"There are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks where decades happen." - Vladimir Ilyich Lenin Bianca Vasquez period: 4
D E C A D E
Table of Contents 03 - Introduction
04 - About the Author/ Dedication
06 - Punctuation and Capitalization
09 - Parts of Speech
16 - Phrases and Clauses
20 - Paragraphs
25 - Essays
Introduction I wrote this book in sections, each one talking about the next level of writing. I found that I did not necessarily know if my essays were up to par and wanted to dissect the issue. Beginning with the rules of punctuation, advancing to the different parts of speech, leaping to phrases and clauses, proceeding to sentences, compiling those into paragraphs, and finally reaching the intended goal of essays with all my newfound knowledge. Practicing and creating examples as I went.
To make this experience more enjoyable for the both of us, I chose a topic that will hopefully be of your interest. I did my book on decades, each section going over the fashion, politics, social environment, and trends of a different one. I chose this topic due to the fact that while skimming the previous books written by my predecessors, I found that nobody or at least I believe nobody has done it on this topic yet. I wanted to create something brand new and to make it an experience rather than creating a copy of what has already been done countless times. I also have a love for learning about archaic things and thought what better way to fulfill this desire than to learn about them as I write.
About The Author/ Dedication I possess many roles in life, one of the ones I hold dearest in my heart is that of being a student. I’ve been a student for about threefourths of my life and let me tell you I would not want it any other way. I thrive in the social construct that is school. For it has never really been too challenging for me, that's not to say that I’m perfect however because that statement is far from true. I am a flawed person, one of my flaws being I am extremely difficult to satisfy and I get bored of things really easily. A blessing and a curse signifying that I always, always, want more. I’d like to think that I change a lot and I'd even argue that I am not the same person that I was when I started writing this piece. This is because I feel as though every single thing we do, experience, hear, live, etcetera, impacts us and this impact manifests itself as a profound change in us. This book affected me by making me a better writer.
That being said, I am also a product of my environment. I’ve learned a lot from those around me, my mother, father, siblings, teachers, acquaintances, everyone. Although I don’t recall how exactly I learned how to write, I believe it must’ve been from one of them. I credit a lot of my knowledge to my mom and school and I am super grateful for the gift that is literacy. For this book would not have been possible without it.
I dedicate this book to my loving mother, and generous kindhearted English teacher Mr. Rodriguez.
1940s
Punctuation & Capitalization
PUNCTUATION 1. . A period ends a sentence or provides an abbreviation. Ex: The United States emerged as a world leader in the 1940s. 2. , A comma indicates what is before and after can switch places. Ex: The most popular form of music during the war was jazz, but western swing, country, blues, and rhythm blues were also popular. 3. – An em dash draws emphasis and can replace a comma, parenthesis, and colon. Ex: Prejudices about women's working capabilities were extremely prominent in the armed forces – home to 470,000 servicewomen during the war. 4. - An en dash is used to hyphenate to connect words. Ex: A-line skirts which came down to the knee were popular. 5. : A colon tells us whatever comes next is directly related to the previous statement. Ex: The beginning of the war marked the strict rationing of fabric which led to dresses going from calf-length to knee-length. 6. ; A semicolon informs us that whatever is in front is an independent clause and whatever is after is directly related. Ex: An hourglass figure was strongly desired; if a woman did not naturally have this clothing was designed to help her achieve that 7. ? A question mark ends an interrogative sentence. Ex: Why did WW2 have such an impact on women's fashion trends? 8. ! An exclamation point ends an exclamatory sentence. Ex: There was ongoing inequality between men and women! 9. ‘ An apostrophe indicates a possession, contraction, or quote mark (quote within a quote). Ex: The tops of all women's dresses were modest.
10. “ ” Quotation marks indicate that it is coming from somewhere else. Ex: Cotton became a widely used fabric because it was “light and airy. 11. … The ellipsis means something is unsaid or condensed. Ex: Pants/trousers were primarily considered menswear until... 12. [ ] Brackets indicate you inserted something that was not there. Ex: 1940s shoes [lacked] the detailing of ‘30s shoes, ‘40s shoes were mostly plain, sturdy, and chunky. 13. ( ) Parentheses tell us that whatever is inside is parenthetical, meaning something that might be important but is not necessary. Ex: Plus size fashion was not overlooked in the 1940s (as it had been in previous decades.) 14. / A backslash indicates a choice. Ex: Her/his blouse is a fun striped pattern. CAPITALIZATION Rules of capitalization: 1. Capitalize the first letter of every sentence. Ex: For the first time ever, swimsuits came in two pieces. 2. Capitalize proper nouns. Ex: Frank Sinatra was one of the best-selling male artists of the time. 3. Capitalize words in titles except for coordinate conjunctions, prepositions, and articles (a, an, and the.) Ex: The number one song in 1944 was “Swinging on a Star” by Bing Crosby.
