Name: ____________________
LA 8 — ______
______/______/______
Quotation Marks
for Text Evidence
(MLA Style Citations)
double quote 
double quote 
the page number in
parentheses is part
 of the sentence
“Remember to always cite text evidence correctly” (17).
 always end
a sentence
with a period
Simple Citation:
The Mustang came to a halt beside us, and the two boys in the front seat got
out. They were Socs all right. One had on a white shirt and a madras ski
jacket, and the other a light-yellow shirt and a wine-colored sweater. I
looked at their clothes and realized for the first time that evening that all I had was a
pair of jeans and Soda’s old navy sweat shirt with the sleeves cut short.
One Sentence:

“They were Socs all right” (44).
write the period here instead 
Two Sentences:

 do not write the author’s period here
 keep this period here
“They were Socs all right. One had on a white shirt and a madras ski jacket,
and the other a light-yellow shirt and a wine-colored sweater” (44).
do not write the author’s period here 
 write the
period here
instead
Exclamation Point:
I’m fourteen! I’ve been fourteen for a month! And I’m in it as much as
you are. I’ll stop crying in a minute … I can’t help it.

“I’ve been fourteen for a month!” (74).
keep the author’s exclamation point 
 write the period here
Question Mark:
I had just as much right to use the streets as the Socs did, and Johnny had
never hurt them. Why did the Socs hate us so much? We left them alone. I
nearly went to sleep over my homework trying to figure it out.

“Why did the Socs hate us so much?” (16-17).
keep the author’s question mark 
 write the period here
Ellipsis:
When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie
house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home. I was
wishing I looked like Paul Newman—he looks tough and I don’t—but I guess my own
looks aren’t so bad.
Beginning:

“… I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home” (1).
End:

“When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie
house, I had only two things on my mind …” (1).
Beginning and End:

“… I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie
house …” (1).
Narration Only, and Dialogue Only, and Dialogue With Narration:
The other one turned around and watched us. “That’s the greaser that jockeys
for the Slash J sometimes,” she said, as if we couldn’t hear her.
Narration Only:

“The other one turned around and watched us” (21).
Dialogue Only:

(this is just a simple citation)
(this is just a simple citation)
“That’s the greaser that jockeys for the Slash J sometimes” (21).
Dialogue With Narration:

change the author’s  double quote to a single quote
“The other one turned around and watched us. ‘That’s the greaser that
jockeys for the Slash J sometimes,’ she said, as if we couldn’t hear her” (21).
 change the author’s double quote to a single quote
Another example of Dialogue With Narration:
Soda just put his hand on my shoulder. “Easy, Ponyboy. They ain’t gonna hurt
you no more.”

“Soda just put his hand on my shoulder. ‘Easy, Ponyboy. They ain’t gonna hurt
you no more’” (8).
 note the single and double quotes with no space in between
Works Cited:
Hinton, S.E., The Outsiders, New York: Penguin Group, 1995.
Name: ____________________
LA 8 — ______
______/______/______
Quotation Marks
in the Dialogue of a Story
These examples of how to punctuate dialogue in a
story come from S. E. Hinton’s, The Outsiders.
A sentence of dialogue followed by narration.


Page 5: “Hey, grease,” one said in an over-friendly voice.
Page 43: “It’s the truth,” Johnny said with a bleak grin.
A sentence of dialogue preceded by narration.


Page 24: Johnny gulped and got a little pale, but he said, “You heard me. Leave
her alone.”
Page 27: We were all four sitting there in silence when suddenly a strong hand
came down on Johnny’s shoulder and another on mine and a deep voice said,
“Okay, greasers, you’ve had it.”
A sentence of dialogue with narration in the middle of it.


Page 39: “You must make such interestin’ conversation,” he’d say, cocking one
eyebrow, “you keepin’ your mouth shut and Johnny not sayin’ anything.”
Page 41: “No,” Cherry said bleakly, “it’s Randy and Bob.”
A sentence of dialogue ending with an exclamation point.


Page 7: “Look!” He showed me the handkerchief, reddened as if by magic.
Page 43: “It ain’t fair!” I cried passionately.
A sentence of dialogue ending with a question mark.


Page 25: “How old are y’all?” Marcia asked.
Page 63:”Now how do we find Jay Mountain?” I asked Johnny.
Quotation Marks
and Titles
Short Stories, Poems, Chapters, and Songs:
Use quotation marks around the title of a short story, poem, chapter, or song.
 Short Story: Ray Bradbury wrote “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed” about
living on the planet Mars.
 Poem: “Casey at the Bat” is a poem about baseball.
 Chapter: “Blood Type” is the chapter where Edward skips class.
 Song: My favorite song is “Achilles Last Stand” by Led Zeppelin.
Write the period inside the quote marks if the title is at the end of a sentence.
 Short Story: Nag is a mean snake in “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi.”
 Poem: Emily Dickinson wrote the poem, “If I Can Stop One Heart from Breaking.”
 Chapter: We find out that Artemis wants to find a book in “Translation.”
 Song: My favorite song is “Achilles Last Stand.”
Write the comma inside the ending quotation mark when the title is part of an part
of a list, in an appositive, or before a coordination conjunction.
 Short Story (list): The students said they enjoyed reading “Seventh Grade,”
“Rikki-Tikki-Tavi,” and “Dark They Were, and Golden Eyed” last year.
 Poem (appositive): Lewis Carroll’s famous poem, “The Jabberwocky,” is just a
small part of the book he wrote.
 Chapter (appositive): In the second chapter, “Secrets,” Mo tells Meggie they have
to leave their home right away.
 Song (coordinating conjunction): I like “Believe,” and I love The Bravery.
Books, Albums, and Movies:
Note: Use italics (typing) or underline (handwriting) for the title of a book,
album, or movie.
 Book:
o You may leave your Language of Literature book at home, but you must bring
your InterActive Reader to class.
o You may leave your Language of Literature book at home, but you must
bring your InterActive Reader to class.

Album:
o “I Turn My Camera On” is a song from Spoon’s album, Gimme Fiction.
o

“I Turn My Camera On” is a song from Spoon’s album, Gimme Fiction.
Movie:
o We all went to the movies to see Transformers on opening night.
o We all went to the movies to see Transformers on opening night.