Intrusive vs. Obtrusive

Intrusive vs. Obtrusive Intrusive vs. Obtrusive Intrusive vs. Obtrusive By Mark Nichol What is the difference between intrusive and obtrusive? The distinction between these words, and those between each of them and their synonyms, are subtle but useful. To be intrusive is to involve oneself into the affairs of others, generally in an objectionable manner, tactlessly but not necessarily in a way that calls attention to oneself. To be obtrusive, by contrast, is to interfere without regard for propriety or subtlety. They therefore can apply to the same situation, but intrusive emphasizes the effect on the recipient of the attention, while obtrusive focuses how the attention is perceived from the outside. The common element in intrude and obtrude, the root words for these synonyms, is -trude, from the Latin word trudere, which means â€Å"to thrust.† Ob- means â€Å"toward,† and in- is self-explanatory; protrusive, from protrude, featuring a prefix meaning â€Å"forward,† also means â€Å"pushy† but is used less often in this context. (Yet another word featuring the stem is extrude, which means â€Å"to thrust out†; the adjectival form is extrusive.) Other synonyms for this behavior follow: Impertinent: insolent or unrestrained, though it also has an unrelated original sense of irrelevance (from the Latin word pertinere, meaning â€Å"to pertain†) Insinuating: stealthily ingratiating, though the more common definition is â€Å"to imply or covertly suggest† (from the Latin word sinuare, also the origin of sinuous and meaning â€Å"to bend, curve†) Meddlesome or meddling: interfering (from the Latin word miscere, meaning â€Å"to mix†) Officious: interfering (from the Latin word officium, meaning â€Å"service, office†) Presumptuous or presuming: going beyond the bounds of what is considered appropriate (from the Latin word praesumere, meaning â€Å"to anticipate, assume, or dare†) Informal and slang terms for intrusive or obtrusive behavior include nosy (also spelled nosey), prying, pushy, and snoopy. Related descriptive phrases include â€Å"being a busybody† and â€Å"butting in.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Comparative Forms of AdjectivesAmong vs. AmongstWhile vs. Whilst

Communication and Personality in Negotiation Paper Research - 1

Communication and Personality in Negotiation - Research Paper Example I communicated with other car buyers in interactive forums in order to learn good practical negotiating techniques. I compared prices from newspaper classified ads, online classifieds, and other publications in which used were being advertised. In my research about negotiation techniques when buying a car I learned that first of I should not buy the first car that I see. Another tip I received that if the price looks to good to be true there is most likely something wrong with the car that is hard to diagnose at first glance. A good move to minimize your risk prior to making an offer is having a mechanic check the car over prior to making an offer. One should always make an offer that is lower than the asking price. I also learn that in the car buying process it is important to get a feel for the individual who is selling you the car because the car will be as good as the maintenance and treatment the person gave to the car. Once I educated might-self a bit in the car buying experience and negotiating process and went out to the city to visit some of the car owners who had car on sale which interest me. My initial communication with each of the car owners was by telephone. I was amazed at what happen when I started calling people. I figure that the car description was the key for me to finding the right car, but I underestimated the importance of individual personality plays in the negotiation process. My first call was to a female selling a sedan. This woman spoke to me on the phone with lots of arrogance. I did not like her tone of voice and we only spoke for 2 minutes. I never went to see car based solely on the fact that this person repulse me. The actual car being advertised seemed like a good deal. After several other bad phone calls I made arrangement with see three individuals that sounded professional on the phone and acted on a proactive manner during our phone conversation as far as doing everything within their power to

Business Systems Analysis and Design Coursework - 1

Business Systems Analysis and Design - Coursework Example Performance appraisals build effective habits among members such as employees are able to clearly understand the organisational goals and identifying the best way forward to meeting these goals. Managers ensure that they evaluate the best process that will be able to improve the performance of their employees (Jones, 1997). In this process managers should be capable of ensuring that the team members achieve their goals and objectives. Team members should also be improving constantly and developing in their skills to become in order to become a great asset to the organisation. Managers should ensure that the hindrances to improvement are addresses by having a personal conversation with team members and listening to every issue. The issues and concerns raised should be solved immediately and in the most effective manner in order to avoid major issues in the future. Managers should also be in a position of asking themselves whether their employees are achieving the desired expectations of the business and whether they have the potential to achieve these goals. Finally managers should be able to gauge how much the employees have improved since the previous appraisal or the value they have added to their development since the manager started supervising. Once the above goals are well focused, then managing people will become an easy process. Kate (2011) describes that effective management include assessing the current situation of a team member, setting effective goals and working together to ensure that member achieves those goals. The first step in managing people is to have a clear vision. The managers should be able to be precise on the expected performance by analysing the role of every team member. These expectations should then be communicated to the team members informing them to be accountable of their activities. The second step of effective people management is to make the expectations clear to the team members. The objectives should be discussed in a pos itive way to the members and the manager should communicate the ongoing basis for the team member to know exactly what they have achieved and what is remaining to attain their target. The third step involves letting the team members be aware that their work is of value to the entire organisation. Richard et al. (2009, p. 50) shows this involves a short brief to everyone reminding them of the purpose of the organisation, the purpose of the team and the benefits to other departments. Managers should make sure that the team members are aware that they play a major part in achieving the entire output of the organisation. This should be a continuous assessment that the supervisor has to show to their members. This makes the employees feel valued therefore making them motivated to performing better. The forth step involves getting to know each team member basing on their abilities, skills and personal behaviour. This will make you understand them well and it also improved mutual respect. 2. Rich picture Rich pictures represent processes, structures and issues within an organization that are relevant to the problem definition. These also provide a thinking model about the system, how to think about the system and also how to group pertinent issues. Rich pictures also enable an

Professional Writing Sample Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Professional Writing Sample Assignment - Essay Example It should be brief but at the same time it should have the ability to capture the reader’s attention. The relevant information must be there. Keeping the audience in mind, the writer should choose the perfect and the desired language. Avoid using slang, use corporate language instead but in plain format. Another important key in business writing is the organization of the text. A good letter always shows a clear cut outline of the information present in the paper. It will greatly help to grab the attention of the reader. Give the required and the relevant information first than continue with the less important information. Good business writing usually has three aspects; an introduction, the discussion and the conclusion. Each paragraph should be properly organized and end with the hint of the next paragraph. Always proofread your paper before sending. It will greatly help in decreasing the chances of error (Robert Group). Business writings by students usually lack clarity. Achieving clarity in writing is one of the most difficult tasks. They have to choose proper and appropriate words that best suit the situation. Another important factor that has to be introduced in business writings by the students is the confidence. Showing confidence in corporate letters and writing is an essential thing. There should be proper lines in the writing showing the writers confidence and courtesy towards the reader. Most of the business writings by students end abruptly. The reader is left astray to think about various aspects of that topic and in doing so there is a chance that the reader makes his or her own opinion, which may be right or wrong. This is the worst mistake they make. It should end with proper ending notes and business manners. It is against the professional courtesy to end the letter with no notes. Before ending your writing, be sure that you have provided the complete information you were supposed to provide. Do not leave anything

Comparative Study on the Origin of Religion Essay Example for Free

Comparative Study on the Origin of Religion Essay Since the early 1800s, there had been an ample amount of skeptics trying to account for the origin of religion. The basic question on everybody’s mind was where does religion come from? Some believed that people developed religion because they didn’t understand the forces of nature around them. Others believe that religion was created as a way of restrain people. In the 19th century, people were introduced to social science and anthropologists who once studied primitive culture were exposed to several theories on the origin of religion. Edward B Tylor was one of the first who developed a theory on religion. Max Muller was a German professor at Oxford University whose interest included Indian mythology and the study of religion. Another anthropologist was George Frazer who key contributions to religious anthropology was a religious encyclopedia. There are many explanations to the origin of religion, one of the most prominent being Edward B. Tylor’s theory of animism. This theory is considered the foundation of the physical evolution of religion; two other influential religious anthropologists, Max Muller and James Frazer, also based their explanations of the origin of religion on nature. All three religious anthropologists are similar in the sense that they traced the evolution of religion in an attempt to figure out the origin of it but differ in the way they approach the concept of religion. Edward B. Tylor developed the theory of animism to help explain the most rudimentary form of religion. Animism is defined as the belief that attributes souls and spirits to humans, plants, animals and other entities. Animistic religious beliefs are well-known among primitive societies who were â€Å"so low in culture as to have no religious conceptions what so ever† (Tylor). Tylor considered animism as the most primitive phase in the development of religion. He believed that the reflection of dreams and the observation of death caused primitive people to develop the idea of souls and spirits. Tylor thought that primitive people believed that everything in nature had a soul within it. He hypothesized that a belief in animism led to the formation of a more generalized god and, eventually, the creation of monotheism. Animism ultimately led to the evolution of religion in the minds of the people. It led them to take something so simple as nature and use it to explain the natural phenomenon in their environment. A conflicting theory that uses the concept of evolution is that of Max Muller. Another theory of the origin of religion was developed by Max Muller. He believed that people first developed religion from the observation of nature. According to his theory, primitive people became aware of regularity of the seasons, the tides and the phases of the moon. Their response to these forces in nature was to personalize them†(Hopfe and Woodward). They personalized them through linguistics. Muller believed that development of religion was a cause of confusion in language (Goldsmith). There seems to be a divide between Muller and Tylor over the nature of the origin o f religion. Max Muller believed that the answer to the sole origin of religion could be found in the past and a person can trace its origin in the linguistic remnants in the Indo-European languages. Tylor thought that implementing an ethnological approach would be more successful than studying languages for answers of the origin of religion. Evolution of religion is evident in Muller’s theory because â€Å"they personified the forces of nature, created myths to describe their activities, and eventually developed pantheons and religions around them† (Hopfe and Woodward). By developing religions and pantheons from identifying the forces in nature is a clear sign of the evolution of religion in the human mind set. Even though their theories are different, the idea of evolution of religion in the human mind is evident in both Muller and Tylor’s theory. Sir James George Frazer, a fellow religious anthropologist, began developing his own theories on religion. Frazer believed that humans used magic as a way to control nature and the events around them and when that failed, they turned to religion. They used religion to control the events for a while and when religion failed they turned to science. Frazer’s theories were similar to those of Tylor. They both believed that the human mind developed in the same way as that of physical evolution.. Even though Frazer took a similar approach to Tylor in tracing the origin of religion, he modified Tylor’s theory and replaced Tylor’s theory of animism with his idea of magic. A similarity between Frazer and Tylor is that they both believed that religion began from an intentional method of describing and making sense of a strange world. Frazer replaces the idea that religion explains nature by introducing science as a substitute. Frazer’s approach to tracing the origin of religion is similar to that of Tylor and Muller since all three traced the evolution of religion in an attempt to figure out its origin. Both Muller and Frazer’s theory are similar to Tylor’s theory since both trace the origin of religion through the evolution of it but differ in the way they interpret religion. All three of them seemed to miss a vital element of religion which is that no one who practices religion is doing so to explain how the world works. People use religion for several reasons. Some use it to give meaning to their lives while others use it to enforce social order. Maybe all three anthropologists didn’t miss this key component but rather didn’t know about it due to the rapid evolution of religion.

The Catcher In The Rye :: essays research papers

Holden’s Journey   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As we pass through this life it is our duty to discover our destiny. Some of us go to college and become Doctors, Lawyers, Architects. Others of us cherish the finer things in life and find our places on farms and Dude Ranches. The point is, every living creature has a place in this world and we are ultimately steered in its direction. Holden Caulfield’s voyage began when his brother died of Leukemia. Holden was emotionally destroyed by the loss of not only his brother, but his best friend also. The fact that his parents couldn’t accept Holden’s pain and that they even sent him to a shrink for it, proved to Holden that his parents didn’t care as much as they were supposed to.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As Holden grew up, he found himself flunking out of school after school, never being able to stay in one place. This calamity was caused by either his overwhelmingly powerful hatred for people or because there was a conflict of interest between him and the school itself, about who they were trying to make him. Holden was also starting to view people as who they really were. Many of us in this world accept people at face value and never really take the time to see through the infinite masks that make up a personality, or a first impression. Holden however, took the time to understand who a person really was, and how fake they really were being. This changed his life enormously, as it would anybody’s, because as soon as he could understand how much of a phony a person was being and who they truly were, he didn’t have to feel inferior, scared or cast out by that person. I think these views of life could have actually been caused by his brother’s death. I think that when his brother died, his parents might have become phonies themselves. You must understand that when a parent loses one of their own creations they feel as if they have lost a part of themselves and cannot strive to go on. I think many parents find it easier to conceal their feelings inside of themselves, thus becoming what Holden could view as a phony. He didn’t understand why his parents had to bottle it all up (which he thinks is wrong) and why he was almost punished for expressing his feelings freely (which he feels is the right thing to do).

Messages of Strength and Pride in Three Poems

Poems from the Harlem Renaissance provide vibrance and energy for the reader as they enliven a culture and tradition never before seen in the United States.   The poems â€Å"Chicago,’ by Carl Sandburg, â€Å"The Harlem Dancer,† by Claude McKay, and â€Å"Mother to Son,† by Langston Hughes, all embody this strong culture through vivid images an lingering metaphors.   While they show the pride and substance of their subjects, the poems also hint at a bit of vulnerability as well.   Therefore, these three poems metaphorically illicit outward shows of strength and pride which hide pain, toil and even resentment underneath.Strength is an attribute of a person who has toiled and prevailed despite the overwhelming odds against him.   In the first half of the poem, â€Å"Chicago,† the first person speaker is addressing the city through a series of metaphors.   First, he addresses him as a serious of occupations which all require great physical strength but which do not have an association with upper class wealth or power:HOG Butcher for the World,  Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,  Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler (Sandburg, lines. 1-3).  These images create a masculine, hulking mood for the reader.   It is evident that life in this city requires brawn and even a cunning mind. The speaker notes the physical attributes of the city, which can be compared to a man:   Stormy, husky, brawling,  City of the Big Shoulders† (Sandburg, lines. 4-5).The city is personified as a hard-working and proud blue collar worker who may have to resort to underhanded dealings in order to survive.However, as the poem progresses, the metaphors change.   The speaker begins with a parallel series of descriptions – â€Å"wicked,† â€Å"crooked,† and â€Å"brutal,† to characterize the city along with a justification for each.   He notes the city is â€Å"sneering† but with  lifted head singing  so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning† (Sandburg, lines. 18-19).The suggestion is that the city demands more than hard work; it sometimes takes pain and trickery from its inhabitants.   However, the messages notes that sometimes this behavior is necessary for survival, and that the city has no moral problem with crime, corruption and manipulation.Finally, the poem shifts to the metaphor not of a man at all, but a beast.   This creature is Fierce as a dog with tongue lapping for action, cunning  as a savage pitted against the wilderness† (Sandburg lines. 23-24).Now the city is not human, but savage and untamed, reflecting the problems it presents for the survival of its dwellers.   They must endure, the smoke, the dust, the teeth and the burden of the city and somehow manage to laugh,  even as an ignorant fighter laughs who has  never lost a battle† (Sandburg, lns. 34-35).The bottom line for this poem is pride. Sometimes the people had to be dishonest and brutal, but they have an immense pride in getting to where they are.   The personified images of the city portray all of these emotions for the reader.â€Å"The Harlem Dancer,† by Claude McKay, focuses on the single image and experience of a boy watching a girl dance.   While the image is softer, it can correlate with the message from â€Å"Chicago.†Ã‚   Of course, the undertone is that these dancing girls are prostitutes, tempting the boys to wrongdoing, but that is part of the magic of the experience for these Harlem youth.   Despite her degrading occupation, the dancer of note is elevated to idealistic proportions in the eyes of the speaker.First, she is half-clothed, and swaying, which reminds the young man, oddly, of a palm tree.   He notes,  To me she seemed a proudly-swaying palm  Grown lovelier for passing through a storm   (McKay, lines. 7-8).With this description, the reader understands that even the boy recog nizes that this girl does not belong in Harlem.   After all, no palm trees grow anywhere near Harlem; they are products of more tropical, exotic climates, as is the dancer.   He also insinuates that she has endured hardships herself, the storm he notes, and finds her more attractive for having survived those hardships.Next, the speaker notes the melodic, otherworldly quality of her voice.   He says,  Her voice was like the sound of blended flutes  Blown by black players upon a picnic day (McKay, lines, 3-4).  he airiness of her voice and their comparison to prayers places the girl in an almost angelic realm, oddly juxtaposed to her actual position as a prostitute. This angelic nature is further emphasized by her â€Å"gauzy† dress, her graceful body, and her â€Å"shiny curls.†Ã‚   To the speaker, she is perfection, something he has never before experienced.However, underneath the beautiful figure of the dancing girl is something else, something that the bo y eventually notices.   She is not the strong and serene figure he initially perceives.   She is, in his words, not there.   He notesBut, looking at her falsely-smiling faceI knew her self was not in that strange place (McKay, lines 13-14).The speaker comes to realize that she is not truly the confident and strong person that he initially perceived her to be.   In order to get through her day, she has to somehow transport herself elsewhere, and he has bought into it for a while.   She is not ideal or perfect but has had her own shares of struggles and deceptions.The poem â€Å"Mother to Son,† by Langston Hughes, also illuminates the theme that life is a struggle, but one that should make a person proud.   The speaker is an African-American mother who is attempting to relate a life lesson to her son.   She uses a metaphor of a crystal staircase to try to emphasize the hardships she has endured in getting to the place she is now.   The clever analogy notes that a crystal staircase would be smooth and easy to climb, unlike the experience the mother relays:Well, son, I'll tell you:  Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.  It's had tacks in it,  And splinters,  And boards torn up,  And places with no carpet on the floor —  Bare. (Hugues, lines 1-7)Her life journey was painful and filled with obstacles, and she wants her son to realize this so that he will be ready for his own obstacles and hardships in life.   Ã‚  She does not want him to grow up expecting to have things handed to him, but to expect to have to work hard for the things he wants.Another message that she wants to convey to her son is that he should never give up despite these hardships.   She wants to encourage him:So boy, don't you turn back. Don't you set down on the steps ‘Cause you finds it's kinder hard (Hughes, lines 14-16).In addition to warning him about the condition of the stairs and the difficulty of traversing them, the mother is also w arning her son of the dangers.   She notes that sometimes the stairs are dark, and she warns him against falling.   Of course, the grand metaphor for life is apparent.   Life is sometimes dark, full of pitfalls, and daunting, but she has continued the journey and is endeavoring to make her son do the same.She is not making the journey sound easy; clearly, they were not the privileged individuals, but she is attempting to instill endurance through her message.   After all, she is still climbing the stairs, and if she can do it, so can he.All three of these poems address issues of life and perseverance.   None of the lives described seem easy.   Life in â€Å"Chicago† is compared ultimately to a beast that laughs and sneers.   Life as   Ã¢â‚¬Å"TheHarlem Dancer† is empty for her, as she continually desires to be somewhere else.   Life on the broken staircase is uncertain and treacherous.   However, all three scenarios represent the continual toil of lif e, and the pride that these individuals have.   They may not have riches, easy jobs, or crystals stairs, but they have their work ethic and their sense of self-worth, and that is all that matters.WORKS CITEDMcKay, Claude.   â€Å"The Harlem Dancer.† Retrieved 9 April 2007 fromhttp://www.poetry-archive.com/m/the_harlem_dancer.htmlSandburg, Carl.   â€Å"Chicago.† Retrieved 9 April 2007 from http://carl-sandburg.com/chicago.htm