Tesl Background Summary And Business Conditions - 1637 Words

Tesla Background Summary Business Conditions Inspired by the patented design of Nikola Tesla, Tesla INC. was established in 2003, when a group of engineer from Silicon Valley challenged the theory that electric car could be better than gasoline powered cars and more efficient. With Elon Musk, as CEO, Tesla’s mission is to increase its sustainable energy productivity and market its products to become more affordable. To provide electricity, Tesla utilizes lithium ion battery for energy, and now its extension spreads to 30 countries from across North America, Europe, Australia, China and South Korea. In 2012, Tesla launched the first fully operated electric sedan, with moderate comfort and storage, the battery is located in the†¦show more content†¦It could create a major difficulty for the company to continue to thrive, especially when the unit price for a car is farfetched for most consumers to afford. Employee Values and Loyalty Adjustment Tesla continues to hire more than 2,500 employees annually. 95% of its workers are in the United States, totaling 85% males, along with an average of 36 years old. To retain its employees, Tesla offers full health benefit to all of its workers, including dental, vision, preventative care, life insurance, bereavement, concierge services, as well as birth control and a plan to reduce maternity costs to assist its employees. (Lejeune, 2012). The organization examines closely its candidates before accepting them within its assembly, even the CEO conducts some of the interview. To enhance, the firm relies on high demand for Engineers and qualified staff. Despite recent layoffs in China, Tesla has no shortage of applicants, however the company fails to publish detail information about its workers regarding salaries, wages and other form of compensations. (Roberts, 2015) Internal External Issues As an emerged company, Tesla contributes significantly to administrative misconduct, fraud, underachievement and controversies. For instance, when Designer Engineer, Cristina Balau Stated that quality issues increased as production augmented on Tesla’s Model S, due to the application of bad parts in the car, she was force to quit her job and later filed aShow MoreRelatedBusiness Plan9238 Words   |  37 PagesDiploma in Business Studies (BM111) Faculty of Business Studies Universiti Teknologi MARA, Johor Bahru. ------------------------------------------------- Madam Nor Fazlin binti Uteh, Lecturer Fundamental of Entrepreneurship (ENT 300) Universiti Teknologi MARA, Johor Bahru. 25th February 2013 Madam, SUBMISSION OF BUSINESS PLAN PROPOSAL (ENT 300) Referring to the subject stated above, we submitted this proposal of our project paper for our ENT 300 subject.This business plan is focusing

Citizens Identities in Public Documents Free Essays

Contained herein is an article critique regarding exposure of private information through digitization projects that allow unrestricted public access. The analysis will specifically deal with John Harney’s Protecting Citizens Identities in Public Documents that highlights how a County document preservation department dealt with the issue of protecting public information effectively. In the understanding that exposing private data such as social security, bank account numbers and title deed, the Maricoba County Recorder embarked on an elaborative process of scanning and removing all the sensitive information from documents without diluting usefulness. We will write a custom essay sample on Citizens Identities in Public Documents or any similar topic only for you Order Now The County’s efforts are important considering the dangers of exposing such data to other people. Indeed, the exposure would make it easy for phishers to collect information that is later used for identity theft. Harney’s article is therefore an important eye-opener that it is possible for society to utilize new technologies effectively without posing dangers to individuals’ private lives. Maricoba County’s processes should therefore be regarded as best practices in digitization field. This is especially because members of the public would be more supportive of such projects and therefore be more willing to volunteer donations and propositions. Such collaboration would help in the process of digitizing the millions, maybe billions, of documents and information whose digitization would improve public awareness on past and current issues affective respective society. In addition, the end of public’s phobia of digitization and privacy will indeed be help in motivating technology makers in improving ways of improving security features further. John Harney’s Protecting Citizens Identities in Public Documents is in this regard an important contribution to the debate of digitization and information security. References Harney, J. (2008). Protecting Citizens Identities in Public Documents. Retrieved March    3, 2009, from http://www.infonomics-digital.com/infonomics/20080304/?pg=60 How to cite Citizens Identities in Public Documents, Papers

Project Management for Scheduling and Controlling- myassignmenthelp

Question: Project management is a key process in the success or failure of hallmark events? Answer: According to Rojek (2014) Project management is very vital in any process or project to be undertaken by a team in any organization. Hallmark events will definitely need the project management process in order to be run successfully. This is because hallmark events require permanent and periodic concentration by the team in order to achieve the desired goals of the one-time event. In this case hallmark events are those events that are conducted once in a while and they form a function of other events which help to attain the set up goals and benefit the host community this can be to attract tourists, creating and enhancing positive image of the host community and lastly creating multiple benefits to the residents. Over a given period of time hallmark events have become a tourism attraction event and help creates a sense of community and identity (Muller,2015). Project management tries to incorporate the different main processes and goals of the hallmark events as a system .In this case there are three major goals that determine the success or failure of a hallmark event .There are also major planning and implementation processes that need to be identified. Since hallmark events are periodic and more than one such event can be created in a community then it is advisable to apply the principles of project management in the progress of the hallmark event. The process and goals of the events should be able to pay attention to the project planning and production of such events to enable its functionality. The processes and goals of the project and hallmark events overlap and are interrelated and hence the need to incorporate the project management ( Bowdin,2006). There are different project related factors that affect the success of hallmark event in any community. The factors that have contributed to the project success involves the user involvement, support of executive management, clear requirements statement and proper planning (Boonstra,2010). Absence of user involvement is the major cause of the hallmark failure, the event can fail if it does not meet the needs of the users even if it is delivered on time and on a given budget. In the case of support of management executive , it influences the process and progress of the event and when it lacks the input then it can lead to disadvantage of the event. Clear statement of requirements is the basic level of the materials and needs that are required to make the event a success. The effect of change will be reduced if the clear statement of requirement is adhered to by the event organizers in making the event a success. Other factors that affect the success of hallmark event and need to incor porate project management involves; Lack of strategic alignment. The risks and the benefits that arise from project management plans need to be examined and associated with the objectives of the business and also the operations. In initiation and planning of the hallmark events the participation of the project managers and other parties is important since it helps to transform the dormant project teams into high-performing teams that are able to deliver value in the organization with shared vision of enhancing success of the event. Time factor, Cost, quality and scopeof the hallmark event. To be able to determine the scope of an event or project is important to spend more time in planning of the event which is made sure by project manager .This is made sure by gathering the requirements, developing plans that involve project management and also scheduling and determining activities among other things like coordination of the activities (Todorovic,2015). Without the key event elements and planning activities leads to non-commitment by stakeholders. Also poor planning results to reduction in credibility and reduced confidence of the management in running the event. The running of the event needs focused project leaders who have confidence in running the project or event planning activities and hence reduce the risk of rework and increasing the success of the event. Hallmark events need project managers who are able to achieve the set up objectives and goals set by the organizers. Inefficient use of resources. Resources in any given project or event is very vital since it helps to estimate the costs and the activity levels , resource scheduling, continuous monitoring. All these require project management which involves intense planning to ensure that the event is able to move in the correct direction. Also actual planning helps to identify the techniques that are able to reduce the risks of having uncertain roles and responsibilities in the management of the event. The resources can either be human or financial and create value to the business. The event organizers need to incorporate the project management to know how they can utilize the limited resources. Communication Constraint. In the case of communication issues a ganth path can be used to plan for the duration of the project or event through proper communication to enhance planning. Planning in hallmark events need to be conducted to enhance good communication plans. Without proper planning in