how to shorten a quote in an essay

Learn how to shorten a quote in an essay by using ellipses, brackets, or italics. Find out which changes to quotations do not require explanation and which ones do.

Learn how to quote sources correctly and avoid plagiarism by using quotation marks, citation styles, and block quotes. Find out how to shorten or alter a quote and when to use quotes in your essay.

1. Shorten quotes 2. Clarify the meaning of quotes by adding your own words 3. Mix your paraphrases and snippets of a direct quote in the same sentence 1. Shorten long quotes with ellipses You can shorten quotes by removing words from the middle of the quote and adding ellipses to indicate that you have removed some words.

Learn how to shorten a quote in an essay by using ellipses, brackets, or sic. Follow the rules and examples from this guide to avoid plagiarism and improve your writing.

Keep this trick of using ellipses in mind when you're using quotations to ensure you're including only the essential information in the quotation. Visual: The screen changes to an ending slide with slide a background image with a person typing on a laptop and a notebook and pencil, along with the Walden University Writing Center logo.

Citing a quote in APA Style. To cite a direct quote in APA, you must include the author's last name, the year, and a page number, all separated by commas. If the quote appears on a single page, use 'p.'; if it spans a page range, use 'pp.'. An APA in-text citation can be parenthetical or narrative.

If you use the author's name in your lead-in to the quote, you just need to provide the year in parentheses: According to Luz Lopez, "the green grass symbolizes a fresh start for Lia (24).". 2. Include the author's last name, the year, and the page number for APA format. Write the author's name, then put a comma.

Some other citation styles also require indentation on the right side, different spacing, or a smaller font. To format a block quote in Microsoft Word, follow these steps: Hit Enter at the beginning and end of the quote. Highlight the quote and select the Layout menu. On the Indent tab, change the left indent to 0.5″.

Use an ellipsis of three dots to shorten longer quotations by removing non-essential words and ideas from the middle of the quote. The quotation must fit grammatically into the sentence even with the ellipsis. It must also retain enough of the quotation so that it still makes sense in your essay and you do not distort its meaning.

Engaging the Reader: Quotations can be used strategically to capture the reader's attention. A well-chosen quote can make an article or essay more engaging, invoking curiosity or emphasizing a point. Paying Homage: Quoting acknowledges the original creators of content. It's a form of respect, indicating that their words have made an impact ...

Here are some tips to effectively accomplish this: 1. Provide context and analysis: Introduce the quote by briefly explaining the background or the source; Analyze the quote by breaking it down and examining its key elements; Discuss the implications or interpretations of the quote within the context of your topic. 2.

Below are four guidelines for setting up and following up quotations. In illustrating these four steps, we'll use as our example, Franklin Roosevelt's famous quotation, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.". 1. Provide a context for each quotation. Do not rely on quotations to tell your story for you.

Subscribe. Harvard conventions suggest doing this when quoting passages of 40-50 words (approximately four lines). To block quote, the quoted text must begin on a separate line after a colon and be inset from the rest of your essay, somewhat like this: We must realise that bread is made to eat, and that the palate and not the eye must always be ...

Revised on June 16, 2022. A direct quote is a piece of text copied word-for-word from a source. You may quote a word, phrase, sentence, or entire passage. There are three main rules for quoting in APA Style: If the quote is under 40 words, place it in double quotation marks. If the quote is 40 words or more, format it as a block quote.

Indent the quote ½ inch or five spaces from the left margin for the entire quote (not just the first line). Do not use quotation marks. Double space the quote. Put the parenthetical citation after the final punctuation mark in the quote. Comment on the quote after using it. Do not end a paragraph with a block quote.

6 Expand quotes. Writers will often paraphrase quotes in an effort to keep their argument concise, but there are times when you can expand on them to increase your word count and further illustrate a point. Let's revisit the Fight Club quote we used just a bit ago. If we wanted to expand the quote, we could've included the main character ...

Step 6: Explain the Quote. Explain the significance of the quote in your own words. This will help the reader understand how the quote supports your argument. Example: Jane Doe's quote highlights the urgency of addressing climate change as it poses a significant threat to human survival.

When writers insert or alter words in a direct quotation, square brackets— [ ]—are placed around the change. The brackets, always used in pairs, enclose words intended to clarify meaning, provide a brief explanation, or to help integrate the quote into the writer's sentence.

If you need to shorten a title within quotation marks that begins with a title in quotation marks, use the title within the title as the short form and retain the single quotation marks within double quotation marks: Karen Ford argues that Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" is "replete with contradictions" ("'Yellow Wallpaper'" 311). …

Quotation with an omission from the middle of one sentence to the end of another: In order to signify that a sentence is missing, MLA (Modern Language Association) uses brackets to separate the ellipsis and the period that ends the sentence. For instance: William L. Rivers notes, "Presidential control reached its zenith under Andrew [ . . .

When an omission is made from within a direct quotation, ellipsis points take the place of the omitted text. A space should appear between each of the three dots, as well as before and after the ellipsis. One of the most common ellipsis point usage errors is to omit the required spaces.

Whenever you quote or paraphrase a source (such as a book, article, or webpage), you have to include a citation crediting the original author. Failing to properly cite your sources counts as plagiarism, since you're presenting someone else's ideas as if they were your own. The most commonly used citation styles are APA and MLA.

How To Quote In An Essay? To introduce a quote in an essay, don't forget to include author's last name and page number (MLA) or author, date, and page number (APA) in your citation. Shown below are some possible ways to introduce quotations. The examples use MLA format. Use A Full Sentence Followed by A Colon To Introduce A Quotation Examples: