The Essay ,Part 1

The Essay

A non-fiction piece of writing is by definition, an essay. They are generally of a scholarly or academic nature, and express the author’s point of view or argument. An essay can also resemble an article, a pamphlet or sometimes, a short story.

An essay is written in prose. They are a major part of a formal education and in many academic circles, follow specific criteria. While they are usually subjective, an essay can take the form of being expository and in some cases a narrative.

The key to a quality essay is that it be well structured. The presentation of the prose must lead the reader clearly and easily. It must be free of distractions and not cluttered. The style of the writing is a critical key to the overall presentation.

Most importantly, a quality essay must consist of the author’s ideas and thoughts on the topic. And it must stay on topic. When an essay is being evaluated, it will be receive a high grade if has a clear and readable point. This will all be supported by references, quotes, facts and data, but at the heart of the good essay, is the message.

Reflexive pronouns ('myself')

Verbs commonly followed by reflexive pronouns: 'I enjoyed myself'

   1)       Myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, oneself, ourselves, yourselves and themselves are reflexive pronouns. There aren't many verbs in English which we must always use with reflexive pronouns: absent oneself, avail oneself (of) and pride oneself (on):

Monica absented herself from work. Jim prides himself on his cooking.

   2)       We often use reflexive pronouns with these verbs: amuse, blame, cut, dry, enjoy, hurt, and introduce: I've cut myself with the bread knife.

We can use these verbs without reflexive pronouns if we want to: I've cut my thumb.

We can use object pronouns (me, him, her, etc.) after these verbs only when we refer to

someone else: He amused me (but not *I amused me// cut me: etc.)

Write: Supply the correct reflexive pronouns in the following.

1 I enjoyed…myself…very much at the party.

2 1 see you've cut...................................again. Won't you ever learn how to shave?

3 How did Tom dry..................................? - He used your towel!

4 She has no reason to blame ................................for what has happened.

5 I think that poor dog has hurt..................................

6 'One prides .................................. on one's patience,' the boss said, in his usual pompous manner.

7 We amused .................................. playing football on the beach.

8 Our new neighbours knocked at our door and introduced..................................

9 Sheila prides .................................on her ability to judge people's characters.

10 Bill had to absent .................................. from work when his baby was born.

Verb + reflexive, or not?: 'I've dressed (myself)'

   1)       We sometimes add reflexive pronouns after verbs like dress, hide, shave and wash for emphasis or to show that something has been done with an effort. For example, if we are referring to a child, we might say: Polly's now learnt how to dress herself, but we could also say: Polly has now learnt how to dress. (without herself). The choice is ours.

   2)       Verbs such as get up, sit down, stand up, wake up and get wet, get tired, get dressed, get married  are not normally reflexive in English: I sat down with difficulty.

We might use a reflexive only for emphasis.

I sat myself down with difficulty.

Write: Write these sentences again using reflexive pronouns with the verbs.

1 We didn't know where to hide… We didn't know where to hide ourselves.

2 That kitten now washes every day. .....................................................................................................

3 She's just learning how to dress. ........................................................................................................

4 We sat down and waited. ....................................................................................................................

5 I got wet watering the garden. ............................................................................................................

6 I woke up with a start. .........................................................................................................................

7 Barry has just got engaged. ................................................................................................................

8 Get ready quickly! ...............................................................................................................................

Reflexive pronouns used after prepositions and for emphasis

   1)      We can use reflexive pronouns:

- after a preposition: Look after yourself! Take care of yourself!

- in fixed expressions: strictly between ourselves, just among ourselves, in itself.

   2)      We use object pronouns when we refer to:

- place: Have you got any money on you? (Not 'Have you got any money on yourself?')

- after with (= accompanied by): I brought the children with me. (Not *with myself')

   3)      We use by + reflexive to mean 'without help' or 'alone':

She made the dress by herself. (= without help) She lives by herself. (= alone)

   4)      We sometimes use reflexive pronouns after nouns and pronouns for emphasis to mean 'that personal thing and only that personal thing':

The film itself is very good. You yourself saw it.

The reflexive pronoun can also go at the end of a sentence or clause:

You saw what happened yourself. Or: You yourself saw what happened.

Write: Rewrite these sentences using reflexive pronouns for emphasis.

1 I didn't know about it till yesterday… I didn't know about it myself till yesterday.

2 The building is all right, I think.

........................................................................................

