The Musical Book of Writing by Bravo Grammar Con Online

THE MUSIC BOOK OF WRITING BY: TANIA HERNANDEZ

Table of Contents Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………….. 3 Dedication…………………………………………………………………………………………..... 4 Punctuation and Capitalization…………………………………………………………………. 5 Parts of Speech………………………………………………………………………………………. 7 Phrases and Clauses……………………………………………………………………………….. 14 Sentences…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 17 Paragraphs……………………………………………………………………………………………. 21 Essays………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 24 About the Author……………………………………………………………………………………. 28

INTRODUCTION This book was designed to help you, the reader, get a better understanding of writing. Writing is essential for well...just about anything. Don’t have a boyfriend or girlfriend? Maybe it’s because you can’t write romantic poems like Alex Turner and his love letter to Alexa Chang. Or perhaps, you cannot seem to get out of your failing hole in your English class. All these problems with a remedy, right here, in this book. Come in confused or whatever other mental states you wish, and come out a writing expert with a newly acquired music taste. Enjoy and thank you.

DEDICATION I would firstly like to start off by thanking the artists that inspired me to do this and that in general keep me going and were my only source of hope in other times. Nirvana, Blood Orange, The Smiths, N.W.A., Slayyyter, and many many more that I couldn’t ever possibly fit into one page, thank you. I wouldn’t know where I’d be without the breathtaking sounds of your melodies. Secondly, I’d like to thank anyone that has ever recommended a song or made me a playlist. Such acts, as little as they may be, mean the world to me and are a love language. Lastly, I’d like to thank you. Whoever you may be, thank you. Thank you for taking the time to read this and I truly hope you enjoy it and that you gain something out of it.

PUNCTUATION AND CAPITALIZATION 1.

Period . (to end a declarative sentence) Ex: My favorite band is The Smiths. 2. Comma , (a punctuation mark that separates words, clauses, or ideas within a sentence) The original members of Nirvana were Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl, and Krist Novoselic. 3. Em Dash – (used to set off parenthetical information) Kurt Cobain played two parts--the guitar and the singer. 4. En Dash - (used between numbers to represent the word to) I liked tracks 5-10 on In Utero 5. Colon : (Introduces an element or series of elements that illustrates or amplifies the information that preceded the colon) Rock can be divided into many sub-genres: classic rock, hard rock, heavy metal, and many more. 6. Semicolon ; (joins two independent clauses to signal a close connection between them) Justin Bieber takes hard drugs; he’ll overdose soon if he doesn’t stop. 7. Question Mark ? (to indicate that a sentence is a question) Sara, are you going to the WILLOW concert? 8. Exclamation Point ! (expresses strong or forceful emotion, such as anger, surprise, or joy) No way! You listen to The Strokes too? 9. Apostrophe ‘ (represents missing letters) Unfortunately, I can’t attend the Black Sabbath concert. 10. Quotations “ ” (direct quotes, with titles of certain works, to imply alternate meanings, and to write words as words) In “Nude” by Radiohead, they state, “It’s gone.” 11. Ellipses … (save space or remove material that is less relevant) The boy opened the door to reveal another world...it was a place where all the deceased rappers went to. 12. Brackets [ ] ( to enclose words added by someone other than the original writer or speaker) He [Corey Taylor] is part of the band, Slipknot. 13. Parenthesis ( ) (used to separate off information that isn’t essential to the meaning of the rest of the sentence) 2pac (also spelled Tupac) was a famous hip hop rapper in the 90s. 14. Slash / (to indicate the word or) When the security was leaving, they noticed a fan had left his/her signed album.

