Incorporating Quotes into Essays

Here are the notes from class on Thursday.

Bad Example:

The Sawtelle farm breeds its own unique type of dog. "A person communicates by giving as well as taking, by expressing what is inside” (43). Forte is not a Sawtelle dog, but he is important to the story.

In the above example, the quote is just dropped in there. As you can see, it just doesn't make sense, because it is not introduced and it is not explained. Remember: Make a sandwich.

Bad Example:

Edgar communicates through give and take, and he does a good job of expressing his inner thoughts. "A person communicates by giving as well as taking, by expressing what is inside” (43).

In this example, the quote simply restates what the sentence before it says. Make sure if you use a quote that it is adding new information to your support.

Good Example:

The fact that Edgar Sawtelle cannot speak does not hamper his ability to connect with the dogs. "A person communicates by giving as well as taking, by expressing what is inside” (43). Because Edgar is able to create his own sign language, he can easily use those signs to train the dogs, a method of training that is used by most trainers working with dogs.

Now that's a solid sandwich.

Good Example: 

Edgar’s missing voice is not as important as it may seem, as the narrator reminds us that communication is achieved by both “giving as well as taking, by expressing what is inside” (43). Edgar certainly demonstrates his ability to do both of these things when he is working with the dogs.

Notice how only the part of the quote I needed is weaved into the sentence. This way of integrating quotes shows mature writing ability.