The Stranger Character Analysis - 738 Words

The Stranger: Representation of the Setting In Camus’s novel, The Stranger, Camus uses the elements of setting to shows that human’s action and emotion are influenced by the physical world. For example, the sun at Manan’s funeral that makes Meursault hard to see and think. The heat that forces him to murder. And the light in the courtroom that makes him tire. The weather and the surroundings in the novel controls Meursault’s emotions, making him angry, sleepy or happy. By the uses of setting, and elements of setting, such as the sun and the heat, Camus illustrates the physical world is taking over the inner feelings of individuals by influencing their actions and emotions. We are introduced to the novel by the death of Maman. Camus†¦show more content†¦Similarly, Camus demonstrates how the weather can affect individual’s thinking. While Meursault was in the examining magistrate after the murder, Meursault was introduced to his lawyer in the afternoon. Camus described the room as â₠¬Å"very hot†, where the room was â€Å"filled with sunlight barely softened by a flimsy curtain.† (Camus 66) When the sunlight shining into the office, Meursault was unable to focus, and he was â€Å"repeating the same story over and over.† (Camus 67) By repeating over and over again under the pressure of heat, Camus suggested the feeling of annoyed. Camus uses the heat to set a constant reminder that Meursault is a man who does not have his own feelings. Rather, is a man who can be controlled by the surroundings. Camus uses the setting of sun, heat and weather to demonstrates that there is a separation between the physical world and the emotional world, in which people are aware of their surroundings, but slowly forgotten their own feelings. Camus included the death of Maman to shows that even though Meursault and Maman cares about each other, but when the heat is presented, the heat will override the feelings between the mother and son. Accordingly, the presenc e of the murder, which shows how Meursault was controlled by the weather under the hot sun. Meursault unintendedly walked towards the Arab just to cool off. Meursault also acts differently accordingly to the lighting and weather in the cell.Show MoreRelatedThe Stranger Character Analysis1634 Words   |  7 PagesThe Stranger by Albert Camus follows the story of a man named Meursault, who received notice that his mother had passed away. Meursault was not emotionally connected to his mother, and his reaction is not what the reader would expect, as he did not seem to care at all. Therefore, the day after attending his mother’s funeral, Meursault goes to the beach and meets up with his girlfriend, Marie. After the beach, Meursault and Marie go to a movie and spend the night together. When he returns home fromRead MoreCharacter Analysis of Meusault in The Stranger637 Words   |  3 PagesThe main character in The Stranger, Meursault is mentally not attached to the world. He is u nable to decipher good or bad in his actions. The passing of his mother has no effect on him or a girl’s continuous proposal whom he is very attracted too, also, he murders a man for no apparent reason and does not see anything wrong in doing so. Meursault is seen as a careless monster too society. At the beginning of this story Meursault is told his mother has passed away. After hearing the news, MeursaultRead MoreTitle and Character Analysis of The Stranger by Albert Camus784 Words   |  3 PagesThe Stranger: Character and Title Analysis In Albert Camus’, The Stranger, the characters in the novel are individually unique in ways that bring out the positive and negative aspects of each other. When examining their traits you get the deeper meaning of things and what they stand for. The major characters in this novel are Meursault, Raymond Sintes, and Marie Cardona. Meursault shows no emotion through everything that goes on in his life such as a death. Raymond Sintes is a rude person and onlyRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Meursault In The Novel The Stranger752 Words   |  4 Pages Albert Camus in his novel, The Stranger, shows a genuinely interesting character, Meursault. In the beginning Meursault is depicted to appear as unethical and cruel, through him not showing no grief at his mother’s funeral. However, Camus, throughout the story builds up a considerably more engaging character that portrays more human-like emotions. At the end, Meursault character changes because he leaves off with a sympathetic feel towards him and is left off with thoughtful reflections and revelationsRead MoreThings Fall Apart, And The Heart Of Darkness1518 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction The following essay will contain a critical analysis of two passages from Things Fall Apart, and the Heart of Darkness. I will compare and contrast the narrative structure, the language used and the themes explored. Through this critical analysis, we can gain a better understanding of the two extracts, each one helping to illuminate the other. The passages I will be analysing are: Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe, Page 124 Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad, Page 116-117 Narrative StructureRead MoreThe Individual Versus His Environment in The Stranger and Grendel1674 Words   |  7 Pages The Individual Versus His Environment in The Stranger and Grendel Due to the multifaceted nature of literature, analysis thereof is prone to generalization. One of the most grievous generalizations oft encountered involves failing to distinguish between a character and the novel it inhabits. Take John Gardener’s Grendel and Albert Camus’s The Stranger, for instance. It’s far too easy, when analyzing for dominant ideologies, to slap them both with the label of existentialism and be done withRead MoreAnalysis Of Mary Shelley s Frankenstein1411 Words   |  6 