ENG 101 Quoting

USING QUOTATIONS

Quotations need to be blended in smoothly with your own writing through use of transitions
and signal phrases introducing the quotation. A quotation that is put between two original
sentences with no words or phrases to link them together is known as a dropped quote. Your
quotations should be integrated quotes where the reader can clearly see how the quotation
supports the point you are trying to make.

A dropped quote:
Volunteering was an important idea to President John F. Kennedy. “Ask not what your
country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country” (1961). In 1961, President
Kennedy established the Peace Corps. which still sends thousands of Americans to work in
developing countries today.

An integrated quote:
Volunteering was important to President John F. Kennedy, the President who famously told
Americans during his 1961 Inaugural Address to “Ask not what your country can do for you –
ask what you can do for your country.” One way in which he encouraged Americans to
volunteer and serve was through the creation in 1961 of Peace Corps, an organization which
still sends thousands of Americans to work in developing countries today.

Book End-text Citation Example

Zemach, Brody & Valcona (2011). Writing Research Papers. Macmillan Education. p.45)

In-text citations for quotations

Quotations of less than 40 words are included directly in the text. In-text citations must be
provided for all quotations. An in-text citation includes the author, date, and if possible page
number. The underlined information in red in the above examples are an example to in-text
citations.
ENG 101 Quoting

STRATEGIES FOR QUOTING

1. Select appropriate quotations: Be careful to select relevant quotations that support your
argument or key points in your writing.
2. Don’t be a hit-and-run quoter: Surround every major quotation with a frame explaining
whose words they are, what the quotation means, and how the quotation relates to your
own text.
3. Insert the quotation into a ‘quotation sandwich’: The top slice of bread, the
introductory statements should explain who is speaking and set up what the quotation
says; the bottom slice, the follow up statements should explain why you consider the
quotation to be important and how it relates to your text.

Templates for Introducing Quotations Templates for Explaining Quotations

 X states, “________.”  Basically, X is saying__________.

 X argues that “________.”  In other words, X believes__________.
 As the prominent philosopher X puts it,  In making this comment, X argues
“_________.” that________.
 According to X, “________.”  X’s point is that__________.
 In her book / her speech,________,  The essence of X’s argument is
X maintains that “___________.” that________.
 In X’s view, “_________.”

Book End-text Citation Example

Adapted from: Graff, G. & Birkenstein C. (2014). ‘They Say/ I Say’ the Moves That Matter in
Academic Writing, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
ENG 101 Quoting

Author: Albert Einstein

Quotation: “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for
existing.”
Page Number: 3
Example Quote Sandwich
According to Albert Einstein*, “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has
its own reason for existing” (p.3). In saying this, Einstein encourages people to embrace
curiosity as mindset. The importance of curiosity can be seen in such inventions as the light
bulb or the telephone. Without curiosity, these discoveries would not exist, and humans would
certainly not have the modern conveniences that make life more comfortable today.
* Example of in-text citation for quotations

Website End-text Citation Example: Hargen, A. (2020, September 23). The Quote Sandwich. Super
ELA https://www.super-ela.com/terms/the-quote-sandwich/
ENG 101 Quoting

OVER TO YOU
PART 1: Support the following arguments by selecting an appropriate quote from
Watt’s “Are Schools Necessary?”

1. People need to work hard for their education.

2. Institutionalized education creates dependency.

3. Education should be a life-long process.

PART 2: Choose two of the quotations you have used in Part 1. Use the sandwich
quoting strategies. Introduce and explain each quotation.