Building an Analytical Paragraph
Write a paragraph of analysis that holds one point, embeds short quotations inside its own sentences, and keeps returning to the argument instead of retelling the text.
What a learner can do afterwards
- Embed a quotation of a few words inside a sentence so the whole reads as one sentence
- Follow a quotation with analysis of its language rather than a restatement of the event
- Delete a sentence of plot summary from a paragraph and lose nothing
1 · Read
A paragraph that wanders loses its reader. Hold one point per paragraph and keep returning to it. State your claim, then support it with short quotations tucked inside your own sentences. A paragraph that retells the story has left its argument behind. Delete plot summary: if the point still stands, the paragraph argues.
Quote only a few words and build them into your own sentence. A run-in quote has no comma before it and keeps a lowercase first letter: the narrator calls the house 'a shell of old noise'. A signal phrase with a reporting verb takes a comma: Lee writes, 'The house was empty.' A full sentence before a quote takes a colon. Never drop a quote in alone.
After each quote, analyse its language instead of restating the event. Say what a metaphor does, what feeling it pushes, and what it makes the reader notice. A sharp line comparing a shout to a fire alarm earns its place only once you explain the alarm.
Lead readers in with a signal phrase plus a comma, or a full sentence plus a colon. Then test your paragraph: delete any plot summary and check nothing is lost. If the point still stands, the paragraph argues. If it collapses, it only retold.
Make one point, quote briefly inside your sentences, and analyse the words.
Lesson, quiz and flashcard text written for this dataset by the content-upgrade pipeline.
Readings adapted from Khan Academy articles on punctuating text evidence and paragraph structure, plus a summary written around an OER Commons says/does outline listing. The rewritten readings on analysing and placing quotes were written for this dataset. Videos are Khan Academy lessons hosted on YouTube. Publisher license terms are not verified.
2 · Watch
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Where it sits
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Where this leads
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.