The Overwatch Book of Writing by Bravo Grammar Con Online

The Overwatch Book Of Writing

The Overwatch Book Of Writing By Benjamin Aceves-Campos

Table of Contents Introduction About The Author Chapter 1: Punctuation And Capitalization Chapter 2: Parts Of Speech Chapter 3: Phrases And Clauses Chapter 4: Sentences Chapter 5: Paragraphs Chapter 6: Essays Dedication 3

Introduction Video games arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just for fun. People who play video games can understand that they are for much more. You can look at them as incredibly complex and beautiful pieces of art with a lot of work going into developing them. It takes a lot to be able to appreciate them truly and the same can be said for english and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intricate rules. English is beautiful. English is complex. But not everyone is capable of appreciating that. Open your eyes and realize the beauty that comes from pieces of writing. This book helps you to appreciate english while also mixing in the breath taking lore of Overwatch: Origins edition.

About The Author My name is Benjamin Aceves-Campos. Video games have always been a part of my life. From the age of 6, I’ve been playing all kinds of video games. I started my gaming career with super mario bros. On The NES. It was my mom’s from when she was a kid and used to play with her brothers and sisters. If it weren’t for my mother’s NES, I doubt i would have been able to get into video games as I didn’t buy another console until I was 10. When i was 10 years old, I begged and bargained for an xbox 360 because of my cousin. My cousin was also a major influence on the types of video games I would later play in life. I vividly remember my cousin spending hours on skyrim fighting dragons and mudcrabs. I remember him raging after getting hit by a sniper in Modern warfare 3. I thought all of the games he played were really fun so I bought an xbox 360 for my tenth birthday. The first game I had on my xbox 360 was Black ops 2. I had many friends on xbox but I later moved schools and nobody at my middle school played xbox. For the next 3 years i would play by myself on xbox and realized that games themselves can be fun but it’s the people you can bond with over the game that truly bring a smile to your face. I bought a PS4 when I turned 13 in order to play with the new friends I had made in middle school. The first game I had on Ps4 was Overwatch: origins edition and it was the game that I feel allowed me to form everlasting friendships with the people I’ll always call teammates

PUNCTUATION and CAPITALIZATION Punctuation 1. Period, End punctuation for imperative/Declarative Or Can be used to Abbreviate Ex: Winston’s favorite subject is Chemistry. 2. Comma, Anything before the comma and behind the comma can switched Ex: Soldier 76 had a pulse rifle, pulse pistol and helix rockets. 3. Em dash, Used to take the place of commas, parentheses, or colons Ex: Please call Talon’s general—Doomfist—tonight. Ex; Talon’s goal is simple—world domination. 4. En dash, Used to Span or range of numbers, Scores, Conflict or connection, and Compound adjectives Ex: Widowmaker will assassinate 10-20 high priority targets tonight. Ex: Lucio’s soccer game ended with a score of 14-23. Ex: Winston is a highly-respected scientist. 5. Colon Whatever comes after the colon has a direct relationship with the word or group of words prior to the colon Ex: Overwatch has one goal: to protect the world from Talon. 6. Semi-Colon, Used to separate independent clauses Ex: Peanut butter was Winston’s favorite snack back in 2016 when Overwatch was still active; In fact, it’s still his favorite snack 7. Question mark, Used to end a interrogative sentence Ex: Is that Reaper? 8. Exclamation mark, Used to end a exclamatory sentence Ex: That’s a Talon member! 6

9. Apostrophe, Used to make contractions and indicates possession Ex: Reaper can’t run as fast as Soldier 76. Ex: Mei’s robot was all over the place. 10. Quotation marks, Used to quote from somewhere or someone else Ex: “Tracer is as fast as lightning” Winston said. 11. Ellipses, Used for omission/removal and can also be used to end sentences Ex: I don't know Genji...I’m not sure if we should prank Hanzo. 12. Brackets, Used to Input/Insert Ex: She[Mercy] flew high into the sky. 13. Parentheses, Used for parenthetical information Ex: Soldier 76 gave Tracer a raise(25$ more per hour). 14. Forward slash, used to indicate options Ex: Sombra had noticed that someone had left his/her computer open in the gaming cafe.

