jquery(html to select).action(parameters …)
or
$(html to select).action(parameters …)
note that some actions e.g. next() result in a selection; others e.g. length() return a result.
Most will be written rooted in the $(document).ready( function() {…}), to ensure the DOM is fully created when the code executes.
This can be shortened to: $(function() {…})
It is sometimes useful to chain multiple actions on the same selection e.g.
$(html to select).action(parameters …).action(parameters …)
Note – they will occur sequentially and in order.