1. The Essay Building Block
A Quick Guide to CDs & CMs

2. Concrete Details (CD)
Concrete Details are specific details that form the core of body paragraphs.
They are the EVIDENCE used to support your thesis.
CDs are facts and examples from the story.

3. Ways to Think about CDs Stuff from the Story Stuff on the Surface
The “what”
Facts
Examples
Illustrations
Evidence
Support
Plot References
Paraphrases
Quotations
Plot Summary
What really happens in the story?

4. Quotations as CDs Show mastery of/familiarity with text
Allows for more in-depth analysis/interpretation
Look at specific words
The narrator’s claim that Silas’ coins “had become his familiars” suggests that Silas’ love of gold stemmed from his want of company, community, and family—people with whom he is familiar (Eliot 17).
We missed you!
Hey Silas!

5. Citing a Quotation
“Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on public streets” (Lee 61).
Period outside of parenthesis (even if quote ended with “!” or “?”)
Author’s last name
No punctuation, just end quotation marks
Exceptions: exclamation or question marks
No punctuation, just space

6. Citing the same author
After you have cited an author (if you are using no other sources), you no longer have to use the author’s last name.
Second Citation in Paper:
“I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks” (304).

7. Correct the Citations
“That proves something—that a gang of wild animals can be stopped, simply because they’re still human” (Atticus 210).
Lee

8. Correct the Citation
“Before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself.” (Lee 140)

9. Correct the Citation
“If your father’s anything, he’s civilized in his heart” (Lee pg. 130).

10. Correct the Citation
“But remember this, no matter how bitter things get, they’re still our friends and this is still our home” (Lee 120).

11. Correct the Citation
“Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird (Lee 119).” ”

12. Correct the Citation
“Every mob in every little Southern town is always made up of people you know—doesn’t say much for them, does it?” (Lee 210).

13. Correct the Citation
“By watching her I began to think there was some skill involved in being a girl,” (Lee 154).

14. Commentary (CM)
Commentary (CM) is your opinion or comments about a subject.
It involved interpretation and analysis.
You need AT LEAST two CMs for every CD.

15. Ways to think of CMs Stuff from your head Under the surface
The “so what?”
The “why?”
Evaluation
A character’s feelings
Opinion
Inference
Insight
Significance
Reasons
Why did ___ do that?
Why is that important?
How does CD prove thesis?

16. Donahue leaps for the pass and… He has it!
CD vs. CM
Play-by-play announcer vs. color commentator
Donahue leaps for the pass and… He has it!
After that devastating fumble in the first quarter, Donahue must have felt he needed this one. And he did.

17. What’s a Chunk? A chunk is a unit of paragraph organization.
Contains 1 Concrete Detail (CD)
AND 2 or more Pieces of Commentary (CM) CD CM
One
Chunk