The Analysis of Pronouns in the First Lady’s Music Plans Spark Concerns Articles

Article : Carla Bruni’s marriage to President Nicolas Sarkozy of France in 2008 has made her a steady fixture in tabloid newspapers across Europe. But capitalizing on such exposure remains a challenge for the chart-topping singer-songwriter. Bruni’s media profile has been particularly prominent in recent months, thanks to widely circulated holiday photos in August, her appearance on the cover of the Sept. 11 UK edition of the Economist for a story about her husband’s slump in popularity and two new biographies, which has received heavy press coverage. Reports recently surfaced in the French media that Sarkozy’s aides had requested she delay her planned musical comeback due to fears that it could be politically damaging amid the current wave of French protests and strikes over economic reforms. Small wonder that, as Bruni continues writing songs for her fourth album, due in 2011, her team is contemplating how to balance her musical career with her status as first lady of France. That status caused problems when Bruni’s third album, Comme Si De Rien N’etait, was released in July 2008, five months after she married Sarkozy. “We had to cancel her international tour for security reasons but also because [French] people might not have accepted that their first lady would be onstage,” says Bertrand De Labbey, CEO of talent agency VMA, who manages Bruni’s music career. While the French president’s wife has a less prominent role than the United States’ first lady, Bruni remains subject to intense scrutiny by the French media. She has tried to avoid any suggestion that she’s profiting from her position, donating her recording royalties on Comme Si De Rien N’etait, which hit No. 1 in France, to charity. Comme has sold 193,000 copies in France and a further 288,000 internationally, according to label Naive. De Labbey insists he’s happy with the album’s sales, claiming, “Everybody would have considered [that] amazing if she hadn’t been France’s first lady.” But Bruni’s unavailability for touring and promotion seemed to hamper the album’s international sales performance. Despite her fame in the United Kingdom, Comme reached only as high as No. 58 on the UK albums chart, with total sales of 13,300, according to the Official Charts Co. Bruni’s last UK promotional campaign consisted of a single interview, with the Sunday Times newspaper, and a solitary TV appearance on BBC 2’s Later ... With Jools Holland. UK label Dramatico incurred US$18,800 in charges imposed by the French state for six security operatives to mingle with the studio audience, according to sources familiar with the situation. Still, Dramatico chairman Mike Batt says he and Bruni share a “relaxed” approach to releasing her music. “Her life at the moment is to be Mrs. Sarkozy,” he says, “and we quite understand that.” Refocusing public perception of Bruni as a recording artist will be crucial for the promotion of her next album, says Alan Edwards, CEO of London-based PR company the Outside Organization, which represents everyone from Naomi Campbell to Amy Winehouse. (Bruni is repped by London-based Republic Media.) “The biggest challenge will be to separate Carla as artist and Carla as first lady,” Edwards says. “The context of all interviews should be music-related, with as low a presence of the first-lady trappings as possible.” Ultimately, the key to putting Bruni’s music career back on track may lie with her husband. If Sarkozy loses the May 2012 election, a more engaged approach to Bruni’s musical life seems assured. But, even if he remains in office for another five-year term, De Labbey is optimistic that Bruni’s musical career will soon be more of a priority. “Now time has passed,” he says. “She’s fulfilled her role as first lady. Things might change.” Source : http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/10/04/carla-brunisarkozy-first-lady%E2%80%99s-music-plans-spark-concerns.html The Kinds and Functions of Pronouns Found in that Article is : There are only five kinds of pronouns found in this article; they are personal pronoun, relative pronoun, demonstrative pronoun, indefinite pronoun, and possessive pronoun. 1. Personal Pronoun There are only three personal pronouns found in this article; they are she, he,and it. a. She has tried to avoid any suggestion that she’s profiting from her position, donating her recording royalties on Comme Si De Rien N’etait, which hit No.1 in France to charity. The function of Personal Pronoun she in the sentence above is used to express the subject of the first lady in France as a wife the president of France as the third person singular indicates the person spoken or written and a female belongs to the feminine gender, b. “Her life at the moment is to be Mrs. Sarkozy,” he says, “and we quite understand that.” The function of Personal Pronoun we in the sentence above is used to express the first person plural pronoun refers to own self consisting of one person. 2. Relative Pronoun There are only three relative pronouns found in this article; they are that, who, and which. a. 11 UK edition of the Economist for a story about her husband’s slump in popularity and two new biographies, which has received heavy press coverage. The function of Relative Pronoun which in the sentence above is used to express a thing to show a choice. b. De labbey insists he’s happy with the album’s sales, claiming, ”Everybody would have considered that amazing if she hadn’t been France’s first lady.” The function of Relative Pronoun that in the sentence above is used to express a person or a thing, but in this sentence that is used to express the person. 3. Demonstrative Pronoun There is only one relative pronoun found in this article; it is that. a. That status caused problems when Bruin’s third album, Come Si De Rien N’etait , was released in July 2008, five months after she married Sarkozy. The function of Demonstrative Pronoun that in the sentence above is used to point out the singular noun. In this sentence that is used to point out the status from Bruni’s third album. 4. Indefinite Pronoun There are only two indefinite pronouns found in this article; they are everyone and everybody. a. Refocusing public perception of Bruni as a recording artist will be crucial for the promotion of her next albums, says Alan Edwards, CEO of London-based PR company the out-side organization, which represents everyone from Naomi Campbell to Amy Winehouse. The function of Indefinite Pronoun everyone in the sentence above is used to to include all the people. In this sentence everyone explains about the people included in Bruni’s recording. 5. Possessive Pronoun There are only three possessive pronouns found in this article; they are her, its, and their. 1. We had to cancel her International tour for security reasons but also because [French] people might not have accept that their first lady would be on stage, says Bertrand De labbey, CEO of talent agency VMA, who manages Bruni’s music career. The function of Possessive Pronoun her in the sentence above is used to express the possession from the Bruni’s International tour, whereas the possession pronoun their is used to express the possession from the society’s first lady stayed in France.

