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Skidmore College
The Skidmore Guide to Writing

Quotations--Poetry

If you are quoting more than three lines of poetry, quote them line by line as they appear in the poem, indenting as you would a block quotation. Indicate the line numbers in parentheses after the final punctuation mark.

      In "Snake," Emily Dickinson describes her subject by the effect of its movement:

The grass divides as with a comb,
A spotted shaft is seen;
And then it closes at your feet
And opens further on. (5-8)


If you are quoting three lines or fewer, integrate the quotations into your own sentence, using a slash (/) to indicate line breaks. Indicate line numbers at the end of the quotation.

      In "Snake," Emily Dickinson describes her subject by the effect of its movement: "The grass divides as with a comb,/ A spotted shaft is seen" (5-6).

Click here to read more about punctuation with quotations.

 


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