5 Ways to Keep Parallel Lists on Track

5 Ways to Keep Parallel Lists on Track 5 Ways to Keep Parallel Lists on Track 5 Ways to Keep Parallel Lists on Track By Mark Nichol For many types of diagnostic posts on this site, in which I present a list of sentences with the same kind of error and describe the problem, I try to find real-world examples I’ve come across in editing projects or in casual reading, though sometimes I have to resort to constructing examples. One type of writing error I will never run out of live specimens for, however, is a lack of parallel structure in a run-in list. Here are just some of the many candidate sentences I’ve found: 1. â€Å"The game received prominent coverage in the video game media, high overall scores from professional reviewers, and has sold more than two million copies.† All items in a series must be accompanied by their own verbs or must share one there’s no middle ground: â€Å"The game received prominent coverage in the video game media, earned high overall scores from professional reviewers, and has sold more than two million copies.† (Or â€Å"The game received prominent coverage in the video game media and high overall scores from professional reviewers and has sold more than two million copies.†) 2. â€Å"It is fun, safe, convenient, saves energy, and a great place to meet and make new friends.† In this variation of the error illustrated in the first example, a list item equipped with its own verb is inserted among other items sharing a verb at the head of the sentence. Convert the errant item to a consistent form: â€Å"It is fun, safe, convenient, energy efficient, and a great place to meet and make new friends.† (Alternatively, tack the item on to the end of the sentence: â€Å"It is fun, safe, convenient, and a great place to meet and make new friends and it saves energy, too!†) 3. â€Å"There is an outdoor patio with picnic tables and barbecue, a fire pit with Adirondack chairs, walking trails, and beach access.† This construction implies that the fire pit has Adirondack chairs, walking trails, and beach access. To avoid implying a nonexistent association, relegate a complex list item among a string of simple items to the end of the sentence: â€Å"There is an outdoor patio with picnic tables and a barbecue, walking trails, and beach access, and a fire pit with Adirondack chairs.† (Also, I don’t understand why writers are so niggardly with the article a/an in run-in lists; I inserted one before barbecue.) 4. â€Å"Many animals such as deer, raccoon, coyote, fox, an occasional bobcat, mountain lion, and many bird species call this area home.† This sentence’s first item is an animal name that is identical in singular and plural form, and the wording of the head of the sentence suggests that all references to animals to follow will be in plural form. They’re not, and then â€Å"an occasional bobcat† distracts the reader, followed by a disorienting plural. Make the animal names consistently plural (with the necessary exception set aside as a parenthetical): â€Å"Many animals such as deer, raccoons, coyotes, foxes, mountain lions (and an occasional bobcat), and many bird species call this area home.† 5. â€Å"Miles of trails provide access through rugged chaparral, woodlands, fields, streams, a lake, and provide spectacular views.† Everything’s fine until you hit the water, and suddenly â€Å"miles of trails† is no longer relevant, except that it is for the final phrase. Retrofit the sentence to support its ideas: â€Å"Miles of trails provide spectacular views, and provide access through woodlands, fields, and rugged chaparral to streams and a lake.† (My assumption is that rugged refers only to chaparral, so move that phrase to the end of the initial list so it is not incorrectly applied to woodlands and fields as well.) 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 Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 English Grammar Rules You Should KnowYay, Hooray, Woo-hoo and Other AcclamationsProverb vs. Adage

What Do SAT Scores Measure IQ Income

What Do SAT Scores Measure IQ Income SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Everyone knows that scores on the SAT can make or break your college admissions chances, but can they measure your innate cognitive abilities? What do they really say about your potential? In this article, I'll tell you what SAT scores can and can't measure and provide advice about when you might use them to estimate your own capabilities. Do SAT Scores Measure Intelligence? There's a big debate about this, and the question depends on how you define intelligence. Scores on the SAT do correlate with scores on IQ tests and other standardized tests of intelligence. This is unsurprising considering that the SAT was originally derived from an IQ test for army recruits. SAT Scores Are More Variable Than "Innate Intelligence" Despite what some may argue, it is, in fact, possible to prepare for a standardized test like the SAT. At PrepScholar, we know firsthand that students can dramatically improve their SAT scores through dedicated studying. If a person has slightly above average intelligence, with enough preparation they should be able to get a very good or even perfect score on the SAT. Through extensive studying of question types, test content, and test format, you can do extremely well without being some kind of super genius. But isn't the decision to prep this extensively a demonstration of intelligence (and maturity and foresight) in itself? This is where it gets a little harder to make clear judgments. Who's "smarter"- the kid who prepared for 80 hours and raised his score from a 1100 to an 1500 or the kid who got an 1500 without any prep at all? It's likely that a traditional IQ test would say that the kid who didn't prepare has a higher IQ, but in terms of SAT scores (and in the eyes of colleges) the two students are equal. In this sense, you could argue that since students have the ability to prep for the SAT, it's a better measure of intelligence than traditional IQ tests. The score is a result of innate intelligence and perseverance. Two people can get the same score while possessing different amounts of each quality. If we're talking about innate intelligence alone, the SAT doesn't necessarily measure accurately. If we're talking about a combination of innate intelligence and the determination that allows students to succeed in school, it may be a better metric. The brain is a complicated place. And clearly this artist is biased towards the right brain even though the whole idea of people being right or left brained is bogus. It's Not Quite That Simple, Though- There Are Other Reasons Why The SAT Isn't an Ideal Measure of Intelligence The SAT would do a better job of measuring academic ability and intelligence if high schools across the country were all equivalent in their funding and quality, but that isn't the case. Students have different educational backgrounds, and this strongly affects performance on the SAT. Many students may have strong combinations of innate intelligence and perseverance but are unable to utilize these qualities to do well on the SAT due to circumstances beyond their control. These students might lack the extra time they need to prep, or they might not even know how to begin the prep process because their schooling so far has been low quality. For wealthy students who grow up in a good educational system with a supportive family, it's much easier to bring out the qualities and knowledge that will allow them to succeed on the SAT. With parental pressure and monetary support, these students are more likely to enroll in prep programs and get the added benefits of this instruction on top of their already high-quality high school education. The cards are stacked in favor of these types of students even if they are of average intelligence. So it's complicated. On the one hand, yes, SAT results can measure some degree of intelligence and academic ability. On the other hand, in some cases the SAT is not an appropriate way to judge someone's intelligence because of other obstacles they've had to face. The gap between the SAT scores of rich and poor students is a very real thing. The SAT Is Still a Pretty Good Predictor of College Academic Success Students who score highly on the SAT either prep extensively or are intelligent and well-educated enough in the first place to get a good score without preparation. Students who do well on the SAT are probably more prepared for college in general, but this is different from them being objectively "smarter." Of course, every test has its problems, and the SAT certainly is flawed, but many of its shortcomings in measuring student ability and intelligence are due to societal factors beyond the control of the makers of the test. You could argue that the continued use of the test perpetuates these problems, but that's a discussion for another article! Then again, is anyone ever prepared for stuff like whatever this is? Do SAT Scores Measure Career Potential? Different people arrive at their scores on the SAT in different ways (as discussed in the previous section), so it's tough to make these types of blanket judgments. One thing we do know is that SAT scores correlate with parental income. If by "career potential" we mean higher income, then yes, SAT scores can roughly measure the likelihood that a student will end up earning a high income as an adult. Students who earn high SAT scores are more likely to have parents who can support them in college and help them connect with more job opportunities in lucrative fields. The SAT does help provide some poor students with more opportunities to attend college, but it can also contribute to keeping people where they are on the economic ladder. As I've said, though, there are far more complex and deep-rooted societal forces at play here than standardized testing. The SAT can measure career potential to a very limited degree, but there are so many other factors that exist in the job market that