Thursday, July 23, 2020

Are Light Cigarettes Safer for You

Are Light Cigarettes Safer for You More in Addiction Nicotine Use The Inside of Cigarettes After You Quit How to Quit Smoking Nicotine Withdrawal Smoking-Related Diseases Alcohol Use Addictive Behaviors Drug Use Coping and Recovery As of Dec. 20, 2019, the new legal age limit is 21 years old for purchasing cigarettes, cigars, or any other tobacco products in the U.S. Smokers in the United States used to be able to buy cigarettes that claimed to be ultra-light, mild, or light.     Tobacco companies developed cigarettes that were  advertised as a healthier choice than regular or full-flavor cigarettes in the 1960s and 70s, asserting they contained less tar  and nicotine. Numerous studies were  being published at that time that linked smoking to cancer, and this was manufacturers response to the issue. Smokers noticed that the  smoke from light cigarettes  did feel smoother and lighter on the throat and chest, so it seemed true that light cigarettes must be healthier than regulars, but this was not the case. However, the  idea that light cigarettes were a better smoking choice took hold and held fast for decades. What Makes a Cigarette Light Cigarette manufacturers defined low-tar  cigarettes in the following ways:   Ultra-light or Ultra-low Tar:  Approximately  7 mg or less tar yieldLight or Low Tar:  Approximately  8â€"14 mg of tar yieldFull-Flavor or Regular: Approximately 15 mg or more tar yield Machines that smoke cigarettes were used to obtain the tar levels for  ultra-light and light cigarettes, which is a  problematic way to make these measurements. Machines smoke cigarettes differently than people, so its hard to get an accurate reading. Further, no two people smoke in the same way, so tar levels can and will vary quite a bit from one smoker to the next. Machine-smoked tar yield will usually be lower than the amount of tar inhaled by a person. It is important to note that the tobacco industry itself decided on what defined ultra-light and light, and  not a Federal agency as you might expect. Cigarette manufacturers employ a few tactics to try to change the composition of tobacco smoke and how the smoke is inhaled in order to classify cigarettes as light, but with some concerning results: Cigarette filters made of cellulose acetate are used to  trap particulate matter in cigarette smoke (tar) to keep it from going into smokers lungs. Cellulose acetate is the white cotton-like material that makes up the interior of the filter.  Filters do trap some tar, but plenty of it escapes the filter and is inhaled. It also floats in the air and is the part of cigarette smoke known as third-hand smoke.  The paper used in light cigarettes is more porous than the paper used in regular cigarettes, allowing the chemicals in smoke to exit through the paper before reaching the smokers mouth. However, the chemicals are still in the air around the smoker and, if in an enclosed space, will be inhaled as secondhand smoke.The addition of tiny, perforated holes in the cigarette filter let air be inhaled along with tobacco smoke, thus diluting  the smoke. Unfortunately, many people unwittingly cover the holes with their fingers when holding the cigarette, defeating this purpose. Some smokers e ven deliberately cover the pinholes because the diluted smoke doesnt offer a satisfying smoking experience, and/or they take bigger puffs and smoke a few extra cigarettes per day to compensate for the lower nicotine yield. Are Light Cigarettes Still Available? The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009 granted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration the power to regulate tobacco products.   One of the first actions taken was to limit how cigarette companies are able to describe their products. They can no longer use the terms light, low, or mild on cigarette packaging because science does not support this claim and it misleads the public. Tobacco companies are invested in casting their products in the most positive light possible, so losing the ability to brand cigarettes as light or mild was a blow. Sneakily, many have taken to color-coding?? cigarette packaging to trigger the light concept for smokers who used to buy these same brands (usually with the same colors) in the past. For example, Camel Lights are now Camel Blues, and Marlboro Ultralights are now Marlboro Silver. Elsewhere in the world, cigarettes branded as light are still available. There Is No Such Thing as a Safe Cigarette A report from the National Cancer Institute (NCI)?? concluded that light cigarettes do not represent any benefit to a smokers health. People who switch to light cigarettes from regular cigarettes are exposed to the same toxic chemicals and are at the same risk for the diseases related to smoking.?? Light cigarettes do not reduce the  health risks of smoking;  the only way to reduce your risk, and the risk to others around you, is to stop smoking completely.  Quitting also decreases your risk of lung cancer, heart attacks, stroke, and chronic lung disease.

