Free Essay Help for Students: Feedback as a Social Experience

In time for college admissions, a new website, Preppa.com, is taking a new approach to essay peer reviews. Students will be able to post essays online and share them with the community, and the community can give feedback to the essays in one place.

Before, students had limited options for people who could provide essay feedback: their teachers or their peers. But what happens when their teacher or their peers are not immediately available? Enter http://preppa.com/. Students can submit their essays online and choose to make their essays public or unlisted. If they post their essay publicly, their essay is viewable by the entire community. An option to post anonymously is also available. If students make their essay unlisted, they can share the private URL of the essay with only their friends. They can also share their essay via their favorite social networking sites or by email.

Preppa gives users the power to encourage quality feedback for their essays. All registered users can rate feedback comments up or down depending on how helpful the feedback was. In addition, the original author of the essay can choose which was the "Best Feedback" in order to give recognition to a user for quality, constructive comments. With these tools, users can receive feedback on essays while letting the community know what is helpful and what is not.

"The web has such an amazing ability to connect those needing information with those who can provide it, no matter the physical distance. We want to take that ability and apply it to those needing essay help," said Lionel Nicolau, co-founder of the site. "Students don't always have immediate access to quality advice when it comes to essays, but with Preppa.com, now they do."

Lionel also stated that essay help was just the beginning for Preppa. "What we've learned from Wikipedia and so many other mass collaboration sites is that people are willing to help one another as long as they have the right tools. We're starting with essay help, but there are definitely many more possibilities that we are planning to take on in the near future."

'Unfriend' Named New Oxford American Dictionary's 2009 Word of the Year

Facebook fans will undoubtedly recognize the New Oxford American Dictionary's 2009 Word of the Year, unfriend.

unfriend - verb - To remove someone as a 'friend' on a social networking site such as Facebook

"It has both currency and potential longevity," notes Christine Lindberg, Senior Lexicographer for Oxford's US dictionary program. "In the online social networking context, its meaning is understood, so its adoption as a modern verb form makes this an interesting choice for Word of the Year. Most 'un-' prefixed words are adjectives (unacceptable, unpleasant), and there are certainly some familiar 'un-' verbs (uncap, unpack), but 'unfriend' is different from the norm. It assumes a verb sense of 'friend' that is really not used (at least not since maybe the 17th century!). Unfriend has real lex-appeal."

For a shortlist of new words considered for the New Oxford American Dictionary 2009 Word of the Year continue reading. READ MORE HERE.

The Greengrocer's Apostrophe: Correct Use of Apostrophes and the Letter 'S'

If there is one single combination of characters in the English language that is misused more than any other, it is the combination of an apostrophe and the letter 's'. The misuse of an apostrophe in a plural is often referred to as the greengrocer's apostrophe due to its use in signs such as:

Apple's £2.50 for 1kg

Although with the decline in small local shops, perhaps it should be renamed the Tesco's apostrophe.

So is it a greengrocer's (or Tesco's) apostrophe when it's used in greengrocer's? Well no, because that is the correct use - to show that the apostrophe belongs to the greengrocer, but it IS incorrect to use it in apple's.

Confused? It's actually very simple. You need to remember three simple rules:

1. You DO NOT use an apostrophe with a plural word e.g. 1kg of apples for £2.50;

2. You DO use an apostrophe to show ownership (or possession) e.g. Peter's apples cost £2.50;

3. You DO use an apostrophe to show a missing letter, for instance shortening the word 'is' e.g. Peter's going to buy some apples.

One way to remember whether or not to use an apostrophe is to consider that it has always been used to denote a missing letter. We're all used to reading and writing words such as can't, I'm, she's and we're, as I did at the start of this sentence, and we don't have a problem with it. In all of these cases the apostrophe is showing one or more missing letters: can not, I am, she is and we are, and it's the same when you use an apostrophe followed by an 's'.

Taking each of the above rules in turn, there is no letter missing in a plural word: two apples; meetings held alternate Tuesdays; three desserts for the price of two, so you don't need an apostrophe. Easy enough.

Showing ownership with an apostrophe is called a possessive apostrophe, and is a little bit more complicated. Many years ago, people denoted ownership by adding the letters 'es' to a word. So, for instance, they would write King Richardes horse; my Lordes castle; this persones hovel. Somewhere along the line the 'e' got dropped and replaced with an apostrophe instead: King Richard's horse; my Lord's castle; this person's hovel. So the apostrophe still shows a missing letter, just not one that we're aware of using.

To avoid confusion when you're using a possessive apostrophe with a plural word, the apostrophe goes AFTER the 's'. For example: the apples of two different greengrocers would become the greengrocers' apples; the collars of two cats becomes the cats' collars and the tusks of a herd of elephants would be the elephants' tusks.

