12 Awesome Learning Games for Kids

12 Awesome Learning Games for Kids SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Learning games, or educational games, are all about making learning, well, fun! They’re also about getting kids to see the practical nature of the skills they’re acquiring, whether that’s how to identify shapes in the world or how to spell difficult words. In this article, we explain what kinds of skills children can learn through games and give you 12 examples of learning games for kids in preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school. What Skills Can Children Gain From Learning Games? Learning games are entertaining, highly effective methods for teaching children valuable life skills. Here are some of the most important skills kids can hone through learning games: Fine Motor Skills: Coordinating small muscles in specific movements using the eyes Pattern Recognition: The ability to grasp and predict patterns in images, numbers, etc. Visual Scanning: Using your eyes to look in a systematic, pragmatic manner, such as when learning to read Visual Attention: Being able to focus on specific visual information and filter out irrelevant information Short-Term Memory: The ability to recall images, patterns, or other qualities that have just been shown or said and then hidden or removed from sight Reasoning Skills: The ability to process information, think critically, and solve problems Social/Emotional Skills: Includes cooperation and patience as well as how to maintain eye contact, resolve conflicts with others, and communicate effectively Public-Speaking Skills: Expressing yourself verbally in front of others both confidently and appropriately Foreign Language Acquisition: The ability to learn vocabulary words, grammar, and other characteristics of a language that is not your native tongue Active Listening/Listening Comprehension Skills: Giving your full attention to a speaker and understanding the message the speaker is trying to express Language Skills: Linking together words to form proper sentences/phrases and improving vocabulary knowledge The kinds of skills children gain from educational games can vary a lot depending on the game, the ages of the children playing it, and its purpose as a whole, such as reviewing a basic math concept or improving vocabulary knowledge. For example, a learning game that works to improve kids' fine motor skills would be better suited to preschoolers and younger children than it would be for older elementary school students who have already mastered these skills. Educational Games for Kids: 12 Fun Examples In this section, we give you 12 examples of learning games for children in preschool all the way through upper elementary school. We've divided the games into three age groups: Preschool Learning Games (Ages 3-5) Early Elementary Learning Games (Ages 5-9) Upper Elementary Learning Games (Ages 9-12) Preschool Learning Games This first set of educational games is geared primarily toward preschoolers, or kids aged 3-5. Puzzles Number of Players: 1+ Time: 5-15 mins Skills Learned: Fine motor skills, pattern recognition, visual attention, reasoning skills, social skills Puzzles are great (not to mention fun) tools for preschoolers to practice their fine motor skills and pattern recognition. Some of the best puzzles for toddlers and preschoolers are those that teach simple concepts, such as the names of shapes, numbers, and alphabet letters. Be sure you're using puzzles that are geared specifically toward young children and not adults (so as to prevent possible consumption of small pieces). You can also have preschoolers solve puzzles in pairs or groups, or see whether they can solve the puzzle within a certain time frame. This should naturally be followed by a reward for the winners! Hot Potato Number of Players: 3+ Time: 5-15 mins, depending on size of group Skills Learned: Fine motor skills, social skills, public-speaking skills Hot potato is a classic game you likely played as a kid but perhaps never realized just how many skills you were learning as a result! There are many variations on hot potato, but the most basic form, which is the easiest to do with extremely young players, is to have all the kids sit in a circle and give one of them a beanbag (or other soft "potato" substitute, such as a small pillow or a stuffed animal). Turn on some music and then have the kids quickly pass the "potato" to the person next to them in the circle as fast as they can. Once the music stops (you decide when to pause it- remember, random pauses are key to the surprises in the game), the child holding the potato is out (or must do something as punishment, such as reciting the alphabet or counting aloud 1-10). Continue playing until just one child is left. Here are a few other variations on hot potato you could try: Allow the children to toss the "potato" to anyone in the circle (except for the person who just tossed it to you, unless there are only two players left) Have each kid answer a question when given the potato before they can pass it to someone else (for example, you show them a picture of a shape and ask what its name is) Use multiple "potatoes" to up the ante! A teddy bear works well as a "potato." This one's even the right color! Memory/Concentration Number of Players: 1+ Time: 10-15 mins Skills Learned: Short-term memory, fine motor skills, visual attention Memory, or concentration, is a fun, easygoing game that improves children's short-term memory and fine motor skills. There are several different ways you can set up this game depending on the resources you have: Picture cards with matching pairs: With this method, you’ll take a deck of picture cards and spread them out face down on a desk or the floor. Each child will then take turns flipping over two random cards. If the two cards are different, the child must flip them back over and leave them in their original spot. If the two cards do match, the child places them in front of herself. Continue playing until there are no more cards left; the child with the most matches wins. Puzzle pieces with pictures and matching pairs: Puzzle pieces with different edges and/or shapes work well for young children because they’re easier to grab and provide clearer hints as to which pieces will likely fit together. Flip over puzzle pieces two at a time, and play in the same way as described above. Pre-made memory game with windows: If you don’t want to set up your own concentration game with cards or puzzle pieces, then you might want to buy a pre-made memory game that comes with windows, such as this classic version by Melissa Doug (for ages 5-7). Four Corners Number of Players: The more, the merrier! Time: 10-15 mins per round Skills Learned: Active listening skills, public-speaking skills, social skills This classic game is great for burning off some energy. Start by labeling each corner of the room with a different number (or letters, shapes, cardinal directions, or anything else you’re currently teaching your kids). For example, if you want to focus on shapes, you could label each corner a different shape, such as a rectangle, a circle, a trapezoid, and a triangle. Choose one child to be "it" and blindfold them. The rest of the children will each pick a corner and move to it (without the child who is "it" knowing which corner has how many people in it). Still blindfolded, the "it" kid says the label of one of the four corners. With the example above, this would be one of the four shapes. All children standing in the corner whose label is called must immediately return to their seats, as they are now out. Repeat this process until there are four or fewer children left, at which point each kid must choose a different corner. The last person standing wins and becomes the "it" kid for the next round. Early Elementary Learning Games These kids' learning games can be played with children in early elementary school (kindergarten to around third grade). Fruits Basket Number of