Capitalization The rules of capitalization: a) Capitalize the First Word of a Sentence - My favorite album is Ctrl by SZA.

b) Capitalize Names and Other Proper Nouns - Jade and Puppo went to the record c) d) e) f) g) h)

store to look for the Ghost album. Don’t Capitalize After a Colon - I listen to the Bees Gees for a reason: it reminds me of my father. Capitalize the First Word of a Quote - She exclaimed, “I found my eight-track tapes!” Capitalize Days, Months, and Holidays, But Not Seasons - Ginger by Brockhampton was released in August 2019. Capitalize Most Words in Titles - His favorite album is The Queen is Dead. Capitalize Cities, Countries, Nationalities, and Languages - Bjork is an Icelandic singer. Capitalize Time Periods and Events - We learned about The Rock and Roll era and how it’s connected to the age group, boomers.

PARTS OF SPEECH NOUNS

Types of nouns: Common Nouns: a class of people, places, things, or ideas.

· EX: Metalheads, concert, singer, microphone, album · Proper Nouns: the name or title of a particular person, place, thing, or idea

(must be capitalized). EX: Slayyyter, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

· Compound Nouns: consist of words used together to form a single noun. EX: Metalhead, playlist, download · Concrete Nouns: refer to material things, to people, or to places. EX: CD, drumsticks, guitar · Abstract Nouns: name ideas, qualities, concepts, emotions, or attitudes. EX: electric, alternative, funky

Functions: (How nouns are used): · Subject (comes before the verb)

Kurt Cobain got arrested because he spray-painted “God is gay.” · Direct Object (comes after the verb and answers what or whom) Steve asked Lady Gaga if her album is almost finished.

· Indirect Object (answers to who or to whom) Marilyn Manson signed a fan’s t-shirt.

PRONOUNS: Pronouns take the place of nouns that have been established. Personal: Nominative (subjects) I/we

Objective (objects): Objective (objects) me/us

You/You: He, she, it, one/they, one, they, him, her, it

Possessive:

My, mine, our, ours, your, yours, his, her, hers, its, one’s, their, theirs Relative: Nominative: who That

Objective: whom that those/ this

Possessive: whose of that

Interrogative: who, which, what, whatever, whoever Reflexive: (personal pronouns plus the suffix – self o r – selves) Used only: when the action verb is directed toward the subject of the construction: He bought himself A rianna Grande’s new album. She listened to herself singing. to intensify a point: Rihanna herself announced her makeup line. Even though my producer is great, “I can finish the song myself” Stevie thought. Demonstrative: this, these, that, those Indefinite: all, another, anybody, anyone, anything, both, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, everywhere, few, many, much, neither, nobody, none, no one, nothing, one, other, several, somebody, someone, such.

VERBS

Verbs show the time, action, and state of being of a subject.

Tense: verbs indicate time via tenses: simple past past past perfect past progressive

simple present present present perfect present progressive

present perfect progressive future future perfect

Types: T here are at least eleven (11) types of verbs: - auxiliary verbs (helping verbs) - linking verbs (verbs that do not describe action, but connect the subject of a sentence to other parts of the sentence – usually the predicate) - lexical verbs (main verbs) - dynamic verbs (indicate action) - stative verbs (describe a condition) - finitive verbs (indicate tense) - nonfinitive verbs (infinitives or participles) - regular verbs (weak verbs) - irregular verbs (strong verbs) - transitive verbs (verbs followed by a direct object) - intransitive verbs (verbs that do not take direct objects) Voice: Voice is the form of the verb that indicates how it relates or interacts with the action. The English language has two voices: ACTIVE and PASSIVE. Active: The fans walked backstage. Passive: The fans were directed backstage. Verbals: (VERB FORMS NOT USED AS VERBS) Gerund: word ending in “ing” used as a noun. · Sam enjoys listening to music on the way to school. Participle: word ending in “ing” or “ed” used as an adjective · Dancing Queen fits in perfectly in the time it was produced. · Sheila danced to Night Fever in the club on Saturday. Infinitive: verb preceded by the word “to” (to go, to jump) used as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs · Jade likes to go on runs while listening to Metallica

ADJECTIVES

Adjectives modify, describe, limit, and identify nouns and pronouns. Demonstrative: This vinyl is very old. Common: Fans were disturbed when told what “Last Caress” was about.

