is it cliche to start an essay with a quote

It's cliche. Like starting a book with "a dark and stormy night" or a movie with the main character woken by an alarm clock, it draws attention to itself as a stale trope. But you don't have to abandon the quote. One solution is saving it for the meat of your essay where it can be better dissected, and using a fresher hook for your introduction.

5. Hook your reader. Think of a quotation as a "hook" that will get your reader's attention and make her want to read more of your paper. The well-executed quotation is one way to draw your reader in to your essay. [2] 6. Ensure that the quotation contributes to your essay.

To start with a quote is not wrong, but you may do better, as onomatomaniak suggested, to "think of an engaging first sentence that makes the reader think you have something interesting to say." Aside from limiting range of expression, starting with a quote requires attribution (crediting the source of the quote) which may cause the reader to ...

Embed the Quote: Incorporate the quote naturally within your sentence structure. Avoid dropping quotes abruptly into your text; instead, weave them into your own words. Explain the Quote: After presenting the quote, analyze or interpret it. Explain how it supports your argument or relates to your thesis.

Hey there! Starting your college essay with a quote can definitely be a strong hook if chosen wisely. The key is to make sure that the quote ties directly into the narrative or point of your essay in a meaningful way—it should illuminate something about your personality, values, or experiences that you'll expand upon in the rest of the essay.

Pick carefully: Choose a quote that fits your topic and helps prove your main point. Give some background: Tell a little about who said the quote or where it came from. Fit it in nicely: Introduce the quote with words like "Jane Doe says" or "In John Smith's words." Say why it matters: After the quote, explain how it connects to your main idea.

Essay Quote Format. Introduction of a Quote: Use a signal phrase to introduce a specific statement. Direct Passage: Enclose a quoted text in quotation marks. In-Text Citation: Provide the author's name and page number in parentheses after a chosen statement (if applicable). Analysis or Interpretation: After a cited passage, write 1-2 sentences with your own analysis or interpretation ...

For example, my child started their essay with a short, famous phrase that jumpstarted a discussion on their personal experiences with creative problem-solving. It wasn't just a quote plopped into the intro for flair—it was a meaningful anchor for their story. Ultimately, it's about making sure your essay remains heartfelt and authentically ...

Hi there! Starting your essay with a quote can be a compelling hook if it deeply resonates with your personal story. It can potentially present a powerful framework for your narrative! However, it's really about how you use the quote and the context you provide afterwards. The goal of your essay is to showcase your own voice and experiences, not just share someone else's words.

1) Share a story. As you can probably tell from the examples above, we recommend starting your essay off with an engaging story. Before you tell a reader that you're an introvert who also loves performing in musical theater, you'll want to tell the tale of the first time you braved the spotlight.

Recognizing What's Overdone in College Essays Examples. 1. Starting your essay with a quote. This is an extremely popular way to start a college essay, but it's almost never a good idea. Unless the prompt specifically asks you to provide a quote for some reason, you should avoid this tactic. The admissions committee wants to hear from you ...

Note that the meta essay can sometimes work (you'll see a couple examples below), but has a higher degree of difficulty. The Quote: While quoting famous people who have said something cool in the past may seem like an appealing way to start your essay, remember that colleges want to hear YOUR thoughts. Don't use the words of another person ...

Set a time for one minute and write down whatever comes to mind for that specific topic. This will help get the juices flowing and push you over that initial bit of writer's block that's so common when it comes time to write a college essay. Repeat this exercise if you're feeling stuck at any point during the essay writing process.

In most cases, quoting other people isn't a good way to start your college essay. Admissions officers want to hear your thoughts about yourself, and quotes often don't achieve that. Unless a quote truly adds something important to your essay that it otherwise wouldn't have, you probably shouldn't include it.

A Quotation or Quote is a word-for-word extract of someone else's words. There are two types of quotes: direct and indirect. · Direct quote - is when the words of an author are used by someone else. · Indirect quote - is when the ideas of an author are restated, this is also known as paraphrasing.

By using a cliché, you're telling your reader that you lack originality, making them want to yawn and stop reading your paper. Clichés make your writing and argument interchangeable with anybody else's. Make sure that your argument and writing are specific to you and your writing task. Clichés are vague.

Opening And Ending Quotes. Embedding direct quotations in your essay is a great literary tool to reinforce your arguments and nurturing ground for developing the main ideas and further contemplation of the topic. However, using quotations also hides lots of pitfalls. The statements of a brilliant thinker within your field are considered a way ...

9. Your religious institution or faith. Religion is generally a very tricky topic, and it's difficult to cover it in an original way in your essay. Writing about your faith and reflecting on it critically can work, but basic religious essays about why your faith is important to you are a little more cliché.

Clichés are stock phrases that you read so commonly they're almost meaningless, like "clear as a bell" or "the fact of the matter.". Such phrases bore attentive readers and can suggest laziness or even a lack of originality. So it's wise to avoid clichés in your writing—either by striking them outright or reworking your ideas to ...

Not necessarily bad, but too cliched - avoid it if you can. 4. Reply. Award. AutoModerator. MOD • 3 yr. ago. Hey there, I'm a bot and something you said made me think you might be looking for help! It sounds like your post is related to essays — please check the A2C Wiki Page on Essays for a list of resources related to essay topics, tips ...

Just make sure that the essay is primarily about you, not just about your breakdown of an idea. Yes of course! A lot of people include quotes, but make sure to reference them correctly. Just don't copy and paste something in for the sake of having a quote. Only include it if it strengthens the points you're making.

Anyone who starts their personal statement with a quote looks like they are trying to sound profound and it makes you look like a moron, 5. rslashJR. • 9 mo. ago. It's never as black and white as "if you start your personal statement with a quote, it's going to be cliche". However, there are better ways to open.

Is it cliche to start your essay with a quote? Its not that popular of a quote though? comment sorted by Best Top New Controversial Q&A Add a Comment. throwawaygremlins ...