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This morning I received a wonderful letter from the mother of one of the hundreds of thousands of people who have used the web site over the last two years. I want to share with you Jasmin's mothers comments but also to invite you to offer suggestions for the next step in Jasmin's English advancement....

Hi,

Firstly THANK YOU for such an excellent website - it has been essential in helping my daughter pass her IGCSE English - she got an A (Home schooling).

Secondly, your advice would be really appreciated. We are looking at writing AS level English in May/June this year. She only needs one AS level but will be taking art too. SO we would need to really do intensive English - can you recommend a good distance learning site? Most of the online courses require a year to 18 months!

In appreciation

Nicky.

Well here is the challenge readers. Can you help Nicky find a good distance delivery site that can offer an intensive AS English program in 6 months? Quite the challenge however thousands of people each week come to this site for its resources - perhaps one or two of you are already using distance delivery and can add a comment here for Nicky to review. Contact Nicky directly here.

Congratulations to Jasmin and as I have said before this site tries to gather together the very best available online so that our students can find the information, ideas and examples in one place.

Essay Analysis from online … somewhere to begin from.

my new essay is on lord of the flies.

sc15pcz

Mar 26, 09, 12:14am

#1

you can combine topics as long as you show how they are connected in supporting your specific thesis on human nature and society.
1. character interpretation: choose one of the main characters and interpret the changes he goes through. what do these changes suggest about the novel's message regarding society and human nature? or, compare 2 or even 3 characters to show what ideas these characters represent regarding society or human nature.
2. symbolic interpretation: choose one or more of the main symbols and interpret the importance of that symbol in the novel. what do the symbols suggest about society and human nature. you might analyze changes in the conch throughout the novel and the changes in the tribe it represents. or compare changes in the conch to changes in the lord of the flies (pigs head) to explain how these changes reflect changes in the tribe. or compare different uses of fire. or examine piggy's specs, face paint, or any combination of these symbols. make sure that you compare each of them as you go and link them all together with a thesis regarding human nature and society. use symbol and symbolize only once or twice.
3. interpretation of irony: interpret various ironic situations and their importance in developing the novel's message regarding human nature and society. you might examine the boys' assumptions about grown-ups, the use of fire, their assumptions about the beast, the death of simon and their eventual rescue by the naval commander. in each case make sure you explain exactly how the situation is ironic: how is the reality or outcome of the situation the exact opposite of the characters expectations? what do these ironies suggest about human nature, society, or the nature of reality?
topic should have to do with human nature and society and the novel's message about them. you might also analyze what effect society has on human nature. what kind of societies or governments best keep human nature under control? can any government really suppress problems of human nature completely? why/why not?
i was thinking of maybe doing the symbolism one, the boys clothes fall apart as the novel goes on, and so does their social interactions, and their "humanity".
but then again this is humanity in a way, so i wasnt sure.
also maybe something about how golding uses piggy to keep the novel going, if they didnt have him for the other boys to ridicule and taunt, then they might just end up running around and hunting instead of hunting eachother.
maybe the littluns role, they serve as a gauge of the older boys' morality, how they treat the littuns is how they are. but maybe they might represent something else, innocence... maybe...
how golding uses the gentler characters, simon and piggy to enrage the other boys and get them to the point where they show their true humanity and loose all ties to society.
if you didnt read this book ill just post it somewhere else. i want to have an original topic, and im not sure what i am the most interested in.

sc15pcz
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sc15pcz

Mar 26, 09, 01:04am

#2

some ideas, a little more developed than the first. still cant choose one.
Are the littluns filler, or do they mean something more?
The littluns seem to just be in their own little group that does whatever they want, they build castles and play on the beach all day, but they can be useful. Golden uses the littluns to gauge the older boys morality, if they are cruel to them, then they are cruel in general. But they also seem to symbolize the connection between the boys and society, they are innocent and remind us of how people behave in society. The littluns cry a lot, and they are not scared to admit that they are frightened, and they don't go off and hunt or do any of that, they link the boys with their last shreds of normal behavior, and are not caught up in the older boys war.
Piggy, Ralph and Simon Made Me Do It
Would the boys become killers without Piggy, Simon, and Ralph?
Well, obviously they couldn't kill Simon and Piggy if they never existed, but if they were like the others, blood thirsty and savage, the others may have never been driven to kill at all. These softer characters are used to create a contrast between them that brings out the truth about humanity.
No Clothes, No Morals
As time on the island passes, their clothes fall apart, and with them their links to society, and their true human nature emerges.

sc15pcz
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lowryder49

Mar 26, 09, 09:50am

#3

history shows us that Humans tends to commit the same mistakes over and over again
Killing, rage adn anger are parts of human nature as well as loving, caring and nursing
lord of the flies topics are war, power, superiority,frienship these are a few

lowryder49
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EF_Kevin [Moderator]

Mar 27, 09, 12:28am

#4

I agree that symbolism is always a safe bet... and it can make for such a great essay. Symbolism is fascinating.
I really like your section about whether the Littluns are filler or something more!
Who is the kid that turned all evil? It would be cool to write about the changes he went through... but that would not be original.
Your ideas are good. Write some more of it!

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EF_Sean [Moderator]

Mar 28, 09, 06:16pm

#5

I like where you seem to be going with the clothes as symbolic approach. Clothes conceal us, after all, hide our bodies. If, then, as the clothes decay, we see the children's true nature, which is animalistic and brutal, it is presumably the case that the children's nature doesn't decay, so much as get revealed as the civilizing veneer of socialization wear's off. So, the clothing would then actually represent socialization. You can definitely build on that to create a solid essay. Good luck.

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sc15pcz

Mar 30, 09, 05:13pm

#6

i wrote this before i got any of your comments, but i couldnt decide so it is kind of a mixture of all of them. some of my classmates read it, and they didnt think it was too random but i do... does it fit together at all? it seems to me to just be a jumble but im not sure...
They Made Me Do it
SEE BELOW

sc15pcz
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EF_Kevin [Moderator]

Mar 31, 09, 04:16pm

#7

Everyone feels this way at one time or another; and no matter how much society tries to force it out of us, we still have our human nature under it all the facade of civility, and we will do what is necessary to survive.
How about that, with the semi-colon and a slight tweak.
This essay is great! I like the way you expertly attended to all the important things: narrative hook at the start, clear thesis, logical sequence of ideas. It is great!
The only gripe I have with you is that you oversimplify Golding's message. The story obviously shows that we have savagery beneath our civilized appearances, but I don't think he meant to say that we will always revert to our animal instincts. Instead, his exposition of the mechanisms that give rise to violence, and the factors that work against good leadership, gives readers real wisdom and insight. Golding shows a model of the human societal process... shows it in the form of a sort of experiment on an island, a "what if" scenario. Golding is showing something about human nature, and, more importantly, he is exposing the demons that need to be conquered if we are to succeed in keeping the violence out of society.

