Quote Integration Guidelines
Our goal: To learn how to integrate supporting quotes into your essays so that the quotes flow smoothly out of your own words. That way, the quotes are given a context, they become part of your argument, and they do not distract the reader from your ideas.
Some guidelines/reminders:
NO: After June's humiliating piano recital, Waverly adds insult to injury. "You aren't a genius like me" (Tan 151).YES: After June's humiliating piano recital, Waverly adds insult to injury by declaring, "You aren't a genius like me" (Tan 151).
· Do not leave your quotes "standing alone." Make sure they are clearly connected to the argument you are trying to make.
The way to avoid “stand alone” quotes is to use a signal phrase that incorporates the quotation smoothly into your writing and, just as importantly, provides context for the material.
Very often a signal phrase will also name the author of the quoted material, thus serving at once to include the quotation smoothly and to attribute the idea to its source, as in the following example:
o Although the oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico is drifting west of the Mississippi River, it could still threaten points east. According to Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, “Depending on which way the wind blows, it could threaten Mississippi, Alabama and Florida as well.''
Other times, signal phrases simply rely on verbs to introduce the quotation:
o A Coast Guard official affirmed “Depending on which way the wind blows, it could threaten Mississippi, Alabama and Florida as well.''
Vary the signal phrases you use to introduce quotations, and choose them with care.
o Use the verb that most closely captures how your source is presenting the idea. Is the author you are quoting merely saying something? Or would it be more accurate to write that the source is arguing a point, making an observation, reporting facts, drawing a conclusion, refuting an argument, or stating a belief? Choose the verb that makes the author’s stance clear. There are many available to use, including these:
acknowledges
adds
admits
affirms
agrees
answers
argues
asks
asserts
attacks
believes
calls
claims
comments
compares
concedes
confirms
contends
counters
counterattacks
declares
defines
denies
disputes
echoes
emphasizes
endorses
estimates
finds
grants
illustrates
implies
insinuates
insists
labels
mentions
notes
observes
points out
predicts
proposes
reasons
recognizes
recommends
refutes
rejects
reports
responds
retorts
reveals
says
speculates
states
suggests
surmises
tells
thinks
warns
writes
· Use brackets ([ ]) and ellipses (. . .) to change verbs or other parts of the original quotes when necessary. This technique is especially useful for maintaining present tense in your paper. P.S. Know the difference between using (. . .) and (. . . .).
NO: Dwight is a bully who takes out his anger and insecurity on those who are weaker than he is. "This made him furious; on the way back to the car he would kill anything he saw. He killed chipmunks, squirrels, blue jays, and robins"(Wolff 171).YES: Dwight is a bully who takes out his anger and insecurity on those who are weaker than he is. While hunting, he boosts his ego by "kill[ing] anything he [sees]. He kill[s] chipmunks, squirrels, blue jays, and robins" (Wolff 171).
· If you're quoting poetry, make sure you use a slash (/) to indicate where each line ends. That way, you are staying true to the text, and the reader will know that you are quoting poetry, instead of prose.
Ex.: When Duncan asks for an update on the battle, the captain describes the struggling armies as "two spent swimmers that do cling together/And choke their art" (Macbeth 1.2.10-11).· At the end of the quote, use the QUO-PAR-PUNC Rule: Quotation marks-Parentheses-Punctuation. Within the parentheses, you usually write the author's last name and the page number. If you are only quoting from one book throughout your paper, then you only have to put the page number. If you are quoting Shakespeare or any play, you need to cite the play, act, scene, and line numbers.
NO: When Waverly accuses her mother of showing off, Lindo's eyes turn "into dangerous black slits. She ha[s] no words for [Waverly], just sharp silence. (Tan 102)"YES: When Waverly accuses her mother of showing off, Lindo's eyes turn "into dangerous black slits. She ha[s] no words for [Waverly], just sharp silence" (Tan 102).
Note: If a quote ends with a question mark or exclamation point, then put that punctuation before the quotation marks, to make sure the intended emotion is retained.
