Integrating Quotes: the T.I.E.S. Method

Integrating Quotes: The “T.I.E.S.” method

(stolen liberally from a variety of sources)

Warning: Don’t Drop That Quote!

A “dropped” or “floating” quote is one which is simply plopped into a paragraph with no integration with your own words. To avoid this, use smooth “T.I.E.S.” between quotations and your own writing. You don’t need to use the whole sentence or quote. Chop the quote down to the chunk that best fits your sentence or paragraph structure.

T.I.E.S.: Tag, Introduce, Embed, Split

(all quotes are cited using MLA guidelines, so use this to help you with in text citations)

Tag: “Quote first,” Context second

“Where is my God? Where is He?” Weisel asks while suffering in Auschwitz (Douglas 61).
“But the 1950s were not, in the end, as calm and contented as the politics and the popular culture of the time suggested,” cautions historian Alan Brinkley, author of American History: A Survey (817).
“The social-media-inspired movements may hold all the power, but with very little long-term effect” according to many scholars around the world (Rode).
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” wrote Charles Dickens in A Tale of Two Cities about the end of the eighteenth century (35).

Introduce: context first, “Quote second”

Weisel asks while suffering in Auschwitz, “Where is my God? Where is He?” (Douglas 61).
According to some scholars around the world “[t]he social-media-inspired movements may hold all the power, but with very little long-term effect” (Rode).
For Charles Dickens wrote the end of the eighteenth century was both “the best of times” and “the worst of times” (35).

Embed: Context,“Quote,”Context (sandwich the quote)

Weisel asks, “Where is my God? Where is He?” while suffering in Auschwitz (Douglas 61).
According to some scholars “[t]he social-media-inspired movements may hold all the power, but with very little long-term effect” around the globe (Rode).
For Charles Dickens the end of the eighteenth century was “both the best of times” and “the worst of times,” and many of his fellow Londoners shared this sentiment (35).

Split: “Quote,”context, “quote.” (note: be sure that the quote is long enough to split)

“Where is my God?” Weisel asks, “Where is He?” while suffering in Auschwitz (Douglas 61).
“The social-media-inspired movements may hold all the power” in some places around the globe “but with very little long-term effect” (Rode).
“It was the best of times,” said Dickens, and “it was the worst of times” (35).

English 9A: Persuasion

In-Text Citations

In-text citations, also known as parenthetical citations, give the reader citation information immediately, at the point at which it is most meaningful. Rather than having to turn to a footnote or an end-note, the reader sees the citation as part of the writer’s text.

Most in-text citations consist of only the author’s last name and a page reference. Usually the author’s name is given in an introductory or signal phrase at the beginning of the borrowed material, and the page reference is given in parentheses at the end. If the author’s name is not given at the beginning, put it in parentheses along with the page reference. The parenthetical reference signals the end of the borrowed material and directs your readers to the list of works cited should they want to pursue a particular source. Treat electronic sources as you do print sources, keeping in mind that some electronic sources use paragraph numbers instead of page numbers. Consider the following examples of in-text citations, which are from a student paper.

In-text Citations (MLA Style)

Educators today are debating whether a flunking grade has any place in today’s educational arena. In other words, is there some good that comes out of the threat of a flunking grade or even the grade of F itself? Educator Mary Sherry argues that the threat of flunking can be “a positive teaching tool” and that students with a “healthy fear of failure” are motivated (447). On the other hand, students should not be overly afraid to fail. As one popular writer and university professor reminds us, “Failure isn’t fatal. Countless people have had a bout with it and come out stronger as a result” (Zinsser 451).

The following shows how the preceding in-text citations should appear in the list of works cited at the end of the essay.

List of Works Cited (MLA Style)

Sherry, Mary. “In Prase of the F Word.”Models for Writers.Ed. Alfred Rosa and Paul Escholtz. 7thed. Boston: Bedford, 2001. 445-47

Zinsser, William. “The Right to Fail.”Models for Writers.Ed. Alfred Rosa and Paul Escholtz.7th Ed. Boston: Bedford, 2001. 450-53.

General Guidelines:

Begin the list on a new page following the last page of the text
Organize the list alphabetically by author’s last name. if the entry does not have author’s name, alphabetize the first major word of the title.
Double-Space within and between entries.
Begin each entry at the left margin. If the entry is longer than one line, INDENT the second and subsequent lines five spaces (Ctrl Tab/Command Tab)
Do not number entries