Introduction to punctuating quotations in an essay
In order to lend variety to your prose, you may wish to quote a source with particularly vivid language. All quotations, however, must closely relate to your topic and arguments. Do not insert a quotation solely for its literary merits. Using the templates above, here are some examples of what the final product for your introduction may look like. I have bolded the template parts so that you can see exactly how the templates have been used, but remember these are just templates, so you can adjust the wording slightly to suit your needs: Once youve inserted your quotation, along with its context and attribution, dont stop! Your reader still needs your assessment of why the quotation holds significance for your paper. Using our Roosevelt example, if you were writing a paper on the first one-hundred days of FDRs administration, you might follow the quotation by linking it to that topic:
How do you quote a source in an essay? - After reading several doctrinally rigid tracts, John Adams recalled the zealous ranting of his former teacher, Joseph Cleverly, and minister, Lemuel Bryant. He expressed his ambivalence toward religion in an 1817 letter to Thomas Jefferson:
For example, Margaret AtwoodsCats Eye, is set during the 20th
century and explores feminism through womens roles during World
War II whileEmily BrontesWuthering Heightsdepicts the divide
between social classes and challenges the strict Victorian values
of how society condemns cross-class relationships, in particular
between Catherine and Heathcliffe. I couldnt believe it. It was
just unreal and so sad. It was just unbelievable. I had never
experienced such denial. I dont know why I felt so strongly.
Perhaps it was because JFK was more to me than a president. He
represented the hopes of young people everywhere. Here, I am
having a closer look at how Rooke's encounters with his conflicts
of conscience and the repercussions of his actions in attempting
to take a middle-ground stance catalyse his development as an
individual - in particular, how it solidifies his moral stance
and his decision to act in a manner that reflects his
beliefs.
As a young girl, Elaine is a victim of Mrs Smeath and her so
called friends. Her fathers interest in insects and her mothers
lack of housework presents Elaine as an easy bullying target for
other girls her age who are fit to fulfill Torontos social norms.
Unlike in other citation styles, in MLA, when quoting a person or publication, the year is not necessary to list in the in-text citation. However, when writing the bibliography at the end of the essay, you will have to indicate the year when the speaker said the quote or the author or publisher wrote it. As few words as possible. Remember, your paper should primarily contain your own words, so quote only the most pithy and memorable parts of sources. Here are guidelines for selecting quoted material judiciously: Secondly, pay attention to the punctuation. It is vital to ensure that you use double quotation marks to open and close the quote you will use in your essay. Additionally, be keen on the comma or period that comes before the closing quotation mark. Views and values are also based on ideas and attitudes of when it was written and where it was set this brings both social and cultural context into consideration as well. Issues commonly exploredinclude gender roles, racial inequality, class hierarchy, and more.
(Cats Eye,Margaret Atwood) Annotations
(2) It is great to use action words such as 'expounds' instead of
the basic 'shows as this demonstrates a more in-depth
understanding of the authors views and values (ensuring you meet
VCAA Criteria 2: Views and Values). The final part of quoting
fragments is writing the Concluding Effects, which is essentially
the concluding paragraph of the essay. In this part, the author
should mention any personal links or historical facts that were
referred to in the body of the article. In the case of the
example given earlier, John Johnson may have been a prominent
Republican and author of the Gettysburg Address. If the writer
has chosen to use multiple quotes from a source, they should be
placed at the end of the piece so that readers do not need to
wade through the multiple information to reach the end of the
citation. If you find this essay breakdown helpful, then you
might want to check out our Station Eleven Study Guide where we
cover 5 A+ sample essays with EVERY essay annotated and broken
down on HOW and WHY these essays achieved A+ so you reach your
English goals!
Sometimes it is necessary for clarity and flow to alter a word or
words within a quotation. You should make such changes rarely.
In order to alert your reader to the changes youve made, you
should always bracket the altered words. Here are a few examples
of situations when you might need brackets: The Lieutenant at its
core is a journey of self-discovery as Daniel Rooke navigates the
immoral waters of British imperialism and its impact on the
indigenous Australians. Becoming closer to Tagaran, Rooke
attempts to bridge cultural barriers through the transformative
power of language. Rooke observes the scissions created by
violence and the perhaps misplaced Western superiority and is
perpetually torn between his moral intuitions and his obligations
and duty as a Lieutenant.
The multitudes of deaths surrounding Anna began to take its toll
on her, burdening her with guilt as she felt the press of their
ghosts[and] begun to step small and carry myself all hunchedas if
to leave room for them. (Year of Wonders, Geraldine Brooks)
Writers should keep out anything particularly personal that could
be difficult or too much information for the reader. Do not
include anecdotes. Because the essay is designed to be short and
sweet, the writer should go through the writing and take out any
extraneous information or run-on sentences. Sometimes, in order
to have a clear, accurate discussion of the ideas of others, you
need to quote those ideas word for word.
How do you quote a quote in an essay - Focus on verbs and expanding your list of synonyms for words such as shows, demonstrates, highlights, emphasises, suggests and so on. An individual, character, author or director may not only be conveying but also denigrating or remonstrating or bolstering or glorifying or insinuating. Adding precision to your writing through careful vocabulary choice will distinguish your writing and also add complexity.
How do you cite a quote from a person?
John Proctor deals with his own inner conflict as he is burdened
with guilt and shame of his past adulterous actions. Yet during
the climatic ending of the play, Proctor honours his principles
as he rejects signing a false confession. This situation where
Proctor is confronted to sign [himself] to lies is a stark
epiphany, for he finally acknowledges that he does have some
shred of goodness. (The Crucible, Arthur Miller) The rule is: If
the quoted words end with a full stop (or comma), then the full
stop goes inside the quotation marks. If the quoted words do not
end with a full stop, then the full stop goes outside the
quotation marks. As you can see, the student has quoted the
authors words in single quotation marks. The dialogue used by the
author is surrounded by double quotation marks. This demonstrates
that the dialogue used in the text still belongs to the author.
Paragraph 2: In addition, the stark contrast between Rookes
approach to his conflict of conscience and other soldiers
approaches underscores the rationale behind his actions and the
stakes ineluctably linked with his choices and morality.