Adults and children essayEssay Writing Service

Adults and children essayEssay Writing Service Adults and children essay Adults and children essayMany adults become upset when young people break with traditions of the past. Some of them become upset, others become angry, while there are adults who start to swear hard. Their reaction may be different in different situations. Undoubtedly, these adults cannot be justified in reacting this way for a number of reasons.First, adults should not think only about their own beliefs, values and experiences that affect their lifestyle. Young people should be given an opportunity to develop their own traditions, which are consistent with their lifestyles. For example, young people love new trends in music. They should not be forbidden to listen to the music they love. Adults’ preferences in music are different. If there is a tradition in the family to listen to classical music, adults have no right to insist on holding this tradition by the younger generation.Second, adults should not have a powerful influence on young people’s opinions. It is necessa ry to take into consideration that the times are changing. There is a saying: â€Å"you either break tradition, or the tradition will break you†. Adults should not allow young people to become the victims of old traditions. Adults should adjust to changes in life because life is changing constantly. In other words, adults should make concrete adjustments according to the times they live in. For example, there is a family tradition to spend Christmas Eve at home. However, young people prefer to spend this holiday together. Adults should not interfere because of the changing times.Thus, it is necessary to conclude that there is much evidence from the experiences of people regarding the inappropriateness of adults’ behavior and reaction when young people break with traditions of the past. Many young people have acquired traditions from previous generations and continue to hold these traditions, without any knowledge of their meaning. Adults should adjust to the changing t imes and allow young people to develop their own traditions.

Single Source Essay Over Short Story Essays

Single Source Essay Over Short Story Essays Single Source Essay Over Short Story Essay Single Source Essay Over Short Story Essay Shirley Jackson’s story The Lottery illustrates a village and the citizens caught up in tradition and the past. It is like a place caught in time, where progress is slow to come. While hints of progress show here and there, the core of the village and the people within it are based in a time many years before. They seem incapable of taking the steps necessary to burgeon into a truly modern town of the time, nor do they seem to want to.The setting is casual, even idyllic. It could be any vllage in the world, and the people could easily be anyone’s neighbors. It   is difficult to picture a more normal scene than is represented in the first two or three paragraphs.   It is only when you progress a little farther that seems get curious, and even then it appears to be some sort of celebration   that will result in someone gaining some great prize.Hints of the village’s anachronism come early on, in the form of the obvious division of the sexes. While the men gathered first, â€Å"speaking of planting and rain, tractors and taxes† (para 3), the women followed them in their â€Å"faded house dresses and sweaters† (para 3), gossiping together. The behavior of the children indicates that they know who is in charge, coming only after being called several times by their mothers, showing them far less respect than Bobby Martin does to his father, who he obeys immediately.Later in the story, this obvious patriarchal view of life becomes even more obvious as it is the men who draw the lots, or the oldest boy, if old enough, if the man is unable due to injury or death. The one woman who is allowed to draw a lot only does so because her son is not yet old enough to take that responsibility, and judging from the reactions and words of the other villagers, it seems highly to be a highly unnatural state of things.Everything about the story lends credence to the idea that these people live in the past, but nothing mo re so than their lottery. This tradition is something to which they hold on fiercely, any mention of other towns who have given up the practice being met with scorn. Mr. Warner, the oldest man in the village, expresses the sentiment of at least most of the villagers rather succinctly as he states â€Å"There’s always been a lottery† (para 32), expecting that reason to validate the practice and speaking with obvious scorn and disgust about those who have left the tradition behind.Even Tessie Hutchinson, who through her earlier actions might seem to have a reluctance to continue the practice, does not dispute its validity in the end. Instead, she can only declare how unfair it was that her family, and specifically herself, was chosen, even to the extent that she attempted to decrease her own chances of being the one to die by insisting that her oldest, married daughter draw with the family. She never goes so far as to dispute the need for the lottery, simply her own posi tion as the sacrificial lamb.Jackson further perpetuates the feeling that the villagers will not soon let go of their valued tradition, as the baton passes to yet another generation as Tessie’s son Davy was given pebbles of his own to throw so that he could contribute to the death of his own mother and thus continue the cycle in later years.Through this story, we can see the dangers of not letting go of the past and of letting progress pass us by. Such violent and barbaric traditions can only make the dark monsters within ourselves grow, even if all outward appearances belie the truth of that inhumanity.

Capital Investment Thesis Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Capital Investment - Thesis Proposal Example The capital investment project related to health that is selected for this paper is expansion and renovation of a diagnostic and imaging department. Effective imaging services in an emergency department begin by having enough space to cater for the high number of emergency cases. The imaging departments are known to offer a wide range of services and thus implying that they expect a high number of patients. Their services can be used in the treatment of different diseases, and injuries (Colchester East Hants Health Authority, 2014). The expansion diagnostic imaging department will be vital in creating enough space for emergency imaging services and providing enough room for new CT scanners. The room will be helpful in establishing modern environment in diagnostic imaging and ensure current standards in this emergency department are addressed. Creation of more space will also be helpful in ensuring that the issue of transferring inpatients to other hospitals is reduced. Third, there will be control and prevention of infections. The expansion will also lead to a new work environment, which will help recruit new emergency specialists and physicians. It will encourage a patient centred experience. Furthermore, there will be an opportunity to ensure that the emergency department for imaging responds to the community increasing needs. Last, it will help develop space for an ambulatory clinic. In funding capital expenditures, there are multiple sources that can be adopted (Sullivan & Steven, 2005. The source used will depend on the needs of the organization and the existence of other projects. In funding for this project, there can be an advance planning so that its funding can be considered in the coming fiscal year. In this regard, the hospital can decide and set some amount that will cater for the project for a given in time. In addition, the funds from this source can be used to supplement

Physicians Assisted Suicide Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Physicians Assisted Suicide - Research Paper Example Therefore, it transpires that in the case of physician-assisted suicide, the elements of alleviation of pain and suffering or infeasibility of further treatment are not deemed mandatory. Though ancient Greek culture has recognized this practice on the grounds of rationality, it finally appears to have assumed a religious morality angle under the patronage of the Christian church, which ascribes a â€Å"sinful nature to suicide† (Lachman 121). In the modern day, a controversy exists on the topic because while some people argue that an individual reserves the right to end his or her life, others contend that aiding or assisting a person to commit suicide amounts to abetting murder. A. Purpose of the Paper: This paper attempts to explore the topic in detail, with specific reference to it legal, moral and social responsibility contexts and to analyze whether an extreme measure of physician assisted suicide can be accepted as a standard norm in a civilized society. In doing so, the paper will examine the practical implication of the issue both on the society as well as an individual, who seeks to end his or her life due to some reason and rationale. B. ... C. Background Information on the Topic: The claim to individual’s rights or autonomy is a tenable proposition and a patient’s right to choose between life and death, especially when he or she suffers from some incurable health condition, needs to be honored. However, religious notions and moral values imbibed in a civilized society forbid the voluntary termination of a life. Thus, the question of the validity and legality of sanctioning physician-assisted suicide as a standard practice has become a matter of high controversy. Generally, patients with terminal health conditions such as AIDS, cancer etc are the ones who request to â€Å"hasten death† and it becomes an emotional and moral dilemma for the healthcare professionals (121). Research evidence from Oregon suggests that nearly â€Å"1 of 1,000† patients â€Å"obtain and use† medication to terminate their lives while â€Å"17%† of them have considered it as a viable option (123). Thus, i t appears that despite the reservation about ending of life by terminally ill patients, on the grounds of religious beliefs and morality, many choose it as a favorable option in states that legalize physician-assisted suicide. Therefore, there is scope for an in depth analysis and exploration of various legal aspects of the issue. In addition, I also have personal experience from within my community, wherein I have seen one neighbor suffering from breast cancer. Her condition remained so painful that she kept asking her husband and children to have her life terminated through PAS. It was also difficult for her family to keep up with her, without compromising their daily commitments. Her husband was a sales executive in a big

Economic Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Economic Theories - Essay Example Keynes was the one who completely refuted Say's Law, so much so that he said that the opposite of the law was actually the truth. In this paper we will analyze the criticisms of all these three major economists in comparison with each other. J.B.Say believed that production causes consumption, that is, production is the main source of consumption. What, and how much a person demands depended on the income produced by their own acts of production. Say says that a person pays for goods and services through goods and services. This means that the demand for a commodity is a function of the supply of other commodities. Say's Law of Markets explains the process through which supplies in general are converted into demands in general. Say found that supply will be equal to the demand for other goods. For him, since demand results from the production of products, so there can never be excess supply over demand. Thus, Say believes that there cannot be general overproduction in an economy. He did say that it was possible to have a surplus or shortage of a particular commodity, but these gluts of production were not a result of general overproduction, but instead they were a result of overproduction of a certain good in comparison with other goods which were under produced. So he accepted that there could be short term gluts in an economy, but that it will right itself automatically through the mechanism of prices. He wrote in his "Treatise on Political Economy": "Garnier, in the notes he joins to his excellent translation of Adam Smith, says that in the old nations of Europe, where capital has accumulated for centuries, a superabundance of annual product would be an obstruction to circulation were it not absorbed by a proportionate consumption. I can see that circulation can be obstructed by superabundance of certain products, but that can only be a passing evil, for people will soon cease to engage in a line of production whose products exceed the need for them and lose their value, and they will turn to the production of goods more in demand. But I do not see how the products of a nation in general can ever be too abundant, for each such product provides the means for purchasing another." (Translated by Palmer 1997, p.76, Cottrell 1997, p.2) Thus, Say implies that an adjustment in production, prices or marketing strategies would lead to the removal of disequilibrium - arising from overproduction in a particular type of product - in a free market economy. This is the basic proposition of Say's Law of Markets. Say also believed that savings are beneficial for the economy and are a means of future growth. So they are even better than consumption. He said that savings are led immediately into investments in pursuit of profits, so there would be no deficiency of income, production or consumption. This means that income is always spent either on satisfying current wants through consumption or satisfying future wants through savings accumulation. Hence the market would automatically return to equilibrium even if some income is not devoted to consumption but rather goes to investment. So, general under consumption, just like general over production of a product was not possible, ever. He made an implicit assumption that prices and wages should be flexible. (Anderson) For him money was only a medium of exchange and not a store of wealth. As an inference, Say denounced government interference with the pricing

