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Integrating Quotations into your Writing. Being able to effectively integrate sources is extremely important!. There are three ways to do it: summarizing paraphrasing quoting. Summary- involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words , including only the main point(s) .
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Being able to effectively integrate sources is extremely important! There are three ways to do it: • summarizing • paraphrasing • quoting
Summary-involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s). • Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source material. Summary: “Cinderella” There was a beautiful girl who lived with her evil stepmother and stepsisters. She had to do all the chores. She went to a ball, met the prince, left her shoe. The prince found her because she fit the shoe, and they lived happily ever after. Source Material: “Cinderella” Once upon a time there was a beautiful girl named Cinderella who lived with her evil stepmother and stepsisters…blah, blah, blah. And they lived happily ever after.
Paraphrase-a restatement, in your own words, of a passage of text. • Its structure reflects (but does not copy) the structure of the source passage, and will probably be the same length as the original. • So… • summary = short and condensed – only the main points • paraphrase = restating the source passage in your own words – possible to be about the same length
Quote-Using the exact words of a source. • must be identical to the original (word for word) in in quotation marks Quote: "The cool thing about being famous is traveling. I have always wanted to travel across seas, like to Canada and stuff." - Britney Spears
Which should I use? • You’ll want to summarize and paraphrase most often, using direct quotes sparingly. • Why? I want to see YOUR writing. • Putting source material in your own words shows readers that you have a true understanding of that material. He is thinking really hard about which he should use.
Tips • Always have a good reason for using a direct quote. Otherwise, paraphrase or summarize. • Do not allow quotes to speak for themselves. Your paper is ultimately about communicating YOUR IDEAS. Your sources simply help to prove or support those ideas. • Always make sure you provide an analysis of the quote. Show your readers you understand how the quote relates to your ideas. More on that later…
Rules for Punctuating Quotes Short Quotations: • If your quotes are less than 4 lines long (which is usually the case), place them in your text and enclose them with quotation marks. Original Quote: “The shudders and doors of the Radley house were closed on Sundays, another thing alien to Maycomb’s ways: closed doors meant illness and cold weather only.” • Then, take that quote and try to make those words fit smoothly into what you’re already writing. Make the quote yours!
Lee depicted the Radley family to be much different than the other families of Maycomb. They were anti-social as they kept their doors closed, which in Maycomb could only mean one thing: “illness and cold weather” (6). • Remember to use a parenthetical (in-text) citation for each quote used. **Since I already mentioned the author, I only need a page number. If I hadn’t mentioned Lee in the sentence it would look like (Lee 6).
Rules for Punctuating Quotes Long Quotations: • If your quote is more than 4 lines long, set it off from your text by indenting twice (10 spaces). This is called a “block quote.” • Introduce the quote with a complete sentence and colon. • Double space the lines, and do not use quotation marks.
Example: • Lee depicted the Radleys to be much different than the other families of Maycomb: The shutters and doors of the Radley house were closed on Sundays, another thing alien to Maycomb’s ways: closed doors meant illness and cold weather only. Of all days Sunday was the day for formal afternoon visiting: ladies wore corsets, men wore coats, children wore shoes. But to climb the Radley front steps and call, “He-y,” of a Sunday afternoon was something their neighbors never did. (6) • Place the period at the end of the QUOTE and not at the end of the CITATION. **This is only for block quotes.
Rules for Punctuating Quotes Ellipses: • Use ellipses to indicate when you have omitted unnecessary words from a direct quote. Example: “But to climb the Radley front steps…was something their neighbors never did” (Lee 6). Example: Lee demonstrates how her young narrator, Scout, questions about the Radleys: “I never knew how old Mr. Radley made his living…but Mr. Radley and his wife had lived there with their two songs as long as anybody could remember” (6).
More on Using Quotes: Don’t just plop them in like big turds (I mean it!)
Bad Integration: The quote is just plopped in like a big turd! Calpurnia was their cook. “Calpurnia was something else again…She was always ordering me out of the kitchen, asking me why I couldn’t behave as Jem…” (Lee 3). Better Integration: The quote is introduced. Calpurnia was their cook. Lee uses a unique description to show the relationship between Scout, the narrator, and Calpurnia: “Calpurnia was something else again…She was always ordering me out of the kitchen, asking me why I couldn’t behave as Jem…” (3).
Basic Structure: 1. Topic Sentence of your paragraph (what the paragraph will be about). It’s kind of like a mini-thesis. 2. Context of the quote (where do these words appear? What is the situation in which it is said? 3. Introduction to the quote. Tell who says it. The author? The narrator? A specific character? To whom is the quote addressed? What is being spoken about? (if it isn’t self-explanatory). 4. The quote itself followed by an in-text citation. 5. Explanation and analysis of the quote. Tell why it is important and how it relates to your thesis. Be specific, thorough, and logical.
Example of this paragraph structure: (Step #1) Once Jem and Scout tell Dill about Boo, Dill starts to get curious. (Step #2) After hearing his spooky description (Step #3) he suggests, (Step #4) “ ‘Let’s try to make him come out…I’d like to see what he looks like’” (Lee 9). (Step#5) Dill shows his sense of curiosity by suggesting this idea of trying to make Boo come out.
It’s basically a sandwichA what? A sandwich? Yep! Set up the Quote Quote Explain/Analyze The sandwich will fall apart without the top and bottom pieces of bread. Your paper will fall apart if you don’t introduce and explain your quotes!
Other Rules to Write by: • Never begin a body paragraph with a quote. A writer should always have a topic sentence in his or her own words. • Never end a body paragraph with a quote. If this happens, the writer is probably forgetting to explain why the quote is relevant to his or her thesis. • Remember that a body paragraph must have balance.For every sentence quoted, a writer owes the reader at least that number of sentences of explanation. • Introduce all Quotations. Academic writing mandates that all quotes have some form of introduction.
Other Rules to Write By: • Cite all Quotations. Writers must remember to use academic writing styles when warranted. • Use Block Quotes sparingly. Usually, these quotes require massive amounts of explanation, and it is better for a writer to break a block quote into smaller pieces throughout the essay. Try not to use more than one block quote in a three to four page paper if one is needed. • Do Not Hide Behind Quotes. Teachers can tell when a writer has a strong argument or a paper made of fluff.
