Introducing and Explaining Quotes
Introducing and Explaining Quotes
When using a quote as evidence, you need to introduce it, insert it, and explain it, not always in that order.
Below, you will find sentence stems on how to introduce your quotes and explain them.
Introduce the quote by naming the source first
X says, “__________.”
X explains, “__________.”
According to x, “__________.”
X writes, “__________.”
In her (book), X maintains that, “__________.”
In x’s view, “__________.”
X claims, “__________.”
X argues, “__________.”
X insists, “__________.”
X states, “__________.”
X suggests that, “__________.”
Introduce the quote a with transitional phrase before naming source
For example, X states, “__________.”
Generally, “__________.”
A key point is that “__________.”
For instance, “__________.”
In support of this, X insists, “__________.”
In fact, X argues, “__________.”
As evidence, X claims, “__________.”
In the opinion of (X)…
Explain quotes
The below verbs could be used to help explain a quote.The format could be, X (Source) + verb + explanation. Verb list:
Acknowledges
Adds
Admits
Agrees
Argues
Asserts
Believes
Claims
Comments
Compares
Confirms
Declares
Denies
Disputes
Emphasizes
Endorses
Grants
Illustrates
Implies
Insists
Notes
Observes
Points out
Reasons
Refutes
Rejects
Reports
Responds
Suggests
Thinks
Writes
Here are some specific examples of how the above might look in practice:
Basically, X is saying…
In other words, X believes …
In making this comment, X urges us to…
X’s point is that…
The essence of X’s argument is that…
X is corroborating…
(Source*) suggest/promoted/believed…
X argues that __________.
X is insisting that _________.
What X really means is that ____________.
The basis of X’s argument is that ___________.
In arguing this claim, X argues that __________.
X is insisting that _________.
What X really means is that ____________.
The basis of X’s argument is that ___________.
As claimed by X, “______.”
In her (article) _______, X suggests that “_________.”
In X’s perspective, “___________.”
X concurs when she notes, “_______.”
This statement (quote) is important because …
_____________is trying to say/tell us …
This means …..
This shows us that …
This relates to …
The statement (quote) relates to my position because ….
This is clear because …
Based on this statement (quote), I can conclude/infer that …….
Therefore, …
Agree with quotes
(Please be aware that some teachers will not allow you to use “I” statements, like “I agree…”)
I agree that… because
X is right about______ because
___________ is supported by…
___________ as evidenced by…
Disagree with quotes
(Please be aware that some teachers will not allow you to use “I” statements, like, “I think…”)
I think X is mistaken because…
X claims that _________ but this is questionable because…
I disagree with X’s view that ______ because…
X contradicts himself. On one hand, he argues… on the other, he also says…
By focusing on_________, X overlooks the deeper problem of…
On the other hand….
X believes… however…
Even though…
X thought (quote) however…
I realize that X believes… however I wonder…
Although X believes…
Despite the fact that….
X’s ideas that ________ deserve some merit, however…
Arguable…
What X means is … however ….
Compare and contrast quotes
Similarly…
Additionally…
Likewise…
In accordance with…
On the other hand….
Although X believes…
Despite the fact that….
On the contrary…
However…
In contrast to…