Friday, May 22, 2020

The Battle Against Cancer is Helped by Mammorgraphy Essay

Cancer is one of the most lethal diseases that greatly contributes to the death toll of millions people around the globe, especially breast cancer. However, as technologies are being modernized, humans took a major step forward in the battle against cancer by inventing mammography. In the past few years, mammograms helped save countless women’s lives, and consequently, it’s currently one of the leading research programs that attracts attention of many scientists. Basically, breast cancer happens when the amount of cells growth exceeds the amount of cells which die. Ultimately, they are out of control and being spread to other parts of the body, including the liver, bones or even the brain. There are many factors which contribute to†¦show more content†¦Fortunately, this is where mammograms help out. A Mammogram is an X-ray of the breast which helps to detect any bumps or lumps that present on women’s breasts, which can be an early sign of breast cancer. Mammograms take an image of all of the breast tissue, which allows a radiologist to detect abnormalities on the mammogram. Such detection doesn’t guarantee to cure the patient if she is in an advanced stage of cancer, but it may help reduce the number of deaths from breast cancer for women ages 40 to 69, especially for those over age 50. There are normally two types of mammograms: digital and conventional (film). Digital mammography stores the image directly into a comp uter whereas conventional (film) mammography produces the image on film. Digital mammography is preferable compared to conventional mammography as health care providers are able to share images globally and patients are exposed to lower doses of radiation. In my opinion, even though mammograms are helping many women, there are a several limitations that need to be addressed. First, radiation exposure is very dangerous. Even though I’m aware that radiologists use minute doses of radiation, it still scares me every time my mom goes for her annual breast exam. Sometimes the radiologist is unable to obtain a image image, so she had to take another one, and those repeated X-rays may result in an increased risk of cancer themselves. Second, it is obvious that mammograms are a detection method, and they