ADVERBS

Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. · Endings (Create one example related to your subject for each) –ian, -er, -ed · Conversions : Example: Music becomes Musician, Noisy becomes Noisier, Eccentric becomes Eccentrically

Types: Manner, Frequency, Degree, Place, Time Example Types: Manner – The eight-track tape is not easily available nowadays. (How available is it?) Time – Childish Gambino’s album is being released later today. (When is it being released?) Place – Frank Ocean will happily hold a concert in our backyard. (Where willing is he?) Degree – I very much enjoyed the M.I.A. concert (How much did they enjoy?) Frequency – Brockhampton is consistently working on new albums (How often are they working?) ·

CONJUNCTIONS

Coordinating (FANBOYS): for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so Correlative: Either/or; neither/nor; not only/but also; both/and; whether/or; as/so Subordinate: after, though as, as if, as long as, as thought, because, before, if, in order that, provided that, since, so, so that, that, though, till, unless, when, where, whereas, while Relative pronouns: who (refers to people), which (refers to nonliving object or animals), that (may refer to animals or nonliving objects)

PREPOSITIONS Prepositions link nouns, pronouns, and phrases to other parts of the sentence. Prepositions are NEVER followed by verbs. There are one-word prepositions and complex prepositions. These are some common one-word prepositions: aboard, about, above, according to, across, across from, after, against, along, alongside, alongside of, along with, amid, among, apart from, around, as, as far as, aside from, at, away from, back of, because of, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, beyond, but (except), by, by means of, concerning, despite, down, down from, except, except excluding for, for, from, from among, from between, from under, in, in addition to, in behalf of, including, in front of, in place of, in regard to, inside, inside of, in spite of, instead of, into, like, near, near to, notwithstanding, of, off, on, on account of, on behalf of, onto, on top of, opposite, out, out of, outside, outside of, over, over to, owing to, past, prior to, to, toward, under, underneath, until, unto, up, upon, up to, versus, with, within, without.

INTERJECTIONS ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Aah - U sed as a call for help or when someone is scared Boo - U sed to scare someone or to voice disapproval Eh - Used when you didn't hear or understand what someone said Eww - Conveys dislike or disgust Hmm - C an mean you're thinking or hesitating Jeez - C ould indicate you can't believe something or you're exasperated Ooh-la-la - A slightly comical way to refer to something as fancy or special Oops - A n exclamation people use when they do something by accident Phew - E xpressing relief or gladness something is over Whoa - C an show surprise or amazement Yahoo - E xpresses joy or happiness Yeah - Demonstrates a very strong affirmation or approval Yoo-hoo - An expression used to get someone's attention Zing - U sually used comically to emphasize a clever statement or comeback

Transitions of Logic Chart

Addition

Milder

Stronger

a further and and then then also too next another other nor

further furthermore moreover in addition additionally besides again equally important first, second finally, last

Comparison

just as ... so too a similar another... like

similarly comparable in the same way likewise

Contrast

but yet and yet still otherwise or though but another rather

however still nevertheless on the other hand on the contrary even so notwithstanding for all that in contrast alternatively at the same time though this may be otherwise instead nonetheless conversely

Time

then now soon afterward later shortly earlier recently first, second, third next before after today tomorrow

meanwhile at length presently at last finally immediately thereafter at that time subsequently eventually currently in the meantime in the past in the future

Purpose

to do this so that

to this end with this object for this purpose for that reason because of this in order to

Place

there here beyond nearby next to

at that point opposite to adjacent to on the other side in the front in the back

Result

so and so then

hence therefore accordingly consequently thus thereupon as a result in consequence

Example

that is specifically in particular for one thing

for example for instance an instance of this this can be seen in

Summary and Emphasis

in sum generally after all by the way in general incidentally naturally I hope at least it seems in brief I suppose

in short on the whole as I said in other words to be sure in fact indeed clearly of course anyway remarkably I think assuredly definitely without doubt for all that on the whole in any event importantly certainly