Capitalization 1. Capitalize the First Word of a Sentence Ex: The Talon agent ran away very fast. 2. Capitalize Names and Other Proper Nouns Ex: Hanzo and Genji went fishing. 3. Don’t Capitalize After a Colon (Usually) Ex: Zenyatta has one goal in life: to bring peace between Humans and Omnics. 4. Capitalize the First Word of a Quote (Sometimes) Ex: Sombra cried out, “It’s a trap!” 5. Capitalize Days, Months, and Holidays, But Not Seasons Ex: Hammond hates Mondays Ex: Genji’s favorite season is summer 6. Capitalize Most Words in Titles Ex: The Omnic Crisis 7. Capitalize Cities, Countries, Nationalities, and Languages Ex: Genji and Hanzo are both Japanese. 8. Capitalize Time Periods and Events (Sometimes) Ex: The Omnic Crisis was a dark period of time.

PARTS OF SPEECH

NOUNS Types of nouns: · Common Nouns: name a class of people, places, things, or ideas. EX: payload, objective, spawn, agents. · Proper Nouns: give the name or title of a particular person, place, thing, or idea (must be capitalized). EX: Talon,Overwatch, Blackwatch · Compound Nouns: consist of words used together to form a single noun. EX: highground,lowground, control-point

· Concrete Nouns: refer to material things, to people, or to places. EX: pulse bomb, sleep dart, dragon blade. · Abstract Nouns: name ideas, qualities, concepts, emotions, or attitudes. EX: Chronal, Primal, Rage

Functions (How nouns are used): Subject (comes before the verb) Reaper teleported t o Soldier 76’s position.

Direct Object (comes after the verb and answers what or whom) Dr. Mina Liao created Echo to help overwatch during the Omnic Crisis

Indirect Object (answers to who or to whom)

Soldier 76 gave a pulse rifle to his teammate who ran out of ammo.

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 Your, yours His, her, hers, its, one’s Relative: Nominative who That

our, ours your, yours their, theirs

Objective whom that

Possessive whose of that

those/ this 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: Genji criticizes himself more often than he criticizes others. Mercy healed herself with medicine. to intensify a point: The monk himself spoke out against violence. Even though he was fighting alone, “I can finish the mission myself” the Soldier 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: The Agents were given their weapons by the machine. (Agents are the subject) Passive: The machine gave the weapons to the Agents. (Agents are the subject but treated as the object)

Verbals: (VERB FORMS NOT USED AS VERBS) Gerund: word ending in “ing” used as a noun. · Soldier 76 enjoys intensively training in the gym. Participle: word ending in “ing” or “ed” used as an adjective · There is no cure for the creeping coldness in the widowmaker's heart. · The dropship hastily landed near the evacuated city. Infinitive: verb preceded by the word “to” (to go, to jump) used as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs · Reaper likes to kill enemies efficiently.

ADJECTIVES Adjectives modify, describe, limit, and identify nouns and pronouns. · Kinds: Demonstrative, Common, Proper Demonstrative:This, That, These, Those Common: Coldy, Symmetric Proper: Omnic

ADVERBS Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. · Endings Ex: Personally · Conversions 10

Ex: Spontaneous=Spontaneously, S evere= Severely, Immediate=immediately · Types: Manner, Frequency, Degree, Place, Time Example Types: Manner – Soldier 76 loaded his magazine with bullets slowly. Time – Sombra will hack into the russian government’s secure network instantly. Place – WInston was begrudgingly over there f or a majority of the day. Degree – Hammond is unexpectedly good at bowling. Frequency – Sigma is inconsistently sane due to his illness.

