Education VS Corruption

One day after his inauguration (Wednesday 21 October 2009) as the president of the Republic, President Susilo Bambang Yudoyono who is now in the second term of the presidency, announced The United Indonesia Cabinet II to help him run the country in the next five years. The new Education Minister Mohammad Nuh, the former Minister of Communication and Information, has been assigned to run the Education in the country.

Phillip Turnbull from BSD City, Banten sent a letter to The Jakarta Post and was published by this English paper on the October 22, 2009. His opinion about the real portrait of education and corruption in Indonesia would be a good feed back to those who are concerned in the education.
Below article is quoted from The Jakarta Post, October 22, 2009:

I began teaching English on a voluntary basis several days ago in local kampung school. As a retired teacher, I wanted to make a contribution, however small, to the wellbeing of my adoptive country. Nothing altruistic about it really. Daytime television bores me. The local school is community of people – students, their parents, teachers and supporting staff. These people welcomed me into their school and we began what I hope will be a long, constructive and mutually satisfying relationship.

I spent he first day in the company of visionary, young headmaster and enthusiastic teachers, getting to know them and my new pupils. Naturally, the children we initially shy, but by the time I felt at the end of the day I was greeted cheerfully by any of them in a way I had not encountered before in any school I had previously taught at.

The day was spent in various classrooms, all of them uniformly drab and soulless and in need of urgent paintwork and cleaning. No artworks, posters, study aides, samples of student’s work or audiovisual equipment was evident in any of the room except one. The desk were rickety, and the seats uncomfortable. The rooms were badly ventilated if at all.

The students seemed happy amongst themselves and respectful towards their teachers, but were academically passive. I spent a lot of time asking the simple questions and encouraging them to question me in turn, but with little success. I suspect they were not used to doing so, regardless of any hesitancy about speaking English. I was told, that was “the Indonesia way – students don’t ask questions or express opinion”.

The teaching staff are on duty from seven in the morning until late afternoon, and are burdened with an excessive and exhausting load of classroom teaching. Also, I learned that as a profession, teachers are not highly esteemed in Indonesian society and are poorly paid. Many have to take on other jobs to make ends meet.

This school clearly lacked proper resources and equipment, despite the timely renovations to a few of its dilapidated classrooms. It has not been adequately funded from the vast financial resources available in this country. And there are vast financial resources in this country, if only they didn’t simply get “lost” or “diverted” or blatantly stolen by some among those entrusted with the nation’s money set aside for public use and infrastructure. One day, perhaps, these criminals will bankrupt this country.

Politicians and elite should understand that money spent on education in everyone’s best interest. It requires a log-term view as opposed to mere political expediency and short-term, quick-fix options that have no lasting effect. Education is about the long haul and requires vision, lots of money and planning. Money invested in quality education al all levels and for all children in money well spent.

Free education for every child in Indonesia from kindergarten to the end of senior high school should be taken for granted. Universities should not be education industries primarily focused on vocational training and making money, but centers of learning open to all who are gifted and talented. Perhaps the new politicians might come and visit this school and share their views on the importance of education with the teachers and students and tell them what they plan to do abut it. That would be an interesting class.

PHILLIP TURNBULL
BSD CITY, BANTEN

More details...

Correct English (3): antara Frasa dan Klausa

Untuk memahami struktur kalimat yang sederhana memang mudah, akan tetapi tidak demikian halnya bila kita harus menghadapi kalimat yang kompleks. Dalam kalimat tunggal hanya tedapat satu susunan subyek + predikat, sedangkan dalam kalimat majemuk (compound sentence) terdapat dua atau lebih susunan subyek + predikat. Untuk mempermudah pemahaman kita mengenai struktur kalimat, kita perlu mempalajari lebih jdahulu tentang frasa, klausa, dan kalimat itu sendiri.

Frasa

Frasa (phrase) adalah kelompok kata yang memiliki fungsi sama seperti nomina/pronomina, adjektiva, atau pun adverbia, akan tetapi tidak merupakan susunan subyek + predikat (subject + verb) , sehingga kelompok kata ini tidak dapat berdiri sendiri baik sebagai sebuah frasa maupun sebagai sebuah kalimat.

My former friend called me this morning.
My daughter is listening to her favorite music program.

my former friend / her favorite music program merupakan frasa sebab hanya berupa kumpulan kata, tetapi tidak mempunyai susunan subyek + predikat (subject + verb).

Bandingkan dengan contoh berikut:

because he is sick – kumpulan kata ini merupakan klausa sebab mempunyai unsur subject + verb ( he = subject, is = verb). Namun demikian meskipun kelompok kata ini mempunyai unsur subject + verb hanya disebut sebagai klausa, karena tidak dapat berdiri sendiri sebagai kalimat dan harus ada klausa yang diikutinya. Supaya mempunyai pengertian penuh klausa ini bisa kita lengkapi, misalnya kita menambahkan di depannya klausa lain sebagai berikut:

He is absent because he is sick (klausa berubah menjadi kalimat majemuk / compound).

He is sick – kelompok kata ini sudah merupakan sebuah kalimat sebab memiliki unsur subject + verb. Dengan menghilangkan kata ‘because’ justru yang semula sebuah klausa berubah menjadi kalimat karena dapat berdiri sendiri dan mempunyai pengertian penuh. Bedanya dengan kalimat di atasnya adalah bahwa kalimat ini merupakan kalimat tunggal (simple sentence) sebab unsur subject + verb-nya hanya satu.

Berdasarkan fungsinya yang dapat sebagai nomina, adjektiva, atau pun adverbia, maka frasa ini dapat digolongkan sebagai frasa nomina/benda (noun phrase), frasa sifat (adjectival phrase), dan frasa keterangan (adverbial phrase).

Frasa nomina/benda (noun phrase)

My ugly dog is always barking (noun phrase sebagai subject).

The official announced the probable delay of arrival (noun phrase sebagai object).
She is a friend of joy and sorrow (noun phrase sebagai complement).

Dua frasa nomina/benda (atau nomina dan frasa nomina) dapat beraposisi/berdampingan. Frasa yang kedua biasanya diapit oleh tanda koma ( ,__, ) atau tanda koma dan titik ( ,___.).

The local newspaper, now a national publication, always accompanies him to start the day (dua noun phrase beraposisi sebagai subject).

He always reads ‘Kedaulatan Rakyat’, the biggest paper in Yogyakarta (dua noun phrase beraposisi sebagai object).

The man with the greatest power is the chief of the city, the mayor of the city development (dua noun phrase sebagai pelengkap/complement).

Frasa adjektiva/sifat (adjectival phrase)

The Miss. Indonesia, beautiful as ever, walked to the stage (adjectival phrase menerangkan nomina).

She was pale with fear (adjectival phrase sebagai complement).

Frasa adverbia/keterangan (adverbial phrase)

Pay me before the end of this year (frasa adverbia waktu).

All cars are parked in front of the building (adverbia tempat).

They moved the fruit with a basket on their head (adverbia cara).

Klausa ( Clause)

Seperti halnya frasa, klausa (clause) juga dapat berfungsi untuk menggantikan nomina, adjektiva, maupun adverbia. Perbedaannya dengan frasa adalah bahwa klausa selalu memiliki susunan subyek + predikat. Sekali pun memenuhi unsur memiliki susunan subyek + predikat, klausa tidak dapat berdiri sendiri sebagai kalimat yang mandiri.

She will leave the room later (adverbia).

She will leave the room after she finishes the exams (klausa adverbia /waktu)

Dalam kalimat majemuk (compound sentence) di atas, kita dapati 2 (dua) susunan subyek + predikat, yaitu:

She will leave the room, dan
after she finishes the exams.

Klausa yang pertama dapat berdiri sendiri dan mempunyai pengertian penuh sehingga disebut klausa utama (dependent clause), sedangkan klausa kedua mempunyai ketergantungan pada klausa utama dan tidak dapat berdiri sendiri sebagai kalimat utuh, maka dinamai klausa terikat/anak kalimat (subordinate clause).

