A Step by Step Instruction Manual on how to Write a Typical Commentary

* This is only a guideline. Depending on your piece of analysis and your own writing style as well as
your teacher’s preferences, your commentary will vary in certain sections. Highlight everything
important in _________.
Feel free to add things, edit things, change things and highlight things

What is a Commentary?
A commentary is an analysis of a given passage (can be a complete work or not),
assessing the quality of a passage, examining how the various “parts” fit the “whole”
and what effects are create. How has the writer written the piece, and for what reason.

Step 1: Read your piece of writing over at least once. Don’t analyse, or worry about formatting straight
away. Just focus on understanding the general idea of the passage. Usually, you should have enough
time during the evaluation to read it over twice. During those lectures, try to figure out where the
passage came from the story. It will help identify who said the passage.

Step 2: Jot down the key points of the passage. Who’s point of view is it told, where is the setting, what
is the plot, when does this happen in relation to the novel, what is being said, which characters are
shown?
*Just do the who, what when and where. Basically establish, Point of view, Characters, Setting, and
Plot.

Step 3: Begin your analysis. Start identifying literary terms; structural and sound. Ex: alliterative,
rhythmic structure, rhyming schemes, iambic pentameter, comparison, symbolism, imagery, figurative
language, etc… Feel free to mark up your page in any way that will help you when starting the
composition of your commentary. Identify as much as you can, but remember finding a lot does not
mean your commentary will be better, only that you will have more stuff to use and elaborate
upon your choosing. If you don’t find a lot though, don’t freak out. Just use what you find. Quantity
does not equal quality. Your real test will be how well you analyse your analysis. Do not freak out
if you cannot find enough literary devices. Analysing lines are also acceptable if the analysis is
good.

Step 4: Once you are satisfied with your analysis, begin putting together your introduction.

Step 5: Introduction

Your introduction should establish these following things:

1. Name the author and the title of the piece of the passage came from
2. Mention genre if known
 3. Give context-the major event before and after the passage,consider what is happening and
clarify dramatic background if necessary
4. Who is talking, and what are they talking about.
5. Could mention the theme or central purposes of the message
6. Identify dominant impression
Never explain the plot, basic relationships between characters that are not mentioned in the
passage and do not paraphrase. Also, do not mention anything that is not is the passage
because that makes it an assumption and those are not allowed in a commentary!

Step 6: Stating your points, which, in this case, are the literary devices.

Remember 3 steps you must do: 1. State what it is

2. State what it does
3. Explain how it does it

Sound Devices Structural Devices

Rhyme, rhythm and fluidity: alliterations, Vocabulary or Diction: Allusions, proper names,
flowing, rhyme scheme, cacophony, euphony, technical terms, jargon and colloquialisms
couplet, consonance, assonance etc...

Tone and Atmosphere Ideas and Messages

What is the tone of voice? The authors aims and purposes

How does this tone of voice help enhance the
atmosphere of a piece
Variation in length of sentences and soft or harsh
sounds to create a certain effect
Hyperboles,stanza suspense, caesura,
understatements, repetition
The ideas embedded below the surface
Irony, foreshadowing, soliloquy, sonnet
Parallel Sentence Structure
Leit Motif

Imagery

Visual effects, “what kind of images are created

by the words written in the passage”
How do they affect P.A.C.T.S
Similes, metaphors, contrast, comparison,
oxymorons, juxtaposition, synecdoche, analogy,
satire
How do they contribute to the overall meaning
of the text.

Other stylistic features and literary devices

Word order?
 Punctuation markings in a noticeable pattern?
Repetition of what words?

For what effect are they intended to

contribute?

Step 7: Key Things to DO and DON’T

● Do make sure that no matter how many literary devices you find, you a) Explain what it is
b)What it does c) How it does it
● Don’t forget to explain the context of the passage briefly in your introduction
● Do use transitions to try and connect your ideas fluidly
● Don’t jump around all over the place. Go chronologically or by some other logical piece of
organization
● Do state your dominant impression very clearly.
● Don’t refer back to your dominant impression like a thesis in an essay.
● Don’t paraphrase or make relations to things outside of the given passage
● Do create a strong concluding paragraph that gives an final interpretation based on your analysis
● Do try to include a literary device in your dominant impression to help make it sound stronger.
● Don’t forget to write the title of the piece and the name of the author in your intro

*DON’T FOCUS ON MAKING YOUR COMMENTARY LONG, JUST FOCUS ON

EXPLAINING YOUR INTERPRETATION OF YOUR ANALYSIS.

Step 8: Conclusion
● Give final interpretation, linking back to opening comments
● Convey personal insights or philosophical perspectives suggested by the piece of text
OR
● Summarize literary devices and its effects
● Answer how do those literary devices make the piece whole
● Answer “Do the content and styles complement each other?”
● Suggest if the text has contributed to your understanding of the topic
● Suggest if it offers a different perspective for you to look at things that you have not considered
before