INTEGRATING QUOTES INTO YOUR WRITING Hi Im Wub

INTEGRATING QUOTES INTO YOUR WRITING Hi! I’m Wub Glub and here to fill ya in on how to use literary quotes in your writing!

INTRODUCE YOUR QUOTES Direct quotations cannot stand alone Cannot be sentences without your own words cushioning them Quotations without lead-ins are like fish out of water Incorrect Example: Beowulf’s heroic appeal in the ancient poem is his superhuman strength which is not important to modern societal ideals. “In the darkness, the horrible shrieks of pain / And defeat, the tears torn out of Grendel’s / taut throat, hell’s captive caught in the arms / Of him [Beowulf] who of all the men on earth / Was the strongest” (309 -313). Correct Example: Beowulf’s heroic appeal in the ancient poem is his superhuman strength which is not important to modern societal ideals. Beowulf’s brawn is demonstrated when the speaker says, “In the darkness, the horrible shrieks of pain / And defeat, the tears torn out of Grendel’s / taut throat, hell’s captive caught in the arms / Of him [Beowulf] who of all the men on earth / Was the strongest” (309 -313). Here is your lead-in!

DO NOT JUST REPEAT OR PARAPHRASE A QUOTE Do not paraphrase or repeat the quote BEFORE you insert it into your paragraph Incorrect Example: Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxon people knew their fate ultimately was in the hands of the Christian God. Divine intervention was such an important aspect of their cultural heroes’ courageous deeds. For example, God sends Beowulf victory when the speaker says, “. . . And Holy God, who sent him [Beowulf] victory, gave judgment / For truth and right, Ruler of the Heavens, / Once Beowulf was back on his feet and fighting” (509 -512). Correct Example: Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxon people knew their fate ultimately was in the hands of the Christian God. Divine intervention was such an important aspect of their cultural heroes’ courageous deeds. For example, while Beowulf temporarily is pinned down by Grendel’s mother, Beowulf is given spiritual assistance from God when the speaker says, “. . . And Holy God, who sent him [Beowulf] victory, gave judgment / For truth and right, Ruler of the Heavens, / Once Beowulf was back on his feet and fighting” (509 -512).

DO CORRECT IN-TEXT CITATIONS For a poem (like Beowulf) it will look like this: (line numbers). (101 -105). For a play it will look like this: (Author Act. Scene. Line. ). (Shakespeare II. iv. 46). For a book or short story it will look like this: (author page number). (Golding 42). PERIOD goes on the OUTSIDE of parenthesis!

USE SHORT PIECES OF QUOTES TO BLEND IN WITH YOUR OWN THOUGHTS Quotations do not always have to be elaborate, long, or the center of attention all the time You can make them a part of your own words by inserting them if they fit perfectly with what you want to say Your quotes should NOT be longer than three lines for this short, three page essay! Nice Examples: Beowulf understands the power of fate and that it will “…unwind as it must” (189). Beowulf uses great strength to keep a hold on Grendel while “the infamous killer fought / For his freedom, wanting no flesh but retreat…” (285 -286).

PLEASE NOTE… If you ever want to use quotes in this way, but the original quote doesn’t sound right in your sentences (different verb tense, first-person instead of third-person, etc. ), you can make changes! You have the freedom to make necessary changes using brackets [ ] and ellipses … For example: Original quote from Beowulf: “He was spawned in that slime, / Conceived by a pair of those monsters born /Of Cain, murderous creatures banished / By God, punished forever for the crime / Of Abel’s death” (19 -23). Possible changes: The speaker in the poem uses Christian, biblical references when the creature is described as “he [Grendel] was spawned in that slime, / Conceived by a pair of those monsters born /Of Cain. . . ” (19 -21). This will help you manipulate the quotes so that they support your points!

FINAL DOS AND DON’TS DO use variety with structure and wording! Words to use instead of “says” include: States Claims Shows Demonstrates Argues Proclaims Replies Suggests Proves DON’T use quotations back to back! DON’T use quotations in the first sentence of a paragraph!!!! DON’T use quotations as the last sentence of a paragraph!!!!

Please be sure to smoothly integrate quotes into your writing based off of these notes!!!