Quotations Painting with words:

Quotations

Video One of the new things about English in secondary school is learning the skill of referencing a text or quoting from a text. A quotation is a phrase or line taken directly and copied exactly from a text – whether it’s a poem, novel, play or a non-fiction text.

Definition:

a group of words taken from a text or speech and repeated by someone other than the original author or Synonym: reference, citation speaker, without changing any of the words Quotation

Example:

The teacher’s knowledge of Shakespeare’s plays was impressive and she knew many quotations from Hamlet off by heart. Why use quotations? Showing your supporting evidence by using a quote shows that you have read into the deeper meaning of the text and can prove that your reading of the text is correct.

Steps to choosing a quotation ‘Still I Rise’ by Maya Angelou (see page 70)

1 Work out what the question is asking you to do or demonstrate. Is the speaker of the poem victorious in the end? 2 Skim and scan the text to find a quotation that proves your point. ‘You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I’ll rise.’ 3 Only quote what you need. Cut out the parts that don’t support what you are trying to say. ‘trod’ ‘dirt’ ‘rise’ 4 Work your quote into a sentence by embedding it.

The speaker of the poem is victorious in the end. Despite the fact that she is ‘trod’ into the ‘dirt’ by someone, she is sure she will ‘rise’ again.©The Educational Company of Ireland