Electronic Malaysian English Competency Test - Reading Test (Set 1)
Score: 22 out of 35 - 63%
Time Taken: 53m 2s

fourth posting..

BEYOND CONCORDANCE LINES: USING CONCORDANCES TO INVESTIGATE LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT.

The usage of corpus has become essential in language teaching and learning worldwide.The main function of corpus is to make the process of learning grammar and linguistic fun and enjoyable. However, the usage of corpora in Malaysia is quite limited. Eventhough, there are good corpus compiled by UTM and UM, it is simply unavailable and out of reach. The existence of EMAS or English for Malaysian school student by UPM was collected back then in 2002 and consists of approximately half a million word (Arshad et al.,2002). The EMAS Corpora contains data in written form of three essays by 800 students ranging from Year 5 of primary school and Form 1 and Form 4 of the secondary who are proficient in English.
The content of the essay differ from one another. The first essay were conducted by the researchers during their visit to school as students were asked to write about fishing trip. The latter essay, however, were administered by teachers from selected schools which entitled The happiest day of my life while the final essay were selected among their take home essays.
The ultimate purpose of the language corpus is to determine language development. Data in the EMAS corpus were implied based on the usage of English of various age groups. The maturing patterns involves the amount of produced language and the use of academic vocabulaty by students.
Language productivity, as we discussed here were symbolised by the number of sentences per essays and the words per sentence. It is used as a tool to examine language development. The result showed that the older student (Form 4) wrote longer essays and built longer sentences.
In terms of the range of vocabulary, the token ratio were often measured by dividing the number of separate words in a text (type) by the number of words in text (token). (Laufer and Nation 1995)
A larger type signifies a more extensive ranged of language used while smaller type is often associated with over-reliance on a limited set of words.
Last but no least, the sophistication of the vocabulary can be tested by using specific software such as RANGE. (Nation, 2002). It is a software used to indicate the type of vocabulary used in essays. The software worked by listing frequently used words, second most frequently used words and words which are out of the first two list but common in higher educational levels such as scientific terminologies or even law maxims.
In conclusion, the future of language corpus in Malaysia seems to be bright as the authorities showed interest in that area in order to determine language devolepment of each individuals in this developing nation.

By:

Nur Ili Athirah binti Mohd Nor
Azlin Nadiah binti Husin

aSSalaMUAlaikum.......

My fourth posting is about the application of concordance. It is important to know the term of concordance first before we apply it to complete our task.
A concordance is, according to Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (10^th ed.), "an alphabetical index of the principal words in a book or the works of an author with their immediate contexts." An index is, from the same source, "a list (as of bibliographical information or citations to a body of literature) arranged usually in alphabetical order of some specified datum (as author, subject, or keyword): as a: a list of items (as topics or names) treated in a printed work that gives for each item the page number where it may be found." The definition for index goes on to include a number of related ideas, most of which have to do with "indicating." A better definition, for this particular usage of the word index, is this: "An index is a structured sequence—resulting from a thorough and complete analysis of text--of synthesized access points to all the information contained in the text. The structured arrangement of the index enables users to locate information efficiently" (Mulvany, 1994).

Now then, we have defined our terms. Now we can determine what the needs of a particular book are. It may be that a concordance would be useful, but for most books, an index is what is needed. A concordance generator produces a list of words that occur in the book, with the exception of those on the stop list (lists of prepositions, conjunctions, common articles and the like). So, you will see that it is a listing of mainly nouns, verbs and other words not included on the stop list. It will also produce a list of pages or references where these words occur. This sounds good—it sounds like a useful thing. But, you will note that there are several things missing that a standard index should contain.

