How To Make a Quotation Sandwich

A quotation sandwich has 3 main parts Introduction Quotation Explain

An example of a quote sandwich When Davy shoots the goose, Reuben describes his brother’s intense expression. Reuben finds it striking that “on his face is nothing at all but the knowledge that the goose is his” (Enger 16). This scene, and Reuben’s description of it, foreshadows the scene where, with equal calmness and confidence, Davy shoots and kills Tommy Basca and Israel Finch. Etc.

1. Introduction Where in the story the quote is from Which character said or thought it What is happening at that moment Example: When Davy shoots the goose, Reuben describes his brother’s expression. Reuben finds it striking that “on his face is nothing at all but the knowledge that the goose is his” (Enger 16). This scene, and Reuben’s description of it, foreshadows the scene where, with equal calmness and confidence, Davy shoots and kills Tommy Basca and Israel Finch. Etc.

1.5 Smooth Quote Introductions The quotation should always be part of the introduction sentence’s grammatical pattern. Yes: Reuben finds it striking that “on his face is nothing at all but the knowledge that the goose is his” (Enger 16). No: Davy’s expression worries Reuben “on his face is nothing at all…” (Enger 16). No: Reuben finds Davy’s expression striking. “On his face…” (Enger 16). If you can’t work a quote into the context sentence smoothly, introduce it with a colon. Davy’s intense expression puzzles Reuben: “on his face is nothing at all but the knowledge that the goose is his” (Enger 16).

2. Quote Should not be too long Should not merely state a fact or be used to restate your intro/explanation Must be punctuated correctly Must be followed by the correct citation Example: When Davy shoots the goose, Reuben describes his brother’s expression. Reuben finds it striking that “on his face is nothing at all but the knowledge that the goose is his” (Enger 16). This scene, and Reuben’s description of it, foreshadows the scene where, with equal calmness and confidence, Davy shoots and kills Tommy Basca and Israel Finch. Etc.

2.5 Punctuating the quotation The quote will start with a lower case letter if you start in mid-sentence Reuben finds it striking that “on his face is nothing at all but the knowledge that the goose is his” (Enger 16). The quote will start with a capital letter if it is the beginning of a sentence Reuben recalls clearly Davy’s shooting of the goose, emphasizing how “His right index finger is just whitening on the trigger, and on his face is nothing at all but the knowledge that the goose is his” (Enger 16).

2.5 Punctuating the Quote (cont.) The author and page number will be in parentheses after the quote. Reuben finds it striking that “on his face is nothing at all but the knowledge that the goose is his” (Enger 16). There is no comma between the author’s name and page number The page number is not introduced with “page” or “pg.” If you mention the author’s name in the sentence, it does not need to be repeated in the parentheses. Enger emphasizes how Reuben finds it striking that “on his face is nothing at all but the knowledge that the goose is his” (16).

2.5 Punctuating the Quote (cont.) The period goes after the parenthesis. ….striking that “on his face is nothing at all but the knowledge that the goose is his” (Enger 16). When a quotation ends with a question mark or an exclamation point, leave the end punctuation inside the quotation mark and add a period after the parenthesis. In the opening of the novel, Reuben points out to the reader that most babies cry at birth: “How you yowled!" (Enger 8).

3. Explanation/Analysis Your interpretation Explain how it proves your point Describe what the quote reveals Example: When Davy shoots the goose, Reuben describes his brother’s expression. Reuben finds it striking that “on his face is nothing at all but the knowledge that the goose is his” (Enger 16). This scene, and Reuben’s description of it, foreshadows the scene where, with equal calmness and confidence, Davy shoots and kills Tommy Basca and Israel Finch. Etc.

Quote Sandwich…mmm…delicious! When Davy shoots the goose, Reuben describes his brother’s expression. Reuben finds it striking that “on his face is nothing at all but the knowledge that the goose is his” (Enger 16). This scene, and Reuben’s description of it, foreshadows the scene where, with equal calmness and confidence, Davy shoots and kills Tommy Basca and Israel Finch. Etc. Introduction Quote Explanation /Analysis

Some notes This example was a very simple version of a quote sandwich. The context, quote, and analysis can, and often will be, more than one sentence each. The main purpose of quoting is to support your analysis.