“Scary” Punctuation: The Origins, Use, and Abuse of Scare Quotes
An MLA editor explains the origins of scare quotes Read More
Posts related to punctuation
In a block quotation, can I reverse the order of two sentences if I separate them with an ellipsis?
No. Sentences in a block quotation cannot be reversed because, as the MLA Handbook notes, “[a] quotation should never be presented in a way that could cause… Read More
How should commas be used with dates in my prose?
In the day-month-year style, do not use commas: School started on 4 September 2018. In the month-day-year style, use a comma to set off the… Read More
When should commas be used with introductory phrases that include dates?
A comma may generally be omitted from an introductory phrase of two or three words, but consider using a comma when you wish to emphasize… Read More
Should the comma after an italicized element appear in italics?
Publishers differ in their practice. In its publications, the MLA’s preference is not to italicize commas that appear after italicized elements. However, we are open… Read More
In reference to centuries, when should I use a hyphen with early and late?
MLA style generally hyphenates elements of a compound adjective and does not use a hyphen for a noun phrase. a poet of the early nineteenth… Read More
Commas: Essential and Nonessential Elements
The little comma wields a lot of power . . . Read More
Should italics or quotation marks be used for a character’s internal thoughts?
Styling a character’s internal thoughts in italics or with quotation marks depends on whether you are quoting from a source that shows a character’s thoughts,… Read More
If I need to separate titles styled in quotation marks by semicolons in my parenthetical citations, should the semicolons go inside or outside the quotations marks?
The semicolons should be placed outside the quotation marks: Sweden took in more than 160,000 asylum seekers in 2015 (Henden, “Sweden Election Polls”; Hernroth-Rothstein; Milne;… Read More
How should I style my parenthetical citation the first time I quote lines from a poem if I have not mentioned the author’s name in my prose?
The MLA Handbook explains that if you are citing line numbers instead of page numbers in your parenthetical citation, you should “in your first citation, use the word… Read More