Can someone please read my introduction paragraph to my essay?

[AryanK]

Hey everyone

I'm writing a 800 words essay on Baltic Sea Region Farming, and I've finished the introduction paragraph, but I have a feeling that something's not right there. Can you please read it and tell me what you think? Suggestions and error reports are welcome! :)

[Gillnetter]

Hey everyone

I'm writing an 800 words essay on Baltic Sea Region Farming. and I've finished the introduction paragraph, but I have a feeling that something's not right there. Can you please read it and tell me what you think? Suggestions and error reports are welcome! :

The Baltic Sea is a shallow inland sea surrounded by the countries of Scandinavia and Northeastern Europe, which has a total area of about 370,000 km2, with a mean depth of only 55m. (This talks about the total area of the countries, not the sea. I would stop the first sentence after Europe and start a new sentence - "The Sea has a...) The brackish waters of the Baltic Sea comes from a mixture of sea water from the North Sea and fresh water from rivers and rainfall. The Baltic Sea is about 1600 km long; and it’s bordered on its' northernmost areas by the Bothnian Bay and on its' eastern edge by the Gulf of Riga. soIt covers many different climatic areas from the Arctic region in the north, composed of tundra and taiga, to more temperate regions in the south. This is why there are various types of agriculture in the Baltic region. During this essay, we I will compare and contrast agriculture in the North and South northern and southern parts of the Baltic Sea Region, as well as considering the advantages and problems.

)

Here are a few changes. I would write shorter sentences. Consider this, "The Baltic Sea is about 1600 km long and it's bordered on its northernmost areas by the Bothnian Bay and on its eastern edge by the Fulf of Riga, so it covers many different climatic areas from Arctic in the north, tundra and taiga to temperate regions in the south."

There are three ideas in this one sentence -
#1 - How long the sea is
#2 - The borders of the sea
#3 - Climatic areas

[trunghq]

Hi Gill,

I don't understand why its needs a bracket (I use the right word?) like this: its'? I think it is: Its + noun?

Can you explain to me? I used Google but I could not find the answer.

Trung.

[AryanK]

Thanks a lot for the help, Gillnetter! You're a great teacher. :)

I don't understand the its' issue either though.

[Gillnetter]

Hi Gill,

I don't understand why its needs a bracket (I use the right word?) like this: its'? I think it is: Its + noun?

Can you explain to me? I used Google but I could not find the answer.

Trung.

The word is apostrophe. You were correct - my teachers were incorrect. Here is what seems to be the correct rule -

No apostrophe is used in the following possessive pronouns and adjectives: yours, his, hers, ours, its, theirs, and whose. (Many people use it's for the possessive of it, but authorities are unanimous that it's can only be a contraction of it is or it has.