1950s
Parts of Speech
Nouns Types of nouns: · Common Nouns: name a class of people, places, things, or ideas. Ex: colored tv systems, side burns, poodle skirts · Proper Nouns: give the name or title of a particular person, place, thing, or idea (must be capitalized). Ex: Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Paul Anka · Compound Nouns: consist of words used together to form a single noun. Ex: dining-table, breakfast, train-spotting · Concrete Nouns: refer to material things, to people, or to places. EX: television, soda fountain, play dough · Abstract Nouns: name ideas, qualities, concepts, emotions, or attitudes. EX: uniformity, conformity, traditional Functions (How nouns are used): · Subject (comes before the verb) Mrs. Becker reprimanded the students who had disobeyed. · Direct Object (comes after the verb and answers what or whom) Dalaylah asked her husband John to pass her the butter. · Indirect Object (answers to who or to whom) After WW2 traditional roles were reaffirmed amongst the people. PRONOUNS Pronouns take the place of nouns that have been established. Personal: Nominative (subjects) Objective (objects) I/we me/us you/you you/you He, she, it, one/they him, her, it, one/them
Possessive My, mine our, ours Your, yours your, yours His, her, hers, its, one’s their, theirs
Nominative who That those/ this
Relative: Objective whom that
Possessive whose of that
Interrogative: who, which, what, whatever, whoever Reflexive: (personal pronouns plus the suffix –self or –selves) Used only: when the action verb is directed toward the subject of the construction: Tim grades himself more harshly than his peers. She bought herself two new poodle skirts. to intensify a point: President Eisenhower himself delivered the speech. Even though WW2 forced new employment patterns for men and women, “I will embrace traditional roles” Nancy 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: There 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: subject takes the action The crusade against communism exposed how divided American society was. Passive: Roy Plunkett has brought the non-stick pan to Americans. Verbals: (VERB FORMS NOT USED AS VERBS) Gerund: word ending in “ing” used as a noun. · Cindy was preparing to go to the dance by putting on her makeup. Participle: word ending in “ing” or “ed” used as an adjective -- verb used to describe · There was an embracing of traditional roles yet again. · Mrs. Becker drove past the deserted school in the summer. Infinitive: verb preceded by the word “to” (to go, to jump) used as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs · Abby likes to hula hoop. ADJECTIVES Adjectives modify, describe, limit, and identify nouns and pronouns. · Kinds: Demonstrative, Common, Proper Demonstrative: They’re conformists. Common: White Proper: American
ADVERBS Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. · Endings traditionally · Conversions Routine routinely Consistent consistently Dramatic dramatically · Types: Manner, Frequency, Degree, Place, Time
→ → →
Example Types: (Create one example each related to your subject) Manner – Mrs. Becker pickled up the telephone eagerly. Time – Tim has to get to school quickly or else he’ll be late. Place – Nancy was at the diner after work. Degree – Beth's astonishingly beautiful poodle skirt was admired by all her peers. Frequency – Mr. Becker waits daily for his wife to cook dinner. 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 oneword 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,
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 oneword 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 Interjections are words that show emotion. They are not grammatically related to the rest of the sentence. A aha, ahem, ahh, ahoy, alas, arg, aw B bam, bingo, blah, boo, bravo, brrr C cheers, congratulations D dang, drat, darn, duh E eek, eh, encore, eureka F fiddlesticks G gadzooks, gee, gee whiz, golly, goodbye, goodness, good grief, gosh H ha-ha, hallelujah, hello, hey, hmm, holy buckets, holy cow, holy smokes, hot dog, huh, humph, hurray O oh, oh dear, oh my, oh well, oops, ouch, ow P phew, phooey, pooh, pow R rats S shh, shoo T thanks, there, tut-tut U uh-huh, uh-oh, ugh W wahoo, well, whoa, whoops, wow Y yeah, yes, yikes, yippee, yo, yuck
Transitions of Logic Chart
1960s
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. All the Americans sat staring eagerly at their televisions, for the first televised presidential debate was about to air. Verb Phrase: A group of words consisting of verbs working together and that function as a verb. Marilyn Monroe, 36, is found dead in her bedroom. Prepositional Phrase: A group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun, and functions as an adjective or an adverb. 400,000 people gather for 3 days of music at Woodstock, swarming across the pastures of Max Yasgur’s dairy farm. 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. Michael Fallen, an author, introduces the word “hippie” in his series of stories for the San Francisco Examiner. 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. Desiring to purchase the new on trend white boots made Cindy eager to go to the store after school. Participial Phrase word ending in -ing (present participle) or -ed (past participle) that functions as an adjective. The first email message was sent on October 29th from a host computer at UCLA to another expecting host computer at Stanford. Infinitive Phrase verb preceded by the word “to” (to read, to study, to write) that function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs. Many Americans knew going to the moon was a huge step for mankind.