Players: Best with 8+ Time: 10-15 mins Skills Learned: Active listening skills, foreign language acquisition, public-speaking skills, language skills Fruits Basket is a wild game often played to get kids moving and learning things such as foreign-language vocabulary, numbers, letters, and so on. The game is similar to musical chairs. Put chairs in a circle so that there’s one less chair than there are children playing (e.g., if you have seven kids playing, you’d have six chairs). Make the chairs facing inward toward the middle of the circle. Each child will wear a picture of something around their neck, such as a particular shape, alphabet letter, or animal. Limit the number of unique cards to three or four, depending on the size of the group. This means that there should always be at least two kids per picture card. So let's say you have a group of 12 children playing. In this case, it would be best to have four unique card types, such as apples, oranges, bananas, and peaches. Four unique card types means three cards for each category(in other words, three kids will be apples, three will be oranges, etc.). One kid stands in the middle of the circle (also with a picture card around their neck) while the rest of the children sit in the chairs. The child in the middle picks one of the card names to say out loud. For example, if every child is a shape, the child in the middle could say, "Circle!" to make all the kids with "Circle" cards around their necks stand up and move. Once a category has been said aloud, all children sitting down who have the card with this category on it must stand up and find an empty chair to sit in. Meanwhile, the kid in the middle will also look for an empty seat to try to steal. Whoever doesn't get a chair is now the new child in the middle. Play continues until you decide to end the game- there are no winners or losers. Here are some additional tips for playing Fruits Basket: If a child is having trouble finding a seat and keeps getting stuck in the middle, they can say, "Fruits basket!" to make everyone get up and move at the same time. For an extra challenge, make it so that you can’t just exchange seats with the people sitting directly next to you (if they're wearing the same card as you). This game works great as a foreign-language activity. Have your children practice saying simple words in the target language. I often used this activity to teach my Japanese students English. Bingo Number of Players: The more, the merrier! Time: 10-15 mins Skills Learned: Visual scanning, fine motor skills, active listening skills, pattern recognition, foreign language acquisition Bingo isn’t just for the elderly- lots of kids love playing Bingo, especially if it means winning a prize or two! To play, you can either buy or make your own Bingo sheets. The traditional Bingo sheet looks like this, with each letter of "Bingo" representing a separate column with numbers in it (there's also a free space in the middle): The caller (usually the teacher or adult) will draw cards with numbers on them or randomly call out numbers. Each child takes a few seconds or so to look for the number and see if it is on their Bingo sheet. If it is, the child places a small token (or uses a pencil to draw an X or O) on the square with the number in it. If the number is not there, the child does nothing. If a kid marks five squares in a row, in a column, or diagonally, they call out, "Bingo!" and receive an award. There are many variations on Bingo. Here are some ideas for changing it up: Use pictures or shapes instead of numbers- this is great for teaching foreign vocabulary Get rid of the "Free Space" to make the game more challenging Change the traditional winning pattern and instead require the children to cover spaces in the shape of a giant X, cover all four corners, or get a blackout (i.e., cover the entire board) This next game makes kids the detectives. Scavenger Hunt Number of Players: The more, the merrier! Time: 15-20 mins Skills Learned: Reasoning skills, foreign language acquisition, social skills Scavenger hunts are great for not just getting kids to exercise and run around but also teaching them problem-solving skills and the value of teamwork. There are tons of ways you can set up a scavenger hunt depending on the age, skill levels, and interests of the children. The basic idea of a scavenger hunt is to have children (usually in pairs or groups) search for specific objects or clues in a room or other closed environment. Some scavenger hunts don’t require any preparation. For example, you could have children search for specific shapes in nature or colors of objects (especially useful if you’re teaching color names in a foreign language). Slightly harder scavenger hunts can entail having the children look for math problems or riddles, which they must solve in order to get the hint to where the next problem is hidden. Other types of hunts include providing children with a list of objects to find and gather, perhaps to put together later in order to complete something, such as a jigsaw puzzle. Simon Says Number of Players: The more, the merrier! Time: 15-20 mins Skills Learned: Active listening skills, language skills, foreign language acquisition Simon Says is a great way to teach kids how to listen and understand a variety of words, thereby improving their language and literacy skills. It's also helpful for teaching vocabulary words and grammar in a foreign language. To play, have everybody stand up. Make one person (usually the adult or teacher) be Simon. This person is the leader and is trying to eliminate as many players as possible. As Simon, you will say action phrases for the children to do, such as "Touch your nose" or "Raise your left hand." If you use the phrase "Simon says" before the action, the children must do it. If you don’t use the phrase "Simon says," however, the children must not do the action. Any child who performs an action that does not have "Simon says" before it or who fails to do an action that has "Simon says" before it is out and must sit down. The game continues until one child is left standing. Upper Elementary Learning Games This last set of educational games is best for children in grades four through six. Hangman Number of Players: 2+ Time: 10-20 mins Skills Learned: Language skills (spelling and reading), reasoning skills, public-speaking skills, visual scanning, foreign language acquisition Hangman is one of those classic, simple games that requires no major prep and is very easy to learn. It’s best played with a larger group of people or in teams. One person (usually the adult or teacher) thinks of a word and writes down a short horizontal line, or blank, for each letter of that word. Make sure to use a word that the kids will know and that is ideally relevant to what they’re learning. For example, if you chose the word "flower," you would write down six blanks, one for each letter. Once you have a word chosen and have written down the blanks for it, draw a hook-like picture; this will be what the "hangman" hangs on. It’s similar to an upside-down L or J. Draw an empty box next to this as well- this will be for recording wrong letters: Now, each student (or group of students) takes turns guessing a letter in the mystery word. If the letter is correct, write that letter in whatever blanks it appears in for the word (so if there are multiples of that letter, write all of them in). If the letter is incorrect, put that letter in the empty box and draw part of the hangman. Most people start with the head and then move on to the body, the limbs, and finally the facial features, such as the eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. It's good to decide ahead of time what a full hangman looks like so the children can know at any point how close they are to losing. Anyone may guess the full word at any time. If the word is incorrect though, treat it as a wrong guess and draw part of the hangman. The players win if they guess the correct word or