The following is an excerpt from the聽MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, ed. Joseph Gibaldi and Walter S. Achtert (New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 1977), pp.聽9鈥�41.
10聽 聽 Punctuation
a.聽 General remarks.聽The primary purpose of punctuation is to ensure the clarity and readability of your writing. Although there are many required uses, punctuation is, to some extent, a matter of personal preference. But, while certain practices are optional, consistency is mandatory. Writers must guard against adopting different styles in parallel situations. The remarks below stress the conventions that pertain especially to research papers. More comprehensive discussions of punctuation can be found in standard handbooks of composition 鈥�.
b.聽 Apostrophes聽indicate contractions (rarely acceptable in scholarly writing) and possessives. General practice is to form the possessive of monosyllabic proper names ending in a sibilant sound (s, z, sh, zh, ch, j) by adding an apostrophe and another聽s聽(Keats鈥檚 poems, Marx鈥檚 theories) except, by convention, for names in classical literature (Mars鈥� wrath). In words of more than one syllable ending in a sibilant, only the apostrophe is added (Hopkins鈥� poems, Cervantes鈥櫬�novellas) except for names ending in a sibilant and a final聽e聽(Horace鈥檚 odes). Note that the possessive of a name ending with a silent聽s聽is formed by adding an apostrophe and another聽s聽(Camus鈥檚 novels).
c.聽 Colons聽are used to indicate that what follows will be an example, explanation, or elaboration of what has just been said. They are commonly used to introduce quotations (see 搂搂 14b, 14c, and 14f). For their use in documentation and bibliography, see 搂搂 31c, 31h, and 41c. Always skip one space after a colon.
d.聽 Commas聽are usually required between items in a series (blood, sweat, and tears), between coordinate adjectives (an absorbing, frightening account), before coordinating conjunctions joining independent clauses, around parenthetical elements, and after fairly long phrases or clauses preceding the main clause of a sentence. They are also conventional in dates (January 1, 1980), names (W. K. Wimsatt, Jr., and Walter J. Ong, S.J.), and addresses (Brooklyn, New York). A comma and a dash are never used together in modern English usage. If the context requires a comma (as it does here), the comma follows a closing parenthesis, but a comma never precedes an opening parenthesis. See 搂搂 31, 33, 35, and 41 for the usage of the comma in documentation and bibliography; see 搂14f for commas with quotation marks.
e.聽 [Em] dashes.聽An [em] dash is typed 鈥� with no space before or after. Some writers tend to overuse [em] dashes, substituting them loosely for other marks of punctuation. The [em] dash, however, has only a few legitimate uses: around parenthetical elements that require a number of internal commas, and before a summarizing appositive.
Carter鈥檚 sweep of the South鈥擵irginia was the only Southern state to vote Republican鈥攈elped give him the election.
Many twentieth-century American writers鈥擣aulkner, Capote, Styron, Williams, to name only a few鈥攃ome from the South.
Stray dogs, abandoned cats, injured birds, orphaned baby rabbits鈥攁ll found a home with us.
See 搂39 for use of the [em] dash in documentation.
f.聽 Exclamation marks聽should be used sparingly in scholarly writing.
g.聽 Hyphens聽are used to form some types of compound words, particularly compound adjectives that precede the word(s) they modify (a mind-boggling experience, a well-established policy, a first-rate study). Hyphens also join prefixes to capitalized words (post-Renaissance) and link pairs of coequal nouns (poet-priest, teacher-scholar). Many other compounds, however, are written as one word (wordplay, storytelling) or as two (social security tax, a happily married man). Consult a standard dictionary or writing manual for guidance in determining which compounds require hyphenation. [En dashes rather than hyphens should be] used to connect numbers indicating a range (pp. 1鈥�20). For the use of hyphens in dates, see 搂11c; for hyphens in unavoidable word divisions at the end of a line, see 搂12b.
h.聽 Italics 鈥�.聽Avoid frequent use of italics 鈥� for emphasis. (On the [italicizing] of titles, see 搂13.) Phrases, words, or letters cited as linguistic examples and foreign words used in English text are [italicized]. The numerous exceptions to this last rule include quotations entirely in another language, titles of articles in another language (placed within quotation marks), proper names, and foreign words anglicized through frequent usage. Since [North] American English rapidly naturalizes words, use a dictionary and your own knowledge of current usage to determine which originally foreign expressions still require italics. Much, of course, depends on the audience. Foreign words, abbreviations, and phrases commonly not [italicized] include: etc., e.g., et al., laissez faire, raison d鈥櫭猼re, t锚te-脿-t锚te, and versus. In discussions of the arts, such words or expressions as the following are also not [italicized]: clich茅, enjambment, genre, hubris, leitmotif, mimesis, and roman 脿 clef. (On italicizing abbreviations, see 搂47.)
