Last corrections

Maria José:

My favourite piece of technology

I use technology in my life, mainly for work(t) and entertainment. For home labors it’s important because it’s easier and faster.

Computers are the most used piece(sp) of technology in the word(sp) (sm)myself included. This is mainly because this piece of technology is used for communications in e-mails, chat, messenger software (voice and writing), many special software’s (nn)that help people’s work,(x) as source of information and video games.

I have used computers for many years, I can’t remember for how long. My life would be very difficult without the computer, work and communications need computers on this(f) times. Without my computer I would be lost in the cyber world.

But my favourite piece of technology is much simpler. I enjoy music very much, for this reason pen drives, mp3s and iPods are for me the best choice. I remember when(sm) having a portable CD player was really the best, but you couldn’t move them too much or the tracks would skip. Now portable music players are smaller and have several times(wws) the capacity of old CD players and the MP3 format allows to store hundreds of songs on a small and very portable device.

I had a very small pendrive that dind’t(t) play music, but a couple of months ago I got a new pendrive with a lot of capacity and that plays music files. I love it, I can listen to my favortite songs while I go to University and I also use it to store my assignments and documents. Without it, it would be harder to transfer my documents form(ww) one computer to another, and I wouldn’t be able to listen to all the song I like while I’m not at home.

William:

My possible future.

Well I always have the same problem when somebody ask me this type of questions(p) but I always answer different(p) for this reason in my opinion I think that in 5 years later I will be Living(c-l) in another country, and maybe studying another career or studying a post grade(ww) but I believe that I could be working for a public sector company or for an university, I am not sure right now.
Ideal future.
I do not have a ideal future but the only thing that I can say is that in the future I would like to be happy and I can not define what kind of life will bring me happier sometimes I think that living in the countryside far away from civilization living like a hunter, fishing, cutting firewood, in short living a simple life but this is only an aspiration because I know that this type of life can not be possible in these days, I believe.

Uch posts

María José:

I am a cinema fan. A good film to me is “Underground” from Emir Kusturica. I saw this film for first time mmmh... four years ago, with a friend, in(ww) the Cine Normandie, this place is a tradicional art cinema in downtown santiago.

I remembered this day, because I ate a bad brownie, it was decomposed. And the day was hot. I have(t) been in the cinema for almost 3 hours, it was very nice.

It is a very complete and diverse film. It’s hard to catalogue it,(p) because it’s a political movie,(x) with drama, comedy, action, musical and surrealism(sp). It provides a mix of emotions for the spectator.

Buuf ... Any attempt to do a synopsis is complicated enough(wo). The arguments, the music, and the magnificent conjunction of the historical facts (the wars) and the story itself. All that makes the film a masterpiece and very a(wo) entertaining experience(sp).

Is(sm) the metaforic history of Yugoslavia. The trama is about Blaky, a married man, he has a romance with a frivolous actress whos(sp) name is Natalija. But Blaky has a friend, Marko, but he also is in love of Natalija and they use the ward, together they cheat it, whith(sp) a group of underground(sp) people. And they take advantage, making them work, forming a clandestine weapons industry(sp).

Favorite Website

The web site I cannot live without is letras.terra.com.br Here you can find any lyric you could be looking for. This is a Brazilian website that I found three years ago when I was looking for an Aretha song (sm)“Chain of fools”. After I knew (sm) it, I just fall(t) in love with the page and (sm)it is(ww)(sm) my main source of lyrics since then(wo).In this page you can find lyrics of almost every type of music: anime, Celtic, soul, blues, rock & roll, regeton(sp), gospel, and soundtracks, everything you want. How would I not love this page?? The only problem is that sometimes there is only the Brazilian version available…I try to visit this website every time I can because it helps me to update my personal lyrics notebook. Unfortunately as I do not have internet at home anymore, it is difficult to have free time during the week to visit it.

Original:

The web site I cannot live without is letras.terra.com.br Here you can find any lyric you could be looking for. This is a Brazilian website that I found three years ago when I was looking for an Aretha’s song “Chain of fools”. After I knew it, I just fall in love with the page and it is my main source of lyrics since then.In this page you can find lyrics of almost every type of music: anime, Celtic, soul, blues, rock & roll, regeton, gospel, and soundtracks, everything you want. How would I not love this page?? The only problem is that sometimes there is only the Brazilian version available…I try to visit this website every time I can because it helps me to update my personal lyrics notebook. Unfortunately as I do not have internet at home anymore, it is difficult to have free time during the week to visit it.

