1. Seven Tips For…
Embedding Quotations

2. Introduce every quotation grammatically into sentence
Do not violate the rules of grammar to include the quotation.
WRONG (ungrammatical): Macbeth has changed "Out, out, brief candle!" (5.5.23).
RIGHT: A changed man, Macbeth wearily exclaims, "Out, out, brief candle!" (5.5.23).
WRONG: (ungrammatical) “There is a way to be good again” (192) means he can find redemption.
RIGHT: When Rahim Khan tell Amir, “There is a way to be good again,” (192) he is suggesting to Amir that he can find redemption for his past sins.

3. Do not use a “Quote Bomb”
Integrating a quote involves a SIGNAL and COMMENTARY
A SIGNAL is the author or speaker’s name or the situation.
COMMENTARY connects the quote to the text and shows the relevance of the quote.
RIGHT: Rahmin Khan, when inviting Amir back to Afghanistan [SIGNAL], tells him “There is a way to be good again” and, at this point, Amir begins his true moral growth. [COMMENTARY]
WRONG (no SIGNAL): Macbeth has changed. "Out, out, brief candle!" (5.5.23).

4. Comment on the significance
Clearly indicate the context of the passage and the purpose it serves in your argument.
Explain how the quote is relevant to your thesis
WRONG (no commentary): Macbeth says, "Out, out, brief candle!" (5.5.23).
RIGHT: Upon hearing that his wife has died, Macbeth can only cry, "Out, out, brief candle!" (5.5.23), for life now seems to him no more than a flame that quickly vanishes.

5. DO NOT quote by saying, “Hosseini writes that…”
Fully make quotes a part of your writing
WRONG: Rahmin Khan, when inviting Amir back to Afghanistan tells him “There is a way to be good again” (192). This quote means that at this point, Amir begins his true moral growth.
RIGHT: When Rahmin Khan tells Amir, “There is a way to be good again,” (192) Amir realizes he can find redemption.
WRONG: Emily's cane has "a tarnished gold head" (27). This shows that her glory has faded.
RIGHT: Emily's cane has "a tarnished gold head" (27), symbolizing that her glory has faded.
RIGHT: The "tarnished gold head" (27) on Emily's cane is a symbol of faded glory.
RIGHT: Like the "tarnished gold head" (27) on her cane, Emily has lost her glow.

6. Use quotes to support your argument, not to replace it
Do not include quotes in the thesis, topic sentences, or concluding sentence of your papers
Find the BEST quotes that give details to support your argument.
Do not just find random quotes to throw in to a paper.
Your writing is an argument; use quotes as evidence to prove your claim.

7. Put the quote in context
Give the context and the speaker (when needed) BEFORE the quote
RIGHT: On Johnny’s first night away from his home, he realizes “to survive [he] had to be hard, had to watch, had to plot and plan, had to study each person he met…”(57).
NOTE: THIS SENTENCE STILL LACKS THE COMMENTARY

8. Use less than a sentence
By using only fragments of a line from the text, it forces you to incorporate your own language into the sentence with the quote.
WRONG: On Johnny’s first night away from his home, he is frightened. “He had to survive, had to be hard, had to watch, had to plot and plan, had to study each person he met…”(57).
RIGHT: On Johnny’s first night away from his home, he realizes “to survive [he] had to be hard, had to watch, had to plot and plan, had to study each person he met…”(57).
NOTE: BOTH EXAMPLES LACK COMMENTARY

9. Make it “flow.”
Read your sentence aloud. Can you “hear” the quotation marks? You shouldn’t be able to.
WRONG: Morris uses the shovel as a symbol of strength in the novel. This is shown when he writes, “the shovel made [Timmy] feel like he was holding the scepter of Zeus” (334).
RIGHT: Morris uses the shovel as a symbol of strength in the novel. When Timmy finally musters the courage to use the shovel, his hand upon its wooden handle makes him “feel like he was holding the scepter of Zeus” (334).