Promoting The Health And Wellbeing Health And Social Care Essay

Promoting The Health And Wellbeing Health And Social Care Essay Go for your life strategic plan 2006-2010 aims to promote healthy lifestyles, encourage physical activity and healthy eating, and prevent chronic diseases, Physical inactivity and poor nutrition are lifestyle factors that can cause obesity which can lead to chronic diseases which lead to an increase burden on the community. Around the world, obesity has reached epidemic proportions, with more than one billion adults overweight and around 300 million of those adults clinically obese (go for your life, 2006) Go for your life is tackling the increasing rate of illness, obesity and chronic diseases by educating Victorians on the benefits of good nutrition and physical activity. This is done by creating a framework for action that includes activities for all people, from different stages of life; children, young people and their families, adults, seniors and members of high risk groups. Children in the early years aged 0 to 5 and their families need to establish healthy eating and physical activity behaviors in the early years of a childs life. As it is a very important step for preventing future nutrition and exercise related problems. As most eating and activity occurs with the family, it is crucial for parents to be able to provide for their childrens needs with an emphasis on health and wellbeing, beginning with breastfeeding. Early childhood settings offer significant potential to improve the physical activity and healthy eating of young children in their care. Maternal and child health workers can provide information to parents/carers to assist them with activities they can do with their children to promote health and wellbeing. Early childhood staff like child care workers, school and preschool teachers need to have the knowledge, confidence and skills to promote culturally and age-appropriate healthy eating and physical activity to children while in their care and, where possible, to their parents/carers to further promote a healthy lifestyle. Young people aged 5 to 18 and their families have a better understanding of physical activity and good eating habits of school-aged young people. Young Victorians aged five to 18 years spend a considerable amount of their time in education, sport and recreational and primary care settings, teachers and family need to model culturally and age appropriate healthy eating and physical activity habits to young people. Adults as parents, workers and members of Communities are urged to improve the eating and activity behavior of other adults by promoting active healthy lifestyles. Senior Victorians can protect themselves against a range of diseases, including some chronic diseases, by sustaining a healthy lifestyle that includes a range of physical activities and good nutrition. While recognising that Senior Victorians may have widely different lifestyles and experiences, older people can gain greater knowledge, confidence and skills in healthy eating and active living. Aged care workers and those that work/care for the elderly need to ensure that they have the knowledge and confidence to keep the elderly active and have a healthy diet. Certain groups in the community have a greater burden of disease and experience higher rates of poor nutrition, lack of physical activity, overweight and obesity and associated chronic diseases. These groups include people with a low socio-economic status, Indigenous Victorians, men, people who have a disability, people from different cultures who have English as their second language. People who fall in these groups need to be better educated to gain the skills to change their behavior in order to lead a healthy and active lifestyle and decrease their prevalence of developing a chronic disease in the long run. Go for your life covers many areas under two main headings Healthy Eating and Active Living. Healthy eating comprises of: dietary advice, food and nutrients, nutrition and illness, what is a healthy weight? body image, weight management, food safety and healthy recipes. Active Living includes: activity general information, walking, active recreation, sports and activities, active transport, activity and illness, active living tips, places to go/things to do. These sub headings provide advice on how people can be active and lead a healthy lifestyle. Some initiatives developed as part of Go for your life include: Go for your life Canteens Advisory Service The Go for your life Canteens Advisory Service aims to support schools with primary school-age children to provide and promote healthy food choices. Increase the awareness and skills of canteen staff regarding the provision of healthy food services. Improve the participation from school councils and parents and friends associations to endorse and support healthy food choices in their schools and communities. Increase the accessibility of healthy foods offered in school food services. Link with and complement the Kids Go for your life service and other relevant components of the Healthy Active Victoria Strategy. Get Active Challenge The Get Active Challenge was a 10-week program targeting mens health and physical activity levels, based in Victorian workplaces. The program challenged men to boost their physical activity levels; whether on their own, in a group, with friends or with their family. Why should men get active? Men are drastically more likely than women to be overweight or obese. Men are more likely than women to be diagnosed with diabetes. Men have an increased estimated incidence of coronary heart disease twice that of females. Men are less likely than women to self-report their health status as very good or excellent. Regular physical activity is associated with the decline in the incidence of many serious illnesses such as cardiovascular and coronary heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and some cancers. Active Connections The Active Connections Program aims to address barriers to participation in physical activity in culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Three pilot projects are being undertaken over 2 years. Netball Victoria are working with local sport and recreation clubs, associations and facilities in Dandenong and Warrnambool to provide cultural awareness training, run the Net Set Go! junior netball program and a series of come and try days. The target groups for the project are young African refugees and their families and the project has seen the establishment of Sudanese netball teams participating in local competitions. Royal Victorian Bowls Association an 8-10 week introductory program to lawn bowls with 20-40 English language students of various nationalities attending each program from Adult Migrant Education Services (AMES) campuses in Footscray, Werribee, Noble Park and Dandenong. The program will provide an introduction to Australian sport and culture (including the role of clubs in delivering sport) through both practical and theoretical education. This model will be demonstrated to the 500+ lawn bowls clubs in Victoria and supported by the development of educational and promotional materials to attract CALD people to engage in lawn bowls. Centre for Multicultural Youth Issues (CMY) based in Ballarat, the CHAMP project intend to address barriers and increase participation rates and social inclusion for newly arrived communities in the Central Highlands Region, with a special focus on refugee youth and their families. CMY are working with local sport and recreation clubs, associations and facilities providing cultural awareness training and assistance with strategies and policies. CMY will also facilitate activities to bring sports organisations and newly arrived refugee and migrant communities together. Active Places The Active Places program aims to promote the benefits of leading a healthy and active lifestyle. The Go for your life Active Places program seeks to offer increased opportunities, awareness and capability for physical activity among marginalised and socially disadvantaged communities. The program will maintain community and organisational capacity building through community-based projects within Community Renewal, Neighbourhood Renewal or Community Building Initiative sites. Go for your life Ride2School Program The Go for your life Ride2School Program aims to increase the number of children riding to and from school and targets primary and secondary schools across the State. In 2006 the proportion of students who walked or rode was closer to only 20 per cent. As a result, the Government is funding a plan to get children and teenagers riding and walking more often under the Go for your life initiative. A key part of the plan is to expand Bicycle Victorias Ride2School Program to more primary and secondary schools across the state. Ride2School works with schools to help them extend their own Ride2School activities and support to encourage more students to ride and walk more often. Ride2School also coordinates activity challenges across the state to encourage students to cycle and walk more often Go for your life Walk Together Grants The Go for your life Walk Together Grants was a one-off funding program that was developed to establish and uphold sustainable walking groups in Victoria. Partnerships for projects aiming disadvantaged communities and other groups with low physical activity. Healthy and Active Choices The Healthy and Active Choices pilot project aims to emphasize the messages of healthy eating, physical activity and healthy lifestyle by making possible the provision and uptake of healthy food choices at regional sports facilities. Integration of walking and cycling Sport and Recreation Victoria are collaborating with government departments and agencies as well as non-government organisation and peak bodies to expand an integrated approach to walking and cycling across Victoria. The project has identified the need for a longer term vision for investment in walking and cycling and a strategy is currently being developed. Its Your Move The project promotes teenagers to take ownership, control and suggest the best ways forward to address healthy eating, healthy bodies and physical activity. The teenagers are working in collaboration with a variety of levels with government and the local community to look at and create new view to make healthier choices easier choices. The teenagers will keep a record of their eating and physical activity habits around the clock for the project, part of the Victorian Governments Go for your life strategy. (go for your life 2010) The whole-of-community project aims to: Decrease intake of sugary drinks and promote water consumption. Increase the proportion of young people eating breakfast. Increase fruit and vegetable consumption. Increase the healthiness of school food. Increase active transport to and from school. Increase partaking in organised sports and other active recreation. Create an acceptance of different healthy body sizes/shapes. The Government recognises that the entire community needs to be engaged in addressing this issue. Thats why Go for your life is working mutually with community groups, industry, organisations, schools, business and research institutions. Raising awareness about the significance of healthy eating, physical activity and healthy weight is a key element of Go for your life. The Go for your life communications activities provide Victorians with knowledge about the significance of healthy eating and physical activity, to support people to make positive lifestyle changes. Through Go for your life, the Government has made a significant investment in encouraging healthy eating and physical activity and endorsing healthy weight. From kitchen gardens in schools to supporting a healthy body image in teenagers, from diabetes prevention programs to programs designed to keep seniors healthy and active, Go for your life is engaging people and communities across Victoria in the challenge of taking on healthier lifestyles and avert chronic diseases.

