PUNCTUATE MLA CITATIONS CORRECTLY
COMMON ERRORS
STUDENT EXAMPLE:
Victor Frankenstein, when faced with the decision of whether or not to create a female companion for the monster, states that to do so "would be an act of the basest and most atrocious selfishness." (Shelley 148)
PROBLEM: The period inside the quotation mark doesn't belong there. It belongs at the end of the parenthetical citation according MLA.
STUDENT EXAMPLE:
Victor Frankenstein, when faced with the decision of whether or not to create a female companion for the monster, states that to do so "would be an act of the basest and most atrocious selfishness." (Shelley 148).
PROBLEM: Now the writer has a redundant period because there are two clashing with each other.
STUDENT EXAMPLE:
Victor Frankenstein, when faced with the decision of whether or not to create a female companion for the monster, states that to do so "would be an act of the basest and most atrocious selfishness" (Shelley, 148).
PROBLEM: The comma doesn't belong inside the parenthesis. Rarely do any punctuation marks get placed inside parenthesis.
STUDENT EXAMPLE:
Victor Frankenstein, when faced with the decision of whether or not to create a female companion for the monster, states that to do so "would be an act of the basest and most atrocious selfishness" (Shelley pg. 148).
PROBLEM: MLA usually does not call for the pg. abbreviation, though some abbreviations may be appropriate at times most do not.
THE SOLUTION
Victor Frankenstein, when faced with the decision of whether or not to create a female companion for the monster, states that to do so "would be an act of the basest and most atrocious selfishness" (Shelley 148).
SOLUTION: For a simple print source, end the quote, type a space, begin the parenthetical citation, list the author's name, type a space, list the page number alone without any punctuation or abbreviation, close the parenthetical citation, and then place your end punctuation if needed.
PROPERLY USING QUOTATIONS
#1
In her book, Black Magic and Witches: Fact or Fiction?, Tamara L. Roleff writes, “because of the danger witches presented to Christianity, church officials believed it was necessary to find and execute all witches” (14).
(Notice the introduction is at the beginning of the quote.)
#2
“Occasionally,” writes Roleff, “the accused witch’s family would be permitted to tie a rope around her waist so that, if she sank, they could drag her out, preferably before she drowned” (14).
(Notice the quote is split with the author’s insert.)
#3
“Witch-hunters were always trying to think of new ways to figure out if the people accused of being witches were in fact worthy of being tried,” Roeff notes (14).
(Notices the introduction is at the end of the quote.)
#4
One method that church officials would use to help them determine who was a witch was a practice called “witch swimming,” which involved binding the accused person’s hands and feet, and toss them into a body of water to see if they would sink or swim (Roleff 14).
(If you do not mention the book title or author in your sentence, you must the author’s last name and the page number in parenthesis at the end --- and the quoted material is woven completely into the sentence).
#5
Roeff poses interesting questions about the fear of witchcraft in society stating, “Are communities more likely to accuse new ideas as witch just to rid them from the potential followers?” (14).
(Notice the quote is a question but sentence it is incorporated into is a statement; therefore, there is two types of punctuation.)
COMMON ERRORS
STUDENT EXAMPLE:
Victor Frankenstein, when faced with the decision of whether or not to create a female companion for the monster, states that to do so "would be an act of the basest and most atrocious selfishness." (Shelley 148)
PROBLEM: The period inside the quotation mark doesn't belong there. It belongs at the end of the parenthetical citation according MLA.
STUDENT EXAMPLE:
Victor Frankenstein, when faced with the decision of whether or not to create a female companion for the monster, states that to do so "would be an act of the basest and most atrocious selfishness." (Shelley 148).
PROBLEM: Now the writer has a redundant period because there are two clashing with each other.
STUDENT EXAMPLE:
Victor Frankenstein, when faced with the decision of whether or not to create a female companion for the monster, states that to do so "would be an act of the basest and most atrocious selfishness" (Shelley, 148).
PROBLEM: The comma doesn't belong inside the parenthesis. Rarely do any punctuation marks get placed inside parenthesis.
STUDENT EXAMPLE:
Victor Frankenstein, when faced with the decision of whether or not to create a female companion for the monster, states that to do so "would be an act of the basest and most atrocious selfishness" (Shelley pg. 148).
PROBLEM: MLA usually does not call for the pg. abbreviation, though some abbreviations may be appropriate at times most do not.
THE SOLUTION
Victor Frankenstein, when faced with the decision of whether or not to create a female companion for the monster, states that to do so "would be an act of the basest and most atrocious selfishness" (Shelley 148).
SOLUTION: For a simple print source, end the quote, type a space, begin the parenthetical citation, list the author's name, type a space, list the page number alone without any punctuation or abbreviation, close the parenthetical citation, and then place your end punctuation if needed.
PROPERLY USING QUOTATIONS
#1
In her book, Black Magic and Witches: Fact or Fiction?, Tamara L. Roleff writes, “because of the danger witches presented to Christianity, church officials believed it was necessary to find and execute all witches” (14).
(Notice the introduction is at the beginning of the quote.)
#2
“Occasionally,” writes Roleff, “the accused witch’s family would be permitted to tie a rope around her waist so that, if she sank, they could drag her out, preferably before she drowned” (14).
(Notice the quote is split with the author’s insert.)
#3
“Witch-hunters were always trying to think of new ways to figure out if the people accused of being witches were in fact worthy of being tried,” Roeff notes (14).
(Notices the introduction is at the end of the quote.)
#4
One method that church officials would use to help them determine who was a witch was a practice called “witch swimming,” which involved binding the accused person’s hands and feet, and toss them into a body of water to see if they would sink or swim (Roleff 14).
(If you do not mention the book title or author in your sentence, you must the author’s last name and the page number in parenthesis at the end --- and the quoted material is woven completely into the sentence).
#5
Roeff poses interesting questions about the fear of witchcraft in society stating, “Are communities more likely to accuse new ideas as witch just to rid them from the potential followers?” (14).
(Notice the quote is a question but sentence it is incorporated into is a statement; therefore, there is two types of punctuation.)