Thanking in French - Merci et Les Autres Remerciements

Thanking in French - Merci et Les Autres Remerciements You all know â€Å"merci†. But there are different ways to say thank you in French, as well as different meanings to the word. Merci: The Common Way of Saying Thank You in French â€Å"Merci† is ‘thank you’. Its pronounced â€Å"mair see† with an open ‘ay’ sound not a closed ‘ur’ sound. You can make it stronger by saying â€Å"merci beaucoup† – ‘thank you very much’. Note that the very is included, you cannot say â€Å"merci trà ¨s beaucoup†. To say ‘a thousand thanks’ we say â€Å"mille mercis† or â€Å"merci mille fois†. It’s pretty common in French as it is in English. You usually accompany a vocal â€Å"merci† with a smile, and it implies that you accept whatever is being offered to you. However, if you want to refuse something, you could say â€Å"non merci†, or even just say â€Å"merci† with a hand gesture, showing your palm to the person in front of you in a kind of stop gesture.  You make shake your head â€Å"no† at the same time. You may smile or not, depending on how firm you want the  refusal to be. When you thank someone, they may answer merci toi / vous - in English, youd say thank YOU, with the emphasis on the you, meaning I am the one thanking you. Je Vous/Te Remercie Pour... I Thank You For in French Another way to say ‘thank you’ is to use the verb â€Å"remercier†. â€Å"Remercier†, ‘to thank’ is followed by a direct object (so it will take the pronouns me, te, le, la, nous, vous, les), and then by â€Å"pour† ‘for’, just as it is in English. Je vous/te remercie pour ce dà ©licieux dà ®ner. I thank you for this delicious dinner meal. Note that the verb â€Å"remercier† has a stem in â€Å"i†, so the final sound will often be a vowel, just like the verb â€Å"à ©tudier†. Je vous/te remercie pour les fleurs – I thank you for the flowers.Je voulais vous/te remercier pour votre/ta gentillesse – I wanted to thank you for your kindness. Using â€Å"remercier† is very formal in French, much less common than using â€Å"merci†. Click here for more ways of expressing gratitude in French. Les Remerciements - The Thanks When talking about the thanks, the noun, you’d use the noun â€Å"le/les remerciement(s)†, usually used in the plural. Tu as les remerciements de Susan – you have Susan’s thanks.Je voudrais lui adresser mes remerciements – I would like to send him/her my thanks. No Thanksgiving in France Thanksgiving  is not a French holiday at all, and most French people have never heard of it. They may have seen some Thanksgiving dinner on a sitcom on TV, but probably discarded the info. There is no Black Friday sale in France either.   In Canada, Thanksgiving is called â€Å"l’Action de Grà ¢ce(s)† with or without an S and is celebrated pretty much in the same fashion as in the US, but on the second Monday of October. Thank You  Notes in France Its somewhat less common in France to write une carte de remerciement. I mean, its not uncommon, and its very polite, but its not like in the Anglo-Saxon countries  where Thank You cards are a huge market. If youve been treated to something really special, you can absolutely send a thank you card or a handwritten note, but dont expect your French friend to necessarily reciprocate. Its not rude of them, its just not that deeply rooted in our politeness.