The Austrian Monster(correction)

News(sm) that caught my attention was the case of the Austrian girl that has been kidnapped and raped by his father for the last 24 years!!! As (sm) result of this (f) continues violation (f) she had seven children of(ww) his father. I just cannot conceive the idea of a father doing those horrible things to his (sm)daughter, he is a sick man,(p) he deserves the worst of the punishments(sm).

Original:

News that caught all my attention was the case of the Austrian girl that has been kidnapped and raped by his father for 24 years!!! As result of this continues violation she had seven children of his father. I just cannot conceive the idea of a father doing those horrible things to his daughter, he is a sick man, he deserves the worst of the punishments.

UCH students

William's post correction:

Learning English: my experience.

Well my experience learning English was when I went to the kindergarten called wendolin(f) this time was the first that I began to learn English in this period I was 3 years old and I can’t remember who was my first teacher(wo).

In my opinion the first time that I learned English really was(wo) when I won a grant sponsored by the ministry(f) of education)f) and(x) (p) then I really learned English in an institute called I.L.S that mean(f) international(f) language(f) service(f) this happened when I was nine years old(p),(x) I remember a lot of teachers but specially Mr. John Penhollow (sm) with him I learned the base of my current English(wo).

In(ww) the beginning I like(f) a lot to learn English because always I (wo)had a special talent to learn other languages(p) in(ww) the(x) school(p) this subjects(f) was (sm) the(x) better(ww) mark like an A+ in Chile a 7(wo)(p) but when the English course was(ww) more difficult I had serious problems to made(t) compatible the primary and secondary (sm) with the English course an for this simple reason I began to hate the(x) English, till I finished the English course(p) this happen when I was fourteen years old.

I like to learn with a teacher and practicing whit(sp) my classmates but when I learned better is when I listen (sm)English music and especially when I played(t) pc games in English with subtitles, so I can say that I am a cyber learner.

I think that is difficult (s.m) understand the different accents of the(x) English speakers, in(ww) this moment the only person that that speak(f) in English is my teacher Simon,(p) in my case(ww) English is very useful because there are a lot of texts, books, games, TV series, works, papers that are in English and the only solution is (sm)speak English and for this (p)in my opinion(p) English is fundamental.

Maria Jose's post correction:

Abstract: Desert cities are living on borrowed, UN warns

Desert cities are living on borrowed time, the climate is in constant change and it’s essential to have knowledge of the(ww) environment.A lot of people live in such places so it's very import(f) to generate enough electricity and water. Physical(ww) characteristics(ww), like soil and water, are precious.

Desert cities have a lot of problems with water management; (sm) water salinization(ww) and the reduction of glaciers are common.

The end?

Billy buried Kes. Then, he went to the place where he first saw his dear bird. As soon as he out his eyes in the old building his memories and tears begun to run into his mind and face. “How could Jud be so cold?” Billy asked to the warm wind.

The poor child was so sad that he did not notice that a blurry shadow was looking at him from the old building. Suddenly, the shadow became a bird, actually it was a kestrel. Billy thought that his mind was playing with him, but when he focused his gaze he realized that it was another kestrel bigger than his young dead one!!!

From that moment on his mind and soul begun a discussion; what should he do about the kestrel? “Should I capture it or leave it there?” That was the constant question in Billy’s head. Thus, the memory of what Jud did to his dear Kes hit him like a strong kick in the stomach… He did not want to risk another bird’s life by taking it anywhere nearer to his evil brother. Therefore, Billy decided to leave the Kestrel in the old building, but with the unsaid promise of visit it every time he could.

After he felt a bit better, Billy thought it was time to return to his house and get some sleep. Tomorrow would be another day, life must go on, but he would never forget about the only being that brought some light into his dark life, a kestrel named Kes.

Ever Ever After

A helpful tool

It is been a real challenge for me to correct others mistakes because it is difficult to put in others’ mind in order to understand what they are trying to say. However, it has been very helpful to me correct others learners mistake mainly because through their errors I could see mines; consequently I could improve my English. I hope U Chile students have seen the advantages of having someone editing their writing. When someone edits your works you learn…

MY correction

My favorite gadget

Honestly, I don't have like(x) a "favorite" gadget, but something that helps me a lot is my MP3.
There I can record new songs from the choir, listen to my favorite songs and also have a background of all the papers, essays and readings for each semester.

New technologies allows(f) people to organize their lives in a better way and(x)(p) also these things give a chance to relax by listening to your favorite music...

