This is what we got from the discussion on the structure of argumentative texts.
Actions Vs Intentions
Your actions are judged by your motives. Do it for worldly gains, that’s what you’ll get. The Almighty knows what’s in your heart; you can’t hide it. (Mufti Ismail Menk FB: 14 March 2016)
Jumuah Prayer
- O you who believe! When the call is proclaimed for the Salat on Friday (Jumuah Prayer), come to the remembrance of Allah talk and Salat and leave off business (and every other thing). That is better for you if you did but know!
- Then when the Jumuah Salat is ended, you may disperse through the land, and seek the bounty of Allah and remember Allah much: that you may be successful. (Al-Jumu’ah 62: 9,10; P760)
Nobody is More Persuasive than a Good Listener – Dale Carnegie
- I had listened intently. I had listened because I was genuinely interested. And he felt it. Naturally, that pleased him. That kind of listening is one of the highest compliments we can pay anyone. And so i had him thinking of me as a good conversationalist when in reality I had been merely a good listener and had encoursaged him to talk. (P79)
- No one can possibly know everything. Listening to others is the single best way to learn. (P82)
Step Outside Yourself to Discover What’s Important to Someone Else – Dale Carnegie
Dale Carnegie. 1993. The Leader in You. New York: Pocket Books
- I wanted a private secretary last year, and I put an ad in the paper under a box number. I bet I got three hundred replies…. But one woman was smart. She didn’t talk about what she wanted. She talked about what I wanted. … Her letter read like . this, “…I have had fifteen years experience…” She then went on to tell about the important men she had worked for… A woman like that has the business world at her feet. (P67)
- Look at things from other person’s point of view. It’s the single most important key to getting along in the world. (P69)
- The basic principle – always try to look at things from the other person’s perspective – applies just as well. (P70)
- The highly competitive retailing industry has really been the leader in seeing the world from the customer’s point of view. (P71)
- If you want to have more successful relationships with your customers, your family and your friends, look at things from the other person’s perspective. (P78)
Argue Less and Silent More.
Learn to be less argumentative. Instead of arguing, remain silent. There’s wisdom in praying for someone who makes it difficult for you. (Mufti Ismail Menk FB; 12 March 2016).
Justice
‘O Dawud (David)! Verily! We have placed you a successor on the earth; so judge you between men in truth (and justice) and follow not your desire – for it will mislead you from the path of Allah. Verily, those who wander astray from the path of Allah shall have a severe torment, because they forgot the Day of Reckoning’ (Al-Sad 38: 26; p 611)
Self-Improvement Books: A Genre Analysis.
Thank you to Dr Jeremy Koay from University of Victoria, Wellington, who.has shared his research on The Genre of Self-Improvement Books. The knowledge sharing session which was held on 8 March at Seminar Room 1 went well and it was very interesting and enlightening.
Be Just
‘O you who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah as just witnesses; and let not the enmity and hatred of others make you avoid justice. Be just: that is nearer to piety; and fear Allah. Verily Allah is Well-Acquainted with what you do’ (Al-Maidah 5:8. Pg 144).
Noun Phrases
A noun phrase or nominal phrase (abbreviated NP) is a phrase which has a noun (or indefinite pronoun) as its head word, or which performs the same grammatical function as such a phrase. Noun phrases are very common cross-linguistically, and they may be the most frequently occurring phrase type.
What is a noun phrase?
A noun phrase is a phrase which includes:
- a noun (also called head)
- and optionally modifiers.
Examples:
- Love is a beautiful feeling. (Love is a noun phrase without modifiers. However, a beautiful feeling is a noun phrase that includes a noun, feeling, and the determiner a and the adjective beautiful)
- My house is over there. (My house is a noun phrase which consists of the noun house and a modifier – the possessive adjective my)
Possible noun modifiers
A noun phrase may optionally contain noun modifiers. If these modifiers are placed before the noun they are called pre-modifiers. However, if they are placed after the noun, they are called post-modifiers. Possible noun modifiers include the following:
1. Determiners:
- articles (the, a),
- demonstratives (this, that)
- numerals (two, five, etc.)
- possessives (my, their, etc.)
- quantifiers (some, many, etc.).
In English, determiners are usually placed before the noun;
2. adjectives (the delicious food)
3. complements, in the form of a prepositional phrase (such as: the student of physics), or a That-clause (the idea that the world is a small village )
Functions of a noun phrase
Noun phrases can function as subjects, objects:
- That sophisticated woman is beautiful. (That sophisticated woman is a noun phrase that functions as a subject.)
- I like the book that you bought. (the book that you bought is a noun phrase that functions as an object.)
http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-lesson-noun-phrases.php
What Are Noun Phrases? (with Examples)
A noun phrase is a phrase that plays the role of a noun. The head word in a noun phrase will be a noun or a pronoun. In the examples below, the whole noun phrase is shaded and the head word is in bold.
- I like singing in the bath.
- I know the back streets.
- I’ve met the last remaining chief.
Compare the three examples above to these:
- I like it.
- I know them.
- I’ve met him.
In these three examples, the words in bold are all pronouns. The ability to replace the noun phrases in the first three examples with a pronoun proves that the shaded texts are functioning as nouns, making them noun phrases.
Like any noun, a noun phrase can be a subject, an object, or a complement.
Examples of Noun Phrases
Noun phrases are extremely common. A noun with any sort of modifier (including just a number or an article) is a noun phrase. Here are some examples of noun phrases:
- The best defense against the atom bomb is not to be there when it goes off. (Anon)
(In this example, there is a noun phrase within a noun phrase. The noun phrase
the atom bomb
- is the
object of the prepositionagainst
- . The
prepositional phraseagainst the atom bomb
- modifies
defense
- I don’t have a bank account, because I don’t know my mother’s maiden name. (Paula Poundstone)
- .)
(In this example, both noun phrases are
- The best car safety device is a rear-view mirror with a cop in it. (Dudley Moore, 1935-2002)
- .)
(In this example, the first noun phrase is the subject, and the second is a
- Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former. (Albert Einstein, 1879-1955)
http://grammar-monster.com/glossary/noun_phrases.htm