Pagesstructures of the celebrated authors around her time period. She did this by empowering her main character, Victor Frankenstein, with the enlightenment values of individualism and self exploration; only in a very pessimistic and gloomy way. Through careful analysis of quotes from Mary Shelley s frankenstein from a psychoanalytic view we can reveal some of mary Shelley s true motives in how she designed her characters. Psychology is all about finding motives. It’s all about finding out why people thinkRead More The Stranger Essay1301 Words   |  6 PagesWhile reading The Stranger I noticed that traits that Albert Camus character depicts in the book are closely related to the theories of Sigmund Freud on moral human behavior. Albert Camus portrays his character of Meursault as a numb, emotionless person that seems to mindlessly play out his role in society, acting in a manner that he sees as the way he’s supposed to act, always living in the moment with his instincts driving him, and if the right circumstance presents itself the primal deep seededRead MoreCrime and Punishment vs. The Stranger1438 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout the novels Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky and The Stranger by Albert Camus, sun, heat, and light play a significant role in the development and understanding of the novel and the characters in it. Upon the initial reading of The Stranger, the rea der may have a general acknowledgment of a relationship between the novel’s protagonist, Mersault, and the sun and heat, either proceeding or following one of the novels significant events. What is harder to understand on the first readRead MoreGender Roles In Alfred Hitchcocks Rear Window And Strangers On A Train1232 Words   |  5 Pageslives for quite sometime. Women are often portrayed as sexual objects, or delicate individuals; a body with no brain or strength. These traits are easily found within many novels and movies- old and new. In Alfred Hitchcock’s films, Rear Window and Strangers on a Train, Hitchcock begins his films representing women with the same characteristics as stated above. They are very stylish, attractive and presented as second-class individuals to males. But after examining these two films, Hitchcock does something

The Nandi Warriors Free Essays

Deep in the Western Highlands of Africa lives a group of people known as the Nandi people. These people once lived a sedentary life as cattle herders and agriculturalists.   Interesting facts about the Nandi people include beliefs of male and female circumcision. We will write a custom essay sample on The Nandi Warriors or any similar topic only for you Order Now In the past, large ceremonies were held every seven and one half years for male circumcision, which provided rite of initiation into adulthood (Wikipedia, p.1). While male circumcision is an everyday occurrence here in the U.S., female circumcision is not. Female circumcision was performed among the Nandi females in preparation for marriage. In addition to beliefs such as male/female circumcision, this culture also believed in female-female marriages (Wikipedia, p.1). The female-female marriages solved the problems of marriage failure, and served as a way to rescue young mothers from social and economic distress.   Born from this group of intriguing people were the Nandi warriors. Men young and old formed this protective group who later came to be known as one of the most notorious for slaying in Kenyan history (Kamau, p.1). The Nandi Warriors were successful in keeping out any possible threats to their people by limiting access into their territory. Many outsiders attempted intrusion in order to proceed with trading practices, and as a result, thousands were killed. Small groups of the Nandi warriors would lead intruding caravans deep into the Nandi lands, where, later in the evening, the warriors would massacre their â€Å"guests† (Bishop, p.1).   Only rarely did the warriors entertain trading  opportunities. Items up for trade included ivory and other coastal goods in exchange for cattle (Biship, p.1). While the Nandi Warriors’ protective measures would continue to last only a short time longer, the British’s own slaying of Nandi Warrior leader Kimnyole arap Sameoi would end slayings on the Nandi people’s behalf completely (Kamau, p. 1) in order to proceed with foreign rule. This defeat, enforced by the Imperial British of East Africa, would end the Nandi Resistance, and allow the peaceful beginnings to show face to the Nandi people, as well as surrounding areas. The Nandi were noted warriors (Bishop, p.1). After many battles, many victories and many defeats, the Nandi Warriors were feared by anyone who had reason to walk by their territory. Resistance to foreign rule would eventually weaken the opposition of the Nandi Warriors, and much needed peace would be restored in East Africa. Works Cited 1.Cultural Safari. 2005. Kenya Tourist Board. MK Literary Group. January 2007. 2.   Warriors in the Heart of Darkness: The Nandi Resistance. 2002. Koitalel Kenyan Heroes. Dennis Biship. January 2007. 3. The Unresolved Issue of the Kenyan Freedom Movement. 1999, Rev. 2000. Saxakali.com. Michael Mundia Kamau. January 2007.       How to cite The Nandi Warriors, Essay examples

