And indeed there will be timeTo wonder, "Do I dare?" and, "Do I dare?"Time to turn back and descend the stair, With a bald spot in the middle of my hair —(They will say: "How his hair is growing thin!")My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin, My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin —(They will say: "But how his arms and legs are thin!")Do I dareDisturb the universe?In a minute there is timeFor decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.
Which words best indicate that Prufrock feels uncertain?

The words "Do I dare?" best indicate that Prufrock feels uncertain.

Explanation:

In the poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, author T. S. Elliot creates a speaker who is unfit to be a hero of romantic, traditional times. Prufrock has never fulfilled his desires. He is a lonely man who lives through others, who is insecure of his own appearance and ability to talk to women. His indecisiveness, his uncertainty, is expressed in the excerpt through the repetition of the words "Do I dare?" Prufrock cannot make up his mind. Should he try? Should he go and talk to people? Or will they be cruel, judgmental of him? His insecurity keeps him from daring to live.

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).