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—is no different from citing… Read More

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 packed,… Read More

How do I cite song lyrics?

The way you cite song lyrics will vary depending on how you access them. If you cite song lyrics from a CD you listened to,… Read More

If a quotation starts on one page and continues on a consecutive page or pages, should the in-text citation include the span or just the page on which the quote began?

Include the page span in your in-text citation: (62–63) (Jones 137–38) See the MLA Handbook, section 2.5.1, for how to style nonconsecutive page ranges. Read More

Can I use block quotations in an endnote?

In its publications, the MLA generally avoids using block quotations in notes. Exceptions would be made for quotations of more than one paragraph or for… Read More

How do I quote stage directions?

There are different traditions for formatting stage directions, even in publications of the same play. When quoting stage directions, your aim should be consistency. It… Read More

How do I cite descriptive copy or a quotation from a book cover or jacket in the text and in the works-cited list?

If you are citing descriptive copy or a quotation printed on the cover of a book, it’s preferable to incorporate the necessary details (chiefly, the… Read More

How do I cite a quotation that I’ve altered?

In almost all cases you should transcribe a quotation exactly as it appears in the source. However, you may occasionally want to italicize words in… Read More

Must quotations always be introduced with wording like “So-and-so writes”?

No. There are innumerable ways to weave a quotation gracefully into your prose. As long as the quotation’s purpose and source are clear, you need… Read More

The rules for positioning a parenthetical citation next to a final period seem different with run-in quotations and block quotations. What is the logic here?

Run-in quotations and block quotations follow the same logic, although the differences in their formats call for differences in punctuation. First, let’s look at a… Read More