Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Baroque Art

Challenge II Baroque Art: What is it and why do we care about it? The Baroque is often thought of as a period of artistic style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, architecture, and music. The style began around 1600 in Rome, Italy and spread to most of Europe. It's defined as â€Å"a style of European architecture, music, and art of the 17th and 18th centuries that followed mannerism and is characterized by ornate detail.In architecture the period is exemplified by the palace of Versailles and by the work of Bernie in Italy. Major composers include Vivaldi, Bach, and Handel; Carving and Rueben are important baroque artists. † (Being Dictionary) However, the word â€Å"baroque† seems to have a slight negative connotation-the original translations of this word include Italian for â€Å"tortuous medieval pedantry' and Portuguese for â€Å"deformed pearl. In other a ccounts, Baroque is associated with strange, bizarre, and spectacle. This is probably because of the art side of the baroque period: controversial artists such as Peter Paul Rueben captured voluptuous women on canvas in The Rape of Lucrative and The Rape of the Daughters of Leucosis, and Giant Lorenz Bernie in The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. So why is all this this important to us? Well, despite being a bit provoking and over-extravagant, the baroque period was also beneficial.In addition to producing the earliest European music familiar to most of us, including Bachelor's Canon and Vivaldi The Four Seasons, the baroque era also greatly expanded our horizons. The acceptance of Copernicus 16th century theory that the planets didn't evolve around the earth made the universe a much larger place, while Galileo work helped us get better acquainted with the cosmos.The philosophical aspect of the baroque makes it important; and the vestiges of the era are still heard today in music- some of t he most influential and beloved compositions are regularly performed in concert halls, and snippets of Bach and Vivaldi frequently appear in the solos of heavy metal guitarists. Having long since shed its derogatory connotations, â€Å"baroque† is now simply a convenient catch-all for one of the richest and most diverse periods in music and art history. Baroque Art By perpendicular

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Memory of the Holocaust in Maus

Memory of the Holocaust in Maus It is considered a sacred Jewish practice for kids to listen to and conserve their parents’ stories because it is a way to understand and relate to their history. But what happens when most of your family and relatives are suddenly marked for death? What happens when they are confronted with the horrific reality of the massive structured and organized extermination of countless numbers of Jews known as the Holocaust?For the second generation survivors, how can one even find any means to relate to their parent’s miraculous experience of surviving in a place that could be called hell on earth? Art Spiegelman’s Maus: A Survivor’s Tale confronts this issue, by revealing the psychological and physical damage which one Holocaust survivor, Vladek went through as he fought his way to live and to tell his story to his son. Vladek’s experience in Auschwitz renders him almost as a ghost, devoid of any emotion which puts a strain on his relationship with his son, Art, who in turn is living his parents’ shadows of their survival.In Maus, the narrative of the tragedy and tribulation the Holocaust survivors experienced reveals how memories can have a negative and damaging impact on the present for the survivors and later generations, suggesting that it is best to avoid the recollection of the traumatic past. Vladek Spiegelman appears a brave, valiant figure in his account of the time he endured in Auschwitz. From his interpretation, the reader gets this perception of him as an indestructible hero, similar to the Superman.We see him as a clever, bright, and determined man as he negotiates and barters his way in the camp to win a better chance of surviving. Although he constantly asserts it was due to good fortune, the majority of it came through his personal undertaking. However, in contrast to the fearless Vladek we are told about, the aged one who shares his memories is only a white ghost. The severe p hysical torture he has undergone has weakened his body and mind to the point where he becomes a neurotic who’s obsessed with the littlest details, such as counting pills and money.When Art asks him if everything is okay as he’s sorting his nails, Vladek replies â€Å"Nu? with my life now, you know It can’t be everything okay. † (I. 5. 