1. Literature Response Writing:
Elements of an Essay

2. Standard Essay Typically Includes Minimum of 5 paragraphs:
1 Introductory Paragraph
3 Analytical Body Paragraphs (minimum)
1 Concluding Paragraph

3. WRITE IN THE LITERARY PRESENT TENSE
(when referencing FICTION. If alluding to history or non-fiction, use the past tense.)

4. Analytical Body Paragraphs
Each body paragraph must include a minimum of 2 quotations (CDs) as “evidence” to prove your thesis.
Each quotation must include a minimum of 2 comments (CM); there should be at least twice as much commentary/opinion for each quote.
Must begin with a Topic Sentence (TS) and end with a Concluding Sentence (CS)
Minimum of 8 sentences, for a healthy body paragraph
Just a minimum, more is better…
Try to keep the lengths of each body paragraph to under a page; aim for each body paragraph to be about ¾ of a page long double spaced.
Commentary must be an OPINION on how your SPECIFIC quotation proves/relates to the THESIS & TOPIC SENTENCE (analysis of each quote); be original, creative, insightful, & detailed.
It is NOT an explanation/translation/paraphrase of the quote or plot summary!
Define/expand on the paragraph’s overall point
Do close readings of your quotes; analyze the specific diction in the quotes.

5. Body Paragraph Elements, Cont.
TOPIC SENTENCE (TS): 1st sentence of body paragraph
Must relate/tie back to thesis BY MENTIONING THE TEXT IN SOME WAY (not the title, though…)
Cannot include a quote
Provides an overview of the entire paragraph; states the main/overall point of the paragraph that is an OPINION
Cannot be narrative/summary or fact based; must include COMMENTARY with thematic purpose

6. Topic Sentences, Cont. Heart of the essay after the thesis BAD:
“People’s houses convey elements of their inhabitants’ personalities.”
OKAY:
“The location of Nick’s house represents his role as a righteous observer.”
BEST:
“The location of Nick’s house represents his role as a righteous observer, revealing how the American Dream encourages the needs to feel superior to others.”

7. Concluding Sentences
Concluding Sentence (CS): last sentence of paragraph
“Wraps-Up” paragraph
Restates TS (in different words) with insight gained from quotes & CMs
Does not include a quote & is not summary/fact; is all COMMENTARY/OPINION
Like the TS, it NEEDS TO MENTION THE TEXT!
Restates TS (in different words) with insight gained from quotes & CMs.
NEVER write, “In conclusion…” or ANYTHING that sounds/means the same thing
Most common missing element in Body Paragraphs: DON’T FORGET IT
NEVER transition in a CS.

8. Quotes Quote = anything you directly copy out of a text
Minimum of 2 quotations (stronger than paraphrase or other types of evidence) per body paragraph (2 quotations in each body paragraph)
NEVER ever write, “This quote shows” or ANYTHING like it.
Avoid using colons (:) when introducing a quote, but okay once in a while with LONG quotes of more than four typed lines
These quotations (a.k.a. “CDs”) must relate to your thesis and Topic Sentence (TS)
ALWAYS ask yourself, “How does this quote prove my thesis/TS?”
Never “float”/drop in your quotations! A quote always needs to be part of a complete sentence.  When a quote is not a part of a sentence, it’s called a floating quote.  You can’t end a sentence with a period and then start a quote.
Splice/limit your quotes! In order to make your writing flow as smoothly as possible, it’s usually best to use only the most effective part of the quotation as part of one of your sentences.  Decide which words from the quote are necessary and which are not, and only include in your paper the part of the quote you truly need to prove your thesis & TS.
- Splicing means to split the quote, taking some of the quote and blending it with your own words in your sentence and then taking another part of the quote and blending it in as well.

9. Blended/Embedded Quotes
The most sophisticated method is to embed/blend/introduce/integrate them properly & smoothly into your own writing so that the whole sentence (including the quote) is a grammatically correct, complete sentence that makes sense.
Embed/blend quotes so the reader cannot tell (when read aloud) where your words start/stop and the quote starts/stops.
To check if your quote is embedded properly, simply remove the quotation marks and ask yourself if the sentence is still grammatically correct, flows smoothly, and makes sense.

