When So Becomes Annoying

When So Becomes Annoying When â€Å"So† Becomes Annoying When â€Å"So† Becomes Annoying By Maeve Maddox The tiny English word so has numerous uses. Merriam-Webster gives it separate entries as adverb, conjunction, adjective, and pronoun. Most of the time, little so goes about its business unnoticed, but one of its functions has been provoking heated discussion on the Web: the use of so as â€Å"a discourse marker.† The term â€Å"discourse marker† was coined in the 1960s to describe â€Å"a word or phrase whose function is to organize discourse into segments and situate a clause, sentence, etc., within a larger context.† Here are some words and phrases commonly used as discourse markers in speech: well you know like now I think you see oh I mean OK actually These are words we all interject into speech for reasons that have nothing to do with grammar. For example: Well, I was a little worried. Now, a clever man would put the poison into his own goblet. You know, not everyone shares your opinion on that. OK, let’s take a vote. I think I’ll go now. These markers serve no grammatical function, but they do advance discourse in various ways. As a discourse marker at the beginning of a sentence, so may do any of the following: initiate discourse So, how was the interview? mark a shift in topic or activity So, what should we do now? begin an explanation So, disconnect the power cord and remove the back panel. preface the response to any question Interviewer: What is the focus of your research? Interview subject: So, I study samples of creek water to track pollution. avoid giving a direct answer Interviewer: Why did you lay off so many workers? Interview subject: So, our sales have been stagnant for some time. The use of so as a sentence-starter has provoked numerous discussions on the Web. Business consultant Hunter Thurman gives three reasons for avoiding the practice of beginning a sentence with so: 1. â€Å"So† insults your audience. 2. â€Å"So undermines your credibility. 3. â€Å"So† demonstrates that you’re not 100% comfortable with what you’re saying. PR consultant Cherry Chapell, on the other hand, sees this use of so as â€Å"a good way of giving yourself time to think.† Linguistics professor Penelope Gardner-Chloros suggests that a speaker who starts an answer with so â€Å"is saying what he wants to say, like a politician- but trying to make it sound like it’s an answer to the question.† Like many linguistic targets of criticism, so as a sentence-starter draws extreme reactions from the general public. I’ve seen comments that question the intelligence of speakers who begin sentences with so and accuse them of defiling the language. I’ve seen other comments that cite the fact that Seamus Heaney translated the opening â€Å"Hwaet† of Beowulf as â€Å"So!† as proof that so must be all right in any context. The reality is that sometimes so is an appropriate sentence-starter, and sometimes it is an irritant. When a speaker habitually begins sentences with so, listeners may react in one of two ways. Some are able to filter out the so’s and concentrate on content. Others, however, are distracted by them and may tune out the content as they count the so’s. When beginning a sentence with so becomes a verbal tic, it has lost its usefulness as a discourse marker. 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 General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Mostly Small But Expressive Interjections"Gratitude" or "Gratefulness"?10 Varieties of Syntax to Improve Your Writing