The Many Uses of Best

The Many Uses of Best The Many Uses of â€Å"Best† The Many Uses of â€Å"Best† By Maeve Maddox Besides its use as a simple adjective meaning,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"of the highest excellence, excelling all others in quality,† the word best serves as other parts of speech and occurs in many English idioms. As a verb, to best means to get the better of, get an advantage over, outdo; to outreach, outwit, circumvent. â€Å"Jack’s wife always bests him at bridge.† Best can be a noun. â€Å"Marilyn wanted nothing but the best for herself and her family.† As an adverb best modifies a verb. â€Å"All the boys are good at drawing faces, but James does it best.† Here are several common idioms that make use of the word best. The list is by no means exhaustive. best man: the chief male attendant who stands up for the groom at a wedding. With the advent of same-sex marriage, the term is beginning to lose its gendered meaning. the best people: people considered better than most, either because they come from old, established families, or because they possess superior moral qualities. â€Å"The best people possess a feeling for beauty, the courage to take risks, the discipline to tell the truth, the capacity for sacrifice.† Ernest Hemingway best boy: the principal assistant to the chief electrician in a film crew best seller: what every writer wants to have or to be. The term usually applies to a book or other product, but sometimes it stands for a best-selling author. (Yes, best-selling takes a hyphen.) second best: next in quality to the first. No one wants to be â€Å"second best,† but whether or not it’s a bad thing depends upon who or what is â€Å"first best.† For example, in the Forbes list of the richest people in the U.S., Warren Buffett is â€Å"second best.† His net worth of a mere $58 billion puts him in second place after Bill Gates. Gates has $72 billion. to do one’s best and to give it one’s best shot: both expressions mean â€Å"to do something to the best of one’s ability,† but they have differing connotations: â€Å"I always try to do my best.† (applicable to any situation) â€Å"I may not have time to pick up the laundry, but I’ll do my best.† (implies that the effort may be futile) â€Å"Everyone else in the contest has more experience, but I’ll give it my best shot.† (the odds of failure are greater than those of success.) to make the best of it: adjust to a bad situation. â€Å"The tornado destroyed our house, but we’ll make the best of it.† for the best: better than it seems or seemed at the moment. â€Å"His bride left him at the altar, but it was for the best because he met and married someone better.† the best of both worlds: a situation in which you can enjoy two very different things at the same time. Nina Dobev, who portrays both human Elena and her doppelganger, former vampire Katherine in [ The Vampire Diaries] said she gets the best of both worlds. Some â€Å"best† expressions are hyphenated: best-built best-aimed best-bred best-dressed best-kept best-laid best-managed best-meaning best-meant best-preserved best-intentioned best-natured best-tempered 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 Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 English Grammar Rules You Should KnowHow to Play HQ Words: Cheats, Tips and TricksTypes of Ignorance

Experience Vs. Qualification Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Experience Vs. Qualification - Essay Example This misconception is not correct that experience matters more than qualification. Qualified graduates need not dishearten in the absence of experience. Accredited qualification helps in offering plenty of job opportunities; it is true for all streams of study, for example taking the stream of Town Planning in which every year 2000 students get graduated from universities with an RTPI-accredited planning degree (Parkes, 2011). Graduates stand more chances of selection by using various recruitment channels rather than depending solely on traditional methods. Students can no more depend on campus recruitment alone. Lack of experience should not discourage graduates. Some of the suggestions for getting jobs are graduation include: 1. Networking these days has become critical for getting recruited, as only one in five jobs are advertised. In the planning job scenario, the young planners’ network group which held even a speed networking event in Birmingham, could be the best platform for meeting the like-minded audience, prospective employers and create links that help in off-campus recruitment. 2. Graduate students need to maintain high level of awareness on current affairs and possess an insight of the policy decisions related to their subject taken by the government at various levels. It can provide an edge over others in the recruitment process. 3. Due to lack of experience, getting a job becomes additionally arduous task. Ideal way is to offer help to prove your calibre; it can realise in bigger gains. Initially, an employer could be unwilling to offer a permanent job but afterwards may find the services offered by the graduate indispensable to the organisation and could materialise in job offering; it has happened in many cases. 4. Lookout for the organisation that could offer you your dream job. Locate the person doing that dream job, and request their time to guide you on getting where they are today. Such people can offer better advice as they had been in similar position where a graduate finds himself. Chances of getting that dream job could brighten if your dream job is advertised and that guide recalls you to offer that opportunity. 5. Widen your knowledge circumference and work experience to be called for the waiting opportunity amid economic downturn and job competition. Your passion for the job to the prospective employers should be clearly visible while you are still amidst your study. Offer yourself to be a volunteer to charities and community organisations to lead their projects. The RTPl website can provide required assistance pertaining to recruitment agencies and guidance from those who have overseas experience, which can be worked out for getting a competitive edge (Parkes, 2011). Explanation of the Terms Qualification Before arguing in favour of qualification standing better prospects of job selection, a definition of qualification can help in comprehending how a qualifications framework in a given qualifications system can help graduates in selection. Werquin