98) All the massive strength he used to endure the pain has turned him into an paranoid and temperamental old man. His strange obsession to keep everything fine stems from the constant need to continue fighting for his life after the events of Auschwitz. It reveals how difficult it is for a survivor to let go and move on from the past since his obsessive sorting of his things in a way represents his sorting of his painful memories.As Vladek narrates his story to Art, he always stressed the importance of surviving, such as the time where he persuades a depressed Anja to not commit suicide once she learns the death of their so n, Richieu. Vladek tells her â€Å"No, darling! To die, it’s easy†¦ But you have to struggle for life! † (I. 5. 122). This hopeful young Vladek seems false since the reader and Art never get to know what his feelings were at that time. Vladek’s difficulty with communicating his emotions to his son demonstrate the damaging psychological effect that Auschwitz has left on him.Therefore it is best to only tell the facts since doing so brings back all the sorrow and grief. Maus is told from two first person narrative and so as an audience, we are allowed to see both Vladek and Art’s personal viewpoint. Spiegleman does this for the audience to form a rather deep connection with both characters. Arts’ relationship with his father, Vladek is volatile and there is a rift between the Holocaust survivor and his son. Vladek’s narration of his story is not in chronological order at all because he jumps from place to place and even forgets to mention other possibilities with what might occur in Auschwitz.Vladek’s memory fits in James Young definition of â€Å"deep† memory in â€Å"The Holocaust as Vicarious Past. † In it, Young describes it â€Å"as that which remains essentially inarticulable and unrepresentable, that which continues to exist as unresolved trauma just beyond the reach of meaning† (667). It is memory that can not be recalled at will, and for some people such as Vladek who suffered a traumatic event like Auschwitz, can’t be integrated into a storyline. His recollection of his experience in the camps is unreliable at most times so Art has the responsibility of keeping it true according to historical sources.The reader also sees Arts’ failed attempt to put it in a logical order in order to create some meaning out of it. Art’s recording of his father’s history and drawings of the events assists him in connecting to Vladek’s mind and behavior, but only t o an extent. At the end of the story, Vladek’s fading from consciousness is a type of closure and is â€Å"deep† memory in the sense that it does not offer reconciliation of the narrative. Instead, the narrative turns into anti-redemptive and more wounds open up as after Art’s father mistakes him for his first dead son.Art Spiegelman is the second generation of the Holocaust survivor and tries to represent this event by recording his father’s history. In Maus, he is seen as the observer and is sort of removed from his parent’s history. Since he is unable to access their experience or identify with them, he lives under their shadow and also his unborn brother, Richieu. Vladek transfers his survivor’s guilt onto his son and places desires on Art that he would never can achieve. Therefore Art will always feel remorse over his failure and a certain responsibility to please his dad.As a result, Art resorts to his therapist, Pavel, who also is a s urvivor of the Holocaust, as a father figure. â€Å"Somehow my arguments with my father have lost a little of their urgency†¦ and Auschwitz just seems too scary to think about†¦ so I just lie there†¦ No matter what I accomplish, it doesn’t seem like much compared to surviving Auschwitz† (II. 2. 44). Art was the son who survived but because he wasn’t an actual witness, he can’t empathize with his parents’ scars.All he can do is only acknowledge and attempt to understand it, but at times he also resents managing with their trauma. This is shown when he accuses his mother of her suicide and not letting him take the blame for their grief and heartache. Art can’t stand his dad’s overwhelming grief and in turn writes another comic, â€Å"Prisoner on Hell Planet† to express his frustration and shame. Vladek soon discovers this comic and all the emotions and grief comes back as he relives the traumatic memories of the Ho locaust.This demonstrates how influential the Holocaust survivor’s history is on the second generation, leading to a mixture of compassion and resentment regarding their relationship with the event. Art’s vexation over his inability to relate personally to his parent’s tragedy and his tenacious attempt to record his father’s past reveals the personal difficulties and stress one goes through to represent accurately the painful memories of the Holocaust. Continuing the conversation with the therapist, Pavel tells Art â€Å"Anyway, the victims who died can never tell their side of the story, so maybe it’s etter not to have any more stories. † Art replies â€Å"Uh-huh. Samuel Beckett once said: â€Å"Every word is like an unnecessary stain on silence and nothingness† (II. 2. 