Difficulties Faced in University Writing

The second semester of my year in university is coming to an end. This semester, taking EG1471 has been a rewarding one for me. In the past and even last semester, I was not even aware of the many different styles of writing. I remembered my secondary school teachers mostly concentrated on comprehensions, grammars, some basic vocabularies and writing mostly story-kinds of essays. Proceeding on to the polytechnic, we were not required to take an English module and that affected my English as most of the lecture notes were very simplified forms of English and most of my friends were communicating in Chinese. Initially, I was quite disappointed that I had to take this English module. However, I feel that the many things I have learned so far would greatly benefit me in the future. Here, I would like to discuss the difficulties I faced when I have to write essays or reports in university.

My weakness so far is writing an essay without proper planning. I used to immediately start writing once I am given a title or some information. I would then write down anything or idea if I have in mind and keep doing so until I have no more idea or information left. Information would not be linked correctly and I would have plenty of parallel structure errors. I have thus learned that this is a wrong way to start and I have to plan first such as brainstorming for ideas, arranging them and do a simple outline to state my main points and continuing with the essay after that.

I also commonly make certain mistakes such as repetitious words and subject-verb agreement. All these makes my essay or report dull and not of acceptable university standard writing. After advices from my English teacher who taught us that certain repetitious words could be changed using the thesaurus and attending her lesson on subject-verb agreement where she also showed us examples and gave us practice, I noticed that I now have a better understanding on how all these will improve my written English.

Overall, university writing is vastly different from what I have learned in the past. I am thankful that I had to take this module and that it benefited me greatly. I know that in order to continue improving my English, I not only have to speak good proper English, I have to also constantly expose myself to reading newspapers, articles and books so as to have a better grasp of the language and thus be able to write better.

Identification of Common Grammatical Mistakes

The three different types common grammar mistakes I would frequently make would primarily be that of sentence fragments, pronoun reference and subject verb agreement. For this entry, I’ll explain how the grammatical structure should be used correctly and show some examples of the mistakes and correct version.

Sentence fragments are basically incomplete sentences. To have a complete sentence, it needs a subject in each independent and dependent clause. We would be able to correct the sentences by either removing or adding punctuations to link the sentence correctly. Some sentences are also written as main clauses but lack a subject or main verb. Some examples are:

1a) He fell down. As he was running down the stairs. [Wrong]

(b) He fell down as he was running down the stairs. [Correct]

2a) His room in a mess. [Wrong]

(b) His room was in a mess. [Correct]

Pronoun reference usually refers to a noun phrase or another pronoun(called the antecedent) and should come before the pronoun. When there is more than one pronoun in the sentence, we have to ensure the pronoun refers to only one of them. The pronoun should refer to a specific antecedent rather than an implicit antecedent. The reader will have to guess or read through a few times before he/she can identify if the sentence’s meaning. Some examples are:

1a) Bring the speaker to the shop to fix it.

(b) Bring the speaker to the shop to fix the speaker.

2a) Although the ice cream container was empty, we were tired of eating it.

(b) Although the ice cream container was empty, we were tired of eating the ice cream.

For subject verb agreement as the name implies, we have to match the subject and verb correctly. For a singular subject, we have to match it with a singular verb form and for a plural subject, we have to have plural verb form with it. Some sentences might be unclear and the trick is to locate the subject closest to the verb and choose the correct word for it. Examples or subject verb agreements are:

1a) The books lying on his desk is messy. [Wrong]

(b) The books lying on his desk are messy. [Correct]

2a) Each of the boys are taking his lunch now. [Wrong]

(b) Each of the children is taking his lunch now. [Correct]

These are the common grammatical mistakes I commonly face. I shall be more careful in future whenever I write any sentences and from the English lessons attended so far, I would be able to spot more of such common errors made from the various grammar lessons taught in the past weeks.

