Context Clues
4 July 2007
One of the obstacles learners/readers encounter in reading are the vocabulary words stated in the reading materials, Magazines and news papers and other periodicals contain general information that could help boost the awareness of a reader.
Learners of English as the Second Language get bored on reading because they do have the tools and guides to unravel these vocabulary words. These learners are having a hard time in comprehending these reading materials. Thought the dictionary is always at hand, it is far better if the reader/learner has the ability to unravel the meaning of a vocabulary words encounter while in the process of reading.
Contextual clueing techniques should be imparted to readers/learners before instructing them to read. I would like reiterate that contextual clueing is used and can be taught only to higher grades or to high school students in particular.
Context clues is used to determine the meaning of the unfamiliar words while reading.
Let us analyze the sentences below:
1. Feeling nervous, she is reluctant to become pregnant. a) nervous, b) interested, c) unwilling
In this sentence, reluctant is the unfamiliar word. Based on the words surrounding reluctant, without looking in the dictionary, you can see and feel that “she is unwilling to become pregnant” because of nervous. There are thing to be considered why “she is nervous.” The contestant is not prepared to compete because if she really is prepared to compete, the feeling of being nervous will be replaced by excitement.
Let have another sentence:
2. Only ashes remain after the conflagration. a) fire, b) smoke, c) burned
In this sentence, conflagration is the vocabulary word. The words that surround the vocabulary word give emphasis on the exact meaning. “Only ashes remain,” this phrase indicates that there is a big fire occurred. Therefore, conflagration means fire or a big fire that made the things into ashes.
Though the dictionary is the best source to learn the meaning of the unfamiliar words, when reading, most of the times you don’t have your dictionary at hand. Context clues, therefore, will be of great help for you to understand and comprehend any reading materials.
Phrases and Clauses
11 May 2007
Phrases and Clauses
The first thing to know to determine a phrase and a clause is to know first what is meant by subject and predicate.
What or who we are speaking about in a sentence is called the subject.
What is said about the subject is called the predicate.
1. He cleans. (HE is the subject and CLEANS is the predicate)
2. John cleans the room. (JOHN is the subject and CLEANS THE ROOM is the predicate.)
3. The mother monkey takes care of her baby monkey. (THE MOTHER MONKEY is the subject and TAKES CARE OF HER BABY MONKEY is the predicate.)
4. In the classroom, the janitor sweeps. (THE JANITOR is the subject and SWEEPS IN THE CLASSROOM is the predicate.
Just like the subject and predicate, PHRASE and CLAUSE have also distinguishing marks that differ from each other. A Phrase is a group of words or a sequence of related words forming as a part of the whole sentence, but it does not have a subject and a predicate. A Clause is a group of related words containing a subject and a predicate.
Though there are several types of phrases, the important thing is to determine which pat of the sentence is phrase and clause.
Prepositional Phrase is of course signaled by a preposition. Let see the example below:
The scissors is mine.
This is a simple sentence which indicates THE SCISSORS as the subject and IS MINE is the predicate. By adding a prepositional phrase IN THE DRAWER the sentence becomes:
The scissors in the drawer is mine. (Prepositional phrase)
Infinitive can also be expanded to infinitive phrase. Read the sentence below:
Los Angeles is my dream. A simple sentence with subject and predicate.
To go back to Los Angeles is my dream. (to go back - is the Infinitive phrase).
When a verb is used in its ing form it is called GERUND.
Gerundial phrase on the other hand, starts the phrase forming the verb into the ing form.
Sailing the oceans aboard a ship is his job. (Sailing the oceans - is the gerundial phrase)
Non-Sexist Language
24 April 2007
Some suggestions on How to Use non-sexist language
1. Eliminate the generic use of He, His or Him unless the antecedent is obviously male by:
a) using plural nouns
traditional: The lawyer uses his brief to guide him.
Suggestion: The Lawyers use their briefs to guide them.
b) deleting he, his and him altogether, rewording if necessary
Traditional: The architect uses blueprint to guide him.
Suggestion: The architect uses a blueprint as a guide.
c) substituting articles (a, an, the) for his; using who instead of he
Traditional: The writer should know his readers well.
Suggestion: The writer should know the readers well.
d) using one, we or you
Traditional: As one grows older, he becomes more reflective.
Suggestion: As one grows older, one becomes more reflective.
e) using the passive voice
Traditional: The manager must submit his proposal today.
Suggestion: The proposal must be suggested by the manager today.
2. Eliminate the generic use of Man, instead, use People, Person(s), Human(s), Human being(s), Humankind, Humanity, The Human race.
Traditional: ordinary man, mankind, the brotherhood of man
Suggestion: ordinary people, humanity, the human family
3. Eliminate sexism in symbolic representations of gender in words, sentences, and text by:
a) Taking the context of the word, analyzing its meaning, and eliminating sexism in the concept
Traditional: feeling of brotherhood, feelings of fraternity
Suggestion: feelings of kinship, solidarity
Traditional: the founding fathers
Suggestion: the founders, the founding leaders
Traditional: the father of relativity theory
Suggestion: the founder of relativity theory
4. Eliminate Sexual stereotyping of roles by:
a) using the same term for both genders when it comes to profession or employment
Traditional: salesman, stewardess
Suggestion: sales agent, flight attendant
b) using gender fair in lexical terms
Traditional: sportsmanship
Suggestion: highest ideals of fair play
c) treating men and women in parallel manner
Traditional: I now pronounce you man and wife
Suggestion: I now pronounce you husband and wife
d) avoiding language that reinforce stereotyping images
Traditional: a man’s job, the director’s girl Friday
Suggestion: a big job, the director’s assistant
e) avoiding language that catches attention to the sex role of men and women
Traditional: working mothers, spinsters o old maids
Suggestion: wage-earning mothers, unmarried women
Traditional: busboys, chauvinist pigs
Suggestion: waiter’s assistants, male chauvinists
5. Eliminate sexism when addressing persons formally by:
a) using Ms. instead of Mrs.
Traditional: Mrs. Smith
Suggestion: Ms. Smith
b) using married woman’s first names instead of her husband’s
Traditional: Mrs. John Smith
Suggestion: Ms. Karen Holmes-Smith
c) using the title of the job or group in letters to unknown persons
Traditional: Dear Sir
Suggestion: Dear Editor, Dear Credit Manager, Dear Colleague
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