LEAD IN LEAD IN How can you effectively

LEAD IN, LEAD IN! How can you effectively incorporate evidence into your research?

SOMEBODY SAYS LEAD-IN v Use a word other than “says” v Keep lead-in in present tense (i. e. , not “said”) v Use a comma after lead-in and before quote v If you include author’s name/names in lead-in, do not repeat in the parenthetical documentation v If you include author’s name/names, then you might not have any information to include in the ( ).

PRACTICE v Write a lead-in for this quote from Edward J. Gordon’s Introduction to Tragedy: v “To signal to the spectators that the drama was about to begin, a trumpet sounded and the chorus filed out onto the dancing surface. ” v Quote appears on page 59

DOES YOURS LOOK LIKE … As Edward J. Gordon explains in his Introduction to Tragedy, “To signal to the spectators that the drama was about to begin, a trumpet sounded and the chorus filed out onto the dancing surface” (59).

SENTENCE LEAD-IN v Be sure your lead-in is a complete sentence. v Be sure that the quote you are using is a complete sentence. v Separate the two sentences with a colon, not a comma, a period, or a semi-colon. v If you use the author’s name/names in the lead-in, do not repeat in the parenthetical documentation.

PRACTICE v Here’s a specific sentence from the same source, Introduction to Tragedy by Edward J. Gordon. v “A book will continue to be read only if people see in it reflections of their own situations or of those whom they know. ” v Quote appears on page 2.

DOES YOURS LOOK LIKE … In the Introduction to his work, Introduction to Tragedy, Edward J. Gordon implies that people will connect more easily to works of literature if they sense a connection to the narrative: “A book will continue to be read only if people see in it reflections of their own situations or of those whom they know” (2).

BLENDED QUOTE v Blended quotes are a way of using those “perfect phrases” without having to refer to the author or having to create a sentence lead-in. v In essence, your sentence is “wrapped around” the author’s words or phrase. v If you use 3 or more words in a row of an author’s text, you must cite (per MLA – APA is different).

PRACTICE v In his work Introduction to Tragedy, Edward J. Gordon discusses the role of Hamlet for actors. v Gordon says, “For an actor Hamlet is the greatest part he can ever play. His challenge is to make up his mind on what kind of man he takes Hamlet to be and then offer a consistent interpretation of the character. The words of a play are like the notes of a piece of music. The actor, like the musician, must give them sound” (127).

DOES YOURS LOOK LIKE … v Actors consider Hamlet the most famous play in the English language. Some critics believe that the script of the play produces sounds “like the notes of a piece of music” (Gordon 127).

PARAPHRASE v A true paraphrase is approximately the same length as the original; the only difference is that the words are your own, not the author’s. v Be careful – is it a paraphrase or a blended quote? v Even paraphrased information must be CITED!

PRACTICE v The person who sits down to read Hamlet must live with the ambiguities. He can never be exactly sure what it means, and he need not worry too much about that. What he must do is see the kinds of questions that are raised. Critics make reputations by telling us how to read the play.