Corrections II

William:

In my opinion a great, (p) and interesting film is AI (artificial intelligence) directed by the experimented (ww) Stanley Kubrick and the Midas king of Hollywood Steven Spielberg (p) this movie is about a new type of android that has the ability of (ww) love. This story is set in a near future, (p) where the (nn) global warming has led to ecological disasters all over the world, (p) and a drastic reduction of the (nn) human population (p) for this reason the Cybertronics company create (f) droids with different characteristics like prostitute droids or droids with the boy appearance (p)in this context a family lost his first and unique son and try to replace him with a droid (p) that (ww)’s the beginning of the story.

I remember(t) that I saw this film alone last year(p) and(x) when I saw this film (nn) (sm) I was surprised because this film is about science fiction but the argument is very realistic(p) because(nn) I think in some decades this could be real and maybe machines shall(ww) replace us.

Carry on with the story the droid kid called David conquest the heart of Monica; David’s adopted (f) mother (p) he has a good life with another droid with the appearance of a teddy bear called Teddy(p) after a short time the real son of the family recover(f) his health and he become(ww) jealous about David and a very sad story continues(ww) … (sm)better see it.

P: punctuation
Ww: wrong word
Nn: not needed
Sm: something missing
F: form

Maria Jose:
I and the future (wo)

In the future… I would like to be working in my profession whit(sp) environmental thematic(ww). Always I liked (wo) (sm vt)the PDI (Policía de Investigaciones), maybe I will to(x) work in this institution.I would like to publish paper(f) with my investigations,(p nn) to reach with the community in urbanism and environment.

Personally… I would like to live alone, (p) or may be with some female friend, (p)in the city, but a(x) (sm) don’t liked the city life, (p) because is very uncomfortable for the(nn) health,(p) in many years in the future I will live in the periphery zone, (p) with a good system transportation(wo) to(ww) the city.

And(ww) to star an athletic life, it´s important for(nn) to be in form(ww),(p) I begun to practice sports, I am trying, but is very hard for my, I am lazy.

I would like to be different things or to return(ww) to do activities that I have left (ww) (sm). I am keen to return (sm)

Sm: something missing
Sp: spelling
Ww: wrong word
Vt: verb tense
P nn: punctuation not needed
x: this should not be used here!!!!

Kes essay

This story is about a boy who wanted to train a kestrel. The main theme in this book, for me is abandon. Firstly, how Billy’s family interact Jud the oldest brother is a bully, the mother still lives as she was not a mother at all and Billy has to look for his own education, quality of life and needs.

The story begins with the two brothers sleeping in the same bed in a house in bad conditions. After Jud goes to work, Billy gets up and realized that Jud has taken his bicycle, so he will have to deliver the newspaper on foot.

After he returns to his home, he goes to a shop looking for a book about training kestrel because he found a nest during one of his walks. As he was not a member of the public library and he did not have enough money to buy the book, he stole one from a shop. Then, at night he went to the place where he met the kestrel and also stole the bird. In this part the flashback ends.

Later on in the same day, Billy is at school. He said something while one of his teachers was taking register, and what he said provoked that the teachers said a name wrong. In the break Billy goes home and practice with his birth; he is very happy with the idea of finally having someone to share experiences.

To conclude, until this part of the story what has happened with Billy and all the situations that he has had to face with his brother, mother and at school, can be interpreted as the search for some changes in his life; his life is everything but happy. Therefore Billy, as any human being who is not happy with their life, want to feel that his life is worthy, the best way to accomplish this is by raising or training another person or in this case a bird.

Corrections

Maria Jose:

Hello!

The (extra word, it is not necessary) ¨Fiestas patrias¨ are (ww) a typical celebration of Chile (wo). In this day it(extra word) is celebrated the independence day, but(sm) really is the celebration of de firth(misspelling) national meeting, (p) the date is the 18 of September (wo) (ww).

Many Chileans people,(p) don’t know your(wf) (sm) history,(p) (sm)only celebrated(wt) in this date.(p) And remembering that are Chileans,(p) The typical folklore dance, (sm)¨Cueca¨, only is danced for the people is this date (wo),(p) in the year,(sm) they forget (sm)it the cueca(wo for almost all this paragraph).

When (sm) was a child, I liked to dance cuenca in the(ww) school,(p) all years in this date I danced cueca… and my Qualification(ww) in sports was good.

The last year I celebrated (sm)with my family, (sm)is very funny,(p) because all are(wt) happy. Sometimes (sm)do(ww) empanadas (typical food Chilean). But (sm)is very slow, then we buy(sm).(sm)Is easier to do a barbecue, (sm)we do ¨anticuchos¨.

So, with the(extra word) ¨chicha¨, typical drink (sm)of grape, the(extra word) people drink a lot and dancing(wt) cueca. In the Park O´higgins is located de fondas(wo),(p) in this place many people re-joins(ww) to celebrating(wt), the(extra word) children fly a(extra w) kite(s),(p) because the wind in September is very(extra w) favorable,(p)(sm) in the sky the view is beautiful,(p) (sm) is very colouring.I prefer not (sm)going to the(extra w) fondas.

William

Being Chilean is very difficult(p) we always have troubles in the football (extra word) soccer an example is the defeat last Sunday 0-3 before (ww) the Brazilian selection (p) but not only this meant to be Chilean, we have a lot of (ww) traditions and(ww) (p) the greatest is the Fiestas Patrias or independence day (extra phrase), colloquially called by the Chileans “el dieciocho” this special week, yes!! (mw)Is a week of celebrations, even when “el dieciocho” is in a bad date(ww) (p)for example Tuesday(p) the(extra w) politician vote(vt) immediately to create a public holiday to prolong(ww) “el dieciocho” , I wonder why this people vote immediately (ms)this type of things but when they must vote (mw)a essential law they create (ww) a lot of obstacles.

The typical(extra phrase, it is not clear) Chileans always go to “fondas”; (mw) a type of tent where the(extra w) people can dance the typical Chilean dance (wo) called “la cueca” (p)as well we can eat a lot of things like empanadas or anticuchos and obviously drink a big glass of chicha, I remember when I was a child that sometimes I go(vt) with my parents to the Fonda in Parral (p) but I always fall (vt) asleep for this reason my parents usually went alone.

In this time I’ll have my vengeance(ww) and I will do what I want (ms) maybe go to the fonda or go to my relatives (mw), have some fun, make a good barbecue and put on (ww) weight or perhaps (mw)stayed in my (ww) home alone studying for the exams. I don’t have a special “dieciocho” because in my opinion each new(extra w) dieciocho could be better.

Posts

Maria J is still making the same types of mistakes like misspelling, word choice and plural, pronouns and sentences length. However, her ideas are easy to understand, but she is still thinking in Spanish when she writes.

My second student literally translates from Spanish to English, there are some mistakes related to language use. By this I mean, I understand what he is trying to say because we have the same native language, but in English there are a few things that have their own order. The types of error that he makes are almost the same. For example: misspelling, word choice and word order.
While I read the UCH’s posts I remembered when I was in first year and I made the same kind of mistakes, actually a not so long time ago I was still making the same type of mistakes…

Common Mistakes...

The tyes of mistakes are almost the same in both students.

William tends to make the same mistakes all over his writing. The main ones are sentences length, wrong use of words and word order. It is weird to analyze others’ mistakes because I used to have them a not so long time ago.
The wrong use of words could be because of the lack of vocabulary. The length problem occurs because in Spanish we have a tendency to write more than we need.

Maria Jose’s mistakes are mainly word order and no needed words in her writing. However, she does it very well with sentences length. She also needs more vocabulary and pay more attention to the use of preposition and the multiple meanings that words can have.

Wednesday 20th

First day reading UCh's blogs. It was interesting becasue I read mistakes that I used to do when I was begining to learn English.

I am sure how is this activity going to help in the future, mainly because I do not have expectation, but I realized how much I have improved my English in these years...

To include the use of technology in classes is a cleaver decision. Today we are living the computer era. Therefore, it is necessary to be in contact with what is out coming from it. As a tool for English teaching to implement technology in the planning of the classes could have advantages and disadvantages.

First, the use of blogs in classes has been a helpful tool to improve some of my writing skills. For example, to write short post in a reduce amount of time. Although, at the beginning could be difficult to accomplish the goals the teacher has set, it is a process that has have rewards. One of them is to be able to write short essays in an hour and a half.

Moreover, blogs in classes gave the opportunity to know a bit more about the way my classmates think. The different topics developed throughout the semester were based on personal opinions and things we like. In addition, the way the different blogs are organized also provide a view of how the others think. In that sense, it has been interesting to work with blogs.

