How to
Effectively
Integrate
Quotations:
Using Source Material in MLA-Style Essays
Have you ever . . .
asked someone for something?
Who was it?
What did you say when you asked?
What did the other person say in
response?
Did you just quote someone?
We’ll focus on these topics:
 Why quote?
 Which quote?
 How to build up to a quote
 Follow-through after a quote
In academic writing, you’re
joining a conversation
• Make readers familiar with who said
what and why
• Help your audience understand your
contributions to the conversation
Choose sources with care
Academic
Personal
Governmental
Professional or
Trade
Political
Non-governmental Commercial
Know Your Source
Know the style, tone, and content of
each of your sources before using them
in your writing.
Know the reputation of the author or
institution.
Know Your Source
Identify the argument of each author’s
work.
Know what you have decided about
each work and why.
Lead with Your Thesis
• Have your own argument &
a working thesis statement.
• Each paragraph should exist to
support your thesis.
Lead with Your Thesis
• Open paragraphs with
your own words.
• Bring in outside sources to
illustrate or support your
reasoning.
Literary example (text drives analysis)
When it comes to the traditional tale of
“Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” we’re
conditioned to sympathize with the girl
because we’re human, but really, the girl is a
persnickety snot: “ ‘This porridge is too hot!
. . . ‘This porridge is too cold!’ . . . ‘Ahhh, this
porridge is just right,’ she said happily and
she ate it all up” (“The Story”).
Here she is in the forest, tired and hungry,
and she has to have the temperature “just
right” before she’ll eat anything? That is
hard to believe. Most people who are very
hungry just want to satisfy their hunger. Of
course, others will claim that it is all just a
lesson for children on the concept of
unsuitable extremes, but the lesson is
overshadowed by the story of a burglar
with poor survival skills.
Science example (argument illustrated by facts)
When we look at the stars, we’re time travelers
going back into history. Prof. Steven Jay Hawkins,
lead author of the book Doctor Now, agrees
because “the light we see today was emitted by
distant suns millions, even billions, of years ago,”
and those stars may have gone supernova since
then (249). By studying stars far distant in space,
we can see what conditions were like at a distant
time, as well, and learn what may be in store for
our own sun in the future.
Summaries vs. Paraphrases
vs. Quotations
Summaries
= Little detail, just general idea to offer
context/background for reader to
understand your argument.
• Analysis and response call for initial
summaries.
Summary
Original Text by Ben Yagoda, page 184:
Before the eighteenth century, writers
and speakers typically referred to an
indefinite subject—everyone, anyone, a
person, or the typical student—with a
they, their, or them.
Weak Example of Summary
Before the 1700s, Yagoda says an
uncertain subject used the pronouns
they or them (184).
Strong Example of Summary
An indefinite third-person singular
subject was often followed by a plural
pronoun—until grammarians invented a
rule against it (Yagoda 184).
Paraphrases
= As detailed as original, but
completely reworded and
restructured for the same idea.
• Useful for providing supporting
facts or details when a copy of the
text is not necessary.
Weak Example of Paraphrase
Until the 1700s, authors commonly
talked about subjects like
everybody, anybody, or a farmer
with pronouns that we call plural
pronouns today (Yagoda 184).
Strong Example of Paraphrase
Traditional grammarians have forbidden
us to follow indefinite singular thirdperson subjects with third-person plural
pronouns, yet Yagoda demonstrates
that until the contrary rule was created,
it was acceptable to English audiences
(184).
Quotations
= Exact word-for-word copy of the original
Borrows author credibility for your writing
• Use when the wording is extraordinary
(poetic, illustrative) and/or must be seen
by your readers.
• Literary analysis and rhetorical analysis
make best use of quotations.
Bad Form = “Dumped” quote
Some authors talk about language in a
descriptive way and others are
prescriptive. “Before the eighteenth
century, writers and speakers typically
referred to an indefinite subject . . .
with a they, their, or them” (Yagoda
184). Lynne Truss, meanwhile, likes to
tell people where to put their commas.