i.聽 Parentheses聽are used to enclose parenthetical remarks and to enclose some items in documentation (see 搂搂 31h, 33f, 37, and 41c). On parenthetical documentation, see 搂39.
j.聽 Periods聽end sentences. They also come at the end of notes and after complete blocks of information in bibliographical citations (see 搂41). The period follows a parenthesis that falls at the end of a sentence. It is placed within the parenthesis when the parenthetical element is independent (see, not this sentence, but the next). (For the use of periods with ellipsis, see 搂14d; for periods within quotation marks, see 搂14f.)
k.聽 Quotation marks.聽Enclose in double quotation marks words to which attention is being directed (e.g., words purposely misused or used in a special sense, words referred to as words, and parenthetical English translations of words or phrases from another language). Note, however, that words used as examples in linguistic studies are [italicized] and not enclosed in double quotation marks (see 搂10h). Use single quotation marks for definitions or translations that appear without intervening punctuation (e.g.,听ainsi聽鈥榯hus鈥�). For the use of quotation marks with titles, see 搂13; and, for use of single and double quotation marks in quoted material, see 搂14f.
l.聽 Semicolons聽are used to separate items in a series when some of the items require internal commas. They are used between independent clauses that are not joined by a coordinating conjunction, and they may be used before the coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence if one of the independent clauses requires a number of internal commas. For the use of semicolons in documentation and bibliography, see 搂搂 31e, 32k, 36, 37, and 42k.
m.聽 Slashes (virgules)聽are used to separate lines of poetry (see 搂14b) and elements of dates (see 搂11c), to enclose phonemic transcription, and occasionally to separate alternative words (and/or).
n.聽 Square brackets聽[] are used for an unavoidable parenthesis within a parenthesis, to enclose interpolations in a quotation (see 搂14e) or in incomplete data (see sample notes 58 and 64 in 搂搂 32r and 32t), and to enclose phonetic transcription.
11聽 聽 Numerals
a.聽 In general,聽numbers that cannot be spelled out in one or two words may be written as numerals (one, thirty-six, ninety-nine, one hundred, two thousand, three million; but 2陆, 101, 137, and 1,275). Numbers compared or contrasted should be in the same style (5 out of 125, 2陆 to 3 years old or two-and-a-half to three years old). In technical or statistical discussions involving their frequent use or in notes, where many space-saving devices are legitimate, all numbers may be written as numerals. Common practice is to put a comma between the third and fourth digits from the right, the sixth and seventh, and so on.
1,000听听听听听听20,000听听听听听听7,654,321
Exceptions to this practice include page and line numbers of four or more digits, addresses, and year numbers. The comma is added in year numbers if a fifth digit is used.
On page 3333 鈥�.
At 4132 Broadway 鈥�.
In 1984 鈥�.
But
In 20,000 B.C. 鈥�.
鈥� Dates and page numbers are rarely spelled out: 鈥�12 April鈥� or 鈥淎pril 12鈥� and 鈥減age 45鈥� are generally preferred to 鈥渢he twelfth of April鈥� and 鈥渢he forty-fifth page.鈥� Because numbers beginning sentences (including dates) are, by convention, spelled out, avoid beginning a sentence with a number.
b.聽 Percentage and amounts of money聽are treated as other numbers: if the numbers involved cannot be spelled out in one or two words, they may be written as numerals with the appropriate symbols (one percent, forty-five percent, one hundred percent, five dollars, thirty-five dollars, two thousand dollars, sixty-eight cents; but 2陆%, 150%, $2.65, $303, 鈧�127. In business, scientific, and technical writing involving their frequent use, all percentages and amounts of money may be written as numerals with the appropriate symbols.
c.聽 Dates.聽As in other aspects of writing, be consistent in expressing dates: either 鈥�22 July 1981鈥� or 鈥淛uly 22, 1981,鈥� but not both (if the latter, be sure to put a comma both before and after the year unless another punctuation mark is required); either 鈥淎ugust 1981鈥� or 鈥淎ugust, 1981,鈥� but not both. Centuries are written out in lowercase letters (the twentieth century). A hyphen is added if the century is being used as an adjective (eighteenth-century thought; nineteenth- and twentieth-century literature). Decades are also usually written out without capitalization (the seventies), but it is 鈥� acceptable to express them in figures (the 1970s). 鈥淏.C.鈥� follows the year, but 鈥淎.D.鈥� precedes it (19 B.C.; A.D. 565). (Some writers use 鈥淏.C.E,鈥� before the Common Era, and 鈥淐.E.,鈥� Common Era.) European usage gives all dates in day-month-year order, separated by spaces, commas, hyphens, periods, or slash marks (2 March 1974, 2-3-74, 2/III/74). To indicate both Western and non-Western dates, put one set in parentheses: 鈥�3 November 1963 (K鈥檃ng hsi 32/10/6).鈥� Both 鈥渋n 1951鈥�52鈥� and 鈥渇rom 1951 to 1952鈥� are clear and acceptable, as is 鈥渇rom 1951鈥�52 to 1968鈥�69,鈥� but 鈥渇rom 1951鈥�72鈥� alone is not because, lacking the preposition 鈥渢o鈥� after 鈥�1951,鈥� the phrase is inaccurate and confusing.
