PEE and quotations

As well as having lots of ideas, you need to explain them clearly. One really effective way of doing this is to use PEE (Point, Evidence, Explanation).

So if you're answering a question, state your point, back it up with a piece of evidence and then, explain it.

Try out the PEE technique. Here's an extract from "Holes" about a character named Stanley and the prison work camp.

Find two features of Stanley's character and explain how they are suggested. Write your answer in your English notebook.

Stanley and his parents had tried to pretend that he was just going away to camp for a while, just like rich kids do. When Stanley was younger he used to play with stuffed animals, and pretend the animals were at camp. Camp Fun and Games he called it. Sometimes he'd have them play soccer with a marble. Other times they'd run an obstacle course, or go bungee jumping off a table, tied to broken rubber bands. Now Stanley tried to pretend he was going to Camp Fun and Games. Maybe he'd make some friends, he thought. At least he'd get to swim in the lake.

'Holes' - Louis Sachar

Sample Answer

Point:

1. Stanley is a lonely boy.

2. He is willing to make the best of a bad situation.

Evidence:

1. The writer suggests that Stanley spent long periods, when younger, playing alone with stuffed toys.

2. Stanley thinks that he will have the chance to make friends and "at least he'd get to swim in the lake".

Explanation:

1. The writer lists the sort of games Stanley played with his stuffed toys at "Camp Fun and Games" in a way that suggests he was playing on his own - the toys became his friends.

2. He is going to a boy's prison work cam, but, instead of thinking about the horrors he might face, he shows that he is hopeful and ready to make the best of things.

The following video provides another example. This time, it's based on the book "Of Mice and Men"

PEE technique for Literary Analysis

Using Quotations

When quoting from a text, remember to:

• Use quotation marks.
• Quote accurately.
• Quotes of three words or less can be used in the sentence you're writing - for example ...when the writer talks about the "futility of life" he means...
• Longer quotations need to be included on a line of their own and with a space before it (known as an indent).
• Short, well-chosen quotations are better than long, vague ones.

Remember that certain words and phrases are helpful when you're explaining an idea in some detail, especially if you are commenting on implicit meaning. The following list shows some of those phrases.

• this implies
• this suggests
• which gives the impression that
• possibly
• perhaps
• this indicates that
• this shows
• obviously

Some other words and phrases that may be useful are those that help move your argument on. These are called connectives. Here are some examples:

• however
• therefore
• in contrast
• because
• but
• and
• furthermore
• also
• then
• at first
• later
• as well as