What Are Quotations?

“Quote means that you take a word, phrase, or sentence

directly or indirectly from the person who originally

created that word or phrase or sentence” (OWL Purdue).

A Direct quote means you copy that word, phrase, or

sentence exactly as it was written and place this inside of

quotation marks and include an in-text citation.

An Indirect quote means that you generally take a

phrase or sentence from the person who created it, but

you put it in your own words. In this case, make sure it is

completely in your own words to avoid plagiarism. Do not

use quotation marks, but DO include an in-text citation to

give credit to the original author.

Example of Direct QuotesIn F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, the narrator recounts a life

lesson from his father that resounded strongly in my own beliefs as well:

"In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some

advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since. 'Whenever you

feel like

criticizing any one,' he told me, 'just remember that all the people in this

world haven't had the advantages that you've had'" (12).

Rules demonstrated:

•Quote has a valuable introduction that tells about the upcoming quote

•Author and title are clear in the sentence leading up to the quote, so the

in-text citation in parentheses at the end only requires a page number

•Punctuation (period, in this case) belongs after the in-text citation

•A direct quote needs beginning and ending quotation marks to show that

it is a direct quote

•A quote inside of a quote gets only a single quotation mark, inside the

regular double quotation marks.

*See OWL Purdue website or MLA Handbook for additional explanation of

punctuation and MLA formatting rules

Use of Indirect QuotesTaking ideas/information from a source, but not copying the authors exact words. This is an indirect quote, which could be a paraphrase or a summary of the original text.

Indirect quotes are used to:

• Express a fact (simple facts should NOT be quoted directly!)

• Simplify a quote that is long, complicated, or boring

• Shrink ideas from several direct quotes into a clear, concise segment

Use of Indirect Quotes“Plagiarizing means that you have taken information, ideas, or phrasing

from a source and then used them in your own text without mentioning

anything about the author who originally created your sources. In a way, you

are stealing something from people without telling the people who had

created the original source” (OWL Purdue). You need to credit the author by

using an in-text citation for all indirect – anything that is not YOUR OWN

idea or and idea considered common knowledge.

“When you summarize, you find the main points of the original text and

compose a shorter version of the original text. A summary should be able to

tell the readers what the original text is about and who the author is. You

may use summaries to review some materials about a topic or support your

ideas” (OWL Purdue).

“Paraphrase means that you take some words or sentences from your

sources, and put them in your own words. You still need to mention the

original author of the words and sentences by appropriate citation style

(APA, MLA). You paraphrase words or sentences by changing them to

different words, or sentence structures without changing the original

meaning” (OWL Purdue).

Do not change the meaning of a quote when you paraphrase or summarize!

Punctuating Quotations

• The author’s exact words go inside the quotation marks: “I am super, duper cool.”

• The end punctuation (period, question mark, exclamation point) goes inside the last quotation mark. “Give me the damn money!”

• When the introduction comes after a direct quote, use a comma to separate the quote from the attribution. “Here it is,” replied Bob.

• If a question mark relates to the sentence and not the quote, place it at the end of the sentence outside the quotation marks: What kind of moron

says, “I am super, duper cool”?

Punctuating Quotations

• Use single quotation marks to indicate a quote inside a quote. “And so I told her, ‘Fix

your own tire, Grandma!’”

•If a quote is a complete sentence, begin it with a capital letter. If it’s not, don’t.

• To clarify or modify a phrase within a quote, insert brackets. “Slowly, [Bob]

reached for the meat cleaver.”

Punctuating Quotations

• Use quotation marks to indicate the title of a smaller work, such as an article, essay, short story, song, poem, or speech.

In his essay, “Potatoes are Yummy,” Joe Smith argues that…

• Use italics (or underline) for larger works such as a book, magazine, album, play, film, or long poem.

In her novel, Potatoes are Yucky, Ann Smith argues that…

In her novel, Potatoes are Yucky, Ann Smith argues that…

Integrating Quotations

Never just drop a quotation into your paper. Always introduce itand explain it with your own prose.

