Using Quotes Effectively BY MR. SPRATT

Your essays must be your own words with your own thoughts and your own voice. However, quoting sources in your essays: What the sources do for you  adds authority to your essays by illustrating that you are presenting informed opinions  and/or shows your reader exactly how you arrived at a particular thought of your own.

Most of your essay is in your own words, but you use quotes to: Back up your own thinking Illustrate your own thinking Prove that you are correct Or reveal that an opposing point of view is completely idiotic!

A couple of rules of thumb: Do not start a paragraph with a quote. Do not end a paragraph with a quote. Use only one or two fairly short quotes per paragraph.

A well-integrated quote is a lot like a sandwich:  On top you have a sentence that is your own thought and summary, setting the context for the quote that you intend to use to illustrate a point. Then you have the quote (with author tag/signal phrase) to back up your thought. Then on the bottom you have a sentence of your own that reflects back on the quote.

For example: Ozymandias is successful largely because of the various narrative frames that Shelley employs to create a sense of time and distance between the reader and the long-dead king. The story is not recounted firsthand, but rather is told by “a traveler from an antique land” (line 1) who contributes to the obscurity and foreignness of the statue and the king it represents. By employing this narrative distancing Shelley further reinforces the theme of impermanence: Ozymandias’ works were once mighty, but have now been forgotten by all but an occasional foreign traveler.

How to Integrate a Quote  Always establish the context for the quote before the quote itself.  Example: Shelley’s use of symbols of decay reinforces the poem’s major themes.  Introduce a quote using signal words or author tags.  Shelley states “Nothing beside remains. Round the decay/of that colossal Wreck” (lines 12-13).  A quotation should always be followed by an explanation of the significance of the quote (the warrant, connecting your evidence to the argument).  The words “decay” and “wreck” are indicative of the destructive power of time, and show that even a mighty man such as Ozymandias eventually be erased from history, reinforcing the themes of impermanence and mortality.

The Mechanics of a Quotation  Quotations are always framed by quotations marks.  After using a quotation, you should almost always indicate the page number (books) or the line numbers (plays and poems) that contain the quote.  When introducing the author, use only the author’s last name.  Punctuation is contained within the quote, unless you are going to cite the page/line numbers immediately after the quotation.  Line breaks are indicated by a forward slash.  Shelley states “Nothing beside remains. Round the decay/of that colossal Wreck” (lines 12-13).  Shelley states “Nothing beside remains. Round the decay/of that colossal Wreck.”

More mechanics  Spelling and capitalization should be consistent with the quote (even if the quote uses unusual spelling or capitalization).  Shelley states “Nothing beside remains. Round the decay/of that colossal Wreck ” (lines 12-13).  You can leave out parts of a quote that don’t relate. The missing segment should be indicated by three ellipses (…). This can be done at the beginning, middle, or end of a quote.  “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone/Stand in the desert…And on the pedestal, these words appear:/Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!”

Summary  Keep your quotes short. Just quote the good stuff. Use author tags and signal phrases with ALL quotes. Sandwich ALL quotes with an introduction and an explanation. Make sure ALL quotes are in quotation marks, and are properly cited.