Quoting While Writing

Quote Authorities when...

• ​The quote is a strong example that illustrates the writer's point.

• The information is debatable, questionable, or highly opinionated.

• This person is a recognized authority on the topic. Including his words and his name would add power to a writer's point.

• The power is not just in what the person said but in how the person said it.

• The idea or concept is particularly brilliant, witty, edgy, distinctive, and/or interesting.

• The writer couldn't say it (or paraphrase it) any better.

• The statement is full of feeling and emotion.

Follow a quote with..

• What does the quote mean?

• Why is it important enough to include in this piece

• What is the purpose of this information?

• How is it relevant to the topic?

• What does it matter?

• What does it prove?

• What is the impact of this quote?

Introducing and using quotations in our writing

I-introduce

C-cite

E-explain​

Introduce

With a complete sentence

With an explanatory phrase

With only short quotes in your sentence

With part of the quote paraphrased

Example: I Have a Dream Speech

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

Example:Complete Sentence

• If you introduce your quote with a complete sentence that describes the quotation or provides information about it, you must punctuate it with a colon before inserting the quote.

In his I Have a Dream speech, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

Example: Explanatory Phrase

• Begin your sentence with a phrase that introduces the quote, and then punctuate with a comma before including the quote.

In his famous I Have a Dream speech, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

Example: Short Phrase

• When including short quotations in your own writing, you should stick to just a few words.

• Place quotation marks around the author’s original words and punctuate the sentence as you normally would.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed of a day when his children would only be judged by the “content of their character.”

Example: Paraphrase

• Begin your sentence by paraphrasing the quote, and then finish the sentence with the quote.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed of a day when his four children would “not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

Explain

After you introduce and cite the quote, you still need to explain the quote.

There are many ways to explain quotes:

• Provide analysis that connects the quote to your main idea and topic sentence

• Explain why it is important and relevant

• Make sure the quote supports your topic sentence/main idea/thesis

Sentence Starters

This proves that...

This illustrates...

This shows that...

This highlights the difference between...