How to quote using the sandwich method (also referred to as the 1,2,3 method)

2.  Many activities that you perform require a
sequence that you have to memorize.
 For example, a boxer must learn the
necessary “moves” and memorize these so
he can later use them against his opponent.
 Without memorizing these combinations, the
boxer cannot recall the moves when they are
needed.

3. Similar to boxing, we must learn certain moves
in our writing and just simply memorize them so
we can recall them again and again.
For example, you already have memorized that
you must have a thesis, a title, body
paragraphs, and a conclusion in your essay. At
this point it should come naturally to you!
In addition, to have an effective argument, you
must memorize how to include arguments of
others into your paper.

5.  Quoting someone else gives a lot of credibility to your
argument.
 Moreover, quotations can be more specific than
summarizing;
 an author’s point can be so relevant to your argument
that you don’t want to summarize it, for this runs the
risk of distorting his/her point.
 Finally, the right quotation presented properly can add
spice, interest, thought, effectiveness, support, and
respect to your writing.

6. Your readers will see
right through your
ploys: quotes that
have been dropped in
do nothing for the
essay itself, which
ultimately make the
argument invalid.
Quoting ineffectively makes your writing look like an amateur
attempt padded by random comments from strangers.

7. Writers assume that quotes
speak for themselves: In other
words, writers use quotes in
their essays, but they don’t
use them effectively by
explaining how they fit in to
the essay.
Writers quote too little:
Maybe they don’t want to
go back to the text to find
the exact words.
Writers quote too much:
Maybe they don’t have the
confidence or they don’t
fully understand what they
want to quote.

8.  Remember that a quote is not always obvious
to readers and must be explained.
 You are the writer doing LOTS and LOTS of
research…reading all kinds of sources! Your
reader isn’t. He or she has no idea what you
are reading, what quotes you are using, and
what connections you are trying to make.
 Therefore a quote must be properly
introduced and explained.

9. As for divorce, it may be an effect of one
partner’s mindset about marriage while in the
relationship. Rivera asserts, “It is like doubting
the marriage before it even starts”(81). My
parents are divorced. They divorced when I
was eight years old, and my mom says that
my dad had never really wanted to get
married to begin with. Therefore, they
divorced because he wasn’t that into it.
YIKES! What’s wrong with this quotation?

10. As for divorce, it may be an effect of one
partner’s mindset about marriage while in
the relationship. Rivera asserts, “It is like
doubting the marriage before it even
starts”(81). My parents are divorced. They
divorced when I was eight years old, and
my mom says that my dad had never really
wanted to get married to begin with.
Therefore, they divorced because he
wasn’t that into it.
The sentence that follows this quote
has nothing to do with the quote itself.
It goes straight into an example and
does not connect back to the quote.

11. Jon Katz argues that there is a certain
code of conduct that a boy must follow to
become a man. “Boys should never
rat”(32). Katz then explains why boys get
into fights.
YIKES! What’s wrong with this
quotation?

12. Jon Katz argues that there is a certain
code of conduct that a boy must follow to
become man. “Boys should never rat”(32).
Katz goes on to explain why boys get into
fights.
The quote is dropped in without an
introduction (not part of the writer’s own
sentence) and it is not explained.

13. To properly frame a quote, you need to
insert it between 1: “the lead in” and
the 3: “the follow up statement.”
Your lead-in serves as your
“1”.
Your actual quote is the “2”.
The explanation or follow-up
serves as your “3”.

14. As for divorce, it may be an effect of one partner’s mindset
about marriage while in the relationship. Rivera asserts, “It is
like doubting the marriage before it even starts”(81). From this
we can understand that some individuals might be fearful that
the relationship will ever work out; as a result, the marriage is
doomed before it even starts. A similar situation has played
out in my own family. After twenty years of marriage, my
parents are now divorced. My mother says that my dad had
never really wanted to get married; he was hesitant and
seemed to doubt its success. For many years their
relationship was plagued with disagreements and even
infidelity. Ultimately, they divorced, and this could be due to
Rivera’s theory that he doubted the marriage before it ever
started.
Now the quote has a follow up related to it!

15. Jon Katz argues that there is a certain code of conduct,
or rules, that a boy must follow when becoming a man.
The first rule he explains is that a boy who wants to
become a man “should never rat ”(32). In other words,
being a tattle-tale or telling on others to authority figures
is unacceptable for a boy who wants to transition
successfully into adulthood. Therefore, he should
avoiding “ratting” if he wants to be considered a man.
Now the quote has a lead in and a follow up!

16. According to X, “________.”
In her essay “____,” X argues that
“_____.”
In X’s view, “____________.”
X believes/argues/claims,
“_______________.”

17.  Pick the signal verb that seems to fit your
purpose for the quote.
• Green claims, "Hope increases courage”(33).
• Sizer contends, “Most Americans have an uncomplicated vision of
what secondary education ought to be” (114).
 Note that the particular verb chosen helps
orient your reader toward your opinion of the
statement.
 "Jones states" is neutral; "Jones assures us"
is positive, "Jones rejects" is negative.

