CQC
Claim Quote Commentary
AKA: Making a Quote Sandwich
Before you can add a quote to
an essay, you must have a
thesis statement!
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A thesis statement explicitly says what your
body paragraphs are going to say.
A thesis statement will look somewhat like a
list
A thesis statement is at the end of your
introduction paragraph
A thesis statement is the backbone of your
entire essay. It is super important!
For example…
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1.
2.
3.
“John Proctor, Reverend Hale, and
Elizabeth Proctor each have
separate motivations that add to the
progression of the play.”
Your body paragraphs will talk about
John Proctor
Reverend Hale
Elizabeth Proctor
Another example….
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1.
2.
3.
“ Elizabeth and Abigail differ in their
attitudes toward lies and deceit, their
relationship with John Proctor, and their
family values.”
Your body paragraphs will cover:
E and A’s attitudes toward lies and deceit
E and A’s relation ship with John
E and A’s family values
Now that you have your thesis,
you are ready to write your
body paragraphs.
You must have a quote in each body
paragraph to support your main idea
(AKA your claim).
 Don’t just throw a quote into a
paragraph. Surround the quote. Make
a quote sandwich
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Claim
 Quote
 Commentary
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So now lets make a
quote sandwich!
The first part of the body paragraph
is your CLAIM.
Claim
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The claim is where you get to use a little
creativity. Use your own ideas!
The claim must connect to your thesis
statement.
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Example: Instead of saying “John Proctor
likes Abigail.” you should say:
John Proctor’s desire for Abigail furthered
the plot because if he had not had an affair,
Abigail would not have accused Elizabeth
Proctor of witchcraft.
Quote
Use any quote from the book as long
as it backs up your claim.
 For example, Abigail Williams says to
John, “I know how you clutched my
back behind your house and sweated
like a stallion whenever I come near”
(Miller 1.423-25).
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Quote
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To choose a good quote, ask yourself the
following questions:
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Significance – What is the significance of
this quote?
Purpose – What is the purpose of the quote?
Importance – Why is this quote important?
Effect – What effect/result does the quote
have on the play?
Suggestion – What does the quote suggest
about the play an/or its characters?
Commentary
This part explains how your quote
relates to your claim
 The way the quote fits is clear and
obvious to you, however, you need to
explain the quote as if you are talking
to someone who has never read the
story.
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Commentary
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Example:
This quote implies that John Proctor’s
lust for and affair with Abigail leads to
Abigail’s need for vengeance against
Elizabeth; therefore, Abigail becomes
the leader of the witch-hunt.
Commentary

Trigger words indicate that the
commentary is coming up. Use them
like transition words.
Proves, implies, indicates,
demonstrates, testifies to,
underscores, argues (that, for)
shows,
supports, illustrates,
confirms, establishes
Put it all together to create a
good body paragraph:

John Proctor’s desire for Abigail furthered the plot
because if he had not had an affair, Abigail would not
have accused Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft. For
example, Abigail Williams says to John, “I know how
you clutched my back behind your house and sweated
like a stallion whenever I come near” (Miller 1.423-25).
This quote implies that John Proctor’s lust for and
affair with Abigail leads to Abigail’s need for vengeance
against Elizabeth; therefore, Abigail becomes the
leader of the witch-hunt.