Grammar Mistakes

Grammar is the fundamental and the essence of English language. In order to correctly use the English grammar, certain rules need to be followed. The correct use of grammar can lead to a smooth flow of idea to be expressed while the wrong use of it can contribute to the central idea being vague. There are three common grammar mistakes where I usually made, namely the use of 'the' article, preposition and parallel structure.

'The' article should be used before the word 'government'
The erroneous version would be,
People should play their role in mitigating climate change and respond to the recycling program advocated by government.
The correct version would be,
People should play their role in mitigating climate change and respond to the recycling program advocated by the government.
Also, article shall not be used when an uncountable noun is nonspecific.
The erroneous version would be,
The internet is a rich source of the information.
The correct version would be,
The internet is a rich source of information.

Next, the use of preposition is also important.
The erroneous version would be,
Despite of the fact that global warming has already taken place, people still carry a passive attitude towards combating climate change.
The correct version would be,
Despite the fact that global warming has already taken place, people still carry a passive attitude towards combating climate change.


Finally, parallel structure is another common grammar mistake that people make.
The erroneous version would be,
These provide students with more background knowledge on this crisis that the earth is facing, thus allowing students to not only aid with the upcoming writing assignment but more importantly to create awareness that many are lacking.
The correct version would be,
These provide students with more background knowledge on this crisis that the earth is facing, thus allowing students to not only aid with the upcoming writing assignment but more importantly creating awareness that many are lacking.

In conclusion, grammar is indeed essential in English and this is the area where people tend to make mistakes. Articles with no or a few grammar mistakes would give a good impression to the readers, whereas those with a number of grammar mistakes would only frustrate the readers and result in the central ideas not being expressed clearly. Hence, there is a need to master English grammar to truly excel in English language.

Roundtable discussion

On the March 4 tutorial class, roundtable discussions were carried out by three groups of students, where topics such as technology resisted or adopted by certain groups, green chemistry and computational modeling in brain studies were being conferred.

The topic on computational modeling in brain studies is particularly interesting as that is a controversial issue where the pros and cons need to be weighed up carefully.

Chongren acted as a moderator who gave an overview of the topic. Yizhou touched on the positive effects of this technology whereas San talked about the potential adverse effects this technology would pose to our lives. Finally, Shiwei emphasized on the regulation that must be imposed on this technology.

Computational modeling in brain studies was theoretically similar to Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan. It located brain activities by detecting the level of oxygen in the brain and guessed what a person was thinking about.

This technology was beneficial in the sense that it could be used as a treatment for newborn babies, autistic patients and those who were speech-impaired. Since newborn babies and speech-impaired community were unable to verbalize their needs, brain studies enable their family members to know exactly what they need. By this technology, doctors could detect illnesses suffered by the newborn babies and gave precise early treatment. For autistic patients who hardly expressed their feelings to others, psychiatrics could use this technology to know their minds and gave appropriate counseling.

Besides, police force could use brain studies to detect whether a criminal was lying or otherwise during cross-examination. This could really save many innocent people’s or scapegoats’ lives.

There should be no doubt that this technology brought much advantages and convenience to our lives. However, the other side of the coin can be detrimental when it was misused. Some medical extremist might use this technology to determine if a child is smart and categorized him accordingly. This scenario can be a silent killer to the child or to a family happiness since the parents would have a misconception that their child is not competent compared to others.

There were a few details in this technology that should be ironed out. That was why enforcements must be incorporated to regulate this technology. Standard sets must be drawn up as regards to how accurate the information one could get from brain mapping. Scientists and the authorities must collaborate in order to enhance the accuracy of this technology.

To sum up, this group’s discussion was well-organized and well-researched and left good impression to the audience.