Using Quotes
Barry 2010
Using Quotes
 Literary
essays require the use of
quotes to ground arguments in the
work being analyzed.
 Quotes need to be
 1. incorporated well into your
writing, and
 2. cited correctly.
Using Quotes
First,
let’s look at an example
excerpt from an essay that
does not incorporate a quote
smoothly into the writing.
Using Quotes
In
Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury
creates a dystopian society
where books are outlawed. “So
now do you see why books are
hated and feared? They show
the pores on the face of life”
(Bradbury 83). Books are not
allowed in Montag’s world.
Using Quotes
Now,
let’s look at an example
excerpt from an essay that
does incorporate a quote
smoothly into the writing.
Using Quotes
 In
Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury creates a
dystopian society where books are
outlawed. Montag begins to
understand why when he speaks with
Faber, a former English professor. Faber
asks, “’So now do you see why books
are hated and feared? They show the
pores on the face of life’” (Bradbury 83).
Faber’s words reveal that because
people are afraid of the realities of life,
they have removed books that focus on
those realities from their society
completely. This lack of books causes
several problems for the society.
Using Quotes
Notice:
it took a great deal of
text to support the use of the
quote.
 There
was a smooth lead-in to
the quote,
 and the quote was explained
afterward.
Citing Quotes
Now
let’s talk about citing
quotes appropriately.
There are two types of citation
in MLA:
 1.
in-text citations
 2. citations in the Works Cited
Citing Quotes: In-text Citations
 MLA
in-text citations include
 the
author’s last name and
 the page number of the quote.
 The
citation is in parentheses.
 The period comes after the closing
parenthesis.
 Capitalization of the first letter of the
quote depends on how the quote is used.
Citing Quotes: In-text Citations
 Example:
Faber asks, “‘So now do you see why
books are hated and feared? They
show the pores on the face of life’”
(Bradbury 83).
 This
quote introduces a piece of
dialogue, so the first letter is
capitalized.
Citing Quotes: In-text Citations
 Example:
Faber says that books “‘show the
pores on the face of life’” (Bradbury
83).
 This
quote was incorporated into
the sentence, so the first letter was
not capitalized.
Citing Quotes: In-text Citations
 Example:
At the beginning of the book,
Montag loves to burn books. “It was a
pleasure to burn” ( Bradbury 3).
 This
quote was not incorporated
into the sentence, so the first letter
was capitalized.
Citing Quotes: In-text Citations
Did you notice?
 MLA in-text citations include
 the
author’s last name
 the page number of the quote
 The
citation is in parentheses.
 The period comes after the closing
parenthesis.
 Capitalization of the first letter of the
quote depends on how the quote is used.
Citing Quotes: In-text Citations
Exceptions
 Sometimes the author’s last name is
used in the set-up of the quote. In this
case, the author doesn’t need to be
included in parentheses.
 In
Ray Bradbury’s Farenheit 451, Faber
says that books “‘show the pores on the
face of life’” (83).
Citing Quotes: In-text Citations
Exceptions
 Also, if the same source was used for
the last quote, the author’s name does
not need to be included.
 Thus, in this paper, you only need the
author’s name the first time you use a
quote from the book.

Faber says that books “‘show the pores on
the face of life’” (83).
Citing Quotes: In-text Citations
What is wrong here?
“Montag walked but did not feel his
feet touch the cement and then the
night grasses.” (Bradbury 115)
“‘Montag walked but did not feel his
feet touch the cement and then the
night grasses (Bradbury 115).’”
Citing Quotes: In-text Citations
What is wrong here?
“Montag walked but did not feel his
feet touch the cement and then the
night grasses.” (Bradbury, 115)
“Montag walked but did not feel his
feet touch the cement and then the
night grasses.” (Bradbury 115).
Citing Quotes: In-text Citations
Now you practice!
Write out this quote with the correct intext citation:
p. 113 Montag’s face was entirely numb
and featureless.
p. 29 “Oh, they don’t miss me,” she said.
“I’m antisocial, they say.”
Citing Quotes: Works Cited
 The
works cited page is usually a
new page at the end of the MLA
paper.
 To save paper since you will only
cite one source, just include it at the
end of your last page, not on a new
page, for this paper only.
Citing Quotes: Works Cited
 The
title is “Works Cited” and it
should be centered.
 The whole page should be doublespaced, just like the body of the
paper.
 The entries themselves use a
hanging indent.
Citing Quotes: Works Cited
Format for a book (From the OWL writing lab):
Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book.
Original Year of Publication. Place of
Publication: Publisher, Year of
Publication. Medium of Publication.
Citing Quotes: Works Cited
Format for a book (From the OWL writing
lab):
Erdrich, Louise. Love Medicine. 1984.
New York: Perennial-Harper, 1993.
Print.