49 Commonly Misused Words and Phrases

Have you ever wondered if youre using the right word? Like it sounds like the right thing to say in an essay, but you arent quite sure. Surprisingly enough, we misuse a lot more words than we think, and its definitely hurting how your writing is coming across.Weve put together this list to help you get avoid some of the more common mistakes.Many of the words and expressions here listed are not so much bad English as bad style, the commonplaces of careless writing. As illustrated under  Feature, the proper correction is likely to be not the replacement of one word or set of words by another, but the replacement of vague generality by definite statement.Heres our list of 49 commonly misused words and phrases and what you can do instead:1. All right.  Idiomatic in familiar speech as a detached phrase in the sense, Agreed, or Go ahead. In other uses better avoided. Always written as two words.2. As good or better than.  Expressions of this type should be corrected by rearranging th e sentence.My opinion is as good or better than his.My opinion is as good as his, or better (if not better).3. As to whether.  Whether  is sufficient.4. Bid.  Takes the infinitive without to. The past tense is bade.5. Case.  The  Concise Oxford Dictionary  begins its definition of this word: instance of a things occurring; usual state of affairs. In these two senses, the word is usually unnecessary.In many cases, the rooms were poorly ventilated.Many of the rooms were poorly ventilated.It has rarely been the case that any mistake has been made.Few mistakes have been made.See Wood,  Suggestions to Authors, pp. 68-71, and Quiller-Couch,  The Art of Writing, pp. 103-106.6. Certainly.  Used indiscriminately by some speakers, much as others use  very, to intensify any and every statement. A mannerism of this kind, bad in speech, is even worse in writing.7. Character.  Often simply redundant, used from a mere habit of wordiness.Acts of a hostile characterHostile acts 8. Claim, vb.  With object-noun, means  lay claim to. May be used with a dependent clause if this sense is clearly involved: He claimed that he was the sole surviving heir.  (But even here, claimed to be would be better.)  Not to be used as a substitute for  declare, maintain, or  charge.9. Compare.  To  compare to  is to point out or imply resemblances, between objects regarded as essentially of different order; to  compare with  is mainly to point out differences, between objects regarded as essentially of the same order. Thus life has been compared to a pilgrimage, to a drama, to a battle; Congress may be compared with the British Parliament. Paris has been compared to ancient Athens; it may be compared with modern London.10. Clever.  This word has been greatly overused; it is best restricted to ingenuity displayed in small matters.11. Consider.  Not followed by as when it means, believe to be. I consider him thoroughly competent. Compare, The lecturer c onsidered Cromwell first as soldier and second as administrator, where considered means examined or discussed.12. Dependable.  A needless substitute for  reliable, trustworthy.13. Due to.  Incorrectly used for  through, because of, or  owing to, in adverbial phrases: He lost the first game, due to carelessness. In correct use related as predicate or as modifier to a particular noun: This invention is due to Edison; losses due to preventable fires.14. Effect.  As noun, means  result; as verb, means  to bring about, accomplish  (not to be confused with affect, which means to influence).As noun, often loosely used in perfunctory writing about fashions, music, painting, and other arts: an Oriental effect; effects in pale green; very delicate effects; broad effects; subtle effects; a charming effect was produced by. The writer who has a definite meaning to express will not take refuge in such vagueness.15. Etc.  Not to be used of persons. Equivalent to  and the rest , and so forth, and hence not to be used if one of these would be insufficient, that is, if the reader would be left in doubt as to any important particulars. Least open to objection when it represents the last terms of a list already given in full, or immaterial words at the end of a quotation.At the end of a list introduced  by such as, for example, or any similar expression,  etc.  is incorrect.16. Fact.  Use this word only of matters of a kind capable of direct verification, not of matters of judgment. That a particular event happened on a given date, that lead melts at a certain temperature, are facts. But such conclusions as that Napoleon was the greatest of modern generals, or that the climate of California is delightful, however incontestable they may be, are not properly facts.17. Factor.  A hackneyed word; the expressions of which it forms part can usually be replaced by something more direct and idiomatic.His superior training was the great factor in his winning the match.He won the match by being better trained.Heavy artillery is becoming an increasingly important factor in deciding battles.Heavy artillery is playing a larger and larger part in deciding battles.18. Feature.  Another hackneyed word; like  factor  it usually adds nothing to the sentence in which it occurs.A feature of the entertainment especially worthy of mention was the singing of Miss A.