The syntax elements that you struggled with are explained here: http://learnyouahaskell.com/functors-applicative-functors-and-monoids http://learnyouahaskell.co

The syntax elements that you struggled with are explained here: http://learnyouahaskell.com/functors-applicative-functors-and-monoids http://learnyouahaskell.com/functors-applicative-functors-an... They are so incredibly general that you can use them in a lot of places, so the investment to learn their meaning pays off quickly. Learn You A Haskell actually explains them _before_ explaining Monads.