Using Quotes in an Essay

When we copy words and phrases from another source, we must enclose those words or phrases in quotation marks. Quotation marks look like this: “ “

Since academic essays use quotes so often, you should avoid using quotation marks for anything but: 1.titles of minor works 2.quotations

Example of a Title of a Minor Work The show is titled Lost. We saw the episode titled “All the Best Cowboys” in class.

Example of a Quotation It is easy for the average American to ignore environmental issues because “advertisers…tell some stories and not others” (Corbett 239).

Example of a Quotation In the past, advertising “asserted that although the rich enjoyed a variety of luxuries, the acquisition of their one most significant luxury would provide…satisfaction” (Marchand 183).

Example of a Quotation from a TV show On the show Lost, the character Jack said, “I am not racist, guys” (“All the Best Cowboys”).

To use quotes correctly, remember these three rules: 1.Never begin a sentence with a quote 2.Make sure that the sentence in which the quote appears is grammatically correct. 3.Always include a parenthetical citation after the quote

Never begin a sentence with a quote.

Magazines begin sentences with quotes Newspapers begin sentences with quotes Fiction begins sentences with quotes Academic essays do NOT begin sentences with quotes

Never begin a sentence with a quote. The narrator claims, “I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-Am” (Suess 4). The character “would not like them in a house” (Suess 12). Dr. Suess noted that some people “do not like green eggs and ham” (3).

You may also try to integrate the quotes into your own prose. Normal people simply “will not eat green eggs and ham” (Suess 5), but non-normal people do (Reyes 45).

Make Sure the Sentence in Which the Quote Appears Is Grammatically Correct

Properly Punctuate Your Quotes Example: The character “would not like them in a house” (Suess 12). In this example, there is no comma before the quote because grammatically, you do not need a comma.

Properly Punctuate Your Quotes Example: The narrator claims, “I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-Am” (Suess 4). The above example needs a comma according to grammatical usage rules.

Properly Punctuate Your Quotes Example: The character “would not like them in a house” (Suess 12). Also, note that the ending punctuation goes AFTER the parenthetical citation.

Properly Punctuate Your Quotes Example: The character “would not like them in a house” (Suess 12). Also, there is NOTHING between author and page number in the parenthetical citation.

Properly Punctuate Your Quotes Example: The character “would not like them in a house” (Suess 12). Finally, only capitalize words in the quote that are capitalized in the original text.

When quoting, only capitalize those words that were capitalized in the original quote. Examples: (From SOL 183) Ads featured “the everyday functioning” (Marchand 183). According to the essay, “In its most common advertising formula, the concept of the Democracy of Goods” (Marchand 183).

Remember to keep the sentences where quotes appear grammatically correct. Use ellipses (…) or brackets ( [ ] ) to achieve this.

Ellipses are used when you want to cut out one or more than one word in a row from the middle of the original quote. They look like:... The author said, “quote, quote... quote”(Smith 44).

However never use ellipses to change the original meaning of the quote. Original quote: “I did not murder Nicole.” Example (never do this): O.J. Simpson said, “I did…murder Nicole.”

Do not use ellipses at the beginning or end of a quote unless you are working with poetry. Original Quote: “I did not murder her.” The suspect “did not murder her” (Reyes 9). NOT: The suspect “…did not murder her” (Reyes 9).

Brackets are used when you need to add a word to clarify a pronoun or change the tense of a verb. They look like: [ ]

Brackets are square parentheses. Brackets within a quote indicate words you have added. Only add: – words that clarify a pronoun – words that clarify a relationship between words in the quote – verb tense changes – [sic] this means “said in context.” use it after a grammar error

Examples ORIGINAL QUOTE: “I do not like them with a mouse. I do not like them in a house. I do not like Green Eggs and Ham. I do not like them Sam-I-Am.” Suess suggests that the narrator “[does] not like them with a mouse…[or] in a house” (7). The narrator insists he “[does] not like them with a mouse” (Suess 7).

Brackets are also used in the case of [sic] or “said in context.” Use [sic] after any grammar or spelling errors that appear in the original quote.

Original Quote: “Now the Star-Belly Sneetches had bellies with stars. The Plain-Belly Sneetches had none upon thars.” According to Suess, “the Plain-Belly Sneetches [have] none upon thars [sic]” (3). According to Suess, “the Plain-Belly Sneetches [have] none upon thars [sic]” (3) but still wanted said stars.

More about Punctuating Quotes Remember that when you use a quote in a sentence, periods and commas go AFTER the parenthetical citation. Example: – The narrator “would not like them in a house” (Suess 12).

More about Punctuating Quotes However, when there is no parenthetical citation, periods and commas go INSIDE the quotation marks. Example: – The student said, “I like the story.”

More about Punctuating Quotes This rule applies to quotes AND indicating the titles of minor works. Example: – The student read the short story “A Rose for Emily.”

More about Punctuating Quotes Thus, periods and commas, when they appear after a quote or title of a minor work, go INSIDE the quotation marks. Example: – The student read the short story “A Rose for Emily.”

More about Punctuating Quotes However, other punctuation goes OUTSIDE: – colons – semicolons – question marks – exclamation marks Example: – Did the student read the short story “A Rose for Emily”?

More about Punctuating Quotes Any punctuation within a title, include as it appears If the title has punctuation already, there is no need to add additional ending punctuation. Example: – The student read the short story “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf?” – The student read the short story “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf?” and liked it.

More about Punctuating Quotes The following examples are correct: 1.The student read the short story “A Rose for Emily.” 2.The student read “A Rose for Emily,” a short story. 3.Did the student read the short story “A Rose for Emily”? 4.The student read the short story “A Rose for Emily,” and he enjoyed it. 5.The student read the short story “A Rose for Emily” and enjoyed it. 6.The student read the short story “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf?” 7.The student read the short story “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf?” and enjoyed it.

Quotes without Parenthetical Citation Whenever you use quotation marks (whether with titles of minor works or with actual quotes) AND those quotes don’t need parenthetical citation, AND your sentences ends with a period or a comma, the period or comma go INSIDE the quotes. I hate the short story “A Rose for Emily.” How could anyone hate the short story “A Rose for Emily”?

Original Quote: “Now the Star-Belly Sneetches had bellies with stars. The Plain-Belly Sneetches had none upon thars.” – Dr. Suess sets up two groups of Sneetches: one with stars and one without (3). – According to Suess, “the Plain-Belly Sneetches [have] none upon thars [sic]” (3). – Some Sneetches have stars (Suess 3). However, some do not (3).

3.Always include a parenthetical citation.

Parenthetical citation tells the author’s last name and what page number the material was found on. It looks like this: The narrator said, “I do not like green eggs and ham” (Suess 120).

The character asked, “What does it all mean?” (Smith 45). Did the character ask, “What does it all mean?” (Smith 45)?

The other information, such as publisher and copyright, will be on the work cited page.

Note! If you use the author’s name in the introductory material, there is no need to repeat it. Example: – The author Dr. Suess wrote, “I will not eat green eggs and ham” (45).

Note! If you are only quoting one author in the entire essay, you only need use his or her name in the first parenthetical.