d.聽 Inclusive numbers.聽In connecting consecutive numbers, give the second number in full for numbers through ninety-nine. For larger numbers, give only the last two figures of the second if it is within the same hundred or thousand: pp. 2鈥�3, 10鈥�12, 21鈥�28, 103鈥�04, 395鈥�401, 923鈥�1003, 1003鈥�05, 1608鈥�774, 1999鈥�2004, 12345鈥�47, 12345鈥�3300.
e.聽 Roman numerals.聽Use capital Roman numerals for 鈥� books and parts of a work, volumes, acts of a play, or individuals in a series.
Book I of Spenser鈥檚聽Faerie Queene
Part II of Goethe鈥檚聽Faust
Volume II of聽Encyclopedia Americana
Act III of聽Arms and the Man
Elizabeth II
Use lower case Roman numerals for chapters of a book (Chapter xii), scenes of a play (Act I, Scene ii), cantos of a poem (Book I, Canto iv), chapters of books of the Bible (Luke xiv), and the preliminary pages of a dissertation (e.g., preface, table of contents), On capitalization, see 搂15. On the use of Roman numerals in documentation, see 搂搂 31i and 31j.
12聽 聽 Spelling
a.聽 General remarks.聽Spelling, including hyphenation, must be consistent, except in quotations: quoted material must be reproduced exactly as it appears in the original. See 搂9 on the selection and use of a dictionary.
b.聽 Word division.聽Avoid dividing words at the end of a line. Where divisions are unavoidable, practice in [North America] is to divide words according to pronunciation (鈥渞ep-re-sent鈥�), whereas the British divide according to word derivation (鈥渞e-pre-sent鈥�). Other languages have their own rules for dividing words: French, for instance, usually divides on a vowel (鈥渉o-me-rique鈥�; in English, 鈥淗o-mer-ic鈥�). If in doubt, consult a dictionary.
c.聽 Accents.聽In quoting, reproduce all accents exactly as they appear in the original. Bear in mind that in French, when capital letters are followed by lowercase letters, the capital letters are not always accented (always 鈥溍ヽole,鈥� but 鈥淓cole鈥� is acceptable). Although it is never unacceptable to place an accent over a capital letter that would require one if it were lowercase, the practice of French printers varies when words appear entirely in capital letters:聽脌,听脡,听脠,听脵, and capital letters bearing a circumflex are often accented, but often not. When transcribing words that appear in all capitals and changing them to lowercase, insert the necessary accents. 鈥�
d.聽 Dieresis.聽In German words the dieresis, not聽e, should be used for the umlaut (盲, 枚, 眉聽rather than聽ae, oe, ue), even for initial capitals (鈥溍渂er鈥�). But common usage must be observed for names: G枚tz, but Goethe.
e.聽 Digraphs.聽A digraph is a combination of two letters that represents only one sound (e.g.,听th,听oa聽in 鈥渂road鈥�). In many languages, some digraphs appear united in print (忙, 艙, 脽). They may be transcribed in typescript without any connection between them (ae, oe, ss). 鈥� In [North] American English, the digraph聽ae聽[has been almost completely] abandoned in favor of the聽e聽alone; 鈥渆ncyclopedia鈥� and 鈥渁rcheology鈥� (instead of聽聽鈥渆ncyclopaedia鈥� and 鈥渁rchaeology鈥�) and 鈥渆sthetic鈥� and 鈥渕edieval鈥� are now [the norm].
13聽 聽 Titles in the Text
For capitalization of titles, see 搂15.
