FOR BEN: Talk is cheap

Practice test Book 2 , prompt 1/ p.42 

 A great deal of controversy surrounds is actions have a tremendous impact on humanity instead of words. There are quite a few different options on this matter if issue whereas it should be considered as guarantee.  There is no doubt in my mind that talk is cheap and it is impossible to be thought as a foundation in order to be built any type of human relationship. 

 There are several reasons why actions are the evidence that relationships should come true. To begin with,  it is popularly believed that upon actions can be the cause of other significant values such as trust , reliability and by extension the so-called love between people. In other words , doing meaningful contributions have a immensely effect in people's temperament on the grounds that they feel that there is an interest of them. Moreover, it is a common belief that a part of majority find it difficult to accept a new person in their life . Apart from they cannot initially believe them they wait to see their actions. A typical example of this is that politicians are always promising to boost the realm of health but when elections finish almost nothing can be true. 

 Advocates of meaningful actions claim that these fully depict a character of a person. As a consequence, it is easy to recognize who has the right qualifications to be accepted in your life . To say something and to do something has completely different meaning - it is not similar . Furthermore, some people maintain that talking can be proved as a useful tool so as to make a friendship easily by introducing each other in a better way. What these people forget is that talking should be considered as a primary means of communication. Under no circumstances is talking powerful weapon to build a real relationship. It is simply a communication. Real relationships can be cast-iron by other values but the main way to can true are actions. 

 Taking everything into account, the obvious conclusion to be drawn is that this matter of issue still cause a debate among people.  There are so many aspects and nobody will reach an agreement.  From my perspective,  I firmly believe that actions play a vital role in human nature. Should we based on this , human relationships will totally have a duration at time. 

Tolerance

"Nowadays, societies worldwide are not homogeneous. In what ways do you think people differ from one another? How can we co-exist and accept difference? Elaborate on your opinion by adding reasons and examples"

     It is an undeniable fact that over the last decades globalization has led people with different cultures , religious or skin color to co-exist in the same place. Thus, it is becoming more and more vital for them to accept diversity and boost tolerance.

     Being tolerant refers to the state which one understands and respects the others' point of view. So grave an issue is this that we do not make unfair judgements without being informed about other people's opinion. Tolerance refers to practices which disapprove of/ are contrary to all kinds of discriminatory behaviour that is to say based on different race, skin color, sexual orientation, age, looks/ appearance or sexism, (comma) to name but a few. People have a social and cultural background, (comma) which is many times profoundly responsible for their behavior/ which this kind of behaviour can be commonly attributed to. These factors (which are these factors?) help them analyze diversity (uncountable) and treat others in a certain politically correct way.

     There are certain steps which should be taken in order to alleviate discriminatory behaviors. To begin with, family, as a pillar of society, plays a main role in shaping children's character. By supporting open-mindedness and acceptance of the different may help the new generation develop skills to fight narrow-mindedness and discriminatory behaviors. In addition, schools and teachers should organise talks and overall foster certain values, (comma) such as equality and tolerance, in their lessons by incorporating special activities. Teachers and school peers exert a great influence on other pupils, meaning that the school environment should employ a distinctive approach in order for children to develop necessary skills. Last but not least, the state carries the main burden of organizing social events and campaigns to promote open-mindedness and condemn discriminatory practices.

     Taking everything into condideration, it is disturbing to think that we fall victims to the different types of discrimination and we stereotype people into categories. We should learn, once and for all, how to be tolerant (refer to the topic) and not to judge books by their cover. 


Well done Vassilis, you did it once again! My comments and additions are only in italics or parentheses this time so that your readers can focus on reading your text with its brilliant explanations as a whole. Some problematic parts in paragraph 2. Gr 3/5, Voc 4/5, Rhet 4/5 --> 11/15 Keep it up! Christina ;-)

Unit 7 writing by Andromahi

In recent years, geneticists have found ways to produce new crops by modifying them in order to eliminate starvation. On the other hand, there are some concerns whether or not the results of promoting these genetically modified (GM) crops is more beneficial than harmful.--> you can put it more clearly and grammatically correctly: there are concerns whether the effects of these genetically modified (GM) crops will be beneficial or not.

