Cover letter and samples
Hello. You’ll find my writing samples below. I wrote video scripts for Mometrix for six months before that contract came to an end. I’m a life-long journalist who, as full-time faculty at Wright State University, teaches writing, so the composition, rhetoric and writing area fits perfectly. But I also have an MBA and have done several math scripts as well. I learned how to write video scripts from my time on WHIO-TV in Dayton, Ohio. For three years, I read to next day’s newspaper headlines on the 11 p.m. newscast, so some of the best professionals in the industry taught me the nuances of script writing. I’ve included three scripts below and can share many more because I’ve written about history, cardiovascular, biology, and other categories. I hope to hear from you.
OF AUTHOR’S INTENT OF PURPOSE SCRIPT
Hello. Charles Dickens’ masterpiece, “A Tale of Two Cities,” contains one of the most famous opening lines in all of literature.
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”
But what was Dickens’ intent or purpose in writing not only that line but the novel?
Welcome to this Mometrix video about author intent or purpose. An author writes with a purpose, whether it’s to persuade, inform, or entertain. Let’s look at author intent and purpose.
Remembering the categories
Do you like PIE? I do. It doesn’t matter what kind of PIE you like as long as you remember the three letters that makeup PIE. Because that’s how you can remember the intent and purpose categories authors use most. The P stands for “persuade.” The “I” stands for “inform,” and the “E” stands for “Entertain.” See? It’s easy as PIE.
Now let’s take a closer look at the technique writers use to persuade, inform, and entertain.
Determining the differences
Now it may seem really easy to determine whether the author means to persuade, inform, or entertain. But in some cases, it isn’t.
First, let’s remember that writing encompasses a number of different fields. There are book authors, as we’ve noted. There are reporters who write for daily newspapers. Advertising and marketing representatives write on behalf of clients. In all cases, they’re writing with an intent in mind.
Let’s start with persuasion. Persuasion, nowadays, takes a number of different forms. Advertising and marketing want to persuade the audience that their product is best. Digital media platforms, in some cases, have a specific point of view and want to persuade their audience that they’re right. And book authors work in the art of persuasion. Any number of diet books on the market seek to persuade you that their plan will work for you. One of the most popular books of all time relies on persuasion. Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People” tries to persuade you that you too can become more popular.
Then there’s “inform.” News reporters have been informing the public for centuries on the important news of the day. But novelists also inform. They inform by recounting important historical events, or analyzing data, and present evidence to up the claims.
Let’s take a look at a few books that aim to inform. “The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less” explains, in an informative way, how the endless choices we have contribute to anxiety and depression. Any cookbook, like “The Joy of Cooking,” informs us how to use ingredients to make certain foods. And “Flags of Our Fathers” informs us about the story behind the most famous war photo in American history --- the six men who raised the American Flag at Iwo Jima.
Lastly, we use writing to entertain. Entertain can have a number of different meanings. Look at it this way. If the writing has elicited an emotional response, you’ve probably been entertained. The famous newspaper columnist Dave Barry and the editorial cartoonist Mike Peters each entertain with dry wit. The humorist Will Rogers entertained with his wry observations that included, “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” The classic, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” even entertains because it explores the injustices that happened during a time in American history.
Persuade. Inform. Entertain. Remember, it’s as easy as eating PIE.
So that’s our look at personification, the figurative literary tool that brings writing to life. I hope this overview was helpful. If you enjoyed it, please give us a thumbs up and subscribe to our channel to view future videos.
See you guys next time!
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”
But what was Dickens’ intent or purpose in writing not only that line but the novel?
Welcome to this Mometrix video about author intent or purpose. An author writes with a purpose, whether it’s to persuade, inform, or entertain. Let’s look at author intent and purpose.
Remembering the categories
Do you like PIE? I do. It doesn’t matter what kind of PIE you like as long as you remember the three letters that makeup PIE. Because that’s how you can remember the intent and purpose categories authors use most. The P stands for “persuade.” The “I” stands for “inform,” and the “E” stands for “Entertain.” See? It’s easy as PIE.
Now let’s take a closer look at the technique writers use to persuade, inform, and entertain.
Determining the differences
Now it may seem really easy to determine whether the author means to persuade, inform, or entertain. But in some cases, it isn’t.
First, let’s remember that writing encompasses a number of different fields. There are book authors, as we’ve noted. There are reporters who write for daily newspapers. Advertising and marketing representatives write on behalf of clients. In all cases, they’re writing with an intent in mind.
Let’s start with persuasion. Persuasion, nowadays, takes a number of different forms. Advertising and marketing want to persuade the audience that their product is best. Digital media platforms, in some cases, have a specific point of view and want to persuade their audience that they’re right. And book authors work in the art of persuasion. Any number of diet books on the market seek to persuade you that their plan will work for you. One of the most popular books of all time relies on persuasion. Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People” tries to persuade you that you too can become more popular.
