Integrating Quotations

A quotation is any sentence, paragraph, phrase, words, taken word for word.
Basically 4 ways to integrate quotations:
1. Introduce the quotation with a complete sentence and a colon.
ex. Thoreau ends his essay with a metaphor: "Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in."
(Tip:If you use a complete sentence to introduce a quotation, you need a colon after the sentence.)
2. Us an introductory or explanatory phrase, but not a complete sentence, separated from the quotation with a comma.
ex. Thoreau asks, "Why should we live with such hurry and waste of life?"
(Tip: Use a comma to separate your own words from the quotation when your introductory or explanatory phrase ends with a verb such as "says," "said," "thinks," "believes," "pondered," "recalls" "questions," and "asks" (and many more.)
3. Make the quotation a part of your own sentence without any punctuation between your own words and the words you are quoting.
ex. Thoreau argues that "shams and delusions are esteemed for soundest truths, while reality is fabulous."
(Tip: notice that "that" replaces the comma. You can either add the word "that" or a comma after the verb "says" in phrases with "Thoreau says")
4. Use shorter quotations --- only a few words --- as part of your own sentence.
ex. Although Thoreau "drinks at" the stream of Time, he can "detect how shallow it is."
(Tip: When this method is used, no special punctuation is used. You should punctuate the rest of the sentence as you would if all the words where you own.)
All the methods are correct, but a variety should be used; do not use one method too much.