On the one hand, COMMA the percentage of famine have has increased dramatically worldwide. Unfortunately, COMMA 795 million people in the world do not have enough/ sufficient/ adequate food to lead a healthy active life. Consequently, COMMA it is crucial to be found for alternative ways to generate food to be found. The achievement of genetic modifications have has succeeded to raise the yield of Argentina, for instance,  to approximately 17 billion kilos only in 10 years. Needless to say that those statistics indicate successfully that GM crops can definitely contribute to win beating the enemy that is called hunger. The main thing priority/ consideration (we need more formal equivalents) is that only if a country has an abundance of products, will poor people have the ability to purchase food in lower prices. A number of them may even manage to be absorbed into the agricultural sector and have/ receive a salary.

Detractors, on the other hand, claim that due to the fact that genetically modified crops is a new practice, (there is nothing accurate) there is little certain data about these seeds' long-term effects and safety of use. It should can be argued that transgenic crops can cause allergic reactions. This is because their genome may contain genes an allergen, thus prompting an allergy to the person who consumes them (a food that prompts an allergy). In addition, COMMA it is believed by some people that GM crops can trigger the development of cancer. It is worth noting that there is no evidence for this. However, the government should ensure safety and set the guidelines.

In the light of the above, COMMA genetically modified crops is a controversial issue. Pros and cons should be undoubtedly taken into account. In practice, COMMA before promoting this scheme globally, COMMA IT is appropriate to conduct more studies/ more research about the effects. Only by in this way can people anticipate a brighter future.

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Andromahi, you dealt with a new topic well, but your text could be even better if there were more formal expressions at certain points and fewer grammatical or even spelling errors (look at the corrections in bold). 

Argentina should be mentioned as an example with all the proper linking phrases and explanations. 

The end of paragraph 1 was a little confusing for the reader, too. 

Overall, if certain things are improved, we will reach the desired goal! You are close, Andromahi! Keep trying! Christina 👌👏💝

GM Crops

  Lately there has been much debate about the use of genetic engineering so as to generate genetically modified crops.  It is a truism that (NO COMMA HERE) the intervention (=ανάμειξη?) of technology (or even better: technological advances) has provided tremendous opportunities to *enable our life less though/ for people to lead a more comfortable life on this planet. From my perspective, I think that genetically modified crops can make a decisive contribution to *come up against adverse realm facing adversity, several of which becomes evident in malnutrition and economy.

 There are several reasons why genetic engineering can chip in the rising of the economy/ boost or enhance economy. To begin with, it is known that farmers , who are in the bottom of social ladder**,are using this method (subject+verb+object) more and more this method in order for their yields fields to produce oodles of yield. The more the farmers produce ,the more they receive financially. Furthermore,  what production companies really prefer is a great amount of yields in order to *have the highest brands' generation generate/produce large quantities in very low prices . Not only does IS all this process of production be on the rise, but also consumption should occur three times more than usual. Last but not least, genetically modified foods are much more resistant through time. As a consequence, they should be used as materials in stock in case of an emergency.

  Another beneficial advance of genetic engineering is the alleviation of malnutrition***.  It is known that in some non developing nations, there is a huge part of the population who cannot merely make for a living , staying malnourished. Genetically modified foods may be deemed as an ally ti this issue of the poorer families due to the mass production of fundamental goods/ basic necessities. Some people, however, may claim that these methods of production are going to spawn detrimental effects into on the human body causing fatal ailments, COMMA such as cancer. So/ therefore/ consequently (=more formal equivalents of so), it is clear that mortality rates will absolutely increase. However,  in reality what these people forget is that GM (no dash in-between) foods provide the chance of a self- sufficient life. Not only does do GM foods not aim at elevated mortality rates,  but they also endorse people's complete adequacy/ self-sufficiency/ independence.

