How to embed a quotation
Weave evidence into your sentence instead of dropping it in.
A quotation that sits on its own, announced by “this is shown when…,” forces the reader to stop and reassemble your sentence. An embedded quotation keeps the sentence, and the analysis, moving.
| Dropped in | Embedded |
|---|---|
| Rochester describes Jane. He says “my equal is here, and my likeness.” | Rochester recasts Jane not as a dependent but as “my equal…and my likeness,” collapsing the class gap the novel spent chapters building. |
| The composer uses statistics. “Ninety percent of reefs will die by 2050.” | By citing a figure as blunt as “ninety percent…will die by 2050,” the composer converts abstract concern into an imminent, countable loss. |
Choose quotes worth analysing
Pick language that rewards close reading, such as a loaded verb, an image or a shift in syntax, not a line that only confirms plot.
Keep it short
A phrase or clause is usually enough. Long quotations dilute your own voice and eat your word count.
Follow it with analysis, not plot
The sentence after your quote should explain technique and effect — never just what happens next in the story.
Vary the lead-in
Rotate how you introduce evidence: through a clause, a colon, a fragment folded into your sentence — not every quote needs “this is shown when.”
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