There are two aspects to quotations, the proper use of the quotation marks and the proper composition of a citation (reference to you primary source). This paper deals with the use of quotation marks. For the composition of a citation see:
MLA Citation Guidelines (on-line at Purdue University).For convenience we shall describe two categories of quotations: direct and indirect.
Direct Quotations - are the exact words or text as "quoted" from an outside source. The term outside source means that the words or ideas were not your own original creation.
Indirect Quotations - are the paraphrasing (re-phrasing) of an outside source. You do not use quotation marks when paraphrasing but you should cite the source when an idea is not your own, especially when that idea supports or formulates your argument. Be careful never to take credit for someone else’s words or ideas.
Rules:
| Quotation marks are used to enclose every direct quotation.
Capitalize the first letter of any whole sentence being quoted. | |
| Gabe Nemeth, owner of the Paprikash Restaurant, said, "All of our meat is organically raised, because we place a priority on the quality of our ingredients." | |
| Do not capitalize the first letter of a sentence fragment. | |
| Gabe Nemeth stated that his restaurant’s meats were "organically raised" because quality ingredients are a priority at the Paprikash Restaurant. | |
| If the quotation is broken into two parts, you interrupt and leave out a portion, do not capitalize the first letter of the second part. | |
| "All of our meat is organically raised," said Gabe Nemeth of the Paprikash Restaurant, "because we place a priority on the quality of our ingredients." | |
| Use single quotation marks for a quotation within a quotation. | |
| Gabe Nemeth, owner of the Paprikash Restaurant, said, "All of our meat is organically raised. As my father told me, 'Quality must come first!' I’ve never forgotten that." | |
| If a portion of the citation is omitted, use an ellipsis mark to indicate that words are missing.
If you need to add something to a quotation, use a pair of brackets to separate the added material. | |
| Full quotation | The President said, "We shall focus all of our labors on the relief effort and ensure that help goes to where it is most needed. That’s FEMA’s primary mission." |
| Portion omitted | The President said, "We shall focus all of our labors on the relief effort...That’s FEMA’s primary mission." |
| Material added | The President said, "We shall focus all of our labors on the relief effort...That’s FEMA’s [Federal Emergency Management Agency] primary mission." |
When a quotation runs for more than four lines it should be formatted with a block quotation. Block quotes are indented a full inch from both margins (MLA style). By convention double spacing should be maintained within the block quote but some word processors revert to single spacing when applying one of their built-in formatting styles. Some people prefer single spacing for visual ease.
Rules:
| We will focus all of our labors on the relief effort and ensure that help goes to where it is most needed. That’s FEMA’s primary mission. I’m sure that the American people are disappointed with the relief effort that we’ve seen so far. The slow response is unacceptable. It’s unacceptable to me and to the American people. There are people who need help and we’re going to see that they get the help that they need. |
Rules:
| When using a brief introductory phrase use a comma to separate the dependent clause from the quotation. | |
| Gabe Nemeth said, "All of our meat is organically raised..." | |
| When the quotation is introduce with a fill sentence (an independent clause) separate the sentence from the quotation with a colon. | |
| Gabe Nemeth, owner of the Paprikash Restaurant, says it best: "All of our meat is organically raised, because we place a priority on the quality of our ingredients." | |
| Commas and periods are included within the quotation marks, as shown above. However, when a parenthetical reference is used, it follows the closing quote mark and the period follows. | |
| Gabe Nemeth, owner of the Paprikash Restaurant, says it best: "All of our meat is organically raised, because we place a priority on the quality of our ingredients" (10). | |
| When colons and semi-colons are not part of the quotation, put them outside of the closing quotation marks. | |
| Gabe Nemeth, owner of the Paprikash Restaurant, says it best: "All of our meat is organically raised, because we place a priority on the quality of our ingredients"; several customers that were on-hand agreed. | |
| If a question mark, exclamation point, or dash is part of the original quotation, place it within the closing quotation mark. | |
| Gabe asked me, "Do you understand?" | |
| If a question mark, exclamation point, or dash is part of the whole sentence that includes the quotation, place it outside of the closing quotation mark. | |
| Do you think Gabe’s father is right when he says, "Quality must come first!"? | |
Rules:
| Each character's spoken words are in their own paragraph. | |
| Introductory phrases, such as "he said" or "she exclaimed" is separated from the quotation by a comma. The same applies to closing phrases. | |
Amy said, "This weather sucks!" "You're always complaining," he answered. "Are you saying that you like this crap!?" she shot back. | |
| If a character's speech goes beyond a single paragraph, use an opening quote mark at the beginning of each paragraph and a closing quote mark only at the end of the final paragraph. | |
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Judge Roberts replied, "Senator, I have always supported and support today equal rights for women, particularly in the workplace. "I was very pleased when I saw, for example, the report of the National Association of Women Lawyers, who went out and talked and interviewed with women lawyers who have worked with me, who have appeared before me. "And the conclusion was that I not only always treated women lawyers with respect and equal dignity, but that I had made special accommodations for life/work issues to ensure that women could continue to progress, for example, at my law firm, and had always treated women who appeared before me in a perfectly professional way." | |
It's a very good idea to use actual quotes, as well as paraphrased plot details, to support your argumentative point. However, if you do use quotes, you need to integrate them gracefully into the sentence/paragraph so that the quotes flow as part of the over-all writing. That may mean tinkering with the quote so that it fits with your writing, and it may require your setting the quote up/giving context so that the quote doesn't "hang" awkwardly.
One way you can figure out how you need to change the quote is to think about how the sentence would look if there were no quote marks. Imagine the sentence/quote combination without quote marks and then edit it so that it makes sense-- but remember to leave the quote marks in! Also remember that you need to give a page reference for every quote (unless it comes from a film).
Example:
"I had been raised to turn the other cheek" (Hooks 15). Blacks are taught that the White man runs America and they need to keep their fears and anger inside, while Whites are taught that it is okay to express how they feel. [Note: this is particularly awkward because it comes as the beginning of a new paragraph.]
Revision:
Switch the sentence order; then integrate the quote with something like this:As Hooks wrote, "I had been raised to turn the other cheek" (Hooks 15). Then go on to talk about the quote more specifically and how the specific text at hand illustrates this basic point.
Make it fit with your own sentence. If you need to tinker to make the quote make sense, use square brackets [] to indicate that you're changing the original quote. You may need to add a character's name, change the verb tense, etc.
Example:
Derek says early in the film that "they're not products of their environments. That's crap."
Revision:
"They" here is minorities, so: Derek says early in the in the film that "they're [i.e., minorities] not products of their environments. That's crap."
See, Leisha -- this tree made this flower. Because it can. Only this tree can make this kind of wonderful flower. The plant hanging up there can’t [make this flower]... Only this tree. Therefore the most important thing in the world for this tree to do is grow this flower. The flower is the tree’s individuality (Kress, 160).
With such a beautiful explanation of individuality by Leisha’s father it is hard to believe that the sleepers couldn’t come to understand, or appreciate what the sleepless have to offer society in their own way. Just like the tree has proved its worth by growing a flower as soon as the sleepless have proven their worth to society, society will come to accept them.