Home TIPS Introduce your quotations with informative lead-ins.

Introduce your quotations with informative lead-ins.

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By Chinua Asuzu

Outgrow stereotyped, bare lead-ins like these:

As Oputa JSC stated, “…”

The statute provides: “…”

The Supreme Court held, “…”

According to Ben Nwabueze, “…”

Prefer informative lead-ins like these:

Oputa JSC restated the four criteria an applicant must meet for the grant of an interlocutory injunction: “…”

The statute restricts relief to contexts in which the petitioner has supplied proof of consistent use: “…”

The Supreme Court pointed out the exceptions to the no-liability-without-damage rule: “…”

Ben Nwabueze argues that Nigeria’s constitutional bill of rights incorporates freedom of private enterprise: “…”

Lead-ins like these show that you understand the authority you’re about to quote. It shows professional responsibility, diligence, and respect for the reader. It is also a smart rhetorical device.

Chinua Asuzu, Brief-Writing Masterclass (Partridge, 2017), 339–341.

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