Tort Reform Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Tort Reform - Essay Example The escalating cost of medical bill has been attributed to excessive litigation also; therefore, the bill aims at reducing litigation by promoting patient safety. Hence, â€Å"states that apply for a grant to work on patient safety issues, rather than on other dispute resolution techniques† (Jones, 2010). In the opinion of Barack Obama, the new tort reform would improve patient safety and medical liability terms. According to Thomas Gallagher, an official of University of Washington, the goal of the reform is to improve the culture of health care communication with the objective of mitigating medical malpractices and thereby increasing patient safety. He adds that the proposed changes would provide better communication training to health care workers. Similarly, the J. D. of New York State Unified Court System, Judy Kluger argues that the reform would protect the patients who get injuries by providers’ mistakes. Kluger also says that costs associated with medical malpra ctices can be minimized by the introduction of the proposed tort reform (Point of Law.com). The state of Texas successfully implemented the tort reform in 2003 in order to improve the efficacy of the patient- friendly ‘malpractice laws’ in 2003.

Child abuse Essay Example for Free

Child abuse Essay Child abuse is one of the biggest injustices of all time because it is a never ending cycle. Child abuse is the physical, sexual, or emotional mistreatment or neglect of a child. Children are young, innocent, and fragile. Their minds are like sponges, absorbing everything they see and feel. Thus, leading the children to being the advocate of child abuse when their older. Abused and neglected children are 11 times more likely to engage in criminal behavior as an adult. Therefore, child abuse leads the victims to not have the opportunity to a bright future. Neglect is the most common form of child abuse. Over 75% of children who experience maltreatment or abuse suffer from neglect. For every incident of neglect thats reported, an estimated two incidents go unreported. Approximately one in ten young adults (9%) was cruelly neglected by parents or guardians during their childhood. Based on the interviews with 1,761 young adults between the ages of 18 to 24, one in 6 (16%) young adults were neglected at some point during their childhood, with one in 10 young adults (9%) severely neglected during their childhood. Based on the interviews with 2,275 children between the ages of 11 to 17, one in 7 (13.3%) secondary school children have been neglected at some point, with one in 10 children (9.8%) severely neglected. Based on the interviews with 2,160 parents or guardians of children under 11 years old, one in 20 (5%) of children under 11 have been neglected at least once before, with one in 30 (3.7%) severely neglected. On March 31, 2012 (or in Scotland on July 2012), there were 21,666 children in the United Kingdom on the subject of child protection plans under the category of neglect. On March 31, 2012 (or in Scotland on July 31, 2012), 43% of all children on the subject of child protection plans in the United Kingdom were under the category of neglect. There were 18, 220 children were the subject of a child protection plan under the category of neglect in England on March 31, 2012. In England, 43% of all children subject of a child protection plan were under the category of neglect on March 31, 2012. There were 1,006 children on the child protection register under the category of neglect in Scotland on July 31, 2012. In Scotland, 37% of all children on the child protection register under the category of neglect on July 31, 2012. There were 1,040 children on the child protection register under the category of neglect in Northern Ireland on March 31,  2012. In Northern Ireland, 49% of all children on the child protection register were under the category of neglect on March 31, 2012. There were 1,400 children on the child protection register under the category of neglect in Wales on March 31, 2012. In Wales, 48% of all children on the child protection register were under the category of neglect in March 31, 2012. In England, about one in seven children who became the subject of a plan for neglect in 2011-2012 had been subject to a plan at least once before. There were 6.2 million children referred to Child Protective Services in 2011. About 3.7 million children were investigated for maltreatment by CPS in 2011. There were 676,569 children decided to be victims of abuse or neglect in 2011. The most common victims of abuse and neglect are children age 2 and under. More than 11% of victims had a reported disability. In the U.S., there are about 1,570 child victims per year caused by maltreatment and an average of 30 child fatality victims per week. Most child fatalities were under 4 years old (81.6%) with 42.4% less than one year old. In the U.S., 37% of states limit information on child deaths and accidents. In the U.S., the yearly estimated direct cost of medical care of child abuse and neglect is $33,333,619,510. In the U.S., the yearly estimated direct and indirect cost of child abuse and ne glect is $80,260,411,087. The percentage of states that do not obligate legal representation for victims in abuse and neglect is 39%. There are about 408,425 children in the foster care system. About 27,854 of those children aged out of foster care. The percentage of the general population that has a bachelors degree is 30%. The percentage of former foster children that have a bachelors degree is 3%. The percentage of the general population in jail or prison is greater than 1%. The percentage of former foster children incarcerated since age 17 that are males is 64%. The percentage of former foster children incarcerated that are females is 32.5%. The percentage of the general population who experience homelessness during a year is greater than 1%. The percentage of former foster children who experience homelessness after aging out of the system is 24%. The percentage of former foster children who are unemployed for 1 year after aging out is 61%. The percentage of former foster children who are unemployed for 5 years after aging out is 53.5%. Ronald T. is a victim of physical abuse, emotional maltreatment, and neglect.

How Do Cultural Differences Affect International Marketing Marketing Essay

How Do Cultural Differences Affect International Marketing Marketing Essay Markets are becoming increasingly internationalised and, for businesses to achieve sustainable growth in such markets, it is critical that they gain an understanding of the complex and diverse nature of international markets and of associated international marketing strategy (Doole and Lowe, 2008, pp. 5-6). International marketing strategy involves marketing mix decisions being made across both national and cultural borders. The coordination and management of effective and efficient marketing mix strategies globally for a multi-national organisation is fundamental to its business success (Wall et al., 2009, pp. 338-349). The term globalisation is first believed to have been used in a paper published by the late Theodore Levitt in the Harvard Business Review (1983). Since that time, the term globalisation has evolved to embrace more than just its original economic dimension. This has happened despite the fact that most academics and theorists are not able to agree on a common definition for globalisation (Healy, 2001). This dilemma was summed up by the sociologist, Anthony Giddens (1996), when he said thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ There are few terms that we use so frequently but which are in fact as poorly conceptualized as globalization. However, in spite of this lack of agreement on a definition, there is general agreement that the globalisation of world markets has been a major factor in the internationalisation of business (Wood and Robertson, 2000). The internationalisation of business has also been largely responsible for the so called homogenisation of consumer products and services worldwide, a phenome non sometimes know as the McDonaldization effect (Ritzer 2004, pp. 2-3). However, the counter argument to this position on globalisation is that there are very few brands that can truly be said to be global with most of the examples, such as McDonalds itself, Coca-Cola, and Nike, being based in the USA (de Mooij, 2010, pp. 31-32). Despite the relentless onward march of globalisation, the creation and implementation of a successful marketing communications strategy in a developing country, such as India, requires a significantly different approach to that required in a developed country, such as the United Kingdom. For example, language is a significant issue in the execution of marketing communications. The UK is more ethnically and culturally diverse than it was previously, but its first language remains as English. In India, however, there are a large number of ethnic groups and more than twenty official languages (Usunier and Lee, 2009, p. 7). Whilst originally a British colony, independent India has evolved its own political and legal systems which now have significant differences when compared to those in the UK. Any misreading of the political and legal environment in a particular country, by a multinational brand, can cause significant problems in marketing communications terms. In India, for example, t he UK based chocolate manufacturer, Cadbury, created intense anger amongst the population at large in 2002 when it completely underestimated sensitivity by politicians and the public at large to the enduring dispute between India and Pakistan over the territory of Kashmir. Cadbury promoted in together with the tagline Im good. Im tempting. Im too good to share. What am I? Cadburys Temptations or Kashmir? Cadbury compounded its insensitivity by launching the campaign on Indian Independence Day when nationalist feelings were running particularly high (Doole and Lowe, 2008, p. 17; Dodd, 2002). In addition, consumer attitudes and behaviour towards brands and products can be influenced by other factors such as the social environment. For example, marketers of innovative products, such as personal computers and other electronic gadgets, need to be aware that there are fewer so called early adopters in developing countries than there are in developed countries (de Mooij, 2005, p. 129). According to theory of the Diffusion of Innovations, early adopters are more likely to purchase a new and technically innovative product than are other consumer types (Rogers 1995, pp. 252-280). Consequently, in marketing communications terms, brand owners of such products will need to focus on the tried and tested nature of their technology rather than innovation when communicating their products to consumers in developing countries. Whilst issues such as legal and political systems and social environments are not necessarily directly related to culture, is perhaps culture itself that is the biggest single, differentiator in terms of global consumer behaviour (Blackwell et al, 2001, pp. 313-354). Culture should be regarded as a process rather than a distinctive dimension of consumer behaviour. At an individual level, culture comprises a number of different elements that all work together coherently including values, beliefs and knowledge. At a group level culture consists of the arts, morals, protocols, and legal systems present in any particular country or region. However, culture is principally characterised by language, institutions, and material and symbolic productions (Usunier and Lee, 2005, p. 4). The popular view is that that the worlds trade, financial systems technology, and media, are becoming increasingly globalised, a process frequently referred to as globalisation (Usunier and Lee, 2005, p. 66). Som e theorists such as Kenichi Ohmae go even further suggesting that the world will be a nationless state marked by the convergence of customer needs that transcends political and cultural boundaries (Pieterse, 2009, pp.10-11). Conversely, however, many