Proper Quote Integration Practice
World Literature
What is Wrong with this paragraph?
Both Hester and Chillingworth committed sins. Hester
Prynne committed the sin of adultery; however, her greatest
sin was initially marrying a man she did not love. “She
marveled how she could ever have been wrought upon to
marry him. (p. 121). It also says: “She deemed it her crime
most to be repentant of, that she had ever endured and
reciprocated the lukewarm grasp of his hand, and had
suffered the smile of her lips and eyes to mingle and melt
into his own.” (pgs. 121-122.) Chillingworth commits sins
against others, “A man burdened with a secret should
especially avoid the intimacy of is physician (113.) This quote
shows how Chillingworth is a sinner.
What is wrong with this paragraph?
Original text
Both Hester and Chillingworth
committed sins. Hester Prynne
committed the sin of adultery,
her greatest sin was in initially
marrying a man she did not love.
“She marveled how she could
ever have been wrought upon to
marry him. (p. 121). It also says:
“She deemed it her crime most
to be repentant of, that she had
ever endured and reciprocated
the lukewarm grasp of his hand,
and had suffered the smile of her
lips and eyes to mingle and melt
into his own.” (pgs. 121-122.)
Chillingworth commits sins
against others, “A man burdened
with a secret should especially
avoid the intimacy of is physician
(113.) This quote shows how
Chillingworth is a sinner.
Corrected text
Both Hester and Chillingworth committed sins. Hester Prynne commits
adultery, but her greatest sin was initially marrying a man she did not love.
Hawthorne illustrates Hester’s struggles by writing, “She marveled how she
could ever have been wrought upon to marry him” (121). Even in Hester’s
isolation and exile from the community, her thoughts turn not to the adultery
that she has been marked for, but instead to the transgression that forced her to
break the laws of man to follow her heart– her loveless marriage. Hester
“deemed it her crime most to be repentant of, that she had ever endured and
reciprocated the lukewarm grasp of his hand, and had suffered the smile of her
lips and eyes to mingle and melt into his own” (Hawthorne121-122). While
Hester’s “true” sin is one that she commits internally against herself, the pious
Chillingworth’s transgressions appear much more severe since his misdeeds are
committed against others. Unlike Hester Prynne, Chillignworth masks his true
self only to add lying, treachery, misrepresentation to his list of faults.
Chillingworth is so successful at hiding his inner wickedness that other
community members misjudge his intents. Hawthorne tells the reader as much
when he explains, “A man burdened with a secret should especially avoid the
intimacy of is physician” (113.) This is what makes Chillignworth so morally
reprehensible, his ability to trick or imitate goodness and piety so well. He is
able to manipulate the most honest and good members of his community to
unwittingly help him destroy the lives of others.
Quote Integration Reminders
 The quote you are using should be relevant and illustrate your
point. Remember, quotations are the strongest piece of evidence
you have and they should be used sparingly and at the points that
are most essential to prove your argument.
 All quotes must be introduced, cited and expanded on.
 Example: Hester Prynne commits the sin of adultery; however, her
greatest sin was initially marrying a man she did not love. Hester
does not understand “how she could ever have been wrought upon to
marry him! She deemed it her crime most to be repented of, that she
had ever endured and reciprocated the lukewarm grasp of his
hand…” (121). Although Hester was once able to conceive herself
that she loved Chillingworth, she now realizes that it was only because
she did not know the nature of true love. While she once considered
this domestic scene happy long ago, she now sees how dismal it was
and counts it among her most awful memories.
Ways to introduce a quote:

Introduce a quote with a complete sentence and a colon.
Hester Prynne’s time in isolation, marked visibly by her transgression allows her to see her life
and her past decisions in a new light: “She marveled how she could ever have been wrought upon
to marry him” (Hawthorne 121).

Use an introductory or explanatory phrase followed by a comma.
Hester shows her sympathy for Dimmesdale when she tells him, “That old man! – the
physician! – he whom they call Roger Chillingworth – he was my husband!” (371).

Make the quotation part of your own sentence without any
punctuation between your words and the quote. This is where you
should be with your quote integration.
While she used to think of this domestic scene as happy long ago, she now sees how dismal
it was and counts it among "her ugliest remembrances” (122).
If you chose the option above, you may have to change something in the
original text to make the quote fit in your sentence. To do this place
the change in brackets [].
Expanding on a quote
Do’s
Don’t
 Do write 2-3 sentences after the
 Repeat exactly what the quote says
 Don’t refer to a quote by saying “this
quote that ties it to the assertion
you are making.
 Do refer back to a quote by
repeating part of the quote.
 Do expand on the quote. In
some cases, just plopping a
quote in is worse than not
including one in the essay. It
confuses the reader.
 When you explain a quote your
explanation should somehow
refer back to your thesis.




quote shows”
Don’t simply move to the next point.
If the quote is important enough to be
in your essay, it is important enough
to be discussed.
Don’t narrate your essay. You should
avoid saying things like “this quote is
included to prove my thesis…”
Have two quotes in a row; your
commentary should bridge the two
Use dialogue quotes. If you need to
do so you will have to write
something in between them to avoid
the bullet above.
Citing a Quote
 All citations should always
be done in MLA format
(no it is not going away).
 The citations should be in
parenthesis (). It should
include the author (if
writing about more than
one work) and the page
number. The period goes
after the closing
parenthesis.
Practice
1.
Hamlet’s dual nature
“Thou this be madness, yet
there is method in ‘t”
(2.2.223-224).
2.
Holden’s isolation
“What really knocks me out is a book
Directions: Integrate the
following quotes into
your own sentence that
explains the meaning
indicated.
that, when you’re done reading
it, you wish the author that wrote
it was a terrific friend of yours
and you could call him up on the
phone whenever you felt like it.”
(18)
3.
The difference in Jack and
Ralph’s leadership styles
“‘Lots of rules! Then when anyone
breaks ‘em—‘ ‘Whee-oh!” (33).