1. Incorporating quoted material into literary analysis
Embedded quotes
Incorporating quoted material into literary analysis

2. But first… don’t write in 2nd person!
You, You’re, You’ll, etc.
Yuck… too informal, too much like spoken language
Change to 1st or 3rd person

3. Don’t use 2nd person…
One theme in “The Interlopers” is you shouldn’t hate Swap “you” with = we, people
One theme for “The Interlopers” is that you get what you wish for Swap “you” with = we/we, people/they
If like the two characters, you’re enemies with someone, you could try to become friends.

4. Redundant or hesitant language
Don’t use the following phrases in your writing:
I think..
I feel..
I believe..
One possible theme is..
In my opinion..
In my eyes..
Unnecessary, diminishes your credibility and persuasiveness

5. Why should I use quotes? To support my argument.
To demonstrate my familiarity with the text.
To avoid getting kicked out of school for plagiarism!

6. Embedded vs dropped-in
An embedded quote flows naturally into your own writing. When reading a well-embedded quote, it should sound like part of your own sentence.
A dropped-in quote does not flow with the rest of the sentence. It sounds jarring and disrupts the sentence and paragraph.

7. Example #1
Beneatha is a character who believes in freedom of expression. She said this quote: “People have to express themselves one way or another” (Hansberry 48).
Beneatha is a character who believes that “people need to express themselves one way or another” (Hansberry 48).

8. Example #2
Holden gets frustrated and decides to leave. “People are always ruining things for you” (Salinger 88).
Holden gets frustrated and decides to leave, claiming that “people are always ruining things” (Salinger 88).
Holden gets frustrated and decides to leave. He claims that “people are always ruining things” (Salinger 88).

9. punctuation Capitalization Leaving words out Adding words in
Where to put the period.

10. capitalization
The quote is part of your sentence. Do not capitalize any word unless it would ordinarily be capitalized.
Example: Holden gets frustrated and decides to leave, claiming that “people are always ruining things” (Salinger 88).
Do not capitalize “people” even though in the original text it is the first word of the sentence.

11. Omitting words
When it is necessary to leave out a few words from the original text, use an ellipses (…) indicating where the words were skipped.
He claims that “people are … ruining things” (Salinger 88).

12. Changing words
Sometimes a word needs to be changed in order for the sentence to be grammatically correct.
She is just about to apologize when she realizes that this nun is not “Mama or Papa [who she] could argue things with” (Alvarez 15).
The original text is written in first person.

13. Using quotes in a paragraph
Lead your reader into the quote.
Use the quoted material.
Explain how the quote relates to the main point of your paragraph.

14. For example..
Ulrich feels bad for Georg and begins to think they could be friends, which was “an idea that gained strength every time he looked across at the man who was fighting so grimly against pain and exhaustion,” and apologizes, saying that he’s changed his mind about killing him (Saki 3). They forgive each other and agree to become friends, proving that enemies can always be forgiven.

15. Another Example..
General Zaroff, the antagonist in “The Most Dangerous Game,” is wealthy. Shortly after arriving at Zaroff’s home, Rainsford notices Zaroff’s clothes were made by a tailor who normally “cuts for ranks no lower than a duke” (34). Either Zaroff is a high ranking official, or he has enough money to afford this prestigious tailor anyway.

16. Where to put the period
The closing punctuation always goes at the very end of the sentence, i.e. after the parenthetical citation.
Beneatha is a character who believes that “people need to express themselves one way or another” (Hansberry 48).

17. Cite your sources!
Avoid plagiarism! At the end of the sentence, include a parenthetical citation.
In most cases, the author’s name and page number is required (Author 348).
In some cases, only a page number is needed (348).
Why?

18. Works Cited page
The parenthetical citations co-ordinate with the works cited page included at the end of your paper.
Helpful websites for proper formatting:

19. Basic format
Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication.

20. How could we merge this idea and the direct quote together?
Idea: Ulrich and Georg had been fighting their entire lives, and they even wanted to murder each other. It was not until the tree fell on top of them that they finally agreed to push aside their issues.
Quote: “Neighbor, if you help me to bury the quarrel– I will ask you to be my friend.”