How to Quote a Quote

First, let me ask you this? Does this cake look good to you?

So, why did you say, “No”? You wouldn’t eat the ingredients of a cake one-by one. All the ingredients must be blended together. Quoted material must be blended into the entire “cake,” as well. You must use punctuation to connect each quote to the idea it follows.

How would you add this support? We were like some family on a TV commercial, with names like Myrtle and Fred. I could just hear us striking up a conversation about air fresheners. The Bean Trees, Barbara Kingsolver

All quotes must connect to what comes before. In a paper, you might state the following: Taylor begins to experience some frustration when she thinks that Lou Ann is trying to force her to play a traditional domestic role: “ We were like some family on a TV commercial, with names like Myrtle and Fred. I could just hear us striking up a conversation about air fresheners” (88). Please notice the placement of the punctuation and page number. Notice also the “connection” punctuation. What has been used? Notice also the use of PRESENT TENSE.

Context, quote, analysis Taylor begins to experience some frustration when she thinks that Lou Ann is trying to force her to behave “like some family on a TV commercial, with names like Myrtle and Fred” (88). Her use of these outdated names indicates her contempt for the traditional domestic roles.

How would you add this support? I walk down the hall, past the laundry room, and into the family room. I close the door behind me, muffling the rumbling of the small shoes in the dryer. “Where were you?” my mother says. “In the bathroom,” I say. “Hmph,” she says. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers

How to Add It All(no more than once in this paper) Your support might look like this: The novel begins with muffled sound and with what appears to be a typical uncommunicative conversation between a parent and child: I walk down the hall, past the laundry room, and into the family room. I close the door behind me, muffling the rumbling of the small shoes in the dryer. “Where were you?” my mother says. “In the bathroom,” I say. “Hmph,” she says. (1) If you have a longer quote, or one with dialogue layers, indent 10 spaces and keep the punctuation the same as it appears in the actual work itself. Notice the colon, however.

Notice how this rule changes when you decide to use less of the text. The novel begins with muffled sound and with what appears to be a typical uncommunicative conversation between a parent and child: “ I close the door behind me, muffling the rumbling of the small shoes in the dryer. ‘Where were you?’ my mother says” (1).

Paragraphs in general should: Make a point or introduce an idea that supports the thesis. Use a specific example (from the plot or about characters) to show that that idea is true. You may use an excerpt (quote)along with this example. Explain how this specific example (and excerpt if used) proves your idea is true (this is where you treat me like I am stupid—spell it out for me.)

In both Of Mice and Men and A Raisin in the Sun, prejudice exists as something that impedes the characters’ attainment of their goals. (this is #1—a point or idea. Can you guess my thesis?). In the novel, Lennie is retarded (this is a general example—not quite #2 yet) and when a girl in Weed accuses him of hurting her, the townspeople instantly want to hang him and he must flee with George. (THIS is a specific event used to show prejudice in one of the works—this is #2) If Lennie and George did not have to flee the town, they could have stayed and saved money and worked toward their dream of owning a ranch. The prejudice of the townspeople toward retarded people meant that Lennie could not even defend himself and because of this and the fact that he had to leave, he was moved further from his goal. (This explains the use of the example—this is step #4—and it takes two sentences here) What is the rest of this paragraph?

What You Need to Know Essentially, you will need to know just these few rules in order to use support quotes from any text. Remember, though, that quoted material is to be used as SUPPORT ONLY.Do not present the quoted material first and then “explain it.” Do not begin or end a paragraph with a quote.