Pentingnya Pendidikan Politik Bagi Mahasiswa (Tulisan Berbahasa Indonesia Ke-5)

Mahasiswa memiliki peran dan tanggung jawab idiologi sebagai pewaris perjuangan bangsa maupun tangung jawab profesional yang dipersiapkan untuk menjadi ahli dalam bidang-bidang tertentu agar dapat berperan aktif dalam pembangunan.  

Pendidikan politik adalah segala sesuatu kegiatan yang berkaitan dengan urusan yang menyangkut kepentingan dari sekelompok masyarakat (negara) guna mengetahui hak-hak dan kewajibannya.

Pendidikan politik merupakan proses mempengaruhi individu agar dia mendapatkan Mendapatkan informasi, wawasan dan ketrampilan politik sehingga sanggup berikap kritis dan lebih intesional terarah hidupnya. Selain itu bisa menjadi warga Negara yang lebih mantap, tidak terapung tanpa bobot dan tanpa pengaruh orientasi terhadap keadaan sendiri dan kondisi lingkungnya.

Pendidikan politik menjadi penting bagi mahasiswa sebagai upaya penyampaian (penanaman) nilai-nilai pengetahuan dan ideologi warganegara mengenai bagaimana diberlakukannya system, regulasi dan kebijakan Negara termasuk hal yang dirumuskan oleh kebijakan dan demokrasi politik. Pengetahuan ini penting untuk dimiliki mahasiswa guna untuk mengenali hak-haknya dalam upaya berpartisipasi menegakkan keadilan dan demokrasi.

Dengaan demikian, pendidikan politik menjadi tanggung jawab bagi perguruan tinggi selain itu juga penting untuk semua pihak, seperti pemerintah, lembaga politik, LSM, media massa serta komponen-komponen masyarakat lainnya.

  Ø  Tantangannya

1.      Kebanyakan mahasiswa atau masyarakat menggangap kalau politik itu buruk, jahat dan tidak baik untuk dipelajari maka dari itu mahasiswa atau masyarakat menjadi enggan untuk mempelajari pendidikan politik.

2.      Dewasa ini, para Generasi Muda/Mahasiswa kurang berkomitmen pada Pilar-pilar kebangsaan yaitu Pancasila, UUD 1945, Bhineka Tunggal Ika, dan NKRI.

3.      Merebaknya pandangan politik dalam masyarakat Indonesia.

4.      Memandang politik sebagai ajang untuk memperkaya diri dan golongan.

5.      Adanya campur tangan yang dilakukan oleh penguasa untuk menjinakan peran para Generasi Muda agar tidak mengancam kepentingan politik kekuasaan.

  Ø  Harapan

1.   Idealnya pendidikan politik jangan sampai hanya pada saat menjelang pemilu saja, tapi terus dilakukan oleh semua pihak yang terkait sehingga masyarakat menjadi cerdas dan dewasa dalam berpolitik. Karena politik adalah seni dalam membangun kehidupan yang lebih baikdan berkualitas.

2.      Pendidikan politik sifatnya tidak boleh indoktrinatif (secara formal) akan menyebabkan Generasi Muda/Mahasiswa menjadi kaku, fanatik, dan sempit pandangan.

3.      Agar Pendidikan Politik dapat berfungsi sesuai dengan tujuannya maka dalam pendidikan politik diberikannyainformasi-informasi yang dapat merangsang wawasan social, sehingga dapat membuka cakrawala berfikir setiap mahasiswa dan anggota masyarakat.

4.      Pemerintah, lembaga politik, LSM, media massa serta komponen-komponen masyarakat lainnya dapat mendukung dan memberikan wadah bagi Generasi Muda/Mahasiswa yang berminat kepada politik.

  Ø Solusi

         Dalam hal ini dibutuhkan pendidikan politik yang mampu menempa mahasiswa dalam berkarya. Dimana dengan berorganisasi mahasiswa mendapat pengetahuan dan wawasannya mengenai masalah-masalah politik. Baik dengan mengikuti kegiatan-kegiatan yang dilaksanakan oleh organisasi itu sendiri maupun mengamati fenomena politik yang terjadi di masyarakat, selain itu juga merupakan proses pembelajaran dan pendidikan politik yang baik bagi mahasiswa.

            Maka dari itu membutuhkan sejumlah parisipasi politik yang di wujudkan dengan partisipasi politik. Partisipasi politikyang berada di kampus sebagai ajang pembelajaran dan pendidikan politik bagi mahasiswa selain yang di dapat lewat mata kuliah pendidikan politik yang di dapat di dalam kelas ialah adanya kegiatan mahasiswa dalam ormawa dan setiap mahasiswa di anjurkan mengikuti dan berpartisipasi dalam kegiatan ini. Karena hal ini menunjukan bahwa kegiatan mahasiswa dalam ormawa juga merupakan bentuk mpartisipasi politik mahasiswa

            Hal ini lebih dikarenakan ormawa juga merupakan organisai yang di dalamnya mempelajari politik secara keseluruhan seperti pemilihan ketua organisasi, demontrasi, kajian-kajian politik , dll.

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Mau Jadi Mahasiswa Seperti Apakah Anda ? (Tulisan Berbahasa Indonesia Ke-4)

Jadi mahasiswa emang enak kok, gak usah pake seragam, gak ada tata tertib kaya disekolah yang terlalu mengikat dan ketat, boleh bawa hape tanpa harus ngumpet-ngumpet takut kena razia hape sama ibu bapak guru, boleh dandan semau kita asal masih sopan, dan masih banyak hal enak lainnya.

Ketika kita jadi mahasiswa baru apalagi, beuh senengnya anak sma yang katanya masih anak ingusan sekarang udah gak ada lagi tuh ingusnya. Emmm dalam arti udah gak ada lagi tuh anak baru gede. Sekarang udah jadi MAHASISWA, yang dalam artinya MAHA itu ‘GEDE’ SISWA itu ‘PELAJAR’ jadi kalo disatuin ‘GEDEPELAJAR’, salah juga ya, maksudnya siswa yang udah gede, itu salah juga... bisa jadi sih artinya gitu. Oke gue jelasin lagi sekarang. Mahasiswa itu artinya siswa yang sudah keluar atau menamatkan Sekolah Menengah Atas atau SMA lalu dia meneruskan sekolahnya ke jenjang Perguruan Tinggi baik negeri atau swasta. 

Nah masuk kuliah juga gak gampang loh, kalau kalian mau masuk negeri kalian harus lebih giat belajar lagi untuk bersaing masuk Perguruan Tinggi yang kalian inginkan. Swasta juga ada tes masuknya juga loh jadi kalian harus belajar juga.

Setelah kalian diterima masuk. Kalian akan jadi Mahasiswa Baru emm tapi masih calon katanya. Kalau belum ospek sih belum mahaisiswa katanya sih gitu. Kalian isi tuh persyaratan bla bla bla setumpuk apalah itu. Setelah itu OSPEK dan akhirnya kalian diterima juga deh à Mahasiswa Baru ceritanya.

