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An MLA quotation is formatted one of two ways, and the line count decides which. A quotation of four lines or fewer stays inside your sentence in double quotation marks; a quotation of more than four lines becomes a block, indented half an inch with no quotation marks. The part writers most often get wrong is where the period goes, and it moves depending on which format you chose. This guide gives a fill-in template for each, a filled example with invented text, and a checklist. It follows MLA 9th edition (2021), the current edition as of 2026-10.
MLA quotation format at a glance
| Element | Short quotation (four lines or fewer) | Block quotation (more than four lines) |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Inside your own sentence | Set off from your text, on its own lines |
| Quotation marks | Double quotation marks around the quoted words | None |
| Indent | Stays in the paragraph, not set off | Half an inch from the left margin |
| Citation | Parenthetical citation, then the sentence punctuation | Closing punctuation of the quote, then the parenthetical citation |
These points agree across the MLA 9 guides from Douglas College (page updated 2026-10-28), Virginia Peninsula Community College (updated 2026-10-13) and Midlands Technical College (updated 2026-03-16), all checked on 2026-10-29. The block-quote rule also matches the MLA Handbook, page 76: a prose quotation over four lines is set off and indented 0.5 inch from the left margin.
When does a quotation become a block quote in MLA?
A prose quotation of more than four lines in your paper is a block quotation. Douglas College says that a quotation running no more than four lines is put in double quotation marks and worked into your own sentence, and that a longer one is set off from your text. Midlands Technical College draws the same line: a prose quotation of no more than four lines in your paper is short, and one of more than four lines is a block.
Count the lines as they will appear in your finished, formatted paper, not in the source. A passage that fills three lines of a printed book may take five lines at your margins and font, or the reverse. So decide after your page layout is set, and recount if you change margins or font size.
- Format the paper first, with its final margins, font and spacing.
- Type the quotation in your sentence, inside quotation marks.
- Count the lines it takes. Four or fewer: leave it as a short quotation. More than four: convert it to a block.
If your instructor or publisher gives a different line limit, follow that instruction, because house rules override the general convention.
How do you format a block quote in MLA 9?
Introduce the passage with your own sentence, usually ending in a colon (Virginia Peninsula Community College says to introduce the block with a colon). Start the quotation on a new line, indent the whole block half an inch from the left margin, and leave off the quotation marks. Douglas College says plainly: “Do not use opening and closing quotation marks.” Virginia Peninsula adds that the first word is not indented further.
Block quotation template
Your introducing sentence naming the source and the point the quotation supports:
[Quoted passage, copied exactly as in the source, running more than four lines in your paper, with no opening or closing quotation marks.] ([Author surname] [page number])
Note the order at the end: the quotation’s own final punctuation comes first, then a space, then the parenthetical citation with no period after it. Douglas College puts this as “For long quotations, a period at the end of a quotation is placed before the parentheses,” and Midlands Technical College says the citation “goes after the punctuation of the quote.”
Filled example (invented source and text)
The author, book and passage below are fictional and exist only to show the layout. In her study of imaginary harbour towns, Jordan Avery describes the shift in tone:
The harbour clerks kept their ledgers in a language of small numbers, and for decades no one thought to ask what the numbers were hiding. It was only when the winter tallies stopped agreeing with the summer ones that a junior clerk, who had been hired to copy rather than to read, began to read. What she found was not a single error but a habit of rounding that had quietly shaped every figure in the town. (Avery 42)
A reader who reaches the end of that block sees the final period of Avery’s sentence, then the citation. Nothing follows the closing parenthesis.
Short quotations: where does the period go?
In a short quotation the order reverses. The closing quotation mark comes first, then the parenthetical citation, then the period. Douglas College states that punctuation marks such as periods, commas and semicolons “should appear after the parenthetical reference,” and Midlands Technical College says the same for any sentence punctuation after the closing parenthesis of the citation.
Short quotation template
[Your words] “[exact quoted words]” ([Author surname] [page number])[sentence punctuation]
Filled example (invented source and text)
Avery argues that the clerks’ ledgers were “a language of small numbers” (42), and the same passage shows how little anyone questioned them.
When the sentence already names the author, as it does here, the parenthetical needs only the page number. When it does not, give the author’s surname and the page, as in (Avery 42). For a source with no author, see MLA citation with no author.
Side-by-side: the same sentence both ways
The only difference in the closing punctuation is the order of period and citation:
| Format | How the sentence ends |
|---|---|
| Short quotation | … “a habit of rounding” (Avery 42). |
| Block quotation | … a habit of rounding that had quietly shaped every figure in the town. (Avery 42) |
The pattern to remember: in a short quotation the citation sits inside your sentence, so your sentence’s period comes last. In a block quotation the period belongs to the quoted passage, so it comes before the citation.
MLA quotation checklist
- You have chosen short or block by counting lines in your formatted paper, not in the source.
- A short quotation sits in double quotation marks inside your own sentence.
- A block quotation starts on a new line, is indented half an inch from the left margin, and has no quotation marks.
- The block quotation is copied exactly, and its own final punctuation is followed by the parenthetical citation with no extra period.
- The short quotation’s citation comes before the period, comma or semicolon that ends your clause.
- Every quotation has a parenthetical citation that matches an entry in your works cited list. See MLA works cited format and the dictionary entry on parenthetical citation.
- You checked your instructor’s or publisher’s own instructions for any different line limit.
Related quoting guides
For how MLA compares with APA and Chicago on quotation thresholds, ellipses and brackets, read quoting and citing sources correctly. For quoting from a play, see play citation in MLA style.
Frequently asked questions
How many lines is a block quote in MLA?
More than four lines of prose in your paper. Four lines or fewer stays inside your sentence in double quotation marks.
Do you use quotation marks in a block quote?
No. The indent signals that the passage is quoted, so quotation marks are left out. Douglas College, Virginia Peninsula Community College and Midlands Technical College all say so.
Where does the period go with an MLA quotation?
In a short quotation, after the parenthetical citation. In a block quotation, before it, as part of the quoted passage.
How far do you indent an MLA block quote?
Half an inch from the left margin, for the whole block, according to the MLA Handbook (page 76) and the three college guides above.
Sources
All pages below were checked on 2026-10-29.
- MLA Handbook, 9th edition (2021), page 76 (block quotations), via MLA Style Center.
- Douglas College Library, MLA 9: Quotations, page updated 2026-10-28.
- Virginia Peninsula Community College, MLA (Ninth Edition): In-Text Citations, updated 2026-10-13.
- Midlands Technical College, Citing Your Sources: MLA 9th Ed., updated 2026-03-16.