(Better use the same number of words to tell what Miss A. sang, or if the programme has already been given, to tell something of how she sang.)As a verb, in the advertising sense  of offer as a special attraction,  to be avoided.19. Fix.  Colloquial in America for  arrange, prepare, mend. In writing restrict it to its literary senses,  fasten, make firm or immovable, etc.(Many of the words and expressions here listed are not so much bad English as bad style, the commonplaces of careless writing. As illustrated under Feature, the proper correction is likely to be not the re placement of one word or set of words by another, but the replacement of vague generality by definite statement.)20. He is a man who.  A common type of redundant expression.He is a man who is very ambitious.He is very ambitious.Spain is a country which I have always wanted to visit.I have always wanted to visit Spain.21. However.  In the meaning  nevertheless, not to come first in its sentence or clause.The roads were almost impassable. However, we at last succeeded in reaching camp.The roads were almost impassable. At last, however, we succeeded in reaching camp.When however comes first, it means  in whatever way  or  to whatever extent.However you advise him, he will probably do as he thinks best.However discouraging the prospect, he never lost heart.22. Kind of.  Not to be used as a substitute for  rather  (before adjectives and verbs), or except in familiar style, for  something like  (before nouns). Restrict it to its literal sense: Amber is a kind of foss il resin; I dislike that kind of notoriety. The same holds true of sort of.23. Less.  Should not be misused for  fewer.He had less men than in the previous campaign.He had fewer men than in the previous campaign.Less  refers to quantity,  fewer  to number. His troubles are less than mine means His troubles are not so great as mine. His troubles are fewer than mine means His troubles are not so numerous as mine. It is, however, correct to say, The signers of the petition were less than a hundred, where the round number, a hundred, is something like a collective noun, and less is thought of as meaning a less quantity or amount.24. Line, along these lines.  Line  in the sense of  course of procedure, conduct, thought,  is allowable, but has been so much overworked, particularly in the phrase  along these lines, that a writer who aims at freshness or originality had better discard it entirely.Mr. B. also spoke along the same lines.Mr. B. also spoke, to the same effec t.He is studying along the line of French literature.He is studying French literature.25. Literal, literally.  Often incorrectly used in support of exaggeration or violent metaphor.A literal flood of abuseA flood of abuseLiterally dead with fatigueAlmost dead with fatigue (dead tired)26. Lose out.  Meant to be more emphatic than  lose, but actually less so, because of its commonness. The same holds true of  try out, win out, sign up, register up. With a number of verbs,  out  and  up  form idiomatic combinations:  find out, run out, turn out, cheer up, dry up, make up, and others, each distinguishable in meaning from the simple verb.  Lose out  is not.27. Most.  Not to be used for  almost.Most everybodyAlmost everybodyMost all the timeAlmost all the time(Many of the words and expressions here listed are not so much bad English as bad style, the commonplaces of careless writing. As illustrated under Feature, the proper correction is likely to be not the repl acement of one word or set of words by another, but the replacement of vague generality by definite statement.)28. Nature.  Often simply redundant, used like  character.Acts of a hostile natureHostile actsOften vaguely used in such expressions as a lover of nature; poems about nature. Unless more specific statements follow, the reader cannot tell whether the poems have to do with natural scenery, rural life, the sunset, the untracked wilderness, or the habits of squirrels.29. Near by.  Adverbial phrase, not yet fully accepted as good English, though the analogy of  close by  and  hard by  seems to justify it.  Near, or  near at hand, is as good, if not better.Not to be used as an adjective; use  neighboring.30. Oftentimes, ofttimes.  Archaic forms, no longer in good use. The modern word is  often.31. One hundred and one.  Retain the and in this and similar expressions, in accordance with the unvarying usage of English prose from Old English times.32. One of the most.  Avoid beginning essays or paragraphs with this formula, as, One of the most interesting developments of modern science is, etc.; Switzerland is one of the most interesting countries of Europe. There is nothing wrong in this; it is simply threadbare and forcible-feeble.33. People.  The people  is a political term, not to be confused with  the public. From the people comes political support or opposition; from the public comes artistic appreciation or commercial patronage.The word  people  is not to be used with words of number, in place of  persons. If of six people five went away, how many people would be left?34. Phase.  Means a stage of transition or development: the phases of the moon; the last phase. Not to be used for  aspect  or  topic.Another phase of the subjectAnother point (another question)35. Possess.  