Formatting Your Critical Essay

MLA Formatting and Tips

Things to remember

Present Tense 3rd person Formal Literary Language Vary your vocabulary Underline or Italicize novel titles. Use

“quotes” for chapter titles The rule of thumb is to write out numbers

that are less than 10. There are many exceptions

Things to remember

Don’t over summarize Your thesis belongs at the end of the

introduction The author & the characters are not the

same people Each new paragraph should start with a

topic sentence that connects to the thesis statement

You must use quotes and examples to support your topic sentences

Why do I need quotes?

Quotes are textual evidence that prove your point

Although you believe your thesis statement, your reader will not unless you back it up with many quotes and examples

Please note that quotes are excerpts from your novel, not just dialogue

MLA Quotation Format

Always cite direct quotes using the author’s name and the page number for the first citation. “Tom went to the store” (Smith 34).

Your punctuation will follow the citation… unless your quote ends in a question or exclamation mark. “Where did Martha go?” (Steven 94).

Unique Situations in Quote Formatting

Quotation marks occurring within your quotes Original Text

“What do you think you are doing?” he said. His eyes blazed in anger. His face was still ashen white.

Using this quote in an essay “Maxim stopped and looked up at his wife.

‘What do you think you are doing?’ he said. His eyes blazed in anger. His face was still ashen white” (Du Maurier 213).

Unique Situations in Quote Formatting Leave out unnecessary information

Original Text At the end of the block there were soldiers on watch in

front of City Hall; a dozen or so men standing around a campfire, with more dozing on the ground. One man was trying to read a letter by firelight, another was roasting a small piece of meat at the end of a stick. Their guns were close to hand. I crept as close as I dared, but there was no way to sneak past them.

Using this quote in an essay “At the end of the block there were soldiers on watch in

front of City Hall; a dozen or so men standing around a campfire, with more dozing on the ground....Their guns were close to hand. I crept as close as I dared, but there was no way to sneak past them.

Supporting Your Topic Sentence

You will use a combination of examples and direct quotes to support your topic sentence within each paragraph

Let us say your topic sentence is:Beowulf adheres to the epic hero

formula when Beowulf boasts about past feats.

Supporting Your Topic SentenceGood: Support without direct quotes:

In a boast to Hrothgar and the Danes, Beowulf recalls his battles with giants and human enemies.

Better: Support with direct quotes:

In a boast to Hrothgar and the Danes, Beowulf says, “They have seen my strength for themselves, watched me rise from the darkness of war, dripping with my enemies’ blood” (Beowulf 38).

Best: Support with incorporated quotes:

In a boast to Hrothgar and the Danes, Beowulf recalls “[rising] from the darkness of war, dripping with [his] enemies’ blood” (Beowulf 38).

Questions Not Answered Here

Google “OWL Purdue” and look at the MLA style and formatting guides

Bring in your rough draft and I will be more than happy to look it over