1). Anak kalimat berfungsi nomina (subordinate noun-clause)

What he decided surprised all of us (subordinate noun clause sebagai subyek)

We know that he has been cheating us so far (subordinate noun clause sebagai obyek).

The truth is that he does not know much about the matter (subordinate noun clause sebagai complement)

2). Anak kalimat berfungsi sebagai adjektiva (subordinate adjectival clause)

The victims, who were injured in the crash, have been evacuated (subordinate adjectival clause menerangkan subject).

This course suits anyone who has limited time (subordinate adjectival clause menerangkan object).

3). Anak kalimat berfungsi sebagai adverbia/keterangan

He wounded when a punch hit his head (sub. adverbial clause of time = anak kalimat keterangan waktu).

He put it back where he took it (sub. adverbial clause of place = anak kalimat keterangan tempat)

She learned as her teacher has taught her before (sub. adverbial clause of manner = anak kalimat keterangan cara).

Demikian sedikit pembahasan kita mengenai frasa (phrase) dan klausa (clause) yang berguna sebagai dasar pemahaman sebelum kita membahas mengenai kalimat (sentences) dalam bahasan kita mendatang.

Selamat belajar.

More details...

Correct English (2): Verba, Adverbia, Preposisi, Konjungsi

Verba / Kata Kerja

Mari kita teruskan Correct English kita. Kali ini kita akan mencoba memahami kata kerja atau verba (verb).

Kata kerja atau verba adalah kata yang menunjukkan suatu tindakan atau keadaan, misalnya: climb, sing, draw, talked, wrote

Verba dapat terdiri dari satu maupun lebih dari satu kata.
She writes a letter. (satu kata)
She should have written a letter of her illness. (lebih dari satu kata).

Verb mengalami beberapa perubahan bentuk sehubungan dengan waktu kapan peristiwa itu terjadi. Bentuk perubahan kata kerja ini disebut tenses.

Misalnya:
Present tense: I refuse that proposal.
Past tense: I refused that proposal.
Future tense: I shall refuse that proposal.
(Tenses selengkapnya, silakan baca postingan ‘ English For Young Learners’)

Dalam kaitannnya untuk membuat kalimat, verba / kata kerja memerlukan adanya subject. Subject (subyek) adalah sebuah kata atau selompok kata yang melakukan tindakan verba:

Robert reads a novel.
To spend too much money is foolish.

Untuk kalimat transitif, obyek diperlukan untuk kelengkapan kalimatnya.
Object (obyek) adalah kata atau kelompok kata yang dikenakan tindakan verba:

My father reminded him.
I have lost my beautiful pen.

Namun demikian tidak semua verba harus mempunyai object. Dalam kalimat intransitif verba tidak memerlukan object / obyek.

He was dreaming.
They are struggling to survive.

Contoh lain kalimat transitif yang verba-nya memerlukan sebuah object.

My younger daughter is writing a letter. (a letter = object).
He has to shoot the target. (the target = object).

Promina bisa memiliki bentuk yang berbeda, tergantung apakah ia berkedudukan sebagai subject atau object.

I called him loudly but he did not hear me.

Saya / orang pertama tunggal, sebagai subyek menggunakan ‘I ‘, sedangkan sebagai obyek menggunakan ‘me’. Demikian juga ia (laki-laki) sebagai orang ketiga menggunakan ‘he’ sebagai subyek, dan ‘him’ sebagai obyek.

Verba to be (am, is, are) dan bentuk lampaunya (was, were), tidak dapat memiliki object tetapi memerlukan pelengkap atau complement. Verba yang memerlukan pelengkap ini kadang-kadang disebut linking verb, kopula, atau verba penghubung karena fungsinya menghubungkan subyek dengan pelengkap (complement).

He is one of my friends (is = linking verb, one of my friends = complement).
Her farther is a dentist. (is = linking verb, a dentist = complement).

Verba tertentu (finite verb), adalah verba yang subyeknya sudah tertentu. Meskipun subject tidak disebutkan secara eksplisit, tetapi dapat dipahami subject kalimat itu sudah tentu.

Do not smoke at the gas station!

Meskipun tidak disebutkan tetapi subject-nya dapat diartikan sebagai kamu, kalian, atau siapa pun (sudah tentu).

Verba tidak tentu (non-finite verb) adalah verba yang tidak memiliki subject, tetapi verba itu malah berfungsi sebagai subject dalam kalimat.

To delay landing would be fatal.
To solve the problem would take much energy.

Verba juga dapat berfungsi sebagai nomina (kata benda) dan adjektiva (kata sifat).

Reading would lead you to the wider world (reading = nomina)
Standing party tends to be the new style now (standing = adjektiva)

Verba dapat berbentuk aktif maupun pasif. Verba aktif apabila subject melakukan tindakan verba, sedangkan verba pasif apabila subject dikenai tindakan verba.

The judges sent him for five-year imprisonment (subject/the judges melakukan tindakan).
He was sent for five-year imprisonment (subject / he, dikenai tindakan verba).

Bentuk verba juga dapat berbeda apabila dipengaruhi oleh bentuk subject tunggal (singular) atau jamak (plural).

The bird flies.
The birds fly.


Adverbia / Adverb / Kata Keterangan

Adverbia adalah kata yang memberikan keterangan terhadap kata kerja (verba), kata sifat (adjektiva), atau pun kata keterangan (adverbia) yang lain.

He cried loudly. (loudly menerangkan cried = adverbia menerangkan verba)
There was a very faint cry. (very menerangkan faint = adverbia menerangkan adjektiva)
He cried more loudly. (more menerangkan loudly = adverbia menerangkan adverbia)

Bila adverbia menerangkan verba, biasanya adverbia ini menunjukkan bagaimana, kapan, di mana, atau mengapa tindakan verba itu dilakukan. Adverbia yang menunjukkan mengapa kegiatan verba terjadi, biasanya dalam bentuk adverbial clause karena sifatnya berupa penjelasan.

He is crying loudly. ( bagaimana menangisnya? loudly)
He is crying at the moment. ( kapan menagisnya? at the moment )
He is crying in the classroom. ( di mana menangisnya? in the classroom)
He is crying because he has lost his money. (mengapa menangis? because he has lost his money)

Pada umumnya adverbia dibentuk dengan menambahkan –ly pada adjektiva:

loud (adjektiva) – loudly (adverbia)
absolute (adjektiva) – absolutely (adverbia)

Akan tetapi tidak semua adverbia mengikuti ketentuan ini:

This is the fast way (adjektiva). They run fast (adverbia).
This magazine is weekly publication (adjektiva). They publish the magazine weekly (adverbia)


Preposisi / Kata Depan ( Preposition)

Preposisi / kata depan adalah kata yang menunjukkan hubungan antara nomina (kata benda) atau pronomina (kata ganti) dengan bagian lainnya dalam kalimat.

She jumped into the water.
The carpenter took the nail from the wood.
Preposisi biasanya mendahului dan bertalian erat dengan nomina, pronomina, atau frasa / klausa kata benda (noun phrase / noun clause).

Preposisi menunjukkan hubungan tempat:

You must walk around the jungle, not through it (antara around dan through the jungle, menunjukkan hubungan tempat yang berbeda)

Preposisi menunjukkan hubungan waktu:

They came before / during / after the rain (before/during/after menunjukkan hubungan waktu)

Preposisi menunjukkan hubungan cara:

They hit me with a hammer.
He goes to school on foot.
The cargo was delivered by hand.

Kadang-kadang preposisi dihilangkan:

The rescue team shows (to) me the way out from the jungle.

Kata yang sama dapat berfungsi sebagai sebuah preposisi maupun sebagai adverbia:

You have to put it outside the room (preposisi).
Wait outside and I will meet you! (adverbia).

Konjungsi / Kata Sambung / Conjunction

Konjungsi atau kata sambung adalah kata yang menggabungkan dua kata, dua kelompok kata, atau dua klausa.

red and white (menghubungkan dua kata)
take it or leave it (menghubungkan dua kelompok kata)
I was absent because I got headache yesterday (menghubungkan dua klausa)

Letak konjungsi tidak harus berada di antara kata yang dihubungkan:

Because I got headache yesterday, I was absent.
Although it was raining, the children went on playing.

