In-text citationsHow to use quotes in your

essay

What is it?Stealing someone’s written thoughts and pretending they are your own is called

PLAGIARISM!

You MUST cite your source!Put the author’s last name in parentheses along with the page number where the words were found in the book.

Ex. Jonny tries to convince Dally and Ponyboy that violence doesn’t change a thing as he whispers, “useless…fighting’s no good” (Hinton 148).

Remember the Meaty Paragraph!You MUST INTRODUCE and EXPLAIN your quotes!

How to INTELLIGENTLY WEAVE quotes into your essay… From these words, it is evident that… His words illustrate… The quote should naturally flow into the

sentence.

Don’t say: The quote says, “…” On page 67, “…”

Quick tips Most often, you won’t need a comma:

Unfortunately, it is not until Pony nearly dies that he realizes Darry’s “silent fear…of losing another person he loved” (Hinton 98).

Quick tips Try not to use a quote that is more than

3 sentences long.

Quick tips DON’T capitalize the first word at the

beginning of your quote if it is introduced in the middle of the sentence.

Unfortunately, it is not until Pony nearly dies that he realizes Darry’s “silent fear…of losing another person he loved” (Hinton 98).

Quick tips Use ellipses to show where you left words

out in a quotation.

“That was his silent fear then—of losing another person he loved” (Hinton 98).

Unfortunately, it is not until Pony nearly dies that he realizes Darry’s “silent fear…of losing another person he loved” (Hinton 98).

Quick tips Use a single quotation mark to enclose a

quotation within a quotation:

“She looked me in the eye. ‘Things are rough all over’” (Hinton 34-35).

Works Cited Page List the sources cited!

Hinton, S. E. The Outsiders. New York: Penguin Putnam Speak, 2003.