Inserting Quotes into Essays Using Quotes Effectively The

Inserting Quotes into Essays Using Quotes Effectively

The 5 Basic Steps: • • • Know your point of view Identify your quote Introduce your quote Cite your quote Discuss your quote

Using Quotes: Step One 1. Introduce your quotations. A quotation should never suddenly appear out of nowhere. Some kind of information about the quotation is needed. A. Suggested Techniques: Name the author, give his credentials, name the source, give a summary.

• For example: a. But John Jones disagrees with this point, saying, "Such a product would not sell. " • b. In an article in Time Fred Jackson writes that frogs vary in the degree of shyness they exhibit: "The poisonous dart frogs seem to be especially weary. "

Introducing Quotes… • Use some variety in introducing quotations. One way of doing this is by varying the verbs you choose to use directly before the quote: • A. Pick the quotation verb which seems in each case to fit your purpose most exactly. For example: In this essay Green tells us, "Hope increases courage. "

Introducing Quotes… Note: The particular verb you choose helps orient your reader toward your opinion of the statement (“connotation”). • Example: The boy is lazy. The girl was fat. ~ "Jones says" is neutral ~"Jones informs us" is positive ~ "Jones alleges" is somewhat negative.

Other ways to Introduce a Quote… • • • says writes observes notes remarks adds declares informs us alleges • • • claims states comments thinks affirms asserts explains argues suggests

Using Quotes: Step Two 2. Citing Quotes in the Text After you have introduced your quote, it’s time to give the author credit. “You are being perverse. ” (Sophocles 19)

Getting to the Point: What do YOU Think? • 3. Discuss your quotations. Do not quote someone and then leave the words hanging as if they were self explanatory. Explain: • What does the quote mean? • How does it help establish the point you are making? How does it fit in with your thesis and with the ideas you are presenting? • What is your interpretation or opinion of it?

Getting to the Point: What do YOU Think? • Remember: Quotations are like examples! • They support or illustrate your own points. They are not substitutes for your ideas and they do not stand by themselves!

Commenting on a Quote… • It is often useful to apply some interpretive phrasing after a quotation, to show the reader that the you are explaining the quotation and that it supports your argument: • Thus … • This statement illustrates… • Clearly, then, … • It can be concluded from this that …

Any Questions?