Starting A Quote In The Middle Of A Sentence Mla
When it comes to academic writing, it is essential to follow specific citation rules to give credit to the sources you have used. One of the most commonly used citation styles is the Modern Language Association (MLA) style. In MLA, it is crucial to know how to start a quote in the middle of a sentence. This article will guide you on how to do that and provide you with some useful tips.
What Is A Quote?
A quote is a word-for-word repetition of what someone else has said or written. It is used in academic writing to support your ideas, arguments, or claims. When you include a quote in your writing, you must cite the source correctly to avoid plagiarism. In MLA style, you have to use in-text citations and a Works Cited page to give credit to the sources you have used.
Starting A Quote In The Middle Of A Sentence MLA
In MLA style, you can start a quote in the middle of a sentence by using ellipses. Ellipses are three dots (...) that indicate a missing part of a sentence. When you use ellipses, you need to make sure that you do not change the original meaning of the quote. Here is an example:
Original sentence: "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious."
Quote: "The most beautiful thing ... is the mysterious." (Ellipses indicate the missing part of the sentence)
When you use ellipses, you need to follow these rules:
- Use three dots with a space before and after each dot.
- Do not use ellipses at the beginning or end of a quote.
- Do not use ellipses to change the meaning of the quote.
Other Tips For Using Quotes In MLA Style
Here are some other tips for using quotes correctly in MLA style:
- Use double quotation marks for a quote that is less than four lines long.
- Indent the quote one inch from the left margin and do not use quotation marks for a quote that is more than four lines long.
- If you need to add or change any words in a quote, use brackets to indicate the addition or change.
- If you need to omit any words in a quote, use ellipses to indicate the omission.
Conclusion
Starting a quote in the middle of a sentence in MLA style is easy if you know how to use ellipses correctly. Remember to follow the rules for using ellipses and other quotation marks in MLA style to avoid any plagiarism issues. Using quotes correctly in your academic writing will help you to support your ideas and arguments and make your writing more credible and persuasive.