Mahasiswa Baru itu masih bingung tentang IPK gimana DOSEN dan KULIAH. Udah gak usah bingung nanti juga bisa sendiri. Yang jadi masalah utamanya adalah setelah kalian menjadi MAHASISWA kalian mau jadi MAHASISWA yang kaya gimana dulu nih? 

Tipe Mahasiswa itu ada beberapa macam, yuk simak dulu. Tipe mahasiswa versi Lisna Listiani:

1.      Mahasiswa Kupu-Kupu

Mahasiswa jenis ini. Eh mahasiswa tipe ini merupakan mahasiswa dalam golongan I artinya mahasiswa yang Cuma berangkat kuliah terus duduk di kelas, dengerin dosen ceramah, nyatet kuliah (bisa jadi juga gak nyatet) kuliah selesai, pindah kelas lagi terus duduk, dengerin dosen ceramah dan lainnya setelah kuliah selesai dia balik ke kos. Tidur. Kebanyakan mahasiswa baru yang belum tahu dia mau ngapain pasti kaya gini. Biasanya mahasiswa jenis ini gak tertarik mengikuti kegiatan mahasiswa di luar jam kuliah. Ya mungkin banyak alasan misalnya faktor ‘M’ alias males gitu lah. Emm tapi ane saranin jangan jadi mahasiswa kupu-kupu ya. Gunakan waktumu dengan benar mumpung masih muda.

2.      Mahasiswa Setengah Kupu-Kupu

Mahasiswa jenis ini merupakan mahasiswa yang gak beda jauh sama karakteristik mahasiswa golongan I tadi di atas. Mahasiswa ini sih masih ada peningkatan dari pada mahasiswa di atas. Walaupun peningkatannya dalam artian gini, mahasiswa berangkat ke kampus, ikut kuliah, duduk, dengerin dosen ceramah, dan kuliah selesai dia pulang. Tapi biasanya sebelum pulang dia mampir dulu misalnya main dulu ke kos temen atau dia mampir dulu ke mana gitu. Nah baru deh dia pulang. Atau bisa jai dia abis pulang dia langsung main. Ya gitu lah ada peningkatan walaupun sedikit.

3.      Mahasiswa Setengah Sibuk

Mahasiswa setengah sibuk ini bisa dikategorikan menjadi dua macam, antara lain mahasiswa yang mengikuti kegiatan atau mahasiswa yang kerja. Mahasiswa setengah sibuk ini biasanya mahasiswa yang mengikuti kegiatan mahasiswa misalnya hima atau kegiatan lainnya. Katanya buat mengisi kekosongan atau buat nambah pengalaman organisasi. Tapi mahasiswa ini gak terlalu seibuk-sibuk banget sih walaupun ada kegiatan mahasiswa namanya juga Cuma mengisi kekosongan aja. Dia ikut kegiatan tapi dia masih selow aja hidupnya. Kalau mahasiswa yang kerja dia niat kerja juga biasanya untuk mengisi kekosongan. Tapi kerjanya gak terlalu sibuk banget buktinya dia masih bisa jalan-jalan dan hangout sama teman-temannya.

4.      Mahasiswa Sibuk

Mahasiswa yang dia mengikuti kegiatan atau dia kerja. Dia bisa fokus pada kerjaan atau kegiatan dia tapi masih bisa menyeimbangkan kuliah dan kegiatan atau kerjaan dia. Biasanya jadwalnya padat susah banget buat diajak main. Wah pokoknya sibuk lah. Tapi ya masih ada lah waktu luangnya.

5.      Mahasiswa Super Sibuk

Wah mahasiswa ini udah golongan v, udah bener-bener sibuk antara kuliah, kegiatan atau kerjaannya deh. Jadwalnya padat merayap susah banget buat diajak main. Salut banget sama mahasiswa yang super sibuk ini. Semangat temans.

Nah dari karakteristik di atas kalian mau jadi mahasiswa yang seperti apa? Tinggal pilih aja. Tentukan pilihan kalian. Ikuti apa yang kalian kehendaki tapi dalam aspek yang positif aja yang negatif dibuang aja. Dan sekali lagi kembali ke diri anda masing-masing. 

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Urutan Tense (Tulisan Berbahasa Indonesia Ke-3)

Urutan Tense adalah sbb:

1. Simple
2. Continuous
3. Perfect
4. Perfect Continuous

Rumus Umum Tense adalah:

1. Present : Kata Kerja Bentuk I
2. Past: Kata kerja Bentuk II
3. Perfect : Kata Kerja Bentuk III, namun di depannya pasti ada have, has, atau had
4. Future : Kata Kerja Bentuk I, namun di depannya pasti ada will/shall, would/should
5. Continuous : Kata Kerja bentuk I ditambah ing. Namun, di depannya pasti ada to be; is, am, are, was, were, be, atau been

Tense Secara Umum adalah sbb:

Present	Past
1. Present Simple Tense 2. Present Continuous Tense 3. Present Perfect Tense 4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense	1. Past Simple Tense 2. Past Continuous Tense 3. Past Perfect Tense 4. Past Perfect Continuous Tense
Future	Past Future
1. Future Simple Tense 2. Future Continuous Tense 3. Future Perfect Tense 4. Future Perfect Continuous Tense	1. Past Future Simple Tense 2. Past Future Continuous Tense 3. Past Future Perfect Tense 4. Past Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Rumus Umum Tense adalah sbb:

No	Tenses	Rumus
1	Present Simple Tense	S + V1 + dll
2	Present Continuous Tense	S + is, am, are + V-ing + dll
3	Present Perfect Tense	S + have,has + V3 + dll
4	Present Perfect Continuous Tense	S + have, has + been + V-ing + dll
5	Past Simple Tense	S + V2 + dll
6	Past Continuous Tense	S + was, were + V-ing + dll
7	Past Perfect Tense	S + had + V3 + dll
8	Past Perfect Continuous Tense	S + had + been + V-ing + dll
9	Future Simple Tense	S + will + V1 + dll
10	Future Continuous Tense	S + will + be + V-ing + dll
11	Future Perfect Tense	S + will + have + V3 + dll
12	Future Perfect Continuous Tense	S + will + have + been + V-ing + dll
13	Past Future Simple Tense	S + would + V1 + dll
14	Past Future Continuous Tense	S + would + be + V-ing + dll
15	Past Future Perfect Tense	S + would + have + V3 + dll
16	Past Future Perfect Continuous Tense	S + would + have + been + V-ing + dll

Berikut ini contoh Tense dalam kalimat:

No	Tenses	Contoh
1	Present Simple Tense	I study English
2	Present Continuous Tense	I am studying English
3	Present Perfect Tense	I have studied English
4	Present Perfect Continuous Tense	I have been studying English
5	Past Simple Tense	I studied English
6	Past Continuous Tense	I was studying English
7	Past Perfect Tense	I had studied English
8	Past Perfect Continuous Tense	I had been studying English
9	Future Simple Tense	I will study English
10	Future Continuous Tense	I will be studying English
11	Future Perfect Tense	I will have studied English
12	Future Perfect Continuous Tense	I will have been studying English
13	Past Future Simple Tense	I would study English
14	Past Future Continuous Tense	I would be studying English
15	Past Future Perfect Tense	I would have studied English
16	Past Future Perfect Continuous Tense	I would have been studying English

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Apa Itu Manajemen ? (Tulisan Berbahasa Indonesia Ke-2)

1.    Apa itu manajemen

Secara leksikal manajemen bisa di terjemahkan sebagai mengelola, kata dasar nya berasal dari bahasa inggris manage. Kata manjement dalam bahsa inggris sendiri berasal dari bahasa Prancis kuno ménagement yang berarti seni melaksanakan dan mengatur.

