Hot Humanities How-Tos
How To: Cite a website with hard to find author or date info
Sometimes it can be difficult to find information essential to a citation on a webpage, like an author or a date. Here are some steps you can take to make up for this lack of information.
How To: Move from notes to rough drafts of research papers
In this video, we learn how to move from notes to a rough draft of a research paper. First, you need to place all your notes in order and create an outline for your paper. Find out what important information you need, and filter out all the information you don't. After this, you can begin to fill in your outline and add any additional information into your outline. After you have this completed, you can start to write your rough draft using the outline you just created. Keep your notes around...
How To: Use quotation marks in British English
How to use quotation marks in British EnglishIn this video we are about to see how to use quotation marks in British English. This is a very useful video because most of us confuse the usage of quotations and the meaning it renders. There are two forms of quotations single and double. A single quote contains only one inverted comma and the double contains two inverted commas. A double quote is used for direct speech or actual quotations. Whenever a person says something a comma is given and t...
How To: Get your official SAT score from College Board online
The SATs are a very valuable college entrance test and could determine if you're accepted or denied to your favorite university. So, once you've learned to ace the SATs and have already taken your test, get your scores as soon as they're out! Don't sit in dreaded anticipation— go to College Board and get your SAT test results now!
How To: End a letter
Not sure how to close an important letter? Convey a powerful meaning to readers by choosing the right sign-off. In this video, proper etiquette to close a letter is gone over.
How To: Decipher Hamlet, Macbeth & More with SparkNotes' No Fear Shakespeare Study Guide
Let's face it— most people don't understand Shakespeare's language. If they say they do, they're probably lying. The poetic words of the world's most famous playwright continue to plague school children and college lit. majors alike, but not anymore.
How To: Write poems with iambic pentameter meter
Iambic pentameter sounds, well, scary. The phrase is super long and most people don't know off the bat what it means. But it's really not as difficult as you think to understand this poetry term.
How To: Properly cite a website in MLA format
Plagiarism is a serious offense, even if you are copying from the web. With this tutorial, learn how to cite websites properly using MLA format and avoid any trouble.
How To: Recognize and analyze iambic pentameter
Meter, specifically iambic pentameter, can be used to analyze a poem. Iambic pentameter is used in poetry and drama and describes a particular rhythm that words establish in each line. Rhythm is created through the stressing and un-stressing of syllables. Small groups of syllables are called feet. A foot is a group of two or three syllables and will often contain a stressed and an unstressed syllable. Iambic describes the type of foot that is used. Pentameter indicates that a line of poetry h...
How To: Write a good argumentative essay: first argument
This video describes the art of writing argumentative essays. In other words it narrates how to improve arguments of an essay. It starts with an analysis of classic examples. The speaker begins by criticizing the style of paragraph and how to improve the suggestions. He explains how to omit errors and form your arguments in commanding manner. Finally, he says how to come a conclusion by adding solid evidence. At the end of course he will show you how to transfer a old matter into a classic ex...
How To: Write a good argumentative essay: logical structure
In this tutorial video, you will learn the basic structure for a good argumentative essay. The narrator in this tutorial, makes a very important distinction in the video; a good argument versus an average or mediocre argument. The narrator teaches you that a good argument will have, at minimum, a 5-part structure. The elements in the structure include an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Within the body, a good argumentative essay would contain a main argument, an objection, and a reply...
How To: Write an annotated bibliography
An annotated bibliography is very important when writing a scholastic paper or essay. In this tutorial, learn how to create an annotated bibliography, step by step.
How To: Use fermatas in music
A fermata (also known as a bird's eye)is an element of musical notation indicating that the note should be sustained for longer than its note value would indicate. This music theory how to video teaches an easy shortcut in order to understand and use 'fermatas' in music.
How To: Volunteer in Your Community
So you want to be more involved in your community. That's great! It does not have to be super complicated to start being involved. Here are a few easy ways to go about doing so:
How To: Choose a Speech or Writing Topic
Whether you're a student, a toastmaster, just writing, or making articles on WonderHowTo, you will have to come up with a topic. The topic should be able to guide you to some of the things you want people to know about. Here are some ways that you can can come up with a topic.
