Your essay seeking common ground is based on your analysis of sources: the opposing argument essays you are analyzing and your background research on the issue. In order to present the issue and the arguments fairly and impartially, you are likely to include quotations throughout your common ground essay, and you have many options for integrating quotations smoothly into your analysis. Here are a few:
Create a clause beginning with that:
Johnson argues against this common claim, writing that “whenever we torture or mistreat prisoners, we are . . . ” (26). (Mae, par. 4)
But he insists that “Commissioners, club officials, the Players Association, and players” should . . . (311). (Bernard, par. 11)
Introduce the quotation with a colon:
Walt Whitman, the great nineteenth-century poet, sang its praises : “It’s our game—the American game.” (Bernard, par. 1)
Indeed, Rosin seems to be concerned that her children are, if anything, too obedient : “In my household, it’s a struggle to get my children to steal a cookie from the cookie jar without immediately confessing” (par. 10). (Samson, par. 7)
Weave quoted words or short phrases into your own sentence:
For more help on integrating sources in your writing, turn to Chapter 26.
The idea that “childhood rebellion” is “proper” and ought to be encouraged, not discouraged, surely separates Rosin from Chua. (Samson, par. 8)
Johnson rejects the scenario outright as an unrealistic “Hollywood drama” (26). (Mae, par. 7)