Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Spanish Gerund Following Verbs Other Than Estar

Spanish Gerund Following Verbs Other Than Estar The Spanish gerund - the verb form ending in -ando or -iendo - is used frequently with forms of estar to form the progressive tenses. However, it can also be used with other verbs, sometimes with meanings that are similar to the progressive tenses. Verbs Often Used With the Gerund Here are some of the most common verbs that can be followed by the gerund: Seguir or Continuar These verbs typically mean to keep on or to continue. With this usage, the two verbs are generally interchangeable with little difference in meaning. Sony sigue hablando mal del plasma, mientras sigue lanzando televisores LCD. (Sony keeps on speaking poorly of plasma while it keeps on releasing LCD televisions.)Venezuela continuar comprando cemento cubano. (Venezuela will keep on buying Cuban cement.)Muchas veces seguimos durmiendo ms de lo que deberà ­amos. (Many times we continue sleeping longer than we should.)Las cuatro continuaban peleando y un hombre que se movilizaba en una motocicleta aprovechà ³ para robarles. (The four kept on fighting and a man on a motorcycle took advantage of the situation to rob them.) Andar Although standing alone andar typically means to walk, when followed by a gerund it means roughly the same as to go around doing something in a rather pointless or unproductive fashion. If youre translating to English, the translation can vary considerably with context. Andar generally has a negative connotation when used this way. Descubrà ­ el foro porque andaba navegando en Internet. (I discovered the forum because I was browsing around the Internet.)Katy anda comiendo todo el dà ­a. (Katy goes around eating all day.)Tà º sabes que todos andamos buscando una vida que satisfaga. (You know that all of us spend our time looking for a satisfying life.) Ir Sometimes, ir is used in the same way as andar, above. But it usually doesnt have the negative connotation. In fact, it usually suggests that the action in progress is proceeding gradually or steadily. Again, translations of ir followed by the Spanish gerund can vary with the context. Vamos estudiando mejor la situacià ³n real del pueblo. (We are coming to study better the real situation of the people.)Fueron comprando trozo a trozo el terreno durante un proceso de unos quince aà ±os ms o menos. (They went about buying the land one piece at a time during a process that lasted 15 years more or less.)Los estudiantes van ganando influencia. (The students are steadily gaining influence.) Venir Followed with a gerund, venir often refers to something that has been occurring for a long time and is still continuing. It sometimes conveys frustration that the action isnt complete. As in the first two examples below, it is often used to indicate how long something has been occurring. En los à ºltimos aà ±os, se viene hablando de liderazgo. (In recent years, much has been spoken about leadership.)Hace seis meses que viene probando suerte como modelo en Parà ­s. (For the past six months she has been trying her luck as a model in Paris.)Vienen diciendome que no soy normal. (They have been telling me that Im not normal.) Following Other Verbs With Gerunds In general, most verbs can be followed by a gerund as a way of indicating how the first verbs action in performed. In effect, the gerund functions much as an adverb. In many cases, sentences using a gerund in this way cant be translated word for word.. A few examples: Empezamos escuchando y terminamos entendiendo todo. (We begin by listening and finish by understanding everything.)De pronto nos encontramos escribiendo una nueva historia. (Suddenly we found ourselves writing a new story.)Antonio miraba estudiando todos mis movimientos. (Antonio watched me, studying all of my movements.)Buscamos en su Instagram unos fotos donde aparezcas sonriendo. (We are searching on your Instagram feed for photos where you appear to be smiling.)  Ã‚ ¡Ã‚ ¡Ella perdià ³ 12 kilos bebiendo este jugo milagroso!! (She lost 12 kilograms by drinking this miracle juice!) Key Takeaways The gerund is used most often with estar to form the progressive or continuous tenses.It can also be used with several other verbs, among them seguir and continuar, to convey an idea similar to a progressive tense.In other situations, the gerund can function much like an adverb in modifying or explaining the meaning of another verb.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Machiavelli and the Good Life essays

Machiavelli and the Good Life essays Machiavelli's The Prince is an outstanding book. It presents the theme of how to live the good life and be a good Prince. The good Prince is someone who is never afraid. He lives the good life by scaring other people. Machiavelli talks about how the Prince is someone who knows how to be a governor. He says, "If you want to be a good Prince, then you should be a good Prince." (p. 45) My thesis is that the good life comes from being a good Prince. Machiavelli was one time an Italian. But there was no Italy. He was living in a place called Italy, which was in Florence. He lived the good life. I think that today when people live the good life, they call it like pimping. Like we said in class, being head of Italy (or Florence) was being like a Pimp Daddy. That's kind of what Machiavelli was about, which reminds us of the rapper Machiavelli. I think that the good life is like Pimping. In conclusion, the Prince is a pimp. Machiavelli, The Prince. 1st edition. Wallflower Press, 1523. ...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

International trading blocks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

International trading blocks - Essay Example TRIAD refers to three regional free-trade blocs which include NAFTA (USA, Mexico and Canada), EU (27 nations primarily located in Europe) and ASEAN (10 Asian countries). These are also grouped around some common currencies (the euro, the yen and the dollar) According to Fan Zhai (2006) by 2005 in Asia, there were 18 bilateral trade agreements and at least 30 new preferential trade agreements. The graph below is a glimpse of different regional trade agreements in Asia. Recent trends Trade diplomacy is now a part of the relationship that a country shares with another. After the establishment of WTO, 20 PTAs are formed on average on yearly basis. However one can notice the decline in regional cooperation, as cross-regional agreements are increasing in number. According to Heydon Ken (2010) over half of the world’s trade is through preferential trade agreements. Countries that get involved in these trade agreements have preference for speed and responsiveness. Bilateral agreements are preferred over multilateral agreements due to ease of enforcement and require less negotiation. Zhai (2006) reports that the new PTAs in Asia agree on more that tariff and non-tariff policies, rather they include provisions on nvestment liberalization, services, assistance in trade and technical and economic collaboration. The graph below shows the drastic rate at which the number of PTAs are increasing. Benefits of PTAs The foremost reason for creating a PTA is to gain concessions in trade with member countries. Being in a PTA implies that the member countries will get preference over other non-member countries. This removal of barriers of trade has a number of inherent benefits. These can be in several forms, such as: Economies of scale In countries that are located nearby each other, having preference can also benefit through lower transportation costs. Japan-Singapore Economic Partnership Agreement (JESPA) is an agreement in which both the nations have promised coordination in technology, regulatory, e-commerce, media and broadcasting, and human resources. This will benefit the multinational companies in both the countries because they can take benefit of economies of scale at regional level. Tax benefits Countries in PTA agree to trade with member countries at low tariffs, but do not abolish them; this reduces the cost of trade. The loss of tax revenue from import duties can be made up by more trade and more taxes from increased activity in the country. More trade Integration of international markets through reduction in tariffs and other barriers have led to reduction in the cost of trade. Thus countries can now concentrate on their production facilities only and produce those goods in larger quantities in which they have absolute or comparative advantage. More trade is expected to raise the standard of living of people in countries. Hub and Spoke structure The hub and spoke structure works in a way that several smaller vehicles (spoke), remain indi vidually managed but pool their assets to contribute to a central investment vehicle (hub). So the well established businesses become the hub and can give a few countries preferential treatment to a few