5 Problems with Parallelism

5 Problems with Parallelism 5 Problems with Parallelism 5 Problems with Parallelism By Mark Nichol 1. â€Å"It was a serious distraction and threat to more meaningful reform efforts.† Something is wrong with this sentence. To diagnose the problem, remove one of the noun phrases from the beginning of the sentence and determine whether the remaining statement is still correct, then replace it and remove the other one. â€Å"It was a serious threat to more meaningful reform efforts† is correct, but â€Å"It was a serious distraction to more meaningful reform efforts† is jarring because the preposition is not idiomatically appropriate. The noun phrases are supported by different prepositions, so they cannot share the word to; assign the correct preposition to each one: â€Å"It was a serious distraction from and threat to more meaningful reform efforts.† Should the word threat be preceded by the article a to make it parallel with distraction? No, because serious applies to both nouns, and an additional article would isolate threat from the shared adjective. Also, the phrase â€Å"and threat to† appears to be parenthetical, but it’s not necessarily necessary to set it off by commas, parentheses, or em dashes. However, enclosing it in parentheses suggests a whispering insinuation, and using em dashes would signal a provocative interjection, so the context might merit either parenthetical strategy. In either case, though, threat should be assigned a repetition of serious â€Å"It was a serious distraction from (and a serious threat to) more meaningful reform efforts† or a distinct adjective (â€Å"It was a serious distraction from and a grave threat to more meaningful reform efforts.†) 2. â€Å"Elected officials and activists representing forty-five environmental groups attended the event.† When two or more nouns or noun phrases follow one or more adjectives (as in the previous example), the assumption is that the modifying word or words applies to each noun. In this case, however, the subject consists of the elements â€Å"elected officials† and â€Å"activists representing forty-five environmental groups† linked by a conjunction, not â€Å"elected officials (representing forty-five environmental groups)† and â€Å"(elected) activists representing forty-five environmental groups† joined by and. To clarify this distinction, recast the sentence: â€Å"Activists representing forty-five environmental groups, as well as elected officials, attended the event.† 3. â€Å"He has to be, if not the, one of the stupidest people in TV news.† The basic statement here is â€Å"He has to be one of the stupidest people in TV news,† but the writer has failed in an attempt to suggest the superlative as well, awkwardly implying also that â€Å"he has to be the stupidest person in TV news.† (The superlative is the ultimate form of an adjective, more extreme than the basic form stupid, in this case – and the comparative, stupider.) But â€Å"if not the† collides with â€Å"one of the†; the unstated and incorrect complete thought is, â€Å"He has to be the stupidest people in TV news.† To smooth out this disjointed sentence, introduce the superlative first in a complete thought, and then retreat to the milder criticism in a following modifying phrase: â€Å"He has to be if not the stupidest person in TV news, then one of the stupidest.† Note that a comma does not follow be, because doing so would imply that two commas are necessary to set â€Å"if not the stupidest person in TV news† off from the basic sentence â€Å"He has to be then one of the stupidest,† and that’s a faulty grammatical analysis. This sentence is constructed from a simple â€Å"if, then† foundation, so use a single comma to separate the two propositions. 4. â€Å"He kept a house there as well as homes in rural Oxfordshire, England, and Miami.† This sentence implies that the subject kept three additional homes: one in Oxfordshire, one in England, and one in Miami. (It also incorrectly suggests that, as in the second example above, a single adjective applies to all nouns that follow.) What the writer meant, as we determine momentarily which is one moment too late is that one additional residence is located in Oxfordshire, England, and another is in Miami. When one or more â€Å"city, state† or â€Å"city, nation† constructions are associated with a â€Å"city† reference, the sentence must be revised to clarify the hierarchy of referents. One solution is to distance the two objects with proprietary prepositions: â€Å"He kept a house there as well as homes in rural Oxfordshire, England, and in Miami.† Another, clearer choice is to do so but also place the simpler referent first: â€Å"He kept a house there as well as homes in Miami and in rural Oxfordshire, England.† 5. â€Å"The company was to be paid between $300 and $400 million.† This â€Å"you know what I meant† bungle is inoffensive but incorrect, and should be corrected on principle because a similar but more egregiously ambiguous construction would definitely merit revision, so why be inconsistent and excuse one but not the other? The two figures in question are $300 million and $400 million, and for the sake of clarity, the first instance of million should not be elided: â€Å"The company was to be paid between $300 million and $400 million.† The same principle applies if the range is separated by the word to: â€Å"The company was to be paid $300 million to $400 million.† However, when the sentence does not apply to orders of magnitude â€Å"Compliance ranged from 50 to 75 percent† the operative word need not be repeated, because no ambiguity about the relation of the first number to the second one exists. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:15 Terms for Those Who Tell the Future75 Idioms and Expressions That Include â€Å"Break†When to use "an"