Smooth quote transitions
In contrast to Yagoda’s descriptive approach,
Lynne Truss, author of Eats, Shoots and Leaves and
a self-described “stickler” (xviii), believes
“standards of punctuation are abysmal” in the UK
and US, and her book dictates how English should
be written. However, she mistakenly equates
punctuation rules with grammar patterns, thus
losing credibility (xix). Descriptivists, like Yagoda,
are more scientific in their approach to language,
but the prescriptivists like Truss get all the media
attention and are, unfortunately for teachers,
more popular.
Quotations by Themselves
Are Not Enough
Prepare readers for a quote.
Lead us toward the quotation with
a signal phrase and introduction.
Quotations by Themselves
Are Not Enough
Represent quotations and their
original contexts accurately and
with complexity intact.
Follow the quote with explanation
and relevance to your thesis.
Build up to a Quote
Topic sentence
Your point(s) of departure
Introduction
Signal phrase
Quotation
Signal Phrase
Transitions and introduces
Provides author credit, context of the
quote
In MLA, uses present tense or present
perfect tense
Verb choice indicates original author’s
tone and purpose—and relates to your
tone and purpose
Signal Phrase Examples
As the prominent _________ X puts it,
“________.”
As the prominent professor of English and
journalism Ben Yagoda puts it, “________” (##).
As Ben Yagoda put it in his Sep. 25, 2010 blog
entry, “_______.”
Signal Phrase Examples
In her book, _______:_________, X
maintains that “________” (##).
In her book, Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero
Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, Lynne
Truss maintains that “___” (#).
(Graff and Birkenstein 46)
Sentence Structure Variety
“____,” writes Gish Jen, novelist and lecturer,
is the “____”(#).
Writing in the journal __________, X
complains that “____________” (##).
X agrees when he determines that
“__________.”
Verb Tone
In X’s view, “____________.” According
to X, “_______.” X states, “_________.”
States and asserts are neutral;
complains, rants, and is alarmed by
denote a more argumentative or
negative tone.
Verb Tone
X disagrees when she asserts that “_______.”
X complicates matters further when s/he
claims “_______________.”
Claims can be neutral like asserts, but it can
also cast doubt on the credibility of the claim:
“She claims she was at the club from 10 to 1
o’clock, but I saw her behind the bowling alley
at 11 last night.”
Quote as little as possible
In the first chapter, Miss Migglesworth is
a vain woman who “[stops] in front of
shop windows to see how others
[regard] her” (Logan 15).
Logan de-personifies Miss Migglesworth
as a kind of animal, describing her voice
as “braying” and “honking” (85, 114), or
in more generous moments as “trilling”
(285).
Choose relevant quotes
Select text that truly matches your
argument or has a specific
relevance to your paragraph.
Relevant quotes
In a paper on childhood obesity, having a passage
like this doesn’t work:
Children, especially those ages 10-15, according
to the National Fitness Foundation, need
regular daily exercise to stay fit and perform
well in school (Gerke). The local Parks
Department spokesperson says, “We are doing
everything we can to rebuild the baseball field
in time for spring” (“NW Update”). Spring is
when most kids become more active, but we
have to support their fitness year-round.
Relevant quotes
Putting a quote next to your own
sentences doesn’t automatically
make the quote relate to your
paragraph.
Choose Relevant quotes
“We are doing everything we can to rebuild the
baseball field in time for spring.”
Imagine this was from an article about a
community working to recover from vandalism.
Even if you see a connection between kids unable
to play at a park and their becoming overweight
later, the quote wasn’t about that, and you can’t
force it to become relevant to your argument.
Which supports better?
Children, especially those ages 10-15, according to
the National Fitness Foundation, need regular
daily exercise to stay fit and perform well in school
(Gerke).
a) Researchers in Texas found “a high
correlation” between 15-year-olds’ test scores
and their levels of activity at age twelve (Van
Heusen), and the levels of activity and school
performance were corroborated by later
studies conducted by Harvard and Princeton
(Chen and Tyson).
b) Twelve-year-olds who had “30 minutes of
high-intensity or 1 hour of moderateintensity exercise every day” in East Texas
middle schools were found to have better
test scores and higher GPAs their first year
of high school than a matching group of
students from West Texas middle schools
who did not have a daily PE class (Van
Heusen).
