A Quiz About Misplaced Modifiers

A Quiz About Misplaced Modifiers A Quiz About Misplaced Modifiers A Quiz About Misplaced Modifiers By Mark Nichol Modifying phrases intended to provide clarity can be counterproductive if placed in the wrong position in a sentence. Repair the improper installation of modifiers in the following sentences, then compare your solutions with my revisions at the bottom of the page: 1. â€Å"Joseph Priestley began to suspect that air was not a simple substance while he was at Leeds.† 2. â€Å"It was under these conditions that Protestantism was introduced to Europe, a branch of Christianity that declared public festivities sinful and vulgar and convinced large numbers of people that their lives should be spent on disciplined labor and worship.† 3. â€Å"He had accumulated millions of dollars there that couldn’t be taken out of the country according to rules established after the war ended.† 4. â€Å"I already had a number of books and comics under my belt I had drawn with my brother.† 5. â€Å"A list of states with the highest past-year rates of driving while under the influence of alcohol among adults ages 18 or older follow.† Answers and Explanations 1. As organized, this sentence implies that the scientist limited his doubts about air’s composition to the time he spent in Leeds, rather than stating that his suspicion began during his time there. To clarify the sentence, move the modifying phrase to the head of the sentence, and, for good measure, change the tense of the second verb, because air’s substantive nature has not changed since Priestley’s lifetime: â€Å"While he was at Leeds, Joseph Priestley began to suspect that air is not a simple substance.† 2. Because Europe is the noun immediately preceding the gloss, a reader might assume that the gloss defines Europe, rather than Protestantism, the correct subject of the definition. To eliminate that ambiguity, move the reference to the continent to the end of the sentence so that the definition is a mid-sentence parenthetical: â€Å"It was under these conditions that Protestantism, a branch of Christianity that declared public festivities sinful and vulgar and convinced large numbers of people that their lives should be spent on disciplined labor and worship, was introduced to Europe.† 3. This sentence is not egregiously incorrect, but the phrase beginning with according seems to modify country. It would be easier to read and the most essential information would effectively be reserved for the end of the sentence with the phrase inserted as a parenthetical: â€Å"He had accumulated millions of dollars there that, according to rules established after the war ended, couldn’t be taken out of the country.† 4. As constructed, this sentence implies that the writer and his brother had collaborated on drawing a belt, under which a number of books and comics were kept. The phrase â€Å"under my belt† should be shifted closer to the head of the sentence: â€Å"I already had under my belt a number of books and comics I had drawn with my brother.† 5. This painfully contracted sentence needs to be relaxed. The impetus to avoid a weak â€Å"to be† form of a verb is admirable, but it is awkward for that verb to be located at the very end, after a confusingly extensive subject. It would be better to immediately state the location of the list, then uncoil the tightly wound phrase identifying the subject of the list: â€Å"The following is a list of states with the highest rates of adults ages 18 or older who drove within the last year while under the influence of alcohol.† This is a rare instance in which the modifying phrase (in this case, the subject of the list) is more effectively placed at the end of the sentence, rather than inserted somewhere in its midst. 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 Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Redundant Phrases to Avoid40 Synonyms for â€Å"Different†Especially vs. Specially