45). This is an example of Peter Weiss’ My Place, where he discusses fearful anticipation of the attempt to form an authentic connection with the suffering th e victims experienced during the Holocaust. Weiss talks about how being in Auschwitz and touching the rooms to try to reconnect his body to the space, including the concrete blocks, the Black Wall, the washroom, etc.Weiss comments â€Å"Thoughts, none. No impressions, except that I am alone here, that it is cold†¦ † (22). Despite reading about this place in books before, there is a lack of knowledge of what actually occurred since being there almost destroys all his preconceived notion of the event. Weiss’ visit to the camps to try to place himself in the minds of both the victims and perpetrators only leaves him with an overwhelming feeling of survivor’s guilt. Everything he learned about this place, he can’t learn more even when he’s here.The more he tries to confront the reality of Auschwitz by walking around from place to place, the more disconnected he feels. Likewise, the more Art tries to describe and narrate his dad’s story to e xpress this catastrophic event, the less the words mean because it is insufficient to address it this way. Weiss learns this lesson when he mentions that â€Å"yet after a while everything is silent and unmoving even here. A living man has come and what happened here hides itself from him† (28). He realizes that â€Å"he is only standing in a vanished world.Here there is nothing more for him to do†¦ Then he knows that it has not ended yet† (28). There is a questioning on the entire relationship between father and son, revealing the complexities attached with the lessons one learns and tries to understand involving a survivor’s memory of the Holocaust. The kids of Holocaust survivors can’t truly relate to the horrors their parents were subjected to. The past can’t be retrieved because of Pierre Nora’s identification of the third type of memory in the modern era, â€Å"distance-memory,† which are distorted versions of the past memo ry.It is â€Å"no longer a retrospective continuity but the illumination of discontinuity† (16). It is a past that that’s a world apart from us due to the â€Å"births† of new ideas and events rather than speaking of â€Å"origins. † There’s a discontinuity with distance memory because what happened was lost in remnants of the person’s mind. It changes every time they try to recollect it. All one can do is be a witness to their testimony and the answer lies in the attempt to learn from it.

How far did conditions improve for Black Americans between 1945-1955? Essay

The decade following up to WW2 there was general hostility towards Black Americans, lynching’s and beatings were quite common in the Deep South. Due to the huge amount of volunteered/conscripted black Americans who joined to fight for ‘liberty and freedom’ in Europe, many also fought the war of liberty and freedom at home. When black soldiers returned majority were still met with the same segregation and racism that they had felt when they left. However you could see some improvements in political, social and economic conditions for them; largely achieved through a combination of federal measures, supreme court decisions, and black activism. But there were clear limits to this progress due to powerful forces such as white racist attitudes, congressional resistance and lack of executive commitment. Conditions Improved a) Political The way the black soldiers had fought had changed a number of people’s views, including President Harry S. Truman, whom was known for being racist, understood that there were social developments in place and the black population began to have a voice such as organisations like the NAACP. Immobilised Black American soldiers were given the chance to have a college education and they had took advantage of this, they had also been treated like heroes in Europe but were unequal in the USA- Truman saw this was injustice and though they shouldn’t be subject to racist attacks, which made them more motivated to take action. In connection to this, there was increased awareness of southern inequality due to more motor cars and televisions becoming more accessible, so campaigns were mobile and more recognised. His reaction to this was â€Å"the buck stops here† meaning he was determined to get equal human rights for all citizens. The extent to which his motives were questionable as it can be argued he was well aware the black vote was of growing importance for the Democratic Party, so he knew he needed to gain their support. However having the President on side was a great step to making black and white citizens equal, and was one of the key steps to success for the Civil Rights movement, the other two being a Supreme Court and congress with pro-civil rights majority in the US constitution. Truman took government action to help black people. In 1946, Truman established the President’s Committee on Civil Rights; they produced  a report â€Å"To Secure These Rights† which examined racial