Quotes & MLAJessica French and Maddie Inman

English 1010

Professor Nathan Price

QuotesQuotes are used to represent quoted or spoken language, or to set off titles.

There are several important rules to remember when quoting:

● Rule 1: Use double quotations to set off a direct word for word quotation.

● Rule 2: Use quotes or italics for titles

● Rule 3: Periods and commas always go inside quotation marks

● Rule 4: Use single quote marks for quotes within quotes

Rule 1

Use double quotations to set off a direct word for word quotation.

Correct: “When will you be here?” he asked.

Incorrect: When will you be here?, he asked? ‘When will you be here?’ He asked

Rule 2

Use quotation marks or Italics for titlesWhen to use quotation marks:

● Articles titles from magazines, newspapers or journals

● Essays● Short stories● Poems● Book Chapters● Specific pages within a website● Specific episodes of TV shows● Songs

When to use italics:

● Books● Newspapers● Magazines● Journals● Websites● Online databases● Plays● Pamphlets● Films/Movie titles● Television shows● Radio Programs/broadcasts

Short Works Long Works

Quotation Marks or Italics?

Book: The Hunger Games

Poem: Where the Sidewalk Ends

???

Quotation Marks or Italics?

Book: The Hunger GamesBecause The Hunger Games is a long work it is italicized.

Poem: “Where the Sidewalk Ends” Because “Where the Sidewalk Ends” is a short work, it is put in quotation marks.

Rule 3Periods and commas always go inside quotation marks.

Examples:Correct: “Anna likes cats.”

Incorrect: “Anna likes cats”.

Correct: The girl said, “Meow,” and jumped to the floor.Incorrect: The girl said, “Meow”, and jumped to the floor.

Rule 4Use single quote marks only to quote within a quoteFor Example: “Let us explore what is meant by the quote ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” said the teacher.

Do Not use quotation marks for emphasis or to show sarcasm because this is an incorrect usage of quotation marks.

“My ‘friend’ asked me if I wanted to go to a movie.”

Rule 4Use single quote marks only to quote within a quoteFor Example: “Let us explore what is meant by the quote ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” said the teacher.

Do Not use quotation marks for emphasis or to show sarcasm because this is an incorrect usage of quotation marks.

“My ‘friend’ asked me if I wanted to go to a movie.”

Block Quotes (Long Quotation)● Use block quotes whenever your quote exceeds 3 or

more lines of text.● Always use a colon at the end of a block quote.● Quotation marks aren’t used to open or close block

quotes.● When using a block quote, indent to 1 inch from the

page margin. (Or indent to paragraph, then an additional tab.) You do not want the block quote and paragraph indents to be the same.

Block Quote Example

Nelly Dean treats Heathcliff poorly and dehumanizes him throughout her narration:

They entirely refused to have it in bed with them, or even in their room, and I had no more

sense, so, I put it on the landing of the stairs, hoping it would be gone on the morrow. By

chance, or else attracted by hearing his voice, it crept to Mr. Earnshaws door, and there he

found it on quitting his chamber. Inquires were made as to how it got there; I was obliged to

confess, and in recompense for my cowardice and inhumanity was sent out of the house.

(Bronte 78)Notice:

● there is no quotation marks to open and close the block quote.

● There is a colon at the end of the block quote/● The quote is indented further than where the

paragraph is indented.

MLA Formatting Quotations

Formatting quotations depends on their length. Below are some basic guidelines for incorporating quotations into your paper. Please note that all pages in MLA should be double-spaced.

Short Quotations

Punctuation marks such as periods, commas, and semicolons should appear after the parenthetical citation. Question marks and exclamation points should appear within the quotation marks if they are a part of the quoted passage but after the parenthetical citation if they are a part of your text.

Example:

Is it possible that dreams may express "profound aspects of personality" (Foulkes 184)?

Long Quotations (Block quotes)Your parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation mark. When quoting verse, maintain original line breaks.

So just like in the other example, the (Bronte 78) was mentioned after the closing punctuation.

Nelly Dean treats Heathcliff poorly and dehumanizes him throughout her narration:

They entirely refused to have it in bed with them, or even in their room, and I had no more

sense, so, I put it on the landing of the stairs, hoping it would be gone on the morrow. By

chance, or else attracted by hearing his voice, it crept to Mr. Earnshaw's door, and there he

found it on quitting his chamber. Inquires were made as to how it got there; I was obliged to

confess, and in recompense for my cowardice and inhumanity was sent out of the house.

(Bronte 78)

Adding or omitting words in quotations

● If you add a word or words in a quotation, you should put brackets around the words to indicate that they are not part of the original text.

Example: Jan Harold Brunvand, in an essay on urban legends, states, "some individuals [who retell urban legends] make a point of learning every rumor or tale" (78).

● If you omit a word or words from a quotation, you should indicate the deleted word or words by using ellipsis marks ( . . . ) preceded and followed by a space.

Example: In an essay on urban legends, Jan Harold Brunvand notes that "some individuals make a point of learning every recent rumor or tale . . . and in a short time a lively exchange of details occurs" (78)

The loch ness monster!!!