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Embedding Quotations. Improve the sophistication of your essays. Three levels of embedding. Level 1: The Amateur (the floating quote) George doesn’t like having to lug Lennie around everywhere. “I could get along so easy” (7).
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Embedding Quotations Improve the sophistication of your essays
Three levels of embedding • Level 1: The Amateur (the floating quote) • George doesn’t like having to lug Lennie around everywhere. “I could get along so easy” (7). • JFK references an earlier speech. “Some time ago I asked each American to consider what he would do for his country” (107-8). The relationship between the sentences isn’t clear, and you’re forcing the reader to assume too much.
Three levels of embedding • Level 2: The Decent (the Git’r Done quote) • George doesn’t like being responsible for Lennie. The reader sees this when he says, “I could get along so easy” (7). • JFK references an earlier speech when he says, “Some time ago…” (107-8). This does the job and is acceptable 10-30% of the time. Basically it’s like waving a big sign: “Hey! There’s going to be a quotation here!” **Two traps that occur: 1 – Constantly repeating he says/she says, so vary your verb choice (explains, asserts, etc.) 2 – Authors “write”, speakers “say”
Three levels of embedding • Level 3: The EXPERT (college (and AP) worthy) • George feels like he “could get along so easy” if he didn’t have to be responsible for Lennie all the time (7). • JFK recently “asked each American to consider what he would do for his country” and on April 10th, he received the steel companies’ answer (107). This expert-level quote presents the reader with evidence without having to “ruffle our feathers” to do it. Test the sentence by covering up the quotation marks with your fingers. If the sentence reads like a regular sentence (fluidly), with no flags or markers setting it off, then you accomplished expert level! Even better is if you can weave your analysis into the same sentence
How much should you quote? • As FEW words as possible • Excerpt fragments, but select quotations judiciously: • Don’t use redundant information • JFK informs the country that if other industries follow steel, prices for consumer goods will increase for both the American businessman and farmer. If other industries raise prices, “it would increase the cost of machinery and tools to every American businessman and farmer” (25-27). • Don’t misquote or mislead the reader • JFK informs the public that the steel companies had “justification for an increase in the steel prices” (47).
