how to introduce a quotation in an essay

McCombes, S. & Caulfield, J. (2022, November 09). How to Quote | Citing Quotes in APA, MLA & Chicago. Scribbr. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.scribbr.com/working-with-sources/how-to-quote/

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Quotation Basics: Grammar, Punctuation, and Style

Some general quotation guidelines.

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When writing a formal essay, you will often need to use quotes from a text or texts as evidence to prove your point or to make an argument. Below are grammar and punctuation guidelines to help you integrate those quotes into your essay successfully.

We recommend consulting a style manual or your instructor for specific queries.

Periods and Commas

You do not need to use any punctuation before a quotation if it forms part of your own sentence.

Example: Dennis cries that he is “being repressed!”

Use a comma when introducing a quote with a phrase such as ‘he said.’

Example: The old man protests, “I don’t want to go on the cart.”

Place parenthetical citations outside the end quotation mark, but before the punctuation.

Example: King Arthur declares, “Let’s not go to Camelot. It is a silly place” (13).

Colons and Ellipses

Use a colon when introducing a quotation with a full independent clause (one that can stand on its own).

Example: Emily feels frustrated by his response: “Is there someone else that we can talk to?”

Use an ellipsis (three periods, sometimes with spaces between: ‘…’ ) to indicate an omission in a quotation (Exception: it is not necessary to use an ellipsis when omitting words at the beginning of a quote unless you are using a block quote format).

Example: “The kind of intelligence a genius has … leaps with ellipses.”

When you want to omit one or more full sentences, use a period and a space before the three ellipsis dots.

Example: “Hatred paralyzes life. … Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.”

Slashes and Brackets

When you are quoting poetry, use a slash ( / ) to mark a line break.

Example: “Let me not to the marriage of true minds / Admit impediments” (1-2).

Use square brackets to add a word, change a pronoun, or change a verb tense in the quote.

Original quote: “It’s my duty as a knight to sample all the peril I can.”

In your essay: Sir Galahad thinks “it’s [his] duty as a knight to sample all the peril [he] can.”

Question Marks and Exclamation Points

With a question mark or exclamation point, there is no need to use a comma or a period.

Example: The interested observer wonders, “Are you suggesting that coconuts migrate?”

If the mark is part of your sentence and not part of the quote, it goes outside the last quotation mark.

Example: I don’t think we can ever understand the “ineluctable modality of the visual”!

Block Quotes

MLA style calls for use of a block quote (indent 10 spaces, or 2 tabs) when citing five or more lines of typed prose or four or more lines of verse. APA style calls for block quotes when citing forty words or more.

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? / Thou art more lovely and more temperate. / Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, / And summer’s lease hath all too short a date. (1-4)

Quote Within a Quote

When using a quote within a quote, single quotation marks are used for the inner quote.

Example: Josh laments, “Every time I try to talk to someone it’s ‘sorry this’ and ‘forgive me that.’”

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How to introduce quotes in an essay?

Writing the perfect essay presents a number of challenges to writers. Coming up with a lot of original content can pose a challenge, as can keeping your material focused, engaging, and unique. There’s also the question of experience: many writers simply don’t have the life experiences or talents and skills needed to write an engaging and honest essay about the material they’ve selected as their subject matter. In order to get over these hurdles, writers might choose a number of different solutions. There’s the less popular and frowned upon plagiarism, which usually results from writers copying another person’s material either intentionally or inadvertently. There’s also the habit of creating disingenuous or flat out false material when you need to convey an idea but don’t know how to do so truthfully. However, the secret to writing a good essay is actually not in the quantity of original content a writer produces, but the quality of the writing sourced and offered. What does this mean? This means that writers can and should use quotations throughout their essays and other narrative writing in order to provide unique, compelling, and meaningful material without resorting to dubious writing techniques.

Using quotations in an essay can serve a number of different purposes. Many writers use quotes to bring in concepts or ideas originally presented by a different person. If the quotation furthers an argument or emphasizes a point the second writer is hoping to make, including a quote from another person serves to reinforce the idea without requiring the author to repeat themselves over and over again. They present a sort of social proof, a public affirmation that the idea the author has is substantial, innovative, and supported by other speakers. Leading the way with a quote in your essay, especially one by an inspirational or motivational figure, is a great way to set the tone for your essay and draw public attention to your content through the lens of a famous figure. Enhancing your credibility and strengthening your ideas through the words of another are useful skills for any writer to master. Quotations as a literary device are also good ways to break up the narrative structure of an essay. If you feel that you’re droning on and on and failing to keep your material innovative and fresh, introducing a quote can help dispel the monotony of your writing and draw your reader’s attention back to your original purpose. Finally, a featured quotation (whether by a famous figure or by the original writer itself) helps your piece stand out from the crowd. A single memorable quotation can do more to make the content and ideas of an essay last in the minds of its audience than an entire page of written content. By successfully utilizing the power of quotations throughout an essay, writers enhance their credibility and support their ideas, ensuring they stand out and remain in the hearts and minds of readers long after they’ve finished reading the essay.

However, writers need to be careful when it comes to including quotes in their work. It’s easy to plagiarize if you don’t know how to include quotes properly in your work. Plagiarism brings a whole host of other problems to writers, including copyright infringement, flagged work, and even removal (and potential lawsuits) regarding your content. Consider this example.

Let’s say that a young writer wants to quote a section of a book they’ve recently read in their assigned English essay. They copy and paste the material from the book to make sure they’ve got the content exactly right, and place it in the middle of their essay, something like this:

In Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone, the Dursleys did not like Harry’s family very much. The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn’t think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters.

Such a sentence would immediately get flagged as plagiarized because the author has done nothing to indicate that someone else originally wrote the text of the book. The quote is presented as though it is the essay writer’s original thoughts, and a reader would not be able to tell that it is not original content.

Properly introducing a quote means that you can signify that the words you’re referencing are not your original content, but that they do bear some relevance to the remainder of your essay. In order to introduce a quote into your essay, you’ll need to remember the following things.

Cite Your Source

Knowing the true and authentic source of your original quotation is important because you’ll need to give them credit when you use their words. For example, in the paragraph above the essay writer could have said something like: “J.K. Rowling writes in her book, “The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn’t think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters.” By using both the name of the author and quotation marks, the essay writer is emphasizing that the quoted text is not their own and belongs to someone else but still gets to use it in their text.

Keep Length In Mind

Sometimes, the length of a quote isn’t always the best thing. When it comes to quotes, you need to be conscious that some readers simply don’t want to read a lengthy quotation from an author that isn’t even you. By including longer blocks of text, you make it less likely that the audience will read your quote in full and eliminate the necessity of including said quote in the first place. Generally, a good quote is between one to three sentences in length, although they can be longer or shorter.

Block or No Block?

Sometimes you may find yourself needing to quote a large chunk of text in your essay. Whether it’s to serve a narrative purpose or to outline a section of text you’ll be dissecting, including large blocks of text can be done, but they require special formatting in order to indicate that the entire length of the text is a quotation that is unoriginal. Known as a block quote, these lengthier quotations include any quote that is longer than three lines of typed text. The quote itself is turned into a miniature paragraph and formatted apart from the rest of the body of the essay to emphasize its difference. Consider this example:

In J.K. Rowling’s book Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, it is clear from the first description of the Potter family that the Dursleys do not like the Potters.

The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn’t think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley’s sister, but they hadn’t met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn’t have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be. The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street.

Here, the block quote emphasizes the length and separateness of the text, making it obvious that the text is quoted but still including it together in its entirety in order to set it aside from the other lines.

Writers should try very hard to only introduce quotes that are relevant to the essay topic at hand. While it may be tempting to throw quotations into an essay whenever possible, having too many packed in at once can actually overwhelm the essay and drown out the original content the writer is trying to emphasize. Filter out unnecessary quotes by looking at the thesis statement of your essay and trying to make a direct connection between your quote and the thesis. If you’re unable to make a direct connection, that’s a good sign that your quote won’t add anything to the rest of your essay.

Once you’ve reviewed these qualifying factors to ensure that your quote is relevant, length-appropriate, and ready to be used in your essay, you will need to begin practicing naturally entering quotes into your essay. There are several major ways to do this.

