How To Properly Use Quotations In Your Essays
Quotations, when used wisely, can make a strong impact in your essays. After all, essays tend to drone on in the same voice — the author’s — the whole. With quotations, you can add a different voice from your own, augmenting your ideas and adding an interesting aspect to your writing.
Choosing Quotations
Any quotation you use should complement the subject of the essay, not create an entirely new tangent for it. Keep that as your primary criteria for choosing a quotation. Those that don’t serve your points shouldn’t even be in consideration.
You should stop there, though. Good quotations need to make a strong impact, not just add to the noise. As such, you should pick ones that can add credibility to your arguments, inject some humor or give it an interesting angle. If a quotation doesn’t serve those, there’s really little point in using them. Do note that you want quotations to add impact, not steal the show.
Keep It Small
Quotations are meant to reinforce your message, not overpower it. An essay is supposed to relay your thoughts, not other people’s ideas. When you keep your quotations at a low number, the essay’s voice remains your own, instead of being drowned up by the sources you’re drawing from.