Quotation Lead-Ins
When introducing a quotation, choose a verb that best reflects the author’s attitude toward the material you have chosen to quote. The following is a list of alternatives to the word says, states, etc.:
argues / demonstrates / objects
aspires / derives / offers
assumes / differs / presents
believes / disagrees / reasons
calculates / disputes / remarks
challenges / establishes / shows
claims / exaggerates / specifies
compares / feels / stresses
concludes / illustrates / suggests
contends / introduces / questions
contrasts / justifies
Somebody Says / Blended / Sentence
- This is the most frequently used lead-in.
- This is when you use the author’s name to introduce the quote.
Example:
Jane M. Agee comments, “Many college students who would not have attempted college even seven years ago are now coming into universities through junior colleges. / - In this kind of lead-in, you blend part of the quote with your sentence.
-The sentence must, however, read as a complete statement without being awkward.
- Capitalization and punctuation of the original quotation may be changed to fit the grammatical structure of your sentence.
Example:
State universities are serving a broader student population than ever before by admitting students from junior colleges and through “special remedial programs where students who do not meet entrance requirements are admitted on probation” (Agee 10). / - In this kind of lead-in, the quote is introduced by a sentence that explains or summarizes the quote.
- Sentence lead-ins use a colon (:) to transition from the explanation to the quote.
Example:
Agee insists that English instruction on the college level will not be improved until educators examine the situation realistically: “Public school teachers, professors of English Education, students, and state leaders need to sit down together and evaluate the current realities before any real progress can be made” (10).
Paraphrasing
Putting borrowed ideas and information into your own words
Checklist for Paraphrasing
o Does the paraphrased information help to make or to support the point of the paragraph? Is the paraphrased information integrated into your paragraph?
o Does the paraphrase closely follow the original wording while substituting a word or phrase here or there? If so, you are guilty of plagiarism, even if you cite the source. A paraphrase should not borrow heavily from the original sentence structure or wording.
o Is the source properly cited in the paper and in the reference list?
Useful Lead-ins for paraphrase
according to… / contends that… / finds/found… / recognizes…accounts for… / compares… / hypothesizes… / reports…
acknowledges… / correlates…with… / reveals… / admits…
criticizes… / insists… / sees…as… / affirms…
distinguishes… / interprets… / says… / analyzes…
declares… / lists… / shows… / assumes…
defines… / locates… / states… / argues that…
agrees… / attempts to… / attributes…to… / believes…
challenges… / claims… / feels that… / questions…
clarifies… / describes… / maintains… / raises…
concludes that… / determined… / mentions… / relates…
confirms… / disagrees… / notes… / stresses…
considers… / discusses… / observes… / suggests…
extends… / doubts… / outlines… / supports…
explains… / emphasizes… / points out… / theorizes…
explores… / established… / proposes… / thinks…
evaluates… / fails to… / provides… / verified…
underscores… / views… / writes…
Sources:
University of Calgary website “ Incorporating Quotations in Your Essays”
Jane Shaffer’s Teaching the Multiparagraph Essay
Effin. S. Writing Strategies that Work.