Gay Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Gay Marriage - Essay Example Connecticut in reality began permitting same-sex marriages in the fall of 2009. In April 2009, Iowa's Supreme Court ruled in favor of permitting same-sex couples to marry, also giving advocates an important first victory in the nation's heartland and thwarting the notion that only the Northeast will permit it. 7 April 2009 the Vermont Legislature made the difference. Jim Douglas's veto of a bill permitting gay couples to marry, mustering precisely enough votes to conserve the measure. This step made Vermont the first state to actually permit same-sex marriage through legislative action instead of the ruling of court. Two more states--New Hampshire and New Jersey--recognize civil unions for same-sex couples; an intermediate step that supporters say has made same-sex marriage seem less scary. New England remains pivotal in same-sex marriage movement, with a campaign under way that will extend marriage rights to gay men and lesbians in all six of the region's states by 2012. The meaning of marriage gets completely redefined when two men marry each other and the same has become an issue that has come to the limelight. Gay marriage is a serious threat and it challenges the nature too and this is because two men can never reproduce and take their generation forward. They can adopt a child but they can never fulfill the gap left, that gap can only be fulfilled by a mother. The divorce rates are extremely high when two men or women marry each other and research goes to prove it. Heterosexual divorces are much less than homosexual divorces and this is another reason why people oppose gay marriages. Gay marriages have also come under intense scrutiny with regard to the tradition that the world has been following for many years. When it comes to mental health, it has been found that Gays are much less healthier than normal people and this is because of their genetic makeup, their way of walking, the way they talk differs from normal people and they are differen t from normal people. The Spread of Immorality The holy Bible is read in almost all the countries and according to the Bible "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." (Gods Plan for Sexuality). If the Bible is closely read it is clearly found that gay marriages are completely prohibited and against the law of nature. Bible is considered as the holy book for all those who believe in Christianity and homosexuality is ironically spreading predominantly in Europe where Christians are in abundance. This is completely unacceptable and unjust, people have become hypo crates these days, and they say a different thing but practice a completely different thing. It is high time for self reflection, such people must realize that what they are practicing is completely wrong and they must correct their actions. Bible completely rejects the concept of Gay marriage and this should be understood by the people. "If God had intended the human race to be fulfilled through both heterosexual and homosexual marriage, He would have designed our bodies to allow reproduction through both means and made both means of sexual intercourse healthy and natural. Homosexual anal