Block Quotes: Use Rarely
Unless you mean to deeply scrutinize
the text of a quote longer than 4 lines,
use only short quotes.
If you do a block quote, the same
framing applies: Signal phrase, quote,
follow-up
After a Quote, Smoothly Lead
Readers Away
Follow every quote with its
explanation and significance.
After a Quote
Show what you want readers to
understand about the quote.
• Quoted statistics? Then show
what those stats mean for your
argument.
• An author’s words have a certain
effect? Explain why that matters
according to your thesis.
Example significance of a statistic
Researchers have found that extreme stress triggers
a physiological response unique to each individual
and that what manifests in one person immediately
can take “up to two years to appear in 8% of the
general population” (Lippman 465). This indicates
that some patients won’t begin suffering from a
trauma until years later. Because physical reactions to
stress can take a very long time to emerge, clinicians
need to take a detailed history that goes back two or
more years to find patterns of stressors and
symptoms.
Follow Quote with Explanation
The quote still cannot be left alone as if
it says everything by itself.
You must follow any quotation with
what the author meant in the quoted
passage. Summarize what the author is
saying.
Explanation Templates
Basically, X is warning that_________.
In making such a _____, X urges us to ____.
X is corroborating the ______ that _______.
X’s point is that _________.
The essence of X’s argument is that _____.
(Graff and Berkenstein 47).
When X says, “_____” (##), he/she
means that ______.
Use verbs that reflect the actions of
the original author.
(See lists of verbs after the Works Cited slide)
Transition back to your ideas
Show how the quote relates to your
argument or point.
Engage with your sources: build on
them, or challenge and question
them.
Follow quotes with analysis
Inventing words is part of the poetic
arts, and we can find poetry even in
pop. Some of the 1970s’ most
popular songs, such as Van
Morrison’s “Moondance” and Steve
Miller’s “The Joker,” contain
“fantabulous” invented words on the
elusive “pompatous of love.” Many
a barroom pedant has debated the
artists’ intentions behind these
weird coinages, yet the general
public has had no problem with
enjoying the melody and the gist of
the lyrics, and probably never will,
because the theme of love—like
poetry—is universal.
Challenge Templates
According to X, “_____” (##), yet if this
is true, then ______.
“_______,” claims X (###). By doing so,
s/he wants us to believe that _____,
which would require us to accept that
_____, and that is clearly a _____.
Sentence Template Exercise
Refer to the handout for templates to
build a sentence around a quotation,
summary, or paraphrase.
Recap
• Quote according to your thesis and
argument.
• Introduce quotations with a signal
phrase that identifies the who, the
where (first time), and the how of
the quote’s origins.
Recap
• Quote only words, phrases, or
sentences that are uniquely
illustrative.
• Choose quotes that are most
relevant to your point.
• Follow quotes with your
explanation and analysis.
Works Cited
Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say/I Say: The Moves
That Matter in Academic Writing. 2nd ed. New York: W. W.
Norton, 2010. Print.
“The Story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” DLTK’s Crafts for
Kids. 2015. Web. 22 Feb. 2015.
Truss, Lynne. Eats, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance
Approach to Punctuation. New York: Gotham, 2004. Print.
Yagoda, Ben. When You Catch an Adjective, Kill It: The Parts of
Speech, for Better and/or Worse. New York: Broadway, 2007.
Print.
Verbs for Making a Claim*
argue
assert
believe
claim
emphasize
insist
observe
remind us
report
suggest
Verbs for Agreement*
acknowledge
admire
agree
corroborate
do not deny
endorse
extol
praise
reaffirm
support
verify
celebrate the fact that
Verbs of Questioning or
Disagreeing*
complain
qualify
complicate
question
contend
refute
contradict
reject
deny
renounce
deplore the tendency to repudiate
Verbs for Recommendations*
advocate
call for
demand
encourage
exhort
implore
plead
recommend
urge
warn
*(Graff and Birkenstein 39-40)