How to Quote

How to Quote
by Dr. Carter
There are three ways to lead into a quote:
the "someone says" lead
the "blended" lead
the "full sentence" lead
In the "someone says" lead, you give the author’s or speaker’s name and use the present tense:
Austen says, "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife" (1).
In the "blended" lead, use the syntax of the quote to complete the thought:
Women in particular would agree that "a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife" (Austen 1).
In the "full sentence" lead, the quote supports a generalization made before the colon:
Austen opens the novel expressing a woman’s point of view: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife" (1).
NB: Because of the elementary nature of the "someone says" lead, advanced writers show mastery by introducing quotes using a variety of leads.
The author’s name must appear somewhere to document the quote. If it has not appeared in the text, it must appear in the parentheses, but only once. You are assumed to refer to the same source until you explicitly refer to a new one.
For quotes of more than four typed lines, use the block quote format:
The new tenants seem to be almost ideal:
Mr. Bingley was good-looking and gentleman-like;
he had a pleasant countenance, and easy, unaffected manners. His brother-in-law, Mr. Hurst, merely looked the gentleman; but his friend Mr. Darcy soon drew the attention of the room by his fine, tall person, handsome features, and noble mien. (7)
Use square brackets to change the wording of a quote if necessary:
Austen early on characterizes husbands by their taciturnity: "Mr. Bennet made no answer [to his wife]" (1).
Use ellipses to tailor your quotes. It is not mandatory to use them at the beginning or end of a quote, but they appear to show material has been left out of the middle:
Austen says, "A single man . . . must be in want of a wife" (1).
If you want to quote two sentences but leave out the end of the first or the beginning of the second, you can use ellipses in conjunction with a period:
The first married couple we meet certainly seem poorly matched: "Mr. Bennet was [an odd] mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve and caprice. . . . [Mrs. Bennet] was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper" (3).
To quote a poem, use slash marks to indicate line breaks in quotations of four lines or less. Document the line number rather than the page:
Grendel appears as "A powerful monster, living down / In the darkness" (1-2).
For quotations of more than four lines, use the block quote format:
The anonymous poet highlights the drama of Beowulf’s first appearance in the poem:
In his far-off home, Beowulf, Higlac’s
Follower and the strongest of the Geats—greater
And stronger than anyone anywhere in this world
Heard how Grendel filled nights with horror
And quickly commanded a boat fitted out,
Proclaiming that he’d go to [Herot]. (109-113)