block quotation

Examples of block quotation in the following topics:

• Chicago/Turabian: Block Quotations

  • In Chicago style, format quotations of more than five lines as block quotations.
  • However, if a quotation takes up more than five lines in your paper, you should format it as a block quotation rather than as a regular quotation within the text of a paragraph.
  • Most of the standard rules for quotations still apply, with the following exceptions: a block quotation will begin on its own line (skip a line before and after the block quotation), it will not be enclosed in quotation marks, and its in-text citation will come after the ending punctuation, not before it.
  • Each line of the block quotation should be indented from the left margin the same distance as the first lines of your regular body paragraphs.
  • And as with series and lists, to better visually distinguish a block quotation from the surrounding text, be sure to leave an extra (blank) line between the last line of the block quotation and the first line of the following paragraph.

• APA: Block Quotations

  • In APA style, format quotations of more than 40 words as block quotations.
  • However, if you want to quote more than 40 words from a source, you should format the excerpt as a block quotation, rather than as a regular quotation within the text of a paragraph.
  • Most of the standard rules for quotations still apply, with the following exceptions: a block quotation will begin on its own line, it will not be enclosed in quotation marks, and its in-text citation will come after the ending punctuation, not before it.
  • The entire block quotation should be indented from the left margin the same distance as the first lines of your paragraphs (and the first line should not be further indented).
  • And as with series and lists, to better visually distinguish a block quotation from the surrounding text, be sure to leave an extra (blank) line between the last line of the block quotation and the first line of the following paragraph.

• MLA: Block Quotations

  • In MLA style, format quotations of more than lines of prose or more than three lines of verse as block quotations.
  • Most of the standard rules for quotations still apply, with the following exceptions: a block quotation will begin on its own line, it will not be enclosed in quotation marks, and its in-text citation will come after the ending punctuation, not before it.
  • The entire block quotation should be indented one inch from the left margin.
  • As should the rest of your paper, a block quotation in MLA style should be double-spaced.
  • To better visually distinguish a block quotation from the surrounding text, be sure to leave an extra (blank) line both above and below your block quotation.

• Introducing and Formatting Quotations

  • If a quotation is set off with "he said" or "she said" (or the implication of it), use a comma preceding the quotation.
  • If your quotation has a quotation within it, the inner quotation needs a pair of single quotation marks and the outer needs a pair of double quotation marks.
  • If you choose to break up a single-sentence quotation with your own words, use commas to offset the quotation from your explanation.
  • Periods and commas should be placed inside the quotation marks.
  • If you are using a long quotation (four or more typed lines), instead of quotation marks, you should indent the entire quotation five spaces.

• Quotation Marks

  • Single or double quotation marks denote either speech or a quotation.
  • For speech within speech, use double quotation marks on the outside, and single marks on the inner quotation.
  • In most cases, quotations that span multiple paragraphs should be set as block quotations, and thus do not require quotation marks.
  • When quotation marks are used for multiple-paragraph quotations, the convention in English is to give opening quotation marks to the first and each subsequent paragraph, using closing quotation marks only for the final paragraph of the quotation.
  • (Here, the period comes after the quotation mark because quotation marks are used to highlight specifically what should be typed.)

• When to Use APA Style

  • Other examples include rules about what punctuation should be included inside a quotation and when to use what type of dash.
  • For example, APA style has specific rules for what information to include in your References section, how to cite quotations within a paragraph, and how to incorporate block quotations.
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• Overall Structure and Formatting of a Chicago/Turabian Paper

  • All text in your paper should be double-spaced except for block quotations and image captions.
  • However, if what follows a colon is a series of multiple sentences, or a quotation, you do need to capitalize the first word after the colon:
  • If you have a colon in the middle of a sentence, and what follows after is a quotation or multiple sentences, the first word after the colon should be capitalized.

• When to Use MLA Style

  • For example, MLA style has specific rules for what information to include in your Works Cited section, how to cite quotations within a paragraph, and how to incorporate block quotations.

• Introducing Quotations

  • However, it is important not to use too many quotations.
  • You can also introduce a quotation in order to build upon or refine it.
  • Quotations can also be introduced in order to present a counter-argument.
  • What work is this quotation doing within the trajectory of the paper?
  • An introductory tag can be used to effectively introduce quotations.

• Incorporating Your Sources Into Your Paper

  • Direct quotations are words and phrases that are taken directly from another source, and then used word-for-word in your paper.
  • If you incorporate a direct quotation from another author's text, you must put that quotation or phrase in quotation marks to indicate that it is not your language.
  • When writing direct quotations, you can use the source author's name in the same sentence as the quotation to introduce the quoted text and to indicate the source in which you found the text.
  • You may find that the original source uses language that is more clear, concise, or specific than your own language, in which case you should use a direct quotation, putting quotation marks around those unique words or phrases you don't change.
  • It is common to use a mixture of paraphrased text and quoted words or phrases, as long as the direct quotations are inside of quotation marks.