Writing Effective Lead-ins for Quotes



Name: ______________________

Creating Grammatically Correct Lead-ins for Quotes

When introducing a quotation it is important that you do not create a run-on sentence. A run-on sentence is a sentence that is two or more sentences punctuated as if they were one sentence. It does not necessarily mean the sentence is long. Look at the following example:

Run-On: He ran quickly he fell down.

Now, fix the sentence: ___________________________________________________________________

Directions: Look at the following introductions to quotes, and quotes. Then, label each sentence as either a run-on (RO) or correct (C). If the sentence is a run-on, fix the sentence. The easiest way to fix the sentence is to add a comma and a conjunction between the two sentences, such as “and,” “or,” “nor,” “but,” “for,” “so,” “yet.” You can also add a word at the beginning of the sentence such as “when,” “since,” “because,” “as,” etc.

1. ______ Alfonso’s goal in the story is to be attractive “last week he did fifty sit-ups a day” (8).

2. ______ Alfonso doesn’t like the way he looks “He spent hours in front of the mirror trying to herd his teeth into place with his thumb” (8).

3. ______ Alfonso tries to clean his bike chain, but after he takes the chain off, it “lay in his hand like a dead snake” (34).

Writing Effective Lead-ins for Quotes

When introducing a quotation you should indicate who the speaker is and the situation around what he/she is saying (in other words, what is going on in the story at the time of this quote?). You may need one or two sentences before the quotation to properly introduce the quotation. Remember to watch out for run-on sentences!

Weak Example: He is becoming upset “A panic was rising in me as I listened to Johnny’s quiet voice go on and on” (57).

Strong Example: After Johnny kills Bob, Pony becomes upset and pleads, “‘I’m scared, Johnny. What are we gonna do?’” (57).

Directions: Read each of the following lead-ins and quotations. Write “S” (for strong) if the lead-in properly introduces the quotation and “W” (for weak) if it does not. If the example is weak, give at least one reason why you believe it to be weak.

1. ________ For example, “The next thing I knew I was lying on the pavement beside the fountain, coughing water and gasping” (56).

2. ________ This quote shows Pony knows what Johnny has done “He was clutching his switchblade, and it was dark to the hilt” (56).

3. ________ Pony knows that Johnny has killed Bob because he looks over and sees that Johnny “was clutching his switchblade, and it was dark to the hilt” (56).

4. ________ The author explains that Johnny is in control, “‘Calm down, Ponyboy. Get ahold of yourself’” (57).

5. ________ Johnny takes control of the situation after he kills Bob, and he tells Pony, “‘Calm down . . . Get ahold of yourself’” (57).

Effective Weave-ins for Quotes

A weave-in works the quotation smoothly into your own sentence structure without creating a run-on or fragment. So, if you read the sentence without the quotation marks, it should be a complete thought. An effective weave-in also uses pieces of the quote worked into your own sentence. The page number goes at the very end of the sentence, not at the end of the quote.

Effective Weave-in: Billy notices that the landlady is “slightly dotty,” but does not feel alarmed even when she tells him, “‘I stuff all my little pets myself when they pass away’” (64, 69).

Effective Weave-in: When Billy first enters the Bed and Breakfast he thinks the landlady “seemed terribly nice,” and even compares her to “the mother of a best friend” who might have him over for the “Christmas holidays” (63).

Effective Weave-in: The landlady asks Billy to sign the guest book since “‘it’s the law of the land’” and it would be illegal if did not (65). Then, almost in an afterthought, she adds, “‘we don’t want to go breaking any laws at this stage in the proceedings, do we?’” (65).

Directions: Rewrite the sentence and fix the following lead-ins or weave-ins to create effective introductions to quotes. You may need to add information that is not provided in order to properly introduce the quote.

1. Billy is not concerned “Now, the fact that the landlady appeared to be slightly off her rocker didn’t worry Billy in the least” (64).

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2. This quote shows there is a strange smell in the room “Now and again, he caught a whiff of a peculiar smell that seemed to emanate directly from her person” (17).

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