Sebuah kata dapat berfungsi sebagai konjungsi dalam satu kalimat, tetapi dapat juga berfungsi lain dalam kalimat yang berbeda:

Wash the dishes after you eat! (konjungsi)
Wash the dishes and you may go after! (adverbia)
We let you go after the rain (preposisi).

More details...

English Teaching: Speaking Teachers Needed!

Students graduated from secondary school have been learning English at least for six years. The first three years when they were learning in Junior High School and the other three years when they were in Senior High School. Anyhow, it seems that many of the graduates, if not the most, still do not obtain adequate ability of speaking. If this is an indication, then the other three main skills of language learning such as listening, reading and writing are subject to an enigma. As they are inter-correlated skills, which form the unity, it is still questionable if the instructional aims have been attained.

Looking at the surroundings here where many English courses are growing out side the formal schools, this may be also an indication to the above assumption. If formal schools are offering adequate performance of daily-in use skill of English, then English courses should not have provided general English, except one for TOEFL / IELTS certification or English for special purposes. As a matter of facts, English courses are offering programs of making the students speak as if they have not had got any English lessons at school.

English courses are likely to be more suitable places to learn surviving English rather than schools where students have been learning English for about six years, but have got nothing from their school. It is ironical if a student who exceeds the others and can speak English well then be proud of his English course rather than his formal school.

The other reason for questioning if the teaching process in schools is enigmatic is that the outputs that are not the answer of the job markets. Job vacancies, especially ones of foreign companies, require the applicants to have a good command of English in both written and spoken. In fact, most of applicants often do not meet the requirements; even their written English is under the standard. With this condition, the school outputs finally only fill vacancy of the local companies with less salary.

The inadequate speaking skill the students gain from schools, which is always under the job market, may have been the reason for parents to take any English course after school hours for their children. They have been thinking that English is compulsory for today’s livings. For the relatively rich parents this additional course outside the formal school would not be a financial burden, but it is not for the poor.

The causative factors why graduates from secondary schools do not have an ability to speak English after six years of leaning at school are, among others:

1. English teachers do not (or speak a little) English in class
When the teacher does not speak English, the students will never hear people speaking, nor do they try to speak. Then, how can students speak English if the teacher does not teach to speak and act as a live model? Teachers should encourage their students speak with them, with other students or anyone who may be possible to be their counterpart.

2. English teachers teach only grammatical rules
Teaching grammatical rules would never make the students speak. It would not give the students much help unless the students understand how to use the grammar. In fact, students just memorize the rules but do not ever know the usage. They do not have any ability to apply to the rules. For example: students are learning tenses but they do not know when they should apply tenses to sentences. Grammar should be more appreciative.

3. English teachers do not teach the real materials
The teaching materials are often beyond the daily life. The textbooks are about technical topics such as industry, politics, health and not one of daily life. Teachers teach the students with words like industrialism, liberalism, reformation, which students will never start speaking with such kinds of words. Teachers should teach their student’s vocabulary applicable to the daily life such as ones for introducing, greeting, and asking directions, shopping and the similar activities. Vocabulary should be communicative.

4. Repetition and not subsequence of teaching
When students learn English in Senior High School, the teachers just teach them grammatical rules like ones from Junior High School. Students learn the same materials as what they got from the previous school. Thus, it is only a repetition of materials and not the continuation.

Conclusion:

1. English teachers should be more talk-active in the class, as they will never make their students speak without direct speaking model from themselves.

2. Grammar should be applicative so that students can apply the grammatical rules to the commutative language.

3. Vocabulary should be communicative so that the students can start speaking with these words.

4. Teaching that develops materials and not repeats.

Have a nice teaching! From: English Learning Camp.

More details...

Bali: The Island of Paradise

Foreigners may know Bali better than our country, Indonesia. As a matter of fact, Bali is a province of Indonesia, the country in the East that comprises a thousand of islands. Bali is one of those islands, the islands that are scattered across the archipelago. This may have happened, as Bali is among those of interesting places of the world that is always charming visitors. One should not have ever visited our country unless he/she visits Bali, nor should they proclaim themselves as the real travelers without travelling this paradise. The splendid beauty of the island that has been enchanting its visitors all the times refers Bali Island to as the Island of Paradise.

Bali was discovered by a Mr. Cornellis de Houtman, during his world expedition to explore for species around the world in 1579. From Java they sailed to the east, before finally they landed on the beautiful Bali Island.

In Bali, he did not find any species thereto but the society with a unique living that he had never seen in other places during his expedition all over the word. The beautiful landscape of the island and its religious living tradition of the society were distinctive attraction that no other places of the world might offer. He reported this marvelous discovery to the king in Holland, then.

Since 1920, tourists from the European countries had been coming to this island. Hollandaise commercial vessels called on Bali during their exploration to find out resources of species and then promoted Bali Island as the Island of God.

Some of the visitors were cultural specialists and artists that visited Bali with special purpose of exploring the Balinese cultures and arts. Many publications about Bali were launched to promote Bali Island.

Writers of Balinese literature at that time were among others:

Dr Gregor Krause from Germany was sent to Wetherisnds East Idies (Indonesia) in 1921 with a special task of compiling writings and photographs of the Balinese traditions.
Miguel Covarrubias, wrote his book of the Island of Bali in 1930
Magaret Mead
Collin Mc Phee
Jone Bello
Mrs Menc (Ni Ketut Tantri) wrote her book of Revolt In Paradise
Roelof Goris, wrote a book of Prasasti Bali (Balinese historic inscription) lived in Bali in 1928
Lovis Conperus (1863-1923) wrote a book of Easwords (The journey to the east), contents of which was his admiration to Bali Island, especially Kintamani.

Arts painters who had been working in Bali:

R. Bonet built Ratna Warta museum
Walter Spies, who came to Bali in 1925, together with Tjokorde established Pita Maha Foundation. He also wrote a book of Dance and Drama in Bali.
Arie Smith, coming with style of young artist
Le Mayeur, a Belgian, married with a Balinese girl and was living in Sanur, Bali Island in 1930 with his Museum Le Mayeur.
Mario Blanco, a Spanish painter, also married with Balinese girl and was living in Ubud.

Many foreigners had been coming to Bali and made many publications about Bali, and they promoted Bali to Europeans and Americans since then. Visitors who had ever been to Bali share their experiences to others and this is a tremendous way to introduce the splendid Bali to the world. This long way of promotion which was at the first time from mouth-to-mouth that perhaps had been affecting people in other countries, up to this time being, to know Bali better than Indonesia.

Bali was getting more and more well known in the world when Legong Peliatan conducted a mission of tourism in 1932, to almost all countries in Europe and America. Bali was named as:
The Island of Gods
The Island of Paradise
The Island of Thousand Temples
The Morning of The World, by Pandit Jawahral Nehru
The Last Paradise on Earth, ect.

From any airport all over the world, visitor may fly to international airport Ngurah Rai in Denpasar, the provincial city of Bali. Since you step your feed on the airport, you will then experience the unique atmosphere of Bali: the living tradition of praying at pura (small temples for praying), beautiful Bali landscapes or enchanting seas panorama.

Guesthouses, motels, non-rated or five-star hotels are available in Bali and you may pick out one that most suit you. You may hire cars or motorcycles and enjoy exploring distinctive Bali at your preference.

The government has been unceasingly promoting Bali to other countries in many ways, such as: promoting through Embassy offices, tourism package tours to some other countries, brochures and leaflets, and other means of promotion. Now Bali has been the most visited-tourism destination in Indonesia, both by domestic and foreign visitors.

So, experience Bali! Bali Island, the Island of Paradise, it is true!

*pictures: from www.bali-pictures.com

More details...

Happy Birthday to My President!

