MLA

Numbers  SPELL OUT all numbers of one or two words or those that begin a sentence.  It’s been eight years since I visited Peru.  I own twenty-eight acres.  One hundred fifty children in our program need dental treatment.  USE FIGURES for numbers that require more than two words to spell out.  I counted 176 DVDs on the shelf.

How to Name the Author  When referring to the author, introduce him/her using both first and last names, but from then on, refer to the author by last name only!  First name implies familiarity on a personal level, and unless you are personal friends with the author, don’t use first names!

Discard Words  If you can say what you need to say without some words in your sentence (usually “that” and “which,” but sometimes “had”), take them out. (On the subject of “that” versus “which,” usually, you’ll use “that” far more often.)  “She knew that the referee would arrive shortly.”

Number Agreement  Your noun-pronoun numbers must agree. If you speak of “someone,” you cannot then refer to that one person as “they” in the next phrase. It must be “he/she/one.” Singular. If you want your pronoun to be “they”, you must first refer to them as “people.”  “This really forces people to register these words in their heads and will make them think of the message whenever they think of progressing with their own lives.”

“This”  When stating something in one sentence, then referring to it as “this” in the subsequent sentence, you must identify what “this” is.  In this article, Johnson tries to convey that both reading and video games can prove beneficial activities for everyone. He shows us this by giving the virtues....  We need to see, “He shows us this message by....” Think of the period between the two sentences as a wall that you cannot see over. We need to know what you’re talking about.

Titles  Book. Anthology. Movie. Television Show. Musical Album.  “Short Story.” “Work within.” “Episode title.” “Song.” “Poem.”

Contractions  DON’T USE THEM!!!!  Doesn’t – Does not  Don’t – Do not  Wouldn’t – Would not  Couldn’t – Could not  Etc...

Punctuation and Quotes  End punctuation always goes inside the quotations marks  “Several doctors put up $255,000 for the program.” (punctuation inside quotes)  The exception is citing a source immediately after the quote, in which case, the end punctuation goes after the citation.  “Reading is the foundation on which all learning will grow” (Singleton 10). (punctuation outside quotes because of citation)