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 Interjections are the final part of speech. A – Ahh, ahoy, aha, ahem, alas, arrggh, aw B – Blah, brrr, bingo, bravo, bam, bazinga, bleh, boo, boo-yah, bah hambug C – Cheers, congrats, catching, cripes, crud D – Damn, darn, darnit, dang, drat, duh, dear, E – Eureka, eek, eh, er, encore, eww F – Fie, fiddlesticks G – Gak, gee, gee whiz, geez, gadzooks, golly, good grief, goodness, goodness gracious, gosh, gesundheit H – Hey, hmm, hooray, huh, hello, ha, ha-ha, holy cow, hallelujah, holy smokes, humph, hurray, hot dog, huh? K – Ka-ching, O – oh, oh oh, oh dear, oh my, oh my God, oh well, ouch, ow, oww, oops, oy, ooh-la-la, P – Phooey, presto, please, pshaw, pow, phew, pooh R – Rats, S – shoo, shh, shoop-shoop, T – Tut-tut, thanks, U – Uh-huh, uh-oh, ugh, um, umm V – Viva, voila W – Whammo, wham, whew, whoa, wow, whoops, Y – Yay, yeah, yikes, yippee, yes, yuck, yum, yo, yahoo, yummy Z – Zap

Transitions of Logic Chart

Milder

Stronger

Addition

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. All the members really wanted a break from all of Talon’s schemes. Verb Phrase: A group of words consisting of verbs working together and that function as a verb. The Overwatch team members knew they would be fighting against talon this monday. Prepositional Phrase: A group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun, and functions as an adjective or an adverb. Bastion wasn’t warmly accepted among people of Eichenwald. 17

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. Tracer, a new hero, was exceptionally talented despite being so hyperactive. 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. Rolling towards the objective, Hammond saw the enemy team. ● Participial Phrase word ending in -ing (present participle) or -ed (past participle) that functions as an adjective. Reinhardt and his team tried to fix the destroyed city. ● Infinitive Phrase verb preceded by the word “to” (to read, to study, to write) that function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs. Reaper knew it was the moment to fight against Overwatch 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. Tracer and Genji fought against the brutal omnics. 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. ○ Where Soldier 76 was experimented on made him the leader he is today ○ Play music for whoever wants a song. ○ That the Talon agent was a spy was extremely obscure. ○ Reaper checked how much ammo he had. Adjective Clause: Used to modify a noun in an independent clause. Some adjective clauses begin with an introductory word: Introductory word/Relative pronouns: that , where, when, who, whom, whose, which, why ○ This is the Talon General who trains agents exceptionally well. ○ Soldier 76 saw a pulse rifle that he absolutely adored. ○ The Iris that he wanted is within him now.

Some adjective clauses begin with relative pronouns: ■ Mercy is the medic who saved the most patients. (Medic is the antecedent of who and is modified by the adjective clause.) ■ There goes the Talon General whose soldiers are the best around. (General is the antecedent of whose and is modified by the adjective clause.) ■ Winston readily teaches how a chronal accelerator was used to correct the amount of Chronons that tracer’s body contains. ■ Is this the pulse rifle that Soldier 76 so lovingly adores? (that is the direct object of adores) ■ Tracer is the scout whom talon fiercely attacked at the objective. (whom is the direct object of attacked.) ■ The payload that we push has sadly been lost. (that is the object of the preposition payload.) ■ Doomfist is a warrior who viciously smiles through pain. (who is the subject of smiles) 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: ■ The target was on the top floor of the tower where infiltration would be difficult.(place) ■ When the alarm went off, Sombra had to get out of there. (time) ■ Zenyatta calmly left the Monastery because he had to go train Genji. (purpose) ■ Roadhog ate as if it was his last meal ever. (condition) Modifying adjectives: ■ The Omnic war felt as if it lasted decades which is twice as long as it actually is. (how much) ■ Sigma is as amazingly intelligent as albert einstein. (to what extent) Modifying adverbs: ■ Mccree shoots more precisely than Ashe usually does. (condition) Relative Clauses: Dependent clause that begins with a relative pronoun. ○ The Agent who is the fastest will earn a shiny reflective medal. Elliptical Clauses: Adverb clauses in which part of the clause is omitted. ○ When flying, Pharah rains justice from above. Essential Clauses: Clauses necessary to the meaning of the sentence. ○ Reinhardt who left his hammer is coming back for it. Nonessential Clauses: Clauses that are NOT necessary to the meaning of the sentence.

○ Brigette, whose dad is an engineer, is a great support.

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 The evil Talon agents silently stalked the target. Predicate – what the subject does The evil Talon agents silently stalked the target.

