in private industry is the need for the Western know-how and assistance, and he says, people who know Russian and N. I. S. Languages have a huge advantage. Foreign language abilities can turn into professional growth in the European Community as well. Currently, French is most commonly used among policy-makers, since the organization is headquartered in Brussels. However, French is not the official language of the European Community. Actually, according to Allan Cuckoff, Spokesman for the European Community delegation in Washington D. C. , there are nine official languages.As a result, the European Community relies heavily on translators. In fact, language translation itself has become a large-growth industry there. Because there is little incentive for policy-makers to learn English, the English speaker who knows another language has an edge. In addition to career success, there are numerous personal benefits in learning a foreign language. For example, the process of learning a foreign language flexes your creative muscle. As you know, the more you exercise your creativity, the more creative you become. Your memory, particularly long-term memory, gets a good workout.In language learning we discover a combination of memory training techniques suitable to your needs, such as word association and rhyming patterns. These techniques can be applied successfully to other situations as well, such as remembering people's names and memorizing vital business statistics. You'll feel more confident when communicating because your interpersonal skills will grow no matter which language is used to converse. You become more open to new cultures and places. Language and culture are inseparable, leading many to see language learning as a form of diversity training.Within the United States, Spanish is the fastest-growing language, and speaking Spanish is a great way to demonstrate your awareness of and sensitivity to the diversities in your nation's population. Before you begin to study a foreign l anguage, develop a successful attitude. Exorcise those ghosts from embarrassing high-school language classes. Many modern language classes are small and interactive, allowing little room for inhibitions. Whether you're in a classroom or teaching yourself, self-confidence is a key. And remember: foreign language learning, especially your first one, is work.Success at it requires practice and patience, in addition to the constant reminders that you CAN do it. Before tackling a foreign language, also ask yourself the following four questions: 1. How will this help me in my career? 2. How will this help me in my personal development? 3. How much of this language do I really need to know? 4. How much of this language do I already know? Your answers to the first two questions should be your goals and your incentives. Don't forget them. The third question is crucial to setting a realistic language goal.If you need to learn Russian or Spanish only for business meetings, focus your attention on the spoken language and steer clear of unnecessary areas, such as historical verb tenses found only in literature. You won't need to know them, and consequently, you won't enjoy learning them. The last question, that is â€Å"How much of this language do I already know? â€Å", will help you realize that you probably already have some of the language under your belt, even if it's just a little bit. Knowing â€Å"uno, due, tres† and the names of your favorite Mexican foods is a warm-up for Spanish.Next recall how Spanish speakers pronounce these common words. For languages such as Japanese, the search for words might be a little more difficult. Instead, start with names, such as â€Å"Kawasaki† or â€Å"Mitsubishi†. Do you hear a pattern? Yes, they are all four-syllable names. Now that you are in the right frame of mind, here are some tips for learning process. Avoid crash courses. Crash courses often teach too much, too quickly not allowing the brain to ab sorb the beginning lessons before the later ones are taught. Language learning is incremental.You have to understand the beginning before going on to the middle. Listen to audio cassettes for pronunciation and cadence, but be warned, some audio cassettes merely have you repeat phrases. This method does not help you retain what you've learned. Look for interactive audio programs that encourage you to answer questions and think in the language. Listen to foreign radio. In most areas there are radio programs and some times entire stations in a foreign language. If you have difficulty finding one of these, inquire at your local public radio station. Watch videos in a foreign language.Whether they are for learning or for pleasure, videos provide a great way to hear the language in the context of natural conversation. Full-length films are loaded with idioms, hand gestures and other cultural and language specific characteristics. When you read in a language, don't try to understand everyt hing. You ought to avoid dictionary dependence. Certainly, you didn't use a dictionary to learn your native language. Instead, skim and read what you can. By going for the gist of the piece you'll enjoy reading more and progress faster. Newspapers and magazines are fantastic vocabulary builders, because you will find plenty of ontextual clues in the pictures and the topics will probably be ones you've already read about in English. Seek out native speakers. If you are unable to visit the country where the language is spoken, find native speakers in your area with whom you can converse. You can get in touch with them through colleges, consulates and cultural centres. Mimic foreigners speaking English as well as their native language. Some teachers start their beginner foreign language classes by having the students imitate foreigners speaking English. It helps the students in their pronunciation of the foreign language.Don't get bored down analyzing the language. Practice is the key to learning a foreign language rather than spending weeks memorizing every form of every verb tense. Practise with the vocabulary you have. The more you converse, the quicker the missing pieces of your vocabulary will fall into place. And, finally, write new vocabulary words and phrases on index cards with the English translation on the back. Index cards easily fit it the coat pockets and handbags and can be pulled out and studied just about anywhere. A few tips on the importance of how you go about learning a little bit about a foreign language.

Use of Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

Transitive and intransitive verbs often cause confusion. Heres a guide to help you understand the differences.   Transitive Verbs Transitive Verbs take direct objects. The vast majority of verbs in English are transitive. Examples: I took my books to class.We played chess last night. Notice that transitive verbs always take objects. You will always be able to ask a question beginning with What or Whom. Examples: I paid the bill last week. - What did you pay?She studies Russian. - What does she study? Intransitive Verbs Intransitive verbs do not take direct objects. Examples: Peters situation improved.They slept peacefully. You can recognize that a verb is intransitive because it does not have a passive form. Examples: Jack sits in the corner when he reads. NOT The corner is sat when Jack reads.Peter arrived early. NOT Early was arrived Peter. Transitive AND Intransitive Some verbs with multiple meanings are transitive or intransitive depending on their usage. The verb run is a good example. When used in the sense of physical exercise, run is intransitive. Helen ran every weekend when she was at college. BUT Run used in the sense of managing a company is transitive. Jennifer runs TMX Inc.