 Underline titles of full works (quotation marks are for shorter works like poems, short stories, songs)  Write in present tense  Avoid using the pronoun “you”  If you incorporate a theme, write it as a.

 Avoid personal pronouns (I, we, my, me, etc.” Eliminate phrases such as “I believe,” “I think,”  Be careful of “if” statements.  Avoid empty adverbs and adjectives ◦ “this very exciting book” ◦ “extremely interesting plot”

Examples:  “In this passage...”  “My thesis is...”  “This quotes shows...”

 First think about why the passage is important to the work as a whole  Does it: ◦ reveal character? ◦ relate to a theme? ◦ contribute to plot or a portion of plot? ◦ repeat or stress certain words? ◦ contain symbolism that is important in the work? ◦ illuminate a conflict? ◦ make a new idea or concept obvious?

 Next, pinpoint very specific portions of the passage to use to prove the overall point you’re making. You should only use these words in your paragraph (don’t use the entire passage!)  Your explanation/analysis should use these words to fully explain the overall importance of the passage to the work as a whole.

 Don’t create “Quotation Islands”  Be sure that they fit into your sentences in a way that is grammatically correct: ◦ When August responds, she says, “.....” ◦ Lily’s growth is proven by her words: “...”

 Do not begin your analysis with “this quote” or “this quotation”  Instead use a noun to introduce: ◦ August’s words indicate... ◦ Lily’s response shows...  Use Analysis Verbs! (list to follow!)

Lily thinks, “Since I want to tell the whole truth, which means the worst parts, I thought they could be smart, but not as smart as me, me being white” (Kidd 78). August says, “You don’t have to put your hand on Mary’s heart to get strength and consolation and rescue... ” (Kidd 288).

 Don’t try to include too much! Focus on just the one idea in your claim  Be sure that your paragraph does not read like a list of items, rather than a thought-out paragraph  Avoid plot summary

What is the difference between these two claims? Which is better?