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          INTRODUCTION

                     Hello!!. I'm Juvilyn M.Anza ,18 year's of age. I believe that poverty is not hindrance to success , taking up Business administration , Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurial Management at Sultan Kudarat State University, City of Tacurong.I suddenly live in Tupi , South Cotabato.My goal in life is to finish my studies and maybe someday I'm one of the successful person. Actually my strength to achieve this goal is my beloved parents who always there to guide and care for my own good. When I enter in this institution, I prove that I need to be strong all the times. As a student, maybe I also commit a mistake but it is a part of our life as a person, and I'm not perfect. But I believe God is always there to guide us and God is good all the times that's why we need to trust him.

Never hate the times where you failed.These are the times where you show to the people around you that failures don't define you. It what makes you stronger. About my personality,I hate person's who hates me..I'm a happy and simple person, friendly, caring, lovable person. I have my own judgement and opinion. My hobbies are dancing , writing , drawing and many to mention. I love also music especially love songs that related to my special someone.And I really enjoy my college life it's because of my family's presence and also my friends.

In College life must be focused on what are you trying to achieve in your perspective goal , trials would come in our daily life that's why we need to accept and face it.Because it is a cycle of what we called life and life is not easy.As student of English 121, one I could say in this subject. It may help us to understand and learn , how English is important in our daily life.It is also the best way to learn more and to develop our writing skills and explore our knowledge in relevant field of study.

Much better to learn English than to our different languages. In this connection ,may help us also to communicate other people and to avoid misuderstanding. And you may know also how to use grammar correctly.There will be challenges to face and changes to make in our life and it is up to you to accept them. Constantly keep yourself headed in the right direction for you. And I  believe that poverty or trials would come is not hindrance to pursue our dream. It may not  be easy at times, but in those times of struggle you will find a stronger sense of who you are. So when the days come that are filled with frustration and unexpected responsibilities, remember to trust God and also in your own determination as a person.All you want to be,because the challenges and changes will only help you to find the goals that you know are meant to come true for you..

               

I. The Isles of my Portfolio in English 121 ( Writing in the Discipline)

Chapter 1 - Avoiding Sentence Errors
              2 - Levels of Usage
              3 - Verb Usage
              4 - Pronoun Usage

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               5 - Subject and Verb Agreement
               6 - Pronoun and Antecedent Agreement
               7 - Adjective and verb usage

               8 - Miscellaneous Problems in Usage
              

Avoiding Sentence Errors: Subject-Verb Agreement: Collective Nouns

                 
                  


             Avoiding Sentence Error

Avoiding Sentence Errors: Subject-Verb Agreement: Collective Nouns

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Collective nouns (class, faculty, family, committee, navy, team, species, band, crowd, pair, squad) can be singular or plural in meaning. They require a singular verb when they refer to a group as a unit; they require a plural verb when they refer to the group members as individuals.

The team is [not are] required to submit an expense report for the road trip.(Team refers to a group as a unit; it requires the singular verb is.)

The faculty are [not is] highly experienced. (In this example, faculty refers to the individuals within the group. If the word individuals were substituted for faculty, it would become clear that the plural verb are is needed.)

                                      Levels of Usage

Formal English is, for the most part, a written language. In general, it is confined to the realm of the serious: textbooks, academic or technical works, and most essays you will write at university. You would write formally in a letter of application for a job. Formal language tends to be impersonal and precise, and often uses long, carefully constructed sentences; the formal writer will avoid contractions and abbreviations, and will use a more specialized and complex vocabulary than that employed in everyday speech.

Informal English is the language spoken by most people every day. While educated speakers retain their knowledge of formal rules, they're more relaxed about grammar and less concerned with vocabulary when they're engaged in ordinary conversation. Informal writing reflects this relaxation. Sentences are shorter, and tend to avoid the more formal punctuation of the semi-colon and colon. Contractions and the first person are acceptable. Newspaper articles and columns are usually written informally, and you use informal language when you write to your friends.


Popular English can be colourful and highly expressive, but it is out of place in any writing unless you are reporting speech. In everyday speech, imprecision of meaning or poverty of vocabulary can be compensated for by enthusiastic verbal expression, but you can't wave your hands around, or vary your voice for emphasis when you are writing. Many of the errors in usage covered in the dictionary which follows are a result of a lack of awareness of the difference between written and spoken English.

