Rhetorical terms · AP English Language, SAT Reading and Writing, ACT Reading
Commentary
Commentary: The writer's explanation of how a piece of evidence supports a claim; the analysis that follows a quotation or example.
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What it means
Commentary is where the writer's thinking shows. After presenting evidence, commentary explains what the evidence means, why it matters and how it advances the claim. In literary and rhetorical analysis, commentary also explains how a choice in the text creates an effect.
Good commentary is specific to the evidence. A sentence that could follow any quotation ('This shows the author's point') is not commentary.
Example
Evidence: the writer calls the policy 'a slow leak.' Commentary: the metaphor suggests the damage is gradual and easy to ignore until it is serious, which prepares readers to accept the urgent action she proposes next.
On the exam
Row B of the AP Lang and AP Lit rubrics is titled evidence and commentary and is worth four of six points. It rewards consistent, specific commentary above all.