Not to be used as a mere substitute for  have  or  own.He possessed great courage.He had great courage (was very brave).He was th e fortunate possessor ofHe owned36. Respective, respectively.  These words may usually be omitted with advantage.Works of fiction are listed under the names of their respective authors.Works of fiction are listed under the names of their authors.The one mile and two mile runs were won by Jones and Cummings respectively.The one mile and two mile runs were won by Jones and by Cummings.In some kinds of formal writing, as in geometrical proofs, it may be necessary to use  respectively, but it should not appear in writing on ordinary subjects.37. So.  Avoid, in writing, the use of so as an intensifier: so good; so warm; so delightful.38. Sort of.  See under  Kind of.39. State.  Not to be used as a mere substitute for say, remark. Restrict it to the sense of  express full or clearly, as, He refused to state his objections.40. Student body.  A needless and awkward expression, meaning no more than the simple word  students.A member of the student bodyA studentPopular with the student bodyLiked by the studentsThe student body passed resolutions.The students passed resolutions.41. System.  Frequently used without need.Dayton has adopted the commission system of government.Dayton has adopted government by commission.The dormitory systemDormitories(Many of the words and expressions here listed are not so much bad English as bad style, the commonplaces of careless writing. As illustrated under Feature, the proper correction is likely to be not the replacement of one word or set of words by another, but the replacement of vague generality by definite statement.)42. Thanking you in advance.  This sounds as if the writer meant, It will not be worth my while to write to you again. Simply write, Thanking you, and if the favor which you have requested is granted, write a letter of acknowledgment.43. They.  A common inaccuracy is the use of the plural pronoun when the antecedent is a distributive expression such as  each, each one, everybody, every one, many a man,  which, though implying more than one person, requires the pronoun to be in the singular. Similar to this, but with even less justification, is the use of the plural pronoun with the antecedent  anybody, any one, somebody, some one, the intention being either to avoid the awkward he or she, or to avoid committing oneself to either. Some bashful speakers even say, A friend of mine told me that they, etc.Use  he  with all the above words, unless the antecedent is or must be feminine.44. Very.  Use this word sparingly. Where emphasis is necessary, use words strong in themselves.45. Viewpoint.  Write  point of view, but do not misuse this, as many do, for  view  or  opinion.46. While.  Avoid the indiscriminate use of this word for  and, but, and  although. Many writers use it frequently as a substitute for  and  or  but, either from a mere desire to vary the connective, or from uncertainty which of the two connectives is the more appropriate. In this use it is best replaced by a semicolon.The office and salesrooms are on the ground floor, while the rest of the building is devoted to manufacturing.The office and salesrooms are on the ground floor; the rest of the building is devoted to manufacturing.Its use as a virtual equivalent of  although  is allowable in sentences where this leads to no ambiguity or absurdity.While I admire his energy, I wish it were employed in a better cause.This is entirely correct, as shown by the paraphrase,I admire his energy; at the same time I wish it were employed in a better cause.Compare:While the temperature reaches 90 or 95 degrees in the daytime, the nights are often chilly.Although the temperature reaches 90 or 95 degrees in the daytime, the nights are often chilly.The paraphrase,The temperature reaches 90 or 95 degrees in the daytime; at the same time the nights are often chilly,shows why the use of  while  is incorrect.In general, the writer will do well to use  while  o nly with strict literalness, in the sense of  during the time that.47. Whom.  Often incorrectly used for  who  before  he said  or similar expressions, when it is really the subject of a following verb.His brother, whom he said would send him the moneyHis brother, who he said would send him the moneyThe man whom he thought was his friendThe man who (that) he thought was his friend (whom he thought his friend)48. Worth while.  Overworked as a term of vague approval and  (with not)  of disapproval. Strictly applicable only to actions: Is it worth while to telegraph?His books are not worth while.His books are not worth reading (not worth ones while to read; do not repay reading).The use of  worth while  before a noun  (a worth while story)  is indefensible.49. Would.  A conditional statement in the first person requires  should, not  would.I should not have succeeded without his help.The equivalent of  shall  in indirect quotation after a verb in the past tense is  should, not  would.He predicted that before long we should have a great surprise.To express habitual or repeated action, the past tense, without  would, is usually sufficient, and from its brevity, more emphatic.Once a year he would visit the old mansion.Once a year he visited the old mansion.

