There are so many rules that regulate the way we can quote and cite poetry in our own writing that it can be hard to navigate the MLA Handbook.Improper quoting and citing can be considered plagiarism.If you want to make your English teacher happy with how you quote from and cite poetry in your papers, here is a comprehensive look at the most important things you need to know.
Step 1: The titles of poems should be placed in quotation marks.
Don't highlight or italicize them.The idea of solitude versus living in a world of other people and obligations is discussed in Robert Frost's poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening".
Step 2: In the text of your essay, type short quotations of three lines or less.
The lines of the poem can be separated with a slash on each side.Do not rephrase the lines as they appear in the poem.Capitalize the first letter of the poem.The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, but I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep.In "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," Frost writes, "The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, but I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep."
Step 3: There are four or more lines of indent quotations.
10 spaces from the left margin should be used for the quotations.Don't add quotation marks for long quotes.The line numbers should be added inside the parentheses after the quotation is over.There is an in-text citation.The colon should be used after a complete sentence that introduces a quotation.Robert Frost wrote about solitude and man's relationship with nature.He won't allow me to stop here to watch his woods fill up with snow.(1-5)
Step 4: There is a short omission with an ellipsis.
When you need to shorten a long quotation or leave out material that isn't relevant to the point you are making, use an ellipsis.Robert Frost talks about solitude and a desire to forget obligations when he writes, "The woods are lovely...but I have promises to keep."Robert Frost talks about solitude and a desire to forget obligations when he writes, "The woods are lovely, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep."
Step 5: When you remove a line from a poem, use a full line of ellipses.
Again, remove lines that aren't relevant to the point you're making.The line of ellipses should be as long as the lines of poetry.Robert Frost talks about solitude when he writes, Whose woods are I know?.He won't allow me to stop to watch his woods fill with snow.(1-5)
Step 6: If you borrow an idea, use citations.
If you borrow information from another source, you have to state it in your paper.Use quotation marks around the words that you take from another source with an in-text citation in parentheses at the end.Paraphrases don't require quote marks, but they still need an in-text citation at the end of the borrowed idea.If you don't take these steps correctly, you're not giving credit where it's due to the original author.
Step 7: The in-text citation can be created.
Right after the closing quotation marks, add the line numbers in parentheses.The closing statement should be placed after the parentheses.If you include the author's name in your introduction to the quote, you don't need to put it in the parentheses.If you don't include the author's name in your quote introduction, you need to include it in the in-text parenthetical citation.The famous lines, "The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, but I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep" are examples of the idea of solitude.
Step 8: Line numbers are added after you quote.
When you only quote one word, add a line number at the end of your sentence.Robert Frost uses the word sleep to mean fantasies about solitude and death.Robert Frost uses a variety of words and phrases such as "frozen", "darkest evening" and "before I sleep" to imply thoughts of solitude and the desire to not return to his obligations.
Step 9: Cite long quotes and short quotes differently.
Any quote over three lines is considered a long quote and should be formatted differently.Long quotes are not surrounded by quotation marks because they are written in 1 inch or 10 spaces from the left margin.The punctuation goes at the end of the quoted material, not after the citation, because there are no quotation marks for a long quote.In "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," Frost writes, "The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, but I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep."Robert Frost wrote about solitude and man's relationship with nature.He won't allow me to stop here to watch his woods fill up with snow.(1-5)
Step 10: If you have more than one poem by the same author, use short poem titles in citations.
If you're using two or more poems by the same author, it's important that you give a clear indication of the in-text citation for each one.The author's last name should be put in quotes, a space, and line numbers from the poem.The famous lines, "The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, but I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep" are examples of the idea of solitude."And both that morning equally lay / In leaves no step had trodden black" is a similar idea.
Step 11: The poem was found in a book.
The author's Lastname is Firstname.The title of the book.The year is the publisher's city of publication.There is a page number range.The publication medium is a print.There is an example of Frost, Robert.The poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" was written by Robert Frost.New York: Holt and Rinehart.The score was 224-225.Print.
Step 12: A poem can be found on a website.
The author's Lastname is Firstname.The name of the website.The day the poem was posted.The publication medium is if there is no date.You accessed the poem on the website.There is an example of Frost, Robert.The Poetry Foundation said, "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening."n.d.There is a website.There was a new year on 6 January.
Step 13: You can cite a poem in an anthology.
A collection of texts can include poems, short stories, excerpts from novels, and a combination of these things.The author's Lastname is Firstname.The title of the poem.The editor of the anthology is named.If there is an edition of the anthology.The year is the publisher's city of publication.The poem has page numbers.Medium is a print.This is a made up anthology.The Little Anthology of American Literature states, "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening."Ed.Marie Shier.3rd edition.Some publisher in San Francisco.21-22.Print.
Step 14: Cite at least two poems by the same author.
List the poems by the same author on your Works Cited page.The first entry will appear normally, but the second will have three dashes instead of the author's name.The author is the same as before.For example: Robert.The poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" was written by Robert Frost.New York: Holt and Rinehart.The score was 224-225.Print.---.Robert Frost wrote The Road Not Taken.New York: Holt and Rinehart.222-222.Print.