Concept Indexing If a text contains the words roses, snapdragons, petunias, orchids and violets, there will be page references next to each in the concordance. But there will be no listing under the umbrella term, flowers. Think about that for a minute. And while the text clearly discusses what type of fertilizer to give each plant, it might never mention care and feeding. It is precisely these issues that require a human to analyze the content and organize the information. All but the simplest of books need a map. And that is what an index is. Topic Selection A concordance cannot distinguish between a term that is mentioned in passing at a few locations in the book and a term that is fundamental to the theme or focus of the book. The relative importance of words and concepts can only be determined by a subjective and intelligent analysis of the context of the discussion. No computer program can yet do this. Cross-References Cross-references provide alternate pathways to the information contained in the index. There are two main types of cross-references. See and See also. A See reference indicates that there is no information contained at that entry point. It points the reader to the correct location to find information on that topic. A See also reference points readers to related information in addition to what is found at that entry. These are not the same, but the difference between them can be subtle. Regardless, they are useful and common features of a good index. Cross references can comprise between 1 and 10 percent of all the locators (page references) in an index. Mapping routes through the index is a prime responsibility of a good indexer. Double-Posting Double-posting creates a duplicate entry under another, often synonymous, term. In the book that mentioned flowers, you might see that there is discussion of St. John’s wort (also known as hypericum). If it were double-posted, it might be listed under both of these in the index, with full references to all information contained in the book under each listing. Of course, double-posting is commonly eschewed in favor of See references, because of frequent space limitations in an index. Sub-headings Sub-headings are the real meat-and-potatoes of a good index. A concordance does not have the intellectual and conceptual framework to support an in-depth analysis of topics in sub-heading form. In our flower book, a good index might contain a listing of all of the flowers, and specific topics under each flower noting the context of the discussion. For example: "Roses, mildew on" or "St. John’s wort, medicinal applications of" or "Corn, care and feeding of," to name but a few. In Conclusion An index and a concordance share very little. They are different creatures entirely, each serving a particular need. Concordances lack the analysis that goes into an index, and are consequently less useful. They can be, and are, useful as tools for the information professional; but I wouldn’t recommend them to the general publishing field. A Note on E-Books The growing popularity of the many forms of portable electronic books has serious repercussions for the information retrieval industry (indexing and cataloguing professionals). Should your e-book have an index? Should you rely on the full-text search capabilities of the e-book platform itself? What are the costs involved?

Sources Mulvany, Nancy C. (1994) Indexing Books. The University of Chicago Press. (Chicago)
Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition (1997) Merriam-Webster. (Springfield, Massachusetts)

THE EXAMPLE OF CONCORDANCE USAGE:
This poem was created by P.B. Shelley...
(http://www.dundee.ac.uk/english/wics/wics.htm)

