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In writing an academic paper, you may use snippets, or short quotations consisting of only two or three words from another source. Such use is especially appropriate when the specific language of a text constitutes the evidence of your claim.

The source passage occurs on page 190 of Emily Bronte's novel Wuthering Heights (edited by William M. Sale, Jr.; published by W. W. Norton and Company, New York, 1972). Here Nelly Dean, who narrates part of the novel, describes the arrival of her and her charge Cathy at the house Wuthering Heights after Heathcliff, who had assured them that he will be absent, has invited them to visit. Nelly Dean narrates:

Source passage:

The rainy night had ushered in a misty morning -half frost, half drizzle-and temporary brooks crossed our path, gurgling from the uplands. My feet were thoroughly wetted; I was cross and low, exactly the humour suited for making the most of these disagreeable things.

We entered the farm-house by the kitchen way to ascertain whether Mr. Heathcliff were really absent, because I put slight faith in his own affirmation.

Paragraph using short quotes:

Nelly's description of the setting when she takes Cathy back to Wuthering Heights foreshadows events toward the end of the book. The weather is unpleasant: "a misty morning," complete with "half frost, half drizzle." Her description of her own mood as "cross and low" reinforces that foreboding. Finally, her mention that she has only
"slight faith" in Heathcliff's assurance of his absence seems to suggest that his treachery will triumph eventually (190).

Note that this method of using snippets from a source seems particularly apt in a case like this one, where the language the author uses (the words quoted in the snippets) provides evidence of the claim (that the author uses that language to foreshadow grim events in the future). In such a case, rather than quoting a whole paragraph, it seems more useful to use small pieces of that language to support the claim.

The Works Cited entry in the MLA style would look like this:

Works Cited

Bronte, Emily. Wuthering Heights. Ed. William B. Sale. New York: Norton, 1972.

Short Quote Exercise

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