18 August 2016


Welcome to the English Skills blog for English 140 (Grammar), English 143 (Writing for Academic Purposes), and English 146 (Reading for Academic Purposes) at Athabasca University. These courses may be taken separately or as part of the English Language Proficiency Program. The goal is to increase communication between students and instructors, and to provide students with an opportunity to communicate with each other and to practice the skills taught in these courses. If you post general questions about the assignments or the course, they will be addressed in the blog. If you have detailed questions you want answered, then e-mail your instructor.

Feel free to post comments and suggestions on how to improve this site!

WELCOME NEW STUDENTS!

A hearty welcome to all the new students joining these courses. We hope you enjoy your studies and have fun participating in this blog.


Assignments marked with asterisks (*.*) are mandatory for ENGL140 students (Assignment 9).

For information on how to participate, please visit the instructions page or contact the administrator.

IMPORTANT: This blog site is open to the public; do not post personal information that could identify you--first name and the initial of your last name are the only personal information you should post. Please watch this video from the Canadian Government explaining privacy issues and social networking. 

Also, be sure to let your tutors know the nickname you have chosen for this blog; otherwise, they will not be able to give you the marks/bonus marks that you have earned for your participation.

Next blog: Thursday, September 1, 2016

PREVIOUS GRAMMAR QUESTION

The twin’s were unusual amused, first they entertain there school’s friends’ by telling jokes, than they had chased after the neighboring dog and it was ended when they had imitated their friend’s.


1. Active or passive voice:

If the twins were amused, then someone or something was amusing them. Given their actions, it makes more sense to use the active voice and the present participle ("were amusing") as they were amusing the others. Similarly, use the simple past "ended" in the active voice instead of the passive "was ended".

2. Word form:

"Unusual" is an adjective, but here it is a verb that is being modified, so we need to use an adverb ("unusually").

3. Possessive or plural:

"Twins" and "friends" are plural not possessive, so they should not have an apostrophe. Similarly, the word "school's" modifies "friends", so it is an adjective and therefore cannot be possessive or plural. We need to use the word "school".

4. Verb tense:

This story is set in the past, so we need to use either the past progressive or simple past. Instead of "entertain", we should use "entertained". To be consistent, we need to use the simple past tense ("chased" and "imitated") rather than the past perfect ("had chased" and "had imitated").

5. Word confusion:

The possessive pronoun is "their"; "there" is an adverb of place.

6. Word confusion:

The word "than" is used to compare two things; to indicate what happened next, we need to use the word "then".

7. Word confusion:

The word "neighbouring" refers to a place. Here, we need to use either the possessive ("neighbour's" or "neighbourhood").


8. Punctuation:

The first two clauses are independent, so we need to separate them with either a full stop (period) or a semicolon.

9. Parallelism:

As we are constructing a list of actions, we should try to maintain a parallel structure among each of the clauses: "they entertained...", "they chased..." and "they imitated...". The last clause should therefore be rephrased: "...and finally they imitated..."


Possible solution:

The twins were unusually amusing; first they entertained their school friends by telling jokes, then they chased after the neighbour’s dog, and finally they imitated their friends.

*GRAMMAR QUESTION*

Correct the errors in the following sentence:

Seeing that starbucks’ opens at safeway stores now and they had also opened at many book stores’;  I wonder if it would now loose customer’s from their regular outlets.

The solution will be posted in the next edition of the blog.

PUZZLE

Solution to the previous puzzle

mODel, synOD, bODice, prODuct, cathOde

New Puzzle:

Now that we know how to play this game, let's try it again!

Five words that contain EM as a letter-pair have had all of their other letters removed and placed into a pool. Put those letters back in their proper places. What are the words?

*EM**, *EM***, **EM**, ****EM, **EM***

Pool: A, A, C, D, F, H, H, I, I, I, L, N, N, O, P, R, R, S, T, U


Each asterisk represents one missing letter.

*Note, the first person with the correct answer gets the bonus point.

IDIOMS

There are three idioms that use the word green:

Watch this video, and then write a sentence that uses one (or more) of these three idioms.