3 You can't do that!

 ........................................................................................

4 I can't fetch it - you fetch it.

 .......................................................................................

5 Don't expect me to do it. Do it!

 ..........................................................................................

Possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns (‘my/mine’)

Basic differences between 'my' and 'mine', etc.

   1)       My, your, his, her, its, one's, our, your and there are possessive adjectives. This means they must go in front of nouns: He's my son. It's your house. etc.

   2)       They refer to the possessor, not to the thing possessed:

John amused his daughter. (= his own) John amused her daughter. (= someone else's)

Jane amused her son. (= her own) Jane amused his son. (= someone else's)

Its refers to possession by an animal or thing: The cat drank its milk.

   3)       Mine, yours, his, hers, ours, yours, and theirs are possessive pronouns. This means they stand on their own: That book is mine. (Not 'That is mine book. ')

Write: Supply the missing possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns.

1 What a beautiful baby girl! What's ............ ................ name?

2 This is your towel: it's yellow. And that's your husband's. ..................................... is blue.

3 This car isn't...................................... My car has a different registration number.

4 'Shall we have ..................................... supper on a tray and watch TV?' my wife asked.

5 That umbrella doesn't belong to you. ..................................... is the one with the leather handle.

6 Their flat and our flat may seem to be the same, but ..................................... is different from ours.

7 One should put ..................................... own interests last.

8 John's son wants to be an actor and ..................................... daughter wants to be an actress.

9 Patricia's eldest daughter has just left school and ..................................... youngest has just begun.

10 Has the cat been given ..................................... milk yet?

The double genitive: 'He is a friend of mine'

   1)       We can say: He is your friend.

or: He is a friend of yours. (No apostrophe: not 'He is a friend of your's. ')

And note: He is a friend of mine. (Not 'He is a friend of me. ')

   2)       We can say: He is my father's friend.

We still use 's after of if we say: He is a friend of my father's. (Not *of my father')

   3)       We often use this and that with this construction, especially when we are criticizing:

That boy of yours is in trouble again. That motorbike of yours is very noisy.

Write: Rewrite these sentences using phrases with of, making any necessary changes.

1 Your brother is always in trouble. That ...brother of yours is always in trouble.

2 He's not my friend. He's no

..................................................................

3 We watched a play by Shakespeare. We watched

..................................................................

4 Now tell me about your problem. Now tell me about

..................................................................

5 We've known him for years. He's our friend. He's

..................................................................

6 Her loud music drives me crazy! That

..................................................................

7 My sister's friend phoned from New York. A

..................................................................

8 Their neighbours have been complaining again. Those

.................................................................

9 Your radio keeps us all awake! That

..................................................................

'The' in place of 'my', etc.: 'a pain in the neck'

We sometimes use the where we might expect my, your, etc., e.g. with parts of the body or with clothing after prepositions: He hit me in the face. She pulled me by the sleeve.

We use the to refer informally to members of the family: How are the children?

But avoid expressions like 'Meet the wife'.

'It' and 'one/some/any/none'

'It' as in 'It's hot' and 'It's nice to see you'

   1)      ‘empty subject’ : ‘It’s hot’

It carries no information in sentences like It's hot, It's 8 o'clock, etc. so we call it an 'empty

subject'. We use it because a sentence must have a subject. (Not 'Is hot?

   2)       'preparatory subject': 'It's nice to see you'

We sometimes begin a sentence with it and continue with to-, -ing or that.

The true subject is to-, -ing, or that, but we generally prefer to begin with it:

To lie in the sun/Lying in the sun is pleasant. + It's pleasant to lie/lying in the sun.

That he's arriving today is certain. + It's certain (that) he's arriving today.

Write: Here are some notes. Write them as sentences beginning with It.

1 Monday, 13th June today. ....It’s Monday, 13^th June, today.

2 Snowing now. Snows a lot here. .........................................................................................................

3 22" Celsius in London yesterday. .......................................................................................................

4 100 kilometres from here to Paris. ......................................................................................................

5 Important to get to the meeting. ..........................................................................................................

6 Difficult making such decisions. ..........................................................................................................

7 A pleasure to welcome you all here. ...................................................................................................

8 A pity that they couldn't come. ............................................................................................................

