Evidence Citation Adapted Guide
In-Text Citations for Evidence: Books & Novels
Adapted Grade 8 ELA Reference Guide • Complete Original Models & Visual Scaffolds
Grade 8 ELA • Page 1
🗣️ Oral Partner Routine: Read each example aloud with your partner. Listen for the pause at the comma and notice the citation at the end!
Say It Aloud
Rule (How It Works)
Original Examples from The Outsiders
Titles
Novel titles should be in italics (slanted font).
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Leading into a Quote
When you introduce the quote, add a lead-in phrase and then a comma ,
Ponyboy explains, “But it was his show-piece, his pride and joy” (Hinton 125).
Other lead-in options: Hinton writes, “ It is stated, “
Using Citations
After you finish quoting the text, include the author’s last name and page number in parentheses.
Notice the period goes on the outside: ).
Ponyboy explains, “But it was his show-piece, his pride and joy...Dally knew how much that knife meant to Two-Bit...Two-Bit handed it over without a moment’s hesitation” (Hinton 125)****.
Punctuation
- • If the quoted text ends in a period, leave it out inside the quote.
- • If it ends in a ? or !, include it inside.
- • Put a period after the in-text citation at the very end outside the parenthesis.
Soda asks, “You cold Ponyboy**?” (Hinton 17).**
One of the Socs yells, “Shut him up, for Pete’s sake, shut him up**!” (Hinton 6).**
Ponyboy explains, “But it was his show-piece, his pride and joy” (Hinton 125).
Using Ellipses
When you need to skip over parts of the text because it does not help support your claim, you may use three dots, an ellipses (...), to signal you have skipped over words or lines.
Ponyboy explains, “But it was his show-piece, his pride and joy**...Dally knew how much that knife meant to Two-Bit...**Two-Bit handed it over without a moment’s hesitation” (Hinton 125).
Using Brackets
If something in your quote will be unclear to your reader, use brackets [ ] to signal that you are replacing a word for clarity.
Original: Ponyboy states, “He meant it when he said he didn’t care about his parents” (Hinton 88).
With brackets for clarity: Ponyboy states, “[Dally] meant it when he said he didn’t care about his parents” (Hinton 88).
Using a Quote Within a Quote
If you need to quote a piece of evidence that includes dialogue, use single quotes ‘ ’ to offset the standard double quotes “ ”.
Hinton writes, “****‘Don’t,’ [Ponyboy] said, sitting up in alarm. ‘You can’t kill yourself Johnny’****” (Hinton 47).
Quick Rule Check: Period goes outside parentheses (Hinton 125).
Novel title in italics • Lead-in + comma
Citing Lines of Poetry Within a Text: MLA Format
Adapted Grade 8 ELA Reference Guide • Complete Original Models & Visual Scaffolds
Grade 8 ELA • Page 2
🗣️ Oral Partner Routine: Read the poems aloud with your partner! Clap or pause where each line ends to hear the forward slash /.
Read Aloud
Rule (How It Works)
Complete Original Examples & Paragraph Context
Titles
Put quotation marks around the title of a poem.
“Nothing Gold Can Stay”
Evidence / Quoting Lines For three or fewer lines:
- • use quotation marks
- • separate each line with a forward slash /
- • Copy the text exactly as it is written (capitalization and punctuation)
- • If the last line you quote ends with:
— a period, omit it.
— a ?, !, or , keep it.
In his poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay” Robert Frost makes a clear connection to childhood through his use of allusion and metaphor. Referring to Eden and dawn both indicate beginnings. The speaker shares, “So Eden sank to grief,/So dawn goes down to day” (6-7).
Evidence / Quoting Lines For four or more lines use block quotation:
- • indent one inch from the left margin
- • do NOT include quotation marks.
- • copy the text exactly as it is written. Leave the punctuation as it appears in the poem or add a period.
- • Put the citation at the end of the last line.
In “My Heart Leaps Up” shows that the joy with which a child views the world does not have to leave when one grows older. The speaker introduces a simile to show a child’s love of simple beauties.
My heart leaps up when I behold
A rainbow in the sky:
So was it when my life began;
So is it now I am a man;
So be it when I shall grow old,
Or let me die! (1-6)
Wordsworth demonstrates a wish to keep his childlike innocence and appreciation for beauty in the world around him.
Short Poem (1–3 lines): Use quotes “ ” and forward slash / with (line-numbers).
Long Poem (4+ lines): Indent 1 inch, NO quotes, citation (line-numbers) at end.