a.聽 [Italicized].聽Titles of published books, plays (of any length), long poems (usually poems that have been published as books), pamphlets, periodicals (including newspapers and magazines), works of classical literature (but not sacred writings), films, radio and television programs, ballets, operas, instrumental music (but not if identified simply by form, number and key), paintings, sculpture, and names of ships and aircraft are all [italicized] in the text. 鈥�
David Copperfield聽聽(published book)
As You Like It听听(辫濒补测)
The Waste Land聽聽(long poem)
New Jersey Driver Manual听听(辫补尘辫丑濒别迟)
Washington Post听听(苍别飞蝉辫补辫别谤)
Time听听(尘补驳补锄颈苍别)
贬辞谤补肠别鈥檚听Ars Poetica聽聽(work of classical literature)
Sounder听听(蹿颈濒尘)
All in the Family聽聽(television program)
Giselle听听(产补濒濒别迟)
Rigoletto听听(辞辫别谤补)
叠别谤濒颈辞锄鈥櫬�Symphonie fantastique聽聽(instrumental music identified by name)
Beethoven鈥檚 Symphony No.聽7 in A聽聽(instrumental music identified by form, number, and key)
颁丑补驳补濒濒鈥檚听I and My Village听听(辫补颈苍迟颈苍驳)
叠别谤苍颈苍颈鈥檚听Ecstasy of St. Theresa听听(蝉肠耻濒辫迟耻谤别)
贬.惭.厂.听Vanguard听听(蝉丑颈辫)
Spirit of St. Louis听听(补颈谤肠谤补蹿迟)
b.聽 In quotation marks.聽Titles of articles, essays, short stories, short poems, songs, chapters of books, unpublished works (such as dissertations), lectures and speeches, courses, and individual episodes of radio and television programs are enclosed in quotation marks.
鈥淪harp Rise in Unemployment鈥澛犅�(article in a newspaper)
鈥淪ources of Energy in the Twenty-First Century鈥澛犅�(article in a magazine)
鈥淭he Writer鈥檚 Audience is Always a Fiction鈥澛犅�(article in a scholarly journal)
鈥淓truscan鈥澛犅�(encyclopedia article)
鈥淭he Fiction of Langston Hughes鈥澛犅�(essay in a book)
鈥淵oung Goodman Brown鈥澛犅�(short story)
鈥淜ubla Khan鈥澛犅�(poem)
鈥沦耻尘尘别谤迟颈尘别鈥澛犅�(蝉辞苍驳)
鈥淚talian Literature before Dante鈥澛犅�(chapter in a book)
鈥淕辞别迟丑别鈥檚听Faust聽and the German Puppet-Play鈥澛犅�(unpublished dissertation)
鈥淭he Style and the Story: Shakespeare鈥檚 Appropriate and Varying Artistry鈥澛犅�(lecture)
鈥淚ntroductory Mathematics鈥澛犅�(course)
鈥淭he Joy Ride鈥澛犅�(episode of the television program聽Upstairs, Downstairs)
c.聽 Titles within titles.聽If a title indicated by quotation marks appears within an [italicized] title, the quotation marks are retained. If a title indicated by [italicizing] appears within a title enclosed in quotation marks, the [italicizing] is retained.
鈥淵oung Goodman Brown鈥� and Hawthorne鈥檚 Puritan Heritage听听(产辞辞办)
鈥�As You Like It聽as a Pastoral Poem鈥澛犅�(article)
When a title normally indicated by quotation marks appears within another title requiring quotation marks, the shorter title is given single quotation marks.
鈥淎n Interpretation of Coleridge鈥檚 鈥楰ubla Khan鈥欌�澛犅�(article)
When a normally [italicized] title appears within another [italicized] title, the shorter title appears neither [italicized] nor in quotation marks.
The Art of聽David Copperfield听听(产辞辞办)
d.聽 Exceptions.聽These conventions of [italicizing] titles or placing them within quotation marks do not apply to sacred writings (including all books and versions of the Bible), to series, editions, and societies, to descriptive words or phrases (or conventional titles) used instead of an actual title, and to parts of a book, none of which is underlined or put within quotation marks. (On capitalization, see 搂15.)
Sacred writings:
Bible
King James Version
Old Testament
Genesis
Gospels
Talmud
Koran
Upanishads
Series:
Bollingen Series
University of North Carolina Studies in Comparative Literature
Masterpiece Theatre
Editions:
New Variorum Edition of Shakespeare
Centenary Edition of the Works of Nathaniel Hawthorne
Societies:
American Medical Association
Renaissance Society of America
Descriptive words or phrases or conventional titles:
Roosevelt鈥檚 first Inaugural Address
Mona Lisa聽聽[for Leonardo da Vinci鈥檚聽La Gioconda]
Parts of a book:
Introduction
Preface
Appendix
Index
e.聽 Frequent use of a title.聽If a title is to be mentioned often in the text, after the first full reference in the text or in a note, use only a shortened (if possible, familiar or obvious) title or abbreviation (e.g., 鈥淣ightingale鈥� for 鈥淥de to a Nightingale鈥�;聽Much Ado听蹿辞谤听Much Ado about Nothing; HEW for Department of Health, Education and Welfare). This practice is also followed in notes (see 搂37).
