How to integrate Quotations and Paraphrases

Depending on the context of your essay, or the nature of your topic, there are times when an inspirational quote might be the glue that you need to tie it all together. In the event that you need to cite multiple paragraphs, you will need to utilize block quotes. These is true even if each part of the paragraph has fewer than four typed lines. Remember to indent the first line of every paragraph and to use ellipses at the end of a paragraph when you need to transition to the next. Using quotes in your essay is a good way to hook the reader, engaging with them and enticing them to continue reading. Whichever quote you choose to use, make sure that it contributes to your essay and doesn’t distract from it. A quote that is entirely unrelated to your topic with only serve as a distraction, and might potentially confuse your readers.

When using quotations in a paper, the quotation should become part of your sentence. Here are some tips that might help you produce this seamless effect. Follow your course instructor’s guidelines for documenting sources. If your instructor hasn’t told you which system to use to document sources, ask. Research the quote in context; this will help you to best determine whether or not it should be included in your essay. To expand on this, make sure you know who you are speaking to.

Can you get sued for a quote?

It would be counted as plagiarism if you don’t reference it. Antony W is a professional writer and coach at Help for Assessment. He spends countless hours every day researching and writing great content filled with expert advice on how to write engaging essays, research papers, and assignments. Writing an essay when you have tons of additional assignments to complete can be tough. That’s the case especially when you’re short on time but have a tight deadline to beat.

It is acceptable to input the name of the author either before the quote, or in parentheses at the conclusion of the quote. The page number will be written at the end, there is no need to use anything to signify that it is a page number.

Results for introduce quotes

This doesn’t help you support your arguments, as you haven’t linked the quote back to your own ideas. Without analysis, you can’t make your point to the reader. A quote doesn’t support your ideas unless introducing quotes in essays you analyze it and link it back to your thesis. After the quote, write 1-3 sentences explaining what the quote means, why it supports your topic sentence, and how it supports your argument overall.

• But to connect with more specific audiences, you should choose a source that is fitting your target audience.
• For years, local residents have been disputing the plans to build a new highway right through the center of town (author’s last name, year, p. ##).
• A colon, if you use a complete sentence before inserting the quotation.
• Likewise, if you excerpt material at the end of clause that ends in a comma, retain the comma.

Such a quote is good for your essay because it enhances clarity, making it easy for the reader to understand the meaning and support for your argument. If the quotation ends in a punctuation mark such as a period or a comma, drop that final punctuation mark (keep it only if it’s an exclamation mark or a question mark). At the end of the sentence containing the quotation, provide a parenthetical citation of the page or line number, and put a period at the end of the whole sentence. Question marks and exclamation points go outside of the final quotation mark if the punctuation mark is part of your sentence–your question or your exclamation (“like this”?). Those marks go inside of the final quotation mark if they are a part of the original–the writer’s question or exclamation (“like this!”). In case, you are not sure what quote to use in your essay or how to begin an essay with a quote, reach out to us for essay writing help.

Can I alter quotes?

Write out the author’s last name, then list the numerical page number. You don’t need to separate them with a comma, and you don’t need to put “p.” or “page” before the page number. Indent the block quote by .5 inches (1.3 cm) from the left margin. Make sure your entire quote is indented so that your reader will recognize that it’s set off from the rest of the text. You need to be careful when using quotes because your tutor wants to see how you understand the topic, not those ten field experts you have cited. When you quote another writer’s words, it’s best to introduce or contextualize the quote.

• It is crucial that the differing ideologies be addressed as they have the potential to impact the dissemination of information to the general public.
• Even if you use your own words, if you obtained the information or ideas you are presenting from a source, you must document the source.
• Interactive resources you can assign in your digital classroom from TPT.

Use short quotations–only a few words–as part of your own sentence. Make the quotation a part of your own sentence without any punctuation between your own words and the words you are quoting. You should also use a comma when you introduce a quotation with a phrase such as “According to Thoreau.” Introduce the quotation with a complete sentence and a colon. As Smith explains, “you can introduce your quotes with a number of different phrases” . Signal phrases provide a seamless transition from the writer’s thoughts to a source’s thoughts and can provide details about the source that highlight credibility and expertise. Include an introductory phrase naming the source, followed by a comma to quote the author.

When Not to Start an Essay with a Quote

Just make sure you don’t interfere with its original meaning as intended by its author. Quotes can help to spike readers’ interest, making it a powerful writing technique that gets them to read the rest of the essay. You can use a full sentence followed by a colon to introduce a quotation.

Using brackets when integrating a quote actually helps improve clarity while writing. Otherwise, if you integrate a quote directly without adjusting it through the use of brackets, the sentence can be confusing to readers.

Writing Worksheets and Other Writing Resources

In the quotation about King Lear at the end of the previous section, “her” replaces the “your” of the original so that the quote fits the point of view of the paper . Introduce a quotation either by indicating what it is intended to show, by naming its source, or by doing both. Under the MLA citation guidelines, you will add the page number after the name of the author. Including a list of Works Cited at the end of an essay is not enough. Learn how to cite the use of a source in the text of your paper.

Use “double quotation marks” to indicate the secondary source, and ‘single quotation marks’ to indicate the quote itself. You may also need to include a parenthetical citation after the author’s surname. Another way to introduce a quote into a source is to use the author’s name as your signal phrase with a subsequent verb that is used to introduce the quote. For citation styles such as MLA or APA, when you start with the author’s name to introduce the source, the end of text citation only needs to have the page number/year.

Examples of Present Tense Signal Verbs

When you use a paraphrase, you still need to provide commentary that links the paraphrased material back to your thesis and ideas. A colon, if you use a complete sentence before inserting the quotation. Begin a sentence with your own words, then complete it with quoted words. Use a full sentence followed by a colon to introduce a quotation. Vary the placement of your signal phrases and use a variety of signal verbs.

But you can use any of the above-mentioned forms effectively to avoid interfering with the original citation’s actual meaning. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial.

Notice the Punctuation!

Introduce the quote by providing the author or organization credentials. Teachers in ESL classrooms need more access to professional development. According to Grant , “The percentage of ESL students in high schools has gone up 75% in the last ten years” (p. 338). This increase has caused a shift in the tradition training of ESL educators. Speaking of this shift, Gramber wrote, “The scope of ESL education is changing rapidly” (p. 2834). With such a fast change in training and requirements, districts often neglect to keep their teachers up to date.

Quite rarely, you quote a passage that has a quotation within a quotation. In that rare instance, you would use double quotation marks for the second internal quotation. Place all other punctuation marks outside the quotation marks, except when they were part of the original quotation. Single space or double space within the block quotation, depending on the style guidelines of your discipline (MLA, CSE, APA, Chicago, etc.). Dividing the quote may highlight a particular nuance of the quote’s meaning.

You can simply reach out to us and we’ll help you get your essay assignment completed in good time. However, if you want more freedom to express your thoughts and share something more enlightening with your target readers, then there’s no point starting your essay with a quote. It doesn’t make sense to start an essay with a long quote that a reader will struggle introduce quotes to remember. The quote you choose to start an essay with should come from a credible scholarly source. Paraphrased quotes are reworded statements written in your own words without changing the intended meaning. The CDC estimates that 80% of the United States population is not adhering to the guidelines regarding weekly physical activity recommendations .

• If in doubt, check with your instructor or supervisor how much quoting is appropriate in your field.
• Always properly cite an author’s original idea, whether you have directly quoted or paraphrased it.
• Also, from this blog post, learn in detail how to find a perfect quote and include that in the introductory paragraph of your essay.
• Even if a quote is interesting enough to fit the central theme of the essay prompt, you should avoid it in favor of a short, clear quote.
• Including a list of Works Cited at the end of an essay is not enough.