Complete Sentence and Colon

You can enter quotes into an essay very easily by first prefacing them with a complete sentence and a colon. Perhaps the most popular way to introduce quotes, this method is standard for English writers but has a tendency to feel dry and rehearsed if you’re not careful. It’s important to make sure your complete sentence is well-written but not too long or too dense so you don’t overshadow your quote.

Example: The Dursleys did not like the Potters in the first Harry Potter book: “Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn’t have a sister.”

Example: The Dursleys were a content family: “the Dursleys had everything they wanted.”

Introductory or explanatory phrase separated by a comma

Another common way to introduce quotes into an essay, this method is favored because it allows authors to preface or explain the quote by adding context before or after the phrase being quoted. By including explanatory phrasing, the writer takes the guesswork out of the quote and provides valuable context that the reader may not have obtained otherwise.

Example: Petunia Dursley did not like her sister, “she pretended she didn’t have a sister.”

Example: The Potters did not fit in well with the Dursleys, “ they were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be.”

Blend the quotation into your own sentence without breaking up the flow of the quote

This method of quote introduction allows for the seamless integration of textual quotes without breaking up the narrative flow of an essay. By blending the quote right into your own sentence, you eliminate the need for extra or unnecessary explanatory phrases and introductory phrases that require extra context in order to be understood.

Example: The Potters were unusual people who were considered “as unDursleyish as it was possible to be”.

Example: The Dursleys “had a secret and their greatest fear was that” they were very afraid of people discovering the truth about them.

Shorten the quotation to just the bare essentials of your phrasing

By breaking down your quote into tidbits of information you’d like to convey, you remove the tiresome and draining extra content from your essay and focus the attention on the emotional focus quotes you’d like your audience to remember the most. This technique is also helpful for writers who want to discuss specific phrases or emotions expressed by the person they’re quoting but who can’t fit the entire quote in its original context into their essay.

Example: The Dursleys “had a secret” they didn’t want to tell anyone. Example: Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Dursley were estranged and hadn’t met in “several years.”

Including quotes in an essay can feel intimidating, but with patience and practice, even novice essay writers will recognize the value of including quotations in their work. From inspirational to practical, the usages of quotations in personal writing are infinite, and knowing how to appropriately enter and apply quotations in an essay improves your writing skills tenfold. By including a simple quote, writers can easily boost their credibility and support their argument, making their case compelling and their writing even more profound. In the words of the immortal writer Jack Kerouac, “someday I will find the right words, and they will be simple.”

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How do I incorporate quotes into my writing? And why does citation matter?

If you clicked on this resource, you’ve got an essay to write, and somewhere in the prompt is a sentence that reads something like this: “Be sure to include outside sources, cite them, and attach a list of works cited.” So we’re here to help you understand a) how to integrate your sources effectively, and b) what all the fuss is about in the first place. The answer is this: Though you may see integration of quotations and solid citation practices as separate, they actually rely on each other, both for you as the writer and for your readers. In academic and popular writing, people are always responding to other people’s ideas about shared interests, so it’s useful to think of writing as joining a conversation. In short, then, citations help keep a conversation alive and accessible.

General Considerations

Learning to effectively incorporate quotations is about more than following the rules—it helps you engage with your sources and take authority in your writing. If your previous strategy had been to transcribe several quotes from sources that backed up your argument and then later to drop them into your essays, you weren’t alone—you have room to do so much more. Instead of just repeating what other people say, it’s important to respond to, build upon, or push back against their ideas. Your research will allow you to join a conversation about your topic.

Instead of dropping in sources unannounced, it’s best to introduce them, contextualize them, and unpack them: discuss how they add to your argument (or how they offer meaningful complications that help you push your thinking further). There are very few “formulas” in writing, but using this practice will not only build your credibility with your readers, it will help you deepen your own ideas and build your expertise. See “In Practice” below for a clear example of what this might look like.

Research and writing (and quoting and citing) are recursive (or circular) processes. You write most effectively once you’ve done enough reading to know where you want to join the conversation, and once you’ve written for awhile, engaging the sources you have, you learn what else you still need to discover, which sends you back to your research. Citations, then, benefit you as a writer, because they make it easy for you to retrace your steps and move forward in your thinking, and they benefit your readers, making it easy for them to follow your lead when they feel interested in a source you’ve integrated.

In Practice

Ice: introduce, cite, and explain your evidence.

Body paragraphs in academic essays contain evidence that supports debatable main ideas that appear in topic sentences. Responsible writers make sure to introduce, cite, and explain quotes and paraphrases used as evidence.

1. INTRODUCE: Introduce all your quotes using introductory phrases. Here are some examples:

Why do this? Introductory phrases like these serve two purposes: 1) they call your reader’s attention to the fact that you’re pulling in an outside source, and 2) your choice of verbs can help you characterize the nature of the quote. “According to Michael Smith…” has a slightly different meaning than “as Smith explains…” (implies a bit more authority), which is also different from “Smith suggests that” (not a set-in-stone fact but a theory) and “Smith observes” (something describable, implies Smith’s neutrality). Further, “Michael Smith insists…” is a way of attributing some urgency to what Smith says. There are a multitude of ways to introduce sources; be aware that your verb choices have implications.

2. CITE: Provide appropriate parenthetical citations for all quotes and paraphrases (but not summaries). Check the appropriate style guide for guidelines, e.g., MLA, APA, or Chicago. Here are some guidelines for MLA style citation:

Some professors at UM take points off of your final paper grade if you don’t cite paraphrased or quoted material correctly (Smith 1).

Why do this? Three reasons: 1) it builds your credibility by acknowledging where you’ve found information or ideas, 2) it visually indicates that you’re engaging with someone else’s ideas in order to shape your own, and 3) it helps your reader locate the source on your works cited or bibliography in the event that they want to look it up directly.

3. EXPLAIN: Make sure to explain your quotes. Provide analysis that ties them back to your main idea or topic sentence. In other words, comment on the evidence in order to incorporate it into the argument you’re making.

Why do this? By the time you write your essay, you may be familiar enough with your sources that their meaning seems self-evident. However, your readers aren’t inside your head, and their context may lead them to read your source differently than you. Your job is to guide your readers to your interpretation. Another benefit of this approach is that it helps you engage more thoroughly with your source to build your ideas; if you cannot articulate why the source matters, you haven’t thought it through well enough yet.

Here’s an example of a whole academic body paragraph* that illustrates ICE: introduction, citation, and explanation. Where do you see each element in this paragraph?:

Despite their competence as readers and writers, these young teachers have just begun to understand and participate in the changing ecology of literacy described above, particularly in adopting a view that digital writing is worthy of attention in schools. Grabill and Hicks argue that “[u]sing ICTs (Information Communication Technologies) isn’t enough; critically understanding how these writing technologies enable new literacies and meaningful communication should also be a core curricular and pedagogical function of English education” (307). While our experience as teacher educators, especially in the context of Kristen’s course, shows us that adopting this perspective is difficult, we feel that there are compelling social reasons to do so.

For some helpful guidance and practice on identifying and citing sources clearly, check out U of M Library’s Research Guides .

For further insight and advice, take a look at Sweetland’s “Beyond Plagiarism” page .

How to Start an Essay with a Quote?

Published 9:32 pm Tuesday, March 7, 2023

By Staff Reports

It Must Be Linked to the Topic

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First of all, any essay starting with a quote MUST be logically linked to the main question you study in your paper. You just cannot quote someone you like when your topic is different and has no relation to it. This is an obvious rule, but many students seem to ignore or forget about this obligation. Do not repeat their mistakes, and always use quotes that reflect the purpose of your paper. You cannot use a quote about technology when you write about arts (unless it has some relation).

Avoid Clichés

Secondly, you need to be sure that when you quote in an essay, you avoid stereotypical thinking and clichés. One of the main goals of a quote is to attract the attention of readers. That is why it is frequently used right at the beginning. Don’t waste the chance to remain original. If you focus on something boring and stereotypical, your reader will not be interested in what follows the quote.

Link It to Your Readers

When beginning a paper with a quote, you ought to be 100% sure that it is related to your readers and their aims. You need to predict the needs of your potential audience. The quote is supposed to be appealing to what they expect to see in your essay, as well as in the quote itself.

