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

Should there be a space between single and double quotation marks?

Although publishers often insert a thin space between single and double quotation marks to make the text easier to read, writers do not need to… Read More

How do I quote dialogue that is not in quotation marks?

Some works render dialogue without enclosing it in punctuation that would distinguish it from the surrounding text. Treat such dialogue as you would treat any… Read More

How do I cite a poem quoted in a journal article?

If in your essay you use a quotation from a poem that you found in a journal article, your in-text citation should include “qtd. in.”… Read More

Should “sic” be used to indicate that a quotation includes slang?

No. Do not use “sic,” from the Latin for “thus” or “so,” to indicate that a quotation has been reproduced accurately. If clarification of a quotation is… Read More

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 I style paragraphs in a block quotation?

In a block quotation that includes more than one paragraph, indent the beginning of the paragraphs after the first one, even if your source uses… Read More

How do I cite in my prose an untitled poem known by its number in a collection?

If you are citing an untitled poem known only by its number, a generic description of the poem can be substituted for the title in… Read More