Tag: english language

On the SAT Exam – Tricky synonyms

On the SAT exam, it is likely that you will run into a bunch of vocabulary words that are frequently confused! In this blog, we will look at some of the most commonly confused vocabulary words and what their differences are. At the end, you will get the chance to test out the new vocabulary and see if you can recall which of these similar-sounding words means what to help you improve your score on the SAT!

 

Accept vs. except
Accept means to receive something or recognize and opinion or idea as correct.
Conversely, except means simply: other than.

Let’s look at an example:
1: My mother gave me a gift, and I accepted.
2: Everyone in the class wore blue clothes except one girl who wore black clothes.

 

Affect vs. effect
Affect is commonly used as a verb that means to have an impact on something or someone.
Conversely, effect is more commonly used as a noun that describes the results or consequences of an action or event.
Let’s look at an example:
1: Optimism affects how you see the world.
2: The effects of this medicine are that you may become drowsy or tired.

 

Elicit vs. illicit
Elicit means to bring forth or extract something.
Conversely, illicit means something that is illegal.

Let’s look at an example:
1: When the teacher asked a question, it elicited no response. No one raised their hand.
2: This substance is illicit and you will be fined for having it.

Cite vs. sight VS. site
Cite means to quote or reference something.
Conversely, sight means something that you see with your eyes or literally the ability to see.
To the contrary, site means a specific place or a website on the internet.

Let’s look at an example:
1: In my paper, I cited many different theorists.
2: We drove up the mountain to see a spectacular sight.
3: Construction workers work at the construction site.

 

SAT practice quiz

Complete the following sentences with the correct option.

AI Makes Plagiarism Hard to Detect According to Paper Written by Chatbot

Introduction:

ChatGPT has taken the world by storm and universities are worried that it will make students even lazier than they already are. But is it true? While the AI program has passed medical and legal exams, it still isn’t perfect. But then again, neither are people.

Watch the video and then do the accompanying English exercises below.

The news is a consistent and endless source of entertainment, knowledge and discovery. It plays a vital part in our lives and is important to keep up with.

There are many reasons to read, watch or listen to the news. Understanding the ramifications of recent legislation passed. Listening to recent events and grasping the potential consequences to your country. Or, simply listening to what’s happening in other countries so you can compare them to your own. It’s a staple in our lives and the most reliable way to get information.

That’s why Scrambled Eggs has decided to unite two of your biggest worlds. That is, learning English and keeping up with current events. We hope our challenging listening, vocabulary and comprehension exercises bring these worlds together in a satisfactory and entertaining way.

That’s all for introductions, let’s get to today’s Learn English with the News topic:

Adapted from this article.

Quiz Time!

AI & Plagiarism | Definition Match

Match the words to their correct definition.

AI & Plagiarism | Fill in the Blank

Fill in the blanks with the correct words from the video.

AI & Plagiarism | True or False

Decide if each statement is true or false.

And that’s it for today’s English lesson, where you can improve your English with the news and current events. Do you have any comments or special requests for us for the next edition of Learn English with the News? Please leave any feedback you have in the comments section below. We would love to help you on your quest to learn the English language!

For other Learn English with the News segments, check out the rest of our posts:

https://scrambledeggsinglese.it/tag/learn-english-with-the-news/

Full text for AI Makes Plagiarism Hard to Detect According to Paper Written by Chatbot:

An academic paper entitled “Chatting and Cheating: Ensuring Academic Integrity in the Era of ChatGPT” published in an education journal described how artificial intelligence (AI) tools raise challenges and concerns, with respect to academic honesty and plagiarism.
Readers of that article (along with the peer reviewers who cleared it for publication) did not know that the paper itself had been written by the AI chatbot ChatGPT, which showed that it is writing at a very high level. Three professors from Plymouth University tipped off editors of the journal Innovations in Education and Teaching International. The four academics who peer-reviewed it assumed it was written by those three scholars.
Universities have been trying to banish the plague of essay mills selling pre-written essays to students trying to cheat the system. Now academics suspect even essay mills are using ChatGPT, and institutions admit they are racing to catch up with – and catch out – anyone passing off the popular chatbot’s work as their own.
Cheating your way to a degree might get you that first job, but you won’t do well and will likely fall behind over time.

5,000 Year-Old Tavern Found in Iraq

Introduction:

In Iraq, home to the world’s oldest civilization, a team of archaeologists has unearthed an ancient tavern full of interesting relics. They believe that contrary to popular belief this civilization contained not just priests and noble classes but also a middle class.

Watch the video and then do the accompanying English exercises below.

The news is a consistent and endless source of entertainment, knowledge and discovery. It plays a vital part in our lives and is important to keep up with.

There are many reasons to read, watch or listen to the news. Understanding the ramifications of recent legislation passed. Listening to recent events and grasping the potential consequences to your country. Or, simply listening to what’s happening in other countries so you can compare them to your own. It’s a staple in our lives and the most reliable way to get information.

That’s why Scrambled Eggs has decided to unite two of your biggest worlds. That is, learning English and keeping up with current events. We hope our challenging listening, vocabulary and comprehension exercises bring these worlds together in a satisfactory and entertaining way.

That’s all for introductions, let’s get to today’s Learn English with the News topic:

Adapted from this article.

Quiz Time!

5,000 Year-Old Tavern Found in Iraq | Definition Match

Match the words to their definitions.

5,000 Year-Old Tavern Found in Iraq | Fill in the Blank

Fill in the blank with the correct word from the text.

5,000 Year-Old Tavern Found in Iraq | True or False

Decide if each statement is true or false.

And that’s it for today’s English lesson, where you can improve your English with the news and current events. Do you have any comments or special requests for us for the next edition of Learn English with the News? Please leave any feedback you have in the comments section below. We would love to help you on your quest to learn the English language!

For other Learn English with the News segments, check out the rest of our posts:

https://scrambledeggsinglese.it/tag/learn-english-with-the-news/

Full text for 5,000 Year-Old Tavern Found in Iraq:

Sumeria, the oldest known civilization, located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (now Southern Iraq) was already established 1,000 years before the Great Pyramids were built.
In Lagash—inhabited in the fifth millennium BCE and one of the oldest areas in Ancient Mesopotamia—the foundations of a tavern were recently found by archaeologists. They included an open-air sitting area, and a kitchen with a clay oven, clay chiller, and ancient crockery.
Using new magnetometry techniques and sedimentary analysis, the work is taking a different approach to archaeology compared to past excavations in the area.
Among the tavern’s contents were conical eating dishes containing the remains of fish, a Mesopotamian staple, and other storage jars with food inside.
It goes to show, according to the archaeologists, that the city wasn’t simply divided into the priestly and royal strata, and the lower classes, but contained a recognizable middle class as well.

Iraq sure has an interesting history.