Using and Conjugating the Spanish Verb Parecer

Using and Conjugating the Spanish Verb Parecer Parecer is a common verb that has as its basic meaning to seem or to seem like. It can also be used in a variety of ways to express opinions or make judgments. It is an etymological cousin of the English word appear, which can be used in a similar way, as in the phrase it appears that. Using Parecer  With  Descriptions In its most straightforward usage, parecer is used as a way of describing what something is or seems like: Un gobierno de unidad nacional parece difà ­cil de lograrse. (A national unity government seems difficult to accomplish.)Lo que parece ser la verdad para nosotros no necesariamente parecer ser la verdad para otros. (What seems to be the truth for us will not necessarily seem to be the truth for others.)Tengo una chupa que parece de cuero y es de plastiquete. (I have a jacket that is  like leather and is made of plastic material.)El agua tibia parece caliente si tocamos primero el agua frà ­a. (Lukewarm water seems hot if we feel cold water first.)Usted no parece saber mucho del trastorno.  (You dont seem to know much about the disorder.) Using Parecer Impersonally It is very common to use parecer as an impersonal verb followed by que. The verb that follows is typically in the indicative mood, although the subjunctive mood follows no parecer. The indicative mood is used with parecer in its positive form because it is used to indicate how something is perceived, not to express doubt as seem often does in English. An exception is  in a sentence such as Parece mentira que hayan pasado 15 aà ±os (It seems impossible that 15 years have gone by), because there doubt and/or an emotional reaction is expressed. Parece que este enlace est roto. (It looks like this link is broken.)No parece que vaya a llover. (It doesnt look like its going to rain.)De momento parece que no se sabe nada del lanzamiento del producto en Europa. (For now it appears that nothing is known about the products launch in Europe.)Parecà ­a que nada podà ­a mejorarse.  (It seemed like nothing could get better.)Katrina no parece que tenga frà ­o. (Katrina doesnt seem like shes cold.) Using Parecer With an Indirect Object It is very common for parecer to be accompanied by an indirect-object pronoun to indicate how a particular person or persons perceives something to be. This can be one way of conveying opinions, and in many such cases there are better ways of translating parecer other than seem. Me parece que el presidente es un fraude.  (I think the president is a fraud.)Me parece que algo no est bien. (I feel that something isnt right.) ¿Te parezco triste? (Do I look sad to you?) ¿Por quà © el metal nos parece frà ­o y la lana caliente? (Why does metal feel cold to us and wool warm?)Le parece que est aumentando la actividad sà ­smica.  (He thinks that seismic activity is increasing.) ¿Quà © os parece el nuevo iPhone? (What do you think of the new iPhone?)No nos parece que à ©ste sea el momento oportuno. (We dont think this is the opportune time.)Me parecà ­a que no era importante.  (I didnt think it was important.) Using Parecer Reflexively In the reflexive form, parecerse can be used to indicate that two or more persons or things are alike in some way: Algunas veces nos parecemos a nuestros padres. (Sometimes were like our parents.)Segà ºn los à ºltimos estudios, los animales se parecen a las personas mucho ms de lo que imaginamos. (According to the latest studies, animals are much more like people than we imagine.) Parecer as an Infinitive Noun As a noun, the infinitive  parecer usually means opinion: Es el mejor restaurante a mi parecer en Madrid.  (In my opinion its the best restaurant in Madrid.)Queremos que expreses tu opinion sobre el diseà ±o. (We want you to express your opinion on the design.) Conjugation of Parecer Keep in mind that parecer is irregularly conjugated, following the pattern of conocer. All irregular forms are shown below in boldface: Present indicative: parezco, pareces, parece, parecemos, parecà ©is, parecen (I seem, you seem, etc.) Present subjunctive: que parezca, que parezcas, que parezca, que parezcamos, que parezcis, que parezcan (that I seem, that you seem, etc.) Affirmative imperative: parece tà º,  parezca usted, parezcamos nosotro/as, pareced vosotros/as, parezcan ustedes (seem) Negative imperative: no  parezca  usted,  no parezcas  tà º,  no  parezcamos nosotros/as, no  parezcis  vosotros/as, que  parezcan  ustedes (dont seem)

Business Process Improvement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business Process Improvement - Essay Example Harrington (1991) suggested that BPI concentrates more on doing the things right in order to best utilize the resources that will lead to the achievement of the desired outcome. According to Harrington (1991), this systemic approach works through the alignment of the business against with the strategic goals and purposes of the organization. On the one hand, one among the processes that can translate the success of business is through performance management of its human resource. Maximizing the resources, in particular, the human resource, in business aligned with the company’s goals will aid the organization for improvement. According to Daniels and Daniels (2004), performance management is the process of handling the critical elements of performance namely the behavior and results. Handling these elements will guarantee that the employees are meeting the agreed standards which bring about higher productivity and motivation. However, performance management has its very own sh ortcomings (Dooren, no date) which are lack of integration, decision challenges, lack of leadership support, incompetence, communication challenges, inspiration challenges, lack of monitoring, lack of evaluation, and implementation failure as identified by Saravanja (Regenesys, 2011). In this regard, this paper grasps the real need for improvement of implementation of performance management. Given this, this research mainly delves at strategically addressing the shortcomings of performance management, specifically, its implementation issues. In addressing the problem area of performance management, it points toward proposing a program to strategically improve the problem. Operations Management as a Discipline According to Samson and Singh (2008), operations management is an area of management which deals with the controlling, designing and re – designing its particular operations of business that is meant for creating goods and services. This field of management takes in the accountability of making sure that the organization is operating at its best in order to perform its most efficient functioning through utilizing only few needed resources. Moreover, this approach is made up of strategic design, organization, formation, preparation as well as implementing the tasks that can be bought long – term or short – term. In addition to that, such process is concerned with making the overall operations in business even more tightly interconnected than they have been previously. In this regard, the operations managers should act together with other managers within the organization to ensure a smooth business operation. The Processes of Stakeholders The stakeholders’ involvement in business processes is manifold. Meanwhile, the biggest part done by the stakeholders is their involvement in the decision making processes. This makes the stakeholders play an even increased major role in management. According to Yosie and Herbst (1998), those in volved in stakeholder processes are also engaged in a wide array of problem solving options though such have its very own strengths and weaknesses. A specific definition of stakeholder does not exist but what is known is that they participate in advising committees, offering optional dispute answer, solving processes, negotiation of regulations, as well as making decisions (Yosie & Herbst, 1998). In this case, performance management is also part of the stakeholders’ processes. Performance managem