Science fiction elements essays

Science fiction elements essays Science fiction can be described as the scientific speculation of things to come. Science fiction writers take modern technology and elaborate and make intelligent guesses about its future, then put a catchy story behind it. Science fiction, like many forms of literature, has several sub-genres such as the space opera, heroic science fiction, hard science fiction, and more. Each sub-genre has its own elements that define them, but all tie into the same basis of excelled science in one way or another. The defining line between science fiction literature and fantasy literature is small but present. Writers and critics alike have debated and argued over the absolute defining characteristics of the two for centuries. The truth is there is no hard set of rules that can define weather a piece of work is science fiction or fantasy. The actual definition usually comes from weather the science fiction aspects or the fantasy aspects are more dominant in the story. Like I said before, there arent any steadfast rules to defining the work, but there are some commonly used identifiers. First of all there is the obvious element of time. Science fiction stories occur most often in the future, and the majority of fantasy stories happen in the past or in different worlds that would be considered to be a younger civilization than our own. These rules of time arent always true, however. There are exceptions to every rule and a good example of an exception in this case is The Giver, by Lois Lowry. The Giver is a fantasy tale that is set in the present or near future about having the ability to control thoughts and memories, thus defying the rule. On the other hand, a good example of a science fiction story that contradicts the rule is the Edgar Rice Burroughs work, A Princess of Mars. This tale, although set in the past just after the American Civil War, is a science fiction piec ...

Misuse of Connective Symbols with Numbers

Misuse of Connective Symbols with Numbers Misuse of Connective Symbols with Numbers Misuse of Connective Symbols with Numbers By Mark Nichol In each of the following sentences, a connective symbol is employed in a reference to numbers or numerical values, but the usage is incorrect. Explanation of the error, and a revision of the error, follows each example. 1. Open enrollment for 2018 runs from November 1 December 15. A connective symbol linking two values in a number range functions as a replacement for from and to (or between and and), not just the latter word (though only to is pronounced when the number range is read aloud, hence the confusion), so do not precede a number range formatted this way with from (or between): â€Å"Open enrollment for 2018 runs November 1–December 15.† If the word from is retained, to should replace the symbol. (Note also that the symbol should be an en dash, not a simple hyphen- except when a publication’s style guide specifies use of that symbol- and that no letter spaces should intervene.) 2. Five-thousand service members are expected to participate in the event. Hyphenation is used in spelled-out numbers only to link two words representing two place values, as in seventy-five. â€Å"Five thousand† modifies â€Å"service members† but is an open compound: â€Å"Five thousand service members are expected to participate in the event.† Note that large round numbers are often spelled out in isolation but should be treated as figures if other numbers appear in proximity, but numbers should always be spelled out at the head of a sentence. (If doing so is awkward, as in the case of a large precise number such as that representing a year like 2017 that requires more than a couple of words to convey, recast the sentence.) 3. The most fatalities occurred in the 15-24 year old age group. In most books and in some publications, style would dictate that the numbers in this sentence should be spelled out. However, in other content, or in a case in which using numerals is preferable (as when a concentration of numbers occurs), the phrase in which the figures appear should be treated as shown here: â€Å"The most fatalities occurred in the 15- to 24-year-old age group.† (When numbers are spelled out, the sentence should read, â€Å"The most fatalities occurred in the fifteen- to twenty-four-year-old age group.†) The hyphen does not function as a linking symbol connecting two figures in a number range; it links words that are part of a phrasal adjective, an abridgement of â€Å"15-year-old to 24-year-old† in which the first instance of â€Å"year-old† is omitted because it is clearly implicit. (This tactic, called suspensive hyphenation, renders such phrases more concise and less cluttered. In addition, the sentence can be further pared to â€Å"The most fatalities occurred among 15- to 24-year-olds.†) 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 Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Definitely use "the" or "a"At Your DisposalWhat the heck are "learnings"?