Tuesday, July 28, 2020
Sophomores Upcoming MIT Events
HS Juniors/Sophomores Upcoming MIT Events Beginning this coming Sunday, April 26th, MIT will be going on the road with Brown Yale Universities for meetings in Southern California and the Mid-Atlantic states. Details can be found here: brownmityale.org These meetings will be a great opportunity for high school sophomores and juniors to hear from three great universities all in one place. Each school will talk a little about what makes it unique, and will also describe common philosophies on admissions, financial aid, and more. Each session, including QA, will run about 90 minutes. You can RSVP at brownmityale.org. In addition, we will also host breakfast meetings for your guidance counselors. Were excited to have these conversations with your counselor about the state of admissions. Counselors can RSVP at brownmityale.org. Note as well that later this summer, the same three schools will be touring the Mountain West/Pacific Northwest states. Of course, well also be visiting a number cities across the country in the fall (cities/dates TBA), so if were not in your area now, hopefully well be nearby in September or October. We look forward to seeing you!
Friday, May 22, 2020
Nanofiber Research Paper - 720 Words
Frequency dependence of the electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) of carbon fiber (CF)-epoxy composite laminates have been investigated on the basis of attenuation due to reflection and absorption measurements in the range of X-band (8.2-12.4 GHz) and Kuband (12.4-18 GHz). The shielding by absorption is observed to be the dominant mechanism. The use of nylon-66 nanofiber interleaving for increasing the shielding effectiveness of multilayered quasi-isotropic composite laminates has been investigated. Further enhancement of EMI SE is achieved by à ³- irradiation of the composites. The results have highlighted the usefulness of the carbon fiber composites for shielding in the range of microwave frequencies. Indexâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Kunigal Shivakumar is with the Center for Composite Materials Research, Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, North Carolina A T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA. J. Sundara Rajan is with the VTU Research Centre, Central Power Research Institute, Bengaluru-560080, India. [2] and the ease of processing and manufacturing. A polymer matrix is electrically insulating and does not contribute to EM shielding on its own. However, polymer composites with conductive fillers are influenced by the interconnectivity of the conducting fillers within the polymer matrix. A conducting polymer has many advantages like reduced weight, lower density, flexibility of control of conductivity and lower manufacturing costs [3], [4]. In recent years, polymer based carbon filled composites consisting of a sandwich of a conductive polymer between a conductor and microwave absorber have been used in wideband microwave shielding [5]. The most frequently used EM absorbers consist of materials with high dielectric losses and magnetic loss materials. These materials include carbon filament [6], carbon fiber (CF) [7], carbon nanotubes [8], [9], carbon black [10], graphite [11], graphene oxide [12], metal fiber [13] and ferrites [14]. Microwave shielding of conducting polymer composites depends on the dielectric and magnetic properties of the materials used. In these materials, to achieve the benchmarkShow MoreRelatedComponents Of Thermoregulation ( Tm ) Systems And The Latent Thermal Energy Storage ( Ltes ) Essay1375 Words à |à 6 PagesmKâËâ1) greatly limits their heat dissipation performance in thermal management applications. Currently main focus of research is to increase the thermal conductivity of the PCMs. In this regard different kinds of materials such as metal and carbon composites with PCMs are produced. The intensive experimental and theoretical investigation are made to improve the performance of PCMs. This paper discusses in detail the fabrication and thermal conductance measurement techniques, and mathematical modeling ofRead MoreThe Use Of Nano Structured Neural Scaffolds For Neural Regeneration2741 Words à |à 11 Pagesin the field of neural tissue regeneration. Nanostructured scaffolds h ave been shown to have the ability to promote neuronal growth and their excellent biomimetic properties makes them an innovative substitute to the traditional nerve grafts. This paper reviews the current technologies used for the fabrication of these scaffolds, the advantages and limitations associated with them. Also, the use of nanoparticles as drug delivery systems for PD is also briefly discussed. INTORDUCTION PD is a neurodegenerativeRead MoreA Research On Common Commercial Products1331 Words à |à 6 Pagesmajor developments have only occurred in the last decade, the US military began conducting nanotechnology research in the early 1980s. It was not until the mid-1990s, after the Department of Defense (DoD) identified nanotechnology as one of the six ââ¬ËStrategic Research Areasââ¬â¢ of Interest, that major investments in the research and development in nanotechnology began. Nanotechnology research seeks to advance both offensive and defensive military objectives (Lele 234). In January of 2000, PresidentRead MoreThe Following Chapter Discusses Background Information1685 Words à |à 7 PagesThe following chapter discusses background information on quadcopters, structural batteries, graphical user interfaces, and my research objectives. 1.1 Problem Statement The advances in electronics and lightweight materials over the last few decades have resulted in the popularization of quadcopters. Whether for recreational, military, or commercial use, people are beginning to recognize the potential of quadcopters. One company in particular that is looking to exploit the use of drones on a massiveRead MoreNanobots: The Future of Medical Surgery Essay1868 Words à |à 8 PagesLaparoscopic Cancer Surgery. Nanorobot Design. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2014. http://www.nanorobotdesign.com/papers/surgery.pdf. II. Chen, Andrew. The Ethics of Nanotechnology. Santa Clara University. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2014. http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/submitted/chen/nanotechnology.html. III. Crandall, B. C., and James Lewis. Nanotechnology: Research and Perspectives: Papers from the First Foresight Conference on Nanotechnology. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 1992. Print. IV. Freitas, RobertRead MoreThe car has been a mainstay of American culture for about a century. The idea of a car in every3000 Words à |à 12 Pagesgreenhouse gases. However, hydrogen also has the most significant challenges to overcome of any alternative fuel. The two biggest obstacles are hydrogen availability and onboard fuel storage. The remainder of this paper will take an in-depth look at hydrogen fuel and how current research is working to overcome the challenges that it faces. Body [5] Hydrogen cars run by feeding hydrogen into a fuel cell stack, which in turn produces electricity that powers the vehicle. A fuel cell stack is a combinedRead MoreUse Of Nanomaterials On Civil Engineering- A Review4874 Words à |à 20 PagesInstitute of Technology in 1959 [1] However, after two decades, it was defined as the manufacture of materials using sizes and accuracy of between 0.1 and 100 nm by Drexler [2]. Therefore, this is not a new science or technology but became a hot research topic in recent two decades. Hence, Nanotechnology refers to the development of devices, structures and systems by controlled manipulation of size and shape with at least one typical dimension measured in nanometers (atomic, molecular, and macromolecularRead MoreNanotech 1AC Essay13565 Words à |à 55 PagesDevelopment Studies Universidad Autà ³noma de Zacatecas Zacatecas, Mà ©xico, ââ¬Å"Nanotechnologies in Latin America,â⬠pg online @ http://www.rosalux.de/fileadmin/rls_uploads/pd fs/Manuskripte_81.pdf //um-ef) At the beginning of 2002, all nanotechnology-related research became an area of strategic importance, with some funding directed to support its development. The Programa Especial de Ciencia y Tecnologà a 2001-2006 (Special Program for Science and Technology 2001-2006), which is embedded inside the National Development
Saturday, May 9, 2020
The Story of the Puppet - 1696 Words
Not even four feet tall the stocky, little man in patchy, homemade overalls was every bit of invisible behind the massive haunches of Tiny, the circusââ¬â¢s eldest, and in his opinion, smelliest, African Elephant. Muttering obscenities beneath his breath, never missing a beat, Puppet shoveled heavy scoopfuls of dung off the boxcars floor and into an old wheelbarrow, pausing only long enough to lean the shit stick against the wall before he grabbed the handles of the wheelbarrow, his dark complexion reddening from the weight, and headed out to ditch the stink someplace where it wouldnt be noticed until the circus was just a memory. He hated this work, hated how all the fancy pants, the trapeze artists, the animal trainers, even the side show freaks treated him as nothing more than a trained pet; existing only to clean up after them or serve them in whatever fashion they so desired. He was even forced to bed down with the tamer animals. He blamed the ringleader, Master Drachen, who since coming upon an abandoned toddler boy of color in the middle of Arkansas during the early forties had rescued him only to make him a perpetual slave and personal object of ridicule. When Puppet was young hed been grateful to Master Drachen, quietly obedient, but as the years wore on the insults piled up; the sound of laughter around the campfire, almost always directed at him, began echoing in his ears, their taunts making his eyes sting and his heart ache more than the frequent beatingsShow MoreRelatedEssay on Wayang Kulit960 Words à |à 4 Pageswith the puppet itself or the whole puppet theatre performance. History: Wayang is a general term meaning traditional theatre in Indonesia. This art was imported from India or China, both of which have a long tradition of shadow puppetry and theatre in general. However, there very well may have been ingenious storytelling traditions that had a big impact on the development of the traditional puppet theatre. Wayang Kulit is a unique form of theatre employing light and shadow. The puppets are craftedRead MoreEvaluation of a Childs Toy in Relation to the Theories of Play1619 Words à |à 7 Pagesassessed is; PlushPups, family bigmouth hand puppets. The puppet set has a suggested age range of three and over. This is a conventional puppet set which contains 6 characters; mum, dad, daughter, son and grandparents. An advantage of this toy is that there are no specific ways to play with it; it can be used in any way the child wants to play. Traditionally the puppets would be used by children to act out scenarios, particularly family scenarios. The puppets also allow children to imagine their ownRead MoreThe Puppet Playground : Children With Disabilities1506 Words à |à 7 PagesThe Puppet Playground 3 Historically, children born with disabilities were isolated, excluded and dependent on other people. Families would have feelings of shame and guilt giving birth to a child with a disability. Society viewed a child with a disability a personal tragedy and it was left to the families to cope. This all began to change after World War II when many soldiers came home with acquired disabilities. Several Acts of Congress were put in place to give rights to thoseRead MoreA Modern Traditional Puppet Theatre1055 Words à |à 5 PagesBesides having the same kinds of puppet theatre as other countries, Vietnam also has their own unique puppet theatre called ââ¬Å"Water puppet theatreâ⬠. So, what is ââ¬Å"water puppet theatreâ⬠? The answer is in the name of itself, puppet theatre in water. Throughout the long history, water puppet theatre not only has become unique traditional puppet art and popular to other countries, but it also nearly disappeared in nowadays. There are many different histories about water puppet theatre in Vietnam. AccordingRead MoreThe Little Piggy And Old Macdonald Had A Farm1266 Words à |à 6 PagesCommunity Care at Kendal. During the reading, I brought two stories that I believed would spark interest within the children. The books that I chose were, ââ¬Å"This Little Piggyâ⬠and ââ¬Å"Old MacDonald had a Farmâ⬠both were published by Little Learners. There is not an actual author, just a publisher. The reason I chose these stories were because they are well known to children and could be either read to or sung to. Also, the stories have puppets already built into the book, which I believed would be helpfulRead MoreThe Philosophy Of Crime And Punishment1182 Words à |à 5 PagesPhilosophy of Puppetry in Crime and Punishment Consider the design of a puppet. When observing this structure, one will give attention to the source of the puppetââ¬â¢s actions being dictated by the puppeteer. These actions are able to be transmitted from the will of the puppeteer into the puppet through the strings that the puppeteer uses to control specific parts of the puppet. Furthermore, one can infer that the strings of the puppet are the motive behind the puppetââ¬â¢s action. If the puppetââ¬â¢s actions areRead MoreLion King the Musical Essay659 Words à |à 3 Pageshis fathers death has been remade into a Broadway musical acclaimed all over the world. Seen by over twenty five million people in over 15 thousand performances this intricately designed wonder has taken over 37 thousand hours just to build the puppets and masks. Julie Taymor the director and costume designer was faced with a problem of whether to create humans or animals playing the part and she decided to make masks that show the animal face, as w ell as, show the human face giving the characterRead MoreHong Kong Cinema1452 Words à |à 6 Pagesthe lecture: the stories flow perfectly. At first the films could come off as confusing and spotty with all the kung-fu and epic stories. The Hong Kong films we have viewed so far have these elaborate story lines that, with thanks to pristine editing and construction, flow perfectly and the story is conveyed to the viewer with no confusion. David Bordwell explains in his book Planet Hong Kong that devices such as parallels, flashbacks, and motifs become very useful when the story is constructed perfectlyRead MoreWhat Causes Bolts And Washers For The Pole?1539 Words à |à 7 Pagesperiodically swing by and put the puppets on the pegs, one puppet per peg. How to get around typical responses: â⬠¢ Some kids just need encouragement â⬠¢ ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢m not creativeâ⬠ââ¬Å"I canââ¬â¢tâ⬠ââ¬Å"I donââ¬â¢t know howâ⬠ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢m not good at itâ⬠Discover Guide: ââ¬Å"What is your favorite story you know?â⬠If you get the shoulder shrug, try rephrasing the question differently: ââ¬Å"Is their a book or movie you really like?â⬠By getting kids to think of a story they already know, you can ask them to act out that story for you. Then its no longerRead More lion king the musical Essay606 Words à |à 3 Pageshis fatherââ¬â¢s death has been remade into a Broadway musical acclaimed all over the world. Seen by over twenty five million people in over 15 thousand performances this intricately designed wonder has taken over 37 thousand hours just to build the puppets and masks. Julie Taymor the director and costume designer was faced with a problem of whether to create humans or animals playing the part and she decided to make masks that show the animal face, as well as, show the human face giving the character
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Capital punishment in the Islamic Republic of Iran Free Essays
In recent years, many Muslims have come to accept the notion of democracy but there is a variety of opinion as to its precise meaning. They have sought to delineate Islamic forms of democracy, or popular political participation, seeking to provide an Islamic rationale whose legitimacy finds its roots in tradition. The Islamification of democracy has been based on a modern process of reinterpretation of the traditional Islamic concepts of political deliberation or consultation, community consensus, and personal interpretation or reinterpretation to support notions of parliamentary democracy; this also extends to include representative elections, and religious reform. We will write a custom essay sample on Capital punishment in the Islamic Republic of Iran or any similar topic only for you Order Now Islamic organizations such as the Muslim Brotherhoods in Egypt and Jordan, Algeriaââ¬â¢s Islamic Salvation Front, Indonesiaââ¬â¢s Muhammadiya and Nahdatual Ulama ostensibly have advocated the principle of democratic elections and, have participated in parliamentary elections (Common Dreams NewsCenter, 2005) As with the interpretation of Islam, notions of democracy and the structuring of administration of justice take on different forms in different Muslim countries with different experience. Throughout the Islamic world, governments have adopted varying degrees of self-representation in response to unique historical circumstances. Turkey, for example, is a parliamentary, secular democracy. Indonesia is one of the worldââ¬â¢s largest republics, but an uncertain one as the nation still struggles to evolve a representative political system after decades of repressive authoritarian rule. Iraq is currently a case study in nation-building in the aftermath of the dictatorial regime of Saddam Hussein and Iran is a theocratic republic with a growing democratic reform movement. Whilst many Islamic states have moved closer to democracy, the aforementioned groups and States along with several other Islamic States, particularly in the Middle East, advocate the death penalty as a capital punishment for many different types of crimes. It has been claimed that Iranââ¬â¢s execution rate is second in the world only to that of China. However, this assertion has also been variously dismissed by the regime as exaggeration of the facts (Gelbart, 2010). Nevertheless, the death penalty is legal and permitted for certain crimes in Iran. Capital punishment can be administered for the crimes such as treason, rape, sodomy, terrorism, murder, the trafficking of drugs, paedophilia, kidnap and armed robbery (FIDH, 2011). The present Iranian regime has been a subject of controversy and stringent criticism in the West for some time now. The current central disputes focus predominantly around the research and manufacture of nuclear weapons although it has also received controversy for its policy on execution and capital punishment, perhaps the most controversial occurring over the execution of those under 18, considered by law as not yet adult (minors). These State-legitimised executions have been raised as issues because they directly violate the Convention of the Rights of the Child, a treaty signed by Iran which protects children from execution (EMINE, 2012). Iran has attempted to defray these allegations by claiming dispensation in these cases (and some others) because certain sections of the Convention have been deemed incompatible with ââ¬ËIslamic jurisprudenceââ¬â¢ (DN. SE, 2008). The Iranian regime has also received criticism for the alleged use of stoning as a means of exacting the death penalty, although these allegations have been denied by the Iranian judiciary as Western propaganda, along with the allegations of the execution of minors (BBC NEWS, 2005). In February 2012 a new penal code was adopted by Iran which officially legislated against the administration of the death penalty to minors (those under the age of 18) and those of who are subject to diminished mental development. In some rare instances the death penalty can still be applied to minors who commit murder between the ages of 15 and 18 years old but only if the judge is completely confident that the crime was entirely and absolutely premeditated and that the perpetrators in question are as mentally developed as adults (Bozorgmehr, 2010). The issue of Iranian executions carried out against minors has also been a salient point in the campaigns of numerous human rights groups. These groups claim that in spite of Iranââ¬â¢s signing on the Convention on the Rights of the Child they are actually the largest executor of minors in the world. This may be due to the disparity of definition regarding children in Iran. The Islamic Penal Code (Article 49) defines a child in Iran, as stipulated by Islamic law, as ââ¬Ësomeone who has not reached the age of bulugh (puberty)ââ¬â¢ (Human Rights Watch, 2008). This discrepancy may be due to Iranââ¬â¢s use of the lunar Islamic calendar for the determination of criminal responsibility, as opposed to the standard solar calendar, which is longer. This means that in some cases a criminal who faced the death penalty Iran would be tired as an18 year old in accordance with Islamic years but only be 17 years old in the Western standard solar calendar (Oââ¬â¢Toole, 2007). As Marx (1843) famously asserted ââ¬ËReligion is the opium of the massesââ¬â¢. Throughout all history, religion has played the starring role in much of human conflict, with philosophical, political, sociological, as well as physical repercussions. Most of religions profess and share positive life philosophies and values, although it is commonly recognised that some religious entities and States have used their power to realise crimes against humanity. Some religious regimes have also used the respective doctrine of their associated religions, to carry out perceivably draconian brutality against their people, be it for political disagreement or legal dissent. It is difficult to foresee how Islamic societies can realise their tremendous potential without genuine political reform. Evidently, it is not Islam that is the greatest obstacle to serious democratisation and reform against the death penalty. On the contrary, the most important impediment is the continuing resistance of established political regimes, whose leaders espouse the language of democracy but rarely permit political liberalisation beyond that which they can orchestrate and control. Mona Yacoubian (Gelbart, 2010) makes a persuasive case for greater international involvement in urging the Iranian government toward greater reform. The key to the success of democratisation and reformation of the death penalty in Islamic societies is imposition of more freedom, expanding freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom of thought, and freedom to form independent organisations. The process may be long and slow but it must be real, sustainable, and measures should be taken to prevent the reversal of it. History shows that many governments in the Muslim world have become adept at promising democratic reforms only to fail on their promises ad deliver more oppression. In this regard, the international community needs to exert sustained pressure on the existing governments to sue for