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Ask the MLA poetrytitles of worksworks-cited list

If an untitled poem is known by its first line, how do I style that line in my works-cited-list entry?

The MLA Handbook explains that when you refer to an untitled poem known by its first line, you should style the line the way it  . . .

Published 19 January 2018

Ask the MLA dramatic worksin-text citationspoetryquotationsusing sources

How do I cite from a play that has both verse and prose sections?

Citing from a play that has both verse and prose sections—whether the play is William Shakespeare’s Macbeth or August Wilson’s Fences . . .

Published 27 November 2017

Ask the MLA formatting a paperpoetrypunctuationquotationswriting tips

If I am quoting the first few words of one line of poetry and the last few words of the next line of poetry, should I use two sets of ellipses with a slash between them?

Yes. Clarity is worth the trouble of more punctuation. Let's say you quote the following two lines of poetry: He had forty-two boxes, all carefully  . . .

Published 22 November 2017

Ask the MLA in-text citationspage numberspoetry

What kind of number do I put in the parenthetical citation for a poem—a page number, a line number, or another part number?

The ultimate goal is to be concise and to cite what is most useful to the reader. For quotations from a poem in a print or online  . . .

Published 29 February 2016