Oedipus Trilogy Essay Example for Free

Oedipus Trilogy Essay It was Sophocles who wrote the Oedipus Trilogy. Although Oedipus Rex has always been a common oral story to the Greeks, Sophocles added different dimensions in his rendition of the tragic story of Oedipus. Antigone was the epilogue of the trilogy and the last part of the story but it was the first play to be produced. Oedipus the King was the beginning of the trilogy, where the fate of Oedipus was prophesied, and the rise and fall of Oedipus was chronicled. And Oedipus at Colonus is the middle of the trilogy where Oedipus dies and his sons murder each other thus continuing the eventuality of the prophecy. In Antigone, the final pieces of the tragedy unraveled, thus completing the prophecy of the oracle to Oedipus. In Antigone, the play focuses more on the battle between opposing primary views and concerns. Actually, it was more on opposing pride. Antigone was determined to give his brother an honorable burial despite the fact that the current king blatantly forbids it. She maintains that love is above law and hegemony. Creon, on the other hand, although Polynices is his nephew, forbids the burial on the grounds that it is the law to refuse honorable funerals to traitors. Although the central characters have opposing views, their attributes are very much similar to each other. Both are blinded by their own pride in their decisions. Antigone, when confronted by Creon, refuses to back down despite the fact that Creon threatened her that her sister will be penalized together with her. Antigone, sees her action as a form of â€Å"martydom†. In a way she sees glory in what she had done by â€Å"sacrificing† herself for the sake of his brother, which somewhat preposterous because of the fact that his brother is already dead. Creon, likewise, refuses to change his decision despite his son’s threat of suicide if he condemns Antigone. Although he perceives that his son’s words were not empty threats, he still refused to change his decision. This is because he distinguishes his action as strength of leadership. He mistakes pride for decisive command. Antigone represents moral ascendancy over political law. Creon, on the other hand, symbolizes the primacy of the rule of law above all else. The play attempts to stir the audience to struggle on which side should prevail. Athens, during the time of Sophocles was in its golden age. Democracy has been the highest point of the era. However, there are certain rules of law that exist to govern the democratic state. The play seeks to arouse questions from among the audience. Whether certain personal morals and filial duty should take over the rule of law when the situation calls for it. Or whether the rule of law should always prevail to maintain order in the society. However, Sophocles drives home the point that there are no extreme grounds. Moral ascendancy and the rule of law are invariably intertwined and should be taken into consideration in making a decision. In the play it was the comical messenger that best manifested the careful weighing of consequences of his actions when he pondered to and fro on what to tell Creon. It was him that provided a middle ground. His action was the very reflection of the thoughts of the audience. Towards the end of the play, both Creon and Antigone became so blind of their pride in their decision that they were no longer fighting for what they believe is right. Antigone sees her suicide as a form of sacrilegious immolation as if she was giving herself up for the good of her brother. Likewise, Creon perceives his decision to condemn Antigone as strength of leadership. He thinks that if he pardons Antigone, then he had let Antigone â€Å"win†, that Antigone will emerge to be â€Å"the man† in the battle. Creon’s and Antigone’s greatest folly is their tendency to oversimplify the situation. Antigone reduced the circumstance to moral ascendancy and Creon to the rule of law. Their pride made them blind that their decision will lead to conflict and deliberation. Like all characters of the play, Oedipus’ tragic flaw is his pride. In Oedipus the King, the rise and fall of Oedipus was accounted to his pride. His killing of his father was brought about by his pride, his desire to seek the truth of his identity was driven by pride, his edict of severe punishment to the murderer of Laius was brought about by pride and even is in his lowest moment when he eventually discovered the truth he still clung to the last pieces of his trappings as king. However, there is a great difference in Oedipus’ pride and that of Creon’s and Antigone’s. Antigone claims that it was for her love of her brother that she disobeyed Creon but in reality she puts herself in a