Hey guys, it’s been a while! I finished submitting my last assignment for this semester of my TESOL course and am on holidays until the 26th of February! Today, at the request of @rumade (thank you very much for your suggestion ♡) we’re going to be talking about the 人 kanji and its many different uses and meanings!
人・ひと： The word ひと means ‘person’ and can be used by itself or in combination with other kanji characters to create different words related to people or persons. A few examples include;
人々・ひとびと・People/persons.
小人・こびと・Little person/dwarf.
人質・ひとじち・Hostage.
人殺し・ひとごろし・Murderer.
It can also be used in conjunction with pronouns to say “this person”;
この人・このひと・This person.
その人・そのひと・That person.
あの人・あのひと・That person over there.
どの人・どのひと・What kind of person?
人・にん： The word にん also means ‘persons’. One of the biggest differences between ひと, にん, and じん is that ひと is the Japanese reading of the character (referred to as the kun-yomi / written as 訓読み・くんよみ) and にん and じん are the Chinese readings of the character (referred to as the on-yomi / written as 音読み・おんよみ).
While ひと is the general word for ‘people’, にん is often used as a counter for people or can be used at the end of a word to represent an action, as in “a person who does (something)”.
A few examples include;
人気・にんき・Popular.
人間・にんげん・Human.
三人・さんにん・Three people.
使用人・しようにん・Employee.
支配人・しはいにん・Manager.
人・じん： The word じん also means ‘person’ and can be used similarly to にん at the start of a word to mean something related to people. A few examples include;
人生・じんせい・Life.
人口・じんこう・Population.
人種・じんしゅ・Human race.
When used at the end of a word, じん often means an attribute of a person. A few examples include;
美人・びじん・Pretty woman.
有名人・ゆうめいじん・Famous person.
老人・ろうじん・Old person.
The じん reading of the character is also used after country names to create nationalities such as;
オーストラリア人・Australian.
日本人・Japanese person.
アメリカ人・American.
Remember:
When used independently to mean person, it is read as ひと.
When 人 is used in conjunction with other characters it is likely to be read as にん orじん.
There’s no rule really to explain the difference between にん orじん when they appear at the beginning of a word, you kind of just have to memorise the reading.
When it comes to counting people, the kanji is always read as にん (with two exceptions being “1 person = 一人・ひとり” and “2 persons = 二人・ふたり”.
When it comes to nationalities, it is always read as じん.
Please let me know if you guys would like a post regarding the difference between the kun and on-yomi and when to use the different readings. Best of luck with your studies guys!
As we all get our gears in motion to start a new year, I thought I would share my top tips for scoring the highest marks in English Literature essays.
(P.S. Lots of these tips are applicable to other subjects too)
1. Don’t write about the character as if they are real
Unfortunately, this is a common error in English Lit essays. It is absolutely imperative to remember that a character is not a person, but is a construct of the writer in order to present an idea or theme. No matter the question, you should be linking your answer back to the writer’s ideas and theme of the text, even if it doesn’t seem obvious what the theme is on the first inspection of the question. Using the author’s name frequently in your essay will demonstrate that you recognise the character is not a real person – ‘Shakespeare portrays Macbeth as a tragic hero, as defined by Aristotle as…’
2. Don’t analyse the plot
Avoid analysing the plot or when things happen in the text. Don’t write ‘When X happens it makes us think Y’. Instead:
Analyse the writer’s use of language, structure and form to create meaning
Do a close language analysis of specific words/phrases, including a sound analysis (plosives, assonance, etc.)
Do a structural analysis of what happens when and why that’s important (Freytag’s pyramid)
Do an analysis of form (stage directions, dramatic monologue, etc.)
3. Keep your answer relevant throughout
You need to be explicitly answering the question – not going off on a tangent nor trying to change the question to suit an answer that you want to write. One way of avoiding this is by starting each paragraph with a topic sentence, summarising what that paragraph is going to be about and how it answers the question. Another method is simply by rewording the question into your answer at the start and end of every paragraph. At least. For greater impact, include synonyms of the word, which can also help with the readability of your answer.