Safety and Security

Safety and Security Safety and Security Safety and Security By Maeve Maddox Cora wants to know the difference between safety and security. Safety and security and their adjectives safe and secure are often used in tandem, as in the hymn: Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarm Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms These definitions from the OED treat them as synonyms: safety: a. The state of being safe; exemption from hurt or injury; freedom from danger. safety chain, a chain providing additional security security: The condition of being protected from or not exposed to danger; safety. Nevertheless, the words differ in connotation and writers will weigh the context when deciding which to use. Safe and safety, for example, push emotional buttons that secure and security dont. We speak of national security, but personal safety. Threatened townspeople seek the security of castle walls, but a frightened child runs to the safety of her fathers arms. Security surrounds, but safety enfolds. Perhaps the lingering differences between the words can be found in their differing etymologies. Safe comes from Latin salvus, uninjured, healthy. Its related to salus, good health. Secure comes from Latin securus, without care, from se, free from, and cura, care. To my mind, security suggests freedom from worries that derive from knowing that certain external safeguards are in place and that I can rely on them to protect me and my property. Safety is a richer word that includes an inner certainty that all is well. In a sense, security is external, while safety is internal. 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 Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Congratulations on or for?Taser or Tazer? Tazing or Tasering?Hyphenation in Compound Nouns

Case 2- Relevant Information for Decision Making Essay

Case 2- Relevant Information for Decision Making - Essay Example These decisions are based on many calculations, based on estimates and actual figures, prepared by the management accountants. One of the most appropriate approaches for decision making is ‘decision-relevant approach’. (Drury, 2004) In this paper, we have analyzed the given data using decision relevant approach. The first step in this approach was to identify the relevant and irrelevant costs of both the alternatives for comparison basis. As described by Drury, relevant costs and revenues are that income and expenses that are affected in the future because of making any decision. (Drury, 2004) 1) Direct Material Cost is a relevant cost for decision making, because if the outsourcing decision is taken, then no such costs will be incurred by BMC. Further, since there is no future obligation of the existing direct materials’ contracts, therefore, no penalties or future obligations will be imposed on BMC on termination of these contracts. This means that direct material cost is taken as a relevant cost in calculating the total expense of manufacturing Global System navigator (GPSN), and no impact is taken to calculate the total expenses of outsourcing the production (buying from a contractor). 2) Direct Labor Cost is also a relevant cost for decision making because if the decision for outsourcing the production of GPSNs will be taken no such costs will be incurred. However, because of termination of the employment contracts, BMC will have to pay penalties of $66,000 annually for four years. Therefore, direct labor cost per unit is taken as the part of cost of manufacturing GPSN, whereas $ 5,500 is added in the monthly outsourcing expense ($66,000/12). 3) As it is given in the given data that because of failing quality control 2% of the units produced are discarded. Therefore, in order to meet the need for 8,000 products in a month 8,327 units should be manufactured by BMC. However, in case of outsourcing, BMC will buy 8,000 units from Far East Enterprises

Roles of Nurses in the Camps Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Roles of Nurses in the Camps - Research Paper Example Over 10 million Syrians have fled from their homes as presidents Bashar al-Assad’s military fight with those against his rule as well as the jihadist military from the Islamic state. Violence increased and the country went into civil war, hence forcing Syrians to flee to refugee camps, for example, Zaatari refugee camp. Â  Nurses in the refugee camp counsel the traumatized patients. Many of the displaced people witnessed the death of their family members. (Choo, Hutchinson, & Bucknall, 2010). However, it is the role of a nurse to make them feel safe and help them adapt to the new environment. Provision of health education to the vulnerable displaced people, for example, the hepatitis A outbreak in the Za’atari camp due to unhygienic conditions. The nurses visited schools explaining the importance of washing hands after visiting the toilet and before handling food. The nurses do vaccination of measles on people under the age of 30 before getting in the camp, in addition to undertaking prenatal care and delivery of babies in the camp. They also taught the women the importance of family planning asks for better working equipment in the refugee camp to increase saving lives. One of the nursing values is promoting the health of a patient and their well-being. Sometimes nurses have to make autonom ous decisions, for example breaking shocking news that an individual is tested positive for HIV/AIDS (Choo, Hutchinson, & Bucknall, 2010). Â  Empowered nurses are allowed to admit/discharge patients. Support of patients living with HIV/AIDS is a role of a nurse. Patients who are supported feel accepted and loved. The researchers in the Zaatari camp health care center look for ways to improve the healthcare services. The research nurses uncover ways to improve the lives of patients living with chronic diseases such as cancer (Wintersgill & Wheeler, 2012).