The third rule should by now be self explanatory.

As with anything in the English language, there are exceptions. The one that I personally have to think about every time is 'its'. 'It's' has only two possible meanings - it is or it has. You don't use a possessive apostrophe with the word 'it': the rat sank its teeth into the cat's tail. Likewise his, hers, yours, ours and theirs showing possession without an apostrophe.

You may be asking what the point of this information is. Well, if you write letters, produce your CV or publish a newsletter or a website you probably want to give the best impression you can to your audience. People who don't know how to use the apostrophe correctly won't notice if you make a mistake, however, people who DO know will notice and may assume that because you can't be bothered to get your punctuation correct, you're not really bothered about whatever it is you're talking about. If in doubt, always get your documents proofread by someone who knows.

(C) Maggie Berney 2009

Maggie Berney is owner of Maggie Berney Office Services. Coming from a background in science and engineering, Maggie started her own small business based in Berkshire and now provides a range of transcription and writing services to clients ranging from individuals and SMEs through to universities and local authorities.

http://www.mbos.co.uk/

Merriam-Webster Announces 'Admonish' As 2009 Word of the Year

Merriam-Webster Inc. has announced the year's top ten words and definitions as culled from its popular Web site Merriam-Webster.com (http://www.merriam-webster.com/). The 2009 Merriam-Webster's Words of the Year list is based on actual user lookups to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary and Online Thesaurus.

The word of the year that received the highest intensity of searches over the shortest period of time is "admonish," defined in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition as: "to express warning or disapproval to especially in a gentle, earnest, or solicitous manner."

"Admonish shot to the top of the list three days after Rep. Joe Wilson's outburst during a speech made by President Obama, and it remained among our top lookups for weeks," said Peter A. Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster's Editor at Large. "When the House announced plans to 'admonish' Rep. Wilson, the word was understood to be technical or official, and it has been repeated often in coverage of recent contentious political issues. While this particular story wasn't very important in the context of a year's worth of news, it triggered enormous interest in this word."

"On the other hand," said Sokolowski, "words associated with two of the year's top news stories were likely looked up because they seemed to designate something very specific. The word philanderer was looked up frequently on two occasions, most likely as a result of stories concerning Rep. Mark Sanford of South Carolina and late night talk show host David Letterman. Interest in the word furlough shows how much the economy is on people's minds, but also something more: this concern is clearly about jobs and income, not the macroeconomic picture."

For the complete list of Merriam-Webster's Words of the Year, including definitions, please visit http://www.Merriam-Webster.com/info/09words.htm.

Free workplace English class for non-native speakers

English in the Workplace is a free class designed to meet the workplace communication needs of non-native English speakers.

Students will practice speaking, listening, reading and writing while studying pronunciation, workplace communication, vocabulary development and job search skills.

Enrollment in the class is open to the public. Classes are held Monday through Thursday, 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Maricopa Skill Center campus at 1245 East Buckeye Road, Phoenix. The class requires 90 percent attendance, and enrollment is limited.

"Many students from different countries come to MSC. Being able to attract such students is important to us," said Contextual Learning Instructor, Cindy Grant. "We have to support their unique needs and ensure their success in securing a job."

This open-entry class is one of five pilot programs in Arizona – and the only one for non-native English speakers. It is funded by an I-BEST grant, Integrated Basic Educational Skills Training, in partnership with the Tempe Adult Education Program, Maricopa Skill Center, and the Phoenix Workforce Connection.

To register, call Cindy Grant at 602-238-0022, or by email at cindy.grant@gwmail.maricopa.edu. For information about job training programs at MSC, visit http://www.maricopaskillcenter.com/.

In the last 47 years, MSC has served nearly 100,000 Valley residents with affordable, flexible and job-focused career training. Students learn in hands-on labs while working side-by-side with instructors. MSC's programs are developed based on input from employers and their outstanding employees, assuring that the skills students obtain translate directly into the workplace.

Are You Up to Speed With Hyphenation? by Rich Talbot

It's neither a dash nor an underscore (_), the hyphen (-) is a punctuation mark most commonly used to join two words to make one - and for such a small character, it has an important role in any text document. In fact the hyphen has an entire function dedicated to its use in Word 2007.

Hyphenation deals with the role of the hyphen when used to separate words at the end of a line. A word that appears at the end of a line, but is too long to fit completely on that line, can be hyphenated. This is especially helpful if turning the word to the next line avoids unsightly gaps in the text on the previous line.

Obviously the difficulty is that, when inserting a hyphen in a word at the end of a line, it does not form a permanent part of the spelling of the word. The rules for deciding where to insert a hyphen, therefore, can sometimes cause confusion. Some prefer to divide words between consonants - for example 'splen-dour'; and some between vowels - 'appreci-ate'. Words of one syllable should never be divided - for example 'rhythm'. As a rough guide, the hyphen should be positioned in the word at a place that eases reading the text.