minorities in America, so that they could address these issues. Such problems included lynching (over 300 reported cases from 1882-1945), police brutality(barbaric beating, forced confessions when innocent), voting rights (in 1944 only 18% of black people in the South could vote), employment, education and healt h ( black people were paid less that whites even if educated, and medical schools refused to take black students and they had less doctors). The summary was that segregation was causing many problems, â€Å"separate but equal† did not exist as blacks did not receive equal treatment, and were seen as inferior to associate with white people. Truman also appointed William Hastie as the first black judge in relation to making opportunities fairer in employment and education. He also appointed Ralph Bunche as the American Ambassador of the United Nations; he mediated between the Israelis and Palestinians and won the Nobel peace prize for this in 1950. These government appointments impacted the psychology of the black and white citizens, they could all see that black people were beginning to get high positions of power and authority; this in turn would help secure more democratic black votes, as their fair opportunities were being shown to increase. He also recognised that black campaigners such as Philip Randolph were telling soldiers to not go to war due to how they were treated, and he used his power to desegregate armed forces, under an exec. Order 9981 which guaranteed â€Å"equality of treatment and opportunity for all†, this boosted the morale and confidence of soldiers which encouraged them to fight for America. The inauguration of Truman was also not segregated, which showed the immediate effect of his policies all around the world as he had publicity. social The NAACP- the National association for the advancement of coloured people were a popular protest group that fought segregation and wanted to enfranchise black people with rights , between 1939 and 42, their members had grown from 50,000 to 450,000 so by 45 they were well established.Groups like these used methods involving both direct and indirect action. The indirect action the NAACP took were supporting people in their court cases to get the Supreme Court to take notice of the political incorrectness for  black people. Such cases included the 1944 Smith v Alwright which concerned the voting rights of black people in Texas, they were allowed to vote in congressional elections but not primary elections- which were more important as it determined the winning candidate. The case was taken to the Supreme Court and the 15th amendment states that all citizens have the right to vote so the case was won and all white primary elections were outlawed throughout the whole of America. In 1946, the case of Morgan v Virginia was regarding the segregation of interstate bus services, she was fined for not giving up her seat for a white person and she argued her constitutional rights were violated. This was taken to the Supreme Court and her case was won, segregation on transport was ruled illegal. in1950, Sweatt v Painter was a case about a black student wanting to study law, but was refused admission in Texas, a new law school was built for black students only, but this was shown to be inferior to the white school so Sweatt was able to register for the Texas law school and so the case was a success. The Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka in 1954 showed how black children weren’t being provided with an adequate education, and that segregation had a negative effect on black children. It was recognised that southern states failed to provide an education and the racist education system didn’t reflect on the ideals on America, so the decision was reached due to a change in leadership of the Supreme Court, Earl Warren replaced the deceased judge and he was much more sympathetic so used his authority to persuade desegregation. This case was a major stepping stone for black people, however there was a lot of white backlash, southern racists were provoked, like the KKK and white citizens council. The case was re opened for Brown II in 1955 as desegregation was not happening fast enough especially in southern states so it was argued a timetable needed to be implemented. The Brown case also demonstrated how the new President Eisenhower (from 1953) was unwilling to help, and showed how de jure change had little de facto change in the Southern states especially. economic Much like when slavery was still legal, the primary jobs for African Americans in the south were in agriculture, where they would work for very low pay and as a result remain very poor. However war had forced the south to spend over $4.5 billion creating factories for war goods, blacks couldn’t  get jobs in them at first though due to racism and prejudice on the part of those hiring (a social issue). But this was resolved in 1941 when President Roosevelt, under the threat of ‘black’ activism issued an executive order creating the Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC). The FEPC forced industries not to discriminate on the grounds of ‘race, creed, colour or national origin’. This had made the economic situation for ‘blacks’ better but it wasn’t to last as many were fired from their war time jobs to be replaced with returning white servicemen. Still,the war period had vastly improved the economic situation for African Americans on the whole, this can be proved on statistics alone; the number of unemployed African Americans in 1940 was 937,000 but fell to 151,000 in 1945, showing a huge improvement. Simply due to the lower income made by ‘blacks’ in both the North and South meant they were forced into substandard housing (Ghettos) as they were unable to afford better. In the North ‘blacks’ were predominantly industrial workers and during war time there was a second wave of black migration from South to North (the first being ‘The Great Migration’). Again proved by statistics; in 1940 a quarter of African Americans lived in the North (primarily in industrial cities such as Philadelphia), but by 1950 it was nearly a third (a migration of about 500,000 during the war), this was driven by the ‘war boom’. It must still be kept in mind that although it jobs were better in the North the situation was still not ideal, ‘blacks’ would earn, on average, 50% less than their white colleagues and it was common for whites to object to the promotion of African Americans. Finally whites were still more likely to be employed over ‘blacks’ and example of this is in New York, where 6% of white men were unemployed compared to 10% of black men.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Secret Heart essays

Secret Heart essays The book Secret Heart takes place in Helmouth, in present day. The author of this book David Almond grew up in a large family in northeastern England and says The place and the people have given me many of my stories. He started his career as a writer after he graduated from college. This book is one of the few that he has written. For example his first novel was Skellig, his second was Kits Wilderness, and his third was Heaven Eyes. David Almond loves to write, he says Writing can be difficult, but sometimes it really does feel like kind of magic. I think that stories are living things among the most important things in the world. David Almond is an amazing writer, but in Secret Heart he made it too boring. I almost fell asleep several times while reading this book. For example on one whole page they do nothing but jump over an elastic band, while Corinna was jumping with the children she says jump children jump (194). Another thing that he did is in some parts he needed to add just a little more detail. For example when Stanny yelled at the snake it slithered away, he should have thrown something at it all he did was yell. In the book it says It turned its bloodied head and eyes and stared at them for a second, then darted off (24). Another thing is that the whole book is about three days. When you read it, it seems a lot longer than three days. However there were a few parts in this book that I felt were particularly good. For example when Joff and Stanny killed the panther, and Joe and Corinna find it. The book says There was no head of course (156). Another thing is That Joe has dreams and he cant tell if they are real or not, his mother had said you and your dreams (19). This book was a good book it was entertaining for the most part. It had some faults, but I really liked it. If anyone is thinking about reading it I highly recommend it be...

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Whats the Highest Possible SAT Score

What's the Highest Possible SAT Score SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Curious about what perfection looks like on the SAT, or about how many people get perfect scores every year? In this post, we'll show you what the highest possible score on the SAT is and how many raw points you need to rack up in each section to earn that score. We'll also include tips and links to other more detailed articles for those aiming for that rare- but not impossible!- maximum SAT score. What Is a Perfect SAT Score? The highest possible score you can earn on the SAT is 1600 points. To get this score, you have to get a perfect 800 on each of the two sections: Math, and Evidenced-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW). These scores are then totaled to give you a composite score of 1600. (Note that the SAT Essay is optional, so even if you take it, this score will not be factored into your final composite score. You could, therefore, technically get a very low essay score but still net a perfect 1600!) A perfect SAT score is incredibly rare. According to the College Board's most recent total group report, approximately 2.1 million students took the SAT in 2018. Of these, just 7% (145,023 students) scored between 1400 and 1600. Clearly, very few people scored above 1400 alone, let alone a perfect 1600! Unfortunately, the College Board does not tell us directly how many test takers got a perfect score; however, we can use percentiles to estimate how many might've gotten a 1600. According to the most recent SAT percentiles, less than 1% of test takers scored in the range of 1500-1600. Since 1% is equal to about 21,000 students, we can say that fewer than 21,000 students scored 1550-1600 on the SAT in 2018. If you want to beat the odds and go for a 1600, read on for the raw scores you will need for each section on the SAT, and tips for how to get those scores. For help translating your raw score (the total number of questions you got correct) in each section toa scaled score (your final section score between 200 and 800), here are two score charts with raw score to scaled score conversions. Both charts come from official SAT practice tests. Note that since your Reading and Writing scores are combined for a single EBRW score out of 800, each raw score first translates into a test score (out of 40) and then later to a combined score out of 800. For more info on how to calculate your SAT scores, check out our in-depth guide. Raw Score Math Scaled Score Reading Test Score Writing Test Score 0 200 10 10 1 200 10 10 2 210 10 10 3 230 11 10 4 240 12 11 5 260 13 12 6 280 14 13 7 290 15 14 8 310 15 15 9 320 16 15 10 330 17 16 11 340 17 17 12 360 18 17 13 370 19 18 14 380 19 19 15 390 20 19 16 410 20 20 17 420 21 21 18 430 21 21 19 440 22 22 20 450 22 23 21 460 23 23 22 470 23 24 23 480 24 25 24 480 24 25 25 490 25 26 26 500 25 26 27 510 26 27 28 520 26 28 29 520 27 28 30 530 28 29 31 540 28 30 32 550 29 30 33 560 29 31 34 560 30 32 35 570 30 32 36 580 31 33 37 590 31 34 38 600 32 34 39 600 32 35 40 610 33 36 41 620 33 37 42 630 34 38 43 640 35 39 44 650 35 40 45 660 36 46 670 37 47 670 37 48 680 38 49 690 38 50 700 39 51 710 40 52 730 40 53 740 54 750 55 760 56 780 57 790 58 800 Source:Scoring Your SAT Practice Test #1 Raw Score Math Scaled Score Reading Test Score Writing Test Score 0 200 10 10 1 200 10 10 2 210 10 10 3 230 11 10 4 250 12 11 5 270 13 12 6 280 14 13 7 300 15 14 8 320 16 15 9 340 16 16 10 350 17 16 11 360 18 17 12 370 18 18 13 390 19 19 14 410 20 19 15 420 20 20 16 430 21 21 17 450 21 22 18 460 22 23 19 470 22 23 20 480 23 24 21 490 23 24 22 500 23 25 23 510 24 26 24 520 24 26 25 530 25 27 26 540 25 27 27 550 26 28 28 560 26 28 29 570 27 29 30 580 27 30 31 590 28 31 32 600 28 31 33 600 28 32 34 610 29 32 35 620 29 33 36 630 30 33 37 640 30 34 38 650 31 35 39 660 31 36 40 670 32 37 41 680 32 37 42 690 33 38 43 700 33 39 44 710 34 40 45 710 35 46 720 35 47 730 36 48 730 37 49 740 38 50 750 39 51 750 39 52 760 40 53 770 54 780 55 790 56 790 57 800 58 800 Source:Scoring Your SAT Practice Test #4 You probably noticed that there are slight differences in how raw scores translate to scaled scores. For example, a Math raw score of 57 would get you a 790 on the first exam but a perfect 800 on the second exam. The reason for this is that each SAT exam is equated so that, even with slight differences in exam difficulty, SAT scores are reliable across different test dates. For example, a 1400 on a March SAT will represent the same skill level as a 1400 on a May SAT, even if the May SAT was more difficult. Read our SAT scoring article for a more detailed explanation of the equating process. Aim high on the SAT- but, uh, maybe not as high as Mt. Everest. Maximum SAT Score on Math According to the charts above, to get an 800 on the Math section of the SAT, you have to get all 58 questions right for a perfect raw score of 800. Occasionally, a 57 might cut it, but this won’t be the same for all tests, so assume you need a perfect 58. This means that when you study, you're aiming for perfection. Figure out which types of questions you tend to miss. Maybe you struggle with a certain topic, such as slopes or fractions. Or perhaps you often get tripped up on grid-in questions (the ones where you have to provide an answer). In any case, find out what your mistakes are, and practice relentlessly. For more tips, check out our guide to getting a perfect SAT Math score, written by our resident perfect scorer. Perfect Score on Evidence-Based Reading and Writing To get an 800 on EBRW, you can miss at most one Reading question, but you need to get all 44 Writing questions correct. Keep in mind that the scoring process for EBRW is a bit more complicated than it is for Math. As a reminder, Reading is half your EBRW score, and Writing is the other half. Each section score is first converted to a test score on a scale of 10-40. You'll need to get a perfect 40 on each section for a combined total of 80, which translates to a final scaled EBRW score of 800. We recommend aiming for a perfect raw score of 52 on Reading and a full raw score of 44 on Writing to get that perfect 800. Why? Depending on which date