How To: Finish the CNA Skills Test within the Allotted Time
CNA skills may vary from state to state. Depending on your state of residence, the skills section of the CNA certification exam will consist of three to five randomly chosen skills.
How To: Write an informative professional biography with tips
Fiction books are often cited as being more entertaining than non-fiction books as you get to travel to exotic, sometimes alien worlds and the characters can sometimes be supernatural, with cool powers like flying or being able to heal instantly (vampires, anyone?).
How To: Write a bestselling fantasy novel with tips
November is national Novel Writing Month, which means if you've been dreaming about penning a bestselling science fiction or fantasy thriller since you turned 10, now is the time to put pen to paper.
How To: Build a strong body paragraph for a school essay
In this tutorial, we learn how to build a strong body paragraph for a school essay. This consists of several sentences unified by a common point. The topic sentence is first followed by the supporting sentences. The topic sentence should express what the attitude of the topic is and describe it. Limit the scope of the topic sentence, don't make it too broad. Development is essential to an effective paragraph. It should end with a concluding sentence that is linked to the thesis statement. The...
How To: Take a reading comprehension test
In this video, we learn how to take a reading comprehension test. First, you need to learn how to deal with the questions that are asked on the test. To help, you should learn how to read quickly instead of reading the entire paragraph. Read the questions first so you know what to look out for as you are reading the paragraph presented to you. This will save you a lot of time when you are taking the test and give you some time to go over the questions. When finished, you will get a great grad...
How To: Write a literature review for thesis writers
In this tutorial, we learn how to write a literature review for thesis writers. The three elements are: discuss the most relevant theory, introduce and define key terms, and discuss recent research in the field. You will need to include the most important literature, quote directly only if you discuss at some length, and use indirect quotes as well. Focus on notions you will use in your empirical study. It should be ten pages or less and sources of all quotes must appear in your works cited p...
How To: Study for college exams
In this video, we learn how to study for college exams. Start focusing and get ready for the new exam after you take the first one. Just make sure you wind down and relax after that test for a couple of days. This will let your brain rest and give you a well-deserved break from studying. Just make sure you get back on studying so you can do well on your next exam as well. This process will become easier if you practice it with each and every test you have to take. Just remember to study and i...
How To: Study effectively in college
In this video, we learn how to study effectively in college. First of all, make sure you don't have an distractions around you. Find a place where you can study quietly where nobody will bother you and where you won't break your concentration. Find a way to study that works for you, study something that you don't know and write it down to help you remember it better. Try studying alone or with another person, whichever works better for you. Make sure to get enough sleep and eat something befo...
How To: Write an article
In this video, we learn how to write an article. When writing an article, you need to use the proper formatting. This starts with the introduction to grab the reader's attention. Then the middle will elaborate on the introduction with 200 words maximum. The end will give the conclusion and summarize in around 50 words total. Don't give an opinion, just keep it un-biased and let the reader come up with their own opinion. Don't make some common mistakes which include: spending too much time res...
How To: Write a thesis statement
In this video, we learn how to write a thesis statement. What you really want to say about your topic is what the thesis statement is. It's nothing but your topic and what you want to say, so don't get scared by the term "thesis statement". Practice writing your paper using this saying instead of thinking of the thesis statement term. Usually in school you are given the topic you are going to write about it, so just state that topic and defend your position on it. It will be the same in real ...
How To: Avoid research paper plagiarism with quotations
In this tutorial, we learn how to avoid research paper plagiarism with quotations. Whenever you use a source, you can quote from it using the author's direct words, or you can paraphrase. Paraphrasing means putting something into your own phrases and sentences, because you will have to repeat certain key words. If you do this, you have to make sure you are not copying the quote exactly, and that it really is in your own words. You can't put something into your own words if you don't understan...
How To: Make notecards for your reasearch paper
In this video, we learn how to make note cards for your research paper. Note cards will help keep your data organized and easy to organize. Take a pen and write out the title of the card on the top, then write out the pages you got the information from next to that. From here, start to write down information on the card, covering one topic per card. Use any notes that will help you out and have the most amount of information on them. After this, use a highlighter to highlight the different wo...