Word 2007 has a sophisticated hyphenation function, which undertakes most of the decision-making for you. The hyphenation feature can be used to prevent gaps in lines when text is justified, or to make text more equal on lines when using 'ragged' copy. Hyphenation also prompts a better understanding and awareness of the shape of the words on a line, and enables the author to create a more professional and polished looking document.

The hyphenation feature can be set to automatically or manually hyphenate text, insert optional or non-breaking hyphens, and set the maximum amount of space allowed between a word and the right margin without hyphenating the word.

By selecting Automatic Hyphenation, when a word is too long to fit on to the end of a line, Word 2007 automatically hyphenates the word over two lines. Automatic Hyphenation is a great facility if you are confident of where a hyphen will be inserted. If the text is edited, then Word automatically re-hyphenates the altered text as required.

Manual hyphenation gives the author more control to select where a hyphen should or should not appear. Again if you edit the text, Word will offer any alternatives to new line breaks, and will not automatically hyphenate words. This is particularly useful when using compound nouns and verbs such as 'in-house' or 'e-mail' and where house style dictates the spelling.

An optional hyphen can be used when you want to ensure that a word will only be hyphenated at the end of a line in a certain place. For example, to ensure that the word nonhyphenated is never broken as 'nonhyphen-ated'. An optional hyphen can be inserted after 'non' and before 'hyphen'. To insert an optional hyphen, use the keys 'CTRL+HYPHEN'. To view optional hyphens, select the function Show and Hide from the Paragraph group on the Home tab.

A non-breaking hyphen can also be inserted in words or phrases that you do not want to be broken at the end of a line. For example in the sequence of numbers, 'Telephone: 555-5555' the telephone number should not be broken over a line.

A non-breaking hyphen can be typed to ensure that the number will not be split over two lines. To insert a non-breaking hyphen, click where the hyphen appears and key 'CTRL+SHIFT+HYPHEN'. Now the entire number will move on to the next line and will not be split at the hyphen point.

Author is a freelance copywriter. For more information on Microsoft Word courses, please visit http://www.microsofttraining.net/

English Grammar Rules - How We Got Lost on the Way to Grammar's House by Brad Nugent

There was a time, way back in the murky past, when understanding English Grammar was considered to be one of the fundamentals taught at schools in the English speaking world. For some reason, this has changed over the past few decades and a more holistic approach to literacy instruction has been advocated. However, even highly intelligent students now seem to struggle when it comes to the conventions of writing in English. Clearly, there are some things that just don't automatically happen via exposure to language and texts. There are still some basic elements of language learning, including those pesky Grammar rules, which must be actively taught.

In fact, it is somewhat misleading to refer to English Grammar rules as 'rules'. They are not rules in the same way that we have rules of cricket, for instance. If we wanted to know about the rules of cricket, we would simply consult the official Cricket Rule Book. However, we cannot do something similar if we want to know about English Grammar rules. There is no official English Grammar Guide that contains all the laws of the language. These rules are not so much 'rules' as they are 'conventions', agreed upon quite informally over time by the majority of those who use the language.

So if they are not really rules at all, then why do we need to follow them? It is not mandatory to follow conventions. People are allowed to differ from the norm. The supposed English Grammar rules are not laws! I will not go to jail if I tell the police, 'I seen the man what robbed the place!' I will not have to face an officious magistrate if I am overheard telling a friend, 'There ain't nothing I can do about it.' And, assuming I was not supposed to be at work all weekend, I will not be fired if I tell a co-worker, 'Me and Billy was just down at the pub on the weekend, wasn't we Billy?'

The police officer, my friend and my co-worker would all understand me. They would get the message I intended to convey. Does this mean that understanding English Grammar is unnecessary? This would be the case if it were only the meaning of our communications that were important. However, this is clearly not the case. Successful communication between two people involves not only the sender of the message, but also the receiver of the message. And the perception formed by the receiver of the message can be vitally important. This perception will be influenced by the manner in which the message is sent. If the conventions of Grammar are followed, the message may well be received more favourably since both the sender and receiver of the message are using the same system for communicating.

Consider the case when the communication is not made verbally, but in writing. Writing is a far more formal medium. The expectation that goes along with this is that English Grammar rules will be followed more closely in writing than in speaking. There is no doubt that if my written statement, 'I seen the man what robbed the place!' was distributed to a jury, then my credibility would be somewhat reduced.

The way language is used does matter. English Grammar rules may not be rules per se, but we are still bound by them. The effective communication of our intended meaning and the perception of our message by those that receive it depend upon communicators 'playing' by the rules. There are times that our communications need to appear professional and credible. This is why understanding English Grammar should be reinstated as a fundamental focus of our study of language at school.