18. Some fit a task better than others.
Make sure your verb fits your purpose exactly.
alleges
claims
states
comments
thinks
affirms
asserts
explains
argues
writes
observes
notes
remarks
adds
declares
informs us

19.  Remember that your signal verbs should be in
present tense, even if the text was written in the
past.
• Incorrect: Saleh argued, “The holiday season is driven entirely by
materialism”(157).
• Correct: Saleh argues, “The holiday season is driven entirely by
materialism”(157).
 Avoid the non-specific, informal signal verbs “says”
and “talks about.”
• Incorrect: Venegas talks about her harrowing journey on a bus as it
“jerked to the left and the force slammed [her] body against the
window”(54).
• Correct: Venegas describes her harrowing journey on a bus as it “jerked
to the left and the force slammed [her] body against the window”(54).

20. If you introduce using a signal verb and no
“that,” do it like this:
• Green claims, "Hope increases courage" (33).
• Notice that there is a comma after explains and
then the word “hope” is capitalized.
If you introduce using a signal verb +
“that,” do it like this:
• Green claims that “hope increases courage”(33).
• Notice that there is no comma after explains and
then the word “hope” is not capitalized.

21.  A blended quote is a quote taken from what you’ve read that is
combined with your own sentence.
 It usually does not directly refer to the author.
 Sometimes these are referred to as “embedded quotes.”
 Examples:
• A nation in the middle of the civil war is “a house divided against itself”
and it is something to be avoided at all costs (Lincoln 212).
• While there are examples that show the opposite, some people believe
that “Americans have an uncomplicated vision of what secondary
education ought to be” (Sizer 114).
 Because the author is not introduced in the sentence, his or her
name must be included with the page citation at the end of the quote
or sentence.

22.  The biggest error students make when actually using a
quote is incorporating a sentence that is grammatically
incorrect.
 Grammatically incorrect quotations are usually comma
splices, run-ons, and fragments. For example:
In fact, some couples now set a specific expiration
date to their marriage. Rivera explains, “Choosing how
long to be married is like an easy way out of a life-long
commitment,” (33) it means that individuals put a time
limit on the marriage, so the couple is less stressed or
intimidated by the ‘forever’ of the union.

23.  If we remove the quotation marks from this
sentence, the sentence would have a comma
splice: two complete sentences incorrectly
combined by a comma.
In fact, some couples now set a specific
expiration date to their marriage. Rivera
explains that choosing how long to be
married is like an easy way out of a life-
long commitment, (33) it means that
individuals put a time limit on the marriage,
so the couple is less stressed or
intimidated by the forever of the union.

24.  Revised: In fact, some couples now set a
specific expiration date to their marriage.
Rivera explains, “Choosing how long to be
married is like an easy way out of a life-long
commitment” (33). This means that
individuals put a time limit on the marriage, so
the couple is less stressed or intimidated by
the ‘forever’ of the union.
 Avoid a comma splice by using a period after
every quote you use and then start a new
sentence for your follow-up.

25. Rivera explains, “Choosing how long to be
married is like an easy way out of a life-
long commitment” (33). This means that
individuals put a time limit on the marriage.
The first rule Katz explains is that “should
never rat ”(32). In other words, being a
tattle-tale or telling on others to authority
figures is unacceptable for a boy who
wants to transition successfully into

26. Don’t just quote and run!
Do not use a quote and then
leave it hanging as if it is self
explanatory. Ask yourself: What does the
quotation mean and how does it
help establish the point you are
making? What is your
interpretation or opinion of it?
Quotations are like examples:
discuss them to show how they
fit in with your thesis and with
the ideas you are presenting.

27. In other words, X believes…
X’s point is that…
In making this comment, X urges
us to…
This means…
We can conclude from this that…
From this we can understand
that…

28. Correct: In his essay “Hiding from Reality,”
author Bob Herbert argues that the
American Dream doesn’t exist anymore.
He claims that “we’ve become a hapless,
can’t-do society just looking for an easy fix
from the Capitol”(68). In other words, he
means that we are unable to do anything
for ourselves and depend on the
government to solve all of our problems.

29.  Incorrect It is important to understand that positive change
does not necessarily occur without human effort. “Human
progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability” (17).
 Correct: It is important to understand that positive change
does not necessarily occur without human effort. King
proclaims that “progress never rolls in on wheels of
inevitability” (17). With these words, King asserts that change
may not be easy; it does not “roll in” and it is not
predetermined that it will occur at all. King believes that
oppressed people must, therefore, initiate change in order to
achieve the freedom they desire. This assertion has
significance and validity since…

30. Use your three “moves” whenever you quote
an outside source and you will definitely
knock out your opponent every time!