Using Quotations Effectively

It can often be difficult to know how much quotation to include in an exam essay and what teachers mean when they ask you to smoothly include it in your essay. Here are some guidelines to help clear up some of those questions.

The two key points about a quotation are that it should be short and it should be relevant. Include a quotation to illustrate a comment or point that you have just made. Lengthy quotation is definitely a bad idea. Remember: time is too short to waste on simply writing out quotations and, more importantly, marks are not awarded for writing down someone else’s words; it is what you say about those words that counts!

It is important not only to choose your quotations carefully, but to weave them into the fabric of your writing so they become an essential part of what you have to say. Very short quotations of three or four words are best worked into the structure of your own sentences. For example:

In this soliloquy Hamlet appears deeply depressed as he considers whether it is better ‘To be or not to be …’ and his mind dwells on what death might hold.

Longer quotations should be set out on a separate line, but they should still be worked into the fabric of your argument. Try to avoid examples such as the following:

Hamlet thinks that people carry on even though life is painful for them because they are afraid of the unknown and what death might hold.

‘But that the dread of something after death,

The undiscovered country, from whose bourn

No traveler returns, puzzles the will,

And makes us rather bear those ills we have,

Than fly to others that we know not of?’

This quotation would be more effective if it were integrated into the student’s writing in a shortened form because at the moment it appears as a ‘chunk’ of text lacking any sense of continuity with the student’s own words. A more effective use of the same material would be:

Hamlet thinks that people carry on even though life is painful for them because they have a:

‘… dread of something after death,

The undiscovered country, from whose bourn

No traveler returns …’

It is this fear that ‘… rather makes us bear those ills we have’ than willingly go to others that are unknown.’

It is not always necessary to use direct quotation to support your ideas. Sometimes it is actually better to refer to ‘Hamlet’s first soliloquy’ or ‘the final card game in A Streetcar Named Desire’ rather than actually quote. However, this will depend upon the point you are making and you must bear in mind that this method of reference is not a substitute for quoting. You will still be expected to be able to quote from the text, so make sure that you can.