Be sure to review, also, the section on The Narrative Essay . Narrative and personal essays have much in common. We have included several sample essays in the Narrative Essay section. If you ever want to experiment with prose and with loosened structure, this is where you can do it. You will probably want to use quoted language in your personal essay.
Spoken speech engages another whole sense and enriches the medium immensely.
The Guide to Grammar and Writing contains a brief section on Quotation Marks to help you. Review that section and take the quizzes on quotation marks before using quoted language in your own prose. Only the greatest writers can handle speech effectively over a long period of time. We're not allowed to say much before we're interrupted by others or by something else going on. Also, don't try to duplicate the speech of real life, the way people really talk.