MLAFormatting For Manly Men

Why MLA?

Little Sally Story

Basic MLA Reminders 12 Point Times New Roman Font Black Ink Double Spaced 1 inch margins (this may not be default) Header at top right of every page MLA Heading Papers have a creative title – not bold, not

underlined, just centered on first page with no extra space.

Parenthetical Citations

When providing a direct quote or when paraphrasing someone else’s ideas, you must provide a parenthetical citation either way.

A parenthetical citation lets the reader know where you got your information.

It helps them find the relevant information on the works cited page.

Quotations When providing a quote, you must TAG it. I call

untagged quotes “orphaned” quotes. Here is an untagged/orphaned quote:

Patrick Henry vivaciously advocated for revolution. “Give me liberty or give me death.” He was willing to risk his life to end colonial enslavement.

Here is the same quote, tagged.

Patrick Henry vivaciously advocated for revolution. In front of the Virginia Convention, he declared,“Give me liberty or give me death.” He was willing to risk his life to end colonial enslavement.

3 Ways To Tag“Give me liberty or give me death,” Patrick Henry proclaimed to the Virginia Convention.

OR

Patrick Henry proclaimed to the Virginia Convention, “Give me liberty or give me death.”

OR

“Give me liberty,” proclaimed Patrick Henry to the Virginia Convention, “or give me death.”

Now time to add the parenthetical citations

How to Tag with Citations“Give me liberty or give me death,” Patrick Henry proclaimed to the Virginia Convention (Henry 167).

OR

Patrick Henry proclaimed to the Virginia Convention, “Give me liberty or give me death” (Henry 167).

OR

“Give me liberty,” proclaimed Patrick Henry to the Virginia Convention, “or give me death” (Henry 167).

Works Cited

Works Cited Page Last page of paper Continues pagination Also has header in top right Words “Works Cited” centered at top of page,

no other heading. Works listed below it alphabetically.

How To Cite Your TextbookFor Honors:

Authorlastname, authorfirstname. “Title.” Elements of Literature: Fifth Course. Ed. Kylene Beers and Lee Odell. Austin: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2005. Page-Page. Print.

Example:

Paine, Thomas. “The Crisis.” Elements of Literature: Fifth Course. Ed. Kylene Beers and Lee Odell. Austin: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2005. 87-91. Print.

How To Cite Your Textbook

For College Prep:

Authorlastname, Authorfirstname. “Title.” Prentice Hall Literature: The American Experience. Ed. Kate Kinsella, et al. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, 2005. Page-Page. Print.

Example:

Paine, Thomas. “The Crisis.” Prentice Hall Literature: The American Experience. Ed. Kate Kinsella, et al. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, 2005. 160-162. Print.

Formula For A Perfect Paragraph

Topic Sentence

+ Relevant context

+ Primary Source Quote

+Explanatory Inference

+ Conclusion

Perfect Paragraph

Perfect ParagraphPatrick Henry bases one of his primary

arguments for armed revolution upon his belief that God is on America’s side.

Perfect ParagraphPatrick Henry bases one of his primary

arguments for armed revolution upon his belief that God is on America’s side. Despite the opposition of the Tories, Henry speaks with fervor of his divine ally. Believing that Britain has denied the colonists their freedom, Henry establishes that the British deserve divine retribution.

Perfect ParagraphPatrick Henry bases one of his primary

arguments for armed revolution upon his belief that God is on America’s side. Despite the opposition of the Tories, Henry speaks with fervor of his divine ally. Believing that Britain has denied the colonists their freedom, Henry establishes that the British deserve divine retribution. He urges the Virginia convention to take action and remarks, “There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations; and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us” (Henry 182).

Perfect ParagraphPatrick Henry bases one of his primary arguments for armed revolution upon his belief that God is on America’s side. Despite the opposition of the Tories, Henry speaks with fervor of his divine ally. Believing that Britain has denied the colonists their freedom, Henry establishes that the British deserve divine retribution. He urges the Virginia convention to take action and remarks, “There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations; and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us” (Henry 182). Henry is referring to the teachings of John Lock, who wrote about freedom as an inalienable human blessing from God. His argument literally paints the colonists as soldiers in a holy war.

Perfect ParagraphPatrick Henry bases one of his primary arguments for armed revolution upon his belief that God is on America’s side. Despite the opposition of the Tories, Henry speaks with fervor of his divine ally. Believing that Britain has denied the colonists their freedom, Henry establishes that the British deserve divine retribution. He urges the Virginia convention to take action and remarks, “There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations; and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us” (Henry 182). Henry is referring to the teachings of John Lock, who wrote about freedom as an inalienable human blessing from God. His argument literally paints the colonists as soldiers in a holy war. Little did Henry know that his words would turn the tide of the revolution in his favor.

How To Apply To Your Paper

Many of the rebelling colonists unjustifiably believe that the Lord God favors their cause.

How To Apply To Your Paper

Many of the rebelling colonists unjustifiably believe that the Lord God favors their cause. Inspired by the teachings of John Locke, they perceive that the British have taken away the God-given right to freedom, and that God will rise to fight beside them. Patrick Henry in particular voiced this opinion during his Speech at the Virginia Convention.

How To Apply To Your Paper

Many of the rebelling colonists unjustifiably believe that the Lord God favors their cause. Inspired by the teachings of John Locke, they perceive that the British have taken away the God-given right to freedom, and that God will rise to fight beside them. Patrick Henry in particular voiced this opinion during his Speech at the Virginia Convention. He fervently described the colonists as “Three millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty” (Henry 168).

How To Apply To Your Paper

Many of the rebelling colonists unjustifiably believe that the Lord God favors their cause. Inspired by the teachings of John Locke, they perceive that the British have taken away the God-given right to freedom, and that God will rise to fight beside them. Patrick Henry in particular voiced this opinion during his Speech at the Virginia Convention. He fervently described the colonists as “Three millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty” (Henry 168). Little does Henry realize that his “holy” cause is actually an unholy slap to the face of his Creator. God provided the colonists with the blessing of Mother England to protect them, the most powerful nation in the world with the head of its own church on the throne to guide it, and Henry and his rebel scum companions yearn to desecrate their bond.

How To Apply To Your Paper

Many of the rebelling colonists unjustifiably believe that the Lord God favors their cause. Inspired by the teachings of John Locke, they perceive that the British have taken away the God-given right to freedom, and that God will rise to fight beside them. Patrick Henry in particular voiced this opinion during his Speech at the Virginia Convention. He fervently described the colonists as “Three millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty” (Henry 168). Little does Henry realize that his “holy” cause is actually an unholy slap to the face of his Creator. God provided the colonists with the blessing of Mother England to protect them, the most powerful nation in the world with the head of its own church on the throne to guide it, and Henry and his rebel scum companions yearn to desecrate their bond. Henry fails to understand that God indeed will be involved in this battle, but only to punish the ungrateful sinners in the disobedient colonies.