To avoid monotony, try to vary both the language and the placement of your signal phrases.
Model signal phrases
In the words of historian James M. McPherson, “. . .”1
As Dudley Taylor Cornish has argued, “. . .”2
In a letter to his wife, a Confederate soldier who witnessed the massacre wrote that “. . .”3
“. . . ,” claims Benjamin Quarles.4
“. . . ,” writes Albert Castel, “. . .”5
Shelby Foote offers an intriguing interpretation: “. . .”6
Verbs in signal phrases
| admits | compares | insists | rejects |
| agrees | confirms | notes | reports |
| argues | contends | observes | responds |
| asserts | declares | points out | suggests |
| believes | denies | reasons | thinks |
| claims | emphasizes | refutes | writes |
In a Chicago-style paper, use the present tense or the present perfect tense in phrases that introduce quotations or other source material from nonfiction sources: Foote points out or Foote has pointed out (not Foote pointed out). If you have good reason to emphasize that the author’s language or opinion was articulated in the past, however, the past tense is acceptable.