Commentary Guide

QASMT Yr 10 Pre-IB English
Commentary on a Speech
A Guide to Preparing Your Draft

DRAFTING THE INTRODUCTION

Using the information from your planning doc, write the introduction.

DRAFTING THE BODY
Writing a commentary is just the same as writing an essay in many respects. Both commentaries and essays all have:
A Subject Statement which usually highlights one of the themes (Ideas) that is explored.
Arguments are the ways in which this Subject statement is explored eg through the use of specific stylistic features (eg emotive language, hyperbole etc) It may take more than one paragraph to explore each argument.
Your Evidence is usually the use of stylistic features that support the arguments.
Avoid cramming all of your information into one paragraph. If you do this, you may end up simply describing what happens rather than analysing the effect of your evidence on your argument.

You should begin with a topic sentence that outlines what your argument is about. Immediately after it, you should expand on it to reflect how it fits with the Subject. You then need to include evidence and analysis to back up your claims. We call this TIQA (Topic sentence; Introduce the quote; insert the Quote; Analyse the quote.)

For each technique you explore, you should map it out like this.

SENTENCE 1 Answer the focus question from the task sheet – controlling idea
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SENTENCE 2 Expand your topic sentence – think purpose and effect.
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SENTENCE 3 What evidence do you have that your topic sentence is correct?
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SENTENCE 4 Analysis - Exactly how does your evidence prove your argument? So what?
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SENTENCE 5 Link the argument to Subject OR to the next paragraph.
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By now, you should have written a solid paragraph! Keep going until you have looked at all of your points.

DRAFTING THE CONCLUSION

Again, refer to your planning document. In general, your conclusion should point out why this is a meaningful topic, how you have proved your Subject and remind your marker of exactly what you were looking at.

When you have written a full draft of your essay, you should prepare a special ‘undertaker’s draft’ in which you will ‘dig up the bones’ of your essay... in other words, you will ‘deconstruct’ the parts of your essay to check its structural integrity…

COLOUR
STRUCTURAL FEATURES
Hi light in green
Subject statement (this should be expressed in one or two (sometimes three sentences)... it is a statement of the main overall argument that you intend your essay to prove. It must be in your introduction.

Hi light in green
All sentences in the body paragraphs and the conclusion that explicitly (sometimes implicitly) synSubjecte your Subject statement.

Hi light in blue
The ‘road map’ in your introduction (the ‘roadmap’ is the brief outline of the 3 to 4 main points that your essay will develop in support of your Subject)

Hi light in blue
The topic sentence of each body paragraph. (This is the sentence that gives the main point of that paragraph.) Also... hi light the sentences or phrases in your conclusion that refer back to these main points.

‘Ink’ in purple pen
A line linking the sentence or phrase in your ‘road-map’ with the topic sentence that picks up on that point in the body of the essay. (There should be at least three of these purple linking lines.)

Hi light in pink
All sentences that are outlining, recounting, describing, explaining or interpreting the content of the text including plot, character, setting, events… (largely paraphrase)

Hi light in yellow
All sentences that are directly analysing, synSubjecting or evaluating technique (i.e. the use of and effects of literary features such as diction, tone, atmosphere, rhythm, structure, narrative point of view, style, etc.) and its role in meaning-making.

Hi light in red
Evidence in support of arguments: i.e. indirect and direct references and quotations.