pedestal with greater morals than Creon could understand. She masked her pride with proclamations of sacrifice and martyrdom for filial love. Creon, on the other hand, asserts that his actions are but mere implementation of law. However, in truth, Creon revels at the power that he holds upon the kingdom. This is evident even in the play Oedipus the King when Creon demonstrated his newfound power by curtly cutting off Oedipus while he was still mourning his fate. Oedipus pride, however, was disguised as his earnestness. This was exposed when he declared that he would seek all means to end the plague in his nation. He was so earnest in his demonstrations to the people of his intentions to save his kingdom that he himself cemented his doom. Furthermore, in seeking the murderer of Laius, in his earnestness to punish the criminal, he unknowingly condemned himself. More over, when the truth of his identity was slowly untangling, he was so earnest in wanting to discover the whole truth that he made a way for his ruination. In truth, Oedipus was earnest because he wanted to set himself apart from the rest. He wanted to be a great leader in his nation. His exaggerated demonstrations of his intentions to save his nation were masked pride. He clearly wanted to be the â€Å"savior† of his kingdom. He celebrates at the power that he holds upon the people. This is obvious that he dares insult the oracle when he came to his presence. Moreover, being royals, Jocasta and Oedipus had the tendency to invalidate the fate the gods have in store for them. They have countless times declared that the oracle is false. This is clearly a sign of their pride that they could not fathom that there are any other being that is above them. At the end of the play, Oedipus took responsibility of his actions. But even in his broken state he was still proud. It was him who commanded Creon to bury Jocasta as he sees fit and to banish him from his nation. Although he no longer has any real power, he still managed to hold on to his last bits of power as a former king. Oedipus the King ended with Oedipus as a broken man banished from his kingdom and disgraced from the society. In Oedipus at Colonus, we find just that, a broken man. However, his brokenness should not be interpreted as newfound humility. Contrariwise, his decent into brokenness left him embittered. In the play, he again questions his fate. He even questions his sons’ decision in remaining adamant in his exile. The initial scene of the play rightly sets the tone for the story. Antigone was describing their trespass on holy ground that must be corrected with prayers and libation. It is ironing that Oedipus and Antigone, with full knowledge of the wrongness of their action still proceed to commit the deed then proceed to rectify the iniquitous. This is the theme all throughout the play, the characters all seemingly commit an action that they are fully aware that is not correct but still proceed to do so nonetheless. Again all of which is because of pride. When Creon abducts Oedipus’ daughters, Theseus proceeds to rescue them. He pretends that he did so because of honor and duty. However, in reality, Theseus’ primary objective is to save his own kingdom. In this play, most of the characters have hidden agenda. In the first two plays that Sophocles wrote, the characters were forthright with their motives. Antigone and Creon were so brash and obvious in their thoughts and beliefs in Antigone. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus lack of blunt motives led to his destruction. But in the third installment, the characters were more masked in their intentions. Even Oedipus, when he refused to go back to his city, he maintained that it was on the basis of his newfound holiness but in truth it was his pride that kept him from coming back. Why would come back to a city that shunned him? Or to the people that eschewed themselves from him? Moreover, in a confrontation with Polynices, he begins to questions his sons actions on why they were apathetic of his exile. He failed to realize that it was him who commanded Creon to exile him in the first place. Just as he was physically blind, he was also blind from the truth. Even in his deprivation he still was not able to fully see the extent of his mistakes and his pride. In the end, Oedipus’ death was inconsequential. For a character such as him, it is but ironic that his death was portrayed as merely peripheral with only Theseus as witness. Even the lamentations of Ismene and Antigone were not impassionate enough. Sophocles merely pointed out that no matter how great Oedipus was in his former glory, like everyone else, his end is just merely death – a fate that no great man can escape from.

