If a direct quote is more than four lines long in writing or three lines long in poetry, utilize an MLA block quote. You should utilize a block quote whenever you want to cite a lengthy exchange between characters in a play.
Place direct quotations from a source inside quotation marks. Include the author’s name and the page number in a text citation after the quote, as in “Here is a direct quote” (Smith 8). (From “Trouble,” line 22) It is an MLA block quote. Read the listed write-up to have a clear understanding of this.
PROSE
You shouldn’t indent the initial line of the block quote further than the rest if you’re quoting just a single sentence (or just part of one).
At the end of The Hound of the Baskervilles, the titular dog finally appears.
So, here it goes like this:
“It was a huge, black hound like nothing mortal eyes have ever witnessed. Its wide mouth belched flames, its eyes blazed with a smoky glare, or the outline of its muzzle, hackles, and dewlap flickered in the fire. What emerged from the wall of fog was more terrible, appalling, and terrible than anything imaginable in the delirium of a disturbed mind”. (Doyle 82)
Mark the first line in every quoted paragraph by a quarter of an inch if it is two or more lines long. Do not underline the initial sentence of a quote unless it is the beginning of a new paragraph in the source; only indent the following paragraphs.
The following is an illustration of a paragraph whose initial sentence stands alone:
“Sherlock Holmes doesn’t lose his composure after seeing the hound.”
“Sir Henry collapsed to the ground and lay there unconscious. When we removed his collar and found no indication of injury, Holmes sighed, convinced that they had made it in time”.
“Our friend’s eyelids fluttered, and he weakly attempted to get up. Two terrified eyes looked up at us as Lestrade jammed his brandy flask within the baronet’s teeth.”
“My God!” he exclaimed quietly. What was that? In the name of God, what was that?
Whatever it was, Holmes pronounced it dead. (Doyle 82)
POETRY
Poetry block quotations of three lines or more should start on a new line, just as they would in prose. Use the block quote MLA format like you would prose if the spacing is different than normal: Double-space your text and use a one-inch indentation for each line. Don’t use quotation marks that aren’t already there:
In her poem “To John Oliver Killens in 1975,” Gwendolyn Brooks writes to yet another contemporary African-American poet:
John, look at our compassion, the immensity it lacks.
Check out the “unity” of the black community!
Light, bright, and delicate, the opposite of the previous two. (1-5)
If a line of poem in a block quote extends over the right border of the page, continue it on the following line and indent it by a further 1/4 inch:
“I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving, hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix, angel-headed hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night,” begins Allen Ginsberg’s famous poem “Howl.” (9)
DRAMA
Each line of a dialogue excerpt should start with the character’s name, spaced 1 inch from the left margin and written in every letter of the alphabet, then followed by a period. Then, begin the MLA block quote example, indenting the first line 14 inches. Instead of listing page numbers, provide the act, scene, as well as line(s) of the quotation in the parenthetical citation at the conclusion of the quote.
How can you block quotes in MLA?
Here are the four easy steps for making a block quotation in MLA format.
- Step 1: Frame the quote in context
Always paraphrase block quotations before using them. Give the reader a sense of the context of the quote as well as how it supports your point in the first phrase or two. Use a colon to separate the introductory statement from the quote, which should begin on an additional line. You can also get ‘Do My Assignment’ assistance to learn more in detail.
- Step 2: Set the quote’s format
Double-space the block quotation just as you have the rest in your MLA work. Put a half-inch slant in the left margin for the full quote. Use the same capitalization, punctuation, as well as line breaks as the source material.
- Step 3: Reference the source
Put an MLA text citation after the period that ends the quotation. Included are the works’ authors as well as page numbers where the quotation appears.
You must have a corresponding entry in your Works Cited list for every citation you use in your text. Use our free MLA citation machine to make your citations.
- Step 4: Discuss the quote
Put your analysis or commentary underneath the block quote. Paragraphs should always begin and end with your own words, not block quotes.
In MLA format, how long can a block quotation be?
- If you need to include a quote using a source that is longer than four lines, you should use the MLA block quote style.
- For poetry quotations longer exceeding three lines, use block quote formatting.
In MLA, how do you format a block quote?
- The MLA style for a block quotation is to have it begin on an entirely novel line after a colon introduction.
- Put a half-inch space before the left margin for the entire quote.
- Follow the time frame at the end of the block quotation with the MLA in-text citation.
- Then, move your text to a new line (without indenting it).
How do I make a block quotation in Microsoft Word that follows the MLA style?
This is how you format a block quotation in Microsoft Word so that it looks good:
- To insert a quote, press Enter twice at the beginning as well as the end.
- Choose a layout in the menu by highlighting the quotation.
- Set the left indentation to 0.5′′ on the Indent tab.
With Assignment Help Online, learn how not to enclose the quote as quotation marks, and remember to add an in-text reference in MLA format after the closing period.
How To Use Block Quotations Correctly
So, how to block quote mla? Double quotes enclose the quoted portion of an essay within a paragraph. You should use a block quotation rather than indenting a quote within a paragraph if the excerpt you wish to cite is longer than a total of four lines of prose (or three lines of verse). With the following exceptions, all of the usual rules for quoting still apply: A block quotation does not begin inside quotation marks, and its in-text citation appears after the terminating punctuation, not before.
If you wished to quote the first sentence of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland in its entirety, you would do so as follows, starting the sentence on a new line. For instance,
Alice was growing increasingly restless as she sat by her sister on the bank with nothing to do; she had peeked in on occasion at the book her sister was reading, but it contained neither pictures nor dialogue, prompting the question, “What is the use of a book, Alice?” According to Carroll (p.
Include the whole citation for this source in the Works Cited page at the end of your work.
Conclusion
When quoting more than four lines of prose or three lines of verse, frame the excerpt as a block quote rather than including it within the sentence itself.
Separated from the surrounding text by a single line break, block quotations do not include quotation marks, as well as, if necessary, include a citation following the period that ends the quotation.
As with the rest of your paper, double-spaced block quotations as well as indent them half an inch off the left margin.
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