Impact of Law Changes on Tourism Industry Essay -- Business Policy

This essay will discuss how recent changes in the law may impact the tourism industry, as it is extremely vulnerable when it comes to these emendations in regulations and that is why politics contributes to these impacts. Governments introduce different laws and regulations which every individual and business must follow or adapt to, organisations often have to change the way they operate due new policies, and these alterations cost a lot of capital and if they fail to follow the rules, organisations can face court for example if customers feel that the facilities doesn’t meet their needs e.g. wheelchair user in a shop with not lift to access the upstairs section. There are plenty of acts that that are opposed such as the equality act 2010, the taxation act 2010, and the environmental protection act 2006 that I will mainly focus on. The purpose of laws in the society is to protect the public and organisations as it allows to distinction in what is right and wrong, it also gives the authority to take actions against wrongness. According to Soanes and Stevenson (2006) law is a rule or system recognised by a country or community as regulating the actions of its member and enforced by the imposing of penalties. Howlettt (2010) stated that there are two types of laws: Criminal law which is concerned with offences against society at large crimes persecuted by the states, and these cases, if of non serious nature, are heard in magistrate court but if of serious nature, they will be heard in the crown courts and tried by jury. Civil law in the other hand is concerned with disputes between private parties, for example consumers and supplies, injured party, issue damage or injunction, and these cases are heard in county court. Laws ha... ...st-body-is-slated-for-role-in-sacking-1.1024158 [accessed: 11 November 2010] Wallop, H. (2010) Tax rise will end benefits brought by air travel, warns BA. The telegraph [Online]. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/air-passenger-duty/8095665/Tax-rise-will-end-benefits-brought-by-air-travel-warns-BA.html [Accessed: 09 November 2010] Poulter, S. (2010) passenger hits with 55% rise in air passenger duty form Monday. Mail online [Online]. Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1324858/Air-Passenger-Duty-rise-Tax-increase-slammed-travel-companies.html [Accessed: 09 November 2010] Soanes, C and Stevenson, A. (2006) concise oxford English dictionary 11th edition, revised. United estates: Oxford University Clements, P and Spinks, T. (2009) The equal Opportunity hand book, 4th edition, rev, London: Kogan Page 2009

