Quote Like a Pro
To quote effectively, you must both lead in to your quote and incorporate your selected evidence into your commentary.
Give your quote context so that we understand why it belongs in your argument.
General Rules
A variety of quote leads will enhance your writing.
There are three basic types: the colon lead, the direct lead, and the blended quote.
Know which one to use and when.
Direct leads work best when you want to include a whole sentence quote and the sentence is short.
Colon leads work best sparingly and only when you have a very powerful sentence quote.
Blended leads are more smooth and sophisticated and work best with powerful single words and phrases. If you blend your quotes, be VERY careful not to trim your quote so much that you lose context.
DON'T overuse any single type of quote lead. For example, the colon lead is often overused and more often misused.
A quote should never overshadow your commentary but enhance it by proving your point:
Do not overuse quotations (generally, two quotes per body paragraph)
Do not use overly long quotations (in a short essay, generally, no more than one sentence or 3 lines)
If you must use a long quote, for example in a research paper, use block quote formatting.
Always lead into your quote by giving context. Always lead out by including an MLA citation:
Do this quickly and simply. If the quote is from dialogue, be sure to say who is speaking. If it isn't dialogue, explain where the quote is from.
Correct (direct lead): According to Miller in his introduction, "Reverend Parris cut a villainous path through history" (5).
Correct (colon lead): Miller describes the real Reverend: "Parris cut a villainous path through history" (5).
Correct (blended): In his introduction, Miller explains that "Reverend Parris cut a villainous path through history" allowing the reader an early glimpse into Parris's personality (5).
NOTE: The author's name is not in the citation if his name was mentioned in the quote lead.
Important Tools
Use a ellipsis ( ... ) to take out unnecessary parts of the quote. DO NOT use at beginning or end of quote. Treat ellipsis as a word: space ... space.
Use brackets [ ] to change language, such as verbs and pronouns, so that the quote fits grammatically into your sentence. Brackets signal an addition or change to the original quote. Do not overuse.
Example: Huck explains that "the Widow Douglas ... took [him] for her son ... but it was rough living in the house" because he had to follow society's rules (Twain 1).
Helpful Examples
Direct quote leads
Lead into a quotation with a VERB – use a comma.
Correct: Ponyboy, trying to keep Johnny’s spirits up states, “You’ll be okay … You gotta be. We couldn’t get along without you’” (Hinton 121).
Introductory verbs like "says," “states,” “argues,” “implies,” “writes,” “claims,” or “agrees,” should be in the present tense and should accurately reflect the intention of the passage.
When quoted material is introduced with a comma or colon, the first quoted word IS capitalized.
Lead into a quotation with the word THAT.
Correct: In addition, reflecting upon his conversation with Randy, Ponyboy realizes that “things were rough all over” (169).
When quoted material is introduced by “that” or when it forms a part of a sentence, the first quoted word is NOT capitalized and there is no comma before the quote.
Colon leads
Use a colon to lead into a quotation with a complete sentence. Follow with a colon and two spaces before the quotation. DO NOT OVERUSE
Correct: Furthermore, Ponyboy begins his composition in the same way the novel begins: “When I stepped into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind” (Hinton 180).
Blended quotes
Blended means: Your words "their words" perhaps your words again (citation).
Blend the quotation comfortably and properly into your sentence structure — mind the grammar.
Incorrect: Thomas Putnam was a vindictive man. “It is not surprising to find that so many accusations against people are in the handwriting of Putnam” (Miller 25).
Incorrect because run-on/Comma splice, no context
Correct direct lead: Miller explains that Thomas Putnam was a vindictive man when he writes, “It is not surprising to find that so many accusations against people are in the handwriting of Putnam” (Miller 25).
Correct and BLENDED: As Miller writes, Thomas Putnam had a “vindictive nature,” so much so that “many accusations ... are in [his] handwriting” (25).
Incorrect: The forest was frightening to the Puritans, “The virgin forest was the Devil’s last preserve” (Miller 2).
Incorrect because it is a run-on/comma splice, and there is no context.
Ineffective/awkward: "The virgin forest was the Devil’s last preserve" shows just how frightening the forest was to the Puritans (Miller 2).
Effective/BLENDED: Puritans believed the forest "was the Devil’s last preserve," and many greatly feared going into it (Miller 2).
Single word quotes
Don't be afraid to pull a single, powerful word to use as a blended quote. Single quotes work well when analyzing word choice or diction. Sometimes, especially when the word is charged or significant to theme, single-word quotes can be very powerful.
Direct lead: Huck feels restrained within society by people who want to care for him. He says, "The Widow Douglas she took me for her son and allowed she would sivilize me; but it was rough living in the house" (Twain 1).
Blended: Twain uses dialect, often with irony, to show that even "sivilize[d]" society can be barbaric (Twain 1).
Quoting from dialogue
Avoid quoting dialogue and narration at the same time.
Incorrect: Kino and his brother are aware that the pearl buying system is unfair. Steinbeck writes, "Juan Tomas cautioned his brother. "You must be careful to see they do not cheat you" (45).
Correct: Kino and his brother are aware that the pearl buying system is unfair. Juan Tomas cautioned his brother saying, "You must be careful to see they do not cheat you" (45).
Correct: On the way to the pearl buyers, "Juan Tomas cautioned his brother," proving they were aware that the system is unfair (45).