The comment: Be specific

Similar comments

• Need examples
• Evidence?
• Too general

Understanding the comment

When readers say that you need to “be specific,” the comment often signals that you could strengthen your writing with additional details.

Strategies for revising

• Reread your topic sentence to understand the focus of the paragraph.
• Ask questions. Does the paragraph contain claims that need support? Have you provided evidence—specific examples, vivid details and illustrations, statistics and facts—to help readers understand your ideas and find them persuasive?
• Interpret your evidence. Remember that details and examples don’t speak for themselves. You’ll need to show readers how evidence supports your claims.

Related topics:

Stating the main point in a topic sentence

Supporting claims with evidence

Analyzing a written or a visual text