· If there is a quote within the quote you are using, then use single quotation marks to set off the inner quote.
Ex.: When Lena shows Ying-Ying around her new house, Ying-Ying complains that "the slant of the floor makes her feel as if she is 'running down'" (Tan 163).· When your quote is longer than four lines, "block it off" from the rest of your paragraph. In this case, you don't use quotation marks (except for lines of dialogue), and the QUO-PAR-PUNC rule does not apply. (Note: Avoid using very long quotes--they sometimes bog the paper down.)
Ex.: Lady Macbeth calls on supernatural powers so that she can assist in Duncan's murder:. . . Come you spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,
And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full
Of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood.
Stop up th'access and passage to remorse,
That no compunctious visitings of nature
Shake my fell purpose . . . . (Macbeth 1.5.47-53)
Lady Macbeth thus reveals the all-consuming nature of her ambition: she is even willing to give up her identity as a woman to get what she wants. (And the paper goes on from there.)
· Last but not least, always remember to cite your quotes properly. Do not risk plagiarizing the author's words. On that note…
Parenthetical Citation Cheat Sheet
What goes in the parentheses of my in-text citations?
The general rule is this: whatever appears FIRST in the citation on your Works Cited page is what goes in the parentheses.
· 9/10 times, it will be the authors last name
· For print copies of books, this must be followed by the page #, like this: (Orwell 27)
o Note that there is no comma between the last name and the page number. Note also that there is no “pg.” or “p.” or “page” in there!
What about if I have two books by the same author?
After the last name, you must include a shortened title for the particular work from which you are quoting to distinguish it from the others. Put short titles of books in ______and short titles of articles in ______. For example:
· (Orwell, Nineteen Eighty Four 27)
· (Orwell, “Shooting an Elephant” 27)
What if I don’t have a page number?
For Lit Crit, don’t worry. You don’t need one. Just use the author’s last name.
· (Smith)
For e-books, DO NOT USE THE LOCATION NUMBERING SYSTEM because it’s not consistent between different editions and different e-readers. Instead use chapter numbers, like the example below.
· (Orwell, Ch. 2)
N.B.: There IS a comma between the author’s last name and the chapter number. You DO NOT need to write out the whole word “chapter,” but should instead use the abbreviation exactly as it appears above.
What if I don’t have the author’s name?
When the source on your works cited page has no author, use a shortened title of the work instead of an author name. Place the title in “quotation marks” if it's a short work (such as an article or poem) or italics if it's a longer work (e.g. plays of 3 or more acts, books, television shows, entire Web sites) and provide a page number.
· We see so many global warming hotspots in North America likely because this region has "more readily accessible climatic data and more comprehensive programs to monitor and study environmental change . . ." ("Impact of Global Warming" 6).
This in-text citation contains a short form of an article title, but it is detailed enough to lead a reader to the correct entry on the works cited page, which looks like this:
"The Impact of Global Warming in North America."Global Warming: Early Signs. 1999. Web. 23 Mar. 2009.
Quote Integration/Citation Worksheet
Exercise: Explain the specific mistake(s) in each of the following passages. Then correct the passage so that the quote is smoothly and clearly integrated. Make the best corrections possible with the information you have available.
1. During their fight in the hotel room, Tom sows seeds of doubt about Gatsby’s character, causing Daisy to question her own judgment. Gatsby becomes desperate. "[H]e began to talk excitedly to Daisy, denying everything, defending his name against accusations that had not been made." (Fitzgerald 142)
2. After Gatsby’s funeral, Nick reacts with disillusionment. “After Gatsby’s death, the East was haunted for me like that, distorted beyond my eyes’ power of correction. So when the blue smoke of brittle leaves was in the air and the wind blew the wet laundry stiff on the line I decided to come back home.” (pg. 184)
3. An-Mei teaches Rose that a girl "must stand tall and listen to your mother standing next to you. That is the only way to stand tall and straight." (Tan, page 213).