The Golden Lily Chapter 2

I DIDN'T SLEEP THAT NIGHT. Part of it was simply the time change. My flight back to Palm Springs was scheduled for six in the morning – which was three in the morning in the time zone my body still thought it was in. Sleeping seemed pointless. And, of course, there was the teeny-tiny fact that it was kind of hard to relax after everything I'd witnessed over at the Alchemist bunker. If I wasn't envisioning Liam's freaky eyes, then I was replaying the constant warnings I'd heard about those who got too close to vampires. It didn't help the situation that I had an inbox full of messages from the gang in Palm Springs. Normally, I checked my e-mail automatically on my phone when I was out and about. Now, in my hotel room, staring at the various messages, I found myself filled with doubt. Were these truly professional? Were they too friendly? Did they blur the lines of Alchemist protocol? After seeing what had happened to Keith, it was more obvious than ever that it didn't take much to get in trouble with my organization. One message was from Jill, with a subject line reading: Angeline†¦ sigh. This wasn't a surprise to me, and I didn't bother reading it yet. Angeline Dawes, a dhampir recruited to be Jill's roommate and provide an extra layer of security, had had a little trouble fitting into Amberwood. She was always in trouble for something, and I knew whatever it was this time, there was nothing I could do about it right now. Another message was from Angeline herself. I also didn't read it. The subject was: READ THIS! SO FUNNY! Angeline had only recently discovered e-mail. She had not, so it seemed, discovered how to turn off the caps-lock key. She also had no discrimination when it came to forwarding jokes, financial scams, or virus warnings. And speaking of that last one†¦ we'd had to finally install child protection software on her laptop, in order to block her from certain websites and ads. That had come after she'd accidentally downloaded four viruses. It was the last e-mail in my inbox that gave me pause. It was from Adrian Ivashkov, the only person in our group who wasn't posing as a student at Amberwood Preparatory School. Adrian was a twenty-one-year-old Moroi, so it would have been kind of a stretch passing him off in high school. Adrian was along because he and Jill had a psychic bond that had been inadvertently created when he'd used his magic to save her life. All Moroi wielded some type of elemental magic, and his was spirit – a mysterious element tied to the mind and healing. The bond allowed Jill to see Adrian's thoughts and emotions, which was troubling to both of them. His staying near her helped them work out some of the bond's kinks. Also, Adrian had nothing better to do. His message's subject was: SEND HELP IMMEDIATELY. Unlike Angeline, Adrian knew the rules of capitalization and was simply going for dramatic effect. I also knew that if I had any doubts about which of my messages related to my job, this was hands-down the most nonprofessional one in the set. Adrian wasn't my responsibility. Yet, I clicked the message anyway. Day 24. Situation is growing worse. My captors continue to find new and horrific ways to torture me. When not working, Agent Scarlet spends her days examining fabric swatches for bridesmaid dresses and going on about how in love she is. This usually causes Agent Boring Borscht to regale us with stories of Russian weddings that are even more boring than his usual ones. My attempts at escape have been thwarted thus far. Also, I am out of cigarettes. Any assistance or tobacco products you can send will be greatly appreciated. – Prisoner 24601 I began smiling in spite of myself. Adrian sent me some kind of message like this nearly every day. This summer, we had learned that those who were forcibly turned Strigoi could be turned back with the use of spirit. It was still a tricky, complicated process†¦ made more so by the fact that there were so few spirit users. Even more recent events had suggested that those restored from being Strigoi could never be turned again. That had electrified Alchemists and Moroi alike. If there was some magical way to prevent Strigoi conversion, freaks like Liam would no longer be a problem. That was where Sonya Karp and Dimitri Belikov came in – or, as Adrian called them in his angst-filled letters, â€Å"Agent Scarlet† and â€Å"Agent Boring Borscht.† Sonya was a Moroi; Dimitri was a dhampir. Both had once been Strigoi and had been saved by spirit magic. The two of them had come to Palm Springs last month to work with Adrian in a sort of think tank to figure out what might protect against Strigoi turning. It was an extremely important task, one that could have huge ramifications if successful. Sonya and Dimitri were some of the hardest working people I knew – which didn't always mesh with Adrian's style. A lot of their work involved slow, painstaking experiments – many involving Eddie Castile, a dhampir who was also undercover at Amberwood. He was serving as the control subject since, unlike Dimitri, Eddie was a dhampir untouched by spirit or a Strigoi history. There wasn't much I could do to help Adrian with his frustration over his research group – and he knew it. He just liked playing up the drama and venting to me. Mindful of what was essential and nonessential in the Alchemist world, I was on the verge of deleting the message, but†¦ One thing made me hesitate. Adrian had signed his e-mail with a reference to Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. It was a book about the French Revolution that was so thick, it could easily double as a weapon. I had read it in both French and English. Considering Adrian had once gotten bored while reading a particularly long menu, I had a hard time imagining he'd read the Hugo book in any language. So how did he know the reference? It doesn't matter, Sydney, a stern Alchemist voice said inside my head. Delete it. It's irrelevant. Adrian's literary knowledge (or lack thereof) is no concern of yours. But I couldn't do it. I had to know. This was the kind of detail that would drive me crazy. I wrote back with a quick message: How do you know about 24601? I refuse to believe you read the book. You saw the musical, right? I hit send and received a response back from him almost immediately: SparkNotes. Typical. I laughed out loud and immediately felt guilty. I shouldn't have responded. This was my personal e-mail account, but if the Alchemists ever felt the need to investigate me, they'd have no qualms about accessing it. This kind of thing was damning, and I deleted the e-mail exchange – not that it mattered. No data was ever truly lost. By the time I landed in Palm Springs at seven the next morning, it was painfully obvious that I had surpassed my body's limits to subsist on caffeine. I was too exhausted. No amount of coffee would help anymore. I nearly fell asleep at the airport's curb, waiting for my ride. When it arrived, I didn't notice until I heard my name called. Dimitri Belikov jumped out of a blue rental car and strode toward me, grabbing hold of my suitcase before I could utter a word. A few nearby women stopped talking to stare at him admiringly. I got to my feet. â€Å"You don't have to do that,† I said, even though he was already loading my suitcase into the trunk. â€Å"Of course I do,† he said, his words lightly touched with a Russian accent. He gave me a small smile. â€Å"You looked like you were asleep.† â€Å"I should be so lucky,† I said, getting into the passenger side. Even if I'd been wide awake, I knew Dimitri would've taken my suitcase anyway. That's how he was, a lost remnant of chivalry in the modern world, ever-ready to help others. That was only one of the many striking things about Dimitri. His looks alone were certainly enough to make many halt in their tracks. He had dark brown hair pulled back into a short ponytail, with matching brown eyes that seemed mysterious and alluring. He was tall, too – about 67 – rivaling some Moroi. Dhampirs were indistinguishable from humans to me, so even I could admit that he scored pretty high on the attractiveness scale. There was also an energy around him that you couldn't help but be affected by. He was always on alert, always ready for the unexpected. I'd never seen his guard down. He was constantly ready to strike. He was dangerous, no question, and I was comforted that he was on our side. I always felt safe around him – and a little wary. â€Å"Thanks for the ride,† I added. â€Å"I could've called a taxi.† Even as I spoke, I knew my words were as useless as when I'd told him he didn't need to help me with my bag. â€Å"It's no problem,† he assured me, driving toward suburban Palm Springs. He wiped sweat off his brow and somehow made that look attractive. Even this early in the morning, the heat was beginning to build. â€Å"Sonya insisted. Besides, no experiments today.† I frowned at that. Those experiments and the amazing potential they represented to prevent the creation of more Strigoi were vastly important. Dimitri and Sonya knew that and were dedicated to the cause – especially on weekends, when Adrian and Eddie didn't have classes – which made this news so puzzling. My own work ethic had a hard time understanding why there'd be no research happening on a Sunday. â€Å"Adrian?† I guessed. Maybe he wasn't â€Å"in the mood† for research today. â€Å"Partially,† said Dimitri. â€Å"We're also missing our control subject. Eddie said he had some conflict and couldn't make it.† My frown deepened. â€Å"What conflict could Eddie have?† Eddie was intensely dedicated too. Adrian sometimes called him mini-Dimitri. Although Eddie was going to high school and completing assignments just like me, I knew he'd drop any homework in an instant to help out with the greater good. I could think of only one thing that would take precedence over helping find a â€Å"cure† for being Strigoi. My heart suddenly raced. â€Å"Is Jill okay?† She had to be. Someone would have told me, right? Eddie's main purpose in Palm Springs – and mine – was to keep her safe. If she was in danger, it would trump everything else. â€Å"She's fine,† said Dimitri. â€Å"I talked to her this morning. I'm not sure what's going on, but Eddie wouldn't be away without good reason.