Self Reflection on Leadership and Management †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Self Reflection on Leadership. Answer: Introduction: The following report is going to manifest self reflection process of leadership material within myself. The manifestation of leadership is set to encompass varieties of leadership concepts and skills. Leadership in order to imply strategic changes in the business organisations needs to be brought into effect by the person who holds the key to drive operations pertaining to different sectors within it. Leadership management according to Kaouther Korbi (2014), is surrounded by an environment that is to be analysed through the skills of perceptions as well as intelligibility. As per Corbis views, leadership is the incorporation of the individual traits that helps a person develop the ability to look deep into each possible trait of the employees (Parkay, Anctil Hass, 2014). The following report thus tends to reflect inbuilt leadership quality as well as learned leadership skills during the procedure of guiding the subordinates in professional business course.The self analysis and reflective paper constitutes leadership theories while managing strategic change in an organisation. Strategic Change Management: Change management is the process or tool that is applied to change the mode of working and performance of the people or the procedure of operations in order to improve the quality of production or service of an organisation. Change management is cordially associated with the strategies implemented by a worthy leader who possesses the skill to develop change management skills of the employees. Self Reflection: I have been working as an operations manager in a company that deals with content development. The company creates contract with the clients belonging to advertisement sectors as well consumer sectors. Different clients belonging to the advertisement department hire the company in order to develop writing contents and making graphical designs on the website. Since the task is completely client oriented, the coordinating staffs are responsible to work according to the requirements of the clients. The requirements are preloaded in the job portal and the work is done accordingly. As a matter of fact, the writers(employees) and the content developers are highly responsible for the project designing required by the clients. It has often been found that there remains a lacuna between the content developers and the clients pertaining to exact requirement files. Being the operations manager, the responsibility is shouldered upon me to form a communicative bridge between the clients and the e mployees. As an organisational leader, it is my obligation that I am supposed to guide the employees of all layers in terms of attaining the the most potential working environment thus attracting greater number of the clients to our company. Establishment of Leadership Theories: I consider myself as a democratic leader and I firmly believe in contingency leadership theories. I do not believe in the great man theory that says a leader is born. While guiding the subordinates in the organisation I make my decisions depending on the present circumstance. Therefore my leadership method does not contain a one way driving. It varies according to the organisational situations. I would like to emulate the quote of Dickens that leadership is not a position, it is rather a fiduciary calling (Dickens, 2015). Who could forget the famous dialogue from Spiderman- with great power, comes great responsibility? In my personal opinion, leadership is not matter of dictating the subordinates in regard to bring best potential out of them. According to Hersey Blanchards Situational Leadership Theory, leadership quality depends on the individual situation. Adaptation of leadership quality depends on how a leader responds to different individual situations in an organisation. This theory somehow links to the contingency theory of Leadership. I can chronicle some of the examples where I realised that I have the zeal to respond to different complex situation while working in this same organisation. Last year, due to huge influx of the trainee candidates in the organisation, the existing workers started fearing that they would lose their job. It gave birth to employment anxiety and resulted in snail- production. Though I was not a human resource manager, I had to hold the steering and drive the entire population inside the organisation to vibrant working culture. The work was quite simple- to give a brief lecture pertaining to the importance of collaborative work. For few days I decided to work with them in the same room. I did so in order to realise their feeling as junior content developer. In most of the cases in found that the employees were not communicated well pertaining to the new opening of a branch of this organisation and they were not supposed to be replaced by the newcomers. On the other hand, there was a huge problem pertaining to the placement of the newly recruited employees as the new branch was nothing but the projection. The next challenge was to settle the newly joined employees under a roof. Since there was no extra space for the fresh employees, I called some of the engineers of my acquaintances and built a temporary wooden building within a month. This was enough to provide space for fifty employees. For next one month the process ran with ease and we could manage both the offices proficiently. Decision Making Theories: I exemplified this incident as it provided me with confidence with decision making. So far I have judged my decision making process, the way of decision making could be placed under the shade of the theory of attribution. Theory of attribution is employed upon the practice of decision making process and it has two different modes of decision making: i) Internal Attributes ii) External Attributes Internal attributes are the characteristics of a person that lead to a firm decision making idea. The internal attributes may be the presence of mind in judging certain circumstances. On the other hand, the external attributes are caused by the behaviour of the situation oriented to the the decision making process. In the aforesaid incident, the internal attribute was the boldness of the decision making process. However, I personally believe that the external attribute was more effective than the internal one. The external attribute was the complexity of the situation pertaining to the shifting of the newly joined