Sentence Types Declarative – a sentence that makes a statement (ends with a period mark) Overwatch is no longer acting as a military organization. Imperative – a sentence that makes a command (ends with a period mark) Give me the pulse bomb. Interrogative – a sentence that asks a question (ends with a question mark) Why is Sombra taking so long? Exclamatory – a sentence that expresses great emotion, passion, excitement (ends with an exclamation mark) Give me some ammo!

Sentence Patterns Simple Sentence: A sentence that is just one independent clause. Soldier 76 runs faster than Reaper does.

Compound Sentence: A sentence with multiple independent clauses, but no dependent clauses - connected by FANBOYS (coordinating conjunctions) or a semicolon (;). Reaper is cool but Genji is cooler. Complex Sentence: A sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. Because his weapon was out of ammo, Soldier 76 reloaded it. Complex-Compound Sentence: A sentence with multiple independent clauses and at least one dependent clause. Whether he liked it or not, Soldier 86 would have to work with Reaper, but it was a one time deal. 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. Overwatch will save us, no matter where we are or who we are against. 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. No matter where we are or who we are against, Overwatch will save us. 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. Genji likes to train well, to sing well, and to dance well. 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. Reaper likes to spend his days yelling at new Talon members and talking to old Talon members. Chiasmus: A sentence that includes a repetition of ideas (words, phrases, or clauses) in inverted (reversed) order - this sentence requires symmetry. Mercy loves Genji; Her heart belongs to him. Asyndeton: A sentence that leaves out conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses for a rhetorical purpose. Talon Soldiers have to be strong, wicked, disciplined, desireful.

Polysyndeton: A sentence that uses multiple conjunctions in close proximity to each other between words, phrases, or clauses for a rhetorical purpose. Talon Soldiers have to be strong and wicked but disciplined and desireful as well.

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. “Through every battle, Humanity grows stronger; Through every battle, the strong rise up and get stronger; Through every battle, the weak dies to the stronger” Doomfist said. Epistrophe: A sentence featuring several phrases or clauses ending with the same word or words. Reaper needs to train, he loves to train, he enjoys when he can train.

Sentence Errors Run-On/Rambling/Fused Sentence – a sentence construction error where two or more independent clauses are connected incorrectly without punctuation. D.Va wanted to stop streaming on her twitch she really wanted to go get a snack her stomach was upset. [WRONG] D.Va wanted to stop streaming on her twitch BECAUSE she really wanted to go get a snack AND her stomach was upset. [RIGHT] Comma Splice – a sentence construction error where two or more independent clauses are connected incorrectly using commas D.Va wanted to stop streaming on her twitch,she really wanted to go get a snack,her stomach was growling . [WRONG] D.Va wanted to stop streaming on her twitch. She really wanted to go get a snack; Her stomach was growling. [RIGHT]

Fragment – incomplete sentence pieces that are not connected to or do not form an independent clause Because her stomach was growling. [WRONG] Because her stomach was growling, she had to go eat. [RIGHT]

Misplaced/Dangling Modifiers – modifiers are words, phrases, or clauses that add description; a misplaced modifier describes the wrong part of a sentence and a dangling modifier is missing the part it’s supposed to modify At the anniversary party, Grillmaster 76 gave a banana to a monkey that was covered in peanut butter. [WRONG] At the anniversary party, Grillmaster 76 gave a banana that was covered in peanut butter to a monkey [RIGHT] Double Negative – combining two or more negative words in a sentence in a way that is supposed to produce a positive force Sombra couldn’t find her keys nowhere. [WRONG] Sombra couldn’t find her keys anywhere. [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 intro the topic) Ex. In recent times, video games have become a mainstay hobby amongst adolescents. They have grown increasingly popular due to the development of more advanced gaming systems and computers. The quality of video games has been improved which has attracted larger player bases. The better the quality of a video game, the more people want to play it, and the more they want to play it means more time looking at a screen rather than doing something else. This also means more concerns from parents who just don’t know what to think about their child spending time in front of a screen. Overwatch, a multiplayer first-person shooter game, is a very high quality, complex and competitive video game that has attracted a large amount of followers. Parents become concerned about the time adolescents spend on this game but they should know the benefits Query Based (Question that brings the reader to the topic) Ex. Do video games really have a negative impact on people who play them?

