Another word for quote in an essay

Remember that you are required to cite your sources for paraphrases and direct quotes. For more information on MLA Style, APA style, Chicago Style, ASA Style, CSE Style, and I-Search Format, refer to our Gallaudet TIP Citations and References link.

Words that introduce Quotes or Paraphrases are basically three keys verbs:

• Neutral Verbs(here)
• Stronger Verbs(here)
• Inference Verbs(here)

Neutral Verbs: When used to introduce a quote, the following verbs basically mean “says”

Examples of Neutral Verbs

The author says. The author notes. The author believes. The author observes. The author comments. The author relates. The author declares. The author remarks. The author discusses. The author reports. The author explains. The author reveals. The author expresses. The author states. The author mentions. The author acknowledges. The author suggests. The author thinks. The author points out. The author responds. The author shows. The author confirms.

Sample Sentences

MLA Style

• • Dr. Billow says that being exposed to television violence at a young age desensitizes children to violence in real life (author’s last name p.##).
  • As the author notes, “In an ideal classroom, both gifted children and learning disabled children should feel challenged” (p.##).
  • Burdow believes that being able to write using proper English grammar is an important skill (author’s last name p.##).
  • Dr. Patel observes that “most people tend to respond well to hypnotherapy” (p. ##).
  • We see this self doubt again in the second scene, when Agatha comments, “Oh, times like this I just don’t know whether I am right or wrong, good or bad” (p. ##).
  • Goeff then relates that his childhood was “the time he learned to live on less than bread alone” (p. ##).
  • The author declares, “All people, rich or poor, should pay the same taxes to the government” (p. ##).
  • Godfried remarks, “Ignorance is a skill learned by many of the greatest fools” (author’s last name p.##).
  • The article discusses the qualities of a good American housewife in the 1950s (author’s last name p.##).
  • After the war is over, the General reports that “It seemed a useless battle to fight even from the start” (p.##).
  • Danelli explains, “All mammals have hair” (p.##).

APA Style

• • • The author reveals his true feelings with his ironic remark that we should “just resort to cannibalism to defeat world hunger” (p. ##).
    • Forton expresses disapproval of the American welfare system (author’s last name, year, p. ##).
    • The author states that “More than fifty percent of all marriages end in divorce” (p. ##).
    • He also mentions, “Many children grow up feeling responsible for their parents’ mistakes” (p. ##).
    • Jones acknowledges that although the divorce rate is increasing, most young children still dream of getting married (author’s last name, year, p. ##).
    • The author suggests that we hone our English skills before venturing into the work force (author’s last name, year, p. ##).
    • The author thinks that the recent weather has been too hot (author’s last name, year, p. ##).
    • Folsh points out that there were hundreds of people from varying backgrounds at the convention (author’s last name, year, p. ##).
    • Julia Hertz responded to allegations that her company was aware of the faulty tires on their cars (author’s last name, year, p. ##).
    • His research shows that 7% of Americans suffer from Social Anxiety Disorder (author’s last name, year, p. ##).
    • Jostin’s research confirmed his earlier hypothesis: mice really are smarter than rats (author’s last, year, name p. ##).

Stronger Verbs: These verbs indicate that there is some kind of argument, and that the quote shows either support of or disagreement with one side of the argument.

When discussing the arguments of other thinkers, as we often have to do when writing a paper, you might find yourself writing “so and so says…” quite often. While this is good enough most of the time, you may also want to vary your word choice.

Moreover, in academic writing, “says” or “said” might not fully communicate what you intend. It may therefore be better to use a more precise alternative.

Alternatives to “Said”

There are plenty of synonyms for “said” that can be used in academic writing. For instance, if we imagine quoting an author called Johnson, instead of “Johnson says that,” we could write:

• States (“Johnson states that the results are consistent with past studies…”)
• Asserts (“Johnson asserts that the technique is flawed…”)
• Argues (“Johnson argues that the test should be revised…”)
• Claims (“Johnson claims that the conclusion is valid…”)
• Believes (“Johnson believes that modern science should be trusted…”)

However, it should be noted that most of these words are more specific than “said.” As such, you’ll need to check that the word you pick fits the situation.

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Saying that “Johnson argues such and such,” for instance, only makes sense if you are quoting an argument. As such, it wouldn’t make sense to say “Johnson argues that his favorite ice-cream is vanilla,” since this is an opinion, not an argument.

Likewise, some terms have connotations that you need to understand before you use them. The word “alleges,” for instance, can be a synonym for “says,” but it implies that the claim is unproven, controversial or doubtful. It therefore has quite a specific use.

Nor should you avoid using the word “says” in your work. It’s simply a case of being aware of how often you use particular terms and trying to find a suitable alternative if you are using any single term (including “said”) too much.

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