Relevance Of Symbolic Play In Child Development Education Essay

Relevance Of Symbolic Play In Child Development Education Essay This essay looks at the issue of symbolic play being therapeutic play for children. The essay looks at the theory of symbolic play, the use of symbolic play with children, the therapeutic value of symbolic play, using research to support the discussions. The essay discusses what is understood by symbolic play, then moves on to discuss the importance of symbolic play in childrens development, looking at the various theories that have been put forward to explain the importance of play in childrens development. The essay then moves on to look at various instances where therapeutic play has been used, and is considered useful, such as in children who are experiencing a chronic illness, who are hospitalized, who are awaiting surgery or who have experienced some form of trauma. What is symbolic play? Symbolic play is, according to Piaget (1962) one of the main ways in which children learn to think in a representational manner, where representation is understood as a process through which children store information according to the perceptual analysis of their ingoing experiences (Leslie, 1987; Lyytinen et al., 1997). Play essentially allows children to understand the things they experience and to put these things in to perspective. As such, play is fundamentally important for childrens development (Piaget, 1962). Play is one of the ways in which children understand the world, their interactions with others and the rules and regulations that govern their passage through the world. Play is, thus, a fundamental activity for children that allows them to form their personalities and to understand their place in the world, in relation to others. Relevant of symbolic play in child development Symbolic play, which arises around the age of 18 months, basically involves children substituting one item for another, and can constitute incorporating others in to their play, pretend play or sequencing. This can mean that children pretend to be mother (or father) or that they use household items to reproduce day-to-day activities they have seen their parents doing, amongst other common symbolic play activities. This symbolic allows children to experiment with different roles and different forms of being, which, as has been discussed, allows children to understand, and to contextualise, their experiences. As Piaget (1962) argues, such symbolic play allows children to understand the role of self and others, the use of objects and the sequences of actions and activities whilst playing. This allows children to understand objects, to learn about the properties of objects and to learn about consequences and causality (Piaget, 1962). Play thus allows children, amongst other things, to re alize where their boundaries are, to understand why things work in the ways they do and to understand how to interact with others. Symbolic play is thus, as has been discussed, a fundamental developmental tool for children. Watson and Zlotlow (1999) talk about symbolic play as, an important characteristic of childrens early play, through the enactment of activities that are very familiar to the child in contexts that are not typical for those activities. Enacting activities out of context allows the child to explore, and to understand, the role of agents in their lives, allowing them to understand how the world works and what their role is in this world. Symbolic play, therefore, has been argued to have three main features: the use of objects; the use of actions during the play; and individuals enacting the play (i.e., agents) (Watson and Zlotlow, 1999). The use of objects can be undertaken in many forms, either through substitution, in which the object is used to represent something else, through scenario-building, with the object being used to perform some task or in combination, with the object being used in various ways (Watson, 2008). The use of actions in play and the development of the agent in p lay follow certain patterns depending on the age of the child, as does the theme of childrens symbolic play (Watson, 2008). The one thing that all symbolic play has in common, at whatever age or developmental stage the child is at, is that the child uses some representation of self in their play. At age four, for example, children will have progressed to fantasy play, but these fantasies will usually involve themselves in becoming their fantasy a fireman or a prince, for example (Garvey, 1990). This allows them to explore different roles and responsibilities. Symbolic play is, therefore, a natural phenomena, that children follow naturally, as part of their development through childhood. As Reed (2007) argues, symbolic play links all four areas of a childs development, namely cognitive, language, social/emotional and physical, and, as such, is a fundamental part of the development of children. Symbolic play allows the child to acquire knowledge and to express and represent their ideas, thoughts and feelings: as Vygotsky argues, in his sociocultural cognitive theory, symbolic play allows children to develop and to self-regulate and to work out any problems they might face (Reed, 2007). It is in this aspect, then, that the therapeutic value of symbolic play becomes clear. As children constantly experiment with their environment, their peers and the other agents they meet, and as the results of these experiments are constantly being fed back to lead to reinforce certain behaviours or to elicit different patterns of behaviours, the value of pl ay as therapy is clear. Children who are passing through a difficult moment and who need help to understand this, to contextualise these difficulties in the framework of their existing knowledge, can, through engaging in therapeutic play, manage this. Therapeutic play allows them to experiment with the various outcomes and to contextualise the problems they face, allowing them an opportunity to work through these problems/problematic situations, through this working out their difficulties and coming to understand how to deal with them. The use of symbolic play as therapy In terms of the use of symbolic play as therapy with children, as Bettelheim states, Play permits the child to resolve in symbolic form unresolved problems of the past and to cope directly or symbolically with present concerns. It is also his most significant tool for preparing himself for the future and its tasks (Schaefer, 1995). Using play as a tool to help children through a difficult stage in their lives is, therefore, grounded in theory and makes sense in light of the fact that children learn through play. The research shows, for example, that therapeutic play can be helpful in aiding children through hospital stays (William, 2007) or through surgery, with this therapeutic play being shown to reduce anxiety and increase overall well-being (Bowmer, 2002). As Moore and Russ (2006) discuss, pretend play can act as a resource for children, relating, as it does, to many areas of adaptive functioning including creativity, coping and emotional regulation. As Moore and Russ (2006) show , pretend play in hospital settings can reduce anxiety and, through this, can reduce the likelihood of complications following surgery and can allow children to adapt better to the complications of chronic illness. The therapeutic value of symbolic play In terms of the therapeutic value of symbolic play, as Axline (1964) discusses, therapeutic play can be delivered through one of two major approaches, namely via non-directive play therapy and via directive play therapy (Oaklander, 1988). According to Axline (1964), play therapy should be governed by eight principles, namely that the therapist and child must be comfortable with each other; that the therapist accepts the child as he/she is; that the child can freely express their feelings; that the therapist is alert to the feelings the child expresses; that the therapist respects the child and their ability to resolve their own problems; that the therapist does not attempt to influence the child; that the therapy is carried out in its own time; and that the only limitations placed on the play therapy are those that anchor the therapy in the real world (Axline, 1964). If the therapeutic play is provided within this framework, the benefits of the therapeutic play can be many and varied , as discussed above, with the troubled child benefitting greatly from this intervention. As Li and Lopez (2008) argue, therapeutic play can be valuable not only in helping children through a difficult stage in their lives but can be useful in helping to in prepare children for a stressful, or difficult, period that they might face. For example, children who are facing surgery or a chronic illness can be helped to come to terms with this through the use of therapeutic play. As Li and Lopez (2008) report, by reinforcing to nursing and medical staff that play is a very important part of the lives of young children, and be employing therapeutic play techniques, this can markedly improve the anxiety that these children experience and can allow these children to have a more positive outlook regarding their situation and the difficult things they will face, meaning that they are better equipped to face these situations. As Li and Lopez (2008) argue, therapeutic play can help to improve the resilience of children who face difficulties and, as such, it is an important tool to use in those children who need help to become more resilient. Children who have faced some form of trauma, for example, can be aided through the fallout of this trauma through engaging in therapeutic play. By allowing the child the space to act out what they saw, or what they have experienced, for example, the child can come to terms with this traumatic experience. This therapeutic play could take the form of using puppets, or drawing, or role playing: anything that allows the child to re-enact the event(s) and, through this, come to terms with what happened. The use of therapeutic play in explaining the loss of someone close to them is known to be particularly valuable, for example, as this can allow them to imagine the person is still here and to resolve any outstanding issues they had with them, or to slowly come to terms with the fact that they are no longer alive and no longer able to be physically present with the child. The simple act of playing can, therefore, allow the child to come to terms with many difficult emotions, allowing the c hild to slowly become more able to cope with the negative emotions that a traumatic event (such as witnessing a violent act or the unexpected death of a close family member), allowing them to deal with these negative emotions (Schaefer and OConnor, 1994). As Schaefer and OConnor (1994) argue, role playing in particular can help children to face the negative post-trauma reactions that children might face, with role-play allowing children to relive the trauma and to find various solutions to their negative experiences and emotions. Conclusion In summary, then, this essay has looked at the issue of symbolic play being therapeutic play for children. The essay has looked, in particular, at the theory of symbolic play, the use of symbolic play with children and the therapeutic value of symbolic play. In regards to the theory of symbolic play, it has been seen that various theories have been proposed to explain the importance of symbolic play in childrens development, with all of these theories agreeing that play is a fundamental