Explain It Afterward

Can I start an essay with a quote? Of course, you can. You should also keep in mind that not all quotes may be understood by some of your readers. Some quotes are vivid and uncommon. They may have some hidden symbolism. That is why your task is to explain them straight away in the next sentence.

Even if the quote is pretty simple, you still need to do that. You need to show the relation of the quote to the facts and thesis statement you will mention afterward.

Mention the Source

How to start essay with quote, and what else should be done? There is one more thing that is sometimes skipped or forgotten by students. They do not add the source of the quote. It’s a serious mistake that costs crucial grades. Always mention who said the quoted phrase.

The Bottom Line

How to begin an essay with a quote? We hope the tips and explanations we have provided above have answered this question pretty well. Use them to insert and start effectively. Thus, your readers will be surely interested in what comes next in your paper.

If you feel you cannot cope with this task all the same, use professional aid. Just leave an online request that looks like this – Who will write my essay for me ? You will surely have a rich choice from effective academic writing companies. Their writers will help to pick the best quotes and impress your readers right from the start.

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How to punctuate quotations in an essay

Introduction to punctuating quotations in an essay.

A quotation is a phrase taken directly from a text or speech .

It’s important to  carefully punctuate  your quotations, so that the meaning is clear

In a quotation it’s important to make sure you use the exact words from the original text. In most literature essays, it’s better to use shorter quotations in a precise way rather than write out very long quotations. You can use single inverted commas ‘ ’ or double quotation marks “ ” to punctuate the quotation. Just make sure you stick to the same punctuation mark and don’t swap between the two.

These punctuation marks should contain the words taken from the text:

In   A Christmas Carol  by Charles Dickens the character of Scrooge is described as being " Hard and sharp as flint ".

In the example above, "Hard and sharp as flint" is taken directly from the text.

Remember to close the punctuation marks at the end of the quotation. Only use a capital letter in a quotation if one appears in the original text.

Video about punctuating quotations

Punctuation inside quotations.

Punctuation that appears in the original text should be used in the quotation:

The character of Scrooge is described as " self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. "

In this example, the comma and full stop in the phrase "self-contained, and solitary as an oyster." appear in the original text and therefore need to be included with the quotation.

Sometimes a full stop is used outside of the quotation marks, this is because the full stop belongs to the whole sentence, not the original quotation:

In A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens the character of Scrooge is described as being " Hard and sharp as flint ".

Find the quotation

Correctly punctuate the quotation in this sentence.

In an extract from A Christmas Carol, Scrooge is described using the metaphor a tight-fisted hand at the grind-stone which tells the reader that he is a tough boss to work for and he probably doesn’t treat his employees fairly.

In an extract from A Christmas Carol, Scrooge is described using the metaphor " a tight-fisted hand at the grind-stone ," which tells the reader that he is a tough boss to work for and he probably doesn’t treat his employees fairly.

Using quotations in an essay

There are different ways to use a quotation in an essay. For example, you could embed a quotation into your sentence or separate the quotation with a colon after your point.

Embedding quotations

An effective way to use quotations is to embed them into your argument. Embedding is when the quotation becomes part of your own sentence:

The reader gains a negative impression of Scrooge, who is described as a " tight-fisted " man and an " old sinner ".

This method allows you to use quotations in a precise way and select evidence carefully.

Pick the best phrase

Using quotations at the end of a point.

Another common method is to use a quotation at the end of a point. A colon must be used before the quotation.

The reader gains a negative impression of Scrooge: " But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! "

Place the colons

How to separate a longer quotation.

If a much longer quotation is being used, it is appropriate to separate it from the main essay by leaving a line and indenting the text. Indenting means leaving a gap after the left-hand margin. It is not necessary to use quotation marks if the text is separate from the main essay. You could introduce the quotation like this:

In the beginning of the novel Dickens establishes the details of Scrooge’s character for his reader in a collection of negative verbs and powerful similes.

Below the introductory sentence you would leave a line and then indent the quotation.

See it in action

This is how the text currently looks:

In the beginning of the novel Dickens establishes the details of Scrooge’s character for his reader by using a collection of negative verbs and powerful similes. But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grind- stone, Scrooge! a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster.

This is how a longer quotation should look:

In the beginning of the novel Dickens establishes the details of Scrooge’s character for his reader by using a collection of negative verbs and powerful similes.

But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grind- stone, Scrooge! a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster.

Using quotations accurately makes your essay more convincing and shows that you are able to use evidence to support your points. You can show that you understand which parts of the text are relevant to the point you are making if you are able to select the key parts.

Test your knowledge

Using Quotations

How much should I quote?

The focus of your essay should be on your understanding of the topic. If you include too much quotation in your essay, you will crowd out your own ideas. Consider quoting a passage from one of your sources if any of the following conditions holds:

Condition 3 is especially useful in essays for literature courses.

If an argument or a factual account from one of your sources is particularly relevant to your paper but does not deserve to be quoted verbatim, consider

Note that most scientific writing relies on summary rather than quotation. The same is true of writing in those social sciences—such as experimental psychology—that rely on controlled studies and emphasize quantifiable results. (Almost all of the examples in this handout follow the MLA system of citation, which is widely used in the humanities and in those social sciences with a less quantitative approach.)

Visit our handout on paraphrase and summary .

Why is it important to identify my sources?

Quotations come from somewhere, and your reader will want to know where. Don’t just parachute quotations into your essay without providing at least some indication of who your source is. Letting your reader know exactly which authorities you rely on is an advantage: it shows that you have done your research and that you are well acquainted with the literature on your topic.

In the following passage, the parenthetical reference to the author does not adequately identify the source:

The ancient Greeks never saw a need to justify wars that were waged outside the walls of the city state. “Hence we must turn to Roman antiquity to find the first justification of war, together with the first notion that there are just and unjust wars” (Arendt 12). Yet the Roman conception of a just war differs sharply from more modern conceptions.

When you are making decisions about how to integrate quotations into your essay, you might imagine that you are reading the essay out loud to an audience. You would not read the parenthetical note. Without some sort of introduction, your audience would not even know that the statement about Roman antiquity was a quotation, let alone where the quotation came from.

How do I introduce a short quotation?

The following offers just one way of introducing the above quotation:

The ancient Greeks never saw a need to justify wars that were waged outside the walls of the city state. As Hannah Arendt points out in On Revolution , “we must turn to Roman antiquity to find the first justification of war, together with the first notion that there are just and unjust wars” (12). Yet the Roman conception of a just war differs sharply from more modern conceptions.

Since the quotation is relatively short, the brief introduction works.

You could, however, strengthen your analysis by demonstrating the significance of the passage within your own argument. Introducing your quotation with a full sentence would help you assert greater control over the material:

The ancient Greeks never saw a need to justify wars that were waged outside the walls of the city state. In On Revolution , Hannah Arendt points to the role the Romans played in laying the foundation for later thinking about the ethics of waging war: “we must turn to Roman antiquity to find the first justification of war, together with the first notion that there are just and unjust wars” (12). Yet the Roman conception of a just war differs sharply from more modern conceptions.

In these two examples, observe the forms of punctuation used to introduce the quotations. When you introduce a quotation with a full sentence, you should always place a colon at the end of the introductory sentence. When you introduce a quotation with an incomplete sentence, you usually place a comma after the introductory phrase. However, it has become grammatically acceptable to use a colon rather than a comma:

Arendt writes: “we must turn to Roman antiquity to find the first justification of war . . .”

If you are blending the quotation into your own sentence using the conjuction that , do not use any punctuation at all:

Arendt writes that “we must turn to Roman antiquity to find the first justification of war . . .”

If you are not sure whether to punctuate your introduction to a quotation, mentally remove the quotation marks, and ask yourself whether any punctuation is still required.

Finally, note that you can deviate from the common pattern of introduction followed by quotation. Weaving the phrases of others into your own prose offers a stylistically compelling way of maintaining control over your source material. Moreover, the technique of weaving can help you to produce a tighter argument. The following condenses twelve lines from Arendt’s essay to fewer than two:

What Arendt refers to as the “well-known realities of power politics” began to lose their moral legitimacy when the First World War unleashed “the horribly destructive” forces of warfare “under conditions of modern technology” (13).

What verbs and phrases can I use to introduce my quotations?