Then there’s “inform.” News reporters have been informing the public for centuries on the important news of the day. But novelists also inform. They inform by recounting important historical events, or analyzing data, and present evidence to up the claims.
Let’s take a look at a few books that aim to inform. “The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less” explains, in an informative way, how the endless choices we have contribute to anxiety and depression. Any cookbook, like “The Joy of Cooking,” informs us how to use ingredients to make certain foods. And “Flags of Our Fathers” informs us about the story behind the most famous war photo in American history --- the six men who raised the American Flag at Iwo Jima.
Lastly, we use writing to entertain. Entertain can have a number of different meanings. Look at it this way. If the writing has elicited an emotional response, you’ve probably been entertained. The famous newspaper columnist Dave Barry and the editorial cartoonist Mike Peters each entertain with dry wit. The humorist Will Rogers entertained with his wry observations that included, “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” The classic, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” even entertains because it explores the injustices that happened during a time in American history.
Persuade. Inform. Entertain. Remember, it’s as easy as eating PIE.
So that’s our look at personification, the figurative literary tool that brings writing to life. I hope this overview was helpful. If you enjoyed it, please give us a thumbs up and subscribe to our channel to view future videos.
See you guys next time!
MULTIPLYING DECIMALSHello. Welcome to the Mometrix video on multiplying decimals. Multiplying decimals can sure seem like a daunting math challenge, but we’ll show you the techniques you need to know. Now if you haven’t seen our videos on percentages, and how to convert percentages to decimals, you might want to take a look at those two lessons because they provide excellent background on concepts that tie into multiplying decimals. First, we’re going to answer two questions. What is a decimal, and what is the place value of a number?
First, let’s answer, what is a decimal? What is a decimal? A decimal goes between the one and the tenth of a number. Let’s take a look. Fifty-four point six. The five has 5 tens, the four has four ones, and the 6 = sixth-tenths or or even . In order to understand decimals, you have to understand place value. What is place value? Every number has a value based on its place relative to the other numbers. Let’s look at the number 1,762 (one-thousand, seven hundred, sixty-two). Based on place value, the number to the far left has the largest value. In this case, the first number is in the “thousand” place. One times 1,000 equals 1,000. The second number, which is in ‘hundreds place,” equates to 700. You get that because 7 multiplied by 100 equals 700. The third number, six, is in the “10” place. Six times 10 equals 60. Lastly, the 2 is in the’ one’ place, so 2 times 1 equals 2. So you have: Thousand place: 1 x 1,000 = 1,000 Hundred place: 7 x 100 = 700 Tens place: 6 x 10 = 66 Ones place. 2 x 1 = 2 TOTAL: 1,762 Now, any number behind the last number, in this case, the two (2) takes the “tenth” place. Let’s look at 1,762.8. The .8 (point eight) behind the number two (2) equals eight-tenths of one percent. Now that you understand numbers and their place value, let’s take a look at how to multiply decimals. How to multiply decimals You multiply decimals as you would whole numbers. The trick is understanding how and when to move the decimal point, so you get the right answer. We’ll use this equation to show you how it’s done: 45.18 x 0.5 Remember place value. That means 45 and 18 hundredths multiplied by 0.5, or five-tenths. So let’s figure this out: In solving the problem, pretend the decimal point isn’t there. That would give you this equation: 4518 x 5. You don’t need the zero since it doesn’t add anything to the equation. So, solve the problem. 4518 x 5 = 22590. But you’re not done. We have to figure out where to place the decimal. Here’s how you do that. Go back to the original equation and count the numbers behind the decimal points. When we say “count the numbers,” we don’t mean “add them up.” Let’s look at this again: 45.18 x 0.5 How many numbers are behind the decimals? There are three, and we’ve highlighted those numbers in BOLD so you can see them 45.18 x 0.5 You’re almost done. Now that we know there are three places behind the decimals, we go back to our answer and place the decimal three places from the last number. Our first answer was 22590. This shows the decimal goes after the 22. Therefore, the answer is: 22.59 You drop the zero because it doesn’t add anything. So you have the answer. Now, it’s time to check it using a method from our previous video on converting percentages to decimals and fractions. We’re going to convert the decimal into a fraction and then simplify the fraction. Remember, find the highest number that divides the top and bottom number equally and that’s how you simplify a fraction. So: 0.5 converts to five-tenths, displayed as . To simplify, you take the highest numbers, five (5) and divide into the numerator and denominator. That gives up one-half or . Now, you know you should multiply 45.18 by one-half. Half of 45 is 22.5, and half of 18 is nine (9). Hence, the answer is correct. 22.59. So that’s our look at multiplying decimals. As you can see, the concept seems much harder than it is. If you understand place value and how to move the decimal in the right place, you’ll do just fine. If you enjoyed it, please give us a thumbs up and subscribe to our channel to view future videos. See you guys next time! |
WHAT IS RHYME?“Oh! What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.”
