MLA Formatted Quotes

MLA Formatted Quotes

Length

• If your quote takes up more than 3 lines, it must be formatted as a block quote.

• For our Characterization paper, you should NOT have any quote that long.

Shortening a long quote by cutting out what's unnecessary

• Use ellipses ... to replace what you remove

Shortened quote:

Maya explains, “Mrs. Bertha Flowers was the aristocrat of Black Stamps ... She was our side's answer to the richest white woman in town."

Introduction phrase - Who is stating each quote?

• The narrator states, "....

• Mrs. Flowers explains, "....

• According to the narrator, "...

Multiple Choice

Which of these is more correct?

• The narrator says,"Mrs. Bertha flowers was the aristocrat of Black Stamps." This demonstrates that the narrator viewed Mrs. Flowers as dignified.

• The narrator viewed Mrs. Flowers as a dignified woman. "Mrs. Bertha Flowers was the aristocrat of Black Stamps."

Quotation marks go around the entire quote

Refer to our "Quotation Marks notes" for what to do if there's dialogue inside your quote.

Page number

• Before the quote: On page 260, Maya says, "I had chosen the right thing, for once."

• After the quote: Maya says, "I had chosen the right thing, for once" (260).

If the page number comes at the end, your punctuation follows it.

• Maya says, "I had chosen the right thing, for once" (260).

• Maya asks, "Had I chosen the right thing" (260)?

• Maya cried, "I want to make the right choice" (260)!

Multiple Choice

Which of these is correct?

• "'You make most of the children's clothes, don't you?,'" (260)

• "'You make most of the children's clothes, don't you'" (260)?

• "'You make most of the children's clothes, don't you .'" (260)?

• "'You make most of the children's clothes, don't you?'" (260).

Multiple Choice

Which of these is correct?

• "She smiled that slow, dragging smile," (259).

• "She smiled that slow, dragging smile." (259).

• "She smiled that slow, dragging smile." (259)

• "She smiled that slow, dragging smile" (259).