Analysis of Robert Frost’s Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Essay

Analysis of Robert Frost’s Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening The poem, â€Å"Stopping by Woods†¦Ã¢â‚¬  speaks of a time that the author paused during a trip to simply enjoy the quiet and beauty of nature. During this short stop, he contemplates mortality and his life so far. Frost also cleverly uses the poems form and sounds to enhance the poem, to entice the readers senses, and immerse them in the scene. With repetitive â€Å"s† and â€Å"h† sounds throughout the poem one can imagine the sound of the sled sliding through the snow, or perhaps the â€Å"easy wind and downy flake† through the trees. The poem was written in iambic tetrameter, which also lends a steady rhythm that mimics the motion of the sled. Or perhaps the â€Å"s† sound could signify that the main character is shivering, for it is the â€Å"darkest evening of the year†, and presumably the coldest. The last two lines of the poem, â€Å"And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep† seem to echo each other. Why did Frost repeat this phrase when one occurrence would be sufficient? The first â€Å"And miles† qu...

Prosecuting Cyber Bullying

Technology is frequently being used to display personal Information on social networking sites for everyone In the world to see. With this Instantaneous technology, the school bully has access to an easier, more harmful, and anonymous way to intimidate their victim. Cyber bullying has become a form of harassment that is creating a myriad of problems for teenagers and, therefore, needs to be dealt with properly.The sense of anonymity and the ability to disguise ones identity online increases Weber bullying activity by â€Å"making fun of, telling lies, spreading rumors, threats and sharing private Information or pictures [online]† (Lulls lines 31-32). In spite of the recent technological advancements, problems with bullying has existed for generations. At the click of a button, the threatening information that can be posted online can be seen throughout the world for anyone to see.Because more people have access to someone's private or embarrassing information, â€Å"an increa sed audience can often lead to more harmful bullying Incidents† (Macaque 27). Cyber lulling can be committed any where and at any time, therefore â€Å"the cyber bullies may not fully understand the Impact of their behavior on their victims† (Lulls line 9). Cyber bullying can negatively affect an individual and even lead to depression and thoughts of suicide. There are many well known stories of teenagers compelled to desperate, even suicidal acts after having been exposed to recurrent harassment by others online.For Instance, the devastating and well-known case off 13-year-old girl named Megan Meier, committed seclude allegedly due to cyber bullying (Macaque 141 After coming friends with a boy she met online, Megan, who had a lifelong struggle with weight and self-esteem, finally met a boy she thought she could trust. After weeks of friendly conversations online Megan was eager to strengthen their relationship by finally meeting each other in person. Flirtatious messag es from her online boyfriend â€Å"Josh† suddenly turned into disturbing and confusing remarks such as â€Å"the world would be a better place without you† (Macaque 16). Josh† even began to post spiteful comments on his site about Megan. Megan committed seclude to escape the main and humiliation she was put through (â€Å"Social Networking Web Sites† 3). Investigators soon discovered that the profile of â€Å"Josh Evans† was created by a 48- year-old woman named Lori Drew. Loris's intentions were to tease and embarrass Megan, her next door neighbor and a former friend of Loris's 13-year-old daughter (Macaque 28). This case brought national attention to the dire consequences of cyber bullying. The community was outraged and demanded charges to be brought against this mother.Lori went to court but was never convicted because there was no law against cyber bullying. Another instance of the horrific effects of cyber bullying is portrayed in the tragic s tory of 18-year-old Tyler Clementine. Tyler started his freshman year with a big future ahead of him and a great outlook on life. Invading Teller's privacy, his college roommate streamed private footage online from a WebMD that he held In their dorm (â€Å"Key Events in the History of Prosecuting Cybernetics† 8). Comments about his sexuality flooded through his inbox that night.Days after the video went viral, Tyler could not handle the embarrassment and committed suicide by â€Å"Jumping off of the George Washington Bridge† (â€Å"Prosecuting Cybernetics† par. 1). These are two highly publicized and tragic cases resulting from abuse online. There are thousands of other people that are being threatened and bullied through technology every day and no one knows about it. There is nothing positive that results from bullying, but some people still believe that cyber bullies should not be prosecuted because it is not a crime.Critics say that cyber bullying is not an issue that should have legal attention, â€Å"but a dilemma best solved by schools and parents† (â€Å"Prosecuting Cybernetics† par. 2). Many school districts throughout the country are attempting to educate their students about online safety and protection. In order to solve the problem of cyber bullying, the critics believe that schools should concentrate on â€Å"spreading messages of tolerance and civility to all young people† (â€Å"Prosecuting Cybernetics† par. 2). Another point that critics stress is that prosecuting cyber bullies violates â€Å"the First Amendment's guarantee of free speech† (Hayward 21).Opponents to the prosecution of cyber bullies need to take into account the innocent people that are being terrorized online ND their rights to protect themselves. Supporters of the prosecution of these online abusers agree that cyber bullying leads to many emotional problems for the victims. Cyber bullies purposely â€Å"target their vict ims, revealing personal information on the Internet or harassing them through frequent or threatening messages† (â€Å"Prosecuting Cybernetics† par. 16). More often than not, school administrators and parents fail to identify and stop cyber bullying before it is too late.Prosecutors need to take action in order to protect students online. Students are apprehensive to tell an adult about abuse online because they fear the bullying will only get worse. Victims feel that they are on their own in the endless abuse and â€Å"allegedly saw no choice for escape except to kill themselves† (Lulls 22). Historically, a person repeatedly bullied is not only a danger to themselves, but may even have the urge to harm others. For example, in the article â€Å"Prosecuting Cybernetics†, research has determined that â€Å"perpetrators of school violence?such as the two students who went on a shooting rampage at ColumbineHigh School in Colorado in 1999?often have a history of both bullying and being bullied themselves† (par. 31). Even though the cyber bully is not physically shoving the victim around, they are still able to instill a sense of fear and hopelessness in their victims. In order to punish cyber bullies for their conduct, new, up-to-date laws need to be passed for the protection of the innocent victim. With technology being the most popular form of communication, it is important to establish a law to â€Å"deter future bullying with a legal means to punish those who cause harm†.