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Intro. Paragraph
with thesis
statement*

Body Par. #1

Body Par. #2

Body Par. #3

Concluding
Paragraph

Introductory Paragraph -- Like a funnel, start with a broad
connection to the topic and then hone in on your point (thesis).

Start with a “hook.” Mention the title,
author and genre (TAG) and add a
couple focus sentences that lead to the
thesis statement.

The thesis statement is a
debatable claim or point
you wish to prove.

Diagram

INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH: the first
paragraph in your essay.

Hook/Attention-grabber -- a creative beginning,
meant to catch your reader’s interest
TAG -- an acronym for title, author, and genre of
the work
Background/Set-up/Brief summary -- provides
essential background about the literary work and
prepares the reader for your major thesis
Thesis Statement -- a sentence in your first
paragraph that presents your argument to the
reader, usually at the end of the paragraph

HOOK/ATTENTION GRABBER: a creative
beginning, meant to catch your reader’s interest.
Ways of beginning creatively include the
following:

1) A startling fact or bit of information
2) A segment of dialogue between two characters
3) A meaningful quotation (from the work or another
source)
4) A universal idea
5) A rich, vivid description of the setting
6) An analogy or metaphor
7) A question
8) An anecdote or example

Hook examples for compare/contrast
essay: “A Day’s Wait”/ “Stolen Day”
Courage is the discovery that you may not win, and trying
when you know you can lose.” by Tom Krause

Ignorance. Reaction. Family. These three words
describe . . .

The power of knowledge is a powerful thing.

TAG -- acronym for title, author,
genre
“Courage is the discovery that you may
not win, and trying when you know you can
lose.” In Ernest Hemingway’s “A Day’s Wait”
and Sherwood Anderson’s “Stolen Day,” the
two main characters battle with this quote in
these interesting short stories. (ATG)
Note: You can put TAG in ANY order you
want, as long as all three are represented!!

Background/Set-up/Brief summary
-- provides essential background about the
literary work and prepares the reader for your
major thesis

* Keep in mind that your audience (your teacher or
classmate) has read the literature; however, they
have not analyzed it in the same way you have.

* Keep your summary BRIEF! (no more than three
sentences)

Background/Set-up/Brief summary
Example of a set-up:
“Courage is the discovery that you may not win,
and trying when you know you can lose.” In Ernest
Hemingway’s “A Day’s Wait” and Sherwood Anderson’s
“Stolen Day,” the two main characters battle with this
quote in these interesting short stories. The two boys,
Schatz and a narrator, are each confronted with a
challenge that takes place over the course of a day.
Once the day is over, each one learns a valuable lesson
about courage.
.

THESIS STATEMENT: a
sentence in your first
paragraph that presents
your argument to the
reader, usually at the end
of the paragraph
* Note -- Some thesis statements are explicit, hinting
at what the two or three body paragraphs will be
about.

THESIS STATEMENT
Thesis statement: not good!
Schatz and the narrator have similarities and differences.

Thesis statement (explicit):
The characters, Schatz and the narrator, share
similarities and differences in their actions, reactions,
and lessons learned.

Intro. Paragraph Thesis with 3 major reasons
with thesis
statement*

Body Par. #1 Reason #1 discussed in
this paragraph

Reason #2 discussed in
Body Par. #2 this paragraph

Body Par. #3 Reason #3 discussed in
(optional) this paragraph

Concluding
Paragraph Final thoughts

BODY: the support paragraphs of your
essay. These paragraphs contain
supporting examples (concrete detail)
and analysis/explanation (commentary)
for your topic sentences.

Each paragraph in the body includes (1)
a topic sentence/support thesis, (2)
integrated concrete details/examples, (3)
commentary/explanation for
details/examples, and (4) a concluding
sentence.