Familiarize yourself with the various verbs commonly used to introduce quotations. Here is a partial list:

argues writes points out concludes comments notes maintains suggests insists observes counters asserts states claims demonstrates says explains reveals

Each verb has its own nuance. Make sure that the nuance matches your specific aims in introducing the quotation.

There are other ways to begin quotations. Here are three common phrasings:

In the words of X , . . .

According to X , . . .

In X ‘s view, . . .

Vary the way you introduce quotations to avoid sounding monotonous. But never sacrifice precision of phrasing for the sake of variety.

Visit the U of T Writing Website’s page on verbs for referring to sources .

How do I introduce a long quotation?

If your quotation is lengthy, you should almost always introduce it with a full sentence that helps capture how it fits into your argument. If your quotation is longer than four lines, do not place it in quotation marks. Instead, set it off as a block quotation :

Although Dickens never shied away from the political controversies of his time, he never, in Orwell’s view, identified himself with any political program:

The truth is that Dickens’ criticism of society is almost exclusively moral. Hence his lack of any constructive suggestion anywhere in his work. He attacks the law, parliamentary government, the educational system and so forth, without ever clearly suggesting what he would put in their places. Of course it is not necessarily the business of a novelist, or a satirist, to make constructive suggestions, but the point is that Dickens’ attitude is at bottom not even destructive. . . . For in reality his target is not so much society as human nature. (416)

The full-sentence introduction to a block quotation helps demonstrate your grasp of the source material, and it adds analytical depth to your essay. But the introduction alone is not enough. Long quotations almost invariably need to be followed by extended analysis. Never allow the quotation to do your work for you. Usually you will want to keep the quotation and your analysis together in the same paragraph. Hence it is a good idea to avoid ending a paragraph with a quotation. But if your analysis is lengthy, you may want to break it into several paragraphs, beginning afresh after the quotation.

Once in a while you can reverse the pattern of quotation followed by analysis. A felicitously worded or an authoritative quotation can, on occasion, nicely clinch an argument.

There is some flexibility in the rule that block quotations are for passages of four lines or more: a shorter passage can be represented as a block quotation if it is important enough to stand on its own. For example, when you are quoting two or more lines of poetry , you will probably want to display the verse as it appears on the page:

In the opening heroic couplet of The Rape of the Lock , Pope establishes the unheroic nature of the poem’s subject matter:

What dire offense from amorous causes springs, What mighty contests rise from trivial things. (1-2)

If you choose to integrate verse into your own sentence, then use a slash surrounded by spaces to indicate line breaks:

In Eliot’s The Waste Land , the symbols of a mythic past lie buried in “A heap of broken images, where the sun beats, / And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief” (22-23).

How do I let my reader know I’ve altered my sources?

If you need to alter your quotations in any way, be sure to indicate just how you have done so. If you remove text, then replace the missing text with an ellipsis —three periods surrounded by spaces:

In The Mirror and the Lamp , Abrams comments that the “diversity of aesthetic theories . . . makes the task of the historian a very difficult one” (5).

If the omitted text occurs between sentences, then put a space after the period at the end of sentence, and follow that by an ellipsis. In all, there will be four periods. (See Orwell on Dickens, above.)

Many people overuse ellipses at the beginning and end of quotations. Use an ellipsis in either place only when your reader might otherwise mistake an incomplete sentence for a complete one:

Abraham Lincoln begins “The Gettysburg Address” with a reminder of the act upon which the United States was founded: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation . . .” (1).

Do not use an ellipsis if you are merely borrowing a phrase from the original:

In “The Gettysburg Address” Abraham Lincoln reminds his listeners of the principles that had inspired the creation of “a new nation” (1).

If you need to alter or replace text from the original, enclose the added text within square brackets . You may, for example, need to alter text to ensure that pronouns agree with their antecedents. Do not write,

Gertrude asks her son Hamlet to “cast your nighted colour off” (1.2.68).

Square brackets allow you to absorb Gertrude’s words into your own statement:

Gertrude asks her son Hamlet to “cast [his] nighted colour off” (1.2.68).

Alternatively, you can include Gertrude’s original phrasing in its entirety as long as the introduction to the quotation is not fully integrated with the quotation. The introduction can be an independent clause:

Gertrude implores her son Hamlet to stop mourning the death of his father: “cast your nighted colour off” (I.ii.68).

Or it can be an incomplete sentence:

Gertrude implores her son Hamlet, “cast your nighted colour off” (1.2.68).

How is punctuation affected by quotation?

You must preserve the punctuation of a quoted passage, or else you must enclose in square brackets any punctuation marks that are your own.

There is, however, one important exception to this rule. You are free to alter the punctuation just before a closing quotation mark. You may need to do so to ensure that your sentences are fully grammatical. Do not worry about how the original sentence needs to be punctuated before that quotation mark; think about how your sentence needs to be punctuated. Note, for example, that if you are using the MLA system of referencing, a sentence always ends after the parenthetical reference. Do not also include a period before closing the quotation mark, even if there is a period there in the original. For example, do not write,

According to Schama, Louis XVI remained calm during his trial: “The Terror had no power to frighten an old man of seventy-two.” (822).

The period before the closing quotation mark must go:

According to Schama, Louis XVI remained calm during his trial: “The Terror had no power to frighten an old man of seventy-two” (822).

However, if you are using footnotes, the period remains inside the quotation mark, while the footnote number goes outside:

According to Schama, Louis XVI remained calm during his trial: “The Terror had no power to frighten an old man of seventy-two.” 1

In Canada and the United States, commas and periods never go outside a quotation mark. They are always absorbed as part of the quotation, whether they belong to you or to the author you are quoting:

“I am a man / more sinned against than sinning,” Lear pronounces in Act 3, Scene 2 (59-60).

However, stronger forms of punctuation such as question marks and exclamation marks go inside the quotation if they belong to the author, and outside if they do not:

Bewildered, Lear asks the fool, “Who is it that can tell me who I am?” (1.4.227).

Why is Lear so rash as to let his “two daughters’ dowers digest the third” (1.1.127)?

Finally, use single quotation marks for all quotations within quotations:

When Elizabeth reveals that her younger sister has eloped, Darcy drops his customary reserve: “‘I am grieved, indeed,’ cried Darcy, ‘grieved—shocked'” (Austen 295).

Jan 15, 2019

Academic Guide For Students: How to Put a Quote in an Essay

Have you ever wondered how to put a quote in your essay? If your answer is “yes”, then I got your back! This is the main focus of today’s session.

Here’s the outline:

What is a Quote?

What is an in-text citation, how to do an in-text citation (apa), how to do an in-text citation (mla), how to cite a long quote, how to introduce a quote, phrases to introduce a quote.

Introducing a quote in your essay is also an essential skill in academic writing. Would you believe that?

A quote or a quotation means you repeat the author’s words without introducing any changes to it. It is usually indicated by a double or a single quotation marks depending on the circumstance. For example, a quote within a quote uses a single quotation mark. When quoting, the author is cited to attribute the text to its original source.

You can use a quote to emphasize or support your arguments. Moreover, quotes are added to provide additional insights to the topic of the paper. It is up to you how you are going to incorporate a quote into your essay. My advice to you is to use them intelligently.

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Before you begin incorporating a quote in your essay, I ought to teach you writing an in-text citation first.

In research papers or any academic papers you write in school, it is important to place an in-text citation on a text you referenced from another author. An in-text citation indicates that a particular information is taken from another source. It tells your reader,

Hey, I got this text from this author!

Having an in-text citation in your paper prevents you from being accused (or being charged) of plagiarism by your instructor. The next section will tackle how you can properly quote a quote.

You asked, how can I quote a quote? I’ll give you a simple answer — by having an in-text citation. In APA, you have to write the following in an in-text citation:

Example #1:

John Stuart Mill (1859) asserts, “[f]or a long time past, the chief mischief of the legal penalties is that they strengthen the social stigma” (p. 31). In my opinion, I find his statement thought-provoking.

Examples #2:

He muses, “[f]or a long time past, the chief mischief of the legal penalties is that they strengthen the social stigma” (Mill, 1859, p. 31). In my opinion, I find his statement thought-provoking.

For MLA, you would need the following for your in-text citation:

Now let us transform the previous examples from APA to MLA. Be sure to take note of their differences. For the page number, you do need to write “p.”. And notably, the name and page number are not separated by a comma.

