Can I use brackets to change the tense of a verb so that a quotation will fit syntactically into my sentence?

When a verb in a quotation does not fit syntactically into your sentence, you may use brackets to change the tense: If Charles Dickens were… Read More

Clearing Up the Confusion between You and I

by Jennifer Rappaport

Many writers substitute the phrase between you and I for between you and me . . . Read More

If I am referring to two sources that make the same point, how do I make my citations clear?

If you directly cite two sources that make the same point, you must make clear to your reader the source of each quotation.  Johnson argues that “mint chip ice… Read More

Should a hyphen or an en dash be used for inclusive page ranges?

In the MLA Handbook and examples of student writing on The MLA Style Center, hyphens are used in page ranges since hyphens may be easier for students… Read More

How do I style the names of contests?

Names of titled contests are set roman without quotation marks: The American Association for the Advancement of Science announced the tenth annual Dance Your Ph.D. contest. When… Read More

If a source contains more than one work with an introduction to each labeled “Introduction,” how should I refer to the introductions in my writing and in my works-cited list?

If you need to differentiate among several introductions in a source because each is labeled “Introduction,” you can either make clear in your writing which introduction you are… Read More

Verbs with Alternative Subjects

by Michael Kandel

Should you use a singular or plural verb after alternative subjects—that is, two nouns joined by or—when one is singular and the other plural? A common practice is to have the verb agree in number with the second subject of the pair—in other words, with the noun that is closer to the verb . . . 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

Why is the label before a contributor’s name sometimes capitalized and sometimes lowercase in MLA works-cited-list entries?

Whether the label before a contributor’s name–for example, edited by or translated by–is capitalized or lowercase depends on its position in the MLA format template. In the following… Read More

Do the credentials or titles of authors I cite need to be given?

As the MLA Handbook notes (1.2), a title like Dr. or Sir should not be included before a name mentioned in the text and is usually unnecessary… Read More