Concrete Details Correctly Introducing & Contextualizing Quotations

When do we use it? ALWAYS! …anytime you are giving an example from a text we are studying in your essay or homework assignment

Why do we do it?  #1 Quotations need to make sense to the reader  #2 Your writing needs to flow smoothly from one sentence to the next.

What is context?  Context is the who, what, where, why, when and how surrounding your example.  Some questions to consider…  Who is speaking (or is it the narrator’s thoughts)?  To whom?  When in the story?  What has just happened or is about to happen?  What is the important information missing in the example itself that will help the reader make sense of it?

Be a good host… Serve your guest a slice of PIE…  A good way to remind yourself to introduce and contextualize is to remember P.I.E…  P REPARE your reader for the example that is to come.  I NSERT the quote or paraphrase into the sentence smoothly  E XPLAIN why your example is relevant to your paper with commentary.

Transition with “Subordinators”  Some useful transition words to begin with…  TIME: after, before, since, when, while, as, whenever, until, by the time, as soon as…  CAUSE-EFFECT: because, since, as…  OPPOSITION WORDS: while, whereas, although, though, even though…

Punctuation…  If what comes before your example is…  A complete sentence, use a colon (:)  Priscilla’s size and personality usually keep her out of the attention of the Kobras: “Priscilla was sort of above everything, if you’ll pardon the pun. And very calm, as only the very big can be. If there was anybody who didn’t notice Klutter’s Kobras, it was Priscilla” (6).  An incomplete sentence, use a comma (,)  When Melvin asks the Kobra what the pass is required for this time, the thug responds by saying, “a dwarf tax” (7).

Citations…  There is no punctuation at the end of the quotation; the period goes AFTER the parenthetical citation of page number. Also notice that there is no “p.” “pg.” “page” “pp.”; you just write the number of the page in the parenthesis:  EX: When Monk tries to hit Melvin, Priscilla steps between them and “In a move of pure poetry, Priscilla has Monk in a hammerlock” (7).  The two exceptions to the “no punctuation at the end of the quotation rule” are when quotations end with either an exclamation mark (!) or question mark (?). Notice that the period still goes at the end of the sentence.  EX: After Priscilla steps in between the Kobra and Melvin, she says to the gang member, “Who’s you leader wimp?” (7).

Special Rules…  When quoting dialogue, if EVERYTHING you are quoting is the same dialogue, then you just use double quotes.  When quoting dialogue, if your quotation moves in and out of dialogue, then you use SINGLE quotes inside the double quotes to indicate the dialogue.  Use ellipsis (... ) to omit material that is not needed. Do not use ellipsis at the beginning or end of the quote.  Alter a quote for clarity by placing the change in brackets

Three Styles of Lead-ins…  SOMEBODY SAYS lead- in…  After Priscilla steps in between the Kobra and Melvin, she says to the gang member, “Who’s you leader wimp?” (7).

Three Styles of Lead-ins…  SENTENCE lead-in…  Priscilla’s size and personality usually keeps her out of the attention of the Kobras: “Priscilla was sort of above everything, you’ll pardon the pun…If there was anybody who didn’t notice Klutter’s Kobras, it was Priscilla” (6).

Three Styles of Lead-ins…  BLENDED Lead-in…  When Monk tries to hit Melvin, Priscilla steps between them and “in a move of pure poetry, Priscilla has Monk in a hammerlock” (7).