Literature Sentence Stems The key to developing the skill of restating other peoples ideas in your own words

is to develop your own repertoire of words that can be used in academic writing. Below is a list of some words that can be used to introduce an author's ideas or purpose grouped by approximate meaning: States articulates comments mentions maintains notes points out says suggests indicates refers acknowledges asserts claims reports concludes summarizes Demonstrates shows conveys portrays supports substantiates corroborates verifies confirms Investigates researches experiments conducts administers observes analyses examines evaluates scrutinizes criticizes Relates connects links associates correlates Identifies characterizes recognizes defines embodies differentiates distinguishes highlights specifies Argues challenges compares contradicts contrasts debates defends refutes holds justifies

Predicts hypothesizes theorizes conceptualizes understands

Capturing Authorial Action and Introducing Direct Quotes from a text

X acknowledges, _________ X agrees, _________

X argues, _________ X believes, _________ X denies/does not deny , _________ X claims, _________ X complains, _________ X concedes, _________ X demonstrates, _________ X questions, _________

X refuses the claim that, _________ X reminds us that ___________. X reports, _________ X suggests, ___________. X urges Y to ___________. X celebrates the fact that , _________ X emphasizes , _________ X insists , _________ X observes , _________

Sentence starters to discuss authors Point of View: Through Xs point of view, the author (reveals, exposes, divulges, conveys) The authors choice of narrator affects the work as a whole The point of view of ________ affects the tone of the work because The tone of _______affects the mood because The tone/mood of ____________ identifies/demonstrates The point of view affects of the credibility of the text because The author uses _______ to develop the tone/mood

Sentence starters to discuss figurative language: This simile / metaphor represents The authors use of alliteration causes This hyperbole creates This allusion invokes This oxymoron illustrates This (onomatopoetic term) illustrates This (object, color, person, place, action) symbolizes This image evokes This (object) personifies The author uses _______ to demonstrate Sentence starters to discuss Ironies, Inconsistencies, and Ambiguities: The irony in this sentence / scene suggests The (inconsistency/ambiguity/irony) reveals The irony of the situation affects the work as a whole The authors use of irony demonstrates/identifies. Throughout the literary work, irony functions The author uses _______ to demonstrate Sentence Starters to discuss the authors development of plot/time: In the exposition, the author reveals As the (plot/conflict/story) unfolds/unravels/develops This flashback reveals This scene foreshadows The characters epiphany reveals The use of suspense causes ______ development of time illuminates In the dnouement, the author resolves the conflict by In the climax, the author conveys The characters (internal/external conflict) demonstrates A possible explanation for the authors _____ is The plot begins to (unravel, unfold, illuminate) The author uses _______ to demonstrate Sentence starters to discuss diction/syntax:

The diction affects the tone of the passage The authors use of archaic /colloquial terms produces The unusual syntax of this sentence _______ because This rhetorical question denotes ___________ since (Character) questions _________ because The authors use of (diction/punctuation/sentence structure) demonstrates or identifies... The term _____connotes _____ which indicates that

The term _____ denotes _____ which indicates that Based on the authors (diction, syntaxsentence structure, punctuation, etc.rhetoric), it is evident The author uses (repetition, commas, semi-colons, etc.) to demonstrate Sentence Stems to Maintain or Develop a Claim

Throughout the text, __________ acknowledges that... Through dialogue, __________ agrees that. Through direct characterization, ______argues that As the story continues, it is evident that _____believes that Initially, ________denies/does not deny that... However/Therefore/thus, _______urges people to... Evidently, __________ refutes the claim/idea that Overall, __________ reminds us that Throughout the work, ________ suggests that.... Through the characters __________, the author emphasizes, Sentence stems to discuss Theme One question that this text answers is One question that this text addresses is Overall, the author uses ____ to demonstrate The most important message learned from The theme of the story Sentence Stems to Connect the Text to Real Life _____ contains important (relatable, provocative, etc.) conflicts because people relate to _____ use imagery to evoke emotion in the reader by The author develops characters that are credible/realistic to The conflict allows the reader to connect with the feelings and actions of the characters because/since The complexity of the (plot, conflict, theme, characters) directly impact(s) the audience because The (plot, conflict, theme, characters) function as a form of rhetoric to teach people The (plot, conflict, theme, characters) causes the reader to draw parallels between his or her experiences and those of the protagonist by The passage contains __________ that engage and hold the readers attention through the (complexity) of _____ and (depth) of ______. This situation/action is contrary/similar to ____________. For example, Americans today tend to believe that ___________. Conventional wisdom has it that ___________; however, ____________ uses (figurative language, dialogue, imagery, etc.) to dispel __________________. For example That standard way of thinking about topic X has it that ___________; nonetheless, _________challenges this archaic discourse by ________________________. It is often said that ___________. As one reads this text, it is natural to believe/feel __________. The author Many people assume that___________. Sentence Stems for Commentary Essentially, X believes ___________ since... In other words, X deems _________ because... In making this comment, x argues that ___________since X is insisting that ___________ because...

This quote means . . . This discussion shows . . . This conflict illustrates . . . This situation reveals . . . This act highlights . . .

Xs point is that ___________ since

This detail exemplifies . . .