Salah seorang ahli manajemen Ricky W.Griffin mendefinisikan manajmene sebagai :nsuatu proses untuk menyediakan sarana dan sumber daya, serta mempergunaknnya sedemikian rupa, sehingga berhasil mencapai sasaran atau tujuan dengan efektif (tepat) dan efisien (hemat).

Efektif berarti bahwa tujuan dapat dicapai sesuai dengan perencanaan, sementraa efisien berarti bahwa tugas yang ada dilaksanakan secara benar, terorganisasir, dan sesuai dengan jadwal yang telah di tetapkan.

Orang yang berwenang dan bertanggung jwab dalam menjalankan fungsi manajemen di sebut menajer. Jadi manajer adalah kata benda, berwujud orang yang berkuasa menjalankan tugas manjerial. Manajer juga sering diartikan sebagai seseorang yang bekerja melalui orang lain dengan mengatur dan mengarahkan kegiatan-kegiatan mereka guna untuk mencapai tujuan.

Selain sebagai definisi, manajmene juga bisa berupa kata kerja dimana pengaruhnya bisa dirasakan. Misalnya kita sering berkata : manajemen tidak menyetujui usulan karyawan, manajemen perusahaan telah mengambil kebijaksanaan untuk merumahkan sebagai karyawan, dan sebagainya. Jadi manajemen disini adalah suatu kata kerja.

Apabila suatu organisasi perusahaan di pimpin oleh satu orang, menyebut manajemen sama artinya menyebut manajer. Namun, apabila suatu organisasi dipimpin oleh sekelompok orang, menyebut manajemen tidaklah sama dengan menyebut manajer.

Seseorang dapat saja menjalankan fungsi manajemen walaupun ia bukan seorang manajer, tetapi orang yang di sebut manajer selalu menjalankan fungsi manajemen. Jadi, kalau ada amanjer yang tidak menjalankan fungsi manajemen  berarti ia belum layak menjadi manajer.

           

Fungsi manajemen

Fungsi manajemen adalah elemen-elemen dasar yang akan selalu ada dan melekat di dalam proses manajemen yang akan dijadikan acuan oleh manajer dalam melaksanakan kegiatan untuk mencapai tujuan. Fungsi manajemen pertama kali diperkenalkan oleh seorang industrialis Perancis bernama Henry Fayol pada awal abad ke-20. Ketika itu, ia menyebutkan lima fungsi manajemen, yaitu merancang, mengorganisir, memerintah, mengordinasi, dan mengendalikan. Namun saat ini, kelima fungsi tersebut telah diringkas menjadi tiga, yaitu:

1.       Perencanaan (planning) adalah memikirkan apa yang akan dikerjakan dengan sumber yang dimiliki. Perencanaan dilakukan untuk menentukan tujuan perusahaan secara keseluruhan dan cara terbaik untuk memenuhi tujuan itu. Manajer mengevaluasi berbagai rencana alternatif sebelum mengambil tindakan dan kemudian melihat apakah rencana yang dipilih cocok dan dapat digunakan untuk memenuhi tujuan perusahaan. Perencanaan merupakan proses terpenting dari semua fungsi manajemen karena tanpa perencanaan, fungsi-fungsi lainnya tak dapat berjalan.

2.       Pengorganisasian (organizing) dilakukan dengan tujuan membagi suatu kegiatan besar menjadi kegiatan-kegiatan yang lebih kecil. Pengorganisasian mempermudah manajer dalam melakukan pengawasan dan menentukan orang yang dibutuhkan untuk melaksanakan tugas yang telah dibagi-bagi tersebut. Pengorganisasian dapat dilakukan dengan cara menentukan tugas apa yang harus dikerjakan, siapa yang harus mengerjakannya, bagaimana tugas-tugas tersebut dikelompokkan, siapa yang bertanggung jawab atas tugas tersebut, dan pada tingkatan mana keputusan harus diambil.

3.       Pengarahan (directing) adalah suatu tindakan untuk mengusahakan agar semua anggota kelompok berusaha untuk mencapai sasaran sesuai dengan perencanaan manajerial dan usaha.

2.    jenis – jenis manajemen

a.       Manajemen Sumber Daya Manusia adalah penerapan manajemen berdasarkan fungsinya untuk memperoleh sumber daya manusia yang terbaik bagi bisnis yang kita jalankan dan bagaimana sumber daya manusia yang terbaik tersebut dapat dipelihara dan tetap bekerja bersama kita dengan kualitas pekerjaan yang senantiasa konstan ataupun bertambah

b.       Manajemen Pemasaran adalah kegiatan manajemen berdasarkan fungsinya yang pada    intinya berusaha untuk mengidentifikasi apa sesungguhnya yang dibutuhkan oleh konsumen, dana bagaimana cara pemenuhannya dapat diwujudkan

c.        Manajemen Produksi adalah penerapan manajemen berdasarkan fungsinya untuk menghasilkan produk yang sesuai dengan standar yang ditetapkan berdasarkan keinginan konsumen, dengan teknik produksi yang seefisien mungkin, dari mulai pilihan lokasi produksi hingga produk akhir yang dihasilkan dalam proses produksi

d.       Manajemen Keuangan adalah kegiatan manajemen berdasarkan fungsinya yang pada intinya berusaha untuk memastikan bahwa kegiatan bisnis yang dilakukan mampu mencapai tujuannya secara ekonomis yaitu diukur berdasarkan profit. Tugas manajemen keuangan diantaranya merencanakan dari mana pembiayaan bisnis diperoleh, dan dengan cara bagaimana modal yang telah diperoleh dialokasikan secara tepat dalam kegiatan bisnis yang dijalankan

e.        Manajemen Informasi adalah kegiatan manajemen berdasarkan fungsinya yang pada intinya berusaha memastikan bahwa bisnis yang dijalankan tetap mampu untuk terus bertahan dalam jangka panjang. Untuk memastikan itu manajemen informasi bertugas untuk menyediakan seluruh informasi yang terkait dengan kegiatan perusahaan baik informasi internal maupun eksternal, yang dapat mendorong kegiatan bisnis yang dijalankan tetap mampu beradaptasi dengan perubahan yang terjadi di masyarakat.

3.    Apa Itu Kepemimpinan

Kepemimpinan (leading) berarti menggunakan pengaruh untuk memotivasi karyawan guna mencapai tujuan – tujuan organisasional. Kepemimpinan berarti menciptakan nilai – nilai dan budaya bersama, mengomunikasikan tujuan – tujuan kepada karyawan di seluruh organisasi, dan menyuntikkan semangat untuk memperlihatkan kinerja tertinggi kepada karyawan.

