Questions tagged [quotations]
Questions about quotations, a group of words taken from a text or speech and repeated by someone other than the original author or speaker.
284
questions
0
votes
0answers
20 views
Brackets upon brackets? (Mine vs. Supreme Court Justice's)
I'm doing some homework. I am quoting from an administrative law decision. The hearing officer who wrote the decision quoted from a Supreme Court dissenting opinion, which quoted from a previous ...
2
votes
0answers
60 views
What does “Nothing is too good for him to eat.” mean?
I don't exactly know what it means. Which is the correct form below?
All are good enough for him to eat.
There is not any good thing (or food) for him to eat.
From The Forsyte Saga: The Man ...
0
votes
1answer
33 views
Comma inside quotes
Is it correct to have a comma inside the quotes below for this excerpt from a story, or should it be outside?
Bob wanted to see the world and meet other people; he would watch the planes fly past ...
1
vote
0answers
25 views
How to go backwards when quoting from something?
I am trying to take a quotation from a book (The Awakening if you're interested), but the part I am trying to quote does not well fit my sentence, I am wondering if there is an accepted way to quote ...
1
vote
1answer
38 views
Placement of period in quotation or definition at end of sentence (American rule)
The American rule for sentences ending in a quotation is that the period should be inside the closing quotation mark. The rule for parentheticals at the end of a sentence is that, when the ...
-1
votes
0answers
23 views
Using Quotations To Make Statements?
So my Electrician bosses all have company cars with various company adverts on them and I was reading this one section where it says
"Quality Installations"
As far as I know they aren't quoting ...
0
votes
2answers
33 views
Using “that” to introduce a quote [duplicate]
If you use "that" to introduce a full quote from a person is there still a comma and is the first letter of the sentence capitalized?
For example, which one of the following is correct?
Bob once ...
0
votes
1answer
59 views
Can an em dash be inserted in the middle of a quotation for interjection?
I've found questions asking about an em dash in quoted speech, and punctuation rules for em dashes in quotes, but this question is quite different.
The example I saw comes from a tweet, reproduced ...
14
votes
8answers
6k views
Translate the French quote “Il n’y a pas d'amour, il n’y a que des preuves d’amour” to English?
I’d like to translate a quote from Pierre Reverdy (or Jean Cocteau, this
is an open question apparently). The quote is:
Il n’y a pas d’amour, il n’y a que des preuves d’amour.
For some context in ...
1
vote
1answer
921 views
'A mind is like a parachute'—who coined this expression, and when?
I recently received a Facebook notification from an online quotation site, which attributed the following saying to Frank Zappa:
A mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work if it is not open.
I ...
-3
votes
1answer
30 views
The greatness of a teacher lies in respecting the child [closed]
The greatness of a teacher lies in respecting the child
What does respect imply in the sentence. I know it is a quote from Emerson, a great educationist and inspirer of all times.
The ...
0
votes
1answer
23 views
Punctuation before ending a quotation
I was reading an article and came across this sentence:
“Much wow, Bercow hid his opposition to Brexit so very well when he was Speaker.,” Mark Wallace, executive editor of ConservativeHome, ...
1
vote
0answers
17 views
single quotes or not [duplicate]
She got mad because I didn't call Bob Principal Bob.
Should it be
She got mad because I didn't call Bob 'Principal Bob.'
thanks
0
votes
1answer
40 views
How do I use a question as an embedded quotation when it also deserves a comma?
So I asked "shall I do the thing?" and he responded with "yes."
In that sentence, should the ? exist? It kind of feels like it should be a comma, given its place in the sentence. Thing is, if I take ...
-1
votes
1answer
54 views
What does the quoted section in someone’s name mean?
As in the title, what does a quoted section in a name mean? Names like John “James” Doe (not someone’s name)
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vote
0answers
15 views
Should a sentence have a comma before the quotation when the quotation is given an indefinite article?
See the following:
I heard the man shout out a, “Good luck, lad!”
Should there be a comma after a? Thanks!
1
vote
0answers
39 views
When a quotation is interrupted by someone finishing the quotation's sentence, should the second part be capitalized?
My question has to do with the following example:
“And remember to turn off the stove after using it in the mornings,
and—”
“Put up all the ingredients,” I finished for my mother with a
...
1
vote
1answer
53 views
Are there other constructs such as “[sic]” in quotations or otherwise?
In quotations and other similar contexts, I often see [sic] included used to mean I am quoting this verbatim, they made a mistake here.
I am not sure if there is a general category for this kind of a ...
0
votes
2answers
39 views
Quotations and punctuation [duplicate]
The common usage I have been exposed to is that punctuation should only be in a quotation if it’s contained in the original source. So what if your quotation ends in a period and your quotation is ...
16
votes
4answers
4k views
Do I need to write [sic] when including a quotation with a number less than 10 that isn't written out?
I know you have to write out numbers less than 10. However, if you're quoting a source that doesn't do so, do you need to write [sic] after each number less than 10 that isn't written out?
For ...
0
votes
1answer
40 views
Colon or comma for direct quotations?
I've seen two ways to introduce direction quotations:
1) The host made an announcement, "You are all staying for dinner."
2) The host made an announcement: "You are all staying for dinner."
Is one ...
0
votes
1answer
36 views
Quotation and Citation
I have a sentence directly copied from a source to a paper. This sentence is cited but not quoted. In this point, it is regarded as plagiarism.
Can we say plagiarism for the opposite case: Directly ...
0
votes
1answer
58 views
Quotes starting with `` and ending with ''
I have seen many sentences/words in quotes like ``this'' instead of "this". Here's one from K&R:
In 1983, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) established a committee whose goal was ...
0
votes
1answer
59 views
Quotations or no quotations?
Should "Happy Birthday" or "Happy Anniversary" written on a cake or card be in quotations or is both with or without correct?
1
vote
0answers
22 views
Punctuation for imagined/interpreted content in narrative
He had a look that said "I hate you".
He had a look that said 'I hate you'.
He had a look that said, "I hate you".
He had a look that said, 'I hate you'.
He had a look that said "I hate you."
He had a ...
0
votes
2answers
262 views
How do you quote a quotation that itself has mismatched quotes?
Suppose that Eve said (in spoken English)
An apple a day keeps the doctor away, unquote. Also isn't Eve such a
great person? Like my mom always said quote Eve is the best person ever,
much ...
1
vote
1answer
83 views
Is the folllowing sentence correctly punctuated?
Could someone please tell me if I've correctly punctuated the following sentence (specifically, if I've correctly used the dash and commas highlighted bloew)? Also, is the period at the end of the ...
1
vote
2answers
66 views
Punctuation within a sentence interrupted by a quote with multiple sentences
Is the comma after the last sentence in the quote correct? This is for a verbatim transcript.
If someone comes in and says, “Look, I need a new part. It’s broken.
I’ve got someone here that’s ...
1
vote
0answers
24 views
Can a punctuation mark at the end of a quote be changed to a period to end a sentence?
For example, say I wanted to quote the following line of poetry: "To cloke your weariness;"
The line ends in a semicolon. However, what would I do if I wanted to quote it at the end of a sentence? ...
2
votes
1answer
74 views
quotation mark to indicate possession after quotation marks indicating the title of a short story
Would it be wrong to write, for example:
"Slight Rebellion Off Madison" 's characters, plot, and themes develop in the same way as chapter 17 of Catcher in the Rye, only its point of view is ...
2
votes
1answer
85 views
In the case of multiple successive quotes, does punctuation go inside or outside quotes?
She told me "take me out," "let's travel together," and "I love ice cream."
or
She told me "take me out", "let's travel together", and "I love ice cream".
I always assumed that commas go inside ...
0
votes
1answer
34 views
How to handle a single quote STARTING a quotation?
I've done some research, both on this SE and off, but I can't find an answer to my unique problem. So I apologize in advance if this is a duplicate and I just missed something.
I'm dealing with a ...
1
vote
4answers
60 views
Any existentialist quotes for the acceptance that life is difficult and meaningless, but we must persevere? [closed]
I'm looking for a quote that illustrates the difficulty of life but reassures that the difficulty will come to pass as long as we have the willpower. Particularly, maybe something slightly ...
2
votes
1answer
381 views
Why are there multiple quotation marks in a long quote?
I came across an issue when reading Dr Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
(Image via Daily Nutmeg)
And the more the Grinch thought of this Who-Christmas-Sing,
The more the Grinch thought, "...