Classroom versгs Online Tutorials

Classroom versÐ ³s Online Tutorials Introduction The contemporary world has witnessed robust technological innovations, which have significantly transformed most of the socio-economic and political operations. For example, information technology has revolutionized the education sector, and students can today learn comfortably at home without necessarily having to attend school.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Classroom versÐ ³s Online Tutorials specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More With the advent of online classes, many stakeholders in education have conducted serious studies to determine its reliability and validity. For example, some studies have revealed that many learners are willing to attend the normal class sessions since they are skeptical about the quality of online classes. On the other hand, students that have successfully accomplished their online programs argue that it provides the best learning experience. It is against this background that this paper seeks to compare traditional classes with online ones. Classroom verses Online Tutorials Many students attend normal classes because they not only enable them to learn the curriculum, but they also give them a chance to share their learning experiences with their classmates and teachers. For example, a properly conducted classroom discussions and debates can motivate students to learn social skills such as teamwork, and they develop good oral skills during such sessions. On the other hand, online group activities are carried out through discussion boards, which in some cases are not very interactive. Nonetheless, online class interactions may enable students to relate with their colleagues from very diverse social cultural backgrounds compared to classrooms that attract majority of students from a given locality. A traditional class provides a holistic approach to learning because it enables students to develop leadership and teamwork. For example, a class representative or a student leader can nature his or her leadership skills. In addition, traditional classes also offer co-curriculum studies, which enable students to identify and develop their talents. Such activities have enabled students to become great sports personalities and musicians. Online classes do not have co-curriculum activities and students have to make personal arrangements to access such services. In the absence of such services, students can resort to online social networks and some of them may engage in addictive games like online gambling which may affect their level concentration in studies.Advertising Looking for essay on other technology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Traditional classes have restrictive learning schedules that are offered within specific timeframes. Students and instructors are compelled to adhere to the preset learning program. Some tutors are very strict to time management and usually l ock out late students. To some extent, this enables students to realize the importance of time management and working under restrictive plans. Thus, students that attend traditional classes are more likely to develop good time management skills than those taking online lessons. In the case of online lessons, learners have the freedom to learn at their own time, and they have flexible deadlines to accomplish their assignments. This enables students to cope with both their vocational activities and family responsibilities. Online studies are also convenient for students with serious physical disabilities who may find it rather difficult to cope with normal school routines. Nonetheless, upholding self-discipline is very difficult in the online mode of learning compared to traditional classes due to the absence of strict deadlines. The modes of communication in these two models of learning are quite different. For example, in a traditional learning setting, a student can pose a question and he or she can immediately get answers from the tutor. In the online learning model, questions are channeled to the instructor through the discussion board, and he or she may take long before responding. Moreover, some questions are debatable and may not be answered properly through online communication. Sometimes, individual communication will assist the learner better comprehend the response to his questions compared to conversation boards where responses are often short. Many individuals regard online classes cost effective since students learn at home. However, a characteristic home environment has several distractions, which can interfere with online classes. Children can interfere with online class sessions when they are playing in the house.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Classroom versÐ ³s Online Tutorials specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More â€Å"Even if a student lives alone, distractions may come in t he form of phone calls, trips to the kitchen and a compelling desire to check ones email just one more time†. With traditional classes, there is usually a serene environment for learning. Traditional classes are better than online sessions especially when learners are taking courses that are instruction intensive. For example, some computer courses can be learnt better through physical contact with instructors especially when complicated concepts are to be leant. In such circumstances, â€Å"an online course that is mostly text-based may make it more difficult for a student to learn the material†. Conclusion The above discussion demonstrates that both traditional tutorials and online lessons have challenges and advantages. Therefore, when a student is choosing a mode of learning, he or she should consider the affordability of a given mode of learning and the amount of time needed to accomplish it. Lastly, a student willing to enroll for an online program should first sc rutinize the credibility of a given online institution to avoid falling prey of fraudsters who offer bogus online tutorials. Globokar, Julie. Introduction to Online Learning: A Guide for Students. New York: SAGE, 2010. Print. Kearsley, Greg and Michael Moore. Distance education: a systems view. New York: Wadsworth, 2006. Print. Lynch, Maggie. Learning Online: A Guide to Success in the Virtual Classroom. Oxford: Taylor Francis, 2004. Print.Advertising Looking for essay on other technology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More

7 Tips for Brainstorming

7 Tips for Brainstorming 7 Tips for Brainstorming 7 Tips for Brainstorming By Mark Nichol Whether you’re trying to develop the topic of an essay or the plot of a short story, or you and some of your colleagues have been assigned to propose an idea for a product or a project, a brainstorming session is a means to a successful outcome. Here are some tips for the brainstorming session’s procedure. 1. Create ground rules: Withhold comment on or evaluation of items during the initial brainstorming session; just record them. Accept every suggestion, unless the person who suggested it retracts it (and even then, the group can override the retraction). Respect others and their ideas. Be uninhibited and imaginative. 2. Set a time limit based on whether you’re brainstorming on your own or based on the number of fellow brainstormers five minutes, fifteen minutes, half an hour. (Longer periods will probably produce diminishing returns.) 3. Create a mind map a constellation of main topics and subtopics or of related points on a large sheet of paper, a whiteboard, or another surface that all participants can see, or simply list suggestions in roster form. 4. Don’t go into details about any item, though other items inspired by a detail can be added to the list. 5. Don’t stop the initial brainstorming session until the time is up. If the individual’s or group’s momentum falters, review the list to prompt new items, or explore details or tangents. 6. If, despite the additional efforts described in the previous point, no new ideas are produced, search for random terms in a dictionary, a pertinent document or publication, or any written content. 7. Don’t stop brainstorming just because what seems at that moment to be an ideal suggestion seems to obviate further progress. Mark the item for emphasis and keep brainstorming. At the end of the session, organize the list sequentially or by headings and subheadings. Then discuss the merits of the list items and reduce the list to a manageable number of items. If the goal is to select or recommend one item or a short list and report results to one or more other people, produce those results and, if necessary, draft a proposal or assign brainstorming group members to do so after the meeting. Then, reconvene in person or distribute proposal materials electronically to finalize the proposal. 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 Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:10 Grammar Mistakes You Should Avoid26 Feel-Good WordsCaptain vs. Master