Try not to use the same idiom as the other participants.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/theteacher/2009/03/090409_teacher_colour_green.shtml

*ALL CHANGE!*

Change the words in the sentence below as indicated.

Please change only the exact word in the sequence given. Each participant should build on the changes made by the previous participant.

For instance, if the original sentence is "Benson hurriedly told the bad news to his friends":


participant 1 could write "#1 Subject Noun: Michael hurriedly told the bad news to his friends";


participant 2 could then write "#2 Direct Object Noun: Michael hurriedly told the bad joke to his friends";


participant 3 could then write "#3 Indirect Object Noun: Michael hurriedly told the bad joke to his wife";

etc.


You are free to make as many changes as you wish. Just remember to number each change (and indicate the part of speech) so it is clear to everyone where we are on the list.


Participants who make all 7 changes will receive 2 bonus marks for their efforts.

When all 7 changes have been made, do not repeat
 the original sentence; return to the top of the list, but keep building on the changes made by the previous participant.

Here is the sentence:


My lovely neighbour often brings me fresh vegetables from her garden.

Changes:                                                                                                                          

1. subject noun

2. direct object noun          
3. indirect object noun                  
4. adjective(s)
5. adverb(s)    
6. verb name      
7. verb tense

AFFIXES

The word stem -verse- (meaning "to turn") occurs in many words. 

1. Add an affix to this stem to make another word.

2. Explain the meaning of the word and use it in a complete sentence.

Each participant should add a different word to the list.

*COMPLETE THE SENTENCE*

Follow the instructions below to create three different sentences from the following clause:*

... There is no rain in the forecast ...

Sentence 1. Add a phrase      
Sentence 2. Add a dependent clause
Sentence 3. Add an independent clause


*Add your words to the beginning or end of the clause (but not both) and do not use a semi-colon to join your independent clause.

*NUMBER CHANGE*

If the sentence is singular, change it to the plural; if it is plural, change it to the singular.

The first participant to make the correct changes will receive the bonus mark.

Over the next few weekends, we are planning to visit several festivals that are happening in different towns around the province. They will all be short drives as we want to spend our time at the festivals rather than on the roads. At this time of the year, thunderstorms are always possible, but we are hoping that they won’t affect our plans.

*VOCABULARY*

Vocabulary building is important for both reading comprehension and writing. 

Use the following two words in one sentence (note the parts of speech).

dissident (noun) and dissent (verb).

To further improve your vocabulary, remember to check out the Word of the Day
The site also has word games and puzzles.

http://dictionary.reference.com/wordoftheday/


You can also test your skills while contributing to the World Food Programme here:
http://freerice.com/#/english-vocabulary/1498

SYNONYMS AND ANTONYMS

We can describe someone who feels unhappy as being disconsolate

First, write a sentence that uses this word.

Then rewrite the sentence, first using a synonym and then using an antonym for this word. 

Each participant should suggest a different synonym and antonym.


Example: easy.

Answer: 
This exercise is easy.
Synonym: simple. This exercise is simple.
Antonym: difficult. This exercise is difficult.

*ACTIVE vs. PASSIVE*

Write two sentences using the verb beat.

In the first sentence, use the word in the active voice; in the second sentence, use it in the passive voice.

*TIME CHANGE*

Change the time in the following sentences by using a different verb tense and replacing any necessary time clues. Each student should choose a different verb tense.

Next weekend, I am going to see a multi-cultural festival that will be held at the local community centre. I am going to wander around the site first to see what looks good and what is popular. Afterwards, I am going to sample food from several different countries. I am also going to enjoy some traditional dancing and other displays. 

*SENTENCE COMBINATION*

Learning to combine ideas into more complex sentences is an important writing skill. There are many ways to do this. Try to combine the following three sentences. Do not use a semi-colon.

Sentence 1: An apartment in Hyde Park has recently been put up for sale.
Sentence 2: The asking price is more than 150 million (Canadian) dollars.
Sentence 3: It is thought to be the most expensive flat ever to go on the open market.