employees and construction of the temporary office. Application of Experience: The experience would definitely help me learn better process in leadership band decision making. Though the company belonged to unorganised working sector, the working experience for me has been really helpful as it provided me with ample opportunity to learn leadership quality. Leadership and Strategic Change: Learning of leadership and strategic change helps an individual identify the types of required change in the strategy and management process. It would further assist the individuals to analyse the context of the organisations in designing strategic change programmes (Booth, 2015). Followings are the key elements of strategic change management in an organisations; Fig: Key Elements of Strategic Change Management Source: Created by the Author The elements of strategic change management work as complementary force to each other. In case of bringing the change in the organisation or the operations a leader needs to diagnose the present situation or the problem stated in order to bring the change. The diagnosis is then set to lead and manage the required change. Then it goes on to manage the change programmes in need (Beck, Cowan, 2014). In the previously mentioned case I have applied all the elements in analysing and diagnosing the problem so as to plan the change accordingly. Though the process of diagnosis did not imply any systematic process, it was based on spontaneous understanding of the situation. Then different change materials were incorporated so as to create an idea to revamp the present situation with the conceptualised one. Key Premises of the Change Management: There are four key premises of change management. These are: i) Strategy ii) Context iii) Inertia and Resistance iv) Leadership v) Strategy matters in the identification for the need for bringing the change in a particular direction. vi) Context drives in the right approach to the change depending on the mode of the circumstances. vii) Leadership is the basic need for bringing the change in an organisation (Belias, Koustelios, 2014). Leadership and Nature of Change: Fig: Nature of Change Source: Created by the Author The above diagram illustrates the nature of change adapted by a leader in terms of organisational development. Leadership is one of the most effective forces in brining the change in an organisation (Cameron Green, 2015). Conclusion: Having understood the theories and concept of change management and leadership, i could roughly create a genre of my own thus framing the strategies for change management. As a matter of fact, the change brought in the organisation where i was working, was actually motivated by the situation. My leadership quality was reflected while supposing the change for the new employees. It can thus be concluded that the change management strategies need clear insight of the problem as well as effective planning framework of for the fture improvement. Reference: Beck, D. E., Cowan, C. (2014).Spiral dynamics: Mastering values, leadership and change. John Wiley Sons. Belias, D., Koustelios, A. (2014). The impact of leadership and change management strategy on organizational culture.European scientific journal,10(7). Booth, S. A. (2015).Crisis management strategy: Competition and change in modern enterprises. Routledge.s Cameron, E., Green, M. (2015).Making sense of change management: a complete guide to the models, tools and techniques of organizational change. Kogan Page Publishers. Dickens, P. (2015). ABC Denomination.Director,905, 466-6340. Parkay, F. W., Anctil, E. J., Hass, G. (2014).Curriculum leadership: Readings for developing quality educational programs. Prentice Hall.

Tic tac toe Essay Example

Tic tac toe Paper Tln01nga goal weak methods: depth-first search (DFS), breadth-first search (BFS), constraint satisfaction (CSP) strong methods: use heuristics, A* search s goal nodes Tic Tac Toe Playing Strategies Two players human computer. The objective is to write a computer program in such a way that computer wins most of the time. Three approaches are presented to play this game which increase in Complexity Use of generalization Clarity of their knowledge Extensibility of their approach These approaches will move towards being representations of what we will call A1 techniques. Tic Tac Toe Board- (or Noughts and crosses, Xs and Os) It is two players, X and O, game who take turns marking the spaces in a 33 grid. The player who succeeds in placing three respective marks in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal row wins the game. 2 4 5 6 8 9 7 positions Zero-Sum Games Focus primarily on adversarial games Two-player, zero-sum games As Player 1 gains strength Player 2 loses strength and vice versa The sum of the two strengths is always O. Search Applied to Adversarial Games Initial state Current board position (description of current game state) Operators Legal moves a player can make Terminal nodes Leaf nodes in the tree Indicate the game is over Utility function Payoff function Value of the outcome of a game Example: tic tac toe, utility is -1, O, or 1 Game Trees Tic tac toe Two players, MAX and MIN Moves (ana levels) alternate Detween two players Minimax Algorithm Search the tree to the end Assign utility values to terminal nodes Find the best move for MAX (on MAXS turn), assuming: MAX will make the move that maximizes MAXS utility MIN will make the move that minimizes MAXs utility Here, MAX should make the leftmost move Minimax applet Minimax Properties Complete if tree is finite Optimal if play against opponent with same strategy (utility function) Time complexity is O(bm) Space complexity is O(bm) (depth-first exploration) If we have 100 seconds to make a move Can explore 104 nodes/seco nd Can consider 106 nodes / move Standard approach is Apply a cutoff test (depth limit, quiescence) Evaluate nodes at cutoff (evaluation function estimates desirability of position) Alpha-Beta Pruning Typically can only look 3-4 ply in allowable chess time Alpha-beta pruning simplifies search space without eliminating optimality By applying common sense If one route allows queen to be captured and a better move is available Then dont search further down bad path If one route would be bad for opponent, ignore that route also Max 71 No need to look here! Maintain [alpha, beta] window at each node during depth-first search alpha bound, change at max levels beta = upper bound, change at min levels = lower Alpha Beta Properties Pruning does not affect final result Good move ordering improves effectiveness of pruning With perfect ordering, time complexity is Goals To reduce the space complexity Game can be played one or two players Builds High-Level Game Contain Levels We will write a custom essay sample on Tic tac toe specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Tic tac toe specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Tic tac toe specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer

Importance of Pte Academic Writing Essay

Importance of Pte Academic Writing EssayPte Academic Writing Essay Sample is a helpful tool that helps students analyze the format and the strategies of Pte Academic Writing Essay. It is also used to improve the writing skill of students in order to improve their grades. Writing essay requires you to take lots of details from the subject and revise it in the proper format. For this purpose you need professional help from writing essay sample so that you can get the best paper for your final examination.The style and organization of the essay depend on the student's writing skill. There are many writers who make their work as an essay just to earn some money. They don't bother about the success of their essays and they expect from the other students to give them the same name in their works, after which they earn some amount.The writers can also have a different attitude if they will have their own style of writing, but they use wrong expression in their papers. So in this case it is better to choose essay writing sample which can provide you the solution to the situation. So you should always use quality essay writing sample in order to improve your essay.If you will give correct formatting in your paper, then your writing would be accepted by the student in a perfect way. You need to use correct grammatical style while writing, you should also make a proper introduction and conclusion of your essay. You can also include some comments about the assignment that you can take from the assignment.If you want to include some comments regarding the topic, then you need to maintain the right tone. To give correct tone you should use correct grammar while writing. You can also write some important points like importance of essay or the reason why you should take the exam. You need to mention the required information in your essay.As you do writing essay, you need to make sure that your word count is less than 90%, otherwise it will spoil your essay. You need to make ev ery detail in your essay logical and it can be used as a reference for your essay. You should try to avoid making all the mistake in your essay.You can always seek help from writing essay sample to improve your writing skill of your essay. It can also improve your writing skills in the long run.

How to Make Distilled Water

How to Make Distilled Water Distilled water is purified water produced by condensing steam or water vapor from impure water, such as well water, seawater, tap water, snow, streams, or even plants or damp rock. You can distill water to further purify the water you have, to make drinking water for emergencies, or to obtain water while on camping trips. There are several methods for making distilled water, so you can save yourself some money and distill it yourself rather than buying it at the store. Which of several methods to use to distill water depends on the resources you have available and whether you are distilling impure water or have to get water from the air or plants. Distill Water on Your Stove, Grill or Campfire You can make distilled water over a stove, grill, or campfire quite easily. You need a large container of water, a smaller collection container that either floats in the first container or can be propped up above the water level, a rounded or pointed lid that fits the big container  (turned upside down so that when the steam condenses, the water drips into your smaller container), and some ice. Here is a recommended material list: 5-gallon stainless steel or aluminum potRounded lid for the potGlass or metal bowl that floats inside the potIce cubesHot pads Fill the large pot partly full of water.Set the collection bowl in the pot. The plan is to collect water dripping from the center of the inverted pan lid, so choose the size of the bowl to make sure the distilled water wont just drip back into the main pot.Set the pot lid upside down on the pot. When you heat the water, water vapor will rise up to the lid, condense into droplets, and fall into your bowl.Turn on the heat for the pan. The water needs to get very hot, but its OK if it doesnt boil.Put ice cubes on top of the lid of the pot. The cold will help to condense the steam in the pot into liquid water.When complete, turn off the heat and use care to remove the bowl of distilled water. Store distilled water in a clean, preferably sterile container (dishwasher clean or else immersed in boiling water). Use a container intended for long-term storage of water because other containers may have contaminants that would leach into your water over time, undoing all your work to get pure water. Collect Water in an Outside Container A similar method is to heat water in a pot but collect the distilled water in an outside container. You can be as creative as you like with