academics believe that consumer behaviour will never become truly globalised as cultural influences refuse to follow the globalisation path remaining, as they do obstinately regionalised and, in some cases, localised (de Mooij, 2010, p. 2). According to Hall and Hall (1990, p. 6) there are two distinctive types of culture namely Low Context and High Context. The culture in the UK is regarded as Low Context/ Individualistic, and in India as High Context/ Collectivistic. Cultural attributes, such as communication and language, which are critical dimensions of marketing communications, demonstrate considerable variance between the two types of culture. In the Low Context/ Individualistic cultures, such as that in the UK, communication tends to be explicit and direct whereas in Low Context /Individualistic culture, such as that in India, it is usually implicit and indirect see Appendix I. It is important that these language and communication differences, brought about by differing cultures, are reflected in the language and communication styles that are deployed in the marketing communications activities targeted at particular markets. Power distance is defined as the extent to which the less powerful accept and expect that power is distributed unequally (Hofstede, 2001, p. xix). The Power Distance Index (PDI) is a tool used for the measurement of the degree of equality, or inequality that exits amongst the population in any particular country. A country with high PDI score would indicate that it high levels if of inequalities in its society whereas of power and wealth whereas a low PDI score would be an indicator of more social equality (Hofstede, 2001, p. 50). The PDI for India is 77 whilst that of the UK is 35 (Hofstede, 2003, p. 87). This would indicate that there is more inequality in India than there is in the UK. This finding is substantiated by the fact that India has a very hierarchical society based on social status by birth whereas the UK has a non hierarchical culture with status based on wealth and income, (Hollensen, 2011, pp. 237-244). In addition, gender plays an important role in consumer behaviour in developed and developing countries. In India paternal authority means that marketing communications for many product areas has to be targeted at males who are also the head of their household whereas in societies where there is equality of the sexes, such as in the UK, marketing can effectively be targeted at either sex depending on the nature of the product and its positioning (Usunier and Lee, 2009, p. 71). Furthermore, the central role of the family in Indian culture means has had implications for global brands such as McDonalds which, although using standardised store formats worldwide has positioned and promoted its outlets as family restaurants whereas in the UK, and other developed countries, it has positioned itself as fast food restaurant and a venue for childrens parties (de Mooij, 2010. p. 15). The need to consider whether or not a marketing communications strategy for a brand that is effective in a developed country, such as the UK, should be adapted for a developing country, such as India, is fundamental to that brands international success (Kotler and Armstrong, 2010, p. 259). There are two high-level, strategic options that such multi-national brands can adopt. Firstly, such a brand can think and act globally by deciding to use the same marketing communications strategies across all of its international markets or, secondly, it can think globally but act locally by developing and customising strategies to meet the needs of consumers in particular local markets across the world (de Mooij, 2010, p.2). Organisations with a standardised approach to marketing communications are striving for their customers to perceive a consistent brand image in all of their operational markets (Hafez and Ling, 2005). However, despite this approach many brands may still find that their consu mer perception varies in different cultures (de Mooij, 2010, p. 37). For example, global consumers of Coca-Cola in different cultural markets worldwide will undoubtedly be aware of the Americaness of the brand however, they will still evaluate the global brand values of the drink based on their own particular cultural knowledge, values, and beliefs (de Mooij, 2010, pp. 31-32). A major benefit of a standardised marketing communications strategy is that the associated costs will usually be lower the activities will be easier to manage and control than would be the case with adapted strategies. In addition, if marketing communications strategies have to be adapted for particular markets then there is potential for the strength of the brand to be diluted (Hafez and Ling, 2005). Truly global brands, such as Coca-Cola, are largely able to standardise their marketing communications activities globally because of the worldwide recognition that the brand enjoys. The Coca-Cola brand communicates certain values, such as fun and happiness, that are able to appeal to global consumers regardless of their country of origin or local culture. This can be clearly demonstrated in the brands global advertising campaign the Happiness Factory, which was launched in 2009 see Appendix II. However, even Coca-Cola can not always justify the total standardisation of its marketing c ommunications and has, historically, had to produce adapted television commercials for some countries, including the UK, such as in the UK. However, Coca-Cola has since reiterated its desire to produce only globalised marketing communications campaigns (Eleftheriou-Smith, 2011). However, there are very few truly global brands that have the power of Coca-Cola and, consequently, most brands will have to adapt their marketing communications strategy to take account of local markets. According to Vignola (2001), brand names and the attributes and characteristics of products are the easiest elements of the marketing mix to standardise in global markets. By definition, therefore, marketing communication is more difficult to standardise. This view is supported by Hafez and Ling (2005) who suggest that a premise of basic marketing practice is that organisations operating globally have to determine how best to adapt their marketing communications strategies to the local markets in which they sell their products or services. Unlike with a standardised approach, brands that use an adapted approach to marketing communications consciously permit their consumers to perceive differing brand images according to their culture. This enables the brand to establish higher levels of brand equity in individual market s than would be possible with a standardised approach (Hafez and Ling, 2005). The culture of consumers in developing countries tends to include higher levels of risk aversion that does the culture of consumers in developed countries (Hollensen, 2011, p. 237-244). In terms of adapting marketing communications activity for a global brand, then research has shown the strategies that are especially effective are those that reassure consumers in developing markets, such as India, that the brand they are choosing is free of risk (Erdem et al, 2006). It can be seen that there are a number of differences that exist between developed and developing countries in relation to the creation and implementation of marketing strategies. These differences are particularly significant in marketing communications terms and are largely, although not exclusively, related to culture. These differences are at odds with the basic and inherent desire on the part of many multi-national brands to standardise their marketing communications for both cost and ease of control reasons. However, it has been shown that this approach is not necessarily always appropriate as local cultures can be stubborn in their resistance to receiving standardised messages about brands and products. Consequently, a strong case can usually be made in favour of locally adapted marketing communications strategies, rather than those that are standardised globally, for most brands and products. It is really only those true global brands, such as Coca-Cola for example, that enjo y a consistent and powerful image, together with high levels of brand equity, across cultures that can be fully justified in adopting a globally standardised approach to marketing communications. In conclusion, therefore, the global and local dimensions of marketing communications should always be reflective of a brands recognition, power, and acquired equity in each individual, operational marketplace and its likelihood of generating different cultural responses at a regional or local level.

The Character of Ophelia in Shakespeares Hamlet :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

The Character of Ophelia in Hamlet      Ã‚   Of all the pivotal characters in Hamlet, Ophelia is the most static and one-dimensional. She has the potential to become a tragic heroine; to overcome the adversities inflicted upon her, but she instead crumbles into insanity, becoming merely tragic. This is because Ophelia herself is not as important as her representation of the duel nature of women in the play. Ophelia serves a distinct purpose: to show at once Hamlet's warped view of women as callous sexual predators, and the innocence and virtue of women.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The extent to which Hamlet feels betrayed by Gertrude is far more apparent with the addition of Ophelia to the play. Hamlet's feelings of rage against his mother can be directed toward Ophelia, who is, in his estimation, hiding her base nature behind a guise of impeccability. Through Ophelia we witness Hamlet's evolution, or de-evolution into a man convinced that all women are whores; that the women who seem most pure are inside black with corruption and sexual desire. And if women are harlots, then they must have their procurers. Gertrude has been made a whore by Claudius, and Ophelia has been made a whore by her father. In Act II, Polonius makes arrangements to use the alluring Ophelia to discover why Hamlet is behaving so curiously. Hamlet is not in the room but it seems obvious from the following lines that he has overheard Polonius trying to use his daughter's charms to suit his underhanded purposes. In Hamlet's distraught mind, there is no gray area: Polonius prostitutes his daughter. And Hamlet tells him so to his face, labeling him a "fishmonger", even if Polonius cannot decipher the meaning behind Hamlet's words. As Kay Stanton argues in her essay Hamlet's Whores:    Perhaps it may be granted...that what makes a woman a whore in the Hamlets' estimation is her sexual use by not one man but by more than one man.... what seems to enrage [Hamlet] in the 'nunnery' interlude is that Ophelia has put her sense of love and duty for another man above her sense of love and duty for him, just as Gertrude put her sense of love and duty for her new husband above her sense of love and duty for her old. Gertrude chose a brother over a dead Hamlet; Ophelia chooses a father over a living Hamlet: both choices can be read as additionally sexually perverse in being, to Hamlet, 'incestuous'.

Digital Fortress Chapter 71-75