 Taking everything into account ,the obvious conclusion to be drawn is that the advance of genetic engineering has been crucial to humanity. But for it, percentages of shortages would be high and wounds' of whole world remain at the bottom (UNCLEAR HERE- don't think in Greek!) . To my mind , if we let technology interfere completely in some fields/ if technology is put into good use, then the future will probably/ definitely/certainly seem brighter.

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*If you translate these parts of the sentence in Greek, will they make sense? 
** Please avoid statements such as this one- they are unnecessary and politically incorrect. 
*** This should be your first argument in paragraph two, in my opinion, as it is the most important one.

Charalambos, I totally appreciate your attempt at elaborating on a very difficult topic we have not discussed in class yet. There are certainly areas that need more improvement (vocabulary used incorrectly, some grammatical errors, some unclear sentences), but I can see you are trying, which makes all the difference! If you have written this essay on your notebook too, you can copy my corrections and let me know which parts you found confusing. You are very close to passing! We can do this, adults' team! Christina 💟😎💪

Genetically modified crops

     It is a truism that over the past decades the earth' s population has increased dramatically. There has been heated controversy between proponents of genetically modified crops and detractors of transgenic foods (or: detractors of them- save the useful paraphrase for later) about whether it is reprehensible to adopt such a method. Personally speaking, I think that it is a moot point and we should shed some light on it/ some light should be shed on it- use the passive preferably.
     A sound argument in favor of genetically modified crops is that it is a significant means to tackle the world hunger. It is evident that many  people the world over suffer from malnutrition. By developing transgenic foods may lead to alleviate these problems. Furthermore, advocates of transgenic foods claim that crops are bound to give better yields resulting in low prices which will be beneficial for the consumers globally/the world over. Another point that they adduce is that genetically modified plants enable farmers to use powerful pesticides in order to protect their fields from unwanted weeds, meaning that their workload and expenses will diminish.
     On the other hand, opponents of transgenic foods argue that this phenomenon may result in many thorny issues which should be taken into account. First off, some people are profoundly convinced that consuming genetically modified foods may trigger health issues. Not only is the scientific research about these plants poor, but also there are already concerns from scientists who suggest that there are more to it than meets the eye. Moreover, there are those who believe that tampering with the DNA of organisms is not in the right direction. In other words, it is maintained that such a practise goes beyond the ethical boundaries and humankind is surpassing limits beyond their nature. Another point (unnecessary: of others) is that the root of the problem is not the amount of the yields but the fact that the majority of people who starve cannot afford to buy foods. That is to say, COMMA they urge the state to find different ways to address the world hunger, as giving incentives to young people to cultivate land and support them financially.
     By a way of conclusion, it should be reiterated that adopting genetically modified crops is a profoundly debatable issue and all aspects should be taken into consideration. It is a matter of life and death and we must be tentative in our judgements. I am totally  convinced that the state should fund scientists to conduct experiments and provide scientific results. Thus, they will enable us to choose wisely the best solution wisely. (verb+object+ adverb of manner)


Vassilis, wow! That is an amazing piece of writing on a topic we hardly had  any time to discuss! Also, the way you handled the issue was very clever and at no point did it confuse the reader, which is a feat in its own right.

Well done and keep up the effort! 

Grammar 4/5
Vocabulary 4/5-- possibly 5/5
Rhetoric 5/5

Total score: 13/15 at the very least! Christina 👍💪😊

Essay on microchips

 A great deal of controversy surrounds the insertion of microchips under people's body. More and more people tend to support the use of microchip on the grounds that in today's modernized society everybody should follow this innovative role model. From my perspective,  I believe that microchips are such a devastate tool that it is capable of changing humanity life.
 It is known the fact that everyone is under consideration of implanted microchips. There are several reasons why microchips are going to affect in a negative way life. First of all,  it is vital need to highlight that humanity have some fundamental rights struggling too hard to assert and protect them in a very tough way . One of them is freedom, which it will easily be eroded if microchips are inserted.  Not only will personal information  have been  record but also the authorities will spot trails in no time by using GPS setting. Therefore, there is no freedom for nobody. Moreover,  microchips is going to humiliate life . In some cases people are told to obey states' orders and not allowing them to do their personal preferences.
  Everyone should bare in mind that it is important for people to align with novel facts of life because world is getting modernized very quickly.  When it comes to deal with these situations such as using microchips for a life ,it is of primary importance to be used critical thinking.  There are  few people who have wondered if microchips are a tremendous alarm for human health care. Noone could promise that inserting these, no other substances will not be injected.  If possible,  people will face detrimental  ailments such as skin's cancer . Last but not least,  microchips are produced by laboratories, thus, it is bound that human immune system could probably reject it.
 Taking everything into account, the obvious conclusion to be drawn is that microchips may not be the ideal solution monitoring people's activities in order to create a cohesion. In my mind , I believe that microchips will spawn harmful consequences to people and noone could not sharply react to this.

--------- Here are some suggested corrections:

 A great deal of controversy surrounds the insertion of microchips into people's body. More and more people tend to support the use of microchip on the grounds that in today's modernized society everybody should adopt this innovative practice. From my perspective,  I believe that microchips are such a devastating tool that it is capable of changing human life/ humanity forever.

 It is a well-known fact that everyone is under consideration for implanted microchips. There are several reasons why microchips are going to affect life negatively. First of all,  it is a vital need to highlight that all individuals have some fundamental rights which they are struggling too hard to assert and protect passionately . One of them is freedom, which it will easily be eroded if microchips are inserted.  Not only will personal information  be constantly recorded, but also the authorities will spot trails of everybody's daily activity in no time by using the  GPS tracking system setting. Therefore, there is no freedom for nobody. Moreover,  microchips are going to humiliate life . In some cases people are told to obey the state's orders which will not allow them to pursue their dreams and goals. (this is a little unclear here- will the state control people through the microchips?)

  Everyone should bear in mind that it is important for people to align with novel technologies because the world is getting modernized/ is progressing very quickly.  When it comes to dealing with these situations, COMMA such as using microchips for life ,it is of primary importance to employ (=use) critical thinking.  There are  few people who have wondered if microchips are a tremendous risk/ hazard/ peril for human health care. No-one can promise that when inserting these, no other substances will not be injected or no other complications will occur.  (never a double negative, remember?).  In the worst-case scenario,  people may face detrimental  ailments/ fatal conditions, such as skin's cancer . Last but not least,  microchips are produced by laboratories; SEMI COLON HERE thus, it is bound that the human immune system could probably reject them.

 Taking everything into account, the obvious conclusion to be drawn is that microchips may not be the ideal solution since they will bring about the incessant/ constant monitoring of people's activities in order to create a cohesion. In my mind , I believe that microchips will spawn harmful consequences to people and no-one could not sharply react to this. ,which cannot easily be denied nor embraced.

That is one more good effort Charalambos! Grammar is getting constantly better!

Be careful with overusing opinion phrases: To my mind, I believe, From my perspective, I think are used separately, not in combination.

Also, pay attention to the unclear part at the end of paragraph 2. What do you mean by that? Remember that when you confuse the reader or go off topic, marks may be removed!

I loved the use of certain advanced expressions, such as 'it is bound that'. You can do it, blogger! Keep writing and reflecting on the comments! Christina 💪💗😏

Faye’s essay on microchip implantation

                                                                            

    For reasons of convenience some people have proposed the touchable/ tactile/ paper ID cards to (SUBJUNCTIVE!!) be abolished and give way to the implantation of ID microchips under peoples’ skin. In my opinion, if this happens, the daily life of people would be improved  and simplified.

   This practice would facilitate a lot of processes and circumstances .Because of the (promptness) easy accessibility to/ availability of the personal information, people could avoid  difficult situations and possible dangers. A characteristic example would be a case of someone who experiences an allergy shock and due to the readily available information  on his their health that is visible with a simple scanning of their chip, COMMA HERE and others can help him/ them because they know his/their history . The resolution of this incident would be definitely faster, reducing the rate of risk .Another example would be the case of a thief that enters a shop and other people around him can see timely see his criminal record and be more alert ed. (so should everyone be alert simply because a person with a criminal record enters a shop or is this person there about to commit robbery? It is rather unclear.)