Pakar kepemimpinan John Maxwell menggambarkan kepemimpinan sebagai kemampuan memeberi “pengaruh positif” kepada orang lain. beberapa orang mengatakan bahwa pemimpin sudah bakat memimpin sejak lahir, namum penelitian membuktikan bahwa hal itu salah. Pemimpin tidaklah dilahirkan, mereka menjadi pemimpin karena mereka belajar untuk memimpin.

Menjadi manajer tidak otomatis menjadikan anda sebagai pemimpin. Kepemimpinan hanya dapat anada perolah melalui proses pelatihan dan latihan yang terus menerus. Seorang manajer harus menguasai kepemimpinan karena rahasia kesuksesan para manajer dalam mengantarkan kesuksesan bagi organisasinya ada pada kemampuan kepemimpinannya (memengaruhi orang lain). Selengkapnya...

Tips belajar Bahasa Inggris (Tulisan Berbahasa Indonesia Ke-1)

Beberapa tips belajar bahasa Inggris

Ada banyak cara yang bisa kita lakukan untuk dapat berhasil dalam belajar bahasa Inggris. Mulai dari yang kecil dan nampak sederhana, sampai dengan hal yang besar, berikut adalah tips-tips belajar bahasa Inggris yang dapat Anda coba terapkan dalam proses belajar Anda.

 1. Tetapkan Tujuan
Agar lebih memotivasi diri Anda belajar, Anda harus mempunyai suatu tujuan yang hendak dicapai. Tujuan-tujuan tersebut dapat berjangka pendek ataupun panjang. Salah satu tujuan jangka pendek dalam belajar bahasa Inggris adalah belajar secukupnya agar dapat mereservasi sebuah kamar hotel. Sedangkan tujuan jangka panjang bisa berupa melanjutkan pendidikan di luar negeri, atau mendapat skor 6.5 untuk ujian IELTS.

2. Bersiaplah untuk Bekerja Keras
Belajar bahasa tidaklah mudah. Banyak orang yang mempunyai kesibukan lain selain belajar bahasa Inggris. Anda harus mengerti akan hal ini dan bersabar dalam proses belajar Anda. Namun tidak banyak yang akan Anda capai bila Anda tidak berusaha. Meskipun Anda memiliki guru terbaik di dunia, kemajuan Anda banyak bergantung pada diri Anda sendiri.

3. Luangkan Waktu
Banyak di antara kita mempunyai kehidupan yang sibuk dan biasanya tidak mudah untuk menambah hal baru ke dalam rutinitas sehari-hari kita. Belajar bahasa Inggris membutuhkan disiplin. Anda perlu meluangkan waktu untuk belajar dan benar-benar belajar pada saat itu. Tidak masalah bila Anda sesekali menunda belajar Anda karena terlalu lelah, tetapi jangan menjadikan itu suatu kebiasaan. Jadikan bahasa Inggris bagian yang tak terpisahkan dari jadwal rutinitas Anda.

4. Bertanyalah
Anda bukanlah sponge busa! Jadi tidak mungkin Anda menyerap semua yang diajarkan dan tidak mempunyai hal-hal yang ingin ditanyakan. Jangan takut untuk bertanya, baik kepada teman atau guru bahasa Inggris Anda di sekolah atau tempat kursus.

5. Belajar Sendiri di Rumah
Mempunyai seorang guru yang akan memberikan instruksi dan bimbingan kepada Anda sangatlah penting. Namun, bukan berarti Anda tidak dapat belajar sendiri di rumah. Jangan hanya mengeluarkan buku Anda saat Anda di dalam kelas.

6. Nonton Film Berbahasa Inggris
Ini adalah salah satu tip yang paling saya sukai. Menonton film adalah cara terbaik belajar bahasa non-formal sehari-hari dan melatih kemampuan mendengar. Anda tidak harus mengerti setiap kata di dalam film. Film-film dengan dialog singkat, diikuti dengan jeda tanpa dialog adalah yang paling ideal - karena memberikan waktu untuk menyerap bahasa tersebut. Film romantis dan drama merupakan pilihan baik.

7. Dengarkan Lagu Bahasa Inggris
Musik bisa menjadi cara yang menyenangkan untuk belajar bahasa Inggris. Lain kali jika Anda pergi ke tempat karaoke atau bernyanyi di depan TV rumah Anda, cobalah menyanyikan satu lagu bahasa Inggris. Ini cara yang baik untuk melatih mengekspresikan diri dalam berbahasa Inggris dan meningkatkan pengertian orang terhadap apa yang Anda katakan pada mereka dalam bahasa Inggris.

8. Membaca

Membaca adalah cara terbaik untuk belajar kosa kata baru. Cobalah membaca cerita-cerita pendek daripada cerita novel yang panjang. Biasanya cerita pendek terbagi dalam beberapa bab singkat yang dapat dibaca dan dianalisa bahasanya dengan lebih mudah. Anda tidak harus mengerti setiap kata yang tertulis. Coba mengerti artinya secara umum. Garisbawahi kata-kata yang tidak mengerti dan cobalah menerka artinya berdasarkan konteksnya. Lalu gunakan kamus Anda untuk mencari dan melihat apakah Anda benar. Gunakan pula graded readers (buku belajar membaca). Buku ini biasanya menyediakan sejumlah pertanyaan untuk menguji pemahaman Anda terhadap apa yang baru Anda baca.

9. Bergabung dengan English Corner
Beberapa tempat umum seperti toko buku biasanya mempunyai English Corner. Jangan malu-malu. Bergabunglah bersama mereka. Ajukan pertanyaan. Hal ini merupakan kesempatan bertemu dengan orang-orang yang tertarik untuk belajar bahasa Inggris seperti Anda.

10. Gunakan Internet
Internet adalah penemuan yang menakjubkan, yang mengubah cara hidup kita. Walaupun menyenangkan bisa membaca "People" setiap hari atau ngobrol dengan teman-teman secara online, rasanya sia-sia bila kita tidak menggunakan internet untuk belajar bahasa. Banyak pula tempat kursus bahasa Inggris yang menyediakan aplikasi belajar online secara cuma-cuma. Tentu saja masih banyak yang bisa Anda lakukan sendiri.

11. Baca Surat Kabar Berbahasa Inggris
Tersedia beberapa surat kabar yang menyediakan informasi dan materi yang menarik untuk dibaca. Misalnya Jakarta Post. Anda dapat membaca bagian surat kabar yang Anda minati, baik Sports, Business atau bahkan Classifieds.

12. Dengarkan Radio
Semua radio di seluruh dunia secara virtual terhubung dengan internet. Jangan puas hanya dengan VOA dan BBC. Masih banyak pilihan menarik lainnya. Coba dengarkan radio dari bagian dunia yang menggunakan bahasa Inggris, Disney Radio dapat menjadi salah satu pilihan menarik dan menyenangkan.