PHRASES AND CLAUSES Phrases – groups of words that function as a part of speech. Noun Phrase: A group of words consisting of nouns or pronouns and their modifiers that function as a noun. EX: All of the fans stood in the long line to get into the House of Blues. Verb Phrase: A group of words consisting of verbs working together and that function as a verb. EX: Black Sabbath knew they would be working hard for the next album. Prepositional Phrase: A group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun, and functions as an adjective or an adverb. EX: Frank Ocean knew that in time, he’d complete his album. Appositive Phrase: A group of words that include all the words that modify an appositive and function as an adjective - IT MUST BE SURROUNDED BY COMMAS. EX: Estelle, the British singer, wants an American boy. Verbal Phrases: A group of words that begin with a verbal and ends with a noun. ● Gerund Phrase: verb ending in -ing that functions as a noun. EX: Listening to the album was an experience. ● Participial Phrase: word ending in -ing (present participle) or -ed (past participle) that functions as an adjective. EX: Removing his earbuds, Romil answered his mother. ● Infinitive Phrase: verb preceded by the word “to” (to read, to study, to write) that function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs. EX: I left early to get to the concert early.

CLAUSES Clauses – groups of words with BOTH a subject and a verb that function as parts of speech. There are TWO kinds: Independent and Dependent (called “Subordinate”) INDEPENDENT – CAN stand alone as a complete sentence, known as a simple sentence pattern. EX: I like listening to music in my room because I have a disco ball. DEPENDENT (SUBORDINATE) – CANNOT stand alone as a complete sentence and MUST begin with a SUBORDINATE CONJUNCTION. There are seven (7) kinds:

Noun Clause: Used as the noun in a sentence and may function as a subject, a predicate noun, a direct object, an object of a preposition, an indirect object, or an appositive. ○ What Lil Wayne did shocked his fans. ○ Kali Uchis producer didn’t know that she could sing in Spanish. ○ That the drummer was good was very prominent. ○ Ozzy checked what type of funds he had. Adjective Clause: Used to modify a noun in an independent clause. Some adjective clauses begin with an introductory word: ○ What the main problem for Amy was her substance abuse. ○ Where is the section for rock music? ○ Whoever is in that MJ costume has good style. Some adjective clauses begin with relative pronouns: ■ The boy who sang the solo is my brother’s best friend. ■ She couldn’t find the CD that she stored away before she left. ■ The singer whose voice is best at the contest will win. ■ The agent to whom I spoke seemed very stern. ■ Travis, which decided to crowd surf, broke a lot of people's bones. ■ The person who made this playlist is my friend. ■ The guitar that I broke is in the garbage can. Adverb Clause: Used to modify verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in an independent clause, introduced by a subordinate conjunction and used to indicate time, place, cause, purpose, result, condition, and/or concession. Modifying verbs: ■ They haven’t announced tour dates, but they could be anywhere from fall to the winter. ■ I have been listening to Prince since 2017. ■ We are listening to Roy’s music because it is composed beautifully. ■ Even if the merch is expensive, I will still buy it. Modifying adjectives: ■ Ticket sales seemed to have increased twice in price since previous years. ■ The somewhat sad musician frowned as he was booed off stage. Modifying adverbs: ■ Suzy studied harder than her sisters typically did. (condition) Relative Clauses: Dependent clause that begins with a relative pronoun. ○ Why are you extremely aggressive on the bass? Elliptical Clauses: Adverb clauses in which part of the clause is omitted. ○ When singing, the audience keeps an eye on her to make sure she is not lip-syncing. 15

Essential Clauses: Clauses necessary to the meaning of the sentence. ○ The woman who sang that song is Celia. Nonessential Clauses: Clauses that are NOT necessary to the meaning of the sentence. ○ Dre’s music label, the one he created, majorly signs R&B artists.