part of childrens development and that this play allows them to contextualise their experiences and to understand how these experiences dictate how they should act and should behave in different situations. It is this attribute of symbolic play that lends itself to being useful in helping children come to terms with difficult events in their lives: as has been discussed, play allows children to explore different scenarios (even difficult scenarios), with this play enabling them to overcome any negative emotions or feelings they might have had towards these scenarios. A child who is facing a difficult surgery, for example, might be scared, might be worried for themselves and for their families, but engaging in role play with this child (for example) allows them the opportunity to explore different possibilities and to release some of their anxieties and concerns. This has been shown, as discussed, to reduce the anxiety these children feel and to enable the childs health and well-being to be maintained, even under difficult circumstances. Similarly, a child who has experienced trauma can be helped through their post-traumatic period by engaging in some form of therapeutic play. This would normally consist of helping the child to act out their fears and their experiences, allowing the child to get rid of all of their negative emotions and feelings with regards to the even, allowing the child to expel these from their psyche and then to carry on without carrying this burden along with them. In conclusion, then, the essay has shown that play is fundamental for children and that, given its experimental nature and its ability to contextualise events and interactions for children, play is, at its very essence, therapeutic. Using play with children who need therapeutic interventions, then, makes perfect sense to allow children to understand the negative events/emotions and to overcome their fears and anxieties regarding these negative events and emotions. Therapeutic play has been shown to be a useful intervention in many cases, including in hospitalized children and in children living with chronic illnesses, who can be helped through this difficult period by engaging in therapeutic play, which has been shown to reduce their anxiety levels. In conclusion, then, therapeutic play is an extension of the symbolic play that children engage in as a normal developmental process and can be useful in helping children through difficult periods in their life.

The Lottery Essay -- essays research papers fc

When â€Å"The Lottery† was first published in 1948, it created an enormous controversy and great interest in its author, Shirley Jackson. Shirley Jackson was born in San Francisco, California on December 14, 1919. When she was two years old, her family moved her to Burlingame, California, where Jackson attended high school. After high school Jackson moved away to attend college at Rochester University in upstate New York but after only a short time at Rochester and, after taking off a year from school, she moved on to Syracuse University. At first, Jackson was in the School of Journalism at Syracuse but soon moved to the English Department to pursue her interest in writing. Jackson soon started publishing works in the school news paper and eventually, she and a classmate and future husband, Stanley Hyman started their own magazine under the supervision of teacher, Leonard Brown, who Jackson later described as her mentor. After graduating from Syracuse in 1940, Jackson and college sweetheart Hyman married and moved to Vermont. In Vermont, Jackson did a lot of writing, publishing many books, children’s stories and humorous pieces, including a book about family life titled â€Å"Life among Savages.† â€Å"The Lottery† was a radical departure from the tone and contents of her other works. (http://reagan.underthesun.cc/sjackson/sjackson1.html) In 1948, Jackson wrote what turned out to be probably her most famous short story entitled â€Å"The Lottery.† When â€Å"The Lottery† appeared in the New Yorker, it created a huge controversy and received a lot of press for its dark psychological horror. Many people believed that â€Å"The Lottery† was about how society can be cruel to individuals, the violence in society and the overwhelming need of humans to conform to the norms of society without regard to right or wrong. Many people found the story gross and disgusting because of the surprising murder at the end of the story. The story has been interpreted by many literary critics and scholars with the general conclusion that â€Å"The Lottery† is a satire on the willingness of people to engage collectively in abhorrent behavior, racial prejudice, and sexism all of which are social evils† (Barr 248-49). Jackson recalls when she first got the idea to write â€Å"The Lottery.† â€Å"The id ea had come to me while I was pushing my daughter up the hill in her stroller-it was, as I say, a warm morning, and the hill... ... a work of fiction, its underlying themes of human violence and cruelty, obedience to rituals and authority can be seen in many of the events of recent and contemporary history. The people of Jackson’s time era were not used to someone telling such graphic truths through a short story. If Jackson had written her Story today I am sure there would not be anything close to the public uproar that occurred in 1948 when the story was published.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Works Cited Barr, Donald. â€Å"A Talent for Irony.† New York Times Book Review (1949): 4 Rpt in Short Story Criticism. Ed. Thomas Votteler. Vol. 9 Detroit: Gale, 1992. 248 Crisis Group. â€Å"Crisis in Darfur.† 20 Mar. 2005   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hyman, Edgar Stanley. â€Å"Biography of a Story.† Come Along With Me. (1960): 211-25. Rpt in Short Story Criticism. Ed. Jenny Cromie. Vol 39 Farmington Hills: Gale, 2000. 181-185 Jackson, Shirley. â€Å"The Lottery.† Literature The Human Experience Reading and Writing. Ed. Richard Abcarian and Marvin Klotz. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2004. 328-334 Reagan, Bette. â€Å"Shirley Jackson – Life and Work.† 18 Mar.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Obesity in the UK Essay

