English Good Grammar

Grammatical errors are acceptable if you've just started learning a new language so don't worry, but you should know they play a very important role in our daily lives. A grammatical error can change the meaning of the sentence and create a bad impression.

1.      Speak in English, assuming English is the language whose grammar you wish to improve upon

English is understood in most parts of the planet, and its importance is increasing in our daily lives. Learning grammar can be hard if we don't really know how to speak English. Improve your grammar by continuous practice. Your speech will reflect patterns you hear, and the rest will fall into place. Find a friend who can speak to you in English, and move on. Whenever you feel stuck, always remember to ask for help!

2.       Make a plan

Try to get an overview of English grammar from a textbook or online resource. Note the grammar points you need to work on and plan to work on each for at least a few days.

3.       Find a tutor

Some of us may disagree with the idea of going to a teacher for grammar lessons, but why not? If you are looking for an alternative, practice grammar using online exercises. There are a number of sites that offer exercises on a range of topics. While using a computer to type a document, grammar checkers can be very helpful too.

4.       Identify common mistakes

People who speak the same language often make the same mistakes in English grammar. For example, many Russian speakers have trouble using "a" and "the" in English. Find out what grammar points are often difficult for speakers of your native language. Pay extra attention to learning those grammar points.

5.       Find some grammar exercises

To learn English grammar well, you'll need to practice each grammar point until you can use it easily. Look for a book of grammar exercises that also has answers. Online activities and quizzes can also help. Focus on just one grammar point each time you study.

6.       Pay close attention to grammar when you read English

When you're trying to learn correct English grammar, it's not enough to understand general idea of what you read. You'll need to understand exactly why each sentence is written that way. When you read a sentence, ask yourself if you can make similar sentences. If you can't or you're not sure, find textbook exercises for those grammar points and practice.

7.       Translate from your native language into English

When you write or speak your own thoughts, it's easy to avoid complicated grammar. When you translate, you have to work with whatever is on the page, even if the grammar is difficult. Start translating simple things like advertisements and then move to newspapers and magazine articles. Translating dialog in plays is another good way to practice.

8.       Read and practice

The more you read, the better you get with your vocabulary. It improves grammar too. If possible, read aloud. Functional grammar deals with the way in which words and word order are used in social perspectives to get the message across. However, if you have a sudden dislike towards heavy grammar books, try the 'parrot method.' This refers to listening and repeating things as many times as possible, so it becomes natural for you to say it that way.

9.       Reading aloud is simpler

Why? Because you eventually are listening to correct grammar as you read it; watching television also helps. It works better if we watch what we are really interested in, although the BBC is always a great option. The English spoken in America is different from that spoken in England. Some parts of spelling and grammar vary between the two countries as well.

10.   Ask native speakers for advice

If you know any native English speakers, ask if they could check some of your writing now and then. If there are no native English speakers near you, look online for language-learning forums or language-exchange sites. Just remember if the native speaker is not a teacher, he or she may not be able to explain grammar rules.

Posted by Leila Cynthia Dewi

English Public Speaking

Speaking at events is a great way to enhance your status as an expert and generate PR for your business. However, becoming a great speaker is an art, not a science. The good news is that with some tips and some practice, you can leave a lasting impression that you will want people to remember. 

Here are some easy ways that you can become a better speaker.

1. Do not for a moment think you cannot give a speech

You give speeches every day to your family, friends, and yes, even to strangers. Your daily conversations are nothing more than mini speeches in casual clothes. If you can talk to one person, you can talk to an audience of thousands. Really.

2. Know your audience

Now that you have your talking points nailed, make sure you are presenting the information in a way that the audience will understand. Your information needs to align with what the audience is expecting. Before presenting, get as much information about the audience as possible. The point is, your job is to leave the audience with a better understanding or education, and you can only do that if you know who they are and what they are expecting.