A.....................110
Such gloom, why man has such a scope
Or moonlight on a midnight stream,
Like darkness to a dying flame!
Like life and fear, a dark reality.
While yet a boy I sought for ghosts, and sped
Through many a listening chamber, cave and ruin,
I call the phantoms of a thousand hours
When noon is past; there is a harmony
In autumn, and a lustre in its sky,
I met a traveller from an antique land
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
Like a cloud of fire;
Like a star of Heaven,
As from thy presence showers a rain of melody.
Like a Poet hidden
Like a high-born maiden
In a palace-tower,
Like a glow-worm golden
In a dell of dew,
Like a rose embower'd
That panted forth a flood of rapture so divine.
A thing wherein we feel there is some hidden want.
Or how could thy notes flow in such a crystal stream?
Not to shed a tear,
Each like a corpse within its grave, until
Will be the dome of a vast sepulchre,
Beside a pumice isle in Baiae's bay,
If I were a dead leaf thou mightest bear;
If I were a swift cloud to fly with thee;
A wave to pant beneath thy power, and share
Scarce seem'd a vision; I would ne'er have striven
Oh, lift me as a wave, a leaf, a cloud!
Oh, lift me as a wave, a leaf, a cloud!
Oh, lift me as a wave, a leaf, a cloud!
A heavy weight of hours has chain'd and bow'd
Will take from both a deep, autumnal tone,
Like wither'd leaves to quicken a new birth!
The trumpet of a prophecy! O Wind,
Thaw not the frost which binds so dear a head!
An echo and a light unto eternity!
Like his, a mute and uncomplaining sleep;
Trampled and mock'd with many a loathed rite
Like a pale flower by some sad maiden cherish'd,
A grave among the eternal. -- Come away!
So fair a prey, till darkness and the law
They ne'er will gather strength, or find a home again.
Like dew upon a sleeping flower, there lies
A tear some Dream has loosen'd from his brain.
Lost Angel of a ruin'd Paradise!
She faded, like a cloud which had outwept its rain.
One from a lucid urn of starry dew
A greater loss with one which was more weak;
And, as a dying meteor stains a wreath
And, as a dying meteor stains a wreath
Into a shadow of all sounds: a drear
Into a shadow of all sounds: a drear
A quickening life from the Earth's heart has burst
The lamps of Heaven flash with a softer light;
Be as a sword consum'd before the sheath
A moment, then is quench'd in a most cold repose.
A moment, then is quench'd in a most cold repose.
A wound more fierce than his, with tears and sighs.
Swift as a Thought by the snake Memory stung,
Even as a ghost abandoning a bier,
Even as a ghost abandoning a bier,
Had left the Earth a corpse. Sorrow and fear
In the death-chamber for a moment Death,
Kiss me, so long but as a kiss may live;
Now thou art dead, as if it were a part
Is gather'd into death without a dawn,
A godlike mind soars forth, in its delight
A phantom among men; companionless
A pardlike Spirit beautiful and swift --
A Love in desolation mask'd -- a Power
A Love in desolation mask'd -- a Power
It is a dying lamp, a falling shower,
It is a dying lamp, a falling shower,
A breaking billow; even whilst we speak
The killing sun smiles brightly: on a cheek
And a light spear topp'd with a cypress cone,
And a light spear topp'd with a cypress cone,
A herd-abandon'd deer struck by the hunter's dart.
He answer'd not, but with a sudden hand
The heavy heart heaving without a moan?
Life's early cup with such a draught of woe?
Thou noteless blot on a remember'd name!
And like a beaten hound tremble thou shalt -- as now.
A portion of the Eternal, which must glow
Like corpses in a charnel; fear and grief
A heart grown cold, a head grown gray in vain;
A heart grown cold, a head grown gray in vain;
Which like a mourning veil thy scarf hadst thrown
He is a presence to be felt and known
He is a portion of the loveliness
And death is a low mist which cannot blot
Lifts a young heart above its mortal lair,
Sublimely mild, a Spirit without spot,
Oblivion as they rose shrank like a thing reprov'd.
Silent alone amid a Heaven of Song.
As from a centre, dart thy spirit's light
Even to a point within our day and night;
Thy footsteps to a slope of green access
A light of laughing flowers along the grass is spread;
Feeds, like slow fire upon a hoary brand;
A field is spread, on which a newer band
A field is spread, on which a newer band
Here, on one fountain of a mourning mind,
Life, like a dome of many-colour'd glass,
A light is pass'd from the revolving year,
The soul of Adonais, like a star,

The Impact Of using ICT for Bussiness..................

Information and communication technology (ICT) has changed the way we learn, communicate, obtain information, purchase products and do business. ICT can improve efficiency and lower costs; increase your understanding of your clients, suppliers and partners; and improve your communications. This means better customer service, access to new markets, growth and greater profits.

"There is no suggestion that ICT can...offer a panacea for all development problems," the report said. "But detailed analysis of experience around the world reveals ample evidence that, used in the right way and for the right purposes, ICT can have a dramatic impact on achieving specific social and economic development goals as well as play a key role in broader national development strategies." (CnetNews.com)

The report that was written by one of the CnetNews' staff showed that ICT is important to the business aspect and can contribute the good impacts. The proves that we can see now are such as electronic business or e-business. everyone knows that e-business is very helping in economic growth in our world.This kind of business is fully using ICT to develop and expand. In Singapore for example, they are taking fully advantages of using ICT to expand their small and medium-size of business. other in business is in construction field, engineering, education or even in transportation. Resource from EBSCO Host said that government of Singapore spent a lot of money to upgrade their ICT facilities to get and after the target of being one of the best and advance country of business,construction and education field.