   Another vital reason that (I’m) I AM (no short forms!) in favor of the chip implant is the saving of time (and) as well as plastic or paper. NowAdays, COMMA (are spent) a lot of time is spent for the documents to be created .For example, COMMA when an entrepreneur wants to apply for a loan, they must devote time to explain at the administration of the bank what they owner they owe or how much money he has/ they have, although it would be much more easier for the bank to read the data of (ID) the microchip implant in a few seconds. Another also/equally significant (consumption) consideration is those the overconsumption of paper and plastic that are IS (uncountable!) necessary for the natural data common paper ID cards to be created and other data logs to be kept. From my personal experience, COMMA in my country citizens are obliged to show their ID plastic card ,documentation of their income , driver’s license or a documentation about their family circle if they are asked; SEMI COLON otherwise, COMMA they will pay a fine.

  It seems that (the establishment of this practice  have two basic reasons to happen)--> there are two basic reasons for establishing this practice/ microchip implantation. Governments of all over the world should realize that they must vote for practices that they will facilitate peoples’ life and, of course, they that will deter the environmental detriment/ damage.

Faye, I know your grammar is much better than this! Why are there still so many missing words, punctuation problems and wrong verbs? Take a careful look at my suggestions so that we can discuss them later. Practice makes perfect, so keep writing! Christina 💚

Implanted chips

Daily, ( unnecessary: more and more) the technology is evolving dramatically. Some of the new advancements are microchip s implants for humans. This is a new method that/ according to which all information (uncountable noun!) are is stored in a small gadget under the skin. The identity card could be replaced by the chip. Everything are is inside it. But this breakthrough can be very controversial. Some believe that it is beneficial and some of them others believe that there is surveillance by the goverNment and police in this way. As I see it, those chips have could constitute a good/ viable option, but the other option their drawbacks may be dangerous.

  Every day, more people refresh renew their identity card because they are lOsing them. If they have a microchip under their skin,then they would not have changed the to renew or reissue their cards at all times. Furthermore, the implantation of a microchip is a safe option for health and does not demand surgery. It is flexible for people because automatically all information IS included.  LAST BUT NOT LEAST,  society will definitely become  more secure because it will be extremely difficult for terrorists to have a genuine identity,and if people are not secure, they feel scared and they cannot enjoy anything else.

  As much as,On the one hand, microchips sound beneficial and practical, but on the other hand, they can be perilous to humanity in many different ways. (but the other option looks like dangerous). It is not difficult for criminals to use concealed scanners on a crowded subway train, for instance, to retrieve information on people's chips. Then, COMMA it would be quite straightforward for them to write their own chip and begin pretending to be you somebody else, thus committing identity theft. However, the most serious problem is that of breaching the human right for dignity and privacy, since it becomes easier for all governments to monitor their citizens. (It is more easy to monitor someone)The chips do not all allow to people living to live freely. Especially in case that our democracy gives way to a dictatorship, people’s moves will be thoroughly kept track of.

  Implanted chips (are already to enter) HAVE ALREADY ENTERED our lives. It is something different and we have to BE prepared for this. Microchips are practical and (enable the manner that we live) MAKE OUR LIVES EASIER, but we have the human right to privacy and we must don not allow OURSELVES to ignore this advantage because we live in a democracy and UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES ARE WE ALLOWED TO FORGET IT (we have do not forget it.)

—————————-
 Be careful when you refer to ‘the other option’. There is one issue you are discussing, that of microchip implantation, and this issue has two sides. You used this expression in your introduction too, which may confuse your readers greatly. Look at your introduction again. Isn’t your thesis (main opinion) now clearer?

Also pay attention to linking phrases. ‘As much as’ is used in sentences, like: As much as I try, my listening scores do not seem to improve. As much as somebody does something= no matter how hard they do it 

In the conclusion, some important grammatical mistakes created some confusion again. Take a look at my suggestions and we can talk about them again very soon.

I can see great improvement, though and I need to give you credit for it. If you continue this intensive effort, you will reap the benefits of your hard work! Keep improving, amazing athlete and blogger!

