Direct Quotations & Stand-Alone Quotations

A direct quotation is a “report of the exact words used in a discourse” or something someone said or wrote, exactly as it originally appeared. Typically, we use direct quotations in our writing to emphasize a point or provide an example, establish credibility, or illustrate a concept. When we come across something in a text that we want to use in our writing, we include it by formatting it with double quotation marks around it to indicate it is a direct quotation.

For example, let’s say we are writing a paper for one of our classes and we are considering this article as a possible source. In the article, we see some interesting information that we would like to use in our paper:

Researchers found that women with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations who protectively had their ovaries removed reduced their risk of ovarian, fallopian tube, or peritoneal cancer by 80%, and their overall risk of death by 77%.

Let’s say that we really like the wording of our sentence, and we want to include it in our paper as a direct quotation. We know that we would need to include a parenthetical citation (in either APA Style or MLA Style, depending on our instructor’s specifications), and we know that we need to put double quotation marks around the quotation to indicate that it is a direct quotation:

“Researchers found that women with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations who protectively had their ovaries removed reduced their risk of ovarian, fallopian tube, or peritoneal cancer by 80%, and their overall risk of death by 77%” (Falco & Ford, 2014, p. 12).

While our quotation is a complete sentence and is therefore grammatically correct, we still have one final thing to consider. As it appears above, our quotation has become a stand-alone quotation. It is grammatically correct, it is formatted appropriately, and it is properly cited, but it needs a little bit more.

Stand-alone quotations happen when we include a direct quotation without using some of our own writing to connect that quotation to the rest of the paragraph. Although it is grammatically correct, appropriately formatted, and properly cited, we need to use some of our own writing at the beginning or the end of the sentence to tie the quotation into our writing and to eliminate the stand-alone quotation. For example:

According to the article Study: Women with BRCA1 mutations should remove ovaries by 35, “Researchers found that women with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations who protectively had their ovaries removed reduced their risk of ovarian, fallopian tube, or peritoneal cancer by 80%, and their overall risk of death by 77%” (Falco & Ford, 2014, p. 12).

How we tie-in the direct quotation is up to us as writers. In the above example, we used it as a place to identify the title of the article – which is a great strategy if we are mentioning the source for the first time. In other situations, we may tie-in the quotation by analyzing it or working it into the natural flow of our sentence. The options are endless – but we need that tie-in to avoid leaving the quotation standing alone!

The Five Paragraph Essay

“What is a five paragraph essay?” a student asked during an appointment in the Writing Center. The answer is easy; a five paragraph essay is an essay that has five paragraphs! That said, there’s a little bit more that you need to know to fully utilize the five paragraph essay format.

The five paragraph essay is a classic format for composition. While the five paragraph essay is not the only format for writing an essay, it is a useful model to keep in mind, as it can help in many writing situations, like in-class essay writing, essay exams, or essays with shorter page requirements.

The five paragraph essay format includes:

• An introduction
• Three focused body paragraphs
• A conclusion

Imagine, for example, that you are asked to write an argument essay where, in two pages, you must present your argument with three supporting points. A five paragraph essay format is a great technique to employ in this situation. Here’s why:

• 1st Paragraph: Introduction: First, in the introduction, you can generally introduce your topic to your reader, moving into your thesis statement, which will contain the basis for your argument and some indication of the direction you are going in. Here, you can work on getting your reader interested in the topic (by beginning generally) and then transition them into your specific argument (by moving them into a strong thesis statement).
• 2nd Paragraph: First Body Paragraph/First Point: In this first body paragraph (but remember, this is your second actual paragraph), go into the strongest point. In this case, we would use this paragraph to discuss and develop the strongest point in support of our argument. The first sentence of this paragraph, the topic sentence, will identify this point for the reader. Then, we want to fill in the details and use examples (from research, etc.) to support the point. Finally, the last sentence should start transitioning the reader into the next paragraph.
• 3rd Paragraph: Second Body Paragraph/Second Point: In our second body paragraph (third actual paragraph, incuding the introduction!), we want to go into our second strongest point. In this case, we would present the second strongest point in support of our argument or position. We again would identify this point in the first sentence (the topic sentence), support it throughout the paragraph, and conclude the paragraph with a sentence that includes a transitional “hook” into the next paragraph.
• 4th Paragraph: Third Body Paragraph/Third Point: This is our last body paragraph, and it will present our last point. This paragraph may contain our weakest point, or the next logical point to make after the completion of the previous paragraph. Again, we would introduce this point in our topic sentence, illustrate it throughout the paragraph, and end with a sentence that transitions the reader into our final paragraph – the conclusion.
• 5th Paragraph: Conclusion:  Our last paragraph is our conclusion. In our conclusion, we want to consider where we began in our introduction. We can imitate any introductory strategies in this conclusion to create a frame around our larger essay (ex. if we began with a question in the introduction, we might return to that question in our conclusion to create a frame). Then, we can briefly touch on our thesis and the three main points that we have made in our three body paragraphs (without just copying and pasting them!), and end our conclusion by leaving the reader with something to think about.

