Integrating Quotes

Quote Dumping is NOT Your Friend

Never just dump a quote into a paragraph! It can never stand in a sentence by itself without a proper introduction.

Why? Because it’s hurdy gurdy and it can look and sound awkward or confusing if your reader isn’t prepared for it.

WRONG:Like a dictionary, the first passage states just the

facts and includes many accurate measurements. “The swamp is populated with diverse and abundant wildlife, with about 175 species of birds and at least 40 species of mammals.”

A sophisticated writer will ease the reader into the quote with transitions and signal phrases to show that a quote is coming.

RIGHT:Like a dictionary, the first passage states just the

facts and includes many accurate measurements. The author describes the inhabitants of the swamp by saying, “The swamp is populated with diverse and abundant wildlife, with about 175 species of birds and at least 40 species of mammals.”

Another Example—How could we find a better way to introduce these quotes?

Both articles convey a wet, dark swamp that covers a large area; the difference of the two comes in their distinctive tones. “The Okefenokee Swamp includes low, sandy ridges, wet grassy savannas, small islands…or dark water areas covered by undergrowth and trees” (Passage 1); Four hundred and thirty thousand acres of stinging, biting and boring insects…muck, mud, and ooze” (Passage 2).

Other Ways to Integrate Quotes

Using a few of the author’s words within your original idea.

The first passage uses logos in a brighter tone. It speaks of “floating hearts, lilies, and rare orchids,” therefore making a beautiful picture in the reader’s mind. The second passage uses a more negative tone by saying that the many different species of animals living in the swamp are “all variously equipped with beaks, talons, claws, teeth, stingers, and fangs,” thus creating an image of a scary environment.

Other Ways to Integrate Quotes

Setting up a full quote with a colon (use this sparingly)

In an interesting twist of ethos, he appears to try to humanize the people of the South: “Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invoked His aid against the other.”

A Final Note on Quote Integration

While you can introduce quotes by saying, “He/she says,” strive to make your quote introductions stronger by adding a little more significance to your lead-in.

How could we bump up the following passage to

make the quote introduction a little stronger and more sophisticated?

The tone for passage one is informative. One can see this through the author’s use of facts. The author says, “Lying about 50 mi. inland from the coast, the swamp is bounded on the east by the low, sandy Trail Ridge.”

Perhaps something more like thisThe tone for passage one is informative. One

can see this through the author’s use of facts. This use of logos is evident when the author describes the landscape by saying, “Lying about 50 mi. inland from the coast, the swamp is bounded on the east by the low, sandy Trail Ridge.”