How Word Order Affects Spanish Adjectives

Put an adjective before a noun or after the noun in Spanish, and usually it makes only a subtle difference, if any, in the meaning. But there are some cases where the placement of the adjective makes significant enough of a difference that we would translate it differently in English. For an example, take the following two sentences: Tengo un viejo amigo. Tengo un amigo viejo. A safe translation of these two sentences would be fairly easy to come up with: I have an old friend. But what does that mean? Does it mean that my friend is elderly? Or does it mean that the person has been a friend for a long time? Word Order Can Remove Ambiguity It may surprise you to find out that in Spanish the sentences arent so ambiguous, for viejo can be understood differently depending on where it is in relation to the noun that is described. Word order does make a difference. In this case, tengo un viejo amigo typically means I have a longtime friend, and tengo un amigo viejo typically means I have an elderly friend. Similarly, someone who has been a dentist for a long time is un viejo dentista, but a dentist who is old is un dentista viejo. Of course it is possible to be both — but in that case the word order will indicate what youre emphasizing. Viejo is far from the only adjective that functions that way, although the distinctions arent nearly always as strong as they are with viejo. Here are examples of some of the more common such adjectives. Context still matters, so you shouldnt consider the meanings to always be consistent with whats listed here, but these are guidelines to pay attention to: antiguo: la antigua silla, the old-fashioned chair; la silla antigua, the antique chairgrande: un gran hombre, a great man; un hombre grande, a big manmedio: una media galleta, half a cookie; una galleta media, an average-size or medium-size cookiemismo: el mismo atleta, the same athlete; el atleta mismo, the athlete himselfnuevo: el nuevo libro, the brand-new book, the newly acquired book; el libro nuevo, the newly made bookpobre: esa pobre mujer, that poor woman (in the sense of being pitiful); esa mujer pobre, that woman who is poorpropio: mis propios zapatos, my own shoes; mis zapatos propios, my appropriate shoessolo: un solo hombre, only one man; un hombre solo, a lonely mantriste: un triste viaje, a dreadful trip; un viaje triste, a sad tripà ºnico: la à ºnica estudiante, the only student; la estudiante à ºnica, the unique studentvaliente: una valiente persona, a great person (this is often used ironically); una persona valiente (a brave person) You may notice a pattern above: When placed after a noun, the adjective tends to add a somewhat objective meaning, while placed before it often provides an emotional or subjective meaning. These meanings arent always hard and fast and can depend to a certain extent on context. For example, antigua silla might also refer to a well-used chair or a chair with a long history. Some of the words also have other meanings; solo, for example, can also mean alone. And in some cases, as with nuevo, placement can also be a matter of emphasis rather than simply of meaning. But this list does provide a guide that should be useful in helping determine the meaning of some double-meaning adjectives. Sample Sentences and Placement of Adjectives El nuevo telà ©fono de Apple tiene una precio de entrada de US$999. (Apples brand-new phone has an entry price of $999 U.S. Nuevo here adds an element of emotion, suggesting that the phone offers desirable new features or is something otherwise fresh or innovative.) Siga las instrucciones para conectar el telà ©fono nuevo. (Follow the instructions in order to connect the new phone. Nuevo says only that the phone was recently purchased.) El mundo sabe que Venezuela hoy es un pobre paà ­s rico. (The world knows that Venezuela today is a poor rich country. Pobre suggests in part that Venezuela is poor in spirit despite the riches at its disposal. El economista chino dice que China ya no es un paà ­s pobre, aunque tenga millones de personas que viven en la pobreza. (The Chinese economist says that China still isnt a poor country, although its has millions of people living in poverty. Pobre here likely refers only to financial wealth.)

