A signal phrase is a phrase, clause, or sentence that presents a quotation, paraphrase, or summary. It’s also known as a quotative frame or a dialogue guide.

A signal phrase contains a verb along with the name of the person who’s being quoted. Although a signal phrase often appears before a quotation, the phrase may instead come after it or in the middle of it. Editors and style guides usually advise writers to alter the positions of signal phrases to enhance readability throughout a text.

Common Signal Phrases

• according to
• acknowledges/acknowledged
• adds/added
• addresses/addressed
• argues/argued
• asserts/asserted
• comments/commented
• concedes/conceded
• concludes/concluded
• confirms/confirmed
• contends/contended
• declares/declared
• defines/defined
• draws attention to/has drawn attention to
• emphasizes/emphasized
• explains/explained
• finds/found
• mentions/mentioned
• notes/noted
• observes/observed
• points out/pointed out
• professes/professed
• proposes/proposed
• puts forth/put forth
• reasons/reasoned
• recognizes/recognized
• reports/reported
• reveals/revealed
• shows/showed
• states/stated
• writes/wrote

Signal Phrases Indicating Uncertainty or Opinion

• believes/believed
• cautions/cautioned
• claims/claimed
• endorses/endorsed
• estimates/estimated
• implies/implied
• indicates/indicated
• recommends/recommended
• speculates/speculated
• suggests/suggested
• surmises/surmised
• thinks/thought
• warns/warned

Signal Phrases Indicating Disagreement

• counters/countered
• denies/denied
• disputes/disputed
• refutes/refuted
• rejects/rejected
• retorts/retorted