Does MLA style allow the use of slashed terms?
The slash is rarely necessary in formal prose. It mainly appears when two terms are paired as opposites or alternatives and used together as a… Read More
Posts related to writing tips
If I cite a work that has no page numbers and I give the author’s name at the beginning of my sentence, how does the reader know where the author’s idea ends, since there is no parenthetical citation?
As the MLA Handbook notes, when you borrow an idea from a source, “it is important to signal at the end . . . that you are… Read More
Should I italicize titles not written in the Latin alphabet?
No. Note that there are many languages in the world that do not have an italic font—Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Armenian, for example. Arabic sometimes uses a… Read More
Making the Transition from High School to College Essay Writing
Unlike my high school essays, my college papers consist largely of my own ideas and analysis . . . Read More
How do I style geographic terms such as north and south in MLA style?
MLA style follows The Chicago Manual of Style (8.47) for geographic terms. For example, we capitalize north, south, east, and west when the terms refer to regions or cultures: Customs… Read More
When is a comma used before et al. in MLA style?
In MLA style, a comma is generally only used before et al. in the “Author” slot of works-cited-list entries when the author’s first and last names… Read More
How to Get out of a Tangle When Your Modifiers Dangle
Dangling modifiers take several forms. Here are a few types—and some ways to fix them . . . Read More
When I am quoting, do I need to indicate if italics are in the original?
No. In MLA style, italics in a quotation are assumed to be in the original unless otherwise indicated. See the MLA Handbook for more details on quoting… Read More
If the title of an essay I am citing is also the name of a work that normally appears in italics, how should I style the name of the essay?
If the title of an essay consists solely of the title of a work normally styled in italics, the title of the work should be… Read More
Should I use hyphens in compounds with adverbs ending in ly?
No. Since a compound formed by an adverb ending in ly cannot be misread, no hyphen is used: She had a politically transformative experience. Read More