The President Elect Susilo Bambang Yudoyono is celebrating his 60th birthday today, on 09-09-09. Happy Birthday to my President! It is a belief that ‘9’ (nine) is a symbol of top achievement before something restarts counting again from ‘0’ (zero). When the president is today celebrating his birthday on this unique composition of figure, it is not only a happiness of himself and his family, but also a hope of all the people of the country to be the accumulated good fate to the nation.

The modern numeric prophecy believes that the sacred 9 refer to accomplishment, satisfaction and utmost achievement. Nine is the culmination of anything before it has to restart counting again from zero. For this reason some has taken the chance to commence or promote something on the ‘good’ date.

Reuters has reported that a government office in Florida is offering a special wedding party, which costs of USD.99, 99 for today. Many companies have decided to take this good chance to gain the advantages. A Company of iPod was reported to launch their new product on the 09-09, and Film Features is launching a film titled as ‘9’.

As the ordinary people of the republic, we are here placing a hope of having any significant improvements on the conditions closed us. That, with this good moment, the president will be starting his second term of presidency with the good commencement. People are expecting betterment of the national economic growth, wider job opportunities, national stability, and clean governance.

Happy birthday to my president!

More details...

This Is Just an Amateur Blog

It is easy to create a web log / a blog as it just takes you five minutes. Open account with Google or Yahoo to have your own e-mail and log in with Blogger, Multiply or Wordpress to create your blog. Within five minutes, you will have got your own blog and you can write down anything on it, and then any one in the other part of the world would see your blog. If so, what is the difficult part of blogging?

Yes, to create a blog is an easy thing. The problem is how to maintain it to be existing. I fact, so many blogs are facing the fate of being neglected by the owners like a farm with no plants. It is unknown if the owners still remember the blog, or once in a while, they still visit it. When someone happens to pay a visit to this neglected blog, they find that it has not been updated for 2 or 3 years since the owner posted the first, and perhaps the last article. Thus, to my opinion, writing articles to post is the hardest work of blogging.

When I created this blog, the first thing emerged in my mind is having a place where I can write anything. Yes, I want to learn to write. Since I am not a writer, I do not teach you how to be a good writer or how to write well. If you find out some articles about how to write in this blog, it is just the manifestation of my idea with some reference. It is not a dogma of how to write. If someone thinks that some points of those writings may be logic and acceptable, it is another question.

On the other hand, if someone would think that the contents of this blog are poor or even terrible, it would not bother me at all. Why? The answer is just simple: because, in fact, I am not a writer. I am but a learner who wants to learn to write. The fact that the articles here perhaps do not comply with the writing techniques nor grammatically incorrect would not be a killing punch that renders me to desperation. Good or bad, it is my writing! The most important thing is trying how to improve it. To be poor in originality may be far better than perfection in plagiarism.

This is also not a splendid appearance of blog that present full magnificent displays and attracts hundreds of visitors a day. This is just a simple one with not more than 10 visitors a day and they just accidentally – not on purpose – dropped by. It doesn’t matter, as well. This is not a business blog nor a professional one designed to charm people as many as it can to visit. This is just a plain and amateur blog, the place where I personally learn many things.

You may see the moving banner with the clause ‘the site that makes you speak’ but you are wandering as not to see any part of this blog that makes you speak rather than just write. Yes, you are absolutely perfect. Realizing that I am not a professional English teacher, a linguist, nor an expert of this language, again I have to say, I do not teach you English. For the time being, I am still learning English and try to write down anything here. So, this is just the way of how I learn English. If someone may take any advantage of it, it is just another side for which I should be proud of. In the contrary, when no one see anything appropriate in this blog, it would not be a big thing to dispute.
A professor may think that learning to speak is sticking glued to the phonetics rules, sitting in a language laboratory or, in front of the class, presenting the speech. And with his almighty, the professor is keeping on watch to his students, justifying each student whether he is eligible to be classified as ‘speak’ or not. Street vendors in Bali will thing that speaking English is sounding any words to offer their merchants to buyers. And no one will argue if the vendors say: ‘Yes, we speak English.’ Speaking is sounding words to express one’s idea and his counterparts catch the meaning. The two different perceptions of the way to learn speaking English.

The main four skills of English learning are reading, writing, listening, and speaking. But, each does not mean to be a separate aspect of skill. One should be an integral of the others. Speaking does not always equivalent with practicing pronunciation, dialogues, or presenting a speech. One may also start with reading, writing, or listening. As these four skills are integrated, you may start with reading first when you learn to speak.

I am learning English here with first being much involved with the writing activities, but you are, as the readers, would perhaps start with reading. To my opinion, this is also the way to learn speaking. When you read one of the article loudly so that you will know how to pronounce each word correctly, this is also the way to speak. Usually, if you have a good command of reading, writing, and listening, then you will be proficient in speaking, as well. The first-three skills will support your speaking skill. Thus, again, to learn to speak one may choose from the other side.

I am almost overwhelmed with daily heap of works of export-import documentation and serving customers or other related parties from 8.00 a.m. up to 20.00 p.m. A few after office hours, I try to be with my family before they finally go to bed. The next one or two hours later, at the midnight, I try to manage this blog. Yes, I think I don not have much time to do many things. Anyhow, In the limitation of time and capability, I commit to maintain this blog existing.

One thing is now to be certain: this is not a magnificent blog like ones that are now available on clicks. This is but an amateur one, just a place to share experiences in English Learning. But, another thing has also to be certain: it will be going on. Not to teach, but to share!

The site keeper

More details...

Islands of Mentawai On Sales

Media has reported that three islands of Mentawai are on sale. It has triggered many reactions from all circles. The spokesman of the House Representatives, Agung Laksono, asked the Police Cheif to investigate the issue thoroughy as selling islands is criminal abousive violence to the state unity and soverignity. The Local Provincial Office of West Sumatra and Mentawai Distric said that there is no island on sale, and the data in the web of privateislandsonlines.com are incorrect.Below article was quoted from Kompas, August, 2009 and translated to English for your reference.

The Provincial Office of West Sumatra and the District Office of Mentawai have refused that some islands are on sale, as it was released by a website on internet. The data in the web are not accurate.

The sale of the islands was released by privateislandsonline.com, who has been advertising that three islands are on sale, namely: Macaroni Island, Siloinak, and Kandui.

The assistant of the provincial office secretary of West Sumatra, Sinang Subekti said on Thursday 27/08, that the data on the web are not correct. He ensured that there is no island in Mentawai on sale.

We have informed the issue to the management of the tourism resorts and they confirmed that there is no island on sale. We do not see any law violence perpetrated by the resorts operator in Mentawai.

The Regent Assistant of Mentawai Islands, Yudas Sabaggalet, said that the three islands claimed on the website are not correct. Macaroni is a resort, covering 6 acres of area in Tanjung Sinai, Silabu Village, North Pagai Sub-district. This resort belongs to PT. Indah Internusa Bahagia , a foreign investment company (PMA) in 2004.

Kandui is a resort in Karangmajat Besar Island, covering area of 9.1 acres from the 60 acres of the Karangmajat Besar Island. This resort got a license in 2007.

Siloinak Island has been under management control of PT. Mentawai Surat Wisata since 2009. This foreign company does not control the whole island of 8 acres, but only manages a tourism resort of one acre.

The president director of PT. Mentawai Surak Wisata, Novi Leni Safitri, said that she had never passed any data of the island to the web owner. ‘We operate the resort here as usual and have never had any thought of selling the company, or even the island’, Novi added.

Novi does not have a plan to claim the web owner as this issue has now been taken over by the government. According to Novi, the rumor of the sale of the island has been spreading over since two years ago.

The same idea was also released by the president director of Kandui resort in Mentawai, Anom Suheri. He ensures that he has ever given any data of the resort to the web owner.

The Director General of the Control for the Sea and Fishery Assets of the Department of Seas, Aji Sularo, said that the government will investigate the ad of the islands sale to the web owner in Canada.

“We are making use of the diplomatic line with Canada to ask for any clarification, concerning to the advertisement of the island sale on the web. In case of further case (law violence) disclosed, we shall claim for law pursuit’, he added.