† â€Å"I suppose not,† I murmured, still concerned. â€Å"You worry as much as me,† teased Dimitri. â€Å"I didn't think that was possible.† â€Å"It's my job to worry. I always have to make sure everyone's okay.† â€Å"Sometimes it's not a bad thing to make sure you're okay too. You might find it actually helps others.† I scoffed. â€Å"Rose always joked about your ‘Zen Master Wisdom.' Am I getting a taste of it? If so, I can see why she was helpless against your charms.† This earned me one of Dimitri's rare, genuine laughs. â€Å"I think so. If you ask her, she'll claim it was the staking and decapitation. But I'm sure it was the Zen wisdom that won her in the end.† My answering smile immediately melted into a yawn. It was amazing that I could joke with a dhampir. I used to have panic attacks being in the same room with them or Moroi. Slowly, over the last six months, my anxiety had begun to ease up. I'd never shake the feeling of â€Å"otherness† I got from all of them, but I'd come a long way. Part of me knew it was a good thing that I still drew that line between them and humans, but it was also good to be flexible in order to make my job smoother. Not too flexible, that inner Alchemist voice warned. â€Å"Here we are,† said Dimitri, pulling up in front of my dorm at Amberwood Prep. If he'd noticed my shift in mood, he didn't say so. â€Å"You should get some rest.† â€Å"I'll try,† I said. â€Å"But I need to find out what's going on with Eddie first.† Dimitri's face turned all-business. â€Å"If you can find him, you should bring him over tonight, and we can see about getting a little work done. Sonya would love it. She has some new ideas.† I nodded, reminding myself that that was the kind of standard we needed to adhere to. Work, work, work. We had to remember our higher goals. â€Å"I'll see what I can do.† I thanked him again and then headed inside, filled with resolve to carry out my mission. So, it was a bit disappointing when my lofty goals were shattered so quickly. â€Å"Miss Melrose?† I turned immediately at the sound of the last name I'd assumed here at Amberwood. Mrs. Weathers, our plump, elderly dorm matron, was hurrying over to me. Her face was lined with worry, which couldn't bode well. â€Å"I'm so glad you're back,† she said. â€Å"I trust you had a good family visit?† â€Å"Yes, ma'am.† If by â€Å"good,† she meant â€Å"terrifying and unsettling.† Mrs. Weathers beckoned me over to her desk. â€Å"I need to talk to you about your cousin.† I held back a grimace as I recalled Jill's e-mail. Cousin Angeline. All of us attending Amberwood were doing so under fake family connections. Jill and Eddie were my siblings. Angeline was our cousin. It helped explain why we were always together and getting involved with each other's business. I sat down with Mrs. Weathers and thought longingly of my bed. â€Å"What's happened?† I asked. Mrs. Weathers sighed. â€Å"Your cousin is having trouble with our dress code.† That was a surprise. â€Å"But we have uniforms, ma'am.† â€Å"Of course,† she said. â€Å"But not outside of classes.† That was true. I was in khaki dress pants and a green short-sleeved blouse, along with a small gold cross I always wore. I did a mental rundown of Angeline's wardrobe, trying to recall if I'd ever seen anything concerning about it. Probably the most appalling part was its quality. Angeline had come from the Keepers, a mixed community of humans, Moroi, and dhampirs who lived in the Appalachian Mountains. Along with a lack of electricity and plumbing, the Keepers chose to make a lot of their clothing or at least wear it into threads. â€Å"Friday night, I saw her wearing the most appallingly short jean shorts,† continued Mrs. Weathers with a shudder. â€Å"I immediately chastised her, and she told me they were the only way she could be comfortable in the heat outside. I gave her a warning and advised she find more appropriate attire. Saturday, she appeared in the same shorts and a tank top that was totally indecent. That was when I suspended her to the dorm for the rest of the weekend.† â€Å"I'm sorry, ma'am,† I said. Really, I had no idea what else to say. I'd spent the weekend caught up in the epic battle to save humanity, and now†¦ jean shorts? Mrs. Weathers grew hesitant. â€Å"I know†¦ well, I know this isn't really anything you should be involved in. It's a parental matter. But, seeing as how you're so responsible and look out for the rest of your family†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I sighed. â€Å"Yes, ma'am. I'll take care of it. Thank you for not taking more severe action against her.† I went upstairs, my small suitcase growing heavier with each step. When I reached the second floor, I stopped, unsure what to do. One more floor would take me to my room. This floor would take me to â€Å"Cousin Angeline.† Reluctantly, I turned into the second floor hall, knowing the sooner this was dealt with, the better. â€Å"Sydney!† Jill Mastrano opened the dorm room's door, her light green eyes shining with joy. â€Å"You're back.† â€Å"So it seems,† I said, following her inside. Angeline was there as well, lounging on her bed with a textbook. I was pretty sure that was the first time I'd ever seen her study, but the house arrest probably limited her recreational options. â€Å"What did the Alchemists want?† asked Jill. She sat cross-legged on her own bed and began absentmindedly playing with the strands of her curly, light brown hair. I shrugged. â€Å"Paperwork. Boring stuff. Sounds like things were a little more exciting here.† That was delivered with a pointed look at Angeline. The dhampir girl jumped off her bed, face furious and blue eyes flashing. â€Å"It wasn't my fault! That Weathers woman was completely out of line!† she exclaimed, a slight southern drawl in her words. A quick scan of Angeline showed nothing too concerning. Her jeans were threadbare but decent, as was her T-shirt. Even her mop of strawberry blonde hair was tame for a change, tied back in a ponytail. â€Å"What on earth did you wear that got her so upset then?† I asked. Scowling, Angeline went to her dresser and produced a pair of jean shorts with the most ragged hem I'd ever seen. I thought they'd unravel before my eyes. They were also so short that I wouldn't have been surprised if they showed underwear when she wore them. â€Å"Where did you get those?† Angeline almost looked proud. â€Å"I made them.† â€Å"With what, a hacksaw?† â€Å"I had two pairs of jeans,† she said pragmatically. â€Å"It was so hot out, I figured I might as well turn one into shorts.† â€Å"She used a knife from the cafeteria,† said Jill helpfully. â€Å"Couldn't find the scissors,† explained Angeline. My bed. Where was my bed? â€Å"Mrs. Weathers mentioned something about an indecent shirt too,† I said. â€Å"Oh,† said Jill. â€Å"That was mine.† I felt my eyebrows rise. â€Å"What? I know you don't own anything ‘indecent.†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ Before Angeline had come along a month ago, Jill and I had been roommates. â€Å"It's not,† agreed Jill. â€Å"Except, it's not really Angeline's size.† I glanced between the two girls and understood. Jill was tall and slim, like most Moroi, with a figure much coveted among human fashion designers, a figure I would've killed to have. Jill had even done some modeling. With that figure came a modest chest. Angeline's chest†¦ was not so modest. If she wore a tank top in Jill's size, I imagined the shirt's structural integrity would indeed be stretched to indecent limits. â€Å"Jill wears that tank top all the time and doesn't get in trouble,† said Angeline defensively. â€Å"I figured there wouldn't be a problem if I borrowed it.† My head was starting to hurt. Still, I supposed this was better than the time Angeline had been caught making out with a guy in the boys' bathroom. â€Å"Well. This is easily fixed. We can go – well, I can go since you're stuck here – and get you some clothes in your size tonight.† â€Å"Oh,† Angeline said, suddenly turning more upbeat, â€Å"you don't have to. Eddie's handling it.† If not for Jill nodding along, I would've thought it was a joke. â€Å"Eddie? Eddie's buying you clothes?† Angeline sighed happily. â€Å"Isn't that nice of him?† Nice? No, but I understood why Eddie would do it. Getting decent clothes for Angeline was the last thing he probably wanted to do, but he would do it. Like me, he understood duty. And now I could guess why Eddie had canceled the experiments – and been vague about his reasons for doing so. I immediately took out my cell phone and called him. He answered right away, like always. I was certain he was never more than three feet from his phone at all times. â€Å"Hello, Sydney. Glad you're back.† He paused. â€Å"You are back, right?† â€Å"Yeah, I'm with Jill and Angeline. I understand you've been doing some shopping.† He groaned. â€Å"Don't get me started. I just walked into my room.† â€Å"You want to swing by with your purchases? I need the car back anyway.† There was a moment's hesitation. â€Å"Would you mind coming over here? As long as Jill's okay. She is okay, right? She doesn't need me? Because if she does – â€Å" â€Å"She's fine.† His dorm wasn't far, but I'd been hoping for a quick nap. Nonetheless, I found myself agreeing, just like I always did. â€Å"Okay. I'll meet you in the lobby in about fifteen minutes?† â€Å"Sounds good. Thanks, Sydney.† As soon as I disconnected, Angeline asked excitedly, â€Å"Is Eddie coming over?† â€Å"I'm going to him,† I said. Her face fell. â€Å"Oh. Well, I guess it doesn't matter since I have to stay here anyway. I can't wait until I'm free to train again. I'd like to get some more one-on-one time with him.† I hadn't realized how focused Angeline was on her training. In fact, she seemed really excited about the prospect of it. I left their room and was surprised to find Jill right behind me once the door shut. Her eyes were wide and anxious. â€Å"Sydney†¦ I'm sorry.† I regarded her curiously, wondering now if she'd done something. â€Å"For what?† She gestured toward the door. â€Å"For Angeline. I should have done better at keeping her out of trouble.† I almost smiled. â€Å"That's not your job.