communication of the different project or event activities it will definitely lead to communication barriers leading to reduced confidence by team members and stakeholders in the management of hallmark events. Increased Risk. According to Masterman (2014) project management helps in identification of risks by project managers by developing risk analysis and also developing risk management strategies which are very key to successful events outcome. The hallmark events require a lot of time and organization to complete since they depend on the event, scope and size of other factors. More planning needs to be conducted on more risky events. The significant to having great event result is to be able to identify the start of the event and that is why careful planning needs to be incorporated to be able to reduce risks and increasing success of the event. A research that was done by Chitkara (2005) concerning the Project Managers who have five years of experience and more and have completed planning of hallmark events and have five or more experience covering the following areas; - event incorporation, - event choice, - event communication, - event variation, - event plan, - event budget, - event resources, - reporting and monitoring the hallmark events, It was found out that the different processes and activities leading to the success of an event is dependent on the project management process of any given event. The success of the project greatly relies on the project management process and planning of the events. Without proper project management strategies then it is hard to conduct a successful hallmark event in a given community( Haimes,2015). References Bowdin, G., O'Toole, W., Allen, J., Harris, R. and McDonnell, I., 2006.Events management. Routledge. Chitkara, K.K., 2005. Project Management-Planning, Scheduling and Controlling. De Bakker, K., Boonstra, A. and Wortmann, H., 2010. Does risk management contribute to IT project success? A meta-analysis of empirical evidence.International Journal of Project Management,28(5), pp.493-503. Haimes, Y.Y., 2015.Risk modeling, assessment, and management. John Wiley Sons. Heldman, K., 2015.PMP project management professional exam deluxe study guide: updated for the 2015 Exam. John Wiley Sons. Kerzner, H., 2013.Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley Sons. Masterman, G., 2014.Strategic sports event management. Routledge. Mller, M., 2015. What makes an event a mega-event? Definitions and sizes.Leisure Studies,34(6), pp.627-642. Rojek, C., 2014. Global event management: A critique.Leisure Studies,33(1), pp.32-47. Todorovi?, M.L., Petrovi?, D.?., Mihi?, M.M., Obradovi?, V.L. and Bushuyev, S.D., 2015. Project success analysis framework: A knowledge-based approach in project management.International Journal of Project Management,33(4), pp.772-783.

The ABCs of RFPs - The Writers For Hire

THE ABCS OF RFPS New to proposal writing? It helps to learn the language. If you’re new to the world of proposals, it’s all too easy to get lost in a sea of acronyms, industry jargon, formatting rules, and submission guidelines. What’s the difference between an RFI and an RFP? How do you respond to an RFQ? What is a SOW? Is your company a WOSM or an SDVO? When do you send an LOI? And WTH (what the heck) is SAM? This quick guide will help you decipher and make sense of some of the most common RFP lingo. RFP vs. RFI vs. RFQ: What’s the difference? Before we dive into what makes them different, let’s talk about what RFPs, RFIs, and RFQs have in common: They all help companies, government entities, and organizations find vendors that will provide the best services or products, for the right price. (Of course, there’s a little more to it than that. But for the purposes of this blog, we’re going to keep things basic.)The major difference here is the length, the type of information, and level of detail you’ll need to provide in your response.An RFQ — or request for quotation is all about the bottom line. When an organization sends out an RFQ, they know they want certain products or services delivered over a certain time period — and they’re looking for a vendor who can provide those products or services for the best price. Note: an RFQ is essentially the same as an IFB, or â€Å"invitation for bid† — don’t let the names throw you off. They’re asking for the same thing.An RFI — or request for information — is like a mini-RFP. Organizations often put out RFIs as a way to gather big-picture information and answer questions that will help them refine their search, more clearly define their needs, and vet potential vendors. The RFI process is a little like speed-dating in that it offers a quick, no-commitment way for organizations and potential vendors to get a feel for each other, decide if they want the same things, and figure out if there’s potential to take things to the next level. At this stage in the game, it’s all about the big picture. If your organization receives an RFI, you’ll probably be expected to provide the following information: A company overview that includes things like how long you’ve been in business, any certifications, licenses, or awards you’ve received, and your areas of expertise A company