Obesity levels in the Untied Kingdom have reached an all time high with one in every four adults suffering from obesity. Childhood obesity has also drastically increased with 25 percent of boys and 33 percent of girls aged between two and 19 years being overweight or obese. There is little sign of this upward trend in obesity stopping, and it will have a significant impact on the state of the country. It will negatively affect the UK’s economy and more importantly negatively affect the health of the UK’s 63 million people. With obesity becoming this prevalent in our society is it not time we address this issue? I think it is, and one of the best ways in my opinion is to introduce a tax on fizzy drinks and fast food. This may sounds rather drastic when first heard but consider the  £5.1billion spent every year by the NHS to treat those with obesity related medical conditions. Now consider the 2535 branches of Burger King, McDonald’s, KFC and Pizza Hut located all around Scotland and England, consider the number of products those branches sell and the amount of money that could be raised through taxes upon those products. That money could be spent on our NHS which is being crippled under the weight of budget cuts and the cost obesity is having certainly isn’t helping the load. These taxes could also deter many from the promise of quick, cheap food from these outlets and could send them in the direction of healthier options. The recommendations in favour of taxing these food are quite reasonable, such as recommendation of taxes of twenty percent on sugary drinks for at least a year being put forth. Other initiatives are already in place to help tackle the UK’s weight problem such as the ‘Change 4 Life’ initiative run by the NHS which offers free nutritional advice to those who want it. The problem is though, that as much good as these schemes are doing they aren’t working well enough. The obesity levels in this country are still rising and we need more action to stop it. We need to have more healthy eating schemes in place around the country in places such as schools, at the work place and even at hospitals. People need to understand the risks of junk food and the major health effects it can have causing obesity, and with obesity comes a vast array of other negative  health effects which include heart disease, certain cancers, high blood pressure, joint problems, psychological difficulties and diabetes. There have been other recommendations on ways to tackle obesity with ideas like banning the advertising of foods high in saturated fat, sugar and salt before 9pm, this can help with the problems of childhood obesity as children would be less likely to have seen these advertisements meaning they were less likely to be influenced by them. Another change that could drastically tip the scales towards healthier eating is giving local councils the power to limit the number of fast food outlets near schools and leisure centres limiting the availability of these types of food to young children. There are also plans for the government to spend  £300 million on weight management programmes, that may sound like a large amount but it is far less than the cost obesity is having on the pockets of the NHS. Taxation on tobacco products has already been proven to help reduce the number of smoking related deaths and the amount of money collected in taxes from tobacco products in 2012 ( £12.1bn) far outweighs the cost smoking related illnesses have on the NHS annually ( £5bn) so surely the idea of taxing fatty and sugary foods is not too drastic. Especially when there are around 35,000 obesity related deaths each year. Other ways to tackle obesity have to do with activities rather than food. Along with the increase in junk food intake by people in the UK there has also been a large lack of exercise or sporting activity. Most people nowadays have jobs that involve sitting at a desk for long periods of the day, this combined with the fact that most people commute to work by car or bus rather than walking equals to a lot of sitting down during the day. After work most people just want to relax and so often sit down on the sofa with a cup of tea and watch television rather than do something active. This problem is hard to tackle but if initiatives at the work place are introduced which include things like sporting clubs offered free by the workplace or other incentives to walk to work rather than drive this can serious help with the daily inactivity. The workplace can also help by removing vending machines that give out junk food and replace them with one  that give out a healthy snack. Finally one more thing the government can do to help with this problem is to subsidise the cost of healthy foods in shops. This will be useful as one of the main reasons people eat unhealthy food is because it is often cheaper than most healthier products. If the healthier products are cheaper than other choices then people are more likely to eat healthily. Or instead of subsidising the food the government could give out food vouchers to those struggling for money to give them discounts on the healthier products in shops. This combined with taxation on the fattier foods can completely change the perception of healthy food in this country and we can begin on the road to eradicating the problem of obesity in the UK. By Rajan Gill 11E