Chapter 71 Tokugen Numataka lit his fourth cigar and kept pacing. He snatched up his phone and buzzed the main switchboard. â€Å"Any word yet on that phone number?† he demanded before the operator could speak. â€Å"Nothing yet, sir. It's taking a bit longer than expected-it came from a cellular.† A cellular, Numataka mused. Figures. Fortunately for the Japanese economy, the Americans had an insatiable appetite for electronic gadgets. â€Å"The boosting station,† the operator added, â€Å"is in the 202 area code. But we have no number yet.† â€Å"202? Where's that?† Where in the vast American expanse is this mysterious North Dakota hiding? â€Å"Somewhere near Washington, D. C., sir.† Numataka arched his eyebrows. â€Å"Call me as soon as you have a number.† Chapter 72 Susan Fletcher stumbled across the darkened Crypto floor toward Strathmore's catwalk. The commander's office was as far from Hale as Susan could get inside the locked complex. When Susan reached the top of the catwalk stairs, she found the commander's door hanging loosely, the electronic lock rendered ineffective by the power outage. She barged in. â€Å"Commander?† The only light inside was the glow of Strathmore's computer monitors. â€Å"Commander!† she called once again. â€Å"Commander!† Susan suddenly remembered that the commander was in the Sys-Sec lab. She turned circles in his empty office, the panic of her ordeal with Hale still in her blood. She had to get out of Crypto. Digital Fortress or no Digital Fortress, it was time to act-time to abort the TRANSLTR run and escape. She eyed Strathmore's glowing monitors then dashed to his desk. She fumbled with his keypad. Abort TRANSLTR! The task was simple now that she was on an authorized terminal. Susan called up the proper command window and typed: ABORT RUN Her finger hovered momentarily over the ENTER key. â€Å"Susan!† a voice barked from the doorway. Susan wheeled scared, fearing it was Hale. But it was not, it was Strathmore. He stood, pale and eerie in the electronic glow, his chest heaving. â€Å"What the hell's going on!† â€Å"Com†¦ mander!† Susan gasped. â€Å"Hale's in Node 3! He just attacked me!† â€Å"What? Impossible! Hale's locked down in-â€Å" â€Å"No, he's not! He's loose! We need security inhere now! I'm aborting TRANSLTR!† Susan reached for the keypad. â€Å"DON'T TOUCH THAT!† Strathmore lunged for the terminal and pulled Susan's hands away. Susan recoiled, stunned. She stared at the commander and for the second time that day did not recognize him. Susan felt suddenly alone. Strathmore saw the blood on Susan's shirt and immediately regretted his outburst. â€Å"Jesus, Susan. Are you okay?† She didn't respond. He wished he hadn't jumped on her unnecessarily. His nerves were frayed. He was juggling too much. There were things on his mind-things Susan Fletcher did not know about-things he had not told her and prayed he'd never have to. â€Å"I'm sorry,† he said softly. â€Å"Tell me what happened.† She turned away. â€Å"It doesn't matter. The blood's not mine. Just get me out of here.† â€Å"Are you hurt?† Strathmore put a hand on her shoulder. Susan recoiled. He dropped his hand and looked away. When he looked back at Susan's face, she seemed to be staring over his shoulder at something on the wall. There, in the darkness, a small keypad glowed full force. Strathmore followed her gaze and frowned. He'd hoped Susan wouldn't notice the glowing control panel. The illuminated keypad controlled his private elevator. Strathmore and his high-powered guests used it to come and go from Crypto without advertising the fact to the rest of the staff. The personal lift dropped down fifty feet below the Crypto dome and then moved laterally 109 yards through a reinforced underground tunnel to the sublevels of the main NSA complex. The elevator connecting Crypto to the NSA was powered from the main complex; it was on-line despite Crypto's power outage. Strathmore had known all along it was on-line, but even as Susan had been pounding on the main exit downstairs, he hadn't mentioned it. He could not afford to let Susan out-not yet. He wondered how much he'd have to tell her to make her want to stay. Susan pushed past Strathmore and raced to the back wall. She jabbed furiously at the illuminated buttons. â€Å"Please,† she begged. But the door did not open. â€Å"Susan,† Strathmore said quietly. â€Å"The lift takes a password.† â€Å"A password?† she repeated angrily. She glared at the controls. Below the main keypad was a second keypad-a smaller one, with tiny buttons. Each button was marked with a letter of the alphabet. Susan wheeled to him. â€Å"What is the password!† she demanded. Strathmore thought a moment and sighed heavily. â€Å"Susan, have a seat.† Susan looked as if she could hardly believe her ears. â€Å"Have a seat,† the commander repeated, his voice firm. â€Å"Let me out!† Susan shot an uneasy glance toward the commander's open office door. Strathmore eyed the panicked Susan Fletcher. Calmly he moved to his office door. He stepped out onto the landing and peered into the darkness. Hale was nowhere to be seen. The commander stepped back inside and pulled the door shut. Then he propped a chair in front to keep it closed, went to his desk, and removed something from a drawer. In the pale glow of the monitors Susan saw what he was holding. Her face went pale. It was a gun. Strathmore pulled two chairs into the middle of the room. He rotated them to face the closed office door. Then he sat. He lifted the glittering Beretta semi-automatic and aimed steadily at the slightly open door. After a moment he laid the gun back in his lap. He spoke solemnly. â€Å"Susan, we're safe here. We need to talk. If Greg Hale comes through that door†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He let it hang. Susan was speechless. Strathmore gazed at her in the dim light of his office. He patted the seat beside him. â€Å"Susan, sit. I have something to tell you.† She did not move. â€Å"When I'm done, â€Å"he said, â€Å"I'll give you the password to the elevator. You can decide whether to leave or not.† There was a long silence. In a daze, Susan moved across the office and sat next to Strathmore. â€Å"Susan,† he began, â€Å"I haven't been entirely honest with you.† Chapter 73 David Becker felt as if his face had been doused in turpentine and ignited. He rolled over on the floor and squinted through bleary tunnel vision at the girl halfway to the revolving doors. She was running in short, terrified bursts, dragging her duffel behind her across the tile. Becker tried to pull himself to his feet, but he could not. He was blinded by red-hot fire. She can't get away! He tried to call out, but there was no air in his lungs, only a sickening pain. â€Å"No!† He coughed. The sound barely left his lips. Becker knew the second she went through the door, she would disappear forever. He tried to call out again, but his throat was searing. The girl had almost reached the revolving door. Becker staggered to his feet, gasping for breath. He stumbled after her. The girl dashed into the first compartment of the revolving door, dragging her duffel behind her. Twenty yards back, Becker was staggering blindly toward the door. â€Å"Wait!† He gasped. â€Å"Wait!† The girl pushed furiously on the inside of the door. The door began to rotate, but then it jammed. The blonde wheeled in terror and saw her duffel snagged in the opening. She knelt and pulled furiously to free it. Becker fixed his bleary vision on the fabric protruding through the door. As he dove, the red corner of nylon protruding from the crack was all he could see. He flew toward it, arms outstretched. As David Becker fell toward the door, his hands only inches away, the fabric slipped into the crack and disappeared. His fingers clutched empty air as the door lurched into motion. The girl and the duffel tumbled into the street outside. â€Å"Megan!† Becker wailed as hit the floor. White-hot needles shot through the back of his eye sockets. His vision tunneled to nothing, and a new wave of nausea rolled in. His own voice echoed in the blackness. Megan! David Becker wasn't sure how long he'd been lying there before he became aware of the hum of fluorescent bulbs overhead. Everything else was still. Through the silence came a voice. Someone was calling. He tried to lift his head off the floor. The world was cockeyed, watery. Again the voice. He squinted down the concourse and saw a figure twenty yards away. â€Å"Mister?† Becker recognized the voice. It was the girl. She was standing at another entrance farther down the concourse, clutching her duffel to her chest. She looked more frightened now than she had before. â€Å"Mister?† she asked, her voice trembling. â€Å"I never told you my name. How come you know my name?† Chapter 74 Director Leland Fontaine was a mountain of a man, sixty-three years old, with a close-cropped military haircut and a rigid demeanor. His jet-black eyes were like coal when he was irritated, which was almost always. He'd risen through the ranks of the NSA through hard work, good planning, and the well-earned respect of his predecessors. He was the first African American director of the National Security Agency, but nobody ever mentioned the distinction; Fontaine's politics were decidedly color-blind, and his staff wisely followed suit. Fontaine had kept Midge and Brinkerhoff standing as he went through the silent ritual of making himself a mug of Guatemalan java. Then he'd settled at his desk, left them standing, and questioned them like schoolchildren in the principal's office. Midge did the talking-explaining the unusual series of events that led them to violate the sanctity of Fontaine's office. â€Å"A virus?† the director asked coldly. â€Å"You two think we've got a virus?† Brinkerhoff winced. â€Å"Yes, sir,† Midge snapped. â€Å"Because Strathmore bypassed Gauntlet?† Fontaine eyed the printout in front of him. â€Å"Yes,† she said. â€Å"And there's a file that hasn't broken in over twenty hours!† Fontaine frowned. â€Å"Or so your data says.† Midge was about to protest, but she held her tongue. Instead she went for the throat. â€Å"There's a blackout in Crypto.† Fontaine looked up, apparently surprised. Midge confirmed with a curt nod. â€Å"All power's down. Jabba thought maybe-â€Å" â€Å"You called Jabba?† â€Å"Yes, sir, I-â€Å" â€Å"Jabba?† Fontaine stood up, furious. â€Å"Why the hell didn't you call Strathmore?† â€Å"We did!† Midge defended. â€Å"He said everything was fine.† Fontaine stood, his chest heaving. â€Å"Then we have no reason to doubt him.† There was closure in his voice. He took a sip of coffee. â€Å"Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do.† Midge's jaw dropped. â€Å"I beg your pardon?† Brinkerhoff was already headed for the door, but Midge was cemented in place. â€Å"I said good night, Ms. Milken,† Fontaine repeated. â€Å"You are excused.† â€Å"But-but sir,† she stammered, â€Å"I†¦ I have to protest. I think-â€Å" â€Å"You protest?† the director demanded. He set down his coffee. â€Å"I protest! I protest to your presence in my office. I protest to your insinuations that the deputy director of this agency is lying. I protest-â€Å" â€Å"We have a virus, sir! My instincts tell me-â€Å" â€Å"Well, your instincts are wrong, Ms. Milken! For once, they're wrong!† Midge stood fast. â€Å"But, sir! Commander Strathmore bypassed Gauntlet!† Fontaine strode toward her, barely controlling his anger. â€Å"That is his prerogative! I pay you to watch analysts and service employees-not spy on the deputy director! If it weren't for him we'd still be breaking codes with pencil and paper! Now leave me!† He turned to Brinkerhoff, who stood in the doorway colorless and trembling. â€Å"Both of you.† â€Å"With all due respect, sir,† Midge said. â€Å"I'd like to recommend we send a Sys-Sec team to Crypto just to ensure-â€Å" â€Å"We will do no such thing!† After a tense beat, Midge nodded. â€Å"Very well. Goodnight.† She turned and left. As she passed, Brinkerhoff could see in her eyes that she had no intention of letting this rest-not until her intuition was satisfied. Brinkerhoff gazed across the room at his boss, massive and seething behind his desk. This was not the director he knew. The director he knew was a stickler for detail, for neatly tied packages. He always encouraged his staff to examine and clarify any inconsistencies in daily procedure, no matter how minute. And yet here he was, asking them to turn their backs on a very bizarre series of coincidences. The director was obviously hiding something, but Brinkerhoff was paid to assist, not to question. Fontaine had proven over and over that he had everyone's best interests at heart; if assisting him now meant turning a blind eye, then so be it. Unfortunately, Midge was paid to question, and Brinkerhoff feared she was headed for Crypto to do just that. Time to get out the resumes, Brinkerhoff thought as he turned to the door. â€Å"Chad!† Fontaine barked, from behind him. Fontaine had seen the look in Midge's eyes when she left. â€Å"Don't let her out of this suite.