'It' and 'one' as subjects and objects: 'I like it'

   1)       We use it and they if we are referring to 'something particular':

Has the letter arrived this morning?- Yes, it has just arrived.

Have the letters arrived this morning? - Yes, they have just arrived.

   2)       We use one, some and none when we mean 'in general':

Has a letter arrived? - Yes, one has just arrived.

Have any letters arrived? - Yes, some have arrived. No, none have/has arrived.

   3)       We must use an object after verbs like enjoy and like :

particular: Do you like this cake? - Yes, I like it. (Not *I like// don't like?)

general: Would you like some cake? - Yes, I'd like some./No, I don't want any.

(Not 'I'd like// wouldn't like?)

Write: Supply it, them, one, some, any or none in the following.

1 Were any cars parked outside our house today? -Yes, …one…was parked there all morning.

2 Was that car parked outside our house today? -Yes, ....................was parked there all morning.

3 Did any letters come for me this morning? - No, .................... came for you.

4 Have the spare parts arrived yet? - Yes, .................... of them have just arrived.

5 Do you like this dish? - Yes, I like....................very much.

6 Did you enjoy the strawberries? - Yes, I enjoyed....................very much.

7 Would you like some strawberries? - No, I don't want ..................... thank you.

8 Would you like any cherries? - Yes, I'd like .....................p lease.

9 Have you got the maps with you? - No, I haven't got....................

10 Have you got a spare light bulb? - No, I haven't got....................

'I hope/believe/expect so'

   1)       We use so (not 'it') after these verbs when we are responding in the affirmative:

believe, expect, fear, guess, hope, imagine, say, suppose, tell someone and think:

Is what you told me true? - I believe so. (Not *I believe* *I believe it')

   2)       We use so in the affirmative after I'm afraid and It seems:

The weather changing for the worse. - I'm afraid so. It seems so.

   3)       We can make a negative in two ways after these verbs:

believe, expect, imagine, suppose, think and It seems:

Is that true? - I don't think so. Or: I think not.

'One' and 'ones' in place of countable nouns: 'Use this clean one'

   1)       We can't use an adjective on its own in place of a singular countable noun. We must use a noun after an adjective or we must use one to avoid repeating the noun:

Don't use that cloth. Use this clean one. (Not 'Use this clean. ')

   2)       We use ones to avoid repeating a plural countable noun:

I don't want to wear my old shoes. I want to wear my new ones. (Not 'wear my new')

   3)       We can use one and ones for people as well as things:

Do you know John Smith/Jane Smith? - Is he/she the one who phoned last night?

Do you know the Smiths? - Are they the ones who used to live in this house?

   4)     We do not use one in place of an uncountable noun. We repeat the noun or use no noun at all:

Don’t use that milk. Use this fresh milk. Or: Use this fresh. (Not *this fresh one*)

Write: Supply one or ones where necessary.

1 Have you met our new secretary? - Is she the …one…who joined us last week?

2 You know the man I mean, the .........................................who lent you •’50.

3 Which actresses did you meet? - The........................................who appeared in Act 1.

4 Here are your stamps. These are the .........................................you paid for.

5 Which computer did you use? - The .........................................that is in your office.

6 The children I like to teach are the.........................................who like to learn.

7 Pour away that dirty water and get some clean.........................................

8 If I were you, I'd sell that old car and buy a new.........................................

'Which one(s)?' - 'This/that (one)', etc.

   1)       We use one/ones to refer to people and things after Which?, this/that and adjectives:

Which one would you like? This one or that one? - I'd like the large one/the red one.

We can also say Which would you like? This or that?

   2)       We sometimes omit one and ones after superlatives and in short answers:

Which one/ones would you like? - I'd like the best (one/ones).

Which one/ones would you like? - The large/the red.

   3)       We usually avoid ones after these/those: I want these. I want those. (Not 'these ones*)

   4)       We normally use one/ones after this/that/these/those + adjective:

I want this/that white one. I want these/those white ones.

   5)     We cannot omit one/ones in structures like: Which woman? - The one in the green dress.

Write:

a Supply one or ones.

b Put a tick beside the sentences where one/ones could be omitted.

