Using Quotations

For years your teachers have told you that if you borrow someone else’s exact words, you need to put quotations marks around those words. They also told you that you need to use quotations (as well as paraphrases and summaries) to support your argument essay.

That’s all well and good, and it doesn’t seem too terribly hard to put quotation marks around a sentence or two and paste the quote into your paper, but it actually takes some skill to effectively use quotations.

You're going to learn how to put a quote in your essay like a pro.

We did not hear any text evidence.

The biggest mistake is that the whole letter is opinion or common knowledge.

To make it better we need to add evidence.

Examples #2

If a child spends at least five hours at school most of the week, isn’t P.E. the perfect time for students to get time for physical activity? However, when P.E. is given as an optional course or elective and not a required class, most students choose not to do it to avoid physical activity. Evidence shows “only six states—Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Illinois and Iowa—adhere to standards from the National Association of Sports and Physical Education that school children participate in 150 minutes a week of physical education. And just three states Delaware, Virginia and Nebraska have 20 minutes of mandatory elementary-school recess a day” 

Would you consider this a good quote that supports your argument?  Why/why not?

The quote does provide evidence to support the argument. 

In this example, the argument is that school kids should have physical activity at school. Thus, the quote should provide evidence of that.

Using a statistic to illustrate very few states actually require physical activity during school supports the argument.

Here’s an example from a paper about distracted driving. This writer uses “according to” as the signal phrase to introduce the quote:

Text messaging has been around for many years, but there was never a point where it was considered to physically provide harm to someone. However, as of today it has exceeded to a point where it is considered to be more dangerous than drinking and driving. According to the Department of Transportation, “approximately 3,092 people were killed and an additional 416,000 were injured due to distracted drivers in the year 2010 alone”. 

Your Job

Using the research material available to you, find 2 good and appropriate quotes that directly relate to your argument. Use transitional phrases to find the best place to insert them, so as to add strength and support to your argument.