There are three main ways to introduce quotations. These include:

1. Incorporate the quotation into your sentence, punctuating it just as you would if it was not a quotation.

As Bob is being beaten, he hopes he “will

become unconscious but [he] can’t.”

Bob appraises Mrs. Harrison derisively,

stating that “she looked so complacent,

sitting there in her two-hundred dollar chair

[. . . ] bought with dough her husband had

made overcharging poor hard-working

colored people for his incompetent services,

that I had a crazy impulse to needle her.”

2. Introduce the quotation by using an attributive tag like he writes, she claims, and so on.

To describe his childlike consciousness, Wright explains, “Each event spoke with a cryptic tongue. And the moments of living slowly revealed their coded meanings.”

After going to Memphis and boarding with Mrs. Moss, Wright wonders, “Was it wise to remain here with a seventeen-year-old girl eager for marriage and a mother equally anxious to have her marry me?”

3. Introduce the quotation by writing a full sentence and a colon to introduce the quotation, which should itself be a full sentence.

Bob’s description of Madge emphasizes her

fake appearance: “She was a peroxide blonde

with a large-featured, overly made-up face, and

she had a large, bright-painted, fleshy mouth.”

Richard Wright explains his reasons for writing:

“I was striving for a level of expression that

matched those of the novels I read.”

Block a quotation if it is four lines or longer. Indent the quotation one half of an inch on both sides, and punctuate it like the following example (no quotation marks). Wright describes how his mother’s illness

affected him:

My mother’s suffering grew into a

symbol in my mind, gathering to itself

all the poverty, the ignorance, the

helplessness; the painful, baffling,

hunger-ridden days and hours; the

restless moving, the futile seeking, the

uncertainty, the fear, the dread.

Rules for Direct/Indirect Quotes Always connect back to your thesis. If the quote

doesn’t help prove your thesis—don’t use it.

Short quotes are more effective than long quotes. If

a quote is long, consider paraphrasing all or parts of

it.

Quotes do not take the place of your writing. They

should support ideas you have already explained in

your words.

Quotes should be sprinkled throughout the body of

your essay to help support your ideas. Too many

quotes is just as bad as too few.

Effectively integrate quotes into your writing by

sandwiching them between a quote introduction and

quote explanation. I call this IQE form.

Introduce who’s talking/where did the quote

come from, what’s happening, why is it important, or ideas

you want to emphasize for the reader

Quote only use the necessary words, someone’s

argument/opinion, evidence for thesis, use correct

punctuation

Explain explain the argument in the quote, why is it

important, connect to your thesis. DO NOT just repeat what

the quote says—add meaning, emphasis, and a clear

connection to your argument

* Use the recommended text “They Say, I Say” for additional

ideas and sentence starters for sandwiching quotes.

IQE Form

Quote ExplanationsYour explanation for the quote must be much longer than the

quote itself. The longer your quote, the longer your explanation

needs to be. Explain the quote in your own words and state the

significance.

Why is this quote important? How does it show what you’re

trying to prove in your thesis?

Example: IQE

Booker uses direct quotes from Mrs. Mobley as she reacts to her

son’s battered body: “and cried out, ‘Darling you have not died in

vain. Your life has been sacrificed for something’”(1). This quote

from the Mrs. Mobley demonstrates her pain and suffering from

the loss of her son and shows readers that Mrs. Mobley intended

to take action. Booker uses these words from Till’s mother to

prove to his audience that Emmet Till’s lynching caused change

in society, the change for which his mother says he was

sacrificed.

In-text citations

• If the author’s name is clear from your sentence, the in-text citation just needs a page number.

Romantic poetry is characterized by the “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” (Wordsworth 263).

• If the author is not named in your sentence, the name must be part of your in-text citation.

Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a“spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” (263).

If there is no author for your source, use the title of the text instead. Follow rules for italics or quotation marks of a title.

If there is no page number, like a website, use the paragraph number instead (para. 6).

In MLA style, referring to the works of others in your text is done by using what is known asparenthetical citation. This method involves placing relevant source information in parentheses after a quote or a paraphrase.