QUOTATION

USING QUOTATIONS:

Incorporating direct quotations into your essay is also mandatory – not an option. There is no clear cut rule as to how many you should use because it will depend on the needs of each individual essay. Some points to remember in using quotes:

Do not overquote: The excessive use of quotation will destroy the clarity of your arguments. Generally speaking, in an essay of 750 words, if you have included 10 or more quotes, you have a problem! Two or less will also be a problem.

Quotations by themselves do not constitute indisputable evidence. It is the strength of your arguments that will convince the reader of the validity of your thesis. Therefore, quotations must be anchored firmly in the body of your essay and linked clearly to your thesis. This means that after, or before, each quotation, you must provide analysis and explanation of that quotation.

Therefore, make sure to use, every single time, the 3-part 'sandwich' structure:

INTRODUCE the quote

PRESENT the quote
ANALYZE the quote

Do not use quotations in the introduction or in the conclusion. They should be found in the body of your essay.

Do not use quotes as space fillers. Your reader will know what you are doing!

Keep quotes as short as possible. Lengthy, irrelevant quotation also destroys the strength of your argument. Spend more time on your analysis of the quote.

The context of any quotation must be provided. Very briefly, in the lead in to a quote, details on who is speaking and when and why should be provided.

It is essential to quote accurately. This means you should always double-check any quotation you have used, making sure you have not accidentally left out any word or any item of punctuation.

At the end of any quotation you must provide a page reference, using MLA style.

If it is necessary to omit part of a quotation because of length or irrelevancy, use three dots … (known as an ellipsis). However, if you do this, you must not alter the meaning of the passage or make it unclear through your cutting of words. Furthermore, you must ensure that the changed quotation is grammatically correct.

If an error is present in the quoted material, use the Latin word sic to indicate it. The word sic must be italicized and placed in brackets.

Example: “Mistakes should not be corected [sic] but you should indicate that the mistake is not yours.”

Short, single-sentence quotations should be incorporated into the body of your essay and placed in double quotation marks.

Example:

The narrator’s frozen emotional response to any perceived psychological trauma is exemplified when he describes how “[a] great block of ice got settled in [his] belly” the day he heard about his brother’s arrest (40). Immobility is the narrator’s usual reaction when faced with any situation that might demand from him a degree of personal involvement that might, in turn, oblige him to step beyond the safer limits his own world view.

If a longer quotation is necessary and it consists of more than 4 lines, it should be separated from the body of the essay in a “block” quotation. A block quotation starts on a new line and is usually introduced with a colon (:). It is indented about one tab space from the left and right margins. The quote must be double-spaced and quotations marks are not used.

Example:

Connie’s initial reaction of discomfort at Friend’s arrival is mixed with tinges of feeling flattered by his interest in her. This innocence is challenged when she realizes that his behaviour and appearance do not exactly correspond to any previous knowledge of boys that she has had:

She recognized most things about him, the tight jeans that showed his thighs and buttocks […], and even that slippery friendly smile of his, that sleepy dreamy smile that all boys used to get across ideas they didn’t want to put into words. […] She recognized the way he tapped one fist against the other in homage to the perpetual music behind him. But all these things did not come together. (237)

This perception that something is not quite right with Friend signals Connie’s awareness that what is happening to her is beyond her experience. She is, therefore, completely unable to respond in any way that may help save her.

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