Integrating Quotations Methods Three and Four Integrating Quotations

Why are quotations important? Quotations are an integral part of analytic writing. In the point, proof, explanation method, quotations are the foundation of each proof

Modern Language Association In English, we integrate and cite quotations using MLA (Modern Language Association) Referencing Many Arts disciplines in university will also use this Referencing Guide

In general, Quotations can never stand alone; you must introduce them Always follow a quotation/paraphrased proof with the page number in parentheses/brackets (if you are using more than one author, indicate the authors’ last names as well)

METHOD THREE: Integrating a quotation into a sentence A quotation can never stand alone One way to use a quotation is to integrate it into a sentence You may or may not need linking punctuation depending on the sentence Your sentence and quotation must flow together smoothly You may need to leave part of a quotation out and/or change a word or two to make this happen use … to indicate you have left out part of the text and [ ] to indicate a change

Make sure you provide CONTEXT For each quotation introduction it is important to provide some context Context helps the reader understand who is speaking (narrator or character) and what is happening at that point in the reading

Technical Tips The direct quotation should be in quotation marks Following the quotation, you must include brackets with the page number—the period goes after the brackets

Other Reminders If the quotation ends with a question mark or exclamation mark, keep this punctuation, but also put a period after the brackets

Examples: The reader feels sympathy for the protagonist because he is “wet and muddy and hungry and cold” (292). It becomes obvious to the reader that the protagonist shoots a human when he describes it as a “repulsive [creature]…with only two arms and two legs, ghastly white skins, and no scales” (293).

The narration demonstrates the horrors of war as the protagonist is “fifty thousand light-years from home, fighting on a strange world and crying out, ‘I can’t take this anymore!’” (293).   NOTE: If you use a combination of narration and dialogue, use double quotation marks for the whole proof and single quotation marks for dialogue

METHOD FOUR: Paraphrasing You may also paraphrase, or put examples in your own words, for proof You may choose to do this if there is a lengthy section of the text that describes an idea you want to use or if events happen over the course of several pages You MUST still provide a citation for these ideas

Example: The narration demonstrates the horrors of war by describing the protagonist as uncomfortable over and over again, far away from home and forced to kill an enemy (292-293).