your setup for this. Just be sure to collect the distilled water and not the pot water. One option is to use a funnel over the boiling water container that is connected to the collection bottle with aquarium tubing. For the funnel to drain into your collection bottle, you want to empty the tubing at a lower level than the funnel. Otherwise, the method is the same. The advantages include safety (you dont need to wait for the pot to cool to get your water) and reduced risk of contamination from the source water. Contamination is not a big concern when youre purifying rain or tap water but may be more of a consideration if youre trying to make nonpotable water safe enough to drink. Distill Water From Rain or Snow Rain and snow are two forms of naturally distilled water. Water evaporates from the ocean, lakes, rivers, and the land and condenses in the atmosphere to fall as precipitation. Unless you live in a highly polluted area, the water is pure and safe to drink. (Do not collect rainwater that comes off an asphalt shingle roof through the gutters for this procedure.) Collect rain or snow in a clean container. Allow a day or so for any sediment to fall to the bottom of the bowl. In most cases, you can pour off the clean water and drink it as-is; however, you can include additional filtration steps, such as running the water through a coffee filter or boiling it. Water keeps best if its refrigerated, but you can keep it indefinitely in a clean, sealed container at room temperature, too. Use Home Distillation Kits Unless youre collecting rain or snow, water distillation costs money because it uses fuel or electricity to heat the source water. Its cheaper to buy bottled distilled water than it is to make it on your stove. However, if you use a home distiller, you can make distilled water more cheaply than you can buy it. Home distillation kits range in price from about $100 to several hundred dollars. If youre making distilled water for drinking, the less expensive kits are fine. More expensive kits are used for lab work or for processing large volumes of water to supply water needs for an entire house. Distill Water From Plants or Mud While out camping or in serious emergency situations, you can distill water from virtually any source of water. If you understand the basic principle, you likely can imagine many potential setups. Heres an example of a method used to extract water from desert plants. Note that this is a time-consuming process. Green plantsPlastic wrapCoffee can or other clean containerSmall rocks Dig a hole in the ground in a sunny location.Place the coffee can in the center of the bottom of the hole to collect the water.Pile up damp plants in the hole around the coffee can.Cover the hole with a piece of plastic wrap. You can secure it using rocks or dirt. Ideally, you want to seal the plastic so no moisture escapes. The greenhouse effect  will trap heat inside the plastic, aiding in the evaporation of the water.Place a pebble in the center of the plastic wrap to create a small depression. As water evaporates, the vapor will condense on the plastic and fall where you created the depression, dripping into the can. You can add fresh plants to keep the process going. Avoid using poisonous plants containing volatile toxins because they will contaminate your water. Cacti and ferns are good choices, where they are available. Ferns are edible, too.

Faulty Modifiers on ACT English Grammar Rule Prep

Faulty Modifiers on ACT English Grammar Rule Prep SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips One ofcomedian Groucho Marx's most famous jokes involves a pachyderm and some sleepwear. "One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas," he says. "How he got in my pajamas I don't know!" This joke is a play on a grammatical error called a misplaced modifier. The modifier errors on the ACT English may not be quite as funny as Groucho's, but you still have to understand how they work. To that end, we'll be covering both the basic grammatical concepts behind faulty modifiers and how to apply that knowledge on the test: Key Principle: Modifiers Must Be Next to What They Modify Dangling Modifiers: Modifying Phrases at the Beginning of Sentences Misplaced Modifiers: Modifier Order Within Sentences ACT English Tips and and Tricks Practice Questions Modifiers Must Be Next to the Thing They're Modifying The heading says it all: the most important concept to remember when dealing with modifiers is that they need to be next to the word they're describing. Sometimes these types of mistakes are obvious: Robot for sale by woman with laser eyes. Hopefully, the robot has the laser eyes, and not the woman. The sentence should be: Robot with laser eyes for sale by woman. However,on the ACT, this kind of error is oftenharder to spot. Take a look at the following sentence: Thoughexhausted, it would be another hour before Zoe got to go home. There's nothing obviously wrong with this sentence, but let's think about what it's actually saying. We start with the modifier "though exhausted." That would seem to be describing Zoe, but it's next to "it," so right now, the sentence is actually saying that "it" is exhausted, which makes no sense. We need to reorder the sentence so that the modifier is next to what it's modifying: Thoughexhausted, Zoe wouldn't get to go home for another hour. There are two main types of faulty modifiers on the ACT English section: dangling modifiers, which involve phrases at the beginning of sentences (e.g. the example about Zoe), and misplaced modifiers, which involve the order of words and phrases within sentences (e.g. the example about the robot). Don't worry about the dangling/misplaced terminology- what's important is how these errors are tested on the ACT, which we're about to cover! This is what you end up with when you misplace modifiers. (Â ©Dan Century) Dangling Modifiers: Modifying Phrases at