Warehouse Operations Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Warehouse Operations - Term Paper Example The volume of goods to be transported and stored, the required mode of through put, the validity of the location as a transit point, the availability of area, the location for breaking bulk are some aspects that should be considered before setting up the warehouse. The selection of the location for the warehouse should be followed by the planning and designing of the warehouse on terms of space and design. The consideration of space layout , convenient storage space for different types of items, storage requirements, duration of inventorying, security of the goods, parking facilities for the transportation vehicles like fleets of trucks etc. should be done in the warehousing planning and designing process (Gunasekarana, Patel and McGaugheyc, 2004). The availability of handling equipment, loading trucks, access to labor resources and condition of the site are to be considered in the design of the warehouse as well. Workforce management is critical in the establishment and continuity of operations in a warehouse. A motivated, optimistic, well trained, skilled and enthusiastic workforce in then supply chain is indispensable for achieving competitive and strategic advantage for a logistics and supply chain business like Strategic Warehouse Management Inc. (SWM). A warehousing organization is a part of the macro supply chain and logistics management of companies functioning at a global scale. This involves the storage and movement of huge volumes of products. The products are not capable of moving by themselves. It takes a well-trained and efficient employee base in the organization so that the competitive logistics and warehousing operations are carried out in an efficient manner. The employees in the warehouse should be trained properly and specific steps should be taken by the organization to ensure that each of the employees understand his job well and

Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

Terrorism - Essay Example Terrorism has become one of the most misused terms since 9/11. There is a need to differentiate between a terrorist and a freedom fighter. Many politicians and scholars combine these two types of militants, depending on their personal positions or views. Freedom fighters use violence and sometimes public panic, but they do not target civilians. Terrorists can sometimes use freedom fighter tactics, but generally prefer to resort to violence, public panic, and civilian targets. For example, is Osama bin Laden a terrorist? Yes, but not all of his acts of violence can be classified as terrorism. Even all the violence on 9\11 cannot be defined as terrorism. The Twin Towers were a terrorist attack. Bin Laden utilized all of three elements of terrorism given in the text; violence, public panic, and the targeting of civilians when the Twin Towers fell. The Pentagon and White House planes were targeted for government and military installations. This ruled out the targeting of civilians, even though they knew civilians would be killed. Civilians have always been causalities of wars, whether on purpose or not. The attack on the USS Cole was not terrorism. It was an attack on the US government and military. War acts are also not classified as terrorism. The difference is civilians are not solely targeted. Civilians will die in conflicts, but there is a difference in a bomb accidentally falling short, killing civilians and targeting a civilian neighbourhood. There is also a difference between bombing a munitions factor that a dictator houses civilians in. The intent is what matters. Terrorists intend to cause the maximum civilian deaths to cause panic. Now that difference between terrorism and freedom fighters have been established, the statement that â€Å"terrorism is never justified† holds true. Terrorism is mass murder. Murder in a civilized society is wrong. Not only is terrorism never justified, it does