Thursday, May 7, 2020

The Lord Of Pop By Michael Jackson - 1637 Words

At the point when one considers fanciful specialists, it would shock no one that the names of Beethoven and Michael Jackson would emerge in the discussion. On one hand, you have the Lord of Pop, who is most generally known for his commitments to contemporary music and move everywhere throughout the world. While, on the other, you have an expert arranger and musician; a musical wonder from a youthful age. Both were masters in their privilege. In this paper, we will make an examination of two individual pieces particular to both men and the effect they had upon society on a more general level. It starts with the fundamental topic, a straightforward serious song played sweetly above arpeggiated harmonies (A), then quickly balances to a†¦show more content†¦The melody was displayed to Jackson and Quincy Jones, his maker, with a title called Starlight Love. In itself, the idea presented was touted as a fine tune. Disco music has what topped the outlines amid the 80s. Keeping in mind the end goal to defeat this powerful society wave, Quincy had unequivocally recommended making another harmony in the middle of RB and pop, disco and shake, and funk and songs. Backtracking almost over a century, we now have Ludwig van Beethoven and his magnum opus, Fà ¼r Elise. In 1810, when Beethoven was 40 years of age and right now broadly known as one of the best authors ever, he made For Elise. It is still speculated as to whom this piece was made in honor out of, yet in any case it doesn t melt away on the current level of sythesis. Written in A minor for solo piano, Fà ¼r Elise is named a bagatelle. These are short bits of music, commonly for the piano, and typically light and smooth in character. In prior periods, the bagatelle had likewise been composed for an assortment of instrument arrangements, yet by and large they are heard as solo piano exhibitions. In reality, the score was not distributed until 1867, 40 years after the passing of the writer. It is presently realized that analyst; Ludwig Nohl guaranteed to have seen this devotion on the first signed an original copy, which had after been missing. In this way, the adaptation of Fà ¼r Eli se we listen to the present day is the prior renditionShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Michael Jackson s The King Of Pop 1811 Words   |  8 PagesMichael Jackson was born in 1958 in Gary, Indiana, his parents are Katherine and Joe Jackson. Michael Jackson was the 8th child born of ten kids. His siblings ,Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Randy, formed a group which Michael Jackson became the lead singer of his family s Motown group called â€Å"The Jackson 5†. He also had 3 little sisters (La Toya, Rebbie, Janet) who did some background singing as well. He went ahead to a performance vocation of astounding achievement, conveying No. 1 hitsRead MoreAnalysis Of The Beatles 1353 Words   |  6 Pagespiano, drums and rhythm guitar earlier in the bands life. Harrison was the bands lead guitarist while Ringo Starr played drums (they all did vocals). In the song, it states, â€Å"We all want to change the world†. Back in 1987, Nike made a deal with Michael Jackson and EMI- Capitol Records saying that they could use â€Å"Revolution† in their commercials for one year because it went along with their slogan â€Å"Revolution in Motion†. The commercial got a â€Å"huge backlash from Beatles fans who felt that Nike was disrespectingRead MoreThe Legacy Of Soul Music1509 Words   |  7 Pagessignificant impact during the 1960s through bringing together both the white and black subcultures. Firstly, through examining the history and effects of slavery in the African-American societies. Secondly, by discussing the impact that two Mahalia Jackson and Issac Hayes, have had on giving African-American society a voice and lastly, discussing the assassination of Martin Luther King and the influence this tragedy has had on the content of soul music and the message it delivers. I will draw on theRead MoreThe Influence of Gospel Music Essay2325 Words   |  10 Pagesearly 1930s he had turned his attention entirely too religious music. (Tanner) During the 1930s and 1940s Dorsey worked with two influential figures, Mahalia Jackson and Sallie Martin. In addition he toured the country as a performer and lecturer and wrote some 500-gospel songs including There Will Be Peace in the Valley and Precious Lord, Take My Hand. By the mid -1930s, the appeal of gospel music within black culture was quite evident, and commercial record companies wishing to capitalize onRead MoreThe Black Music : The Soul Of Black Folk1855 Words   |  8 Pagescontinues to touch on the details of everyday life, however, it was less focused on the religious aspects, but more focused on the earthly troubles and heartache. As dealt with in the articles â€Å"Rethinking Vernacular Culture† and Anthony Pinn’s Why Lord, the blues responded to religion with real life conversations. Blues eventually moved to the artform known as Rhythm and Blues. Stand-outs like Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, and Aretha Franklin brought gospel (an evolution of spirituals) into blues, helpingRead MoreThe Beatles Essay2958 Words   |  12 PagesReplacing Best with Starr on drums, he encouraged Lennon and McCartney, the group’s chief composers, to write with more concentration, pointing out to them simple structural devices such as commencing with the chorus (the main selling-point of most pop songs). Their second release, Please Please Me, rose to number one in the British singles chart and their commercial success thereafter was continuous. The group’s tours of Britain in 1963 created an unprecedented excitement, known as BeatlemaniaRead More African Music of the Rastafari, the Rasta Community, the Dreads4350 Words   |  18 Pagesscene from a grounation at twilight. The bonfire burns huge and hot on the slope of the hill. At its crest, the hill boasts to the sky a circular palm-covered shelter. The smoke from the fire is thick but wafts incandescent as incense. The fire pops and crackles and small flecks of flame spark upward to the shelter in drifts of smoke. The Nyabinghi is heard here, raising the power of Earth to the sky. Through rhythmic beats on the heavy bass drum, you can feel the earth’s very center- and theRead MoreGoal Movie Review10720 Words   |  43 Pagesfilm also stars Alessandro Nivola, Stephen Dillane, Anna Friel, Marcel Iures, Sean Pertwee, Lee Ross, Stephen Graham, Kevin Knapman, Cassandra Bell, Kieran O’Brien, Tony Plana and Miriam Colon. The talented creative team includes cinematographer Michael Barrett, editor Chris Dickens, production designer Laurence Dorman, costume designer Lindsay Pugh and composer Graeme Revell. About the Production The cinema has given audiences scores of beloved, inspiring films about sports, from â€Å"Rocky† to â€Å"RagingRead MoreChildrens Literature13219 Words   |  53 Pagesbook. While Lothar Meggendorfer developed the movable picture book at the end of the nineteenth century with tabs and pullouts, pop-up books, shaped books, and tactile books did not achieve widespread popularity until the twentieth century. The best known of these books is Dorothy Kunhardts interactivePat the Bunny (1940). More contemporary texts, such as Jan Pienkowskis pop-up books Haunted House (1979) and Robot (1981), blur the distinctions between book and toy. Board books are available for infantsRead MoreRastafarian79520 Words   |  319 Pagesdevelopments of Rastafarianism. For instance, very few modern religions have assumed such a signiï ¬ cant place in the mainstream of popular culture through the use of music. Marley is not seen as a religious ï ¬ gure; rather he is seen as a rock star, a pop hero, an icon. And yet his faith is at the core of his music. Rastafarians have dubbed Marley the psalmist and prophet of the movement. This is a crucial part of the wonderful complexity of the Rastafarian movement. Jamaica owes a great debt to the