Adjective Clause

A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb. Some clauses are dependent: they can't stand alone and need an independent clause, or sentence, to support them. These dependent clauses can be used in three ways: as adjectives, as adverbs and as nouns. This article focuses on adjective clauses. What is an adjective clause? An adjective clause is a dependent clause that acts as an adjective. That is, it modifies the noun or pronoun that comes before it: Dr. Bondar, who went into space in 1992, was our first female astronaut. (clause modifies noun Dr. Bondar) Anyone who is afraid of doing too much will end up doing too little. (clause modifies pronoun anyone) What words are signs of an adjective clause? Most adjective clauses start with the relative pronouns which, who and that: Which is used for animals or things: The spaniel barked at the squirrel, which ran up a tree for safety. The squirrel dropped a large acorn, which landed on the spaniel's head. Who is used for people (and occasionally for animals seen as persons): Everyone who went on the cruise had a great time. My cat Lulu, who loves catnip, will enjoy this catnip mouse. Who can change its form to whom (when it's an object) or whose (to show ownership): Sarah Jacobs, whom we met at the art show, is a well-known sculptor. The man whose bike was stolen needs a ride home. Note that we can avoid the awkward phrase of which by applying whose to animals or things: The ferret whose leash broke is running in the park. (not the leash of which broke) Luke towed away the car whose battery had died. (not the battery of which had died) That can apply to people, animals or things: The mayor congratulated the firefighter that won the award. The dog that ate my socks has indigestion. We enjoy the carnival that comes to town every summer. Note that we sometimes omit that when it is the object of a verb or preposition: The girl Jason took to the party is a close friend of Kristen's. (= that Jason took to the party; that is object of verb took) I can't find the envelope I put the cheque in. (= that I put the cheque in; that is object of preposition in) Are there any other words that can begin an adjective clause? Yes, the relative adverbs when, where and why can start an adjective clause: Noon is the hour when the sun is overhead. (clause modifies noun hour) The shop where we bought the camera was near the bridge. (clause modifies noun shop) I don't know the reason why Michel was late. (clause modifies noun reason) When does an adjective clause need commas? The use of commas depends on whether the clause is essential to the meaning of the sentence. Essential clauses don't take commas: The woman who hosted the party is my cousin. Here, the clause who hosted the party is essential because it identifies the woman. Without that clause, we would not know which woman the writer meant. Because the clause is essential to the meaning of the sentence and cannot be omitted, we don't set it apart with commas. Non-essential clauses take commas: Alana Bishop, who hosted the party, is my cousin. The sentence Alana Bishop is my cousin would be clear by itself. The clause who hosted the party is just extra information that may be interesting but is not essential. Since the clause is merely giving secondary information that could be omitted, we set it off with commas. Note that with essential clauses referring to animals or things, we normally use that, although which is also acceptable: The books that (or which) I borrowed from the library are overdue. However, with non-essential clauses, we must use which for animals or things and who for people: Andy's parrot, which is a cockatiel, is called Kiki. Please send a schedule to Mrs. Bashan, who has joined our aerobics class. Source : http://www.noslangues-ourlanguages.gc.ca/bien-well/fra-eng/grammaire-grammar/adjclause-eng.html