14聽 聽 Quotations
a.聽 In general,聽all quotations鈥攚hether a word, phrase, sentence, paragraph, or more鈥攕hould correspond exactly to the original source in spelling, capitalization, and interior punctuation (on the use of ellipsis, see 搂14d). Exceptions, such as the [italicizing] of words for emphasis or the modernization of spelling, must be explicitly indicated or explained in a note or enclosed in parentheses at the end of the quotation or in square brackets within the quotation (on the uses of parentheses and square brackets, see 搂搂 10i and 10n):
Lincoln specifically advocated a government 鈥�for聽the people鈥� (emphasis added).
Take care to ensure that the syntax of your sentence accords grammatically with that of the quotation.
b.聽 Poetry.聽Unless unusual emphasis is required, verse quotations of a single line or part of a line should be incorporated, within quotation marks, as part of the text. Quotations of two or three lines may also be placed in the text, within quotation marks, but with the lines separated by a slash (聽/聽), with a space on each side of the slash.
In Shakespeare鈥檚聽Julius Caesar, Antony says of Brutus, 鈥淭his was the noblest Roman of them all.鈥�
滨苍听Julius Caesar, Antony begins his famous speech: 鈥淔riends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; / I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.鈥�
Verse quotations of more than three lines should be separated from the text by triple-spacing, introduced in most cases by a colon, indented [0.5 inches] from the left margin (鈥�), and typed with double-spacing (鈥�) but without quotation marks unless they appear in the original. The spatial arrangement of the of the original (including indentation and spacing within and between lines) should be reproduced as accurately as possible.
Crashaw begins his poem 鈥淭he Weeper鈥� with several metaphors describing the eyes of St. Mary Magdalene, withholding until the end of the first stanza the subject of his work:
Haile, Sister Springs,
Parents of Silver-footed rills!
Ever bubling things!
Thawing Crystall! Snowy hills!
Still spending, never spent; I meane
Thy faire eyes, sweet聽Magdalen.
If the quotation begins in the middle of the line of verse, it should be reproduced as such and not shifted to the left margin.
It is in Act II of聽As You Like It聽that Jaques is given the speech that many think contains a glimpse of Shakespeare鈥檚 conception of drama:
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 All the world鈥檚 a stage
And all the men and woman merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.
Jacques then proceeds to enumerate and analyze these ages.
c.聽 Prose.聽Prose quotations of not more than four lines in the typescript, unless special emphasis is required, should always be incorporated, within quotation marks, as part of the text.
For Dickens it was both 鈥渢he best of times鈥� and 鈥渢he worst of times.鈥�
鈥淗e was obeyed,鈥� writes Conrad of the Company manager in聽Heart of Darkness, 鈥測et he inspired neither love nor fear, nor even respect.鈥�
Longer quotations (more than four lines in the typescript) are usually introduced by a colon or comma (see 搂14f), set off from the text by triple-spacing, indented [0.5 inches] from the left margin, and typed with double-spacing (鈥�) but without quotation marks. If a single paragraph, or part of one, is quoted, do not indent the first line more than the body of the quotation; if two or more paragraphs are quoted consecutively (as in the following example), indent the first line of each an additional [0.2 inches]. If, however, the first sentence quoted is not the beginning of a paragraph in the source, do not indent it the additional [0.2 inches].
滨苍听Moll Flanders, Defoe maintains the pseudo-autobiographical narration typical of the picaresque tradition:
聽 聽 聽 My true name is so well known in the records or registers at Newgate, and in the records or registers at Newgate, and in the Old Bailey, and there are some things of such consequence still depending there, relating to my particular conduct, that it is not to be expected I should set my name or the account of my family to this work. Perhaps, after my death, it may be better known; at present it would not be proper, no, not tho鈥� a general pardon should be issued, even without exceptions of persons or crimes.
It is enough to tell you, that 鈥� some of my worst comrades, who are out of the way of doing me harm, having gone out of the world by the steps and the string as I often expected to go, knew me by the name of Moll Flanders. 鈥�
d.聽 Ellipsis.聽When omitting a word, phrase, sentence, or paragraph from a quoted passage, writers should be guided by two principles: (1)聽fairness to the author being quoted and (2)聽clarity and correct grammar in their own writing. If only a fragment of a sentence is quoted, it will be obvious that some of the original sentence has been left out: In his Inaugural Address, Kennedy spoke of a 鈥渘ew frontier.鈥� But if, after material from the original has been omitted, the quotation appears to be a grammatical sentence or a series of grammatical sentences, the omission (or omissions) should be indicated by using [an] ellipsis 鈥�. For [an] ellipsis聽within聽a sentence, [leave] a space before and after 鈥�. A quotation that can stand as a complete sentence should end with a period even if something in the original has been omitted. When the ellipsis coincides with the end of your sentence, [it should聽precede聽a sentence period with a space before]. If parenthetical material follows the ellipsis at the end of your sentence, 鈥� place the sentence period after the final parenthesis.