† â€Å"Yeah, I know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She glanced down, letting some of her long hair fall forward. â€Å"But still. I know I should be more like you. Instead, I've just been†¦ you know. Having fun.† â€Å"You're entitled to it,† I said, trying to ignore the subtle commentary on me. â€Å"I should still be more responsible,† she argued. â€Å"You are responsible,† I assured her. â€Å"Especially compared to Angeline.† My family had a cat back in Utah that I was pretty sure was more responsible than Angeline. Jill's face brightened, and I left her so that I could return the suitcase to my room. Angeline's arrival and my work in busting Keith had earned me my own private room in the dorm, something I treasured. Inside it, everything was quiet and orderly. My perfect world. The one place that the chaos of my life couldn't touch. The neatly made bed was asking to be slept in. Begging, really. Soon, I promised it. I hope. Amberwood Prep was divided into three campuses, East (where the girls were housed), West (where the boys were), and Central (containing all the academic buildings). A shuttle bus ran between them on a regular schedule, or brave souls could walk between them in the heat. I usually didn't mind the temperatures, but walking seemed like a lot of work today. So, I took the shuttle to West Campus and tried to stay awake. The lobby of the boys' dorm was a lot like my own, people coming and going to either catch up on academic work or simply enjoy the Sunday off. I glanced around, but Eddie wasn't here yet. â€Å"Hey, Melbourne.† I turned and found Trey Juarez approaching, a grin on his tanned face. He was a senior like me and had picked up the Melbourne nickname after one of our teachers proved incapable of remembering Melrose. Honestly, with all these names, it was a wonder I knew who I was anymore. â€Å"Hey, Trey,† I said. Trey was a bona fide high school football star – but also pretty brainy, no matter how much he tried to hide it. We got along well as a result, and my help in restoring his athletic status last month had gone a long way to raise my stock in his eyes. A backpack hung on one of his shoulders. â€Å"Are you finally going to finish that chem lab write-up?† â€Å"Yup,† he said. â€Å"Me and half the cheerleading squad. You want to join us?† I rolled my eyes. â€Å"Somehow I doubt there'll be much work going on. Besides, I'm meeting Eddie.† Trey gave an easy shrug and brushed some unruly black hair out of his eyes. â€Å"Your loss. See you tomorrow.† He took a couple of steps and then glanced back at me. â€Å"Hey, are you dating anyone?† I immediately started to say no, and then a panicked thought occurred to me. I had a tendency to take things very literally. Friends of mine here, Kristin and Julia, had been trying to train me up in the subtleties of high school social life. One of their chief lessons was that what people said wasn't always what they meant – particularly in romantic matters. â€Å"Are you†¦ are you asking me out?† I asked, taken aback. This was the last thing I needed right now. How should I respond? Should I say yes? Should I say no? I'd had no idea helping him with chemistry homework would be so alluring. I should've made him do it on his own. Trey looked as startled by the thought as I was. â€Å"What? No. Of course not.† â€Å"Thank God,† I said. I liked Trey, but I had no interest in dating him – or figuring out what the appropriate way to say â€Å"no† would be. He shot me a wry look. â€Å"You don't have to look that relieved.† â€Å"Sorry,† I said, trying to mask my embarrassment. â€Å"Why'd you ask?† â€Å"Because I know the perfect guy for you. I'm pretty sure he's your soul mate.† We were back in familiar territory now: logic vs. lack of logic. â€Å"I don't believe in soul mates,† I said. â€Å"It's statistically unreasonable that there's only one ideal person for everyone in the world.† And yet, for half a moment, I wished it was kind of possible. It'd be nice to have someone who understood some of the things that went on in my head. Trey rolled his eyes. â€Å"Okay. Not a soul mate. How about just someone you could maybe go out with once in a while and have a nice time with?† I shook my head. â€Å"I don't have time for anything like that.† And I didn't. Keeping everything in order with the group, and pretending to be a student, was a full time job as it was. â€Å"I'm telling you, you'd like him. He goes to a public school and just started at Spencer's.† Spencer's was a coffee shop Trey worked at, an arrangement that yielded me discounts. â€Å"The other day, he was going off on unaerobic vs. aerobic respiration, and I was thinking, ‘You know who this sounds like? Melbourne.'† â€Å"It's anaerobic respiration,† I corrected. â€Å"And it still doesn't mean I have the time. Sorry.† I had to admit, I was immensely curious about how that topic would have come up between baristas, but figured it was best not to encourage Trey. â€Å"Okay,† he said. â€Å"Don't say I never tried to help you.† â€Å"Wouldn't dream of it,† I assured him. â€Å"Hey, there's Eddie.† â€Å"My cue to go then. See you guys.† Trey gave a mock salute to Eddie and me. â€Å"Don't forget my offer if you want a hot date, Melbourne.† Trey left, and Eddie shot me an astonished look. â€Å"Did Trey just ask you out?† â€Å"No. He's just got some co-worker he wants to set me up with.† â€Å"Maybe that's not a bad idea.† â€Å"It's a terrible idea. Let's go outside.† The desert heat didn't seem to care that it was October, and I led us to a bench right by the dorm's stucco walls. Partial shade from some nearby palm trees offered mild relief. People swore the temperature would taper soon, but I'd seen no sign of change. Eddie handed me my car keys and a shopping bag from a local superstore. â€Å"I had to guess at size,† he told me. â€Å"When in doubt, I went big. Figured it was safer that way.† â€Å"Probably.† I sat down on a bench and rifled through his purchases. Jeans, khakis, a few solid colored T-shirts. They were very practical, very much something a no-nonsense guy like Eddie would pick out. I approved. â€Å"The size actually looks right. Good eye. We'll have to send you out shopping more often.† â€Å"If that's what I have to do,† he said, face serious. I couldn't help but laugh in surprise. â€Å"I was joking.† I put the shirts back in the bag. â€Å"I know that couldn't have been fun.† Eddie's face gave nothing away. â€Å"Oh, come on. It's okay. You don't have to play stoic with me. I know you didn't enjoy it.† â€Å"I'm here to do a job. Doesn't matter if I enjoy it or not.† I started to protest but then thought better of it. After all, wasn't that my philosophy too? Sacrificing my own wants for higher goals? Eddie was intensely dedicated to this mission. He never backed down. I expected nothing less from him than single-minded focus. â€Å"So, does that mean you're up for some experiments tonight?† I asked. â€Å"Of cours – † He stopped and reconsidered. â€Å"Are Jill and Angeline coming?† â€Å"No. Angeline's still under house arrest.† â€Å"Thank God,† he said with visible relief. His reaction was probably the most surprising thing to happen today. I couldn't imagine why Eddie would look so relieved. Aside from his guardian loyalty to Jill, he was also crazy about her. He would've done anything for her, even if it wasn't his job, but refused to share his feelings with her. He thought he was unworthy of a princess. An uneasy thought occurred to me. â€Å"Are you†¦ are you avoiding Jill because of her and Micah?† Micah was Eddie's roommate, a nice guy who caused Eddie all sorts of therapy-worthy trauma because he bore so much similarity to Eddie's dead best friend, Mason. Micah also had a weird pseudo-dating relationship with Jill. None of us were happy about it, since (aside from the Keepers) humans dating Moroi or dhampirs was strictly taboo. We'd finally decided it would be impossible to keep Jill from a social life, and she swore nothing serious or physical was going on between her and Micah. They just spent a lot of time together. And flirted incessantly. He didn't know the truth about her, but I wondered at what point he'd want more from their relationship. Eddie kept insisting it was better for Jill to have a casual relationship with a human than one with an â€Å"unworthy† dhampir like him, but I knew it had to be torturous. â€Å"Of course not,† said Eddie sharply. â€Å"It's not Jill I want to avoid. It's Angeline.† â€Å"Angeline? What's she done now?† Eddie ran a hand through his hair in frustration. His was a sandy blond, not far from my own, which was a dark gold. The similarity made it easy to pass ourselves off as twins. â€Å"She won't leave me alone! She's always dropping these suggestive comments when I'm around†¦ and she won't stop staring at me. Like, you wouldn't think that'd be creepy, but it is. She's always watching. And I can't avoid her because she's with Jill a lot of the time, and I have to keep Jill safe.† I thought back on recent interactions. â€Å"Are you sure you're reading this right? I've never noticed anything.† â€Å"That's because you don't notice that kind of thing,† he said. â€Å"You cannot imagine how many excuses she finds to rub up against me.† After seeing her homemade jean shorts, I actually could imagine it. â€Å"Huh. Well, maybe I can talk to her.† Like that, Eddie snapped back to all-business. â€Å"No. It's my problem, my personal life. I'll deal with it.† â€Å"Are you sure? Because I can – â€Å" â€Å"Sydney,† he said gently. â€Å"You're the most responsible person I know, but this isn't what you're here to do. You don't have to take care of everything and everyone.† â€Å"I don't mind,† I said automatically. â€Å"It is what I'm here for.† But even as I said it, I wondered if that was true. A bit of the anxiety from the bunker returned, making me question if what I did was truly Alchemist responsibility or the desire to help those who – against protocol – had become my friends. â€Å"See? Now you sound just like I did earlier.† He stood up and flashed me a grin. â€Å"You want to come with me to Adrian's? Be responsible together?† His words were meant as a compliment, but they echoed too close to what the Alchemists had told me. And Mrs. Weathers. And Jill. Everyone thought I was so amazing, so responsible and controlled. But if I was so amazing, then why was I always so unsure if I was doing the right thing?

