Intergrating Quotations into your text response essays Less is More Intergrating Quotations into your text response essays

As a general rule…….. Quotations in your essay are absoultely necessary. Failure to use them will result in a lower grade essay. You should use at least 5 quotes in each paragragh. The best students use many more than this. In year 12, a good essay will contain 50+ quotes. Quotes need to be short, sharp and snappy. Do not use a three sentence quote! If you are using 3 sentences, you are most likely waffling.

Rules……. You will never remember a three sentence quote in an examination setting but you will remember 3 words! Use quotation marks to show that you are using a quotation. Do not start your sentence with a quote. Integrate it within the sentence while not interrupting the flow and syntax.

Some practical examples…….. They both live in rural Victoria "trying to scratch a living" and seem to "put in the work" without getting the "rewards". 3 Quotes are successfully integrated into this sentence. The sentence makes full sense, and is not frangmented. The longest quote is 4 words, the shortest is 1. One word quotes are useful in showing your reader that you have read and remembered key ideas and concepts in a text. Remember, ‘less is more’.

Another example……. In this example, one quote is used in 2 different ways…. Quick to play the victim, William recalls how he is ‘not welcome in Rushton’ and he questions his father’s capacity to treat him ‘better than his dogs.’ Compare this with: Their opinions are products of their environment where ‘gay men are not welcome’ and ‘piss weak coon’ is part of their vernacular. Quotes are quite interchangeable and can work in a number of contexts. Remember that the aim of a sentence is to make full sense.

The less is more test……. Which key words would you use in the following quotations to show meaning? ‘If I sell this place, Nugget will be a farmer without a farm.’ ‘They make it pretty rough. White teacher living with a blackfella’ ‘A man has to live or die on his own piece of dirt. That’s always been the way hasn’t it?’

Key words……….. ‘If I sell this place, Nugget will be a farmer without a farm.’ ‘They make it pretty rough. White teacher living with a blackfella’ ‘A man has to live or die on his own piece of dirt. That’s always been the way hasn’t it?’ Use the main idea in the quote, not the quote in its entirety.

More integrated quote examples…. Their ‘Australian way of life’ is to sustain a town where ‘people say g’day to each other in the street’ and ‘pooftas’, ‘wogs’ and ‘thieving Greeks’ know their place. In this ‘limbo between being and nothingness’ exists a community where ‘a man has to live or die on his own piece of dirt’. Have a try at writing your own…. season your essay with quotes and be generous with the serving size!