Project 1 Frame a Quote Exercise

Learning how to "frame" quotations is essential to academic writing. Sometimes I call this “sandwiching” quotes because that analogy reminds us that the quotation (the meat of the sandwich) needs to be surrounded by the bread that helps us understand the importance of the quote. The first slice of bread signals that a quote is coming. The slice that comes after helps explain and interpret the quote.

For each project, you will complete a Frame a Quote exercise. This gives you a chance to practice sandwiching your quotes. When you write essays, you will always use a signal phrase to signal to your reader that you are about to quote. Then you will use other kinds of phrases to lead into your paraphrase and then your analysis. It is also important to provide context for the quote, but for the purpose of the Frame a Quote exercise, we'll focus on signaling that a quote is coming, representing the quote correctly, and then helping your reader see the significance of the quote.

This exercise helps you practice that skill. For this first Frame a Quote "quiz" you will earn all points possible just for practicing. As long as you try each part of the skill, you will earn your 10 points. (For Projects 2 and 3, I will want to see the quotes integrated properly for full points.)

I'm listing each step and example in the instructions for reference. I will also prompt you as you open each question.

Step One

Carefully pick a passage from chapter 1 or 2 in Friendship that you find significant (ideally no more than one or two sentences). Introduce the quote with a signal phrase, and type it exactly as it is in the original. Put quotation marks around the quote but not the signal phrase you use to introduce it. Since our book is a print source (rather than an online source), you will identify the quote with a page number. (When we're working with online sources, we can skip that step unless the source is a PDF that includes the original page numbers.)

Some signal phrases:

explains that       emphasizes that         states that

claims that         suggests that              According to x,

(avoid "Denworth says" or "Denworth talks about")

Step Two

Next, you will paraphrase (translate into your own words) the quotation you have selected. A paraphrase should be about the same length as the original passage. Start with a lead-in phrase for paraphrasing that lets your reader know you are paraphrasing.

Some lead-in phrases for paraphrasing:

To put it another way,...

In other words,...

What Denworth means is that...

Denworth seems to be suggesting that...

Step Three

Describe why this passage is significant. Again, begin with a lead-in phrase for analyzing that tells your reader you are sharing the importance or value of the quote to your discussion.

Some lead-in phrases for analyzing:

This passage is meaningful because...

This idea is significant to Denworth's argument because...

This point is critical to consider because...

I agree with Denworth's point because...

I disagree with Denworth's point because...

I am of two minds. On the one hand... On the other hand...

[Adapted from They Say/I Say by Graff and Birkenstein.]

Here is an example using a passage from the Introduction to the book.

Step One example

In the introduction to her book Friendship, author Lydia Denworth claims that friendship "serves an elemental need to belong and triggers physical pleasure and pain to make us pay attention to that need" (4).

Step Two example

In other words, similar to family relationships, the connections that friends have with each other are vital to the human desire to be part of a community. When a friend is warm and welcoming, that results in positive feelings. When a friend is unkind or exclusionary, the result can be excruciating, not just mentally but also physically.

Step Three example

This point is critical to consider because it tells us that friendship has concrete benefits that society often subscribes only to romantic or family relationships. It is also a reassuring finding because it suggests that the human need to belong can be nurtured by all kinds of social connections, that spending time with friends who care about us can improve our health in the same ways that other relationships do.