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 MLA
Formatting and Style Guide -
Formatting Quotations
by
Dave Neyhart and Erin E. Karper. Revision by Karl Stolley
www.owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
01.
MLA - General Format
02.
MLA - In-Text Citations: The Basics
03.
MLA - In-Text Citations: Author-Page Style
04.
MLA - Formatting Quotations
05.
MLA - Footnotes and Endnotes
06.
MLA - Works Cited Page: Basic Format
07.
MLA - Works Cited Page: Books
08.
MLA - Works Cited: Periodicals
09.
MLA - Works Cited: Electronic Sources
10.
MLA - Works Cited: Other Non-Print Sources
11.
MLA - Additional Resources
Formatting Quotations
When you directly quote the works of others in
your paper, you will format quotations differently depending on
their length. Formatting quotations using MLA style is covered
in section 2.7 of the of the MLA Handbook (which begins on page
80) and in section 3.9 of the MLA Style Manual (which begins on
page 102). Below are some basic guidelines for incorporating
quotations into your paper.
Short Quotations
To indicate short quotations (fewer than four typed lines of
prose or three lines of verse) in your text, enclose the
quotation within double quotation marks. Provide the author and
specific page citation (in the case of verse, provide line
numbers) in the text, and include a complete reference on the
Works Cited page. 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. For example:
According to some, dreams express
"profound aspects of
personality" (Foulkes 184), though
others disagree.
According to Foulkes's study, dreams may express
"profound aspects of personality"
(184).
Is it possible that dreams may express "profound aspects
of personality" (Foulkes
184)?
Mark breaks in short quotations of verse with a
slash, /, at the end of each line of verse:
Cullen concludes, "Of all the
things that happened
there/ That's all I
remember" (11-12).
Long Quotations
Place quotations longer than four typed lines in a free-standing
block of text, and omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on
a new line, with the entire quote indented one inch from the
left margin; maintain double-spacing. Only indent the first line
of the quotation by a half inch if you are citing multiple
paragraphs. Your parenthetical citation should come after
the closing punctuation mark. When quoting verse, maintain
original line breaks. (You should maintain double-spacing
throughout your essay.) For 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.
Earnshaw's
door, and there he found it on
quitting his
chamber. Inquiries 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)
Poetry will be handled something like this:
In her poem "Sources," Adrienne
Rich explores the roles
of women in shaping their world:
The faithful drudging child
the child at the oak desk whose penmanship,
hard work, style will win her prizes
becomes the woman with a mission, not to win prizes
but to change the laws of history. (23)
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.
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 word by using ellipsis
marks, which are three periods (...) preceded and followed by a
space. For 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).
NOTE: According to the 6th Edition of the
MLA Handbook, brackets are no longer needed around
ellipses unless adding brackets would clarify your use of
ellipses. For example, if there are ellipsis marks in the quoted
author's work, do not put brackets around them; but do use
brackets around ellipsis marks you add, so as to distinguish
them from ellipsis marks in the quoted author's work. Also note
that the MLA Style Guide still requires brackets, so it's
probably best practice to follow the MLA manual appropriate to
your assignment or publication.
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