org chart, plus bi os and/or resumes for your key personnel A general budget/cost estimate References and/or case studies from similar jobs and clients An RFI response is typically much shorter than an RFP response — and in some cases, there may even be a maximum page count. Responses should be clear, concise, well-written, and not too wordy. An RFP — or â€Å"request for proposal† is the largest, most detailed, and most comprehensive of the three. A typical RFP combines elements of an RFQ and an RFI, plus specific information about the scope of work (SOW) and the vendor’s ability to perform the work or provide the services outlined in the SOW. When you respond to an RFP, you should be ready to answer detailed questions about everything from your company’s hiring and staffing processes to technology and security measures to your financial standing.In addition to answering questions, you’ll likely need to provide documentation such as: A letter of credit from your bank Proof of insurance coverage Employee training materials and documentation An implementation plan and a transition plan Case studies and/or letters of reference from previous or current clients Depending on the organization issuing the RFP, your response could vary in length from 50 pages to well over 100. In addition to ensuring that you’ve answered every question and responded to every item on the RFP, you’ll also need to make sure that you follow formatting instructions to the letter and leave yourself time for proofreading and fact-checking before the deadline.Note: In many cases, the issuer of the RFP will require that vendors send a letter of interest (LOI) before responding to an RFP. An LOI is a simple, to-the-point letter that formally announces your intention to prepare and submit a proposal. Where You Can Find RFPs ? Public and private companies and nonprofit organizations typically send RFPs and RFIs directly to a p re-selected list of vendors. Government agencies, however, are required to publicly issue RFPs to ensure a fair and transparent bidding process (this is especially good news for smaller or younger companies who may not have the name recognition necessary for private invites). If you’re looking for opportunities, check out your local city or state government websites. You can also use searchable databases that compile and maintain lists of open government RFPs. Not sure where to look? Here are a few starting points: The Request for Proposal Database. This free, searchable site lets you browse hundreds of government and nonprofit RFPs in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. You can search by the type of service needed, and by location, and you can even pick up a few tips for crafting a winning proposal. Federal Business Opportunities. Search federal contract opportunities worth $25,000 or more. If you’re new to the site (or to the RFP process in general), be sure to ch eck out their handy user guides. GovernmentBids.com. Search more than 35,000 RFPs and opportunities sorted by category and state. The best part of this site? You can also sign up for free email alerts customized to your industry and location, which means you’ll never miss an opportunity. GSA Acquisition Gateway. Although this site is primarily aimed at helping government agencies find qualified vendors and services providers, it does have some pretty great resources for vendors. And be sure to check out their related site, the GSA Vendor Support Center for even more tools and information. Small business set-asides If you’re a small business owner, you’re likely aware of the government’s small business set-asides, which helps ensure that small or under-utilized businesses have the opportunity to bid for — and win — government contracts. Some set-asides are open to all small businesses, and others are reserved for businesses that fit certain criteria or hold specific certifications, such as: 8(a) Business Development: This program is for companies that are at least 51 percent owned and operated by socially and economically disadvantaged people.HUBZone Program: This program encourages economic development in historically underutilized business zones.Women Owned Small Business (WOSB) Program: This program is for small businesses owned by women.Service Disabled Veteran Owned (SDVO) Program: This program is for businesses owned by disabled veterans. If your organization fits into any of these categories, you may gain a small advantage. It’s definitely worth a look. A final note on this: If you want to see a (darkly) funny take on small business set-asides, check out the 2016 film, â€Å"War Dogs.† Based on a true story, the movie follows a pair of gun dealers who pursue government weapons contracts through small government set asides. Ready to get started? We could, quite literally, write a book about RFPs. Several books, probably. The learning curve required to write a winning proposal — combined with the often-intimidating list of required materials and documentation — can be a bit intimidating even if you’ve been through the RFI or RFP process a few times. That said, the process of crafting a solid, well-written proposal does get easier — especially if you know the lingo.

