Using Signal Phrases

Consider the following sentence:

The new regime imprisoned 8,000 people within the first month (Bernstein).

There is nothing wrong with that sentence, but often your writing can be improved by adding a “signal phrase.”

According to author Dennis Bernstein, the new regime imprisoned 8,000 people within the first month.

In the above example, the phrase “According to author Dennis Bernstein” is a signal phrase. A signal phrase alerts your reader that you are about to present evidence.

A signal phrase quite often consists of three parts:

The full name of the witness.
An appositive which identifies the witness.
Some version of the word "says".

Here is an example:

Joe Smith, an expert on the Cold War, says that . . . .

In the above example, “an expert on the Cold War” is an appositive for “Joe Smith.” (An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that identifies another noun). In a signal phrase, appositives usually answer the question: What is the occupation of the witness?

Consider these examples:

Chen Yi, a janitor at Presidio Middle School, says that Mao Zedong was a terrible dictator.
Zhou Wu, the author of several books on China, claims that Mao Zedong was a terrible dictator.

Who are you going to believe? Obviously, the second witness is more credible—unless, of course, our janitor has some first-hand information, in which case you might write:

Chen Yi, a woman whose family was killed by communists, says that Mao was a terrible dictator.

The third part of the signal phrase is a verb that is roughly equivalent to “says”. Consider these examples:

Bill Henderson, a professor at Harvard University, points out that . .
Susan Hernandez, author of the book The Cold War, asserts that . .
Mary Jones, a general in the U.S. army, notes that . . .
Samuel Kent, a journalist with the New York Times, found that . .

Here is a list of some useful signal phrase verbs:

acknowledges
adds
admits
addresses
argues
asserts
believes
claims
comments
compares
confirms

contends
declares
denies
disputes
emphasizes
endorses
grants
illustrates
implies
insists
notes

observes
points out
reasons
refutes
rejects
reports
responds
suggests
thinks
writes

Note: The phrase “according to” also serves the same function as a signal phrase verb.

When we use "according to", we do NOT use a verb equivalent to "says".

Correct	Donald Trump, the president of the United States, says that we need to build a wall.
Correct	According to Donald Trump, the president of the United States, "We need to build a wall."
Wrong	According to Donald Trump, the president of the United States, ~~says~~, "We need to build a wall."

Check Your Understanding:

What is a signal phrase?
A signal phrase often consists of three parts. What are those parts?
When introducing a witness with a signal phrase, what purpose does the appositive serve?

Instructions for the Quiz

Answer the questions.

Quiz