13. Chat
Anda dapat menggunakan MSN, Yahoo! dan program chat lainnya untuk bercakap-cakap dalam bahasa Inggris secara online. Coba cari beberapa teman Anda yang berbahasa Inggris. Bila Anda menggunakan Skype, ajak teman-teman Anda untuk menggunakannya juga dan telepon mereka secara gratis melalui komputer Anda.

14. Jangan Malu-malu
Ada beberapa cara kuno yang walaupun aneh kedengarannya namun bisa membantu. Untuk meningkatkan pelafalan Anda, Anda bisa menggunakan cermin untuk berlatih membuat bunyi-bunyi yang sulit dalam bahasa Inggris; rekam saat Anda berbicara bahasa Inggris dan dengarkan setelahnya, perhatikan penekanan, intonasi dan fonem Anda. Untuk berpikir dalam bahasa Inggris, lakukan percakapan imajinasi Anda dalam bahasa Inggris. Pikirkan apa yang hendak Anda katakan. Berbicaralah dengan teman Anda menggunakan bahasa Inggris. Cobalah berbicara dalam bahasa Inggris dengan teman-teman Anda, baik di dalam maupun di luar kelas bahasa Inggris. Tidak perlu kuatir dengan pelafalan yang kurang bagus. Berbicara secara teratur akan meningkatkan rasa percaya diri Anda dan Anda akan maju lebih pesat.

15. Untuk Orang Tua
Anak-anak dengan orang tua yang terlibat secara aktif dalam pendidikan mereka biasanya menjadi lebih sukses. Tunjukkan perhatian Anda melalui komunikasi dengan anak-anak Anda tentang apa yang mereka pelajari di sekolah atau tempat kursus.

Selengkapnya...

Formal Letter Writing (Tulisan Berbahasa Inggris Ke-5)

Formal letter writing is one of the most challenging types of letter writing, as often you are addressing a person or organisation with whom you ar enot familiar and the quality of your content, spelling and grammar will be scrutinised.

In contemporary society there is a trend to use a shorthand writing style, for instance replacing the word "you" with "u" or replacing the word "weekend" with "wkend", there are many other examples. This casual approach and informal writing style can easily be easily transferred, even subconsciously, when a more formal style is required.


Layout of a Formal Letter
The example formal letter below details the general layout that a formal letter should conform to. Each aspect of the formal letter is detailed more fully below the image.





Formal Letter Writing Conventions

There are a number of conventions that should be adhered to when producing a formal letter. It is important that the overall structure is as clear and concise as possible and that you avoid the use of colloquialisms.

Addresses:

1) The Address of the person you are writing to
This address should be displayed in the top right-hand section of your letter, remember to include the name of the person that you are writing to.

2) Your Address
You must always remember to include your own address on the left-hand side of the page beneath the address of the person that you are sending the letter to. This will enable the person that you are writing to, to reply to your letter.

Date:
This should be displayed on the right-hand side of the page on the line beneath your address ans should be written in full format:
e.g. 1st January 2001 .

Salutation & Greeting:

1) Dear Sirs,
If you do not know the name of the person you are writing to, use the greeting "Dear Sirs,". In some circumstances it is useful to find a name, especially if you are writing to make a request.

2) Dear Mr Jones,
If you know the name, use one of the followind titles:
Mr - for a male
Mrs - for a married female
Miss - for an unmarried female
Ms - for a female whose status is unknown or would prefer to remain anonymous
Dr - for a person with the status of a doctor
followed by the surname only (not the first name).


Concluding a Letter:

1) Yours faithfully,
If you do not know the name of the person, end the letter with "Yours faithfully,".

2) Yours sincerely,
If you know the name of the person, end the letter with "Yours sincerely,".

3) Your signature
Sign your name, then print it underneath the signature. If it is potentially unclear what your title would be then include this in brackets next to your printed name.

Content of a Formal Letter

Introductory Paragraph
The introductory paragraph should be concise and should clearly state the purpose of the formal letter whether that is to lodge a complaint, make an enquiry or to request something.

Main Body
The main body of the formal letter should contain state the points that you want to make in your letter. As a general rule it is a good idea to keep this as to the point as possible to ensure that the receipient remains engaged. Longer letters may be more appropriate when making a complaint as you may require to add more detail in order to convey the importance of what you are putting accross.

Concluding Paragraph
The concluding paragraph of a formal letter should outline what action you would like the recipient to take: to make a refund, to send you information etc.


Application of Formal Letter Writing Techniques

Letter of Complaint

A letter of complaint is a formal letter sent to an individual or organisation in response to receiving poor service or a product that is not fit for purpose. An example of a letter of complaint would be a letter sent to a tour operator who has provided a bad service while you have been on holiday. This type of formal letter does not neccessarily need to be concise as it is important that you detail your arguments and points as much as possible.


Letter of Enquiry

A letter of enquiry is a formal letter that makes an approach to an individual or organisation either speculatively or in response to printed public domain material whereby you are requestion some information. An example of a letter of enquiry would be a letter sent to an company requesting a copy of their catalogue or brochure. By their very nature letters of enquiry are short and to the point, it is usually beneficial to include other methods of contact incase the company needs to get in touch with you in a more efficient manner.

Letter of Request

A letter of reuest is a formal letter much like a letter of enquiry but specifically asks an individual or organisation to take an action. An example os a letter of request would be a letter sent to request sponsorship for a charity activity. It is important to stress the importance of being clear and concise with this format of letter as the receipient must remain engaged and interested in what you have to say. Selengkapnya...

Articles (Tulisan Berbahasa Inggris Ke-4)

English Articles
An article is a word that combines with a noun to indicate the type of reference being made by the noun, and may also specify the volume or numerical scope of that reference. The articles in the English language are the and a (the latter with variant form an). An article is sometimes called a noun marker, although this is generally considered to be an archaic term.[1] Articles are traditionally considered to form a separate part of speech. Linguists place them in the class of determiners. Articles can have various functions:[2] • A definite article (English the) is used before singular and plural nouns; they are used when talking about a particular object. The cat is on the red mat. • An indefinite article (English a, an) is used before singular nouns; they are used when talking about any group of objects. A cat is a mammal. • A partitive article indicates an indefinite quantity of a mass noun; there is no partitive article in English, though the quantifiers some or any often have that function. French: Voulez-vous du café ? ("Would you like some coffee?" or "Do you want coffee?") • A zero article is the absence of an article (e.g. English indefinite plural), used in some languages in contrast with the presence of one. Cats love fish.

• Grammar rule 1

When you have a single, countable English noun, you must always have an article before it. We cannot say "please pass me pen", we must say "please pass me the pen" or "please pass me a pen" or "please pass me your pen". Nouns in English can also be uncountable. Uncountable nouns can be concepts, such as 'life', 'happiness' and so on, or materials and substances, such as 'coffee', or 'wood'.

• Grammar rule 2

Uncountable nouns don't use 'a' or 'an'. This is because you can't count them. For example, advice is an uncountable noun. You can't say "he gave me an advice", but you can say "he gave me some advice", or "he gave me a piece of advice". Some nouns can be both countable and uncountable. For example, we say "coffee" meaning the product, but we say "a coffee" when asking for one cup of coffee.

