How to take quotes from a book and write them in

MLA style.

“Writing quotes in the right way is

easy!”-----Mr. B.

Step 1: choose your quotes

Go through your text and find1-3 book quotes for each main

idea in your commentary

Step 2: write down your quotes

Each time you find a good quote that fits one of your ideas – write it down on a note card

Step 3: write down your quotes

Don’t forget to write down the page number when you find a

quote!

Step 4: put in quote marks

and page numbers

Put “ ” around the beginning and end of

each quote

Quote marks

“I couldn’t stand the way my hair curled like crazy after swimming.”

Quote marks

“I couldn’t stand the way my hair curled like crazy after swimming”

(204).

Leave Punctuationfor after the page numbers

“I couldn’t stand the way my hair curled like crazy after swimming! ”

(204).

Unless there is ! Or ?

“I couldn’t stand the way my hair curled like crazy after swimming”

(102).

Write page number(NOTICE NO # OR PG.)

The hard quote!

Dialogue Quote marks

If your quote looks like this in the book: “She’s so smart she makes me

feel like a dummy!” June said.

Dialogue Quote marks

You need to keep “ “ around the whole quote : “ She’s so

smart she makes me feel like a dummy! June

said.”

Dialogue Quote marks

AND you need to add single quote marks ‘ ‘ around any

spoken words of dialogue: “ ‘ She’s so smart she

makes me feel like a dummy! ’ June said.”

Dialogue Quote marks

You try!Where do quote marks

go around this dialogue quote?

I don’t like Christina, said June; She’s so smart she

makes me feel like a dummy.

“ ‘I don’t like Christina,’ said June; ‘She is so smart she makes me feel like a

dummy.’ ”

Good Job!You now know how to

put quote marks around normal and dialogue

quotes!

“I couldn’t stand the way my hair curled …”

(102).

Don’t need all words!

(Use …)

The character did not like the ungainly way her hair “curled” and

“knotted” (102).

Try using singlewords!

Long quotes!

What if your quote is long (more than 3 lines of typing/writing in your essay?

The IB Guide is very clear how long and detailed

the Extended essay must be. The Guided states,

Long quotes!

The extended essay is used to create a chance for students to study a text in depth. Students must spent 40 or more hours exploring a topic of their choice, while writing 30-50 pages of text (102).

Long quotes! (3 or more lines)

* Single space text* Justified (block) * Indent both sides* No quote marks!

The IB Guide is very clear how long and detailed

the Extended essay must be. The Guided states,

Check and correct

“The extended essay is used to create a chance for students to study a text in depth. Students must spent 40 or more hours exploring a topic of their choice, while writing 30-50 pages of text. (102)”

The IB Guide is very clear how long and detailed

the Extended essay must be. The Guided states,

There were 3 mistakes!

The extended essay is used to create a chance for students to study a text in depth. Students must spent 40 or more hours exploring a topic of their choice, while writing 30-50 pages of text (102).

Last steps!Take a text and practice by writing examples of these in

your notebooks 1) Full sentence quote2) Partial quote (…)

3) Single words 4) Long quote

Last steps!Don’t forget: whatever

the length of your quote –

I.Q.C!

Last steps!

Introduce quoteThe author reveals her

disdain for macho men in Act 2 when Suzanne says, “Little

men need big cars” (35).

Last steps! QuoteTry embedding your

quotesThe author’s use of irony is shown in words such as

“Little men” and “big cars” (35).

Last steps!COMMENT on quote

The above quote contains words such as “little men”, which reveals

that the author is sarcastic and ironic when referring to the fragile egos of men who show their wealth

through large autos.