There are two key ways to edit a quotation to make it fit grammatically with your own sentence:
Perhaps you need to replace a pronoun in the quote with the actual noun to make the context clear, or perhaps the verb tense does not fit. However, sometimes the text you want to quote will not fit grammatically or clearly into your sentence without making some changes. When you use quotation marks around material, this indicates that you have used the exact words of the original author. The eighteenth century was a time of paradox: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”. This can give the quotation added emphasis.ĭickens defines the eighteenth century as a time of paradox: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”. Colon: if your own introductory words form a complete sentence, you can use a colon to introduce and set off the quotation. Signal Phrase: introduce the author and then the quote using a signal verb (scroll down to see a list of common verbs that signal you are about to quote someone)ĭescribing the eighteenth century, Charles Dickens observes, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”. Seamless Integration: embed the quotation, or excerpts from the quotation, as a seamless part of your sentenceĬharles Dickens begins his novel with the paradoxical observation that the eighteenth century was both “the best of times” and “the worst of times”. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”ġ.
Colon Method: introduce the quotation with a complete sentence ending in a colon.Ĭonsider the following opening sentence (and famous comma splice) from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, as an example:. Signal Phrase Method: use a signal phrase (Author + Verb) to introduce the quotation, clearly indicating that the quotation comes from a specific source. Seamless Integration Method: embed the quoted words as if they were an organic part of your sentence (if you read the sentence aloud, your listeners would not know there was a quotation). There are three main methods to integrate quotations grammatically: This involves integrating the quotation into your own sentences so that it flows smoothly and fits logically and syntactically. The second level of integration is grammatical. Essentially, you should create a “quotation sandwich” (see Figure C-1). A quotation, statistic or bit of data generally does not speak for itself you must provide context and an explanation for quotations you use. Never quote and run: don’t leave your reader to determine the relevance of the quotation. At the argument level, the quotation is being used to illustrate or support a point that you have made, and you will follow it with some analysis, explanation, comment, or interpretation that ties that quote to your argument. Integrating quotations into your writing happens on two levels: argumentative and grammatical. If the use of language in the quotation is itself the focus of your analysis ( e.g., if you are analyzing the author’s use of a particular phrasing, imagery, metaphor, or rhetorical strategy). If the language of the original source uses the best possible phrasing or imagery, and no paraphrase or summary could be as effective or. Paraphrasing can be more effective in some cases. Quotations should be used sparingly because too many quotations can interfere with the flow of ideas and make it seem like you don’t have ideas of your own. Selecting effective quotations illustrates that you can extract the important aspects of the information and use them effectively in your own argument. Using the words of credible sources conveys your credibility by showing you have done research into the area you are writing about and consulted relevant and authoritative sources. Integrating quotations provides direct evidence from reliable sources to support your argument. WHY: Using direct quotations in your argument has several benefits: 
Similarly, if you quote someone who says something that is “common knowledge,” you still must cite this quotation, as you are using their sentences structure, organizational logic, and/or syntax. Even if you do not quote directly, but paraphrase source content and express it in your own words, you still must give credit to the original authors for their ideas. Each form requires a citation because you are using another person’s words and/or ideas. There are three main ways to integrate evidence from sources into your writing: quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing. Therefore, being able to correctly and fluently incorporate and engage with other writers’ words and ideas in your own writing is a critical academic skill.
Writing in an academic context often entails engaging with the words and ideas of other authors. Appendix C: Integrating Source Evidence into Your Writing
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