"Whammo!" The "Art" of Quoting TSIS 39-47

Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein do it again in Chapter three of They Say / I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing. This time they manage to break down the "art" of quoting into a simplified instructional on how to effectively quote another's work. While still teaching on the premise that, "you need to write the arguments of others into your text," they put their focus on using others' arguments verbatim within your own work. They go on further to support that, "Quoting someone else's words gives a tremendous amount of credibility to your summary and helps ensure that it is fair and accurate" (39). However, although your work may now be credible to someone who's done the reading, if the quotation isn't properly presented and explained it will only serve as evidence you've read and not proof that you actually understood it. Graff and Birkenstein explain that there are essential parts in presenting a quotation and that if these parts aren't properly utilized the quoted words are at risk of being left "dangling."

A quotation without the proper framework around it is pretty much useless. It's more of a space-filler, left dangling on it's own, apart from the rest of the argument. In order to make a quotation an essential part of an argument it must be framed in a "quotation sandwich." The meat of this sandwich is the quotation itself and is preceded by the first slice of bread, an introductory statement, and followed by a second slice of bread, an explanation in your own words. Without this basic template for quoting, a quotation is at risk of losing any solid connection it may have with the argument at hand and end up just an accidental / incidental characteristic of what is being said. Ultimately, if you want to effectively use what they say to better explain what you say, the method in which you present what they say should be appropriate in keeping it an essential part of what you say. Properly presenting a quotation gives it subjectivity in your work. Merely throwing in random quotes from an author makes the quotations only "adjuncts" to what you are saying. They are only there because you included them, not because they have any real relevance to what you are saying. So come on guys, let's quote accordingly. Besides, I really like sandwiches.