How to Integrate Quotations in Your Essays (and How Many?)

You must integrate (work in) quotations from your story/novel grammatically in standard punctuation and syntax.

How does one do this?

K.I.S.S.

Keep in simple, Sam.

Here are three simple, full-proof methods.

1. Work in impartial quotations

Holden Caulfield exclaims that if there is ever another war he’s “going to sit right the hell on top of it [the bomb]” (141).

No comma needed before the quotation if it is worked in without signal phrase like "he said."

Note: brackets are used to clarify “it" to aid in understanding the quote.

2. Quotations introduced with a signal phrase

Holden then exclaims, “If there’s ever another war, I’m going to sit right the hell top of it [the bomb]” (141).

There is a comma before the quotation because of the signal phrase "exclaims" introduces the quotation.

3. Set off a full quotation with explanatory information first.

Make a declarative statement that explains the importance of the quotation. Then introduce the quotation with a colon. Begin the quotation with an upper case letter.

Holden even jokes of his willingness to die: “If there’s ever another war, I’m going to sit right the hell top of it [the bomb]” (141).

Other hints and reminders

For extended prose quotations of more than four lines

Set off more than four typed lines of prose. Indent one inch or ten spaces from the left margin. Use the normal right margin and do NOT single space. Do not put quotation marks around the quotation. Put the page number after the final punctuation mark.

Use ellipsis ( a series of three spaced periods) to indicate left out words

"The ceremony honored twelve brilliant athletes … visiting the U.S."

Use brackets to indicate words you put in to clarify or make grammatical

The fruit that is picked and not sold is then treated by “men with hoses [who] squirt kerosene on the oranges" and “dump potatoes in the rivers and place guards along the bank to keep the hungry people from fishing them out."

Use the term “sic” to indicate an error in the original quotation (so that your reader doesn’t think that you’ve made the error)

Joe Taylor said that “he was the bestest [sic] friend he ever had.”

Now how many quotations should one have in each paragraph?

There is no hard and fast rule.

Maintain a balance between your general observations and your specific references to the text (your quotations).

Each body paragraph must begin with a topic sentence (your general observation/statement). From there, supply specific references to the text, using direct quotations when the exact words seem to be necessary to get across your point.

I know, you still want a number per paragraph.

Let's say between 3 to 6.