• Grammar rule 3

You can use 'the' to make general things specific. You can use 'the' with any type of noun – plural or singular, countable or uncountable. "Please pass me a pen" – any pen. "Please pass me the pen" – the one that we can both see. "Children grow up quickly" – children in general. "The children I know grow up quickly" – not all children, just the ones I know. "Poetry can be beautiful"- poetry in general. "The poetry of Hopkins is beautiful" – I'm only talking about the poetry Hopkins wrote.
More uses of articles in English
Rivers, mountain ranges, seas, oceans and geographic areas all use 'the'. For example, "The Thames", "The Alps", "The Atlantic Ocean", "The Middle East".
Unique things have 'the'.
For example, "the sun", "the moon".
Some institutional buildings don't have an article if you visit them for the reason these buildings exist. But if you go to the building for another reason, you must use 'the'.
"Her husband is in prison." (He's a prisoner.)
"She goes to the prison to see him once a month."
"My son is in school." (He's a student.)
"I'm going to the school to see the head master."
"She's in hospital at the moment." (She's ill.)
"Her husband goes to the hospital to see her every afternoon.
" Musical instruments use 'the'.
"She plays the piano."
Sports don't have an article.
"He plays football.
" Illnesses don't have an article.
"He's got appendicitis." But we say "a cold" and "a headache".
Jobs use 'a'. "I'm a teacher."
Countries
We don't use 'a' if the country is singular. "He lives in England." But if the country's name has a "plural" meaning, we use 'the'. "The People's Republic of China", "The Netherlands", "The United States of America".
Continents, towns and streets don't have an article. "Africa", "New York", "Church Street".
Theatres, cinemas and hotels have 'the'. "The Odeon", "The Almeira", "The Hilton".
Abbreviations use 'the'. "the UN", "the USA", "the IMF".
We use 'the' before classes of people. "the rich", "the poor", "the British". Selengkapnya...

Verb Phrases (Tulisan Berbahasa Inggris Ke-3)

In constructed from a single verb; often, however, the verb phrase will consist of various combinations of the main verb and any auxiliary verbs, plus optional specifiers, complements, and adjuncts. For example, consider the following sentences:

a. Yankee batters hit the ball to win their first World Series since 2000.
b. Mary saw the man through the window.
c. John gave Mary a book.

Example (a) contains the verb phrase hit the ball to win their first World Series since 2000. Example (b) contains the main verb see, the noun phrase (NP) complement the man, and the prepositional phrase (PP) adjunct through the window. Additionally, example (c) contains the main verb gave, and two noun phrases Mary and a book, both selected by the verb in this case.

Note that according to this definition, the verb phrase corresponds to what is commonly called the predicate.

Up to the mid/late 1980s, it was thought that some languages lacked a verb phrase. These included languages with extremely free word order (so-called non-configurational languages, such as Japanese, Hungarian, or Australian aboriginal languages), and languages with a default VSO order (several Celtic and Oceanic languages). The current view in some varieties of generative grammar (such as Principles and Parameters) is that all languages have a verb phrase, while others (such as Lexical Functional Grammar) take the view that at least some of these languages do lack a verb phrase constituent.

Verb Phrases narrowly defined

Verb phrases are sometimes defined more narrowly in scope to allow for only those sentence elements that are strictly considered verbal elements to form verb phrases. According to such a definition, verb phrases consist only of main verbs, auxiliary verbs, and other infinitive or participle constructions. For example, in the following sentences only the bolded words would be considered to form the verb phrase for each sentence:

a. John gave Mary a book.
b. They were being eaten alive.
c. She kept screaming like a maniac.
d. Thou shalt not kill.

This more narrow definition is often applied in functionalist frameworks and traditional European reference grammars. It is incompatible with the generative theory of the verb phrase, since the bolded strings are not constituents under standard analyses. Selengkapnya...

Memo (Tulisan Berbahasa Inggris Ke-2)

Audience and Purpose

Memos have a twofold purpose: they bring attention to problems and they solve problems. They accomplish their goals by informing the reader about new information like policy changes, price increases, or by persuading the reader to take an action, such as attend a meeting, or change a current production procedure. Regardless of the specific goal, memos are most effective when they connect the purpose of the writer with the interests and needs of the reader.

Choose the audience of the memo wisely. Ensure that all of the people that the memo is addressed to need to read the memo. If it is an issue involving only one person, do not send the memo to the entire office. Also, be certain that material is not too sensitive to put in a memo; sometimes the best forms of communication are face-to-face interaction or a phone call. Memos are most effectively used when sent to a small to moderate amount of people to communicate company or job objectives.

Parts of a Memo

Standard memos are divided into segments to organize the information and to help achieve the writer's purpose.

Heading Segment

The heading segment follows this general format:

TO: (readers' names and job titles)
FROM: (your name and job title)
DATE: (complete and current date)
SUBJECT: (what the memo is about, highlighted in some way)

Make sure you address the reader by his or her correct name and job title. You might call the company president "Maxi" on the golf course or in an informal note, but "Rita Maxwell, President" would be more appropriate for a formal memo. Be specific and concise in your subject line. For example, "Clothes" as a subject line could mean anything from a dress code update to a production issue. Instead use something like, "Fall Clothes Line Promotion."

Opening Segment

The purpose of a memo is usually found in the opening paragraph and includes: the purpose of the memo, the context and problem, and the specific assignment or task. Before indulging the reader with details and the context, give the reader a brief overview of what the memo will be about. Choosing how specific your introduction will be depends on your memo plan style. The more direct the memo plan, the more explicit the introduction should be. Including the purpose of the memo will help clarify the reason the audience should read this document. The introduction should be brief, and should be approximately the length of a short paragraph.

Context

The context is the event, circumstance, or background of the problem you are solving. You may use a paragraph or a few sentences to establish the background and state the problem. Oftentimes it is sufficient to use the opening of a sentence to completely explain the context, such as,

"Through market research and analysis..."

Include only what your reader needs, but be sure it is clear.

Task Segment

One essential portion of a memo is the task statement where you should describe what you are doing to help solve the problem. If the action was requested, your task may be indicated by a sentence opening like,

"You asked that I look at...."

If you want to explain your intentions, you might say,

"To determine the best method of promoting the new fall line, I will...."

Include only as much information as is needed by the decision-makers in the context, but be convincing that a real problem exists. Do no ramble on with insignificant details. If you are having trouble putting the task into words, consider whether you have clarified the situation. You may need to do more planning before you're ready to write your memo. Make sure your purpose-statement forecast divides your subject into the most important topics that the decision-maker needs.

Summary Segment

If your memo is longer than a page, you may want to include a separate summary segment. However, this section not necessary for short memos and should not take up a significant amount of space. This segment provides a brief statement of the key recommendations you have reached. These will help your reader understand the key points of the memo immediately. This segment may also include references to methods and sources you have used in your research.