find all the letters in the word before the hangman is complete. You win if nobody guesses your word! To make the game slightly easier for kids, you can give them a category beforehand from which you’ll think of a word. For example, if the category were "School Supplies," then they’d know to be on the lookout for words such as "eraser," "pencil," or "notebook." Catch Phrase Number of Players: 4+ Time: 15-20 mins Skills Learned: Reasoning skills, active listening skills, language skills, public-speaking skills, social skills Catch Phrase gets its name from a popular board game, which involves describing a certain word or phrase to people without using any of the words in that phrase or any rhyming words. To play your own game of Catch Phrase, come up with dozens of words kids must describe to one another. If you have a large group of kids, divide them into teams (typically two). Write out the words on individual pieces of paper and then put them in a hat or bowl from which one kid at a time will select a word. Check that every child understands the word they get, and be sure they do not tell anyone else their word! There are several ways you can play this game; here are some of the most common: The traditional method is to have two teams. Each team takes turns describing a word to their teammates. Once a team guesses the correct word, play passes to the other team. The game continues like this until time runs out. The team not in the middle of describing a word when the timer stops wins one point. Time each group one minute and see how many words they can guess correctly. Have one child describe words one at a time (or have each child take turns describing one word). Give one point for each correctly guessed word. Don’t allow children to "pass" difficult words- this will make the game even harder! Teamwork is a vital part of Catch Phrase and other kids' learning games. Pictionary Number of Players: 2+ Time: 15-20 mins Skills Learned: Reasoning skills, visual scanning, visual attention, social skills Pictionary is an exciting board game that encourages kids to practice their drawing and reasoning skills. To play, divide children into pairs (or teams) and give them either a mini-whiteboard with a marker or a sheet of paper with a pencil. Each child will take turns drawing a picture of a word that’s been secretly given to them (written on a piece of paper and given to them or whispered to them by an adult). The other kid has a certain amount of time- usually one minute- to guess the word that is being drawn. There are many options for changing up the rules. For example, you could have all the children who are drawing pictures illustrate the same word at the same time, or have every child take turns drawing a picture at the front of the classroom on the whiteboard so everyone can guess. Here are the official Pictionary rules in case you’re interested. 20 Questions Number of Players: 2+ Time: 5-10 mins Skills Learned: Reasoning skills, active listening skills, language skills, short-term memory, public-speaking skills 20 Questions is an easy game to play that doesn’t take up much time and can be played with as few as two players. The purpose of this game is for the players to correctly guess what one person is thinking of within 20 yes-or-no questions. The thing being thought of is usually an object, person, or place. As the thinker, you'll come up with one word and then have the kids one at a time ask you yes-or-no questions to try to figure out what the word is. Questions typically begin broad: Is it a person? Is it something you can eat? Is it something in this room? If it’s the first time you’re playing this game with children, it'd probably be a good idea to go over some examples of basic questions they can ask you so they have a better idea of how to play. As the yes-or-no questions get more specific, children can begin guessing the word. For example: Is it a balloon? Is it George Washington? Is it the playground? If players can figure out what the secret word is within 20 questions, they win! If not, you win. The one message we hope you take away from this article! Review: The Importance of Kids' Learning Games Learning might not sound like much fun, but the truth is that there are tons of ways children can engage in activities that are both fun and educational. This list of 12 learning games is certainly not exhaustive, but it does manage to show just how many different types of (fun) educational games for kids exist. Most of these games can be bought at a store or created with simple tools, such as paper, markers, and colored pencils. If you’re not sure what kind of learning games to use with your own kids, think first of the types of skills you’d like them to learn. For example, if you want your very young students to practice their fine motor skills, a hands-on game such as a puzzle would be a great choice. Regardless of the games you decide to play with children, you’re sure to end up having lots of fun- perhaps more than you thought possible! What’s Next? Want more ideas for kids' learning games? Then check out our expert guides on spelling games (coming soon), alphabet games (coming soon), and toddler learning games (coming soon). If you want to teach children, then perhaps an early childhood education degree is right for you.Our guide goes over what this degree entails in terms of coursework, and gives you a helpful list of the best online BA in Early Childhood Education degree programs. Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Hannah Muniz About the Author Hannah received her MA in Japanese Studies from the University of Michigan and holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California. From 2013 to 2015, she taught English in Japan via the JET Program. She is passionate about education, writing, and travel. Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Get FREE EXCLUSIVE insider tips on how to ACE THE SAT/ACT. 100% Privacy. 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Blade Runner-The 6th Replicant essays

Blade Runner-The 6th Replicant essays In the movie Blade Runner, the artificial creatures, known as Replicants, are nearly indistinguishable from human beings. Their one weakness is that of emotion, or more specifically, lack of empathy. A simple test that is able to determine their empathetic responses to simple, but uncomfortable to the average human, situations, is the only way to determine their true form. It has even been suggested by some, that the primary protagonist in the film, Deckard, who is assigned to hunt down and kill the Replicants, is a Replicant himself. In this essay, I shall prove the character Deckard is a Replicant himself. To cheat the argument, let us take the answer from the films director, Ridley Scott. He himself has admitted in an interview with the B.B.C., simply that, He is a Replicant. This however, is as much as we will let Ridley Scott tell us, and simply use this as a basis for further analysis. To begin, let us look at the obvious references to the fact that Decker is a Replicant. Throughout the movie, Gaff leaves little animals as references, and clues, in strategic places. Towards the end of the film, when Deckard and Rachael are fleeing, Decker finds a tiny unicorn, a Pegasus, if you will, in the hallway leading to the elevator. This is a direct reference to earlier in the firm when Decker was daydreaming, and thought of a unicorn. In this, it shows that Gaff has Deckers memories, and is aware that they are Deckers memories. Therefore, Deckers memories are implanted, and he must be a Replicant. Second, during the testing of Rachael to be a Replicant, Decker is asked if he has ever taken the test. In any battery of psychological tests, it is customary, and often required, that the administering party be given the test before he or she is admitted to present the test themselves. Decker admits to never having taken the test, and suggests that he would not take the test, because it would prove h...

