MLA IN-TEXT CITATIONS WORKSHEET To embed means to make a quotation that you wish to use an integral part of the sentence you compose. The best embedded quotations usually contain an aspect of analysis how or why the quoted passage has meaning and value to the overall thesis of a work. FOR EXAMPLE: Embed the following excerpt (taken from pg. 17 of a book). Use an appropriate citation after the quotation. Excerpt: Students have a much wider variety of options available to them at college than they have in high school. Source: Wright, Jonah. How to Survive in College. Cleveland: Scribner s Inc., 2005. Print Embedded Quotation: High school and college are two very different ball games when it comes to choosing courses; for starters, Students have a much wider variety of options available to them at college than they have in high school (Wright 17). EXERCISE #1: 1. Embed a portion of the following quotation into a sentence of your own, using the appropriate citation. Inquiry-based learning is an important 21 st -century approach that outdoor educators should make use of, particularly on field trips and wilderness excursions. *Excerpt from pg. 7 of the following online periodical/article located on the EBSCO database: Smith, Jerome. The Relevance of Inquiry in 21 st -Century Learning. The Canadian Journal of Outdoor Education 12.6 (2009): 5-13. Canadian Reference Centre. Web. 13 February 2016. Though it is a teaching strategy that has long been championed by educators from a wide variety of fields, Inquirybased learning is an important 21 st -century approach that outdoor educators can and should incorporate into their lessons and programming (Smith 7).
2. Embed a portion of the following quotation by first introducing the author, then ending the quotation with the appropriate citation. Students who select colleges because of the potential for partying are often sadly disappointed when it comes time for them to actually begin a career. Most workplaces don t have that many parties. *Excerpt from pg. 34 of the following magazine: Yokum, Abner. Party Animals on Campus. Deep Thinker 12 Mar. 2007: 33-35. Print. According to Abner, Students who select colleges because of the potential for partying are often sadly disappointed when it comes time for them to actually begin a career (34). 3. Embed two or more sections of this quotation in a passage of your own. Use the ellipsis ( ) to indicate that the quotation has been abbreviated. Then include the appropriate citation. Life, like any paper topic, neatly divides itself into three major categories pre-college, college and post-college each of which is determined primarily by the peculiar fears that dominate that stage. Of course, those unfortunates who never go to college are condemned to live out their impoverished lives experiencing only the pre-college and post-college stages. *Excerpt from pg. 96 of the following book: Crist, Steven G. The Harvard Lampoon Big Book of College Life. Garden City: Dolphin, 1978. Print. Steven G. Crist, author of The Harvard Lampoon Big Book of College Life, suggests that life neatly divides itself into three major categories pre-college, college and post-college [o]f course, those unfortunates who never go to college are condemned to live out their impoverished lives only experiencing the pre-college and post-college stages (96). 4. How would you write the citation for an embedded quotation if you have multiple sources by the same author? E.g., what would the citations look like in an essay that makes reference to three books by Stephen King? *Excerpts from pg. 23 of Dreamcatcher; pg. 89 of The Shining; pg. 166 of Revival) (King, Dreamcatcher 23), (King, The Shining 89), (King, Revival 166)
5. Embed a quotation from a work by two authors, citing it only at the end of the quotation. If you are considering a career in law, English is actually one of the best majors to consider as an undergraduate. The skills you learn in logic and analysis transfer well to disputation. *Excerpt from pg. 19 of the following book by two authors: Collins, Tara and Kelly Almond. How to be a Lawyer. Moab: Slickrock Inc., 2006. Print. Keep in mind, If you are considering a career in law, English is actually one of the best majors to consider as an Undergraduate. The skills you learn in logic and analysis transfer well to disputation (Collins, Almond 19). 6. Embed a portion of this quotation and include the author and title to first introduce the quotation. Naturalists often run afoul of wildlife while in the field. I myself had my leg chewed off by a puma after falling asleep at lunch one day. Thinking back, I wish I hadn t had such a large lunch that day. *Excerpt from pg. 19 of the following scholarly journal article: Khlulus, I. M. Fun with Wildlife. Journal of Wilderness and Naturalist Education 26.3 (2009): 17-24. In an article entitled, Fun with Wildlife, Khlulus reports, Naturalists often run afoul of wildlife while in the field. I myself had my leg chewed off by a puma after falling asleep at lunch one day (19). 7. Embed a portion of the following quotation from an unpublished interview that you have conducted. I suggest that you study hard in college, but get a job too. Jobs teach you much more than school ever does. *Excerpt from an unpublished interview with Tom Workman. Workman, Tom. Personal interview. 25 Feb. 2007. For instance, one interviewee recommends studying hard in college, but [to] get a job too. Jobs teach you much more than school ever does (Workman).
8. Cite a website from which you paraphrase a portion of the following quotation: Whatever you do for work in life, the most important thing to remember is not how much money you make or how big a title you have, it is whether you look forward to getting up in the morning and doing it again. Money can buy things; things can be replaced. Titles can be bought, which makes them simply things. Growing Up. Unofficial Woody Guthrie Homepage. The Wooden Box Society, 14 June 2006. Web. 11 Mar. 2016. <www.woodenbox.org/unoff/index.htm>. *Excerpt from a website with no person as its author. **When no author is present, include the next available information in parentheses. In this case, the article s title will appear in quotation marks, in parentheses.** Indeed, whatever job you do, make sure you enjoy doing it it will make waking up a delight, each and every day ( Growing Up ). EXERCISE #2 Carefully examine each of the following paired statements. Which passage follows correct MLA citation style (including punctuation)? Explain what is wrong with the citation/punctuation in the other passage. 1) B a. In Death and Justice, Edward Koch, former mayor of New York City argues that life is precious, and... the death penalty helps to affirm this fact. (857). b. In Death and Justice, Edward Koch, former mayor of New York City, argues that "[l]ife is precious, and... the death penalty helps to affirm this fact (857). Problem: No period before parentheses (in-text citation); keep capitalization at beginning of quotation, or use square brackets to modify. 2) A a. Kingsolver points out that [a]rguing about whether non-traditional families deserve pity or tolerance is a little like the medieval debate about left-handedness as a mark of the devil (168). b. Arguing about whether non-traditional families deserve pity or tolerance is a little like the medieval debate about left-handedness as a mark of the devil (Kingsolver, p.168). Problem: Must introduce quotation; remove comma and p. from in-text citation
3) A a. There is a Chinese word for the female, which is slave, writes Maxine Hong Kingston (191). Break the women with their own tongues! (191). In this excerpt, Hong Kingston means that since women at the time had no other word to use to refer to themselves than the word meaning slave, they eventually lost any sense of dignity and independence they might once have had. b. There is a Chinese word for the female, which is slave writes Maxine Hong Kingston. Break the women with their own tongues! She means that since women at the time had no other word to use to refer to themselves than the word meaning slave, they eventually lost any sense of dignity and independence they might once have had. (191) Problem: In (b), the period should go outside of the in-text citation. In addition, the in-text citation for (b) suggests that these comments and analysis belong to (and have been borrowed from) Hong Kingston. If the comments and analysis belong to you, then the in-text citation should follow only the direct quotations (as shown in (a)). EXERCISE #3 Embed the following quotations into a sentence of your own. Include the proper parenthetical reference. EXAMPLE: Quotation: Embedded: I will love the light, for it shows me the way. Yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars. Og Mandino, pg. 8 Even though times may be difficult, it is important to be positive and love the light, for it shows [us] the way [while] endur[ing] the darkness because it shows [us] the stars (Mandino 8). 1. We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated. Maya Angelou, pg. 211 of her autobiography Life is by no means easy; although [w]e may encounter many defeats we must not be defeated (Angelou 211). 2. We are the choices we make. Meryl Streep, pg. 17 of her autobiography Though it may be tempting to ignore this plain fact, We are the choices we make (Streep 17). 3. When it comes right down to it, everything in the world is about blood, sweat, and tears. (Excerpt spoken by Zits, the male protagonist, in Sherman Alexie s novel, Flight, pg. 2) In Sherman Alexie s novel, Flight, Zits, the male protagonist, declares: When it comes right down to it, everything in the world is about blood, sweat, and tears (2).