Quoting Literary Works Correctly



Quoting Literary Works Correctly Name:

“Little Lost Robot” Period:

When is it a good idea to use a quote?

Memorable language: You think that the style of the language is so powerful, pithy, or elegant that you simply must let the reader hear the actual words.

Authority: You feel the need to bolster your argument by citing the words of the author. (Remember that mere authority is not necessarily convincing; the argument itself must be convincing.)

Accuracy: You have tried several times to paraphrase but have been unable to do so adequately. (Remember that accurate paraphrasing helps you understand the source and that paraphrasing takes practice and always requires several drafts. Don’t give up too quickly!)

Brevity: You have tried several times to paraphrase and each time have ended up with twice as many words as the original. (Again, since paraphrasing assures understand and takes practice, play with the text a while before surrendering to quotation.)

If none of these apply, then it’s best to just paraphrase the idea that you’re wanting to convey. (And in this book, I, Robot, not a whole lot of the language is that memorable.)

But should you want (or need) to use a quote, the best way to use quotes in single paragraphs (as opposed to longer essays) is to integrate the quoted words into the writer's sentence. In putting the quote in, you use commas and colons in introducing it only if they are required by the grammar of the writer's sentence. (When the work is anything other than a short poem, the direct quote needs to be followed by parentheses with the page number in them.)

EXAMPLES:

Dr. Susan Calvin believes that robots are a “cleaner better breed”(x) than human beings.

It’s no surprise that robots would feel themselves superior to humans, since humans are inferior both physically and mentally. Cutie even goes so far as to call them “makeshift”(63) beings, which are “intelligent, but unreasoning”(74) with minds “too coarsely grained for absolute Truth”(75).

From the very first story, robots are shown to be more than mere machines, as

in the story “Robbie”, where Gloria claims that Robbie is “a person just like you

and me”(14).

PRACTICE: In the chapter “Little Lost Robot,” find six to ten short quotes (whole sentences, phrases or even single words) that reveal how Dr. Calvin feels about a robot having a modified first law. Be sure to use quotation marks, and include page numbers.

Write a statement about how she feels, incorporating one or more short quotes you’re your sentence. Be sure to use quotation marks, parenthetical citation and end punctuation.

PRACTICE: In the chapter “Little Lost Robot,” find six to ten short quotes (whole sentences, phrases or even single words) that reveal what Dr. Calving thinks the “lost” robot must be thinking or feeling. Be sure to use quotation marks, and include page numbers.

Write a statement about what she thinks the robot is thinking/feeling, incorporating one or more short quotes you’re your sentence. Be sure to use quotation marks, parenthetical citation and end punctuation.

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