nothing is set in stone. The skills you'll need to do well in a job may be very different than the skills you needed to do well on the SAT. Since the SAT tests knowledge of relatively simple concepts and ideas, it may not be the best predictor of whether someone will do well in an advanced job that requires a lot of specialized knowledge. It also won't be able to measure a person's emotional intelligence and ability to manage others, which are key factors in determining whether someone will advance in most job fields. The revised 2016 SAT represents an effort by the College Board to remedy these issues with the test. The goal of the current format is to test material in a way that makes more practical sense and considers the skills that students will actually need upon entering the job world. Setting aside the extra features of the latest version of the SAT, judgments of career potential need to take education level and major type into account. On average, STEM majors make more money than humanities majors even if both students have equal test scores and equal overall intelligence. If you plan to use your SAT scores to judge whether you'll succeed in a career field in the future, you should think twice. There are many other factors, including your specific career interests, the amount of prep time you put into the SAT, and the educational experience you had in high school that may make your scores more or less indicative of your potential. If you work hard, you too can have a career in jumping up to progressively higher orange rectangles. This guy is really living the dream. What Will Your SAT Scores Really Tell You? Should You Listen? Is it useful for you to judge yourself based on the results of a standardized test? In some cases yes, and in other cases definitely not. SAT Scores Are a More Useful Measurement If: You're Planning to Apply to Colleges That Require Standardized Test Scores If the colleges where you're applying consider SAT scores in their admissions decisions, you'll have to make judgments about where to apply based on your performance. Your SAT scores will help you estimate your admissions chances at different colleges. After comparing them to the statistics, you can set logical improvement goals or make an informed choice not to waste time applying to schools that are too selective based on their average score ranges. You Have a Low GPA If you have a low GPA, you should take your SAT scores more seriously as a measurement of your ability. High scores can make a big impact on your chances of college admission even if your overall performance in high school wasn't great. If you earn high scores with a low GPA, your scores might also compel you to think more critically about why you're doing poorly in school. High scores might indicate that your academic potential is greater than you thought. Your Scores Are Especially High or Low If you have extreme SAT scores (outside the average range of 1000-1100), they may be a more useful measurement of your abilities. If your score is lower than 1000, consider whether you have any major knowledge gaps you need to address that might cause you problems later in college. If your score is higher than 1100, you can assume that you have fairly strong reasoning abilities and knowledge of basic high school subject matter. If your scores are XTREME, you should pay more attention to them. SAT Scores Are a Less Useful Measurement If: You Plan on Applying to Test Optional Colleges If you're planning on applying to colleges that don't require you to submit SAT scores, there's no need to consider the SAT as a measurement of your ability. You don't have to show your scores to these colleges if you choose not to, so your performance won't impact your chances of admission negatively. You Have a High GPA If you have a high GPA, your SAT score is a less critical measurement in the college application process. It's still important if you want to attend competitive schools, but you have the option of applying to test optional colleges or less competitive schools where your high GPA will be enough to prove your academic qualifications. When I say a "high GPA," I mean any GPA that indicates that you've earned mostly As in challenging classes. This could be anywhere from a 3.7 to a 5.0 depending on whether your school uses a weighted or unweighted GPA scale. Even if you have an SAT score that's not stellar, you'll most likely be able to get into college based on your high GPA. You may still have some trouble if your SAT score is below average (lower than 1000). However, if you have a low SAT score and a high GPA, this might mean that the SAT isn't a useful way for you to measure your academic abilities. The Bottom Line: Don't Judge Yourself too Harshly Based on Your SAT Scores SAT scores represent a limited measurement of cognitive abilities. They can vary greatly based on each student's level of preparation and high school experiences. You should pay attention to scores that are especially low or high so you're aware of your strengths and shortcomings in the context of the material that's being tested, but don't let your SAT scores completely dictate judgments about your potential. If you're really concerned about your scores, you can improve them by following a focused study plan! What's Next? Not sure whether your SAT score is "good enough"? Read my article on the different ways you might define a good SAT score based on your personal goals. If you're trying to raise your scores, check out these 15 tips that will help you do better on the SAT without too much extra studying. If you've taken the SAT multiple times, you might not be sure which score will be the most relevant when applying to college. Find out which SAT scores colleges will look at when judging your application. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? We have the industry's leading SAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so you get the most effective prep possible. Check out our 5-day free trial today:

