A block quote is the MLA format for long quotations: more than four typed lines of prose or more than three lines of verse. Instead of quotation marks, the entire passage is set off on its own, indented half an inch from the left margin, double-spaced, with the in-text citation placed after the closing punctuation.
Everything quoted still needs an in-text citation and a Works Cited entry — the block format changes the page layout, not the citing obligations.
When to Use a Block Quote
- Prose: more than four typed lines in your paper.
- Verse/poetry: more than three lines.
- Multi-paragraph quotations: quoted material that spans two or more paragraphs uses block format even when the total is under four lines.
Anything at or under those thresholds uses the run-in quote format with quotation marks, covered in our MLA quote citation guide.
The Block Quote Format
- Start the quotation on a new line.
- Indent the entire quote half an inch (0.5") from the left margin.
- Leave the right margin as-is (do not justify or center).
- Double-space the quote, same as the rest of the paper.
- No quotation marks around the block.
- Place the parenthetical citation after the closing period.
Here is the complete pattern — note that the citation comes after the final period, not before it:
They entirely refused to have it in bed with them, or even in their room, and I had no more sense, so I put it on the landing of the stairs, hoping it would be gone on the morrow. (Bronte 78)
Page Layout
Nelly Dean treats Heathcliff poorly and dehumanizes him throughout her narration:
They entirely refused to have it in bed with them, or even in their room, and I had no more sense, so I put it on the landing of the stairs, hoping it would be gone on the morrow. (Bronte 78)
Introduction. Stays flush left and ends with a colon. The quotation never begins on this line.
New line, then indent. The passage starts on the next line, indented 0.5 in from the left margin, right margin untouched, spacing left double, and no quotation marks added.
Citation, highlighted above. The parenthetical sits after the closing period on the quotation's final line — never before it.
Introducing the Block Quote
Block quotes are almost always introduced with a sentence ending in a colon. The colon signals that the indented passage follows:
Nelly Dean treats Heathcliff poorly and dehumanizes him throughout her narration:
They entirely refused to have it in bed with them ... (Bronte 78)
A colon is common but not required — any clean introduction works as long as the reader can tell where the appraised material begins.
Block Quotes With More Than One Paragraph
When a block quote contains more than one paragraph, indent the first line of every paragraph after the first by an additional quarter of an inch (about 0.25"). The first paragraph of the quote stays at the half-inch indentation:
Writing has been an issue in American higher education since papers and examinations came into wide use ... (3)
This extra indent tells the reader a new paragraph of the original source has begun.
Block Quotes in Poetry
Long verse quotations keep the poet's original line breaks, with the citation after the final line:
The whiskey on your breath
Could make a small boy dizzy;
But I hung on like death:
Such waltzing was not easy. (Roethke 10-13)
Preserve the author's own indentation for poems where the layout matters (for example, line wrapping or stanza spacing).
Quotes Inside a Block Quote
Because a block quotation carries no quotation marks of its own, any quoted material within the block uses regular double quotation marks — the opposite of the run-in alternation rule:
The report concluded that "digital tools have failed to deliver the promised gains," and it urged districts to reconsider their budgets. (Mercer 44)
Citation and Punctuation Summary
| Run-in quote | Block quote |
|---|---|
| Quotation marks (double) | No quotation marks |
| Citation before the period | Citation after the period |
| Flows inside the paragraph | New line, indented 0.5" |
| 4 lines of prose or fewer / 3 of verse or fewer | More than 4 prose lines / 3 verse lines |
Setting the Indent in Your Word Processor
The half-inch indentation is easiest to get right with your editor's paragraph tools rather than the space bar:
- Microsoft Word: Select the block quote, then open Home > Paragraph > Indentation > Left and set it to 0.5". Or use Format > Paragraph on a Mac. For the extra quarter-inch on later paragraphs, add 0.5" + 0.25" = 0.75" on those first lines (Word: Special > First line > 0.25").
- Google Docs: Select the quote and use Format > Align & Indent > Indentation options > Left, set to 0.5". To make the first line of a second paragraph indent further, set First line to 0.25".
- Plain text or web editors: Indent every line of the block quote by the same number of spaces — but better, use your editor's paragraph indent so the block stays double-spaced and the right edge stays ragged.
Whichever tool you use, the test is simple: select the block and check that its left edge is twice the distance of a normal paragraph indent (half an inch vs. the standard quarter-inch first-line indent of body paragraphs).
Omitting Material Inside a Block Quote
Ellipses work inside block quotes just as they do in run-in quotes, with one exception for verse. When you omit words within a prose block quote, mark the omission the same way: three spaced periods ( . . . ).
Writing has been an issue in American higher education since papers and examinations came into wide use in the 1870s . . . and progressive education has wrestled with the conflict between specialization and social equity. (3)
For poetry, the rule is different: if you omit one or more full lines of verse, indicate it with a line of spaced periods roughly the width of a complete line in the poem, instead of the standard three-dot ellipsis. Words omitted within a single line still use the normal three-dot ellipsis.
How Many Block Quotes Are Too Many?
A block quote is a large visual commitment. Three or four of them in a standard essay make your paper look more like a copying exercise than an argument. Use long quotations only when the quoted words are themselves essential — the author's exact wording is the object of your analysis, the quotation provides evidence you will interpret sentence by sentence, or the passage is so vivid that paraphrase would weaken your point. When you simply need the information, paraphrase instead and quote only a key phrase. Instructors routinely grade down for essays that lean on block quotes to reach a page count.
Play Dialogue as a Block Quotation
Dialogue from a play has its own block-quote treatment. When two or more characters speak and the exchange runs several lines, format it as a block quote with each speaker's name and line indented further. For verse plays, MLA's classic example staggers the lines with an additional quarter-inch indent for each speaker's name and every line that follows:
In the final exchange, both characters concede the distance between them:
RENA. I want you to hold it in your hand. A little amber stick... I just want to hold it even if I never smoke it.
HAP. And you will, no matter what.
For prose plays, treat the dialogue like any block quote: indent one half inch, and let each character's speech begin a new line without quotation marks. The citation goes after the final period with the page number, and if you are quoting from specific act and scene, you may cite those instead — (Shakespeare 2.4) — a rule detailed in this series' guide to citations without page numbers.
Common Mistakes
- Keeping quotation marks on a block quote — the indentation replaces them.
- Putting the citation before the final period.
- Indenting the quote with the Tab key or spaces sporadically — use Word's indentation controls so every line is exactly 0.5".
- Centering or italicizing a block quote.
- Using block format for quotes under four lines.
- Skipping the indented paragraph mark for multi-paragraph block quotes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many lines is a block quote in MLA?
More than four typed lines of prose or more than three lines of verse triggers block format. Count the lines as they appear in your paper.
Does a block quote count toward the page count?
Yes, quoted material is part of your word and page count, so long block quotes can inflate an essay. Use them only when the source is essential.
How much should the block quote be indented?
Half an inch from the left margin for the whole block. Additional paragraphs inside the block get an extra quarter-inch on their first line.
Is the citation inside or outside the block quote's period?
Outside — the parenthetical citation comes after the closing punctuation of the block quote.
Check Your Format Automatically
Paste your draft into our free MLA Format Checker and it flags indentation, spacing, and other block-quote issues before you submit.
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