Original:
The sense of isolation present in many of the poems of the his earlier collections grew into an obsessive loneliness, under the pressure of two alien cultures. (From Robert Pring-Mill,听Pablo Neruda: A Basic Anthology聽[Oxford: Dolphin, 1975], p.聽xxi.)
Quoted with [an] ellipsis in the middle:
As Robert Pring-Mill notes of Neruda鈥檚 years in the East, 鈥淭he sense of isolation 鈥� grew into an obsessive loneliness, under the pressure of two alien cultures.鈥�
Quoted with [an] ellipsis at the end:
As Robert Pring-Mill notes of Neruda鈥檚 years in the East, 鈥淭he sense of isolation present in many of the poems of his earlier collections grew into an obsessive loneliness 鈥�.鈥�
or
As Robert Pring-Mill notes of Neruda鈥檚 years in the East, 鈥淭he sense of isolation present in many of the poems of his earlier collections grew into an obsessive loneliness 鈥︹�� (p.聽xxi).
[An ellipsis] may also be used to indicate the omission of a whole sentence or more or of a paragraph or more. Remember, however, that grammatically complete sentences must both precede and follow the ellipsis. (鈥�)
Original:
The most dissimilar people said similar if not identical things about this unique soul, this poet who gave so much delight. They spoke of his wonderfully balanced humanity, the expanse and gentleness of his spirit and his incredibly subtle art. All testify that he taught his contemporaries to see things, to recognise relationships, to love what is fine, to be aware of depths, and to discover the hidden ways of the human soul, and that he did this with a gentle but sure conviction. (From J. R. von Salis,听Rainer Maria Rilke: The Years in Switzerland, trans. N. K. Cruickshank [Berkeley: Univ. of California Press, 1966], p.聽290.)
Quoted:
J. R. von Salis has written of Rilke, 鈥淭he most dissimilar people said similar if not identical things about this unique soul 鈥�. All testify that he taught his contemporaries to see things, to recognise relationships, to love what is fine, to be aware of depths 鈥�.鈥�
鈥�
The accuracy of the quotation and the exact reproduction of the original are paramount in scholarly writing. Unless indicated in brackets, liberties must not be taken with the spelling or punctuation of the original. The writer must construct sentences that allow, on the one hand, for the exactness of the quotation and, on the other, for clarity and correct grammatical structure. In many cases, it is best simply to paraphrase grammatically incorporating fragments of the original into the text.
Original:
Moralists have unanimously agreed, that unless virtue be nursed by liberty, it will never attain due strength鈥攁nd what they say of man I extend to mankind, insisting that in all cases morals must be fixed on immutable principles; and, that the being cannot be termed rational or virtuous, who obeys any authority, but that of reason. (From Mary Wollstonecraft,听A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, ed. Carol H. Poston [New York: Norton, 1975], Ch.聽xiii, 搂6 [p.聽191].)
Quoted:
鈥淸U]nless virtue be nursed by liberty,鈥� wrote Mary Wollstonecraft, 鈥渋t will never attain due strength 鈥�.鈥�
But writers who prefer not to use square brackets to indicate the changing of a lowercase letter into uppercase should recast the sentence:
Mary Wollstonecraft wrote that 鈥渦nless virtue be nursed by liberty, it will never attain due strength 鈥�.鈥�
e.聽 Interpolations.聽The writer鈥檚 own comments or explanations聽within聽quotations are enclosed in square brackets (not parentheses) 鈥�. Use 鈥渟ic鈥� (鈥渢hus,鈥� 鈥渟o鈥�) sparingly聴in square brackets and without quotation marks or an exclamation point鈥攖o assure readers that the quotation is accurate although the spelling or logic might lead them to doubt it. Unless the writer states otherwise (e.g., by 鈥渆mphasis added鈥�; see 搂14a), the reader will assume that whatever is [italicized] in the quotation was italicized 鈥� in the original.
The term paper was [titled] 鈥淥n Wordsworth鈥檚 鈥業mitations of Immorality鈥� [sic].鈥�
Hamlet says of his mother:
聽 聽 聽 Why, she would hang on him [Hamlet鈥檚 father]
As if increase of appetite had grown
By what it fed on 鈥�.
f.聽 Punctuating quotations.聽Quotations set off from the text require no quotation marks; internal punctuation should be reproduced exactly as in the original. For quotations included as part of the text, first use double quotation marks, then, for quotations within quotations, single marks:
The professor in the novel confessed that he found it 鈥渋mpossible to teach the 鈥楾o be or not to be鈥� speech鈥� because he was himself terrified by its implications.