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Why Sony Failed Free Essays

Why Sony fail? When I read â€Å"Leading Change Why Transformation Efforts Fail†, I directly linked Sony with the transformation fail. Sony, the previous electrical giant, announced a record annual net loss of $6. 4 billion for fiscal year 2011 in May 22 2012. We will write a custom essay sample on Why Sony Failed? or any similar topic only for you Order Now This marks the fourth consecutive year that Sony reported substantial losses. Transformation efforts couldn’t turnaround the bad situation of Sony due to the mistakes that made by Sony in those transformation. First, Sony did not establishing a great enough sense of urgency. Sony began its diversification strategy in 1980s. By 1990’s, Sony shaped game, electric, picture, and finance four main businesses. By that time, some potential crisis began to emerge. However, all of these risks were hidden by excellent annual reports. Even when Sony confronted â€Å"Sony Shock† in 2003, leaders of Sony couldn’t realize its development dilemma and prepare to transform. Until 2005, continued losses pushed Sony to review its strategy and re-appointed Sir Howard Stringer as CEO. Sony had lost a lot of opportunities, such as LCD TV. Post core business of Sony, electrical manufacture, Second, Sony lacked a clear version. As a high technological company, innovation decided the fate of Sony. However, Sony made a fetish of its brand recognition and marketing power, and ignored the importance of innovation. The last great innovation of Sony is CD, which was launched in 1982. Even when Sony reintroduced innovation as its basic strategy, there was no direct process to commit the strategy, and the strategy just became an empty slogan. Even today, Sony cannot have a leading technology in its areas. Now, Sony appointed a new CEO, who emphasized the importance of innovation for Sony. There isn’t enough time left to the new CEO, and maybe Sony will die in future several years. Hiroko Tabuchi First Published: Mon, Apr 16 2012. 06 26 PM IST How Sony failed to keep up with the tech revolution How to cite Why Sony Failed?, Essay examples

Monday, April 27, 2020

Supply and Demand Example Microsoft XBOX 360 Essays -

The social science of economics tells us that supply, demand and price are closely related to one another and have a significant on how much of a particular good is purchased and the rate at which it is purchased by consumers. The XBOX 360 phenomenon is a solid example of the impact that changes in supply, demand and price have on the marketplace and the rate at which goods are purchased. Supply and Demand and Price The law of demand tells us that quantity demanded rises as price falls, other things constant, or alternatively, quantity demanded falls as price rises, with other things constant. The XBOX 360 phenomenon that took place in 2005 is a good example of this economic principle at work. Microsoft's XBOX 360 gaming console was released into the U.S. market on November 22nd 2005. The release came after a great deal of advertising and media hype that ensured that the demand for the product would outweigh the supply. Quite simply, there were more consumers wanting to purchase the product than there was product available. The retail price for the gaming system with a hard drive was $399. Many consumers, however, paid a great deal more than the $399 sticker price to acquire the system. On the morning of the U.S. release, retailers across the nation sold out of the product within just a few hours of opening their doors to consumers. In the weeks that followed however, many consumers purc hased the unit from sellers on on-line auction sites and even from individuals in parking lots for as much as $1500. The reason for this was that the supply was significantly less than the demand for the product. In some cases, parents who wanted to ensure that their children received and XBOX 360 for Christmas in 2005 were willing to pay well over retail for the hard-to-acquire system. In other cases, video gaming enthusiasts wanted to be among the first individuals to own and play the system. News reports across the nation showed footage of people lining up days ahead of November 22nd in order to secure a place in line at retailers that would have the product available on the release date. In some cases individuals pitched tents and resided in parking lots for as many as 7 days to ensure that they would be able to purchase this system. This type of behavior and willingness to pay prices that were well over retail continued through the holiday season at major retailers across the c ountry. In these cases, social pressures, wants, desires and a lack of supply led individuals to pay high prices for the highly-demanded product. By April 2006, well after the holiday season of 2005, reporters in the consumer electronics industry were reporting that the supply of the gaming console would continue to be scarce into the spring of that year (Baig 2006). At that point, camping in front of retail stores was no longer taking place for several days at a time, but consumers could still be seen lining up for the product as many as 8 hours in advance of a store opening time on a day that the product was to be in stock. By April 2006, pricing had also leveled off. While internet auction sites still featured the XBOX 360, the going price for the system remained fairly constant around the $399 retail price. This occurred for two primary reasons. First, many of the gaming enthusiasts who wanted to be one of the first to own and use the product had been able to acquire the system during the first few months following the release date. Second, parent who had wanted to purchase the system as a Christmas gift for their children were no longer experiencing the social pressure and/or pressure from their children to acquire the system by Christmas since the holiday season had passed. These two changes led to a decrease in demand which, in turn, led to a decrease in price, despite the fact that supply had still not truly improved. By the Fall of 2006, Microsoft caught up with the demand and plenty of gaming consoles were available in the U.S. During the holiday season of that