How to Write an APA Sample Essay

How to Write an APA Sample EssayA combination of good grammar and style are important when writing an APA sample essay. While you may think that there is no point in writing one if the sentences do not flow properly, you will find out that proper grammar and punctuation are an essential part of writing the essay.The first thing to do when writing a proper essay is to make sure that the correct grammar and punctuation are used. This means reading carefully over what you have written and make sure that it flows nicely. Do not worry if your mind seems to drift occasionally as this is common with all writers. You can come back to the subject at hand after a short while and then re-read what you have written.It is important to write a sample essay that is easy to read. You need to focus on the material that is relevant to the topic of the article. Even if you use the same words in your essay, you do not want to use all of them or else you will be wasting space. You should concentrate on u sing the right words and on using the right length.In order to avoid writing a poor APA sample essay, you need to start by selecting the appropriate topic. Usually people pick a topic that they know about. However, sometimes people are given ideas for essays on subjects that they do not have knowledge of. This can be done by taking an APA sample exam. Then, you need to make sure that you use the exact same topics in your essay as the ones given.However, if you do not have the opportunity to take an exam, then you can always pick up some small samples. You can buy a CD from the bookstore or the library and listen to some sample essays that are made for a course such as APA. There are even audio CDs available where you can listen to excerpts from the course. You need to focus on the sample essay because it is not necessary that you write the same thing as the sample. You also need to ensure that the sample is closely related to the topic. All of the essay you read need to be related t o the topic. If you cannot remember what was covered in the sample essay, you will not be able to relate it to the topic of the APA sample essay.Before you write your APA sample essay, you need to do a few things. Ensure that you carefully write the essay, do not just throw it into the computer and let it run for hours without any attention to detail.

Embarrassing Moments While Learning Spanish

Embarrassing Moments While Learning Spanish Making mistakes comes with the territory of learning a foreign language. Most mistakes are benign, but when you make those mistakes in a different country or culture, some of them can be downright embarrassing. A forum that used to be part of this site featured a discussion on embarrassing moments in learning the language. Here are a few of the responses. Arbolito: While living in Madrid while getting my Masters degree, I went to the mercado, specifically to where they sold poultry. I very politely asked for two pechos. I had learned that pechos was the word for breast. Little did I know that there was a different word for chicken breasts, pechuga. So there I was, asking the man for 2 human breasts! And I also used the word coger in Argentina, even though I have known forever that it is an obscenity there. But in other places, it is just a common way to say to take. So I asked someone where I could coger el autobà ºs! Apodemus: On a Spanish course in Salamanca I met a Belgian girl. I asked her, in Spanish of course, whether she spoke Dutch or French. Her response was: En la oficina, hablo holandà ©s, pero en la cama hablo francà ©s. Suddenly the whole room was looking at her, she went bright red and stuttered En la casa, dije en la casa!! Rocer: In Chile, cabrito young kid, but in Peru, cabrito gay (or is it the other way around?) A friend of mine from the U.S. was in Chile, and he learned the word cabrito. People called him cabrito because he was young. He liked the word cabrito, so he called himself cabrito. Then he traveled to Peru, and some people asked him why he didnt get married with a Peruvian girl, he said Es que yo soy muy cabrito (he wanted to say the thing is that Im very young, and he ended up saying the thing is that Im very gay). People just looked at him very weird, and laughed at him. Later on, he returned to Chile, where people laughed like crazy when he told them his story. Hermanito: Lo siguiente no me pasà ³ a mà ­ sino a una amiga mà ­a, quien apenas comenzaba a aprender espaà ±ol. Esta entro a una tiendita mexicana y le preguntà ³ al dueà ±o si tenà ­a huevos, sin saber el sentido alternativo de la palabra. (The