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. Judy Garland is killed by an overdose at the age of 47. 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. He was glad that legislation outlawed discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Adjective Clause: Used to modify a noun in an independent clause. Some adjective clauses begin with an introductory word: Watts race riots were 6 days of rage and riots in Los Angeles where 34 were left dead and $200 million in damages. Some adjective clauses begin with relative pronouns: John F Kennedy was the candidate who got the most votes. 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 unfortunately put the protest bus sign where a few could see it. Modifying adjectives: The five month student strike at San Francisco University felt longer than it was. (how much) Modifying adverbs: Mary was more excited to go shopping than her sisters. (condition) Relative Clauses: Dependent clause that begins with a relative pronoun. The student who finishes their exam first will earn a mystery prize. Elliptical Clauses: Adverb clauses in which part of the clause is omitted. When driving, Mariana attempts to stay focused seeing as how it's her first time driving without her father. Essential Clauses: Clauses necessary to the meaning of the sentence.
John’s favorite part of Woodstock was the last morning because Jimi Hendrix performed a solo version of the national anthem on the guitar. Nonessential Clauses: Clauses that are NOT necessary to the meaning of the sentence.
The first issue of Rolling Stones magazine, a new magazine devoted to music and popular culture, featured John Lennon on the cover.
1980s
Paragraphs
Paragraphs – a group of sentences that together convey a shared purpose structured around the same topic. Introductory Paragraphs (Introductions) Hook (Lead / Opening Statement) – can begin with the title Anecdotal (Brief story to set the mood and lead the reader into the topic) Ex] A century marked by its consumerism and materialism, the 80s were a decade of bold style and permed hair, coining it as one of the most eclectic decades of fashion. Along with this idea of individual expression shining vicariously through puffed sleeves and electric colors there were also upheld ideals of political conservatism. For many people the symbol of the decade was the “yuppie”: a baby boomer with a college education, good paying job, and expensive taste. Many people brushed off yuppies as materialistic and self centered. Surveys indeed have shown that these people were in fact more concerned with making money and purchasing consumer goods compared to their parents and grandparents. This is not an indication that yuppies were in fact shallow and superficial, they were a part of a generation of young men and women who were burdened with anxiety and self doubt. Yes they were “successful” but they were unsure if they were happy. Query Based (Question that brings the reader to the topic - avoid second person POV “you”) Ex. What were the 80s known for? 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. The 80s were known for their political conservatism creating the “yuppie.” Fact (empirically verifiable but often difficult to argue extensively about - better used as evidence to support a claim)
Ex. Yuppies were more concerned with making money and buying consumer goods than past generations. Opinion (personal position on a topic) Ex. Yuppies were often misjudged. 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 judgement) Ex. Yuppies were a social construct spurring the development of ideals that would affect later generations. 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. Political conservatism always results in the creation of some kind of social construct. Document Based (cites a specific source, author, and position on a topic) Ex. InThe 1980s, History.com authors suggested yuppiedom wasn’t as shallow and superficial as it appeared. Theory (a statement that can be tested and potentially proven often answers a research question) Ex. Political conservatism has negative effects on later generations. 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. History.com writers expand on this claim by examining various elements, such as a survey of young urban professionals across the country that indeed showed that they were more concerned with making money and buying consumer goods than their parents and grandparents.
