So I'm writing a paper in MLA, and if I remember correctly from another class, this is how I was taught to cite a whole paragraph from an outside source (I made the paragraph up):

If you want to plant a pretty flower, you first have to go outside and put the seed in the soil and water it and cover it with soil. Then, everyday after, until it grows, keep going back to the same spot and keep watering. The flower will grow because you are watering it and the sun shines over it (Author's Name and page number).

Is this honestly the correct way to cite a whole paragraph from one source, as opposed to putting (Author's Name and page number) after every sentence in the paragraph, MLA style, being that the information is paraphrased from the original source?

Can someone verify this for me?

Thanks.

I believe you have it right. However, if it's written, you may want to indicate when you are citing comments from multiple pages by the same author.

Like this: "If you want to plant a pretty flower, you first have to go outside and put the seed in the soil and water it and cover it with soil.(1) Then, everyday after, until it grows, keep going back to the same spot and keep watering.(2) The flower will grow because you are watering it and the sun shines over it.(3)
(Author's Name). 1. How to raise a flower garden, page 23; 2. How to raise a flower garden, page 25; 3. How to raise a flower garden, page 26.

That isn't perfect, but it gives you an idea anyway. Also the notations are typically much smaller than the rest of the text (but I'm sure you already knew all of this).

I hope this was helpful.


EDIT: I'm also not an authority on the matter, so you may want to get a second opinion. I am fairly certain though (This is just how I've seen it done).

Thank you.

xxeliza321xx :

I learned it differently. Block Quotes.

Of course, there may be multiple ways of 'correctly' citing with MLA, but I know for a fact that block quoting is correct MLA.

A correctly formatted block quote looks like the following:



Highlighting aside, that's how you're supposed to do it.

I'm not familiar with all of the little quirks about it, but this link should be helpful reading. Note that the first part is an example of how -not- to do it. The second part tells -how- to do it.

Hope this helps.