Paragraph Template
When you are analysing, follow this template for each paragraph. This will hopefully help with your organisational mark and also analysis.
P - point [one sentence]
E - evidence (quote) [one sentence]
A - analysis [3-4 sentences]
Chahla, I have taken your comments and formed them into a paragraph -
P - The author uses repetition within the passage.
E - He uses the quote: 'hammer'
A - This repetition illustrates the horrific situation Joe finds himself in. Of course, a hammer rarely ever strikes just once in exactly the same manner as Joe finds himself exposed to several life threatening incidents. Likewise, the constant repetition of 'hammer' can also be intertextuality emphasising the legend of Thor: the hammer-welding God. In this case, Joe would be perceived as a God - one who set out to overpower the strength of nature and yet who is failing. Whereas Joe sets out to be superior to nature, this passage is an example of man being taught a lesson and put firmly back in his place. However, another interpretation could be that the 'hammer' acts as a metaphor for Joe's courageous attributes as he keeps 'hammering' away at survival even though the outcome seems bleak.
Subsequently, the paragraph for the quote 'hammer' would be:
The author uses repetition within the passage. He uses the quote: 'hammer'. This repetition illustrates the horrific situation Joe finds himself in. Of course, a hammer rarely ever strikes just once in exactly the same manner as Joe finds himself exposed to several life threatening incidents. Likewise, the constant repetition of 'hammer' can also be intertextuality emphasising the legend of Thor: the hammer-welding God. In this case, Joe would be perceived as a God - one who set out to overpower the strength of nature and yet who is failing. Whereas Joe sets out to be superior to nature, this passage is an example of man being taught a lesson and put firmly back in his place. However, another interpretation could be that the 'hammer' acts as a metaphor for Joe's courageous attributes as he keeps 'hammering' away at survival even though the outcome seems bleak. The 'hammer' is a metaphor for human survival.
Each paragraph needs to be roughly the same size or else it shows you do not have control over your essay. You should never have one paragraph dramatically larger tha
P - point [one sentence]
E - evidence (quote) [one sentence]
A - analysis [3-4 sentences]
Chahla, I have taken your comments and formed them into a paragraph -
P - The author uses repetition within the passage.
E - He uses the quote: 'hammer'
A - This repetition illustrates the horrific situation Joe finds himself in. Of course, a hammer rarely ever strikes just once in exactly the same manner as Joe finds himself exposed to several life threatening incidents. Likewise, the constant repetition of 'hammer' can also be intertextuality emphasising the legend of Thor: the hammer-welding God. In this case, Joe would be perceived as a God - one who set out to overpower the strength of nature and yet who is failing. Whereas Joe sets out to be superior to nature, this passage is an example of man being taught a lesson and put firmly back in his place. However, another interpretation could be that the 'hammer' acts as a metaphor for Joe's courageous attributes as he keeps 'hammering' away at survival even though the outcome seems bleak.
Subsequently, the paragraph for the quote 'hammer' would be:
The author uses repetition within the passage. He uses the quote: 'hammer'. This repetition illustrates the horrific situation Joe finds himself in. Of course, a hammer rarely ever strikes just once in exactly the same manner as Joe finds himself exposed to several life threatening incidents. Likewise, the constant repetition of 'hammer' can also be intertextuality emphasising the legend of Thor: the hammer-welding God. In this case, Joe would be perceived as a God - one who set out to overpower the strength of nature and yet who is failing. Whereas Joe sets out to be superior to nature, this passage is an example of man being taught a lesson and put firmly back in his place. However, another interpretation could be that the 'hammer' acts as a metaphor for Joe's courageous attributes as he keeps 'hammering' away at survival even though the outcome seems bleak. The 'hammer' is a metaphor for human survival.
