Embedding Quotes: The Basics
Used effectively, quotations can provide important
pieces of evidence and lend fresh voices and
perspective to your work. Used ineffectively, however,
quotations clutter a text and interrupt the flow of your
argument. Use quotations at strategically selected
moments.
Types of evidence
• The majority of your paper should be original
ideas in YOUR words. Quotations are only one
type of evidence. Well-balanced papers may
also make use of the following:
• Paraphrases
• Data
• Statistics
Discussing specific arguments or ideas
• Sometimes, in order to have a clear, accurate
discussion of the ideas of others, you need to
quote word for word. Suppose you want to
challenge the following statement made by
John Doe, a well-known historian:
• “At the beginning of World War Two, almost
all Americans assumed the war would end
quickly.”
Discussing specific arguments/cont.
• If it is especially important that you formulate a
counterargument to this claim, then you might
wish to quote the part of the statement you find
questionable and establish a dialogue between
yourself and John Doe:
• Example: Historian John Doe has argued that in
1941 “almost all Americans assumed the war
would end quickly”(Doe 223). Yet, during the first
six months of U.S. involvement, the wives and
mothers of soldiers noted in their diaries their
fear that war would drag on for years.
How do I set up and follow-up a
quotation?
• Carefully select quotations that add
significance to your paper.
• Weave those quotations into your text
• The words that precede and follow a
quotation are just as important as the
quotation itself.
– Provide a context for the quote. It is your
responsibility to provide enough information .
“The only thing we have to fear is fear
itself”
• When Franklin D. Roosevelt gave his inaugural
address on March 4, 1933, he spoke to a
nation weakened and demoralized by
economic depression. He hoped to empower
Americans with his famous opening words,
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
Avoid the he said/she said rut!

Acknowledge the credentials of the speaker:
 Dr., Historian, Scientist, Philosopher, Professor, …
 AVOID THE WORD “SAID”







Remarked
Predicted
Noted
Suggested
Estimated
Argued
Observed
criticized
proposed
responded
observed
applauded
proclaimed
stated
Explain the significance of your quote
• Once you have inserted your quotation, along with its
context and attribution, be sure to explain to the
reader your assessment of “why” the quotation holds
significance to your thesis. Using the Roosevelt
example, if you were writing a paper on the first onehundred days of FDR’s administration, you might follow
the quotation by linking it to that topic:
--With that message of hope and confidence, the
new president set the stage for his next one-hundred days
in office and helped restore the faith of the American
people in their government.
How do I embed a quote into a
sentence?
• In general, avoid leaving quotes as sentences
unto themselves. It disrupts the flow.
– Example: Hamlet denies Rosencrantz’s claim that
thwarted ambition caused depression. “I could be
bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of
infinite space” (Hamlet 2.2).
– Instead:
A. Lead in with a colon: Hamlet denies Rosencrantz’s
claim that thwarted ambition caused his depression:
“I could be bounded…
Embedding a quote in a
sentence/cont.
Introduce or conclude the quote by attributing it
to the speaker. If your attribution precedes the
quote, you will need to use a comma after the
verb.
Hamlet denies Rosencrantz’s claim that
thwarted ambition caused depression. He
states, “I could be bounded in a nutshell and
count myself a king of infinite space” (Hamlet
2.2).
Embedding a Quote within a
sentence/cont.
• Interrupt the quote with an attribution to the speaker.
Again you will need to use a comma after the verb, as
well as a comma leading into the attribution.
– “There is nothing either good or bad,” Hamlet argues, “but
thinking makes it so” (Hamlet 2.2).
– USE THE WORDS OF THE QUOTE GRAMMATICALLY WITHIN
YOUR OWN SENTENCE.
• When Hamlet tells Rosencrantz that he “could be bounded in a
nutshell and count [him] self a king of infinite space (Hamlet 2.1),
he implies that thwarted ambition did not cause his depression.
• If you use the word “that” after the verb introducing the quote,
you no longer need a comma.
– The Pirate King argues that “it is, it is a glorious thing/to be a pirate king.”
How much should I quote?
• As few words as possible
• KEEP QUOTES CONCISE and CONNECTED!
• Excerpt fragments carefully! Do not change
the original meaning of the idea.
• USE block quotations sparingly
Punctuation Rules
• Commas and periods are always placed inside
the closing quotation marks.
 “On the other hand,” he conceded, “your decision
may be correct.”
Semicolons and colons are always placed outside
the closing quotation marks.
Millay uses these devices effectively in her essay
“Spring”: alliteration, slant rhyme and
personification.
Punctuation Rules continued
• To avoid over-punctuating, do not use more
than one comma or end mark at the end of a
question.
• Use quotation marks to enclose slang words,
technical terms and other expressions that are
unusual in standard English.
– Use this device sparingly
Using Brackets and Ellipsis
• Brackets [ ] –allows you to do two things:
– 1.
– 2.
change the author’s original wording.
Add words for fluency or clarity
– Ellipsis (three dots…) allows you to delete a word
or words from the original longer quote.
– NOTE: Do not use them at the beginning or end of
a quote, even if you eliminate words. This is
considered a snippet.
Quotations/Italics
•
•
•
•
Magazine articles
Chapter headings
Title of short poems,
Title of short essays
EXAMPLES of Italics
The Good Earth
the Wall Street Journal
Good Habits
• Do not use the same word/words repeatedly.
• Do NOT use personal pronouns
• Do NOT use phrases such as:
–
–
–
–
In this quote,
As you can see
This quote proves
Instead, lead the reader to the function or purpose of
the quote –Smith effectively illustrates his
appreciation of technological advances when he
comments, “…….”. His remarks clearly demonstrate….
Questions/Comments/Concerns