The concept of strategic alignment advocates that decisions on business strategy, information and communication technology (ICT) strategy, business infrastructure and ICT infrastructure need to be coordinated in order to better realize the benefits from ICT investments. In Singapore, there is a 10-year plan presented by the government to transform the sector of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and ICT is identified as an area for SMEs to acquire new capabilities. In this context, the strategic alignment framework is used to evaluate Singapore's small and medium-sized architecture, engineering and construction enterprises on their current practices in the ICT domain. An industry-wide postal survey, adopting the IT Barometer questionnaire and applying stratified sampling, obtained 84 responses out of a total of 754 companies contacted. Of the 84, 67 responses were further stratified by size and annual turnover, according to the SMEs definition, to allow a closer examination of each strata or class. Both qualitative and quantitative methods of analysis are used, and the main findings of the research are: (1) targeted schemes need to be set up to address the specific needs and concerns of the micro and small enterprises as distinct from those of the medium-sized enterprises pertaining to building ICTfor the strategic use of ICTs. (Goh Bee Hua, Business Strategy, Singapore) capability; (2) the two common alignment perspectives adopted by the larger ‘designer’ and ‘builder’ SMEs are ‘strategy execution’ and ‘competitive potential’; and (3) the medium-sized ‘designer’ and ‘builder’ enterprises are shown to favour technology leadership and customer satisfaction, respectively, as their niche performance criteria

ICT can make anything that useless become worthy. For example, the website was created as the electronic auction place that can help people to sell the smallest and cheapest thing to the people around the world. One of these auction websites out there is e-Bay. Maybe other people is searching the thing that you think is worthless. this website is one of example of impacts using ICT toward business. you can sell and buy anything at the internet or at this e-business.The other hand, all of these is helping of growing marketing.The businessmen can expand their stuff and products through this world wide marketing. Our previous Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohammad said that every house should have at least one computer. Based on his statement before, we can assume that at least our people have one computer in their house.So the potential of selling Products through the internet can help the marketing grow up positively. Even a 5 years kid can make deal through the internet.

Nowadays , almost country in the world have created and launched a program named e-governance. This program are updated day by day to give information to the people of country. In this page, they will be providing every single information about the country. People and country can develop their business through this way. They can promote their products through this page.

This is the rough information about the e-government...

What is E-Government?

@ E-Government: The use of ICT tools such as Internet, mobile computing and cellular phones by government to streamline processes and transactions.

@ The resulting benefits include:

– Make the working of the government more efficient and effective

– Disseminate information about government procedures and rules

– Save costs and capture revenue

– Improve service delivery to citizens and businesses and other arms of government

E-government provides an opportunity to develop a new relationship between local governments, citizens, service users and businesses, by using new ICTs, which enable the dissemination and collection of information, and services both within and outside of government (government to citizen; government to business; government to government) for the purposes of service delivery, decision-making and accountability. The challenges presented to local e-government include encouraging all citizens to use e-service delivery, involving the private and civil sectors, and making government willing and able to change.

In short, we can identify and know more about the advantage or benefits from using the ICT towards business. Not in business only, we also can develop anything through this ICT. According to Craig Barret, Chairman of Intel, the largest chip maker in the world, "The Internet and computers are tools. And the impact they make depends on how intelligently those tools are used. We believe that intelligent use of technology can make education better".

References: EBSCO HOST Research Databases, CnetNews.com, LISA Net,Scopus Index, PROQUEST Dissertations & Thesis, Encarta.com, www.CNET.com

AssalaMualaIkuM...................

Computer Assisted Writing....................

