General comments on your compositions - common mistakes

[Mitzi100]

Hi Everyone,
Before I realte to each individual composition, I am posting some very common mistakes that I have seen in most of the compositions posted so far. Please check your own composition, and fix the mistakes you see after reading this message. If you haven't posted a composition yet, read this first.
I will relate to individual compositions this evening. Please read through the entire forum so you can learn from your friends' mistakes.

Common mistakes in your compositions

Check your composition to see if you made these mistakes:



1. comfortable - convenient – both of these words are translated as "noach"
in Hebrew, but they are not used in the same context in English.



Only things that touch your body are comfortable.

Examples of comfortable things: a chair, clothes, a bed, shoes, etc.



Anything else that has to do with time or place is convenient.

Examples of convenient things: the time of a meeting or lesson, the location of a store, school, a party, a bus stop, etc.





2. fit - suit - both of these words are translated as "mat'im" in Hebrew, but

are not used in the same context in English.



There are many uses for the word fit, but the one that is translated as mat'im, relates to the right shape or size of something. If an item of clothing or a shoe fits you, it is not too big or too small. Something can fit or not fit into a box or a drawer because of its shape or size.



We use the verb "suit" when the activity or plan is appropriate, or to our liking. For example, "Learning online suits me, because I like the freedom of doing the tasks in my pajamas with a cup of coffee next to me." or – "Learning online doesn't suit me, because I don't have the self-discipline to do the task without a teacher in front of me."



3. The introduction – To write the introduction properly, you must read the task very carefully. Everything in your composition has to relate directly to this task. You were not asked to write a composition about the various ways students learn, or what's happening in the age of modern technology! Here is the sentence you must understand fully before you begin to write:

"Since you have been part of this experiment, the school is interested in your opinion of the learning value of this type of lesson".

Your introduction defines the topic. In this case, you might mention that some of your lessons for this course were online, and then briefly state your opinion.

*We do not say "There are some reasons for this" in English. It is obvious that there are some reasons! If you want to emphasize that there are more than one reason, you might say " a few reasons" or "many reasons" , and then explain the reasons in the following paragraphs.



4. The conclusion – At the end of the composition, your opinion on this topic must be very clear to the reader. If you choose to present both sides of the issue, your final paragraph must explain why the advantages are more important than the disadvantages (or the other way around!) If you write one paragraph in favor of this type of learning, and one paragraph against it, it is not logical to say "In conclusion, this is great!" You must explain why, despite the disdavantages, you still think it's a good idea.

Only use the phrase, in conclusion if you are indeed presenting a conclusion! This is appropriate when you have given two or three good reasons why this is a good thing. Another way of ending the composition is simply to give your strongest reason last and say, "Finally,…" You can also choose to briefly sum up ( in different words) what you have said in your composition. The phrase to begin that kind of paragraph is either: "To sum up,…" or "In short,…" In this case you end by saying something like "x, y, and z show that this is a _______ way of learning any subject."



You may edit your composition until Tuesday, when we will start on the next one. On Tuesday, I will give you a grade on this composition, and give the assignment for the next one.