English 2300: Practical Criticism

English 2300: Practical Criticism Spring 2008 ______

MLA Style Practice

1) Mechanics of Writing a. Put the following titles in their correct format (italics vs. quotation marks) i. The Scarlet Letter ii. The Tell-Tale Heart iii. The Raven iv. The Glass Menagerie v. The American Scholar

b. Correct the following quotations:

2) Formatting: Insert a separate page with the correct style of the first page of your recent paper! ______

3) Quotation and Documentation Style:

Please circle the correct choice in each section!

1. Author named in sentence a) Herrera indicates that the artist believed in a “vitalistic form of pantheism” (Herrera 328).

b) Herrera indicates that the artist believed in a “vitalistic form of pantheism” (328).

c) Herrera indicates that the artist believed in a “vitalistic form of pantheism” (Herrera, p. 328).

2. Author named in parenthesis a) Fairy tales reflect the emotions and fears of children (Bettelheim 23).

b) Fairy tales reflect the emotions and fears of children (Bettelheim, p. 23).

c) Fairy tales reflect the emotions and fears of children (in Bettelheim, 23).

3. Two or more works by the same author a) Penn emphasized his religious motivation (Kelley, William Penn 116).

b) Penn emphasized his religious motivation (Kelley 116). c) Penn emphasized his religious motivation (Kelley, William Penn, p. 116).

4. Two or more authors with the same last name a) Recent increases in crime have caused thousands of urban homeowners to install alarms (L. Cooper 115). Some of these alarms use sophisticated sensors that were developed by the army (D. Cooper 76).

b) Recent increases in crime have caused thousands of urban homeowners to install alarms (Cooper 115). Some of these alarms use sophisticated sensors that were developed by the army (Cooper 76).

c) Recent increases in crime have caused thousands of urban homeowners to install alarms (Cooper 115). Some of these alarms use sophisticated sensors that were developed by the army (76).

5. Quoting Poetry a) In “A Song in the Front Yard,” Brooks says, “I’ve stayed in the front yard all my life / I want a peek at the back” (lines 1-2).

b) In “A Song in the Front Yard,” Brooks says, “I’ve stayed in the front yard all my life / I want a peek at the back” (p. 1-2).

c) In “A Song in the Front Yard,” Brooks says, “I’ve stayed in the front yard all my life / I want a peek at the back”.

6. Quotation marks and parenthetical documentation a) In Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt writes, “Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood (11).”

b) In Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt writes, “Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood.” (11)

c) In Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt writes, “Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood” (11).

7. A quotation within a quotation a) In response to the press, the president of the university said, “I know you’re saying to me, “We want a winning football team.” But I’m telling you this: “I want an honest football team.””

b) In response to the press, the president of the university said, “I know you’re saying to me, ‘We want a winning football team.’ But I’m telling you this: ‘I want an honest football team.’” c) In response to the press, the president of the university said, ‘I know you’re saying to me, ‘We want a winning football team.’ But I’m telling you this: ‘I want an honest football team.’’

8. The title of a short story, poem, or essay in quotation marks a) Edgar Alan Poe composed his short story The Tell-Tale Heart in a mad frenzy.

b) Edgar Alan Poe composed his short story, The Tell-Tale Heart, in a mad frenzy.

c) Edgar Alan Poe composed his short story “The Tell-Tale Heart” in a mad frenzy.

9. Integrating quotations into your sentences, using correct punctuation a) Hamilton credits the Greeks with a shift in the portrayal of gods: “Until then, gods had no semblance of reality.”

b) Hamilton credits the Greeks with a shift in the portrayal of gods ‘Until then, gods had no semblance of reality’

c) Hamilton credits the Greeks with a shift in the portrayal of gods. “Until then, gods had no semblance of reality.”

10. Quotations that are integrated into a sentence a) He said he had his “special reasons.”

b) He said he had his, “special reasons.”

c) He said he had his: ‘special reasons’ ______

4) Assemble a Works Cited list from the “mess” of title pages and citations (see handout)!