3. Enhance your visuals and audio

I think most speakers know to not read directly from slides (and if you didn’t before, you do now). If you do use slides during your presentation, use them in an unexpected way. Include a short, fun video or use some photos with humor. 

I saw one presenter who, when he was talking about how people want to do business with trusted brands, had a photo of a beat-up old van with “Want some candy?” spray painted on its side to illustrate why you don’t do business with strangers. Another keynote I went to recently had a DJ who changed the music to underscore themes for the story. Or even consider having an illustrator create some great art for key messages. At least evaluate having your presentation slides created professionally. These tactics can take your entire presentation up a level.

4. Keep your remarks brief and to the point

In speech writing, we have a mantra:

·        Tell them what you are going to say;

·        Say it;

·        Tell them what you told them;

·        Say thank you and sit down.

5. Keep your sentences short, your words shorter

This simply means you should not tax your audience by forcing them to follow a long, convoluted sentence, or interpret a fancy, but unnecessarily long word. Apply the KISS principle: Keep It Simple, Short.

5. Get interactive. 

During the presentations, you have the audience repeat key messages back to you or make gestures back of the takeaway points of his speech. This keeps the audience involved, but even more brilliantly, it gives them devices to remember the material. I often will stop in the middle of the speech to ask audience members to throw out examples of ideas that I present as well. 

As you plan your speech, think about where you can involve the audience and what devices you can use to involve them in the presentation so that you are talking with them, not just to them.

Posted by Leila Cynthia Dewi

STRUCTURE AND STYLE: SENTENCE TO PARAGRAPH

STRUCTURE AND STYLE:
SENTENCE TO PARAGRAPH

Hii guys, we meet again. I’m so sorry coz I never greeting you again :D today we’d like to show you “Structure and Style: Sentence to Paragraph”. It’s useful for you to know about sentence before you start your writing. Check it down !!!

Sentence Unity

It has often been started that a senten expresses a complete thought. It has been seen, however, that closely related sentences may be combined to form compound sentences, and that closely related sentences and clauses may be combined to form complex sentences. The important factor to keep in mind is that the combined sentences have some essential relationship with each other, producing onenessof thought. Here are some devices for achieving unity.

Avoid loosely connected (run-on) sentences. Unrelated or loosely related ideas should be expressed in separate sentences. They should not be put together without punctuation. They should not be joined by and, and so, or and than.

 

  Wrong :                                During the late Middle Ages in France, poeple went about  telling the newsand they were called nouvellistes, and some of them illustrated their reports
                Right:                    During the late Middle Ages in France, poeple called nouwellistes went
                                                about telling news. Some of them illustrated their reports.

Avoid connecting lossely related sentences with a comma. If the clauses are closely related, join them by using the appropriate conjunction or a semicolon. Otherwise, make them into separate sentences.

Wrong:                 English newsletters dealt with politics, they were more respected than the
                                                French scandal sheets.
                Right:                    English newsletters dealt with politics. They were more respected than the
                             French scandal sheets.
                Right:                    English newsletters dealt with; therefore, they were more respected than
                                                the French scandal sheets.

Strengthen some compound sentences by making them complex.

                Poor:                     Authors contribute to the early Englsh newspapers, and these men were
                                                famous for their literary style.
                Good:                   Authors who were famous for their literary style contributed to the early
                                                English newspapers.

Avoid breaking one idea into short, monotonous sentences.

                Poor:                     The U.S. Constitution was adopted. It guaranteed freedom of the press.
                                                Newspapers increased.
                Good:                   When the U.S. Constitution was adopted, guaranteeing freedom of the
                                                press, newspapers increased.

Avoid crowding sentences with unrelated or illogical details.

                Poor:                     At the World’s Fairs in Chicago, the “Windy City” of great fame, there was
                                                the largest collection of magazines ever assembled outside the Liberary of
                                                Congress in Washington, D.C.

                Good:                   At the World’s Fair in Chicago, there was largest collection of magazine ever
                                                assambled outside the Library of Congress.

