1. Quote embedding G

2. Embedding quotes
Quote embedding is a skill you need to know for your writing assignments in Sophomore year.
Ms. Nguyen and I will be grading your quote embedding on the integrated written final exam.
Quote embedding makes your essay flow better and strengthens your formal literary style.

3. How to embed a quote:
Find a way to introduce the quote INSIDE a sentence, instead of placing it alone.
Before (not embedded – two sentences):
Achebe characterizes Okonkwo as aggressive to show that his main motivation in life is appearing strong. “Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and weakness” (Achebe 14).
After (good embedding):
Achebe characterizes Okonkwo as aggressive to show that “down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and weakness” (Achebe 14). This shows his main motivation in life is appearing strong.
Better embedding:
Achebe characterizes Okonkwo as aggressive, although “down in his heart [he] was not a cruel man” (Achebe 14). However, “his whole life was dominated by […] the fear of failure and weakness” and this motivation to appear strong drives the plot of the story.

4. How to embed a quote: Use embedding to avoid repeating information.
Before (not embedded):
Okonkwo’s father is lazy, and so he does not have any advantages to start his life. “With a father like Unoka, Okonkwo did not have the start in life which many young men had” (Achebe #).
Notice how this example repeats the same information. Find a way to make the quote speak for itself.
Embedded (basic):
In the beginning of the novel, Achebe shows that “With a father like Unoka, Okonkwo did not have the start in life which many young men had” (Achebe #).
Embedded (Advanced):
Early in the novel it becomes clear that Unoka is so lazy that “Okonkwo did not have the start in life which many young men had” (Achebe #).

5. Quote embedding tips DO NOT!
. . . use quotes to repeat the same thing you’ve written:
Boxer believes that Napoleon is always correct. He says, “Napoleon is always right” (X). NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
>> Boxer believes that “Napoleon is always right” (x). Good!
. . . use quotes that are very long.
You want to focus on the section of the quote that makes your point. Use an ellipsis […] whenever a part of a sentence is omitted.
Use paraphrasing to sum up a long part of the quote, then quote the important words.

6. Quote embedding tips DO!
Use quote embedding to provide Context - explain what’s happening.
This can be very brief:
Snowball suggests building a windmill to power the farm, and that it “could all be done in a year” (Orwell 5) but Napoleon maintained that “the great need of the moment was to increase food production” (Orwell 6).
You can also use transitions:
In the beginning, the Commandment reads, “No animal shall sleep in a bed” (Orwell 20). But by the end, the animals realize it reads, “No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets” (Orwell 60). They blame their poor memories for the change.

7. Quote embedding tips DO NOT
…use 1st or 2nd person pronouns in your formal literary papers.
No I/me/we/us/you
I will prove that / as you can see / It is my opinion that / I believe that NO
Try to start avoiding phrases like…
This quote shows / This shows that / This proves that
It says on page 63 / In the book it says
But if you are thinking, “I want to embed quotes but I am not sure how else to do it,” then keep using these as you develop those skills 

8. Quote embedding tips DO NOT
Connect two complete sentences with just a comma. THAT IS A COMMA SPLICE! Don’t do it!
BAD EXAMPLE – don’t do this!:
Okonkwo loves Ezinma, “If Ezinma had been a boy I would have been happier” (Achebe 54). Those are two different sentences, so you cannot just join them with a comma! This is not embedding.
HOW TO FIX IT:
Okonkwo loves Ezinma, and thinks to himself, “If Ezinma had been a boy I would have been happier” (Achebe 54).
Okonkwo thinks to himself that if Ezinma had been born a boy, he “would have been happier” (Achebe 54).

9. Quote embedding tips DO NOT
Create a sentence that does not make grammatical sense. The whole thing should still flow as a normal sentence, even with the quote.
BAD EXAMPLE – don’t do this!:
When the time comes for Ikemefuna to go into the forest, “looked back, and the man growled at him to go on” (Achebe 13).
HOW TO FIX IT – always read the sentence and make sure it flows:
When the time comes for Ikemefuna to go into the forest, Ikemefuna “looked back, and the man growled at him to go on” (Achebe 13).