Essay on Cloned stem cells may give you a new lease of life

Cloned stem cells may give you a new lease of life (A new lease of life means â€Å"an opportunity to improve someone’s future†) Summery Paragraph The name of my article is â€Å"Cloned stem cells may give a new lease of life† I found this article in the â€Å"New Scientist† magazine. It was published on November 8, 2002. The article is telling us about how to use therapeutic (treatment) cloning to take adult cells from a human body, create cloned embryos (animal or plant in the early period of its development before it is born or grown) and remove stem cells that can turn into a wide range of tissues (a bunch of cells forming an animal or plant. Like the heart, brain, muscles, and lungs are some examples of tissues). When they tried†¦show more content†¦The team in this article thinks that stem cells that are cloned have a bigger advantage than other stem cells because they could be younger and much better at replacing damaged tissue. People who get â€Å"younger† cells created by therapeutic cloning might end up with stem cells that have shown improved repair capabilities. They are doing this to cure various dangerous diseases (for example: this can be used to cure leukemia (blood cancer). The team that is trying to do this is called â€Å"Advanced Cell Technology or ATC in Massachusetts and Malcolm Moore of the Memorial and Sloan Kettering from the Cancer center in New York. This experiment is taking place in New York and Massachusetts. Opinion Paragraph When I first read this article I was stunned at how difficult this subject was. I support the teams that are working on this project because it might help people that have dangerous or deadly diseases. This can help lots of people and probably save lots of lives. In France they have already tested stem cell cloning and it saved a mans life. So I believe that this is something that the team doing the research should think about. (A stem cell is a cell that helps weaker cells to grow stronger and better) (Cells are the all living organisms. Some organisms, like bacteria, are unicellular-that means they only have a single cell. Other organisms, such as humans, are multicellular,Show MoreRelated Embryonic Stem Cell Research Provides Revolutionary and Life-saving Breakthroughs3846 Words   |  16 PagesStem cell research is the key to developing cures for degenerative conditions like Parkinsons and motor neuron disease from which I and many others suffer. The fact that the cells may come from embryos is not an objection, because the embryos are going to die anyway. -- Stephen Hawking The phrase â€Å"stem cell† calls to mind images of controversy: Pro-life picketers outside abortion and in-vitro fertilization clinics, patients with chronic disabilities waiting on a cure, scientistsRead MoreDamodaran Book on Investment Valuation, 2nd Edition398423 Words   |  1594 Pageswill be putting my entire second edition online, while the book goes through the printing process - it will be available at the end of the year. This may seem like a bit of a free lunch, and I guess it is. I hope, though, that you can do me a favor as you go through the manuscript. If you find any mistakes - mathematical or grammatical - could you please let me know? It would help me ensure that the typos do not find their way into the final version. Chapter 1: Introduction to Valuation Chapter 2:Read MoreProject Managment Case Studies214937 Words   |  860 PagesBaldwin-Wallace College Berea, Ohio John Wiley Sons, Inc. This book is printed on acid-free paper. @ Copyright O 2006 by John Wiley Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. Published by John Wiley Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of theRead MoreStrategic Human Resource Management View.Pdf Uploaded Successfully133347 Words   |  534 PagesVIEW Strategic Human Resource Management Taken from: Strategic Human Resource Management, Second Edition by Charles R. Greer Copyright  © 2001, 1995 by Prentice-Hall, Inc. A Pearson Education Company Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 Compilation Copyright  © 2003 by Pearson Custom Publishing All rights reserved. This copyright covers material written expressly for this volume by the editor/s as well as the compilation itself. It does not cover the individual selections herein that

Reasons for Attending College or University Free Essays

Reasons for Attending College or University Summary:Â  People attend college or university for many different reasons, such as new experiences, career preparation, and increased knowledge. Many people attend colleges and universities all over the world to study and conduct research. What are their expectations of the academic experience? In my opinion, people involved in collegiate programs have two main purposes: to gain the experiences and certificates that prepare them for future careers and to increase their knowledge about different aspects of life. We will write a custom essay sample on Reasons for Attending College or University or any similar topic only for you Order Now Many people desire stable careers that deeply affect their lives. Therefore, good preparation for a future career is a necessity. To maintain and promote your position at a company, especially in certain kinds of jobs, you must have the knowledge and experiences that come from attending a college or university. The skills, spirit, and confidence you gain from studying help equip you for your work. Moreover, it is easier to find a good job when you have qualified certificates. Many well-educated people can carry out their tasks smoothly and methodically with more economization of time and strength than people who manage their work by learning from their failures. Another advantage of attending a college or university is the relationships you build with other people. These relationships help you improve yourself. In a collegiate environment, you learn how to work in groups and how to cooperate with your partners. You also learn to achieve mutual understanding, an essential and useful skill in your future work. The second reason for attending a college or university, increasing knowledge about many aspects of life, might seem a little impractical, but it is, in fact, very practical. Some people have the misconception that studying in college provides them only with knowledge relating directly to their major and that getting certificates is the most important purpose of attending college. With those goals in mind, they often neglect subjects that don’t seem to be applicable to their work. However, knowledge from college is not just useful for your job; it also is useful for many other things in life. For example, people with basic knowledge about literature, history, art, psychology, etc. might enjoy their lives more than unlearned people. They also might overcome difficulties and stress more easily, as well as have an acceptable and optimistic attitude toward obstacles and failures in their lives. Furthermore, cultivated people might treat others in their communities with more regard. Nothing you study in college is useless, and increasing knowledge is as important as getting certificates. The more knowledge you have, the more poetic your life is. Generally speaking, it’s always necessary to have a good education. In addition to obtaining the appropriate certificates, attending a college or university gives you a great opportunity to learn about many different things on both macroscopic and microscopic levels. While the specific reasons people attend colleges and universities might differ, the fundamental purposes are the same: they want to obtain the necessary training and education for their future careers and they want to learn about a variety of different subjects that will apply to their lives outside their future careers. Therefore, everyone who chooses to attend a college or university should always strive to reach their goals and aspirations. This section contains 509 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page)| | How to cite Reasons for Attending College or University, Papers