INTEGRATING SOURCES
You should never have a quotation standing alone as a complete sentence, or, even worse, as an incomplete sentence, in your writing. All quotations need an introduction in the student writer’s own words. This often includes a signal phrase.
There are 4 main ways to integrate quotations:
 1. Introduce the quotation with a complete sentence and a colon.
 McWhorter points out that grammar is a low priority in schools, and thus the state of an applicant’s grammar is often beyond his or her control: “It’s more likely the fault of the individual’s education than laziness” (McWhorter 1).
“The Story of an Hour” ends with a devastating irony: “When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease—of joy that kills” (Chopin 58).
** This is an easy rule to remember. If you use a complete sentence to introduce a quotation, you need a colon after the sentence. Be careful not to confuse a colon (:) with a semicolon (;). Using a comma in this situation will most likely create a comma splice, one of the first grammatical issues we covered this semester.
2. Use an introductory or explanatory phrase, but not a complete sentence, separated from the quotation with a comma.
Because of grammar’s low priority in schools, McWhorter argues, “[Poor grammar is] more likely the fault of the individual’s education than laziness” (McWhorter 1).
One can assume that Sylvia did, in fact, understand Ms. Moore’s lesson when she says, “Ain’t nobody gonna beat me at nuthin” (Bambara 659).
**You should use a comma to separate your own words from the quotation when your introductory or explanatory phrase ends with a verb such as “says,” “thinks,” “believes,” “claims,” “argues,” “questions,” and “asks” (and many more). You should also use a comma when you introduce a quotation with a phrase such as “According to”: According to McWhorter, “[Poor grammar is] more likely the fault of the individual’s education than laziness” (McWhorter 1).
3. Make the quotation a part of your own sentence without any punctuation between your own words and the words you are quoting.
Because of grammar’s low priority in schools, McWhorter argues that “[poor grammar is] more likely the fault of the individual’s education than laziness” (McWhorter 1).
One can assume that Sylvia did, in fact, understand Ms. Moore’s lesson when she says that “ain’t nobody gonna beat me at nuthin” (Bambara 659).
**Notice that the word “that” is used in the examples above, and when it is used this way, “that” replaces the comma which would otherwise be necessary. You usually have a choice, then, when you begin a sentence with a phrase such as “McWhorter says.” You either can add a comma after “says” (McWhorter says, “quotation”) or you can add the word “that” with no comma (McWhorter says that “quotation”).
4. Use short quotations—only a few words—as part of your own sentence.
Because of grammar’s low priority in schools, McWhorter argues that poor grammar is “more likely the fault of the individual’s education than laziness” (McWhorter 1).
People’s applications shouldn’t be discarded just because they “don’t quite know their way around a semicolon,” especially if they are qualified for the job in other ways (McWhorter).
**When you integrate quotations in this way, you do not use any special punctuation. Instead, you should punctuate the sentence just as you would if all of the words were your own. No punctuation is needed in the sentences above in part because the sentences do not follow the pattern explained under number 1 and 2 above: there is not a complete sentence in front of the quotations, and a word such as “says” or “asks” does not appear directly in front of the quoted words.
REVIEW
- Rule 1: Complete sentence: “quotation” (citation).
- Rule 2: Someone says, “quotation” (citation).
- Rule 3: Someone says that “quotation” (citation).
- Rule 4: If Rules 1-3 do not apply, do not use any punctuation between your words and the quoted words.
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A FEW NOTES ON PUNCTUATION:
If there are no parenthetical citations in the sentences (no author’s name and page number in parentheses), the commas and periods go inside the final quotation mark (“like this.”).
Question marks and exclamation points go outside of the final quotation mark if the punctuation mark is part of your sentence–your question or your exclamation (“like this”?). Those marks go inside of the final quotation mark if they are a part of the original–the writer’s question or exclamation (“like this!”).
Use brackets ([ ]) to change verbs or other parts of the original quotes when necessary, and ellipses (. . .) to shorten a long sentence. These techniques are especially useful for maintaining present tense in your paper.
If your quote is longer than 4 typed lines, it must be offset in your essay.
SUMMARY:
A summary is when you condense a substantial amount of material into a paragraph or perhaps a single sentence. Summaries are used when you don’t want to provide too many details, just a central idea.
- Summaries are objective (no opinion)
- Your annotated bibliography requires you to summarize.
PARAPHRASE:
A paraphrase retells the information of a source in approximately the same number of words, clinging much more closely to the intent and content of a particular line or passage.
- Be careful not to follow your source’s wording too closely as this will constitute plagiarism.
HOMEWORK
- Integrating Sources exercises due Thursday.
- Read A Debate About the Death Penalty, which includes two short pieces: “The Penalty of Death” by H.L. Mencken and “Execution” by Anna Quindlen (pgs. 443-453). Post a single reading response to OpenLab.
- Revisions to Essay #2 also due Thursday!
- Note: Altering a few sentences is not going to change your grade. You really have to rework the paper at its foundation to improve.
- Work on your research project. Your proposal & annotated bibliography, as well as your essay’s first draft, are all due on Tuesday, 4/28.
