Excerpt from The Right Decision
Lindsay Rock
If you lived during the nineteenth century, would you immigrate to a new country by yourself to pursue an opportunity, or
would you pass up the opportunity and remain with your family? Explain your answer.
Read the writing prompt. Which is an appropriate thesis statement for a response to this prompt?
Among the many hardships faced by immigrants in the nineteenth century
were long journeys aboard crowded ships, unsanitary conditions, and
painful medical examinations.
I believe that spending time with one's family is an important part of life
because a family serves as a built-in love and support system in both good
times and bad times.
I have always believed in taking advantage of any opportunity that comes
my way and though it would be difficult, I would say goodbye to my family
and immigrate to a new country.
While most immigrants viewed Ellis Island as the "Island of Hope," for the
small percentage whom doctors and other officials refused entry, it became
known as the "Island of Tears."

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).

the group received an extra pound of butter for christmas.

the annex was delighted to hear that we'll all be receiving an extra quarter pound of butter for christmas.

sorry, you didn't give me the proper question

explanation: