AP English Language · Lesson 3

Commentary

Know Know it

Evidence does not speak for itself. Commentary is the writer’s explanation of how and why a piece of evidence supports the claim. Without it, readers are left to guess what the evidence is supposed to prove.

Commentary is not summary. A summary repeats what the evidence says (“The survey found that 70 percent of riders were late”). Commentary says what it means for the claim (“so the current schedule fails most of the people it is meant to serve, which is why the route needs a second bus”).

Good commentary often makes the warrant clear: the assumption that connects evidence to claim. If the claim is that the store should open at 7 a.m. instead of 9 and the evidence is that nurses at the nearby hospital finish night shifts at 7, the warrant is that the store should serve shift workers. Saying so out loud makes the reasoning visible.

Ask “so what?” after each piece of evidence. Then answer with the claim in mind: what does this show, why does it matter, and how does it move the reader toward the position?

Trap A new fact is not commentary

Adding another fact after the evidence, such as when a program started or how many staff it has, is not commentary either. Commentary explains why the evidence already given matters for the claim.

Worked example Easy

Original passage written for Peakscor practice. Three sentences from a student’s argument that her school should keep the gym open after school:

(1) Our school should keep the gym open until 6 p.m. on weekdays. (2) Last fall, the gym was open until six, and about 75 students used it each afternoon. (3) That means 75 students had a safe, supervised place to be active instead of going home to empty houses.

Which sentence is commentary?

  1. Sentence 1, because it states the position the student will defend
  2. Sentence 3, because it explains why the attendance figure matters for the claimAnswer
  3. Sentence 2, because it gives a number from last fall
  4. Sentence 2, because it describes what happened last fall when the gym stayed open until six

How to solve it

  1. Label each sentence: claim, evidence or commentary.
  2. Sentence 1 is the claim, sentence 2 is the evidence, and sentence 3 explains what the evidence means, so it is the commentary.

Why each choice is right or wrong

  • A. Incorrect. Sentence 1 is the claim itself; commentary explains how evidence supports a claim.
  • B. Correct. Sentence 3 explains what the 75 students mean: a safe, supervised place to be active, which supports keeping the gym open.
  • C. Incorrect. Sentence 2 is evidence: a fact about attendance, given without explaining why it matters.
  • D. Incorrect. Describing what happened when the gym was open is reporting evidence, not explaining it.

Worked example Medium

Original passage written for Peakscor practice. A student’s claim and evidence:

Claim: The city should add a second lunch period at Westview High.

Evidence: The cafeteria seats 350 students, but 520 students eat during the single lunch period.

Which sentence would be the strongest commentary to follow the evidence?

  1. The cafeteria seats only 350 students, while 520 students eat lunch there at the same time every day of the week.
  2. Westview High was built in 1971 and has added two new wings since then.
  3. That leaves 170 students without a seat each day, and a second period would give every student one.Answer
  4. Many other schools in the state also have problems with their lunch periods.

How to solve it

  1. Ask “so what?” about the numbers: 520 minus 350 means 170 students have no seat.
  2. Then link that problem back to the claim: two lunch periods would fit everyone.

Why each choice is right or wrong

  • A. Incorrect. This only repeats the evidence in different words, so it is summary rather than commentary.
  • B. Incorrect. When the school was built is a new fact, not an explanation of why the seating numbers matter.
  • C. Correct. It works out what the numbers mean, 170 students without a seat, and explains how a second period would solve that problem.
  • D. Incorrect. A vague claim about other schools changes the subject instead of explaining this evidence.

Explain Explain it

Task verbs: explain

A reliable pattern for commentary: state what the evidence shows, then say why that matters for the claim. “Because ninety students are on the waitlist for a program with a hundred places, the program is turning away nearly as many children as it serves, so more funding would reach families who are already asking for help.”

Explain Your turn

Claim: “Our school should put a water fountain on the third floor.” Evidence: “The third floor has 14 classrooms and no water fountain; the nearest one is two floors down.” Write one or two sentences of commentary that explain why this evidence supports the claim. Do not just repeat the evidence.

Write it, then compare. Nothing you type here is saved or graded.

Compare with a model answer

A full answer does this

  • Says what the evidence means for students on the third floor
  • Ties that consequence to adding a fountain on the third floor

Model answer

With no fountain on their floor, students in 14 classrooms have to walk down two flights and back up just to get a drink. A fountain on the third floor would save every one of them that trip, which is why the school should add one.

Apply Apply it

Practice these topics. AP Practice questions on exactly what this lesson covers, with an explanation for every answer.

Practice these topics