The first thing that comes to mind when I hear this word
is "homogenization."
On the one hand, people have access to a lot of information,
but if you think twice, you realize that it is mainstream
information. People are either too busy or too lazy to find
more information and they swallow everything that is given
to them which they can take with no effort.
In this way people tend to think the same, to dress the same
and to wear the same brands. They become little or not critical
at all.
On the other hand, I would ask, globalization for whom? It
seems to me that third world countries are not included in
such a fraudulent wonder.
Why not include all countries in a real globalization? Why
not have a globalization of human rights, respect for the
environment, distribution of wealth, education in the broad
sense of the word, that is, including in the ability to be
critical.
That is too dangerous I guess. I think that the powers that
be prefer a globalization only in business terms, with free
markets where everybody can buy and sell. Of course, only
those with the money to do it.
Victoria G.
Explanations:
"
First thing" vs. "The
first thing" - The word "the" refers to the
word "homogenization," which comes later in the
text. Contrast this with the title "globalization,"
which is general in nature and is written without the article
"the."
By the
way, the phrase "that comes to my mind" is correct,
but you could also use the expression "that comes to
mind" without the possessive adjective "my,"
which might give you an extra point on an exam.
"...
when I listen
to this word is ..." vs. "... when I hear
this word is ..." - The word "listen" is more
active and the word "hear" is more passive. If you
use the word "listen," it sounds like you are always
actively listening for the word. I imagine you with your hand
held by your ear
"...
this word is "homogenization.""
- The quotation marks defines exactly which word comes to
mind when you think of the topic of "globalization."
"On
one hand
people ..." vs. "On the
one hand" - The first phrase may be correct, but the
second is by far the most frequent. Use the second one. If
you use this type of linking phrase, later in the text you
should say "on the
other hand" as you did. We are, after all, talking about
our two hands specifically and not others' "hands"
in general.
"if
you think it twice"
vs. "if you think it over"
OR "if you think
twice" - The latter solution is part
of an expression which means "to weigh something carefully"
(thefreedictionary.com) which you can't change and still preserve
the expression. It would probably give you more points on
an exam because it's an expression. ("Think it twice"
means to think two times, but you would need a preposition
like "think about it twice.") The first solution
is a phrasal verb which means "to consider."
"if
you think twice,
you realize that..." In conditional sentences separate
the two parts of the sentence either by the word "if"
or by a comma. For example, you can also change the order
of the two parts and write: "you realize something if
you think twice."
"it
is a main stream of
information" vs. "it is
mainstream information" - The word
"information" is uncountable so you can't say "I
have two informations
" and neither can you have "a"
a "one"
information.
"People
are too
busy or ..." vs. "People are either too busy or
..." - "either ... or ..." is a common linking
phrase. Even if the sentence might be correct without this
connector as it is above, use it in your writing for extra
points or a more professional look.
"People
are either too busy or they
areto
lazy to find more information" vs. "People are either
too busy or too
lazy to find more information" - There are two mistakes
here. The first one is minor and not really a mistake. It
is that "they are" is optional, but repetitive and
redundant. In the same way that you can say "I can swim
and ski" instead of "I can swim and I can ski,"
you can also remove "they are" from the sentence
above. The second mistake is just a little silly. Compare
"to do or not to do" with "to lazy or not to
lazy." Though I might prefer to do the latter on the
weekends, you obviously didn't mean to use the word "lazy"
as a verb.
"that
it is
given to them and that
they can take with no effort" vs. "that is given
to them which
(that) they can take with no effort. In the first mistake
"that" and "it" refer to the same thing
so you have two pronouns in this clause where only the "relative
pronoun" is necessary. In the second mistake "and"
is a bit "Spanglish." "That" is ok, but
"which" is better. By the way, I don't really like
the word "take" and I would prefer "get."
However, a take is used as a collocation with the word "pill"
as in to "take a pill," it is not incorrect in this
sentence. An example of this is Morpheus giving the hero a
choice of pills in the movie Matrix.
"In
this way people tend to think the same, to dress the same,
to wear
the same brands." vs. "In this way people tend to
think the same, to dress the same and to wear the same brands."
- You need the conjunction "and" to connect your
list of points. It's best to remove the comma as well. Also,
it would be better to try to make each point similar to each
other in structure. For example: "In this way people
tend to think the same manner, to dress the same way and to
wear the same brands."
"They
became little ..." vs. "They become little ..."
The possible consequences of what happens when everyone thinks
the same is that they become. The past simple verb "became"
is talking about the past.
"They
become little or no
critical at all" vs. "They become little or not
critical at all" - Compare "I have no critiques"
with "I am not critical." The word "no"
here accompanies a noun and refers to quantity and "not"
accompanies an adjective.
"On
the other hand I would say,
globalization for whom?" vs. "On the other hand
I would ask,
globalization for whom?" Technically speaking, the word
"say" is correct. However, as you ask a question,
the word "ask" is more appropriate. This is a minor
point.
"I
guess that third
world countries are not included in such a wonder."
Although I haven't marked either of these as incorrect, I
am not convinced by either as they sound awkward and might
be better expressed in some other way. For example, in the
first case you might say something like "it seems to
me" and in the second you might add in an ironic adjective
like "pretentious," "ostentatious," or
"fraudulent," meaning something like "making
false claim to or creating an appearance of ( undeserved)
importance or distinction."
"Why
not a real globalization, including all countries?" vs.
"Why not include all countries in a real globalization?"
The main problem I see here is that there is no verb and,
in this "English student" context, you should have
a subject and a verb in every sentence. You do this several
times in the following sentences.
"
A globalization
about
human rights, ..." vs. "Why
not have a globalization of
human rights, ..." The preposition "about"
is superficial in this context. It's similar to watching a
film about human rights. The preposition "of," on
the other hand, is deeper. In this second case, the "human
rights" are clearly being globalized.
"respect
for environment"
vs. "respect for the environment" - Use "the"
with the word "environment." In a similar way, you
can talk about "the planet," "the atmosphere"
and "the ocean."
"education
in the wide
sense of the word, ..." vs. "education in the broad
sense of the word, ..." The phrase "wide sense"
is not incorrect technically speaking. The second option is
much more frequent.
"education
in the broad sense of the word, this
is including
the ability to be critical." vs. "education in the
broad sense of the word, that
is, including in
the ability to be critical." The phrase "that is"
means "to explain it more clearly." The phrase "this
is" is simply confusing and is not usually used to mean
"that is." The second mistake here is that we are
educated "in" something or "to do" something.
"
I think that it is better a globalization in business terms."
There are various errors here including the Spanglish sentence
structure. Compare with: "I think that a globalization
in business terms is better." However, I think you prefer
to be either ironic or sarcastic and say something like: "I
think that the powers that be prefer a globalization
only in business terms." (This is a phrase used to refer
to the group which holds power over globalization, if, in
fact, such a group exists.)
"Free
markets where everybody can sell
and buy." vs. "Free markets
where everybody can buy and
sell." The latter is the usual word order
for this collocation. Think of it as an expression.
"Of
course, everybody
with the money to do it." "Of course, only
those with the money to do it." Technically
speaking, the word "everybody" is correct. However,
if you want to sound a little more ironic, the phrase "only
those" is more appropriate.