RoundTable Discussion Summary

The first group mentioned biofuels as an alternative source for petroleum is by far not a new subject. Many countries such as USA and China have tried for biofuels and although the technology sounds promising, there are many disadvantages regarding the technology. The group discussed the pros and cons and some advantages biofuels have is that it can replace the need for petroleum and reduce air pollution. It also creates job for people as there have to be more farming sites catered for cultivation of the crops. However, the cons is that such technology still requires a very large area of land for cultivation and biofuels absorb more energy than they produce. The large amount of fertilizer, pesticides can pollute soils and might create algae bloom that can suffocate fishes in rivers. Many also feel that the large amount of crops grown for biofuels should instead feed the hungry in many third world countries.

The second group mentioned Green chemistry, such as converting waste products into less harmful substances and recycling them into useful things again is what the group discussed. They mentioned the idea of melting and converting used plastic bottles into a strong carbon microsphere that is even harder than diamond and such technology could replace the high cost of using expensive diamond for cutting purposes. There would also not be any harmful by products produced which helps save the environment from future harm. Recently, there have been many events happening around the Earth that have been triggered due to global warming. Green chemistry although expensive, should be researched even more so that more can be done to reduce pollution and waste products.

The last group mentioned low-pressure carbon filter process technology. The main idea is that this technology extracts most of the useful carbon dioxide produced by factories or heavy industries and recycles them for use in enhancing oil and methane recovery. Although such technology is good for the environment as it greatly reduces carbon dioxide emissions, we have to question the safety of building such plants and would the large amount of carbon dioxide emitted by factories everyday be 100% used up by enhancing oil and methane as not many countries around the world has oil refining facilities. Thus, not all countries would be able to implement such technology and it will defeat the purpose of building so many of such plants. Other questions we can ask it how they are going to link the pipes connecting the waste carbon dioxide to the plant and useful carbon dioxide to the refining factories. Long pipes might leak and the cost of implementation might not be feasible.

Microchips for Humans

In the article “Humans will be implanted with microchips”, the author quoted from a prominent academic as saying that all Australians could be implanted with microchips for tracking and identification in future. We know that microchips are commonly implanted into animals which can reveal their identification details such as their owner, age and any medical conditions. A US company VeriChip is already using such microchips on humans for medical purposes which focus on high-risk patients.

The article tells us that such microchips that are implanted in humans could allow that person to be located in an emergency or identification of corpses after a large scale disaster or terrorist attack where the corpse of the person might be unidentifiable. Microchip implants might also eliminate the need for passports and identification cards.

Some argue against the implantations of microchips as they feel it is equivalent to the loss of human rights as your personal privacy and data can be accessed easily.

In the second article “Microchip for people may cause cancer”, we see the manufacturer assuring FDA about the safety of their microchips and the benefits it would provide. However, we see that the manufacturer didn’t mention about the research findings that micro chipping in laboratory rats and mice causes malignant tumours in them.

To date, about 2000 RFID devices have been implanted in humans worldwide according to VeriChip Corp. and the company states that they were not aware of any studies that have resulted in malignant tumours in laboratory rats and mice. There was also no mention of the findings on animal tumours by the American Medical Association which only touted on the benefits of implantable RFID devices. There were studies in different countries which showed cancerous cells that developed as a result of implanting microchips in laboratory rats and mice such as France and Germany although it affected only a very small percentage of the rodents.

This percentage, even how insignificant is already a cause for alarm for most people and even cancer specialists are wary of implanting microchips in humans until such technology is proven to be very safe. Others are less concerned and felt rats and mice are different from humans and they were felt the experiments were not conducted in a large enough scale or didn’t comprise other animals. A veterinarian at Ohio State University, Dr. Cheryl London even noted that ten of thousands of dogs have been chipped and there haven’t been any reported outbreaks of such cancer or tumours in the place where the dogs have been chipped.

As the microchip is implanted in patients, hospital staffs are able to go to the internet and access a patient’s medical profile which is maintained in a database by VeriChip Corp. However, the risk patients must take includes microchips migrating around the body, difficulty of extraction, risk of interference with defibrillators and incompatibility with MRI scans.

From the above two articles, we see the several advantages microchips have and what are the disadvantages and cause of concern with implanting microchips in humans. Implanting such chips might really one day eliminate the hassle of carrying identification cards, passports and medical reports and the convenience and possibilities of such technology is encouraging as it also saves plenty of time. However, the ethical problems such as loss of human rights and privacy and most importantly the safety of such technology must first be overcome before such technology will be accepted by everyone.