Avoid including to many details, even thougt related. Too many details will detract from the main thought just as much as unrelated or illogical details will.

                Poor:                     Last Tuesday, I left work at 3.30 to interview the efficient, pleasant, well-
                                                dressed, successful, young manager of the large  and growing Brown
                                                Publishing Company on Church Street.
                Good:                   After work last Tuesday, I interviewed the succesful young manager of the
                                                Brown Publishing Company.

Sentence Emphasis

Emphasis demands that sentence be arranged in a way that will call attention to the most important words and stressthe main idea. The following are some ways to achieve the desired emphasisi in the sentence.

Place important words in ephatic position in the sentence. The begining and the end of the sentence are the emphatic positions.

                Poor:                     A priest named Kircher presented the first projector to the world three
                                                centuries ago in Rome.

                Good:                   There centuries ago in Rome, a priest named Kircher presented to the world
                                                the first projector.

Repeat key words. Compare te two sentences which follow. The concept of silence is better emphasized in the second. Notice also the heightened effect that repetition gives. Obviously, repetition of this sort should not be used to the point of monotony.

                Poor:                     Kircher slipped silently behind a curtain,the guests grew quiet, and there
                                                was no noise in the room.

                Good:                   Silently, Kircher slipped behind a curtain; silence fell on the guests; the room
                                                was silent.

Use the active voice. In general, active voice of the verb is more forceful than the passive.  Use the passive voice only when there s good reason. In these sentences, the active  voice of the verb in the secondis more forcefu than the passive voice in the first.

                Poor:                     The first icture wa projected on the screen by Kircher.

                Good:                   Kircher projected the first picture on a screen.

Use contrast occasionally. Study these examples in contrast.

                Good:                   Kircher’s lantern was feared; Edison’s projector, honored.

                Good:                   Few saw the magic shadows; thousands see movies.

                Good:                   Then science was suspect; now it is accepted.

Arrange words or ideas in a series in order of importance, leading to a climax. Sentences containing a series of words or ideas are more forcefull when the words or ideas uild up a climax. Arrange your ideas in ascending order of impotance; from the smallest to the largest, from the least to the greatest, and so on. Contrast these sentences.

                Weak :                  At  the premiere in 1896, there were artists, the grat Edison himself, and
                                                entertainment seekers.

                Strong:                 At th premiere in 1896, there were entertainment seekers, artists, and the
                                                great  Edison himself.

Avoid redundancy. Do not repeat information that is necessary to the meaning, or which is needles or illogical.

                Poor:     Movies are universally enjoyed throughout the world.
                Good:   Movies are universally enjoyed.
                Poor:     Kircher and Edison  are not the only pioneers in the movie history; there are others
                                great Edison himself.
                Good:   Kircher and Ediso are not the only pioneers in the movie history.

Sentence clarity

Clarity means clearness. There are two general rules which are important in writing clear, meanngful sentences. First, think before writing. Be sure to express the desired meanng. Second, make sure sentence structure is correct. Vague sentences are often due to structuralerrors or misuse of certain forms of expression. Some general guidelines to clear writing and some warnings of pitfalls follow.

Make pronoun references lear. Gnerally, it ia a good idea to make all pronouns refer to a specific oun or pronoun. Usually , a pronoun does not refer to a whole idea in a clause or sentence.

Avoid the use they and it as indefinite subjects.

Wrong:                                 They call Edgar Allen Poe the “Father of the Short Story.”
Right:                    Critics call Poe the “Father of the Short Story.”
Wrong:                 It states he  created a new story from.
Right:                    My literature book states he created a new story form.

Avoid the use of pronouns that do not refer  to definte antecedents.
                Wrong:                 Poe liked Hawthore’s stories. He said that, as an American, he could
                                                proud of his writing.

                Right:                    Poe liked Hawthorne’s stories. Poe said that he, as an American, could be proud of Hawtrone's writing.

posted by : Rianda Rita Ayu