Discussion Segments

The discussion segments are the longest portions of the memo, and are the parts in which you include all the details that support your ideas. Begin with the information that is most important. This may mean that you will start with key findings or recommendations. Start with your most general information and move to your specific or supporting facts. (Be sure to use the same format when including details: strongest to weakest.) The discussion segments include the supporting ideas, facts, and research that back up your argument in the memo. Include strong points and evidence to persuade the reader to follow your recommended actions. If this section is inadequate, the memo will not be as effective as it could be.

Closing Segment

After the reader has absorbed all of your information, you want to close with a courteous ending that states what action you want your reader to take. Make sure you consider how the reader will benefit from the desired actions and how you can make those actions easier. For example, you might say,

"I will be glad to discuss this recommendation with you during our Tuesday trip to the spa and follow through on any decisions you make."

Necessary Attachments

Make sure you document your findings or provide detailed information whenever necessary. You can do this by attaching lists, graphs, tables, etc. at the end of your memo. Be sure to refer to your attachments in your memo and add a notation about what is attached below your closing, like this:

Attached: Focus Group Results, January- May 2007

Format

The format of a memo follows the general guidelines of business writing. A memo is usually a page or two long, should be single spaced and left justified. Instead of using indentations to show new paragraphs, skip a line between sentences. Business materials should be concise and easy to read. Therefore it is beneficial to use headings and lists to help the reader pinpoint certain information.

You can help your reader understand your memo better by using headings for the summary and the discussion segments that follow it. Write headings that are short but that clarify the content of the segment. For example, instead of using "Summary" for your heading, try "New Advertising Recommendations," which is much more specific. The major headings you choose are the ones that should be incorporated in your purpose-statement in the opening paragraph.

For easy reading, put important points or details into lists rather than paragraphs when possible. This will draw the readers' attention to the section and help the audience remember the information better. Using lists will help you be concise when writing a memo.

The segments of the memo should be allocated in the following manner:

• Header: 1/8 of the memo
• Opening, Context and Task: 1/4 of the memo
• Summary, Discussion Segment: 1/2 of the memo
• Closing Segment, Necessary Attachments: 1/8 of the memo

This is a suggested distribution of the material to make writing memos easier. Not all memos will be the same and the structure can change as you see necessary. Different organizations may have different formatting procedures, so be flexible in adapting your writing skills.

Sample Memo

TO: Kelly Anderson, Marketing Executive

FROM: Jonathon Fitzgerald, Market Research Assistant

DATE: June 14, 2007

SUBJECT: Fall Clothes Line Promotion

Through market research and analysis, it has been discovered that the proposed advertising media for the new fall lines need to be reprioritized and changed. Findings from focus groups and surveys have made it apparent that we need to update our advertising efforts to align them with the styles and trends of young adults today. No longer are young adults interested in sitcoms as they watch reality televisions shows. Also, it is has become increasingly important to use the internet as a tool to communicate with our target audience to show our dominance in the clothing industry.


Internet Advertising

XYZ Company needs to focus advertising on internet sites that appeal to young people. According to surveys, 72% of our target market uses the internet for five hours or more per week. The following list shows in order of popularity the most frequented sites:

• Google
• Facebook
• Myspace
• EBay
• iTunes

Shifting our efforts from our other media sources such as radio and magazine to these popular internet sites will more effectively promote our product sales. Young adults are spending more and more time on the internet downloading music, communicating and researching for homework and less and less time reading paper magazines and listening to the radio. As the trend for cultural icons to go digital, so must our marketing plans.

Television Advertising

It used to be common to advertise for our products on shows like Friends and Seinfeld for our target audience, but even the face of television is changing. Young adults are tuning into reality television shows for their entertainment. Results from the focus group show that our target audience is most interested in shows like American Idol,The Apprentice, and America's Next Top Model. The only non-reality television show to be ranked in the top ten most commonly watched shows by males and females 18-25 is Desperate Housewives. At Blue Incorporated, we need to focus our advertising budget on reality television shows and reduce the amount of advertising spent on other programs.

By refocusing our advertising efforts of our new line of clothing we will be able to maximize the exposure of our product to our target market and therefore increase our sales. Tapping into the trends of young adults will help us gain market share and sales through effective advertising.

Attachments: Focus Group Results, January- May 2007; Survey Findings, January - April 2007

This is a sample memo; facts and statistics used are fictional. Selengkapnya...

Subject, Verb, Complement & Modifier (Tulisan Berbahasa Inggris Ke-1)

Verb

A verb is a kind of word (see part of speech) that usually tells about an action or a state and is the main part of a sentence. Every sentence has a verb. In English, verbs are the only kind of word that changes to show past or present tense.
Every language in the world has verbs, but they are not always used in the same ways. They also can have different properties in different languages. For example, in some other languages (e.g., Chinese & Indonesian) verbs do not change for past and present tense. This means the definition above only works well for English verbs.
There are sixteen verbs used in Basic English. They are: be, do, have, come, go, see, seem, give, take, keep, make, put, send, say, let, get.

History of the word verb

The word verb originally comes from *were-, a Proto-Indo-European word meaning "a word". It comes to English through the Latin verbum and the Old French verbe.

Verb forms

In English and many other languages, verbs change their form. This is called inflection. Most English verbs have six inflected forms (see the table), but be has eight different forms.

Forms of English verbs
Primary forms past: walked She walked home
3rd singular present: walks She walks home
plain present: walk They walk home
Secondary forms plain form: walk She should walk home
gerund-participle: walking She is walking home
past participle: walked She has walked home

You should notice that some of the verb forms look the same. You can say they have the same shape. For example, the plain present and the plain form of walk have the same shape. The same is true for the past and the past participle. But these different forms can have different shapes in other verbs. For example, the plain present of be is usually are but the plain form is be. Also, the past of eat is ate, but the past participle is eaten. When you look for a verb in the dictionary, it is usually the plain form that you look for.

An English sentence must have at least one primary-form verb. Each main clause can only have one primary-form verb.

Kinds of Verbs

English has two main kinds of verbs: normal verbs (called lexical verbs) and auxiliary verbs. The difference between them is mainly in where they can go in a sentence. Some verbs are in both groups, but there are very few auxiliary verbs in English. There are also two kinds of auxiliary verbs: modal verbs and non-modal verbs. The table below shows most of the English auxiliaries and a small number of other verbs.
Kinds of English verbs
auxiliary verbs lexical vebs
modal verbs Can you play the piano? I fell
I will not be there I didn't fall
Shall we go I had breakfast.
Yes, you may I'm playing soccer.
You must be joking Must you make that noise?
non-modal verbs Have you seen him? Have you seen him?
I did see it I did see it
He is sleeping He is sleeping

Auxiliary verbs also inflect for negation. Usually this is done by adding n't.
• You shouldn't be here.
• He isn't at home.
• We haven't started yet.

Tense, aspect, and mood

Many people think that all different ways of using verbs are all different tenses. This is not true. There are three main systems related to the verb: tense, aspect, and mood.

Tense

Tense is mainly used to say when the verb happens: in the past, present, or future. Some languages have all three tenses, some have only two, and some have no tenses at all. English and Japanese for example have only two tenses: past and present. Chinese and Indonesian verbs do not show tense. Instead they use other words in the sentence to show when the verb happens.