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EF_Sean [Moderator]

Mar 31, 09, 05:23pm

#8

The great flaw in your argument is that Ralph and Piggy don't in fact lose their morals. Both remain decent human beings standing up for what they believe is right to the very end. Piggy is murdered, and Ralph would have been, if not for the arrival of adults, or course, but they die, or come close to it, precisely because they refuse to give up their moral nature. So, perhaps you need to go a little deeper into your analysis than merely saying that everyone loses their morals when they don't have supervision. Why does Ralph lose out to Jack in the political battle? Why does Jack set the entire island ablaze in an effort to destroy him, even though he is smart enough to realize that this must surely end in his own destruction too? You might want to throw in some Freudian analysis here -- id, ego, superego. Also, what could Ralph have done to change the outcome? Why doesn't he?
"We need societies structure to keep us from reverting back to animals" But the larger society in the book is essentially on the verge of WWIII. That is, the planet itself is about to burn as the island does, only in a nuclear conflagration. So, even with society's structure, our destructive impulses can still emerge and destroy us.
Good essay overall, then, but try to dig a bit deeper to make it even stronger.

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sc15pcz

Apr 1, 09, 02:11am

#9

sean, i get what you mean about ralph and piggy, but there is one point where they are so caught up in the hunters dance that they want to join in and kill simon. they do not loose their morals, but they arent completely intact either.
will work on the rest, just wanted to say that.

sc15pcz
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sc15pcz

Edited by: sc15pcz Apr 1, 09, 02:47am

#10

maybe a little better, not sure if i caught everything. ill change more of the stuff you said sean, i just need to have this done tonight for the second draft to show my teacher, and i already blew it by falling asleep.
They Made Me Do it
Have you ever been so mad you wanted to kill someone? Been so angry you just wanted to rip their head off? Everyone feels this way at one time or another; no matter how much society tries to force ...
SEE BELOW

sc15pcz
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EF_Kevin [Moderator]

Apr 1, 09, 05:25pm

#11

The boys are all "going native" to one extent or another, and loosing their footholds that keep them from going over the edge; however, it is sometimes hard to tell ...
Above, that was a run-on sentence without the semi-colon. I had not noticed it before! You tried to use "however" in the way you would use "but"; however, "however" cannot be used as a conjunction. "But" can be used in a compound sentence, but "however" needs its own sentence.
This is really quite a great essay, and the last paragraph leaves no doubt tha you understand the theme. It would be better, though, if you add a few sentences about how the society on the island is like a model that shows how larger societies sink into violence -- as a result of the savage ways to which we resort we are frightened.

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sc15pcz

Apr 10, 09, 12:33am

#12

so, my teacher didnt really think the ideas were connected. he said to have two of the paragraph topics be the theme and the other two the body, but im not exactly sure what he meant. i tried rewriting it like he said but i got stuck. help? suggestions? im pretty much at a block and cant seem to write anything else. thanks.
SEE BELOW

sc15pcz
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EF_Kevin [Moderator]

Apr 10, 09, 01:59pm

#13

Have you ever wanted to kill someone?
I like it! You toned down this opening in a good way. The mention of killing someone is enough to grab the attention. In general, it will be good for you to eliminate unnecessary sentences in your writing. Same for all of us.
Most would say no; however, if you think about it we get outraged very easily, and sometimes it takes all our self-control to keep from lashing out.

sc15pcz:

Humans fear what they do not understand, and unfortunately we understand very little. It is up to us to try to explain the mysteries of our world in order to maintain civility, and refrain from aggression.

Excellent! Now, reread your whole essay and think of it as advice you were writing for kids who were about to become policy-makers, senate, congress, etc. The essay is all very good. But I think you are neglecting the fact that the lessons in the story are most useful for those who would participate in government -- an important thing to at least acknowledge.