John Stuart Mill asserts that “[f]or a long time past, the chief mischief of the legal penalties is that they strengthen the social stigma” (31). In my opinion, I find his statement thought-provoking.

Example #2:

He muses, “[f]or a long time past, the chief mischief of the legal penalties is that they strengthen the social stigma” (Mill 31). In my opinion, I find his statement thought-provoking.

For all your citation needs, I would like to recommend you to read (or find a copy in your campus library) of the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook published in 2016. As for APA, you may refer to the sixth edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychologist Association .

If you are observing my examples carefully, you can see that I only cited short quotations. Things will be different when you are going to cite a long quotation/block quotation. Keep calm, for I’ve got you covered in quoting a paragraph.

Follow the format!

Are you citing in MLA or APA style?

Always remember to find out:

Date published (APA)

Example #1 (APA):

This is how you cite a block quotation in APA. He asserts,

Being a philosophy enthusiast, I definitely found his perspective interesting and eye-opening.

Example #2 (APA):

Example #1 (mla):.

In the book On Liberty , it is worth noting that,

Example #2 (MLA):

In John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty , he finds,

Figure out!

Figure out which citation style you are going to use. Like I said previously, different citation styles have their own way of referencing a quote.

Use a signal phrase!

Well, you can’t just blindly incorporate a quote in your paper without properly introducing it. Really, it would look weird. Don’t leave your quote hanging! Some common signal phrases are:

If you use other signal phrases other than the ones listed here, then you are free to incorporate those phrases in your paper. I would give you more words to introduce a quote in the next section.

Sometimes I would even add the occupation of the author (Ex: Professor, director, and etc.) or the title of the book/article if I know it would help my reader understand my paper more. In a nutshell, you can’t go wrong by making the proper introduction to your quote.

Be creative with your signal phrases, as they can make your essay more colorful to a certain degree. Think of it this way — at least you will not be restricted by “says/said”.

Cite and take note of the following!

Do not forget to include the parenthetical citation of your quote. It would be counted as plagiarism if you don’t reference it.

Bear in mind the following:

In John Stuart Mill’s book On Liberty (1859) , he believes that “[l]iberty, as a principle, has no application to any state of things anterior to the time when mankind have become capable of being improved by free and equal discussion” (p.14).

I would like to give you a more comprehensive list of phrases you can use to introduce a quote in your essay.

Tip: You can have this list beside you as you draft your essay.

Yahoo! You have reached the end of my guide. Try to use the words/signal phrases I enumerated in the guide. Who knows? Your teacher might be impressed. I hope you will get an A+ in your next academic paper.

Good luck, dear readers!

If you enjoyed this article, please, 👏 — it’s free. Share it so that others can find it too.

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A Curious Student’s Guide on Types of Quotes

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How to Start an Essay with a Quote: Recommendations, Examples, Pros & Cons

Updated 16 Sep 2022

Quotations are phrases or short passages borrowed from texts or speeches of other authors. Oftentimes, these are famous remarks of various celebrities either from the present or from humanity’s distant past. Most famous quotes are highly valuable since they represent concentrated pieces of wisdom, knowledge, life experience, wit, all of which can be magnified by circumstances in which these have been made or by the life and contribution of people they belong to. This explains why they represent powerful tools in essay writing.

Hence, knowing how to start an essay with a quote is an important skill that allows students to make the best of their written assignments or speeches.

Simple Tips for Starting Essay with Quotes

When considering how to start with a quote, there are some tips that would certainly prove useful:

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Key Things You Should Know When Picking the Right Quote

When searching for a suitable quote at beginning of essay, always prioritize content over authority. In other words, a quote’s quality, contained idea, thought, message should always be more important than the figure behind it. Besides giving more freedom, this would spare you from the risk of not being original by citing the same famous personalities as everyone else.

Note that it might be often opportune to describe the context in which these quotes were made, i.e. circumstances that made authors say or write these words. This helps readers better imagine what internal struggles authors faced when formulating these. Describing context should be effective if quotes come from authors that confronted extreme events, phenomena, life circumstances, dilemmas, etc.

Although searching fore quotes might be time-consuming, student should know that there are multiple methods that facilitate this process. Thus, there are good books containing collections of quotes split into different categories listed in alphabetical order – this should be efficient for general topics. Alternatively, employ online search engines with carefully formulated queries, which are much more flexible tools. Yet another approach is picking relevant sources directly and looking for quotable passages in them.

Our academic assistance service Edubirdie helps with finding quotes or with any other writing issue experienced by you. Whether you wonder how to write an editorial , research paper, speech, lab report, doing coursework, or how to write about yourself , we handle anything you can imagine – just check out with our operators and place your order.

Pros And Cons of Starting Essays with Quotes

Starting an essay with a quote comes with a number of advantages and disadvantages as presented below.

How to Begin an Essay with a Quote Example

Example 1 – an essay on the environmental “legacy” of current generations

“If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace; and this single reflection, well applied, is sufficient to awaken every man to duty.” (Paine, The American Crisis, 1776). This quote by our Founding Father Thomas Paine serves as a constant reminder that this Earth belongs to our descendants just as well. One implication of these words is that it is our duty to do everything for addressing current problems if we want our generations to live in a normal world. This is relevant for current environmental problems which represent a civilizational threat.

Example 2 – an essay on self-sufficiency, both humor and depth are employed

“The best definition of man is: a being that goes on two legs and is ungrateful” (Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Notes from Underground, 1864). Seems like human nature is a constant. What if Dostoyevsky had the chance to witness the abundance in our societies as compared to the one he lived in and regardless of this abundance, so much unhappiness and so many ungrateful people.

To conclude, a quotation is a powerful instrument that greatly enhances your essay if used appropriately, and now you know how to start a paper with a quote. If you want to integrate quotes in your paper, just let our academic assistants know and they would consider this along other listed instructions.

Keep in mind that with Edubirdie, you can transparently select your preferred online essay writer by reviewing their performance stats and continuously communicate with them in order to obtain essay outlines, drafts, provide feedback. Besides, clients benefit from unlimited free revisions in case original instructions have not been met but also from a money-back guarantee if revision attempts fail. Your risks are minimized here so why not give it a try?

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How to Use Quotations and Examples – Dos and Don’ts

How to Use Quotations and Examples – Dos and Don’ts1111

Matrix Blog

English 9-10.

Do you struggle incorporating examples or quotations into your writing? In this article, we share the dos and don'ts that Matrix students learn so they can impress their teachers at school.

Quotations and examples are an integral part of paragraphs and essays. But, do you still find yourself confused about how to use quotations or examples in your paragraphs or even identify them in the first place?

Don’t worry! In this article, we will provide a checklist to make sure that you KNOW how to use quotations and examples effectively in your essay.

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What is a quotation or example?

An example is evidence from the text that supports your argument. Evidence includes quotations, images, statistics etc.

It is important that you identify the technique and explain its effect, but you still need to provide the actual example to solidify your argument.

For example:

1. The autumnal setting in Frost’s poem symbolises a time of change because autumn usually represents transition.

2. The autumnal setting represented as “T wo roads diverged in a yellow wood” symbolises a time of change as autumn usually represents a transition.

blog-english-how-to-use-examples-dos-donts-fountain-pen-and-notes

A quotation (also known as quote ) is a particular type of example that is used in essays.

They are sentence(s), phrase(s), or word(s) that cited from a text by someone who isn’t the original author.

This is not plagiarism because the cited text usually sits between quotation marks (” “) and, thus, credit is given to the author/text.

Your readers gain a better understanding of your analysis when you use an example/quotation. Correctly presenting your example or quotation provides a clearer image of your argument by giving your reader the context of the example and its technique.

However, it is important not to confuse examples with evidence .

Evidence is ANY information that you can find in texts to support your argument. This includes techniques , EXAMPLES and QUOTATIONS .

Think of it this way:

Evidence → examples → quotations → techniques

How to use quotations and examples in different ways

There are many different ways that you can quote in your essay.

Each method serves a different purpose and it is up to you to decide which one works best for that example.

Let’s have a look at these different methods.

blog-english-how-to-use-examples-dos-donts-road-to-nowhere

Introducing direct quotations

This is when you use quotation marks (” “) to repeat the author’s words and connect it with an introductory/explanatory phrase.