Military strength in the US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Military strength in the US - Essay Example This is because of this continued increase in defense expenditure endangers the funding of an adequate level of domestic activity. Origins of the U.S. Military Strength and the Global-Power Image. The U.S. Military is the largest in terms of military personnel. The personnel are drawn from a wide pool of paid volunteers although conscription can be occasionally applied during certain periods of both war and peace. The military strength is enhanced by the government’s generous funding that enables efficient training of manpower and sophisticated intelligence operations. The U.S. military also possesses sophisticated and efficient military equipments alongside widespread and balanced global orientation. This gives the U.S a global power image. Funding Afghanistan and Iraq Wars. According to Belasco (1), the accumulated total funding for Afghanistan and Iraq war as appropriated from 9/11 for the war operations, medical care for the war veterans and diplomatic operations is $1.283 trillion. This includes $806 billion for the Iraq war, $444 billion for the Afghanistan invasion, $27 billion for the tightened security and a total of $6 billion that is still unallocated but waits spending in military related activities. Defense Department Base Budget of 2009-2013. The federal government has budgeted approximately $851 billion for security spending during the fiscal year 2013, compared to $ 523 billion for Medicare and $820 requested for Social security. The security funding includes the overseas contingencies, department of Defense and other internal security departments. The President requested $525.4 billion for the Department of Defense’s Base Budget. According to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, FY 2013 Budget Summary Table S-12 (230), this was $5 billion less than the amount approved in the 2012 fiscal year budget. The defense budget 2009-2013 develops a strategy that offers a smooth transition from

Industrial safety Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Industrial safety - Essay Example The findings of the studies conducted indicate that ignorance of the safety rules is not a problem anymore. Most workers are aware of the need of taking safety precautions while the industry and other industries are also aware of this (Reese, 2009). This is noted also in the extensive training sessions that both employees and employers have reported going to, all in a bid to observe the rule and avoid at all costs, any accidents at the workplace (Wilson et al, 2003). The numbers not aware of this are impressively quite low, which is a good thing. Another finding is that workers in industries are exposed to heavy machinery. With heavy machinery comes the risk of hurting oneself, which could probably lead to death. They are also exposed to hazardous chemicals and gases (Wilson et al., 2003). This means that both the workers and the industry owners need to be well prepared for unpredicted occurrences. The unprepared workers also need enlightenment on safety matters. Several of the workers have on occasions refused to perform tasks that they thought were hazardous to them or to their co-workers. Whatever was found out in the studies is crucial and goes a long way in reducing the incidences of accidents and deaths in the workplace (Reese, 2009). The fact that the workers and owners of the industries are aware of the safety precautions helps in this. This means that all will be done to ensure safe working conditions (Wilson et al., 2003). What is impressive is that workers mind each other. They will do everything to make sure that they look out for their co-workers. They join hands in refusing to work in poor risky conditions. This is because they have all come to the realization that their safety comes first. This studies have also gone to show that employees, whether on contract or hired, understand what the safety policies require of them and they are in good behavior maintaining their safety (Reese, 2009). The

Speech Act Theory

Speech Act Theory Introduction Speech act theory is a technical term in linguistics and the philosophy of language. The contemporary use of the term goes back to J. L. Austins doctrine of locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary acts. It is developed by the great philosopher J.L Austin in the 1930s and set forth in a series of lectures, which he gave at Harvard in1955. These were subsequently developed in 1962 as How to Do Things With Words. He founded the modern study of speech acts. The approach has been greatly developed since by the philosopher J.R.Searle (Austins pupil). The central insight of the speech act theory which is attributed to Austin, Searle and other philosophers is that speech is action and language is used to perform things not only to describe a state of affairs. Moreover, Austin pointed out that many utterances do not communicate information, but are equivalent to actions. When someone says, I apologize. , I promise , or I name this ship. the utterance immediately conveys a new psychological or social reality. Many scholars identify speech acts with illocutionary acts, rather than locutionary or perlocutionary acts. As with the notion of illocutionary acts, there are different opinions on the nature of speech acts. The extension of speech acts is commonly taken to include such acts as promising, ordering, greeting, warning, inviting someone and congratulating. Definition of speech act with elaboration A speech act is an act that a speaker performs when making an utterance. To Jennifer Spenader, speech act theory is: A theory where the effect of an utterance is analyzed in relationship  to the speaker and listeners behaviour. Speech act theory can also help us examine utterances from  the perspective of their function, rather than their form. Austin pointed out that when people use language, they are performing a kind of action. He called these actions speech acts. Traditionally, philosophers have distinguished between actions and speaking on the basis that speaking about something is quite dissimilar from doing it. Austin challenged this by demonstrating that utterances can be regarded as events in a similar way to other actions. The below lists are samples of speech acts which Austin reckoned that this sort of list could be extended further. Statement I live in Edinburg for five years Order Pay this bill immediately Question Where are you from? Prohibition No right turn Greeting Hello Invitation Help yourself Felicitation Happy new year (grudging) apology I hereby apologize as required by the magistrate (Griffiths, 2006:148) We can say that each utterance on the right is based on single sentence and the sentence is the level of language. Here, the language is used to accomplish actions as Austin stated. The above sentences are not used just to say things, that is to say describe states of affairs, but rather actively to do things. Further, one cannot assess such utterances as true or false. Moreover, most speech acts are not so official but they rely on the speaker using an utterance to signal his/her intension to achieve some action and the hearer inferring that action from the utterance. One can say that speech act cannot only be done in speaking but also in writing. The clue is the example number (7) in which it would be equally appropriate printed in a card or spoken. As a matter of fact, there are purposes behind any utterance. Consider these examples A-Somebody has broken my leg. In the above sentence, the following purpose appears The first one is to describe things which are not the basic purpose and the second purpose is to complain which is the basic purpose as it doesnt describe things. B-I love you. The purpose here is to please or to assure somebody. C-Watch out, the gun is loaded. The purpose is to warn someone. D-She is a fool. The purpose is to insult or to ease. Thus, the gist idea of speech act theory is to do acts (things) and not simply to describe because description is not the important function of language. Dichotomies (constative and performative) Many writers, in their books, define the dichotomy constative (descriptive) and performative clearly. Riemer in his books Introducing Semantics that an utterance is constative if it describes or states facts about a situation. Whereas performative is one which does not describe or state any facts, but which itself constitutes the performing of an action. The following pair of examples serve the above point A-I promise to visit tomorrow. B-She promised to visit tomorrow. In the first example, you promise to visit but if you dont visit it, the person you said it can complain that you broke your promise. Sentences which perform actions are known as performatives while other sentences are called constatives. Although constatives perform actions. The example (b) serves this point which performs the action of reporting her promise. Thus, the difference between the two (constatives