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sc15pcz

Apr 13, 09, 11:47pm

#14

i had to rush at the end but here it is. i kind of lost interest in the topic because i didnt do it right away...
56093
An Adaption to Ruthlessness
What would it mean to be the lord of the flies? William Golding entitles his work the Lord of the Flies leading one to wonder weather he refers to the decapitated pigs head or to Ralph. The fly is an ignoble creature. It is small. It is a bearer of germs. It is known to feed on feces. If Golding perceives the boys as flies, his view of human beings is completely pessimistic. His premise is that if left alone on an island away from the supervision, rules, and laws of adults, boys would revert to a state of total savagery and would proceed to murder one another. Survival of the fittest would be enacted. To become a lord or ruler of such creatures would require becoming the most violent and vicious person among the group. In short this ruler would rule over insignificant creatures and thus be no true lord at all. Ralph is not able to maintain his rule over the boys because his power stems from his ability to think with forethought rather than physical strength. Ultimately Ralph's intelligence cannot overcome jack's force. One of the true marks of maturity is learning that simply because you can, doesn't mean that you should. In a human context, what does it take to maintain rule, intelligence or strength? Golding puts forth the idea that force is superior to intelligence in the quest for power.
In the beginning it appears that Ralph is the logical leader of the group, but if Ralph hadn't been so calm, Piggy so smart, and Simon so gentle, the other boys would still have come to kill. These softer characters were used as a catalyst to expose the true nature of the boys. They were all just looking for food and playing at first, but when the hunters start messing around and let the fire go out, Ralph says the "smoke is more important than the pig, however often you kill one" (81), and he is not impressed by their kill. They are angry because they think their game is impressive, and they do not appreciate him telling them that all their manly efforts were not of any use. Jack uses this annoyance towards Ralph to his advantage; planting the idea that Ralph is an annoying know-it-all and causing the rest of the hunters to want to show off more to spite him. He revs them up into a frenzy until all they want to do is "Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood" (69), and all Ralph's ideas about keeping the fire going seem to be a joke. The hunters feel that they are too strong to take orders from a weakling that "[is] not a hunter. [And would] never have got [them] meat" (126). They don't know anything about him, so when Jack says, "He just gives orders and expects people to obey for nothing" (126), the hunters start to question the idea that they will be rescued with fire, and begin to follow Jack even more. Piggy and Simon are similar to Ralph, being smart and unique. They consider the consequences of their actions, rather than just going for whatever whim comes their way. The hunters don't like this. They want to be able to do what they want, when they want, so when the odd ones tell them to behave, they get annoyed and think they are better than them and shouldn't be ruled by the ones who are not the most vicious or violent. They are not the lord, and therefore are nothing.
That which we want the most is often the worst possible thing for us. It is important in life to know when to draw the line. To know what is ok, and what is going too far. The flies have lost this sense. They can no longer tell the bad from the good, they simply do what they feel is necessary to survive, so when they attack they never think to stop. Never think it is wrong to kill another boy. Thus as the boys forget about their civility, the reader begins to wonder how far they have really gone, and Golding uses the littluns to remind us of the empire waiting for them back home. They act as a gauge, to tell us how far each character has fallen. The littluns are around six, terrified of everything, spend all their time eating and playing, but are essentially harmless. They aren't expected to do anything, but what really shows a persons character is how they act towards those who cannot protect themselves. If you go and poke a baby with a stick, you cannot be a very nice person. Some people pretend, but on the island with no consequences, how they act towards the weak shows a lot about who they are. Ralph, being the leader, is not mean to them, and tries to include them in meetings by using "simple words so that even [they] would understand"(79); however, he doesn't find them useful. This demonstrates his nature. He is a pensive boy who finds delight in swimming, and simple things, and does not find the affairs of others particularly intriguing unless they directly affect him. This is displayed when he tells them to make sure they do not go to the bathroom near the food, water, or tents, and also when they start all the talk about the beast which makes all his followers begin to question him. Piggy is similar to Ralph in that respect, he is not mean, but does not think they warrant his attention. He feels that they are childish, and he is above their games, saying, "If the littluns climb back on the twister again they'll only fall off in a sec. So they might as well sit on the ground and listen" (84), in a rather irritated manner. Correspondingly, Piggy always feels that he is smarter than everyone else, and he comes up with most of the good ideas, even if no one listens to him. Simon on the other hand goes out of his way to be kind to them, bringing them "fruit they [cannot] reach" (56), and looking out for them when no one else does, which exemplifies his kind, caring nature, to sacrifice himself for the well-being of others. One of the middle kids (neither bigun, nor littlun), Maurice throws sand in their eyes and rocks around them; however, when they are all at a meeting he "save[s] them" (87) crying out, "Look at me!" (87), and pretending to fall over in order to make them laugh and avoid their crying. This is not a completely selfless act, in that he would have to wait for them to stop, nonetheless, he still tries to help, which is illustrated later when he follows the rest of the hunters, not exactly wanting to kill, but simply trying to avoid being singled out like the other three, and saving his own skin. This leads to Jack who is mean and thinks they are a "useless lot of cry-babies!" (83), and it would "serve [them] right if something did get [them]" (83) for causing all the trouble about the beast. When Jack's tribe splits off, he leaves all the littuns with the nicer characters who care if they are unhappy or in danger, which shows how he is savage, and will waste no effort in trying to help out little children, simply hunting and killing whatever he can. It's like stealing candy from a baby, if you do it to make yourself happy, then you are a horrible person, and you can't deny it.
Golding uses clothing as a symbol for civilization. Every morning we put on clothes without thinking about their function. Clothes provide warmth and preserve modesty. They also maintain cleanliness and give a protective covering to the skin. The first description of Ralph is that he is trailing his school sweater by one arm and that the clothing he still wears is causing him to sweat. Thus his clothes do not suit the climate or circumstances in which he finds himself. As the book goes on, the boys' clothing deteriorates with their morals. It is a logical response to a tropical climate to wear less clothing. The boys take off their shirts and shoes to remain cool. This is liberating in a physical sense as well as a mental one as they would not be permitted to do this at home. They run around and play enlivened by this new freedom from the restrictions of vestments. The longer they live in this state of virtual nakedness, the dirtier and more ragged they become. The longer they exist without the restrictions of civilization, the mental reaction to autonomy is moral deterioration. Even at the beginning of the book when Ralph pulls off all his clothes, he stands "among the skull-like coconuts" (10), which foreshadows the future. A person who sheds all clothing and discards all morals is less protected from death. Near the end of the book when all the boys' shorts are in tatters and are being held up by mere threads as well as their links to society, Ralph makes one last attempt to rein them in. He puts on his shirt from the first day even though it is stiff with sweat and very uncomfortable. Just as in a restaurant a sign will warn "No shirt no shoes no service", the wearing of clothing represents accountability and responsibility or the consciousness that human nakedness requires covering to be civilized. As the deterioration of morality intensifies, the boys begin to rely more on their fear of danger to make decisions. Unlike animals who navigate their world with instinct, the fear begins to overshadow their common sense. They completely loose their minds when the "demented" dance starts. "Out of the terror (rises) another desire, thick, urgent, blind"(152). They are overcome by their fear and their instincts turn to bloodlust. They are possessed with the urge to kill and they cannot stop themselves. Then at Castle Rock, all the hunters chant and yell, and the "storm of sound beat at them, in an incantation of hatred"(180). Roger is gripped "with a sense of delirious abandonment" (180), and he leans on the lever, causing the boulder to crush piggy. Every time the boys start to chant someone dies. After that the hunters give up all control, and Jack shouts, "There isn't a tribe for you anymore!"(181) They all proceed to attack him with spears and every last trace of humanity is gone. The alpha instinct in Jack to lead overcomes him and he gets the whole tribe to attack. The bloodlust is summoned and the façade of civility is discarded like an unwanted garment.
As the boys deteriorate, they begin to rely more on their fear to determine danger than common sense, more animal than human. When the "demented" dance starts they loose their heads, and "out of terror [rises] another desire, thick, urgent, blind" (152). They are overcome by their fear and it turns into bloodlust, they are possessed, and cannot stop themselves from killing, nor do they want to. Then at castle rock when all the hunters are chanting and yelling, and the "storm of sound beat[s] at them, in an incantation of hatred" (180), Roger is gripped "with a sense of delirious abandonment" (180), and he leans on the lever and the boulder crushes Piggy. When they let themselves be taken over they let all their human thoughts fall away. The sound revs them up, and every time they start to chant, someone dies. After that the hunters give up control all together and Jack shouts "there isn't a tribe for you anymore!" (181). They have fallen into an animalistic state, and Ralph is forced to run for his life as they stab at him. Every last trace of their attempts at society is gone. The alpha instinct in Jack to be leader overcomes him and he gets the whole tribe to attack. Underneath it all, the bloodlust comes out, the façade crumbles, and there is nothing you can do about it, its just human nature.
We need society's structure to keep us from reverting back to animals. When all the hallmarks of civilization have been striped away it is all we can do to refrain from using our instincts to make decisions, and attacking whatever we fear. It is important to try to understand what we fear, or we will live in fear forever, and that fear will turn to aggression and we won't be able to resist. It is our ability to consider the consequences of our actions that separates us from animals. We can consider all angles of a situation, and determine weather it is better to stay and fight, or run and hide. Golding uses the island as a model of larger societies to illustrate how they sink into violence, which makes everyone scared, which in turn brings more carnage. Just like Bush's "war on terror", everyone fights out of fear, fear of loosing what they have. Most do not simply fight for the sake of fighting. Humans fear what they do not understand, and unfortunately we understand very little. It is up to us to try to explain the mysteries of our world in order to maintain civility and refrain from aggression, or we will undoubtedly be doomed to repeat, over and over, all the violence.