There are many different ways you can do this.

1. Using a quote with an introductory/explanatory phrase

An introductory phrase introduces the technique and/or context of the quote before the actual quotation, whereas an explanatory phrase explains the meaning of the quotation/technique.

Let’s look at some examples:

Frost represents a time of change through the symbolic autumnal setting in “T wo roads diverged in a yellow wood” .

In the opening of the poem, “T wo roads diverged in a yellow wood” , the autumnal setting is symbolic of the time for change since autumn is usually associated with transition.

The autumnal setting created in “T wo roads diverged in a yellow wood”, symbolises a time of change as autumn usually represents a transition.

2. Explaining the meaning and then using a colon to introduce the quote

Let’s look at an example:

Frost represents a time of change through the symbolic autumnal setting in the opening of the poem: “T wo roads diverged in a yellow wood” .

3. Using 2 separate sentences

Here, we have an introductory/explanatory sentence and an introductory/explanatory phrase with the quotation:

Frost highlights the need for change by creating an autumnal setting in the opening, as autumn is often associated with transitions. This is illustrated through the symbolic yellow woods in “T wo roads diverged in a yellow wood”.

Frost uses symbolism to emphasise the need for change in “T wo roads diverged in a yellow wood”. Here, the yellow woods create an autumnal setting which is representative of a transitional stage.

The need for change is highlighted in the opening of the poem, “T wo roads diverged in a yellow wood”. Here, the yellow woods are symbolic of autumn’s transitional nature.

blog-english-how-to-use-examples-dos-donts-coffee-and-books

Interweaving quotations in your analysis

This is when you integrate your quotations in your analysis. Doing this will increase readability. Here are some examples:

The autumnal setting of the “yellow woods” is symbolic of the need for change as autumn is often linked with transition.

The audience realises that the persona is anxious about the future changes as he attempts to look “down one as far as [he] could” in an attempt to predict it.

Shortening quotations

When you want to quote long sentences or more one sentence, you can use ellipses (…) to shorten it. This ensures that you only quote the relevant part that helps you build your argument.

Frost highlights that humans are innately anxious of changes through the symbolic use of the yellow woods and the persona’s anxiety in “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood… And [I] looked down one as far as I could”

In very rare cases, you can also use ellipses in front of a quotation. or after it, to indicate that there is a continuation beyond what is presented.

Indirect quotations

Indirect quotations involve presenting the quotation and paraphrasing or sumarising (part of) the text. Let’s see what that involves.

Frost describes the persona as standing by the crossroads and looking down the streets to highlight human’s innate anxiety towards changes.

blog-english-how-to-use-examples-dos-donts-banner-graffiti

How to find relevant and strong quotations/examples?

Having relevant and strong examples in your essay is very important. It ensures that your essay is concise, sustained and answers the question.

Too often, students use quotes to make their responses sound more sophisticated or to increase the word count.

However, if the quote or example doesn’t add relevant insight to your argument, it will show the marker that you are not certain about the arguments you are raising.

This will COST YOU MARKS!

This is why you need to make sure that you know how to choose the best examples for your essay.

To do this, we need to first know how to effectively read or view your text. Let’s quickly recap that process.

How to read/view your text

Flowchart: How to Read or View Your Text

Now that you know how to effectively read/view your text, let’s go through some dos and don’ts to find relevant and strong examples…

The dos and dont’s of finding quotations and examples

How do we integrate quotations and examples into our discussion?

Now that you know how to find relevant and strong quotes, we need to learn how to integrate them into our essays effectively.

Firstly, you need to figure out what your argument will be. They will usually be summarised in your topic sentences .

Remember that you always need to choose quotes and examples that support and extend your argument.

As we discussed earlier, there are many different ways you can quote your text. Click here to see them .

Ultimately, you have to decide which method works best for your purpose.

Here are some tips to effectively integrate your quotes and examples in your essay:

Now you that you know the dos and don’ts to use quotations and examples, it is your turn to put it into practice!

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Words that introduce Quotes or Paraphrases

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Remember that you are required to cite your sources for paraphrases and direct quotes. For more information on MLA Style, APA style, Chicago Style, ASA Style, CSE Style, and I-Search Format, refer to our Gallaudet TIP Citations and References link.

Words that introduce Quotes or Paraphrases are basically three keys verbs:

Neutral Verbs: When used to introduce a quote, the following verbs basically mean “says”

Examples of Neutral Verbs

The author says. The author notes. The author believes. The author observes. The author comments. The author relates. The author declares. The author remarks. The author discusses. The author reports. The author explains. The author reveals. The author expresses. The author states. The author mentions. The author acknowledges. The author suggests. The author thinks. The author points out. The author responds. The author shows. The author confirms.

Sample Sentences

Stronger Verbs: These verbs indicate that there is some kind of argument, and that the quote shows either support of or disagreement with one side of the argument.

Examples of Stronger Verbs The author agrees . . .The author rejects . The author argues . The author compares . (the two studies) The author asserts . The author admits . The author cautions . The author disputes . The author emphasizes . The author contends . The author insists . The author denies . The author maintains . The author refutes . The author claims . The author endorses .

Sample Sentences MLA Style

Inference Verbs: These verbs indicate that there is some kind of argument, and that the quote shows either support of or disagreement with one side of the argument. Examples of Inference Verbs The author implies . The author suggests . The author thinks . Sample Sentences MLA Style

One phrase that is often used to introduce a quotation is: According to the author, . . .

According to the author, children with ADD have a shorter attention span than children without ADD (author’s last name, year, p. ##).

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How to integrate evidence in an essay

In addition, there are also many books that can help you How to integrate evidence in an essay.

Incorporating Evidence Into Your Essay Weak and Strong

Appendix C: Integrating Source Evidence into Your Writing

Integration could mean effectively answering your research question, or persuading the reader to agree with the thesis statement in your essay. Evidence

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Integrating Evidence Effectively

There are three main ways to integrate evidence from sources into your writing: quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing. Each form requires a citation

How to Use a Quote in an Essay

Table of Contents

MLA in-text citation how-to

You can take a quote from different sources of information, such as books, magazines, websites or printed journals. Using quotes in an essay serves three goals:

Since quotes are mostly used in Humanities, you’ll have to follow MLA citation referencing guidelines. The Modern Language Association citation manual implies two types of quotes – short and long.

Writing college essays, the recommendation is to use short quotes.

Parenthetical citation

Referring to the works of other authors in-text is done using a parenthetical citation . Such a method implies the author-page style of quoting. For example:

When it comes to writing, King suggests: “Write. Rewrite. When not writing or rewriting, read. I know of no shortcuts.” (5)

Given the MLA in-text citation already contains King’s last name, you shouldn’t mention it in the parenthesis. If the author’s name isn’t mentioned in-text, it has to be specified in a parenthetical citation.

When it comes to writing, there’s a quote I like the most: “Write. Rewrite. When not writing or rewriting, read. I know of no shortcuts.” (King 5)

According to MLA guidelines, at the end of the essay, there has to be the Works Cited page . It contains the full reference featuring author’s full name, the full title of the source, the volume, the issue number, the date of publishing, and the URL (if the source was found online). Here’s an example of the full referencing in the Works Cited:

King, Larry L. “The Collection of Best Works.” Oxford University Press, vol. 2, no. 3, Jan.-Feb. 2017, http://www.prowritersdigest.com/editor-blogs/inspirational-quotes/72-of-the-best-quotes-about-writing.

How to start an essay with a quote?

Starting an essay with a quote is a matter of controversy. Experts in the pro camp suggest that a quote at the beginning of an essay helps make a powerful statement right from the start. Moreover, an interesting, captivating quote grabs the reader’s attention right from the start.

Experts from the against camp suggest that when you begin an essay with a quote, you miss on the opportunity to present your own take on the subject matter. In their opinion, when writing the introduction, you have to rely only on your words. Whereas quotes are most useful in the main body, serving as an additional argumentation. In conclusion, a quote can be placed, too.

PROS & CONS OF STARTING AN ESSAY WITH A QUOTE

How to use quotes in the middle of an essay?

