"Signal Phrases"

Read Rules for Writers, section 54 (418-426).

Homework (due 3 Sep): Write a short paragraph--see the longer example below--in which you incorporate a direct quotation from Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed.

Do not follow the simple example; follow the more sophisticated example.

 Be sure to format your writing correctly.

Concepts to understand

1. Direct quotation
2. Signal phrase
3. Dropped quote
4. Parenthetical citation
5. Framing / Interpretation

English 101-018 

Here is a simple example of how to incorporate a direct quotation into your own writing:

Barbara Ehrenreich writes, "Jesus makes his appearance here only as a corpse; the living man, the wine-guzzling vagrant and precocious socialist, is never once mentioned" (68-69).

Here is a more sophisticated example of how to incorporate a direct quotation into your own writing:

Barbara Ehrenreich runs the risk of offending her readers when she describes in blunt terms her attendance at a tent revival. She uses language that many might find offensive when she writes, "Jesus makes his appearance here only as a corpse; the living man, the wine-guzzling vagrant and precocious socialist, is never once mentioned" (68-69). Although she is to be commended for pointing out the ways in which many American churches turn a blind eye towards the needs of those in poverty, the use of such a shocking description might actually work against her purpose.

English 101-017 

Here is a simple example of how to incorporate a direct quotation into your own writing:

Barbara Ehrenreich writes, "I chose Maine for its whiteness" (51).

Here is a more sophisticated example of how to incorporate a direct quotation into your own writing:

Barbara Ehrenreich runs the risk of offending her readers by opening her second chapter with the unnecessarily blunt phrase, "I chose Maine for its whiteness" (51). Although she is to be commended for her efforts to take race into account with regard to the environment of low-wage workers, she runs the risk of coming across as a white racist who only wants to work among other white people.