Two factors contributing to the change in writing instruction have been the research investigating the way writing is taught and the computer. Research has found that most teachers are concerned with the final product of writing, but have little understanding of the process that successful writers use in creating that product ( Hansen, 1987; Harste et al., 1988). Traditionally, students have been asked to produce compositions on demand, with little guidance on how to work through the steps that quality writing requires.

Proponents of the various writing models endorse writing as an ongoing, multi-stage process, with equal emphasis given to each of the stages. But whether writing is taught by the process approach or by a traditional method, one of the barriers to producing good writers is that students must use pencil and paper to transcribe their thoughts and ideas. Many children are able to express thoughtful experiences, but have difficulty with handwriting; they labor over the first draft. To them, making revisions and recopying becomes an overwhelming burden. It is heartbreaking for a teacher to see a child, out of frustration and despair, tear up and throw away a composition because repeated erasures have made holes in the paper. The original enthusiasm the student had for the writing assignment may evaporate, and the student may approach the next assignment with anxiety and apprehension. Some writers, especially young writers, will make only those changes that do not require copying, regardless of how much the revision would improve their compositions.

Educational computing has undergone a change of focus regarding how the microcomputer should be used in language arts, and especially in writing (see Cochran-Smith, 1991). No longer are computers seen as tutors and drillers. Instead, educators now are realizing that the computer is a tool for handling information. A word processor can become the centerpiece for an effective writing curriculum, encouraging early language production and providing students with opportunities to connect reading and writing. When integrating advanced technology into any curriculum, the teacher must always be aware that it cannot "eliminate" problems. But with instruction and support from the teacher and peers, most students can experience success in writing through the use of a word processor (Bright, 1990)

Computer Programs for Writing.......

Word prediction

• Student-specific programs that identify words that student uses repeatedly; when the student types the first few letters, the program lists frequently used words that start with those letters
• speeds up the typing process

Speech-to-text

• student speaks into a microphone and the program types the words
• program must be “trained” to the student’s word pronunciation and speech style
• student must be taught how to use the program
• increased speed from thought to text

Text-to-speech

• student can hear what she has typed to check if it says what she wants it to say
• good for editing

Spell-checker

• helps student identify misspelled words
• automatically corrects words if the teacher set the program that way

Thesaurus

• offers student other words that mean the same as the word he or she is using
• adds variety to student’s writing and increases student vocabulary

Word processors are excellent tools for students who find handwriting tedious. Often, students with disabilities have difficulty with all the requirements for the writing process. They have trouble organizing their thoughts and then retaining those thoughts long enough to put them on paper. Their handwriting must be neat enough and their spelling and grammar correct enough to convey their message, tasks that they may find difficult.

shortly, computer assisted writing helped many types of people to accomplish their task. The kind of people who depends on computer to complete their task need to master comperized program such as writing skill using program below.

These are the activities that can improve our writing skill...

you can try all of these activities by your own....

www.geocities.com/fifth_grade_types/wordgame.html

www.theteacherscafe.com/teacher-directory/free-online-writing-activities.html

www.scholastic.com/kids/games.htm

Cute advertisement right? 0_o

Ili Athirah & Azlin Nadiah

COMPUTERIZED READING

There are many types of computerized reading as for example incidential reading, reading for pleasure, reading for information and instruction, reading for operational task and activity completion and reading for comprehension. We,Ili and myself are going to analyze a website, Reading Literacy,which focused mainly on reading for comprehension whether it contains those above criteria or not. There are also an attached link to the website.

url: www.improveliteracy.com

Reading for information

Contain beneficial sources of information based on the viewer’s purpose and need.The reader can get everything from the online material. besides that,people also can improve their reading skill and writing ability also.Usually the main content of the website. The information below tell us how online reading material can give benefits and information to the readers especially kids.

.......................................................

"Give your child a head start developing critical literacy skills that will have a profound and lasting impact on his or her success

• Do you worry about your child’s lack of interest in reading?
• Does your child have little or no interest in opening a book?
• Does your child lack confidence in his or her reading abilities?

This text below was copied from an website www.improveliteracy.com . It is all about how to make children to get interesting of reading. This passage tell us the strategy and ways of getting reading interestingly. yet, to gain and collect information from it.

Everyone wants their child to be a good reader. But what do you do when he or she struggles with early reading and comprehension, or has no interest in opening up a book? Maybe you've tried a whole list of proven effective reading strategies to help them – or activities to teach them to read – but still you aren't getting anywhere.

Many parents worry that if their child is struggling with reading, he or she will lose confidence and, as a result, will fall behind in other areas of schooling. There is often also the concern that he or she will encounter educational difficulties later on, having missed out on critical literacy development.

Children with reading or reading comprehension problems often feel stupid and inadequate, and lose self-confidence as a result. This in turn creates a vicious circle, and they can develop a complex about learning to read. Reading becomes a chore, and something they resist, as whenever they are made to read they are reminded of their limitations.

I have always believed and my experience has taught me that the best way to learn is through interesting and interactive medium. Poor literacy is a real problem today, and that’s why we have created a solution that will get kids or even adult exited about reading. Our aim is to improve reading comprehension in primary/elementary school children.

The secret is to give them something that they want to read themselves.

The online Storybook

Our solution is a unique, personalized and fully illustrated online storybook that will excite your child's passion for reading. The story is personalized, so you can make your child the ‘hero’ character. This means he or she is more likely to be engaged by it, and so will be much more motivated to read it. This in turn helps promote self-awareness and boost your child's self-esteem. What’s more, it is proven to be much easier for children to learn and improve their command of literacy in a play environment.

The story presents simple spelling challenges, which enable your child to develop basic literacy and reading comprehension skills, and help nurture their enthusiasm for spelling.

Simply type in your child's name and create their appearance on this website, and these characteristics will be carried over into the story, which will be sent to you as a printed book.

The storybook is ideal for children between 4 and 8 years of age. It aims to improve elementary school reading comprehension, focusing particularly on reading improvement for first grade and second grade students. It can also be used as a reading aid for kindergarten children, and can also help in increasing a child’s attention span.

Joint storybook reading with a parent or teacher creates interaction that promotes language and literacy development, and our storybook is designed so that it can be read to a very young child by a parent or teacher.

Wouldn’t you regret it if you didn’t give your child the best opportunities to learn, develop and grow? By planting the right seeds today you are laying the foundations for your child’s success."

Happy Reading!
Sam Brodie and Andy McKenna,
Improve Literacy

To sum up, there are various numbers of reading materials available online and it usually contain more than one character of computerized reading which are beneficial for us. For example people can get many material to complete their completion, writing stuff, reading for pleasure or even exercises for reading improvement skill.

Making reading become interesting can encourage someone to stay tune in front of computer and enjoying the reading perfectly. Because of that, i have found several Url those contains enjoyable activities to improve English skill especially reading skill.

You can try these by your own....

http://www.primarygames.com/reading.htm
http://www.cogcon.com/gamegoo/gooey.html
http://www.toonuniversity.com/
http://www.eduplace.com/kids/games.jsp

GaMe$.........how it can improve our language skill??????

Hii dear friends....

Games?????
Do you aware that games that you play everyday can improve your English skill?
You did not right?
Playing just for fun......
It's same like me....
Before i learned about CALL i did not know that playing games is not about enjoying and releasing my tension only....
It can improve my vocabulary,spelling,listening,reading or even writing skills...
How about Simcity?
Do you play this game before?
I do but just for fun...
Without realizing that it can improve my critical thinking.
It also taught me how to make decision correctly and fastest.
Hangman,Scrabble?
It's an interesting games for us as a student..
Why i was saying so?
It's because it made me realized that i don't have enough vocabulary and knowledge.
Text Tanglers, SuperCloze and DoubleUp??
These games teaching me how to construct a better sentences and exposing me many sentences that can improve my writing skill.