† Brinkerhoff nodded and hustled after Midge. Fontaine sighed and put his head in his hands. His sable eyes were heavy. It had been a long, unexpected trip home. The past month had been one of great anticipation for Leland Fontaine. There were things happening right now at the NSA that would change history, and ironically, Director Fontaine had found out about them only by chance. Three months ago, Fontaine had gotten news that Commander Strathmore's wife was leaving him. He'd also heard reports that Strathmore was working absurd hours and seemed about to crack under the pressure. Despite differences of opinion with Strathmore on many issues, Fontaine had always held his deputy director in the highest esteem; Strathmore was a brilliant man, maybe the best the NSA had. At the same time, ever since the Skipjack fiasco, Strathmore had been under tremendous stress. It made Fontaine uneasy; the commander held a lot of keys around the NSA-and Fontaine had an agency to protect. Fontaine needed someone to keep tabs on the wavering Strathmore and make sure he was 100 percent-but it was not that simple. Strathmore was a proud and powerful man; Fontaine needed a way to check up on the commander without undermining his confidence or authority. Fontaine decided, out of respect for Strathmore, to do the job himself. He had an invisible tap installed on Commander Strathmore's Crypto account-his E-mail, his interoffice correspondence, his brainstorms, all of it. If Strathmore was going to crack, the director would see warning signs in his work. But instead of signs of a breakdown, Fontaine uncovered the ground work for one of the most incredible intelligence schemes he'd ever encountered. It was no wonder Strathmore was busting his ass; if he could pull this plan off, it would make up for the Skipjack fiasco a hundred times over. Fontaine had concluded Strathmore was fine, working at 110 percent-as sly, smart, and patriotic as ever. The best thing the director could do would be to stand clear and watch the commander work his magic. Strathmore had devised a plan†¦ a plan Fontaine had no intention of interrupting. Chapter 75 Strathmore fingered the Berretta in his lap. Even with the rage boiling in his blood, he was programmed to think clearly. The fact that Greg Hale had dared lay a finger on Susan Fletcher sickened him, but the fact that it was his own fault made him even sicker; Susan going into Node 3 had been his idea. Strathmore knew enough to compartmentalize his emotion-it could in no way affect his handling of Digital Fortress. He was the deputy director of the National Security Agency. And today his job was more critical than it had ever been. Strathmore slowed his breathing. â€Å"Susan.† His voice was efficient and unclouded. â€Å"Did you delete Hale's E-mail?† â€Å"No,† she said, confused. â€Å"Do you have the pass-key?† She shook her head. Strathmore frowned, chewing his lip. His mind was racing. He had a dilemma. He could easily enter his elevator password, and Susan would be gone. But he needed her there. He needed her help to find Hale's pass-key. Strathmore hadn't told her yet, but finding that pass-key was far more than a matter of academic interest-it was an absolute necessity. Strathmore suspected he could run Susan's nonconformity search and find the pass-key himself, but he'd already encountered problems running her tracer. He was not about to risk it again. â€Å"Susan.† He sighed resolutely. â€Å"I'd like you to help me find Hale's pass-key.† â€Å"What!† Susan stood up, her eyes wild. Strathmore fought off the urge to stand along with her. He knew a lot about negotiating-the position of power was always seated. He hoped she would follow suit. She did not. â€Å"Susan, sit down.† She ignored him. â€Å"Sit down.† It was an order. Susan remained standing. â€Å"Commander, if you've still got some burning desire to check out Tankado's algorithm, you can do it alone. I want out.† Strathmore hung his head and took a deep breath. It was clear she would need an explanation. She deserves one, he thought. Strathmore made his decision-Susan Fletcher would hear it all. He prayed he wasn't making a mistake. â€Å"Susan,† he began, â€Å"it wasn't supposed to come to this.† He ran his hand across his scalp. â€Å"There are some things I haven't told you. Sometimes a man in my position†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The commander wavered as if making a painful confession. â€Å"Sometimes a man in my position is forced to lie to the people he loves. Today was one of those days.† He eyed her sadly. â€Å"What I'm about to tell you, I never planned to have to say†¦ to you†¦ or to anyone.† Susan felt a chill. The commander had a deadly serious look on his face. There was obviously some aspect of his agenda to which she was not privy. Susan sat down. There was a long pause as Strathmore stared at the ceiling, gathering his thoughts. â€Å"Susan,† he finally said, his voice frail. â€Å"I have no family.† He returned his gaze to her. â€Å"I have no marriage to speak of. My life has been my love for this country. My life has been my work here at the NSA.† Susan listened in silence. â€Å"As you may have guessed,† he continued, â€Å"I planned to retire soon. But I wanted to retire with pride. I wanted to retire knowing that I'd truly made a difference.† â€Å"But you have made a difference,† Susan heard herself say. â€Å"You built TRANSLTR.† Strathmore didn't seem to hear. â€Å"Over the past few years, our work here at the NSA has gotten harder and harder. We've faced enemies I never imagined would challenge us. I'm talking about our own citizens. The lawyers, the civil rights fanatics, the EFF-they've all played a part, but it's more than that. It's the people. They've lost faith. They've become paranoid. They suddenly see us as the enemy. People like you and me, people who truly have the nation's best interests at heart, we find ourselves having to fight for our right to serve our country. We're no longer peacekeepers. We're eavesdroppers, peeping Toms, violators of people's rights.† Strathmore heaved a sigh. â€Å"Unfortunately, there are naive people in the world, people who can't imagine the horrors they'd face if we didn't intervene. I truly believe it's up to us to save them from their own ignorance.† Susan waited for his point. The commander stared wearily at the floor and then looked up. â€Å"Susan, hear me out,† he said, smiling tenderly at her. â€Å"You'll want to stop me, but hear me out. I've been decrypting Tankado's E-mail for about two months now. As you can imagine, I was shocked when I first read his messages to North Dakota about an unbreakable algorithm called Digital Fortress. I didn't believe it was possible. But every time I intercepted anew message, Tankado sounded more and more convincing. When I read that he'd used mutation strings to write a rotating key-code, I realized he was light-years ahead of us; it was an approach no one here had never tried.† â€Å"Why would we?† Susan asked. â€Å"It barely makes sense.† Strathmore stood up and started pacing, keeping one eye on the door. â€Å"A few weeks ago, when I heard about the Digital Fortress auction, I finally accepted the fact that Tankado was serious. I knew if he sold his algorithm to a Japanese software company, we were sunk, so I tried to think of any way I could stop him. I considered having him killed, but with all the publicity surrounding the algorithm and all his recent claims about TRANSLTR, we would be prime suspects. That's when it dawned on me.† He turned to Susan. â€Å"I realized that Digital Fortress should not be stopped.† Susan stared at him, apparently lost. Strathmore went on. â€Å"I suddenly saw Digital Fortress as the opportunity of a lifetime. It hit me that with a few changes, Digital Fortress could work for us instead of against us.† Susan had never heard anything so absurd. Digital Fortress was an unbreakable algorithm; it would destroy them. â€Å"If,† Strathmore continued, â€Å"if I could just make a small modification in the algorithm†¦ before it was released†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He gave her a cunning glint of the eye. It took only an instant. Strathmore saw the amazement register in Susan's eyes. He excitedly explained his plan. â€Å"If I could get the pass-key, I could unlock our copy of Digital Fortress and insert a modification.† â€Å"A back door,† Susan said, forgetting the Commander had ever lied to her. She felt a surge of anticipation. â€Å"Just like Skipjack.† Strathmore nodded. â€Å"Then we could replace Tankado's give-away file on the Internet with our altered version. Because Digital Fortress is a Japanese algorithm, no one will ever suspect the NSA had any part in it. All we have to do is make the switch.† Susan realized the plan was beyond ingenious. It was pure†¦ Strathmore. He planned to facilitate the release of an algorithm the NSA could break! â€Å"Full access,† Strathmore said. â€Å"Digital Fortress will become the encryption standard overnight.† â€Å"Overnight?† Susan said. â€Å"How do you figure that? Even if Digital Fortress becomes available everywhere for free, most computer users will stick with their old algorithms for convenience. Why would they switch to Digital Fortress?† Strathmore smiled. â€Å"Simple. We have a security leak. The whole world finds out about TRANSLTR.† Susan's jaw dropped. â€Å"Quite simply, Susan, we let the truth hit the street. We tell the world that the NSA has a computer that can break every algorithm except Digital Fortress.† Susan was amazed. â€Å"So everyone jumps ship to Digital Fortress†¦ not knowing we can break it!† Strathmore nodded. â€Å"Exactly.† There was a long silence. â€Å"I'm sorry I lied to you. Trying to rewrite Digital Fortress is a pretty big play, I didn't want you involved.† â€Å"I†¦ understand,† she replied slowly, still reeling from the brilliance of it all. â€Å"You're not a bad liar.† Strathmore chuckled. â€Å"Years of practice. Lying was the only way to keep you out of the loop.† Susan nodded. â€Å"And how big a loop is it?† â€Å"You're looking at it.† Susan smiled for the first time in an hour. â€Å"I was afraid you'd say that.† He shrugged. â€Å"Once Digital Fortress is in place, I'll brief the director.† Susan was impressed. Strathmore's plan was a global intelligence coup the magnitude of which had never before been imagined. And he'd attempted it single-handedly. It looked like he might pull it off too. The pass-key was downstairs. Tankado was dead. Tankado's partner had been located. Susan paused. Tankado is dead. That seemed very convenient. She thought of all the lies that Strathmore had told her and felt a sudden chill. She looked uneasily at the commander. â€Å"Did you kill Ensei Tankado?† Strathmore looked surprised. He shook his head. â€Å"Of course not. There was no need to kill Tankado. In fact, I'd prefer he were alive. His death could cast suspicion on Digital Fortress. I wanted this switch to go as smoothly and inconspicuously as possible. The original plan was to make the switch and let Tankado sell his key.† Susan had to admit it made sense. Tankado would have no reason to suspect the algorithm on the Internet was not the original. Nobody had access to it except himself and North Dakota. Unless Tankado went back and studied the programming after it was released, he'd never know about the back door. He'd slaved over Digital Fortress for long enough that he'd probably never want to see the programming again. Susan let it all soak in. She suddenly understood the commander's need for privacy in Crypto. The task at hand was time-consuming and delicate-writing a concealed back door in a complex algorithm and making an undetected Internet switch. Concealment was of paramount importance. The simple suggestion that Digital Fortress was tainted could ruin the commander's plan. Only now did she fully grasp why he had decided to let TRANSLTR keep running. If Digital Fortress is going to be the NSA's new baby, Strathmore wanted to be sure it was unbreakable! â€Å"Still want out?† he asked. Susan looked up. Somehow sitting there in the dark with the great Trevor Strathmore, her fears were swept away. Rewriting Digital Fortress was a chance to make history-a chance to do incredible good-and Strathmore could use her help. Susan forced a reluctant smile. â€Å"What's our next move?† Strathmore beamed. He reached over and put a hand on her shoulder. â€Å"Thanks.† He smiled and then got down to business. â€Å"We'll go downstairs together.† He held up his Berretta. â€Å"You'll search Hale's terminal. I'll cover you.† Susan bristled at the thought of going downstairs. â€Å"Can't we wait for David to call with Tankado's copy?† Strathmore shook his head. â€Å"The sooner we make the switch, the better. We have no guarantees that David will even find the other copy. If by some fluke the ring falls into the wrong hands over there, I'd prefer we'd already made the algorithm switch. That way, whoever ends up with the key will download our version of the algorithm.† Strathmore fingered his gun and stood. â€Å"We need to go for Hale's key.† Susan fell silent. The commander had a point. They needed Hale's pass-key. And they needed it now. When Susan stood, her legs were jittery. She wished she'd hit Hale harder. She eyed Strathmore's weapon and suddenly felt queasy. â€Å"You'd actually shoot Greg Hale?† â€Å"No.† Strathmore frowned, striding to the door. â€Å"But let's hope he doesn't know that.†