10. Examples of Properly Embedded Quotes
Even though Mrs. Farrow is a “splendidly built woman” with “fair eyes and narrow feet,” she keeps herself away from the locals due to her “morbid fear” of socializing (24, 19).
During his journey on Polyphemus’s island, the clever Odysseus decides on “how to win the game: death [sits] there huge” (885-86).
Even when Romeo observes Juliet’s “crimson lips and cheeks,” he still “sets up for his everlasting rest” because despair blinds him from reaching happiness and seeing the signs of life before him (767).
The eighteenth century was both “the best of times” and “the worst of times” (13).
For example, the narrator asks if anyone could imagine her “looking a strange white man in the eye” (85).

11. TLQ Quotes
Another (though less sophisticated) way to quote is to use the TLQ method 
T=Transition Phrase – The transition indicates that a quote is being introduced:  (For example, In addition,) Commas come after the transition.
L=Lead In – The lead in provides the situation or context and sometimes the speaker for the quote.  Think of answering these questions if you get stuck: When is this said or described, or what was happening right before something is said or described?  Who is it being said to?  If it is a direct quote then you’ll also want to include the speaker.
Q= Quote – these are the words you’re copying from the text. Quotes do not have to be things the characters say, but they can be.  They can also be the author’s description of an event, setting, or character.
Remember, the sequence of the above elements can be changed as long as your sentences retain their grammatical integrity and flow logically. Sometimes, you can omit the transition (in fact, overusing transitions can make you sound like childish/robotic); just make sure that your sentence is clear and flows smoothly. You don’t want to abruptly launch into a quote.

12. TLQ Examples
Moreover, in the smoke filled tavern after the trial, Sydney Carton reveals to Charles Darnay, “I hate you for the way those pretty eyes look at you and will never look at me” (82).
For example, feeling guilty because Carlson has shot his dog, Candy whines to George, “I shoulda’ shot that dog myself. I shouldn’t have let no stranger shoot my dog” (65).

13. Quotes, Cont.
ALL commas go INSIDE the quote, & not every quote needs to be introduced with a comma.
Putting a comma before a quote does not automatically embed it; only use a comma if one is needed to make your sentence grammatically correct, such after introductory elements.
All page numbers/line numbers go in parentheses at the end of the sentence before the period regardless of where quote ends.
Page number only in lit. response essays; no need to cite author other than in thesis/introductory paragraph (does not apply to research papers or essays with multiple sources)
Never write “Page” (or any abbreviation of it) or # prior to a page number; just the number will do
Period ALWAYS goes AFTER the parenthetical reference/page number, NOT BEFORE IT; the page # reference is part of the sentence.
If you need to cite multiple pages, you can use a comma to separate them, or use a dash if they cover consecutive pages.
Examples: (35, 40) (81-82)
[Brackets] are placed around anything that has been changed or added in a quote. Sometimes the only way to achieve smooth integration and maintain the grammatical integrity of your sentence is to blend the quote by modifying some of the words.
HIT THAT SPACE BAR: put a space between the word before the citation!

14. Brackets in Quotes
If you need to change a word/part of a word or add a word in a quotation for clarity, always include the change or addition in brackets. You can also use brackets to maintain grammatical correctness or fluency when blending quotes. The essential meaning of the quote must remain the same.
Only use brackets when necessary; overusing them can be distracting/interruptive
Example: Furthermore, at one point the mother admits that she “used to think [Dee] hated Maggie, too” (33).
Example: Furthermore, after they arrived at their destination, “[Ralph, Piggy, and Simon] stood in the darkness, striving unsuccessfully to convey the majesty of adult life” (94).
*The above example needed the names in brackets to replace the indefinite/unclear pronoun “they.”
Example: For instance, lacking the carefree attitude toward life that Ralph exhibits, Piggy takes “off his shoes and socks, arrange[s] them carefully on the ledge, and test[s] the water with one toe” (13).
*The words above were changed in the above example so that they fit with the rest of the sentence, which was properly written in the literary present tense.

15. Ellipses
If you must remove a word or words from part of a quotation, use an ellipsis (…); this is 3 periods with a space before each and a space after the last. What remains must be grammatically complete. However, do not begin or end quotes with ellipses, except if you have cut words from the end of the final sentence quoted (then use an ellipsis before the final quotation mark and parenthetical reference). If you delete a full sentence or more in the middle of a quoted passage, use a period before the 3 ellipses dots.
Example: “On the other side of the island[,] … defended by the shield of the quiet lagoon,” Ralph allows himself to muse (111).
When omitting one or more full lines of poetry (from the middle), space several periods to about the length of a complete line in the poem. Example:
Elizabeth Bishop’s “In the Waiting Room” is rich in evocative detail:
In Worcester, Massachusetts
I went with Aunt Consuelo
to keep her dentist’s appointment
It was winter. It got dark
early. (1-3, 6-7)
Only use an ellipses when necessary; NEVER begin or end a quote with one.