Phd proposal Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Phd proposal - Dissertation Example There is enough scope for both qualitative and quantitative analyses on the topic. Academic research can help to explore the existing ideas and find out new implications. This research proposal, therefore, includes review of the relevant literature that inspired the selection of the topic. The proposal also focuses on the theory to which the research will relate, the methodology supposed to be used and original contribution to knowledge by the research. Research Question Leadership and management: Can transactional leadership theory add new dimensions to the future leadership practices? Research Objectives 1. Explore the concepts of transactional leadership theory. 2. Compare transformational and transactional leadership theories. 3. Find out innovative implications and methods for organisational learning and knowledge management 4. Combine the concepts of the theory with the futuristic idea of empowering leadership. 5. Find out innovative ways to apply the theory in today’s g lobal business environment with the help of case studies and academic research. Review of the Literature Transactional leadership theory has the potential to develop innovative models in the context of modern and future management practices. Some principal concepts entailed in the theory are: 1. People can perform optimally when the commands are clear and definite. 2. A justifiable system of punishment and reward motivates the workers. 3. Monitoring the subordinates is an imperative so that the business expectations are fulfilled. 4. Obedience should be ensured among the subordinates. (Bass, 1985) For a while, this sort of theoretical approach may appear to be based on the older conventions and beliefs. However, re-emergence of this theory in the sphere of modern management research can be observed in the works of Harman and Bitz (2008). According to them, studies considering knowledge management (which is critical in today’s information based global business environment) and leadership as rational variables are limited. Future practitioners may consider exploring the concepts of transactional leadership theory and its dimensions in relation to knowledge management. In this context, it must be mentioned that all leaders exhibit both transformational and transactional leadership attributes which can amply help in knowledge transfer, sharing and creation (Harman and Bitz, 2008). â€Å"Some observers view transactional leadership as the poorer version of transformational leadership, noting that the latter has a more noble or moral drive.† (Andrews, Connell and Wescott, 2010). However, this view can be strongly dismissed because â€Å"Where transactional leaders foster societies that are open and focused on public value creation, and where learning is accommodated by progressive authorizing mechanisms, agents will have space to explore new beliefs, pursue good struggles, experiment with latent abilities, and ultimately generate change that benefits others (even if there is no transformational leader appealing to higher ideals).† (Andrews, Connell and Wescott, 2010) Experimental and quasi-experimental studies conducted by Avolio and his associates show that researches on path-goal model and transactiona

Jewish Cosmopolitanism in the Modern Era Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Jewish Cosmopolitanism in the Modern Era - Essay Example As the Jews started to prosper in there respective settlements, so did Anti-Semitism grow and developed into one huge monster that today’s history still recalls. Anti-Semitism is defined as the hate towards people of the Semitic group. This hatred is defined in various forms that include cultural, political, economic, religious, racial, and apocalyptic. Milestone events that marked the height of Anti-Semitism included the First Crusade back in 1096, that happened in France and Germany, The Massacre of Jews in Spain in late 1300s, Expulsions from England, Portugal, Russia and Soviet Republic. The peak of all these was the Holocaust by the Germans under Adolf Hitler. All these revolutions were about Jewish clearance due to many aspects relating to Anti-Semitism. The above historical events changed the Jewish perception of themselves. This was from the new definitions that were given of the Jews in the many expulsion revolutions that were Anti-Semitic. General fear of being assoc iated to the Jewish culture with an imagination that the same could eventually happen and the same fate repeat itself allover again is another main cause of change. These two causes have redefined the modern Jews, turning them into a cultureless population spread allover the world, and minority seclusions with respect to discrimination they faced back then. This has caused tremendous assimilation where the current Jewish has turned into a cosmopolitan culture, giving no origin or definition. This paper shall analyze some of the causes that the city has had in the identity-building process that has resulted into the evolution of the traditional Jew into an independent modern-day Jewish Cosmopolitan. The changes of the Jews shall be attributed to the main Anti-Semitic hatred forms that attributed the Jews as unique, thus deserving the hatred they received, and still to some reasonable measure, still receive. These are cultural, economic, religious, political, apocalyptic, and racial p erceptions. Major cities in the world are cosmopolitan; meaning that they host diverse cultures, races, religions and tribes. Based on the Anti-Semitic belief by the Jews that predominantly having the desire to exercise the Jewish Culture would lead to the easy identification of Jews, much care is taken. There is also a belief that since the Jews were considered as the Chosen Lot, there was a tendency of them wanting to overturn any other culture and make people assimilate their culture. The result of this fear made the modern-day Jew take up the cultures of various cosmopolitan groups in the city, gifting them with diverse survival tactics that aped all the communities. This gave the modern Jews an upper hand as they were able to interact with all the groups. According to them, this was a survival skill they had to learn in order not to be distinct and conspicuous for any attack from the Anti-Semites. This was good, but eventually, Jews lose their touch with their culture and thus lose there identity too. Judaism, the main Jewish religion, has had a long misunderstanding with Christianity ever since the emergence of Christianity. This misunderstanding arose from various factors that included the differences in beliefs about God, processes and general conduct. This is despite the origin of the two being from the same historical foundation, usually described as the Second Temple period. The dominance of Christianity has, however, outweighed Judaism with statistics showing a population of 2 billion