Writing Tip: Integrating Quotes

The Problem:  When a quote is “dropped” into a paper without an introductory signal phrase, it causes problems. The reader may be surprised or confused The relevance of the quote may be unclear

For example…  T.S. Eliot, in his "Talent and the Individual," uses gender-specific language. "No poet, no artist of any art, has his complete meaning alone. His significance, his appreciation is the appreciation of his relation to the dead poets and artists" (Eliot 29).  What is wrong?

The Solution  Include a signal phrase that includes a noun (the author or character’s name) and a verb (such as: argues, compares, suggests, demonstrates, points out, etc) and that logically introduces the quote.

For example:  T.S. Eliot, in his "Talent and the Individual," uses gender-specific language. He argues, for instance, that "no poet, no artist of any art, has his complete meaning alone. His significance, his appreciation is the appreciation of his relation to the dead poets and artists" (Eliot 29).

Colons are also useful  T.S. Eliot, in his "Talent and the Individual," uses gender-specific language: "No poet, no artist of any art, has his complete meaning alone. His significance, his appreciation is the appreciation of his relation to the dead poets and artists" (Eliot 29).

Brevity is also important…  It may not always be necessary to use an entire passage to prove your point.  To use only a phrase you must weave the quote into your own sentence.

For example:  It is striking that though "women novelists have probably dominated American literature since the middle of the nineteenth century," our literary tradition is still incredibly gender specific (Schweickart 201).

Practice  Take a look at one of the quotes you chose.  Rewrite that quote using a signal phrase.  Next, make sure that you have at least one sentence following the quote that provides commentary.

Following a Quote  Integrating a quote without commentary is not enough. You need to include commentary on the content of the quote.

Starting Commentary  This is important because…  This reveals…  This emphasizes…  This shows…

Content of commentary  2-3 sentences that connect back to the topic sentence

Citing quotes  In order to avoid plagiarism, you need to CITE the text that you took the information from.  In the case of a novel, you need to write the author and page number. Eric observed, “Mark is a big jerk” (Crutcher 42).