References

McGrath. J, How Pet Microchipping Works. February 28, 2009, http://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/pet-travel/pet-microchip.htm

MSNBC, The Associated Press, Microchips for people may cause cancer. February 28, 2009, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20643620/

Transponder - A radio or radar transmitter-receiver activated for transmission by reception of a predetermined signal.

Encapsulated - To encase in or as if in a capsule.

Literature - the writings dealing with a particular subject

Subcutaneous - situated or lying under the skin, as tissue.

Malignant - very dangerous or harmful in influence or effect.

Summarizing of Lecturers Speech

The 3 different lecturers went through topics pertaining to the problems and issues on global warming. Each lecturer stated their points in putting across the message of global warming. Be it informing us of the harmful effects of global warming or explaining to us what factors are restricting countries in a fight against global warming. The lecturers went through their points in detail.

The first lecturer touched on the topics on the effects of carbon dioxide emission and how it can contribute to global warming. Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring balanced in the air we breathe. It is a fixed amount of 0.033%. However, as we progressed and countries continue to develop, the amount of waste and carbon dioxide released by factories, cars, air cons adds up and in recent years, carbon dioxide composition in the air has been increasing steadily.

Carbon dioxide traps heat in the atmosphere and heats up the temperature of the earth. When the temperature of the earth increases, melting of the ice caps will occur and eventually, floods will occur in many parts of the world. The total change in climate will not only create floods, but also droughts. Temperature rise and drops in many parts of the world will also occur and affect the overall cycle of the earth. Examples such as extinction of animals, famine and diseases will spread everywhere at that time.

The lecturer pointed out how we can fight or play our part in reducing such emissions such as taking public transport, using energy saving devices, not using air cons, not buying bottled waters and even not consuming food that has been transported thousands of kilometres. This might not be the solution to the problems but it can reduce such harmful emissions in the long run if everyone were to play a part and follow as such. The lecturer also stated that in many countries, global warming might not be the top priority as many countries still face the poverty cycle and many issues such as diseases, shortage of food and education are of greater importance.

The interesting part the lecturer pointed out is how to get rid of such gases. One way is by diffusing the gases into the ocean and the other is by storing them in large sausage-shaped membranes through pipes down to the bottom of the ocean. Although both ideas are not be feasible as releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide will make the ocean more acidic and destroy marine life and the other can only contain 2.2 days worth of CO₂ per membrane. However, it is interesting as we can see the efforts being put in to tackle the problem of the harmful gases.

The second lecturer showed us the use of STS to address energy(and technological) problems. He also touched on public apathy and misunderstandings, consumption, psychological resistance and environmental concerns. He pointed out how technological breakthroughs in recent times have affected the world and how it could have impacted the environment negatively.

He covered the technical challenges, economic challenges, political challenges and social/cultural challenges and concluded by showing us how STS methods can provide a useful lens to evaluate new technologies.

For the final part of the lecture, the last lecturer gave us an opening speech on greenhouse gases and what greenhouse gases comprised of. He mentioned the effects of greenhouse gases and how the global temperature has risen because of these gases. He showed us models, data’s, predictions and what human activities that caused global warming.

Several consequences of global warming have also been pointed out. The primary effects are droughts and floods, extinctions and intense storms and hurricanes. Certain areas will benefit from the warmer climate while others will suffer from melting ice. The rising of sea levels, extreme weather conditions, shifts in wildlife habitats and agricultural areas are several of them. The lecturer then touched on how we all can play a part in the fight against global warming and what governments can do to reduce emissions in their country. Several examples like taxing greenhouse gas emissions, subsidizing energy efficient and renewable use are things government in every country can look into. We can also play a part in rescuing the earth by walking, cycling, using fuel-efficient cars, utilizing energy efficient equipments, reducing garbage, saving water and buying products that are recyclable/biodegradable and environmentally friendly.

Global warming is a worldwide issue. Everyone has a role to play in contributing to the survival of the earth and protecting it from harm. If we do not take the necessary measures to save the earth from such ongoing destruction, our future generations might one day not have the chance to enjoy seeing the beautiful sight of our the world we all live in.