Main Body is the place you’re meant to state a quote or two, depending on the length of a paper. A standard 5-paragraph essay will imply you to use 2-3 quotes in the main body. More quotes aren’t necessary for such a short assignment. Two quotes in the main body will do just fine.

In the main body paragraph, a quote is placed in the middle of the passage . First, you introduce a focal sentence of a paragraph highlighting your point of view regarding a topic. After that, you provide the evidence data and argumentation, among which is a relevant quote. And finally, you smoothly transit to the next body paragraph or the conclusion. Here’re three examples of how to present a quote in one of the main body paragraphs.

Accurate integration of a citation in a text is key. Or the whole passage will sound off.

People who want to become a writer don’t really need any piece of advice. “Those (…) who know that they really want to do this and are cut out for it, they know it.”

College essay quotes have to be naturally embedded in a text .

People who want to become a writer don’t really need any piece of advice: “Those (…) who know that they really want to do this and are cut out for it, they know it.”

There’s also the way to write an essay with quotes in the smoothest way possible.

People who want to become a writer don’t really need any piece of advice. They simply “know that they really want to do this and are cut out for it, they know it.”

See how organically a quote is inserted in a sentence? That’s the best-case scenario of using a quote in a sentence.

How to end an essay with a quote?

Sometimes, ending an essay with a quote is better than merely restating your thesis statement. Citations can be taken from both primary and secondary sources. Good quotes to end an essay might be of your course professor’s. According to essay writing websites, quotations taken from the words of subject authorities and thought leaders will do great, too.

A quote ending an essay helps meet 5 objectives:

Having a quotation at the end of an essay gives a good chance to score an “A”.

15 tips for using quotations in an essay

5 motivational quotes for essay writing

Inspiration is a staple in every great writer’s routine. As a student, you might find drawing inspiration a bit too difficult. Here’re a couple of inspiring essay motivation quotes to help you break through the writer’s block. Or you can buy argumentative essay if doing the task yourself isn’t an option.

“I don’t need an alarm clock. My ideas wake me.”

“It’s none of their business that you have to learn to write. Let them think you were born that way.”

“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is … the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”

“Making people believe the unbelievable is no trick; it’s work . … Belief and reader absorption come in the details: An overturned tricycle in the gutter of an abandoned neighborhood can stand for everything.”

“To defend what you’ve written is a sign that you are alive.”

Many times life catches us off balance. Lots of written homework. Tight schedule. Sudden illness. Personal matters. Writer’s block. An instructor returned the essay for revisions. At the moments like these, it’s always a good idea to have someone to cover your back. GradeMiners can always write you a new essay, rewrite an existing draft, perform an ending an essay with a quote , or proofread your text for mistakes, typos, as well as correct the use of quotations. Let us know if you need anything, and we’ll help you out!

How To Start A Research Paper

How to write an essay: a complete guide.

Abortion Research Paper: Facts To Know Before Writing

How to Quote a Quote?

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The rules for using quotation marks can seem complicated, but once you understand the basic principles, it’s not so bad. But what do you do when you’ve got a quote within a quote? Read on to find out.

Quotations within quotations

Why would you ever have a quotation within a quotation? Lots of reasons. For example, a character in a story may quote someone else aloud.

“Let us explore the meaning of the quote ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,’”said the teacher.

The example above uses American-style quotation marks. The main quote is enclosed in double quotation marks. The quote within the quote, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you , is enclosed in single quotation marks. (The British convention is the opposite; the main quote would use single quotation marks and the quote within the quote would use double quotation marks.) If your single and double quotation marks end up next to each other (either at the beginning or end of the quote), you don’t need to add a space between them.

Quoting a quote

How do you quote a quote? That is to say, what do you do when you’re quoting material that already contains a quote? The principle doesn’t change. In American English, use double quotes for the outside quote and single quotes for the inside quote. In British English, do the opposite.

Let’s say you need to quote a book for an essay, and the passage you have in mind contains a quote from some other source.

Imagine the original passage from the book looks like this:

I remember our father having strong opinions about many things. Pop was fond of saying “there’s no such thing as a free lunch, Jimmy,” but it seemed a little disingenuous because he wasn’t much of a lunch-eater anyway.

When you quote from this passage, you might say:

In the introduction of the book, the author describes a memory of his father. “Pop was fond of saying ‘there’s no such thing as a free lunch, Jimmy,’ but it seemed a little disingenuous because he wasn’t much of a lunch-eater anyway.”

Notice that the quotes around there’s no such thing as a free lunch, Jimmy were double quotes in the original passage. But when you quote the passage, there’s no such thing as a free lunch, Jimmy becomes a quote within a quote, so you should change them to single quotation marks.

Nov 15 / Suggested Ways to Introduce Quotations

More transitions and linking expressions, addition transition words, how to write a conclusion for essays you dont know how to end, related to the topic on french transition words and essay phrases, notes grahing cubic and quartic functions 19, referring to the author within a signal phrase.

The author argues that “subjecting non-smokers to toxic second-hand smoke is not only unfair, but a violation of their right to a safe environment” (p.##). The article discusses the qualities of a good American housewife in the 1950s (author’s last name p.##). Godfried remarks, “Ignorance is a skill learned by many of the greatest fools” (author’s last name p.##).

They can be incredibly useful when transitioning from one side of an issue to the other. A big part of writing is finding the right balance, so switch up your transitions from time to time. Incompatible transitions – for example, if you’re about to introduce an example that supports your statement you wouldn’t introduce this by saying “but”.

The demonstrative pronouns this, that, these, and those can be used to emphasize the relationship between adjacent sentences. Note that the inclusion of a noun after the pronoun decreases ambiguity. ● In your closing sentence at the end of each paragraph to segway into the next one.

Read on to learn all about the best transition words and phrases and when to use them, as well as common pitfalls you might encounter when incorporating transitions into your writing. You should never have a quotation standing alone as a complete sentence, or, worse, as an incomplete sentence, in your writing.

These are phrases and passages of text that link different parts ofyour essay, usually by specifying how one sentence or paragraph relates to the next. The transition words that you use in your paper will naturally depend on what kind of transition you’re making. In this section, we break down the main types of transitions that you might use in your essay and provide examples of common transition words. Removing a transition from a sentence does not hold any grammatical consequences to your writing. They connect two ideas and establish the relationship between these ideas. Transitions direct readers to the logical progression of your argument.

Integrating the quote will allow you to use it as evidence for your own thoughts. Once you have written the assertion, place it in front of the quote and then use a colon. Learn more about the “Quote Sandwich” by reviewing this handout. Learn more about “Using Quotes Effectively” by reviewing this handout. Did you know that some bread batters should be hand mixed?

Her preoccupation with her looks suggests that she is too superficial to make her a believable character (author’s last name p.##). By calling them ignorant, the author implies that they were unschooled and narrow minded (author’s last name p.##). The Department of Transportation denies claims that the new bridge will damage the fragile ecosystem of the Potomac River (author’s last name, year, p. ##). For years, local residents have been disputing the plans to build a new highway characteristics of a narrative essay right through the center of town (author’s last name, year, p. ##). Though bar owners disagree, Johnston maintains that banning smoking in all public places will not negatively affect bar business (author’s last name p.##). Despite criticism, Johnston agrees that smoking should be banned in all public places (author’s last name p.##). Julia Hertz responded to allegations that her company was aware of the faulty tires on their cars (author’s last name, year, p. ##).

Also remember that while transitions describe relationships between ideas, they do not automatically create relationships between ideas for your reader. Use transitions with enough context in a sentence or paragraph to make the relationships clear. However, conjunctions and transitions have different functions. In contrast, transitions reveal the relationship between two sentences or paragraphs. Transitions signal to the reader how pieces of information fit together in a logical way. Similarly, both conjunctions and transitions connect ideas or thoughts.

Over-using the same transition because this is boring for the audience to hear repeatedly. Ensure that there is variety with your transitions, consider including visual transitions. Too many tangents – any digressions should still be relevant to the topic and help the audience with their transition words to introduce a quote understanding, otherwise cut them out. This can be also be useful to introduce a new point because adults learn better when new information builds on previously learned information. For the purpose ofunderstanding the consumers’ buying habits, the CEO interviewed many of his customers.