Christina 👏👏💝🎈🤩💌

Andromahi: Essay on the use of microchips

A great deal of controversy surrounds the issue of whether people should use implanted chip IDs or not. Rotterdam and Holland have already established this scheme. However, as I see it, there are some good/ strong points/ arguments against this practice.

On the plus side, microchips can be considered as a breakthrough technological invention. (Or: as a groundbreaking technological invention) Microchips which emplace are placed under the skin are designed to contain a digital record of all personal details. There is no doubt that an implanted ID chip has the capacity to facilitate the access to public services, bank accounts and the most importantly, nothing can be stolen or lost. But at the same time, people may not be in favor of reveal the revelation of such a sensitive personal data. (There could be a change of paragraph here) Unfortunately, it is a common phenomenon that people are to being asked to give/show/exhibit an ID card unexpectedly for a trivial reason. One may ask: Is the an place for privacy? Is the right to privacy being violated? This is to say that, COMMA but for technology, COMMA people 's lives WOULD NOT have been improved, COMMA but what people really need is privacy safety OR: the preservation of their privacy,this which can be called real progress. Governments should ensure the people' s personal lives and data have a fully their full protection. One way to succeed IN it is not TO reveal them IT (the noun data is uncountable) with merely a scan/ with a mere scan.

Moreover, another concern is connected with health issues. Because of heart problems and A weak immune system, COMMA many people are prone to illnesses; SEMI COLON as a result, COMMA no-one can  assure that those chips will not cause further hazard to them. It is of grave importance to make DO first some experiments in order to examine THE body's reaction. It is crucial to devote time TO scrutinizing this scheme prior to takING actioN.

All in all, it should be reiterated that microchip IMPLANTATION has its merits and demerits, WHICH everyone should be aware of (without them). (Why contrast here with Although?) Humanity’s first priorities should ALWAYS be public health and privacy. Only IN this way can human beings anticipate a brighter future.


Amazing Andromahi, I love your ideas and the way you express them. We need to work on grammar, punctuation and syntax more so that your sentences have an even more powerful impact on your readers. I am sure you understand all my corrections and that you know the grammar theory fully well. Putting theory into practice is very demanding and tricky, so a little more attention should be paid there. Keep writing, resourceful blogger! Practice makes perfect! Loads of love, Christina 💝

This is the original text.  Students can compare the two versions and add their comments below.

Essay of unit 6: A great deal of controversy surrounds the issue of whether people should use implanted chip ID or not. Rotterdam and Holland have already established this scheme. However, as i see it there are some good points against this practice.

On the plus side microchip can be considered as a breakthrough technological invention. Microchips which emplace under the skin are designed to contain a digital record of all personal details. There is no doubt that implanted ID chip has the capacity to facilitate the access to public services, bank accounts and the most important nothing can be stolen or lost. But at the same time people may not be in favor of reveal such a personal data. Unfortunately it is a common phenom to being asked to give ID card unexpectedly for a trivia reason. One may ask Is the an place for privacy? This is to say that but for technology people 's lives have been improved but what people really need is privacy safety,this can be called real progress. Government should ensure the people' s personal lives and data have a fully protection. One way to succeed it is not reveal them with merely a scan.

Moreover another concern is connected with health issues. Because of heart problems and weak immune system many people are prone to illnesses as a result non-one can  assure that those chips will not cause further hazard to them. It is of grave importance to make first some experiments in order to examine body's reaction. It is crucial to devote time on scrutinizing this scheme prior to take actions.

All in all, it should be reiterated that microchip has its merits and demerits, everyone should be aware of them. Although first priorities always should be public health and privacy. Only by this way can human beings anticipate a brighter future.

Efficient public transport or well preserved roads?

An efficient level of transportation in towns requires both well preserved and safe roads and (an) effective means of public transport. If it would be necessary to choose one of the two options because of the financial limitation, (comma) I would choose a more efficient/ effective public transportation system for two specific reasons.

