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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.