(1) the mona lisa was painted by the famed artist leonardo da vinci in the early 1500s. (2) it is one of the world's most famous pieces of art. (3) the painting shows a woman wearing a smile and dressed in black. (4) although no one is exactly certain of the painting's subject, some historians believe it is lisa gherardini. (5) gherardini was the wife of an italian cloth merchant. (6) the painting is currently housed at the louvre museum in france, where thousands of people visit it every year.

claire decided to revise the paragraph by combining sentences 1 and 2 in this way:

the mona lisa, one of the world's most famous pieces of art, was painted by famed artist leonardo da vinci in the early 1500s.

did claire combine the sentences appropriately for this paragraph?

a. yes, because the new sentence shows the connection between the two ideas
b. no, because shorter sentences improve the quality of the paragraph
c. yes, because longer sentences make the author seem intelligent
d. no, because the information in the sentences is not related

A yes because the new sentence shows the connections between the two ideas

what: when quoting a source, use the author’s words verbatim, or word-for-word. this means you shouldn’t change any grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc. put quotations around the words to tell your reader where the quote begins and where it ends.

you also need to acknowledge the author. for example, if using mla format for your research paper, you should have in-text citations with the author’s name and page number listed at the end of each quote.

when: use quotations to provide concrete examples to support your claims. using direct quotations is a great way to build your credibility on the subject. it’s also a good idea to quote your source when the author states things in a powerful way. if you think he or she said it best, then use the exact words to share the ideas.

example: in the short story “a jury of her peers”, mrs. hale compares mrs. wright to her caged bird, saying “she—come to think of it, she was kind of like a bird herself. real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and—fluttery. how—she—did—change” (glaspell).

paraphrasing

what: paraphrasing differs from quoting because you restate the passage in your own words. since you don’t use the author’s words, you don’t need to use quotation marks. however, you still need to acknowledge the author for his or her ideas.

when paraphrasing a text, you should communicate the full meaning of the text; don’t change the meaning. it can be a condensed version of the text, or it could end up being longer than the source it’s paraphrasing.

when: you use paraphrasing when you take notes, or explain a chart or diagram to someone. paraphrasing highlight the important parts of a larger text. it also allows you to simplify the ideas for your readers.

example:

original: “it was no ordinary thing that called her away–it was probably further from ordinary than anything that had ever happened in dickson county. but what her eye took in was that her kitchen was in no shape for leaving: her bread all ready for mixing, half the flour sifted and half unsifted” (glaspell).

paraphrase: as mrs. hales walks around mrs. wright’s home, she notices that the kitchen is in disarray as if she was in the middle of baking bread (glaspell).