Smoking: Habit or Addiction?

In the Student Health Survey 2006, it was reported that 71% of youth aged 13 - 16 years who smoked at least once in the past 30 days agreed with the statement 'I can quit smoking anytime I want to'. Studies have shown otherwise. In this article, we shed more light on this common misconception regarding smoking.

In the Student Health Survey 2006, 71% of current smokers aged between 13 and 16 years agreed with the statement 'I can quit smoking anytime I want to'. Studies, have shown this to be far from true. Contrary to popular belief, smoking is often not just a habit but an addiction. It is easy to become dependent on tobacco products and be controlled by cravings for them, more so if you are a young person. However, with persistence and professional help, a smoker can overcome this addiction. What causes the addiction? All tobacco products contain nicotine, a substance which is as addictive as heroin and cocaine. When a smoker takes in a puff, the nicotine hits the brain in 10 seconds and brings about a sudden release of glucose, and increases blood pressure, respiration and heart rate. These effects are caused by the drug's stimulation of the adrenal glands which releases adrenaline into the bloodstream. Over time, this leaves the smoker's body and mind craving for more nicotine, and if the levels of nicotine are not maintained, a smoker will experience withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, frustration and anxiety. As a result, a smoker finds it very difficult to simply stop using the tobacco product. The younger one is when he starts smoking, the harder it is to quit later. There has also been recent scientific evidence that shows that just one cigarette is enough to get a person addicted to nicotine. Nicotine is not only found in tobacco products that are smoked like cigarettes, cigars and shisha; smokeless tobacco products such as snus, snuff, and betel quid also contain nicotine. Are you addicted to nicotine? Even a small amount of tobacco can quickly lead to nicotine dependence. Some of the symptoms include: You tried to stop smoking but you cannot. You have made serious, but unsuccessful attempts to kick the habit. You experience withdrawal symptoms when you go "cold turkey". You experience strong cravings for tobacco products, anxiety, irritability, restlessness, difficulty in concentrating, depressed mood, frustration, anger, increased hunger, insomnia, constipation or diarrhea when you attempt to stop smoking. You cannot stop smoking despite having health problems. You give up social or recreational activities in order to smoke. You may stop or avoid social situations where you cannot smoke. Seeking help A person who is trying to quit should recognise that quitting smoking can be as difficult as giving up other types of drug addiction. Rarely does one hear of smokers who successfully stopped smoking on their own. On the other hand, a good treatment plan that addresses physical and psychological aspects of the addiction can go a long way in helping a smoker kick the butt for good. Source : http://www.hpb.gov.sg/HOPPortal/health-article/420