Subordinating conjunction indicates a relationship between clauses. It stresses which clause is most important within the confines of a sentence. Words in the generalization category reveal a forthcoming example that will illustrate a traditional viewpoint. In order toget the lawsuit dropped, the girl had to write a public apology in the newspaper. To restate your thoughts employ these words in your essay. Among the students surveyed, more than half were excited to return to campus full-time. Proofreads your text, so your work is extra polished wherever you write.

They may also be points at which you want to add to, expand upon, or conclude a previous statement. A comparison/similarity transition word is used to compare two ideas or thoughts. There are many transition words that will indicate that an example is forthcoming.

Gallaudet University, chartered in 1864, is a private university for deaf and hard of hearing students. These are used in a similar way as the cause transitions, but later in the sentence to show the result of an action. These transition words are used to show the flip side of a point.

So let’s take a look at some of the most common mistakes I see with the use of transition words for essays. If you’re reading this, then you’re probably all too used to writing essays. I don’t need to explain to you the essay’s prevalence in just about every level of the education system. When delivering presentations it’s important for your words and ideas to flow so your audience can understand how everything links together and why it’s all relevant.

They also let us do soin a way that’s almost imperceptible to the reader. You already understand the different types of essays that require you to analyze, interpret, compare and contrast, and break down any number of subjects.

Once you have introduced the quote in your paper properly, read it out loud to confirm it flows with the rest of the content. Check that the sentence fits within the rest of the paragraph. Make sure you are consistent with how you introduce quotes in the paper. Use one to two different ways to introduce quotes and stick to them so the reader can follow your train of thought. One of the best ways to let readers know more about your source is to use a signal phrase.

All transitional words and transitional phrases in one table. People use reference transitional words and phrases to a relationship between continuing ideas.

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How To Introduce Quotes In An Essay
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Academic Guide For Students: How to Put a Quote in an Essay
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Suggested Ways to Introduce Quotations
To introduce a quote in an essay, don't forget to include author's last name and page number (MLA) or author, date, and page number (APA) in your citation. Shown below are some possible ways to introduce quotations. The examples use MLA format. 1. Use a full sentence followed by a colon to introduce a quotation. Examples:
How to Put a Quote in an Essay (with Pictures)
When you use a short quote, include it directly in your paragraph, along with your own words. To help the reader understand the quote and why you're using it, write a full sentence that includes the quote, rather than just lifting a sentence from another work and putting it into your paper. [1]
How to Introduce a Quote ⇒ Tips on Using Quotations
In short, to introduce a quote, you can: Use a complete sentence Integrate the quote in your writing with your own words Use an introductory word or phrase Further in this article, we discuss each of these methods and give a few examples of quote introduction.
MLA Formatting Quotations
For quotations that are more than four lines of prose or three lines of verse, place quotations in a free-standing block of text and omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on a new line, with the entire quote indented 1/2 inch from the left margin while maintaining double-spacing.
How to Start an Essay With a Quote: 14 Steps (with Pictures)
Introduce the quotation appropriately. Quotes should not stand alone in your paper. Your words should introduce the quotation, usually coming before the quote (though after may be okay). Several options for introducing the quotation are available to you: [4] Use the quote as a sentence predicate.
How to punctuate quotations in an essay
There are different ways to use a quotation in an essay. For example, you could embed a quotation into your sentence or separate the quotation with a colon after your point. Embedding...
Using Quotations in Essays
A good quotation should do one or more of the following: Make an opening impact on the reader Build credibility for your essay Add humor Make the essay more interesting Close the essay with a point to ponder upon If the quotation does not meet a few of these objectives, then it is of little value.
Handout: Quoting Others
Quotations need to be taken from their original context and integrated fully into their new textual surroundings. Every quotation needs to have your own words appear in the same sentence. Here are some easy to use templates* for doing this type of introduction: Templates for Introducing Quotations X states, "__________."
How to Write an Essay Introduction
Table of contents. Step 1: Hook your reader. Step 2: Give background information. Step 3: Present your thesis statement. Step 4: Map your essay's structure. Step 5: Check and revise. More examples of essay introductions. Frequently asked questions about the essay introduction.
How to Quote
Citing a quote in APA Style. To cite a direct quote in APA, you must include the author's last name, the year, and a page number, all separated by commas. If the quote appears on a single page, use "p."; if it spans a page range, use "pp.". An APA in-text citation can be parenthetical or narrative.
Quotation Basics: Grammar, Punctuation, and Style
You do not need to use any punctuation before a quotation if it forms part of your own sentence. Example: Dennis cries that he is "being repressed!" Use a comma when introducing a quote with a phrase such as 'he said.' Example: The old man protests, "I don't want to go on the cart."
How to introduce quotes in an essay?
You can enter quotes into an essay very easily by first prefacing them with a complete sentence and a colon. Perhaps the most popular way to introduce quotes, this method is standard for English writers but has a tendency to feel dry and rehearsed if you're not careful.
How Do I Incorporate Quotes?
1. INTRODUCE: Introduce all your quotes using introductory phrases. Here are some examples: According to Michael Smith, "you should use the author's first and last name when you cite that author for the first time in your paper" (1). As Smith explains, "you can introduce your quotes with a number of different phrases" (1).
How to Start an Essay with a Quote?
Starting an essay with a quote can provide a powerful introduction to your argument. It can also set the tone for the rest of the essay and give your reader a deeper understanding of the topic you are discussing. ... The main point of every introduction is to set the attention grabber that will kindle the desire to read the rest of the text ...
How to punctuate quotations in an essay
quotation. it's important to make sure you use the exact words from the original text. In most literature essays, it's better to use shorter quotations in a precise way rather than write out ...
Using Quotations
When you introduce a quotation with a full sentence, you should always place a colon at the end of the introductory sentence. When you introduce a quotation with an incomplete sentence, you usually place a comma after the introductory phrase. However, it has become grammatically acceptable to use a colon rather than a comma:
Academic Guide For Students: How to Put a Quote in an Essay
A quote or a quotation means you repeat the author's words without introducing any changes to it. It is usually indicated by a double or a single quotation marks depending on the circumstance. For example, a quote within a quote uses a single quotation mark. When quoting, the author is cited to attribute the text to its original source. You ...
How to Start an Essay With a Quote: Basic Tips&Samples
How to Begin an Essay with a Quote Example. Example 1 - an essay on the environmental "legacy" of current generations. "If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace; and this single reflection, well applied, is sufficient to awaken every man to duty." (Paine, The American Crisis, 1776).
How to Use Quotations and Examples
Anything else will be waffle and will harm your marks. Do: ensure that you use at least 3 examples (2 of these should be quotes) per paragraph. Don't: use a quote/example because it will make your essay look sophisticated. Only use examples that support your argument to make sure that it is relevant.
Words that introduce Quotes or Paraphrases
Neutral Verbs: When used to introduce a quote, the following verbs basically mean "says" Examples of Neutral Verbs The author says. The author notes. The author believes. The author observes. The author comments. The author relates. The author declares. The author remarks. The author discusses. The author reports. The author explains.
How to integrate evidence in an essay
How to integrate evidence in an essay - Integrate Textual Evidence (Quotes, Paraphrases, Summaries) concerns Avoid dropped quotes Introduce the Author's Name. Math Learning SOLVE NOW ... To integrate evidence, you need to introduce it, paraphrase (or quote in special circumstances), and then connect the evidence to the topic sentence. ...
Using Quotes in an Essay: Ultimate Beginner's Guide
15 tips for using quotations in an essay Look up quotes in academic sources in the first place; Rely on the printed matter rather than internet sources; Avoid citing information from Wikipedia; Give context to every quotation you use; Always use quotation marks to avoid plagiarism-related troubles;
How to Quote a Quote?
For example, a character in a story may quote someone else aloud. "Let us explore the meaning of the quote 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,'"said the teacher. The example above uses American-style quotation marks. The main quote is enclosed in double quotation marks.
Suggested Ways to Introduce Quotations
More Transitions and Linking ExpressionsAddition Transition WordsHow To Write A Conclusion For Essays You Dont Know How To EndAddressRelated to the topic on French Transition Words and Essay PhrasesNotes Grahing Cubic and Quartic Functions 19Referring to the Author within a Signal Phrase The author argues that "subjecting non-smokers to toxic second-hand smoke is not only unfair, but a ...