Language Center Program, Writing Tips

MLA Style and Format Questions

Answers to all of the following questions concerning MLA style and format issues are based on information in the 6th edition of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. The Language Center and the Volunteer State Community College library have copies of this book for your use while on campus.

Formatting

Should I use a cover (title) page?

According to the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, a cover page is not necessary for research papers. However, if your instructor asks you to include a cover page, do so, following his or her instructions for the desired format. If your instructor requires a title page but does not provide a sample or directions, consult a grammar handbook; most will include a sample title page in the section discussing APA style.

How do I create a header?

A header contains your last name and the page number. Do NOT precede the page number with any punctuation or abbreviation for “page.” Place the header 1/2 an inch from the top of the paper, flush right. If you use Microsoft Word, choose View and then Header and Footer to create your header.

What is the difference between a heading and a header?

Unless your instructor requires otherwise, a heading will contain the following information in the order given:

• Your name
• Your instructor's name
• Course title and section
• Date your essay is submitted

Place this information along the left margin, beginning on the first line of your paper (one inch from the top of the paper).

A header contains your last name and the page number. Do NOT precede the page number with any punctuation or abbreviation for “page.” Place the header 1/2 an inch from the top of the paper, flush right. If you use Microsoft Word, choose View and then Header and Footer to create your header.

Should I indent, skip lines, or both between paragraphs?

Unless otherwise instructed, you should indent paragraphs 1/2 an inch from the left margin and NOT place any extra lines between paragraphs. In most word processing programs (e.g., Microsoft Word), pressing the Tab key at the beginning of the paragraph will indent the first line the correct distance (i.e., 1/2 an inch).

When is a quotation considered “long”? How do I format a long quotation?

A prose quotation that runs more than four typed lines in your text and verse quotations (poetry or plays written as poetry) that are more than three lines are considered “long” quotations.

To format a long quotation, begin the quotation on a new line one inch from the left margin (i.e., two inches from the edge of the paper). Maintain this format for the length of the quotation. If you are quoting verse, place each line of the poem on a separate line, copying the spacing of the original if it is unusual. For both prose and verse long quotations, do NOT use quotation marks (the format indicates to the reader that the material is a quotation, so quotation marks would be redundant). Place end punctuation before the parenthetical citation (this is an exception to the general rule); there will be no punctuation after the parenthetical citation.

What size margins do I use? What line spacing should I use?

You should use one inch margins on all edges. If you use Microsoft Word, choose File, Page Setup, Margins. You will probably need to change the left and right margins as the default in Microsoft Word is 1.25 inches.

Double-space your ENTIRE document. If you use Microsoft Word, choose Format, Paragraph, Indents and Spacing. Line spacing is in the third section of the dialog box.

Should I underline the title of my essay?

No font enhancements should be used with a title (i.e., do not use bold, italics, underlining, all capital letters, a larger font, a different font, etc.). Center your title on the line following (remember, everything in the document is double-spaced) the last line of your heading.

Punctuation and Grammar

Do I always need a comma before “and”?

There are only two instances in which you should place a comma before “and”:

• Place a comma before “and” if it joins two complete sentences.
  Ex. Tom and Betty went to the store, and later they went to the beach.
• Place a comma before “and” when it precedes the last item in a series. (Remember that to have a series, you must have a list of at least three items).
  Ex. Tom and Betty bought milk, eggs, and cheese at the store.

Note: Some people consider this use of the comma unnecessary. If you do not know what your instructor prefers, I recommend using the comma until told to do otherwise.

When should I use a colon?

Use a colon when the information that follows it is a list, quotation, or a description (i.e., a renaming) of the information to the left of the colon. In order to use a colon correctly, the material to the LEFT of the colon must be a complete sentence. Examples:

• Tom and Betty bought the following items at the store: milk, eggs, cheese, bread, and chocolate.
• Teenagers often ignore the words of Ben Franklin: “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”
• Beverly thought she knew what she wanted in a husband: The man she’d marry would be tall, handsome, and wealthy. (The second sentence describes “husband.”)

