Incorporating Quotations
The best proof that a work of literature does what you say it does is textual evidence:
words and sentences you can cite from the poem, story or play you are discussing. If
you say that a character in a story is wise, can you quote a passage in which he clearly
says or does something wise or a passage in which a reliable character or narrator talks
of his wisdom? The best support you have as you discuss a literary work is the text of
the work itself. You incorporate this textual evidence into your discussion through the
use of quotations. Note: the following examples are single space to save space. Your
text and quotations should be double spaced in a typed essay.
Rules for Incorporating Quotations
1. Do not overuse quotations.
The style of your writing will be better if you incorporate quoted phrases into your own
sentence structure rather than write a sentence and quote a sentence or poetic line.
Ineffective -Richard Cory was very polite. "He was a gentleman from sole to crown."
Also he was handsome, even regal-Iooking---" clean favored, and
imperially slim" (Ch. ___; page).
Effective - Richard Cory behaves politely, "a gentleman from sole to crown." Like a
handsome king, he appears "clean favored, and imperially slim" (Ch.__;
page).
2. Avoid having two quotations in a row.
Your own commentary should bridge the two.
Ineffective -Richard Cory had everything going for him. "He was a gentleman from sole
to crown. And he was rich---yes, richer than a king" (Ch. ____; page).
Effective - Richard Cory has everything going for him. Not only is he a "gentleman from
sole to crown," he is also "richer than a king" (Ch.___; page).
3. Work the quotation comfortably into your sentence structure.
Ineffective -"Darkened by the gloomiest of trees" shows just how frightening the forest
looked (Ch.___; page).
1.
Effective -The forest, "darkened by the gloomiest of trees, " frightened the boys
(Ch.___; page).
*Notice that short quotations (4 lines or less) have a page number inside of the
punctuation to document the source of the quotation. When the paper pertains to
a single source, there is no need to put the author's name with the page number .
4. Longer quotations (more than 4 lines of prose or 2 lines of poetry) should be
indented 1 inch from the left margin without quotation marks. See the example
below:
Twain expresses his own struggle with spiritual matters through the character of Huck:
Sometimes the widow would take me one side and talk about Providence
in a way to make a body's mouth water; but maybe next day Miss Watson
would take hold and knock it all down again. I judged I could see that there
was two Providences, and a poor chap would stand considerable show
with the widow's Providence, but if Miss Watson's got him there warn't no
help for him any more. I thought is all out, and reckoned I would belong to
the widow's if she wanted me. . . .(Ch.____; page)
5. If you omit material in order to be succinct, mark the omission by an ellipsis (3
periods with a space between each—[. . .]).
Note: There is no need to use these routinely at the beginning and end of your
quotations. It is understood that you are lifting passages from a longer work. [Your
research packet has more information about the ellipsis.]
6. Name the source of the quotation correctly.
In narrative prose use "the narrator says. .." when quoting passages of narration, not
"The author says. ..."
 Identify characters as you quote them.
7. Give the verse and version when quoting from the Bible. Paul wrote to the
Romans, “All things work together for good to those who love the Lord and who are
called according to His purpose” (NAS Romans 8:28).
2.
Tom Sawyer Example
When Becky admirably responds, “Tom, how could
you be so noble?”, the reader is led to believe that
Tom has a kind and honest personality sometimes
(Ch.20; 131).
Note: The quote is incorporated into my own sentence.
Note: The quote has parenthetical documentation (Ch. 20; 131).
Note: The period at the end of the sentence follows the documentation because the
parenthetical documentation is part of the sentence.