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Quote Merging
You are “merging” a quote into your writing
to help make your paragraph easy to read.
Just like when you have to merge into traffic,
you don’t want to hit any bumps along the way!
You use quotations as support/evidence in your writing. There are THREE MAIN
TECHNIQUES OR TYPES OF QUOTE MERGERS that you can use to merge your
evidence SMOOTHLY into your paragraph.
1. Technique or type 1—PHRASE
 Make the quotation a part of your sentence SO THAT IT DOES NOT NEED TO BE
INTRODUCED
 NO PUNCTUATION BEFORE THE QUOTATION NEEDED
Example:
To understand H101 today, it is helpful to know some of its history, especially since it
“only dates back to 2002” (Hernandez 15).
NOTE: When merging quotes into your own sentences, you must be sure that the grammar
of your part of the sentence matches the grammar of the quotation and vice versa.
2. Technique or type 2—SHORT QUOTATION (4 LINES OR LESS)
 Use a COMMA or a COLON BEFORE the QUOTATION
Example:
According to a recent Stinger article, “The history of H101 only dates back to 2002…Since
then it has evolved from merely an idea to one of the biggest organizations in the school”
(Hernandez 15).
3. Technique or type 3—LONG or BLOCK QUOTATION (MORE THAN 4 LINES)
 Use a COLON BEFORE the QUOTATION
 You only use a block quote when the quotation is MORE THAN four LINES long
(NOT sentences).
 You should ONLY USE a block quote if you NEED ALL OF THE INFORMATION IN
THE QUOTE. DO NOT USE BLOCK QUOTES FREQUENTLY!
 Unfortunately, some students use them to lengthen their papers. Do NOT do this! This
is a “writing crime”!
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Example:
An article in the Stinger recently explained that Hornet 101 has a short history but an
important influence:
The history of H101 only dates back to 2002, when it was created by Peer Leadership
Network’s sponsors Edmund Arroyo and Nancy Betker. Since then, it has evolved
from merely an idea to one of the biggest organizations in the school, focused on the
delicate and nerve-wracking transition from middle school to high school.
(Hernandez 15)
NOTE: Notice how the block quote:
1) is missing the quotation marks;
2) is double spaced;
3) is indented by 1 inch from the regular margin;
4) and has a parenthetical citation at the end of the block quote.
Quote Merging Practice
Directions: Identify the type of quote merge being used. Refer back to your Quote Merging
Handout and Notes.
Topic: H101
Research Question: What is Hornet 101?
Original Quotation: “The history of H101 only dates back to 2002, when it was created by
Peer Leadership Network’s sponsors Edmund Arroyo and Nancy Betker. Since then, it has
evolved from merely an idea to one of the biggest organizations in the school, focused on the
delicate and nerve-wracking transition from middle school to high school.”
Quote 1
The history and purpose of Hornet 101 is clearly explained in a recent Stinger article:
The history of H101 only dates back to 2002, when it was created by Peer Leadership
Network’s sponsors Edmund Arroyo and Nancy Betker. Since then, it has evolved
from merely an idea to one of the biggest organizations in the school, focused on the
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delicate and nerve-wracking transition from middle school to high school.
(Hernandez 15)
The Quotation Merging Technique or Type is _________________________________.
Quote 2
Hornet 101 “only dates back to 2002” but in just a few short years it has become “one of the
biggest organizations in the school” (Hernandez 15).
The Quotation Merging Technique or Type is _________________________________.
Quote 3
To understand Hornet 101, one must also understand its history. This idea was presented
by Hernandez in a recent Stinger article when she explained, “The history of H101 only
dates back to 2002. …Since then it has evolved from merely an idea to one of the biggest
organizations in the school” (15).
The Quotation Merging Technique or Type is _________________________________.
Quote 4
An article in the Stinger recently explained that Hornet 101 has a short but growing
history: “The history of H101 only dates back to 2002…Since then it has evolved from
merely an idea to one of the biggest organizations in the school” (Hernandez 15).
The Quotation Merging Technique or Type is _________________________________.
Misc. Notes to Create Other/More Sophisticated Quote Merging Handouts
Please note the ellipses (…) in the last example. This indicates to the reader that you are
leaving out information from the quote but that it was not necessary to mention.
SOMETIMES, leaving out words can really make a lengthy quote less awkward. BE
CAREFUL. DO NOT LEAVE OUT INFORMATION THAT CHANGES THE TRUTH OR
MEANING OF THE SENTENCE. Any words that you omit or leave out must be
unnecessary!
NOTE: When merging quotes into your own sentences, you must be sure that the grammar
of your part of the sentence matches the grammar of the quotation and vice versa. Use
square brackets [like these] when you have changed the grammar or pronoun usage to be
consistent with your own wording or incorporated a word for clarity. In the first example
[he] is inserted just to make the quote flow better, despite being left out of the original
statement. You may do this, because it would sound more awkward for that quote to have
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kept the original language. Try reading that statement without the word “he.” A bit
awkward, huh? The [brackets] indicate that you are manipulating the words legitimately
so that the sentence flows better. The second example changed the word “filled” to fill[ing]
because that verb tense made the quote flow more smoothly.