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Definition and Examples of Figures of Thought

Definition and Examples of Figures of Thought In rhetoric, a figure of thought is a  figurative expression that, for its effect, depends less on the choice or arrangement of words than on the meaning(s) conveyed. (In Latin, figura sententia.) Irony and metaphor, for example, are often regarded as figures of thoughtor tropes. Over the centuries, many scholars and rhetoricians have attempted to draw clear distinctions between figures of thought and figures of speech, but the overlap is considerable and sometimes bewildering. Professor Jeanne Fahnestock describes figure of thought as a very misleading label. Observations - A figure of thought is an unexpected change in syntax or an arrangement of the ideas, as opposed to the words, within a sentence, which calls attention to itself. Antithesis is a figure of thought involving arrangement: You have heard that it was said You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matt. 5:43-44); rhetorical question one involving syntax: But if the salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? (Matt:5:13). Another common figure of thought is apostrophe, in which the speaker suddenly makes a direct appeal to someone, as Jesus does in the eleventh verse of Matthew 5: Blessed are you when men revile you... A less common, but quite effective figure is climax, where the thought is emphasized or clarified and given an emotional twist as if by climbing a ladder (the term means ladder in Greek): We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us (Rom. 5:3-4). (George A. Kennedy, New Testament Interpretation Through Rhetorical Criticism. The University of North Carolina Press, 1984) - Recognizing that all language is inherently figurative, classical rhetoricians regarded metaphors, similes, and other figurative devices as both figures of thought and figures of speech. (Michael H. Frost, Introduction to Classical Legal Rhetoric: A Lost Heritage. Ashgate, 2005) Figures of Thought, Speech, and Sound It is possible to distinguish figures of thought, figures of speech, and figures of sound. In Cassiuss line early in Shakespeares Julius CaesarRome, thou hast lost the breed of noble bloodswe see all three sorts of figure. The apostrophe Rome (Cassius is really talking to Brutus) is one of the rhetorical figures. The synecdoche blood (using one component of the organism conventionally to represent human quality in the abstract) is a trope. The pentameter, the iambic rhythm, and the emphatic repetition of certain sounds (b and l in particular) are figures of sound. (William Harmon and Hugh Holman, A Handbook to Literature, 10th ed. Pearson, 2006) Irony As a Figure of Thought Like Quintilian, Isidore of Seville defined irony as a figure of speech and as a figure of thoughtwith the figure of speech, or clearly substituted word, being the primary example. The figure of thought occurs when irony extends across a whole idea, and does not just involve the substitution of one word for its opposite. So, Tony Blair is a saint is a figure of speech or verbal irony if we really think that Blair is a devil; the word saint substitutes for its opposite. I must remember to invite you here more often would be a figure of thought, if I really meant to express my displeasure at your company. Here, the figure does not lie in the substitution of a word, but in the expression of an opposite sentiment or idea. (Claire Colebrook, Irony. Routledge, 2004) Figures of Diction and Figures of Thought To confer distinction (dignitas) on style is to render it ornate, embellishing it by variety. The divisions under Distinction are Figures of Diction and Figures of Thought. It is a figure of diction if the adornment is comprised in the fine polish of the language itself. A figure of thought derives a certain distinction from the idea, not from the words. (Rhetorica ad Herennium, IV.xiii.18, c. 90 BC) Martianus Capella on Figures of Thought and Figures of Speech The difference between a figure of thought and a figure of speech is that the figure of thought remains even if the order of the words is changed, whereas a figure of speech cannot remain if the word order is changed, although it can often happen that a figure of thought is in conjunction with a figure of speech, as when the figure of speech epanaphora is combined with irony, which is a figure of thought. (Martianus Capella and the Seven Liberal Arts: The Marriage of Philology and Mercury, ed. by William Harris Stahl with E.L. Burge. Columbia University Press, 1977) Figures of Thought and Pragmatics This category [figures of thought] is difficult to define, but we can begin to understand it from the perspective of pragmatics, the dimension of linguistic analysis concerned with what an utterance is supposed to accomplish for the speaker and with how it functions in a particular situation. Quintilian captures the pragmatic or situational nature of the figures of thought when he tries to distinguish them from the schemes, For the former [the figures of thought] lies in the conception, the latter [the schemes] in the expression of our thought. The two, however, are frequently combined . . .. (Jeanne Fahnestock, Aristotle and Theories of Figuration. Rereading Aristotles Rhetoric, ed. by Alan G. Gross and Arthur E. Walzer. Southern Illinois University Press, 2000) Further Reading Figurative LanguageFigures of SoundFigures, Tropes, and Other Rhetorical TermsMeaningParrhesiaTool Kit for Rhetorical AnalysisTop 20 Figures of SpeechTropes  and  Master Tropes

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

Grammar Tips Subjectâ€Verb Agreement - Proofread My Paper

Grammar Tips Subject–Verb Agreement - Proofread My Paper Grammar Tips: Subject–Verb Agreement An important part of writing a grammatical sentence is making sure that the subject and verb in a sentence agree. In the following, well take a look at some of the basics. The Basics of Subject–Verb Agreement In the present tense, subject–verb agreement requires using singular verbs with singular subjects and plural verbs with plural subjects. In this context, the â€Å"subject† is the person or thing in the sentence performing the action, while the verb is the action being performed: Singular Subject Present Tense Singular Verb The bird†¦ †¦sings. Plural Subject Present Tense Plural Verb The birds†¦ †¦sing. In the simple past tense, though, there’s usually no difference between singular and plural verbs: Singular Subject Past Tense Verb The bird†¦ †¦sang. Plural Subject Past Tense Verb The birds†¦ †¦sang. Songbirds themselves care little for grammar.(Photo: Georg_Wietschorke) Compound Subjects Subject–verb agreement becomes more complicated when using a compound subject. When two subjects are joined with the coordinating conjunction â€Å"and,† we always use a plural verb: Bob and Cheryl are going to the game. However, when using â€Å"either/or† or â€Å"neither/nor† in a compound subject, whether to use a singular or plural verb depends on the term nearest to the verb: Singular: Either the girls or the boy is going to the game. Plural: Neither the boy nor the girls are going to the game. In the above, we use the singular â€Å"is† when the singular noun â€Å"boy† comes after â€Å"or,† but the plural verb â€Å"are† when the plural noun â€Å"girls† comes after the conjunction. Parenthetical Statements One common mistake with subject–verb agreement occurs when a parenthetical statement appears between the subject and the verb: The man, in the company of his dog, goes for a walk. Here, we use the singular verb â€Å"goes† because the bit of the dog is mentioned within a parenthetical clause (i.e., within commas), not as part of the subject of the sentence. If we rephrased this so that the dog was part of a compound subject, we would use the plural verb â€Å"go† instead: The man and his dog go for a walk. But when an additional person or thing is mentioned in parentheses or within commas, the verb should always agree with the subject that appears outside of the parenthetical clause. A man trying to explain parenthetical statements to his dog.(Photo: ToNic-Pics) Collective and Mass Nouns Another potential confusion relates to the use of collective nouns. In American English, these require using a singular verb despite referring to a group of things: The team is playing to win! Here, we use â€Å"is† because â€Å"team† is singular. Mass (or â€Å"non-count†) nouns are similar, since they take singular verbs despite referring to a mass substance (e.g., â€Å"milk† or â€Å"sand†): The milk is going sour. Here, it doesn’t matter how much milk we’re discussing: we’d always use the singular â€Å"is.† Some Exceptions As usual in English, there are exceptions to the rules above. The first-person â€Å"I† and the singular second-person â€Å"you,† for example, reverse the usual rules in the present tense (e.g., we say â€Å"I sing† not â€Å"I sings,† even though â€Å"I† is singular and â€Å"sing† is usually a plural verb). Auxiliary (or â€Å"helper†) verbs (e.g., â€Å"is†/â€Å"are† or â€Å"has†/â€Å"have†) also cause trouble, since they often change depending on whether the subject is singular or plural when using a past participle (e.g., â€Å"The boy has finished his homework† vs. â€Å"The boys have finished their homework†). And since the rules do vary depending on how a sentence is constructed, it pays to be careful with subject–verb agreement! Having your work proofread is a good idea if you’re not confident about this aspect of grammar.