Chapter 12 The Patronus

Harry knew that Hermione had meant well, but that didn't stop him from being angry with her. He had been the owner of the best broom in the world for a few short hours, and now, because of her interference, he didn't know whether he would ever see it again. He was positive that there was nothing wrong with the Firebolt now, but what sort of state would it be in once it had been subjected to all sorts of anti-jinx tests? Ron was furious with Hermione too. As far as he was concerned, the stripping-down of a brand-new Firebolt was nothing less than criminal damage. Hermione, who remained convinced that she had acted for the best, started avoiding the common room. Harry and Ron supposed she had taken refuge in the library and didn't try to persuade her to come back. All in all, they were glad when the rest of the school returned shortly after New Year, and Gryffindor Tower became crowded and noisy again. Wood sought Harry out on the night before term started. â€Å"Had a good Christmas?† he said, and then, without waiting for an answer, he sat down, lowered his voice, and said, â€Å"I've been, doing some thinking over Christmas, Harry. After last match, you know. If the Dementors come to the next one†¦I mean†¦we can't afford you to — well –â€Å" Wood broke off, looking awkward. â€Å"I'm working on it,† said Harry quickly. â€Å"Professor Lupin said he'd train me to ward off the Dementors. We should be starting this week. He said he'd have time after Christmas.† â€Å"Ah,† said Wood, his expression clearing. â€Å"Well, in that case — I really didn't want to lose you as Seeker, Harry. And have you ordered a new broom yet?† â€Å"No,† said Harry. â€Å"What! You'd better get a move on, you know — you can't ride that Shooting Star against Ravenclaw!† â€Å"He got a Firebolt for Christmas,† said Ron. â€Å"A Firebolt? No! Seriously? A — a real Firebolt?† â€Å"Don't get excited, Oliver,† said Harry gloomily. â€Å"I haven't got it anymore. It was confiscated.† And he explained all about how the Firebolt was now being checked for jinxes. â€Å"Jinxed? How could it be jinxed?† â€Å"Sirius Black,† Harry said wearily. â€Å"He's supposed to be after me. So McGonagall reckons he might have sent it.† Waving aside the information that a famous murderer was after his Seeker, Wood said, â€Å"But Black couldn't have bought a Firebolt! He's on the run! The whole country's on the lookout for him! How could he just walk into Quality Quidditch Supplies and buy a broomstick?† â€Å"I know,† said Harry, â€Å"but McGonagall still wants to strip it down –â€Å" Wood went pale. â€Å"I'll go and talk to her, Harry,† he promised. â€Å"I'll make her see reason†¦A Firebolt†¦a real Firebolt, on our team †¦She wants Gryffindor to win as much as we do†¦I'll make her see sense. A Firebolt†¦.† Classes started again the next day. The last thing anyone felt like doing was spending two hours on the grounds on a raw January morning, but Hagrid had provided a bonfire full of salamanders for their enjoyment, and they spent an unusually good lesson collecting dry wood and leaves to keep the fire blazing while the flame-loving lizards scampered up and down the crumbling, white-hot logs. The first Divination lesson of the new term was much less fun; Professor Trelawney was now teaching them palmistry, and she lost no time in informing Harry that he had the shortest life line she had ever seen. It was Defense Against the Dark Arts that Harry was keen to get to; after his conversation with Wood, he wanted to get started on his anti-Dementor lessons as soon as possible. â€Å"Ah yes,† said Lupin, when Harry reminded him of his promise at the end of class. â€Å"Let me see†¦how about eight o'clock on Thursday evening? The History of Magic classroom should be large enough†¦I'll have to think carefully about how we're going to do this†¦We can't bring a real Dementor into the castle to practice on†¦.† â€Å"Still looks ill, doesn't he?† said Ron as they walked down the corridor, heading to dinner. â€Å"What d'you reckon's the matter with him?† There was a loud and impatient â€Å"tuh† from behind them. It was Hermione, who had been sitting at the feet of a suit of armor, repacking her bag, which was so full of books it wouldn't close. â€Å"And what are you tutting at us for?† said Ron irritably. â€Å"Nothing,† said Hermione in a lofty voice, heaving her bag back over her shoulder. â€Å"Yes, you were,† said Ron. â€Å"I said I wonder what's wrong with Lupin, and you –â€Å" â€Å"Well, isn't it obvious?† said Hermione, with a look of maddening superiority. â€Å"If you don't want to tell us, don't,† snapped Ron. â€Å"Fine,† said Hermione haughtily, and she marched off. â€Å"She doesn't know,† said Ron, staring resentfully after Hermione. â€Å"She's just trying to get us to talk to her again.† At eight o'clock on Thursday evening, Harry left Gryffindor Tower for the History of Magic classroom. It was dark and empty when he arrived, but he lit the lamps with his wand and had waited only five minutes when Professor Lupin turned up, carrying a large packing case, which he heaved onto Professor Binn's desk. â€Å"What's that?† said Harry. â€Å"Another Boggart,† said Lupin, stripping off his cloak. â€Å"I've been combing the castle ever since Tuesday, and very luckily, I found this one lurking inside Mr. Filch's filing cabinet. It's the nearest we'll get to a real Dementor. The Boggart will turn into a Dementor when he sees you, so we'll be able to practice on him. I can store him in my office when we're not using him; there's a cupboard under my desk he'll like.† â€Å"Okay,† said Harry, trying to sound as though he wasn't apprehensive at all and merely glad that Lupin had found such a good substitute for a real Dementor. â€Å"So†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Professor Lupin had taken out his own wand, and indicated that Harry should do the same. â€Å"The spell I am going to try and teach you is highly advanced magic, Harry — well beyond Ordinary Wizarding Level. It is called the Patronus Charm.† â€Å"How does it work?† said Harry nervously. â€Å"Well, when it works correctly, It conjures up a Patronus,† said Lupin, â€Å"which is a kind of anti-Dementor — a guardian that acts as a shield between you and the Dementor.† Harry had a sudden vision of himself crouching behind a Hagrid-sized figure holding a large club. Professor Lupin continued, â€Å"The Patronus is a kind of positive force, a projection of the very things that the Dementor feeds upon — hope, happiness, the desire to survive — but it cannot feel despair, as real humans can, so the Dementors can't hurt it. But I must warn you, Harry, that the charm might be too advanced for you. Many qualified wizards have difficulty with it.† â€Å"What does a Patronus look like?† said Harry curiously. â€Å"Each one is unique to the wizard who conjures it.† â€Å"And how do you conjure it?† â€Å"With an incantation, which will work only if you are concentrating, with all your might, on a single, very happy memory.† Harry cast his mind about for a happy memory. Certainly, nothing that had happened to him at the Dursleys' was going to do. Finally, he settled on the moment when he had first ridden a broomstick. â€Å"Right,† he said, trying to recall as exactly as possible the wonderful, soaring sensation of his stomach. â€Å"The incantation is this –† Lupin cleared his throat. â€Å"Expecto patronum!† â€Å"Expecto patronum,† Harry repeated under his breath, â€Å"expecto patronum.† â€Å"Concentrating hard on your happy memory?† â€Å"Oh — yeah –† said Harry, quickly forcing his thoughts back to that first broom ride. â€Å"Expecto patrono — no, patronum — sorry — expecto patronum, expecto patronum† Something whooshed suddenly out of the end of his wand; it looked like a wisp of silvery gas. â€Å"Did you see that?† said Harry excitedly. â€Å"Something happened!† â€Å"Very good,† said Lupin, smiling. â€Å"Right, then — ready to try it on a Dementor?† â€Å"Yes,† Harry said, gripping his wand very tightly, and moving into the middle of the deserted classroom. He tried to keep his mind on flying, but something else kept intruding†¦Any second now, he might hear his mother again†¦but he shouldn't think that, or he would hear her again, and he didn't want to†¦or did he? Lupin grasped the lid of the packing case and pulled. A Dementor rose slowly from the box, its hooded face turned toward Harry, one glistening, scabbed hand gripping its cloak. The lamps around the classroom flickered and went out. The Dementor stepped from the box and started to sweep silently toward Harry, drawing a deep, rattling breath. A wave of piercing cold broke over him — â€Å"Expecto patronum!† Harry yelled. â€Å"Expecto patronum! Expecto –â€Å" But the classroom and the Dementor were dissolving†¦Harry was falling again through thick white fog, and his mother's voice was louder than ever, echoing inside his head — â€Å"Not Harry! Not Harry! Please — I'll do anything –â€Å" â€Å"Stand aside — stand aside, girl –â€Å" â€Å"Harry!† Harry jerked back to life. He was lying flat on his back on the floor. The classroom lamps were alight again. He didn't have to ask what had happened. â€Å"Sorry,† he muttered, sitting up and feeling cold sweat trickling down behind his glasses. â€Å"Are you all right?† said Lupin. â€Å"Yes†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry pulled himself up on one of the desks and leaned against it. â€Å"Here –† Lupin handed him a Chocolate Frog. â€Å"Eat this before we try again. I didn't expect you to do it your first time; in fact, I would have been astounded if you had.† â€Å"It's getting worse,† Harry muttered, biting off the Frog's head. â€Å"I could hear her louder that time — and him — Voldemort –â€Å" Lupin looked paler than usual. â€Å"Harry, if you don't want to continue, I will more than understand –â€Å" â€Å"I do!† said Harry fiercely, stuffing the rest of the Chocolate Frog into his mouth. â€Å"I've got to! What if the Dementors turn up at our match against Ravenclaw? I can't afford to fall off again. If we lose this game we've lost the Quidditch Cup!† â€Å"All right then†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Lupin. â€Å"You might want to select another memory, a happy memory, I mean, to concentrate on†¦That one doesn't seem to have been strong enough†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry thought hard and decided his feelings when Gryffindor had won the House Championship last year had definitely qualified as very happy. He gripped his wand tightly again and took up his position in the middle of the classroom. â€Å"Ready?† said Lupin, gripping the box lid. â€Å"Ready,† said Harry; trying hard to fill his head with happy thoughts about Gryffindor winning, and not dark thoughts about what was going to happen when the box opened. â€Å"Go!† said Lupin, pulling off the lid. The room went icily cold and dark once more. The Dementor glided forward, drawing its breath; one rotting hand was extending toward Harry — â€Å"Expecto patronum!† Harry yelled. â€Å"Expecto patronum! Expecto Pat –â€Å" White fog obscured his senses†¦big, blurred shapes were moving around him†¦then came a new voice, a man's voice, shouting, panicking — â€Å"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off –â€Å" The sounds of someone stumbling from a room — a door bursting open — a cackle of high- pitched laughter — â€Å"Harry! Harry†¦wake up†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Lupin was tapping Harry hard on the face. This time it was a minute before Harry understood why he was lying on a dusty classroom floor. â€Å"I heard my dad,† Harry mumbled. â€Å"That's the first time I've ever heard him — he tried to take on Voldemort himself, to give my mum time to run for it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry suddenly realized that there were tears on his face mingling with the sweat. He bent his face as low as possible, wiping them off on his robes, pretending to do up his shoelace, so that Lupin wouldn't see. â€Å"You heard James?† said Lupin in a strange voice. â€Å"Yeah†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Face dry, Harry looked up. â€Å"Why — you didn't know my dad, did you?† â€Å"I — I did, as a matter of fact,† said Lupin. â€Å"We were friends at Hogwarts. Listen, Harry — perhaps we should leave it here for tonight. This charm is ridiculously advanced†¦I shouldn't have suggested putting you through this†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No!† said Harry. He got up again. â€Å"I'll have one more go! I'm not thinking of happy enough things, that's what it is†¦hang on†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He racked his brains. A really, really happy memory†¦one that he could turn into a good, strong Patronus†¦. The moment when he'd first found out he was a wizard, and would be leaving the Dursleys for Hogwarts! If that wasn't a happy memory, he didn't know what was†¦Concentrating very hard on how he had felt when he'd realized he'd be leaving Privet Drive, Harry got to his feet and faced the packing case once more. â€Å"Ready?† said Lupin, who looked as though he were doing this against his better judgment. â€Å"Concentrating hard? All right — go!† He pulled off the lid of the case for the third time, and the Dementor rose out of it; the room fell cold and dark — â€Å"EXPECTO PATRONUM!† Harry bellowed. â€Å"EXPECTO PATRONUM! EXPECTO PATRONUM!† The screaming inside Harry's head had started again — except this time, it sounded as though it were coming from a badly tuned radio — softer and louder and softer again†¦and he could still see the Dementor†¦it had halted†¦and then a huge, silver shadow came bursting out of the end of Harry's wand, to hover between him and the Dementor, and though Harry's legs felt like water, he was still on his feet — though for how much longer, he wasn't sure†¦ â€Å"Riddikulus!† roared Lupin, springing forward. There was a loud crack, and Harry's cloudy Patronus vanished along with the Dementor; he sank into a chair, feeling as exhausted as if he'd just run a mile, and felt his legs shaking. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Professor Lupin forcing the Boggart back into the packing case with his wand; it had turned into a silvery orb again. â€Å"Excellent!† Lupin said, striding over to where Harry sat. â€Å"Excellent, Harry! That was definitely a start!† â€Å"Can we have another go? Just one more go?† â€Å"Not now,† said Lupin firmly. â€Å"You've had enough for one night. Here –â€Å" He handed Harry a large bar of Honeydukes' best chocolate. â€Å"Eat the lot, or Madam Pomfrey will be after my blood. Same time next week?† â€Å"Okay,† said Harry. He took a bite of the chocolate and watched Lupin extinguishing the lamps that had rekindled with the disappearance of the Dementor. A thought had just occurred to him. â€Å"Professor Lupin?† he said. â€Å"If you knew my dad, you must've known Sirius Black as well.† Lupin turned very quickly. â€Å"What gives you that idea?† he said sharply. â€Å"Nothing — I mean, I just knew they were friends at Hogwarts too†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Lupin's face relaxed. â€Å"Yes, I knew him,† he said shortly. â€Å"Or I thought I did. You'd better be off, Harry, it's getting late.† Harry left the classroom, walking along the corridor and around a corner, then took a detour behind a suit of armor and sank down on its plinth to finish his chocolate, wishing he hadn't mentioned Black, as Lupin was obviously not keen on the subject. Then Harry's thoughts wandered back to his mother and father †¦ He felt drained and strangely empty, even though he was so full of chocolate. Terrible though it was to hear his parents' last moments replayed inside his head, these were the only times Harry had heard their voices since he was a very small child. But he'd never be able to produce a proper Patronus if he half wanted to hear his parents again †¦ â€Å"They're dead,† he told himself sternly. â€Å"They're dead and listening to echoes of them won't bring them back. You'd better get a grip on yourself if you want that Quidditch Cup.† He stood up, crammed the last bit of chocolate into his mouth, and headed back to Gryffindor Tower. Ravenclaw played Slytherin a week after the start of term. Slytherin won, though narrowly. According to Wood, this was good news for Gryffindor, who would take second place if they beat Ravenclaw too. He therefore increased the number of team practices to five a week. This meant that with Lupin's anti-Dementor classes, which in themselves were more draining than six Quidditch practices, Harry had just one night a week to do all his homework. Even so, he was not showing the strain nearly as much as Hermione, whose immense workload finally seemed to be getting to her. Every night, without fail, Hermione was to be seen in a corner of the common room, several tables spread with books, Arithmancy charts, rune dictionaries, diagrams of Muggles lifting heavy objects, and file upon file of extensive notes; she barely spoke to anybody and snapped when she was interrupted. â€Å"How's she doing it?† Ron muttered to Harry one evening as Harry sat finishing a nasty essay on Undetectable Poisons for Snape. Harry looked up. Hermione was barely visible behind a tottering pile of books. â€Å"Doing what?† â€Å"Getting to all her classes!† Ron said. â€Å"I heard her talking to Professor Vector, that Arithmancy witch, this morning. They were going on about yesterday's lesson, but Hermione can't've been there, because she was with us in Care of Magical Creatures! And Ernie McMillan told me she's never missed a Muggle Studies class, but half of them are at the same time as Divination, and she's never missed one of them either!† Harry didn't have time to fathom the mystery of Hermione's impossible schedule at the moment; he really needed to get on with Snape's essay. Two seconds later, however, he was interrupted again, this time by Wood. â€Å"Bad news, Harry. I've just been to see Professor McGonagall about the Firebolt. She — er — got a bit shirty with me. Told me I'd got my priorities wrong. Seemed to think I cared more about winning the Cup than I do about you staying alive. Just because I told her I didn't care if it threw you off, as long as you caught the Snitch first.† Wood shook his head in disbelief. â€Å"Honestly, the way she was yelling at me†¦you'd think I'd said something terrible. Then I asked her how much longer she was going to keep it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He screwed up his face and imitated Professor McGonagall's severe voice. â€Å"As long as necessary, Wood†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦I reckon it's time you ordered a new broom, Harry. There's an order form at the back of Which Broomstick†¦you could get a Nimbus Two Thousand and One, like Malfoy's got.† â€Å"I'm not buying anything Malfoy thinks is good,† said Harry flatly. January faded imperceptibly into February, with no change in the bitterly cold weather. The match against Ravenclaw was drawing nearer and nearer, but Harry still hadn't ordered a new broom. He was now asking Professor McGonagall for news of the Firebolt after every Transfiguration lesson, Ron standing hopefully at his shoulder, Hermione rushing past with her face averted. â€Å"No, Potter, you can't have it back yet,† Professor McGonagall told him the twelfth time this happened, before he'd even opened his mouth. â€Å"We've checked for most of the usual curses, but Professor Flitwick believes the broom might be carrying a Hurling Hex. I shall tell you once we've finished checking it. Now, please stop badgering me.† To make matters even worse, Harry's anti-Dementor lessons were not going nearly as well as he had hoped. Several sessions on, he was able to produce an indistinct, silvery shadow every time the Boggart-Dementor approached him, but his Patronus was too feeble to drive the Dementor away. All it did was hover, like a semitransparent cloud, draining Harry of energy as he fought to keep it there. Harry felt angry with himself, guilty about his secret desire to hear his parents' voices again. â€Å"You're expecting too much of yourself,† said Professor Lupin, sternly in their fourth week of practice. â€Å"For a thirteen-year-old wizard, even an indistinct Patronus is a huge achievement. You aren't passing out anymore, are you?† â€Å"I thought a Patronus would — charge the Dementors down or something,† said Harry dispiritedly. â€Å"Make them disappear –â€Å" â€Å"The true Patronus does do that,† said Lupin. â€Å"But you've achieved a great deal in a very short space of time. If the Dementors put in an appearance at your next Quidditch match, You will be able to keep them at bay long enough to get back to the ground.† â€Å"You said it's harder if there are loads of them,† said Harry. â€Å"I have complete confidence in you,† said Lupin, smiling. â€Å"Here — you've earned a drink. Something from the Three Broomsticks. You won't have tried it before –â€Å" He pulled two bottles out of his briefcase. â€Å"Butterbeer!† said Harry, without thinking. â€Å"Yeah, I like that stuff!† Lupin raised an eyebrow. â€Å"Oh — Ron and Hermione brought me some back from Hogsmeade,† Harry lied quickly. â€Å"I see,† said Lupin, though he still looked slightly suspicious. â€Å"Well — let's drink to a Gryffindor victory against Ravenclaw! Not that I'm supposed to take sides, as a teacher†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he added hastily. They drank the butterbeer in silence, until Harry voiced something he'd been wondering for a while. â€Å"What's under a Dementor's hood?† Professor Lupin lowered his bottle thoughtfully. â€Å"Hmmm †¦ well, the only people who really know are in no condition to tell us. You see, the Dementor lowers its hood only to use its last and worst weapon.† â€Å"What's that?† â€Å"They call it the Dementor's Kiss,† said Lupin, with a slightly twisted smile. â€Å"It's what Dementors do to those they wish to destroy utterly. I suppose there must be some kind of mouth under there, because they clamp their jaws upon the mouth of the victim and — and suck out his soul.† Harry accidentally spat out a bit of butterbeer. â€Å"What — they kill –?† â€Å"Oh no,† said Lupin. â€Å"Much worse than that. You can exist without your soul, you know, as long as your brain and heart are still working. But you'll have no sense of self anymore, no memory, no†¦anything. There's no chance at all of recovery. You'll just exist. As an empty shell. And your soul is gone forever†¦lost.† Lupin drank a little more butterbeer, then said, â€Å"It's the fate that awaits Sirius Black. It was in the Daily Prophet this morning. The Ministry have given the Dementors permission to perform it if they find him.† Harry sat stunned for a moment at the idea of someone having their soul sucked out through their mouth. But then he thought of Black. â€Å"He deserves it,† he said suddenly. â€Å"You think so?† said Lupin lightly. â€Å"Do you really think anyone deserves that?† â€Å"Yes,† said Harry defiantly. â€Å"For†¦for some things†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He would have liked to have told Lupin about the conversation he'd overheard about Black in the Three Broomsticks, about Black betraying his mother and father, but it would have involved revealing that he'd gone to Hogsmeade without permission, and he knew Lupin wouldn't be very impressed by that. So he finished his butterbeer, thanked Lupin, and left the History of Magic classroom. Harry half wished that he hadn't asked what was under a Dementor's hood, the answer had been so horrible, and he was so lost in unpleasant thoughts of what it would feel like to have your soul sucked out of you that he walked headlong into Professor McGonagall halfway up the stairs. â€Å"Do watch where you're going, Potter!† â€Å"Sorry, Professor –â€Å" â€Å"I've just been looking for you in the Gryffindor common room, Well, here it is, we've done everything we could think of, and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it at all — you've got a very good friend somewhere, Potter†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry's jaw dropped. She was holding out his Firebolt, and it looked as magnificent as ever. â€Å"I can have it back?† Harry said weakly. â€Å"Seriously?† â€Å"Seriously,† said Professor McGonagall, and she was actually smiling. â€Å"I daresay you'll need to get the feel of it before Saturday's match, won't you? And Potter — do try and win, won't you? Or we'll be out of the running for the eighth year in a row, as Professor Snape was kind enough to remind me only last night†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Speechless, Harry carried the Firebolt back upstairs toward Gryffindor Tower. As he turned a corner, he saw Ron dashing toward him, grinning from ear to ear. â€Å"She gave it to you? Excellent! Listen, can I still have a go on it? Tomorrow?† â€Å"Yeah†¦anything†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Harry, his heart lighter than it had been in a month. â€Å"You know what — we should make up with Hermione†¦She was only trying to help†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Yeah, all right,† said Ron. â€Å"She's in the common room now working — for a change.† They turned into the corridor to Gryffindor Tower and saw Neville Longbottom, pleading with Sir Cadogan, who seemed to be refusing him entrance. â€Å"I wrote them down!† Neville was saying tearfully. â€Å"But I must've dropped them somewhere!† â€Å"A likely tale!† roared Sir Cadogan. Then, spotting Harry and Ron: â€Å"Good even, my fine young yeomen! Come clap this loon in irons. He is trying to force entry to the chambers within!† â€Å"Oh, shut up,† said Ron as he and Harry drew level with Neville. â€Å"I've lost the passwords!† Neville told them miserably. â€Å"I made him tell me what passwords he was going to use this week, because he keeps changing them, and now I don't know what I've done with them!† â€Å"Oddsbodkins,† said Harry to Sir Cadogan, who looked extremely disappointed and reluctantly swung forward to let them into the common room. There was a sudden, excited murmur as every head turned and the next moment, Harry was surrounded by people exclaiming over his Firebolt. â€Å"Where'd you get it, Harry?† â€Å"Will you let me have a go?† â€Å"Have you ridden it yet, Harry?† â€Å"Ravenclaw'll have no chance, they're all on Cleansweep Sevens!† â€Å"Can I just hold it, Harry?† After ten minutes or so, during which the Firebolt was Passed around and admired from every angle, the crowd dispersed and Harry and Ron had a clear view of Hermione, the only person who hadn't rushed over to them, bent over her work and carefully avoiding their eyes. Harry and Ron approached her table and at last, she looked up. â€Å"I got it back,† said Harry, grinning at her and holding up the Firebolt. â€Å"See, Hermione? There wasn't anything wrong with it!† said Ron. â€Å"Well — there might have been!† said Hermione. â€Å"I mean, at least you know now that it's safe!† â€Å"Yeah, I suppose so,† said Harry. â€Å"I'd better put it upstairs.† â€Å"I'll take it!† said Ron eagerly. â€Å"I've got to give Scabbers his rat tonic.† He took the Firebolt and, holding it as if it were made of glass, carried it away up the boys' staircase. â€Å"Can I sit down, then?† Harry asked Hermione. â€Å"I suppose so,† said Hermione, moving a great stack of parchment off a chair. Harry looked around at the cluttered table, at the long Arithmancy essay on which the ink was still glistening, at the even longer Muggle Studies essay (‘Explain Why Muggles Need Electricity') and at the rune translation Hermione was now poring over. â€Å"How are you getting through all this stuff?† Harry asked her. â€Å"Oh, well — you know — working hard,† said Hermione. Close-up, Harry saw that she looked almost as tired as Lupin. â€Å"Why don't you just drop a couple of subjects?† Harry asked, watching her lifting books as she searched for her rune dictionary. â€Å"I couldn't do that!† said Hermione, looking scandalized. â€Å"Arithmancy looks terrible,† said Harry, picking up a very complicated-looking number chart. â€Å"Oh no, it's wonderful!† said Hermione earnestly. â€Å"It's my favorite subject! It's –â€Å" But exactly what was wonderful about Arithmancy, Harry never found out. At that precise moment, a strangled yell echoed down the boys' staircase. The whole common room fell silent, staring, petrified, at the entrance. Then came hurried footsteps, growing louder and louder — and then Ron came leaping into view, dragging with him a bedsheet. â€Å"LOOK!† he bellowed, striding over to Hermione's table. â€Å"LOOK!† he yelled, shaking the sheets in her face. â€Å"Ron, what –?† â€Å"SCABBERS! LOOK! SCABBERS!† Hermione was leaning away from Ron, looking utterly bewildered. Harry looked down at the sheet Ron was holding. There was something red on it. Something that looked horribly like — â€Å"BLOOD!† Ron yelled into the stunned silence. â€Å"HE'S GONE! AND YOU KNOW WHAT WAS ON THE FLOOR?† â€Å"N — no,† said Hermione in a trembling voice. Ron threw something down onto Hermione's rune translation. Hermione and Harry leaned forward. Lying on top of the weird, spiky shapes were several long, ginger cat hairs.

The Structure of Noun Phrases Essays

The Structure of Noun Phrases Essays The Structure of Noun Phrases Essay The Structure of Noun Phrases Essay Univerzitet Novi Pazar Odeljenje: Beograd Fakultet humanistickih nauka Odsek: filoloski Smer: Engleski jezik i knjizevnost Predmet: Sintaksa Engleskog jezika Student: Nikola Vukasovic Beograd, 01. 06. 2011 1. Introduction Among the five different types of phrases in English namely noun phrases, verb phrases, adjective phrases, adverb phrases and prepositional phrases, noun phrases are the most common playing various syntactic functions in the sentence and clause structure: subject, object and complement (of various kinds), apposition and attribute. They are used to refer to things that people want to talk about: people, objects, concepts, processes and all kind of entities. 2. Basic Noun Phrases Structurally speaking, in the first place, basic noun phrases consist of pronouns, numerals or nouns with articles (indefinite, definite or zero) or nouns with other closed-system items that occur before the noun head including pre-determiners (pre-det), determiners (det. ) and post-determiners (post-det. ). The underlined parts of the following sentences are good examples of basic noun phrases: |   |I |stayed at |home |during |all |the |last few |days |   | |   |pronoun |   |zero article + noun|   |pre-de |+ det |+ post-det |+ noun |   | |   |Some people |dislike |‘13’ |   |   |   |   |   |   | |   |det. + noun |   |numeral | | | | | | | 2. Pronouns and Numerals Actually, pronouns are a special class of noun. As their names imply, they ‘replace’ nouns or rather whole noun phrases, since they cannot generally occur with determiners. For example, personal pronouns have two sets of case forms: subjective and objective: ‘I’/ ‘me’, ‘we’/ ‘us’, ‘he’/ ‘him’, ‘she’/ ‘her’, ‘they’/ ‘them’; ‘you’ and ‘it’ are exceptional in showing no distinction. Subjective personal pronouns function as subject and sometimes as subject complement while objective personal pronouns as object, prepositional complement and sometimes as subject complement. These can be illustrated by: He is happy. I   saw him at the station. Like personal pronouns, other types of pronouns including reflexive, possessive, relative, demonstrative, interrogative, universal, assertive, non-assertive and negative pronouns are all basic noun phrases. Reflexive pronouns include ‘myself’, ‘yourself’, ‘himself’, ‘herself’, ‘itself’, ‘ourselves’, ‘yourselves’ and ‘themselves’. He hurt himself yesterday. Possessive pronouns are ‘mine’, ‘ours’, ‘yours’, etc. This book is mine Relative pronouns: ‘who’, ‘whom’, ‘that’, ‘which’, etc. The book, which is on the table, is mine. Demonstrative pronouns fall in two groups. One is â€Å"near† reference with ‘this’ and ‘these’; and the other â€Å"distant† reference with ‘that’ and ‘those’. This is my friend. Interrogative pronouns: ‘who’, ‘whom’, ‘what’, etc. Who did you go with? Universal pronouns: ‘each’, ‘all’, and ‘every’ series: ‘everyone’, ‘everything’, etc. Everyone has his own ambitions. Partitive pronouns, parallel to the universal ones, consist of assertive pronouns including the ‘some’ group (‘some’, ‘someone’, ‘something’, etc. ; non-assertive with the ‘any’ series (‘any’, ‘anyone’, ‘anything’, etc. ); and negative with the ‘no’ series (‘none’, ‘no-oneâ€⠄¢, ‘nothing’, etc. ) Nobody has come yet. Apart from pronouns, numerals including cardinal numbers (‘one’, ‘two’, etc. ) and ordinal numbers (‘first’, ‘second’, etc. ) can form basic noun phrases, as in: Two is better than one. 2. 2 Basic Noun Phrases with Determiners Not only can basic noun phrases consist of pronouns or numerals, but they can also comprise a head noun with determiners or determiners modified by pre-determiners and/or post-determiners. The head noun of a noun phrase is the central element and decisive factor in performing the syntactic functions of the whole noun phrase. It can be singular count noun such as ‘book’, plural noun ‘books’ or mass noun like ‘ink’. Determiners can be indefinite article ‘a’ and ‘an’; definite article ‘the’; or zero article as in the noun phrase ‘books’. The use of articles is not the only possibility for determining nouns, but we can use such words as ‘no’, ‘what’, ‘this’, ‘some’, ‘every’, ‘each’ and ‘either’ before the head noun like ‘book’. These words, also called determiners, forming a set of closed-system, are mutually exclusive with each other, i. e. there cannot be more than one occurring before the head. Both ‘a the book’ and ‘a some book’ are ungrammatical. Determiners are in a â€Å"choice relation†, that is they occur one instead of another. In this respect, they are unlike ‘all’, ‘many’, ‘nice’, which are in a â€Å"chain relation†, occurring one after another as in: All the many nice pictures are collected. The articles are central to the class of determiners in that they have no function independent of the noun they precede. Other determiners like ‘some’ are also independent pronouns: A: I want the money. B: Here is the. (ungrammatical) B: Here is some. (grammatical) With regard to the co-occurrence of determiners with the noun classes singular count (‘book’), plural count (‘books’), and mass noun (‘ink’), there are six classes of determiners: (1) |The Possessive (‘my’, ‘your’, his’, etc. ) |+ |book | |Genitive (‘my father’s’, ‘Anne’s’, etc. | |books | |No | |ink | |Whose | | | |Which (ever) | | | |What (ever) | | | |Some (stressed) | | | |Any (stressed) | | | (2) Zero article |+ |books | |Some (unstressed) | |ink | |Any (unstressed) | | | |enough | | | (3) |This |+ |book | |that | |ink | (4) |These |+ |books | |Those | | | (5) A (n) |+ |book | |every | | | |each | | | |either | | | |neither | | | (6) |much |+ |ink | In addition to the determiners mentioned before, there are a large number of other closed-system items that occur before the head of noun phrases. These items, referred to as closed-system pre-modified, form three classes (pre-determiners, ordinals and quantifiers) which have been set up on the basis of the positions that they can have in relation to determiners and to each other. The first class of the closed-system pre-modifiers, pre-determiners, is unique in occurring before the determiners. They are: (1) ‘all’, ‘both’ and ‘half’; (2) the multipliers ‘double’, ‘twice’, ‘three times’, etc. and fractions ‘one-third’, ‘two-fifths’, etc. and (3) ‘such’ and ‘what’ (exclamative). Like determiners, pre-determiners are mutually exclusive. Therefore, ‘all’, ‘both’ and ‘half’ have restriction on their co-occurrence with determiners and head nouns. The illustrations are as follows: All |All |+ |The, my, etc. |+ |singular count noun | |All |+ |The, my, etc. |+ |plural noun | | | |These, those | | | | | |Zero article | | | |All |+ |The, my, etc. + |mass noun | | | |This, that | | | | | |Zero article | | | All my life All the books All this paper Both |Both |+ |The, my, etc. |+ |plural noun | | | |These, those | | | | | |Zero article   | | | Both these books Half Half |+ |The, my, etc. |+ |singular count noun | | | |A, this, that | | | |Half |+ |The, my, etc. |+ |plural noun | | | |These, those | | | |Half |+ |The, my, etc. |+ |mass noun | | | |This, that | | | Half an hour These pre-determiners can occur only before articles or demonstratives, but none of them can occur with such quantitative determiners as ‘every’, ‘either’, ‘each’, ‘some’, ‘any’, ‘no’ and ‘enough’. However, ‘all’, ‘both’ and ‘half’ have ‘of’-construction which are optional with nouns and obligatory with personal pronouns: All (of) the students   = All of them All (of) my time   = All of it With a quantifier following, the ‘of’-construction is preferred All of the ten students All of the many girls ‘All’, ‘both’ and ‘half’ can be basic noun phrases: All/Both/ Half were allowed to go out. Apart from ‘all’, ‘both’ and ‘half’, the multipliers such as ‘double’, ‘twice’, ‘three times’, etc. can occur before determiner s to denote a number, an amount, etc. : Double their papers Twice his strength Three times this amount ‘Once’, ‘twice’, etc. an occur with determiners ‘a’, ‘every’, ‘each’, and ‘per’ (less commonly) to form â€Å"distributive† expressions with a temporal noun as head: are post-determiners, that is they must follow determiners in the noun phrase structure, but they precede quantifiers and adjectives as modifier.    |The |first |(cold) |months |   | |   |determiner |post-determiner (ordinal) |modifier |noun |   | Cardinal numbers and quantifiers belong to the third class of closed-system pre-modifiers. They are mutually exclusive, following determiners but preceding adjectives as modifier. Cardinal numbers are ‘one’ (with singular count nouns) and ‘two’, ‘three’, etc. (with plural nouns), e. g. : One good reason All (of) the three brothers Closed-system quantifiers are ‘many’ (with the comparatives ‘more’ and ‘most’), ‘few’ (‘fewer’, ‘fewest’),   ‘little’ (‘less’, ‘least’) and ‘several’ as in: Several interesting books All her many good ideas A basic noun phrase may contain various determiners, more concretely, pre-determiners, determiners and post-determiners which are in a fixed order: |pre-determiners |determiners |post-determiner |Head noun | |   |   |ordinal |cardinal/quantifier |   | |Half |my |first |   |salary | |All |the | |   |books | |All |her | |many |questions | 3 Complex Noun Phrases Complex noun phrases contain three components: pre-modification, head noun and post-modification. 3. 1 Head Noun Like in the basic noun phrase, the head noun, first of all, is the central element and core component of the complex noun phrase. It may be count or mass noun which dictates concord and (for the most part) other kinds of congruence with the rest of the sentence outside the noun phrase. This is exemplified in: The only girl in this class is hardworking. All of the beautiful girls in my class are kind. Also, when the genitive is as pre-modification, the head nouns can be omitted: We met at the dentist’s last week. 3. 2 Pre-modification The second component of a complex noun phrase is pre-modification, also called pre-modifiers, including modifiers that stand before the head noun. Pre-modifiers can be closed-system and/or open-class items. Closed-system pre-modifiers are discussed in the structure of the basic noun phrases above. These items are optional in the complex noun phrases. Meanwhile, open-class pre-modifiers come after the closed-system ones and precede the head noun as in: |   |All these |young beautiful |girls |   | |   |determiner |adjective as pre-modifier |head |   | Pre-modifying adjectives can be those denoting general description (‘beautiful’, intelligent’, ‘good’, etc. ; age (‘young’, ‘old’, etc. ); size (‘big’, ‘small’, etc. ); shape (‘square’, ‘round’, etc. ); colour (‘red’, ‘blue’, etc. ); material (‘silk’, ‘metal’, etc. ); resemblance to a material (‘silken’ in silken hair, ‘cat-like’, etc. ); and provenance or style (‘British’, â €˜Parisian’, etc. ). These adjectives can be both attribute and complement. In addition, pre-modifying adjectives can be intensifying ones which have a heightening effect on the noun they modify or the reverse, a lowering effect, e. g. : ‘real’ (a real hero), ‘definite’ (a definite loss), ‘complete’ (a complete fool) and ‘close’ (a close friend). These adjectives are generally attributive only. Restrictive adjectives, another class of pre-modifying adjectives, restrict the reference of the noun exclusively, particularly or chiefly, e. g. : ‘certain’ (a certain person), ‘exact’ (the exact answer), ‘only’ (the only occasion) and ‘very’ (the very man). Like intensifying adjectives, the restrictive ones are attributive only. However, there are a number of adjectives which cannot pre-modify the head, but can be predicative such as: ‘faint’, ‘ill’, ‘well’, ‘able’, ‘afraid’, etc. Not only are the head nouns pre-modified but pre-modifying adjectives can also be, especially when they are the first items after the determiner. In this case, it can be pre-modified in the same way as it can be in the predicative position. This is illustrated by: |   |His really quite unbelievably happy |family |   | |   |   |Head |   | With indefinite determiners, some intensifiers such as ‘so’ are differently used. ‘So’ is replaced by ‘such’, which precedes the determiner or else ‘so’ plus adjective would be placed before the determiner, e. g. : Such a beautiful girl So beautiful a girl Apart from pre-modifying adjectives, the head nouns of the complex noun phrases can be pre-modified by particles, either present or past, e. g. : an approaching man (present participle), the badly injured dog (past participle), etc. The head noun can also be pre-modified by genitives, e. g. these qualified doctors’ salaries,these doctors’ high salaries, etc. group genitives as in the teacher of English’s salary, an hour and a half’s discussion, etc. ; or other nouns as in the city council, a love story, etc. Another class of pre-modifiers is the type of denomical adjective often meaning â€Å"consisting of†, â€Å"involving†, or â€Å"relating to†. These items must come next before the head and can be preceded by a wide range of pre-modifying items, e. g. :   the pleasant social life, a city political problem, etc. Finally there are various classes of pre-modification, both closed-system and open-class. Therefore, when the complex noun phrases consist of different classes of pre-modifiers, they may be placed in a relevant order. The acceptable order of pre-modifiers in a complex noun phrase is as follows: |1 |2 |3 |4 |5 | |(1) |a |book |with yellow covers (prepositional phrase) |   | |(2) |the |man |who told you the secret (finite clause) |   | |(3) |the |girl |speaking English fluently (nonfinite clause) |   | |(4) |a |shelf |full of books (adjective phrase) |   | |(5) |the |opera |Carmen (noun phrase) |   | |(6) |the |road |back (adverbial phrase) |   | In the example (1) ‘with yellow covers’ is a prepositional phrase post-modifying the head ‘book’. Apart from ‘with’, there is a wide range of prepositions that can be used, e. g. :   the road to London, the house beyond the church, a child of   five, etc. , including the complex prepositions, e. g. house on the top of the hill, action in case of emergency, etc. and those having participle forms as in problems concerning the environment. The commonest preposition in the noun phrase post-modification â₠¬Ëœof’ has a close correspondence to ‘have’ sentences: The ship has a funnel. the funnel of the ship The table has four legs. the four legs of the table However, some are relatable to ‘be’ sentences: London is a city. the city of London The news was the team’s victory the news of the team’s victory Also, the ‘of’ phrase can be used to express the subject or object relation: The bus arrived the arrival of the bus Someone imprisoned the murderer the imprisonment of the murderer In the example (2), the post-modifier is a relative or finite clause which can be restrictive or non-restrictive. There are a number of relative clauses beginning with relative pronouns: ‘who’, ‘whom’, ‘whose’, ‘that’ (personal); ‘which’, ‘that’, ‘what’ (non-personal); ‘when’, a preposition plus ‘which’ (time); ‘where’, a preposition plus ‘which’ (place); and ‘why’, ‘for which’ (reason). While restrictive relative clauses help to define the head noun, the non-restrictive ones give additional information to it, as exemplified in: |   |The woman |who is standing outside |is my neighbour.    | |   |   |restrictive |   |   | |   |That is my neighbour, |who is standing outside. |   |   | |   |   |Non-restrictive |   |   | The exampl e (3) illustrates the post-modifier as a non-finite clause, present participle clause. The non-finite can be past participle clauses. |   |The only car |serviced in the garage |is mine. |   | |   |   |past participle clause |   |   | In addition, post-modifiers can be to-infinitive clauses: |   |The next flight |to arrive |was from London. |   | |   |The place |to stay for summer holidays |should be pleasant. |   | As is seen in the example (4), adjective phrases can be post-modifiers of the head noun in the complex noun phrases. The adjective phrases can usually be regarded as a reduced relative clause. Complex indefinite pronouns ending in –body, -one, -thing, and –where can be modified only post-positively, e. g. : Anyone (who is) intelligent can do it. The men (who were) present were his supporters. In the example (5), the phrase explicitly encodes the information that â€Å"Carmen is an opera†. For this reason, ‘ Carmen’ is traditionally said to be in apposition to ‘the opera’. Another minor type of post-modification illustrated in the example (6) is adverbial modification. Similarly, in the following examples, the adverbial phrases post-modify the head noun: the way ahead, the direction back, the hall downstairs, etc. Unlike pre-modifiers, their no grammatical limit to the number of post-modifiers occurring in a noun phrase, considerations of style and comprehensibility will normally keep them to one or two. Where we have more than one, the relative order tends to depend on the related properties of length and class, with shorter modifiers preceding longer ones, prepositional phrases preceding clauses: |   |A man |from Britain |who I was talking about last night |   | |   |   |prepositional phrase |relative clause | | 4 Conclusion In conclusion, noun phrases, either basic or complex are potentially very complicated. Most simply, basic noun phrases consist of just one overt element, pronouns of different types or numerals. Basic noun phrases, more complicatedly, comprise pre-determiners, determiners, post-determiners and the head nouns, the order of which is fixed. Complex noun phrases, as their names imply, are the most difficult of all. They consist of pre-modification, head noun and post-modification. Pre-modification includes closed-system and open-class items which are in the given order. Post-modification can be finite or non-finite clauses and adjective, noun, prepositional and adverbial phrases. SOURCES Aarts, B. ( 2001 ) English Syntax and Argumentation Brown, E. K. and J. E. Miller ( 1991 ) Syntax : A linguistic Introduction to Sentence Structure examples and tables internet