WRITING TIPS LESSON
EFFECTIVE QUOTATIONS
Page 3
Page 3
Tip #3--Use a lead-in
Remember that a good lead-in provides your reader with a reason to read. Therefore you certainly will avoid the cardboard-tasting lead-in such as "The website says," "A book on this subject states," or "One author says." Instead you will use the name of the author(s). If no authors are known, you will use the shortened form of the title you use in your Works Cited (MLA) or References (APA). Including the date displays the information's currency. Which kind of lead-in does each of the page 1 examples use, effective or lame?
Tip #4--Use ethos techniques
Remember you want to increase your ethos where you can. The lead-in to a quotation provides a good opportunity to do that. Whatever you can tell your reader about the author(s) you are quoting that increases the author(s) ethos also increases yours by association. Thus you will try to avoid just supplying name and date. You will want to supply also something about the author(s) to illustrate why their words are credible. The exception to this is for really famous people. For example, you do not need to elaborate if you write, "In his 2004 State of the Union message, President Bush stated, "blah blah." Go back to page 1 and decide which example provides the writer with more ethos with his or her reader.
Remember that a good lead-in provides your reader with a reason to read. Therefore you certainly will avoid the cardboard-tasting lead-in such as "The website says," "A book on this subject states," or "One author says." Instead you will use the name of the author(s). If no authors are known, you will use the shortened form of the title you use in your Works Cited (MLA) or References (APA). Including the date displays the information's currency. Which kind of lead-in does each of the page 1 examples use, effective or lame?
Tip #4--Use ethos techniques
Remember you want to increase your ethos where you can. The lead-in to a quotation provides a good opportunity to do that. Whatever you can tell your reader about the author(s) you are quoting that increases the author(s) ethos also increases yours by association. Thus you will try to avoid just supplying name and date. You will want to supply also something about the author(s) to illustrate why their words are credible. The exception to this is for really famous people. For example, you do not need to elaborate if you write, "In his 2004 State of the Union message, President Bush stated, "blah blah." Go back to page 1 and decide which example provides the writer with more ethos with his or her reader.
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Copyright Ida L. Rodgers, 2004
Updated February 3, 2012
Updated February 3, 2012