Quotations in Literature Essays

[Aaddiittyyaa]

Hey everyone!

I hope that Year 12 is going well for all of you.

I was just wondering whether quotations that only presented one word were acceptable/effective? I have a habit of putting in quotes that are only one to two words many times in a sentence, and I wasn't sure whether this was the right thing to do. Is it OK as long as they add some weight to the essay/point? Or should I be sticking to more conventional quoting?

Thank you very much, and have a great week!

[clarke54321]

I was just wondering whether quotations that only presented one word were acceptable/effective? I have a habit of putting in quotes that are only one to two words many times in a sentence, and I wasn't sure whether this was the right thing to do. Is it OK as long as they add some weight to the essay/point? Or should I be sticking to more conventional quoting?

Hello!

So long as these variety of quotes are adding something meaningful to your discussion, then they're fine. However, I would be cautious of overdoing them. Perhaps a handful in every paragraph would be a good measure.

Taken from the 2013 VCAA examination report are these two quotes:

1) It is the word ‘natural’ here through which Mansfield crafts a sharp irony that invites us to rate Edna’s obsession with her own performance....

2)...where it isn’t until death that Lily can articulate the ‘terrible mistake’ that could have been prevented if the truth wasn’t manipulated.

Notice how example 1) uses the single word quote in a significant, analysis sense. The latter tends to use it as more of a retelling tool, which isn't all that beneficial.

Hopefully this helps

[Aaddiittyyaa]

Hello!

So long as these variety of quotes are adding something meaningful to your discussion, then they're fine. However, I would be cautious of overdoing them. Perhaps a handful in every paragraph would be a good measure.

Taken from the 2013 VCAA examination report are these two quotes:

1) It is the word ‘natural’ here through which Mansfield crafts a sharp irony that invites us to rate Edna’s obsession with her own performance....

2)...where it isn’t until death that Lily can articulate the ‘terrible mistake’ that could have been prevented if the truth wasn’t manipulated.

Notice how example 1) uses the single word quote in a significant, analysis sense. The latter tends to use it as more of a retelling tool, which isn't all that beneficial.

Hopefully this helps

Thanks a lot! That clears it up for me!