Hacker Gary McKinnon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hacker Gary McKinnon - Essay Example For instance, an adequate firewall of effective security program could have prevented the hacker from his attempt. He was able to hack the NASA and the Department of Defense computers so easily because he was so conscious about his presence in these networks. For instance, the security measures were lower than expected by him. One cannot imagine blank passwords in computers with high ranking status. But within US Military and NASA computers, there were a number of computers with blank passwords. Besides, there were ‘Administer’ status computers with no password. In short, the lower than expected defensive measures attracted Gary McKinnon to be a regular presence within the US Military and NASA computer network. The following security measures could have been done to stop the hacker. First of all, installation of regularly updated Firewall or other security programs can keep hackers away from accessing computer networks. Gary McKinnon’s regular presence within the US Military and NASA computer network proves the ineffective security system which is unable to detect and prevent hackers. So, the installation of effective Firewall and other security programs is most important. Entering the computer network, the hacker was able to access almost all the data without any restriction. Richard Gissel points out that Gary McKinnon the notorious hacker was able to have the privileges of a administrator within the computer network (Gissel, 171). This fact proves the ineffectiveness of security measures within the network. Besides, the regular updating and changing the passwords could have prevented the hacker from re-entering the network with ease. The hacker made use of early morning and late night to hack the network. This proves that security verification in early morning and late night is not so effective to restrict the

Implementation of EMR System Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Implementation of EMR System - Term Paper Example It can be a complete decision support system with quality management and reporting method.But this implementation process of the EMR incurs a huge investment for the firm which cannot be afforded by many small scale companies. Government plays a vital role in the investment process to help the hospitals to adapt the system. In the year 1996 the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act i.e. HIPAA was passed at U.S to setup rules for the access and storing of patients information and auditing to electronic medical records. These rules set a standard for electronic records which is much more stringent than older paper work records. But there are some concerns about the different issues that arise due to the implementation process. The organization faces several challenges in the implementation process which the company needs to evaluate beforehand for a successful implementation of the EMR system. Identifying the key business areas, selecting the appropriate vendor for the so ftware development and implementing in a tactful manner are most important in the adaptation process. Rapid development in IT industry aided in the reduction of cost for setting up the information system and emerging device compatibility gives great flexibility to access the system. The information stored manually through paper work can also be accessed in a simple manner but this cannot be managed for a huge number of records. Networked EMR gives the litheness to connect the different departments and the laboratory data and prompt assistance can be received from the system in an effective way. Various other features like the e-mail and internet communication allows the specialist to take advice from remote organization or physicians. Storage of drugs and availability of the supplementary health care instruments can be tracked by the system. Lastly the report generation of different situational analysis can also be conducted through the system (Fraser, et.al., 2005, p. 84-85). This report is mainly concerned with the issues which arise in the adaptation of EMR system by the hospital administrator and the features of the different EMR systems available from different vendors. The report also will help in the decision process for selecting the right EMR system for the given hospital. EMR implementation process Why EMR implementation? Implementing an EMR system is not an easy task for the hospitals. Identifying the best EMR and deciding the one to buy are two main questions which arise before the implementation process. Identifying the clinical, administrative and the business needs are the very first step one should consider in the process. When searching for the best system one should understand what the process is all about and what can be the implementation process i.e. proper understanding of the systems available in the market are needed to be evaluated first so that there should not be loss of capital in the investment for the system. Proper knowledge of t he systems available and the business process and comparison between the two will help the implementation process much easier. Once the product selection is done the process identification and the analysis can be done and the clinic will surely benefit from that if the right product is selected. EMR system facilitates the processes than if done manually. The analysis, calculation and recording of data about the