sc15pcz
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Winpapamon

Apr 14, 09, 03:54am

#15

Should parents be responsible if their children behave badly?
Most children in the duration between childhood and adulthood may be problem-makers of society because they start to learn about the life only at that time.In some places,parents neglect or do not know what their children did wrongly and they have not been nothing to do with their children did.This essay will discuss whether parents should pay attention to their children' committing.
Parents are the very first teachers of their children.Only parents should guide when children start to observe about the environment.In addition,children do not have anyone to rely on except parents.That is why,parents should keep an eye on their children's deed and always take care of their children's behaviors.
There are many excuses for which parents should not take responsibility if their children commit some crimes.One of those is because parents are earning money to support their children's requirements such as educational fees,living,food supplies,clothes and others.For these reasons, they cannot care well about children.What is more,adolescents do not want to stay under the control of parents.They desire to make own decisions and to face everything and to be free from parents' management.Furthermore,some adolescents do not let their parents know what they will do and they did.They want to be secretive on parents.
From my point of view,the phenomenon of that children act badly does not deal with parents because parents are responsible to guide them right from wrong. That is why they are called parents.In my opinion, humans should be effected by the consequences of that they did.It is not for their parents.

Winpapamon
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TOEFL Practice Essay - Xhoia 9B

22. In general, people are living longer now. Discuss the causes of this phenomenon. Use specific reasons and details to develop your essay.

We all know that human populations are increasing and scientists can easily prove that. Over the last 300 years there has been a huge increase in human populations. We are going to reveal together the causes of this increase. All these reasons are based on facts that we can also find in scientific books.

One of the most important things is the improved medical care, including control of diseases and improved public health. If those things are improved then lives get better, less people die, more of them are careful, eat better food, go to the doctor, etc. Also there are some drugs that can control diseases inside the body, and there are others which totally destroy diseases. With public health we can have better sanitation and water supplies.

Another reason is the improved agriculture and the increase in amount of buildings and places to live. Improved agriculture means more food, more food means that all people are fed properly and don’t die of starvation. Buildings are needed for people without shelter so they don’t die of the cold outside.

There is also the last but not the least of importance, the war. We know that in wars hundreds and thousands of people die. But now countries can deal with each other about their problems without including war, so less people are dead.

So, these were the things I wanted you to know about the causes the increase of human populations all over the world. These were the reasons of this phenomenon. We hope it will not continue forever or everybody would die of the lack of food, diseases, wars, lack of shelter, etc., etc.  Help be part of the solution, not part of the problem - one person can and does make the difference!

TOEFL practice essay #3 ~ Ledio 9B

Some people believe that the Earth is being harmed (damaged) by human activity. Others feel that human activity makes the Earth a better place to live. What is your opinion? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.


The Earth’s natural resources are being damaged a lot by human activity. Since the last century the Earth’s natural resources have suffered very harsh damage. The environment and the climate are suffering changes. Carbon dioxide released by cars has caused an increase in the Earth’s temperature, which is leading our planet towards global warming. The humans’ excessive use of energy has led to the extinction of some fuels, which are very important for our technology.

Global warming is a much discussed topic in recent years and it is becoming a serious threat to humanity each day that passes. Governments are making many promises, but there are few actions. The plans that are made and talked about aren’t put into action. If the situation continues like this, then after seventy years our planet will be flooded by a large mass of water and countries, cities and towns will be lying underwater endangering the existence of humanity as we know it. Another problem is the pollution of the seas. The toxic wastes of ships and industries are released into the ocean. The seas are becoming polluted by the large quantity of toxic wastes released by human industries and washed away into the oceans. In this way much aquatic life will die because of poisoning. Oceans may become polluted and the sea will become useless.

In many poor countries these effects are being shown and because of this tourism in those countries is very weak. Marine tourism is the most beneficial tourism in the world. The sea has to be protected at every cost. Not only seas and oceans are at risk, but also rivers are affected by toxic wastes. If it continues like this many countries will remain short of water and a big part of the population will die because of thirst.

Humans are always working harder and harder to develop their technologies and they’re using all the natural resources available in the Earth to achieve this aim quickly. The necessity in the last century for building nuclear power stations has increased very much the level of radioactivity in the air. Just in Tirana, because of the high levels of carbon monoxide released by cars, the air has become so polluted that the chances of getting cancer are six times higher than the rest of the European Committee. Tirana is not the only capital with this condition; some well-known capitals share this problem such as those of Belgium, Germany, and France.

I personally think that it is our responsibility to save the planet. It is time for the leaders who rule the world to use their influence and power in the war against global warming and against the destruction of the planet. It is a shame that in the 21st century, the century of development, there are still leaders that think making war, which does not profit anyone, instead of reaching an arrangement between them and starting to work towards the problems that face humanity today such as poverty, global warming etc.

TOEFL Practice Week 2 - Ledio 9B

No.18-What are some important qualities of a good supervisor (boss)? Use specific reasons to develop your essay.

A boss is a leader and as important as this place is as difficult it is. To become a boss you must have some specific qualities, which are essential. First of all you must be responsible and you must take total responsibility about your actions, because from your decisions depends also the fate of other people. You have to be serious and very hard-working. You must be very ambitious and have the ability to keep your group united as a whole body. You have to accept different opinions of the members of your group and always praise those who are more hard-working within your group.

