Quotations

Dos / Don'ts
Do put double quotation marks round quotes - they're clearer to see than single ones and they don't look like lost apostrophes. / Don't ever say: 'And I quote.' That is for MPs and radio commentators!
Do quote naturally - let the writer's own words fill in some of the gaps in your own sentences - but remember to put quotation marks around them. / Don't ever say: 'The writer quotes.' The writer doesn't quote, that's what YOU do!
Do use plenty of short quotations. Even single words and phrases give a good impression that the text is very familiar to you - which, of course, it is. / Don't quote huge lengthy passages and then think you've worked miracles. As a rough guide , there should be at least twice as many of your words commenting on the quotation, as there is in the quotation.
Do comment on words you quote. / Don't throw in quotes without quotation marks - the marker may not even notice they're there.
Do quote accurately. If you can't remember the quotation properly, don't use it. / Don't write a whole essay without any quotations in it at all. You should be able to remember some thing!

Methods for using quotes
Quotation: method 1

Make a statement about the poem, end it with a colon (:) and follow the colon with the quotation (in quotation marks). In this pattern, the quotation is usually indented on the next line so that it's perfectly clear which words are yours and which words are the poem. The quotation will probably be followed by a further comment of your own.

For example:

When Lily suggests that John should be ashamed of himself for giving Maggie so many children, she replies:

"He's a man and I'm a wumman. We're flesh and blood."

For all his faults, she will not see him put down and defends him rather than agreeing that he should be ashamed of himself.

Quotation: method 2

Incorporate short phrases from the original inside the sense of your own sentence- like this-

When Lily suggsts that John should be ashamed of himself for giving Maggie "all the weans", Maggie defends him.

Quotation: method 3

Include quotations of single words or short phrases in brackets after the point you've just made. The brackets tell the reader 'here's the evidence.' This method is extremely useful if you're picking out individual words which convey tone, or atmosphere- and you can also use it when you're answering close reading or textual analysis questions.

For example

In The Steamie, Tony Roper peppers his script with laundry words ("wringer", "donkey", "boiler") not only to set the scene of the "Steamie" but as a nostalgic device to transport his audience to a time gone by. Mentioning things which are no longer in fashion ("the bubble cut") but which the audience might remember (or might have had themselves) also contributes to this feeling of nostalgia and of connection with and sentimentality for the era of the play.

None of these three methods is better than the others. You can and should use all of them. It adds variety and help you achieve a natural style.

© Gillian Duff 2007