since wordsspecially those of controversial figuresan be interpreted in various ways and used to support different, sometimes opposing, agendas. Y our readers need to see what you make of the material youe quoted, if only to be sure that your reading of the material and theirs is on the same page.HOW NOTTO INTRODUCEQUOTATIONSWe want to conclude this chapter by surveying some ways not to introduce quotations. Although some writers do so, you should not introduce quotations by saying something like 淴 asserts an idea that�or quote by X says.�Introductory phrases like these are both redundant and misleading. In the first example, you could write either 淴 asserts that�or 淴 idea is that,�rather than redundantly combining the two. The second example misleads readers, since it is the writer who is doing the quoting, not X (as quote by X�implies). The templates in this book will help you avoid such mistakes. And once you have mastered such templates you probably won even have to think about them nd will be free to focus on the important, challenging ideas that the templates frame.Exercises1. Find a text that quotes someone exact words as evidence of something that hey say.�How has the writer integrated the quotation into his or her own text How has he or she introduced it, and what if anything has the writer said to explain it and tie it to his or her own text Based on what youe read in this chapter, are there any changes you would suggest 2. Look at an essay or a report that you have written for one of your classes. Have you quoted any sources If so, how have you integrated the quotation into your own text How have you introduced it Explained what it means Indicated how it relates to your text If you haven done all these things, revise your text to do so, perhaps using the Templates for Introducing Quotations and Explaining Quotations. If youe not written anything with quotations, try revising some academic text youe written to do so.