To become a boss is only half of the way of a real leader the second part is how you lead your group. What are your ambitions with this team? To be a successful boss you must be ready to take your team to the top. A successful boss can’t exist without a successful team and a successful team can’t exist without a successful boss. The boss is the one to plan a good strategy that his team has to follow in order to become successful. A true boss must never give up until he has seen victory in every battle that he does with his team, if he fails in his duty, the team itself will be a failure and he will be destroyed and another one will take his place.

The war for competition never forgives. The success of a team depends upon the skills of the members of the team and from the direct abilities of the boss. The boss must organize his team in a very accurate way before identifying a target and starting a new battle. He has to calculate every chance and he must never retreat. A true leader has to be ready to make the impossible possible if that is necessary. To make this happen he has to break a record that has never been broken. He must never be afraid to get to the top and he must have decided to do this although there may be many hard battles to get there.

A leader must be ready to sacrifice for the sake of victory. He has to know what has to be done to take victory in his hands. As in chess, it isn’t enough a good heart, a true leader must use his mind. Nothing is got without sacrificing something. The road to the top is full of harsh battles, where you have to struggle to take the victory and sometimes you’re forced to make some very hard choices, upon which the whole fate of the victory may depend.

We see that today everyone cares just for himself and for nobody else. Everyone struggles for survival, to be a boss nowadays you need to be a survivor and to be a survivor you must always win. Nobody will have mercy for you or pity you. A true boss has always to finish his work. He must never be lazy or retreat in his duties. He has always to be active. He must always check how much his team has advanced, how far his team is from the final goal, has he to make himself and his team work harder. The boss always works harder than anybody else. A boss must always point higher and higher until he has reached the final goal.

The Top Ten Student Essay Writing Errors, by Jessica Tiffin

Jessica Tiffin wrote out these excellent pointers for students in their essay writing techniques and skills. Jessica graphically shows the right and wrong approach. Follow Jessicas introduction and go to her example page...

"I spend a lot of time marking essays and writing comments, and a large proportion of that time and effort is spent on grammatical and stylistic errors. I keep threatening to have rubber stamps made for the more common ones, which underlines the sad fact that an awful lot of these errors are common to an awful lot of students.

"This checklist, then, is an attempt to proactively treat your essay: if you look through this list and make a serious effort to avoid the errors it contains, I'll have a lot more time to look at the content of your work, your argument and insight, rather than mechanistic mistakes. This will not only make me a lot happier, it will also give you a better chance to improve your essay-writing. It will also improve your mark: you are penalised for grammatical errors in an English essay. Writing correct English makes everyone happier, especially you. And you can feel the warm glow of pride which says you are not part of that awful horde of students whose abuse of the innocent apostrophe is hastening my decline...

1. Poor page layout and paragraphing.
2. Plagiarism.
3. Incorrect referencing.
4. Contractions, abbreviations and slang.
5. Incomplete sentences.
6. Spelling errors and word misuse.
7. Unformatted titles.
8. Incorrect use of apostrophes.
9. its/it's
10. "that of"

Top Twenty Essay Mistakes

Here are the twenty MOST COMMON writing mistakes students make. Each mistake is linked to examples and the 'correct way' to write the offending passage. To help you better understand the conventions of academic and professional writing, we have identified the twenty error patterns (other than misspelling) most common among U.S. college students and list them here in order of frequency. These twenty errors are likely to cause you the most trouble, so it is well worth your effort to check for them in your writing. Click on each error listed to see brief explanations and examples of each error pattern.

1. Missing comma after an introductory element
2. Vague pronoun reference
3. Missing comma in a compound sentence
4. Wrong word
5. Missing comma(s) with a nonrestrictive element
6. Wrong or missing verb ending
7. Wrong or missing preposition
8. Comma splice
9. Missing or misplaced possessive apostrophe
10. Unnecessary shift in tense
11. Unnecessary shift in pronoun
12. Sentence fragment
13. Wrong tense or verb form
14. Lack of subject-verb agreement
15. Missing comma in a series
16. Lack of agreement between pronoun and antecedent
17. Unnecessary comma(s) with a restrictive element
18. Fused sentence
19. Misplaced or dangling modifier
20. Its/It's confusion

TOEFL Practice Essay 1 - Enis Y 10

3. Nowadays, with the invention of the microwave and with the popularity of fast food restaurants, food has become easier to prepare than ever. Do you think microwave ovens and fast food restaurants are beneficial to society? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

In time, there is no doubt that technology has developed and changed. In terms of that, the technology for our food has developed as well. Many people can now warm their meals in a matter of seconds. Also, fast food has had a major effect on the entire population of the quickness that they make it.

This can be good for society because the meals are made fast either with microwave or fast food. They offer convenient choices that will be a time-saver for the people who work a lot. The quickness may be good but what people consider the most is the taste. Fast food is made very tasty, compared to other home-made food. The appeal to the taste and the speed in which it is made are the factors that influence people to buy these food items. Also, microwaves are used for heating food that has gotten cold already so this is a handy device to have around the house.

Although they may have their good sides, they also have a share of bad ones. Let’s start with fast food. It is made quickly and tastes delicious but you have to take into consideration, how much fat it contains. Eating to much can get you much fatter and it also contains trans-fatty acids. Trans-fatty acids are fats that are bad for the body. Normal fat isn’t that harmful because the normal body needs a little fat but trans fat is very dangerous fat that is bad for your body. It is also expensive, compared to homemade food. The only person you can trust is yourself so you don’t even know what they put in your food. It’s a mystery. Now, let’s move on to the microwave. The microwave is used to warm cold meals but does everyone know that the UV rays it uses take away all the health from the food leaving just bad things for you.

In conclusion, they may have some good things but with the disadvantages it could be risky for your health. Although convenient, it is not right to say it’s beneficial for society since it has such a health hazard.

TOEFL practice - Marshella 9A

6. If you could change one important thing about your country, what would you change? Use reasons and specific examples to support your answer.

It is such a mysterious situation. On the outside it seems simple and easily solvable, but in the other side, there lies a huge world of reasons, where nothing happens. What makes a country successful? Many people think it is all about power, some think it is about reputation or money. Some have it wrong but are too stubborn to admit – set in their ways, locked in tradition, others just don't think about it. I think differently. These thoughts travel all along. It is the different opinions people have, that take this question to a discussion. My opinions and my ideas to this discussion began their way of developing starting from my country, Albania.

What’s wrong with it? This confusion in my mind seems to translate into various reasons and a coherence to understand what’s going on, what is the virus, the reason why all the troubles spread. I believe they all have the same mother. They develop together causing trouble everywhere around them. It is all about the psychology of humans. Their characters were sometime too weak to manage reality. In order to win what people fight for, money, people started using every way possible to get it.

Fortune and goods turned into a disease which infected people’s minds and turning them into destructive creatures. If we would put a name to what passes into people's minds it would be a variety of words expressing simply the bad, evil, anger, fear, ego, eager for power and money. These are all factors which make up ‘sophisticated’ people now a days.

This works just like a chain, so strong and unbreakable that it is able to be inherited generation after generation. And that is how the walls of the castle keep falling down into pieces, until someone brave appears and fixes it. In such occasions lays our hope, since it is the key to rebuild the precious segments of life, the things that stand on top of everything which we have to deify and use to free our souls. Such things are called virtues and live amongst us but many times are imprisoned inside people's bodies. Once freed these make up a kind and gentle person. These are the people I would like to have in my country right now, people who know what freedom is all about, people who are just born to make something in life.

Now a difficult battle lies in front of us, the most difficult of all, the castle has to be rebuilt but the price will be much bigger than once earned. The way we have to follow, will secretly be appeared each time we win a lesson. But yet the philosophy in this is so big, astonishing and valuable, standing on top of a cliff waiting for time to bring visitors.

A little difficult to follow along with at times yet the idea is there and Marshella's passion is clearly stated. This was Marshella's first attempt at a TOEFL essay.

TOEFL practice essay. Rea - Y 10

It has been said, "Not all learning takes place in the classroom." Compare and contrast knowledge gained from personal experience with knowledge gained from classroom instruction. In your opinion, which source is more important? Why?


Psychologists, each day give highlight different ways of teaching and explain ways of how children can be more focused in their studies. But, does all the learning take place in the classroom and which source is most important? I think it is a complex idea, the title makes it rather simplistic.


Until we graduate, school is the main source of learning new things but it isn't always the most efficient because kids aren't focused on their teacher’s words while they are in school. In fact, we just hear things in school, we learn them at home.


In social life we learn lots of things that are important for our future but most of all they are important to help us to carry on in everyday life. In my opinion, the most important source isn't only school rather it is a combination of school and ‘life experiences’. Different experiences, challenges, even struggles make us stronger in life. It doesn't matter the source of learning things, the real importance is what we learn.


The knowledge gained from personal experience lasts forever because it is not learned in an obligatory way. The classroom knowledge is important because as much as teachers try to tell us that we will need that kind of knowledge in life we always learn the lesson just for a test or quiz.


It is important to learn for ourselves, to be prepared for the future because there is a difficult world out there!

TOEFL practice essay ~ Amanda 10

3. Nowadays, with the invention of the microwave and with the popularity of fast food restaurants, food has become easier to prepare than ever. Do you think microwave ovens and fast food restaurants are beneficial to society? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Microwave ovens and fast food restaurants are important inventions for human beings. They are used for every kind of food throughout society. However microwave ovens and fast food restaurants have their own advantages and disadvantages.

There are a lot of people that believe that microwave ovens and fast food restaurants are the solution to wasting time, valuable time! Nowadays people are occupied with a lot of activities, so they can not spend a lot of time preparing to eat. They find cooking by microwave or visiting their favorite fast food restaurant the bet way of saving time. Students that stay for a long time in their schools find fast food as a fast and delicious alternative for their lunch. Fast food is the best liked food of teenagers, as it is SO delicious.

On the other hand, these are a lot who believe that microwave ovens and the food they prepare and fast food restaurants create very unhealthy foods which can damage your body. Besides all this, this kind of food is high in fats that are also very unhealthy. Microwaving food is very unhealthy, as it is said that by cooking by the microwave, your food absorbs a lot of harmful rays that destroy your system; for example if you boil rice or eggs in a microwave it is harmful to your body as it absorbs a lot of rays.

I think microwave ovens and fast food restaurants can either be a good solution or a bad solution. It can be a good solution for busy people that don’t have that much time at their disposal. If people prefer to eat fast food only because they are delicious, I think they should stop doing that because they should consider themselves lucky that they can eat healthy alternatives. It depends on the way that you see it, if they are good or bad solutions. They are not healthy but they are practical.

TOEFL practice essay - Senka 9A

Topic: How does advertising influence people’s behavior? Use reasons and specific examples to support your answers.

One of the things everyone has seen and knows about is ‘advertising’. Advertising is the art saying something in a beautiful and persuasive way so that it will attract attention and people will buy that product. We have all seen commercials which are a common type of advertising but they are not the only type. There are lots of others like: clothes, propaganda and posters, etc.

Why do people advertise? Advertising is made to attract attention. Companies need advertising to show or demonstrate new inventions. This will help them sell it. That’s why advertising is made in the middle of films or shows. This tends to annoy people but some actually enjoy it. It is a perfect way for them to decide what they are going to buy and check what their options are without going to the shops. Some kids see advertising as short stories and like them.

However, advertising has lots of negative effects. They affect what people think and influence their behavior. Advertising usually tells some lies in order to get customers. Adults understand that but children believe everything. They are gullible and will fall for any cheap saying. For example: The commercials advertise about a new toy which can somehow fly and shoot things. This is partially true. However kids all over the place will shout and drive their parents mad until they buy it.

Advertising not only affects little kids but teenagers too. One of the most common examples is tobacco advertising. According to an article teenagers are three times more sensitive to cigarette advertising than adults. This leads to problems and more youth smoking which is bad. In the end it really affects and changes people’s lives.

In my opinion advertising is as dangerous as important. It is necessary for companies and some people, but it hurts others so this needs to be solved. A simple way to solve it is to decide a time in which advertising is shown. 8 o’clock is a perfect timing because children are usually asleep and wont get the chance to see it. Another thing to improve it to tell the makers of commercials to tell the truth about things or show us the risks. This would warn people but which company does that? In conclusion I think advertising will go on forever but it must be reduced for the good of people.

How to write your BIBLIOGRAPHY

A bibliography or reference section is necessary for any research paper. Unfortunately, there are as many ways to write a bibliography as there are names for it. Here is the standard method.

Things You’ll Need:

• Report Covers
• Research Paper Manuals
• Bonded Paper
• Word-processing Software
  

Step 1: Create a page at the end of the paper. Call it either "Bibliography" or "Works Cited."