and performatives) may not be as significant as the idea that all sentences can be used to perform actions of various sorts. Broadly speaking, all utterances are performative in the sense of constituting a form of action rather than a matter of saying something about the world. Ultimately, a single utterance can have both aspects constatives and performative elements; they are all sayings and doings simultaneously. Typical examples of performative verbs are ask, beg, beseech, command, congratulate, deny, deplore, declare, implore and warn. Only certain forms of the verb count as performing the speech act, mainly first person simple present active and third person present passive. Furthermore, a performative verb in a performative use can typically be accompanied by hereby. See the following A-I hereby declare the bridge open. B-I hereby command you to surrender. While in the below instances using hereby is not possible with non-performative verbs speaking. A-I hereby persuade you to accompany me. B-I hereby tell the truth. As we said earlier, the performative use of performative verbs is extremely restricted grammatically. They must be first person simple present active and third person present passive. Consider, first, active uses I hereby promise to pay you next week. Not: I herby promised you pay him the following week. Similar contrasts are possible with passive uses Passengers are hereby requested not to smoke. Not: Passengers were hereby requested not to smoke. You are hereby warned to leave immediately. Not: They will be hereby warned to leave immediately. Characteristics of Performative verbs The sense of the verb is always present. The subject is always first person (singular,plural) Since performative verbs are not descriptions but actions they are not subject to truth-value. In performative sentences the illocutionary act is explicit. Performative verbs like (affirm, allege, assert, forecast, predict, announce, insist, order, state, name, declare, bet, agree). For testing whether a verb is performative we can insert the word (hereby). The book entitled semantics and pragmatics by Dr. Misbah Mahmood gives extra examples about the distinguishing between performatives and constatives. Performatives Constatives I promise I will be there. I will be there. I warn you, the gun is loaded. The gun is loaded. I thank you. I am very grateful. I order you to read. You must read. I request you to send me the book. Send me the book. I apologize. I am sorry. Are Performatives truth-evaluable? Verschueren, in his book, entitled Understanding Pragmatics states that Austin drew a distinction between constative and performative utterances. In this dichotomy, constatives are utterances in which something is said which can be evaluated along a dimension of truth. Performatives, on the other hand, are utterances in which something is done which cannot be said to be true or false but which can be evaluated along a dimension of felicity. According to Austins account, it is an essential characteristic of performative utterances that they are neither true nor false, that is, not truth-evaluable, instead when something is wrong with them then they are felicitous (happy) or infelicitous (unhappy). The uttering of a performative is the doing of a certain kind of action , the performance would not normally be described as just saying or describing something. For example, when Tom says I promise to do the dishes in an appropriate context he does not just describe what he is doing; rather, in making the utterance he performs the promise; since promising is an illocutionary act, the utterance is thus a performative utterance. If Tom utters the sentence without the intention to keep the promise, the sentence is not false: it is rather unhappy, or infelicitous. In the absence of any such flaw, on the other hand, the utterance is to be assessed as happy or felicitous, rather than as true. What Leech states is that Constative utterances could be evaluated in traditional terms of truth and falsehood, performatives were neither true nor false: instead they were to be regarded as felicitous or non felicitous. (Leech,1983:176) By felicity and infelicity, as Yule points out, they can only be as appropriate that is the performance of a speech act to be recognized as intended or inappropriate that is if the speaker is not a specific person in a special context. Briefly, felicity and infelicity are not subject to truth-value. A sentence like I pronounce you man and wife, the performance, here, will be infelicitous on condition that the speaker is not properly qualified. Regarding felicity condition (happiness condition), it can be grouped under three headings: preparatory conditions, sincerity conditions, and essential conditions. Types of Felicity Conditions There are normally conditions which must be fulfilled before a speech act can be said to have been properly performed. These are usually called felicity conditions or happiness conditions. 1-Preparatory Conditions The preparatory conditions for a promise and warning are unlike. When I promise to do something, two conditions appear: first, the event will not occur by itself, and second, the event will have a beneficial effect. But when I utter a warning, it is not clear that the hearer knows the event will happen whilst the speaker does think the event will occur, and the event will not have a beneficial effect. 2-Sincerity Conditions They require the speaker to be sincere. When one promises to do something must genuinely intend to do it; someone congratulating somebody else must feel pleasure at that persons good luck. 3-Essential Conditions By the act of uttering a promise, an obligation created to carry out the action as promised. In other words, the utterance changes my state from non-obligation to obligation. When speaker A warns speaker B, speaker A changes his state from non-informing of a bad future event to informing. Aspects of Speech Acts Austin found great difficulty in drawing a completely clear distinction between performatives and constatives; he came to the conclusion that to state something is to perform an illocutionary act, which renders all constatives as performatives; Austin proposed that in uttering a sentence speaker is involved in three different acts. In other words, he isolates three basic senses in which in saying something one is doing something, and thus, three kinds of acts that are simultaneously performed. 1-Locutionary act. Lots of writers define locutionary act. One of them is Levinson in the book Pragmatics. Locutionary act is the utterance of a sentence with determinate sense and reference. (Levinson,1983:236) Another definition is by Finch. It refers simply to the act of saying something that makes sense in the language; in other words, that follows the grammatical rules of language. (Finch,2000:180) The last definition said by Cruse, in his book, Meaning in Language in which Austin explained as follows: the utterance of certain noises.. certain words in a certain construction, and the utterance of them with a certain sense and a certain reference. (Cruse,2000:331) From the above definition, we conclude that locutionary act is related to the inherent meaning of the lexical item and it is the province of semantics. It is the act of expressing the basic, literal meanings of the words chosen. Besides, performing the act of saying something that makes sense in the language; in other words, that follows the grammatical rules of language. For more elaboration, see the below instances For example, Tom is outside the room. In this sentence both words (Tom and the room) have meaning and we should know what the words (Tom and the room) refer to. In uttering the words, You will get your hands blown off, a speaker performs the locutionary act of stating that the hearer will get his hands blown off. Suppose speaker A says to hearer B There is a bear sneaking up behind you! (Fasold,2006:162) Speaker A utters the word there and refers to the addressee with the word you. 2-Illocutionary act Cruse, in his book, entitled A Glossry of Semantics and Pragmatics defined that illocutionary act is an act performed by a speaker in saying something (with an appropriate intention and in an appropriate context), rather than by virtue of having produced a particular effect by saying something (Cruse,2006:167) According to Finch illocutionary act is one which is performed through the medium of language: stating, warning, wishing, promising and so on. Context can be seen in the definition and this leads to remind us the province of pragmatics. If we come to talk about intention, which is also found in defining illocution, we can regard that the intention is to inform, complain, thank, apologize, threaten, etc. Consider the below instances Father: I will turn out your light. Here, the intention of father is to threaten her son. It is duty of pragmatics since the idea of threatening doesnt relate to meaning but the context. In the sentence like, There is a lion behind you, suppose that A is a speaker and B is a hearer. At the illocutionary level, A asserts a fact (that there is a lion behind B) and warns B that he/she is in danger. The speaker has the illocutionary force of warning. In short, context in which the sentence is uttered is crucial in interpreting the illocutionary force of a speech act. If someone says: I order you to leave now, the intention is ordering by virtue of having uttered the words, whether or not the addressee acts in the desired way. 3-Prelocutionary act Concerning prelocutionary Levinson states the bringing about of effects on the audience by means of uttering the sentence, such effects being special to the circumstances of utterance. While Fasold points that prelocutionary is an action which goes beyond communication such as annoying, frightening, or tricking. The contrasts between illocutionary and prelocutionary lies by lists of verbs Illocutionary: report, request, suggest, announce, predict, order, propose, reprimand, promise, thank, express, congratulate, admit, ask Prelocutionary: persuade, deceive, encourage, irritate, frighten, amuse, inspire, distract, impress, encourage embarrass. Briefly, prelocutionary is the act of producing an effect in the hearer by means of the utterance. It is outside the province of semantics and pragmatics, because it involves many other aspects of the situations. It is not always intended by speaker, is not under his control, and is not evident until after the utterance is made. The speaker tries to carry out a prelocutionary act for example to shock, to amuse, and to annoy somebody. The following examples serve the above point A-You will get your hands blown off. The above sentence might be to prevent the hearer from playing with a lighter and a stick of dynamite, to frighten the hearer. B-John is inside the hall. The prelocutionary act for the above sentence is perhaps to disappoint, shock or annoy. To explicate more about the three types of speech acts, we take instances to apply the three acts. A-There is a wasp in your left ear. The first act: we know speaker and listener. (reference) The second act: the intention is the act of warning. The third act: The hearer is panic (afraid). The hearer may scream and scratch his ears. Panic is not intended but the speaker tries to make the hearer panic. B-Someone says Good night late at night in forest. The first act: speaker and listener. (reference) The second act: leave-taking, there is greeting purpose behind saying good bye. The third act: to horrify or to frighten. C-Father: I will turn out your light. The first act: I refers to father, your refers to sons light, having meaning and reference. The second act: to intend the act of threatening The third act: to frighten the son to sleep. The father tries to frighten his son. It is not under the control of the speaker and it may not be intended of the speaker that he wants to frighten his son. Types of Illocutionary Acts Implicit and explicit illocutionary force Implicit performatives are those which dont have performative verbs. For example when one says I will turn off your light, it is implicit since there is no performative verb and besides, the force doesnt relate to the meaning of the words. Another example Be aware of the dog means that I warn you to beware of the dog. Whereas explicit performatives are those which have performative verbs, that is, a verb which names the action being performed. For example when I say I warn you that.., it is explicit as I am not describing or stating the existence of any independent fact; I am, instead performing an act (act of warning). Speech Act Classifications Searle (1976) has set up the following classification of illocutionary speech acts that one can perform in speaking. David Crystal in his book, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language, sheds light on five basic types. 1-Representatives: the speaker is committed, in varying degrees, to the truth of proposition. For instance, affirm, believe, conclude, deny, and report. The following examples illustrate the point. A-The earth is flat. B-Chomsky didnt write about peanuts. C-It was a warm sunny day. In all the above instances, the speaker represents the world as he/she believes it is. 2-Directives: the speaker tries to get the hearer to do something. For example request, challenge, insist, command, advise, and suggest. A-Could you open the door, please? B-I suggest you take a taxi. C-Dont go too far. The above-mentioned examples illustrate that the speaker tries to make the world fit the words through the hearer. 3-Commissives: the speaker is committed, in varying degrees, to a certain course of action. For example, promise, oath, refuse, pledge, threat, guarantee, vow, and swear. The instances, which shown below, point out that the speaker undertakes to make the world adapt the words through the speaker. A-I will be back. B-We will not do that. 4-Expressives: the speaker expresses an attitude about a state of affairs. For instance, congratulate, excuse, thanking, deplore, apologize, welcome, and thank. A-Congratulations! B-I am really sorry. The sentences indicate the speaker makes words fit the world of feeling. 5-Declaratives: the speaker alters the external status or condition of an object or situation solely by making the utterance. For example, resign, sack, appoint, name, christen, sentence (in court), bid (at auction), declaring war, pronouncing someone husband and wife. The below instances clarifies more about what we said. A-Priest: I now pronounce you husband and wife. B-Referee: You are out. One can say that the speaker changes the world via words. Direct and Indirect Speech Acts It is obvious that we have three structural forms (declarative, interrogative, imperative) and the three general communicative functions (statement, question, command/order) respectively. The table below clarifies more about what we pointed out. Whenever there is a direct relationship between a structure and a function, we have a direct speech act. Furthermore, there is a match between sentence meaning and speaker meaning, that is to say, the form of the utterance coincides with what a speaker is intending to convey. But in case of having indirect relationship between the two which mentioned before we have indirect speech act. Therefore, when a declarative used to make a statement it is functioning as a direct speech act, but when it used to make a request it is functioning as an indirect speech act. Consider the following instances A-It is hot. B-I hereby tell you about weather. C-I hereby request of you that you open the door. It is clear that the sentence A is a declarative, the sentence B used as statement so, it is direct speech act but the last sentence C used as command therefore; it is indirect speech act. A speech act can be indirect where one illocutionary act is performed by another. Well-known examples are requests which are superficially question. We expect actions rather than answer. A-Can you pass the sault? B-Would you mind if I opened the door? So, the above mentioned sentences superficially are interrogative and they are direct speech act but if we look at them deeply they become request and in this case they are indirect speech act. It is quite true to say that different structures used to attain the same function. The examples below show that the speaker wants the addressee not to stand in front of the TV. A-Move out of the way! B-Do you have to stand in front of the TV? C-You are standing in front of the TV. D-Youd make a better door than a window. The basic function of all the utterances is a command. The first instance is direct speech act because its structure is imperative. Whilst the rest of the sentences are indirect speech acts because the interrogative structure is not used only as question and also the declarative structures are not used only as statement. Conclusion Needless to say, that conclusion shows the product of any turn paper, research and etc. In this turn paper, a formal account of speech acts provided. Throughout reading it, I infer that we can extend what a speaker means by his/her words. Thus, utterances are not uniquely used to describe states of affairs but rather they convey speakers intention to the addressee. Speech act comprises the notion of speaker meaning since through it the intentions of the speaker can be felt or found it. Also, I conclude that speech act is one of the helpful factors for decoding those words that uttered by a speaker. It is obvious that there is communication in speech act between speaker and hearer and this communication conveys not only linguistic meanings but also expressing attitudes, and understanding is a matter of recognizing the attitudes being expressed. Another conclusion which is not to be forgotten is that if a sentence is interrogative, the same sentence could be regarded as request if we look at it deeply. The sentence Could you sign the papers, please? is our evidence. So, this case only occurred in speech act, one is direct and the other is indirect and the sentence has two functions question and request.

Euthanasia :: Mercy Killing Death

A considerable size of society is in favor of Euthanasia mostly because they feel that as a democratic country, we as free individuals, have the right to decide for ourselves whether or not it is our right to determine when to terminate someone's life. The stronger and more widely held opinion is against Euthanasia primarily because society feels that it is god's task to determine when one of his creations time has come, and we as human beings are in no position to behave as god and end someone's life. When humans take it upon themselves to shorten their lives or to have others to do it for them by withdrawing life-sustaining apparatus, they play god. They usurp the divine function, and interfere with the divine plan. Euthanasia is the practice of painlessly putting to death persons who have incurable, painful, or distressing diseases or handicaps. It come from the Greek words for 'good' and 'death', and is commonly called mercy killing. Voluntary euthanasia may occur when incurably ill persons ask their physician, friend or relative, to put them to death. The patients or their relatives may ask a doctor to withhold treatment and let them die. Many critics of the medical profession contend that too often doctors play god on operating tables and in recovery rooms. They argue that no doctor should be allowed to decide who lives and who dies. The issue of euthanasia is having a tremendous impact on medicine in the United States today. It was only in the nineteenth century that the word came to be used in the sense of speeding up the process of dying and the destruction of so-called useless lives. Today it is defined as the deliberate ending of life of a person suffering from an incurable disease. A distinction is made between positive, or active, and negative, or passive, euthanasia. Positive euthanasia is the deliberate ending of life; an action taken to cause death in a person. Negative euthanasia is defined as the withholding of life preserving procedures and treatments that would prolong the life of one who is incurably and terminally ill and couldn't survive without them. The word euthanasia becomes a respectable part of our vocabulary in a subtle way, via the phrase ' death with dignity'. Tolerance of euthanasia is not limited to our own country. A court case in South Africa, s. v. Hatmann (1975), illustrates this quite well.

Vampire Academy Chapter 14

FOURTEEN I CONTINUED SPYING ON LISSA over the next couple of days, feeling mildly guilty each time. She'd always hated it when I did by accident, and now I did it on purpose. Steadily, I watched as she reintegrated herself into the royal power players one by one. She couldn't do group compulsion, but catching one person alone was just as effective, if slower. And really, a lot didn't need to be compelled to start hanging out with her again. Many weren't as shallow as they seemed; they remembered Lissa and liked her for who she was. They flocked to her, and now, a month and a half after our return to the Academy, it was like she'd never left at all. And during this rise to fame, she advocated for me and rallied against Mia and Jesse. One morning, I tuned into her while she was getting ready for breakfast. She'd spent the last twenty minutes blow-drying and straightening her hair, something she hadn't done in a while. Natalie, sitting on the bed in their room, watched the process with curiosity. When Lissa moved on to makeup, Natalie finally spoke. â€Å"Hey, we're going to watch a movie in Erin's room after school. You going to come?† I'd always made jokes about Natalie being boring, but her friend Erin had the personality of dry wall. â€Å"Can't. I'm going to help Camille bleach Carly's hair.† â€Å"You sure spend a lot of time with them now.† â€Å"Yeah, I guess.† Lissa dabbed mascara across her lashes, instantly making her eyes look bigger. â€Å"I thought you didn't like them anymore.† â€Å"I changed my mind.† â€Å"They sure seem to like you a lot now. I mean, not that anyone wouldn't like you, but once you came back and didn't talk to them, they seemed okay ignoring you too. I heard them talking about you a lot. I guess that's not surprising, because they're Mia's friends too, but isn't it weird how much they like you now? Like, I hear them always waiting to see what you want to do before they make plans and stuff. And a bunch of them are defending Rose now, which is really crazy. Not that I believe any of that stuff about her, but I never would have thought it was possible – â€Å" Underneath Natalie's rambling was the seed of suspicion, and Lissa picked up on it. Natalie probably never would have dreamed of compulsion, but Lissa couldn't risk innocent questions turning into something more. â€Å"You know what?† she interrupted. â€Å"Maybe I will swing by Erin's after all. I bet Carly's hair won't take that long.† The offer derailed Natalie's train of thought. â€Å"Really? Oh wow, that would be great. She was telling me how sad she was that you're not around as much anymore, and I told her†¦Ã¢â‚¬  On it went. Lissa continued her compulsion and return to popularity. I watched it all quietly, always worrying, even though her efforts were starting to reduce the stares and gossip about me. â€Å"This is going to backfire,† I whispered to her in church one day. â€Å"Someone's going to start wondering and asking questions.† â€Å"Stop being so melodramatic. Power shifts all the time around here.† â€Å"Not like this.† â€Å"You don't think my winning personality could do this on its own?† â€Å"Of course I do, but if Christian spotted it right away, then someone else will – â€Å" My words were interrupted when two guys farther down the pew suddenly exploded into snickers. Glancing up, I saw them looking right at me, not even bothering to hide their smirks. Looking away, I tried to ignore them, suddenly hoping the priest would start up soon. But Lissa returned their looks, and a sudden fierceness flashed across her face. She didn't say a word, but their smiles grew smaller under her heavy gaze. â€Å"Tell her you're sorry,† she told them. â€Å"And make sure she believes it.† A moment later, they practically fell all over themselves apologizing to me and begging for forgiveness. I couldn't believe it. She'd used compulsion in public – in church, of all places. And on two people at the same time. They finally exhausted their supply of apologies, but Lissa wasn't finished. â€Å"That's the best you can do?† she snapped. Their eyes widened in alarm, both terrified that they'd angered her. â€Å"Liss,† I said quickly, touching her arm. â€Å"It's okay I, uh, accept their apologies.† Her face still radiated disapproval, but she finally nodded. The guys slumped in relief. Yikes. I'd never felt so relieved to have a service start. Through the bond, I felt a sort of dark satisfaction coming from Lissa. It was uncharacteristic for her, and I didn't like it. Needing to distract myself from her troubling behavior, I studied other people as I so often did. Nearby, Christian openly watched Lissa, a troubled look on his face. When he saw me, he scowled and turned away. Dimitri sat in the back as usual, for once not scanning every corner for danger. His attention was turned inward, his expression almost pained. I still didn't know why he came to church. He always seemed to be wrestling with something. In the front, the priest was talking about St. Vladimir again. â€Å"His spirit was strong, and he was truly gifted by God. When he touched them, the crippled walked, and the blind could see. Where he walked, flowers bloomed.† Man, the Moroi needed to get more saints – Healing cripples and blind people? I'd forgotten all about St. Vladimir. Mason had mentioned Vladimir bringing people back from the dead, and it had reminded me of Lissa at the time. Then other things had distracted me. I hadn't thought about the saint or his â€Å"shadow-kissed† guardian – and their bond – in a while. How could I have overlooked this? Ms. Karp, I realized, wasn't the only other Moroi who could heal like Lissa. Vladimir could too. â€Å"And all the while, the masses gathered to him, loving him, eager to follow his teachings and hear him preach the word of God†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Turning, I stared at Lissa. She gave me a puzzled look. â€Å"What?† I didn't get a chance to elaborate – I don't even know if I could have formed the words – because I was whisked back to my prison almost as soon as I stood up at the end of the service. Back in my room, I went online to research St. Vladimir but turned up nothing useful. Damn it. Mason had skimmed the books in the library and said there was little there. What did that leave me with? I had no way of learning more about that dusty old saint. Or did I? What had Christian said that first day with Lissa? Over there, we have an old box full of the writings of the blessed and crazy St. Vladimir. The storage room above the chapel. It had the writings. Christian had pointed them out. I needed to look at them, but how? I couldn't ask the priest. How would he react if he found out students were going up there? It'd put an end to Christian's lair. But maybe†¦maybe Christian himself could help. It was Sunday, though, and I wouldn't see him until tomorrow afternoon. Even then, I didn't know if I'd get a chance to talk to him alone. While heading out to practice later, I stopped in the dorm's kitchen to grab a granola bar. As I did, I passed a couple of novice guys, Miles and Anthony. Miles whistled when he saw me. â€Å"How's it been going, Rose? You getting lonely? Want some company?† Anthony laughed. â€Å"I can't bite you, but I can give you something else you want.† I had to pass through the doorway they stood in to get outside. Glaring, I pushed past, but Miles caught me around the waist, his hand sliding down to my butt. â€Å"Get your hands off my ass before I break your face,† I told him, jerking away. In doing so, I only bumped into Anthony. â€Å"Come on,† Anthony said, â€Å"I thought you didn't have a problem taking on two guys at the same time.† A new voice spoke up. â€Å"If you guys don't walk away right now, I'll take both of you on.† Mason. My hero. â€Å"You're so full of it, Ashford,† said Miles. He was the bigger of the two and left me to go square off with Mason. Anthony backed off from me, more interested in whether or not there'd be a fight. There was so much testosterone in the air, I felt like I needed a gas mask. â€Å"Are you doing her too?† Miles asked Mason. â€Å"You don't want to share?† â€Å"Say one more word about her, and I'll rip your head off.† â€Å"Why? She's just a cheap blood – â€Å" Mason punched him. It didn't rip Miles' head off or even cause anything to break or bleed, but it looked like it hurt. His eyes widened, and he lunged toward Mason. The sound of doors opening in the hall caused everyone to freeze. Novices got in a lot of trouble for fighting. â€Å"Probably some guardians coming.† Mason grinned. â€Å"You want them to know you were beating up on a girl?† Miles and Anthony exchanged glances. â€Å"Come on,† Anthony said. â€Å"Let's go. We don't have time for this.† Miles reluctantly followed. â€Å"I'll find you later, Ashford.† When they were gone, I turned on Mason. † ? ®Beat up on a girl'?† â€Å"You're welcome,† he said drily. â€Å"I didn't need your help.† â€Å"Sure. You were doing just fine on your own.† â€Å"They caught me off guard, that's all. I could have dealt with them eventually.† â€Å"Look, don't take being pissed off at them out on me.† â€Å"I just don't like being treated like†¦a girl.† â€Å"You are a girl. And I was just trying to help.† I looked at him and saw the earnestness on his face. He meant well. No point in being a bitch to him when I had so many other people to hate lately. â€Å"Well†¦thanks. Sorry I snapped at you.† We talked a little bit, and I managed to get him to spill some more school gossip. He had noticed Lissa's rise in status but didn't seem to find it strange. As I talked to him, I noticed the adoring look he always got around me spread across his face. It made me sad to have him feel that way about me. Guilty, even. How hard would it be, I wondered, to go out with him? He was nice, funny, and reasonably good-looking. We got along. Why did I get caught up in so many messes with other guys when I had a perfectly sweet one here who wanted me? Why couldn't I just return his feelings? The answer came to me before I'd even finished asking myself the question. I couldn't be Mason's girlfriend because when I imagined someone holding me and whispering dirty things in my ear, he had a Russian accent. Mason continued watching me admiringly, oblivious to what was going on in my head. And seeing that adoration, I suddenly realized how I could use it to my advantage. Feeling a little guilty, I shifted my conversation to a more flirty style and watched Mason's glow increase. I leaned beside him on the wall so our arms just touched and gave him a lazy smile. â€Å"You know, I still don't approve of your whole hero thing, but you did scare them. That was almost worth it.† â€Å"But you don't approve?† I trailed fingers up his arm. â€Å"No. I mean, it's hot in principle but not in practice.† He laughed. â€Å"The hell it isn't.† He caught hold of my hand and gave me a knowing look. â€Å"Sometimes you need to be saved. I think you like being saved sometimes and just can't admit it.† â€Å"And I think you get off on saving people and just can't admit it.† â€Å"I don't think you know what gets me off. Saving damsels like you is just the honorable thing to do,† he declared loftily. I repressed the urge to smack him over the use of damsels. â€Å"Then prove it. Do me a favor just because it's ? ®the right thing to do.' â€Å" â€Å"Sure,† he said immediately. â€Å"Name it.† â€Å"I need you to get a message to Christian Ozera.† His eagerness faltered. â€Å"What the – ? You aren't serious.† â€Å"Yes. Completely.† â€Å"Rose†¦I can't talk to him. You know that.† â€Å"I thought you said you'd help. I thought you said helping ? ®damsels' is the honorable thing to do.† â€Å"I don't really see how honor's involved here.† I gave him the most smoldering look I could manage. He caved. â€Å"What do you want me to tell him?† â€Å"Tell him I need St. Vladimir's books. The ones in storage. He needs to sneak them to me soon. Tell him it's for Lissa. And tell him†¦tell him I lied the night of the reception.† I hesitated. â€Å"Tell him I'm sorry.† â€Å"That doesn't make any sense.† â€Å"It doesn't have to. Just do it. Please?† I turned on the beauty queen smile again. With hasty assurances that he'd see what he could do, he left for lunch, and I went off to practice.