liberalisation, democratisation and extension of civil liberties: only through such routes can true societal freedom be attained. Real and genuine reforms are needed; liberal and moderate voices cannot be heard in an environment of fear and repression. The United States and European countries should stop implicitly and explicitly supporting all Middle Eastern dictatorships and oppressive regimes (rather than just those who operate in accordance with their political machinations); this they should do in the name of stability and to promote peace and strengthen the voices of liberal Islam, rather than propagating sometimes spurious propaganda in order to exercise military power and at the same time undermining their own arguments. Muslim countries must also gain experience with democratic institutions and practices. Nonetheless, the success to the development of democracy will necessarily be dependent on the success of the citizens to ultimately resolve their inner crisis, but this situation in turn will always be hampered unless the general unrest and political instability either plateaus or resolves of its own volition. How to cite Capital punishment in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Papers
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Midwest Community College Needs To Expand Its Child Day Care Center To
Midwest Community College needs to expand its child day care center to help students attending classes at night. The day care center needs to be open from 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. so children can be cared for safely while their parents attend class. To raise money for funding the extended hours, the Student Government Association (SGA) wants to offer a computer software, music CD and cassette, and movie exchange. Items that are accepted at the exchange include: IBM and Macintosh business shareware IBM and Macintosh shareware IBM and Macintosh educational software Music CD's Music cassette tapes Video tapes Individuals wishing to trade software; used CD's, cassettes, and videotapes will be charged a $1.00 admission fee. Those not trading will be charged $2.00. SOFTWARE, CD, CASSETTE, AND VIDEO EXCHANGE When? Where? Time April 6 Lincoln Room 8- Noon April 7 Ford Room 10-3 April9 Lincoln Room 5-9 p.m. The (SGA) has been able to acquire many shareware programs and is asking students to donate used software, CD's, cassette tapes, and videos that can be sold or traded at the exchange. Students will be able to browse and view demos of the software before making a purchase. HELP OPEN THE CHILD DAY CARE CENTER IN THE EVENING ARELIS ORTA- Computer IV
Friday, March 20, 2020
Life or death essays
Life or death essays Life and Death- In the Matter of Karen Ann Quinlan Today, modern medicine is nothing short of a miracle, and almost every living creature in our civilized world depend on the great wealth of knowledge occupants in this field of work contain. Today with the advancement of medicine, doctors can take patients from being close to death, and revive, or sustain them, through circumstances that otherwise would have killed them. Around the early seventies many major technological and medical advances began to arise in the U.S. During this time period many more people began to have long-term hospitalizations thus making people who would have otherwise died before, live longer. This happened to be the case with Karen Ann Quinlan of New Jersey in 1975. Karen had been in a comatose state for many months, living off of her vital organs and a respirator. Because medicine and technology were advancing so rapidly in the United States, many people had problems at first with the facts of how ethical this new technology was, and how effective it would be to sustain life for long periods of time. Another problem many people faced was the ethical problem of sustaining a person in a vegetative state. Because technology could sustain someone who had become vegetative for long periods of time, was it morally right to allow a person to continue living if they could not understand or communicate with the world? This was the question that New Jersey superior court had to rule on in the case of Karen Quinlan. There were two parties involved in this case, the plaintiff, Joseph Thomas Quinlan, and the defense, the court, which stood for Karens rights as an individual to remain on life support until she died of natural causes. Joseph Quinlan is called to the stand to testify and explain his reasoning behind his decision to ask the court to order the hospital to remove his daughter from her respirator. The defense attorney first begins questioning J...