Public means of transport can be used by everyone in order to as long as they pay a fee for the ticket. This is greatly important because if the aforementioned would not exist, comma people would have to buy cars or bicycles, comma and this which is not affordable for some people. Owning a vehicle demands paying for fuel , for taxes and possible breakdowns, burdening the owners. Additionally, comma they can not everyone not everyone can drive for a lot of reasons. Some of them  do not have/ lack not the cognitive ability or physical ability, like/ such as blind people, and some others may do not want to learn how to drive; semi colon thus, comma the only way for them to be transported is within the public system. For this reason, the state must act for so that citizens to not be are not deprived from the convenience that is offered for by the public transportation system.

Another extremely important reason is the environmental aspect of the issue .Boosting the public means of transport has/ will certainly have a  positive impact in on the decrease of carbon dioxide emissions. This happens because the more improved the public means of transport are, comma the more people are motivated to use them and, in that way/ therefore/ hence some people avoid to use their own vehicles , thereby reducing the number of vehicles at/ on the roads. The authorities must definitely encourage people to use the public one (buses, trams or even trains) because instead of that otherwise a lot of people are inevitably going to use their owns own car, for example, while a lot of them want to be transported at the same place and time.

To sum up, it would be more convenient for citizens to have both a good/ proper/ immaculate road network and an adequate public transportation system, but the boost/ prioritization  of the later is gravely significant for individuals and the environment. Only by adopting greener policies and everyday practices, will humanity be able to anticipate a brighter future. 


Faye, your blogging effort is great. We will work a bit more on sentence structure, punctuation (be careful with that!), use of linking phrases and some advanced grammatical phenomena (inversion. inverted conditionals, cleft sentences), but overall, you stated your thesis (main opinion) in paragraph 1 and managed to justify it in the main body of the essay. Take a look at my corrections which we will discuss shortly. 

Christina 💕

ECPE WRITING AND SPEAKING: SLIDE PHOTOS BY OUR STUDENTS WHO ATTENDED THE HAU SEMINAR IN HERAKLION

Click on the photos to view them in a larger size.

Photos by the amazing Zacharenia.

Thinking about the death penalty

The C2-level learners of our school who have been attending lessons for some months should be familiar with the story of Troy Davis who was on death row, as it has been brought up in our recent classes. Even though there was no solid evidence against him, this man was executed in the U.S. on 22 September. We now urge our students to read about the whole story here and then find out more about other controversial death row cases.

Keeping all the information in mind concerning both sides of capital punishment, they should try to answer this question: 

When is the death penalty the right answer? Does it constitute an efficient crime deterrent or should it be abolished? 

Here is also a variety of links on the issue along with two interesting quotes that can serve as a springboard for further discussion: 

Capital punishment is a barbaric remnant of uncivilized society. It is immoral in principle, and unfair and discriminatory in practice. It assures the execution of some innocent people. As a remedy for crime, it has no purpose and no effect. Capital punishment ought to be abolished now.
 ~American Civil Liberties Union

I believe that the weight of the evidence--aggregate statistical analyses, evaluations of experiments and quasi-experiments, and studies of individual behavior--supports the view that the rate of crime is influenced by its costs. This influence is greater--or easier to observe- for some crimes and persons than for others.
 ~James Q. Wilson, "Thinking About Crime: The Debate over Deterrence," The Atlantic Monthly, September 1983

Students can double-click on words they do not know on this blog.

Notes on paragraph structure

Mindfulness: A series of activities

1) Watch the video: All it takes is 10 mindful minutes
https://www.ted.com/talks/andy_puddicombe_all_it_takes_is_10_mindful_minutes

2) Now answer these questions in a comment or separate post.
(Look here http://159.65.205.66/ted_demo/build/app.html#/shell/contents?page=3 for a full set of amazing activities)

2A) What does meditation mean to you? Which statements do you most agree with? Choose as many or as few as you wish.

Meditation is only for spiritual people.
Scientifically, meditation is not effective.
People only do meditation to escape reality.
Meditation is becoming more popular.
Everyone can benefit from meditation.

2B) What does mindfulness actually mean and which everyday practices can encourage it?