1 Which gloves would you like to see? - The........ W ......... in the window.

2 Which shoes fit you best? - The large........................

3 Which pullover do you prefer? -The red........................

4 Which jeans are you going to buy? - The most expensive........................

5 Please pass me that plate. - Which........................?

6 Two of those coats suit you very well. - Which........................?

7 I'd like to test-drive one of these two cars. -This ........................ or that.........................?

8 I'd like to see some rings, please. -These ........................ in silver or those ........................ in gold?

9 I'd like to try one of these shirts. Please pass me that white........................

10 I think, on the whole, I prefer these yellow........................

Gender in relation to animals, things and countries

   1)      We use it to refer to animals, as if they were things. We only use he, she and who when there is a reason for doing so, for example, when we refer to a poet:

Rover’s a good dog. He is my best friend. Bessie’s a fine cow. She gives a lot of milk.

   2)       We use he or she to refer to 'lower animals' when, for example, we regard their activities with interest: Look at that frog! Look at the way he jumps!

   3)       We sometimes refer to ships, cars, motorbikes and other machines as she, when the reference is 'affectionate': My old car's not fast, but she does 50 miles to the gallon.

   4)       Some writers refer to a country as she when they're thinking of it 'as a person':

In 194 1, America assumed her role as a world power.

Write: Supply suitable pronouns in the following. Alternatives are possible.

1 What do you call your dog? - …She… is called Flossie.

2 There's a dog in our neighbourhood that barks all night. ..................... ' s getting on my nerves.

3 They're launching a new ship in Portsmouth and I've been invited to see ..................... launched.

4 The Titanic may be at the bottom of the sea, but..................... ' s never forgotten.

5 1 run a car in London, but I really don't need.....................

6 This old car of mine may be falling to pieces, but ....................'s all I've got.

7 Did you see that frog? .....................jumped right in front of us!

8 1 saw a frog in our garden. - Where did you see ......................7

9 You can't see America in a week, you know. ..................... ' s a big country!

10 In the 19th century America welcomed the European poor. .....................opened her arms to them.

11 ' ....................'.s a cunning fox,' the monkey said to the hen. 'Be careful!' .

12 They've just found an old wreck off the coast of Florida. ....................'s . probably Spanish.

Pronouns

Personal pronouns

Subject and object pronouns

   1)       We use pronouns in place of nouns. They may be subject (she) or object (her).

   2)       We call I, you, etc. personal pronouns because they refer to 'grammatical persons':

1st person: I, we 2nd person: you 3rd person: he, she, it, one, they

   3)       In English, we must express the subject of a sentence, so we use a pronoun or a noun:

John (or He) is here. Tim and Pam (or They) have arrived. (Not *is here* *have arrived* etc.)

   4)       We do not have singular and plural forms of you. We can say You're right to someone we don't know at all or to someone we know very well, to a child or to an adult.

   5)       We use it to say who someone is: Who's that?- It's our new neighbour, Mr, Groves.

We use he/she/they to give information about someone:

Who's Mr Groves? - He's our new neighbour.

Write: Supply pronouns and underline the words they replace.

1 Your parcel has arrived. .............It .......was delivered this morning.

2 Jane and I have already eaten. .............................had a meal before we left home.

3 Who's that? - ............................'s my mother. Would you like to meet her?

4 Who's Jane Wilson? - ............................'s the woman who's just started working for our company.

5 So you've had a baby! Is ............................a boy or a girl?

6 Whose cat is that? ............................'.s always in our garden.

7 When John comes in, please tell .............................I phoned.

8 If you see Catherine, please give .............................my regards

Subject or object pronoun?

   1)       We often use object pronouns after be: Who is it? - It's me/him/her/us/them.

   2)       We do not use I, she, etc. on their own in answer to questions with Who?. In everyday speech, we use object pronouns: Who told him? - Me/Not me. Or we say: I did// didn't.

   3)       We use object pronouns after as and than: He's taller than me/as tall as me. or we use subject + verb: He's taller than I am/as tall as I am.

Write: Supply suitable pronouns in the following. Alternatives are possible.

1 Who's that? - It's ...me/him/her/us/them…!

2 Who wants to know what we're having for dinner tonight? - .......................................................!

3 Who wants to help me in the garden? - Not............................... !

4 You can invite him to your place. - ............................... ! You must be joking!

5 It was ..............................who told you, not my brother.

6 She's taller than................................ but not as strong as .............................. am.

7 He's more intelligent than ............................... am, but not as good at sports as...............................