How to Properly to Cite Dialogue in MLA

Last Updated: March 7, 2023 References

When you're writing a paper about a work of literature, such as a play or story, you might need to quote from the dialogue. If you're using the citation style of the Modern Language Association (MLA), your Works Cited entry will be the same as it would be for any book, play, or other source. However, the format and in-text citation of dialogue can be a little tricky, especially when you're quoting several lines of dialogue directly.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

In-Text Citation

Use this method if your quote is short (3 lines or fewer) and only includes speech from one character.^{[1]
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1
Put single quotation marks around the speech if it's only part of the quoted passage. If the passage you're quoting includes both speech and expository text, use double quotation marks at the beginning and end of the quoted passage. Use single quotation marks to set off the part of the passage where the character is speaking.^{[2]
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- For example, you might write:
  Nick, the narrator of the story, clearly has class insecurity: "'You make me feel uncivilized, Daisy,' I confessed on my second glass of corky but rather impressive claret. 'Can't you talk about crops or something?'" (Fitzgerald 15)
2
Use double quotation marks if you're quoting only the speech. Let your readers know through your text that the quote is a character speaking, then use only double quotation marks around the speech itself. You don't have to use an extra single quotation mark to show that you're quoting dialogue.^{[3]
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- For example, you might write:
  Tom brings his racism full center when he exclaims that "civilization's going to pieces." (Fitzgerald 15)
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3
Place the page number or range in parentheses after the quote. If you haven't mentioned the author in the text of your paper, include their last name first. Then, type only the page number, or the first page of the range and last page of the range, separated by a hyphen. Place a period outside the closing parenthesis.^{[4]
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- For example, you might write:
  Tom describes a book he's been reading and asserts "The idea is if we don't look out the white race will be — will be utterly submerged. It's all scientific stuff; it's been proved" (Fitzgerald 16).

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Block Quotes

Use this method for quotes that are longer than 3 lines or include speech from more than one character.

1
Introduce the block quote with a colon. Use a sentence in your paper to set up the block quote by explaining what it shows, summarizing its content, or describing its importance in relation to your paper's theme. End that sentence with a colon.^{[5]
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- For example, you might write:
  "You don't have to read far into Fitzgerald's book to encounter outright racism:" and then follow with a block quote about Tom discussing his white supremacist thoughts.
2
Set the left margin of the block quote 0.5 in (1.3 cm) over from your text. This new left margin applies to the entire block quote. The right margin doesn't change. For each new paragraph or line of dialogue, indent another 0.5 in (1.3 cm) from the block quote's margin. This includes the first line, so if your block quote starts at the beginning of a paragraph or first line of dialogue, the first line would be indented 1 in (2.5 cm)from the margin of your main text.^{[6]
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- With dialogue from a novel or short story, retain the paragraph format that appears in the original source and use double quotation marks around the spoken dialogue.
- If you're quoting dialogue from a play, the margins are different. The entire quote is set off 1 in (2.5 cm) from the text of your paper. Each subsequent line beyond a character's first is indented an additional 0.25 in (0.64 cm) (about 3 spaces).^{[7]
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3
Start each line with the character's name when quoting a play. Type the character's name in all capital letters, followed by a period. Then, copy that character's lines. If your block quote includes lines from more than one character, do the same for each character you quote.^{[8]
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- Don't use quotation marks anywhere in the dialogue when block-quoting dialogue from a play.
- For example, you might quote the dialogue before Romeo and Juliet's first kiss:
  ROMEO. Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?
  JULIET. Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer.
  ROMEO. O then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do.
  They pray: grant thou, lest faith turn to despair.
  JULIET. Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake.
  ROMEO. Then move not while my prayer's effect I take. (Shakespeare 1.5.112-117)
4
Add the page number or range in parentheses at the end of the block quote. With a block quote, the page number or range goes outside the closing punctuation for the quote. No punctuation is necessary after the closing parenthesis. If you haven't included the name of the author in your text preceding the block quote, add it to your parenthetical before the page number or range.^{[9]
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- For example, the last lines of your block quote might look like this:
  And I hope she'll be a fool — that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool." (Fitzgerald 19-20)

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Works Cited

Use this method to organize information about the source in your Works Cited entry.

1
Start your Works Cited entry with the author's name. Type the author's last name first, followed by a comma, then their first name. Place a period at the end of the author's first name. Include initials as necessary, if they're included on the title page of the source.^{[10]
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Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines
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- Example: Fitzgerald, F. Scott.
- If there are 2 authors, list them in the order they appear on the title page of the book. Place a comma after the first author's first name, then type the word "and," followed by the second author's first and last name. (Example: Smith, John and Sally Ride)
- If there are 3 or more authors, list only the first author's name, add a comma after their first name, then type the abbreviation "et al." (Example: Smith, John, et al.)
2
Add the title of the source. For most works of literature, the source is a book or similar volume, so you'd put the title in italics. If you happen to be quoting from a smaller work, such as a story in a magazine or literary journal or a play in a collected volume of plays, put the title in double quotation marks. Capitalize the first word of the title and all nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives. Place a period at the end of the title (inside the double quotation marks, if you're using those).^{[11]
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Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines
Go to source}
- Book example: Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby.
- Short story example: Fitzgerald, F. Scott. "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz."
3
Include the title of the larger work and editor if necessary. If the story or play you quoted came from a larger work, add the title in italics after the title of the source. Capitalize it the same way you capitalized the title of the source, with a comma at the end. If there's an editor, add the words "edited by" followed by their name. Place a comma at the end of the name.^{[12]
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- Short story example: Fitzgerald, F. Scott. "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz." The Short Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald, edited by Matthew J. Bruccoli,
- For literary journals or other periodicals, include the volume and issue numbers as well.
4
List the publisher and year of publication. Type the name of the publisher, followed by a comma, then add the year the source was published. Place a period at the end.^{[13]
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- Book example: Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Scribner, 2004.
- Short story example: Fitzgerald, F. Scott. "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz." The Short Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald, edited by Matthew J. Bruccoli, Scribner, 1995.
5
Close your entry with a URL if the source is available online. Copy and paste the direct URL for the source, without the "http://" portion. Place a period at the end of the URL.^{[14]
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- Book example: Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Scribner, 2004. gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200041h.html.
- Short story example: Fitzgerald, F. Scott. "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz." The Short Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald, edited by Matthew J. Bruccoli, Scribner, 1995. public-library.uk/ebooks/28/56.pdf.

Template to Cite Dialogue in MLA

Sample Template to Cite Dialogue in MLA

Warnings

This article describes how to cite dialogue using MLA 8th edition (2016). If your instructor or supervisor has you using a different edition, the format might be different.

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