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 a yuppie was a material person. Presenting Evidence from Quotations (quotes should NEVER be used as individual sentences – quotes should be embedded within sentences) Ex. Several sources agree that yuppies were “stereotypical… [and] obsessed with material objects and financial success according to oxford languages. Examining the Evidence Paraphrasing (rewording of a quote into other words of the same length without quotation marks, but still citing the source - useful for examining the quote and transitioning to your analysis of the quote)
Ex. PARAPHRASE – Yuppies were focused on financial gains in order to purchase material things according to oxford languages. Summarizing (condensing larger quotes or sections - useful for closing the examination of the quote/evidence and transitioning to your analysis of the quote) Ex. SUMMARY – Yuppies were materialistic. Abstract Examples (hypothetical, “what if” examples that do not refer to a source – AVOID USING THEM AS EVIDENCE – but useful for examining the quote) Ex. We wouldn’t have such high expectations for success without 1980s political conservatism. Concrete Examples (actual examples that do refer to a source – useful for enhancing your analysis of the quote) According to wikipedia, “in Western culture, conservatives seek to preserve a range of institutions such as organized religion, parliamentary government, and property rights.” Closing Sentences (must end the discussion of the topic within the paragraph with a transitional or culminating word – possibly an adverb – and should echo the thesis of the essay)
Closing Sentences (must end the discussion of the topic within the paragraph with a transitional or culminating word – possibly an adverb – and should echo the thesis of the essay) Ex. Clearly, valid authorities of the subject show the upheld misconceptions of yuppies.
Closing Paragraphs (Conclusions – should not be mere summaries of the previous paragraphs of your essay) Consequences of Disregarding the Thesis (establishing the potential consequences of disregarding the implications of the thesis – CREATING A COUNTERARGUMENT – could be one or more sentences) Ex. If the 1980s political conservatism didn’t create the yuppie we would have different standards of success today. Statement(s) of Extension (extending the consequences of disregarding the implications of the thesis – could be one or more sentences) Ex. As such, the ideals of having expensive taste, a well paying job, and a college education were derived from the yuppie. Reestablishing the Significance of the Thesis (could be one or more sentences) Ex. Thus, as the prevalence of past actions such as the political conservatism of the 1980s is shown by the proving that it is ingrained in our society, by being instilled in our standards of success. Final Sentence (closing statement that connects to the hook and finishes the essay (finish your argument) – the “Smoky the Bear”/”Drop the mic”/dot dot dot moment…) Ex. Given the application of all the standards we derived from the 1980s political conservatism, maybe yuppies weren’t so happy after all…
1970s
Essays
Essays – A short academic composition. Types – Persuasive (Argumentative): Meant to convince the intended audience to do or not to do something. Expository (Informative): Includes many many details to make readers understand easily. Definition or Description: Essay that defines different ideas, things, and perceptions. Process (How-to): Outlines a process of making, breaking, or doing something that readers will understand fully and can do after reading it. Compare and Contrast: Either makes compares, contrasts, or both, between two things whether that be similar or different. Cause and Effect: Attempts to make readers understand the causes and effects of a specific thing. Analytical/Critical: Analyzes something from different angles. As well as evaluating them on the basis of merit and demerits. Evaluative: Offers value judgements based off of a set of criteria. Interpretive: Interprets a piece of literature. Narrative (Tells a story): Narration is similar to that of a short story, just in essay format. Personal Statement/Anecdote: Story you made up or one that actually happened. Research: Revolves around a research question which is meant to be answered through research and relevant literature. Timed: An essay written with a specific limited amount of time. Document Based Question (DBQ): Short answer scaffolding questions based on documents given. Synthesis: Written discussion incorporating support from several sources and views.
Strategies/Planning Tips/Steps – Pre-writing/Prompt Analysis/Outlining: 1. Ask yourself who's your reader and what's your purpose? 2. Generate some ideas 3. Brainstorm
Researching/Evaluating of Sources: 1. Check for reliability: Purpose? Intended audience? Authority and credibility? Accuracy and reliability? Timeliness? Objectivity and bias? Work Cited Page – MLA Format: Helps you break down citing paintings, books, other literature. Adkins, Alyce. “How Social Media Contributes to Body Dysmorphic Behavior.” The Lexington Line, The Lexington Line, 9 May 2018, https://www.thelexingtonline.com/blog/2018/5/7/how-social-mediacontributes-to-body-dysmorphicbehaviors#:~:text=When%20scrolling%20through%20our%20feeds,are%20fa r%20from%20our%20reality.&text=Constant%20exposure%20to%20alte red%20images,result%20in%20body%20dysmorphic%20behaviors.
APA Format: Designed for technical works typically found in social sciences. It makes it easier to cite journals and technical reports. Adkins, A. (2018, May 9). How social media contributes to body dysmorphic behavior. The Lexington Line. Retrieved December 16, 2021, from https://www.thelexingtonline.com/blog/2018/5/7/how-social-mediacontributes-to-body-dysmorphicbehaviors#:~:text=When%20scrolling%20through%20our%20feeds,are%20fa r%20from%20our%20reality.&text=Constant%20exposure%20to%20altered% 20images,result%20in%20body%20dysmorphic%20behaviors.