5
votes
1answer
134 views
I need help with quotations and punctuation [duplicate]
How do I punctuate when using quotes?
“There were more?” Asked Wendy.
or;
"There were more," asked Wendy?
"He was amazing!" Exclaimed Billy.
or;
"He was amazing," exclaimed Billy!
1
vote
2answers
993 views
Short quotation over two paragraphs
If I am quoting two short consecutive sentences, but the first sentence is the last of a paragraph and the second sentence is the first sentence of the following paragraph, how do I show this? Must I ...
1
vote
2answers
56 views
A Question Regarding the Use of a Comma for a Quoted Question [closed]
I'd like to ask for the community's opinion regarding the correct usage of a comma for a quoted question.
In a situation such as this, which of the two following sentences would be correct? The ...
1
vote
1answer
108 views
How do I double quotation marks? [duplicate]
Suppose I want to quote a text that begin with a word embedded within quotation marks. Let the text e.g. be: "House" is a four letter word. Should my quotation of it be ""House" is a four letter word."...
2
votes
0answers
62 views
How to indicate your source of information is Amazon's “Alexa”? [closed]
Is there a proper or technical way, in writing, to indicate your source of information is Alexa or some other AI (artificial intelligence)?
By this I don't mean that I have asked Alexa a factual ...
4
votes
2answers
163 views
What does “[arête]” mean, inside of a quote?
My copy of Xenophon has a sentence that looks like this:
...because she alone makes the development of moral excellence [arête] a public duty.
(italics are in the quote itself; "she" refers to ...
1
vote
0answers
18 views
Linking statements ending in question or exclamation marks in quotes [duplicate]
Consider this:
He began asking her rhetorical questions like "How dare you?", "How
could you?", and "How can you think such a thing?", but she did not
reply.
How can I write the above sentence ...
2
votes
1answer
6k views
Quotation marks for nicknames
E.g. "I get called Hitler in school." or "I get called 'Hitler' in school."?
Would quotation marks be needed for 'Hitler'?
What if it was an uncommon or nonsensical word like 'A123' or 'Gaylord'. ...
0
votes
1answer
58 views
Fullstop in a full quoted sentence in the middle of another sentence?
E.g., The statement made that "Apples are red." is wrong.
Should it be a comma instead e.g., 'The statement made that "Apples are red," is wrong.'?
1
vote
3answers
70 views
As a nurse Jane Doe once said / As nurse Jane Doe once said? [closed]
I am having difficulties deciding whether to use an indefinite article when quoting a person with their job mentioned as per the title.
As nurse Jane Doe once said: ...
or
As a nurse Jane Doe once ...
1
vote
1answer
134 views
What if there is an apostrophe in a quote, and that quote is in a quote? [duplicate]
I’m writing a passage with quotes from a book, but that quote has an apostrophe. What do I do if the situation is this?:
“Yes, yes, I’ll tell you,” said John.
Around that should be another pair of ...
1
vote
2answers
4k views
How to properly list quotes in a sentence
For a marketing class, I am listing three different slogans a company has. I have rewritten this a few times and I can't seem to get it to look correct.
My question is should I make it one big quote ...
1
vote
1answer
53 views
A quote within a quote uses single quotes. What about within that? And deeper? [duplicate]
Replacing the unknown quote marks with underscores, let’s say we’re trying to write this:
He responds, “Joe said ‘Mark said _I’m not coming._’”
One option is to alternate: He responds, “Joe said ‘...
1
vote
0answers
50 views
Punctuating when quoted fragment stands alone as complete sentence
What is the proper punctuation for quoting a fragment of a sentence when the omitted material is from both the beginning and the ending of the original sentence, yet the quoted fragment is still a ...
0
votes
2answers
194 views
How to cite critic reviews in-text but as standalone?
Let me explain after trying to Google, I cannot find information on how to quote a review/testimonial from a critic at a publication outside of the main text. The testimonial/reviews are listed at the ...
0
votes
0answers
29 views
Appropriate way of quoting [duplicate]
When you are quoting someone's assertion, this happens the following way:
God answered, "The sun is not appropriated to catch up the moon, nor can night outstrip the day."
Notice the comma, ...
