direct quotation - linn–benton community...

DirectQuotation

WhatisaDirectQuotation?Adirectquotationisadirectrestatementofanauthor’swords.Adirectquotationmustmatchthesourcewordforwork,letterforletter,andmustbeintroducedandconcludedwithquotationmarks.WhatisthePurpose/ValueofaDirectQuotation?

Adirectquotationisusefulwhentheoriginalwritingisuniquelymoreeffectivethanparaphrasing.

Adirectquotation–introducingorfollowingyourownpoint–strengthensandenhancesyourpoint.

Howdoyoudirectlyquote?

Selectdirectquotationstosupportthepointyouaremaking.Usequotationssparingly Readtheauthor’spassageclosely.Becertainthatyouunderstandtheauthor’s

meaning. Rememberthatadirectquotationshouldduplicatethesourceexactly.Bevigilantin

copyingcorrectlyandthencheckyourcopy. Integrateyourquotationeffectively.Yourreaderwillbeconfusedifyoudonot

introducethedirectquoteorintegratethequotesmoothlyintothepointyouaremakinginyourwriting.

Effectivequotationsinwritingmakeuseofsignalphrases.Signalphrasescontain1)thesourceauthor’snameand2)averbthatindicatesthesourceauthor’sattitudetowhatheorshewrites.(Forassistancewithsignalphrases,refertoLBBrief,pages466–468.)

Toavoidplagiarism,providealead‐inandanend‐sentencecitation.Howdoyouintegratequotationseffectivelyintoyourownwriting?

Neversimplyplaceadirectquotationwithinyourwritingwithoutintroducingthesourceand/orwithoutgivinganend‐sentencecitation.Forexample,neverdothis:Alexieconcludeshisessaywithaclaim.“Iamtryingtosaveourlives.”HisclaimisthaturgingIndianyouthtovalueliteracywillsavetheirlives.

Youmayplaceaquotationanywhereinyoursentence.Forexample:o Atthebeginning:“Iamtryingtosaveourlives,”Alexieexhortsatthe

conclusionofhisessay(“Superman”1402).o Inthemiddle:Alexieconcludeshisessaywiththeclaimthat“Iamtryingto

saveourlives”byurgingIndianyouthtovalueliteracy(“Superman”1402).o Attheend:AlexieconcludeshisessaywiththeclaimthatbyurgingIndianyouth

tovalueliteracy,heis“tryingtosaveourlives”(“Superman”1402).