Final assignments, exams

Hello everybody,

I'm sorry I could not be there yesterday for the final exam. I hope everything went smoothly but if not we can deal with it this week. I got some of your assignments and will grade them in the next few days. If you haven't submitted it yet be sure to do so before tomorrow. Late assignments will be penalized and I will not accept any after Friday. If you have any questions let me know. 

Prof. Ryan

Final Assignment

Last writing assignment of the year. If you do not complete this you will not pass and will have to write an extra exam.

Choose an issue that you are interested in and write a short essay about it. There is no word minimum so use you best judgement to determine when you think you are finished. 

I want you to read at least three articles about this issue as well. That was your homework for today. All I need is the autho's name and the title pf the article with a brief summary of the main idea. This will show you what others are saying about the topic and also give you some ideas for your own article. 

Your class work for today was also to complete p. 115, in which you practice using academic English vocabulary. I want you to incorporate some of these words into your final assignment. 

I recommend you do the above before Wednesday's class. Any questions, please let me know. We will continue our work on this assignment then.

Ryan O'Connor

Reading May 28

Hi students, here is an article I would like you to read today. You may find it interesting as it's about teenagers and commercial society. Please provide a quick summary of the article in your own words and response with some of your own ideas about the subject. 

https://medium.com/message/3450a5bc98d2

Any questions? Let me know.

Ryan

Exam grammar practice May 9

Relative Clauses: combine the two sentences using a relative clause.

The new imac looks amazing! It is thinner and lighter than previous versions.

The largest animal to ever exist can wiegh over 170 tonnes. It is the blue whale.

The shoes are making a funny noise. The ones that Janko is wearing.

Which one is a defining relative clause? 

Gerund and infinitive: finish the sentence with at least one other verb without making any grammatical errors.

Running a marathon means....

Before I finish high school I mean to.....

I vividly remember....

I must remember.....

I regret....

While setting up for the fashion show we stopped...

Since it was unsuccessful, I stopped...

In order to fix my computer, I tried...

The goverment tried...

After a falling on stage, the performers went on....

After graduating, she went on...

Describing quantity: find and correct the mistakes. There are 4. 

Virtually of all the students in this school have smart phones, and I think large majority of them are quite addicted. In general, young people these days spend many as 8 hours a day staring at s screen, which is over well what health experts recommend. 

Paragraph Writing Practice

Put the following sentences together to form a well-organized, developed and coherent paragraph:

New York City is in the United States.
New York City is located in New York State.
It borders on the Atlantic Ocean.
It was founded in 1625 as "New Amsterdam".
It was first settled by the Dutch.
It is important for commerce.
Wall Street is located in New York City.
It has many national and international banks.
It has many important skyscrapers.
The World Trade Center is located in New York City.

The Empire State Building is in New York City.
New York City is an important city for immigration.
Ellis Island used to be the entry point for many immigrants at the turn of the century.
There is an interesting immigration museum on Ellis Island.

Here is a good example: 

New York, New York is located on the Atlantic Coast of the United States of America. It was first settled as "New Amsterdam" in 1625 by the Dutch. Today, New York City is an important commercial and banking center which includes Wall Street. Among its many important skyscrapers are the World Trade Center and The Empire State Building. One of the most interesting museums is on Ellis Island which served as the entry point for many immigrants who passed through New York City at the turn of the century.

Now try another example:

Elvis Presley was an American.

He was a singer and actor

He was famous for rock-and-roll.

He was born in Tupelo, Mississippi.

He was born on January 8, 1935

He started singing in church.

He taught himself to play the guitar.

He first became popular on the local touring circuit for country-and-western music.

He sang romantic songs.

He danced erotically.

Teens loved him for his new style.

He had many hits.

He sang "Love Me Tender", "All Shook Up", and "Don't Be Cruel".

He died on August 16, 1977.

He died in Memphis, Tennessee.

He might have died of drug and alcohol abuse.

Jonathan

Comments on your blog. ( I couldn't post them there for some reason):

Excellent blog Jon, I find quantum physics fascinating, especially the fact that the more we know, the more question are raised! It really shows how we humans are always pushing our boundaries no matter how far pur ability and intelligence takes us. 

On another note, you explained this difficult material in a way that was easy to understand and enjoyable to read. I learned a lot from your post on black holes! Your mastery of the language is beginning to show itself. Keep up the good work! 

Crimea

Read the articles below about the Crimean War

http://www.salon.com/2014/03/23/talkin’_siege_of_sebastopol_blues_how_the_first_crimean_war_helped_create_rock_n_roll/

http://theweek.com/article/index/258690/the-fascinating-linguistic-legacy-of-the-crimean-war

Make connections to the present using a mind map.