Here are some examples of how vocabulary changes in each level of usage:

Formal	Informal	Popular
comprehend	understand	get it
intoxicated	drunk	wasted
exhausted	tired	bagged
dejected	sad	bummed

                                      

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                      Verb Usage


A common error that appears in the writing of UTEP students is verb tense usage.  A common mistake is to switch tense throughout one’s essay, sometimes using a present form while using a past form at other points.  This is complicated by the fact that different citation styles have different rules for verb usage, with MLA preferring present tense (i.e. Daniels says) and APA preferring past tense (i.e. Daniels said).  It is important to be consistent throughout your writing projects by using the same tense throughout.  

Another common mistake in verb usage is subject-verb agreement. Singular verbs must be used with singular subjects, and plural verbs must be used with plural subjects. First-person verbs must be used with first-person pronoun subjects (I, we), second-person verbs must be used with second-person pronoun subjects (you), and third-person verbs must be used with third-person subjects (she, he, it, or they).

MLA and APA style reference research using different verb tenses.  You are likely most familiar with an MLA reference, which might look like this:

Norton argues that the deep sea sawtooth is the most dangerous fish in the world.

With APA style, which you will be using in 1311 and 1312, you can use the past or present perfect to reference research.  According to the APA Manual, “Use the past tense to express an action or a condition that occurred at a specific, definite time in the past, as when discussing another researcher’s work and when reporting your results” (p. 78).  Here is an example of a past tense citation:

Norton (2003) argued that the deep sea sawtooth is the most dangerous fish in the world.

Similarly, the APA Manual states, “Use the present perfect tense to express a past action or condition that did not occur at a specific, definite time or to describe an action beginning tin the past and continuing to the present” (p. 78).

Since that time, several investigators have used this method.The present perfect is also used to reference previous research, like in the following example:

Norton (2003) has argued that the deep sea sawtooth is the most dangerous fish in the world.

The following chart shows a few sentences with verb errors, explains the problem, and provides corrections:

                            
                                  PRONOUN USAGE
                            

                  

Appropriate Pronoun Usage

Summary: This handout will cover some of the major issues with appropriate language use: levels of language formality, deceitful language and Euphemisms, slang and idiomatic expressions; using group-specific jargon; and biased/stereotypical language.

Contributors:Dana Lynn Driscoll, Allen Brizee
Last Edited: 2010-04-17 05:38:58

Because English has no generic singular—or common-sex—pronoun, we have used HE, HIS, and HIM in such expressions as "the student needs HIS pencil." When we constantly personify "the judge," "the critic," "the executive," "the author," and so forth, as male by using the pronoun HE, we are subtly conditioning ourselves against the idea of a female judge, critic, executive, or author. There are several alternative approaches for ending the exclusion of women that results from the pervasive use of masculine pronouns.

Recast into the plural

• Original: Give each student his paper as soon as he is finished.
• Alternative: Give students their papers as soon as they are finished.

Reword to eliminate gender problems.

• Original: The average student is worried about his grade.
• Alternative: The average student is worried about grades.

Replace the masculine pronoun with ONE, YOU, or (sparingly) HE OR SHE, as appropriate.

• Original: If the student was satisfied with his performance on the pretest, he took the post-test..
• Alternative: A student who was satisfied with her or his performance on the pretest took the post-test.

Alternate male and female examples and expressions. (Be careful not to confuse the reader.)

• Original: Let each student participate. Has he had a chance to talk? Could he feel left out?
• Alternative: Let each student participate. Has she had a chance to talk? Could he feel left out?

                               Subject and Verb agreement
           
Although you are probably already familiar with basic subject-verb agreement, this chapter begins with a quick review of basic agreement rules.

Subjects and verbs must AGREE with one another in number (singular or plural).  Thus, if a subject is singular, its verb must also be singular; if a subject is plural, its verb must also be plural.

In the present tense, nouns and verbs form plurals in opposite ways: nouns ADD an s to the singular form; verbs REMOVE the s from the singular form.

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