* MLA Formatting - this is the last day that we can work together to make sure you have the tools necessary to format your THE appropriately. While formatting might seem almost more important to your teachers than your essay's content, rest assured that it is only penultimate. A proper MLA formatting job will allow your readers to take your essay seriously. Since sloppy or careless formatting often betrays sloppy thinking and writing, please take note of the following:
Title Page - How-to video
This video will explain how to head your essay and how to insert page numbers properly.
Parenthetical Citations
This is the information that you put in parenthesis to show your reader where a particular quote can be found. Since the content in the parenthesis will differ based on what information precedes the quote, here are a few examples for you, complete with signal phrases:
- Signal phrase at the beginning: Angered at Nathan's story, David says, "As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die!" (ESV, 2 Sam. 12.5). Ironically, the Lord is living at that moment through the mouth of His prophet; thus, in response to David's hypocritical pious oath, Nathan retorts, "You are the man!" (12.7). (Several things to notice here: 1) your first biblical citation should include translation, book, and chapter-verse, and 2) since we just cited II Samuel, we do not need to include it again, nor do we need to specify the translation in subsequent quotes, unless you happen to be quoting from Psalm 51. Then you would need to specify the particular book. You should do this every time you switch back and forth between books.)
- Signal phrase using the word "that": Angered at Nathan's story, David says that the rich man in the story "deserves to die!" (ESV, 2 Sam. 12.5). (Notice that there is no comma after the word "that")
- Signal phrase in the middle:"As the Lord lives," says David, angered at Nathan's story, "the man who has done this deserves to die!" (ESV, 2 Sam. 12.5).
- Signal phrase at the end:"As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die!" says David, angered at Nathan's story (ESV, 2 Sam. 12.5).
- Lead in with a colon: David is angry at Nathan's story: "As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die!" (ESV, 2 Sam. 12.5). (Notice that the text David is angry at Nathan's story is an independent clause; it can stand alone as a complete sentence.)
- A naughty use of a quotation (a no-no): David is angry at Nathan's story. "As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die!" (ESV, 2 Sam. 12.5). (This is called a dropped quote; it's a quote that has nobody introducing him to the essay party. How sad! You don't drop your friends off at places they've never been without introducing them, so don't do it with your quotes ; )
- Online: Tiresias prophesies, "You will not see / the sun race through its cycle many times / before you lose a child of your own loins, / a corpse in payment for these corpses" (Sophocles 1192-95). (Here we have the author and the line numbers of the translation. The "/" sign signifies the next line)
- World Literature Book: Tiresias prophesies, "The chariot of the sun will not race through / so many circuits more, before you have surrendered / one born of your own loins, your own flesh and blood, / a corpse for corpses given in return" (Sophocles 1182-85). (This translation includes page numbers and also line numbers. If a drama offers both, default by using the line numbers, which are more precise.)
- iBooks: Tiresias prophesies, "The coursers of the sun / Not many times shall run their race, before / Thou shalt have given the fruit of thine own loins / In quittance of thy murder, life for life" (Sophocles 58).
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