INCORPORATING QUOTES EFFECTIVELY
THREE WAYS TO INCORPORATE DIRECT QUOTATIONS INTO YOUR WRITING:
Always introduce quotations before they appear in your paper. No quotation should stand by itself as a separate sentence. Instead, your introductory phrasing should tie the quotation into the flow of your argument, and you should follow each quotation by explaining why it is important or what point it illustrates. You have three options when choosing to incorporate your quoted material.
Option #1: he said/she said
When using this option, you will want to use a lead-in that answers the important questions regarding the context of the quote (who, what, where, when, how, why).
Examples:
Caesar acknowledges that he has enemies when he states, "Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look;/He thinks too much: such men are dangerous” (JC 1.2.190-5).
In the article “The Effects of Bullying in Today’s Schools,” the author John Smith acknowledges that the mental stress students face today due to bullying is increasing when he says, “72% of students agree that they have witnessed some sort of bullying activity during the school day” (32).
HOWEVER, the words say, says, saying, and said are very generic and a weak way to incorporate research since no one really “says” anything in the article. An author’s words often have a purpose – so demonstrate this to your reader by choosing a word other than “says.” All of the following are options for you to choose from, but they all have different meanings and purposes.
acknowledges
adds
admits
advises
affirms
agrees
alleges
answers
argues
asks
asserts
believes
charges
claims
comments
complains
concedes
concludes
concurs
confirms
considers
contends
criticizes
declares
denies
describes
disagrees
discusses
disputes
emphasizes
endorses
explains
expresses
finds
grants
illustrates
implies
insists
interprets
maintains
notes
objects
observes
offers
opposes
points out
reasons
recognizes
refutes
rejects
remarks
replies
reports
responds
reveals
sees
speculates
states
suggests
supposes
thinks
writes
OPTION #2: PART OF SENTENCE'S NATURAL FLOW
When using this option, you integrate the words of the quote as if they naturally belonged with your words. There is no comma or pause before the quote. It just naturally blends together. You do not always have to use quotations that are complete sentences. Sometimes you may want to quote just a couple of wordsor a phrase as a part of your sentence – we call this using “snippets.”
Examples:
It is obvious that Caesar is aware that Cassius is an enemy because he even observes that "Cassius has a lean and hungry look/...[and] such men are dangerous” (JC 1.2.190-5)
Studies done regarding the mental stress students face due to bullying indicate that “72% of students agree that they have witnessed some sort of bullying activity during the school day” (Smith 32).
For Charles Dickens, the eighteenth century was both “the best of times” and “the worst of times” (1).
OPTION #3: USING A COLON
When using this option, you can use a colon to introduce a quotation that is independent from the structure of the main sentence. The words that come before the colon must be a complete sentence. This option will sound awkward if not done correctly.
Examples:
Caesar acknowledges, while speaking with Antony, that Cassius is untrustworthy: "Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look;/... such men are dangerous" (JC 1.2.190-5).
In the article “The Effects of Bullying in Today’s Schools,” the author John Smith acknowledges that the mental stress students face today due to bullying is increasing: “72% of students agree that they have witnessed some sort of bullying activity during the school day” (32).
In The Awakening, Mme. Ratignolle exhorts Robert Lebrun to stop flirting with Edna: “She is not one of us; she is not like us” (Chopin 50).