the Beginning of Sentences Whena sentence begins with a modifying phrase, the intro must be immediately followed by a comma and then the noun it's describing. Incorrect sentences of this type start with modifying phrases that describe something other than the noun immediately following the comma. For example: Runningtoward the lake, the trees were swaying in the wind. "The trees" are obviously not running towards the lake- they don't have legs. There are two ways to correct this kind of error: you can either replace the incorrect noun (in this case "trees") with the correct one, making any changes necessary to preserve the meaning of the sentence (fix 1), or you can turn the intro phrase into a clause that includes the subject the phrase is meant to be describing (fix 2). These techniques sound more complicated than they are, so let's put them to use remedying our issue with the running trees: Fix 1:Runningtoward the lake, I saw the trees swaying in the wind. Fix 2:As I rantoward the lake, the trees wereswaying in the wind. Bothversions of the sentence are equally correct. You won't be asked to choose between the two options- instead, which approach makes more sense will depend on which part of the sentence is underlinedand whatanswer choices you're given. Situation 1: Main Clause Underlined If only the main clause is underlined, you'll need to pick the answer with the correct subject- what I refer to above as fix 1. For example: Incorrect: With tears running down her cheeks, Susie’s sadness was obvious. Correct: With tears running down her cheeks, Susie was obviously sad. Even though the distinction may not seem important, "Susie" and "Susie's sadness" aren't actually the same, and Susie's sadness can't cry. If the second half of the sentence is underlined, the best way to correctthat issue is to replace the incorrect noun "Susie's sadness" with the correct one "Susie." Let's take a look at how this works on an ACT style question: Initiatedby a few loud teenagers, the crowd of concert goers quickly joined the heckling in order to drive the band off the stage. A. NO CHANGE B. in order to drive the band off stage,the crowd of concert goers quickly joined the heckling. C. the point of the heckling, quickly joined by the crowd of concert goers, was to drive the band off stage. D. the heckling, which the crowd of concert goers swiftly joined, was intended to drive the band off stage. What's the problem here? That "the crowd" wasn't initiated by the teenagers, the "heckling" was. As such, "heckling" has to come immediately after the comma, no matter how tempting the other choices are. D is the correct answer. Situation 2: Intro Phrase Underlined On the other hand, if only the introductory phrase is underlined, you have to convertthe introductory phrase into a clause that clarifieswho or what is being described (fix 2). Let's examine our example about Susie from this perspective. Incorrect:With tears running down her cheeks, Susie’s sadness was obvious. Correct:Because there were tears running down Susie'scheeks, Susie’s sadness was obvious. We can't alter the subject in this case, so we need to turn the prepositional phrase into a dependent clause that makes it clear that the cheeks belong to Susie. Let's take a look at how this works in a multiple choice question from an official ACT: As written, this sentence is saying "she" has died down, which doesn't make sense: it should be the fire. But because only the first part is underlined, we can't change "she" to "the fire," instead we have to pick an answer that makes clear that the fire is what's dying down. Clearly, F won't work, and neither does G, since it has the unclear pronoun "it." H and J both specify that we're talking about the fire, but "with" in H doesn't make much sense here- J is the best choice since it maintains the temporal relationship (she bricks up the firebox after the fire dies down), while clarifying what exactly is dying down. Situation 3: Both Parts Underlined On the ACT, you may also see danglingmodifiers in the context of more general sentence organization questions. In these cases, all or most of the sentence is underlined. There's no single correct approach to these types of questions; instead, you need to rule out any answers with grammatical issues, and choose the clearest answer among the remainingoptions. Let's work through an example from an official ACT English section: First we need to figure out who or what is "cheek to cheek," and the only things in this sentence with cheeks arethe dancers. Thus if the sentence starts with "cheek to cheek," a noun or pronoun indicating the dancers should come immediately after. Both F and J incorrectly put other nouns in that position (though "cheek to cheek" describe how the couples dance, the dance itself isn't "cheek-to-cheek"). H switches"cheek to cheek" and "relaxed two-step tempo," which actually makes even less sense, since the latter phrase isn't a modifier (it's a noun phrase). This leaves G, which orders the modifiers logicallyto indicate that they describe how the couples are dancing. You don't want your modifiers to end up like this guy- dangling. (Â ©Tony Hisgett) Misplaced Modifiers: Modifier Placement in Sentences Now that we've covered how to approach questions about modifiers at the beginning of sentences, let's talk about modifier placement within sentences. Let's revisitthe key rule for modifier placement: a modifier must be next to whatever it's modifying. More specifically, single word modifiers, i.e. adverbs and adjectives, generally go before the word they're modifying, while prepositional phrases go after what they're modifying. Incorrect: The monster played weird alone. Correct:The weird monster played alone. "Weird" is an adjective, which means it can be used to describe a noun or pronoun. The only one of those in the sentence is "monster," so "weird" should go before monster. (In some