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Introducing Quotations
Your essay is your argument
Too many quotations, too many voices, can overpower your own. Quotations should fit into your
argument, not appear out of thin air. They should be grammatically consistent with the rest of
your essay. If punctuation, pronouns, and verb tenses don't flow with your own words,
paraphrase and cite the needed material, or make minor changes within the quotation,
surrounding them with brackets [ ]. All quotations should be unobtrusive.
Quote only sentences, passages, or words that are especially succinct, memorable, or powerful.
Save direct quotations for brilliant comments, controversial statements, certain statistics, and
personal testimony that you believe will strengthen your argument.
If a quotation is long, or if you can say it better or more concisely, paraphrase it (restate it in your
own words). Remember, you must indicate a source even when paraphrasing. Keep paraphrasing
to a minimum because the reader is looking for your ideas.
Always integrate quotations into your text. NEVER DROP A QUOTATION IN YOUR ESSAY!
Present short and long quotations differently. Quotations of fewer than four typed lines
should be set in quotation marks within a sentence. Longer passages should be set off from the
main text. Indent and single space the quotation. You do not need to use quotation marks with
indented, single spaced quotations.
Punctuation. Punctuating quotations correctly can be tedious work, but that does not mean that
it is unimportant.
Before the quotation. When joining your introductory phrase or sentence with a direct
quotation, use a comma or a colon between them. A comma is used more frequently after brief,
grammatically incomplete introductions.
For Hamlet, “to be or not to be, that is the question” (Act, scene, line).
A colon follows an introductory phrase that can stand alone as a complete sentence.
Hamlet has to question everything, starting with death: “to be or not to be, that is
the question” (Act, scene, line).
If the quote is fully integrated into the sentence and is not really introduced by a phrase, you may
not need any punctuation before it.
Though “the world was all before them,” Adam and Eve feel unfulfilled.
Punctuation at the end of the sentence:
Punctuation marks such as periods, commas, and semicolons should appear after the
parenthetical citation. Question marks and exclamation points should appear within the quotation
marks if they are a part of the quoted passage but after the parenthetical citation if they are a part
of your text.
What verbs and phrases can I use to introduce my quotations?
Familiarize yourself with the various verbs commonly used to introduce quotations. Here is a
partial list:
argues
maintains
insists
states
explains
writes
suggests
observes
claims
reveals
points out
notes
counters
demonstrates
implies
concludes
comments
Each verb has its own nuance. Make sure that the nuance matches your specific aim in
introducing the quotation.
There are other ways to begin quotations. Here are three common phrasings:
In the words of Johnny, . . .
According to Ellen, . . .
In Juan's view, . . .
Vary the way you introduce quotations to avoid sounding monotonous. However, never sacrifice
precision of phrasing for the sake of variety.
Maintaining a smooth sentence style
In order to make your own writing flow as smoothly as possible, it's usually best to use only an
effective part of a quotation as part of one of your own sentences. So instead of boring your
reader with this:
The narrator says, "Who can even imagine me looking a strange white man in the
eye?" (232),
write something like this:
The narrator asks if anyone could imagine her "looking a strange white man in the
eye" (232).
And this:
At one point the mother says, "I used to think [Dee] hated Maggie, too" (233),
is not as good an integration as when you use context and make other changes:
After the last incident between the sisters the mother admits that she "used to think
[Dee] hated Maggie, too" (233).
Preparing for and following up on a quotation
To integrate a quotation properly within a paragraph, a good writer usually writes one sentence
to introduce the quotation, a second sentence that includes the quotation, and a third sentence to
comment on the significance of the quotation. Here are some examples:
ORIGINAL:
The shadow of a cloud moved across the field of grain and she saw the river through
the trees.
SMOOTHLY INTEGRATED QUOTATION:
Hemingway uses the image of a momentary darkness to suggest the woman's growing
disillusionment. After her quarrel with the man, "[t]he shadow of a cloud moved across
the field of grain . . ." (21). A similar shadow gradually develops over their relationship.
ORIGINAL:
That look of seeing into things, of seeing through a thing to something else, was in the
eyes of the sheriff's wife now.
SMOOTHLY INTEGRATED QUOTATION:
Mrs. Peters sometimes appears to be almost supernatural. For example, Glaspell
describes her "look of seeing into things, of seeing through a thing to something
else . . ." (333). However, this "look" really demonstrates a sense of intuition rather than
any magical powers.
Leaving something out of a quotation
Notice the ELLIPSES in the above quotations. Please notice that there ARE SPACES between
each dot. Ellipses indicate, of course, that some unnecessary words have been left out of a
quotation. Note that when you quote just a word or a short phrase, no ellipsis is necessary. Also,
do not use an ellipsis to indicate that you have left out the beginning of a sentence; only missing
words from the end or somewhere in the middle of a sentence need to be indicated with an
ellipsis.
Changing or adding words within a quotation
Use brackets to indicate any changes you make to quotations while fitting them into your
sentences (for reasons of style, verb tense, or general understanding). Look again at the above
change of the original word "she" to "[Dee]." Here's another example:
ORIGINAL: "You don't have to call me by it if you don't want to," said Wangero.
SOMEWHAT SMOOTHLY INTEGRATED QUOTATION: The new and supposedly
improved Dee tells her mother that she doesn't "'have to call [Dee] by [her new name] if
[she doesn't] want to'" (234).
Name ____________________________________ Period _______
Due on _____________________________
Challenge 1 - Identify the rule
Example: Thoreau ends his essay with a metaphor "Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in."
This is an easy rule to remember: if you use a complete sentence to introduce a quotation, you
need a colon after the sentence. Be careful not to confuse a colon (:) with a semicolon (;)
A comma is used more frequently after brief, grammatically incomplete introductions. Do not
use a comma if it creates a comma splice.
What should go between “metaphor” and the quote? Why?
Identify two (2) mistakes in the following examples and make the necessary changes.
Example: Paul states that, “At first astonished, then embittered, and finally indifferent, we recognised
that what matters is not the mind but the boot brush, not intelligence but the system, not freedom but
drill.” (21)
THE two examples convey the same idea. However, example b displays a mistake in
punctuation. What is it?
Example a: According to Foulkes's study, dreams may express "profound aspects of personality"
(184).
Example b: Is it possible that dreams may express "profound aspects of personality?" (Foulkes
184)
Challenge 2: Take one of the quotes in your last essay and integrate smoothly applying any or a
few of the rules mentioned in the review.