3) Read Marina’s essay on stress and comment on the extent you agree with her:

http://markaki-literature.blogspot.com/2018/07/there-is-no-doubt-that-people-nowadays.html

The questions Marina has answered are the following ones:

What are the main causes of stress today? Explain why. What effect does stress have on most people? What are some of the negative ways of dealing with stress? What positive ways can you suggest for dealing with stress?

Book review by an amazing blogger and ECPE holder

Reviewer: Manolis Tz
Book: Agatha Christie: And then there were none

Hi guys!I used to be a student of this school before 2 years or so and as a trip to the past I felt like writing a short summary of one extremely interesting book. I firmly believe it will make many of you to want to read more such books, even those not interested in reading since I used to consider it boring as well, the reason being that I was trying to read classic literature which I could not get into.

The book is about a group of ten people,strangers to each other ,being invited to mansion on a private island to work as the owner's employees for a short period of time. However, when all of those different personalities arrive to the mansion the owner is nowhere to be found. The first night a dark secret all of those people share is revealed mysteriously and one of them is found dead by poisoning on purpose. That is when they understand there is a murderer besides them and a little child's poem is hung on frames on every each of their rooms.

I don't know if I did a good job with writing the summary interesting or not; however, if you have the chance to read it I can assure you ,as someone who found books hardly interesting, the experience will be worthwhile.By the way, you can also find ''And then there were none" translated in Greek,and if that brings a little more validity to my words, Agatha Christie is one the best, if not the best, authors of detective books and that is one of her most known books.

C2 LEVEL WRITING TIPS BY CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH

Celebrating Women in Science

The slides we used in class, the title of the amazing iBook we purchased and further suggested reading can be found on our school blog: 

https://markaki-students.blogspot.com/2019/02/celebrating-international-day-of-women.html

Helpful writing corrections by Ben

Study the following recent examples from your writing. First correct any obvious mistakes, then suggest alternative ways of expressing the ideas given.

In conclusion, the death penalty does not contribute in the enhancement of the society by reducing criminality, and certainly convicts criminals, who may be innocent. This punishment must be abolished in all countries of the world, because it is cruel and unnecessary.

In conclusion, the death penalty does not contribute to the enhancement of society by reducing criminality. Still worse, innocent people may end up losing their lives in the event of a mistrial. There should be no place for such a cruel, ineffective and excessive form of punishment in the modern world. 

What could be added to this paragraph to make it more persuasive? 

One common characteristic of experts is that they express their opinions, and with their knowledge and experience can demonstrate and support them. This lends them prestige, and indicates the fact that they know a lot about specific matters. Moreover, the fact that someone has the support and recognition of their colleagues proves that their opinions are important and that they are specialists.

One trait common to many experts is that they are not afraid to express their opinions, and use their knowledge and experience to demonstrate and communicate them to others. A case in point was the outspoken world-class physicist Richard Feynman, who conducted a simple experiment on live TV to prove that faulty O-rings were responsible for a disaster on the NASA space shuttle. His straightforward, irrefutable argument showed exactly why he was rightly acknowledged as one of the world’s leading scientists. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOzoLdfWyKw

How could this idea be made clearer?

Because, sometimes, some people are trying to trap somebody and get this person killed by faking evidence, the criminal record, the motive and the unfinished business of this person should be found.

There may be occasions on which innocent people are framed; in such instances it is vital that their previous conduct, possible motive and any other information be taken into consideration during the trial. The presumption of innocence is the cornerstone of the criminal justice system in most countries, and should always be borne in mind. 

What is the main problem here?

On the other hand, people can be very dangerous sometimes. They would might be involved in gangs, they would might be serial killers, which means they are committing all those things because it is their job, they might get very well paid or they promised valuable things.

On the other hand, there are those who are prone to dangerous criminal behaviour. They may get involved in gangs or become contract killers. In both cases they are most probably motivated by short-term material gains to live a life of crime.

And here?

The main reason for people – young and old – opt for joining a group is to have somebody that can understand, rely on and open up to them. 

The main reason why people of all ages choose to join a group is to find others with similar interests, who...