How to Quote Multiple Lines of a Poem
Quick answer: How to quote multiple lines of a poem: use forward slashes for two or three lines, block quotations for four or more, and keep the poet's line breaks.
To quote two or three lines of a poem, keep them inside your sentence and mark each line break with a forward slash with a space either side, preserving the poet's capitalisation: 'The woods are lovely, dark and deep, / But I have promises to keep'. For four or more lines, set the passage off as a block quotation: indented, without quotation marks, and with the original line breaks intact.
The rule exists because line breaks are part of a poem's meaning. Run the lines together as if they were prose and you have quoted different evidence from what the poet wrote. Every major style guide, MLA, APA and Chicago alike, agrees on the basic slash-or-block distinction, though the details of indentation and citation vary.
Quoting two or three lines: the slash method
Weave the lines into your own sentence, wrap them in quotation marks, and use ' / ' at each line break. Keep the poet's punctuation and capital letters exactly as printed, even mid-sentence capitals that look odd in prose. If the quotation crosses a stanza break, mark that with a double slash: ' // '. Cite line numbers rather than page numbers where your style guide allows, for example (lines 13-14).
Quoting four or more lines: the block quotation
Introduce the passage with a full sentence and a colon, then start the quotation on a new line, indented (half an inch in MLA), with no quotation marks. Reproduce the lineation exactly: breaks, indents, unusual spacing, all of it. Your citation follows the final line. Resist the temptation to block-quote long passages just to fill space; markers notice, and a long quotation followed by one thin sentence of comment is a classic sign of padding.
Respecting the poet's choices
A few habits keep your quotations honest and your marker happy.
How much should you quote at all?
Less than you think. The strongest essays quote fragments of two to eight words woven tightly into analysis, saving multi-line quotations for moments where the interplay between lines is the point, such as an enjambment you are about to discuss. A good test: if you could cut the quotation to half its length and your sentence still works, cut it.
What poets can take from this
- Use ' / ' for line breaks and ' // ' for stanza breaks in run-in quotations.
- Switch to a block quotation at four lines, indented and unmarked by quotation marks.
- Preserve the poet's capitals and punctuation exactly.
- Cite line numbers, not page numbers, where your style guide permits.
- Introduce block quotations with a complete sentence and a colon.
- Quote short fragments where you can; quote lines only when lineation matters.
Try it yourself
Write a four-line poem in which the line breaks change the meaning, then write two sentences quoting it with slashes and two more discussing what the breaks do.
Questions
Do I use a slash when quoting a poem in MLA?
Yes. MLA uses a forward slash with a space on each side for quotations of up to three lines, and a double slash for stanza breaks. Four lines or more become an indented block quotation.
How do I cite line numbers for a poem?
In MLA, write (lines 3-5) the first time, then just the numbers (3-5) in later citations. Only count printed lines of verse, and never invent numbers if the edition does not support them.
Can I shorten a quotation from a poem?
Yes, mark the omission with a bracketed ellipsis [...]. Make sure the shortened version does not distort the poet's meaning or grammar.
By the Writory editorial team, reviewed by working poets. Updated July 2026.
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