word huevos, which means eggs, is also a slang term for testicles.) El Tejano: In Mexico, ladies never order eggs - they always say blancos. Glenda: I have three stories. The first is from a friend here in San Miguel, who after eating a delicious meal, wanted to compliment the cook. She said, Compliments to the cocino. Cocino means a fat pig. She should have said compliments to the cocinero. Then, there is this story, from our local newspaper. A moderately experienced horsewoman comes to Mexico and is taking riding lessons from a Mexican male teacher. He doesnt realize how experienced she is, so he wants her to keep the horse roped. She is frustrated but complies and keeps a rope on the horse throughout her lesson. They are talking in Spanish about the next days lesson, making arrangements, and she finishes the conversation by saying, Sà ­, est bien ... pero maà ±ana, sin ropa. And finally, from my own experience. A local waiter in a restaurant we like is also an artist. My husband and I saw his work displayed in the restaurant and decided to buy it. He was overjoyed, and in return offered to pay for the slice of cake we had ordered for dessert - a very sweet gesture. At the end of the meal, I said, Gracias por la pastilla (the pill) instead of el pastel (the cake). I am sure that there have been many more embarrassing moments which I have caused ... but probably people here were so polite I never even knew. El Tejano: Twenty odd years ago, I was in a shoe store in Mexico buying a new pair of shoes. My Spanish was a lot worse than it is now and I couldnt remember the word for size. So I looked size up in my wimp dictionary (always a very risky practice) and the first entry was tamaà ±o. So I told the young lady that my tamaà ±o was 9. She was very young and I was about 50, and I heard her mutter, barely audibly under her breath, rabo verde. If you dont get it, Ill leave the details to someone else, otherwise youll be calling me rabo verde too. Heres another: Im a retired painting contractor from Houston and we had a big commercial job down in the Rio Grande Valley, which is indistinguishable from Mexico itself. A gringo painter on our crew wanted to ask an attractive chica who worked at the Wal-Mart in Carrizo Springs to have lunch with him. We told him to say, Seà ±orita, es posible que quisieras comer conmigo? But he got confused and substituted cojer for comer. The results were predictable! Spanish Expert:  One that comes to mind happened many years ago during a trip to Mexico when I needed to buy a razor. Not knowing the word for razor, I went in a small store and asked for algo para aceitar and got only strange looks. Sign language came in handy, and Im sure that they then figured out the word I meant. I had used the verb for to oil (aceitar) instead of the verb for to shave (afeitar). I didnt realize what I had said until later that evening. I traveled to Peru a few years ago with a then-teenage son, and he wanted to try using his minimal Spanish at an outdoor market. He decided to buy an alpaca blanket and asked how much it cost - quince soles was the answer, about $5 U.S. at the time. He thought that was a good deal, and promptly pulled cincuenta soles (about $18) from his wallet. He would have paid it if I hadnt caught his mistake. In order to save himself the embarrassment of handing the vendor way too much money, he decided the price was one he couldnt pass up and promptly decided to buy two instead. Donna B: We had cooked a turkey dinner for a Mexican exchange student, and my son, who was learning Spanish, told him we were having polvo for dinner instead of pavo. Our exchange student gave him a horrified look and refused to come down for dinner. We later realized he had told the exchange student we were having dust for dinner instead of turkey for dinner. TML: The first time I went to Madrid I was asked to go to the supermercado and buy some chicken (pollo). Well, I got a little tongue-tied and instead of asking the man for pollo, I asked for a specific part of his anatomy. Talk about an embarrassing moment! He finally figured out what I was asking for and I went home with some real chicken parts! The family I was staying with almost wet their pants laughing. I have since been back to Madrid 8 times and have learned a very important lesson ... We are the ones who put the burden on ourselves. Every person I met really wanted me to succeed, and they were extremely helpful. They didnt try to make me feel stupid - but were more touched by my desire to communicate with them - even in lieu of my grammatical errors. Lessons learned: If you are afraid to make