Colons are also used in other situations: after the salutation in a formal letter, between the hour and minutes in noting time, and between a title and subtitle.

Does it make a difference if I use a comma and coordinating conjunction or a semicolon when joining two sentences?

Grammatically, both options will be correct; however, there is a slight difference in meaning. When you join two sentences with a comma and coordinating conjunction, you are expressing a very close relationship between the two ideas. When you join the two sentences with a semicolon, you are indicating that the ideas are related to one another but less so than when joined by a comma and a coordinating conjunction.

A few years ago, I came across an analogy in The Writing Lab Newsletter that you might find helpful. If two adjoining sentences within a single paragraph are separated by a period, they are just “friends.” If they are joined with a semicolon, they are “engaged.” And if they are joined with a comma and coordinating conjunction, they are “married.”

What are the coordinating conjunctions?

Coordinating conjunctions are small words, each three letters or less, that are used to join two sentences; connecting ideas (expressed as complete sentences) with a coordinating conjunction and a comma indicates that the ideas are closely related and of equal importance. There are only seven coordinating conjunctions: “for,” “and,” “nor,” “but,” “or,” “so,” and “yet.” “So” and “yet” do NOT always function as coordinating conjunctions: when “so” is understood to mean “so that,” it is NOT a coordinating conjunction, and when “yet” refers to time (e.g., She hasn’t arrived yet.) it is NOT a coordinating conjunction. An easy way to remember the coordinating conjunctions is FAN BOYS: For And Nor But Or Yet So

How do I identify “introductory material” in a sentence?

One way to identify introductory material is to find the subject of the sentence and then note whether or not there is anything to the LEFT of the subject. If so, place a comma at the end of the material, just before the subject. “Subject” in this case refers to the grammatical subject as well as any words connected to it (articles and/or modifiers).

FYI: Introductory material may be a single word or many words.

How can I tell if a sentence is a run-on (i.e., fusion)?

A run-on (i.e., fusion) occurs anytime you have joined two complete sentences without the correct punctuation (i.e., a period, semicolon, or comma and coordinating conjunction). In order to identify a run-on, you must know the definition of a sentence. A general definition of a sentence is that a sentence must have a subject, a verb, and express a complete idea. Another way of defining a sentence is that it must answer the question “Who (or what) does what?”

If run-ons are a frequent problem for you, I suggest that you go through your entire paper, identifying the subject (the “who”), the verb (the “does”), and the complete idea (the “what”) in every word group punctuated as a sentence. Whenever you find two or more subject-verb-complete idea sets in a single sentence, make sure that you have used the correct punctuation. An added benefit of this process is that it will also help you identify sentence fragments.

Does an apostrophe go before or after the “s”?

The placement of an apostrophe depends upon the meaning you want to convey. For example, if you want to indicate that a dish belongs to a single dog, you would place the apostrophe before the “s” (i.e., dog’s). However if the dish belonged to more than one dog, then the apostrophe belongs after the “s” (i.e., dogs’).

In grammatical terms, if you wish to form a singular possessive, place the apostrophe before the “s.” If you wish to form a plural possessive, place the apostrophe after the “s.”

What is a sentence fragment?

A sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence. Remember, a sentence must contain a subject, a verb, and a complete idea; it must answer the question “Who (or what) does what?” Whenever one or more of these requirements is missing, you have created a sentence fragment.

To locate sentence fragments, find the subject (the “who”), the verb (the “does”), and the complete idea (the “what”) in every word group punctuated as a sentence. To correct a fragment, supply the missing part.

FYI: This process can also be used to identify run-ons. (How to identify run-ons.)

What is a comma splice?

