In-Text Citations - MLA

Standard format: double quotation mark/quoted material/double quotation mark/left parenthesis/last name/page number/right parenthesis/period

For example, when Jem and Scout are building their snowman, they “[cannot] wait for Atticus to come home for dinner” (Lee 71).

If the quote ends with a question mark or an exclamation point, put it inside the last quotation mark and put a period after the page citation.

For example, while discussing the group of men who want to hang Tom Robinson before the trial begins, Atticus says, “Every mob in every little Southern town is always made up of people you know—doesn’t say much for them, does it?” (Lee 160).

Use brackets when you alter words from the original quotation.

Actual text: Atticus “went to the court reporter and said something, nodded to Mr. Gilmer, and then went to Tom Robinson and whispered something to him” (Lee 214).

Your quote: For example, before leaving the courtroom Atticus “[goes] to the court reporter and [says] something, [nods] to Mr. Gilmer, and then [goes] to Tom Robinson and [whispers] something to him” (Lee 214).


Open the document to the right for a complete guide with examples -->

MLA In-Text Citation Guide

Reminders:

  1. Never put periods or commas immediately before the closing quotation mark.

  2. Never write pg./p./pp., etc. inside the parentheses. The only think that can appear inside the parentheses are Arabic numbers.

  3. Use a variety of transition words and sentence structures.


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