Modern Language Association (MLA) Writing Style Workshop

1. Modern Language Association (MLA) Writing Style Workshop Tomás Rivera Center

2. What we will cover today • General manuscript instructions • Grammar guidelines • Citations in text • Quotations in text • Works Cited page • Writing suggestions

3. General Instructions for Preparing the Paper Manuscript • Typeface (12-pt Times New Roman) • Double Spacing • Margins (1 in. all sides) • Your last name preceding the page number (upper right-hand corner)

4. General Instructions, cont. • Title Page • MLA format does not require a title page • Check with your instructor for specific formatting guidelines • The first page of your paper should include the following in the upper left hand corner: • Your name • Your instructor’s name • The course title • The date

5. First… • Grammar guidelines for MLA papers

6. Commas • Use in series of three or more items • The height, width, or depth. • Use to set off nonessential clauses • George W. Bush, who was at the summit… • DO NOT USE before an essential clause • George W. Bush attended the summit that took place in St. Petersburg.

7. Semicolons • Use to separate two independent clauses that are not joined by a conjunction • The Germans laid the groundwork for electronic pop music; artists like The Human League and Gary Numan helped bring it into the mainstream. • Use to separate elements in a series that already contain commas • Classic Universal horror movies include Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi; Frankenstein, starring Boris Karloff; and The Wolf Man, starring Lon Chaney, Jr.

8. Semicolons, cont. • Use when connecting clauses with a conjunctive adverb or transitional phrase • Walt Whitman documented America during the Civil War; however, he did not serve as a soldier. • The lottery winner showed little gratitude; on the contrary, he expected more money than he received.

9. Colons • Use after an independent clause to indicate a list, an appositive, or a quotation • The grocery list includes the following: eggs, bread, and milk. • We came home from the hike wanting two things: food and sleep. • Remember the words of Franklin D. Roosevelt: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

10. Quotation Marks • Periods and commas belong INSIDE quotation marks. • Colons and semicolons belong OUTSIDE quotation marks. • Question marks and exclamation points belong inside quotation marks unless they apply to the sentence rather than the quote. • Mary asked, “Where has all the cake gone?” • Do you believe “all’s well that ends well”?

11. Quotation Marks, cont. • Use quotation marks to enclose direct quotations. • The mayor declared, “The votes have been counted.” • Use single quotation marks to set off a quotation within a quotation. • Emily replied, “The state motto of New Hampshire, ‘Live free or die,’ reminds me of the spirit of America.”

12. Quotation Marks, cont. • Use to indicate titles of journal and magazine articles, newspaper articles, poems, short stories, songs, television episodes, and book chapters or subdivisions. • The choir sang “America the Beautiful.” • The newspaper headline read, “No Rain in Sight.” • “Ulysses,” Tennyson’s epic poem, recounted Odysseus's journey home from the Trojan War. • Use to set off structurally independent elements. • The voting patterns were dramatically different (see Figure 5).

13. Parentheses • Use to introduce abbreviations. • The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) • Use to set off structurally independent elements. • The voting patterns were dramatically different (see Figure 5).

14. Brackets • Use to enclose parenthetical material that is already within parentheses • Use to enclose material inserted in a quotation by some person other than the original writer • “when [his own and others’] behaviors were studied” (Hanisch 24).

15. Capitalization • Capitalize major words in titles and headings. • Capitalize the first word after a colon or dash in a title. • Capitalize proper nouns and trade names.

16. Capitalization, cont. • Capitalize the first word after a colon if it begins an independent clause. • The race ended in a tie: The leader stumbled near the finish line. • Capitalize the first word of a quoted sentence—do NOT capitalize the first word of a quoted phrase. • Mark declared, “Art is essential to humanity.” • In the twenty-first century, art remains “essential to humanity.”

17. Abbreviations • Use sparingly • Do not use etc.; explain what you mean

18. Numbers (MLA p.) • Spell out numbers containing one or two words. • Forty-four, not 44. • Use figures for numbers that contain more than two words. • 530, not five hundred and thirty. • If your sentence begins with a number, spell it out. • Twelve people sat on the jury.

19. Numbers, cont. • Use figures to express: • Dates • Percentages • Addresses • Exact amounts of money • Time of day • Scores • Surveys and statistics

20. Next up… • In-text citations

21. Citations in Text • One Author: • According to Smith, “The end is nigh” (34). • As one author declares, “The end is nigh” (Smith 34). • Two or Three Authors: • Smith and Jones concur that “the end is nigh” (57). • Both authors concur that “the end is nigh” (Smith and Jones 57).

22. Citations in Text, cont. • Four or More Authors: • Name all authors or the first author followed by “et al.” • Smith, Jones, Barnaby, and Fish surveyed the participants (56). • The scientists surveyed the participants (Smith et al. 56).

23. Citations in Text, cont. • Source quoted in another source • According to Ballard, “The future will not be violent or exciting, but merely average” (qtd. in Smithburg C17). • Dictionary or encyclopedia • The word anorexic has a Latin root (“Anorexic”).

24. Citations in Text, cont. • Anonymous or No Author • If short, use complete title. • Anorexia affects an alarming number of teenage girls (“Anorexia Blues”). • If long, truncate title. • Although horror films have decreased in popularity, they still attract a small, dedicated audience (“You Can’t Kill…”). • Two or More Titles By The Same Author • Mention title of work in text or include short version of title in parentheses.

25. Third topic… • In-text quotations

26. Quotations in Text • If a quotation has four or fewer typed lines, enclose it within quotation marks and insert it within the essay text. • Williams asserts, “Eight out of ten Americans admit to believing in ghosts” (69).

27. Quotations in Text, cont. • If the quote is longer than four typed lines, use block quote formatting. • Black found the following: The “bystander effect” is a dangerous symptom of social apathy. The most infamous case occurred in 1964 when Kitty Genovese was stabbed to death in front of approximately 40 witnesses; despite her repeated cries for help, no one assisted her. (276)

28. Quotations in Text, cont. • When omitting material within a quote, use an ellipsis mark. • McNab relays that “when the amount of interest on a loan rises …, consumers are less likely to borrow” (76). • When inserting material, enclose in brackets. • The researchers contend that “[women] tend to seek information while men tend to give information” (Smith and Jones 34).

29. Fourth topic… • The Works Cited Page

30. Works Cited • Journal Article: • Masters, Edna. “Flora and Fauna.” Botanical Quarterly 45.7 (2005): 60-75. • Book: • Tombs, Peter. Immoral Tales. New York: Doubleday, 1998. • Internet Source: • Elmira, Vivian. “Perfumes of The World.” Scents and Sensibility. 13 June 1999. 21 July 2006 <http://www.scents_sensibility.com/elmira>. Remember to tab the second line of each entry or use the “hanging indent” format on Microsoft Word.

31. Works Cited • Article in an anthology: • Johnson, Robert. “Fear in The Western World.” NewWorld Politics. Ed. Rosemary Finklestein. Chicago: Random House, 2001. 500-552. • Book with an editor: • Poe, Edgar Allan. The Complete Works. Ed. Jonas Salkerman. New York: Harcourt, 2000.

32. Works Cited • English translation of a book: • Ng, Lee. Vietnamese Diaries. Trans. Mary Whitehead. New York: Scarsdale Press, 2003.

33. Works Cited • More examples of Internet sources: • Document, no author identified, no publishing date: • “Buddha Smoked My Cigarettes.” Religion Today. 12 April 2006. <http://www.religion_today.com/budd>. • *NOTE: The date above refers to the date of access, not the publishing date.

34. Works Cited • Personal Interview: • Simon, Paul. Personal interview. 24 July 2006. • Film or Video: • Crash. Dir. David Cronenberg. Perf. James Spader, Holly Hunter, and Rosanna Arquette. New Line, 1996. • Lecture/Public Address: • Edwards, John. “Education Initiatives to End Poverty.” Laurie Auditorium, Trinity University. San Antonio, Texas. 12 April 2006.

35. FINAL topics to help you…

36. Writing Suggestions • A note on passive voice: • In some instances, passive voice is permissible. For example, if you wish to emphasize the receiver of the action and minimize the importance of the actor, use passive voice. • The control group was administered a placebo. • However, overuse of passive voice weakens your essay and leads to wordiness; use the active voice whenever possible.

37. Other places to find assistance • UTSA Tomas Rivera Center (TRC) • http://www.utsa.edu/trcss • UTSA Library • http://www.lib.utsa.edu/Research/Subject/citingguide.html • Research & Documentation Website by Diana Hacker (includes sample paper) • http://www.dianahacker.com/pocket

38. Thank You! Any questions?