A comma splice is a specific form of a run-on (fusion). In a comma splice, two sentences have been joined using a comma WITHOUT a coordinating conjunction. For example, the following sentence is a comma splice:

• Tom went to Ireland in early May, later he traveled to Scotland.

You can eliminate a comma splice by placing a coordinating conjunction after the comma or replacing the comma with a semicolon or period. So in the example above, any of the following would eliminate the comma splice:

• Tom went to Ireland in early May, and later he traveled to Scotland.
• Tom went to Ireland in early May; later, he traveled to Scotland.
• Tom went to Ireland in early May. Later, he traveled to Scotland.

To decide which option to choose see “Difference between comma and coordinating conjunction and semicolon to join two sentences.”

Can I use contractions (e.g, don’t, you’ll, they’re, etc.)?

The decision to use contractions depends upon your audience and/or writing situation. Using contractions is considered to be less formal than not using them. So, in formal situations — e.g., application letters, academic papers, and most business letters — DO NOT use contractions unless you have been otherwise instructed.

What is the difference between “affect” and “effect”?

In most situations, “affect” is a verb and “effect” is a noun. “Affect” usually means “to influence.” “Effect” usually means “result.” Sometimes, “effect” is used as a verb meaning “to bring about.” When you are trying to determine if you have used the correct word, you might find it helpful to replace “affect” with “to influence” and “effect” with “result” or “to bring about.” For a more complete discussion of the use of these two words, consult a grammar handbook or Purdue University’s OWL.

Do “every day” and “everyday” have the same meaning?

“Every day” and “everyday” have different meanings. “Every day” — two words — describes when/how often something is done (e.g., She has breakfast every day.). “Everyday” — a single word — is an adjective that means ordinary or common (e.g., She has many everyday dresses, but only one formal dress.)

What is the difference between “lay” and “lie”?

“Lay” means to “put in place.” “Lie” means“to recline.” For many, choosing the correct word is relatively easy when using the present tense; however, confusion often arises when choosing the correct word in the past tense because the past tense form of LIE is “lay”! So, it is correct to say, “My dog Spot usually lies on the cool porch, but yesterday he lay underneath the huge oak tree in the backyard.” By the way, the past tense form of “lay” is “laid” (e.g., I usually lay my keys on the kitchen table, but yesterday I laid them on the coffee table; thus, I had trouble finding them this morning.)

Should I underline or italicize titles?

Underlining and italicizing titles are “equivalent” formatting options. In the past, most writers did not have the ability to create italicized type, so underlining was used as a substitute. Some instructors prefer italics, in part because underlining is used to indicate a hyperlink in Web documents. So be sure to ask your instructor what he/she prefers. Or if that is not possible, choose one formatting option and use it consistently.

FYI: For a list of what titles should be underlined or italicized, be sure and consult a grammar handbook.

What is a passive sentence?

A passive sentence is formed when the sentence verb consists of a form of the verb “to be” (i.e., is, are, was, were, am, been) and a past tense verb. In a passive sentence, the grammatical subject of the sentence is NOT the one who performs the action of the sentence. For example, the following are all passive sentences:

• The girl was kissed.
• The dessert is eaten every day.
• It was decided that all students must take a P.E. class.

Passive sentences are not “bad” sentences; they are a stylistic choice. Indeed, there are times when the passive sentence is preferable to the active sentence. For example, if you want to avoid identifying the doer of the action and/or emphasize the action rather than the doer, the passive voice is the appropriate choice. Politicians often use the passive voice when relaying unpleasant news to constituents (e.g., Taxes were raised again this year), and scientists often use the passive voice in lab reports and other documents (e.g., A control group was chosen from the student population). However, be sure if you use passive sentences that you do so consciously - that is, you choose to use the passive voice for a specific reason. Writers sometimes use the passive voice unintentionally, which often results in prose that is vague and “bloated” (unnecessarily wordy).

Didn't find the information you needed? Please call the Language Center at (615) 230 - 3323. We look forward to helping you!