Body Paragraphs - three minimum

Begin with a topic sentence which supports
the major thesis statement from the
introductory paragraph.
Be sure to include:
2 Concrete details (quoted passages or
paraphrased facts from the story)
2 Commentary --
interpretation/elaboration
Concluding sentence -- to sum up or
transition to the next paragraph

TOPIC SENTENCE: the first
sentence of a body
paragraph. It identifies one
aspect of the major thesis
and states a primary reason
why the major thesis is true.

To begin, the boys from “A Day’s
Wait” and “Stolen Day” share several
similarities.

Topic sentence for body #1:
Opening transition + first point in thesis.

TRANSITIONAL/LEAD-IN:
phrase or sentence that
prepares the reader for a
concrete detail by
introducing the speaker,
setting, and/or situation.

CONCRETE DETAIL: a specific
example from the work of
literature used to provide
evidence for your topic
sentence/support thesis.

Concrete detail can be a
combination of paraphrase and
direct quotation from the work.

Transition: For example,

Lead-in: in “A Day’s Wait,” Schatz displays a
naïve disposition when it is discovered he
confused the thermometer scales,

Concrete Detail:
“Poor old Schatz. It’s like miles and
kilometers. You aren’t going to die” (302).
***QuoParPunc!!!

No Naked Quotes!!

To begin, the boys from “A Day’s Wait” and “Stolen
Day” share several similarities. Schatz and the narrator
both prove that they are very naïve. For example, in
“A Day’s Wait,” Schatz displays a naïve disposition
when it is discovered he confused the thermometer
scales, “Poor old Schatz. It’s like miles and kilometers.
You aren’t going to die” (302).

1. Topic sentence
2. Introduce first similarity
3. TLC

COMMENTARY: your explanation
and interpretation of the
concrete detail. Commentary
tells the reader what the author
of the text means or how the
concrete detail proves the topic
sentence and supports the thesis.
Commentary may include
interpretation, analysis, argument,
insight, and/or reflection.

To begin, the boys from “A Day’s Wait” and
“Stolen Day” share several similarities. Schatz
and the narrator both prove that they are very
naïve. For example, in “A Day’s Wait,” Schatz
displays a naïve disposition when it is
discovered he confused the thermometer
scales, “Poor old Schatz. It’s like miles and
kilometers. You aren’t going to die” (302). This
demonstrates how Schatz confused Celsius
and Fahrenheit, and, therefore, believed he
was going to die as a result of this
misunderstanding.

TIPS FOR WRITING COMMENTARY

These sentence starters put the writer into commentary-
mode:
This shows . . .
This is because . . .
This means . . .
This reveals . . .
This illustrates . . .
This highlights the difference between . . .

Paraphrasing! Another form of TLC!!!!

As part of your body paragraph, you will not only use a
quotes, but you will also paraphrase.

Paraphrasing = putting information into your own words.

For example:

In similar fashion, the narrator in “Stolen Day” convinces
himself that he has a debilitating disease; inflammatory
rheumatism. As you can see, both boys demonstrate
that they are gullible in making such juvenile
assumptions.

I paraphrased how the narrator was gullible in my own
words and did NOT use any EXACT sentences from the
story.

Here is our paragraph so far:

To begin, the boys from “A Day’s Wait” and “Stolen Day” share several
similarities. Schatz and the narrator both prove that they are very naïve.
For example, in “A Day’s Wait,” Schatz displays a naïve disposition when
it is discovered he confused the thermometer scales, “Poor old Schatz.
It’s like miles and kilometers. You aren’t going to die” (302). This
demonstrates how Schatz confused Celsius and Fahrenheit, and,
therefore, believed he was going to die as a result of this
misunderstanding. In similar fashion, the narrator in “Stolen Day”
convinces himself that he has a debilitating disease; inflammatory
rheumatism. Due to overhearing the symptoms, such as an enlarged
heart, the narrator’s racing heart after a race leads him to believe that
he may have the disease. Of course, this is not the case because
everyone’s heart races after running. As you can see, both boys
demonstrate that they are gullible in making such juvenile assumptions.
1. Topic sentence
2. Introduce similarity
3. TLC - quote
4. Commentary
5. TLC - Paraphrase
6. Commentary

Suggested Outline for Body Paragraph #1:

1. Topic sentence
2. Introduce similarity
3. TLC - quote
4. Commentary
5. TLC - Paraphrase
6. Commentary
7. Concluding sentence

CONCLUDING SENTENCE:
last sentence of the body
paragraph. It concludes the
paragraph by tying the
concrete details and
commentary back to the
topic sentence and/or thesis
statement.

For example, in “A Day’s Wait,” Schatz displays a naïve disposition when it is
discovered he confused the thermometer scales, “Poor old Schatz. It’s like
miles and kilometers. You aren’t going to die” (302). This demonstrates how
Schatz confused Celsius and Fahrenheit, and, therefore, believed he was
going to die as a result of this misunderstanding. In similar fashion, the
narrator in “Stolen Day” convinces himself that he has a debilitating
disease; inflammatory rheumatism. Due to overhearing the symptoms, such
as an enlarged heart, the narrator’s racing heart after a race leads him to
believe that he may have the disease. Of course, this is not the case
because everyone’s heart races after running. As you can see, both boys
Therefore, it is evident that both Schatz and the narrator share several
similarities.

LATER in your writing career, you will be creating more lengthy paragraphs
that contain more than ONE example!!!! Look at next slide……

For example, in “A Day’s Wait,” Schatz displays a naïve disposition when it is
discovered he confused the thermometer scales, “Poor old Schatz. It’s like
miles and kilometers. You aren’t going to die” (302). This demonstrates how
Schatz confused Celsius and Fahrenheit, and, therefore, believed he was
going to die as a result of this misunderstanding. In similar fashion, the
narrator in “Stolen Day” convinces himself that he has a debilitating
disease; inflammatory rheumatism. As you can see, both boys
Indeed, the similarities between Schatz and the narrator go beyond their
naivety, they also believe that they are going to die. As a result of
confusing the Celsius and Fahrenheit scales, Schatz spends the entire time
believing his 102 degree fever will cause him to die. He heard that
someone could not live with a temperature of 44 degrees, but he did not
realize that this was in Celsius. In comparison, the narrator believes that he
will die of inflammatory rheumatism, “It’s a wonder, with my inflammatory
rheumatism and all, I didn’t just drop down dead” (306). This illustrates how
the narrator believed he was going to die because he ran a race with his
brother and his heart beat rapidly afterwards. He clearly does not have
inflammatory rheumatism, but he is making himself believe that he does.
Therefore, it is evident that both Schatz and the narrator share several
similarities. THIS IS AN ADVANCED/ADVANCED VERSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LINK TRANSITION SENTENCE:
the first sentence of a body
paragraph. It identifies one
aspect of the major thesis
and states a primary reason
why the major thesis is true.

Link transition sentence formula:

Transitional phrase + main idea of body #1 + main idea of body #2

Although Schatz and the narrator share similarities, they also
have many differences.

Transitional phrase + main idea of body #2 + main idea of body #3

You will always have TWO link transition sentences in a five-
paragraph essay.

Concluding Paragraph

Concluding transition,
Echo your major thesis without
repeating words verbatim.

Answer the “so what?” question for your reader.
What was he/she supposed to learn?

What were the main ideas of your essay?

Connect back to your HOOK!!!!!

 In summation, Schatz and the narrator’s actions
and reactions both caused them to learn very
valuable lessons. Furthermore, the two boys in “A
Day’s Wait” and “Stolen Day” demonstrate that
there can be similarities and differences in
seemingly incomparable characters in two pieces
of writing. Schatz and the narrator showed how
being naïve can be both serious and comical.
Despite their naivety, Schatz is a much more
courageous boy than the narrator. Overall, each
boy learned a very valuable lesson about jumping
to conclusions. “Courage is the discovery that you
may not win, and trying when you know you can
lose.” It is evident that courage, or lack thereof,
plays a significant role in both stories. One must
understand that trying is half the battle and
courage comes in all shapes and … ages!

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