How does the font and type size I choose affect the formatting of block quotations in my paper?

As the MLA Handbook notes, “If a quotation extends to more than four lines when run into your text, set if off from the text as a… Read More

What should I do if several lines of my block quotation do not fit at the bottom of the page?

In a manuscript or student paper, it is fine for a block quotation to be split across two pages or for the entire quotation to… Read More

How do I quote English-language sources in a foreign-language paper?

To quote an English-language source in a foreign-language paper, follow the guidelines in section 1.3.8 of the MLA Handbook on translating quotations (90–91). Let’s say you… Read More

How do I create a vertical list in which each item includes a quoted fragment and a complete sentence?

Follow the guidelines on how to create a vertical list. Since the quotes are fragments, you may lowercase them. Either a colon or a period… Read More

If I cite a passage that contains numerous quotations from other sources, how do I let my reader know the original sources of the quotations?

You are not obligated to tell your reader the original sources of the quotations. Nor should you include any note numbers or parenthetical documentation from… Read More

Is there a way to avoid back-to-back parentheses when a block quotation ends with a parenthetical and the quotation is followed by a parenthetical reference?

The best way to avoid multiple punctuation is to rewrite if possible. Let’s say you are citing the passage from an e-book without stable pagination. Read More

How should I let my reader know that I have used modern spelling for quotations from a work written in the early modern period?

If you use modern spelling in quotations from a work written in the early modern period, you should let your readers know in a note… Read More

Does a pronoun in a quotation need to be integrated into the surrounding text?

No. In MLA style, when you are quoting a work, you should maintain the integrity of the original text whenever possible. If the pronoun in… Read More

If I am discussing a story collection that uses line numbers, should the page numbers or the line numbers be cited?

In general, the page numbers should be cited. Line numbers, if provided, are most helpful to readers for citations of “commonly studied poems and verse… Read More

Must a short quotation from a play be set off as an extract?

No. When the dialogue incorporated is very brief or partial, you may elect to run the quotation into your text, as shown in the example… Read More