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. Video Games provides the benefit of communication and cooperation skills. Fact (empirically verifiable but often difficult to argue extensively about better used as evidence to support a claim) Ex. Overwatch is a multi-player video game where you have to communicate and work together. Opinion (personal position on a topic) Ex. Overwatch is the best multiplayer game of all time. 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. Video games can help people learn. 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. Parents always assume that video games have no positive effects all of the time Document Based (cites a specific source, author, and position on a topic) Ex. In Cognitive Benefits of Playing Video Games, Peter gray Ph.D argues that videogames have improved basic mental abilities through repetition, correlation and experimentation with those who play video games. Theory (a statement that can be tested and potentially proven - often answers a research question) Ex. Video games can benefit adolescents' mental and physical ability. 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. Ph.D Gray builds on his claim by going over the research of various specialists like studies about perception and memory, things that can affect a person's everyday life, particularly among adolescents, as well as other studies with evidence about the benefits of playing video games. (preview of evidence) Ex. Ph.D gray examines the studies performed on people who play video games in order to change the stigma that videogames can’t have positive effects. (purpose of thesis)

Ex. The research and studies further the implication that video games can have beneficial effects on people and adolescents which might lead to people being more open minded about their children playing video games. (establishing the importance or significance of thesis)

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. In Addition, Several scientists specify that the playing of video games has a considerable effect on spatial recognition. (Now every sentence in this paragraph must be related to the connection between video games and spatial recognition) Presenting Evidence from Quotations (quotes should NEVER be used as individual sentences – quotes should be embedded within sentences) ORIGINAL QUOTE – “The typical finding is that those who play the video game improve on measures of basic perceptual and cognitive abilities while those in the control group do not.” (Gray paragraph 3). Ex. Scientists agree, “The typical finding is that those who play the video game improve on measures of basic perceptual and cognitive abilities while those in the control group do not” (Gray paragraph 3). Ex. “The typical finding is that those who play the video game improve on measures of basic perceptual and cognitive abilities while those in the control group do not” according to the research (Gray paragraph 3). Ex. Scientists have discovered, “The typical finding is that those who play the video game improve on measures of basic perceptual and cognitive abilities while those in the control group do not” according to the research (Gray paragraph 3). Ex. Scientists have discovered, “The typical finding is that those who play the video game improve on measures of basic perceptual and cognitive abilities while those in the control group do not [improve their perceptual and cognitive abilities] ” (Gray paragraph 3). Ex. Scientists have discovered, “The … finding is … video game[s] improve … perceptual and cognitive abilities...” (Gray paragraph 3). 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) ORIGINAL QUOTE – “The typical finding is that those who play the video game improve on measures of basic perceptual and cognitive abilities while those in the control group do not.” (Gray paragraph 3). Ex. PARAPHRASE – Those who play video games have better perceptual and cognitive abilities (Gray paragraph 3). Summarizing (condensing larger quotes or sections - useful for closing the examination of the quote/evidence and transitioning to your analysis of the quote) ORIGINAL QUOTE – “The typical finding is that those who play the video game improve on measures of basic perceptual and cognitive abilities while those in the control group do not.” (Gray paragraph 3). Ex. SUMMARY –Video games can be beneficial. 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. People might have bad perceptual and cognitive abilities if they don’t play video games Concrete Examples (actual examples that do refer to a source – useful for enhancing your analysis of the quote) Ex. A study in february 2014 by the American psychology association shows spatial recognition,memory and reasoning have been improved by playing video games. 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. Evidently, scientists who have researched the subject of video games agree about their often overlooked and critical beneficial effects.

