Friday, March 20, 2020

Tarkenton Essays - National Football League, American Football

Tarkenton Essays - National Football League, American Football Tarkenton Francis Asbury Tarkenton was born in Richmond, Virginia, To the Pastor Dallas Tarkenton. He grew up in Georgia, where he played played football. Although he was an all-state quarterback in high school and an All-American at the University of Georgia, he was not chosen in the professional draft of 1961 until the third round, when the Vikings, a newly established team, selected him. He won the starting quarterback position as a Rookie and with the Vikings led the team to an upset of the Chicago Bears in the team's first professional game. From the beginning of his professional career Tarkenton used his ability to elude tacklers and rush for yardage, which became his trademark. The coaches of the Vikings criticized his improvisations on the playing field, and after the 1966 season he was traded to the Giants, where he played from 1967 to 1971. In 1972 Tarkenton was traded back to the Vikings, leading them to the National Football Conference (NFC) Central Division title for six consecutive seasons (1973-1978) and to three Super Bowl games (1974, 1975, and 1977), all of which the Vikings lost. During the 1975 Super bowl Dallas Tarkenton Died of a Heart Attack while watching his son play football in his home. Dallas Tarkenton never understood or liked football but always watched his son play. Francis said this about his father, Daddy didnt know about football, so he might not understand how it could become that desperately important to a civilized person. But he did know humanity and therefore would not see it as an evil thing. Slowed by injuries, he played for a final season in 1978 and then retired. During his playing career Tarkenton developed a successful business career, which he continued after his retirement. He was American football player, a quarterback noted for his ability to run with the ball while looking for a receiver. He set numerous National Football League (NFL) passing records during his professional career with the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986.

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

The Uses of The

The Uses of The The Uses of â€Å"The† The Uses of â€Å"The† By Maeve Maddox A reader has a question about the use of the definite article the: I have been searching without success for a good and thorough explanation of how and when to use the. I have an Iranian friend, and his English is excellent, save for his use of the. Neither he nor I have been able to find anything that clearly and comprehensively explains all of the different uses. Any suggestions? I doubt any source can be found that explains â€Å"all of the different uses of the clearly and comprehensively.† One researcher has called the English article system a psychomechanism, â€Å"a system through which native speakers use articles correctly but unconsciously.† The misuse of the does not impede communication, but it is a clue that an email purporting to be from an English-speaking friend supposedly stranded in a foreign country is a scam. The only suggestion I can offer about the use of the is that the secret lies in the concepts of definiteness and countability. Definiteness A noun has â€Å"definiteness† when there is something unique or specific about it. Here are some examples: The sun was worshipped by the ancient Aztecs. (In this context, sun is uncountable) The driver found an injured cat. He took the cat to an animal clinic. (First it’s â€Å"a cat,† one among many. Once mentioned, it’s â€Å"the cat,† the specific cat that was picked up by the motorist.) She’s waiting for the bus. (In this context, â€Å"the bus† is a service.) Other examples: We took the train to Chicago. I prefer the telephone to email. The Salvation Army feeds the hungry and ministers to the poor. (The is used with adjectives that are used as nouns to denote a group.) Countability Nouns are said to be countable or uncountable. Other terms are count nouns and noncount nouns. Because countable nouns can be counted, they have a singular and a plural form: one cat, two cats. The difficulty with this category is that some nouns can be both countable and uncountable, depending on context. Compare: Major crops are cotton and rice. Fido takes the cotton out of all his toys. You prepare the salad and I’ll cook the rice. I don’t much care for coffee. They ordered three coffees and a tea. Here, you take the coffee. I don’t want it. His brother is still looking for work. She quit her job because she didn’t like the work. ESL speakers struggling with the uses of the will benefit from the use of a dictionary designed for them. Regular dictionaries don’t always categorize nouns as to count and noncount, but beginners’ dictionaries do. Nouns that are usually noncount can be learned according to certain categories. For example: Agricultural crops: coffee, rice, sugar, etc. Natural phenomena: rain, snow, gravity, etc. Liquids: water, wine, blood, etc. Abstractions: honesty, courage, intelligence, etc. The British Council site offers a thorough discussion of the uses of the. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:"Based in" and "based out of"Homogeneous vs. HeterogeneousUsing Writing Bursts to Generate Ideas and Enthusiasm