Step 2: List, alphabetically by author's last name, all the sources used in writing the paper.

Step 3: Write the last name of the author first, followed by a comma and his or her first name, followed by a period.

Step 4: Write the name of the book in italics, followed by a period. You can also underline the book title.

Step 5: Cite the name of an article, in quotation marks, in place of a book title. Then write the name of the journal or magazine from which it came (italicize the name or underline it). Include a volume number, if applicable.

Step 6: Write the name of the city in which the work was published, followed by a colon.

Step 7: Include the name of the publisher, followed by a comma.

Step 8: Conclude the entry with the date of publication, followed by a period.

Step 9: Number your bibliography page when adding numbers to your paper.

TIPS and WARNINGS:

• Buy a good writer's handbook that gives examples of research writing for your area of study: science, social science or humanities. Each discipline has its own format for bibliographies. Ask your instructor what method of citation he or she prefers.
• Cite material from the Web by following steps 3 to 5, above. Then add the following information: any version or file number, the date that the document was posted or last revised, the complete URL and the date you accessed the document (in parentheses).

How to REVISE your ROUGH DRAFT

Writing a rough draft helps you clarify your ideas for yourself. Revising a rough draft clarifies your ideas for others.

Things You’ll Need:

• Dictionaries
• Thesauri
• Red Pens
• Spiral Notebooks
  

Step 1: Make sure that the paper topic is focused and specific.

Step 2: Review the thesis statement. Is it clear and precise? Does it firmly establish the aim of the paper?

Step 3: Look at the individual paragraphs of the paper. Make sure the topic of each paragraph is clear and the paragraph's goal is accomplished. Give adequate examples, quotations and explanations to reinforce arguments.

Step 4: Ask yourself whether each paragraph is effective. If it is not, figure out why. If the paragraph is too short, perhaps it should be cut from the paper. If it's too long, maybe it needs to be reworked or split it into more than one paragraph.

Step 5: Number the paragraphs in order from weakest to strongest argument. The paper should build toward its conclusion and end strongly.

Step 6: Ask yourself whether the general purpose of the paper has been accomplished by the time you reach the end.

Step 7: Go back and look at the smaller, basic elements of the paper, such as grammar, style and syntax. Check for run-on sentences, sentence fragments and errors in grammar and spelling.

Step 8: Make sure paragraphs and sentences flow well. The transition from one paragraph to the next should be clear, yet fluid. Combine or shorten sentences when necessary.

Step 9: Find an alternate way of expressing any word or phrase that is overused. Use a thesaurus.

Step 10:Make sure all references to research materials are correctly cited.

TIPS and WARNINGS

• Write your revisions and corrections in a color that stands out, such as red or green.
• After revising the body of the paper, consider rewriting the opening and closing paragraphs so that they better reflect the content of the paper.
• Have someone else proofread your paper before you turn it in.

How to write a ROUGH DRAFT

In a rough draft, you get all your ideas on paper and flesh them out. You will add and delete material several times before you're satisfied that your work is complete and you're ready to write your final draft.

Preparation

Step 1: Spend a little time brainstorming - generating ideas related to your topic - before beginning your rough draft. Write these ideas on a sheet of paper.

Step 2: Organize your ideas by "clustering" them. Write each idea in the center of a page and circle it.


Step 3: Arrange related ideas around each idea, trying to place ever-more-detailed pieces of information close to one another on the paper. This will give you some idea of how to structure your paper: if you find you have many ideas clustered in one area, you may want to focus there.

Step 4: Make an informal paper outline to provide guidelines for the format and flow of your paper. At first, you can just list points in order. Later, you may want to arrange your information in standard outline form.


Step 5: Do some brief, preliminary research. Consider which authors, books or quotations might offer you good supporting evidence. Save your in-depth research for draft revision.

Writing


Step 1: Write your thesis/topic statement and a summary of your paper's objective at the top of a clean sheet of paper. This will become your topic paragraph after revision.

Step 2: Approach your rough draft in sections; there's no need to concern yourself with the overall flow of the paper just yet. Each section will be a paragraph or group of paragraphs in your final draft.

Step 3: Start with the first item on your paper outline. Write the title of this item on a sheet of paper and write all relevant ideas beneath it. Though it's better to write in complete sentences at this point, if you must, leave sentence fragments in and revise later.


Step 4: Write the title of the next item of your outline on a separate sheet of paper with all its relevant ideas beneath it.

Step 5: Continue this process with all sections of the outline.


Step 6: Tie together each item on your outline in a brief conclusion at the end of the draft. This will become the concluding paragraph after revision.

TOEFL practice essay ~ Erdi 11

4. It has been said, "Not all learning takes place in the classroom." Compare and contrast knowledge gained from personal experience with knowledge gained from classroom instruction. In your opinion, which source is more important? Why?


I agree very much with that. I think in the classroom you learn only 30% at most. The other things you learn in real life. In school you learn only the stuff you need to be successful in the future. However in order to be called a wise man and a person who knows about life you have to base it upon personal experiences. Also learning in school is easier than living your life in the 'real world'.


Outside the school there is a whole new world waiting for you - sometimes good, sometimes not so good. You have to be strong and calm. By living your life you will get to know all the things necessary. However the road to achieving success is not by suffering. You have to go ahead but also you have to look around. You have to enjoy everything you do but at the same time you have to work.


It is statistically proved that 90% of people who graduate from prestigious schools such as Harvard, Yale and Princeton etc are more subject to phobias and frights related to their graduating subject and to their jobs. At this point they are not successful in their jobs but after some time they begin to get used to it and become successful.


In my opinion and according to the facts class is not everything independent to which school you are going. You have to get out of school and start everything from the beginning only this time you have ideas on which you can base your plans and ideas.


Erdi has tried to answer the question, however he has made several 'claims' in which he quotes statistics but does not give sources. In the original there were no paragraphs and the mechanics of the essay were lacking.

TOEFL practice essay ~ Enxhi 9A

"When people succeed in life, it is because of hard work. Being lucky has nothing to do with success in life." Do you agree or disagree with the quotation above? Use specific reasons and examples to explain your position.

‘When people succeed in life it is because of hard work. Being lucky has nothing to do with success.’ Looking at the irony of life and its unfairness I absolutely disagree with this quotation. There are people who work hard and are not distinguished because, maybe, for different reasons, they remain shadows under hypocrite people who to their luck have managed to gain high positions over more knowledgeable unlucky peoples’ backs making them people who do nothing and gain their success out of luck. When it comes to success there are three types of people: those who succeed through luck, those who succeed through hard work and those who succeed through both. Since you do not know the makings of life and what it is going to bring, you do not know which you may encounter.

