TRANSITIONS
TO INCORPORATE QUOTATIONS OR PARAPHRASES
If
you get tired of stating over and over again that "Jones says'. .
.’”, try some of the following variations. They work equally well with
direct quotations or paraphrases, and when combined with a bit of basic
information about the source of your material, they kill two birds with one
stone by both introducing and crediting your information (often eliminating
the need for a parenthetical citation), as in this example:
Jones
notes in the November 2002 issue of Psychology Today that ". . . .
Other
suggested variations:
Jones
found in _____________ that . . .
,
"
demonstrates “
“
“
"
reports
"
"
"
"
suggests “
“
“
"
observes “
“
“
"
asserts
"
" "
"
emphasizes “
"
"
"
declares "
"
"
"
holds
"
" "
"
maintains
"
“
“
In
his controversial book, The Naked Ape, Desmond Morris
argues
that....
demonstrates....
maintains....
suggests....
.
etc.
In
a 2001 (book, “article,” or whatever) entitled . . . , So-and-so
examines the subject of catfish and observes that. . . .
According
to Jones, . . .
In
Jones' view . . . .
opinion,. . . .
estimation,.
. . .
Jones
contradicts this view in a 2003 Saturday Review essay in which he
argues that . . .
However,
Jones maintains that. . . .
Although
Jones opines that . . . , Smith suggests another theory:. . . .
A
(book, “article,”” essay, “”speech,” etc.) by Jones, which
is (summarized, referred to, alluded to, mentioned, included in a discussion)
in one of Joe Moholzer’s New York Times’ editorials makes the point
that . . . .
As
reported by Jones in the
October 22, 1968
Seattle Post-Intelligencer,
. . . .
Integrating
Quotations Smoothly into Text
There
are three main ways to TIE quotations smoothly into text:
“T”
tag
"You
brute. You brute," Holden
mutters as he leaves the compound where he and Ameera have spent many happy
hours.
"Secretly,
of course--I was all for the Burmese," Orwell confides.
“I”
introduce
As
Holden leaves the compound where he and Ameera have spent many happy hours, he
mutters, "You brute. You
brute."
Orwell
confided he "was all for the Burmese."
“E”
embed
Holden
mutters, "You brute. You
brute," as he leaves the compound where he and Ameera have spent many happy
hours.
Orwell
was "all for the Burmese" and hated working as an agent of the
British Empire
in
Burma
.
Generally,
long quotations are to be avoided. When
a long quotation is absolutely essential (generally, only in a formal paper), it
should be set off from the text. Still, it is important to introduce the quotation.
Usually "set off" text is preceded by a colon:
George
Orwell had a difficult time acting as a police officer in
Lower Burma
. As demonstrated in the following
excerpt from (title of “essay,”) he was frustrated by his conflicting need
to maintain law and order while remaining faithful to the idea that the Burmese
had the right to be free:
All
this was perplexing and upsetting. For
at that time I had already made up my mind that imperialism was an evil thing
and the sooner I chucked up my job and got out of it the Better.
Theoretically--and secretly, of course--I was all for the Burmese and all
against their oppressors, the British.
Notice
when quotations are set off from text they do
not require quotation marks. Indent each line of the
quote 10 spaces from the left
margin (15 when starting a new paragraph). Right margin remains
the same as the body of the paper. Spacing
is the same as the body of the paper.
All
quotations must be tied to text! Do
not simply sprinkle them in like confetti. Smooth
integration is the mark of a mature writer and makes a paper flow.
This handout is adapted from a handout by Michelle
Garbis of Stoneham Douglas High School in Florida, 2003.
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