Daily Writing Tips Spelling Test 1

Daily Writing Tips Spelling Test 1 Daily Writing Tips Spelling Test 1 Daily Writing Tips Spelling Test 1 By Daniel Scocco It took us some time, but we are finally up with another test, the Spelling Test 1. Spelling mistakes represent a common problem on the Internet. Sometimes just one letter separates two words with completely different meanings. Other times we end up transposing a vowel, and the result is hardly noticeable by the eye. Regardless, you should make sure that spelling mistakes are not crippling your writing, and this test is a good opportunity to do so. Here is a teaser: 9. It didn’t turn out the way we wanted, _________. though tough through thought Do you think you can pass with 100% accuracy? Test your spelling skills now, and let us know the result! 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 General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Rhetorical Devices for Rational WritingExpanded and ExtendedUsing "zeitgeist" Coherently

Improving Documentation of Pressure Ulcers on Admission Thesis

Improving Documentation of Pressure Ulcers on Admission - Thesis Example This research will begin with the statement that every year it is estimated that about 1.3 million adults develop pressure ulcers. The figures vary across the different areas of clinical care. Incidence in hospitals is estimated to make up about .4% to .38% of all pressure ulcer incidences, while 2.2% - 23.9%   of pressure ulcers occur in patients in long-term care facilities while 0 to 17% occur in patients in home health care settings. The monetary equivalent spent for treatment is approximated to be $21,675 for every patient. This costly problem can be potentially reduced according to authorities on pressure ulcer management. If these figures are to be reduced, specific preventive measures must be utilized by health care agencies.   The incidence of pressure ulcers has increased by approximately 80% from 1993 to 2006 according to figures from the agency for Health Care Research and Quality. This figure includes the number of pressure ulcers that were acquired by the patient be fore admission and those that formed during the client’s stay in the hospital. This rise in pressure ulcer incidence rates is a cause for concern because pressure ulcers are considered a preventable condition. Patients who are at high risk of developing pressure ulcers are those who are bedridden or have restricted or limited mobility for long periods of time. Increase in the incidence of pressure ulcers among patients in the hospital not only result in increased cost for the client but for the hospital as well.

Piager's Cognitive Developmental Theory Research Paper

Piager's Cognitive Developmental Theory - Research Paper Example The sensorimotor stage is representative of the early-aged youth, from birth to age two. It is a period where the child begins to recognize basic mobility and hand-eye coordination as well as a variety of foundational mental representations accumulated through vision, touch, and motor conditioning. The preoperational stage is a period where more formal logic is developed, ranging between age two through seven, in which the child maintains rather egocentric behaviors and attitudes. It is in this stage where the youth maintains centric-style thinking, which is placing all of their focus and attention on a singular characteristic rather than thinking abstractly about various alternatives. Centration in this stage will often have a child stating that the volume of liquid in two similar beakers, when poured into a taller and more slender container, remains the same even though there was a transition. Thus, broader logic has not yet been developed. The next stage is the concrete operationa l stage, appropriate for youths between seven and 12 years of age, where conservation is now understood, comprehending concepts of reversibility, the ability to classify objects based on common shapes and sizes, and the youth begins to reject their previous egocentric thought. The final stage is formal operations, occurring between the ages of 12 to late adolescence. This stage involves maintaining an understanding of abstract moral and ethical principles, where the child is able to reasonably determine potential consequences to an action, and where some egocentric behaviors and attitudes re-emerge as a product of identify formation. Having provided a brief summation of the different stages, the one particular stage of development appropriate for more intensive examination is the concrete operational stage, the stage where egocentric behavior begins to diminish and where elementary logic begins to surface. In order to facilitate more effective learning, a child in the concrete opera tional stage of development requires a tactical approach to learning, using hands-on methodologies to gain attention and comprehension. Shaikh (2003) suggests that youths in this stage must have recurrent trial-and-error in experimentation where knowledge findings are repeated with instructor-generated feedback in order to retain learning from experiential lessons. Shaikh (2003) further emphasizes that lectures as a tool for imparting knowledge will be ineffective during this stage of development due to the rationalization processes within the child between seven and twelve. The child in the concrete operational stage gains more curiosity about the world around them as they are able to establish logical patterns and shape distinctions with the shedding of their self-motivated thought patterns. Their curiosity will demand hands-on applications to learn complex concepts such as mathematics, thus students being taught in the classroom will require dice, algebra blocks, spinners, or oth er appropriate experiential tools (Burns & Silbey, 2000). Why is this? Students have not yet developed the verbal capabilities to express their newfound logic and reasoning (e.g. classification and conservation), thus they require more fundamental learning tools to fill this void in self-expression (Santrock, 2008). Thus, to properly

