Practicing MLA In-Text Citations (Hopefully) this is a little refresher of what you learned last year!!!

INSTRUCTIONS: We are going to practice writing paragraph responses using MLA in-text citations to cite our evidence. First, read the paragraph on the following slide. Then answer the prompt, using cited quotes from the text as your evidence.

Read Text: From Marriage Rules, Page 189, by Jacob Smith Read Text: From Marriage Rules, Page 189, by Jacob Smith The rules of a successful marriage are clearly outlined for newlyweds and seasoned couples in Marriage Rules: First, you must marry the right person, one you love and one who loves you. Second, give and take is a necessity. Let love cover the disagreements which will come in any marriage. Three, never carry into tomorrow the petty troubles of today. Forgive at the end of the day, and then forget. Four, don't discuss your disagreements and personal problems with others. You will soon forget these quarrels, but others will remember them forever. Five, try to live within your financial means. Don't try to keep up with some other couple; keep within your income. And be sure to set aside something for a rainy day.

Instructions: 1. After reading the paragraph, first, decide what you think in life is most important for having a successful marriage. Write your opinion down (this is your thesis/claim). P.S. write just one sentence. You can use this as your opening phrase: The most important thing to having a successful marriage is ...

Instructions: Mr. Braam’s example was: The most important thing to having a successful marriage is taking care of the family finances.

Instructions: 2. Second, choose which rule from Marriage Rules best supports your opinion. Write this down using quote marks (this is your evidence). You can use this as your opening phrase: The most important thing to having a successful marriage is taking care of the family finances. According to the book Marriage Rules, “…”

Instructions: Mr. Braam’s example was: The most important thing to having a successful marriage is taking care of the family finances. According to the book Marriage Rules, “Try to live within your financial means ... be sure to set aside something for a rainy day”

Instructions: 3. Third, cite the quote using the author’s last name and page number (this is your citation). The following in red is generally what your citation will look like, following Mr. Braam’s example: The most important thing to having a successful marriage is taking care of the family finances. According to the book Marriage Rules, "Try to live within your financial means ... be sure to set aside something for a rainy day" (Smith 189).

Instructions: Note the punctuation for the citatation: Instructions: Note the punctuation for the citatation: * No period at the end of the main sentence; it comes at the end after the parenthesis. * The material inside the parentheses are the author’s last name and the page number … with no punctuation in between. According to the book Marriage Rules, "Try to live within your financial means ... be sure to set aside something for a rainy day" (Smith 189).

Instructions: 4. Fourth, explain why you think this rule is most important (this is your commentary). The most important thing to having a successful marriage is taking care of the family finances. According to the book Marriage Rules, "Try to live within your financial means ... be sure to set aside something for a rainy day" (Smith 189). This suggests that couples should not let debt control their lives and possibly ruin the success of their marriages.

Instructions: 4. This last line in the paragraph helps explain why you think the quote you chose supports your initial claim. (In general, you are almost restating your thesis/claim.) According to the book Marriage Rules, "Try to live within your financial means ... be sure to set aside something for a rainy day" (Smith 189). This suggests that couples should not let debt control their lives and possibly ruin the success of their marriages.

This exercise, which was done as a guided practice by the class as a whole, was intended to generally review MLA in-text citations, and is NOT intended to be a complete explanation of how to do the process in all situations. That, my friends, will come in the near future!!! PLEASE ASK QUESTIONS AS NEEDED