In my opinion you could have either one and succeed, or not! A typical case of someone who has luck but doesn’t work hard is the case of Paris Hilton:-D. She was born from a wealthy family therefore inheriting its facilities and prosperity's without lifting a finger. But now that her grandfather has banned her from his line of inheritance she is now between a rock and a hard place. Some people may take her as an example to support their thoughts on how important hard work and knowledge is when you’re knocked off the rink and have nothing to do. I would take this as an example of great luck. Because she is the first daughter of Mr. Hilton, film and music producers and advertising companies have taken her and made her a representative of their product because of her last name. Now she is able to make money without her parent’s help. This is different in a prince’s case where after he inherits the family throne he has to work hard to keep it.

Donald trump is my symbol of people who work hard to succeed. He comes from a middle class family but now is one of the richest people in the world. He started with little money flourishing it to a gigantic monopole. He now owns many buildings, has a TV show, clothing line and many more. Another example is his friend. He ran away from his family not wanting to grow potatoes all his life only to grow potatoes again. But with hard work he became one of the most important suppliers of potatoes for McDonalds.

Isaac Newton and the prince I mentioned before have one thing in common: they succeed through luck and after, hard work. Although Isaac Newton worked hard to convince people about his theory about gravity and to prove it, were it not for the apple that hit his head a spark wouldn’t have occurred in his mind making him realize the pulling effect. His face and name wouldn’t be lurking in our books even today. A prince may work hard to maintain his throne. He may have acumen in hegemony and his lexicon may be inspiring due to his own merits, but were it not for his forefathers he wouldn’t have a crown on his head.

Hard work is important. It starts from our early years in school and never stops. It gives us the ideals to lighten our way through life and many succeed by it but luck is a strong factor effecting success. It is not just a superstition. It finds its way to you in different ways. It is always there to surprise you. Usually, it comes from blood but it can come from simple things like an apple. If you have luck you have a roof over your head. Now it’s time for you tom build the walls!

PS: I have nothing against Paris Hilton J

Enxhi's essay is totally unedited and shows the development in language skills from living in the USA for 4-5 years. Enxhi has a superior mastery to the language because of total immersion and practice.

TOEFL Essay ~ Erinda Y 10

People attend school for many different reasons (for example, expanded knowledge, social awareness, and enhanced interpersonal relationships).Why do you think people decide to go to school? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

School is one of the most important things in our life but also it is one of the most difficult and challenging things to do. In my opinion school has to be attended because it is necessary for us, and our life. Without school we can't do anything; we can't find stable work and if we can't find a job we can’t provide for out families. If you finish school and find a good job then you will live normally.

So why do we attend school? It can't only be because our parents want us to attend it? We must start considering ourselves as adult individuals based on real reasoning and understanding.
For example: A friend of mine doesn't like school at all. Actually I believe no one likes school, however inside our selves we know that school is necessary. So I was telling you about my friend. He doesn't believe that he is doing the school for himself in fact he is very indifferent about school. He does care. His reason for attending school is very simple: His dad and he made a deal. If he will finish school, his father will buy him a luxury car and a huge apartment in the centre of "Blok" (Central Tirana)

But not all people attend school only for that reason. For example my cousin is an excellent student. She doesn’t like school but she is very ambitious. She wants to be a politician. She wants to be famous. She knows she needs an education to get her dream.

Some other people attend school because their parents obligate them to do so. Some attend school because they don’t know what else to do or they do not know what they want to do when they leave school. Everybody has their own reason but the most important thing is attending school.

People have to understand that they are doing the school for themselves not for others. They have to think about their future and not only having fun but also learning because if the don't study the only person they damage is themself.

Erinda has tried hard in this her first attempt at a TOEFL style essay. There a a number of flaws and problems with mixed tenses, mixed person etc. Erinda needs to stay on target and try not to be repetative in her essay.

TOEFL practice essay ~ Aglaia 9A

“When people succeed in life, it is because of hard work. Being lucky has nothing to do with success in life. Do you agree or disagree with the quotation above? Use specific reasons and examples to explain your position."

I thing that success in life is because of hard work and not because of luck. To be lucky has nothing to do with success. The only way for someone to succeed is through hard work and the will to succeed.

If someone wants to succeed later on life they have to start from a young age, they need to study and learn that life is difficult and if they want to go on a straight path forward then they have to study hard from the beginning. Working hard is a condition, you learn to do it, it is not something that comes by luck. I believe everyone is given the opportunity to succeed, and I think that opportunity is given in school and at work both at home and in the work place. There you find new and difficult things that you may need in the future, and I believe that this opportunity is given to all adolescents and children in school and through their parents.

There are a few that who believe they don’t really have to study so hard for their future because maybe their parents have done everything for them and made everything ready for them. Perhaps they will grow up to just manage everyone else in their company ~ an example of this is Paris Hilton. She found everything ready from her parents and she never did anything to help them. She however discovered that life is hard away from home and that no matter who your parents are they cannot live your life for you.

There are more people that don’t have the opportunity to have everything ready for them, they have to build it for themselves. These people sacrifice a lot to get up there. An example of this is my father. Before 17 years he had nothing but his school and family. Step by step he built up his company and he is still trying to do more - he does not rest and looks forward all of the time.

There are lots of people that had succeeded in life and there are others that didn’t. "Success is a journey, not a destination." - Ben Sweetland said. Lots of the people that have succeeded have taken a reward. These people now are very famous all around the world.

Some people would say that these kind of people that have lots of businesses and lots of money are lucky but I don’t think so. I think, they have done lots of work and made many sacrifices for a better future. I think that lots of people have worked lots of years so they could achieve their dreams. "Excellence is not a destination; it is a continuous journey that never ends." – Brian Tracy said. And there are some other people that they have never worked and found everything ready from their families. I believe those who earned their life enjoy it more. You never know when you might lose everything.

As we discovered from an earlier essay Aglaia wrote he father is in inspiration not only to his children, but to many others who know his story, who appreciate his determination and dedication towards success. I hope one day Aglaia's dad will visit our class and give a short presentation himself on the lessons of success.

Aglaia has improved tremendously over the last 18 months. Her English is the result of a lot of hard work, emotional stress and dedication. Aglaia has done very well in bringing her English to a higher level.