you take the SAT, raw scores can be adjusted to scaled scores differently, due to equating. (Again, for more in-depth information on this process, check out our SAT scoring article.) This means that a 51 on Reading on one version of the SAT could net you an 800- but fail to cut it on another version. Just like for the Math section, shoot for perfection in your practice. For Reading, which has you tackle long passages, develop a strategy for how you'll approach passages. This could be skimming the passage first and then answering the questions later, or looking at the questions first and then finding the answers in the passage.Once you've decided on a strategy, practice it (ideally, with SAT Reading tests) until you can work quickly, efficiently, and without making careless mistakes. The Writing section, too, contains long passages but moves especially fast (you only get about 47 seconds per question!), so it's important to experiment with a variety of passage-reading strategies to see which one works best for you. Some students might prefer to read the entire passage first and then tackle the questions after, while others might choose to read the passage in paragraphs and do the questions as they come up. If you struggle with grammar, make sure to read up on the major grammar rules tested on the SAT. You’ll need to have a solid understanding of these rules to tackle the Writing questions quickly and accurately! The Bottom Line: Getting a Perfect SAT Score Although a perfect 1600 SAT score is incredibly rare, with consistent studying, a solid array of SAT resources, and a keen understanding of your own strengths and weaknesses, it is not impossible to get this admirable score. Study hard, and continue to reflect on where you can improve. Finally, be sure to check out our other articles for more in-depth tips and strategies for your SAT prep! What's Next? Want to get a perfect SAT score? Read our step-by-step guide on what it takes to get a perfect SAT score, written by a full 1600 scorer. How long should you study for the SAT? Get tips with our easy six-step guide. Looking for strategies you can use to raise your SAT score on a retake? Then check out our 15 tried and true tips. You'll not only get specific strategies for each section of the SAT but also learn how to approach the test as a whole. Want to learn more about the SAT but tired of reading blog articles? Then you'll love our free, SAT prep livestreams. Designed and led by PrepScholar SAT experts, these live video events are a great resource for students and parents looking to learn more about the SAT and SAT prep. Click on the button below to register for one of our livestreams today!

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Definition and Examples of Content (Lexical) Words

Definition and Examples of Content (Lexical) Words In English grammar and semantics, a  content word is a  word that conveys information in a text or speech act. Also known as a lexical word, lexical morpheme,  substantive category, or contentive.  Contrast with  function word  or grammatical word. In his book The Secret Life of Pronouns (2011), social psychologist James W. Pennebaker expands this definition: Content words are words that have a culturally shared meaning in labeling an object or action. . . . Content words are absolutely necessary to convey an idea to someone else. Content words- which include nouns, lexical verbs, adjectives, and adverbs- belong to open classes of words: that is, new members are readily added. The denotation of a content word, say  Kortmann and Loebner, is the category, or set, of all its potential referents (Understanding Semantics, 2014). Examples and Observations All morphemes can be divided into the categories lexical [content] and grammatical [function]. A lexical morpheme has a meaning that can be understood fully in and of itself- {boy}, for example, as well as {run}, {green}, {quick}, {paper}, {large}, {throw}, and {now}. Nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs are typical kinds of lexical morphemes. Grammatical morphemes, on the other hand- such as {of}, {and}, {the}, {ness}, {to}, {pre}, {a}, {but}, {in}, and {ly}- can be understood completely only when they occur with other words in a sentence. (Thomas E. Murray, The Structure of English. Allyn and Bacon, 1995)Reverend Howard Thomas  was the presiding elder over a district in  Arkansas, which included  Stamps. (Maya Angelou,  I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Random House, 1969)Most people with low self-esteem have earned it. (George Carlin, Napalm Silly Putty. Hyperion, 2001)The  odor  of fish hung thick in the air. (Jack Driscoll,  Wanting Only to Be Heard. University of Massachusetts Press, 1995) Liberal and conservative have lost their meaning in America. I represent the distracted center. (Jon Stewart) Function Words vs. Content Words Grammatical words [function words] tend to be short: they are normally of one syllable and many are represented in spelling by less than three graphemes (I, he, do, on, or). Content words are longer and, with the exception of ox and American Englishs ax, are spelt with a minimum of three graphemes. This criterion of length can also be extended to the production of the two sets of words in connected speech. Here grammatical words are often unstressed or generally de-emphasised in pronunciation. (Paul Simpson, Language Through Literature. Routledge, 1997) All languages make some distinction between content words and function words.  