My experience working as a writing consultant this semester
has reminded me that I’m still a developing writer. While I might secretly
think I can create a list of works cited in MLA format blindfolded, the truth
is – I still have a lot to learn. Before my first appointment as a writing
consultant, my biggest fear was that a student would ask me a question I didn’t
know the answer to. But, it happened. It still happens – a lot. Realizing that
I don’t have all the answers has helped me become a better writer and a better
student. Each time I’m confronted with a writing question that I don’t have the
answer to I try to look at it as an opportunity to further develop my own writing
skills.
Recently, I have met with students asking for help with
introducing a quote with a colon. I knew it could be done, but it’s not
something I do every day. I knew right away that if I wanted to use a colon
(for something other than a list) I needed to have a complete sentence on each
side. For example, when trying to introduce a quote with a colon, I couldn’t do
this:
For children in The
Giver: “The front-buttoned jacket was the first sign of
independence, the
first very visible symbol of growing up” (Lowry 40).
The problem here is that I only have one complete sentence.
If I take the quote away, I have:
For children in The
Giver. <– This is not a complete sentence.
To make correct this example, I need to turn this fragment
into a complete sentence. For example, I could do something like this:
For the children in The
Giver, clothing is not a fashion statement, but a part of their
identity: “The front-buttoned jacket was the first sign of independence, the first very visible
symbol of growing up” (Lowry 40).
identity: “The front-buttoned jacket was the first sign of independence, the first very visible
symbol of growing up” (Lowry 40).
It is also important to remember that when using a colon to
introduce a quote, both sentences must be related. It wouldn’t make sense for
me to write the following:
Lois Lowry’s The Giver
is set in a dystopian society: “The front-buttoned jacket was the
first sign of independence, the first very visible symbol of growing up” (40).
first sign of independence, the first very visible symbol of growing up” (40).
I do have complete sentences on both sides of the comma, and
my initial sentence is a true statement about the novel. However, the quote
following the colon does not really relate to the information in front of the
colon.
Helping other students understand how to introduce a quote
with a colon has helped me, too. Now, I find myself using this method to
introduce quotes in my papers more often than I did before. Being a writing
consultant has reminded me that I still have a lot to learn, but it has also
provided me with opportunities to grow as a writer.
For more tips on how to introduce a quote with a colon,
check out Integrating
Quotations into Sentences from Illinois Valley Community College.
