Using Quotations

“You Can Quote Me On That”  A quote is the exact wording of a statement from a source  Quotes make your ideas and opinions more believable, in writing or speaking. They are evidence that can support your thesis and statements.  There are several types of quotes

Direct Quotes  Quotes printed word for word exactly as the author wrote them are direct quotes.  These words appear in quotation marks  The attribution appears outside the quotation marks  The attribution is the phrase that tells who said it—where you got the information

Examples of Direct Quotes  “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it,” said Matthew Broderick as Ferris Bueller in the famous 1986 film.  “I shall call him Squishy and he shall be mine and he shall be my Squishy,” states the lovable Ellen DeGeneres as Dory in the film, Finding Nemo.

Indirect Quotes  If the information from a source is not the author’s exact words, they are not placed in quotation marks. This is an indirect quote or paraphrase  Indirect quotes are used to:  Express a fact or statement  Clarify a quote that is too long, confusing, or dull  Condense the ideas of several direct quotes

Indirect Quotes or Paraphrases  Never change the meaning of a quote when you paraphrase!  You still need to cite (give credit to) your source, whether you quote, paraphrase, or summarize information from it.  DQ: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it,” said Matthew Broderick as Ferris Bueller in the famous 1986 film.  P: Ferris Bueller, played by Matthew Broderick, gave great advice about not missing out on all that life has to offer.

Paraphrases  A paraphrase is when textual evidence is presented in your own words. The paraphrase must include different words and different sentence structure.  Paraphrased information is not placed in quotation marks.

Partial Quotes  Sometimes you want to use a part of a quote rather than the whole thing. This is called a partial quote. To do this, only include quoted words or phrases inside the quotation marks.  Partial quotes are useful when the original is too long or not very interesting, or just plain confusing. In that case you can quote a phrase and paraphrase the rest.

Example of a Partial Quote  In his novel, Styles at LCC, author Harry Skaulp states that spiked hair is a “part of our cultural heritage, not merely a symbol of rebellion,” adding that he thinks nose piercing should be mandatory (75).

Summary  A summary is a condensed version of a long piece of text.  Use summary when you want to provide your reader with some relevant background information.  Even if you summarize information from a text, you must cite it.  A summary does not require quotation marks.

Deciding when to Quote o Avoid over-quoting o Quote words when how it is said is as important as what is said. Otherwise, paraphrase information.

Punctuating Quotations  The author’s exact words go inside the quotation marks  The author’s exact punctuation should be included with the words inside the quotation marks  If there are mistakes or specific, unusual diction (word usage) in your quote that you want to keep, add the word “sic” in brackets [sic]. This tells your reader that you copied it as it was written and was not your mistake. Ex. She wrote, “They made there [sic] beds.”

Punctuating Quotes Cont.  If the quote seems ambiguous or unclear you may add words for clarity by including them in [brackets] Ex. “It [driving] imposes a heavy procedural workload on cognition that... leaves little processing capacity available for other tasks” (Taggart 16). The quote is taken out of context, so the pronoun antecedent is not established and causes confusion.

Integrating Quotations  Never just drop a quotation into your paper. Always introduce it and explain it with your own words.  A quote should never stand alone as its own sentence  There are three main ways to introduce quotations. These include:

A. Embedding Quotes  Embed the quotation within your sentence, punctuating it just as you would if it was not a quotation.  Ex. Mrs. Beshore teaches the use of quotation marks because quotes “add interest to writing and provide the best type of evidence to support an opinion or argument.”

B. Attribution  B. Introduce the quotation by using an attributive tag such as he writes, she claims, they stated, or she said, and follow it with a comma.  Ex. To describe her job Mrs. Beshore explained, “I never get bored, because no two days are ever the same.”

Attribution ctd.  The attribution phrase appears outside the quotation marks  Introduce a full sentence quotation by writing your own full sentence introduction followed by a colon to introduce the quotation  Ex. Richard Wright explains his reasons for writing: “I was striving for a level of expression that matched those of the novels I read” (“Richard Wright Biography”).

Standard Parenthetical Citation  Author’s last name - Farquhar  Page number – Farquhar 37  In parentheses - (Farquhar 37)  Before end punctuation mark – (Farquhar 37).  Despite what many people may think, the Founding Fathers did not all get along: “Busy as they were building a new nation, the Founding Fathers always managed to squeeze in enough time to tear each other apart”( Farquhar 37).

Some Notes on Citations  Online sources often do not have authors. In that case, write the title of the article in parentheses following the quote:  Example: ” Ads seek to grab your teen's attention, persuading him to feel something - even fear or intimidation - and to take action as a result”(“Children and Media: Advertising: Teens”).  *Note: Titles of articles from web sites go in quotation marks; Web site titles are written in italics: Pbs.org

Notes on citation cont.  If you mention the title of the article in the introduction to the quote, you do not need to cite it in parentheses:  Example: The article “Children and Media: Adverting: Teens,” stresses the need for teenagers to be aware of the persuasive nature of advertising: “Ads seek to grab your teen’s attention, persuading him to feel something-even fear or intimidation-and to take action as a result.”

And more citation notes...  If the quote ends in a period and it follows with a parenthetical citation, place the period outside of the closing parentheses.  Example: In his speech “A New Generation of Americans”, President Kennedy’s use of repetition emphasizes the difficulty of his goals: “Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days, nor in the life of this administration, nor even in our lifetime on our planet” (382).

Remember... o Use quotation marks for exact words taken from a source o You must cite information taken from a source whether you use it as a direct quote, a partial quote, a paraphrase or a summary. o Citations can be done either in parenthetical form or in-text