How To: Write a thesis introduction
In this video, we learn how to write a thesis introduction. First, you will need a concrete story. Start your thesis with a story that shows your interests. The second part is to have an interesting question that you will answer in the thesis. The third part is to have an explanation. Tell the reader why the question is so important and explain it. The fourth part is chapter details. Introduce the aim and content of each chapter as you present it. The fifth part is to make your thesis one of ...
How To: Cite footnotes for an English paper
In this video from thedarkwanderer we learn how to footnote your references in a paper. For this you need a list of your references used. Place a superscript right after the last word that you want to acknowledge. Then place the note proper at the bottom of the same page. Put the footnote numeral slightly raised followed by the note proper. Make sure that the superscript number corresponds to the number of the footnote. Keep the footnotes flush with the paragraphs of your text. Footnotes comi...
How To: Write a good argumentative essay introduction
In this video, we learn how to write a good argumentative essay introduction. This is a persuasive essay that is just an argument. What makes this an essay is that it has an introductory section, main body, and concluding section. Many high schools and universities will require you to write an argumentative essay. You will first need to understand the process of writing the paper and then look at good and bad examples so you can get ideas of how the paper should look. Remember that you should...
How To: Write a short story in five steps
In this video, we learn how to write a short story in five steps. Your first step is to find a place where you can be completely alone for at least four hours. Make sure you have no distractions during this time as well. The second step is to write the story from the beginning to the end without stopping. In that four hours, you should be able to write at least 2,000 words, don't agonize over each words. Allow yourself to see the story unfolding in your mind and then write what you see in you...
How To: Add a footnote to a research paper
In this tutorial, we learn how to add a footnote to a research paper. To do this, you will need to have all the sources written down where you got the information for the topics that you're writing about. Make sure you give credit to all the places that you go the information, or else you stole it and it's plagiarized. You will need to write down the author's name, title of the source, publication company, city of publication, copy date, and page number. To add the footnote, you will simply w...
How To: Use the turning points device in your own writing projects
Turning points can be used to throw both your characters and your readers off guard, as suddenly there is something else going on and the energy of the story takes a different turn. By looking at classic turning points in novels, you can make use of turning points in your own stories.
How To: Write a good query letter to a literary agent
The query letter is often your first point of contact with a literary agent, and the first step to becoming a full published author. So you'll want your query letter to be as effective as possible. Here's what to do (and what not to do!) to write an effecitve query letter.
How To: Tighten up your writing by getting rid of passive voice
Veteran writer Holly Lisle gives good advice on how to become a better writer by eliminating passive voice from your prose. Go through your manuscript, and delete as many instances of the verb 'to be' as you possibly can to tighten up your writing.
How To: Write a compelling crime novel or thriller
While this video is aimed at the writer of a crime novel or thriller, you can use this advice to strengthen any fiction writing. Avoid stereotypical characters and create believable conflict between all the characters. And above all - make sure you have a good motive!
How To: Write a compelling and effective screenplay
Want to become the next Oscar winning screenwriter? Writing a movie script is sometimes harder than it can seem at first. This ten minute tutorial shows you all the basics you'll need to master to write the best movie script or screenplay you can.
How To: Improve Your Story by Letting a Character Take Over the Scenes
If you are writing a character who is in-depth enough, you will be able to let the character out of the box and improve your writing by taking over the scene completely. Master the exercise outlined in this video and get a better grasp on both your plot and character.
How To: Use a Timeline to Organize the Flow of Events in Your Novel
Every budding writer needs to be able to work out the order of events that make up the plot, and one of the best ways to do this is to design an timeline. Learn how to organize your events and tighten up your plot when you utilize a timeline.
How To: Write a Good First Draft to Help You Become a Better, Published Writer
You need to start strong in order to be able to finish stronger, which is what makes a first draft so important to a writer who wants to eventually be published. National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a great way to get your novel into first draft form!
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