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
Top German Mistakes Made by Beginners
Top German Mistakes Made by Beginners Unfortunately, there are much more than ten mistakes you can make in German. However, we want to concentrate on the top ten kinds of mistakes that beginning students of German are likely to make. But before we get to that, think about this: How is learning a second language different from learning a first? There are many differences, but the most significant difference is that with a first language there is no interference from another language. An infant learning to speak for the first time is a blank slate- without any preconceived notions of how a language is supposed to work. That is definitely not the case for anyone who decides to learn a second language. An Englishà speaker who is learning German must guard against the influence of English. The first thing any language student has to accept is that there is no right or wrong way to construct a language. English is what it is; German is what it is. Arguing about a languages grammar or vocabulary is like arguing about the weather: you cant change it. If the gender of Haus is neuter (das), you cant arbitrarily change it to der.à If you do, then you risk being misunderstood. The reason languages have a particular grammar is to avoid breakdowns in communication. Mistakes Are Unavoidable Even if you understand the concept of first-language interference, does that mean youll never make a mistake in German? Of course not. And that leads us to a big mistake that many students make: Being afraid to make a mistake. Speaking and writing German is a challenge for any student of the language. But the fear of making a mistake can keep you from making progress. Students who dont worry so much about embarrassing themselves end up using the language more and making quicker progress. 1. Thinking in English Its only natural that youll think in English when you begin to learn another language. But the number one mistake made by beginners is thinking too literally and translating word-for-word. As you progress you need to start to think German more and more. Even beginners can learn to think in German phrases at an early stage. If you keep using English as a crutch, always translating fromà English to German, youre doing something wrong. You dont really know German until you start to hear it in your head. German doesnt always put things together like English.à 2. Getting Genders Mixed Up While languages such as French, Italian, or Spanish are content to have just two genders for nouns, German has three! Since every noun in German is eitherà der, die,à orà das,à you need to learn each noun with its gender. Using the wrong gender not only makes you sound stupid, it also can cause changes in meaning. It can be aggravating that any six-year-old in Germany can rattle off the gender of any common noun, but thats the way it is.à 3. Case Confusion If you dont understand what the nominative case is in English, or what a direct or indirect object is, then youre going to have problems with case in German. Case is usually indicated in German by inflection: putting different endings on articles and adjectives. Whenà derà changes toà denà orà dem, it does so for a reason. That reason is the same one that makes the pronoun he change to him in English (orà erà toà ihnà in German). Not using the correct case is very likely to confuse people a lot! 4. Word Orderà German word order (or syntax) is more flexible than English syntax and relies more on case endings for clarity. In German, the subject may not always come first in a sentence. In subordinate (dependent) clauses, the conjugated verb may be at the end of the clause. 5. Calling Someone Sie Instead of du Almost every language in the world- besides English- has at least two kinds of you: one for formal use, the other for familiar use. English once had this distinction (thou and thee are related to German du), but for some reason, it now uses only one form of you for all situations. This means that English-speakers often have problems learning to useà Sieà (formal) andà du/ihrà (familiar). The problem extends to verb conjugation and command forms, which are also different inà Sieà andà duà situations. 6. Getting Prepositions Wrong One of the easiest ways to spot a non-native speaker of any language is the misuse of prepositions. German and English often use different prepositions for similar idioms or expressions: wait for/warten auf, be interested in/sich interessieren fà ¼r, and so on. In English, you take medicine for something, in Germanà gegenà (against) something. German also has two-way prepositionsà that can take two different cases (accusative or dative), depending on the situation. 7. Using Umlauts German Umlauts (Umlauteà in German) can lead to problems for beginners. Words can change their meaning based on whether they have an umlaut or not. For example,à zahlenà means to pay butà zhlenà means to count.à Bruderà is one brother, butà Brà ¼derà means brothers - more than one. Pay attention to words that may have potential problems. Since only a, o, and u can have an umlaut, those are the vowels to be aware of. 8. Punctuation and Contractions German punctuation and the use of the apostrophe is often different than in English. Possessives in German usually do not use an apostrophe. German uses contractions in many common expressions, some of which use an apostrophe (Wie gehts?) and some of which do not (zum Rathaus). Related to the prepositional hazards mentioned above are German prepositional contractions. Contractions such asà am,à ans,à ins, orà imà can be possible pitfalls. 9. Those Pesky Capitalization Rules German is the only modern language that requires the capitalization of all nouns, but there are other potential problems. For one thing, adjectives of nationality are not capitalized in German as they are in English. Partly due toà German spelling reform, even Germans can have problems with spelling hazards likeà am bestenà orà auf Deutsch. You can find the rules and a lot of hints for German spelling in our capitalization lesson and try our spelling quiz. 10. Using the Helping Verbs Haben and Sein In English, the present perfect is always formed with the helping verb have. German verbs in the conversational past (present/past perfect) can use eitherà habenà (have) orà seinà (be) with the past participle. Since those verbs using to be are less frequent, you need to learn which ones useà seinà or in which situations a verb may useà habenà orà seinà in the present or past perfect tense.
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