Quotations may contain very condensed information that often appeals to emotions or state truths that resonate in readers. Consequently, there aren’t many other means that help engage readers into a deep discussion so suddenly. Hence, knowing how to start an essay with a quote is an important skill that allows students to make the best of their written assignments or speeches. You might be wondering why you should consider using inspirational quotes in your essays. To put it lightly, incorporating the right quotes into your work will not only bolster your argument, but it will also better convince the reader to adopt your point of view.

The csquotes package provides advanced facilities for in-line and display quotations. It supports a wide range of commands, environments and user-definable quotes. Quotes can be automatically adjusted to the current language by means of the babel or polyglossia packages. Keep your quotes short, break up large quotes, or paraphrase information to avoid using too many block quotes in your paper.

You Should Explain the Significance of the Quote

Do not use a quote that could be offensive to the audience unless you plan to contradict the quotation. There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. Don’t omit information if its absence distorts the original meaning of the quote. As for other types of academic writing, there are exceptions.

Remember that you are required to cite your sources for paraphrases and direct quotes. For more information on MLA Style, APA style, Chicago Style, ASA Style, CSE Style, and I-Search Format, refer to our Gallaudet TIP Citations and Referenceslink. Don’t abuse direct quotations and insert them sparingly. A maximum of one quote per paragraph is the unspoken rule you must remember here. If you still think you need to include another citation, paraphrase.

When Not to Start an Essay with a Quote

Explain your quote, paraphrase, or summary in several sentances. Select a quote that strongly connects to the topic of your paper. Starting an essay with a quote comes with a number of advantages and disadvantages as presented below. Capitalize the first letter if the quotation appears after a verb of saying, regardless of the case used in the source–but flag any alterations you make. Whether to capitalize or lowercase the first letter of the first word of a quotation depends on how the quotation is integrated into your prose and what appears in the original. It is acceptable to input the name of the author either before the quote, or in parentheses at the conclusion of the quote.

A block quote is separated from the rest of the text by a double-space. This package typesets epigraphs or quotations at the beginning of each chapter but was designed for use with LaTeX 2.09 so we no longer recommend using it. In the example the environment displayquote prints a display quotation and the command \textquote and in-line quotation.

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I’m happy to explain it”; they needed a thorough explanation, and she loved to teach her students. It is also indented one-half inch on the left to set it apart. The epigraph package can handle several quotations by means of a special environment and also has many customization options.

It doesn’t deal with the way you need to cite them, which requires the author’s name, the year of publication, the page number, etc. If the original text is phrased in a way that is particularly powerful and paraphrasing it would be likely to weaken it, direct quotation is a good option.

Use block quotations sparingly

Such quotes can be interesting enough to draw attention, but they won’t fit in an academic essay because they’re how to begin a quote your own thoughts. Just make sure you don’t interfere with its original meaning as intended by its author.

• Our custom essay writing service can help you get an essay on any topic completed on time.
• Be sure that using the quotation enhances, rather than distracting from, your argument.
• Dr. Billowsaysthat being exposed to television violence at a young age desensitizes children to violence in real life (author’s last name p.##).
• Some helped me edit, and others reminded me why I started in the first place.
• Any punctuation that comes at the end of the quote stays inside the marks.

You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Connect with our top writers and receive a paper sample crafted to your needs. Be the first to read new posts and updates about MLA style. Men were not gods after all, but as human and as clumsy as girls; even men might suffer from unexplained desires, and need help.

How to Use Quotes for an Essay Introduction

If one thing is for sure, it’s that’s you can start a great essay with a quote relevant to the theme of the topic. As long as you can find and attribute great quotes, you’ll be set and ready to write an essay that your instructor will find interesting to read. Some students prefer to start their essays with quotes because they find the phrases engaging, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Understand that relevant, helpful, and equally credible quotes can capture the attention of a reader, not to mention easily related the thesis statement of your essay.

Note that the first letter after the quotation marks should be upper case. According to MLA guidelines, if you change the case of a letter from the original, you must indicate this with brackets. Like paraphrase, quotation will only play a supporting role in your written work. Quotes will often help you identify your audience better, make a surprising introduction, or emphasize points in your essay. Take care to ensure that your introduction is not too wordy. Do not use quotes throughout an essay without any context or introduction. This article is a quick guide to help you use quotes in your essay introduction effectively.

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When the quote is a fragment or part of the sentence it’s in, you don’t need to capitalize it. Smith suggests that “if the introduction to your quote isn’t a dependent clause, it doesn’t need to be followed by a comma” . Beginning an essay how to start an essay example with a quote contains a lot of pros and cons. Listed below are some advantages and disadvantages of opening an essay with a quote. In progress report 12, Steven explains “This is not a real quote; this is a formatting example” .

The page number will be written at the end, there is no need to use anything to signify that it is a page number. Under the MLA citation guidelines, you will add the page number after the name of the author. Kristie Sweet has been writing professionally since 1982, most recently publishing for various websites on topics like health and wellness, and education. She holds a Master of Arts in English from the University of Northern Colorado. For example, a paper written for gamers could use a quote from a game designer like Steve Jackson while one aimed at artists might quote from a painter like Paul Gauguin. Long quotes should be typed on a free standing block and indented at ½ Inch from the left margin. For all your citation needs, I would like to recommend you to read of the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook published in 2016.

Words that introduce Quotes or Paraphrases

Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

Remember, the quote you prefer should be clear and informative but it shouldn’t insult your reader’s intelligence. You should find the right quote that fits your purpose and use it within the framework of your own words. A colon can also be used to introduce a quotation if it is preceded by a complete sentence . Phrases don’t have both a subject and a verb that are separate from the subject and verb in the main clause of the sentence. Common introductory phrases include prepositional phrases, appositive phrases, participial phrases, infinitive phrases, and absolute phrases.

Introduce

Firstly, you will need to determine the part of the secondary source that you wish to quote. For explanation purposes, the secondary source is the work that uses the quote that you wish to include in your paper – this is also referred to as an indirect quote. Such a quote is good for your essay because it enhances clarity, making it easy for the reader to understand the meaning and support for your argument.