By following the five paragraph essay format, we have easily made sure that we have an introduction, three paragraphs in support of our main idea, and a conclusion. Each paragraph should stay focused on the topic or task identified for that paragraph. The introduction introduces, the body paragraphs develop one point as identified in the topic sentence, and the conclusion concludes, providing a wrap-up of the overall conversation. The great thing about the five paragraph essay format is that it is easy to modify for longer projects – just add in additional body paragraphs as needed!

Grammar Tips: Correct Comma Usage

Correct comma usage seems to be one of the most challenging grammatical issues to master. Some student writers have been told to insert a comma wherever they would pause in a sentence (which is not necessarily true!), while others have been told something completely different. Today, we will review the correct ways to use commas in common writing scenarios.

Commas are punctuation marks that indicate a pause or transition in a sentence. Commas are used to:

• Separate items in a series
• Set off introductory material
• Separate words that interrupt the flow of thought in a sentence
• Set off a direct quotation from the rest of the sentence
• Separate two complete thoughts connected by and, but, for or, nor, so, yet
• Separate parenthetical expressions

Comma Usage Examples:

1. The young woman purchased bread, wine, salt, and fish.
   1. Use a comma to separate items in a list.
2. When the fire alarm went off for the third time that night, the motel clerk finally called the fire department.
   1. Use a comma to set off introductory material. “When the fire alarm went off for the third time that night,” is an introductory phrase, so there needs to be a comma after it to separate it from the sentence. You could take the phrase (and comma) out of the sentence and it would still be a complete sentence.
3. Chateau Montelena, which is one of the more expensive Northern California wineries, won a gold medal for this year’s bottling of Chardonnay.
   1. Use a comma on both sides of words or phrases that interrupt the flow of the sentence. In this case, the separated phrase “which is one of the more expensive Northern California wineries,” is modifying “Chateau Montelena”.
4. Sarah screamed, “But I wanted ice cream today!”
   1. Use a comma to set off a direct quotation from the rest of the sentence.  
5. My prom dress looked gorgeous on me, but I still wished I was wearing my old blue jeans.
   1. Use a comma between two complete thoughts connected by and, but, or, nor, etc. In this case, the sentences are connected by but.
6. These same council members, you may recall, voted themselves a 35 percent pay increase last year.
   1. Use a comma to set off parenthetical expressions. In this case, “you may recall” is a parenthetical expression, so commas are used to separate it from the rest of the sentence. The parenthetical expression could be removed from the sentence and the sentence would still be a complete sentence.

For a Comma Infosheet (and other grammar Infosheets that you can carry with you into any writing experience) please see our Infosheet page!

Grammar Tips: Identifying & Correcting Sentence Fragments

What is a sentence fragment? 

A sentence fragment contains no independent clause. It fails to be a sentence because it lacks the necessary components to stand on its own. Sentence fragments can be difficult to recognize for a number of reasons:  

1. The fragment may locate something in time and place while still lacking a proper subject-verb relationship within an independent clause. 
   1. Example: In my room, under the bed. 
   2. Correct: The book is in my room, under the bed. 
2. The fragment may describe something without a proper subject-verb relationship. 
   1. Example: Running up the hill as quickly as he could. 
   2. Correct: He took off running up the hill as quickly as he could. 
3. The fragment may be a mostly complete sentence while still missing an important piece. 
   1. Example: Some of the students in the nursing program. 
   2. Correct: Some of the students in the nursing program will graduate soon. 
4. The fragment has an appropriate subject-verb relationship, but it includes a dependent word and needs more work before it can stand on itself. 
   1. Example: Even though the lawyer was prepared. 
   2. Correct: Even though the lawyer was prepared, the case was postponed. 

In all of the above examples, more information is needed to make the sentence complete. When evaluating your own work for sentence fragments, try reading the paper out loud. Make sure that each sentence has a subject and a verb, and that each sentence fully communicates the main idea. For more practice recognizing and correcting sentence fragments, click here!