how to start an essay with a quote in mla

For quotations that are more than four lines of prose or three lines of verse, place quotations in a free-standing block of text and omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on a new line, with the entire quote indented 1/2 inch from the left margin while maintaining double-spacing. Your parenthetical citation should come after the closing ...

5. Hook your reader. Think of a quotation as a "hook" that will get your reader's attention and make her want to read more of your paper. The well-executed quotation is one way to draw your reader in to your essay. [2] 6. Ensure that the quotation contributes to your essay.

1. Make a free-standing blockquote for quotes longer than 4 lines. Start the quote on a new line and type the quote exactly as it appears in the source text, including punctuation. Do not enclose blockquotes in double quotation marks. [6] The entire blockquote is indented .5 inches (1.3 cm) from the left margin.

Citing a quote in APA Style. To cite a direct quote in APA, you must include the author's last name, the year, and a page number, all separated by commas. If the quote appears on a single page, use "p."; if it spans a page range, use "pp.". An APA in-text citation can be parenthetical or narrative.

Cite your MLA source. Start by applying these MLA format guidelines to your document: Use an easily readable font like 12 pt Times New Roman. Set 1 inch page margins. Use double line spacing. Include a ½" indent for new paragraphs. Include a four-line MLA heading on the first page. Center the paper's title.

Revised on March 5, 2024. When you include a long quote in an MLA paper, you have to format it as a block quote. MLA style (8th edition) requires block quote formatting for: An MLA block quote is set on a new line, indented 0.5 inches, with no quotation marks. The MLA in-text citation goes after the period at the end of the block quote.

Indent the quote ½ inch or five spaces from the left margin for the entire quote (not just the first line). Do not use quotation marks. Double space the quote. Put the parenthetical citation after the final punctuation mark in the quote. Comment on the quote after using it. Do not end a paragraph with a block quote.

To introduce a quote in an essay, don't forget to include author's last name and page number (MLA) or author, date, and page number (APA) in your citation. Shown below are some possible ways to introduce quotations. The examples use MLA format. Use A Full Sentence Followed by A Colon To Introduce A Quotation Examples: The setting emphasizes ...

MLA (Modern Language Association) style is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities. This resource, updated to reflect the MLA Handbook (9th ed.), offers examples for the general format of MLA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the Works Cited page.

For up-to-date guidance, see the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook. Yes, an essay may start with a block quotation. The quotation should be important to your discussion and referred to in your prose. This distinguishes it from an epigraph, which is ornamental in nature. Filed Under: formatting an essay, quotations, using sources, writing tips.

Hence, some templates for starting an essay with a quote that one can use are: President Kennedy stated that "…" . On the other hand, President Roosevelt believed that "…" . Author X contradicts himself in stating that. At the same time, he argues that "…" . In turn, he also implies that "…" . I agree that "…" .

In-Text Citations: An Overview. In-text citations are brief, unobtrusive references that direct readers to the works-cited-list entries for the sources you consulted and, where relevant, to the location in the source being cited. An in-text citation begins with the shortest piece of information that di­rects your reader to the entry in the ...

Revised on March 5, 2024. An MLA in-text citation provides the author's last name and a page number in parentheses. If a source has two authors, name both. If a source has more than two authors, name only the first author, followed by " et al. ". If the part you're citing spans multiple pages, include the full page range.

Create manual citation. The guidelines for citing an essay in MLA format are similar to those for citing a chapter in a book. Include the author of the essay, the title of the essay, the name of the collection if the essay belongs to one, the editor of the collection or other contributors, the publication information, and the page number (s).

9. Commas and periods are placed withi n the closing double quotations; colons and semicolons are placed on the outside. Example: "surprise," & "surprise." / "surprise": & "Surprise"; 10. Only use the double quotation marks to identify the title of a work, a direct quote, or a specific word or term that you want to discuss or ...

2. Cite the author's name. Note the author's full last name first in the citation. [3] For example, you may write: " (Albee…)" or " (Hansberry…)". 3. Note the title of the play. After the author's last name, put in a comma. Then, write the title of the play you are quoting in italics.

Quotes should always be cited (and indicated with quotation marks), and you should include a page number indicating where in the source the quote can be found. Example: Quote with APA Style in-text citation. Evolution is a gradual process that "can act only by very short and slow steps" (Darwin, 1859, p. 510).

Begin your Works Cited page on a separate page at the end of your research paper. It should have the same one-inch margins and last name, page number header as the rest of your paper. Label the page Works Cited (do not italicize the words Works Cited or put them in quotation marks) and center the words Works Cited at the top of the page.

3. Place the page number or range in parentheses after the quote. If you haven't mentioned the author in the text of your paper, include their last name first. Then, type only the page number, or the first page of the range and last page of the range, separated by a hyphen. Place a period outside the closing parenthesis.

Format a quotation of song lyrics the same way you would format a quotation of poetry. If the quotation consists of fewer than four lines, run it into the text, placing quotation marks around the lines and separating the lines from each other with a forward slash with a space on either side of it. Bob Dylan famously sang that " [t]he answer ...

6 Steps to Effective Paraphrasing. Reread the original passage until you understand its full meaning. Set the original aside, and write your paraphrase on a note card. Jot down a few words below your paraphrase to remind you later how you envision using this material. At the top of the note card, write a key word or phrase to indicate the ...