BUILD-A-SENTENCE

Write a sentence using the vocabulary and grammar indicated. Do not use a semi-colon.

Write a sentence that includes a dependent clause in the present progressive tense and an independent clause in the simple present.

4 August 2016

WELCOME!


Welcome to the English Skills blog for English 140 (Grammar), English 143 (Writing for Academic Purposes), and English 146 (Reading for Academic Purposes) at Athabasca University. These courses may be taken separately or as part of the English Language Proficiency Program. The goal is to increase communication between students and instructors, and to provide students with an opportunity to communicate with each other and to practice the skills taught in these courses. If you post general questions about the assignments or the course, they will be addressed in the blog. If you have detailed questions you want answered, then e-mail your instructor.

Feel free to post comments and suggestions on how to improve this site!

WELCOME NEW STUDENTS!

A hearty welcome to all the new students joining these courses. We hope you enjoy your studies and have fun participating in this blog.


Assignments marked with asterisks (*.*) are mandatory for ENGL140 students (Assignment 9).

For information on how to participate, please visit the instructions page or contact the administrator.

IMPORTANT: This blog site is open to the public; do not post personal information that could identify you--first name and the initial of your last name are the only personal information you should post. Please watch this video from the Canadian Government explaining privacy issues and social networking. 

Also, be sure to let your tutors know the nickname you have chosen for this blog; otherwise, they will not be able to give you the marks/bonus marks that you have earned for your participation.

Next blog: Thursday, August 18, 2016

PREVIOUS GRAMMAR QUESTION

A visitor to southeast asia must to remember taking their anti-malaria medicine regular to be affective preventing them from sickness and it would spoil the trip.

1. Noun-pronoun agreement: 

"A visitor" and "their/them" do not agree. The easiest solution is to make the noun plural ("visitors"); otherwise the pronouns should be singular ("his/him" or "her/her").

2. Capitalization:

"Southeast Asia" is a proper noun, so it needs to be capitalized.

3. Modal + verb: 

After a modal such as "must", use the verb name, not the infinitive (i.e. "must remember").

4. Infinitive/gerund: 

In this sentence, since it is not a matter of remembering something from the past, the correct form after "remember" is the infinitive (i.e. "remember to take").

5. Word form: 

Since "regular" modifies "take", it needs to be in the adverbial form ("regularly").

6. Word confusion: 

The word we need here is "effective" not "affective".

7. Missing words: 

The words "for it" are missing after "regularly", and the word "at" is missing before "preventing".

8. Parallel construction: 

The conjunction "and" joins two phrases that are objects of "preventing", so they should be parallel. Here is one possibility: "preventing them from getting sick" and "spoiling their trip".

9. Word form:

We often use the phrase "anti-malaria medicine", but since "anti-malaria" is modifying a noun, it should be in the adjectival form ("anti-malarial").


Possible solution:

Visitors to Southeast Asia must remember to take their anti-malarial medicine regularly for it to be effective at preventing them from getting sick and spoiling their trip.

*GRAMMAR QUESTION*

Correct the errors in the following sentence:

The twin’s were unusual amused, first they entertain there school’s friends’ by telling jokes, than they had chased after the neighboring dog and it was ended when they had imitated their friend’s.

The solution will be posted in the next edition of the blog.

PUZZLE

Solution to the previous puzzle

1. quit and it
2. quirk and irk
3. quark and ark
4. quail and ail
5. quill and ill
6. queasy and easy
7. quart and art

8. qualms and alms

New Puzzle:

Five words that contain OD as a letter-pair have had all of their other letters removed and placed into a pool. Put those letters back in their proper places. What are the words?

*OD**, ***OD, *OD***, **OD***, ****OD*

Pool: A, B, C, C, C, E, E, E, H, I, L, M, N, P, R, S, T, T, U, Y

Each asterisk represents one missing letter.

*Note, the first person with the correct answer gets the bonus point.

IDIOMS

There are three idioms that use the word silver:

Watch this video, and then write a sentence that uses one (or more) of these three idioms.