cases, this kind of construction might indicate anadverb vs. adjective error.) Incorrect: The monster sent long letters to his new friend full of details about his life. Correct: The monster sent long letters full of details about his life to his new friend. In the first version of this sentence, the phrase "full of details about his life" comes after, and is thus modifying, "friend." But it's meant to describe "letters." The corrected sentence places the phrases in the appropriate order. There are exceptions to these guidelines, but the idea that modifiers should be next to what they modify isa good rule of thumb. Let's look at a sample ACT style question: Edgar Allan Poeis reveredfor his frightening and stylish stories by literary critics, many of which appear in high school text books. A. NO CHANGE B.by literary critics for his frightening and stylish stories, C.for his frightening and stylish stories, by literary critics, D.by literary critics who deem his stories frightening and stylish, At first glance, there's nothing much wrong with this construction: sure, the order of the prepositional phrases "for his frightening and stylish stories" and "by literary critics" is a bit weird, but the ACT isn't usually that nitpicky. There's actually a bigger issue here, with the non-underlined clause "many of which appear in high school text books." What's which referring to? The stories, not the critics. As such, we need to reorder the underlined portion to put"stories" at the end, making B the correct choice. Though this styleof question appears fairly frequently on the ACT, there's another style of misplaced modifier question that you are almostcertain to see at least once on the test. These questions ask where a modifier should be placed or where it would NOTbe acceptable. In approaching these questions, you want to keep the basic rulesin mind as you try the phrase or word out in different spots. Let's practice onan official ACT question: The first key to this question is catching the EXCEPT: we're looking for the answer choice that doesn't work. I've written out each of the four choices below- can you spot the one that doesn't work? A. The O'odham in the 1700s first encountered the guitars of Spanish missionaries. B. In the 1700s, the O'odham first encountered the guitars of Spanish missionaries. C. The O'odham first encountered the guitars in the 1700s of Spanish missionaries. D. The O'odham first encountered the guitars of Spanish missionaries in the 1700s. If you guessed C, good job! Putting "in the 1700s" after guitars interrupts the noun phrase "guitars of the Spanish missionaries"- all of a sudden the 1700s belong to Spanish missionaries. A is fine because we're talking about what the O'odham did in the 1700s, and in both B and D the phrase is modifying the whole sentence, which makes sense since it's describing when this event occurred. Applying Modifier Ruleson the ACT Now that we've gone over all the rules you need to know, let's review some of the key points about how to spot and answer faulty modifierquestions on the ACT. What to watchfor: Prepositional phrases at the beginning of sentences where the phrase itself, the clause after the comma, or both are underlined Questions that ask about "placement" Rules to keep in mind: A modifier must be next to what it's modifying Adjectives and adverbs go before the word they're describing Prepositional phrases usually go immediately after whatever they're modifying Helpful ACT English tips: Make sure to watch out for EXCEPT and NOT. Even though they're in all caps, they can be easy to skip over- get in the habit of circling them every time you see them Think about both what a modifier is currently describing and what it's actually meant to be describing Watch out for answers that fix the original modifier issue but are ungrammatical in another way and those that create modifier errors when attempting to rephrase a sentence Remember that there are a lot of different ways to fix faulty modifiers- use process of elimination to narrow down wrong answers rather than focusing on one specific way of correcting the error Just like these athletes, you'll only improve if you practice! Test Your Knowledge! I've created some ACT English practice questions dealing withfaultymodifiers. Give them a try! 1. While watching TV, the power went out, scaring Christina. A. NO CHANGE B.the power going out scared Christina. C. Christina was scared by the power going out. D. Christina's fear was inspired by the power going out. 2.I was waiting in line with a young girl who was sketching in a flowing scarf with colored pencils. The best placement for the underlined portion would be: F.where it is now. G.after the word line. H.after the word girl. J.after the wordpencils(ending the sentence with a period). 3.Suggested by me the new mystery novel, supposedly a page turner, our book club decided to read it unanimously. A. NO CHANGE B. Our book club unanimously decided to read the new mystery novel I suggested, which was supposed to be a page turner. C. A page turner, unanimously the new mystery novel was decided by our book club, suggested by me. D.Decided on by our book club, the new mysterynovel, a page turner, was suggested unanimously by me. Answers: 1. C, 2. H, 3. B What's Next? Now that you've mastered misplaced modifiers, take a look at some of our other ACT grammar guides on frequentlytestedtopics like subject-verb agreementand comma usage. Make sure you know the 5 key ACT English strategies, and if you're aimingfor an especiallyhigh score, check out our guide to getting a 36 on the ACT English from a perfectscorer. Looking to build a study plan? Read our complete plan to studying for the ACT, review what the ACT English actually covers, and take a practice test (or five!). Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this English lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial: