MLA Basics
When you are quoting something directly, you put the exact words in...
quotation marks
True or False: You never need to check the citation generator
False
True or False: The punctuation always goes OUTSIDE of the parentheses.
True!
Ex: Smith says, "Elmo is a wonderful person" (34). OR Coombs states, "My cat Dovie, is very lovey" (22), though Dovie can also be a menace.
Correct the citation:
For example, "lots of people enjoy playing tennis." (Jones 12)
For example, "lots of people enjoy playing tennis" (Jones 12).
period goes AFTER the parenthesis
Whenever you quote, paraphrase, or summarize a source in your writing, you need to provide BLANK that tells readers what you took from the source and where in the source you found the information.
documentation (also acceptable- a citation)
True or False: The Works Cited page comes as its own separate page at the very end of a paper.
True
True or False: You need to put your Works Cited page in alphabetical order
True
What would an in-text citation look like if you had your author's last name AND you have the page #?
(Author's Last Name Page #)
Ex: (Quimby 94)
Correct the citation: the quote is in italics
Shelby writes, " Lots of people love Garfield (99).
Shelby writes, "Lots of people love Garfield" (99).
quotation marks are needed around the direct quote
You can mention the author in one of two ways. What are these two ways?
signal phrase (narrative citation) or in parentheses (parenthetical citation)
What kind of spacing is required in MLA documentation?
Double spacing
True or False: the title of your Works Cited page should be bold and italicized
False! just centered
What is in the in-text formula if you have your author's last name BUT DON'T have the page #?
(Author's Last Name)
Ex: (Coombs)
Correct the citation:
One thing that confuses some people is "the placement of the punctuation (Brantley 89.)"
One thing that confuses some people is "the placement of the punctuation" (89).
in-text citation comes at the end, period after parentheses
If you have more than 3 authors, what should you do?
List the first and follow with "et al."
ex: (Coombs et al. 22)
Hanging indent (0.5 in)
Does double spacing apply to the Works Cited page too?
yes!
What is in the in-text formula if you DON'T have your author's last name and DON'T have a page number?
("Article Title")
Ex: ("Elmo is a Good Friend")
Correct the citation:
West states that "pugs are adorable animals" (p. 22).
West states that "pugs are adorable animals" (22).
you don't need the "p."
If you're quoting 2 author's with the same last name, how do you distinguish between them?
Use their first initial
Ex: (A. Henry 8) and (K. Henry 10)
What 4 items are included on an MLA header AND in what order?
Student's first and last name
Teacher's name
Class name and section
due date
plagarizing
What is the difference between parenthetical citations and narrative citations?
parenthetical citations --> putting everything in parenthesis at the end
ex: For example, "Lots of people love spring" (Coombs 26).
narrative citations --> put the author's name in the sentence and the page number at the end
ex: Coombs states, "Pugs are some of the cutest animals I've ever seen" (11).
Correct the citation:
There are lots of aspects of "rhetorical devices that confuse some people" (Ginger 20).
Trick question! This citation is correct
What 3 letters do you use if you're quoting a text that is quoted in another source?
qtd.
ex: (qtd. in Tanner 7)