La Belle Dame sans Merci By John Keats Essay Example for Free

La Belle Dame sans Merci By John Keats Essay La Belle Dame sans Merci is a poem written by John Keats who was a romantic poet. The first three stanzas of this poem are spoken by the narrator who is talking to the poet, asking him why hes wondering by himself and looks so sad. He addresses the poet as wretched Wight roaming outside, all alone. The narrator whos out in the countryside talks about the night and the surroundings what its like presently. There are no sedges or birds in the trees. Everything seems to be complete as the harvests are done which marks the end of the year and the fact that there are no leaves tells us it is autumn too which is a time of the year when it seems as though all forms of life have come to an end. Out of curiosity he asks the poet what is wrong with him. The rest of the poem is the poets reply. The poet tells us that he saw an extremely beautiful lady somewhere as in the line I met a lady in the meads, full beautiful, a fairys child. The poet further describes the lady. He says that she was so beautiful and graceful that she couldnt have been a human. With such long hair and the grace as she had, she had to be a fairys child though her eyes seemed to be wild or disturbed. The poet makes her sit on his horse and in her presence, sees nothing else as in the line I set her on my pacing steed and nothing else saw all day long. She sings a song of such music and melody thats its definitely not human. A place where there seemed to be no sound of birds is now enchanted by music. The music is not ordinary music or song but that of a fairies and the immortal as in the line for sideways would she lean and sing a fairys song. The fairy in this poem represents the poetic inspiration which inspires poets and artists to write and compose. Without this they feel that they are good as dead. The poetic inspiration casts poets into a delightful mood out of which they are able to compose their poetry. It changes a poets life when it enters it by brightening it up and leaves it in a nasty way. Just the way poetic inspiration can change the life of a poet when it enters the previous picture of dull and lifelessness also brightens up when the lady is mentioned. In the third to fifth stanza the poet describes the experience in the presence of the lady and the poetic inspiration which are alike. The poet under the spell composes poetry with words as though decorating the fairy that seems to enjoy him poetry [decoration] very much and urges him to continue. He seems to be enjoying all the sensual pleasures which are of taste, sight, music, fragrance and touch. In the lines she found me roots of relish sweet and honey wild and manna dew, the words relish sweet, honey wild, and manna dew, symbolize or express rather, the pleasures experienced by the poet while writing poetry. In the next stanza we find key words which tell us something about the lady. In the lines and there she gazed and sighed deep and there I shut her wild sad eyes so kissed to sleep, the words sighed deep and wild sad eyes tell us that the lady is not happy about something and that she too is troubled over something. The lady who happens to be a fairy, one that belongs to the world of the immortal cannot stay with a person for long. This is because she is from a different world and so after a period of time she must desert the person no matter what and this is what has caused her grief. Even the best of men this world can offer, kings and warriors are no math and she must leave them all. In the same way, the poetic inspiration cannot stay with one person for a long time. It must move on and go to other people and inspire them to compose as well. In the next stanza we see how the poet tries to enjoy his few moments of ecstasy at the most and dream even if its on the cold hill side. The poet knows that he too, like those before him will be deserted. In the next stanza he describes his dream, or rather nightmare in which he sees the people who have already been deserted by the lady and become severely ill their life to them was as good as death. Without the fairy that they loved, they had nothing to live for. In the same sense the poetic inspiration allows poets to do what they love to do i.e. write poetry but once that is taken away, so is their ability of composing and they loose interest in life. The men are left with starved lips and pale faces with nothing worth living for. And when the poet wakes up, he find himself in the same situation and all alone on the cold hill side. And so the poet tells the narrator that he had been deserted by the one he loved most and it didnt really matter what time of the year it was because his life was as good as death.

Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) Essay -- ADHD ADD Parent

Parenting is something that no-one person is an expert and that no expert can tell you how to do it. If a person’s child is an absolute angel, does nothing wrong, and gets straight A’s; parenting still is difficult. When a child has a disorder such as ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactive disorder), the child needs much more from the parent than most parents bargain for. Parenting roles for a child with ADHD change greatly; from the time that a parent needs to spend helping the child tie their shoe, or taking the child out for a run in the park. ADHD is not a very easy concept to define, that being because there is no medical proof that the disorder exists. There is no test or questionnaire a child can take to prove that he/she is suffering from this disorder. â€Å"There are no objective diagnostic criteria for ADHD – no physical symptoms, no neurobiological signs, and no blood test. Despite claims to the contrary, there are no brain scans findings and no biochem ical imbalances. No physical test can be done to verify that a child has ADHD†(Breggin 144). A child taking drugs that suffers from ADHD has many side affects that come along with it. Side affects that a parents needs to be aware of, and educated about so they can be taken care of the right way. Over the past 10-20 years, the use of Ritalin in this country has jumped to extreme levels. It is odd to think that maybe it is not advancements in testing for this disorder, or a question of being able to solve a problem that cannot be solved. It is that parents don’t have the time or the effort to spend with their children. The age is approaching when women will be as independent financially as men are. It has forever been accustomed for women to stay at home and care for the children of a family. Now there are women who want to establish their careers, but it is impossible for them to do that with a child to take care of. A parent with an ADHD child must altar their normal wa y of parenting, even if the parent had previous kids that were normal.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A question that is frequently asked and is yet, almost impossible to answer is, â€Å"what is ADHD?† â€Å"Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a neuropsychological impairment experienced by some 2 million children-3 to 5% of the school-age population.†(Seagal 263) The symptoms that exist with ADHD vary from day to day and from situation to situation. Some symptoms a... ...lem quickly. Thinking about what the fast food is doing for your health, much as thinking about what Ritalin is doing for your child, it is rarely thought about. Yet, eating fast food quick fixes your hunger, just like Ritalin quick fixes your child’s problems at school.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ADHD is a very difficult and confusing disorder to deal with when it comes to your children. It is hard to establish is looking out a window or active behavior is just natural for your child, or if your child has a problem. Many drugs can help a child settle down and concentrate better. These drugs should be used for a temporary purpose only; where the goal is to be able to function properly without taking them. Parents and children all have a difficult time dealing with ADHD. It takes time and a lot of hard work between the child and the parents. â€Å"While parenting is the hardest job of them all, there’s no hope for our children unless parents retake responsibility from the â€Å"experts† and determine for themselves to take the most sensible, effective, and loving approach to their children. We may seek professional guidance but we must never relinquish parental intuition, common sense, or love.†(Breggin 288)

Pre Marital Counselling Essay

Premarital Counselling is therapy with two people prior to their marriage, to help give them more realistic ideas of what to expect and how to cope with living with another person as a spouse; relating to each other as a committed pair. By taking the time to explore the reasons you came together, your similarities, your differences, your hopes and your dreams, as well as your expectations of one another, it is sometimes possible to avoid the disappointments that many couples face with the passage of time. Pre-marital counseling offers the opportunity to explore your differences in a relatively safe, supportive, constructive environment. And while some couples may choose to postpone their union until key differences can be resolved, most couples find that pre-marital counseling helps to prepare them for the kind of life they would like to build together. Premarital counseling can help ensure that you and your partner have a strong, healthy relationship — giving you a better chance for a stable and satisfying marriage. Premarital counseling can also help you identify weaknesses that could become bigger problems during marriage. Through premarital counseling, couples are encouraged to discuss a wide range of important and intimate topics related to marriage, such as: Finances, Communication Beliefs and values Roles in marriage Affection and sex Children & parenting Family relationships Decision making Dealing with anger Time spent together. The initial period of any relationship is called the honeymoon period; and after that fairytale, marriage can be a rude reality check. In most cases, quarrels over money, family and trust break a couple apart. A pre-marital session helps partners accept each other better and avoid future complications or conflict. † Contrary to popular belief, pre marital counseling isn’t only for couples who are going in for an arranged marriage. It is also very important for couples who have had long courtships or have been living together. In arranged marriages, the people going to spend their life together are perpetual strangers, with no idea of what lies ahead of them. In India specifically, arranged marriages are sealed with just one word of advice for the bride â€Å"you HAVE to adjust, and you HAVE to compromise. Premarital Counselling ensures that the couple do not just â€Å"fulfill† the responsibilities of marriage for their family, but also participate in it wholly as individuals. In india marriages are seen as a ‘union of two families’ and the individuals who are supposed to spend the rest of their life together, they get lost in the entire plan. Pre Marital Counselling ensures that doesn’t happen. People who have had long courtships and have been living together, need it perhaps more than than people who’re going in on for arranged marriages . Why? Because once you’re living in with someone ,you think you know everything that there is to know about that person and marriage cant spring any surprises. But guess what? You WILL be surprised greatly by what surprises pre marital counseling will bring for you. Marriage changes the set of expectations two individuals have from each other. More issues have to be dealt with, like children, financial planning etc. Most couples spend more time planning their weddings than their marriages!. If you think about the amount of financial and emotional investment that goes into preparing for the wedding itself, doesn’t it make sense to invest a little in strengthening the relationship at the onset? Many couples preparing for marriage honestly believe they are strong going into the union – and they probably are in a lot of ways. Being caught up with all the loving feelings and other feel-good stuff going on ahead of nuptials, couples often don’t consider the potential pitfalls. Those â€Å"pitfalls† are often times what leads them into a therapist’s office some time down the line. Here six great reasons to get pre marriage counseling: 1) Strengthen Communication Skills:  Being able to effectively listen, truly hear and validate the other’s position is a skill that isn’t necessarily a â€Å"given† for many people. Couples that really communicate effectively can discuss and resolve issues when they arise more effectively. You can tune up your talking and listening skills. This is one of the most important aspects of emotional safety between couples. 2) Discuss Role Expectations:  It’s incredibly common for married couples to never really have discussed who will be doing what in the marriage. This can apply to job, finances, chores, sexual intimacy and more. Having an open and honest discussion about what each of you expect from the other in a variety of areas leads to fewer surprises and upsets down the line. 3) Learn Conflict Resolution Skills:  Nobody wants to think that they’ll have conflict in their marriage. The reality is that â€Å"conflict† can range from disagreements about who will take out the trash to emotionally charged arguments about serious issues – and this will probably be part of a couple’s story at one time or another. There are ways to effectively de-escalate conflict that are highly effective and can decrease the time spent engaged in the argument. John Gottman’s (www. gottman. com) research has shown that couples who can do this well are less likely to divorce in the end. 4) Explore Spiritual Beliefs:  For some this is not a big issue – but for others a serious one. Differing spiritual beliefs are not a problem as long as it’s been discussed and there is an understanding of how they will function in the marriage with regards to practice, beliefs, children, etc. ) Identify any Problematic Family of Origin Issues:  We learn so much of how to â€Å"be† from our parents, primary caregivers and other early influences. If one of the partners experienced a high conflict or unloving household, it can be helpful to explore that in regards to how it might play out in the marriage. Couples who have an understanding of the existence of any problematic conditioning around how relationships work are usually better at disrupting repetition of these learned behaviors. ) Develop Personal, Couple and Family Goals:  It amazes me how many married couples have never discussed their relationship goals – let alone personal or family. I honestly think it just doesn’t cross their minds! This is a long term investment together – why not put your heads together and look at how you’d like the future to look? Where do you want to be in five years? Approximately when would you like to have children? How many children? There are many areas that can be explored and it can be a fun exercise to do together. Pre marriage counseling doesn’t need to be a long process, especially if you feel you’re starting out with a very solid foundation and only need some clarifications and goal-setting. For some people who are poised to start out the marriage as a â€Å"higher conflict† couple or have deeper issues to contend with, the process could take a bit longer. Regardless, be sure to take the time to invest in your marriage as you might in the event itself. The return on your marriage investment has the potential to be life long What you can expect Premarital counseling typically includes five to seven meetings with a counselor. Often in premarital counseling, each partner is asked to separately answer a written questionnaire, known as a premarital assessment questionnaire. These questionnaires encourage partners to assess their perspectives of one another and their relationship. They can also help identify a couple’s strengths, weaknesses and potential problem areas. The aim is to foster awareness and discussion and encourage couples to address concerns proactively. Your counselor can help you interpret your results together, encourage you and your partner to discuss areas of common unhappiness or disagreement, and set goals to help you overcome challenges. Your counselor might also have you and your partner use a tool called a Couples Resource Map — a picture and scale of your perceived support from individual resources, relationship resources, and cultural and community resources. You and your partner will create separate maps at first. Following a discussion with your counselor about differences between the two maps, you’ll create one map as a couple. The purpose is to help you and your partner remember to use these resources to help manage your problems. In addition, your counselor might ask you and your partner questions to find out your unique visions for your marriage and clarify what you can do to make small, positive changes in your relationship. Keep in mind that you bring your own values, opinions and personal history into a relationship, and they might not always match your partner’s. In addition, many people go into marriage believing it will fulfill their social, financial, sexual and emotional needs — and that’s not always the case. By discussing differences and expectations before marriage, you and your partner can better understand and support each other during marriage. Early intervention is important because the risk of divorce is highest early in marriage. In Pre marital counseling, as couples you become aware of so many issues that you never thought existed earlier between you two. Premarital counseling is a way to pull the darkness out from its hiding places so that you can turn it over in the light and see it for what it actually is. Remember, preparing for marriage involves more than choosing a wedding dress and throwing a party. Take the time to build a solid foundation for your relationship.