Commas and periods are placed聽inside聽closing quotation marks unless a parenthetical or bracketed reference intervenes. (If a quotation ends with both a single and a double quotation mark, the comma or period is placed within both: 鈥淩ead 鈥楰ubla Khan,鈥欌�� he told me.) All other punctuation goes outside quotation marks, except when it is part of the matter quoted.
Original:
I believe taxation without representation is tyranny!
Quoted:
He attacked 鈥渢axation without representation.鈥�
He attacked 鈥渢axation without representation鈥� (p.聽32).
Did he attack 鈥渢axation without representation鈥�?
He did not even attack 鈥渢axation without representation鈥�!
but
He declared that 鈥渢axation without representation is tyranny!鈥�
When a quotation is formally introduced, it is preceded by a colon. Quotations of verse are also usually preceded by a colon.
颁辞濒别谤颈诲驳别鈥檚听Rime of the Ancient Mariner聽concludes: 鈥淎 sadder and a wiser man, / He rose the morrow morn.鈥�
but
鈥淧oets,鈥� according to Shelley, 鈥渁re the unacknowledged legislators of the world.鈥�
15聽 聽 Capitalization
a.聽 English.聽In all English titles, not only of entire works (such as novels, lectures, or essays) but also of divisions of works (such as parts or chapters), capitalize the first letter of the first word, the last word, and all the principal words鈥攊ncluding nouns and adjective in hyphenated compounds but excluding articles, prepositions (except when they function as adverbs), conjunctions, and the 鈥渢o鈥� in infinitives.
Death of a Salesman
Antony and Cleopatra
The Hero in Nineteenth-Century Novels: A Survey
The Teaching of Spanish in English-Speaking Countries
鈥淥de to a Nightingale鈥�
鈥淚talian Literature before Dante鈥�
鈥淭he Life Beyond鈥�
鈥淲hat Americans Stand For鈥�
In references to magazines or newspapers (the聽Washington Post), the initial definite article is usually not treated as part of the title. The words 鈥渟eries鈥� and 鈥渆dition鈥� are capitalized only when they are considered part of an exact title (the Norton Critical Edition, the Twayne World Authors Series,听but聽Penguin edition, the Studies in English Literature series). Titles like Preface, Introduction, and Appendix are often capitalized, particularly when they refer to a well-known work, such as Wordsworth鈥檚 Preface to聽Lyrical Ballads. They are also capitalized when formally cited in notes and bibliographies (see 搂31b). In many other contexts, however, these terms need not be treated as titles (the author claims in an introduction). Capitalize and, in documentation, abbreviate a noun followed by a numeral indicating place in a sequence: Vol.聽II of 3 vols., Pl.聽4, No.聽20, Act聽V, Ch.聽iii, Version聽A. Do not capitalize col., fol., l., n., p., or sig. (see 搂48 for the meanings of these and other abbreviations). Never capitalize entire words (i.e., every letter) in titles cited in text or notes.
b.聽 French.聽In prose or verse, French usage differs from English in that the following are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence or (in some cases) a line of verse: (1)聽the subject pronoun聽je聽鈥業鈥�; (2)聽months or days of the week; (3)聽names of languages and adjectives derived from proper nouns; (4)聽titles of people or places.
Un Fran莽ais m鈥檃 parl茅 en anglais dans la place de la Concorde.
Hier j鈥檃i vu le docteur Maurois qui conduisait une voiture Ford.
Le capitaine Boutillier m鈥檃 dit qu鈥檌l partait pour Rouen le premier jeudi d鈥檃vril avec quelques amis normands.
In titles of books, stories, poems, chapters, and the like, capitalize the first word and all proper nouns. If the first word is an article, capitalize also the first noun and any preceding adjectives.
Du c么t茅 de chez Swann
Le Grand Meaulnes
La Guerre de Troie n鈥檃ura pas lieu
In titles of series and periodicals, capitalize all major words.
Novell Revue des Deux Mondes
L鈥橝mi du Peuple
鈥�
16聽 聽 Names of Persons
a.聽 General remarks.聽Since there are exceptions to almost any rule, good judgment based on knowledge of common usage is essential in dealing with persons鈥� names.
b.聽 Titles.聽Formal titles (Mr., Mrs., Miss, Ms., Dr., Professor, etc.) are usually omitted in references to persons, living or dead. By convention, titles are associated with, or used for, certain names鈥攆or instance, the poet Henry Howard, earl of Surrey, is referred to as Surrey, not Howard. By custom, however, some titled persons are not referred to by their titles: Benjamin Disraeli, first earl of Beaconsfield, is commonly called Disraeli. A few women are traditionally known by their married names (Mme de Sta毛l). Otherwise, women鈥檚 names are treated the same as men鈥檚 (Dickinson, Stein, Plath, not Miss Dickinson, Miss Stein, Miss Plath).
c.聽 Authors鈥� names.聽It is common and acceptable to use simplified names of famous authors (Vergil for Publius Vergilius Maro, Dante for Dante Alighieri). Many authors are referred to by pseudonyms, which should be treated as ordinary names.