More details...

Radio: Chase Away Your Loneliness

You may be living abroad now for a relatively long time for studies, official duties, or doing a business, and you feel a little homesick. You may be longing for ‘something Indonesian’ to chase away your loneliness. It might be someone from Indonesia to whom you can chat together, or watching a television on Indonesia news and journals. But if you cannot find them, you may have another choice of listening to voice of Indonesian reporters who are on air broadcasting news, playing music or presenting live talk show with listeners over the radios. You just turn on your laptop and click on one online radio streamer. You will feel as if you were in Indonesia, not far away from your home country. Online radio streamers can help you to chase away your loneliness.

In the mid of the vast attacks of the television innovation and or other audio devices like MP3/MP4, do the radios still have their fans like when they were on their golden age several decades ago? Almost in every city in this country, we still find more than just one radio station. Some people start or end the day by turning on the radio. While they are preparing themselves for their activities of the day, they listen to the radio. Or, when they are trapped in a traffic jam and have to seat in their car creeping the road, the trust the radio to entertain them. Some have a habit of listening to radio at hours before they sleep at night. Others say that they look like to have personal attachment to the radio. If this can be an indication, radios are still in the heart of their listeners.

There are some advantages why radios are still have their own fanatic listeners and are not apart from their heart. Not like televisions that require the viewers to stick glued on the screen, radios allow listeners to multitask. Listeners can do other works while they are listening to the radio. Radios may be also friendlier as listeners can call and share their feeling and emotion in a certain program designed to accommodate such sigh. This prominence is likely beyond the television.

Almost in any radio station, music seems to be the favorite program. Some have designed routine program that offers certain kind of music like pop, jazz, rock, dangdut (a kind of music from Malay), or nostalgic one. Others are presenting music on request, in which listeners can call the operator to ask a song to be played on air. If you are one who likes to have the first updates of the day, then you can tune ones that present news. Local contents such as traditional music and art shows are sometimes presented to entertain listeners of the surroundings.

Not only conventional radio stations that have been existing many years ago, with the rampant use of internet, online radio streamers are now available on your finger’s click. Not like the conventional ones, these online streamers need less infrastructure but with wider coverage of their listeners. Only with your personal computer or laptop and Internet connection your are now in the other continent may listen to any online radio of your town. Thus, you can enjoy your hometown nuance while you are living abroad.

Here are some of online streamers that you may pick up to chase away your loneliness while your are faraway from your hometown.

Jogyakarta:

http://jogjastreamers.com

Bali

http://bramwijaya.blogspot.com
http://gitabali.com
http://cassanovabalifm.com
http://cdbsfm.com


Jakarta:

http://Djwirya.com

http://hardrockfm.com

Lombok

http://globalfmlombok.blogspot.com


Other radio streamers:

http://enterindonesia.com/radio/index.html

The site keeper

More details...

Our Independence Day

It has been a tradition to every one in our kampoong to do something special to welcome the Independence Day. Pak RT, the kampoong chief, hold a meeting with the residents to discuss what agenda to be taken. It is almost to be certain that we start it by setting up a committee, called as ‘Panitia Tujuh Belasan’ or ‘Panitia Pitulasan’. Tujuh Belas in Indonesian or Pitulasan in Javanese means the seventeenth of August, when we commemorate the Independence Day. This committee organizes all the events such as the mass social works to clean and dress up the environment, festive competitions and gathering for praying at the Independence Eve. There are many ways to celebrate our Independence Day, of course.

The committee usually organizes festive competition of some sports like volleyball, table tennis, and chess game for fathers and mothers. Some funny games or competitions are for children of the surroundings. We clean and dress up the environment with red-and-white flags and colorful banners to make splendid atmosphere. We do all the things to celebrate our independence to recall the great moment in history about 64 years ago when we get freedom from the colonists.

Hundreds of years our nation had been suffering from the wildest life of the colonialism era, and these miseries invited local and sporadic attacks against the colonist. Uncounted lost of possessions and souls were sacrificed with no result, until the nation came to the national awakening for which we recall it as Hari Kebangkitan Nasional on every May 20. Since the day all efforts to get rid of the colonialism were not on district basis, but on national basis. It was the change of the paradigm in the efforts and struggles to get freedom.

It was on the August 17, 1945 when Mr. Soekarno and Mr. Moh.Hatta, for and on behalf of the nation, proclaimed the Indonesia’s Independence to the world. Since then, we have been an independent nation after so long-sufferings from colonialism. History has recorded that this independence was not granted, but it was fought over with terrible pains, efforts and struggles. It was engraved with tears and paints, bodies and souls.

In commemoration to the Independence Day, we arrange festive events to express our thanks and joy for the freedom. In other side, it is to pray for the heroes passed away in the battles for the independence. Festivals are usually held a few days before or after the August 17. On the Independence Eve, we all gather in a wide-open space with foods offerings. After a written speech from the local regent or major usually read by the village chief, and one from the kampoong chief, an ulama prays for the predecessor heroes. In the same time, he appeals His blessing for the strength and tough to continue the on going development of the country.

A few days, usually until a week later, some festive events are still going on in some villages. Funny games such as panjat pinang (palm tree climbing) are popular among the village residents. In this game, participants will have to climb a palm tree to take some gifts on the top of the tree. It is not an easy game to do as the tree greased with fat before and is becoming slick when the contestants climbing it. Music shows are often presented to end the subsequent events arranged during the commemoration period. This is the way of how to express our thanksgivings to God for the freedom moment.

Now, after 64 years of the Independence Day, we are not holding guns and fire the enemies. We do not have to go to the battlefields confronting the colonists. What we have to do is to develop the country to pursue justice and welfare for all people. This is not an easy task to do of course, and is not only in the hands of the government officials but on ours, all the elements of the nation. It is the task of the nation to get rid of the backwardness.

There are some barriers that we have to overcome. Those might be coming for the outside such as global economic crisis and the fluctuation of the world oil prices. The hard works are how to create a breakthrough to be sustainable to these attacks. From the inside, the low economic growth, the increase of jobless, corruption and illiteracy are waiting tasks of the nation to be overcome. In addition, the country is still prone to any security disturbance and separatism that may hamper foreign investors to come.

We have been 64 years free from the chain of colonialism, but we are facing the new manifestation of it that curbs us from being the developed country. Could we now get rid of all these disadvantages? We may have been left some decades behind those developed countries, but there is only one answer from this nation: YES!

Mojokerto, August 2009

The site keeper

More details...

Translators Will Never Die!

You may have been taking a career of a translator now, or still thinking of that for the time being. At the same time, perhaps, you let your thought overwhelmed with the anxiety of the now-existing translator software or free-online translating services like Google Translate that will take over the function of a translator and then many translators will no longer exist. There should be no reason for this fear, as dealing with languages is the matter of artistically getting involved with sense, feeling and emotion and not one of the machines.

To translate from a language to another, it is not just transferring the meaning of each word or phrase, but it is shifting one within the context. It is to transfer the contents and the ‘soul’ altogether, taking what the writer of the origin language wrote and placing it in the new frame of the target language. It is basically proclaiming the thought of the author to the language of ours, without any form of distortion.

Proficiency in the foreign language is not adequate without having the same degree of the capability in ones’ own language. The readers of the target language will comprehend the contents not in the source language, in which it was originally written by the author, but in reader’s own language. Thus, a translator translates sense with no corruption, while they are offering service to the readers, so that they understand and take meaning from what they are reading.

To translate the whole contents of the text, translators must also be an artist as translation is actually also an art. They should take the role of actors like those characters playing in the context. They are also acting as the original writer of the source text, but do the same in the target language. In this way, they should be involved emotionally in the whole context as if they were the origin author, and at the same time represent thoughts the readers of the target language. This is what makes you different with a translator machine.

Now, let’s see how you are translating and how a machine is doing! Take a look to this quoted text:

There was much to admire in president-elect Barrack Obama’s speech on the economy at George Mason University on Thursday. He candidly assessed the country’s predicament, calling it a “bad situation that could become dramatically worse”. He sounded a note of confidence about Americans’s capacity nevertheless to “overcome great fear and improbable odds”. And he offered a point-to-point description of American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan. (from The Washington Post, Washington DC).