16. Quoting Dialogue with Narration
If you quote parts of narration AND dialogue TOGETHER, begin the narration part of your quotation with a double-quotation mark (“), then use single-quotation (‘) when the actual dialogue begins and ends.
Example: Furthermore, to her surprise, “Bethany said, ‘We had better go out there at once’” (458).

17. Block Quotes
When you quote more than four typed lines of prose or more than 3 lines of verse, set off the quotation by indenting in ten spaces (one inch) from the left margin, and typing it double-spaced, without adding quotation marks. This is called a block quote. A colon (:) generally introduces a quotation that is displayed this way, though sometimes the context may require a different mark of punctuation or none at all. While quoting this way, cite the page number after the period or other end punctuation.
Example: Furthermore, Jack’s group of hunters grows increasingly violent throughout the novel; the climax of their violence occurs when they viciously attack a sow:
Here, struck down by the heat, the sow fell and the hunters hurled themselves at her. This dreadful eruption from an unknown world made her frantic; she squealed and bucked and the air was full of sweat and noise and blood and terror. (135)

18. More Quote Punctuation
Commas and periods typically go inside quotation marks.
Example: Even when Romeo observes Juliet’s “crimson lips and cheeks,” he still “sets up for his everlasting rest” because his despair blinds him from reaching happiness and seeing the signs of life before him (767).
Colons and semicolons never go inside quotation marks when they occur at the end of a quote.
WRONG: Tessa finds that she can “succeed in a man’s world;” she has the intelligence and motivation to do so (37).
Question marks and exclamation points go inside quotation marks only if they belong to the quoted material.
Example: After Romeo shocks Juliet with his comment, Juliet asks him, “What satisfaction canst thou have tonight?” (742).
However, if, at the end of a sentence, you are quoting part of a line from a text that ends in a comma, semicolon, or period, omit (delete) the comma, semicolon, or period.
WRONG: For example, as he leads them farther into the catacombs, Fortunado tells Montressor, “It is farther on,” (35).

19. Quote Citations (Parenthetical References)
Remember, page numbers go at the end of the sentence regardless of where the quote ends, and the period goes after page number at the end of the sentence (a block quote is the only exception).
If quoting successive pages, use a dash to separate them (without a space). Example: (766-67)
If quoting multiple pages that aren’t successive, use a comma to separate them (with a space after it), citing them in the order in which they appear in the quote! Example: (795, 758)
When you are citing a range involving 3 digit (or greater) numbers, only include the last 2 numbers of the second number. Example: (308-11) would be the citation for a quote that begins on page 308 and ends on page 311.
Citing plays with acts, scenes, & lines: (Act.Scene.Lines)
Example: ( )

20. Last, But Not Least…
Watch out for RIP words; just hit control “F” or apple “F” to find them if you are typing your essay.
NEVER use clichés.
Give your essay a creative & relevant title .
Aim for your commentary to be original and insightful.
Avoid summary; if you must include summary to give background to prove your point (not to retell the story), keep it very brief! Remember, this is an ANALYTICAL paper.
Avoid overuse of "be" and "auxiliary" verbs (such as: be, being, am, been, were, has, had, have, is, was, are) that contribute to passive & boring writing.
Remain certain in voice.
Avoid: probably, sort of, maybe, etc.
Don’t use a word in the thesaurus unless you ALREADY knew what it meant. Bigger words are not always better. Your reader needs to understand what you are saying!
Avoid wordiness; be economical with your word choice so that your ideas are clear.
Organize your paper logically and make sure that all body paragraphs are connected through the thesis.
In your commentary, avoid: personal pronouns, passive voice, speculation/conjecture, contractions, rhetorical questions, wordiness, redundancy/repetition (content, sentence structure, & diction), numbers, beginning sentences with conjunctions, ambiguous pronouns, fragments, run-ons, comma splices, etc. Edit carefully!
Use the literary PRESENT TENSE when discussing what occurs in the text.
Make sure EVERYTHING in your paper – including quotes & commentary – aim to prove & connect/tie back to the thesis.
Use MLA format when typing your essays.