Chinua Achebe s Things Fall Apart And Joseph Conrad s...

Where They Looked There are millions of varying perspectives in the world on many different topics. Sometimes two different mindsets clash and disagree with one another. This is apparent in the work of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. Achebe gives a personal account of African life, culture, and customs in his book. He grew up in Nigeria, solidifying the reality that his take on their culture is the most natural, the one that will hit home. Also, since Achebe grew up surrounded by the culture so it is something intimately familiar to him. On the other hand, Joseph Conrad’s book Heart of Darkness makes Africa into a wild and savage place that needs to be ‘tamed’ by the white men and their ways.†¦show more content†¦Achebe includes many literary devices like personifications, hyperboles, and imagery. He writes with liveness reminiscing the old times as â€Å"the sun rose slowly to the center of the sky, and the dry, sandy footway began to throw up the heat that lay buried in it†(Achebe). He creates this tone in his writing by describing his experiences, like sudden flashbacks. This causes the readers sympathetic and more open to looking through the African native perspective. This conveys a message to foreigners that there is more to Africa than land and natural resources. It has divine culture and ancient civilizations. Joseph Conrad, on the other hand, writes his excerpt with prodigious detail, unique tone, and creative alliteration. Conrad has a surprised, and foreign tone when he portrays parts of Africa. He presents his mindset of Africa as if he were a child entering the alien territory, innocent with mixed emotions of fear, nervousness, and tension. The mood in the excerpt is gloomy and forlorn, as he says there was, â€Å"no joy in the brilliance of sunshine...amongst the overwhelming realities of this strange world of plants, and water, and silence,† (Conra d, 102). Most people view the sun as a positive object, but Conrad contradicts that and pictures it in a negative way. Conrad also uses alliteration to emphasize his thoughts, feelings, and emotions about Africa, â€Å" silvery sandboxes... inscrutable intention.. whether it meant