English tenses
Present tense Past tense
She walks home She walked home
He runs quickly He ran quickly
I can swim well I could swim well
Do you live here? Did you live here?

Aspect

Aspect usually shows us things like whether the action is finished or not, or if something happens regularly. English has two aspects: progressive and perfect. In English, aspect is usually shown by using participle verb forms. Aspect can combine with present or past tense.

Progressive aspect

English uses the gerund-participle, usually together with the auxiliary be to show the progressive aspect.
• I'm sleeping. (present progressive)
• He was studying English last night. (past progressive)

Perfect aspect

English uses the past participle, usually together with the auxiliary have to show the perfect aspect.
• I've seen him twice. (present perfect)
• I had lived there for three years. (past perfect)

The past perfect can be used to express an unrealized hope, wish, etc.
• He had intended to bake a cake but ran out of flour.
• She had wanted to buy him a gift but he refused.

After If, wish and would rather, the past perfect can be used to talk about past events that never happened.
• If only I had been born standing up!
• I wish you had told me that before.
• I would rather you had gone somewhere else.

Mood

Finally, English mood is now usually shown by using modal verbs. In the past, English had a full mood system but that has almost completely disappeared. The subjunctive mood now uses the plain form. There is also a form of be that is used in conditionals to show that something is not true (e.g., If I were a bird, I would fly to California.)

Sentence parts that go with verbs

Certain parts of a sentence naturally come before verbs or after them, but these are not always the same for all verbs. The main sentence parts are: subject, object, complement, and modifier.

Subjects

Almost all English sentences have subjects, but sentences that are orders (called imperatives) usually do not have any subjects. A subject usually comes before a verb, but it can also come after auxiliary verbs. In the following examples, the subject is underlined and the primary verb is in bold.
• We need you.
• The food was good.
• The small boy with red hair is sleeping.
• Can you see the car?
• Come here. (no subject)

Objects

Many verbs can be followed by an object. These verbs are called transitive verbs. In fact, some verbs must have an object (e.g., take), but some verbs never take an object (e.g., sleep). Verbs that do not take an object are called intransitive verbs. Some verbs can even have two objects. They are called ditransitive verbs. In the following examples, the object is underlined and the primary verb is in bold.
• I'm sleeping. (no object)
• I took the book from him.
• I gave him the book. (2 objects)
• I am happy. (no object)
• I became a teacher. (complement, no object)
• I slept in my bed (1 object)

Complements

Some verbs can or must be followed by a complement. These verbs are called linking verbs or copula. In the following examples, the complement is underlined and the verb is in bold.
• He is good.
• He is a boy.
• She became sick.
• She became a manager.
• It looks nice.

Modifiers

Verbs can be modified by various modifiers, mainly adverbs. Note that verbs generally do not need modifiers; it's usually a choice. In the following examples, the adverb is underlined and the verb is in bold.

• The boy ran quickly.
• The freely swinging rope hit him.

Verbs also commonly take a variety of other modifiers including prepositions.

Differences between verbs and other kinds of words

Sometimes a verb and another word can have the same shape. In these cases you can usually see the difference by looking at various properties of the words.

Verbs vs. adjectives

Sometimes a verb and an adjective can have the same shape. Usually this happens with participles. For example, the present participle interesting and the adjective interesting look the same. Verbs are different from adjectives, though, because they cannot be modified by very, more, or most.For example, you can say "That is very interesting," so you know interesting is an adjective here. But you cannot say "My teacher is very interesting me in math" because in this sentence interesting is a verb. On the other hand, if you cannot change the 'be' verb to 'seem' or 'become', it is probably a verb.

• He was isolated / He became isolated (isolated is an adjective)
• The door was opening / *The door became opening (opening is a verb)

Verbs vs. nouns

The gerund-particle sometimes looks like a noun. This is especially true when it is used as a subject, as in the following example:

• Running is good for you.

The main differences between these verbs and nouns are: modifiers, number, and object/complement

Modifiers

Verbs cannot generally be modified by adjectives and nouns cannot generally be modified by adverbs. So, in "Running regularly is good for you", running is a verb because it is modified by regularly, an adverb.

Number

Verbs cannot change for number, so if you can make the word plural, it is a noun, not a verb. For example, "this drawing is nice" can change to "these drawings are nice", so drawing is a noun. But "drawing trees is fun" cannot change to "drawings trees is fun", so it is a verb here.

Object/complement

Many verbs can take objects or complements, but nouns cannot. So, in "parking the car is hard", parking is a verb because it takes the object the car. But, if you say, "there's no parking", parking may be a noun because it does not have an object.

Verbs vs. prepositions

Some verbs have become prepositions. Again, usually these share a shape with participles. Here are some examples:

• Given the problems, I do not think we should go.
• We have many helpers, including John.
• According to the map, we are here.
• He went to hospital following' the fight.

The main difference between verbs and prepositions is that verbs have a subject. Even if the subject is not written, you can understand what it is. Prepositions do not have a subject. Selengkapnya...

Tugas Ke-2

Tugas 1

1. Jason’s fathe bought him (A) bicycle that he had wanted for his birthday 
2. (The)  statue of liberty was a gift of friendship from (A) france to (An) united states 
3. Rita is studying (An)  english and (A) math this semester 
4. (The)  judged asked (A) witness to tell the truth 
5. Please give me (A)  cup of (A) coffee with (A) cream and (A) sugar 
6. (The) big books on (A) table are for my history class 
7. When you go to ( The) store, please buy (A) bottle of (A) chocolate milk and (A) dozen oranges 
8. There are only (A) seats left for (The) tonight’s musical at (An) university 
9. John and mercy went to (A) school yesterday and then studied in (A) library before returning home
10.  What did you eat  for (A)  breakfast this morning? 
11. Rita plays (A) violin and her sister plays (A) guitar
12.  While we were in (An) alaska, we saw (An)  eskimo village 
13. (A) chair that you are sitting is broken 
14. On our tripto (The) spain, we crosed (An) atlantic ocean 
15. Phil cannot go to (The)  movies tonight because he has to write (An) eassy

Tugas 2

1. This pen isn’t working. Please give me (Another) 
2. If you’re still thirsty. I’ll make (Another) pot of coffee 
3. This dictionary has a page missing. Please give me (Another) 
4. He doesn’t need those books. He needs (Another) 
5. There are thirty peoples in the room. Twenty are from latin america and (The others)  are from (Other)  countries 
6. Six people are in the store. Two were buying meat (Another) was looking at magazine (Another) was eating a candy bar (The others) were walking around looking for more food 
7. This glass of milk is sour (The other) glass of milk is sour too 
8. The army was practicing its drills. One group was doing artillery practice (Another)  was marching (Another) was at attention and (Another) was practicing combat tactics 
9. There are seven students from japan (Others)  are from iran, and (The others) are from (Other)  place 
10. We looked at car’s today. The first two we far too expensive, but (The Other) ones were reasonably priced

Selengkapnya...