1. Independent Novel Response, MLA In-Text Citations The Example

2. Independent Novel Response, MLA In-Text Citation, The Example
Mark Braam Mr. Braam College Prep English 10, Bell 1 Independent Novel Response #1 Nov. 21, 2013 Response #1 for Independent Novel (or appropriate title) In the novel Catching Fire, author Suzanne Collins builds tension by using cliffhanger endings to her chapters. For example, at the end of Chapter 19, Katniss goes to check on Peeta after her partner was zapped by a force field. The chapter ends with “I press my ear against his chest, to the spot where I always rest my head, where I know I will hear the strong and steady beat of his heart. Instead, I find silence” (Collins 279). By saying that Katniss expects to hear the heartbeat that she always hears, then saying she hears nothing, Collins makes readers want to turn the page quickly to relieve the tension caused by wanting to know whether or not Peeta survives. Another example comes at the end of Chapter 20, when a seemingly innocent fog starts sliding into the area where Katniss and her allies are sleeping. The chapter ends with “The progression of the front line [of the fog] is too uniform to be natural. And if it is not natural A sickening sweet

3. Independent Novel Response, MLA In-Text Citation, The Example
Mark Braam
Mr. Braam
College Prep English 10, Bell 1
Independent Novel Response #1
Nov. 21, 2013
Response #1 for Independent Novel (or appropriate title)
First remember that everything is MLA format.
Double spaced
Times New Roman font
12-point type
AND DON’T FORGET THE HEADER AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE

4. Independent Novel Response, MLA In-Text Citation, The Example
Mark Braam
Mr. Braam
College Prep English 10, Bell 1
Independent Novel Response #1
Nov. 21, 2013
Response #1 for Independent Novel (or appropriate title)
The header
The writer’s name
The teacher’s name
Name of the class and bell #
Type of assignment
And date the paper is handed in

5. Independent Novel Response, MLA In-Text Citation, The Example
Braam 1
The header (continued)
And don’t forget your name and page number at the top right of the page
In Microsoft Word, use the “Insert Page Number” function

6. Note that it is centered Note that it is the same font and point size
Independent Novel Response, MLA In-Text Citation, The Example
The title
Note that it is centered
Note that it is the same font
and point size
as the rest of the text
Response #1 for Independent Novel (or appropriate title)

7. Response #1 for Independent Novel (or appropriate title)
Independent Novel Response, MLA In-Text Citation, The Example
Note that the text begins double spaced from the title
The text
Response #1 for Independent Novel (or appropriate title)
In the novel Catching Fire, author Suzanne Collins builds tension by using cliffhanger endings to her chapters.
Note that the text is indented 5 spaces

8. Response #1 for Independent Novel (or appropriate title)
Independent Novel Response, MLA In-Text Citation, The Example
Note that the first sentence is my topic or thesis statement
The text
Response #1 for Independent Novel (or appropriate title)
In the novel Catching Fire, author Suzanne Collins builds tension by using cliffhanger endings to her chapters.
It rephrases the question “How does the author build tension?
It also tells me the name of the book and the author

9. Independent Novel Response, MLA In-Text Citation, The Example
The topic sentence is then followed by an example from the book
For example, at the end of Chapter 19, Katniss goes to check on Peeta after her partner was zapped by a force field. The chapter ends with “I press my ear against his chest, to the spot where I always rest my head, where I know I will hear the strong and steady beat of his heart. Instead, I find silence” (Collins 279).
It includes a quote that provides evidence for the topic about the topic
It then tells me the last name of the author and the page number that it was on in the book in the in-text citation

10. Independent Novel Response, MLA In-Text Citation, The Example
Note the following punctuation
Instead, I find silence” (Collins 279).
The last name of the author and the page number have no punctuation at all between them and is surrounded by parentheses. This is the style of the MLA in-text citation
Note that the quote ends with a quote mark … and no period or ending punctuation
The final punctuation (the period, in this case) comes after the last parenthesis.

11. Independent Novel Response, MLA In-Text Citation, The Example
Then the citation is followed by an explanation of the evidence from the book
(Collins 279). By saying that Katniss expects to hear the heartbeat that she always hears, then saying she hears nothing, Collins makes readers want to turn the page quickly to relieve the tension caused by wanting to know whether or not Peeta survives.

12. Independent Novel Response, MLA In-Text Citation, The Example
Then the evidence is followed by a second example from the book about building tension. Note the transition.
… whether or not Peeta survives. Another example comes at the end of Chapter 20, when a seemingly innocent fog starts sliding into the area where Katniss and her allies are sleeping.

13. Independent Novel Response, MLA In-Text Citation, The Example
Note that the information from the book has quote marks around it
… are sleeping. The chapter ends with “The progression of the front line [of the fog] is too uniform to be natural. And if it is not natural A sickening sweet odor begins to invade my nostrils and I reach for the others, shouting for them to wake up. In the few seconds it takes to rouse them, I begin to blister” (Collins 297).
Note that new evidence also explains how the author builds tension

14. Independent Novel Response, MLA In-Text Citation, The Example
Note that the quote is again followed by no period and then a quote mark
… are sleeping. The chapter ends with “The progression of the front line [of the fog] is too uniform to be natural. And if it is not natural A sickening sweet odor begins to invade my nostrils and I reach for the others, shouting for them to wake up. In the few seconds it takes to rouse them, I begin to blister” (Collins 297).
Note that the quote is again followed by an in-text citation.

15. Independent Novel Response, MLA In-Text Citation, The Example
Note that the quote and the in-text citation is again followed by an explanation of how the quote built tension.
… begin to blister” (Collins 297). Once again, by leaving Katniss and her friends in danger and their fate unknown, Collins makes readers feel the increased tension, pulling them further into the book to find out the results.

16. Independent Novel Response, MLA In-Text Citation, The Example
Then, at the end, there is a conclusion that ties the evidence back to the topic sentence.
… out the results. These are just two examples of how Collins masterfully uses cliffhanger endings to build tension, both in her book Catching Fire and in the readers’ minds.

17. Independent Novel Response, MLA In-Text Citation, The Example
Remember:
Type your responses.
Use MLA formatting (double spacing, etc.)
Have a topic sentence
Follow the topic sentence with an example from the book, plus a quote
Remember to use an in-text citation at the end of the quote, using the proper format and punctuation
Explain how the quote backs up the topic sentence
Make sure you have the correct number of examples
End the essay with a concluding sentence that refers back to the topic sentence and the evidence