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How To Create A Spectacular Essay Beginning Using A Quote

how-to-start-an-essay-with-a-quote

Quotations are the expressions taken from the works of writers, celebrities, and other remarkable people. These are of interest to students due to the high concentration of intelligence, comprehension, witticism, and worldly experience. Students who do scientific research and seek a catchy beginning use quotes as a powerful hook to catch the readers’ attention.

Appropriation of a Quote for an Essay Beginning

Be cautious while using a quote. This succinct expression should strictly relate to the theme of the academic assignment. Let’s observe the advantages and disadvantages of a quotation at the beginning of an essay. Quotes:

  1. Manage the manner of communication, transmitting the mood and the depth of the discussion.
  2. Grab the attention of the audience right away. Being a powerful tool, these are always surprising for the audience. Some quotes may shock, make laugh, or disclose the truth of life. This maneuver smoothens the dry introduction, making it more human and more compelling subsequently.
  3. Increase the credibility level of your work. Including the expressions of trustworthy people make it almost impossible to argue with the stated fact. Building a theory using the thoughts of the famous as the ground will bring success to your paperwork.
  4. A poorly chosen quote may look awkward. The approach of a standard phrase that relates to the topic generally is not impressive.
  5. Seeking a quote that matches the paperwork topic ideally is an exhausting overlong process since rearranging the words is unacceptable.
  6. A quote may identify the culmination too early because some expressions are very witty. They can disclose the entire meaning of the work in the first sentence, preventing the development of the research process.

Hence, a quote is an efficient tool in the hands of an experienced writer. It can make your work shine and keep the audience intrigued or vice versa, tell about the amateurishness of an author.  

If you are unfamiliar with using a quote for the essay beginning but eager to know how to do it, use the steps template below. The start with quotations is not a new method to attract the readers. The advice of experienced writers will help you to master your writing skills. 

Choosing a Quote: Suggestions

Here are several efficient steps to follow when choosing a fitting quote for your essay beginning:

  1. Settle the purpose before searching for a quote. Having a precise aim in your mind (for instance, to motivate, convince, give notice, cheer up, etc.), you will have a clear idea of what you need. Focusing on the purpose will exclude the time-wasting while digging through hundreds of phrases.
  2. Make sure that the audience will understand and support your quote. Exclude strictly professional quotations for the students, and do not look amateur in the eyes of black-belts. Estimate the age and gender factors, the level of history knowledge (especially in immigrants), and a circle of interest of the audience.
  3. Try to choose the most precise quote instead of providing a heap of copied phrases. Overcomplexity will disorient the readers calling a repellent effect instead of a catchy one.
  4. Settle a smooth connection between a quote and the thesis statement. Avoid a situation when a quotation is a cloud above the ground. Use a clear explanation of how the used expression helps to observe the problem.
  5. Weight in the context than with the authority of the author. The primary purpose of a quote is the thought outlining and not promoting a celebrity. Moreover, emphasizing the context, you will pick off the rivals, using quotations of the same author in their works.
  6. Add a short context of the quote (a preamble). The readers will understand the expression better when they know the circumstances that influenced a person to say this phrase. That is especially appropriate for hazardous events, unexpected occurrences, uncommon circumstances, difficult situations.
  7. Advance the quote-search process by using quote-dedicated literature. Some books represent a hand-listed portfolio with quotes divided into separate subjects. Use the search engines productively, using the most appropriate formulation. Visit the web sites dedicated to the quotes selection.
  8. Cite the quote correctly to reduce plagiarism suspicions. Meeting the academic formats while signing a quote, footnotes are the essential part of writing.

Although the process of selecting a quote for the essay beginning may seem tormentingly, the result is worth that.

Starting a College Essay With a Quote

Among the college subjects, the quotations for a college essay are pointful for the human sciences mostly. Facts restating and statistical data analysis are the base of social science. Natural sciences usually do not experience quotation either. College students can use books, magazines, Internet sources, or published editions for quotes.

The aim of the quote for a college essay is the same. Represent evidence that supports an opinion of the author, win the interest and support of the readers. Quotations can be at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of an essay. This method is spread at college and works well as a hook.

Starting a college essay with a quote, limit the number of source expressions in the body text and conclusion. Avoid creating the collection of someone’s words instead of emphasizing your private way of thinking. Otherwise, your work will fail due to an overwhelming number of quotations.

Start choosing a fitting quote when your draft is ready. Cancel the popular expressions which everyone knows. These are boring, usually too general to fit the thesis statement. And they will not call the impressive effect that you may expect. Your readers will think that you were too lazy to seek anything better or took the first phrase that came to your mind. Too many quotations is not a successful case either. It will signify plagiarism or a way to skip the analyzing part of work.

Remain patient if the quote selecting process takes more than a day. Checking up all possible sources is hard work. Select the most fitting ones from all that you find, then choose the best one. Many students prefer to use the words of remarkable people, although it is not always successful. Use the tips about the content importance described above. 

When you find a long quote that seems to match your essay beginning, do your best to shorten it to minimal sizes remaining maximally precise. Long quotations are tedious and certainly do not support your thesis statement in all their length.

Finding a suitable quote, do not hurry up to take it for granted. Do the phrase background research and check out its context. The best phrases for the quotations are unforeseen and creative.

Using Quotations in Modern Language Association (MLA) Format

The MLA rules manage the paperwork formatting, establishing and maintaining the research quality, and rejecting any plagiarism efforts. Providing accurate documentation of the used sources is a must for all students. There are several ways to represent a quote:

  • block: the impartial way to transmit the long quotes in a few lines (three or more);
  • embedding: short, compact, elegant passages that complete the words of a writer;
  • paraphrase: retelling someone’s idea in your own words;
  • square brackets to pay attention to a phrase from the source or indicate an error in it;
  • ellipsis to indicate the omissions in a sentence or passing by some lines.

It is worth mentioning that generating a sentence of approximately the same length as the source states requires a quote. Changing the placement of the words is equal to plagiarism. Therefore, be careful with paraphrasing especially. Paraphrasing is relevant when a piece of text is appropriate but too long for quotation. This method is also pertinent when a writer mentions evidence briefly without focusing on the main idea and continues developing his private theory. It can take place when an author intends to combine a few facts.

Remember to use the transition words between quotations and personal thoughts.

FAQ

Is it okay to start an essay with a quote?

Yes, it is a good idea, because starting an essay with a quote you may immediately catch the attention of the reader.

How do you write a quote at the beginning of an essay?

To write a quote at the beginning of an essay, you should make it an integral part of the introduction. Thus, the quote should be continued with a small thesis sentence.

How do you start a college essay with a quote?

To start a college essay with a quote you need to make a research and use the most appropriate quote for your topic. This quote should represent the whole idea of your essay.

How do you start an essay with a quote in MLA format?

In this format you may use different methods of representing a quote: block, embedding, paraphrasing, square brackets and ellipsis.

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