University:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Course:
21W.011 | Writing and Rhetoric: Rhetoric and Contemporary Issues
Academic year:

2024
Views:

32

Pages:

1
Author:

anon

Working with quotes 1. Long quotes: Sometimes our purposes are best served with a quotation that is several lines long—for example, when the information is densely packed or it takes several sentences for the source’s point to become clear. However, lengthy quotes should be kept to a minimum; when they dominate a paper, it appears that you aren’t crafting your own prose but just stringing together other people’s ideas. Note: Indent quotes that are 4 full lines or longer by double-tab’ing the text on the left. (The right margin is unchanged) 2. Shorter quotes: Often we want to quote a sentence or so, because we want our readers to hear something in a source’s own voice. o If we quote a whole sentence, we need to attach a signal phrase to it that identifies the writer or speaker—e.g., According to journalist Michael Pollan, o “Sometimes, if we quote a sentence or two, we may put the signal phrase in the middle of a sentence: “Eat food,” Michael Pollan tells us. “Not too much. Mostly plants.” o Use signal phrases the first time you quote from an author. After that first quote or mention of the author, you can simply use the last name (Pollan states) 3. When we quote sources, we need to keep a few things in mind: o o o We need to use language that lets the reader know that we aren’t taking sources at face value: Singer claims, asserts, considers; Ehrenreich reports, argues, assumes, recognizes; Even words like “says,” “states, “observes” and “remarks” let us know you aren’t simply taking an author’s words as fact, but are aware that they are his or her belief. We need to integrate quotes into our own paragraphs and sentences smoothly: When we quote a sentence or more, we usually need to reflect on the quote, to let readers know why we are bringing the quote to their attention: we don’t just drop the quotes onto the page. “Dropping quotes” without reflection or comment suggests a rushed and careless approach to writing an essay. Whether we quote, paraphrase, or summarize, we must always credit sources. In scholarly work, that means a Works Cited list at the end of your essay as well as intext citations.

Working with Quotes

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