mistakes, you will not learn. Years down the road you will have some funny and often wonderful memories of people you met and how you each helped one another out. Lily Su: I was looking up the word dulce in my excellent dictionary (which lists lots of ways to use words and phrases) wanting to see if it was used to say things like, oh thank you, that was sweet of you, etc., and not just that you preferred sweet desserts, for example. I was reading along and ran across the word boniato (sweet potato). I must not have been reading very carefully because I somehow got the idea that you could call someone a boniato as a term of endearment (maybe like we call someone sweetie). So I went around saying, hola, mi boniato to many of my Spanish friends, only one of which finally corrected me. It still cracks us all up when we remember that! Also heard about an American priest who commented at the Spanish mass that he loved los calzones bonitos (calzones is underpants) when he meant to say las canciones bonitas (the beautiful songs)! Patty: I was shopping for groceries in Los Angeles with a Spanish-speaking friend, and in attempt to help her choose her orange juice I asked her (in Spanish) if she wanted the one with pulp or without. It turned out to be one of those occasions that guessing at the word by adding an o at the end didnt work. Pulpo means octopus. Fortunately, I was close enough; the word is pulpa, so she was able to guess what I meant. AuPhinger: The phrase y pico was commonly used to mean and a little, or a little bit, as in ochenta pesos y pico for a little over eighty pesos. One of the fellows in my fathers office transferred to, if I remember correctly, Chile. He used the phrase - for a short while! Until one of the guys in the office pulled him aside and informed him that there, y pico meant a little bit of only one thing! Liza Joy: Once in a university night class I was teaching, a recently divorced middle-aged student decided to use the Spanish she learned in my class on a trip to Mexico. She wanted to get away from the tourist route and so went to a restaurant where no one appeared to speak English. She managed to order a delicious meal, but when it came time to ask for the bill, all she could think of to say was how much, which she translated literally as como mucho which means I eat a lot, instead of the correct cunto. This rather plump lady told me that she kept pointing at her dish and saying como mucho to the waiter, who looked embarrassed and kept saying, No, seà ±ora, usted no come mucho. Finally, she took out her credit card, and he suddenly understood. She didnt understand what the problem was until she got back to class after Easter break. Moral: Learn your question words! Russell: This didnt actually happen to me, but a colleague of mine told me this story that happened to her. She was working in South America with the Peace Corps. She was cleaning up some area among a group of a mixture of Peace Corps folks and natives. At some point, she looked around and found that everyone had left except one local man. Being friendly, she thought shed ask his name. She intended to say,  ¿Cà ³mo te llamas? but it came at comoteyamo, which meant he heard, Cà ³mo te amo (How I love you!). Not surprisingly, the man got a surprised look on his face and did the only logical thing. He ran away. Sierra Jenkins: I worked at an international center for Girl Scouts in Cuernavaca, Mexico, that hosted girls from around the world for two-week sessions. One of my co-workers was from England and didnt speak a lick of Spanish and was terribly worried about offending someone, but I finally talked her into trying out a bit. We went over to chat with a few girls from Argentina and my friend said, Id like to ask her how old she is. I told her to say,  ¿Cuntos aà ±os tienes? and she turned to the girl and said,  ¿Cuntos anos tienes? The girl busted a gut and replied, Solo uno,  ¡pero funciona muy bien! Needless to say, I never got my friend to speak Spanish again. Bamulum: When my wife (nicaragà ºense) and I (Tennesseean) married, we kept an English-Spanish dictionary between us at all times. It was only a short amount of time that I had learned just enough Spanish to get myself into trouble. I had been sick for a few days but had gotten a lot better. When asked by my mother-in-law how I was feeling, I responded by saying mucho mujeres instead of mucho mejor, and of course received quite a stern look from my suegra! Note: Most of the comments above have been edited for brevity, context and, in some cases, content, spelling or grammar. You can find the original discussion here.