Each paragraph needs to be roughly the same size or else it shows you do not have control over your essay. You should never have one paragraph dramatically larger tha
Websites
Examples of commentaries about a passage of writing:
http://l6eas2008.blogspot.com/2008/10/blk-1-review-of-model-commentaries.html
http://www.coursework.info/AS_and_A_Level/English_Language/Language__Context__Genre___Frameworks/Analysis_of_short_story_L814197.html
http://www.coursework.info/AS_and_A_Level/English_Language/Language__Context__Genre___Frameworks/Commentary_on_Passage_from_Shirley_Ann_G_L74648.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Literary-Commentary
http://missknowles.wordpress.com/2009/10/06/p-a-l-l-analysis-of-non-fiction-and-media-texts/
http://www.kubbu.com/?s=pall
If you had to write a commentary comparing the passage given and the piece you were also asked to write:
http://www.coursework.info/AS_and_A_Level/English_Language/Language__Context__Genre___Frameworks/English_language_commentry_John_and_Edwa_L893022.html
http://www.coursework.info/AS_and_A_Level/English_Language/Language__Context__Genre___Frameworks/Short_Story_Commentary_L818852.html
http://www.coursework.info/AS_and_A_Level/English_Language/Language__Context__Genre___Frameworks/Travel_writing___I_wrote_a_travelogue_ab_L929363.html
http://www.coursework.info/AS_and_A_Level/English_Language/Language__Context__Genre___Frameworks/Creative_writing_and_commentary___It_was_L934291.html
http://www.pearsoned.co.uk/bookshop/minds/rexpress/questions/english/12-language-answers.pdf
http://www.coursework.info/AS_and_A_Level/English_Language/Composition/English_-_Commentary_L833829.html
http://l6eas2008.blogspot.com/2008/10/blk-1-review-of-model-commentaries.html
http://www.coursework.info/AS_and_A_Level/English_Language/Language__Context__Genre___Frameworks/Analysis_of_short_story_L814197.html
http://www.coursework.info/AS_and_A_Level/English_Language/Language__Context__Genre___Frameworks/Commentary_on_Passage_from_Shirley_Ann_G_L74648.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Literary-Commentary
http://missknowles.wordpress.com/2009/10/06/p-a-l-l-analysis-of-non-fiction-and-media-texts/
http://www.kubbu.com/?s=pall
If you had to write a commentary comparing the passage given and the piece you were also asked to write:
http://www.coursework.info/AS_and_A_Level/English_Language/Language__Context__Genre___Frameworks/English_language_commentry_John_and_Edwa_L893022.html
http://www.coursework.info/AS_and_A_Level/English_Language/Language__Context__Genre___Frameworks/Short_Story_Commentary_L818852.html
http://www.coursework.info/AS_and_A_Level/English_Language/Language__Context__Genre___Frameworks/Travel_writing___I_wrote_a_travelogue_ab_L929363.html
http://www.coursework.info/AS_and_A_Level/English_Language/Language__Context__Genre___Frameworks/Creative_writing_and_commentary___It_was_L934291.html
http://www.pearsoned.co.uk/bookshop/minds/rexpress/questions/english/12-language-answers.pdf
http://www.coursework.info/AS_and_A_Level/English_Language/Composition/English_-_Commentary_L833829.html
Questions
Read through the passage of writing and then answer the following questions:
1) What is the genre of the piece?
2) What is the purpose of the writing?
3) Who is the intended audience?
4) What is the style and tone of the writing?
The answers will form the first paragraph of your commentary.
Example introduction paragraph:
This piece of writing fits firmly into the genre of _______________. It seems apparent that name of author's purpose in writing title of text was to ____________________. Subsequently, after taking this into account in addition to the lexis, semantics, structure and literary devices of the passage, the audience is likely to be _______________________________________. The tone and style is, therefore, __________________________________.
[please note, the blank spaces are not of a specific size but merely to show where you need to insert details - each blank may consist of a word or a couple of sentences]
1) What is the genre of the piece?
2) What is the purpose of the writing?
3) Who is the intended audience?
4) What is the style and tone of the writing?
The answers will form the first paragraph of your commentary.
Example introduction paragraph:
This piece of writing fits firmly into the genre of _______________. It seems apparent that name of author's purpose in writing title of text was to ____________________. Subsequently, after taking this into account in addition to the lexis, semantics, structure and literary devices of the passage, the audience is likely to be _______________________________________. The tone and style is, therefore, __________________________________.