In Indonesian, you may translate the text like this one.

Ada hal yang sangat mengagumkan pada pidato Presiden terpilih Barack Obama tentang economi di Universitas George Mason hari Kamis. Beliau secara terus terang menyinggung situati negara yang sulit untuk mengambil keputusan, yang ia sebut sebagai ‘situasi sulit yang secara dramatis dapat menjadi semakin buruk’. Ia menyerukan nota keyakinan akan kemampuan bangsa Amerika, sekali pun harus menghadapi kekawatiran besar yang seakan tak mungkin. Dan beliau menawarkan uraian dari poin ke poin mengenai Pemulihan Amerika dan Rencana Re-investasi.

And, this is the translation from a translating software:

Ada banyak kagumi dalam memilih presiden-Barrack Obama's sambutannya pada ekonomi di George Mason University pada hari Kamis. Dia candidly dinilai dari keadaan negara, panggilan yang "buruk situasi yang dapat menjadi lebih buruk dramatis". Dia terdengar catatan dari Amerika keyakinan tentang kemampuan bagaimanapun untuk "mengatasi ketakutan dan sangat mustahil". Dan ia ditawarkan point-to-point description of America Rencana Pemulihan dan Reinvestment.

Principally, the contents may be translated the same. But, the first style looks like more familiar to Indonesian readers who are in the use of Indonesian. Here, the translator is involving their emotion, feeling and sensibility in not only transferring the contents but also in framing it into Indonesian language.

In the second one, it appears to be in coming-from-machine style. As a machine is working on a systematically programmed-software, the target text looks like having lost ‘the humanity’. In case that it is subject to publication, some editing may have to be taken to adjust the text with the ‘Indonesian ears’.

From the outlines, it should be no more excessive worry of being defeated by the mushrooming innovated translating software in the nowadays-internet era. ‘Human translators’ are now widely needed on line, from which you may be also making some money. If you are willing to try as a freelance translator, you don’t have to leave your chair and just push on one-click mouse button. Try to visit TranslatorsCafe or ProZ. You will see not only bids of translating works, but also more things in relation to the translation worlds. Translator will never die!

More details...

Thinking Career as a Travel Guide?

Have you ever heard working or even thinking of a career as a tourist guide? If you are proficient in any foreign language, enjoy working with people, and like taking journeys, this kind of career may best fit you. Anyway, as this position is much dealing with people and most of them are foreigners, you will have to meet the standard of performance, language, techniques, and knowledge of culture and objects. It is the way of how to make visitors enjoy their whole visit with satisfaction, security, and great impression.

According to the Constitution No. 10/2009 of the Republic of Indonesia about the Tourism, a tourist guide is anyone with certain requirements who serve guidelines, information, explanation and any other assistance that may be required by the tourists. Thus, a guide is an intermediary between the local tourist attractions and the visitors. Their main responsibility is unveiling the icon of local tourist attractions, traditions, arts and cultural particulars to them so that they may take certain values from what they have been visiting upon their coming home. They are acting like a conductor that is transferring electricity from one point of power supply to a point where an apparatus may require it to operate.

Tourist guides take a strategic position in the tourism industry as, extending to their main duties, at the same time, they are acting as the agent of marketing and public relations. They are not just ‘transferring’ but also selling the value to the same people for the next coming, or to the new visitors to whom previous visitors may have been referring. For this important role, a comprehensive coverage of knowledge, skills, and attitude should be owned by anyone who is willing to make a career as a guide.

From the point of visitors, they would like to have the whole visit enjoyable, secured and impressing. They would expect a guarantee of what they may have to pay is comparable with the values they experience during their visit. In this context, they would prefer to take assistance from a tourist guide to whom they may rely on their necessities.

Qualified trainings of all the aspects of guiding, such as the knowledge of the objects, the guiding techniques and how to treat people is also the urgent agenda. The local Travel Guides Association usually arranges all the programs required and provide adequate training schedule to all guides in the area. Upon completion of the training, participants should acquire certificate as a formal ‘fits and proper’ certification. A tourist guide should have a membership identity card from the local association, since with it he will ensure his guests. Visitors will also feel free from the worry of being abused.

The exciting aspects of serving as a tour guide that not all people have a chance to explore are, among others:

1. Experiencing more aspects

Since serving as tour guide will have wider places to visit, more various people to meet and more things from which secrecy of the past living to be uncovered, a travel guide is compiling more experiences of living. They know more things in the line with their adventurous daily works.

2. Learning more things

The role of a travel guide is to unveil the reverse side of all the objects in the resorts. Let say, visitors pay a visit to temple, externally they will see easily that it was constructed of integrated small units of stones, relief and mortar but do they know who, when, why and how it was built? It is then the task of the guide to unclose and explain the secrecy to visitors. With the assistance from a guide, they not just gain physical appearance of the object, but they will also experience ‘the souls’ as a unity. To do this, a guide should learn first about the particulars.

3. Improving languages

It is obviously undoubted that guiding is requesting someone to be talkative. In explaining the object or answering questions, principally it is how they make their guests understand comprehensively. The guides must have adequate proficiency of the spoken language. As most of them are having specialty in English, and those of other languages are still in finger figures, it will be much advisable if a guide is proficient in more than just one foreign language.

4. Obtaining wider relationship

As taking a career of a travel guide is not as that of working in a chemistry laboratory, but much dealing with people, guides will certainly have wide relationship. If guides are working in such a way, and with their service visitors think the visit is impressing, it means that good relationship has been tied together. How you entertain and color the whole visit will determine the scope of relationship. Imagine if a guide makes this good relation to each person related in this industry, what a wide relationship it is!


Now, what are the thinks that travel guide should evade in relation to the closed-relationship with people:

1) Do not sell anything to visitors or ask commission
2) Do not dispute about the faith, religion, tradition, culture, social life or
political system of the country of visitors
3) Do not tell personal affair to invite a sympathy from visitors
4) Do not blame colleagues or any party of the surroundings
5) Do not ask tips

Are you interested in this entertaining-travelers world? Please contact the local office of the Travel Guides Association, as they usually provide assistance to both of their members and the visitors.

Mojokerto, 18/07/2009
the site keeper

More details...

Learning English in a Jungle

If you are learning English, you are usually in school, in your own room or in that of an English course. To make it comfortable, the room has been designed in such doing and equipped with air conditioning, audio-visual learning aids, or anything that will support the process of learning. Have you ever heard learning English in a jungle? It looks like strange, but if you watch a legendary film of Tarzan you see that Tarzan speaks English fluently. Is there any English course in the jungle where he has been so long surviving in the midst of animal world?

Do you know why Tarzan speaks English well? Ok, do not take it seriously. The film is only a fiction and the actor who is taking the role of Tarzan maybe a native speaker. That is why Tarzan is speaking English perfectly. But, I do not mean that, do I?

What I mean with learning English in a jungle is that we learn the way as Tarzan has been surviving in the midst of the jungle, the place where no one offers any help to his life. It is not a logic that a powerless baby can live in a juggle, without anyone else, surviving in the wild jungle where almost dangerous animal’s attacks may threaten. The most valuable lesson is that how he is learning to survive.

Supposed we are now stranded at any place of an English speaking country, say England or USA, and without any adequate knowledge of English we have to survive over there. What will we do to preserve living? There is no other way rather than just adapting to the local basic condition, and to do this we must learn the language in use: English!

Since learning English is not just as like the one that we are doing here, and in the above illustration it is a compulsory, we are forced to learn it with no other choice. It is a matter of do or don’t. And as you must survive in the remote-far-from-homeland place, you will be leaning English faster.

Of course, we do not need to be a Tarzan and go to wild jungle, nor we are stranded in other countries. The way of learning that is valuable to take is that we should learn like Tarzan. Don’t be afraid of taking the start; don’t worry of making mistakes. It is a common practice, as a learner, if we make some errors in learning. From these ‘good errors’ we can learn to avoid the same things happen for the twice. We built the excellence from the errors, and build perfection from the limitation.