SENTENCES Sentence – a set of words that contains a subject and a predicate and conveys a statement, command, question, or an exclamation.

Sentence Parts Subject – what/who the sentence is about EX: Rico Nasty announced that her album will be released this week. Predicate – what the subject does EX: She revealed that 100 gecs produced her album.

Sentence Types Declarative – a sentence that makes a statement (ends with a period mark) EX: Lately I’ve been listening to Japanese music. Imperative – a sentence that makes a command (ends with a period mark) EX: Start listening to Piero Piccioni. Interrogative – a sentence that asks a question (ends with a question mark) EX: How do you listen to electronic music? Exclamatory – a sentence that expresses great emotion, passion, excitement (ends with an exclamation mark) EX: I am so excited to hear Kali Uchis’s new album!

Sentence Patterns Simple Sentence: A sentence that is just one independent clause. EX: Dr. Dre created Beats in the early 2000s. Compound Sentence: A sentence with multiple independent clauses, but no dependent clauses - connected by FANBOYS (coordinating conjunctions) or a semicolon (;). EX: Dr. Dre created Beats in the early 2000s, and they were very successful. 17

Complex Sentence: A sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. EX: Many people went broke because of Dr. Dre’s Beats. Complex-Compound Sentence: A sentence with multiple independent clauses and at least one dependent clause. EX: Many people went broke because of Dr. Dre’s Beats, and returned them. Loose Sentence: A sentence that contains an independent clause plus a subordinate construction (either a clause or phrase) with your main point at the beginning. EX: The fanbase won’t end even if we don’t buy the album again and again. Periodic Sentence: A sentence in which the independent clause is given at the end of the sentence in order to create interest or generate suspense with the main point coming at the end. EX: Even if we don’t buy the album, again and again, the fanbase won’t end. Parallel Structure: A sentence using the same pattern of two or more verbs or ideas that match in tense or structure to show that they are of equal importance and to help the reader comprehend what is being written - this sentence requires symmetry. EX: Tonight, I will buy the vinyl and play it on my record player. Balanced Sentence: A sentence where phrases or clauses at the beginning and the end parallel each other by virtue of their likeness of structure, meaning, or length - this sentence requires symmetry. EX: She doesn’t like standing in lines for concerts or jumping in mosh pits. Chiasmus: A sentence that includes a repetition of ideas (words, phrases, or clauses) in inverted (reversed) order - this sentence requires symmetry. EX: Beyonce’s fan base makes her what she is and she would be nothing without them. Asyndeton: A sentence that leaves out conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses for a rhetorical purpose. EX: In the music video, Tyler stalked, talked, and got arrested. Polysyndeton: A sentence that uses multiple conjunctions in close proximity to each other between words, phrases, or clauses for a rhetorical purpose. EX: Tyler likes using disturbing tactics in his music videos like stalking and talking and getting arrested.

Anaphora: A sentence that features the purposeful repetition of a word, words, or a phrase at the beginning of several successive clauses in order to place emphasis and draw attention. EX: For so many teenagers, they will go through many phases. Whether it is a music phase, a fashion phase, or a spiritual phase, it is a confusing time in their lives. Epistrophe: A sentence featuring several phrases or clauses ending with the same word or words. Lady Gaga represents the elites slogan in many of her music videos, which is see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil.

Sentence Errors Run-On/Rambling/Fused Sentence – a sentence construction error where two or more independent clauses are connected incorrectly without punctuation. EX: The fans did not want the concert to end they wanted to talk to Rocky afterward they wanted to see how he is.[WRONG] EX: The fans did not want the concert to end because they wanted to talk to Rocky afterward and they wanted to see how he is. [RIGHT] Comma Splice – a sentence construction error where two or more independent clauses are connected incorrectly using commas EX: The fans did not want the concert to end, because they wanted to talk to Rocky afterward, and they wanted to see how he is. [WRONG] EX: The fans did not want the concert to end. They wanted to talk to Rocky afterward, and see how he is. [RIGHT] Fragment – incomplete sentence pieces that are not connected to or do not form an independent clause EX: Because Marilyn Manson did not have a drummer. [WRONG] EX: Because Marilyn Manson did not have a drummer, he couldn’t release the album. [RIGHT] Misplaced/Dangling Modifiers – modifiers are words, phrases, or clauses that add a description; a misplaced modifier describes the wrong part of a sentence and a dangling modifier is missing the part it’s supposed to modify EX: Backstage, Gwen gave her producer a shirt that's ripped. [WRONG] EX: Backstage, Gwen gave a ripped shirt to her producer. [RIGHT]