Try not to use the same idiom as the other participants.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/theteacher/2009/04/090423_teacher_colour_silver.shtml

*ALL CHANGE!*

Change the words in the sentence below as indicated.

Please change only the exact word in the sequence given. Each participant should build on the changes made by the previous participant.

For instance, if the original sentence is "Benson hurriedly told the bad news to his friends":


participant 1 could write "#1 Subject Noun: Michael hurriedly told the bad news to his friends";


participant 2 could then write "#2 Direct Object Noun: Michael hurriedly told the bad joke to his friends";


participant 3 could then write "#3 Indirect Object Noun: Michael hurriedly told the bad joke to his wife";

etc.


You are free to make as many changes as you wish. Just remember to number each change (and indicate the part of speech) so it is clear to everyone where we are on the list.


Participants who make all 7 changes will receive 2 bonus marks for their efforts.

When all 7 changes have been made, do not repeat
 the original sentence; return to the top of the list, but keep building on the changes made by the previous participant.

Here is the sentence:


Caring parents skillfully give their children increasing responsibilities

Changes:                                                                                                                          

1. subject noun

2. direct object noun          
3. indirect object noun                  
4. adjective(s)
5. adverb(s)    
6. verb name      
7. verb tense

AFFIXES

The word stem -auto- (meaning "self") occurs in many words. 

1. Add an affix to this stem to make another word.

2. Explain the meaning of the word and use it in a complete sentence.

Each participant should add a different word to the list.

*COMPLETE THE SENTENCE*

Follow the instructions below to create three different sentences from the following clause:*

... I like noodles ...

Sentence 1. Add a phrase      
Sentence 2. Add a dependent clause
Sentence 3. Add an independent clause


*Add your words to the beginning or end of the clause (but not both) and do not use a semi-colon to join your independent clause.

*NUMBER CHANGE*

If the sentence is singular, change it to the plural; if it is plural, change it to the singular.

The first participant to make the correct changes will receive the bonus mark.

When our friends travelled to the lakes north of here, they swam in the shallow parts of the water, canoed in other places, took photographs of some spectacular birds, hiked through forests, and slept in tents at night.

*VOCABULARY*

Vocabulary building is important for both reading comprehension and writing. 

Use the following two words in one sentence (note the parts of speech).

propensity (noun) and irreparably (adverb).

To further improve your vocabulary, remember to check out the Word of the Day
The site also has word games and puzzles.

http://dictionary.reference.com/wordoftheday/


You can also test your skills while contributing to the World Food Programme here:
http://freerice.com/#/english-vocabulary/1498

SYNONYMS AND ANTONYMS

We can describe someone who is dutiful as submissive

First, write a sentence that uses this word.

Then rewrite the sentence, first using a synonym and then using an antonym for this word. 

Each participant should suggest a different synonym and antonym.


Example: easy.

Answer: 
This exercise is easy.
Synonym: simple. This exercise is simple.
Antonym: difficult. This exercise is difficult.

*ACTIVE vs. PASSIVE*

Write two sentences using the verb incriminate.

In the first sentence, use the word in the active voice; in the second sentence, use it in the passive voice.

*TIME CHANGE*

Change the time in the following sentences by using a different verb tense and replacing any necessary time clues. Each student should choose a different verb tense.

Last weekend I travelled to a National Park in the mountains and camped by a stream. I fell asleep each night to the sound of rushing water and the wind that blew gently through the trees. In the morning I went for a hike, which was fantastic as the flowers were all in bloom.

*SENTENCE COMBINATION*

Learning to combine ideas into more complex sentences is an important writing skill. There are many ways to do this. Try to combine the following three sentences. Do not use a semi-colon.

Sentence 1: Both June and July were very wet this year.
Sentence 2: With so much moisture around, it’s not surprising that there are also a lot of mosquitoes.
Sentence 3: I am walking around in a fog of mosquito repellent these days.

BUILD-A-SENTENCE

Write a sentence using the vocabulary and grammar indicated. Do not use a semi-colon.

Write a sentence that begins with the phrase "the team" and includes the word "defeat" in the past perfect and the word "happen" in the simple past tense.