How to Quote a Quote

1
How to Quote a Quote
2
First, let me ask you this? Does this cake look
good to you?
3
So, why did you say, No?

• You wouldnt eat the ingredients of a cake one-by
  one.
• All the ingredients must be blended together.

• Quoted material must be blended into the entire
  cake, as well.
• You must use punctuation to connect each quote to
  the idea it follows.

4
How would you add this support?

• We were like some family on a TV commercial, with
  names like Myrtle and Fred. I could just hear us
  striking up a conversation about air fresheners.
• The Bean Trees, Barbara Kingsolver

5
All quotes must connect to what comes before. In
a paper, you might state the following

• Taylor begins to experience some frustration
  when she thinks that Lou Ann is trying to force
  her to play a traditional domestic role We
  were like some family on a TV commercial, with
  names like Myrtle and Fred. I could just hear us
  striking up a conversation about air fresheners
  (88).
• Please notice the placement of the punctuation
  and page number.
• Notice also the connection punctuation. What
  has been used?
• Notice also the use of PRESENT TENSE.

6
Context, quote, analysis

• Taylor begins to experience some frustration when
  she thinks that Lou Ann is trying to force her to
  behave like some family on a TV commercial, with
  names like Myrtle and Fred (88). Her use of
  these outdated names indicates her contempt for
  the traditional domestic roles.

7
How would you add this support?

• I walk down the hall, past the laundry room, and
  into the family room. I close the door behind
  me, muffling the rumbling of the small shoes in
  the dryer.
• Where were you? my mother says.
• In the bathroom, I say.
• Hmph, she says.
• A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave
  Eggers

8
How to Add It All (no more than once in this
paper)

• Your support might look like this
• The novel begins with muffled sound and with
  what appears to be a typical uncommunicative
  conversation between a parent and child
• I walk down the hall, past the laundry
  room, and into the family
• room. I close the door behind
  me, muffling the rumbling of the small shoes
  in the dryer.
• Where were you? my mother
  says.
• In the bathroom, I
  say.
• Hmph, she says. (1)
• If you have a longer quote, or one with dialogue
  layers, indent 10 spaces and keep the punctuation
  the same as it appears in the actual work itself.
  Notice the colon, however.

9
Notice how this rule changes when you decide to
use less of the text.

• The novel begins with muffled sound and with
  what appears to be a typical uncommunicative
  conversation between a parent and child I
  close the door behind me, muffling the rumbling
  of the small shoes in the dryer. Where were
  you? my mother says (1).

10
Paragraphs in general should

• Make a point or introduce an idea that supports
  the thesis.
• Use a specific example (from the plot or about
  characters) to show that that idea is true.
• You may use an excerpt (quote)along with this
  example.
• Explain how this specific example (and excerpt if
  used) proves your idea is true (this is where you
  treat me like I am stupidspell it out for me.)

11

• In both Of Mice and Men and A Raisin in the
  Sun, prejudice exists as something that impedes
  the characters attainment of their goals. (this
  is 1a point or idea. Can you guess my
  thesis?). In the novel, Lennie is retarded (this
  is a general examplenot quite 2 yet) and when a
  girl in Weed accuses him of hurting her, the
  townspeople instantly want to hang him and he
  must flee with George. (THIS is a specific event
  used to show prejudice in one of the worksthis
  is 2) If Lennie and George did not have to flee
  the town, they could have stayed and saved money
  and worked toward their dream of owning a ranch.
  The prejudice of the townspeople toward retarded
  people meant that Lennie could not even defend
  himself and because of this and the fact that he
  had to leave, he was moved further from his goal.
  (This explains the use of the examplethis is
  step 4and it takes two sentences here) What is
  the rest of this paragraph?

12
What You Need to Know

• Essentially, you will need to know just these few
  rules in order to use support quotes from any
  text.
• Remember, though, that quoted material is to be
  used as SUPPORT ONLY. Do not present the quoted
  material first and then explain it.
• Do not begin or end a paragraph with a quote.