Brad Nugent is a school psychologist from Western Australia. He enjoys helping others to improve their learning outcomes, particular with regards to written expression.

You can visit Brad for more information at his Understanding English Grammar blog.

The Great Grammar Book: Mastering Grammar Usage and the Essentials of Composition

Arch Press announces the release of "The Great Grammar Book: Mastering Grammar Usage and the Essentials of Composition." This stylish, witty, and ambitious book is ideally suited for high school and college students, business people, and anyone who wants to know the correct way to write something.

Practice exercises are filled with fascinating, quirky information, making this grammar book actually fun to read. Example: "Calvin Coolidge's favorite practical joke was to push all the call buttons on his White House desk and then hide behind the door."

Grammar rules are deftly and clearly presented. Even more important, over 2,000 sentences in more than 100 integrated practice exercises--more than any other grammar book--enable users to attain genuine grammar mastery of even long-standing grammar problems.

The book is comprehensive without burdening the reader with grammar drudgery, using and explaining only those grammatical terms which are necessary to avoid mistakes or to improve writing skills. (Good-by direct and indirect objects.)

For a taste of the book download a free comprehensive diagnostic grammar test at http://www.thegreatgrammarbook.com/

New Online Tutoring Method Teaches Students Classroom Lessons

Tutorgiant.com presents a new format for online tutoring, The Ackerman Tutoring Method. Unlike traditional tutors, Tutorgiant.com enables students to watch classroom lessons in math and English before they receive the instruction in the classroom. Lessons can be watched at home on the same days that the lessons are being taught in school. Also, students can watch and participate in the online lessons after the concepts have been taught in school and any time before tests.

Tutorgiant.com provides about 400 videos 500 worksheets, and over 150 tips for learning. All worksheets are taken up in the videos so students will be able to immediately correct their work, see their mistakes, and improve their skills. Whether it is fractions, geometry, algebra, reading comprehension, writing, or grammar, students will be better prepared for classroom lessons using the Ackerman Tutoring Method.

According to Sympatico MSN technology expert, Marc Saltzman,

"Whether you're pulling your hair out over algebra or struggling with science, a unique, refreshing, and accessible new website, Tutorgiant.com, is trying to help students with on-demand instructional videos and accompanying printable worksheets. A site like Tutorgiant can really get a student up to speed...get some extra homework to help complement what kids have already received from their teacher. If you want your kids to excel in school, definitely have them check out Tutorgiant.com".

Tutorgiant.com also offers free online math and reading assessments and free advice and tips so that parents can get an idea of their child's weaker areas before it's too late into the term. Launched by education expert, Stuart Ackerman MSc.Ed, Tutorgiant.com video lessons are all curriculum based. Mr. Ackerman has compiled curricula from North America and Europe to create all the math and English lessons that students receive in school. Members have unlimited access to all videos in every grade twenty four hours a day. The Ackerman Tutoring Method also caters to homeschoolers, students with learning disabilities, and students with different learning styles.

Website: http://www.tutorgiant.com/

New Web Site Promotes Journalism For Kids

Remember when you were a kid and you had dreams of what you wanted to be when you grew up - an astronaut, a fireman, President of the United States, a business tycoon, a newspaper reporter? What do you think would have happened if you actually had a chance to try one of those jobs?

The Kidz Connexion has created an online environment where kids can find out what it is like to be a journalist, or a reporter. The mission of the Kidz Connexion is to stimulate young people's creativity, engage their minds, and increase their participation in the world, enabling children to give us a view of their experiences from their perspective while creating a platform and environment where kids can get a taste of what it is truly like to be more than just a reporter, but a place where they can interact, and share their views.

The main premise of the Kidz Connexion is to enroll school-age children to become part of the Kidz Connexion KidReporter Team. KidReporters get to write stories, take pictures and shoot video reports of their experiences at various venues, attractions, and events that are part of the Kidz Connexion network.

KidReporters can win prizes for themselves and their school, get incredible media exposure, create blogs and upload videos and photos, and more. The Kidz Connexion is a fun learning environment that is unlike any other.

"Compelling! Is the first word that comes to my mind when I think about the Kidz Connexion" says Ms. Sharon Summerlin, President and Editor-in-Chief. "Some of the stories that our KidReporters have written are so wonderful and written with such warmth from a kid's point of view. Stories about events, soldiers in the war and families top the list, and as we grow and more and more kids join our KidReporter Team, I am sure the stories that will come in the future will touch on all emotions, from laughter to tears."

Created in 2009, the Kidz Connexion is designed specifically for children ages 7 – 13. The site works with a network of over 11,000 schools, 200 attractions and many other national brand partners to bring a wealth of rich experiences and story possibilities to our KidReporters.

Website: http://www.thekidzconnexion.com/