General Mistakes
What mistake is made here?
Embedding quotes should be easy, but oftentimes, students make minor formatting mistakes (According to Polson 1).
The signal phrase ("According to Polson") is accidentally trapped inside the parenthetical citation instead of introducing the quote/sentence. It should be: According to Polson, "Embedding quotes should be easy, but oftentimes, students make minor formatting mistakes" (1).
What punctuation mistake is made here?
Robert Smith reminds his readers that if you include the author’s name within the sentence, you do not need to list the name again in parentheses at the end (Smith 4).
Redundant citation! Since Smith was named in the sentence, the parentheses should only contain the page number: (4).
Embed this quote into a complete sentence with a lead-in and citation:
Prompt: A character in a short story is excited about their new pet.
Quote: “I can’t wait to teach him tricks!” | Author/Page: Lee, p. 8
Potential response: Exceedingly excited about her puppy, Maya exclaims, “I can’t wait to teach him tricks!” (Lee 8).
What mistake is made here?
"Students need lots of practice to embed quotes properly” (Cornell 5).
A dropped/standalone quote! The quote stands completely alone as its own sentence without a signal phrase or lead-in.
What punctuation mistake is made here?
According to Amy Smith, author of Citations Gone Wrong, 'it’s imperative that you always put directly quoted material in double quotation marks' (41).
Wrong quotation marks! The direct quote uses single quotation marks (' ') instead of double quotation marks (" "). (Single quotes are only for quotes inside quotes).
Embed this quote into a complete sentence with a lead-in and citation (do not worry about including relevance).
Prompt: An informational text tells the reader an important study habit.
Quote: “It is important to review your notes after taking them.” | Author/Page: Patel, p. 23
Potential response: When outlining study strategies, Patel emphasizes that “it is important to review your notes after taking them” (23).
What mistake is made here?
It's important to always provide a signal phrase when introducing a quote. “Your writing will look choppy” (Carrington 5)."
The quote is dropped as an isolated sentence right after an introductory idea instead of being woven smoothly into the sentence with a lead-in.
What punctuation mistake is made here?
If you have a quote that ends in a period, the period gets moved after the citation like this: “Example quote” (Paulsbo 4). He goes on to state that
“Never, under any circumstances, do the same thing when you have an exclamation point or question mark” (5)! This is because they are punctuation marks that provide a specific tone.
Trapped/misplaced exclamation point! The exclamation point belongs inside the quotation marks (!) to preserve the quote's tone, followed by a standard period after the citation (5).
Embed this quote into a complete sentence using a strong signal phrase (no need for relevance):
Prompt: An article explains the benefits of outdoor exercise.
Quote: “Walking in nature lowers cortisol and reduces stress levels.” | Author/Page: Gomez, p. 1
Potential response: Highlighting mental health benefits, Gomez demonstrates that “walking in nature lowers cortisol and reduces stress levels” (14).
What mistake is made here?
According to Professor Davis, she argues that "quotes must flow seamlessly" (Davis 14).
The author of the source is cited three times: twice in the lead-in (Professor Davis, she) and in the parenthetical citation (Davis 14). It should read like this: According to Professor Davis, "quotes must flow seamlessly" (14).
What is the punctuation mistake here?
Colons can be used to introduce quotes that connect to the sentence before them: “I love candy!” (Jacobs 12). You must ensure the quote truly does connect to the sentence before it; otherwise, your logic will look nonsensical.
The information introduced after the colon does not follow the introductory sentence.
Embed this quote by replacing the vague pronoun in brackets [ ]:
Prompt: A historian describes a pivotal moment in battle in which General George Washington provides an order to his soldiers.
Quote: “He ordered them to retreat before sunset.” | Author/Page: Chang, p. 102
Relevance: Describe what it says about the general.
Possible response: Describing the chaos on the battlefield, Chang notes that “[General Washington] ordered them to retreat before sunset” (102). Clearly, Washington cared more about his soldiers than winning the battle.
What mistakes are made here? You must find three.
"Researchers found that 'exercise improves memory' (p. 88)."
1. There is no introduction. Why is this information being included?
2. There is no explanation after the quotation.
3. The citation is not in MLA: It does not include an author, and the letter "p." should not be included.
What punctuation mistake is made here?
According to Will Fontaine, “ellipses should only be used to remove unnecessary wo . . . rds or information. Brackets should only be used to add in (missing) information” (45).
Incorrect modification symbols! Brackets [ ] must be used for added/altered text (not parentheses ( )), and ellipses should eliminate whole words or phrases, not separate letters within a word.
Embed this quote by trimming unnecessary middle words with ellipses ...:
Prompt: A scientist discusses renewable energy transition.
Quote: “Solar power, despite its high upfront cost, is ultimately the cheapest long-term energy source.” | Author/Page: Vance, p. 50
Relevance: Pretend this was part of an essay attempting to get the reader to invest in Solar Power. Tell the reader why Vance's argument is so important.
Potential response: Vance asserts that “solar power [...] is ultimately the cheapest long-term energy source” (50). Overall, solar power will save you a significant amount of cost while benefiting the environment.