Tarzan in the real life may be similar with the street vendors who are selling souvenirs in the tourist resorts like ones in Bali or Yogyakarta. To offer the merchants and get money from foreign tourists or visitors they have to speak English; and to do this they learn the language. They way they are learning is not like what the students do, who are sitting in the class with the guidance from their teacher, but vendors do like what Tarzan does. They learn in the jungle, they learn from the wildness of living, from the resorts where they may expect for some rupiahs.

We may have been learning English for many years, perhaps from the first year we were in school until now when we had left the class. But we should be dare enough to question ourselves, is our English in proportion of sense with the long time we have taken to learn it? Or, even until now we still do not speak? Street vendors who are learning English in a Tarzan’ way, learning from the hard life, may be more capable. Not like we are who always prefer to wander in doubt of learning.

Let’s start learning like Tarzan.

Mojokerto, 15/07/09
the site keeper ( a friend of Tarzan, but not an orangutan )

More details...

Correct English (1): Noun, Pronoun & Adjective

Contents dalam blog ini saya tambah dengan satu serial baru yang saya namai: Correct English. Dalam materi ini kita tidak membahas mengenai tata bahasa atau grammar yang njelimet, ruwet dan complicated tetapi lebih kepada tips menggunakan Bahasa Inggris yang baik dan benar, menghindari kesalahan-kesalahan umum yang sering terjadi. Seperti halnya serial English For Young Learners, kita tidak menekankan pembahasan rumus ketata-bahasaan, tetapi membahas penerapannya. Rumus-rumus grammar yang njlimet bisa anda temukan sendiri di toko-toko buku. Referensi yang saya pakai adalah buku Corect English, karangan B.A. Thytian, (1985).


Memahami Tata Bahasa

Supaya bisa memahami struktur Bahasa Inggris kita perlu memahami fungsi kata. Satu kata sederhana bisa mempunyai arti yang berbeda. Apalagi bila kata itu kemudian sudah diperluas dangan menambahkan modifier sehingga membentuk sebuah frasa (phrase).

Kita ambil contoh sebagai berikut:

He is sound.
The sound is too loud.

Dalam kalimat yang pertama kata sound adalah kata sifat (adjective) yang memberi keterangan pada subject (he). Dalam kalimat yang kedua, sound adalah jenis kata benda (noun) yang mempunyai jabatan sebagai subyek (subject).

Jenis kata ini dalam Bahasa Inggris disebut sebagai ‘parts of speech’. Mari kita coba membahas satu per satu:

1. Kata benda = nomina (noun)

Nomina fungsinya untuk memberi nama pada benda atau orang. Benda di sini bisa berupa tempat, keadaan, perbuatan, kualitas, atau konsep.

Mojokerto, farm, yard (tempat)
happiness, sadness, calm (keadaan)
works, action, innovation, invitation (tindakan)
hospitality, tranquillity (kualitas)
privacy, democracy, crime (konsep)

Ditinjau dari bentuknya kata benda ini ada yang tunggal (singular), jamak (plural), tunggal sekaligus jamak, bahkan selalu jamak.

apple, book, man, mouse, box (tunggal)
apples, books, men, mice, boxes (jamak)
fruit, sheep, fish (tunggal dan jamak)
pants, scissors, trousers (selalu dalam bentuk jamak)

Ada juga kata benda yang digunakan untuk menamai sekelompok orang atau benda disebut collective noun, misalnya : herd, group, public.

Kata benda untuk menamai orang atau benda secara unik ditulis dengan awalan huruf besar: the Prime Minister, the Mount Merapi

Kata benda kadang-kadang dipakai berdampingan, yang satu menjelaskan yang lainnya, ini disebut noun in apposition (berdampingan).

Mugito Guido, the site keeper, is writing an article
Mbah Surip, the song write, is becoming rich.

2. Pronoun = promina = kata ganti

Kata ganti fungsinya untuk mengganti kata benda yang telah disebutkan sebelumnya (antecedent) agar tidak terjadi pengulangan beberapa kali.

The car hit the tree. The car is now placed at the nearby police station.
Nancy is absent now. Nancy may be at home.

Untuk menghindari pengulangan kata yang sama, dua kalimat tersebut dapat ditulis:

The car hit the tree. It is now placed at the nearby police station.
Nancy is absent now. She may be at home.

Kata ganti dapat berbentuk tunggal : I , you (kamu), he, she, it, atau pun jamak: You (kalian) , we, they.

Pengelompokan kata ganti:

1) Personal pronoun / persona / kata ganti orang: I, my, mine / he, him, his / you, your, yours / they, them, their, … dan seterusnya.
2) Demonstrative (penunjuk): this, those, that, those. Misalnya : This belongs to you.
3) Interrogative (penanya): who, whose, which, what. Misalnya: Who ate my orange?
4) Indefinite (tidak tentu): anyone, no-one, each, either, …
5) Relative (penghubung): who, whose, whom, what, which, that

3. Kata ganti = adjektive = adjective

Kata ganti fungsinya adalah menerangkan atau sebagai modifier kata benda.

Round table – meja bundar, kata sifat ‘bundar’ menerangkan ‘meja’
Red devil – setan merah, kata sifat ‘merah’ menerangkan ‘setan’

Biasanya kata sifat diletakkan di depan kata yang diterangkan:

Some terrible nights
interesting nice stories
black giant shark

Namun ada juga beberapa kata sifat yang tidak ditempatkan di depan:

The girl looks tired and pale.

Dalam kenyataanya kata-kata dalam Bahasa Inggris bisa berfungsi baik sebagai kata benda maupun kata sifat:

democracy mandate, chief officer, humidity degree

Demikian Correct English kali ini membahas secara singkat mengenai jenis kata benda (noun), kata ganti (pronoun) dan kata sifat (adjective). Kita akan melanjutkan lagi dengan jenis kata yang lain dalam pelajaran yang akan datang.

(bersambung…)

Mojokerto, 15/07/09

the site keeper

More details...

English For Young Learners (3)

Bila kamu bercerita, pada intinya kamu melukiskan pengalaman, kegiatan, ataupun kejadian yang kamu alami di waktu lampau, waktu yang belangsung sekarang, maupun waktu yang akan datang. Dalam pelajaran yang terdahulu, kita telah mempelajari bagaimana mengungkapkan peristiwa yang kita alami sehari-hari, maupun yang tengah dialami, atau sedang berlangsung. Bagaimana, gampangkan? Ayo sekarang kita belajar bagaimana menceritakan kegiatan yang terjadi pada waktu lampau, artinya kejadiannya sudah lewat waktu kita bercerita. Kita akan membahasanya dalam Simple Past Tense.

Simple Past Tense, pola kalimatnya adalah:

Dalam membuat kalimat, subyek diikuti dengan kata kerja bentuk II atau bentuk lampau, contohnya:

           Aku menjenguknya kemarin.                            I visited her yesterday
           Ia menyapaku dengan ramah.                         She called me friendly.
           Aku pulang tengah hari.                                    I went to home at noon.
           Aku merasa bahagia.                                         I felt happy.

Dalam contoh di atas I diikuti dengan visited, she diikuti called, I diikuti dengan went dan I diikuti dengan felt. Visied, called, went, dan felt merupakan bentuk ke-2 atau bentuk lampau dari: visit, call, go, dan feel. Lebih jelasnya begini:

Bentuk I (present) Bentuk II (past)

                        visit                         visited
                        call                          called
                        go                            went

                        feel                          felt

Mungkin timbul pertanyaan, kenapa kata visit dan call menjadi bentuk lampau dengan hanya menambahkan ‘ed’, sedangkan kata ‘go’ dan ‘feel’ berubah bentuknya? Ya, itu pertanyaan yang cerdas.

