Q-Tips (Tips on Using Quotations) Lead-ins: When working quotes into your writing, the quote must not only be set up to support your point but it must also be positioned naturally within a sentence. Your goal is to create a flow from your writing, into the quote, and back to your writing. Quotes should never seen like they ve been dropped in. All quotations must have a lead-in. Never drop a quotation into a sentence or paragraph without a proper lead- in! The lead-in links the quotation to what surrounds it in the context of your paper. 1. You are trying to prove that Rev. Parris self-centered concern about money and status: Bad Example: These quotes reveal Parris is concerned about money. I am not some preaching farmer with a book under my arm; I am a graduate of Harvard College Mr. Corey, you will look far for a man of my kind at sixty pound a year! (Miller 29). Good Example: Rev. Parris reveals his concern for economic and social status by degrading the ideal of being merely a preaching farmer, but more importantly, a graduate of Harvard that should be given more than the yearly salary of sixty pound (Miller 29). 2. You are trying to prove that Judge Danforth is more concerned about public image instead of justice. Bad Example: Danforth is concerned about public image more that what is just. I will not receive a single plea for pardon or postponement. Them that will not confess, will hang! Twelve are already executed; the names of these seven are given out, and the village expects to see them die this morning. Postponement now speaks a floundering on my part; reprieve or pardon must cast doubt upon the guilt of them that died till now (Miller 129). Good Example: When he realizes that Hale feels that the hangings should be postponed, Danforth is concerned that villagers maintain faith in the court system and explains, Postponement now speaks a floundering on my part; reprieve or pardon now must cast doubt upon the guilt of them that died till now (Miller 129).
Three main types of lead-ins: 1. The somebody said lead-in Example: Reverend Hale guiltily screams, There is blood on my head cannot you see the blood on my head? (Miller 134). 2. The blended lead-in provides more flexibility. In this kind of lead-in, some of the quoted material is left out, and what is retained blends in with your sentence. The sentence must, however, read as a complete statement without being awkward. Capitalization and punctuation of the original quotation may be changed to fit the grammatical structure of your sentence. Example: Mary Warren tells the courts that she signed the devil s book after the girls turn on her in court (Miller 131). 3. The sentence lead-in is another effective technique. This lead-in is followed by a colon (:) Example: Reverend Hale unfalteringly admits that the works of the devil are precise: We cannot look to superstition in this (Miller 32). Punctuation Specifics: Put the author s name and the page number (always in that specific order) in parentheses after the quote. This is known as parenthetical documentation. Tituba screams, I saw Goody Good with the devil! (Miller 38). Remember to put the punctuation OUTSIDE the parentheses UNLESS your quote ends in an exclamation point or a question mark. If that is the case, then you put a period after the parenthesis. Rev. Parris threatens, You will confess yourself or I will take you out and whip you to your death, Tituba (Miller 34). Abigail says, If I have to answer that I will leave this courtroom! (Miller 104). Quotation marks are needed whenever you borrow from a source word for word, even if it is words of explanation by the author. Arthur Miller explains that Proctor is a farmer in his middle thirties (Miller 20). Ellipses ( ): At times, you may wish to borrow only part of a sentence and combine it with your own words. To do so, use the ellipses ( ) to indicate that words are being omitted. Words at the beginning of a sentence may be left out: Danforth s firm belief in the court is obvious when he states, a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there is no road between (Miller 94). Words in the middle of a sentence may be left out:
Danforth feels that villagers must either totally support the court or be counted as an opponent to it. He shows this when he tells Francis Nurse, But, you must understand, sir there be no road in between (Miller 94). Words at the end of a sentence may be left out: But you must understand sir, that a person is either with this court, or he must be counted against it Danforth explains to Frances Nurse (Miller 94). Words at either end may be left out: Danforth states firmly, a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it (Miller 94). Brackets [ ]: Brackets NOT parenthesis can be used to clarify things for the reader: Abigail, afraid of Hale s hard questioning, shouts, [Tituba] made me do it! She made Betty do it! (Miller 43). The passage originally reads, She made me do it! Use brackets to substitute the name Tituba for she. Using brackets also helps the writer maintain consistent verb tense remember to USE PRESENT TENSE when writing about literature! Block Quoting: A long quotation of more than four typewritten lines should be blocked. To do so, set it off from the text by beginning a new line, indenting one inch from the left margin, and typing it double-spaced WITHOUT QUOTATION MARKS. Place the parenthetical reference two spaces after the final punctuation mark this is different from the punctuation directions above, so be careful! Example: When telling the courts about her husband s affair, Elizabeth tries to be as discreet as possible about his wrongdoing: You see, I thought I saw my husband somewhat turning from me, but my husband is a goodly man, your Honor. He is never drunk as some men are, and he never avoids getting his work done. However, I was sick for a long while, and I came to think he fancied [Abigail], so I lost my wits, I think, and turned her out on the highroad. (Miller 97).
Parenthetical Documentation Extras: If you use the author s name in the lead-in of a quote, do NOT repeat the author s name in the documentation. Example: Miller wants the reader to see Parris as a materialistic, greedy man (14). Place the parenthetical reference AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE to the quote, but ALWAYS put it at the end of the phrase or sentence the quote is included in. (The reference should come before the comma or period that end the phrase). Example 1: It is hard to believe that the girls screaming about the yellow bird coming down from the rafters were taken seriously by the court (Miller 117). Example 2: Elizabeth knew that [Abigail] wants [her] dead (Miller 17), because Abigail wants to have John all to herself. Works Cited Information: There needs to be a works cited entry for EVERY source cited in your paper. Your entry should follow the format below for a book written by one author. Follow the model with the exact punctuation given below: Last name, first name. Title. Place of publication: publisher, copyright date. Do not number the entries on your works cited page. Alphabetize the entries by using the author s last name. Double space the entire works cited page, even if an entry is 2 lines long. It should be double spaced both between and within entries. If you have an entry that goes onto a second line, please tab in once (or go 5 spaces over to the right) for the second line. If it goes onto a third or fourth line, space each of those lines underneath the second line. You should title your page Works Cited Page, and you should still have your last name and page number in the upper right hand corner.