Understanding the MLA style
Definition of “essay”
 Noun: A short piece of writing on a particular subject.
 An essay is a short piece of writing which is often
written from an author's personal point of view.
 Essays are pieces of written work, which are submitted
by students to the university and is one form of
assessment.
 A group of paragraphs presenting facts and analysis
about one main idea.
Your essay
• Around 8 pages long
• Use Microsoft Word or 한글
• Double-spaced, Times New Roman size 12
• Use lots of quotes
• No cover page
• Must have page numbers
Double-spacing 2.0
 In Microsoft Word 2007:
Double-spacing
 In Microsoft Word 2003
 Format -> Paragraph
 서식 -> 단력
 줄 간격 -> Double / 2.0
Double-spacing 300%
 In 한글 2010
Times New Roman/Arial size 12
 In 한글
Times New Roman size 12
 In Microsoft Word
Step 1: Choose one short story
1.
Waiting for Godot
Samuel Beckett
2.
“A Good Man is Hard to Find”
Flannery O’Connor
3.
The Waste Land
T. S. Eliot
4.
“The Yellow Wallpaper”
Charlotte Perkins Gilman
5.
“Coming Home Again”
Chang-Rae Lee
6.
“Sonny’s Blues”
James Baldwin
7.
Sure Thing
David Ives
8.
“The Storm”
Kate Chopin
Waiting for Godot & Sure Thing are plays.
The Waste Land a poem.
The other works are short stories.
Step 2: Find your story
1.
You should check the library for “literature
“anthology,” “short stories” and “fiction anthology.”
(명문집/영소설선)
Step 2: Find your story
 You can also find your story on the Internet, using
Google or Naver
Step 2: Find your story
 You should search for:
 Title, author, full text
 For example:
 Happy Endings Margaret Atwood full text
Step 3
 Make a photocopy or print your story
 Read it
 Underline it
 Bring it to class next week
 Show me! (10%)
Modern Language Association
Title Page
 Name, student number
 Title (bold, underlined)
 Text
 Page number
1
Quotes 인용 引用
 Long quotes:
 a separate, indented paragraph
 Short quotes:
 Use quotation marks = “blah, blah, blah.”
 After the quote:
 Cite (인용) using the writer’s last name & page number
 Example: (Atwood 1)
 First page of Margaret Atwood’s story
Use lots of quotes (long quote)
Margaret Atwood’s story “Happy Endings” reminds me of my life because the two main
characters John and Mary get married and have a happy life.
John and Mary fall in love and get married. They both have worthwhile and
Indented -> remunerative jobs which they find stimulating and challenging. They buy a
charming house. (Atwood 1)
Last name of writer + page number
Just like John, I married my wife after we fell in love. I also have a great job and I want
to buy a charming house.
Use lots of quotes (short quote)
Margaret Atwood’s story “Happy Endings” reminds me of my life because the two
main characters John and Mary get married and have a happy life. “John and Mary
fall in love and get married. They both have worthwhile and remunerative jobs
which they find stimulating and challenging. They buy a charming house” (Atwood
1). Just like John, I married my wife after we fell in love. I also have a great job and
I want to buy a charming house.
Last name of writer + page number
Quotation marks
Works Cited 참고 문헌
 At the end of your essay
 Writer’s name
 Title of poem/short story/play/novel
 Year published
Works Cited
 Example: Margaret Atwood’s “Happy Endings”
Atwood, Margaret. “Happy Endings.” 1983.
Last name
First name
Title
Year published
Tips
Transitions
 Giving a reason: because
 Giving an example: for example, for instance
 Conclusion:
therefore
thus
hence
consequently
in conclusion
at last
then
in brief
finally
More transitions
 Compare ideas:
Also
Too
In addition
Similarly
Furthermore
Moreover
 Show different ideas:
However
On the other hand Although
Whereas
But
Nevertheless
Sequence transitions
First
Second
Third
Next
Then
finally
Sentence structure 문장 구조
 Two types of sentences
 Active 능동태

Subject + verb + object
 Margaret Atwood wrote “Happy Endings” in 1983.
 Passive 피동사, 수동태

Object + past participle + subject
 “Happy Endings” was written in 1983 by Margaret Atwood.
Articles 관사
 Use a/an before a common noun
 An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
 Use the when you are referring to a specific instance of
a noun.
 The apples in the refrigerator were delicious.
 Do NOT use an article before a proper noun.
 Daegu is a big city.
 Daegu is a city.
Adjectives 형용사
 Adjectives come before nouns
 Daegu is a big city.
 Gyeongsan is a small city.
 Daegu is bigger than Gyeongsan.
 Seoul is the biggest city in Korea.
Tenses
st
(1
person)
 Simple present
 I eat apples.
 Present continuous
 I am eating an apple.
 Simple past
 I ate apples.
 Future
 I will eat apples.
 I am going to eat apples.
 I plan to eat apples.
Tenses
rd
(3
person)
 Simple present
 She eats apples.
 Present continuous
 She is eating an apple.
 Simple past
 She ate apples.
 Future
 She will eat apples.
 She is going to eat apples.
 She plans to eat apples.
The “be” verb
 Past
 I was a boy. (he/she)
 You were a girl.
 Present
 I am a man.
 You are a woman.
 She is a woman.
 Future
 I will be an old man. / You will be an old woman.
 I am going to be an old man. / You are going to be …
 She is going to be an old woman.