On the other hand, the problem with working with internet is the temptation it represents. By this I mean it is difficult to focus on finishing the day assignment when the possibility to have access to other types of information and pages like face book is only a click of distance. To me, that has been the only disadvantage I can think of because in general, the idea of working on blogs has been a pleasant novelty that has given me the chance to practice my writing and thinking in everyday themes.

To conclude, blogs can be a fun way to learn English through writing about topics we feel attracted to. For that reason I believe that the use of technologies in classes is more an advantage than a disadvantage. To have the chance to work with elements you already know like internet, is something teachers have to consider, although most of them do not feel attracted to work with new technologies.

Working class mini-essay

Each country has different characteristics that make them unique. However, there are some elements that do not change. One of these is working class. In these two novels; The Commitments and Rumble Fish, working class is represented from two points of view. The first one is the way families are conformed.

In the first novel the family type was nuclear: two working parents and siblings living together in a house, where the father was the head of the family. At the contrary, Rumble Fish showed a dysfunctional family. That means, a drunk father (that did not accomplished his role as father), a mother who left her house and two lonely boys, that had to find what they did not have in their house on the streets. Although, family types do not have a particular social class, in these novels are a helpful tool to understand why the main characters behaved in the way they did.

The second point is the relationship between the characters. The manner they talked and the words they used were characteristics of working social classes. For example, in low classes education is a privilege that not everyone can afford. Therefore, the vocabulary that people have is not enough to keep a conversation without using curse words.

To conclude, The Commitments and Rumble Fish showed the different characteristics of the working class either in Dublin or United States. Moreover, these novels summarized the differences between the same social groups, allowing the reader to have a more complete idea about the background of the main characters.

Moais

Moais call my attention not only for their beauty, but also for the mysteries they have. The first time I saw a picture of a Moai was when I was ten years old. Since then I cannot stop thinking about their origins and how they were made.

They hide a mysterious beauty in the way they were made. Their silhouette, the way their eyes are looking, why they were situated in the place they are. Everything about them fascinates me.

Every time I look a picture of them, my mind flies to imaginary places where you can feel free and peace is everywhere.

My least favorite subject

If I have to talk about a subject that I hated when I was at school, I may say Chemistry. To begin with, the teacher was no a chemistry teacher, so it was very difficult for the teacher and for us to understand all the topics he tried to “teach” us. Secondly, I never got a clue about the main concepts of chemistry. Because it was my least favourite subject, I never paid enough attention to the teacher and what he was saying in his classes. I remember that I used his classes to get some sleep or do some homework for the next class.

I will always remember his face of frustration when in one test everybody got red marks. That was the beginning of a war against him. As tends to happen, he was a very kind person, but He was not a teacher!!!!!

I studied chemistry for nine years!!!!!! From 4th basico to 4th medio. The funny thing for me is that in primary school I was good at chemistry; in high school, I did not have bad marks, but I hated!!!!! The main reason was the teacher. My teacher in primary was a chemistry teacher; in high school he was not even a teacher!!!

Rumble Fish

Rusty James: He is the main character of the movie. He has a strong personality, loves fights and his dream is the time of gangs will return and he would be the president as well as his brother was.

The Motorcycle Boy: He is an important character of the movie. He is the brother and role model of Rusty James. He lives in his own world. His name is because he loves riding motorcycles. The Motorcycle Boy is very special; he cannot see colours and is half deaf.

Steve Hays: Rusty James’ best friend. He is completely different from Rusty James character. Steven did not like fights, he was a good student and his family was different from Rusty’s.

Patty: Rusty’s girlfriend. She really loved Rusty, but how he lived his life was not ok with her because she did not like fights. Patty had to take care of her sisters while her mother was at work, so it was very difficult to be alone with her boyfriend.

Cassandra: The girl in love with the Motorcycle Boy. She followed the Motorcycle Boy every time he was around. The problem was that she used drugs and Rusty James could not stand her. Drugs were an issue because both the Motorcycle Boy and Rusty James did not agree with the idea of consuming drugs.

Patterson: The police man that followed the Motorcycle Boy. He was the one who killed him. Patterson was angry at he Motorcycle Boy because he was the only “black mark” on his record.

Smokey: Part of the group and Rusty James’ friend. He was worried about gang violence. At the end, he told Rusty James that if the gangs where still alive, he would be the president instead of Rusty. Smokey was the person who set things up to make it seem that Rusty was cheating on Patty so she would dump Rusty.

Rusty's parents: In a way, they were the reason why The Motorcycle Boy was the way he was; and why Rusty James was so obsessed with the idea of look like his brother once he was older.