Trouble-shooting for social media Research Paper

Trouble-shooting for social media - Research Paper Example This will enable the Social media director to deliberate on object course of action in case something goes wrong. The hashtag was used for about two hours after when they realized that it was leading to negative publicity. Unfortunately, McDonalds Social media director, Rick Won pulled off the hashtag and admitted that it had failed in achieving the intended purpose. Instead of pulling down the tweets, they could have used them from a public relations point of view to turn the negative publicity into positive publicity. Policies should be put in place to deal with the negativity instead of pulling down the negative feedback. This can involve responding to individual customers who left negative feedback and engage them on the services and products offered by the business. At the end, many of such customers end up becoming loyal customers, pin down their initial negative feedback and instead post positive feedback. McDonald failed to track what their customers were posting on other social media sites. Even after the hashtag was removed, the public continued to outburst with a lot of unintended stories in Facebook and Instagram. Failure to monitor such action led to continued negative publicity despite pulling down the hashtag on twitter. McDonald should put in place a social mention tracking tool which monitor what customers are saying about their brand on other social sites. They will enable them respond to emergency situations before significant damage is

The Causes For Eating Disorders And The Impact Of The Media On Essay

The Causes For Eating Disorders And The Impact Of The Media On Self-Image - Essay Example This paper discusses causes for eating disorders and the impact of the media on the self-image. Causes of eating disorders Poppink defined eating disorder as abnormal eating habits, which may occur in form of starvation or excessive eating acts and identifies anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating as examples of common eating disorders (17). Causes of eating disorder can be grouped into psychological, interpersonal, and social factors. Psychologically, eating disorder may occur because of mental and emotional imbalance. Psychological factors include, lack of self-esteem, feeling of lack of purpose in life and occurrence of anxiety, anger or stress. Psychological factors, though inherent to the patients, can be professionally addressed through patient counseling. In addition, Poppink states that individuals could manage anxiety and anger without seeking professional services where individuals could relax, and avoid incidences that might trigger anger (104). Interpersonal factors could al so result to eating disorders. According to NEDA (1), interpersonal factors may occur through physical and sexual abuse, strained personal relationships, and having history of being ridiculed or teased about ones weight or size. Having relationships and interacting with parties is the genesis of developing interpersonal factors that lead to eating disorders. Avoidance of negative crowd and withdrawal from strained relationships could prevent the occurrence of eating disorder. However, those who have suffered from sexual abuse may further require professional counseling and guidance. Spettigue and Henderson further identify social factors as the leading cause of eating disorders. With the advent of information technology, mass media have created a social context of ideal women through the biased exposures of thin women in their programs and magazines. The society has also framed a narrow definition of beauty where slender women and masculine men are being considered beautiful and han dsome. Poppink further notes the existence of such biased concept and social mind frames in the society may generate peer pressure among individuals who are overweight hence leading to eating disorder (145) Causes of eating disorders offers basis for treatment and recovery. The disorders may be treated in three different approaches, which include the use of psychotherapy, medicines, and nutritional supplements. Spettigue and Henderson stated that the cause of the eating disorder determines the approach of the treatment. Counseling and administration of medicines may be used to treat eating disorder that could have resulted from physical and sexual abuse. It is fundamental that the administered treatment addresses the root cause of the eating disorder and resulting symptoms of the condition concerning psychological, interpersonal and social factors (NEDA). After undergoing successful treatment, an individual is able to recover from an eating disorder. Full recovery is always dependen t on the nature of treatment and care offered to a patient. Recovery is a long-term process, which may last for years. It is vital that one should carefully follow the instructions of the therapist and the outlined recommendations for this stage (NEDA). The role of the media The media has a mandate of informing the public. It, as an informative tool, has contributed to the flourishing of eating disorder in the society. Overweight women, for example, have been subjected to social pressure by the media, which has framed social context of beauty. The media has portrayed celebrities, actors, and models with slender bodies, resulting to a biased definition of bea