Writing Tip: Integrating Quotes
The Problem:

When a quote is “dropped” into a
paper without an introductory signal
phrase, it causes problems.


The reader may be surprised or
confused
The relevance of the quote may be
unclear
For example…


T.S. Eliot, in his "Talent and the
Individual," uses gender-specific
language. "No poet, no artist of any
art, has his complete meaning
alone. His significance, his
appreciation is the appreciation of
his relation to the dead poets and
artists" (Eliot 29).
What is wrong?
The Solution

Include a signal phrase that
includes a noun (the author or
character’s name) and a verb (such
as: argues, compares, suggests,
demonstrates, points out, etc) and
that logically introduces the quote.
For example:

T.S. Eliot, in his "Talent and the
Individual," uses gender-specific
language. He argues, for instance,
that "no poet, no artist of any art,
has his complete meaning alone.
His significance, his appreciation is
the appreciation of his relation to
the dead poets and artists" (Eliot
29).
Colons are also useful

T.S. Eliot, in his "Talent and the
Individual," uses gender-specific
language: "No poet, no artist of any
art, has his complete meaning
alone. His significance, his
appreciation is the appreciation of
his relation to the dead poets and
artists" (Eliot 29).
Brevity is also important…


It may not always be necessary to
use an entire passage to prove your
point.
To use only a phrase you must
weave the quote into your own
sentence.
For example:

It is striking that though "women
novelists have probably dominated
American literature since the middle
of the nineteenth century," our
literary tradition is still incredibly
gender specific (Schweickart 201).
Practice



Take a look at one of the quotes
you chose.
Rewrite that quote using a signal
phrase.
Next, make sure that you have at
least one sentence following the
quote that provides commentary.
Following a Quote

Integrating a quote without
commentary is not enough. You
need to include commentary on the
content of the quote.
Starting Commentary

This is important because…

This reveals…

This emphasizes…

This shows…
Content of commentary

2-3 sentences that connect back to
the topic sentence
Citing quotes


In order to avoid plagiarism, you
need to CITE the text that you took
the information from.
In the case of a novel, you need to
write the author and page number.
Eric observed, “Mark is a big jerk”
(Crutcher 42).