Social networks as an advertising-based model The WritePass Journal

Social networks as an advertising-based model 1.0 Introduction. Social networks as an advertising-based model 1.0 Introduction.1.1 Background.2.0 Preliminary Literature Review.2.1 Word of Mouth (WOM).2.2 Online Social Networks.2.3 The Development of Online Social Networks 2.4 Marketing on Social Networks versus Word of Mouth.3.0 Aims and Objectives.4.0 Research methodology4.1 Research Design4.2 Implementation4.3 Data Collection5.0 Difficulties and Limitations6.0 Timescale7.0 Cost8.0 Outline Structure of the Proposed Research projectChapter 1:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   IntroductionChapter 2:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Literature ReviewChapter 3:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   MethodologyChapter 4:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   FindingsChapter 5:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ConclusionsReferencesRelated 1.0 Introduction. 1.1 Background. â€Å"Social networks, such as Facebook and MySpace have witnessed a rapid growth in their membership. Some of these businesses have tried an advertising-based model with very limited success. However, these businesses have not fully explored the power of their members to influence each other’s behaviour. This potential viral or social effect can have significant impact on the success of these companies as well as provide a unique new marketing opportunity for traditional companies†. (Iyengar et al 2009) This research is focused on the impact of online social networks versus word of mouth in product referencing. It is an attempt to investigate the impact of the rapid growth of online social networks on the consumer and to investigate the possibility of it becoming a useful alternative to traditional word of mouth.  Ã‚   According to Pedro Domingo (2005) traditionally, social network models have been descriptive, rather than predictive: they are developed at a very common level, normally with only a few global parameters, and are not practical for making concrete predictions of the future behaviour of the network. Until recent times, this was mainly due to lack of data: the networks available for tentative study were small and not many, and contained only nominal information about each node. Fortunately, the growth of the Internet has assisted its development. Substantial quantities of data are now available on very large social networks via blogs, social networking sites, knowledge -sharing sites, online gaming, newsgroups, chat rooms, etc. 2.0 Preliminary Literature Review. 2.1 Word of Mouth (WOM). Word of mouth (WOM) has been recognized over the years as a significant influence on how people think, feel and react. Writings on interpersonal persuasion has ancient origins. Aristotle produced what has been called ‘the most important single work in the history of speech in the fourth century BC (Thonssen and Beard, 1948, p. 63). The book Rhetoric (Aristotle, trans. Roberts, 1924) highlights the influential impact of three artistic proofs inhibited in a speaker these are: ethos, pathos and logos. Ethos, the ethical and personal appeals of a speaker, consists of how the speaker projects personal characteristics so as to induce belief on the part of the listener. Pathos entails the emotional features of the speaker. Logos or logical appeals in the form of examples and enthymemes were regarded by Aristotle as the basis of reasoned discourse. Some 23 centuries later there now exists an immense literature on interpersonal communication (Littlejohn, 1990). In a Marketing communication context, word of mouth (WOM) is a consumer-dominated channel, the sender is usually independent of the market. It is therefore perceived to be more reliable, credible, and trustworthy by consumers compared to firm-initiated communications (Schiffman Kanuk, 1995; Arndt, 1967). Traditional communications theory considers WOM as having a powerful influence on behaviour, especially on consumers’ information search, evaluation, and subsequent decision making (Cox 1963) It provides information relating to product performance and the social and psychological cost of the purchase decision (Cox, 1963).Research generally supports the claim that WOM is more influential on behaviour than other marketer-controlled sources. Indeed, it has been observed that WOM can be more influential than neutral print sources such as Which and Consumer Reports (Herr et al., 1991). 2.2 Online Social Networks. The term â€Å"Social network† can certainly not be described a new term, as individuals we are all involved in at least one form of social network and most of us especially the youth, are likely actively involved in several simultaneously, both â€Å"real† and online. The term social network can be defined as any web-based services that allow individuals to construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. The nature and nomenclature of these connections may vary from site to site. (Boyd, et.al 2007). What makes social network sites unique is not that they allow individuals to meet strangers, but rather that they enable users to articulate and make visible their social networks. This can result in connections between individuals that would not otherwise be made, but that is often not the goal, and these meetings are frequently between â€Å"latent ties† who share some offline connection. (Haythornthwaite, 2005) 2.3 The Development of Online Social Networks The first recognizable social network site was launched in 1997 this was known as SixDegrees.com, this website provided its members with the opportunity to create profiles list their friends and by 1998 provided the option of surfing their friends list ultimately leading to the interactive nature of our social networks today. However before 1997 other website and internet tools had already implored some one or more of this features (Boyd, et.al 2007), profiles where already being used by dating sites, ICQ buddy lists; the pioneer of the current crop of Internet instant messenger clients supported the listing of Friends, however this list was not visible to others. Classmates.com, allowed its members to connect with their old school mates and surf the network for others who were also connected, but members could not develop profiles or list Friends. SixDegree.com became the first site to combine these three main features of social networks as we know them today. SixDegress.com was able to attract millions of users worldwide however its progress was halted and eventually shut down services in 2000. Reasons for its failure were attributed to its inability to become a sustainable business; the fact that its users did not have an extensive network of friends online and their non responsive nature to meeting strangers online also its users complained that the website offered little to do other than adding new friends, its founder believes that SixDegrees.com was simply ahead of its time (A. Weinreich, personal communication, July 11, 2007) cited from Boyd et al (2007). In 2001 Ryze.com was launched to assist its member by leveraging on each other’s business networks. The founder reports that he first introduced the site to his friends- primarily members of the San Francisco business and technology community, including the entrepreneurs and investors behind many future SNSs (Boyd, et.al 2007).To complement the features of their business website in 2002 the management of Ryze.com Launched   Friendster. It was created to compete with Match.com, a profitable online dating site (Cohen, 2003). Friendster gained footing amongst three groups of early adopters who ultimately defined the image of the site these where; bloggers, attendees of the Burning Man arts festival, and gay men. The website through these early adopters was able to grow to over 300,000 users through word of mouth before traditional press coverage began in May 2003 (O’Shea, 2003). As Friendster became more popular the site developed technical and social difficulties, this lead to a massive reduction in its users. However as its popularity faded in the United States and Europe its popularity increased in countries like the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia (Goldberg, 2007). Between 2003 and date several social network sites have been created the most influential of these is most likely Facebook. Facebook was started off in early 2004 as a Harvard-only SNS (Cassidy, 2006). To become a member, a user had to have a harvard.edu email address this trend continued when it spread to other institutions as users were required to login using their school email addresses this made Facebook appear as an intimate social networking site that still offered all the exposure (Boyd, et.al 2007). In more recent years, Twitter has also become a leader in social networking. 2.4 Marketing on Social Networks versus Word of Mouth. According to a report carried entitled, The European Social Media and Email Marketing Study on the Digital Dialogue between Facebook, Twitter and Email conducted by Volker Wiewer and Rolf Anweiler (2010), the usage of social networks is on a steady increase, in the UK out of 1045 respondents, 91% agreed to receiving at least one form of commercial communication through an online tool including email and newsletters. Facebook was the most popular amongst respondents and a further 94% acknowledged to either having an account or at least having knowledge of facebook and amongst these users the average number of friends was 77 users. However only 34% of the respondents agreed to engaging the typical forms of product or brand awareness on these social networks. These typical tools are however limited to; being a fan of/friend of a company/brand profile on a social network or a follower of a company/brand on twitter Word of mouth on the other hand has been shown to influence a variety of conditions: awareness, expectations, perceptions, attitudes, behavioural intentions and behaviour, (Buttle 1998). It has been described by scholars as one of the oldest and most powerful marketing tools however, it can also be negative. According to Arndt (1971), it can be said that negative word of mouth is more powerful than positive word of mouth.   White House Office of Consumer Affairs suggested that about ‘90%or more people who are disappointed with the service they receive will not patronize the service again. Furthermore, each of those unhappy clients will narrate his or her story to a minimum of 9 other people, and 13%of those unhappy former clients will tell their stories to more than 20 people’. It is not reported to how many these WOM recipients retell the story. (Buttle 1998) 3.0 Aims and Objectives. This study will attempt to obtain an understanding of marketing on online social networks. Evaluate the impact if any, of marketing on online social networks. Attempt to Identify the range of online social networks. It would explore the possibility of substituting traditional word of mouth with marketing on online social networks. Explore the levels of acceptance of online social networks versus word of mouth through product recommendation. Consider the implication of negative online social networks marketing versus word of mouth. 4.0 Research methodology The complexity of the topic area combined with the nature of the research to be undertaken makes it preferable and possibly necessary to employ qualitative research methods in the gathering and interpretation of the research evidence. According to Leedy and Ormrod (2005) qualitative research usually requires adequate planning and preparation, thus it is decisive in researches involving description, interpretation, verification and evaluation. This section will be divided into two parts namely research design and data collection. 4.1 Research Design According to research design is categorised in three forms which are the exploratory, descriptive and casual, Chisnall (2005) according to the specific nature of the research in question. Semi-structured interviews will be organised as it will serve as an effective means of collecting people’s views/perceptions on the research area as well as providing a means of observing their body language and expressions while giving feedback to the posed questions. A questionnaire will also be designed and distributed to gather some general information. Focus groups may also be engaged depending on the possibility of getting a number of quality respondents together at the same time. A qualitative analysis and interpretation of their perceptions and feedback will be carried out subsequently. This form of research design was chosen because, previous studies in this area have used qualitative research to arrive at analysis, thus utilising the same type of research methods provides the opportunity to agree with or challenge previous research confidently and logically. In addition, due to the nature of the topic being studied and the nature of information or evidence that is required, the interview seems to be most ideal for getting the needed information. This is by virtue of the fact that it helps to get a more detailed insight into people’s individual perceptions and opinions as opposed to the other methods of gathering information. The questionnaire will also be most useful in getting a more general opinion on the subject matter. 4.2 Implementation 100 Questionnaires with a maximum of 15-20 questions will be distributed amongst individuals at random. Due to the nature of the study respondents can be chosen at random as the quality of information required is not specific to a gender or speciality. Interviews will be conducted at random amongst users of online social networks to develop a detailed idea of how often products are marketed via their social network. If required a focus group will be created to gain information on a more specific aspect on this study. Additionally previous literature and published research relative to the area of the study will be reviewed 4.3 Data Collection Qualitative information on word of mouth and Online social network would be sourced through individual face to face in-depth interviews. This aims to achieve individual perceptions on the subject matter with comparisons made at the final stage. The in-depth interview is preferred since this is an exploratory research and it would give the respondent the opportunity to talk freely about situations and events which this research aims to cover. This approach will also provide me an opportunity to query answers whenever I need the respondent to further explain their responses (Saunders et al, 2007). This will however be done with extreme caution, in order to avoid making the respondent uncomfortable or unable to provide pragmatic answers To attain a complete perspective, both primary and secondary methods of data collection are being proposed to undertake this study. Chisnall (2005) defines primary data collection as the collation of any data or information that has been collected for the first time through any of the following means, experimentation, observation or questionnaires. The primary data for this research will be sourced from information gathered through questionnaire, interviews and if required focus groups. Questionnaires will be developed using both open ended and closed ended questions with respondents assured of the security of the information disclosed and the protection of their civil rights. To maintain a consistence in the information collected, the same questions used in the questionnaires will be administered during the interviews and if changes are made they will be properly documented. Secondary data on the other hand, is information that has already been gathered by previous scholars who have researched this topic or other relevant subject areas surrounding this topic. This information will be sourced from the public domains which are relevant to the course of research. According to Saunders et al (2009) the study of secondary data will consist of a comprehensive examination and critical review of academic literature to gain insight into areas set out within the aforementioned objectives, and also a review of key journals, academic books, financial research reports, press, databases and websites. The use of this research will give the researcher a better insight to previous research works, Saunders et al (2009). 5.0 Difficulties and Limitations The only foresee able difficulty or limitation is access. This is one of the major considerations, and prospectively one of the biggest hurdles that might be encountered with regards to the feasibility of this research study. The access refers to respondents and necessary information for conducting the research. Also due to the nature of the research, the quality of the information gather might be exaggerated as a band wagon effect is normal in topics related to this and amongst the core respondents which will mostly be youths as they are the largest users of online social networks. 6.0 Timescale Due to the nature of the academic calendar, adequate timing will be allocated to each process and the final report will be submitted in accordance with the university approved time for submission of dissertation for the acquisition of an Msc. Degree in Marketing. 7.0 Cost The nature of this research to be carried out is limited, the only item to be produced are questionnaires for distribution so costing will be very minimal. 8.0 Outline Structure of the Proposed Research project Chapter 1:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Introduction The research topic will be introduced and the reasons, aims and objectives of the research will be clearly stated and identified. The background of the topic will be stated justifying the need to identify and possibly understand the influence of culture. The introduction will also clearly outline the research design. Chapter 2:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Literature Review At this stage of literature search, it is envisaged that previous work in these broad domains will form the foundations of the critical review of literature: Chapter 3:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Methodology Primary and Secondary research will be used to analyse the research topic and this will be based on interviews and questionnaires. This approaches have been adopted as they are the most tried and tested form of research method used by academic writers on this subject matter. Chapter 4:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Findings This chapter will be concerned with analysing and interpreting the information and data gathered for the research work with the aim of producing the findings of the research. Chapter 5:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Conclusions The final section of the research project will do the three things normally expected in the formal conclusion of investigative study: summarise the key outcomes of research exercise; identify limitations inherent the planned research design and/or in what was actually achieved; Suggest further lines of enquiry that might be pursued in subsequent studies. References Alan R Andreasen. Journal of Public Policy Marketing. Chicago: Spring 2002. Vol. 21, Iss. 1; pg. 3, 11 pgs Arndt, J. (1967). Role of Product-Related Conversations in the Diffusion of a New Product. Journal of Marketing Research, 4, 291–95. Boyd, D. M. and Ellison, N. B. (2008), Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13:  210–230. doi:  10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00393.x Buttle, Francis A. (1998) Word of mouth: understanding and managing referral marketing, Journal of Strategic Marketing, 6: 3, 241 - 254 Cassidy, J. (2006, May 15). Me media: How hanging out on the Internet became big business. The New Yorker, 82(13), 50. Chisnall, P. 2005, Marketing research, McGraw-Hill. Cox, D. F. (1963). The Audiences as Communicators. In S. A. Greyser (Ed.), Proceedings, American Marketing Association, December (pp. 58–72). Chicago: American Marketing Association Cohen, R. (2003, July 5). Livewire: Web sites try to make internet dating less creepy. Reuters. Retrieved April 5, 2010 from http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNewsstoryID=3041934 Goldberg, S. (2007, May 13). Analysis: Friendster is doing just fine. Digital Media Wire. Retrieved April 7 2010 from dmwmedia.com/news/2007/05/14/analysis-friendster-is-doing-just-fine Haythornthwaite, C. (2005). Social networks and Internet connectivity effects. Information, Communication, Society, 8(2), 125–147. Herr, P.M., Kardes, F.R. and Kim, J. (1991) Effects of word-of-mouth and product attribute Information on persuasion: an accessibility-diagnosticity perspective. Journal of Consumer Research 17, 454–62. Leedy, P.D., Ormrod, J.E., 2005, Practical Research: Planning and Design. (8th ED). Pearson Merril Prentice Hall. New Jersey Littlejohn, S.W. (1990) Theories of Human Communication, 2nd edn. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. O’Shea, W. (2003, July 4-10). Six Degrees of sexual frustration: Connecting the dates with Friendster.com. Village Voice. Retrieved April 4, 2010 from villagevoice.com/news/0323,oshea, 44576, 1.html Pedro Domingos 2005, Mining social networks for viral marketing, IEEE Intelligent Systems, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 80-82. Saunders M., Lewis P. Thornhill A. (2007) Research Methods for Business Students. 4th Ed. New York: Financial Times Prentice Hall. Schiffman, L. G., Kanuk, L. L. (1995). Consumer Behaviour, 9th Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Thonssen, L. and Beard, A.C. (1948) Speech Criticism: The Development of Standards for Rhetorical Appraisal. New York: Ronald Press. Volker Wiewer and Rolf Anweiler, December 2010, the European Social Media and Email Marketing Study ─ A 6 Country Study about the Digital Dialogue between Facebook, Twitter and Email (Part 2) (European Summary Consumer Results) London yengar, Raghuram, Han, Sangman and Gupta, Sunil, Do Friends Influence Purchases in a Social Network? (February 26, 2009). Harvard Business School Marketing Unit Working Paper No. 09-123. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1392172