Double Negative – combining two or more negative words in a sentence in a way that is supposed to produce a positive force EX: I don’t want nothing to do with Morrissey. [WRONG] EX: I don’t want anything to do with Morrissey. [RIGHT]

PARAGRAPHS Paragraphs – a group of sentences that together convey a shared purpose structured around the same topic.

Introductory Paragraphs (Introductions) Hook: (Lead) – can begin with the title Anecdotal: (Brief story to set the mood and lead the reader into the topic) Ex. Often throughout history, dishonesty is no surprise to getting what you want. Whether it be something as high as a presidential election, to getting the pants from that store that you oh so love so much, it is the route that a lot of people tend to make. Despite the warnings placed behind dishonesty by society, often people higher than us such as professors, we still choose to do it despite knowing the consequences. Query Based: (Question that brings the reader to the topic - avoid second person POV “you”) Ex. Is the nature of dishonesty contagious? Thesis Statements: (the purpose of a piece of writing – usually one sentence in length, but can be longer depending on the purpose – must be something that is arguable) Assertion: (claim - a subject + a “so what” about the subject) Ex. Cheating often spirals to worse habits and should not be done. Fact: (empirically verifiable but often difficult to argue extensively about better used as evidence to support a claim) Ex. Supervision ensures a lower risk of cheating. Opinion: (personal position on a topic) Ex. Dishonesty leads to bigger problems in the long run. Belief: (social, religious, or political in nature – an opinion held by many to be a fact, though it is not necessarily factual – often involves a judgment) Ex. Dishonesty is more likely to occur when the child is raised in a strict household Generalization: (uses absolute or statistical pronouns: all, always, every, never, none, most, half – avoid using this type of thesis statement unless citing the source of the data) Ex. Under circumstances where cheating is possible, people almost always cheat.

Document-Based: (cites a specific source, author, and position on a topic) Ex. In The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty, Dan Ariely argues that moral reminders and honors of pledges decrease dishonesty, but the normal levels of dishonesty return approximately two weeks after reading/signing them. Theory: (a statement that can be tested and potentially proven - often answers a research question) Ex. The more dishonesty, the greater ability to rationalize it increases. Clarification/Expansion of Thesis: (could extend the thesis, preview the evidence supporting the thesis, give the purpose of thesis, establish the importance or significance of examining the intricacies of the thesis – this could be several sentences long) Ex. Ariely expands on his claim that we become good at rationalizing our actions so that they are in line with our motives by comparing various elements of high-fashion companies, that people often purchase solely for the fact of the brand name, along with buying counterfeits in order to say that they have this brand. Ex. The author examines the actions that people will do in order to buy counterfeits for the fact of being socially accepted in order to show how we all do this at one point. Ex. This information about the connection between high fashion companies and dishonesty/cheating outcomes lead to changes in our behavior, our self-image, and the way we view others. Body Paragraphs (must have echoes of the thesis in each AND present evidence to support or expand on the thesis) Topic Sentences: (must specifically indicate the topic of the paragraph and focus on one subject and/or area of evidence or support – could start with a “Transition of Logic” that connects to the previous paragraph to give context) Ex. Additionally, multiple sources indicate that cheaters use cognitive tricks to rationalize their actions. (Now every sentence in this paragraph must be related to the connection between fast food and health) Presenting Evidence from Quotations: (quotes should NEVER be used as individual sentences – quotes should be embedded within sentences) ORIGINAL QUOTE – “We are all very good at rationalizing our actions so that they are in line with our selfish motives”(Ariely 208). Ex. Several researchers agree, “We are all very good at rationalizing our actions so that they are in line with our selfish motives” (Ariely 208). Ex. “We are all very good at rationalizing our actions so that they are in line with our selfish motives” according to several researchers (Ariely 208).