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 use of video games was harmful for people’s health, there probably wouldn’t be an abundance of people whose spatial and cognitive abilities would be improved by them 27

Statement(s) of Extension (extending the consequences of disregarding the implications of the thesis – could be one or more sentences) Ex. Adding on, the discontent with video games stems from the misconception that video games have no positive effects on a player’s mind or body. Reestablishing the Significance of the Thesis (could be one or more sentences) Ex. Furthermore, many scientific researches and studies indicate, video game players aren’t just having fun when they play but are also developing their basic mental capabilities including perception and reasoning. Final Sentence (connects to the hook and finishes the essay – the “Smoky the Bear”/”Drop the mic”/dot dot dot moment…) Ex. So given all the benefits that come along with playing video games, maybe you should pick up a controller too…

ESSAYS Essays –A short piece of nonfiction writing on a particular subject/idea. Types – Persuasive (Argumentative) An essay that tries to persuade/convince the reader. Expository (Informative) An essay that exposes a topic and gives details about that topic Definition or Description An essay that describes a topic in an attempt to make their senses understand what is described. Process (How-to) An essay that details/describes a process of something Compare and Contrast An essay that compares and contrasts between two things Cause and Effect An essay that shows the cause and effect of the topic Analytical/Critical An essay that is about pieces of writing and assesses them Evaluative An essay that evaluates a subject/topic on a certain standard Interpretive An essay that is about pieces of writing and assesses them Narrative (Tells a story)

An essay that tells a story/narration Personal Anecdote A piece of writing that tells a story that happened to you specifically. It could be fiction or nonfiction Research An essay that aims to answer a research question through findings/research Timed An essay that you have a certain amount of time to complete. Document Based Question (DBQ) An essay that uses sources and a person’s prior knowledge and aims to answer a specific question related to the sources Synthesis An essay meant to combine/synthesize different ideas to judge them

Strategies/Planning Tips/Steps – Pre-writing/Prompt Analysis/Outlining There are several ways to strategize before you even start writing your essay! A strategy I use is to break down what the prompt is asking me word by word. For example, If the prompt was “What were the socio-economic and political impacts of the industrial revolution on the working class?”, I would break down the complex words. Socio-economic which means referring to social and economic. Political meaning related to politics and impacts meaning effects. So the question is asking “What were the social, economic, and political effects of the industrial revolution on the working class?”. This is a good method to use if you have trouble understanding what the prompt is asking. After I have broken down the prompt I like to create a list of things that I’m going to address in the essay. For example, using the same prompt, I’d mention that the industrial revolution caused a lot of new jobs to be made and a lot of old jobs to get replaced. The industrial revolution also affected what kind of energy people used. The amount of money being made and etc. So I would then try to address each one of those ideas. This also helps me outline the essay. Researching/Evaluating of Sources The way to research for reliable/credible sources is you should look to see if the author/writer is an expert in the field or if they have the qualifications to talk about the subject. Ideally, you should also look for primary sources but that will not always be possible. You should also look for a source that is objective and doesn’t have any hidden agendas or biases. Don’t use outdated sources! New discoveries and information are being found everyday so be sure to use a recent and reputable source.

Work Cited Page – MLA Format MLA format is a way of citing sources which is usually used for research papers, in-text citations and other types of essays that use sources. MLA format guidelines are : Times new roman font size 12 with double spacing.The reason to use MLA format is to present the sources clearly. Example of MLA citation: Bostrom, Nick. Superintelligence 1 September , 2014 Example of an MLA format paragraph: Overwatch is the best game ever. It requires so much skill and communication. The multi-player is truly an experience that rewards complex plays and has you use your mind to strategize quite often. APA Format APA Format is a way of citing sources that requires you to have a header that specifies the page number for each one. You can use a multitude of different fonts including but not limited to “11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, and 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode as well as serif fonts such as 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Georgia, 10-point Computer Modern” according to Purdue university. You can use APA format to type research papers, citations, etc. Example of APA citation: Nick Bostrom Super intelligence (1 September , 2014) Example of APA paragraph: Page 2 of Reasons why overwatch is the best game Overwatch analysis Due to it’s interactive gameplay that requires complex plays and strategic reasoning, overwatch is one of the best first person shooters. Another thing that sets overwatch above the rest is the implementation of a ranked system that is both fair and balanced.

A toast to those who finished the book!!

Dedication

In loving dedication to my grandfather. I will always respect your tenacity and ability to overcome all to the end. I love you abuelo.