Introduction to MLA in-text citations and Silent Reading Response Requirements

Quote When you want to take a complete sentence/phrase from your book. You will put quotation marks around the quote to show it is from the book. “write the exact words from the book”

Ellipsis When you want to take a really long quote, instead of writing it all, use an ellipsis. Put three consecutive periods to indicate the omission of a word, sentence, or whole section from a text without altering its original meaning. “ I am unsure of where they went … out of nowhere, they just reappeared”

Paraphrase When you change the wording and sentence structure from the book. Original: The price of a resort vacation typically includes meals, tips and equipment rentals, which makes your trip more cost-effective. Paraphrase: All-inclusive resort vacations can make for an economical trip. Notice, there are no quotation marks around a paraphrase because you have used your own words and sentence structure to say the same information as the original passage.

MLA in-text citations If you use a quote, ellipsis, or paraphrase, YOU MUST include an in-text citation before the period. You must acknowledge your source of information; otherwise, it is plagiarism!!!

MLA in-text citation format: For books, always follow this format: (author’s last name page #). Examples: “ I am unsure of where they went … out of nowhere, they just reappeared”(Goldstein 88). All-inclusive resort vacations can make for an economical trip (Pham 21).

Silent Reading Response Requirements For your weekly silent reading responses, you are required to answer in the following format: Point Example Discussion

Point You make a statement about what you will discuss in your answer. One sentence to indicate the direction of your answer.

Example You must provide at least one example from the book to support your answer. You may use a quote, ellipses, or paraphrase AND include the MLA in-text citation.

Discussion You will explain how your quote helps to answer the question/point you made. You may also try extending to a broader context: Make connections to your own life or society/the real world. Do more than what the question is asking: provide more examples and discuss their significance. Provide a unique response: a perceptive response means you are “thinking outside the box” and are able to do more than what the original question asks of you.