Content words carry descriptive meaning; nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs are types of content word. Function words are typically little words, and they signal relations between parts of sentences, or something about the pragmatic import of a sentence, e.g. whether it is a question. Lewis Carrolls Jabberwocky poem illustrates the distinction well: Twas brillig, and the slithy tovesDid gyre and gimble in the wabe:All mimsy were the borogoves,And the mome raths outgrabe. In this poem all the made-up words are content words; all the others are function words. In English, function words include determiners, such as the, a, my, your, pronouns (e.g. I, me, you, she, them), various auxiliary verbs (e.g. have, is, can, will do), coordinating conjunctions (and, or, but), and subordinating conjunctions (e.g. if, when, as, because). Prepositions are a borderline case. They have some semantic content, but are a small closed class, allowing hardly any historical innovation. Some English prepositions serve a mainly grammatical function, like of (what is the meaning of of?) and others have clear descriptive  (and relational) content, like under.  New content words in a language can  be readily invented; new nouns, in particular, are continually being coined, and new verbs (e.g. Google, gazump) and adjectives (e.g. naff, grungy) also not infrequently come into use. The small set of function words in a language, by contrast, is much more fixed and relatively steady over centuries. (James R. Hurford, The  Origins of Language: A Slim Guide.  Oxford University Press, 2014) Content Words in Speech Typically, the prominent syllable in a tone unit will be a content word (e.g. a noun or verb) rather than a function word (e.g. a preposition or article), since content words carry more meaning than function words. Function words will only be stressed if prominence on them is contextually warranted. (Charles F. Meyer, Introducing English Linguistics. Cambridge University  Press, 2010)

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Short clauses can take commas

Short clauses can take commas Short clauses can take commas Short clauses can take commas By Maeve Maddox Ron Milan wants to use a comma to separate two short clauses: I wrote a sentence: Experts teach, peers comfort. Word creates an error unless I write Experts teach and peers comfort. or Experts teach; peers comfort. (semi colon versus comma).    However, I like the shorter pause by a comma.   Any rules on this? Punctuation exists to help readers make sense of what is written, but it can also be a means of helping a reader hear the writer’s voice. The difference between Ron’s preferred sentence and those suggested by Word is a difference of style. All three sentences are understandable, but the first conveys an introspective tone that the others lack. Julius Caesar’s boast of Veni, vidi, vici is usually translated as I came, I saw, I conquered. The insertion of an and or of semicolons would spoil the effect by slowing it down or making it sound more prosaic than triumphant. The Chicago Manual of Style staunchly defends the semicolon to separate independent clauses not joined by a conjunction: Two independent clauses not joined by a conjunction are best separated by a semicolon or a period. This principle has always been the fifth major rule put forth in The Elements of Style- starting with Strunk’s original (Ithaca, NY, 1918) and continuing almost unchanged . . . through the latest (fourth) edition of Strunk and White (New York, 2000). Strunk, however, doesn’t get the last word, not even in the offices of the CMS. When a writer queried about using a comma instead of a semicolon in a sentence with two independent clauses and no conjunction, the response was that the sentence in question did, in fact, read better with the comma. The CMS editor acknowledged that [s]ometimes the ear is more important than the rulebook. When choosing whether to use a comma or a semicolon, the writer must consider both clarity and desired stylistic effect. Here’s an interesting About article on the semicolon P.S. I just discovered that the National Geographic Manual of Style supports the comma for short clauses and no conjunction. Their example is also the Julius Caesar quotation. 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:85 Synonyms for â€Å"Help†Cannot or Can Not?What Is the Meaning of "Hack?"