Moli猫re (Jean-Baptiste Poquelin)
Voltaire (Fran莽ois-Marie Arouet)
George Sand (Amandine-Aurore-Lucie Dupin)
George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans)
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
Stendhal (Marie-Henri Beyle)
Novalis (Friedrich von Hardenberg)
In a few cases, however, surnames and pen names are virtually inseparable from initials (O. Henry, not Henry).
d.聽 Dutch and German names.听顿耻迟肠丑听van,听van der,听van den, and German聽von, with some exceptions (especially in English contexts), are not used with the last name alone.
Droste-H眉lshoff (Annette von Droste-H眉lshoff)
Kleist (Heinrich von Kleist)
Vondel (Joost van den Vondel)
but
Van Gogh, Vincent
Von Braun, Wernher
German names with an umlaut (盲, 枚, 眉) are often alphabetized in [North America] as though spelled out (ae, oe, ue). In this case, 鈥淕枚tz鈥� (alphabetized as 鈥淕oetz鈥�) would precede 鈥淕ogol鈥� in an alphabetical listing. In Germany they are most often alphabetized without regard to the umlaut.
e.聽 French names.听贵谤别苍肠丑听de聽alone following a given name, with some exceptions, is not used with the last name alone.
Maupassant (Guy de Maupassant)
Ronsard (Pierre de Ronsard)
Scud茅ry (Madeleine de Scud茅ry)
but
De Gaulle, Charles
When the preposition聽de聽and the definite article are combined into a single word (des,听du), this word is used with the last name.
Des P茅riers, Bonaventure
Du Bartas, Guillaume de Salluste
Otherwise, omit聽de聽with the last name.
La Bo茅tie, Etienne de
La Bruy猫re, Jean de
A hyphen is normally used between French given names (M.-J. Ch茅nier is Marie-Joseph Ch茅nier, but M. R. Char is Monsieur Ren茅 Char; P. J. Reynard is P猫re 鈥楩ather鈥� J. Reynard).
f.聽 Greek names.聽See 搂17g.
g.聽 Italian names.聽Many Italian names of persons living before or during the Renaissance are alphabetized by the first name.
Bonvesin da la Riva
Cino da Pistoia
Dante Alighieri
Iacopone da Todi
Michelangelo Buonarroti
but
Boccaccio, Giovanni
Cellini, Benvenuto
Stampa, Gaspara
Members of historical families, however, are usually alphabetized by their last names.
Este, Beatrice d鈥�
Medici, Lorenzo de鈥�
In modern times, the Italian聽da,听de,听del,听della, and聽di聽are used with the last name.
D鈥橝nnunzio, Gabriele
De Sanctis, Francesco
Del Buono, Oreste
Della Casa, Giovanni
Di Costanzo, Angelo
h.聽 Spanish names.听厂辫补苍颈蝉丑听de聽is not used with the last name alone.
Madariaga (Salvador de Madariaga)
Rueda (Lope de Rueda)
Timoneda (Juan de Timoneda)
When the preposition聽de聽and the definite article聽el聽are combined into a single word (del), this word must be used with the last name: Del R铆o, Angel. Otherwise, omit聽de聽with the last name: Las Casas, Bartolom茅 de.
Spanish surnames often include both the paternal name and the maternal name, with or without the conjunction聽y. The surname of a married woman usually includes her paternal surname and the paternal surname of the husband, connected by聽de. The proper indexing of Spanish names requires the ability to distinguish between given names and surnames. Alphabetize by paternal name.
脕lvarez, Miguel de los S谩ntos
Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de
D铆az de Castillo, Bernal
Figuera Aymerich, 脕ngela
Larra y S谩nchez de Castro, Mariano Jos茅
L贸pez de Ayala, Pero
Matute, Ana Mar铆a
Ortega y Gasset, Jos茅
Quevedo y Villegas, Francisco G贸mez de
Sinu茅s de Marco, Mar铆a del Pilar
Zayas y Sotomayor, Mar铆a de
Even persons who are commonly known by the maternal portion of their surnames鈥擥ald贸s, Lorca鈥攁re properly indexed under their full surnames: Benito聽P茅rez Gald贸s, Federico聽Garc铆a Lorca.
i.聽 Oriental names.聽In Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese, surnames precede given names (Hu Shih, Wang Kuowei, Kim Jong Gil, Anesaki Masajaru), but Western authors should follow the known preferences of Oriental persons, even if they differ from normal practice or standard romanization (Y. R. Chao, Syngman Rhee).
鈥