Subject-Verb Agreement for ACT English Tips and Practice

Subject-Verb Agreement for ACT English Tips and Practice SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips In this article, we shall delve into the fun-filled world of subject-verb agreement on the ACT. Subject-verb agreement questions on ACT English are less common than punctuation questions; however, you can count on having at least a couple of subject-verb agreement on your ACT English section, so understanding this grammatical rule can easily help you improve your ACT English score. While the grammar rule itself is relatively simple, the questions related to it can be challenging and a bit tricky. In this article, I’ll teach you strategies and tipsto become a master of all things subject-verb agreement on the ACT. In this post, I’ll do the following: Give you a clear understanding of subject-verb agreement. Explain why and how subject-verb agreement questions on ACT English can be tricky. Offer general strategies that can help you correctly answer subject-verb agreement questions. Provide you with practice questions so you can test what you’ve learned. Review: Definition of a Subject The subject of a sentence is the noun that corresponds with the verb in the sentence. In a sentence where there is an action, the subject is the noun that does the action. Doer of action=subject. Here's an example sentence: Justin rescued a kitten from a burning building. What is the subject? Justin. Why? Well, he is the hero who did the rescuing. Similarly, in a sentence with a description, typically using a form of the verb "to be," the subject is the noun that is being described. See: Justin is not funny. Once again, "Justin" is the subject because he is the person who is not funny. Now that we understand the concept of a subject, I'll define and explain subject-verb agreeement for you. Explanation of Subject-Verb Agreement Subject-verb agreement is a rule that states that all subjects must agree with their verbs in number. If a subject is singular, then you must use a singular verb. If a subject is plural, then you must use a plural verb. On the ACT, most subject-verb agreement questions deal with verb forms in the third-person singular (he/she/it/one) and third-person plural (they). In the present and present perfect verb tenses, third-person singular verb forms end in an "s." Third-person plural verb forms do not. Look at this incorrectly written sentence in the present tense: The reality television star readbooks. This is the corrected version of the sentence: The reality television star reads books. While you may have intuitively known how to correct this sentence, and you could have relied on what "sounds right," you should understand why the original sentence was incorrect. The subject of the sentence is "the reality television star." She is the person who does the reading. Furthermore, since we're referring to one reality star, the subject is singular. Because our subject is singular, the verb needs to be in the singular form. In the present tense, "read" is plural. Therefore, we need to change the verb to the singular form "reads." Let's look at another example with a plural subject. This is our incorrect sentence: The singers performs bad cover songs. How do we correct the sentence? Like this: The singers perform bad cover songs. The subject is "singers" because they are doing the performing. "Singers" is plural, so the verb should be in the plural form. The plural form of the verb is "perform." This rule may seem rather simple; however, of course, the ACT doesn't want to make life too simple for you. Subject-verb agreement questions on the ACT can be challenging. The sentences will be more complex than the ones above, and the subject-verb agreement errors will not be as obvious. How Are These Questions Challenging? Typically, when you encounter subject-verb agreement questions on the ACT, the subject will not be placed directly in front of the verb.The subject will either be separated from the verb by an interrupting phrase or, in rare cases, the sentence will be inverted and the subject will follow the verb. Here are ACT English tips you can use to identify the traps students fall for. Trap #1: Interrupting Phrases Interrupting phrases are phrases that separate the subject from the verb. These phrases make identifying the subject and determining whether the verb should be singular or plural more challenging. We'll take a look at a couple of types of interrupting phrases. You don't need to know all of the specific grammar terms, but you should understand and recognize the effect they have on subject-verb agreement questions. Prepositional Phrases The most common interrupting phrase that appears on the ACT is the prepositional phrase. Simply, a prepositional phrase is a phrase that begins with a preposition. What are prepositions? Prepositions provide additional details about nouns and often answer the questions "Where?", "When?", or provide descriptive information. Take a look at some examples of commonly used prepositions: http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-a-preposition-definition-uses-examples.html On the ACT, prepositional phrases tend to be inserted between subjects and verbs to distract from errors in subject-verbagreement. Here's an example of an incorrectly written sentence using a prepositional phrase as an interrupting phrase: Changes for the new and improved ACT Writing section is going to be implemented soon. First, let's identify the subject. What is going to be implemented? Changes. The phrase "for the new and improved ACT Writing section" is a prepositional phrase that begins with the preposition "for." The prepositional phrase describes the changes that will be implemented. See how the ACT can trick you by putting a singular noun, "section," right before the verb. However, because "changes" is plural, the verb should be in the plural form. Unfortunately, "is" is singular. Here's how the sentence should look: Changes for the new and improved ACT Writing section are going to be implemented soon. So how do you avoid falling for this common ACT trap? Strategy Cross out the prepositonal phrase and the sentence should still be grammatically correct. Additionally, using this strategy will enable you to more easily identify the subject and determine whether there's an error in subject-verb agreement. Always remember that the subject will never be contained within a prepositional phrase. Let's employ this strategy with the incorrectly written sentence above: Changes for the new and improved ACT Writing section is going to be implemented soon. Now that the subject is right in front of the verb, the subject-verb agreement error is much more obvious. The strategy involves three steps: Cross out the prepositional phrase. Identify the subject. Determine if there's an error in subject-verb agreement. Use this strategy and you'll be much less likely to miss a subject-verb agreement question on the ACT. You're welcome. Actual ACT English Example Question Let's use this strategy with an example taken from an actual ACT: First, let's cross out the prepositional phrase. Equipment for both types of kayaks are similar. We're left with "Equipment are similar." Even if the answer is obvious to you at this point, let's go through the remaining steps. The subject is "equipment," which is singular. The verb is "are," which is plural; therefore, there's an error in subject-verb agreement and the correct answer is G. Based on the context of the passage, the verb should be in the present tense. The other types of interrupting phrases on the ACT serve the same function as the prepositional phrase in subject-verb agreement questions. They separate the subject from the verb. Let's take a look at another common type of interrupting phrase on the ACT. Non-Essential Clauses and Appositives Non-essential clauses describe a noun, often the subject of a sentence. They are surrounded by commas and can be removed without creating grammatical errors or changes in the meaning of a sentence. Here's a sentence with the non-essential clause in bold: My sister, who is very social, was elected class president. The non-essential clause is separated by commas and serves to provide descriptive information about my sister. Removing the clause doesn't result in a grammatical error or change in the meaning of the sentence. Check it out: My sister, who is very social, was elected class president. One additional note about non-essential clauses is that a subject-verb agreement error can be contained within the clause itself. Take this sentence, for example: Carbonated beverages, which is delicious, are not good for your health. The verb in the non-essential clause, "is," corresponds with the subject "carbonated beverages." Because the subject is plural, the verb should be in the plural form as well. The sentence should read: Carbonated beverages, which are delicious, are not good for your health. While a non-essential clause usually starts with a relative pronoun (which, who, whose, or where), it doesn't in a phrase known as an appositive. An appositive serves the same purpose as a non-essential clause, but an appositive doesn't contain a verb. Here's a sentence with the appositive in bold: My sister, a very social person, was elected class president. The appositive provides descriptive information about my sister, but the phrase can be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence or creating a grammatical error. How will knowing about these phrases help you answer subject-verb agreement questions on the ACT? Read below to find out. Non-Essential Clauses and Appositives on the ACT Just like prepositional phrases, non-essential clauses and appositives will be placed between subjects and verbs to make it less clear if there's an error in subject-verb agreement. Here's a sentence with a non-essential clause. I've underlined the subject and bolded the verb: My boss, who is extremely kind to his employees, give helpful advice. The non-essential clause separates the subject from the verb. The subject is "boss," which is singular, and the verb is "give," which is plural. There's an obvious error in subject-agreement. The sentence should read: My boss, who is extremely kind to his employees, gives helpful advice. On the ACT, you may encounter a similar sentence. Many students will incorrectly assume that the subject is "employees" because that is the noun closest to the verb. While "employees" is plural, the actual subject "boss" is singular. By correctly identifying the subject, you can avoid being tricked by the interrupting phrase. The method you should you use to avoid being tricked is the same one I taught you for prepositional phrases. Strategy In sentences with non-essential clauses or appositives, always cross out those phrases. Doing so makes it much easier to identify errors in subject-verb agreement. Let's use this strategy with the incorrectly written exmple sentence from above: My boss, who is extremely kind to his employees, give helpful advice. After we cross out the non-essential clause, we're left with "My boss give helpful advice." The singular subject is right next to the plural verb. The error in subject-verb agreement should be obvious. Nice! Actual ACT English Example Question Let's put our knowledge to use. Here's another example from a real ACT: In this example, the non-essential clause is surrounded by dashes, which serve the same function as commas in this sentence. The ACT folks threw in that extra curve ball because they also really like testing your knowledge of punctuation. If we cross out the prepositional phrase "of letters" and the non-essential clause, we're left with "Dickinson's last twenty years reveals." The subject is "years," which is plural, so the verb should be in the plural form. The answer is B. Let's briefly discuss one last type of interrupting phrase you may encounter on the ACT. Essential Clauses with "That" Occasionally, an error in subject-verb agreement will involve a clause beginning with "that." The clause will end right before the verb. For sentences with these clauses, simply use the same strategy we used with non-essential clauses. Take a look at this sentence: A book that has an interesting plot and well-developed characters are fun to read. The essential clause begins with "that" and ends right before the verb "are." Just like we did with non-essential clauses, let's cross out the clause. We're left with "A book are fun to read." The singular subject is now right next to the plural verb. Here's the corrected version of the sentence: A book that has an interesting plot and well-developed characters is fun to read. There's another tactic the ACT uses, though much less common, to complicate basic subject-verb agreement questions. Trap #2: Sometimes the Subject Comes After the Verb In rare instances, the typical word order of a sentence will be altered so that a prepositional phrase appears at the beginning of a sentence and the subject follows the verb. In these instances, it can be particularly challenging to identify the subject and determine if there's an error in subject-verb agreeement. In order to illustrate this point, let's look at an example sentence with the prepositional phrase underlined and the verb in bold: In the trunk of my car resides fifteen empty water bottles. We know that a subject can't be contained within a prepositional phrase. Also, we know that a subject is the noun that's doing the action. In the sentence, what's residing? The water bottles. The prepositional phrase provides information about where the water bottles are residing. Because the subject is "water bottles," the verb should be in the plural form. This is the correct version of the sentence: In the trunk of my car reside fifteen empty water bottles. The correctly written sentence may sound more awkward to you because the singular noun "car" is placed right next to the plural form of a verb. You should focus on the rules and strategies as opposed to just relying on what "sounds right." In extremely rare situations, the subject follows the verb but is not preceded by a prepositional phrase. Check out this sentence: Skipping school is fun, but less fun is its consequences. In this sentence, what is less fun? The "consequences". Therefore, in the second clause, "consequences" is the subject. The verb "is" corresponds with the subject "consequences." Because we have a plural subject and a singular verb, there's an error in subject-verb agreement. This is the corrected version of the sentence: Skipping school is fun, but less fun are its consequences. Is there a way to simplify these types of sentences to help determine if there's an error in subject-verb agreement? Of course. Strategy In sentences in which the subject follows the verb, rearrange the sentence so that it follows the normal structure of subject then verb. Using this strategy will allow you to more easily spot any errors in subject-verb agreement. If you utilize this method in the incorrectly written sentence above, you'd be left with "its consequences is less fun." The plural subject is now right next to the singular verb and the error should be immediately apparent. Now, we'll cover one more unique situation that can complicate the most basic subject-verb agreement questions. Trap #3: Compound Subjects A compound subject is a subject in whichtwo singular nouns are connected by "and."In a sentence with a compound subject, you should use the plural form of the verb. Here's a basic sentence demonstrating this rule: Justin and the ACT are friends. Because the subject is both "Justin" and the "ACT," the verb should be in the plural form. This is a more complicated example in which a prepositional phrase is also placed at the beginning of the sentence: In between the cushions of my couch is change and an old pen. First, let's rearrange the sentence so that the subject comes before the verb. What's in between the cushions? Change and an old pen. So after doing our rearranging, the sentence should read "Change and an old pen is in between the cushions of my couch." The subject is both change and an old pen; therefore, the verb should be in the plural form. This is the corrected sentence: In between the cushions of my couch are change and an old pen. At this point, we're aware of the ways the ACT complicates basic subject-verb agreement questions. We've also learned specific strategies to use when faced with certain types of situations. Here are some general tips to follow to help you correctly answer any subject-verb agreement question you may encounter on the ACT. General Strategies for ACT Subject-Verb Agreement Look for Errors in Subject-Verb Agreement When a Verb Is Underlined If a verb is underlined, make sure there are no errors in subject-verb agreement. Singular and Plural Forms of the Same Verb in the Answer Choices Signal a Possible Error in Subject-Verb Agreement On the ACT, you can often figure out what's being tested based on the underlined phrase and the answer choices. If you see that there are singular and plural forms of the same verb in the answer choices, determine if there's an error in subject-verb agreement. Always Identify the Subject Both subjects of sentences and subjects of clauses must agree with their verbs. For each underlined verb, find the noun that corresponds with that specific verb. Then, determine whether that subject is singular or plural and make sure that the subject and verb agree. The Subject Is Never Part of a Prepositional Phrase Be aware that a subject will not be part of a prepositional phrase. Most subject-verb agreement questions on the ACT separate a subject from a verb with a prepositional phrase. Remember the strategy of crossing out the phrase to aid in answering these questions. Be Able to Recognize the Common Tricks Knowing the common tricks the ACT English section uses on questions that test your knowledge of subject-verb agreement can be helpful. The better you know these tricks, the more quickly you'll be able to recognize them and use the appropriate strategies to correctly answer subject-verb agreement questions. Additional Practice Hopefully, by this point you thoroughly understand subject-verb agreement and how to correctly answer any subject-verb agreement question that may appear on the ACT. I've created some realistic ACT English practice problems to test you on what you've learned. Remember to use the general strategies I referenced above. 1. Beautifully written sentences composed by the prolific and talented author has been integral to his success. A. NO CHANGE B. have been C. was D. is being 2. The size and style of the dress is not to my liking. A. NO CHANGE B. was C. will being D. are 3. The selfish man, who owns five cars and two houses, has been unwilling to give any money to charity. A. NO CHANGE B. were C. have been D. has being 4. Mastery of grammar rules are essential to doing well on ACT English. A. NO CHANGE B. are being C. is D. were 5. Swimming pools that are above ground are often mocked by snobs. A. NO CHANGE B. are being C. is D. will been Answers: 1. B., 2. D, 3. A, 4. C, 5. A What's Next? Now that you're comfortable with subject-verb agreement on the ACT, familiarize yourself with everything that's actually tested on ACT English. You'll probably want to read this article about commas, too. For those overachievers out there, find out how to get a perfect score on ACT English from a perfect scorer. 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: