MLA Homework

The purpose of the assignment is to give you practice with quoting, paraphrasing, in-text citations, and
works cited format. This assignment may seem involved, but trust me that you need some hands-on
practice with these concepts. You will use these skills in your argument essay and research paper.
Please create a new document that presents only your answers to these six items. You will submit
the homework through a Turnitin link. Turnitin will help me to check how well you have avoided
plagiarism as you paraphrased and quoted.

Here is the scenario that guides the first three items of the assignment:
In your research of planning single-use plastics, you have found much information on the rising
popularity of plastic straw bans, so you make that the topic of your paper. You find several helpful
sources including this one that provides information on both sides of the debate.
“Straw Bans Seen as Tackling a ‘Gateway Plastic’” by Steve Toloken
Refer to the pdf of the article as you respond to the first three items.

Quoting Properly
Write TWO passages that you might include in your paper. Each time, you must write passage of two+
sentences that presents a properly cited quote. You may reference chapter 50 in your textbook, and you
may use the information on incorporating source information posted in the MLA module. You may
also use my examples below as models for your own passages. You only have to write two passages,
but I am presenting several examples to show you the flexibility you have with quoting. Notice that I
have expressed the same basic idea in each quote (with one exception). I did so to give you the rest of
the article to find a point to make. Do your best not to make the same exact point that I have made.
1. One passage should include a complete sentence quote.
• Banning straws is seen as a way to start a larger conversation on the use of disposable plastics.
Environmental activist Dune Ives asserts, "It's not about the straw entirely. It's about how we
see single-use plastics in our lives" (qtd. in Toloken).
One good way to present a full-sentence quote is to present the author, website, or someone
quoted within the article with a signal verb. Chapter 50 has a good list of signal phrases and
how to use them. You can also search the term “signal verbs” to find strong verbs. Notice that
a comma follows the signal verb, and the quote begins with a capital letter. Also, notice that I
chose to quote someone other than the author. I did so to show you this rule. All citations must
lead to a source on the works cited page. The author of the article is Steve Toloken, not Dune
Ives. That is why I use “qtd. in” in the citation. Rule #15 on p. 573 of your textbook applies.
• Plastic straws are seen as symbolic of a greater issue. However, they do pose a specific
problem, especially in coastal areas: “[T]hey're consistently among Ocean Conservancy's top
10 items of beach litter” (Toloken).
Another good way to present a quote is to write a complete thought in your own words and then
follow with a complete quote as I did above. Notice that a colon joins the two thoughts; the
colon indicates that the first sentence "sets up" the second sentence. FYI: If you use a comma in
this situation instead of a colon, you will create a comma splice. Also, a capital letter is needed
with the quote in this situation. Since the word they’re is not capitalized in the article, I use
brackets to indicate my change.
 • Banning straws is seen as a way to draw closer attention to the use of disposable plastics.
According to environmental activist Dune Ives, "[i]t's not about the straw entirely. It's about
how we see single-use plastics in our lives" (qtd. in Toloken).
Using “according to” is a popular way to present a quote. I show you this example to note one
difference in capitalization punctuation. “According to” is a phrase and should introduce a full
sentence. The comma is needed after the “according to phrase.” However, this situation calls
for a lower-case letter in the first word of the quote. That is why I used the brackets.
2. Your second passage should include a partial quote incorporated into your own text. Read these
two examples to help you formulate your own response.
• While plastic straws do present a specific environmental problem, they also have “a bigger
symbolic value” that can lead to “a broader conversation on single-use plastics” (Toloken).
Notice that I have two quoted phrases woven into a sentence of my own. No commas are
needed before the quotes, and they do not begin with capital letters.
• The plastics industry understands the concern over plastic waste but insists that bans are not the
answer. Plastics News, an industry trade publication, reports that efforts must “focus on
improving waste management and collection systems in developing countries that contribute
the lion's share of marine plastic waste.”
Using the word that is an effective way to present quoted material. Notice that no comma
follows the word that, and the first word of the quote is not capitalized. In fact, if you present a
complete thought as an incomplete thought in a dependent clause beginning with the word that,
you will need to use brackets to change the capital letter to lower case. No citation is needed
because I give the source in the text of my sentence. Notice that the publication title is
italicized. I could have also given the author’s name (Steve Toloken, reporter for Plastics
News, writes that . . . ). Finally, no page numbers are needed in any of my quotes because
EBSCO only gave me an html document. Html docs have no page numbers.

Paraphrasing
Paraphrase the first three paragraphs of the article. You will begin with “You’ve heard” and end with
“bigger symbolic value.” Do not quote at all, except maybe the phrases “gateway drugs” and “gateway
plastic.” Remember that a paraphrase captures the passage completely and should be nearly as long as
the original. Your paraphrase should be 3 – 5 sentences long.
I am not providing a paraphrasing example. Your Turnitin score will tell me how well you put the
paragraphs into your own words. I also will be making sure that you kept the meaning, too. Refer to
chapter 50 in your textbook for paraphrasing guidelines.

Creating Works Cited Entries

When you copy and paste a works cited entry, be sure to keep the correct italics. Reverse indent the
entry. You can go to “View” in Word to add a ruler and then use the ruler to get the indention right.
Watch the videos that I created; they show you how to format works cited entries in a Word document.
When you are asked to give the parenthetical citation, that means to create a parentheses that contains
what you would use in the paper as documentation. Here is an example using a Pew Research article.
Easybib created this entry for me. Because the article has two authors, both names are given in the
parenthetical citation. No page numbers are needed.
A.
Madden, Mary, and Lee Rainie. “Adults and Cell Phone Distractions.” Pew Research Center:
Internet, Science & Tech, 27 Aug. 2020, www.pewinternet.org/2010/06/18/adults-and-cell-
phone-distractions/#fn-411-5.
B. (Madden and Rainie)

Here are the three items you need to submit:

1. Find this article on the open web: “Teens and Social Media Use: What’s the Impact?”
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/tween-and-teen-health/in-depth/teens-and-social-
media-use/art-20474437
A. Use easybib.com to create a works cited entry for this source. Check the information to make
sure that easybib has not made a mistake, but DO NOT add “Mayo Clinic Staff” as the author.
When a specific author is not given, the works cited entry should start with the title of the
article. Be careful with spacing, indentions, and italics right.
B. Give the parenthetical citation for the source.
2. The article in item 1 is not current. Find a more current article on the open web that concerns
either the benefits or dangers of social media – your call. Make sure it is a credible and reliable
source. Do not go back further than five years.
A. Use easybib.com (or your preferred citation machine) to create a works cited entry you’re your
chosen source. Check information to make sure that easybib has not made a mistake. Copy
your citation into your homework submission. Be careful with spacing, indentions, and italics.
B. Give the parenthetical citation for your source.
3. Go to SIRS Researcher (EC Warrior Search, Find More). Click on social media and find this
article: “Social Media Is Riskier for Children Than ‘Screen Time.’”
A. Use the cite tool on the right. Find the MLA 9 citation and copy the MLA works cited entry
here. Be sure to get spacing and indentions right. NOTE: The citation has an error with the
authors. I am unsure why databases sometimes have citing errors, but they do. Find the rule
that applies to a source with three authors. Make the change in your entry. Be careful with
spacing, indentions, and italics.
B. Give the parenthetical citation for this source.

Scroll to the next page for a summary of the assignment.

To summarize the assignment, you will create a new document that contains the following:

1. A complete sentence quote with a proper lead-in.

2. An incomplete thought quote with a proper lead-in.
3. A paraphrase of the first three paragraphs of the Toloken article on straw bans.
4. A works cited entry on the article from the Mayo Clinic with a correct in-text citation.
5. A works cited entry on an article of your choice with a correct in-text citation.
6. A works cited entry on the SIRS Researcher article with a correct in-text citation.

FYI: I will give you part credit for quotes with errors, but I will not give any credit for “dropped”
quotes, quotes that are not “launched” with words of your own. I address dropped quotes in my
instruction in the MLA module. When you drop a quote into a paper, you have made no effort to
incorporate it correctly.

FYI #2: If you think my homework is involved and time-consuming, please consider that I am signing
on to read nearly fifty of these assignments, easily six to eight hours of grading for me. Easily. I
believe in hands-on practice. Reading rules and becoming familiar with format is good, but being able
to apply those rules is better. No one else will teach you these concepts once you have passed this
course.