7 English Grammar Rules You Should Know

7 English Grammar Rules You Should Know 7 English Grammar Rules You Should Know 7 English Grammar Rules You Should Know By Mark Nichol This post outlines seven general areas of grammar and syntax that writers must be familiar with to enable them to write effectively. 1. Subject-Verb Agreement Use singular verbs for singular subjects and plural verbs with plural subjects. A verb should agree with its subject, not with an intervening modifying phrase or clause: â€Å"The box of cards is on the shelf.† Singular verbs are appropriate with the following parts of speech: indefinite pronouns: â€Å"Everyone is here† uncountable nouns: â€Å"The rain has stopped† inverted subjects: â€Å"Where is the car?† subjects plural in form but singular in meaning: â€Å"Statistics [the academic subject] is boring,† but â€Å"Statistics [sets of data] are sometimes misleading† compound subjects: â€Å"Breaking and entering is different than burglary† the constructions â€Å"the only one of those (blank) who . . . ,† â€Å"the number of (blank) . . . ,† â€Å"every (blank) . . . ,† and â€Å"many a (blank) . . .† a measurement when considered as a unit: â€Å"Three months is a long time to wait† collective nouns: â€Å"The team is ready for the game† (but if referring to all individual members of a collective, reword for clarity, as in â€Å"The members of the team stand behind the coach’s decision†) 2. Nominative and Objective Pronouns and Reflexive Pronouns Pronouns are sometimes used erroneously when a phrase contains more than one object. For example, although â€Å"My sister and I are coming† is correct because â€Å"My sister and I† is the subject and therefore the nominative I is appropriate, â€Å"He invited my sister and I† is wrong because â€Å"my sister† and I are the objects, and the pronoun should be in objective form (me, not I). Reflexive pronouns, compound of a pronoun and -self, are correct only if they are associated with an antecedent pronoun, as in â€Å"I did it myself†; â€Å"Contact John or myself† is an error because there is no previous reference to the self-identifying person. 3. Dangling Participles When a sentence begins with an incomplete phrase or clause, the person, place, or thing it modifies must immediately follow it as the subject of the main clause, or the introductory phrase or clause must be rewritten. For example, in â€Å"Rolling down the slope, my eyes beheld a curious sight,† the writer intends to express that he or she was rolling down the slope, but the subject of the sentence is â€Å"my eyes,† leading to the impression that the rolling was performed by the eyes, not the individual. To resolve the problem, amend the sentence to â€Å"Rolling down the slope, I beheld a curious sight† or â€Å"As I rolled down the slope, my eyes beheld a curious sight.† 4. Misplaced Modifiers A modifying phrase should immediately follow the word or phrase it modifies. For example, in the sentence â€Å"I overheard that they’re getting married in the rest room,† because â€Å"in the rest room† follows â€Å"getting married,† the reader is given the impression that the nuptials will take place in the rest room. However, â€Å"in the rest room† modifies the subject, â€Å"I overheard,† so those two phrases should be adjacent: â€Å"I overheard in the rest room that they’re getting married.† 5. Incomplete Sentences Many justifications exist for sentence fragments, but they are best used judiciously and in such a way that it is clear to the reader that the writer is deliberately writing an incomplete sentence, and not obliviously making an error. 6. Phrase and Clause Lists In-line lists, those presented within the syntax of a sentence, should be structured to be grammatically consistent. For example, the sentence â€Å"Insights are actionable, adaptive, and help achieve the desired objectives† is erroneously constructed because are serves the first adjective and help is associated with achieve, but adaptive cannot share are with actionable unless a conjunction rather than a comma separates them: â€Å"Insights are actionable and adaptive and help achieve the desired objectives.† If a sentence, unlike in this revision, is to remain in list form, each list element must follow parallel construction, as in the revision of â€Å"Teapots may be embellished with landscapes, scenes from paintings, historical figures, or natural elements such as orchids or bamboo† to â€Å"Teapots may be embellished with landscapes, scenes from paintings, portraits of historical figures, or depictions of natural elements such as orchids or bamboo,† where each element must refer to representations of phenomena rather than the phenomena themselves. 7. Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Phrases and Clauses Although the use of which in a sentence such as â€Å"She prefers a job which is more stable† is technically correct in American English (and ubiquitous in British English), careful writers will help their readers by maintaining this distinction between which and that: Use the former with a nonrestrictive phrase â€Å"She prefers a job, which is more stable than freelance work† (what follows the comma and which is not essential to the sentence) and use the latter with a restrictive phrase â€Å"She prefers a job that is more stable† (â€Å"that is more stable† is an essential part of the sentence). 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 Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Great Opening Lines to Inspire the Start of Your StoryFlier vs. FlyerSit vs. Set