When you directly quote the works of others in your paper, you will
format quotations differently depending on their length. Below are some
basic guidelines for incorporating quotations into your paper. Please
note that all pages in MLA should be
double-spaced.
Short Quotations
To indicate short quotations (four or fewer typed lines of prose or
three lines of verse) in your text, enclose the quotation within double
quotation marks. Provide the author and specific page citation (in the
case of verse, provide line numbers) in the text, and include a complete
reference on the Works Cited page. Punctuation marks such as periods,
commas, and semicolons should appear after the parenthetical citation.
Question marks and exclamation points should appear within the quotation
marks if they are a part of the quoted passage but after the
parenthetical citation if they are a part of your text.
For example, when quoting short passages of prose, use the following examples
:
According to some, dreams express "profound aspects of personality" (Foulkes 184), though others disagree.
According to Foulkes's study, dreams may express "profound aspects of personality" (184).
Is it possible that dreams may express "profound aspects of personality" (Foulkes 184)?
When short (fewer than three lines of verse) quotations from poetry,
mark breaks in short quotations of verse with a slash, /, at the end of
each line of verse (a space should precede and follow the slash).
Cullen concludes, "Of all the things that happened there / That's all I remember" (11-12).
Long Quotations
For quotations that extend to more than four lines of verse or prose,
place quotations in a free-standing block of text and omit quotation
marks. Start the quotation on a new line, with the entire quote indented
one inch from the left margin; maintain
double-spacing. Only indent the first line of the quotation by an
additional quarter inch if you are citing multiple paragraphs. Your
parenthetical citation should come
after the closing
punctuation mark. When quoting verse, maintain original line breaks.
(You should maintain double-spacing throughout your essay.)
For example, when citing more than four lines of prose, use the following examples:
Nelly Dean treats Heathcliff poorly and dehumanizes him throughout her narration:
"They entirely refused to have it in bed with them,
or even in their room, and I had no more sense, so, I put it on the
landing of the stairs, hoping it would be gone on the morrow. By chance,
or else attracted by hearing his voice, it crept to Mr. Earnshaw's
door, and there he found it on quitting his chamber. Inquiries were made
as to how it got there; I was obliged to confess, and in recompense for
my cowardice and inhumanity was sent out of the house. (Bronte 78)"
When citing long sections (more than three lines) of poetry, keep formatting as close to the original as possible.
In his poem "My Papa's Waltz," Theodore Roethke explores his childhood with his father:
The whiskey on your breath
Could make a small boy dizzy;
But I hung on like death:
Such waltzing was not easy.
We Romped until the pans
Slid from the kitchen shelf;
My mother's countenance
Could not unfrown itself. (quoted in Shrodes, Finestone, Shugrue 202)