4. Avoid PEE/PEEL/etc. where you can
Thousands of students are taught the same, basic Point-Evidence-Explain (or variant) analytical paragraph structure. If you want to stand out, show academic strength, and achieve the highest marks then you must break free from the chains of PEE! (This also applies for your introduction format. ‘In this essay, I will argue…’ gets pretty dull after reading it 100 times)
For my students, I will be teaching them to write What-How-Why paragraphs:
WHAT has the writer done?
HOW have they done it?
WHY have they done it/is it effective?
This way, your focus is always on why the writer has chosen to use that specific language/structure/form, but it allows you to be creative in crafting your response. Being able to discuss the ‘why’ of literature is the key to unlocking the highest grades. Reading through examiners’ reports this summer has made one thing clear – it is not enough to merely spot linguistic devices or structural features. You must explain why the writer has chosen them and why that is an effective choice (or not).
5. Avoid sweeping statements about context
The main advice here is to only include comments about the context of the text if it adds to the analytical point that you are making. They should not be a bolt-on sentence, but they should enhance your answer.
Further, sweeping claims like ‘All Jacobean women were oppressed by society’ is far too vague. On the other hand, a comment like ‘Lady Macbeth is a disturbing example of womanhood because she denies her gender at a time where the role of a woman was clear-cut, even patriarchal, in Jacobean society’ suggests that you have a greater understanding of how context can influence the writer’s choices.
6. A plan is your best friend
Always, always make time to plan your answer. A method I recommend is, first, circling the key words in the question (character/theme, what you are asked to do, where in the text you are asked to look, etc.). Secondly, write all of your ideas down onto the page, highlighting parts from the extract if you have that in front of you. Finally, select a judicious number of points that you are going to talk about (quality not quantity here) and number the order in which you are going to make them.
If you are writing a comparative essay, each paragraph must start and end with a comparative point about whatever it is you are comparing (characters/themes/etc.) I suggest the following format:
‘X is presented in both text A and text B. However, in A the author uses device 1 and 2 to demonstrate X. On the other hand, in B, the author demonstrates X via use of device 2 and 3.’ Then write one paragraph for each text. Repeat this again for another similarity. And again for a third – if you think that is appropriate.
So recently I came across a fellow artist who was struggling to find a free art program, and considering dropping the large amount of money for a Photoshop license. I know not everyone can afford such an expensive program, so I’ve compiled a list of programs with no cost to download and use.
Keep in mind all computers are different, so not all will work for everyone. Also, I’ve only ever used Windows, so for the most part, I’m not sure if everything will work for Mac. if in doubt check the website linked.
If you know more free programs, please add onto this!
OpenToonz has made many improvements since it’s initial release! (Windows & Mac)
Medibang Paint is a comic drawing software forked from FireAlpaca mentioned earlier in this post, and is available for mobile devices as well! (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android)
If you’re on Mobile, Ibis Paint X is an amazing free program! Available on google play, not sure about Apple!
Sometimes cats eat so fast they puke bruh. It’s not healthy. There are a ton of people reblogging this actually happy that there’s a solution for this.
my cat does this. and honestly this might solve his problems… i.e. SLOW THE FUCK DOWN, CAT.
I’m not gonna lie, I think I need one of these for me.
Dishes like this also help with dogs who eat too fast; it significantly lowers their chances of choking or bloat.
You know, these looks all silly but… they are perfect! Is your cat annoyed? Is your cat depressed? Does your cat eat too fast and suffocated itself? Does your cat eat too much? Is your cat castrated? Do your cats fight over food?
These are all perfect for that! Your cats like to hunt and have fun with their food so it’s better to give them some “difficulties” and way to use their brains: this is why a lot of these are called “intelligent toys”, because they stimulate play and hunt.
“I don’t have money for that!” DON’T WORRY! You can create your own intelligent toy with whatever you have at home!
This is better for cats than dogs, mostly because dogs try to destroy the toy first so I won’t suggest you to use toiler paper rolls or plastic bottles!
“My cat is too old for this stuff, it would stop eating!” YOU CAN DO SOMETHING ELSE! Is your cat too old to play, buy a lot of little bowls and instead of putting its food in a single one, split the food around the house. The cat will go around, searching for its food in a easy way and having a little hunt/play that will surely make its day a little more fun!
Hot cocoa haven 