MLA Citation Practice Paper Step-by-Step Example

Intro Paragraph Write 3 to 5 sentences: 1 short quote, title of article, author’s full name, 2- to 3- sentence summary Filiberto’s Restaurant not only provides fast, friendly service, “It knocks Mexican food out of the park” (Smith). John Smith’s article, “Filiberto’s Es Rey!” provides an entertaining look at Filiberto’s Restaurant. In his article, Smith comments on everything from the feeling one gets when walking in the door to the delight he takes in sharing the experience with his family. The highlight of the article, however, is the passion that comes through Smith’s words, making anyone who reads it want to head to the nearest Filiberto’s.

Body Paragraph 1 What do you agree with in the article? Use 1 long quote (4 lines or more) OR a paraphrase. I chose a long quote for my first body paragraph. While I haven’t yet experienced Filiberto’s for myself, I agree with Smith’s comments. In his opening statement, for example, he states: This two-job-tight-budget-single-father-of-three is thrilled to have found a place where my family can walk in and have a heaping pile of nachos in our faces within 5 minutes. And when, we leave, I don’t feel like I just spent my kids’ college funds. Filiberto’s is KING in my house! (Smith) I am only fifteen so I don’t have the same responsibilities as Smith has, but I also live a busy life and have limited cash flow. I am a varsity high school football player. So I don’t have time to work more than 5 or 10 hours per week, nor do I have much spare time. So I appreciate places like Filiberto’s, where the food is reasonably priced and where I can eat on my way home from practice without breaking curfew. After reading Smith’s article, I am tempted to try Filiberto’s out for myself.

Body Paragraph 2 What do you disagree with in the article? Use 1 long quote (4 lines or more) OR a paraphrase. Because I chose a long quote for my first paragraph, I must use a paraphrase here to meet the requirements. Note that I have two paraphrases here. You only HAVE to do one. Avoid doing more than one. The one thing that might keep me from going to Filiberto’s is Smith’s description of the food. He says it’s delicious and that he and his kids love it (Smith). However, it sounds like it might be a little too fiery for my taste. I tend to be extremely wimpy when it comes to eating spicy food. Even onions can send my stomach into a tizzy. Smith mentions that the food at Filiberto’s features jalepenos, onions, and even ghost peppers – yikes! Even though I really wans to give Filiberto’s a shot, I’ll have to find out if they serve anything without such a “kick.” Otherwise, I’ll have to keep looking for a fast, inexpensive restaurant to add to my list of dining establishments.

Closing Paragraph Close your discussion with approximately the same number of sentences as your intro. John Smith’s review, “Filiberto’s Es Rey!” was a helpful resource. I will likely eat there at least once to see how I like the food. As long as I can find an item on the menu that won’t ignite my stomach, I’d like to give it a chance as I’m always on the lookout for a quick, cheap bite to eat.

MLA Formatting If you like to work smart: Go to Byrd’s teacher page. Click on Writing Resources. Click on MLA Formatted Essay TemplateMLA Formatted Essay Template If you like to work hard, open a Word document and format it as follows: Double-spaced Times New Roman font – 12-point In-text citations after the summary, paraphrase, and both direct quotes (if you don’t mention the author’s name in the signal phrase: “According to Smith…” or “Smith states…”) Works Cited page on the last page of your document

Remember your self-reflection! Students lose points every week for not doing their self-reflections and/or for not doing them correctly. Don’t be one of them! Reflect on how well you think you did on each of the following and make sure to include your level of mastery (effective, adequate, etc.) and place it at the top of your document: – Summary – Short Quote – Long Quote – Paraphrase – MLA Formatting