Ex. Unfortunately for students, “We are all very good at rationalizing our actions so that they are in line with our selfish motives”(Ariely 208). Ex. Unfortunately for students, “We are all [awfully] good at rationalizing our actions so that they are in line with our selfish motives”(Ariely 208). Ex. Unfortunately for students,“We are all very good at [r]ationalizing our actions so that they are in line with our selfish motives”(Ariely 208).

ESSAYS Essays – A form of expository writing in which the writer provides information about the term to their audience Types: Persuasive: The goal of the persuasive essay is to convince the reader to accept the writer’s point of view or recommendation. The writer must build a case using facts and logic, as well as examples, expert opinion, and sound reasoning. The writer should present all sides of the argument but must be able to communicate clearly and without equivocation why a certain position is correct. Expository: Is an informative piece of writing that presents a balanced analysis of a topic. In an expository essay, the writer explains or defines a topic, using facts, statistics, and examples. Expository writing encompasses a wide range of essay variations, such as the comparison and contrast essay, the cause and effect essay, and the “how-to” or process essay. Analytical/Critical: A presentation of some type of argument, or claim, about what you are analyzing. Analytical essays usually concentrate on how the piece was written – for example how certain themes present themselves in a story. Narrative: A narrative essay tells a story. In most cases, this is a story about a personal experience you had. Research: A research paper is an essay in which you explain what you have learned after exploring your topic in depth. In a research paper, you include information from sources such as books, articles, interviews, and Internet sites. You also use your own ideas, knowledge, and opinions. Timed: These essays require you to demonstrate disciplinary knowledge by producing a writing sample within a limited time period. Timed writing measures your raw writing ability and your skill at thinking under pressure. Synthesis: A written discussion incorporating support from several sources of differing views. This type of assignment requires that you examine a variety of sources and identify their relationship to your thesis. DBQ: Is an essay or series of short-answer questions that is constructed by students using one's own knowledge combined with support from several provided sources. Usually, it is employed on timed history tests. Personal Statement/Anecdote: Is an essay or other written statement written by an applicant, often a prospective student applying to some college, university, or graduate school.

Strategies/Planning Tips/Steps – How to plan and organize essays and how to analyze and break down prompts. Pre-writing/Prompt Analysis/Outlining: 1. Think carefully about what you are going to write. Ask yourself: What question am I going to answer in this paragraph or essay? How can I best answer this question? What is the most important part of my answer? How can I make an introductory sentence (or thesis statement) from the most important part of my answer? What facts or ideas can I use to support my introductory sentence? How can I make this paragraph or essay interesting? Do I need more facts on this topic? Where can I find more facts on this topic? 2. Open your notebook. Write out your answers to the above questions. You do not need to spend a lot of time doing this; just write enough to help you remember why and how you are going to write your paragraph or essay. 3. Collect facts related to your paragraph or essay topic. Look for and write down facts that will help you to answer your question. Timesaving hint: make sure the facts you are writing are related to the exact question you are going to answer in your paragraph or essay. 4. Write down your own ideas. Ask yourself: What else do I want to say about this topic? Why should people be interested in this topic? Why is this topic important? 5. Find the main idea of your paragraph or essay. Choose the most important point you are going to present. If you cannot decide which point is the most important, just choose one point and stick to it throughout your paragraph or essay. 6. Organize your facts and ideas in a way that develops your main idea. Once you have chosen the most important point of your paragraph or essay, you must find the best way to tell your reader about it. Look at the facts you have written. Look at your own ideas on the topic. Decide which facts and ideas will best support the main idea of your essay. Once you have chosen the facts and ideas you plan to use, ask yourself which order to put them in the essay. Write down your own note set that you can use to guide yourself as you write your essay. Researching/Evaluating of Sources: 1. Find background information on your subject: Use references from the list of the recommended literature to spot background information of your subject. Do some preliminary reading of general reference material, like an encyclopedia, dictionary, or another reference source. 2. Plan and search: Where can I find information on my essay topic? 25

3. Survey: Find the relevant sources of information. When you evaluate this or that book or article, pay attention to date of publication, contents, and index page; preface, first and last paragraphs. 4. Question: Before reading, ask yourself what you expect to find out from this book. 5. Read: Skimming the contents you get its general idea. Scanning allows you to find the material you need. Doing search reading you concentrate on the meaning of the specific terms. Perusing the text you should note down the information you are going to use in your essay. 6. Evaluate the information you have found: The quality of your essay depends on the sources you have used for it. That is why you should be able to differentiate between authoritative and trivial information. All the sources of information are divided into two large categories: online or printed materials. 7. Identify and include the most vivid and convincing facts and evidence into your writing: Do not fail to note down the source of every quote you are going to include in your essay when you are still exploring the information.

Work Cited Page MLA Format: MLA stands for Modern Language Association, and MLA format refers to the format the association created that is commonly used in many areas of academic writing, particularly in the humanities. Ex: ● Typed on 8.5 X 11-inch paper with 12 pt. font ● 1-inch margins on all sides ● First line of each paragraph indented one half-inch from the left margin (pro tip: use the tab key instead of the space bar to ensure perfect indentation) ● Body text of the paper should be double spaced ● Only one space after periods or other punctuation marks ● Number all of your pages in the upper right-hand corner - your page numbers should be a half-inch from the top of the paper and in line with your right margin APA Format: APA is the style of documentation of sources used by the American Psychological Association. This form of writing research papers is used mainly in the social sciences, like psychology, anthropology, sociology, as well as education and other fields.

Ex: Your essay should be typed and double-spaced on standard-sized paper (8.5" x 11"), with 1" margins on all sides. Include a page header at the top of every page. For a professional paper, this includes your paper title and the page number. For a student paper, this only includes the page number. To create a page header/running head, insert page numbers flush right. Then type "TITLE OF YOUR PAPER" in the header flush left using all capital letters. The running head is a shortened version of your paper's title and cannot exceed 50 characters including spacing and punctuation.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Some things about Tania: To start things off, she does not think her background information is interesting at all so she will skip those details and go straight to the music part. Tania is a 16-year-old girl that would much rather enjoy staying at home listening to her many playlists she curates weekly for herself or for her friends than to go out and socialize with people. To say that she grew up listening to music would be an understatement. She grew up in an environment where white noise was something far from the norm and instead grew up listening to a very mixed music taste. Her mother, listening to a mix of Cumbia and Spanish bands like Maná and La Sonora Dinamita, and her father, listening to classic 70s disco tunes such as Bees Gees all the way to Michael Jackson; and we can’t forget about her sister growing up during the early 2010s and going through the phase almost every teenager during that time went through, the scene/rawr xd kids. Yes, that means Avenged Sevenfold and old school Paramore. Along with the early 2010s hits like Lady Gaga, The Black Eyed Peas, and Katy Perry. You can imagine how her music taste has spiraled into now. While Tania recognizes that music is a beautiful form of art and a very good coping mechanism, she also recognizes that too much of anything can also be harmful. She does advise caution with a spiral of music, especially when listening to albums like Blonde by Frank Ocean or Depression Cherry by Beach House. With that, she would like to thank whoever made it this far with an immense amount of gratitude. Thank you for taking the time to read this and remember to always be open to new styles of well, anything.

The Musical Book of Writing

Articles inside

About the Author 2

Parts of Speech

Introduction

Essays 2