Benar. Dalam Bahasa Inggris, kata kerja ada yang beraturan (regular) dan ada yang tidak beraturan (irregular). Untuk menjadikan kata kerja yang beraturan ke dalam bentuk II atau lampau, cukup dengan menambahkan ‘ed’ di belakang.

                mengunjungi              visit visit + ed visited
                menyapa                    call call + ed called
                berbicara                    talk talk + ed talked
                bekerja                       work wrok + ed worked

Beberapa ketentuan untuk membentuk Simple Past Tense kata kerja yang beraturan / regular verb:

• Kata kerja yang berakhiran –pe, hanya ditambah dengan ‘d’ saja

               hope – hoped
               note – noted

• Kata kerja / verb yang berakhiran – y, bila di depan huruf ‘y’ itu huruf mati (consonant), maka ‘y’ menjadi ‘i’ baru ditambahkan ‘ed’.

               belajar                         study - studied
               membawa                  carry - carried
               menjelaskan              clarify - clarified

• Kata kerja /verb yang berakhiran – y, bila di depan huruf ‘y’ itu adalah huruf hidup (vowel) dan huruf hidup itu mengikuti satu huruf mati, maka ‘y’ berubah menjadi ‘i’ dan ditambahkan ‘d’

membayar               pay                       paid
berbaring                 lay                         laid

• Kata kerja /verb yang berakhiran – y, bila di depan huruf ‘y’ itu adalah huruf hidup (vowel) dan huruf hidup itu mengikuti lebih dari satu huruf mati, maka ‘y’ tidak berubah dan ditambahkan ‘ed’

bermain                 play played
tinggal                    stay stayed

Perubahan kata kerja yang tidak beraturan (irregular verb), dapat dilihat di kamus atau di buku mengenai grammar. Biasanya disitu disertakan daftar irregular verb-nya.

Penggunaan Simple Past Tense:

• Untuk melukiskan peristiwa yang terjadi di waktu lampau dan berakhirnya juga di waktu lampau.

Sejam yang lalu aku akan pisang.        I ate banana one hour ago.
                                                                     (makannya sudah satu jam yang lalu, sekarang tidak lagi)

Ia melempar bukunya.                        She threw the book. (melempar bukunya sudah lewat,                                                                               sekarang tidak lagi)

• Untuk melukiskan dua peristiwa yang terjadi bersamaan atau hampir bersamaan di waktu lampau. Peristiwa yang terjadi pada klausa yang dimulai dengan ‘when’ terjadi lebih awal.

Aku menulis surat dan adikku menonton TV.                 I wrote a letter and my brother watched the TV. ( peristiwa membaca dan menonoton TV terjadi bersamaan)

Susunya tumpah ketika ia memecahkan gelas.           The milk spilled out when she broke the glass. (gelas pecah duluan, baru susunya tumpah)

Kita lihat hasil karya kita sejak pelajaran I dan kita tambahkan beberapa kalimat yang meggunakan semple past tense. Hasilnya seperti ini.


I get up at 5.30 o’clock every day, but I wake up early this morning. It is 5.00 o’clock in the morning now. I open the window and the stars are still shinning. Not like the stars, the moon is getting fade. As usual, I clean the bedroom and then I take a bath. I don’t forget to brush the teeth. While I am taking a bath, my mother is preparing my breakfast. It takes me around 10 minutes to get dressed. I usually have breakfast at 06.00. If I am in hurry, just take a slice of bread and drink a glass of water.

I go to school at 06.30. I often take the same route to go to school. But yesterday I took another way, as there was an accident in Jl. Antasari, the way I usually go through. I car hit a motorist from the behind. Since the motorist wounded seriously, some nearest residents sent him to the hospital. When I passed the location this morning, no more people crowded. They all went away.

There are many things to do in school. I learn to read, write, draw and sing. I listen to the teacher when she explains the lessons. Sometimes, she does not allow us to write anything while she is explaining the difficult subject. Yesterday, Ms. Anne got upset because while she was explaining, some students talked to one to another.

I go home at 12.00 and arrive at home at 13.00. After I take a rest for a few minutes, I have lunch. In the evening, I help my mother, study and watch the television. I go to bed at 21.00. When I went to bed yesterday, my mother was still watching the television and my father was reading a newspaper. Tonight they went to bed earlier; I got so tired. I did may works the whole day.

Dengan menambahkan satu tenses lagi dalam cerita itu kini ceritanya menjadi lebih hidup. Jadi semakin lengkap kamu memahami tenses, maka selain menulis lebih gampang dan lancar, cerita yang kita tulis juga lebih hidup dang manarik. Baiklah kita cukupkan sampai di sini dulu pelajaran kali ini, kita akan melanjutkan dengan pelajaran yang lain mendatang.

Selamar belajar.
the site keeper

More details...

English Language: It is the part of my life!

I have been dealing with export- import documentations, banking negotiation and rules related to the international trade for the last 17 years, subsequently for three different companies. From one company to the other, 80 percent of my tasks is dealing with English language. With such a long dealing, and as working with the main charge is handling export documentation, English seems to have been not secluded from life. English is not just a hobby-related matter; it has been the part of my life, the part of livings. Is there anyone else who is still thinking of making English for livings?

If you are selling your products at domestic markets, you will receive payment when you deliver the goods to your buyers or at the maturity date if you are selling on tenor or you grant them a credit. It is not as simple as selling one at local markets when you are selling abroad or, as it is commonly famed as exporting. Exporting goods to other countries is more complicated in both delivery procedures and payment receivable.

The problems are because of the different country of the exporter (seller) and the importer (buyer), different currency, political situation, and different regulations. As the buyers are in different countries, we do not know exactly about their credibility. Furthermore, exporters and importers have different currency in use, different political situation and each authorities may differently regulate the flow of foreign currency or import commodity entries to their customs area.

In relation to the payment for the exported goods, exporter will have not just to deliver the goods and receive payment like one of local sales. They have to prepare a certain sets of documents required by the buyers for the cargoes release at the port of destination. These kinds of the documents are, export or shipping documents as people usually refer to, all in international-standardized English. As the staff preparing the export documents are in the demand of qualifying this international standard requirements, in both their knowledge of the type of duties and the respective language, proficiency in English is a must, or at least, it is more than just an average.

Staffs working for the export-import department are not only dealing with the export documents. Further to this clerical works, they must also get in touch with internal related departments and external institutions, such as customs, shipping lines, government institutions, embassies, consulates, and other related parties. Like preparing the documents, communicating with these institutions will also not keep apart from English.

When we are exporting the goods, when will we get payment from customers? It depends on the terms of the sales itself. If the term is payment in advance, of course we get fund prior to shipment. If the term is open account or document collections, we will get it after we ship the goods; depending on how many days we give them tenor.

Most exporters, however, prefer to sale under documentary letter of credit as this is considered as the most secured method of payment. Having prepared all the shipping documents required by the respective letter of credit, exporter will present the documents to their bank. As long as all of the documents comply with the letter of credit stipulations, bank will negotiate (pay first) the clean documents, while they claim to the opener bank of the letter of credit for reimbursement thereafter.

The other interesting job of an export-import staff is having calls or emails from customers or, sometimes, from other related parties. With their calls or emails, customers usually inquiry us for certain requests, or even, complain us for something that is not of their convenience. Often, they are upset for certain services that are not satisfactorily. In respond to all their dissatisfaction, we must be cool and calm. Customers’ complaints are not always correct, of course. Anyhow, we should treat them wisely as despite their hard complaints, they are our valuable assets.

After a thorough justification, we may clarify what have actually happened or, in case that the complaint is acceptable, we apologize and offer improvements for the next with certain compensations for the lost. To treat complains comfortably requires a skill of good public relation, as this may reflect the company image to them.

Working for export-import documentation as above described will require special skills and dealing with English is likely intact in day-to-day activities. Thus, English is not just a matter of hobby; it has been the part of life. Anyone who is now learning English language may also be thinking of this as an option of career. Not only does it give you prestigious position, but vacancies for qualified export-import staffs are now also widely available. Are you interested in?

Mojokerto, 08/07/2009
The site keeper

More details...