We know the famous line from Walter Scott’s poem, “Marmion.” We also understand the words make a rhyme. But what type of rhyme is it? That’s what we’ll explain during this Mometrix video about rhyme. There are different types of rhyme and how rhyme appears in literature and song. We’ll provide an overview of some of the most standard forms of rhyme and show you examples. So let’s start here. What is rhyme? What is rhyme? Simply put, rhyme occurs when two words sound alike. Moon and Toon. Hat and bat. Bowl and mole. All of those are examples of words that have an ending or a sound that corresponds with each other. Rhyme plays a critical role in poetry. Why? Let’s explore. Why is it important in poetry? Rhyme gives poetry rhythm, patterns that make the words and their meaning easy to remember. Children’s poems are a perfect example of how rhyme works by repeating patterns to facilitate learning. Here’s an example: Twinkle, twinkle, little star. How I wonder what you are. What kind of rhyme is this? It’s an “end rhyme,” and this leads us into our discussions of the different types of rhyme. What are the different types of rhymes? There are a number of different types of rhymes. The end rhyme may be the most common. It occurs when words rhyme at the end of two or more successive lines. Like this: Star light, star bright, First star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, Have this wish I wish tonight. That’s easy enough to understand. Lots of popular songs use this method, like “To make you feel my love” by Bob Dylan. When the rain is blowing in your face. And the whole world is on your case. I will offer you a warm embrace. To make you feel my love. Internal rhymes are more complicated. Internal rhymes can rhyme in the same line, a separate line, or in the middle and end of a line. Let’s take a look at each example. Here’s an example of internal rhyme on the same line. Once upon a midnight dreary, while I ponder, weak and weary, While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping Here’s an example of internal rhyme on a separate line, used in the Beatle’s song, “Hey Jude.” Hey Jude, don’t make it bad Take a sad song and make it better Let’s look at internal rhyme in the middle and end of a line. The snowflakes are dancing, floating, and falling. The church bells are calling, but I will not go. So that’s internal rhyme, when the words can rhyme in various parts of a sentence. Here’s one that’s even more complicated — the eye rhyme. Eye rhymes don’t rhyme in the traditional sense because the words don’t sound the same. But, the words “look” the same. This line from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” is frequently cited as an example of an eye rhyme due to the visual connection of “flies” and “enemies.” "The great man down, you mark his favorite flies, The poor advanced makes friends of enemies.” Rhymes can also be masculine or feminine. What’s the difference? Masculine rhymes To understand masculine rhymes, you have to understand the emphasis on words, called stress. Think of it this way. When you put emphasis on a syllable, that part of the word become stressed. In “become,” the second syllable, COME, is stressed. Same thing for “overdue.” The second syllable, “DUE,” is stressed. Say it out loud and you’ll see how it works. So a masculine rhyme is one in which the rhyme is on the final syllable of a word, and the word is stressed. Note that single-syllable words, like dance and arm, are often stressed. Emily Dickinson used this technique in her poem, “After great pain, a formal feeling comes.” “This is the Hour of Lead – Remembered, if outlived, As Freezing persons, recollect the Snow First – Chill – then Stupor – then the letting go” Rhymes can also be feminine, which are two-syllable rhymes in which the last syllable is not stressed. Sir Phillip Sydney used the feminine technique when he wrote “Desire.” Within myself to seek my only hire, Desiring naught but how to kill desire. That’s a little about masculine and feminine rhymes. Let’s finish with rhyme patterns. Rhyme patterns There are 15 different rhyme patterns. Rhyme patterns, or schemes, govern a poem’s meter, phrasing, and rhythm. It gives a poem its pace and lyrical quality akin to music. We won’t go over all of the rhyme patterns in this video, but we’ll focus on some of the more popular patterns. In ABAB patterns, the first and third lines and second and fourth lines rhyme. Here’s an example from Robert Frost and his poem, “Neither our far nor in deep.” 'The people along the sand All turn and look one way. They turn their back on the land. They look at the sea all day. You can see the first and third lines, “sand and land,” and the second and fourth lines, “way and day,” rhyme. In AABB patterns, called “rhyming couplets” the first two ‘A’ lines rhyme, and then the second two ‘B’ lines follow suit. Shakespeare’s “Songs of witches,” from Macbeth, uses this method. Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and caldron bubble. Fillet of a fenny snake, In the caldron boil and bake; As you can see, the first- and second-line rhyme, as do the third and fourth. Let’s take a look at one more. The AAAA poem structure, called a monorhyme, results in the last word of every line containing a similar rhyme. A single passage, one stanza, or an entire poem can be written in the monorhyme form. Let’s take a look at Dick Davis’ “A monorhyme for the shower.” Lifting her arms to soap her hair Her pretty breasts respond – and there The movement of that buoyant pair Is like a spell to make me swear Those are just a few of the rhyming patterns that authors use to create these wonderful works. So that’s our look at rhyme, a complicated subject that gives life to many different types of written art, but especially poetry. I hope this overview was helpful. If you enjoyed it, please give us a thumbs up and subscribe to our channel to view future videos. See you guys next time! |