[please note, the blank spaces are not of a specific size but merely to show where you need to insert details - each blank may consist of a word or a couple of sentences]
Commentary Writing
There are two words you need to remember when you write your commentary: spags and speole.
S - style and tone
P - purpose
A - audience
G - genre
S - structure
speole: specific words / whole passage - you need to show you can refer to specific individual words and show how they reflect the meaning on the whole passage.
S - style and tone
This is the confusing one: in the mark scheme it is down as 'style' but in the Cambridge textbook, they describe it as 'tone'. I would use the word 'style and tone' because it effectively ticks the device against the rubric and yet you can be confident what you are talking about it correct.
The writing style is the writer's individual voice and personality coming through into the writing. Style and tone work alongside purpose and audience. Treat style and tone like a characteristic: Is the writing: critical, persuasive, sarcastic, formal, informal, argumentative, humourous, serious?
P - purpose
Why is the author writing this passage of writing?
advise/argue/persuade
analyse/review/comment
describe/inform/explain
imagine/entertain/explore
A - audience
Intended audiences can be general (adults) or very specific (women over 30).
- The writer might use personal pronouns.
- The writer might have a specific target audience so they will choose language that they expect the target audience to understand.
S - style and tone
P - purpose
A - audience
G - genre
S - structure
speole: specific words / whole passage - you need to show you can refer to specific individual words and show how they reflect the meaning on the whole passage.
S - style and tone
This is the confusing one: in the mark scheme it is down as 'style' but in the Cambridge textbook, they describe it as 'tone'. I would use the word 'style and tone' because it effectively ticks the device against the rubric and yet you can be confident what you are talking about it correct.
The writing style is the writer's individual voice and personality coming through into the writing. Style and tone work alongside purpose and audience. Treat style and tone like a characteristic: Is the writing: critical, persuasive, sarcastic, formal, informal, argumentative, humourous, serious?
P - purpose
Why is the author writing this passage of writing?
advise/argue/persuade
analyse/review/comment
describe/inform/explain
imagine/entertain/explore
A - audience
Intended audiences can be general (adults) or very specific (women over 30).
- The writer might use personal pronouns.
- The writer might have a specific target audience so they will choose language that they expect the target audience to understand.
Mark Scheme
Top band: 13-15 marks ( /15)
1) Knowledge and understanding
Perceptive appreciation of content and ideas;
Fluidily relates content to structure, audience, purpose, genre, style;
Shows keen awareness of intentions of passage
2) Analysis of language effects
Analyses text with senstive and discriminating awareness of how language creates effects;
moves with ease between part and whole in discussing specific examples of langauge use and the effect of the whole passage
3) Organisation
Strong structure;
May be concise;
Quotations are used fluently and embedded within the argument
1) Knowledge and understanding
Perceptive appreciation of content and ideas;
Fluidily relates content to structure, audience, purpose, genre, style;
Shows keen awareness of intentions of passage
2) Analysis of language effects
Analyses text with senstive and discriminating awareness of how language creates effects;
moves with ease between part and whole in discussing specific examples of langauge use and the effect of the whole passage
3) Organisation
Strong structure;
May be concise;
Quotations are used fluently and embedded within the argument
Paper 1
Paper 1 is Passages for Comment.
Paper 1 is two hours long.
Each commentary is /15 and each piece of directed writing is /10.
You will be given three passages to comment on and you must pick two. For each of the passages you choose, you will be asked to write a commentary on the writer's style and use of language.
The passages could come from several different sources: adverts, magazine articles, bipgraphies, a speech.
Also, you will be given a directed writing task based on the passage you have analysed. You will be expected to write around 120 words. Alternatively, you may be asked to create a similar piece of writing and then write a commentary comparing your writing piece with the orginal.
Paper 1 is two hours long.
Each commentary is /15 and each piece of directed writing is /10.
You will be given three passages to comment on and you must pick two. For each of the passages you choose, you will be asked to write a commentary on the writer's style and use of language.
The passages could come from several different sources: adverts, magazine articles, bipgraphies, a speech.
Also, you will be given a directed writing task based on the passage you have analysed. You will be expected to write around 120 words. Alternatively, you may be asked to create a similar piece of writing and then write a commentary comparing your writing piece with the orginal.