INTRODUCTIONS, THESIS

STATEMENTS,
CONCLUSIONS, TOPIC
SENTENCES, AND QUOTE
INTRODUCTIONS
(and other tips for writing your paper)
INTRODUCTION
 Begin with a general statement.
 Mention titles of works of literature and authors’ names

 Give a brief (no more than a sentence) overview of the

story
 Provide a thesis statement as the last sentence.
START WITH GENERAL; NARROW TO
THESIS.
 General,
universal
statement

 More specific—titles
and authors, brief
overviews of stories

 Mostspecific—thesis
statement
SAMPLE
FloodINTRODUCTION
stories are a common archetype in many
cultures. The Epic of Gilgamesh, a Sumerian myth,
and “Noah and the Flood,” a Hebrew myth, both
include an account of a great flood brought to the
earth in order to destroy all of humankind. In The
Epic of Gilgamesh, a character named Utnapishtim
tells Gilgamesh about a story of a great flood which
he survived by building a boat. From the book of
Genesis, “Noah and the Flood” features a religious
man selected by God to build an ark in order to
survive the great flood. These two stories have many
similarities and differences which often reflect the
differences between Sumerian and Hebrew culture.
TOPIC SENTENCES
 The first sentence of each body paragraph should state
the main idea of the paragraph. This sentence is the
topic sentence.
 After stating the main idea, give quotes from the text that
support your main idea.
 For this paper, what will be the main idea of your first
body paragraph? Second body paragraph?
CONCLUSION
 Begin by restating the thesis statement in a new way.
 Restate the main points that supported your thesis
statement. This could be a quick list of the evidences
you included in the body paragraphs.
 End with an insightful conclusion or another universal
statement. Shoot for six words or less in this sentence.
RECAP THESIS, ARGUMENTS,
EVIDENCE; THEN ADD NEW
CONCLUSION OR INSIGHT.
 Restate thesis statement
in a new way.
 Restate arguments and
evidences.
 End with conclusion or
insight
 NOTE: Never include
new evidence in
conclusion.
INTRODUCING QUOTATIONS
 Never let a quote stand alone in your paper as a complete
sentence (or as an incomplete sentence).
 If your quote is not introduced, it will seem disconnected
from your own writing, and it will break up the flow of
your sentences.
 There are three main ways to introduce quotations.
1. INTRODUCE A QUOTE WITH A
COMPLETE SENTENCE AND A
COLON.
 Appropriate when there are no first person pronouns in
the quotation.

 Example
Enkidu’s dream reveals the pessimistic afterworld of the
Sumerians: “There is the house whose people sit in
darkness; dust is their food and clay their meat” (23).
2. INTRODUCE A QUOTE WITH AN
EXPLANATORY PHRASE
FOLLOWED BY A COMMA.
 You must use this method when there are first person
pronouns in the quote. You will also use some verb such
as “says,” “believes,” “recalls,” etc.

 You should also use this method if the quote has

character as a speaker. Use the explanatory phrase to tell
who is speaking, to whom, and in what context.
INTRODUCE A QUOTE WITH AN
EXPLANATORY PHRASE FOLLOWED
BY A COMMA.
 Examples
After the flood, God says to Noah, “Never again shall all
flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood” (174).

While trying to convince Gilgamesh to have no mercy,

Enkidu says, “The strongest of men will fall to fate if he
has no judgment” (21).
3. INTRODUCE A QUOTATION BY MAKING
THE QUOTE PART OF YOUR OWN
SENTENCE WITHOUT USING EXTRA
PUNCTUATION (BESIDES QUOTATION
MARKS).

 After the serpent takes Gilgamesh’s plant, he “sat down and

wept” (32).

 Utnapishtim tells his wife to “bake loaves of bread” to mark the

days Gilgamesh sleeps (30).

 Notice that there is also no comma after “bread” or “wept.”

3. INTRODUCE A QUOTATION BY MAKING
THE QUOTE PART OF YOUR OWN
SENTENCE WITHOUT USING EXTRA
PUNCTUATION (BESIDES QUOTATION
MARKS).
 Utnapishtim tells his wife that “all men are deceivers” (30).

 Notice that the word “that” makes it unnecessary to use a

comma in the quote introduction.
OTHER PUNCTUATION NOTES
ABOUT QUOTATIONS
 Use ellipses to indicate deletions from quotes.

 Example
Dillard says that the weasel “bites his prey at the neck…
and he does not let go.”
OTHER PUNCTUATION NOTES
ABOUT QUOTATIONS
 Usebrackets to indicate additions or slight
changes regarding nouns (when pronouns have
unclear antecedents) or tense (if you want to
keep your writing in present tense).

 Example

Dillard was “stunned into stillness as [the

weasel] was emerging from beneath an
enormous shaggy wild rose bush four feet
away.”
MORE NOTES ABOUT QUOTATIONS
 Avoid including very long quotations.

 Use single quotation marks for a quote within a quote.

 Never begin or end a paragraph with a quote.

FORBIDDEN PHRASES
 It says
 This paper
 I, you, we, us, our, your (unless in a direct quotation)
 Quote
 Excerpt from the text
 Genesis says
 The Epic of Gilgamesh says
MLA FORMAT
 Double-spaced throughout
 Times New Roman
 12 point font
 1 inch margins
 Heading in upper left corner
 Page numbers and student’s last name in upper right corner
 Title that is centered but not underlined, in italics, in bold, etc.
MLA FORMAT
Heading in upper left corner
Student’sfirst and last name
Teacher’s name (Mrs. Peterson)
Class name (English II Honors)
Due date (1 October 2011)
MLA FORMAT
 Page numbers in upper right corner
 Go to View
 Header and Footer
 Hit Control R
 Type your last name and one space
 Click on the number symbol icon (#). It’s the first icon in the
toolbar.
 Click Close.
A FEW MORE TIPS…
 Use present tense when writing about literature.
Literature never dies!
 Avoid plot summary. Organize material logically, not
chronologically.
 Use transition words to add to logical flow.
 In topic sentences
 Between pieces of evidence
 In first sentence of conclusion